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  • How the convergence of AI and 5G is transforming Saudi Arabia’s smart technologies

    According to a recent PwC report called “The Smarter Phone,” AI-enabled smartphones are already integrating with daily activities, leveraging predictive analytics to automate routine processes and provide real-time solutions. AI-powered assistants, image recognition and voice command systems are increasingly becoming integral parts of mobile devices, enabling more intuitive user interfaces and features such as facial recognition, automated photo sorting and smart scheduling.

  • Egypt is cozying up to Somalia to thwart Ethiopia

    Tensions between Egypt and Ethiopia have escalated in recent days. Relations between the two African countries, already strained since 2011 due to Ethiopia’s construction and filling of the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile—a project Egypt views as a major threat to its water and food security—have further deteriorated. The recent downturn comes after Egypt forged closer ties with Ethiopia’s rival, Somalia.

  • Art, music, fireworks shows on for Saudi National Day celebrations

    The General Entertainment Authority has announced there will be fireworks displays across Saudi Arabia. On Sept. 22, Umm Ajlan Park in the capital is hosting, for free, the nation’s biggest fireworks display, a drone show, and a folklore event, starting at 9 p.m. There will also be fireworks displays at Jeddah Promenade from Friday to Monday starting at 6 p.m. On the same day, as a part of the festivities, there will be an air show at Jeddah’s North Corniche with planes flying in formation and leaving green smoke trails across the sky.

  • Soundstorm is Soaring as Saudi Focuses Spotlight on Local Artists

    As Saudi gears up for National Day on September 23, a cultural movement is building steam for local artists through Soundstorm. While this day honors the Kingdom’s rich past, SOUNDSTORM, the Riyadh music festival is powering the nation’s bold future. Happening on Dec 12-14, it’s more than a music festival. Soundstorm sets sights in transforming Saudi Arabia and it’s local artists into a global cultural powerhouse.

  • Russia signals upcoming signing of strategic partnership accord with Iran

    Russia’s president has authorized the signing of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement with Iran. This follows a Tehran visit by the secretary of the Russian Security Council, preceded by a trip to St. Petersburg by the Iranian national security advisor. The intensified engagement suggests that the two sides wish to move past a row over Moscow’s support for a contentious transit corridor in the South Caucasus, especially amid western pressure over alleged Iranian missile deliveries to Russia.

  • Senators in both parties open to treaty vote on US-Saudi defense pact

    Republicans and Democrats are demanding any such agreement arrive on Capitol Hill as a treaty, requiring a two-thirds majority. Getting that level of Senate approval would be a huge challenge, according to interviews with more than a half-dozen senators on the Foreign Relations Committee.

  • Saudi’s Aramco Digital announces multiple AI partnerships

    Aramco Digital Company and Groq, a major name in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) inference, have announced a partnership to establish the world's largest inferencing data centre in Saudi Arabia. But it's far from the only recent AI news from the digital and technology subsidiary of Aramco, the giant global integrated energy and chemicals company.

  • EU mission starts Red Sea oil tanker salvage

    An operation trying to salvage a stricken oil tanker, burning in the Red Sea for almost a month now after attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels, has begun, according to a European Union naval mission on Saturday. The EU's Operation Aspides released images showing its vessels escorting three ships making their way toward the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion. The operation aims to prevent an environmental disaster in the region.

  • Chip Startup Groq Backs Saudi AI Ambitions With Aramco Deal

    Artificial intelligence startup Groq Inc. has partnered with oil producer Aramco to build a giant data center in Saudi Arabia that it hopes will become a hub for companies running AI systems across the Middle East, Africa and India. The data center will be up and running by the end of this year, and could later expand to include a total of 200,000 language processing units, Ross said

  • Saudi art icon Safeya Binzagr passes away

    The Saudi art world was deeply saddened by the passing of Safeya Binzagr, the celebrated artist often referred to as the "Mona Lisa of Hijaz," on Thursday. Born in 1940 in the heart of Jeddah’s old city Harat Al-Sham, Safeya Binzagr’s early life was intertwined with the rich heritage and traditions of her hometown. The old city’s ambiance and the warmth of its people profoundly influenced her artistic journey. In 1947, Binzagr and her family moved to Egypt, but the memories of Jeddah’s narrow alleys and traditional customs remained deeply ingrained in her.