JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN: The situation in Sudan was under international scrutiny all last week after Saudi Arabia and the US mediated a ceasefire on May 22 following five weeks of fighting.

The deal, and the talks leading up to it, aimed to address issues such as ceasefire violations, humanitarian access, and military reform.

DUBAI: Iran’s supreme leader said Monday he’d “welcome” the restoration of full diplomatic ties between Egypt and the Islamic Republic, raising the prospect of Cairo and Tehran normalizing relations after decades of strain.
The comments by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei came as a series of websites linked to Iran’s presidency bore the images of two leaders of an exiled opposition group Monday, with others showing the pictures of Khamenei and President Ebrahim Raisi crossed out.

BEIRUT: Lebanon has not been included in the gray list of the Financial Action Task Force for non-cooperative countries in combating money laundering and terrorism financing, a top official confirmed on Monday.

The country has, however, been subjected to an assessment of its commitment to international standards for a period of 16 months, said Abdul Hafiz Mansour, secretary-general of the special investigation commission concerned with implementing the anti-money laundering and counterterrorism financing law.

AMMAN: The people of Jordan woke up on Monday to witness floods sweeping away crops and affecting roads, while large hailstones smashed into cars and windows in a chaotic scene.

Heavy overnight rain on Sunday in the southern and eastern parts of the country triggered flash floods which inundated large areas of farmland, forcing many people to leave their homes and find refuge in shelters.

One death was reported in the southern port city of Aqaba, while a 13-year-old boy has been reported missing in the eastern city of Zarqa.

ANKARA: It is perhaps no secret in which direction Turkiye’s foreign policy will be moving with the incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan winning another five-year term this past Sunday – which means a continuation of strategies the long-serving leader has championed in the past.