‘Dinosaur tartare’ and holograms: Dubai AI chef sparks awe and ire
Dubai, United Arab Emirates -- A Dubai restaurant has opened that prides itself on having the world's "first AI chef",...
Arts & Culture
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
Business
Construction costs set to rise in UAE, Saudi Arabia in 2024: Report
Dubai, UAE -- Construction costs are set to increase in the UAE by 2-3 percent, and in Saudi Arabia by 5-7...
- Construction costs are set to increase in the UAE by 2-3 percent, and in Saudi Arabia by 5-7 percent in 2024.
- Increases will challenge construction firms, which will need to develop new processes and capabilities to keep costs under control and projects on track.
Geostrategy
US vetoes Security Council vote on Gaza ceasefire, pushes alternative
The resolution, which Algeria had been working on for three weeks, had demanded "an immediate humanitarian ceasefire that must be...
- The vote came as Israel prepares to move into the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, where some 1.4 million people have fled.
- However, Israel is facing increased pressure to hold off, including from its closest ally the United States.
Business
Qatar’s Industrial Production Index up 3.9% in Dec 2023
Doha, Qatar -- Qatar's Industrial Production index (IPI) in December 2023 reached 95.3 points, an increase of 3.9 percent compared...
- IPI reflects the growth of details of the growth of the various industrial economic sectors, with different relative weights, such mining and quarrying (82.46 percent).
- The index of mining sector showed an increase by 5 percent compared to the previous month, due to increase in the quantities of crude oil petroleum and natural gas.
Science
Saudi varsity enters Guinness records for world’s largest dental hospital
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- King Saud University (KSU) has achieved a new global milestone by entering the Guinness World Record...
- The King Saudi University dental hospital has a total area of 37,165 square meters.
- The university's medical city provides treatment services through its three campus hospitals and eight affiliated centers of excellence.
Economy
China cuts key mortgage rate to boost economy
China last year recorded one of its worst annual growth rates since 1990, dampening hopes for a rapid economic recovery...
- China has struggled to kickstart growth as it battles a prolonged property sector downturn, soaring youth unemployment and a global slowdown
- The five-year loan prime rate (LPR) was lowered from 4.2 to 3.95 percent, the People's Bank of China announced, in the first cut since June
Saudi retail is 23% of non-oil GDP, expected to grow to $122.6bn in 2024
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing Majed Al-Hogail said on Monday that the...
- Saudi Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing Majed Al-Hogail emphasized the crucial role of the retail sector as a major economic driver
- He expressed optimism that discussions at the summit would contribute to the sector's development and overall service enhancement
Economy
Strategic initiatives help UAE lead digital economy
“This economy merges national skills and technological solutions, creating an advanced model that contributes to achieving the goals of the...
- The UAE is aiming to significantly boost the digital economy's contribution to the non-oil GDP over the next decade.
- Efforts are being ramped up to accelerate the adoption of digital solutions across various sectors in the Gulf country.
Business
Saudi open banking market expected to hit $43bn by 2026: El-Kuwaiz
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi Arabia's open banking market is expected to expand from $7 billion in 2018 to around...
- El-Kuwaiz announced this at the conclusion of the Open Banking Hackathon, held here between February 4 and 19.
- A study has anticipated rise in the market value of training from SAR788 million to approximately SAR1 billion by 2026, he added.
Geostrategy
US draft UNSC resolution supports temporary Gaza truce: Report
Dubai, UAE -- The United States has proposed a rival draft resolution at the United Nations Security Council, emphasizing its...
- The proposed resolution echoes the language US President Joe Biden's said he used in his recent discussions with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
- Washington has been hesitant to use the term "ceasefire" in UN actions regarding the Israel-Hamas conflict and shielded Israel from UN action.
Geostrategy
‘160-year-old story’: Abraham Lincoln pardoned Joe Biden’s ancestor
The "slender sheaf of 22 well-preserved pages of his trial transcript, unobtrusively squeezed among many hundreds of other routine court-martial...
- A record detail the trial of Moses J. Robinette after a fight with fellow Union Army civilian employee John J. Alexander on March 21, 1864
- The two men scuffled, and Robinette drew his pocketknife, leaving Alexander with several cuts before others intervened, according to the documents
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
‘Dinosaur tartare’ and holograms: Dubai AI chef sparks awe and ire
Dubai, United Arab Emirates -- A Dubai restaurant has opened that prides itself on having the world's "first AI chef",...
Arts & Culture
Company News
Boeing to cut 10% of workforce
Business
Latest News
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...
Geostrategy
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...
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...
Geostrategy
Most Read
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.