Al-Araby

41 migrants missing after new Mediterranean shipwreck

Forty-one migrants including three children are feared dead after being shipwrecked last week in the Mediterranean, UN agencies said, citing four survivors brought to the Italian island of Lampedusa on Wednesday. Their metal boat overturned in bad weather during the night of Thursday to Friday after setting off from the Tunisian port of Sfax, said a joint statement from the UN agencies for refugees, children and migration. The survivors – a 13-year-old boy on his own, a woman and two men – drifted for days before being rescued by a merchant ship on Tuesday, they said. They were finally brought...

Pope Francis urges Russia to return to Ukraine grain deal

Pope Francis on Sunday called on Russia to return to the agreement that had allowed the safe passage of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea to world markets. The Ukraine grain deal was agreed last year and allowed around 33 million tonnes of grain to leave Ukrainian ports, helping to stabilise global food prices and avert shortages. "I am calling on my brothers, the authorities in the Russian Federation, to re-establish the Black Sea initiative so that the wheat could be safely transported", Francis said during his weekly Angelus prayer. "We are constantly praying for martyred Ukraine, where...

France stands behind detained Niger leader, rejects Tchiani

France does not recognise the leaders of the putsch who claim to have seized power in Niger and considers detained President Mohamed Bazoum the country's sole leader, the French foreign ministry said Friday. Bazoum, "democratically elected by the people of Niger, is the only president of the Republic of Niger", it said in a statement. "France does not recognise the authorities resulting from the putsch led by General Abdourahamane Tchiani." It added that France "reaffirmed in the strongest terms the clear demands of the international community calling for the immediate restoration of constitut...

Israelis back on streets to protest judicial overhaul vote

Thousands of Israelis returned to the streets of Tel Aviv late Thursday to protest against parliament's approval of a key component in the hard-right government's controversial judicial reform package. On Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his coalition allies pushed through a bill in the chamber, which opponents say opens the way to more authoritarian government. The bill limits the "reasonableness" clause used by the Supreme Court to overturn government decisions which the judges deem unconstitutional. Waving Israeli flags and chanting "Democracy, Democracy!" protesters rallied on...

Paris 2024 Olympics head into final year of preparations

The buildup to the Paris Olympics entered its final year on Wednesday as International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said the preparations were well on track. Having sailed down the River Seine on Tuesday to get a taste of the spectacular opening ceremony on July 26, 2024, Bach formally invited 203 countries to take part in the Summer Games. The list does not include Russia and Belarus, its ally in the invasion of Ukraine. The IOC has however left the door open for Russian and Belarusian athletes to take part as neutrals in Paris without their teams competing. Their participation cou...

Group of Republican senators accuse Biden of Israeli boycott

A group of Republican senators are accusing US President Joe Biden of engaging in "an antisemitic boycott of Israel" following moves to end US support for science and technology collaboration with Israeli institutions in the occupied territories, according to a report by Jewish Insider. The 14 Republican senators are getting ready to send a letter, seen by Jewish Insider, to Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, warning that they will block confirmations if the Biden administration doesn't change its policy. "We... write to emphasize that any effort to deepen American policies that disc...

France deploys 45,000 police to quell 'unacceptable' riots

France on Friday deployed 45,000 officers backed by light armoured vehicles to tackle a fourth straight night of violent protests after the fatal police shooting of a teenager. Crack police units and other security forces fanned out across the country to quell violence over the shooting, which took place during a traffic stop in a Paris suburb on Tuesday. Despite the security presence, looting took place on Friday night in the cities of Lyon, Marseille and Grenoble with bands of often hooded rioters pillaging shops. Protesters also set fire to cars and trash bins. There was daylight looting Fr...

New 6.3 magnitude earthquake hits Turkey-Syria border region

An earthquake, with a magnitude 6.3 at a depth of two km (1.2 miles), struck the Turkey-Syria border region on Monday, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said. Two Reuters witnesses reported a strong quake and further damage to buildings in central Antakya which was hit by two massive earthquakes two weeks ago, causing tens of thousands of deaths and destroying buildings and infrastructure. Other witnesses said Turkish rescue teams were running around after the latest quake, checking people were unharmed. Muna Al Omar, a resident, said she was in a tent in a park in central...

United States urges citizens to leave Russia 'immediately'

The United States has told its citizens to leave Russia immediately due to the war in Ukraine and the risk of arbitrary arrest or harassment by Russian law enforcement agencies. "US citizens residing or travelling in Russia should depart immediately," the US embassy in Moscow said. "Exercise increased caution due to the risk of wrongful detentions." "Do not travel to Russia," it added. US Embassy in Moscow calls on US citizens to leave russia immediately. “Do not travel to russia due to the unpredictable consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. US citizens who live or travel in russia ...

At least 12 dead in anti-govt. protests near Peru airport

At least twelve people died following clashes near Juliaca airport in southern Peru, the ombudsman's office said on Monday, after the resumption of protests demanding early elections and the release of jailed former President Pedro Castillo. El aeropuerto de Juliaca tomado, Puno esta simplemente ardiendo, la culpa de esto es de Pedro Castillo, Anibal Torres y Betssy Chavez nunca se olviden #TerrorismoNuncaMas <#IzquierdaMiserableYTerrorista pic.twitter.com/H1K9GIqMes — Politólogo de Miercoles (@PoliticoDeMier) ¡Antentos... No es Rusia bombardeando Ucrania, por tanto es casi seguro que no lo ve...

Two Israeli teens arrested over Christian cemetery vandalism

Two teenagers suspected of desecrating dozens of Christian graves at a Jerusalem cemetery have been arrested, Israeli police said Friday. Toppled crosses and damaged graves were discovered earlier this week at the Protestant cemetery on Mount Zion, where Christians believe Jesus's Last Supper took place. The area is adjacent to Jerusalem's Old City. Officers on Thursday evening "arrested two suspects, residents of central (Israel) aged 18 and 14", a police statement said. The pair were set to appear in court on Friday, the statement added. Security camera footage published online by local media ...

US-seized Russian superyacht Amadea arrives in Hawaii

A Russian-owned superyacht seized by the United States arrived in Honolulu Harbor on Thursday flying an American flag. The US last week won a legal battle in Fiji to take the $325-million vessel and immediately sailed it to Hawaii. The FBI has linked the Amadea to the Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov. The US said Kerimov secretly bought the Cayman Island-flagged vessel last year through various shell companies. The ship became a target of Task Force KleptoCapture, launched in March to seize the assets of Russian oligarchs to put pressure on Russia to end the war in Ukraine. The FBI said a sea...

Canada: 4 dead, no power in about 900,000 homes after storms

Four people are dead and nearly 900,000 homes without power after severe storms pummeled the eastern Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec, authorities said on Saturday. Ontario police said on Twitter that three people had died and several more were injured due to a strong summer thunderstorm. One man was killed when a tree fell on the trailer he was staying in. A woman in her seventies was also crushed by a tree while walking in the storm. In the federal capital of Ottawa, another person was killed by the storm, but local police declined to give further details. The fourth victim was a wom...

World Bank approves $90 million in Covid aid for Iran

The World Bank has approved $90 million in additional financing for Iran, to help fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, a spokesperson said Friday. The Washington-based development lender's board of directors approved the aid on 21 December, a World Bank spokesperson said, which "will be utilised only for procuring additional lifesaving, essential medical equipment to strengthen Iran's pandemic response." "This funding will not go to the Iranian budget and all loan proceeds, as well as procurement and disbursements, are being managed by the World Health Organisation," the spokesperson said. The...

Tunisian teenager wins surprise Olympic swimming gold

Nobody was watching Ahmed Hafnaoui in lane eight of the Olympic pool. All eyes were on the Tunisian teenager at the finish. Hafnaoui was the stunning winner of the 400-meter freestyle at the Tokyo Games on Sunday, beating a field of faster and older swimmers. The 18-year-old finished in 3 minutes, 43.26 seconds, punctuating his victory with loud yelling that echoed in the mostly empty 15,000-seat arena. “I believe when I touched the wall and I saw myself first,” he said. "I was so surprised.” Australia’s Jack McLoughlin earned silver and American Kieran Smith took bronze. The top three were se...