ABU DHABI, UAE - Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED) Ahmed Jasim Al Zaabi has said that investors from over 170 countries have chosen the UAE to invest, grow and expand over the past decade. He said that this reaffirms the trust of the global investment...

Frankfurt, Germany - The postponement of a Palestinian author's award ceremony at the Frankfurt Book Fair due to the Israel-Hamas conflict triggered condemnation Monday from high-profile authors, while several Arab publishing groups withdrew. The annual fair is the world's biggest publishing trade event, bringing together thousands of book industry players and...

Jerusalem, Undefined - The Israeli military on Monday raised the figure to 199 people confirmed to have been abducted by Hamas to the Gaza Strip in the militants' cross-border attacks which sparked a devastating war. "We have updated the families of 199 hostages," military spokesman Daniel Hagari told a media briefing,...

At the top of the invitation list to China's Belt and Road Initiative forum is Russia's President Vladimir Putin, on his first trip to a major global power since the Ukraine invasion threw his regime into international isolation.

As Israel prepares for a ground offensive into the Gaza Strip, the international community has mobilized to try to protect civilians and prevent the conflict spreading across the region. But Tel Aviv's avowed determination to crush Hamas, the group behind the October 7 attack on Israel, are hampering mediation efforts.

Israel launched massive bombardment on Gaza after Hamas broke through Gaza's heavily fortified border on October 7, killing more than 1,400 Israelis. At least 2,750 Palestinians have been killed in relentless Israeli bombardment coupled with a complete siege of the tiny enclave.

Detectives were able to determine that both victims in this brutal attack were targeted by the suspect due to them being Muslim, the sheriff's office said. US President Joe Biden said that the Palestinian Muslim family came to America seeking "what we all seek -- a refuge to live, learn,...

Tehran, Iran-- President of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi, has warned of an escalation in the war in Palestine if in his worlds the Zionist regime of Israel doesn't stop the killing of the people of Gaza and end the blockade of the enclave. He made the remarks in a phone call...

UN estimates that about one million people have been displaced since Israel began a relentless aerial bombardment of Gaza in retaliation for Hamas's deadly assault on October 7. The UN agency's director of communications, Juliette Touma, told AFP more people are likely to become displaced "as people continue to leave...

As Israeli politicians look to expel Palestinians from the Gaza Strip into neighbouring Egypt, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has categorically rejected the idea, saying they should be able to stay as Israel battles Hamas. Blinken is on a crisis tour of the Middle East after Hamas fighters attacked...

Israel's strikes on the Gaza Strip have led to an "unprecedented human catastrophe" in the Palestinian territory, the United Nations agency supporting Palestinian refugees said. "Not one drop of water, not one grain of wheat, not a liter of fuel has been allowed in the Gaza Strip for the last...

ISMAILIA, EGYPT - Convoys of humanitarian aid stacked up near Egypt's border with the Gaza Strip on Sunday, unable to enter the Palestinian enclave being bombarded by Israel, witnesses told AFP. The Rafah crossing -- the only passage in and out of the Gaza Strip not controlled by Israel -- has...

Israel has massed forces outside the long-blockaded enclave of 2.4 million in preparation for what the army has said would be a land, air and sea attack involving a "significant ground operation". Israel has also stationed troops and tanks on its UN-patrolled northern border with Lebanon and closed a four...

Wang's remarks, made on a call to his Saudi Arabian counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan on Saturday, came as Israel appeared poised for a ground offensive against Hamas fighters in Gaza. Israel should listen earnestly to the calls of the international community and the UN secretary general, and cease its...

The top US diplomat has been touring the region after Hamas fighters infiltrated Israel from the blockaded Gaza Strip on October 7 and killed 1,300 people, mostly civilians, and took about 150 hostages. Blinken will travel later Sunday to Egypt, the sixth Arab country he will visit as he seeks...

Dubai, UAE--American cable channel MSNBC has quietly taken three prominent Muslim journalists “out of the anchor’s chair” since the onset of war between Palestinians and Israel, according to a media report. The report said MSNBC quietly took Mehdi Hasan, Ayman Mohyeldin, and Ali Velshi “out of the anchor’s chair” after...

Tens of thousands of US passport holders live in Israel and 29 have been confirmed killed in the Hamas attacks on October 7. Another 15 are missing and believed to be among hostages held by Hamas since the attacks.

Hezbollah and other Palestinian factions in Lebanon have exchanged cross-border fire with Israel since Hamas's surprise October 7 attack on Israel ignited a war that has killed more than 1,300 people in Israel. Palestinian gunmen also seized an estimated 150 hostages while Israel's retaliatory air and artillery bombardment has killed...

The envoy "will visit the Middle East next week to coordinate with various parties for a ceasefire, to protect civilians, ease the situation, and promote peace talks," a CCTV video report said. The report came as Israeli forces appeared poised for a ground offensive into the Gaza Strip already reeling...

Jerusalem - International aid groups and major powers have pleaded with Israel to set up safe zones in Gaza where thousands struggled on Saturday to get out of the north of the Palestinian territory, under threat of attack. With thousands of Israeli troops massed around Gaza's borders, uncertainty over when...

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Egypt and Israel have agreed to let US citizens leave the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing on Saturday as Israel carries out strikes against Hamas, a US official said. The two US partners agreed to keep the sole crossing from Gaza to Egypt open from 12:00...

Jerusalem - The Israeli military said on Saturday that Gaza City residents must not delay their departure before a military offensive starts, as people leaving the north of the territory again jammed roads south. Ahead of an expected Israeli ground offensive against Hamas, which attacked southern Israel on October 7,...

Geneva, Switzerland - The World Health Organization said on Saturday enough basic health supplies to serve 300,000 people in the Gaza Strip have been flown to an Egyptian airport near the Palestinian enclave. The supplies were ready to go in once humanitarian access could be established through the Rafah crossing from...

The IMF announced member nations agreed to increase their contributions to the global lender and give sub-Saharan Africa a third seat on its executive board at its first meetings on the continent since 1973. Spanish Economy Minister Nadia Calvino, who chairs the IMF Financial Committee, said there was an agreement...

ABU DHABI, UAE - The United Arab Emirates, represented by the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with South Korea to enhance their bilateral air transport relations. This MoU includes an agreement to increase the number of national carrier flights between the two countries...

Hezbollah deputy chief Naim Qassem spoke as Hamas and Israel traded heavy fire for a seventh day, after hundreds of Hamas gunmen stormed across the border from Gaza into Israel on Saturday and killed more than 1,300 people, most of them civilians. Israel has retaliated by bombarding Hamas targets in the...

Describing the situation in Gaza as having reached a dangerous new low, UN Chief Antonio Guterres said that there was an immediate need for humanitarian access throughout Gaza to rush fuel, food and water to people in need. He warned that the blockaded enclave's health system was on the brink...

Calling for an end to "Israeli occupation" and the "liberation" of the Palestinian territories, protesters took up multiple blocks in a city that serves as a crossroads for religions and nationalities spanning the world. The largely youthful protest -- which drew demonstrators of all origins, some sporting Palestinian flags and...

Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Israel risked waging an "unacceptable" siege in Gaza comparable to the Nazi blockade of Leningrad during World War II, and called for mediation. Fears for Gaza's Palestinian inhabitants have grown since the Israeli army called for 1.1 million people --...

At least nine Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire in the occupied West Bank during rallies in solidarity with war-battered Gaza, the Palestinian health ministry said. AFP correspondents and a security official reported clashes in Ramallah, Nablus, Tulkarem, Hebron and other cities, nearly a week after Hamas attacked southern Israel.

Tehran, Iran-- Iran said the United States "can not renege" on an agreement to transfer $6 billion in frozen funds through mediator Qatar following Hamas bloody assault on Israel. Tehran, which financially and militarily backs Hamas, has come under intense scrutiny since fighters of the Islamist group stormed across Israel's southern...

"Our Palestinian people reject the threat of the occupation (Israeli) leaders and its call for them to leave their homes and flee from them to the south or Egypt," the group said in a statement.

"No to the occupation! No to America!" chanted demonstrators gathered in central Baghdad after Shiite leader Moqtada Sadr called for a protest "in support of Gaza" and against Israel, an AFP journalist reported.

In 1948 more than 760,000 Palestinians either fled or were forced off land claimed by the new state as the Israeli military razed more than 400 towns and villages. The exodus accelerated after the April 1948 massacre of more than 100 Palestinian villagers at Deir Yassin, near Jerusalem, by two...

In Gaza, UN officials said the Israeli military, whose troops are massing at the border, had told them the evacuation should be carried out "within the next 24 hours". It later admitted it would take more time, however, and did not confirm it had set the deadline.

The Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza is the only passage in and out of the coastal enclave not controlled by Israel. Israel has bombarded the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip since Saturday in reprisal for a shock Hamas attack on Israel that has killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and looks...

Qatar, where Blinken will head immediately after Jordan, has longstanding ties with Hamas and has been seen as an intermediary in freeing the hostages. "We'll continue pressing countries to help prevent the conflict from spreading, and to use their leverage with Hamas to immediately and unconditionally release the hostages," Blinken...

Israel's army said it has called for all Gaza City residents to evacuate their homes and head south of the territory "for their safety". "The United Nations considers it impossible for such a movement to take place without devastating humanitarian consequences," Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, said on...

Nearly 60 percent of households in Gaza were considered food insecure before the start of the new hostilities. As of late Thursday, the number of displaced in Gaza rose by over 84,400 people to reach more than 423,300, according to OCHA figures.

Cairo, Egypt- The first shipment of humanitarian aid arrived in Egypt's Sinai on Thursday from Jordan, state-affiliated media reported, to be transported into Gaza, which Israel has been bombarding for days following a surprise Hamas attack. Israel's army has hammered Hamas with thousands of strikes ahead of what is widely expected...

Marrakesh, Morocco-- The war between Israel and Hamas has cast a shadow over the IMF-World Bank annual meetings in Morocco, with warnings on Thursday that it has darkened the outlook for an already sluggish global economy. The global lenders are holding their gathering, which brings together finance ministers and central bankers...

Thousands of foreigners are stuck in Israel and across the Palestinian territories, where a full-blown war has erupted since Hamas launched their attack. With the violence having already claimed thousands of lives on both sides, several countries have launched operations to repatriate their citizens, while others plan to do so...

The three countries are additional stops on his visit that included meetings with King of Jordan and Mahmud Abbas. Blinken said he raised with Israel the humanitarian needs of the Gaza Strip, while pledging unwavering support to Israel.

The Paris-based agency, in addition to its analysis and advisory roles, coordinates the release of emergency stocks held by its 31 mostly advanced-economy member nations. A surprise weekend attack by Hamas on Israel has left thousands dead and rattled oil markets amid fears that other nations might intervene and possibly...

EU internal market commissioner Thierry Breton raised the alarm in letters sent to Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, whose Meta group includes Facebook and Instagram. He demanded late on Tuesday each of them provides details within 24 hours on how "illegal content and disinformation" is being removed from their platforms in...

Washington, United States -- The second American aircraft carrier, the Dwight Eisenhower, will be placed in the Mediterranean Sea, coordinator for strategic communications at the National Security Council of the White House John Kirby said at a regular briefing for journalists. "As you also know, the aircraft carrier USS Gerald...

Hamas's weekend onslaught saw hundreds of fighters cross into the Israeli border in vehicles, by air and by sea, killing 1,200 people and seizing 150 hostages under the cover of a deluge of rockets. About another 1,200 people have been killed in thousands of Israeli strikes on Gaza, while a...

Dubai, UAE - Qatar has signed two agreements with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on its contributions towards IMF's poverty reduction and sustainable initiatives. The agreements were signed on the sidelines of the Annual Meetings of the Boards of Governors of the World Bank Group (WBG) and the IMF in...

Israel has also imposed a "complete siege" on the Palestinian territory, cutting off electricity, water and fuel supplies into Gaza. Israeli Energy Minister Israel Katz said earlier on Thursday that the supplies will not be resumed until Hamas militants free all the hostages held in the Gaza Strip.

Brazilian Foreign Affairs Minister Mauro Vieira has interrupted an Asia trip to travel "to New York to participate in a meeting of the United Nations Security Council, called by Brazil... to address the situation in the Gaza Strip," the ministry said in a statement.