The two countries are expected to sign deals worth more than $29 billion. [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- What The World is following Chinese president is in Saudi Arabia for state visit
[Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, is greeted by Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz after his arrival in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Dec. 7, 2022.]
Credit: Saudi Press Agency via AP China-Saudi Arabia
Beijing is hailing President Xi Jinping's visit to Saudi Arabia as its [biggest diplomatic initiative in the Arab world](. The state visit, which started on Wednesday, comes as both countries face tensions with the United States. Xi will attend several summits â a Saudi-Chinese one, a China-Arab one and a China-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit. The two countries have had a growing relationship, principally around oil, trade and security, and are expected to sign deals worth more than $29 billion during the visit. Xi will meet with both [King Salman and Crown Prince]( Mohammed bin Salman. Germany
Police in Germany have arrested 25 people on suspicion of [plotting to overthrow the government](. Theyâre believed to be members of far-right nationalist groups. The federal prosecutorâs office said that the raids will continue and more are expected against 27 other suspects. Experts have linked Germanyâs [growing right-wing attacks]( with the rise of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which won seats in the German parliament for the first time in 60 years in 2017. The group was placed under surveillance last year on suspicion of trying to undermine the countryâs democratic constitution. Greenland
Scientists have discovered the [oldest known DNA](, which they have traced back to 2 million years ago in the northern tip of Greenland. They say that what is today a barren Arctic desert was once a lush landscape full of trees and vegetation, populated by many animals, including the now-extinct mastodon. Without proper access to fossils, researchers were able to [extract environmental DNA]( â known as eDNA â from soil samples, which come from genetic material that organisms shed into their surroundings. --------------------------------------------------------------- From The World [Al Jazeera wants the ICC to do a 'thorough and independent' investigation into Shireen Abu Akleh's killing](
[Rodney Dixon, lawyer for Al Jazeera, third from left, and Lina Abu Akleh, niece of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, second left, answer questions during a press conference after presenting a letter requesting a formal investigation into the killing, to the ICC in The Hague, Netherlands, Dec. 6, 2022.](
Credit: Peter Dejong/AP The Al Jazeera Media Network has [formally filed a case]( with the International Criminal Court to investigate the killing of Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in the West Bank town of Jenin in May. The World's host Marco Werman spoke with the network's Washington, DC, bureau chief Abderrahim Foukara, about new evidence found and presented to the court. We still need 427 listeners to donate $100 to unlock our $67,000 challenge match. Can we count on you? We are so grateful to listeners like Gina from Washington, who shared why she supports The World:
âI really appreciate the variety and depth of your international stories. You take me to places I have loved and to so many I will likely never be able to visit. Thank you! Or Tania, from Oregon, who said:
âThanks for sharing news and stories that I do not hear about in other media sources. I especially appreciate the reporting on climate change and arts and culture. The episode on the former Yugoslavia war crimes case was riveting. Sarah Birnbaum channeling David Attenborough made me chuckle in the car. Froggy ice crystals!â If you, like Gina and Tania, rely on The World to take you to new places and into stories you wonât hear anywhere else, please support our nonprofit newsroom by making [making your gift today](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Bright spot The very [first full photo of Earth]( taken from outer space turns 50 years old on Wednesday. Dubbed the "Blue Marble," the photograph was taken by NASA's Apollo 17 spacecraft crew in 1972 on the last crewed mission to the moon. Previous Apollo missions were only able to take images of the planet partially in the shadows. ð [Screenshot of SPACE.com tweet](
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