Private photos of women posted on Telegram channels in Iran's western Lorestan province have triggered widespread fear and prompted more than 200 complaints, with authorities saying three people accused of running the channels have been arrested on Tuesday.
Saudi Arabia grants amnesty to almost 2,000 detained Ethiopians Submitted by Oscar Rickett on Tue, 07/14/2026 - 14:01 Announcement from Ethiopia's foreign ministry follows MEE reporting into Ethiopians held on death row Gebremeskel Haile, who has two children on death row in Saudi Arabia, pictured at his home (MEE) Off Almost 2,000 Ethiopian nationals detained in Saudi Arabia have been granted royal amnesties by the kingdom's authorities, Ethiopia's foreign ministry said in a statement on Monday. Following the amnesties, Ethiopia has begun facilitating the repatriation of 1,971 citizens. The announcement follows reporting from Middle East Eye at the beginning of July about the plight of Ethiopians held on death row in Saudi Arabia.
Israeli defence minister seeks pardon for soldier who killed Palestinian Submitted by MEE staff on Tue, 07/14/2026 - 12:53 Elor Azaria has manslaughter conviction over killing a wounded Palestinian man in Hebron Katz pictured in January 2026, said that the conviction sent a negative message (AFP) Off Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has requested that President Isaac Herzog pardon Elor Azaria, a former Israeli soldier convicted for killing an incapacitated Palestinian in Hebron, Israeli media reported. On 24 March 2016, Azaria killed Abdel Fattah al-Sharif while he was lying wounded and motionless on the ground, 11 minutes after he was shot by Israeli troops due to an alleged stabbing attempt. Around one year later, Azaria was convicted of manslaughter, for which he was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
British surgeon launches legal challenge over NHS use of IHRA definition Submitted by Katherine Hearst on Tue, 07/14/2026 - 11:35 A doctor who claims he was suspended over a pro-Palestine speech argues that the NHS’s adoption of the IHRA definition of antisemitism has led to unlawful restrictions on political expression Consultant Ranjeet Brar says he was suspended from King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust following a speech he gave on 6 April 2026 (Supplied) Off A British surgeon is taking the National Health Service (NHS) and the UK government to court, arguing that the adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism has been used to restrict political speech and silence pro- Palestine expression. Ranjeet Brar was suspended from his role at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust following a speech he gave on 6 April 2026 outside the US embassy in London commemorating the victims of a reported US-Israeli attack on a school in the Iranian city of Minab. In his speech, Brar said that Israel , which he described as a “genocidal settler colonial entity”, “has no right to existence” and “needs to be wiped off the map and replaced with the word ‘Palestine’”.
Many Iranians with disabilities have lost their living allowances after the State Welfare Organization halted payments from June citing a budget shortfall, the labor-focused news agency ILNA reported on Monday, adding that caregiver and hygiene subsidies have also been delayed.
Pen America chief resigns, accuses literary institution of erasing Palestinians Submitted by Yasmine El-Sabawi on Mon, 07/13/2026 - 18:26 Dinaw Mengestu cited Pen's anti-BDS stance, arguing that boycotts of Israeli creatives is a form of protected free speech Former Pen America president Dinaw Mengestu speaks on stage during the organisation's 2026 spring literary gala at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, on 14 May 2026 (Craig Barritt/Getty Images via AFP) Off After just seven months in the role, the president of one of the foremost US literary organisations resigned last week over what he described as the unfair treatment of Palestinians compared to Israelis and Jewish Americans. Dinaw Mengestu, a celebrated Ethiopian-American novelist , exited the top job at Pen America on Thursday after the group published a report about the emotional toll on Israeli and Jewish-American writers after the fallout from Israel's nearly three-year-long genocide in Gaza. Many reported losing jobs or career opportunities.
UK police arrest 12 over far-right terror plot targeting major Muslim gathering Submitted by Areeb Ullah on Mon, 07/13/2026 - 17:46 Counter-terrorism police said the UK Ijtima, organised by Tablighi Jamaat, ended early after officers uncovered what they described as a 'potential serious threat' A file photo of Shrubland Hall where the Ijtima event took place. British Counter-Terror Police said it had arrested 12 people in connection to a terror plot targeting the event (Wikimedia) Off Britain’s Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) said it had arrested 12 people in connection with an alleged right-wing terror plot targeting an Islamic event attended by around 15,000 people. Police said the UK Ijtima event at Shrubland Hall was forced to end early after officers identified what they described as a "potential serious threat" to the gathering.
Today, the European Union’s (EU) Special Panel on Child Safety Online issued a report recommending that further action be taken to tackle the harmful design of social media platforms. Responding to the news, Lisa Dittmer, Researcher and Adviser on Children and Young People’s Digital Rights at Amnesty International said: The expert panel is right to emphasize the need for children to be able to participate in a safe online environment. Banning teenagers from accessing social media is not the answer.
Israel blocks Red Cross access to Palestinian prisoners despite court ruling Submitted by MEE staff on Mon, 07/13/2026 - 16:00 A high court ruling last month overruled a ban imposed following the 7 October attacks Palestinian family members and supporters hold placards during their protest in front of the Red Cross office in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Hebron on 10 February 2026 (Hazem Bader / AFP) Off Israel has expanded a blanket ban on Red Cross access to Palestinian captives despite a High Court decision declaring it unlawful. Israel Prison Service Commissioner Kobi Yaakobi last week imposed new restrictions that significantly limit access for the humanitarian group. The new regulations prevent them from visiting certain categories of Palestinians under any circumstances.
In response to the European Union’s (EU) consistent failure to suspend its Association Agreement with Israel, Erika Guevara-Rosas, Amnesty International’s Senior Director for Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns said: “It’s beyond shameful that a majority of EU member states, led by Germany and Italy, continue to block the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. Countries […] The post EU/Israel: Bloc’s consistent failure to suspend Association Agreement should spur member states to take unilateral action appeared first on Amnesty International .
Thousands of Afghan families, fearing an uncertain future, have begun pouring into Afghanistan amid a fresh push from Pakistan against what officials describe a crackdown" on undocumented aliens. Islamabad had set the July 10 deadline for what the authorities call undocumented Afghans to leave the country.
January protesters held in Greater Tehran Penitentiary are being kept in severely overcrowded and unsanitary conditions without adequate medical care, clean drinking water or sufficient food, according to multiple inmates and eyewitnesses who spoke to Iran International.
She was told her missing fiance was killed in Gaza. A year later, he returned alive Submitted by Maha Hussaini on Mon, 07/13/2026 - 10:21 Reem Jadallah reunited with Hamada al-Banna after he was forcibly disappeared and tortured in Israeli prison Hamada al-Banna, who was forcibly disappeared for around a year in Israeli detention, sits with is fiancee Reem Jadallah in Gaza City (Hani Abu Rezeq/Middle East Eye) Off For around a year, Hamada al-Banna was missing after he set out to obtain a sack of wheat flour from humanitarian aid trucks near Zikim in northern Gaza. His family did not know his whereabouts or whether he was still alive or had been killed alongside his brother, who was with him that day.
The pair, named only as Twana H. S. and Asia R.
Pro-Palestine activist Fergie Chambers arrested in Spain after US extradition request Submitted by Amandla Thomas-Johnson on Mon, 07/13/2026 - 09:55 Indictment accuses heir to Cox family fortune of conspiracy over alleged campaign of direct action against Elbit Systems of America, and other offences American political activist Fergie Chambers, pictured in Tunisia in February 2024 (Nur Photo/Reuters) Off Fergie Chambers, the American activist and heir to the Cox family fortune who has financed prominent pro- Palestinian groups, has been arrested in Spain on a US extradition request alleging money laundering and other offences. Chambers was arrested on Friday morning on the island of Ibiza. Later that day, he appeared before a judge, who denied him bail pending extradition proceedings.
EU commission announces $1b ‘Team Gaza Initiative’ aid The European Union commission announced the launching of “Team Gaza Initiative” at the Palestine Donor Group meeting in Brussels on Monday, which aims to bring together €883. 6m ($1b) in financial contributions to support early recovery projects for the strip in line with the 2025 Gaza Peace Plan. The initiative will involve 12 Euopean countries and Japan, alongside the European Investment Bank and the World Bank.
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was in prison with Sepideh Kashani, who worked with husband Houman Jokar to save Asiatic cheetah Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has described the rearrest of two Iranian environmentalists, one of whom she met at Evin prison, as “unimaginably cruel and alarming”. Husband and wife Houman Jokar and Sepideh Kashani were arrested by the ministry of intelligence at their home on 1 July. No reason has been given and their whereabouts are unknown.
Video: US Congressman says Israeli settlers detained him in West Bank US Congressman Ro Khanna says he and his delegation were detained by armed Israeli settlers during a visit to the occupied West Bank, despite the settlers and Israeli forces being informed that an American congressman and other US citizens were inside the vehicle. Khanna said Israeli forces sided with the settlers instead of protecting the American delegation. Khanna said the group was surrounded by settlers carrying US-made M4 machine guns while visiting the Palestinian hamlet of Khirbet Zanuta to witness the aftermath of settler attacks.
Displacement has drastically reshaped every aspect of daily life in war-ravaged Gaza for 24-year-old Mayyada, who is seven months pregnant with twins and caring for her two-year-old daughter, but now she and her family are getting settled into a temporary home of their own.
Four settlers arrested for attacking CNN crew in West Bank Israeli police said they arrested four suspects on Saturday for damaging a vehicle carrying foreign journalists in the occupied West Bank. US broadcaster CNN had described it as an attack on its crew by Israeli settlers. According to CNN, its team was reporting near the village of Sinjil, north of Ramallah, when the incident took place.
