DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ In Dubai, this English teacher ditched the 9 to 5 to lead treks across the desert
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Leah Collins | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

A few years later she turned it into a business called UAE Trekkers, running weekend hikes while she continued teach English in the week. A lot of people don’t realize that there’s so much nature here – they’re blown away.”Amy Subaey, founder of UAE Trekkers. From this, UAE Trekkers developed a “student- centered” approach that caters to new hikers, from the classroom to the trails. UAE Trekkers’ hikes include a sunset trek across the Liwa desert in Abu Dhabi, a location used in “Dune Part Two.” UAETrekkers FZ LLCPlanning aheadBut even hikes aimed at beginners can require extensive planning. UAE Trekkers’ certified guides provide hikers with coaching on how to prepare for treks, what to bring and how to make the most of the experience.

Persons: Amy Subaey, “, ” Subaey, ” Amy Subaey, Subaey, I’m, “ There’s, ” Organizations: CNN, United Arab Emirates, UAE, Warner Bros, ’, Subaey Locations: Minnesota, Bahrain, Egypt, Dubai, UAE, Dubai Subaey, Hatta, Sharjah, Fujairah, Oman, Abu Dhabi, Lima

☆ Why Middle East travel is growing faster ‘than any other region’
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Rym Bendimerad | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Last week, travel and tourism industry representatives from more than 150 countries gathered at the annual Arabian Travel Market trade show, held this year in Dubai. There, CNN’s Eleni Giokos spoke with Julia Simpson, president of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), about trends in tourism in the Middle East, and the challenge of making travel more sustainable. We are here in the Middle East — this is the first time I’ve been to the Arabian Travel Market — but what’s interesting is everyone’s telling me they have never, ever seen it this busy. Simpson: Well, the GCC and Middle East is growing faster than any other region. Visitors and delegates at the Arabian Travel Market.

Persons: CNN’s Eleni Giokos, Julia Simpson, I’ve, Simpson, Saud, you’ve, We’ve, we’ve Organizations: CNN, Travel, Tourism Council, Arabian, GCC, Gulf Cooperation, United, Visitors, Oxford Economics Locations: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Ras Al, Khaimah, United Arab Emirates, Saudi, Arabia, —, Saudi Arabia, Oman, East, UAE, Gaza, Egypt

☆ How racing driverless cars is pushing autonomous technology
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Amy Gunia | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

He’s been working on robotics since the 1980s, and he’s surprised by how quickly autonomous technology has advanced. He sees this in his day-to-day work at KUCARS, where researchers are working on everything from autonomous cars and drones to marine, agricultural, and manufacturing robotics. There have been other autonomous car races before, but A2RL’s was the first to include a race between four driverless cars, according to organizers. “But it was good to push the community.”Team Polimove competes during the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League. Pushing the technology to the edgeEfforts to set driverless cars loose on public roads have faced setbacks, especially as the result of collisions with unforeseen obstacles.

Persons: Lakmal Seneviratne, He’s, he’s, A2RL’s, ” Seneviratne, Daniil Kvyat, Amr Alfiky, Reuters ‘, Max Verstappen, TUM, Seneviratne, Polimove, Giuseppe Cacace, Simon Hoffman, ” Hoffman, Uber, Hoffman, ” Organizations: CNN, Netflix, P Global Mobility, Khalifa University Center, Autonomous Robotic Systems, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League, Reuters, Beijing Institute of Technology, Abu, Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Technical University of Munich, Getty, Yas Marina Circuit, Khalifa University of Science Locations: Abu Dhabi, KUCARS, Yas

Maps Show Scarce Shelter and Medical Care as Rafah Operation Is UnderwayHundreds of thousands of Gazans have fled the southern region of Rafah over the past week, after Israel has expanded its evacuation orders amid continued bombardment and fierce fighting there. Satellite imagery taken after the May 6 incursion shows extensive new damage to eastern parts of Rafah. Additional damaged buildings were identified in satellite imagery collected from May 5 to May 7. As of Tuesday, new high resolution satellite imagery of the evacuation area in Rafah was not available after May 7. ISRAEL Rafah crossing N EGYPT Kerem Shalom crossing 1 mile Source: World Health Organization; International Committee of the Red Cross press releases Note: Data is as of May 14.

Persons: Younis, Copernicus, Israel, Corey Scher, Den, Abu Yousef al, EGYPT Al Helal, Helal, EGYPT Kerem Organizations: Planet Labs, The New York Times, Health, United Nations, The United Nations, New York Times, Copernicus Sentinel, CUNY, Center, Den Hoek of Oregon State University, Labs, Najjar, Maternity, Health Organization, International Committee, Red Cross Locations: Rafah, Israel, Gaza, Rafah Egypt Israel Rafah, Kerem Shalom, Israel Egypt Rafah, Egypt, GAZA, Rafah ISRAEL EGYPT Rafah, Rafah ISRAEL EGYPT, Shalom, Den Hoek of, Kuwait, EGYPT, EGYPT Al Helal Al, ISRAEL Rafah, Helal Al, EGYPT Kerem Shalom, Jabaliya, Gaza City

☆ Behind the curtain of the global arms trade
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Momo Takahashi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

In his new book, "Nothing Personal: The Back Office of War," photographer Nikita Teryoshin lifts the veil on the global arms trade, capturing defense exhibitions worldwide. Closed to the public, his series offers a rare inside look into the lucrative global arms industry. Guests, politicians, and traders watch a live demonstration of warfare at the International Defense Exhibition in Abu Dhabi. After the construction and the oil and gas sectors, the global arms trade is one of the most corruption-prone sectors in the world, according to Transparency International. By contrast, the international trade of bananas is more tightly regulated than the arms trade, according to the introductory note of the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty.

Persons: Nikita Teryoshin, Teryoshin, Rafael, KAI, Lockheed Martin Organizations: Business, International Defense, Bofors, International Defense Industry, International Defense Exhibition, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, United Nations Arms, Black Eagles, Nikita, Kalashnikov, Lockheed Locations: East, Ukraine, France, Paris, United States, China, Abu Dhabi, Russia, India, Poland, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Peruvian, Lima , Peru, Korean, Seoul

☆ Money or talent? What's actually driving hedge funds to Abu Dhabi and Dubai
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Bradley Saacks | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Millennium, Brevan Howard, Schonfeld, and ExodusPoint are just a few of the funds that have put roots down in either Abu Dhabi or Dubai. Meanwhile, Bridgewater's Ray Dalio bought a penthouse in Abu Dhabi as he compliments the country's policies. When one US-based hedge fund fundraiser met with Abu Dhabi officials late last year, he didn't expect much to come of it. He lauded everything from the Louvre outpost in Abu Dhabi to the warm weather to the responsiveness from government officials. A Bloomberg story on Abu Dhabi notes that it's fast-tracking country-club admissions for new wealthy immigrants.

Persons: —, Brevan Howard, Schonfeld, Bridgewater's Ray Dalio, Austen Smart, Tighe, Smart, Alan Howard, Greg Coffey, Danny Yong, hoover, Doug Greenig, Morgan, Point72, Steve Cohen, Viking Global's Andreas Halvorsen, keynotes, Howard, Abu Dhabi, Craig Bergstrom, Bobby Jain's, Florin Court's Greenig, Abu, Floring Organizations: Service, United Arab Emirates, titans, Business, Tighe International, Florin Court Capital, Morgan Stanley's, Dubai Financial Services Authority, Abu, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, Mubadala Investment Company, Corbin Capital, Abu Dhabi Global, Hong Kong, pats, Bloomberg Locations: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, London, New York, Mumbai, UAE, Asia, Switzerland, It's, Gaza, Iran, Palm, Europe, Cayman Islands, Jersey, Miami, San Franciso, Riyadh, Saudi

CNN —Hospitals in central Gaza have reported that 36 people were killed in two Israeli airstrikes overnight within a few hundred meters of each other. Desperate family members surround the piles of rubble, waiting to see if anyone is rescued alive, the footage showed. I have five friends trapped under this place.”One unnamed man said he and his family had been displaced several times. We moved to Khan Younis and then to Rafah, and from Rafah, we came here. “His name was on the list of those supposed to leave Gaza through the Rafah border, but fate intervened,” she added.

Persons: Al Aqsa, Al Awda, Witnesses, Ashraf Al Jalees, – Hassan Obeid –, Jehad, Al Jalees, Hamdan Karaja, “, ” Karaja, ”, Rami Al Aida, Al Aida, Sama Alousha, Khan Younis, Um Mahmoud, Salah Abu Jarada, Ismail Abu Ghosheh, Najah Abu Daher Organizations: CNN, Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, Israel Defense Forces, Getty, ” CNN, Civil Defense Locations: Gaza, Nuseirat, Al Aqsa, Rafah, Anadolu, Central Gaza, Shajaiya, Deir el Balah

☆ Anti-government protests demand release of Gaza hostages ahead of Israel’s Memorial Day
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Eugenia Yosef | Mohammed Tawfeeq | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Protesters took to the streets of several cities across Israel on Saturday, demanding the release of all hostages held in Gaza ahead of Israel’s Memorial Day. Families of hostages held in Gaza also took part in anti-government protests, including in Tel Aviv, Caesarea, Rehovot, and Haifa. Many waved Israeli flags and held up signs with images of the Israeli hostages, calling on the government to bring them home alive. Israeli mounted police deploy during a rally calling for the release of hostages held in Gaza outside the defense ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv on May 11, 2024. “The UK government has been working with partners across the region to secure the release of hostages, including British nationals.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Yael Adar, Tamir Adar, Tamir, ” Adar, Jack Guez, Hagit Chen, Itay Chen, “, ” Chen, Abu Obaida, Popplewell, ” Obaida, Kibbutz, Channah Peri, brother Roi Organizations: CNN — Protesters, Israel Defense Forces, Getty, Al, Brigades, Minister’s, CNN, United Locations: Israel, Gaza, Israel’s, Tel Aviv, Caesarea, Rehovot, Haifa, AFP, Kibbutz Nirim, Israeli

CNN spoke to three Israeli whistleblowers who worked at the Sde Teiman desert camp, which holds Palestinians detained during Israel’s invasion of Gaza. Reports of abuse at Sde Teiman have already surfaced in Israeli and Arab media after an outcry from Israeli and Palestinian rights groups over conditions there. CNN has requested permission from the Israeli military to access the Sde Teiman base. The account tallied with details of a letter authored by a doctor working at Sde Teiman published by Ha’aretz in April. The structure, which resembles an animal pen, is located in the central area of the Sde Teiman compound.

Persons: Sde Teiman, ”, “, –, Ofer, Patrick Gallagher, Adnan al, Bursh –, Mohammed al, Ran, ” Dr, Mohammed Al, Shawish, abasement, “ You’d, Teiman, Ha’aretz, Israel, Ray, Tal Steiner, ” Steiner, – Ofer, West Bank –, Ibrahim Yassine, Abu Salah, Al, Barbara Arvanitidis, Tamara Qiblawi, Matthew Chance OSINT, Allegra Goodwin, Alex Platt, Abeer Salman, Ami Kaufman, Kareem Khadder, Mohammad Al Sawalhi, Carlotta Dotto, Lou Robinson, Mark Oliver, Tom James, Sarah Tilotta, Mark Baron, Julie Zink, Augusta Anthony Motion, Yukari Schrickel, Laura Smith, Eliza Mackintosh, Dan Wright, Matt Wells Editor’s, Matthew Chance, Al Hilou Organizations: Israel CNN —, CNN, Israel Defense Forces, Military, IDF, West Bank, Bosnian, Ahli Baptist Hospital, Social Media, CNN Al, “, Ha’aretz, for Human Rights, Nasser Hospital, Planet Labs PBC Planet, Planet Labs, Palestinian Red Crescent Society Locations: Israel, Gaza, Palestinian, Al, Ahli, Israel’s, “, London, Sde, Jerusalem

☆ People Leaving Rafah Describe Fearful Flight From Israeli Assaults
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Raja Abdulrahim | Bilal Shbair | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Displaced from their home in Gaza City months ago, Ms. al-Wakeel and relatives began packing their bags on Monday and preparing to dismantle their tent in Rafah, at the southern edge of the Gaza Strip. Hamas had announced that it had accepted a cease-fire proposal from Qatar and Egypt, leaving many Gazans thinking that a truce was imminent. Instead, Israeli warplanes dropped leaflets in eastern Rafah telling people to flee and move to what Israel called a humanitarian zone to the north, as the Israeli military bombarded the area. Gazan health officials say that dozens have been killed since Israel’s incursion into parts of Rafah this week. “We thought that day a cease-fire was possible,” said Ms. al-Wakeel, 48, who helped the aid group World Central Kitchen prepare hot meals.

Persons: Manal, Israel, ”, Abu Yousef al, Marwan al Organizations: Hamas, Najjar Locations: Gaza, Rafah, Qatar, Egypt, Israel, Hams

☆ These are the top business-development execs competing to hire elite portfolio managers at hedge fund giants Citadel, Millennium, Point72, and more
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Alex Morrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +34 min

Unlike business development in corporate America, which focuses on growing a company's prospects with partners and clients, hedge fund BD teams specialize in scouting, evaluating, and wooing investment talent. AdvertisementFew have been involved in hedge fund BD longer than Jennifer Blake, Balyasny's global head. The fund's BD department remains in close contact with PMs after they join as a resource and advisor. Vernon Yuen/Getty Images$61 billion AUM2,200+ employeesAdvertisementKen Griffin's Citadel has outperformed not just its immediate rivals but every other hedge fund. He runs a team of about 20 as head of business development in the Americas, the largest region of the largest player in this space.

Persons: —, Griffin's, Izzy Englander's, Goldman Sachs, Headcount, execs, Dmitry Balyasny, Brendan McDermid, Jennifer Blake, Balyasny's, Morgan Stanley, Dmitri Balyasny's, Blake, it's, Federico Chavarria, Balyasny, Dave Matz, Smith Hanley, Alistair Jacobs, Dave Black, Peter Appel, Federico Chavarria MD, Andrew McHugh, Jules Biolsi, Michael Platt, he's, BlueCrest, Michael Grad, Grad, Jake Lindsay, Mungo Strachan, BlueCrest's, Brevan Howard Brevan Howard, Alan Howard, Ringo Chiu, Brevan Howard, Alan Howard's, Aran Landy, Brevan, Abu, It's, Landy, Howard, Peter Hornick, David Abbou, Jonathan Candy, Gregoire Vidal, Vidal, Tim Williams, Andy Silver, Gautam, Ken Griffin, Vernon Yuen, Ken Griffin's, Griffin, Matt Giannini, Giannini, headhunter, Matt, I've, — Thomas DeAngelis, Lindsay Previdi, Rice, Dore, Eleanor Sharkey, Melinda Urban, Mark Hansen, Julian Ulmer, Mathur, Adam Sharkie, Michael Page, Eisler, Edward Eisler, Sam Wisnia, Chris Milner, Milner, Hilary Curran, Hilary Curran Global, Rebecca Zisser, Michael Gelband, Hornick, Jeff Gelband, Mike Tiano, Eric Han, Garrett Berg, Liu, APAC Blackstone, Euan Shand, Kevin Carroll, Emily, Needham, Ostendorf, Ben Levine, Stefan Renold, LMR, Marcus Fairhurst, He'd, LMR's, Izzy, Ronda, Singh, Mark Meskin, Justin Gmelich, Steve Keller, Benjamin Williams, Madhvani, Paritosh Singh, Ben Williams, Kristina Tully, Steven Cohen, Point72, Shayanne, Steve Cohen's, Harry Schwefel, Chandler, Steve Cohen, JT Shields, They're, Schwefel, Alyssa Friedman —, Chandler Bocklage, Reid Murphy, Jae Yang, Japan Goldman Sachs, Alyssa Friedman, Jackie Dai, Gabriel Sanders, Ajay, Steven Schonfeld, Michael Nagle, Steve Schonfeld's, Ryan Tolkin, Schonfeld, doesn't, Akshay Aggarwal, Alex Burns, Ryan McCort, Colin Lancaster, Mitesh, Sameer Buch, Brittany Lynch, DMFI, Goldman, Verition, Nicholas Maounis, Josh Goldstein, Brian Townes, Townes, Elizabeth Xiang MD, Vir, Steve Satenstein, Chris Svoboda, Will England, Thomas DeAngelis, DeAngelis, Jonathan Brenner, hasn't, Maureen Reed, John Sullivan, Brenner, Walleye's Organizations: Service, Management, Wall, Business, Balyasny, Balyasny Asset Management, Quadra Advisors, SAC, Macquarie, BD, UBS, Grad, Financial Times, Michael, Lascaux, Howard BD, Brevan, Argentum Advisors, BH Digital, McKinsey & Company, JPMorgan, Ken Griffin's Citadel, Citadel, Citadel's, decamping, Chicago, Citadel BD, Walleye Capital, of Surveyor, Millennium, Capital, Credit, Ashler, Rice, Deutsche Bank, LMR Partners, London, Dore Partnership, Soros, Soros Fund, Ronda Churchill, Bloomberg, Getty, Guggenheim, Industry, MLP, Americas Guggenheim, Americas Citadel, SAC Capital, SEC, Point72 Academy, Citigroup, BD Energi, Japan, EMEA, APAC BNP, Schonfeld, PAAMCO, KKR, DMC Partners, Topwater, LinkedIn, New, New Holland Capital, BD —, Walleye, Lehman Brothers, Hutchin, Putnam Investments, ~$ Locations: America, Asia, Balyasny, Blackstone, New Holland, Abu Dhabi, BlueCrest, Europe, Graticule, ExodusPoint, Hornick, Freestone, New York, Schonfeld, Brevan, he's, Aberdeen, Hong Kong, Zurich, Glasgow, Dubai, Americas, Point72, quant, Verition, London, Greenland, Minnesota, Citadel

☆ Israeli and Hamas Negotiators Are in Cairo Under Pressure for Cease-Fire
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Isabel Kershner | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

The Israeli ground-and-air operation in the eastern part of Rafah on Tuesday further hampered the area’s struggling medical system. Fearing a raid by Israeli forces, like those that have been carried out at hospitals across Gaza, the medical staff at al-Najjar rushed to relocate more than 200 patients. But even during the scramble to evacuate the hospital, Israeli airstrikes on Rafah continued. The Israeli military’s actions also immediately limited access to more basic health services across Rafah. That delegation was also supposed to deliver the salaries of the aid group’s medical workers in Rafah — cash they desperately needed to secure housing and transportation during the chaotic evacuation.

Persons: Abu Yousef al, ” Dr, Marwan al, Najjar, Khan Younis, Hams, ”, Israel, —, Chessa Latifi, Hatem Khaled, Kamal Adwan, “ We’ve, ” Ms, Latifi, Dr, John Kahler, MedGlobal, Kahler Organizations: Najjar, Hams, European Hospital, International Medical Corps, HOPE, ., Project HOPE, Kamal Adwan Hospital, Health, Awda Locations: Rafah, Gaza, Israeli, Israel, Khan, al, U.S, Gaza City, Cairo

☆ A US ally is forging ties with China's air force but probably won't get its J-20 stealth fighter
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Paul Iddon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The UAE is boosting ties with China's air force. Major General Saleh Mohammed bin Mejren Al Ameri, commander of the UAE's Joint Operations, met with the commander of China's People's Liberation Army Air Force on April 23 to promote closer air force cooperation. Another even speculated Abu Dhabi may eventually seek China's premier stealth fighter: the fifth-generation J-20 Mighty Dragon. I don't see this relationship developing into something similar to what the UAE Air Force has with France or even Russia anytime soon." Furthermore, the Emirati air force fighter fleet is already large for such a small country, making it unlikely the L-15s will serve any combat role.

Persons: —, General Saleh Mohammed bin Mejren Al Ameri, China's, Abu Dhabi, Abu, Abu Dhabi's, Ahmed Aboudouh, Aboudouh, Washington's hesitance, Fred Tanneau, Sebastien Roblin, Roblin, haven't, Russia's Su, Robin Organizations: Service, United, Liberation Army Air Force, Dassault Rafales, Chatham House, China Studies Unit, Emirates Policy Center, Rafale, Dassault Aviation, UAE Air Force, UAE, China hasn't, FC, Korea's KF, UAE . The Emirates, KF Locations: UAE, Washington, Beijing, United Arab Emirates, China, United States, Abu Dhabi, UAE's, France, Abu, Russia, Saudi, Pakistan, Ukraine

GAZA STRIP Israel Area of satellite image EGYPT Rafah crossing Israeli incursionA Satellite View of Israel’s New Front in GazaNew satellite imagery taken after Israeli forces pushed into Rafah shows widespread damage to the southern Gaza city — including large areas of flattened structures — and clusters of Israeli armored vehicles. North Israeli tanks Razed structures Damage between Monday and Tuesday Rafah crossing Rafah crossing Israeli tanks EGYPT EGYPT New debris GAZA GAZA Damage from Monday Smoke rising Smoke rising Israeli tanks Damage before Monday Israeli tanks North Damage between Monday and Tuesday Razed structures Rafah crossing EGYPT Israeli tanks New debris GAZA Damage from Monday Smoke rising Israeli tanks Damage before Monday North Israeli tanks EGYPT Damage between Monday and Tuesday Razed structures Rafah crossing New debris Israeli tanks GAZA Smoke rising Israeli tanks Damage from before Monday Source: Satellite imagery from Planet LabsWhile Israel has described the operation that began earlier this week as limited, imagery captured on Tuesday morning by Planet Labs, a commercial satellite company, shows significant destruction in parts of the city. A network of damaged buildings reaches more than two miles into the territory near Rafah’s border crossing with Egypt. Monday Tuesday GAZA STRIP Area of image Source: Satellite imagery from Planet LabsIsrael says Rafah is Hamas’s last stronghold, and a critical gateway for arms shipments smuggled into Gaza from Egypt. Local health authorities warned of a “significant increase” in the death toll because of intense Israeli bombardment across Gaza, particularly in Rafah.

Persons: Israel, Scott Anderson, al Balah, Khan, Rafah’s Abu Yousef al, Marwan al Organizations: North, Labs, Israel, Planet Labs, Tuesday GAZA, Residents, al Balah Residents, ISRAEL Residents, Palestine Red Crescent Society, Najjar, Hams Locations: GAZA, Israel, EGYPT Rafah, Gaza, Rafah, EGYPT EGYPT, EGYPT, Rafah’s, Egypt, Planet Labs Israel, Hamas’s, al, ISRAEL, Kerem, Deir, Kerem Shalom, Palestine, Local

☆ Israeli forces take control of the Gaza side of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

An Israeli tank brigade seized control Tuesday of the Gaza Strip side of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, authorities said, moving forward with an offensive in the southern city even as cease-fire negotiations with Hamas remain on a knife's edge. The Israeli 401st Brigade entered the Rafah crossing early Tuesday morning, the Israeli military said, taking "operational control" of the crucial crossing. Footage released by the Israeli military showed a tank entering the crossing. The Israeli military claimed it seized the crossing after receiving intelligence it was "being used for terrorist purposes." Wael Abu Omar, a spokesman for the Palestinian Crossings Authority, acknowledged Israeli forces had seized the crossing and had closed the facility for the time being.

Persons: brinkmanship, Wael Abu Omar, Israel that's Organizations: Palestinian, Hamas, Israeli 401st Brigade, Palestinian Crossings Authority, Egyptian Foreign Ministry Locations: Rafah, Gaza, Israel, Israeli, Egypt, Kerem, Wael, United States

☆ Middle East Crisis Israeli Military Warns Thousands in Rafah to Evacuate
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Vivek Shankar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

“We were very close, but Netanyahu’s narrow-mindedness aborted an agreement,” Mousa Abu Marzouk, a senior Hamas official, said in a phone interview. The Israeli official said that Israel had sought a written response to its latest proposal from Hamas before dispatching a delegation, but that the group never conveyed one. Mr. Abu Marzouk was the only one of the officials who spoke about the talks to allow the use of his name. Hamas, Mr. Abu Marzouk said, thought that Mr. Netanyahu wanted an agreement that would permit Israel to invade Rafah after its hostages are released. A report in Al-Qahera News, an Egyptian state-owned television channel, said that a Hamas delegation would return to Cairo on Tuesday, but the senior Hamas official said that the group hadn’t made a decision yet.

Persons: Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Mousa Abu Marzouk, Biden, won’t, ”, Abu Marzouk, Mr, Bill Burns, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, Peter Baker, Michael Crowley Organizations: Hamas, Sunday, Central Intelligence Agency, Qatari, Qahera Locations: Gaza, Israel, Cairo, Rafah, Kerem, United States, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Doha, Al

☆ With Schools in Ruins, Education in Gaza Will Be Hobbled for Years
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Liam Stack | Bilal Shbair | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Amjad Abu Daqqa was among the top students at his school in Khan Younis, excelling in math and English, and he was applying for a scholarship to study in the United States when war erupted in the Gaza Strip last October. Teachers used to reward his good grades with trips to local historical sites or to the pier, where they would watch boats and take pictures of the sunset. He dreamed of going into medicine like his big sister, Nagham, who studied dentistry in Gaza City. But his old life and old dreams now feel far away. “I feel like I am a body without a soul, and I want to feel hopeful again.”

Persons: Amjad Abu Daqqa, Khan Younis, Nagham, ”, Amjad Locations: United States, Gaza, Gaza City, Rafah

☆ Palestinians fleeing Rafah describe their fear and despair: ‘I am leaving for the unknown’
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Palestinian civilians told to evacuate eastern Rafah by the Israeli military have described their fear and despair at being uprooted from their homes and shelters, as Israel airstrikes hit Gaza’s southernmost city. “We left because they distributed leaflets,” Mohammed Ghanem, a resident in eastern Rafah told a CNN stringer in the area on Monday. They are killing women and children.”Another woman from eastern Rafah said, “The Israelis sent us messages ordering us to leave. It is not only my feeling, it is everyone’s feeling.”Many of those leaving eastern Rafah have been previously displaced multiple times as Israel’s focus moved from city to city. A woman called Maha said Palestinian civilians were at the mercy of the Israeli military.

Persons: ” Mohammed Ghanem, “, ”, Ghanem, Khan Younis, Ramadan Abed, Volker Türk, Faisal Barbakh, Malek, Yousef, ’, Mohammad Abu Khamash, It’s, ” Scott Anderson, Jan Egeland, Ahmad Safi, Safi, Abu Salah, Maha Organizations: CNN, Reuters, United Nations, Norwegian Refugee Council, Israel Defense Forces, Frontieres, ” MSF, UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, UN, Palestinian Civil Defense Locations: Rafah, Israel, “, Mawasi, Gazan, Rafah’s, Gaza, ”, Israeli, Palestinian

☆ 21-year-old joined the circus over going to college—and gets shot out of a cannon for work
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( Morgan Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Skyler Miser credits her love for the circus to her parents Brian and Tina, who performed in earlier versions of the Ringling Circus in the early and mid-2000s. Skyler Miser's average work shift lasts about three seconds — a time during which she's shot out of a cannon in front of thousands of people. Miser was just 2 years old when she first performed in the circus, joining her parents on stage to introduce their act. Her father, Brian Miser, and her mother Tina Miser performed in earlier versions of the Ringling Circus in the early and mid-2000s, also as human cannonballs. During her act, Miser is propelled about 70 feet in the air at speeds of up to 65 miles an hour.

Persons: Skyler Miser, Brian, Tina, Skyler Miser's, she's, Abu, Formula, Miser, Brian Miser, Tina Miser, Benjamin Wallace, Ringling, Miser's, Bailey, hasn't Organizations: Ringling, Ringling Brothers, Barnum, CNBC, Circus, Peru Amateur, Air Force, Ringling Bros Locations: Peru , Indiana, Peru, Las Vegas, United States

☆ Hamas says latest cease-fire talks have ended. Israel vows military operation in 'very near future'
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The latest round of Gaza cease-fire talks ended in Cairo after "in-depth and serious discussions," the Hamas militant group said Sunday, reiterating key demands that Israel again rejected. The defense minister claimed Hamas wasn't serious about a deal and warned of "a powerful operation in the very near future in Rafah and other places across all of Gaza." The Israeli military reported 10 projectiles were launched at the crossing in southern Israel and said its fighter jets later struck the source. Hamas would start by releasing female civilian hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. Israel blames Hamas for civilian deaths, accusing it of embedding in residential and public areas.

Persons: Israel, Israel didn't, Yoav Gallant, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Ismail Haniyeh, Kerem Shalom, Cindy McCain, Attar, Abu Youssef al Organizations: Hamas, Food, NBC, Najjar Locations: Deir Balah, Gaza, Israel, Cairo, Rafah, Egypt, Qatar, Qatar's Al Jazeera, U.S, Israeli, Lebanese

☆ Columbia’s administrators failed crisis management 101
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

There’s the day to day admin, the glad-handing of donors, and, crucially, keeping internal fires from becoming public, violent conflagrations. That last one is a public relations lesson, one on which Columbia’s president might need a refresher. In doing so, Columbia’s leadership threw out the playbook for managing protests that universities have honed for decades to keep students safe. To be sure, Columbia’s president, Minouche Shafik, knows her job could be on the line. Meanwhile, thousands of students, parents and alumni are about to descend on Columbia’s campus for commencement, adding more pressure to remove protesters.

Persons: CNN Business ’, ” Sarah J, Jackson, “, ” Jackson, they’re, it’s, Nadia Abu, ” Abu, Haj, Minouche Shafik, UPenn Organizations: CNN Business, New York CNN — University, Columbia University, NYPD, University of Pennsylvania, ”, Trustees, comms, Haj, Columbia, New York, Harvard, Brown University, Wesleyan, University of Chicago Locations: New York, Columbia, Nadia Abu El, ” Abu El

Al-Bursh was arrested along with 10 other medical workers in December during the Israeli military ground invasion of the Jabalya refugee camp, CNN previously reported. He was taken away while treating patients in Al-Awda Hospital, according to the statement. Earlier on Thursday, Israel released dozens of Gaza detainees via the Kerem Shalom crossing in southern Israel. The seven-month bombardment of Gaza has killed more than 34,600 people, according to the Gaza health ministry. Concerns are also heightened over an anticipated Israeli military operation in southern Gaza’s Rafah, prompting renewed calls for a ceasefire.

Persons: Adnan Al, Bursh, Israel, Marwan Abu Saada, ”, “ Dr, Adnan, ” Saada, “, –, Ismail Khadr Organizations: CNN, Shifa, Palestinian Prisoners ’ Society, ’ Affairs, Al, Awda, Israel Defense Forces, IDF, United Nations Locations: Gaza, Al, Gaza City, ”, Israel, Gaza’s Rafah

Gazan journalists told CNN they are haunted by their colleagues’ deaths, as they balance the emotional labor of covering the war with trying to protect their families. Israel launched a military assault on Gaza on October 7 after the militant group Hamas, which governs Gaza, killed at least 1,200 people in Israel and abducted more than 250 others. After nearly seven months of war, Abu Dagga told CNN that she, too, wants to leave. The photojournalist for Turkish state broadcaster TRT told CNN he had been traveling through the neighborhood, after being displaced from the local refugee camp. We hope that God will bring him back to us safely.”Whether they report from within the enclave, or elsewhere, Palestinian journalists told CNN they could not turn away from the horrors unfolding in Gaza.

Persons: CNN —, ” Dr, Mahmoud Abu Nujaila, Médecins, Israel, Wael Al, ”, Mariam Abu Dagga, ” Al, Hamza Al, “, Abu Dagga, ’, Heath, ” Mariam Abu Dagga, Khan Younis, Mohammad Ahmed, Shrapnel, Ahmed, Nobody, ” Ahmed, Adnan, what’s, ” Mohammad Ahmed, Ibrahim Dahman, Rasha, – Zeid, Khalil, ” Dahman, Dahman, Sheikh Radwan, ” Ibrahim Dahman, Saeed Al, Taweel, Alaa Abu Mohsen, Al, Saeed, ” Mohsen, Mahmud Hams, Saba, ‘ Saeed, ’ ”, Jaafrawi, Nidal, Haitham Abdelwahed, Wahidi, Erez, Beit, Mohammed Soboh, Arafat Barbakh, Fadi Wael Abdel Karim Al, ’ ” Fadi, Fadi Organizations: CNN, Awda, Protect Journalists, Independent, AFP, Getty, ”, Press, Borders, Israel Defense Forces, IDF, Hamas, Ministry of Health, United, United Arab Emirates, TRT, Al, Wafa, Saba Al, Amnesty International, Amnesty, Reuters, Cross Locations: Jabalya, Gaza, Israel, Rafah, ” Al Jazeera's Gaza, Palestine, United Arab, Khan, Egypt, Turkish, Gaza City, Sheikh Radwan, Wadi Gaza, Giza, Cairo, Sheikh, Phoenix, AFP, Israeli

☆ Jury in Federal Lawsuit Deadlocks on Abu Ghraib Torture Allegations
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Mattathias Schwartz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

A federal jury in Virginia said on Thursday that it was unable to reach a verdict in a lawsuit filed by three Iraqi men who said they were tortured while being held by the United States at the notorious Abu Ghraib prison two decades ago. The jurors had deliberated for almost eight days, and with the panel still deadlocked the judge in the case, Leonie M. Brinkema of the U.S. District Court in Alexandria, declared a mistrial on Thursday. The three plaintiffs had sued a defense contractor, CACI Premier Technology, asserting that CACI employees working as interrogators at the prison directed U.S. military guards to abuse the men in an effort to “soften” them up. The testimony of the three men last month was the first time a civilian jury had heard allegations of post-9/11 abuses directly from detainees.

Persons: Abu, Leonie M Organizations: U.S, CACI Premier Technology Locations: Virginia, United States, Alexandria

☆ Abu Dhabi AI firm Presight buys majority stake in technology joint venture AIQ
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A general view of the city skyline at sunset from Dhow Harbour on February 5, 2015 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. DUBAI — Abu Dhabi artificial intelligence firm Presight bought a 51% stake in AIQ, a joint technology venture between the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and G42, a major Abu Dhabi-based AI and cloud company. The new ownership structure will see ADNOC holding 49% of the company and giving it a valuation of $1.4 billion, according to a joint company press release. ADNOC will in turn get a 4% stake in Presight, as it aims to integrate AI into more of its operations and services. AIQ uses AI and machine learning to improve processes in the oil and gas industry.

Persons: Presight, ADNOC, CNBC's Dan Murphy, Chris Cooper, We've, Cooper Organizations: United, United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company Locations: Harbour, Abu Dhabi, United Arab, DUBAI, AIQ, Presight, ADNOC

Search resuls for: "ABU"

25 mentions found