London, UK - Britain's former prime minister Tony Blair has strongly denied an Israeli media report linking him to talks last week about the resettlement of Palestinians from Gaza in other countries. Channel 12 claimed on Sunday that Blair, who left office in 2007 and served as a Middle East envoy...

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said, "We will never allow espionage activities to be conducted against the national unity and solidarity of our country."

Beijing, China -- China's import and export tariff adjustments on some goods took effect on Monday, including implementing provisional import tariff rates lower than the most favored nation rates on 1,010 goods, implementing tariff rates on some commodities under agreements and applying preferential tariff rates to 43 least-developed countries (LDCs)....

Doha, Qatar -- Qatar's Producer Price Index (PPI) of the industrial sector in the country for November was 118.65 points, a decrease of 1.95 percent compared to October 2023. On Y-o-Y basis, PPI of November 2023 showed a decrease of 17.36 percent. The main four industry sectors by weight are...

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia --Consumer spending in Saudi Arabia grew by 8 percent to SAR 111.5 billion ($29.73 billion) in November 2023 from nearly SAR 103.3 billion during the same month a year earlier, according to the Saudi Central Bank's (SAMA) monthly bulletin. Consumer spending includes total cash withdrawals, point-of-sale (POS)...

Nearly three months of conflict have claimed almost 22,000 lives in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, and devastated much of the besieged territory. Despite relentless global demands for a ceasefire, military spokesman Daniel Hagari said Monday the army was preparing for "prolonged fighting" expected to last "throughout this...

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia, through its Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD), has initiated the first phase of the Skill Verification Program (SVP) in Egypt. The collaborative effort with the Egyptian Ministry of Manpower aims to improve the proficiency of professional labor and raise the standard...

Dubai, UAE--The UAE's Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) has started implementing the cabinet decision to expand the scope of companies subject to Emiratisation targets, where more than 12,000 companies with 20-49 employees, are required to hire at least one UAE citizen in 2024 and another one in 2025....

Washington, United States - Israel has rejected a new proposal from Hamas through Qatari and Egyptian mediators for a deal involving the release of hostages in three phases, Axios portal reported citing sources. Each phase, according to the proposal, would include a pause in fighting for more than a month in...

Cairo, Egypt – ADIB-Egypt has launched its exclusive portfolio of Private Banking Services, providing a Shariah-compliant banking proposition for its high-net-worth clients. This personalized proposition is designed to offer a premium range of wealth management services catering to clients with account balances starting from EGP 20 million ($64 million) upwards, or...

Jerusalem - Israeli settlers killed at least 10 Palestinians and torched dozens of homes in the occupied West Bank in 2023, making it the "most violent" year on record for settler attacks, an Israeli watchdog said on Monday. Numerous West Bank attacks were carried out by a large group of...

TEHRAN, IRAN - Iran's Alborz warship has entered the Red Sea through the strategic Bab al-Mandeb strait, Tasnim news agency reported on Monday, at a time of heightened tensions over the globally important waterway. The agency did not give specific reasons for its deployment, but noted that Iranian military vessels had...

The rally, called by a foundation which counts Bilal Erdogan, the son of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, among its members started after crowds performed morning prayers at Istanbul's iconic mosques, including Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque.

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia -- The Islamic Development Bank Institute (IsDBI) has kicked off the development of the Islamic Finance Knowledge Pavilion Marketplace.The Pavilion will provide a digital marketplace of validated solution providers (institutions, consultants, and experts) in Islamic finance and economic development, and offer a one-stop shop for listing opportunities...

Doha, Qatar -- Qatar's foreign merchandise trade balance, which represents the difference between total exports and imports, showed a surplus of QR 16.7 billion ($4.58 billion) in Nov 2023, a decrease of about QR 9.5 billion, or 36.3 percent, compared to Nov 2022, and a decrease by nearly QR 2.3 billion or 12.1 percent compared...

An update on the PGA Tour website regarding talks said the memo, which reportedly was obtained by The Golf Channel and ESPN, addressed efforts to extend the deadline into 2024. Monahan said in his memo, according to the Golf Channel, that the PGA Tour will "continue our active and productive...

Abu Dhabi, UAE--Sheikh Zayed Festival is witnessing a large public turnout from citizens, residents and tourists from all over the world to celebrate New Year's Eve and welcome the new year 2024, which contributes significantly to increasing retail sales for exhibitors and commercial stores at the festival. During the celebration...

ABU DHABI, UAE - The prices of petrol and diesel are set to decrease in the country in January following fluctuations in the global oil market. This change reflects a continuous trend observed in the fuel prices over the past few months, with September and October witnessing increases and November...

NEW YORK, US – The Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) of the UN Security Council adopted the "Abu Dhabi Guiding Principles" and published them as an official document of the Council during the United Arab Emirates’ presidency of the CTC. This important achievement establishes a set of guidelines that address the challenges...

Abu Dhabi, UAE -- The UAE is bidding farewell to 2023, dubbed the ‘Year of Sustainability'. From hosting the relatively successful COP28 to space, the country achieved several milestones. Sustainability drive - 28th UN Climate Change Conference's (COP28) culmination in the historic ‘UAE Consensus' on climate change, which was adopted...

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Nearly 45.8 percent of employees in Saudi Arabia work more than 40 hours per week and 39.6 percent of employees work an average of 40 hours per week, according to the Health and Safety at Work Statistics for 2023 issued by the General Authority for Statistics...

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK - Shipping giant Maersk said on Sunday it was suspending the passage of vessels through a key Red Sea strait for 48 hours, after Yemeni rebels attacked one of its merchant ships. The Maersk Hangzhou, a Singapore-flagged, Denmark-owned and operated container vessel en route from Singapore to Port Suez...

The corridor was created in August to link Ukraine's ports to the Bosphorus Straits, several weeks after Moscow refused to agree on a new accord to allow cereal exports through the contested Black Sea. The now-defunct accord had allowed Ukraine to export nearly 33 million tons of cereals and other...

Manama, Bahrain--The Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BETA) began a roadshow in Shanghai and Guangzhou, China, involving prominent travel, tourism, aviation, and hotel sectors.  The roadshow aims to promote Bahrain as a prominent tourist destination in regional and global markets, enhancing the sector's contribution to the gross domestic product in...

Gaza City, Palestinian Territories - The Strip's Hamas rulers on Saturday condemned the US approval of a $147.5 million sale of high-explosive artillery munitions and related equipment to Israel. The United States announced the sale of the 155mm artillery munitions on Friday under an emergency provision that waives the normal requirement...

DUBAI, UAE – Egypt stands as the most populous Arab country with 113 million people, marking it the 14th largest population worldwide, according to a recent overview by the World Population Review and Worldometer. The data, highlighting population sizes of various countries worldwide, pointed out that the global population has...

Tehran, Iran - Iran's nuclear program remains peaceful, said Nasser Kanani, the spokesman for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on Friday in response to a joint statement from the United States and three European countries. In a press release on Friday, Kanani suggested that these countries should reconsider their...

Abu Dhabi, UAE - The UAE on Friday extradited Gergely Franc, an Albanian national, charged with premeditated murder, to Belgium. The accused was transferred according to the extradition agreement, signed by the United Arab Emirates and Belgium, following the established legal and judicial process, a trial, and as per the...

ABU DHABI, UAE - The Statistics Center - Abu Dhabi (SCAD) has reported a substantial 7.7 percent growth in the real non-oil Gross Domestic Product (GDP) the Emirate during the third quarter of 2023, in comparison to the same period in 2022. This growth is attributed to the success of...

Gaza City, Palestinian Territories - The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees said on Friday an aid convoy came under fire by the Israeli military in the Gaza Strip, without causing any casualties. "Israeli soldiers fired at an aid convoy as it returned from northern Gaza along a route designated by...

Tel Aviv, Israel - Israel is negotiating the release of hostages held by the radical Palestinian movement Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the relatives of the hostages, The Jerusalem Post reported. According to the publication, Netanyahu confirmed that Israel is working to get all the hostages...

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Maaden) on Thursday announced a discovery of substantial gold reserves, marking a significant milestone in their exploration efforts. Initiated in 2022, the company's exploration program led to discovery of a promising gold resource potential spanning across a 100-kilometer stretch from the existing...

Abu Dhabi, UAE – ADQ, an Abu Dhabi-based investment and holding company, on Thursday announced the signing of a multi-year sponsorship agreement with Pyramids Football Club (Pyramids FC), an Egyptian Premier League professional sports club. As part of the agreement, ADQ will be the Official Partner of Pyramids FC. Since its...

A report released Thursday demanded an immediate end to the use of military weapons and means during law enforcement operations, an end to arbitrary detention and ill-treatment of Palestinians, and the lifting of discriminatory movement restrictions. "The use of military tactics and weapons in law enforcement contexts, the use of...

Ramallah, Palestinian Territories -- The Palestinian Monetary Authority (PMA) said Thursday that the Israeli occupation army’s storming of six exchange companies in several governorates in the West Bank aims to undermine confidence in the Palestinian banking sector, stressing that these companies were subject to its control and supervision. The PMA...

Tunis - Tunisia and Saudi Arabia signed seven memoranda of understanding in various fields and sectors on Wednesday afternoon The agreements were signed between acting Tunisian Minister of Economy and Planning, Sihem Nemsia Boughdiri, and Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, Bandar bin Ibrahim AlKhorayef. during the 11th session...

Since 2021, France says it has handed over 15,000 visa to Afghans, "mostly women, rights defenders, journalists and magistrates". But Delphine Rouilleault, the head of the France Terre d'Asile ("France Land of Asylum") association, said that hardly anyone had landed in France over the past year.

Moscow, Russia - The aggregate GDP of the BRICS countries after the accession of its new members in 2024 will significantly exceed that of the Group of Seven (G7) countries, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a press conference following talks with his Indian counterpart, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Russian news...

Dubai – An innovative agricultural project in the United Arab Emirates, has generated $5.6 million euros from carbon credit sales. The achievement symbolizes a successful blend of economic gain and environmental responsibility, leveraging the latest trend in global climate action initiatives. Carbon credits are permits that allow a company to emit...

Last month flydubai, another low-cost Emirati airline, became the first international carrier to resume flights to Afghanistan since the chaotic withdrawal of US forces in 2021. Apart from flydubai, Afghanistan's Kam Air and Ariana Afghan Airlines currently operate limited services from Kabul to destinations including Dubai, Moscow, Islamabad and Istanbul.

Lebanon-Israel border has witnessed increasing hostilities amid the Israel-Hamas conflict since October 7, escalating exchanges involve the Israeli army and Hamas ally Hezbollah. Since hostilities began, more than 150 people have been killed on the Lebanese side, most of them Hezbollah combatants but also more than a dozen civilians, three...

Cairo, Egypt -- AD Ports Group (AD Ports) has signed a concession agreement with the Red Sea Ports Authority (RSPA) for the development and operation of a multi-purpose terminal at Safaga Seaport. The Safaga Port definitive agreement, sanctioned under the Law on the Granting of Commitment Contract issued on 1st...

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- The cornerstone was laid for an integrated SAR150 million ($39.99 million) Logistics Park at Dammam's King Abdulaziz Port by the Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) and MELDOG, the logistics arm of the Mediterranean Shipping Company. The area of the new park is 100,000 sq. meters, with capacity...

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- The Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) has invited interested parties and specialists concerned with “Key Principles of Governance in Financial Institutions” to send their feedback via the Public Consultation Platform at the National Competitiveness Center. The amended key principles aim to keep alignment with the latest regulatory...

Rafah, Palestinian Territories--Power cuts have become a fact of life in war-torn Gaza. But thanks to embedded SIM cards, Palestinians can still access the internet and maintain a channel of communication with loved ones abroad. "Without them, we'd be cut off from the world," said Hani al-Shaer, a local journalist who...

New Delhi, India - Larsen & Toubro (L&T) secured a major Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) contract for the Amaala project in Saudi Arabia's Red Sea region. The project, covering 4,155 sq km within the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Natural Reserve, is a high-end tourism destination. The contract, awarded by...

Ankara, Turkey - Drinkers are getting into something of a fizz over Turkish sparkling wine. "We are selling out very quickly. We cannot meet the growing demand especially as the New Year (celebrations) near," said Candas Misir of the Vinkara winery an hour from Ankara. When it comes to celebrating a...

Dubai, UAE - Dubai real estate annual sales comprising 127,000 deals have exceeded Dhs400 billion ($109 billion) during the current year for the first time ever, based on data from the Dubai Land Department (DLD), the highest number recorded in the history of the market. The momentum in the real estate...

A resident from the camp told AFP that troops stormed the camp from its southern and northern entrances. "The two men were killed just outside their homes," he said, asking to remain anonymous over security concerns.

Geneva, Switzerland - The head of the WHO said on Tuesday the world needs to properly prepare for future pandemics after finally ending three years of Covid "crisis, pain and loss." In his end-of-year message, World Health Organization director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said 2023 had marked a turning point in fighting...