Israel and Hamas edge closer to ceasefire agreement
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ANKARA (AA) – Türkiye is making efforts to extend the Black Sea Grain Initiative which is set to expire on March 18, the country’s national defense minister said Thursday. The deal ensures a safe passage of grain and other essential items through Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, preventing a global food crisis. National Defense Min...
Torkham, Afghanistan (AFP): A dusty logjam of trucks inches across a rut in the mountains splitting Pakistan and Afghanistan, teeming with a cargo of fruit and coal — and paying the Taliban authorities for the privilege of passage. In downtown Kabul, a patrol of accountants inspects a bazaar, billing shopkeepers for trading honey, hair c...
Doha, Qatar (AFP): Qatar’s emir named his top diplomat as prime minister Tuesday and brought in a new interior minister in what observers called the completion of a changing of the guard in the wealthy Gulf state. The ruler’s office announced that Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani had accepted “the resignation” of prime m...
Beijing, China (AFP): President Xi Jinping has condemned what he branded an America-led “suppression of China”, as he urged the country’s private sector to boost innovation and become more self-reliant. China’s technology ambitions have been hit with a raft of restrictions by the United States and its Western allies, an...
ANKARA (AA) – Saudi Arabia signed an agreement with Türkiye on Monday to deposit $5 billion in the Turkish Central Bank. A statement by the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) said the agreement was signed by SFD chairman Ahmed Al-Khateeb and bank governor Sahap Kavcioglu. “This deposit comes as an extension of the historic relations ...
BEIRUT, Lebanon (AA) – A Lebanese investigating judge has summoned central bank governor Riad Salameh for questioning on March 15 on corruption charges. Judge Charbel Abou Samra will also question Salameh’s brother Raja and his assistant Mariane Hoayek on accusations of embezzlement, money laundering, illicit enrichment and tax evasion, the of...
BAGHDAD (AA) – Iraq has banned imports of alcoholic beverages amid criticism from Christian lawmakers. In a statement, the Iraqi General Authority of Customs said all customs points were ordered to ban the entry of all kinds of alcoholic beverages. It cited the 2023 Municipal Imports Law, which bans the import, production and sale of […...
KANO, Nigeria (AA) – The Nigeria Supreme Court has ruled that N200, N500 and N1,000 naira notes will remain in circulation until the end of 2023. The ruling came in a suit against the federal government on the naira redesign policy. The suit was filed by 16 states to challenge the legality of the policy. […]
ANKARA (AA) – The trade volume between Türkiye and the United Arab Emirates will reach $25 billion in five years thanks to the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement signed between the two countries, the Turkish president said on Friday. Speaking at the signing ceremony via video link, Recep Tayyip Erdogan underlined that the econo...
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AA) – At least 12 people were killed Friday after a pipeline explosion and fire raged near an illegal oil refinery in Nigeria’s Delta region, according to police. Police spokeswoman Grace Iringe-Koko said the explosion occurred when people involved in bunkering activities attempted to steal crude from a pipeline...
