NICOSIA, Jan 7 - Cyprus assumed the rotating presidency of the European Union on Wednesday, marking the start of its six-month term with a meeting in Nicosia attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European
Jan 7 (Reuters) - The leader of Yemen's Southern Transitional Council (STC), Aidarous al-Zubaidi, failed to board a plane set to take him to Riyadh, and fled instead to an unknown destination, the Saudi-backed coalition in the country said on Wednesday. The remarks came amid
Clashes between government troops and Kurdish-led forces in northern Syria's Aleppo killed at least nine people on Tuesday, mostly civilians, in one of the worst flare-ups between the sides in months. The implementation of a March deal to merge the Kurds' semi-autonomous
One person was killed and three were injured during a protest in Jerusalem on Tuesday against a law to conscript ultra-Orthodox Jews into the Israeli armed forces, emergency crews said. A bus ran over and injured three pedestrians then drove on and struck an 18-year old who got
JERUSALEM, Jan 6 (Reuters) - A mass ultra-Orthodox Jewish rally against military conscription turned deadly in Jerusalem on Tuesday, when a teenage boy was crushed and killed after a man driving a bus hit the crowd. The Israeli police said they detained the driver and are
Syria's new government and Israel will set up a joint group under US supervision to share intelligence and seek military de-escalation on the ground, they announced Tuesday after talks. The Syrian foreign minister traveled to Paris in his country's first known meeting in months
Iran's nationwide unrest has deepened as lethal force collided with state warnings, exposing a widening gap between official control and fast-growing public defiance.
Saudi Arabia’s confrontation with the UAE in Yemen has laid bare a deeper struggle for influence over the Red Sea and surrounding regions.
A senior Syrian official said the U.S.-led initiative would immediately suspend all Israeli military activity against Syria, calling it a 'historic opportunity' for negotiations and stressing that progress would be impossible without a clear timetable for Israeli withdrawal
Dubai is targeting 90% cashless transactions by the end of 2026, while Saudi Arabia is now set to enforce an e-payments rule for domestic workers.
Wind and rain are tearing apart Gaza's tents, collapsing buildings and flooding streets and shelters. With many winter supplies barred by Israel, black-market merchants are selling tents for up to $1,000. One Palestinian said, 'We don't know where we will sleep the next time it
Iranian security forces fired tear gas to disperse demonstrators at the Tehran bazaar on Tuesday, as an NGO said more than two dozen people had been killed in a crackdown on the most significant protests to hit the Islamic republic in three years. The protests were triggered by
NAIROBI, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar met the president of Somaliland on Tuesday, 10 days after Israel became the first country to formally recognise the breakaway region in the Horn of Africa as an independent and sovereign state. A Somaliland
NAIROBI, Jan 6 (Reuters) - The African Union's Political Affairs Peace and Security council called on Tuesday for the "immediate revocation" of Israel's recognition of Somaliland. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sara visited Somaliland on Tuesday on a trip that was denounced by
Syria is facing a number of security challenges amid sectarian tensions as it rebuilds its economy.
The Israeli foreign minister arrived in Somaliland on Tuesday in a high-profile visit, condemned by Somalia as an "unauthorised incursion", after Israel recognised the breakaway region in the Horn of Africa. Israel announced last month it was officially recognising Somaliland,
The Saudi Capital Market Authority announced that it would remove restrictions that have historically limited foreign investors' access to the country’s Tadawul stock exchange.
By Steven Scheer JERUSALEM, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Passenger traffic at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv rose 33% in 2025, the Israel Airports Authority reported on Tuesday, reflecting the return of foreign carriers after many airlines halted flights during the
Lebanon’s military has stepped up security efforts amid reports of remnants of the ousted regime of President Bashar al-Assad inside Lebanese territory.
Ten days after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recognized Somaliland, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar arrived in Hargeisa for the first official visit.
Jan 6 (Reuters) - Somalia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday condemned a visit by Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar to Hargeisa, saying it was a violation of Somalia's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The ministry said that any official engagement without
According to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, 29 protesters, four children and two members of Iran's security forces have been killed. Demonstrations have reached over 250 locations in 27 of Iran's 31 provinces
DUBAI, Jan 6 (Reuters) - At least 25 people have been killed in Iran during the first nine days of protests that started in the bazaar of Tehran over the plunging value of the currency and soaring inflation, according to rights groups. The protests have spread to some cities in
NAIROBI/JERUSALEM, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar is on a visit to Somaliland in East Africa, where he is due to meet the semi-autonomous region's president later on Tuesday, according to a senior Somaliland official. A second source briefed on the visit
JERUSALEM, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Israel has approved an upgrade to fourth-generation (4G) mobile services for Palestinians in the West Bank, the Israeli Communications Ministry said on Tuesday. The ministry said the two Palestinian mobile operators - Jawwal and Ooredoo - and
DUBAI, Jan 6 - When the United Arab Emirates withdrew its troops from Yemen last week under a deadline from Saudi Arabia, it also left behind the remote Yemeni island of Socotra and the roughly 600 tourists who had flown in but could no longer fly out. Air traffic at the
Israel’s leadership is warning Tehran not to launch an attack as a means of diverting Iranians’ attention from the ongoing anti-government demonstrations.