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UAE’s foreign minister meets Syrian president in Damascus

UAE’s foreign minister meets Syrian president in Damascus
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Syrian President Bashar Assad receives UAE’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed in Damascus. (WAM)
UAE’s foreign minister meets Syrian president in Damascus
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Syrian President Bashar Assad receives UAE’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed in Damascus. (WAM)
UAE’s foreign minister meets Syrian president in Damascus
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Syrian President Bashar Assad receives UAE’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed in Damascus. (WAM)
UAE’s foreign minister meets Syrian president in Damascus
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Syrian President Bashar Assad receives UAE’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed in Damascus. (WAM)
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Updated 05 January 2023
Arab News

UAE’s foreign minister meets Syrian president in Damascus

UAE’s foreign minister meets Syrian president in Damascus
  • Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed and Bashar Assad discussed ways to enhance bilateral relations and cooperation
  • UAE FM affirmed his country’s commitment to supporting efforts to find a ‘political solution to the Syrian crisis’
Updated 05 January 2023
Arab News

LONDON: The UAE’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed and Syrian President Bashar Assad met on Wednesday and discussed ways in which bilateral relations might be enhanced through cooperation at all levels to serve the interests of both countries, the Emirates News Agency reported.

The meeting took place in the Syrian capital, Damascus, during the Emirati minister’s official visit to Syria. He passed on greetings from Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, the UAE’s president, and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, the vice president, prime minister and ruler of Dubai, along with their wishes for stability, progress and prosperity for Syria and its people.

The Syrian president in turn sent his greetings to the Emirati leaders, along with his best wishes for the further prosperity, development and progress of their country.

In addition to bilateral relations, the two officials discussed a number of regional and international issues of mutual concern, including the latest developments in Syria and the wider Middle East.

Sheikh Abdullah affirmed his country’s “commitment and keenness to support efforts made to find a political solution to the Syrian crisis that restores the security, stability and unity of Syria and meets the aspirations of the brotherly Syrian people for development and prosperity,” the news agency reported.

He hailed the Syrian president’s official visit to the UAE in March last year and his meeting with his Emirati counterpart, “which came within the framework of the joint desire to continue brotherly consultation between the two countries to discuss bilateral relations and coordinate positions regarding various issues of joint interest.”

Topics: UAE Syria Bashar Assad Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan

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Tunisian president praises Italian PM for forthright nature

Tunisian president praises Italian PM for forthright nature
Updated 18 sec ago
Francesco Bongarra 

Tunisian president praises Italian PM for forthright nature

Tunisian president praises Italian PM for forthright nature
  • ‘You are a woman who says out loud what others think in silence,’ Kais Saied told Giorgia Meloni during a two-hour meeting at presidential palace in Tunis
  • The leaders discussed Italy’s efforts is making to facilitate a deal with the International Monetary Fund for a $1.9 billion loan to help Tunisia resolve a severe financial crisis
Updated 18 sec ago
Francesco Bongarra 

ROME: Tunisian President Kais Saied praised Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni for speaking her mind as he welcomed her to the presidential palace in Tunis on Tuesday for talks during her official visit to the North African country.

“I’m very happy to speak to you about our problems; I say it out loud, today, you are a woman who says out loud what others think in silence,” Saied told Meloni at the beginning of a meeting that lasted nearly two hours.

A source in the Italian Prime Minister’s Office told Arab News that the two leaders discussed the efforts Italy is making to facilitate an agreement between Tunisia and the International Monetary Fund for a $1.9 billion loan to help the North African country address the severe financial crisis it is facing.

The IMF requires Tunisia’s government to carry out a series of reforms before the loan can be granted. However, Tunisian authorities are asking for a first tranche of funding to be released immediately, with the remainder to be paid as the reforms are implemented.

During last month’s G7 Summit in Hiroshima, Meloni urged the IMF to adopt a “practical” approach to disbursing funds to Tunisia “without preconditions.”

She said on Tuesday: “The loan remains fundamental for a full recovery of the country.” She called for a “concrete approach of the EU so that the support to Tunisia can be increased with a substantial package of financial aid,” and assured Saied she is “ready to come back to Tunis soon with the president of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.”

Meloni also stressed the historical ties between Italy and Tunisia.

“We are friends and we must cooperate together more and more,” she said. “The stabilization and the growth of democracy in Tunisia are essential for Italy. Together we can reach ambitious goals.”

Meloni also met Tunisian Prime Minister Najla Bouden Romdhane, with whom she discussed financial cooperation and efforts to tackle illegal migration.

Topics: Middle East Tunisia Italy Tunisian President Kais Saied Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni

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US slaps sanctions on Iranian, Chinese targets in action over Tehran’s missile, military programs

US slaps sanctions on Iranian, Chinese targets in action over Tehran’s missile, military programs
Updated 15 min 32 sec ago
Reuters

US slaps sanctions on Iranian, Chinese targets in action over Tehran’s missile, military programs

US slaps sanctions on Iranian, Chinese targets in action over Tehran’s missile, military programs
  • The network conducted transactions and facilitated the procurement of sensitive and critical parts and technology for key actors in Iran’s ballistic missile development
Updated 15 min 32 sec ago
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WASHINGTON: The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on over a dozen people and entities in Iran, China and Hong Kong, accusing the procurement network of supporting Iran’s missile and military programs as Washington ramps up pressure on Tehran.
The US Treasury Department in a statement said the network conducted transactions and facilitated the procurement of sensitive and critical parts and technology for key actors in Iran’s ballistic missile development, including Iran’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics, which is under US sanctions.
Among those hit with sanctions was Iran’s defense attache in Beijing, Davoud Damghani, whom the Treasury accused of coordinating military-related procurements from China for Iranian end-users.
“The United States will continue to target illicit transnational procurement networks that covertly support Iran’s ballistic missile production and other military programs,” Treasury’s Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Brian Nelson, said in the statement.

Topics: US Treasury Iran ballistic missile program China sanctions

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Egypt, Israel pledge cooperation after border bloodshed

Egypt, Israel pledge cooperation after border bloodshed
Updated 06 June 2023
AFP

Egypt, Israel pledge cooperation after border bloodshed

Egypt, Israel pledge cooperation after border bloodshed
  • Egypt has said the policeman crossed into Israel while chasing drug smugglers
Updated 06 June 2023
AFP

CAIRO: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to boost cooperation Tuesday after an Egyptian policeman shot dead three Israeli soldiers before being killed, officials said.
El-Sisi received a telephone call from Netanyahu about Saturday’s deadly violence on the normally calm border, the spokesman for the Egyptian president said.
During the conversation, the two leaders stressed “the importance of coordination between the two countries to clarify the circumstances,” he said.
Egypt has said the policeman crossed into Israel while chasing drug smugglers, leading to exchanges of fire with Israeli soldiers.
On Saturday, Netanyahu called the Egyptian shooter a “terrorist” although he has since mostly spoken of the shootings as an “incident.”
El-Sisi offered Netanyahu his “deep condolences,” the Israeli prime minister’s office said.
“The two leaders expressed their commitment to further strengthening peace and security cooperation, which is an essential value for both countries,” it added.
Israel’s border with Egypt has been largely quiet since Egypt became the first Arab country to make peace with Israel following the Camp David accords of 1978.
In recent years, there have been exchanges of fire between smugglers and Israeli soldiers stationed along the border.
Questions have been raised about why the Egyptian assailant — reported by Egyptian media to have been a 22-year-old conscript — crossed into Israel and opened fire.
Speaking at the opening of a cabinet meeting on Sunday, Netanyahu said his government had sent a “clear message” to Egypt: “We expect that the joint investigation will be exhaustive and thorough.”
On Tuesday, his office said he had “thanked the Egyptian president for... his commitment to an exhaustive and joint investigation of the incident.”

Topics: Israel Egypt

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Iran debates new penalties for veil violations

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Updated 06 June 2023
AFP

Iran debates new penalties for veil violations

Iran debates new penalties for veil violations
  • Women have been required to cover their hair after the Islamic revolution of 1979
  • But a growing number are defying the law and appearing bareheaded in the streets
Updated 06 June 2023
AFP

TEHRAN: An Iranian draft law that would set new penalties for women not wearing a headscarf in public has sparked heated debate within the Islamic republic’s leadership as more women flout the country’s strict dress code.
Since the aftermath of the Islamic revolution of 1979, women have been required to cover their hair and neck in public places, with offenders facing fines or prison terms of up to two months.
But a growing number are defying the law and appearing bareheaded in the streets.
The trend accelerated during the nationwide protests sparked by the September death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman arrested for allegedly violating the law.
The protests rocked Iran, provoking a crackdown by authorities that claimed the lives of hundreds of people, including dozens of security personnel, and saw thousands more arrested.
Iran’s conservatives, who dominate the country’s parliament and leadership, have passionately defended the dress code and believe relaxing rules would begin a process leading to profound shifts in “social norms.”
But with many Iranians demanding change, in May the judiciary and the government proposed a “Support for the Culture of Hijab and Chastity” bill, to “protect society” and “strengthen family life.”
The text proposes increased fines for “any person removing their veil in public places or on the Internet” but withdraws the threat of a prison sentence.
“This bill reduces the removal of the hijab from a felony to a misdemeanour, similar to a traffic violation but with heavier fines,” sociologist Abbas Abdi said.
After Amini’s death and the subsequent protests, society “no longer accepts that we imprison a woman because she does not wear the veil,” he said.
Since the protests, authorities have imposed a series of measures to enforce Iran’s strict dress code, including the closure of businesses whose staff do not conform with the rules and installing cameras in public places to track down offenders.
In recent days, at least three officials have been sacked or arrested for failing to prevent unveiled women from entering historic sites.
Under the proposed law, the text of which has been published in government-affiliated media, offenders will first receive a warning text message from the police.
A second breach will incur fines of between five million and 60 million rials (around $10 to $120), a large sum for many Iranians. The law would also provide for other penalities, including the confiscation of a woman’s vehicle for up to 10 days.
Defending the bill, judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei stressed the need to avoid polarizing society, saying he understood the “concerns of believers” supportive of the dress code.
As the bill awaits examination by lawmakers, it faces accusations of not being tough enough from ultra-conservatives, an influential bloc in the current parliament.
Relaxing punishments for violations will see “the expansion of a repugnant phenomenon” by “removing legal barriers” for women not wearing a veil, the ultra-conservative newspaper Kayhan said.
Those supporting the law “do not know that the enemy” seeks to “destroy the family as an institution and ultimately, to attack the foundations of the Islamic system” by removing headscarves, the newspaper said.
Social networks and foreign media, particularly television channels broadcasting in Persian, are calling for “social disobedience,” according to some ultra-conservatives.
Within Iran’s leadership “there is no consensus on the hijab,” as some favor repression, while others “believe that other means must be tried,” the sociologist Abdi said.
“The bill satisfies neither the supporters of compulsory hijab nor, of course, the supporters of the freedom to cover up or not.”
A similar situation developed in the 1990s with a law prohibiting the use of satellite dishes, he said.
“It was only implemented for a while before it was dropped.”

Topics: Iran

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Kuwaitis turn out to cast vote in parliamentary elections

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Updated 06 June 2023
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Kuwaitis turn out to cast vote in parliamentary elections

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Updated 06 June 2023
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Polling stations opened across Kuwait on Tuesday where the country is electing its third parliament in three years. 

There was a “great turnout” by senior citzens who were casting their vote for the 2023 National Assembly, state news agency KUNA reported. 

Kuna went on to report that Kuwaitis were hoping the election would bring political stability with cooperation between the legislative and executive authorities. 

The general election was called by the Kuwaiti Emir, Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah last month.

Topics: Kuwait

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