Iraq’s parliament swore in dozens of new lawmakers on Thursday to replace a bloc loyal to the powerful Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, strengthening the power of rival Iran-backed politicians in the assembly. The bloc of 73 Sadrist parliamentarians resign…
Najib Mikati secures enough votes to be Lebanon’s new PM
Najib Mikati, the billionaire businessman from Tripoli and current outgoing Prime Minister, secured enough votes to become Lebanon’s new PM-designate on Thursday – the fourth time he would head a government. Mikati received at least 50 of votes from Le…
Muslim Labour MP signed off sick after ‘misogynistic abuse’
A British Muslim Labour MP said Wednesday that she had been signed off sick after being subjected to a “sustained campaign of misogynistic abuse and harassment”. Apsana Begum, MP for the Poplar and Limehouse constituency in east London, said she was si…
Palestine in Western media: We are not numbers
This article is part of The New Arab’s States of Journalism series, a sustained exploration of freedom, repression, and accountability in MENA and global media landscapes. Read more of the series’ articles here. It is jarring to me, and to every Palest…
Iran Revolutionary Guards say intelligence chief replaced
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on Thursday replaced its intelligence chief Hossein Taeb, who had held the position for more than 12 years, the Guards said in a statement. “The Guards’ chief Major General Hossein Salami appointed General Moham…
Palestine and South Africa: United by their differences
Sixty-three years ago this week, a group of South African exiles and their supporters gathered in London to call for the boycott of several South African imports into Britain. The gathering would launch the Anti-Apartheid Movement, a British organisati…
Russia FM in Iran for talks on boosting cooperation
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Iran on Wednesday for talks on boosting trade and energy cooperation as the two countries grapple with Western economic sanctions. Tehran and Moscow both have huge oil and gas reserves but are constrain…
UN says Turkey likely best to send rescue teams to Afghanistan
The United Nations does not have search and rescue capabilities in Afghanistan and Turkey is “best positioned” to provide it following a deadly earthquake in Afghanistan on Wednesday, a senior UN aid official said. “We spoke about it with the embassy o…
African Union denounces ‘dishonest’ Sudan talks
The African Union has said it will not be party to talks that exclude significant actors in an effort to get Sudan’s transition back on track after last year’s military coup. Sudan’s main civilian players have so far boycotted talks with military leade…
Libya’s Bashagha says he supports removal of foreign fighters
Libya’s parliament-appointed Prime Minister Fathi Bashagha said on Wednesday his government supported removing all foreign forces and mercenaries from Libya, guided by a committee set up to safeguard a ceasefire after the 2014-2020 conflict. In an inte…