Iran picks new president at turbulent time
Iranians vote on Friday to elect a new president from six candidates, including a lone reformist who hopes he can...Geostrategy
Gaza health officials say 24 killed in Israeli strikes
Gaza civil defence agency spokesman Mahmud Basal told AFP that at least 20 were killed in a strike on a...Geostrategy
Afghan border trade resumes after Pakistan suspends new visa rule
Commercial traffic ground to a halt Tuesday when Pakistan began requiring the crew of commercial vehicles to have passports and...The media office of the governor of Nangarhar province in Afghanistan confirmed that cross-border trade had resumed
Landlocked Afghanistan is heavily dependent on its neighbor for imports, both locally made goods and foreign items
Displaced Gazans search for warm clothes as cold draws in
When Khulud Jarboueh and her children fled their home in the northern Gaza Strip under Israeli bombardment in early October,...On a road lined with stalls, hundreds of Palestinians held up items to check sizes or compare fabrics
Adel Harzallah, who runs a clothes shop, said his stock of winter pyjamas sold out in two days
Pakistan applies for BRICS membership in 2024: envoy to Russia
Moscow, Russia - Pakistan has filed an application to join the BRICS group of nations in 2024 and is counting...When asked whether the country has filed its BRICS membership bid, the diplomat replied that Pakistan has done it
He confirmed that Islamabad plans to join the group under Russia’s presidency in 2024
Indonesia unveils plan to bring $20bn energy investment from West
Jakarta, Indonesia - Indonesia on Tuesday launched an investment plan to attract $20 billion pledged by Western nations in a renewable...The roadmap, which comes less than two weeks before the COP28 summit in Dubai, outlines Jakarta's vision to reach net-zero power sector emissions by 2050.
Under the plan, Indonesia will seek to slash its carbon dioxide emissions to 250 million metric tons for its on-grid power sector by 2030.
Fishing nations pledge to protect sharks, rays
CAIRO, EGYPT - Atlantic fishing nations have agreed to better protect sharks and rays by limiting the retention of several bycatch...Sharks and rays are facing what conservationists have called an extinction crisis, with nearly two thirds of coral reef species at risk.
Sharks and rays must be better protected by governments and fisheries said an advocacy coalition advancing conservation policies.
Top diplomats of some OIC countries arrive in Russia, to discuss Gaza
MOSCOW, RUSSIA – The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Indonesia, Palestine and the Secretary General of the Organization...Foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Indonesia, Palestine arrived to take part in the meeting.
OIC Secretary General Hissein Brahim Taha would take part in the meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Gaza health situation a ‘perfect storm for tragedy’: UN
Around 160 children are killed every day in Gaza and UNICEF has warned that the number could skyrocket. More than...Key mediator Qatar, Israeli PM, US President Joe Biden and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh say a deal on the release of Palestinian prisoners and Israeli hostage likely to materialize.
Fifty-three journalists and media workers have been killed in the latest Gaza conflict, according to a tally by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
2 journalists among 4 civilians killed in Lebanon by Israeli strikes
The state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported "the deaths of three citizens -- two journalists and another civilian -- in...The state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported "the deaths of three citizens -- two journalists and another civilian -- in enemy bombing" of the Tair Harfa area
Elsewhere in south Lebanon, the NNA said "enemy aircraft raided inhabited houses in Kfar Kila, leading to the death of citizen Laiqa Sarhan, 80
BRICS urges immediate ceasefire in Gaza, S.Africa decries ‘genocide’
"The collective punishment of Palestinian civilians through the unlawful use of force by Israel is a war crime. The deliberate..."There can be no sustainable peace and security in the Middle East without a just solution to the question of Palestine," Chinese President Xi Jinping said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said a "long-term and sustainable ceasefire" was key to "prevent other states from being drawn into the war".
Close to reaching truce deal with Israel: Ismail Haniyeh
Qatar's prime minister said that a deal to free some of the hostages in return for a temporary ceasefire hinged...White House said the negotiations were in the "endgame" stage, but refused to give further details
ICRC said that its president had travelled to Qatar to meet Hamas's Haniyeh "to advance humanitarian issues"