Netanyahu corruption trial Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is negotiating a plea deal that could end his corruption trial, a source close to the talks has said. An agreement could see Mr. Netanyahu, 72, plead guilty to reduced charges in return for community service instead of a possible jail term. Reports say Mr. […]
Israel’s internal security agency has arrested five Israelis accused of spying for its arch-enemy Iran. The case involves four Jewish women of Iranian descent, who the Shin Bet said were recruited by a handler claiming to be a Jewish man living in Iran. The women were allegedly paid thousands of dollars to take photos of […]
A Saudi princess and her daughter have been released from a high-security jail after being held for nearly three years without charge, campaigners say. Princess Basma bint Saud was detained in March 2019 as she prepared to fly to Switzerland for medical treatment. It is not known why she was detained, and neither she nor […]
French prosecutors have opened a terrorism investigation into a blast in Saudi Arabia that badly wounded a French driver in the Dakar Rally. The explosion damaged a support vehicle for the Sodicars Racing team as it left a hotel in Jeddah last Thursday. The driver, Philippe Boutron, suffered serious leg injuries. He was later repatriated […]
Two people have been arrested in Egypt after a teenage girl who was allegedly being blackmailed with digitally altered images killed herself. The sister of Basant Khaled, 17, told the Youm7 news website that fake photos of her had been published when she refused to go on a date with a youth. After they were seen […]
Coronavirus pandemic Israel’s top health adviser says the surge of Omicron cases could see the country reach Covid herd immunity. Nachmann Ash said the country would pay a price for this and he wanted to see herd immunity achieved via vaccinations instead. Modellers have warned that up to four million people could be infected […]
Coronavirus pandemic The United Arab Emirates has announced that it will ban citizens who have not had three doses of a vaccine against Covid-19 from travelling abroad. Officials said the exit ban, which comes into force on 10 January, would not apply to those who are medically exempt from receiving the vaccine. It is […]
Tens of thousands of turkeys are being destroyed in Israel, as it tries to contain a serious avian flu outbreak. More than 5,000 migratory cranes have already died at the Hula Nature Reserve, which Environment Minister Tamar Zandberg called “the worst blow to wildlife” in Israel’s history. Local farmers were also being forced to cull […]
Yemen crisis The World Food Programme (WFP) has been forced to reduce food assistance to eight million people in need in Yemen because it is running out of funds. From January, affected families will get barely half the daily minimum ration from the UN agency. The five million Yemenis at immediate risk of slipping […]
By Frank Gardner BBC security correspondent Princess Haya case It’s described as the biggest divorce case in British legal history – a settlement of more than £500m involving the billionaire ruler of Dubai and his estranged wife. The UK’s High Court on Tuesday awarded a lump sum settlement of £251.5m to Princess Haya Bint […]
