In a situation that shares striking similarities to the Berlin Blockade, the Yemeni people are struggling to meet the most basic need — feeding themselves. In an attempt to scare away Houthi rebels, a major gas firm controlled by Saudi-backed Yemeni government stopped delivering gas to any area that was being controlled by the rebels. This situation reminded me of… Read more »
Saudi Arabia has the notorious reputation of being one of the most conservative, religious countries in the world. However, that could all change with the Crown Prince, Mohammad bin Salman, or MBS.
France 24 Investigators from the global chemical arms watchdog collected samples Saturday from the site of a suspected gas attack in Syria two weeks ago, after security concerns delayed their probe. Gruesome footage of the alleged toxic attack on April 7 in the town of Douma, just outside Damascus, horrified the world and prompted unprecedented Western strikes on Syrian military… Read more »
France 24 Conflicting reports over Khalifa Haftar’s health have sparked a flurry of rumours over his role as the head of the Libyan National Army, and thus also Libya’s future. Experts say his potential departure could spark major disarray. On Friday, a spokesman for Haftar finally confirmed reports that the Libyan strongman was receiving treatment in a Paris hospital after falling ill during a… Read more »
France 24 Saudi Arabia held its first public screening of a film in 35 years on April 18 – showing the keenness of new Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (nicknamed MBS) to develop a lucrative entertainment industry for his country.
France 24 On Sunday afternoon, Mohamed al-Amin was in Beirut when he got a text message from a relative saying his father had been attacked in their ancestral village of Shaqra in southern Lebanon. The 28-year-old tech industry worker immediately called his mother in Shaqra, but she had no idea what he was talking about. “My mother hadn’t heard anything about… Read more »
www.nytimes.com JERUSALEM — They came in smaller numbers. But the outcome was still deadly, and the victims this time included a 15-year-old boy. Palestinians protested for a fourth Friday along the security fence dividing Gaza from Israel, some of them burning tires, hurling rocks or flying kites with flaming tails in the hope of setting ablaze the fields of Israeli rural… Read more »
www.nytimes.com The international monitoring group investigating a suspected chemical weapons attack on a Syrian town said its experts had finally been able to visit the site on Saturday after repeated delays and they collected samples for analysis. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said its experts had reached the Damascus suburb of Douma a week after they arrived… Read more »
www.nytimes.com In his first statement in 10 months, the Islamic State’s spokesman on Sunday called for violence against neighboring Arab nations, suggesting that the group’s focus was turning closer to home. The remarks were a departure from the last pronouncement issued by the spokesman, Abu Hassan al-Muhajir, which aimed to incite attacks against Europe and North America. It comes as… Read more »
www.Nytimes.com WASHINGTON — The United States-led air campaign to hunt down the last pockets of Islamic State militants in eastern Syria has effectively ground to a halt in the past two months after the allies lost their most effective battleground partner, stalling a critical phase of the offensive. With Islamic State fighters now starting to claw back some of their… Read more »