Mena Today

South Korea and the United Arab Emirates signed a trade pact on Wednesday to sharply cut import duties at a summit of their leaders that pledged closer business and investment ties.

South Africans began voting on Wednesday in the most competitive election since the end of apartheid, with opinion polls suggesting the African National Congress (ANC) will lose its parliamentary majority after 30 years in government.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed the need to urgently end the war in Sudan with Sudanese army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in a phone call on Tuesday, the State Department said.

The United States on Tuesday condemned a move by the parliament in the South Caucasus state of Georgia to override a presidential veto of a bill on foreign agents, which western nations say is Russian-inspired.

Egypt and the United Arab Emirates are still negotiating contracts for the massive Ras El Hekma development project on Egypt's Mediterranean coast, a prominent representative of the Egyptian tourism sector said.

Denmark's parliament rejected a proposal to recognise a Palestinian state on Tuesday, backing the government's view that the necessary conditions were not in place, despite a decision by Spain, Ireland and Norway to endorse independence.

An Egyptian security delegation is trying in coordination with Qatar and the U.S. to reactivate talks to reach a truce in Gaza and release hostages.

Jean-Yves Le Drian, the special envoy from the Élysée Palace, arrived in Beirut on Tuesday afternoon for a crucial 24-hour visit.

Togo's President Faure Gnassingbe is set to become president of the council of ministers, a position introduced by the new constitution, which will allow him to extend his 19-year-old rule, a minister said late on Monday.

Spain, Ireland and Norway officially recognised a Palestinian state on Tuesday.

Saudi Arabia's King Salman chaired a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, state media said, the first time the monarch was reported to have carried out official duties since receiving medical treatment more than a week ago.

Ukraine and Belgium on Tuesday struck a bilateral security agreement including the delivery of 30 F-16 fighter jets, signed during a Brussels meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo.