Iran’s top diplomat to visit Russia after US nuclear talks
Iran's foreign minister is to visit ally Russia this week to discuss nuclear negotiations with the United States, ahead of...Geostrategy
China’s exports beat forecast in March despite trade war woes
China said Monday that exports soared 12.4 percent year-on-year last month, beating expectations as Beijing navigated mounting trade headwinds sparked...Geostrategy
Dubai Customs, Japan seize drugs worth $310m from Tokyo port
DUBAI, UAE- Dubai Customs has assisted Japanese customs authorities in intercepting a significant quantity of illicit drugs. Up to 700...Up to 700 kilograms of "methamphetamine" powder, worth $310 million, were concealed within a cargo ship.
The successful operation led to the apprehension of both the cargo ship and the illegal drugs at Tokyo Port.
Hamas let Gaza residents pose with weapons at open exhibition
Exhibitions are also scheduled to take place on Saturday in the north and center of the Gaza Strip, where people...Members of the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades mingled with young men and women at the exhibition in Gaza City's Unknown Soldier's Square
Among the Hamas weapons on display in Gaza City on Friday were a range of locally manufactured missiles, "Shihab" drones
Israel okays deal with Lockheed Martin to buy F-35 fighter jets
Israel has approved buying a third squadron of advanced F-35 fighter jets manufactured by Lockheed Martin in a $3-billion deal,...In May 2018, Israel's military said it had become the first country to use F-35s in combat.
The deal to purchase 25 F-35 jets- expected to be signed in coming months - will expand the country's fleet of the aircraft to 75.
OIC calls for measures to prevent Quran burning incidents
The Saudi Arabia-based Organization of Islamic Cooperation called for collective measures to avoid future Quran burnings, days after a copy...The OIC urged member states to "take unified and collective measures to prevent the recurrence of incidents of desecration of copies of the" Quran.
The burning of the holy book coincided with the start of the Eid al-Adha holiday and the end of the annual hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.
Hundreds more arrested in fifth night of French rioting
Protesters, mostly minors, have torched cars, damaged infrastructure and clashed with police in an outpouring of rage since an officer...The interior ministry said police had made 719 arrests overnight -- still a provisional tally -- after around 1,300 the previous night.
Some 45,000 police had been deployed across France, the same number as the night before, and backup was dispatched to the previous days' flashpoints, including Lyon,
Iran exhorts France ‘to end violent treatment’ of protesters
France has been rocked by a major wave of violent street protests sparked by the fatal police shooting of a...Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani on Twitter also urged Iranian citizens to "refrain from making unnecessary trips to France"
The unrest in France has made headlines in newspapers in the Islamic republic, which was hit last year by nationwide protests
Protesters keep pressure on Israel PM over reform plan
The demonstrators have kept up the pressure with weekly rallies against Netanyahu, who returned to power last December at the...As they have done every Saturday for months, protesters thronged Tel Aviv to demonstrate against the government's judicial overhaul proposa
In March, as the mass protests were backed by sweeping industrial action, Netanyahu announced a "pause" to allow for talks on the reforms
Israel launches air strikes on govt-held city of Homs in Syria
Citing a military source, Syrian state news agency SANA said that Israel carried out air strikes near the government-held city...Quoting a source, SANA said Syrian air defenses intercepted some missiles, adding that there were some "material" losses
The targeted area, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor, was a Hezbollah stronghold housing arms depots
EU support for Ukraine’s membership unequivocal, says Spanish PM
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said that his visit to Kyiv on the first day of Spain's EU presidency showed...Ukraine applied for EU membership just five days after Russia's invasion on February 24, 2022.
It is hoping to begin formal negotiations this year on what it needs to do to firm up its membership bid.
Macron adjourns Germany visit over riots in France
President Emmanuel Macron informed Berlin he was postponing a state visit to deal with the urban rioting that has rocked...Shops were ransacked and town halls attacked in various locations nationwide, despite 45,000 members of the police dealing with the situation.
The protests over the death of teenager Nahel M., who was of Algerian origin, have again exposed the severe racial tensions in modern France.