The top United Nations relief official said Thursday that grain to feed 3.7 million Yemenis is stranded and possibly rotting in warehouses in the front-line port city of Hudaydah, while nearly 10 million Yemenis verge on famine. The fate of the grain supply has become a symbol of faltering international efforts to implement a limited truce in Hudaydah between Houthi… Read more »
More than six years after he was abducted in Syria by jihadists, John Cantlie, a British journalist, is believed to be still alive, a British government official said on Tuesday. Mr. Cantlie has been seen in several propaganda videos made by the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, but the last one was released more than two years ago…. Read more »
President Trump sought to reassure nervous allies on Wednesday that his administration would continue an unrelenting hunt for Islamic State fighters “for many years to come,” even as the United States prepares to withdraw troops from the war zones of Syria and Afghanistan. Mr. Trump, speaking to international diplomats at the State Department, said he expected to soon announce that… Read more »
When Iran uses the slogan “Death to America,” the country’s supreme leader said on Friday, it is specifically wishing death on President Trump and two of his senior officials. “ ‘Death to America’ means death to Trump and John Bolton and Pompeo,” the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said, referring to John R. Bolton, the president’s national security adviser, and… Read more »
BASRA, Iraq (Reuters) – Once dubbed the “Venice of the Middle East” for its canals, Iraq’s crumbling port city of Basra is slowly dying of thirst. Crisscrossed waterways that earned it comparisons with the Italian city are now filthy pools of stagnant water. Its vibrant freshwater lifeline, the Shatt-al-Arab river that runs through it, is now so polluted it threatens… Read more »
Iran arrested, imprisoned or killed at least 860 journalists in the three decades after the 1979 Islamic revolution, according to documents leaked to media watchdog, Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Whistleblowers passed on 1.7 million official records for the period from 1979-2009, detailing judicial proceedings against an array of citizens, including minorities, government opponents and journalists, RSF said at a news conference in Paris… Read more »
A camp where babies are dying despite it being in a zone in Syria controlled by the United States military finally received its first aid delivery in three months. The United Nations and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent reached the Rukban camp in southeast Syria with 118 trucks packed with food supplies, basic medicines, education items and children’s recreational kits. Aid workers arrived on Wednesday night after… Read more »
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – Security across the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa has been beefed up as dignitaries and heads of states from across the continent gather for the annual African Union (AU) summit which kicked off on Thursday. Metal detectors and security officers have been placed at the entrances of major hotels in the city. This year’s summit will focus on refugees and… Read more »
Senate vote sends the legislation to the House of Representatives where it will likely face renewed debate.by William Roberts5 Feb 2019 Washington, DC – The US Senate has passed legislation defining United States security policy in the Middle East, introducing a measure that would allow state and local governments to sanction those who support boycotts, divesture and sanctions against Israel. Tuesday’s Senate vote, which… Read more »
Sudanese-British citizen accused of false statements after reporting alleged assault by Emiratis, UAE embassy says.6 Feb 2019 A British man, who claimed to have been harassed and detained in the United Arab Emirates for wearing a Qatar football shirt during the AFC Asian Cup, has been charged for making false statements, Emirati officials said. Ali Essa Ahmed, a dual Sudanese-British citizen, was… Read more »