Hassan Rouhani of Iran, Vladimir Putin of Russia, and Recep Tayyip Erdogan of TurkeyHassan Rouhani of Iran, Vladimir Putin of Russia, and Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey by Seyed Hossein Mousavian* — As the military phase of the Syrian conflict reaches its final stages, the leaders of Russia, Iran, and …

THE LEVANT EXCLUSIVE — By Meekaeel Siphambili — Gaborone, Botswana: Botswana’s road networks has come of age since the early 1970s when the country had only approximately 160kilometers of paved or tarred roads which hampered the socio-economic development of the country which was then among the 10 poorest countries in the world. …

“The Sole Spokesman: Mohammad Ali Jinnah and the Founding of Pakistan” – by Ayesha Jalal  (Author) —   Reviewed By Dr. Geoffrey Cook* —  In the West, it is easy to paint Mohammad Ali Jinnah as the “evil” nemesis of Gandhi in the struggle for self-rule on the Indian subcontinent. The one …

By Dr. Haytham Mouzahem – BEIRUT —Despite the crisis of forming the government in Lebanon, there are efforts by the Ministry of Finance and parliamentary blocs to find a solution to the housing loan crisis in Lebanon. Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil announced on Monday Aug. 27 that the Ministry …

by Meekaeel Siphambili — Gaborone, Botswana: Botswana’s successful development story is only on the surface; deep down prevalence of corruption in many forms, leading to major costly risks and challenges is the order of the day. Kabelo Ebineng, permanent secretary in the Botswana ministry of transport and communications says money is …

By Dr. Haytham Mouzahem —  On Aug. 19, Hezbollah gathered local and international media correspondents, The Levant News’ included, at the Tourist Landmark of the Resistance near Mleeta village in southern Lebanon, and presented three models of the Khaibar-1 rockets the party used during the July 2006 war. Hezbollah was …

By Meekaeel Siphambili* — Gaborone, Botswana: Botswana has been the envy of many countries for its peace and tranquility and that will soon end as Ian Khama Seretse Khama, former president is taking the government to court. Ian Khama Seretse Khama has openly discredit Mokgweetsi Masisi, president of Botswana who …

By Areej Zaher* — Jobs had evolved throughout time and ratified in various fields, which include the Internet and especially the social media. despite how this may sounds appealing to many people, but it may have some disadvantages. When it comes to looking for a job, people prefer old fashioned …

AMMAN (Reuters) – The Syrian army and its allies have taken full control of the Yarmouk Basin in southwestern Syria after routing Islamic State (IS) militants, the Hezbollah group’s al-Manar TV said on Tuesday. The basin borders Israel and Jordan and had been the last embattled pocket of the southwest …

By Jasmin Rasheed — The international Wet Gunpowder Festival held simultaneously in Tehran and Gaza closed on 16 July 2018 with an award ceremony for the longtime activity of the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force, Qassem Soleimani. Soleimani did not attend the ceremony in Teheran. Yet, it …

By Adam Entous – First appeared on The New Yorker A State Department map shows Palestinian population centers in the West Bank. Obama was surprised to see how “systematic” the Israelis had been at cutting them off from one another. One afternoon in the spring of 2015, a senior State …

BEIRUT (Reuters) – A military media unit run by the Syrian government’s ally Hezbollah reported on Sunday that rebels in Bosra al-Sham in southwest Syria had agreed to settle with the government. The rebels had started handing over heavy weapons in preparation for the army to enter, it reported.

U.S. National-security adviser John Bolton said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s hold on power wasn’t a strategic issue for the U.S. and that President Donald Trump hoped to secure Russia’s help in evicting Iranian forces from the country. Source: Wall Street Journal

by: Leila Hoballah — “God knows I fear the destruction of the world by the atomic bomb, but there is at least one thing I fear as much, and that is the invasion of humanity by the state” (Berenson. Qtd in Foucault 75). As Bernard Berenson, an American art historian …

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that Russia has withdrawn 1,140 military personnel and 13 warplanes from Syria in last few days. “As you know, we started withdrawing our forces during my visit to Hmeimim base. This withdrawal continues now,” Putin said at a ceremony for military …

The Netherlands has approved a ban on wearing “face-covering clothing” including the burqa and niqab in some public settings. The limited prohibition will not block wearing of the hijab, which only covers a woman’s hair. It applies on public transport and in education institutions, health institutions such as hospitals and …

Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the United Nations, has launched a scathing attack on the UN monitor on extreme poverty, dismissing his recent report on America that accuses Donald Trump of cruelly forcing millions of citizens into deprivation as “misleading and politically motivated”. Haley, the former Republican governor of …

“If you stayed you died and if you tried to escape you died. I escaped by walking over the blood of those who were blown up as they tried to flee ahead of us”, said Munira Hashish an air strike and mines survivor (source: Amnesty International Report). Special to the …

GENEVA, June 18. /TASS/. High representatives of the countries acting as guarantors of ceasefire in Syria – Russia, Iran and Turkey – meet in Geneva on Monday to discuss the setting up of the Syrian Constitutional Committee with the special envoy of the UN Secretary General for Syria, Staffan de …

Arthur Blok has been appointed as the new Executive editor-in-chief of the Levant News website. Blok replaces Dr. Haytham Mouzahem who will focus now on his research work at the Beirut Center for Middle East Studies, from which he also the director and founder. The Dutch-Lebanese born journalist had a …

  By Edith M. Lederer | AP —  UNITED NATIONS — Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly criticized Hezbollah for operating as the most heavily armed militia and a political party in Lebanon and urged the militant group to halt military activities inside and outside the country, including in Syria. In a report …

By Dr. Haytham Mouzahem — First appeared on al-Mesbar Studies and Research Centre — The “Arab Spring” revolutions lent an unprecedented opportunity for the Muslim Brotherhood movement to emerge from secrecy and take political power, whether by ballot or by bullet, in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, and elsewhere. Indeed, the Brotherhood …

A U.S. Air Force U-2 spy plane prepares to land as South Korea and the United States conduct the Max Thunder joint military exercise at the Osan U.S. Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, Wednesday, May 16, 2018. North Korea on Wednesday canceled a high-level meeting with South Korea and …

Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy, and a senior Lebanese economic delegation, led by Mohammad Shuqair, chairman of the Lebanese Economic Authorities, discussed the ongoing economic and commercial ties between the UAE and Lebanon across a range of sectors. as well as their potential future development. They also …

The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) and the OCP Group of Morocco (OCP) are planning to explore the phased creation of a new global fertiliser joint venture to boost their presence globally and extend their partnership further. The two companies already have a partnership established through the existing long-term …

Dubai tops the world commodity index unveiled in London on Tuesday as part of Dubai Multi-Commodities Centre’s (DMCC) Future of Trade report. The index is based on a country’s location and trade partnerships, its resource endowment, and its institutional factors, DMCC CEO Gautam Sashittal said in an interview before the …

Volcanoes are full of tricks. They can build to a major eruption in a crescendo of shudders and spatters or explode with almost no warning. They can lie in wait under a magnificent snowcap, the centerpiece of a landscape of beauty that they could obliterate tomorrow, or in 10,000 years, …

Ahead of another day of protests, the death toll for those killed by Israeli forces at the Gaza boundary fence climbed to 61 on Tuesday after an infant died overnight from tear gas inhalation along with two others, according to local health officials. Monday’s protests saw a level of bloodshed not seen …

Uber says it is taking steps to help reduce the culture of silence around sexual violence on its platform in the wake of a CNN investigation into sexual assaults and abuse by Uber drivers. The rideshare company said Tuesday it will no longer force passengers who allege that they have …

Dozens killed in Gaza as US Embassy opens in Jerusalem. It was the deadliest day there since a devastating 2014 cross-border war: Here are the events as they happened. (With inputs from agencies) UAE aid for those injured in Gaza The UAE has allocated $5 million worth of emergency medicines …

The contribution of the Islamic economy to Dubai’s gross domestic product (GDP) increased from 7.6 per cent in 2014 to 8.3 per cent in 2016, registering a growth rate of 14 per cent, according to Dubai Statistics Centre, a strategic partner of Dubai Islamic Economy Development Centre (DIEDC). In 2016, …

Mahmoud Wahid’s efforts in helping and providing shelter for over 1,000 homeless elderly in Egypt made him win the title of the Arab world’s biggest “hope maker.” Mahmoud Wahid, winner of the Arab Hope Makers project 2018, talks about how he plans to spend the prize of Dh1 million on …

Your decision to move the American embassy to occupied Jerusalem will certainly not change facts on the ground. Arabs and Muslims, particularly the Palestinians, will continue to cry: “Jerusalem is an Arab city and will remain so for all the world’s Muslims and Christians.” You have chosen, Mr President, a …

By Madeeha Araj,   “Pay the Price Jewish Organizations” keep attacking Palestinian citizens at their homes in the Doma village, south of Nablus, which is still suffering the crime of burning a whole family, as the Israeli Army Minister , Moshe Ya’lon has admitted that the perpetrators are to him, …

By: Wasan Abu-Baker* Dr. Rola Ghanem is a Palestinian contemporary novelist, from the city of Tulkarem. Her short story, Feelings Out of the Law, is a beautiful piece that creatively covers a significance topic within Palestinian society.  She is brave to bring to light social issues found in society which …

By Rashid Khalidi* With the replacement of Palestine by Israel and the expulsion of most of its Arab population in 1948, it appeared that the Zionist dream had become a reality. A Jewish state had arisen, and there was no competing Palestinian state; ethnic cleansing had produced a massive demographic …

With Ramadan approaching, it’s not a busy week for news on the local front. Internationally, the biggest headline of the week surely is US President Donald Trump’s announcement about plans to withdraw the US from the Iran nuclear deal. The Business team discusses the implications of that, with effects already …

The United States moves its embassy in Israel to occupied Jerusalem on Monday (May 14) in defiance of the Palestinians and most of the world — and likely further heightening tensions at a time of tumult in the region. US President Donald Trump is set to make good on his …

The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) and non-Opec members are working towards market stability and are not aiming for certain prices, UAE Energy Minister Suhail Al Mazroui said on Sunday. “The objective of Opec and non-Opec members is to reach market stability, to have [the] market stabilised at an …

The UAE Cabinet on Sunday has approved a decision pertaining to the refund of VAT on organisations involved in organising exhibitions and conferences. The decision stipulates that facilities operating in the exhibitions and conferences sector are entitled to refund VAT imposed on the provision of services required for setting up …

Police in Fujairah summoned a couple after a video of them dancing was circulated across social networking sites in the UAE.  The police summon was cordial and the couple was given advice and guidance by the police about customs and traditions of the UAE. The UAE Cybercrime Law No. 5 of …

The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) today unveiled plans to invest US $45 billion alongside partners, over the next five years, to become a leading global downstream player. The plans were unveiled at the ADNOC Downstream Investment Forum, which took place today in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The event brought …

by Wasan Abu-Baker* Anisa A. Abeytia is a writer and researcher with an interest in Syria, the Middle East, and the Refugee crises. Her work is featured in the Hill, New Arab, Orient, Net English, Middle East Monitor Fremmed, Brunei Times, and the Middle East Observer. She holds an MS …

China’s first ever domestically manufactured aircraft carrier began sea trials Sunday, as it set off from Dalian in the northeastern province of Liaoning. The 50,000 tonne vessel, when it joins the Chinese navy in 2020, will put it on par with the other leading navies in the world, giving the …