TRIPOLI, LIBYA - Libya's state energy firm urged its foreign oil and gas partners to resume exploration and production Tuesday assuring them security had begun to improve dramatically after clashes earlier this year. Rival administrations in east and west have vied for power since March, in a standoff that has...

LONDON, UK - The UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure (MOEI) and the Transport General Authority (TGA) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for mutual recognition of maritime certificates issued in the two countries. The move is in line with their shared vision to...

Sheikh Mohamed and President Herzog confirmed the importance of boosting UAE-Israel cooperation in the space sector.

The November midterm elections, in which Republicans failed to score their expected big win in the House while actually losing in the Senate, is being interpreted by Biden as a full-blown validation. And right as his foe Donald Trump gets his own 2024 election campaign off to a typically scandal-burdened...

Gaza City, Palestinian Territories---Wearing sky blue overalls near Gaza's port, technician Mohammed Jerboa celebrates the chance to finally repair fishing boats after a 15-year Israeli ban on vital materials. It's a "great achievement", he said after sanding down the faded paint as part of a team of workers patching up...

World oil prices rallied after more easing of Covid containment measures in China and as a price cap on Russian crude agreed by the EU, G7 and Australia came into force. Brent North Sea crude and WTI advanced over 2.5 percent, also after OPEC and its Russia-led allies decided to...

Payment for settling graft claims against firm in DR Congo.

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA - Saudi Arabia on Monday became the sole bidder to host the 2027 Asian Cup after India withdrew its bid. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said in a statement that the All India Football Federation had pulled out from the selection. The statement did not provide any...

Ending a yearslong estrangement between the two countries, the UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed will arrive in Doha today to mark a fresh beginning in relations between the UAE and Qatar. The visit is expected to deepen bilateral ties between the two 'brotherly' nations.

Washington, United States— US Secretary of State Antony Blinken vowed Sunday to oppose Israeli settlements or annexation in the West Bank, but promised to judge Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's incoming government by actions and not personalities. Netanyahu is expected to return to power after sealing a coalition deal with the extreme-right...

Algiers, Algeria— Jordan's King Abdullah and Algeria President Abdelmadjid Tebboune have stressed the importance of bolstering ties between the two countries in a meeting in Algiers on Sunday. The talks between the two leaders covered the deep-rooted bilateral ties between Jordan and Algeria and the latest regional and international developments....

Iran may have abolished its feared morality police, but many of its citizens based in Iraq doubt reports that Tehran has put an end to a force associated with months of protests in the Islamic Republic. It was in the custody of the morality police that Mahsa Amini died in...

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc must act to address "distortions" created by Washington's $430-billion plan to spur climate-friendly technologies in the United States. The European Union must "take action to rebalance the playing field where the IRA (Inflation Reduction Act) or other measures create distortions", von...

AMMAN, JORDAN - Jordan's Minister of Investment Kholoud Saqqaf on Sunday received Indian ambassador in Amman Anwar Haleem for a discussion on ways to cement trade ties between the two countries. The minister briefed the envoy on the investment climate in the Kingdom and potential opportunities in various sectors. She...

Israeli President Isaac Herzog arrived in Bahrain, the first visit by an Israeli head of state to the small Gulf kingdom since the two countries normalized relations in 2020. Herzog, whose role is largely ceremonial, was greeted at the airport by Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif al-Zayani, according to pictures posted...

The morality police -- known formally as the Gasht-e Ershad or "Guidance Patrol" -- were established under president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, to "spread the culture of modesty and hijab", the mandatory female head covering. The units began patrols in 2006.

Cairo, Egypt—King Abdullah of Jordan and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi have expressed desire to further expand bilateral relations between the two countries in a meeting in Cairo. During the meeting, held at Al Ittihadiya Palace, both leaders expressed pride in the ties between the two countries and peoples,...

Gaza City, Palestinian Territories— The Israeli air force said it had carried out overnight air strikes against sites of the Islamist movement Hamas in the Gaza Strip after a rocket was fired from the Palestinian enclave towards Israeli territory. The Israeli army reported on Saturday evening a rocket had been fired...

With talks suspended over a nuclear deal between Iran and the Western countries, Islamic Republic has begun the construction of a new nuclear plant in the southwestern province of Khuzestan. Estimated to cost between $1.5 billion and $2 billion, the plant will take seven years to complete.

The $60 oil price cap will come into effect on Monday or soon after, alongside an EU embargo on maritime deliveries of Russian crude oil.

The Union of Islamic Iran People Party, formed by relatives of former reformist president Mohammad Khatami, on Saturday demanded the authorities "prepare the legal elements paving the way for the cancellation of the mandatory hijab law".

ROME, ITALY - The world's ability to nourish its burgeoning population is under threat and without broader socioeconomic and environmental change, sustainable agrifood systems will be impossible to achieve, according to a new report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) issued Saturday. The report, "The...

Two affiliates of ABB pleaded guilty to bribery charges.

PALMDALE, UNITED STATES - The United States on Friday unveiled the B-21 Raider, a high-tech stealth bomber that can carry nuclear and conventional weapons and is designed to be able to fly without a crew on board. The slickly choreographed ceremony at B-21 manufacturer Northrop Grumman's facility in Palmdale, California...

While acknowledging Ankara's security concerns in northeast Syria, the US has warned Turkey not to create impediments in its operations against jihadists in Syria. Turkey says it is taking military action in response to a terrorist attack in Istanbul that it blames on Kurdish groups.

PARIS, FRANCE - Russia's invasion of Ukraine has driven countries across the world to boost energy efficiency, creating "huge potential" to tackle high prices, security and climate change, the IEA said on Friday. Governments have scaled up fossil fuel subsidies to cushion the impact of rising energy costs on households...

The UAE's Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan has said that the Gulf country is determined to forge a world where prosperity is commonplace.

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND - The World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Commission agreed on reinforcing a decade-long collaboration to accelerate the achievement of universal health coverage. The letter of intent foresees an additional contribution from the European Union (EU) of US$131 million for the continuation of WHO's assistance to its...

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - Major oil producers are expected to stick to their current output strategy or even slash production further when they meet on Sunday in the face of falling prices, a potential Russian oil price cap and an embargo on Russian crude shipments. At their last ministerial session...

With 32 members of Netanyahu's Likud party and seven Religious Zionism lawmakers in Israel's 120-seat parliament, the former premier still needs to bring two ultra-Orthodox parties into his future government to secure a majority. The deal with Religious Zionism will see the faction receiving the finance ministry in a rotation...

Lawmakers in crisis-hit Lebanon failed to elect a new president for an eighth time, despite the deepening impact of the political deadlock on the country's economic woes. Lebanon has been without a head of state for a month after president Michel Aoun left office at the end of October with...

French President Emmanuel Macron repeated his frustration with US subsidies, saying they were hurting European companies by providing an unfair advantage to their American competitors. International trade has bubbled into a point of contention this week as Macron becomes the first foreign leader hosted by President Joe Biden during an...

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND - Natural catastrophes have caused an estimated US$115 billion of insured losses in 2022 to date, driven by Hurricane Ian and other extreme weather events, reinsurance giant Swiss Re estimated Thursday. Hurricane Ian, the single largest loss-causing event so far this year, caused an estimated insured loss of...

The world must increase financing for nature-based solutions to meet key climate, biodiversity and land degradation goals, a United Nations report said. The "State of Finance for Nature" report published by the UN Environment Program comes as delegates from nearly 200 countries prepare to meet in Montreal to hammer out...

Reports said that the UAE’s discussions with the Indian government to procure BrahMos are already in advanced stages.

Taking offense at France's unanimous vote by lawmakers earlier this week, condemning infringement of liberties and women's rights, Iran's foreign ministry summoned the French ambassador. Iran has been gripped by protests since September over the death in custody of Mahsa Amini after her arrest.

Analysing a database of 37,453 film and TV scripts from 2016 to 2020, researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) found that just 1,046 -- 2.8 percent -- included any keywords related to climate, and only 0.6 percent mentioned "climate change" specifically. A similar British study by Albert, a...

Washington, United States— The US government on Tuesday announced the approval of a $1 billion sale of FS-LIDS counter-drone systems and other equipment to Qatar. "The proposed sale will improve Qatar's capability to meet current and future threats by providing electronic and kinetic defeat capabilities against Unmanned Aircraft Systems," the US...

Israeli troops shot dead four Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian officials said, and a suspected car-ramming attacker was killed after wounding an Israeli soldier, Israeli medics and the army said. The army confirmed its troops had fired on "rioters" who attacked soldiers in two separate clashes in the...

The EU announced the discovery of a sophisticated US$2.3-billion VAT tax fraud that triggered raids in 14 countries, including France, Germany, Greece and Spain. Over 600 people participated in the scheme, "believed to be the biggest VAT carousel fraud ever investigated in the EU," according to the European Public Prosecutor's...

LONDON, UK - Britain on Tuesday ousted China's nuclear firm CGN from construction of its new Sizewell C nuclear power station, which will now be built with remaining French partner EDF. The announcement came one day after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak warned that the "golden era" of UK-China relations was...

BERLIN, GERMANY - Russian missile strikes on energy infrastructure in Ukraine constituted a "war crime", German Justice Minister Marco Buschmann said Tuesday after hosting talks with his G7 counterparts. A Russian campaign of missile strikes has severely damaged Ukraine's energy infrastructure and plunged millions into darkness as the country endures...

ABU DHABI, UAE - President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has said that November 30 is a day that strengthens people’s loyalty to the UAE while remembering the heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. In a statement to mark Commemoration Day, observed on November 30, Sheikh...

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND - All regions of the world saw water extremes last year - both floods and droughts - and billions of people had insufficient freshwater, the United Nations said on Tuesday. Large areas of the planet recorded drier than normal conditions in 2021, the UN's World Meteorological Organization said...

Tunis, Tunisia—The speaker of Tunisia's dissolved parliament appeared on Monday before a judge investigating accusations his party helped Tunisian jihadists travel to fight in Iraq and Syria. Rached Ghannouchi, an arch-rival of President Kais Saied and also head of the Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party, arrived in the morning at the anti-terror court...

More than 300 people have been killed in Iran since protests erupted over the death in morality police custody of Mahsa Amini on September 16, Brigadier General Amirali Hajizadeh, head of the Guards' aerospace division, said in a video published by the Mehr news agency.

Doha, Qatar—The United States and Iran meet in a politically charged winner-takes-all World Cup clash on Tuesday as England aim to reach the last 16 as group winners with victory over Wales. Ever since the draw for the tournament was made in April, the Group B game between the US...

The European Union gave itself legal authority to take action against anyone who helps Russia avoid its sanctions, the EU presidency said. It said member states agreed that violating sanctions against Russia be considered an "EU crime". This would make it easier to add individuals and entities from outside the...

ALMATY, KAZAKHSTAN - Kazakhstan warned Monday it could nationalize struggling energy companies in the oil-rich Central Asian country after the latest blackout there left thousands without electricity in freezing temperatures. The vast ex-Soviet country is a net exporter of energy, but high gas prices this year fueled historic and bloody...

Iran has seen more than two months of demonstrations sparked by the death in custody of 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman Mahsa Amini. She had been arrested for an alleged breach of the country's strict dress code for women. "In an unprofessional act, the Instagram page of the US football federation removed...