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Showing posts from May, 2023

The US is looking to Oman to broker new Iran nuclear talks: Report

  The United States (U.S.) officials have spoken with Omani counterparts to look into the potential of resuming mediated nuclear negotiations between Washington and Tehran. According to a report, Israeli officials have accused the officials of wanting a temporary agreement that would permit the Islamic Republic of Iran to keep enriching uranium. A report in Axios was published almost nine months after indirect talks to revive the historic 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and the international community failed, with the United States claiming that the talks to revive the deal were no longer a high priority. Joe Biden, the President of the United States, was looking for a diplomatic solution to the matter. Reportedly, Biden’s top official in Iran said that the US wanted to revive the talks, which Israel alleges constitutes a military threat. Robert Malley, United States Special Representative for Iran, said, “We hope that we can resolve this through diplomatic means, and we’re

Teenagers from ISIS families receiving treatment at the Al Hol camp in Syria

  Numerous youngsters have been living in a camp in northeastern Syria for at least four years, raising their families among ISIS fighters while being exposed to the violent ideology of the organization and having little to no possibility of receiving an education. The Kurdish officials who rule eastern and northern Syria are experimenting with a rehabilitation program aimed at removing youngsters from extremist ideas out of fear that a new generation of militants may emerge from Al Hol camp. It entails separating kids from their family for an unforeseen amount of time, a practice human rights organizations have expressed concern over. Even if they are found to be rehabilitated, their future is uncertain because their home nations are hesitant to accept them. Khaled Remo, co-chair of the office of law and reform affairs in the Kurdish-led government, warned that if the children remained in the camp, a new generation of extremists may emerge who might be even more fervent than t

Bridging Cultures Through Luxury: An Insight Into Middle Eastern Consumer Behavio

    We delve into the fascinating world of Middle Eastern consumer behavior in today's discussion and look at how this distinct market has influenced the luxury sector. The Middle East presents an incredible opportunity for brands looking to increase their presence in this region due to its rich cultural heritage and growing appetite for opulence. Join us as we learn some eye-opening insights about this fascinating market, whether you're a marketer or just curious about global trends in luxury consumption. One of the most exciting and quickly expanding markets in the world is the luxury market in the Middle East. High-net-worth individuals have become significantly more prevalent in the area recently, and there has also been an increase in demand for luxury goods and services. The Middle East has consequently grown to be a significant market for many global luxury brands. However, due to the significant cultural differences that must be taken into account, conducting business i

Iranian missiles with a 2,000 km range are displayed

  Only two days after Israel's military chief warned "action" against Tehran over its nuclear program, Iranian state media said on 25 May that the country had successfully tested a ballistic missile with a range of 2,000 kilometers. With one of the largest missile arsenals in West Asia, Iran asserted that its warheads could reach American and Israeli positions there. Tehran has vowed to keep developing its alleged defense missile program, despite worries from the US and Europe. "We want Iran's adversaries to know that we will stand up for the nation and its accomplishments. Our message to our friends is that we want to help regional stability," According to Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Ashtiani, Iran's Minister of Defense. Because of its small radar signature, this missile is able to elude radar detection and get past opposing air defense systems, according to the expert. Additionally, the defense minister noted that "this missile has t

Islamic-Christian Committee cautions that Israel's treatment of Al-Aqsa threatens its commitment to Islam

  The Islamic-Christian Committee in Support of Jerusalem and its Sanctuaries issued a warning Wednesday that the Al-Aqsa Mosque might lose its Islamic identity as a result of the latest Israeli judaization efforts. The committee said in a statement that the actions were "unprecedented" and that they "pose an existential threat to Al-Aqsa Mosque and its Islamic identity." The committee reaffirmed the Israeli occupation's "qualitative move towards the violation of the legal and historical status quo, as well as to forcibly create a new Jewish reality." It claimed that Israel was "to give the Israeli occupation forces permission to facilitate settler raids on Al-Aqsa Mosque and allow large numbers to desecrate it and perform Talmudic rituals." Up to 200 fanatical Jewish settlers have invaded the Al-Aqsa Mosque since the early hours of the morning, heavily guarded by Israeli occupation police.

Jerusalem residents are ‘optimistic’ about direct flights to Saudi Arabia

As a further step towards normalcy, Israel is optimistic that it would be able to set up direct flights from Israel to Saudi Arabia for the Haj, the yearly pilgrimage to Mecca, this year. A diplomatic source expressed hope about the ongoing negotiations on Monday. The comments were made following days of consistent rumors of a breakthrough in negotiations before the pilgrimage, which is scheduled to take place from June 26 to July 1 this year. According to Maariv, only Israeli Muslims would be permitted on the flights out of Ben-Gurion and Ramon Airports. 4,500 Israelis are anticipated to travel to Mecca this year, up from 2,700 last year. Most previously traveled via Jordan. FM Cohen claims that normalization with Saudi Arabia is imminent. According to Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, normalization with Saudi Arabia is "not a matter of if, but when," he told The Jerusalem Post last week. Saudi Arabia and we have similar interests. During their visit to Jeddah this mon

Unsettling Developments in Khartoum: Lack of Commitment and a Fractured Army

  Recent events in the capital city of Khartoum have raised serious concerns about the commitment to peace and stability in Sudan. The arrival of military reinforcements, including armored vehicles and heavy weapons, aimed at clashing with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and ending their control, has highlighted the lack of seriousness in Al-Burhan's commitment to the agreement signed in the Jeddah negotiations. Furthermore, this development has brought to light the violation of the agreed armistice, including the ceasefire and the opening of safe passages for providing humanitarian aid. These troubling occurrences indicate a lack of unified command within the Sudanese army, further complicating the path to lasting peace. The influx of military reinforcements to Khartoum underscores a lack of sincerity in upholding the agreements reached during the Jeddah negotiations. These agreements were intended to foster peace and stability, but the recent clashes with the RSF indicate a deviat

12 Years Later: Assessing Bashar al Assad's Impact on the Arab League Summit

  As we mark the twelfth anniversary of Bashar al-Assad's ascension to power in Syria, it's important to take stock of his impact on one key regional organization: the Arab League. Over the past decade-plus, Assad has been a controversial figure within this influential group, with some member states fiercely opposed to his regime while others have sought closer ties with Damascus. In this post, we'll explore both sides of the debate and assess whether Assad's leadership has strengthened or weakened the Arab League as an institution. So grab a cup of coffee and join us for a deep dive into one of the most complex geopolitical issues of our time! The event, which is scheduled to take place in the Syrian capital of Damascus on March 29-30, will be an opportunity to assess Bashar al-Assad's impact on the organization and the region as a whole.  The Arab League was founded in 1945 to promote economic, cultural, and social cooperation among its member states. Syria joined

Egypt set to put an end to restrictions on foreign property ownership

  Earlier this week, the Prime Minister of Egypt, Mostafa Madbouly, announced in a news conference that Egypt is going to remove limits on foreign property ownership in order to attract the inflow of hard cash into the country. The restrictions in Egypt allowed foreigners to own only upto two properties in Egypt, both properties being located in different cities. Under Law No. 230 of 1996, foreigners have a right to purchase property in Egypt. However, until now, there were certain restrictions on the purchase of property by foreigners. Foreigners were not allowed to purchase more than two pieces of property, the combined area of which could not exceed 4000 square meters, and the purpose of purchase of property should be for a family member to reside in the property. Moreover, the properties cannot be in the same city. Such purchase must also be approved by the Council of Ministers, a procedure that takes almost two months. Needless to say, such stringent regulations have been discou

Escalating Tensions in Khartoum: A Challenge to Sudan's Peace Agreement

 Recent developments in Khartoum have sparked concerns over the fragile state of Sudan's peace agreement. The arrival of military reinforcements, including armored vehicles and heavy weapons, with the intention of clashing with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) raises questions about the seriousness of President Al-Burhan's commitment to the agreement signed during the Jeddah negotiations. These actions, coupled with violations of the agreed armistice, such as the cease-fire and opening of safe passages for humanitarian aid, suggest a lack of unified command within the army. This article delves into the implications of these events and their potential impact on Sudan's path to stability. The deployment of military reinforcements to Khartoum indicates a direct challenge to the control of the RSF. It raises doubts about President Al-Burhan's commitment to the peace agreement, as outlined in the Jeddah negotiations. By resorting to force instead of diplomatic means, the poten

Syria's alleged drug traffickers are warned via SMS messaging

  Text messages advising against engaging in the illegal trade have started to arrive for drug traffickers working along Jordan's southern border with Syria. Nine days had passed after a smuggler had been murdered in a strange airstrike in southern Syria when the alerts were sent. “We recognize you. Your every step is being observed.” According to a claimed transcript of the texts made available by the Suwayda24 network of citizen journalists in southern Syria, "Your meetings are being watched." Jordan is looking to work with Damascus to stop the flow of narcotics because it serves as a major conduit for what Arab authorities characterize as a multibillion-dollar trade in the amphetamine known as Captagon. The 360-kilometer border between Jordan and Syria is regularly used to smuggle captagon tablets, and the trade has been expanding since 2018. The majority of the southern region of Syria was retaken by the Syrian military from rebels backed by Arab and western

Azerbaijan arrests nine people over fresh coup plot blamed on Iran

  Azerbaijan, a landlocked country in eastern Transcaucasia, arrested at least nine of its nationals, alleging that they were linked to Iranian secret services. Officials in Azerbaijan accused the arrested people of plotting a coup and assassinations. The interior ministry, security service and the office of the prosecutor general of Azerbaijan said that the arrested people "were working for Iranian secret services.” Azerbaijan's law enforcement forces arrested them on Tuesday. The statement by the interior ministry named nine people. The statement also revealed that several other people had been arrested over a fresh coup plot. According to the statement, those people were plotting a "violent overthrow of the government and the assassinations of prominent personalities and senior officials.” Last month, officials in Azerbaijan arrested six Azerbaijani nationals in a different case related to Iran. The authorities accused those people of being "recruited by I

Turkey faces runoff Presidential Election as Erdogan's vote share falls below 50%

  The Republic of Turkey is heading for a runoff presidential election as current Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s vote share fell below 50 per cent. Erdogan and his opposition Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of the Republican People's Party, did not get the 50 per cent threshold needed to win the presidential election on Sunday. The runoff election is scheduled to be held on May 28. The second round of polls is important for Kilicdaroglu and Erdogan. It will decide the fate of these two leaders. According to the state-run Anadolu news agency, 97 per cent of the ballot boxes were counted by the Supreme Electoral Board of Turkey. Erdogan secured 49.34% of votes and Kilicdaroglu received 44.99% of the votes. Sinan Ogan, another presidential candidate from the ATA Alliance, received only 5.28% of the votes. Sinan said, “We will absolutely win this election in the second round. Everyone will see that.” He welcomed the second round of the election. Sinan said that his can

Egypt And Kebbi State To Work Together In Agriculture

  In order to further the state's development, the Kebbi State Government has announced that it will collaborate with Egyptian professionals in agricultural and livestock raising. When Egyptian agricultural specialists visited the governor at Government House in Birnin Kebbi on Friday, governor Atiku Bagudu made this statement. In order to grow the state, he continued, his government saw cooperation and partnership as key components. The nation's second-highest producer of cattle, the state is endowed with a wealth of agricultural potential. Due to its strategic location sharing a border with both the Republics of Niger and Benin, the state has also developed into the hub of animal husbandry in West Africa. The Governor stated, “We have already inked a tripartite agreement with Maleville in the Republic of Benin and Kwanni in the Niger Republic on the development of animal husbandry.” Bagudu went on to say that the state's residents were devoted workers who were

Iran says it continues to engage in “constructive cooperation” with the UN

Nasser Kanaani, the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, has said that his country’s principal stance is to maintain “constructive cooperation” with the United Nations (UN) Human Rights system despite facing political pressure from the United States (US). Nasser Kanaani said that Iran continues to take part in efforts to advocate human rights across the world. His comments came in response to an inquiry from IRNA (Islamic Republic News Agency) about the appointment of Iran's UN ambassador Ali Bahraini to the chair of the UN Human Rights Council 2023 Social Forum. Vaclav Balek, the president of the Human Rights Council, announced that Iranian ambassador Ali Bahraini will serve as chair of the Geneva Human Rights Forum in 2023. Later on, UN Watch launched a petition to the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to cancel the appointment of Ali Bahraini. The UN Watch also urged United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken to condemn the a

Israel can benefit from Iran's multi-theater conflagration plan

  Iran is pressuring Hamas (and maybe also Hezbollah) to react forcefully in the wake of the escalation in Gaza in order to exact revenge on Israel for its operation against the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. This is a part of Iran's persistent strategy to include Israel in a campaign that spans many theaters while keeping itself out of a current direct conflict. As it gets closer to Saudi Arabia and Syria, Iran is breaking all the commitments it signed: it violates human rights in Iran and the Ukraine, backs Russia in its conflict with Ukraine, and finances terrorist groups in Lebanon, Syria, Judea and Samaria, among other places. However, there are still those in the EU and the United States. I have written several times in the past on the folly of a flawed and incomplete nuclear agreement (dubbed "less for less," when it is actually "much more for much less"). Although an agreement would at worst afford the West a few weeks or months' delay before Iran a

Bahrain hopes to increase the number of Japanese visitors

  Japan, the third-largest economy in the world, is being courted as a major tourism destination by Bahrain's Tourism and Exhibitions Authority. Dr. Nasser Qaedi, CEO of the BETA, met with top Japanese officials from the tourist, hospitality, entertainment, commerce, and industrial sectors several times as part of an official visit to Tokyo to examine ways to improve bilateral collaboration. To discuss ways to increase the number of Japanese visitors to Bahrain by twofold, Qaedi met with the head of the Japan National Tourism Organization, executive executives at the Japan Tourism Agency, travel agency representatives, Japanese manufacturers, and hospitality specialists. In addition, Qaedi discussed the prospect of investing in Bahrain and building new locations with well-known Japanese restaurant owners and hotel managers in that country. Agreements for unique travel packages and alliances with regional airlines were the main topics of conversation with travel professional

Two Palestinian gunmen killed by Israel in recent West Bank fighting

  Two Palestinian terrorists who opened fire on soldiers in the occupied West Bank early on Wednesday were killed in the most recent incident in the region's almost daily bloodshed. Moreover, tensions are at an all-time high as a result of a series of Israeli bombs in the Gaza Strip that left 10 people dead, the majority of them women and children, including three senior Islamic Jihad members. However, as a precaution against attacks by Palestinian terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip, schools were shuttered for a second day. Residents of southern Israel have been instructed by the Israeli military to remain close to bomb shelters. Gunmen opened fire on soldiers during an army operation in the Palestinian hamlet of Qabatiya in the northern West Bank. According to the story, the two people were killed when soldiers returned fire and seized their guns. The two men who died were Rani Qatanat, 24, and Ahmed Assaf, 19. The people weren't immediately recognized as being