Geneva, Switzerland -- The world urgently needs to find a global approach on regulating artificial intelligence, the United Nations' top tech chief said this week, warning that fragmentation could deepen risks and inequalities. Doreen Bogdan-Martin, head of the UN's International Telecommunications Union (ITU) agency, told AFP she hoped that AI...

"The suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths," the signatories, including Britain, France, Australia, Canada and 21 other countries, plus the EU, said in a statement.

The measures range from suspending the entire accord or curbing trade ties to sanctioning Israeli ministers, imposing an arms embargo and halting visa-free travel.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday condemned US President Donald Trump's threat to impose 30-percent tariffs on the European Union, calling on the bloc to "resolutely defend European interests."

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Thursday said Gaza was in a "catastrophic situation of genocide" and urged the European Union to immediately suspend its cooperation deal with Israel.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will meet with his French, German, British and EU counterparts in Geneva on Friday to discuss Iran's nuclear programme.

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the European Union had yet to offer a "fair deal" on trade, as Washington negotiates tariff agreements with friends and foes alike.

Madrid will host 20 countries as well as international organizations with the aim of "stopping this war, which no longer has any goal", Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares told France Info radio. Humanitarian aid must enter Gaza "massively, unimpeded, neutrally, so that it is not Israel who decides who...

Washington, United States - President Donald Trump rekindled the US trade war on Friday, threatening to impose a 50 percent tariff on the European Union -- and drawing a strong response from European politicians. If they come into effect, the new duties on Brussels would dramatically raise Washington's current baseline...

Their solidarity came to the fore on Wednesday, when Austria and Germany broke ranks with European Union peers to argue against a review ordered by Brussels of an EU-Israel cooperation deal.

EU countries agreed Tuesday to lift all their remaining economic sanctions on Syria in a bid to help the war-torn country recover after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad.

Voels, Austria -- At a laboratory in Austria's mountainous Tyrol province, scientists are DNA testing about 100 honey samples a month to learn about their composition -- and in some cases to determine whether they have been adulterated. With fake honey flooding markets, and only a few European laboratories running...

Emirati President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan "and I just decided to launch negotiations on an EU-UAE free trade agreement," the European Commission president wrote on X. "This agreement will strengthen our bilateral relations and contribute to the prosperity of the broader region."

The tariff announcements rattled stock markets while safe haven gold hit a new record high, oil prices fell and the dollar slumped against other major currencies.

Paris, France -- From champagne to steel and now cars: it is getting harder to keep up with US President Donald Trump's growing tariff target list and the retaliatory measures by trade partners. Here is a rundown of what has been implemented, threatened and coming next in an escalating trade...

The European Union defied US threats of retaliation Wednesday by accusing Google of violating its digital rules -- which could trigger hefty fines -- and ordering Apple to make its iPhone interact better with rivals' devices.

The steep 25-percent levies came into place after midnight with no exemptions despite countries' efforts to avert them, in a step up from fresh duties Trump already imposed on Canada, Mexico and China since returning to the White House. The European Commission swiftly unveiled retaliation starting in April, while Canada...

The United Nations and the European Union also urged Trump on Friday to reverse the decision ordering asset freezes and travel bans against ICC officials, employees and their family members, along with anyone deemed to have helped the court's investigations.

The platform faces accusations of espionage in the United States, while the European Union has launched an investigation into claims it was used to sway Romania's presidential election in favor of a far-right candidate.

While Berlin and other governments said they were watching the fast-moving developments in the war-ravaged nation, Vienna signaled it would soon deport refugees back to Syria.

ran's foreign ministry Tuesday slammed as unjustified the new sanctions by the European Union and Britain against Tehran over its support for Russia's war on Ukraine.

EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell voiced regret Friday that no power, including the United States, can "stop" Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying he appears determined to crush militants in Gaza and Lebanon.

Brussels, Belgium -- The European Commission gave the green light Tuesday for an Emirati group to acquire the assets of a Czech telecom operator -- after it agreed not to use foreign subsidies to distort competition in the EU.Emirates Telecommunications (e&), whose majority stakeholder is the United Arab Emirates government, signed...

Escalating clashes between Israel and Hezbollah threatened to overshadow US President Joe Biden's final appearance at the UN's signature annual event on Tuesday as diplomats scrambled to avert an all-out regional war.

Paris, France -- The UN has published a draft on climate financing due to be presented at the COP29 in November, laying out the conflicting positions from which the main country blocs will try to clinch the next climate deal.The document, which AFP consulted Friday, is the basis for negotiating an...

From the autumn, Apple said developers in the EU "can communicate and promote offers for purchases" wherever they want, for example, via an alternative app marketplace. But in Thursday's announcement, Apple said the changes mean developers will have a new fee structure for customers linking out of an app for...

The announcement is the second diplomatic blow this week after the International Criminal Court prosecutor said he would seek arrest warrants for Israel's prime minister and Hamas leaders.

Syrian state news agency SANA reported that an unspecified number of people had arrived from Lebanon as part of the initiative to repatriate several hundred Syrians .

Meloni's latest visit to Tunisia came as part of her so-called Mattei Plan, a program aiming to posit Italy as a key bridge between Africa and Europe.

Against the backdrop of the grinding conflict in Gaza, a city largely devastated by more than six months of war and a siege on its 2.4 million people, the Security Council is expected to take up the matter of full Palestinian UN membership this Thursday, several diplomatic sources told AFP....

The United States announced Tuesday that it was preparing new sanctions on Iran's missile and drone program after last weekend’s attack on Israel, and the EU's foreign policy chief signaled the bloc would levy new punitive measures as well.Iran has characterized its attack on Israel as an act of self-defense...

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM – The EU will put more pressure on the most popular online platforms, like X and TikTok, to tackle the risk of election disinformation or face fines, an EU official said on Friday.The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, is expected to adopt new guidelines, likely on Tuesday, ahead...

Brussels, Belgium-- The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the European Union have held talks in Brussels in order to enhance relations between the two blocs.In this connection, Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), today held a discussion session with members of the European Union (EU) Political...

Brussels, Belgium - A group of EU countries including Germany on Tuesday pushed for a green light to start membership negotiations with Bosnia, but others such as France seemed reluctant to proceed.The EU's 27 leaders will debate at a summit on Thursday a proposal from the bloc's executive to launch the...

Madrid, Spain--Spain said Thursday it would give an additional $21.87 million to the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA, which is facing a cash crunch after several nations suspended their funding.The agency has been at the centre of controversy since Israel accused about a dozen of its employees of involvement in the...

The head of the UNRWA is set to defend his organization's work at the General Assembly, after crippling backlash over accusations that some employees were involved in Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel. Philippe Lazzarini warned in a letter to the General Assembly's president that his agency is at a...

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - The EU on Friday used new regulatory powers to query Meta about ad-free subscriptions to Facebook and Instagram as well as claims some voices are suppressed online in a phenomenon known as "shadow banning".The European Commission made a request for information under the mammoth content moderation law known as...

Brussels, Belgium - Bank customers will soon be able to transfer money across Europe within seconds after the EU adopted a law on Monday forcing banks to offer bloc-wide instant payments.Under the new rules, people in Europe will be able to transfer money within 10 seconds at any time of the...

LONDON, UK – The price of natural gas in Europe fell again on Friday, taking it to its lowest in almost three years as mild winter weather continues and European stockpiles hold up.Mid-morning on Friday, the benchmark Dutch TTF futures contract was down 3.2 percent at US$24.3 (22.45 euros) a megawatt-hour...

There was "virtual unanimity for the two-state solution as the only possible solution," Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira told journalists at the close of a two-day meeting of foreign ministers from the world's biggest economies. "The only reason (Vieira) didn't simply say 'unanimity' is that not every speaker addressed the...

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the situation in the Israel-occupied West Bank posed a major obstacle to finding a long-term solution for peace between Israel and the Palestinians. "The West Bank is the real obstacle for the two-state solution," Borrell said at the Munich Security Conference.

Munich, Germany-- The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Sweden have discussed ways to ramp up cooperation in several areas, besides looking to enhance ties between the GCC and variou European nations.In this regard, Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, Secretary-General of the GCC, and Tobias Billström, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom...

Strasbourg, France - The EU on Tuesday urged a 90-percent cut to its greenhouse gas emissions by 2040, even as the bloc's transition to a greener future was clouded by a widespread farmers' revolt."Based on the best available science, and a detailed impact assessment, we are recommending that the 2040 target should...

For EU leaders, it is their way or the highway as the wealthy, powerful bloc seeks to tame opposition and browbeat defiant countries and individuals into submission.

UNRWA said Friday it had sacked several employees accused by Israel of involvement in Hamas's unprecedented October 7 attack, prompting the United States to suspend critical funding. The head of the agency, Philippe Lazzarini, vowed to hold "accountable, including through criminal prosecution" any UNRWA employee found to have taken part...

"Today marks a decisive victory for the international rule of law and a significant milestone in the search for justice for the Palestinian people," said the foreign affairs ministry of South Africa, which brought the case before the ICJ.

iPhone users can download alternative app stores.

TRIPOLI, LIBYA - The flood that devastated Libya's eastern port city of Derna last year has impacted up to 1.5 million people and will require $1.8 billion for reconstruction, according to a new report.On September 10, Storm Daniel hit the east coast of Libya, causing floods that collapsed two dams in...

Abdelrahman Iyad, wounded in Gaza and now being treated aboard the French helicopter carrier Dixmude, docked in Egypt, said he did not have time to leave his house before it was hit. "I was with my parents, my brother, my sister, my second sister and her husband and their daughter....

European Union economy commissioner Paolo Gentiloni warned that violence in the Red Sea sparked by Houthi attacks on shipping could push up energy prices and inflation in the bloc. "We know that we're starting this year with subdued growth, increasing concerns on the downside risks caused by the geopolitical tensions,"...