Diplomatic flashpoint: US-Iran nuclear talks amid sanctions, military warnings and mutual suspicion
Iran seeks a "real and fair" agreement with Washington on its nuclear programme, a senior aide to supreme leader Ayatollah...Geostrategy
Trump warns of military option; Iran threatens to end UN nuclear inspections before Oman talks
Last month, Trump sent a letter to Khamenei, who has the final say in matters of state in Iran, calling...Geostrategy
Expo 2030: All eyes on Riyadh as it makes a big pitch
With ongoing mega-projects and economic diversification, Riyadh's strong Expo 2030 candidacy has already garnered support from 90 of 170 member...With ongoing mega-projects and economic diversification, Riyadh's strong Expo 2030 candidacy has already garnered support from 90 of 170 member states
Aiming to surpass Expo 2020 Dubai's visitor count, the Kingdom anticipates more than 40 million on-site and a billion virtual Metaverse visits during the event
Historic achievement: UN adopts first treaty to protect high seas
Following more than 15 years of discussions, UN member states finally agreed on the text for the treaty in March...The landmark treaty will establish a legal framework to extend swathes of environmental protections to international waters, which make up more than 60% of the oceans.
The treaty is seen as crucial to countries protecting 30 percent of the world's oceans and lands by 2030, as agreed by world governments.
Europe world’s fastest warming continent, says EU climate report
The report by the World Meteorological Organization and the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service said the continent was some...The continent, which has been warming at twice the global average since the 1980s, saw its warmest summer on record last year.
Severe heat left more than 16,000 people dead last year, the report said, while floods and storms accounted for most of the $2 billion in damages from weather and climate extremes.
Israel defiant amid global criticism over West Bank settlement expansion
UN Middle East envoy Tor Wennesland issued a warning on Monday against changes made by the Israeli government that will...Israeli official describes the changes as a reduction of unnecessary administrative procedures
Defending the changes, Israeli government asserts that Israel is their country, "in its entirety"
Israeli forces kill four Palestinians in West Bank raid
"Two martyrs and 28 injured as a result of the ongoing (Israeli) aggression on Jenin," a statement from the Palestinian...Jenin's deputy governor, Kamal Abu al-Rub, told AFP the Israeli forces had launched the raid at around 04:00 am (0100 GMT)
The Israeli army did not immediately provide any information on the raid in the northern West Bank city when contacted by media
UAE, Qatar restore ties, after six-year-long estrangement
According to Qatar's foreign ministry, Doha will reopen embassy in Abu Dhabi and its consulate in Dubai immediately. The UAE...Qatar foreign ministry said that the restoration of ties represents the will of both countries' leadership to strengthen join Arab collaboration
Nearly six years back, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt cut off ties with Qatar over accusations that it supported terrorism, a charge Doha denied
Xi says China, US ‘made progress’ in Blinken visit
Blinken opened the day by meeting China's top diplomat, Wang Yi, whose position in the Communist Party ranks above the...Blinken's visit is the highest-level trip by a US official to China in nearly five years with ties severely strained between the world's two largest economies
Xi, China’s most powerful leader in decades, met Blinken at the capital’s Great Hall of the People just after 4:30 pm (0830 GMT)
Paris summit to push for global debt and climate reform
France says the two-day summit, which begins on Thursday and will bring together some 50 heads of state and government,...Emmanuel Macron has said the Summit for a New Global Financial Pact is aimed at building a "new consensus" to meet the interlinked global targets
Ideas on the table range from taxation on shipping, fossil fuels or financial transactions, to innovations in lending and a structural rethink of IMF and World Bank
Iran-Saudi relations ‘are based on mutual respect’
"Efforts are underway to reopen diplomatic and consular missions between Saudi Arabia and Iran, including the reopening of Iran's embassy...Efforts are being made to reopen diplomatic missions, including embassies and consulates, between Saudi Arabia and Iran
Resumption of normal relations is set to foster joint cooperation and positively impact both countries, says Saudi minister
Kuwait forms new government led by Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf al-Sabah
Kuwait - Kuwait on Sunday formed a new government led by the Prime Minister, Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.The...Saad Al Barrak was named as oil minister, replacing Bader Al-Mulla and Manaf Abdulaziz Al Hajri was reappointed as Finance Minister.
The outgoing government had resigned following parliamentary elections held earlier this month in the Gulf OPEC oil producer
