DOHA (AFP) – The daily life of unaccompanied Afghan refugee children in Qatar is punctuated by recurring questions, “where are we going?” and “can I have some chips”. About 200 uprooted young Afghans arrived in Doha aboard flights from Kabul in recent weeks and are being hosted at a reception centre, where they grapple with […]

MADABA, JORDAN (AFP) – Friends and family initially mocked one Jordanian family’s new venture making soap from donkey milk. But now, a year on, the company is cleaning up as customers bray for more. Atan Donkey Milk Soaps produces 100 per cent natural soaps from its farm in Madaba, 35 km southwest of Amman, where […]

TEHERAN (BLOOMBERG) – Iran’s new government continued to dramatically increase production of highly-enriched uranium while failing to resume full cooperation with international monitors, signaling a new round of escalation awaits officials when they convene this month to discuss the country’s atomic program. International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors reported Tuesday (Sept 7) that the Islamic Republic […]

DOHA, Qatar — As chaos took over the United States’ last-minute efforts to evacuate more than 120,000 of its citizens and partners from Afghanistan last month, a tiny, wealthy country that many Americans would struggle to find on a map suddenly found itself uniquely placed to help out. Qatar, a sandy, sun-baked peninsula in the […]

DUBAI (REUTERS, BLOOMBERG) – The crown princes of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) discussed bilateral relations and other issues in a phone call on Monday (Sept 6), state media of the two countries said. Despite being close allies, economic competition between the Gulf neighbours has been laying bare differences as Riyadh tries […]

BEIRUT (AFP) – Dozens of Syrians who returned home from abroad have been subject to detention, disappearance and torture by security forces, Amnesty International said on Tuesday (Sept 7), warning that Syria is not yet safe for repatriation. In a report titled You’re Going To Your Death, the rights group documented a series of violations by […]

HEBRON, West Bank — Fourteen members of the Palestinian Authority’s security services were charged with beating to death an outspoken activist known for his fierce online criticism, in a case that turned into a rallying cry against what critics describe as the growing authoritarianism of the Palestinian Authority. Gen. Talal Dweikat, the spokesman of the […]

Surgeons in Israel have separated 1-year-old twins who were conjoined at the head, the first time the unusual surgery has been performed in the country. The successful surgery at a hospital in the southern city of Beersheba on Thursday was a moment of triumph both for the family and the medical team of 50 that […]

DOHA (AFP) – Political leaders have flocked to Doha and some countries have moved their Kabul embassies to Qatar, all praising their host for its key role in the airlift out of the Afghan capital. Tiny Qatar has seized the moment, cementing its outsize global influence and reputation as a neutral mediator after winning the […]

DUBAI (REUTERS) – A ballistic missile attack aimed at Saudi Arabia’s oil-rich eastern region was intercepted on Saturday (Sept 4), the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthi group in Yemen said in a statement carried by Saudi state media. The missile was intercepted over the city of Dammam, according to a source familiar with the matter […]