Oregon's tourism strategy focuses on year-round visitation, sustainability, and regenerative travel, aiming to optimize economic impact while preserving natural beauty and cultural heritage, Travel Oregon CEO Todd Davidson tells TRENDS in an interview.

Abu Dhabi, UAE -- Representing the aerospace, aviation, space, and defense sectors, the premier thought leadership forum will aim to accelerate investments to drive greater sustainability, youth engagement and innovation for the industry.The Summit is a CEO-led, critical meeting of the world's aerospace supply chain that brings together sector and...

Sharjah, UAE -- Sharjah's renowned landmark and award-winning family-friendly destination, Al Noor Island, has secured its place among the top 10 attractions in the Middle East by winning the prestigious 'Best of the Best' title for 2024 on the leading travel-review platform TripAdvisor. Developed and managed by the Sharjah Investment...

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi Aramco netted $12.35 billion, $1 billion more than expected, from a secondary share sale after exercising an over-allotment option, the deal's stabilizing manager said on Wednesday. An additional 154.5 million shares were issued in response to demand from investors, Merrill Lynch Kingdom of Saudi Arabia said, taking...

Israel has launched major new offensives in Gaza City, even as it also embarks on contacts with international mediators on conditions for negotiating a truce with Hamas

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi Arabia has maintained its first rank across MENA in terms of the amount of Venture Capital (VC) funding in the first half of 2024, which witnessed a total VC deployment of $412 million (SAR 1.5 billion), the Saudi Venture Capital Company (SVC) said Tuesday. The...

Rotterdam, Netherlands -- The first methanol-powered ship to ply routes between Europe's busy ports was unveiled Tuesday in Rotterdam, with shipping owners hoping to spur efforts to bring down the industry's huge carbon footprint. The Eco-Maestro, a 13,675-tonne container carrier will head off to Antwerp in the next few days, before...

Digitalization is revolutionizing GCC entrepreneurship, offering vast opportunities and challenges, and driving innovation and growth, Jigar Sagar, an influential figure in the GCC's entrepreneurial ecosystem., tells TRENDS in an exclusive interview.

Jerusalem, Undefined - Qatari and Egyptian mediators are cajoling Israel and Hamas towards negotiations on a plan to end their war, which has left tens of thousands dead. US President Joe Biden first outlined in late May what he called an Israeli initiative for a truce and hostage release deal. Mediators are...

Hamas has accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of deliberately stepping up battles in Gaza City and far-southern Rafah to thwart a ceasefire agreement.

 The U.S. dollar hung near a multi-week low versus major peers on Tuesday, still smarting from Friday's unexpectedly soft jobs report as traders awaited testimony from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell for clues on the path of interest rates, Reuters reported. The euro held its ground after Monday's sharp swings...

Istanbul, Turkey -- China's electric vehicle giant BYD on Monday signed a one-billion-dollar agreement with Turkey to open a plant in the country in a move that would help it dodge new EU tariffs. The signing ceremony in Istanbul between BYD's CEO Wang Chuanfu and Turkey's industry and technology minister Fatih...

New York, United States -- Chip-making juggernaut Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. briefly surpassed $1 trillion in market capitalization on Monday as the AI frenzy continues to power tech stocks. TSMC controls more than half the world's output of chips and supplies them for everything from Apple's iPhones to Nvidia's cutting-edge artificial...

Mediators Egypt and Qatar were due to host new talks this week, according to officials, as the bloodiest-ever Gaza war raged on into its 10th month.

Boeing agreed to plead guilty to a criminal fraud charge tied to the fatal 737 Max crashes, the Justice Department said Sunday, months after U.S. prosecutors said the aerospace giant violated a 2021 settlement that shielded it from prosecution, according to CNBC. Under the deal, Boeing agreed to pay a...

Erdogan's comments come after tensions have mounted over the past week after a mob went on the rampage, vandalising businesses and properties owned by Syrians in a central Anatolian city. "We may send an invitation (to Assad) at any moment," Erdogan told journalists aboard a plane from Berlin where he...

Large protests, also demanding elections, have taken place across Israel's commercial hub every Saturday night, with smaller ones throughout the country. On Saturday night, anti-government demonstrators blocked a highway in Tel Aviv. Some clashed with police on horseback before officers deployed water canon to force people from the road.

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, said two of its workers were killed in a strike at Al-Bureij in central Gaza. The agency has a major food warehouse in the district. "Absolutely no place in the Gaza Strip is safe," said civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal.

In the mausoleum of Imam Khomeini in southern Tehran, Pezeshkian gave a speech thanking his supporters, saying their votes have "given hope to a society plunged into an atmosphere of dissatisfaction". "I did not give false promises in this election," said Pezeshkian, flanked by former foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

Jerusalem, Undefined - Israel said Friday that "gaps" remained with Hamas on how to secure a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release but that it will send a delegation for fresh talks with Qatari mediators next week. The statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's spokesman came after a delegation led by the...

Iran held the first round of its snap presidential election last week which was marked by a record low turnout. Only 40 percent of Iran's 61 million eligible voters cast their ballots in the first round -- the lowest turnout in any presidential election since the Islamic Revolution of 1979.

Paris, France -- When Google announced this week that its climate emissions had risen by 48 percent since 2019, it pointed the finger at artificial intelligence. US tech firms are building vast networks of data centres across the globe and say AI is fuelling the growth, throwing the spotlight on the...

In a contest between reformist Masoud Pezeshkian and ultraconservative Saeed Jalili, the election comes amid heightened regional tension

The Labor Party has officially won enough seats in the UK’s 2024 general election to have a majority in parliament, as vote counting continues. Labor Leader Keir Starmer will become prime minister and can form a majority government, AP reported. Like Blair, who refashioned the party as “New Labor” in...

The $2.5bn contract was awarded by the German army.

Brussels, Belgium -- The European Union on Thursday slapped extra provisional duties of up to 38 percent on Chinese electric car imports because of "unfair" state subsidies, despite Beijing's warnings the move would unleash a trade war. A European Commission probe launched last year concluded that state subsidies for Chinese EV...

Fire and smoke billows after rockets fired from southern Lebanon hit areas in northern Israel on July 4, 2024. (AFP).

Baghdad, Iraq - As war rages in Gaza and threatens to spread to Lebanon, Iraqi militant groups warn they are ready to enter the fray against Israel and the United States. A field commander of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq said there would be "escalation for escalation" in the event of...

As war rages in Gaza and threatens to spread to Lebanon, Iraqi militant groups warn they are ready to enter the fray against Israel and the United States. A field commander of the so-called Islamic Resistance in Iraq said there would be "escalation for escalation" in the event of a...

Sydney, Australia - Protesters scaled Australia's national parliament on Thursday, unfurling banners reading "Palestine will be free", and accusing Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of complicity in the Gaza war. The small protest follows recent divisions within the Labor government, which suspended a Muslim senator who crossed the floor to vote in...

The United Nations warned that the almost nine-month-old war had "unleashed a maelstrom of human misery."

At an indoor pool in Dubai, three rowers battle artificial rain and simulated waves as they train for an Arctic voyage intended to highlight the perils of marine pollution with focus on plastics. Their quest will take the team from one extreme to the next. Home base is the United...

Electric carmaker Tesla saw its shares surge on Tuesday.

After a visit to troops on Monday, he said: "I saw very considerable achievements in the fighting being carried in Rafah. We are advancing to the end of the stage of eliminating the Hamas terrorist army." The Israeli army has resumed some operations in northern Gaza and other zones where...

Deliveries still 4.7 percent down from a year ago.

A Trump Tower is coming to Saudi Arabia, a regional developer announced on Monday, Al Monitor reported. Dar Global and the Trump Organization said in a statement that they have plans to develop a new project in Jeddah that will target “the luxury Saudi Arabian market and international investors.” The firms...

Beitunia, Palestinian Territories - Every morning Palestinian boxer Waseem Abu Sal checks texts from his Cairo-based coach -- a Gazan who cannot travel to him in the occupied West Bank -- to see his daily Olympics training schedule as he prepares to make history. The 20-year-old will be the first Palestinian...

Other parts of the Gaza Strip were reeling from continued fighting nearly nine months into the devastating conflict. Witnesses and the civil defence agency reported Israeli air strikes in the southern Rafah area and in the central Nuseirat refugee camp.

Dubai, UAE -- The Mastercard Economics Institute has revealed in its latest Travel Trends 2024 report a major shift in the travel industry this year, characterized by a significant increase in travel spending and strong growth in traveler traffic. This latest global report provides comprehensive insights into the evolving landscape of the...

Hundreds of thousands had already left Rafah ahead of and during a ground offensive launched by Israeli troops on the southernmost city since early May. The warning for Al-Qarara, Bani Suhaila and other towns in the two governorates, made on social media and in an official statement, came hours after...

Israel's military has accused Hamas of using hospitals in the Gaza Strip as a cover for military operations. It has raided Al-Shifa and other hospitals.

Investments in H1 2024 led by the top Middle East sovereign wealth funds reached$38.2 billion in 58 different deals, according to industry tracker Global SWF, Zawya reports. The amount invested by the ‘Oil Five’ - Saudi’s PIF, Abu Dhabi’s ADIA, Mubadala and ADQ, and Qatar’s QIA - is more than...

Washington, United States - The US Justice Department is offering Boeing a plea deal that will allow it to avoid a trial related to two deadly 737 MAX crashes, a lawyer for the victims' families said Sunday, expressing outrage. Details of the deal, which requires Boeing to pay a fine and...

A Hamas official in Lebanon, Osama Hamdan, confirmed that the Islamist movement had received the latest proposal but said it presented "no real progress in the negotiations". Hamas has called for a permanent ceasefire and full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, demands repeatedly rejected by Israel.

Cairo, Egypt -- At least once a day, the hum of every fan, air conditioner and fridge across Egypt goes quiet. The lights go out and an expletive is muttered or hurled into the quickly-heating air. Lifts stop, errands are cancelled and meetings delayed for as long as the power stays...

Jerusalem, Undefined -- Israel's national carrier El Al said Sunday its Warsaw to Tel Aviv flight was not allowed to refuel at Antalya airport after making an emergency landing to evacuate a passenger for medical reasons. Turkish workers at Antalya airport refused to refuel flight LY5102 before it could take off...

Beijing, China - Factory activity in China shrank for a second straight month in June, data showed Sunday, underscoring the country's shaky economic recovery ahead of a key political gathering expected to focus on deepening reform. The manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) -- a key measure of factory output -- registered...

Hamas insists on a permanent ceasefire and a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip. Hamdan said the proposals were "merely a waste of time and provide additional time for the occupation (Israel) to practise genocide".

Palestinian Territories -- Explosions, air strikes and gunfire rattled northern Gaza on Saturday, the third day of an Israeli military operation that has uprooted tens of thousands of Palestinians and compounded what the UN called "unbearable" living conditions in the territory. An AFP correspondent reported ongoing explosions from the Shujaiya...

"At this conference, European companies are signing over 20 new deals ... which are worth over 40 billion euros," Ursula von der Leyen said at the meeting in the Egyptian capital. The conference comes after a $7.9 billion EU funding package was signed in March to support the indebted North...