BAGHDAD: Iraq on Monday offered to mediate between Ukraine and Russia to try and find an end to the war in Europe, but Ukraine’s top diplomat rejected the offer during a rare visit to Baghdad.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba reiterated his country’s position that it would not engage in any peace talks unless Russia withdraws from all Ukrainian territory.

DUBAI: The Organization of Islamic Cooperation on Monday renewed calls for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan and urged the involved parties to resort to dialogue. 

OIC Secretary General Hussein Ibrahim Taha expressed “his deep concern about the ongoing fighting and violence, which led to many casualties and injuries.”

“The escalation of fighting would have dire effects on civilians and the overall humanitarian situation in Sudan,” the OIC statement read.  

KHARTOUM: The UN envoy to Sudan said Monday that more than 180 people have been killed in fighting between forces loyal to the country’s top two generals.
Volker Perthes said more than 1,800 people have been wounded in the fighting that erupted early Saturday.
The Sudanese military and a paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces have been battling with heavy weapons and even aircraft in the capital Khartoum and other locations. Civilians have been caught in the crossfire, as many shelter at home.

RIYADH: Kuwait’s crown prince said the parliament reinstated based on a Constitutional Court ruling last month would be dissolved and that new legislative elections would be held in coming months, Kuwait News Agency reported on Monday.

Parliament had been dissolved last year and early elections were held in September. The Constitutional Court in March annulled the polls and restored the previous assembly.

Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah made the announcement in an address delivered on behalf of Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah.

UNITED NATIONS: Yemen faces its best chance to strike a peace deal since the country’s civil war started over eight years ago, although much work remains to be done, UN envoy Hans Grundberg said Monday.
“One year on since the parties agreed to a truce under UN auspices, Yemen is again at a critical juncture,” Grundberg, the secretary-general’s special envoy for Yemen, told the United Nations Security Council via video-link.
“The truce has continued to deliver well beyond its expiration six months ago. And the parties are engaging on next steps.”