Middle East

Sanaa streets empty as Saleh’s forces try to take capital from Houthis

SANAA, Yemen – Streets are empty, schools and universities announced a temporary holiday until further notice, people fled their houses in conflict zones, shops and companies were closed as military vehicles and fighters spread everywhere in the capital city on Saturday. Most residents stayed

Middle East

Yemen War: Saleh vows to ‘turn the page’ if Saudis end attacks

Saleh's demands were made in bid to pave the way for an end to the three year war that has cost the lives of thousands in Yemen (AFP) Former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh vowed to "turn the page" and make peace with the Saudi-led coalition if it ends its attacks and blockade on Yemen, as his alliance with Houthi rebels continued to fray. Saleh's calls

Middle East

Syrian army intercepts Israeli missiles near Damascus: state media

An Israeli F-15 fighter jet takes off during an exercise dubbed " Juniper Falcon"at Ovda Military Airbase in southern Israel on 16 May 2017 (Reuters) Syrian air defences intercepted at least two Israeli missiles which targeted government positions near Damascus early Saturday morning, state media reported. "At half past midnight (2230 GMT Friday), the Israeli enemy fired

Middle East

Egyptian presidential hopeful Ahmed Shafiq set to be deported to Egypt

Shafiq planned to return to Egypt after being in self-imposed exile since 2012 after narrowly losing to former president Mohamed Morsi (Supplied) Egyptian presidential hopeful Ahmed Shafiq is set to deported back to Egypt, after being arrested by authorities in the UAE. Sources close to his family told Reuters that the former Egyptian prime minister was arrested in his

Middle East

Quebec Niqab ban part suspended by Canadian judge

Women gather to protest against Quebec's proposed Charter of Values in Montreal in September 2013 (Reuters) A Canadian judge has stayed parts of a controversial Quebec law banning full-face veils in public spaces in a victory for civil liberties groups that had mounted a court challenge. Judge Babak Barin suspended the part of the act banning face coverings for

Middle East

Protest against Slavery in Libya, call for action in London

African lives Matter (ALM) and the International Campaign to Boycott UAE (ICBU) announce their partnership to the national demos planned in London against the “Slavery” trade in Libya and other parts of northern Africa. The campaigns denounced the Libyan government and other Libyan groups funded by UAE. They also call on International Fact-Finding mission to […]

Middle East

Yemen’s feuding rebel factions hold talks after deadly infighting

Houthi supporters hold their weapons as they attend a gathering ahead of the birth anniversary of the Prophet Muhammad in Sanaa on Tuesday (Reuters) Yemeni rebel factions held new talks Friday aimed at ending infighting that left at least three more people dead overnight and raised fears of a new front in the country's devastating three-year war. The internal rift

Middle East

The arrest sparking Turkey-US tensions

The two NATO allies have engaged in a spiky tit-for-tat that began in early October — Washington responded to the arrest by freezing all of its non-immigrant visa services in the country, causing ire in Ankara, which then responded by doing the same. The deterioration in relations appears to have happened over a matter of days — but under the surface are several sticking

Middle East

World Cup 2018: Egypt and Saudi Arabia paired together in Red Sea derby

Middle Eastern allies Egypt and Saudi Arabia are set to face each other at next year's football World Cup after being drawn in Group A – the same as host nation Russia. Tunisia are set to play England in their opening game, as well as facing off against Belgium and Panama in Group G. Iran and Morocco may face an uphill struggle to get out of the group stages: they

Middle East

Witness alleges Turkey’s President helped Iran evade US sanctions

It's the first time Erdogan has been named in the closely-watched US criminal case over Iran's violations of international sanctions and movement of billions of dollars.The case's central figure, Reza Zarrab, an Iranian-Turkish gold trader, was arrested in Miami last year and has since been the case's top named defendant. There are eight other