Responding to the trial of Lebanese comedian and activist Shaden Fakih, who will appear on Friday before the Military Court on charges of insulting and harming the reputation of the Internal Security Forces (ISF), Diana Semaan, Amnesty International’s Acting Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa, said: “The case of Shaden Fakih is ..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Lebanon: End military trial against comedian and drop all charges
Iran Dismisses Revolutionary Guards’ Powerful Intelligence Chief
Hossein Taeb, a top official in the force, was transferred to a lower ranking job amid an escalation in Israel’s shadow war with Iran..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Iran Dismisses Revolutionary Guards’ Powerful Intelligence Chief
What you need to know about AFG College with the University of Aberdeen
The University of Aberdeen is over 500 years old. It was founded in 1495 and has a long history of academic and research excellence. Why do you think that going…..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: What you need to know about AFG College with the University of Aberdeen
Another rocket attack targets UAE’s Dana Gas site in Iraq: Sources
A Katyusha rocket targeted employee housing of UAE energy firm Dana Gas in Sulaymaniyah in northern Iraq on Friday, landing in the company’s Khor Mor gas field, two security sources said.Friday’s attack was the second on Dana Gas facilities this week.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.A Katyusha rocket landed inside Khor Mor on Wednesday but caused no damage, Sulaymaniyah’s counter-terrorism service said.Local television broadcasts on Friday showed a column of rising smoke near the field with sirens sounding. It could not be immediately verified by Reuters.There was no immediate word on possible casualties from the attack.No group has claimed responsibility for either attack but armed groups that some Iraqi officials say are backed by Iran have claimed similar attacks in the past.Dana Gas said on Thursday that normal operations continued at Khor Mor, one of the biggest gas fields in Iraq.Read more: Rocket targets UAE’s Dana Gas complex in Iraq, ‘no damage or injuries’
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Another rocket attack targets UAE’s Dana Gas site in Iraq: Sources
Iran arrests 10 after video shows teenage girls without hijabs mingling with boys
Iranian authorities have arrested 10 people in the south-central city of Shiraz, an official said, after teenage boys and girls were filmed mingling freely at a public gathering where girls were not wearing headscarves.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.A video posted on social media on Thursday showed several teenage girls and boys mingling freely in public, with most of the girls not wearing headscarves. A hijab is mandatory for women in Iran and is considered a red line for the country’s theocratic rulers.“Ten people have been arrested so far for organizing this event,” the semi-official Mehr news agency quoted Lotfollah Sheybani, governor of Shiraz, as saying on Thursday.“As soon as we became aware of this issue, with the coordination of the judiciary and law enforcement, the necessary measures were taken to identify the individuals behind this event,” Sheybani said.Since Iran’s 1979 revolution, all women have been required to cover their hair in public. Women who break the strict dress code risk being harassed and arrested by Iran’s morality police, known as Gasht-e Ershad.Read more:‘Improperly veiled’ women should be made to feel unsafe, say Iran supreme leader reps
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Iran arrests 10 after video shows teenage girls without hijabs mingling with boys
UAE rushes 30 tons of aid to Afghanistan after earthquake claims over 1,150 lives
The UAE has sent 30 tons of aid to Afghanistan, the Emirates News Agency WAM reported on Friday, following a deadly earthquake that is estimated to have killed 1,150.The aid reportedly consisted of food supplies and was sent under the directive of the UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to supervise an air bridge for the victims.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The task was undertaken by the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation and the Emirates Red Crescent, in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, WAM reported.Dr. Mohamed Ayoya, a UNICEF representative in Afghanistan, said his agency has deployed medical experts and hygiene supplies to support surviving families in an account to the Associated Press.He said that with a damaged water system and an existing outbreak of diarrhea, cholera is a real concern for those left homeless. Ayoya made those comments as an aftershock took more lives on Friday.Afghanistan's economy had been reliant on international donor support and aid even before the Taliban seized power last August as the US and its NATO allies withdrew their forces, ending a 20-year war.Aid groups still operating in Afghanistan are now scrambling to get medical supplies, food and tents to the remote quake-struck area, but UN agencies are facing a $3 billion funding shortfall this year.Trucks of food and other necessities arrived from Pakistan, and planes full of humanitarian aid also landed from Iran and Qatar.India sent a technical team to the capital, Kabul, to coordinate the delivery of humanitarian assistance. India said its aid would be handed over to a UN agency on the ground and to the Afghan Red Crescent Society.Other countries that have offered aid were at pains to underscore that they would work only through UN agencies, not with the Taliban, which no government has officially recognized.Some have called on the Taliban to first address human rights concerns, chief among them the rights and freedoms of Afghan women and girls.With the Associated PressRead more:Aftershock strikes Afghanistan as earthquake death toll rises to 1,150UN says Taliban interfering with aid, resisting cash planUS ‘saddened’ by Afghan earthquake, looks at aid
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: UAE rushes 30 tons of aid to Afghanistan after earthquake claims over 1,150 lives
Russia trying to stop flow of Western weapons to Ukraine, no evidence of success: US
Russia has tried to stop the supply of military aid to Ukraine, but there is no evidence of “any Russian success in intercepting” weapons assistance, a senior Pentagon official said Friday.“That is unlikely to change,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The official added that the US was strengthening Ukrainian forces to enable them to continue to defend Kyiv as well. In one of the recent presidential drawdowns for US military aid to Ukraine, President Joe Biden said the package would help Ukraine defend itself in the Donbas.But on Friday, the senior US defense official said Washington would help Ukraine defend its sovereign territory, not just the Donbas.As for suggestions that Ukraine has suffered heavy defeats in parts of the country, the official said Ukrainian forces were putting themselves in better positions to defend themselves.And the High Mobility Artillery Rocket systems (HIMARS), Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS), and Howitzers that the US and other NATO allies have transferred will help Ukraine in the coming days and weeks.Biden announced another package of weapons on Thursday, including more HIMARS and tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition. Patrol boats will also be given to the Ukrainians, which the White House said would help Kyiv defend its coastlines.Washington will also continue to ensure that Ukrainians are trained on the use of HIMARS and other Western-supplied weapons.“The Russians are just seeking out an inch-by-inch of territory,” the Pentagon official said.Nevertheless, they have suffered “heavy casualties,” according to the official. “They [Russians] are showing signs of wear and tear, which is impacting their ability to move forward swiftly.”“They are operating within some pretty significant constraints,” the official said.Read more: Biden announces new weapons package worth $1 bln for Ukraine
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Russia trying to stop flow of Western weapons to Ukraine, no evidence of success: US
Iraq parliament swears in new members after Sadrist walkout
The parliament’s move puts Sadr out of parliament and allows pro-Iranian factions to determine the make-up of the next government..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Iraq parliament swears in new members after Sadrist walkout
Amnesty statement on Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade
Today marks a grim milestone in the history of the United States..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Amnesty statement on Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade
Saudi Arabia to invest $3.4 billion in vaccine, biomedical drugs sector
Saudi Arabia’s industry minister said on Friday the country would invest $3.4 billion in the vaccine and biomedical drugs sector, according to a report from the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA).The move is part of the Kingdom’s push towards achieving pharmaceutical security and making Saudi Arabia a more prominent hub for the sector, the report added.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The announcement was made by the Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, Bandar al-Khorayef.The minister said that the program will be laid out in several stages, starting with vaccines and vital medicines, with focus on localizing vaccines, plasma and insulin technology – led by the ‘Vaccines and Biopharmaceuticals Industry Committee.’The committee is in charge of setting a strategy for regulating the vaccines and vital medicines industry, developing programs and plans, and setting rules and national standards ahead of supervising its implementation.It will aim to give Saudi Arabia the local prowess to combat future pandemics, treat diabetes patients by manufacturing insulin, and support plasma collection centers with a ‘world class factory,’ according to the report by SPA.The second phase will focus on localizing immunological and cancer treatments technologies, where the size of the sector is estimated at more than two billion dollars annually, of which insulin represents approximately 340 million dollars, according to the SPA report.These measures are expected to contribute to building the Kingdom's own capabilities and reduce the currently 100 percent import of vaccines and vital pharma products.With ReutersRead more:Saudi Aramco-backed Amogy seeks fast shift to zero emissions with ammonia-based fuelSaudi Arabia’s mega project appoints founding president for first university in NEOMSABIC launches program to develop EV technology
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Saudi Arabia to invest .4 billion in vaccine, biomedical drugs sector