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Prime Minister Carney deepens partnership with Saudi Arabia across trade, education, technology, and critical minerals

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JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia, July 9, 2026 /CNW/ – The global landscape is rapidly changing, creating uncertainty for economies, businesses, and workers. In response, Canada is focused on what we can control: building our strength at home, diversifying our trade partnerships, and cultivating a dense web of new connections. That means deepening ties with the largest, most ambitious economies around the world.

Saudi Arabia is Canada’s second-largest trading partner in the Middle East, supporting tens of thousands of Canadian jobs, and with rapidly growing ties across education, energy, defence, critical minerals, and advanced technologies. With a $1.8 trillion economy and an ambitious economic transformation agenda under Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia offers significant opportunities for Canadian workers, businesses, and expertise.

To deepen this partnership, the Prime Minister, Mark Carney, travelled to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – the first visit to the country by a Canadian Prime Minister in 26 years. During the visit, the Prime Minister met with the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, His Royal Highness Mohammed bin Salman. Together they issued a joint statement with key commitments to deepen cooperation across trade, technology, mining and natural resources, energy, health, education, people-to-people ties, and defence.

In Jeddah, Canada and Saudi Arabia signed new 13 new commercial agreements and memorandums of understanding (MOUs) worth over $1 billion – spanning health technology, mining, infrastructure, and defence. This will enable:

Canadian firms supporting mining, critical minerals, and clean energy projects in Saudi Arabia.Canadian infrastructure companies helping to deliver Vision 2030 projects, including roads and rail lines.Canadian health technology companies deploying Canadian-made capabilities from patient monitoring and clinical decision-support technologies to surgical intelligence platforms.Experts from Canadian colleges training the next generation of the Saudi workforce, including construction, skilled trades, medicine, and technology.

To unlock bilateral investment and create thousands of jobs for both countries, Canada and Saudi Arabia agreed to deepen collaboration on:

Energy, through a MOU to attract investment in major projects, expand trade, and strengthen cooperation on LNG, renewable energy, hydrogen, and carbon capture and storage.Artificial intelligence, through a MOU to advance collaboration in AI development, deployment, and commercialisation.Defence and security, by committing to finalise a MOU on defence cooperation.Canada will also establish a resident Defence Attaché presence in Riyadh to increase the frequency and depth of bilateral engagements and increase exports from Canada’s defence sector.

Progress was made on two additional commercial partnerships as well:

Cohere, a leading Canadian sovereign AI company and Saudi Arabia’s HUMAIN, today announced a strategic AI compute collaboration to provide dedicated AI infrastructure for the next generation of frontier AI models. This partnership will enable the development of AI solutions and special-purpose sovereign AI models.As part of this partnership, HUMAIN will designate at least 50 megawatts of dedicated AI compute capacity to support Cohere’s next-generation foundation models.BlackBerry and Aramco Digital have commenced discussions to explore opportunities for collaboration to advance sovereign secure communications and next-generation industrial technology in Saudi Arabia.

To strengthen the Canada-Saudi Arabia partnership in the coming months, Prime Minister Carney announced that Canada will:

Lead a delegation of Canada’s pension funds to Saudi Arabia to explore long-term investment opportunities and strengthen partnerships in sectors such as energy and AI.Participate in Expo 2030, a six-month World Expo bringing together countries to showcase innovation, trade, and investment opportunities – to be held in Riyadh from October 1, 2030, to March 31, 2031.Have a national pavilion at the World Defence Show in Riyadh in January 2028.Advance a strategic partnership between Canadian and Saudi Arabian educational institutions to support the professional development of Saudi Arabian early childhood and English language educators.

The Prime Minister and the Crown Prince announced that they will conclude negotiations for a Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (FIPA) by the end of 2027. This will enable Canadian businesses to more easily expand their operations in and attract investment from Saudi Arabia. Canada and Saudi Arabia also launched negotiations for a new double-taxation agreement to make it easier for Canadians to work and invest in Saudi Arabia and vice versa.

Canada and Saudi Arabia are complementary economies with shared ambitions to expand trade, attract investment, and diversify their economies. Deepening the partnership will support Canada’s efforts to grow non-U.S. exports, attract investment, and strengthen collaboration in strategic sectors – creating new opportunities for Canadian businesses and workers.

Quotes
“Canada and Saudi Arabia have both embarked on ambitious new missions to transform their economies. To that end, we are harnessing each other’s strengths across minerals and mining, technology, energy, and commerce. Canada has what the world wants. We are cultivating a dense web of new connections to diversify our trade, create new opportunities for our workers and businesses, and deliver greater security and prosperity for all Canadians.”
— The Rt. Hon. Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada

“As Canada builds a stronger, more resilient economy, deepening our partnership with Saudi Arabia is an important step in advancing trade diversification, strengthening energy cooperation, and expanding people-to-people ties. This visit marks a new chapter in the Canada-Saudi Arabia relationship, building on a shared commitment to economic growth as well as solidarity in the face of Iranian aggression over the past months.”
— The Hon. Anita Anand, Foreign Affairs Minister of Canada

Quick facts

The Prime Minister and the Crown Prince welcomed the signing of a MOU to establish a foreign minister-level Canada-Saudi Arabia Coordination Council that will guide and deepen cooperation across several key priorities.The visit followed the Prime Minister’s participation in the 2026 NATO Summit in Ankara, Türkiye. Over the course of the trip, the Prime Minister:Announced the largest defence procurement in Canadian history – selecting Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) as the preferred supplier to begin negotiations to purchase up to twelve state-of-the-art submarines.Strengthened Canada’s contributions to the NATO Alliance and forged new partnerships with Allies.Welcomed the launch of negotiations toward a Canada-Türkiye comprehensive free trade agreement.Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, valued at over an estimated $1 trillion, is a key driver of Vision 2030, which aims to diversify the economy away from oil and gas.During his visit, the Prime Minister emphasised Canada’s commitment to working with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf partners to advance regional stability.The two sides strongly condemned Iranian attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz on July 7, 2026. The two countries underscored that such actions heighten regional tensions, undermine confidence-building efforts, and jeopardise ongoing diplomatic negotiations and agreements aimed at promoting regional stability and security.Alongside our partners and allies, Canada stands ready to support the Multinational Military Maritime Mission in four potential areas of assistance: maritime logistics, cyber support, demining expertise, and satellite imagery, when conditions permit.The Minister of International Trade, Maninder Sidhu, visited Saudi Arabia in January 2026 with a senior Canadian business delegation where he welcomed approximately $600 million in commercial partnership agreements, and promoted Canadian trade and investment opportunities – including in the clean technology and energy, information and communication technology, AI, and infrastructure sectors.Canada looks forward to welcoming a Saudi Arabia trade mission to advance progress on bilateral trade, investment, and commercial partnerships.

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Prime Minister Carney meets with Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia His Royal Highness Mohammed bin Salman

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Prime Minister Carney to attend the NATO Summit in Türkiye and visit Saudi Arabia to deepen trade, technology, and defence partnershipsCanada-Saudi Arabia relations 

This document is also available at https://pm.gc.ca

SOURCE Prime Minister’s Office

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Popular AI planner Voiset launches version 2.0 and enters MENA at LEAP 2026 with full Arabic support

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The AI personal planner that builds your day by voice returns to LEAP 2026 in Riyadh with a fully refreshed design and a connection to Claude, one of the world’s leading AI assistants.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Aug. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Voiset, the AI personal planner, today announced the launch of its next generation product: Voiset 2.0, an almost completely rebuilt version of its planning solution. At the same time, the company enters the MENA market. Voiset will show the new version at LEAP 2026 in Riyadh, August 31 to September 3.

Voiset 2.0 is built around one simple idea: planning your day should be as easy as pressing one button. It is not another CRM or to-do list. Voiset works as a personal assistant for productivity. You connect your calendar, say your plans out loud or type them, and get a fully planned day. The AI understands natural language. It builds a realistic schedule around your calendar, priorities and deadlines, and replans automatically when things change. Voiset also connects to leading AI assistants: it is one of the first planners that you can control by talking to Claude, Anthropic’s AI assistant.

Arabic voice input was part of Voiset from the start. But full right-to-left interface support was the most requested feature from the company’s first users in the MENA region. Voiset 2.0 delivers it: the full interface now works in RTL Arabic, and voice input understands Arabic and English at the same time.

Mobile stays at the core of the product: everyone should be able to add tasks on the go and record thoughts without typing or difficult settings. Voiset 2.0 works on iOS, Android and the web, with instant sync between them.

Voiset is built for people with busy days: entrepreneurs, small business owners, real estate agents, consultants, students and anyone always on the go. It is for people who need to remember every detail and cannot afford to miss something important, but have no time to organize a task list by hand.

The redesign is based on feedback from Voiset’s current users, mostly in the United States and Europe, where the product has built its core audience.

The MENA market is a key opportunity for productivity tools. The US market is crowded, but MENA is still not well covered by major players, and few tools offer real Arabic support. At the same time, the region is growing fast: under Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, small businesses and public sectors such as health, education, infrastructure, recreation and tourism are expanding, creating strong demand for productivity solutions.

As part of its MENA expansion, the company is looking for local partners to grow its presence in the region and serve the needs of local businesses.

Media Contact:
Voiset
contact@voiset.io

Photos:
https://www.prlog.org/13165743

Press release distributed by PRLog

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/popular-ai-planner-voiset-launches-version-2-0-and-enters-mena-at-leap-2026-with-full-arabic-support-302859600.html

SOURCE Union Smart Tech s.r.o.

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Revenue Optics Launches Pricing and Revenue Growth Management Practice, Names Shafohi Alamgir Vice President

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The firm’s first vice-president-level operator will build the practice that stops private-equity-backed distributors from giving coverage gains back at the counter, where industry research puts 3 to 5 points of recoverable margin at many mid-market distributors

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Aug. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Revenue Optics, the commercial growth firm for private-equity-backed B2B distributors and industrial companies, today announced the launch of its Pricing and Revenue Growth Management practice and the appointment of Shafohi Alamgir as Vice President, Pricing and Revenue Growth Management. Alamgir began in the role on August 24 and reports to Founder and Chief Executive Officer Ali Hasham.

The appointment is the firm’s first vice-president-level operator hire and establishes pricing as the fourth line of the Revenue Optics commercial growth platform, alongside sales transformation, talent solutions, and AI and automation.

The practice was built in response to client demand. Revenue Optics builds inside sales engines that put proactive ownership around profitable accounts an outside-sales-centered model cannot economically reach, what the firm calls the distribution coverage gap. Those programs reactivate dormant accounts, increase share of wallet, and grow gross profit.

They also create thousands of new pricing decisions, often exposing a second problem: limited governance around how prices are set, exceptions are handled, and margin is protected.

“Many of our clients asked us a version of the same question this year: you fixed how we cover our accounts, can you do the same for how we price them,” said Ali Hasham, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Revenue Optics. “They were not asking us for another model. They wanted a system that could be installed and sustained. Shafohi and I came up inside WESCO at the same time, in the same office, on opposite sides of the same problem. Coverage decides whether you get the order. Pricing decides whether it was worth winning. Now we are putting the two together inside one firm.”

Pricing carries significant leverage in distribution. For a distributor operating at high-teens to low-twenties gross margin and mid-single-digit EBITDA, a 1 percent realized price improvement can translate into roughly a 22 percent increase in EBITDA because little incremental cost is required to capture it.

Alamgir brings more than 20 years of pricing and revenue growth management leadership across distribution and industrial manufacturing, supporting businesses ranging from $1.5 billion to more than $6 billion in revenue. Her work has generated more than $100 million in gross margin and EBITDA improvement, including repeated margin expansion of 200 to 300 basis points.

Her experience spans pricing architecture, customer segmentation, deal and discount governance, trade and promotional effectiveness, and commercial operating model redesign.

Alamgir has held enterprise pricing leadership roles at AG Growth International and Molex and previously worked in pricing roles at WESCO Distribution and GEXPRO, part of Rexel, after beginning her career at General Electric. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Distribution Management from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, is a Certified Pricing Professional through the Professional Pricing Society, and is Prosci certified in change management.

“Most distributors are not under-earning. They are leaking,” said Alamgir. “The margin is already in the business. It goes out through pricing by gut feel, slow cost pass-through, discount drift, and exception chaos. Those are governance problems before they are math problems. What convinced me about Revenue Optics is that they already understand the hard part: getting a sales organization to adopt something new and making it hold.”

The practice serves private-equity-backed distributors and industrial manufacturers. It begins with a fixed-scope pricing diagnostic designed to quantify recoverable margin across price variance, cost pass-through latency, discount leakage, and governance gaps.

Revenue Optics then builds the operating system required to capture that value, including key value item and price sensitivity analysis, pricing guardrails and floors, price-change governance, and seller enablement.

Revenue Optics is headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee.

About Revenue Optics

Revenue Optics is a commercial growth firm for private-equity-backed B2B distributors and industrial companies. The firm helps clients close the distribution coverage gap by designing and building inside sales coverage models, recruiting and assessing talent, implementing CRM and AI automation, and strengthening pricing governance.

Learn more at https://revenueoptics.com/

Contact:
Ali Hasham
***@revenueoptics.com

Photo(s):
https://www.prlog.org/13166679

Press release distributed by PRLog

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/revenue-optics-launches-pricing-and-revenue-growth-management-practice-names-shafohi-alamgir-vice-president-302859632.html

SOURCE Revenue Optics

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Clairvoyance Adds Multiplayer AI, Letting Multiple People Work Inside One Live AI Session, Running on Your Own Machine

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Clairvoyance 0.85 also adds seamless access to AI sessions across all of a user’s machines, plus a new iPhone app

PLYMOUTH, Mich., Aug. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Stardock Software today released Clairvoyance 0.85, introducing Multiplayer AI, live AI agent sessions that multiple people can join and work in together, in real time. The work itself stays on the host’s computer, rather than in the cloud.

Clairvoyance is a local-first desktop application that gives users a staff of persistent AI agents. Because it runs on the user’s own machine, those agents work directly with the user’s local applications, files, and data, whether the intelligence behind them comes from cloud models such as Claude, Codex, Copilot, Cursor, and Grok, from local models running on the user’s own hardware, or from Clairvoyance’s built-in AI. Agents keep memory of the projects they support, communicate with one another, and deliver finished work including presentations, reports, dashboards, and interactive tools, all stored on the user’s machine.

With Multiplayer AI, a second person can now step into that work. A user building a data dashboard with their AI staff may find the numbers they need are owned by another colleague. They invite the colleague into the live session, and the colleague talks to the same agents and supplies the data directly, while the session and everything in it stays on the host’s machine. The same mechanism can also accelerate training, as working with AI agents is a genuine shift in how people work, and the fastest way to learn it is to sit inside a live session with an expert.

“Everyone understood Google Docs the first time they saw two cursors in one document,” said Brad Wardell, CEO of Stardock Software. “Multiplayer AI is that moment for AI agents but the difference is where it happens. With Clairvoyance, multiple team members are working with an agent on one person’s machine, rather than team members watching an agent work in a channel.”

The same infrastructure now connects a user’s own machines. Clairvoyance 0.85 lets users jump into any of their AI sessions from any of their computers, whether Windows, Mac, or Linux. Start a research task on a desktop before leaving the house, and the same staff, the same memory, and the same in-progress work are waiting on a laptop an hour later, with no reconfiguring and no re-explaining context.

A new iPhone app extends that reach to the phone as a user’s AI staff runs on their actual computers, with their actual applications and files, the app can direct real work from anywhere. Users can kick off a build, check in code, have Photoshop batch-process a folder of images, then collect the finished output back at the desk. The phone directs the work; the user’s own machines do it.

Clairvoyance 0.85 is available today as a free download at clairvoyanceai.com for Windows, macOS, and Linux. The full application is free, with Pro adding cloud sync, team features, and included AI tokens for $20 per month.

Please contact press@stardock.com for all media inquiries.

About Stardock Software

Stardock Software has been building consumer and enterprise software for over 30-years with a track record of building Windows desktop utilities and PC games used by tens of millions of people. Clairvoyance, its local-first AI platform, began as an internal tool that Stardock’s own teams used and refined daily for two years before bringing it to market.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/clairvoyance-adds-multiplayer-ai-letting-multiple-people-work-inside-one-live-ai-session-running-on-your-own-machine-302859683.html

SOURCE Stardock Software

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