Israel confirms 137 more activists from Gaza-bound flotilla deported to Turkey
Jerusalem, Undefined - Israel said on Saturday that it had deported 137 more activists who were detained while taking part...
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Carrefour name disappears from Arab stores as Israel boycotters claim victory
Dubai, United Arab Emirates -- The Carrefour name has disappeared from storefronts in some Arab countries, with pro-Palestinian shoppers and...
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Sound Saudi-Syria relations should be norm, says Bashar al-Assad
The Syrian president met with Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan in Damascus. This is the first visit to...
- Assad was politically isolated in the region since the conflict began but Saudi-Iran rapprochement has shifted regional relations.
- Assad and Prince Faisal discussed steps to "achieve a comprehensive political settlement that... contributes to Syria's return to the Arab fold," the Saudi foreign ministry said.
Geostrategy
Civil Society groups under ‘severe restrictions’ in Libya, says HRW
TRIPOLI, LIBYA - Libyan authorities have imposed "severe restrictions" on local and international civil society groups, obstructing their work in the...
- The rights watchdog said authorities must take step like adoption of a "civil society organization law that guarantees the right tot freedom of association."
- Human Rights Watch called for a reform of the penal code, and “redefining criminal acts to exclude peaceful exercise of the right to express opinions."
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Tunisia shuts offices of opposition party Ennahdha
The move came a day after the arrest of the party's leader, Rached Ghannouchi, 81, at his home in the...
- Since early February, authorities in the North African country have arrested more than 20 political opponents and personalities.
- Ghannouchi was the speaker of Tunisia's parliament before Saied dissolved it and went on to seize wide-reaching powers through a series of moves opponents have dubbed a "coup".
Geostrategy
Turkey president Erdogan’s chief rival defends Kurds ahead of vote
ISTANBUL, TURKEY - President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's chief rival in next month's election defended Kurdish rights on Tuesday and accused the...
- Kemal Kilicdaroglu leads a six-party alliance that is posing one of the stiffest electoral challenges of Erdogan's two-decade rule.
- Kilicdaroglu's comments followed weeks of attempts by Erdogan to link the opposition with Kurdish militants fighting the Turkish state.
Saudi top diplomat heads to Syria for first visit since war
Recent months have seen increasing Arab engagement with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who has been politically isolated in the region...
- The visit of Saudi diplomat comes less than a week after Syrian Foreign Minister visited Saudi Arabia, also on the first such visit since the start of the Syrian conflict in 2011
- Prince Faisal said in February that a consensus was building in the Arab world that a new approach to Syria requiring negotiations would be needed to address the conflict
Geostrategy
Kuwait dissolves parliament, to hold new general election
Seeing no way out of a political crisis that has prevented the country from having an effective government, Kuwait's emir...
- In 1962, Kuwait embraced a parliamentary system, but repeated political crises have caused state paralysis
- The rich country, unlike other Gulf Arab states, has a vigorous political life in which MPs and civil society regularly take the authorities to task
Geostrategy
G7 vows ‘severe costs’ for those helping Russia in Ukraine
After two days of talks in the bucolic Japanese mountain resort town Karuizawa, the top diplomats from leading economies unveiled...
- G7 foreign ministers also put Beijing on notice over its "militarization activities" in the South China Sea and insisted their Taiwan policy was unchanged.
- Their final statement sparked a furious reaction from China, which said it had been "maliciously slandered and smeared".
Geostrategy
UN chief calls for Sudan ceasefire as death toll in fighting touches 185
Calling on warring parties in Sudan to immediately cease hostilities, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that any further escalation...
- The UN's special representative to Sudan told reporters that the violence raged for a third day through Monday, with the death toll increasing to at least 185 people
- The fighting broke out between the two generals who seized power in a 2021 coup: Sudan's army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and his deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo
Geostrategy
Best chance for peace in Yemen in eight years, says UN envoy
Yemen faces its best chance to strike a peace deal since the country's civil war started over eight years ago,...
- The Arabian Peninsula country is one of the poorest in the Middle East, and has been devastated by the war, which started in 2014.
- The government and the rebels have exchanged nearly 900 prisoners in recent days, as hopes grow for peace.
Geostrategy
Air France, Airbus acquitted over 2009 Rio-Paris crash
PARIS, FRANCE - Air France and plane manufacturer Airbus were acquitted Monday over the 2009 crash of a Rio-Paris flight after...
- The two companies went on trial in October to determine their responsibility for the worst aviation disaster in Air France's history.
- If convicted, Air France, Airbus would have risked a fine of US$250,000 as well as significant reputational damage.
Israel confirms 137 more activists from Gaza-bound flotilla deported to Turkey
Jerusalem, Undefined - Israel said on Saturday that it had deported 137 more activists who were detained while taking part...
Geostrategy
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Netanyahu sacks defense minister Gallant over differences on Gaza
Citing a “trust breakdown,” Netanyahu dismissed Defense Minister Gallant amid the Gaza conflict, sparking Tel Aviv protests, as new defense...
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Israel escalates strikes in Lebanon, Gaza as Netanyahu visits Northern Border, and Hezbollah claims missile attack
Israel intensifies airstrikes across Lebanon and Gaza, escalating cross-border violence as Netanyahu urges troops to push Hezbollah back and prevent...
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Lebanon accuses Israel of truce rejection after deadly Beirut strikes and growing Gaza crisis
A US-brokered plan reportedly under consideration would see Hezbollah pull back 30 kilometres (20 miles) from the border, north of...
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New Hezbollah leader signals ceasefire openness, but Israel demands Hezbollah withdrawal, border security
Israel’s security cabinet discussed terms, including Hezbollah’s withdrawal north of the Litani River and Lebanese army deployment along the border...
- Naim Qassem's statement came as Israel's security cabinet met to discuss a possible truce, but also as Israel attacked the eastern Lebanese city of Baalbek
- According to Israel's Channel 12, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met ministers late Tuesday to discuss Israel's demands in return for a 60-day truce
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New Hezbollah leader says will accept ceasefire with Israel if terms ‘suitable’
Qassem replaces Hasan Nasrallah who was assassinated by Israel on September 27 after more than 30 years at the helm...
- 'If the Israelis decide that they want to stop the aggression, we say we accept, but under the conditions', Qassem said
- But Hezbollah "will not beg for a ceasefire", clarified the new new leader of the Lebanese group
Hezbollah names Naim Qassem as leader; Israel vows he “won’t last long” amid escalating conflict
Hezbollah's Qassem, succeeding slain Nasrallah, pledges resistance as Israel intensifies Gaza strikes, killing scores. International anger grows after Israel's UNRWA...
- Hezbollah pledged to keep "the flame of resistance burning" until victory is achieved against Israel after all-out war erupted on September 23
- Qassem had long operated in the shadow of Nasrallah, a towering leader who was one of the most enigmatic and influential figures in the Middle East