Satellite images show secretive Israel nuclear facility undergoing major construction

A secretive Israeli nuclear facility at the center of the nation’s undeclared atomic weapons program is undergoing what appears to be its biggest construction project in decades, satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press show.
25 February 2021, 12:48 PM

Lebanese court removes investigator who charged politicians over Beirut blast

A Lebanese court today dismissed a judge who had charged top politicians with negligence over last year’s Beirut port explosion, infuriating families of victims who said it showed that the state would never hold powerful men to account.
18 February 2021, 18:39 PM

‘Saudi govt will take measures to ensure Bangladeshi workers stuck due to Covid-19 can return’

Saudi Ambassador to Bangladesh Issa bin Youssef Al-Duhailan today assured that his government will take immediate measures so that Bangladeshi workers stuck in the country due to Covid-19 and workers with new visas can return to the Middle East country.
18 February 2021, 14:17 PM

At least 400,000 Yemeni children under 5 could die of starvation this year: UN agencies

At least 400,000 Yemeni children under five could die of starvation this year without urgent intervention amid soaring rates of severe malnutrition driven by war and the coronavirus pandemic, four UN agencies said today.
12 February 2021, 12:15 PM

6 Bangladeshi migrant workers killed in Saudi Arabia factory fire

At least six Bangladeshis have been killed in a factory fire in Saudi Arabian city of Madina on Wednesday night.
11 February 2021, 10:14 AM

Palestinians open election registration offices in West Bank and Gaza

Palestinians opened election registration offices in Gaza and the West Bank on Wednesday, one day after rival factions agreed steps to ensure that the first elections in 15 years go ahead.
10 February 2021, 14:47 PM

Yemen’s Houthis say they carried out drone attack on Saudi airport

Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group said it carried out a drone attack on Saudi Arabia’s Abha airport which the Saudi-led coalition fighting Houthi forces in Yemen said caused a fire in a civilian aircraft.
10 February 2021, 14:15 PM

Egypt opens Rafah crossing with Gaza until further notice: sources

Egypt on Tuesday opened its Rafah border crossing with the Gaza strip until further notice, Egyptian and Palestinian sources said, a move described as an incentive for reconciliation between the main Palestinian factions, meeting in Cairo.
9 February 2021, 12:13 PM

UN envoy Griffiths in Iran for first time to discuss Yemen crisis

The United Nations special envoy on Yemen is visiting Iran for the first time to discuss Yemen’s crisis, Iranian state TV reported, days after Washington announced an end to its support for Saudi-led military operations in Yemen.
7 February 2021, 17:46 PM

UN envoy Griffiths in Iran for first time to discuss Yemen crisis: TV

The United Nations special envoy on Yemen is visiting Iran for the first time to discuss Yemen’s crisis, Iranian state TV reported on Sunday, days after Washington announced an end to its support for Saudi-led military operations in Yemen
7 February 2021, 09:37 AM

Egypt frees Al Jazeera journalist after four years in detention

Egyptian authorities on Saturday released a journalist working for Qatar’s Al Jazeera television network who was held in pre-trial detention for more than four years, his brother and a lawyer told Reuters.
7 February 2021, 05:59 AM

ICC ruling brings hope for Palestinians, dismay for Israelis

Many Palestinians see a ruling by the International Criminal Court that it has jurisdiction over the Palestinian territories as a belated chance of justice for victims of Israeli attacks.
6 February 2021, 18:39 PM

Iran top diplomat urges Biden to return to nuclear deal

Iran’s foreign minister urged Washington to act fast to return to the nuclear accord, pointing out that legislation passed by parliament forces the government to harden its nuclear stance if US sanctions are not eased by Febuary 21.
6 February 2021, 17:26 PM

Biden ends US support for Saudi Arabia in Yemen, says war 'has to end'

President Joe Biden yesterday declared a halt to US support for a Saudi Arabia-led military campaign in Yemen, demanding that the more than six-year war, widely seen as a proxy conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran, “has to end.”
5 February 2021, 07:23 AM

Iran says US, not Tehran, should act first to resolve nuclear deal row

The United States should act first by returning to world powers’ 2015 nuclear deal with Iran that it ditched in 2018, the Iranian foreign minister tweeted after Washington demanded Tehran reverse its breaches of the pact first.
28 January 2021, 14:37 PM

US assures UN of its support for two-state solution in Middle East

US President Joe Biden’s administration supports a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians and will overturn several Trump administration decisions, the acting US envoy to the United Nations assured the Security Council yesterday.
26 January 2021, 19:12 PM

UAE cabinet approves setting up embassy in Tel Aviv

The United Arab Emirates cabinet has approved the establishment of an embassy in Tel Aviv in Israel, state media said, and Israel announced its embassy had opened in Abu Dhabi.
24 January 2021, 18:56 PM

Kuwait’s emir reappoints PM to form new cabinet after parliament standoff

Kuwait’s emir has reappointed Sheikh Sabah al-Khalid al-Sabah as prime minister after the cabinet resigned in a standoff with parliament over its vote to question the premier on issues including his choice of ministers.
24 January 2021, 14:03 PM

First big suicide attack in Baghdad for three years kills at least 32

Two men blew themselves up in a crowded Baghdad market today, killing at least 32 people in Iraq’s first big suicide bombing for three years, authorities said, describing it as a possible sign of the reactivation of Islamic State.
21 January 2021, 16:07 PM

Beirut blast chemicals possibly linked to Syrian businessmen: report, company filings

The company that bought the ammonium nitrate which exploded in Beirut last August had possible links to two Syrian businessmen under U.S. sanctions for ties to President Bashar al-Assad, according to a report by a Lebanese journalist and London company filings.
17 January 2021, 12:11 PM