Middle East crisis

October 9, 2024 3:42 PM

Israel carries out new strikes in Gaza, UN chief says many trapped in north

At least 45 people were killed in Israeli military strikes on Gaza in the past 24 hours, Palestinian medics said on Wednesday, as Israeli forces pressed on with a raid on the Jabalia refugee camp in the enclave's north. The Israeli military says the raid, now in its fifth day, is intended to stop Hamas fighters staging further attacks from Jabalia and to prevent them regrouping. It has repeatedly issued evacuation orders to residents of Jabalia and nearby areas, but Palestinian and U.N. offici...

Japan’s economy skids, clouding BOJ’s rate hike plans

Japan's economy fell faster than expected in the first quarter as the weak yen continued to batter consumers, throwing a fresh challenge to the central bank's push to get interest rates further away from near zero. Preliminary gross domestic product (GDP) data from the Cabinet Office on Thursday showed Japan's economy shrank 2.0% annualised in January-March from the prior quarter, faster than the 1.5% drop seen in a Reuters poll of economists. Downwardly revised data showed GDP barely grew in ...