Archives for March, 2025

Grondeau was arrested in 2022

Iran frees Frenchman after nearly 900-day prison ordeal

Agence France-Presse

JAX 01.

Culture

AL-Monitor Riyadh: The Saudi capital prepares for inaugural Riyadh Art Week

People gather in front of a shop at the Souq Waqif bazaar during the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan in Doha on March 14, 2025.

Culture

AL-Monitor Doha: Souq Waqif treasure hunt

People hold placards as they ride in a convoy of vehicles during a rally held by relatives and friends of Ukrainian prisoners of war, as they call for their exchange with Russian prisoners, in Kyiv on March 9, 2025.

UAE brokers Ukraine-Russia swap for 350 prisoners: What we know

The Emirati mediation follows Saudi Arabia's hosting talks on the war and the UAE boosting its ties with Ukraine.

United Arab Emirates

Residents took to the road, mainly by foot and for most of them not for the first time, in order to seek shelter in Gaza City

Gazans living through 'hell' Israel threatened for Hamas

Agence France-Presse

Israel has said it will pound Gaza until Hamas releases the remaining 58 hostages

Hamas in no win situation as Israeli strikes resume

Agence France-Presse

Among the banners held by protesters were many calling on the government to end the war

Israelis return to streets in anger over Netanyahu's policies

Agence France-Presse

Men check the damages in an area struck by a US airstrike in Huthi-controlled Sanaa on March 20, 2025. Israel said it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen on March 20, as the Iran-backed Huthi rebels claimed to have targeted Ben Gurion international airport. The United States, Israel's main backer, has pledged to hit Yemen with lethal and overwhelming force until the Huthis stop their harassment campaign. (Photo by MOHAMMED HUWAIS / AFP) (Photo by MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Can US halt Houthi attacks without getting embroiled in Gaza, Yemen wars?

The White House greenlit renewed air offensives in Yemen and in Gaza this week as the Pentagon insists it's not getting dragged into Middle East wars. What is President Donald Trump’s endgame?

Jared Szuba

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the United Arab Emirates’ national security advisor and a key proponent of the state’s artificial intelligence ambitions, met U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday, March 18. Embassy of the United Arab Emirates

Analysis

AI, aluminum and chips: Decoding UAE's Sheikh Tahnoon's visit to Trump

The Emiratis continue to negotiate with Washington to facilitate access to AI chips produced by US firms.

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Israeli army Merkava main battle tanks move at a position in southern Israel along the border fence with the northern Gaza Strip on March 18, 2025.

Israel launches ground operation in Gaza as ceasefire collapses: What we know

After heavy aerial bombardments, Israeli troops launched their first ground incursion into central Gaza since January's ceasefire was reached.

Khalil, one of the most prominent faces of the protest movement that erupted in response to Israel's conduct of the war, was arrested and taken to Louisiana earlier this month, sparking protests

Detained pro-Palestinian activist's case moved to new US court

Agence France-Presse

Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism of the State of Israel Amichai Chikli delivers a speech during the symposium on fighting antisemitism on Jan. 22, 2024, in Krakow, Poland.

Far-right Europeans invited to Israel's antisemitism conference, causing boycott

Jewish communities in Europe are furious over Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli's inviting far-right European politicians to an antisemitism conference in Jerusalem.

Supporters of Istanbul metropolitan mayor Ekrem Imamoglu hold a poster of him as they demonstrate outside Istanbul townhall against his detention over a corruption probe in Istanbul on March 19, 2025.

Analysis

Erdogan’s enduring grip over Turkey assured with Imamoglu's arrest

The arrest of Istanbul’s opposition mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, on terror and corruption charges cements President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s dominance, sidelining his strongest rival and tightening his grip on Turkey’s political landscape

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

SUEZ, EGYPT - NOVEMBER 3: A ship transits the Suez Canal towards the Red Sea on November 3, 2024 in Suez, Egypt. The shipping giant A.P. Moller-Maersk recently said it did not expect to resume sailing through the Suez Canal until 2025 due to the continued threat of attacks in the Red Sea. The Iran-aligned Houthi movement in Yemen has launched regular attacks on vessels off its coast since late 2023, disrupting a vital shipping route in east-west trade. A report this summer indicated that Suez Canal traffic

Maersk raises rates as Red Sea crisis costs Egypt $800M per month

Yemen’s Houthi rebels have resumed attacks on ships in the Red Sea and the United States is escalating its military campaign against the Iran-backed group.

The unusual lake in the Saudi desert forms each winter, lasting about three months

Jet skis in the desert: winter lake creates Saudi watersports oasis

Agence France-Presse

AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images

Ben & Jerry’s says CEO ousted by Unilever over activism: What to know

In an ongoing legal battle, the ice cream maker and its parent company, Unilever, have locked horns over Ben & Jerry’s social activism and particularly its advocacy for Palestinians during the Gaza war.