Category: 2. Middle East

Iraq’s Oil Ministry said today it holds the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) legally responsible for the continued smuggling of oil from the Kurdish region outside the country, Reuters reports.

The ministry reserves the right to take all legal measures in the matter, it added.

Control over oil and gas has long been a source of tension between Baghdad and Erbil.

Iraq is under pressure from the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to cut…

The US yesterday vetoed a UN Security Council draft resolution that called for an “immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire” in the Gaza Strip.

The draft resolution expressed “grave concern over the catastrophic humanitarian situation, including the risk of famine,” and stressed all parties’ obligations to abide by international humanitarian and human rights law.

Slovenia proposed the draft resolution on behalf of the Security Council’s ten…

US President Donald Trump signed a proclamation yesterday banning the citizens of 12 countries from entering the United States, saying the move was needed to protect against “foreign terrorists” and other security threats, Reuters reports.

The directive is part of an immigration crackdown Trump launched this year at the start of his second term, which has also included the deportation to El Salvador of hundreds of Venezuelans, as well as efforts to deny…

Israel’s occupation army recovered the bodies of two captives, Judi Weinstein-Haggai and Gad Haggai, who were held in Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said today, according to Reuters.

The Israeli occupation army said in a statement that the bodies of the husband and wife were recovered in a special operation in the Khan Yunis area in the Gaza Strip.

Following the recovery of two bodies, 56 captives are still held in Gaza, with fewer than half believed…

Simone Inzaghi was revealed as the new coach of Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal on Thursday, days after he led Inter Milan to a heavy defeat in the Champions League final.

“The Italian genius is here,” Al Hilal posted on X, with a slickly produced video of the Italian coach. “Welcome, Simone Inzaghi.”

Inzaghi joins the Riyadh club, a mainstay of the oil-funded Saudi Pro League, weeks before it takes part in the new-look Club World Cup in the United States.

“I am Simone Inzaghi and today begins my story…

Muslim pilgrims prayed atop Mount Arafat on Thursday during the high point of the annual hajj pilgrimage, as Saudi officials called on participants to refrain from being outside during the hottest hours of the day.

Thousands of pilgrims were beginning to gather before dawn around the hill and the surrounding plain where the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have given his last sermon.

While some arrived early to take advantage of the relatively cool morning, many pilgrims will remain for hours…

Muslim worshippers prayed on Mount Arafat during the high point of the hajj pilgrimage Thursday, as authorities urged them to avoid the hottest hours of the day after tragedy struck last year.

Thousands of white-robed pilgrims recited Koranic verses from dawn on the 70-metre (230 feet) rocky rise near Mecca, where the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have given his last sermon.

But numbers thinned by midday following official warnings for pilgrims to stay inside between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm, a…

The United States vetoed Wednesday a UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire and unrestricted humanitarian access in Gaza, which Washington claimed undermined ongoing diplomacy to resolve the conflict.

It was the 15-member body’s first vote on the situation since November, when the United States — a key Israeli ally — also blocked a text calling for an end to fighting.

“This resolution would undermine diplomatic efforts to reach a ceasefire that reflects the realities on the…