Beyond entertainment: How storytelling is shifting in the digital age
In a world where our screens shape how we think, feel, and connect, entertainment has become more than an escape...
Interview
Qadi partners with Core42 to power sovereign AI compliance platform
Qadi, the Middle East’s first sovereign regulatory compliance platform, has partnered with Core42, a G42 company, to power its artificial...
Business
Geostrategy
US vetoes Gaza ceasefire call at UN
The resolution demanded "an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire" in the war between Israel and the Palestinian group, along with...
- But the wording angered Israel, with a senior US official warning ahead of the vote that the resolution had "the potential only to buoy Hamas".
- Since the beginning of the conflict, the Security Council has struggled to speak with one voice, as the United States used its veto power several times.
Business
Talabat IPO offer price range announced
The subscription will close on 27 Nov for UAE retail investors.
- A total of 3.493 billion shares will be made available in the offering, representing 15% of the company’s total issued share capital.
- All Shares to be offered are existing shares held by the company’s sole shareholder, Delivery Hero MENA Holding.
Geostrategy
Hamas negotiators ‘not in Doha’ but political office not closed: Qatar
Qatar, along with the United States and Egypt, had led months of fruitless negotiations for a truce in the Gaza...
- "The mediation process right now... is suspended unless we take a decision to reverse that which is based on the positions of both sides," spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari said
- "The office of Hamas in Doha was created for the sake of the mediation process. Obviously, when there is no mediation process, the office itself doesn't have any function," he said
Geostrategy
US envoy in Beirut says ‘real opportunity’ to end Israel-Hezbollah war
US special envoy said he was in Beirut because he saw "real opportunity" to end the Israel-Hezbollah war
- US special envoy said he was in Beirut because he saw "real opportunity" to end the Israel-Hezbollah war
- "I came back because we have a real opportunity to bring this conflict to an end," Hochstein said
Geostrategy
UN climate chief at deadlocked COP29: ‘Cut the theatrics’
As the UN climate talks limp into a second week in Azerbaijan, the world is no closer to a finance...
- Nations have until Friday to break the impasse over how to raise $1 trillion a year for developing countries to cope with global warming.
- Climate-vulnerable countries want developed nations to commit to substantially raising their existing pledge of $100 billion a year.
Economy
Egypt’s middle class cuts costs as IMF-backed reforms take hold
Cairo, Egypt -- Egypt's economy has been in crisis for years, but as the latest round of International Monetary Fund-backed reforms...
- The world lender has long backed measures in Egypt including a liberal currency exchange market and weaning the public away from subsidies.
- Foreign debt quadrupled since 2015 to register $160.6 billion in the first quarter of 2024. Much of the debt is the result of financing for large-scale projects.
Arts & Culture
Magritte’s ‘Empire of Light’ to fetch nearly $100m at New York auction
New York, United States -- With a Magritte painting estimated to sell for nearly $100 million, drawings by pop artist Keith...
- The seminal 1954 work is one of a series of paintings from the Surrealist master depicting the interplay of shadow and light.
- Its estimated price is $95 million, which would easily shatter the previous record for a Magritte, $79 million in 2022.
Geostrategy
End of a love affair: news media quit X over ‘disinformation’
Paris, France -- News outlets have begun quitting X, formerly Twitter, once a favorite of global media but now accused of...
- Sweden's newspaper of reference, the left-liberal Dagens Nyheter (DN), on Friday became third major media outlet to stop publishing its articles on X.
- "Since Elon Musk took over, the platform has increasingly merged with his and Donald Trump's political ambitions," said editor-in-chief Peter Wolodarski.
Geostrategy
Lebanon economic losses top $5 billion in year of clashes: World Bank
Beirut, Lebanon -- More than a year of clashes that recently escalated into war have cost Lebanon more than $5 billion...
- The losses are "largely concentrated in the commerce and tourism and hospitality sectors... as well as in the agriculture sector", the Bank said in a report.
- "The final cost of damage and losses for Lebanon associated with the conflict is expected to significantly exceed those presented in this assessment," the report said.
Business
Salik 9M net profit $223m
The company's third-quarter profit increased by 8.8 percent.
- Salik reported 355.6 million revenue-generating trips, which increased 5.1 percent YoY to drive total revenue of AED1.640 billion.
- Revenue from toll usage, comprising 86.7 percent of total revenue, rose 5.1 percent YoY to AED1,422.2 million in the nine-month period.
Most Read
Revenue from Saudi cinema may exceed $1bn by 2030KSA, UAE play well as e-gaming trends across GCCExclusive: Middle East’s retail sector rides on AR and hybrid shopping to become $600bn digital economyTECOM Group profit soars 13%UAE startups eye Saudi Arabia for growth, expansionSaudi Arabia leads GCC AI healthcare raceDisparity remains as Saudis, Emiratis see wealth gains
Beyond entertainment: How storytelling is shifting in the digital age
In a world where our screens shape how we think, feel, and connect, entertainment has become more than an escape...
Interview
Company News
ADNOC Gas signs LNG deal
Business
Latest News
G20 grapples with splintering world order
"Too many countries are retreating into geopolitical blocs or the battlegrounds of protectionism," Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters....
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...
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,...
Geostrategy
Most Read
Geostrategy
COP30 deal under threat as nations clash over fossil fuels
The draft text unveiled by COP30 host Brazil made no mention of "fossil fuels" or the word "roadmap" that President...
- Divisions remain not just over fossil fuels but trade measures and finance for poorer nations to adapt to climate change and move to a low-carbon future.
- More than 30 countries had warned in a letter to Brazil that they would reject any deal that did not include a plan to move away from fossil fuels.
Business
AMD, Cisco, and HUMAIN partner to build 1 GW AI infrastructure in Saudi
Washington, DC., US – AMD, Cisco, and HUMAIN, a PIF-backed company delivering full-stack AI solutions, have announced plans to establish...
- The joint venture, which will begin operations in 2026, will combine HUMAIN’s advanced data centers with AMD and Cisco technologies.
- AMD and Cisco will act as exclusive technology partners, contributing their products and services to develop up to 1 GW of AI infrastructure by 2030.
Geostrategy
COP30 dragged into clash over gender language
Negotiators say the effort -- by Paraguay, Argentina, Iran, Indonesia, Malaysia as well as the Holy See -- seeks to...
- The issue has become so sensitive that COP30's Brazilian presidency has elevated it from technical negotiations to a higher political level.
- At stake is a revamped Gender Action Plan (GAP) meant to guide work for the next decade, including efforts to mainstream gender across climate programs.