New Zealand tightens work visas to address high immigration and brain drain. New rules include English requirements, higher skill thresholds, and shorter stays for lower-skilled jobs. The goal is to prioritise Kiwis for jobs and attract highly skilled migrants the country needs.

New Zealand researchers are pioneering AI's role in healthcare, aiming to enhance surgical precision and patient outcomes. AI applications include pre-operative planning and intraoperative guidance, leveraging computer vision and VR/AR technologies. This innovation also supports patient recovery monitoring and optimises healthcare access through prioritized waiting lists. Despite promising benefits like improved accuracy and efficiency, challenges such as data privacy, bias, ethics, and technological readiness must be carefully managed for AI's responsible integration into surgical practices.

New Zealand AI expert Michael Witbrock warns of potential job displacement within a decade due to AI advancements. He emphasises the need for proactive governance and retraining programmes to prepare workers for an AI-driven economy. Policy recommendations include balanced regulation and international cooperation to manage AI's impact responsibly. Despite concerns, Witbrock sees AI's potential in biomedicine as transformative, suggesting it could revolutionize disease treatment. Preparation through education and ethical guidelines is crucial to harness AI's benefits while safeguarding human employment and societal stability.

This article looks at the reasons for the election of the new Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian.

The Central Bank of Egypt turns to profitability for the first time in seven years. Net foreign assets in banks rose by 1.7 percent to USD 13.3 billion.

The Central Bank of Egypt turns to profitability for the first time in seven years. Net foreign assets in banks rose 1.7 percent to USD 13.3 billion

Kamala Harris's speeches do not live up to the level of action shown by the US presidency and were not convincing to Democrats who want to see an end to the aggression against the Palestinians, or at least see their country stop contributing to the Gaza massacre.

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has strong growth potential for automotive companies, but Morocco has recorded progress that maintains its dominant position in this industry.

Iran has begun moving missile launch pads, and the Revolutionary Guards will close the airspace and conduct military exercises, according to American reports. The US Air Force will also deploy stealth aircraft in the region.

Israel's credit rating is being downgraded by Fitch. This article explains how the country is handling the war with Hamas and its economic impact.

This article explains that the non-oil sector in Saudi Arabia grew 4.4 percent in 2023 but real gross domestic product (GDP) declined by 0.8 percent.

All parties, Israel, Iran, and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, have raised a state of alert and emergency since the assassination of Hamas' chief negotiator, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran. This article explores what is happening.

A securities and bond trading company, HC Securities & Investment, does not expect interest rates to be lowered before the end of this year or the beginning of next. It is likely, therefore, that the banking sector will benefit from high treasury returns.

Wars in the Middle East and Houthi attacks affecting navigation in the Red Sea are likely to lead to an increase in oil prices. The World Bank also warns that the world economy will face a double shock in the energy sector if the war in the Middle East expands. This article explains.

Fitch, the international credit rating agency, says that Egyptian banks' foreign currency liquidity levels improved with the net foreign asset deficit decreasing to USD 2.8 billion, explains Ahmad Abdel Rahman.

India's multilingual landscape challenges AI chatbots, but startups like Sarvam AI and Krutrim, alongside tech giants like Google and Microsoft, are innovating to enhance language processing and cultural relevance. This article explains.

India's AI sector is booming with top startups like Krutrim, Sarvam AI, and Wysa leading innovations in language models, mental health, and infrastructure, attracting significant funding.

How Israel engages in its war, and international pressures, will determine the future of the Middle East

The religious freedom law disturbs Israel's Likud and the Shas Party threatens to withdraw from the government as well as withdrawing its confidence in it. Meanwhile, the religious right movements seek to expand their influence at the expense of other parties. This article explains what is happening.

The religious freedom law disturbs Israel's Likud and the Shas Party threatens to withdraw from the government as well as withdrawing its confidence in it. Meanwhile, the religious right movements seek to expand their influence at the expense of other parties. This article explains what is happening.

ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, plans a USD2.1 billion investment in Malaysia to establish an AI hub, alongside an additional $317 million for expanding data centers. This move aligns with Malaysia's goal to grow its digital economy to 22.6 percent of GDP by 2025. It mirrors investments by Google and Microsoft in Malaysia's data center infrastructure. ByteDance's initiative highlights Malaysia's emergence as a tech hub, supported by initiatives like Malaysia Digital and partnerships for AI education. With a growing data center market and a strategic AI roadmap, Malaysia is poised to lead in Asia-Pacific's digital innovation landscape.

Saudi Arabia has launched a National Semiconductor Hub to establish itself as a regional tech leader akin to Silicon Valley. With plans to attract 50 global chipmakers by 2030 and an investment of 1 billion Riyals ($266.5 million), the initiative supports Saudi Vision 2030's diversification goals. It aims to build a thriving semiconductor ecosystem, offering incentives for talent acquisition and relocation. This initiative, alongside a $40 billion AI investment, aims to boost local industries, drive R&D, and position Saudi Arabia as a global hub for semiconductor innovation and development.

Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet Inc. and Google, praises India's rising leadership in artificial intelligence (AI), predicting it could surpass developed nations. India's rapid AI advancements, bolstered by initiatives like Digital India and the National AI Strategy by NITI Aayog, are key factors. Despite challenges such as infrastructure gaps and talent retention, India's proactive approach in sectors like healthcare and agriculture places it ahead of peers like Germany and Australia in AI adoption. While the US and China lead in AI investment and research, India's focus on inclusive growth and ethical AI development sets it on a distinctive path towards global AI leadership.

The use of child labour is common in Egypt, writes our correspondent in Egypt. Several investigations have come to the same conclusion.

The Egyptian president points out that the price of electricity would be double what citizens pay if the government did not bear much of the burden of this cost. This article explains what is happening.

What will the sudden death of the Iranian president, Ibrahim Raisi, mean for the Middle East and beyond? This article investigates

Critics of the US President, Joe Biden, accuse him of avoiding challenging Israel, supposedly the US's closest ally in the Middle East, to enhance his chances of winning the US election in November.

Tehran's bombing of Tel Aviv is a direct threat to oil supply in the Middle East. This article discusses what could happen.

This opinion piece talks about the war in Gaza and why it's a war over real estate rather than religion. The latter misleads the West, it argues. There are also protests all over the world which are not conducive to a two-state solution.

Real GDP in Egypt is expected to rise to 4.9 percent during the next fiscal year 2024-2025 from 3.5 percent this year, and Goldman Sachs expects Egypt to achieve a surplus of 3.5 percent in 2025.

The US's position regarding current regional developments raises many questions and it may have lost much of its limited credibility in the region.

Forecasts from Moody's Analytics suggest that the non-oil sector will grow in Saudi Arabia between 3 and 4 percent until 2030. Ahmad Abdel-Rahman explains.

The Egyptian Center for Strategic Studies (ECSS) warned of the negative consequences of the Israeli war on Gaza and stressed that solving the Palestinian issue is the key to regional stability. This article explains what is happening. writes Ahmad Abdel-Rahman.

Hydrogen is the fuel of the future, according to countries in the Middle East. Indeed, the largest clean energy production project in the world is in Saudi Arabia, and specialists believe that its strategic location serves it well. This article investigates.

The Israeli economy is facing the heaviest losses in its history and a downgrade of its credit rating. This article looks at what has gone wrong.

Egypt has been recovering from an economic slowdown and recent growth rates in several sectors show how the economy is performing. This article explains what is happening.

The US President, Joe Biden, warned Israel of the consequences of not protecting civilians in the Gaza Strip and allowing humanitarian aid to arrive. If the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, does not abide by US demands, "Washington will curb its support" for Tel Aviv.

Goldman Sachs issued a report on the repercussions of the recent economic decisions announced by the Egyptian government. The report included several positive messages about the future path of the Egyptian economy, especially in relation to annual inflation rate, which is expected to decline to 25 per cent from 35 per cent by the end of this year.

Countries across Asia are zooming ahead of Europe and the US in terms of fintech. This article explains the speed at which they are developing the technology and how they are using it.

The Israeli war with Gaza has been created as a consequence of years of subjugation of the Palestinians by the Israelis. The article explains what has happened.

This article looks at the way words are used and the way they can define how a war is perceived or interpreted, in this case the "Palestinian national struggle with Israel".

More than 40 Islamic, Palestinian and Arab American leaders and groups in Chicago Chicago leaders refuse to meet with White House officials as Washington continues to fund the war. Newspapers say the US administration's position will cost Biden the votes of Arab Americans in the 2024 presidential elections.

The Web Summit held in Qatar showed the importance of artificial intelligence and technological developments, among other issues, in the region.

This article looks at the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in digital payments and at what the future holds.

The FiNext conference, which returned to Dubai in late February, showed off the latest in technological developments. This article talks about what happened.

India's fintech sector is growing rapidly and is expected to add USD400 billion to the Indian economy over the next seven years. Measures by the central government have helped boost the fintech sector. This article explains what is happening.

South Africa has taken Israel's killing of Palestinians to the International Court of Justice, located in The Hague, in the Netherlands. This article looks at the case against Israel and asks how successful it will be?

This article looks at the impact on world trade of the Houthis' attacking ships in the Red Sea. Shipping costs have soared and shipping routes take much longer as ships avoid their regular trading route.

Many children have been killed in Gaza over the years. To what extent are they victims of the current conflict? This article looks at some of the figures.

The Gazan people are continuing to suffer as Israel's destruction of the Gazan Strip continues. This article explains what UNRWA estimates the impact of the destruction will be.

Washington is finalising a UN security council resolution to support global efforts to end the Gaza war. The draft rejects any displacement of the population from Gaza. A ceasefire, hostages' release, and humanitarian aid are among Washington's demands. Our correspondent in Egypt explains what is happening.

A poll reveals the growing division among Democrats in the US over the Middle East conflict and there are accusations between Labour and the Conservatives in Britain of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.

The Yemenis must be at-one in supporting the Palestinians and seeking to alleviate their plight. This article explains what is at stake.

This article highlights the latest project between the UAE and Egypt.

The price of the gold jumped by more than 92 per cent since the beginning of 2023, with Egyptian purchases rising at record rates. This article writes about what is happening.

The behaviour of Iran and its loyal militias has turned Iraq and Syria into places for retaliatory attacks. This article explores the issues.

The Ansar Allah group, more commonly referred to as the Houthis, was not satisfied with the warnings it announced on November 14 that it would target Israeli ships in the Red Sea if the war did not stop and the siege on Gaza was not lifted. It has also escalated its attacks against all ships heading to Israel.

The Egyptian Prime Minister reviewed a report outlining some of the benefits of Egypt's first gold fund. This article reports on what is happening.

Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has been actively establishing itself as a global leader in artificial technology (AI). To this end, it has established the world's first AI university. Abu Dhabi Investment Council has also established Venture One, which aims to take AI to the wider market. This article explains.

The two-state solution for Israel and Palestine has been reignited with Egypt's latest proposal. What is this proposal and how have all the parties reacted? This article reports from an Egyptian perspective.

The construction sector represents 13.6 per cent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) and employs 100,000 Palestinian workers. This article explains

External debt has quadrupled in 10 years and is behind a huge jump in interest rates in Egypt. The author is from Egypt and really knows what's going on.

Arab reactions regarding the sudden attack launched by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), since dawn last Saturday, on the "Gaza envelope" settlements and in the Negev in the south shows solidarity with the Palestinians.The operation is called "Al-Aqsa Flood."

This article looks at how Israel was created and the role France, UK and the US had to play.

This article looks at how AI can increase productivity, operational efficiency and analytical accuracy, among other things. What impact will it have on companies? How can companies prepare?

GenAI technologies can power up companies' operations. This article looks at what is going on in APAC, according to an IBM executive.

With its multi-faceted applications, AI is rapidly taking over as the leading technology being adopted by businesses around the world. This articles explains what is happening in more detail.

Adtech is evolving globally with a significant buzz coming from APAC. What are the trends and how will this sector monetise for the better?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is set to transform the communication industries such as public relations and the media. And not in a bad way. This article explains why this may be the case.

The World Bank (WB) stresses the need to invest and increase growth rates in "green" jobs. The Middle East is also facing a food security crisis. This article looks at the issues.

The fintech as a service (FaaS) market is growing exponentially. Greater collaboration between banks and fintechs is helping to drive this growth. This article explains.

APAC and Japan are showing remarkable signs of growth in the use of generative AI, which is showing limitless possibilities. This article explores some of the issues.

The training time for new AI developers is getting shorter. This should speed up innovation.

This article looks at how artificial intelligence could impact elections.

With the growing smartphone penetration and developments in fintech, fintech mobile applications are set to reimagine the Middle Eastern digital banking landscape, and the financial industry as a whole. This article describes some of the recent developments.