Seattle Daily Star

  Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said he had accepted the apology Russian President Vladimir Putin has apologised to Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett over anti-Semitic comments made by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Mr Bennett’s office said on Thursday. After a call with the Russian leader, Mr Bennett said he had accepted the apology and thanked Mr Putin “for clarifying his attitude towards the Jewish people and the memory of the Holocaust”. Mr Bennett also said he asked Putin to consider allowing the evacuation of the besieged Azovstal steel works in the Ukrainian port of Mariupol. The Israeli leader said he made that request following an earlier conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and that Mr Putin promised to set up a corridor for civilian evacuation. Mr Lavrov on Sunday caused a row with Israel when he said that Adolf Hitler had “Jewish blood”. In an interview with Italian television news, Russia’s veteran foreign minister al...

  He will first arrive in Berlin for talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting France, Germany and Denmark for talks amid the continuing conflict in Ukraine. The three-day trip will begin in Berlin on Monday for talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. “My visit to Europe comes at a time when the region faces many challenges and choices,” Mr Modi said before flying out on Sunday. “Through my engagements, I intend to strengthen the spirit of co-operation with our European partners, who are important companions in India’s quest for peace and prosperity.“ Mr Modi will on Monday co-chair the sixth India -Germany Inter-Governmental Consultations — a dialogue format of ministers from both sides. He and Chancellor Scholz will then jointly address a business event “with the goal of energising industry to industry co-operation” to help strengthen the post-Covid economic recovery in both countries. Mr Modi will discuss further easing immi...

  In an exclusive interview, Jihad Azour, director of the fund’s Middle East and Central Asia Department, says rising prices risk social stability in lower-income countries Gathering international co-operation will be necessary to help prevent a food crisis in the Middle East and North Africa this year as the war in Ukraine drives prices higher and risks supply, the IMF ’s regional director said. On Wednesday, the fund released its Middle East and Central Asia Regional Economic Outlook, which shows a divergent picture in 2022 for the region, with oil exporters such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia set to earn higher revenue this year compared with 2021, thanks to higher oil prices. Uncertainty is also increasing with the duration of the war in Ukraine, a significant factor in how the rest of Mena will fare amid rising inflation and growing food insecurity. Jihad Azour, director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the IMF, told the Business Extra podcast that co-operation...