Putin talks to Raisi, expresses hope for restraint in Middle East
Moscow, Russia - Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart, Ebrahim Raisi, discussed the latest escalation in the Middle...Geostrategy
GCC nations express deep concern over Iran-Israel skirmishes
In light of the military escalation and developments in the Middle East region, the Ministerial Council of the Gulf Cooperation...Geostrategy
Quran burning: Iraqis, Iranians rally as Swedish diplomats leave Baghdad
Baghdad, Iraq -- Demonstrators marched in the Iraqi and Iranian capitals Friday to denounce Sweden's permission for protests that desecrate the...Sweden on Friday cited security concerns in a decision to relocate embassy staff after protesters stormed its embassy compound in a pre-dawn attack this week.
In Lebanon, the leader of the pro-Iran Hezbollah movement Hassan Nasrallah called for expulsion of the Swedish envoy there and the recall of Lebanon's ambassador to Sweden.
Dutch museum exhibit on Egypt causes anger in North African country
LEIDEN, NETHERLANDS - In a Dutch museum the sound of hip-hop blares out next to sarcophagi and statues, in what curators...Egypt's antiquities service said the museum is "falsifying history" with its "Afrocentric" approach, which seeks to appropriate Egyptian culture.
The museum said there had been a "commotion about this exhibition, because it shows Egyptian culture through the eyes of artists with African roots."
Israel’s Netanyahu to visit Turkey days after Palestinian leader
Netanyahu's office confirmed the visit, the first by an Israeli prime minister since Ehud Olmert in 2008. Turkey's diplomatic drive...Benjamin Netanyahu will be received a few days after Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, who is expected on July 25, the Turkish presidency said
The leaders will discuss Turkey-Palestine relations and the latest developments in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as well as other topical international issues
Security, trust: Tech titans promise watermarks on AI creations
Representatives from Amazon, Anthropic, Google, Inflection, Meta, Microsoft, and OpenAI were to join US President Joe Biden later Friday to...Worry that imagery or audio created by AI will be used for fraud and misinformation has ramped up as the technology improves and the 2024 US presidential election gets closer.
Commitments by the companies include independent testing of AI systems for risks when it comes to biosecurity, cybersecurity, or "societal effects," according to the White House.
Tunisia battles forest blaze on Algeria border
TABARKA, TUNISIA - Firefighters in Tunisia are battling a major blaze that has raged for two days in a pine forest...Around a dozen families had been evacuated from the affected area near the Mediterranean resort of Tabarka east of the frontier.
The Malloula border crossing had been "closed temporarily" because of thick smoke from the fire causing visibility problems on the road to Algeria.
US, Arab League discuss Middle East, Israeli-Palestinian conflict
The US-Arab Strategic Dialogue discussed Middle East peace and the Israeli- Palestinian conflict, among other issues. The dialogue concluded successfully...US-Arab League discussed reducing tensions in regional conflicts, climate change and health security.
The US condemned the attack on the Swedish Embassy in Baghdad and urged the Iraqi government to protect foreign missions.
Israel to permit all United States citizens visa-free entry
Until now, Palestinians with United States citizenship could not enter Israel through Ben Gurion airport without obtaining visas, but had...All US citizens, including dual nationals and US citizens living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, will benefit from the agreement
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Wednesday that implementation of the deal would be monitored
Israel MPs prepare divisive bill for final votes amid protests
Parliament's law committee approved the proposal, which would limit the "reasonability" clause that allows the judiciary to strike down government...Parliament's law committee approved the proposal, which would limit the "reasonability" clause that allows the judiciary to strike down government decisions
If approved next week by the full parliament, it would be the first major component of the government's proposed legal overhaul to become law
Iraqi protesters torch Swedish embassy in Baghdad
Iraqi riot police fired water cannon to disperse demonstrators away from the embassy while security forces armed with electric batons...Swedish authorities approved an assembly to be held later Thursday outside the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm, where organisers plan to burn a copy of Koran and Iraqi flag
Iraqis have been angered by events in Sweden, and Thursday's protest in Baghdad was organised by supporters of the turbulent religious leader Moqtada Sadr
GCC, Central Asian states pledge to boost strategic ties
The two sides endorsed a comprehensive joint statement that called for the boosting of political and strategic ties and strengthening...Both sides stressed the need for regional and international security and promotion of renewable energy sources
Pledges were made to invest in sectors like green economy, digital economy, innovation and green technology