All posts tagged: middle east

Syria says blast at military site in Deir Az Zor killed 11 | Military News

Syria says blast at military site in Deir Az Zor killed 11 | Military News

Published by Sam Flores

Syrian army holds funeral for soldiers killed in ammunition blast in town of Ayyash, in western Deir Az Zor, on Friday. Published On 19 Sep 202619 Sep 2026 Eleven soldiers have been killed in an explosion at an army site in Syria’s eastern province of Deir Az Zor, according to the Ministry of Defence. Syria’s military held a funeral procession for the soldiers on Saturday, a day after they were killed in the blast, the ministry said. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list The explosion struck a weapons cache within a Syrian Arab Army position in the town of Ayyash, in western Deir Az Zor, the official SANA news agency reported, citing the defence ministry. Nine other soldiers were wounded, according to a statement from the provincial government. The cause of the blast has not been determined, and an investigation is under way, the statement added. This was the second blast at a Syrian military site in less than two weeks. Videos of the funeral ceremony broadcast on state broadcaster Al Ikhbiriya showed mourners …

UN Peacekeeping Chief in Lebanon Says Smooth Transition Is Critical Before Pull-Out

UN Peacekeeping Chief in Lebanon Says Smooth Transition Is Critical Before Pull-Out

Published by Sam Flores

NEAR MANSOURI, Lebanon, Sept 19 (Reuters) – The head of United ⁠Nations ⁠peacekeepers in Lebanon said on Saturday it ⁠was critical to ensure other UN agencies and Lebanese troops could assume the tasks carried ​out by the force before it begins withdrawing at the end of this year. Major General Diodato Abagnara of Italy spoke to Reuters in ‌southern Lebanon at a position operated by ‌the UN peacekeeping force known as UNIFIL, which has been monitoring hostilities in southern Lebanon for nearly 50 years. Since a ⁠new war erupted ⁠between Israel and Iran-backed Lebanese armed group Hezbollah in March, the force has also ​provided security escorts for humanitarian aid convoys to residents in a small cluster of predominantly Christian southern Lebanese towns now encircled by Israeli troops. Residents in much of the rest of southern Lebanon have been forcibly displaced by Israeli strikes and evacuation orders. The UN Security Council has ordered ​UNIFIL to begin withdrawing at the end of 2026, triggering concerns over whether aid deliveries can continue and how ⁠the ⁠force can transfer its positions …

In Gaza, actors perform a war they are still living | Arts and Culture

In Gaza, actors perform a war they are still living | Arts and Culture

Published by Sam Flores

Sheikh Radwan, Gaza – Before Abu Qasai Qaddoura can begin acting, he has to find something to burn. At six in the morning, the 42-year-old walks to a stall in Sheikh Radwan, where his family has been displaced, to buy firewood. It costs seven shekels ($2) per kilogram. When he cannot afford it, he scavenges for something else to burn – cardboard, plastic or pieces of wood salvaged from destroyed homes. He lights a small fire so his family can keep warm and cook a meal. He then washes the black soot from his hands before leaving his home for rehearsal. The journey takes two hours on foot. Qaddoura avoids a main road clogged with rubble and where he says Israeli gunfire poses a danger, taking side streets instead. By the time he reaches the rehearsal space – a makeshift fabric-and-plastic tent pitched in the car park of Gaza City’s Rashad al-Shawa Cultural Centre, his knees hurt and he struggles to catch his breath. “I arrive at the rehearsal. I’m exhausted but immediately get to …

Bolivia’s Congress approves .9bn IMF loan amid protest threats | Energy News

Bolivia’s Congress approves $1.9bn IMF loan amid protest threats | Energy News

Published by Sam Flores

Unions warn that fuel subsidy cuts in the IMF deal could trigger renewed protests and rising costs. Published On 19 Sep 202619 Sep 2026 Bolivia’s Congress has approved a $1.9bn International Monetary Fund loan in a major victory for President Rodrigo Paz, though trade unions warn the deal’s austerity conditions could spark renewed unrest. Paz’s Christian Democratic Party does not hold a majority. But centrist and right-wing parties, which now dominate Congress after the long-ruling leftist MAS party was reduced to just two seats in the 130-seat lower house and none in the Senate, rallied behind the programme on Friday. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list “We are finalising crucial agreements for Bolivia,” Paz said, warning that difficult decisions lie ahead as the Iran war pushes up global fuel costs. “International prices are forcing us to make complex choices,” he added. The loan, which is meant to fix a crisis years in the making, still needs approval from the IMF’s Executive Board before any money is released. Bolivia once earned billions from natural …

Super Macklemore 64: Video game mocks Sheeran concert controversy | Entertainment

Super Macklemore 64: Video game mocks Sheeran concert controversy | Entertainment

Published by Sam Flores

In Super Macklemore 64, players are chased by a giant Ed Sheeran, dodge tiny billionaire Robert Krafts and summon musicians to chant “Free Palestine”. Creator Jonathan Mann says it highlights the “absurdity” of Macklemore being dropped from Sheeran’s concerts and Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Published On 18 Sep 202618 Sep 2026 Share Super Macklemore 64: Video game mocks Sheeran concert controversy on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Source link

UK court clears woman of voicing support for Hamas in university speech | Israel-Palestine conflict News

UK court clears woman of voicing support for Hamas in university speech | Israel-Palestine conflict News

Published by Sam Flores

Sarah Cotte said her comments were not in support of Hamas, but in support of Palestinians’ right to resist. A London court has cleared a British woman of supporting Palestinian group Hamas in a speech she gave outside her university in 2023. The jury at the Central Criminal Court, more commonly known as the Old Bailey, on Friday found Sarah Cotte, 22, not guilty of expressing support for the group that’s designated a “terrorist” organisation under UK law. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list Public prosecutors had alleged that Cotte voiced support for Hamas two days after the group led the deadly attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023. During a speech she gave outside the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London at the time, she expressed “unconditional solidarity” with the Palestinian resistance, the court was told. Prosecutors claimed this was a “thinly veiled reference” to Hamas. Cotte repeatedly rejected attempts to equate the two, telling the court: “I don’t support Hamas and I have never supported Hamas. I was …

Jerusalem Daily: Netanyahu says he will ‘change the face of the Middle East | Newsfeed

Jerusalem Daily: Netanyahu says he will ‘change the face of the Middle East | Newsfeed

Published by Sam Flores

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he will ‘change the face of the Middle East’ as he attends his Likud party’s election campaign kickoff, but Israelis may not be so convinced as they protest his government outside parliament. Al Jazeera’s Marah Rayan brings you the latest. Published On 18 Sep 202618 Sep 2026 Share Jerusalem Daily: Netanyahu says he will ‘change the face of the Middle East on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Source link

Police hit migrants with batons during camp transfer in Ceuta | Human Rights News

Police hit migrants with batons during camp transfer in Ceuta | Human Rights News

Published by Sam Flores

Police in Ceuta used batons and fired shots into the air as they began moving migrants from beaches to a new camp. Nearly 10,000 remain in the Spanish territory weeks after a record influx saw more than 72,000 people cross from Morocco. Published On 18 Sep 202618 Sep 2026 Share Police hit migrants with batons during camp transfer in Ceuta on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Source link

In Yemen, war at home and in the region drives up prices | Humanitarian Crises News

In Yemen, war at home and in the region drives up prices | Humanitarian Crises News

Published by Sam Flores

Sanaa, Yemen – Ahmed Yahya, 28, fills his taxi with 10 litres of petrol as he begins his workday early in the morning. “I feed my taxi with fuel first so that it can help feed my family,” Yahya, a taxi driver, said as he wiped the dust from his front window at a petrol station on the outskirts of Sanaa. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list Up until earlier this week, Yahya used to pay 4,750 Yemeni riyals, the equivalent of roughly $8.90 in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. The price had remained unchanged for about four years in territory under the rebel group’s control – including the capital Sanaa. But then, on Monday, the Houthis announced a roughly 10 percent increase in the price of petrol, up to 5,250 Yemeni Riyals ($9.80). After years of economic misery, Yahya described the price hike as another “painful surprise to an already devastated people”. The Houthi-run Yemen Petroleum Company said the diesel and petrol price increase was the result of a “global increase in fuel …