Sprinklers and drip irrigation help Iraqis beat drought
After four years of drought, Iraqi farmer Mohammed Sami was about to abandon his father's parched land, but then a...Geostrategy Climate Change
Turks to vote in local polls as Erdogan seeks to avenge defeat
Erdogan has entrusted his former environment minister Murat Kurum to run for mayor of Istanbul in the March 31 polls...Geostrategy
Israel heads towards snap election, Lapid poised to be PM
Israel's parliament is expected to dissolve Wednesday, ending Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's year-long tenure and triggering a fifth election in...Bennett's motley alliance formed in 2021 offered a reprieve from an unprecedented era of political gridlock, ending Netanyahu's record 12 consecutive years in power
Lapid is expected to take office at midnight after parliament gives final approval to a dissolution bill, in accordance with the power-sharing deal he agreed with Bennett last June
Gulf boosts oil production amid global fuel crisis
Saudi oil giant Aramco has built new refineries in Jazan to boost its production capacity to 400,000 barrels a day...Saudi oil giant Aramco has built new refineries in Jazan to boost its production capacity to 400,000 barrels a day
Kuwait Oil Corporation is enlarging the capacity of Al-Zour refinery to 615,000 barrels a day, making it the world's largest facility to do so
Oman, Egypt to find ways to establish Joint Investment Fund
In a joint statement, the two countries directed their respective competent authorities to discuss investment opportunities in various fields.In a joint statement, the two countries directed their respective competent authorities to discuss investment opportunities in various fields
They also discussed investment opportunities in various fields, especially energy and renewable energy projects, industry, health and pharmaceutical industries
Iraq battles with outbreak of cholera as it causes first death
A cholera outbreak in Iraq claimed its first victim Tuesday, with 17 new cases recorded in the country within 24...Earlier this month, outbreak was first officially reported with Kirkuk accounting for one of the 13 cases confirmed at that time
The country's last broad cholera outbreak dates back to 2015, in which the central provinces of Baghdad and Babil was the worst affected
No concessions given to Turkey to support Finland, Sweden: US
The United States said Tuesday that no concessions were given to Turkey to secure its green light for Swedish and...Turkey is an important NATO member in a strategically sensitive location, but it has had often tense relations with its European partners and Washington
Biden, soon after Russian invaded Ukraine in February, "reached out" to Finland and Sweden "to begin discussions" about them joining the transatlantic alliance
Hamas publishes video of Israeli detained in Gaza
Gaza's Islamist rulers Hamas on Tuesday published a video of an Israeli Arab detained for seven years in the Palestinian...Human Rights Watch, which has previously condemned his "unlawful detention", says he was seen entering Gaza by surveillance systems in April 2015
In the video published by Hamas's armed wing the Al-Qassam Brigades, Sayed is seen lying on a bed and attached to a ventilator
Algeria jails Bouteflika-era energy minister for 20 years
An Algerian appeals court on Tuesday upheld a 20-year prison sentence for corruption against Chakib Khelil, energy minister for a...Khelil, now 82, quit his post in 2010 and moved to the US after being associated with a scandal involving high-ranking Sonatrach officials who were later jailed
He returned to Algeria in 2016 after the cases were dropped - then left again after Bouteflika's resignation in 2019 that sparked investigations into graft by his officials
US sanctions Russia’s defence sector, bans its gold import
United States is seeking to crack down on Russians seeking to skirt existing sanctions by "covertly" acquiring US, Japanese and...The sanctions target state company Rostec and other firms critical to the defense industry.
The new moves blacklist 70 entities and 29 individuals, which freezes all the USA held assets.
US, Iran chief negotiators to start nuclear talks in Qatar
US special envoy Robert Malley and Iran's Ali Bagheri have landed in Doha and met officials after more than a...The Doha talks come just two weeks before US President Joe Biden visits the region for the first time since taking office.
The deal has been hanging by a thread since 2018, when then US president Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from it.
Israel to dissolve parliament, hold new elections
The Israeli parliament unanimously approved early Tuesday a draft bill to dissolve parliament, a key legislative step that pushes the...The Bennett coalition said it wanted quick approval of the law after he announced last week that his year-old alliance was no longer tenable
Netanyahu and his allies have been holding talks seeking to form a new Netanyahu-led government within the current parliament
