Category: 2. Middle East

A court in Egypt removed a prominent jailed activist from the country’s terrorism list on Monday, a rare move amid ongoing scrutiny from foreign governments and rights organizations over Egypt’s human rights record under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

What happened: The Badr Criminal Court in Cairo ordered the removal of Alaa Abdel-Fattah, a blogger, political activist and software developer, after an investigation determined that he was no longer involved in any activity for the outlawed…

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has stated that his country is not currently ready to hold direct negotiations with the United States, although it may consider the possibility in the future.

Speaking to Fox News on Monday about the chances of direct talks, Araghchi said: “For the time being, no — but in the future, it’s possible.”      

He added, “Everything depends on whether the United States is ready to deal with Iran on an equal…

By Charlotte Greenfield

JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Jerusalem’s Latin Patriarch, said on Tuesday he and church leaders had returned from a visit to Gaza with “broken hearts”, calling the spiralling humanitarian crisis there “morally unacceptable”.

Pizzaballa and Theophilos III, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, on Friday visited the Holy Family Church compound in Gaza City, where an Israeli strike last week killed three people and injured several more…

By Sarah Marsh and Andreas Rinke

BERLIN (Reuters) -German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is under pressure to take a firmer stance towards Israel, with members of his own coalition calling for Berlin to join a statement by dozens of Western nations condemning the “inhumane killing” of Palestinians.

Merz, who leads Germany’s centre-right CDU, has been increasingly critical of Israel. But Germany was notably absent from the joint statement issued on Monday by the EU and 28 Western countries including…

A severe heatwave sweeping Iran has disrupted water and electricity supplies in much of the country, with reservoir levels falling to their lowest in a century, state media said Tuesday.

Extreme temperatures, which began on Friday, are expected to ease gradually by Thursday, according to meteorological authorities cited by state television.

Government offices in at least 15 of Iran’s 31 provinces, including the capital Tehran, have been ordered to close on Wednesday in a bid to conserve water…

ANKARA — Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Tuesday said Ankara would deem any attempt to divide Syria a national security threat and would intervene, marking the strongest threat against the Pentagon-allied, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces since the fall of the Syrian regime in December.

“We are warning: No group should take steps aimed at dividing” Syria, Fidan said at a press conference in Ankara, issuing a thinly veiled threat to the SDF.

The remarks came in response to a…

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Tuesday that he will meet his Chinese counterpart next week and discuss what is likely to be an extension of an August 12 deadline for higher tariffs.

Bessent told Fox Business that trade with China was in “a very good place” and the meetings in Stockholm would take place next Monday and Tuesday.

“I think we’ve actually moved to a new level with China, where it’s very constructive and very we’re able – we’re going to be able -…

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration said Tuesday it will withdraw the United States from the United Nations’ educational, science and cultural organization, citing its inclusion of Palestine as a member state.  

“Continued involvement in UNESCO is not in the national interest of the United States,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement, describing the organization as having a “globalist, ideological agenda” at odds with the administration’s “America…

We are delighted to unveil the shortlist for the 2025 Palestine Book Awards, celebrating outstanding literary and scholarly works that illuminate Palestinian history, culture, identity, and resilience. This year saw a record number of submissions—the most in the award’s history—reflecting the growing global engagement with Palestinian narratives.

In response to the exceptional quality and breadth of the works submitted, the judges have selected an extended…