Middle East

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states affirmed their firm commitment to eradicating contemporary forms of slavery, and acknowledged that forced or compulsory labor may amount to “contemporary forms of slavery.” The GCC states underscored their full committed to suppressing these practices based on the provisions of the Forced Labor Convention …

LONDON — Russia has revoked the accreditation of six British diplomats and accused them of spying on Moscow, it emerged Friday, a fresh geopolitical escalation that was publicized in Russian state media just as London and the US consider allowing Ukraine to strike targets inside Russia. Moscow’s Federal Security Service …

PRAGUE/WARSAW — Sandbags are being prepared in Austria, reservoirs have been emptied in the Czech Republic and flash floods are expected in Poland, as forecasters warn of days of “potentially catastrophic” rainfall. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has said there is “no reason to panic”, after attending a flood risk …

MUMBAI — Indian billionaire Gautam Adani’s firm has denied fresh allegations that Swiss authorities had frozen $310m (£236m) of their funds in Swiss bank accounts. US-based short-seller Hindenburg Research alleged that the action was part of a money laundering and securities forgery investigation into the Adani Group. In a post …

BEIJING — China will “gradually raise” its retirement age for the first time since the 1950s, as the country confronts an aging population and a dwindling pension budget. The top legislative body on Friday approved proposals to raise the statutory retirement age from 50 to 55 for women in blue-collar …

MOSCOW — The headline in this morning’s Kommersant newspaper captured the drama. “Vladimir Putin draws his red line.” Speaking in St Petersburg, President Putin sent a clear warning to the West: don’t allow Ukraine to use your long-range missiles to strike Russian territory. Moscow, he said, would view that as …

Israel faced international condemnation yesterday after a strike killed 18 people on Wednesday at a school-turned-shelter for displaced Palestinians in war-torn Gaza.The attack flattened part of the UN-run Al-Jawni school in Nuseirat, leaving only a charred heap of rebar and concrete. “For the fifth time, Israeli forces bombed the UNRWA-run …

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry warned Thursday of Israeli plans and incitement practices aimed at undermining Al-Aqsa Mosque by the so-called Temple Mount organizations union, where the image of the alleged temple is constantly being promoted in place of the Dome of the Rock. The ministry said in a statement that …

At least a quarter of people who have been injured in the Gaza Strip since the Israeli war broke out last year have “life-changing injuries,” according to new data from the World Health Organization (WHO). That total – 22,500 people as of late July, and likely closer to 24,000 today, …

Saudi Gazette report RIYADH — Dr. Esam Alwagait, director of National Information Center under the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), presented on Thursday awards to the winners of the inaugural International AI Olympiad (IAIO). The competition was jointly organized by SDAIA, the International Center for Artificial Intelligence Research …