عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
World

UN Supports Initiative of Building Bridges of Understanding, Peace between East and West

UN Sec-Gen Antonio Guterres with MWL Sec-Gen Mohammed al-Issa (Asharq Al-Awsat)
UN Sec-Gen Antonio Guterres with MWL Sec-Gen Mohammed al-Issa (Asharq Al-Awsat)
TT
TT

UN Supports Initiative of Building Bridges of Understanding, Peace between East and West

UN Sec-Gen Antonio Guterres with MWL Sec-Gen Mohammed al-Issa (Asharq Al-Awsat)
UN Sec-Gen Antonio Guterres with MWL Sec-Gen Mohammed al-Issa (Asharq Al-Awsat)

UN Sec-Gen Antonio Guterres affirmed his full support for the Muslim World League (MWL), especially in promoting the values of moderation around the world.

Guterres received the MWL Sec-Gen Mohammed al-Issa following the initiative's launch: "Building Bridges of Understanding and Peace between East and West."

Issa launched the initiative at the UN Headquarters, with the participation of the UN Presidency and its General Secretariat, the High Representative of the Alliance of Civilizations, and the presence of senior international, religious, political, and intellectual leadership.

The UN Sec-Gen said that religious leaders have a significant role in supporting peace and harmony, stressing that religions are not the cause of wars in the world, but rather they bring people together.

The meeting witnessed a discussion of issues of common interest between the UN and the MWL and enhanced prospects for bilateral cooperation.

They addressed the outputs and programs of the initiative and the mechanisms for activating them.

It witnessed the interaction of international and UN leaders and religious, intellectual, and academic leadership, who reiterated the importance of this initiative in their speeches.

The leaders announced their full support for expanding the initiative's scope as part of the international institutional activity pivotal to the peace and harmony of the world and its societies.

They also asserted the importance of activating the initiative's ideas on the ground, including launching a global day for the Alliance of Civilizations between East and West, stressing the importance of respecting the specifics of each civilization's religious and cultural identity.

Issa praised the wisdom of the United Nations in dealing with religious issues around the world and harnessing the provisions of its charter to bring about peace, sensing the importance of the significant religious contribution.

He stated that about 80 percent of people worldwide respect religions and believe in their contribution to peace and harmony, especially the enhancement of coexistence.

The MWL leader commended the UN Charter and expressed his appreciation to the UN Secretary-General for supporting the League's latest conference: "Building Bridges of Understanding and Peace between East and West," at the headquarters in New York.

He warned against the danger of the discourse on the civilizational conflict between East and West and the division of the world into warring camps, calling on the countries worldwide to work for the success of their UN Charter.

Issa's speech addressed the dangers of materialistic exploitation of religion, shedding light on the League's efforts as regards climate files, immigrant and displaced issues, and other pressing issues in the world.

Issa declared that the UN Secretary-General affirmed his full support for the work of the League, especially in promoting the values of moderation around the world.

"The international organization is working to combat Islamophobia and hatred of the other."

The UN Secretary-General confirmed that there is an unreal image of Islam and that social media sites increase hatred due to posting many lies at the expense of correct information.

 

Most Viewed

 
 
World

Zelenskyy Will Hold Urgent Talks with 30 Countries as Trump Pushes for Swift Peace Deal with Russia

United States President Donald J Trump participates in a Multilateral Meeting with European Leaders: (foreground L-R) NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, Finland's President Alexander Stubb and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen with (background L-R) British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 18 August 2025. EPA/AARON SCHWARTZ / POOL
United States President Donald J Trump participates in a Multilateral Meeting with European Leaders: (foreground L-R) NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, Finland's President Alexander Stubb and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen with (background L-R) British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 18 August 2025. EPA/AARON SCHWARTZ / POOL
TT
TT

Zelenskyy Will Hold Urgent Talks with 30 Countries as Trump Pushes for Swift Peace Deal with Russia

United States President Donald J Trump participates in a Multilateral Meeting with European Leaders: (foreground L-R) NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, Finland's President Alexander Stubb and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen with (background L-R) British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 18 August 2025. EPA/AARON SCHWARTZ / POOL
United States President Donald J Trump participates in a Multilateral Meeting with European Leaders: (foreground L-R) NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, Finland's President Alexander Stubb and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen with (background L-R) British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 18 August 2025. EPA/AARON SCHWARTZ / POOL

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was due to hold urgent talks Thursday with leaders and officials from about 30 countries that are supporting Kyiv’s effort to obtain fair terms for an end to the war with Russia.

The leaders of Germany, Britain and France were among those expected to take part in the meeting of Ukraine's allies, dubbed the Coalition of the Willing, via video link.

Zelenskyy indicated the talks were hastily arranged as Kyiv officials scramble to avoid getting boxed in by US President Donald Trump's demands for a swift settlement. European governments are trying to help steer the peace negotiations because they say their own security is at stake.

Trump said Wednesday that he and European leaders discussed proposals by phone in “pretty strong terms,” adding that Zelenskyy “has to be realistic” about his country’s position on a peace plan that would cede Ukrainian territory to Russia. He didn't elaborate.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Thursday that he, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron suggested to Trump that they finalize the peace proposals together with US officials over the weekend. There may also be talks in Berlin early next week, with or without American officials, he said.

The main issue to be resolved is “what territories and concessions Ukraine is prepared to make,” Merz added.

“The work we are doing together remains extremely difficult. There is a very simple reason for this. President Putin is relentlessly continuing his brutal war against the Ukrainian civilian population, and at the same time he is clearly playing for time in the negotiations,” Merz said.

There are signs that the negotiations are coming to a crossroads. The talks are at “a critical moment,” European leaders said in a statement Wednesday.

Next week, Ukraine will coordinate with European countries on a bilateral level, Zelenskyy said late Wednesday, and European Union countries are due to hold a regular summit in Brussels at the end of next week.

Russia has new proposals on security Trump’s latest effort to broker a settlement is taking longer than he wanted. He initially set a hard deadline for Kyiv to accept his peace plan before Thanksgiving. Previous Washington deadlines for reaching a peace deal have also passed without making a breakthrough.

Russia is also keen to show Trump it is engaging with his peace efforts, hoping to avoid any further US sanctions. Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Thursday that Russia has relayed to Washington “additional proposals ... concerning collective security guarantees” that Ukraine and Europe say are needed to deter future aggression.

“We understand that when discussing security guarantees, we cannot limit ourselves to Ukraine alone,” Lavrov said. He didn’t offer details of the Kremlin's proposals.

Putin has framed Europe as an obstacle to a peace settlement, and Lavrov again accused Europe of seeking to prolong the war.

He charged that Western Europe “is only thinking about a ceasefire, catching its breath, and once again preparing Zelenskyy” for war.

Ukrainian drones hit Russian oil rig, disrupt Moscow flights Meanwhile, Ukrainian long-range drones hit a Russian oil rig in the Caspian Sea for the first time, according to an official in the Security Service of Ukraine who was not authorized to speak publicly about the attack and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The oil rig is located in the northern part of the Caspian Sea, about 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) from Ukraine, and belongs to Russia’s second biggest oil company, Lukoil, the official told The Associated Press. The rig took four hits, halting the extraction of oil and gas from over 20 wells, he said.

Also, Ukraine launched one of its biggest drone attacks of the nearly four-year war overnight, forcing flights in and out of all four Moscow airports to be halted for seven hours. Airports in eight other cities across Russia also faced restrictions, Russian civil aviation authority Rosaviatsia said Thursday.

The Russian Defense Ministry said air defenses intercepted 287 Ukrainian drones over multiple Russian regions.

The display of Ukraine’s military capability to strike deep inside Russia appeared as a counter to the Kremlin’s argument that its invasion is overwhelming for its smaller neighbor.

Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to portray himself as negotiating from a position of strength, analysts say. But since launching the full-scale invasion in February 2022, Russia has captured only around 20% of Ukraine.

World

Venezuela's Machado Says Maduro Government Didn't Know Where She Was Hiding

(FILES) Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado holds a Venezuelan national flag as she gestures from atop a truck during a demonstration to protest over the presidential election results, in Caracas on August 3, 2024. (Photo by Juan BARRETO / AFP)
(FILES) Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado holds a Venezuelan national flag as she gestures from atop a truck during a demonstration to protest over the presidential election results, in Caracas on August 3, 2024. (Photo by Juan BARRETO / AFP)
TT
TT

Venezuela's Machado Says Maduro Government Didn't Know Where She Was Hiding

(FILES) Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado holds a Venezuelan national flag as she gestures from atop a truck during a demonstration to protest over the presidential election results, in Caracas on August 3, 2024. (Photo by Juan BARRETO / AFP)
(FILES) Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado holds a Venezuelan national flag as she gestures from atop a truck during a demonstration to protest over the presidential election results, in Caracas on August 3, 2024. (Photo by Juan BARRETO / AFP)

Opposition leader María Corina Machado said Thursday that she doesn't believe the Venezuelan government knew where she was hiding for most of this year, as she met Norway's leader a day after her daughter received the Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf.

Machado arrived in Oslo hours after Wednesday's prize ceremony and made her first public appearance in 11 months in the early hours of Thursday, emerging from a hotel balcony and waving to an emotional crowd of supporters. She had been in hiding since Jan. 9, when she was briefly detained after joining supporters in a protest in Caracas, The Associated Press said.

Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in October after mounting the most serious peaceful challenge in years to the authoritarian government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Her daughter, Ana Corina Sosa, accepted the prize in Oslo and said that Machado "will be back in Venezuela very soon.”

On Thursday morning, Machado was received by Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, who said his country is ready to support a democratic Venezuela in “building new and sound institutions.”

Asked whether the Venezuelan government might have known her whereabouts since January, Machado told reporters: “I don’t think they have known where I have been, and certainly they would have done everything to stop me from coming here.”

The 58-year-old didn't give details of how she got to Norway but thanked “all those men and women that risked their lives so that I could be here today.”

“One day I will be able to tell you, because certainly I don’t want to put them in risk right now," she added. “It was quite an experience, but I think it’s worthwhile being here with you, telling the world what’s happening in Venezuela, what it means to you as Norwegians and as Europeans or from all the places where you come from, why Venezuela matters for the world.”

She said that “we decided to fight until the end and Venezuela will be free” and that, if Maduro's government is still in place when she returns, “certainly I will be with my people and they will not know where I am. We have ways to do that and take care of us.”

Flight tracking data show that the plane Machado flew to Oslo from Bangor, Maine.

Machado won an opposition primary election and intended to challenge Maduro in last year’s presidential election, but the government barred her from running for office. Retired diplomat Edmundo González took her place.

The lead-up to the election on July 28, 2024, saw widespread repression, including disqualifications, arrests and human rights violations. That increased after the country’s National Electoral Council, which is stacked with Maduro loyalists, declared the incumbent the winner.

World

Boat Carrying Migrants Capsizes in Croatia, Killing at Least 3 People

FILE - Migrants push a small boat in an attempt to reach Britain, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025 in Gravelines, northern France. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias, file)
FILE - Migrants push a small boat in an attempt to reach Britain, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025 in Gravelines, northern France. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias, file)
TT
TT

Boat Carrying Migrants Capsizes in Croatia, Killing at Least 3 People

FILE - Migrants push a small boat in an attempt to reach Britain, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025 in Gravelines, northern France. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias, file)
FILE - Migrants push a small boat in an attempt to reach Britain, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025 in Gravelines, northern France. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias, file)

A boat carrying migrants overturned early on Thursday on the Sava river in eastern Croatia, killing at least three people and injuring eight, officials said.

The accident happened in the eastern town of Slavonski Brod, by the border with Bosnia. Migrants were apparently trying to cross the Sava River in dense fog when their boat capsized, rescuers told HRT state television.

Firefighter Ivan Vuleta said emergency services received a call around 5:30 a.m. that people were in the river and they rushed to the scene in rescue boats. Police said a man from Bosnia is suspected of people smuggling. He has been hospitalized, The Associated Press reported.

The migrants' nationalities have not been specified.

People fleeing violence or poverty in the Middle East, Asia or Africa often face perils as they try to reach Western Europe with the help of people smugglers who guide them over the borders illegally.

Migrants enter Croatia, a European Union member state, either from Bosnia or Serbia.