Former president Michel Aoun's term expired in October, with no successor lined up. Countries including France, the United States and Saudi Arabia hold regular consultations on Lebanon. Their representatives met in February in Paris to discuss the crisis, without achieving any tangible progress.

Tehran, Iran--Accompanied by a large delegation, Iraq's President Abdul Latif Rashid arrived in Tehran to deepen economic, trade and political ties with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Upon his arrival early on Saturday, the Iraqi chief executive was welcomed by Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance of Iran Ehsan Khandozi at...

Condemning the arrests of political opponents in Tunisia, the US government on Wednesday said that respect for freedom of expression and human rights are essential "to the US-Tunisia relationship." The condemnation follows the arrest on Monday of former Speaker of Parliament Rached Ghannouchi and the closure of the Ennahdha party...

BAGHDAD, IRAQ - A former Iraqi religious official convicted of corruption has escaped police custody, prompting the arrest of more than two dozen officers suspected of helping him flee, the government said Wednesday. Saad Qambash was once head of Iraq's Sunni Waqf, the state body overseeing religious and civilian properties for...

ISTANBUL, TURKEY -  President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's chief rival in next month's election defended Kurdish rights on Tuesday and accused the Turkish leader of inflating ethnic tensions for political gain. Kemal Kilicdaroglu's comments followed weeks of attempts by Erdogan to link the opposition with Kurdish militants who have been fighting against...

Iraqi cleric Moqtada Sadr, an influential player in national politics, said he was "freezing" for a year his powerful movement over "sinful" practices among supporters. Sadr, a Muslim Shiite leader, has the ability to mobilize tens of thousands of his supporters with a single message and presents himself as an...

It's raining peace in the Arab world. Saudi Arabia has taken lead in normalizing ties with countries such as Turkey, Iran and Syria in the past few months.

TUNIS, TUNISIA - Tunisia's main opposition coalition pressed the government on Monday to explain days-long public "absence" of President Kais Saied, saying it had information that he was sick. Saied, 65, has not appeared in public or held any meetings since March 22, according to posts on his Facebook page -...

The appointments signal a new phase in the UAE's leadership and its commitment to pursuing economic growth and development while maintaining political stability.

It suffers from constant stand-offs between elected lawmakers and cabinets installed by the ruling Al-Sabah family, despite a parliamentary system in place since 1962.

Donald Trump called on his supporters to "protest, take our nation back", as he expects to be arrested over an alleged hush-money payment made to a porn star in 2016. Amid growing signs of prosecutors moving closer to an indictment, the 76-year-old billionaire said on his Truth Social platform that...

JERUSALEM- Israel's parliament took another step Tuesday to push forward a legal reform package that has sparked mass protests against the hard-right government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Lawmakers in a 3:00 am (0100 GMT) vote approved a bill in first reading that would, among other things, allow the Knesset...

Russia has agreed to extend the Ukraine grain export deal following talks with the United Nations - but only for a further 60 days. Moscow said it wanted to see "tangible progress" on a parallel agreement on Russian exports before the deal comes up for renewal again.

Tunisia inaugurated a new parliament largely stripped of its powers, after a vote that saw a paltry turnout amid boycotts following President Kais Saied's July 2021 power grab. The new assembly held its first session at the legislature's traditional home in Bardo, a suburb of the capital Tunis.

TRENDS tries to look at where Arab countries stand in terms of politics, governance and economies, in the latest the Bertelsmann Stiftung’s Transformation Index.

In 2013, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed ordered the transfer of ships carrying vital petroleum commodities via Mediterranean to Egypt to help it overcome the crisis, says El Sisi at WGS.

The UAE and few other countries figure at the top of the Transparency Index in the region, but this doesn't mean that they have an excellent performance globally, says an expert.

Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu says the 'reform', which will give Israel's parliament the power to override court decisions with a bare majority, won't impact the economy.

Kabul, Afghanistan-- Qatar has renewed its pledge to Afghanistan to help the war-ravaged country in fields of education, development, politics, and economy. This was reiterated in a meeting between the visiting Special Envoy of the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Counterterrorism and Mediation in Conflict Resolution Dr. Mutlaq bin Majed...

The country profiles -- arranged in alphabetical order -- summarize recent data, presenting statistical narratives of a country that include economic, political, sociological, environmental, and cultural factors. The profiles also include their performance in 2022 and estimations for 2023.

In all economic spheres from financial to commodities, credibility is a key ingredient to building the trust and confidence that lead to the stability of markets. Without credibility, markets become more volatile and less attractive for all types of participants, adds Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman.

The MENA region remains largely uneven, and the democracy and human rights situation looks bleak with little prospect of improvement in 2023, say experts at International IDEA.

Analysing a database of 37,453 film and TV scripts from 2016 to 2020, researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) found that just 1,046 -- 2.8 percent -- included any keywords related to climate, and only 0.6 percent mentioned "climate change" specifically. A similar British study by Albert, a...

Trump, who had more than 88 million users when his accounted was suspended, reveled in using Twitter as a mouthpiece during his presidency, posting policy announcements, attacking political rivals and communicating with supporters.

"I think we must not politicize sport," said Macron, whose national team is defending the title they won in Russia in 2018. "These questions must be addressed when hosting the event is decided," he told reporters in Bangkok, where he is attending a summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.

Declaring an end to his bid for the UK top job, former UK PM Boris Johnson said that he had reached the decision reluctantly after recognizing he would not be able to lead "a united party in parliament." He had cut short a Caribbean holiday to return to Britain to...

Weeks after leaving office, former prime minister Boris Johnson, who returned from a Caribbean holiday, aimed to launch an audacious political comeback. Johnson met with Rishi Sunak to discuss the race, as the feuding pair who once headed Britain's government were poised to battle for the leadership of their fractured...

Chairman of the Board of Directors of General Entertainment Authority (GEA) on September 17 launched the nine-day celebrations under the slogan, ‘This is our home’.

The decree, published in the Official Journal, defines the offence as "deliberating using communication networks and information systems to produce, promote, publish or send false information or rumours". It comes 14 months after Saied orchestrated a power grab and purportedly seeks to hold to account those who "bring harm to...

Toxicity and false claims are a "significant threat" at TikTok, which is becoming a go-to online venue for young people to search for information, according to a study by NewsGuard, a media watchdog. NewsGuard describes itself as a "journalism and technology tool" that rates the credibility of websites and online...

Recent media reports had said that Eisenkot, chief of staff from 2015 to 2019, was being courted by political parties including Prime Minister Yair Lapid's centrist Yesh Atid.

Volunteers shuttled back and forth in fleets of pickups to Iraq's normally secure Green Zone Saturday as protesters who occupied parliament earlier in the day settled in for the long haul.

The Iran-backed Shiite Hezbollah group and its allies fell just short of the 65 seats needed to control the 128-seat parliament.

Here’s a look at the challenges that await incoming lawmakers in a country where there is little consensus on a roadmap for financial recovery.

The election is expected to be a referendum on the country’s ruling class, which is widely blamed for the economic crisis that has moved more than four out of the country’s five families into poverty.

Expatriates began voting at 7 am (0500 GMT) Beirut time on Friday in nine Arab countries and in Iran, while the rest will vote in 48 other countries on Sunday.

Tunisian President Kais Saied has announced the launch of "national dialogue" to help resolve a political crisis following his controversial power grab, but excluding critical opposition groups.

Violence may rage elsewhere, but it's business before politics in the occupied West Bank town of Nilin where Palestinian merchants do a brisk trade with passing Israelis. Every day, hundreds of people from Israel and nearby West Bank settlements visit the town to take advantage of low prices on everything...

President Emmanuel Macron is the favorite to win re-election in the run-off ballot on Sunday, and there are indications he bolstered his advantage with a combative performance in the one-off election debate against a somewhat defensive far-right challenger Marine Le Pen.

Earlier this month, Elon Musk made an unsolicited bid of $43 million for Twitter, citing better freedom of speech as a motivation.

Kuwait's government resigned on Tuesday, three months after it was sworn in, state media reported, amid escalating disputes with parliament. The move comes a day ahead of a parliamentary vote on a letter of non-cooperation, which 10 lawmakers submitted against the premier.

Lebanon is grappling with an unprecedented financial crisis that the World Bank says is of a scale usually associated with war.

Tunisia has summoned for questioning the speaker of the dissolved parliament for "conspiracy against state security" after lawmakers met online in the North African nation, a spokesman said Friday.

The latest move follows months of growing discontent in Syria over a spiraling economic crisis.

Central Elections Commission chief Hanna Nasser said a number of candidates had been arrested for political reasons.

Libya has had rival administrations since the eastern-based assembly swore in a prime minister earlier this month in a challenge to interim premier Abdulhamid Dbeibah.

Beside Covid-19 pandemic, many countries in the region face war and conflicts. A robust economic system necessitates an effective strategy to combat corruption. If GCC countries wishes to be prosperous, there must be systems in place to fight corruption and ensure that the integrity of the state is maintained.

An influential figure in western Libya, Mechri accused Dbeibah's government of "fueling a campaign against the parliament and the HCS".

On Thursday, Lebanese Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi said he was banning ‘two events’ organized by Bahraini opposition figures.

Libya faced the challenge of two prime ministers on Thursday after parliament named a rival to the existing unity government's chief Abdulhamid Dbeibah, hours after his convoy was targeted in a shooting. The appointment of a second prime minister threatens to spark a new power struggle in the country.