AFP news

Arab nations have generally been reluctant to tackle the subject, given that Nazi Germany's mass murder of Jews in gas chambers and on death marches was a key factor leading to the 1948 creation of the state of Israel.

That industrial hub has become the epicenter of the grinding war in eastern Ukraine, involving mass artillery strikes, slow advances and high casualties for both sides.

Addressing MPs, Raisi tried to reassure Iranians over the economy which faces a serious crisis due primarily to US sanctions, mainly on oil exports.

Leader of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish party Shas, Deri played a pivotal role in Netanyahu's return to power following Israel's November 1 elections.

"Russian losses are beginning to approach around 180,000 dead or wounded soldiers," Norwegian Chief of Defence Eirik Kristoffersen said in an interview with TV2, without specifying how the numbers were calculated.

The death toll came a week after China said nearly 60,000 people had died with Covid in hospitals in just over a month -- but there has been widespread scepticism over official data since Beijing abruptly axed anti-virus controls last month.

Regional heavyweights Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were not represented at all at the gathering -- a preparatory session ahead of a foreign ministers' meeting in Cairo.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced that Turkey's elections will be held on May 14 -- a month earlier than scheduled -- as the opposition still searches for a unified candidate to stand against him.

There are signs that Burkina Faso, like its neighbour Mali, is turning towards Russia as a partner.

Adani Enterprises will offer investors 200 billion rupees' ($2.5 billion) worth of new shares at a discount, as it looks to lower its ballooning debt and further fuel expansion.

For Qatar-owned PSG, Messi and Kylian Mbappe both scored and Neymar missed a penalty before they withdrew on the hour-mark alongside Ronaldo, who was representing a composite Saudi side, to leave the world's four best-paid players watching from the bench in Riyadh.

Iran is accused by campaigners of holding over two dozen foreign nationals, some for years on end, in a deliberate strategy of "hostage diplomacy" aimed at extracting concessions from the West.

A corruption scandal involving European Parliament members that erupted last month sent shockwaves through EU circles in Brussels, with MEPs accused of taking bribes from Morocco and Qatar.

A skilled camel herder can use his voice alone to soothe an animal, make it kneel and even signal a change in direction as they trudge together through the desert sands, said the UN cultural agency.

The announcement sets the stage for a vote that could either extend Erdogan's Islamic style of rule into a third decade or turn the country on a sharply more secular -- and potentially predictable -- course.

The United States is finalizing a $20 billion package for Turkey that is expected to include around 40 new F-16 fighter jets.

"We want to lessen our dependence on oil... We want to diversify our economy, it is important, it is essential," Al-Ibrahim told AFP at the World Economic Forum.

The Washington state-based company, which industry trackers say has more than 220,000 workers, trimmed its ranks of employees twice last year.

The 99-year-old former secretary of state and apostle of realpolitik has for months advocated a ceasefire in the Ukraine war that would in effect accept some military gains by Russia.

The Ukraine conflict, which has forced Russians out of the Davos meetings, is again dominating the conversation and likely to be at the heart of Tuesday's special address by European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen.

Police said some 12,000 people took part in the demonstration in the eastern French city, with the rally marching towards the parliament where a monthly plenary session was being held.

The Egyptian pound has lost half its value against the dollar since March, following a devaluation demanded as part of a $3 billion International Monetary Fund loan agreement.

CARE, Save the Children, and International Rescue Committee (IRC) suspended their operations in late December in protest at a government order banning Afghan women from aid work, the latest rollback of women's rights in the country.

The hanging of an effigy of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan showing him dangling by his legs from a rope in Stockholm does not warrant a criminal investigation, prosecutors said Monday.

Dramatic rescue efforts unfolded at a tower block in the eastern city of Dnipro, shattered by a Russian missile strike that left 30 people dead and an estimated 34 people missing.

"The fundamental reason" for this depreciation is "external constraints", said Muzhar Saleh, a financial adviser to Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani.

Mursal Nabizada had been a member of parliament in the US-backed government that was overthrown by the Taliban in August 2021.

Two of the main contenders Loeb's compatriot Stephane Peterhansel and Spaniard Carlos Sainz failed to finish the race.

The clear-out had initially been expected to last weeks, but police said on Sunday only two activists remained in the village, holed up in an underground tunnel.