Cloud services operated by Amazon Web Services (AWS) in the Gulf region continue to face disruptions more than a week after drone strikes damaged data centre infrastructure, raising concerns about the reliability of critical digital systems in an increasingly volatile geopolitical environment.
Iran says US accountability for attacks on nuclear sites part of any future talks
Iran said Monday it would hold the United States accountable for attacks on its nuclear sites in any future negotiations, while ruling out direct talks with Washington.
Israel says ground troops conducted raids in Syria in the latest border raid since Assad fall
Israel's military said Sunday ground troops had operated in southern Syria, seizing weapons and questioning individuals suspected of arms trafficking, in the latest cross-border raid since the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December.Eight OPEC+ countries raise production by 547,000 bpd to regain market share
Iraq, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria and Oman, along with the Saudis and Russians currently produce about 41-42 mbd.World economies reel from Trump’s tariffs
The tariffs are a demonstration of raw economic power that Trump sees putting US exporters in a stronger position while encouraging domestic manufacturing by keeping out foreign imports.
Trump’s ‘displeasure’ at prospect of allies recognizing Palestinian state
President Donald Trump has expressed displeasure with leaders of France, the United Kingdom and Canada for saying they plan to recognize a Palestinian state in September, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday.‘Gaza, ours forever’: Settlers push to reclaim land amid devastation and political shifts
Within sight of Gaza, the devastated Palestinian enclave ravaged by nearly 22 months of war, hundreds of Israeli settlers marched Wednesday to stake their claim to the battered territory.
Saudi Arabia, UAE rank among top 20 nations globally for AI talent density
With the goal of becoming one of the world’s top 10 countries in AI research and application by 2030, Saudi government aims to attract USD 20 billion in AI investments while creating 200,000 high-tech jobs
IMF lifts 2025 global growth forecast on ‘fragile’ easing in trade tensions
Looking ahead, the IMF expects the world economy to expand 3.1 percent next year, an improvement from the 3.0 percent it earlier predicted.Putin stresses Syrian ‘territorial integrity’ in call with Netanyahu after Druze unrest
Russia, a close ally of Syria's former long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad, who reportedly fled to Moscow with his family, still has two military bases in the country, and is also close to Iran, having boosted military ties amid the Kremlin's offensive in Ukraine.The UN, the Palestinians, Israel and a stalled two-state solution
Ever since the partition of Palestine into Jewish and Arab states in 1947, the United Nations has been inextricably linked to the fate of Palestinians, with the organization meeting this week hoping to revive the two-state solution.China says balance between AI development, security ‘urgently requires consensus’
China's Premier Li Qiang warned Saturday that artificial intelligence development must be weighed against the security risks, saying global consensus was urgently needed even as the tech race between Beijing and Washington shows no sign of abating.China’s premier tells EU leaders ‘we can’t afford’ massive industrial subsidies
Chinese Premier Li Qiang dismissed EU fears over Beijing's allegedly excessive subsidies to its industry, telling the bloc's leaders "we can't afford it" in markedly candid remarks during a tense summit.International Court of Justice court paves way for climate reparations
The court said climate change was an "urgent and existential threat" and countries had a legal duty to prevent harm from their planet-warming pollution.Top Palestinian official meets US ambassador to Israel in Ramallah
Hussein al-Sheikh, vice-president of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), on Tuesday said he met the US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, in the occupied West Bank.WHO says Gaza facilities attacked as Israel expands operations, calls for ceasefire
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the Israeli military had entered the UN agency's staff residence, forced women and children to evacuate on foot, and handcuffed, stripped and interrogated male staff at gunpoint.UNRWA says some Gaza staff starving as malnutrition soars
UNRWA said that shortages in the Palestinian territory had caused food prices to increase by 40 times, while the aid stockpiled in its warehouses outside Gaza could feed "the entire population for over three months."Malnutrition reaches new heights in Gaza, children most affected, require urgent treatment
As malnutrition surges in war-torn Gaza, tens of thousands of children and women require urgent treatment, according to the UN, while aid enters the blockaded Palestinian territory at a trickle.Hamas armed wing says Israel blocking ceasefire and hostage release talks
The armed wing of the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Friday accused Israel of blocking a deal in talks for a temporary ceasefire and the release of hostages in Gaza.
Europeans tell Iran will reimpose sanctions if no progress on nuclear deal: France
Top European diplomats told their Iranian counterpart on Thursday they were determined to reactivate UN sanctions if Tehran does not make progress on a nuclear deal, France's foreign ministry said.Explosive-laden drones hit three oil fields in Iraq’s Kurdistan region
Kurdistan has seen a spate of unclaimed drone attacks, which have come as the regional government and the federal authorities in Baghdad wrangle over control of export revenues from the Kurdistan fields.Israel launches strikes in Syria’s Druze area in defence of religious minority
Israel has sought to portray itself as a defender of the community, while also warning the Syrian government against maintaining any military presence south of Damascus, which Israel considers a security threat.Trump gives Russia 50 days to make Ukraine deal or face new economic sanctions
US President Donald Trump told Russia on Monday to end its Ukraine war within 50 days or face massive new economic sanctions as he laid out plans for new infusions of weaponry for Kyiv via NATO.
Trump says US will send Ukraine Patriot air defense systems, and may sanction Russia
President Donald Trump on Sunday said Washington would send Patriot air defense systems to Kyiv and hinted at new sanctions on Russia, once again voicing displeasure with Russian leader Vladimir PutinIran says cooperation with UN nuclear watchdog will take ‘new form’
Iran has blamed the IAEA in part for the June attacks on its nuclear facilities, which Israel says it launched to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon -- an ambition Tehran has repeatedly denied.Israel’s aid blockade leaves Gaza’s pregnant women hungry and at risk
Like most women at the Gaza City hospital where she attends her pregnancy check-ups, Fatima Arafa's face looks fatigued, a sign of the malnutrition affecting her due to wartime shortages.
Two months after ending struggle against Turkey, Kurdish PKK fighters to begin disarming at key ceremony
Founded in the late 1970s by Abdullah Ocalan, the PKK took up arms in 1984, beginning a string of bloody attacks on Turkish soil that sparked a conflict that cost more than 40,000 lives.Syria rejects federalism, calls on Kurdistan forces to join army ranks
Syria reiterated its rejection of federalism on Wednesday following a meeting with a Kurdish military official, calling on Kurdish forces to join the ranks of government forces.Trump holds fresh talks with Netanyahu to end Gaza ‘tragedy’
Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu met for the second time in 24 hours Tuesday as the US president intensified the pressure on the Israeli prime minister to reach a deal to end the "tragedy" of the war in Gaza.US to send ‘more weapons’ to Ukraine, after last week’s halt to shipments: Trump
US President Donald Trump said Monday the United States will send additional weapons to Ukraine, after the White House announced a halt to some arms shipments for Kyiv the previous week
BRICS call for ‘unconditional’ Gaza ceasefire, condemn air strikes on Iran
The BRICS also called for a "full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip and all other parts of the Occupied Palestinian Territories."Britain reestablishes full Syria ties as FM David Lammy visits Damascus
In 2011, Britain was among the first countries to acknowledge rebel groups as the official Syrian government after then-president Bashar al-Assad's crushing of pro-democracy protests plunged the country into civil war.Russia brushes off talks after largest ever drone and missile barrage on Ukraine
Russia on Friday said that it sees no immediate diplomatic way out of the war in Ukraine, hours after pummelling the war-torn country with its largest ever drone and missile barrage of the invasion.Trump says ‘didn’t make any progress’ with Putin on ending Ukraine war
US President Donald Trump said he made no progress with Vladimir Putin on ending the Ukraine war in a call Thursday, as the Kremlin insisted the Russian president would stick to his aims in the conflict.
Iran ends cooperation with UN nuclear watchdog after Israel, US strikes
It came after last month's 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel, which saw unprecedented Israeli and US strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities and sharply escalated tensions between Tehran and the International Atomic Energy Agency.Macron, Putin discuss Iran, Ukraine in first talks since 2022
One week after a ceasefire ended Israel's 12-day war with Iran, the two men also discussed Tehran's nuclear programme, with Macron suggesting Moscow and Paris work together to de-escalate tensions.Gaza mourns those killed in Israeli strike on seafront cafe
Once a bustling seafront spot where young people could hope for a rare respite from war, Gaza City's al-Baqa cafe lay in ruins after an Israeli strike killed 24 people including a journalist and an artist.‘In our blood’: Egyptian women reclaim belly dance from stigma
As belly dancing gains popularity internationally, young Egyptian performers are working to restore its reputation at home, pushing back against decades of stigma to reclaim the dance as part of their artistic heritage.Netanyahu eyes hostage breakthrough as Gaza families mourn victims
His comments lifted hope for a new ceasefire in the devastating conflict in the Palestinian territory, after US President Donald Trump said he hoped a truce could be sealed within days.Iran voices ‘serious doubts’ over Israel’s commitments, including the ceasefire
Iran also writes to the UN chief to recognize the Israeli regime and the United States as the "initiators of the act of aggression and acknowledge their subsequent responsibility, including reparations."Iran holds state funeral for top brass slain in Israel war
Iran held a state funeral Saturday for some 60 scientists and commanders killed in its war with Israel, after its top diplomat condemned the latest White House tirade against supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Putin says Russia, Ukraine peace proposals “absolute contradictory”
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that Russia and Ukraine's demands for peace were "absolutely contradictory", after two rounds of peace talks have failed to bring the sides closer to an elusive ceasefire.Spain PM Sanchez says Gaza in ‘catastrophic situation of genocide’
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Thursday said Gaza was in a "catastrophic situation of genocide" and urged the European Union to immediately suspend its cooperation deal with Israel.WHO delivers its first medical aid to Gaza since March 2
The shipment of supplies, plasma and blood will be distributed among hospitals in the Palestinian territory in the coming days, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.Amazon tycoon Jeff Bezos, his fiancee Lauren Sanchez arrive in Venice for lavish wedding
Bezos, 61, and Sanchez, 55, are said to have booked out the city's finest hotels for a star-studded guest list rumoured to include Leonardo DiCaprio, Mick Jagger, Kim Kardashian, Oprah Winfrey and Orlando Bloom.China calls CIA videos ‘absurd’ attempt to recruit spies for America
China's Ministry of State Security (MSS) said the placement of what amounted to job advertisements on social media platform X was an "amateurish gambit" to convince people to spy for the Americans.
US Fed chair signals no rush for rate cuts despite Trump pressure
The Fed has a duty to prevent a one-time spike in prices from becoming an "ongoing inflation problem," said Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell before the House Committee on Financial Services.NATO summit seeks to keep Trump happy – and alliance united
From meeting his spending demand to limiting the participation of Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, everything is being done to try to avoid the chances of a damaging confrontation with the volatile leader.Netanyahu says returning Gaza hostages will take ‘a bit more time’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday insisted gains in the conflict against Iran would help with the country's war footing in Gaza and bringing the hostages home but said "more time" was needed.Massive US bunker-buster bombs make combat debut in Iran strikes
The US military says the GBU-57 -- also named Massive Ordnance Penetrator -- is designed to penetrate up to 200 feet (60 meters) underground before exploding. This differs from missiles or bombs that typically detonate their payload near or on impact.Turkey says Israel leading Middle East to ‘total disaster’
Iran and Israel have been at war for nine days after Israel, claiming the Islamic republic was on the brink of acquiring a nuclear weapon, launched a massive wave of strikes on its arch-rival, triggering an immediate response from Tehran
