EU to lift all economic sanctions on Syria to help the war-torn country
EU countries agreed Tuesday to lift all their remaining economic sanctions on Syria in a bid to help the war-torn...Geostrategy
Trump to hold call with Putin in push for Ukraine truce
Trump also said he would speak to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and NATO officials, expressing hope that a "ceasefire will...Geostrategy
Released Palestinians allege mistreatment in Israeli prisons
Ramallah, Palestinian Territories -- Released under an exchange between Israel and Hamas, former Palestinian civilians held in various jails have described...There are around 7,800 Palestinians civilians in Israeli jails. Some 3,580 Palestinians have been held by Israeli forces since Oct 7.
"Testimonies and video evidence also point to numerous incidents of torture and other ill-treatment by Israeli forces," Amnesty International has said.
Gaza safe zones declared by Israel neither safe, nor humanitarian: UN
"The so-called safe zones... are not scientific, they are not rational, they are not possible, and I think the authorities...Gaza health ministry put the latest death toll of civilians killed in Israeli bombardment and ground attacks at 16,248, around 70 percent of them women and children.
As Israel's offensive pushes deeper into Gaza, international aid organizations have warned that civilians in the de territory are running out of places to flee to.
Asian countries score high in keenly watched PISA education survey
Paris, France - Asian countries dominated the top spots in a keenly watched survey of education capabilities published Tuesday, while levels...Singapore took top ranking in the latest assessment, which was carried out in 2022 and involved 690,000 students in 81 participating countries and economies
Five other Asian education systems -- in Macao, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea -- came next in mathematics, and also scored near the top in reading and science
Gaza situation approaching humanity’s ‘darkest hour’, says WHO
Richard Peeperkorn, the WHO's representative in the occupied Palestinian territories, said that since the start of the war, there had...Eighteen of the Gaza Strip's 36 hospitals are still functioning in any capacity: three are providing basic first aid only, while the rest are delivering partial services
UNICEF spokesman James Elder said that with the population on the move, in two hours "there are 5,000 people where there was no-one previously".
COP28 draft agreement includes option to do nothing on fossil fuels
The fate of oil, gas and coal is the thorniest issue being thrashed out at the COP28 UN climate talks...The draft of global climate agreement forms the basis of negotiations that will unfold in coming days, with a final text expected in theory by December 12
It is a formal response to the "global stocktake", a damning report card published in September that highlighted how little the world had done to confront the climate crisis
US envoy to promote Yemen peace despite Houthi attacks
Since the Gaza war, the Houthi rebels have seized an Israeli-linked cargo vessel and fired ballistic missiles at various targets....Houthi rebels, who have ties to Iran and control much of Yemen, have targeted Israeli-linked vessels in avowed solidarity with Palestinians during the Gaza war
State Department spokesman told reporters that the "provocative and dangerous attacks" by the rebels have "threatened almost two years of progress to end Yemen war
‘Unintended consequences’: friction at COP28 over green trade
Inside the negotiating rooms and on the sidelines of the COP28 climate talks, simmering tensions over wealthy countries' "green trade"...WTO has received about 18,000 complaints over green policies yet trade was still often overlooked by climate policymakers, director general Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said
Concerns have also been raised that these kind of climate policies may make it harder for another nation to sell their goods or access clean energy technology
Saudi Arabia spurns fossil fuel phaseout push at COP28
A tentative "phasedown/out" was included in a first draft of an agreement on climate action that delegates are haggling over...UN chief called for a total phaseout of fossil fuels, warning "complete disaster" awaits mankind
Saudi Arabia has revamped its energy sources, invested in renewables and improved energy-efficiency
Hamas refutes accusations of sexual violence in Israel attacks
Hamas statement comes days after UN Women said it was "alarmed by the numerous accounts of gender-based atrocities" during the...Israeli police say they have gathered evidence of sexual violence by Hamas fighters
Hamas rejected claims by women and advocacy groups as part of "a series" of Israeli "lies"
UN warns of ‘hellish scenario’ as aid to Gaza stalls
According to Lynn Hastings, UN humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories, the conditions required to deliver aid to "the people...Expressing his regret, the UN official said "nowhere is safe in Gaza and there is nowhere left to go"
Hastings rejected the idea of "safe zones" urged upon Israel by the US government
