Qatar: Disregard media reports casting doubt on Gaza mediation efforts
Majed al-Ansari, the official spokesperson for Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has said that some media reports have been casting doubt and leveling accusations “against the ongoing mediation efforts to halt the aggression in Gaza”.
The official said Qatar’s joint mediation efforts with Egypt and the US are continuing, and he affirmed “that the three countries are working in full coordination to achieve an immediate and lasting ceasefire in Gaza, and the exchange of prisoners and hostages”.
Qatar, Egypt hail European countries’ decision to recognise Palestinian state
Egypt, which has engaged in mediation efforts between Israel and Hamas alongside Qatar and the US, has hailed the move by Ireland, Norway and Spain to recognise a Palestinian state as a “welcome step”.
The announcement supports “international efforts to create a political horizon that can lead to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state”, Egypt’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
Mediator Qatar similarly welcomed the announcement as an “important step in support of a two-state solution”, also expressing hope that other countries would do the same.
Tens of thousands fill streets of Tehran for Iranian president’s funeral
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei leads prayers in capital city days after death of Ebrahim Raisi and seven others in helicopter crash
Tens of thousands of Iranians attended the Tehran funeral of the Iranian president, Ebrahim Raisi, whose death in a helicopter crash on a fog shrouded mountain on Sunday has opened up a potentially volatile moment in Iranian politics.
He died with seven others, including the foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, who was hailed by Hamas on Wednesday as the minister for the resistance.
Amid chaotic crowd scenes, the coffins of those killed were shown to people gathered for the funeral as the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, led prayers at the University of Tehran, where he embraced Raisi’s grandchildren and urged Iranians to remember a devoted servant. Many Iranians revile Raisi for his role in killing thousands of political prisoners during his political career.
Germany: Antisemitic incidents in Berlin hit record levels
The number of incidents reported in the German capital increased by almost 50% in 2023, according to new figures. The majority of cases were documented after the October 7 terror attack on Israel.
A total of 1,270 antisemitic incidents were documented in Berlin in 2023, according to Germany's Federal Association of Departments for Research and Information on Antisemitism (RIAS).
The figure represents an almost 50% increase on the previous year and a record number of incidents in the capital in a single calendar year since RIAS began its work in 2015.
According to RIAS, over 60% of incidents were recorded between October 7, when the Palestinian militant Islamist group Hamas attacked Israel, killing around 1,200 Israelis and taking about 250 more hostages, and the end of 2023, by which time a humanitarian crisis had unfolded in Gaza following Israel's retaliatory operation.
Indian elections: Political parties are betting on influencers to court young voters
India's six-week-long election is still underway and the next round is due to take place on Saturday. But there are concerns that the blistering heat is going to have an impact on turnout. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi is widely expected to win a third term in office. His party is keen to court younger voters and in order to get their support, they have been turning to influencers.
Foreigners object to move to revoke permanent resident status
THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
May 22, 2024 at 17:32 JST
Foreigners are expressing concerns about a bill pending in the Diet that includes a provision allowing for their permanent resident status to be revoked if they fail to pay taxes or social welfare premiums.
The proposal popped up in a highly publicized bill to revise the immigration law focused on the system to replace the heavily criticized technical intern training program.
The bill passed the Lower House plenary session on May 21 and now goes to the Upper House, where it is expected to pass and become law.
Africa’s richest man says he needs 35 visas to travel in Africa – way more than a European visitor
Even Africa’s wealthiest man has trouble traveling in his own continent.
Despite doing business in multiple countries, Nigerian-born Aliko Dangote complains he faces far more hurdles crossing Africa than visitors with European passports ever do.
“As an investor, as someone who wants to make Africa great, I have to apply for 35 different visas on my passport,” Dangote told the recent Africa CEO Forum in Kigali.
“I really don’t have the time to go and drop off my passport in embassies to get a visa,” he said to laughter from the audience
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