KYIV, Ukraine – Russia kidnapped the mayor of a northern Ukrainian city and also opened fire on civilians protesting Russia’s war, Ukrainian authorities have claimed. Yuriy Fomichev, mayor of the city of Slavutych, kidnapped by Russian forces after a group of protestors refused to disperse, said Aleksander Pavlyuk, head of the Kyiv Regional Mi...
TRIPOLI, Libya– Libyan authorities have arrested five people on charges of promoting atheism and insulting Islamic religion, according to the country’s public prosecutor. In a statement, Public Prosecutor Al-Siddiq Al-Sour said his office carried out an investigation into the activity of a secret group known as the Enlightenment Movement, sayi...
BEIRUT, Lebanon – Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati expressed hope that his country’s relations with the Gulf countries will be restored. Mikati’s remarks came during his meeting with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Qatar on the sidelines of the Doha Forum international conference. “Lebanon always needs Arab spon...
HEBRON, Palestine (AA) – Five Palestinian children died on Saturday in a house fire in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron, according to local media. The state news agency Wafa said the five kids were siblings aged 4-14 who lost their lives in the blaze that broke out in their house in the town […]
ANKARA (AA) – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday condemned Houthi rebel attacks on Saudi Arabia, ahead of a planned visit to the Middle East region. Houthi rebels in Yemen on Friday claimed drone and missile attacks on Saudi energy facilities. One of the attacks targeted an oil storage of Saudi oil company […]
RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – Palestinians in the occupied West Bank on Saturday began casting their votes in the second and final phase of local elections. The first phase of the polls took place on Dec. 11 last year. A total of 2,531 candidates, including 676 women, are vying for seats in the polls, according to […]
JERUSALEM (AA) – Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry is set to participate in a six-party summit in Israel, Israeli media reported on Saturday. The KAN news channel said Shoukry, who will arrive in Israel on Sunday, will join his counterparts from the US, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Morocco, and Israel in the summit. […]...
RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – As Egypt on Saturday observed the 44th anniversary of its peace treaty with Israel, the first with any Arab country, Palestinian political analyst Bilal Shobaki said the treaty was a step to remove Egypt from the Arab-Israeli conflict. After years of conflict starting in 1948, Egypt was the first Arab nation [&hellip...
BAGHDAD (AA) – The Iraqi Parliament on Saturday failed to elect the country’s president after dozens of lawmakers boycotted the voting session. A statement issued by the Parliament said 126 out of 329 legislators boycotted the session. At least 220 deputies should attend the session for presidential elections to take place. A parliamentary sta...
BAKU, Azerbaijan (AA) – Azerbaijani forces thwarted a provocation attempt by Armenian forces in the recently liberated Nagorno-Karabakh region, the country’s Defense Ministry announced Saturday. The ministry said that illegal Armenian forces in the region – which was liberated in fall 2020 from decades of Armenian occupation – took advan...
