Middle East Sport

Gianni Infantino: FIFA president hits out at Qatar World Cup criticism in extraordinary speech

Editorial Bureau November 19, 2022

Infantino: “Today I feel Qatari, I feel Arab, I feel African, I feel gay, I feel disabled, I feel a migrant worker…. For what we Europeans have been doing around the world in the last 3,000 years we should be apologising for the next 3,000 years before starting to give moral

Middle East World

Israel deploys remote-controlled robotic guns in West Bank

Editorial Bureau November 16, 2022

In two volatile spots in the occupied West Bank, Israel has installed robotic weapons that can fire tear gas, stun grenades and sponge-tipped bullets at Palestinian protesters. The robotic weapons, perched over a crowded Palestinian refugee camp and in a flashpoint West Bank city, use artificial intelligence to track targets. Israel says the technology saves […]

Middle East World

Turkey makes more arrests in connection with deadly bombing

Editorial Bureau November 15, 2022

Turkey police have apprehended more suspects in connection with the bomb attack on a bustling pedestrian avenue in Istanbul that killed six people and wounded several dozen others, bringing the number of people in custody to 50, Turkey’s justice minister said Tuesday. Sunday’s explosion targeted Istiklal Avenue — a famous thoroughfare lined with shops and […]

Middle East Sport World

Qatar at World Cup pinnacle after years of Mideast turmoil

Editorial Bureau November 15, 2022

Hosting the World Cup marks a pinnacle in Qatar’s efforts to rise out of the shadow of its larger neighbours in the broader Middle East, where its politics and upstart ambitions have brought international attention and regional ire. The road to the tournament — and Qatar’s increased prominence on the global stage — has been […]

Middle East World

Turkey suspects Kurdish militants behind bombing

Editorial Bureau November 14, 2022

Police have arrested a suspect who is believed to have planted the bomb that exploded on a bustling pedestrian avenue in Istanbul. Turkey’s interior minister said Monday that initial findings indicate that Kurdish militants were responsible for the deadly attack. Six people were killed, and several dozen others were wounded in Sunday’s explosion on Istiklal […]

Middle East Sport World

Qatar unveils 6,000-cabin World Cup fan village near the airport

Editorial Bureau November 10, 2022

 Qatar unveiled a 6,000-cabin fan village in an isolated lot near its airports, an offering for housing toward the lower end of what’s available for the upcoming World Cup just days from starting. As journalists toured the cabins, desert winds kicked up sand at the 3.1 square-kilometre (1.1 square-mile) site, which housed a metro station, […]

Middle East World

Iran says it has developed hypersonic missile

Editorial Bureau November 10, 2022

Iran has developed a hypersonic missile capable of penetrating all defence systems, General Amirali Hajizadeh, the commander of its Revolutionary Guards aerospace unit, claimed Thursday. Hypersonic missiles, like traditional ballistic missiles which can deliver nuclear weapons, can fly more than five times the speed of sound. “This hypersonic ballistic missile was

Middle East Travel World

Saudi light festival tries to sell public on arts push

Editorial Bureau November 10, 2022

Dazzling installations have been lighting up the Saudi capital, bringing a taste of the kingdom’s push to become a global arts destination to ordinary Saudis — not just habitual museum-goers. A massive red orb glowing outside the national library, illuminated rods dotting the riverside at a popular picnic spot, and Arabesque design projected onto the […]

Middle East World

Iran marks 1979 US Embassy takeover amid nationwide protests

Editorial Bureau November 5, 2022

 On Friday, Iran marked the 1979 takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran as its theocracy faces nationwide protests after the September death of a 22-year-old woman who was arrested by the country’s morality police. Meanwhile, activists in southeast Iran claimed security forces killed at least 16 people in protests there. Iranian state-run television aired […]

Middle East World

Israel vote cements rise of extreme right

Editorial Bureau November 4, 2022

Israel’s election this week cemented the rise of the country’s extreme right, with firebrand Itamar Ben-Gvir set to gain a powerful position in government. After leading an energetic campaign centred on security and Jewish identity, Ben-Gvir celebrated as his Religious Zionism alliance achieved third place — and likely kingmaker status — in the