Netanyahu says Israel must complete defeat of Hamas to free hostages, secure Israel
Israeli media said the premier was considering ordering the total occupation of the Palestinian territory, with public broadcaster Kan reporting...Geostrategy
Gaza war deepens Israel’s divides, sets friends, families against one another
Hostage families and peace activists want Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to secure a ceasefire with Hamas and free the...Geostrategy
UAE-Saudi non-oil trade reaches US$159bn in 2018-22
ABU DHABI, UAE - The volume of trade exchange between the UAE and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia grew by...The volume of trade between the UAE and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia grew by 28 percent in 2022.
The year 2021 saw growth, reaching $33.9 billion (AED 124.65 billion), compared to $28 billion (AED 103.91 billion) in 2020.
US and China seek improved ties via new working groups
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV also announced the launch of an "Economic Working Group" and "Financial Working Group," saying both will...The formation of the groups was agreed during talks in July between US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in Beijing.
The Economic Working Group will discuss macroeconomic issues, while the Financial Working Group will focus on regulatory and financial stability issues.
India cancels sports minister’s trip to Asian Games in visa row
China had discriminated against some of the Indian athletes "in a targeted and pre-meditated manner", India's foreign ministry spokesman Arindam...Three women martial arts fighters from the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh were approved to take part in Hangzhou Asian games.
But the wushu fighters were unable to download their accreditation cards, which act as visas to enter China, local media reports said.
Netanyahu at UN issues ‘nuclear’ threat to Iran, later retracted
Netanyahu, who has repeatedly used the UN stage to issue dark warnings about Tehran, briefly gave pause at the General...His office soon afterward said that Netanyahu had misspoken and that his prepared text said "credible military threat" instead of "credible nuclear threat."
"It was misread as credible nuclear threat. The prime minister stands by the original text of the speech," the prime minister's office said.
EU readies to pay Tunisia for stopping irregular migration
The EU is to start releasing money to Tunisia under a pact aimed at stemming irregular migration from the country,...The EU deal, strongly supported by Italy's far-right government, aims to bolster Tunis's coastguard to prevent boats leaving its shore
A first payment of US$135 million will be disbursed "in the coming days," a commission spokeswoman, Ana Pisonero, said
Iran, Djibouti resume diplomatic ties after 7 years
Iran announced the restoring of diplomatic ties with Djibouti over seven years after it joined other regional nations in severing...The move followed Iranian foreign minister Amir-Abdollahian's meeting with his Djiboutian counterpart Mahamoud Ali Youssouf in New York.
Djibouti cut ties with Iran in January 2016 after attacks on Saudi missions during protests over Riyadh's execution of a Shiite cleric.
Xi announces ‘strategic partnership’ with Syria after meeting Assad
Assad is on his first official trip to China in almost two decades as he seeks financial support to rebuild...Analysts expect Assad's visit to China will focus, in part, on funds for reconstruction. It also comes as China's influence in the Middle East grows.
This year Beijing brokered a deal that saw longtime regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Damascus-backer Iran agree to restore ties and reopen their respective embassies.
Sudan army chief warns UN that war could spill over in region
General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the de facto ruler of Sudan since a 2021 coup, alluded to the rival Rapid Support...Burhan has increasingly been traveling around the world in what are seen as efforts to burnish his legitimacy
At the United Nations, he urged world powers to designate the Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, as a terrorist group
Canada seeks India cooperation in murder probe
Speaking on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau called on the Indian...On Monday, he said Indian agents played a role in the June murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen
Indian forcefully denied any role in the killing of Nijjar, terming the accusation as "absurd"
Abbas to UN: No Mideast peace without Palestinians’ rights
Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas's address came a day after Netanyahu discussed Saudi normalization in a meeting with US President Joe...The veteran leader made a new appeal for negotiations and for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to call an international conference on creating a Palestinian state
An Israeli diplomat walked out of the General Assembly as Abbas denounced the "impunity" for Israel over its "apartheid" policies, a characterization that infuriates Israel
