Mena Today

Fernando Alonso said it was ridiculous for Formula One to allow only a day and a half of pre-season testing per driver when teams spent fortunes on such sophisticated cars.

American credit rating agency Fitch Ratings economists have decided to lower Israel's credit rating, given the difficulties the country is facing.

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis will escalate their attacks on ships in the Red Sea and other waters and has introduced "submarine weapons", in continued solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza war, the group's leader said on Thursday.

Israel is seeking Palestinians who are not affiliated with Hamas to manage civilian affairs in areas of the Gaza Strip designed as testing grounds for post-war administration of the enclave, a senior Israeli official said on Thursday.

Romania's ruling coalition of centre-right Liberals and leftist Social Democrats will run on joint lists in the European Parliament election on June 9, their leaders said, in a bid to stem the rise of the ultra-nationalist opposition party AUR.

Britain is backing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte to succeed Jens Stoltenberg as the next secretary-general of the NATO alliance.

Two missiles were fired at a vessel off the southeast coast of the Yemeni city of Aden on Thursday, causing a fire onboard, Britain's maritime agencies said, as Houthis keep up attacks on shipping to show support for the Palestinians in the Gaza war.

Turkey will provide maritime security support to Somalia to help the African country defend its territorial waters, an official from the Turkish defence ministry said on Thursday.

Iran entered a brief campaign period on Thursday for the legislative elections scheduled for March 1st.

The Kremlin said on Thursday that Joe Biden had debased the United States by calling Russian President Vladimir Putin a "crazy SOB", casting the U.S. president's remark as part of a failed "Hollywood cowboy" act. 

United Airlines said on Wednesday it plans to resume direct U.S. flights to Israel early next month, becoming the first American carrier to resume service since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas militants on southern Israel.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan called on the international community to take a more active role towards an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and a two-state solution to the conflict during talks at the G20 meeting in Brazil, a Turkish diplomatic source said.