Western Asia

Autopsy shows head blows in death of Abbas critic as UN seeks probe

Palestinian parliamentary candidate Nizar Banat was severely beaten in custody, causing his death, his relatives allege. Banat had accused Palestinian leadership of corruption and had condemned a short-lived Covid-19 vaccine exchange with Israel.

Comrades and pen pals: How Syria and North Korea back each other

Dek: North Korean leader’s most frequent pen pal has been Syria’s Bashar al Assad in the first half of 2021. Here's why

Oman calls on Israel to create independent Palestinian state

The country's foreign minister Badr al Busaidi who has been long acting as a mediator in the region spoke by phone to his Israeli counterpart Yair Lapid.

HRW says UAE detaining and deporting Pakistani Shias

The New York-based campaign group had previously said that hundreds of activists, academics and lawyers are serving lengthy sentences in UAE jails, often following unfair trials on vague and broad charges.

Turkey not sending more troops to Afghanistan for Kabul airport security

Turkey has offered to guard and run Hamid Karzai airport after NATO's withdrawal and a US delegation is expected to travel to Turkey to discuss Kabul airport's security on Thursday, Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar says.

Lebanon faces more blackouts as generators run low on fuel

Power crisis is so acute that lights went out in a building belonging to Foreign Ministry, forcing employees to stop work, local media say.

Poll shows many Democrats want more US support for Palestinians

New poll on American attitudes towards Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands and recent war in besieged Gaza finds liberal Democrats wanting more support for Palestinians and conservative Republicans seeking even greater support for Israelis.

Why does Israel refuse to return the bodies of slain Palestinians?

Bodies of slain Palestinians killed by Israeli security forces kept in Israeli graves are identified by numbers and Human Rights Watch says they’re being used as “bargaining chips”.

A self-imposed exile from many countries stops by at the Pera Museum

Etel Adnan, the daughter of a Turkish officer and an Ottoman Greek mother, born in Lebanon with roots in Turkey, France and the US, has a colourful and thorough retrospective at Istanbul’s Pera Museum, called ‘Impossible Homecoming.’

Battle for Yemen's Marib flares up as 90 fighters killed in two days

The Houthis have been attempting since February to capture oil-rich Marib to consolidate their control over the northern part of war-torn Yemen.

Istanbul embraces the ‘new normal’ with a jazz festival

The 28th Istanbul Jazz Festival is coming our way in September with a fantastic lineup, great outdoor venues, and numerous free park concerts.

Turkey pumps oxygen into Marmara to aid marine life under sea snot

Five devices will release oxygen into the sea-snot covered Marmara to help marine life impacted by the mucilage off the coasts of Istanbul and northwestern Kocaeli province.