Author: Gulf News Week
Amid sanctions and threats of retaliation, Oman-hosted dialogue marks first diplomatic contact in over a year, with deep divides over scope of negotiations. SHARJAH — Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi struck a defiant tone on Saturday, declaring the country’s ballistic missile program “never negotiable” even as he confirmed that indirect talks with the United States would resume soon. The negotiations, held in Oman on Friday, were the first diplomatic encounter between the two adversaries since the collapse of nuclear talks and a subsequent regional war last year. Araghchi described the atmosphere as “very positive” and confirmed there was an informal opportunity…
January’s displacement numbers are particularly high in part due to the forced removal of an entire herding community in the Jordan Valley, OCHA says.Israeli settler violence and harassment in the occupied West Bank have displaced nearly 700 Palestinians in January, the highest number since Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza erupted in October 2023, according to the United Nations.At least 694 Palestinians were forcefully driven from their homes last month, according to a statement by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Thursday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Amnesty demands Israel drop death penalty…
media documentary identifies Gaza armed groups working with Israeli forces, tracking their movements and training sites.media is set to release a new investigation on armed groups in Gaza accused of collaborating with the Israeli military against Palestinians, detailing their names, movements and training locations, as Israel’s genocidal war on the enclave continues unabated.The investigation, a new episode of the programme What is Hidden is Greater, by media journalist Tamer Almisshal, will be broadcast at 9pm in Doha (18:00 GMT) on Friday. It includes audio and video material that the network says documents how individuals inside Gaza were recruited and operated.Recommended…
Analysts say US strategy unclear as Trump officials insist on including ballistic missiles, regional ‘proxies’ in talks.Washington, DC – The administration of United States President Donald Trump is entering the latest round of talks with Iran with a list of maximalist demands, even as their wider strategy remains unclear, analysts have told media.The talks in Muscat, Oman, on Friday are the first since the US attacked Iran’s nuclear facilities in June. They mark the latest chapter in US-Iran relations during Trump’s second term, which initially saw the president seek a new agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme, before those talks were…
Global Sumud Flotilla to carry up to 1,000 activists in largest-ever ‘coordinated humanitarian intervention’ for Gaza.Organisers of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla that Israel seized at sea last year say they are planning a new, larger mission next month.The Global Sumud Flotilla announced Thursday that it will sail more than 100 boats carrying up 1,000 activists, including medics and war crimes investigators, to Gaza in March.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3How the world is responding to Israel’s interception of Gaza flotillalist 2 of 3Last boat in Gaza humanitarian flotilla intercepted by Israellist 3 of 3Gaza protests held in…
Friedrich Merz said concerns about a further escalation with Iran have dominated his trip to the Gulf region.German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has warned of the threat of a military escalation in the Middle East before talks between Iran and the United States in Oman on Friday.Speaking in Doha on Thursday, Merz said that fears of a new conflict had characterised his talks during his trip to the Gulf region.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3What would be the impact of a US attack on Iran?list 2 of 3Some in Israel question its influence over US as Iran war…
Food security experts say famine thresholds for acute malnutrition exceeded in Darfur’s Um Baru and Kernoi.Acute malnutrition has reached famine levels in two more areas of western Sudan’s Darfur region, United Nations-backed experts warn, as a civil war between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese army has caused widespread hunger.In an alert issued on Thursday by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), global food security experts said famine thresholds for acute malnutrition had been surpassed in North Darfur state’s contested areas of Um Baru and Kernoi.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4‘Like judgement day’:…
Israeli warplanes conducted more than 50 raids on Lebanon last month amid major surge in attacks, says refugee rights NGO.Israel is carrying out a “clear and dangerous” surge in air attacks on Lebanon, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has said, with its warplanes conducting more attacks on its neighbour in January than in any previous month since the ceasefire.The humanitarian organisation said on Thursday that Israeli warplanes had carried out at least 50 air raids on Lebanon last month – about double the number of the previous month.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4A year after Hezbollah-Israel ceasefire,…
Imane Khelif, who won boxing gold at the 2024 Olympics, says before gender test, ‘Do not exploit me in your political agendas.’Algerian boxer Imane Khelif says she will comply with genetic testing requirements to be able to participate in competitions as long as the tests are conducted by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).Khelif won gold in the women’s welterweight division at the Paris Games in 2024 during a gender dispute over her eligibility after the International Boxing Association disqualified her from the 2023 World Championships based on sex chromosome tests.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Who are the past…
Twenty-five more Palestinians arrive in Gaza as 13 patients in need of treatment to begin evacuations through Rafah crossing.Twenty-five more Palestinians have returned to Gaza through the Rafah crossing following its long-awaited partial reopening, describing an exhausting journey through humiliating Israeli security measures, while patients in need of urgent medical treatment abroad are being transferred to the border.This comes as the Wafa news agency reported a Palestinian man was killed by Israeli forces in Bani Suheila, east of Khan Younis, on Thursday, as Israeli attacks continue despite a “ceasefire” in the Gaza Strip.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of…