Abha, Saudi Arabia — Six Ramadan community initiatives were launched in Al-Harjah Governorate in Saudi Arabia’s Asir region as part of the “Ajawid 4” events overseen by the Asir Region Development Authority. The initiatives cover religious education, heritage preservation, archaeological documentation and traditional arts. The Al-Rubu’ Community Development Association launched...
Bapco Energies declares force majeure on operations
Manama, Bahrain --- Bapco Energies BSC (Closed), Bahrain’s integrated energy company, announced force majeure on its group operations on Monday. The company said the move follows the ongoing regional conflict in the Middle East and a recent attack on its refinery complex. Bapco Energies said all local market needs remain...
GCC agriculture sectors post strong 2024 performance
Muscat, Oman -- Gulf Cooperation Council countries recorded strong performance in agriculture, livestock and fisheries during 2024, reflecting the growing role of these sectors in supporting food security and economic diversification. Data released by the Statistical Centre for the Cooperation Council for the Arab Countries of the Gulf showed the...
Khalifa Education Award begins judging stage
Abu Dhabi, UAE — The General Secretariat of the Khalifa Award for Education, one of the institutions of the Zayed Humanitarian Legacy Foundation, announced the launch of the evaluation and judging phase for nominees’ submissions in the 19th cycle for 2026. This phase will be carried out through interviews conducted...
‘Tuna King’ pays record $3.2 mn for bluefin at Tokyo auction
Tokyo, Japan -- A Japanese sushi entrepreneur paid a record $3.2 million for a giant bluefin tuna Monday at an annual prestigious new year auction in Tokyo's main fish market, smashing the previous all-time high. Dave Gershman at the Pew Charitable Trusts' international fisheries team used news of the auction...German wheelchair user flies into space, a first
Houston, United States -- A German woman engineer on Saturday became the first wheelchair user to blast into space, taking a brief ride on a Blue Origin flight. The space company owned by American multi-billionaire Jeff Bezos launched its New Shepard suborbital mission at 8:15 am (1415 GMT) from its...The Sudanese who told the world what happened in El-Fasher
Port Sudan, Sudan -- "Sixteen killed." "Seven killed." "Thirty-one killed." "People are eating cowhide to survive." "The bombs are getting closer." "They're shooting people trying to run away." These were the grim updates shared with AFP's veteran Sudan correspondent Abdelmoneim Abu Idris Ali by people trapped in the 18-month-long siege...Ukraine scrambles for energy with power generation at ‘zero’
Kyiv, Ukraine -- Ukraine was scrambling to turn lights and heating back on Sunday after Russian attacks targeting energy infrastructure reduced the country's power generating capacity to "zero". Moscow, which has escalated attacks on Ukraine's infrastructure in recent months, launched hundreds of drones at energy facilities across the country overnight...
Chinese ship scouts deep-ocean floor in South Pacific
Beijing, China -- A Chinese research vessel docked in the Cook Islands Saturday as it probed the Pacific nation's deep-sea mining potential, a fledgling industry of mounting interest to both Beijing and Washington. The Da Yang Hao docked in the palm-shaded port of Avatiu on a "scientific research cruise" through...Hundreds in south Lebanon mourn Hezbollah members killed in Israeli attacks
Nabatieh, Lebanon -- Hundreds of people gathered in south Lebanon's Nabatiyeh on Sunday to mourn five Hezbollah members killed in recent Israeli attacks, an AFP correspondent said, as Israel warned of intensifying attacks against the Iran-backed group. On Saturday, an Israeli strike killed four people in Kfar Rumman, Nabatiyeh district,...Iran proposes regional currency to boost trade
Tehran, Iran -- Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday proposed that Iran and its regional trading partners establish a shared currency to boost commerce amid crippling Western sanctions. Years of international sanctions, largely imposed by the United States over Tehran's nuclear programme, have severely weakened Iran's economy. The latest measures...
US treasury secretary signals deal to ease trade war with China
Washington, United States -- US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Sunday signaled a tentative deal with China to de-escalate their damaging, tariff-fueled trade war -- just days before a summit between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping. In an interview with ABC's "This Week," Bessent said the US threat of...
China vows massive high-tech sector development in next decade
Beijing, China -- China will develop its high-tech sector on a massive scale in the next decade, top officials vowed Friday, a day after meetings on the country's future policy priorities concluded in Beijing. The four days of closed-door discussions began on Monday and involved high-ranking officials outlining long-term strategies...Anthropic announces massive AI chip deal with Google
San Francisco, United States - Artificial intelligence giant Anthropic said Thursday it was expanding its use of Google cloud computing and specialized chips in a deal worth tens of billions of dollars. The arrangement will include Anthropic buying as many as one million Tensor Processing Units (TPUs), which are integrated...Norway’s wealth fund to enlist AI for managing climate risks
Oslo, Norway -- Norway's sovereign wealth fund said Wednesday that it would incorporate artificial intelligence tools into its investment analysis process to avoid losses stemming from climate change. The sovereign fund, the world's largest, is sustained by Norway's vast oil and natural gas reserves, but it pushes the companies it...
Trial opens in Klarna’s $8.3 billion lawsuit against Google
Stockholm, Sweden -- A Swedish court began hearing arguments Monday in a lawsuit brought by Swedish price comparison site Pricerunner, owned by Klarna, against tech giant Google for over $8 billion for promoting its own shopping comparisons in search results. The Swedish tech startup filed its suit with the Patent...OpenAI big chip orders dwarf its revenues – for now
New York, United States - OpenAI is ordering hundreds of billions of dollars worth of chips in the artificial intelligence race, raising questions among investors about how the startup will finance these purchases. In less than a month, the San Francisco startup behind ChatGPT has committed to acquiring a staggering...Publishers fight back against US book bans
Frankfurt, Germany -- Escalating attempts to remove works featuring themes such as LGBTQ lifestyles and race relations from US bookshelves are facing growing resistance from publishers and rights groups, a major topic at this year's Frankfurt Book Fair. Spearheaded by right-wing conservative groups, there has been an explosion in efforts...OpenAI halts MLK videos as deepfakes spark outrage
Washington, United States -- OpenAI has suspended its Sora 2 artificial intelligence tool from creating videos of civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. after his estate complained about disrespectful depictions. The slain civil rights leader's estate and OpenAI announced the decision in a joint statement late Thursday, saying the...
US Treasury chief: Beijing’s rare earths control is ‘China versus the world’
Washington, United States -- US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent slammed Beijing's rare earth export curbs Wednesday as "China versus the world," vowing that Washington and its allies would "neither be commanded nor controlled." "This should be a clear sign to our allies that we must work together, and work together we...Geothermal, desalination: Top 10 solutions for planetary health
Dubai, UAE--Ten transformative technology solutions could change the way the world powers homes, grows food and secures freshwater, according to a new World Economic Forum report released today. Many of these critical technologies already exist but remain underused. Unlocking their potential as practical, scalable solutions to pressing climate challenges will...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 participate in post-war Gaza governance, as world leaders prepare to converge on Egypt for a Gaza peace summit. The source's comments come days after an Israel-Hamas ceasefire came into effect,...
Tunisian activists urge closure of factory units after poisonings
Tunis, Tunisia -- Activists in Tunisia on Sunday called for the closure of facilities at a chemical factory in Gabes, in the country's south, amid protests by local residents over dozens of cases of poisoning linked to the site. In a petition over the fertilizer plant, 25 associations, including the...Qantas: stolen data from 5.7 million customers leaked online
Sydney, Australia -- Australian airline Qantas said Sunday that data from 5.7 million customers stolen in a major cyberattack in July had been leaked online. "Qantas is one of a number of companies globally that has had data released by cyber criminals following the airline's cyber incident in early July,...Nobel Peace Prize winner Machado dedicates award to Trump
Caracas, Venezuela -- Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado dedicated her Nobel Peace Prize on Friday to the people of Venezuela -- and US President Donald Trump, for his "decisive support" for her country's pro-democracy movement. "I dedicate this prize to the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump...Bangladesh deploys warships to protect prized hilsa fish
Dhaka, Bangladesh -- Bangladesh's defense force said it has deployed warships and patrol aircraft as part of a special surveillance operation to protect a prized fish from illegal fishing during its spawning season. The herring-like hilsa, Bangladesh's national fish and a much-loved delicacy in West Bengal in neighboring India, return...
Not all ‘A’s: Unconventional paths that led to Nobels
Stockholm, Sweden -- Some Nobel laureates were straight-A students from the get-go. But others AFP spoke to recounted how they cut class, got expelled, and had doubts about their future. Perhaps the most illustrious Nobel Prize winner, Albert Einstein, was once a mediocre student at Zurich Polytechnic School, now ETH...AI tool helps Australian researchers treat child epilepsy
Tokyo, Japan -- An artificial intelligence tool that can detect tiny, hard-to-spot brain malformations in children with epilepsy could help patients access life-changing surgery quicker, Australian researchers said on Wednesday. It is the latest example of how AI, which can crunch vast amounts of data, is changing healthcare by assisting...Former France manager Blanc sacked by Saudi side Al Ittihad
Paris, France -- Saudi side Al Ittihad sacked manager Laurent Blanc on Sunday in the wake of a 2-0 defeat to Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr. Blanc's assistant Hassan Khalifa will take over as caretaker coach until further notice, Al Ittihad announced on social media with the club third in the...Top music body says AI firms guilty of ‘willful’ copyright theft
Paris, France -- AI companies have sucked up the world's entire music catalogue and are guilty of "willful, commercial-scale copyright infringement", a major music industry group told AFP. "The world's largest tech companies as well as AI-specific companies, such as OpenAI, Suno, and Udio, Mistral, etc. are engaged in the...
Egypt says stolen pharoah’s bracelet melted down, sold for $4,000
Cairo, Egypt -- Egyptian police said on Thursday they arrested a museum employee and three alleged accomplices after a priceless ancient gold bracelet was stolen from Cairo's Egyptian Museum, sold for about $4,000 and then melted down. The 3,000-year-old bracelet, a gold band adorned with lapis lazuli beads, dated back...
Lab-grown diamonds robbing southern Africa of riches
Johannesburg, South Africa -- Botswana and southern African peers that built much of their prosperity on diamonds are scrambling for alternatives as cheaper, lab-grown stones threaten their economies. Diamond-dependent Botswana is leading the way and launched a sovereign wealth fund this week to lay the "foundation for a more resilient,...
Europe hyperloop test hits new speed record in Dutch trial
The Hague, Netherlands -- A Dutch tech startup said Wednesday it had set a European speed record for its futuristic hyperloop transport system and could reach 700 kilometers (435 miles) per hour once longer tracks are built. Hardt Hyperloop said its vehicle had reached 85 kph at the 420 meter...
Catholic teen set to become first millennial saint
Vatican City, Holy See -- Tens of thousands of pilgrims are expected at the Vatican Sunday for the canonization of an Italian teenager dubbed "God's Influencer" for his efforts to spread the Catholic faith online. Carlo Acutis, who died of leukemia in 2006 aged 15, will be made the first...AI-powered meet-up apps fight ‘epidemic of’ loneliness
San Francisco, United States -- On a summer evening in San Francisco, JT Mason went to dinner with five complete strangers, confident he would have a good time thanks to careful guest selection by a new type of app for meeting people. The platform, called 222, promises something different than...Tesla proposes package for Musk that could top $1 trillion
New York, United States -- Tesla unveiled on Friday a proposed compensation package for Elon Musk that could top $1 trillion if the controversial CEO delivers on his vision for stratospheric growth from new technologies. The plan potentially provides Musk -- already the world's wealthiest person -- with up to...Amazon’s Starlink rival lands first major airline deal
Washington, United States -- JetBlue Airways will become the first airline to use Amazon's Project Kuiper satellite network to power its in-flight Wi-Fi service, the companies announced Wednesday, as the online retail giant tries to challenge the dominance of Elon Musk's Starlink. The partnership will see JetBlue implement Project Kuiper's...Lost for 50 years, Nobel patents found in Swedish summer home
Stockholm, Sweden -- A dozen patents belonging to Swedish inventor and philanthropist Alfred Nobel and lost for almost 50 years were recently found in a Swedish couple's summer house, the Nobel Foundation told AFP. Nobel -- who discovered dynamite in 1867 and created the Nobel Prizes in his 1895 will...Big dreams but no protein shake: Yemeni bodybuilder fighting to make it
Al Mukalla, Yemen -- In a dimly lit, suffocatingly hot gym in Yemen, bodybuilder Saleh Hussein al-Raidi wraps his hands around rusty barbells, training with steely-eyed resolve for his dream of entering major competitions abroad. But the 24-year-old, who works two jobs to support his family, lacks the means to...Tunisian brutalist landmark faces wrecking ball, sparking outcry
Tunis, Tunisia -- Tunisia's brutalist landmark the Hotel du Lac -- a 1970s postcard icon said to have inspired a desert-roving vehicle in "Star Wars" -- is being demolished, sparking calls from architects, historians and activists to save it. Built by Italian architect Raffaele Contigiani in central Tunis, the concrete-and-steel...Director Jarmusch ‘disconcerted’ over Mubi’s links to Israel military
Venice, Italy -- American director Jim Jarmusch said Sunday he was "disappointed" that arthouse film streaming platform Mubi had accepted investment from a venture capital fund with links to the Israeli military. Mubi, a rival to Netflix, is one of the distributors of Jarmusch's latest film "Father Mother Sister Brother",...Lebanon parliament speaker calls for dialogue over Hezbollah weapons
Beirut, Lebanon -- Lebanon's Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, an ally of the Iran-backed Hezbollah, called on Sunday for dialogue over its weapons, days before the government is expected to approve an army plan to disarm the group. Months after Hezbollah's devastating war with Israel and under heavy US pressure,...New wave: Sea power turned into energy at Los Angeles port
San Pedro, United States -- Floating blue paddles dance on the waves that lap a dock in the Port of Los Angeles, silently converting the power of the sea into useable electricity. This innovative installation may hold one of the keys to accelerating a transition away from fossil fuels that scientists...Electric cars are more eco-friendly even in US, study finds
Paris, France -- Electric vehicles are less harmful to the environment than their petrol-guzzling counterparts even in the United States, where electric generation is carbon intensive, a study said Monday. Although driving electric vehicles will generally emit less CO2 than using petrol ones, electric vehicles are tooled with heavy batteries...Human ancestor Lucy gets first European showing in Prague
Prague, Czech Republic --The 3.18-million-year-old bone fragments of human ancestor Lucy, which rarely leave Ethiopia, went on display in Prague on Monday, with the Czech prime minister hailing the fossils' "first ever" showing in Europe. The ancient remains of the Australopithecus afarensis were discovered in Ethiopia in 1974. The find...India’s Modi dangles tax cuts as US tariffs loom
Mumbai, India -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's push to slash consumption taxes on everyday goods could deliver billions of dollars in annual relief and boost demand in an economy bracing for painful US tariffs, experts say. US President Donald Trump has threatened to double import duties on India from...AI helps UK woman rediscover lost voice after 25 years
London, United Kingdom -- A British woman suffering from motor neuron disease who lost her ability to speak is once again talking in her own voice thanks to artificial intelligence and a barely audible eight-second clip from an old home video. Sarah Ezekiel, an artist, was left without the use...‘Curly is beautiful’: Tunisian women embrace natural hair
Tunis, Tunisia -- Tunisian mother Mouna Jebali had long used a flat iron to straighten her thick hair, but with women everywhere challenging the stigma around natural looks, she has finally learned to love her curls. To help her make what she called the "transition" to wearing her hair curly,...Google packs new Pixel phones with Artificial Intelligence
New York, United States -- Google on Wednesday unveiled new Pixel 10 smartphones, showcasing artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities woven into its Android mobile operating system. The line-up of new products included a foldable phone, improved Pixel smartwatch, and ear buds all synced to work with AI and each other. "Pixel...Antarctic climate shifts threaten ‘catastrophic’ impacts globally
Paris, France -- Abrupt and potentially irreversible changes in Antarctica driven by climate change could lift global oceans by meters and lead to "catastrophic consequences for generations", scientists warned Wednesday. More broadly, a state-of-knowledge review by a score of top experts revealed accelerating shifts across the region that are often...
Ex-owner of world’s largest rhino farm arrested for trafficking
Johannesburg, South Africa -- South African police said they arrested Tuesday the former owner of the world's largest rhino conservation farm on charges of smuggling the horns of the endangered animals. John Hume was arrested with five other people following a "complex investigation into transnational trafficking of rhino horns" that...
