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Saudi Arabia Ranks 5th Globally, 1st in Arab World for AI Sector Growth on Global AI Index

File photo of the Saudi flag/AAWSAT
File photo of the Saudi flag/AAWSAT
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Saudi Arabia Ranks 5th Globally, 1st in Arab World for AI Sector Growth on Global AI Index

File photo of the Saudi flag/AAWSAT
File photo of the Saudi flag/AAWSAT

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ranked fifth globally and first in the Arab world in artificial intelligence sector growth, according to the Global AI Index, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday.

This marks a national achievement that builds on the Kingdom’s steady progress in artificial intelligence and reflects the effectiveness of its development plans and its ability to achieve high international competitiveness under Saudi Vision 2030.

During the period measured by the Global AI Index, Saudi Arabia launched a wide range of national initiatives led by the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA). These initiatives strengthened Saudi Arabia’s position on the index.

They included several projects, notably the Rowad Package initiative, which supports entrepreneurs and startups by enabling them to verify customer data through electronic linkage with the National Information Center’s databases.

SDAIA also launched the AI Ethics Incentive Badges initiative to raise awareness of ethical practices and promote responsible use of technologies. The initiative provides a clear framework to help organizations and developers adhere to global best standards. More than 50 accreditation certificates have been granted to national AI companies for developing AI-based products serving priority sectors.

The generative Gaia AI accelerator, supported by SDAIA and the National Technology Development Program (NTDP) in collaboration with New Native, has helped numerous startups enter the market more quickly and efficiently.

These efforts also extended to the SDAIA Academy, which has focused on building national capabilities and empowering young talent through advanced training programs in data and AI, offered in partnership with international organizations.

As part of its efforts, the SDAIA Academy trained more than one million Saudi men and women in data and AI skills through the SAMAI initiative, conducted in collaboration with several government entities. The initiative is considered one of the world’s largest training programs targeting the general population.

These achievements highlight SDAIA’s success in the field of data and AI, both nationally and internationally. They reinforce its role as the Kingdom’s central authority for regulation, development, and application, and advance the nation toward leadership in data- and AI-driven economies.

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Buses Out, Shoppers In: London’s Oxford Street Goes Traffic-Free

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan poses for the media in Oxford Street as it becomes traffic-free and pedestrianized in London, Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. (AP)
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan poses for the media in Oxford Street as it becomes traffic-free and pedestrianized in London, Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. (AP)
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Buses Out, Shoppers In: London’s Oxford Street Goes Traffic-Free

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan poses for the media in Oxford Street as it becomes traffic-free and pedestrianized in London, Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. (AP)
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan poses for the media in Oxford Street as it becomes traffic-free and pedestrianized in London, Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. (AP)

Part ‌of London's Oxford Street, Britain's busiest shopping thoroughfare, went permanently traffic-free on Monday in an effort to revitalize the area and create a new public space to boost economic growth.

An almost 1-km (0.6-mile) section of Oxford Street between the Selfridges and IKEA stores is now closed to buses, cars, taxis, cycles, scooters and pedicabs, the office of London Mayor Sadiq Khan said.

The move has been more than two decades in the making. It and a wider ‌regeneration project ‌aim to put Oxford Street back among ‌top ⁠global shopping destinations ⁠including New York's Times Square, Paris' Champs-Élysées and Barcelona's La Rambla.

"After so many false dawns, and now working with a government who share the scale of my ambition, I’m proud that we’re finally unlocking a new era for the street," Khan said.

"Revitalizing Oxford Street will ⁠boost jobs and economic growth in the capital."

Oxford ‌Street, connected to Bond ‌Street and Regent Street and home to John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, ‌Tiffany & Co and many others, has struggled since the ‌COVID pandemic, with the arrival of US candy stores putting off many shoppers.

The pedestrianization is the first stage of a transformation, although minimal construction will take place during the run-up to ‌Christmas, a busy shopping period.

Plans for 2027 include more than 50 new trees, ⁠100 ⁠new seats, two public squares, rest areas and better signage and lighting.

Oxford Street attracts around half a million visitors every day, according to the mayor's office, but many flagship stores, including House of Fraser and Topshop, have shut in recent years, and Khan said the area had been neglected.

"This marks an exciting new chapter for Oxford Street, creating a greener, more vibrant place that will attract visitors and investment, support businesses and jobs, and drive growth in the heart of our capital," British housing, communities and local government minister Angela Rayner said.

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Nonagenarian in Japan Outwits Suspected Scammer

People make their way at a shopping district in Tokyo, Japan,October 23, 2026. (Reuters)
People make their way at a shopping district in Tokyo, Japan,October 23, 2026. (Reuters)
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Nonagenarian in Japan Outwits Suspected Scammer

People make their way at a shopping district in Tokyo, Japan,October 23, 2026. (Reuters)
People make their way at a shopping district in Tokyo, Japan,October 23, 2026. (Reuters)

A 93-year-old woman in western Japan outsmarted a suspected scammer by pretending to fall for the scheme and helping police arrest him at her home, an officer told AFP on Monday.

Japan has the second-oldest population in the world after Monaco, and senior citizens are often targeted by fraudsters, who last year collectively stole around 325.7 billion yen ($2.0 billion) from their victims.

The woman, who lives in the Shiga region, received telephone calls from Wednesday through Thursday last week from a man who claimed to be a police officer.

The caller falsely informed her that her bank account had experienced an unauthorized withdrawal.

The woman was told to hand over her ATM card to a man, posing as a police officer, who would visit her so that authorities could verify her account.

Suspecting a scam, the woman consulted her son and the police as she waited for the scammer to visit her house.

"The person's family reached out to the police on Wednesday evening, and we were able to have officers at her house" before the scammer arrived on Thursday, a local police official told AFP on customary condition of anonymity.

When a 47-year-old man appeared at her doorstep, waiting officers arrested him on the spot, he said.

"The person (the woman) is someone in good health and highly articulate," the official said, while urging other elderly residents consult family members when they suspect fraud.

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Malaysia's Johor Reopens Schools as Haze Eases

A tourist takes a selfie with the city skyline seen in the background as haze conditions due to Indonesian wildfires improve in Kuala Lumpur on October 26, 2026. Mohd Rasfan / AFP
A tourist takes a selfie with the city skyline seen in the background as haze conditions due to Indonesian wildfires improve in Kuala Lumpur on October 26, 2026. Mohd Rasfan / AFP
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Malaysia's Johor Reopens Schools as Haze Eases

A tourist takes a selfie with the city skyline seen in the background as haze conditions due to Indonesian wildfires improve in Kuala Lumpur on October 26, 2026. Mohd Rasfan / AFP
A tourist takes a selfie with the city skyline seen in the background as haze conditions due to Indonesian wildfires improve in Kuala Lumpur on October 26, 2026. Mohd Rasfan / AFP

Schools reopened in southern Malaysia on Monday as air quality improved after weeks of toxic haze from wildfires in neighboring Indonesia.

The closures were a consequence of a regional haze crisis that blanketed parts of Southeast Asia, particularly Malaysia and Singapore, sending respiratory complaints soaring and fueling diplomatic tensions.

In Malaysia's southernmost Johor state, face-to-face classes resumed in stages Monday after a 10-day suspension affecting more than 1,000 schools and about 600,000 students.

Johor education and information committee chairman Muhammad Naqib Md Ghazali said the decision followed a review of air quality readings across the state and health risk assessments.

Attendance on Monday and Tuesday is limited to students sitting examinations, he said in a statement Sunday.

Full operations are expected to resume on Wednesday if air quality continues to improve, he added.

Air quality had improved across Johor and much of peninsular Malaysia by Monday afternoon, with government monitoring data showing no areas recording unhealthy pollution levels.

Several districts in eastern Sarawak state, however, continued to report unhealthy air quality, including the state capital Kuching.

Malaysia's weather agency said changing wind patterns were expected to reduce the risk of further haze episodes for the rest of the year.

"As the wind direction has finally shifted from southwest to northeast, we highly expect there will be no more haze episodes this year," Meteorological Department director-general Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip told AFP.

The regional picture remained uneven, however, with Singapore still among the world's 20 most polluted major cities on Monday afternoon, according to Swiss-based air quality monitor IQAir.

Indonesia has struggled for months to contain fires that deforestation monitor Nusantara Atlas said consumed more than 1.9 million hectares in the nine months to September.

On Saturday, Indonesia cut natural gas exports to Singapore to prioritize domestic demand, an official said, with the two countries at loggerheads over regional air pollution from wildfires on the vast archipelago.