World

Saudi Crown Prince Tells Putin he Supports 'all Initiatives' to end Ukraine War
Saudi Crown Prince Tells Putin he Supports 'all Initiatives' to end Ukraine War

Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler told Russian President Vladimir Putin that the kingdom supports "all initiatives" to end the Ukraine war, a statement said on Friday, after US-Ukraine talks in Jeddah proposed a 30-day ceasefire. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reaffirmed Saudi Arabia's "commitment to facilitating dialogue and supporting all ...

China Urges end to 'Illegal' Sanctions as it Hosts Iran Nuclear Talks
China Urges end to 'Illegal' Sanctions as it Hosts Iran Nuclear Talks

China urged an end to "illegal" sanctions on Iran as it hosted diplomats from that country and Russia on Friday for talks Beijing hopes will restart long-stalled negotiations on Tehran's nuclear programme. The United States withdrew from a landmark 2015 deal, which imposed curbs on Tehran's nuclear development in return for sanctions relief, ...

Canada Rallies Against Russian 'Aggression' as New US Tone Splits G7
Canada Rallies Against Russian 'Aggression' as New US Tone Splits G7

Canada called Thursday on the Group of Seven powers to back Ukraine against Russia's "aggression" as US President Donald Trump's more conciliatory approach toward Moscow split the club of wealthy democracies. Canada, the current G7 president, is gathering foreign ministers for three days of talks inside a rustic hotel in snow-dusted Charlevoix, ...

New York's Trump Tower Overrun by Pro-Palestinian Protesters
New York's Trump Tower Overrun by Pro-Palestinian Protesters

Hundreds of Jewish demonstrators overran New York's Trump Tower on Thursday in support of Palestinians as well as detained Palestinian student campaigner Mahmoud Khalil. Wearing matching red T-shirts emblazoned with "Jews say stop arming Israel," the group protested for over an hour inside the Manhattan skyscraper, where President ...

US Treasury Sanctions Iran Oil Minister
US Treasury Sanctions Iran Oil Minister

The US Treasury Department on Thursday issued sanctions against Iran's oil minister Mohsen Paknejad, as President Donald Trump seeks to increase pressure on Tehran. "The Iranian regime continues to use the proceeds from the nation's vast oil resources to advance its narrow, alarming self-interests at the expense of the Iranian people," US ...

Putin Says Any Ceasefire Must Lead to Long-Term Settlement
Putin Says Any Ceasefire Must Lead to Long-Term Settlement

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday he backed the idea of a truce with Ukraine, but said he had "serious questions" about how it would be implemented that he wanted to discuss with Donald Trump. He was responding to a joint US-Ukrainian plan for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine that US special envoy Steve Witkoff is due to present to ...

Qatar Supplying Natural Gas to Syria via Jordan
Qatar Supplying Natural Gas to Syria via Jordan

Qatar has begun funding gas supplies to Syria from Jordan, state media in the Gulf state reported Thursday, as Damascus's new leadership seeks economic relief for the war-torn country. "Qatar has started today providing... natural gas supplies to the Syrian Arab Republic through the territories of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan," ...

Diplomatic Uncertainties and Reconstruction: Lebanon’s Challenges Amid International Expectations
PoliticsDiplomatic Uncertainties and Reconstruction: Lebanon’s Challenges Amid International Expectations

A recent interview with Morgan Ortagus, deputy to the U.S. president’s special envoy for the Middle East, highlighted significant discrepancies between official announcements and the on-the-ground reality in Lebanon. While the U.S. administration claims to have initiated diplomatic working groups to address the Lebanese-Israeli border issue, ...

Syria Leader Signs Constitutional Declaration, Hailing 'New History'
Syria Leader Signs Constitutional Declaration, Hailing 'New History'

Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa on Thursday hailed the start of a "new history" for his country, signing into force a constitutional declaration regulating its five-year transitional period and laying out rights for women and freedom of expression. The declaration comes three months after Islamist-led rebels toppled Bashar al-Assad's ...

Palestinian Authority Condemns Hamas-U.S. Direct Talks
Palestinian Authority Condemns Hamas-U.S. Direct Talks

The Palestinian Authority condemned Hamas' statement in which the organization revealed it had opened a communication channel with the U.S. administration. The Israeli media, Haaretz, quoted Palestinian political sources as saying that the condemnation “indicates the depth of the crisis between the PA and Hamas”. “The PA is also ...