Lessons from Davos: From digital health tools to health intelligence
Despite ongoing disagreements over economic and geopolitical shifts, there remains a strong commitment to collaboration, says Andrew Moose, Head of...
Interview
Saudi’s Humain secures $1.2 bn to expand AI, digital infrastructure
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi Arabia's Humain artificial intelligence company has secured up to $1.2 billion in financing to expand...
Business
Geostrategy
Macron to hold talks with Crown Prince Salman on Saudi visit
Macron is beginning the first state visit by a French president to Saudi Arabia since Jacques Chirac in 2006, cementing...
- Macron's three-day stay also coincides with a flare-up of violence in Syria, where anti-government rebels have seized Aleppo, the second largest city.
- The fighting in Syria comes after France helped to broker a fragile ceasefire in neighboring Lebanon, where Israel has been fighting Iran proxy Hezbollah.
Desertification talks open in Saudi Arabia as experts fire warning
UN talks aimed at halting the degradation and desertification of vast swathes of land start in Saudi Arabia. Forest loss...
- 3.7 billion acres must be restored by decade's end to combat crises
- Forest loss and degraded soils were reducing resilience to climate change and biodiversity loss
Geostrategy
Gulf summit in Kuwait urges ‘immediate ceasefire’ for Gaza
Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah called on the international community to implement "an immediate ceasefire, providing international protection for...
- Sheikh Meshal hit out at what he characterized as the "double standards in the application of relevant international laws, charters and resolutions."
- The Kuwaiti ruler spoke in support of Saudi Arabia's work to form a global body pushing for an independent Palestinian state.
Geostrategy
Trump threatens 100% tariff on BRICS countries over currency plans
Washington, United States -- President-elect Donald Trump on Monday threatened to impose a 100 percent tariff on the BRICS group nations...
- The statement comes after a BRICS summit held last month in Kazan, Russia, where the countries discussed boosting non-dollar transactions and strengthening local currencies.
- The BRICS group has expanded significantly since its inception in 2009, and now includes countries such as Iran, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates
Business
Elon Musk asks US court to block OpenAi’s for-profit conversion
Washington, United States -- Elon Musk has again asked a US court to stop ChatGPT-maker OpenAI from converting into a for-profit...
- The move is the latest development in a business feud between OpenAI and Musk, who co-founded the group in 2015 but has since left.
- OpenAI has seen its profile skyrocket over recent years as it has become a star player in the growing field of artificial intelligence.
Turkish-backed jihadists breach Aleppo, displacing thousands and cutting vital highway to Damascus
By Friday, the jihadists and their allies had taken more than 50 towns and villages in the north and entered...
- The fighters took control of "half of the city of Aleppo" as regime forces withdrew, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights
- The offensive began on Wednesday, the same day that a fragile ceasefire took effect in neighbouring Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah
Geostrategy
Okonjo-Iweala’s second term: Trump’s disdain for WTO biggest challenge
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the first woman and the first African to head the WTO, is the only candidate in the race,...
- Her term ends in August 2025, and the appointment process expected to lead to her next term had initially been scheduled to take months.
- During Trump's first term, the WTO also faced relentless attacks from his administration, which crippled the organization's dispute settlement appeal system.
Arts & Culture
Crypto boss Justin Sun eats banana art he bought for $6.2 million
Hong Kong, China -- Crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun on Friday fulfilled a promise he made after spending $6.2 million on an...
- Titled "Comedian", the conceptual work created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan was sold at a Sotheby's auction in New York last week, with Sun among seven bidders.
- Sun this week also became an advisor to World Liberty Financial, a crypto initiative backed by US president-elect Donald Trump, following a $30 million investment.
Geostrategy
How are countries regulating the wild west of social media for minors?
Paris, France -- A handful of nations are trying to clean up social media with measures including robust privacy provisions and...
- Among the countries taking action is Australia, which on Thursday passed a landmark law banning children under 16 from social media.
- In June 2023 France passed a law requiring social media platforms to check the age of users and obtain parental consent for those under 15 years of age.
Geostrategy
OPEC+ postpones meeting amid signs of ‘discord’ on output plans
The 22-member OPEC+ group led by Saudi Arabia and Russia was due to decide on its 2025 output policy at...
- An OPEC spokesman told AFP that the December meeting will be held online.
- In a bid to boost crude prices, eight OPEC+ members announced earlier this month they were extending supply cuts until the end of December.
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Lessons from Davos: From digital health tools to health intelligence
Despite ongoing disagreements over economic and geopolitical shifts, there remains a strong commitment to collaboration, says Andrew Moose, Head of...
Interview
Company News
Wed by app: Abu Dhabi launches virtual marriage for all
Arts & Culture
Latest News
Insurance giant Allianz signals job cuts in AI shift
Frankfurt, Germany -- German insurance giant Allianz signalled Wednesday looming job cuts due to its adoption of artificial intelligence, with...
Business
Robots take centre stage at Singapore ‘Olympiad’
Singapore -- The World Robot Olympiad opened in Singapore on Wednesday with hundreds of international students, some as young as...
Geostrategy
GCC countries attract $523.4bn in foreign investment in 2023
Muscat, Oman -- The GCC countries have seen a steady rise in foreign investment, according to data from the Statistical...
Business
Most Read
Geostrategy
Israeli strikes kill 21 in Gaza, dozens more wounded: Civil defense
Mahmud Bassal, spokesman for the civil defense agency, Bassal said one strike hit a house in Deir el-Balah in the...
- The Palestinian foreign ministry, based in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, condemned the strikes.
- It urged the international community to put "immediate pressure" on Israel to "stop the massacres".
Geostrategy
Amazon climate deal a ‘win’ for global unity but fossil fuels untouched
Nearly 200 countries approved the deal by consensus after two weeks of exhaustive negotiations on the fringes of the rainforest,...
- Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who staked political capital on the success of COP30, said the pact was proof that a fractured world could still unite in crisis.
- There was less euphoria in Belem, where defeated European ministers admitted they only took the watered-down deal to keep the entire process from imploding.
Geostrategy
UAE says will invest up to $50 billion in Canada
The fresh North American investment pledge came after UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan promised in May to pump...
- Under the terms of the agreement, the UAE will invest in energy, artificial intelligence, logistics, mining and other priority national and strategic industries in Canada.
- Foreign direct investment stock from the UAE in Canada stood at $8.8 billion in 2024, while Canadian direct investment stock in the UAE totaled $242 million that same year.