Israel lays total siege to Gaza

October 9, 2023

Israel imposed a total siege on the Gaza Strip on Monday and cut off utility supplies as it kept bombing targets in the crowded Palestinian enclave in response to the Hamas surprise assault, global news agencies report. Reeling from the Islamist group’s unprecedented ground, air and sea attacks, Israel has counted over 800 dead and […]Continue Reading

Netanyahu vows to ‘change Middle East’ in war with Hamas

October 9, 2023

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed today to “change the Middle East” in Israel’s war with Palestinian militant group Hamas, as the army pounded the Gaza Strip with air strikes, AFP reports. “What Hamas will experience will be difficult and terrible… we are going to change the Middle East,” Netanyahu told officials visiting Continue Reading

Hamas-Israel war slams door on US-Iran thaw

October 9, 2023

Through quiet diplomacy with Iran, US President Joe Biden’s administration had strived to keep a lid on Middle East troubles. That bet came crashing down with Saturday’s massive offensive by Hamas against Israel, AFP reports. Iran’s clerical leadership openly supports the group, who control the blockaded and impoverished Gaza Strip, and hailed the sneak Continue Reading

Hamas carried out years-long campaign to fool Israel

October 9, 2023

A careful campaign of deception ensured Israel was caught off guard when the Palestinian group Hamas launched its devastating attack, enabling a force using bulldozers, hang gliders and motorbikes to take on the Middle East’s most powerful army, Reuters reports. Saturday’s assault, the worst breach in Israel’s defences since Arab armies waged war in 1973, Continue Reading

GAZA STRIP: More than 123,000 displaced, UN says

October 9, 2023

More than 123,000 people have been displaced in the Gaza Strip since the outbreak of the conflict between Hamas and Israel, the United Nations said on Monday. “Over 123,538 people, have been internally displaced in Gaza, mostly due to fear, protection concerns and the destruction of their homes,” said the UN’s humanitarian agency, OCHA. More […]Continue Reading

Jailed Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi wins Nobel Peace Prize

October 6, 2023

Imprisoned Iranian women’s rights advocate Narges Mohammadi won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday in a rebuke to Tehran’s theocratic leaders and boost for anti-government protesters, prompting the Islamic Republic’s condemnation, Reuters reports. The award-making committee said the prize honoured those behind recent unprecedented demonstrations in Iran and Continue Reading

Saudi Arabia hosts 260,000 Rohingya refugees with a spending of $2.25 billion

September 24, 2023

Dr Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, advisor to the Royal Court and general supervisor of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief), said that Saudi Arabia has hosted more than 260,000 Rohingya refugees ever since the beginning of the conflict in Myanmar, Saudi Gazette reports. “The Kingdom has so far spent $2.25 billion to render them […]Continue Reading

Gabonese military officers announce they have seized power

August 30, 2023

A group of senior Gabonese military officers appeared on national television in the early hours of Wednesday and said they had taken power, after the state election body announced President Ali Bongo had won a third term, Reuters reports. Appearing on television channel Gabon 24, the officers said they represented all security and defence forces in the […]Continue Reading

Saudi Arabia, Iran relations ‘on the right track’, Iranian minister says after Riyadh talks

August 18, 2023

Saudi Arabia and Iran are making progress on mending ties, Iran’s foreign minister said after meeting with his counterpart in Riyadh on Thursday, as two regional heavyweights seek to overcome past hostility and boost cooperation, Reuters reports. “Relations between Tehran and Saudi are on the right track and we are witnessing progress,” Hossein Continue Reading

‘Put learners first’: Unesco calls for global ban on smartphones in schools

July 26, 2023

Smartphones should be banned from schools to tackle classroom disruption, improve learning and help protect children from cyberbullying, a UN report has recommended, The Guardian reports. Unesco, the UN’s education, science and culture agency, said there was evidence that excessive mobile phone use was linked to reduced educational performance and that high levels of Continue Reading