The bank lowered its projection for global GDP growth to 2.3 percent in its latest economic prospects report, down from 2.7 percent expected in January, the latest in a series of downgrades by international organizations.

Key developments across the Middle East today highlight regional diplomatic, economic and humanitarian trends

The move, which reallocates assets such as HBO Max and CNN, is the latest reflection of how streaming is remaking a media business in which Warner Brothers Discovery and other legacy players traditionally garnered considerable revenues

The Al-Amal Hospital in Gaza, one of the few still operating in the Palestinian territory, is now "virtually out of service" due to intense military activity, the head of the WHO said Monday.

Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg and other activists detained aboard a Gaza-bound aid boat have been taken to a Tel Aviv airport for deportation, Israel said Tuesday, after their vessel was intercepted by naval forces.

In a key sticking point, Iran has insisted on the right to enrich uranium at low levels for civilian use -- as allowed under a 2015 deal negotiated by former president Barack Obama which Trump tore up in his first White House term.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi Arabia’s first quarter real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 3.4 percent year-on-year, according to the latest report from the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), primarily driven by a 4.9 percent surge in non-oil activities and a 3.2 percent rise in government activities. GASTAT’s data...

The deal makes Alphawave the latest tech company to depart London.

Growing anxiety over Trump's unilateral push to fast-track deep-sea mining in international waters shot to the surface at the opening of the UN Ocean Conference in France.

Dubai, UAE -- The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has kicked off 2025 with a record-breaking first quarter in mergers and acquisitions (M&A), as deal value soared to $46 billion—a 66% increase year-on-year (YoY). According to Saudi M&A Consulting, this robust growth reflects rising investor confidence, favorable regulatory...

After a round of talks in Geneva last month, the United States and China will sit down at the negotiating table in London on Monday to attempt to preserve a fragile truce on trade, despite simmering tensions.

Brussels, Belgium - Ukraine's "creativity", including its massive "Spider's web" drone attack deep inside Russia, holds profound lessons for Western militaries, the top NATO commander overseeing battlefield innovation told AFP. "What the Ukrainians did in Russia was a Trojan horse -- and the trojan horse was thousands of years ago,"...

The Madleen departed from Italy on June 1 to bring awareness to food shortages in Gaza, which the United Nations has referred to as the "hungriest place on Earth", with the entire population at risk of famine.

Nice, France - A global summit on the dire state of the oceans kicks off Monday in France, with calls to ban bottom trawling and bolster protections for the world's overexploited marine areas. World leaders attending the UN Ocean Conference in Nice have been told to come up with concrete...

New York, United States -- US airlines and aerospace manufacturers insist they have no use for tariff protections, warning that the proposed Trump administration levies could eat into the healthy trade surplus the sector has enjoyed for more than 70 years. At the request of President Donald Trump, Commerce Secretary...

Tehran, Iran -- Iran's parliament speaker said on Sunday that the latest US proposal for a nuclear deal does not include the lifting of sanctions, state media reported as negotiations appear to have hit a roadblock. The two foes have held five rounds of Omani-mediated talks since April, seeking to...

I have instructed the military to prevent the Madleen flotilla from reaching Gaza," Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement from his office. "Turn back because you will not reach Gaza," Katz added, calling the activists "Hamas propaganda mouthpieces".

Xingyi, China -- Surrounded by the rubble of demolished homes, Chen Tianming's ramshackle tower of faded plyboards and contorted beams juts into the sky in southwestern China, a teetering monument to one man's stubbornness. Authorities razed most of Chen's village in Guizhou province in 2018 to build a lucrative tourist...

Only eight countries have won the World Cup in 22 editions up to the most recent tournament in Qatar, when Argentina defeated France on penalties in an epic final. That was their third title, a tally bettered only by Brazil with their record five crowns.

Nice, France -- France is hosting world leaders this week to confront what the United Nations calls a global "emergency" in the oceans -- but what is expected, and can the summit make a difference? There is pressure on the UN Ocean Conference starting Monday in Nice to show that...

Qatar's foreign reserves rise 3.6 percent year-on-year despite a dip in bonds and treasury holdings, Iraq releases Australian and Egyptian engineers and other developments.

Apple will showcase plans for its coveted devices and the software powering them at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) kicking off Monday in Silicon Valley.

Cairo, Egypt - An aid ship with 12 activists on board, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, is nearing Gaza, having reached the Egyptian coast, organisers said Saturday. The Madleen, part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, left Sicily last week with a cargo of relief supplies "to break Israel's blockade...

Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli forces killed at least 13 Palestinians on Saturday, six of them in a shooting incident near a US-backed aid distribution centre in the territory's south.

Tehran, Iran - Tehran denounced on Saturday the US travel ban on Iranians and citizens of 11 other mostly Middle Eastern and African countries, saying Washington's decision was a sign of a "racist mentality". US President Donald Trump signed on Wednesday an executive order reviving sweeping restrictions that echo his...

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted that Israel is supporting an armed group in Gaza that opposes the militant group Hamas, following comments by a former minister that Israel had transferred weapons to it.

Washington, United States - US President Donald Trump said Friday that Elon Musk had "lost his mind" but insisted he wanted to move on from the fiery split with his billionaire former ally. The blistering public break-up between the world's richest person and the world's most powerful is fraught with...

Thursday's attacks on what the Israeli military said were underground Hezbollah drone factories came after an Israeli evacuation call on the eve of Eid al-Adha, a key Muslim religious festival, and sent huge numbers of residents of Beirut's southern suburbs fleeing.

The Ukrainian air force said Russia had fired 206 drones and nine missiles and added that "the air attack was repelled by aviation, anti-aircraft missile troops, electronic warfare and unmanned systems units, and mobile fire groups of the Ukrainian Defense Forces".

"This is a final and urgent warning ahead of an impending strike," army spokesman Avichay Adraee said. The army "will strike all areas from which rockets are launched."

Paris, France -- French anti-terror prosecutors have opened probes into "complicity in genocide" and "incitement to genocide" after French-Israelis allegedly blocked aid intended for war-torn Gaza last year, they said on Friday. The two investigations, opened after legal complaints, were also to look into possible "complicity in crimes against humanity"...

Mina, Saudi Arabia -- Near the holy city of Makkah, men in white robes stand quietly in a long queue, waiting for the next important act of their hajj pilgrimage: a haircut. Shaving or cutting the hair comes near the end of the hajj, and marks the moment when pilgrims...

Saudi Arabia records the lowest Hajj attendance in three decades—outside the pandemic years—triggered by tighter visa restrictions; Special Envoy Zhai Jun meets Egypt’s Foreign Minister to discuss the Gaza crisis and broader Middle East peace efforts.

The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on four judges at the International Criminal Court including over an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as it ramped up pressure to neuter the court of last resort.

Negotiator Khalil al-Hayya made the declaration in a speech marking the start of Eid al-Adha festivities, typically a joyous date on the Muslim calendar, but one many Gazans say they will not be able to celebrate this year amid crushing shortages.

Under a November ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group was required to pull its fighters out and dismantle its military infrastructure south of the Litani.

Tokyo, Japan -- Gamers finally got their hands on Nintendo's new Switch 2 on Thursday, the console that could score record early sales for the Japanese "Super Mario" creator. The device, which features a bigger screen and more processing power, is an upgrade to the Switch that became a global...

The accusation against Israel of genocide has been made with increasing force from quarters ranging from "Schindler's List" star Ralph Fiennes to Amnesty International and some Israeli historians.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Former Inter boss Simone Inzaghi was revealed as the new coach of Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal on Thursday, days before they take part in the new-look Club World Cup. The Italian, who led Inter to a heavy defeat in Saturday's Champions League final, had earlier played...

The 10-year contract was signed with Centrica.

As the region pivots toward a post-oil future, recent developments across the Middle East and North Africa suggest an accelerating shift—driven by policy ambition, digital reform, and investment recalibration.

Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani condemned on Wednesday Israeli strikes in retaliation for overnight rocket fire, saying they were aimed at destabilising his country.

As the Islamic festival of Eid al-Adha approaches, Fatima Kharraz can't seem to find the usual sense of celebration after drought-stricken Morocco urged people to forego the traditional sheep sacrifice this year.

Washington, United States - US President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced a ban on visas for foreign students who are set to begin attending Harvard University, ramping up his administration's crackdown on higher education. "I have determined that it is necessary to restrict the entry of foreign nationals who seek...

To make this year's pilgrimage safer, authorities have expanded infrastructure, deployed thousands of extra personnel and relied on an arsenal of high-tech tools to help better manage crowds.

Sales to countries considered part of the Abraham Accords -- the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco who signed groundbreaking normalization agreements with Israel in 2020 -- appeared to have sharply risen from 3 percent in 2023 to 12 percent.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has revised upwards its forecast for Saudi Arabia's economic growth to 6 percent in 2025, an increase from the earlier prediction of 5.5 percent. This adjustment from earlier estimates reflects the impact of extended oil production cuts and a slower-than-expected rebound...

Dublin, Ireland -- Ireland's prestigious Trinity College Dublin said on Wednesday that it would cut all links with Israel in protest at "ongoing violations of international and humanitarian law". The university's board informed students by email on Wednesday that it had accepted the recommendations of a taskforce to sever "institutional...

Makkah, Saudi Arabia -- Working day and night in front of maps, screens and seemingly endless data, Saudi officials have harnessed artificial intelligence to help manage the million-strong sea of pilgrims during the hajj. The technology has proven pivotal to track the overwhelming amount of footage from more than 15,000...

About 1.4 million pilgrims arrived in Saudi Arabia ahead of the multi-day hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam that must be performed at least once by all Muslims with the means.