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Egypt to Organize ‘Arab Labor Conference’ With Participation of 21 Countries

Minister Hassan Shehata held a meeting on Friday to prepare for the work of the forty-eighth round of the Arab Labor Conference (Egyptian Cabinet)
Minister Hassan Shehata held a meeting on Friday to prepare for the work of the forty-eighth round of the Arab Labor Conference (Egyptian Cabinet)
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Egypt to Organize ‘Arab Labor Conference’ With Participation of 21 Countries

Minister Hassan Shehata held a meeting on Friday to prepare for the work of the forty-eighth round of the Arab Labor Conference (Egyptian Cabinet)
Minister Hassan Shehata held a meeting on Friday to prepare for the work of the forty-eighth round of the Arab Labor Conference (Egyptian Cabinet)

Egypt is preparing to host this month the work of the forty-eighth round of the Arab Labor Conference (ALC) to be attended by the labor ministers, delegations, organization and unions of 21 Arab countries.

The conference will focus on issues of economic and social development, artificial intelligence and new work patterns, and the digitization and governance of social protection systems.

Egyptian Minister of Manpower, Hassan Shehata, discussed on Friday with a delegation from the Board of Directors of the Egyptian Trade Union Federation, the heads of trade unions, and workers’ representatives in the parliament and the Senate, the ongoing preparations for the ALC in its new version.

Following the meeting, Shehata affirmed that his ministry is keen to communicate and coordinate with all social partners.

According to a Cabinet statement, the Minister stressed that the Trade Union Federation is one of the most important players in the country’s production process.

“Preserving the Federation’s independence and activating its role, and involving it in all workers-related decisions, legislation and regulations come at the Ministry's priorities,” Shehata said.

He added that coordination, which respects all local, Arab and international standards, aims to assure more stability in the workplace, and therefore, increase production and benefit the development process.

In September, Egypt hosted the 47th ALC session, which highlighted issues of stimulating innovation and the spirit of competition, especially among entrepreneurs and owners of small and medium-sized enterprises, in addition to the path towards sustainable development and empowerment, and promoting innovation and digital transformation.

The attendees stressed the importance of promoting new and advanced mechanisms to achieve comprehensive Arab integration by facilitating intra-regional trade, the exchange of goods and services, as well as facilitating the movement of labor between Arab countries.

Separately, Shehata discussed on Friday the preparations to host the 43rd session of the Organization of the African Trade Union Unity (OATUU) General Council, expected to be held from 17 to 20 October with the participation of 100 trade union figures.

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Arab World

Yemen's Houthis Claim 3rd Missile Attack Targeting Israel

People ride in a vehicle past a digital billboard featuring Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi in Sanaa, Yemen, 31 March 2026. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB
People ride in a vehicle past a digital billboard featuring Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi in Sanaa, Yemen, 31 March 2026. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB
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Yemen's Houthis Claim 3rd Missile Attack Targeting Israel

People ride in a vehicle past a digital billboard featuring Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi in Sanaa, Yemen, 31 March 2026. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB
People ride in a vehicle past a digital billboard featuring Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi in Sanaa, Yemen, 31 March 2026. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB

Yemen's Houthis on Wednesday claimed a missile attack against Israel that they said was launched jointly with their backer Iran and Lebanon's Hezbollah group -- the third such attack by the militias since they entered the Middle East war.

Earlier on Wednesday, Israel's military said its air defenses had responded to a missile launched from Yemen, later announcing that residents were "permitted to leave protected spaces in all areas of the country.”

Israeli media said the missile was intercepted, and there were no reports of any casualties or damage.

The Houthis "carried out the third military operation... targeting sensitive Israeli enemy targets... with a barrage of ballistic missiles,” Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a video statement.

"This operation was conducted jointly with our mujahideen brothers in Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon," he added.

Yemen's Houthis claimed missile and drone attacks targeting Israel over the weekend, their first in the current war.

The Israeli military also said on Monday that two drones launched from Yemen were intercepted.

From Yemen, the Houthis could potentially disrupt shipping through the Red Sea, as they did at the height of Israel's war on Gaza.

The Houthis have previously threatened shipping through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, which requires vessels to travel through a narrow strait off Yemen's coast.

Arab World

Syria Will Stay Out of Iran Conflict Unless It Faces Aggression, Sharaa Says from London

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (L) welcomes the President of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa (R), to Downing Street in London, Britain, 31 March 2026. (EPA)
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (L) welcomes the President of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa (R), to Downing Street in London, Britain, 31 March 2026. (EPA)
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Syria Will Stay Out of Iran Conflict Unless It Faces Aggression, Sharaa Says from London

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (L) welcomes the President of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa (R), to Downing Street in London, Britain, 31 March 2026. (EPA)
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (L) welcomes the President of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa (R), to Downing Street in London, Britain, 31 March 2026. (EPA)

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said on Tuesday that his country will stay out of the US-Israeli war against Iran unless Syria is subject to aggression and has no diplomatic solutions.

"Unless Syria is targeted by any party, Syria will remain outside any conflict," the Syrian president said at an event hosted by think tank Chatham House in London during his first official visit to the UK.

"We do not want Syria to ‌be an ‌arena of war. But unfortunately, today, things ‌are ⁠not governed by ⁠wise minds. The situation is volatile and random," the president said.

The month-long conflict has spread across the region, killing thousands, disrupting energy supplies, and threatening to send the global economy into a tailspin.

"We want Syria to have ideal relationships with the entire region, ⁠with Lebanon, Iraq, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, and ‌world powers like the ‌UK, France, Germany and the US. I think that Syria is ‌qualified to start a strategic relationship network," he ‌said, responding to a question on whether Syria would stay neutral while the conflict goes on.

Syria has been keen to stay on the sidelines of the regional conflict that ‌has pulled in neighboring countries, including Lebanon, where armed group Hezbollah is locked ⁠in fighting ⁠with Israeli ground troops, and Iraq, where Iran-aligned factions have launched drone and rocket attacks.

Syria sent thousands of troops to its western border with Lebanon and its eastern border with Iraq earlier this month.

Syria's defense ministry said the deployment was part of efforts to "protect and control the borders amid the escalating regional conflict".

"We had enough war. We paid a large bill. We are not ready for another war experience," Syria's president said.

Sharaa meets Starmer, King Charles

King Charles III hosted Sharaa at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday.

Sharaa was making his first visit to Britain since ousting long-time iron-fisted former president Bashar al-Assad in 2024.

Earlier Tuesday, Sharaa discussed the war with Iran in talks with Prime Minister Keir Starmer at Downing Street.

The leaders "discussed the need for a viable plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, in the face of the severe economic impact of prolonged closure, and agreed to work with others to restore freedom of navigation," a Downing Street spokesperson said.

Since Sharaa has been in power, sectarian tensions have continued to cause repeated bloodshed in Syria, while the ISIS group remains at large.

Starmer said he welcomed the Syrian government's "action" against ISIS and noted progress on counter-terrorism, the spokesperson said.

The British prime minister urged "closer work together on returns (of illegal migrants), on border security, and on tackling people smuggling networks".

Between 2011 and 2021, nearly 31,000 Syrians were granted asylum in Britain after the civil war there sparked a refugee crisis, according to government statistics.

The president's visit came after London announced the resumption of diplomatic relations with Syria in July 2025.

It followed a visit by then foreign minister David Lammy to Damascus, the first visit to Syria by a British minister in 14 years.

The British government said at the time that its engagement with Damascus was aimed at supporting the country's political transition and assisting economic recovery as well as reducing illegal migration, and addressing the issue of chemical weapons.

Sharaa met German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin on Monday, as he seeks to keep Syria insulated from the repercussions of the current Middle East war.

Europe's top economy is home to the largest Syrian diaspora in the European Union at more than a million, many of whom arrived during the peak of the migrant influx in 2015-2016.

Merz, who has made a tougher immigration policy a priority since taking office last year, said he and Sharaa had agreed eight out of 10 Syrians in Germany should go back "over the next three years".

Arab World

Lebanon Says Israeli Strikes on Beirut Area Kill 7

Rescue workers inspect the scene of Israeli airstrikes, in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Rescue workers inspect the scene of Israeli airstrikes, in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
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Lebanon Says Israeli Strikes on Beirut Area Kill 7

Rescue workers inspect the scene of Israeli airstrikes, in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Rescue workers inspect the scene of Israeli airstrikes, in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

The Lebanese health ministry said Wednesday that Israeli strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs and a nearby town killed at least seven people, as Israel's military said it had targeted senior Hezbollah members.

The health ministry said an Israeli air raid on south Beirut's Jnah area killed at least five people and wounded 21 others. A Lebanese security source said four parked cars were hit.

Another strike that hit a vehicle in Khaldeh, just south of the capital, killed two people and wounded three, the health ministry said in a separate statement.

Israel's military said it had struck a "senior Hezbollah commander" and another member of the group in two separate strikes "in the Beirut area,” without naming the targets or giving detail on the exact locations.

Hezbollah has claimed dozens of attacks across the border and against Israeli forces inside Lebanon.

The group also said its fighters were engaged in "fierce clashes" with Israeli troops near the border early Wednesday, and claimed rocket fire targeting a group of soldiers in another area.

Israel's military has reported several casualties among its ranks in recent days in south Lebanon, including four soldiers who were killed.