Pope Leo XIV: Mild-mannered American with global view
The 69-year-old pontiff saw the challenges facing the worldwide Catholic Church up close in two decades as a missionary in...Geostrategy Profile & Interviews
Arab summit presses for end to Gaza ‘bloodshed’ as Israel launched an expanded military offensive
Arab leaders meeting Saturday at a summit in Baghdad urged the international community to press for a Gaza ceasefire, as...Geostrategy
Debt Settlement Fund waives default loans worth over US$107m in UAE
DUBAI, UAE - The Citizens Debts Settlement Fund announced the exemption of 1,244 citizens from their debts with a total...The settlement of debts is subject to specific and strict laws and standards regarding the quality of loans and their areas of expenditure.
Officials of banks, financial institutions and national companies expressed their pleasure and pride in taking part in this national initiative.
Henry Kissinger, singular US diplomat, dead at 100
Kissinger's family would hold a private funeral, with a memorial service to take place later in New York, where Kissinger...Kissinger, arguably the most identifiable secretary of state in modern times, died at his home in Connecticut, announced Kissinger Associates
Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for negotiations to end the Vietnam War, even though the conflict did not immediately end
30 Palestinian civilians freed under truce deal: Israel
The overnight releases, which came after a sixth batch of hostages were freed from Gaza, bring the number of Palestinian...During the night, 30 male and female security civilians were released from a number of prison facilities," the country's prison service said in a statement
Among those freed was Ahed Tamimi, a 22-year-old activist who has become a key figure for Palestinians defying the Israeli occupation
Israel’s security impossible without resolving Palestinian problem: Russia
United Nations - Israel’s security can be ensured only through a lasting solution to the Palestinian problem and Russia is...Many questions arise about ways of reviving Gaza and about the future lasting solution to the Palestinian problem in general, Vasily Nebenzya said
The mechanism of external backing for conditions for a lasting, stable settlement on the basis of the two-state solution should be really representative, he added
UAE presents its maritime contributions at IMO meet in UK
DUBAI, UAE - Presenting its category B candidacy in the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Council at the organization’s focus group...The UAE’s strategic location at the crossroads of global shipping routes has enabled it to become a central maritime hub in the world.
The country has strived to achieve continuous development in the maritime industry, which is a key pillar of its national economy.
Google to pay Canadian media $73m annually after a deal with Ottawa
Ottawa, Canada -- The Canadian government and Google have reached a deal to support the country's media, heading off an...The amount is less than the government-estimated compensation, but heads off a potential online blackout for news in Canada, where Google and Meta are the dominating platforms.
The agreement will reportedly allow Google to negotiate with a single group representing all Canadian media, rather than one-on-one deals.
Gaza ceasefire possible if those with influence take it seriously: WHO
Geneva, Switzerland -- The WHO on Wednesday said that a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was possible but those with influence...Only 15 of Gaza's 36 hospitals are still functioning with any capacity but are "completely overwhelmed".
And of the 25 hospitals in the north, only three are still operating at the most basic level, lacking water, fuel and food, said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
8-year-old, teenager shot dead in West Bank, says Palestine
Ramallah, Palestinian Territories - An eight-year-old boy and a teenager were killed by the Israeli army on Wednesday in the occupied...Palestinian ministry said in a statement that "Adam al-Ghul, eight years old, and Bassem Abu el-Wafa, 15 years old, were killed by bullets".
CCTV footage circulating online and on television news shows a boy being struck by a bullet and falling in the street, sending other children fleeing.
Norway’s Oslo city hall hoists Palestinian flag
Oslo, Norway - Oslo's city hall on Wednesday raised the Palestinian flag in a show of solidarity with the people of...The initiative coincides with the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, celebrated since 1978 following the adoption of a resolution by the UN.
Queried by AFP, the Israeli embassy in Norway said it had "no issue" with this gesture of solidarity towards the Palestinians.
Turkish President Erdogan calls Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu ‘butcher of Gaza’
Ankara, Turkey - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday branded Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "the butcher of Gaza" and..."Netanyahu has already written his name in history as the butcher of Gaza," Erdogan said in nationally televised remarks
He is endangering the security of Jews globally "by supporting anti-Semitism with the murders he committed in Gaza," he added
