Business
Asian Development Bank pledged $30 billion through 2030 to help ASEAN expand energy links, deepen markets and build resilience regionally.
Egypt gains new World Bank funding to boost private sector jobs, strengthen fiscal stability and support greener growth goals nationwide.
Nikkei 225 ended at a record high after a holiday break, with semiconductor-linked stocks leading gains across Tokyo equities on Thursday.
Pakistan cleared donkey meat and hide exports from Gwadar to China after a Chinese firm warned it would shut operations over delays there.
GCC countries scored 66.9 in the 2026 Economic Freedom Index, beating the global 59.9 average as the UAE, Qatar and Oman led the bloc overall.
CBUAE kept the UAE base rate at 3.65% after the Federal Reserve held rates steady, leaving the overnight liquidity framework unchanged.
Technology
Space42 says local assembly and testing of Foresight satellites in Abu Dhabi show the UAE is building stronger space manufacturing capability.
China launched a Long March-8 rocket from Hainan, sending 18 internet satellites into orbit for the seventh Qianfan networking mission.
Jensen Huang says companies will favor workers who use AI well, as Nvidia pushes a broader message that AI fluency is becoming a workplace advantage.
India is preparing a more than 1 trillion rupee ($11 billion) fund for chip design, equipment and supply chains, building on its semiconductor mission projects.
India and Finland elevated ties to a Strategic Partnership in Digitalisation and Sustainability as PM Narendra Modi met Finnish President Alexander Stubb in New Delhi.