The European Union foreign policy chief warned against a regional conflict that would involve Lebanon, as border clashes intensified nearly three months into Israel's war with Hizbollah ally Hamas. “It is absolutely necessary to avoid Lebanon being dragged into a regional conflict," Josep Borrell said during a press conference in...

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has called on US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to use his current Middle East tour to end Israel's "aggression" as war rages in Gaza. The top US diplomat arrived in Turkey on Friday at the start of a trip that includes planned...

Annalena Baerbock will hold talks with Israel's new Foreign Minister Israel Katz, as well as President Isaac Herzog, foreign ministry spokesman Sebastian Fischer told a regular press conference on Friday. She will also meet with Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas and foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki.

Washington, United States - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna agreed to seek steps to avoid a wider Middle East war following strikes in Lebanon and Iran, the State Department said on Thursday. In a telephone call the day before, the two top diplomats "discussed...

Antony Blinken will leave Washington on Thursday evening on a trip that will include Israel, marking his fourth trip to the region and fifth to Israel since Hamas fighters carried out the deadliest-ever attack inside Israel on October 7. No details have been offered about which Arab country he will...

The detained people were wanted in the United States, Germany, India, and several former Soviet republics as well as other parts of Asia and the Middle East.

London, UK - Britain's former prime minister Tony Blair has strongly denied an Israeli media report linking him to talks last week about the resettlement of Palestinians from Gaza in other countries. Channel 12 claimed on Sunday that Blair, who left office in 2007 and served as a Middle East envoy...

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said, "We will never allow espionage activities to be conducted against the national unity and solidarity of our country."

According to the Navy, the carrier will redeploy to its home port "as scheduled to prepare for future deployments." The Navy said it is"collaborating with Allies and partners" to shore up maritime security in the region, adding the Defense Department will continue to rely on the presence of its forces...

Dubai, UAE--The Arab Strategy Forum will commence in Dubai on January 3rd, 2024 to debate the intricate political and economic landscape of the Arab region. Titled "The Political and Economic State of the Arab World in 2024," the thought-provoking event will bring together prominent global leaders, strategic experts, and leading...

In an op-ed published in the Wall Street Journal on Monday night, Netanyahu vowed to stay the course. "Hamas must be destroyed, Gaza must be demilitarized, and Palestinian society must be deradicalized. These are the three prerequisites for peace between Israel and its Palestinian neighbors in Gaza," Netanyahu said.

The company has outlined a collective investment of $4.2b.

The Iran-backed Houthis have repeatedly targeted vessels in the vital shipping lane with strikes they say are in support of Palestinians in Gaza, where Israel is battling Hamas. The deaths of 20.000 people in Gaza have provoked widespread anger in the Middle East and provided an impetus for attacks by...

Abu Dhabi, UAE - The popular traditional food Harees is now inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage, the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi announced on Wednesday. Harees is a porridge-like dish that is most often eaten during important family gatherings, such as weddings,...

The United Nation says children make up half of the 1.9 million displaced Palestinians and a sizable number have been killed in Israeli strikes.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia aims to increase the media sector's economic contribution, targeting a GDP share of 47 billion riyals ($13 billion) by the end of the decade. The goal underlines the country's intent to diversify its economy and bolster the non-oil GDP, Saudi Press Agency reported. Recent...

Dubai, UAE - A "possible explosion" struck a key shipping lane off Yemen on Monday, two maritime agencies said, the latest incident in the vital waterway threatened by Houthi rebel attacks. The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations issued a warning of a potential explosion striking near a vessel passing through...

Dubai, UAE -- The UAE has ranked first in the Middle East and fourth globally as a leading destination for remote work, according to a new ranking by VisaGuide.World. The VisaGuide.World website specialises in monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of visa systems. The website also measures countries' progress in providing...

There have been near-daily cross-border exchanges between Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Hamas ally in Lebanon, and Israel since the Palestinian group's unprecedented October 7 attacks on Israel.

Filippo Grandi, head of the UN refugee agency, warned Wednesday that pushing Gazans across the frontier would be "extremely destabilizing for Egypt". "It's very important to insist that this evacuation of people beyond (the border) must not be promoted, must not be advanced, forced," the UNHCR chief told journalists in...

In the first 11 months of 2023, 45 journalists were killed carrying out their work, down from 61 last year, according to the annual report by RSF. It was the smallest number since 33 died in 2002, largely due to a major drop in Latin America.

Ouled Omar, Tunisia - Tunisian villager Ounissa Mazhoud ties two empty jerry cans to a donkey and cautiously descends a stony hill towards the last local source of water. The North African country, in its fourth year of drought, is grappling with its worst water scarcity in years. Mazhoud -- like...

Brhane said the World Bank integrated climate into all its work across the MENA region and is on track to align 100 percent of new operations with the goals of the Paris Agreement.

At the annual Doha Forum that ended Monday, Qatar reiterated that no Arab country would send in forces to stabilize the situation after the guns of Israel and Hamas fall silent.

Doha, Qatar-- Oil and gas producers in the Middle East are assessing "challenges and opportunities" available for their economies to grow while depending on hydrocarbon by working to enhance cooperation in the rapid transitions in the European energy field. The eagerness to make a transition toward clean energy and strike...

Rapid cloud adoption in the two GCC countries is accompanied by increased security risks, leading to costly data breaches, reveals a latest study by Illumio.

MOSCOW, RUSSIA - The chief of Russia’s foreign intelligence service, or SVR, believes the Arab world will take center stage in the struggle for a new world order next year. Sergey Naryshkin believes that in the Arab countries "the globalist elites’ ambitions to play the role of an international hegemon,...

Shapps will also visit Kibbutz Kfar Aza in southern Israel which was attacked by Hamas on October 7 which killed around 1200 Israelis. So far, around 16,015 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's invasion of Gaza.

Beijing, China - The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday spoke over the phone to discuss the war in Gaza. "The Secretary discussed his recent travel in the Middle East and U.S. diplomatic efforts in the region," the US State Department statement said....

Dubai, UAE - The Saudi Electricity Company (SEC), the largest producer, transmitter, and distributor of electrical energy in the Middle East and North Africa, announced on Tuesday that it seeks to reach net zero emissions by 2050 in line with the Saudi Arabia’s target to reach carbon neutrality by 2060...

Warsaw, Poland - As Vladimir Putin touches down in the Middle East later on Wednesday for visits to the UAE and Saudi Arabia, the Russian leader is brimming with confidence that would have been unimaginable six months ago. A much-touted Ukrainian counteroffensive that was once expected to carve through Russian...

Some countries face more intense competition for water resources, leading to potentially severe environmental impacts. The contrast underscores the diverse challenges they face in water resource management.

Santiago, Chile - Thousands of miles from the Middle East, in a stadium in Santiago, Chile, the nation of Palestine exists, if only for the 90 minutes of a soccer match. Chileans and Palestinians created that alternate reality again on Thursday when Club Deportivo Palestino, which traces its origins to Palestinian...

Beijing has this year sought to play a greater role in the Middle East, facilitating a historic rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and sending an envoy to the region to push for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict.

With a focus on economic diversification and technological advancements, the region is setting a precedent for strategic growth and innovation in the post-pandemic era.

A first of its kind in the region, the combination will offer consumers digital services of the best and latest in premium movies, TV shows, music, podcasts.

Abu Dhabi, UAE – Bayanat, a leading provider of AI-powered geospatial solutions, and Al Yah Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat), the UAE’s flagship satellite solutions provider, on Wednesday announced the expansion of their ambitious Earth Observation (EO) space program from five to seven synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites. The expansion of...

Geneva, Switzerland - The UN human rights chief on Thursday decried serious allegations of international law violations in the Israel-Hamas war and suggested an international investigation was needed. Volker Turk said "extremely serious allegations of multiple and profound breaches of international humanitarian law, whoever commits them, demand rigorous investigation and full...

The transaction is worth $3.2 billion, reports say.

Dubai, UAE -- Emirates has unveiled a plans to build a $950 million cutting-edge engineering facility at Dubai World Central (DWC). Spanning 1 million square meters, the engineering complex is set to become the most extensive and advanced facility of its kind operated by any airline globally, Emirates said in...

The UAE is shifting from Western influences to eco-friendly practices in its apparel market. 2023 marks the nation's commitment to sustainability, with an increasing focus on ethical, high-quality, and environmentally friendly products. However, transparency in sustainability claims is crucial to combat "greenwashing" in the industry.

This will help HR teams improve business operations.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that his country's forces carried out precision strikes on facilities in Syria used by Iran's IRGC and Iran-affiliated groups in response to continued attacks on US troops in Iraq and Syria. It is the third time in three weeks that the US targeted locations...

Paris, France - Russia has been spreading "disinformation" about the situation in the Middle East, the president of Microsoft said on Saturday, as tensions soar in the region due to the Israel-Hamas war. Brad Smith, Microsoft vice chair and president, was asked about the role of the US tech giant in...

New York, USA - There are no safe zones left in Gaza amid Israeli strikes, Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya said. "(Israel’s) deliberate strikes on civilian facilities are a blatant violation of international humanitarian law," he pointed out at a UN Security Council meeting on the...

"We have begun discussions with 80 countries participating in the mining sector. ... An international platform has been established in Riyadh to support the development of the mining sector in the region, ensuring investment flow and aiding African and Central Asian countries in bringing more minerals to the market," he...

New Delhi, India - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrapped up a marathon diplomatic push on Friday in India after a whirlwind Middle East trip and G7 talks, saying Israel's pauses in its Gaza offensive would "save lives" but more was needed. "Far too many Palestinians have been killed," Blinken...

Washington, United States - Over the last three weeks, Iran-backed militia groups have attacked US bases and facilities in Iraq and Syria 41 times. The US has defended itself against those attacks and will continue to do so, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East said. Following...

Tehran, Iran - Iran on Thursday rejected a G7 statement which called on Tehran to stop supporting Hamas members and taking actions that "destabilize" the Middle East. Tehran's comment came a day after foreign ministers from the G7 group of advanced economies, meeting in Tokyo, expressed support for "humanitarian pauses and...

The emergency meetings of the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation come after over one month of Israeli bombardment has killed more than 10,000 people in Gaza, many of them children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. With Israel's leaders rebuffing talk of a ceasefire until the captives...