Middle East

Israel

Thousands join in Jerusalem funeral, flout pandemic rules

Thousands of ultra-Orthodox Israelis attended a rabbi's funeral, flouting the country's ban on large public gatherings during the pandemic.

31/01/2021

United Arab Emirates

United Arab Emirates will offer citizenship to some foreign nationals

Sheikh Mohammed wrote on Twitter that hereditary rulers in the country's seven emirates and at the federal level would nominate those for citizenship.

30/01/2021

Syria

UN: 27,000 children need to be repatriated from ISIS camp in Syria

Voronkov said there are children from 60 countries in the camps who are the responsibility of their member states, not of Syria or the groups that control the camps.

30/01/2021

Conscious Travel

Community immersion tourism: Staying with a Bedouin family in Oman

As part of our Conscious Travel series, we look at influencer Eva Zu Beck’s recent experience in Wahiba Sands.

29/01/2021

No Comment

Palestinian youth determined to continue parkour despite losing leg

Aliwa dreamed of becoming a parkour professional and decided that he would not let his disability hold him back from achieving it.

25/01/2021

No Comment

Ultra-Orthadox Jews clash with Israeli police over COVID restrictions

The scuffles broke out as police tried to close religious schools that had opened despite coronavirus lockdown rules.

24/01/2021

Turkey

Euroviews. Human rights lawyers in Turkey face threats and detention | View

Day of the Endangered Lawyer, Amnesty International's Stefan Simanowitz writes about lawyers in Turkey who were threatened for standing up for human rights.

24/01/2021

Israel

Israel's COVID vaccination rollout is leaving Palestinians behind

The World Health Organization has raised "concerns" about the unequal distribution of coronavirus vaccines in the country.

19/01/2021

Europe Decoded

Turkey bans advertising on Twitter, Pinterest under social media law

NGOs have warned that social networks risk "becoming instruments of state censorship" in Turkey under the legislation.

19/01/2021

No Comment

Istanbul skids and slides to a halt as snow blankets Turkish city

It comes as extreme cold has hit large parts of Europe, with freezing temperatures cracking railroad tracks in Poland and smog spiking as coal was being burned to generate heat.

18/01/2021

Living

The future of wine: What can Israel’s desert vineyards teach Europe?

Overcoming harsh growing conditions, desert winemakers have some lessons for Europe's warming wineries.

18/01/2021

Egypt

Ancient temple, tombs and coffins unearthed by archaeologists in Egypt

Archaeologists have unearthed an ancient treasure trove of tombs, coffins and mummies in a vast necropolis south of Cairo in Egypt.

17/01/2021

Turkey

At least two dead after cargo ship sinks off Turkey in Black Sea

A Turkish official said emergency workers had saved at least six crew members and found the bodies of two others.

17/01/2021

Israel

Protesters in Jerusalem continue calls for PM Netanyahu to resign

Weekly protests continue in Jerusalem calling on Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu to step down over corruption charges

17/01/2021

World

Fareed Zakaria's 'Post-Pandemic World'

co-produced with Arab Strategy Forum

On Agenda Middle East we speak to political commentator and best-selling author, Fareed Zakaria about the takes from his new book: 'Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World'. We also delve into what the future holds for the Middle East.

15/01/2021

Turkey

Turkey faces its most severe drought in a decade

Istanbul has already been warned it has less than 45 days of water left due to poor rainfall in the second half of last year.

14/01/2021

Sport

Triple gold for France on final day of Doha Masters

The heavyweights lined up for the final day of the Doha Masters, with 10-time World Champion Teddy Riner happy to be among them.

13/01/2021

Syria

Israeli airstrikes hit Iranian-backed forces in Syria

A U.S. official told the Associated Press that the strikes were carried out with American intelligence cooperation.

13/01/2021

Sport

Agbegnenou and Grigalashvili shine on day two in Doha

On day two of the 2021 World Judo Masters, our woman of the day was four-time World Champion Clarisse Agbegnenou, who was once again on top form, dispatching her early opponents in the under -63kg category with an incredible display of ura nages.

12/01/2021

Cyprus

Cyprus: Brawl at overcrowded migrant camp injures over two dozen

The large brawl involved nationals from Syria and several African countries at an overcrowded migrant reception camp outside of Cyprus’ capital Nicosia.

12/01/2021

Sport

Krasniqi and Kim take the top honours on day one in Doha

The opening event of the 2021 judo season is underway in Doha: the invitation-only World Masters, where the highest-ranked judokas in each weight category battle it out for top spot.

11/01/2021

Europe Decoded

Turkey investigates WhatsApp and Facebook over data privacy update

The new policy means users outside the EU and UK must agree to more of their data being shared to Facebook for advertising purposes.

11/01/2021

No Comment

Jerusalem's streets lie empty as Israel enters third COVID-19 lockdown

The country entered its third lockdown on Friday with restrictions set to last two weeks. Despite a widespread vaccination programme, COVID-19 cases are rising.

10/01/2021

Travel News

Egypt’s Giza Pyramids are getting a revamp to boost tourism

After 4,500 years, Egypt's Pyramid Plateau deserves an upgrade.

07/01/2021

Saudi Arabia

Rights groups calls for boycott of Dakar Rally over 'sportswashing'

One of the groups is supporting women’s rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul who was jailed last month after being found guilty of spying and conspiring against the kingdom. But many believe she was arrested for campaigning for women’s right to drive in Saudi Arabia.

06/01/2021

Eco-Innovation

Israeli firm extracts drinking water from air to help people in Gaza

New, innovative technology is looking to solve the chronic water crisis on the Gaza strip.

06/01/2021