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In a significant development toward easing the ongoing conflict in Gaza, a meeting took place on Thursday at an elegant white-domed palace in Qatar. The Prime Minister of Qatar, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani, hosted the spy chiefs of the United States and Israel, namely CIA Director William J. Burns and Mossad chief David Barnea. This gathering marked a hopeful moment after a month of intense, behind-the-scenes diplomacy.

The Syrian Democratic Council is the political wing of the Syrian Democratic Forces in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria. SDF controls roughly 25% of Syrian territory and has established an autonomous administration in northeast Syria. Currently, areas controlled by the SDF are being attacked by Turkey. In addition to this, the SDF is also having sporadic clashes with Syrian government forces. In an exclusive interview with Manish Rai the Co-chairperson of the Syrian Democratic Council, Amina Omar discussed the current political landscape of North Syria.

For Bangladesh, an inexorable decline of its economy during the last couple of years has added to the present tensions it faces in its uneasy relationship with the US. This has rendered the position of the ruling Awami League (AL) politically more vulnerable as it continues its pre-election campaign for the 2024 Parliamentary elections.

The world was awakened a month ago to the deadliest attack Israel has ever faced. Operationally, Israel was responding to an attack by Hamas, the organisation that governs the Gaza Strip, by conducting operations within the Palestinian territory. The second month of the Israeli-Hamas confrontation is about to begin. According to Israeli data released on October 7, the massacre in Israel claimed 1,400 lives - in a nation of slightly over 9 million people. The majority of the victims were civilians, killed at a rave in the desert and their homes close to the Gaza Strip border. The country was split between grief, rage, and protests. Regarding the 240 persons, not just Israelis, who were abducted and carried into the Gaza Strip by terrorists, there hasn't been any news for a month. A female soldier was freed during a raid, and four hostages have been set free.

Despite pledges by 151 national governments to achieve net-zero emission by phasing out fossil fuels production, the world is set to double its production by 2030. A new report from the UN environment agency (UNEP) has warned that global coal production would continue to increase at least until 2030, while oil and gas production will continue growing until at least 2050, and their demand would peak this decade, even without new policies.

The national elections in Bangladesh are scheduled to be held in January 2024. The Shiekh Hasina-led Awami League will try to continue its uninterrupted stint in power since 2009. The united opposition led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, whose top leader, Khaleda Zia, is serving a 17-year jail term since 2018 on corruption charges, is demanding a fair election under a neutral government.

As Israel grieved in the aftermath of the October 7 tragedy, where more than 1,400 citizens lost their lives due to the actions of Hamas terrorists, US President Joe Biden visited Tel-Aviv to pledge American support. However, during an appearance with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden also emphasized the need for caution. He drew parallels to the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks in the United States, where there was a mix of seeking justice and making mistakes.

Portugal may face another national elections early next year as the Prime Minister of the ruling Socialist Party government Antonio Costa resigned on Tuesday November 7 after the police arrested the PM’s chief of staff and allegations were galore about the involvement of the PM office in huge cases of corruption in the government.

Gershon Baskin may be one of the few sane voices left on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian divide. Baskin speaks with authority when he denounces the Israeli assault on Gaza as a war crime and Hamas for its brutal October 7 attack on Israel that killed 1,400, primarily civilian, Israelis.

A hypothetical President Joe Biden versus his predecessor, Donald Trump, contest in the 2024 U.S. presidential race is too close to call. Elections will be held on November 5, 2024, just a year away.