Oman Observer

LONDON — Demonstrators took to the streets across Britain yesterday to protest against Israeli airstrikes on Gaza. The biggest rally was in London, where organisers were expecting thousands of protesters including singer Annie Lennox and former London mayor Ken Livingstone to march through the British capital.

GAZA CITY — The Israeli military has carried out more than 700 strikes on Gaza since it launched a massive offensive on Hamas a week ago, killing at least 435 Palestinians, the army and medics said yesterday. At least 75 children and 21 women
have been killed during the offensive on one of the world’s most densely populated areas, according to Gaza medics.

RIYADH — Foreign ministers of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference opened their meeting on the Gaza violence yesterday by slamming Israel’s “ruthless aggression” and urging a ceasefire. OIC Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu
told ministers gathered in Jeddah of the need for all parties “within and beyond Palestine to put aside political calculations...

TOKYO — Japan pledged $10 million in humanitarian aid yesterday to the Gaza Strip, which has been pounded by Israeli air strikes for more than a week, officials said. Prime Minister Taro Aso made the offer in a telephone conversation with Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas, the government officials said. Abbas thanked Japan, the officials said.

JERUSALEM — Israel’s deadly offensive on Hamas targets in its Gaza Strip stronghold entered its second week yesterday,
with truce efforts stalled. The following are factors in what United Nations agencies say is a mounting humanitarian crisis in
the impoverished territory, home to 1.5 million Palestinians.

China’s oil experts start work on Iraqi field

KUT, Iraq — Chinese oil engineers have begun work on developing a major Iraqi oil field following the signing of a $3 billon contract, a senior Iraqi official said. The project, the first major oil development deal secured by a foreign firm in Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003, revives a contract signed in 1997 that granted China exploration rights to the Al Ahdab oil field.