Medics, WHO say north Gaza hospitals barely operational
North Gaza's last two functioning hospitals, Al-Awda and Kamal Adwan, are barely operational, doctors and the World Health Organization said...Geostrategy
Deadly strikes hit Gaza as US envoy visits Israel
Israel has also fought and bombed resurgent Hamas forces in northern and central areas of the coastal territory previously considered...Geostrategy Markets
UNSC unanimously adopts UAE, Japan resolutions on Afghanistan
NEW YORK, US - The United Nations Security Council Friday unanimously adopted two resolutions tabled by the UAE and Japan...The first resolution will extend the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan for an additional 12 months.
The second resolution requests that an independent assessment be carried out regarding the international approach to Afghanistan.
Xi Jinping to visit Russia next week, will discuss ‘strategic cooperation’
The two leaders "will discuss deepening the exhaustive partnership and strategic cooperation between Russia and China", including on the international...Xi last visited Russia in 2019, though Putin attended the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Beijing last year
The pair will talk about "strategic cooperation", according to a near-simultaneous statement from the Kremlin
Iran-US nuclear talks dead for now, says acclaimed scholar
The degree of anger and sympathy for the protesters, particularly among the American and European public, makes it near impossible...Iran’s relations with the Arab countries are better than they were a year or two ago
Unsure of the US help, Gulf states are following their own strategy on managing danger in their region
Two decades after US invasion of Iraq, Senate votes to end war authorization
Since the beginning of his administration in 2021, President Joe Biden has urged Congress to revoke the 1991 and 2002...In a procedural vote that came over a decade after the war's official end, senators from both parties strongly supported cancelling the 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force
The same bill also revokes 1991 Authorization for Use of Military Force that empowered Bush's father president George HW Bush to attack Iraq after Saddam's forces invaded Kuwait
Israelis protesters return to streets as Netanyahu rejects reforms compromise
Demonstrators gathered in Jerusalem and the northern city of Haifa to denounce the overhaul that would, among other things, allow...President Isaac Herzog presented a proposed compromise on the reforms, but the government immediately rejected it
Leaders of opposition parties said in a joint news conference on Thursday they supported Herzog's outline
UAE, Russia to enhance cooperation in economic, technology sectors
Moscow, Russia - The UAE and Russia have agreed to enhance cooperation in the fields of innovation, environment, and education...The two countries are also looking forward to enhancing cooperation in renewable energy and food security
Shifting of Russian oil trade away from the west has made the UAE the focus of Moscow's ongoing pivot to Asia
UAE pledges $3m for rebuilding Huwara raided by Israeli settlers
Thirty houses were burned and damaged, according to local officials, after dozens of Israeli settlers set them ablaze. Bezalel Smotrich,...Last month, dozens of Israeli settlers violently attacked the Huwara town in occupied area of northern West Bank.
The occupied area of West Bank is under Israel's control since 1967 war, and around 2.9 million Palestinians live in the area.
Lebanon bank chief turns up for European probe into his wealth
Salameh had been summoned to appear on Wednesday but failed to show up, alleging that "the presence of international judges...He faces allegations of crimes including embezzlement in separate probes in Lebanon and abroad. He rarely appeared before investigating judges, despite numerous complaints.
France, Germany and Luxembourg seized assets worth 120 million euros ($130 million) in March last year in a move linked to a French probe into Salameh's personal wealth.
No recent crossings of Lebanon-Israel border, say UN peacekeepers
BEIRUT, LEBANON - The UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon said Thursday it had not observed any border crossings after Israel said...UNIFIL acts as a buffer between Lebanon and Israel, neighbors that remain technically at war and have no diplomatic relations.
United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon urged both sides to exercise restraint and use UNIFIL coordination mechanisms to "avoid misunderstandings".
Will only talk to Erogan if Turkey exits Syria: Assad
The Syrian leader, who arrived in Moscow on Tuesday, demanded that Turkey end its "support for terrorism" alongside a withdrawal,...His comments come one day after he met Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is seeking to repair ties between Erdogan and Assad
Erdogan and Assad had amicable relations in the 2000s after years of tensions between their countries following the breakup of the Ottoman Empire
