Archives for July, 2022

Biden Saudi Arabia

Analysis

The important counternarrative on Biden’s Middle East trip

Symbolism matters, but progress matters more — and there was progress.

Week in Review

By Week in Review

Grain deal

US commends Turkey, UN for Ukraine-Russia grain deal

The US welcomed the grain agreement signed in Istanbul but cautioned the devil is in the details.

Tunisian policemen arrest a protester during a demonstration during a protest days before President Kais Saied holds a referendum on a controversial constitution

Tunisia police crack down on anti-Saied protest

Agence France-Presse

Activists had expressed unease over Sisi's visits, saying France should be doing more to raise concern about the political prisoners

Macron hosts close ally Egypt's al-Sisi

Agence France-Presse

Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images

UAE bank to allow cryptocurrency trading in dirhams

A bank in the United Arab Emirates will soon allow its customers to trade cryptocurrencies using Emirati currency.

A combination photo shows the flags of Iran (L) and Saudi Arabia (R)

Iran says Saudi ready to move reconciliation talks to higher level

Agence France-Presse

Obsolete Turkish lira banknotes.

How realistic are Ankara’s hopes of trading in Turkish liras?

While the Turkish lira continues to tumble, Turkey’s currency swaps with China and other countries have failed to live up to their stated objective of boosting trade in local currencies, official data show.

Kabaa

Culture

Saudi man arrested, accused of helping non-Muslim journalist enter Mecca

Israeli press reports identified the journalist as Israeli television reporter Gil Tamary, though Saudi authorities referred to the journalist as a “US citizen.”

ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images

Iranian women under pressure as Raisi stiffens hijab mandate

The Iranian government is cracking down on hijab violations in what many say is a bid to divert attention from the nation’s economic hardships.

Iraq politics

Coordination Framework establishes committee to select next Iraqi prime minister

The Coordination Framework, which became the largest Shiite bloc in the parliament after the withdrawal of Sadrists, have set up a committee to nominate the prime minister as a part of forming the next government.

STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images

Oil falls below $100 to lowest price in two weeks

US President Joe Biden failed to convince Saudi Arabia to significantly increase oil production during his recent trip to the region but the boosts endorsed by the OPEC+ alliance came into effect this month.

AL-MONITOR Staff

By AL-MONITOR Staff

The Jewish Agency, which processes the immigration of Jews to Israel, is facing legal action in Russia seen as a warning to the government against tilting closer to Ukraine

Russia move against Jewish group response to Israel war stance: analysts

Agence France-Presse

An Iraqi takes part in a demonstration in Baghdad against an attack on the country's autonomous Kurdistan region blamed on Turkey

Iraq's Kurdistan caught in Turkish war with rebels

Agence France-Presse

An Egyptian farmer holds harvested wheat in Qursaya island on May 16, 2022, in Cairo, Egypt.

Egypt diversifies wheat suppliers as large international purchases resume

Cairo halted tenders after the steep rise in prices that followed the outbreak of war in Europe, but since June it has locked in new large quantities that also show which countries are filling the gap left by Ukraine.

A picture taken on July 11, 2013, shows a deserted beach resort near Nuwaiba on the east coast of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.

Culture

Life returns to shores of northern Sinai Peninsula

The northern Sinai governorate has opened the beach in Sheikh Zuweid for residents to vacation and picnic for the first time in more than eight years after terrorist operations and the army’s military response to them.

China's President Xi Jinping (L), Russia's President Vladimir Putin (2nd L), Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro (C), India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi (2nd R) and South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa (R) attend a meeting with members of the Business Council and management of the New Development Bank during the BRICS Summit in Brasilia, Brazil, Nov. 14, 2019.

Sisi advances Egypt's bid for BRICS membership

President of the BRICS International Forum Purnima Anand revealed Egypt's interest in joining the group along with Saudi Arabia and Turkey, and the position is to be discussed at the BRICS summit scheduled for next year in South Africa.