Archives for June, 2022

In this handout image provided by MD Beast, MDL Beast Festival - the Saudi Soundstorm has arrived, wowing over 130,000 fans on its first day on Dec. 19, 2019 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Culture

Saudi 2030 to expand art scene in Jeddah, Riyadh

With Saudi Arabia’s new social reform plan the local art scene is blooming with a plethora of cultural initiatives.

LOUAI BESHARA/AFP via Getty Images

US lawmakers push sanctions for Syria's Tadamon massacre

Reps. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) and Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.) called on the Biden administration to sanction four Syrians linked to the 2013 murder of 41 unarmed civilians.

Saar

Israel’s government faces survival test with settlement bill

Announcing that the renewal of regulations on Israeli civil law in West Bank settlements is a test for the coalition's viability, Justice Minister Gideon Saar pushes his own government into a dangerous political spiral.

Cryptocurrency

Dubai charity to accept donations in cryptocurrency

The crypto scene is rapidly expanding in the United Arab Emirates.

Burak Kara/Getty Images

Turkish consumer inflation soars to 73.5%

Turkey’s May consumer inflation came in lower than expected, but newly announced gas and electricity hikes bode a renewed resurge in prices across the board.

parasail

Iraqi border guards shoot down parasail in drug bust

The operator may have fled to Kuwait as Iraq’s drug war rages on.

ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

Pakistan’s new premier looks to Turkey for political, economic boost

Shahbaz Sharif, who needs international economic and political support to stabilize his coalition government, is busy making deals with Ankara.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (L) meets with head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi (R) in Tehran on March 5, 2022.

Analysis

Limits on Iran’s nuclear program are needed more than ever

Two recent IAEA reports indicate Iran has enough highly enriched uranium to produce material for a nuclear weapon in mere weeks.

Mark Fitzpatrick

By Mark Fitzpatrick

People gather for a protest outside the UN mission in Sudan's capital Khartoum on June 1, 2022.

Sudan military coup leaders tighten grip ahead of dialogue with civilians

The leaders of the coup in Sudan are gearing up for direct talks with civilians for the first time since their seizure of power about eight months ago, a few days after lifting the state of emergency in the country.

The last IIFA awards were in Mumbai in 2019

Indian Oscars return as Abu Dhabi hosts Bollywood bash

Agence France-Presse

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett issued the warning on Iran's nuclear programme after the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency met him during a whirlwind visit

Israel warns over Iran nuclear programme

Agence France-Presse

AMIR COHEN/AFP via Getty Images

Israel’s Gur Hassidic leader picks next Knesset representative

With Knesset member Yaakov Litzman stepping down as parliamentary head of the Gur Hassidic sect, its rabbi has picked his successor.

President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and First Lady receive the president of Poland and his wife at Ittihadiya Palace, May 31, 2022.

Polish president visits Egypt for the first time in decades

The Polish president visited Egypt recently in the first such visit since 1992, which comes as the Russian war on Ukraine rages on.

This photo shows the interior of El-Ghriba synagogue, the oldest Jewish monument built in Africa, on the first day of the annual pilgrimage, Djerba island, Tunisia, April 26, 2021.

Culture

Jewish pilgrimage to Tunisian island stirs calls for criminalizing normalization with Israel

The annual Jewish pilgrimage to El-Ghriba synagogue in Tunisia has rekindled the popular and political debate over the issuance of a law criminalizing normalization with Israel.

Biden Bennett

Ahead of Biden visit, Israel redoubles efforts to isolate Iran

While continuing its creative campaign to isolate Iran, Israel’s leadership also puts efforts into constructing relations with Saudi Arabia and advancing an aerial-intelligence alliance in the region.

Ghada Ahmed (R) works on a car in Saudi Arabia, where garages are tapping women as a source for mechanics

Saudi women move from behind wheel to under the hood

Agence France-Presse