October 5, 1986: Iran-Contra Affair The Iran-Contra incident was a political scandal broken by Newsweek reporter Robert Patty in 1986, which shook the foundations of the second Reagan administration. The U.S. had been involved in a secret arms sale to Iran, despite an arms embargo on the Islamic Republic. It was in fact the U.S. that… Continue reading The Week in History: October 5 – October 11
Qatar is in Denial, Needs to Make a U-Turn: UAE Minister
June 9 – DUBAI (Newsweek Middle East) – Qatar may soon find itself vulnerable in the face of regional and global threats, stripped from the protection of its Arab Gulf counterparts, if it decides to continue with its current policies, especially that the United States is also fed up with those policies, according to a… Continue reading Qatar is in Denial, Needs to Make a U-Turn: UAE Minister
Rough Justice in Iraq: One Man’s Path to Mass Execution by the Roadside
SOUTH OF MOSUL, June 8 – The killers made no attempt to hide the bodies of the 15 men they shot dead by the side of a road cutting across wheat fields in northern Iraq. Blindfolded and bound, the victims lay decomposing in plain sight of the occasional car that drives along this route scattered… Continue reading Rough Justice in Iraq: One Man’s Path to Mass Execution by the Roadside
Canadian Marijuana Companies look to get Creative with Brand Building
OTTAWA, Dec 16 – Canadian marijuana firms, facing potential limits on advertising for recreational pot, are selling health food products and cultivating a lifestyle image to win customers in an anticipated multibillion dollar market. Canada is set to become the first G7 country to legalize recreational marijuana nationally when it introduces legislation next spring. Medical… Continue reading Canadian Marijuana Companies look to get Creative with Brand Building
A British Man Stood Up for Muslims Following the Manchester Attack
A British man by the name of Aarron Lambo has stood up for Muslims following the Manchester attack. Lambo, a bodybuilder who owns a gym called Alpha Training, posted a video on his Facebook page after the Manchester bombing, voicing his support and concern for Muslims who will “wake up today to abuse and bullying.”… Continue reading A British Man Stood Up for Muslims Following the Manchester Attack
Russia: Razz Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s annual “direct line” conversation with the nation was still going strong when the joking began on social media. “Question: ‘Everyone has had to make cuts to their household budgets recently. What have you cut spending on?’ Putin: ‘On you lot,’” wrote one Twitter user, in a parody of the president’s apparent… Continue reading Russia: Razz Putin
Recapture of Mosul “Possible” Before Next U.S. Administration: Pentagon Chief
ABOARD A US MILITARY AIRCRAFT, Dec 5 – While the fight to retake the Iraqi city of Mosul from Daesh is going to be difficult, it is “possible” it could be complete before President-elect Donald Trump takes office, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Monday. Some 100,000 Iraqi government troops, Kurdish security forces and… Continue reading Recapture of Mosul “Possible” Before Next U.S. Administration: Pentagon Chief
Israeli Documents from Days After War Have Familiar Ring 50 Years On
JERUSALEM, May 31 – Within days of capturing East Jerusalem and the West Bank in the 1967 Middle East war, Israel was examining options about their future ranging from Jewish settlement-building to the creation of a Palestinian state. As the 50th anniversary of the outbreak of the war nears on June 5, recently unearthed documents… Continue reading Israeli Documents from Days After War Have Familiar Ring 50 Years On
Around the World: Ramadan 2017 in Pictures
USA A Muslim American man does pull-ups before taking part in the Maghrib sunset prayer on the first day of Ramadan at the Islamic Cultural Center in Manhattan, New York, U.S., May 27, 2017. A Muslim American woman wearing hijab shops at the Balady halal supermarket ahead of the first day of Ramadan in Brooklyn,… Continue reading Around the World: Ramadan 2017 in Pictures
Watch the Moment of Explosion at Ariana Grande Concert in Manchester
A video has been surfacing online showing the exact moment when the Manchester bombing happened. The footage appears to have been taken inside the concert hall, and shows increasing panic as attendees attempt to escape the massive concert hall. On Monday, 22 people were killed in a suicide bombing at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester.… Continue reading Watch the Moment of Explosion at Ariana Grande Concert in Manchester
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Meets with U.S. President Donald Trump in Riyadh
RIYADH, May 20 – Dogged by controversy at home, President Donald Trump opened a nine-day foreign trip on Saturday in Saudi Arabia, looking to shift attention from a spiraling political firestorm over his firing of former FBI Director James Comey last week. With delicate diplomatic meetings facing him, including three summits, Trump faces a challenge… Continue reading Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Meets with U.S. President Donald Trump in Riyadh
At the Root of Daesh in Egypt
“Two years ago, attacks were concentrated in Sheikh Zuweid and Rafah. Now, they also happen in Al Arish,” notes Ashraf Al Sharif, specialist of terrorist movements in Egypt, underlining the geographical progression of the group towards the west of the country. This area, (Al Arish, Sheikh Zuweid, Rafah), called “the triangle” by specialists is the… Continue reading At the Root of Daesh in Egypt
In Egypt, Daesh Spreads Out of Sinai and Targets Minorities
Alexandria usually seems clear and sunny, but for a couple of days after the tragic event, the seaside town was put under a bell. The sun stayed low and the hectic sea raged as the Egyptian flags were at half-mast. In mid April, coordinated suicide attacks on St. Mark’s Church, Egypt’s historic seat of Christianity… Continue reading In Egypt, Daesh Spreads Out of Sinai and Targets Minorities
Donald Trump’s Full Speech on Islam at Saudi Arabia
U.S. President Donald Trump (L) waits for the start of an event with Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (2-R) and Gulf Cooperation Council leaders at their summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia May 21, 2017. On his maiden foreign tour since taking office in January, Trump is already showing signs of fatigue from a packed… Continue reading Donald Trump’s Full Speech on Islam at Saudi Arabia
Trump: People in the Middle East have Borne the Brunt of Terrorism
RIYADH, May 21 – U.S. President Donald Trump called on Arab leaders to do their share to fight “Islamist extremism” on Sunday in a speech that put the burden on the region to combat militant groups while urging unity among religions. In his much-awaited speech in Saudi Arabia on Sunday, Trump said that “people in… Continue reading Trump: People in the Middle East have Borne the Brunt of Terrorism
Beyond Bricks and Mortar, Cities Can Be Equalizers
The U.N. projects that by 2050 nearly two-thirds of the world’s population will be urban, an increase of 2.4 billion people with approximately half from rural migration. There is no doubt that cities provide a better future with rising incomes, better job opportunities and better access to higher-quality education and healthcare to its residents. If… Continue reading Beyond Bricks and Mortar, Cities Can Be Equalizers
Danish ‘Sex Ambulance’ Seeks to Protect Sex Workers But Migrant Women at Risk
COPENHAGEN, May 18 – In a dark tunnel in Copenhagen’s red light district on a freezing night, Annika gasped for air as the stranger who agreed to pay her for sex started suffocating her with his bare hands. A friend nearby heard her muffled cries and helped the 25-year-old Dane break free from the man’s… Continue reading Danish ‘Sex Ambulance’ Seeks to Protect Sex Workers But Migrant Women at Risk
World Economic Forum – MENA kicks off in Jordan on May 19
As road blocks are set up around King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Centre by the Dead Sea, the Jordanian Armed Forces have also increased their presence in Amman. That is quite understood, as the area is gearing up to host The World Economic Forum’s Middle East and North Africa (WEF MENA) version, which will be… Continue reading World Economic Forum – MENA kicks off in Jordan on May 19
Emirati Entrepreneur Creates a Buzz With GCC’s First Queen Bee Apiary in Hatta
(Dubai) – May 09: An Emirati entrepreneur from Hatta has launched the region’s first apiary that rears queen bee breeds both locally and internationally, a project considered one of its kind for the region. Two years ago, Al Mana Al Kaabi established Hatta Honey, a honey production business, which encouraged Al Kaabi to explore the… Continue reading Emirati Entrepreneur Creates a Buzz With GCC’s First Queen Bee Apiary in Hatta
Wikipedia appeals to Turkish constitutional court over website’s blocking
NKARA, May 9 – Online encyclopedia Wikipedia has appealed to Turkey’s constitutional court against a government decision to block access to its website, broadcaster CNN Turk said on Tuesday, a case that has heightened concerns about censorship in Turkey. Turkey’s telecommunications watchdog said two weeks ago that access to Wikipedia had been blocked, citing a… Continue reading Wikipedia appeals to Turkish constitutional court over website’s blocking
Saudi father names daughter after Ivanka Trump
JEDDAH (Arab News): A Saudi citizen residing in the northern city of Arar has named his new baby Ivanka, after the daughter of the US president, Ivanka Trump. The name was registered with the Health Ministry at the Women and Children Hospital in Arar and a picture of the birth certificate is being widely circulated… Continue reading Saudi father names daughter after Ivanka Trump
Merkel makes headlines after refusing to wear headscarf on official visit to Saudi Arabia
German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived in Saudi Arabia without a headscarf for talks with the oil-rich kingdom’s monarch. Merkel was greeted by King Salman and other top officials upon her arrival in Jeddah on Monday, May 1. Like other recent female Western visitors such as British Prime Minister Theresa May, U.S. Presidential election candidate Hillary… Continue reading Merkel makes headlines after refusing to wear headscarf on official visit to Saudi Arabia
The Cost Of War
Prior to the current conflict in Syria, immunization rates in the country were among the highest in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. More than 90 percent of Syrian children were vaccinated against diseases like measles and polio and there was no incident of a child being paralyzed by polio since the 1990s. Last year, however, Syria… Continue reading The Cost Of War
Sedentary Risks
Even with the challenge of declining oil prices, the economies of many countries in the Middle East have grown steadily over the last few decades. And it is worth noting that the waistlines of people living in these countries have been increasing at the same pace as their economies. This shows a dangerous twist given… Continue reading Sedentary Risks