Archives for March, 2023

Iraqi children carry Ramadan lanterns.

Iraq marks somber Ramadan amid economic, political crises

The holy month used to be a special time for Iraqis, filled with spiritual and social activities. But it has lost meaning due to the ongoing economic crisis and political conflict in the country.

Leader of the Republican People's Party (CHP) Kemal Kilicdaroglu speaks during his party's group meeting at the Turkish Grand National Assembly in Ankara, Turkey on Jan. 10, 2023.

Meet Kemal Kilicdaroglu, Turkey’s long-derided opposition head who could dethrone Erdogan

The leader of the main opposition Republican People's Party, who will face off against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in presidential elections May 14, is a far more complex figure than meets the eye.

Germany's DW closure in Turkey sparks fears of pre-election media clampdown

Deutsche Welle, which produces news in Turkish, will close its office next week after the government refused it permission to operate.

Vendors sell herbs in Lebanon's southern city of Sidon (Saida) -- the country's meltdown has pushed most people into poverty

IMF warns Lebanon at 'very dangerous moment'

Agence France-Presse

An Algerian flag is displayed on a small boat used by migrants to cross The Alboran Sea, in an open-air warehouse in Almeria, southeast Spain, on October 15, 2021. - At least 309 migrants, 13 of them minors, have died in the western Mediterranean since the start of the year, figures from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) show. The number of Algerians arriving on the coast of southeastern Spain or the Balearic Isles has soared in recent months. A confidential document compiled by the Spanish

Algeria disbands migrant smuggling network to Europe, arrests nine Syrians

The arrest of the network coincided with a migrant boat capsizing off the coast of Tunisia, killing five people.

A print house worker rolls up a Likud party election campaign poster that shows former Israeli Prime Minister and Likud Party leader Benjamin Netanyahu on October 19, 2022 in Rosh HaAyin, Israel. Legislative elections will be held in Israel on 1 November 2022 to elect the members of the twenty-fifth Knesset. (Photo by Amir Levy/Getty Images)

Israeli protests shake Netanyahu’s social media empire

With so many top high-tech Israeli figures leading the anti-judicial overhaul movement, social media wizard Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reason to worry.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (R) meets with Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud in Moscow on March 9, 2023. (Photo by Alexander Zemlianichenko / POOL / AFP) (Photo by ALEXANDER ZEMLIANICHENKO/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Saudi Arabia, Iran FMs to meet 'soon' after phone call

Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed earlier this month to resume relations in a deal brokered by China.

The Dubai metro track is seen along Sheikh Zayed Road, as the Gulf emirate prepares to open its new metro network in a bid to cut dependency on cars and ease congestion, United Arab Emirates, Sept. 9, 2009.

UAE, Oman call for bids on $3 billion transnational railway project

The move aims to expand the role of the private sector in the state-owned project and promote regional integration, with the project connecting Oman’s Sohar Port with the UAE's National Rail Network.

Israeli police confront protesters during ongoing demonstrations in Tel Aviv on March 23, 2023, against controversial legal reforms being touted by the country's hard-right government. - Israel's ruling coalition presented an amended version of a key element in its contentious judicial overhaul, in hopes of allaying concerns at home and abroad for Israeli democracy. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP) (Photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

'Day of paralysis' in Israel, as Knesset adopts anti-impeachment law

Organizers of the anti-judicial overhaul plan are expecting half a million demonstrators today across Israel, rallying, blocking roads and marching through cities.

The race to buy Manchester United enters a significant phase on Wedneday

Qatar's Sheikh Jassim makes second bid as battle to buy Man United heats up

Agence France-Presse

Libya embassy

Biden admin 'actively' working to reopen US Embassy in Libya

The US has lacked a permanent diplomatic mission in Libya since heavy fighting forced American diplomats to withdraw in 2014.

The town of Jindayris in rebel-held northern Syria, was heavily damaged in the February 6, 2023 earthquake

Quake-hit Syrians brace for subdued Ramadan

Agence France-Presse

Assad earthquake

Analysis

Assad comeback epitomizes Gulf states' world power ambitions

Visits to Oman and the UAE in recent weeks mark another step in the Syrian president's rehabilitation within the region, and the weakening of Western influence.

Gilles Kepel

By Gilles Kepel

Saudi central bank

Breaking | Last Updated: March 23, 2023, 8:08 am

Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain raise interest rates, mirroring Federal Reserve

The US Federal Reserve raised rates by 0.25% on Wednesday, despite concerns about the effect on the global financial climate.

An oil tanker unloads imported crude oil at Qingdao port in China's eastern Shandong province on May 9, 2022. - China OUT (Photo by AFP) / China OUT (Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images)

Russia surpasses Saudi Arabia as China’s top oil supplier

Energy-related cooperation between Saudi Arabia and China remains strong, but Russia and Saudi Arabia will continue to compete for the Chinese oil market in the near future.

Protesters try to remove the barbed wire fence outside the government palace headquarters in the centre of Beirut

Tear gas fired at angry protest in crisis-hit Lebanon

Agence France-Presse