Middle East Experience

Four women have been found dead in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s Taliban government said on Saturday, following reports that activists had been killed.Two suspects have been arrested after the four bodies were found at a house in the city’s fifth police district, interior ministry spokesman Qari Sayed Khosti said in a video statement.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.“The arrested people have admitted in initial interrogation that the women were invited to the house by them. Further investigations are under way and the case has been referred to court,” he said.Khosti did not identify the victims, but a source in Mazar-i-Sharif told AFP that at least one of the dead was a women’s rights activist, whose family does not wish to speak to the media.A report on BBC Persian, citing civil society sources, said the four women were friends and colleagues who had hoped to travel to Mazar-i-Sharif airport for a flight out of the country.A rights group source told AFP on condition of anonymity that the women received a call that they thought was an invitation to join an evacuation flight and were picked up by a car, only to be found dead later.The Taliban, who seized power in Afghanistan in August after a 20-year war against the former US-backed government, are a deeply conservative Islamist movement.Under their last period of rule women were banned from public life and since the group’s return to government many rights activists have fled the country.Some women who remained have held street protests in Kabul demanding that their rights be respected and that girls be allowed to attend public high schools.Taliban fighters have broken up some of the protests, and the government has threatened to arrest any journalists covering unauthorized gatherings.But the movement’s leaders have insisted that their fighters are not authorized to kill activists and have promised that any who do will be punished.Read more:Baby handed to US soldiers in chaos of Afghanistan airlift still missingUS strike that killed 10 Afghan civilians did not violate law: PentagonRoadside bomb targets Taliban patrol, kills two in Afghanistan ISIS hub
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Four women found dead in northern Afghanistan, Taliban confirm

Sudan’s protest movement has rejected internationally backed initiatives to return to a power-sharing arrangement with the military after last month’s coup, calling for two days of nationwide strikes starting Sunday.This comes as a leader with the country’s main political party urged the international community to increase pressure on the generals to stop what he called an “unfortunate escalation.”For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The Sudanese military seized power on Oct. 25, dissolving the transitional administration and arresting dozens of government officials and politicians. The coup has been met with international outcry and massive protests in the streets of Khartoum and elsewhere in the country.The takeover has upended the country’s fragile planned transition to democratic rule, more than two years after a popular uprising forced the removal of longtime president Omar al-Bashir and his government.Since the coup, the international community has accelerated mediation efforts to find a way out of the crisis, which threatens to further destabilize the already restive Horn of Africa region.The Sudanese Professionals’ Association, which led the uprising against al-Bashir, said late Friday that mediation initiatives which “seek a new settlement” between the military and civilian leaders would “reproduce and worsen” the country’s crisis.The SPA vowed to continue protesting until a full civilian government is established to lead the transition.Under the slogan of: “No negotiations, no compromise, no power-sharing,” the SPA, which has presence across the country, called for strikes and civil disobedience on Sunday and Monday.Al-Wathig al-Berier, the secretary general of the Umma party, urged on Friday the international community to pressure the military to de-escalate — as the generals instead continue to dismantle the transitional government and arrest pro-democracy leaders. The Umma is Sudan’s largest political party and has ministers in the now-deposed government.“We truly need to prepare the atmosphere and de-escalate matters so that we can sit at the table,” he told The Associated Press. “But clearly the military faction is continuing with its plan and there are no efforts to show good will.”He was referring to Thursday’s arrest of three leaders from the Forces for Freedom and Change, a coalition that was born out of the 2019 protest movement. The military detained the four after they met with UN officials on Thursday in Khartoum. The meeting was part of the mediation efforts, led by the UN.Al-Berier said mediation efforts have yet to be fruitful, blaming the military for that failure. He warned of the possibility of upcoming bloodshed, since protest movements — including the SPA and the so-called Resistance Committees — insist on removing the military from any future government.“For the military it will be difficult to exit this situation without blood in the streets, the political forces didn’t do their part to try to convince the streets and the opposition committees and the youth,” he said.He urged the international community to increase pressure on the military leaders to reverse the coup.“In these initial stages, we hope that they continue strong pressure. This pressure has to be more than just tweets. This pressure needs to have mechanisms that could create real pressure on military component,” he said.Read more:UN rights chief calls for Sudan military to step backSudan's army chief Burhan orders release of four ministersThousands stage nationwide protests against Sudan coup
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Sudan protest movement leaders reject power-sharing, call for strikes

Kais Saied has stressed his loyalty to..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Tunisia: President Saied's power grab: How will the president wield his unprecedented powers?

Several million pounds paid to resolve claims that troops subjected Iraqis to inhumane treatment, arbitrary detention or assault..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: MoD has settled 417 Iraq war compensation claims this year

A new book on Firestone Liberia highlights the stark choices faced by countries where capital is in short supply..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: When the Rubber Hits the Road

Iran’s atomic agency said Friday that its stockpile of 20% enriched uranium has reached over 210 kilogrammes, the latest defiant move ahead of upcoming nuclear talks with the West..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: In defiant posture, Iran flaunts higher uranium enrichment level

Several Lebanese companies are said to have begun moving factories to countries including Oman, Turkey and Cyprus to evade the Saudi ban..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Lebanese businesses feel the brunt of Saudi import ban

The death toll currently stands at 99 with more than 100 casualties being treated in hospitals and clinics across the capital.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Fuel tanker blast in Sierra Leone capital kills at least 99

Among those killed this weekend were five Palestinians who died late Friday night in a collision between two cars on Road 60.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Eleven people killed in road accidents over the weekend in Israel

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said on Saturday there was a “sacrifice to pay” to save the country in a letter to the public, as Tigrayan fighters threatened to advance an assault on the capital Addis Ababa.“There is a sacrifice to pay. But the sacrifice will save Ethiopia… This is a challenging time when heroes are born,” he said in a post on Facebook.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The government’s communication service also posted on social media to rally support for Abiy against the Tigrayan forces. It said on Twitter: “For us, Ethiopians, dying for our sovereignty, unity and identity, is an honor. There is no Ethiopianism without sacrifice.”The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) formed an alliance with eight other anti-government factions to oust Abiy’s government, the latest development in a year-long war that has claimed the lives of thousands and displaced more than two million people.Tigrayan and allied forces have threatened to march on Addis Ababa.The Ethiopian government has declared a state of emergency and its army is preparing for a confrontation and has asked retired military personnel to rejoin the army to fight the Tigrayan forces.The international community has renewed calls for a ceasefire. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday: “We call on the Government of Ethiopia to halt its military campaign, including air strikes in population centers in Tigray and mobilization of ethnic militias.”The UN Security Council called on Friday for a ceasefire and end to the hostilities in Ethiopia, and expressed “deep concern” about the expansion of military clashes.Read more:Ethiopia rebels, opposition form political body against PM AbiyEthiopia compares Tigray forces to ‘rat’ as war marks one yearUN Security Council calls for ceasefire in EthiopiaUS orders departure of non-essential diplomats from Ethiopia
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Ethiopia PM says there is ‘sacrifice to pay’ as Tigray forces advance on Addis Ababa