Weak earnings from banking titan Goldman Sachs, a jobs warning by Microsoft, and a plunge in manufacturing data highlighted the bumpy road ahead for the United States, the world's top economy, despite optimism over inflation and the improving interest rate outlook.

Davos-Klosters, Switzerland-- India's Minister for New and Renewable Energy Raj Kumar Singh has told developed countries to '"walk the talk" on transforming food systems by helping smallholder farmers in developing countries with cheaper access to irrigation, fertilizers and markets. The minister was speaking at a session on “Interplay of Food,...

Investigators from France, Germany and Luxembourg began hearing witnesses Monday as part of the case of suspected financial misconduct including possible money laundering and embezzlement.

TUNIS, TUNISIA - Tunisian President Kais Saied's former chief of staff was sentenced in absentia on Tuesday to prison over audio recordings critical of him, local media reported. Nadia Akacha had been a key aide to Saied until she quit in January last year, citing "fundamental differences of opinion" over the...

ABU DHABI, UAE - Statistics Center – Abu Dhabi (SCAD) and the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy (DoE) have signed a service-level agreement that allows collaboration between the two parties in the field of statistical integration. This is a part of a strategy to develop an advanced statistical ecosystem which...

DUBAI, UAE - UAE Ministry of Finance (MoF) Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Dubai Free Zones Council (DFZC) on the exchange of information for tax purposes. This comes in line with the ministry’s continuous efforts to ensure that  commitment of various government entities in the UAE...

The world's second-largest economy faced historic headwinds as 2022 drew to a close, with exports plunging last month due to a drop in global demand and rigid health restrictions that hammered economic activity.

Pressure is growing among opposition exiles and activists for the European Union and United Kingdom to follow the United States and blacklist the Guards over the crackdown on the four months of protests since the death of Mahsa Amini in September.

Doha, Qatar-- Qatar's Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by 5.93 percent in December 2022 to reach 108.20 points, driven primarily by an increase in prices in the recreation and culture sectors. On monthly basis, the CPI increased by 1.24 percent when compared to CPI of November 2022. The CPI annual...

RAS AL KHAIMAH, UAE-  Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) has announced updates to its holiday homes system. RAKTDA has simplified the process for homeowners and operators to acquire permits and convert their units into perfect holiday homes for travelers visiting Ras Al Khaimah. The updates are part of...

The ILO said deficits in decent work had been worsened by multiple, overlapping crises, including Russia's war in Ukraine, emerging geopolitical tensions, an uneven recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic and continuing supply chain bottlenecks.

Petra, Jordan--King Abdullah on Sunday highlighted the importance of further developing the city of Petra, and diversifying its tourism product. During a visit to Petra, King Abdullah said developing tourism services in the "golden triangle" of Petra, Wadi Rum, and Aqaba, will have a positive impact on Petra and Jordan...

The parliament has been the focus of intense scrutiny since the scandal broke open a month ago with the arrest of one of Metsola's 14 vice-presidents after Belgian police raided homes and offices of several MEPs, former MEPs, parliamentary aides and heads of NGOs that dealt with lawmakers.

BAGHDAD, IRAQ  - Iraqi Parliamentary Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi said that an oil pipeline from Basra port to the Jordanian port of Aqaba will soon be operational pointing to many areas of cooperation between the two countries. Al-Halbousi, who spoke at a joint press conference at Baghdad airport with Jordan's Lower...

SHARJAH, UAE - Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) in 2022 continued its role in creating investment environment and reinforcing the position of the emirate of Sharjah as a global business hub. The SCCI also bolstered its competitiveness by protecting the interests of businessmen and supporting its members in...

While the official exchange rate has been fixed at 1,470 Iraqi dinars against the dollar, the currency was trading at up to 1,600 to the greenback on local markets from mid-November, before settling at about 1,570 dinars, according to state media.

Tunis, Tunisia--The President of Arab States Broadcasting Union (ASBU) and CEO of Saudi Broadcasting Authority Mohammed bin Fahd Al-Harthi has called on media institutions in the Arab countries to develop and keep pace with changes by upgrading the local digital content industry to global standards. Speaking on the sidelines of...

Around 1,700 people make a living from Petra as tour guides, trinket sellers or by taking visitors through the site on donkeys, horses, camels or electric buggies.

Tehran, Iran--Iran on Saturday executed former top defense official and dual British national Alireza Akbari, who was accused of spying for UK intelligence, the judiciary reported. Akbari was executed after being sentenced to death for "corruption on earth and harming the country's internal and external security by passing on intelligence", the...

Doha, Qatar-- The number of building permits issued in Qatar in December 2022 decreased by 18 percent (527 permits), compared to (645 permits) issued in November 2022, the Planning and Statistics Authority said. The decrease was noted the most in the municipalities of Al Rayyan (47 percent), Al Khor (37...

DUBAI, UAE - The 28th edition of the Dubai International Pharmaceutical Technologies Conference and Exhibition (DUPHAT) 2023 concluded.  The three-day event, which concluded Thursday, took place at the Dubai World Trade Center and drew more than 26,000 visitors and participants from 82 countries. Dr. Ali Al Sayed Hussain, Director of...

DUBAI, UAE - Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has organized 157 training courses and awareness sessions on occupational health and safety during 2022, with the participation of 2,170 employees from various divisions. DEWA also organized its 20th Internal Health and Safety Week, which featured various activities in all aspects...

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND– The current energy crisis is driving inflation, slowing economic growth, creating social turmoil and the world should not add to this crisis by actions which derail the energy transition, a World Economic Forum (WEF) report says. The report said that steps such as increasing production of electricity from...

ABU DHABI, UAE -  The UAE participated in the Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI) meeting in the Finance Track of the G20 for 2023 which was held under India’s G20 Presidency. The meeting was held to discuss the GPFI work plan for 2023 and agree on the financial inclusion...

The study said impelling fossil fuel firms to use technologies to suck carbon from the air and bury it back in the ground would be a cost-effective decarbonization strategy.

Tehran, Iran -- Iran has protested to Iraq over the use of the name "Arabian Gulf" for a regional football competition held in the neighboring country, state media reported Wednesday. The Islamic republic insists the body of water should be called the "Persian Gulf" and has repeatedly raised the issue with...

Paris, France--French luxury group LVMH announced a leadership shuffle on Wednesday, naming new chief executives at major brands Christian Dior Couture and Louis Vuitton. Delphine Arnault, a top executive at Louis Vuitton and daughter of billionaire LVMH boss Bernard Arnault, will become CEO of Dior perfume and fashion house, LVMH said...

TiKTok chief executive Shou Zi Chew held official talks for the first time with EU vice presidents Margrethe Vestager and Vera Jourova, the bloc's home affairs commissioner Ylva Johansson and justice commissioner Didier Reynders.

The company formerly known as Facebook is facing increasing pressure and fines to curb its practice of delivering narrowly targeted ads to its users, a practice that brings in billions of dollars in revenue from advertisers every year.

DUBAI, UAE  - The US Navy said Tuesday it had seized over 2,000 assault rifles smuggled on a fishing boat along a maritime route from Iran to Yemen. The cargo was discovered on Friday off the coast of Oman "on a route historically used to traffic illicit cargo to the Huthis...

ABU DHABI, UAE - Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ADCCI) has launched the updated version of its Effortless Certificate of Origin service, which aims to enhance customers’ experience and reduces the time taken for acquiring the service. This comes as part of its participation in the Abu Dhabi...

Some British stores stayed open late for the midnight release of the biggest royal book since Harry's mother Princess Diana collaborated with Andrew Morton for "Diana: Her True Story" in 1992.

London, United Kingdom--British retailers won a boost from higher prices over the key Christmas trading period but the volume of goods sold slumped as sky-high inflation hits broader buying, data revealed Tuesday. Revenue jumped almost seven percent in December from a year earlier largely thanks to surging food prices, according to...

The 60-year-old former lawmaker and women's rights activist was charged with "collusion against national security, propaganda against the Islamic republic and disturbing public order by participating in illegal gatherings", the lawyer said.

MUSCAT, OMAN -  UAE Minister of Education Dr. Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi and Oman Minister of Education Dr. Madiha bint Ahmed Al Shaibaniyah discussed advancing the cooperation between the two countries in the education sector.   The meeting was held in Muscat and aimed at boosting the coordination and cooperation...

China is battling a surge in cases following its decision last month to lift years of lockdowns, quarantines and mass testing that had hammered its economy and sparked rare nationwide protests.

Those reinstated include far-right activists, anti-Muslim extremists as well as others peddling election conspiracies and Covid-19 misinformation, according to an analysis by the non-profit Media Matters of dozens of restored accounts with millions of combined followers.

ANTALYA, TURKEY - The UAE Parliamentary Division of the Federal National Council (FNC), participated in the meeting of the Standing Committee on Political Affairs of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA). The FNC delegation was represented by Dr. Nidal Mohammed Al Tunaiji, Head of the UAE Parliamentary Division at APA, and...

Cairo, Egypt - A Cairo court has sentenced to life in prison a Ukrainian woman arrested at the Egyptian capital's airport with a bag of cocaine, a judicial source said Sunday. Liudmyla Balakina, who lives in the Netherlands, had been convicted of drug smuggling following her arrest in April upon arrival...

SHARJAH, UAE - The Sharjah Consultative Council (SCC), in its seventh session, held as part of the fourth regular session of the tenth legislative term discussed the policy of the Districts and Villages Affairs Department (DVAD). The SCC meeting, at its headquarters in Sharjah, was chaired by Ali Mehd Al...

DUBAI, UAE  - DEWA has completed 76.8 percent work on the water reservoir project in Hatta. The project has a storage capacity of 30 million imperial gallons (MIG) and is being built at a cost of approximately US$23 million (AED86 million). It is expected to be completed in April 2023....

Las Vegas, United States--Allowing the driver of an autonomous vehicle to watch a movie, a dealer to sell automobiles from a "virtual" car lot, or an engineer to simulate how a new part fits: the auto industry is getting a tantalizing taste of the metaverse at the huge CES technology show....

Cairo, Egypt--The Engineering Export Council (EEC) of Egypt has announced that the sector’s exports increased by 10% to $3.32bn from January-November 2022, compared to $3bn in the same period in 2021. Also read: Egypt economy to grow 5.2% in 2021-22 According to the EEC's monthly report, the most notable industries...

Paris, France--A newly discovered comet could be visible to the naked eye as it shoots past Earth and the Sun in the coming weeks for the first time in 50,000 years, astronomers have said. The comet is called C/2022 E3 (ZTF) after the Zwicky Transient Facility, which first spotted it...

Abu Dhabi, UAE- The UAE has dispatched a second consignment of household generators for the Ukrainian civilians affected by the ongoing war with Russia. In December, the UAE announced that it's sending 2,500 household generators to civilians affected by the ongoing crisis in Ukraine that has disrupted energy infrastructure and...

AMMAN, JORDAN -  Jordan's total imports of Iraqi oil between September 2021 to December 2022 amounted to 3.65 million barrels, equivalent to 490,000 tons of crude oil."Jordan imports Iraqi crude oil according to the memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the processing of crude oil signed between the Jordanian and Iraqi...

Doha, Qatar-- Real estate sales worth more than 2.25 billion Qatari Riyals ($612 million) were registered at the emirate's Real Estate Registration Department at the Ministry of Justice from Dec. 25 to Dec. 29, 2022. The weekly bulletin issued by the Real Estate Registration Department stated that the list of...

TEHRAN, IRAN - Iranian authorities have arrested a journalist who published interviews with families of death row inmates sentenced in connection with nationwide protests, the reformist daily Etemad said Friday. Fourteen Iranians have been sentenced to death in connection with the unrest triggered by Mahsa Amini's death in custody on September...

DUBAI, UAE  - Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has been awarded  with the Global Excellence Assembly Awards 2022, based in the USA, in the "Organizational Achievements" category. This is in recognition of DEWA's global achievements in total quality and excellence. DEWA is the only entity worldwide to win this...

Tunis, Tunisia - Dozens of Tunisian lawyers protested on Thursday against newly imposed taxes on legal services, part of a 2023 budget that seeks to boost revenues to the cash-strapped treasury. Led by Bar Association head Hatem Mziou, lawyers gathered outside the Palais de Justice in Tunis as well as other...