• Gulf fitness sector works out well as Covid curbs ease

    As the Covid restrictions ease, gyms and fitness centers in the region are on a solid path towards recovery with...

    As pandemic restrictions ease, gyms in the region are on a solid path towards recovery with class occupancy catching up at 88 percent pre-COVID levels

    Fear of getting the virus and social isolation were at the forefront of people's minds during the pandemic, imposing a burden on mental health

  • First pig heart transplant patients dies

    Following surgery, the transplanted heart had performed very well for several weeks without any signs of rejection.

    The medical team behind the heart transplant said it was 'optimistic' about the future success of cross-species organ donation

    Official data shows that more than 100,000 Americans are waiting for an organ transplant; over 6,000 die each year before getting one

  • Jordan inventors use TechWorks to realize dreams

    TechWorks is a Jordanian platform aimed at bringing together youth, ideas and resources to jump-start innovations.

    Set up in 2018, TechWorks says its mission is ‘to plug into entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystems’ and turn ideas into reality

    Affiliated with a foundation set up by Crown Prince Hussein, it is equipped with technology such as 3D printers

  • SABIC chairman urges chemical companies to ‘decarbonize’

    The head of Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) has urged ‘chemical companies’ to decarbonize promptly in order to improve what...

    Yousef A. Al-Benyan, chairman of SABIC, was speaking at the Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association Leaders’ forum in Dubai

    Al-Benyan identified three priority transformation areas for the chemical industry: partnerships and collaborations; agility; and new business and operating models

  • Bahrain signs Artemis Accords to bolster space cooperation

    Among other things, NASA plans to use the Artemis missions to land the first woman and first person of color...

    Joining the accords will give Bahrain new opportunities for cooperation and investment in the space field

    It is also expected to facilitate the exchange of expertise among its signatories of the Artemis Accords

  • Russia sanctions pile on helium industry woes

    Helium is used in the manufacturing of semiconductors, and its shortage is expected to exacerbate the paucity of computer chips.

    Russia is expected to eventually produce the equivalent of a third of the world's current helium production

    However, with Western sanctions over the Ukraine invasion, experts worry that gas won't reach the global market

  • How commercial satellites are shaping the Ukraine conflict

    Thanks to the explosive growth of the private satellite industry, the volume of imagery is greater and turnaround time faster...

    Thanks to the explosive growth of the private satellite industry, the volume of imagery is greater and turnaround time faster compared to prior conflicts

    A growing army of open-source intelligence analysts offer near real time assessments of battleground developments

  • UN chief flays world powers for ‘criminal’ lack of climate leadership

    UN chief Antonio Guterres blasted world powers for a "criminal" abdication of leadership after the release Monday of an extensive...

    "Nearly half of humanity is living in the danger zone -- now. Many ecosystems are at the point of no return -- now," he said

    Guterres said coal and fossil fuels are "choking humanity" and called for G20 economies to follow up on their commitments to stop funding coal abroad by ending its use at home

  • UN reports to lay bare harrowing scale of climate impact

    The IPCC report will include a crucial 40-page summary for policymakers, expected to show that devastating scale of climate change...

    The UN report on climate change will show that global warming already threatens billions of people and crucial ecosystems

    Climate change affects entire planet, but its impacts are often the hardest on the poorest and most vulnerable

  • Covid tears through Iraq as vaccinations lag

    In the stores and buses of Iraq masks are rare even as Covid-19 spreads widely, vaccines are viewed with suspicion...

    "More than 95 percent of those sick with Covid-19 in intensive care are unvaccinated," said Ali Abdel Hussein Kazem, assistant director of the facility

    Since January, Iraq's 40 million people have been confronted with a fourth coronavirus wave but -- unlike other countries -- the government has not imposed any restrictions