Category: Middle East

Protests Grip Iran as Rights Group Says 19 Children Killed

DUBAI—Protests ignited by the death of a young woman in police custody continued across Iran on Sunday in defiance of a crackdown by the authorities, as a human rights group said at least 185 people, including children, had been killed in demonstrations. Anti-government protests that began on Sept. 17 at the funeral of 22-year-old Mahsa…


US Reviewing ‘Response Options’ on Saudi Relations After OPEC+ Cuts, Blinken Says

LIMA—The United States is reviewing various options regarding its relationship with Saudi Arabia after Riyadh and other OPEC+ nations agreed this week to large cuts in oil production, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday. “As for the relationship [with Riyadh] going forward, we’re reviewing a number of response options. We’re consulting closely with…


Disputing Iran’s Version, Mother Says Teen Was Beaten to Death

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates—The mother of a 16-year-old Iranian girl has disputed official claims that her daughter fell to her death from a high building, saying the teen was killed by blows to the head as part of the crackdown on anti-hijab protests roiling the country. Nasreen Shakarami also said authorities kept her daughter Nika’s…


17 Migrants Dead, Dozens More Missing After Boats Sink in Greek Waters

At least 17 migrants, including one boy, have died, while dozens more are missing, after two boats sank in Greek waters on Thursday. Authorities in Greece said on Thursday that they had recovered 17 bodies close to the eastern island of Lesbos after a dinghy that left the Turkish coast carrying about 40 people ran into…


OPEC Slashes Output, Biden Releases More Oil—How Did We Get Here? 

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies, OPEC+, surprised global energy markets on Wednesday by agreeing to slash crude production by 2 million barrels per day (bpd). In response to fears of waning demand amid worries of a global recession, the cartel thought it was necessary to reduce production and help…


How Did the US Become OPEC-Dependent Once Again?

News Analysis The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies, OPEC+, surprised global energy markets on Wednesday by agreeing to slash crude production by 2 million barrels per day (bpd). In response to fears of waning demand amid worries of a global recession, the cartel thought it was necessary to reduce production…


Saudi Arabia Surprises Markets by Holding Oil Prices Steady Despite OPEC+ Cuts

Just a day after OPEC+ roiled the White House with its decision to slash oil production by 2 million barrels per day, the cartel’s key decision-maker Saudi Arabia decided to hold crude prices steady for Asian markets and lower those for Europe, defying market expectations for increases. Saudi Arabia’s state-controlled Saudi Aramco left November prices…


Suicide Bomber Strikes at a Center of Taliban Power, Kills 4

KABUL, Afghanistan—A suicide bomber struck at a center of Taliban power Wednesday, setting off a blast at a government ministry in the Afghan capital of Kabul and killing at least four people. The explosion went off in the afternoon as workers and visitors were praying inside a mosque of Afghanistan’s Interior Ministry, which is responsible…


Iranian Police Deploy at Universities as Unrest Over Mahsa Amini’s Death Churns On

DUBAI—Iranian security forces deployed at universities in several cities on Wednesday, witnesses said, stepping up efforts to quell more than two weeks of protests ignited by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of morality police. The nationwide unrest sparked by her death has spiralled into the biggest challenge to Iran’s clerical leaders…


Former Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu Undergoes Tests After Feeling Unwell

JERUSALEM—Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu underwent tests after feeling ill during prayers on the Jewish Day of Atonement, his office said in a statement on Wednesday. “Former Prime Minister Netanyahu felt unwell while praying at synagogue. He underwent a series of tests on site that came out normal and he now feels well,” the…