Author: Editorial Team
Maliha Jilani, Partner-in-Charge at Heidrick & Struggles Middle East & North Africa and Dr. Jay Bevington, Global Board Advisory Leader and CEO and Board of Directors Leader in the Middle East & North Africa. New Heidrick & Struggles survey finds leaders across the region are confident in managing cybersecurity risks while governance and leadership capabilities around AI continue to evolve. Dubai — Heidrick & Struggles’ latest CEO & Board Monitor report, which surveyed 148 leaders across the Middle East at the end of last year, reveals that cybersecurity has emerged as the most significant issue organisations in the region expect to face in 2026. …
BEIRUT — Three successive Israeli attacks killed at least three paramedics in southern Lebanon on Wednesday,a day after landmark talks with a Lebanese government envoy in Washington, Lebanese officials said. The officials accused Israel of deliberately targeting health workers as it pressed the war against Hezbollah.“The Israeli enemy targeted paramedic teams in the town of Mayfadoun, Nabatiyeh District, three consecutive times,” the Lebanese health ministry said. “This resulted in the martyrdom of three paramedics and the injury of six others, while one paramedic remains missing.”A team from the Islamic Health Association was attacked as it tried to rescue people from…
NEW DELHI — India is preparing for a redraw of its political map, driven by what the government says is a push to reserve one-third of seats for women in parliament and state assemblies. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has framed the moment as historic, calling the proposed amendments “the fulfillment of an important responsibility towards the women of our country,” while urging parties to support the legislation in “one voice.” Parliament begins a high-stakes debate on Thursday on bills that would activate women’s reservation and expand the Lok Sabha, the lower house of parliament, with the government seeking a quick…
[Editor’s Note: This article is part of Villages of the UAE, a Khaleej Times editorial series that looks beyond the country’s skylines to the quieter communities nestled in its mountains, deserts, wadis, and along its coast. Through the voices of residents and the rhythms of everyday life, the series explores how tradition, place, and people continue to shape the UAE’s social fabric.] Along the shores of the Arabian Gulf, in the far north of Ras Al Khaimah, Khor Khuwair tells the story of a place shaped first by nature and necessity, and later by industry, transforming from a quiet coastal…
ABU DHABI, 15th April, 2026 (WAM) — Bain Capital, a leading global private investment firm, on Wednesday announced the opening of its office in ADGM, the international financial centre of Abu Dhabi. The new office builds on Bain Capital’s long-standing relationships across the Middle East and reflects the firm’s continued commitment to investing, partnering, and supporting growth across priority sectors in the region. The office will further reinforce the firm’s capital formation efforts, supporting long-term relationships with regional investors across Bain Capital’s global investment platform. It will also support the expansion and growth of select Bain Capital portfolio companies in…
WASHINGTON, 13th April, 2026 (WAM) — Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, said she is concerned about a powerful new AI model from Anthropic that poses major cybersecurity risks. In a statement, she said that the world does not have the ability to protect the international monetary system against massive cyber risks. “The risks have been growing exponentially,” Georgieva said. “Yes, we are concerned. We are very keen to see more attention to the guardrails that are necessary to protect financial stability in the world of AI.” Source: Emirates News Agency
Dubai — Google today announced the launch of Personal Intelligence to users in the Arab world. Personal Intelligence securely connects information from apps like Gmail and Google Photos to make Gemini uniquely helpful. Users can control exactly which apps to link, and each one supercharges the experience. Personal Intelligence was introduced in the U.S earlier this year. This capability has two core strengths: reasoning across complex sources and retrieving specific details from, say, an email or photo to answer questions. It often combines these, working across text, photos and video to provide uniquely tailored answers. This capability helps answer questions—such as…
RIYADH — The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) has notified the establishments under its supervision that it will begin classifying violations, penalties and values of fine based on the size of the establishment and its commercial activity. In a recent circular, the SFDA announced an update to its schedule of violations, in accordance with its regulations and the corresponding penalties. This update is based on royal order no. 32043, which pertains to classifying violations, penalties, and fines according to the size of the establishment and its economic activity. The SFDA stated that it aims to achieve compliance and enhance…
Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has responded to user complaints on X, asking some residents to share more details after a technical issue disrupted access to its app and website. The technical glitch has left motorists in the emirate unable to complete vehicle-related services. The RTA took notice of the issue, as some residents reported facing difficulties when accessing services such as vehicle registration renewals, booking inspection appointments, and fine payment. RTA asked users to share their contact details via direct messages. “Please provide us with your full name and mobile phone number, in addition to more details about…
BEIJING, 16th April, 2026 (WAM) — China’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew 5 percent year on year in the first quarter of 2026, 0.5 percentage points faster than that of the fourth quarter of 2025, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed Thursday, Xinhua News Agency reported. The country’s GDP reached 33.4 trillion yuan (about US$4.87 trillion) during this period, the NBS data showed. In the first quarter, “the growth of production and supply accelerated, market demand continued to improve, employment was generally stable, market prices picked up moderately, and high-quality development advanced with new and positive momentum,”…