The Middle East has become our living lab for digital reinvention
In the MENA region, we see an extraordinary opportunity to shape a digitally empowered workforce aligned with national transformation agendas,...
Interview
Trump threatens European nations with tariffs over Greenland
Trump aimed his ire at Denmark, a fellow NATO member, as well as several European countries that have deployed troops...
Geostrategy
Geostrategy
Israeli strikes kill 5 Gaza municipal workers as fears grow of wider war
Palestinian Territories -- Israel bombed Gaza on Friday as exchanges of fire and threats over the Lebanon border raised fears of...
- Five municipal workers died "during an Israeli bombing" of a garage in Gaza City, said Mahmud Basal, spokesman for the civil defense agency in the territory.
- The World Health Organization, said "we did not see an impact on the humanitarian supplies coming in" after Israel announces daily 'tactical pauses' for aid delivery.
Geostrategy
Saudi official defends management of hajj after hundreds die
"The state did not fail, but there was a misjudgment on the part of people who did not appreciate the...
- He said the government had confirmed 577 deaths for the two busiest days of hajj: Saturday, when pilgrims gathered at Mount Arafat and Sunday in Mina for stoning ritual
- "This happened amid difficult weather conditions and a very harsh temperature," the official said, while acknowledging that the 577 figure was partial and did not cover all of hajj
Business
Global FDI falls by 2 percent to $1.3 trillion in 2023: UNCTAD
Geneva, Switzerland -- Global foreign direct investment (FDI) fell by 2 percent to $1.3 trillion in 2023 amid an economic...
- But the UNCTAD report highlights that the decline exceeds 10 percent when excluding the large swings in investment flows in a few European conduit economies.
- FDI flows to developing countries fell by 7 percent to $867 billion last year, reflecting an 8 percent decrease in developing Asia.
Geostrategy
Hajj death toll tops 1,000 after extreme heat: AFP tally
The new deaths reported Thursday included 58 from Egypt, according to an Arab diplomat who provided a breakdown showing that...
- The national meteorological center reported a high of 51.8 degrees Celsius (125 Fahrenheit) this week at the Grand Mosque in Mecca.
- A Saudi study published last month said temperatures in the area are rising 0.4 degrees Celsius each decade.
Geostrategy
Gaza rescuers report deadly strikes although clashes slow on Eid
Witnesses reported gunfire and artillery shelling near Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, where the civil defence agency said at...
- United Nations rights chief Volker Turk told the UN Human Rights Council he was "appalled by the disregard for international human rights" and "unconscionable death and suffering".
- The UN has said aid access to Gaza has been severely hindered by factors including insecurity, the closing of crossing points to the territory, and Israeli procedural delays.
Geostrategy
Eight Israeli soldiers killed as fighting rages in Gaza
The military said the soldiers were killed when the Namer armored vehicle they were travelling in exploded near Gaza's far-southern...
- Saturday's losses were among the heaviest for the military since it began its ground offensive in Gaza on October 27 and took its overall losses since then to 306.
- The United Nations says about one million people have fled Rafah since early May, when Israel began ground operations in the city in pursuit of Hamas.
Geostrategy
Hezbollah fires new barrage at Israel, which vows to hit back
Beirut, Lebanon -- Hezbollah said it fired a new wave of rockets and drones at the Israeli army on Thursday, after...
- It was Hezbollah's largest simultaneous attack in near-daily cross-border fire between it and the Israeli army since its ally Hamas's Oct 7 attack on Israel triggered the Gaza war.
- One of the targets included an Israeli base that Hezbollah said housed an intelligence headquarters "responsible for the assassinations".
Geostrategy
Former Twitter, now X, makes ‘likes’ private ‘to protect users’
With the change, which includes the removal of the "Likes" tab on a profile page, users will no longer be...
- "We are making Likes private for everyone to better protect your privacy," the platform said. "Liking more posts will make your 'For You' feed better," X added.
- The "For You" feed is a personalized list of videos or posts recommended for each individual user based on their interests and past engagement.
Geostrategy
Fire kills 49 in Kuwait building housing foreign workers
Kuwait City, Kuwait -- A fire killed 49 people in Kuwait when it ripped through a building housing nearly 200 foreign...
- The blaze, which broke out in the six-story building south of Kuwait City at around dawn, also left dozens of people injured, the health ministry said.
- The health ministry had previously announced 43 injured in the blaze in the Mangaf area, which is heavily populated with migrant laborers.
Business
IEA sees ‘major’ oil supply surplus emerging by 2030
Paris, France -- The world is likely to have a "major surplus" of oil by 2030 as production is ramped up...
- Global demand is expected to "level off" at 106 million barrels per day (bpd) toward the end of this decade while overall supply capacity could reach 114 million bpd.
- The forecast comes days after the OPEC+ group of major crude producers signaled they would start to unwind output cuts this autumn.
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
The Middle East has become our living lab for digital reinvention
In the MENA region, we see an extraordinary opportunity to shape a digitally empowered workforce aligned with national transformation agendas,...
Interview
Company News
Latest News
Iran ready to negotiate with US but not under ‘maximum pressure’: minister
In 2015, Iran struck a landmark deal with the United States, France, Germany, Britain, China and Russia to regulate its...
Geostrategy
Trump doubles down on Gaza shock plan, says Israel will turn over the territory to US
Trump said that by the time of the handover, Palestinians "would have already been resettled in far safer and more...
Geostrategy
Morgan Stanley sees upswing in MENA M&A deal volumes and values
After a challenging year where M&A activity in the Middle East and North Africa took a tumble, Morgan Stanley forecasts...
Most Read
Business
Dubai’s real estate sector records $207 billion in transactions in 2024
Dubai, UAE -- Dubai’s real estate sector recorded a total of 2.78 million procedures in 2024, the highest in its...
- Real estate transactions alone totaled 226,000, a remarkable 36 percent growth in volume and 20 percent growth in value year-on-year.
- The sector recorded 217,000 investments valued at AED526 billion, reflecting impressive growth rates of 38 and 27 percent in number and value respectively.
Business
UAE most attractive Arab destination for auto investment, business
Kuwait -- The UAE has topped the Arab list as the best and most attractive destination for investment and business...
- The automotive sector in Arab countries attracted 184 foreign projects valued at more than $25 billion, providing more than 102,000 jobs.
- Five countries: Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Algeria, Morocco and Kuwait had around 75 percent of overall vehicle sales in the region by the end of 2024.
Business
SIB’s 2024 profit $272m
The profit surpassed AED 1 billion for the first time in bank's history.
- The bank's net profit before tax increased by 36.5 percent, reaching AED1.15 billion.
- The bank saw a significant increase of 45.3 percent in fee and commission income, reaching AED400.4 million