Category: 2. Middle East

Ministers of the OPEC+ oil alliance, led by Saudi Arabia and Russia, discussed production on Wednesday as another hike looms despite falling prices.

The 22-nation group began a series of cuts in 2022 to prop up crude prices, but Saudi Arabia, Russia and six other members surprised markets recently by sharply raising output for May and June.

The move has put pressure on prices, which have also fallen as investors worry that US President Donald Trump’s tariff onslaught will cause an economic…

The UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing, Balakrishnan Rajagopal, criticised the method of distributing humanitarian aid in Gaza, describing it as “sadistic.”

In a post on X, showing photos and videos of aid distribution to civilians in Gaza, on Tuesday, the UN rapporteur said “Speechless at this sadistic ‘aid delivery’ in Gaza if this is true. A US-Israeli crime of crimes using aid delivery to humiliate, kill and torture.”

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Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez affirmed that his country would raise its voice to put an end to the massacre in Gaza, where Israel continues to commit genocide.

Sanchez said in a post on X on Wednesday, “One year after recognizsng the State of Palestine, the pain in Gaza is unbearable. Spain will continue to raise its voice—louder than ever—to put an end to the massacre the world is witnessing today.”

Sanchez is expected to discuss imposing…

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared again before the Tel Aviv District Court on Wednesday to respond to corruption charges against him.

The privately owned Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported on its website that Netanyahu appeared for the 35th time in court to respond to the corruption charges against him.

The newspaper added that Netanyahu “received a message while being questioned in court, shortly after the attack on Sana’a Airport…

Following chaotic scenes in east Jerusalem during an Israeli rally, the United Arab Emirates summoned Israel’s ambassador on Wednesday to register a formal protest over what it described as repeated violations against Palestinians. 

The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Israel’s ambassador to the Gulf state, Yossi Avraham Shelley, to condemn “violations against the Palestinian people that took place in the courtyard of Al-Aqsa Mosque and in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City,”…

The Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, has said that what is happening in the Gaza Strip under Israeli bombardment is unacceptable.

In an interview with Vatican state media on Tuesday, Parolin called for humanitarian aid to be delivered to Palestinians in Gaza, which is under a severe blockade imposed by Israel. He described the situation as one in which civilians are being starved.

“What is happening in Gaza is unacceptable. International…

Israeli air strikes blew up the last remaining plane at rebel-held Yemen’s international airport, Israel and a Yemeni official said on Wednesday, weeks after an earlier attack inflicted major damage.

An air raid involving multiple strikes hit the Yemenia Airways plane and the runway at Sanaa airport, the Huthi rebels’ Al-Masirah TV channel posted on X, decrying “Israeli aggression”.

Thick black smoke was seen billowing from a stricken plane on the tarmac, in a video posted on X by Sanaa…

The International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Khan was preparing international arrest warrants for Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir before he went on administrative leave from his position, due to an ongoing investigation concerning him, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.

According to the report, the arrest warrants relate to the two Israeli far-right ministers’ involvement in the…

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed on Wednesday for the first time that Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar has been killed, two weeks after the Israeli military said they targeted him in a strike in Gaza. 

Speaking before the Knesset, Netanyahu listed what he described as Israel’s military achievements. He said Sinwar was among those “eliminated” by Israel, along with former Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar and Ismail Haniyeh, who were killed last year.

The comments mark the first…