Middle East

Immigration in France: Amidst Divisions and Media Hype
Immigration in France: Amidst Divisions and Media Hype

A ruthless victory. That's how one might label the success of the National Rally (RN) list, led by Jordan Bardella (31.3%) in the European elections in France on Sunday, June 9. This marked a significant lead over the presidential majority by nearly 17 points (14.6%). The campaign that led to this score notably revolved around a pivotal debate: ...

Islamic State Jihadists Kill 16 Syrian Soldiers
Islamic State Jihadists Kill 16 Syrian Soldiers

Sixteen Syrian soldiers, including an officer, have been killed in a minefield laid by the Islamic State group and an attack by the jihadists in the desert, a monitor said on Wednesday. The soldiers were “killed after they found themselves in a minefield and an attack by members of the IS group,” said the Syrian Observatory for Human ...

French Conservatives Oust Leader over Election Pact with Far-Right
French Conservatives Oust Leader over Election Pact with Far-Right

French conservatives said, on Wednesday, they had removed their leader Eric Ciotti for trying to strike an electoral alliance with the far-right National Rally (RN), although he insisted he was still in the post. The Republicans' political committee had voted unanimously to oust Ciotti, MP Annie Genevard said, adding that the party "will present ...

US Announces Sanctions Targeting Russia Over Ukraine War
US Announces Sanctions Targeting Russia Over Ukraine War

The United States announced a raft of sanctions on Wednesday aimed at constraining Moscow's war in Ukraine while raising the stakes for foreign banks that still deal with Russia, ahead of G7 leaders' talks this week. The Treasury Department and State Department's sanctions hit more than 300 targets, including entities in Russia and in countries ...

Macron Asks Backing from All \
Macron Asks Backing from All "Able to Say No to Extremes"

French President Emmanuel Macron called Wednesday for backing from people "able to say no to extremes" in snap elections he called after a European poll battering. "I hope that when the time comes, men and women of goodwill who have been able to say no to the extremes will come together... will put themselves in a position to build a shared, ...

UN: Child War Victims Spiked in 2023 Amid Gaza, Sudan Crises
UN: Child War Victims Spiked in 2023 Amid Gaza, Sudan Crises

Violence against children in armed conflicts reached "extreme levels" in 2023, particularly in Gaza and Sudan, according to a forthcoming UN report obtained by AFP on Tuesday. The United Nations' annual "Children in Armed conflict" report placed the Sudanese army as well as the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on the blacklist for "the killing ...

Legislative Elections: Could a Left Popular Front Govern France?
Legislative Elections: Could a Left Popular Front Govern France?

Following President Macron’s abrupt dissolution of the National Assembly, the French Left has rallied together. Their goal: to thwart the far-right’s surge in the wake of the National Rally’s significant success in the European elections, a success that could be further strengthened by allying with certain Republicans. Shortly after the ...

Biden's Son Convicted on All Charges in Gun Case
Biden's Son Convicted on All Charges in Gun Case

A jury found Hunter Biden guilty on Tuesday of federal gun charges in a historic first criminal prosecution of the child of a sitting United States president. The 54-year-old son of President Joe Biden was convicted on all three of the counts facing him, CNN and other US media reported. Hunter Biden was accused of lying about his illegal drug ...

France's 'Republicans' Back Alliance with Far-Right 'National Rally'
France's 'Republicans' Back Alliance with Far-Right 'National Rally'

The leader of France's right-wing Republicans (LR) on Tuesday backed an alliance in snap legislative elections with the far-right National Rally (RN) of Marine Le Pen. "We need to have an alliance while remaining ourselves — an alliance with the RN and its candidates," Eric Ciotti told TF1 television, setting out a position set to be hugely ...

Netanyahu Reaffirms Commitment to Ceasefire in Blinken Meeting
Netanyahu Reaffirms Commitment to Ceasefire in Blinken Meeting

Prime Minister Netanyahu has reaffirmed his commitment to a ceasefire as Blinken plans to discuss Biden's proposal with the Israeli opposition on Tuesday. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had "reaffirmed his commitment" to a Gaza ceasefire proposal during their meeting in ...

Houthis Arrest Aid Workers Accused of Being 'US-Israeli' Spies
Houthis Arrest Aid Workers Accused of Being 'US-Israeli' Spies

Yemen's Houthis on Monday said they had arrested a "spy network" operating under the cover of humanitarian organizations, after aid workers, including 11 UN staff, were held last week. The Iran-backed group claimed the network was linked to the CIA and had been carrying out "espionage" activities in Yemen for years, initially through the United ...

France: Five Possible Scenarios for Early Legislative Elections
France: Five Possible Scenarios for Early Legislative Elections

Following President Emmanuel Macron's announcement of the dissolution of the National Assembly on Sunday evening and the scheduling of the two-round legislative elections on June 30th and July 7th, France is bracing for a period of deep political uncertainty. His move follows the European elections, marked by a landslide victory for Marine Le ...