ABU DHABI, UAE - The UAE ranked seventh in the world in terms of per capita national income, according to the latest data released by the World Bank. The per capita income in the UAE, based on purchasing power parity (PPP) in current international dollars, rose to Int$87,729 in July...

The Egyptian pound has lost half its value against the dollar since early last year, shooting prices upward and adding to the burden of families struggling to make ends meet in the import-dependent country. The latest figures, a rise of almost 37 percent from June last year, also showed a...

PGA Tour and the Public Investment Fund (PIF) are partnering on creating a for-profit company that combines the PGA Tour's commercial business and its media rights. 

Dubai, UAE - Chinese electric vehicle brand Zeekr is set to make its debut in the Middle East as it enters the Israeli market in the fourth quarter of this year, Bloomberg reported.  Zeekr, a subsidiary of Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, has partnered with Israeli distributor Union Group to establish...

Dubai, UAE-- Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has reported a 10 percent increase in revenues for 2022 to $953 million from its digital channels. The company has also recorded 814 million digital transactions up from 676 million in 2021, a 20 percent growth rate. The company also reported a...

Dubai, UAE - Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) in the UAE has recently announced that its 3D printing efforts have resulted in significant cost savings of AED 509,658 ($137,000) during the years 2021 and 2022.  The organization successfully produced over 1,800 spare parts for various divisions including generation, transmission,...

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi Arabia's General Directorate of Narcotics Control (GDNC) have arrested a citizen in Jeddah governorate for smuggling 209,000 pills of the narcotic methamphetamine. Legal action has been taken against him, and the case has been referred to the Public Prosecution, SPA reported. Security authorities have requested...

AMMAN, JORDAN- Jordanian forces have killed three fugitives including two who had recently escaped jail in a raid near the kingdom's border with Saudi Arabia, authorities said on Sunday. Security forces raided on Saturday the hideout of three wanted fugitives "near the kingdom's southeastern border",  Public Security Directorate spokesman Amer Sartawi...

BAGHDAD, IRAQ - A powerful alliance of pro-Iran factions in Iraq called on Sunday on Baghdad to pressure the United States to unlock pending payments to Tehran for crucial gas imports. Iraq, ravaged by decades of conflict and international sanctions, relies on gas imported from its eastern neighbor for a third...

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia--Saudi Arabia and France have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to cooperate in the field of energy, with a focus on renewable resources. In this connection, Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman and his French counterpart, Agnes Pannier-Runacher, signed the agreement. The two countries released a...

Dubai, UAE-- During the first half of 2023 the Dubai Police has recorded some 65,942 smart transactions at its 22 "smart police stations" spread across the emirate of Dubai. The police said that a total of 65,942 smart transactions were conveniently and smartly processed without any human intervention. These included...

TRIPOLI, LIBYA- Rivals in politically divided Libya have agreed to form a committee on sharing oil revenues, a move welcomed on Saturday by the UN, after military strongman Khalifa Haftar sought a "fair" split. Haftar, who backs the country's eastern administration, had last Monday called for a committee to address the...

ROME, ITALY - World cereal production is predicted to hit a record high in 2023-24, according to the latest Cereal Supply and Demand Brief, released by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on Saturday. FAO raised its 2023 global cereal production forecast to 2 819 million tonnes, indicating a 1.1...

Geneva, Switzerland - Saudi Arabia played up its efforts to empower women and promote their participation in the country's economic development during the 53rd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva. The event was organized by the Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the...

TEHRAN, IRAN -  Four assailants were killed on Saturday after blasting their way into an Iranian police compound, leaving one officer dead in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan near the Pakistani border, state media said. "Four unidentified armed individuals attacked and entered police station Number 16 of Zahedan", the capital of...

Mumbai, India--The UAE’s Minister of State for Public Education and Advanced Technology Sarah Al Amiri has urged the global community to collaborate more closely in the field of research and innovation in order to find solutions to international challenges. Addressing ministers at the G20 Research and Innovation Initiative Gathering (RIIG)...

Dubai, UAE - Israel ranks in 5th place out of the 167 countries on the index of the world’s healthiest and unhealthiest countries.  Singapore was rated as having the top service and state of health globally in 2023. Asia is well represented generally, with the four top places rounded off...

Abu Dhabi, UAE-- In order to protect natural rangelands and promote sustainable traditional grazing practices, the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) has begun issuing licenses to owners and breeders of livestock to regulate grazing and all related activities in Abu Dhabi. The licensing policy has been introduced to ensure...

Moscow, Russia - Russia on Friday confirmed the reduction of oil supplies to markets by 500,000 barrels daily in August by lowering exports and other actions needed for this purpose, the Russian Ministry of Energy told the Russian news agency TASS. Supplies will be lowered in addition to earlier assumed...

NABLUS, PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES -  Three Palestinians were killed on Friday in the occupied West Bank, a day after the United Nations urged a "meaningful political process" to stem renewed violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israeli forces killed two Palestinian fighters when a firefight erupted during an Israeli raid on the northern...

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND -  A panel of AI-enabled humanoid robots told a United Nations summit on Friday that they could eventually run the world better than humans. But the social robots said they felt humans should proceed with caution when embracing the rapidly-developing potential of artificial intelligence. And they admitted that they...

Dubai, UAE -- A total of 3,244 real estate transactions worth over AED 13.6 billion ($3.70 billion) were conducted during the week ending 7th July, 2023, according to figures released by the Dubai Land Department (DLD). The DLD report showed that 323 plots were sold for AED 3.33 billion, while...

Dubai, UAE -- The World Price Index of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) fell last June to its lowest level in more than two years, driven by the lower cost of sugar, vegetable oils, cereals and dairy products.The organization's index that tracks the prices of...

Dubai, UAE -- Kuwait ranked third and Qatar 22nd on the list -- prepared by the World of Statistics -- of the countries with large millionaire populations. About 15 percent of Kuwaitis were millionaires, after Hong Kong's 15.3 percent and Switzerland, which had the highest number of millionaires (15.5 percent)...

Women drivers in Saudi Arabia is just one example, Jawhara al-Wabili says, of how women's rights have blossomed in recent years, allowing them to become ambassadors, bank directors, university administrators and even astronauts. Saudi scientist Rayyanah Barnawi took part in a mission to the International Space Station just this past...

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - The Formula One Organizing Committee announced on Thursday the initial calendar for the 2024 FIA Formula One World Championship, which begins in Bahrain on March 2 and ends in Abu Dhabi on December 8. The 4th edition of the Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will...

Ankara, Turkiye - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is set to visit Turkiye on Friday to discuss the Black Sea grain deal and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine with President Tayyip Erdogan, according to Turkiye's state-run Anadolu Agency.  The grain deal, brokered by Turkiye and the United Nations last year, enables...

Dubai, UAE - The United Arab Emirates (UAE) pledged on Thursday $15 million to support the rebuilding efforts in the Palestinian city of Jenin in the occupied West Bank. The announcement comes in the wake of a major Israeli operation in the area earlier this week, which resulted in significant...

BEIRUT, LEBANON - The vice-governors of Lebanon's central bank plan to resign unless politicians swiftly name an incoming governor, two senior officials at the crisis-hit country's top financial body told AFP on Thursday. The term of embattled three-decade chief Riad Salameh ends this month with no successor in sight, setting the...

LONDON, UK - Shell's chief executive told the BBC on Thursday that cutting gas and oil output would be "irresponsible" because it could further lift energy bills and worsen the cost-of-living crisis. Wael Sawan was asked about recent comments from UN head Antonio Guterres, who had declared it was "moral and...

Petteri Taalas, secretary-general of the UN's World Meteorological Organization, warned on Monday that El Nino "will greatly increase the likelihood of breaking temperature records and triggering more extreme heat in many parts of the world and in the ocean."

Doha, Qatar -- International reserves and foreign currency liquidity of Qatar Central Bank (QCB) rose to reach QR 240.742 billion ($66.11 billion) in June, an increase of 14 percent, compared to QR 211.176 billion last year, Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported. The figures issued Thursday by QCB showed an increase...

Dubai, UAE -- Remittances from expatriates in Saudi Arabia saw a slight decline year-on-year (YoY) to SAR 11.3 billion ($3.01 billion) in May, according to recent data released by the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA). On a month-on-month (MoM) basis, remittances from expats in Saudi Arabia increased 14 percent, or SAR...

Ankara,Turkey - Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan discussed, in a phone call on Wednesday with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, expansion of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and Black Sea Grain Initiative agreement. They also discussed cooperation in combating the threat posed by synthetic drugs, in addition...

New Delhi, India - Russian academic Sergey Luzyanin has suggested that the United Arab Emirates' Dirham could be considered as a potential currency for India-Russia trade in an interaction between Indian and Russian experts following the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) virtual summit organized by India.   The discussion, organized by the...

Abu Dhabi, UAE-- AD Ports Logistics (ADPL) has signed an agreement with Acino to provide the Swiss company with global freight-forwarding services, inclusive of sea and air transport in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The agreement will see ADPL leverage its fully integrated and GDP-certified end-to-end pharma...

Paris, France - Saudi Arabia is continuing its multi-billion-dollar entry into all aspects of global culture, hitting a new milestone on Thursday with the first Saudi designer presenting at Paris Fashion Week. Mohammed Ashi's haute couture show -- his first as part of the official roster after years of dressing top...

London, UK--Bahrain and the United Kingdom have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on biodiversity and marine pollution. The MoU aims to create a framework of action between Bahrain’s Supreme Council for Environment (SCE) and Britain’s Cefas by allowing them to explore areas of cooperation in monitoring the environment, marine...

Vienna, Austria - Energy and oil ministers from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) on Wednesday expressed support for the latest production cuts by Saudi Arabia, Russia, and Algeria. Saudi Arabia on Monday extended its voluntary production cut of 1 million barrels per day (bpd) into August, while Russia...

Abu Dhabi, UAE - The total direct and indirect economic impact is estimated at AED 48 billion ($13 billion) the UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi told  the Emirates News Agency (WAM).  Al Zeyoudi said that the UAE is one of the largest...

Dubai, UAE - The International Federation for Falconry Sports and Racing (IFFSR) announced it will host the inaugural editions of the IFFSR Cup for international teams and the International Forum for Falconry Sports and Racing in December 2023. Second Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Chairman of the Federation Sheikh Ahmed...

The raid, Israel's biggest military operation in years in the West Bank, employed hundreds of troops as well as drone strikes and army bulldozers that ripped up streets. During the raid on the Jenin camp in the West Bank, the army said it had uncovered militant hideouts, arms depots and...

Dubai, UAE - Saudi Arabia has introduced a new electronic visa system for Muslims intending to embark on the spiritual journey of Umrah.  The Ministry of Haj and Umrah aims to facilitate the pilgrimage experience for Muslims worldwide by initiating this streamlined online application process. The visa issuance has commenced,...

Vienna, Austria-- Egypt plans to drill new gas wells in the Mediterranean Sea and the Nile Delta as part of its ambitious $1.8 billion offshore exploration program. According to Tarek El Molla, Egypt's Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, the country is developing several exp fields in the Mediterranean Sea,...

Manama, Bahrain - The Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) has announced that the monthly issue of the short-term Islamic leasing bonds, Sukuk Al-Ijara, has been oversubscribed by 329 percent. Subscriptions worth BD 85.648 million ($227.46 million) were received for the BD 26 million ($68.92 million) issue. The Sukuk Al-Ijara has...

Abu Dhabi, UAE - The Barakah One Company (Barakah One) - a joint-venture between the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) and the Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) - has completed the refinancing of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant, working with key banking institutions in the UAE. The company has refinanced...

Crude is the main revenue source for Libya, which has been torn by more than a decade of stop-start conflict, involving foreign powers and a myriad of militias, since a NATO-backed revolt toppled strongman Moamer Kadhafi in 2011.

PARIS, FRANCE- Elon Musk spent the weekend further alienating Twitter users with more drastic changes to the social media giant, and he is facing a new challenge as tech nemesis Mark Zuckerberg prepares to launch a rival app this week. Zuckerberg's Meta group, which owns Facebook, has listed a new app...

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM -  Seven tech giants, including Amazon and Apple, have informed the European Union they meet the threshold to come under landmark new rules to curb their market dominance, Brussels said on Tuesday. The firms - Google parent Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, TikTok owner ByteDance, Facebook umbrella Meta, Microsoft and Samsung...

The UN hopes to lay out a clear blueprint on the way forward for handling AI, as development of the technology races ahead the capacity to set its boundaries. The "AI for Good Global Summit", being held in Geneva on Thursday and Friday, will bring together around 3,000 experts from...