Updates: Israel confirms killing of Hezbollah leader’s successor as Blinken presses for Gaza truce
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Israel to reach a ceasefire in Gaza, while Israeli airstrikes continued targeting Hezbollah's...Geostrategy
Putin thanks UAE president for positive role in prisoner exchange with Ukraine
UAE President Sheikh Mohamed meets his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to discuss bilateral ties and Middle East. Sheikh Mohamed will...Economy Geostrategy
Tributes pour in after passing of Sheikh Khalifa
Tributes continue to pour in from around the world after the UAE announced the death of its president, Sheikh Khalifa...US President Joe Biden said Sheikh Khalifa was 'a true partner and friend of the United States'
'The EU honours his legacy & leadership under which the UAE became frontrunner of sustainable development & economic diversification'
US ‘working to clarify Turkey’s position’ on NATO enlargement
Washington is "working to clarify Turkey's position" after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed opposition to Finland and Sweden joining NATO,...Pentagon spokesman John Kirby likewise said the United States is working to "better understand" Ankara's stance
Erdogan told journalists on Friday that "we do not have a positive opinion" about the two countries joining the alliance
EU hikes military aid for Ukraine as NATO expansion faces roadblocks
Europe pledged another half billion dollars in military support for Kyiv on Friday as Sweden and Finland's moves toward joining...Fighting between Russian and Ukrainian troops continued along the long front in the Donbas
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu meanwhile spoke directly
Sheikh Khalifa, who helped UAE boom despite crises
The country will observe a 40-day state mourning with the flag flown at half-mast starting today, the ministry announced, adding...The leader ushered in the UAE's first-ever elections in December 2006, when electoral colleges chose half of the 40 members of an advisory Federal National Council.
And in a historic first, the Gulf country in 2015 sent ground troops to Yemen as part of a Saudi-led coalition against Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
Jordan king meets US national security adviser
The meeting, attended by Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II, discussed enhancing the strategic partnership between Jordan and the...The meeting, attended by Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II, discussed enhancing the strategic partnership between Jordan and the US
Discussions also addressed regional issues, and ways to reach political solutions to regional crises
Tunisian president rejects foreign election observers
Saied in July last year sacked the government and suspended parliament, prompting fears for democratic gains a decade after Tunisia’s...Saied in July last year sacked the government prompting fears for democratic gains a decade after Tunisia’s revolution which sparked the Arab Spring uprisings
He has since taken control of the judiciary and on April 22 gave himself powers to name three out of seven members of the electoral commission, including its chief
Finland poised for NATO membership as Ukraine war crimps Russian gas
Finland took a step Thursday towards fast-track NATO membership, triggering a blunt warning from the Kremlin, as the war in...Finland's leaders declared their nation must apply to join NATO "without delay" -- a seismic change in policy since Russia invaded its neighbour in February
"As a member of NATO, Finland would strengthen the entire defence alliance," President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin said in a joint statement
Russian embargo won’t result in global oil dearth : IEA
The IEA said "steadily rising" output from the United States and Middle Eastern members of the OPEC+ oil cartel will...The IEA had previously warned that Moscow's invasion of Ukraine could spark a global supply "shock".
World oil demand growth, meanwhile, is forecast to slow to 1.9 million barrels per day in the second quarter.
Arab nations at UN seek probe of killing of Al Jazeera reporter
Arab countries at the United Nations called Wednesday for an independent, international probe into what they called the assassination of...The demand for an independent international probe was contained in three identical letters send to the UN Secretary General
The Qatar-based TV channel charged that Israeli forces deliberately and "in cold blood" shot Abu Akleh, 51, in the head
Lebanon jobless rate almost triples since crippling economic crisis
The official unemployment rate in crisis-hit Lebanon jumped almost three-fold to reach 29.6 percent at the start of the year,...After years of corrupt practices and financial mismanagement, Lebanon's economy collapsed two years ago, stripping the national currency of 95 percent of its value.
The issue of unemployment has not featured prominently in the campaigns led by the main parties fielding candidates in Sunday's parliamentary election.
