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Middle East Edition
4th September 2026
 
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THE HOT STORY

Most UAE professionals are not networking effectively

New LinkedIn research reveals that while 91% of UAE professionals plan to stay in the country, many struggle to build professional connections. Despite recognising the importance of networks, 74% browse work-related content without engaging. Barriers include fear of judgment and lack of guidance, with 58% feeling they lack support in developing relationships. “The UAE continues to be a place where people come to build ambitious, long-term careers. But in a fast-moving labour market, skills alone are not always enough. Visibility and relationships also matter, especially for people who are new to the country, early in their careers, or looking to move into a new sector,” said Najat Abdelhadi, Mena career expert at LinkedIn. “Building a network does not need to start with a big request or a perfectly written message. Small interactions add up,” she added.
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TECHNOLOGY

Adobe to offer free access to AI tools in Saudi Arabia

Adobe is deepening its partnership with Saudi Arabia's Ministry of ​Communications and Information Technology and Saudi government-backed ‌AI firm Humain to provide citizens with 12 months of free access to its AI-powered tools. More than 27m eligible Saudi citizens and residents will gain free ⁠access to the Adobe Firefly Standard subscription ​tier, plus Adobe Express Premium features, including a ​new image generation model "tuned to Saudi culture."
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STRATEGY

PayPal to cut 70 jobs in Israel

PayPal plans to lay off around 70 employees at its Tel Aviv development centre, or nearly 25% of its workforce in Israel. The decision is part of a global restructuring strategy aimed at streamlining operations and investing in artificial intelligence. A PayPal spokesperson said: "The proposed staffing changes are part of our previously announced multi-year transformation to simplify our global operations." The layoffs follow a broader trend in the tech industry; many firms in Israel have announced job cuts to adapt to new automation demands.
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ECONOMY

Lenovo unveils first laptop manufactured in Saudi Arabia

Lenovo has unveiled its first laptop manufactured in Saudi Arabia, marking a significant step in the establishment of a local manufacturing ecosystem. The device, which was launched at LEAP 2026, is produced in Riyadh. Tareq Alangari, senior vice president of Lenovo Middle East, said: "This announcement is proof of what can be achieved when long-term investment, local talent, and ambitious national goals come together." The Riyadh facility will produce Lenovo's full range of products and aims to strengthen local capabilities while supporting Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 goals.
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WORKFORCE

The unseen workforce behind commercial AI

The sociologist Antonio Casilli has spoken with the Democracy Now website about the hidden workforce - primarily in the Global South - behind commercial AI. These workers perform repetitive work to train and maintain the systems, even though the technology is often presented as if it is autonomous. Casilli says public discussion about AI often focuses on future job threats, but the technology is already changing working conditions for millions of people, many of whom are in unstable, underpaid gig-style arrangements, precipitating demands for fair wages and employment protections.
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CYBERSECURITY

OpenAI says its new model can build attacks without human help

OpenAI has said that its upcoming Astra AI model is the company's first to reach the "Critical" cybersecurity capability threshold under its Preparedness Framework. The model is capable of independently discovering and exploiting zero-day vulnerabilities across hardened systems without human guidance, crossing a cybersecurity threshold that until recently belonged largely to expert hacking teams.
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LEGAL

ICC leaders condemn efforts to erode international legal order

Current and former leaders of the International Criminal Court (ICC) have expressed concern over increasing pressure from the Trump administration, which is attempting to isolate the court. “Efforts to isolate the Court diplomatically – whether by encouraging States Parties to withdraw from the Rome Statute or urging non-States Parties to join measures ⁠intended to weaken it – are aimed at eroding not only one institution, but confidence in the international legal order itself,” Paivi Kaukoranta, the current president of the ICC's Assembly of States Parties, and seven former presidents wrote in a piece that appeared on the Just Security law and policy journal's website. The court, they stressed, is not intended to replace national justice systems, and they rejected the argument that it necessarily undermines state sovereignty.
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INTERNATIONAL

VW board backs job cuts

Volkswagen's supervisory board has approved a transformation plan that will see around 50,000 jobs being cut, in addition to a 50,000-job reduction already under way. The plan, which is the most extensive restructuring in the automaker's 89-year history, includes exploring alternatives for four plants in Emden, Zwickau, Neckarsulm and Hannover. The company said the changes are necessary amid rising global competition, shifting demand, and technological advancements. Volkswagen aims for an operating margin of 9% by 2030, up from 3.8% in H1 2026. "This is a strong signal for the future of the Volkswagen Group. We are taking responsibility for our entire workforce, for our partners and for industrial jobs worldwide," chief executive Oliver Blume said. Asset manager Union Investment has warned that VW's credit rating could be cut to "junk" status unless it cuts costs.

Trump’s new bid to curb birthright citizenship is blocked

A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from carrying out the president's latest effort to impose new limits on automatic birthright citizenship, granting a preliminary injunction against an executive order that the White House said would target so-called “birth tourism,” whereby women travel to the United States to give birth. U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman in Maryland issued the injunction until a class-action lawsuit brought by immigrant families and advocacy groups is resolved. “The Supreme Court has spoken: Children in the certified class are ‘citizens at birth,’” Boardman, appointed by President Joe Biden, wrote. Shana Khader, legal director at We Are CASA, one of the groups that brought the case in Maryland, said that “the White House must recognize it will not succeed in stripping children of their right to citizenship, evading binding court decisions or placing the president’s anti-immigrant agenda above the Constitution.”

Maternity leave cannot cost women their careers, Delhi HC says

The Delhi High Court has ruled that women returning from maternity leave must be reinstated to their previous roles without facing professional disadvantages. The court ordered an employer to pay Rs10 lakh in compensation and Rs1.5 lakh in costs to a chartered accountant who said she was demoted after her leave. Justice Sachin Datta said that the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 protects women from adverse employment actions due to pregnancy.

Retail workers want new public holiday for more family time

Hundreds of retail, fast food, and warehouse workers have protested at the New South Wales parliament, demanding an additional public holiday. The Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA) called for September 1 to be designated a public holiday, so allowing workers more family time. SDA NSW Secretary Bernie Smith called on Industrial Relations Minister Sophie Costis to increase the state's number of public holidays from 11 to 12. "Why does New South Wales have less? We should have the same rights as everyone else . . . We think a new public holiday at the beginning of spring will be a great time for our community to stop, to make memories instead of money," he said.
 
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