Middle East

Saudi Arabia’s state oil company acknowledged that some of its data is being held for ransom online. Aramco said it likely came from a third-party contractor, denying there’s been any breach of its computer systems. The company confirmed to AP on Wednesday it “recently became aware of the indirect release …

The UK government has spent at least £350-million promoting opposition forces and projects in rebel-held areas in Syria, Declassified has found. Several projects have directly supported what the UK government claims are the “moderate” armed opposition fighting the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. Whitehall’s Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF), …

Lebanon’s presidency says parliamentary consultations will begin next week to choose a new prime minister, a week after Saad al-Hariri gave up on cabinet formation as the cash-strapped Arab country has yet to overcome a persisting political standoff. On Monday, a statement from the office of President Michel Aoun said …

An Israeli software company is revealed to have helped Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) take over the smartphones of high-ranking Lebanese authorities, senior figures of the Hezbollah resistance movement as well as journalists, and spy on their communications. According to the report published by the French daily newspaper …

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday peace talks on the future of ethnically divided Cyprus can take place only between “the two states” on the Mediterranean island. In a speech in the divided Cypriot capital of Nicosia, Erdogan reiterated Turkey’s position in a dispute that is damaging Turkey’s relations …

Restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19 during the Muslim hajj in Saudi Arabia have also reduced the risk of the deadly crowd crushes that have marred the pilgrimage’s stoning of the devil in the past years, worshippers said on Tuesday. Before the pandemic, the annual haj rite typically …

Hundreds of Saudi political opponents, distraught with the recent online publication of pictures of the empty Grand Mosque complex in the holy city of Mecca next to crowded nightclubs in the kingdom, have set fire to photos of the country’s leaders, calling for mass anti-regime protests on the Day of …

The United Arab List, an Arab political party and a part of the ruling coalition regime in Israel, has stressed that the al-Aqsa Mosque is “solely the property of Muslims”, warning of renewed escalation after Israeli settlers stormed the Muslim holy site. “The Al-Aqsa Mosque, in its 144 dunams, is …

Russia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan are set to hold military drills next month near the border with Afghanistan where the Taliban militant group has over the past weeks ramped up attacks against government forces. According to Press TV, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Monday that the joint …

Lebanon’s Presidency said that parliamentary consultations to choose a new prime minister will begin on Monday, July 26. Lebanese politician Saad al-Hariri abandoned his months-long effort to form a new government last week.

An Israeli company’s spyware was used in attempted and successful hacks of more than 50,000 smartphones belonging to journalists, government officials, and human rights activists around 50 countries, according to an investigation by 17 media organizations published on Sunday. One of the organizations, The Washington Post, said the Pegasus spyware …

Saudi officials have replaced the Kiswa (the cloth cover) of the Kaaba to commemorate the Day of Arafat and the start of Eid al-Adha, on Monday. The process of changing the Kiswa occurs annually on the second day of Hajj under the supervision of the President of the Holy Mosque. …

Several prominent Egyptian activists and journalists were released from custody on Sunday following months of detention on charges including joining or aiding a terrorist group and spreading false news, lawyers representing them said. Egyptian authorities have in recent months released detainees ahead of major Muslim holidays. Sunday’s releases come two …

The Iraqi Ministry of Transport announced that its seismic observatories recorded, at exactly 05:34:19 pm this afternoon, local time, a 5.6-magnitude magnitude earthquake in the Bu Shahr region in Iran, which is 250 km away from the Iraqi-Iranian borders. Alghadeer Satellite Channel correspondent in Basra reported that the residents of …

Nine Palestinian inmates have gone on hunger strike in Zionist regime prisons to protest against the Tel Aviv regime’s so-called policy of administrative detention. The Palestinian Commission of Detainees’ and Ex-Detainees’ Affairs said in a statement on Sunday that the nine prisoners have been on hunger strike for the fifth …

A few thousand pilgrims have streamed out of the holy city of Mecca to perform the annual Hajj pilgrimage for the second downsized rituals staged during the coronavirus pandemic. Since Saturday, groups of pilgrims have been performing the “tawaf,” the circumambulation of the Ka’ba, a large cubic structure towards which …

Speakers at an international conference on the human rights implications of arms trade have argued that Western nations and arms companies are complicit in aiding repressive Arab regimes in West Asia region to spy on their citizens. Participants at ‘Selling Death: Why the International Arms Trade Must be Controlled’ conference …

A Bahraini opposition protest movement has underlined the need for “a real political leap” and a new constitution drafted by the will of the people to put an end to dictatorship in the Persian Gulf country. According to Press TV, in a statement released on Saturday, the February 14 Youth Coalition, taking …

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan heads to Northern Cyprus to mark the anniversary of Turkey’s 1974 invasion, a visit that is bound to draw the ire of Greek Cypriots. Erdogan will embark on the two-day trip to the Turkish Cypriot-controlled northern territories on Monday. He is scheduled to meet with …

Hundreds of Palestinians struggle to see a future as Israel demolishes homes and businesses in occupied territories. Occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem – Hundreds of Palestinian families are struggling to put their lives back together after their homes and businesses were demolished by Israeli authorities, either as collective punishment …