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☆ UAE Sends First Ambassador to Syria Since Conflict
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

Incoming Emirati envoy Hassan al-Shehi presented his credentials to Syria's foreign affair minister Faysal al-Meqdad at the foreign ministry on Tuesday. Saudi Arabia, Qatar and, to a lesser extent, the UAE then backed rebels against Assad - but Abu Dhabi has rebuilt ties with Damascus in recent years. Assad visited the UAE in 2022 - his first trip to an Arab state since the civil war erupted - and again in 2023 after a devastating earthquake killed thousands in Syria. The tragedy cleared the way for a thaw in Arab ties with Assad and months later the Arab League reversed its more than decade-long suspension of Syria's membership. Hundreds of thousands of people have died in the Syria conflict, which spiralled out of an uprising against Assad, drew in numerous foreign powers and splintered the country.

Persons: Hassan al, Shehi, Faysal, Bashar al, Assad, Abu Dhabi, Firas Makdesi, Maya Gebeily, Ed Osmond Organizations: United Arab Emirates, Incoming, Arab League, Regional Locations: DAMASCUS, Damascus, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, Iran, Al, Riyadh

☆ Ayodhya’s Muslims confront grief and anxiety as Ram Temple inauguration nears
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Aishwarya Iyer | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

But like many of the town’s 500,000 Muslims, 65-year-old Maulana Badshah Khan says he’ll be staying at home. And tens of thousands of pious Hindus are thronging to the small town to place flowers and gifts inside the temple. “They will call for Muslims to be expelled from Ayodhya or demand a Hindu Rashtra (nation),” he said. Mahboob, one of the petitioners who fought for the Babri mosque in the Supreme Court, said for most Muslims of Ayodhya, its construction does not hold emotional sway. Muslims pray for peace ahead of verdict on a disputed religious site in Ayodhya, inside a mosque premises in Ahmedabad, India, November 8, 2019.

Persons: Saffron, Narendra Modi, Maulana Badshah Khan, he’ll, Modi, Khan, ”, Azam Qadri, Douglas E, Curran, Haji Mahboob, Mahboob, Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, Mukhopadhyay, Nalin Kohli, Modi’s, Amit Dave, Babri, Arafat Shaikh –, BJP –, Shaikh, Gharib Nawaz, Vinod Bansal, Mahant Jairam Das, Hassan Ali Organizations: New, New Delhi CNN, Indian, Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Getty, he’s, CNN, Ram, Hindu Parishad, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Locations: New Delhi, Ayodhya, New India, India, Babri, Ahmedabad, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan

☆ Gaza families flee again to shrinking, overcrowded pocket of land
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Bassam Masoud | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"We are getting ready to leave Khan Younis, heading to Rafah. But in Rafah, displaced people said their living conditions were horrible. Palestinians fleeing north Gaza walk towards the south, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in the central Gaza Strip, November 9, 2023. Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and kidnapping 240 hostages, according to Israel's tally. More than 15,800 Palestinians have been killed by Israel's military response in Gaza, according to figures from Gaza health officials deemed reliable by the United Nations.

Persons: Khan, KHAN YOUNIS, Khan Younis, Nasser, Abu Omar, Enas Mosleh, Mohammed Salem, Hassan al, Fadi Shana, Saleh, Maggie Fick, Estelle Shirbon, Timothy Organizations: Hamas, REUTERS, United Nations, Nasser, Timothy Heritage, Thomson Locations: Khan Younis, Rafah, Gaza, Israel, Egypt, Palestinian, Beit Hanoun, Saleh Salem, Beirut

☆ Qatar World Cup: Amnesty International says ‘abuses persist’ and ‘too little has been done’ to protect workers
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Thomas Schlachter | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Qatar now leads the region on workers’ rights and labor reforms, setting an example for other countries on how a system can be successfully overhauled. Argentina's Lionel Messi lifts World Cup after defeating France in the final. Julian Finney/Getty Images Europe/Getty ImagesIn the build-up to last year’s World Cup, the organizers received widespread criticism for their treatment of migrant workers. The report did not connect all 6,500 deaths with World Cup infrastructure projects and has not been independently verified by CNN. Amnesty International also reiterated its 10-point plan which was published in the build-up to the 2022 World Cup.

Persons: Qatar’s, “, Argentina's Lionel Messi, Julian Finney, Hassan Al Thawadi, CNN’s Becky Anderson, Steve Cockburn, “ Qatar’s, ” Organizations: CNN, Amnesty International, Amnesty, Qatar’s International Media, FIFA, France, Getty, Guardian, Economic Social Justice, Qatar “, Qatar Locations: Qatar, Qatari, Europe

☆ Exclusive: UAE plans to maintain ties with Israel despite Gaza outcry, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( Alexander Cornwell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Abu Dhabi became the most prominent Arab nation to establish diplomatic ties with Israel in 30 years under the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords in 2020. "The indiscriminate damage visited upon the people of Gaza in pursuit of Israel's security risks extinguishing that hope," she said. Israel and the UAE have developed close economic and security ties in the three years since normalisation, including defence cooperation. None of four sources ruled out that the UAE could downgrade or sever its ties if the crisis escalated. While criticising Israel's conduct of the war, Abu Dhabi has also condemned Hamas for its attack.

Persons: Ronen, Abu Dhabi, Israel ABU, Abraham, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Benjamin Netanyahu, Sheikh Mohamed, Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Israel, Washington, Anwar Gargash, Lana Nusseibeh, Abu, Jordan, James Dorsey, Netanyahu, Israel's, Abdel Fattah al, Mohammed Mursi, Omar Hassan al, Bashir, Alexander Cornwell, Dan Williams, Steven Scheers, Maha El Dahan, Michael Georgy, Daniel Flynn Organizations: REUTERS, UAE, United Arab Emirates, Israel, U.S, Abraham Accords, Israeli, Qatari, UN Security Council, Reuters, West Bank, Gaza, National University of Singapore, European Union, Egypt's, Thomson Locations: Petah Tikva, Israel, UAE, Gaza, Israel ABU DHABI, Abu, Palestinian, Arab, United States, Abu Dhabi, Qatar, reining, East Jerusalem, Israeli, Iran, Yemen, OPEC, Al Aqsa, Islam, Egypt, Jerusalem

NEW YORK (AP) — The physical pain of nearly dying when shrapnel from a roadside bomb in Iraq tore through his head 17 years ago was hard enough for ABC newsman Bob Woodruff. A couple of inches either way, Woodruff was told, and he would have been killed instantly. He has constant contact with veterans through the Bob Woodruff Foundation, which raises money for military families. That allowed for some gallows humor when Woodruff and Magnus Macedo, the sound technician on Woodruff’s 2006 trip, tried to cross it. Woodruff reunited with Saad Al-Dulaimi and Ghassan Al-Mohammadawi, Iraqi military men who had accompanied him in 2006.

Persons: Bob Woodruff, Woodruff, “, ”, “ It’s, you’re, Mack, Bruce Springsteen, David Westin, ” Westin, it’s, Lee, ” Woodruff, Magnus Macedo, “ Don’t, Saad Al, Ghassan, ” Al, Mohammadawi, Doug Vogt Organizations: ABC, Hulu, Associated Press, Disney, Bob Woodruff Foundation, ” Locations: Iraq, Taji, Mosul

☆ Opinion | A Humanitarian Pause in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

After weeks of airstrikes by Israel and the continued firing of rockets by Hamas, civilians in Gaza have paid a grave price. A humanitarian pause, in contrast, would give some relief to Gazan civilians and allow Israel to make progress on another key part of its objectives: the release of hostages. A humanitarian pause would also allow more of the millions of civilians who remain in Gaza an opportunity to move to relative safety until the hostilities end. There is no guarantee that a humanitarian pause, particularly in a conflict with a terrorist group, will ensure the safe return of hostages or end the suffering of civilians. Israel’s leaders have tried from the outset of this conflict to prepare their country for a long war, and a humanitarian pause is unlikely to change that fact.

Persons: Israel, Hassan al, Banna, Biden, Antony Blinken, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Israel — Organizations: Hamas, The Times, UNICEF, Israel Defense Forces, White House Locations: Israel, United States, “ Israel, Gaza, East, Rafah, Egypt

Wadea was stabbed 26 times at his home by his family’s landlord on Saturday, the Will County Sheriff’s Office said. Wadea Al-Fayoume's father speaks at a vigil service at the Prairie Activity & Recreation Center in Plainfield, Illinois, on Tuesday. The boy’s family lived in the house for two years without “previous notable issues” with Czuba, the Council on American-Islamic Relations said. In his final moments, Wadea offered words of comfort to his mother, the man who called himself something of a grandfather said Monday. He is in a better place.”The boy’s mother could not attend his funeral services Monday as she remained in the hospital, Rehab said.

Persons: Oday Al, “, Wadea, Hanaan Shahin, Juhie Faheem, Jim Vondruska, Cynthia Glass, Wadea’s, Dexter, ”, Imam Hassan Aly, ” Aly, Biden, Dilawar Syed, ” Syed, Fayoume, Scott Olson, Joseph M, Czuba, Czuba “, Shahin, “ Shahin, ‘, ’ Shahin, Hanan, Wadea Al, Rehab Organizations: CNN, Department of Justice, West Bank, Islamic, ’, Mental Health, Recreation Center, US Small Business Administration, Aqsa Community Center, Community, Czuba, Islamic Relations, Reuters Locations: Plainfield , Illinois, Will, United States, ’ Chicago, Gaza, America, Al, Shahin, Jerusalem

☆ This highly profitable industry is booming as the population ages
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-15 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Enteral nutrition is administered through a feeding tube or it can be taken orally. Fresenius owns 32% of Fresenius Medical Center, which saw shares drop on recent news that Ozempic's kidney disease treatment trial showed signs of success. Clinical nutrition is about 20% of group profits and an important subset of its larger specialized nutrition unit, Ackerman said. "Many investors only focus only on their infant formula unit and don't know how big or how profitable clinical nutrition is," he said. "Clinical nutrition is the jewel in Danone's crown and probably the most attractive part of Danone's portfolio, yet is hidden from investors."

Persons: Stefano Natella, — hasn't, Hassan Al, Wakeel, Warren Ackerman, Ackerman, Lindsay Clarke, Enteral, Danone's Nutrison, —, Baxter, Abbott, Sara Hennicken, Fresenius, Nestlé, Mark Schneider, Nestle, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Guggenheim, World Health Organization, WHO, Barclays, Danone, Fresenius, Al, Alliance for Aging Research, Aging, CNBC, Nestle, Companies, — Nestle, Nutrition, Fresenius Medical Locations: German, Paris, China, Swiss, United States, parenteral, Latin America

☆ Seven World Cup stadiums to be used for Asian Cup in Qatar
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Hassan Rabea Al Kuwari, Executive Director of Marketing and Communications at the Local Organising Committee for the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023, and Abdulaziz Al-Mawlawi, Qatar Tourism Chief Marketing Officer, sit alongside the moderator at a press conference organised by the Local Organising... Acquire Licensing Rights Read moreOct 9 (Reuters) - The upcoming Asian Cup in Qatar will be held across nine stadiums, including seven venues that were used for last year's World Cup, the local organising committee said on Monday. The tournament runs from Jan. 12 to Feb. 20. with the opening match and the final to be held at Lusail Stadium – the 88,966-seat venue that hosted the World Cup final. The seven World Cup venues are the Lusail, Al Bayt, Khalifa International, Al Janoub, Ahmad bin Ali, Al Thumama and Education City stadiums. Two other venues, the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium and Abdulla bin Khalifa Stadium, will also be used. Hosts Qatar are the defending champions, having won the title in 2019 after an impressive unbeaten run.

Persons: Hassan Rabea Al Kuwari, Abdulaziz Al, Hassan Al Kuwari, Al Bayt, Al Janoub, Ahmad bin Ali, Al Thumama, Abdulla, Ashraf Hamed Atta, Christian Radnedge Organizations: Marketing, Communications, Local, AFC Asian, Qatar, Qatar Tourism, Khalifa International, Education City, Thomson Locations: Mawlawi, Qatar, Asia, Jan, Al, China, Tajikistan, Lebanon, Cairo

☆ At least 100 killed in drone attack on Syrian military academy, monitor says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

People stand and walk outside a building after drone attack on Syrian military academy in Homs, Syria October 5, 2023 is seen in this screen grab from a video. Video obtained by Reuters/via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsBEIRUT, Oct 5 (Reuters) - At least 100 people were killed on Thursday in an attack on a military academy in Syria, a war monitor and an official said, with weaponised drones bombing the site minutes after Syria's defence minister left a graduation ceremony there. Civilians and military personnel were killed in the attack on the military academy in the central province of Homs, Syria's defence ministry said, adding "terrorist" groups had used drones. Syria's defence and foreign ministries vowed to respond "with full force". The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said more than 100 people were killed and 125 injured.

Persons: Syria's, Hassan Al, Ghobash, Bashar al, Assad, Laila Bassam, Suleiman Al, Khalidi, Kinda, Jon Boyle, Mark Heinrich, David Gregorio, Alexandra Hudson, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Syrian Observatory, Human Rights, Health, Thomson Locations: Homs, Syria, Rights BEIRUT, Idlib, Damascus, Syrian, fatigues, Russia, Iran, Tehran, Lebanon, Iraq, Turkey

[1/9] United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) members stand near their vehicles in Naqoura near the Lebanese-Israeli border, southern Lebanon, August 16, 2023. Israel and Hezbollah have avoided war across the Lebanese-Israeli frontier since their last major clash 17 years ago, deterred by mutual threats of destruction. The tensions come against the backdrop of a political crisis in Israel that has emboldened its enemies. Lebanon can ill afford conflict four years into a financial meltdown that has paralysed the state. Hezbollah last year gave its blessing to a maritime border deal with Israel that allows Lebanon to explore for offshore energy.

Persons: Aziz Taher, Israel, Tzachi Hanegbi, Hassan al, Baghdadi, Benjamin Netanyahu, Mohanad Hage Ali, General Lázaro, Andrea Tenenti, Tom Perry, Nick Macfie Organizations: United Nations Interim Force, REUTERS, Reuters, National Security, Iran's, Guards, Carnegie Middle East Center, West Bank, UNIFIL, Thomson Locations: Lebanon, Naqoura, Lebanese, Israel, JERUSALEM, BEIRUT, Iran, Syria, Ghajar, Western, Tel Aviv, Palestinian, Gaza, Jerusalem, Al, Aqsa, Beirut

☆ UAE to set up investment ministry, PM says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DUBAI, July 3 (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will set up a new federal ministry of investment to develop the Gulf state's investment strategy both globally and domestically as it contends with growing economic competition from neighbours. The Gulf states, largely dependent on hydrocarbons for revenue, all have plans underway to diversify their economies and sources of income. The ministry's aims would include stimulating the investment environment in the UAE and to make the UAE's legislation and procedures more competitive to attract global investment, Sheikh Mohammed said. The UAE will also set up a Financial Stability Council to monitor risks, and deal with financial crises to further its objectives of becoming a major global financial centre. Foreign direct investment into Saudi Arabia was about 30 billion riyals ($8 billion), based on data from the Saudi investment ministry.

Persons: Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al, Mohammed Hassan Al Suwaidi, Sheikh Mohammed said, Sheikh Mohammed, Rachna Uppal, Nayera Abdallah, David Goodman, Jane Merriman Organizations: United Arab Emirates, Twitter, Thomson Locations: DUBAI, UAE, Maktoum, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Saudi

☆ Fleeing Generals at War and Violent Militias, Many Say ‘We’re Not Coming Back’
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Elian Peltier | Yagazie Emezi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Militias, made up mostly of Arab fighters, have exploited the power vacuum to rampage through cities, loot households and kill an unknown number of civilians, according to aid workers, doctors and local activists. In response, some civilians have begun arming themselves, and non-Arab groups have also retaliated against militias at a small scale. But while Khartoum had been a peaceful city before April, Darfur has been torn by decades of violence. More than 300,000 people were killed in Darfur in the 2000s when Sudan’s former dictator, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, ordered militias, widely known as the Janjaweed, to crush a rebellion among non-Arab groups. Its eastern region, semiarid and isolated, already has more than 400,000 refugees from Darfur living in 13 camps, which are now filling with new arrivals helped by the U.N. refugee agency.

☆ Factbox: Sudan's history of coups, wars and instability
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The commanders of the army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, who shared power as part of an internationally backed transition to democratic rule, have shown no sign of compromise. Here are some major episodes of political turmoil and conflict in Africa's third largest country:* 1985. President Jaafar Nimeiri, who seized power in a coup in 1969, is ousted after a popular uprising. A conflict in Sudan's western Darfur region flares, pitting rebels against government forces backed by a militia known as "Janjaweed", which roughly means "devils on horseback". This is followed by a period of rising tension between the army and civilian politicians over the transition to democratic rule.

Hundreds of people have been killed and thousands wounded since a long-simmering power struggle between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted into conflict on April 15. Locked in a battle for Khartoum, Sudan's capital on the Nile, the parties have fought on despite a series of ceasefires secured by mediators including the United States, the latest of which expires at midnight (2200 GMT). The Sudanese army said on Sunday it had destroyed RSF convoys moving towards Khartoum from the west. The RSF said the army had used artillery and warplanes to attack its positions in a number of areas in Khartoum province. A U.S.-government organised convoy arrived at the Red Sea city of Port Sudan on Saturday, evacuating U.S. citizens, local staff and others.

☆ Mystery of Ex-Dictator’s Whereabouts Adds to Crisis in Sudan
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Abdi Latif Dahir | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As Sudan is ripped apart in a battle between rival generals, one question was swirling around the country on Wednesday: Where is the former dictator Omar Hassan al-Bashir? Mr. al-Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. In Sudan, he still faces charges related to the 1989 coup that propelled him to power, and he faces a death sentence or life in prison if convicted. Amid the chaos, it was thought that Mr. al-Bashir, 79, was being held in the Kober prison in Khartoum, the capital, serving a two-year sentence for money laundering and corruption. But then a former official being held with Mr. al-Bashir said on Tuesday night that he had left the prison along with some other, unnamed officials, without mentioning the former dictator.

☆ Sudan Live Updates: Civilians Feel Strain as Blasts Rock Capital
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Abdi Latif Dahir | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

A policeman in 2011 in Abyei, a dividing line between northern and southern Sudan that was the site of a long-running standoff. For decades, Sudan’s military has waged brutal conflicts in the south, east and west of the country. The two sides ultimately negotiated a peace agreement that split the country in 2011 after southerners voted in a referendum for South Sudan to become a new nation. Image Celebrations in Juba, Sudan, on the eve of independence for South Sudan in 2011. Credit... Tyler Hicks/The New York TimesWithin South Sudan, infighting in the government led to clashes in 2013 and ultimately triggered a violent feud between the two biggest ethnic groups. Nuba Mountains conflictClashes between government forces and rebel Nuba fighters in Sudan’s South Kordofan State broke out in the aftermath of South Sudan’s secession, with Nuba fighters supporting South Sudan.

The Sudanese Doctors' Union earlier reported at least 25 people were killed and 183 wounded in battles that erupted on Saturday between the military and the RSF. The army told soldiers seconded to the RSF to report to nearby army units, which could deplete RSF ranks if they obey. The military and RSF, which analysts say is 100,000 strong, have been competing for power as political factions negotiate forming a transitional government after a 2021 military coup. The RSF shared a video that it said showed Egyptian troops who "surrendered" to them in Merowe. Clashes also erupted between the RSF and army in the Darfur cities of El Fasher and Nyala, eyewitnesses said.

☆ World Food Programme halts Sudan operations, 3 workers killed
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

CAIRO,April 16 (Reuters) - The United Nations' World Food Programme (WFP) said on Sunday it had temporarily halted all operations in Sudan after three of its employees were killed in clashes between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) a day earlier. "While we review the evolving security situation, we are forced to temporarily halt all operations in Sudan," WFP executive director Cindy McCain said in a statement. The incident has seriously impacted the organisation's ability to move humanitarian workers and aid in Sudan, he said. Earlier on Sunday, the United Nations condemned the killing of the WFP employees, saying they died while carrying out their duties. The fighting broke out on Saturday between army units loyal to General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti.

☆ Sudan's army says paramilitary mobilisation risks confrontation
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Khalid Abdelaziz Nafisa Eltahir | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"These movements and deployments happened without the agreement of the leadership of the armed forces or even coordination with it," the army spokesman said. Deputy head of Sudan's sovereign council General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo speaks during a press conference at Rapid Support Forces head quarter in Khartoum, Sudan February 19, 2023. Witnesses told Reuters that they saw a convoy of RSF vehicles including armoured trucks enter Khartoum on Thursday. Political figures issued statements on Thursday about attempts to mediate between the RSF and army high command. Hemedti, who has amassed considerable wealth and expanded domestic and foreign relations, has said repeatedly in speeches that he wants no confrontation with the army.

☆ 9 Middle Eastern funds and investors pouring money into US media, sports, and entertainment
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Lucia Moses | Claire Atkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Governments and investors in the Middle East are pouring money into Western media and entertainment. Sovereign funds and other entities in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE are pouring millions into US media and entertainment, and they're finding plenty of takers. The channels for money from Saudi Arabia and other parts of the Middle East are complex. Insider broke down the key entities — their owners, leaders, and high-profile investments and joint ventures — in the top three Middle Eastern nations pouring money into US entertainment and media. It describes itself as the largest media company in the Middle East and North Africa and runs one of the largest TV news channels, Al Arabiya.

JERUSALEM, March 24 (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Muslim worshippers flocked to Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque on the first Friday of Ramadan for noon prayers, which passed peacefully amid tight security imposed after months of escalating tension and violence. "I cannot describe to you how happy I am to pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque. I'm 50 years old and they only recently removed the security ban that had prevented me from coming here," said Nasser Abu Saleh, a resident of the West Bank city of Hebron. The Muslim Waqf, custodians who manage the site which houses the Al-Aqsa Mosque, said around 100,000 people had visited for the first Friday prayers of Ramadan. [1/5] Palestinians make their way through an Israeli checkpoint to attend the first Friday prayers of Ramadan in Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque, in Bethlehem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank March 24, 2023.

☆ 'Every victim of Saddam Hussein was waiting for this moment'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Charlotte Bruneau | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Ali Hassan al-Haidari, who testified against former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein during the Dujail trial, that led to Saddam's death sentence, sits at his home in Dujail, Iraq, January 28, 2023. "Every victim of Saddam Hussein was waiting for this moment," said Haidari, one of the few people who was ready to show his face when giving testimony to the court that sent the former Iraqi strongman to the gallows. Seven of his brothers were among those killed in the security sweep after the attempt on Saddam's life as his convoy passed by. A video from the trial showed Haidari standing with Saddam behind him and telling the judges: "He is responsible for my detention, for losing my future, for executing my brothers". Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq's most influential Shi'tie cleric, issued a religious decree calling on Iraqis to fight against Islamic State.

☆ A senior ISIS leader is dead, but the raid went sideways when an explosion injured several US troops and a dog
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

US troops and the Syrian Democratic Forces carried out a joint helicopter raid in Syria on Thursday. The target, a senior Islamic State leader named Hamza al-Homsi, was killed during the operation. Although the target, Hamza al-Homsi, was killed, the operation went sideways when an explosion wounded the four Americans and their working dog. Meanwhile, the US military and its partner forces continue to hunt down ISIS fighters in Iraq and Syria. Local Syrian forces killed the Islamic State's leader, Abu al-Hassan al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, during an October raid.

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