Middle East

The Islamic world is marking 31 years since the departure of the revered founder of the Islamic Republic Imam Khomeini, an eternal example of the defeat of the West in imposing its will on freedom-seeking nations. Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Rouhollah Mousavi Khomeini, better known as Imam Khomeini, passed away on …

The Israeli regime plans to demolish 200 Palestinian-owned industrial facilities in the occupied East Jerusalem al-Quds, the Palestinian media says. Palestine’s official Wafa news agency, citing an al-Ahd website for the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the Israeli authorities on Sunday distributed evacuation and demolition notices targeting 200 Palestinian …

Two main figures of Algeria’s “Hirak” protest movement will soon be freed at the president’s initiative, the leader of an opposition party said Tuesday. “President Abdelmadjid Tebboune assured me that he would use his constitutional prerogative to ensure that Karim Tabbou and Samir Benlarbi regain their freedom,” Sosiane Djilali said. …

Dubai will allow the full reopening of malls and private businesses starting on Wednesday, its media office said, after the gleaming United Arab Emirates business hub began easing restrictions last month. Some retail and wholesale businesses reopened in May, subject to sterilisation operations and social distancing, along with cinemas, gyms, …

New York City mayor Bill de Blasio has told reporters that he is proud of his daughter, Chiara de Blasio, for getting arrested at a George Floyd protest over the weekend. Ms de Blasio was arrested on Saturday, at a protest at East 12th Street in Manhattan, for “unlawful assembly,” …

The worst of the coronavirus pandemic has passed but declaring victory against the disease would be premature, Lebanon’s health minister said Monday, as the country gradually opened up. “I think the worst-case scenario has passed and is behind us, but at the same time we need to stay alert and …

Last week, the Lebanese Defence Ministry claimed that at least 20 Israeli fighter jets and drones had entered Lebanon’s airspace over the past seven days. Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported on Monday that an Israeli Air Force unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) had made a reconnaissance flight over mountainous regions …

The bones of a woman of Central Asian descent found at the bottom of a deep well after a violent death in an ancient city in Turkey are helping scientists understand population movements during a crucial juncture in human history. Researchers have dubbed her the “lady in the well” and …

The fourth tanker of a five-vessel Iranian flotilla carrying much-needed gasoline to Venezuela has entered Venezuelan waters, approaching its fuel-starved final destination. The tanker, Faxon, will be escorted by the Venezuelan armed forces en route to its destination, as in the case of its three predecessors. The data released by …

Resumption of prayers at Islam’s third-holiest site caps a sombre period for Jerusalem’s Muslims, who this year marked the holy fasting month of Ramadan and Eid al Fitr holiday without the usual daily visits to Al Aqsa due to Covid-19 restrictions. Jerusalem’s Al Aqsa mosque compound reopened to Muslim worshippers …

Yemen health minister said the government had been transparent about the number of confirmed cases and those who have recovered. The Minister of Health for Yemen’s Houthi Rebels on Saturday denied that authorities have failed to report the actual number of coronavirus cases. Dr. Taha al Mutwakil said the government …

An unarmed Palestinian man has been shot and killed by police at one of the entrances to Jerusalem’s Old City on Saturday. Israeli police said officers believed the man had a gun and opened fire on him when he refused to stop for them. Relatives named the deceased as 32-year-old …

Masked looters have been caught on tape stealing as much jewelry as they can carry from a Los Angeles store, as protests sparked by the killing of unarmed black man George Floyd grip the Californian city. Eyewitness footage captured people breaking into the shop after its security shutters were bludgeoned …

Iran has roundly condemned the United States’ latest decision to end the sanctions waivers in a landmark nuclear deal signed between the Islamic Republic and world powers in 2015, vowing to take “necessary practical and legal” steps to counter the negative impacts of the move. Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas …

Five Palestinians, including a photojournalist working with Anadolu Agency, were injured after Israeli forces dispersed two rallies rejecting settlements building in the occupied West Bank. “Israeli forces dispersed a weekly anti-settlement rally,” Murad Shtewi, coordinator of the “Popular Resistance” committee in the town of Kafr Qaddum, north of the West …

Turkey on Friday resumed some mass prayers at a limited number of mosques after a break of more than two months, as Ankara continued to ease restrictions imposed to curb the coronavirus outbreak. Turkey had suspended prayers, limited travel, and closed shops and restaurants. However, the government has started to …

A U.S. decision to terminate sanctions waivers that have allowed foreign companies to do some work at Iranian nuclear sites will not affect Iran’s nuclear programme, Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation (AEOI) said on Thursday. The United States said on Wednesday it will terminate the waivers, which had allowed Russian, Chinese …

Health workers are resigning and the country’s national health system shows signs that it is buckling under pressure from the global pandemic. Egypt’s top medical union has warned authorities in a Facebook post, that the country’s health system is at risk of “complete collapse” due to negligence by the health …

The third of the five Iranian oil tankers carrying fuel for Venezuela has sailed into the Latin American country’s territorial waters. Venezuela’s Telesur television network said the Iran-flagged tanker, Petunia, crossed the Caribbean Sea earlier on Tuesday and reached the country’s exclusive economic zone after being escorted by the Venezuelan …

The Western military coalition, purported to fight the Daesh terrorist group, has reportedly deployed three Patriot missile batteries at a US base in Syria’s eastern province of Dayr al-Zawr. The Arabic-language al-Alam television news network, citing local sources, reported on Wednesday that the batteries were deployed to the base set …