"We need to find an answer for the ultimate question: how to end this war. That's, that's basically, I think, the key point of the entire negotiations," Sheikh Mohammed added. Qatar, alongside Egypt and the United States, brokered a truce between Israel and Hamas in Gaza which came into effect...

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi Arabia and Qatar announced on Sunday that they would settle Syria's debt to the World Bank totaling roughly $15 million, according to a statement published by the Saudi Press Agency. Both Gulf states have played a key role in the diplomatic outreach to Syria's new...

Although the cause of the blast was not immediately clear, the port's customs office said in a statement carried by state TV that it probably resulted from a fire that broke out at the hazardous and chemical materials storage depot.

Abbas's close aide, 69-year-old Hussein was appointed as the first ever vice president of the Palestine Liberation Organization after the vice presidency position was created during a convention held in Ramallah.

After 18 months of war, the situation in Gaza "is probably the worst" now, the United Nations' humanitarian agency OCHA said on Tuesday. WFP, one of the main providers of food assistance in Gaza, said it had "delivered its last remaining food stocks to hot meals kitchens in the Gaza...

"To all of the civilians of the Gaza Strip staying in the areas of Beit Hanoun and Sheikh Zayed. This is a preliminary and a final warning... move west immediately toward Gaza City," the military's Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee said on X.

Beirut, Lebanon -- Lebanon's parliament on Thursday approved amendments to banking secrecy legislation, a key reform demanded by the International Monetary Fund, as Lebanese officials hold meetings with global finance institutions in Washington. A statement from speaker Nabih Berri's office said parliament passed amendments to "the law related to banking...

"Hamas has given the criminal occupation excuses to commit its crimes in the Gaza Strip, the most prominent being the holding of hostages," Abbas said in Ramallah, seat of the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. "I'm the one paying the price, our people are paying the price,...

Saudi Arabia's top diplomat held talks in Washington earlier this month to lay the groundwork for a visit by Trump in a reprisal of 2017, when the oil-rich, conservative kingdom was the first destination of his first term in office.

With several markets still closed for the Easter holiday, business was limited ahead of a week that will see the release of key data that should give an insight into the impact of the US president's trade war. Several nations have moved to cut a deal with Washington to stem...

Geneva, Switzerland -- The World Economic Forum said on Monday that its founder Klaus Schwab has stepped down from the board, turning a page in the history of the organization that hosts the annual meeting of wealthy, famous and influential global elites at the luxury Swiss ski resort of Davos....

"Today, we lost a faithful friend of the Palestinian people and their legitimate rights," Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said, noting that the pope "recognized the Palestinian state and authorized the Palestinian flag to be raised in the Vatican".

Gaza City, Palestinian Territories -- Gaza's civil defense agency reported that Israeli air strikes since dawn on Sunday have killed at least 25 people across the Gaza Strip, including women and children. Israel resumed its aerial and ground assault on Gaza on March 18, reigniting fighting after a two-month ceasefire...

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- The United States slashing foreign aid risks piling pressure on already acute humanitarian crises across the globe, a World Health Organization official said Sunday, also warning against withdrawing from the UN agency. Since taking office in January, President Donald Trump has effectively frozen foreign aid funding,...

Beirut, Lebanon -- Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Sunday that disarming Hezbollah group was a "delicate" matter whose implementation required the right circumstances, warning that forcing the issue could lead the country to ruin. His remarks came as Lebanon's health ministry said two people were killed in Israeli strikes in...

Many took aim at Trump's deportations of undocumented migrants, chanting "No ICE, no fear, immigrants are welcome here," a reference to the role of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency in rounding up migrants.

A Tunisian court has handed down jail sentences of up to 66 years to multiple defendants, including prominent opposition figures, in a mass trial criticised by rights groups.

Western countries including the United States have long accused Iran of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons - an allegation Tehran has consistently denied, insisting that its programme is for peaceful civilian purposes.

Gaza's civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal said early Friday that crews had "recovered the bodies of 10 martyrs and a large number of wounded from the house of the Baraka family and the neighboring houses" following Israeli strikes east of Khan Yunis in Gaza's south.

Jerusalem, Undefined -- By seizing large swathes of the Gaza Strip, Israel is redrawing the map of the Palestinian territory, one of the most densely populated places on Earth, making it increasingly "unlivable". On Wednesday, Defence Minister Israel Katz said the military has transformed vast areas representing 30 percent of...

Beijing, China -- While China's leaders use their economic and political might to fight Donald Trump's trade war "to the end", its army of social media soldiers are embarking on a more humorous campaign online. The US president's tariff blitz has seen Washington and Beijing impose eye-watering duties on imports...

Civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal said two Israeli missiles hit several tents in the Al-Mawasi area of the southern city of Khan Yunis, resulting in at least 16 deaths, "most of them women and children, and 23 others were wounded". After Israel declared Al-Mawasi a safe zone in December 2023,...

Geneva, Switzerland -- Years of negotiations culminated early Wednesday with countries agreeing the text of a landmark accord on how to tackle future pandemics, aimed at avoiding the mistakes made during the Covid-19 crisis. After more than three years of talks and one last marathon session, weary delegates at the...

The United States on Tuesday announced the approval of an $825 million sale of up to 600 Stinger anti-air missiles and related equipment to Morocco.

Paris, France -- Global oil demand will be lower than previously forecast this year as rising trade tensions weigh on the economic outlook, the International Energy Agency said Tuesday. While US imports of oil, gas and refined products have been exempted from President Donald Trump's tariffs, his other levies have...

Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa met with Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani in Doha. Qatar has been a key backer of the new administration in Damascus after longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad's ouster in December.

Iran's foreign minister is to visit ally Russia this week to discuss nuclear negotiations with the United States, ahead of a new round of talks planned between the foes.

"The two sides emphasized the importance of strengthening economic cooperation... they agreed to work toward a package of direct Qatari investments totaling $7.5 billion, to be implemented over the next phase," Qatari official media said, citing the statement.

China said Monday that exports soared 12.4 percent year-on-year last month, beating expectations as Beijing navigated mounting trade headwinds sparked by US President Donald Trump.

Washington, United States -- The US defense secretary reiterated Sunday that the United States hopes for a diplomatic solution to keep Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, but if that failed the military was ready "to go deep and to go big." US and Iranian diplomats opened indirect talks Saturday...

Damascus, Syria -- Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, whose war-devastated country seeks Gulf financial support, traveled to the United Arab Emirates on Sunday for his first visit since Bashar al-Assad's overthrow, state media said. Nearly a week after rebels toppled Assad in December, UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash said his...

There were no reports of casualties in the strike and the Israeli military told AFP they were looking into the incident. The civil defense agency in the Hamas-run territory said Israel's air force targeted a building of the Al-Ahli hospital, also known as the Baptist or Ahli Arab hospital, in...

The network went on air in 2004, when US officials were complaining about coverage of the Iraq war from Qatar-backed Al-Jazeera -- which two decades later maintains a dominant role in Arabic-language media. Alhurra says it reaches more than 30 million people each week across 22 countries.

From quirky Hello Kitty algae sculptures to demonstrations of flying vehicles and lunar samples, the Osaka Expo offers a fascinating glimpse into the present and future of the world.

Iran seeks a "real and fair" agreement with Washington on its nuclear programme, a senior aide to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Friday, setting the stage for a diplomatic showdown this weekend in Oman.

A UN rights office report also warned that expanding Israeli evacuation orders were resulting in the "forcible transfer" of people into ever-shrinking areas, raising "real concern as to the future viability of Palestinians as a group in Gaza".

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 Turkish opposition will fight "until the end" against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the leader of the opposition CHP party told AFP in an interview Wednesday, accusing the head of state of staging a "coup" with the arrest of Istanbul's opposition mayor.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi Arabia's top diplomat is in Washington to lay the groundwork for US President Donald Trump's upcoming visit, the first foreign trip of his second term, a Saudi government source told AFP Wednesday. Last month, Trump said he may visit Saudi Arabia as early as April...

Trump made the surprise announcement that his administration would open talks with Iran during a White House meeting on Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose country is an arch foe of Tehran.

Paris, France -- Meta on Tuesday announced that it was extending its teen accounts to its social network Facebook, after recently introducing restrictions on Instagram. The accounts were brought in for 13- to 15-year-old users of the company's popular photo-sharing app last September as part of moves to shield vulnerable...

Cairo, Egypt -- The leaders of France, Egypt and Jordan on Monday said the Palestinian Authority alone must be in charge of the post-war governance of the Gaza Strip. "Governance, law and order, and security in Gaza, as well as in all Palestinian territories, must be the sole responsibility of...

Opponents of the Republican president's policies -- from government staffing cuts to trade tariffs and eroding civil liberties -- rallied in Washington, New York, Houston, Florida, Colorado and Los Angeles, among other locations. "I am so angry, I'm so mad, all the time, yes. A bunch of privileged, white alleged...

Meanwhile, a video recovered from the cellphone of an aid worker killed in Gaza alongside other rescuers shows their final moments, with clearly marked ambulances and emergency lights flashing as heavy gunfire erupts.

Syria's government said late Friday it was "closely following" the findings of a new Amnesty International report urging an investigation into sectarian massacres last month.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the army was dividing Gaza and "seizing territory" to force Hamas to free the remaining Israeli hostages taken captive during the October 2023 attack that sparked the war.

London, United Kingdom -- Members of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) are divided over whether to approve a carbon tax on international shipping, ahead of a meeting starting on Monday to finalize emissions-reduction measures. The carbon tax, the most ambitious measure on the table, would make it more expensive for shipping...

Budapest, Hungary -- Hungary on Thursday said it will quit the International Criminal Court, just as its Prime Minister Viktor Orban hosted Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, whom the tribunal has accused of war crimes in Gaza. Hungary's announcement that it will start the year-long withdrawal process came as Orban welcomed...

Gaza civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP more than 100 others wounded in the strike on Dar al-Arqam School in the Al-Tuffah neighborhood, northeast of Gaza City. That took the overall toll to at least 50,523 since Israeli onslaught on the territory in Oct 2023.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel would bolster its military presence in the Palestinian territory to "destroy and clear the area of terrorists and terrorist infrastructure". The operation would "seize large areas that will be incorporated into Israeli security zones", he said in a statement, without specifying how much territory.