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  • Settler violence is erasing Palestinian communities in the West Bank

    Violence by Israeli settlers, long aimed at depopulating rural Palestinian parts of the occupied West Bank, had grown common in the months since Prime Minister President Benjamin Netanyahu returned to power in late December — at the head of a coalition that included far-right settler activists who have been convicted of anti-Arab incitement and have advocated for the annexation of the West Bank.

  • Afghans return to Taliban rule as Pakistan moves to expel 1.7 million

    As the clock ticked down to the Nov. 1 deadline Pakistan set for undocumented migrants to leave the country, Muhammad Rahim boarded a bus from Karachi to the Afghan border.

    "We'd live here our whole life if they didn't send us back," said the 35-year-old Afghan national, who was born in Pakistan, married a Pakistani woman and raised his Pakistan-born children in the port city - but has no Pakistani identity documents.

  • World Bank sees lower 2024 oil price, but Middle East war could cause spike

    The World Bank said on Monday it expected global oil prices to average $90 a barrel in the fourth quarter and fall to an average of $81 in 2024 as slowing growth eases demand, but warned that an escalation of the latest Middle East conflict could spike prices significantly higher.

    The World Bank's latest Commodity Markets Outlook report noted that oil prices have risen only about 6% since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, while prices of agricultural commodities, most metals and other commodities "have barely budged."

  • Saudi banks witness unprecedented savings growth, lending expansion

    Saudi citizens exhibited a remarkable surge in their savings habits in August, achieving the highest savings rate in over a decade, according to data released by the Kingdom’s central bank, also known as SAMA. Saudi Arabia’s money supply expanded by 10 percent compared to the same period the previous year, marking the most substantial annual growth since August 2014.

  • Saudi banks witness unprecedented savings growth, lending expansion

    Saudi citizens exhibited a remarkable surge in their savings habits in August, achieving the highest savings rate in over a decade, according to data released by the Kingdom’s central bank, also known as SAMA. Saudi Arabia’s money supply expanded by 10 percent compared to the same period the previous year, marking the most substantial annual growth since August 2014.

  • Lebanese boats warned off fishing areas amid border clashes

    Fishermen in the Lebanese city of Tyre are among those counting the costs of war in the Middle East. As Israel and Hezbollah clash, it is too dangerous to sail into nearby fishing grounds. "Already our fish were scarce. Now we have the war," said fisherman Imad Azuzu. "If we venture a little in the sea, we do so in fear." His industry has been hit by the effects of the war that erupted on Oct. 7 between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. The Lebanese Shi'ite group Hezbollah - a Hamas ally - has been trading fire with Israel at the border.

  • Real Madrid closes new deal with Saudi Investment Bank

    Real Madrid have closed a new sponsorship deal with Saudi Investment Bank (SAIB), a leading financial institution in Saudi Arabia. The agreement aims to introduce unique customer experiences to the bank’s clients and connect with Real Madrid fans in the Kingdom.

    SAIB will become an official partner of Real Madrid and will have access to exclusive benefits and opportunities, such as hosting events, offering promotions, and creating digital content with the club. The partnership will also help SAIB to expand its customer base and enhance its brand awareness in Saudi Arabia and beyond.

  • Egypt’s economy freefalls as experts look to lessons from Lebanon’s crisis

    As Egypt’s economic crisis deepens, many analysts have begun drawing comparisons to Lebanon’s slide into economic meltdown in recent years. However, economists emphasise that Egypt’s challenges, while serious, may not necessarily indicate an identical path if reforms are carried out swiftly and decisively. Egypt’s economy is facing severe headwinds, with worsening debt and foreign exchange shortage issues exacerbating a bruising crisis. The country’s external loans have ballooned to over $160 billion in recent years, weighing on fiscal stability, while foreign exchange shortages have driven pound devaluations and restrictions on offshore debit card use.

  • Lebanese PM visits troops at border with Israel while Saudi Arabia evacuates families of diplomats

    Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister Tuesday visited troops deployed near the border with Israel and U.N. peacekeepers, as Saudi Arabia evacuated the families of diplomatic staff because of ongoing clashes between Hezbollah militants and Israeli troops. The Saudi move comes amid rising tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border, where Hezbollah members have been exchanging fire with Israeli troops daily for two weeks.

  • West Bank a possible ‘third front’ for Israel

    Violence in the occupied West Bank has surged since Israel began bombarding the Gaza Strip and clashing with Hezbollah at the Lebanon border, fuelling concerns that the flashpoint Palestinian territory could become a third front in a wider war.

    Israel is waging war against the militant Hamas group in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza, but Israeli soldiers and settlers pulled out of Gaza in 2005. Israel still occupies the West Bank, captured along with Gaza in a 1967 Middle East war.