Archives for April, 2023

Thirteen prisoners were flown to Sanaa, Yemen's rebel-held capital, on Saturday, according to the Huthi militants

Yemen prisoner swap to start Thursday as peace hopes rise

Agence France-Presse

Turkey's Republican People's Party (CHP) Chairman and Presidential candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu speaks during a rally in Canakkale, western Turkey, on April 11, 2023.

Turkey’s opposition foreign policy promises gradual departure from Erdogan’s

Turkey’s opposition alliance vows to prioritize diplomacy and de-escalate tensions in Ankara’s foreign ties, yet it might adhere to policy continuity on many issues should it win the elections next month.

A general view of the Emirates Golf Club and the Dubai skyline during a pro-am event prior to the Omega Dubai Desert Classic at Emirates Golf Club, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Jan. 26, 2021.

Who is exempt from UAE’s upcoming corporate tax?

Government entities, investment funds and others will be exempt from the first-ever corporate tax that will soon take effect in the Emirates.

TOPSHOT - Israeli soldiers take up a position with a tank near Shtula, bordering Lebanon, on April 7, 2023. - Israel launched air strikes before dawn on April 7 in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, saying it was targeting Palestinian militant group Hamas in retaliation for several dozen rockets fired at Israel from both territories. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP) (Photo by JALAA MAREY/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Israeli fears grow of united Hezbollah-Hamas-Iran front

Netanyahu’s dream of a regional Israel-led alliance with Sunni Arab states against Iran has been shattered, as Israel’s fierce enemies unite.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

A handout photo released by Yemen's Houthis-run Saba News Agency shows the Omani and Saudi delegations in meeting Houthi officials, on April 09, 2023 in Sana'a, Yemen. A delegation from Saudi Arabia and Omani mediators arrived in Yemen's capital Sana'a on Sunday to negotiate a new truce with the Iran-allied Houthi group, as Riyadh seeks a way out of the war and create peace in Yemen. This important political move comes as Diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict have multiplied since the Yemeni government

In Yemen, Saudi-Houthi talks signal imminent cease-fire, but no peace in sight yet

Saudi Arabia, whose unilateral cease-fire in April 2020 and initiative in March 2021 were rejected by the Houthis, is finally eyeing a negotiable exit from a war it could not win militarily, chiefly due to multiplicity of agendas, mismanagement of war and lack of strategy.

Alinejad

Iranian-born US woman sentenced in plot to kidnap Masih Alinejad

Niloufar Bahadorifar, sentenced to prison, had pleaded guilty in December for unknowingly supporting an alleged Iranian plot to kidnap activist Masih Alinejad.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu speaks.

Turkey accuses Iraqi Kurdish party of being under ‘full control’ of PKK

Turkey's top diplomat tore into an Iraqi Kurdish group following an April 8 drone strike targeting the US-led coalition’s top ally in Syria, saying the PKK had taken “full control” of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan.

Ukrainian troops in a trench near near the battleground city of Bakhmut on April 8, 2023

What we know: Leak of classified US documents

Agence France-Presse

Israelis of all ages, including numerous armed men, walked to an outpost settlement built without approval from the state

'Here to stay': Israeli settlers rally at West Bank outpost

Agence France-Presse

'Fedha' appeared on Kuwait News' Twitter account, as an image of a a woman, her light-coloured hair uncovered, wearing a black jacket and white T-shirt

News presenter generated with AI appears in Kuwait

Agence France-Presse

Masih Alinejad believes that Iranian women rejecting the mandatory hijab will have a similar effect as the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, which marked the beginning of the end of the Soviet Union

Iranian-born US woman sentenced over plot to kidnap Iranian dissident

Agence France-Presse

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and his wife Emine Erdogan (L) sit in their Togg T10X, Turkey's first domestically-produced electric car, after receiving it from the company at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on April 3, 2023. (Photo by Adem ALTAN / AFP) (Photo by ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Egypt’s FM to visit Turkey ahead of restoration of ties: Cavusoglu

The Turkish government unleashed a fresh regional charm offensive ahead of the critical May 14 vote, as the top Turkish diplomat announced planned and potential meetings with his Egyptian and Syrian counterparts.

AUGUSTA, GEORGIA - APRIL 09: Phil Mickelson of the United States reacts to his birdie putt on the 18th green during the final round of the 2023 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 9, 2023 in Augusta, Georgia.

Culture

Koepka, Mickelson play at The Masters, a 'win' for Saudi-funded LIV Golf

The breakaway league has been criticized for its relative lack of talent versus the PGA Tour, but LIV golfers performed well at The Masters to the chagrin of their detractors.

Palestinian teachers sit in front of the headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Refugees (UNRWA) in Gaza City during a general strike of employees in UNRWA institutions in the Palestinian strip, on November 29, 2021. (Photo by Mohammed ABED / AFP) (Photo by MOHAMMED ABED/AFP via Getty Images)

UNRWA staff in Gaza strike as demands remain unmet

UNRWA schools and clinics in the besieged enclave were closed as the agency failed to meet its staff’s demands.

Israeli security forces fire tear gas at Palestinians, in Beita village of the occupied West Bank, demonstrating against a nearby march by Jewish settlers

Israel's Netanyahu vows to restore security as violence surges

Agence France-Presse

Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) and French President Emmanuel Macron (R) speak as they visit the garden of the residence of the Governor of Guangdong, on April 7, 2023, where Chinese President XI Jinping's father, XI Zhongxun lived. (Photo by Jacques WITT / POOL / AFP) (Photo by JACQUES WITT/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

In China, Macron eyes bigger role for France on Iran and Middle East

On the sideline of French efforts to construct a healthy economic relationship with the Chinese giant, Paris also signals it is willing to cooperate with Beijing on talks regarding Iran's nuclear program.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs