Hamas to release hostage as part of direct talks with US
In a joint statement Egypt and Qatar, who along with the US have mediated talks between Hamas and Israel, also...Geostrategy
4th round of Iran, US talks amid enrichment concerns
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said ahead of Sunday's meeting that "the negotiations are progressing and, naturally, the further we...Geostrategy
Turkey and Qatar reject ‘double standards’ in Gaza response
Qatar's top diplomat Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said the two governments -- both Western allies -- "reaffirm our complete rejection...The Qatari minister said the only way to restore peace in and around Gaza was to keep channels of communication open.
He said Doha and Ankara would continue to coordinate with each other and regional partners to de-escalate the conflict.
UN warns Gaza fuel shortage will stop aid work as death toll mounts
Israeli strikes have now killed more than 6,500 people in Gaza, a rise of over 700 since Tuesday, according to...Israel has refused to allow fuel shipments into Gaza, fearing Hamas will use it for weapons and explosives and accusing the militant group of stockpiling supplies in large tanks
Aid groups warned that more people will die if medical equipment, water desalination plants and ambulances stop running in Gaza, where the only power plant went offline weeks ago
Erdogan cancels Israel visit, says Hamas not terrorists but liberators
Erdogan had taken a more measured tone in the first day of war, condemning all attacks against civilians and urging...He doubled down on Wednesday, telling ruling party lawmakers in parliament that Turkey "never approved the atrocities being committed by Israel".
He told his party that Turkey had "no problem with the Israeli state" but could not accept its "disgusting and brutal attacks" on Gaza.
More than 100 Palestinians killed by Israelis in West Bank
In the latest violence, four Palestinians were killed in Jenin and one in Qalqilya, both in the northern West Bank....Violence had already spiraled in the West Bank before the Gaza war, with the highest death toll in the Palestinian territory since at least 2005.
Many of the Palestinian deaths came in raids by Israeli troops but there has also been a rise in clashes between Palestinians and Israeli settlers.
Gaza has experienced 16 years of de-development: UNCTAD
"The economic consequences of the current and ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza are impossible to determine," Richard Kozul-Wright, the director...UNCTAD said that unemployment was at 45 percent in the Gaza Strip and 13 percent in the West Bank, with women and young people affected the most.
In Gaza, real GDP per capita was 11.7 percent below the 2019 level and close to its lowest level since 1994, the UNCTAD report said.
Geopolitical conflicts pose biggest risk to global economy: Ajay Banga
The World Bank President expressed deep concern over the widening wealth gap, while calling for more action on gender equality...Countries around the world need to do more in terms of gender equality and women's rights, he said.
Saudi Arabia has done very well when it comes to creating jobs for women and working toward women's rights.
With Mideast crisis, Russia and China hope to turn tables on US
The Chinese and Russian reprimands ring hollow for US officials, who doubt the rival powers will engage in painstaking diplomacy...In comments likely aimed at consumption in the Islamic world, Russia has accused the United States of escalating the conflict through military reinforcements
China and the United States have both sought diplomatic advantage in the crisis, including through a call between Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi
Iran and Saudi ties effective in solving regional issues: Raisi
Tehran, Iran--Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi believes the expansion of ties between Tehran and Riyadh will be effective in strengthening regional...He made the comments during a meeting with Abdullah bin Saud Al-Anzi, the newly appointed Saudi ambassador to Iran
The new ambassador said the relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran are very strong because of commonalities between them
Stocks surge on China spending plan as oil prices retreat
Traders tracked a rally on Wall Street that was helped by a strong set of earnings from big-name firms including...Hong Kong was the stand-out performer Wednesday, jumping more than two percent
Traders were aware that the crisis in the Middle East could spiral out of control at any minute
Israel bombs Syria’s ‘military infrastructure’ in air raids
According to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), its jets hit military infrastructure and mortar launchers of the Syrian Army in...According to Syrian state media, Israeli strikes on Sunday put Syria's two main airports out of service
Earlier in the month, Israeli strikes targeted Aleppo airport, wounding five people, a war monitor reported
