LONDON: The foreign ministers of the UK and Iraq met in London during the UK-Iraq Strategic Dialogue this week.

The meeting between James Cleverly and Fuad Hussein, who is also Iraqi deputy prime minister, reaffirmed the commitment of the two countries to work together and the two ministers agreed to develop and further co-operation on a wide range of sectors.

The Strategic Dialogue builds on the signing of the UK-Iraq Strategic Partnership in Baghdad in June 2021, which outlined UK’s commitment to the long-term security, stability and sovereignty of Iraq. 

CAIRO: Hospitals across Sudan have been bombed, looted and occupied by armed factions since fighting broke out more than two months ago between the Sudanese military and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group. As a result, millions of civilians are being denied vital healthcare.

Medical supplies rapidly dwindled after the conflict began on April 15, with shipments of medicines and other medical supplies stolen or undelivered. Meanwhile, scores of health professionals have been killed, wounded or forced to leave the country.

JEDDAH: Heavy fighting raged across the Sudanese capital Khartoum on Tuesday as the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces shot down a Sudanese army fighter jet and artillery and machinegun fire rocked the city.

“We saw pilots jumping with parachutes as the plane plunged to the ground,” said one resident of northern Khartoum.

The paramilitaries said they “arrested the pilot after he landed with a parachute,” and accused the regular army of “heinous massacres” in greater Khartoum.

BENGHAZI: Libyan military strongman Khalifa Haftar, who backs the politically split country’s eastern administration, has threatened military action unless oil revenues are divided fairly by the end of August.
The country sits on Africa’s biggest oil reserves but the wedge between the eastern government and a UN-recognized administration in Tripoli has hampered Libya’s efforts to sharply ramp up output in response to a surge in European demand for non-Russian oil and gas.

ANKARA: Turkiye’s foreign minister said on Tuesday that Swedish authorities’ failure to prevent Qur’an-burning protests in the country is raising security concerns and questions about Sweden’s credentials for possible NATO membership.
But Hakan Fidan said Turkiye would still approve Sweden’s membership in the military alliance if Stockholm “completes its homework” and presses ahead with efforts to address Turkiye’s concerns.