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Egypt launches 5G network as North Africa's digital push accelerates

North African states are moving to introduce high-speed internet and data-intensive applications to business and government sectors in the face of increasing demand.

BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images

AI chips, drones, jets: A look at Trump's $3.2 trillion megadeals during Gulf trip

Amid photo ops and lavish receptions, President Donald Trump’s Gulf trip yielded $3.2 trillion in announced deals with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE — though some details remain vague.

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

US eases foreign investment rules days before Trump Gulf visit: What to know

Gulf states are estimated to manage 40% of the world’s sovereign wealth and are some of the biggest investors in the United States.

Khaldoun al-Mubarak, Managing Director and Group Chief Executive Officer of the Mubadala Investment Company, speaks at a panel session during the World Government Summit in Dubai on February 12, 2024. (Photo by RYAN LIM / AFP) (Photo by RYAN LIM/AFP via Getty Images)

Mubadala investments soar by 33% as UAE deepens AI ties with US

Mubadala made 119 billion Emirati dirhams ($32.4 billion) worth of investments in 2024, up 33.7% from the previous year, according to a Thursday statement from the UAE fund.

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Qatar’s digital future offers opportunities in AI, energy, says head of US-Qatar Business Council

Sheikha Mayes Al-Thani speaks at inaugural USQBC-SelectUSA event in Washington, DC, February 25, 2024.

Sheikha Mayes Al Thani

Sheikha Mayes Al Thani

Managing Director, US-Qatar Business Council

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'Cloud First' policies give Saudi Arabia, UAE edge in AI race: Amazon exec

Yasser Hassan

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

How UAE AI firm's past China links stalled this US chipmaker's IPO

chip

United Arab Emirates

UAE seals cloud deal with Microsoft, Core42 as Sheikh Tahnoon visits US

Sheikh tahnoon

United Arab Emirates

Saudi PIF trims Nintendo stake from 7.5% to 6.3% in second cut of month

A filing with Japan’s Finance Ministry said the move follows the sale of more than 17 million Nintendo shares, which concluded in October.

US President Joe Biden and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan walk to the Oval Office for a meeting, where the two discussed AI and ending the war in Gaza on Sept. 23, 2024, in Washington.

Analysis

How new US AI framework could impact UAE, Saudi ambitions

The framework comes as the UAE has deepened its AI ties with the United States in recent months over a series of visits to Washington by senior Emirati officials.

Samuel Wendel

By Jack Dutton , Samuel Wendel

Visitors walk among displays at the UMEX Exhibition showcasing drones, robotics, and unmanned sytems at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre in Abu Dhabi on January 23, 2024. (Photo by Ryan LIM / AFP) (Photo by RYAN LIM/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

What UAE's Edge expansion into space means for country's military industry

Abu Dhabi has recently seen a significant boost in its domestic defense and aerospace capabilities, thanks to its nation-based conglomerate, EDGE. This month, the group launched its new space company, FADA, marking a milestone in enhancing the Emirati’s status in the strategic space sector.

Francesco Schiavi

By Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

AFP via Getty Images

Middle East startups see 34% uptick in global investors

Data firm MAGNiTT reported Tuesday that the Middle East far outperformed other markets and regions, including Africa and Southeast Asia, which saw steeper drops.

This combination of file photos created July 15, 2020, shows Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk in Washington, DC, on March 9, 2020, and Amazon and Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos in Washington, DC, Oct. 22, 2019.

UAE’s Sheikh Tahnoon discusses AI, tech with Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk in US

His meetings came after UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed met earlier this week with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

United Arab Emirates

MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images

In White House visit, UAE leader seeks cooperation on Gaza and AI

UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan will meet with President Joe Biden in his first official visit to Washington since 2017.

United Arab Emirates

Members of the Lebanese Shiite Movement Hezbollah salute during the funeral of a comrade who was killed the previous day by the explosion of a communication device, in Adloun south of Tyre in southern Lebanon on September 19, 2024.

Analysis

Hezbollah’s exploding pagers to fuel widespread MidEast consumer electronic fears

Brazen Israel-linked attacks could presage a new age of warfare, where the Internet of Things and everyday tech can be weaponized at scale.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Hezbollah fighters carry the coffins of people killed after hundreds of paging devices exploded in a deadly wave across Lebanon the previous day, during their funeral procession in Beirut's southern suburbs on September 18, 2024. Hundreds of pagers used by Hezbollah members exploded across Lebanon on September 17, killing at least nine people and wounding around 2,800 in blasts the Iran-backed militant group blamed on Israel. (Photo by ANWAR AMRO / AFP) (Photo by ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Pager attacks shake Hezbollah; are they prelude to Israel-Lebanon deal?

Despite US warnings about the unintended consequences of war with Hezbollah, Israel's leaders claim the extent and intensity of the fire can be controlled.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

An engineer holds a CPU chip against the background of a motherboard.

Israel’s Tower Semiconductor, Adani Group invest $10B in Indian microchip project

India is trying to position itself as a leading microchip producer, encouraging foreign companies to set up manufacturing facilities in the country.

In Abu Dhabi, UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed meets with HE Chen Min’er, member of the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party and Communist Party secretary of Tianjin, to discusses prospects of increasing bilateral cooperation under the framework of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, Sept. 4, 2024. Credit: UAE Foreign Ministry

Analysis

How UAE-China ties expand around Tianjin chief visit, ADNOC deal

Diplomatic and business traffic is gaining steam between Dubai and Beijing after a first-of-its-kind think-tank forum, a high-level welcome for a Tianjin official to the UAE, and a major deal with ADNOC this week.

Joyce Karam

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional geopolitics, China in the Middle East

King Abdullah Centre

Middle East fintech funding sees 650% spike in 2020-2023

Fintech is one of the most funded and transacted industries across the MENA region, according to a MAGNiTT report, accounting for 24% of all venture investment in the region in the first half of 2024.

MUNICH, GERMANY - JANUARY 24: Pavel Durov of Vkontakte speaks during the Digital Life Design conference (DLD) at HVB Forum on January 24, 2012 in Munich, Germany. ence and culture which connects business, creative and social leaders, opinion-formers and investors for crossover conversation and inspiration. (Photo by Nadine Rupp/Getty Images)

Analysis

Telegram CEO's arrest spotlights UAE’s investment-based citizenship laws

The United Arab Emirates is showing that it takes its citizenship laws seriously and has vowed to fight for Telegram founder Pavel Durov.

Jennifer Gnana

By Jennifer Gnana

In Dubai, reporting on Gulf energy policy and politics