Despite efforts by the OPEC oil cartel to block any text targeting fossil fuels at COP28, Chinese envoy Xie Zhenhua told reporters that "some progress" has been made on the issue. "If we do not resolve this issue, I don't see much chance in having a successful COP28," he said.

Istanbul, Turkey - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday denounced the UN Security Council after the United States vetoed a ceasefire resolution for Gaza, describing the international body as the 'Israel protection council'. "Since October 7, the security council has become an Israel protection and defense council," Erdogan said. The United...

Tehran, Iran - Iran said on Saturday that attempting to revive its landmark nuclear deal with world powers that was effectively scrapped by former US president Donald Trump was increasingly "useless". "Today, the more we advance, the more the JCPOA becomes useless," Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said in a speech to...

ABU DHABI, UAE - International Monetary Fund (IMF), in collaboration with the UAE Executive Office of Anti-Money Laundering and Counter Terrorism Financing (EO AMLCTF), held a "Fintech Roundtable" with Anti-Money Laundering/Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) supervisors from across the globe. The event was attended by participants from 15 countries...

Israel bombarded targets in Gaza after the United States blocked an extraordinary UN bid for a ceasefire in the war with Hamas that has triggered alerts of an "apocalyptic" humanitarian situation. Aid workers say Gaza's humanitarian system is on the verge of collapse, as disease and starvation threaten.

Dubai, UAE--The head of OPEC has urged members of the oil cartel to reject any deal at UN climate talks in Dubai that "targets" fossil fuels instead of emissions, according to a letter seen Friday by AFP. In the letter sent Wednesday, OPEC Secretary General Haitham Al Ghais said he...

In a note to the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and UN Climate Change body, shared with AFP, climate scientists from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and Exeter University said there was very little room for anything but a total phase-out of fossil fuels.

Israeli forces maintained a relentless bombardment and ground invasion across Gaza two months after Hamas's deadly attack sparked a war that has decimated the Palestinian territory and triggered an extraordinary UN bid for a ceasefire. The fighting has left 17,487 people dead in Gaza, mostly women and children, said the...

Climate campaigners have viewed Jaber with deep suspicion due to his position as the head of UAE national oil firm ADNOC, but he has sought to assure sceptics by stating that a phase down of fossil fuels was "inevitable".

Dubai, UAE -- Petro-state Azerbaijan has cleared a key hurdle to host next year's UN climate summit despite the controversy over COP28 taking place in the oil-rich United Arab Emirates. Armenia said Thursday it was dropping its rival bid for COP29 as it tries to normalize relations with its neighbor after...

Israel declared war on the Palestinian fighter group Hamas after its attack on October 7 in southern Israel, which killed around 1,200 people, Israeli officials say. Israel's ensuing military campaign in Gaza has killed nearly 17,200 people, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

The Palestinian foreign ministry said on Tuesday that Israel was "taking advantage of international concern over the war in Gaza to approve the construction of a settlement in occupied Jerusalem". It was part of a plan to "flood Jerusalem with settlements and settlers" and "separate it from its Palestinian surroundings",...

Abu Dhabi, UAE--Egyptian Petroleum Minister Tarek el Molla announced an agreement on laying down a detailed road map for cutting methane emissions of the petroleum and gas sector in Egypt via the offered technical support. According to the Middle East News Agency (MENA), the agreement is scheduled to be signed...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office wrote on X that a "minimal supplement of fuel necessary to prevent a humanitarian collapse and the outbreak of epidemics" had been approved to enter "into the southern Gaza Strip". The announcement follows the UN warning of a total breakdown of public order in...

Tehran, Iran - The UN cultural agency on Wednesday recognized iftar, the meal that breaks the daytime fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, on its list of intangible cultural heritage. The application for the sociocultural tradition was jointly submitted by Iran, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan to the UN Educational,...

"Civilians in Gaza continue to be relentlessly bombarded by Israel and collectively punished -- suffering death, siege, destruction and deprivation of the most essential human needs such as food, water, lifesaving medical supplies and other essentials on a massive scale," UN human rights chief Volker Turk told a press conference....

Organizers say the Faith pavilion is supporting progress toward an ambitious pact to limit global warming, that also ensures financial aid for the world's poorest on the frontlines of climate change. Faith leaders are offering moral and pastoral services to diplomats working around the clock on the agreement, and for...

The fate of oil, gas and coal is the thorniest issue being thrashed out at the COP28 UN climate talks in Dubai and divisions around their future have dominated the conference. The second version of the negotiating text puts three options on the table, setting the stage for a grueling...

Since the Gaza war, the Houthi rebels have seized an Israeli-linked cargo vessel and fired ballistic missiles at various targets. On Sunday, US Central Command said US warships shot down three suspected Houthi drones in the Red Sea. The Biden administration has said it will consider redesignating the Houthis a...

Hamas statement comes days after UN Women said it was "alarmed by the numerous accounts of gender-based atrocities" during the attacks on southern Israel, which authorities say killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians. Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas and responded with an intense military campaign that has killed 15,899...

According to Lynn Hastings, UN humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories, the conditions required to deliver aid to "the people of Gaza do not exist." He said that since the end of truce, Israeli forces have pushed into southern Gaza, "forcing tens of thousands... into compressed spaces, desperate to find...

DUBAI, UAE - The Emirati president of the UN's COP28 talks said on Monday he respects climate science, after a leaked video showed him declaring that no science says phasing out fossil fuel will achieve climate goals. Sultan Al Jaber also repeated his past statements that a phase out of fossil...

Dubai, UAE-- UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and UN Secretary General António Guterres discussed the importance of the conference in enhancing international collective action to address climate challenges in a manner that serves humanity and future generations. The meeting between the two took place at the ongoing UN Climate...

Smoke again clouded the sky over the north of the Palestinian territory, whose Hamas government said 240 people had been killed since a pause in hostilities expired early Friday and combat resumed. After the truce expired on Friday, Israel had told NGOs not to bring aid convoys across the Rafah...

Speaking at a press conference on the sidelines of the UN's COP28 climate talks in Dubai, French President Emmanuel Macron said that the "Israeli authorities" will have to define their objective and desired end state more precisely. He warned that its aim of destroying the Palestinian movement could unleash a...

Developing countries least responsible for climate change are seeking support from richer polluting nations to adapt to the increasingly ferocious and expensive consequences of extreme weather, and for their transitions to cleaner energy sources. The failure of wealthy nations to fulfill financial pledges to help developing nations cope with climate...

Istanbul, Turkey - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday pushed back against mounting US pressure to cut Ankara's historic ties with Hamas in the wake of the group's unprecedented attacks on Israel. The US Treasury's top terrorism financing official conveyed Washington's "profound" alarm about Ankara's past relations with Hamas during...

Among the host country's guests are Bill Gates and Antoine Arnault, the son of LVMH boss Bernard Arnault, the second richest man in the world after Elon Musk, according to Forbes magazine.

Both the United Nations chief and the White House called for the break in fighting to be restored, and UN agencies warned of a "catastrophic" humanitarian situation as bombs fell and hospitals again struggled to cope with the wounded after a week-long respite.

Western energy firms are the usual suspects when it comes to criticism about the sector's role in climate change, but a less visible lineup of powerful state companies dominates the industry. They will all share the limelight at the UN climate talks that opened Thursday in Dubai, as COP28 president...

The truce agreement between Israel and Hamas stipulates that a minimum of 10 Israeli hostages should be released alive each day. But a source close to Hamas told AFP that two Russian-Israeli women freed on Wednesday in addition to 10 others made up for only eight Israelis being released on...

Low- and middle-income countries have experienced a combined loss in capital and GDP totaling $21 trillion, about half of the total 2023 GDP of the developing world, in the last 30 years, the report said. The authors specify that losses are "conservative estimates" because the analysis does not account for...

Beijing, China--China's top diplomat Wang Yi will visit New York this week to hold a United Nations Security Council meeting on the Israel-Hamas conflict, Beijing's foreign ministry said on Monday. "As it holds the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council this month, China will hold a high-level meeting on...

Some 70,000 people including national leaders and Pope Francis are expected at COP28 as it opens Thursday, in what could be the largest United Nations climate summit ever. Schedules released by the White House for Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris showed neither heading to Dubai this week.

A four-day truce between Israel and Hamas began on Friday, and a source close to Hizbollah told AFP that the Iran-backed group would also adhere to the ceasefire if Israel did. UNIFIL said "this attack on peacekeepers, dedicated to reducing tensions and restoring stability in south Lebanon, is deeply troubling,"...

Paris, France - The president of a pivotal UN climate summit defended on Saturday the large presence of industry representatives at the negotiations, saying private sector engagement was essential to curb global heating. "Everyone needs to be part of this process and everyone needs to be held responsible and everyone needs...

Erdogan went on to reiterate his claim that Israel was a “terrorist state”: “We need to know this once and for all. Israel is a terrorist state. There is no need to hesitate to say this. This is the truth we know. This is the case.”

When Khulud Jarboueh and her children fled their home in the northern Gaza Strip under Israeli bombardment in early October, the young ones were wearing just shorts and T-shirts. The heat of late summer still lingered then. But now she rummages through piles of clothing looking for something to keep...

Around 160 children are killed every day in Gaza and UNICEF has warned that the number could skyrocket. More than 900,000 displaced Gazans are staying in overcrowded shelters run by UNRWA.

PARIS, FRANCE -  Countries' greenhouse gas-cutting pledges put Earth on track for warming far beyond key limits, potentially up to a catastrophic 2.9 degrees Celsius this century, the UN said Monday, warning "we are out of road". The UN Environment Program's annual Emissions Gap report is released just ahead of crucial...

The UN chief said it was "important to be able to transform this tragedy into an opportunity" -- which, for him, meant moving "in a determined and irreversible way to a two-state solution." This means, after the current conflict ends, "a strengthened Palestinian Authority, assuming responsibilities in Gaza," he said.

A government representative for Abyei condemned the attacks that occurred early Sunday in two counties by armed militias and soldiers wearing uniforms of South Sudan's national army. "In these attacks, 32 people were killed including women and children burned into their huts, and more than twenty (20) people wounded," said...

"The killing of so many people at schools turned shelters, hundreds fleeing for their lives from Al-Shifa Hospital, amid continuing displacement of hundreds of thousands in southern Gaza, are actions which fly in the face of the basic protections civilians must be afforded under international law," United Nations High Commissioner...

The UN chief was informed about the decision by the country's ambassador to the UN, saying Sudan was terminating the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) with immediate effect. According to the UN chief's spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, the mission's mandate was scheduled to end on December 3.

The announcement came shortly after Israel agreed to a US request to allow two fuel trucks a day into Gaza, following a UN warning that the shortages had halted aid deliveries and put people at risk of starvation. The situation was dire at the Al-Shifa hospital, the largest in Gaza,...

Geneva, Switzerland - The heads of numerous United Nations agencies and other humanitarian organizations said on Thursday they would not take part in Gaza "safe zones" declared by only one side in the conflict. "As humanitarian leaders, our position is clear: We will not participate in the establishment of any 'safe...

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 resolution, prepared by Malta and adopted with 12 votes in favor, "calls for urgent and extended humanitarian pauses and corridors throughout the Gaza Strip for a sufficient number of days" to allow aid to reach civilians in the besieged territory. The text raises the question of how many days...

Israeli forces raided and then combed through Al-Shifa, Gaza's largest hospital, before withdrawing and redeploying around its outskirts, a journalist trapped inside the facility told AFP. Israel accuses Palestinian militants of using the compound for military purposes, which Hamas has denied.

Sharjah, UAE--The Sharjah Civil Aviation Department (SCAD) and the United Nations' World Food Programme (WFP) have signed an agreement to improve aviation safety throughout the world via capacity-building and education. The agreement was signed at the Sharjah SCAD's headquarters. Officials from both organisations, including Sharjah's Department of Civil Aviation Chairman...