DUBAI: Prominent UAE businessman Majid Al Futtaim, who founded retailing and entertainment giant MAF, has died, Dubai’s ruler said on Friday in a Twitter post paying tribute to one of the emirate’s pioneers “who gave back to the nation.”
Al Futtaim, who was born in the 1930s according to local media, in 1992 established Majid Al Futtaim (MAF), a conglomerate that develops shopping malls across the Middle East and North Africa.
He was ranked the third-richest Arab businessman by Forbes Magazine this year with a family fortune of $3.6 billion.
“May God have mercy on our brother Majid Al Futtaim, a pioneering businessman and one of the most important in Dubai and among its greatest men who gave back to the nation,” Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum tweeted.
He referenced MAF’s decision this year to hire 3,000 Emiratis over the next five years.
Arab billionaire businessman Majid Al Futtaim dies
https://arab.news/r4pab
Arab billionaire businessman Majid Al Futtaim dies
- Al Futtaim established Majid Al Futtaim (MAF) in 1992, a conglomerate that develops shopping malls across the Middle East and North Africa
- He was ranked the third-richest Arab businessman by Forbes Magazine this year with a family fortune of $3.6 billion
Syria denies ‘escalatory intentions’ towards Lebanon: sources
- A source said the Syrian government considers the issue of Syrian detainees in Lebanese prisons a top priority
- Syrian authorities have accused Lebanon of procrastination to repatriate its imprisoned nationals
DUBAI: The Syrian government has denied reports that Damascus intends to take escalatory measures against Beirut over the case of Syrian prisoners in Lebanon, sources said on Friday.
A source from Syria’s Ministry of Information said the Syrian government considers the issue of Syrian detainees in Lebanese prisons a top priority, adding that it is committed to resolving it swiftly through official channels between the two countries.
Sources close to the Syrian government were previously quoted by a television channel saying Damascus was considering diplomatic and economic escalation against Beirut.
The source claimed Damascus was considering the escalation over what it described as Lebanon’s disregard to the fate of Syrian detainees in Lebanese prisons, which an unnamed official related to the Syrian information ministry also denied.
Syrian authorities have accused Lebanon of procrastination to repatriate about one third of more than 2,000 of its imprisoned nationals.
The fate of the Syrian prisoners has irritated Damascus given that Lebanon had announced in March that it was ready to repatriate them.
Pakistan eyes Google collaboration for community-driven innovation and AI adoption
- Pakistan is currently focused on AI training in the fields of education, workforce development and industrial innovation
- Minister says enhanced collaboration will accelerate Pakistan’s integration into the global AI ecosystem, digital empowerment
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and American multinational corporation and technology giant Google are seeking to collaborate with each other in community-driven innovation and the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in the South Asian country, according to the Pakistani IT ministry.
The statement came after IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja’s meeting with Google’s Regional AI Developer Ecosystem and Communities team to explore strategic collaboration in advancing Pakistan’s AI landscape.
The Google team provided an overview of their developer ecosystem, contributions of Google Developer Groups (GDGs), community-based AI initiatives, and impactful platforms like Taleemabad.
In the wider policy discussion, Khawaja emphasized the government’s focus on AI training across three critical domains: mainstream education, workforce development including freelancers, and industrial innovation.
“She stressed the need for inclusive access to tools such as the AI Seekho program, sandbox environments, and cloud credits,” the IT ministry said.
“She called for enhanced collaboration between Google and the Ministry of IT & Telecommunication (MoITT) to accelerate Pakistan’s integration into the global AI ecosystem and promote equitable digital empowerment.”
During the meeting, Khawaja also had an interactive session with the N+1 team, a group of young Pakistani developers recently selected among the global top 10 in the Google Solution Challenge. The team proudly represented Pakistan at the regional showcase in the Philippines.
Khawaja praised their achievement and called it a testament to the country’s emerging talent pool and the importance of nurturing such success stories through structured support and mentorship, according to the IT ministry.
On Friday, Google said it has expanded access to its advanced video generation model, Veo 3, allowing users in Pakistan and over 150 other countries to create eight-second videos from photos with sound.
The move comes amid a global surge in interest in creative AI tools, with content creators using different platforms to generate video stories and bring still images to life. With Pakistan’s growing pool of digital creators, the rollout is expected to spur local innovation in short-form content.
Artist Dan Pearce explores kinetic energy in Doha artwork
- Steel sculpture captures water dropping onto a surface
- Doha peninsula was inspiration, Pearce tells Arab News
DUBAI: Internationally-acclaimed London-based artist Dan Pearce has revealed the inspiration for his work to mark the 20th anniversary of the Four Seasons Hotel Doha, titled “Kinetic Drop.”
Known for commissions from French football icon Paul Pogba, other celebrities and global exhibitions, the artist’s bespoke sculpture is crafted from stainless steel.
“I titled this sculpture ‘Kinetic Drop’ because it captures that precise moment when a water droplet collides with a surface, that split second when kinetic energy disperses in all directions,” Pearce told Arab News recently.
“With all my work, I aim to trigger one of three responses: to make viewers think ‘how did he do that?’ to inspire them to touch the artwork, or to encourage movement around the piece for different perspectives,” he added.
The artist, who was born in Australia, is known for his pop culture-inspired work and often turns to DC Comics, musicians and street art for source material.
Taking inspiration from the hotel and its surroundings in Doha may have been a welcome departure for the artist. “The sculpture is mounted on a map of Qatar.
“Geographically, Qatar is also surrounded by water as a peninsula while Four Seasons Doha is situated on the Arabian Gulf where I could see endless views of the shimmering waters from our room — this was also part of the inspiration behind the piece,” he explained.
As for the location of the artwork, the artist said it “could create a sense of urgency and exclusivity, encouraging visitors and guests to interact and connect with it on a social level and experience it before it’s gone.”
Pearce’s work has captured the attention of celebrities and worldwide brands, with commissioned pieces for boxing champion Anthony Joshua, Grammy nominee Rag’n’Bone Man, and hip-hop star 50 Cent, to name a few.
Ensuring his work can be understood across cultures is something that was particularly important to Pearce in the run-up to his showcase in Doha.
“With the concept of the sculpture being water, this makes it universally significant across all cultures. Water represents life, renewal, and connection which are key elements that can transcend cultural boundaries,” he said.
Superman fans claim film is critical of Israel
DUBAI: James Gunn’s new “Superman” film is drawing attention online for what many viewers interpret as a pointed political message.
A scene showing a heavily armed military force attacking civilians across a border, where children’s lives are at risk, has sparked comparisons to the Israel-Gaza war.
While neither Gunn nor the cast have stated the film references Israel or Palestine, early audiences have drawn their own conclusions, suggesting the conflict serves as an allegorical backdrop.
One user wrote on X: “Y’all were not kidding about how anti-Israel and pro-Palestine that superman movie was, and they were not slick with it AT ALL,” while another said: “Superman was so openly anti-Israel and god it was so good.”
Another user said: “Not going to lie I really like the anti-Israel sentiment from superman and now I know James Gunn is always standing on business.”
Though the film never names specific nations, Gunn has said in interviews that it tackles themes of “politics” and “morality,” and positions Superman as an immigrant, comments that have also sparked backlash from some US conservatives.
The film is a reboot of the DC franchise and marks the beginning of Gunn’s new DC Universe. It stars David Corenswet as Clark Kent/Superman and Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane. The cast also includes Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor and Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl.
The movie was released in Saudi Arabia on July 10.
Five players, three teams tied for lead at LIV Golf Andalucía
- Severe winds led to suspension of play at Real Club Valderrama
SAN ROQUE: With his Australian heritage and Open Championship pedigree, Ripper GC Captain Cameron Smith knows a thing or two about playing golf in blustery conditions.
Rarely has he experienced an afternoon like Friday’s first round of LIV Golf Andalucía at Real Club Valderrama.
Severe winds reduced scoring opportunities and eventually forced a suspension of play due to unplayable conditions — the first time in league history that a round could not be completed in a single day.
“You can play this golf course with no wind and it’s brutal,” Smith said. “When you get 30 mile-an-hour gusts, it’s definitely not an easy place to get around.”
Play was set to resume on Saturday, with players having between three and five holes remaining in their opening rounds.
Smith was one of just five players under par when the horn blew to suspend play. He shares the overnight lead at 1 under with Smash GC’s Talor Gooch, the individual winner at Valderrama in 2023; Majesticks GC Co-Captain Lee Westwood; Stinger GC’s Branden Grace and Torque GC Captain Joaquin Niemann, the current Individual points leader seeking his fifth win of the season.
Crushers GC Captain Bryson DeChambeau and Legion XIII Captain Jon Rahm are one stroke back — the only other players who did not leave the course Friday over par.
The Crushers, seeking their fourth consecutive team title, are tied for first with Legion XIII and Brooks Koepka’s Smash GC on the team leaderboard at 5 over.
Friday’s round started under breezy but manageable conditions, but the wind speed increased throughout the afternoon as the direction changed.
At 5:07 p.m. local time, just over four hours after the shotgun start, the horn blew. Tournament officials were hopeful for a resumption, but the forecast was not favorable and included the potential of dangerous conditions.
“Terribly unfortunate situation to be in for anybody out here,” said Brad Ullman, vice president, rules, at LIV Golf. “These Poniente winds of southern Spain are no joke.”
From a competition standpoint, the biggest issues came on the greens. A combination of dry putting surfaces and high-impact wind gusts prevented putts from stopping and golf balls from remaining still at address. At the most exposed parts of the course, particularly the greens on the 11th and 14th holes, putting was near-impossible.
“Ultimately the balls were moving a little bit too much for our liking,” Ullman said. “It was the right thing to bring them off the golf course.”
No surprise that Niemann, who has won every event this season on even-numbered weeks, is among the leaders on the 10th event of the 2025 schedule. He birdied his third hole of the day, the par-5 fourth, and made par on his other 14 holes — the only player without a bogey on Friday.
Westwood, who last week won a final qualifying tournament to earn exemption into next week’s Open, was the early leader after birdies in four of his first seven holes. A double bogey derailed his momentum, but he finished the day with four consecutive pars.
Gooch has good vibes at Valderrama, having won LIV Golf Andalucía in 2023 en route to the Individual Championship. He endured a rollercoaster seven-hole stretch that included three birdies and three bogeys, then ended his round by knocking his approach shot to 2 feet at the par-4 10th to end with a birdie.
Grace, battling the potential of relegation for the second consecutive season, is on pace for his best first-round position this season. He was a bogey-free 1 under through his first 10 holes and then responded to his two bogeys with two birdies.
Smith was bogey-free through his first 13 holes and leading by three shots at 4 under. It was one of his best stretches of golf this year, but it ended with a double bogey and bogey before play ended.
“It’s easy to feel frustrated, particularly when I doubled 15 and then bogeyed 16 as well,” Smith said. “I was trotting along pretty good before that.
“But it’s golf. Golf isn’t fair, at the end of the day. Were the conditions fair? Probably not for a little bit, but it is what it is. We’ll get on with it. I’m sure we’ll make a good tournament out of it.”
TEAM SCORES
LIV Golf’s new scoring format this season involves all four scores now counting in every round in the team competition. (Click here for more on the new format). Here are the partial scores with play suspended late in Friday’s Rd. 1 of LIV Golf Andalucía:
T1. SMASH GC +5 (Gooch -1, Kokrak +1, McDowell +2, Koepka +3)
T1. CRUSHERS GC +5 (DeChambeau E, Casey +1, Howell III +2, Lahiri +2)
T1. LEGION XIII +5 (Rahm E, Hatton +1, Surratt +1, McKibbin +3)
4. 4ACES GC +8 (Reed +1, Johnson +2, Pieters +2, Varner III +3)
T5. HYFLYERS GC +9 (Mickelson +1, Tringale +2, Ogletree +3, Steele +3)
T5. MAJESTICKS GC +9 (Westwood -1, Poulter +1, Horsfield +4, Stenson +5)
7. CLEEKS GC +10 (Bland +1, Meronk +1, Kaymer +4, Kjettrup +4)
T8. RIPPER GC +11 (Smith -1, Jones +2, Leishman +4, Herbert +6)
T8. RANGEGOATS GC +11 (Watson +1, Campbell +2, Uihlein +3, Masaveu +5)
T8. FIREBALLS GC +11 (Ancer +2, Garcia +2, Ballester +3, Puig +4)
11. TORQUE GC +14 (Niemann +1, Muñoz +3, Pereira +4, Ortiz +8)
12. STINGER GC +15 (Grace -1, Oosthuizen +5, Schwartzel +5, Burmester +6)
13. IRON HEADS GC +16 (Kozuma +2, Na +2, Jang +5, Lee +7)
Wild Cards: C. Lee +2, Kim +6
