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☆ Israel's jobless rate spikes to 9.6% in Oct due to Hamas war
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JERUSALEM, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Israel's jobless rate surged to near 10% in October, the Central Bureau of Statistics said on Monday, after the outbreak of war with Palestinian Hamas militants led to tens of thousands of displaced citizens who had lived near the Gaza border. The main unemployment rate held steady at 3.4% last month. But when taking into account what is expected to be a temporary loss of work, the rate reached 9.6% in October as 428,400 people were jobless versus 163,600 in September, prior to the Oct. 7 attack when Hamas gunmen rampaged though Israeli border towns. In the wake of the attack, nearly 400,000 Israelis were called up to reserve duty, and official data show that about 80,000 Israelis were placed on unpaid leave in the last few weeks. Israel's low jobless rate had underpinned economic growth, but with so many people furloughed or out of a job, the economy is expected to contract in the fourth quarter and grow a less than expected 2.3% in 2023.

Persons: rampaged, Steven Scheer, William Maclean Organizations: Central Bureau, Statistics, Gaza, Thomson Locations: Gaza

The IMF approved a tweaked deal, but official creditors again rejected it, Zambia said. The country's External Bondholder Steering Committee said it was deeply concerned with recent developments and that its latest offer would provide more debt relief than official creditors on a net present value basis, as well as a principal haircut when official creditors were offering none. The Common Framework has been severely criticised, as it is yet to provide any countries with debt relief. "If the OCC does not row back, sovereign debt restructuring would have taken a huge step backwards," said a second source familiar with the situation. Ghana, which is also undergoing Common Framework debt treatment, saw its international bonds slump up to 1.4 cents on the dollar .

Persons: Yuri Gripas, Rachel Savage, Karin Strohecker, Bhargav Acharya, Marc Jones, Libby George, Alexander Winning, William Maclean, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Monetary Fund, REUTERS, International Monetary Fund, IMF, OCC, Government, Paris Club, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Zambia Zambia, Ghana, Sri Lanka, JOHANNESBURG, Zambia, China, Base, France, India, London

☆ China vows to support property sector, tackle local debt
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, Nov 17 (Reuters) - China's central bank and financial regulators pledged on Friday to ensure financing support for the property sector and to work together to resolve local government debt risks. Chinese leaders are trying to revive the economy and fend off potential financial risks from a property slump and 92 trillion yuan ($12.77 trillion) in local government debt. Recent efforts to stabilise financing for the real estate sector via bank credit, bonds, and equity are gaining traction, the China Securities Regulatory Commission said. China will promote stable credit expansion to support its economic growth, and financial institutions should work with local governments to resolve debt risks, by extending, swapping or rolling over debt, the regulator added. ($1 = 7.2050 Chinese yuan renminbi)Reporting by Kevin Yao and Ella Cao; editing by Christina Fincher, William MacleanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kevin Yao, Ella Cao, Christina Fincher, William Maclean Organizations: China Securities Regulatory Commission, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China

☆ Germany's lower house of parliament approves Financing for the Future Act
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBERLIN, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Germany's lower house of parliament on Friday passed the Financing for the Future Act, to promote start-ups and improve access to capital markets. In the future, companies will be allowed to go public with a minimum market capitalization of one million euros instead of the previous 1.25 million. According to earlier statements by the government, the law will lead to annual tax revenue losses of almost one billion euros from 2026. The Future of Financing Act increases the tax allowance for employee share ownership to 2,000 euros from 1,440 euros. The package, called the Growth Opportunities Act, provides for tax relief of around 7 billion euros ($7.6 billion) a year from 2024, and a total of over 32 billion euros until 2028.

Persons: Fabian Bimmer, Christian Lindner, Lennard Oehl, Christian Kraemer, Maria Martinez, William Maclean Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Global, Germany's, SPD, Thomson Locations: Hamburg, Germany, Silicon Valley

☆ Taliban Minister Raises Return of Deported Afghans' Assets in Pakistan Visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

By Charlotte GreenfieldISLAMABAD (Reuters) - The Taliban's acting commerce minister said he had asked Pakistan to help return the assets of expelled Afghans and discussed ways to overcome Afghanistan's stalled banking sector transactions during a four-day visit to Islamabad this week. Acting minister Nooruddin Azizi's arrival in the Pakistani capital marked the first public visit by a senior Taliban official since Pakistan announced its policy to deport thousands of undocumented Afghans and other foreign citizens after Nov. 1. The Taliban have said the security issues are a domestic matter for Islamabad and called on Pakistan to stop deportations. Azizi said a major focus of the visit had been raising the problem of Afghan deportees being unable to return their assets from Pakistan. Pakistan's commerce minister and a spokesman for the commerce ministry did not respond to request for comment.

Persons: Charlotte Greenfield, Nooruddin, Azizi, Asif Shahzad, Mohammad Yunus Yawar, William Maclean Organizations: Taliban, Pakistan, Reuters Locations: Charlotte Greenfield ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Islamabad, Afghanistan, Islamic Emirate, Uzbekistan, China, Kabul

☆ Senior EU Official Channels Increasing Gloom Over Russia's War in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

"Leaders... were realizing it's quite expensive," said the official, who is involved in preparing a Dec.14-15 summit in Brussels of the EU 27 member states' national leaders. But it's not easy," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss talks between EU leaders held behind closed doors. While Hungary was openly calling for a new EU strategy on Russia's war in Ukraine, the official said others in the bloc were also increasingly asking questions about the future of the war following failed hopes for Ukraine's counteroffensive. "Will we continue to support Ukraine financially, military? The consensus is to continue to provide support to Ukraine, but some of those questions are coming."

Persons: Gabriela Baczynska BRUSSELS, it's, Gabriela Baczynska, William Maclean Organizations: Union, Kyiv, European Commission, EU, Ukraine's Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Brussels, Hungary, EU, U.S

☆ Grain ship lightly damaged off Ukraine, likely hit sea mine - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Nov 17 (Reuters) - A merchant ship transporting grains was lightly damaged off the coast of Ukraine and was likely to have been hit by a floating sea mine, according to maritime specialists and a Ukrainian government source. This is the latest incident affecting commercial ships sailing in the Black Sea. War risk insurance premiums have risen to as much as 3% of the value of a vessel after a missile damaged a merchant ship in the Ukrainian port of Pivdennyi last week, industry sources said. A Ukrainian government source told Reuters on Friday that it was likely that a floating sea mine hit the vessel. After withdrawing from a U.N.-backed deal in July that guaranteed safe shipments of Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea, Ukraine says Russia has repeatedly attacked Ukrainian port infrastructure and also laid sea mines.

Persons: Marsh, Jonathan Saul, Gus Trompiz, William Maclean Organizations: Seagate, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Ukrainian, Pivdennyi, Liberia, Georgia, Greece, Constanta, Sea, Russia, Kyiv, London, Paris

☆ Muslim rescuer says Israel kibbutz bloodshed caused by attackers' hate
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Eli Berlzon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Unlike most emergency workers called out that day, Warraqi is a Muslim Israeli Arab. Warraqi is a volunteer for Zaka, a non-governmental rescue and recovery service. "I saw families, they were slaughtered, a lot of families," Warraqi told Reuters, standing next to his ambulance. "Our religion, as a proud Arabic Muslim Israeli guy, I'm saying that has nothing to do with our religion," Warraqi said. Warraqi is still hopeful that Jews, Arabs, Christians and Muslims can learn to live together in Israel, saying "we are all the same".

Persons: Jamal Waraqy, Israel Perlshtein, Eli Berlzon, Jamal Warraqi, Warraqi, Be'eri, they're, Krisztina, William Maclean Organizations: Be'eri, Reuters, Hamas, Thomson Locations: Rehovot, Israel, Israeli, Zaka, Gaza, East Jerusalem

☆ World Court: Azerbaijan must let ethnic Armenians return to Nagorno-Karabakh
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Irakli Gedenidze/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTHE HAGUE, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Judges at the World Court on Friday ordered Azerbaijan to let ethnic Armenians who fled Nagorno-Karabakh in September return, and to keep the Armenians remaining in the enclave safe, as part of a set of emergency measures. Azerbaijan in September recaptured the region, then controlled by its ethnic Armenian majority despite being internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan. The lightning offensive, after decades of enmity between Baku and Yerevan and a nine-month blockade of essential supplies by Baku, prompted the mass exodus of most of the region's 120,000 ethnic Armenians to neighbouring Armenia. Yerevan accused Azerbaijan of ethnic cleansing and asked the International Court of Justice, as the World Court is formally known, to issue emergency measures aimed at protecting the rights of ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan's foreign ministry said it had already pledged to ensure all residents’ safety and security, regardless of national or ethnic origin, and that it had not forced the ethnic Armenians to leave Karabakh.

Persons: Irakli, Joan Donoghue, Stephanie van den Berg, Nailia, Andrew Heavens, Hugh Lawson, William Maclean Organizations: REUTERS, HAGUE, International Court of Justice, Thomson Locations: Nagorno, Karabakh, Kornidzor, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Baku, Yerevan

☆ EU official channels gloom over Russia's war in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Gabriela Baczynska | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Persons: it's, Gabriela Baczynska, William Maclean Organizations: Union, Kyiv, European Commission, EU, Ukraine's, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Ukraine, Kyiv, Brussels, Hungary, EU, U.S

☆ Italy's cabinet backs crack down on women pickpockets
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Angelo Amante | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsROME, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Italy's rightist government on Thursday backed a raft of measures to improve public security including potentially tougher penalties for women offenders who are pregnant or have very young children, in a move aimed at pickpockets. The coalition League party had long called for the scrapping of a rule that prevents such women from being immediately detained, as part of its campaign against foreign pickpockets on public transport. "This is aimed at avoiding the use of the maternity status as an exemption when committing a crime," the minister said. In a statement, the Green-Left Alliance (AVS) called it an "abuse against pregnant women and their children ... who are blameless". The measure has been included in a government bill subject to approval by both houses of parliament before becoming law.

Persons: Guglielmo Mangiapane, Matteo Piantedosi, Angelo Amante, William Maclean, Mark Potter Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, League, - Left, Thomson Locations: Rome, Italy

[1/3] FILE PHOTO: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz looks on as he meets NATO's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Berlin, Germany, November 9, 2023. Wednesday's decision by the constitutional court could also set a precedent for fiscal responses to future crises. "FAR-REACHING CONSEQUENCES""The court ruling has far-reaching consequences for fiscal policy in Germany," said Clemens Fuest, President of the Ifo economic institute. This was done with the Second Supplementary Budget Act 2021, which retroactively amended the Budget Act for 2021. The constitutional court ruled that this act was incompatible with Germany's Basic Law and so was void.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Jens Stoltenberg, Liesa, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Christian Lindner, Lindner, Scholz, Robert Habeck, Clemens Fuest, Ralph Solveen, Habeck, Friedrich Merz, Maria Martinez, Christian Kraemer, Ursula Knapp, Matthias Williams, Kirsti Knolle, Madeline Chambers, Susan Fenton, William Maclean, Catherine Evans Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Finance, Union, Social Democrats, Free Democrats, Christian Democratic Union, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, Ukraine

☆ Israel says Palestinian Authority in current form should not run Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( Crispian Balmer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Israel has vowed to destroy Palestinian group Hamas, which governs Gaza, after its shock Oct. 7 cross-border assault and has launched a full-scale invasion of the territory. Washington has said Israel cannot occupy the enclave after the war, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken last week saying that the Gaza administration had to be re-unified with the nearby West Bank, parts of which are run by the Palestinian Authority (PA). Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a spokesperson for Abbas, told Reuters the Israelis were seeking to perpetuate divisions between the two Palestinian territories -- the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza. "Israeli attempts to separate Gaza from the West Bank will fail, and it will not be allowed, regardless of the pressures," he told Reuters. The PA used to run both the West Bank and Gaza but was ousted from the latter in 2007 after a brief civil war with Hamas.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Benny Gantz, Antony Blinken, Mahmoud Abbas, Netanyahu, Israel, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, Abbas, Emily Rose, Rami Ayyub, Ali, William Maclean, David Goodman Organizations: Rights, Palestinian Authority, Hamas, West, NBC News, Reuters, West Bank, Thomson Locations: Tel Aviv, Israel, ABIR, Gaza, Washington, West Bank, Jerusalem

☆ Erdogan Says Legal Amendment Could Be Needed to Solve Turkish Judicial Crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

ANKARA (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday parliament may pass a legal amendment to resolve a judicial crisis involving an unprecedented clash between two of the country's top courts. "It is not difficult to make legal arrangements regarding individual applications (to the Constitutional Court)," Erdogan told reporters on a flight back from Saudi Arabia, according to a text published by his office on Sunday. "But the work is not done after completing the legal amendments on individual applications," he added, signalling that more legal changes on the matter could be considered. At issue is a ruling by the Constitutional Court last month that jailed parliamentarian Can Atalay should be released. In response to the Constitutional Court ruling, the Court of Cassation said the Constitutional Court's ruling was unconstitutional.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, Osman, Cassation, Ozgur Ozel, Huseyin Hayatsever, William Maclean Organizations: Constitutional, Cassation, CHP Locations: ANKARA, Saudi Arabia

☆ Erdogan says legal amendment could be needed to solve Turkish judicial crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan attends Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, November, 11, 2023. "It is not difficult to make legal arrangements regarding individual applications (to the Constitutional Court)," Erdogan told reporters on a flight back from Saudi Arabia, according to a text published by his office on Sunday. "But the work is not done after completing the legal amendments on individual applications," he added, signalling that more legal changes on the matter could be considered. At issue is a ruling by the Constitutional Court last month that jailed parliamentarian Can Atalay should be released. In response to the Constitutional Court ruling, the Court of Cassation said the Constitutional Court's ruling was unconstitutional.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, Osman, Cassation, Ozgur Ozel, Huseyin Hayatsever, William Maclean Organizations: Islamic Cooperation, Saudi Press Agency, Handout, Rights, Constitutional, Cassation, CHP, Thomson Locations: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Rights ANKARA

☆ Gaza's displaced residents tell of fear and abandonment
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

“Nowhere is safe in Gaza. My son was injured and there was not a single hospital I could take him to so he could get stitches," said displaced Palestinian Ahmed al-Kahlout. He had been forced to leave his home to search for basic necessities for his family while "there are bodies filling Gaza's streets". The whole world has let us down, the progressive world that boasts about human rights has let us down." Outside Gaza's largest hospital, Al Shifa, entertainer Alaa Miqdad gathered displaced children and put on a clown show.

Persons: Abu Mustafa, Palestinian Ahmed, Mariam al, Al Shifa, Alaa Miqdad, Ismail al, Khan Younis, Giles Elgood, William Maclean Organizations: Hamas, REUTERS, United Nations Palestinian, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Israel, Palestinian, Borno, Beit Lahia

☆ Israel Says Palestinian Authority in Current Form Should Not Run Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Crispian BalmerJERUSALEM (Reuters) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has thrown up more doubts about the future of the Gaza Strip, suggesting that the Palestinian Authority in its current form should not take charge of the coastal enclave. Israel has vowed to destroy Palestinian group Hamas, which governs Gaza, following its shock Oct. 7 cross-border assault, and has launched a full-scale invasion of the territory. Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a spokesperson for Abbas, told Reuters the Israelis were seeking to perpetuate divisions between the two Palestinian territories -- the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza. "Israeli attempts to separate Gaza from the West Bank will fail, and it will not be allowed, regardless of the pressures," he said. The PA used to run both the West Bank and Gaza, but got ousted from the latter in 2007 after a brief civil war with Hamas.

Persons: Crispian Balmer JERUSALEM, Benjamin Netanyahu, Antony J, Blinken, Mahmoud Abbas, Netanyahu, Israel, Abbas, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, Emily Rose, Ali Sawafta, William Maclean Organizations: Palestinian Authority, Hamas, West, Reuters, West Bank Locations: Gaza, Israel, Washington, West Bank, Jerusalem, Ramallah

☆ Iraq expects deal to resume Kurdistan oil output within three days
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( Ahmed Rasheed | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Iraq's oil minister, Hayan Abdel-Ghani, speaks during a press conference at Iraq's Majnoon oil field near Basra, Iraq, May 12, 2023. REUTERS/Essam Al-Sudani/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSummaryCompanies Iraq reached understanding with Turkey on oil exportsBaghdad seeks deal to adjust KRG oil contractsBAGHDAD, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Iraqi oil minister Hayan Abdel-Ghani expects to reach an agreement with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and foreign oil companies to resume oil production from the Kurdish region’s oilfields within three days, he said on Sunday. Abdel-Ghani and top federal oil officials on Sunday started meetings with the KRG's ministry of natural resources and senior Kurdish energy officials to discuss the matter. "The purpose of this meeting is to resolve all issues to facilitate resumption of oil production and exports," Abdel-Ghani told reporters in Erbil. APIKUR's members include international oil and gas companies that have a direct or indirect interest in upstream oil or gas contracts in Iraq's Kurdistan region, many of which have had to stop output because of the pipeline closure.

Persons: Hayan Abdel, Ghani, Essam, Abdel, Ahmed Rasheed, William Maclean, David Goodman Organizations: REUTERS, Kurdistan Regional Government, of Commerce, ICC, Association of, Petroleum Industry, Thomson Locations: Basra, Iraq, Turkey, Baghdad, BAGHDAD, Kurdish, Erbil, Iraq's, Kurdistan, Ankara, Iraq's Kurdistan

☆ Senior Ukrainian officer coordinated Nord Stream attack: Washington Post
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Pipes for the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea, which are not used, are seen in the harbour of Mukran, Germany, on September 30, 2022. REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer/ File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsKYIV, Nov 12 (Reuters) - A Ukrainian military officer coordinated last year's attack on the Nord Stream natural gas pipeline, the Washington Post reported on Saturday, citing anonymous sources in Ukraine and Europe. Washington and NATO called it an act of sabotage, while Moscow said it was an act of international terrorism. Roman Chervinsky, a former intelligence official who served in the Ukrainian military's special forces, managed a six-person team but did not plan the attack, the Post reported. Germany, Denmark and Sweden have launched investigations into the Nord Stream explosions, which sent plumes of methane into the atmosphere in a leak that lasted several days.

Persons: Pipes, Fabian Bimmer, Roman, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Chervinsky, Viktor Hanushchak, Germany's Der, Dan Peleschuk, Tom Balmforth, William Maclean Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Washington Post, Reuters, Germany's Der Spiegel, Thomson Locations: Baltic, Mukran, Germany, Ukrainian, Ukraine, Europe, Bornholm, Washington, NATO, Moscow, Denmark, Sweden, Russian

☆ China-Germany Cooperation Has Become More Solid and Dynamic - China's Xi
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING (Reuters) - Cooperation between China and Germany has become more robust, solid and dynamic, Chinese President Xi Jinping told German Chancellor Olaf Scholz through a video link chat on Friday. In a wide-ranging discussion that touched on global trade, climate goals, the Israel-Hamas war and Ukraine crisis, the two leaders agreed that China-German relations are improving on several fronts. "China-Germany trade is developing steadily, two-way investment enthusiasm is high, and the cooperation between the two countries is becoming more stable, more solid and more dynamic," Xi was quoted as saying by state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV). Xi said both countries must not only develop good bilateral relations, but also safeguard the international order and multilateralism and work together to address global challenges, according to state media. In their meeting last November, both leaders jointly condemned threats of using nuclear weapons as the Ukraine-Russia conflict escalated.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Olaf Scholz, Xi, Scholz, Ella Cao, Bernard Orr, Tomasz Janowski, William Maclean Organizations: China Central Television, European Union Locations: BEIJING, Cooperation, China, Germany, Israel, Ukraine, Russia, Palestinian

☆ Hezbollah leader set to weigh in on Middle East war
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Many people in Lebanon are anxiously awaiting the 3 p.m. (1300 GMT) speech, rattled for weeks by fear of a catastrophic conflict. OVERSEEING THE BATTLEWhile Nasrallah has stayed out of the public eye since Oct. 7, other Hezbollah officials have indicated the group's combat readiness. But they have not set any red lines in the conflict with Israel. The speech will be broadcast to coincide with rallies called by Hezbollah to honour fallen fighters. Mutual threats of destruction have deterred Israel and Hezbollah from waging war across the Lebanese-Israeli frontier since 2006.

Persons: Nasrallah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Israel, Yemen's Houthis, sayyed, Prophet Mohammad, Hassan Fadlallah, Benjamin Netanyahu, Tom Perry, Angus MacSwan, William Maclean Organizations: U.S, Thomson Locations: Lebanon, BEIRUT, Palestinian, Iran, Israel, United States, Syria, Iraq, Gaza, Lebanese

☆ Israel cuts Gaza funds from Palestinian tax transfer
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Steven Scheer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Following a debate over whether to make the transfer as Israel battles Hamas militants in Gaza, the Israeli cabinet said it would also withhold money to offset stipends the PA pays to Palestinian militants and their families. There was no immediate comment from the PA, which in the past has refused to accept trimmed tax transfers. The PA is estimated to spend some 30% of its budget in Gaza, where it also pays for medicine and social assistance programs. Together with aid from foreign donors, the tax funds make up the bulk of the cash-strapped PA's public revenues and also help pay for civil servant salaries and other services in the West Bank. In 2019, the Palestinians rejected the tax money several times after Israel cut the sum over the PA's support to the families of jailed or slain Palestinian militants.

Persons: Bezalel Smotrich, Amir Cohen, Israel, Yoav Gallant, Mahmoud Abbas, Steven Scheer, Emily Rose, Rami Ayyub, Maytaal Angel, William Maclean, Sandra Maler Organizations: Finance, Tel, REUTERS, Rights, Palestinian Authority, West Bank, Palestinian, Bank, Hamas, Thomson Locations: Tel Aviv, Petah Tikva, Israel, Gaza

☆ Iran's appointment to chair UN rights meeting draws condemnation
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Emma Farge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

GENEVA, Nov 2 (Reuters) - The United States and rights groups complained on Thursday that it was "insulting" to allow Iran's envoy to chair a U.N. human rights council meeting in Geneva, citing violations by Iranian authorities, especially those against women. "Any discussion led by representatives of a regime that continually, and with impunity, infringes upon its own citizens’ human rights is not just fruitless, but an insult to our shared ideals," she added. The two-day meeting called the "social forum" is an annual meeting that aims to improve dialogue between governments and civil society groups, with this year's theme devoted to technology and human rights. Farideh Karimi, an Iranian woman who is president of Women's Human Rights International Association, said her organisation wrote to democratic countries asking them not to attend. Some non-governmental organisations took part, with Justice for Iran criticising Iran's ban on U.S. and UK COVID-19 vaccines.

Persons: Geneva Ali Bahreini, Michèle Taylor, Bahreini, Farideh, Gabrielle Tetrault, Farber, William Maclean Organizations: Reuters, Rights International Association, Thomson Locations: GENEVA, United States, Geneva, Islamic Republic, Iran, Asia, Pacific, China, Cuba, Venezuela, Iranian

☆ Gaza's Only Cancer Hospital Goes Out of Service - Health Officials
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

DUBAI (Reuters) - The only cancer treatment hospital in the Gaza Strip has gone out of service after it ran out of fuel, health officials said on Wednesday. The director of the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship hospital told a press conference aired by Al-Jazeera TV that the hospital, which mainly treats cancer patients, had used up its fuel and was now out of service. "We tell the world don't leave cancer patients to a certain death due to the hospital being out of service," the director, Subhi Skaik, added. "The lives of 70 cancer patients inside the hospital are seriously threatened," she said in a statement. The death toll in Gaza reached 8,796 Palestinians, including 3,648 children, on Wednesday, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-controlled enclave.

Persons: Subhi, Mai al, Kaila, Nayera Abdallah, William Maclean Organizations: Reuters, Al, Palestinian Health Locations: DUBAI, Gaza, Turkish, Palestinian, Israel

☆ Gaza's only cancer hospital goes out of service, health officials say
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Mohammed Salem/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsDUBAI, Nov 1 (Reuters) - The only cancer treatment hospital in the Gaza Strip has gone out of service after it ran out of fuel, health officials said on Wednesday. The director of the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship hospital told a press conference aired by Al-Jazeera TV that the hospital, which mainly treats cancer patients, had used up its fuel and was now out of service. "We tell the world don't leave cancer patients to a certain death due to the hospital being out of service," the director, Subhi Skaik, added. "The lives of 70 cancer patients inside the hospital are seriously threatened," she said in a statement. The death toll in Gaza reached 8,796 Palestinians, including 3,648 children, on Wednesday, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-controlled enclave.

Persons: Mohammed Salem, Subhi, Mai al, Kaila, Nayera Abdallah, William Maclean Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Al, Palestinian Health, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Rights DUBAI, Turkish, Palestinian, Israel

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