The compound in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem has been empty of UNRWA staff since January, when the law banning its operations took effect after a months-long battle over its work in the Gaza Strip.

Signatories include the "Godfather of AI" and 2024 winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics Geoffrey Hinton; Computer Sciences Professor at the University of California in Berkeley Stuart Russell; and the world's most-cited AI scientist Yoshua Bengio of the University of Montreal.

Tony Blair, Britain's former prime minister whose legacy was heavily tarnished by the 2003 war in Iraq, has long been a contentious figure in the Middle East and beyond.

Trump voiced optimism about ending nearly two years of devastating war, echoing the confidence expressed a day earlier on the sidelines of the United Nations by his roving envoy, Steve Witkoff.

Steve Witkoff, Trump's golfing friend turned roving global negotiator, said that Trump in a separate meeting with a group of leaders of Arab and Islamic nations presented a 21-point plan for ending the war.

After nearly two years of war, Israeli military operations have killed at least 65,419 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, figures the UN considers reliable.

A deal for the Chinese parent company of popular video-sharing app TikTok to sell its US operations would see the creation of a board dominated by Americans, the White House said Saturday.

Kicking off Monday, Saudi Arabia and France will co-chair meetings on the future of the Israeli and Palestinian two-state solution, which aims to see both sides existing alongside.

On the ground, Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli strikes and gunfire killed at least 38 people on Wednesday, including 16 in Gaza City.

Geneva, Switzerland - Attempts to finalise a landmark treaty combating plastic pollution descended into disarray on the penultimate day on Wednesday as dozens of countries rejected outright the latest draft text, leaving the talks in limbo. With some 30 hours left to seal a deal among the 184 countries gathered...

Dozens of Gazans stood amid bombed-out buildings in the courtyard of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City to pay their respects to Anas al-Sharif, a prominent Al Jazeera correspondent aged 28, and four of his colleagues killed on Sunday.

Geneva, Switzerland - Talks on forging a groundbreaking treaty to combat the scourge of plastic pollution were floundering Saturday, with progress slow and countries wildly at odds on what the proposed agreement should cover. The negotiations, which opened on Tuesday, have four working days left to strike a legally-binding instrument...

Plastic pollution is so ubiquitous that microplastics have been found on the highest mountain peaks, in the deepest ocean trench and scattered throughout almost every part of the human body.

Armed tribes supported by Syria's Islamist-led government clashed with Druze fighters in the community's Sweida heartland on Friday, a day after the army withdrew under Israeli bombardment and diplomatic pressure.

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.

There are frequent reports of Israeli forces firing on people seeking aid, with Gaza's civil defence agency saying 10 Palestinians were killed Friday while waiting at a distribution point near the southern city of Rafah.

Negotiations to end nearly 20 months of war have so far failed to achieve a breakthrough, with Israel resuming operations in Gaza in March, ending a six-week truce.

The planet is therefore expected to remain at historic levels of warming after the two hottest years ever recorded in 2023 and 2024, according to an annual climate report published by the World Meteorological Organization, the UN's weather and climate agency.

"For nearly 80 days, Israel blocked the entry of life-saving international aid," Guterres said. "The entire population of Gaza is facing the risk of famine.

After the first meetings between Washington and Beijing since Trump ratcheted up his trade war, the world's two biggest economies agreed in a joint statement to bring their triple-digit tariffs down to two figures and continue negotiations.

Gaza City, Palestinian Territories - First responders in Gaza said Thursday that their operations were at a near standstill, more than two months into a full Israeli blockade that has left food and fuel in severe shortage. Israel denies a humanitarian crisis is unfolding in the Gaza Strip, where it...

He renewed calls for an immediate and lasting ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages, and full humanitarian access. He also underscored the need to uphold international law, protect UN personnel and facilities, and ensure accountability for attacks on aid workers.

The World Food Programme says it has run out of food in Gaza, warning that hot meal kitchens—Gaza’s last major source of aid—will shut down in the coming days.

The new US ambassador to Israel on Monday called on Palestinian militant group Hamas to accept a deal that would secure the release of hostages, in exchange for the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

Negotiations between Hamas and Israel, mediated by Egypt along with Qatar and the United States, have been deadlocked for weeks following the expiry in early March of the first phase of a January 19 ceasefire.

Sigrid Kaag, the UN envoy for the peace process in the region, also warned against calls for Israel to annex the occupied West Bank. "The Middle East today is undergoing rapid transformation -- its scope and impact remain uncertain, but it also presents a historic opportunity," Kaag told the UN...

Geneva, Switzerland -- More than one million people have returned to their homes in Syria after the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad, including 280,000 refugees who came back from abroad, the UN said on Tuesday. Assad was toppled in December in a rebel offensive, putting an end to his family's decades-long grip...

United Nations, United States - More than $53 billion will be required to rebuild Gaza and end the "humanitarian catastrophe" that has gripped the war-ravaged territory, including $20 billion in the first three years alone, the United Nations said Tuesday. The global body said in a report that a "political and...

Mariarosa Cutillo, UNFPA Chief of the Private Sector and Civil Society Branch, says businesses need to provide adequate maternal health support and response to gender-based violence in the workplace.

The World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) 2025 report shows that despite withstanding a series of mutually reinforcing shocks, global economic growth has stagnated and remains below the pre-pandemic annual average of 3.2 percent. The report produced by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), highlights the enduring...

United Nations' special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, referring to fighting between the US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Turkish-backed groups who have captured several Kurdish towns in recent weeks and millions in refugees returning, said that conflict in Syria could re-emerge

Shunning international pressure, Israeli parliament passed a bill banning a United Nations aid agency, and also intensified its strikes against besieged Gaza Strip and Lebanon as Hezbollah names Naim Qassem as its new leader.

Iran unlikely to escalate situation with Israel, say experts, as UN chief says destruction in Gaza is "shocking". Netanyahu faces opposition to his policies as relatives of Israeli hostages interrupt his speech.

The Artificial Intelligence (AI) is being used to enhance customer service through chatbots, personalized recommendations, and dynamic pricing. Hotels and travel companies use AI to analyze customer behavior, preferences, and trends, providing personalized experiences that improve customer retention and engagement.

UN experts on Thursday accused the two sides in Sudan's civil war of using "starvation tactics" against 25 million civilians, leaving 97 percent of the population facing " "severe levels of hunger". Expert said: "Never in modern history have so many people faced starvation and famine as in Sudan today."

More than one billion people are living in acute poverty across the globe, a UN Development Program report said Thursday, with children accounting for over half of those affected. The index uses indicators such as inadequate housing, sanitation, electricity, cooking fuel, nutrition and school attendance.

Israel attacks Lebanon killing dozens and injuring more than 100 people, while Joe Biden calls Netanyahu a "liar" and Amnesty says Israel evacuation orders are "misleading" and "inadequate".

Iranian leadership vows strong retaliation if Israel attacks Iran as Hezbollah kills eight Israeli soldiers and destroys 3 tanks while Israel banned UN chief Antonio Guterres from entering Israel. Also, 90 people were killed in Gaza and dozens injured in fresh Israeli attacks.

The World Food Program says it had launched an emergency operation to provide meals for one million people affected by the escalating conflict in Lebanon, calling on the international community to mobilize US$105 million to fund the operation.

While international pressure on Israel for ceasefire in Lebanon and Gaza intensifies, Netanyahu refuses to slow down military operations. Lebanese authorities say 1,540 people have been killed and 5,410 wounded in the ongoing hostilities over the past 11 months.

Israel's army chief told troops on Wednesday to be prepared for possible entry into Lebanon as Israeli fighter jets bombarded targets in north, east and south of Lebanon. More than 90,000 people are displaced within Lebanon, says United Nations.

Biden also pushed again for an elusive ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, telling the global body it was time to "end this war." Mediator Qatar accused Israel of obstructing talks, with Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani saying "there is no Israeli partner for peace" under the government of Benjamin Netanyahu.

Escalating clashes between Israel and Hezbollah threatened to overshadow US President Joe Biden's final appearance at the UN's signature annual event on Tuesday as diplomats scrambled to avert an all-out regional war.

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian has accused Israel of seeking regional war, as he attempted to cast Tehran as restrained and appealed to the West, including the United States, for talks on flashpoint issues.

Lebanese Health Minister Firass Abiad said the death toll in Israeli strikes Monday rose to 492, including 35 children, the bloodiest daily toll in nearly a year of cross-border clashes.

Lebanon's health ministry said more than 700 were injured on Monday in the worst toll by far in nearly a year of cross-border clashes with Israel, while Iran warned Israel of "dangerous consequences". The United Nations has also expressed concerns about Israeli escalation against Lebanon.

Iranian authorities have announced the arrest of 12 people accused of "collaborating" with the country's arch-foe Israel, local media reported on Sunday. Meanwhile, Iran has enhanced efforts to build relations with its Arab neighbors by holding talks with Arab leaders at the United Nations.

Egypt's foreign minister Sunday warned of the risk of an all-out regional war in light of intensified fighting between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah, saying the escalation "negatively impacted" a Gaza truce deal. Meanwhile, the world powers on Sunday implored Israel and Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah movement to refrain from escalating their...

UN members adopted a blueprint for the future Sunday to tackle the myriad wars, environmental threats, and technological challenges facing humanity that were hailed by the organization as "groundbreaking" but panned by critics as unambitious. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres billed them as "landmark agreements - a step-change towards more effective, inclusive,...

A second wave of device explosions killed 20 people and wounded more than 450 in Lebanon on Wednesday, officials said, stoking fears of an all-out war in the region. On Tuesday, pager explosions killed 12 and injured more than 2,800 people in Lebanon blamed on Israel.