Middle East

( Middle East Monitor ) – Hundreds of Israeli settlers on Sunday forced their way into the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem to celebrate the Jewish New Year, reports Anadolu Agency. Israeli settlers observe the Rosh Hashanah (New Year) holiday from September 15 to September 17 this year. They will also mark […]

Authoritarianism

Mahsa Amini: A Year into the Protest Movement in Iran, this is What’s Changed

The Conversation

Mahsa Amini: a year into the protest movement in Iran, this is what’s changed By Afshin Shahi, Keele University | = Iran’s rulers continue to enforce tight public controls as the anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the “morality police” approaches. Amini died after being arrested for allegedly breaching hijab […]

Climate Crisis

Libya’s Climate Disaster Shows we Can’t afford Erratic leaders Like Trump and Haftar any More

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – For the past two weeks the Mediterranean has been reeling from the massive devastation wrought regionally by Hurricane Daniel, the “Medicane” that has visited more damage on this region than any storm in recorded history. In the east thirteen days ago, Daniel struck Greece, flooding the fertile valleys where a […]

Authoritarianism

How Mahsa Amini’s Death became a Rallying Call for Thousands of Iranians

Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty

By Michael Scollon and Fereshteh Ghazi A combo photo shows Mahsa Amini (left) in the hospital on September 16, 2022, and her father and grandmother right after her death. ( RFE/RL ) – Sharmin Habibi recalls the circumstances of her husband’s killing at the hands of Iran’s security forces. But she could be […]

Arab World

Expansion of BRICS, the anti-G7, in the Mideast: Is the Oil Gulf no Longer Pax Americana?

Hamdullah Baycar

Exeter (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) – BRICS, a group of five developing countries that include China, Russia, and India, has invited another six countries to join the bloc, making the group 11 if all accept the invitation. Among 40 interested states in membership, of which 22 had already officially asked for admission, BRICS leaders […]

Climate Crisis

Climate Crisis: UN Launches Flash Appeal to Aid 250,000 Libyans hit by Devastating Floods

UN News

( UN News ) – Disaster struck on Sunday when torrential rains from Storm Daniel led two dams close to the now devastated port city of Derna to burst, pushing entire neighbourhoods into the sea. “The situation is quite terrible as you can imagine”, UN Children’s Fund UNICEF’s Libya Representative, Michele Servadei, told UN News. […]

BRICS

As US drags out Israel Normalization Deal with Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Drifts toward China

Nick Mehling

Cairo (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) – With the announcement of the expansion of the BRICS bloc many were surprised to see traditional US allies like Saudi Arabia and the UAE inducted as new members. Pundits were quick to exclaim the monumental shift, heralding the move as Saudi Arabia charting an independent path and the […]

Climate Crisis

Climate Crisis: Flood Death Toll in Libya’s Derna may reach 20,000

Middle East Monitor

( Middle East Monitor ) – The death toll in Derna as a result of the catastrophic flooding in Libya may reach 20,000, the city’s mayor has said. Abdulmenam Al-Ghaithi based his estimate on the number of districts destroyed by the floodwater. The interior ministry of the government in eastern Libya said yesterday that the […]

Israel/ Palestine

30 Years after Arafat-Rabin Handshake, clear Flaws in Oslo Accords doomed peace Talks to Failure

The Conversation

By Maha Nassar, University of Arizona | – On Sept. 13, 1993, the world watched as Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestine Liberation Organization Chairman Yasser Arafat shook hands on the White House lawn. It was a stunning moment. The famous handshake between adversaries marked the beginning of what became known as the Oslo […]