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Apple’s bite of $100bn Saudi-backed tech fund brings hope

January 6, 2017

Jeddah, Jan 6: The Middle East’s top tech investors are hopeful the region’s Internet businesses are in for a boost, after Apple confirmed its participation in a $100 billion Saudi-backed mega fund.

AppleThe iPhone maker on Wednesday confirmed its plan to invest $1 billion in a tech fund being set up by SoftBank Group Corp, according to reports.

The Japanese telecoms group was previously said to be in talks with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund for an investment of as much as $45 billion — putting the fund’s total size at an estimated $100 billion.

Oracle founder Larry Ellison will join Apple, Qualcomm and Foxconn in backing SoftBank’s record-setting technology fund, helping it hit its $100bn goal weeks ahead of schedule, the Financial Times reported.

Regional technology investors and prominent entrepreneurs were positive about Apple’s endorsement of the fund, expressing hope that the massive sums at play will provide a boost to the Middle East’s digital businesses.

One pointed to Saudi Arabia’s participation in the fund, which is significant given the Kingdom — with its economy hit hard by the oil price crash — is looking to wean itself off oil and diversify into other areas.

Fadi Ghandour, one of the Arab world’s most storied entrepreneurs and technology investors, said he hoped the SoftBank-led fund would pursue opportunities in the Middle East’s Internet space.

“If the Arab world wants to move beyond oil, then this fund needs to invest in the knowledge and the digital space,” Ghandour told Arab News.

“Ten percent of that fund, if invested over a period of time in this region, will get (things) to really happen in the market… It would be a real disappointment if there is no clear strategy on this.”

Dany Farha, chief executive and managing partner of the Dubai-based Beco Capital, and one of the biggest players in the region’s venture capital space, said he expects the biggest beneficiary of the SoftBank mega-fund to be US tech companies, primarily in technologies like the so-called Internet of Things (IoT).

“I think the US will get the lion’s share of the value, because they are the people who are innovating in the IoT space, both in terms of hardware and software.”

But Farha said Middle Eastern start-ups are also poised to benefit from the massive capital boost planned for such technologies.

“We’re going to be building localized services and products on top of them, so that they work for our culture, and our language, and our needs… There’s going to be a huge local opportunity across the globe, not just in the Middle East,” he said.

“The world is going to benefit, no doubt about it. These devices are going to be bought by consumers all over the world.”

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Agencies
August 4,2020

Beirut, Aug 4: A massive explosion has shaken the Lebanese capital of Beirut, with a very high number of casualties expected.

A warehouse at the Beirut Port caught fire on Tuesday afternoon, triggering a huge explosion, Lebanon’s official National News Agency (NNA) reported.

Several smaller explosions were heard before the bigger one occurred.

Abbas Ibrahim, the head of Lebanon’s General Security, said that “highly explosive materials” confiscated earlier had been stored at the site.

Footage shared on social media captured the moment of the bigger explosion, with a colossal shock wave seen traveling fast across several hundreds of meters and shrouding the area in thick smoke.

The blast left enormous material damage to the surrounding buildings and structures. But it was not immediately known how big an area was affected.

There was also no immediate casualty count. Graphic amateur video from the scene showed bodies strewn on the ground, with their clothes blown off.

The NNA said rescue operations were underway. Ambulances were seen heading toward the scene in central Beirut.

Lebanese LBC television channel quoted Lebanon’s Health Minister Hamad Hasan as saying that the blast had caused a “very high number of injuries” and “extensive damage.”

Beirut Governor Marwan Abboud said an unspecified number of firefighters dispatched to extinguish the initial fire had been killed in the explosion.

“As they were putting out the fire, the explosion took place and we’ve [lost them],” he said, breaking down on live TV.

The explosion comes at a time when the Arab country is passing through its worst economic and financial crisis in decades, and amid rising tensions with Israel.

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News Network
April 29,2020

Dubai, Apr 29: Saudi Arabia reported 1,325 new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 21,402, the Ministry of Health announced on Wednesday (April 28).

Meanwhile, the ministry reported 169 recoveries today, with total recoveries in the kingdom at 2,953. There are 125 cases in intensive care.

The ministry also confirmed 5 deaths, bringing the total number of deaths in the kingdom to 157.

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Agencies
July 26,2020

Jeddah, Jul 26: The city of Makkah is opening its arms again to welcome pilgrims for the annual Hajj — although only a handful compared with previous years.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s event is limited to about 1,000 pilgrims, all from inside Saudi Arabia, about 700 of whom are expatriates.

Abdullah Al-Kathiri, an Emirati and a recovered COVID-19 patient, postponed his pilgrimage last year because it coincided with his wedding plans. “I’ve heard from many who’ve performed the pilgrimage in past years that it was always a smooth process, even with the massive numbers,” he said. “So you could imagine how it would be with the limited number of pilgrims this year. Surely it will be a great experience.”

Khadija, a Bulgarian expatriate, was overcome with tears when she heard she would be performing Hajj this year. “I didn’t expect they’d accept,” she said. “I’m sure this year’s Hajj will be an exceptional one in all respects.”

Dr. Haifa Yousef Hamdoon, a Tunisian physician in Qassim, is another who did not expect to be accepted because of the low numbers this year. “When I received confirmation of my request, I was overjoyed and couldn’t believe it,” she said.

Mu’taz Mohamed, a Sudanese pilgrim who also lives in Qassim region, praised the preventive and precautionary health measures taken in order to ensure his safety and that of other pilgrims, to enable them to perform the rituals safely.

After completing their arrival procedures, the pilgrims were taken to their accommodation in Makkah, supervised by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah. They will stay there for four days before beginning their pilgrimage on July 30.

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