Iraq’s firebrand Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr made a high-stakes protest Thursday by calling on the 73 lawmakers loyal to him to ready resignation papers to end an eight-month parliamentary paralysis. Parliament in Baghdad has been in turmoil since October…
Tunisia denies reports of normalisation talks with Israel
Tunisia strongly denied reports on Thursday that it was in talks to normalise ties with Israel, calling them “rumours spread by sites affiliated with Israel”. “These websites have been spreading these rumours in repeated attempts to harm the image of o…
Outcry in Oman as two activists jailed for ‘blasphemy’
Two Omani activists have been handed prison terms over social media posts and WhatsApp messages that authorities have described as “blasphemous”, sparking an uproar in the Gulf country over issues of free speech. The activists, Maryam Al-Nuaimi and Ali…
Israel says Hezbollah posing as environmentalists at border
Israel’s army has repeated accusations that Hezbollah is operating an observation post near the Lebanon-Israel border under the guise of an environmental group, a claim previously rejected by the UN. Army spokesman Avichay Adraee made the accusations o…
Death and displacement dominate as Somalia’s drought worsens
“How can you provide a living for your children when you’ve lost your livelihood?” asks the mother of seven, Suad. She is among the hundreds of thousands of Somalians who have had to abandon their home as the country battles a crippling drought – the w…
Egypt to kick off ‘national dialogue’ next month
The Egyptian national dialogue, initiated end of April by president Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, will kick off during the first week of July and will be led by the head of the Journalists’ Syndicate Diayaa Rashwan, local news outletsreported on Wednesday, cit…
Big Thief call off Israel shows in support for Palestine
Indie rockers Big Thief said Thursday they will not perform in Israel, in a show of support for the Palestinian people. The US band, whose bassist is from Israel, was due to play two gigs in Tel Aviv, attracting criticism from pro-Palestine activists w…
Greek court rules seized Iran oil must be returned
A regional Greek court has ruled that Iranian oil seized from a Russian-flagged tanker in April must be returned, a Greek government official said Thursday. The official added that Athens was “very hopeful” the move would lead to the release of two Gre…
Can Keir Starmer’s Labour profit from Boris Johnson’s woes?
The booing of Boris Johnson at the Queen’s platinum jubilee celebration by large sections of a crowd – of royalty enthusiasts, who would not normally jeer a Conservative leader –has marked a turning point for the embattled UK premier. Three days later …
How pro-Palestinian censorship has exposed Instagram’s bias
Patience has been wearing thin among social media activists posting Palestine-related content on Instagram as the platform has proved it is willing to selectively censor certain content depending on the ideological beliefs and political orientations, p…