2020-10-10: News Headlines

MEE and agencies (2020-10-09). Yemen's Houthis slam World Food Programme's Nobel Peace Prize win. middleeasteye.net Yemen's Houthis slam World Food Programme's Nobel Peace Prize win | Shia movement says UN body has 'largely failed in the biggest task for which it was chosen, and that is combating hunger' | Fri, 10/09/2020 – 18: 03 | World Food Programme tries to feed 13 million people each month in Yemen (AFP/File photo) | Yemen's Houthi rebels accused the World Food Programme (WFP) of failing stop fami…

MEE staff (2020-10-09). HRW calls on UN states to vote against Saudi Arabia's bid for rights council. middleeasteye.net HRW calls on UN states to vote against Saudi Arabia's bid for rights council | New York-based group warns that lack of candidates running for UN Human Rights Council will likely result in 'problematic' countries winning seats | Fri, 10/09/2020 – 16: 53 | Bandar bin Mohammed al-Aiban, a representative of Saudi Arabia, delivers televised speech before UNHRC on 5 November 2018 (AFP/File photo) | Human Rights Watc…

MEE staff (2020-10-09). Palestinians outraged by Saudi prince's barbed criticism of leadership. middleeasteye.net Palestinians outraged by Saudi prince's barbed criticism of leadership | Ex-Saudi spy chief's rant prompts suspicions Riyadh is clearing the way for Israeli normalisation | Fri, 10/09/2020 – 13: 26 | Bandar bin Sultan during an interview with Al-Arabiya channel (Screengrab) | Palestinians have reacted furiously to comments by top Saudi royal, Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, a former Saudi spy chief and…

MEE staff (2020-10-09). World Food Programme wins Nobel Peace Prize. middleeasteye.net World Food Programme wins Nobel Peace Prize | UN body given award for its efforts in combating hunger globally | Fri, 10/09/2020 – 10: 04 | A child suffering from severe malnutrition is measured at a WFP treatment centre in the Yemeni capital Sanaa (AFP) | The World Food Programme (WFP) has been awarded the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize for efforts in fighting to end world hunger. | The WFP, a United Nations agency,…

Areeb Ullah (2020-10-09). Twitter suspends Saudi accounts that stoked rumours of coup in Qatar. middleeasteye.net Twitter suspends Saudi accounts that stoked rumours of coup in Qatar | Accounts purported to belong to members of Qatar's royal family and fabricated statements from Amnesty and Human Rights Watch | Fri, 10/09/2020 – 14: 51 | It remains unclear why Twitter took so long to identify the network and delete the accounts linked to Saudi Arabia (AFP) | Twitter says it has deleted more than 30 accounts that sto…

news.un (2020-10-09). The World Food Programme: a three-year experiment that became indispensable. news.un.org The need for the World Food Programme, the recipient of the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize, to exist is starker than ever. From conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, to flooding in South Sudan, and the civil war in Yemen, man-made and natural disasters are leaving tens of millions of people unsure if they will have enough food for themselves and their families to survive on.

Staff (2020-10-08). The Greatest Failure in Presidential History: Kamala Harris Slams Trump/Pence's Handling of COVID-19. democracynow.org Separated by two plates of plexiglass, Vice President Mike Pence and Senator Kamala Harris met Wednesday in the only vice-presidential debate of the campaign season. Pence, who heads the White House Coronavirus Task Force, repeatedly defended the Trump administration's handling of the crisis as the U.S. death toll from COVID-19 nears 212,000 and millions of people remain out of work. The debate also took place against the backdrop of a White House outbreak that has infected President Trump and dozens of other senior figures. "The White House has had more cases than the country of Yemen recently, than Vietnam, tha…

MEE staff (2020-10-08). EU Parliament condemns Saudi Arabia over treatment of Ethiopian migrants. middleeasteye.net EU Parliament condemns Saudi Arabia over treatment of Ethiopian migrants | Criticism comes after report by Telegraph that thousands of Ethiopian migrants were locked up to stop spread of Covid-19 | Thu, 10/08/2020 – 19: 13 | Thousands of people from Ethiopia have made dangerous journey through Yemen to Saudi Arabia (AFP/File photo) | The European Parliament condemned Saudi Arabia for holding tens of thousands…

MEE staff (2020-10-08). Israel and Jordan sign aviation deal to cut time and costs for Gulf flights. middleeasteye.net Israel and Jordan sign aviation deal to cut time and costs for Gulf flights | Agreement comes after UAE, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia also allow Israeli planes to cross their airspace | Thu, 10/08/2020 – 15: 54 | Israeli El Al aircraft are pictured on the tarmac at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport in Lod, east of Tel Aviv, 24 September (AFP) | Israel and Jordan signed on Thursday an aviation agreement to allow internat…

Rayhan Uddin (2020-10-08). Nobel Peace Prize 2020: The Middle East names and stories to look out for. middleeasteye.net Nobel Peace Prize 2020: The Middle East names and stories to look out for | In an unprecedented year of a global pandemic, MEE takes a look at some of the names being discussed for the prestigious peace award | Thu, 10/08/2020 – 15: 54 | Saudi activist Loujain al-Hathloul, US President Donald Trump and Sudanese protester Alaa Salah are in contention for this year's Nobel Peace Prize (AFP) | The winner…

MEE and agencies (2020-10-08). Yemen's Houthi-run Al Masirah TV accounts suspended by Twitter. middleeasteye.net Yemen's Houthi-run Al Masirah TV accounts suspended by Twitter | Suspension comes as clashes intensify in Hodeidah between Houthi fighters and Saudi-backed forces | Thu, 10/08/2020 – 13: 40 | Supporters of Yemen's Houthi fighters chant slogans as they gather in the capital Sanaa on 24 September 2020, during a ceremony by the Houthis to collect cash, food and other donations for their force…

Gordon Duff (2020-10-08). NEO: Will it be Biden and Putin, Making the New World? thealtworld.com The current situation between Armenia and Azerbaijan has shown the world the dangers of secret pacts and ancient grudges, as a new "August 1914" moves toward reality. | As early as 2012, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Israel and the Gulf States began arming al Qaeda and ISIS, deploying them against both Syria and Iraq. | Other nations aided as well, not just the US, France and Britain. There was also Georgia, Azerbaijan, Romania and, above all, Ukraine. | We will cover the backstory on this but what is clear is this, the Trump era replacement for NATO, where supposed enemies work in concert seamlessly, presents challenges…

Alan Macleod (2020-10-07). Following US Pressure, Aid to Yemen Falls to Just 25 Cents Per Day. mintpressnews.com Secretary of State Pompeo successfully pressured the UN to significantly cut back aid to one of the world's poorest countries, claiming it could fall into rebel hands.

Yasmina Allouche (2020-10-07). Nearly half of young Arabs have considered leaving their country. middleeasteye.net Nearly half of young Arabs have considered leaving their country | Economic woes, government corruption, education opportunities and security driving youth from the Middle East, new survey shows
| Wed, 10/07/2020 – 10: 59 | Lebanese youth recorded the highest numbers stating a desire to leave at 77 percent, followed by 69 percent of Libyans, 66 percent of Yemenis and 65 percent of Iraq…

MEE staff (2020-10-07). Saudi trial resumes for Palestinian Hamas members detained by kingdom. middleeasteye.net Saudi trial resumes for Palestinian Hamas members detained by kingdom | At least 68 Palestinians – including veteran Hamas middleman Mohammed al-Khoudary – are standing trial on unknown charges with no access to lawyers, right group says | Wed, 10/07/2020 – 12: 18 | Mohammed Saleh al-Khoudary, and his eldest Hani have been in a Saudi prison since April 2019 (Screengrab) | Rights groups continue to raise the al…

Dania Akkad (2020-10-07). British MPs probe 'disappearance' of senior Saudi royals. middleeasteye.net British MPs probe 'disappearance' of senior Saudi royals | Six months after arrests, lawmakers seeks answers about princes considered rivals to powerful crown prince | Wed, 10/07/2020 – 11: 48 | Former Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Nayef (R, with current Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman) was arrested in March with little known publicly about his detention (AFP) | A group of British MPs and lawyers have launc…

Rayhan Uddin (2020-10-07). Britain, the Middle East and arms sales: A breakdown. middleeasteye.net Britain, the Middle East and arms sales: A breakdown | New figures reveal how the region has dominated military imports over the past decade | Wed, 10/07/2020 – 13: 28 | The UK government has sold Typhoon aircraft (pictured flying with Britain's Red Arrows) to Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia over the past decade (AFP/File photo) | New figures released by the British government have revealed the e…

Mehr News Agency (2020-10-07). Relating Yemen war to Iran, another American fallacy. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 07 (MNA) — The chairman of the Supreme Revolutionary Committee of Yemen dismissed the speculations relating the Yemen war to the US' pressure campaign on Iran, saying this is transparently another fallacy by the Americans.

Mehr News Agency (2020-10-07). Saudi Arabia biggest buyer of UK arms in West Asia: report. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 07 (MNA) — A new report by the British government indicates that the UK is the second-largest arms exporter over the past decade and the biggest buyer of these weapons is West Asia, especially Saudi Arabia.