Quran burner Salwan Momika says leaving Sweden for Norway
Stockholm, Sweden - An Iraqi refugee in Sweden who stoked international outrage by repeatedly desecrating the Quran last year said Wednesday...Geostrategy
Syria strikes kill 17 including Iran Guard, WHO worker
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor, an Iranian Revolutionary Guards adviser, his two Iranian security escorts, and...Geostrategy
Saudi handshake fuels hope for energy-hit Europe
Mohammed bin Salman's recent Europe visit after US President Joe Biden’s trip to Jeddah suggests that KSA wants to diversify...Mohammed bin Salman's recent Europe visit after US President Joe Biden’s trip to Jeddah suggests that KSA wants to diversify its partners amidst global uncertainties, say experts
Both Saudi Arabia and France want to play a crucial role in stabilization of the region. Paris, in particular, wants greater involvement of Riyadh in Lebanon
Swedish national arrested for alleged espionage, says Iran
Iran said it had arrested a Swedish national on allegations of espionage, while Sweden's foreign ministry said the case related...The announcement of a Swedish national's arrest comes amid diplomatic tensions between Tehran and Stockholm
A Swedish court sentenced a former Iranian official to life for war crimes in the Islamic republic in 1988
Lebanon seizes Syrian ship with ‘illegal’ Ukrainian grain
A Lebanese prosecutor ordered the seizure Saturday of a Syrian-flagged ship that docked at a northern port with a cargo of...Lebanese police were instructed to consult Ukraine's embassy after it said the ship was loaded from region occupied by Russian forces
Preliminary reports indicate that the owner of the shipping company is a Turkish national and the grain belongs to a Syrian merchant
No plan to leave Iraq’s parliament, say pro-Sadr protesters
Supporters of Iraqi cleric Moqtada Sadr penetrated Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone on Saturday, occupying parliament with no plan to...It is the second time in days that Sadr supporters have forced their way in to the legislative chamber, months after elections that failed to lead to formation of a government
Supporters of Sadr oppose the recently announced candidacy of Mohammed Shia al-Sudani for prime minister
Gazprom suspends gas export to Latvia as tensions escalate
Russian energy giant Gazprom Saturday suspended gas supplies to Latvia following tensions between Moscow and the West over the conflict...Gazprom suspended its gas supplies to Latvia due to "violations of the conditions" of purchase, the company said on Telegram.
Gazprom drastically cut gas deliveries to Europe via the Nord Stream pipeline on Wednesday to about 20 percent of its capacity.
Egypt warns Ethiopia against filling up of Renaissance Dam
Egypt has warned Ethiopia against the filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) reservoir, saying that it would not...Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry dismissed the unilateral filling of the dam reservoir as "a clear violation of the 2015 Declaration of Principles Agreement"
The minister underlined that Egypt also reserves its legitimate right guaranteed in the Charter of the United Nations to take all necessary measures to ensure and protect its natio
US seeks to douse hostility with China over Pelosi’s Taiwan trip
President Joe Biden's administration tried Friday to defuse heated Chinese warnings against a possible trip to Taiwan by US House...China sees any such stop by the speaker as a provocation, upsetting the tense status quo under which Washington formally recognizes China's sovereignty claim over the island
While US officials often make discreet visits to the island in a show of support for its democratic self-ruling government, Pelosi is second in line to the US presidency
Blinken and Lavrov hold ‘frank’ first talks since start of war
The top diplomats of the United States and Russia spoke Friday for the first time since the Ukraine war, with...President Joe Biden has faced growing public pressure to find a way home for Griner, a basketball star jailed for transport of cannabis oil, and Whelan, a former Marine
Russia's foreign ministry, in a statement on the call, said that relations between the two nations "are in strong need of normalization"
Tunis summons US envoy over criticism of constitutional vote
Tunisia's foreign ministry summoned the US charge d'affaires on Friday to denounce "unacceptable" statements by American officials criticising this week's...The new constitution grants almost unlimited power to the president, and Saied's rivals had called for a boycott of the vote
Blinken on Thursday voiced concerns that the "new constitution could weaken Tunisia's democracy and erode respect for human rights
Egypt protests Ethiopia plans to fill reservoir for third year
Egypt said it had protested to the UN Security Council Friday against Ethiopian plans to fill the reservoir of a...The process of filling the GERD's vast reservoir began in 2020, with Ethiopia announcing in July that year it had hit its target of 4.9 billion cubic metres
Addis Ababa deems the GERD essential for the electrification and development of Africa's second most populous country
