WHO says 9,000 patients need emergency evacuation from Gaza
"Around 9,000 patients urgently need to be evacuated abroad for lifesaving health services, including treatment for cancer, injuries from bombardments,...Geostrategy Health
US pushes back against claims it eased West Bank settler sanctions
Washington, US--The US Treasury Department pushed back on Friday against claims it had eased sanctions against West Bank settlers after...Geostrategy
Saudi-Iran diplomatic pact leads to prisoner swap deal in Yemen
The UN has confirmed that Yemen's Houthi rebels and its internationally recognized government have reached an agreement to exchange more...According to UN special envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg, the parties "agreed on implementation plans to release 887 conflict-related detainees from all sides"
It is almost a year since the Houthis said they had agreed to a prisoner swap that would see 1,400 rebels freed in exchange for 823 pro-government fighters
Israel minister’s ‘there are no Palestinians’ remarks condemned
"There are no Palestinians, because there are no Palestinian people," far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said at an event..."There are Arabs around who don't like it, so what do they do? They invent a fictitious people and claim fictitious rights to the land of Israel, only to fight Zionist movement.
Palestinian PM Mohammad Shtayyeh said "inflammatory statements are consistent with the first Zionist sayings of 'a land without a people for a people without a land'".
Iraq to hold first provincial elections in a decade on Nov 6
The provincial councils, created by the 2005 constitution following the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime, carry relatively significant power in...Iraqi parliament confirmed Monday date of the elections through a statement as its members agreed on it overnight.
The elections are scheduled to be held in 15 provinces, while three provinces in Kurdistan region will be left out.
$7.5bn pledged for Turkey, Syria quake aid at EU conference
Aid groups urged donors to step up their commitments after the UN complained of the poor level of response to...Turkey's President Recep Erdogan warned that "regardless of its economic standing, it is impossible for any country to fight a disaster of this scale on its own."
The UN had said the appeal for Turkey has so far only been 16 percent fulfilled, while the figure for Syria stands at 72 percent.
‘Rich nations must achieve net zero carbon by 2040’
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called on wealthy countries to move up their goals of achieving carbon neutrality as close...Most rich countries have set their goal at 2050 but some are more ambitious, like Finland (2035), or Germany and Sweden (2045).
Leaders in emerging economies must commit to reaching net zero as close as possible to 2050, he said without naming any specific nation.
Iraq PM to hold talks with Turkey on water, Kurd rebels
BAGHDAD, IRAQ - Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani will visit Turkey on Tuesday for talks including on scarce water resources...The rivers Tigris and the Euphrates both have their sources in Turkey and Baghdad has long accused Ankara of withholding water in dams.
As per official Iraqi statistics from last year, the level of the Tigris entering Iraq has dropped to 35 percent of its average over the past century.
China urges ICC to respect immunity for heads of state after Putin warrant
China has urged the International Criminal Court to respect immunity for heads of state and to avoid what it called...Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin exhorted the court to "avoid politicisation and double standards"
Xi Jinping arrived in Moscow on Monday to hold talks with Putin and sign an accord before heading back to Beijing
Iran proposes three locations to Saudi Arabia for foreign ministers’ meetingÂ
Dubai, UAE - Saudi Arabia and Iran are taking more steps to consolidate their ties following the rapprochement between them...Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has already "welcomed" invitation from Saudi Arabia's King Salman to visit the kingdom following the reconciliation deal between the two countries
Iranian foreign minister also said that his country hoped steps would be taken to normalize its ties with Bahrain, a Saudi ally that had also severed ties with Iran in 2016
Japan PM arrives in India to widen trade, technology ties
New Delhi, India--Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrived in India on Monday for talks expected to focus on deepening trade and...Japan PM's visit comes in the wake of Australian PM's trip to India, which also saw talks centering around China and trade
India and Japan are expected to announce initiatives on clean energy, digital trade and infrastructure
Putin visits Mariupol in occupied Ukraine territory, his first visit invasion
Just hours after Putin visited Crimea to mark the ninth anniversary of the peninsula's annexation, video distributed by the Kremlin...The visit triggered an angry reaction from Ukraine, with a presidential aide blasting its "cynicism" and "lack of remorse."
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters the visit took place "very late" on Saturday and into the early hours of Sunday