Trade between Saudi Arabia and UAE surges to $30 billion as economic ties deepen

SEOUL, October 28 (AJP) - Saudi Arabia and the UAE have strengthened economic ties, with trade between the two nations increasing by 25 percent since 2019, reaching SR113 billion ($30 billion) by the end of 2023. At the third Saudi-Emirati Economic Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia's Minister of Economy and Planning, Faisal Al-Ibrahim, reported a 15 percent growth in direct UAE investments in Saudi Arabia, totaling SR111 billion in 2023. UAE Minister of Economy Abdullah Al-Marri

October 28, 2024

Netanyahu faces mounting pressure as ceasefire talks resume in Doha

SEOUL, October 28 (AJP) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech at a memorial for the Oct. 7 attack victims was disrupted by protesters as ceasefire talks on Gaza resumed in Doha, Qatar. Netanyahu stood quietly while some attendees shouted "Shame on you," and one protester repeatedly called out, "My father was killed," causing him to pause briefly. Initially, the event did not plan for bereaved family speeches to avoid government criticism, but t

October 28, 2024

TikTok hosts creator summit in Saudi Arabia

SEOUL, October 25 (AJP) - TikTok recently hosted its first Creator Summit in Saudi Arabia, aiming to strengthen relationships with local content creators. Kinda Ibrahim, TikTok's General Manager for the Middle East, Turkiye, Africa, Pakistan, and South Asia, emphasized the importance of creators, describing them as the driving force behind the platform's culture. The summit featured workshops and panels on content creation and monetization, as well as sessions introducing

October 25, 2024

UAE pushes for stronger global partnerships at BRICS summit

SEOUL, October 25 (AJP) - UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan met with several world leaders at the 2024 BRICS summit, held in Kazan and led by Russia. He had discussions with key figures such as Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Iranian President Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian, Chinese President Xi Jinping, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Ethiopian Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed Ali. The main focus of their talks was on

October 25, 2024

UN delays Gaza polio vaccination due to ongoing conflict

SEOUL, October 24 (AJP) - UN agencies have postponed a polio vaccination campaign in northern Gaza due to Israeli airstrikes, mass displacement, and limited access. The second phase of the campaign, aimed at vaccinating 120,000 children following Gaza's first polio case in 25 years, was scheduled to start on Wednesday but was delayed. Israel's military offensive in Jabalia, targeting Hamas fighters, has left over 400 people dead and displaced 60,000 since it began two weeks

October 24, 2024

Hezbollah confirms death of successor in Israeli airstrike

SEOUL, October 24 (AJP) - Hezbollah has confirmed on Tuesday that cleric Hashem Safieddine, expected to become its next leader, was killed in an Israeli airstrike nearly three weeks ago. The Israeli military announced Safieddine's death on Tuesday night, stating that he was targeted in a strike on the southern suburbs of Beirut. Hezbollah mourned him as a "great leader and martyr" who lived an "honorable life." Safieddine, head of Hezbollah's executive

October 24, 2024

Ireland, UAE sign bilateral treaties to combat organized crime

SEOUL, October 23 (AJP) - Ireland and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have signed two bilateral treaties on Monday on extradition and mutual legal assistance, aiming to tackle organized crime and drug trafficking. Irish Justice Minister Helen McEntee traveled to Abu Dhabi to formalize the agreements with her UAE counterpart, Abdullah Bin Sultan Bin Awad Al Nuaimi. These treaties, negotiated since last year, are expected to aid in the extradition of Sean McGovern, a senior member of I

October 23, 2024

U.S. charges Iranian official in plot to assassinate dissident in New York

SEOUL, October 23 (AJP) - The U.S. Department of Justice has charged Ruhollah Bazghandi, a senior official in Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Tuesday for his role in a 2022 plot to assassinate Iranian American dissident Masih Alinejad in New York. Charges against Bazghandi and three other Iranians, including murder-for-hire and money laundering, were revealed in an updated indictment. While the Justice Department did not name the target, Alinejad, a journal

October 23, 2024

Blinken begins 11th visit to Middle East for peace in Gaza and Lebanon

SEOUL, October 22 (AJP) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to the Middle East on Monday to push for a ceasefire and revive peace talks aimed at ending the Gaza war and containing the conflict in Lebanon. This visit is his 11th trip since Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which sparked the war. Israel is intensifying its military operations against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, both backed by Iran. On Monday, Israeli strikes in southern Beirut, near

October 22, 2024

Northern Gaza faces growing crisis amid Israel's military offensive

SEOUL, October 22 (AJP) - The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa), Philippe Lazzarini, said on Monday that Israel is obstructing the delivery of vital humanitarian aid, including food and medicine, to northern Gaza. Lazzarini said hospitals have been hit, resulting in power outages, and many injured people are not receiving medical care. He added that Unrwa shelters are severely overcrowded, with some people being forced to live in bathrooms. There are also report

October 22, 2024