In October 2020, armed guards took them off the Qatar Airways plane before being taken into ambulances on the tarmac, where nurses examined them. The women affirmed they did not consent to the intimate exams and were not given explanations for what was happening. According to the BBC, one of…

On Monday the Pentagon accused Iran of “unsafe and unprofessional” conduct by a naval helicopter that it said flew within about 25 yards of a US Navy ship and circled it three times in the Gulf of Oman.
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said the Iranian helicopter circled the USS Essex, an amphibious assault ship, three times and at one point flew as low as 10 feet off the surface of the water. He said the incident on Nov. 11 had no effect on the Essex’s operations.
“Without getting into specifics, the crew of the Essex took the appropriate force protection measures they felt that they needed to, and they acted in accordance with international law,” Kirby said.

On Sunday Saudi coalition forces launched airstrikes, killing more than 80 Houthi militia and destroying 19 vehicles in Sirwah, Al-Bayda and Al-Jawf in Yemen, TV news channel Al-Arabiya reported.

The strikes came in support of Yemeni forces on the west coast, sources said, adding that the coalition air forces also thwarted a Houthi attack on Al-Balaq, west of Marib.

Jordan launched this week a plan to protect the country from any infectious diseases that might spread from its border crossing, state news agency Petra reported.

Minister of Health Firas Hawari’s initial plan will focus on Jordan’s border crossings in Mudawara, King Hussein Bridge, and Passenger Terminal — Aqaba Port.

The plan will introduce specialized equipment and train staff, Hawari said, adding that the “development of a comprehensive plan for crossings’ emergency response will be made in consultation and coordination with the relevant authorities.”

On Thursday an Israeli court upheld a ruling to return to Italy a six-year-old boy, the sole survivor of an Italian cable car disaster who was kidnapped to Israel by his grandfather, Israel’s Justice Ministry said.
Eitan Biran’s maternal grandfather had appealed against a Tel Aviv family court’s decision last month to send the boy back to his paternal aunt in Italy, in a cross-border custody battle.
The child had been living with the aunt since his parents, younger brother and 11 other people died when a gondola plunged to the ground in northern Italy in May.
In September, while visiting Eitan, his maternal grandfather, without the aunt’s consent, drove him to Switzerland and chartered a private jet onward to Israel.

Three missiles fired by the Iran-backed Houthis on Wednesday struck Yemen’s Red Sea port city of Mocha during a visit by the UN’s special envoy to the country.

Residents claimed three large explosions had rocked areas on the edge of the city, causing damage to private properties.
“The missiles hit areas close to farms and residential areas on the city’s outskirts. I think the missiles were aimed at a security facility in Mocha,” an official, who wished to remain anonymous, said.
UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg was reportedly in Mocha meeting with local officials, political leaders, and civil society representatives when the aerial attacks took place on Wednesday morning.

Farman Noori Latif jumps down to survey his work. He has spent the morning sowing wheat seed on his farm near the banks of the Tigris River, just south of Mosul in northern Iraq.

It is late in the season to be sowing wheat, but the 30-year-old has been holding out for a much-needed spell of autumn rain. The earth might still be parched under the baking sun but it is now or never if he wants his crops in the ground before winter sets in.

“Today is November 2 and the weather is hot. It shouldn’t be like this,” Latif told Arab News as he inspected the soil he and his family have farmed for four generations. “We are supposed to have this weather in September, not now.

On Sunday Sudanese security forces fired tear gas at multiple anti-coup rallies, with protesters in several cities joining a call for two-days of civil disobedience against last month’s military takeover.
Hundreds of anti-coup protesters rallied on Sunday in Khartoum, as well as in its twin city of Omdurman, Wad Madni to the south, and the northern city of Atbara.
“The authority belongs to the people,” protesters chanted, calling “no, no to military rule,” and demanding a “civilian government.”
Nationwide anti-coup protests have occurred since the Oct. 25 power grab by the army, but have been met by a deadly crackdown.
At least 14 demonstrators have been killed and about 300 wounded, according to the independent Central Committee of Sudan’s Doctors.