Archives for January, 2025

Halit Ergenc, one of Turkey's most famous actors, is facing judicial scrutiny

Turkey's actors, artists under pressure as govt turns up the heat

Agence France-Presse

US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu participate in a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House on Sept. 15, 2020, in Washington, DC.

Netanyahu first foreign leader to meet Trump Tuesday: What to expect

While President Donald trump is expected to push Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to go through with the second phase of the hostage deal, the Israeli leader is expected to ask the American president to turn up the heat on Tehran.

BASHAR TALEB/AFP via Getty Images

Interview

Qatar banks on Trump's help to sustain Gaza ceasefire

Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari discusses the Gaza ceasefire-for-hostages deal, the Trump administration's role in implementing it and the future of Hamas' political office in Doha.

Majed al-Ansari

Majed al-Ansari

Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson

View of the buried village of Al Madam in the desert, a site of the Sharjah Biennial (SB 16). (Courtesy of the Sharjah Art Foundation)

AL-Monitor Dubai: Sharjah Biennial 16 featuring 190 artists

This week we highlight the upcoming Sharjah Biennial 16, a major new exhibition at the Louvre Abu Dhabi juxtaposing traditional and contemporary African art, a new restaurant in Dubai fusing African and Mediterranean cuisine and new exhibition openings featuring the work of collective Slavs and Tatars at The Third Line.

United Arab Emirates

Tulsi Gabbard testifies during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Jan. 30, 2025, in Washington, DC.

Tulsi Gabbard grilled about Assad, Iran views at confirmation hearing

In her confirmation hearing for director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard was pressed on her relationship with former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and walked back previous statements criticizing Trump's policy choices.

1950

Iran’s Baha’is face escalating persecution amid crackdown: What to know

The United Nations has expressed concern over persecution of Baha'is in Iran as arrests mount.

Instagram/@lalebelkisofficial

AL-Monitor Istanbul: Exhibit at home of famed femme fatale

While Istanbul shines with new blockbuster exhibitions like Ahmet Gunestekin’s “Lost Words,” at Feshane, or “The Story Unfolds in Istanbul,” at Mesher, we explore a hidden gem this week: the house exhibition by Lale Belkis, the iconic femme fatale of Turkey’s silver screen half a century ago.

Erdogan meloni

Analysis

Drones and radars: Can Turkey-Italy defense trade bring political benefits?

A possible Baykar-Leonardo partnership and Baykar’s acquisition of Piaggio Aerospace may go beyond greater defense cooperation between Turkey and Italy to improve Ankara’s relations with the West.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

Turkey awaits price offer for Eurofighters, says defense official

Ankara expects a price offer for the Eurofighter jets as it seeks to modernize its air fleet.

Salwan Momika staged several similar protests which sparked fury in Iraq

Salwan Momika, the Koran burner who sparked international tensions

Agence France-Presse

French President Emmanuel Macron, followed by French Armies Minister Sebastien Lecornu (2nd R), walks past a Dassault Rafale fighter aircraft during his New Year address to the French Army at the Mont-de-Marsan air base, southwestern France, on January 20, 2023. (Photo by Bob Edme / POOL / AFP) (Photo by BOB EDME/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

UAE receives first French Rafale fighter jets as F-35 deal remains in limbo

The United Arab Emirates has received its first Rafale fighter jet under a deal with France amid ongoing US-French competition for influence in the UAE’s arms industry.

United Arab Emirates

Masked fighters of Hamas and its ally Islamic Jihad struggle to clear a path through crowds of Palestinian spectators for Israeli civilian Arbel Yehud ahead of her release with other hostages

Militants struggle to hold back crowds during chaotic Gaza hostage handover

Agence France-Presse

Masked fighters of Hamas and its ally Islamic Jihad struggle to clear a path through crowds of Palestinian spectators for Israeli civilian Arbel Yehud ahead of her release with other hostages

Israeli PM slams 'shocking scenes' at hostage release

Agence France-Presse

Syria's interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa bids farewell to Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani as he departs Damascus

Syria's new leader pledges 'national dialogue conference'

Agence France-Presse

Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud meets with Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in AlUla, Saudi Arabia January 26, 2025. Saudi Press Agency

Analysis

Italy revamps ties with Saudi Arabia, eyeing investments and defense trade

On her first visit to Saudi Arabia, Meloni is seeking to rebrand Italy's political engagement in the Middle East and bring about a new era for Italian industry in the region.

Jennifer Gnana

By Jennifer Gnana

In Dubai, reporting on Gulf energy policy and politics

Zakaria Zubeidi, pictured in 2007 when he returned to Jenin under an amnesty which Israeli later revoked

Top Palestinian militant freed in Israel prisoner exchange

Agence France-Presse