Blinken returns to Mideast in push for truce
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was heading back to the Middle East on Monday to push a ceasefire plan,...Geostrategy
Israeli army claims deadly strike on ‘Hamas compound’ inside UN school in Gaza
The hospital reported an electrical generator failure earlier in the night, which risked complicating the treatment of patients. Prior to...Geostrategy
Iran calls upon Lebanon to elect a president
Iran's foreign minister called on Lebanon to overcome political deadlock and elect a president, urging foreign governments not to interfere...Lebanon, in the throes of a crushing economic crisis, has been without a president for almost six months amid deadlock between entrenched political barons.
A caretaker cabinet with limited powers has been at the helm since May last year after legislative polls gave no side a clear majority.
‘Nightmare’: Sudan evacuees fear for those left behind
On Wednesday, after a harrowing overland journey and overnight boat trip across the Red Sea, Sudan evacuees who have fled...Evacuees began arriving in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, on naval ships that reached Jeddah carrying 150 people including foreign diplomats and officials
The rescue operation completed on Wednesday morning was by far the largest to date as more than 1600 civilians were arrived to the coastal Saudi city of Jeddah
Iran director Panahi travels abroad after 14-year ban
The 62-year-old Iranian director, whose films have won numerous international awards, was freed on bail in early February after nearly...On Tuesday evening Panahi's wife posted a photo on Instagram of herself and the filmmaker at an airport, with both appearing happy to leave the country after a 14-year ban
Panahi was banned from making films and leaving the Islamic republic after supporting mass protests in 2009 and making a series of films that critiqued the state of modern Iran
Erdogan cancels poll appearances after developing stomach bug
Erdogan cut short a live television interview late on Tuesday after getting sick on air. His television appearance began more...The 69-year-old leader's announcement came three weeks before Turkey holds what is viewed as its most important election of its post-Ottoman era
He is running neck-and-neck with secular opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu and had three campaign appearances planned for Wednesday
Tokyo firm loses contact with lander carrying UAE’s moon explorer
The UAE-made Rashid Rover aboard the Hakuto Mission 1 Lunar lander was nearing its destination on the Moon when the...The lander was travelling at around 16 mph (25 kph) at the time of the communication blackout.
The mission control team is still trying to locate and confirm the status of the lander.
UAE urges UN Security Council to resolve conflicts through dialogue
NEW YORK, US - UAE Minister of State Khalifa Shaheen Al Marar urged United Nations Security Council members to peacefully...The UAE calls upon UNSC to bring peaceful resolution to conflict and crises, from Sudan to Ukraine.
UAE says it is imperative to promote dialogue and cooperation among nations to address challenges.
Saudi Arabia seizes 12m amphetamine pills, arrests four
Saudi Arabia regularly announces seizures of amphetamine pills without specifying whether they are captagon, used by wealthy Saudis as a...The consignment of 12,729,000 amphetamine pills was hidden in a shipment of pomegranate fruit, and was passing Jeddah port.
The authorities arrested four people on charges of smuggling the pills, which included two Egyptians, Syrian and a Yemeni national.
Russia hosts talks for normalizing ties between Syria, Turkey
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu hosted four-way talks aimed at normalizing ties between Ankara and Damascus, which were severed at...Russia stressed the importance of countering "the fight against all extremist groups in Syria".
All participants "reaffirmed their respect for Syria's territorial integrity", the Turkish defense ministry said.
Concern over Biden’s age as he decides to run for re-election in 2024
The veteran Democrat would be 86 by the end of a second term. Even if a medical exam in February...After a series of legislative wins and momentous foreign policy struggles in his first two years in office, no one possess any challenge to him from within his party.
But in a campaign that may result in a rematch of the 2020 election against Donald Trump, he is expected to face constant and fierce scrutiny over his age.
WHO expresses concern after fighters take over lab in Sudan
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND -  The World Health Organization said on Tuesday that fighters in conflict-ravaged Sudan had occupied the national public laboratory...Fighters "kicked out all the technicians from the lab," said Nima Saeed Abid, the WHO's representative in Sudan.
The lab held so-called isolates, or samples, of a range of deadly diseases, including measles, polio and cholera.
