Mena Today

An agreement signed years ago for the creation of a Russian naval base in Sudan remains on the table following talks in Moscow, Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali Yusef Sharif said in an interview with Russia Today on Wednesday.

Jordan's King Abdullah discussed on Wednesday "dangerous developments" in Gaza and the West Bank during a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron, according to a post on X by the Jordanian royal court.

Egypt continues to strengthen its economic and diplomatic footprint in Africa, with Minister Badr Abdelatty engaging in key meetings with African officials on Wednesday.

United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan told U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday that peace efforts in the region should be on the basis of a two-state solution for the Israel-Palestinian conflict, state news agency WAM reported.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Russia's sovereign wealth fund chief Kirill Dmitriev were involved in negotiations over the release of U.S. teacher Marc Fogel from a Russian prison, a source close to the negotiations between Russia and the United States told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

The Wuhan Institute of Virology was not involved in the creation or leakage of the COVID-19 virus, a spokesperson of China's foreign ministry said during a regular press conference on Wednesday.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin held a phone call with Syria's interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, the Kremlin said on Wednesday.

Newly appointed Lebanese Foreign Minister, Joe Raggi, is set to travel to Paris on Wednesday to participate in a ministerial conference on Syria, scheduled for Thursday, February 13.

German opposition leader and chancellor-hopeful Friedrich Merz is scheduled to meet U.S. Vice President JD Vance for bilateral talks on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, a party spokesperson said on Wednesday.

Israel's military has called up reservists in preparation for a possible resumption of fighting in Gaza if Hamas fails to meet a Saturday deadline to release more Israeli hostages and a nearly month-old ceasefire breaks down.

U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to attend a meeting of global financiers and tech executives hosted by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund in Miami later in February, according to several people with knowledge of the event.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday Iran should further develop its military, including its missiles, after U.S. President Donald Trump made threats of force against Tehran if it refused to negotiate over its nuclear programme.