The curfew was imposed in the evening after rival protests -- between Kurdish residents on one side and Turkmen and Arabs on the other -- descended into violence despite a security presence. Warning shots were fired to force Kurdish demonstrators to disperse. An AFP correspondent said vehicles on a main...

According to an Iranian media outlet, a batch of advanced Yak-130 training aircraft flew into the Shahid Babaei Air Base in Isfahan in central Iran, part of the Islamic republic's arms contracts with Russia. The army's public relations department said that jets will improve the training and combat capability of...

BEIRUT, LEBANON - Sporadic clashes took place on Saturday in a Kurdish-held area of eastern Syria, a monitor said, after a curfew was imposed following the arrest of an Arab armed group's leader. Fighting erupted in the Kurdish-controlled areas of Deir Ezzor province on Monday after the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces...

TEL AVIV, ISRAEL- A dozen Eritrean asylum seekers were wounded by Israeli police gunfire here on Saturday after a demonstration against an Eritrean government event turned violent, police and medical sources said. Clashes began outside a south Tel Aviv venue that was set to host a pro-regime event organized by the...

Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko wrote on Facebook that the foundation should support efforts to isolate Russia and Belarus as "millions of Ukrainians suffer from an unprovoked war and the Russian regime is not punished for its crimes". Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson also said he disagreed with the...

Iraq's prime minister inaugurated construction work on what is slated to become the first railway line connecting the country to neighboring Iran. The "Basra-Chalamja connection project" will link the major port city of Basra in southern Iraq to Iran's vast railway network through the Chalamja border crossing, a transport ministry...

Baghdad, Iraq--A road accident killed 18 people, mostly Iranian pilgrims, north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad overnight, the state news agency INA reported Saturday. The "horrible accident" between Dujail and Samarra also injured 15 people, INA said, citing the toll from Khaled Burhan, director of health services in Salaheddine province....

Taking a dig at President Emmanuel Macron, Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said that Macron should focus on "situation inside France instead of paying attention to questions of interference in other countries." Iran had rebuffed French accusations over Tehran's interference in Lebanon that France sees as a roadblock to end...

MOSCOW, RUSSIA - Russian President Vladimir Putin will host his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday, the Kremlin said, amid hopes the two can restore a deal ensuring safe passage for grain shipments. Russia pulled out from the UN-backed grain agreement that Turkey helped broker in July, effectively revoking safe...

TEHRAN, IRAN  – Iran’s export of non-oil products to the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) member states in the first four months of the current Iranian year exceeded $3.6 billion, an official said. Iran exported $3.615 billion worth of non-oil goods to the ECO member states from March 21 to July...

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - The Gulf Federation for Electronic Sports was established Thursday on the sidelines of the Next World Forum, to support, nurture, and develop Gulf talents through annual tournaments hosted by all countries. The launch was attended by the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi...

DUBAI, UAE – Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade discussed deeper economic collaboration, including the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with Damien O'Connor, New Zealand's Minister of Trade and Export Growth here. During the meeting, which came as part of a visit to...

No Iraqi officials or security sources have been able to tell AFP why the killing of Stephen Troell took place in a city where such attacks on foreigners have been rare in recent years. Troell had lived with his wife and children in the Iraqi capital for at least two years....

The new arrivals in Adre may now be safe from the gunfire, but they soon learn they are still in danger -- including from torrential rains that pummel camps already experiencing shortages of food and water, according to aid group Doctors without Borders (MSF). Since the war began, at least...

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has criticized UNIFIL's inability to fully access certain areas, including sites belonging to a Lebanese environmental NGO which the United States has claimed is a front for Hezbollah activities. The head of the powerful armed Shiite group, Hassan Nasrallah, earlier this week warned against renewing the...

Moscow, Russia - Turkey's foreign minister said on a visit to Moscow on Thursday that reviving a deal to ship Ukrainian grain across the Black Sea was "critical" for food security. "We underlined its critical role for global food security and stability in the Black Sea," Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan...

Tehran, Iran -- Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said Thursday that discussions with Saudi authorities have resulted in constructive statements regarding assistance for Lebanon's situation. "In the discussions we had with Saudi authorities, we heard constructive statements from them regarding assistance to the situation in Lebanon," Amirabdollahian stated, adding that...

War-scarred Iraq, originally mainly a drug transit country, has faced an explosion in narcotics use in recent years, mainly of captagon and crystal meth.

DOHA, QATAR - Qatar Credit Bureau signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) pertaining to sharing credit and judicial data and information. The MoU was signed by CEO of Qatar Credit Bureau Sheikha Maryam bint Khalifa Al-Thani and SJC's Enforcement Department director Judge Nabil Abdullah...

BEIJING, CHINA – The director of China’s Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs met with the speaker of the Arab Parliament Adel Al Asoomi here. Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that Beijing is willing to...

China issued new regulations this month for the country's AI developers that maintain the government's tight control on information while allowing them to stay in the race with others. Baidu led several companies in rolling out AI chatbots on Thursday: SenseTime opened its service for registration, and two other firms...

Israel's defence ministry said its security personnel at the Hashmonaim checkpoint were informed by the army that the truck was coming their way. In a separate statement, Israel's Defence Minister Yoav Gallant offered his condolences to the family of the soldier killed and praised the security forces "for their determined...

According to TASS, quoting a diplomatic source, Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will propose to Russia at the upcoming talks in Moscow to resume the grain deal in its original format. The source said that Turkey is all for restarting the grain corridor in its original "format involving parties to...

Adults and children over five require a single shot "irrespective of their Covid-19 vaccination history" while younger children may get "one or three doses depending on whether they have completed a primary vaccination course or have had Covid-19" the Amsterdam-based EMA said.

Moscow, Russia -- Moscow considers threats by European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell to take medical supplies away from the Russian people as inadmissible and neo-Nazist, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing. "EU restrictions are above all an instrument of...

Prigozhin, 62, was buried on Tuesday in a private ceremony in his native Saint Petersburg, more than two months after he staged a short-lived mutiny that posed a serious challenge for the Kremlin. Authorities said the Western-sanctioned businessman died when his private jet went down along with nine other people...

Kyrgyzstan has already twice taken back its citizens from Syria or Iraq. In March 2021, 79 children were repatriated while in February this year another 59 women and children were returned. Thousands of people from the former Soviet republics of Central Asia -- Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan --...

Online celebrities best known for posting about video games are also dropping in unexpected plugs for gasoline stations, fuel rewards and club cards. In India, Mexico, South Africa and the United States many spots were found that promoted major oil firms such as BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Shell and TotalEnergies on...

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia-- The GCC countries are "actively engaging" with international and regional organizations in order to establish strategic partnerships that serve their interests. This was stated by the Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Jassem Mohamed Albudaiwi. He made the remarks during a meeting held between the GCC...

"Given our numerous capabilities, we consider Iran’s membership in BRICS and the SCO as well as participation in other regional alliances very effective," Raisi stressed.

TEHRAN, IRAN - Some 56 million tons of non-oil goods, valued at US$19.3 billion, were exported in the first five months of the current Iranian calendar year, the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) announced on Tuesday. Also, 14.4 million tons of non-oil goods, valued at US$24.2 billion, were...

TEHRAN, IRAN   – Iran President Ebrahim Raisi on Tuesday said that the country’s money is only blocked in South Korea and that all other foreign assets are at the Central Bank of Iran’s disposal. “We have already made it clear that the only blocked money was in South Korea. In...

Raisi was referring to sanctions imposed on Iran since the United States torpedoed the nuclear deal in 2018, as well as protests that erupted in September 2022 over a young woman's death in custody.

DUBAI, UAE - Bahraini authorities have agreed to offer prisoners extra rights, including more visiting hours, following a mass hunger strike that activists say is the largest in the country's history. The interior ministry late on Monday said it would "increase the duration of visitations" and was looking to raise the...

DUBAI, UAE - The global Islamic microfinance industry has surpassed US$60 billion in value within the $3.8 trillion Islamic finance landscape. This achievement highlights the growing recognition of Islamic microfinance as a tool for poverty alleviation. The industry's potential to bridge financial gaps while adhering to Shariah principles positions it...

In non-OECD countries, just the saving over the lifetime of new capacity additions in 2022 will reduce costs by up to US$580 billion, according to the Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2022, published by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

The Drug Enforcement Commission said the chartered aircraft was transporting "dangerous goods". Judge Davies Chimbwili said that they were accused of having acted "for purposes that were prejudicial to the safety and interest of the Republic of Zambia."

The mandate of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, which expires Thursday, was extended last year with a slight modification that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah criticised at the time as "a violation of Lebanese sovereignty." The Security Council on Wednesday is to meet on extending UNIFIL's mandate.

Dubai, UAE--The Doctors Without Borders (MSF) charity has "lost contact" with two of its foreign staff in Yemen, the group told AFP on Monday. The employees, a German and a Burmese, had been in the northern province of Marib, the aid group said without giving further details. International organizations and...

Manama, Bahrain--Bahrain and the United States have reviewed joint cooperation, partnership and strategic dialogue in the political, economic and security fields. The review came up in a meeting between Foreign Ministry Undersecretary for Political Affairs Dr. Shaikh Abdulla bin Ahmed Al Khalifa and Paul Dean, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in...

Tehran, Iran - Iran on Monday warned Iraq that it would take action if Baghdad does not honor its commitment by mid-September of disarming Iranian Kurdish rebel groups on its territory. "According to a deal reached between the Iranian and Iraqi governments, the Iraqi government has pledged to disarm armed terrorist...

TABUK, SAUDI ARABIA – NEOM has announced plans to establish a world-class education, research and innovation (ERI) center, following last year’s appointment of Andreas Cangellaris as the founding president of NEOM U, NEOM’s flagship university. NEOM’s ERI will consist of four interconnected pillars: NEOM U; the Education, Research and Innovation...

PARIS, FRANCE - Attempts to change the existing world order threaten to weaken the West and especially Europe, French President Emmanuel Macron said at the annual conference of his country’s ambassadors here. “The situation on the international arena is becoming more complicated, which is fraught with the risk of the...

The South Pars gas field is one of the world's largest natural gas condensate fields. Iran shares the gas field with energy giant Qatar and there are 24 platforms on the side of the Islamic republic which has been developing it in the Gulf since the 1990s.

Moscow, Russia -- Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) member states have invited observers from Saudi Arabia, Iran, China and Mongolia to monitor the Combat Brotherhood-2023 drills in Belarus, CSTO Joint Staff Chief Colonel General Anatoly Sidorov said at a briefing. Saudi Arabia, Iran, China and Mongolia are not the members...

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is to visit Russia "soon" for talks with Vladimir Putin on reviving a deal to ship grain across the Black Sea, his party spokesman said. The meeting will take place in Russia's Sochi city, Erdogan's ruling party spokesman Omer Celik said, adding Turkey hoped to...

The for-hire electric scooters that have become ubiquitous in Paris and other cities worldwide will be banned in the French capital on Sept 1.

Israel has launched hundreds of air strikes in the last 12 years of civil war in Syria, primarily targeting Iran-backed forces and Lebanese Hezbollah fighters as well as Syrian army positions. "The Israeli enemy undertook an aerial aggression from the direction of the Mediterranean west of Latakia, targeting Aleppo International...

The Republican delegation comprising French Hill, Ben Cline and Scott Fitzgerald entered Syria from Turkey through the Bab al-Salama border crossing, where they were welcomed by a banner reading "Welcome to Free Syria" and revolutionary flags. The delegation visited a hospital in Aleppo province and met orphans of the Syrian...

Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah said that Najla al-Mangoush, the foreign minister, has been temporarily suspended and will be subject to an administrative investigation by a commission chaired by the justice minister. The decision was made after the Israeli foreign minister announced that he had held talks with her last week...