Trump pledges historic tax cuts, investment growth, oil price action, and Ukraine peace effort at Davos 2025
The newly inaugurated president remarked that he would “like to meet with President Putin soon” and “get the war ended,”...Geostrategy
Trump’s second term begins: Highlights Middle East hostage return, promises diplomacy over conflict among top priorities
Trump vowed to be a “peacemaker and unifier,” citing the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage release as key steps toward peace,...Geostrategy
Palestinians relaunch bid to become UN member state
The Palestinians, who have had observer status at the world body since 2012, have lobbied for years to gain full...To win the council's approval for the membership, the Palestinians would have to secure nine votes from the 15 members and no veto from any of the five permanent members
The League of Arab States, the Organization of the Islamic Conference and the Non-Aligned Movement sent a letter to Guterres on Tuesday supporting the bid by the Palestinians
Israel terms killing of aid workers in Gaza ‘grave mistake’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military had "unintentionally" killed the aid workers, calling it a "tragic case" that...The attack was widely condemned, with world leaders demanding an investigation
US President Joe Biden said Israel "has not done enough" to protect aid workers
Four Israeli officers injured in car-ramming attack near West Bank
Jerusalem--Four Israeli police were injured in a car-ramming attack at a checkpoint in the centre of the country, police said...The attacker crashed into four police officers at a checkpoint in the town of Kochav Yair, near the West Bank
Israeli police said in a statement that the officers suffered minor injuries and were taken to hospital
Netanyahu branded ‘traitor’ in fourth night of Israel protests
Former premier Barak said if Netanyahu launches a ground offensive on Rafah, the "hostages will return in coffins. The one...Thousands gathered in front of the country's parliament, with hostage families and former prime minister Ehud Barak blaming Netanyahu for the October 7 attacks
Merav Svirsky, who lost both her parents in the Hamas attack, and whose brother was later murdered in Gaza, said Netanyahu is in no hurry to free the hostages
Gaza situation ‘beyond catastrophic’, says UN agency chief
The British-born official, who spent a week in the besieged Palestinian territory last month, said even when aid got through..."Everybody we drove by and many we spoke to were gaunt, starving, hungry and looking frail. Everybody was looking for food," said Dominic Allen, the head of UNFPA.
"Delivery rooms are overwhelmed. A midwife described women giving birth on the floor because they were at maximum capacity," he added.
World powers condemn deadly Gaza air strike on aid workers
World Central Kitchen -- one of two NGOs spearheading efforts to deliver aid by boat -- said a "targeted Israeli...The EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, who is also Spanish, said that "despite all the demands to protect civilians and humanitarian workers, we see new innocent casualties".
Australian PM Anthony Albanese slammed the "completely unacceptable" attack, and called it a "tragedy that should never have occurred"
Spanish president wants parliament to recognize Palestine state by July
"We have to think seriously about doing it this semester," Sanchez told a group of Spanish journalists accompanying him on...Sanchez, who after Jordan will visit Saudi Arabia and Qatar, wants to "try to convince Arab countries that have not yet recognized Israel to do so".
He has repeatedly said the only solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the recognition of two states, Israel and Palestine.
Sisi sworn in as Egypt’s President for third successive term
In power for the past decade, Sisi is set to remain president until 2030, after winning a December election with...In power for the past decade, Sisi is set to remain president until 2030, after winning a December election with 89.6 percent of the vote against three relative unknowns
For the past two years, his administration has struggled to contain the fallout of a punishing economic crisis that has seen the currency lose two-thirds of its value
Israeli PM vows to ban Al Jazeera broadcasts
Netanyahu was quick to single out Qatar-based channel Al Jazeera, with which his government has a long-running feud that predates...The law, passed on Monday by 70 votes to 10, grants top ministers the power to ban broadcasts by foreign channels deemed a national security threat and to shut their offices
The Committee to Protect Journalists said the law contributes to a climate of self-censorship and hostility toward the press, a trend that has escalated since Israel-Gaza war began
Iran calls for ‘international community response’ after Israel’s Syria attack
In a statement, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani "strongly condemned" the attack and said that Iran "reserves the right...Iranian Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian described the Israeli attack on an Iranian consulate as a violation of all international obligations and conventions
In a night-time rally held in Palestine Square in central Tehran on Monday, hundreds of demonstrators, waving flags of Iran and Palestine, called for "revenge" and chanted slogans
