Taliban supreme leader Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada said Wednesday that Afghan soil will not be used to launch attacks against other countries, and he asked the international community to not interfere in Afghanistan’s internal affairs. The Taliban sa…
How coffee can become Yemen’s political mediation tool
Coffee could be a unifying force in Yemen and act as an important mediation tool which brings people from separate parts of the political divide together, a leading Yemeni coffee exporter believes. Faris Sheibani the CEO of London-based Qima Coffee poi…
UK PM Johnson faces parliamentary inquisition
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson faces two high-stakes encounters in parliament on Wednesday after his government was rocked by the shock departures of two senior ministers. Rishi Sunak resigned as finance minister and Sajid Javid as health secretary on…
Russian gas flows to Europe via Nord Stream lift
Flows of Russian gas to Europe via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline returned to levels seen in recent weeks on Wednesday, after a dip lower a day earlier, while eastbound flows via the Yamal remain at zero, operator data showed. Physical flows to Germany thr…
Iraqis Muslims divided on when to celebrate Eid Al-Adha
Shias and Sunnis in Iraq are not on the same page as per identifying the dates of the Muslim’s two holy feasts in the year, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. The Diwan of Sunni Endowments has identified 30 June as the first day of Zul Hijjah month and 9 Jun…
Turkish police teargas Pride march in Ankara, detain 36
Turkish police used teargas and pepper spray to halt an LGBTQ+ Pride march in the capital Ankara on Tuesday, detaining at least 36 people after authorities banned such marches in cities across the country for security reasons. Reuters journalists saw p…
Tunisian judge freezes bank accounts of former parliament speaker, ex-PM
A Tunisian judge has ordered a freeze on the financial assets of the former speaker of the country’s dissolved parliament, Rached Ghannouchi, former prime minister Hamadi Jebali and several other people, an official told Reuters on Tuesday. He added th…
Algeria to re-open land border with Tunisia: president
Algeria said Tuesday it would reopen its land border with Tunisia later this month, more than two years after it was shut at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. “We have taken the joint decision to reopen the land border from July 15,” said Preside…
Turkey to ‘intensify’ negotiations for Ukraine grain deal
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday he intends to “intensify” negotiations with Russia and Ukraine in the hope of reaching a deal on a UN plan to export Ukrainian grain to world markets. Erdogan made the comments during a joint news con…
UK health, finance ministers resign in protest at Johnson
Britain’s finance and health ministers resigned on Tuesday, plunging Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government into crisis. Health Secretary Sajid Javid said he had lost confidence in Johnson’s ability to govern in the national interest after a series …