Middle East

US and Saudi Arabia clash in public over oil cut, Russia

by Aurélia End  Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States and Saudi Arabia traded bitter barbs Thursday over last week’s OPEC+ oil output cut, with Washington accusing Riyadh of knowingly boosting Russian interests. The Saudi-led OPEC+ cartel — which includes Russia — angered Washington by cutting production by two million barrels a day from November, adding further pressure on soaring crude prices. Saudi Arabia issued a rare press release on Thursday expressing […]

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Israeli soldier injured in east Jerusalem attack dies

JERUSALEM, Undefined (AFP) – An Israeli soldier was shot and killed in an overnight attack at a checkpoint in east Jerusalem, the Israeli army said Sunday. A police spokesperson had announced earlier that a manhunt was underway for an assailant who had “shot and severely injured two Israelis” at a checkpoint near Shuafat Palestinian refugee camp. A third person, whose nationality was not specified, was hit by “shrapnel”, according to Magen David Adom (MADA) — […]

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Iran’s Raisi condemns ‘chaos’ of protests after Mahsa Amini’s death

by Stuart Williams Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi condemned Wednesday the “chaos” sparked by a wave of women-led protests over the death of Mahsa Amini while in the custody of the Islamic republic’s morality police. “Those who took part in the riots must be dealt with decisively, this is the demand of the people,” said Raisi in a televised interview. “People’s safety is the red line of the Islamic republic […]

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Four Palestinians killed in Israeli raid on Jenin

by Guillaume LAVALLÉE Agence France-Press JENIN, Palestinian Territories (AFP) — An Israeli raid targeting alleged militants in a West Bank flashpoint killed four Palestinians on Wednesday, the Palestinian health ministry said, including the brother of a man blamed for a deadly attack in Tel Aviv. The violence was the latest to hit Jenin, in the north of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, an area that has seen near daily clashes between Israeli troops and Palestinian gunmen […]

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Saudi Arabia’s crown prince named prime minister

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | AFP | by Robbie Corey-Boulet Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed bin Salman, who was named prime minister late on Tuesday, has shaken up the ultraconservative oil titan with economic, social and religious reforms since his meteoric rise to power. The 37-year-old de facto ruler has overseen the most fundamental transformation in the modern history of the Gulf nation and sidelined all rivals after he became crown prince in June 2017. But he has […]

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Iran arrests ex-president Rafsanjani’s daughter: news agency

Tehran, Iran (AFP) Iran on Tuesday arrested the daughter of ex-president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani for inciting protests, the Tasnim news agency said, amid a wave of demonstrations over the death of a young woman. “Faezeh Hashemi has been arrested in the east of Tehran by a security agency for inciting rioters to street protests,” Tasnim reported, without elaborating. Iranians on Tuesday staged a 12th straight night of protests over the death of Mahsa Amini, 22. […]

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As Ukraine war grinds on, Saudi influence grows

by Robbie COREY-BOULET and Haitham EL-TABEI Agence France-Presse RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) — Saudi Arabia’s unexpected role in brokering the release of foreign fighters detained in Ukraine was just the latest example of how the kingdom is seeking to bolster its international standing, diplomats and analysts say. It also enables Riyadh to argue that preserving ties with Moscow -– a source of tension with Washington, especially since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine -– can be a […]

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Israel PM: World must use force if Iran builds nuclear bomb

UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — The international community should use military force if Iran develops nuclear weapons, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid told the United Nations on Thursday, as he reiterated support for creation of a “peaceful” Palestinian state. Israel has been conducting an intense diplomatic offensive in recent months to try to persuade the United States and main European powers such as Britain, France and Germany not to renew the 2015 Iran nuclear […]

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Death toll mounts in Iran protests as online services cut

PARIS, France (AFP) — At least 17 people have been killed as popular unrest flared Thursday across Iran over the death in custody of Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini, local media reported, as online services were cut in a security crackdown. Amini, 22, died last week after her arrest by the Islamic republic’s feared morality police for allegedly wearing a hijab headscarf in an “improper” way, and news of her death sparked widespread outrage. Protesters have […]

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‘Drink it anyway’: Syria water woes peak in cholera outbreak

AL-KASRAH, Syria (AFP) – In a Syria hospital crowded with women and wailing children, Ahmad al-Mohammad writhed in pain beside his wife after they contracted cholera, which is resurging for the first time in years. During his six days in treatment, Mohammad has watched patients stream into the Al-Kasrah hospital in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor, where the highly polluted Euphrates River is a major source of contaminated water used for both drinking and […]

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Israeli, Turkish leaders meet as tensions ease

UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday met for the first time in more than a decade with an Israeli prime minister, with Yair Lapid seeking his help on citizens held by Palestinian militants Hamas. The two leaders met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, a month after the countries announced the restoration of diplomatic ties following years of tensions. Lapid “brought up the issue of […]

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DEVELOPING: Mexican seismologists revise quake magnitude to 7.4, USGS to 7.6

Mexico City, Mexico  (AFP) Mexican seismologists revise quake magnitude to 7.4, USGS to 7.6 The earthquake struck western Mexico on Monday, shaking buildings in Mexico City on the anniversary of two major tremors in 1985 and 2017, seismologists said. The earthquake, which struck at 1:05 p.m. local time, was centered about 46 kilometers southeast of La Placita de Morelos in the state of Michoacán. It struck at a depth of 10 kilometers, which is very […]

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