Sydney, Australia - Abu Dhabi's state-owned oil company is leading a takeover bid for Australian energy group Santos, valuing it at US$18.7 billion, Santos said Monday. Santos's board said it plans to unanimously recommend the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company's offer to shareholders if it can agree on the takeover...

Mediators Qatar and Oman were told by Iran that Tehran "will not negotiate while under attack", an official briefed on the talks said Sunday, amid a massive exchange of strikes between Israel and the Islamic republic.

Trump has praised Israel's strikes, noting it used US weapons, even though Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defied his public calls to hold off as the United States sought a negotiated solution with Iran on the state's contested nuclear work.

Israel's military said its air force hit Mashhad airport in Iran's far east, making it the longest-range strike of the conflict with the target "approximately 2,300 kilometers (1,430 miles) from Israel".

New York, United States -- US President Donald Trump pocketed more than $57 million from token sales by the crypto venture he and his sons helped launch last year, according to federal financial disclosure forms released by the White House. The more than 230-page document issued by the Office of...

Bat Yam, Israel -- A shocked Julia Zilbergoltz said she had never experienced anything like the Iranian missile strike that hit her home in central Israel early Sunday. "I'm stressed and in shock. I've been through hard times in my life, but I've never been in a situation like this,"...

Rights groups such as Amnesty International and Oxfam organized the demonstration through the city to the International Court of Justice, creating a so-called "red line". With many waving Palestinian flags and some chanting "Stop the Genocide", the demonstrators turned a central park in the city into a sea of red...

Iran announced it will scale back cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), expressing deep dissatisfaction over what it views as the agency’s failure to condemn Israeli attacks on its nuclear facilities.

New York, United States -- The global commercial aviation fleet will stand just under 50,000 planes in 2044, with most built over the next 20 years, according to a Boeing forecast released Saturday. The global fleet will nearly double to 49,600, a bit below Boeing's prior annual outlook, the company...

Copenhagen, Denmark -- The Saudi Export-Import Bank (Saudi EXIM) participated as a sponsor of the TXF Global 2025 conference held in Copenhagen, Denmark, from June 10 to 12, aiming to enhance the bank’s role in global trade and establish strategic partnerships to support the growth and competitiveness of Saudi non-oil...

New York, United States -- ChatGPT-maker OpenAI has enlisted the legendary designer behind the iPhone to create an irresistible gadget for using generative artificial intelligence (AI). The ability to engage digital assistants as easily as speaking with friends is being built into eyewear, speakers, computers and smartphones, but some argue...

Britain is deploying assets, including fighter jets, to the Middle East amid tensions between Iran and Israel, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Saturday heading to Canada for G7 talks.

Cairo, Egypt - Egyptian authorities announced on Saturday that the long-awaited inauguration of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) would once again be delayed as a result of escalating regional tensions. "In view of the ongoing regional developments, it was decided to postpone the official inauguration of the Grand Egyptian Museum,...

Almaty, Kazakhstan - Russian nuclear energy giant Rosatom will lead the construction of the first atomic power plant in Kazakhstan, the world's top uranium producer, the Central Asian country's authorities said on Saturday. "Rosatom has been named as the leader of the international consortium for the construction of the first...

Following decades of enmity and conflict by proxy, it is the first time that Israel and Iran have traded fire with such intensity, with fears of a prolonged conflict engulfing the region.

Tensions spiked as Iran fired ballistic missiles at Israel in retaliation for Israeli air raids that killed senior Iranian military leaders and hit nuclear sites. Both nations reported casualties and damage amid calls from the US and UK to pursue dialogue and de-escalation.

Paris, France - French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday that next week's UN conference on a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians in New York had been postponed, but would be held "as soon as possible". Macron made the announcement after Israel pounded Iran in a series of...

Pro-Palestinian activists seeking to march to Gaza with the stated aim of breaking Israel's blockade on the territory were stopped Friday in both Libya and Egypt, organisers said.

Pro-Palestinian student protest leader Mahmoud Khalil remained in US detention Friday despite an expected release, his lawyer said, following reported accusations of inaccuracies in his permanent residency application.

Air raids sirens and explosions rang out across Israel after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took to the airwaves to warn he expected "several waves of Iranian attacks" in response.

UN Ocean Conference wrapped up Friday with world leaders taking major steps toward marine protection and vowing a showdown when nations meet to negotiate rules for deep-sea mining next month.

Trump warns Tehran that the "next planned attacks" will be "even more brutal" and said Iran should cut a deal to roll back its nuclear program "before there is nothing left".

Geneva, Switzerland -- A clutch of one-off and hitherto unseen ceramic plates and dishes by Pablo Picasso are going under the hammer in Geneva on June 19. Emblematic motifs from Picasso's artistic universe -- pigeons, fish, a goat, a bull, and a bird adorn the colorful plates and dishes. "It's...

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia -- Saudi Arabia and Qatar will host the Asian qualifying playoffs for the 2026 World Cup, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said Friday. Six teams, the third and fourth-placed sides from the recent Asian qualifiers, namely Indonesia, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates,...

ICAN said Britain, China, France, India, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia and the United States together spent nearly $10 billion more than in 2023.

Washington, United States - The United States still hopes to hold talks Sunday with Iran, even after Israel launched a massive attack on the Islamic republic, a US official said. "We still intend to have talks Sunday," the official told AFP on condition of anonymity. The official had no further...

In the financial sector, Fitch Ratings has projected a notable uptick in mergers and acquisitions within Saudi Arabia’s insurance industry. In Jordan, tourism revenue rose 17.5% in May to $630 million, bringing total earnings for the first five months of 2025 to $3.06 billion.

Israel charged on Thursday that Hamas was "weaponising suffering in Gaza" after a US and Israeli-backed charity accused the Palestinian militant group of killing eight of its aid workers in the territory.

Israel's operation struck at the "heart of Iran's nuclear enrichment programme", taking aim at the atomic facility in Natanz and nuclear scientists, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

While officials initially said everyone aboard was feared dead, state health official Dhananjay Dwivedi told AFP later that one passenger had survived after the plane smashed into a residential area. Several videos posted on social media showed an aircraft rapidly losing altitude -- with its nose up -- before it...

Washington, United States -- Chip giant Micron Technology on Thursday said it was expanding its domestic investment plan to $200 billion as its seeks to boost US semiconductor manufacturing, with the backing of the Trump administration. The move, aimed at strengthening America's domestic chip supply chain, represents an additional $30...

Like the text blocked by Washington to protect its Israeli allies, the draft resolution before the General Assembly calls for "an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire." It also demands "the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages" seized during the unprecedented Hamas attack inside Israel on October 7

For humans, spotting the difference between a Lacoste polo shirt and a fake sporting the brand's crocodile logo can be tricky. French startup Vrai AI believes its artificial intelligence model can tell the two apart based on a simple photo.

Regional tensions, high-stakes defence deals, and new innovation-led collaborations defined the Middle East and North Africa landscape on Wednesday. Here’s your quick briefing:

Israel's defence minister on Wednesday called on Egypt to block two pro-Palestinian activist convoys planning to head to Egypt's Rafah border crossing with Gaza.

The Gaza civil defence agency said Israeli forces opened fire on people waiting to enter a US-backed food distribution centre on Wednesday, killing 31 and wounding "about 200".

"All its bases are within our reach, we have access to them, and without hesitation we will target all of them in the host countries," Iran's Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh said in response to US threats of military action if the talks fail.

Turkey's defence sector, including the famous Bayraktar drones, accounts for a significant share of the country's export revenues.

Paris, France -- Drawing high-powered tech CEOs and a presidential visit, the Vivatech trade fair opened in Paris on Wednesday with a bang as Nvidia boss Jensen Huang announced a major push into Europe. "In just two years we will increase the amount of AI computing capacity in Europe by...

Trump said on his Truth Social platform that China would supply rare earth minerals and magnets -- vital elements for American industries -- while Washington would allow Chinese students to remain in US universities.

Brussels, Belgium -- The EU on Wednesday urged Israel to undo a move by a far-right minister that threatens to paralyze Palestinian financial institutions. Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich announced Tuesday that Israel had cancelled a waiver allowing its banks to work with Palestinian ones. "The European Union is deeply...

Sharjah, UAE --  Sharjah's real-estate market during May 2025 recorded a total of 8,415 transactions worth AED 5.5 billion.  Of these, 1,574 were sales transactions, accounting for 18.7% of the total, a clear indicator of increasing demand for real estate. The total traded area of sales transactions reached 13.2 million...

Australia qualified for next year's World Cup in North America while Oman ended Palestine's hopes of a first appearance at the finals with a last-gasp draw on Tuesday.

Iran has said it will present a counter-proposal to the latest draft from Washington, which it had criticised for failing to offer sanctions relief in return for curbs on its nuclear programme.

China has extended visa-free entry for up to 30 days to citizens of Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, and Bahrain—boosting bilateral tourism and commerce from June 9, 2025, through June 8, 2026.

Tel Aviv, Israel - Campaigner Greta Thunberg arrived home in Sweden late Tuesday, after Israel detained her and other activists aboard a Gaza-bound aid boat and deported some. Of the 12 activists on board the Madleen, which was carrying food and supplies for Gaza, four including Thunberg agreed to be deported...

Gazan mother Amal Abu Shalouf ran her hand over her son's face and hair, a brief farewell before a man abruptly sealed the body bag carrying the three-year-old who was killed just hours earlier on Tuesday.

The European Commission said it added Algeria, Angola, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Laos, Lebanon, Namibia, Nepal and Venezuela, along with Monaco, to the list of countries subject to extra monitoring of their money laundering controls.

Abu Dhabi, UAE -- ADNOC Gas announced Tuesday it has made a final investment decision on the first phase of its landmark Rich Gas Development (RGD) Project, awarding $5 billion in contracts to kickstart its largest-ever capital investment. The massive project is central to the UAE's strategy to boost liquid...

San Francisco, United States -- Technology veteran IBM on Tuesday laid out a plan to have a "practical" quantum computer tackling big problems before the end of this decade. Current quantum computers are still experimental and face significant challenges, including high error rates. Companies like IBM, Google, and others are...