Gaza film at Venice targeted by hate campaign, director says
Venice, Italy - At its premiere, a powerful new Gaza film at the Venice Film Festival sparked 23 minutes of...Geostrategy
Israel military says controls 40 percent of Gaza City, the largest urban centre in the Palestinian territory
In a televised briefing, Israeli military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin said that "we hold 40 percent of the territory...Geostrategy
Trump says getting close to deal to avoid Iran action
US President Donald Trump said Thursday a deal was close on Iran's nuclear programme that would avert military action, sending...Trump has said the tour has resulted in trillions of dollars in deals and is hoping to secure more billion-dollar business agreements in the UAE
Iran has held four rounds of talks with Trump's administration which has sought to avert threatened military action by Israel
Warm Trump-Erdogan ties puts Turkey at heart of peace diplomacy
Turkey is deploying all-out diplomatic efforts to secure a Russia-Ukraine deal, to ease Syria's relations with the West and facilitate...Turkish President Recep Tayip Erdogan took part remotely in a landmark Riyadh meeting between Trump and Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa
Analysts say Washington has gravitated towards Turkey thanks to the personal connection between Trump and Erdogan
Ukraine, Russia to hold first direct talks since 2022
War rivals Ukraine and Russia are set to go into their first direct talks in more than three years on...Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky had challenged Putin to meet him in person in Istanbul, but the Russian delegation names only a lower-level team
Putin's absence would diminish the importance of the first direct negotiations since a failed effort in the weeks after Russia's 2022 invasion
Trump to close deal-making Gulf tour in UAE, announces big Boeing order for Qatar Airways
US President Donald Trump on Thursday closes a Middle East tour in the United Arab Emirates as he focuses squarely...Trump will fly to the Emirati capital Abu Dhabi after a stop in Qatar, where the president hailed what he said was a record $200 billion deal for Boeing aircraft
He started the trip in Saudi Arabia which promised its own $600 billion in investment, including one of the largest-ever purchases of US weapons
Turkey eyes legal steps after Kurdish militant group PKK disbands
Ankara, Turkey - After the decision by the Kurdish militant group PKK to disband, Turkey was eyeing Wednesday a raft...The pro-Kurdish DEM party urged Ankara on Tuesday to take "confidence-building steps" such as freeing political prisoners
So far, Turkish officials have said little but the government is working on a proposal that could ease prison sentences in general
Gaza rescuers say 80 killed in Israeli strikes
Gaza rescuers said at least 80 people were killed in Israeli bombardment across the Palestinian territory on Wednesday, as Israeli...AFP footage from the aftermath of a strike in Jabalia, northern Gaza, showed mounds of concrete rubble and twisted metal from collapsed buildings
Footage of mourners in the north of the territory showed women in tears as they kneeled next to bodies wrapped in bloodstained white shrouds
Trump presses Syria leader on Israel after lifting sanctions
US President Donald Trump landed in Doha Wednesday after visiting Riyadh, where he urged Syria's president to normalise with Israel...Trump became the first US president in 25 years to meet a Syrian leader -- Ahmed al-Sharaa, an erstwhile Islamist guerrilla and jihadist who had been on a US wanted list
Turkey and Saudi Arabia both advocated reconciliation with Syria, but the move is the latest to put Trump at odds with Israel, which has expressed deep scepticism of Sharaa
Trump welcomed grandly as Saudis invest big in US arms
Under imposing chandeliers, Trump welcomed a promise by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who effectively rules the kingdom due to...The White House said that Saudi Arabia would buy nearly $142 billion in weapons in what it described as the largest-ever weapons deal
The US leader will also visit Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, fellow oil-rich Arab monarchies with long-standing ties to the United States, and to Trump
Ocalan: founder of the PKK who authored its end
Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed founder of the militant Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), is an icon to many Kurds but a...After a decades-long insurgency against Turkey that resulted in tens of thousands of deaths, the PKK said on Monday it was disbanding and ending its armed struggle
The move came after Ocalan issued a historic call on February 27 for his fighters to lay down their arms in a major step towards ending the decades-long conflict
Al Jazeera says allowed to resume work in Palestinian territories
Ramallah, Palestinian Territories - Al Jazeera's Ramallah bureau chief said on Monday the news channel could resume working in the...The Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority (PA) ordered the suspension of the Al Jazeera's broadcasts on January 1, accusing it of incitement
The channel had aired footage of what appeared to be Palestinian security officers entering the network's office in Ramallah and handing over the suspension orders
