UN expert faces threats after Israel Gaza ‘genocide’ remarks
Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the rights situation in the Palestinian territories, said this week there were reasonable...Geostrategy
Israeli hostage held by Hamas in Gaza dead, say families
Jerusalem--One of the Israeli hostages kidnapped during the October 7 Hamas attack has been killed and his body is being...Geostrategy
Moqtada Sadr urges more protests as supporters occupy parliament
Powerful Iraqi Shiite preacher Moqtada Sadr Sunday urged other factions to support a protest that has seen his followers occupy...Nearly 10 months after elections, the oil-rich country is still without a new government due to the repeated failure of negotiations and the resignation last month of Sadr's bloc
Sadr's bloc emerged from elections in October as the biggest parliamentary faction, but still far short of a majority
“US lives in solipsistic fantasies”
Diminished leverage in the Gulf region makes Washington a less compelling partner than it once was, says Chas W Freeman,...Diminished leverage in the Gulf region makes Washington a less compelling partner than it once was, says Chas W Freeman, Former US Ambassador to Saudi Arabia.
West Asia is a region in which abundant policy failures offer a veritable cornucopia of insights into warfare and diplomacy, the former diplomat highlights
Israel deducts Palestinian tax money over militant support
The sum withheld, around $176m, would balance the amount the Palestinian Authority paid to the families of militants as financial...Israel collects around $190m a month in customs duties levied on goods destined for Palestinian markets that transit through Israeli ports. It transfers the funds to the PA.
When Israel began implementing the law in 2019, the Palestinians in protest refused to receive all funds for eight months.
Grain silos damaged in 2020 Beirut port blast partially collapse
Parts of Beirut's grain silos collapsed on Sunday, just days before the second anniversary of a catastrophic explosion at the...The silos damaged days before the second anniversary of a catastrophic explosion at the Lebanese capital's port that ravaged the stores and parts of the city.
The structure had absorbed much of the impact of the blast on August 4, 2020 at Beirut's port that killed more than 200 people and injured more than 6,500.
First grain cargo ship could leave Ukraine port Monday, says Turkey
A spokesman for the Turkish presidency said there was a "high probability" that a first ship carrying Ukrainian grain could...The resumption of exports was discussed in talks between the Turkish and Ukrainian defense ministers
A Joint Coordination Centre is charged with controlling Ukrainian grain exports via the Black Sea
Saudi Arabia, Poland sign agreement on air transport
Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Poland to organize the operational framework...From the Saudi side, Ali Rajab, Executive Vice President at GACA -Economic Policies & International Cooperation signed the MoU
From the Polish side, Piotr Samson, President of the Polish Civil Aviation Authority inked the pact in Warsaw
Saudi women DJs strum a new tune
Standing behind her control tower with headphones around her neck, Saudi DJ Leen Naif segues smoothly between pop hits and...Women DJs, an unthinkable phenomenon just a few years ago in the kingdom, are becoming a relatively common sight in its main cities
Naif and her peers embody two major reforms championed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman: new opportunities for women and expanding entertainment options notably music
Protestors stream into Iraq parliament with hot meals and tea
Volunteers shuttled back and forth in fleets of pickups to Iraq's normally secure Green Zone Saturday as protesters who occupied...Inside the parliament building, some protesters sat at lawmakers' desks while others milled about, raising their mobile phones to film the occupation
In the gardens outside, protesters pitched a large camouflage tent by the entrance as women with children joined other supporters
Floods deepen misery in Iran as death toll rises to 80
At least 80 people have been killed and 30 others are missing in floods that have wreaked havoc across Iran...President Ebrahim Raisi visited flood-ravaged areas in Firouzkouh region east of the capital to assess the situation
Videos and pictures posted by Iranian media and on social media showed houses and cars surrounded by grey mud, and people trying to recover their belongings
King of Morocco extends olive branch to Algeria
Morocco's King Mohammed VI used an address on Saturday to "once again" reiterate his openness to restoring ties with Algeria,...Morocco and Algeria have long been at odds over the disputed territory of Western Sahara, where the Algiers-backed Polisario Front is seeking independence from Rabat's rule
Morocco's sovereignty over the territory was backed by Washington in a 2020 deal that also saw Rabat normalize ties with Israel
