Ramallah, Palestinian Territories - Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas's Fatah party hit back at criticism by Hamas and other factions over his appointment of a new prime minister they said could deepen divisions as the war with Israel in Gaza rages. Abbas appointed Mohammed Mustafa, a long-trusted adviser on economic affairs, as...

CAIRO, EGYPT – A major fire here destroyed one of the Arab world's most prestigious and oldest film production houses, founded 80 years ago, an AFP journalist said. Flames overtook the Al-Ahram Studio in Cairo's Giza district, burning everything inside and spreading to three surrounding buildings which were evacuated before the...

A US charity said its team in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip had finished unloading the first maritime aid shipment to reach the besieged territory. "All cargo was offloaded and is being readied for distribution in Gaza," World Central Kitchen said in a statement, noting that the aid was "almost 200...

Netanyahu "approved the plans for action in Rafah," his office said in a statement, without giving details or a timeline. Rafah is the last major population center yet to be subjected to a ground assault during Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza, which was triggered by the fighters' unprecedented attack...

US Treasury sanctioned a number of alleged ISC subsidiaries and front companies based in Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, and three individuals allegedly linked to them including Pouria Mirdamadi, a French-Iranian dual national. "The United States will continue to use all available means to disrupt the Iranian regime's illicit...

The war began October 7 when a surprise attack by Hamas resulted in about 1,160 deaths in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures. Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 31,490 people in Gaza, most of them women and children, according to the health ministry.

The war between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, has since April last year killed tens of thousands, destroyed infrastructure and crippled the economy. It has also triggered a dire humanitarian crisis and acute food shortages, with the country teetering on the brink of...

Washington, US - G7 countries warned Iran on Friday that they will impose "significant" new sanctions if Tehran transfers ballistic missiles to Russia for use in Ukraine. "We reiterate our call on third parties to immediately cease providing material support to Russia's illegal and unjustifiable war of aggression against Ukraine or...

Istanbul, Turkey - Twenty-two migrants including seven children have drowned after a boat capsized off the Turkish coast, local officials said on Friday. Two people were rescued by the Turkish coastguard and another two managed to make it out of the water on their own, officials said. The victims' nationalities were...

Britain and the United States have already imposed sanctions on a small number of Israeli settlers accused of committing human rights abuses against Palestinians in the West Bank.

During the proposed truce, Gaza militants would release about 42 hostages seized during the October 7 attack that triggered the war in Gaza, the official said, requesting anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks. The official said that between 20 and 50 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails would...

Dubai, UAE -- The UAE advanced to the seventh rank globally in the Gender Inequality Index 2024, issued by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), rising significantly from its 49th place in 2015 and 11th place in 2022. The UNDP announced UAE's achievement during the meetings of the 68th session...

Dubai, United Arab Emirates--The US military said Thursday it had destroyed nine anti-ship ballistic missiles and two drones in Yemen after Houthi rebels fired on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. US Central Command (CENTCOM) said two missiles fired by the Houthi rebels towards the Red Sea and...

An Israeli official said that the UN should coordinate more convoys if it wants to see more aid in north Gaza. The official said 99 percent of aid trucks sent to Gaza were "approved", pushing back on reports by the UN and NGOs that cumbersome Israeli inspections are blocking food...

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA –   Saudi Arabia’s inflation accelerated to 1.8 percent in February compared to January 2024, according to data by the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT).  The cost-of-living index for February rose to 110.64 points, according to the base year 2018, from 108.67 points in the same month a year earlier.  Inflation...

Washington, US - The United States sanctioned three Israeli settlers and two farming outposts on Thursday, accusing them of being involved in "undermining stability in the West Bank." The move marks the second time this year that Washington has sanctioned Israeli settlers, as it looks to respond to the rise in...

The leader of the US Senate called for Israel to hold new elections in the most strident criticism yet by a senior American official of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's handling of the war in Gaza. The remarks from Chuck Schumer came amid increased pressure from President Joe Biden over the...

Two Israeli shells hit the group in quick succession as they were working near the border village of Alma al-Shaab on October 13, killing Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah, 37, and wounding two other Reuters journalists, two from broadcaster Al Jazeera and two from AFP.

Rising fuel needs of ships rerouted away from the Red Sea also to increase demand, the International Energy Agency said. Commercial ships have been taking longer and costlier journeys around the southern tip of Africa to avoid attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels in the Red Sea.

ABU DHABI, UAE – The United Arab Emirates and Hungary have signed an economic cooperation agreement aimed at stimulating trade and investment between the two nations.   The agreement was signed in the Hungarian capital Budapest by Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade, and...

The new budget passed by a vote of 62 lawmakers to 55. It modifies the budget passed in May 2023, increasing the spending limit by 70.4 billion shekels ($19.4 billion), or more than 14 percent, according to a statement from Israel's legislature, the Knesset.

Beijing, China--China on Thursday slammed the approval of a US bill that would ban TikTok unless it severs ties with its Chinese parent company, vowing that Beijing would "take all necessary measures" to protect the interests of its companies overseas. The short-video app has soared in popularity worldwide but its ownership...

London, United Kingdom--The UK announced Wednesday that it plans to bar overseas governments from owning British newspapers, a move that could scupper the contentious Abu Dhabi-led takeover of the Telegraph Media Group. Stephen Parkinson, a media minister, announced in the upper-chamber House of Lords that the Conservative government would amend proposed...

Beirut, Lebanon--Palestinian resistance group Hamas said one of its members was killed in an Israeli strike in south Lebanon on Wednesday that state media said killed three people. Hamas said the man killed in the strike was Hadi Mustafa, a member of its armed wing in Lebanon from the Palestinian refugee...

Agnes Callamard, secretary general of Amnesty, said nobody was holding Israel to account over the delays to deliveries by land to the Gaza Strip. She said the international community must be prepared to hold Israel to account. "We're not holding the stick that will allow for those violations to stop,"...

The rebound follows two years of decline, when, in 2021 and 2022, the global Human Development Index fell twice in a row for the first time since its creation 35 years ago, rolling back five years of progress. Now, the UNDP forecasts a record high in the index for 2023.

The measure requires TikTok's parent company ByteDance to sell the app within 180 days or see it barred from the Apple and Google app stores in the US. The lawmakers voted 352 in favor of the proposed law and 65 against, in a rare moment of bipartisan unity in politically...

Asked about the reported deaths, the Israeli military said soldiers "fired toward armed suspects identified in the area" and that "hits were identified", but did not confirm fatalities. It described the operation as "counterterrorism activity".

"The people in Gaza are lacking the most basic necessities. We want to do our part to ensure that they get access to food and medicine," said Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.

The incident comes amid mounting concern about worsening humanitarian conditions in Gaza, where Israel has carried out relentless military operations since October. Gaza's dire food shortages after more than five months of war have resulted in 27 deaths from malnutrition and dehydration, most of them children.

Footage online circulated by state media showed a huge explosion that sent plumes of smoke and fire across a busy road during morning rush hour. Another video on social media showed what appeared to be a building that had completely collapsed and several destroyed cars.

Jerusalem--The Israeli army said Tuesday it hit about 4,500 Hizbollah targets in Lebanon and Syria over the past five months, killing 300 of the group's fighters and wounding more than 750. The targets were hit from the air and from the ground, the army said in a statement, and included...

A diplomatic source said the food aid has arrived at Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv before being transferred to the Palestinian Red Crescent at the Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and Gaza. Morocco is the first country to transport its humanitarian aid via "this unprecedented land route".

A Jordanian citizen has died after being shot by Israeli forces in the West Bank, Palestinian authorities said, with the military accusing the man of aiding a fighter. Tawfiq Aed Fawaz Hussein, 25, was shot at Zeita junction north of the West Bank city of Tulkarm on Monday, the Palestinian...

The first -- a hulking gray-painted watercraft known as a Logistics Support Vessel -- slowly churned away from the pier at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia. It was followed by three smaller vessels that will also make the roughly 30-day trip to the eastern Mediterranean for the port mission.

Washington, United States - Four astronauts splashed down off Florida in the Gulf of Mexico on their return to Earth early Tuesday, following a more than six-month mission on the International Space Station. The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft landed in the waters off Pensacola at 5:47 am (0947 GMT), with a...

"We are not near a deal, meaning that we are not seeing both sides converging on language that can resolve the current disagreement over the implementation of a deal," said foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari. He added that he could not "offer any timeline" on an agreement.

The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack on the Pinocchio in a statement early Tuesday, maintaining the missile strike "was accurate". The British maritime security agency UKMTO had previously said a ship in the area "reported a sound of an explosion" in its vicinity southwest of the Yemeni port of...

A security source said Israeli aircraft targeted a former Hizbollah building near Dar Al Amal Hospital, adding that Israel "conducted another raid on a warehouse west of Baalbek". Strikes have largely remained confined to border regions, but several have hit Hizbollah positions further north in recent weeks

As the Muslim world welcomed Ramadan with the customary daytime fast, many Gazans awoke to bombardment that saw residents once more search through the rubble of destroyed homes for survivors and bodies.

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY – Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban has asserted that former US president Donald Trump told him during a meeting that he would "not give a penny" to the war in Ukraine -- a claim Trump's team did not comment on. Orban -- the only EU leader to have maintained...

WASHINGTON, US – Four astronauts left the International Space Station on Monday and were bound for Earth following a more than six month mission. Led by American astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, NASA's Crew-7 arrived at the research platform last August aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon. The same spacecraft undocked on Monday morning,...

Years of on-and-off attempts of banning the Chinese owned app have resurged in the United States with the introduction of a bill in Congress that could see the app forced to cut ties with its Chinese owner, Bytedance. The US House of Representatives could vote this week on the bill...

Beijing, China - The navies of China, Russia and Iran are staging joint drills in the Gulf of Oman this week, Beijing said Monday. The military activities -- to be conducted from Monday through Friday -- are aimed at "jointly maintaining regional maritime security", according to a statement published on social...

"We have witnessed month after month of civilian killing and destruction at a level that is unprecedented in all my years as Secretary-General," he said.

The UN says that the vast majority of Gaza's 2.4 million people are on the brink of famine, particularly in the north where Israeli restrictions have hampered overland aid access. The health ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory said at least 23 people, almost all of them children, have recently died...

His comments came one day after Biden said Netanyahu "must pay more attention to the innocent lives being lost as a consequence of the actions taken" in Gaza. His failure to bring home hostages has led to regular protests in Israel and calls for early elections, including in Tel Aviv...

In his Ramadan message, King Salman while giving thanks for the blessings bestowed upon the kingdom said the war in Gaza would cast a shadow during the holy month. He said "our hearts are heavy with sorrow for the ongoing suffering of our Palestinian brothers facing relentless aggression."

In Saudi Arabia, the start of the holy month had been cast into doubt after some of the kingdom's observatories reported that the moon was obscured by "cloudy weather and dust particles". But final confirmation of the sighting came through the Al Majmaah University Astronomical Observatory in Riyadh.

TEHRAN, IRAN – The Ministry of Industry, Mine, and Trade said that Iran exported fisheries, livestock, agricultural and food products worth US$5.5 billion to over 130 countries during the first eleven months of the year. Rouhollah Latifi, the spokesperson for the Trade Development Commission at the Iranian Ministry of Industry,...