Palestinian faction chiefs quit Damascus amid pressure
The leaders of pro-Iran Palestinian factions close to former ruler Bashar al-Assad have left Syria under pressure from the new...Geostrategy
Why Israel gets support from central, eastern Europe
Their solidarity came to the fore on Wednesday, when Austria and Germany broke ranks with European Union peers to argue...Geostrategy
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
Gaza government runs out of children’s vaccines, warns of ‘catastrophe’
The announcement came more than two months into the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza as international aid organizations have warned about...The Gaza health ministry called on international institutions to deliver urgently needed vaccines "to prevent disaster"
The UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the Palestinian territories, Lynn Hastings, said that UNICEF was looking into the issue
World Bank to expand climate funding in MENA by $10 billion
Brhane said the World Bank integrated climate into all its work across the MENA region and is on track to...The funding supports both reducing net emissions and resilience projects, said Meskerem Brhane, the bank's Regional Director for Sustainable Development, MENA.
She added that by embracing green growth strategies, the region's GDP could potentially grow to over $13 trillion by 2050.
UNICEF warns of terrible results on children due to Lebanon crises
Beirut, Lebanon - Lebanon's compounding crises are having a "devastating" impact on children and their education, a United Nations agency said...UN children's agency UNICEF said more than a quarter of households surveyed last month reported children not attending school, compared to 18 percent in April.
For four years, Lebanon has been gripped by a crushing economic crisis that has pushed most of the population into poverty
Israeli army opens fire at hospital wards: Gaza health ministry
"The occupation (Israeli) forces have tightened the siege and the targeting of Kamal Adwan hospital, firing at patient rooms and...The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees Philippe Lazzarini warned that the people of Gaza were "running out of time and options".
Israel's Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said that the war in the Gaza Strip would continue "with or without international support".
UNICEF exhorts donors for US$9.4bn in funding
The agency said the funding would allow it to reach 17.3m children in need of measles vaccinations, 7.6m children with...Afghanistan was the most expensive project listed, with UNICEF calling for $1.4 billion for 2024
The agency is aiming in 2024 to reach 48 million women, girls and young people across 58 countries
