ABU DHABI, UAE - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva arrived here Saturday, following a two-day visit to China to strengthen economic and diplomatic ties.The UAE's energy and infrastructure minister, Suhail bin Mohammed al-Mazrouei, welcomed the Brazilian leader at Abu Dhabi airport, local media reported.Lula, who in January returned to...

BERLIN, GERMANY - Germany will switch off its last three nuclear reactors on Saturday, exiting atomic power even as it seeks to wean itself off fossil fuels and manage an energy crisis caused by the war in Ukraine.While many Western countries are upping their investments in atomic energy to reduce their...

Arab countries gathered in Jeddah on Friday to discuss ending Syria's long spell in the diplomatic wilderness as regional relations shift following Saudi Arabia and Iran's decision to resume ties.

Russia delivered a new warning to the West over a grain deal with Ukraine, saying a number of conditions must be met for Moscow to extend it beyond May 18. Negotiated in July by Turkey and the United Nations, the agreement has given Ukrainian grain shipments a safe corridor in...

Evan Gershkovich was formally charged with espionage by Russia, according to Russian news agencies, accusation rejected both by the reporter and his employer, the Wall Street Journal. The charges are the first of their kind in Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union, sparking off an outcry from media...

World food prices are still high but have fallen by a fifth compared to a year ago when prices soared to a monthly record high after Russia invaded agricultural powerhouse Ukraine, UN data showed. Prices have fallen 20.5 percent since March 2022 after a 12th straight monthly drop, the Food...

Senior officials from the Biden administration have confirmed the authenticity of the documents, which have been posted on Twitter and Telegram, a platform widely available in Russia. “We are aware of the reports of social media posts and the department is reviewing the matter,” said Sabrina Singh, the deputy press...

Genesis Market sold the identities of over two million people for as little as $0.70, allowing hackers to target bank accounts and carry out online fraud, officials in several countries said. Police arrested 119 people in the huge crackdown, dubbed "Operation Cookie Monster", which was led by the US FBI...

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...

A joint statement issued after the tenth US-EU Energy Council in Brussels said competitive, liquid and transparent global energy markets remain critical to ensuring a reliable, sustainable, affordable, and secure energy supply for Europe to serve the transition to climate neutrality. The Council asked Russia to withdraw its forces from...

The Kremlin said oil output cuts by Russia, Saudi Arabia and other major producers that have caused prices to soar are "in the interests" of global markets. The surprise move on Sunday came as oil prices have cooled in recent months after soaring last year following the start of the...

Sunday's move "caught the markets off guard" and reversed recent oil-price gains, noted ActivTrades analyst Ricardo Evangelista. "With the fizzling out of the banking crisis and the return of optimism to the markets, the price of the barrel was already showing signs of recovering," he noted.

Kyiv, Ukraine--Ukraine on Saturday branded Russia's presidency of the UN Security Council for the month of April "a slap in the face", joining a chorus of outrage from Western countries.Moscow assumes the presidency as part of its monthly rotation between the Security Council's 15 member states, with ties with the West...

Washington, United States--President Joe Biden on Friday called for Russia to release Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who is being held on espionage charges, while rebuffing a call from the paper's editorial board to expel Russian journalists from the United States.Asked by White House reporters what his message was to...

Abu Dhabi, UAE -- The Central Bank of the UAE Friday revoked the license of Russia's MTS Bank's, which was granted last year.The bank said that under its supervision, the operations of MTS bank, which is licensed in Abu Dhabi, would be wound down within six months. Revocation of MTS's...

Two weeks after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan publicly backed its bid, Turkish lawmakers unanimously supported Finland's membership of the US-led defense alliance after the Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Turkey was the final NATO nation to ratify the Nordic country's accession, which NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said will make the "NATO...

Finland and its neighbour Sweden ended decades of military non-alignment and decided to join NATO last May. Their applications were accepted at a June alliance summit but the bids still needed to be ratified by all the members' parliaments -- a process that stalled with Turkey and Hungary.

Warsaw, Poland - Poland's prime minister on Wednesday appealed to Brussels to limit the amount of Ukrainian grain entering the European Union, saying it was destabilizing local markets.Ukraine, one of the world's largest grain exporters, saw its traditional Black Sea export routes blocked or limited by Russia's invasion.The EU has since...

"Advancing the economic status of women and girls is not only a matter of human rights, justice, and fairness -- it is also a strategic imperative that reduces poverty and promotes sustainable economic growth," the office of US VP Kamala Harris said.

Moscow, Russia--Russian oil sales to India surged more than twentyfold last year as European buyers turned to other markets following the conflict in Ukraine, Russia's deputy prime minister said Tuesday.Russia shifted its oil exports to India and China last year as European Union nations sought to end their reliance on Russian...

The White House said commercial spyware poses a distinct intelligence threat to the United States and has been found on the phones of 50 US officials overseas. In addition, a number of foreign governments have used it "to facilitate repression and enable human rights abuses."

Ankara,Turkey - Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu discussed during a phone call with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres the deal to ship grain across the Black Sea..Last week Turkey announced the extension of the deal that has allowed exports of Ukrainian grain to resume following Russia's invasion, but it was unclear...

Moscow, Russia--Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday he would deploy tactical nuclear weapons in neighbour and ally Belarus, bringing the arms to a country at the gates of the European Union.Putin has previously issued thinly veiled warnings that he could use nuclear weapons in Ukraine if Russia were threatened, reviving Cold...

Ottawa, Canada--US President Joe Biden on Friday said he believed China has not sent arms to Russia after President Vladimir Putin's forces invaded Ukraine."I've been hearing now for the past three months (that) China is going to provide significant weapons to Russia... They haven't yet. Doesn't mean they won't, but they...

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK - Denmark has invited the Russian-controlled operator of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to help recover a mystery object that was spotted near the pipeline, six months after sections were sabotaged.Russian President Vladimir Putin, who revealed the discovery of the object earlier this month, said experts believe that it...

Doha, Qatar - The volume of trade exchange between Qatar and Russia reached QR 566 million ($143 million)  in 2022, Qatar Chamber board member Eng. Ali Abdullatif Al Misnad said during Qatari-Russian Business Council that was held on Wednesday via video conferencing with the participation of many representatives of a...

The ECB president insisted, however, that if the most recent forecasts were confirmed, "we will still have ground to cover to make sure that inflation pressures are stamped out".

Putin called the talks with Chinese president "meaningful and frank" and said that Russia, which has been largely cut out of European markets because of sanctions, would be able to meet China's "growing demand" for energy. Xi's trip coincides with a surprise visit to Kyiv by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio...

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell had warned Monday that if crisis-torn Tunisia "collapses economically or socially then we will be in a situation where new flows of migrants will come to Europe". An EU delegation arrived in Tunisia on Tuesday to examine "the political and socio-economic situation" and...

The head of the Western military alliance said he welcomed any proposals that could lead to a "just and sustainable peace". He said China's paper included some positive elements, including emphasising nuclear safety, protecting civilians and territorial integrity.

LONDON, UK- Europe's natural gas price slid Monday below US$43 for the first time in more than a year and a half, dampened by mild weather and high storage levels.In morning London deals, the price of benchmark Dutch TTF gas hit $42.5 per megawatt hour - last seen in July 2021.Monday's...

Firm said non-monetary factors played a role in earnings.

Aid groups urged donors to step up their commitments after the UN complained of the poor level of response to a call it made in mid-February for urgent funding. The International Rescue Committee said they should at least ensure that the UN's emergency appeal for $1bn for Turkey and $397m...

China has urged the International Criminal Court to respect immunity for heads of state and to avoid what it called "double standards". Last week the tribunal issued an arrest warrant for Russian leader Vladimir Putin on war crimes charges. China is not a signatory to the Rome Statute, the UN...

Just hours after Putin visited Crimea to mark the ninth anniversary of the peninsula's annexation, video distributed by the Kremlin showed him landing by helicopter in Mariupol, the port city that Moscow captured after a long siege last spring. The Russian leader took a tour of the city and was...

Renewing their commitment to "continuing to strengthen bilateral relations", Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met with a senior Russian delegation in Cairo, in spite of calls by Western powers to isolate Russia over its invasion of Ukraine last year. Egypt has maintained relations with Russia in part to mitigate the...

The Abraham peace Accords between Israel and some Middle Eastern countries has paved the way for new cooperation and energy production opportunities, further solidifying the region's position in the global energy market. The region is also developing skill sets in areas of the industry beyond just production, she adds.

Abu Dhabi, which normalized relations with Assad's government in 2018, has led aid efforts in the aftermath of the February 6 earthquake that struck southeastern Turkey and northern Syria, killing tens of thousands. A diplomatic momentum generated by aid efforts in the quake's aftermath could bolster Damascus's relations with Middle...

Xi is pushing for a greater role for China on the global stage and rumours that he may soon hold his first call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have raised hopes in Western capitals that Xi may lean on his "old friend" Putin to stop his bloody invasion during the...

Turkey announced the extension of a deal that has allowed exports of Ukrainian grain to resume following Russia's invasion, but it was unclear if it had been prolonged for 60 or 120 days. Russia said it had agreed to a 60-day extension, while Ukraine's infrastructure minister said the deal had...

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM- The European Commission proposed the Net-Zero Industry Act to scale up manufacturing of clean technologies in the EU and make sure the Union is well-equipped for the clean-energy transition, local media reports said.This initiative was announced by President Ursula von der Leyen as a part of the Green...

Ankara, Turkey--Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ended months of diplomatically charged delays on Friday and asked parliament to quickly back Finland's bid to join NATO.A simultaneous decision by fellow holdout Hungary to schedule a Finnish ratification vote for March 27 means the US-led defence alliance will likely grow to 31 nations...

The two leaders "will discuss deepening the exhaustive partnership and strategic cooperation between Russia and China", including on the international stage, the Kremlin said, adding, "important bilateral documents will be signed". The visit will come just over a year into Moscow's invasion of neighbouring Ukraine.

The degree of anger and sympathy for the protesters, particularly among the American and European public, makes it near impossible to reach a nuclear deal, believes Vali Reza Nasr.

Moscow, Russia -  The UAE and Russia have agreed to enhance cooperation in the fields of innovation, environment, and education to promote sustainable economic growth.This was decided during the 11th UAE-Russia Joint Committee meeting focusing on the economic and technology sectors.The meeting was held in the Russian capital, Moscow, on...

China, Iran, and Russia are conducting a five-day trilateral naval exercise, Security Belt-2023, in the Gulf of Oman, according to media reports. China's Defense Ministry, in a statement, said the exercises will conclude on Sunday and will include the participation of China's guided-missile destroyer Nanning, which will engage in activities such...

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- As uncertainty in the global economy is limiting clarity about the outlook for oil markets, the OPEC+ should stick to the production pact agreed last October, Saudi Arabia's Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman has said.SPA reported that Prince Salman said that sticking to the October...

"Dear Mr President, I am very glad to see you in Moscow. Thank you for accepting our invitation," Putin told Assad at the start of their meeting broadcast by state TV. "We are in constant contact and our relations are developing."

Consultations to prolong Ukrainian grain exports deal are continuing, the UN said, after a Russian proposal for just a 60-day extension cast doubt over its fate. "The United Nations will do everything possible to preserve the integrity of the agreement and ensure its continuity," Jens Laerke, spokesman for the United...

New York, United States - Oil prices fell over 2 percent in volatile trading on Monday as the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank roiled equities markets and raised fears of a fresh financial crisis, but a recovery in Chinese demand provided support, Reuters reported.Brent crude futures settled down $2.01, or...