Any hopes that the Taliban in Afghanistan had softened in their hardline attitudes were quickly dispelled when, on 23 March, 2022, they announced that girls would not be permitted to attend school. The sudden u-turn by the Islamist group was a devastat…
Mother of Egyptian-British activist expresses fears over hunger strike
The mother of a renowned Egyptian activist who recently gained British citizenship says she fears she may not see him alive again as he approaches the end of the sixth week of a hunger strike over prison conditions. Laila Soueif said that during a visi…
Israeli officer killed in raid on occupied Palestinian city
An Israeli soldier has been killed following a raid on Jenin in the occupied West Bank on Friday. Noam Raz died from wounds sustained during an assault on the Palestinian city, which has been subject to numerous Israeli raids over the past month. Al Ja…
Newcastle United ‘to rock Saudi flag colours’ next season
Premier League team Newcastle United look set to rock Saudi national colours next season, leaked images of their new kit show, months after Riyadh obtained the English club. Photos of the top-flight club’s jersey for the 2022-23 season were published o…
Lebanese activists launch mock ‘lollar’ currency
Lebanese activists Friday rolled out mock banknotes featuring paintings of a gutted central bank or the Beirut port explosion to denounce high-level corruption that has helped to wreck the country. The collapse of the Lebanese pound and frozen bank acc…
Lebanon’s youth cautiously optimistic as election approaches
Abdulrahman Kaskass’s shop is empty as he speaks. The watches, accessories and jewellery he imports for his customers have stayed put on his shelf for far longer than he would have liked. “People don’t buy watches when they are barely able to afford fo…
Shireen Abu Akleh laid to rest amid brutal Israeli attack
Thousands of mourners flocked to Shireen Abu Akleh’s funeral in Jerusalem on Friday, with Israeli police violently attacking mourners and blocking access to the cemetery where she was laid to rest. The 51-year-old veteran Al Jazeera reporter was killed…
Lebanon Central Bank governor’s son moved millions abroad
By Riad Kobaissi, Tom Stocks (OCCRP), and Rana Sabbagh (OCCRP) KEY POINTS: Nady Salame, son of Lebanon’s central bank governor, was able to send over $6.5 million abroad while most Lebanese had their savings blocked.Salame was also able to convert larg…
Musk says deal to buy Twitter ‘temporarily on hold’
Elon Musk said on Friday he was putting a temporary halt on his much-anticipated deal to buy Twitter, sending shares in the social media giant plunging. Musk, the world’s richest man and founder of automaker Tesla, had made the eradication of spam acco…
Abolishing Kafala must be a priority in Lebanon’s elections
With all of Lebanon’s atrocities under a corrupt political regime, migrant domestic workers tied to the Kafala system (‘sponsorship’ in Arabic) are some of the most affected. Migrant workers in Lebanon are captured by the Kafala employment system, whic…