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  • Will Qatar mediation end Lebanon political deadlock?

    Lebanon has been unable to elect a new president since President Michel Aoun left office in October 2022, Anadolu News Agency reports. France has sought to mediate between Lebanese political forces, sending its envoy, Jean Yves Le Drian, twice to the country in a bid to end the deadlock. The efforts, however, did not yield any results. As the political vacuum persisted, Qatar stepped in to help strike a deal between Lebanon’s political groups. Qatari envoy, Jassim bin Fahad Al-Thani, arrived in Lebanon last week in an effort to strike an understanding between the country’s political rivals for electing a new president.

  • Will Saudi, UAE accession transform BRICS?

    Generating headlines around the world, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were last month invited to join BRICS—an economic and geopolitical bloc comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. The full impact of their possible accession to the group is unclear. But the development comes amid Emirati and Saudi efforts to diversify their economic and political relationships with other states. After years of rumors, BRICS—which took shape in its current guise in 2010—extended invites for new members to join at its 15th summit last month. The gathering was held in Johannesburg in South Africa. Alongside the two Gulf Arab states, Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Iran were also offered to join the group in January next year.

  • Opinion: Saudi-Israeli deal – What would it mean for the Middle East?

    For now though, Sebastian Sons, senior researcher for the German-based think tank Carpo, doubts that Saudi Arabia and Israel are likely to sign a treaty in the near future. "An official normalization is not really needed at the moment, as Saudi Arabia is already cooperating quite closely with the Israelis in many areas," Sons said.

  • How would a US government shutdown affect the Middle East?

    Viewed from overseas, a US federal shutdown might merely look like a domestic problem created by polarised politicians. But a closure of key federal services could have impacts abroad, too.

  • New India-EU trade route: Bringing the Gulf states closer?

    The US' deputy national security adviser, Jon Finer, spoke in more realistic terms about the project. It would benefit low- and middle-income countries in the region and also enable the Middle East to play an important role in global trade, he said during the G20 summit. But of course, there was more to the new trade corridor than trade, he noted.

  • The India-Middle East Corridor: A new Silk Route or diplomacy by PowerPoint?

    A project mooted for decades to lay 2,117km of rail track connecting the Gulf Cooperation Council member states has never fully materialised. But some say IMEC will be different. Whereas a transit corridor may have been something of a pipe dream just a decade ago, the culmination of the Abraham Accords - together with shifting political and economic reconfigurations in the Middle East, in which new players like China and India have rapidly gained new levels of influence - has created high stakes for such a project to succeed.

  • What Caused the High Death Toll From Libya’s Floods?

    More than 5,000 Libyans died in the flood and more than 10,000 remain missing, according to the United Nations. So many people ended up dragged by the torrent of mud — the populations of entire buildings, in some cases — that dead bodies continued washing ashore days later. Political instability, a decade of civil war, crumbling infrastructure, and weak emergency systems all played a role in the tragedy that unfolded in the eastern region of Jabal al Akhdar. Add climate change to the mix, and the result is the deadliest and costliest storm ever recorded in the Mediterranean region.

  • Colors promoting UN goals or LGBTQ rights? Turkey’s Erdogan complains

    Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan complained on Thursday that he was uncomfortable with the use of what he described as "LGBT colors" at the United Nations, which is decorated this week with bright colors promoting the Sustainable Development Goals. Erdogan said he would have liked to discuss it with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Turkish media reported on Thursday. Turkey's government - led by Erdogan and his Islamist-rooted AK Party - has toughened its stance on LGBTQ freedoms.

  • Why is poetry so deeply rooted in Saudi culture?

    Arabic literature was predominantly poetic, flourishing during the 5th century and reaching its zenith during the Islamic Golden Age, spanning from the 7th to the 13th century AD. However, it is essential to acknowledge the prominence of pre-Islamic poets of the Arabian Peninsula who gained renown in the 6th century.

  • Chart: Who’s in the Champions League ‘Group of Death’?

    Comprising PSG, Newcastle United, AC Milan and Borussia Dortmund, when Group F was announced, it was clear that this was the one: The one which even the experts would struggle to predict who is going to get out alive. Using squad value data from Transfermarkt, Statista has been able to quantify the extent to which Group F can be considered the ‘group of death’. While there are other less quantifiable factors to consider aside from value, the numbers certainly do support the initial fan and media reaction.