Campaigners have warned about the increasing numbers of Syrian families marrying off their underage daughters to Turkish men for money amid the coronavirus pandemic. According to a report in the Independent, ECPAT, a network of organisations working

Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) yesterday denied reports that banks intended to freeze the accounts of expatriate workers whose financial transactions exceed their wages. “There is no truth in the reports that have been circulated across some me

The United Kingdom has agreed to support the UN-backed Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA)’s decentralisation process and strengthen sub-national governance, the UK Embassy in Tripoli announced on Twitter. According to the tweet, the UK Embass

Governor of Yemen’s Al Mahwit region, Saleh Sami, called on UAE Crown Prince, Mohammed Bin Zayed, to lift his hands off Yemen’s oil, gas and ports. On Twitter, Sami wrote: “Oh, [Saudi-led] coalition, we do not want you to arm our army or maintain our

Violent clashes broke out between Syrian regime intelligence forces and local militias affiliated with the army’s 4th Division and national defence in Damascus’ countryside, local media sources reported. Syria’s Voice of the Capital network reported

Spokesman of Iran’s Power Industry, Mostafa Rajabi Mashhadi, has denied reports that an Israeli cyberattack caused a fire in Iran’s nuclear facility, Arabi21 reported yesterday. “The reports about cyberattacks on energy stations in the country are fa

An Egyptian Islamic preacher has been suspended pending investigation after he said that one of the main causes for sexual harassment is that women wear short and tight clothing. Preacher Abdallah Roshdy previously said that a child can be married at

Israeli politician Avigdor Lieberman on Monday accused Mossad Chief, Yossi Cohen, of leaking to the press details of Tel Aviv’s alleged attack on an Iranian nuclear facility last week. The Times of Israel reported Lieberman saying: “An intelligence o

Egypt’s tourist hot spots along the Red Sea have reported receiving over 4,000 tourists in the first week of July. The government restarted international flights on 1 July after halting air traffic for three months as part of measures to help stem th

Online fashion retailer Shein has issued an apology after coming under fire for selling Muslim prayer mats and passing them off as “frilled Greek carpets” despite having imagery of the Kabaa on them, which is the ancient, sacred structure at the hear

Bella Hadid has hit out at Instagram after the site deleted a Story post of her father’s expired passport, which listed his place of birth as Palestine, saying she’s “proud to be Palestinian”. Hadid, 23, shared the picture last week, writing, “My bab

Political and media circles in Iraq and beyond have been disturbed by the vile attack that claimed the life of Hisham Al-Hashimi, a researcher into terrorist groups and armed “Islamic” movements. The concern arises not only because it was an attack o

A prominent Algerian dissident called on Monday for the government in Algiers to engage in a “real political process”, local media have reported. Karim Tabou also called for the release of his fellow protesters still detained by the authorities. “The

A Lebanese court sentenced a Sunni scholar to life and hard labour after finding him guilty of being affiliated with Daesh, local media outlets reported. Bassam Al-Tarras, the former mufti of the Rashya neighbourhood in Al-Beqaa District, was sentenc

As many as 13 church leaders in the occupied city of Jerusalem yesterday warned that the Israeli court’s decision concerning the Greek Orthodox Church’s property at Jaffa Gate threatens the Christian presence in the holy city, Anadolu reported. In a

Corrupt and criminal actors from around the world, including Afghan warlords, Russian mobsters, Nigerian kleptocrats, European money launderers, Iranian sanctions-busters, and East African gold smugglers, operate through or from Dubai, says a new dam

Some 138 people have been killed and injured as a result of landmines planted by Libyan renegade General Khalifa Haftar’s forces, the UN revealed yesterday. In a statement by the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Acting Head of t

Egypt’s Court of Cassation yesterday ordered Mubarak-era minister of Information, Safwat El-Sherif, to be held in custody pending the hearing of an appeal he filed against a three-year prison sentence, local media reported. In September 2018, a retri

The head of the Turkish opposition Republican People’s Party, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, yesterday called on the Iraqi Prime Minister, Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, to appoint a Turkmen minister in his cabinet. In a letter sent to Al-Kadhimi, Kilicdaroglu said: “We a

Egypt: Century old restored Cairo palace opens to the public

It is rare to see a government throw a sustained tantrum against another due to differences over foreign policy, especially without first attempting to solve it through diplomatic means. That, though, is exactly what France has been doing for months

The King Abdul Aziz Public Library (KAPL) in Riyadh has compiled and digitised 820 records of the Jerusalem Shariah Court, to conserve endangered collections relating to Palestinian history and cultural heritage. The archive, assembled in collaborati

A Palestinian detainee held in Israel jails has died of “medical negligence”, a local NGO said on Monday. Saadi Al-Gharably, 75, died at Assaf Harofeh medical center after his health deteriorated, the Handala Center for Detainees and Ex-detainees sai

It does not look as if Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi wants a direct confrontation with the factions which make up the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) and are loyal to Iran. He is well aware that he cannot bear losing such a confrontation.

The Moroccan parliament yesterday criticised Amnesty International and called on the rights group to apologise and provide evidence of allegations officials spied on journalists in the country using Israeli software. Several parliamentary blocs stres

Russia is seeking to use its right to veto at the United Nations Security Council to close the Bab Al-Salam border crossing; one of two crossings used to bring in aid to displaced Syrians via Turkey, Anadolu reported. The Security Council allows huma

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said that his country will start filling the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam’s reservoir, taking advantage of the upcoming rainy season, news agencies reported yesterday. Filling the dam reservoir, Abiy said, will

Men make up 76 per cent of all cases of the coronavirus in Yemen, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) revealed yesterday The UN agency said in a report that as of 4 July, the number of confirmed COVID- 19 cas

Magda Saleh, widow of the late engineer Mohammed Al-Zawari, expressed disappointment that her name was not included in a list of foreigners who were granted Tunisian citizenship by a presidential decree. Saleh, who holds Syrian citizenship, told the 

Many Lebanese are seeking to leave the country for good in search of a better quality of life as the economic crisis continues to bite, Al Jazeera and the National reported. Barely a week after Beirut’s International Airport re-opened in the wake of