After the group was chased out of Yazidi areas in 2015, little has been done to heal the wounds of the minority group. A couple of hundred people gathered in Iraq’s Sinjar to remember the ISIL (ISIS) massacre and enslavement of the Yazidi people in August of 2014. During the ceremony on Tuesday, the audience watched […]

DUBAI (REUTERS) – The president of the United Arab Emirates has issued a decree cancelling a law on boycotting Israel and allowing trade and financial agreements between the two countries, the UAE official news agency WAM reported on Saturday (Aug 29). The decree from UAE President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan aims at “supporting bilateral […]

At least 13 killed and large parts of Pakistan’s largest city submerged after record torrential rains in August. Islamabad, Pakistan – At least 13 people have been killed by urban flooding in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi, the country’s largest city and its commercial hub, as torrential monsoon rains have left large parts of the […]

DUBAI (REUTERS) – US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discussed the Libyan conflict and countering Iranian regional influence with his Emirati counterpart during a brief visit to the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday (Aug 26). The visit followed a US brokered-accord this month, which saw the UAE become just the third Arab state to agree […]

TEL AVIV/JERUSALEM (REUTERS, NYTIMES) – Israeli warplanes bombed Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip early on Wednesday (Aug 26) in response to Palestinians in the enclave launching incendiary balloons towards Israel, the military said. There were no reports of casualties in the strikes that Israel’s military said targeted underground infrastructure belonging to Hamas, the Islamist […]

JERUSALEM (AFP) – US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is due in Jerusalem on Monday (Aug 24) to start a tour focused on Israel’s normalisation of ties with the UAE and pushing other Arab states to follow suit. After meeting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he is set to visit senior figures in Sudan, Bahrain and […]

JERUSALEM (REUTERS) – Thousands of Israelis protested in Jerusalem on Saturday (Aug 22) against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the summer outcry denouncing alleged corruption and the government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic showed little signs of abating. A large crowd marched in the streets outside Netanyahu’s official residence, waving signs and flags and calling […]

Thousands of swimmers to take part amid coronavirus restrictions in world’s only inter-continental open water contest. More than 2,000 swimmers from 46 different countries are set to dip into Turkey’s iconic Bosphorus strait, competing in a unique race between Asia and Europe. The Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swimming Race, being held in Istanbul on Sunday, is an […]

BEIRUT (AFP) – The special tribunal trying the four suspects accused of the 2005 assassination of Lebanon’s former prime minister Rafic Hariri is expected to deliver its verdict on Tuesday (Aug 18). Here’s a recap of key developments in the case: ASSASSINATION A massive suicide bomb tears through Mr Hariri’s armoured convoy on the Beirut […]

Israeli police say they ‘neutralised’ a man after he allegedly attempted to carry out stabbing attack in the Old City. A Palestinian man has been shot dead by Israeli forces in occupied East Jerusalem‘s Old City after he allegedly attempted to carry out a stabbing attack.  Witnesses told Maan news agency that Israeli security guards […]