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☆ Silicon Valley's General Catalyst makes first investment into Saudi Arabia through fintech Lean Technologies
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-11 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Silicon Valley venture capital firm General Catalyst has made its first investment in Saudi Arabia through fintech startup Lean Technologies, which just closed a Series B round worth $67.5 million. General Catalyst has $30 billion in assets under management and has backed major U.S. tech companies like Snap , Stripe and AirBnb . Lean Technologies' fundraising round also saw participation from Bain Capital Ventures, Stanley Druckenmiller's Duquesne Family Office, and Arbor Ventures, among others, bringing the Riyadh-based firm's total funding to over $100 million to date, according to a Sunday statement from the company. For three of those investors — General Catalyst, Stanley Druckenmiller and Bain Capital — this investment is their first in the kingdom. "If you look at the region's growth over the last three to five years, it's been phenomenal, but there is still so much more room for growth."

Persons: Catalyst, Stanley Druckenmiller's, Stanley Druckenmiller, Hisham Al, Falih, it's Organizations: Lean Technologies, Bain Capital Ventures, Stanley, Stanley Druckenmiller's Duquesne Family Office, Arbor Ventures, Bain Capital, CNBC Locations: Silicon, Saudi Arabia, U.S, Riyadh, Saudi

☆ Lean Technologies CEO discusses Silicon Valley's General Catalyst first investment in Saudi Arabia
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-11 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailLean Technologies CEO discusses Silicon Valley's General Catalyst first investment in Saudi ArabiaHisham al-Falih, CEO of Lean Technologies, speaks about the first investment of Silicon Valley's General Catalyst in Saudi Arabia through his company.

Persons: Saudi Arabia Hisham al Organizations: Lean, Catalyst, Lean Technologies Locations: Saudi Arabia

☆ Middle East Crisis U.S. Strikes Over 85 Targets at 7 Sites in Iraq and Syria Against Iran’s Forces and Proxies
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Victoria Kim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

Image Pro-government Iranians gathering near a banner that warns Iran’s enemies — in Farsi and in Hebrew — to “Prepare your coffins,” this month in Tehran. Credit... Arash Khamooshi for The New York TimesIran projects its military power through dozens of armed groups across the Middle East, but how much does it control their actions? Iranian rhetoric, echoed by its allied groups, often goes further, calling for the elimination of the Israeli state. A 2020 U.S. Department of State report estimated that Iran’s support for Hezbollah was $700 million annually at that time. They’re not Iran’s stooges.”Much the same could be said of other groups.

Persons: —, Arash Khamooshi, Israel, Michael Knights, Hisham al, “, Mohammed al, Sulami, ”, Vivian Nereim Organizations: Pro, The New York Times, United States, Sunday, U.S, Pentagon, Iranian Revolutionary Guards, . Department of State, Washington Institute, AK, United Nations Locations: Tehran . Credit, The New York Times Iran, United, Iranian, Jordan, Tehran, Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, U.S, Eastern, Suez, United States, Israel, Yemeni, Saudi Arabia, Islamic Republic

☆ Widening Mideast Crisis Militia Blamed for Attack on U.S. Forces Says It Will Halt Military Activity
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Alissa J. Rubin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

His comment raised fears in Iraq about a possibly retaliatory U.S. attack on its territory. The militia, Kata’ib Hezbollah, or Brigades of the Party of God, is the largest and most established of the Iran-linked groups operating in Iraq. (Kata’ib Hezbollah is separate from the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon.) The other two Iraqi groups that are believed to have been involved in strikes U.S. targets — Harakat al Nujaba and Sayyid Shuhada — have not announced they will halt attacks. Kata’ib Hezbollah and other groups had ignored the Iraqi government’s request to stand down, but once the attack in Jordan on Sunday took American lives, Mr. Sudani demanded a complete halt from Kata’ib Hezbollah.

Persons: Biden, Israel, —, Nujaba, Sayyid Shuhada —, Kata’ib, Abu Hussein al, “, Pat Ryder, ”, Mohammed Shia, Sudani, Hisham al, Sudani’s, Nuri al, Qais, Hadi, Esmail Qaani, Falih Hassan, Farnaz, Eric Schmitt Organizations: Pentagon, Hezbollah, Party of, Iraqi Army, Kurdish Syrian Defense, Islamic, Kata’ib Hezbollah, Defense Department, U.S, Sunday, Revolutionary Guards, Maliki, Quds Force Locations: Iran, Iraq, U.S, Jordan, Syria, Gaza, The U.S, Islamic State, Lebanon, Yemen, Islamic Republic of Iran, United States, Iraqi, Baghdad, New York, Washington ,

CNN —In a surprise move, the most powerful Iran-backed militia in Iraq, Kataib Hezbollah, announced on Tuesday the suspension of its military operations against US forces in the region two days after a drone attack killed three US service members and wounded dozens of others. “We are announcing the suspension of military and security operations against the occupation forces (US troops) – in order to prevent embarrassment to the Iraqi government,” Kataib Hezbollah said in a statement. The US holds Iran broadly responsible for arming and supporting these groups and has specifically singled out Kataib Hezbollah as likely to have carried out the deadly attack on Sunday. Asked about the statement, Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said at a briefing Tuesday, “We’ve seen those reports. The motive behind the group’s decision is unclear, but an adviser to the Iraqi prime minister said the prime minister’s efforts have paid off.

Persons: ” Kataib, Pat Ryder, “ We’ve, ” Ryder, Ryder, Kataib, ”, Islamic Republic –, Mohammed Shia, Hisham Al Organizations: CNN, US, Free Hezbollah Brigades, Iraqi Locations: Iran, Iraq, Gaza, Syria, Jordan, Islamic Republic, Iraqi

But aid officials expressed concern. The sanctions that come with the formal designation are meant to sever violent extremist groups from their sources of financing. Aid groups during the height of Yemen's war issued repeated warnings that millions of Yemenis were on the brink of famine. Aid groups said that step could have the effect of criminalizing ordinary trade and assistance to Yemenis. At home, the designation helps the Houthis' message to Yemenis that the U.S. is the cause of their suffering, Al-Omeisy said.

Persons: Scott Paul, Jared Rowell, Biden, “, Hisham Al, Omeisy, ’ ” Organizations: Oxfam America, U.S, Nations, International Rescue Locations: Iran, Saudi, Britain, Yemen, Israel, U.S, Gaza, Saudi Arabia, Washington

☆ An Iraqi historian was slain after being labeled a spy on Facebook. Exclusive emails show catastrophic delays in removing threatening posts.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Tekendra Parmar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Hisham al-Hashimi reached out to his friend Aws al-Saadi, a Meta Trusted Partner, to ask him to take down posts endangering his life. "One of the reasons for his killing was Meta," al-Saadi told Insider. "Mainly because they assumed that the slow response times had to do with a high volume of cases." Aws al Saadi, a Meta trusted partner, outside the Erbil Citadel in Iraq. Internews hopes this might help create a trusted-partner channel with improved communication, more transparency, and faster response times.

Persons: Hisham al, Hashimi, Saadi, Saadi Al, Meta, al, Saadi isn't, Meta's, Internews, Paul Barrett, University's, Barrett, Rafiq Copeland, Internews Rafiq Copeland, Copeland, Thaier, Sudani Internews, Copland, Meareg Amare, Reem Makhoul Organizations: ISIS, Facebook, Meta, Center for Business, Human Rights, NYU Stern School of Business Meta, Partners, University's Stern School of Business, Global, Internews, Ukrainian, Ethiopian, Erbil Citadel Locations: Baghdad, Iraq, al, Myanmar, Ethiopia, New, Ukraine, Tigray, Hashimi, Iraqi, Erbil, Netherlands

☆ Iraqi court sentences police officer to death for murder of government adviser
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BAGHDAD, May 7 (Reuters) - An Iraqi court on Sunday sentenced to death a police officer blamed for leading a group that gunned down well-known analyst and government adviser Hisham al-Hashemi three years ago in Baghdad. A Baghdad court issued a death sentence on Sunday against Ahmed Hamdawi under Iraqi counter-terrorism laws, a judicial authority statement said. Media were not allowed access, but a lawyer who attended the court session said Hamdawi did not say anything in the court in response to the judge's ruling. In 2021, Iraqi state television aired a video showing Hamdawi saying he led the group that killed Hashemi. Some Islamic State supporters cheered his death, but no group had claimed the murder.

☆ Why Egypt is asking its people to eat chicken feet
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

Abu Dhabi CNN —Egypt’s economic situation is so dire that the government is asking people to eat chicken feet. In Egypt, chicken feet are seen as the cheapest of meat items, considered by most as animal waste rather than food. After the recommendation to switch to chicken feet, the price of one kilogram of the product reportedly doubled to 20 Egyptian pounds ($0.67). But those firms don’t operate like private companies, enjoying special privileges without disclosing their financial data to the public. Experts have questioned why international creditors had not leveraged their loans to drive Egypt’s military out of the economy.

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