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Back to the newsletter! Today’s issue will take around 6-7 minutes to read 🤓

Economy

• Anyone looking for a 10-year permanent residency card in Dubai, Abu Dhabi or any other Emirate? Now is your chance! The UAE is expanding its 10-year residency programs for eligible entrepreneurs, investors, scientists and specialized folks who will add to the UAE’s vibrant economy! 🙌�

• Back in the day, the Silk Road was the epicenter of global trade… IT MIGHT COME BACK! The ‘new silk road’ involves countries in Central Asia, South Asia, East Asia, Middle East and North Africa. These nations by 2040 are projected to account for 48% of global GDP as per Oliver Wyman’s new report! 🪭 👏🏾

• Oman’s economic growth is set to explode in 2025 with an estimated 4.1% growth. The previous 2024 outlook was 0.9%, so that’s a pleasant surprise for the Arab nation 🫨

Real Estate

• In yet another sign of Saudi Real Estate super growth, Apex Group (big finance folks) launched their first office in the kingdom. The group already has a strong presence in the region, so they’re gonna be pros at upping the game in venture capital, private equity funds, and even Islamic bonds 🤑🤑🤑

• Filter the property searches, but not the funds! Property Finder, a UAE-based real estate app, managed to raise $90 million in a funding round, showing how ripe the sector is for innovation 🌃

• Unsurprisingly, in a country where cash transactions are at the core, a new report suggest groups with shady links are funneling money into Dubai 👀That being said, real estate is a safe haven for many black money makers…soooo, how many shady deals happening in New York or London real estate you think?

Arts and Culture

• A sci-fi Hollywood show + a Bollywood legend = 🤯!!! Dune: Prophecy, a prequel series to the blockbuster Dune movies, has signed Tabu on as a recurring character. Who else is gonna hustle and watch the first 2 movies with us??? (we hear they’re super long, like Bollywood-needs-an-intermission kind of long— coincidence?? we think NOT) 🎥

• Imagine being better than the BEST. Except…the best was you 🤔 #inception. Kami Rita climbed Everest for the 29th time, beating his own record! He’s even done the climb twice in 2 weeks!!! Brown moms be like: And did you even get off the couch this weekend? (no, no we did not) ✌🏿

• Maisara Baroud, a Palestinian artist, chose to sketch a picture every day instead of scream during the horrors of war. He says it was his way of proving “I am still alive.” His work is now on display at the European Cultural Centre in Venice until the 24th of November 🖌️

Technology

• Guess what? GPT-4o just landed, and it's dope! This AI isn't just smart — it's like, turbo-charged. Picture this: snap a menu in Spanish, and BOOM, GPT-4o translates, spills tea on its history, and suggests what to nom on. Oh, and get this: it's gearing up to dish real-time deets on live sports games. Plus, it's fluent in over 50 languages, so whether you're chatting or setting things up, it's all about vibing worldwide. Hopefully, they do a full roll-out in the Middle East so we can take part in possibly falling in love with our phones 📱💃🏿

• Accenture unleashed its first Capability Hub cohort, leveling up tech education like no other. They're dishing out exclusive training in security, cloud, data, AI, and change management—major flex, right? But hold onto your keyboards cuz it's just the start!! Get ready for Accenture LearnVantage Academy Saudi Arabia to drop, flipping Tech Ed in the kingdom on its head 🙃 We're talking re-skilling, upskilling, and unlocking that sweet business juice 💸 🤖

✨ akhbaar Spotlight ✨

If you watched Super Rich in Korea, you’d notice a bunch of expats starring in the show, but notably there was Iraqi influencer, Noor! She was a war refugee with her single mom, made YouTube videos as a teen in the Middle East, and worked her way up to her current multi-million follower status as a social media superstar! 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 You can follow her HERE