Jordan
Jordan dismisses port officials following chlorine gas leak | Reuters
Jordan on Sunday dismissed senior officials at the country's main Red Sea port of Aqaba port after finding gross negligence was behind the deaths of thirteen people following a chlorine gas leak at a major berth.
The Muslim World
Russia proposes 6-month cross-border aid renewal for Syria | AP News
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — As the U.N. Security Council prepares to vote Thursday on humanitarian aid deliveries to rebel-held northwest Syria from Turkey, Russia agreed to continue such deliveries but only for six months — not a year, as many U.N.
A hajj closer to normal: 1 million Muslims begin pilgrimage | AP News
It is a scene that stirs hope — and relief — for Muslims around the world. A million pilgrims from across the globe gathered on Thursday in the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia to perform the initial rites of the hajj, marking the largest Islamic pilgrimage since the coronavirus pandemic upended the annual event — a key pillar of Islam.
UK warship seizes advanced Iranian missiles bound for Yemen | AP News
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A British Royal Navy vessel seized a sophisticated shipment of Iranian missiles in the Gulf of Oman earlier this year, officials said Thursday, pointing to the interdiction as proof of Tehran’s support for Yemen’s Houthi rebels in the embattled country.
EXCLUSIVE United Arab Emirates set to run Kabul airport in deal with Taliban, sources say | Reuters
The Taliban and the United Arab Emirates are poised to strike a deal for the Gulf nation to run Kabul airport and several others in Afghanistan that could be announced within weeks, according to sources familiar with the negotiations.
Biden trip promotes budding Arab-Israeli security ties | AP News
WASHINGTON (AP) — Once-unthinkable coordination between Israeli and Arab militaries is in the spotlight as Joe Biden makes his first Middle East trip as president, heightening debates over whether the U.S.-backed initiative between former enemies strengthens defenses against Iran or makes a regional war more likely.
Afghanistan’s Independent Media Is Fading Away, But a Few Hold Out - WSJ
Tolo News covers women’s rights and the Taliban resistance at great risk to its journalists; ‘there are new rules nearly every day.’
Finance and Economy
Israel-Lebanon Maritime Dispute Threatens Gas-Extraction Plans - WSJ
Hezbollah militants said they would ‘defend our territories,’ in what Israeli officials said could potentially stall Israel’s plan to deliver natural gas to Europe.
Turkish state banks curb consumer loan growth, rates rise sharply -bankers | Reuters
Turkish state banks are acting to limit consumer loan growth, notably mortgages, while loan and deposit rates have begun to rise sharply due to rising demand for cheap loans and the cost-boosting effect of steps taken by authorities, bankers said.
Why Consumers’ Inflation Psychology Is Stoking Anxiety at the Fed - WSJ
Federal Reserve officials have indicated they accept the risks of causing a recession because they are determined to prevent something they view as worse: a change in consumer psychology that could sustain high inflation.
Levi Strauss revenue thrives on pricier denims, strong demand | Reuters
Levi Strauss & Co trumped estimates for quarterly revenue on Thursday, bolstered by higher prices and strong demand for its denim jeans as consumers get back to offices and social events.