Jordanian MP arrested by Israeli authorities for alleged weapon smuggling

AMMAN: Israel has arrested Jordanian MP Imad Odwan for allegedly trying to smuggle weapons and gold into the occupied West Bank.

Reports circulated on social media said that Israeli authorities foiled an attempt to smuggle the items at the King Hussein Bridge (Allenby) border crossing.




Algerian president to visit France in June

ALGIERS: Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune will visit France in June, his office said Sunday, weeks after a diplomatic spat over a French-Algerian activist.
The visit had initially been due to take place in May, but was pushed back to June following a phone call between Tebboune and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, the Algerian presidency said.
During those talks, Tebboune and Macron discussed “ways of bolstering bilateral relations” between the two countries and the upcoming visit due to take place in the second half of June.



Qatar prioritizes sustainable development at ECOSOC forum

DOHA: “We look forward to holding the Sustainable Development Goals Summit next September, and we see it as a unique and important milestone in our collective efforts,” Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani, Qatar’s permanent representative to the UN, said during the Economic and Social Council Forum on Financing for Development Follow-up 2023.

She highlighted Qatar’s continued efforts to offer help and conduct development initiatives to benefit millions of people worldwide during the meeting, Qatar News Agency reported on Sunday.




Army chief Burhan calls for de-escalation, dialogue

KHARTOUM: Sudan’s army chief AbdelFattah al-Burhan has called for dialogue to bring peace in Sudan as fighting persisted with Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Saturday.

In an interview with Al Arabiya TV, al-Burhan said: “The biggest loser in this war is the Sudanese people. We all need to sit as Sudanese and find the right way out to restore hope and life.”

He added, “living conditions in Sudan are deteriorating and we share the international community’s concern towards Sudanese citizens.”




LA art exhibition on Middle East women opens amid US reproductive rights row

LOS ANGELES: An exhibition of work by female artists on women in the Middle East opens in California this weekend, as a fierce battle over women’s reproductive rights grips the United States.
“Women Defining Women in Contemporary Art of the Middle East and Beyond” brings together the creations of 42 female artists, depicting what curators say are the personal and universal stories of women in Islamic societies, and aims to challenge stereotypes about this part of the world.