ADNOC Gas awards contracts
The $2.1bn contracts are aimed at enhancing LNG supply infrastructure.
Business
Geostrategy
Lufthansa, Air France halt Beirut flights as Israel tensions rise
Beirut, Lebanon -- Air France and the German airline group Lufthansa said Monday they were suspending flights to Beirut after Israel...
- Lufthansa services would be halted up to and including August 5 due to "current developments in the Middle East", a group spokesman told AFP.
- Royal Jordanian also announced the suspension of flights, with at least two of its regular trips to Beirut cancelled.
Business
AI startups swap independence for Big Tech’s deep pockets
Washington, United States -- It's the case of the vanishing startup: some of Silicon Valley's most promising names in the fast-developing...
- Critics believe these deals are acquisitions in all but name and have been especially designed by Microsoft or Amazon to avoid the attention of competition regulators.
- US, European and UK regulators on Tuesday signed a joint statement insisting that they won't let big tech companies run roughshod over the nascent AI industry.
Business
Dubai welcomes record 9.31m international overnight visitors in H1
Dubai, UAE -- Dubai welcomed 9.31 million international overnight visitors from January to June 2024, a 9 percent increase over...
- Dubai was named the No.1 global destination for an unprecedented third successive year in the Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards in January.
- Occupied room nights increased by 3 percent, with 21.35 million at the end of H1 2024, compared to 20.73 million in H1 2023.
Business
In fuel-guzzling Saudi Arabia, electric cars pique interest
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- For Hamed al-Rafidain, a Saudi human resources worker, an electric vehicle offers welcome savings, especially since his...
- Although the EV market in the world's largest oil exporter remains small compared with the United States and China, it tripled last year to nearly 800 cars.
- Chinese EV giant BYD is expected to dominate the Saudi market. Its global rival Tesla of the United States has no dealerships in the Gulf kingdom.
Business
Saudi ministry, Red Sea Authority to boost coastal tourism
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- The Saudi Red Sea Authority, in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism, has launched the "Seas...
- The program is offered for the first time on board the European Cruise and is accredited by the British University of Plymouth and Dale Carnegie.
- The program will equip employees at luxury coastal resorts and travel agencies with professional skills essential in the tourism sector.
Business
Equinox and NEOM announce Equinox Resort Treyam in Magna
New York, US -- Luxury hospitality group Equinox Hotels has announced plans for the opening of Equinox Resort Treyam, one...
- The resort is an architectural marvel, spanning a 450-meter-long bridge-like structure, floating 40 meters above a serene lagoon.
- Equinox Resort Treyam will include spacious guest rooms and suites, a 450-meter pool, world-class culinary concepts, a Club House.
Geostrategy
Israeli settlers beat foreign volunteers in occupied West Bank
Nablus, Palestinian Territories -- Israeli settlers on Sunday attacked a group of foreign volunteers helping Palestinian farmers in the occupied West...
- Eight mainly American volunteers were working with the farmers in an olive grove near the Palestinian village of Qusra when settlers came after them, said David Hummel, an American
- "They started attacking and beating us all with sticks and metal pipes and they were throwing rocks as well at us," he said.
Geostrategy
Iraq to import electricity from Turkey for northern provinces
Baghdad, Iraq -- Iraq said Sunday a new power line will bring electricity from Turkey to its northern provinces as authorities...
- Decades of war have left Iraq's infrastructure in a pitiful state, with power cuts worsening the blistering summer when temperatures often reach 50 Celsius (122 Fahrenheit).
- Many households have just a few hours of mains electricity per day, and those who can afford it use private generators to keep fridges and air conditioners running.
Geostrategy
Palestinians hail ICJ ruling calling Israeli occupation illegal
Jerusalem: The Palestinian leadership hailed as "historic" Friday a ruling by the top UN court that Israel's occupation of the...
- The office of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said it welcomed the "historic decision and demands that Israel be compelled to implement it."
- The Hague-based court found that Israel was "under an obligation to cease immediately all new settlement activities and to evacuate all settlers" from occupied land.
Geostrategy
Antivirus update sparks global tech chaos: Flights, banks hit
Air passengers crowded into airports to wait for news as dozens of flights were cancelled and operators struggled to keep...
- Reports from the Netherlands and Britain suggested health services may have been affected by the disruption, meaning the full impact might not yet be known.
- Banks in Kenya and Ukraine reported issues with their digital services, supermarkets in Australia had problems with payments.
ADNOC Gas awards contracts
The $2.1bn contracts are aimed at enhancing LNG supply infrastructure.
Business
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Ras Al Khaimah tourism sector contributes 5 percent to GDP: Official
Ras Al Khaimah: Ras Al Khaimah seeks to welcome 3.5 million tourists annually by 2030, says Raki Philipps, CEO of Ras...
Business
Google unveils its most advanced Artificial Intelligence model, Gemini 2.0
San Francisco, United States -- Google on Wednesday announced the launch of Gemini 2.0, its most advanced artificial intelligence model to...
Business
Crunch time for Saudi-hosted drought, desertification talks
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Landmark talks on desertification are set to conclude in Saudi Arabia this week amid doubts that pledged funds...
Geostrategy
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Business
UAE to introduce 15% tax rate on corporate profit from Jan 2025
Dubai, United Arab Emirates -- The United Arab Emirates, home to the regional headquarters of numerous multinational companies, said Monday it...
- The move will bring the UAE in line with efforts towards a global minimum corporate rate.
- The UAE, long considered a tax haven, last year began taxing the profits of companies worth more than 375,000 dirhams ($102,000) at nine percent.
Business
Oil prices higher on China boost, Syria uncertainty
Major stock markets diverged as investors reacted to political crises in South Korea and France, and tracked the perspectives for...
- Oil prices rose more than one percent as traders tracked developments in Syria after president Bashar al-Assad fled the country over the weekend as rebels swept into Damascus.
- China is battling sluggish domestic consumption, a persistent crisis in the property sector and soaring government debt -- all of which threaten Beijing's official growth target.
Assad’s fall reshapes Middle East politics, redefining power dynamics across the region
The Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham rebels shocked the world by swiftly seizing Aleppo and Damascus, overshadowing global focus on the...
- Assad had for nearly 14 years held off an uprising that many believed had been exhausted, but his downfall followed a series of battlefield convulsions for other allies of Iran
- Israel has all but decapitated the Hezbollah leadership in Lebanon since September, while the killing of Hamas figureheads has dealt major blows to Assad's key backer Tehran