Football legend Tom Brady decides to return to the field, this time for a game of flag football in Saudi Arabia
In a significant development, a $19-billion refinery in Nigeria has sent its first shipment of gasoline to the US, marking a new chapter for the country as a major fuel exporter.
Meanwhile, in the tech world, Anthropic's chatbot Claude is proving to be a valuable asset for businesses. Three-quarters of companies working with Claude use it for "full task delegation". The CEO of Anthropic, Jeronimo Gonzalez, has predicted that AI will wipe out jobs.
In sports news, football legend Tom Brady is coming out of retirement to play flag football in Saudi Arabia at the Fanatics Flag Football Classic in Riyadh in March. Brady joins a growing list of fading sports stars attracting lucrative gigs in the Middle Eastern country, despite the competition not being elite.
Riyadh Season, a festival in Saudi Arabia, is blending sports, music, and spectacle, and includes events like the Six Kings Slam tennis event and a comedy lineup featuring Bill Burr, Aziz Ansari, and Dave Chappelle. Football stars Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, and Karim Benzema have also been playing in Saudi Arabia, generating buzz for the country through their massive social media following.
In a move aimed at financial innovation, Saudi Arabia is positioning itself as the Middle East's fintech hub, attracting foreign firms and ultimately overtaking the UAE in financial innovation. Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund has partnered with the kingdom's pension fund to form a joint venture for its aircraft leasing unit, AviLease.
Saudi and Omani firms are also looking to make significant investments with Iraqi companies to help support the country's private sector.
On the political front, the US, Mexico, and Canada began consultations ahead of a high-stakes review of their $2-trillion trade agreement. Countries globally are beginning to eschew partnerships with Washington or acting in clear defiance of the White House, suggesting that US President Donald Trump's aggressive foreign policy approach is not paying off as he hoped.
In Africa, the gerontocracy is a growing concern. Malawi's former leader Peter Mutharika is poised to return to power in elections, while 81-year-old Ugandan leader Yoweri Museveni has announced his intention to seek reelection next year. Experts fear the growing age gap between rulers and the ruled in Africa could feed unrest.
In other news, the US retail sales rose in August for a third straight month, a sign of consumer resilience despite other gloomy economic signals. US stocks shot to record highs Monday as investors bet on an interest rate trim and tax cuts.
International tension remains high, with Russia and Belarus stirring unease across Europe with military drills that included rehearsals involving the launching of tactical nuclear weapons. Israel launched its ground offensive into Gaza City, further eroding prospects for a ceasefire in the enclave, which is already facing a humanitarian catastrophe. The EU unveiled plans to impose sanctions and tariffs on Israel as it expands its war in Gaza, marking a far tougher stance against the country.
In technology, OpenAI on Tuesday announced a version of ChatGPT for teens, as tech companies face growing pressure to protect minors who use chatbots. Altera, a semiconductor company, makes products that can be reprogrammed after they leave the factory, making them useful in robots, cloud servers, and telecom hardware. Omani and Egyptian investors are investing $265 million into a new economic zone in Muscat to draw startups working on AI.
Finally, the 85-year-old Malawian former leader Peter Mutharika is poised to return to power in elections today that highlight the gerontocracy leading the world's youngest continent. Sushila Karki, Nepal’s first female prime minister and a former chief justice, was appointed as caretaker prime minister at age 73 following the resignation of K.P. Sharma Oli amid mass protests, and she is expected to serve until the general elections scheduled for March 5 next year.
In the UK, US President Donald Trump's state visit is being characterized by lavish ceremony, promises of mutual investment, and roiling protests from a British public with whom he is deeply unpopular. The suspect in the assassination of prominent conservative US activist Charlie Kirk was charged with aggravated murder, and prosecutors vowed to seek the death penalty in the case.
US President Donald Trump's administration also announced that the US military struck another Venezuelan ship allegedly carrying drugs, part of Washington's expanding crackdown on Latin American cartels.
These are just a few of the many stories making headlines around the world this week. Stay tuned for more updates.
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