The detained people were wanted in the United States, Germany, India, and several former Soviet republics as well as other parts of Asia and the Middle East.

Ben-Gvir on Monday called for promoting "a solution to encourage the emigration of Gaza's residents" and the re-establishment of Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip. His comments came the day after Smotrich also called for the return of settlers to Gaza, adding that Israel should "encourage" the territory's approximately 2.4 million Palestinians to...

At least 103 people were killed and another 140 injured when two blasts 10 minutes apart struck Iranian mourners commemorating slain Revolutionary Guards general Qasem Soleimani on the fourth anniversary of his killing, Iran's state media reported. Iran's Tasnim news agency, quoting what it called informed sources, said "two bags...

The Palestinian Ministry of Education said that since the beginning of the aggression, the number of students killed in the Gaza Strip has reached more than 4,119, with 7,536 others injured. The Ministry added that in the Gaza Strip, 221 teachers and administrators were killed, and 703 others were injured.

Israel has previously announced the deaths in Gaza of Hamas commanders IN the war, but Aruri is the most high-profile figure to be killed, and his death came in the first strike on the Lebanese capital since hostilities began. The strike adds to widespread fears that the Israel-Hamas war could...

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reiterated his call for an immediate ceasefire, alongside urgent action to get food, medical supplies and water to Gazan civilians "forced to live in unspeakable conditions of hunger, disease spread, and lack of hygiene and sanitation". Tedros added that only a "fraction" of Gazans needing...

According to United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, it had received reports of up to three explosions 1-5 nautical miles from the merchant vessel, which was travelling between the coasts of Eritrea and Yemen. The US Central Command later said Houthi rebels had fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles into the southern...

London, UK - Britain's former prime minister Tony Blair has strongly denied an Israeli media report linking him to talks last week about the resettlement of Palestinians from Gaza in other countries. Channel 12 claimed on Sunday that Blair, who left office in 2007 and served as a Middle East envoy...

Tubas, Palestine - Colonial Israeli settlers backed by the Israeli military prevented Palestinian farmers from plowing their lands today in the village of Atuf, to the east of Tubas town in the northern West Bank, according to local sources and witnesses. Eyewitnesses and local activist Ayman Ghrayeb revealed that a...

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said, "We will never allow espionage activities to be conducted against the national unity and solidarity of our country."

A high-level security official told AFP that Saleh al-Aruri was killed along with his bodyguards in the strike by Israel. A second security official confirmed the information, adding two floors of the targeted building and one car were damaged. Lebanese media said a total of six people were killed in...

AMMAN, JORDAN - Agriculture Minister Khaled Al-Hneifat said the ministry has been working hard over the past year to create an action plan to raise the country's ranking in the Global Food Security Index (GFSI). According to the Jordan News Agency (Petra), two of the initiatives taken to achieve this...

Nearly three months of conflict have claimed almost 22,000 lives in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, and devastated much of the besieged territory. Despite relentless global demands for a ceasefire, military spokesman Daniel Hagari said Monday the army was preparing for "prolonged fighting" expected to last "throughout this...

The fighting pitted the army of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad against Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a group led by Al-Qaeda's former Syria branch. The Britain-based war monitor, which has a network of sources inside Syria, said the bombardments struck a bakery, a mosque, a power plant and a popular market.

According to the Navy, the carrier will redeploy to its home port "as scheduled to prepare for future deployments." The Navy said it is"collaborating with Allies and partners" to shore up maritime security in the region, adding the Defense Department will continue to rely on the presence of its forces...

Jerusalem - Israeli settlers killed at least 10 Palestinians and torched dozens of homes in the occupied West Bank in 2023, making it the "most violent" year on record for settler attacks, an Israeli watchdog said on Monday. Numerous West Bank attacks were carried out by a large group of...

TEHRAN, IRAN - Iran's Alborz warship has entered the Red Sea through the strategic Bab al-Mandeb strait, Tasnim news agency reported on Monday, at a time of heightened tensions over the globally important waterway. The agency did not give specific reasons for its deployment, but noted that Iranian military vessels had...

The Israeli military spokesman said the army was currently "planning the management of the forces operating in the field" in the months ahead. He added some of the 300,000 army reservists would get a break from the conflict, with Israel seeking to boost its war-hit economy.

The rally, called by a foundation which counts Bilal Erdogan, the son of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, among its members started after crowds performed morning prayers at Istanbul's iconic mosques, including Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque.

A major 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck the Noto region in Ishikawa prefecture, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said. Japan's weather agency reported a succession of 21 quakes of 4.0 magnitude or stronger hitting the nation's central region in just over 90 minutes. Tsunami waves as high as 1.2 meters (four...

An update on the PGA Tour website regarding talks said the memo, which reportedly was obtained by The Golf Channel and ESPN, addressed efforts to extend the deadline into 2024. Monahan said in his memo, according to the Golf Channel, that the PGA Tour will "continue our active and productive...

Yunus, 83, is credited with lifting millions out of poverty with his pioneering microfinance bank but has earned the enmity of longtime Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has accused him of "sucking blood" from the poor.

Taiwan is less than two weeks from an election, closely watched from Beijing to Washington as it determines the future of the self-ruled island's relations with an increasingly bellicose China. Chinese president has previously said China would never rule out the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control.

Dubai, UAE--Several rockets fired from the Gaza Strip targeted Tel Aviv and southern Israel as the country rang in the New Year on Monday, according to AFP journalists on the ground. Air-raid sirens sounded as journalists in Tel Aviv saw Israeli missile defence systems intercept the rockets. People who had...

Israel unilaterally withdrew the last of its troops and settlers in 2005, ending a presence inside Gaza that began in 1967 but maintaining near complete control over the territory's borders. All settlements on occupied Palestinian land are regarded as illegal under international law, regardless of whether they were approved by...

ABU DHABI, UAE - The prices of petrol and diesel are set to decrease in the country in January following fluctuations in the global oil market. This change reflects a continuous trend observed in the fuel prices over the past few months, with September and October witnessing increases and November...

NEW YORK, US – The Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) of the UN Security Council adopted the "Abu Dhabi Guiding Principles" and published them as an official document of the Council during the United Arab Emirates’ presidency of the CTC. This important achievement establishes a set of guidelines that address the challenges...

Abu Dhabi, UAE -- The UAE is bidding farewell to 2023, dubbed the ‘Year of Sustainability'. From hosting the relatively successful COP28 to space, the country achieved several milestones. Sustainability drive - 28th UN Climate Change Conference's (COP28) culmination in the historic ‘UAE Consensus' on climate change, which was adopted...

DUBAI, UAE -  Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, has issued Executive Council Resolution No. 124 of 2023 on single-use products. The aim of the resolution is to protect the environment, encourage people to adopt an eco-friendly lifestyle,...

From AI to the future of jobs and slow climb to gender parity, WEF reports provide insights into some of the important global challenges and opportunities.

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK - Shipping giant Maersk said on Sunday it was suspending the passage of vessels through a key Red Sea strait for 48 hours, after Yemeni rebels attacked one of its merchant ships. The Maersk Hangzhou, a Singapore-flagged, Denmark-owned and operated container vessel en route from Singapore to Port Suez...

Youssef Salama, the 68-year-old former minister of religious affairs in the Palestinian Authority, was killed in a strike on the Al-Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, Wafa news agency and the ministry reported. Considered close to Fatah, the party of Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas, Salama served as...

The prime minister of Israel told a news conference that the war will continue for many months "until Hamas is eliminated and the hostages are returned." He vowed to bring home all Israelis still held hostage in Gaza, while saying the military was involved in a "complex fight" and needed...

"The task of launching three additional reconnaissance satellites in 2024 was declared" as one of the key policy decisions for next year at a year-end party meeting, the official KCNA news agency said. Pyongyang successfully put a military spy satellite into orbit last month and has since claimed it was...

Friday night's Turkish Super Cup between Galatasaray and Fenerbahce had been due to be played in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. But it was postponed before kickoff after Saudi organizers refused to allow players to wear jerseys bearing political slogans.

The Belgorod attack came a day after Ukraine said a barrage of Russian missile strikes on several cities killed at least 40 people, wounding dozens more. Fresh strikes Saturday caused more casualties in the northeastern city of Kharkiv, Ukrainian officials said. Belgorod lies about 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the...

The US Central Command said the missiles were fired from the area controlled by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, describing it as the "23rd illegal attack by the Houthis on international shipping" since November 19. The Houthis have repeatedly targeted vessels in the Red Sea with strikes they say are in...

Gaza City, Palestinian Territories - The Strip's Hamas rulers on Saturday condemned the US approval of a $147.5 million sale of high-explosive artillery munitions and related equipment to Israel. The United States announced the sale of the 155mm artillery munitions on Friday under an emergency provision that waives the normal requirement...

The Hamas-run health ministry here said that at least 21,672 people have been killed in the territory since the war with Israel erupted on October 7. A ministry statement said 165 Gazans were killed over the past 24 hours, while 56,165 others have been wounded in the fighting.

Air strikes in eastern Syria "likely" launched by Israel killed at least 19 pro-Iran fighters, a war monitor said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said "19 pro-Iranian fighters, including four Syrians, and six Iraqis, were killed and more than 18 were wounded" in at least nine air strikes overnight...

DUBAI, UAE – Egypt stands as the most populous Arab country with 113 million people, marking it the 14th largest population worldwide, according to a recent overview by the World Population Review and Worldometer. The data, highlighting population sizes of various countries worldwide, pointed out that the global population has...

AMMAN, JORDAN - Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC), in cooperation with Ministry of Justice and Jordan Judicial Council (JJC), organized a training workshop on combating human trafficking. According to an ACC statement on Saturday, the workshop aimed to introduce the human trafficking crime in Jordanian law and international agreements and...

Dubai, UAE--The Arab Strategy Forum will commence in Dubai on January 3rd, 2024 to debate the intricate political and economic landscape of the Arab region. Titled "The Political and Economic State of the Arab World in 2024," the thought-provoking event will bring together prominent global leaders, strategic experts, and leading...

A massive air attack targeted schools, a maternity hospital, shopping arcades, blocks of flats, and many other sites, according to Ukrainian officials. The assault triggered international condemnation and fresh promises of military support to Ukraine, which has been fighting off invading Russian troops since late February 2022.

According to the Saudi sports television channel SSC, "the match has been cancelled. The match will not take place." Scheduled to be played on Friday between Galatasaray and Fenerbahce, the Turkish SuperCup was postponed at the last minute after Saudi organisers refused to allow players to wear jerseys bearing "political...

South Africa launched a case at the International Court of Justice against Israel for what it said were "genocidal" acts in Gaza. According to a statement, the ICJ application related to alleged violations by Israel under the Genocide Convention, and said that Israel risks "further engaging in genocidal acts” in...

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said at least 21,507 people have been killed in the Palestinian territory since war with Israel broke out nearly 12 weeks ago. The figure includes 187 fatalities over the past 24 hours, a ministry statement said. It added that 55,915 people have been wounded...

Gaza City, Palestinian Territories - The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees said on Friday an aid convoy came under fire by the Israeli military in the Gaza Strip, without causing any casualties. "Israeli soldiers fired at an aid convoy as it returned from northern Gaza along a route designated by...

New Year's Eve is usually marked in boisterous fashion in Pakistan, with fireworks and aerial gunfire -- as well as a bank holiday on January 1. Sharjah, an emirate of the United Arab Emirates, on Thursday banned New Year's Eve fireworks over the war in Gaza.

Sources close to Hamas say Cairo's three-stage plan provides for renewable ceasefires, a staggered release of hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israel, and ultimately a ceasefire to end the war sparked by the deadly October 7 attack on Israel. It also provides for a Palestinian...