Business Extra: Google’s Lino Cattaruzzi on how ‘online became a lifeline’


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  • Arabic

“Online became a lifeline” in the pandemic, in the words of Lino Cattaruzzi, Google’s regional director in the Middle East and Africa.

He joins co-hosts Kelsey Warner and Mustafa Alrawi this week to talk about the role of the tech giant in the region's economic recovery. He also describes how search data is used to help its advertising customers.

Advertising made up 82 per cent of Google parent company Alphabet’s first quarter revenue this year, pulling in $33.8 billion. While businesses are expected to have spent less on Google ads in Q2 amid an economy in free fall, a survey by McKinsey found the world jumped five years ahead in tech adoption in the span of 8 weeks as we moved to remote working and learning. Find out what this has meant for Google.

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Dust and sand storms compared

Sand storm

  • Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
  • Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
  • Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
  • Travel distance: Limited 
  • Source: Open desert areas with strong winds

Dust storm

  • Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
  • Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
  • Duration: Can linger for days
  • Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
  • Source: Can be carried from distant regions