Category: Middle East

Turkey Condemns Sweden Protests, Cancels Ministers’ Meeting

STOCKHOLM—Turkey on Saturday canceled a planned visit by Sweden’s defense minister in response to anti-Turkish protests that increased tension between the two countries as Sweden seeks Turkey’s approval to join NATO. An activist from Denmark received permission from police to stage a protest outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm where he burned the Quran. A…


Europe, Israel Say No Signs Updated Pfizer Shot Linked to Stroke

Authorities in Europe and Israel say they have not identified a safety signal for stroke related to Pfizer’s updated COVID-19 vaccine. “As to your question on stroke, EMA can confirm that to date no such signal has been identified in the EU,” a spokesperson for the European Medicines Agency (EMA) told The Epoch Times via…


‘Muted’ UK Reaction to Iran Executing Akbari Is Symptomatic of Failed Policy of ‘Appeasement’: Experts

The British government’s failure to add Iran’s Revolutionary Guards to the list of proscribed terrorist organisations following the executing of a British national, Alireza Akbari, at the weekend is another example of the “weakness” of the government’s policy of “appeasement,” according to an expert on Iran. On Monday, British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly told Parliament…


Freezing Temperatures Kill 78 People in Afghanistan

KABUL—At least 78 people have died of cold in Afghanistan during the country’s worst winter in more than a decade, authorities said on Thursday. Deaths from the cold have been recorded in eight of the country’s 34 Provinces, officials said. The coldest winter in 15 years, which has seen temperatures dip as low as -34…


Saudi Arabia Considers Global Trade in Non-Dollar Currencies

Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest crude oil exporter, is considering trading in currencies other than the U.S. dollar, a kingdom official revealed. Mohammed Al-Jadaan, a Saudi minister of finance, told Bloomberg TV in Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday that officials are open to potentially utilizing other currencies as the energy juggernaut bolsters relations with its strategic…


Journalists in Exile: The Weight of Truth-Telling, From the Middle East

The number of journalists imprisoned worldwide hit a new record in 2022, with China leading the pack, continuing its crackdown on Hong Kong. Less well known: the situation in Turkey for the free press is devastating. According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Turkey is now the biggest jailor of reporters in the world. Many say…


Gunmen Assassinate Female Former Afghan Lawmaker

ISLAMABAD—Taliban authorities in Afghanistan said Sunday unknown assailants shot dead a female former lawmaker alongside her bodyguard in her home in the capital, Kabul. Mursal Nabizada, 32, had been elected as a member of the national parliament before the Islamist Taliban seized power from the internationally backed Afghan government in August 2021 as all U.S.-led…


Damascus Tells Turkey Restored Ties Requires End of ‘Occupation’

The restoration of ties between Damascus and Ankara is contingent upon the latter ending its military presence in northern Syria, Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad has said. Since 2016, Turkey has staged three ground offensives into northern Syria, where it still maintains thousands of troops. On Jan. 14, Mekdad called for an end to the…


Thousands in Israel Hold Protest Against Government’s Plans to Reform Judicial System

Tens of thousands of protesters in Israel held protests in at least three major cities on Saturday against the government’s judicial reform plans. Israeli media reported that about 80,000 people attended a demonstration in Tel Aviv, with smaller protests in Jerusalem and Haifa. No major unrest was reported, though Israeli media said small crowds scuffled…


Iran Sentences Belgian Aid Worker to Prison, Lashes

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates—Iran has sentenced a Belgian aid worker to a lengthy prison term and 74 lashes after convicting him of espionage in a closed-door trial, state media reported Tuesday. The website of Iran’s judiciary said a Revolutionary Court sentenced 41-year-old Olivier Vandecasteele to 12.5 years in prison for espionage, 12.5 years for collaboration…