Israel had four divisions operating in Gaza before Monday's announced withdrawal, though it was unclear how many soldiers were involved in the pullout. The war broke out after Hamas fighters launched an unprecedented attack and Israel responded by bombarding the territory by land, sea and air, killing more than 24,000...

When the first bombs rang out in Sudan, Amjad, Fatima and Mazin abandoned their paintbrushes, musical instruments and studios, leaving behind the lives they knew for unfamiliar shores. Now in Egypt, they have sought to bring back the sights and sounds of a long-lost home to an audience of about...

Prime Minister Li Qiang, who will make a special address on Tuesday, will be the most senior Chinese official to attend Davos since President Xi Jinping in 2017. The Prime Minister will be joined by Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao, the governor of the People's Bank of China and high-ranking...

The IRGC also hit targets in Syria with ballistic missiles, including the "gathering places of commanders and main elements related to recent terrorist operations, particularly the Islamic State group", their Sepah News service reported. It added that the strike on Syria was in response to recent attacks by terrorist groups...

Tehran, Iran - Iran urged on Monday the United States and Britain to "stop the war against Yemen" following their recent strikes on targets of the Tehran-backed Houthi rebels. US and British forces have hit scores of targets in Yemen after weeks of Houthi attacks on vessels in the Red Sea,...

European Union economy commissioner Paolo Gentiloni warned that violence in the Red Sea sparked by Houthi attacks on shipping could push up energy prices and inflation in the bloc. "We know that we're starting this year with subdued growth, increasing concerns on the downside risks caused by the geopolitical tensions,"...

Bringing food and supplies to the besieged population of Gaza, which is increasingly at risk of famine, also depends on the opening of new entry routes into the territory, the World Food Program (WFP), UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a joint statement.

"Remember Ukraine?" UN aid chief Martin Griffiths asked as he launched the plan in Geneva. "Please do not forget Ukraine while there are many other places in the world which grab our attention." "As we go into 2024, the competition for funding is going to be more," he acknowledged, citing...

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA - The Board of Directors of the Qiddiya Investment Company (QIC) announced on Monday the launch of the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Stadium, an iconic multi-use venue set to further enhance Qiddiya’s philosophy of the Power of Play. Upon opening, it is anticipated to host some of...

Artificial intelligence poses risks to job security around the world but also offers a "tremendous opportunity" to boost flagging productivity levels and fuel global growth, the IMF chief told AFP. AI will affect 60 percent of jobs in advanced economies, the International Monetary Fund's managing director, Kristalina Georgieva, said in...

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA – The Kingdom and the People’s Republic of China signed on Monday in Beijing a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in the field of accounting, auditing and professional work. The agreement was signed by General Court of Audit (GCA) President Dr. Hussam Al-Angari and Auditor General of...

DUBAI, UAE - Nasdaq Dubai has welcomed the listing of a US$600 million green bond by China Construction Bank (DIFC Branch). The green bond issuance targets combating climate change, represents China Construction Bank's significant commitment to sustainable financing and highlights the growing synergy in green financing between China and UAE....

A report from the charity, published as the global elite hobnob at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week, said their wealth rose from $405 billion in 2020 to $869 billion last year. Yet since 2020, nearly five billion people worldwide have grown poorer, Oxfam said.

Violence has surged in the West Bank since October 7, when the Palestinian armed group Hamas launched an attack in southern Israel that sparked a full-scale conflict in the Gaza Strip. Israeli army raids and attacks by settlers have killed at least 343 people in the West Bank since then,...

Gaza's health ministry said that more than 60 people were killed and dozens wounded in "intense" strikes and artillery fire across Gaza. The Hamas government media office said two hospitals, a girls' school and "dozens" of homes were hit overnight. Hospitals in Gaza have been hit repeatedly since the start...

The Houthis have said they are acting in solidarity with the besieged Gaza Strip, where Hamas fighters have been battling Israel forces for more than three months. Earlier, the United States denied Yemeni rebel reports that it carried out new attacks Sunday on rebel targets in Yemen.

Hizbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah declared that Israel has not achieved any "real victory" in 100 days other than killing. In a televised speech to his supporters, Nasrallah said the "enemy has failed in achieving its declared, half-declared and implicit objectives." His speech commemorated the death of a senior Hizbollah commander...

JERUSALEM -  Three fighters who crossed into Israel from Lebanon and two Israelis were killed in clashes and a strike along the frontier between the two countries on Sunday, the army and medics said. Since the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip erupted on October 7, the...

In a press conference with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said, "It is necessary to insist on the establishment of an independent, fully sovereign state of Palestine on the 1967 borders, with east Jerusalem as its capital." A joint statement from the two ministers urged...

South Africa launched an emergency case at the ICJ arguing that Israel stands in breach of the UN Genocide Convention, signed in 1948 in the wake of the Holocaust, and wants the court to "immediately" stop its military operations in Gaza which were launched after the October 7 Hamas attacks....

Violence involving Iran-aligned groups in Yemen, Lebanon, Iraq and Syria has surged since the war in Gaza began in early October. The Houthis, who say they are acting in solidarity with Gaza, have carried out a growing number of attacks on what they deem Israeli-linked shipping on the key Red...

Israel vowed to destroy Hamas and launched a relentless bombardment that has killed at least 23,843 people, mostly women and children. After the ICJ heard arguments this week that accused Israel of breaching the UN Genocide Convention, Netanyahu insisted no court or military foe could stop Israel from achieving its...

Tel Aviv, Israel--Thousands of Israelis rallied in Tel Aviv late Saturday calling for the release of hostages being held in Gaza by Hamas fighters, on the eve of the 100th day of their captivity. The protests came after families unveiled a replica of the tunnels in the besieged Palestinian territory where...

The paramilitary leader Mohamed Hamdan Daglo has been touring African capitals in a boost to his diplomatic standing. Rejecting the invitation from east African bloc IGAD to a summit in Uganda, Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan insisted: "The events in Sudan are an internal matter."

Saturday's marches held particular significance given US and British air strikes in Yemen this week against Houthi bases, after the Iran-backed fighters attacked ships in the Red Sea in solidarity with Gaza. The day of action, called by a British organizing coalition, involved protests in 30 countries.

In a video posted online and broadcast at a meeting in Tel Aviv in support of the hostages, Emmanuel Macron said that France does not abandon its children and "that is why we have to resume negotiations again and again for their release." He said that France is determined that...

Doha, Qatar - The Palestinian team hope to reach the knockout stage of the Asian Cup for the first time to "put a smile on the faces of the Palestinian people", one of its players said on Saturday. The tournament in Qatar is taking place against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas...

Health officials in Hamas-ruled Gaza said that Israeli strikes overnight killed at least 60 people in the besieged territory, which was also grappling with a telecommunications blackout on the war's 99th day. Fears of the conflict widening intensified after US and British forces struck Houthi rebels in Yemen following attacks...

The Turkish ministry said the strikes had targeted 29 locations including "caves, bunkers, shelters and oil installations" belonging to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the YPG (People's Protection Units), a Syrian Kurdish militia which is a central element of US-allied forces in a coalition against Islamic State. Meanwhile, 113...

Crude prices spiked more than four percent before ebbing somewhat after the allies launched deadly strikes following weeks of disruptive rebel attacks on Red Sea shipping. An analyst at SEB bank said if the US-UK attacks were unsuccessful in destroying Houthi weapons, and oil tankers need to go around Africa,...

The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting over the strikes carried out by the United States and Britain against Houthi rebels in Yemen, the chamber's presidency said. France, which holds the rotating presidency for the month of January, said the emergency meeting had been requested by Russia.

DUBAI, UAE - Yemen's Houthi rebels, who vowed to retaliate against US and British strikes early on Friday against key military sites, have built up a significant arsenal, including cruise missiles and drones. Since the Israel-Hamas war broke out on October 7, the Iran-backed Houthis have carried out a spate of...

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA - Konoz, an initiative of the Ministry of Media's Center for Government Communication (CGC), has released a documentary called Horizon that, in collaboration with the National Center for Wildlife, highlights the abundance of wildlife and natural resources in the Kingdom. The documentary is currently being shown on...

New Delhi, India - Dramatic drone footage showing Indian commandos hunting pirates after an attack in the Arabian Sea illustrates New Delhi's "significant" expansion of a muscular maritime force reflecting global ambitions, analysts say. The commandos, deployed this month from an Indian-built warship after an attempted hijacking of a merchant bulk...

Andrea De Domenico, head of the UN aid agency OCHA's office in the occupied Palestinian territories, described how detailed coordination was required with a network of checkpoints, and "the Israelis have systematically, or quasi-systematically, refused" to let them through. In recent days, he said the agency had had three missions...

Oil prices surged four percent after US and UK forces launched strikes against Iran-backed Houthi rebels after attacks on ships in the Red Sea, fueling worries about a wider conflict. Tokyo and European stock markets ended the week with gains as traders brushed off data showing US inflation rose more...

"First of all, they are not proportional. All of these constitute disproportionate use of force," Erdogan told journalists after Friday prayers in Istanbul. Oman, a mediator in attempts to end Yemen's long-running civil war, expressed its "worry" at the strikes on Houthi rebel military targets that, according to the Houthis,...

ABU DHABI, UAE - The Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) has cancelled the license of First Insurance Brokers Company (First Insurance), an insurance company operating in the UAE. CBUAE struck First Insurance’s name off the Register, pursuant to Article 22 (2) of the Board of Directors Resolution No.15 of...

US President Joe Biden termed the the US and British strikes a "defensive action" after the Red Sea attacks, and said he "will not hesitate" to order further military action if needed. The strikes involved fighter jets and Tomahawk missiles, several US media outlets said. US officials did not immediately...

GAZA, PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES - Bombed-out neighborhoods, mass graves dug in the sand, spreading hunger and disease -- as the bloodiest ever Gaza war nears 100 days, besieged Palestinians have endured ever new horrors. More than three months of relentless Israeli bombardment since the October 7 Hamas attack have taken a...

DUBAI, UAE -  Rory McIlroy kicked off his year with a sparkling nine-under-par 62 to take a two-stroke lead after the first round of the Dubai Invitational on Thursday. The world number two is playing his first event since the DP World Tour Championship last November, which was also played in...

As Blinken wrapped up a whistlestop tour of the region, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) heard arguments in a landmark case accusing Israel of breaching the United Nations Genocide Convention. South Africa told the top UN court that Israel's bombing campaign of the besieged Gaza Strip justified a plausible...

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA – The Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources has signed four Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Egypt, Morocco, and Russia. One of the aims of these MoUs is to foster international cooperation in minerals between Saudi Arabia and these countries. According...

The announcement came hours after a British-navy maritime security agency said armed men boarded the Greek-owned, Marshall Islands-flagged St Nikolas off Oman and changed course towards Bandar-e-Jask in Iran. Four or five "unauthorized boarders are reported to be wearing military-style black uniforms with black masks", the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations...

A world away from the death and destruction in Gaza and Israel, robed lawyers battled it out over technical legal arguments in the Peace Palace in The Hague. South Africa argues Israel is breaking its commitments under the UN Genocide Convention, a treaty signed in 1948 in the wake of...

Google suffered a legal blow at the European Court of Justice when the body's adviser recommended that a US$2.6 billion fine levied on it for anti-competitive practices be upheld. Although such opinions are not binding, they do carry weight and are often followed by EU judges in their rulings.

A royal palace statement issued after the meeting said the three leaders had "reiterated the need to maintain pressure to push for ending the Israeli aggression on Gaza, and protecting unarmed civilians". They also "highlighted the need to ensure the sustainable delivery of sufficient relief and humanitarian aid to alleviate...

"Delivering humanitarian aid in Gaza continues to face nearly insurmountable challenges," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press conference. "Intense bombardment, restrictions on movement, fuel shortages, and interrupted communications make it impossible for WHO and our partners to reach those in need."

Berlin has loosened its stance on weapons exports to the kingdom recently, with the government praising Saudi Arabia's "constructive approach" in the Israel-Hamas war. Saudi Arabia had not renounced plans to normalize relations with Israel since the beginning of its war with Hamas, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock noted Sunday.

Indian refiners bought 1.45 million barrels per day of Russian oil last month, their lowest amount since last January and down nearly 16 percent from November, according to global energy trade intelligence platform Kpler.