Arab World

Russia's New Nuclear-Powered Missiles Not a Threat for Now
SpotlightRussia's New Nuclear-Powered Missiles Not a Threat for Now

Russia's President Vladimir Putin this weekend reported the successful final test of a new nuclear-powered cruise missile, the Burevestnik, amid Moscow's ongoing war in Ukraine. Experts say the very-long-range weapon aims to skirt Western air defenses with its terrain-hugging and low-flying capabilities, but its strategic impact is likely ...

White House Withdraws Joel Rayburn’s Nomination for Deputy Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs
White House Withdraws Joel Rayburn’s Nomination for Deputy Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs

The White House has withdrawn the nomination of Joel Rayburn for the position of Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, according to the American media outlet Axios. Rayburn’s nomination had stirred controversy over his alleged role in concealing U.S. troop levels in Syria from then-President Donald Trump during his first term, ...

Sudan Army-Aligned Group Accuses RSF of Executing 2,000 in El-Fasher
Sudan Army-Aligned Group Accuses RSF of Executing 2,000 in El-Fasher

Sudanese army allies, the Joint Forces, accused paramilitaries of having "executed more than 2,000 unarmed civilians" since taking control of the western city of El-Fasher on Sunday, as alarming reports of atrocities emerge. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), at war with the army for over two years, "committed heinous crimes against innocent ...

Syrian Authorities Seize 11 Million Captagon Pills Smuggled from Lebanon
Syrian Authorities Seize 11 Million Captagon Pills Smuggled from Lebanon

Anti-narcotics units in Syria’s Homs province intercepted a vehicle carrying roughly 11 million Captagon pills smuggled from Lebanese territory, the Syrian Interior Ministry announced Tuesday. The shipment was seized in the southern rural area of Homs. Security forces confiscated both the drugs and the vehicle used in the operation. According ...

Iraq Heads to the Polls Amid Tension, Fear, and Hope
Iraq Heads to the Polls Amid Tension, Fear, and Hope

Baghdad is preparing to vote. On November 11, nearly 21.5 million registered Iraqis will elect the 329 members of the Council of Representatives. This is a decisive vote in a country caught between political gridlock and hopes for change. Iraq is searching for a new balance, away from sectarian tensions, corruption, and foreign influence. But the ...

Musk Launches Grokipedia to Rival 'Left-Biased' Wikipedia
Musk Launches Grokipedia to Rival 'Left-Biased' Wikipedia

Elon Musk's company xAI launched Grokipedia on Monday to compete with online encyclopedia Wikipedia, which he has accused of ideological bias. The site dubbed version 0.1 had more than 885,000 articles by Monday evening, compared to Wikipedia's more than seven million in English. The launch came with the promise of a newer version, 1.0, which ...

Beef, Defence Deals and Rare Earths: How Japan's New Leader Wooed Trump
SpotlightBeef, Defence Deals and Rare Earths: How Japan's New Leader Wooed Trump

Japan pulled out all stops for this week's visit by US President Donald Trump -- his first with new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. The US president's visit was a major diplomatic test for Takaichi, who has only been in office for a week. From pledges that Tokyo will spend much more on its defense to supporting Trump's Nobel Peace Prize bid, ...

Saudi Hosts World's Business Elite with Eyes on Gigaprojects, AI
Saudi Hosts World's Business Elite with Eyes on Gigaprojects, AI

Saudi Arabia welcomes heads of state and the global business elite at a major investment conference this week as it seeks support for its sprawling "gigaprojects" and sky-high AI ambitions. Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, joined by several ministers and more than 150 business leaders, and Syria's interim president are among the guests at the ...

Hamas to Return Hostage Body as Families Urge Pause to Gaza Truce
Hamas to Return Hostage Body as Families Urge Pause to Gaza Truce

  Hamas handed over the remains of a deceased hostage on Monday as the Palestinian group came under increasing pressure to return its remaining deceased captives as promised under the Gaza ceasefire. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Israeli forces had received a coffin containing what Hamas said was the sixteenth of 28 ...

6.1-Magnitude Quake Hits Western Turkey
6.1-Magnitude Quake Hits Western Turkey

A 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck western Turkey late on Monday, with tremors felt in Istanbul and other cities, the country's emergencies agency said. The quake struck at 10:48 pm local time (1948 GMT) and was also felt in the tourist hotspot of Izmir, the AFAD agency said. There were no immediate reports of victims. Images of at least one ...