Arab leaders congratulate Joe Biden on election win

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Arab leaders swiftly congratulated Joe Biden for his election victory Saturday. (File/AFP)
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Jordan’s King Abdullah and President-elect Joe Biden. (@KingAbdullahII)
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Updated 08 November 2020
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Arab leaders congratulate Joe Biden on election win

  • Abu Dhabi Crown Prince: The UAE and USA are friends and allies with a strong historic partnership
  • Oman’s Sultan expressed his sincere congratulations for winning the confidence of the American people

LONDON: Arab leaders swiftly congratulated Joe Biden for his election victory Saturday and expressed hope that the new White House will work with Middle Eastern countries to strengthen US-Arab relations.
Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan congratulated Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday on winning the US election.
“Congratulations to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on winning the US elections. Our sincere wishes for further development and prosperity for the American people. The UAE and USA are friends and allies with a strong historic partnership that we look forward to strengthening together,” the Crown Prince said in a tweet.
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi also congratulated Joe Biden on Saturday for winning the US presidency, presidential spokesman Bassam Radi said in a statement.


“The President stressed the aspiration for cooperation and joint action to strengthen the strategic bilateral relations between Egypt and the United States, in the interest of the two friendly countries and peoples,” the statement added.
Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al-Said sent a congratulatory letter to Biden expressing “his sincere congratulations for winning the confidence of the American people and for his election as President of the upcoming presidential term.”
Jordan’s King Abdullah, who has strong personal ties with Biden, said he looks forward to working with the president-elect on “further advancing the solid historic partnership between Jordan and the United States.”
Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun voiced hope for a “return to balance in American-Lebanese relations” during his term.”
Iraq’s president Barham Salih said he looks forward to strengthening peace and stability in the Middle East with Biden.
“Joe Biden (is) a friend and trusted partner in the cause of building a better Iraq. We look forward to working to achieve our common goals and strengthening peace and stability in the entire Middle East,” Salih tweeted on Saturday.
(With Reuters, AP and AFP)


UK upper house approves social media ban for under-16s

Updated 22 January 2026
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UK upper house approves social media ban for under-16s

LONDON: Britain’s upper house of parliament voted Wednesday in favor of banning under?16s from using social media, raising pressure on the government to match a similar ban passed in Australia.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Monday he was not ruling out any options and pledged action to protect children, but his government wants to wait for the results of a consultation due this summer before legislating.
Calls have risen across the opposition and within the governing Labour party for the UK to follow Australia, where under-16s have been barred from social media applications since December 10.
The amendment from opposition Conservative lawmaker John Nash passed with 261 votes to 150 in the House of Lords, co?sponsored by a Labour and a Liberal Democrat peer.
“Tonight, peers put our children’s future first,” Nash said. “This vote begins the process of stopping the catastrophic harm that social media is inflicting on a generation.”
Before the vote, Downing Street said the government would not accept the amendment, which now goes to the Labour-controlled lower House of Commons. More than 60 Labour MPs have urged Starmer to back a ban.
Public figures including actor Hugh Grant urged the government to back the proposal, saying parents alone cannot counter social media harms.
Some child-protection groups warn a ban would create a false sense of security.
A YouGov poll in December found 74 percent of Britons supported a ban. The Online Safety Act requires secure age?verification for harmful content.