TEL AVIV/JERUSALEM (REUTERS, BLOOMBERG) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday (May 5) that he had ordered Israeli forces to press attacks against militants in the Gaza Strip and deploy in strength around the Palestinian enclave after a two-day surge in cross-border fighting. “This morning I instructed the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) to […]

The US has imposed sanctions on Iran, which relies on oil and gas for 80% of its exports. How will this impact the Iranian economy? Iran’s economic situation is even more precarious now that US sanctions waivers on eight major buyers of its oil have expired. Iran’s oil sales have already fallen by half since […]

The visit is another sign of support for Iran in the face of US sanctions, but for ordinary Iranians, it may not be enough. OPEC Secretary-General Mohammed Barkindo visited Tehran for an oil and gas expo just hours before sanctions waivers the US granted to Iran’s biggest oil customers were set to expire. The OPEC […]

Four more women’s rights activists have been temporarily freed in Saudi Arabia, bringing the total to seven in two months. UK-based Saudi rights organisation ALQST said Hatoon Al-Fassi, Amal Al-Harbi, Maysaa al-Manea, and Abeer Namankani were all released, with reports a fifth had also been let out. They are among 11 women held for about […]

Facebook is being used by networks of traffickers to buy and sell looted antiquities, the BBC has learned. Private groups also discuss how to illegally excavate ancient tombs, according to research by academics. Facebook says it has removed 49 groups following the BBC’s investigation. The BBC has also seen evidence that antiquities are still being […]

Six months of exemptions from US sanctions for countries still buying oil from Iran are ending on Thursday. President Donald Trump reinstated the sanctions last year after abandoning a landmark nuclear accord, which he wants to renegotiate. Iran’s leaders have remained defiant in the face of the sanctions and vowed to overcome them, but the […]

Arrest of Wael Abbas comes amid a wider crackdown on dissent as thousands have been jailed and websites blocked. Prominent Egyptian activist and blogger, Wael Abbas has been arrested by Egyptian authorities after an early morning raid at his home, the latest in a new wave of arrests since elections earlier this year. Egyptian security […]

Condemnation follows Washington’s new demands over Tehran’s nuclear programme. Iran has condemned the United States for its threat of the “strongest sanctions in history”. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo outlined new demands for Tehran in a speech on Monday. Al Jazeera’s Zein Basravi reports from Tehran. Source: Read Full Article

The friendly fixture between Israel and Argentina is set to be played in Jerusalem’s Teddy Stadium on June 9. The Palestinian Football Association (PFA) has urged Argentina to cancel a friendly football match against Israel, scheduled to be played in Jerusalem this month. In letters sent on Monday to the Argentine Football Association, the South American […]

Sabika Sheikh, 17, was among at least 10 schoolchildren killed when a gunman opened fire at the Sante Fe High School. Islamabad, Pakistan – Sabika Sheikh, a 17-year-old Pakistani student on a foreign exchange programme in the United States, was among those killed in the Sante Fe school shooting, her family and the programme have […]