Israel election polls predict Netanyahu just shy of victory
Polls on Friday predicted Israel’s former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would come within a single seat of an outright majority in his quest to return to power in next ...
Iran protests flare again as UN voices concern at detainees’ treatment
The U.N. human rights office on Friday voiced concern at Iran‘s treatment of detained protesters and said authorities refused to release some of the bodies of those killed, ...
Italy to end ban on health workers not vaccinated against Covid
Italian doctors and nurses suspended from work because they are not vaccinated against Covid-19 will soon be reinstated, new Health Minister Orazio Schillaci said on Friday.
The move is motivated ...
France’s Macron agreed with new British PM Sunak to deepen ties
French President Emmanuel Macron and Britain’s new prime minister Rishi Sunak discussed the issue of clandestine migration across the English Channel in their first telephone conversation since Sunak took ...
Egypt’s pound slides as IMF deal triggers new exchange rate regime
Egypt’s pound slid about 14.5 per cent to a record low against the dollar on Thursday as authorities announced a $3 billion International Monetary Fund deal with a commitment to a “...
Turkey’s Baykar to complete plant in Ukraine in two years -CEO
Turkish defence company Baykar is planning to complete the construction of its manufacturing plant in Ukraine in two years, its chief executive said on Thursday, after the company became highly ...
Saudia to buy up to 100 Lilium electric aircraft for domestic network
Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) has signed an agreement with German air taxi developer Lilium to buy up to 100 of its aircraft for use on Saudia’s domestic network, the state ...
Egypt’s central bank raises key interest rates by 200 basis points
Egypt’s central bank said on Thursday it had raised interest rates by 200 basis points in an exceptional meeting of its monetary policy committee.
The central bank set the overnight ...
New British PM Sunak will not attend COP27 climate summit
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will not attend the COP27 climate summit that begins in Egypt next month, his office said on Thursday, with other senior ministers going instead to ...
ECB raises interest rates again, cuts bank subsidies
The European Central Bank raised interest rates again on Thursday and announced it was changing the terms of its ultra-cheap loans to commercial banks in a bid to shrink its ...
Xi Jinping leads China on new journey
After 10 years at the helm of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Xi Jinping, 69, once again stood in front of reporters as the Party’s head, vowing to lead the ...
ASEAN still backing Myanmar consensus peace plan-chair
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) remains committed to a peace plan agreed with Myanmar’s military rulers, its chair Cambodia said on Thursday, even as some countries raised ...
‘Survival kits’ in lifts: Kyiv residents get creative amid power cuts
When near-daily rolling blackouts began in his Kyiv apartment block, Taras Logginov knew anyone getting stuck in the lifts of the 17-storey building would appreciate some basic supplies to help ...
Summer rolls on along French Riviera as balmy temperatures persist
It is late October on the French Riviera, but tourists are sunbathing in bikini, the terraces are full and the seawater is warm enough for swimming. On the beach in ...
Israel, Lebanon finalise maritime demarcation deal without mutual recognition
Israeli and Lebanese leaders finalised a U.S-brokered maritime demarcation on Thursday, bringing a measure of accommodation between the enemy states as they eye offshore energy exploration.
Leaders from Lebanon, ...
European gas prices: why have they been falling?
European benchmark gas prices have been steadily declining over the past few months to near their levels before war broke out in Ukraine.
Europe has been facing an energy supply ...
ECB to raise interest rates, likely to trim bank subsidies
The European Central Bank will raise interest rates again on Thursday and likely reel in a key subsidy to commercial banks, taking another big step in tightening policy to fight ...
Russia warns West: We can target your commercial satellites
A senior Russian foreign ministry official said that commercial satellites from the United States and its allies could become legitimate targets for Russia if they were involved in the war ...
Germany, Greece hopeful of an EU agreement to curb gas price spikes
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Thursday he believed EU states could find a solution to contain speculative spikes in gas prices, while Greece urged EU energy ministers to reach ...
Turkey banks fuss over bond holdings that ease pre-election spending
Turkish bank executives raised concerns with authorities this week that a year of new rules forcing them to buy government bonds could ultimately destabilize the sector, even as it sharply ...
Chinese cities double down on curbs as Covid outbreaks widen
Chinese cities from Wuhan in central China to Xining in the northwest are doubling down on COVID-19 curbs, sealing up buildings, locking down districts and throwing millions into distress in ...
Islamic State claims Iran shrine attack, Iran vows response
The militant group Islamic State said it carried out an attack on a Shi’ite Muslim shrine in Iran on Wednesday which killed 15 people, escalating tensions in a country reeling ...
Ukrainians hold out in east, prepare battle for Kherson
Ukrainian troops are holding out against repeated attacks by Russian forces in two eastern towns while those at the southern front are poised to battle for the strategic Kherson region, ...
Saudi Aramco launches $1.5 bln fund, says energy transition plan flawed
Oil giant Saudi Aramco launched a $1.5 billion fund to support an inclusive global energy transition on Wednesday while Saudi officials said the switch from hydrocarbons could take decades, necessitating continued ...