UNITED NATIONS: The Palestinian envoy to the United Nations on Tuesday described Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip and vow to impose a complete siege on the Hamas-controlled Palestinian enclave as “nothing less than genocidal.”
Hamas militants carried out their deadliest attack in Israel’s history on Saturday, when gunmen rampaged through Israeli towns, killing more than 1,000 people and taking scores of hostages to Gaza. Israel has retaliated with air strikes on Gaza that have razed entire districts as it prepares for a possible ground offensive.

LONDON: A source in the Jordanian Armed Forces on Tuesday denied suggestions that the US Army is used military bases in Jordan to deliver supplies to Israel, the Kuwait News Agency reported.

The source said that rumors a US military aircraft had taken off from Jordan are baseless. Such allegations are part of a smear campaign against Jordan and its firm position and ongoing efforts in support of the Palestinian cause, they added, and highlight the importance of obtaining news from reliable sources.

LONDON: The UN General Assembly on Tuesday elected Kuwait as one of 15 new members of the Human Rights Council.

The council, the membership of which consists of 47 countries elected by secret ballot, is responsible for upholding and advancing fundamental freedoms around the world.

Kuwait joins Albania, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burundi, China, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, France, Ghana, Indonesia, Japan, Malawi and the Netherlands as new members who will for three years beginning on Jan. 1.

LONDON: The UAE and Georgia have signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, with the aim of trebling non-oil trade from $481 million to $1.5 billion within five years.

This agreement was witnessed by Emirati Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid and his Georgian counterpart, Irakli Garibashvili. Sheikh Mohammed said that the partnership is testament to the UAE’s unwavering efforts to boost economic growth and trade ties with allied nations, the Emirates News Agency reported on Tuesday.

TUNIS: As the Israel-Palestine conflict once again flares up, threatening to plunge the Middle East into a new crisis, it does not mean that the other serious problems plaguing the Middle East and North Africa region are petering out.