The 1 Billion Followers Summit concluded its second edition in Dubai on Thursday, with its hashtag #1BillionSummit engaging over 489 million users to rank among the week's most followed hashtags worldwide.
The two-day summit organised by the New Media Academy reiterated the importance of digital content creation to its over 7,000 attendees, which included 3,000 content creators, 195 speakers from 95 countries, and over 300 local and international journalists.
It also saw 24 panel discussions covering the latest challenges, trends and opportunities in creative industries with the world's leading social media pioneers.
Saeed Al Eter, Chairman of the UAE Government Media Office, said the summit was "a new affirmation of our country's strong presence in every positive change aimed at advancing means of communication among people".
Alia Al Hammadi, CEO of the New Media Academy, added that the vibrant regional and global engagement with the summit asserts Dubai's leadership in providing a nurturing and supportive environment for creative industry professionals and emerging talents. It also solidifies the city’s position as a preferred destination for content creators and influencers of various nationalities and cultures.
UAE-based Dana Gas and Crescent Petroleum, alongside their partners in the Pearl Petroleum consortium, have said the cumulative production from their Khor Mor project, the largest non-associated gas field in Iraq, has exceeded 500 million barrels of oil equivalent (boe).
China has announced a slew of additional tariffs and restrictions against US goods as a countermeasure to sweeping tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump. The Finance Ministry said it would impose additional tariffs of 34 per cent on all US goods from April 10.
Stocks limped to the end of the week on Friday, the dollar was set for its worst week in a month while gold flirted with a record peak as investors feared US President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs would tip the global economy into a recession.
US stock index futures tumbled on Thursday after President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs on major trade partners heightened fears of an all-out trade war that could push the global economy into a recession.