Russian and Egyptian investigators are working to establish the cause of the crash of the Russian airliner in the Egyptian Sinai peninsula that killed all 224 people on board, including 17 children. The plane crashed [ More … ]
The rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran are threatening the upcoming peace talks on Syria. Until two weeks ago, the idea that Saudi Arabia and Iran would sit at the same table, was totally unthinkable. [ More … ]
Raif Badawi, the Saudi blogger and activist who has been imprisoned and flogged publicly for criticising Saudi Arabia’s religious establishment, has been awarded the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, the European Union’s top human [ More … ]
Ahead of today’s negotiations on Syria in Vienna, Iran has reportedly opened up for sacrificing sitting Syrian president Bashar al- Assad. This represents a major shift in Iranian policy regarding Syria, where the country [ More … ]
Qatari Holding, the investment arm of Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund, received £103m in dividends following a tough trade year. This figure compares to dividends of £150m the previous year – marking a decrease in [ More … ]
Egypt fell to 131st place out of 189 countries in the yearly World Bank survey “Doing Business Report”, which ranks countries according to the ease with which entrepreneurs can launch and run a business in [ More … ]
Qatar has pledged to reform the conditions and rights of migrant workers in the country – especially ahead of the massive undertaking of preparing for the 2022 Fifa World Cup. However, despite the fact [ More … ]
A senior member of Syria’s political opposition said on Wednesday that the participation of Iran in the Syrian peace talks in Vienna, would undermine the political process. The United States has said that Iran, the main [ More … ]
The special United Nations investigator of human rights in Iran presented a highly critical report on Tuesday that contradicted the regime’s own assessment, describing a record rate of executions, a flawed judiciary and repression of [ More … ]
Iran says it will attend the upcoming international talks on Syria’s future this week in Vienna. It will be the first time Tehran – the main regional ally of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad – has [ More … ]
After more than a year of debate, Qatar has adopted changes to its controversial kafala sponsorship system, which will make it easier for some to switch jobs and also to leave the country. The main reforms [ More … ]
The shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, is leading a petition that calls for Prime Minister David Cameron to cancel an invitation to Egypt’s president, Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, to visit Downing Street. MacDonnel argues that al-Sisi is [ More … ]
A Saudi prince and four other people have been detained in Lebanon in the largest drug seizure in the history of the airport in Beirut airport, says security sources. Prince Abdel Mohsen Bin Walid Bin [ More … ]
Hundreds of women, some of them pregnant or domestic servants who are victims of rape, are being imprisoned in the United Arab Emirates every year under laws that outlaw consensual sex outside marriage, according to [ More … ]
The Palestinian foreign minister Riyad alÂ-Maliki has reacted warily to the agreement between Israel and Jordan to install more security cameras at Jerusalem’s flashpoint AlÂAqsa Mosque compound in an effort to diminish tensions. US Secretary [ More … ]
Copyright © 2016 | Middle East Observer