Archives for October, 2020

Israel to start human trials of coronavirus vaccine next week

The first phase of the trial will test 80 volunteers between the ages of 18 and 55.

Boycotts of French goods launched in Kuwait, Qatar over prophet cartoons

Following controversial comments made by France's president, calls are growing in Muslim countries for boycotts of French goods.

Guatemala designates Hezbollah a terrorist organization

The United States praised the Latin American country's decision as it tries to get more states to designate the Iran-backed Lebanese group terrorists.

Intel: Sudan's Ministerial Council weighs in on Israel normalization

Sudan's leaders anticipate economic benefits from the agreement, which is opposed by opposition parties.

A man holds a picture of Macron with a shoe print on it as Turkish protesters shout slogans against France during a demonstration against French President's comments over Prophet Muhammad cartoons, in Istanbul, on October 25, 2020. - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on October 25, 2020 renewed his call for his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron to undergo mental checks, a day after his comments prompted Paris to recall its envoy to Ankara. Macron's comments, on October 21, 2020, came in response to th

Erdogan distracts from plummeting lira with call to boycott France

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused France’s Emmanuel Macron of pandering to anti-Muslim "fascists" in a desperate bid to bolster his electoral fortunes ahead of presidential elections in 2022, yet many would agree that Erdogan’s anti-Western tirades are designed to divert attention from his country’s mounting economic woes.

Workers move iron girders from a crane at the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), near Guba in Ethiopia, on December 26, 2019. - The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, a 145-metre-high, 1.8-kilometre-long concrete colossus is set to become the largest hydropower plant in Africa.
Across Ethiopia, poor farmers and rich businessmen alike eagerly await the more than 6,000 megawatts of electricity officials say it will ultimately provide.
Yet as thousands of workers toil day and night to finish the project, E

Talks on Nile River dam to resume on Tuesday

The African Union-led talks begin amid continued tensions Sudan and Egypt have with Ethiopia over the massive hydroelectric dam. Negotiations have been on hold since August.

A fighter with the Turkey-backed Faylaq al-Sham rebel faction in Syria shoots in the air during the funeral of 10 of the faction's fighters in the northwestern city of Idlib, on October 26, 2020, following their death in a Russian air strike. - Air strikes by Syrian regime ally Russia killed 78 fighters from the turkey-backed Faylaq al-Sham faction when they targeted a training camp in the Jabal Duwayli area in Idlib province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. (Photo by Mohammed AL-RIFAI / AFP)

Russian strikes kill dozens of Turkey-backed rebels in Syria's Idlib

The strikes on Monday reportedly targeted a training camp run by the Failaq al-Sham group.

Iranian women walk past a Qatar Airways branch in the capital Tehran on June 6, 2017.
A ban on Qatari flights imposed by Saudi Arabia and its allies took effect as first efforts were made to resolve the biggest feud to hit the Arab world in years. Saudi Arabia and allies including Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain cut diplomatic ties and transport links with Qatar on Monday, accusing the Gulf state of supporting extremism.
/ AFP PHOTO / ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP

Australia condemns intrusive search of women before Qatar Airways flight

Authorities in Doha reportedly searched women's private parts without consent after an abandoned newborn was discovered before a flight to Sydney.

Turkey’s ruling party blunders at youth outreach

The Turkish government's recent attempts to reach out to the country's youth reveal that the generation gap is growing — and might be unbridgeable.

Iranian police stand between supporters of the Basiji militia and supporters of Iranian president Hassan Rouhani upon his arrival from New York, on September 28, 2013 in Tehran. Some 60 hardline Islamists chanted "Death to America" and "Death to Israel" but they were outnumbered by 200 to 300 supporters of the president who shouted: "Thank you Rouhani." AFP PHOTO/ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran investigates case of man killed in police custody

Investigators have opened a case against a police officer who pepper-sprayed and tased a man who died on the way to the hospital.

IN FLIGHT, SCOTLAND - OCTOBER 08: An F-35B combat aircraft from the Royal Air Force refuels from an RAF Voyager aircraft over the North Sea on October 08, 2020 in flight, above Scotland. The first air-to-air refuelling of F-35Bs from the newly-formed Carrier Strike Group took place as part of Operation Joint Warrior. Flying from HMS Queen Elizabeth, the RAF, RN and USMC Pilots (USofA) were demonstrating the operational capabilities of NATO and the UK for current and future threats. Operation Joint Warrior t

Gantz, Netanyahu split again over US F-35 sale to UAE

Defense Minister Benny Gantz accuses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of withholding knowledge of US-Emirates negotiations on the sale of F-35 stealth jets.

United Arab Emirates

Erdogan goes on offense against European leaders in defense of lslam

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has taken up the cause of Islam in the West, further damaging Turkey's ties with Europe.

Turkey’s gold rush whets appetite of gold-mining companies

Turkey is eager to boost gold production amid surging demand for the precious metal despite a growing movement against the environmental damage caused by the industry.

Syrian pro-regime fighters and journalists enter the courtyard of the museum of Maaret al-Numan in Syria's northwestern Idlib province on January 30, 2020. - Maaret al-Numan is nestled in a UNESCO-listed region of ancient villages and its mosaics museum had achieved international renown.
The museum, housed in an Ottoman-era caravanserai, was seriously damaged in a government barrel bomb attack in 2015. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP) (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA/AFP via Getty Images)

Syrian journalists in Idlib face crackdown from jihadist-affiliated government

The government affiliated with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in Syria has decreed that journalists can’t work in their areas of control without a permit.

Jordan cracks down on racketeers following maiming of teenager

In an unprecedented move, Jordan's Public Security Department has launched a coordinated wave of arrests of those suspected of racketeering, bullying and repeat offenses, following the attack on a Jordanian teenager in the city of Zarqa that left him with amputated hands and a gouged eye.

Members of the Islamist al-Nuor party hold a public conference in support of ex-army chief and presidential candidate Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi (portrait) in Egypt's northern port city of Alexandria on May 20, 2014. Egypt's Salafist party al-Nour is securing its place on the political scene but loosing supporters by backing Sisi who has launched a crackdown on their former Islamist allies the Muslim Brotherhood. AFP PHOTO / AHMED ARAB / AFP PHOTO / - (Photo credit should read -/AFP via Getty Images)

Sisi appoints Salafist party members to Egyptian Senate

Although the Salafist Nour party failed to secure any seats in the Senate, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi decided to appoint two party representatives to the Senate.