Paris, France - With its ban of X, which went into effect on Saturday, Brazil joins a small club of countries to have taken similar measures against the social network, most of them run by authoritarian regimes. Beyond permanent bans, some nations have temporarily restricted access to X, formerly Twitter, which...

New Delhi, UAE - The number of Indians living in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries has crossed nine million, India's Minister of State for External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh, told Parliament yesterday. Indians are employed in a wide range of professions from highly qualified fintech, healthcare, information technology, engineering...

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA - According to data released by the National Center for Palms and Dates (NCPD), the value of Saudi Arabia's date exports increased by 14 percent in 2023, reaching US$389 million (SAR1.462 Billion), compared to US$341 million (SAR1.280 billion) in 2022. By the end of 2023, the number...

Cairo, Egypt--The Arab League (AL) on Sunday organized a workshop in Cairo to discuss the role of BRICS for African and Middle Eastern countries. Titled BRICS: Potential Roles, Challenges Facing African and Middle Eastern Countries, the one-day workshop discussed new memberships, expectations, and needs related to the mechanism. New BRICS...

ABU DHABI, UAE - The director general of the World Trade Organization, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on Sunday launched a $50 million fund to help female entrepreneurs in developing countries to export more using the opportunities offered by the digital economy. The announcement came ahead of the 13th ministerial conference of the WTO...

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),...

Jeddah, UAE--The Arab Tourism Organization (ATO) has signed a partnership agreement with the International Strategic Management (ISM) company to achieve growth and innovation within the tourism sector in Arab countries. The agreement comes as an extension of the ATO’s efforts to develop and enhance the tourism industry in the Arab...

The value of certificates of origin issued stood at US$65m.

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND -  The head of the World Trade Organization's fisheries talks voiced optimism  on Tuesday about striking an agreement on limiting subsidies blamed for overcapacity and overfishing. The 164 WTO members kicked off a month of negotiations this week at the global trade body's headquarters in Geneva. Iceland's ambassador Einar...

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA – flynas reported record results for its performance in 2023 compared to the previous year 2022, with a historic increase in the number of passengers to over 11.1 million passengers, growing more than 28 percent. The LCC has taken delivery of 19 new aircraft during 2023, upscaling...

Tehran, Iran — Iran has waived visa requirements for passport holders from 33 nations, signaling a significant step in opening its doors to global visitors. “The government intends to open the country's doors to the world,” Iranian Minister of Tourism Ezzatollah Zarghami, said on Wednesday as reported by Saudi Gazzete....

The other countries that signed up to the declaration include Britain, Bulgaria, Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland,  France, Hungary, South Korea,  Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania,  Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden,  Ukraine and the United Arab Emirates.

The discussions between the UAE president and the Cuban president at Expo City Dubai focused on cooperation in various fields particularly in the economic, investment, developmental, renewable energy, and sustainability sectors, aiming to broaden their scope to fulfil the aspirations of both nations for development and prosperity.

ABU DHABI, UAE - Emirates Development Bank (EDB) has committed US$350 million (AED 1.3 billion) to support the Energy Transition Accelerator Financing (ETAF) platform to accelerate the financing and drive funding of renewable energy projects in developing countries. The ETAF platform is a global climate finance facility established by the International...

BONN, GERMANY - Artificial intelligence (AI) can make substantial contributions to climate-resilient and low-emissions development. UN Climate Change’s Initiative on Artificial Intelligence for Climate Action (#AI4ClimateAction) explores the role of AI as a powerful tool for advancing and scaling up transformative climate action in developing countries. In line with the...

ABU DHABI, UAE - Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED) Ahmed Jasim Al Zaabi has said that investors from over 170 countries have chosen the UAE to invest, grow and expand over the past decade. He said that this reaffirms the trust of the global investment...

Thousands of foreigners are stuck in Israel and across the Palestinian territories, where a full-blown war has erupted since Hamas launched their attack. With the violence having already claimed thousands of lives on both sides, several countries have launched operations to repatriate their citizens, while others plan to do so...

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA - The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Pakistan here on Sunday to expand bilateral cooperation in communications and information technology by accelerating digital transformation, promoting innovation and developing digital infrastructure. Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology Eng. Abdullah Alswaha...

MOSCOW, RUSSIA – A senior Russian official said that they intend to move towards visa-free travel with all countries of Latin America. Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Latin American Department Alexander Shchetinin said that this is an achievable goal. Shchetinin told TASS about the to move towards visa-free travel...

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA - Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Mohamed AlBudaiwi said that preliminary free trade agreement (FTA) between the GCC and Pakistan will help strengthen trade relations and economic cooperation with countries and international blocs. The statement was made during the signing ceremony of the preliminary...

Tehran, Iran--Iran has exported 27.7 million tons of goods worth $9.1 billion to BRICS member countries from March 21-August 21, 2023). In the first five months of this year of 1402 in the Iranian calendar nearly 37 million tons of goods worth $25.1 billion were exchanged between Iran and current...

ABU DHABI, UAE –  Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Arab Monetary Fund Dr Abdul Rahman Bin Abdullah Al Humaidi said that Arab countries account for about 60 percent of the global Islamic financial industry, which amounted to US$3 trillion by the end of 2021. Al...

JERUSALEM - Israel offered its congratulations to Saudi Arabia on the kingdom's national day on Saturday as the two countries move closer towards a possible normalization of ties. "We send our sincere congratulations to the king, government and people of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the occasion of the...

Chinese President Xi Jinping opened the 19th Asian Games in a colourful ceremony in Hangzhou, launching a two-week sporting extravaganza that boasts more athletes than the Olympics. After being delayed by a year because of China's now-abandoned zero-Covid policy, over 12,000 competitors from 45 nations and territories will battle it...

YINCHUAN, CHINA - In the run-up to the sixth China-Arab States Expo, guests from countries and regions along the Belt and Road expressed their expectations for further cooperation with Beijing. On Tuesday, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region opened its third international friendship-cities forum in Yinchuan, the regional capital. Among...

BEIRUT, LEBANON – The secretary general of the Union of Arab Chambers has called for diversified business models to facilitate the growing economic ties between Arab countries and China. In an interview ahead of the sixth China-Arab States Expo, which is scheduled to take place from September 21 to 24...

Abu Dhabi, UAE-- UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu discussed opportunities for further bilateral collaboration in areas that serve both countries’ sustainable economic growth, including the economic, development, energy, and climate action fields in a meeting in Abu Dhabi. Sheikh Mohamed expressed his hope...

JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA - The Board of Executive Directors (BED) of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) approved to finance projects worth US$800 million for improving the living conditions of the people in member countries and attaining Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). IsDB President Dr. Mohammed Al-Jasser said that the projects were...

Countries in the Middle East, Africa and Asia must work together to combat sand and dust storms made increasingly severe by climate change, the United Nations and Iran said. “I urge you to use your time in Tehran to build partnerships, increase cooperation and commit to practical action,” UN chief...

NEW DELHI, INDIA - UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met to discuss the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and Comprehensive Economic Partnership between the two countries. The two leaders also discussed sustainable development and strengthening ties between the countries and their people. The...

AMMAN, JORDAN - Chairman of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq said the Jordanian Economic Forum with some countries of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will be held in March 2024. In a statement on Saturday, he said the agreement to set a date for the...

TEHRAN, IRAN - A number of European countries have asked to purchase Iran’s unmanned aerial vehicles, the spokesperson for the Iranian Defense Ministry said. Speaking to Tasnim, Brigadier General Reza Talaee Nik said Iranian-made military drones have a lot of potential customers. Many countries, including a number of Western and...

TEHRAN, IRAN - Iran exported $7.2 billion worth of products to West Asian countries in the first four months of the current Persian calendar year (March 21 to July 22), the director general of the Trade Promotion Organization of Iran (TPOI) for West Asia said. The administration of President Ebrahim...

BEIJING, CHINA - Between January and July 2023, Chinese enterprises made non-financial direct investments totaling US$13.69 billion (RMB95.34 billion) in Belt and Road countries, demonstrating a surge of 23.2 percent compared to the previous year. This growth amounts to approximately US$13.69 billion (a year-on-year increase of 15.3 percent), constituting nearly...

Moscow is open to equal defense cooperation with all nations seeking to protect their interests, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a video address to participants in the Army-2023 forum. “Russia is open to deepening equal technological partnership and defense cooperation” with countries seeking to protect their interests and independent...

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia-- More than 40 representatives of countries from around the world gathered in Jeddah, pledging to continue holding consultations that could pave the way for peace in Ukraine and end the deadly war. A meeting was held in Jeddah for national security advisors and representatives from over 40...

Two men set the Quran alight outside parliament in Stockholm at a protest similar to previous ones that have sparked tensions between Sweden and Middle Eastern countries. Salwan Momika and Salwan Najem kicked and stomped on the Muslim holy book, then set its pages on fire before slamming it shut.

UNITED NATIONS - The COVID-19 pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis and the war in Ukraine have pushed 165 million people into poverty since 2020, the United Nations said, calling for a pause in debt repayments for developing countries. Because of these shocks, 75 million people will have fallen into extreme poverty,...

Nearly 140 countries have taken a first step towards reaching agreement on a fairer distribution of tax revenues from multinational firms, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development said. Some 138 countries, which account for over 90 percent of global economic output, agreed on a first draft of a convention...

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...

Egypt and Turkey said they had appointed ambassadors to each others' countries for the first time in a decade, in the latest sign of warming ties. The two foreign ministries said the move "aims at the re-normalization of relations between the two countries and reflects the mutual will to develop...

MANILA, PHILIPPINES - Asian Development Bank's financing partners committed US$11.4 billion to confinance projects in 2022 that boosted the resilience of developing member countries in Asia and the Pacific, said a Partnership report. The Partnership Report 2022: Driving Growth, Boosting Resilience showcases how ADB and its partners are helping developing...

Abu Dhabi, UAE-- Prominent Abu Dhabi companies are taking part in Impower Fund Forum, the largest asset and wealth management conference in Europe that will see participation of more than 1,400 international players from nearly 60 countries. The companies from Abu Dhabi that will take part in the event include...

VIENNA, AUSTRIA - The Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) is taking part in an international conference organized by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) here. In the five-day event, which will conclude on Friday, over 500 participants from 94 countries and seven international organizations are gathering to discuss effective...

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia-- Saudi Arabia vaults to the 13th position on the air connectivity index of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in 2023, up from the 27th position in 2019. In the ranking that includes over 200 countries, the Kingdom achieved a record rise by 14 places. It achieved...

Doha, Qatar-- Qatar Chamber and Turkish officials from the Trabzon Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TCCI) and the Manisa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) have discussed ways to boost investment cooperation in a meeting in Doha. QC first vice-chairman Mohamed bin Twar Al Kuwari met at the chamber's premises...

Clashes broke out between Iranian and Taliban forces at the border between the two countries, Iranian police said without reporting casualties, amid a water dispute between the two neighbors. State news agency IRNA quoted deputy head of the police force Qassem Rezaee as saying that Taliban forces started shooting at...

Ras Al Khaimah, UAE--More than 1,800 new companies have set up their businesses in Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone (RAKEZ) in the first quarter of 2023, registering a 122 percent jump as against the same period of last year. Ramy Jallad, CEO of Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone (RAKEZ), said...

Amman, Jordan - Jordan's trade exchange with countries it has free trade agreements with accounted for a significant portion of its overall trade in 2022, amounting to 58 percent, as per data published by the Amman Chamber of Commerce. The total value of these exchanges surpassed $23 billion, with more...