• Fatah rejects Hamas criticism of new prime minister’s appointment

    Ramallah, Palestinian Territories - Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas's Fatah party hit back at criticism by Hamas and other factions over his appointment of a new prime minister they said could deepen divisions as the war with Israel in Gaza rages. Abbas appointed Mohammed Mustafa, a long-trusted adviser on economic affairs, as...
  • Trump said he won’t ‘give a penny’ to Ukraine, claims Hungary Prime Minister

    BUDAPEST, HUNGARY – Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban has asserted that former US president Donald Trump told him during a meeting that he would "not give a penny" to the war in Ukraine -- a claim Trump's team did not comment on. Orban -- the only EU leader to have maintained...
  • Israel PM spurns global recognition of a Palestinian state

    In a post in Hebrew on social media platform X, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the Jewish country will continue to oppose unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state. Such recognition, in his opinion, would offer an "enormous reward to unprecedented terrorism.
  • Saudi Crown Prince announces new company to boost Kingdom’s global tech status

    Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Thursday launched a new company called Alat geared to make Saudi Arabia a global hub for electronics and advanced industries. The new company aims to create 39,000 direct jobs and achieve a direct non-oil GDP contribution of $9.3 billion...
  • Qatar ‘appalled’ at alleged criticism by Netanyahu

    Israeli prime minister accused Qatar of financing Hamas at a meeting this week with the families of hostages held in Gaza. Making his annoyance with the country known, he said he was upset at a US decision to extend the presence of a military base in the Gulf state, according...
  • Israel to negotiate release of Gaza hostages: Netanyahu

    Tel Aviv, Israel - Israel is negotiating the release of hostages held by the radical Palestinian movement Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the relatives of the hostages, The Jerusalem Post reported. According to the publication, Netanyahu confirmed that Israel is working to get all the hostages...
  • PM issues law forming Dubai Investment Fund to oversee government investments

    DUBAI, UAE – Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has issued Law No. (25) of 2023 establishing the Dubai Investment Fund as an independent public entity operating on a commercial basis. The law also endows the Fund with the financial and administrative...
  • UAE approves Dubai Metro Blue Line project

    DUBAI, UAE - Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has approved the Dubai Metro Blue Line project. This is a new 30 kilometer metro route that will strategically link key areas in the emirate through 14 stations, in line with the anticipated...
  • Jordan keeps options open in response to Gaza conflict

    Amman, Jordan - Jordan has stated that it is considering "all options" in response to what it perceives as Israel's failure to distinguish between military and civilian targets in its escalating offensive and incursion into the Gaza Strip, Reuters reported on Monday. Prime Minister Bisher al Khasawneh refrained from specifying...
  • Israeli-Palestine war: US president calls Saudi Crown Prince

    Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and US President Joe Biden discussed on Tuesday the military escalation in Gaza and efforts made to address it. Receiving a telephone call from Biden, the Crown Prince underlined the necessity of immediate work to explore...
  • UAE president and Vietnam PM explore ways to boost ties

    Riyadh, Saudi Arabia-- UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh have explored opportunities to further strengthen ties between the two countries in a meeting between the two leaders in Riyadh. The president and prime minister met on the sidelines of the joint summit between...
  • Keir Starmer, former human rights lawyer, may be Britain’s next prime minister

    Labour heads into its annual conference in Liverpool, northwest England, this weekend enjoying double-digit leads in opinion polls ahead of a general election expected next year. Many observers say that is largely down to chaotic Conservative rule that has resulted in three different prime ministers in four years, following upheaval over...
  • Iraqi Prime Minister to visit Moscow for talks with Russian president

    Baghdad, Iraq - Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani is scheduled to embark on a two-day visit to Moscow from October 10 to 11, where he will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Reuters reported on Wednesday, quoting sources. Prime Minister Al-Sudani is set to leave Iraq on October 9,...
  • Israel top court hears appeals against rules for removing prime minister

    Israel's top court debated appeals against a law restricting how a prime minister can be removed from office, as current premier Benjamin Netanyahu faces protests against the judicial overhaul. Eleven of the Supreme Court's 15 judges sat to hear three appeals against legislation passed by parliament in March.
  • Canada seeks India cooperation in murder probe

    Speaking on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau called on the Indian government to "work with us" in order to establish processes to uncover the truth of the matter. Trudeau, however, refused to provide the evidence that led him to accuse India...
  • Kuwait seeks support in its bid for UN Human Rights Council seat

    New York, US-- Kuwait has exhorted UN member states to back its bid for a seat on the UN Human Rights Council for 2024-2026. The appeal was made at the 78th session of the UN General Assembly by the country's Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. Highlighting Kuwait's...
  • UAE celebrates astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi’s homecoming

    The UAE president and the ruler of Dubai spent time in conversation with Al Neyadi – accompanied by his father and three of his children – and discussed aspects of the mission and his experience during his time in space. They congratulated him for completing the longest ever space flight...
  • Iraq-Iran rail link to facilitate travel, tourism and medical treatments

    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...
  • Hungarian companies want to expand work in Russia, says PM Orban

    BUDAPEST, HUNGARY – Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that companies from his country plan to expand their activities in Russia despite sanctions and political difficulties. Orban made the statement at a meeting with the head of Russia’s Tatarstan region Rustam Minnikhanov in Budapest, TASS news agency reported. "It has...
  • Biden pursuing Middle East peace deal anchored in Saudi-Israel normalization: report

    As part of this potential deal, Saudi Arabia would normalize relations with Israel, contingent on Israel making concessions to the Palestinians.
  • Jordan and Iraqi PMs renew pledge to boost economic ties

    Baghdad, Iraq-- Jordan and Iraq have renewed pledge to strengthen economic cooperation in a meeting between the kingdom's Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh, and his Iraqi counterpart, Muhammad Shia'a Sudani, on Monday. In a joint statement, both PMs reaffirmed the strategic nature of the Jordanian-Iraqi relationship and called for efforts to...
  • Finance minister quits in latest Kuwait political turmoil

    Kuwait City, Kuwait - The finance minister of Kuwait, one of the world's biggest oil producers, has resigned only three months after his appointment by the prime minister, state media said on Wednesday. Manaf Al-Hajeri' resignation comes against a backdrop of perpetual political turmoil in the only Gulf Arab state with...
  • Key judicial reform clause thrown out, says Israeli PM

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had "thrown out" a key provision of his controversial judicial reform plan that has sparked one of the country's biggest ever protest movements. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Netanyahu said he intends to press on with the reforms.
  • India’s Modi, Egypt’s Sisi pledge to deepen strategic partnership

    Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo on a rare visit during which both sides pledged to deepen their strategic partnership. They agreed to boost investment by India, the world's most populous nation, in Egypt and which is now in the grips of an...
  • UAE and Japan look to boost ‘strategic’ relations with focus on energy

    Tokyo, Japan-- The UAE and Japan have discussed ways to strengthen the strategic partnership with a sharp focus on the energy ties between the two countries. The discussion was held in a meeting between the UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo,...
  • Saudi national freed from captors in ‘special operation’ by Lebanese army

    Beirut, Lebanon--A Saudi national who had been kidnapped in Beirut has been freed in a "special operation" by the Lebanese army near the Syrian border, it said in a statement Tuesday. "An army intelligence patrol managed to free kidnapped Saudi national Mashari al-Mutairi during a special operation on the Syrian border,"...
  • Drone strike targeted lawmaker’s home: Libya parliament

    The UN-recognized Government of National Unity said the strikes hit "hideouts used by gangs of smugglers in fuel, narcotics and humans" and that they were ordered by interim PM Abdulhamid Dbeibah. But the country's parliament accused the Tripoli-based government of targeting the home of one of its lawmakers Ali Bouzribah,...
  • Iraqi PM, Lebanese minister discuss economic cooperation

    BAGHDAD, IRAQ -  Iraq Prime Minister Muhammad Shia'a Al-Sudani said that the country is continuing regional economic communication. A statement issued by the Prime Minister's media office said, "Muhammad Shia' al-Sudani received the Lebanese Minister of Energy and Water Walid Fayyad and the Deputy Director of the Lebanese State Security...
  • Kuwait Crown Prince dissolves National Assembly, again

    Kuwait City -  Kuwait's Crown Prince, Shaikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, issued a decree on Monday to dissolve the National Assembly. The decision, he said, was made in accordance with the Constitution and as a reflection of the will of the Kuwaiti people. The Prime Minister presented the proposal for...
  • Saudi Crown Prince meets astronauts prior to their space trip

    Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz on Monday  met the Saudi astronauts: Rayana Bernawi, Ali Al-Qarni, Mariam Fardous and Ali Al-Ghamdi before the launch of the kingdom’s scientific mission to the International Space Station (ISS). The Crown Prince welcomed the crew of the scientific...
  • Japan PM Fumio Kishida unhurt in ‘smoke bomb’, man detained

    Moments after a blast was heard in Wakayama, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was evacuated from the spot, and he was unharmed in the incident, according to local media. Japanese television showed footage of a disturbance in a crowd gathered where Kishida was due to speak. A person was detained...
  • Iraq finalizes three-year budget designed to instill fiscal stability

    Just days ahead of the 20th anniversary of the US-led invasion that resulted in war, chaos, and political instability, Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said that his government had prepared a three-year budget for the oil-dependent economy traditionally plagued by budgetary delays. The bill will include financial aid to...
  • Will plant 5m trees in country, says Iraqi Prime Minister

    BASRA, IRAQ -  Iraq's prime minister on Sunday announced a campaign to combat the severe impacts of climate change on the water-scarce country, including by planting five million palms and trees. Oil-rich but war-battered Iraq suffers from extreme summer heat, frequent droughts, desertification and regular dust storms, problems that are all...
  • New Qatar premier inherits strong economy, world cup glory

    Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman al-Thani takes charge at a time when Qatar’s economy is booming, posting a surplus of $24 billion in its 2022 budget, nearly a 55-fold surge from the 2021 figure of $439 million.
  • Qatar appoints new PM, after resignation of Sheikh Khalid

    Doha, Qatar-- Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdul Aziz Al Thani has resigned from his job, according to Qatar News Agency. And in the wake of the resignation, the country's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has appointed Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani in...
  • Sheikh Ahmad Al-Sabah re-appointed Kuwait Prime Minister

    Kuwait's government resigned on January 23, three months after it was sworn in, following disputes with lawmakers that have plunged the Gulf state into political paralysis. Kuwait's National Assembly is the only fully elected parliament in the Gulf but it has been fraught with repeated crises between the executive and...
  • Spanish PM in Morocco on visit to cement ties

    Spain's North African enclaves of Melilla and Ceuta - which both border Morocco - have long been magnets for people fleeing violence and poverty across Africa, seeking refuge via the continent's only land frontiers with the European Union. Sanchez said the sides also aimed to "completely normalise the passage of...
  • Jordan’s king meets Israeli PM Netanyahu in Amman

    Jordan's King Abdullah II hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Amman in a rare meeting after years of strained relations between the two leaders. The royal palace said they discussed the situation in Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound and "the importance of respecting the historical and legal status quo". Netanyahu...
  • Algeria and Italy agree to strengthen energy cooperation

    Algiers, Algeria--Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni agreed Monday to strengthen energy cooperation with Africa's top gas exporter Algeria, the latest European country seeking supply deals to help reduce reliance on Russia. "Facing the great energy crisis that Europe in particular is experiencing, Algeria could become a leader in production, certainly African...
  • Iraq’s Prime Minister heads to Germany for energy talks

    BAGHDAD, IRAQ - Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani left Thursday for Berlin to meet with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and discuss projects to address chronic power shortages, the premier's office said. Despite its oil riches, Iraq is beset by crumbling infrastructure, endemic corruption and decades of war. Dependent on its...
  • Iraq PM affirms support for agriculture, industry, tourism and trade

    Baghdad, Iraq--The Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed S. Al Sudani has stressed the need for economic reform and supporting the sectors of agriculture, industry, tourism and trade. The prime minister highlighted the need to fortify Iraq, in order for it not to be a passage for smuggling hard currency and money...
  • Iraq Prime Minister summons central bank governor as currency slides

    One US dollar traded at 1,580 Iraqi dinars on the street Tuesday, against the central bank rate of 1,470 dinars, state news agency INA reported. The drop began about two weeks ago, sparking alarm in the media.
  • Netanyahu secures parliament majority, closer to forming govt

    Some Israeli political analysts had forecast that Netanyahu would move to announce a coalition days after receiving his mandate from President Isaac Herzog on November 13. But the coalition talks have proved complex, with Netanyahu forced to give sensitive portfolios to controversial figures, including Jewish Power leader Itamar Ben Gvir,...
  • Jordan PM launches women empowerment strategy

    This strategy aims to eliminate all forms of gender-based discrimination.
  • Moroccans protest price hikes and ‘repression’

    Hit by the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and inflation, poverty levels are back to where they were in 2014, the government's High Commission for Planning said in a recent report. Faced with the recent protests, Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch has lately promoted expanding medical coverage, with more than...
  • Jordan and Iraq to deepen political, economic ties

    Amman, Jordan— Jordan and Iraq have renewed their commitment to deepen political and economic ties between the two neighboring countries. In this connection, King Abdullah has held talks with Iraq Prime Minister Mohamed Shia Al Sudani. The talks, held at Basman Palace, covered the deep-rooted ties between the two countries,...
  • Row between Libya council and Dbeibah’s government escalates

    Accusing the government of prime minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah of preventing it from meeting, Libya's High Council of State said armored vehicles from an armed group commanded by Dbeibah's administration surrounded a major hotel in Tripoli, preventing council members from entering.
  • Jordan King and UK PM meet to discuss strategic relations

    London, UK— King Abdullah of Jordan and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak have met in London to discuss the development of strategic relations between their countries. The king expressed Jordan’s keenness to advance its friendly ties with the UK and bolster cooperation in the political, economic and defense fields, Jordan...
  • New Iraq PM sacks senior officials days after confidence vote

    Seeking to consolidate his position, Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has sacked several senior officials appointed by his predecessor, just days after a confidence vote in his government. The prime minister rescinded several appointments following the October 2021 polls, citing the government's "interim" status.
  • Netanyahu eyes return to power as Israel votes yet again

    Lapid sails into the November 1 election just days after a diplomatic breakthrough -- finalising a landmark maritime border deal with foe Lebanon that unlocks offshore gas riches for both sides. Netanyahu, meanwhile, is hoping his record 15 years in power can convince the electorate that only he has the...
  • Libya signs two defense deals with Turkey

    Libya has signed two defense deals with Turkey, building on a 2019 agreement that had seen the latter claim large and potentially gas-rich areas of the eastern Mediterranean, angering Greece, France and the European Union. The deal was signed with Libya's Tripoli-based prime minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah.