(Reuters) -UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed stressed the urgent need for ending the Gaza war during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, UAE state news agency WAM reported on Saturday.

It was Netanyahu’s first meeting with a senior Arab official since Israel’s Sept. 9 attack on Hamas leaders in Qatar, which the UAE condemned and protested by summoning Israel’s deputy ambassador.

(Reuters) -The United States will revoke Colombian President Gustavo Petro's visa because he "urged U.S. soldiers to disobey orders and incite violence" in New York on Friday, the State Department said.

"We will revoke Petro’s visa due to his reckless and incendiary actions," the State Department said on X.

By Lucy Craymer

WELLINGTON (Reuters) -New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in New York on Friday that New Zealand will not recognise the State of Palestine at this time but remains committed to a two-state solution.

“With a war raging, Hamas remaining the de facto government of Gaza, and no clarity on next steps, too many questions remain about the future state of Palestine for it to be prudent for New Zealand to announce recognition at this time,” Peters said in his speech at the United Nations General Assembly.

By Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday talks on Gaza with Middle Eastern nations were intense and that Israel and Palestinian Hamas militants were aware of the discussions, which he said would continue as long as required.

Trump met leaders and officials from multiple Muslim-majority countries this week to discuss the situation in Gaza, which has been under a mounting assault from Washington's ally Israel.

By Kanishka Singh

(Reuters) -Thousands of protesters against Israel's war in Gaza marched in New York City on Friday as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited to address the U.N. General Assembly.

Protesters waved Palestinian flags, wore keffiyeh scarves and carried banners reading "Free Palestine," "stop starving Gaza" and "Arms embargo now," video showed.

They gathered in Times Square, across town from the United Nations building, before marching to the U.N.

"Netanyahu you can't hide, we charge you with genocide," they chanted.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, a key partner of Israel within the European Union, warned Friday that Israel risked losing remaining friends with its destructive war in Gaza.

Addressing the UN General Assembly, the center-right Greek leader said Israel had a right to self-defense after the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas but cannot "justify the death of thousands of children."

"Greece maintains a strategic partnership with Israel, but this does not prevent us from speaking openly and frankly," Mitsotakis said.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy this week asked U.S. President Donald Trump for Tomahawk missiles to force Russian President Vladimir Putin to make peace, Axios reported on Friday.

The request came during Zelenskiy and Trump's meeting alongside the United Nations General Assembly, according to the report, which cited a Ukrainian official and another source familiar with the two leaders' meeting. Zelenskiy told Axios in a separate interview taped Wednesday that he had requested long-range weapons.

(Writing by Susan Heavey)

BEIRUT (Reuters) -Lebanese authorities will on Friday release former central bank governor Riad Salameh, who posted a record-high bail after nearly 13 months in detention over alleged financial crimes committed during his tenure, a Lebanese judicial source said.

Once viewed as the linchpin of the banking system, Salameh, 74, saw his standing crumble as a 2019 meltdown of the sector he oversaw impoverished Lebanese depositors and froze most out of their accounts. He was subsequently battered by corruption allegations both in Lebanon and abroad.

By John Irish and Parisa Hafezi

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -The world must not allow Iran to rebuild its nuclear and military programs, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday, a day before the United Nations is set to reimpose sanctions on Tehran.

All U.N. sanctions on Iran are due to be reimposed at 8 p.m. EDT on Saturday (0000 GMT) after European powers, known as the E3, triggered a 30-day process accusing Tehran of violating a 2015 deal meant to prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon.

Former UK prime minister Tony Blair could take a leading role in a transitional authority for Gaza under US-led peace plans, various British media reported on Friday.

It follows Blair's involvement in discussions with the administration of US President Donald Trump and others over the post-war transitional body for the Palestinian territory.

The plan could involve Blair leading the authority with the support of the UN and Gulf nations, according to the BBC and The Economist magazine.