Category: Middle East

11 Years After the Arab Spring, Turkey Moves to Mend Diplomatic Ties with Cairo, Damascus

Turkey this week took fresh steps towards mending relations with Egypt and Syria. Ankara’s ties with both countries have been characterized by mutual hostility since the 2011 “Arab Spring” and its tumultuous aftermath. “We may reevaluate relations with the countries we have problems with,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters while attending a G20…


Senegal Advances to Last 16 at World Cup, Beats Ecuador 2–1

AL RAYYAN, Qatar—Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly put his team into the last 16 of the World Cup by volleying home the winner in a 2–1 victory over Ecuador on Tuesday. Koulibaly scored three minutes after Moises Caicedo had evened the score at 1–1. In a must-win match for the African champions, Senegal took the lead…


Netherlands Beats Host Qatar 2–0 to Advance at World Cup

AL KHOR, Qatar—The Netherlands finished off the worst showing by any World Cup host nation by beating Qatar 2–0 on Tuesday. The Dutch advanced to the round of 16 while the Qataris, who were already eliminated, became the first host to lose all three of its group matches at soccer’s biggest event. Cody Gakpo put…


Iran Releases Soccer Players Ahead of Match Against US

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates—Iranian authorities said Tuesday that two former members of the national soccer team arrested this month in connection with nationwide protests have been released on bail. The announcement came hours before Iran was set to play the United States at the World Cup in a match that authorities are heavily promoting as…


Qatar to Supply Liquefied Natural Gas to Germany From 2026

DOHA, Qatar—Qatar is to supply liquefied natural gas to Germany under a 15-year deal signed Tuesday as the European economic powerhouse scrambles to replace Russian gas supplies that have been cut during the ongoing war in Ukraine. Officials gave no dollar value for the deal, which would begin in 2026. Under the agreement, Qatar would…


Iranian General Acknowledges Over 300 Dead in Unrest, Observers Point to More

An Iranian general on Monday acknowledged that more than 300 people have been killed in the unrest surrounding nationwide protests, giving the first official word on casualties in two months. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the commander of the aerospace division of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, said more than 300 people have been killed, including “martyrs,”…


Ghana Edge out South Korea 3–2 in Thrilling Game

AL RAYYAN, Qatar—Mohammed Kudus scored twice to help Ghana beat South Korea 3–2 in a World Cup Group H thriller at a rocking Education City Stadium on Monday, keeping the Black Stars in contention for a place in the last 16. Against the run of play, Ghana went ahead in the 24th minute when Mohammed…


Veterans Messi and Lewandowski Face Off for Knockout Berth

DOHA—Two of the most intimidating strikers in world football, Argentina’s 35-year-old Lionel Messi and Poland’s 34-year-old Robert Lewandowski, line up against each other on Wednesday with a last 16 place at stake in the World Cup. Messi has scored twice in Argentina’s extraordinary start to the campaign, suffering one of the biggest upsets in the…


Aboubakar Rescues Cameroon in Comeback Draw With Serbia

AL WAKRAH, Qatar—Cameroon’s Vincent Aboubakar came off the bench to rescue his side by scoring one superb goal and creating another as they fought back to draw 3–3 with Serbia on Monday, a result that kept both sides’ slim chances alive at the World Cup. Serbia’s Strahinja Pavlovic and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic scored in first-half stoppage…


Halt Vaccination of Young People Until Vaccine-Linked Myocarditis Is Studied: MIT Professor

Retsef Levi, a former Israeli military intelligence officer, an expert in risk management and health systems, and a professor at The Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management, coauthored a paper that found a 25 percent rise in heart attack emergency calls among young Israelis after the country’s rollout of the COVID genetic vaccine. Levi…