The water level of the Sea of Galilee, on which Jesus supposedly walked, is a national obsession in Israel. Newspapers report its rise and fall next to the weather forecast. Lately the sea, which is actually a freshwater lake, has been falling. It is now a quarter empty. Small islands have emerged above its shrinking surface. If Jesus were to return… Read more »
As ministers from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and other major oil producing countries prepare to gather in Vienna for a crucial meeting later this week, the cartel is absorbing yet another hit to its waning influence. The latest blow to OPEC was delivered on Monday when Qatar announced it is quitting the bloc next month to focus on liquefied natural gas (LNG) production…. Read more »
Dakar, Senegal – In April 1966, Senegal’s first president and a poet, Leopold Sedar Senghor ascended the steps of the National Assembly in Dakar to declare his country the temporary capital of Black Civilisation at the launch of the World Festival of Black Arts. In the following weeks, African luminaries such as Nelson Mandela and writer Wole Soyinka would converge on the Senegalese capital, as… Read more »
Istanbul’s chief prosecutor has filed warrants for the arrest of a top aide to Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler and the deputy head of foreign intelligence on suspicion of planning the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The prosecutor’s office concluded that there is “strong suspicion” that Saud al-Qahtani and Ahmed Asiri, who were both removed from their positions following the murder, were among… Read more »
A senior Houthi leader says his group hopes upcoming peace talks in Sweden will end the war in Yemen and lead to an “inclusive political dialogue”. Abdul Malik al-Ajri told Al Jazeera that the Houthis are hoping to discuss a range of issues at the talks, including the drafting of a new constitution and the decentralisation of power. “We are hoping these negotiations will… Read more »
Some 132 million people in 42 countries will need assistance next year, with Yemen topping the list, UN says. Some 132 million people in 42 countries will need humanitarian assistance and protection in 2019, with Yemen topping the list of most-desperate nations, the United Nations said on Tuesday.
In Iran, women’s rights are starting to become less of a dependent upon who is in ruling power, and more of its own independent movement. Iranian women have just recently been granted the ability to attend men’s soccer matches, and while this is a huge step forward for the feminist movement in the Middle East, female athletes are concerned it is… Read more »