Sisi sworn in as Egypt’s President for third successive term
In power for the past decade, Sisi is set to remain president until 2030, after winning a December election with...Geostrategy
Blinken in Paris for talks on Ukraine and Gaza
After Paris, Blinken will head to Brussels for NATO foreign ministers' talks ahead of the alliance's 75th anniversary summit in...Geostrategy
Tunisia footballer dies after setting himself alight in anti-state protest
Tunis, Tunisia -- A professional footballer in Tunisia has died after setting himself alight earlier this week in what he said...Nizar Issaoui, 35, suffered third-degree burns from his action in the village of Haffouz in the central region of Kairouan..
News of Issaoui's death sparked protests on the streets of Haffouz on Thursday evening, Tunisian media reported.
Prominent Iraqi cleric Sadr ‘freezes’ rank and file movement
Iraqi cleric Moqtada Sadr, an influential player in national politics, said he was "freezing" for a year his powerful movement...Sadr has repeatedly taken supporters and opponents by surprise with major announcements on social media.
The freezing of the movement would not affect religious activities and an institution dedicated to his father's legacy.
Yemen prisoner swap starts as truce talks set for second round
The first plane departed Sanaa, the rebel-held capital, for government-controlled Aden hours after a Saudi delegation departed without a fresh...On Friday, 322 prisoners will fly on International Committee of the Red Cross planes between Sanaa and Aden, on the first day of an operation that will see 887 prisoners released.
Among the prisoners to be released by the Houthis on Friday are Yemen's former defense minister, Major General Mahmud al-Subaihi.
Saudi team leaves Yemen but truce talks to continue
Houthi political leader Mohamed Ali al-Houthi said the talks were conducted in a "positive atmosphere", with plans for another round....Saudi delegation led by ambassador Mohammed al-Jaber, left Yemen late on Thursday, four days after he arrived seeking to stabilise a truce that lapsed last year
Britain's ambassador to Yemen, Richard Oppenheim, said the talks were a "positive development and may be the start of a golden opportunity for peace"
Syria’s return to Arab fold: Shifting Mideast diplomacy takes center stage in Jeddah talks today
Friday's nine-nation talks in Jeddah, the Red Sea gateway to Mecca, come after Syria's foreign minister arrived on a previously...Friday's nine-nation talks in Jeddah, the Red Sea gateway to Mecca, come after Syria's foreign minister arrived on a previously unannounced visit
On Wednesday, an Iranian delegation landed in Saudi Arabia to pave the way for reopening diplomatic missions, following a trip by a Saudi team to Iran
EU privacy watchdog sets up ChatGPT task force
The European Union's central data regulator said it was forming a task force to help countries deal with AI chatbot...ChatGPT can generate essays, poems and conversations from the briefest of prompts and is capable of passing exams.
Chatbot can only function if it is trained on vast datasets, raising concerns about where OpenAI gets its data.
Libyan security forces arrest second US citizen for ‘evangelism’
Tripoli, Libya -- Libyan security forces said Thursday they had arrested a second US citizen for alleged Christian proselytizing in...On Thursday, the Internal Security Agency said it had arrested the center's assistant director in Tripoli, identifying him by the initials "SBO".
The arrest came a day after another US citizen, who was also teaching at the same private language school in the capital Tripoli.
IMF chief calls upon global community to avert a ‘second Cold War’
Countries must do more to avert the costly consequences of growing global trade fragmentation, and help avert a "second Cold...Multilateral institutions like the World Bank and IMF have an important role to play in preventing the world from splintering into different blocs.
An IMF report said that growing trade fragmentation due to Brexit, US-China trade war and Russian invasion of Ukraine, could make the global economy.
Russia to withdraw from grain deal if all conditions are not fulfilled
Russia delivered a new warning to the West over a grain deal with Ukraine, saying a number of conditions must...Russia, whose economy has been hit by a raft of Western sanctions, has repeatedly threatened to walk away from the agreement if obstacles to its own exports remain.
There are no sanctions on Russian exports of food and fertilizers to global markets but the problems are related to sanctions on shipping, insurance companies and banks.
Arab meet: Middle East peace, ending Syria isolation key issues
Friday's nine-nation talks in Jeddah come after Syria's foreign minister arrived on a previously unannounced visit -- the first since...Ministers and top officials from the six GCC nations -- Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE-- along with Egypt, Iraq and Jordan will meet in Jeddah.
On the table is Syria's suspension from the Arab League, in place since President Bashar al-Assad's government launched a bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protests in 2011.