Sudan Accuses UK of Obstructing UN Session to Deliberate 'Complaint Against UAE'

Permanent Representative of Sudan to the United Nations, Al-Harith Idriss (AP)
Permanent Representative of Sudan to the United Nations, Al-Harith Idriss (AP)
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Sudan Accuses UK of Obstructing UN Session to Deliberate 'Complaint Against UAE'

Permanent Representative of Sudan to the United Nations, Al-Harith Idriss (AP)
Permanent Representative of Sudan to the United Nations, Al-Harith Idriss (AP)

The Sudanese Foreign Ministry on Tuesday strongly protested Britain’s intervention at the UN Security Council, saying the UK delayed discussion on Sudan's complaint against UAE and changed the meeting format to closed consultations making participation by non-member states like Sudan no longer allowed.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs regrets that the UK disregarded its moral and political responsibility as a permanent member of the Security Council,” the Ministry said in a statement.
It added that the UK position came in pursuit of its commercial interests with the Emirates, making it complacent in the atrocities committed by the terrorist militias and its main sponsor, as well as an advocate of impunity.
On April 26, Permanent Representative of Sudan to the United Nations, Al-Harith Idriss, requested an emergency Security Council meeting on what he called UAE “aggression” against his country. The meeting was scheduled for Monday, April 29. However, the UK intervened to alter the meeting's agenda and format, transforming it to closed consultations, and preventing Idriss from attending.
During the closed consultations, UN member states demanded that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan cease hostilities around Al-Fashir, the capital of Sudan’s North Darfur, and commit to not attacking any city.
They, further, urged regional states to abide by the UNSC Resolution 1591's Darfur arms embargo.
They equally advocated for the resumption of the Jeddah talks, unhindered access to humanitarian aid, and adherence to international humanitarian law. The meeting did not discuss Sudan’s complaint against the Emirates. It only echoed the Council’s statement made on April 27.
On Tuesday, the Sudanese Foreign Ministry described the British intervention at the Security as a “disgraceful move.”
It also criticized the “leniency” exhibited by the Western permanent members of the Security Council to the militia's atrocities and its “sponsor”, the UAE.
“Sudan will use all available means and avenues to safeguard its people, sovereignty, and dignity,” the Ministry statement affirmed.
“The Security Council's credibility and ability to carry out its responsibility in maintaining international peace and security while upholding the values and ideals of the United Nations Charter is currently seriously tested,” it added.

 



Türkiye, Hamas Discuss Gaza Ceasefire Deal’s Second Phase, Turkish Source Says

Palestinian children play next to tents in a makeshift camp for displaced people set up on the beach in Gaza City, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. (AP)
Palestinian children play next to tents in a makeshift camp for displaced people set up on the beach in Gaza City, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. (AP)
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Türkiye, Hamas Discuss Gaza Ceasefire Deal’s Second Phase, Turkish Source Says

Palestinian children play next to tents in a makeshift camp for displaced people set up on the beach in Gaza City, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. (AP)
Palestinian children play next to tents in a makeshift camp for displaced people set up on the beach in Gaza City, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. (AP)

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Wednesday ​met with Hamas political bureau officials in Ankara to discuss the ceasefire in Gaza and advancing the ‌agreement to ‌its ‌second ⁠phase, ​a ‌Turkish Foreign Ministry source said according to Reuters.

The source said the Hamas officials told Fidan that they had fulfilled ⁠their requirements as ‌part of the ‍ceasefire ‍deal, but that Israel's ‍continued targeting of Gaza aimed to prevent the agreement from ​moving to the next phase.

The Hamas members ⁠also said humanitarian aid entering Gaza was not sufficient, and that goods like medication, equipment for housing, and fuel were needed, the source ‌added.


Israel Says It Killed Hamas Financial Officer in Gaza

Buildings destroyed during Israeli ground and air operations stand in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. (AP)
Buildings destroyed during Israeli ground and air operations stand in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. (AP)
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Israel Says It Killed Hamas Financial Officer in Gaza

Buildings destroyed during Israeli ground and air operations stand in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. (AP)
Buildings destroyed during Israeli ground and air operations stand in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. (AP)

The Israeli army said Wednesday that it had identified a Hamas financial official it killed two weeks ago in a strike in the Gaza Strip.

Abdel Hay Zaqut, a financial official in Hamas's armed wing, on December 13 in the same strike that killed military commander Raed Saad, seen by Israel as one of the architects of Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack.

The Israeli army's Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, said on Wednesday that Zaqut was killed while he was in a vehicle alongside Raed Saad in "a joint operation by the Israeli army and the Shin Bet", Israel's internal security agency.

Zaqut "belonged to the financial department of the armed wing" of Hamas, Adraee wrote on X.

"Over the past year, Zaqut was responsible for collecting and transferring tens of millions of dollars to Hamas's armed wing with the aim of continuing the fight against the State of Israel," he said.

Hamas's leader for the Gaza Strip, Khalil al-Hayya, confirmed on December 14 the death of Saad and "his companions", though he did not name Zaqut.

The Israeli army said Saad headed the weapons production headquarters of Hamas's military wing and oversaw the group's build-up of capabilities.

Since October 10, a fragile truce has been in force in the Gaza Strip, although Israel and Hamas accuse each other of violations.

The war began with Hamas's 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of more than 1,200 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed more than 70,000 people in the Gaza Strip, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, a figure the UN deems is credible.


Lebanon Central Bank Governor Expresses Reservations Over Draft Law on Deposit Recovery

 Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam heads a cabinet meeting in Beirut, Lebanon December 23, 2025. (Reuters)
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam heads a cabinet meeting in Beirut, Lebanon December 23, 2025. (Reuters)
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Lebanon Central Bank Governor Expresses Reservations Over Draft Law on Deposit Recovery

 Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam heads a cabinet meeting in Beirut, Lebanon December 23, 2025. (Reuters)
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam heads a cabinet meeting in Beirut, Lebanon December 23, 2025. (Reuters)

Lebanon’s Central Bank governor has expressed some reservations over a draft law allowing depositors to gradually recover funds ​frozen in the banking system since a financial collapse in 2019, a move critical to reviving the economy.

Karim Souaid described the proposed timetable for the cash component of deposit repayments as "somewhat ambitious" in a statement on Tuesday.

He suggested ‌it may ‌be adjusted without hindering ‌the depositors' ⁠rights ​guarantee "regular, ‌uninterrupted, and complete payments over time".

He also urged the cabinet to conduct a careful review of the draft law , calling for clarifications to ensure fairness and credibility before it is submitted to parliament.

The central ⁠bank governor said the draft required further refinement, ‌including clearer provisions to guarantee equitable ‍treatment of depositors ‍and to reinforce the state’s commitments ‍under the law.

The 2019 financial collapse - the result of decades of unsustainable financial policies, waste and corruption - led the state to default ​on its sovereign debt and sank the Lebanese pound.

The draft law marks ⁠the first time Beirut has put forward legislation aimed at addressing a vast funding shortfall - estimated at $70 billion in 2022 but now believed to be higher.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Monday urged ministers to swiftly approve the draft legislation.

The cabinet discussed the law on Monday and Tuesday and is set to continue discussions ‌on Friday.