Middle East Experience

“The military’s aggressive economic expansion has gone hand-in-hand with increased political repression,” the statement said, calling for “robust anti-corruption requirements.”..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Rights activists call on IMF to condition Egypt deal on caring for poor

A rare video has appeared of al-Qaeda’s chief praising an Indian Muslim woman who in February defied a ban on hijab wearing, revealing the first proof in years that he is still alive.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Rumors of the death of Ayman al-Zawahri have circulated for more than two years, but in a video released on Tuesday and translated by the SITE Intelligence Group, the reclusive al-Qaeda chief praises Muskan Khan who defied a ban on the wearing of the hijab in schools in India’s southwestern state of Karnataka.She shouted “God Is Great” as Hindu radical students jeered at her over the Muslim headscarf. In March the court in India’s Karnataka state upheld the ban, outraging civil activists and Muslim groups in India and elsewhere.Previous videos of Zawahri could not clearly identify the time in which they were recorded, fueling speculation about his deteriorating health and even his death.There is no clear indication of the location of Zawahri from the video. He is shown in a traditional white head scarf beside a poster praising “the noble woman of India.”However, it raises the specter of al-Qaeda having a presence in Afghanistan, and highlights concerns over the commitment of the ruling Taliban to fight extremist groups and deny them space in Afghanistan.Zawahri took over leadership of al-Qaeda after the 2011 death of Osama bin Laden, killed by US Navy SEALS during a daring nighttime raid deep inside Pakistan where he was hiding.Bin Laden, who masterminded the 9/11 attacks in the US, was found in the Pakistani garrison town of Abbottabad, barely 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the capital Islamabad.Zawahri has been rumored to be Afghanistan’s northwestern Kunar and Badakhshan provinces on the border with Pakistan.The border region between Pakistan and Afghanistan is lined with inhospitable mountain ranges that have served as redoubts for a number of extremist groups in the region.Amir Rana, executive director of the Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies think tank said that Zawahri was also rumored to be in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi, where many of the Taliban leaders long maintained homes during Afghanistan’s 20-year war.“He was even rumored to have died in Karachi,” said Rana, adding that regardless of his location, Zawahri’s video is certain to cause headaches for the ruling Taliban with the international community.Afghanistan’s Taliban were ousted by a US-led coalition in 2001 for harboring bin Laden. They returned in August last year after a chaotic end to the US and NATO 20-year war in Afghanistan.They say they’re adhering to an agreement they signed with the United States in 2020 — before taking power — in which they promised to fight terrorists.Since returning to power they have repeatedly said that Afghanistan would not be used as a launching pad for attacks against other countries.Read more: Saudi interior ministry announces number of executions of ISIS, al-Qaeda membersUS man, 21, pleads guilty after trying to join ISISTunisia says it has dismantled ISIS-linked terrorist cell
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Al-Qaeda leader circulates video, dispels rumor of his death

Saudi Arabia has thwarted attempts to smuggle drugs into the Kingdom and arrested 50 suspects, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Wednesday.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The smuggling attempts took place in the regions of Jazan, Najran, Asir, Makkah al-Mukarramah, and Tabuk.The suspects attempted to smuggle 279,010 amphetamine pills, 330 kilograms of hashish, 39 tons and 934 kilograms of the narcotic plant khat.Of the 50 suspected arrested, 27 were Saudi citizens, 10 were of Ethiopian nationality, six Bangladeshi, four Yemenis, two Somalis and one Indian, SPA reported.The Zakat, Tax, and Customs authority (ZATCA) thwarted a drug smuggling attempt in mid-March which involved 1.6 million Captagon pills, a type of amphetamine-style stimulant fenethylline.The Kingdom’s authorities have been heavily cracking down on narcotics and smuggling attempts.Read more:Saudi Arabia foils attempt to smuggle 1.6 Captagon pillsSaudi Arabia arrests two drug smugglers for hiding 1.27 mln pills in fruit shipmentSaudi Arabia’s authorities thwart attempt to smuggle over 17 tons of khat
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Saudi Arabia arrests 50 for attempting to smuggle hashish, khat, amphetamine pills

The capital of the United Arab Emirates announced Wednesday it would start banning single-use plastic bags from June, the oil-rich country’s latest move to advance its ambitious carbon reduction goals.The statement from Abu Dhabi’s government-run media office did not specify how the upcoming ban would be enforced, whether by fining businesses distributing the ubiquitous thin bags or charging people for their use.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The emirate also said it plans to completely get rid of single use styrofoam cups, plates and food containers by 2024.It follows a similar announcement from the neighboring emirate of Dubai that it would start applying a 25-fil (6 cent) charge to plastic bags in July, also with the aim of phasing the disposable bags out in two years.The UAE, a major oil producer and the host of next year’s United Nations climate summit, has declared it aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.Plastic bags are known as one of the most problematic kinds of garbage, polluting streets and waterways and harming birds and marine creatures.Read more:Philippine designer fashions stylish dresses, gowns out of recycled trashWater solutions firm Droople eyes Series A funding round, UAE entryAI recycling startup COO ‘energized’ to be selected for UAE accelerator
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Abu Dhabi to ban single-use plastic bags from June

Seeking to depict a free Palestine without the restrictions placed by the apartheid state, students at Qatar University's Aelia student club brought the atmosphere of Jerusalem to Doha..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Qatar University students depict a free Palestine through displays of heritage

The United States announced a new batch of sanctions against Russia on Wednesday, targeting Vladimir Putin’s kids and expanding sanctions on the country’s largest bank.“Today, the United States, with the G7 and the European Union, will continue to impose severe and immediate economic costs on the Putin regime for its atrocities in Ukraine, including in Bucha,” according to a statement from the US.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The statement was referring to the recent atrocities documented in the Ukrainian town of Bucha, where photographed corpses were seen in the streets after Russian forces withdrew.Washington has said it would hold accountable those responsible for what’s being referred to as the “Bucha massacre.”Russia has denied responsibility for the Bucha atrocities.“As one part of this effort, the United States is announcing devastating economic measures to ban new investment in Russia and impose the most severe financial sanctions on Sberbank, Russia’s largest bank and several of its most critical state-owned enterprises and on Russian government officials and their family members,” the US said Wednesday.Alfabank was also sanctioned.Other sanctions announced Wednesday targeted the Russian president’s adult children, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s wife and daughter, and members of Russia’s Security Council.“These individuals have enriched themselves at the expense of the Russian people.“As long as Russia continues its brutal assault on Ukraine, we will stand unified with our allies and partners in imposing additional costs on Russia for its actions.”Read more: US to ban ‘all new investment’ in Russia on Wednesday: Source
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: New US sanctions target Russia’s largest bank, Putin’s kids

Although the combatants have reported no major violations since the truce started , they had accused each other of minor “breaches.”..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Yemen truce gives hope as people struggle to survive

Filber testified on Wednesday that Netanyahu ordered him in the summer of 2015 to assist Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan, advance his interests in investing in the Keshet TV channel.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Netanyahu ordered me to advise with Milchin on merger - Filber

A bipartisan group of US lawmakers Wednesday called on the Biden administration to work with Lebanese officials to ensure that the upcoming parliamentary elections next month are held on time, “transparently and free of corruption.”“We write to urge that the Administration continues to call upon and work with Lebanese officials to ensure that parliamentary elections scheduled for May 15, 2022, are carried out on time, transparently and free of corruption,” the statement read.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken was penned by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Gregory Meeks, Congressmen David Cicilline, Darrell Issa, Darin LaHood and 20 other colleagues.Elections are scheduled to be held in Lebanon next month, but there are concerns over the political elite’s willingness to ensure they occur.An unprecedented number of opposition and civil society candidates are hoping to be elected over veteran politicians, who are widely blamed for the country’s economic and financial crashes.“With dueling political and economic crises, the May parliamentary elections are the first opportunity the Lebanese people will have to cast their ballots since protests in the country began in 2019 after years of corruption and mismanagement,” the US lawmakers said in their letter. Washington’s ambassador to Lebanon, Dorothy Shea, previously warned that failing to hold elections on time would result in swift condemnation.The lawmakers urged the Biden administration to speak out against any side or individual that instigates corruption, disruption, postponement or cancelation of the elections.They also called on relevant stakeholders to ensure a successful election monitoring operation and ensure the diaspora votes outside of Lebanon are independently counted.“Continue to support the Lebanese Armed Forces and Internal Security Forces in maintaining security and stability ahead of, and during, elections,” the lawmakers said, adding that it was important to continue supporting “Lebanon’s vibrant civil society in its pursuit of democracy.”Read more: US announces $64 mln in emergency food aid for struggling Lebanon
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: US lawmakers call on Biden admin to help ensure Lebanon elections held on time

Opposition head Benjamin Netanyahu, Religious Zionist Party head Bezalel Smotrich and others are expected to speak.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: ‘Israel is bleeding’: Right rallies after gov't destabilized