The three-day visit of Chinese leader Xi Jinping to Saudi Arabia last week and his talks with the Saudi rulers and other important GCC leaders, as well as the signing of dozens of agreements with Riyadh, shows that Beijing is trying to increase its influence in the region.
First, the failure of the parties involved to reach an agreement on a nuclear deal that would significantly reduce economic sanctions on Iran and in exchange Tehran would reduce its nuclear program -which is seen by the West as aiming at building a nuclear bomb- and would allow international monitoring.
Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar was quoted by the official Anadolu news agency as saying that "so far 471 targets have been struck and 254 terrorists were neutralized in the operation", while the Kurdish YPG which strongly denies any involvement in the Istanbul bombing says that 30 civilians and 11 of its fighters were killed.
The deadly explosion on Istanbul's bustling Istiklal Street at 4.20 pm on November 13 was immediately blamed by the Turkish government on the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the People's Defense Units (YPG). However, there are strong suspicions that it could be another false flag operation, aiming at serving President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's aims.
The mayor of Istanbul Ekrem Imamoglu, who is seen as one of most popular opponents of Erdogan, and the leader of the main opposition Republican Party Kemal Kilicdaroglu have already been indicted for speaking ill of Turkey, and under the draconian laws of the country, if convicted, will be banned from taking part in the elections.
A right-wing - religious parties coalition led by former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emerged as the winner in the Israeli elections held on November 1- the fifth such election in four years - controlling 64 seats in the 120- member Knesset (the Israeli Parliament).
President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in a speech made last Friday in Ankara which was presented as Erdogan's vision for Turkey in the next century but was generally seen as his election campaign manifesto for the coming elections next June, promised a new constitution that would guarantee the rights and freedoms of citizens.
Landmark maritime deal has been signed between Israel and Lebanon at the headquarters of UN Interim Force in the border Lebanese town of Naqoura. The deal will likely have ramifications in relations between the two countries as they have been at war for a long.
Russia is sending swarms of Iranian "kamikaze" drones against Ukrainian cities. Military analysts say that the use of drones is unlikely to change the outcome of the war in Ukraine.
Nicosia [Cyprus], October 10 (ANI): A controversial memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed last Monday between the government of Turkey and Libya's Tripoli-based interim government concerning the exploration of hydrocarbons by mixed Turkish-Libyan companies in Libya's territorial waters has angered East Mediterranean countries, particularly Greece, Egypt and Cyprus and it poses a serious threat to stability in the eastern Mediterranean.