The US said on Monday it will evaluate a just signed $400 billion investment deal China struck with Iran over the weekend to see whether it will trigger sanctions under American law, Anadolu Agency reported. "We of course will take a look and ensure that any sanctions that need to be implemented would be as it relates to this package, but we haven't looked at the specific agreement […]
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Palestinians on Monday received 100,000 doses of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine donated by China to help broaden an initial campaign to vaccinate medical staff, the elderly and the chronically ill, Reuters reported. Palestinian health authorities have been mounting a limited vaccination drive among the 5.2 million people living in the Israel-occupied West Bank and Gaza, using vaccines provided by Israel, Russia, the United Arab Emirates and the global COVAX vaccine-sharing […]
The Russian energy ministry has promoted the use of the Northern Sea route for international shipping as an alternative to Egypt's Suez Canal after a huge shipping container blocked the canal and disrupted international maritime trade for nearly a week, Russia's TASS news agency reported. The agency quoted an unnamed official as saying that the Northern Sea route is more secure and reliable, adding that the volume of cargo transported […]
For the first time in history, Israel is faced with trying to bring together an extremist right-wing and anti-Arab party and an Islamic party to form a coalition government. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud won only 30 seats in the last election and he is able to form a 52-seat bloc in the Knesset against a 57-seat bloc led by the second largest party in […]
Lebanese President Michel Aoun has blamed Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri for the latter's failure to form a new government, Rai Al Youm online newspaper reported yesterday. "[Hariri] was asleep and then woke up with new rules that ignore all previous rules we used to follow when we form governments," Aoun said in a press conference. He replied to Hariri who blamed him for the failure to form a […]
Former Chief of Israeli Army's Military Intelligence, Amos Yadlin, yesterday voiced his concerns about possible intelligence sharing between China and Iran as a result of the latest strategic deal signed between the two countries, Israeli media reported. "One of the most worrying clauses in the agreement between Iran and China is the intelligence sharing," the current head of the Institute for National Security Studies told the Ynet News website. Yadlin said […]
The death toll from a collapsed building in Gesr Suez in Egypt has reached 25 amid ongoing rescue operations, with 75 injured. A six-month-old baby was found alive amidst the rubble though the baby's mother, father, and sister were found dead whilst his elder brother was still missing. The Cairo apartment building, made up of a basement, ground floor, and nine further floors, collapsed on Saturday […]
Israel's National Security Council has warned its citizens that Iran may target them overseas and urged them to be more vigilant, citing threats by Iranian officials, the Times of Israel reported. According to the newspaper, the council's Counterterrorism Division advisory warned that "Iranian officials had threatened to attack Israeli targets over the last few months, adding that Iran had already conducted a bombing attack near the Israeli embassy in India […]
Iran has rejected an American offer to lift some sanctions in return for halting enriching uranium and freezing work on advanced centrifuges, Press TV reported. "A senior Iranian official tells Press TV that Tehran will stop its 20 percent uranium enrichment only if the US lifts ALL its sanctions on Iran first," the station reported. This came following a report issued by Politico yesterday stating that the Biden administration is […]
Majd Barbar released after 20 years in jail, re-arrested by Israel READ: Israel re-arrests previously jailed Palestinian-Belgian man Source link
The family of Palestinian Mohammad Al-Khodari who is being held in Saudi Arabia came together in Gaza to show solidarity with the detainee and his son who have been in jail for two years. Letters had been submitted to the Saudi monarch, they said, calling for Al-Khodari and his son Hadi to be released but no response has been provided. They added that 81-year-old Al-Khodari suffers […]
Imprisoned Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti is expected to get the largest number of votes if he runs for president, Director of the Palestinian Centre for Policy and Survey Research, Khalil Shikaki, said yesterday. Speaking about the latest survey conducted by his centre, Shikaki said that 78 per cent of eligible Palestinians are expected to vote in the upcoming general election. If Barghouti led an independent electoral […]
Secretary of State Antony Blinken has emphasised US support for political negotiations between Morocco and the Polisario Front over the disputed Western Sahara. Blinken's statement was issued on Monday evening following an online meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The US official urged Guterres to expedite the appointment of a new special envoy for the Western Sahara. In May 2019, the UN announced the resignation of […]
The Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said his country wants to contribute to establishing lasting peace and ending the conflict in Afghanistan. The official made the remarks upon his arrival in the Tajik capital of Dushanbe where he will participate in a ministerial meeting of the Heart of Asia – Istanbul Process initiative and hold talks with senior Tajik officials. "I'm very pleased to have […]
Kuwait on Sunday received from Iraq the third batch of Kuwaiti property and archives that had been seized during Iraq's invasion of its Gulf neighbour in 1990. The Iraqi Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the Undersecretary for Legal Affairs and Multilateral Bilateral Relations, Qahtan Al-Janabi, delivered the Kuwaiti Archive to the Assistant of Kuwait's Foreign Minister for international organisations, Nasser Al-Hain, at the Sheikh Saud Al-Nasser […]
An advisor to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan advisor has denied media reports which claim that the head of the Libyan Presidential Council, Mohamed Al-Menfi, has asked Ankara to cancel the 2018 military cooperation agreement between Turkey and the previous Government of National Accord in Tripoli. Yasin Aktay accused French media of fabricating the story. When asked by Sputnik about the possibility of modifying the maritime […]
Human Rights Watch criticised the Lebanese authorities on Tuesday for their response to protesters in the northern city of Tripoli at the end of January. "Lebanese military intelligence agents forcibly disappeared and allegedly tortured detainees who were participating in protests against the Covid-19 lockdown and deteriorating economic conditions in Tripoli," said the rights watchdog. "These individuals face apparently unsubstantiated terrorism charges before the country's military courts, […]
Libya tops the diplomatic and security agendas of the United States and France, according to Intelligence Online. Paul Soler, French President Emmanuel Macron's adviser on Libya since 2017, has been summoned to the Elysée after he spent several months in the Jordanian capital, Amman, to attend the Libyan government's national unity talks. In the United States, Joe Biden's administration is planning to appoint a special envoy to […]
Independent UN sanctions observers have withdrawn their allegations that the Yemeni government is guilty of money laundering and corruption, which had "adversely affected access to adequate food supplies" in a country on the brink of famine, Reuters has reported. In their annual report to the UN Security Council in January, the experts accused the Central Bank of Yemen of breaking its foreign exchange rules, manipulating the […]
Qatar yesterday rejected a report prepared by Human Rights Watch about women's rights and freedoms in the Gulf state, saying that gender equality and female empowerment are central to the country's success and vision. "The report issued by Human Rights Watch inaccurately portrays Qatar's laws, policies, and practices related to women," the Qatari Government Communication Office said in a statement, adding that "the accounts mentioned in […]
Head of Hamas' political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, said on Tuesday that his movement insists on rebuilding the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO). During a speech he delivered to the Second International Student Conference, Haniyeh said: "We believe that internal division is abnormal in the context of the Palestinian history." He stressed that his movement is serious about implementing the recommendations of the Cairo dialogue between the various […]
As we mark 10 years since the launch of the Palestine Book Awards, join us for a live conversation with Palestinian novelist and poet Susan Abulhawa to discuss her novel 'Against the Loveless World', described by the New York Times as "a beautiful, urgent novel of the Palestinian struggle". The novel won the Palestine Book Awards Creative Prize in 2020. Abulhawa is the co-chair of Palestine […]
An Iranian government spokesman defended on Tuesday the signing of a 25-year cooperation agreement between Iran and China, saying the agreement is not directed against any third country. The Iranian government spokesman, Ali Rabiei, said the agreement facilitates the path to fully revive the 2015 nuclear agreement, noting that his country will not allow US sanctions to impede the development process in Iran or its ability […]
Around 200,000 animals are likely to die after being stuck in the Suez Canal bottleneck without enough food or water to last them the rest of the journey. Gabrile Paun, EU director for the NGO Animals International, has said that the worst maritime animal welfare tragedy in history could be unavoidable. One week ago the 400-metre vessel the Ever Given ran aground on the banks of […]
Saudi Arabia will spend more in the next ten years than it has spent over the past 300 years since the First Saudi State was created in 1744, the Kingdom's Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman has said. This is a bold declaration of the de facto ruler's intent on transforming the economy through his ambitious Vision 2030 programme. Speaking during an online meeting yesterday, the crown […]
The foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan, and Iraq have agreed to enhance joint efforts to combat terrorism, pursue a political solution to the Syrian crisis, and coordinate political positions to solve regional crises, including the Palestinian issue. This came during a tripartite preparatory meeting held in Baghdad for the 4th summit of the three countries' leaders. The Iraqi Foreign Minister, Fuad Hussein said during a joint […]
Muhammad Ali Al-Houthi has said that the Ansar Allah Movement, better known as the Houthis, have not received any written, formal peace initiative from Saudi Arabia. He insisted that as and when such an initiative is received, it will be assessed. Saudi quagmire in Yemen – Cartoon [Carlos Latuff/MiddleEastMonitor] "If Saudi Arabia is sincere about the initiative, it should take practical decisions that start with refraining […]
The Libyan authorities announced on Tuesday that 230 migrants heading for Europe had been rescued in two operations off the Tripoli coastline. According to the Libyan Navy, the migrants were in rubber dinghies and had issued distress signals before being rescued. Up to 77% of migrants face abuse, exploitation and trafficking – Refugee crisis, Libya – Cartoon [Hani Abbas/MiddleEastMonitor] In the first operation, 103 migrants were […]
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman called Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday to wish him a speedy recovery from Covid-19 and discuss mutual relations, the Saudi Press Agency has reported. Khan tested positive for the virus on 20 March and has been in self-isolation at home ever since. According to the Pakistani newspaper DAWN, Bin Salman also invited Khan to visit Riyadh. His […]
An Executive Member of the Central Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organisation called on Tuesday for the international community to bear the consequences of Israel's possible refusal to allow Palestinians in Jerusalem to participate in the upcoming elections. Ahmed Majdalani said that it is impossible to hold elections without Jerusalemites' involvement. 1967 Occupation, Naksa – Cartoon [Sarwar Ahmed/MiddleEastMonitor] Majdalani made his statement after claiming that the […]
Egypt's President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi has warned that it will not allow any other country to undermine its water supply and if it does, there will be severe regional consequences. "I'm not threatening anyone here, our dialogue is always reasonable and rational," Al-Sisi said on Tuesday at a press conference in Ismailia to mark the freeing of the Ever Given container ship. "I say once again […]
A Syrian store owner in the northern governorate of Aleppo has killed his 15-year-old employee for showing up late to work, the Syrian ministry of interior revealed. The Syrian ministry said in a statement on its official Facebook page, that the boy had been transferred to the local hospital's intensive care unit with intracranial hemorrhage and skull fractures which the store owner claimed to had been […]
Human Rights Watch on Tuesday called on Jordan not to deport Yemeni asylum seekers, warning that forcible deportation exposes them to "harm in Yemen." The rights watchdog said in a statement that "the Jordanian authorities have deported at least four Yemeni asylum-seekers registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and have issued deportation orders against others who made asylum claims. According to the […]
Lawyers of former Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz criticised the magistrate who charged their client with money laundering, corruption, and illicit enrichment for withholding the indictment file against him. In a statement issued on Sunday, the lawyers said that preventing them from obtaining the indictment documents is a "flagrant violation of the Criminal Procedure Law and international laws of rights and freedoms in addition to being an […]
Egypt's top prosecutor yesterday ordered the detention of eight people following a train collision in Upper Egypt. Two trains collided on Friday in Egypt's southern province of Sohag, leaving 18 passengers dead and 200 others injured. In an official statement, the general prosecutor said that the detention order had included the "drivers of the two trains, their assistants, the Maragha railway station supervisor, and the head […]
Cargo ship Ever Given might have suffered some damage after being wedged for a week at the Suez Canal's shoreline, an Egyptian official warned yesterday. The former chairman of the state-run Suez Canal Authority (SCA), Mohab Mamish, told Youm7 that the tanker might undergo "some repair and maintenance operations on its front tail, which had been stuck into the canal's edge." "The procedure of flushing the […]
UCL's Students for Justice for Palestine Society (SJP) has welcomed the London university's Academic Board's rejection of the highly controversial International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism. In February, the board concluded that the IHRA working definition was not fit for purpose and urged the UCL Council for it to be retracted and replaced with a definition that protects Jewish students without compromising the safety […]
Saudi Arabia's Human Rights Commission (HRC) and the Mawaddah Charitable Association yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding to increase coordination in protecting human rights and increase awareness to reduce domestic violence. The move comes as the kingdom's commitment to human rights came under serious question following threats issued at UN investigator Agnès Callamard by one of Riyadh's senior officials. The MoU was signed by HRC Chairman […]
80% of Sudan's debt to the UK is interest Some 80 per cent of the debt Sudan owes the UK is made up of interest, a report by the Observer revealed on Sunday. A freedom of information request found that of the £861 million ($1.18 billion) Khartoum needs to pay London, £684 million ($937.6 million) is from interest. The north African state defaulted on its loans in 1984 […]
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday emphasised the need for large-scale border access to allow humanitarian aid into Syria, Anadolu Agency reported. "A large-scale cross-border response for an additional 12 months remains essential to save lives," Guterres said during an address to the UN General Assembly (UNGA) regarding the situation in Syria. Reiterating that there is "no military solution to the conflict," he said Syria is drifting toward […]
The European Union is set to agree to sanction several Iranian individuals on Wednesday for human rights abuses, the first such measures since 2013, three EU diplomats said, Reuters reported. EU envoys are expected to agree to impose travel bans and asset freezes on the individuals, the diplomats said, and their names would be published next week, when the sanctions take effect. They gave no further details. The […]
The EU on Tuesday pledged €560 million ($657 million) in support for the Syrian people, Anadolu Agency reported. "I'm proud to announce that the European Union is reconfirming its pledge," the bloc's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said at the opening of the donor conference titled Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region. The EU top diplomat announced that the bloc promised €560 million from the European […]
The United Nations urged international donors to pledge up to $10 billion on Tuesday to help Syrians fleeing a decade of civil war in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, saying that the need for humanitarian support has never been so great, Reuters reported. In the fifth annual conference to keep Syrians from starvation, the event hosted by the European Union is seeking $4.2 billion for people inside Syria and $5.8 […]
The coalition to defeat the Daesh met virtually on Tuesday and reaffirmed the determination to continue the fight against the terror group, Anadolu Agency reported. The Foreign Ministers of the Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh Small Group and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that international humanitarian law, protection of civilians, particularly children, international human rights law and the UN Security Council […]
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Tuesday that traders profiting from the collapse of the Syrian pound, which hit an all-time low this month, would be punished. The fall of the currency, which has rebounded somewhat since hitting 4,000 to the US dollar, has driven up inflation. Syrians have struggled to afford food and power. In a video shared by his office, Assad spoke of a […]
Lebanese Parliament Speaker, Nabih Berri, yesterday warned that the country will sink like the Titanic if a government is not formed soon. "The whole country is in danger, the whole country is the Titanic," Berri said during a parliament session held to approve an emergency fund for electricity. "It's time we all woke up because in the end, if the ship sinks, there'll be no one […]
The head of the Mesha Centre for Studies and Human Rights in Jordan has revealed that Britain has still not returned thirty Stone Age statues that were taken for restoration in 1990. According to Daifallah Hdeithat, the statues were supposed to be returned to Jordan within two years. "The terms of the restoration agreement provided for Jordan to pay $300,000 to Britain for this to be […]
Fifteen members of Egypt's House of Representatives have tested positive for Covid-19, local media have reported. Upon hearing the news, Mostafa Bakri MP called for the current parliamentary session to be suspended. Bakri is known for his ties to the regime. He pointed out that parliament could resume its sitting after MPs have been vaccinated against the virus. In response, the Speaker of Parliament, Hanafi El-Gebali, […]
Turkish and Azerbaijani nationals will be able to travel passport-free between the two countries from Thursday, Anadolu Agency reported Turkey's Foreign Ministry said yesterday. According to the report, citizens of Turkey and Azerbaijan travelling directly between the two countries will be able to do so without needing their passports, using their ID cards instead. "The Protocol signed on December 10, 2020, between the Republic of Turkey and […]
Pakistan and a Turkish shipbuilder yesterday signed two contracts worth $33.46 million for the procurement of four azimuth stern drive (ASD) tugboats (LNG compatible) and two pilot boats, Pakistan Today reports. The agreements were signed between Port Qasim Authority (PQA) and Sanmar Shipyards, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs. Sanmar, Turkey's leading tugboat builder will deliver the vessels within 12 months. The signing […]
Rising political tensions between Jordan and Israel could translate to instability at their shared border, Haaretz newspaper's military analyst Amos Harel warned on Sunday. The analyst said officials in the Israeli security apparatus are anticipating that the crisis in the relations between incumbent Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu and King Abdullah of Jordan will be reflected in the security situation at the 300 kilometre-long border between the two sides. […]
Hundreds of Lebanese demonstrated in the capital Beirut on Sunday over deteriorating economic and living conditions in the country, Anadolu Agency reported. The protest was organised by the Lebanese Communist Party with demonstrators carrying banners demanding housing services, education and healthcare services. "This country belongs to the working class" and "End capitalism" were among slogans changed by protesters. The party was founded in the 1920s and has always […]
Secretary-General of the Palestinian People's Party (PPP) Bassam Al-Salhi announced on Sunday his party's failure to unite the Palestinian left-wing, local Palestinian news agencies reported. Al-Salhi, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO)'s Executive Committee, expressed his sadness about his party's inability to unite the Palestinian left-wing. Meanwhile, he stressed that his party is ready to cooperate with any democratic or left-wing parties aiming to achieve unity. […]
Israeli occupation authorities have rejected the Palestinian Authority (PA)'s Minister of Civil Affairs Hussein Al-Sheikh's request to visit senior imprisoned Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti, Shehab News Agency reported on Sunday. According to Israel's Public Broadcaster KAN, Shehab News Agency confirmed that Al-Sheikh would have discussed the upcoming Palestinian elections with Barghouti at Hadrim prison. Last month, Al-Sheikh was permitted by Israel to meet with Barghouti inside […]
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid on Sunday met with Head of the Ra'am Party Mansour Abbas to discuss forming a coalition government, Israeli media reported. Abbas, according to Ynet News, presented his movement's demands to Lapid. The demands included scrapping Nation-State Law, having the freedom to vote on pro-LGBT bills, freezing Kaminitz Law, recognising unrecognised Arab towns in the Negev and fighting crime among the Arab […]
The Palestinian Supreme Fatwa Council on Sunday warned of the Israeli demolition of Al-Bustan suburb in Jerusalem's neighbourhood of Silwan, Sama News Agency reported. Following a meeting headed by the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem Muhammad Hussein, the council announced that this demolition is leading to the displacement of tens of Palestinian families for the sake of building Jewish facilities. "This is a dangerous precedent in the […]
The trial of thirteen Jordanian Ministry of Health officials accused of causing the death of seven Covid-19 patients at a hospital in the Kingdom earlier this month opened on Sunday, local media have reported. The defendants include some who worked at the ministry and others who worked at the hospital in Salt where the incident took place. They are accused of causing the unintentional death of […]
Thousands of Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip have been deprived of identity documents, and consequently, several basic rights, most notably the right to freedom of movement, the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor revealed on Sunday. In a report entitled The Gaza Strip: Undocumented Citizens, the Euro-Med stated that those without identity cards in Gaza entered the strip either before 2000 with Israeli-issued temporary visitor permits, or after […]
Outward personal remittances by expats in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have decreased by 3.9 per cent in 2020 compared with 2019, according to Central Bank of the UAE data. The bank's quarterly report showed that outward personal remittances by expats have decreased from Dh165.2 billion ($45 billion) in 2019 to Dh158.8 billion ($43.2 billion) in 2020. According to the report, the second quarter of 2020 […]
The Jordanian Ministry of Agriculture has apologised for raising the old Iraqi flag during a meeting held between the Jordanian minister of agriculture with his Iraqi counterpart in Amman, explaining that the mistake was "unintentional". "We received information about the protocol error during the one-on-one meeting held last Thursday between the Jordanian Minister of Agriculture Khaled Al-Hanifat and his Iraqi counterpart, Muhammad Al-Khafaji," a ministry statement […]
The Iraqi security authorities have thwarted a planned attack by Daesh and arrested nine of the group's militants in separate areas of the country, Anadolu Agency reported. The Iraqi Ministry of Defence announced in a statement that its forces had thwarted a Daesh attack against the judges of the Kirkuk Governorate Investigation Court. The ministry explained that after arresting one of the group's militants in the […]
Four Syrian refugees have apparently frozen to death in a mountainous area in eastern Lebanon while trying to cross the border illegally to go back to Syria. While the two women and two children died, eight others were rescued by Lebanese civil defence officers. The governor of Baalbek-Hermel, Bashir Khadr, said that the civil defence and army searched the area for three days. One child was […]
Yemen's Syndicate of Doctors and Pharmacists announced on Sunday that another doctor has died from Covid-19. An internal medicine specialist in Taiz, Dr Abdul-Raqeeb Al-Amri, is the 74th doctor to have died of the virus, said the syndicate. "With the death of Dr Al-Amri," it announced, "the country, the Syndicate of Doctors and Pharmacists, and the medical community has lost one of its most loyal individuals, […]
Police in Morocco's capital Rabat blocked on Saturday a march by nurses who demanded changes in promotion procedures, Anadolu Agency reported. Demonstrators took to the streets after a call by the National Nurses Coordination, who wanted protesters to march to the parliamentary building. But police blocked the march at Bab-el Had square. Nurses have demanded amendments to a law that regulates the profession and does not allow two-year […]
China and Iran, both subject to US sanctions, signed a 25-year cooperation agreement on Saturday to strengthen their long-standing economic and political alliance, Reuters reported. "Relations between the two countries have now reached the level of strategic partnership and China seeks to comprehensively improve relations with Iran," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi was quoted by Iran's state media as telling his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif. "Our relations with Iran will not […]
The Saudi-led coalition battling Yemen's Houthi forces has destroyed two explosive-laden boats that the Iran-aligned group planned to use in an "imminent" attack launched from the Red Sea port of Hodeidah, Reuters reported Saudi state media as saying. The coalition in separate statements also said it intercepted and destroyed three armed drones launched towards southern Saudi Arabia, including the city of Khamis Mushait. The Houthis, who ousted […]
The Syrian regime is 'rationing' fuel as shipments are delayed due to the blockage of Egypt's Suez, The New Arab reported. The large container ship Ever Given has been jammed diagonally between across the Suez Canal since Tuesday, blocking off both lanes of traffic, and throwing around 12% of world trade into chaos. This incident has caused delays to imports of oil to Syria, with the […]
Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) said Sunday an oil spill north of the country has been brought under control, Anadolu Agency reports. In a statement posted on its Facebook page, the NOC said the leak occurred in one of the supply lines of the Dahra oilfield. "Technical teams were able to complete the work and halt the leak," the statement said, while the cause of the spill was […]
Likud MK Ayoub Kara had a 'warm meeting' with Joint List splitter party Ra'am's leader Mansour Abbas on Saturday, i24 News reported. Kara thanked Abbas for a 'warm meeting' and went on to plead with fellow right-wingers to differentiate between Ra'am and its former parliamentary allies, the predominantly Arab Joint List. Kara tweeted: "Friends on the right: There is a difference between the Joint [List] that […]
Syrian actors from the restive city of Idlib staged a play describing conditions in prisons of the Bashar al-Assad regime, Anadolu Agency reported. In an interview with Anadolu Agency, actor Zekeriya Seflo said that they will continue their efforts for the release of prisoners. "We will continue to raise our voice for the prisoners. We will continue to work until the last prisoner is released," Seflo said. Ibrahim […]
Iranian Ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, proposed activating a shipping line that passes through Iran as an alternative to Egypt's Suez Canal, Anadolu Agency reports. The Suez Canal has been temporarily suspended since Tuesday when a massive Panamanian container cargo ship, Ever Given, ran aground while passing through the new channel in the canal. Egypt inaugurated the New Suez Canal, which cost $8 billion, in August 2015 as […]
Sudan's ruling Sovereign Council on Sunday signed a declaration of principles with the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement-North Sector (SPLM-N) on separating religion and state, Anadolu Agency reported. The agreement was signed in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, by Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan, chairman of the ruling Sovereign Council, and SPLM-N leader Abdul Aziz Alhilu. The document calls for separating religion and state, respect of diversity, forming a united army, […]
A top Yemeni commander was killed Saturday in clashes with Houthi rebels in the eastern Marib province, a military source told Anadolu Agency. "Major General Amin Al-Waeli was killed at the Kassara front in the province on Friday evening," the source, who preferred not to be named said, adding that the commander was killed while on the battlefront northwest of Marib. The Yemeni Ministry of Defense […]
Turkey on Saturday "strongly condemned" the most violent crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Myanmar when the ruling military regime put on a show of its strength on its annual Armed Forces Day, Anadolu Agency reported. "We strongly condemn this excessive violence towards the civilians in Myanmar. On this occasion, we reiterate our call for ending such acts against the civilian population without delay, the immediate release of all […]
Bahraini authorities today said a number of cases of coronavirus discovered in a prison earlier this week had been isolated and the individuals concerned were in a stable condition, Reuters reports. On Tuesday the authority in charge of prisons said three cases had been discovered. It said contacts had been isolated and sterile cleaning had been carried out. Western-allied Bahrain has come under pressure from human rights organisations […]
An armed Iraqi militia yesterday threatened to target US forces and their agents in the country, Anadolu news agency reported. The Rab'Allah militia made the threat during a military parade with weapons in the streets of the capital, Baghdad. "The Iraqi people are living in the darkness of the brutal American occupation and a complicit and puppet government," the movement said in a statement, adding that its fighters […]
A state of popular anger has prevailed in Kuwait following the discovery of Israeli food products being sold in local markets after it was imported from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Kuwaiti activists circulated on social media a photo of the Israeli-made hummus which they said was being sold in Kuwaiti cooperative societies after being imported from the UAE. Social media users also circulated a copy […]
A state of deep division has prevailed among members of Israel's Likud party, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, over the need to ask Arab parties to join the next coalition government, Haaretz reported. The paper said the party's members have engaged in a heated debate on WhatsApp, where a clear majority of its members and Knesset lawmakers strongly opposed the idea. The preliminary results of the fourth Israeli elections in less […]
Israel has offered to provide hospitals in Lebanon respirators to treat coronavirus patients, the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation (Kan) reported. Kan said the Ministry of Health's Director General, Professor Hayzi Levy, made the offer following reports of a severe shortage of such devices in Lebanon. Levy pointed out that Israel had previously offered to help the Lebanese government after the Beirut port explosion, through foreign channels, as the two […]
Israeli settlers yesterday punctured the tyres of several Palestinian-owned vehicles and sprayed anti-Arab graffiti on walls and vehicles in the town of Kafr Qasim, in northern Israel. The attackers sprayed slogans calling to expel or murder Palestinians. Israeli settlers have, in recent years, carried out similar attacks in the occupied West Bank and Arab cities and towns in Israel in what has become known as "price […]
The Palestinian Authority and Hamas have agreed to establish a "national unity government", a senior official announced yesterday. According to Jibril Rajoub, the accord is based on an "internationally-recognised political document between Fatah and Hamas." He pointed out that it "paves the way for a national unity government after the elections." Rajoub added that PA officials are "still in contact with the US administration" and stressed […]
Iranian authorities yesterday announced that they have not been able to secure the nearly three million doses of the Russian-made COVID-19 vaccines before the Persian New Year, Nowruz, as promised. "We have not been able to fulfil our promise to secure 2.8 million doses of coronavirus vaccine by March 21," Ministry of Health spokesman, Kianush Jahanpour, said. He added that out of the one million doses […]
The Tunisian parliament yesterday ratified recent revisions of the draft bill for the Constitutional Court. The bill was passed by a majority of 111 votes. Arabi21 quoted sources as saying that a plenary session would be held on 18 April to complete the elections for members of the Constitutional Court. "If a constitutional court candidate does not achieve the required 145 majority votes after three sessions, the […]
Egypt is ready to cooperate with the River Nile Basin countries to enhance their water resources, Minister of Irrigation Mohamed Abdel Atti announced yesterday. The plan is to build rainwater harvesting dams and reservoirs as well as underground water reserves. Atti provided the details after a meeting with his Burundi counterpart, Deo-Guide Rurema, in Cairo. Such cooperation, he said, can help to provide clean drinking water […]
The Biden administration is giving the Palestinians $15 million to aid in their COVID-19 response in the occupied West Bank and besieged Gaza Strip, Reuters reported the US State Department saying in a statement yesterday. The funds from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) would help support efforts by the Catholic Relief Services in healthcare facilities as well as address food insecurity, the statement said. In the Israeli-occupied West […]
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has escalated the spat with Jordan as he turned down the Jordanian request to increase water supplies to the kingdom, Arab48.com reported on Friday. Netanyahu's rejection to allow increased water supplies to Jordan came against Israel's security services' recommendations. However, Arab48.com reported Haaretz stating that this rejection reflects the deep crisis between the two countries, pointing out that Netanyahu's rejection was […]
Israel Hayom has reported Head of the Israeli Likud Party Benjamin Netanyahu starting contacts with Arab Israeli MK Mansour Abbas, head of the Islamic Movement's southern branch, to form a new coalition government, Shehab News Agency reported on Friday. "There is no difference between Mansour Abbas and Ayman Odeh – the two of them will not be in the government. They represent parties that oppose the […]
The Philippines Bureau of Immigration (BI) has opened an investigation into allegations that some of its officers were involved in the trafficking of 44 women to work in Syria, AFP reported on Wednesday. According to the Senate of the Philippines, the women travelled on tourist visas from the Philippines to Dubai, where they had been promised work. While in Dubai, the women were "locked up inside a […]
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has reported a drastic influx of critically ill COVID-19 patients requiring hospitalisation in many parts of war-torn Yemen, the organisation disclosed on its website. "We are urging all medical humanitarian organisations already present in Yemen to rapidly scale up their COVID-19 emergency response," said Head of Mission for MSF in Yemen Raphael Veicht. "International donors who cut their humanitarian funding to Yemen must also act […]
Data analysis company Kepler Analytics announced on Friday that seven vessels transporting liquefied natural gas (LNG) had diverted their course away from the Suez Canal due to the blockage caused by a giant container ship since Tuesday. The crisis has entered its fourth day with no apparent solution in sight. Kepler analyst Rebecca Shea confirmed that three of the tankers were diverted to the longer route around […]
The repercussions of the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have led to poverty rates doubling seven times in Morocco, according to a study conducted by a government agency. The High Commission for Planning (HCP) has reported: "In the context of the ongoing health crisis, poverty rates have doubled seven times at the national level, increasing from 1.7 per cent before the pandemic to 11.7 […]
A Libyan civilian was killed in an explosion of a landmine planted by Wagner mercenaries south of the capital Tripoli, the Libyan government said on Saturday, Anadolu Agency reports. In a statement, the media office of the government-led Burkan Al-Ghadab (Volcano of Rage) Operation said the civilian died on Friday "in front of his wife and children" after a landmine exploded while "they were outing in […]
Italian Deputy Foreign Minister Marina Sereni has stated that Italy and France have overcome contradictory points of view regarding the Libyan file, confirming that there is now a common European demarche to ensure stability in Libya. The Italian official affirmed that there are opportunities today in Libya thanks to the newly-elected government and the upcoming elections on 24 December, reported Italian news agency Nova. Sereni added […]
Palestinian health authorities on Saturday registered 23 new fatalities and 1,319 infections from the coronavirus pandemic, Anadolu Agency reports. Health Minister Mai al-Kaila said 20 deaths and 714 cases were recorded in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, while 605 cases and three fatalities were recorded in the Gaza Strip. According to the minister, 197 of those infected are intensive care units, while 63 patients were […]
Tunisia has renewed on Friday its firm and supportive stance on the peaceful settlement of the conflict in Libya, expressing its readiness to provide all forms of support to Libya. This came in a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Immigration and Tunisians Abroad, reported by the Tunis Afrique Presse (TAP), after the country's permanent mission to the United Nations (UN) participated in a […]
A senior Israeli military official has declared on Friday that his country has the ability to "completely destroy Iran's nuclear programme." Tal Kalman, head of the Strategic Division and the Third-Circle Directorate of the Israeli army, told Israel Today that 2020 was a "good" year concerning war against Iran. Kalman added: "I do not want to call it a year of transformation, but it is a […]
The Sudanese Foreign Ministry announced that a delegation from Sudan will head to the UAE on Friday to discuss ways to ease tension, resolve the border dispute with Ethiopia and reach a settlement on the Renaissance Dam. A ministry statement confirmed that the visit comes in response to the initiative put forward by Abu Dhabi to ease the crisis. According to the statement, the delegation includes […]
The Casablanca Court of First Instance has sentenced a Moroccan blogger, who has been broadcasting videos on YouTube for several years, to three months in prison on charges of "insulting constitutional institutions", reported local media on Friday. Blogger Shafik El-Amrani (known by the nickname "Aorobe fe Merican"), who is also a US citizen, was arrested in early February upon his arrival at Rabat-Salé Airport from the […]