US personnel injured in rocket attack on Iraq base
US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were briefed on the attack, the White House said. "They discussed...Geostrategy
US to deploy more warships, fighter jets to Mideast
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has also ordered additional ballistic missile defense-capable cruisers and destroyers to the Middle East and areas...Geostrategy
WTO head ‘less optimistic’ for world trade due to Red Sea strikes
The head of the international trade body said weaker global economic growth, "worsening geopolitical tensions, the new disruptions we see...Before the outbreak of war in Gaza, the WTO had predicted trade would grow by 0.8 percent in 2023 and projected growth of 3.3 percent this year.
"We think there are a lot of downside risks to the forecasts we had made last year of 3.3% of growth of merchandise volumes this year. So we expect weaker performance," she said.
Sudan war threatens UNESCO World Heritage Site
The Regional Network for Cultural Rights said it "strongly condemns the incursion by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF)", the paramilitary...The Cultural Rights group said the incident, which took place on Sunday, marked the second time since December that fighting had broken out at the religious sites
State authorities reported "an incursion by the RSF, repulsed by the air force", claiming that "calm has returned" without mentioning whether the sites suffered any damage
Turkey’s first astronaut brandishes Erdogan’s ambitions
Erdogan has displayed a keen interest in the mission, which comes against the backdrop of a raging economic crisis and...Alper Gezeravci, a fighter pilot and colonel in Turkey's air force, is due to take off on Wednesday from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida for a two-week mission
He will be joining Swedish, Italian and Spanish astronauts aboard a shuttle provided by the private Axiom Space company, which will be conducting its third flight with NASA
Al Jazeera bureau chief leaves Gaza
Scenes of Dahdouh mourning his family and fleeing on foot from Gaza City have been broadcast globally over the weeks...Dahdouh said he is due to travel onwards to Qatar where he will undergo surgery for a wound sustained in an Israeli strike last month
Khaled Elbalshy, head of the Egyptian journalists' syndicate, said the organization had spoken to Dahdouh after he left Gaza
Millions of Afghans go hungry as winter cold bites
Once flush with humanitarian aid following the US-led invasion of the country, funding to Afghanistan has plummeted since the Taliban...Funding shortages have forced WFP to tighten the criteria for aid handouts, with just six million people eligible for emergency assistance in food, cash or vouchers
Today, approximately 85 percent of Afghans live on less than $1 a day, according to the UN, with extreme poverty found in both rural and urban areas
Women’s health gap costs US$1trn worldwide: report
Women spend a quarter more of their lives suffering from poor health than men, a disparity that includes an unequal...The gender health gap causes around 75 million years of life lost due to poor health annually
WEF officials say analysis proves "investing in women's health must be a priority for every country"
Deal reached for Gaza hostages to receive medicines
Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majid Al-Ansari told QNA "the medications and aid will leave Doha tomorrow to the city of...Netanyahu's office confirmed the deal and saying the medicines will be forwarded by Qatari representatives in the Gaza Strip to their final destination
The drugs are intended for 45 hostages, according to the French presidency, which said 83 were initially identified as needing medication in November
Pakistan says two children killed by Iran air strike
The statement did not say where the strike took place, but various Pakistani social media accounts reported blasts in Balochistan..."This violation of Pakistan's sovereignty is completely unacceptable and can have serious consequences," Pakistan's foreign ministry said in a statement.
Tehran and Islamabad frequently accuse each other of allowing militants to operate from the other's territory to launch attacks
Maritime firm says missile hits Greek ship off Yemen
Dubai, UAE - A missile hit a Greek-owned cargo ship off Yemen, a maritime risk management company said on Tuesday, following..."A Malta-flagged, Greek-owned bulk carrier was reportedly targeted and impacted with a missile while transiting the southern Red Sea northbound," said firm
The ship, which has visited Israel since the outbreak of war in Gaza and was headed to the Suez Canal, changed course and headed to port after the incident, it said
Washington seeks ‘de-escalation’ in Middle East, says top US official
Davos, Switzerland - The United States wants a "de-escalation" in the Middle East despite its strikes on Houthi positions in Yemen,..."We seek to stop the spread of conflict and to create the conditions for de-escalation," Sullivan said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Sullivan said the course of the conflict with the Iranian-backed rebels depended on "those with influence in Tehran and influence in other capitals in the Middle East".