Category: 2. Middle East

Saudi Arabia on Tuesday promised billions of dollars in deals with the United States from defence to artificial intelligence as it threw a lavish welcome for President Donald Trump on the first state visit of his second term.

The Saudis escorted Air Force One into the kingdom with fighter jets before bringing out long-stretching guards of honour and sending flag-waving cavalry to accompany Trump’s motorcade to the palace.

Under imposing chandeliers, Trump welcomed a promise by Saudi Arabia’s…

It is arguably the world’s most iconic plane, an instantly recognizable symbol of the US presidency.

But now Air Force One — like many other American institutions once considered sacred — is getting the Donald Trump treatment.

– A name, not a plane –

Technically Air Force One is the callsign for whichever US Air Force plane, no matter how small, is carrying the US president.

But most people identify it with the two heavily modified versions of the Boeing 747-200 jet liner that usually…

The Cannes film festival kicks off on the French Riviera on Tuesday, with organisers facing pressure to take a stance on Israel’s siege of Gaza after a letter from hundreds of top cinema figures denouncing “genocide” in the Palestinian territory.

More than 380 film insiders including “Schindler’s List” actor Ralph Fiennes and four former Cannes-winning directors said they were “ashamed” of their industry’s “passivity”.

“We cannot remain silent while genocide is taking place in Gaza,” read the…

The Cannes film festival kicked off Tuesday with a highly political ceremony that included a tribute to a slain Palestinian photojournalist from Juliette Binoche and a fresh attack on US President Donald Trump from Robert De Niro.

Binoche, who heads this year’s Cannes jury that will award the Palme d’Or top prize, lamented the death of Gaza photographer Fatima Hassouna to the star-studded audience.

Hassouna, 25, was killed in an Israeli air strike last month along with her family, a day after…

More than 380 figures from the cinema world including “Schindler’s List” actor Ralph Fiennes condemned “genocide” in Gaza in an open letter published on Tuesday ahead of the Cannes Festival opening.

“We cannot remain silent while genocide is taking place in Gaza,” read the letter initiated by several pro-Palestinian activist groups and published in French newspaper Liberation and US magazine Variety.

The signatories — which include Hollywood stars Richard Gere and Susan Sarandon, as well as…

The Cannes film festival kicks off on the French Riviera Tuesday, with organisers facing pressure to take a stance on Israel’s siege of Gaza after a letter from hundreds of top cinema figures denouncing “genocide” in the Palestinian territory.

More than 380 film insiders including “Schindler’s List” actor Ralph Fiennes and four former Cannes-winning directors said they were “ashamed” of their industry’s “passivity”.

“We cannot remain silent while genocide is taking place in Gaza,” read the…

More than 350 figures from the cinema world including Hollywood stars Richard Gere and Susan Sarandon condemned “genocide” in Gaza in an open letter published Monday on the eve of the Cannes Festival.

“We cannot remain silent while genocide is taking place in Gaza,” read the letter initiated by several pro-Palestinian activist groups and published in French newspaper Liberation and US magazine Variety.

The signatories, which include acclaimed Spanish director Pedro Almodovar and former Cannes…

Jordan said Monday that it is coordinating with Turkiye, Syria, Arab states, and the international community “to end Israel’s aggression” on Syrian territory, Anadolu reports.

“Our position with Turkiye and Syria is united in supporting Syria’s security, stability, and sovereignty, and in working together to confront all challenges,” Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi told a joint press conference with his Turkish and Syrian counterparts, Hakan Fidan and…

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Monday called for a “renewed” and “sustainable” ceasefire after facilitating a key hostage release in Gaza, Anadolu reports.

“We urgently need political will to save lives and reinstate the ceasefire. It is critical that civilians are spared from hostilities, humanitarian relief enters Gaza, and more families are reunited,” Mirjana Spoljaric, head of the ICRC, said in a written…

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is “alarmed” by the latest data revealing a growing risk of famine across the Gaza Strip, with nearly a half-million people facing “catastrophic hunger” under Israel’s nine-week aid blockade, his spokesman said Monday, Anadolu reports.

“I can tell you that the secretary-general is indeed alarmed by the findings released today, that one in every five people in Gaza is facing starvation, while the entire population…