US President Joe Biden and Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi discussed the recent rocket attacks on Iraqi and US personnel and agreed that the perpetrators will be held to account, according to a White House statement. In a phone call, Biden "affirmed US support for Iraq's sovereignty and independence...

Morocco plans to allow the farming, export and domestic sale of cannabis for medical and industrial use, the government said today, a move it hopes will help impoverished farmers in the Rif mountains amid a growing legal global market for the drug, Reuters reports. Past attempts to legalise cannabis farming...

The United Nations will convene a meeting of parties in the Cyprus dispute in Geneva in late April, the first such meeting since 2017 when talks about the divided island collapsed in disarray, Reuters reported. Cyprus was split between a Greek Cypriot south and a Turkish Cypriot north after a Turkish...

An 26-year-old Afghan asylum-seeker who is eight months pregnant set fire to her tent in a bid to burn herself alive at a camp on the Greek island of Lesvos, AFP reported the Greece Migration Ministry saying. The woman set herself on fire on Sunday morning in the Kera Tepe migrant camp,...

The Israeli Prison Service (IPS) sent Palestinian prisoner Ahmed Abu Ali to the Negev jail just one day after he underwent a cardiac catheterisation operation. Asra Media Office said yesterday that the IPS transferred the 46-year-old prisoner from Soroka Hospital to the Negev jail, describing his health condition as "stable"....

The family of detained lawyer Hoda Abdelmonem has issued a statement to say they have been denied visitation rights. It comes in response to a statement published on the social media accounts of the Interior Ministry which claimed Hoda is regularly visited by her family. "We are truly shocked...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has urged US President Joe Biden to maintain the sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) imposed by former President Donald Trump. Trump escalated hostilities against the ICC in June by authorising new sanctions against prosecutors and officials in The Hague. Trump's act was...

Almost six years ago Tareq Alaows drifted across the Aegean in a rubber boat before walking most of the way from Athens to Vienna. Now the migrant who fled military conscription in Syria is trying to win a seat in Germany's parliament, Reuters has reported. He plans to run for the...

The heir to the British throne, Prince Charles, is acting as a "de facto high-level salesman for British arms exports" and is "bolstering autocratic Gulf regimes," claims a new report by Declassified UK. The investigative journalism website has released two reports on the relationship between the House of Windsor...

Sheikha Latifa, one of the daughters of the ruler of Dubai, has written to British police asking them to reopen their investigation into the kidnap of her older sister from a street in Cambridge in 2000, the BBC reported today. Reuters reported that in a handwritten letter seen by the British broadcaster...

The United States Department of Defence called on Turkey to take action and remove Russian S-400 missiles from its territory, reiterating the security threat to NATO defence systems in the country. On Tuesday, the press secretary John F. Kirby said: "We urge Turkey not to move ahead with the...

Two planes used in the killing of Jamal Khashoggi were owned by a company seized by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS) months before the journalist's death, CNN reports. MBS reportedly ordered Sky Prime Aviation be taken over by the kingdom's sovereign wealth fund, known as the Public Investment Fund,...

A Tunisian media mogul was bailed for $3.7 million yesterday after spending two months in jail on money laundering and tax evasion charges, Agence France Presse (AFP) has reported. Assistant chief prosecutor Mohsen Dali pointed out that Nabil Karoui "must remain at the disposal of the courts." Karoui is...

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information has gathered testimonies from the families of political prisoners which show they are denied simple food items such as bread and fruit, reports the New Arab. One of the testimonies was from Alaa Abdelfattah's mother: "They refused to take wipes, cumin and thyme, but this was not...

The US has asked to rejoin the UN Human Rights Council in another move that, superficially at least, spells a departure from the Trump administration's withdrawal from the institution. However, as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated, the reasons for the earlier departure from the Council still stand:...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Bahrain's Crown Prince Sheikh Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa today discussed the Gulf state's possible involvement in establishing a vaccine plant in Israel, Reuters reported Netanyahu's office saying. The two leaders also discussed a possible visit by Netanyahu to Bahrain once coronavirus restrictions allow it,...

Egypt's public prosecutor has called on witnesses who have video footage of the Fairmont Hotel rape to share it with them as evidence and promised them confidentiality and protection. The public prosecution later announced that it had received screenshots of a video of the Fairmont gang rape and claimed...

The Movement for Quality Government in Israel asked Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit and Israel Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai on Wednesday to investigate Likud's request for the Palestinian Authority to tell Arab Israeli citizens to vote for Benjamin Netanyahu in next month's General Election. In a letter sent to Mandelblit...

The Palestinian Authority ambassador and the Council of Arab Ambassadors to the UN continue to meet and have contact with the members of the Middle East Quartet, Security Council and influential countries in a bid to revive the peace process, Wafa news agency reported on Wednesday. During the latest...

An Israeli court yesterday extended the solitary confinement of Sheikh Raed Salah, head of the northern branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel, his lawyer Khaled Zabarqa told the media. This came following the Israeli Prison Services' request for such a move due to the alleged danger Salah poses...

After the nomination of Congresswoman Betty McCollum as the Chairwoman of the Secondary Committee for security Issues, Israel is worried about new appointments which will make up the US administration, Shehab news agency reported yesterday. "This nomination causes much worry among the Israelis because of her policy which opposes Israel's occupation of Palestinian...

Hamas yesterday criticised the Palestinian Authority (PA)'s "monopoly" over Palestinian decisions, spokesman Hazem Qassem said. Taking to Twitter, Qassem wrote: "It is a shame that the PA and Fatah officials in Ramallah are selling the delusion to the Palestinian people that they are running a state." Adding that the PA...

Israeli Defence Minister and Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz on Tuesday threatened the Lebanese people over repeated remarks made by Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, i24 reported. "If Nasrallah and Hezbollah's threats translate into action, the outcome will be painful for Hezbollah," Gantz said during a tour of northern Israel. He added:...

The Palestinian people have used many tactics in their legitimate resistance against the Israeli occupation which has robbed them of their land, rights and holy places. The use of caricature is one of these modes of resistance which have angered and even hurt the Israeli occupation. The 1987 assassination...

Kuwait hosted some meetings a few days ago between official delegations from Qatar, the UAE and Egypt. The Qatari delegation met with UAE officials on 22 February with the aim of bridging the diplomatic gap between the two countries. The Qatar team met with an Egyptian delegation the following...

The head of the Palestinian National Independent Assembly, Munib Al-Masri, said a London- based law firm has been hired to prosecute the British government over the Balfour Declaration, which established the UK's support for a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine and the violations committed by Britain during...

Senior officials from Israel and Saudi Arabia have recently held a series of calls to discuss US President Joe Biden's administration's plans to rejoin the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, Israeli media outlets reported. Israeli Broadcasting Corporation Kan reported on Tuesday that the Saudis expressed their concerns about the new American administration's stance...

Three separate explosions have targeted liquor stores in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, Russia Today news agency reported. The agency said two separate explosions targeted liquor stores in the Camp Sarah area near the Karrada neighbourhood yesterday, no casualties were reported. Later in the day, a third explosive device exploded in a...

The Palestinian Authority and Egypt have received "positive signals" from Israel regarding the development of a natural gas field off the coast of the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian official said yesterday. On Sunday, the Palestinian Investment Fund signed an agreement with the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) to...

The United Nations special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Agnès Callamard, said Iran had violated the right to life of the passengers and crew onboard the Ukrainian passenger plane which was shot down by the Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in early 2020. Callamard delivered a 45-page...

As the international body entrusted with world peace, security and conflict mediation worldwide, the United Nations (UN) has been involved in Libya's internal conflict from the very start. This involvement came quickly – somewhat hastily and ill-advised from day one. Over the years, the UN became part of the...

The Libyan army announced on Wednesday that it had monitored movements by the Russian Wagner mercenaries west of the city of Sirte, and considered them a "breach of the ceasefire agreement". According to a statement published on Facebook by the media centre of the Volcano of Anger Operation, several...

A Turkish court convicted an executive of Turkish jet company MNG and two pilots for migrant smuggling over their role in flying former Nissan Motor Co Ltd Chairman Carlos Ghosn out of Japan during his escape to Lebanon just over a year ago, reports Reuters. The court sentenced them to four years and two months jail, although their lawyer said they were not expected to serve time in...

Iran has detained a French tourist for nine months and his lawyers have been denied access to him, one of the lawyers, Saeid Dehghan, told Reuters on Wednesday. The arrest comes at a sensitive time when the United States and European parties to Iran's 2015 nuclear deal are trying to restore the pact that was abandoned in 2018 by...

The government reshuffle in Algeria has sparked a wave of controversy in political circles due to the ambiguity accompanying it, combined with the delay of the date set by the president himself. Observers of Algerian affairs are aware that the authorities and the public are on different axes. While...

UN aid chief Mark Lowcock urged Gulf states to step up next Monday when the world body seeks to avert a large-scale "man-made" famine in Yemen by raising $3.85 billion for humanitarian operations in the war-torn Arabian Peninsula country for 2021, reported Reuters. The United Nations describes Yemen as the world's...

The Russian government on Tuesday called on its foreign and defence ministries to conduct negotiations with Saudi Arabia to conclude a new military cooperation agreement between the two countries. According to Russia Today (RT), the agreement would include an: "Expansion of views and data on matters of mutual interest...

Sudan launched a scheme on Wednesday to alleviate the impact of a severe economic crisis by paying out monthly cash allowances of $5 that are eventually meant to reach 80% of the population, reported Reuters. The first $400 million phase of the programme is financed by the World Bank...

The governorate of Tataouine in south-eastern Tunisia on Wednesday announced a general strike to pressure the authorities to implement the El-Kamour agreement, concluded between the demonstrators and the government. The government announced that a final agreement had been reached with the demonstrators of El-Kamour, on 7 November, 2020, following...

Egypt has approved Russia's Sputnik V vaccine against COVID-19, becoming the 34th country outside of Russia and third in North Africa to do so, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) said in a statement on Wednesday, reported Reuters. RDIF, Russia's sovereign wealth fund responsible for marketing the vaccine abroad, said Sputnik V had...

Angry protesters occupied a governor's office in southeastern Iran on Tuesday, a day after at least two fuel smugglers were shot dead at the nearby border with Pakistan, according to Iranian media and online videos, reported Reuters. Iran, which has some of the lowest fuel prices in the world,...

Health authorities in the government-controlled part of Yemen have warned that hospitals must prepare for a "possible" second wave of coronavirus and take measures to prevent the disease from spreading. Testing and monitoring are limited in the war-torn country, but the number of new cases has risen in the...

Israel aims to reopen its economy by April 5 after having vaccinated all its eligible population and is in talks with vaccine makers Pfizer and Moderna to open facilities in the country, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday reports Reuters. Israel has been importing Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines....

News emerged last night that Al Jazeera Media Network (AJMN) is to launch a new online channel called Rightly. This was confirmed by the network today. "Al Jazeera Media Network today announced the launch of Rightly, a new US-based digital platform that will generate content for audiences currently under-represented...

Watch the online book launch for "Engaging the World: The Making of Hamas's Foreign Policy". Authored by Middle East Monitor's Dr Daud Abdullah, The Making of Hamas's Foreign Policy is the first comprehensive account of how the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, conducts its international relations, its attempts to...

Sudan has renewed its complaint to the UN Security Council against Egypt over the disputed Halayeb and Shalateen triangle between the two countries. The Sudanese news agency quoted an anonymous source from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as saying yesterday that "Sudan has renewed its complaint against Egypt over...

Officials attached and related to Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem have praised Al-Aqsa International Week organised by British NGO Friends of Al-Aqsa. The Department of Islamic Endowments and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs in the occupied city called on everyone to engage with activities throughout the week scheduled for 6-12 March....

US State Department "will hold Iran responsible for the actions of its proxies that attack Americans," it said in a press briefing yesterday. Last week, a rocket attack on a US airbase next to Erbil's international airport killed one civilian contractor and injured several others, including a US service...

The British lobby group Friends of Al-Aqsa has launched its annual week of solidarity with Al-Aqsa Mosque, coinciding with the last week of the Islamic month of Rajab, which this year falls on 6-12 March. The organisation has called upon everyone who empathises with Al-Aqsa Mosque and the challenges...

Dozens of former senior Israeli defence officials have called on the leader of the Blue and White party, Defence Minister Benny Gantz, to pull out of next month's General Election, the Times of Israel has reported. The letter was published by major newspapers in the occupation state. In their...