Category: 2. Middle East

The UK imposed sanctions Wednesday on more than two dozen people, groups and suppliers from the Balkans, the Middle East and China accused of helping migrants cross the Channel.

In what it called a “landmark” first use of new powers, the move came as the government faces political pressure to stem migrant arrivals on small boats from northern France, at record levels.

The asset freezes and travel bans announced target individuals and entities “driving irregular migration to the UK”, and…

Tunisian President Kais Saied presented US counterpart Donald Trump’s senior Africa adviser with photographs of starving children in Gaza, official video of their meeting posted late Tuesday showed.

Saied told US envoy Massad Boulos, who is also the father-in-law of Trump’s daughter Tiffany, that “it is time for all of humanity to wake up and put an end to these crimes against the Palestinian people”.

“I believe you know these images well,” Saied was seen telling the envoy as he showed a…

Egypt’s Foreign Minister, Badr Abdelatty, met on Tuesday with President Ibrahim Traoré of Burkina Faso and handed him a written message from President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. The letter highlighted Egypt’s keenness to strengthen bilateral relations and expand cooperation between the two countries in various fields, in a way that supports security and stability across the African continent.

Abdelatty noted that his visit aims to boost economic, investment and…

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva condemned on Monday Israel’s genocide of the Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip and demanded it stopped playing “victim” to justify the systematic killing of civilians, particularly women and children.

Speaking to reporters in the capital, Brasilia, da Silva stressed that Israel is not waging a war in Gaza, but “an army killing women and children”, adding that this tragic reality is no longer hidden…

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday warned of the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, describing it as a “horror show” marked by mass devastation and starvation, Anadolu Agency reported.

“We need look no further than the horror show in Gaza – with a level of death and destruction without parallel in recent times,” Guterres told the UN Security Council during a debate on multilateralism and peaceful dispute…

If the groups in Syria move toward division and destabilisation, Türkiye will consider it a direct threat to its national security and will intervene, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Tuesday, Anadolu reported.

Fidan said Ankara is willing to engage in dialogue and meet any demands from the groups as long as they do not involve division.

“Discuss anything you wish, make whatever demands you have, Türkiye is willing to assist, but if you go beyond…

With fuel prices exorbitant and road travel treacherous in the war-battered Gaza Strip, AFP video journalist Youssef Hassouna has to walk for hours in the searing heat every day just to document the news.

“I walk 14 to 15 kilometres (nine miles) every day to reach the news sites,” he said.

“This morning, I walked about a 25-kilometre round trip in search of information.”

More than 21 months of war between Israel and Hamas have displaced almost all of Gaza’s population, triggered severe…

Saudi Arabia is expected to sign investment deals worth around $4 billion with Syria during the Syrian-Saudi Investment Forum, which began on Wednesday in Damascus. 

What happened: The forum, organized by the Saudi Ministry of Investment, is attended by a delegation from the kingdom that includes government officials and business leaders, including Investment Minister Khalid Al-Falih and 120 investors across various sectors, according to the Saudi-based AlEkhbariya News. 

The Saudi news…

Tunisian President Kais Saied received Masad Boulos, senior adviser to US President Donald Trump on Arab, Middle East and African affairs, on Tuesday at Carthage Palace.

A video released by the Tunisian presidency showed President Saied presenting Boulos with distressing images of children in Gaza, highlighting the suffering they endure.

Commenting on the images, Saied said: “I believe you know these pictures well — a child crying and eating sand in occupied…

Services have ceased at six health facilities in the Gaza Strip due to a fuel shortage exacerbated by Israel’s continued closure of border crossings since March, the Health Ministry said on Tuesday.

A ministry statement listed the affected sites as Al-Khidmah Hospital, the central oxygen station, Al-Salam Clinic, Al-Shati Clinic, Al-Jalaa Medical Center, and the Haidar Abdel Shafi Medical Center.

It said the shutdown followed repeated warnings and was caused by…