Syria's foreign minister met with an Israeli diplomatic delegation in Paris on Tuesday to discuss "de-escalation and non-interference in Syria’s internal affairs", state news agency SANA reported.

Sydney, Australia - Australia's national newswire has agreed to provide content to Google's Gemini artificial intelligence to improve its responses, the two firms said. Financial details of the agreement, which was announced Tuesday, were not provided. The deal would help deliver real-time information to "enhance" responses in the Gemini app,...

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit China later in August, his security chief said on Tuesday during talks with Beijing's foreign minister in New Delhi.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu upbraided President Emmanuel Macron in a letter seen by AFP on Tuesday, blaming the French leader's move to recognise a Palestinian state for fuelling antisemitism.

Johannesburg, South Africa -- South African police said they arrested Tuesday the former owner of the world's largest rhino conservation farm on charges of smuggling the horns of the endangered animals. John Hume was arrested with five other people following a "complex investigation into transnational trafficking of rhino horns" that...

Mediators are awaiting an official Israeli response to the plan, a day after Hamas signaled its readiness for a fresh round of talks aimed at ending nearly two years of war.

Dubai, UAE --  ‘Big-ticket’ events are playing a pivotal role in driving international tourism and accelerating economic growth, according to experts speaking recently at Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2025. In the GCC alone, the event and exhibition market is expected to reach US$827 million by 2029, growing at a CAGR...

The head of Syria's commission for missing persons said Monday the number of people who went missing during decades of Assad family rule and the civil war may have exceeded 300,000.

Rubio, to the delight of President Donald Trump's right-wing base, has proudly moved against students using an obscure law that allows him to rescind visas for people deemed to counter US foreign policy interests.

Trump met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday but the talks failed to yield any breakthrough on a ceasefire -- though White House envoy Steve Witkoff said both leaders had agreed to provide "robust security guarantees" to Ukraine.

Paris, France -- The global games industry gathers for the vast Gamescom trade fair in Cologne this week, with hopes that upcoming heavy-hitters like "GTA VI" can help the industry escape its doldrums. Tuesday's opening night event will show off major releases slated for the months ahead, with the starring...

Dubai, UAE -- Dubai International Chamber, one of the three chambers operating under the umbrella of Dubai Chambers, has announced that it attracted 143 companies to Dubai during H1 2025, representing a 138 percent increase compared to the 60 companies attracted in H1 2024. These included 31 multinational companies (MNCs),...

Dubai, United Arab Emirates -- Dubai police said on Monday they caught three thieves just hours after they stole a precious pink diamond worth $25 million. "The Dubai Police General Command has foiled the theft of a very rare pink diamond, valued at $25 million," the police said in a...

"The movement has submitted its response, agreeing to the mediators' new proposal. We pray to God to extinguish the fire of this war on our people," senior Hamas official Bassem Naim said.

Thousands signed a petition to "Save Hankorab" after discovering a contract between an unnamed government entity and an investment company to build a resort.

European leaders will join Zelensky in Washington on Monday, seeking above all else to prevent another Oval Office meltdown -- but also to coordinate on the path toward peace negotiations.

Tehran, Iran - The streets of Tehran have become a confusing maze for driver Farshad Fooladi amid widespread GPS disruption, still ongoing nearly two months after the end of Iran and Israel's unprecedented 12-day war. "For weeks I have been unable to work," said Fooladi, who uses Iran's homegrown ride-hailing...

Israel said Sunday it targeted an energy infrastructure site in Yemen's capital Sanaa, linked to the Iran-backed Huthi rebels behind repeated attacks on Israel during the Gaza war.

Muscat, Oman -- The latest data released by the Statistical Centre for the Cooperation Council for the Arab Countries of the Gulf (GCC-Stat) showed that the value of gross national income (the total income earned by citizens and companies) of the GCC countries at current prices in 2023 amounted to...

Damascus, Syria -- Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has said the battle to unify his country after years of civil war "should not be with blood", rejecting any partition and accusing Israel of meddling in the south. His remarks, released by state TV on Sunday, came as hundreds demonstrated in south...

A huge Israeli flag covered with portraits of the remaining captives was unfurled in Tel Aviv's so-called Hostage Square -- which has been a focal point for protests throughout the war. Demonstrators also blocked roads, including the highway connecting Tel Aviv and Jerusalem where they set tires on fire

Geneva, Switzerland -- An investigation conducted by the World Economic Forum's board on Friday cleared the body's founder Klaus Schwab and his wife of wrongdoing, after a probe into whistleblower complaints. "Following a thorough review of all facts, the Board has concluded that ... there is no evidence of material...

The deal involves its Jafurah gas facilities.

The latest deadly strike comes as Israeli military hinted at an approaching call to push civilians from Gaza City ahead of a new offensive.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- First, deeply religious Saudi Arabia opened its doors to Western raves and music festivals. Now it's turning to long-neglected Saudi traditions as it seeks to draw tourists and reshape its national identity. In "Terhal", a lavish stage show in Riyadh, an actor in a red-and-white headdress...

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Saturday that Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu has become a "problem", adding she would try to put pressure on Israel over the Gaza war as her country currently holds the EU presidency.

A young Palestinian woman who was flown from Gaza to an Italian hospital in a severely emaciated state for treatment has died, the hospital said Saturday.

Prior to the high-stakes meeting in Alaska, securing an immediate cessation of hostilities had been a core demand of Trump and European leaders including Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky,

Anchorage, United States - Stepping foot on Western soil for the first time since he ordered the invasion of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin basked in choreographed pageantry courtesy of Donald Trump -- but was also confronted by signs of US power. In made-for-television images, Putin and Trump each flew in their...

"There's no deal until there's a deal," Trump said after emerging from a meeting with Putin. offering warm words but taking no questions from reporters - a highly unusual approach for the media-savvy US president.

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem vowed Friday to fight government plans to disarm his group, with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam accusing him of making "unacceptable" threats to unleash civil war.

The World Economic Forum has named BlackRock CEO Larry Fink and Swiss entrepreneur André Hoffmann as interim co-chairs, with both leaders vowing to steer the organization into “a new chapter” focused on global collaboration and shared prosperity.

Negotiators from 185 nations worked beyond Thursday's deadline and through the night in an ultimately futile search for common ground. A large bloc wants bold action such as curbing plastic production, while a smaller clutch of oil-producing states want to focus more narrowly on waste management.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Baker Eid Ahmed just can't get away from Saudi Arabia's notorious heat: he makes bread next to a sweltering oven for 13 hours a day, only to step outside into summer temperatures that can soar past 45C. Armed with an ice-cold water bottle and a wet...

"While 994 were killed in the vicinity of GHF (Gaza Humanitarian Foundation) sites, 766 were killed along the routes of supply convoys. Most of these killings were committed by the Israeli military," UNRWA said.

"I'll be setting tariffs next week and the week after, on steel and, I would say, chips. Chips and semiconductors, we'll be setting sometime next week, the week after," Trump said.

Beirut, Lebanon - Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem has thanked a senior Iranian official for his country's ongoing support in confronting Israel, the Lebanese militant group said on Thursday. For decades, Tehran has been the main backer of the Shiite Muslim group, which emerged badly weakened from last year's war with...

Israel's finance minister on Thursday backed plans to build 3,400 homes in a particularly contentious area of the occupied West Bank, calling for the territory's annexation in response to several countries' plans to recognise a Palestinian state.

New York, United States - Wall Street stocks finished little changed Thursday as markets absorbed a disappointing inflation report, while oil prices shot higher on the eve of a US-Russia summit on Ukraine. After a negative start, major US indices worked their way back up to even following July wholesale...

In a draft peace plan published in June, Russia called on Ukraine to withdraw its forces from the Kherson, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions that Moscow claimed to annex in 2022.

Bitcoin hit a new peak at $124,514.59 in Asian trading, before cooling to around $121,500. The world's biggest cryptocurrency is benefitting from expectations that the Federal Reserve will cut US interest rates before 2026.

According to the joint letter, whose signatories include Oxfam and Doctors Without Borders (MSF), at least 60 requests to bring aid into Gaza were rejected in July alone.

The group's revenue reached $7.73 billion.

Human Health and Social Work activities registered the highest growth rate, rising 26 percent compared to the same period last year.

Tokyo, Japan - Bitcoin hit a record high on Thursday during early Asian trading, surpassing $124,000, driven by favourable US legislation and a rise in US equities. The cryptocurrency rose above its previous July record, briefly exceeding $124,500 before retreating.US stocks ended higher Wednesday, with the S&P 500 index and...

Putin and Trump will meet Friday at an air base in the far-northern US state, the first time the Russian leader has been permitted on Western soil since his February 2022 invasion of Ukraine which has killed tens of thousands of people.

Geneva, Switzerland - Attempts to finalise a landmark treaty combating plastic pollution descended into disarray on the penultimate day on Wednesday as dozens of countries rejected outright the latest draft text, leaving the talks in limbo. With some 30 hours left to seal a deal among the 184 countries gathered...

Lebanese leaders firmly rejected any efforts at foreign interference during a visit by Iran's security chief Wednesday, with the prime minister saying Beirut would "tolerate neither tutelage nor diktat" after Tehran voiced opposition to plans to disarm Hezbollah.

The approval for the expanded offensive comes days after Israel's security cabinet called for the seizure of Gaza's largest city, following 22 months of war that have created dire humanitarian conditions in the Palestinian territory.

San Francisco, United States -- Elon Musk has accused Apple of unfairly favoring ChatGPT on its App Store and threatened legal action, triggering a fiery exchange with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on Tuesday. "Apple is behaving in a manner that makes it impossible for any AI company besides OpenAI to...