ISIS claims responsibility for Baghdad bombing that killed dozens
Source: CNN By Jomana Karadsheh and Joshua Berlinger (CNN)At least 64 people were killed when a bomb went off at a market in Baghdad, according to Iraqi police. An additional […]
Even desert city Dubai imports its sand. This is why
Source: BBC By Renuka Rayasam Sand. We take it for granted. From deserts to beaches to children’s playgrounds, it seems ubiquitous. Yet the abundant resource is feeding a global land grab that’s even bred a sand-smuggling underworld. I was shocked that people would fight for sand. While researching beach erosion […]
Saudi Arabia government overhaul sees oil minister removed
Source: BBC Saudi Arabia’s King Salman has removed the country’s veteran oil minister as part of a broad government overhaul. Ali al-Naimi has been replaced after more than 20 years […]
Why Turkey’s Prime Minister Had No Choice But to Resign
Source: Time By Jared Malsin Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu resigned on Thursday in a dramatic move that clears the path for President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to further consolidate his already extensive power. Davutoglu’s departure comes as Erdogan and his ruling Justice and Development Party (known by its Turkish initials AKP) […]
Israel minister urges anti-Semitism crackdown by Britain’s Labour
Source: Yahoo Jerusalem (AFP) – Israeli Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked challenged British Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn to crack down hard on Wednesday after fresh allegations of anti-Semitism in its […]
Unicef: 75m children in desperate need of education support
Source: BBC Some 75 million school-age children in crisis areas around the world are in desperate need of educational support, according to a new report by Unicef. One in four […]
The Divide Over Islam and National Laws in the Muslim World
Source: Pew Research Center BY JACOB POUSHTER As strife in the Middle East continues to make headlines, from the militant group ISIS to Syrian refugees, the Muslim world is […]
Israeli Arabs more optimistic about two-state solution than Arabs living in the Palestinian territories
Source: Pew Research Center BY ANGELINA E. THEODOROU AND JACOB POUSHTER The idea that an independent Palestinian state can peacefully coexist with Israel has been the cornerstone of many Arab-Israeli peace initiatives in recent years. But while significant shares of Israeli Arabs and Jews are optimistic about the prospect of […]
Turkish journalists sentenced to two years in jail for reprinting Charlie Hebdo cover
Source: Reuters ANKARA | BY ECE TOKSABAY A Turkish court sentenced two journalists to two years in jail for blasphemy on Thursday, their newspaper said, after they reprinted a controversial […]
Rising Violence in Syria Kills Over 200
Source: Time By Albert Aji and Bassem Mroue / AP (DAMASCUS) — The Syrian army and rebels unleashed deadly new attacks on each other Friday in Aleppo, with insurgents shelling a mosque during weekly prayers and government airstrikes hitting opposition neighborhoods in escalating bloodshed the U.N. decried as a “monstrous disregard […]
Stop the Surge of Anti-Semitism in the U.K.
Source: Time By Rabbi David Wolpe David Wolpe is the Max Webb Senior Rabbi of Sinai Temple in Los Angeles. After several Labour officials made anti-Semitic comments, it’s time for self-examination […]
In Israel, Iraqi Jews Reflect on Baghdad Heritage
Source: The New York Times By JAMES GLANZ and IRIT PAZNER GARSHOWITZ GIVATAYIM, Israel — During a boisterous Passover Seder with her extended family, Sabiha Ziluf, 75, paused and said […]
Tehran won’t let $2b ‘international theft’ takes effect: Velayati
April 30, 2016 TEHRAN – Ali Akbar Velayati, head of the Expediency Council Center for Strategic Research, said on Thursday that Tehran won’t allow the U.S. to rob $2 billion of Iranian funds. “The Islamic Republic has shown it will never waive its rights… and the Iranian people won’t allow […]
Helmet cam shows Daesh in chaos
Reuters | Published — Saturday 30 April 2016 An Islamic State fighter is seen carrying a rocket-propelled grenade launcher in Iraq, in this still image taken from an amateur video supplied by Kurdish Peshmerga and received by Reuters on Friday. (Reuters) BAGHDAD: Daesh may exult in online portrayals of radicals […]
Jordan bans Lebanese band, says songs contradict religion
Source: Associated Press By SAM McNEIL and MOHAMMED DARAGHMEH AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — Jordan has banned a performance by a popular Lebanese rock band on religious grounds, spurring criticism of […]
Syria conflict: MSF says deadly air strike hit Aleppo hospital
Source: BBC At least 14 patients and three doctors have been killed in an air strike on a hospital in the Syrian city of Aleppo, the charity Medecins sans Frontieres […]
Undercover squad may mean more covering up for Tehran women
Source: Associated Press By NASSER KARIMI TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Tehran resident Sousan Heidari has stopped letting her headscarf slip casually down over her neck and shoulders while driving in […]
Turkey Islam: PM issues secular pledge on new constitution
Source: BBC Turkey’s PM Ahmet Davutoglu has said the country’s new constitution will feature the principle of secularism. He said Turkey’s secular and democratic character was “not up for debate”. […]
U.N. torture watchdog urges Saudi to halt flogging, amputations
Source: Reuters BY STEPHANIE NEBEHAY United Nations torture experts called on Saudi Arabia on Friday to stop corporal punishment, including flogging and amputations, practices that the Gulf kingdom considers an integral part of its interpretation of Islamic law. The committee that monitors the U.N. Convention against Torture, in its first […]
Oil-reliant Saudi Arabia agrees on economic reform plan
Source: Aljazeera Saudi Arabia’s cabinet has agreed on a broad-based economic reform plan, known as Vision 2030, revealing how the oil-reliant state plans to diversify its economy over the next 14 years. Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the deputy crown prince, said on Monday that the country was building up the […]