WASHINGTON: Newly compiled U.S. State Department data show the country issued about 250,000 fewer immigrant and nonimmigrant visas from January through August 2025 than in the same period a year earlier. That amounted to an 11% decline in permanent and temporary visas excluding tourist visas, which also fell during…

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi held talks in Abu Dhabi  on Thursday, focusing on bilateral cooperation and regional developments, according to official statements. The meeting took place during President El-Sisi’s visit to the United Arab Emirates. Discussions addressed ways to enhance cooperation,…

NEW YORK: Encyclopaedia Britannica and Merriam-Webster have sued OpenAI in Manhattan federal court, accusing the artificial intelligence company of using nearly 100,000 online encyclopedia and dictionary entries without permission to train ChatGPT. The complaint, filed on March 13 in the Southern District of New York, says OpenAI copied copyrighted…

ADDIS ABABA: Ethiopia has declared three days of national mourning after the death toll from heavy rain-triggered landslides in the country’s south rose to at least 80, with recovery teams still searching for people reported missing. The mourning period begins on Saturday, March 14, after lawmakers announced the…