Ankara has been feuding with the US and European powers about their support for Kurdish fighters in the People's Protection Units (YPG), which it portrays as the Syrian offshoot of the PKK.

"At the core of it all is the policy of our geopolitical opponents aiming to tear apart Russia, the historical Russia," Putin said. "They have always tried to 'divide and conquer'... Our goal is something else -- to unite the Russian people," he said.

TEHRAN, IRAN - Fourteen Iranian fishermen seized by the Al-Shabaab militant group in Somalia, some as long as eight years ago, have returned home, news outlets in the Islamic republic said Sunday. The fishermen were abducted in international waters near Somalia and released after "lengthy negotiations with government officials, tribal chiefs...

"A meeting of Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) is scheduled later today to consult and discuss how to tackle this issue," Tapiwa Gomo, public information officer for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, told AFP.

A total of 40 people were working underground at the mine in Yining county, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the border with Kazakhstan, at the time of the collapse Saturday afternoon.

Tripoli, Libya- -The Council of Arab Information Ministers chose the city of Jerusalem as the permanent capital of Arab media, in an affirmation of the centrality of the Palestinian cause, and in appreciation of the emotional status and the special historical and legal character of this holy city, media reports...

Turkey, which helped broker a deal with the United Nations for the export of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea this summer, is seeking to bring together Russian and Ukrainian leaders for negotiations to end the war. It already hosted a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers in...

Rabat, Morocco-- The UAE and Morocco are looking at ways to bolster cooperation and exchange experiences in order to combat terrorism. In this regard, a delegation from the Executive Office for Control and Non-Proliferation (EOCN), headed by Rashid Al Mannai, Director of the Targeted Financial Sanctions Department, met with members...

AL-MAHRA, YEMEN - The second batch of the new Saudi oil derivatives grant of 4,491,000 metric tons of diesel was delivered in Al Mahrah. The grant comes as part of the Kingdom's support for the Yemeni people under the directives of King Salman and the Crown Prince to help Yemen...

DUBAI, UAE - The UAE Council for Environmental and Municipal Work held its second meeting, chaired by Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and the Environment. The meeting saw the roll-out of the Waste-free Schools project that aims to promote the adoption of circular economy principles in schools....

TEHRAN, IRAN -  Iran's supreme court has ordered the retrial of two men, including a Kurdish rapper, who were reportedly sentenced to death over protests sparked by Mahsa Amini's death, the judiciary said Saturday. Protests have gripped Iran since the September 16 death of Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian of Kurdish origin,...

"The problem with Lebanon is that we must solve people's problems and get rid of those who cannot do it," Macron said, referring to the country's entrenched political class -- widely blamed for the country's financial collapse since late 2019.

Iraq's prime minister appealed to visiting Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni for closer economic ties with his oil-rich country suffering from power cuts and decaying infrastructure. Meloni, who leads the eurozone's third-largest economy, is on her first bilateral trip outside Europe. She is on a pre-Christmas visit to Italian troops posted...

Beirut, Lebanon--Lebanese investigators have identified suspects in the fatal shooting of an Irish United Nations peacekeeper whose vehicle came under fire earlier this month, a judicial official told AFP on Thursday. Private Sean Rooney, 23, was killed and three others injured on December 14 when their UN Interim Force in Lebanon...

Nablus has seen frequent clashes between Israeli troops and Palestinian militants in recent months, as the army has stepped up operations in Palestinian towns and cities in response to a wave of deadly attacks on Israeli targets earlier this year.

Muscat, Oman - Saeed bin Hamoud Al Maawali, Omani Minister of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, has said that the digital economy of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region is advancing at a rapid and significant pace, noting its major importance to GDP. He noted the importance of promoting cooperation...

Dubai, United Arab Emirates--Yemeni student Abir al-Maqtari dreamt of studying abroad but amid a tightening of restrictions on women, Huthi forces blocked her from leaving. The Iran-backed Huthis, who have controlled swathes of the Arab world's poorest country since seizing the Yemeni capital Sanaa in 2014, have increasingly enforced travel restrictions...

Sheikh Abdullah affirmed the UAE's keenness to strengthen the strategic partnership with Israel and advance bilateral cooperation in various fields.

Americans called him heroic and compared the visit to that of Britain's premier Winston Churchill, who came to Washington in 1941 and addressed the Congress on wartime cooperation between the two allies -- as Zelensky did later Wednesday evening. Before he addressed the special joint session of Congress, Zelensky was...

The Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT) "notes the very low level of participation in the elections, which destroys their credibility and legitimacy and clearly confirms the public's rejection" of Saied's programme, it said in a statement. The current political situation "requires the UGTT to assume its national duty and take...

The emirate went into the tournament under scrutiny for its treatment of foreign workers and LGBTQ people but one of the final images to emerge from the event was Qatar's emir putting a traditional Arab cloak over the shoulders of Argentina star Lionel Messi.

Rabat, Morocco - UAE and Morocco discussed ways of boosting their cooperation and investment opportunities in industry, economy, investments, culture, and tourism. The discussion occurred between Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE's Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Aziz Akhannouch, Prime Minister of Morocco, in Morocco. The visit is a...

Tehran, Iran-- Iran's foreign minister said Wednesday he held a "friendly conversation" with his Saudi counterpart in Jordan, despite Tehran's repeated accusations that Riyadh has fanned months-long protests in the Islamic republic. Jordan hosted the "Baghdad II" conference on Tuesday, bringing together key Middle East and international players -- including rivals...

Rabat, Morocco--Morocco is hoping its unprecedented World Cup exploits can help it win friends and influence people, especially among an Arab public opposed to its 2020 rapprochement with Israel. Support for the Atlas Lions surged as they battled their way to the semi-final of the football World Cup in Qatar --...

Iraq has been caught for years in a delicate balancing act between its two main allies, the United States and Iran, and Baghdad only recently arrived at a fragile compromise government after a year of political stalemate. The conference was a test for Iraq's new Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani,...

WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES - The United States plans a meeting early in 2023 between Israel and Arab nations that recognize it as it pushes the incoming right-wing government of Benjamin Netanyahu to show restraint, a US official said Tuesday. Netanyahu is set to take office with the most right-wing government in...

Sweden's Supreme Court cited the risk of Turkey's "persecution based on this person's political beliefs" when it blocked the request on Monday.

Abu Dhabi, UAE - The UAE has affirmed full support and solidarity with Jordan, stressing the importance of ensuring stability and security in the country. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MoFAIC) expressed the UAE's support for all measures taken by the Jordanian government. It said UAE condemns...

The "Baghdad II" meeting in Jordan, which alongside regional powers also includes officials from France and the European Union, follows an August 2021 summit in Iraq's capital organized at the initiative of Macron. "There is a way that is not... a form of hegemony, imperialism, a model that would be...

SWEIMEH, JORDAN - Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian met Tuesday with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on the sidelines of a summit in Jordan, an Iranian diplomatic source said. The meeting, which was confirmed by Iran's official news agency IRNA, comes at a time when negotiations in Vienna aimed at...

In Afghanistan, hundreds of earthquake-resilient concrete homes, many built by local laborers with the support of the United Nations refugee agency, have now been handed over to survivors who were until now living in makeshift tent cities.

Tripoli, Libya-- A Libyan court on Monday sentenced 17 people to death after finding them guilty of joining the Islamic State group and carrying out atrocities in its name, the prosecution said. The Tripoli court also sentenced two people to life in prison and 14 others to lesser jail sentences,...

At least two people were killed in an Israeli missile strike on Hezbollah weapons depot in the Damascus area overnight, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor. Syrian state media reported "explosions in the vicinity of Damascus" and said that some of the missiles were intercepted by...

TEHRAN, IRAN - Iran's foreign minister said Monday that a summit to take place this week in Jordan will be a "good opportunity" for negotiations aimed at restoring the 2015 nuclear accord. On-off talks to revive the deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), started in April...

The French President delivered a wide-ranging performance at the World Cup final that was not to everyone's taste.

During the tournament, Qatar was awarded the 2025 world table tennis championships and the opening race of the world endurance championship in 2024, adding to its packed sports calendar.

SHARJAH,  UAE -  A Belgian delegation met with Sheikh Majid Al Qasimi, Director of the Department of Government Relations (DGR) in Sharjah. Antoine Delcourt, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium to the UAE was also present on the occasion. Al Qasimi welcomed the Belgian delegation comprising Juren Seleslag, Political Affairs...

SINGAPORE -   The UAE has participated in the 17th Asia Pacific Regional Meeting of the International Labor Organization (ILO) in Singapore. More than 500 representatives of governments, labor organizations and companies from 33 of the 48-member countries of the Asia Pacific Group of ILO took part in the meeting. The...

The HTMS Sukhothai which capsized late on Sunday night after its electronic system had been damaged, was commissioned in 1987 and built in the United States by the now-defunct Tacoma Boatbuilding Company, according to the US Naval Institute.

Tehran, Iran--A 'terrorist' attack killed four members of Iran's security forces in the country's southeast, the state news agency IRNA reported on Monday. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps members were killed "during a terrorist act" in the Saravan region of Sistan-Baluchistan province near the Pakistani border, it said. The region is...

Algiers, Algeria--France said Sunday it had ended months of tensions over a visa dispute with Algeria, just days after Paris and Rabat made a similar announcement. French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, on a visit to the capital Algiers, announced a return "to a normal consular relationship" with Algeria, according to a...

Kirkuk, Iraq-- At least seven members of Iraq's federal police were killed Sunday during an attack near Kirkuk in the country's north, where remnants of Islamic State group jihadists are active, police and government sources told AFP. A bomb blast initially targeted a truck transporting the men. It was followed by "a...

Some manuscripts date from the early Abbasid era, while some seventh-century calligraphy boards in Kufic script were written on parchment "even before the manufacture of paper."

Hamouri, 37, had been held under a controversial practice known as administrative detention, which allows suspects to be detained for renewable periods of up to six months.

Tunis, Tunisia--Tunisians on Saturday overwhelmingly boycotted an election for a new parliament which will have virtually no authority following a power grab by President Kais Saied in the birthplace of the Arab Spring. Electoral board president Farouk Bouasker said that by close of polls at 6:00 pm (1700 GMT), just...

On the eve of UN nuclear monitors visit to the country, Iran disclosed that its uranium enrichment capacity has increased to record levels. Its head of the Atomic Energy Organization has said the enrichment capacity has reached more than twice the entire history of this industry.

TEHRAN, IRAN - Iran has arrested the lawyer of two female journalists jailed after covering the death in custody of a young woman that sparked three months of protests, a newspaper said Saturday. The Islamic republic has been rocked by protests since Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian of Kurdish origin,...

Germany plans to open four more government-funded LNG terminals over the next few months as well as a private terminal in the port of Lubmin.

BENGALURU, INDIA - The UAE participated in the first Framework Working Group (FWG) meeting within the G20 Finance Track, which was held on December 16-17 2022. Held for the first time under India’s G20 presidency in Bengaluru, the meeting sought to discuss the work plan for FWG in 2023, which...

AMMAN, JORDAN - Jordan has arrested dozens of people accused of involvement in protests against rising fuel prices in which a senior police officer was gunned down, the country's security agency said Saturday. Colonel Abdul Razzaq Dalabeh, the deputy police chief of Maan province, died of a gunshot to the head...