GCC unveils strategic vision for regional stability
For the first time in its 43-year history, the bloc has set a strategic vision that prioritizes diplomacy and dialogue...Geostrategy
Israeli strikes kill dozens in Syria and Lebanon, rile Russia and Iran
In Syria, "Israeli strikes" targeted a Hizbollah "rockets depot" in Aleppo province, killing 36 Syrian soldiers, seven Hezbollah members and...Geostrategy
Israeli strikes kill two pro-Iran fighters in Syria, says war monitor
Israeli airstrikes targeting a weapons depot in Syria killed two pro-Iran fighters and wounded three soldiers, a war monitor said....Since Syria's civil war erupted in 2011, Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes against its northern neighbor.
Israel has targeted government troops as well as allied Iran-backed forces and Lebanon's Hezbollah fighters in Syria.
UAE FM welcomes China-brokered Saudi-Iran pact to resume ties
Abu Dhabi, UAE--Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has made a phone call...Al Nahyan highlighted the importance of the agreement and its role in achieving stability in the region and meeting the aspirations of their peoples for development and prosperity
The UAE minister applauded the role of China in bringing about the resumption of Saudi-Iranian diplomatic relations that had remained broken for about seven years
Syria facility attempts to rehabilitate IS-scarred foreign children
More than 50 boys aged 11-17, some with parents hailing from Britain, France, Germany or the United States, live at the...The boys at the Orkesh rehabilitation center were transferred from Al-Hol and Roj, authorities said, as well as from the Ghwayran prison
Kurdish authorities have repeatedly called on countries to repatriate their citizens, but foreign governments have allowed only a trickle to return home
UN envoy calls on Libyan factions to agree terms for polls by mid-June
TRIPOLI, LIBYA - UN envoy Abdoulaye Bathily called on rival administrations in conflict-torn Libya Saturday to agree terms for elections "by...The UN envoy defended his proposal in a news conference in Tripoli, stressing it was "not a foreign-imposed solution".
Libya remains split between a nominally interim government in Tripoli in the west, and another in the east.
Iran to buy Russian Sukhoi jets to replace old fleet
TEHRAN, IRAN - Iran has finalized a deal to buy Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets from Russia, state media reported, as...Iranian air force has an old fleet of fighter jets and have had issues to find its spare parts
Most of the planes of Iranian air force dates back to Soviet era including MiG and Sukhoi
UAE minister meets UN Secretary-General on global climate action
NEW YORK, US - Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and COP28 President-Designate Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber met...The minister outlined the UAE’s key COP28 priorities across mitigation, adaptation, loss and damage, climate finance and process innovation.
The UAE and UN discussed the urgent need to close the financing gap and to keep alive the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5ºC.
Over 1,000 migrants brought safely to Italian ports
ROME, ITALY - Over 1,000 migrants were brought to safety at two Italian ports on Saturday after the overcrowded boats...The shipwreck occurred of the Calabria shore on 26 Feb and Italian prime minister was criticized for being unable to save the boat
The incident pushed prime minister into announcing a decree which has provisions of stiffer prison terms for human traffickers
Two policemen killed in Iran, says state media
TEHRAN, IRAN - Gunmen ambushed and killed two Iranian policemen on patrol in the restive southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan, state media...The officers had been "on a mission to provide security" during Friday prayers in the town of Golshan when they came under attack.
Sistan-Baluchistan province, on Iran's border with Afghanistan and Pakistan, has been the scene of weekly protests that flared in September 2022.
Li Qiang confirmed as China’s premier by parliament
Li Qiang, one of Chinese President Xi Jinping's trusted allies, was confirmed as premier, as Xi cements his influence on...Li Qiang received nearly every vote from the over 2,900 delegates at the National People's Congress.
Journalists were asked to leave the chamber as deputies, mostly dressed in dark suits, marked their ballots.
Tunisia’s Saied plans to restore ties with Syria
Tunisia expelled Syria's ambassador in 2012 over the bloody repression of opponents of President Bashar al-Assad at the outset of..."Nothing can justify the absence of a Tunisian ambassador in Damascus and an ambassador from Syria in Tunis," Saied said
Saied had mentioned his intention to "reinforce the diplomatic representation" of Tunisia in Syria back in February