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
First flight with Yemeni pilgrims to touch down in Jeddah since 2016
A Yemenia Airways plane carrying 277 travelers departed at around 8 pm, seven years after Sanaa's international airport was blockaded...The Jeddah-bound flight is the first to Saudi Arabia since Sanaa's airport was closed by the coalition blockade in August 2016
Thousands of pilgrims in Houthi-held areas travel by bus to Saudi Arabia, or to Aden where they can fly to the neighbouring country
Iran-Saudi reconciliation advances with high-level diplomatic visit
In a significant step towards reconciliation, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan conducted a landmark visit to Iran to hold...Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan holds historic talks with his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, focusing on regional security
The talks are part of a reconciliation process between Iran and Saudi Arabia, following a seven-year rupture that began in 2016
UAE, Morocco speakers of parliament discuss ways to enhance cooperation
MARRAKESH, MOROCCO - Speaker of the UAE Federal National Council (FNC) Saqr Ghobash met with Morocco Speaker of the House...The two sides discussed ways to enhance their parliamentary cooperation, including the exchange of visits and sharing of best practices.
The meeting also highlighted the deep-rooted relations between the UAE and Morocco based on mutual respect and appreciation.
Libya’s Haftar calls for unified government to oversee polls
Last week, both sides agreed on the legal steps to hold the elections following talks in Morocco, but stopped short...Libya has been torn by more than a decade of stop-start conflict since a NATO-backed revolt toppled strongman Moamer Kadhafi in 2011
The country remains split between a nominally interim government in Tripoli in the west, and another in the east backed by Haftar
Ukraine, Lebanon top agenda as Saudi crown prince meets French president
Saudi Arabia has maintained a cautious stance throughout the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, stopping short of condemning the assault...The visit of the 37-year-old Crown PrInce, comes less than a year after his last visit to the Elysee Palace and underlines the warm relationship between Paris and Riyadh
Crown prince is due to attend a Paris summit on a New Global Financing Pact hosted by Macron on June 22-23 and an official Saudi reception for Riyadh's candidacy for Expo 2030
Putin meets UAE President Sheikh Mohamed, hails ties
Putin thanked Al-Nahyan for the role the UAE has played in prisoner exchanges between Russia and Ukraine and Russia and..."The Emirates are a very good partner," Putin said in televised comments at the start of the meeting, which took place on the sidelines of an economic summit in Saint Petersburg.
Putin thanked Al-Nahyan for the role the UAE has played in prisoner exchanges between Russia and Ukraine and Russia and the United States.
Gas, infra deals inked as Qatar emir holds Baghdad talks with Iraq PM
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani was welcomed by Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani at the airport, images broadcast on Iraqi...The two sides signed agreements on oil and gas supply to Iraq, the establishment of a joint oil company and the construction of a refinery
Iraq's National Investment Authority also signed agreements with the Qatari firms working in the property and construction sectors
Sudan war death toll surges past 2,000 as fighting enters third month
Since April 15, the regular army headed by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has been locked in fighting with paramilitary Rapid Support...In long-troubled West Darfur state, the violence killed Governor Khamis Abdullah Abakar, hours after he made remarks critical of the paramilitaries in a telephone interview
Miller said up to 1,100 civilians have been killed in West Darfur's capital, El Geneina, alone, while the @UN is reporting more than 273,000 have been displaced from the region
Xi Jinping meets with ‘old friend’ Bill Gates in Beijing
Gates -- one of the world's richest men -- is the latest in a string of Western business leaders to...The visit is Gates' first to China in four years, and included a rare sit-down between the Chinese head of state and a foreign business leader
A state media readout also quoted Gates as praising China's efforts in "tackling the Covid-19 pandemic, setting a good example for the world"
Pause, hike, cut: Central banks diverge over regional challenges
The Bank of Japan (BoJ) has gone against the grain set by the Fed and ECB, announcing on Friday that...On Wednesday, the Fed paused interest rate hikes after 10 straight increases, bringing its benchmark lending rate from close to zero to a range between 5.0 and 5.25 percent
On Thursday, the People's Bank of China cut a key lending facility by 10 basis points to 2.65 percent, and extended 237 billion yuan ($33 billion) of fresh funding to lender
