By Nidal al-Mughrabi

GAZA/CAIRO (Reuters) -The ceasefire in Gaza has eased the trauma of Israel's air strikes and blockade but a shortage of cash has left Palestinians unable to spend what little money they have without falling victim to wartime profiteers.

Banks, many damaged or destroyed along with homes, schools and other institutions across Gaza during two years of war, began reopening on October 16, six days after the ceasefire was announced. Queues soon formed but people came away disappointed.

With much pomp and circumstance, Cairo is due to inaugurate on Saturday the long-awaited Grand Egyptian Museum, widely presented as the crowning jewel on authorities' efforts to overhaul the country's vital tourism industry.

With a panoramic view of the Giza pyramids plateau, the GEM houses thousands of artefacts spanning more than 5,000 years of Egyptian antiquity at a whopping cost of over $1 billion.

More than two decades in the making, the ultra-modern museum anticipates five million visitors annually, with never-before-seen relics on display.

By Andrius Sytas and Janis Laizans

RIGA (Reuters) -Latvia’s parliament voted on Thursday to quit an international treaty aimed at combating violence against women, after a conservative partner in the ruling coalition broke ranks to support the move in defiance of both the prime minister and president.

The Istanbul Convention, established by the Council of Europe and signed by dozens of member states, defines violence against women as a violation of human rights and addresses various forms of gender-based violence.

(Reuters) -Talks between Afghanistan and Pakistani officials concluded in Istanbul after several days of mediation led by Ankara and Doha, with both sides agreeing to continue discussions , Afghanistan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said on Friday.

(Reporting by Ariba Shahid; Editing by Leslie Adler)

Powered by its sovereign wealth fund of nearly $1 trillion, Saudi Arabia is backing its new AI firm Humain, entering a highly competitive sector some fear is a bubble ready to burst.

The company, launched in May, is bankrolled by Saudi's powerful Public Investment Fund, which has played a key role in financing the kingdom's so-called gigaprojects -- major developments aimed at boosting and diversifying its oil-reliant economy.

More than 24,000 tons of UN aid has reached Gaza since the start of a ceasefire earlier this month, a UN official said on Thursday while calling for NGOs to be allowed to assist in its distribution.

While aid volumes are significantly up compared to the period before the ceasefire, humanitarians still face funding shortfalls, the UN says, as well as issues coordinating with Israeli authorities.

Tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jewish men rallied in Jerusalem on Thursday to protest against military conscription in their community, an issue that has caused a major strain in Israel's right-wing ruling coalition.

The vast crowd were demonstrating to demand a law guaranteeing their right to avoid Israel's mandatory military service -- long promised by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Crowds of men set fire to pieces of tarpaulin as hundreds of police officers cordoned off several roads across the city, AFP correspondents reported.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jewish protesters streamed to Jerusalem on Thursday in a show of force against military conscription, a hot-button issue placing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition under increasing political strain.

The debate over mandatory military service, and those who are exempt from it, has long caused tensions within Israel's deeply divided society.

ANKARA (Reuters) -Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan slammed Germany over what he said was its ignorance of Israel's "genocide", famine and attacks in Gaza, at a joint news conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Ankara on Thursday.

Erdogan said Israel had nuclear and other weapons with which it was using and threatening Gaza, adding Palestinian militant group Hamas had none of those. He said Israel had once again attacked Gaza in recent days despite a ceasefire in the enclave.

ANKARA (Reuters) -German Chancellor Friedrich Merz sees Turkey as a close partner to the European Union and wants to develop bilateral economic relations, including in the transport sector, he said on his first visit to the country.

"I personally, and the German government, see Turkey as a close partner of the European Union. We want to continue smoothing the way to Europe," said Merz at a news conference with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.

He said the two had spoken about migration and wanted to make further progress on the repatriation of failed asylum seekers.