More than a million Muslims are gathering in Mecca for the hajj pilgrimage overshadowed by the Middle East war, as animosity smoulders across the region despite a fragile ceasefire. This year's rites, drawing worshippers from across the Islamic world including Iran, follow
The response comes after Israel accused the NYT of spreading 'one of the worst blood libels' in modern media history and was part of an 'orchestrated anti-Israel campaign'
By Jacob Bogage and Parisa Hafezi WASHINGTON/DUBAI, May 22 (Reuters) - Iran's foreign minister met his Pakistani counterpart on Friday to discuss proposals to end the U.S.-Israeli war, Iranian media reported, with Tehran and Washington still at odds over Tehran's uranium
TAIPEI, May 22 (Reuters) - Taiwan's presidential office said on Friday it had not received any information about the U.S. adjusting military sales, after a senior U.S. official suggested there was a pause due to the need to have enough arms for the war with Iran. Taiwan, which
SYDNEY, May 22 (Reuters) - A second group of Australian women and children linked to the Islamic State (ISIS) extremist group have departed a refugee camp in northeast Syria and may be returning to Australia, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported on Friday. The
Lebanese mother-of-two Hala Farah is collecting photos and videos to preserve the memory of her hometown which, like many others along the southern border, has been completely destroyed by Israeli forces. Testimony from residents and officials, as well as satellite images and
By Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON, May 21 (Reuters) - The United States on Thursday announced sanctions against nine individuals, including Iran's designated ambassador to Lebanon, for obstructing the peace process in the Middle Eastern country and impeding the disarmament of the
Like many Moroccan farmers, Mehdi el-Maazi was hopeful that rare heavy rains would yield an abundant harvest this year -- but those hopes were quickly shattered as the Middle East war sent fuel and fertiliser costs soaring. Morocco, where agriculture employs about a quarter of
By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON, May 21 (Reuters) - Republican leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives unexpectedly canceled a vote on Thursday on a resolution seeking to end the Iran war unless President Donald Trump obtains Congress' authorization, two days after a
More than six months after the United Nations endorsed a peace plan in Gaza, the humanitarian situation there remains catastrophic, three global NGOs said Thursday, calling on Israel to respect its obligations. Major gaps remain between Israel's commitments and the reality
By Sabine Siebold, Stine Jacobsen and Michael Martina HELSINGBORG, Sweden May 22 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet NATO allies on Friday for the first time since President Donald Trump called the alliance into question due to divisions over the Iran war
Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Al Nassr clinched the Saudi Pro League title with a 4-1 win over Damac on Thursday, ending his long wait for domestic silverware. A trademark free-kick and a close-range finish, both in the final half-hour, sealed the win Al Nassr needed on the
New tranche of sanctions marks a warning shot from Washington as Senate Republicans threaten to freeze funding to the Lebanese Armed Forces if it does not move more aggressively to disarm Hezbollah.
Speaking on Wednesday, President Donald Trump said he would be willing to wait "a couple of days" for Tehran's response to the latest US proposal to end the war.
May 21 (Reuters) - The U.S. decision to remove Francesca Albanese, a U.N. expert on the Palestinian territories, from a list of sanctioned individuals is temporary and does not reflect a policy change, the State Department said on Thursday. The U.S. imposed sanctions on
Julien Cabral has just completed his first voyage with the "Flotilla for Gaza". One of his eyes is ringed with purple, he has a wound on his left temple and an injured shoulder blade. The 57-year-old Belgian originally from the port of Antwerp was on board a small boat that
Was Israel pushing regime change as long as two decades ago? Either way, the Ahmadinejad option is loony, and the Gulf states have explained to the U.S. president that time is on Tehran's side
Israel said on Thursday it had deported all the foreign activists seized by its forces from a Gaza-bound flotilla, as the first group arrived in Turkey following global outcry over their treatment in custody. Hundreds of activists from countries around the world were placed in
One suspect is accused of working for Iran's Revolutionary Guards intelligence service and gathering information on leading German Jewish figures
With the US-Israel-Iran war producing a historic supply shock, Al-Monitor hosted a panel of experts to explore how the conflict has ushered in a new era for global energy markets.
By Emma Farge May 21 (Reuters) - The Board of Peace's lead envoy for Gaza warned the U.N. Security Council on Thursday that the enclave's current division could become permanent, leaving more than 2 million people crowded into less than half its territory, unless a ceasefire
WASHINGTON, May 21 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump vowed on Thursday that the United States will eventually recover Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium despite comments from Iran that it will not hand over the material. "We will get it. We don't need it, we don't
The first of hundreds of Gaza flotilla activists began arriving at Istanbul airport Thursday after being arrested then deported from Israel, an AFP correspondent said. The 422 activists, among them 85 Turkish nationals, were flown from southern Israel on three planes chartered
The request, published in Israeli media, marks a further escalation in tensions with Turkey amid disputes over Gaza aid operations.
By Parisa Hafezi and Angus McDowall DUBAI, May 21 (Reuters) - Iran's leaders are splashing propaganda posters across Tehran boasting of national unity and victory over a global superpower, just months after crushing protests with mass killings and as war worsens economic pain
By Will Dunham May 21 (Reuters) - If ever there were a structure built to stand the test of time, it surely would be the Great Pyramid of Giza, a transcendent monument to human imagination and ambition. Since being erected during the Old Kingdom period of ancient Egypt, it has
LONDON, May 21 (Reuters) - A Chinese-operated container ship was among the few to cross the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours, data showed on Thursday, as uncertainty grows around reopening the critical waterway with talks over a deal between the U.S. and Iran deadlocked.
The remark came days after a new maritime cooperation agreement between Cairo and Asmara.
The Persian Gulf Strait Authority released a map showing its “areas of oversight” extending to the United Arab Emirates’ ports, eliciting a rebuke from a senior Emirati official.
ANKARA, May 21 (Reuters) - A Turkish court on Thursday annulled the 2023 congress of the main opposition Republican People's Party in which current chairman Ozgur Ozel was elected, dealing a potentially big blow to President Tayyip Erdogan's political challengers. The Ankara
The ruling marks a major escalation in the legal crackdown on the CHP, which has already been hit by the imprisonment of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, its presidential candidate.
PARIS, May 21 (Reuters) - Israeli authorities are currently deporting 37 French nationals who were part of the group of activists on board a Gaza-bound aid flotilla to Turkey, France's Foreign ministry spokesperson said on Thursday. Speaking to reporters in a weekly news
Italy and Spain have called on the EU to sanction Israel's far-right national security minister, who posted a video showing detained activists from a Gaza-bound flotilla forced to their knees with hands bound. A global outcry erupted after Israeli minister Itamar Ben Gvir
Italy, Ireland and Spain have called on the EU to sanction Israel's far-right national security minister, who posted a video showing detained activists from a Gaza-bound flotilla forced to their knees with hands bound. A global outcry erupted after Israeli minister Itamar Ben
DEIR QANOUN EN-NAHR, Lebanon, May 21 (Reuters) - Mourners gathered in a southern Lebanese town on Thursday to bury victims from an Israeli airstrike earlier this week that killed 14 people, the deadliest single bombing raid on Lebanon since the announcement of a tenuous
Independent filmmakers in Iran face a fresh wave of repression and extreme economic hardship because of the war, risking choking off a mainstay of world cinema, industry insiders say. Despite heavy censorship and regular prosecutions, acclaimed directors from Asghar Farhadi,
Mojtaba Khamenei's order could further frustrate Trump and complicate talks on ending the US-Israeli war on Iran. Netanyahu has said he will not consider the war over until Iran's enriched uranium is removed
By Parisa Hafezi and Rami Ayyub DUBAI, May 21 (Reuters) - Iran's Supreme Leader has issued a directive that the country's near-weapons-grade uranium should not be sent abroad, two senior Iranian sources said, hardening Tehran's stance on one of the main U.S. demands at peace
By Parisa Hafezi and Rami Ayyub DUBAI, May 21 (Reuters) - Iran's Supreme Leader has issued a directive that the country's near-weapons-grade uranium should not be sent abroad, two senior Iranian sources said, hardening Tehran's stance on one of the main U.S. demands at peace
Pakistan's army chief was due in Iran Thursday, Iranian media reported, with Islamabad mediating as the Islamic republic examines a new US proposal to end the Middle East war. The expected visit by Field Marshal Asim Munir, a powerful figure with a growing role in Pakistan's
By Jana Choukeir May 21 (Reuters) - Israel faced mounting international criticism after its national security minister released a video showing detained Gaza flotilla activists kneeling with their hands bound following the interception of aid vessels in international waters.
Israel said on Thursday it had deported all the foreign activists seized by Israeli forces from a Gaza-bound flotilla, following global outcry over their treatment in custody. More than 430 activists from countries around the world had been placed in detention in Israel after
At least four Iranian footballers and one of their entourage went to the US embassy in Ankara Thursday to submit visa applications for the World Cup, an AFP correspondent said. The squad arrived in Turkey's southern Antalya resort on Monday for a training camp ahead of the 2026
Hundreds of activists seized by Israel from a Gaza-bound flotilla were awaiting deportation on Thursday, as global outcry grows over their treatment in custody. More than 430 activists from countries around the world were in custody in Israel after they were detained at sea
By Rami Ayyub JERUSALEM, May 21 (Reuters) - Gaza flotilla activists who were detained by Israel and later pinned to the ground to the taunts of Israel's far-right police minister have been released from prison and will be deported to Turkey on Thursday, officials said. The