The European Union (EU) on Saturday urged Israel to reopen all Gaza border crossings to allow immediate, unimpeded access and sustained distribution of humanitarian assistance and early recovery support at scale.In a statement published by the European External Action Service (EEAS), the EU

CAIRO, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- Eighteen Arab and Islamic countries on Saturday condemned an Israeli airstrike on Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, that killed at least six Palestinians and wounded more than 20 others, including children and medical personnel.The countries include Egypt, Qatar, Sudan, Libya, Palestine, Djibouti, Somalia, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Mauritania, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Türkiye, Pakistan, Indonesia, Algeria, Kuwait and Lebanon.In their joint statement, the foreign ministers of these countries said the attack on Thursday violated international humanitarian law, which guarantees special protection for medical facilities and healthcare personnel.They also condemned continued Israeli attacks on Palestinian civilians, including displaced people, warning that such strikes undermine the ceasefire and efforts to restore stability in Gaza, the statement read.The ministers urged Israel to fully uphold the ceasefire, protect civilians and ensure the unimpeded delivery of sufficient humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, it added.

TEHRAN, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- The navy of Iran's Army said on Saturday that two violating oil tankers caught fire earlier in the day after hitting naval mines east of the Strait of Hormuz.The vessels, which had turned off their navigation, identification and tracking systems, were transiting the unsafe and forbidden region east of the strait in disregard of the warnings, the navy said in statements on the army's website.One of the vessels was brought to a halt following the blast, it said, warning that suffering explosions and catching fire is the fate awaiting those violating vessels seeking passage through the forbidden regions in the waterway.Iran tightened its grip on the strait on Feb. 28, barring safe passage of vessels belonging to or affiliated with Israel and the United States following their joint strikes on Iranian territory.On Friday night, the navy of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps also reported two violating oil tankers exploded and caught fire earlier in the day after hitting naval mines while attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz through an unauthorized route.

RAMALLAH, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- The Commission Against the Wall and Settlements, affiliated with the Palestine Liberation Organization, said Saturday that it had identified 11 settlement plans in the West Bank, involving the expansion of residential neighborhoods and the development of industrial and commercial zones.In a press statement, the commission said the plans include the construction of 895 housing units, as well as projects to develop economic and service infrastructure of Israeli settlements.The plans seek to increase housing capacity, convert agricultural land and open spaces into urban and industrial areas, and expand services and facilities to support the settlements' continued growth, the statement said.The plans are spread across the governorates of Qalqilya, Salfit, Nablus, Ramallah, Al-Bireh and Hebron, as well as areas under the jurisdiction of the Gush Etzion Regional Council, an Israeli regional authority overseeing settlements in the southern West Bank.The commission warned that converting agricultural land and open spaces into settlement neighborhoods and facilities would intensify pressure on Palestinian land and restrict the expansion and geographical contiguity of Palestinian communities.It said the plans reflect a continued policy of consolidating Israeli settlement presence and reshaping land use to ensure the settlements' long-term expansion, at the expense of Palestinian rights.There has been no official Israeli comment on the plans.Israel occupied the West Bank during the 1967 Middle East war and subsequently established settlements there, a move widely regarded as illegal under international law.Settlement expansion has accelerated under Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, alongside a surge in settler violence against Palestinians. The United Nations recorded 457 settler attacks causing casualties or property damage in October, the highest monthly figure since records began in 2006.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in remarks published Saturday that the United States has floated the idea of Ukraine ceding territory to Russia in exchange for NATO membership.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lifted a nationwide ground stop on Friday evening after hours of disruption affected thousands of flights across the country.Flight cancellations and delays are expected to continue through the weekend.At a press conference, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy blamed the country's incredibly old air traffic control system for the nationwide ground stop. He asked Congress for 50 billion U.S. dollars in emergency funding to overhaul the aging air traffic control infrastructure.Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin, who was also at the press conference Friday evening, said that while nothing was completely certain at that point, there were no indications that a cyberattack was responsible.Earlier, Duffy said on the social media platform X that the FAA had issued the nationwide ground stop following a communication issue impacting all air route traffic control centers.U.S. media reported that the FAA had issued an advisory citing extraordinary circumstances and reasons of safety as grounds for the nationwide ground stop, describing it as a rare move.More than 10,000 flights were disrupted, according to a report by CNBC, which noted that more flight cancellations were expected to extend into Saturday.U.S. President Donald Trump said the nationwide ground stop does not appear to be the result of a cyberattack or artificial intelligence, according to Fox News senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy.It doesn't seem like that, Doocy told The Ingraham Angle after speaking with Trump by phone. Trump believed that the disruption appeared to stem from a bunch of old broken stuff that the FAA relies on to keep air travel operating.Earlier on Friday, Eurocontrol said that all flights departing from its member states for U.S. airports were suspended at the request of the FAA. The suspension covers departures between 2200 GMT on Friday and 0500 GMT on Saturday.The U.S. nationw...

Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Saturday called for leveraging Thailand's geographic advantages, making good use of policy dividends such as the entry into force of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 Upgrade Protocol, and expanding cooperation in third-party markets worldwide.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang said on Saturday that Chinese and Thai enterprises should follow the prevailing trend and seize opportunities to elevate their cooperation to higher levels. Li made the remarks while attending a symposium with Chinese and Thai entrepreneurs, along with Thai Prime Minister