What we know about the rocky ‘roadmap’ to an elusive Gaza ceasefire
Jerusalem, Undefined - Qatari and Egyptian mediators are cajoling Israel and Hamas towards negotiations on a plan to end their war,...Geostrategy
Calling for better ties with West, Iran reformist wins presidency
In the mausoleum of Imam Khomeini in southern Tehran, Pezeshkian gave a speech thanking his supporters, saying their votes have...Geostrategy
EU seeks critical details from Apple and Google on digital safety
Brussels, Belgium - The EU demanded on Thursday that Apple and Google provide more details on how they identified risks concerning...The European Commission said it wanted "more information on how" Apple and Google "have diligently identified any systemic risks concerning the App Store and Google Play"
It also wants the companies to demonstrate that they have complied with rules on digital marketplaces and transparency about adverts in order to protect users online.
Germany to stop accepting imams from Turkey
BERLIN, GERMANY - Germany will stop accepting imams sent from Turkey and instead train the Muslim clerics on home soil in...An agreement has been reached with the Turkish-Islamic umbrella group DITIB to phase out foreign imams.
The train would be 100 a year in Germany to replace them, the ministry said in a statement.
Will Israel try to force Gaza’s population into Egypt?
Filippo Grandi, head of the UN refugee agency, warned Wednesday that pushing Gazans across the frontier would be "extremely destabilizing...Writing on Facebook last month, extreme-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said he welcomed the "voluntary migration of Gaza Arabs to the countries of the world"
A number of former Israeli officials have suggested in TV interviews that Egypt could build vast tent cities in its Sinai desert, with international funding
Israeli envoy to UK rules out two-state solution with Palestinians
Tzipi Hotovely told Sky News that she did not believe in the long-standing position of the UK government and the...The Israeli envoy Tzipi Hotovely said she did not believe that an independent Palestinian state should be established
"Why are you obsessed with a formula (the two-state solution) that never worked, that created this radical people on the other side," Hotovely added
Israeli forces kill 11 Palestinians in West Bank: Health ministry
The latest death was a 17-year-old boy who the ministry said was shot in the chest by the Israeli army...Israel has occupied the West Bank since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, and in recent months troops have carried out repeated deadly raids on Jenin.
More than 280 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the West Bank since the war in Gaza erupted on October 7, health officials say.
115 soldiers have been killed in Gaza war, says Israeli army
According to the military's official list of casualties, nine of those killed on Tuesday belonged to units that a military...The 10 deaths recorded on Tuesday made it the single deadliest day for the military since its ground assault on the Palestinian territory began on October 27
The Israeli military campaign has so far killed more than 18,600 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry
OPEC+ cartel’s grip on oil market loosening as demand slows: IEA
Slowing demand growth and rising US crude production will make it more difficult for OPEC+ to continue to prop up...The Paris-based IEA, which advises oil-consuming nations, noted that prices had fallen by around $25 per barrel since September highs.
Efficiency improvements and a booming electric vehicle fleet have also been lowering oil demand, it added.
Saudi, Iran top diplomats discuss bilateral ties, Gaza ceasefire
Tehran, Iran-- Saudi Arabia and Iran's foreign ministers have stressed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and sending...The two foreign ministers met in Geneva, discussed bilateral ties between the two countries, and the latest developments in Gaza
The Saudi foreign minister said there is a positive trend in bilateral relations and "we welcome the development of relations"
US shows signs of strained patience with ally Israel
President Joe Biden while expressing his frustration with rightwing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referred this week to "indiscriminate bombing"...However Washington has been careful not to openly criticize its ally
US diplomats have expressed dissatisfaction with Israel's conduct of the war
Tunisian villages grapple with severe water scarcity
Ouled Omar, Tunisia - Tunisian villager Ounissa Mazhoud ties two empty jerry cans to a donkey and cautiously descends a stony...The World Bank predicts that by 2030 the Middle East and North Africa region will fall below the "absolute water scarcity" threshold of 500 cubic meters yearly per person.
Tunisia, already the 33rd most water-stressed country according to the World Resources Institute, has dropped to 450 cubic meters per inhabitant