Washington, United States--The United States said Tuesday it was working with partners to provide earthquake relief in Syria but would stand firm against working with the Damascus government. The United States also said it expected to send further assistance to Turkey after sending two rescue teams to the NATO ally, which...

Damascus denies the use of chemical weapons and insists it has handed over its stockpiles under a 2013 agreement, prompted by a suspected sarin gas attack that killed 1,400 in the Damascus suburb of Ghouta. But the Council members said Syria is "still in breach of its obligations" under the...

Earlier in the last week of January, Bahrain's crown prince and Qatar's emir spoke by telephone. in a sign that the two Gulf countries are making effort to improve ties.

Soldiers, rescuers and residents of Aleppo's Bustan al-Qasr neighborhood used pickaxes and shovels to free survivors trapped under the debris of collapsed buildings.

Rabat, Morocco--A Moroccan appeals court has increased the prison sentences of eight migrants over a deadly attempted crossing into the Spanish enclave of Melilla, their lawyer said Tuesday. Around 2,000 people, many of them Sudanese, stormed the frontier on June 24 in a bid to reach Spanish territory across one...

Nablus, Palestinian Territories---Israeli troops shot dead a Palestinian teenager in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus Tuesday, the Palestinian health ministry said, with the Israeli army saying he had fired on soldiers. The ministry said Hamza Amjad al-Ashqar, 17, was "killed by a bullet in the face fired by the occupation...

The European Union has mobilized 10 search and rescue teams for Turkey after the stricken country requested EU assistance, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and EU crisis management commissioner Janez Lenarcic said.

Abu Dhabi, UAE--A joint Oman-UAE military exercise codenamed “Cooperation-3” began in Oman on Monday. The 11-day drill, which concludes on February 16, 2023, saw the participation of a force from Muscat Regiment, Infantry Bridge (23) of the Royal Army of Oman (RAO), and its support divisions, as well as aircraft...

France's data protection and media regulators Cnil and Arcom are set to announce their latest proposals to rein in porn websites which are in theory subject to a 2020 law requiring age verification.

Iraq, a close ally of Iran, also has strategic relations with the United States, which still has soldiers in the country as part of the international coalition facing the Islamic State group. On Thursday, Iraqi foreign minister Fuad Hussein hosted Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan. No mention was...

Hamas confirmed its fighters were among the dead, saying in a statement the Gaza-based group was mourning members of its military wing killed "in an armed clash with the Zionist occupation". The early morning Israeli raid came amid a spike in Israeli-Palestinian violence and after days of what Jericho authorities...

Kabul, Afghanistan-- Qatar has renewed its pledge to Afghanistan to help the war-ravaged country in fields of education, development, politics, and economy. This was reiterated in a meeting between the visiting Special Envoy of the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Counterterrorism and Mediation in Conflict Resolution Dr. Mutlaq bin Majed...

TEHRAN, IRAN - One of Iran's main opposition figures, Mir Hossein Mousavi, has called for the "fundamental transformation" of a political system he said was facing a crisis of legitimacy amid protests triggered by Mahsa Amini's death. "Iran and Iranians need and are ready for a fundamental transformation whose outline is...

Tehran, Iran - Iranian authorities have detained a journalist at a reformist publication, local media reported Sunday, as her sister, also a journalist, remains in custody after reporting on Mahsa Amini's death. Iran has been gripped by nationwide protests since the September 16 death in custody of Amini, a 22-year-old...

The army stressed it was not rocket or other fire that posed a threat to Israelis. "It was not a projectile launch. Full routine continues on the Israeli home front," it said in a statement.

The Iranian criticism of Grossi comes after the International Atomic Energy Agency director-general said he plans to visit Tehran in February for talks on getting it to increase cooperation over its activities, amid stalled negotiations to revive a landmark deal over Iran's nuclear program.

The Chinese craft spent several days flying over North America before it was targeted off the coast of the southeastern state of South Carolina with a missile fired from an F-22 plane, Pentagon officials said, falling into relatively shallow water just 47 feet (14 meters) deep.

Carrying signs reading "Save Israel's democracy from Netanyahu", thousands of Israelis demonstrated in Tel Aviv on Saturday against controversial legal reforms touted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing government. The demonstrators also held up signs labelling the new government a "threat to world peace."

The United Arab Emirates, France and India have issued a joint statement announcing the establishment of a trilateral cooperation initiative and the roadmap to begin its implementation. In the statement the three countries said the initiative will promote the design and execution of cooperation projects in various fields, including energy...

AMMAN, JORDAN - Chairman of the Jordan Chamber of Commerce (JCC), Khalil Haj Tawfiq said Iraq is an "important" trade partner and gateway for Jordan's economy. Haj Tawfiq said, "Jordan and Iraq have wide, prolific potentials, fields and grounds to build economic integration, in light of the strong brotherly relations,...

NEW YORK, US - On the occasion of the International Day of Human Fraternity, the UN chief Saturday called for renewed commitment to forge an "alliance of peace" amid a surge in hate speech, sectarianism and strife. The International Day of Human Fraternity celebrates values that "are the glue that...

ABU DHABI, UAE - The UAE recently participated in the first Sustainable Finance Working Group (SFWG) meeting within the G20 Finance Track for 2023, which was held for the first time under the Indian Presidency. The meeting, which was held at Guwahati, Assam, India, sought to discuss the 2023 SFWG...

Washington, United States--The United States issued a joint statement with France, the United Kingdom and Germany on Friday criticizing Iran's "inadequate" response to an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report on its nuclear program. The UN nuclear watchdog issued a warning to Tehran on Wednesday after it found that changes had...

During the three-decade rule of Islamist general Omar al-Bashir, Sudan was one of the staunchest supporters of Hamas and other militant groups, but since his ouster following mass protests in April 2019, the policy has been dropped. A spokesperson for Islamic Jihad, another Palestinian militant group, described the move as...

ABU DHABI, UAE - UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan received French Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna. During the meeting, which took place in Abu Dhabi, the two sides discussed bilateral relations and available opportunities for widening their cooperation,...

ABU DHABI, UAE - The US Department of the Treasury’s Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson led a two-day treasury delegation visit to the UAE to discuss  AML/CFT matters and areas of joint cooperation. The two sides discussed a range of topics of mutual interest pertaining to...

Sudan in January 2021 formally agreed to normalize relations with Israel in a quid pro quo for the United States removing it from its list of "state sponsors of terrorism", but ties were never formalized. Israel's Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, then the intelligence minister, led that same month the first...

France agrees that "firmness" is needed in dealings with Iran, a diplomatic source told earlier, saying the nuclear program had reached "a dangerous point" and highlighting Tehran's role in the Ukraine war. Siding with Ukraine is not without risk for Netanyahu, as Russian air defences deployed in neighbouring Syria could...

The visit comes less than a year after the Spanish leader drew a line under a year-long diplomatic crisis by reversing decades of neutrality on the Western Sahara conflict to back Morocco's position. But the concession to Morocco has drawn harsh criticism from across the Spanish political spectrum. Sanchez's number...

The Paris gathering is to be attended by representatives from France, the United States, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt. Lebanon is being run by a caretaker government and is also without a president as lawmakers have repeatedly failed to elect a successor to Michel Aoun, whose mandate expired at the...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will hold talks with French President Emmanuel Macron hoping to gain support against Iran's nuclear program. Israel's Paris embassy said the pair would discuss "the international effort to stop the Iranian nuclear program". The prime minister has also said Israel is considering sending military aid...

The budget deficit will swell to five billion dinars (more than $16 billion) for the year starting in April, up from the $10.3 billion predicted for the current fiscal year, the finance ministry said. Kuwait, a major oil producer and member of the OPEC cartel, has the Gulf's only fully...

Gaza City, Palestinian Territories--Ramadan Abu Saif looked on as bulldozers ploughed into his neighbor's Gaza City home, knowing his could be next as an infrastructure project surges forward in the impoverished Palestinian enclave. Last month, Hamas that governs Gaza began demolishing 62 houses at Al-Shati refugee camp as they widen the...

Gaza City, Palestinian Territories--Israel conducted air strikes on the central Gaza Strip early Thursday, according to AFP journalists and witnesses, hours after intercepting a rocket fired from the Palestinian territory. New rounds of rockets were fired from Gaza after these strikes, and fresh explosions could be heard from Gaza City at...

Speaking at the AFC Congress in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia's Sports Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal said he didn't see a problem with Russia shifting allegiances to Asia.

Adani himself issued a video statement on Thursday in which he insisted that the "fundamentals of our company are very strong, our balance sheet is healthy and assets robust". The slide in Adani's personal wealth has seen him fall out of the top 10 real-time Forbes rich list and overtaken...

Spain's North African enclaves of Melilla and Ceuta - which both border Morocco - have long been magnets for people fleeing violence and poverty across Africa, seeking refuge via the continent's only land frontiers with the European Union. Sanchez said the sides also aimed to "completely normalise the passage of...

Lebanon, whose flag bears a cedar tree, is known for its greenery, with forests covering 13 percent of its territory.

Israeli PM's remarks come after a visit by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who called for calm following a flare-up of violence between Israel and the Palestinians and also nudged Israel to boost support to Ukraine.

Abu Dhabi, UAE-- The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Ports Security (ICP) announced that it has added to its smart channels a service for entry permits related to residents who stayed outside the UAE for more than six months. The service was activated as of last Friday, and...

Washington, US-- Jordan’s King Abdullah and US President Joe Biden will hold talks at the White House on Thursday, as part of the king's visit to Washington, DC. Talks will cover means to bolster the strategic partnership and ties of friendship between Jordan and the United States through expanding cooperation...

The report says Abbas, who has been unwilling to designate a successor, has also "hollowed out or disabled the institutions and procedures that would otherwise decide who will take his place". It is therefore "unclear who will succeed him, and by what process", ICG said, warning of a possible "descent...

Despite the milestone, spending on energy transition technology must immediately triple to meet the target of net-zero emissions by 2050 to combat climate change, according to research group BloombergNEF. Investment in sectors such as renewables, nuclear, zero-emission vehicles or recycling projects totaled $1.1 trillion last year, matching spending on fossil...

During the visit, UAE President and Pakistan's Prime Minister were due to discuss areas of mutual cooperation between the UAE and Pakistan.

More than 15 police personnel were wounded in an attack on a bus carrying them in the south of the war-scarred country on Monday. The police officers were returning from a mission in the southern province of Daraa when, according to the interior ministry, "unidentified terrorists targeted their bus with...

ABU DHABI, UAE - Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) Monday received a French  delegation to strengthen bilateral relations through dialogues on investment opportunities and areas of collaboration in the financial field. The delegation was led by French Minister of Economy, Finance, Industrial and Digital Sovereignty Bruno Le Maire. The event...

Washington's top diplomat arrived in Israel on the second leg of his Middle East tour, after meeting Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and the country's foreign minister in Cairo.

Israeli troops killed a Palestinian driver in West Bank, officials on both sides said, with the army saying the car had hit a soldier's leg before speeding off. Nassim Naif Salman Abu Fouda, 26, died from "a bullet wound to the head fired by the occupation (Israeli) soldiers in Hebron,"...

Following a similar turnout in December's first-round vote, Sunday's poor participation was another blow to Saied, who has stripped the legislature of its powers and granted himself far-reaching authority since his dramatic 2021 power grab in the birthplace of the Arab Spring uprisings. On July 25, 2021, Saied sacked the...

Israeli government announced that the home of a 13-year-old boy who shot two Israelis would be sealed off even though his attack caused severe injury and not deaths.