Az Zulfī, Saudi Arabia -- The ear-splitting roar of his jet ski fills the air as Hamza al-Hamm thunders past, kicking up plumes of water -- not at the beach, but in the heart of the Saudi Arabian desert. Sand-caked SUVs ring the temporary lake, formed by winter rains, as...

Easier commutes with faster, quieter, and eco-friendly vehicles would reduce travel times significantly and reduce stress for urban residents, says Satyanarayanan Chakravarthy, member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on the Future of Autonomous Mobility.

Tehran, Iran - Hidden behind imposing brick walls in the heart of Tehran, a brewery that used to make Iranian beer has been transformed into a hub for contemporary art. The ambitious restoration of the derelict Argo factory has made it "one of the most beautiful buildings of Tehran", said...

Historically, the region was a key player in commerce through the Silk Road, and today, it has the potential to become a hub for the digital revolution, says Al-Tawil, Managing Director for MENA at Equinix.

IoT applications are transforming critical sectors such as transportation, where connected vehicles improve traffic management, utilities where smart grids enhance energy efficiency, and healthcare, where remote monitoring optimizes patient care.

By 2030, every dollar spent on AI-powered solutions is expected to generate US$4.60 in economic value, according to global analyst firm IDC. Its success depends on responsible implementation, says Robert Coyne, Senior Vice President and Managing Director for Tealium.

The "Aether clock OC 020" is so precise that it would take 10 billion years for it to deviate by one second, according to its Kyoto-based manufacturer Shimadzu Corp.

Singapore, Singapore -- Southeast Asia's largest bank DBS said that 4,000 jobs could be cut in the next three years and be replaced by artificial intelligence as the technology becomes more advanced. "Over the next three years, we envisage that AI could reduce the need to renew about 4,000 temporary/contract...

DAVOS: The future of global collaborations is being shaped by innovation and the ubiquitous embrace of immersive technologies, which continue to drive industry transformations. For a glimpse into this future, TRENDS spoke with Chieh Huang, President of WEF’s Global Collaboration Village, during last week’s Davos meeting to discuss how VR...

Davos, Switzerland -- The transformation seen in the labor market brought about by green transition and new technologies has raised concerns about how AI will impact the market, said Veronica Nilsson, General Secretary of the Trade Union Advisory Committee (TUAC) to the OECD. She spoke with TRENDS on the sidelines...

The international community must prioritize cooperation and dialogue to overcome the challenges of a fragmented world, the Saudi delegation to the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2025 said today. Calling for global collaboration to shape a prosperous future, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin...

Davos, Switzerland - The world is grappling with challenges that demand collective action, but rising nationalism and geopolitical tensions are making cooperation increasingly difficult, Dr. Masood Ahmed, the president emeritus of the Center for Global Development, told TRENDS in an exclusive interview at the Davos meeting of the World Economic...

Muscat, Oman – Oman on Tuesday launched its New Nation Brand at the World Economic Forum in Davos in an effort towards enhancing the country’s global image.   “The launch of the New Oman Nation Brand at Davos represents Oman's commitment to the world as a cooperative and trustworthy partner,”...

Dubai, UAE -- Dubai International Airport (DXB) is on track to welcome 4.3 million guests in the first 15 days of the year, setting the stage for its busiest January yet. Daily traffic is projected to peak on 3rd January, with over 311,000 guests expected. With an average of 287,000...

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- The Dakar Rally 2025, the largest and longest race in the world of motorsports, is set to kick off on Friday from Bisha, marking the sixth consecutive year the Kingdom hosts this thrilling event.Over 800 participants are poised for the fierce competition, which runs until January...

Mexico City, Mexico -- The growing popularity of Chinese sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks has shaken up Mexico's luxury car market, hitting sales of traditionally dominant brands such as Mercedes-Benz and BMW. According to industry experts, Mexicans are increasingly switching from traditionally dominant sedans to Chinese vehicles due to a...

In Tunisia's highlands, women harvest wild herbs to earn a living, but drought is making their work harder, shrinking incomes and opportunities

Washington, United States -- The United Arab Emirates has informed the United States that it will not arm paramilitaries in Sudan's brutal civil war, US lawmakers long critical of the Gulf power's role quoted the White House as saying on Thursday. The assurance came as the United States announced $200 million...

Washington, United States -- US President Joe Biden said Friday he was canceling student loans for an additional 55,000 Americans, which would amount to wiping out $4.28 billion in debt in his final month in office. The mass cancellation of debt is for "teachers, nurses, service members, law enforcement officials, and...

Tokyo, Japan --Japanese auto giant Honda and its struggling rival Nissan will reportedly begin talks on a merger to boost their strength in electric vehicles, where Chinese brands are racing ahead. At the same time, Taiwanese electronics behemoth Foxconn has approached France's Renault to buy its large stake in Nissan, according...

Los Angeles, United States -- Video game "Astro Bot" -- a family-friendly sci-fi adventure -- was named 2024's Game of the Year on Thursday at the annual awards considered the Oscars of the digital entertainment industry. The platform game featuring the adventures of a small space robot was also awarded "best...

US president says ceasefire takes effect on Wednesday at 4:00 AM Beirut time, as Lebanese officials accuse Israel of trying to inflict maximum damage through a wave airstrikes in Beirut before the truce deadline.

Prince Salman also called on Israel not to attack Iran, highlighting improving ties between Saudi Arabia and its former regional rival. Meanwhile, Lebanon's Prime Minister Najib Mikati warned that the country was suffering an "existential" crisis and hit out at countries meddling in its internal affairs -- a thinly veiled...

Hezbollah claimed it destroyed an Israeli tank using a guided missile, while Israel reported killing Hezbollah leader Jalal Mustafa Hariri in Qana, heightening regional tensions.

Iranian leadership vows strong retaliation if Israel attacks Iran as Hezbollah kills eight Israeli soldiers and destroys 3 tanks while Israel banned UN chief Antonio Guterres from entering Israel. Also, 90 people were killed in Gaza and dozens injured in fresh Israeli attacks.

Iran launched around 180 missiles at Israel on Tuesday in response to the killings of Tehran-backed militant leaders, prompting alarm across the region and vows of retaliation.

Major airlines such as Emirates, Qatar Airways and Air France have suspended growing numbers of flights to Lebanon as tensions rise between the powerful militant group Hezbollah and Israel.

The sheer scale of destruction from the deadliest war in Gaza's history has made the road to recovery difficult to imagine. Also, 11 months of war in Gaza has battered Israel's economy with poverty threatening communities.

Paris, France - Russian-born tech entrepreneur Pavel Durov has founded wildly popular social networks, cryptocurrencies, amassed a multi-billion-dollar fortune and locked horns with authorities, in Russia and around the world. Still a few months shy of his 40th birthday, the man once dubbed the "Russian Zuckerberg" after Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg...

Kuwait City, Kuwait -- A fire killed 49 people in Kuwait when it ripped through a building housing nearly 200 foreign workers on Wednesday, the government said. 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...

Dubai, UAE - The 31st edition of Arabian Travel Mart, 2024, taking place from May 6 to May 9, is poised to welcome over 2,300 exhibitors and representatives from more than 165 countries, with 41,000 attendees expected. The theme of this year's event is ‘Empowering Innovation: Transforming Travel Through Entrepreneurship.’...

CAIRO, Egypt – Air Arabia Egypt on Sunday commenced its first non-stop flight from Cairo International Airport to Sabiha Gökçen International Airport in Istanbul, Turkey. Upon arrival at Sabiha Gökçen International Airport, the flight was greeted with a traditional water cannon salute and a welcome ceremony, a press release said....

Damascus, Syria - Seven children were killed in southern Syria's Daraa province on Saturday when an "explosive device" detonated, state media reported. "Seven children" were killed "and two other people were injured, one of them a woman, when an explosive device planted by terrorists" went off in the city of Sanamayn,...

Tehran, Iran - Iran on Saturday again threatened retaliation for the deaths of seven Revolutionary Guards in a strike on Damascus, with the army chief saying his country's enemies will "regret" the killings. Tehran has vowed to avenge Monday's air strike on the Syrian capital it blamed on its arch-enemy Israel,...

Monday's strike in the Syrian capital levelled the five-storey consular annex of the Iranian embassy and killed seven Iranian Revolutionary Guards, two of them generals. Nasrallah, whose fighters have been exchanging near-daily cross-border fire with Israel since the Gaza war began in October, said the strike on the Iran consulate...

ABU DHABI, UAE- The  UAE stock markets attracted liquidity of nearly AED6.5 billion during the week's trading, with the focus mainly on stocks in the real estate, financial and banking sectors. The weekly liquidity was distributed as follows: AED4.57 billion in the Abu Dhabi market and about AED1.9 billion in...

ABU DHABI, UAE – The Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED) organized, in collaboration with Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), the second edition of Al Multaqa quarterly meetings, presenting business community with recent updates on the Emirate’s economy and achievements in 2023 and highlighting future opportunities. Launched in Q4-2023,...

Tehran, Iran--Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei mourned Thursday the seven Revolutionary Guards killed in a strike in Syria, which he has blamed on Israel and has vowed to "punish", state media reported. The Guards, including two generals, were killed in the air strike on Monday which levelled the Iranian...

Jerusalem - The Israeli army has suspended leave for its combat units, it said on Thursday, amid the Gaza war and as tensions with Iran grew after a strike on Tehran's consulate in Damascus. Israeli media reported that the military was also calling up more reservist soldiers "against the background...

OSLO, NORWAY – An Iraqi refugee in Sweden who stoked international outrage by repeatedly desecrating the Quran last year has been arrested in Norway and now faces deportation back to Sweden, according to court documents viewed by AFP on Thursday. Salwan Momika, a Christian Iraqi who burned Qurans at a slew...

London, United Kingdom - Britain's competition regulator deepened Thursday its probe into Vodafone's planned merger of British mobile phone operations with those of Three UK, owned by Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison, citing concerns over higher prices. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which began in January a formal investigation into the...

MUSCAT, OMAN – As part of its investment solutions and Sharia-compliant products and services, ahli islamic, ahlibank’s Islamic banking window, introduced the first of its kind Islamic Money Market Fund in the Sultanate. ahli islamic customers now have the opportunity to invest and gain exposure to attractive local and regional...

Vatican City, Holy See - Pope Francis expressed his "deep sorrow" on Wednesday for the deaths of seven charity workers killed by an Israeli strike while they were delivering aid in Gaza. "I express my deep sorrow for the volunteers killed while they were distributing humanitarian aid in Gaza," the 87-year-old...

MOSCOW, RUSSIA – Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said the country became the world’s fourth-biggest LNG producer last year. The Russian Prime Minister said this in an annual report at the State Duma (lower house of the parliament), TASS reported. “Energy is adjusting gradually as well. A serious adjustment of logistics...

Jerusalem, Undefined - Israel's military said Wednesday it had obtained information that indicated a Hizbollah explosive charge caused the blast that wounded UN peacekeepers in Lebanon last week. The UN peacekeeping force said three military observers and a translator were wounded in Saturday's blast in south Lebanon, where Israel and Hizbollah...

"If it is true that the convoy was deliberately attacked because it was supposed to contain a terrorist, and that civilian lives were therefore sacrificed, I do not know of any (political) system in which this would be justified," he told Polish public radio Trojka.

Tehran, Iran -- The National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) has said that shale oil deposits have been discovered in 10 different locations across the country. The director of exploration at the NIOC, Mehdi Fakour, announced that the company's specially designed model will enable the extraction of oil from these resources....

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA – flynas, the Saudi air carrier and the leading low-cost airline in the Middle East and the world, celebrated taking delivery of the 50th airplane out of a large order for Airbus A320neo jetliners at a reception held at King Khalid International Airport here. The company is...

Manama, Bahrain--The Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) announces that the monthly issue of the short-term Islamic leasing bonds, Sukuk Al Ijara, has been oversubscribed by 186%. Subscriptions worth $128.67 million were received for the $69.14 million issue, which carries maturity of 182 days. The expected return on the issue, which...

World Central Kitchen -- one of two NGOs spearheading efforts to deliver aid by boat -- said a "targeted Israeli strike" on Monday killed Australian, British, Palestinian, Polish and US-Canadian staff. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged a "swift, impartial investigation" into the airstrike and said Israel needed to...