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☆ After Saudi Arabia, Iran may be patching up with its oldest Arab foe
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The feud became the longest between Iran and an Arab country in modern times. Khamenei’s recent comments come as Saudi Arabia normalizes ties with Iran after nearly eight years of a diplomatic freeze. Apart from Saudi Arabia and Iran, Egypt has reconciled with both Turkey and Qatar, and the Arab League last month welcomed Syria back as a member after more than a decade of isolation. Weight of historical symbolismAs the years passed by, Egypt and Iran only grew apart, with little desire to reconcile from either party. Most Arab states continue to reject recognition of Israel.

Persons: Princess Fawzia, Iran’s Crown Prince Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Fawzia, King Farouk I –, –, Pahlavi, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran “, ”, Sultan Haitham Bin Tariq, Trita Parsi, ” Parsi, “, Abdel Fattah al, Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tariq, Gamal Abdel Nasser, Shah, Anwar Sadat, King Farouk, Sadat, Khaled Islambouli, Hosni Mubarak, chargé d’affaires, Mubarak, Mohamed Mursi, Parsi, “ Israel, Abraham, Israel, won’t Organizations: CNN, Iran’s Crown, Iran’s, Media, Tehran, Carnegie Endowment, International Peace, Arab League, Quincy Institute, Oman News Agency, Reuters Analysts, Cairo Citadel, West, Israel, Abraham Accords Locations: Egypt, Iran, Tehran, Saudi Arabia, United States, ”, London, Cairo, Turkey, Qatar, Syria, West, Washington ,, Al, Rifa’I, Israel, Republic, Ater

☆ Libya political leaders to meet on electoral laws
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

However 61 HoR members and some HSC members have already objected to the way their leaders have been negotiating their agreement, and have said they will oppose its ratification. The HoR was elected as a national parliament in 2014 to a four-year term. The HSC was created as part of a political agreement in 2015 from members of an earlier interim parliament elected in 2012. However, under a 2015 political agreement, the international community requires both bodies to approve any new constitutional rules allowing an election, or a change in government. Many Libyans have voiced scepticism that their political leaders are negotiating in good faith, believing them to be unwilling to bring forward elections that might remove them from their positions of power.

Persons: finalise, Aguila Saleh, Khaled, Mishri, Adoulaye Bathily, HoR, Muammar, Abdulhamid, Dbeibah, Saleh, Angus McDowall, Andrew Heavens Organizations: High State, Morocco, NATO, of National Unity, Meshri, Reuters, Thomson Locations: TRIPOLI, Morocco, Muammar Gaddafi, Libya, Tripoli, Reuters Libya

☆ From joy to dismay, Syrians split over Assad's Arab League return
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DAMASCUS/ATMEH, Syria, May 19 (Reuters) - As some Syrians welcomed President Bashar al-Assad's return to the Arab League on Friday, others expressed dismay that Arab states had welcomed back a leader they blame for death and destruction during 12 years of brutal civil war. he said, speaking at a camp for displaced Syrians in the northwestern town of Atmeh near the Turkish border. In Damascus, university student Wael Hmeideh said he hoped Syria's return to the Arab League would be good for the country. "We hope the return of Syria to the Arab league, or the return of Arabs to Syria, plays a role to solve the crisis and conflict in the country, and end the Syrian war," he said. "Let him release our prisoners and return us to our homes before they think of returning (Assad to the Arab League) and reconcile with him," he said.

☆ The world's biggest publisher is suing a Florida school district for banning books by writers including Toni Morrison and Khaled Hosseini
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Penguin Random House is suing a Florida school district and board after it banned certain books. Penguin Random House has joined forces with an authors' group to sue a Florida school district after it banned a number of books. Books removed or restricted by Escambia include "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison, "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut, and "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini. All have had books removed from libraries or had student access restricted by the district, PEN America said in a press release. "The book removals and restrictions enacted by the School District and School Board are denying students access to books they would like to read, or chilling such access."

☆ Battery swapping could finally make charging faster than filling up with gas — see how it works
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Alexa St. John | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Many drivers say long electric vehicle charge time is a barrier to them adopting the cars. Startup Ample says battery swapping could be faster than filling your car up with gas. Charging an electric car can take a while, depending on the type of charger a driver uses. That's where battery swapping could come into play, and startup Ample is eager to get automakers on board with the idea. It'd essentially mean a driver buys an electric vehicle but subscribes to the battery, Ample CEO Khaled Hassounah told Insider.

☆ Penguin Random House and Florida parents sue school district over book bans
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Jo Yurcaba | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A selection of books including "The Bluest Eye," by Toni Morrison, that have been the subject of complaints from parentsPenguin Random House, authors, parents and an advocacy group filed a lawsuit Wednesday against a Florida school district for removing 10 books related to race and the LGBTQ community after a high school teacher complained. In addition to the publishing house, PEN America, a nonprofit group that advocates for free expression in literature, five authors whose books have been removed from the district, and two parents whose children go to school in the district filed the suit against the Escambia County School District and the Escambia County School Board in Pensacola, Florida. "The clear agenda behind the campaign to remove the books is to categorically remove all discussion of racial discrimination or LGBTQ issues from public school libraries. Neither the district nor the school board immediately returned requests for comment. More than 100 other titles are restricted and require parental approval for access.

☆ Israel-Gaza violence: Islamic Jihad targets Jerusalem for the first time in current conflict as it fires barrage of rockets at Israel
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Elliott Gotkine Ibrahim Dahman Abeer Salman Richard Allen Greene Alex Stambaugh Sana Noor Haq | Elliott Gotkine | Ibrahim Dahman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The al Quds Brigades of Islamic Jihad said in a statement shortly after the rocket fire: “The launching towards Jerusalem is a message, and everyone should understand its purpose. Talks to bring about a ceasefire between Israel and Islamic Jihad in Gaza are “on ice right now,” a diplomatic source familiar with the negotiations told CNN Friday. One command center was used by senior Islamic Jihad operative Muhammad Abu Al Ata for “the planning and command of terrorist activity against Israel,” the IDF said. The Israel Defense Forces said that IDF fighter jets also struck four military posts belonging to Islamic Jihad. ‘Shield and Arrow’The IDF began unleashing waves of airstrikes on Tuesday on what it says are Islamic Jihad operatives and infrastructure along the strip.

☆ Tellurian appoints Barclays' Simon Oxley as CFO
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Companies Tellurian Inc FollowMay 10 (Reuters) - U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) developer Tellurian Inc <TELL.A> said on Wednesday it has appointed Simon Oxley as chief financial officer, effective June 1. Oxley, who worked at Barclays Investment Bank as co-head of Oil & Gas Investment Banking for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, will take over from Khaled Sharafeldin, who had been serving as the interim finance chief after Kian Granmayeh resigned from the CFO position in March. Oxley joins Tellurian after its Driftwood project has seen many setbacks including the cancellation of some LNG supply deals after two major potential customers last year raised concerns around the company's ability to finish the project. Reporting by Arshreet Singh; Editing by Shailesh KuberOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ UAE's ADNOC to offer 15% stake in logistics unit IPO
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DUBAI, May 10 (Reuters) - Abu Dhabi oil giant ADNOC intends to offer 15% of its shares in unit ADNOC Logistics & Services (ADNOC L&S) through an initial public offering (IPO) on the Abu Dhabi stock exchange, the company said on Wednesday. ADNOC will offer about 1.1 million shares in its maritime logistics services unit, which is expected to list on June 1, subject to market conditions, the statement said. Reuters had reported in March that ADNOC was gearing up to list ADNOC L&S in June. This will be the Abu Dhabi oil giant's second IPO this year after it raised $2.5 billion from its gas business in March. It was created in 2016 following a merger between Abu Dhabi National Tanker Co, Petroleum Services Co and Abu Dhabi Petroleum Ports Operating Co.

Once known as Square, Block agreed in March 2021 to pay $306 million for an 87.5% stake in Tidal. The pension fund also said Dorsey, a co-founder of Block and Twitter, was Block's only top executive who supported the purchase, and bought Tidal because he and Jay-Z were friends. But in concluding that Block directors did not breach their fiduciary duties, McCormick said she could not "presume bad faith based on the merits of the deal alone." Jay-Z, the rapper and music mogul whose real name is Shawn Carter, joined San Francisco-based Block's board after the Tidal purchase and remains a director. The Delaware case was a derivative lawsuit that sought to have Block's directors or their insurers pay damages to the company for shareholders' benefit.

☆ Sudan's well-off stuck in limbo at border town en route to Egypt
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Maggie Michael | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

While women, children and the elderly can enter Egypt freely, though often after waiting days in testing conditions at a packed border, Sudanese men aged 16-50 must apply for visas. When she got to Wadi Halfa the bus driver, who had promised to take her to Egypt, dropped her off with her family and demanded more money. He returned to Wadi Halfa to apply for his visa but was told to wait, so he sent his elderly parents to Egypt alone. Half the group continued on to Egypt while the rest settled in a school in Wadi Halfa, sleeping in a classroom with three other families. The school gave him and others a warning that they needed the classrooms back this week for end of year exams.

☆ Syria Readmitted to Arab League, Bringing Assad Back Into the Fold
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Summer Said | Benoit Faucon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Arab League foreign ministers at an emergency meeting in Cairo on Sunday. Photo: khaled desouki/Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesArab leaders agreed to bring Syria back into the Arab League after more than a decade of isolation, complicating American efforts to isolate President Bashar al-Assad and signaling a waning of U.S. influence in the Middle East. In an emergency meeting in Cairo, the group voted to immediately readmit Syria to the group of 22 Arab nations that coordinate on regional matters. While many Arab officials remain disdainful of Mr. Assad, they say international policies isolating Syria have proven to be counterproductive over time, strengthening the influence of Iran, which backs Syria.

☆ Jamie Foxx thanks his followers 'for all the love' as he recovers from 'medical complication'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Alli Rosenbloom | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

The “Ray” actor’s message follows an announcement from FOX network, also shared on Wednesday, that Nick Cannon will be filling in as guest host on “Beat Shazam,” a music-related game show that Foxx hosts with his daughter Corinne. The network also announced that Kelly Osbourne will be filling in as guest DJ on the show. “Everyone at FOX Entertainment wishes Jamie well as he continues his recovery, and we greatly appreciate Nick’s willingness to jump in and help this summer,” the statement read. Foxx had been in Atlanta filming the Netflix movie “Back in Action” with Cameron Diaz when he experienced the medical emergency resulting in his hospitalization. A source previously told CNN that the incident did not happen on set, and indicated that filming was expected to wrap in April.

☆ Egypt launches national dialogue amid ongoing security crackdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Farah Saafan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

CAIRO, May 3 (Reuters) - Egypt launched a national political dialogue on Wednesday that authorities said was meant to generate debate around the country's future, though the chair of the event said several areas of discussion would be off limits. It is one of several steps aimed at countering criticism of Egypt's human rights record. Other measures include a five-year human rights strategy and a presidential amnesty committee that is considering thousands of requests to free some of those jailed under Sisi's rule. The dialogue's chairperson, Diaa Rashwan, said all sessions would be open to the media but discussions around the constitution, foreign policy and "strategic national security" would be off limits. Critics say recent steps on human rights are cosmetic, pointing to continuing detentions and arrests of dissidents, and say they doubt the dialogue signals real change.

ANKARA/BAGHDAD, May 2 (Reuters) - ISIS leader Abu Hussein al-Qurashi's six-month rule ended when he detonated a suicide vest during a Turkish special forces raid in northwest Syria on Saturday after refusing to surrender, a senior Turkish security official said. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday Qurashi "was neutralized" as part of the intelligence forces' operation. Images of the site provided by the security official showed a red-roofed building with most of the walls on its ground floor blown out. An Iraqi intelligence official said: "The only safe haven for the senior Daesh (ISIS) leaders is in Syria, and specifically in areas bordering Turkey." A Turkish security official declined to comment on any Iraqi intelligence involvement in the operation.

☆ Sudanese fleeing north face arduous crossing into Egypt
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Maggie Michael | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/3] A satellite view shows buses as they wait at the Argeen border between Egypt and Sudan, April 28, 2023. Her plight reflects that of thousands of others who have paid high prices to journey north to Egypt on buses and trucks, only to get stuck at crossings for days. He raced to Khartoum to pick up his mother, wife and four children and bring them to the border. 'MERCHANTS OF WAR'As numbers surged and fuel became scarce, prices of buses to Egypt rose to about $500 per person. An Egyptian border guard said staff were working around the clock to deal with the influx.

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.

☆ Surprise resort trips and empty hotel rooms reveal how Russia's plan for an easy victory in Ukraine fell apart
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

While Russian intelligence services ramped up operations, the US intelligence community started declassifying intelligence about Russian plans. In an unprecedented move, the US revealed Russia's intentions and informed Kyiv about the Russian intelligence operations inside Ukraine. Once Russia's military secured the city, its special-operations forces would begin what the report calls "repressive operations." The Kremlin even compiled a target deck full of unwanted people to be "liquidated" once the Russian forces were in control of the country. Preparing the battlefieldA member of the Ukrainian military in front of a destroyed Antonov An-225 at the airport in Hostomel in July 2022.

☆ Airstrikes, artillery fire heard in Khartoum as Sudan fighting enters third week
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

KHARTOUM, April 29 (Reuters) - The sounds of air strikes, anti-aircraft weaponry and artillery could be heard in Khartoum early on Saturday and dark smoke rose over parts of the city, as fighting in Sudan entered a third week. Fighting between the army and a rival paramilitary force continued despite the announcement of a 72-hour ceasefire extension on Friday, when strikes by air, tanks and artillery rocked Khartoum and the adjacent cities of Bahri and Ombdurman. The fighting has also reawakened a two-decade-old conflict in the western Darfur region where scores have died this week. More than 75,000 people were internally displaced within Sudan just in the first week of the fighting, according to the United Nations. The U.S. said several hundred Americans had departed Sudan by land, sea or air.

☆ 'Constant fear': war shakes Sudan despite truce pledges
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Khalid Abdelaziz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The fighting has also reawakened a two-decade-old conflict in the western Darfur region where scores have died this week. "We're in a constant state of fear for ourselves and our children." The army has been deploying jets or drones on RSF forces spread out in neighbourhoods across the capital. Sudan's army accused the RSF of firing at the plane, damaging its fuel system which was being repaired after the aircraft managed to land safely. Some had walked from Khartoum to South Sudan's border, a distance of over 400 km (250 miles), a spokesperson for the U.N. refugee agency said.

☆ At least 78 killed in stampede in Yemen
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Mohammed Tawfeeq | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Dozens of people were killed in a crowd surge in Sanaa, the capital of Yemen, on Wednesday night, the Houthi-run Interior Ministry said in a statement. The director of the Houthi-run Health office in Sanaa, Mutahar al-Marouni, told the Houthi-run Al-Masirah news agency that at least 78 people were killed, and dozens were injured. A view of houses in the old city of Sanaa, Yemen on June 15, 2022. “The dead and injured people were transferred to hospitals, and two merchants in charge of the matter were arrested,” the statement added. During this time of the month, people give alms known as Zakat al-Fitr to the needy.

Stringer/ReutersThe RSF denied those reports, telling CNN in a statement that it “will never assault any UN staff or employees. Meanwhile, tense efforts to establish a ceasefire have ramped up, with the UN calling for rival factions to end their hostilities. Satellite imagery of the smoke plume at Khartoum International Airport on Sunday. The Sudanese Armed Forces later issued conflicting statements on a proposed 24-hour ceasefire, intended to go into effect later on Tuesday. Both sides had previously agreed to a three-hour ceasefire on Sunday, and again on Monday, with fighting resuming afterward, Perthes said.

☆ Saudi to unilaterally release detainees to Yemen following prisoner swap
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Relatives of freed detainees released unilaterally by Saudi Arabia wait for their arrival at Sanaa Airport on an International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) plane after three days of prisoner swaps between two sides in the Yemen conflict, in Sanaa, Yemen, April 17, 2023. The Houthis' deputy foreign minister on Twitter said 104 Yemenis being held in Saudi Arabia would on Monday be released outside of that main prisoner exchange deal. ICRC planes carried the released detainees between six cities in Yemen and Saudi Arabia over the three-day release. Yemen's conflict, which has killed tens of thousands of people and left millions hungry, has widely been seen as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Riyadh and Tehran last month agreed to restore diplomatic ties severed in 2016, raising hopes that Yemen's peace process would see progress.

☆ Can We No Longer Believe Anything We See?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( Tiffany Hsu | Steven Lee Myers | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Authoritarian governments have created seemingly realistic news broadcasters to advance their political goals. Last month, some people fell for images showing Pope Francis donning a puffy Balenciaga jacket and an earthquake devastating the Pacific Northwest, even though neither of those events had occurred. The images had been created using Midjourney, a popular image generator. If any image can be manufactured — and manipulated — how can we believe anything we see? Plug in a text description, and the technology can produce a related image — no special skills required.

☆ Why sympathy for the Palestinians among Americans is shifting and at an all-time high
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Sympathy toward the Palestinians among US adults is at a new high of 31%, according to Gallup data. Social media is changing the way Americans perceive the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. The police used tear gas and fired stun grenades as young Palestinians threw firecrackers back, according to multiple reports. But while the cycles of violence in the long-running conflict between Israelis and Palestinians remain unchanged, the way Americans perceive the conflict is altering. Gallup Poll conducted between conducting the poll between Feb 1-23, 2023.

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