WEATHER ALERT
Sand and dust storms affect about 330 million people in over 150 countries, UN agency says
Read full article: Sand and dust storms affect about 330 million people in over 150 countries, UN agency saysSand and dust storms affect about 330 million people in over 150 countries and are taking an increasing toll on health, economies and the environment.
America's news TV channel for the Mideast fires its staff after funding cuts
Read full article: America's news TV channel for the Mideast fires its staff after funding cutsThe head of the U.S.-funded Al Hurra Arabic-language television and online news outlet has terminated most of his staff and curtailed TV programming.
Marrakech Film Festival opens in Morocco with 'The Order'
Read full article: Marrakech Film Festival opens in Morocco with 'The Order'One of the Middle East and North Africa’s largest film festivals is openiong in Morocco, drawing actors and directors from throughout the world to present 70 features from 32 countries.
Martian skies over Athens? Greece's capital turns an orange hue with dust clouds from North Africa
Read full article: Martian skies over Athens? Greece's capital turns an orange hue with dust clouds from North AfricaSkies over southern Greece have turned an orange hue as dust clouds blown across the Mediterranean Sea from North Africa engulfed the Acropolis and other Athens landmarks.
China and Russia plan to work together for a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians
Read full article: China and Russia plan to work together for a two-state solution for Israel and the PalestiniansA top Chinese envoy says that China and Russia share the same position on the Palestinian issue and plan to try to work together to cool the situation and help establish a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians.
Rights group: Mideast governments target LGBTQ people online
Read full article: Rights group: Mideast governments target LGBTQ people onlineA rights group says in a new report that security agencies and government officials across several countries in the Middle East and North Africa have been using social media platforms and mobile dating apps to crack down on LGBTQ people.
France's African ex-soldiers win last battle - over pensions
Read full article: France's African ex-soldiers win last battle - over pensionsSome of the last survivors in France from a colonial-era infantry corps that recruited tens of thousands of African soldiers to fight in French wars around the world will be able to live out their final days with family members back in Africa after a French government U-turn on their pension rights.
Wearable art that celebrates an ancient connection
Read full article: Wearable art that celebrates an ancient connectionToday, in honor of Black History Month, we are featuring a Detroit-based artist who incorporates the influence of North Africa into wearable art. His company is called The Ancient Craft, and he crafts unique pieces for each of his customers.
:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65):fill(FFF)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/ITGBBK5XKJCQ7J2VJB64PON4R4.jpg)
Spain returns 6,600 to Morocco, families look for loved ones
Read full article: Spain returns 6,600 to Morocco, families look for loved onesOfficials in a Spanish enclave in North Africa are getting flooded with calls from Moroccan parents after hundreds of children and teenagers were swept up in a diplomatic storm between Spain and Morocco.
:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/d1vhqlrjc8h82r.cloudfront.net/04-30-2021/t_709e274e564042528aff6a80289c8a19_name_image.jpg)
Why Middle Eastern, North African communities face barriers to health care
Read full article: Why Middle Eastern, North African communities face barriers to health careA new study from the University of Michigan’s Rogel Cancer Center finds that Metro Detroit’s Middle Eastern and North African communities face fear, discrimination and other significant barriers that impact their health.
:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/Z5HNBWTO7ZFMXAVQ44CDB46DRE.png)
Europe-bound migrants found amid broken glass, toxic ash
Read full article: Europe-bound migrants found amid broken glass, toxic ash(Guardia Civil via AP)MADRID – Something seemed wrong to the guard inspecting sealed bags of toxic ash in the port of Melilla, one of Spain’s two small territories in North Africa. The disturbing scene from a video released Monday by Spain’s Civil Guard highlighted the great lengths and risks that migrants and asylum seekers take in their desperate attempts to reach Europe. This year alone, the Civil Guard said it has identified 1,781 migrants trespassing in Melilla port’s security perimeter; last year, the number was 11,700. “We’ll never get used to it,” said Juan Antonio Martín, a spokesman with the Civil Guard in Melilla. Because the border between Spain’s North African territories and Morocco has been closed since the pandemic began in March, it is more difficult for migrants to slip in.
:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/LWVEDFWKJJAUDFE7AXJUZMS5K4.jpg)
France seeks strategy change to reduce troops in West Africa
Read full article: France seeks strategy change to reduce troops in West AfricaFrench soldiers stand in an honour guard on Thursday Jan.7, 2021 as the hearse convoy of late French forces soldiers rides on the Alexandre III bridge in central Paris. French troops have been present in Mali since 2013 when they intervened to force Islamic extremist rebels from power. “French troops could not stay forever...so many and (with) such mixed results. A top official at the French presidency said the death of French soldiers will not in itself be the basis for a strategy change. The French military operation enjoys broad support at home.
:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/Z6YQZSPSZBFVVBL4EZC5EU2EOE.jpg)
Migrant arrivals putting pressure on Spain's Canary Islands
Read full article: Migrant arrivals putting pressure on Spain's Canary IslandsAfrican migrants after arriving at the coast of Gran Canaria island, Spain on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2020. Crossing the Atlantic Ocean sailing on a wooden boat, a group of 44 migrants arrived at Maspalomas beach. More than half of the 16,000 migrants who arrived this year in the Spanish islands off northwest Africa did so in the last four weeks, a sharp influx worrying international and non-profit organizations. That’s compared to around 1,500 arrivals recorded last year in the archipelago, better known for its vacation resorts popular among northern Europeans. The new migrant focus on the perilous Canary Islands route, first seen in 2006, has come as authorities crack down on previously popular passages across the Mediterranean Sea from North Africa to European Union countries.
:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/HWQUMFRDEFC7TGTRNU3DPXLNVU.jpg)
Spain searches for answer to migrants eyeing Canary Islands
Read full article: Spain searches for answer to migrants eyeing Canary IslandsMADRID – Spain’s government is stepping up its response to a surge in the number of migrants crossing the Atlantic from Africa to the Canary Islands, though there was little new in the measures announced Friday. More than 16,000 migrants have arrived in the Spanish islands off northwest Africa this year, hoping to ensure a better life on European soil. In the whole of last year, around 1,500 arrived in the archipelago better known as a European vacation destination. The Spanish foreign ministry, meanwhile, is to spend an additional 500 million euros ($590 million) on cooperation programs with those countries. The new migrant focus on the perilous Canary Islands route, first seen in 2006, has come as authorities crack down on previously popular passages across the Mediterranean Sea from North Africa to European Union countries.