Turkey sees highest daily COVID-19 rates in Europe and Middle East
12th April 2021
The Financial Timesreport on the power failure at the Natanz nuclear facility in Iran. The country’s top nuclear scientist, Ali Akbar Salehi, called the incident a “terrorist act” but did not say who was responsible. Reports from Israeli media suggested the Mossad played a central role in the power failure. Salehi told local media that “to thwart the goals of those who engineered this terrorist act, the Islamic Republic of Iran will continue to seriously develop nuclear technology on the one hand and expand its efforts to lift the unjust sanctions on the other hand.”
BICOM
29th January 2021
Reuters report on the UK’s decision to ban all flights from the UAE following a surge of coronavirus cases in the country, especially the South African variant. The decision to ban flights will come into force this afternoon. The papers note that flights between London and the UAE was the busiest international route, with an estimated 190,365 passengers flying in January and 84,500 passengers in November 2020.
The Financial Times notes: “Dubai cemented its reputation as a party city over the festive period, drawing revellers from around the world. Barely a month later the Gulf emirate is paying a high price as coronavirus cases surge and doctors complain of a shortage of beds.”
BICOM
22nd January 2021
The Guardian report on the two suicide bombings that killed at least 32 people in Tayaran Square, a second-hand clothes market in Baghdad. A statement from ISIS’s news agency said Shia Muslims were the target of the attack. Over 100 people were wounded in the attack, the biggest suicide bombing in the country for three years. According to the Iraqi interior ministry, “The first suicide bomber said he was sick, asked for help, gathered people around him and detonated the bomb. The second suicide bomb detonated as soon as others gathered to help the victims of the first bomb.”
BICOM
13th January 2021
The Financial Times report on US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s claim that Iran has allowed al-Qaeda to establish a base in the country. Pompeo told reporters yesterday: “Unlike in Afghanistan, when al-Qaeda was hiding in the mountains, al-Qaeda today is operating under the hard shell of the Iranian regime’s protection.” Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif rebuffed the claims, writing on twitter: “From designating Cuba to fictitious Iran ‘declassifications’ and AQ claims, Mr. ‘we lie, cheat, steal’ is pathetically ending his disastrous career with more warmongering lies. No one is fooled. All 9/11 terrorists came from @SecPompeo’s favourite ME destinations; NONE from Iran.” Pompeo also confirmed long standing reports that senior al-Qaeda member Abu Mohammed al-Mari was assassinated in Tehran last summer.
BICOM
18th December 2020
th anniversary
. BBC Newsfeatures a video highlighting the 10 defining moments of the movement. Borzou Daragahi argues in
The Independent that while there was hope for change in Tunisia much of that has faded and the country is now dealing with “economic stagnancy, persistent corruption, and stark political and cultural polarization.”
The Guardian examines what change the revolution has brought and whether the sacrifice of so many was worth it.
The Economist notes that “The region is less free than it was in 2010 and worse off by most other measures, too.”
BBC News reports that Saudi Arabia and Bahrain have begun their large scale vaccination initiative. Saudi health minister Taqfiq Rabiah was among the first pepole to receive the Pfizer vaccine, and called the vaccination “the start of a breakthrough in the crisis.” Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa was giving the vaccine earlier in the