Follow Voice of America - Middle East, filter it, and define how you want to receive the news (via Email, RSS, Telegram, WhatsApp etc.) https://follow.it/voanews18 Fri, 31 Mar 2023 21:59:12 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/HHLvFfUM0XhTHy2t8vTgD8b1naedg1wr For Egypt, and four other nations in the Middle East-North Africa region, the holy month of Ramadan comes as food inflation has topped 60%. In Cairo, photojournalist Hamada Elrasam captures a series of charity iftars, or fast-breaking dinners for poorer worshippers hit by higher food prices. Captions by Elle Kurancid.  ]]> Fri, 31 Mar 2023 19:59:28 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/HHLvFfUM0XhTHy2t8vTgD8b1naedg1wr https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/HHLvFfUM0Xjk1L7ttA02suT5HJgy6HUf Israel launched missile strikes against Damascus early Friday, Syria’s state media has reported.  The attacks on Friday are the second round of strikes in two days.  There was no immediate information about casualties.  State media reported that Israel fired “sprays of missiles” and that Syria intercepted them and shot some down.  Israel rarely comments on any of its strikes on Syria which are usually aimed at Iran-linked targets. Iran’s influence in the area has been growing in Syria since it began supporting President Bashar al-Assad in the civil war that began in 2011. Some material in this report came from Agence France Presse and Reuters.]]> Fri, 31 Mar 2023 12:58:22 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/HHLvFfUM0Xjk1L7ttA02suT5HJgy6HUf https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/HHLvFfUM0XhQM2ntJ5AWwyejEQ2Mq9rY The four attacks on U.S. forces in Syria by Iranian-backed militants last week, including one attack that killed a U.S. contractor, resulted in at least six traumatic brain injuries in service members, Pentagon press secretary Brigadier General Pat Ryder told reporters on Thursday. In the first attack, last Thursday at a base near Hasakah, a suicide drone of Iranian origin killed a U.S. military contractor, wounded five U.S. service members and one other contractor, and caused four traumatic brain injuries in service members, according to the U.S. military. One U.S. military source, speaking to VOA on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to speak to reporters, said the drone used in the attack was an Iranian-made Qasef-1. The U.S retaliated last Thursday with what U.S. Central Command called proportionate and deliberate precision strikes against multiple facilities used by groups affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. “No group will strike our troops with impunity,” Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said last week. Ryder said eight militants associated with the IRGC were killed in the U.S. strikes. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at the time of the strikes that 19 had been killed. On the evening of March 24 and the morning of March 25, CENTCOM said, three attacks targeted U.S. and coalition forces in Syria, two attacks at a post known as Green Village and another at Mission Support Site Conoco. A military official told VOA these Iranian-backed attacks were coordinated and “showed a higher level of sophistication” than some of the previous attacks. One U.S. service member was wounded in the attack on Conoco, and at least two traumatic brain injuries in service members resulted from the attacks targeting Green Village. The Pentagon says the traumatic brain injuries were identified during post-attack screenings that are ongoing. Asked by VOA why the U.S. military had not retaliated for the injuries that resulted in these three attacks, Ryder said, “We will continue to take appropriate action at a time and place of our choosing to ensure that our forces are protected.” The U.S. has about 900 troops in eastern Syria to help Syrian Kurdish forces prevent a resurgence of the Islamic State terror group. Austin told senators on Tuesday that Iran or its proxies have carried out 83 attacks on U.S. forces in the Middle East since President Joe Biden took office in 2021. The United States has retaliated by launching four major strikes against the attackers. Senator Tom Cotton, a Republican, challenged the adequacy of that response while questioning Austin during a Senate hearing on Tuesday. "What kind of signal do we think this sends to Iran when they can attack us 83 times since Joe Biden has become president, and we only respond to four?” he asked. “Maybe it's because they know that ... we will not retaliate until they kill an American, which emboldened them to keep launching these attacks which kill Americans."]]> Fri, 31 Mar 2023 02:44:17 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/HHLvFfUM0XhQM2ntJ5AWwyejEQ2Mq9rY https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/HHLvFfUM0Xg8-pW-DU-NN6CY3L745TL_ An association of American Jews on Thursday hailed what it said was the first shipment from Pakistan of food products offloaded in Israel.     The transaction this week involved Pakistani-Jewish businessman Fishel BenKhald and three Israeli businesspeople, the American Jewish Congress said in a statement from its New York headquarters.    BenKhald lives in Karachi, the largest city in the Muslim-majority nation, where he runs a Jewish kosher certification business for food manufacturers exporting products to destinations worldwide. He disclosed the rare bilateral trade via Twitter on Tuesday.    The businessman posted a video clip of his items, including dates, dry fruit and spices, on display in a Jerusalem market. The clip has since garnered more than 640,000 views.   "I was not expecting it to be taken that big of a deal," BenKhald said in written comments to VOA, adding that this was not the first export of Pakistani products to Israel.     "The Israeli government and buyers have no problem accepting the direct shipment from Pakistan,” he said, adding that Israel does not have a problem sending payments to Pakistani banks.    BenKhald's initiative was mainly praised by his Pakistani Twitter followers, including journalists, politicians and businesspeople, some of whom asked for his advice on how to sell their products to Israel. He attempted to reply to every message.    "Congrats brother, you are doing excellent service that diplomats and politicians couldn't do," wrote Syed Wiqas Shah, a prime-time television news show host.    "Time for both the countries to initiate dialogue and for this citizens-to-citizens contact could play a vital role in bringing both the countries close to each other," wrote Zameer Ahmed Malik. Pakistani officials did not immediately comment on the rare trade.    Islamabad does not have diplomatic ties with Israel and refuses to recognize it as a sovereign state until the state of Palestine is established — a long-running policy of many Muslim-majority countries.    But the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain forged relations with Israel in 2020 under the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords. Sudan and Morocco followed suit.    "Trade exhibits hosted by the UAE helped Pakistani and Israeli businessmen conclude a deal that enabled this week's Pakistani shipment to Israel," the American Jewish Congress noted. "We welcome this small step that can have wider implications for Israeli and Pakistani economies and for the region at large."    Pakistan is an acknowledged nuclear power and Israel is widely understood to have nuclear weapons. The two countries have held secret meetings on security-related issues since their foreign ministers met publicly in 2005. Pakistani Islamic groups and right-wing parties vehemently oppose forging bilateral ties with Israel over the Palestinian issue.     Pakistani citizens are barred from visiting Israel because the country's passport clearly says it is valid for all countries of the world except Israel.    BenKhald was among a group of Pakistanis who undertook a rare trip to Israel last year and visited the Jewish prayer site in Jerusalem known as the Western Wall. The 15-member group of primarily Pakistani Americans, who traveled on their U.S. passports, was organized by an American Muslim women's activist group in collaboration with an Israeli organization promoting ties with Muslim countries.    The visit drew a rebuke from Pakistani opposition politicians warning the government against ending Islamabad's official boycott of Israel. The reaction intensified after Israeli President Isaac Herzog told an audience at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, about his private meeting with the delegation at his Jerusalem residence in early May 2022.     "I must say, this was an amazing experience because we haven't had a group of Pakistani leaders in Israel ever in such scope, and that all stemmed from the Abraham Accords," Herzog said.  ]]> Thu, 30 Mar 2023 21:55:49 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/HHLvFfUM0Xg8-pW-DU-NN6CY3L745TL_ https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/HHLvFfUM0XiUT1Df53ppUKCY3L745TL_ The International Court of Justice is due to rule Thursday in a dispute between Iran and the United States about nearly $2 billion in frozen assets. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2016 that the assets seized by U.S. courts should be turned over to victims of a 1983 bombing at a U.S. Marine Corps barracks in Beirut and other attacks linked to Iran. Iran has denied any involvement in the attacks and says the United States illegally froze the assets, which include $1.75 billion in bonds belonging to Iran’s central bank. The 1983 attack killed 241 U.S. service members. Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.]]> Thu, 30 Mar 2023 12:38:45 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/HHLvFfUM0XiUT1Df53ppUKCY3L745TL_ https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/HHLvFfUM0XiWXjqGKVqnayejEQ2Mq9rY Saudi Arabia has agreed to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization as a "dialogue partner," state media reported Wednesday, the latest indication of closer political ties with China. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization was established in 2001 as a political, economic and security organization to rival Western institutions. Besides China, its eight members include India, Pakistan and Russia, as well as four central Asian countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. The Saudi Cabinet approved the decision at a meeting Tuesday chaired by King Salman, the official Saudi Press Agency reported. The move would grant Riyadh "the status of a dialogue partner in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization," it said. Other countries with either observer or dialogue partner status include Egypt, Iran and Qatar. Riyadh's move to partner with the bloc comes less than three weeks after the unveiling of a landmark China-brokered reconciliation deal with Iran to restore full diplomatic relations that were severed seven years ago. Long bitter rivals, Shiite-majority Iran and mainly Sunni Saudi Arabia have engaged in a series of proxy conflicts in the region, such as the protracted fighting in Yemen. Riyadh has said that while it had engaged in previous rounds of bilateral talks with Tehran, the reconciliation process was jump-started by President Xi Jinping's offer last year to serve as a bridge between the two Middle East heavyweights. Xi's role in the rapprochement raised eyebrows given Saudi Arabia's traditionally close partnership with Washington, though that relationship has been under strain recently because of disputes over human rights and oil production. In Washington, State Department spokesman Vedant Patel played down the impact of Saudi Arabia's move, saying that it was long expected. "Each country has its own relationships," Patel said. Xi, in a phone call on Tuesday with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, King Salman's son and the Persian Gulf nation's de facto ruler, lauded what he called the easing of tensions in the Middle East. In his first comments on the matter to be made public since the Saudi-Iran deal was struck, Xi said the dialogue promoted by China would "play a major role in strengthening regional unity and cooperation."]]> Thu, 30 Mar 2023 00:55:35 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/HHLvFfUM0XiWXjqGKVqnayejEQ2Mq9rY https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/HHLvFfUM0XhaejG7yercL5VjH6qdYdAk United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has appointed his eldest son, Sheikh Khaled, as crown prince of Abu Dhabi, the oil-rich capital of the Persian Gulf state, and named his brothers to top roles, state media said Wednesday. Sheikh Mohammed, who became president and Abu Dhabi ruler last year after running the U.S.-allied OPEC oil producer for years, named his brother Sheikh Mansour as UAE vice president, alongside Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. This appeared to further centralize power in Abu Dhabi, which is the political capital of the UAE federation of seven emirates by virtue of its immense oil wealth. Dubai is the Gulf's business and tourism hub. Sheikh Mohammed appointed his brothers Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan as deputy rulers of Abu Dhabi. Sheikh Tahnoun is also the UAE's national security adviser and controls a sprawling business empire. By appointing prominent brothers to new roles, he kept "some power-sharing balance, but only within [Abu Dhabi's] Al Nahyan clan," Cinzia Bianco, research fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said on Twitter. The choice of Sheikh Khaled as crown prince reflects a trend across most Gulf Arab monarchies toward direct lineage — sons over brothers — for succession, including in Saudi Arabia. Abu Dhabi has held the presidency since the founding of the UAE federation by Sheikh Mohammed's father in 1971. Sheikh Mohammed, known as MbZ, had been grooming his son for positions of authority in security — including intelligence — economy and governance, analysts say. MbZ was de facto ruler for years before assuming power following the death of his brother last May, a time when the UAE's long-standing ties with the United States were strained over perceived U.S. disengagement from the region. He led a realignment of the Middle East when the UAE, with Bahrain, forged ties with Israel in 2020 to create a new anti-Iran axis in the region while still engaging with Tehran to contain tensions with an eye on economic priorities. The UAE has also deepened ties with Russia and China. The country of fewer than 10 million people prides itself on its political and economic stability. It has one of the world's highest per capita income levels and is home to millions of expatriate workers who make up the bulk of the workforce. In a separate decree Wednesday, MbZ named Sheikh Khaled as head of Abu Dhabi's executive council, the latest reshuffle at key entities in the emirate, one of the world's wealthiest state investors. Earlier this month, Sheikh Tahnoun was named chair of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, among the world's largest sovereign wealth funds. Sheikh Mansour was named chairman of Mubadala, Abu Dhabi's second-biggest sovereign wealth fund. ]]> Thu, 30 Mar 2023 00:25:11 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/HHLvFfUM0XhaejG7yercL5VjH6qdYdAk https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/HHLvFfUM0XgI8qsu5-d7QezdsCmHakzH A joint project between Sudanese and Israeli scientists to study the unique resilience of Red Sea coral reefs has stalled due to red tape [bureaucratic delays], according to those involved. The project has been hailed not only for protecting coral reefs but also for normalizing Israel-Sudan relations. Henry Wilkins reports from Port Sudan, Sudan.]]> Wed, 29 Mar 2023 19:15:42 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/HHLvFfUM0XgI8qsu5-d7QezdsCmHakzH https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/HHLvFfUM0XjfXYGaRWKPC-zdsCmHakzH U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to abandon a judicial overhaul proposal that led to massive protests in Israel, prompting the Israeli leader to say he does not make decisions based on pressure from abroad.  Netanyahu on Monday delayed the overhaul proposal after large numbers of people took to the streets in protest. The White House initially said in response that Netanyahu should seek a compromise on the issue.  But Biden went further Tuesday in taking questions from reporters.  "I hope he walks away from it," Biden said, referring to the judicial proposal that would give the Israeli government greater control over appointments to the country's Supreme Court.  Netanyahu quickly issued a statement in response.  "Israel is a sovereign country which makes its decisions by the will of its people and not based on pressures from abroad, including from the best of friends," he said.  Netanyahu said his administration was striving to make reforms "via broad consensus."  "I have known President Biden for over 40 years, and I appreciate his longstanding commitment to Israel," Netanyahu said.  He said the Israel-U.S. alliance is unbreakable "and always overcomes the occasional disagreements between us.  "My administration is committed to strengthening democracy by restoring the proper balance between the three branches of government, which we are striving to achieve via a broad consensus," Netanyahu said.  The plans by Netanyahu’s nationalist religious coalition to hand control over judicial appointments to the executive while giving parliament the power to overturn Supreme Court rulings ignited one of the biggest internal crises in Israeli history.  Late Monday, Netanyahu announced his decision to suspend the plans until parliament returns after the break for the Passover holiday and Independence Day next month. Netanyahu said the crisis required all sides to act responsibly.  "Israeli society is on a dangerous collision course. We are in the midst of a crisis that is endangering the basic unity between us," he said in a prime-time television address.  As he made the address, huge crowds had gathered in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, including a large counterdemonstration by right-wing supporters of the overhaul. Their presence prompted fears of possible violence between the two sides, but the evening passed with no reports of major violence.  While Netanyahu and his supporters say the plans would ensure a proper balance between the elected government and the judiciary and would not endanger individual and minority rights, they have drawn sustained and furious opposition. ]]> Wed, 29 Mar 2023 01:56:47 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/HHLvFfUM0XjfXYGaRWKPC-zdsCmHakzH https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/HHLvFfUM0XjfXYGaRWKPC11cWWor9YPv The U.N. secretary-general urged the international community on Tuesday to create an international body that would assist families of the estimated 100,000 missing persons in Syria to find out the fate and whereabouts of their loved ones. "The Syrian people deserve a measure of hope for the future," Antonio Guterres told the General Assembly. "They deserve peace and security, and they deserve to know the truth about the fate of their loved ones." He said the international community has a moral obligation to help ease the plight of Syrians, who have suffered through 12 years of civil war and now the added devastation of the recent earthquake. "People in every part of the country and across all divides have loved ones who are missing, including family members who were forcibly disappeared, abducted, tortured and arbitrarily detained," he said, noting the majority are men. The term "missing persons" includes Syrians and foreigners; those who have disappeared on their journeys as refugees; and people detained, abducted or kidnapped by all parties to the conflict, including pro-government forces, opposition armed groups and terrorists. Hope, dignity, justice The secretary-general said the new entity must be independent, impartial and transparent, and focus on the needs and rights of victims, survivors and their families. He called for cooperation from the Syrian government and all parties to the conflict. "Let us heed their demands for truth," Guterres said of the victims and their families. "Let us restore a measure of hope, dignity and justice to the Syrian people." Searching for missing relatives is very difficult. The U.N. said in a report that Syrian families do not have meaningful access to official facilities where people are detained or to intelligence and unofficial or secret detention sites, where most detention-related disappearances occur, especially enforced disappearances, as documented by the U.N.'s Commission of Inquiry on Syria. They may be asked to pay bribes or are extorted. Women are especially at risk. Often left as sole breadwinners, they are also often the ones doing the searching for male relatives, exposing them to danger and exploitation. In December 2021, the General Assembly adopted a resolution calling on Guterres to conduct a study in conjunction with the U.N. Human Rights Office on how to improve efforts, including through existing ones, to clarify the fate and whereabouts of missing people in Syria, identify human remains and provide support to their families. "The continuing absence of many tens of thousands of people, from small children to elderly men and women, cries out for strong action," U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk told the meeting. He said the new institution should not replicate services provided by existing organizations, including the International Committee of the Red Cross, the International Commission on Missing Persons, or several Syrian associations, and must work cooperatively with them. The new body should also be guided by the presumption that the missing person is alive and in urgent need of help. Türk said funding and a timeline for creation of the international body would be determined in consultation with member states. "In terms of structure, I suggest two main sections: one focused on search, and the second focused on victim support and participation," he said. "Search work would include prioritizing cases and consolidating existing claims and data into a searchable database." The human rights chief said it is impossible to know with certainty how many people have been disappeared in Syria, underscoring that it could be "far more" than the 100,000 estimate. Families 'devastated' "What is certain is that families on every side of this conflict have been devastated," Türk said. "Families on every side of this conflict want to know what has happened to their loved ones. I stand here before you to amplify their voices." He stressed that a new body would not be an accountability mechanism but strictly humanitarian in nature. More than 90 missing-persons groups from around the world have expressed support for a new international body to assist families of missing Syrians. The reaction in the General Assembly was mixed. The European Union and several Western countries, including the United States and Canada, expressed strong support. Some countries with poor human rights records questioned the need for, as Russia's delegate put it, "another pointless mechanism of a political nature." Syria's envoy did not address the meeting. But in the Security Council last week, Ambassador Bassam Sabbagh said Damascus has worked for the past decade to locate those who have gone missing at the hands of terrorists or were killed in airstrikes by international forces. But he mentioned nothing of the tens of thousands of Syrians whom activists say the regime has forcibly disappeared. A General Assembly vote on creating the institution is expected in the coming weeks.]]> Wed, 29 Mar 2023 01:48:08 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/HHLvFfUM0XjfXYGaRWKPC11cWWor9YPv https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/HHLvFfUM0XiT3TqPymKhBOT5HJgy6HUf The United States on Tuesday imposed new sanctions against six people, including two cousins of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, for their role in the production or export of captagon, a dangerous amphetamine, a Treasury Department statement said.  It said the trade in captagon was estimated to be a billion-dollar enterprise and that the sanctions highlighted the role of Lebanese drug traffickers and the Assad family dominance of captagon trafficking, which helped fund the Syrian government.  "Syria has become a global leader in the production of highly addictive captagon, much of which is trafficked through Lebanon," said Andrea Gacki, director of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control.  "With our allies, we will hold accountable those who support Bashar al-Assad’s regime with illicit drug revenue and other financial means that enable the regime’s continued repression of the Syrian people," she said.   Assad's government denies involvement in drugmaking and smuggling and says it is stepping up its campaign to curb the lucrative trade.  Among those hit with sanctions were Samer Kamal al-Assad, a cousin of the Syrian president who the Treasury said oversees key captagon production facilities in Latakia, Syria; and Wassim Badi al-Assad, another cousin whom the Treasury accused of supporting the Syrian military and of having been a key figure in the regional drug trafficking network.  Also sanctioned were Khalid Qaddour, who the Treasury said was a Syrian businessman and close associate of Bashar al-Assad's brother, the head of the army's Fourth Division. A former commander of the rebel Free Syrian Army was also sanctioned.  The Treasury further targeted Lebanese affiliates, some with ties to Lebanon's heavily armed Hezbollah group, a close ally of Assad in his more than decade-old conflict with opposition and rebel forces.  Among them were Noah Zaitar and Hassan Daqqou. Zaitar faces dozens of arrest warrants in Lebanon but remains on the loose, according to a security source.   Zaitar put out a written statement saying he was "not surprised" by the sanctions and that he considered them a "badge of honor." He criticized U.S. authorities for their "lies and defamation" but did not directly deny the allegations.   Hassan Daqqou was sentenced in 2021 to seven years in prison in Lebanon on charges of captagon trafficking, according to the same security source.   Tuesday's action froze any U.S. assets of those targeted and generally barred Americans from dealing with them. Those that engage in certain transactions with them also risk being hit with sanctions.  Regional officials say the Iranian-backed Hezbollah as well as Syrian armed groups linked to the Damascus government are behind the surging trade of captagon, smuggled either through Jordan to the south or Lebanon to the west.   Hezbollah denies the accusations.   There is a thriving market for captagon in the Persian Gulf, and U.N. and Western anti-narcotics officials say Syria, shattered by a decade of civil war, has become the region's main production site for a multibillion-dollar drug trade that also exports to Europe. ]]> Wed, 29 Mar 2023 00:58:16 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/HHLvFfUM0XiT3TqPymKhBOT5HJgy6HUf https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/HHLvFfUM0XgRyNvx2Vi2ESejEQ2Mq9rY Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced he was delaying controversial judicial overhaul legislation that brought tens of thousands of protesting Israelis out on the streets and temporarily shut down the country with a general workers strike. Key among the demonstrators were Israeli army reservists who said they would not report for duty if the legislation was passed. Linda Gradstein reports for VOA from Jerusalem. Camera: Ricki Rosen]]> Tue, 28 Mar 2023 21:02:27 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/HHLvFfUM0XgRyNvx2Vi2ESejEQ2Mq9rY https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/HHLvFfUM0XjlajeQZ0CtEnn9ye8UNv30 The global response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine should act as a blueprint for addressing mass human rights violations, according to an annual report released by Amnesty International on Tuesday. But the group accuses the West of ignoring other crises, as Henry Ridgwell reports from London.]]> Tue, 28 Mar 2023 20:42:48 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/HHLvFfUM0XjlajeQZ0CtEnn9ye8UNv30 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/HHLvFfUM0Xi1DhrvXcQrvyejEQ2Mq9rY Iraqi lawmakers passed early Monday controversial amendments to the country's election law that could undermine the chances for smaller parties and independent candidates to win seats in future polls.  The amendments increase the size of electoral districts, a move widely backed by the Coordination Framework, a coalition of Iran-backed parties. The coalition forms the majority bloc in the current parliament, which brought Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to power last year.  The bill passed in a 206-12 vote in the 329-seat assembly, according to media reports. The remaining lawmakers were absent from the hourslong session, which started on Sunday night.  The amendments also reverse key articles passed ahead of the 2021 federal election and redraw the electoral maps to have Iraq return to one electoral district per each governorate.  Several Iraqi political blocs and independent parliamentarians had rejected the amendments and stalled the vote for weeks. Hundreds of protesters gathered over the past weeks to voice their opposition.  Independent lawmakers who objected to the law walked out of a previous session, causing it to be postponed due to a lack of quorum. They attempted to stall the vote again overnight by protesting and disturbing the count, before Iraqi security forces escorted them out of the assembly hall.  On Saturday, hundreds protested in Baghdad against the new amendments, while some protesters in other parts of Iraq blocked roads with burning tires.  "These amendments will only fortify the rulers in power and their corruption, and exclude independent and new political groups," one of the protesters, Mohamed Al-Daami, told The Associated Press. He described the amendments as "unjust."  Iraq's previous election law was adopted following mass anti-government protests in 2019. That legislation gave independent candidates and grassroots movements a better chance at winning seats. Its drafting and the subsequent 2021 elections involved technical assistance from the United Nations. The vote was lauded as a "substantial achievement" by Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, the U.N. special representative to Iraq.  The outcome of that election shocked the Coordination Framework, which lost seats while its chief political rival, firebrand Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, was declared the clear victor.  Al-Sadr's political bloc gained 74 seats in the 2021 polls, while the Fatah Coalition, made up of Iran-backed parties, lost nearly half of its votes and more than two-thirds of its seats, compared to the 2018 polls.  Despite emerging as the clear winner in the election, al-Sadr did not win a parliamentary majority needed to form the government. An alliance with Sunni and Kurdish parties fell apart after the cleric, frustrated by months of political impasse, ordered his lawmakers to resign in a sudden move that many observers said was a miscalculation.  The move allowed his political rivals in the Coordination Framework to amass the needed parliamentary majority to form the government and name al-Sudani as prime minister. Amending the electoral law and reversing the articles that effectively disempowered the ruling coalition from the vote emerged as a priority for the new government.  Iraq's provincial elections are slated for November 6, the country's first local vote in a decade. Independent candidates fear the elections under the new law will empower ruling parties, which they accuse of rampant corruption.  The Iraqi government hast not yet scheduled the country's next general elections. ]]> Tue, 28 Mar 2023 05:48:36 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/HHLvFfUM0Xi1DhrvXcQrvyejEQ2Mq9rY https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/HHLvFfUM0XihSoKsMyNjvV1cWWor9YPv Lebanon's caretaker prime minister reversed an unpopular decision made by his office to delay the start of daylight saving time by a month, saying Monday the Cabinet decided to implement the change in two days.  Najib Mikati's comments came after the government's initial decision earlier this month was widely criticized around the country with many, including the country's largest church, saying they will not abide by the decision.  "The new daylight saving time will start at midnight Wednesday," Mikati said after a Cabinet meeting that only discussed the issue.  With some institutions implementing the change while others refused, many Lebanese found themselves in the position of juggling work and school schedules in different time zones — in a country that is just 88 kilometers (55 miles) at its widest point.  Last week, the government said it will delay the start of daylight saving time by a month until the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. That led to mass confusion in a country already experiencing the worst economic and financial crisis in its modern history.  In some cases, the debate took on a sectarian nature, with many Christian politicians and institutions, including the small nation's largest church, the Maronite Church, rejecting the move.  The small Mediterranean country normally sets its clocks forward an hour on the last Sunday in March, which aligns with most European countries. However, on Thursday, the government announced a decision by Mikati to push the start of daylight saving to April 21. ]]> Tue, 28 Mar 2023 05:39:44 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/HHLvFfUM0XihSoKsMyNjvV1cWWor9YPv https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/HHLvFfUM0XhCjiyM2x2-zpVjH6qdYdAk The United States will not back away from its nearly eight-year deployment to Syria, where it is battling the remnants of Islamic State, despite attacks on U.S. forces there last week by an Iran-backed militia, the White House said on Monday.  A one-way attack drone struck a U.S. base in Syria on March 23, killing an American contractor, injuring another and wounding five U.S. troops.  That triggered U.S. retaliatory air strikes and exchanges of fire that a Syrian war monitoring group said killed three Syrian troops, 11 Syrian fighters in pro-government militias and five non-Syrian fighters who were aligned with the government.  White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said he was not aware of any additional attacks over the past 36 hours but cautioned, "We're going to stay vigilant."  Kirby also referred to President Joe Biden's remarks on Friday, in which Biden warned Iran that the United States would act forcefully to protect Americans.  "There's been no change in the U.S. footprint in Syria as a result of what happened the last few days," Kirby said, adding the mission against Islamic State would continue.  "We're not going to be deterred ... by these attacks from these militant groups."  Syria's Foreign Ministry on Sunday condemned U.S. strikes, saying Washington had lied about what was targeted and pledging to "end the American occupation" of its territory.  Iran's Foreign Ministry also condemned the strikes, accusing U.S. forces of targeting "civilian sites."  U.S. forces first deployed into Syria during the Obama administration's campaign against Islamic State, partnering with a Kurdish-led group called the Syrian Democratic Forces. There are about 900 U.S. troops in Syria, most of them in the east.  Prior to the latest spate of attacks, U.S. troops in Syria had been attacked by Iranian-backed groups about 78 times since the beginning of 2021, according to the U.S. military.  Iran has been a major backer of Syrian President Bashar Assad during Syria's 12-year conflict.  Iran's proxy militias, including the Lebanese group Hezbollah and pro-Tehran Iraqi groups, hold sway in swathes of eastern, southern and northern Syria and in suburbs around the capital, Damascus. ]]> Tue, 28 Mar 2023 05:09:04 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/HHLvFfUM0XhCjiyM2x2-zpVjH6qdYdAk https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/HHLvFfUM0Xinp1Qko9QfkSejEQ2Mq9rY Saudi Arabia's state-owned oil giant Aramco will invest billions of dollars in China's downstream petrochemicals industry, including the construction of a new refinery, the company said in deals announced Sunday and Monday. The announcements came as the company posted a record profit of more than $160 billion in 2022 and as Saudi Arabia, a longtime U.S. ally, has developed closer ties with Beijing in recent years. Aramco will acquire a 10% interest in China's Rongsheng Petrochemical Co. Ltd., a purchase valued at $3.6 billion. Under a long-term sales agreement, Aramco will supply 480,000 barrels per day to Rongsheng affiliate Zhejiang Petroleum and Chemical Co. Ltd., which owns and operates China's largest refining and chemicals complex. "This announcement demonstrates Aramco's long-term commitment to China and belief in the fundamentals of the Chinese petrochemicals sector," Aramco Executive Vice President Mohammed Al Qahtani said in a statement. "It also promises to secure a reliable supply of essential crude to one of China's most important refiners." On Sunday, Aramco announced plans to construct a new refinery and petrochemical complex in northeastern China through a joint venture. Aramco, which holds a 30% stake in the Huajin Aramco Petrochemical Company, would supply 210,000 barrels per day of crude to the complex. Saudi Arabia has cultivated closer ties with both Russia and China in recent years. Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to restore diplomatic ties for the first time since 2016 in a deal brokered by Beijing even as Riyadh announced a massive contract to buy commercial planes from U.S. manufacturer Boeing.]]> Tue, 28 Mar 2023 04:38:03 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/HHLvFfUM0Xinp1Qko9QfkSejEQ2Mq9rY https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/HHLvFfUM0XjCR9JyuR3B4eT5HJgy6HUf Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Monday called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to abandon plans to overhaul the country’s judiciary.  Herzog tweeted that Israel’s security, economy and society were all threatened, and that for the sake of unity he was calling on the government to “stop the legislative process immediately.”  He urged lawmakers from both the ruling coalition and opposition parties to put Israeli citizens above all else, saying this is a moment for leadership and responsibility.  Herzog’s comments came hours after tens of thousands of protesters gathered in areas across the country to voice opposition to Netanyahu’s decision to fire his defense minister.  The minister, Yoav Galant, had expressed his opposition to the government’s judicial reform plans, which include giving the executive control over appointing Supreme Court justices and allowing the government to override court rulings with a simple majority.  Galant warned in a televised statement Saturday that the divide over the issues is “seeping into the military and security agencies,” representing a security threat for the country.  U.S. National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson expressed concern about the situation in a statement Sunday, saying the developments in Israel show the “urgent need for compromise.”  “Democratic societies are strengthened by checks and balances, and fundamental changes to a democratic system should be pursued with the broadest possible base of popular support,” Watson said.  “We continue to strongly urge Israeli leaders to find a compromise as soon as possible.  We believe that is the best path forward for Israel and all of its citizens.”  Some information for this story came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters. ]]> Mon, 27 Mar 2023 10:32:43 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/HHLvFfUM0XjCR9JyuR3B4eT5HJgy6HUf https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/HHLvFfUM0Xj5E_LxiPGq7ylmFkX7M1Jw Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amirabdollahian, have agreed to meet during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the Saudi state news agency SPA said early on Monday.  Both ministers spoke by phone for the second time in a few days, SPA said.  "During the call, a number of common issues were discussed in light of the tripartite agreement that was signed in the People's Republic of China. The two ministers also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting between them during the ongoing month of Ramadan," SPA said.  Earlier this month, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to revive relations after years of hostility that had threatened stability and security in the Gulf and helped fuel conflicts in the Middle East from Yemen to Syria. ]]> Mon, 27 Mar 2023 02:52:12 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/HHLvFfUM0Xj5E_LxiPGq7ylmFkX7M1Jw https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/HHLvFfUM0XgKwOwdcSWORilmFkX7M1Jw Tehran has condemned U.S. airstrikes on Iran-linked forces in Syria that reportedly killed 19 people, which Washington said it carried out following a deadly drone attack on U.S. forces. The Iranian foreign ministry late Saturday condemned "the belligerent and terrorist attack of the American army on civilian targets" in the eastern Syrian region of Deir el-Zour. Washington said it launched the retaliatory raids after a U.S. contractor was killed — and another contractor and five military personnel were wounded — by a drone "of Iranian origin" that struck a U.S.-led coalition base in Syria Thursday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor has said at least 19 people, most of them Syrian, were killed in the following U.S. strikes launched early Friday morning. The U.S. strikes triggered further rocket attacks by Iran-backed militias, the Observatory said. The Syrian government, which is closely allied with Iran, has accused the United States of lying about the targets of its airstrikes to justify its "act of aggression." The United States has about 900 troops in posts across northeastern Syria to keep pressure on the remnants of the Islamic State group and support the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, which control most of the northeast. U.S. personnel in Syria have frequently been targeted in attacks by militia groups that Washington says are backed by Tehran. Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said the U.S. troops' presence was "illegal" and a "violation of international law and the national sovereignty" of Syria. In contrast, Kanani said Iranian forces were in Syria at the behest of Damascus. "The military advisers of the Islamic Republic of Iran are present in Syria at the request of the Syrian government," he said, adding that they will continue to support Damascus to "help establish peace, stability and lasting security."]]> Sun, 26 Mar 2023 22:55:23 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/HHLvFfUM0XgKwOwdcSWORilmFkX7M1Jw