Arab World

EU Suspends Counter-Tariffs for 90 Days After US U-Turn
EU Suspends Counter-Tariffs for 90 Days After US U-Turn

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said Thursday the bloc will suspend a planned package of tariffs on US goods "to give negotiations a chance" after President Donald Trump's U-turn on massive duties. "While finalising the adoption of the EU countermeasures that saw strong support from our Member States, we will put them on hold for ...

US, Russia Meet in Istanbul for Talks on Embassies
US, Russia Meet in Istanbul for Talks on Embassies

US and Russian delegations met in Istanbul on Thursday for talks on restoring the functioning of their embassies, which drastically scaled back staffing following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. The talks, the second of their kind, come after President Donald Trump reached out to Russia following the start of his second term and offered better ties ...

Pentagon Chief Says US Could 'Revive' Panama Bases
Pentagon Chief Says US Could 'Revive' Panama Bases

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth floated the idea on Wednesday of US troops returning to Panama to "secure" its strategically vital canal, a suggestion quickly shot down by the Central American country's government. Hegseth suggested during a visit to Panama that "by invitation" the United States could "revive" military bases or naval air ...

US Backtracks on Some Food Aid Cuts: UN
US Backtracks on Some Food Aid Cuts: UN

The United States has backtracked on emergency food aid cuts it announced for 14 countries, restoring assistance to six of them, the UN's World Food Program said Wednesday. The UN agency, already struggling with financing woes, said Monday that the United States advised it Washington was eliminating emergency food aid to those 14 poor and ...

Author of Explosive Meta Memoir Stars at US Senate Hearing
Author of Explosive Meta Memoir Stars at US Senate Hearing

The former Facebook employee behind a scathing book about parent company Meta on Wednesday alleged that the social networking giant collaborated with the Chinese government on artificial intelligence, censorship and more, then lied to Congress about what it was doing. Former global policy director Sarah Wynn-Williams, who worked at the company ...

Hamas Leadership Operating Behind Veil of Secrecy
SpotlightHamas Leadership Operating Behind Veil of Secrecy

After Israel killed a string of its leaders, Hamas anointed new commanders to top ranks, this time shrouding their identities in secrecy to protect them from assassination. Israel vowed to crush Hamas in retaliation for the October 7 attack, launching a blistering offensive in Gaza that has massively weakened the movement while reducing much of ...

Trump’s Tariff Disruption: Chaos or Strategy?
Op-edTrump’s Tariff Disruption: Chaos or Strategy?

In the age of globalization, few leaders have dared to question the structure that underpins the modern world economy. Donald Trump didn’t just question it, he took a wrecking ball to it. His tariff-first economic approach, widely criticized as reckless, may actually represent the beginning of a hard but necessary conversation: Should America ...

Sudan Repeats Accusation of UAE's 'Key Role' in War Ahead of ICJ Hearing
Sudan Repeats Accusation of UAE's 'Key Role' in War Ahead of ICJ Hearing

The Sudanese government on Wednesday reiterated its accusation that the UAE is "playing a key role" in the country's conflict, a day before an International Court of Justice hearing against Abu Dhabi over genocide allegations. The Sudanese army, with which the government is aligned, has been at war with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) ...

Where Things Stand in the US-China Trade War
Q&AWhere Things Stand in the US-China Trade War

US President Donald Trump has ramped up his trade war against China, further raising import tariffs on Beijing to 125 percent despite pausing them for other countries. The move came hours after China announced reciprocal action against the United States in response to a previous levy hike. AFP looks at how the escalating trade war between the ...

Turkey Holds 'Technical Talks' with Israel to Ease Syria tensions
Turkey Holds 'Technical Talks' with Israel to Ease Syria tensions

Turkey is holding technical-level talks with Israel to ease tensions over Syria but is not moving toward normalising ties, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Wednesday. Turkey is a key backer of the Islamist-led coalition in Syria that toppled Bashar al-Assad in December after almost 14 years of civil war. Its influence has worried Israel, which ...

Trump's Tariff Pause Gives Market Relief, but China Trade War Intensifies
Trump's Tariff Pause Gives Market Relief, but China Trade War Intensifies

US President Donald Trump abruptly paused tariffs on most countries, sparking euphoria on global markets Thursday, but upped the ante on a brutal trade war with superpower rival China. After days of turmoil, stocks on Wall Street and across Asia saw huge surges in reaction to Trump's announcement that he was halting a levy hike for almost all ...