GAZA: The owner of Gaza’s first virtual reality gaming cafe is offering a fantasy world of action, music, and sports to young people who have grown up under the blockade.
“Often many of the youth who come here to play they look for an escape from the reality they live in,” Firas Al-Khodary, the owner of VR Station in Gaza city, said.
With opportunities for travel ruled out for most people by the years-long border closure imposed by Israel and Egypt, the online realm is an outlet for young people hungry for entertainment and distraction.
“I move into cities, different places, mountains, and oceans, cities that are impossible for us to visit,” said 22 year-old Youssef Al-Qudairi.
According to Al-Khodary, virtual action and combat games are the most popular among young men, while young women tend to favor sports, music and travel.
“Since we are blockaded and it is difficult to travel and move from one place to another, we come to VR and make up for all these things and we live it in the virtual reality,” said 16 year-old Nisreen Shamalakh as she put on her headset.
Virtual reality tools offer escape to blockaded Gaza youth
https://arab.news/nmghc
Virtual reality tools offer escape to blockaded Gaza youth
- Young people enjoy immerse experiences in Gaza's first VR cafe
Asharq Business with Bloomberg, Nasdaq to bring real-time US equities data to MENA
- Nasdaq to deliver exclusive real-time US equities market data
- Real-time updates fully integrated into Asharq Business’ data infrastructure and available across all platforms
RIYADH: Asharq Business with Bloomberg, the region’s leading business and financial news multi-platform channel, announced Tuesday a strategic three-year collaboration with Nasdaq, to deliver exclusive real-time US equities market data and updates to investors and decision-makers across the Middle East.
Through access to Nasdaq’s official data product, Nasdaq Last Sale (NLS), Asharq Business with Bloomberg will receive real-time last-sale trade updates and calculated insights across major US exchanges directly from the Nasdaq Market Center. The collaboration strengthens market transparency, enhances data-driven storytelling, and provides audiences and partners with deeper insight into global financial activity.
With a rapidly growing investor base in the region — and with Nasdaq serving as a primary destination for many Arab and regional investors — Asharq Business with Bloomberg reinforces its mission to deliver timely, accurate, and exclusive financial updates by integrating NLS data into its digital platforms, live markets coverage, and broader data ecosystem.
Leveraging its partnership with Bloomberg Media — which grants access to reporting from over 2,700 journalists and analysts worldwide — Asharq Business with Bloomberg continues to build on its reputation as the region’s most trusted and credible multi-platform business news source. The collaboration with Nasdaq underscores its commitment to providing reliable, data-backed content across social, digital, and streaming platforms, available for audiences anytime and anywhere.
Dr Nabeel Al Khatib, General Manager of Asharq News Network, commented: “It has been five years since the inception of Asharq Business with Bloomberg, and our audience has always been at the center of everything we do. We invest time and effort to understand what matters to them, ensuring we deliver data and stories that genuinely support informed decision-making. With growing regional interest in global markets, our collaboration with Nasdaq marks a strategic step toward offering a clearer, more comprehensive view of international financial activity. Through Nasdaq Last Sale, we aim to further empower our audience with transparent, real-time insights, strengthening their ability to navigate an increasingly interconnected global investment landscape.”
The Nasdaq leadership team added: “We are pleased to collaborate with Asharq Business with Bloomberg to broaden access to high-quality US market data in the Middle East. Through Nasdaq Last Sale, we aim to enhance transparency, support informed decision-making, and contribute to a more connected global investor community.”
