Masayoshi Son is seeking up to $100 billion from Middle Eastern investors, including senior UAE figures, to launch a fund that would acquire established companies and upgrade them with AI and robotics, the Financial Times reports. The fund would differ from SoftBank's prior vehicles by buying operating businesses rather than funding tech startups, with SoftBank's Roze robotics division expected to play a role, though neither the fund's formation nor its financing is confirmed.
tomshardware.com
· 2026-10-10
Kiyoshi Kimura, owner of Japan's Sushi Zanmai restaurant chain, says that during the 2011 peak of Somali piracy he brought in four fishing boats and offered to buy their catch, aiming to give pirates an alternative livelihood. Somali piracy, which saw 237 ship attacks in 2011 despite patrols by roughly twenty navies, subsequently declined sharply, though it is disputed how much credit his initiative deserves versus naval patrols, armed guards and onshore security changes.
japaninsides.com
· 2026-10-09
Tropical Storm Isaias intensified into a hurricane in the Gulf as of Wednesday evening, prompting Alabama and Florida to declare states of emergency on Thursday. Several live tracking tools are now available online to follow the storm's projected path toward the Gulf Coast.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-10-08
Hurricane Isaias is forecasted to produce a storm surge of up to seven feet along the Gulf Coast, accompanied by strong winds and heavy rains. Authorities warn residents of potential flooding, tornadoes, and dangerous conditions in the affected areas.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-10-08
Following President Trump’s directive to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America, Google and Apple updated their maps accordingly. The controversy has led to increased downloads of alternative map services like MapQuest, which is gaining traction among users dissatisfied with Big Tech’s map modifications. This shift highlights growing interest in non-mainstream mapping options amid privacy concerns and map label disputes.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-10-08
Tropical Storm Isaias, currently near hurricane strength with 65 mph winds, is moving in the Gulf of Mexico and is forecast to intensify into a hurricane before landfall between Mississippi and Florida. The US National Hurricane Center has issued hurricane watches for parts of Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle, warning of heavy rain, storm surge, and possible tornadoes.
wired.com
· 2026-10-07
Meteorologists say Tropical Storm Isaias is tracking toward the Gulf Coast and could strengthen into a hurricane before making landfall this weekend. Forecasters warn the storm may bring dangerous storm surge, flash flooding, and high winds to affected areas.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-10-07
A low pressure system in the western Gulf of Mexico is forecast to strengthen into a tropical storm, with forecast models giving it a decent chance of reaching hurricane strength. No hurricane has formed in the Atlantic yet this season, which would be unprecedented in the modern record dating to World War II, when aircraft and satellite monitoring began.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-10-06
A developing storm in the Gulf of Mexico has a high probability of intensifying into a hurricane within the next two days, according to weather models. Forecasters indicate it is likely to make landfall along the U.S. coast.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-10-06
Sovereign wealth funds from the Gulf, including ADIA, PIF, Mubadala, QIA and ADQ, are directing a growing share of their capital into Africa, targeting energy, logistics, critical minerals and digital infrastructure. Countries such as Egypt, Morocco, Zambia, the DRC, Kenya, Nigeria, Angola and South Africa are being assessed individually based on their distinct economic strengths. An IMF working paper from September 2025 found that GCC outbound investment correlates positively with non-hydrocarbon GDP growth in the Gulf itself.
entrepreneur.com
· 2026-09-28
The Atlantic hurricane season has passed its usual mid-September peak without producing a single hurricane, an unusual lull caused by Saharan dust and strong wind shear suppressing storm development. Records dating to 1851 show only one prior year, 1941, without a hurricane by mid-September, and the National Hurricane Center says essentially no chance of one forming before Thursday.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-09-15
Hotel developer Ian McClure has become the first outside operator in more than ten years to sign a fresh development agreement with Planet Fitness, rather than buying into the chain by acquiring an existing franchisee's gyms. McClure's firm, Gulf Coast Hotel Management, which runs extended-stay hotels and Wyndham properties across several states, secured three area deals to open over a dozen locations on Florida's Gulf Coast. Each gym costs between $1.3 million and $5.4 million to launch depending on financing.
entrepreneur.com
· 2026-09-09
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