The Iraqis’ asylum claims were rejected by Hungary and they were denied food while being held in the transit zone. Hungary has kept forces on its border to fight migration, a key issue for the right-wing government [Bernadett Szabo/Reuters] Hungary has refused to provide food for four to seven days for asylum seekers whose applications have been rejected, prompting the… Read more »
The deadly fire at Cairo’s main railway station on Wednesday happened because the train driver left the cabin without pulling the brakes, Egypt’s public prosecutors believe. They say a preliminary investigation indicates the driver stepped off the train to argue with a colleague. But the driver, who has been arrested, blames corroded brakes, reports say. The train hit a buffer… Read more »
A Saudi Arabian man accused of murder in the US is unlikely to face justice because he has fled the country, a US State Department official has said. Abdulrahman Sameer Noorah is believed to have fled the US state of Oregon with the help of Saudi officials and returned to his home country. In a condolence letter to Oregon Senator… Read more »
Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has rejected the resignation of his Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif. In a letter, Mr Rouhani praised Mr Zarif’s record and said: “I think your resignation is against the country’s interests and I do not accept it.” Mr Zarif offered to resign on Monday, saying he hoped to allow his ministry to reclaim its “proper statutory… Read more »
Israeli soldiers may have committed war crimes while responding to Palestinian protests on the Gaza border last year, UN human rights experts have said. A commission of inquiry investigated the killing of 189 Palestinians between 30 March and 31 December 2018. It found reasonable grounds to believe that Israeli snipers shot at children, medics and journalists, even though they were… Read more »
Syed Mohammad Akbar Agha accuses President Ghani’s government of ‘sabotaging’ talks with attacks that kill civilians. Agha is a former leader of Taliban’s Jaish-e-Muslimeen wing, which fought against Afghan forces after the US toppled the Taliban government in 2001 [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera] Kabul, Afghanistan – A return to peace is not possible in Afghanistan if its government continues to conduct… Read more »
Foreign Minister Zarif’s attempt to resign sheds light on the divisions between hardliners and moderate forces in Iran. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, right, rejected Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif’s resignation [Vahid Salemi/AP] The recent political crisis in Iran, triggered by Foreign Minister Javad Zarif’s attempt to resign, reflects a long-time rivalry between hardliners and moderate factions that is poisoning Iran’s… Read more »
On Sunday, February 24, the overseer of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Sheikh Abdelazeem Salhab, was detained after several protests near the mosque. Muslims believe that Prophet Muhammad was transported from the Sacred Mosque in Mecca to Al-Aqsa, a mosque within Jerusalem. This journey is one of the most significant events in the Islamic calendar; however, when Israeli Jews gained control of… Read more »
Gonen Segev, who was convicted in January, sentenced to 11 years in prison for spying for regional rival Iran. A former Israeli minister has been sentenced to 11 years in prison on Tuesday for spying for regional rival Iran, the prosecutor said, after admitting to the charges last month. Gonen Segev was convicted in January when the Israeli justice ministry… Read more »
The Middle East’s polarised and repressive politics will lead to even more instability in the region unless countries take steps to reform and calm tensions, a senior Qatari politician has said. Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, Qatar’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister, urged international powers including the US to be more inclusive in their approach to the region, saying one-sided… Read more »