Mena Today

Ukraine introduced sanctions against one Chinese and three Iranian companies on Friday, according to a presidential decree.

Israel's military said on Friday it had intercepted a missile launched from Yemen towards Israeli territory, with sirens activated in several areas following the projectile.

The outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) held a congress this week and made "historic" decisions after a call by its leader to dissolve, a news agency linked to the group said on Friday - a potentially key step in resolving a long conflict with Turkey.

Neither Israel nor Hamas will be involved in Gaza aid distribution but Israel will take part in providing security there under a new plan, U.S. ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said on Friday, as Gaza's residents face a growing humanitarian crisis.

An attempt by Mali's military government to stamp out public dissent by banning all political activity will be put to the test on Friday as critics wary of security and economic woes call for protests.

U.S. President Donald Trump met Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer on Thursday and discussed nuclear talks with Iran and Israel's war in Gaza, Axios reported, citing two sources briefed on the meeting.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi will visit Saudi Arabia and Qatar on Saturday and will participate in the Iran-Arab World Dialogue summit in Doha, a ministry spokesperson said on Friday, ahead of possible U.S.-Iran talks on Sunday.

The President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has extended his warmest congratulations to Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost on his election as the new Pope and head of the Catholic Church.

The Bahraini king's media adviser, Nabeel al-Hamer, said on Thursday that Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz has invited leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to attend a Gulf-U.S. summit in Riyadh.

The United States is no longer demanding Saudi Arabia normalise ties with Israel as a condition for progress on civil nuclear cooperation talks, two sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump's visit next week.

Robert Prevost, the choice of the world's Catholic cardinals to serve as leader of the 1.4-billion-member Church, is the first pope from the United States and a relative unknown on the global stage.

Saudi Arabia and the United States are discussing a deal to cooperate on the kingdom's ambitions to develop a civil nuclear industry, talks that have long been complicated by regional politics and concerns over weapons proliferation.