Pope Francis's funeral will be held on Saturday, the Vatican announced, as world leaders from US President Donald Trump to Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky said they would attend to honour the Catholic leader.

Western countries including the United States have long accused Iran of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons - an allegation Tehran has consistently denied, insisting that its programme is for peaceful civilian purposes.

"A four-way meeting between Egyptian officials and their American and Qatari counterparts, in the presence of Israel's intelligence chief, will be held in Rome on Sunday to reach an agreement on a truce in Gaza," Al-Qahera news, which has links to Egyptian intelligence, reported on Friday, citing a "senior official"...

ROME, ITALY – The situation in the Red Sea has not yet been reflected in the pace of prices for foods monthly reflected in the FAO Food Price Index, Monika Tothova, the economist at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) said. “Following on its 2023 and...

ROME, ITALY – The European country's data protection watchdog - Italian Data Protection Authority - said on Friday it has launched an investigation into Sora, a new artificial intelligence (AI) tool made by US firm OpenAI. The Italian Data Protection Authority said it was concerned over "the possible implications for the...

Rome, Italy - The UN's food agency on Thursday said it was pressing Israel to allow it to use the Ashdod port north of Gaza to make it easier to reach starving Palestinians. "We have several requests with the Israelis," World Food Program (WFP) Deputy Executive Director Carl Skau told AFP in...

The World Food Program (WFP) resumed deliveries on Sunday after a three-week halt but its convoy "faced complete chaos and violence due to the collapse of civil order", it said. Twenty weeks into Israel's war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, UN agencies have warned that food and safe water...

ROME, ITALY - ArcelorMittal has offered to sell its stake or become a minority shareholder in an Italian steelworks after Rome moved to put the plant under state supervision, the chief executive said in a letter seen by AFP. Aditya Mittal wrote to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to press for...

Bringing food and supplies to the besieged population of Gaza, which is increasingly at risk of famine, also depends on the opening of new entry routes into the territory, the World Food Program (WFP), UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a joint statement.

World food prices fell in 2023, with considerable declines for grains and oils as supply concerns eased, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization said. The FAO's cereals price index fell 15.4 percent last year, "reflecting well supplied global markets" compared to 2022, when prices soared after Russia's invasion of Ukraine,...

"Delivering food from Jordan, to Gaza through Kerem Shalom crossing, will increase the volume and speed of food reaching the Gaza Strip, as millions face the risk of starvation," WFP said. Israel last Friday approved the temporary delivery of aid into Gaza via its Kerem Shalom border crossing, opening a...

ROME, ITALY - The population of Gaza, especially women and children, risk famine if humanitarian food supplies do not continue, the UN's World Food Program warned on Tuesday. The WFP said it had delivered food to 121,161 people in Gaza since Friday, when a four-day truce between Israel and Hamas began....

Saudi Arabia -- competing against Busan, Korea, and Rome, Italy -- bids for Expo 2030 with a focus on innovation, sustainability, and global unity.

Thirsty pups can opt for a green apple and watermelon juice, or go wild and have a pear, strawberry or banana one instead.

The United Nations said it was concerned that war crimes were being committed on both sides in the conflict between Israel and Hamas. The UN human rights office cited forcible transfer, collective punishment and the taking of hostages as the war continued into its 21st day.

ROME, ITALY - The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) raised its forecast for global cereal production in 2023 to 2,819 million tonnes, now 0.9 percent higher than the previous year. The higher forecast is almost entirely based on recent and more positive yield estimates for the...

ROME, ITALY - An Italian-Palestinian student detained without charges by Israel since August was due to be released, his lawyer in Rome said on Sunday. Khaled El Qaisi, 27, was arrested on August 31 while crossing from the West Bank to Jordan after a family vacation in his home city of...

Tripoli, Libya - A Rome-bound aircraft departed on Saturday from Libya's capital, restarting flights to Italy after a nearly decade-long suspension due to an EU ban, authorities in Tripoli said. The European Union in 2014 halted flights operated by Libyan airlines and banned them from entering member states' airspace, as the...

Rome, Italy - The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the UN Environment Program (UNEP) said one billion tons of food are wasted every year, while up to 783 million people around the world are facing hunger. Ahead of the International Day of Awareness on Food Loss and Waste...

Meloni, who won the election last year on a vow to stop immigration, said Sunday the defense ministry would also be charged with setting up more repatriation centers "as soon as possible". The government allocated 42.5 million euros ($45.3 million) at the end of 2022 for new repatriation centers, and the...

Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah said that Najla al-Mangoush, the foreign minister, has been temporarily suspended and will be subject to an administrative investigation by a commission chaired by the justice minister. The decision was made after the Israeli foreign minister announced that he had held talks with her last week...

Dubai, UAE-- Calling on governments around the world to demonstrate leadership by signing the "Leaders Declaration on Food Systems, Agriculture and Climate Action", the COP 28 Presidency launched its Food Systems and Agriculture Agenda during the Food Systems Summit in Rome. It forms part of its continued work to define...

While challenges remain in Saudi Arabia's bid for the Expo 2030 despite increasing global support, the Kingdom seems determined to continue its journey of transformation, with or without the Expo, marking a new era for Saudi Arabia on the international stage, the India-based journalist adds.

The president met with a string of leaders from the Arab world and the European Union and discussed ways to deepen partnerships with these countries. During the meetings, Sheikh Mohamed explored ways with the leaders to support and develop these relations for the benefit of the people of all countries...

Record heat is forecast around the world from the United States, where tens of millions are battling dangerously high temperatures, to Europe and Japan, in the latest example of the threat from global warming. The heatwaves come after EU's climate monitoring service said the world saw its hottest June on...

ROME, ITALY - World cereal production is predicted to hit a record high in 2023-24, according to the latest Cereal Supply and Demand Brief, released by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on Saturday. FAO raised its 2023 global cereal production forecast to 2 819 million tonnes, indicating a 1.1...

ROME, ITALY - Building on growing momentum to tackle environmental problems by addressing the ways in which our food and fiber are produced, the Global Environment Facility has approved 26 projects led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). "To achieve the 2030 Agenda we need...

Paris. France -- The candidature of Saudi Arabia (for Riyadh), South Korea (Busan) and Italy (Rome) for World Expo 2030 would be decided in an election in November this year, the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) said on Tuesday. At the 172nd General Assembly of the BIE on Tuesday, Member...

With ongoing mega-projects and economic diversification, Riyadh's strong Expo 2030 candidacy has already garnered support from 90 of 170 member states.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Rome backed efforts to secure an IMF bailout for Tunisia and support to tackle its growing migrant problem. She was speaking after talks in Tunis with President Kais Saied whose country is going through a dire financial crisis, political tensions. Tunisia is also a...

The UN's food agency said it was suspending work in Sudan after three staff were killed in the Darfur region, as fighting raged between the army and paramilitaries. "I am appalled and heartbroken by the tragic deaths of three WFP employees on April 15," Cindy McCain, executive director of the...

ROME, ITALY  -  The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has welcomed a US$23.7 million contribution from the Norwegian government to scale up its response to humanitarian crises and emergencies. The contribution represents the largest single un-earmarked funding of its kind to date. The funds will be...

ROME, ITALY - Over 1,000 migrants were brought to safety at two Italian ports on Saturday after the overcrowded boats they were on encountered problems in the Mediterranean, news reports said. The rescues came the same day as a body was discovered of the 74th victim of the deadly shipwreck...

Vegetable oil prices fell 2.9 percent, stemming from subdued global import demand for palm and soy oils and ample export availabilities of sunflower seed and rapeseed oils.

TEHRAN, IRAN  - Iran has summoned the Italian ambassador to protest "interventionist" policies, the foreign ministry said late Thursday, a day after Rome called in Tehran's envoy over its response to nationwide protests. The Islamic republic has been gripped by protests since the September 16 death in custody of Mahsa Amini,...

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...

DUBAI, UAE - UAE Minister of Climate Change and the Environment Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri participated in the World Food Forum where she spoke about the country's efforts to enhance youth engagement in strengthening food security through innovation and entrepreneurship. The Forum from October 17 to 21 at the headquarters...

The European Union wants to strengthen its energy cooperation with Israel in light of Russia's use of gas supplies to "blackmail" its members over the Ukraine conflict, the European Commission chief said Tuesday. Ursula von der Leyen's remarks came as Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, also visiting Israel, said Rome...

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi arrived in gas powerhouse Algeria on Monday as Rome steps up efforts to reduce its heavy reliance on Russian energy imports. Italy buys the vast majority of its natural gas from overseas, with over 40 percent of those imports coming from Russia. But the war...

Etihad Credit Insurance (ECI), the UAE Federal export credit company, and SACE, the Italian export credit company (CDP Group), have discussed the progress of sustainable development projects, trade finance of SMEs and the Halal sector.The review meeting was held as a follow-up to the MOU signed between the two Export...

Speaker of Saudi Shura Council Sheikh Dr. Abdullah Bin Mohammed Bin Ibrahim Al Al-Sheikh reviewed the kingdom's ties with Italy in a meeting with his Italian counterpart Maria Elisabetta Casellati. The two sides reviewed the bilateral ties and means of cooperation in all fields and discussed strengthening relations at various...

Together, the airlines are making millions of reward seats available for frequent flyers to access more than 100 destinations.