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Israeli forces kill Palestinian in West Bank

Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian on Friday during clashes in the flashpoint occupied West Bank city of Hebron, the latest in a surge of violence, the Palestinian health ministry said.

The 29-year-old Palestinian was shot and killed "with live ammunition", the ministry said in a brief statement.

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Israel and UAE agree 'milestone' free trade deal

Israel and the United Arab Emirates said Friday they had agreed on the terms of a free trade agreement to boost commercial relations following their normalization of ties.

Israel described as "historic" the deal abolishing customs duties on "95 percent of the products" exchanged between the Jewish state and Gulf Arab country.

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Turkey to OK Khashoggi murder trial's move to Saudi Arabia

Turkey's justice minister said Friday that the government will recommend that an Istanbul court close a trial in absentia against 26 Saudi nationals charged in the slaying of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi and transfer the case to Saudi Arabia.

Bekir Bozdag spoke a day after a Turkish prosecutor requested the transfer, in line with a request from the kingdom.

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Tunisia probes speaker for 'conspiracy' after parliament meets

Tunisia has summoned for questioning the speaker of the dissolved parliament for "conspiracy against state security" after lawmakers met online in the North African nation, a spokesman said Friday.

Rached Ghannouchi, who also heads the Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party, received a summons on Thursday "to question him about the holding of a plenary meeting", party spokesman Imed Khemiri said.

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High oil prices, Ukraine war at Saudi pivot point

A spike in global energy prices benefits Saudi Arabia as the world's top oil exporter, but problems remain for the kingdom's impulsive crown prince.

Whether trying to find jobs for a growing number of unemployed youth or finding a way to end the long war he launched in Yemen, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and his father King Salman now face a potential pivot point for the kingdom amid Russia's war on Ukraine.

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Iraq's al-Sadr steps back, asks rivals to try form government

A powerful Iraqi Shiite cleric has said that he was stepping back for the next 40 days and giving his Iran-backed rivals the chance to form the country's next government.

The surprising move by Muqtada al-Sadr comes against the backdrop of a persisting political deadlock in Iraq, five months after general elections.

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Party's over: Dubai's monthslong Expo 2020 comes to a close

The world's fair in Dubai, a tech-saturated site teeming with talking robots and solar canopies, sought to be the future.

Now, it's history.

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Zelensky recalls envoys to Georgia, Morocco

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has recalled Ukraine’s ambassadors to Georgia and Morocco, suggesting they haven’t done enough to persuade those countries to support Ukraine and punish Russia for the invasion.

“With all due respect, if there won’t be weapons, won’t be sanctions, won’t be restrictions for Russian business, then please look for other work,” Zelenskyy said in his nighttime video address to the nation Wednesday. “I am waiting for concrete results in the coming days from the work of our representatives in Latin America, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Africa.”

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Prosecutor seeks end to Khashoggi murder trial in Turkey

The prosecutor in the case against 26 Saudi nationals charged in the slaying of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi made a surprise request Thursday that their trial in absentia be suspended and the case be transferred to Saudi Arabia.

The panel of judges made no ruling on the prosecutor's request but decided that a letter be sent to Turkey's Justice Ministry seeking its opinion on the possible transfer of the file to the Saudi judicial authorities, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. Trial was adjourned to a later date.

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Palestinian killed after stabbing Israeli in West Bank

A Palestinian stabbed and wounded an Israeli passenger on a bus in the southern occupied West Bank on Thursday before being shot dead by a separate passenger, the Israeli army said.

"A Palestinian terrorist stabbed an Israeli civilian on a bus at the Neve Daniel junction," the army said in a statement.

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