<b Source: Riyadh Daily
Author: Editorial Team
LONDON — Acclaimed British actor Michael Pennington, best known to global audiences for his role in Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, has died aged 82, his representatives said. His death was reported on May 10 by The Telegraph, with no cause given. While many will instantly recognize Pennington as the stern Moff Jerjerrod, the Death Star commander famously confronted by Darth Vader on behalf of Emperor Palpatine, his career extended far beyond the galaxy. In fact, it was on the stage, rather than the screen, where he truly made his mark. A towering figure in British…
Anthropic has reportedly signed a $1.8 billion computing deal with cloud services provider Akamai Technologies to help meet the increased demand for AI software. Bloomberg reported Akamai stated in its Q1 earnings call last week it had struck a seven-year cloud computing deal with a “leading frontier model provider”, but did not name the company. Akamai CEO F. Thomson Leighton stated on the Q1 earnings call the deal was the largest in the company’s history. The deal is the latest in a frantic stretch of infrastructure moves by Anthropic, which has been scrambling to keep pace with demand for its…
RIYADH — A mutual visa exemption agreement between Saudi Arabia and Russia officially entered into force on Monday, May 11, 2026, allowing citizens of both countries to travel without visas for short visits. As an extension of the distinguished relations between Saudi Arabia and Russia, this enforcement of the visa exemption reflects the shared commitment to enhancing and developing tourism and cultural exchange between the two friendly nations. The agreement covers all types of passports — diplomatic, special, and ordinary — and makes Russia the first country with which the Kingdom has signed a visa exemption that includes ordinary passports.…
Artificial intelligence is no longer confined to offices, coding labs or tech conferences in Dubai. Increasingly, it is showing up in residents’ everyday routines, from ordering coffee and planning workouts to beauty consultations and emotional companionship. At SOIL Café at Kite Beach this week, visitors were greeted by a café experience powered almost entirely by AI. As part of a temporary activation by Yango Group, Yango robots served coffee while customers placed their orders at the counter through Yasmina, the company’s AI assistant. The concept, which ran from May 8 to 10, turned an ordinary beachside coffee stop into a…
Deputy Gove Source: Riyadh Daily
Sony’s semiconductor arm recently agreed a preliminary strategic partnership with TSMC to develop and manufacture the next-generation of image sensors. Additional elements of this agreement include jointly exploring physical AI applications in areas including automotive and robotics. Sony Semiconductor Solutions stated it had signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Taiwan-based company, which could lead to the establishing of a joint venture (JV), of which Sony will be the majority and controlling shareholder. Both companies are currently discussing their respective potential investments in the JV, which are “being considered on the premise that they would be implemented in…
PARIS — A French passenger evacuated from the MV Hondius cruise ship that was struck by an outbreak of hantavirus has shown symptoms of the disease while being repatriated to France, the country’s prime minister has said. Sébastien Lecornu said the French national developed symptoms while on a chartered flight from Tenerife to Paris, and so all five evacuated from the shiphad been “immediately placed in strict isolation until further notice”. France has also introduced isolation measures for contacts “to protect the general population.” The French citizens are among more than 90 tourists to be ferried home from the Dutch…
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Sunday rejected Iran’s response to the latest US peace proposal for ending the Middle East war as “totally unacceptable”, raising the likelihood of renewed conflict in the Arabian Gulf after weeks of hectic diplomacy to resolve the standoff that has throttled shipping and sent energy prices soaring. Oil prices jumped $3 a barrel on Monday following news of the continued stalemate that leaves the narrow Strait of Hormuz largely closed. Before the war the waterway carried one-fifth of the world’s oil supply and has emerged as one of the central pressure points in the…
For months, Ali Ismail and his family feared that their daughter, Salama, might grow up in silence. The baby never startled at loud noises, never turned when her siblings called her name, never reacted when her father leaned close and raised his voice beside her ears. “We kept hoping maybe she just needed more time,” he said. But at six months old, the family knew something was wrong, setting them on a nine-month search that would lead to one of Abu Dhabi’s most complex paediatric hearing surgeries. “We noticed she didn’t cry when there were loud sounds. She didn’t turn…