Baalbek, Lebanon - Israeli strikes near the Hizbollah-dominated city of Baalbek killed two group members on Monday, two security sources told AFP, in the first strikes on Lebanon's east since clashes began after the Gaza war. "Two Hizbollah members were killed in the Israeli strikes near Baalbek," a security official told...

Brussels, Belgium - Bank customers will soon be able to transfer money across Europe within seconds after the EU adopted a law on Monday forcing banks to offer bloc-wide instant payments. Under the new rules, people in Europe will be able to transfer money within 10 seconds at any time of...

Abu Dhabi, UAE -- Ministers representing 123 World Trade Organisation (WTO) members have finalized the Investment Facilitation for Development (IFD) Agreement, according to a statement by the WTO. The ministers also issued a submission asking for the 13th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC13), taking place in Abu Dhabi on 26th-29th February,...

BEIJING, CHINA – The China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) has announced the recent discovery of the largest metamorphic rock oilfield in the Bohai Sea. According to China Central Television, the Bohai 26-6 oilfield, situated approximately 170 kilometers from Tianjin Municipality, has recently confirmed an unprecedented volume of oil and...

Abu Dhabi, UAE--China is willing to work with all parties to achieve more pragmatic results at the 13th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) held in Abu Dhabi, according to the country's Commerce Minister Wang Wentao on Sunday. During his meeting with Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the WTO...

Madinah, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi General Authority for the Care of the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque said that the latter received a total of 6,000,247 worshipers and visitors last week. The authority-issued statistics showed that 647,790 visited the Prophet Mohammed's tomb, and 298,397 visitors performed...

Beijing, China--China's commercial vehicle sales soared 79.6 percent year on year to 324,000 units in January, according to industry data. Specifically, some 289,000 trucks were sold during this period, a surge of 81.8 percent year on year, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. A total of 35,000 coaches...

Dubai, UAE – United Arab Emirates on Sunday allocated $5 million to a $50 million fund launched Sunday ahead of the conference to help female entrepreneurs in developing countries to export more using the opportunities offered by the digital economy. The allocation was announced by Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al...

JERUSALEM - An Israeli soldier seized by Hamas fighters during their October 7 attack was killed the same day and his body is being held in Gaza, the army and a campaign group said on Sunday. The Israeli army confirmed the death of Sergeant Oz Daniel, 19, while the Hostages...

Abu Dhabi, UAE -- The Abu Dhabi Session of the Parliamentary Conference on the World Trade Organization (PCWTO) was inaugurated Sunday by Saqr Ghobash, Speaker of the Federal National Council (FNC). The conference was organized by the FNC in cooperation with the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the European Parliament (EP),...

Dubai, UAE -– Customs declarations processed by the Inland Customs Centers Management of Dubai Customs increased by 44 percent, reaching 1.13 million customs declarations in 2023, compared to 790 thousand declarations in 2022. The total number of inspections for goods and travelers amounted to 198,478. The cleared goods' total weight...

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia--Saudi Arabia's Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz revealed on Sunday that an additional 15 trillion standard cubic feet of gas have been proven at Saudi state oil company Aramco's Jafurah field, in addition to 2 billion barrels of condensates. Reserves at Jafurah had reached 229...

Manama, Bahrain--Bahrain will support Arab tourism in order to enhance social, cultural and historical integration among Arab people, according to Fatima bin Jaafar Al Sairafi, Bahrain's Minister of Tourism. According to the minister, this would raise the contribution of the tourism sector to Arab countries’ national development. In a statement...

London, UK - Britain's ruling Conservatives on Saturday suspended their former deputy chairman from the parliamentary party, after he refused to apologize for saying London's Labor mayor Sadiq Khan was controlled by Islamists. Pressure had been growing on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Tories to act following lawmaker Lee Anderson's contentious remarks...

ABU DHABI, UAE – Emirates Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan has announced that the UAE will provide a US$10 million grant to support key initiatives of the World Trade Organization (WTO), whose 13th Ministerial Conference is being held here. Sheikh Abdullah said that the grant...

Palestinian Territories - At the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, Abu Gibril was so desperate for food to feed his family that he slaughtered two of his horses. "We had no other choice but to slaughter the horses to feed the children. Hunger is killing us," he told AFP....

WASHINGTON, US – A small balloon floating at a high altitude over the US state of Utah was intercepted by fighter aircraft on Friday but deemed to pose no national security or flight risk, a US-Canada military agency said, according to US media. The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said...

Tehran, Iran -  Pakistan has decided to link the gas pipeline from the country's Gwadar port city to the Iranian border as part of the Iran-Pakistan project. According to Pakistani media, the country will expedite the project, which faced significant delays, in two phases. Pakistan’s Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC)...

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia has issued a stern warning against damaging the nation's cultural heritage sites, imposing hefty fines and potential jail time for offenders. The Public Prosecution declared on Thursday that anyone caught defacing or vandalizing historical or urban heritage, including acts like writing, painting, engraving, posting...

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabian aluminum extrusion company Aluminum Products (ALUPCO) has entered into a strategic collaboration with Array Technologies, based in Albuquerque, a city in Mexico. The primary objective of this partnership is to introduce solar technology into the rapidly expanding renewable energy sector in the Middle East....

Abu Dhabi, UAE -- The economies of the UAE and Gulf countries will outpace the global forecast for 2024, helped by the domestic multi-year investment cycle in the region, a report says. Despite recent geopolitical headwinds and muted global recovery, national and regional growth is expected to be driven by...

LONDON, UK – The price of natural gas in Europe fell again on Friday, taking it to its lowest in almost three years as mild winter weather continues and European stockpiles hold up. Mid-morning on Friday, the benchmark Dutch TTF futures contract was down 3.2 percent at US$24.3 (22.45 euros) a...

Abu Dhabi, UAE -- The United Arab Emirates and Kenya have concluded negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement that will secure vital East and West supply chains, spur investment into priority sectors, and enhance market access for businesses on both sides. The CEPA will have significant positive impact on...

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- The Public Investment Fund (PIF) intends to acquire a stake in Saudi Binladin Group (SBG), Bloomberg reported, citing sources with knowledge of the matter.  The fund is working with Morgan Stanley on the potential deal to buy into SBG, Argaam reported, citing reports.  The PIF is...

Doha, Qatar--The Qatar Chamber (QC) and the International Labor Organization (ILO) discussed bilateral cooperation relations in the fields of labor, research, training, and ways to achieve the common interest of business owners and workers. This came during the meeting of Acting General Manager of the Qatar Chamber Ali Bu Sherbak...

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Governor of Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan on Thursday positioned Saudi Arabia as a potential global hub for AI and related industries, citing its competitive advantages, leadership in clean energy resources, political commitment, robust funding capabilities, and developing human talent. Delivering a speech...

Local children and teenagers come together in the afternoon to compose and rehearse music for a creative break from their bleak surroundings in the dust bowl of central Tunisia. "It's a place of escape and to free yourself from the stress of school, to compose songs, organise outings, take part...

Dubai, UAE-- The economy of Dubai would grow around five percent this year, according to Abdul Aziz Abdulla Al Ghurair, Chairman of Dubai Chambers. Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the annual media briefing organised by Dubai Chambers, Al Ghurair said that the recent increase in interest rates...

"We are deeply concerned about the impacts that the Israel and Gaza war are having on hate crimes and on social cohesion in the UK," said Tell MAMA director Iman Atta.

The shooters were "neutralized", police said, and an AFP photographer later saw two bodies at the scene of the attack on a highway east of Jerusalem, where five cars were riddled with bullets. "The three terrorists... got out of their vehicle and started shooting automatic weapons at vehicles that were...

Hong Kong, China - Asian markets rose on Thursday, with Tokyo's benchmark index posting a record high after greater-than-expected earnings from US chip giant Nvidia. Highly anticipated earnings results from Nvidia beat expectations late Wednesday, with the firm reporting a quarterly profit of $12.3 billion on record-high revenue driven by demand...

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Ministry of Media and Google have joined forces in a strategic collaboration aimed at driving the digital transformation of Saudi Arabia's media sector. The announcement, made during the 3rd Saudi Media Forum in Riyadh, aligns with Minister of Media Salman Al-Dosary's declaration that 2024 is...

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan called on G20 nations to apply pressure for concrete measures to halt the conflict in Gaza and advocate for a credible, irreversible path toward a two-state solution. Prince Faisal voiced these sentiments during the inaugural session of the...

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia's trade surplus remained stable at SR97 billion ($25.8 billion) in the fourth quarter of 2023 sustaining a level comparable to the previous quarter. According to recent data from the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), the trade surplus in December 2023 was SR39 billion ($10.4...

Jerusalem - Despite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's insistence the Gaza war will end with Israel achieving "absolute victory", a majority of Israelis do not think this is a likely outcome, a poll published Wednesday found. Netanyahu has repeatedly stated that Israel will continue its offensive in the Gaza Strip until...

Abu Dhabi, UAE -- EDGE, an advanced technology and defense groups, and Fincantieri, one of the largest shipbuilding companies in the world, have agreed to create a joint venture (JV) to capitalize on global shipbuilding opportunities with a focus on the manufacturing of a broad range of sophisticated naval vessels....

Dubai, UAE-- The food and beverage sector in Dubai has attracted new FDI worth $577 million from 2019 to 2023, which was made by 48 international companies from 23 countries, according to data from FDI Intelligence. The UAE’s food and beverage sector generated $16.4 billion in retail sales, including fresh...

Dubai, UAE-- In the month of May scores of airport developers, officials, and suppliers from around the world will troop into Dubai to participate in the world’s largest annual event dedicated to the airport industry. The 23rd edition of the three-day B2B event at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC),...

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Alat Company, a subsidiary of the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), has announced four global partnerships aimed at advancing its plans for sustainable manufacturing. Amit Midha, global CEO of Alat, revealed on Tuesday collaborations with Softbank, Carrier Corporation, Tahakoum, and Dahua Technology, Saudi Gazette reported. The...

Washington, United States - The year 2024 promises to be a busy one for American Moon landings, all under a new partnership between NASA and the space industry. A first attempt under the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative ended in disappointing failure last month, but a second, led by Houston-based...

THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS -  A Dutch court quashed an appeal by Russia in a record $50-billion case on Tuesday, paving the way for a payment to former shareholders of dismantled oil giant Yukos. The decision is the latest in a legal tug-of-war over Yukos which broke up in the early 2000s...

Geneva, Switzerland - The World Health Organization said on Tuesday it had transferred 32 patients out of the besieged Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza but feared for the patients and medics still inside. WHO staff said the scenes around the hospital in the southern city of Khan Yunis were "indescribable", while...

LONDON, UK - An international operation led by UK and US law enforcement has severely disrupted "the world's most harmful cybercrime group", the Russian-linked ransomware specialist LockBit, officials announced on Tuesday. LockBit and its affiliates have targeted governments, major companies, schools and hospitals, causing billions of dollars of damage and extracting...

Paris, France -- The world needs "trillions" of dollars to spur on the green transition and tackle global warming, the head of last year's COP28 climate talks said Tuesday, warning that political momentum can evaporate without clear action. COP28 president Sultan Al Jaber hailed progress made at UN negotiations last year in...

"We as South Africans sense, see, hear and feel to our core the inhumane discriminatory policies and practices of the Israeli regime as an even more extreme form of the apartheid that was institutionalized against black people in my country," said Vusimuzi Madonsela, South Africa's ambassador to the Netherlands, where...

Dubai, UAE -- Construction costs are set to increase in the UAE by 2-3 percent, and in Saudi Arabia by 5-7 percent in 2024, following an increase of 3 percent and 7 percent respectively in 2023. Increases will challenge construction firms, which will need to develop new processes and capabilities to...

Doha, Qatar -- Qatar's Industrial Production index (IPI) in December 2023 reached 95.3 points, an increase of 3.9 percent compared to the previous month (November 2023), and decreased by 4.2 percent, when compared to the corresponding month in 2022. The Planning and Statistics Authority (PSA) has issued the press release...

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- King Saud University (KSU) has achieved a new global milestone by entering the Guinness World Record for the largest dental hospital in the world, with a total area of 37,165 square meters. This achievement confirms the university's commitment to providing healthcare services, supporting medical education, training...

Beijing, China--China is moving away from traditionally energy-intensive industrial sectors toward green development across key sectors, in efforts to fulfill its goals of peaking carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2060, according to China Central Television. In June 2023, the Hunan Valin Xiangtan Iron and Steel...

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -The Middle East Financial Investment Company (MEFIC Capital) has unveiled the establishment of the Saudi Film Fund, boasting a total capital of SR375 million ($100 million), with a substantial 40% investment from the Cultural Development Fund. This collaborative effort signifies a significant stride in the Kingdom's film...