European Union and UAE agree to launch trade deal negotiations
Emirati President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan "and I just decided to launch negotiations on an EU-UAE free trade agreement,"...Business Economy Geostrategy
Iraq signs deal with US firm to produce 24,000 MW of electricity
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani oversaw "the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding as part of a strategic cooperation framework...Economy Energy Geostrategy
Erdogan stays undefeated, extends two-decade rule in Turkey runoff
Recep Tayyip Erdogan appealed for national unity Monday after winning a historic runoff election that extended two decades of his...Near-complete results show Erdogan beating challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu by four percentage points
"We will be ruling the country for the coming five years," Recep Tayyip Erdogan tells his supporters
Sharjah group to discuss trade boost with India in five-day trip
SHARJAH, UAE- The Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) will embark on a trade mission to India on Monday...The delegation will visit Mumbai and New Delhi, setting up business forums and arranging meetings with Indian business communities.
The delegation will highlight the benefits and opportunities of investing in Sharjah, detailing the incentives and facilities available.
Energy minister leads UAE delegation to development road conference in Iraq
ABU DHABI, UAE - Minister of Energy and Infrastructure Suhail bin Mohammed Al Mazrouei headed the UAE delegation to the...The one-day conference brought together transport ministers and officials from the Gulf Cooperation Council, Iran, Turkey, Syria and Jordan.
The huge infrastructure project will link southern Iraq to the border with Turkey from where it will connect to rail and road networks in Europe.
Sultan Haitham bin Tarik of Iran-West mediator Oman visits Tehran
His trip comes just two days after Tehran freed Belgian aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele from almost 15 months in custody...The Omani leader's visit comes a year after Raisi visited Muscat, and follows a China-brokered rapprochement deal between Saudi Arabia and Iran announced in March.
Oman has close ties with Iran, and played a mediating role between Tehran and the United States in the build-up to a nuclear deal Iran and world powers reached in 2015.
Iraq budget vote delayed as Kurds oppose amendments on oil
In a country where political agreements are concluded after endless negotiations between political parties, the objection of the Kurds is...Iraqi Kurdistan's Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said Saturday the budget amendments amounted to "treason" and an affront to Iraqi Kurdish rights
Iraq's oil dependent economy has traditionally been plagued by budget delays, which the government's three-year proposal aimed to avoid
Israelis rally in protest at judicial reform after budget approved
Protesters gathered in other major cities, Haifa and Beersheba, as well as at dozens of junctions and locales throughout the...Israeli media put the number of participants in the Tel Aviv demonstration at "tens of thousands," as has occurred on previous occasions
The government's reform proposals would curtail the authority of the Supreme Court and give politicians greater powers over the selection of judges
UN chief ‘shocked’ at Sudan army chief’s demand to dismiss envoy
The UN chief was "shocked" by Burhan's letter, which requested "the nomination of a replacement" to Perthes and accused him...In the letter, Sudan army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan accused Perthes of bias and of not respecting "national sovereignty"
The US State Department voiced its "strong support" for Perthes and its "concern" over Burhan's letter calling for his resignation
Several Western states seeking division between OPEC members: Raisi
Tehran, Iran-- Urging OPEC member countries to preserve cohesion and unity among them, Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi said that several...Raisi, citing the history of good relations with OPEC, expressed his country's desire to continue strengthening the cooperation with it
Haitham al-Ghais applauded the Islamic Republic's effort, both at ministerial and technical level, to strengthen the cohesion and unity of OPEC members
Clashes between Iran, Afghanistan forces at border
Clashes broke out between Iranian and Taliban forces at the border between the two countries, Iranian police said without reporting...Even though Tehran and Kabul are bound by diplomatic relations, Iran does not recognize Afghanistan's Taliban government.
Iran demanded that Afghanistan respect its "water rights", charging that an upstream river dam there is restricting the flow into a lake.
Iraq plans ambitious Europe-Middle East road, rail project
Iraq presented an ambitious plan to turn itself into a regional transportation hub by developing its road and rail infrastructure,...War-ravaged and beset by rampant corruption, oil-rich Iraq suffers from dilapidated infrastructure.
Developing the road and rail corridor would allow Iraq to capitalize on its geographical position.
