The go-ahead for a new round of talks on a Gaza ceasefire came a day after the world's top court ordered Israel to ensure aid reaches desperate civilians. But despite a binding UN Security Council resolution earlier this week demanding an "immediate ceasefire", fighting raged on unabated in Gaza.

Dubai, UAE - As China's outbound tourism steadily rebounds from the pandemic's impact, the Middle East is emerging as a preferred destination for Chinese travelers, alongside traditional hotspots like Thailand and Malaysia. Data from online travel agencies including Ctrip, Tongcheng, Tuniu, Mafengwo, and Zuzuche indicates a significant rise in Chinese...

Doha, Qatar - Mediator Qatar said on Tuesday that talks between Hamas and Israel on a Gaza truce and hostage release are continuing, despite the warring parties trading blame over the lack of headway. Foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said the talks were "ongoing", adding there had not been "any development...

All 14 other members voted in favor of the resolution which "demands an immediate ceasefire" for Ramadan. The resolution calls for the truce to lead to a "lasting, sustainable ceasefire" and demands that Hamas and other groups free hostages.

Dubai, UAE - The UAE's total assets abroad, encompassing both governmental and private investments, have reached $2.5 trillion as of early 2024. Jamal Bin Saif Al Jarwan, chief of the UAE International Investors Council, said that UAE investments abroad are performing well despite global economic fluctuations. The UAE secured the top...

Antonio Guterres repeated his call for an "immediate humanitarian ceasefire" to alleviate "the plight of Palestinian children, women and men struggling to survive the nightmare in Gaza during a press conference in Cairo. On Saturday, the UN chief had visited the Rafah border crossing with Gaza.

Cairo, Egypt-- UAE's President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and his counterpart from Egypt Abdel Fattah El-Sisi met in Cairo to discuss the close bonds between the two countries and ways to expand them further. The two leaders explored opportunities for further collaboration within the framework of the strategic...

Rafah, Egypt - UN chief Antonio Guterres, on a visit to the doorstep of Gaza, on Saturday said the world has seen enough of the war's horrors and appealed for a ceasefire to allow in more aid. "Palestinians in Gaza -- children, women, men -- remain stuck in a non-stop nightmare,"...

JERUSALEM - Israel's foreign minister said on Saturday the United Nations had become an "anti-Israeli body" under Antonio Guterres, after the UN chief called for a ceasefire on a visit to Gaza's border. International outrage over the heavy civilian toll and humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where Israel battles Hamas fighters,...

Blinken is due to travel on to Egypt, which neighbors Gaza and whose envoys have been involved in previous mediation efforts. In Jeddah and Cairo, Blinken will discuss efforts to reach an "immediate ceasefire agreement that secures the release of all remaining hostages", State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said.

Blinken will hold talks with Saudi leaders in Jeddah on Wednesday before travelling to Cairo on Thursday for talks with Egyptian authorities, spokesman Matthew Miller said from the Philippines, where Blinken is touring. -This will be Blinken's sixth trip to the Middle East since the start of the war.

The financial assistance includes "$3 billion for financial support to Government’s programs and $3 billion for the private sector (including mobilization) – subject to Board approval," it added. Egypt, the Arab world's most populous nation, is in dire need of financial help as it weathers a severe economic crisis marked...

The talks in the Qatari capital are the first after weeks of intense negotiations involving Qatari, US and Egyptian mediators failed to secure a truce between Israel and Hamas for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which began last week. Vowing to destroy Hamas, Israel has carried out a relentless...

Cairo, Egypt -  Historic al-Azhar Mosque marked its 1084th anniversary of its founding on March 17,  celebrated by al-Azhar ash-Sharif with distinguished scholars and leaders in attendance.  The event, held annually on the seventh day of Ramadan, features various activities highlighting the mosque's rich history, educational institutions, notable scholars, and...

CAIRO, EGYPT – A major fire here destroyed one of the Arab world's most prestigious and oldest film production houses, founded 80 years ago, an AFP journalist said. Flames overtook the Al-Ahram Studio in Cairo's Giza district, burning everything inside and spreading to three surrounding buildings which were evacuated before the...

During the proposed truce, Gaza militants would release about 42 hostages seized during the October 7 attack that triggered the war in Gaza, the official said, requesting anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks. The official said that between 20 and 50 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails would...

The firm’s performance was fueled by strong growth.

In the wasteland of Jabalia, northern Gaza, Palestinians gathered to receive meals at a distribution point. "There is no gas to cook our food on. There is no flour or rice," said Bassam al-Hou, standing beside large, blackened cooking pots among the rubble.

Rome, Italy - The UN's food agency on Thursday said it was pressing Israel to allow it to use the Ashdod port north of Gaza to make it easier to reach starving Palestinians. "We have several requests with the Israelis," World Food Program (WFP) Deputy Executive Director Carl Skau told AFP in...

A senior Hamas official confirmed that the group's delegation in talks seeking a Gaza truce left Cairo for consultations in Doha, while voicing dissatisfaction with Israel's responses. "We are awaiting the final official response from the enemy (Israel)," said the official, who was involved in negotiations in Cairo but declined...

While negotiators in Cairo tried to surmount tough stumbling blocks, fighting again raged in Gaza where the UN warns famine looms and desperate crowds have stopped and looted food aid trucks. Gazans were waiting to collect bags of flour outside an office of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA,...

The agreement, announced by Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and the IMF's mission chief for Egypt, Ivanna Vladkova Hollar, came hours after the country's central bank hiked interest rates and said it was floating the pound. By the time the markets closed on Wednesday, the Egyptian pound was trading at a...

Cairo, Egypt-- Qatar and Egypt have discussed enhancing ties in the field of civil aviation between the two countries. In this connection, the civil aviation officials from the two countries held talks in Cairo to boost the cooperation. Mohamed bin Faleh Al Hajri, in charge of managing Qatar Civil Aviation...

Palestinian Territories - A Hamas delegation was expected to fly to Cairo on Saturday for talks on a truce in Gaza, a source close to the group told AFP, as mediators scrambled to secure a deal. Egyptian, Qatari and US go-betweens have been shuttling between Israeli and Hamas negotiators, trying...

Hamas said that seven more hostages seized during its unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7 had died because of Israeli military operations in Gaza. Meanwhile, four more children have died of "malnutrition and dehydration" in war-torn Gaza, the Hamas-ruled territory's health ministry said, the latest such reported deaths...

Cairo, Egypt--Egypt has signed seven Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) on Wednesday in green hydrogen and renewable energy with seven global developers with expected investments worth $41 billion over ten years, the Egyptian Government announced. Egyptian Minister of Planning and Economic Development Hala Al-Saeed said that the agreements represent a new...

Netanyahu has faced increasing public pressure over the fate of the remaining hostages. Itamar Ben Gvir, Israel's far-right national security minister, said Netanyahu should not accept Hamas's "delusional requests" in negotiations, adding that "the war must continue", according to news website Ynet.

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...

Doha, Qatar - Qatar is "hopeful" of a Gaza war ceasefire and is pushing for an agreement before Ramadan, its foreign ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday. The gas-rich Gulf state, which hosts Hamas's political bureau, has been a key mediator in negotiations involving the Palestinian fighters, Israel, the United States and...

"The plan states that Israel will move forward with its already-in-motion project to establish a security buffer zone on the Palestinian side of the strip's border," the report said, adding the zone would remain "as long as there is a security need for it" The plan envisages Gaza's "complete demilitarization."

Madbouly said the investment would "contribute to resolving" a hard currency crunch which has threatened Egypt's ability to service its large foreign debt and allow it end separate official and black market exchange rates for the Egyptian pound.

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...

Heavy fighting rocked besieged Gaza as aid agencies warned of looming famine and new talks were held in Cairo towards an Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage release deal. The White House sent Middle East envoy Brett McGurk for renewed talks, a day after a UNSC resolution calling for a ceasefire was...

The International Court of Justice is holding a week of hearings after a request from the UN, with an unprecedented 52 countries giving their views on Israel's occupation. Most speakers have demanded that Israel end its occupation, which came after a six-day Arab-Israeli war in 1967, but Washington came to...

It plans to hike investments in the country to US$5 billion.

Truce efforts intensified this week as Qatar and fellow mediators Egypt and the US scrambled to secure a ceasefire before Israeli troops enter Rafah, the last major population center in Gaza untouched by Israeli ground troops. Despite a direct appeal from US President Joe Biden earlier this week, Netanyahu insisted...

Palestinian Territories - Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh on Saturday reiterated the group's demand of a complete ceasefire in Gaza, a day after US President Joe Biden called for a "temporary truce" to secure the release of hostages. High-level negotiations to pause the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza were held this week...

"The recognition of a Palestinian state is not a taboo for France," he said at a joint press conference in Paris with Jordan's King Abdullah II. Macron also repeated a warning against Israel attacking the city of Rafah, the southernmost point in the besieged and bombarded Palestinian territory of Gaza.

Palestinian Territories - Israel faced renewed calls from key ally the United States on Friday against launching a large-scale attack on Gaza's southern city of Rafah, where nearly 1.5 million Palestinians are trapped. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted he would push ahead with a "powerful" operation in the...

Speaking before an Arab League meeting in Cairo, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, on his second trip to Egypt and his first during his current term, condemned Israel's war in the Gaza Strip, saying that there must be and end to "this inhumanity and cowardice" in the besieged enclave...

The annual net profit in 2022 was US$470 million.

The JV is expected to be completed in the second half of 2024.

The UN and many governments across the world have expressed alarm about the possible civilian toll of an Israeli assault against the southern city of Rafah. The negotiations, which also involved Qatar's prime minister and Egyptian officials, were part of an intensifying effort to secure a ceasefire.

CIA director William Burns met with Mossad chief David Barnea in Cairo for a new round of talks on a Qatari-brokered plan to temporarily halt fighting in exchange for Hamas freeing hostages. The two intelligence chiefs were joined by Qatar's prime minister and Egyptian officials, Egyptian media reported -- two...

Despite maintaining its ties with Israel since the Israel-Hamas war began in October, the UAE has been at pains to express solidarity with Palestinians as anger mounted in the Arab world over the conflict.

Foreign governments, including Israel's key ally the United States, and aid groups have voiced deep concern over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's vow to extend operations. Rafah, on the border with Egypt, has remained the last refuge for Palestinians fleeing Israel's relentless bombardment elsewhere in the Gaza Strip.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week said he had ordered troops to prepare to go in to the city, crowded with displaced Palestinians, as it hunts down those responsible for the deadly October 7 attacks on southern Israel. The announcement has prompted concern from foreign governments including the United States...

Saudi Arabia, home to the holiest sites in Islam, has never recognised Israel, though officials were considering doing so before the Hamas' October 7 attack. Israeli ground offensive has killed at least 27,840 people, mostly women and children, according to the Gaza health ministry.

"We expect the negotiations to be very complex and difficult but Hamas is open to discussions and the movement is keen to reach a ceasefire," added the official, who is familiar with the negotiations. "The two parties will hold several rounds of negotiations indirectly," he said on condition of anonymity

"There's a lot of work to be done, but we are very much focused on doing that work and hopefully being able to resume the release of hostages that was interrupted" after a week-long truce in November, he said. The US top envoy, on his fifth Middle East tour since...