SANAA -- U.S. airstrikes on Yemeni fuel port of Ras Isa on Thursday have killed 17 people and injured dozens more, Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported Friday.
It said the victims were workers and employees of the port. (Yemen-US Strikes-Casualties)
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GAZA -- Hamas said on Thursday evening that it is ready to immediately begin negotiations on a deal to swap all Israeli hostages with an agreed-upon number of Palestinian prisoners, in a bid to completely stop the Gaza war.
Hamas expressed "readiness to immediately begin negotiations on a comprehensive package, whereby all prisoners held by the resistance and an agreed-upon number of Palestinian prisoners in the occupation's prisons are released," Khalil Al-Hayya, head of Hamas in Gaza, said in a video speech. (Gaza-Hamas-Prisoner Exchange Deal)
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MUSCAT -- Oman's Foreign Ministry confirmed on Thursday that it will continue to mediate a second round of nuclear talks between U.S. and Iranian officials scheduled to take place in Rome on Saturday.
In a statement, the ministry said the Italian capital was chosen as the new site for the talks due to logistical reasons, expressing hope that the discussions could make further progress toward reaching a just, binding, and sustainable agreement. (Oman-Nuke Talks-Mediation)
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ANKARA -- Türkiye's central bank raised its key interest rate by 350 points on Thursday, from 42.5 percent to 46 percent, reversing its previous easing cycle.
The bank's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) acknowledged that the underlying inflation trend had moderated in March. However, it flagged an uptick in monthly core goods inflation for April and noted that domestic demand remained stronger than anticipated, potentially slowing the disinflation process. (Türkiye-Central Bank-Rate Hike) ■
