Middle East

Tunisia’s president has suspended parliament and dismissed Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi in a move condemned as an attack on democracy by his rivals but which others greeted with celebrations on the streets.By The Levant News newsdeskPresident Kais Saied said on Sunday he would assume executive authority with the assistance of …

Jordan’s King Abdullah II said on Sunday that his country had previously been attacked by Iranian-made drones, adding that there are many concerns related to Iran’s activities in the region. Speaking during an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, the king said: “Jordan always supports dialogue…(but) there are legitimate concerns in …

Iran’s intervention in the internal affairs of other countries is a threat to the region and a matter of concern, the chief of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) said on Saturday. Iran’s nuclear program, ballistic missiles, and its support for militias, must also be included in ongoing talks in Vienna …

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen encouraged Jordan’s King Abdullah on Tuesday to continue to implement economic reforms to boost sustainable growth and job creation, the Treasury said in a statement. During a meeting with King Abdullah in Washington, Yellen noted the challenges that Jordan faces, complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic and …

The US “will always be there for Jordan,” President Joe Biden told King Abdullah on Monday as the Jordanian monarch arrived in Washington for an official visit. Biden called the king a “good, loyal, decent friend.” “You’ve always been there, and we will always be there for Jordan,” he said. …

Kuwait’s finance ministry is working on a law to allow limited withdrawals from its Future Generations Reserve Fund, Al Anba newspaper reported, citing a document from the Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA). The proposed legislation which would allow the government to tap the fund in times of need is one of …

U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday will host Jordan’s King Abdullah, a key U.S. ally in a volatile region, in what will be the first of three face-to-face meetings with leaders from the Middle East expected soon. Abdullah, who faced down a challenge to his authority in April from his …

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit has reiterated the organization’s full support for the Libyan government in leading the current transitional phase and preparing for elections on Dec. 24. He stressed his full commitment to supporting the Libyans in bringing the country to safety after a prolonged period of turmoil. …

Ratings agency S&P Global Ratings cut Kuwait’s rating by one notch citing the Gulf state’s lack of a funding strategy to finance its deficit. Hit hard by lower oil prices and the COVID-19 pandemic last year, Kuwait faces liquidity risks largely because parliament has not authorised government borrowing due to …

During the presidential initiative “decent life” at the Cairo Stadium, Egyptain president Abdel Fattah El-Sisi spoke to the Egyptian people about many issues that concern the country in this difficult period of human history, while the government is giving all efforts to provide a decent life for Egyptians through the …

At the height of the Cold War, two international organizations – the Congress for Cultural Freedom (CCF) and the Franklin Book Programs – became heavily involved in the literary landscape of the Arab world. Throughout much of the 1950s and 1960s, they published books and magazines, organized conferences, and embedded …

Global digital media investor North Base Media (NBM) has announced its investment in Abu Dhabi-based Majarra, a leading Arabic online content provider in the region. “We’re delighted to have a high-quality and specialized investor like North Base Media as a believer in our vision for a new business model that …

Arab visitors attracted by quarantine-free travel and a cheap lira are helping bolster a rebound for Turkey’s tourism industry, as it struggles to plug the gap left by Britons, for whom the country remains off limits. Holidaying with his family in Istanbul, Jordanian Omar Zahra, 48, said flying there from …

The United States on Wednesday warned Egypt not to target rights campaigners after a prominent activist was indicted, saying the issue would be a factor in arms sales to the ally. Hossam Bahgat, executive director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, said this week that prosecutors indicted him and …

The Egyptian parliament on Monday approved harsher penalties for sexual harassment and related crimes and upgraded them to felony offences, aiming to curb sex-related assaults in a nation where women have long felt disadvantaged. Sex crimes have been an increasing topic of conversation in recent years in the conservative, Muslim-majority …

Jordan’s military State Security Court (SSC) on Monday sentenced Bassem Awadallah and Sharif Hassan bin Zaid to 15 years of hard labor each for their involvement in a high-profile sedition case. Awadallah, a former chief of the Jordanian Royal Court, and Bin Zaid, a distant member of the royal family, …

Egypt Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said on Thursday that his country, “a nation of 100 million souls,” was facing an existential threat from the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the River Nile. Shoukry said that while Egypt is committed to the principles of the UN and will continue to …

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Qatar will provide the Lebanese armed forces with 70 tonnes of food a month, the Qatari state news agency QNA reported, as Lebanon seeks assistance amid its worst economic and political crisis since a 1975-1990 civil war. Lebanon’s army chief Joseph Aoun had appealed to world powers at meeting in France last …

Kuwaiti authorities arrested a political activist and prominent poet over tweets criticising the government, his family said on Wednesday, as a political crisis between the government and opposition weighs on the wealthy Gulf state. Jamal Al-Sayer, also a businessman, has been charged with “insulting the emir, spreading fake news that …

Saudi Arabia said it supports Egypt and Sudan in “preserving their legitimate water rights,” state news agency (SPA) reported on Tuesday. “The kingdom supports the efforts of Egypt and Sudan to contain this crisis and their demands to solve it in accordance with the rules of international law. It also supports international …

A spokesman for the Egyptian Armed Forces has said that they are aware of the challenges facing the region and are prepared to deal with them. “It is not wise, in light of our capabilities and high deterrence power, to test the reaction of the Egyptian Armed Forces,” added Gharib …

Egypt’s Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said a final settlement contract would be signed on Wednesday with the company that owns the Ever Given ship, and that participants would be able to watch the ship leaving on the same day. The owners and insurers of the container ship that blocked the …

Egypt’s irrigation minister said on Monday that he had received official notice from Ethiopia that it had begun filling the reservoir behind its giant hydropower dam, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), for a second year. Egypt has informed Ethiopia of its categorical rejection of the measure, which it regards …

On June 30, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) completed the second review of Jordan’s program supported by the Extended Fund Facility (EFF). The completion of the review will make SDR 144.1 million (about US$206 million) immediately available. This brings total IMF disbursements to Jordan since the …

Jordan’s King Abdullah left for the United States on Thursday for a three-week visit that includes the first meeting by an Arab leader with President Joe Biden at the White House since he took office, a palace statement said. The statement said the monarch, accompanied by his wife Queen Rania, …

During a meeting with Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khaled El-Anany, officials from the Canadian-English Alliance, tasked since early 2021 with preparing the media strategy for tourism promotion to Egypt, handed over the first draft of their strategy. The draft took about six months to prepare and consists of …

An international conference considered to be the first global event on the UNESCO platform devoted to discuss the cultural legacy of camels has kicked off on Tuesday.  Sheikh Fahad bin Falah bin Hithlin, founder and president of the Riyadh-based  International Camel Organization, chaired the opening of the conference alongside Assistant …

Jordan’s Prince Hamza is among witnesses who will be asked to testify by the defence team of a former confidant of King Abdullah who is on trial on charges of agitating to destabilise the monarchy, the defence’s lawyer said on Wednesday. Mohamed Afif told Reuters it would be up to …

US relations with Sudan have returned to normal, according to an embassy spokesperson in Khartoum. Amber Baskett, the Chargé d’Affairs at the American embassy in the Sudanese capital, confirmed the decision came as a result of the achievements of the interim transitional government. Sudanese Foreign Minister Maryam Al-Sadiq, who hosted …

The Egyptian-Jordanian-Iraqi electrical interconnection project will enter the implementation phase within 18 months, Sky News Arabia reported. It follows completion of technical studies currently underway to complete the export of electricity from Egypt to Amman and Baghdad, the broadcaster reported, citing Egyptian government sources. Egypt produces an electricity surplus estimated …

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi told Israel’s new leader on Monday it was important to follow through on Egypt-backed efforts to rebuild the Gaza Strip following last month’s fighting there, the Egyptian presidency said. In his first phone call with Naftali Bennett since Bennett took office two weeks ago, Sisi …

Spending on infrastructure projects in Egypt has reached more than 1.7 trillion Egyptian pounds ( $100 billion) over the past seven years, said the Egyptian Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Hala Al-Saeed. This helped to achieve economic growth rates of 5 percent before the pandemic and to reduce unemployment, …

President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi arrived in Baghdad on Sunday morning to participate in a trilateral summit alongside Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi and Jordan’s King Abdullah II. This is the first visit by an Egyptian head of state since 30 years. The summit will reflect their mutual desire to inaugurate a new …

Saudi Arabia plans to establish an industrial zone in Oman, following joint discussions between the two Gulf states, Saudi Press Agency reported. Saudi Arabia will be developing, operating, and managing the industrial zone while setting up logistics routes to transport goods between the two countries. In a recent official visit …

Oman’s foreign minister told his Israeli counterpart he hopes Israel’s new government will take concrete steps towards creating an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, Omani state media said on Thursday. Oman’s Badr al-Busaidi spoke by phone to Israel’s Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, according to ONA, the …

The owners and insurers of the giant container ship that blocked the Suez Canal for nearly a week earlier this year have reached an agreement in principle over their dispute with canal authorities, representatives from both sides said Wednesday. Stann Marine, the lawyers representing the vessel’s owners and insurers, and …

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said he wanted to work with the Greek government to export surplus natural gas to Europe. It is part of a wider push to boost cooperation across energy and electrical grid interconnection across the island of Crete, which lies midway between the North African country …

Another week, another huge green hydrogen project announcement in the Middle East. This time, it was Egypt’s turn. The most populous Arab nation is planning to invest up to $4 billion in a project to create hydrogen through electrolysis powered by renewable energy, Egyptian Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy …

The Red Sea Film Festival Foundation has announced its SR37.5 million ($10 million) fund, which will support projects with directors from the Arab World and Africa, launching a new generation of filmmakers and supporting established auteurs as they bring their work from script to screen. The Red Sea Fund will …

A Jordanian MP expelled from parliament for inciting riots, has been arrested Jordan News Agency reported on Wednesday. Jordanian MPs voted earlier this month to remove Osama Al-Ajarmeh from the lower house after violence erupted in the suburb of Naour, a stronghold of the Ajarmeh tribe in southwest Amman.  Four …

Violent speech directed against Arabs and Palestinians on social media increased 15-fold during the recent hostilities in Gaza, a report has found.  Between May 6 and May 21 when clashes with Israel were most severe, hate speech against Palestinians rose dramatically in comparison with the same period in 2020, according …

Security officials under NATO command have approached Qatar to secure a base that can be used to train Afghan special forces as part of a strategic commitment after foreign forces withdraw from Afghanistan, three senior Western officials said. After two decades of war, forces from 36 countries involved in NATO’s …

Egypt has sent a letter to the head of the UN Security Council to highlight developments in the Grand Ethopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) dispute, as it and Sudan drafted a resolution about the dam to be presented to Arab foreign ministers next week. Ethiopia began work on the dam in …