LONDON: The UAE and Georgia have signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, with the aim of trebling non-oil trade from $481 million to $1.5 billion within five years.

This agreement was witnessed by Emirati Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid and his Georgian counterpart, Irakli Garibashvili. Sheikh Mohammed said that the partnership is testament to the UAE’s unwavering efforts to boost economic growth and trade ties with allied nations, the Emirates News Agency reported on Tuesday.

TUNIS: As the Israel-Palestine conflict once again flares up, threatening to plunge the Middle East into a new crisis, it does not mean that the other serious problems plaguing the Middle East and North Africa region are petering out.

NEW YORK CITY: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday called for an end to “this vicious circle of bloodshed, hatred and polarization,” as the conflict between Hamas and Israel continued for a third day.

He repeated his condemnation of “the abhorrent attacks by Hamas and others” on Israeli towns and villages, launched from Gaza, which have left more than 800 Israelis dead and more than 2,500 injured since they began on Saturday.

JERUSALEM: Israel increased airstrikes on the Gaza Strip and sealed it off from food, fuel and other supplies Monday in retaliation for a bloody incursion by Hamas militants, as the war’s death toll rose to nearly 1,600 on both sides. Hamas also escalated the conflict, pledging to kill captured Israelis if attacks targeted civilians without warnings.

AMMAN: Jordan’s King Abdullah on Monday welcomed a visiting US Congress delegation led by Sen. Joni Ernst.

During their meeting, the king and his American guests discussed the latest developments in the region and ways in which the strategic partnership between Jordan and the US might be bolstered, the Jordan News Agency reported.

Ayman Safadi, Jordan’s foreign minister, Jafar Hassan, the director of the king’s office, and Yael Lempert, the US ambassador to Jordan, were also present at the meeting.