Author: Suhaib Jabbour

Chinese President Xi Jinping told Egypt’s prime minister on Thursday that Beijing hoped to work with his country to bring “more stability” to the Middle East, state media reported, as the Israel-Hamas conflict cast a shadow over the region. “China is willing to enhance cooperation with Egypt… and inject more certainty and stability into the region and the world,” Xi told Mostafa Madbouli at a meeting in Beijing, according to state broadcaster CCTV. “China and Egypt are good friends who share the same goals and trust each other, and good partners who work hand-in-hand for development and common prosperity”, CCTV…

Netflix on Wednesday disclosed summertime subscriber gains that surpassed industry analysts’ projections, signaling the video streaming service’s crackdown on password sharing is converting former freeloaders into paying customers. In an effort to bring in even more revenue, Netflix also announced it’s raising the price for its most expensive streaming service by $2 to $23 per month in the U.S. — a 10% increase — and its lowest-priced, ad-free streaming plan to $12 — another $2 bump. The $15.50 per month price for Netflix’s most popular streaming option in the U.S. will remain unchanged, as will a $7 monthly plan that…

Indonesia’s football federation has said it supports Saudi Arabia’s bid to host the 2034 World Cup, ending the possibility of its own proposal to co-host the event with Australia. Last week, Indonesian FA president Erick Thohir had said the country was in talks with Australia for a possible joint 2034 World Cup bid, despite the Asian confederation having declared its support for Saudi Arabia’s candidacy. But Thohir — who also serves as a government minister and was formerly the owner of Serie A club Inter Milan — said the country would now look to host the event after 2034. “Indonesia…

Turkmenistan and the UAE discussed prospects and ways of developing bilateral cooperation and new opportunities for strengthening relations, Trend reports. These issues were discussed by Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the UAE to Turkmenistan Ahmed Al Hay Al Hameli and Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Turkmenistan Mergen Gurdov. At the meeting, the parties discussed the extensive opportunities provided within the framework of cooperation between Turkmenistan and the UAE, and also developed strategies for more effective development of this partnership. Furthermore, the representatives also made a proposal to organize a business conference in the future in order…

General Motors, self-driving car subsidiary Cruise and Honda plan to launch a robotaxi service in Japan under a new joint venture, the three companies announced today. The companies intend to launch the service with the custom-built Cruise Origin vehicles in central Tokyo in early 2026. The service will start with dozens of Cruise Origins. The fleet will eventually expand to 500 Cruise Origin vehicles, the companies said, adding that the plan is to scale the service area beyond central Tokyo. Executives from the three companies, including GM CEO Mary Barra, Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt and Honda Global CEO Toshihiro Mibe…

Elon Musk’s X, formerly known as Twitter, has started charging new users in New Zealand and the Philippines $1 (£0.82) a year to access key features, as part of a new trial. They include the ability to tweet, retweet, like posts and reply to posts. Those who opt out of the subscription fee will only be able to read posts, watch videos and follow accounts. The social media platform said that the aim is to “reduce spam, manipulation of our platform and bot activity”. New accounts will also be required to verify their phone number, though Mr Musk has said…

Four supermarkets selling rotten meat in Kuwait have been temporarily closed, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry announced on Monday. These outlets based in Salmiya were found in violation of consumer protection regulations by selling rotten and adulterated meat. During standard inspection rounds, ministry officials identified a recurring malpractice across these four supermarkets. The outlets were thawing frozen meat and falsely marketing it as fresh chilled meat to unsuspecting buyers. Further investigation disclosed that the thawed meat varied in origin, even including frozen liver, indicating a deliberate attempt by these establishments to mislead and potentially harm consumers. Legal procedures are…

Iran has warned of a possible “pre-emptive action” against Israel “in the coming hours”, as Israel readies for a ground offensive on the Gaza Strip. Tehran has repeatedly warned that a ground invasion of the long-blockaded Gaza would be met with a response from other fronts — prompting fears of a wider conflict that could draw in other countries. “The possibility of pre-emptive action by the resistance axis is expected in the coming hours,” Iran’s foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said Monday in a live broadcast to state TV, as he referred to his meeting with Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah…

The US military thwarted an attack targeting its forces in Iraq early on Wednesday, intercepting two drones before they could strike, two US officials told Reuters. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, declined to say who was suspected of the attack but it came as Washington is on heightened alert for activity by Iran-backed groups amid soaring tension in the region over the Israel-Hamas war. The one-way attack drones were intercepted as they attempted to strike Iraq’s al Asad air base, which hosts American troops, the officials said. The incident came hours after a strike on a Gaza…

On Dec. 31 last year, Hyundai Motor signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Saudi Arabian government to expand car production within Saudi Arabia. Industry sources reported on the 17th that Hyundai is set to finalize this agreement with the Saudi government this month, merely nine months after inking a MOU concerning the ‘Joint Development of the Saudi Automotive Industry’ in January. According to the agreement, Hyundai will establish an automotive factory in the Middle East for the first time, employing the Complete Knock-Down (CKD) method for the assembly of both electric and internal combustion engine vehicles. CKD involves…