Israel has repeatedly threatened a ground offensive against Hamas in Rafah, where people shelter in tents crammed up against the Egyptian border. UN World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged against a military operation there, "in the name of humanity".

Brazil's Finance Minister Fernando Haddad told a news conference in Sao Paulo that it was "impossible" to reach a final joint statement. The minister said the impasse was over the ongoing conflicts without explicitly mentioning Russia's invasion of Ukraine or Israel's ongoing military campaign in the besieged Gaza Strip.

Prime Minister Li Qiang, who will make a special address on Tuesday, will be the most senior Chinese official to attend Davos since President Xi Jinping in 2017. The Prime Minister will be joined by Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao, the governor of the People's Bank of China and high-ranking...

Sweden and Finland bids earned approval from all NATO members except Turkey and Hungary. They remain the only NATO members left to ratify Sweden's bid 19 months after it applied for membership. Sweden and Finland dropped decades of military non-alignment and sought to join the organisation after Russia invaded Ukraine...

The Chinese president called for deeper bilateral cooperation during a meeting with Russia's Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin in Beijing. The strong relationship between the two nations, which has endured despite Russia's military invasion of its neighbour Ukraine in early 2022, has faced pointed criticism from Western leaders in recent years.

This week's back and forth comes after an impasse earlier this month, when the United States, despite unprecedented pressure from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, blocked the adoption of a Security Council resolution on the war. It had called for an "immediate humanitarian ceasefire" in the Gaza Strip.

Tehran, Iran--Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Monday accused the United States of "encouraging" Israel to kill and carry out "cruel acts" against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Gunmen from the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas stormed across Gaza's border with Israel on October 7, killing about 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and...

Jerusalem--Nine Israeli soldiers were killed during combat operations in Gaza on Tuesday, the military said, bringing the total number of troops killed since October 7 to 326. Two soldiers were also seriously wounded in fighting in the Palestinian territory on Tuesday, according to the military, which has been waging a...

Israeli prime minister said ceasefire would amount to surrendering to the Gaza Strip's rulers Hamas and said that the international community must demand the captives "be freed immediately, unconditionally". Netanyahu also told a press conference that other countries must give more help in the struggle to free more than 230...

Leading Arab opposition to Israel's planned invasion of the Gaza Strip, Saudi Arabia has denounced "any ground operations" due to the threat posed to Palestinian civilians. The kingdom's foreign ministry cautioned against the danger of continuing to "carry out these blatant and unjustified violations of international law against the brotherly...

Mirjana Spoljaric, the president of the ICRC spoke of her shock at the " intolerable level of human suffering" and called for a de-escalation. She said that it is a "catastrophic failing" that the world must not tolerate as Israel said its war on Hamas had entered a new phase.

"Gaza was a desperate humanitarian situation before the most recent hostilities," five UN agencies said. "It is now catastrophic." At a peace summit in Egypt, UN chief Antonio Guterres urged a humanitarian ceasefire "to end this godawful nightmare".

Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian warned in a live broadcast to state TV of the possibility of pre-emptive action by the resistance axis in "in the coming hours" while Israel prepares to invade the Gaza Strip. Tehran has repeatedly warned that invasion of Gaza would be met with a response...

Since its invasion of Ukraine in February last year, Russia has been accused of taking thousands of Ukranian chlidren to its territory. A diplomat briefed on the process said that the children, aged between two and 17, have been staying at the Qatari embassy in Moscow while Doha mediated between...

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...

"In May, 33 vessels departed Ukrainian ports, half of the number compared to April. Only three of those departed from the port of Yuzhny/Pivdennyi, one of the three Ukrainian ports covered in the Initiative," Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General said. He linked the slowdown at port of of Yuzhny/Pivdennyi...

Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi slammed the United States' presence in the Middle East, as he hosted his counterpart from neighboring Iraq for wide-ranging talks. Decades-old arch enemies the United States and Iran have vied for influence in Iraq since the 2003 US-led invasion toppled dictator Saddam Hussein. Both helped Iraq...

The French leader's aims include preserving and rebalancing China's trade ties with Europe as well as safeguarding French interests in the Asia-Pacific region, where Paris sees itself as a player due to its overseas territories and military deployments. On the eve of his visit, Macron discussed his trip to China...

Just days ahead of the 20th anniversary of the US-led invasion that resulted in war, chaos, and political instability, Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said that his government had prepared a three-year budget for the oil-dependent economy traditionally plagued by budgetary delays. The bill will include financial aid to...

Washington, United States--The IMF said Friday it has reached a staff-level agreement with Ukrainian authorities that opens doors to a full-fledged loan, which would also support the country's bid to join the European Union. Ukraine was seen to have "strong" performance under a four-month program with the International Monetary Fund, meeting...

Kyiv, Ukraine--Ukraine estimates its grain harvest fell by around 40 percent year on year due to the Russian invasion, a representative for the country's industry told AFP Friday. "We expect a grain harvest of 65-66 million tonnes" by the end of the year, the head of the Ukrainian Grain Association Sergiy...

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK - Denmark's autonomous Faroe Islands have renewed a fishing quota deal with Russia for one year despite Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, a local minister said on Saturday. "The Faroe Islands are totally right to extend their existing fishing agreement with Russia," the North Atlantic archipelago's minister of fisheries...

Owing to surging energy prices fueled largely by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the IEA feels global emissions will peak in 2025 as investment in renewables has grown in the recent months. Last year, the IEA had said there was "no clear peak in sight" in energy emissions.

Now is the time for emerging market policymakers to batten down the hatches. Eligible countries with sound policies should urgently consider improving their liquidity buffers by requesting access to precautionary instruments from the Fund, adds the IMF's Economic Counsellor Gourinchas.

It will cost some $350 billion to rebuild Ukraine from the devastation caused by the Russian invasion, according to a report. The figure, which totals 1.5 times the size of the Ukrainian economy, is considered a minimum and is expected to grow in the coming months as the war rages...

Mujahid's comments came less than a month after US President Joe Biden announced the killing of Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri in a drone strike in Kabul.

The United States and the Taliban plan talks Thursday in Qatar on unlocking some of Afghanistan's reserves following a devastating earthquake, officials said, with Washington seeking ways to ensure the money goes to help the population.

Saudi oil giant Aramco has built new refineries in Jazan to boost its production capacity to 400,000 barrels a day to compensate for the fuel shortage triggered by curbs against Russia.

Finnish President Sauli Niinisto spoke with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Saturday regarding the Nordic country's application for NATO membership, which is expected to be officially announced this weekend, his office said.

The embargo on Russian oil, which is part of a sixth package of EU sanctions under discussion, is being resisted by some member states that rely on Russian oil to keep their economies running and are seeking guarantees of alternative sources.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that hundreds of people had been removed from the Azovstal steel plant in Azov, and that preparations for a second stage of evacuation comprising the wounded and medics were under way.

European officials were preparing a new package of sanctions Tuesday to punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, but some members are jockeying to opt out of an oil embargo. Several EU officials and European diplomats in Brussels told AFP that they expected the European Commission to hand over the...

Turkey hosted a meeting between Moscow and Kyiv negotiators in Istanbul and another between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba in Antalya in March. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is now trying to pave the way for an Istanbul summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and...

Higher-than-expected credit losses and inflation are to blame.

For months, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been asking Western allies for heavy weapons, vowing that his forces could turn the tide of the war with more firepower. The calls appear to be resonating now, with a host of NATO countries pledging to provide a range of heavy weapons and...

Turkey has been trying to negotiate an end to the conflict between the two countries, hosting meetings between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators in its capital Istanbul, as well as a summit between the two countries' foreign ministers in Antalya.

Russian forces, which withdrew from around Kyiv and the north of Ukraine earlier this month after being frustrated in their attempts to take over the capital, already occupy much of the eastern Donbas region and the south.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday, April 16, called Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz.

Russia's invasion created a crisis of 'immense proportions' and a 'severe blow' to the global economy. Russia's war in Ukraine could almost halve world trade growth this year and drag down global GDP growth too, the World Trade Organization (WTO) projected Monday. The WTO said that the Russian invasion dealt...

The PCK refinery in Germany has been processing crude oil from Russia since before reunification, but a looming ban on Russian oil has put its future in doubt.

Across the MENA region, people are struggling to secure even the most basic staples in view of soaring food and fuel prices triggered by Russia's February invasion of Ukraine.

Russia denied being behind the missile strike, which came even as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell were visiting Kyiv for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and to visit the scene of civilian killings in the town of Bucha.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine sent ‘shocks’ through markets for staple grains and vegetable oils, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization has said.

The wheat is being procured from Europe, North and South America, and Australia, and will arrive in Saudi Arabia from September to November this year.

Inflation was up from 54.4% in February to 61.14% in March.

Ukrainian authorities said Saturday the body of a well-known photographer, Maks Levin, had been found near a village in the region around Kyiv that had been caught up in the fighting. Levin became the sixth journalist killed in the war, according to Reporters Without Borders.

Peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow resumed via video amid evacuations from Ukraine, but the Kremlin warned that what it described as a helicopter attack on a fuel depot would hamper the negotiations. The airstrike hit energy giant Rosneft's fuel storage facility in Belgorod, around 40 kilometers from the border...

Marta Ortega on Friday took the reins of Zara-owner Inditex.

Vladimir Putin’s pledge to scale down military activity was met with skepticism in Ukraine and Western capitals, with the Pentagon saying Moscow had merely repositioned a ‘small number’ of forces near Kyiv, but could be preparing a ‘major offensive’ elsewhere.

Blinken held talks with Abbas on the first full day of a trip that includes a meeting with the foreign ministers of Israel and four Arab countries.