Turkey protesters defiant despite nearly 1,500 arrests
The protests erupted on March 19 after the arrest of Istanbul opposition mayor Ekrem Imamoglu as part of a graft...Geostrategy
US, Russia negotiations on partial Ukraine ceasefire end after 12 hours in Saudi Arabia
The US-Ukraine and US-Russia talks were originally planned to take place simultaneously to enable shuttle diplomacy, with the United States...Geostrategy
World food prices hold steady in October, says FAO
World food prices held steady in October, though cereal prices rose over uncertainty of a deal giving safe passage for...FAO said its price index averaged 135.9 points in October, marginally lower from September.
Wheat prices were up 3.2 percent, mostly reflecting continued uncertainties related to the Black Sea Grain Initiative, the UN body said.
Saudi-Finnish business forum discusses enhancing trade ties
HELSINKI, FINLAND - Heading a high-level delegation to Finland, Saudi Arabia's Minister of Commerce and Chairman of the Board of...The Saudi delegation was in Finland to participate in a forum organized by Business Finland in cooperation with the Federation of Saudi Chambers.
The forum was attended by around 120 officials from the public and private sectors in the two countries.
Jordan’s King meets Russian minister, urges stability in southern Syria
AMMAN, JORDAN - Jordan's King Abdullah received Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Amman on Thursday and stressed the importance...King Abdullah stressed on the need to activate efforts to reach a political solution to the crisis in Syria.
The King emphasized on safeguarding Syria's unity and territorial integrity.
Bahrain forum: Pope calls for global unity, al-Tayeb for Sunni-Shia amity
The pope said that "a few potentates are caught up in a resolute struggle for partisan interests, reviving obsolete rhetoric,...Al-Azhar mosque's grand Imam Sheikh Ahmed Al-Tayeb called for dialogue between Islam's two main branches to settle sectarian differences.
He said the senior scholars at Al-Azhar and the Muslim Council of Elders are ready to host a meeting "so we can sit down together on one roundtable to put aside our differences".
NATO chief says ‘time to welcome’ Finland, Sweden into alliance
Sweden and Finland dropped decades of military non-alignment and scrambled to become NATO members in May after Russia invaded Ukraine....NATO chief Stoltenberg said it was time to welcome the two Nordic countries as full members of NATO
Except Turkey and Hungary, all the 30 NATO member states have ratified the accession of the two countries
Blinken thanks outgoing Israel PM, warns on West Bank violence
Blinken voiced "his deep concern over the situation in the West Bank, including heightened tensions, violence and loss of both...The occupied West Bank is witnessing its deadliest period in years, as Israel prepares to form perhaps its most right-wing government in history under Benjamin Netanyahu
Yair Lapid put a priority on smooth relations with the United States, warning that Netanyahu had alienated Israel's allies in US President Joe Biden's Democratic Party
Iraq landslide disaster throws spotlight on informal shrines
Hundreds of smaller shrines opened up in Iraq -- many outside the purview of the religious authorities, which are often...Iraq's Waqf, the body in charge of managing Shiite mosques, tombs and other places of worship, reports that only 135 out of Iraq's 664 known sanctuaries are formally registered
Most such sites are dedicated to relatives or descendants of Imam Ali, the son-in-law of the Prophet Mohammed and the founder of the Shiite strand of Islam
UAE-China trade $64 bn in first eight months of 2022: Ambassador
Dubai, UAE---China-UAE bilateral trade has exceeded US$64 billion during the first eight months of 2022, which marked a 27.93 percent...China has become the UAE’s largest non-oil trading partner in the world, said Zhang Yiming, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary.
UAE remained China’s second-largest trading partner and the largest export market in the Arab region, he said.
German industries explore investment opportunities in UAE
Some of Germany’s leading industrial companies participated in a roundtable event hosted by the UAE Ministry of Industry and Advanced...From the UAE side, representatives from ADNOC, Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development, Abu Dhabi Investment Office, and TAZIZ were present.
The delegates also discussed the future of supply chain opportunities in a post-pandemic world.
Europe could face gas shortage next year, says IEA
Europe must act immediately to prevent a shortage of natural gas next year as Russia slashes deliveries in the wake...IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol said he would hold talks on Friday with several European governments.
He said that Europe needs to take immediate action to avoid risks of natural gas shortage next year.
