https://www.middleeastmonitor.com Latest news from the Middle East and North Africa Tue, 08 Aug 2023 12:39:48 +0000 en-GB Middle East Monitor 30 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.2.2 https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/favicon.png?fit=32%2C32&quality=85&strip=all&zoom=1&ssl=1 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com 32 32 116394717 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230803-brazil-president-supports-accession-of-saudi-arabia-uae-to-brics/ Thu, 03 Aug 2023 11:41:45 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657845 Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has expressed his support for more countries joining the BRICS group. Lula said in the capital, Brasilia, yesterday that he supports countries such as Argentina, Saudi Arabia and the UAE joining the group. BRICS, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, is due to hold a summit in Johannesburg from 22-24 August. He also described the seven leading industrialised countries as a "club" that should not exist, considering that its form in terms of geopolitical affairs is outdated. The UK, US, France, Italy, Japan, Canada and Germany make up the group of Western industrialised countries, known as the G7. Some 22 countries have "formally" asked to join the BRICS group, while […]]]> 657845 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230726-canada-man-given-8-years-in-prison-over-axe-attack-at-mosque/ Wed, 26 Jul 2023 11:23:04 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=655152 A Canadian man has been handed an eight-year prison sentence for terror offences after planning and carrying out an attack on a mosque in Mississauga, Ontario, last year with a hatchet and bear spray. Mohammad Moiz Omar, who is reported to be an "ex Muslim atheist", had "intended to perpetrate a mass casualty event," according to court documents published yesterday when he entered the Dar Al-Tawheed Islamic Centre during fajr (dawn) congregational prayers on 19 March 2022. He was said to be driven by an intense hatred and a desire to intimidate Muslims, believing Islam to be "an intolerant and violent religion." The Ontario Superior Court sentenced Omar yesterday after he plead guilty last week to three criminal offences that constitute terrorist […]]]> 655152 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230707-world-court-to-hear-syria-torture-claims-on-19-and-20-july/ Fri, 07 Jul 2023 15:41:46 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=650442 The World Court, on 19 and 20 July, will hear a request by the Netherlands and Canada that it order Syria to cease all acts of torture and arbitrary detention, as part of a case alleging the country has breached a UN anti-torture treaty, Reuters reports. The hearing at the Peace Palace, the Court's seat in the Hague, will mark the first time an international court has looked at alleged abuses committed in Syria during 12 years of conflict. The International Court of Justice, also known as the World Court, announced last month that the Netherlands and Canada had filed a case against Damascus for breaching the UN convention against torture since 2011. Syria's government and President Bashar Al-Assad have […]]]> 650442 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230705-uk-canada-sweden-ukraine-take-iran-to-top-un-court-over-downed-ukraine-flight/ Wed, 05 Jul 2023 12:40:12 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=649866 The UK, Canada, Sweden and Ukraine have taken Iran to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over the downing of a civilian aircraft in 2020, the UN's top court announced on Wednesday, Anadolu Agency reports. "In their application, Canada, Sweden, Ukraine and the United Kingdom claim that Iran has violated a series of obligations under the Montreal Convention as a result of the shooting down on 8 January, 2020, of a civil aircraft in service, Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752, by military personnel of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps," the ICJ said in a statement. The joint application instituting proceedings against Iran was filed on Tuesday, added the statement. All 176 passengers and crew aboard the flight, many of whom […]]]> 649866 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230703-canadian-british-actor-hagon-says-proud-to-have-been-part-of-islamic-epic-drama-the-message/ Mon, 03 Jul 2023 15:14:31 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=649029 Canadian-English actor, Garrick Hagon, says he is proud to have been a part of Moustapha Akkad's Islamic epic drama, The Message, which was released in 1976. Hagon, 83, best known for his role as Biggs Darklighter in "Star Wars: A New Hope", told Anadolu in London that The Message had a noble purpose to explain the life of Prophet Muhammad. He played Ammar ibn Yasir, one of the first believers and child of the first martyrs of Islam in the movie, which chronicles the life and times of Prophet Muhammad and serves as an introduction to early Islamic history. Brotherhood developed on the set For Hagon, The Message was a "learning process" from beginning to end, who also learned a […]]]> 649029 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230701-uk-canada-australia-express-deep-concern-about-israeli-settlements-expansion/ Sat, 01 Jul 2023 13:32:23 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=648731 The UK, Canada, and Australia expressed "deep concern" late Friday about the expansion of Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories and called on Tel Aviv to reverse its decision, Anadolu reports. "The continued expansion of settlements is an obstacle to peace and negatively impacts efforts to achieve a negotiated two-state solution. We call on the Government of Israel to reverse these decisions," the foreign ministers of the three nations said in a statement. They said they "unequivocally condemn" all forms of terrorism and violence against civilians and urged authorities to ensure accountability for all perpetrators of violence. READ: Spain rejects Israel settlement expansion, condemns settlers' violence "The cycle of violence in Israel and the West Bank must be broken," it said. […]]]> 648731 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230626-sudan-canada-campaigns-to-help-adopted-sister-stranded-in-khartoum/ Mon, 26 Jun 2023 13:59:20 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=647311 A Sudanese-Canadian citizen has been separated from an adopted sister and her children and is trying to help them secure safe passage out of Sudan where they have been stranded for over 10 weeks by the war between rival military factions, Reuters reports. Sami Atabani said he hoped the Canadian government would consider evacuating his adopted sister, 43-year-old Kholoud Yagoob Abdallah, even though she does not hold Canadian citizenship like the rest of his close relatives. Abdallah lives with her seven children in Omdurman, one of the three cities that makes up Sudan's wider capital and has seen frequent fighting between the Army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). She moved away from the heaviest fighting, but is still […]]]> 647311 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230625-canada-flags-syria-activist-as-national-security-threat/ Sun, 25 Jun 2023 09:55:29 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=647121 A Syrian activist who was subject to torture by Bashar al-Assad's regime has been flagged by Canada as a national security risk, following her involvement in international legal efforts against Damascus. Over the past decade, 35-year-old Noura Aljizawi, a prominent Syrian human rights activist and defender, was arrested numerous times for criticising the Syrian regime and its leadership, as well as for leading anti-government protests during the Arab Spring since 2011. In detention, she was reportedly subject to the common torture tactics used by regime security forces, such as with electric cables. She was then chosen to represent opposition parties in failed negotiations to end the crisis as Syria devolved into armed conflict and civil war. Aljizawi then fled to […]]]> 647121 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230621-majority-want-us-to-be-less-involved-in-middle-east-arab-youth-survey-finds/ Wed, 21 Jun 2023 08:55:11 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=646105 Turkiye and China are stronger allies of the Arab world than the US and Russia, say 82 per cent of participants in the 15th annual Arab Youth Survey. The US exerts the most influence in the Arab world, say 33 per cent of the people asked, but two thirds say they would like the US to be less involved in Middle Eastern affairs. The survey, run by ASDA'A BCW, the region's largest communications consultancy, is made up of face-to-face interviews with 3,600 Arab citizens between the ages of 18 and 24. There are over 200 million youth in the Arab world, its largest demographic. For the twelfth year in a row, Arab youth (24 per cent) say the UAE is the country […]]]> 646105 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230612-netherlands-canada-take-syria-to-world-court-over-torture-claims/ Mon, 12 Jun 2023 14:24:45 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=644150 The Netherlands and Canada are taking Syria to the World Court over torture claims, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) said on Monday, Reuters reports. In their application, Canada and the Netherlands claim that "Syria has committed countless violations of International law, beginning at least in 2011," and asked for emergency measures to be taken to protect those at risk of being tortured, the ICJ, also known as the World Court, said in a statement. They are seeking to hold the government of President Bashar Al-Assad accountable for gross human rights violations and torture under the UN Convention against Torture, which Damascus ratified in 2004. "It is the Dutch government's position that there is ample evidence demonstrating that Syria has […]]]> 644150 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230609-canada-muslim-charity-wins-settlement-in-false-terror-accusation/ Fri, 09 Jun 2023 17:57:09 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=643905 A large Muslim charity, suing those who charged it funded terrorist groups, won an out-of-court settlement against its accusers, it was reported Friday, Anadolu Agency reports. The defendants also retracted their claims as part of the settlement. Islamic Relief Canada, one of the country's largest Muslim charities, filed a CAN$2.5 million (US$1.87 million) defamation argument in December 2018 against seven individuals. The lawsuit revolved around the spreading of false information via social media, especially YouTube. Two of those named in the lawsuit were involved in the Freedom Convoy trucker protest movement that paralyzed the Canadian capital of Ottawa for nearly three weeks beginning in January 2022. Thomas Quiggin, a former military officer, was interviewed about Islamic Relief Canada for a YouTube […]]]> 643905 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230608-israel-saudi-arabia-qatar-among-top-purchasers-of-canadas-weapons/ Thu, 08 Jun 2023 15:16:46 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=643481 Israel, Saudi Arabia and Qatar were among the top markets for Canadian military equipment after the United States (US) in 2022, according to a report by Canada's Department of Global Affairs. The report's updated data reveals Israel was the leading country utilising the most exported military permits, after obtaining 315 Canadian military permits last year and importing $21.33 million worth of Canadian weapons and other military technology. The US remains Canada's largest customer for weapons, however following right behind is Saudi Arabia, which received around $1.15 billion in Canadian military exports last year. The majority of Riyadh's purchase includes armoured combat vehicles with most of the shipments coming from a $15 billion contract reached in 2014 but only approved for […]]]> 643481 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230608-us-churches-campaign-to-end-israels-apartheid-system/ Thu, 08 Jun 2023 08:03:29 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=643381 Some 100 North American congregations, faith groups and organisations have launched the Apartheid Free Communities campaign aimed at ending the crime of apartheid committed by Israel against Palestinians. The campaign's founding statement said it draws inspiration from the anti-apartheid movement that overthrew the apartheid regime in South Africa. It called for building "societies free from apartheid within societies of faith and societies of conscience by moving away from any support for Israeli apartheid, occupation and settler colonialism." "For decades, the Palestinian people have faced Israeli occupation and systematic human rights abuses that constitute apartheid," the statement said. The campaign is open to individuals and societies who agree to take a pledge to dismantle apartheid. A similar campaign was launched in Canada in July last year […]]]> 643381 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230605-rights-groups-pushing-government-to-ban-ex-israel-pm-from-entering-canada/ Mon, 05 Jun 2023 16:38:42 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=642661 Several Canadian organisations have filed a legal brief to Canada's government to bar former Israeli Prime Minister, Naftali Bennett, from entering the country. The application, known by its technical term of a "mandamus", was filed by Khaled Mouammar, a former national president of the Canadian Arab Federation, on Friday in Federal Court and requires a judge to compel Public Safety Minister, Marco Mendicino, into deciding on Bennett's admissibility. It comes after Bennett was invited to the annual event of the "Friends of the Simon Wiesenthal Jewish Centre" in Canada, which will be held in Toronto next month, where he is scheduled to be the main speaker, reported The Jurist. According to the representatives of the organisations, Canada must prevent Bennett's […]]]> 642661 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230602-report-private-security-firm-g4s-to-divest-from-israel/ Fri, 02 Jun 2023 14:00:51 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=642012 Private security firm G4S is to divest completely from Israel, the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement reported yesterday in an announcement billed as a "major win for human rights activism against corporate complicity." G4S' parent company, Allied Universal, is said to have sold all its remaining business in apartheid Israel following years of campaigns waged by the BDS movement for Palestinian rights. G4S suffered serious "reputational damage" and lost lucrative investment contracts because of pro-Palestine activism. Several other human rights campaigns have also targeted G4S over what campaigners have said is the security firm's "long, violent record of human rights abuses against prisoners, migrants, and other communities worldwide, including the UK, South Africa and the US." The BDS campaign against […]]]> 642012 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230531-13-years-since-israels-attack-on-the-gaza-bound-aid-ship-the-mavi-marmara/ Wed, 31 May 2023 08:21:52 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=641119 Today marks the 13th anniversary of the massacre carried out by the Israeli occupation's naval forces against the Freedom Flotilla as it was on its way to break the siege on Gaza in 2010. The Freedom Flotilla included several ships, including the Turkish Mavi Marmara, which was carrying more than 500 activists, most of them Turkish, and three other ships belonging to the European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza (ECESG). Among the people who participated in the first Freedom Flotilla were Raed Salah, the head of the Islamic movement in the Palestinian interior, Haneen Zoabi, a member of the Israeli Knesset at the time, parliamentarians from Germany, Ireland, Egypt and Yemen, artists and writers from Sweden, and media […]]]> 641119 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230524-canada-and-saudi-arabia-to-appoint-new-ambassadors-end-2018-dispute/ Wed, 24 May 2023 18:57:59 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=639296 Canada and Saudi Arabia have agreed to restore full diplomatic ties and appoint new ambassadors, both countries said on Wednesday, ending the fallout from a 2018 dispute that damaged relations and trade, Reuters reports. The decision follows discussions held between Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, and Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, on the sidelines of the Summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum in Bangkok in November last year, according to statements from Canada and Saudi Arabia. "Punitive trade measures will be lifted," said a Canadian government source familiar with the agreement who was not authorised to speak on the record. "Empty chairs at the end of the day don't push our interests forward, and they don't push things like human rights […]]]> 639296 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230517-the-trump-effect-and-the-us-establishments-response-is-a-warning-for-all-americans/ Wed, 17 May 2023 15:20:06 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=637486 Following his 2020 US presidential election defeat, a new chapter has unfolded for Donald Trump as the former president finds himself embroiled in multiple investigations and legal challenges. Notably, he faces the unprecedented scenario of a former US president facing criminal charges. The investigations cover a range of allegations, including his potential role in the Capitol Hill riot on 6 January 2021; his attempt to alter the election results in the state of Georgia; and the fact that he took confidential documents that should have remained in the White House to his Florida mansion, Mar-a-Lago. Recently, New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg indicted Trump on 34 counts of first degree accounting record forgery related to the Stormy Daniels case. […]]]> 637486 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230516-the-symbolic-nakba-commemoration-at-the-un-exposed-israels-hatred-of-the-truth/ Tue, 16 May 2023 13:10:19 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=637321 "The thought that an international organisation could mark the establishment of one of its member states as a catastrophe or disaster is both appalling and repulsive," wrote Israel's UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan when asking UN diplomats to refrain from attending the unprecedented UN General Assembly's commemoration of the 1948 Nakba. Truth be told, the most repulsive action was the UN's acceptance of the Israeli settler-colonial enterprise as a member state in 1948, at the expense of the ethnically-cleansed Palestinian population whose land was (and continues to be) usurped, and whose legitimate return to their land was a still unfulfilled condition of Israel's UN membership. The Nakba commemoration, while significant, pales in comparison with the UN's complicity in allowing Israel to […]]]> 637321 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230515-israel-asks-countries-to-boycott-palestinian-nakba-event-at-un/ Mon, 15 May 2023 16:28:46 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=637036 Israel said, Monday, that it is communicating with other countries to boycott the commemoration of the Nakba, or Catastrophe, a day marked by the Palestinians on 15 May to refer to the expulsion of thousands from their homes and lands in 1948 after the founding of Israel, Anadolu News Agency reports. "We will fight the lie of the 'Nakba' with all our might," Israeli Foreign Minister, Eli Cohen, said in a statement. "We will not allow the Palestinians to continue spreading lies and to distort history." READ: For first time, UN commemorates Palestine Nakba According to The Times of Israel newspaper, the Israeli Foreign Ministry asked nearly 100 countries not to participate in the event, organised by the Palestinian mission […]]]> 637036 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230509-sudan-deepens-crisis-in-africa-as-un-sees-5-million-more-needing-aid/ Tue, 09 May 2023 17:08:31 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=634771 When a power struggle between Sudan's rival military leaders shattered a tenuous peace in her village in Sudan's western region of Darfur, Halime Yacoub Issac's first instinct was to take her five children and run. But four days after seeking refuge in neighbouring Chad – a country with its own dire humanitarian crisis – she had yet to receive any assistance and was just hoping they would not starve. "We're entirely dependent on food Chadian families give us," Issac told Reuters, sitting in a rare patch of shade near the border village of Goungour with other newly arrived women and children, some of them orphans. Nearby, hundreds of families were camped out under trees, or had built flimsy shelters out […]]]> 634771 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230507-meet-the-first-female-kuwait-storm-chaser-hunting-tornadoes-and-flashing-lightning-bolts/ Sun, 07 May 2023 08:45:24 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=633949 Most people look forward to staying home, curled up and cosy under covers on the dreary, dark days when it is pouring outside. Many even consider it one of life's simple greatest pleasures. But for 39-year-old Sarah Al-Sayegh, her idea of all things fun and exciting, quite literally, lies within the eye of the storm. As a storm chaser who is thrilled by hunting ferocious tornadoes and flashing lightning bolts, she has felt the heat of lightning that struck a mere feet ahead of her in Colorado, and was whipped by gusting winds while watching huge rainstorms dance across the sea in Kuwait. "It's the greatest adrenaline rush capturing nature in its most breath-taking moments. We see it in movies […]]]> 633949 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230430-turkish-space-traveler-to-spend-14-days-on-international-space-station/ Sun, 30 Apr 2023 09:20:55 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=632255 Alper Gezeravci, selected as one of the first Turkish space travelers, will spend 14 days on the International Space Station, Turkish Industry and Technology Minister Mustafa Varank told a news briefing on Saturday. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced names of the country's first space travelers on Saturday during his speech at TEKNOFEST, Turkiye's premier aerospace and technology festival. Gezeravci is a pilot with Turkish Air Force, while reserve candidate Tuva Cihangir Atasever is a system engineer at Turkish missile producer Roketsan in the field of space launch systems. The two candidates were chosen among over 36,000 applications, the minister said. He said 20 countries were conducting similar missions to the space station, and Turkiye will also enter the exclusive club. […]]]> 632255 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230427-us-african-states-race-to-extend-sudan-truce-gunfire-still-heard/ Thu, 27 Apr 2023 13:46:34 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=631738 The United States and African nations were racing to secure an extension of a ceasefire in Sudan on Thursday, with the Sudanese Army giving an initial nod to an African proposal calling for talks even as fighting continued, Reuters reports. Hundreds of people have been killed in nearly two weeks of conflict between the Army and a rival paramilitary force – the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) – which are locked in a power struggle that threatens to destabilise the wider region. An RSF statement accused the Army of attacking its forces on Thursday and spreading "false rumours", making no reference to the proposal which the Army said came from the Inter-governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), an African regional bloc. Gunfire […]]]> 631738 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230422-lebanese-canadian-academic-receives-life-sentence-for-1980-paris-synagogue-bombing/ Sat, 22 Apr 2023 11:18:37 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=630585 A Lebanese-Canadian university professor was found guilty in absentia Friday for a bomb attack on a Paris synagogue more than 40 years ago, reports Anadolu Agency. Hassan Diab, 69, who was the only person accused in the attack, was given a life sentence and an arrest warrant was issued. The attack in 1980 resulted in the deaths of four people and injured 46. It was the first deadly attack against a Jewish target on French soil since World War II. Diab did not attend the trial in Paris and his legal team claimed he was wrongly identified. The success of a potential new extradition process for Diab is uncertain and such a move could potentially strain the relationship between Canada […]]]> 630585 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230419-diplomatic-missions-in-sudan-urge-combatants-to-avoid-escalations-cease-fire/ Wed, 19 Apr 2023 16:42:05 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=630294 Diplomatic missions in Sudan, on Wednesday, called on rival forces to cease fire and observe obligations under international law to protect civilians, diplomats and humanitarian actors following a days-long bloody power struggle across the country, Reuters reports. The missions included the embassies of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, the Republic of Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States and the Delegation of the European Union. In a joint statement, they urged the Army and the most powerful paramilitary group to avoid further escalation and initiate talks to resolve outstanding issues. READ: Sudan Army chief, the warlord and a feud that risks civil war]]> 630294 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230404-shia-muslim-scholars-allege-discrimination-following-us-entry-denial/ Tue, 04 Apr 2023 14:22:21 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=626526 Over the past decade several Shia Muslim scholars have been "repeatedly and unexpectedly" denied entry to the US, according to a report yesterday by the Guardian. In many cases these denials or revocations are without a specific reason, leaving some scholars to suspect the move is down to religious bias. Mohammad Ali Naquvi, co-founder and chair of the American Muslim Bar Association (AMBA), claims that over 50 Shia scholars have been denied entry to the US in the past decade, noting that in some cases visas have been under "administrative processing" for years. The national executive director at the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) was quoted as saying: "It has a burden on the religious practice of Shia Muslims in the […]]]> 626526 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230330-qatar-buys-two-gas-offshore-lands-in-canada/ Thu, 30 Mar 2023 16:19:39 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=625492 QatarEnergy entered into a farm-in agreement with ExxonMobil Canada for two exploration licenses gas offshore the province of Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada, Qatari media reports. According to the report, Minister of State for Energy Affairs and QatarEnergy President and CEO, HE Saad Sherida Al Kaabi, said, "We are pleased to sign this agreement with our strategic partner, ExxonMobil, to further grow our offshore Atlantic Canada portfolio as part of our international growth drive, and look forward to continuing working within Canada's transparent and stable regulatory environment." In 2021, Qatar withdrew from OPEC and started to invest in gas. READ: Top EU transport official transferred after row over Qatar-paid trips]]> 625492 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230329-canada-announces-plans-to-eradicate-forced-uyghur-labour-from-supply-chains/ Wed, 29 Mar 2023 19:14:00 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=625290 Canada has announced its intention to introduce legislation to eradicate forced labour from its supply chains, sparked by China's ongoing persecution of its Uyghur Muslim population and the conditions in which they are forced to work. In its Budget 2023 announcement this week, the Canadian government stated that it "is gravely concerned by the ongoing human rights violations against Uyghurs and Muslim minorities in China, as well as by the use of forced labour around the world. Given these concerns, it is important that importers address their supply chain vulnerabilities and ensure their production promotes our shared Canadian values around the world." It added that the country's Budget 2023 "announces the federal government's intention to introduce legislation by 2024 to […]]]> 625290 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230327-canada-government-report-calls-for-training-to-stop-tax-bias-toward-muslim-charities/ Mon, 27 Mar 2023 20:00:00 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=624873 A new report released Monday says Canada's tax department is ensnared in red tape and a comprehensive review is impossible but it should provide training to end "unconscious" bias when dealing with Muslim charities, Anadolu News Agency reports. The Office of the Taxpayers' Ombudsperson report found that bias creeps in unconsciously and training would "improve the CRA's (Canada Revenue Agency's) services to both Muslim-led charities and charities, in general." The report also said there is so much red tape when dealing with the CRA that a comprehensive review of its operations regarding charities is impossible. "Despite our best efforts, we encountered legislative and administrative obstacles that prevented us from having the information we needed to conduct a comprehensive examination and […]]]> 624873 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230327-kuwait-sacks-2000-expatriate-teachers/ Mon, 27 Mar 2023 08:03:14 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=624755 The Kuwaiti Ministry of Education will lay off more than 2,000 expatriate teachers and department heads in 14 specialisations by the end of the current academic year 2022-2023, Kuwait's Al-Qabas newspaper reported. According to the paper, the teachers belong are from 24 nationalities, however, a majority of them – 82.09 per cent are Egyptians – followed by Syrians (11.03 per cent) and Jordanians (3.55 per cent). They also include Indians, Nigerians, Iranians, Yemenis, Moroccans, Lebanese, Eritreans, Senegalese, Sudanese, Omani, Tunisians, Afghans, Canadians, Somalians, Italians, Kenyans, Russians, Filipinos, Ghanaians and Pakistanis. The Ministry of Education had earlier announced that it was in the process of terminating the services of 1,815 male and female teachers and more than 200 expatriate department heads at the […]]]> 624755 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230319-normalising-conversation-about-arab-womens-sexual-health-led-to-threats-and-challenges-motherbeing-co-founder-says/ Sun, 19 Mar 2023 08:41:12 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=622957 For decades, women in Egyptian society and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) have suffered considerable shame when discussing women's health and personal care. Motherbeing co-founders, Nour Emam and Yousef ElSammaa, are working to change this for both the younger and older generations. "The main issue with the region as a whole is that reproductive and sexual health is regarded as something shameful and taboo and then no one ends up talking about it, no matter how necessary," Nour says. "Adequate knowledge on the female body and health is absolutely missing in the public schooling system in Egypt in particular, because there's no surveillance over whether or not these subjects are being taught properly," explains Nour. "Reproductive health and […]]]> 622957 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230316-african-migrants-seek-to-escape-attacks-in-tunisia/ Thu, 16 Mar 2023 10:37:21 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=622713 Tunisia has witnessed a wave of anger towards migrants following President Kais Saied's statements on 21 February, in which he denounced the arrival of "hordes of illegal migrants" to the country from sub-Saharan Africa, describing them as attempts to "change the demographiccomposition" of the country. As a result, thousands of students have fallen victims to a hostile campaign against them. Some 100 have already been flown back to their countries of origin with help from their embassies as a result of the attacks they faced, the Association of African Students and Interns in Tunisia (AESAT) has said. AESAT head Christian Kwongang said, "They left because of the racist campaign, arbitrary arrests and numerous evictions" from their homes, revealing that there had been "more than 400 […]]]> 622713 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230314-canadian-minister-avoids-question-on-israeli-athletes/ Tue, 14 Mar 2023 16:46:15 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=621983 READ: Israel: former air force officer sent to prison for sexual assault]]> 621983 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230228-israel-is-world-leader-in-crackdown-on-tiktok-videos/ Tue, 28 Feb 2023 13:28:58 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=618588 A glimpse into the scale of Israel's crackdown on social media users was given today with the revelation that the occupation state is one of the world's leading countries in demanding the removal of videos from the TikTok social media platform. According to a report in the Jerusalem Post, TikTok received 2,713 requests from governments around the world to remove or limit content or accounts in the third quarter of 2022. The company removed 110,954,663 videos uploaded to the platform worldwide during this time, roughly one per cent of all the videos uploaded to TikTok. Of the videos that were removed, 80.1 per cent were removed before even viewing the entire video, while 89.8 per cent were removed within 24 […]]]> 618588 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230218-zelensky-ukraine-will-acquire-missile-drone-interception-system/ Sat, 18 Feb 2023 11:46:15 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=615876 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced during the Munich Security Conference on Friday that Ukraine's acquisition of an Israeli missile interception system to use against Russia "is only a matter of time". He added that his country needs to acquire the David's Sling air defence system from Israel to use against the Russian Goliath. The David's Sling system is a system for intercepting medium-range missiles and drones. Ukraine has requested to obtain missile interception systems several times since the start of the war with Russia, but Israel has so far refused. During his speech, Zelensky attacked Iran for providing aid to Russia and said Iran would use the experience of using drones in Ukraine to improve its performance and use it […]]]> 615876 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230208-memo-in-conversation-with-hassan-al-kontar/ Wed, 08 Feb 2023 16:00:27 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=612345 After having lived in an airport for up to seven months, his days punctuated by the rhythm of ceaseless flights and footsteps, Syrian refugee Hassan Al-Kontar, has finally become a Canadian citizen. Famously known as "The Airport man", the 41-year-old made headlines in 2018, when he was stranded and stuck at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia for about seven months. "I did not decide to stay at the airport; I was out of options after the system decided for me. Those who were fighting for power decided for me," said Hassan. "I was not in control of my own destiny. I was left with no choice but to stay at the airport, despite trying everything." Hassan was born in […]]]> 612345 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230131-us-curbs-exports-to-iran-firms-for-producing-drones-for-russia/ Tue, 31 Jan 2023 15:31:11 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=611152 The United States, on Tuesday, added seven Iranian entities to its trade blacklist for producing drones that Russia has used to attack Ukraine, according a posting by the US Department of Commerce, Reuters reports. Nearing a year since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, allies have scrambled to gather and deploy air defences to defeat cruise missiles and Iranian-built kamikaze drones that have attacked energy infrastructure targets this winter. Earlier this month, Canada announced it would buy a US-made National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) for Ukraine. NASAMS is a short- to medium-range ground-based air defence system that protects against drone, missile and aircraft attack. The United States has provided two NASAMS to Ukraine, with more on the way. READ: Israel rights group submits […]]]> 611152 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230127-teacher-revives-art-of-letter-writing-to-connect-students-across-the-world-with-children-in-gaza/ Fri, 27 Jan 2023 17:16:07 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=609748 Before this digital age of social media texts and direct messages, it was commonplace to receive heartfelt handwritten letters from a pen pal, a postcard from overseas or annual colourful festive cards. It is an experience the Berkeley, California-based teacher, Heather La Mastro, aimed to rediscover with her students at the Jewish Community Centre of the East Bay in 2018. The letters, she revealed to them, will be addressed to children in Gaza. "It was a sweet moment. I had let them know of an opportunity to connect with children who are living in a war zone leading difficult lives and gave all 15 of them an individual choice to take part," explained Heather. "I pulled out 15 yeses from […]]]> 609748 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230127-canada-names-first-special-representative-to-combat-islamophobia/ Fri, 27 Jan 2023 11:30:05 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=609670 Canada has appointed its first Special Representative to combat Islamophobia, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday, Anadolu News Agency reports. Amira Elghawaby is a former journalist, a founding member of the Canadian Anti-Hate Network, and was instrumental in creating the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), the largest Muslim organisation in the country. As the special representative, Elghawaby will lead the federal government's fight "against Islamophobia, systemic racism, racial discrimination and religious intolerance," the Prime Minister's office said in a press release. Specifically, she will advise the Trudeau government on what policies and legislation to bring forward to counter the "threat" of Islamophobia. Her appointment was applauded by Stephen Brown, Chief Executive Officer of the NCCM. "While at NCCM, Amira […]]]> 609670 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230123-israel-ambassador-to-canada-quits-in-protest-over-new-governments-policies/ Mon, 23 Jan 2023 14:29:01 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=608473 Israel's Ambassador to Canada, Ronen Hoffman, resigned from his post yesterday to protest the policies of the new government led by the Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. Hoffman wrote on Twitter: "I am honoured to have been appointed by previous Prime Minister [Yair Lapid] to represent and serve the State of Israel as Ambassador to Canada over a year ago. "With the transition to the new government and to a different policy in Israel, my personal and professional integrity has compelled me to request to shorten my post and return to Israel this summer." With the transition to the new government and to different policy in Israel, my personal and professional integrity has compelled me to request to shorten my post […]]]> 608473 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230112-canada-trudeau-called-upon-to-boycott-far-right-israeli-government/ Thu, 12 Jan 2023 10:06:36 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=605754 Canadians launched a campaign on Wednesday calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to boycott the far-right Israeli government of Benjamin Netanyahu, Quds Press has reported. The campaigners point out that Netanyahu's government is "the most far-right" government in Israel's history. "Its extremist members pose a real and immediate threat to the safety and security of Palestinians," they added. "We were infuriated with the Canadian government's congratulation to the new extremist right-wing Israeli regime without mentioning its extremism or worrying illegal plans to annex the occupied West Bank." In May last year, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency ruled that "Product of Israel" labels affixed to wines produced in illegal West Bank settlements violate Canadian consumer protection law. The agency said that […]]]> 605754 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230105-report-downed-iran-drone-in-ukraine-contained-us-parts/ Thu, 05 Jan 2023 15:56:17 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=603961 An Iranian drone shot down in Ukraine last year was found to contain parts made by 13 US companies, according to a Ukrainian intelligence report obtained by CNN. The investigation found discovered that 40 out of the 52 components that made up the Iranian-made Shahed 136 "suicide drone" were produced by US companies. The remaining 12 parts were manufactured by companies in Canada, Switzerland, Japan, Taiwan and China. Yesterday the White House said it was looking into curbing Iranian drone production through increased sanctions and export controls and has been in contact with the private firms whose parts were found in the drones. "We are assessing further steps we can take in terms of export controls to restrict Iran's access […]]]> 603961 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20221229-the-jnf-kkl-a-charity-complicit-with-ethnic-cleansing/ Thu, 29 Dec 2022 10:24:35 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=602934 The JNF/KKL: A Charity Complicit with Ethnic Cleansing by academic and civil rights activist Dr Uri Davis is the latest offering by MEMO Publishers and brings to light the on-going "greenwashing" policies of the Apartheid State of Israel, which has been facilitated with the collusion of the Jewish National Fund (JNF), an internationally-recognised charity that pre-dates the establishment of the Jewish state. As such, it is argued that the JNF is complicit in the ethnic cleansing of Palestine. The "alternative guide-book" to the organisation is a product of Davis' years of scholarship and field-research and consists of relevant documents and case-studies carried out by the author over the past two decades. An introduction is also provided by esteemed anti-Zionist Israeli […]]]> 602934 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20221215-uk-pledges-16m-to-support-lebanon-army/ Thu, 15 Dec 2022 15:54:37 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=601022 The British Ambassador to Lebanon, Hamish Cowell, announced a £13 million ($16 million) commitment to support the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) from 2022 to 2025. A meeting was held by the High Level Steering Committee of the Aid Program for the Protection of Land Borders, attended  by Cowell, the US Ambassador, Dorothy Shea, and the Canadian Ambassador, Stephanie McCollum, to discuss security on the Lebanese-Syrian border. A statement released by the British embassy following the meeting said the joint border programme has reinforced the authority of the Lebanese state along its land border with Syria where Four Land Border Regiments have been deployed from the north in Arida to the south in Jebel Al Sheikh. "This MOU demonstrates our commitment […]]]> 601022 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20221201-zionists-have-captured-jordan-peterson-and-are-hijacking-western-conservatism/ Thu, 01 Dec 2022 20:00:55 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=597817 Jordan Peterson has long been a controversial figure, subject to attempts to suppress him from various sides. Much of that controversy is not wholly negative: his stand against Canada's Bill C-16 – which obligates the use of Trans individuals' pronouns in a clear example of compelled speech – was noble, as was his advocacy for freedom of speech, his defence of religious values in society, and particularly his efforts to empower young men and remind them of their value. But, over the years, those apparent stances for freedom and societal betterment have been overshadowed by the numerous attempts to co-opt Peterson into supporting certain causes, recognising the value his influence and articulation could bring to their 'tribe'. Conservative Christians have […]]]> 597817 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20221126-iran-rejects-unhrc-decision-to-probe-crackdown-on-anti-regime-protests/ Sat, 26 Nov 2022 13:50:27 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=596874 The Iranian Foreign Ministry on Friday denounced the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC)'s decision to open an international investigation into the crackdown on country-wide protests erupted by the death of Mahsa Amini. In a statement, Iran's Foreign Ministry said it rejected the UNHRC's meeting and considered that the decision "does not officially recognise the mission" to carry out the probe. The UNHRC voted on Thursday to condemn the "bloody" crackdown on protests in Iran and create an independent fact-finding mission to investigate alleged abuses, particularly those committed against women and children. A resolution put forward by Germany and Iceland was backed by 25 countries, opposed by six, and 16 abstained. READ: German Chancellor slams Iran ramped up uranium enrichment The […]]]> 596874 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20221125-entrapment-is-the-tool-of-the-western-intelligence-matrix-to-criminalise-muslim-communities/ Fri, 25 Nov 2022 13:51:06 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=596631 There are countless stereotypes and tropes found throughout popular culture, movie productions and social media. One of those is that of undercover police or intelligence agents who famously tend to consist of well-built white men donned in disguises that are overly civilian with a tactical hint – usually with similar crew cut hairstyles, shorts, sunglasses, a baseball cap or blue jeans with the outline of handcuffs seen through the back pocket – and who were especially spotted and publicised at both left and right-wing protests in the US in recent years. Infiltrating protests and rallies seem to be a prominent part of their job description and, in movies, they are famously portrayed as provocateurs offering to sell drugs to or […]]]> 596631 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20221123-xi-vs-trudeau-how-china-is-rewriting-history-with-the-colonial-west/ Wed, 23 Nov 2022 19:30:31 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=596458 Though brief, the exchange between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Indonesia on 16 November has become a social media sensation. Xi, assertive if not domineering, lectured the visibly apprehensive Trudeau about the etiquette of diplomacy. This exchange can be considered another watershed moment in China's relationship with the West. "If there was sincerity on your part," the Chinese President told Trudeau, "then we shall conduct our discussion with an attitude of mutual respect, otherwise there might be unpredictable consequences." At the end of the awkward conversation, Xi was the first to walk away, leaving Trudeau uncomfortably making his way out of the room. For the significance of […]]]> 596458 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20221120-former-canada-intelligence-agent-calls-for-uk-to-repatriate-shamima-begum-acknowledging-agencys-role/ Sun, 20 Nov 2022 10:17:53 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=595235 A former senior Canadian intelligence officer has called for the UK to repatriate Shamima Begum due to the role of her former agency in the girl's trafficking to Syria seven years ago. Huda Mukbil, formerly a senior officer at the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) says the agency's operatives broke their own rules as it handled a covert source who served as a trafficker for Begum and her friends in 2015. Canadian intelligence's role in the trafficking of the British schoolgirls into Syria was first revealed in August by Richard Kerbaj, former security correspondent of The Sunday Times, in his book 'The Secret History of the Five Eyes.' When the girls fled seven years ago, the UK's Metropolitan Police Service […]]]> 595235