Iranian security forces have killed at least 326 people in a crackdown on nationwide protests since Mahsa Amini's death in custody, Iran Human Rights said. Iran has been gripped by protests over the death of Amini on September 16, three days after her arrest for an alleged breach of the...

DOHA, QATAR - Qatar plans to open a new center in Jordan for issuing visas in the near future, in order to complete procedures for acquiring Work Residence Permit. The Qatari Ministry of Interior said five new centers for Qatar visas will soon be opened in Jordan, Tunisia, Morocco, Kenya...

Turkey has appointed an ambassador to Israel after a gap of four years in the latest step towards normalising ties with the Jewish state. Ties between the two soured after Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticised Israel's policy towards Palestinians under the previous governments of its new Prime Minister Benjamin...

United Nations chiefs held talks with Russian officials on the Black Sea agreements on exporting grain and fertilizers, eight days before one of the deals is set to expire. UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths and Rebeca Grynspan, head of UN trade and development agency UNCTAD met Russian officials led by...

The Methane Alert and Response System (MARS) was announced by the UN Environment Programme during the COP27 summit. Methane, emitted by leaks in fossil fuel installations as well as from other human-caused sources like livestock farming and landfills, is responsible for roughly 30% of the global rise in temperatures to...

The epicenter of the October 2019 anti-government protest movement, Tehrir square is now transformed and boasts a renovated park section.

The convulsions followed the unveiling of the site's long-awaited Twitter Blue subscription service, which allows users to pay $7.99 per month for a coveted blue tick, as well as a separate gray "official" badge for some high-profile accounts. But the release descended into tumult on Wednesday when Musk scrapped the...

A deal was brokered between Qatar and Israel, who do not have diplomatic relations, so that flights are "temporarily operated" during the World Cup, said a statement from world football's governing body. The tournament starts November 20.

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND - UN chiefs are to hold talks with Russian officials in Geneva on Friday on the Black Sea agreements on exporting grain and fertilizers, eight days before the deals expire. The UN's humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths and Rebeca Grynspan, head of the UN's trade and development agency UNCTAD,...

More than 600 lobbyists from some of the world's biggest polluters have registered to the climate talks in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, up 25 percent from last year, the analysis by groups including Global Witness and Corporate Accountability found.

Designed as a punishment for the government of Iran, the EU will likely adopt new sanctions against the Islamic republic next week over its deadly crackdown on protests in the country. The German foreign minister said that the bloc will not let up and that "it stands with the men...

Diplomats from developing nations criticised the persistent imbalance in climate financing which, within the UN framework, should be evenly split between reducing emissions (mitigation) and boosting resilience to future impacts (adaptation).

Russia's commander in Ukraine, Sergei Surovikin proposed the "difficult decision" of pulling back from the city and setting up defences on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River.

Tripoli, Libya— The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor said Wednesday he had urged eastern Libyan military chief Khalifa Haftar to "prevent" crimes by his troops, as investigations into their actions continue. Karim Khan, the first ICC prosecutor to visit the war-torn country in a decade, arrived in Libya on Saturday. The...

Fears have been growing in Europe's economic powerhouse about an over-reliance on Beijing, and letting critical infrastructure fall into the hands of Chinese state-linked companies. In particular, the microchip industry has come under scrutiny, as it produces key components used across industry.

Lebanese security officials and politicians have made several visits to Syria in recent years, but almost exclusively in their personal capacity or on behalf of political parties that support President Bashar al-Assad, including the powerful Hezbollah movement, supported by the Iran.

Amman, Jordan— Funded by the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI), Jordan has launched a program aimed at better protecting witnesses, whistleblowers and experts involved in corruption cases. MP Omar Ayasra emphasized  the significance of providing witnesses and whistleblowers with protection during a ceremony held on Monday to launch the...

Istanbul, Turkey— A senior Greek official was detained in Turkey at the weekend because of what the Ankara government described as a technical error, Turkish media reported on Tuesday. Athens issued a formal complaint on Saturday after Apostolos Tzitzikostas, the governor of the Greek province of Central Macedonia, was detained for...

Antonio Guterres said businesses as well as cities and regions should update their voluntary net zero pledges within a year to comply with the recommendations by UN experts, as he trained his sights on fossil fuel firms and "their financial enablers".

AMMAN, JORDAN - Jordan imported about 405,550 barrels of crude oil from Iraq in October, an average of 13,000 barrels per day, the Kingdom's Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Saleh Kharabsheh said Tuesday. He said in a press release that the Kingdom had imported roughly three million barrels of...

DUBAI, UAE - UAE's Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) discussed with the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade ways to boost collaboration, exchange medical expertise and expand partnerships in the pharmaceutical sector between the two countries. The two countries also discussed ways and means to encourage more Russian companies...

Abdel Fattah, 40, was a major figure in the 2011 revolt that toppled longtime president Hosni Mubarak. After a seven-month hunger strike, he has for the past week refused food altogether. On Sunday he stopped drinking water to coincide with the opening of the COP27.

DUBAI, UAE - The UAE-India joint technical committee for manpower held its first meeting where it explored areas of collaboration between the two countries. Both parties highlighted their keenness to enhance cooperation to ensure a safe, organized and legal transition of Indian laborers through the exchange of best practices in...

Despite the change in stance in Stockholm, some analysts believe Turkey's presidential and parliamentary elections in June 2023 could delay the Nordic NATO bids.

A COP27 announcement said the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation grant, distributed over four years, is earmarked for scaling up regional innovations that build resilience against drought, heat waves and extreme flooding amplified by a warming world.

The World Trade Organization urged countries to abolish trade barriers in environmental goods and services to help fight climate change. In its annual World Trade Report, the WTO says global commerce should not be pitted against the climate crisis and said trade could enable the spread of green innovations and...

During the COP26 climate summit last year, the government boldly promised to end the construction of new coal plants and phase out the dirtiest of those already running, even as energy demands soar in the manufacturing powerhouse.

At the opening ceremony on Sunday, COP27 officials urged governments to keep up efforts to combat climate change despite soaring inflation, the energy crunch linked to Russia's war on Ukraine and the persistent Covid-19 pandemic.

The protests were fanned by fury over the restrictive dress rules for women, over which Amini had been arrested. But they have now become a broad movement against the theocracy that has ruled Iran since the fall of the shah.

The two ministers also discussed prospects of bilateral cooperation and partnership between the UAE and Türkiye.

Gaza rulers Hamas arrested two people over firing rockets at Israel last week, a security source in the Palestinian enclave told AFP. Israel's army said rockets were launched Thursday from Gaza, the first such military action since three days of cross-border fighting in August. The incident prompted Hamas's internal security...

Countries least responsible for planet-heating emissions -- but hardest hit by an onslaught of weather extremes -- have been ramping up the pressure on wealthy polluting nations to provide financial help for accelerating damages.

It would take two years after the passing of the law to fully restore conscription, Iraqi MP Watout said, adding that only-sons and breadwinners would be exempted.

Abu Dhabi, UAE - UAE and European Union discussed ways to enhance cooperation relations in multiple issues of mutual concern including energy. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Josep Borrell, Vice-President of the European Commission,  reviewed the latest developments on the regional and international...

SHARJAH, UAE - The Sharjah Consultative Council (SCC) approved several proposals submitted by the council's members on the Consultative Council establishment law. The session was chaired by Ali Mehd Al Suwaidi, Chairman of the Council, as part of SCC's work for the fourth ordinary session of the 10th legislative term...

Minister of Climate Change and the Environment Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri said the UAE’s participation in the 27th session of COP27 in Egypt will be an affirmation of the country's pioneering model regionally and globally in facing the challenge of climate change.

Four Iranian police officers and one "terrorist" have been killed in separate incidents in the strife-torn country, state media and the Revolutionary Guards said.

Jordan's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Safadi met with UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

According to the Observatory, the rocket fire came the day after five Syrian forces members died in shelling by a group affiliated with HTS.

The German government's human rights commissioner, Luise Amtsberg, urged summit host Egypt to release jailed dissident Alaa Abdel Fattah, currently on hunger strike, and his lawyer Mohamed al-Baqer. Fattah's relatives have said he could die as he is due to stop drinking fluids from Sunday, the opening day of COP27.

The already daunting task of decarbonizing the global economy in a few years has been made even harder by a global energy crunch and rapid inflation.

Ramallah, Palestinian Territories— Israeli forces shot dead an 18-year-old Palestinian on Saturday near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said. Musaab Nafal died "from severe wounds sustained by occupation (Israeli) bullets near the village of Sinjil", the ministry said in a statement. The Israeli army said soldiers...

Three months after launching a satellite with the help of Russia, Iran has announced the successful test flight of a rocket capable of propelling satellites into space. While countries like the US have voiced concern that it could boost Iran's ballistic missile technology, Iran insists that such launches are for...

Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar bin Ibrahim Al-Khorayef met the Australian Assistant Minister of Industry for Manufacturing Timothy Ayres in Sydney.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken reaffirmed Washington's commitment to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in a phone call with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the State Department said. The move came as Israel's former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has not endorsed the two-state idea, is set to...

Iranian students protested and shopkeepers went on strike despite a widening crackdown, according to reports on social media, as demonstrations that flared over Mahsa Amini's death entered an eighth week.

Iran admitted for the first time that it has sent drones to Russia, but insisted they were supplied to its ally before the Russian invasion of Ukraine. "We supplied Russia with a limited number of drones months before the war in Ukraine," Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said, quoted by the...

Ankara has accused the two Nordic nations of providing a safe haven for outlawed Kurdish militants it deems "terrorists" and held back on ratifying their NATO membership despite an agreement in June.

No Iranian cryptocurrency platforms are currently under sanctions. But US-imposed restrictions prohibit a US entity or US national from selling goods and services to Iranian residents, businesses or institutions. The ban includes financial services. Binance was founded in 2017 by a Chinese-Canadian entrepreneur but following regulations on its activities in...

Rome, Italy— Italy will allow an NGO ship carrying 179 migrants rescued in the Mediterranean to dock so medics can carry out health checks, the country's foreign minister said Friday. Antonio Tajani said that German NGO SOS Humanity's vessel Humanity 1 would head for Catania, Sicily, and "be able to stay...