Currently, Saudi Arabia does not have a minimal legal age for marriage, but regulations are being put in place to help protect against these young children. The Shura council, approved regulations on Wednesday to prohibit marriage for girls under 15 and those under 18 will have to be approved by a court. Women in Saudi Arabia are living under a… Read more »
Sudan said on Monday it had detained more than 800 people since protests began nearly three weeks ago in the most persistent challenge to President Omar al-Bashir’s three-decade rule. The figure, the first given by authorities since the unrest erupted, was far below the assessment of a leading human rights activist who said about 2,000 people were detained. In a… Read more »
Saudi Arabia is trying to ban child marriage through new regulations, but loopholes are leaving young girls in the deeply conservative kingdom unprotected, campaigners said on Thursday. The Shura Council, a top advisory body to the government, approved regulations on Wednesday to prohibit marriage for girls and boys under 15, and those under 18 will need approval from a specialized… Read more »
Kuwait reiterated its request to Dubai to release $496 million in frozen funds held for over a year and belonging to Port Fund, part of a Kuwaiti private equity, Port Fund said on Sunday. The funds are at the heart of a money-laundering probe which is straining relations between the two Gulf allies. The $496 million have been frozen at… Read more »
Clashes among rival Syrian rebel factions have spread across northwest Syria, rebels and residents said on Thursday, in the latest bout of tit-for-tat fighting between opponents of President Bashar al Assad’s rule. Infighting has long plagued Syria’s armed opposition since the uprising against Assad began in 2011. Turf wars have helped the Syrian president, with his Iranian and Russian allies,… Read more »
A nearly four year long war might be coming to an end between Houthi rebels and supporters of Yemen’s government. Last week the warring parties agreed to cease fire and withdrew forces in a port located in the Red Sea. This is a step in the right direction to ending a war that’s caused millions to lose their lives, but… Read more »
Egypt unveiled a well-preserved 4,400-year-old tomb decorated with hieroglyphs and statues south of Cairo on Saturday, and officials expect more discoveries when archaeologists excavate the site further in coming months. The tomb was found in a buried ridge at the ancient necropolis of Saqqara. It was untouched and unlooted, Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, told reporters… Read more »
Israel said on Monday it would stop the use of coal by 2030, joining a host of other countries in an alliance that aims to transition to cleaner sources of energy. The Powering Past Coal Alliance (PPCA), launched by Canada and Great Britain, seeks to gradually reduce the production of electricity from coal and to support clean energy in government… Read more »
The foreign minister of U.S. ally Bahrain has defended Australia’s formal recognition of West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, saying the move would not affect a future Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital.Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa speaks during a news conference in Manama, Bahrain, August 29, 2016. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed Australia’s government announced the… Read more »
Weeks of U.N. shuttle diplomacy and Western pressure delivered a breakthrough in Yemen peace efforts when the warring parties last week agreed to cease fighting in a contested Red Sea port city and withdraw forces. The challenge lies in securing an orderly troop withdrawal from Hodeidah, a lifeline for millions of Yemenis facing starvation, amid deep mistrust among the parties…. Read more »