Author: Rushdi al-Pashia

Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and US President Joe Biden discussed developments Saturday regarding the ongoing humanitarian pause in Gaza between Israel and the Hamas group, according to the Qatari state news agency, QNA. The leaders also discussed on the telephone “joint international efforts to reduce tension and escalation … and the flow of humanitarian aid to the Palestinians in Gaza,” it said, Biden on Thursday thanked Sheikh Tamim’s successful mediation role which led to a four-day temporary humanitarian pause that began early Friday in the Gaza Strip which has been devastated by an Israeli onslaught. Israel and…

Brussels (25/11 – 33.3) Tajikistan Supreme Court has sentenced a widely respected 65-year-old female journalist, Ulfathonim Mamadshoeva, to 21 years in prison on charges of incitement to overthrowing the government. Mamadshoeva was accused by the authorities of being a leading figure behind the political turbulence that rocked her native Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO) earlier this year. State propaganda has previously alleged that the veteran reporter and activist hatched the purported plot, for which no credible evidence has been produced, at the behest of an unnamed foreign government. Mamadshoeva’s brother, Khursand, was last week sentenced to 18 years in prison on…

It would be Raisi’s first visit to the Gulf kingdom since the two countries agreed to restore diplomatic relations after seven years of severed ties, a deal brokered by China and announced in March. The summit is being organised by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), a 57-member bloc of majority Muslim countries based in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah. It is planned to take place one day after an emergency meeting of Arab League leaders on the war, also in the Saudi capital Riyadh. “President Raisi will attend the summit of the OIC in Riyadh,” the source familiar with planning for the summit told AFP…

Israel said on Saturday evening that its military forces were preparing to implement a “wide range of operational offensive plans” ahead of an expected large-scale ground invasion of Gaza following a Hamas attack on Israel. The Israeli army said its soldiers are deployed “all over the country” and are working to increase “operational readiness for the next stages of the war, with a focus on important ground operations.” Israeli forces have been bombing the Gaza Strip since Hamas launched a devastating attack last week. In recent days, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have fled their homes after Israel ordered 1.1…

Berlin (3/11 – 40) Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe will visit China in the upcoming week as the crisis-hit country makes progress on debt restructuring talks with its biggest lender. Wickremesinghe took office in July last year, after a popular uprising, brought on by an economic meltdown, had forced his predecessor out of power. His Oct. 15-19 visit to Beijing will be his first to China since then. Wickremesinghe, who is also finance minister, has been leading Sri Lanka’s push to manage its heavy debt and keep funds flowing from a $2.9 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme. He will…

As the war in Israel rages, an ongoing struggle to control the narrative of the conflict is unfolding between Hamas and the Jewish state. This propaganda battle is not novel, as it has long been observed to coexist with the kinetic action between Israel and the Palestinian armed groups, dating back to at least 2014. Drawing from its prior clashes with Israel, Hamas has gained vital insights on how to effectively counter Israel. Despite being at a military disadvantage in nearly every area, Hamas has developed unconventional methods to attack Israel, including a powerful propaganda system to garner global backing…

Saudi football clubs spent more than a billion dollars on new players in the summer of 2023, snapping up superstars from across Europe’s top leagues, while the Public Investment Fund, its sovereign wealth fund, has also taken control of English Premier League club Newcastle United. The PIF, with estimated assets of around $700 billion, has also flexed its financial muscle in golf, tennis, boxing and motorsport, to name a few, along with a slew of music and entertainment ventures. These investments are all part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 program, an ambitious plan to diversify the country’s economy away from…

US Senator Bob Menendez has come under the limelight recently amid growing calls for his resignation after federal prosecutors charged him and his wife with taking bribes from three businesspeople in New Jersey – his own state. Amid the allegations of corruption, his longstanding anti-Türkiye stance has also been questioned due to his close ties to the Greek and Armenian lobbies in the US, both of which are financially powerful groups with considerable political clout. Menendez is also known for his utterly pro-Armenia stance remained unchanged throughout the years he’s been in the Senate. In August 2007, then-US President George…

JAKARTA: Asean and India should continue to use their cordial links with other countries to encourage dialogue and joint efforts to resolve the South China Sea issue, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (pic). The Prime Minister said that Malaysia and Asean had always considered India an important strategic ally. “On challenges and conflicts (in) evolving geopolitics, Asean and India should continue to use our friendly relations with other countries to encourage dialogue, cooperation, peaceful coexistence, and we have made a lot of reference to the issue of the South China Sea,” he said at the 20th Asean-India Summit held in…

RIYADH: Sustainability and tourism, the rapid growth of the sector in Saudi Arabia, and its importance in fostering cross-cultural dialogue around the world, were the subjects of a roundtable discussion on the last day of an international industry gathering in Riyadh. Secretary-general of the UN World Tourism Organization, Zurab Pololikashvili, spoke at the private session held to mark World Tourism Day. This year’s event was attended by more than 50 ministers from around 70 countries. “This is happening for the first time for us, and we are very happy,” Pololikashvili said. Several initiatives, most of which concerned Saudi Arabia’s burgeoning…