GCC and EU hold talks to boost economic, political ties
Brussels, Belgium-- The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the European Union have held talks in Brussels in order to enhance...Geostrategy
Israel strikes ammunition depot of Hizbollah in Syria
Beirut, Lebanon - Israeli raids hit warehouses storing weapons for the Lebanese Hizbollah group in Syria Tuesday, a war monitor said,...Geostrategy
Russia FM visits Algeria as EU steps up push for alternative gas
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visited gas-producing ally Algeria for talks Tuesday as a European drive to secure alternative supplies...Algeria is a major gas supplier to Europe, providing 11 percent of its imports, compared with 47 percent for Russia.
Italy, Spain and other European Union member countries have looked to Algeria as they have sought to cut their dependence on Russian oil and gas after Ukraine invasion.
Red Cross chief Mardini on Iran visit talks Afghans’ plight
More than one million Afghans have sought refuge in Iran since the Taliban returned to power in August, according to...More than one million Afghans have sought refuge in Iran since the Taliban returned to power in August, according to Iran's state news agency IRNA
Thousands of Afghans daily try to cross into neighboring Iran in search of work, or in a bid to reach Europe in the hope of asylum
France says EU deal on Russia oil embargo possible this week
The embargo on Russian oil, which is part of a sixth package of EU sanctions under discussion, is being resisted...New discussions on the Russian oil embargo are expected to be held between European leaders by telephone on Tuesday
It will involve French President Emmanuel Macron, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban
Russia shells Ukraine’s Odessa as US pledges fresh arms for Kyiv
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the West and Ukraine are responsible for the ongoing war, telling his country's Victory...A Russian airstrike in Odessa killed one and destroyed buildings and a shopping center, hours after the European Council president visited the war-torn country
The US resurrected a World War II measure to aid Kyiv, opening the spigots on artillery, anti-aircraft missiles, anti-tank weapons, and another powerful Western materials
Iran says EU nuclear coordinator will visit this week
Enrique Mora has played a key role as an intermediary between the United States and Iran during a year of...The deal was agreed between Iran and the five permanent UNSC members — China, Russia, the United States, United Kingdom and France — alongside Germany
But the US unilaterally withdrew in 2018 under then-president Donald Trump and reimposed economic sanctions, prompting Iran to roll back its own commitments
Saudi Space Commission looks to explore cooperation with NASA
Saudi Space Commission Board of Directors Chairman Abdullah Amer Alswaha is on a tour of the US to develop the...The two countries discussed opportunities for strategic cooperation to develop the space sector
They also mulled investment in future joint projects to achieve mutual economic and strategic goals
French President says Ukraine could join EU after decades
Russia invaded Ukraine in February, in part to thwart Kyiv's tilt towards integration with the EU and NATO.European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, tweeted that EU executive would give its "opinion" on Ukraine's membership bid in June.
"It is our historic obligation ... to create what I would describe before you today as a European political community," Macron said.
Erdogan vows Turkey will not expel Syrian refugees
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday pledged that Turkey would not drive Syrian refugees back to their home country despite...Last week, the main opposition CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu said his party would return Syrian refugees to their homeland within two years if he came to power
Erdogan is facing rising public anger over the refugees' and is wary of the issue dominating next year's presidential elections
EU nuclear coordinator to visit Iran this week
The European Union's coordinator for talks between Iran and world powers over restoring a frayed 2015 nuclear deal will visit...The coordinator, Enrique Mora, has played a key role as an intermediary between the US and Iran during a year of on-off talks in Vienna that seek to revive the deal
The 2015 deal gave Iran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program to guarantee that it could not develop a nuclear weapon
Nearly 60 percent Lebanon diaspora voter turnout for May 15 polls
Some 130,000 Lebanese expatriates out of 225,000 registered voters cast their ballots, foreign ministry official Hadi Hashem said, releasing preliminary...The overseas ballots will now be sent to the capital Beirut for counting when polls close after nationwide voting on May 15.
The elections are the first since mass protests erupted in late 2019 against the country's entrenched ruling elite, widely blamed for the economic collapse.
