Middle East

Jordanian riot police on Friday forcibly dispersed hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters trying to reach a bridge that leads to the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Witnesses said police fired tear gas and shot into the air to halt about 500 young demonstrators, who broke away from the scheduled route of a march …

An Egyptian delegation is in Tel Aviv for talks with Israeli officials as part of efforts to negotiate a cease-fire in the escalating conflict with Gaza, Egyptian intelligence officials said Thursday. The two officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to brief the media. The same …

The Arab League on Tuesday condemned deadly Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip and called on the international community to move urgently to stop escalating violence that it blamed on Israeli actions against Palestinians in Jerusalem. The violence began with confrontations between Palestinian protesters and Israeli security forces at …

While Lebanese people gathered to stand up against corruption and oppression almost two years ago in October 2019, you could hear all around the country that “the revolution is a woman”, “the future is a woman” and “the revolution is feminist”.By Abbas TalebIndeed, the most notable thing about the Lebanese …

A suicide bomber killed six police officers in front of a district police station in the Somali capital Mogadishu late on Sunday, police said, in an attack they blamed on the Al Shabaab militant group. “Six police officers including the commander of the Waberi (district) police were confirmed dead and …

A “limited fire” broke out on Monday at the Kuwait Oil Co’s Greater Burgan field, injuring two workers but with no impact on production, the state news agency KUNA reported, citing a company statement. The fire was quickly brought under control, it said. Greater Burgan is Kuwait’s biggest and one …

The U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet said on Saturday that the guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey (CG 61) seized an illicit shipment of weapons from a stateless dhow in international water of the North Arabian Sea on May 6-7. “The cache of weapons included dozens of advanced Russian-made anti-tank guided missiles, thousands …

Egypt and Turkey on Thursday held talks on the conflict in Libya, where they back competing factions, on Syria and the security situation in the eastern Mediterranean, in a push to rebuild their fractured relations. The discussions, held over two days and led by deputy foreign ministers, were the first …

Qatar Finance Minister Ali Sherif al-Emadi was arrested over embezzlement allegations and stripped of his duties, officials said on Thursday. In a statement carried by state news agency QNA, the public prosecutor said Emadi was being questioned over allegations of embezzlement, abuse of power and crimes related to the public sector. …

Egypt has signed a contract with France to buy 30 Rafale fighter jets, its defense ministry said in a statement early on Tuesday, in a deal that investigative website Disclose said on Monday was worth 3.75 billion euro ($4.5 billion). Egypt’s defense ministry said the deal would be financed through …

Jordan detected three cases of the Indian COVID-19 variant in people who had not travelled, the health minister told state-owned Al Mamlaka TV. “Two cases were recorded in Amman and one in Zarqa in people who did not travel, which confirms that the emergence of mutated cases does not necessarily …

The “new Cold War” between the US and Russia in northeast Africa intensifies. Washington and Moscow struggle to increase their military presence in Sudan.By Nikola MikovicSudan reportedly decided to suspend an agreement granting Moscow permission to construct a naval base just north of Port Sudan, the country’s main commercial hub …

Sunday was declared a national day of mourning in Israel following the disaster at Mount Meron in which at least 45 people were killed after a stampede broke out at Lag Ba’omer celebrations.Sunday was declared a national day of mourning in Israel following the disaster at Mount Meron in which at least …

The Japanese owner of a massive container ship that blocked the Suez Canal for nearly a week, halting billions of dollars in maritime commerce, is asking owners of the freight it is carrying to share the cost of the damages demanded by Egyptian authorities. Shoei Kisen Kaisha Ltd. said on …

Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi held talks with the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Wennesland on Sunday over violent clashes in Jerusalem. Anti-Arab Israeli extremists, emboldened by the election of their allies to parliament, began a march over the weekend calling for violence against Arabs. …

A team of U.S. envoys is traveling to the Middle East this week for talks with key allies, a senior U.S. official said on Wednesday, amid simmering concerns in the region about President Joe Biden’s attempt to rejoin the Iran nuclear deal. “A senior interagency delegation will be traveling over …

Egyptian archaeologists working on the Nile Delta have uncovered dozens of rare predynastic tombs dating to the period before Egypt’s Pharaonic kingdoms first emerged more than 5,000 years ago. They also found tombs nearby from the later Hyksos period (1650 to 1500 B.C.), when Western Asian migrants took over the …

Egypt has signed a $7.5 billion deal to construct a petrochemical complex in the Ain Sokhna industrial zone, the cabinet said on Wednesday. The deal, between the Red Sea National Refining and Petrochemicals Company and the Suez Canal Economic Zone’s development company, aims to produce value-added petroleum products in order …

US-Iraqi beauty mogul Huda Kattan has announced that her brand Huda Beauty will sponsor NASCAR’s first female Arab driver Toni Breidinger for her track debut at General Tire 200 at Talladega Speedway.  Breidinger will drive the Huda Beauty 02 Chevrolet SS for Young’s Motorsports at the events and will work with Kattan to shine a …

Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi held talks with the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Wennesland on Sunday over violent clashes in Jerusalem. Anti-Arab Israeli extremists, emboldened by the election of their allies to parliament, began a march over the weekend calling for violence against Arabs. …

In an online universe awash with websites publishing free but inaccurate information, and social media sites offering megaphones to unfiltered opinion, it is no surprise that trusted news media around the globe are facing one of their toughest choices to date — whether to erect a paywall. Gulf News, the …

Britain’s special envoy for the Gulf Edward Lister is leaving his role and departing the government, a Downing Street spokesman said in an emailed statement late on Friday. Lister, a close aide of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, was appointed as the special envoy for the Gulf only in February …

Mining companies awarded blocks in Egypt’s Eastern Desert are set to start exploring for gold under a legislative overhaul that seeks eventually to unlock vast untapped mineral resources. Despite plentiful reserves and a rich mining history that gave rise to elaborate Pharaonic gold jewelry, Egypt has just one commercial gold …

Hundreds of thousands of predominantly Asian and black soldiers who died fighting for the British Empire have not been formally commemorated in the same way as their white comrades because of decisions underpinned by “pervasive racism,” according to an investigation. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) discovered that at least …

Egypt is aiming to raise EGP 1.25 trillion ($80 billion) as part of its investment plan for the fiscal year 2021/2022, according to the Egyptian Minister of Planning and Economic Development Hala Al-Saeed. The investment plan forecasts a 125 percent increase in funding for the production sector, the minister said, …

An investigation into recent events that threatened to undermine Jordan’s security and stability has ended, the kingdom’s public prosecution said on Tuesday. Brig. Gen. Hazem Al-Majali said: “The Public Prosecution of the State Security Court has completed its investigations relating to the events that the kingdom was exposed to recently.” …

League of Arab States Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit on Monday called on the Security Council and other UN bodies to establish a strategic working partnership with the league and its member states. The aim, he said, would be to lay the foundations for “security, stability and sustainable development in the …

Egyptian TV soap “Al-Tawoos” has become the first Ramadan series to be investigated by Egypt’s media regulatory body for its alleged use “of language offensive to family values.”  The Supreme Media Council issued a statement Sunday saying it had launched an urgent investigation with those who produced the show and …

Turkey’s foreign minister said a new period was beginning in Ankara’s ties with Egypt with senior officials from the two countries set to hold talks, broadcaster NTV said on Wednesday. Last month Turkey said it had resumed diplomatic contacts with Egypt and wanted further cooperation after years of tension since …

Suez Canal chiefs on Tuesday implemented an Egyptian court order to seize the giant cargo ship that blocked the waterway for almost a week in March. The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) is claiming $916 million in compensation for lost revenue, damage to the canal, equipment and labor used to free …

President Joe Biden has decided to withdraw the remaining U.S. troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, 2021, 20 years to the day after al Qaeda’s attacks triggered America’s longest war, U.S. officials said on Tuesday. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin are expected to …

Jordan must address high unemployment to deliver durable, jobs-rich and inclusive growth, said IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva. The country also needs to advance electricity sector reforms, boost business competitiveness, and strengthen governance and transparency, she added. Georgieva said that timely and targeted fiscal measures have helped protect jobs, while …

Jordan’s Prime Minister Bisher Al-Khasawneh denied there had been a “coup,” and that the former Crown Prince Hamza bin Hussein will not face a trail, local media reported on Monday citing lawmakers. Members of parliament, Saleh Al-Armouti, Mohammad Al-Alaqma and Omar Ayasrah, told Roya News TV that their prime minister …

The shipping course of the Suez Canal could be expanded under plans being considered by the waterway’s authority. A shipping course of a vessel is the direction in which it is to be steered. Osama Rabie, head of the Suez Canal Authority, said that the canal’s continuous development operations had helped …

Jordan’s King Abdullah and former crown prince and half-brother Prince Hamza made their first joint appearance since a rift shook the country, attending a ceremony on Sunday marking 100 years of independence. State media showed the monarch and other members of the royal family laying wreaths at the memorial to …

Egypt and Sudan on Saturday rejected an Ethiopian proposal to share data on the operations of its giant hydropower dam on the Blue Nile after negotiations between the three countries in Kinshasa this week ended without progress. Ethiopia is pinning its hopes of economic development and power generation on the …

Is the stock of money,the trillions US dollarswhich have been injected into circulation,  going to stay in circulation long enoughto produce the desired result?Climate change?Or will much (MUCH) of this moneybe cashed in , vacuumed up,gradually and eventually,for paper money US dollars,and then,for whatever reason it may be,withheld from circulation,hoarded, …

Jordan’s King Abdullah said on Wednesday sedition has been quashed after a rift with his half-brother and former heir Prince Hamza, whom the government had accused of links to efforts destabilise the country. In his first statement since the affair came to light, the monarch said the crisis that shook …

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Wednesday warned Ethiopia of the risk of conflict over its giant dam on the Blue Nile after talks involving the two countries and Sudan ended without progress. Ethiopia is pinning its hopes of economic development and power generation on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, …

Bahrain’s Cabinet amended its Press, Printing and Publishing Law on Monday that included the abolition of jailing journalists, and the addition of a major section regarding digital media, Bahraini daily Al-Ayyam reported. The Cabinet also approved a memorandum of the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs regarding the amendments …

 Egypt and Sudan said on Tuesday that the latest round of talks with Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) in Kinshasa have ended with no progress. Delegations from the three countries were meeting in the Democratic Republic of Congo amid efforts to break a deadlock in talks over …

Tunisian Human Rights and LGTB activist Rania Amdouni tried to commit suicide Monday night at her home in Tunis just days after she was released from prison, sources close to The Levant News said. Amdouni was humiliated, intimidated and attacked by a group of police officers and arrested afterwards. In …

The half-brother and former heir of Jordan’s King Abdullah, Prince Hamza, liaised with foreign parties over a plot to destabilise the country and has been under investigation for some time, the deputy prime minister said on Sunday. On Saturday the military said it had issued a warning to the prince …

“Tunisian authorities should drop the charges against Rania Amdouni, a prominent women’s rights defender and LGBT activist”, said Hamza Nasri a Tunisian Human Rights activist and defender. Amdouni was sentenced to six months in prison last month for ‘insulting a public officer’.By Arthur BlokNasri is a member of the Tunisian …