Category: 2. Middle East

Shares in US film studios slid on Monday following a threat by US President Donald Trump to impose 100 percent tariffs on foreign-made productions.

Meanwhile oil prices slumped after OPEC+ countries announced an output hike despite oversupply concerns and growing fears that Trump’s trade war could weaken demand.

Globally, stock markets were mixed in holiday-thinned trading ahead of central bank decisions on interest rates later in the week.

On Wall Street, the Dow edged higher in midday trading…

Before his death, Pope Francis donated one of his popemobiles to be converted into a children’s clinic in war-torn Gaza, Catholic charity Caritas said on Monday.

The iconic open-sided vehicle, designed to allow the pontiff to greet crowds of well-wishers, has been transferred to Caritas Jerusalem and will head to Gaza if and when Israel opens a humanitarian corridor.

The car, a converted Mitsubishi, was used by the pope during a 2014 visit to Bethlehem and had since been on display, gathering…

A human rights organisation has revealed the identity of the Israeli officer directly responsible for the killing of Palestinian child Hind Rajab, her family, and the two medics who tried to save her in the Tel al-Hawa neighbourhood, Gaza City, on 29 January 2024.

In a statement released on Saturday, the Hind Rajab Foundation, an independent NGO based in Brussels, said: “We now publicly name the commander responsible for killing Hind:

Lieutenant Colonel Beni…

Israeli National Unity Party leader Benny Gantz called Sunday to hold Iran accountable for the missile fired by the Yemeni Houthis which fell near Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, central Israel.

“This is not Yemen, this is Iran. It is Iran that is firing ballistic missiles at the State of Israel, and it must bear responsibility,” Gantz posted on X.

“The Israeli government must wake up,” he stressed, arguing that fire on Israel “must lead to a severe…

Gaza’s Health Ministry warned on Sunday that fuel reserves in the enclave’s hospitals will only last for three more days, Anadolu Agency reported.

“The Israeli occupation is preventing international and UN organizations from accessing fuel storage areas designated for hospitals under the pretext that these areas are located in ‘red zones’,” said the ministry in a statement.

It added that the limited fuel currently available “is only sufficient to…

The Israeli occupation forces have arrested 550 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem during the month of April, including 14 women and 52 children, a Palestinian prisoners rights group has said.

The Beirut based Palestine Center for Prisoners’ Studies said in a statement that two prisoners have died in Israeli jails last month as a result of deliberate medical negligence.

According to the center, the Israeli occupation forces carried out…

International airlines suspended on Sunday morning all flights to Israel’s Ben Gurion international airport after a missile fired by the Yemeni Houthi group landed near the airport.

Reuters said many foreign airlines have suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv after the missile hit, sending a plume of smoke into the air and causing panic among passengers in the terminal building.

Following a ceasefire deal with the Palestinian resistance group Hamas in January,…

The Israeli military announced on Sunday the failure to intercept a missile fired from Yemen toward the center of the country.  This development marks a new escalation in a series of recent ballistic missile attacks from Yemen.

Air raid sirens sounded in large areas, including Tel Aviv, Greater Jerusalem, and several West Bank settlements, causing panic and the suspension of air traffic at Ben Gurion Airport in Lod.

The Israeli Home Front Command stated that the…

Ronnie O’Sullivan, hailed as the greatest snooker player of all time, has revealed plans to leave the UK and begin a new chapter in the Middle East following a heavy semi-final defeat at the World Championship in Sheffield.

The 49-year-old Englishman was soundly beaten 17–7 by China’s Zhao Xintong on Friday, ending his campaign for a record eighth Crucible title. The loss marked O’Sullivan’s first competitive appearance since he withdrew from the…