Meta, YouTube face trial over children harm
Opening statements in the first trial began in Los Angeles County Superior Court, where Instagram parent company Meta and Google’s...
Geostrategy
MENA must integrate research, enterprise, and leadership development
Over the next five years, knowledge and innovation will redefine the MENA region’s economic landscape, moving it beyond traditional resource...
Interview
Business
Musk’s AI startup raises $6bn more, Saudi and Qatari funds among investors
Paris, France -- Billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk's startup xAI said it had raised $6 billion from investors in its latest...
- The firm, whose flagship product is the Grok chatbot, garnered support from US venture capitalists, chipmakers NVIDIA and AMD.
- It also garnered support from investment funds from Saudi Arabia and Qatar among others.
Honda and Nissan expected to begin merger talks
Honda and Nissan were poised Monday to announce the start of talks on a merger to help the Japanese giants...
- Their collaboration would create the world's third-largest automaker
- Honda and Nissan's partnership could include a manufacturing tie-up
In stabilization bid, Syria’s new ruler declares all weapons under state control, including Kurdish arms
Ahmed al-Sharaa announced all weapons, including those held by Kurdish-led forces, will come under state control, emphasizing unity and coexistence...
- Sharaa spoke alongside Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, after earlier meeting with Lebanese Druze leaders and vowing to end "negative interference" in the neighbouring country
- Turkey has maintained strong ties with Syria's new leaders, and has continued military operations against Kurdish-held areas in northeastern Syria
Geostrategy
Pope again condemns ‘cruelty’ of Israeli strikes on Gaza
"And with pain I think of Gaza, of so much cruelty, of the children being machine-gunned, of the bombings of...
- The mounting criticisms of Israel appear to mark a change in the pope's tone in recent weeks. He has consistently called for peace since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war
- At the end of September, the Pope also criticized Israel's "immoral" use of force in Gaza and in Lebanon
Geostrategy
Tunisia women herb harvesters struggle with drought and heat
In Tunisia's highlands, women harvest wild herbs to earn a living, but drought is making their work harder, shrinking incomes...
- Tunisia produces around 10,000 tons of aromatic and medicinal herbs each year, according to official figures.
- Rosemary accounts for more than 40 percent of essential oil exports, mainly destined for French and American markets.
Business
AD Ports Group secures $2.125 billion refinancing deal
The move aims to optimize financing costs.
- The deal is also aimed at extending the facility’s maturity to 2028, with an option to extend further until 2030.
- The increased facility, which was oversubscribed 2.5 times, will be used to support the Group’s short and medium-term growth objectives.
Geostrategy
UAE says will not arm Sudan paramilitary RSF: White House
Washington, United States -- The United Arab Emirates has informed the United States that it will not arm paramilitaries in Sudan's...
- Two US lawmakers said the UAE pledged to address their concerns and that, as a result, they would drop their attempt to block $1.2 billion in arms sales.
- The UAE has long denied arming the RSF, with which it has fought Yemen's Houthi rebels. Trump has shown a greater willingness to sell weapons to the UAE
Geostrategy
Biden cancels $4.28 bn more in student debt before leaving office
Washington, United States -- US President Joe Biden said Friday he was canceling student loans for an additional 55,000 Americans, which...
- The beneficiaries include teachers, nurses, service members, law enforcement officials, and other public service workers who have given back to their communities.
- In the United States, colleges can often cost anywhere between $10,000 and $70,000 a year, leaving some graduates with crushing debt as they enter the workforce.
Business
Honda and Nissan in merger talks as electric vehicle competition intensifies
Tokyo, Japan --Japanese auto giant Honda and its struggling rival Nissan will reportedly begin talks on a merger to boost their...
- At the same time, Taiwanese electronics behemoth Foxconn has approached France's Renault to buy its large stake in Nissan.
- A merger between Honda and Nissan would not be a marriage of equals. Honda's market capitalization is around $41.2 billion, while Nissan's is around $10.5 billion.
Geostrategy
Turkey, Iran leaders at Cairo summit urge action to address Gaza, Syria crises
Cairo, Egypt -- The leaders of Turkey and Iran were in Egypt on Thursday for a summit of eight Muslim-majority countries,...
- The gathering of the D-8 Organisation for Economic Cooperation, also known as the Developing-8, was being held against a backdrop of regional turmoil.
- The organization includes Egypt, Nigeria, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Malaysia besides Turkey, which historically backed the opposition to Assad, while Iran supported him.
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Meta, YouTube face trial over children harm
Opening statements in the first trial began in Los Angeles County Superior Court, where Instagram parent company Meta and Google’s...
Geostrategy
Company News
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Hamas says weapons are ‘legitimate right’, open to proposals that preserve it
"Resistance and its weapons are a legitimate right guaranteed by international law and are linked to the establishment of a...
Geostrategy
China’s smaller manufacturers look to catch the automation wave
Yancheng, China -- In a light-filled workshop in eastern China, a robotic arm moved a partially assembled autonomous vehicle as workers...
Geostrategy
Trump vows revenge after troops in Syria killed in alleged IS ambush
The deadly attack had been "an ambush by a lone ISIS gunman," who was "engaged and killed," US Central Command...
Geostrategy
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Geostrategy
Saudi Arabia, Qatar sign high-speed rail deal to link capitals
The train would reach speeds exceeding 300 kilometers per hour and the trip would take roughly two hours between Riyadh...
- A direct flight between the cities clocks in at around 90 minutes.
- The project, set to be completed in six years, expects to serve 10 million passengers per year, the statement said.
Geostrategy
Mediators Qatar and Egypt call for next steps in fragile Gaza truce
"Now we are at the critical moment... A ceasefire cannot be completed unless there is a full withdrawal of the...
- Hamas said on Saturday that it was ready to hand over its weapons in the Gaza Strip to a Palestinian authority on the condition that the Israeli army's occupation ends.
- Qatar, alongside Egypt and the United States, helped secure the long-elusive truce, which remains delicate as Israel and Hamas accuse each other of breaching its terms.
Economy
Divided US Fed set for contentious interest rate meeting
When the Fed last met in October, Chair Jerome Powell asserted that another rate cut in December was "not a...
- Minutes from the Fed's most recent meeting showed many officials expect a further uptick in underlying goods inflation as President Donald Trump's tariffs bite.
- But recent comments from leading Fed officials also reflected support for cutting again because of a weakening labor market, even though inflation is still above Fed's 2% target.