DOHA, Feb 16  â Top oil exporters Russia and Saudi Arabia agreed on Tuesday to freeze output levels but said the deal was contingent on other producers joining inâa major sticking point with Iran absent from the talks and determined to raise production. The Saudi, Russian, Qatari and Venezuelan oil ministers announced the proposal after⊠Continue reading Saudis, Russia Agree Oil Output Freeze, Iran Still Obstacle
The Olympic Venues of Athens: A History of Refuge and Decay
Twelve years ago, Greece was triumphant; she was celebrating the return of the Olympic Games to Athens, the city where it all began. The once-gleaming Olympic venues hosted millions of spectators and thousands of athletes from all over the world, and the Greek economy was vibrant, at a peak. The freefall was yet to come.⊠Continue reading The Olympic Venues of Athens: A History of Refuge and Decay
Canada: A Helping Hand
For Mohamad Fakih, everything changed after his visit to one of the Syrian refugee camps in Lebanon. âMy heart was shattered when I saw what I saw in that camp,â the Lebanese-Canadian entrepreneur tells Newsweek Middle East. âChildren had no jackets; they were playing out in the cold without shoes,â he recalls. But Fakih wanted⊠Continue reading Canada: A Helping Hand
Turkish Police Detain Nearly 100 People Over Links to Cleric Gulen
ISTANBUL, April 18 â Turkish police detained nearly 100 people in an investigation of their alleged financial links to U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, a foe of President Tayyip Erdogan, state-run Anadolu Agency said on Monday. It said the police operation, focused on Istanbul, was launched across nine provinces and 88 people have so far⊠Continue reading Turkish Police Detain Nearly 100 People Over Links to Cleric Gulen
Syrian Rebels Declare New Battle Against Government
BEIRUT, April 18 â Rebels launched a fierce attack against Syrian government forces in Latakia province on Monday and insurgents made separate advances nearby in Hama, a monitoring group reported, as violence escalated in the west of the country. The fighting, which has also increased around the northern city of Aleppo and seen heavy government⊠Continue reading Syrian Rebels Declare New Battle Against Government
Marrakesh: Rites of Passage
In the 13th century, when the Mongols conquered Baghdad, their ruler Hulagu Khan gathered the religious scholars in the city and asked them: According to spiritual law, which option is preferable: a disbelieving, but just, ruler, or a Muslim ruler who is unjust? After some reflection, the scholars chose a disbelieving, but just, ruler. This⊠Continue reading Marrakesh: Rites of Passage
Leading From The Front
For the first time in history, 39 Muslim nations have come together to establish a broad global military coalition with the sole aim of countering terrorism. From a Joint Command and Coordination Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the newly inaugurated Islamic Military Coalition to Counter Terrorism is drawing up plans to combat terrorists and terror⊠Continue reading Leading From The Front
Bangladesh: Poisoned Chalice
For decades, villagers in large parts of Bangladesh have been knowingly drinking arsenicâcontaminated waterâand slowly killing themselves in the process. In fact, it is estimated that 43,000 people die in the country each year from illnesses related to ingesting arsenic. While the diseases themselves are not uniqueâoften cancers and cardiovascular disordersâthe victims sometimes develop black⊠Continue reading Bangladesh: Poisoned Chalice
Yemenâs Warring Sides Signal Optimism for Kuwait Peace Talks
KUWAIT, April 17 â Yemenâs warring parties are sending conciliatory signals ahead of U.N.-backed talks starting on Monday, in a rare sign of mutual willingness to end a year-old conflict that has caused one of the worldâs worst humanitarian crises. A deal may help defuse tensions between regional powerhouses Iran and Saudi Arabia, who are⊠Continue reading Yemenâs Warring Sides Signal Optimism for Kuwait Peace Talks
U2 Singer Bono seeks U.S. Senate Backing for Mideast âMarshall Planâ
WASHINGTON, April 13 â U2 lead singer Bono joined diplomats and aid experts on Tuesday to appeal for U.S. Senate support for a âMarshall Planâ to provide aid to the Middle East much like the massive relief the United States provided for Europe after World War Two. âAid in 2016 is not charity; it is national security,â⊠Continue reading U2 Singer Bono seeks U.S. Senate Backing for Mideast âMarshall Planâ
Moroccoâs Celluloid Dreams
Art will always be a more powerful instrument of change than weapons, renowned Italian-American director Francis Ford Coppola told Newsweek Middle East on the sidelines of Marrakechâs 15th Annual Film Festival last week. Speaking at La Mamounia Hotel in Marrakech days after Rock The Kasbahâs screening, Coppola deplored violence and war, saying that they have⊠Continue reading Moroccoâs Celluloid Dreams
Iraq ânâ Roll: How Ramadi Was Won
Almost a month after Iraqi special forces reclaimed Ramadi from Daesh, Iraqi troops are still patrolling the streets and clearing booby-trapped buildings. âReal estate officeâ reads a hand-lettered metal sign featuring the now-familiar logo of Daesh, an organization in retreat in Iraq but far from defeated. The Iraqi special forces officers with whom Iâm on⊠Continue reading Iraq ânâ Roll: How Ramadi Was Won
Yemen: War-Zone Babies
One Thursday in February, Rasha Al Shwafi began to feel sick. Heavily pregnant with twins, she initially passed it off as a mild indigestion. But as the day wore on, she found that she could no longer endure the pain. Still some weeks away from her due date, the pain steadily intensified; and along with⊠Continue reading Yemen: War-Zone Babies
Turkey Bombs Militants in Iraq, Declares Curfew in Southeast as Clashes Erupt
DIYARBAKIR, Turkey, April 5 â Turkey bombed Kurdish militant targets in northern Iraq on Tuesday and declared a curfew in a southeastern town after a rocket attack, as Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu vowed Ankara would not step back in its crackdown on the rebels. Gunfire rang out through the night in Silopi, near the Iraqi⊠Continue reading Turkey Bombs Militants in Iraq, Declares Curfew in Southeast as Clashes Erupt
New Daesh Franchise Threatens Egypt
Feb 17 â On Jan. 21, days before the fifth anniversary of Egyptâs fabled revolution, police in Cairo raided a slum in the crowded Ahram neighborhood. Booby-trapped bombs went off in a scene more reminiscent of Fallujah, Iraq, than Egyptâs capital. Six officers and three civilians were killed, and an entire floor of the mid-size⊠Continue reading New Daesh Franchise Threatens Egypt
UAE Jails 2 Lebanese, 1 Lebanese-Canadian For 6 Months for Hezbollah Links
DUBAI, April 5 â A United Arab Emirates court sentenced two Lebanese nationals and a Lebanese-Canadian citizen to six months in jail followed by expulsion for setting up a group affiliated to the Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah, local media said on Monday. The state news agency WAM did not identify the three but said they⊠Continue reading UAE Jails 2 Lebanese, 1 Lebanese-Canadian For 6 Months for Hezbollah Links
Syrian Rebels Advance Against Daesh Near Turkish Border
AMMAN, April 5 â Syrian rebels were closing in on a town near the Turkish border held by Daesh on Tuesday after seizing numerous villages from the group in the area, rebels and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The rebels involved in the offensive include factions fighting under the banner of the Free⊠Continue reading Syrian Rebels Advance Against Daesh Near Turkish Border
Lebanese Army Gets U.S., British Aid for Defending Border With Syria
BEIRUT, April 1 â Lebanonâs armed forces acquired three U.S. helicopters worth $26 million on Thursday to help in efforts to stop Syriaâs civil war spilling over its border, along with almost $29 million of British aid as EU countries also step up their support. The Lebanese armed forces have now received a total of nine Huey⊠Continue reading Lebanese Army Gets U.S., British Aid for Defending Border With Syria
Low Oil Prices: A New Opportunity for Gulf Cooperation
When the founders of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), convened in Baghdad in 1960, they made life difficult for themselves by violating virtually all of the ideal conditions for operating a cartel. That is why, 55 years later, Saudi Arabia has made the right decision by maintaining its production, and why the⊠Continue reading Low Oil Prices: A New Opportunity for Gulf Cooperation
FBI Trick for Breaking into iPhone Likely to Leak, Limiting its Use
SAN FRANCISCO, April 2 â The FBIâs method for breaking into a locked iPhone 5c is unlikely to stay secret for long, according to senior Apple Inc engineers and outside experts. Once it is exposed, Apple should be able to plug the encryption hole, comforting iPhone users worried that losing physical possession of their devices⊠Continue reading FBI Trick for Breaking into iPhone Likely to Leak, Limiting its Use
Syrian Opposition Rejects Any Election-Related Delay to Peace Talks
GENEVA, March 21 â The Syrian opposition said on Sunday it rejected any attempt by the government to delay the next round of peace talks until after a parliamentary election on April 13 and urged Russia to press its ally into serious talks on a political transition. Syrian President Bashar Al Assad called the election⊠Continue reading Syrian Opposition Rejects Any Election-Related Delay to Peace Talks
Dubai International Govât Exhibition Announces Themes
DUBAI March 30: This year the Dubai International Government Achievements Exhibition will examine three themes of happiness, smart transformation and achievement, according to its release. The Dubai Government Excellence Program, under the General Secretariat of the Executive Council of Dubai and under the patronage of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and⊠Continue reading Dubai International Govât Exhibition Announces Themes
Along Syriaâs Frontlines
When Daesh militants took over the ancient city of Palmyra last May, they were able to establish a foothold in the heart of Syria, using it as a launching pad to gain territory towards the Mediterranean coast. The world watched in horror as the terrorist group systematically destroyed historical ruins dating back 2,000 years and⊠Continue reading Along Syriaâs Frontlines
Pakistanis Hunt for Militants Behind Lahore Blast That Killed At Least 70
LAHORE, Pakistan, March 28 â Pakistani authorities hunted on Monday for breakaway Taliban militants who once declared loyalty to Daesh after the group claimed responsibility for an Easter suicide bomb targeting Christians, that killed at least 70 people. The attack on Sunday evening in a busy park in the eastern city of Lahore, the powerbase of⊠Continue reading Pakistanis Hunt for Militants Behind Lahore Blast That Killed At Least 70