Middle East

Jordan to host MidEast summit in bid to defuse regional tensions

by Acil Tabbara Agence France-Presse AMMAN, Jordan (AFP) — Jordan hosts a Middle East summit Tuesday bringing together regional and international players hoping to help resolve regional crises, particularly in neighboring Iraq. The “Baghdad II” meeting, which will also include officials from France and the European Union, follows an August 2021 summit in Iraq’s capital organized at the initiative of French President Emmanuel Macron. Iraq only recently arrived at a fragile compromise government after a […]

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Deadly attack on Kabul hotel popular with Chinese

by Abdullah HASRAT Agence France-Presse KABUL, Afghanistan (AFP) — At least three people were killed when gunmen attacked a hotel popular with Chinese business people in the Afghan capital Monday, with witnesses reporting multiple blasts and several bursts of gunfire, as the Islamic State group claimed responsibility. Smoke could be seen pouring from the multi-storey Kabul Longan Hotel as Taliban security forces rushed to the site and sealed off the neighborhood. The Taliban claim to […]

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Japanese startup launches historic Moon mission

  Washington, United States (AFP) A Japanese startup’s spacecraft was launched to the Moon on Sunday in the country’s first-ever lunar mission and the first of its kind by a private company. The launch was carried out by Elon Musk’s SpaceX at Cape Canaveral in the US state of Florida after two postponements for additional pre-flight checks. The spacecraft, produced by Tokyo-based startup ispace and carrying a UAE-built rover, blasted off aboard a Falcon 9 […]

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Palestinian girl found shot dead after Israeli raid: Palestinian ministry

Ramallah, Palestinian Territories (AFP) A teenage Palestinian girl was found shot dead on the roof of her house after an Israeli raid in the occupied West bank, official Palestinian sources said Monday. Israel’s army said troops had exchanged fire with suspects in the area. Without commenting specifically, the army said it was “aware of reports regarding a killed Palestinian female” and the incident “is under review”. The Palestinian health ministry identified the girl as Jana […]

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Iran publicly executes second man over protests, defying outcry

Paris, France (AFP) by Stuart WILLIAMS Iran on Monday executed a second man convicted in connection with protests that have shaken the regime for almost three months, defying an international outcry over its use of capital punishment against those involved in the movement. Majidreza Rahnavard had been sentenced to death by a court in the city of Mashhad for killing two members of the security forces with a knife, and wounding four other people, the […]

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Qatar probing migrant worker death at World Cup site: official

Doha, Qatar (AFP) World Cup host Qatar is investigating the death of a migrant worker, an official said Thursday, after reports he died at a training base during the ongoing football tournament. The death of a Filipino in his 40s was first reported on Wednesday by The Athletic sports website and later confirmed by the Philippines’ Foreign Ministry.   The Athletic said the man fell off a ramp while repairing lights at a resort used […]

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Outrage as Iran carries out first first hanging over protests

  Paris, France (AFP) by Stuart WILLIAMS and David VUJANOVIC in Nicosia Iran carried out its first known execution Thursday over the protests that have shaken the regime since September, sparking international condemnation and warnings from rights groups that more hangings are imminent. Mohsen Shekari, 23, had been convicted and sentenced to death for blocking a street and wounding a paramilitary during the early phase of the protests in mid-September, after a legal process denounced […]

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Afghan Taliban carry out first public execution since takeover

by David FOX and Estelle EMONET Agence France-Presse KABUL, Afghanistan (AFP) — An Afghan man convicted of murder was executed in public Wednesday, the Taliban said, the first confirmation of such a punishment since the hardline Islamists returned to power. Last month, Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada ordered judges to fully enforce aspects of Islamic law that include public executions, stonings and floggings, and the amputation of limbs from thieves. They have carried out several […]

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China’s Xi arrives in Saudi Arabia for energy-focused visit

  Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (AFP) by Robbie Corey-Boulet Chinese President Xi Jinping touched down in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday for a visit that is likely to focus on energy ties but also follows months of tensions with the United States. Xi, recently reanointed as leader of the world’s second biggest economy, arrived in the capital Riyadh, Chinese and Saudi state media said, for a three-day visit that will include talks with the Saudi rulers and […]

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Xi travels to Saudi for three days of Mideast outreach

by Robbie Corey-Boulet Agence France-Presse RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday for three days of meetings with regional leaders likely focused on energy. The overseas trip is only Xi’s third since the coronavirus pandemic began in 2020, and his first to Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest crude oil exporter, since 2016. It will feature bilateral meetings with Saudi King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, […]

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US navy says seizes ammunition en route from Iran to Yemen

Manama, Bahrain (AFP) The US Navy said Saturday it had seized one million rounds of ammunition along with rocket fuses and propellant being smuggled on a fishing trawler from Iran to war-torn Yemen. The cargo was discovered on Thursday “during a flag verification boarding”, the Bahrain-based United States Fifth Fleet said in a statement, noting it was the “second major illegal weapons seizure within a month” along the maritime route. “This significant interdiction clearly shows […]

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Iran executes 4 over links to Israeli intelligence: judiciary

Tehran, Iran (AFP) Iran on Sunday put to death four people accused of working with Israel’s intelligence service, the judiciary said. “This morning, the sentences of four main members of the gang of mobsters related to the Zionist intelligence service were executed,” the judiciary’s Mizan Online website reported. Iran carried out the sentences four days after the Islamic republic’s supreme court upheld the penalty of capital punishment for “their intelligence cooperation with the Zionist regime […]

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