An Egypt-brokered deal between Palestinian factions in Gaza and Israel has come into effect at 23:30 local time, ending three days of cross-border hostilities. The weekend-long Israeli bombardment killed at least 44 Palestinians, including 15 children. More than 360 were wounded, according to the Palestinian health ministry. In Israel, three p...
ISTANBUL (AA) – Calling China’s military response to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan an “overreaction,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said there is “no justification” for Beijing’s actions. “The fact is that the speaker’s visit was peaceful. There is no justification to this extreme, disproportionate an...
ANKARA (AA) – Russia is ready to discuss prisoner exchange with the US. However, it has also set the condition that such a discussion should be at the level of presidents. “If the Americans again decide to engage in public diplomacy … that’s their business and their problem,” Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said ...
ISTANBUL (AA) – Continuing with its “countermeasures” against the US House speaker’s trip to Taiwan earlier in the week, China has announced that it has decided to implement sanctions on Nancy Pelosi and her family. “Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi insisted on visiting China’s Taiwan region. This constitutes...
RABAT, Morocco (AA) – Israel and Morocco have agreed to enhance bilateral security cooperation. Israeli Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai met Morocco’s Director General of National Security and Territorial Surveillance Abdellatif El Hammouchi in the capital Rabat on Friday, and agreed to promote security cooperation to serve mutual intere...
Baghdad, Iraq – (AFP): Tens of thousands attended prayers on Friday in Baghdad’s Green Zone in a show of power by Iraqi cleric Moqtada Sadr after his adversaries agreed to back his call for early elections conditionally. Sadr, a longtime political and religious force in Iraq, has for months been in a political standoff with [&helli...
RAMALLAH (AA) – The Israeli army has arrested 23 Palestinians during a raid on a number of West Bank governorates. In a statement, the Palestinian Prisoners Club said: “The detainees are from the governorates of Hebron, Bethlehem (south), Tulkarm, and Jenin (north).” The club also added that among the detainees, eight were from the Al-Aj...
BAGHDAD (AA) – Following rival Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr’s call, the Coordination Framework coalition has voiced support for any constitutional path to address Iraq’s political crisis, including early elections. However, the coalition wants a government to first be formed under Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, its nominee for the post of prime minis...
BAGHDAD (AA) – UN special envoy for Iraq Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert on Friday met prominent Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in Najaf to discuss the country’s political crisis, state media reported. According to the official Iraqi news agency, Plasschaert said her meeting with the leader of the Sadrist movement “went well.” Plasschaert ...
ANKARA (AA) – Armenia accusing Azerbaijan of violating the 2020 agreement which ended the 44-day Karabakh War is “nothing but mere hypocrisy,” Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday. Azerbaijan has repeatedly pointed to Armenia’s failure to meet the provisions of the Nov. 10, 2020 agreement signed by the two nat...
