Saudi airline resumes first Iran hajj flights since 2015
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- A Saudi airline has resumed flights for Iranian hajj pilgrims to the kingdom for the first...Geostrategy
A day after first direct talks between officials, Kremlin says Putin-Zelensky meeting possible only after pact
The Kremlin said Saturday a meeting between Russia's Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky would be possible only after both...Geostrategy
109 Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes amid calls for truce extension
Both the United Nations chief and the White House called for the break in fighting to be restored, and UN...Despite the resumption of fighting, talks between Qatari and Egyptian mediators were "ongoing", a source briefed on the talks told AFP.
During the seven-day truce, Hamas freed 80 Israeli hostages in exchange for 240 Palestinians held in various Israeli jails, and more aid entered Gaza.
UAE President announces $30bn Global Climate Fund at COP28 meet
In a groundbreaking announcement at the World Climate Action Summit during the UN Climate Change Conference (COP28), UAE President Sheikh...The fund, designed to address the critical gap in climate financing, aims to enable affordable access to climate finance.
The UAE President highlighted the global urgency of addressing climate change and its pervasive impacts on life.
Act now as climate crisis has reached critical point
"Renewable energy is key to our planet's future. It's time to phase out fossil fuels and embrace sustainable solutions. The...Earth's vital signs are failing with record emissions and extreme weather events, signaling a climate emergency.
UN makes an urgent call for global leaders to prevent a planetary catastrophe by meeting Paris Agreement goals.
Act now as climate crisis has reached critical point
"Renewable energy is key to our planet's future. It's time to phase out fossil fuels and embrace sustainable solutions. The...Earth's vital signs are failing with record emissions and extreme weather events, signaling a climate emergency.
UN makes an urgent call for global leaders to prevent a planetary catastrophe by meeting Paris Agreement goals.
COP28 puts spotlight on state oil giants
Western energy firms are the usual suspects when it comes to criticism about the sector's role in climate change, but...National oil companies, or NOCs, "account for more than half of global production and close to 60 percent of the world's oil and gas reserves," the IEA said
NOCs and the oil majors - which include BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Shell and TotalEnergies - will all be "critical to efforts to achieve net zero" emissions by 2050
Israel resumes military operations in Gaza as truce expires
The resumption of fighting dashed hopes for an extension of a seven-day truce that had seen dozens of hostages freed..."Hamas violated the operational pause, and in addition, fired toward Israeli territory," the Israeli military said
Inside Gaza, an AFP journalist said Israeli warplanes carried out a series of strikes, and reported artillery fire in Gaza City
Israel releases 30 Palestinian civilians in latest exchange
The truce agreement between Israel and Hamas stipulates that a minimum of 10 Israeli hostages should be released alive each...The civilians -- including 23 minors and seven women -- were released hours after eight Israeli hostages were freed by Hamas
Since the truce came into force on November 24, the agreement has resulted in the freeing of 110 hostages, including 80 Israelis
Europe to splurge record $295bn on military in 2023, says official
Moscow's all-out invasion of Ukraine in 2022 provided Europe with a wake-up call that it needed to pump more into...The European Defense Agency (EDA) said six countries had increased their spending by over 10 percent in 2022.
"Our armed forces must be ready for a much more demanding era," said EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.
EU agree draft rules to protect journalists from abusive lawsuits
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said on X, formerly Twitter, that she welcomed the agreement to "protect those...The Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) are aimed at intimidating critics with burdensome legal action
The new rules would allow a person targeted by a SLAPP lawsuit to request a rapid rejection by the courts
MoHRE asks over 12,000 private firms to meet Emiratization targets
DUBAI, UAE – The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratization (MoHRE) has notified over 12,000 private companies with 20-49 workers...Companies with 20-49 workers will be required to hire one UAE national in 2024 and another one in 2025.
This step is expected to create around 12,000 jobs annually for UAE nationals in 2024 and 2025 in various sectors.
