Author: Gulf News Week

The newly discovered tombs are believed to date back to the Hellenistic or Hellenistic-Seleucid period.Archaeologists in drought-hit Iraq have discovered 40 ancient tombs after water levels in the country’s largest reservoir declined, according to an antiquities official.The tombs, believed to be more than 2,300 years old, were unearthed at the edges of the Mosul Dam reservoir in the Khanke region of Duhok province in the country’s north.“So far, we have discovered approximately 40 tombs,” Bekas Brefkany, the director of antiquities in Duhok and leader of the archaeological work at the site, said on Saturday.A worker at the archaeological site in…

Syrians continue to grapple with effects of mass enforced disappearances under removed longtime leader Bashar al-Assad.Syria is marking its first International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances since the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad, as the country grapples with lingering questions over the fate of the many thousands who disappeared during the country’s civil war.In a report released on Saturday to coincide with the annual commemoration, the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) said this year holds “particular significance” as it received a major increase in the number of cases since al-Assad was toppled in December.Desperate families flocked…

Mahmoud Abbas’s spokesperson calls on countries to exert pressure on Washington before next month’s UN annual meetings.Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s office has urged the United States to reverse a decision to revoke the Palestinian leader’s visa, just weeks before he was set to attend the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.The Palestinian presidency expressed “astonishment” at Washington’s decision on Friday to rescind the visas for Abbas and 80 other Palestinian officials before next month’s high-level meetings at UN headquarters.Abbas has addressed the General Assembly for many years and generally leads the Palestinian delegation.“We call upon the American administration…

Houthis say Ahmed al-Rahawi and a number of ministers were killed in Israel’s attack on Sanaa this week.Yemen’s Houthis have confirmed that an Israeli air strike earlier this week killed the prime minister of the group’s government in the capital, Sanaa.Ahmed al-Rahawi was killed in a Thursday strike in Sanaa along with a number of ministers, the Houthis said in a statement on Saturday.Al-Rahawi, who served as prime minister in areas of the divided country that the group controls, was targeted along with other members of the Houthi-led government during a workshop, the statement said.The Houthis said “several” other ministers were…

My special-needs daughter resisted the genocide with a dream.A few days ago, my 30-year-old daughter Yasmin, who has special needs, walked up to me in our little place at the school shelter. Her steps were gentle, but determined. And I could see her eyes glittering with joy. I listened intently as she was struggling to speak.“Dad…, I ate…chocolate!” she said triumphantly.My mind started to race, trying to work out what I had heard. Where did Yasmin get chocolate?For many years, Yasmin has lived in a world that has its own rhythm, its own language of affection and wonder. Unfortunately, when…

Revolutionary guards say suspects apprehended in northeastern Iran as materials for making weapons are also seized.Iran has arrested eight people suspected of attempting to transmit the coordinates of sensitive sites and details about senior military figures during the country’s 12-day war with Israel and the United States to the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, according to its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).The IRGC released a statement on Saturday alleging that the suspects had received specialised training from Mossad via online platforms.It said they were apprehended in northeastern Iran before carrying out their plans, and that materials for making launchers, bombs, explosives…

Palestinians have had to cope with the sound of Israeli drones overhead for years before Israel’s current war on Gaza.A music teacher in Gaza has found a way to help others around him cope with the relentless and terrifying sounds and horrific impact of Israel’s genocidal war.The nonstop buzz of Israeli drones overhead long predates the constant bursts of gunfire and explosions since the start of Israel’s war on the besieged enclave.“In Gaza, there is no escape from the reality of war,” said media’s Ibrahim al-Khalili, reporting from Gaza City, where exploding buildings and chaos reign and desperate people attempt…

A proposal to suspend EU funding to Israeli start-ups will be discussed as initial punitive action for Gaza atrocities.Divided foreign ministers from the European Union are tussling over what action to take over Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza after the bloc’s humanitarian aid chief called on them to “find a strong voice that reflects our values and principles” amid death, destruction and man-made starvation across the besieged enclave.Ministers from the EU’s 27 member countries have gathered to discuss the war at a meeting in the Danish capital, Copenhagen, on Saturday.They will also discuss a proposal to suspend EU funding to…

China is the host of this year’s SCO Summit which takes place in Tianjin from August 31 to September 1.“No mountain or ocean can distance people who have shared aspirations,” China’s President Xi Jinping said in July 2024, addressing leaders from fellow Shanghai Cooperation Organisation member states, and a few other nations, in Astana, Kazakhstan.At the time, the ancient Chinese saying in Xi’s speech seemed over the top, and divorced from reality: Narendra Modi, prime minister of India, one of the SCO’s major members, wasn’t even attending the grouping’s summit, citing a parliament session – an apparent snub to the…

Turkiye’s top diplomat said his country has ‘completely’ cut off trade with Israel over its ongoing genocide.Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said his country has completely severed economic and trade ties with Israel and has closed its airspace to its aircraft, in protest over the war in Gaza.Speaking at an extraordinary session of the Turkish parliament on Gaza on Friday, Fidan said Israel has been “committing genocide in Gaza for the past two years, ignoring basic humanitarian values right before the world’s eyes”.Turkiye cut off direct trade ties with Israel in May last year, demanding a permanent ceasefire and the…