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
Saudi Arabia opens resort island at futuristic mega-city NEOM
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi Arabia's planned futuristic mega-city known as NEOM announced on Sunday the opening of its "first physical...
- The Red Sea island, known as Sindalah, is "spread over 840,000 square meters" (200 acres) and will be set to receive "up to 2,400 guests per day by 2028".
- NEOM is best known for The Line, twin mirror-encased 170-kilometre-long skyscrapers meant to extend inland from the coast.
Arts & Culture
Saudis part ways with coach Mancini after a run of poor results
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi Arabia's football body said it was ending the contract of national coach Roberto Mancini after 14...
- The Saudi Football Federation has reached a mutual agreement to terminate the contract of Mancini, 59, who signed a lucrative deal until 2027 in August last year.
- Building a strong national team is a priority for the oil-rich Saudis who splashed more than a billion dollars on players last year and are the sole bidders for the 2034 World Cup.
Geostrategy
Israel to send negotiators to new Gaza truce talks in Qatar
The head of Israel's Mossad spy agency, David Barnea, will head to Qatari capital Doha on Sunday, the Israeli prime...
- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that mediators would explore new options after the failure of previous efforts to seal a ceasefire and hostage release deal.
- The US and Qatar were seeking a plan "so that Israel can withdraw, so that Hamas cannot reconstitute, and so that the Palestinian people can rebuild their lives.
Interview
Bridging skills gap: UAE, Singapore lead the way
The two countries have adopted a people-centric and collaborative upskilling approach, says Till Leopold, Interim Head of Knowledge Communities at...
- In the UAE, impressive progress has been made in defining key skills and raising national awareness on human capital development.
- Leopold highlights AI-driven energy demand as a key sector for transformation, with significant job creation in sustainable energy.
Geostrategy
Beirut’s suburbs ravaged by Israeli air raids as Blinken urges de-escalation with Iran
Israeli airstrikes on Hezbollah's southern Beirut stronghold destroyed six buildings in the deadliest assault since the war began, despite U.S....
- In southern Lebanon, Israeli strikes pounded Tyre, leaving swathes of its centre in ruins and sparking a new exodus from the once vibrant coastal city
- Concerns are mounting over tens of thousands of civilians trapped by fighting in Gaza's aid-starved north, where Israel launched a major air and ground assault this month
Interview
WEF Dubai: UAE fosters global dialogue
The UAE has agile governance and it is not beholden to short-termism, Maroun Kairouz, Head of Regional Agenda for the...
- This year’s knowledge-share platform touched on a wide range of socio-economic challenges, from the ongoing humanitarian crises in the region to the shifts reshaping GCC industries
- Kairouz calls for a unified regional vision that can inspire a positive outlook on the future and provide alternatives to the deprivation that plague parts of the Middle East
Economy
IMF predicts slightly slower global growth in 2024 and 2025
In its new World Economic Outlook (WEO) report, the International Monetary Fund also estimates that global inflation will continue to...
- "In our baseline analysis, in advanced economies (inflation) will be back at central bank targets in 2025," he said.
- The IMF expects growth in the Middle East and Central Asia to pick up slightly to 2.4% in 2024, before jumping to 3.9% in 2025 as the effect of oil and shipping disruptions fades.
Business
ADNEC to acquire ‘Royal Catering’
Royal Catering has more than 2.500 employees.
- Serving key industries such as energy, defense, healthcare, and education, Royal Catering has earned a reputation for delivering high-quality services across the UAE.
- The addition of Royal Catering will expand Capital Catering’s industry focus from aviation, defense and healthcare and increase its production capacity
Geostrategy
Israeli settler attacks, Gaza conflict ruin Palestinian olive harvest
UN experts said recently that Palestinian farmers in the occupied West Bank are facing "the most dangerous olive season ever".
- The ongoing war has reduced vast areas of Gaza to rubble, with about 68 percent of the territory's agricultural areas damaged by the conflict.
- This year's harvest in Gaza is expected to net just 15,000 tons, sharply down from around 40,000 tons in the years before the war.
Business
PIF sets up sarcc company
The new entity will address growing staff accommodation demand.
- In a statement, PIF said sarcc will play a key role in transforming the accommodation market by developing and operating complexes for staff in Saudi Arabia.
- The company will foster the Saudi private sector by facilitating long-term investment and partnerships throughout the industry's value chain.
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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
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Turkey’s 5,000-year-old bread finds new life
Arts & Culture
Emirates orders 65 more Boeing 777X planes despite delays
Dubai, UAE -- Emirates, the Middle East's biggest airline, topped up its order of Boeing 777X planes on Monday despite...
Business
Carney’s UAE mission: A new era for Canada’s global trade ambitions
The latest visit of the Canadian PM is a part of his efforts to find new markets for his nation’s...
Geostrategy
Israel receives bodies of two more hostages returned by Hamas
The issue of hostage bodies still in Gaza has become a sticking point in the ceasefire implementation, with Israel linking...
Geostrategy
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Geostrategy
Hamas back on Gaza streets, acts against gangs and armed clans
For many Palestinians rebuilding their homes and lives amid Gaza's rubble, the sight of the Hamas forces was reassuring. Many...
- When bus loads of prisoners freed from Israeli jails arrived in Gaza on Monday, fighters from Hamas's Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades provided crowd control.
- Hamas accused Israel of breaking the truce by opening fire during the clashes. The military said it had only fired when unidentified Palestinians approached the Yellow Line.
Geostrategy
Hamas will not govern post-war Gaza: Hamas source close to negotiating committee
Doha, Qatar -- A Hamas source close to the group's negotiating committee told AFP on Sunday that it will not...
- Hamas' leadership has in the past been divided on key issues, including on the future administration of Gaza.
- But where there appears to be no division among top members is on the question of disarmament, which the group has long described as a red line.
Business
OpenAI unveils ChatGPT app integration feature
San Francisco, United States - OpenAI on Monday unveiled a new feature for ChatGPT, the leading generative AI model with...
- Chief Executive Sam Altman announced the new tool to a crowd of enthusiastic developers gathered in San Francisco for the company's annual "Developer Day."
- The new feature, Apps SDK, allows ChatGPT to interact with various apps to select music, search for real estate or explore hotel and flight booking sites