San Francisco, United States -- OpenAI released a keenly awaited new generation of its hallmark ChatGPT on Thursday, touting "significant" advancements in artificial intelligence capabilities as a global race over the technology accelerates. ChatGPT-5 is rolling out free to all users of the AI tool, which is used by nearly 700...

The figure, calculated by the two organizations, stands in contrast with the 2.4 percent rate in force at the time of President Donald Trump's inauguration on January 20.

European Council chief Antonio Costa warned "such a decision must have consequences" for EU-Israel ties, while Germany said it was halting arms shipment to Israel.

It will pay $843m in H1 dividend.

"Netanyahu's plans to escalate the aggression confirm beyond any doubt his desire to get rid of the captives and sacrifice them in pursuit of his personal interests and extremist ideological agenda," Hamas said in a statement.

US President Donald Trump announced he will host the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan on Friday for what he called a "Historic Peace Summit" aimed at ending a decades-long conflict between two former Soviet republics.

With Washington pressing Lebanon to take action on the matter, US envoy Tom Barrack has made several visits to Beirut in recent weeks, presenting officials with a proposal that includes a timetable for Hezbollah's disarmament.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he discussed defence and security cooperation with Senegal's visiting prime minister Ousmane Sonko on Thursday, hailing Turkey's growing ties with Africa.

"We want to hand it over to Arab forces that will govern it properly without threatening us and giving Gazans a good life. That's not possible with Hamas," the Israeli PM told Fox News.

The US president unveiled the levy at the White House on Wednesday ahead of the imposition of sweeping tariffs on goods from dozens of countries, with chips so far exempt. It comes with the United States and China locked in a high-stakes race to develop the high-end semiconductors used to...

Tokyo, Japan -- Airline ANA said Thursday that, together with a US start-up, it hopes to have electric "air taxis" whizzing over Japan from as early as 2027. ANA and California-based Joby Aviation said they will establish a joint venture with a view to deploying more than 100 of the...

The sinkholes are marketed as a tourist attraction in Dhofar, whose temperate climate draws many visitors from the Gulf during its punishing summers.

Hezbollah said Wednesday that it would treat a Lebanese government decision to disarm the militant group "as if it did not exist", accusing the cabinet of committing a "grave sin".

Tangiers, Morocco - Animal welfare groups have accused Morocco of culling stray dogs as it prepares to host football's 2030 World Cup, but the kingdom denies the accusations, vowing to protect the canines. Advocates have charged that Morocco was indiscriminately ridding its streets of strays ahead of the global sporting...

The survey, which dates from July 28, found that 8.6 percent of Gaza's farmland was accessible, but only 1.5 percent, or 2.3 square kilometres (less than one square mile) was both accessible and usable.

Israeli authorities have banned Jerusalem's top Muslim cleric from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound for six months over a recent sermon, his attorney told AFP on Wednesday.

Washington, United States -- Apple will invest an additional $100 billion in the United States, taking its total pledge to $600 billion over the next four years, a senior White House official said Wednesday. The announcement, which was first reported by US media, will be officially made later Wednesday at...

The Israeli press, citing officials, has predicted an escalation of operations, including in densely populated areas where hostages are believed to be held, such as Gaza City and refugee camps.

Since the overthrow of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December, Syria's new authorities have worked to attract investment for the reconstruction of infrastructure destroyed in the country's devastating civil war.

Plastic pollution is so ubiquitous that microplastics have been found on the highest mountain peaks, in the deepest ocean trench and scattered throughout almost every part of the human body.

Israeli media said the premier was considering ordering the total occupation of the Palestinian territory, with public broadcaster Kan reporting that "Netanyahu wants the Israeli army to conquer the entire Gaza Strip."

Dubai, UAE --  Nearly 60 percent of travelers in the UAE trust Artificial Intelligence (AI) to plan every aspect of their trips, compared to 48 percent of travelers in other countries, with this figure predicted to rise as technology becomes more embedded into consumer habits. According to a recent report...

We’re witnessing a period of dramatic adjustment in international trade, as tariffs and geopolitical tensions disrupt or reorient supply chains. However, despite these upheavals, globalization is unlikely to abate. History has shown that even the most challenging twists and turns cannot put a brake on its forward momentum.

"The GHF ... is an utterly disturbing example of how humanitarian relief can be exploited for covert military and geopolitical agendas in serious breach of international law," the experts said.

The company posted 31% increase in revenue.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Neo Space Group (NSG), a Public Investment Fund (PIF) company, has announced the launch of the Earth Observation (EO) Marketplace, the Kingdom’s first dedicated EO data marketplace, powered by UP42 – a company fully owned by NSG. The platform is designed to meet the growing demand...

San Francisco, United States -- Meta on Tuesday said it shut nearly seven million WhatsApp accounts linked to scammers in the first half of this year and is ramping up safeguards against such schemes. "Our team identified the accounts and disabled them before the criminal organizations that created them could...

Geneva, Switzerland -- Nations must resolve the global plastics crisis, the head of UN talks told negotiators from 180 countries gathered in Geneva on Tuesday to forge a landmark treaty on eliminating the life-threatening waste. "We are facing a global crisis," Ecuadoran diplomat Luis Vayas Valdivieso said at the start...

Jerusalem, Undefined - A "projectile" fired towards Israel from Yemen was intercepted, but not before air-raid warnings sounded across the country, the Israeli military said Tuesday. "Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in several areas in Israel, a missile that was launched from Yemen was intercepted by...

Hostage families and peace activists want Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to secure a ceasefire with Hamas and free the remaining captives abducted during the October 2023 Hamas attacks.

Iran said Monday it would hold the United States accountable for attacks on its nuclear sites in any future negotiations, while ruling out direct talks with Washington.

President Donald Trump threatened Monday to "substantially" hike US tariffs on goods from India over its purchases of Russian oil -- a key source of revenue for Moscow's war on Ukraine.

Washington, United States -- Tesla announced an "interim" compensation award worth about $29 billion for Elon Musk on Monday, asserting the need to retain the controversial CEO at a moment of fierce competition for top talent. The electric vehicle maker said in a statement it will award a distribution of...

His statement came after hundreds of retired Israeli security chiefs wrote to US President Donald Trump to urge him to convince Netanyahu to end the war.

Will supply 0.5mmtpa of LNG to India's HPCL.

Amman, Jordan -- Jordan has seen a decrease in the number of tourists visiting its famed ancient city of Petra and other sites since the Gaza war began in October 2023, according to officials. Although Jordan does not border the Gaza Strip, it has been among several countries across the...

New York, United States - Generative artificial intelligence assistants like ChatGPT are cutting into traditional online search traffic, depriving news sites of visitors and impacting the advertising revenue they desperately need, in a crushing blow to an industry already fighting for survival. "The next three or four years will be...

In response, Hamas's armed wing said it would allow the agency access to the hostages but only if "humanitarian corridors" for food and aid were opened "across all areas of the Gaza Strip".

The new body - which will be chaired by the president and include top military commanders among other senior officials and ministers - will be tasked with "reviewing defence strategies" and "enhancing the capabilities of Iran's armed forces", it added.

Israel's military said Sunday ground troops had operated in southern Syria, seizing weapons and questioning individuals suspected of arms trafficking, in the latest cross-border raid since the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December.

Dubai, UAE -- The first half of 2025 saw the completion of 24 real estate projects valued at AED 4.5 billion ($1.22 billion), according to data from the Dubai Land Department (DLD). This momentum is part of a wider growth trajectory, with 726 projects currently under construction across the emirate,...

Singapore, Singapore -- Tunisia's Ahmed Jaouadi added the 1,500m freestyle world title to his 800m crown on Sunday for a Singapore double, with two-time Olympic champion Bobby Finke only third. Jaouadi won a thriller to grab gold in 14min 34.41sec, ahead of Germany's Sven Schwarz (14:35.69) and the American world...

One of the largest marches took place in Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian Authority located just north of Jerusalem, with hundreds gathering at the main square, waving Palestinian flags.

Mumbai, India -- Indian filmmakers are locking up the rights to movie titles that can profit from the patriotism fanned by a four-day conflict with Pakistan, which killed more than 70 people. The nuclear-armed rivals exchanged artillery, drone and air strikes in May, after India blamed Pakistan for an armed...

Moscow, Russia -- A volcano erupted for the first time in 450 years in Russia's eastern Kamchatka region, the nation's emergency authority said Sunday, days after one of the strongest earthquakes on record hit the region. Pictures released by Russian state media show a towering plume of ash spewing from...

Nearly 1,400 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip while waiting for aid since May 27, the majority by the Israeli army, the United Nations said.

Iraq, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria and Oman, along with the Saudis and Russians currently produce about 41-42 mbd.

The Israeli military said it intercepted a missile fired from Yemen on Friday, which the Iran-backed Huthi rebels said they had launched.

Istanbul, Turkey - Turkey on Saturday turned on a supply of natural gas from Azerbaijan to Syria, whose infrastructure was ravaged by civil war, with annual deliveries expected to reach up to two billion cubic metres. Syria's Islamist authorities, who toppled Bashar al-Assad in December, are seeking to rebuild the...

US envoy Steve Witkoff on Saturday met the anguished families of Israeli hostages still held in Gaza, as fears for the captives' survival mounted almost 22 months into the war sparked by Hamas's October 2023 attack.