Lebanon parliament speaker calls for dialogue over Hezbollah weapons
Beirut, Lebanon -- Lebanon's Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, an ally of the Iran-backed Hezbollah, called on Sunday for dialogue...Geostrategy
US to deny visas to Palestinian officials at UN summit as France pushes statehood recognition
The extraordinary step further aligns President Donald Trump's administration with Israel's government, which adamantly rejects a Palestinian state and has...Geostrategy
Lebanon economy to plunge into recession due to Gaza war
The impact of the conflict had reversed a slight recovery for Lebanon, which has battled a deep economic crisis for...Lebanon's economy collapsed in late 2019, plunging most of the population into poverty, according to the United Nations.
Real gross domestic product is expected to decline "to between minus 0.6 percent to minus 0.9 percent depending on the extent of the tourism shock," the World Bank said.
Turkmenistan worried as Caspian Sea continues to shrink
Turkmenbashi, Turkmenistan - On the Caspian Sea coast in Turkmenistan, Batyr Yusupov can no longer ferry his passengers between two ports....It is still not entirely clear why that is happening, but scientists say it is down to naturally occurring processes exacerbated by climate change
Turkmenistan, a former Soviet republic, is one of five countries on the Caspian Sea together with Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Iran and Russia
UN adopts Qatar-sponsored resolution on human rights training center
New York, USA - The UN General Assembly (UNGA) adopted a resolution by 185 votes on 'The UN Human Rights...Qatar sponsored and facilitated negotiations every two years since its establishment in 2008, with its headquarters in Doha
In its resolution, the General Assembly reaffirms the role of regional cooperation in promoting and protecting human rights
Greece to join US-led naval coalition against Houthi rebels
The task force announced by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday initially included Britain, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the...A Greek navy frigate will join the task force on orders from Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, said Defense Minister Nikos Dendias
As a foremost shipping nation, Greece had a "fundamental interest" in addressing a "massive threat" to global maritime transport, he said
Rights group slams Meta for silencing pro-Palestinian voices
"Meta's censorship of content in support of Palestine adds insult to injury at a time of unspeakable atrocities and repression...HRW pointed to "systemic online censorship", reporting more than 1,050 "takedowns and other suppression of content" on Instagram and Facebook from over 60 countries in Oct and Nov.
Of the 1,050 cases reviewed, 1,049 involved "peaceful content in support of Palestine that was censored or suppressed, while one case involved removal of pro-Israel content.
Sudan’s displaced forced to flee again as safe zones shrink
Over half a million people had sought shelter in Al-Jazirah state before the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces began advancing on...UNFP said the spread of fighting southwards had forced it to suspend food assistance in parts of Al-Jazirah, calling it a "major setback"
By early December, the war between the army and the RSF had killed 12,190 people, according to a conservative estimate by the Armed Conflict Locations
Macron says fighting terror does not mean ‘to flatten Gaza’
President Emmanuel Macron told the France 5 broadcaster, "We cannot let the idea take root that an efficient fight against...Macron called on Israel "to stop this response because it is not appropriate, because all lives are worth the same and we defend them"
The bloodiest-ever Israel's invasion of Gaza which began on October 7 has killed over 20,000 civilians, mainly women and children
Israel orders more evacuations of Gaza’s main southern city: UN
The Israeli army said Wednesday that "ground, aerial and naval operations were carried out on dozens of terrorists and terrorist...UN said Israel had released maps showing new areas covering about 20 percent of the Khan Yunis city that had been marked for evacuation
The area includes 32 shelters that housed more than 140,000 internally displaced persons, the vast majority of whom were previously displaced
West Bank crisis escalates while focus stays on Gaza
With the world's eyes on the Gaza Strip, the escalating violence in the West Bank represents an underreported yet critical...With the world's eyes on the Gaza Strip, the escalating violence in the West Bank represents an underreported yet critical dimension of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Since the Oct 7 Hamas attack, the region has seen a sharp rise in settler violence, military operations, and Palestinian radicalization, a further setback in the quest for peace.
New Kuwaiti emir rebukes parliament and cabinet in inaugural speech
Officially taking over from his half-brother Sheikh Nawaf, who passed away on Saturday, Sheikh Meshal is faced with the task..."I have stressed in my previous speeches that there are national obligations that must be fulfilled," the 83-year-old ruler told lawmakers after he took the oath of office
Sheikh Meshal further pointed to public appointments and promotions that "don't meet the simplest standards of justice and fairness"
