Scholz welcomes a 'difficult' guest: Turkey's Erdogan

For a state visit, Friday's visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Germany is remarkably low key. He is first meeting German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and then will have dinner with the chancellor, Olaf Scholz. Two meetings behind closed doors and a private dinner hardly speak of fanfare, BBC reports.

IDF says it has found Hamas tunnel shaft at al-Shifa hospital in Gaza

The Israeli military said late on Thursday that it uncovered a Hamas tunnel shaft and a vehicle with weapons at Gaza’s al-Shifa hospital complex, The Guardian reports.

Dozens injured in Chicago train crash

Dozens of passengers were injured on Thursday when a Chicago subway train smashed into a snow removal machine in the northern part of the city, CNN reports.

Zelensky says that artillery shell deliveries to Ukraine decreased since the start of Israel-Hamas war

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday, November 16, that deliveries of key artillery shells to his country had dropped off after fighting erupted between Israel and Hamas last month. Israel, which receives US military support, has relentlessly pounded the Gaza Strip since Hamas fighters launched an unprecedented assault on southern Israel last month, Le Monde reports.

Ukraine's Zelensky says Biden-Xi meeting 'good for us'

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday voiced optimism about a recent meeting between US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, AFP reports.

German Bundestag adds Moldova and Georgia to the list of safe countries

The German Bundestag adopted a bill adding Georgia and the Republic of Moldova to the list of so-called safe countries whose citizens' applications can be examined within an accelerated and simplified procedure, writes DW. The bill in question was passed on Thursday, November 16, with a large majority, with only the Left Party voting against.

Finland to close some border crossings with Russia after rise in asylum seekers

Finland will close four of the nine crossing points on its border with Russia on Saturday to stem a flow of asylum seekers to the Nordic nation, Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said on Thursday, Reuters reports.

The Turkish Parliament launches the ratification procedure of Sweden's NATO accession protocol

The Turkish parliament's foreign affairs commission delayed a vote on Sweden's NATO membership bid on Thursday in a further setback to the Nordic country's hopes of joining the Western alliance after 18 months of waiting, Reuters reports.

Xi Jinping and Joe Biden pledged to develop bilateral relations for the benefit of both countries

Joe Biden and Xi Jinping met in California on Wednesday, exchanging handshakes and smiles as they embarked on face-to-face dialogues that both sides hope will stabilise US-China relations, writes The Guardian.

Joe Biden and Xi Jinping agree to resume high-level military communication

US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping have agreed to resume military communications at a summit designed to stabilise relations after several years of rising concern about a possible conflict over Taiwan, Financial Times reports.

Xi Jinping and Joe Biden, meeting in San Francisco. The Chinese leader began his visit to the United States, the first in six years

Xi is on his first visit to the US since 2017. He is due to meet Biden at an undisclosed location in the San Francisco Bay Area on Wednesday morning and then attend the annual summit of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, AFP reports.

Another 17 Romanian citizens and their family members were evacuated from the Gaza Strip

Another 17 Romanian citizens and their family members left the Gaza Strip yesterday, through the Rafah border point, and are on Egyptian territory, the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced last night.