Saudi investment in France reflects the fast-growing rapprochement between Paris and Riyadh as power dynamics are reshaped across the Middle East, with the kingdom seeking to diversify its partnerships without jeopardising its strategic alliance with the United States. The
There are few joys left for 10-year-old Ahmed Hamdouna, whose childhood has already been scarred by years of war and displacement in Gaza. Now, what little reprieve he found playing with scraps of plastic and sticks has also been torn away, as Israel warns it will step up
By Richard Cowan WASHINGTON, Aug 26 (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Democrats on Wednesday urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to rein in a "surge" of violence by West Bank settlers and mass arrests of Palestinians by Israeli security forcesin the occupied territory. Inthe
As extreme heat fuels wildfires worldwide this summer, Lebanese officials and residents have accused Israel's military of systematically sparking blazes that have burnt swathes of forest and farmland in the country's south. In the village of Shaqra, Haidar Qoteish, 36, says he
By Mohi Narayan NEW DELHI, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Five commodity vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, little changed from a day earlier but well below the 10-day average of 15, preliminary shipping data showed on Wednesday. Two tankers carrying liquefied petroleum gas
Aug 26 (Reuters) - A massive flash flood killed at least nine people on Wednesday in the Himalayan border areas of Nepal and adjoining Tibet, washing away villages, damaging roads, bridges and power projects, with authorities fearing more casualties. Here are some of the
BEIJING, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, as part of a state visit there and then to Egypt from August 30 to September 3, China's foreign ministry said on Wednesday. At the
Israeli intelligence reportedly uncovered the plot last December, prompting Yair Netanyahu to immediately leave his Miami-area home and return to Israel
By Federico Maccioni DUBAI, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Dubai International Airport saw passenger traffic fall 31.3% in the first half of the year, its operator said on Wednesday, as the Iran war heavily disrupted traffic across the Gulf including at the busy international travel hub.
Iran and Oman are discussing a temporary transit corridor and mine-clearing for the Strait of Hormuz, b
By Timothy Gardner WASHINGTON, Aug 25 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump has sent Congress a proposed agreement with Saudi Arabia on civil nuclear energy while insisting the pact will only go into effect if the kingdom normalizes relations with Israel, a U.S. administration
By Yomna Ehab and Jana Choukeir CAIRO/DUBAI, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Iran has held new talks with neighbouring Oman on management of the Strait of Hormuz, blockaded over nearly six months of conflict, with Oman's foreign minister saying he was hopeful a temporary corridor through
By Yomna Ehab CAIRO, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Iran said it had restarted talks with neighbor Oman to manage the Strait of Hormuz as it faces heightened economic pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump in the wider conflict. Iran and Oman have been in on-and-off talks for weeks
WASHINGTON, Aug 25 (Reuters) - The U.S. Secret Service is aware of a video broadcast by Iranian state television discussing a potential plot to assassinate U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, a spokesperson said on Tuesday. "The U.S. Secret Service is aware of the video
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, whose dissolution was announced by their leader Mazloum Abdi on Tuesday, were the Washington-backed de facto army of the Kurds' autonomous administration in Syria and spearheaded the battle against jihadists. The force was Syria's most
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, whose dissolution was announced by their leader Mazloum Abdi on Tuesday, were the Washington-backed de facto army of the Kurds' autonomous administration in Syria and spearheaded the battle against jihadists. The force was Syria's most
Earlier on Tuesday, The New York Times reported that the U.S. State Department is preparing to return diplomats to embassies in the Middle East that were evacuated before and during the war with Iran
DAMASCUS, Aug 25 (Reuters) - The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces has been dissolved, the armed militant group's leader said on Tuesday, a major step in the integration plan agreed on earlier this year with the Islamist-led government in Damascus. "We announce today the end
The leader of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, the Washington-backed group at the forefront of the battle against the Islamic State jihadist group, announced their dissolution on Tuesday under a deal with the government. After being Syria's most highly trained and
Iranian authorities are bracing for unrest as US pressure collides with a battered economy, fuel price indecision and fresh memories of bloodshed.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi met with Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi on Tuesday, with the Italian energy giant revealing it could make a crucial investment decision in coming months.
Europe's top human rights court has renewed its call for Turkey to immediately release jailed philanthropist Osman Kavala, saying his imprisonment reflects a broader “systemic problem” over independence and impartiality of the judiciary.
The Iraqi prime minister is expected to sign several memorandums of understanding with France during his Sept. 14 meeting with Macron as Baghdad seeks to diversify its diplomatic and security ties.
The US president again says Hormuz is clear of mines as Iran and Oman announce their plan to clear the strait.
Turkey’s peace process with Kurdish militants has entered the implementation phase this week, with authorities setting up working groups to verify the Kurdistan Workers Party’s disarmament.
Aug 25 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that all mines had been detonated or removed from international waters of the Strait of Hormuz and that Iran has been told that any ship or boat placing new mines will be destroyed. In a post on Truth Social, Trump
By Michael Georgy DUBAI, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Iraq could serve as an example of how the United States could carry out its threat to force countries that continue trading with Iran out of the dollar-based financial system. Washington has already sanctioned a host of Iraqi banks
Syrian Airlines currently flies to 14 destinations across eight countries, with four additional routes planned.
WASHINGTON, Aug 25 (Reuters) - U.S. CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Moscow on Tuesday for meetings with Russian officials, U.S. media outlets reported, citing unnamed sources. The visit would be the first known visit to the Russian capital by a U.S. spy chief since
Israeli forces began evicting a vocational training centre run by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees in an east Jerusalem suburb on Tuesday, in its latest move targeting the beleaguered organisation. It follows repeated warnings by UNRWA that Israeli authorities were
Long queues formed at petrol stations in Tehran on Tuesday after the United States announced fresh sanctions aimed at pressuring Iran into submission. Washington has turned to pulling economic levers six months into a war on Iran that has ground to a stalemate militarily, with
China's Foreign Ministry said Beijing was firmly opposed to what it called “illegal unilateral sanctions” and would take “all necessary measures” to safeguard its rights.
By Mai Shams El-Din and Menna AlaaElDin CAIRO, Aug 25 (Reuters) - As Egypt’s new academic year approaches, Amal Abdel Hameed is hopeful her daughter will be able to enroll officially in school for the first time since she was born as a result of a rape nearly eight years ago.
The United Nations and the Red Cross warned Tuesday that the world is "dangerously close" to a future where so-called "killer