Category: 2. Middle East

The French anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into whether the killing of a Tunisian national in southern France was a racially motivated crime “related to a terrorist undertaking”.

The Tunisian man, who has not been officially identified but is thought to be around 35, was shot dead by a neighbour late on Saturday in the town of Puget-sur-Argens, the local prosecutor said. A 25-year-old Turkish national was also shot in the hand…

Three Israeli occupation soldiers have been killed in fighting in the northern Gaza Strip, the military said today according to Reuters.

The soldiers’ deaths were announced hours after Hamas’ armed wing said its fighters were engaging in “fierce clashes” with Israeli occupation forces in the north of the territory.

Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza in October 2023 and has killed more than 54,400 Palestinians, mostly women and children, since,…

At least 27 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded by Israeli fire near a US-Israeli food distribution site in the southern Gaza Strip today, local health authorities said, in the latest attack on starving Palestinians in the besieged enclave, Reuters reports.

The Israeli occupation military said its forces had opened fire on a group of individuals who had left designated access routes near the distribution centre in Rafah.

It added it was still…

Oil prices recorded a sharp increase yesterday amid concerns over the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, uncertainty surrounding Iran’s nuclear talks, and market relief that OPEC+ did not raise oil production as much as some had feared.

By 13:25 GMT, the price of a barrel of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude had risen by 4.87 per cent to reach $62.75, after briefly increasing by more than five per cent.

Brent North Sea crude also rose by 4.51 per cent,…

Rescuers said the Israeli military killed at least 15 people on Tuesday in southern Gaza near a US-backed aid centre, with the army reporting it had fired on “suspects who advanced toward the troops”.

The shooting was similar to one Sunday morning in which rescuers said scores of people were killed and wounded at the same location, with witnesses saying they had been on their way to collect aid.

“At least 15 people were killed and dozens wounded… when Israeli forces opened fire with tanks…

Rescuers said the Israeli military killed at least 27 people near a US-backed aid centre in Gaza on Tuesday, with the army reporting it had fired on “suspects who advanced toward the troops”.

The UN human rights chief condemned such attacks as a “breach of international law and a war crime”, after a similar shooting in the same area on Sunday killed and wounded scores of Palestinians seeking aid, according to the civil defence agency.

Tuesday’s shooting in the southern city of Rafah came as…

Left-wing Israeli organisation Ir Amim revealed yesterday that a record number of Palestinian homes were demolished by Israeli occupation forces in East Jerusalem in May.

In a statement the organisation, which specialises in Jerusalem affairs, reported: “May saw the highest number of demolitions in 2025 so far, with a total of 33 buildings torn down, including 16 residential units and 17 non-residential structures.”

This brings the total number of demolitions…

In the heart of Cairo, a small cinema has for over a decade offered a unique space for independent film in a country whose industry is largely dominated by commercial considerations.

Zawya, meaning “perspective” in Arabic, has weathered the storm of Egypt’s economic upheavals, championing a more artistic approach from the historical heart of the country’s golden age of cinema.

Zawya was born in the post-revolutionary artistic fervour of the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime president Hosni…

Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has in six months established himself internationally and had crippling sanctions removed, but still needs to rebuild national institutions, revive the economy and unite the fractured country.

AFP looks at the main challenges facing Sharaa, whose Islamist-led coalition toppled longtime Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad on December 8.

– State building –

After ousting Assad, Sharaa has had to navigate four political entities, each with their own civil,…

On Beirut’s chaotic, car-choked streets, Lebanese student Fatima Fakih rides a shiny purple bus to university, one of a fleet rolled out by authorities to revive public transport in a country struggling to deliver basic services.

The 19-year-old says the spacious public buses are “safer, better and more comfortable”, than the informal network of private buses and minivans that have long substituted for mass transport.

“I have my bus card — I don’t have to have money with me,” she added, a…