AL-MUKALLA: Rashad Al-Alimi, the chairman of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, expressed gratitude to the Saudi leadership on Thursday for the latest financial assistance package to bolster his country’s economy, a day after his government pledged to use the aid efficiently.

LONDON: The Arab Parliament has welcomed Venezuela’s decision to promote its diplomatic representation to Palestine from a representative office to an embassy, Saudi Press Agency reported.

In a statement released on Thursday, the Arab Parliament praised the South American country’s support to the Palestinian state and the rights of the Palestinian people at all levels.

The pan-Arab legislature hailed Venezuela’s decision as the next step following its recognition of the Palestinian state in 2009.

CHICAGO: A US military official said on Wednesday that the war to defeat Daesh in Iraq and Syria continues to advance, citing as proof of progress a significant year-on-year reduction in terrorist activities.

ANKARA: Remarks by Syria’s President Bashar Assad during an interview with Sky News Arabia recently have sparked discussions on whether this has damaged improving relations between Damascus and Ankara.

In the interview, Assad rejected any meeting with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and suggested that Erdogan’s motive for seeking talks was aimed at legitimizing Turkiye’s presence in Syria. “Why should I and Erdogan meet? To have soft drinks?” Assad quipped.

AL-MUKALLA: Armed men on a motorbike shot and killed a Yemeni security officer investigating the murder of a UN employee in the southern city of Taiz on Tuesday, dealing a blow to the efforts of local security services to restore order and peace to the chaotic city.

Adnan Al-Muhya, an intelligence and criminal investigation officer, was walking through the Al-Jehmlah area of Taiz when assailants on a motorcycle opened fire on him and fled, leaving him bleeding to death, Lt. Col. Usama Al-Sharabi, a spokesperson for Taiz police, told Arab News.