• Syria has held ‘meetings’ with US: Assad

    The United States was among the first to cut ties with Assad over the repression of anti-government protests that sparked war in 2011, and many Western and Arab states also severed relations.
  • Middle East oil policies not dictated by US, says Russia

    MOSCOW, RUSSIA – US will no longer be able to dictate oil prices in the Middle East, Director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Chief Sergey Naryshkin said. The Russian official made the statement in the documentary "Oil" on the premier online platform. “The ‘hegemon’ has lost a step. It is...
  • ENEC and General Atomics to collaborate on use of technology for nuclear energy

    Abu Dhabi, UAE--The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) today announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with General Atomics (GA), a leading US advanced technology solutions company, to collaborate on using advanced technologies and materials for nuclear energy supply. They will also cooperate on prospects that utilise...
  • Israel spy chief to return to Qatar for Gaza truce talks

    The Israeli prime minister's office said that Benjamin Netanyahu approved an Israeli delegation led by Mossad head David Barnea to go to Qatar" on Friday. Barnea was in Doha Monday but flew back home after talks were restarted following failed efforts to secure a truce before the holy month of...
  • UN General Assembly to address AI’s potential risks, rewards

    The resolution focuses more on the technology's positive potential, and calls for special care "to bridge the artificial intelligence and other digital divides between and within countries." The draft resolution, which is the first on the issue, was brought forth by the United States and will be submitted for approval...
  • COP hosts UAE, Azerbaijan, Brazil pledge stronger climate action

    Paris, France--Past and future hosts of the UN climate negotiations the United Arab Emirates, Azerbaijan and Brazil announced Wednesday they would cut their own emissions in line with limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Nations have been under pressure to keep this warming limit alive by pledging to accelerate their...
  • ‘US circulates draft UN resolution calling for immediate truce in Gaza’

    "Of course, we stand with Israel and its right to defend itself... but at the same time, it's imperative that the civilians who are in harm's way and who are suffering so terribly -– that we focus on them, that we make them a priority, protecting the civilians, getting them...
  • White House announces $20bn in grants, loans to boost Intel chip production

    Washington, United States - The White House unveiled almost $20 billion in new grants and loans Wednesday to support Intel's US chip-making facilities, marking the Biden administration's largest funding announcement yet as it tackles China's dominance of the crucial technology. President Joe Biden's decision to make the announcement during a trip...
  • Israel’s Gallant to visit US as Rafah pressure builds

    During his first visit to Washington since war erupted in response to Hamas's unprecedented October 7 attack, Gallant is due to meet Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin -- but no date was announced. They will discuss "developments in the war against Hamas, force build-up, humanitarian issues and areas of bilateral military...
  • Federal Reserve begins two-day talk on interest rates

    Washington, United States - The US Federal Reserve began two days of discussions on Tuesday at which policymakers are expected to hold firm on interest rates, and continue discussions about when to start cutting them. The meeting got under way in Washington at 9am local time (1300 GMT) on Tuesday, the...
  • S.Africa says Israel war undermining top UN court

    South Africa's top diplomat accused Israel of setting a precedent for leaders to defy the top UN court, as she again alleged a campaign of starvation in Gaza. South Africa has hauled Israel before the International Court of Justice to allege genocide in the war triggered by the October 7...
  • Blinken to visit Saudi Arabia, Egypt to discuss Gaza ceasefire: spokesman

    Blinken will hold talks with Saudi leaders in Jeddah on Wednesday before travelling to Cairo on Thursday for talks with Egyptian authorities, spokesman Matthew Miller said from the Philippines, where Blinken is touring. -This will be Blinken's sixth trip to the Middle East since the start of the war.
  • US destroys Houthi missiles, drones in new Yemen strike

    United States Central Command forces operated "in self-defense" when they engaged and destroyed the anti-ship missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as three weapons storage containers in Houthi-controlled areas, CENTCOM said in a statement posted on X, the former Twitter.
  • ByteDance’s dilemma: Defending TikTok’s ‘secret sauce’ from US interference

    Seoul, South Korea - As a US campaign to sever TikTok from its Chinese parent heads to the Senate, analysts say Beijing's response to a forced sale of the app -- and its 'secret sauce' algorithm -- will be clear: Hands off. Under new legislation that passed the House of Representatives...
  • Palestinians ‘need the bombs to stop,’ Irish PM says at White House

    Varadkar has been one of Europe's most critical leaders over Israel's campaign in Gaza, which began when Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on the southern part of the country.
  • Gemini’s inaccurate AI racial images warn of tech titans’ power

    AUSTIN, US – For people at the trend-setting tech festival here, the scandal that erupted after Google's Gemini chatbot cranked out images of Black and Asian Nazi soldiers was seen as a warning about the power artificial intelligence can give tech titans. Google CEO Sundar Pichai last month slammed as "completely...
  • Trump hails election as ‘most important date’ in US history

    Earlier this month Trump and Biden each won enough delegates to clinch their party nominations in the 2024 presidential race, all but assuring a rematch and setting up one of the longest election campaigns in US history. Among the issues Trump is campaigning on is sweeping reform of what he...
  • Noura Al Kaabi leads UAE’s delegation to UN Commission on the Status of Women

    NEW YORK, US – Minister of State Noura Al Kaabi led the United Arab Emirates’ delegation to the 68th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). The priority theme for CSW68 is “Accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and...
  • US charity says aid unloaded, ready for delivery in Gaza

    A US charity said its team in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip had finished unloading the first maritime aid shipment to reach the besieged territory. "All cargo was offloaded and is being readied for distribution in Gaza," World Central Kitchen said in a statement, noting that the aid was "almost 200...
  • US sanctions network smuggling American tech to Iran’s central bank

    US Treasury sanctioned a number of alleged ISC subsidiaries and front companies based in Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, and three individuals allegedly linked to them including Pouria Mirdamadi, a French-Iranian dual national. "The United States will continue to use all available means to disrupt the Iranian regime's illicit...
  • Nervous system disorders surpass heart ailments as top cause of illness

    Paris, France - Conditions affecting the nervous system -- such as strokes, migraines and dementia -- have surged past heart disease to become the leading cause of ill health worldwide, a major new analysis said on Friday. More than 3.4 billion people -- 43 percent of the global population -- experienced...
  • US forces ‘destroy’ Houthi anti-ship missiles and drones in Yemen

    Dubai, United Arab Emirates--The US military said Thursday it had destroyed nine anti-ship ballistic missiles and two drones in Yemen after Houthi rebels fired on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. US Central Command (CENTCOM) said two missiles fired by the Houthi rebels towards the Red Sea and...
  • Leader of US Senate calls for election in Israel

    The leader of the US Senate called for Israel to hold new elections in the most strident criticism yet by a senior American official of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's handling of the war in Gaza. The remarks from Chuck Schumer came amid increased pressure from President Joe Biden over the...
  • Brighter US economic outlook fuels global oil demand growth forecast

    Rising fuel needs of ships rerouted away from the Red Sea also to increase demand, the International Energy Agency said. Commercial ships have been taking longer and costlier journeys around the southern tip of Africa to avoid attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels in the Red Sea.
  • China to take ‘all necessary measures’ to protect interests after US TikTok vote

    Beijing, China--China on Thursday slammed the approval of a US bill that would ban TikTok unless it severs ties with its Chinese parent company, vowing that Beijing would "take all necessary measures" to protect the interests of its companies overseas. The short-video app has soared in popularity worldwide but its ownership...
  • Trump, Biden clinch enough delegates for US presidential nomination

    The results in four statewide elections Tuesday, the latest in the months-long march to determine the Democratic and Republican party flagbearers, were essentially a foregone conclusion as incumbent Biden and former president Trump had already seen off all primary challengers.
  • US troops depart for mission to build temporary Gaza aid port

    The first -- a hulking gray-painted watercraft known as a Logistics Support Vessel -- slowly churned away from the pier at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia. It was followed by three smaller vessels that will also make the roughly 30-day trip to the eastern Mediterranean for the port mission.
  • Qatar says Israel and Hamas are ‘not near a deal’ on Gaza truce

    "We are not near a deal, meaning that we are not seeing both sides converging on language that can resolve the current disagreement over the implementation of a deal," said foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari. He added that he could not "offer any timeline" on an agreement.
  • US hits targets in Yemen as Houthis vow to step up attacks

    The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack on the Pinocchio in a statement early Tuesday, maintaining the missile strike "was accurate". The British maritime security agency UKMTO had previously said a ship in the area "reported a sound of an explosion" in its vicinity southwest of the Yemeni port of...
  • Ford to pay US$365m in US tariff fraud case

    It will settle a civil suit linked to the disguising of imported vans.
  • Gaza war rages on as Islamic holy month of Ramadan begins

    As the Muslim world welcomed Ramadan with the customary daytime fast, many Gazans awoke to bombardment that saw residents once more search through the rubble of destroyed homes for survivors and bodies.
  • Four space station crew members leave for Earth

    WASHINGTON, US – Four astronauts left the International Space Station on Monday and were bound for Earth following a more than six month mission. Led by American astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, NASA's Crew-7 arrived at the research platform last August aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon. The same spacecraft undocked on Monday morning,...
  • TikTok dragged into US election as Trump opposes ban

    Years of on-and-off attempts of banning the Chinese owned app have resurged in the United States with the introduction of a bill in Congress that could see the app forced to cut ties with its Chinese owner, Bytedance. The US House of Representatives could vote this week on the bill...
  • UN head urges ‘silencing the guns’ in Gaza ahead of Ramadan

    "We have witnessed month after month of civilian killing and destruction at a level that is unprecedented in all my years as Secretary-General," he said.
  • Bitcoin hits fresh record above $72,000

    Bitcoin hit a fresh record above $72,000 on Monday as demand for the cryptocurrency picks up amid optimism that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates this year. That comes after US authorities gave the green light this year to exchange-traded funds pegged to bitcoin's spot price, persuading some mainstream...
  • Cryptocurrency Ether witnesses meteoric rise since launch

    NEW YORK, US – Bitcoin has captured the limelight in recent weeks as it surged to a new record high, yet another major cryptocurrency, Ether, has been enjoying its own meteoric rise. Launched in 2015, Ether, also known as Ethereum, is by far the second-largest digital currency in terms of total...
  • CIA, Mossad chiefs meet to ‘advance’ hostage release deal

    Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said Israel was preparing for "all possible operational scenarios" during Ramadan, and that it plans to allow "freedom of worship under security and safety restrictions". Hagari said it was because of Hamas that a new truce deal had yet to be reached in the Gaza...
  • Thousands rally in London seeking a truce in Gaza

    London, UK - Thousands of protesters marched in central London on Saturday to call for a ceasefire in Gaza amid ongoing bombardments by Israel after the Hamas attack on its territory on October 7. Regular marches protesting Israel's military response to the attacks have seen dozens arrested for anti-Semitic chanting and...
  • Amman Chamber of Industry exports for January-February 2024 reaches $1.3bn

    AMMAN, JORDAN - Amman Chamber of Industry (ACI) exports amounted to US$1.3 billion (JD926 million) during the last two months of 2024, compared to US$1.79 billion (JD1.272 billion) for the same period last year. According to statistical data obtained by Petra, exports of five sectors recorded an increase, while the...
  • US-led coalition shoots down 15 Yemen rebel drones: CENTCOM

    CENTCOM and coalition forces determined that the drones "presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels, US Navy and coalition ships in the region". It was one of the Houthis' largest attacks since they began in November a campaign of drone and missile strikes against ships in the Red Sea area,...
  • Canada to resume funding UN agency for Palestinians

    Canada has reviewed the investigation's interim report and "we were reassured by the contents," Minister of International Development said. He also announced that Ottawa will partner with Jordan and the World Food Program to conduct airdrops in Gaza to deliver desperately needed food and other essentials.
  • UN aid official presses for aid delivery to Gaza by land route

    The UN aid coordinator for the Palestinian territory Sigrid Kaag said her message to UN Security Council was that the international community must "flood the market in Gaza with humanitarian goods" and "re-energize the private sector" so more commercial goods can enter to meet civilians' needs.
  • US President orders military to set up a port in Gaza for aid, say officials

    President Joe Biden will tell Congress that he has ordered the US military to set up a port in Gaza to get more humanitarian aid by sea, senior US officials said. The announcement will not involve any US boots on the ground in the Palestinian enclave, as military personnel will...
  • Hamas expresses dissatisfaction over Israel’s stance on Gaza truce

    A senior Hamas official confirmed that the group's delegation in talks seeking a Gaza truce left Cairo for consultations in Doha, while voicing dissatisfaction with Israel's responses. "We are awaiting the final official response from the enemy (Israel)," said the official, who was involved in negotiations in Cairo but declined...
  • US vows to hold Houthis ‘accountable’ for deadly strike

    The Houthi rebels have been defiantly hitting ships in vital commercial waters in professed solidarity with the Palestinians as Israel pounds Hamas-ruled Gaza in response to the October 7 attack. Asked if the latest attack showed a failure of the US and UK strikes on the Houthis, Miller said, "We...
  • Envoys push for Gaza truce before Ramadan begins next week

    While negotiators in Cairo tried to surmount tough stumbling blocks, fighting again raged in Gaza where the UN warns famine looms and desperate crowds have stopped and looted food aid trucks. Gazans were waiting to collect bags of flour outside an office of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA,...
  • Egypt’s IMF loan increased by $5bn after central bank floats pound

    The agreement, announced by Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and the IMF's mission chief for Egypt, Ivanna Vladkova Hollar, came hours after the country's central bank hiked interest rates and said it was floating the pound. By the time the markets closed on Wednesday, the Egyptian pound was trading at a...
  • Gold, bitcoin pull back from records as US stock markets slip

    On Wall Street, the Dow and the S&P 500 both finished 1.0 percent lower, while the tech-rich Nasdaq composite ended the day down 1.7 percent, pulled down by firms including Apple and Tesla. Despite the gloomy trading day in New York, US stock indices are still up sharply on the...
  • ASEAN, Australia call for ‘immediate and durable’ ceasefire in Gaza

    Southeast Asia is home to about 40 percent of the world's Muslim population, and ASEAN heavyweights Indonesia and Malaysia are staunch supporters of the Palestinian cause. But other influential ASEAN nations such as Singapore have closer ties with Israel -- and are less eager to stoke controversy.
  • ‘You’ve got to finish the problem’: Trump supports Israel’s war

    The fighting began with an attack by Hamas on southern Israel on October 7, resulting in about 1,160 deaths, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. Israel's retaliatory offensive in the Gaza Strip has killed 30,534 people, mostly women and children, according to...
  • Trump comes close to ‘Super Tuesday’ clean sweep: US networks

    The former president, bidding for a sensational White House comeback after being unseated by Democrat Joe Biden in 2020, hopes to take home an almost-decisive haul of delegates on Tuesday in his march to the Republican Party nomination. Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, California, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas...