Archives for September, 2023

DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Images

Interview

Syrian Kurdish commander Kobane acknowledges Arab grievances as tensions ease in Deir Ezzor

In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Syrian Kurdish commander Mazlum Kobane discussed the recent clashes in Deir Ezzor between local tribes and Kurdish forces.

Mazlum Kobane

Mazlum Kobane

SDF commander in chief

President of the Moroccan Senate Enaam Mayara.

Morocco's senate head postpones historic trip to Israel due to illness

President of the Moroccan Senate Enaam Mayara was forced to delay his historic visit to Israel after falling ill in Jordan.

The French government wants abayas -- over-garments worn by some Muslim women -- banned from schools

Court to rule on French abaya Muslim dress ban

Agence France-Presse

One tanker transfers Iranian crude oil from another tanker off the shore of Karystos, Greece, for its transport to the United States at the request of the US judiciary, May 29, 2022.

Shipping company in Greece fined $2.4B for breaching Iran sanctions

In an agreement with the US, the illegal oil export was kept secret for almost five months amid fears of retaliation from Tehran.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) inspect the honour guard during a welcoming ceremony, in Ukrainian capital Kiev, on August 19, 2019, ahead of a meeting. - Benjamin Netanyahu is in a two-days official visit in Ukraine. (Photo by SERGEI SUPINSKY / AFP) (Photo credit should read SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty Images)

Netanyahu calls Zelenskyy as Ukraine-Israel relations take new dive

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been under pressure to arrange for thousands of Israeli pilgrims to visit Uman, Ukraine, next week amid tensions with Kyiv.

Also knowns as 'beehive houses', the conical adobe structures keep cool in the blazing desert sun, while their thick walls also retain warmth in the winter

Syria's ancient adobe houses threatened by war, displacement

Agence France-Presse

Members of Lebanon's LGBTQ community attend a picnic the coastal city of Batroun, north of Beirut, on May 21, 2017, as part of the Beirut Pride week aimed at raising awarness about the rights of the community. / AFP PHOTO / IBRAHIM CHALHOUB (Photo credit should read IBRAHIM CHALHOUB/AFP via Getty Images)

Culture

Lebanon: Backlash as MPs introduce bill to decriminalize LGBTQ+ relationships

Some Lebanese leaders have intensified their campaign against the LGBTQ+ community after news emerged of a bill to repeal an anti-LGBTQ+ provision of the Penal Code.

Egypt Bright Star

Pentagon expands role in Egypt war games as US weighs aid cuts

Some 1,500 US military personnel are taking part in this year’s Bright Star exercise in Egypt as the Biden administration faces renewed pressure from Congress to withhold a portion of Cairo’s military aid over rampant human rights abuses.

Syrian Arab fighters on the Turkish-held outskirts of Manbij, in northwestern Syria, during fighting against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on September 4, 2023

Kurds, pro-Turk forces fight in north Syria after 90 killed

Agence France-Presse

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan in Saint Petersburg on October 11, 2022. (Photo by Pavel Bednyakov / SPUTNIK / AFP) (Photo by PAVEL BEDNYAKOV/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images)

US presses UAE over dual-use goods fueling Russia's war

US officials, along with their counterparts from the European Union and United Kingdom, are visiting the UAE this week to discuss the Gulf country's financial dealings with Russia.

United Arab Emirates

After previous releases, Maroufian has defiantly posted pictures of herself without a headacarf in defiance of the Islamic republic's strict dress code for women

Iran journalist says was sexually assaulted during arrest

Agence France-Presse

The weapons were well preserved with their iron blades, sheaths and handles still intact

Israel unveils Roman-era weapons found in desert cave

Agence France-Presse

EU Council President Charles Michel (R) arrives with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan before a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the EU headquarters in Brussels on March 9, 2020. (Photo by JOHN THYS / AFP) (Photo by JOHN THYS/AFP via Getty Images)

EU Commissioner: Turkey must take on democratic reforms to revive EU bid

A senior EU official has said that revival of Turkey’s stalled membership negotiations with the EU can only be discussed once Ankara takes on democratic reforms.

Demonstrators lift flags during a protest against the Israeli government's judicial overhaul bill, in front of the stock exchange complex in Tel Aviv on July 18, 2023. The proposals have divided the nation and triggered one of the biggest protest movements in Israel's history since being unveiled in January by the hard-right government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP) (Photo by MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images)

Israel's foreign investments drop 60% in first quarter of 2023

A report published by Israel's Finance Ministry suggests that foreign investments are decreasing, as are the number of Israeli startups sold to foreign companies.

Shiite Muslim devotees at the tomb of Imam Hussein, the Prophet Mohammed's grandson, in Iraq's central holy city of Karbala

Millions of Shiite pilgrims flock to Iraq's Karbala

Agence France-Presse

Israel Intelligence Minister Gila Gamliel meets with Iranian journalists and activists in exile, London, UK, Sept. 6 2023 Credit: curtsy of office of Intelligence Minister

Israeli intelligence minister meets Iranian diaspora in London

Israel's Intelligence Minister Gila Gamliel met in London with Iranian exiled activists and journalists, preparing for "the day after" when the Iranian regime weakens.