DUBAI: The UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan has confirmed to the UN envoy for Libya the support of efforts made by the UN aimed at achieving unity in the country, Al-Arabiya TV reported.
![]()
UAE FM confirms to UN envoy for Libya the support of efforts made by UN aimed at achieving unity in the country
Short Url
https://arab.news/473a4
UAE FM confirms to UN envoy for Libya the support of efforts made by UN aimed at achieving unity in the country
Iraq agrees to supply Lebanon with fuel for six months
- Iraq provides Lebanon with the fuel in exchange for health care to Iraqi citizens
BEIRUT: Iraq has agreed to supply Lebanon with fuel for six more months, the office of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani said in a statement on Saturday, renewing a deal meant to alleviate Lebanon’s acute power shortage.
Under the heavy fuel oil deal, first agreed in July 2021, Iraq provides the Lebanese government with the fuel in exchange for services including health care for Iraqi citizens.
Lebanon then swaps the heavy fuel oil for gas oil that it can use at its power stations.
These have operated for decades at partial capacity, but electricity provision deteriorated further during a financial crisis that has hit the state’s ability to buy fuel.
Danish foreign minister scolds Trump administration for its criticism of Denmark and Greenland
- “Many accusations and many allegations have been made. And of course we are open to criticism,” Rasmussen said
- “But let me be completely honest: we do not appreciate the tone in which it is being delivered. This is not how you speak to your close allies”
NUUK, Greenland: The Danish foreign minister on Saturday scolded the Trump administration for its “tone” in criticizing Denmark and Greenland, saying his country is already investing more into Arctic security and remains open to more cooperation with the US
Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, make the remarks in a video posted to social media after US Vice President JD Vance’s visit to the strategic island.
“Many accusations and many allegations have been made. And of course we are open to criticism,” Rasmussen said speaking in English. “But let me be completely honest: we do not appreciate the tone in which it is being delivered. This is not how you speak to your close allies. And I still consider Denmark and the United States to be close allies.”
Vance on Friday said Denmark has “underinvested” in Greenland’s security and demanded that Denmark change its approach as President Donald Trump pushes to take over the Danish territory.
Vance visited US troops on Pituffik Space Base on mineral-rich Greenland alongside his wife and other senior US officials for a trip that was ultimately scaled back after an uproar among Greenlanders and Danes who were not consulted about the original itinerary.
“Our message to Denmark is very simple: You have not done a good job by the people of Greenland,” Vance said Friday. “You have underinvested in the people of Greenland, and you have underinvested in the security architecture of this incredible, beautiful landmass filled with incredible people. That has to change.”
Vance said the US has “no option” but to take a significant position to ensure the security of Greenland as he encouraged a push in Greenland for independence from Denmark.
“I think that they ultimately will partner with the United States,” Vance said. “We could make them much more secure. We could do a lot more protection. And I think they’d fare a lot better economically as well.”
The reaction by members of Greenland’s parliament and residents has rendered that unlikely, with anger erupting over the Trump administration’s attempts to annex the vast Arctic island. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen pushed back on Vance’s claim that Denmark isn’t doing enough for defense in the Arctic, calling her country “a good and strong ally.”
And Greenlandic lawmakers on Thursday agreed to form a new government, banding together to resist Trump’s overtures. Four of the five parties elected to Greenland’s parliament earlier this month have agreed to form a coalition that will have 23 of 31 seats in the legislature.
Hundreds of protesters demonstrated Saturday outside the US Embassy in the Danish capital Copenhagen with some lifting signs saying, “back off, USA” Danish broadcaster TV2 reported.
Løkke Rasmussen, in his video, reminded viewers of the 1951 defense agreement between Denmark and the United States. Since 1945, the American military presence in Greenland has decreased from thousands of soldiers over 17 bases and installations on the island, he said, to the remote Pituffik Space Base in the northwest with some 200 soldiers today.
The 1951 agreement “offers ample opportunity for the United States to have a much stronger military presence in Greenland,” the foreign minister said. “If that is what you wish, then let us discuss it.”
Løkke Rasmussen added that Denmark has increased its own investment into Arctic defense. In January, Denmark announced 14.6 billion Danish kroner ($2.1 billion) in financial commitments for Arctic security covering three new naval vessels, long-range drones and satellites.
Sudan’s army takes major market as it extends control over capital
- The statement comes days after the Sudanese army declared victory over the RSF in Khartoum
- The army said in a statement that its forces were now in control of the market in western Omdurman, Souq Libya, having seized weapons and equipment left behind by the RSF
CAIRO: The Sudanese army said on Saturday it had taken control of a major market in Khartoum’s twin city of Omdurman, which had previously been used by their Rapid Support Forces (RSF) rivals to launch attacks during a devastating two-year-old war.
The statement comes days after the Sudanese army declared victory over the RSF in Khartoum, claiming control of most parts of the capital.
The conflict between the army and the RSF has unleashed waves of ethnic violence, created what the United Nations calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, and plunged several areas into famine.
The army said in a statement that its forces were now in control of the market in western Omdurman, Souq Libya, having seized weapons and equipment left behind by the RSF when they fled.
Souq Libya is one of the largest and most important commercial hubs in Sudan.
The army already controlled most of Omdurman, home to two big military bases. It appears intent on securing control over the entire capital area, which is made up of the three cities of Khartoum, Omdurman and Bahri, divided by branches of the River Nile.
The RSF has not commented on the army’s advance in Omdurman, where the paramilitary forces still hold some territory.
The war erupted amid a power struggle between the army and RSF ahead of a planned transition to civilian rule. It ruined much of Khartoum, uprooted more than 12 million Sudanese from their homes, and left about half of the 50 million population suffering acute hunger.
Overall deaths are hard to estimate, but a study published last year said the toll may have reached 61,000 in Khartoum state alone in the first 14 months of the conflict.
The war has added to instability in the region, with Sudan’s neighbors Libya, Chad, Central African Republic and South Sudan each weathering internal bouts of conflict over recent years.
US judge halts deportation of Turkish student at Tufts
- Oncu Keceli, a spokesperson for Turkiye’s foreign ministry, said efforts to secure Ozturk’s release continued
- US District Judge Denise Casper in Boston said that to provide time to resolve whether her court retained jurisdiction over the case, she was barring Ozturk’s deportation temporarily
BOSTON: A federal judge in Massachusetts on Friday temporarily barred the deportation of a Turkish doctoral student at Tufts University, who voiced support for Palestinians in Israel’s war in Gaza and was detained by US immigration officials this week.
Rumeysa Ozturk, 30, was taken into custody by US immigration authorities near her Massachusetts home on Tuesday, according to a video showing the arrest by masked federal agents. US officials revoked her visa.
The US Department of Homeland Security has accused Ozturk, without providing evidence, of “engaging in activities in support of Hamas,” a group which the US government categorizes as a “foreign terrorist organization.”
Oncu Keceli, a spokesperson for Turkiye’s foreign ministry, said efforts to secure Ozturk’s release continued, adding consular and legal support was being provided by Turkish diplomatic missions in the US
“Our Houston Consul General visited our citizen in the center where she is being held in Louisiana on March 28. Our citizen’s requests and demands have been forwarded to local authorities and her lawyer,” Keceli said in a post on X.
Ozturk’s arrest came a year after she co-authored an opinion piece in Tufts’ student newspaper criticizing the university’s response to calls by students to divest from companies with ties to Israel and to “acknowledge the Palestinian genocide.”
A lawyer soon after sued to secure her release, and on Friday, the American Civil Liberties Union joined her legal defense team, filing a revised lawsuit saying her detention violates her rights to free speech and due process.
Despite a Tuesday night order requiring the PhD student and Fulbright Scholar not to be moved out of Massachusetts without 48 hours’ notice, she is now in Louisiana.
In Friday’s order, US District Judge Denise Casper in Boston said that to provide time to resolve whether her court retained jurisdiction over the case, she was barring Ozturk’s deportation temporarily.
She ordered the Trump administration to respond to Ozturk’s complaint by Tuesday.
Mahsa Khanbabai, a lawyer for Ozturk, called the decision “a first step in getting Rumeysa released and back home to Boston so she can continue her studies.”
The DHS had no immediate comment.
President Donald Trump has pledged to deport foreign pro-Palestinian protesters and has accused them of supporting Hamas, being antisemitic and posing foreign policy hurdles.
Protesters, including some Jewish groups, say the Trump administration conflates their criticism of Israel’s assault on Gaza and their advocacy for Palestinian rights with antisemitism and support for Hamas.
Several students and protesters have had their visas revoked by the Trump administration, which says it may have revoked over 300 visas.
Saudi, Korean experts discuss wastewater treatment solutions
- Innovative water reuse systems aimed at supporting afforestation projects
RIYADH: Khaled Al-Abdulkader, CEO of Saudi Arabia’s National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification, met Moon Young-hak, chairman of the Saudi-Korean Society for Economic and Trade Promotion, in Riyadh.
The meeting focused on discussing potential partnerships with Korean companies and reviewing advanced greywater treatment and separation technologies for national parks, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Saturday.
The meeting, attended by senior center officials, focused on leveraging Korean expertise in developing small-scale and mobile wastewater treatment systems.
With more than 400 national parks across Saudi Arabia, the center has outlined strategic plans to optimize water use, especially as visitor numbers are expected to rise in coming years.
Implementing greywater separation and treatment technologies will enable water reuse for afforestation projects and the creation of artificial lakes, the SPA reported.
The Korean model uses advanced information technology-based control systems to significantly improve the quality and efficiency of treated water production.
The approach allows for doubling treatment capacity using existing infrastructure at just 30 percent of the cost of building new facilities within a swift eight-month timeline, according to the SPA.
It also extends the operational lifespan of these plants by 30 years, ensuring a cleaner environment and better public health standards.
The Saudi center remains dedicated to sustainable environmental initiatives, including land restoration, biodiversity enhancement, rangeland management and resource preservation.
Through these efforts, the center plays a key role in Saudi Arabia’s environmental sustainability and quality of life improvements.
Latest updates
Recommended
© 2025 SAUDI RESEARCH & PUBLISHING COMPANY, All Rights Reserved And subject to Terms of Use Agreement.