UN High Court Turns Away Persian Gulf Blockade Dispute
The United Nations’ top court found on Thursday that it lacks jurisdiction to hear a dispute between Qatar and the United Arab Emirates over a land, air and sea blockade.
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Middle East
US Bomber Mission Over Persian Gulf Aimed at Cautioning Iran
The United States flew strategic bombers over the Persian Gulf on Wednesday for the second time this month, a show of force meant to deter Iran from attacking American or allied targets in the Middle East.
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Ancient Teeth Reveal Bronze Age Trade Between South Asia, Mediterranean
The Levant was the site of global trade as long ago as 3,700 years, much earlier than previously believed, researchers found in an archaeological excavation of 16 Bronze Age bodies in modern Israel.
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UAE Top Diplomat Acknowledges Visa Restrictions on Pakistan
The United Arab Emirates’ top diplomat has publicly acknowledged a so-far unexplained ban on visitors from Pakistan, which travel agents say also targets tourists and laborers from a dozen Muslim-majority countries amid the pandemic and the UAE’s normalization of ties with Israel.
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Scientists Warn Massive Red Sea Oil Spill Is Imminent, and It Will Be Catastrophic
Oil from a decaying tanker in the Red Sea must be removed immediately to prevent an environmental disaster four times the size of the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska, a team of international scientists warned Tuesday.
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Biden Win Brings Relief in Europe, Realigns World Politics
The election of Joe Biden to the White House is bringing a wave of relief to a Europe eager to see an end to the disorienting and disruptive era of Donald Trump and marks a potential shift away from Trump’s inward-looking “America First” stance on the world stage.
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Armenia and Azerbaijan Clash as Iran Works on Peace Plan
Armenia accused Azerbaijan of firing missiles into the capital of the separatist territory of Nagorno-Karabakh on Monday, while Azerbaijan said several of its towns and its second-largest city were attacked.
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Sheikh Nawaf Sworn in as Kuwait’s New Ruling Emir
Kuwait’s Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah was sworn in before parliament Wednesday as the ruling emir of the tiny oil-rich country, propelled to power by the death of his half-brother after a long career in the security services.
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Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Sabah Dies at Age 91
Kuwait’s emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, the architect of the nation’s modern foreign policy and mediator in some of the worst crises to grip the Gulf, died on Tuesday at the age of 91, the royal court announced.
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Israel Signs Pacts With UAE, Bahrain at White House Ceremony
The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain formally normalized relations with Israel on the South Lawn of the White House on Tuesday, with President Donald Trump presiding over the signing of the pacts.
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Saudi Arabia Says Flights to, From UAE Can Fly Over Kingdom
Saudi Arabia announced Wednesday that flights to and from the United Arab Emirates “from all countries” will now be able to use its airspace — a statement apparently allowing flyovers by Israel following a deal to normalize UAE-Israel relations.
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Eastern Mediterranean Turns Into Source of Gas and Conflict
A new, potentially explosive geopolitical dimension is being added to the puzzle that is the Middle East: A push by Israel, Europe, Egypt, Turkey and even the United States to drill for fossil fuels in the waters of the eastern Mediterranean Sea.
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Palestinians Say UAE Deal Hinders Quest for Mideast Peace
Israel’s agreement to establish diplomatic ties with the United Arab Emirates marks a watershed moment in its relations with Arab countries, but the Palestinians say it puts a just resolution of the Middle East conflict even farther out of reach.
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West Bank Peace Deal Says Annexations Will End; Netanyahu Says Otherwise
Announcing that Israel will stop its annexation of contested land in the West Bank, President Donald Trump announced a breakthrough on Middle East tensions Thursday, saying the United Arab Emirates and Israel have agreed to fully normalized diplomatic relations.
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In Ancient Arabia, Some Tools Were Created Just to Show Off
By analyzing weapons roughly 8,000 years old from southern Arabia, archaeologists have discovered that toolmaking was not only done out of necessity, but also was a means to exhibit artistic talent — in short, to show off.
Read moreVirus Could Kill 50,000 Children in Africa & Mideast This Year
United Nations agencies warned Monday that the coronavirus pandemic could lead to the deaths of an additional 51,000 children younger than 5 in the Middle East and North Africa by the end of the year.
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New Method for Detecting Traces of Ancient Beer Discovered
A newly discovered method for detecting the presence of beer in archaeological findings could help unlock the mysteries of how prehistoric cultures brewed malted beverages, performed rituals and organized their societies.
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Census Reaches Out to Hard-to-Count Arab Americans
At a Michigan gas station, the message is obvious — at least to Arabic speakers: Be counted in the 2020 census.
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Nations Face Difficult Balancing Act, Especially the Poor
As some wealthier Western nations begin easing coronavirus restrictions, many developing countries, particularly in the Middle East and Africa, want to do it too, but cannot afford the luxury of any missteps.
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Coronavirus Creeps From Iran Across Mideast
The United Arab Emirates on Tuesday banned all flights to and from Iran over the outbreak of the new coronavirus, a day after its spread from Iran was announced across multiple Mideast nations. Iran raised the official death toll from the virus to 15 killed amid 95 confirmed infections.
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