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☆ Biden’s Gulf allies want an ‘ironclad’ security pact with the US. Here’s what it might look like
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

“They (the Americans) don’t want to see Saudi Arabia shifting their armament from America to another place,” Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) told Fox News’ Bret Baier in an interview last month. Gulf states have over the past few years faced attacks they have blamed on Iran and its proxies, and have found the US’ response to them inadequate. Among the Gulf states, Bahrain, which hosts the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, was the first to be declared a MNNA in 2002. It is however unclear if the US would commit to a treaty that would require it to come to the Gulf states’ defense in case of attack. The president can offer some concessions without Senate ratification, he said, but that won’t meet Gulf states’ requirements.

Persons: Biden, don’t, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Bret Baier, Anwar Gargash, ”, ” Ali Shihabi, Saudi Arabia’s, Israel –, Joe Biden, Jean, Loup, David Des Roches, ” Des Roches, Washington’s, Gargash, Des Roches, Samaan, “ Organizations: UAE CNN, United, United States ’, United Arab Emirates, Fox News, US, Hoover Institution, Stanford University, Saudi, Washington, MBS, Gulf, NATO Allies, NATO, Fifth, US Central Command, Middle East Institute of, National University of Singapore, “, Autonomy, East South Asia Center for Security Studies, Pentagon, Senate, ”, CNN Locations: Abu Dhabi, UAE, United States, Washington, East, Saudi Arabia, America, Saudi, New York, Iran, U.S, Israel, Japan, South Korea, Tokyo, Seoul, Bahrain, Qatar, China, Russia, Gulf

☆ Syria’s drug problem casts shadow over Assad’s rehabilitation
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Jordan was one of the biggest proponents of its rehabilitation, being one of the main victims of Syria’s drug trade, but it feels now that the regime is either unwilling or unable to clamp down on the trade. He blamed the lack of progress on normalization with Arab nations on the incompetence of Arab politics. Gulf states and Jordan routinely report drug busts, with massive amounts of the drug found in everything from building panels to baklava shipments. Assad may not have found a powerful enough incentive to give up his lucrative drug trade. Arab states may now find themselves backed into a corner.

Persons: Bashar al, Assad, Ayman al, Assad’s, Jordan, “ Jordan, “ Bashar, al, Jordan …, disgruntlement, Hossam Zaki, “, ” Zaki, Emile Hokayem, it’s, ” Hokayem, isn’t, ”, he’d, ” Hellyer, Safadi Organizations: CNN, Jordanian, Arab League, Al, Awsat, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Sky News, Hellyer, Carnegie Endowment, International, United Arab Locations: Syrian, Syria, Jordan, Captagon, Saudi, Damascus, London, United Arab Emirates

☆ Dubai to start robotaxi trials next month in major autonomous push
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Aimee Look | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Dubai hopes to become the first Middle Eastern city to introduce driverless taxis, Bahrozyan said. Autonomous taxis currently operate in several cities around the world, mostly in the US and China. Bahroyzyan said he foresees autonomous vehicles eventually making up the majority of the Middle East tourist hub’s taxi fleet. Selling and buying autonomous cars was also regulated. WeRide, a Chinese autonomous car technology company began trialing robotaxis in the UAE’s capital, Abu Dhabi, in 2022.

Persons: Ahmed Bahrozyan, Bahrozyan, ” Bahrozyan, “, Cruise, Bahroyzyan, GM’s Cruise, trialing, WeRide Organizations: UAE CNN —, General Motors, United Arab Emirates, Transport Authority, Cruise, CNN, RTA, ”, WeRide, Saudi Artificial Intelligence Company, Authority Locations: Abu Dhabi, UAE, UAE CNN — Dubai, robotaxis, Jumeirah, Dubai’s Roads, Dubai, Eastern, China, San Francisco, Dubai …, California, ” Dubai, robobuses, WeRide, Mecca

☆ Israel’s Supreme Court to decide on law that could determine Netanyahu’s fate
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Hadas Gold | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Jerusalem CNN —Israel’s Supreme Court is having a busy month hearing challenges to actions by the government of Benjamin Netanyahu. On Thursday, arguments will be heard again, this time in front of 11 of the 15 Supreme Court justices. Normally the attorney general would put forward the government’s case in a Supreme Court hearing, but AG Gali Bahrav-Miara will not. The Supreme Court could also declare that the law “is not active right now,” and would only be active once the next parliament takes over. Additionally, the Supreme Court is due to hear a challenge to the justice minister delaying convening the committee to select new Supreme Court justices.

Persons: Jerusalem CNN —, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, ”, Yariv Levin, Amir Fuchs, ” Fuchs, Fuchs, “, Levin, couldn’t, I’d, – Organizations: Jerusalem CNN, Jerusalem CNN — Israel’s, Justice, Israel Democracy Institute’s Center, Democratic, CNN, Gali Locations: Jerusalem, Israel

☆ Iran’s president defends uranium enrichment after Europeans ‘trampled on their commitments’
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

They (European states) trampled upon their commitments,” Raisi told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly this week. Nuclear power, which Iran says is the purpose of its nuclear program, requires uranium to be enriched to 3% to 5%. There is also concern that if Iran’s nuclear program is not kept in check, it could lead to further nuclear proliferation in the Middle East. The agreement capped Iranian uranium enrichment at 3.67% in exchange for sanctions relief. “Now, you see that the Iranians and the Americans have reached an understanding that has toned down Iran’s nuclear program, in which Europe played no role,” Vaez said.

Persons: Ebrahim Raisi, ” Raisi, CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Donald Trump, Ali Vaez, ” Vaez, Iran hasn’t, “, ” Organizations: CNN, “, UN, Assembly, International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, Reuters, Saudi Arabia’s Crown, European Union, US, Group, Tehran, ”, Iran’s, Agency, Crisis Locations: New York, Islamic Republic of Iran, Iran, Natanz, Tehran, Israel, East, United States, Washington, …, “, Islamic Republic, ” Tehran, France, Germany, United Kingdom, Europe, Qatar

She refers to the overhaul as a “judicial coup,” saying it risks facilitating the “de facto annexation of the West Bank without any critique or any review” from the Supreme Court. The cabinet includes a number of West Bank settlers in powerful positions, and the agreement that brought together the government calls for extending Israel’s sovereignty in the West Bank, effectively a call for annexation. Under Netanyahu’s far-right government, Israel has approved a record number of housing units in West Bank settlements, Peace Now said in a July report. “Did the Supreme Court protect Palestinian rights in the West Bank? More recently in 2017, Israeli security forces bulldozed nine homes built on private Palestinian land in the West Bank settlement of Ofra.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu’s, West Bank haven’t, Sawsan, Netanyahu, Netanyahu’s, Israel, Israel doesn’t, ” Zaher, Eliav, ” Lieblich, Zaher, Ahmed Tibi, Bezalel Smotrich, Itamar Ben Gvir, Tibi, ” Tibi, ” Gershon Baskin, Bond, ” Baskin, “ Organizations: CNN, West Bank, Legal Center, Arab, Rights, United Nations, Israel Democracy Institute, Tel Aviv University, Palestinian Authority, Supreme Court, Court of Justice, Israel’s, Israeli, Court Locations: Palestinian, Israel, West Bank, East Jerusalem, Jerusalem, West, The Hague, Dura, Qara, Ofra

☆ London fashion designer apologizes after Saudi-flag miniskirt controversy
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Aimee Look | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Dubai, UAE CNN —London-based Nigerian fashion designer Mowalola Ogunlesi has apologized after stirring a backlash online for showcasing a miniskirt with a print of the Saudi Arabian flag in her Spring 2024 collection at London Fashion Week on Friday. The Mowalola collection contained various flags as miniskirts, including those of China, the UK and Japan. The Saudi flag is not typically printed on clothing out of respect for the holy inscription. The Saudi flag is never flown at half-staff at times of national mourning anywhere in the world. Users on X criticized the design in posts and comments, calling it “disrespectful” and “offensive.”This miniskirt isn’t the first time Mowalola has used religious symbols in designs.

Persons: Mowalola Ogunlesi, Mohammed, ”, FarFetch, Ogunlesi, “, I’ve, ” Ogunlesi, Mowalola Organizations: UAE CNN —, London, Saudi, Saudi Ministry, Commerce Locations: Dubai, UAE, UAE CNN — London, Saudi Arabian, China, Japan, Saudi, Saudi Arabia

☆ The US-Iran prisoner deal is a diplomatic breakthrough, but the bad blood persists
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The carefully choreographed agreement was years in the making and is being seen as a major diplomatic breakthrough for the two foes. The Biden administration is unlikely to engage in “meaningful revival” of the 2015 nuclear deal, said Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa program at the Chatham House think tank in London. Production is the highest it’s been since 2018, when Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal and reimposed sanctions on Iran. The Islamic Republic’s oil exports have also increased, averaging 1.9 million bpd in August, Reuters reported, citing shipping firm TankerTrackers.com. “Those claiming that Biden is ignoring Iran’s exports are assuming that Biden can just shut down Iran’s exports through sanctions,” he said.

Persons: “, ”, Biden, Trump, Sanam Vakil, Ali Vaez, That’s, Ali Ahmadi, there’s, Rafael Mariano Grossi, Nasser Kanaani, Ebrahim Raisi, Raisi, ” Raisi, Trita Organizations: CNN, Five, Biden, Chatham House, Group, International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, Petroleum, Trump, Reuters, US Energy, Geneva Centre, Security, Islamic, Sunday, US Republican Party, US Treasury Department, NBC, Quincy Institute Locations: Iran, Qatar, United States, Washington, Tehran, East, North Africa, London, China, Islamic Republic, Russia, Ukraine, Washington ,

☆ One year since Mahsa Amini’s death, a protester shot in the eye during Iran’s crackdown continues her struggle from exile
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-16 | by ( Adam Pourahmadi Sarah El Sirgany Jomana Karadsheh | Adam Pourahmadi | Sarah El Sirgany | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Milan, Italy CNN —Elahe Tavakolian’s shooter was so close, she could see him pointing his gun at her. Flares of dissent were slowly lighting up cities and small towns like Esfarayen in the northeast of the country, where Tavakolian was shot. Help!’” she tells CNN in an interview in Milan, Italy, where she has sought asylum. Tavakolian felt like her fight wasn’t over. Now fitted with a prosthetic eye in Italy, Tavakolian is coming to terms with her new reality.

Persons: Italy CNN — Elahe, ”, “, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Tavakolian, ” Tavakolian, can’t, ‘, didn’t, ’, I’m, Mahsa, IranWire, ophthalmologists, Mark Esplin, Roberta Rei, she’s Organizations: Italy CNN, Iran’s, CNN, Taxi, Amnesty, UN, Rights, News Agency, Human Rights, San Locations: Milan, Italy, Iran

☆ ‘We knew ahead of time’: A decade of turmoil left Libya unprepared for natural disasters
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Split between two rival administrations since 2014 and having failed to hold presidential elections, Libya faces an uphill battle when it comes to severe natural disasters. Planet Labs PBC/AP Planet Labs PBC/AP Satellite images show Derna, Libya on September 2, before the flooding, left, and after the dams collapsed, right. Responding to criticism regarding lack of preparedness by the LNA, Al-Mismari said that in such situations, 50% of the responsibility falls on authorities (LNA) and 50% falls on citizens. Turkey, which backs the Tripoli government, also said it is mobilizing personnel and supplies to assist authorities in eastern Libya. Tamer Ramadan, head of international Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in Libya, told CNN Tuesday that the issue of rival governments in Libya does not affect their operation.

Persons: Storm Daniel, Khalifa Haftar –, ”, Anas El Gomati, Moammar Gadhafi, Abdulhamid Dbeibeh, Haftar, Jalel Harchaoui, ‘, ’, Harchaoui, Gomati, Osama Hamad, Osama Aly, ” Aly, “, Al Hurra, Jamal Alkomaty, ” Harchaoui, Ahmed al, Mismari, Al, ” Gomati, there’s, Ramadan, ” Ramadan Organizations: CNN, Planet Labs PBC, AP Planet Labs PBC, AP, ISIS, Libya –, Sadeq Institute, NATO, Libyan National Army, Royal United Services Institute, Emergency, Ambulance Service, Twitter, Analysts, United Nations, United, United Arab Emirates, Civil Protection Department, Federation of Red, Red Crescent Societies Locations: Libya, Split, Libyan, Derna, Greece, Morocco, “, Tripoli, Benghazi, “ Libya, London, Cyrenaica, tatters, Derna’s, Al, Italy, Egypt, Russia, United Arab, Algeria, Turkey

☆ New US-backed India-Middle East trade route to challenge China’s ambitions
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

It is comprised of two separate routes – an east corridor linking India to the Gulf Arab states and a northern corridor connecting the Gulf states to Europe. “I don’t think we would be here without you.”Goods and services would transit through the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Israel and Europe. “The heart of the matter is that it is an alternative (to China’s BRI),” she said. Baharoon added that the project, if perceived as a “replacement” or “competitor” to China’s BRI, would fail to realize its potential. Despite pressure to choose sides, Gulf states have insisted that they maintain a balanced position that involves political and economic cooperation across the board, something that analysts say makes Gulf states strategically vital.

Persons: Joe Biden, ” Biden, Mohammed Bin Zayed, Narendra Modi, MBZ, Biden, ”, “, Xi Jinping, Cinzia Bianco, Bianco, China’s BRI, Beijing’s, China’s, Giorgia Meloni, Rome, Italy’s, Meloni, ‘, ” Mohammed Baharoon, Baharoon, Abu, ” Bianco Organizations: UAE CNN —, United Arab, Initiative, Group, European Union, UAE, Indian, US, European Council, Foreign Relations, Dubai Public Policy Research Center, CNN Locations: Abu Dhabi, UAE, India, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, East, Europe, Beijing, China, France, Italy, Germany, Gulf, Jordan, Israel, Salt Lake City , Utah, Vietnam, Berlin, Middle, Dubai, Brazil, Russia, South Africa, BRICS

☆ Israel’s Arab citizens demand justice after alarming rise in gang-related murders
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Hadas Gold | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Standing at a protest march in Haifa against the rising crime wave affecting Arab communities in Israel last week, Abu Salah cries out “Enough! Filling a ‘vacuum’The rise in violence is fueled by organized crime, Israeli officials say. Nobody else is doing this job except the criminal organizations,” Abu Rass says. “In the Arab sector, criminal organizations are active that have armed militias with thousands of soldiers and many weapons,” Ben Gvir said last month. On Thursday the committee announced proposals including giving police additional technology and administrative tools, and increasing financial penalties against criminal organizations.

Persons: Israel CNN — Sajida Abu Salah, Abu Salah, Abu Salah’s, Ali, –, “, ”, Sajida Abu Salah, Matthias Somm, Thabet Abu Rass, Abraham, ” Abu Rass, Abu Rass, ’, Johara, Kareem Khadder, ” Khnifes, Ahmad Tibi, Itamar Ben Gvir, Netanyahu, ” Tibi, Ben Gvir, ” Ben Gvir, Benjamin Netanyahu, Shin Bet, Shin, ” Netanyahu Organizations: Israel CNN, CNN, Abraham Initiatives, Abraham, US State Department, National, National Security, Israel Police, Shin, ’ Locations: Haifa, Israel, Arab, United States, Tira, Ronen, “

☆ Gary Wright, Who Had a ’70s Hit With ‘Dream Weaver,’ Dies at 80
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Alex Williams | More About Alex Williams | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Gary Malcolm Wright was born on April 26, 1943, in Cresskill, in northeast New Jersey, the middle of three children of Lou Wright, a structural engineer, and Anne (Belvedere) Wright. His mother helped instill in him an interest in music and acting, driving him to piano lessons and eventually to auditions. “I originally came into the play as an understudy to the main role, and then I picked up the main child role,” Mr. Wright said in a 2014 interview with Smashing Interviews magazine. While attending Tenafly High School, he played in various rock groups, including a duo called Gary and Billy with his school friend Bill Markle. Their single “Working After School” was played on the TV show “American Bandstand.”After high school, Mr. Wright attended William & Mary in Virginia for a year before transferring to New York University, where he switched his focus to medicine.

Persons: Gary Malcolm Wright, Lou Wright, Wright, Fanny, ”, Florence Henderson, “, ” Mr, Gary, Billy, Bill Markle, William, William & Mary, Chris Blackwell, . Blackwell Organizations: Rangers, Little League baseball, Tenafly High School, William &, New York University, Island Records Locations: Cresskill, New Jersey, Anne, Belvedere, Virginia, Berlin, Europe, Oslo, England

Stills pulled from the Aleppo security camera footage were shared with CNN exclusively by the Commission for International Justice and Accountability (CIJA). Another still image pulled from the Aleppo security camera footage, provided to CNN by CIJA, shows men in a stairwell. Photo of Arkel, in the Netherlands, where Ayham al S. was arrested on January 17, 2023. So people are not always so willing to talk to the judicial authorities.”By all accounts, Ayham al S. led a quiet life in Arkel. ‘Not a safe haven for war criminals’The legal principle that allows the Dutch government to pursue Ayham al S. is known as universal jurisdiction.

Persons: ”, Chris Engels, “ We’re, ” CIJA, Stills, Didier Francois, CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, “, ” Francois, Francois, Engels, CIJA, –, “ It’s, ” Engels, ” Mirjam Blom, Mick Krever, Ayham, Nicole van den, ” Blom, Ayham al, Blom Organizations: CNN, ISIS, Commission, International Justice, Islamic, CIJA, Global Coalition, European Union, Netherlands Public Prosecution Service, Syrian Center for Media, ICC, Criminal, Counterterrorism, Security Locations: Syrian, Aleppo, Aleppo’s Qadi, Europe, French, Syria, Iraq, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, France, Arkel, Damascus, Qaeda, Rotterdam, Netherlands

☆ One of the world’s oldest synagogues reopens in Egypt
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( Aimee Look | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Egypt has reopened one of the world’s oldest synagogues and home to the most significant single trove of Jewish manuscripts. A copy of the "Torah scrolls" at the newly restored Ben Ezra Synagogue, Egypt's oldest Jewish temple, after decade-long restoration, in old Cairo, Egypt. It awarded Drops of Milk a grant in 2017 to fund their restoration efforts of the remaining synagogues in Egypt, including Ben Ezra, Bertini said. The Ark and "Menorah" at the newly restored Ben Ezra Synagogue, in old Cairo, Egypt. The "Bimah," also known in Arabic as al-minbar, is pictured at the newly restored Ben Ezra Synagogue, in old Cairo, Egypt.

Persons: Ben Ezra, Mostafa Madbouly, Abraham ibn Ezra, Moses Maimonides, Maimonides, Moses, Amr Abdallah Dalsh, Egypt’s MOTA, Louise Bertini, ARCE, Bertini, “ There’s, Abel Fattah al, Sisi, Khaled Fahmy Organizations: CNN, Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, Cambridge University Library, Milk Association, American Research Centre, UNESCO, Heritage Locations: Egypt, Egypt's, Cairo

In remarks ahead of their talks, Putin told Erdogan that Russia is “open to negotiations” on the grain deal. Shifting power balanceErdogan and Putin last met face-to-face in October on the sidelines of an Asia summit in the Kazakh capital Astana. Ahead of his re-election, Erdogan hailed his “special” relationship with Putin as Western states pressured Ankara to join sanctions against Moscow. “(Erdogan) has not really gotten in the direction of trying to please Putin,” Ulgen told CNN. The reconfigured power balance between the two leaders could yet yield positive results with the efforts to revive the Black Sea grain deal, experts say.

Persons: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Erdogan, Monday’s, ” Putin, ”, Sinan Ulgen, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, “, ” Erdogan, CNN’s Becky Anderson, Asli Aydintasbas, ” Aydintasbas, ” Ulgen, Volodymyr Zelensky, Ulgen, Turkey’s, “ Putin, ” “ Erdogan Organizations: CNN, TASS, Astana, Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO, Brookings Institution, “ Locations: Russia’s, Sochi, Moscow, Black, Russia, Turkey, Qatar, Russian, Turkish, Asia, Kazakh, Ukraine, Ankara, Istanbul, Washington , DC, United States, ”, Finland, Sweden, East

☆ ‘It brought back memories of Syria.’ For refugees in Sudan, war is a reminder of the terror they left behind
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Sana Noor Haq Nadeen Ebrahim Celine Alkhaldi | Sana Noor Haq | Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

It brought back memories of Syria,” Abad reflected. After settling in Khartoum, Shadi fled to Port Sudan in April when the conflict started – almost exactly six years after he first stepped foot in Sudan in search of stability. We have not received any confirmed report of casualties among Syrian refugees due to the conflict,” the spokesperson said in a statement. The agency has received reports of many Syrian refugees who self-relocated to safe areas, including over 2,000 in Port Sudan, the spokesperson added. But when I sit still, I start getting thoughts about (the war) in Khartoum and Syria,” Shadi, who works as a barista in Port Sudan, said.

Persons: CNN — Abad, ”, Abad, Bashar al, Assad, ” Abad, ‘, George Ourfalian, “, Uzair, ’, Stringer, they’re, Shadi, SANA, it’s, ” Shadi Organizations: CNN, UNHCR, Sudanese, Eritrean, Rapid Support Forces, Getty, “, ”, United, United Arab Emirates, Crescent, International Committee, UN, Port Sudan, Saudi Locations: Aleppo, Syria, Sudan, Sukkari, AFP, UNHCR, Khartoum, Port Sudan, Damascus, United Arab, UAE, Russia, Homs, Port, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Algeria, Egypt

☆ Rare protests flare in regime-held Syria as Assad seeks international rehabilitation
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The protests, which are taking place in areas governed by President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, have so far shown no signs of abating. The Druze are Syria’s third largest religious minority making up 3% to 4% of the country’s population, according to Minority Rights Group International. While the largest protests are clustered around al-Sir Square in Suwayda city, other, smaller ones are scattered across the governorate, Marouf said. “If protests spread deeper into regime territories, those chances (of violent crackdown) will surge.”All eyes are on Assad’s next moves. If Assad attends, it would be his first appearance on the world stage since the start of the civil war in 2011.

Persons: Bashar al, disgruntlement, Assad, haven’t, ”, Charles Lister, ” Lister, “ Long, ” Rayan Marouf, Marouf, “, ” Marouf, Hafez, Syria’s, Geir Pedersen, Pedersen Organizations: CNN, Group, Middle East Institute, UN, Arab League, Sir, UN Security Council, Sky News, ISIS, Security, United, United Arab Emirates Locations: Syria’s, Syria, Washington , DC, Russia, Iran, Suwayda governorate, Suwayda, Jaramana, Damascus, “, Idlib, Aleppo, United Arab, Dubai

☆ Women and doctors challenge taboos on dangers of HPV in Egypt
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The woman spoke to CNN on condition of anonymity, fearing ostracization from her community where the subject of sexually transmitted infections remains taboo. Cervical cancer is the fourth most common type of cancer among women globally, says WHO, and in 2020 it killed some 342,000 women globally. The ministry has also advised women to take the HPV vaccine. The HPV vaccine costs between 800 EGP ($25.9) to 1,000 EGP ($32) per dose. Other Middle Eastern countries have added the HPV vaccine to their national immunization programs, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Libya.

Persons: CNN —, ”, ostracization, Lobna Darwish, Egypt’s, they’ve, “, Ola Arafa, Rafik Barakat, Arafa, ” Arafa, Barakat, ” Darwish, Nisreen Salah Omar Organizations: CNN, World Health Organization, WHO, World Bank, Egyptian, Personal Rights, Manchester, University of Mansoura, United Arab, Representatives, Mansoura University Locations: Egypt, Cairo, Mansoura, ”, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Libya

☆ Iran rounds up activists and relatives of killed protesters ahead of Mahsa Amini anniversary
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Mostafa Salem | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Iran is moving to head off a possible repeat of unrest ahead of the first anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini, arresting women’s rights activists and family members of people killed during last year’s nationwide protests, local and international human rights groups said Wednesday. More than 300 people were killed in the protests, including more than 40 children, the UN said in November last year. US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) in January placed the number at more than 500, including 70 children. Iran executed seven protesters for their involvement in the unrest, according to the UN’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Meanwhile, Bidarzani, an independent women’s rights group, alleges in social media posts that 11 women’s rights activists and one man were arrested in Gilan province over the last week.

Persons: Mahsa Amini, ”, Shermin Habibi, Fereydoon, Mahsa, Tara Sepehri Far Organizations: CNN, UN, Rights, News Agency, Human Rights Committee, UN’s, Human Rights, Iranian Foreign Ministry, Amnesty, Prosecutors Locations: Iran, HRANA, Gilan province, Tehran, Gilan

CNN —Saudi border guards killed “hundreds” of Ethiopian migrants and asylum seekers crossing the Yemen-Saudi border between March 2022 and June 2023, Human Rights Watch alleged in a report released Monday. Several videos purportedly recorded near an informal migrant camp appear to show Saudi border guard posts, and newly constructed fences next to one. “Saudi border guards have used explosive weapons indiscriminately and shot people at close range, including women and children, in a pattern that is widespread and systematic. But despite a reduction in abuses, human rights groups say violence has continued, and some migrants HRW interviewed said they had fled because of the recent conflict. Interviewees described being attacked by Saudi border guards, describing their uniforms and describing the explosive weapons being “like a bomb.”“We were fired on repeatedly.

Persons: HRW, ” HRW, ” Organizations: CNN, Human Rights Watch, HRW, Maxar Technologies CNN, Saudi, Human Rights, Reuters, United Nations Locations: Saudi, Yemen, Al Raqw, Horn of Africa, Aden, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia’s, Tigray, Amhara, Oromia, Djibouti, Houthi, Saada, United States, Iran

☆ Before hundreds of protesters were killed, Egypt debated less lethal options, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Cnn Staff | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Official accounts put the death toll at around 600 people, including several members of the security forces. Protesters accused the state of carrying out a mass slaughter; authorities claimed heavily armed demonstrators had attacked police. According to EIPR’s report, investigators at the time also said that the “Egyptian administration was also wrong in its policy of dispersing the gathering.”CNN has reached out to the interior ministry for comment about the EIPR report. Police “incrementally used alarms and tear gas, and did not resort to live ammunition until after several of its (security forces) members were killed and injured,” the summary said. “This wound and all its victims need to be mended,” the EIPR report said, quoting the recommendations.

Persons: Rabaa, Mohamed Morsy, Abdel Fattah el, Morsy, EIPR, Hossam Bahgat, ” Bahgat, EIPR’s, Medhat, Minshawi, ” Al, Egypt’s, ”, Fouad Abdel, Moneim Riad, “, ” EIPR’s Bahgat, Bahgat Organizations: CNN, Adawya, Protesters, Egyptian, Personal Rights, Interior, Central Security Forces, Police, Rights Watch, UN Locations: Cairo, Egypt, ”

Editor’s Note: A version of this story appears in CNN’s Meanwhile in the Middle East newsletter, a three-times-a-week look inside the region’s biggest stories. The drill is the latest in a flurry of Chinese activity in the Middle East, traditionally seen as the US’ backyard. According to the Wall Street Journal, the US wants Saudi Arabia to distance itself economically and militarily from Beijing in return. Four of the top 10 importers of US arms are Gulf Arab states: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE. Some of these purchases were driven by US restrictions on selling arms to Gulf states under the Biden administration, according to Alhasan.

Persons: ” Hasan Alhasan, “, Barack Obama’s, ”, Mohammed Baharoon, John Calabrese, …, ” Calabrese, CNN’s Becky Anderson, Reema bint Bandar Al Saud, Washington, Biden, Alhasan, China’s, Xi Jinping, ” Yun Sun, ” Alhasan, ” Baharoon Organizations: UAE CNN, United Arab Emirates, American, Washington, UAE, Middle East, International Institute for Strategic Studies, CNN, Asia Experts, East ., US, Dubai Public Policy Research Center, Middle East Institute, Wall Street Journal, China Program, China, Stimson Center Locations: Abu Dhabi, UAE, United States, China, China’s, Xinjiang, Ukraine, Gulf, Asia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Yemen, Washington, Dubai, Russia, Saudi, Riyadh, Israel, Beijing, Europe, Arab, Qatar, Kuwait, Sun, “

☆ Startup nation no more? Investments plunge as Israel pushes on with judicial overhaul
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Elliott Gotkine | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The judicial overhaul and the uncertainty, disruption and risks that come with it, are forcing him to shift Tipalti’s money and talent overseas, he says. The company keeps all its funds outside Israel, apart from three months’ payroll as required by its bank, he says. At the same time, money going into Israel’s 7,000 startups is plunging, says Ari Strasberg, SNC’s Vice President of Strategy. According to SNC, tech startups raised $15.5 billion in 2022, the equivalent to just under 3% of the country’s GDP. Protesters still hope the government will reverse course, or that its judicial overhaul bills will be struck down by the Supreme Court.

Persons: Chen Amit, ” Amit, Amit, Robert Israch, –, He’s, Ari Strasberg, ”, Morgan Stanley, Benjamin Netanyahu, Bezalel Smotrich Organizations: Israel CNN, Kaplan, CNN, Nation Central ”, “ Investments, SNC, Finance Ministry, Technology, Supreme Locations: Tel Aviv, Israel, Foster City , California, Israeli

☆ Sudan: Thousands of bodies' left to decompose in Khartoum as morgues reach 'breaking point'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Celine Alkhaldi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Khartoum’s morgues have reached “breaking point,” international aid group Save The Children said Tuesday. Bodies in the morgues are also decomposing as prolonged power outages have left them without refrigeration, the group said. Most of the hospitals in the capital and other states are out of service, Save the Children added. Residents of Omdurman, north of Khartoum, told CNN that fighting had intensified on Tuesday, saying they heard heavy artillery and bombardment overnight. The fighting has left Khartoum in ruins.

Persons: morgues, Abdallah Attiya, ”, Bashir Kamal Eldin Hamid, Abdel Fattah al, Burhan, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, Omar al, Bashir, RSF, “ Organizations: CNN, Sudanese Armed Forces, SAF, Rapid Support Forces, Humanitarian Affairs, Federal Ministry of Health, UNICEF, UN, Sudanese Doctors Syndicate, Al, Health, Nutrition, Sudanese, International Organization for Migration, Integrated Food Locations: Sudan, Khartoum, Al Arabiya, morgues, Omdurman, ”, United States, Saudi Arabia, Jeddah

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