War in Yemen winds down with complete absence of US role as China parades influence
The war in Yemen looks like it’s coming to an end. US media reported on Thursday that a ceasefire extending through 2023 had been agreed to, but those reports also included Houthi denials. On Friday, Al Mayadeen, a generally pro-Houthi Lebanese news outlet, reported optimism from the Houthi side that...
Kenya’s diamonds smuggling legend Kamlesh Pattni pulls another rabbit from the hat in Zimbabwe, sucks in President Mnangagwa
A gold smuggler implicated in a scandal that robbed Kenya of 10 per cent of its GDP in the 1990s has moved his smuggling operations to Zimbabwe and Dubai, Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit (I-Unit) can reveal. Kamlesh Pattni was involved in the so-called Goldenberg scam, a gold smuggling operation that...
Drug, weapons trafficking remain serious security threat in Arabian Sea despite recent pushback on smuggling
Despite the growing effectiveness of maritime operations along the route from Iran to Yemen, drug and weapons trafficking remains a serious threat with consequences for regional security. On 27 December 2022, while patrolling the Arabian Sea, the French frigate FNS Guépratte intercepted a fishing vessel aiming to smuggle illegal drugs....
WHO warns death toll from Turkey and Syria earthquakes could surpass 20,000 as 4,300 bodies recovered
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that the death toll from the Turkey and Syria earthquakes could rise to over 20,000. The warning comes on the back of 4,300 confirmed deaths in either country, with reports saying more than 18,000 are still not accounted for more than 40 hours...
Taliban vowed no revenge, an Afghan family details their experience under the new rulers
When the Taliban won back control of the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar last month, they set out to settle a score with an old foe. As they searched for prominent local politician Ajmal Omar, who had helped drive the militants out of a Nangarhar district a year earlier and...
Middle East crisis: Lebanon’s economic crash drives women to fight period poverty with eco-friendly alternatives
As the price of sanitary products skyrockets amidst Lebanon’s prolonged economic crash, a cohort of young women have taken it upon themselves to fight the country’s growing problem of period poverty. In doing so, they’ve also stirred up a conversation about eco-friendly alternatives, and challenged long-held cultural norms. Lebanon’s financial...
Afghanistan: Humanitarian work at risk after Taliban took control of ‘keys to the server room’ with biometric data
From ethical dilemmas on data security to worst-case scenarios unfolding in real time – the Taliban’s rise to power in Afghanistan is spurring urgent concern about the safety of data that aid groups have collected over the past 20 years. Data protection experts warn that aid groups must quickly review...
Egypt frees comedian, journalist and political activist to clean image of being among world’s top jailers
Egypt has released an online comedian, a journalist and a political activist after they spent months in pre-trial detention, two lawyers say. It was the latest in a series of recent releases amid concerns by the United States and international rights groups over the arrest and harassment of rights advocates...
Media organisations appeal to Biden administration to protect 300 journalists caught up in Afghanistan’s swift fall
An international organisation that that defends freedom of expression, safety and rights of journalists to carry out their work without inhibitions has called upon the United States to protect media workers in Afghanistan after the Middle East country fell under the control of the Taliban Islamic fundamentalists. In a statement...
Ukrainian women and children detained in Syria need consular support
Regional authorities in northeast Syria are unlawfully detaining an estimated 40 Ukrainian women and children in inhuman and degrading conditions in camps. Investigations by Human Rights Watch revealed that the women and children are among more than 43,000 foreigners that have been linked to the extremist armed group Islamic State...
