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Semafor is a worldwide news platform designed for today's complicated landscape, where readers face an overload of information and struggle to find reliable sources. We are creating Semafor from the very beginning to empower top-notch journalists to provide thorough reporting and insights, using journalistic methods that promote a new standard of transparency.

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New York City business community poised to throw its support and money behind Adams to keep Zohran Mamdani from winning in general election

2 days ago | semafor.com | Liz Hoffman |Ben Smith

New York City’s business community — stunned by the apparent primary victory of socialist Zohran Mamdani and fearing a leftward shift in America’s biggest city — appears to be abandoning its grudging support for former Governor Andrew Cuomo and organizing more desperately around Mayor Eric Adams in a last ditch effort to block Mamdani in November’s general election. Some of former Gov.
Why AI-powered search is going to dominate the future of the ad tech industry

2 days ago | semafor.com | Reed Albergotti

Google is a paradoxical company at the moment. On the AI front, it’s in pole position with its Gemini family of apps, Waymo robotaxis, biotech startup Isomorphic Labs, and an army of researchers that churn out breakthroughs in everything from humanoid robotics to weather prediction. Simultaneously, Google is still dependent on its cash cow of online advertising, the lion’s share of which comes from traditional searches (remember those blue links?).
Google’s head of search Liz Reid on the company’s AI transition

2 days ago | semafor.com | Reed Albergotti

Liz Reid has one of the most difficult jobs at Google. She helms search, the company’s first product and its more lucrative. But it is also under significant pressure to adopt powerful new generative AI capabilities while retaining its familiar feel and its business model. I spoke with Reid around the time of Google I/O and its future. Below is the edited transcript.
FDI into the UAE spikes 49%, bucking global trend

2 days ago | semafor.com | Dominic Dudley

Foreign direct investment to the UAE increased by 49% last year, bucking global and regional trends. FDI reached $45.6 billion in 2024, according to the World Investment Report from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). In contrast, global FDI fell 11% and most other Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, also saw declines. The UAE attracted 1,359 investments in greenfield projects, placing it second only to the US on that metric.
Quantum networking startup Qunnect adds Cisco as investor in new fundraising round

3 days ago | semafor.com | Reed Albergotti

Network giant Cisco is making a strategic investment in quantum networking firm Qunnect, Semafor has learned, the latest move in a broad effort to bolster the security of online communication and enable powerful quantum computers that may one day transform everything from medicine to materials science to fundamental physics.
Cybercrime threat rises in Africa as mobile banking grows: Interpol | Semafor

3 days ago | semafor.com | Alexander O. Onukwue

Phishing is the most frequently reported form of cybercrime in Africa, while ransomware attacks and business email compromise are also common.
Murkowski opens up about pressure to caucus with Democrats and her call with Trump

4 days ago | semafor.com | Burgess Everett

Lisa Murkowski has at least thought about caucusing with Democrats in the Senate — simply, as she put it, “because people have asked” about it. “I would be not being honest with you if I said I’ve never been asked … ‘Why don’t you switch?’ Or people have said: ‘You should switch,’” the Alaska senator told Semafor in an interview ahead of Tuesday’s release of her new book. “Have I considered it?
Nigerian group criticizes Iran strikes

4 days ago | semafor.com | Hamza Ibrahim

Nigeria’s main Shiite Muslim sect criticized the US attack on Iranian nuclear sites and Israel’s continued attacks on targets in the country. The Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) staged a protest march on Friday in Kano, the commercial hub of northern Nigeria, on Friday in support of Iran. Hundreds of protesters attended the event chanting slogans and songs in English and the Hausa language spoken widely in northern Nigeria.
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets Iranian foreign minister in Moscow after US strikes

4 days ago | semafor.com | Mathias Hammer

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araqchi in Moscow Monday, as Tehran looks to its long-time ally for support following Washington’s weekend strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. While Moscow has condemned the US attack, Russian officials have not publicly promised concrete support beyond offering to act as a mediator in any negotiations.
Gulf countries ponder: Go abroad or opt for staycation?

4 days ago | semafor.com | Kelsey Warner

Gulf News has found the regional angle: “Will UAE residents turn to staycations as Iran-Israel conflict disrupts summer travel plans?” The headline over the weekend captured what is preoccupying some expats, who are often sanguine in the face of instability right in their own backyard, living as they do in a place that ranks at the top of world’s-safest lists, and who, as a group, over-index on employing the hashtag “wanderlust.” The Dubai newspaper queried hoteliers, who reported a small...