06-05-2025
Huge dust storm sweeps into Iran, affecting millions
Huge dust storm sweeps into Iran, affecting millions /node/2599785/middle-east Tunisia puts more opposition figures on mass trial /node/2599781/middle-east Tunisia puts more opposition figures on mass trial
Updated 5 sec ago
May 06, 2025 19:10 Tunisia puts more opposition figures on mass trial
The 'conspiracy against state security II' involved 22 defendants, including 83-year-old Ennahdha party leader Rached Ghannouch
The majority of the defendants are being tried in absentia, having fled the country
Updated 5 sec ago
AFP
May 06, 2025 19:10
TUNIS: A new trial of nearly two dozen Tunisian opposition figures accused of plotting against the state opened on Tuesday, weeks after a separate mass trial jailed nearly 40 defendants on similar charges. The latest trial — known as the 'conspiracy against state security II' — involved 22 defendants, including 83-year-old Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party leader Rached Ghannouchi, currently jailed in another case. Youssef Chahed, a former prime minister, and Nadia Akacha, once the head of the presidential office, were also among the defendants, according to court documents. The defendants were accused of terror-related charges, incitement to murder, and 'plotting against state internal security,' among other charges, according to a court document. The majority of the defendants are being tried in absentia, having fled the country, lawyer Samir Dilou said. Ghannouchi was already sentenced in early February to 22 years in prison — also for plotting against state security in a different case. He had been the speaker of parliament when President Kais Saied staged a sweeping power grab in 2021. In this case, Ghannouchi as well as other Ennahdha officials stand accused of setting up a 'secret security apparatus' in service of the party, which had dominated Tunisia's post-revolution politics. Tunisia had emerged as the Arab world's only democracy following the ouster of longtime ruler Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in 2011, after it kicked off the Arab Spring uprisings. Tuesday's hearing was conducted remotely with only four defendants attending virtually, according to lawyers. Last month's similar trial had drawn criticism from the United Nations, which said it was 'marred by violations of fair trial and due process rights.' But Saied dismissed the 'comments and statements by foreign parties' as 'blatant interference in Tunisia's internal affairs.'
In a statement on Monday, Tunisia's main opposition coalition, the National Salvation Front (FSN), called for 'an end to sham and unfair trials,' demanding 'the release of all political prisoners.' Oman announces US-Houthi ceasefire deal /node/2599767/middle-east Oman announces US-Houthi ceasefire deal
A US F/A-18 Super Hornet attack fighter jet takes off from the US Navy's Nimitz-class USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier.
Updated 52 min 23 sec ago
May 06, 2025 16:37 Oman announces US-Houthi ceasefire deal
'They said please don't bomb us any more and we're not going to attack your ships,' Trump said
There was no immediate response from the Houthis
Updated 52 min 23 sec ago
AFP
May 06, 2025 16:37
WASHINGTON: The United States and Yemen's Houthis have reached a ceasefire agreement, mediator Oman announced Tuesday, saying the deal would ensure 'freedom of navigation' in the Red Sea where the militia has attacked shipping.
'Following recent discussions and contacts... with the aim of de-escalation, efforts have resulted in a ceasefire agreement between the two sides,' said Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi in a statement posted online, adding that 'neither side will target the other... ensuring freedom of navigation and the smooth flow of international commercial shipping' in the Red Sea.
Earlier on Tuesday, President Donald Trump said that the US will stop bombing the Houthis in Yemen after the Iran-aligned group agreed to stop interrupting important shipping lanes in the Middle East. In an Oval Office meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Trump announced the Houthis have said that they no longer want to fight but did not elaborate on the message. 'They said please don't bomb us any more and we're not going to attack your ships,' Trump said. The Houthis have been firing at Israel and at shipping in the Red Sea since Israel began its military offensive against Hamas in Gaza after the Palestinian militant group's deadly attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. The US president said Washington will take the Houthis' word that they would not be blowing up ships any longer. Tensions have been high since the Gaza war began, but have risen further since a Houthi missile landed near Israel's Ben Gurion Airport on Sunday, prompting Israeli airstrikes on Yemen's Hodeidah port on Monday.
The Israeli military carried out an airstrike on Yemen's main airport in Sanaa on Tuesday, its second attack in two days on the Houthis after a surge in tensions between the group and Israel. Topics: War on Gaza US President Donald Trump Houthis The bodies of a Belgian mother and her son were recovered in southern Jordan after flash flooding /node/2599762/middle-east The bodies of a Belgian mother and her son were recovered in southern Jordan after flash flooding
Updated 06 May 2025
May 06, 2025 19:01 The bodies of a Belgian mother and her son were recovered in southern Jordan after flash flooding
The mother and children had been part of a group of 18 tourists
Fourteen tourists, all Czechs, were rescued on Sunday
Updated 06 May 2025
AP
May 06, 2025 19:01
AMMAN: Search and rescue teams recovered the bodies of a Belgian mother and her son on Monday in Jordan, police said a day after the woman and her three children were reported missing in flash flooding. The other two children were found alive.
Sunday's flooding in southern Jordan also led to the evacuation of hundreds of tourists from the Petra archaeological site, the country's main tourist attraction.
The mother and children had been part of a group of 18 tourists who had been on an adventure trip in Wadi Al-Nakhil when they were caught up in the flash flood, Ma'an district local governor Hassan Al-Jabour told state media broadcaster Al-Mamlaka TV. Fourteen tourists, all Czechs, were rescued on Sunday. Rescue crews located two of the children alive late Sunday, Al-Jabour said. The search and rescue operation was suspended at about 2 a.m. because of the complicated weather conditions and terrain. The bodies of the woman and her son were found Monday morning after the search resumed, he said. Further details about the family and the ages of the children weren't immediately available.
Jordan often experiences flash flooding as heavy seasonal rains send torrents of water through dry desert valleys. At least three people died in 2021 when floodwaters swept away their car, while more than 30 people in the Dead Sea region and other parts of Jordan were killed in flash flooding in 2018. Topics: Jordan belgian tourists flash floods Petra UAE president stresses regional peace during meeting with Turkish foreign minister /node/2599756/middle-east UAE president stresses regional peace during meeting with Turkish foreign minister
Updated 06 May 2025
May 06, 2025 17:28 UAE president stresses regional peace during meeting with Turkish foreign minister
Leaders examined the strategic relationship between Ankara and Abu Dhabi
Updated 06 May 2025
Arab News
May 06, 2025 17:28
LONDON: UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan at the Qasr Al-Shati palace in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
They examined the strategic relationship between Ankara and Abu Dhabi, seeking ways to enhance it according to their mutual interests, the Emirates News Agency reported.
Sheikh Mohamed and Fidan discussed regional and international issues, highlighting developments in the Middle East. They stressed the necessity of fostering regional peace and stability in a way that benefits all nations.
The meeting was attended by several senior officials, including Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the deputy chairman of the Presidential Court for Special Affairs; Sheikh Mohamed bin Hamad bin Tahnoun Al-Nahyan, the adviser to the UAE president; Ali bin Hammad Al-Shamsi, the secretary-general of the Supreme Council for National Security; and Khalifa Shaheen Al-Marar, the minister of state.
