DUBAI, UAE – Developments in Artificial intelligence (AI) have been impacting businesses, governments and economies across the world. Advancements in AI, especially generative AI (GenAI), are leading to a once-in-a-generation shift. The Cisco AI Readiness Index has revealed that 95 percent of respondents have an AI strategy in place or...

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA - The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Al Jouf Agricultural Development Company (JADCO) and E Green Global (EGG) of the Republic of Korea. The agreement involves the transfer and localization of potato seed production techniques in...

Abu Dhabi, UAE-- The UAE and Malaysia have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to boost investment cooperation in the digital-infrastructure sector with an emphasis on data centres in Malaysia. The MoU centres on establishing robust and efficient collaboration through the development of bilateral relationships between public and private organisations....

NEOM, SAUDI ARABIA - NEOM's Board of Directors has announced the launch of Zardun - an exclusive resort and natural reserve that will contribute to the restoration and revitalization of the surrounding environment. This will help in supporting NEOM's efforts to develop luxury ecotourism in the Kingdom. Zardun is NEOM's...

HONG KONG - UAE Ministry of Finance Undersecretary Younis Haji Al Khoori announced that the ministry's issuance of bonds and Sukuk in 2023 totaled around $2 billion (AED7.7 billion). For Q1 2024, the ministry is planning to issue bonds and Sukuk valued at US$1.3 billion (AED5 billion), he said. Speaking...

The FAA announcement is a major step after the agency grounded 171 MAX 9 planes after the January 5 incident on an Alaska Airlines plane. The grounded 737 MAX jets have the same configuration as the Alaska Airlines jet that suffered a blowout of a panel on the fuselage, exposing...

Dubai, UAE--DMCC has kicked off the ninth edition of its global trade roadshow, Made For Trade Live, in London, seeking to attract a greater amount of foreign direct investment (FDI) from the United Kingdom. DMCC is the world’s flagship free zone and Government of Dubai Authority on commodities trade and...

Doha, Qatar - Roberto Mancini said on Wednesday that Saudi Arabia fear no team at the Asian Cup and will not try to duck out of a potential last-16 clash with South Korea. The Saudis have already qualified for the knockout rounds after two wins in Qatar and will top Group...

Basil Shehadeh was arrested on suspicion of helping two other Palestinians carry out the deadly shooting at a petrol station near Eli settlement in the northern West Bank.

DUBAI, UAE - With support from the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), Hub71-backed ABHI, an embedded finance platform founded in Pakistan, is advancing to its next growth stage by establishing its global HQ in Abu Dhabi to grow its international operations. ABHI joined Hub71, Abu Dhabi’s global tech ecosystem, in...

DUBAI, UAE - Dubai consolidated its status as a central hub for international business events in 2023, with the city winning a record 349 bids to host international conferences, congresses, meetings and incentive travel programs. Driven by Dubai Business Events (DBE), the city's official convention bureau, the wins reflected a...

The US strikes come against an already explosive regional backdrop, fueled by the war in Gaza between Washington's ally Israel and the Iranian-backed Hamas. The US Central Command said the strikes targeted Ketaeb Hizbollah "headquarters, storage, and training locations for rocket, missile, and one-way attack UAV (drone) capabilities".

The European Commission said it had "preliminary concerns that the transaction may reduce competition in the market for passenger air transport services on several short-haul and long-haul routes in and out of Italy".

The latest deals -- signed with French firm Nexter and Germany's Junghans Microtec -- are estimated by officials to cover around 220,000 shells and deliveries to NATO members will start at the end of 2025.

New Delhi, UAE--India's stock market has edged out Hong Kong to become the world's fourth-largest, a milestone that underscores growing global investor optimism about New Delhi's economic prospects, Bloomberg said Tuesday. The total value of shares listed on Indian exchanges hit $4.3 trillion on Monday, slightly higher than Hong Kong's...

Manama, Bahrain-- Bahrain and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are looking to boost cooperation in the convention and conference industry in the region. In this regard a meeting was held in Dubai to discuss ways to enhance collaboration at the level of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Fatima bint...

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA - ASFAR, the Saudi tourism investment company wholly owned by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, and the Municipality of Al-Ahsa signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The MoU aims to develop a major tourism attraction in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,...

PARIS, FRANCE - Imane Ayissi is on a mission to put authentic African textiles in the spotlight but faces an uphill battle as a pioneer African couturier at Paris Fashion Week. The bark of the Obom tree, kente cloth from Ghana and kapok fibres from Burkina Faso are some of the...

Paris, France -- While the explosion of debt is throwing a shadow over global economic growth, experts warn that sub-Saharan Africa, where several countries are already in default, is experiencing its worst-ever crisis. The rise in interest rates and over-indebtedness is already crimping the ability of countries to finance their development,...

SHARJAH, UAE - Alef Group concluded its participation in the ACRES Real Estate Exhibition 2024 with resounding success, generating significant demand and securing approximately US$84 million (AED310 million) in sales transactions for its residential projects. CEO of Alef Group Issa Ataya said, “ACRES was a good opportunity to connect with...

The Frankfurt institute is tipped to pause for the third meeting in a row following a historic run of hikes to tame runaway prices, leaving the benchmark deposit rate at four percent. ECB president Christine Lagarde said last week rates had likely reached their peak but that it was too...

Doha, Qatar--The Qatar Chamber (QC) discussed ways to enhance cooperation and exchange expertise with Korean companies in agriculture and food security. The issues were discussed in a meeting with a Korean delegation representing from the Hyundai Research Institute (HRI). The meeting was attended by QC board member and Chair of...

PARIS, FRANCE - The Paris Fashion Week menswear shows draw to a close on Sunday. Here are some of the highlights among the 40-plus runway shows of the past few days.   Quiet luxury The watchword of high-end fashion last year was quiet luxury, thanks in large part to the success of...

Park City, United States -- Artificial intelligence promises to make death "optional," as the technology learns to perfectly emulate our personalities, memories and dreams, keeping a version of ourselves alive long after our physical bodies have perished. But if rapidly improving AI achieves its lofty goal of digital immortality -- as...

ROME, ITALY - ArcelorMittal has offered to sell its stake or become a minority shareholder in an Italian steelworks after Rome moved to put the plant under state supervision, the chief executive said in a letter seen by AFP. Aditya Mittal wrote to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to press for...

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA - The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) issued its monthly classification index for air transport service providers, based on the number of complaints filed with GACA by travelers during December 2023. According to GACA, 1,308 complaints were filed by travelers on Saudi air carriers last December....

BEIJING, CHINA - The logistics sector in the country achieved steady recovery in 2023 and the country remains the world's largest logistics market in terms of demand, China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing said. According to a report from CCTV, He Liming, the chairman of the China Federation of Logistics...

In a statement posted Friday on X, formerly Twitter, Erkan denounced the reports as "unfounded allegations" designed to undermine confidence in the bank, and threatened legal action. Erkan took up her job last June following the re-election of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, one of a team of market-friendly economists appointed...

Manama, Bahrain-- Bahrain and Slovakia are looking to ramp up the ongoing cooperation in urban planning and sustainable development. In this regard, Ahmed Abdulaziz Al Khayat, Chief Executive Officer of the Urban Planning and Development Authority (UPDA), stressed the need to exchange expertise and technologies in the field of urban...

Doha, Qatar - Roberto Mancini warned Saudi Arabia against falling victim to the kind of Asian Cup shock suffered by favorites Japan when his side face Kyrgyzstan on Sunday. Saudi Arabia fought back to beat Oman 2-1 in stoppage time in their opening match in Qatar and can seal their place...

DUBAI, UAE - In an age where data is a cornerstone of modern healthcare, the industry faces an escalating threat from cyber criminals seeking unauthorized access to sensitive information. Kingston Technology, a player in memory products and technology solutions, is urging healthcare entities to bolster their defenses against rising cyber...

DUBAI, UAE - The real estate and properties transactions valued at US$3.5 billion (AED13 billion) in total during the week ending January 19 2024. The sum of transactions was 3,697 and 184 plots were sold for US$547 million  (AED 2.01 billion), 2,770 apartments and villas were sold for US$2 billion...

Doha, Qatar - Aymen Hussein scored two first-half headers as Iraq stunned Asian Cup favorites Japan 2-1 on Friday to reach the knockout rounds. It was Japan's first Asian Cup group-stage defeat in 26 matches and set them on a potential collision course with South Korea in the last 16 in...

DOHA, QATAR - The volume of real estate trading in sales contracts at the Department of Real Estate Registration at the Ministry of Justice during the period from January 7 to January 11 reached US$75 million. Total sales contracts for residential units in the Real Estate Bulletin for the same...

Paris, France - The French government has been flooded with applications from low-income households to lease a subsidized electric car from 100 euros ($109) a month, Environment Minister Christophe Bechu said on Friday. President Emmanuel Macron unveiled the plan on social media in December as part of efforts to reduce carbon...

Bangkok, Thailand - Thailand has discovered nearly 15 million tons of lithium deposits, a government spokesman said Friday, a boost for the kingdom's goal of becoming a regional hub for electric vehicle production. The find means Thailand has the third largest lithium resources, behind Bolivia and Argentina, but it is not...

Beijing, China--China called for an end to "harassment" of civilian vessels in the Red Sea on Friday after attacks on ships by Houthi rebels in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Houthi aggression against vessels in and around the Red Sea has led to retaliatory strikes in Yemen by US and British forces....

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Jordan Henderson has moved a step closer to ending his much-criticized spell with Saudi club Al-Ettifaq by undergoing a medical with Dutch side Ajax, a source close to the negotiations told AFP on Thursday. The 33-year-old England midfielder has been with the Saudi club for just six...

Geneva, Switzerland - Generative artificial intelligence could transform healthcare through things like drug development and more rapid diagnoses, but the World Health Organization stressed on Thursday more attention should be paid to the risks. The WHO has been examining the potential dangers and benefits posed by AI large multi-modal models (LMMs),...

Dubai, UAE - Against the backdrop of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Whiteshield announces the release of the Global Labor Resilience Index (GLRI) 2024. As the world confronts the profound challenges of global warming and the urgency of transitioning to a sustainable future, the impact on labor markets looms large,...

Doha, Qatar - Asian Cup hosts and holders Qatar have been on a mission to banish the painful memory of their 2022 World Cup flop and forward Akram Afif is leading the charge. Qatar lost all three of their World Cup games on home soil on their way to a first-round...

Dubai, UAE -- Sunset Hospitality Group (SHG) is more than just a collection of hotels, restaurants, and beach clubs. Renowned for crafting "lifestyle hospitality experiences," SHG blends luxury, entertainment and local flavor. TRENDS spoke with Antonio Gonzalez, CEO of Sunset Hospitality Group, about the Group's vision and how it has steadily...

DOHA, QATAR – The Industrial Production index (IPI) of Qatar in November 2023 reached 91.7 points which is a fall of 1.5 percent compared to the previous month (October 2023). This is a decrease of by 5.8 percent compared to the corresponding month in 2022. Released by the Planning and...

Muscat, Oman--The Oman Investment Authority (OIA) has unveiled a new fund called “Future Fund Oman” valued at US$5.19 billion. The fund will serve a wide range of investment categories, develop the national economy and attract foreign investments. According to the Oman News Agency (ONA), According to the Oman News Agency...

Beijing, China--China's economy is likely to pick up the pace and grow steadily in 2024 after a bumpy recovery last year, propelled by the gradual increase in domestic demand and with more stimulus policies in the offing, China Daily reported, citing officials and economists on Wednesday. Economists said the country...

Vlissingen, Netherlands - Cocaine seizures at the Belgian port of Antwerp, the top gateway into Europe for mainly South American drug cartels, hit a fresh record high last year, authorities said on Wednesday. Some 116 tons of cocaine were seized in Antwerp alone, Belgian Finance Minister Vincent van Peteghem told reporters,...

Long alarmed by falling fertility, the government has relaxed its decades-long one-child policy in recent years to allow three children per family, while rolling out subsidies and calling on women to become homemakers. But the incentives and exhortations are doing little to change what demographers describe as an economic crisis...

Davos, Switzerland--A new World Economic Forum report titled the Future of Growth Report 2024 foresees a significant economic slowdown, estimated to fall to the lowest rate in three decades by 2030, amid ongoing economic and geopolitical shocks. The report released today, offers a re-evaluation of global economic growth, introducing a...

DUBAI, UAE – Emirates will hire 5,000 people as it awaits the arrival of its fleet of Airbus A350s. The airline is inviting fresh graduates with internships or part-time jobs on their résumés, those with a year or so of hospitality or customer service experience, and individuals keen to embark on...

Zurich, Switzerland - A French television star and a group of investors are demanding 280 million Swiss francs ($330 million) from Nespresso after the failure of a company that tried to offer a more sustainable alternative to the aluminium capsules sold by the coffee-pod maker. Show host Jacques Essebag, who goes...