John Bolton, former US President Donald Trump’s national security advisor, said on Wednesday that while a return to the Iran nuclear deal appears to be a priority for the Biden administration, he doubts the sincerity of Tehran’s promises not to pursue the development of nuclear weapons. In an interview with …
Read More »East Med conflict escalates as Turkey calls for two-state Cypriot solution
Egypt, Cyprus and Greece have demanded respect for the sovereignty and sovereign rights of states in their maritime areas in the eastern Mediterranean. The demand came in a joint statement from the three countries’ foreign ministers during their meeting in Athens, where they discussed cooperation to deepen their political and …
Read More »In surprise move Haftar supports Libyan peace process
Libya’s eastern strongman Khalifa Haftar has offered his backing for a peace process that seeks to end a decade of chaos, after meeting the head of a new transitional presidential council. The military commander met with Mohammed Younes Menfi, a former diplomat who also comes from eastern Libya, and who …
Read More »US in emergency talks with Saudi after Houthi drone attack
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan discussed the recent Houthi attack targeting Abha International Airport in a phone call with US Foreign Secretary Antony Blinken, state news agency SPA reported. Both sides stressed the need to stop these hostile acts and support efforts to reach a political solution to …
Read More »Egyptian-American jewelry designer makes it big internationally
You have to give it to Jacquie Aiche – the Egyptian-American jewelry designer has managed to swiftly emerge as a celebrity-loved label, with stars like Kylie Jenner, Emily Ratajkowski and Shanina Shaik adorning themselves with the Los Angeles-based brand’s signature diamond-encrusted body chains, anklets and stacked gemstone rings on the …
Read More »Latest Nile negotiations break down
Negotiations between Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt, in a long-running dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile, have reached a new impasse, the three countries said on Sunday. “We cannot continue this vicious cycle of circular talks indefinitely,” Sudanese irrigation minister Yasir Abbas said in a …
Read More »Ethiopian refugees in Sudan do not want to return
One survivor arrived on broken legs, others on the run. In this fragile refugee community on the edge of Ethiopia’s Tigray conflict, those who have fled nearly two months of deadly fighting continue to bring new accounts of horror. At a simple clinic in Sudan, one doctor-turned-refugee, Tewodros Tefera, examines …
Read More »Biden outlining more nuanced approach to Mideast sanctions
Joe Biden will not shy away from using President Donald Trump’s weapon of choice – sanctions – as he seeks to reshape America’s foreign policy, according to people familiar with his thinking. But when Biden takes office on Jan. 20, he is expected to quickly begin recalibrating Trump’s blunt-force approach …
Read More »Macron in awkward position over human rights in Middle East
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi begins on Monday a visit to France to underscore close ties, but with a renewed crackdown on political dissent at home, the trip has overshadowed French efforts to nurture their security and business relationship. With both countries concerned by the political vacuum in Libya, instability …
Read More »Much needed respirators donated by WHO to Gaza
The World Health Organization delivered 15 ventilators to Gaza hospitals on Sunday amid a spike in COVID-19 infections that has tested the Palestinian territory’s under-developed health system. The donation of the intensive care devices, funded by Kuwait, came a week after local and international public health advisers said hospitals in …
Read More »Google immortalises Ahmed Zaki with doodle on 71st virtual birthday
Legendary Egyptian actor Ahmed Zaki was featured Wednesday in a Google Doodle, for what would have been his 71st birthday. The actor, widely known as “Black Tiger” after his titular role in a 1984 boxing film, appeared in more than 60 films and two dozen plays throughout his three-decade career. …
Read More »Erdogan to push two-state solution with North Cypriot allies
Turkish President Erdogan visited breakaway Northern Cyprus on Sunday to meet its newly elected leader who backs his call for a “two-state” solution to the divided island’s five-decade conflict if U.N.-mediated talks yield no results. With Turkey’s support, former prime minister Ersin Tatar won a tight presidential vote last month …
Read More »As Ethiopia falls apart, Sudan prepares for refugee influx
Up to 200,000 refugees could pour into Sudan while fleeing the deadly conflict in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region, officials say, while the first details are emerging of largely cut-off civilians under growing strain. Long lines have appeared outside bread shops in the Tigray region, and supply-laden trucks are stranded at …
Read More »Facebook takes down more fake news accounts, pages globally
Facebook FB.O on Friday said it has dismantled seven separate networks of fake accounts and pages on its platform that were active in Iran, Afghanistan, Egypt, Turkey, Morocco, Myanmar, Georgia, and Ukraine due to “coordinated inauthentic behaviour”. The social media platform announced it had taken down the new networks as …
Read More »Egypt and France in joint naval exercise in Turkey’s East Med
Egyptian and French naval forces have carried out a joint naval training exercise in the northern Mediterranean amid growing tensions between the two countries and Turkey over Ankara’s gas exploration ambitions in the region. Two frigates were involved in the joint exercise, which is part of the Egyptian armed forces’ …
Read More »Ethiopia objects streneously to Trump’s vague remarks about Renaissance Dam
Ethiopia on Saturday summoned the U.S. ambassador over what it called an “incitement of war” between Ethiopia and Egypt from President Donald Trump over their dispute about the filling and operation of a massive hydropower dam. Trump called on Friday for an agreement between the countries, but added it was …
Read More »After Sudan normalisation Trump still not pressuring Ethiopan over dam
U.S. President Donald Trump and Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok on Friday called for an agreement to be reached over the dam dispute with Ethiopia and Egypt. “We hope to reach an amicable solution soon,” Hamdok said, speaking by phone with Trump following Sudan and Israel’s announcement to normalize ties. …
Read More »UAE expands Israeli normalisation to energy, infrastructure
The energy ministers of the United Arab Emirates and Israel discussed possible cooperation and investment opportunities, including natural gas exports to Europe, in a video call on Wednesday, an Israeli statement said. Israel and the UAE signed an agreement on Sept. 15 to establish diplomatic relations, an accord that Energy …
Read More »After 4 year deadlock Greece, Turkey resume talks
Turkey and Greece have agreed to resume talks over their contested maritime claims in the eastern Mediterranean after a four year hiatus following weeks of tensions that culminated in a collision between their warships. The talks, which broke off in 2016 after 60 rounds that made little progress over 14 …
Read More »Turkey switches from East Med to Black Sea for natural gas
Turkey will send a second drill ship to operate in the Black Sea, Energy Minister Fatih Donmez said on Sunday, weeks after Ankara announced its largest ever natural gas discovery in the area. “Our drill ship Kanuni, whose preparation work is continuing, will start drilling in the Black Sea,” he …
Read More »East Med situation escalates as Erdogan exchanges threats with Greece
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued new threats to Greece on Saturday as Turkish forces prepared to conduct military exercises in the Eastern Mediterranean amid tension over oil and gas rights. The temperature has soared in the dispute between the two countries since Turkey deployed a research vessel and an …
Read More »Water wars in the offing, World Resources Institute experts say
From Yemen to India, and parts of Central America to the African Sahel, about a quarter of the world’s people face extreme water shortages that are fueling conflict, social unrest and migration, water experts said on Wednesday. With the world’s population rising and climate change bringing more erratic rainfall, including …
Read More »US punishs Ethiopia with aid reduction over Renaissance Dam
The United States had decided to cut $100 million in aid to Ethiopia amid a dispute with Egypt and Sudan over a megadam that Ethiopia is building on the Nile, a congressional source told Reuters on Wednesday. Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt have been locked in a bitter dispute over the …
Read More »Trump interceding between Turkey, Greece dispute
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and U.S. President Donald Trump talked on the phone on Wednesday to discuss bilateral and regional issues, including the Mediterranean, Erdogan’s office said. Tensions between Turkey and Greece have escalated since Ankara sent its Oruc Reis survey vessel to disputed eastern Mediterranean waters this month, a …
Read More »Greece, Turkey on collision course in territorial, energy dispute
Greece plans to extend the western limit of its territorial waters in the Ionian Sea to 12 miles, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Wednesday. The conservative premier said a bill on the matter would be submitted to parliament very soon. “Greece will extend its western territorial waters to 12 …
Read More »Erdogan charges Greece with escalation in energy dispute
President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday Turkey’s navy will not back down as Greece “sows chaos” in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, where the countries have deployed frigates in an escalating rhetorical confrontation over overlapping resource claims. “The ones who throw Greece in front of the Turkish navy will not stand …
Read More »Saudis insist Palestinian independence price for normalisation; Gaza under renewed attack
Saudi Arabia’s price for normalising relations with Israel is the creation of a sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, a senior member of the Saudi royal family reaffirmed on Friday. Prince Turki al-Faisal was apparently responding to U.S. President Donald Trump who said on Wednesday he expected Saudi …
Read More »Turkish, Greek warships face off as international players take sides – UPDATED
President Tayyip Erdogan warned Greece on Friday that Turkey will retaliate against any attack on its survey vessel Oruc Reis in the eastern Mediterranean in an escalating row between the NATO allies over gas and oil exploration in the region. Turkey and Greece are vehemently at odds over overlapping claims …
Read More »The Taste of the Earth: Medallions of Memory in the Poetry of Hedy Habra
Hedy Habra, The Taste of the Earth  (Winston-Salem, NC: Press 53, 2019). By Layla Azmi Goushey In June 2020, I had the good fortune to attend a virtual poetry reading where Hedy Habra, author of the recently-published poetry collection, The Taste of the Earth, read selections from her work. …
Read More »Women’s football gaining recognition in Arab world
On Sept. 25, 2005, a football match that few people will remember or even have heard of, took place in Amman, with hosts Jordan comfortably thrashing an overwhelmed Bahrain 9-0. But the result mattered little. This was a football match with a difference for the beaten team; it was the …
Read More »Ex-military men can no longer run for Egyptian presidency
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi has approved legal amendments that restrict retired army officers from running in elections without permission from the military, according to an announcement in the official gazette on Wednesday. Critics of Sisi, a former army chief who was re-elected for a second term in 2018, say the …
Read More »How much will the pandemic change Egyptian governance and for how long?
The Egyptian regime has reacted in an unexpected way to the global pandemic—with civilian, technocratic, and expert bodies leading the way and even some (admittedly officially patrolled) political debate being allowed to emerge. Does this portend a real change in Egyptian governance, and if so, why, what kind, and will …
Read More »Greece charges Turkey with trespassing on seaways
Greece accused Turkey on Tuesday of attempting to encroach on its continental shelf in a serious escalation of tensions between the two NATO allies at odds over a range of issues. Turkey and Greece are at loggerheads over overlapping claims for hydrocarbon resources, brought into sharper focus by attempts of …
Read More »In surprise move Trump and Erdogan agree on Libya security
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed in a phone call to work more closely in Libya to ensure lasting stability in the country, the Turkish presidency said on Tuesday. Turkey supports the internationally recognised Government of National Accord in Libya, which is fighting against the eastern-based …
Read More »Germany charges official of spying for Egypt
A member of staff at the German government press office suspected of working for Egyptian intelligence did not have access to sensitive information, a German government spokeswoman said on Friday. The case was mentioned in the BfV domestic intelligence agency’s 385-page annual report, published on Thursday. The report said unspecified …
Read More »Ethiopia dam issue to be resolved within weeks
Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan will agree a deal to fill the giant Blue Nile dam in two to three weeks, following mediation by the African Union to broker a deal to end a decade-long dispute over water supplies. Tortuous negotiations over the years have left the two nations and their …
Read More »Haftar on the run after Tripoli counter assault
Forces loyal to Libya’s internationally recognised government said on Friday they had entered Tarhouna, the last major stronghold of eastern commander Khalifa Haftar near Tripoli, capping the sudden collapse of his 14-month offensive. There was no immediate comment from Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) on whether its forces remained in …
Read More »Russian MiGs headed to Syria
Russia flew a batch of advanced MiG-29 fighter jets to Syria, Moscow’s embassy in Damascus said, with Syrian pilots already using the planes to conduct missions within the country’s airspace. President Vladimir Putin last week ordered Russia’s foreign and defence ministries to hold talks with its close ally, Syria, to …
Read More »Turkey to look for oil, gas in Libyan domain
Turkey may begin oil exploration in the eastern Mediterranean within three or four months under a deal it signed with Libya that was condemned by others in the region including Greece, Energy Minister Fatih Donmez said on Friday. Libya’s internationally-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) signed the maritime delimitation deal …
Read More »Excellent apps to learn about the history of Egypt
History has always been a passion of mine. Ever since I can remember, I was interested in ancient civilizations and their achievements. For a while, I was lucky enough to work at a job that would send me on business trips to the most diverse range of places. Ultimately, I …
Read More »Lebanese government warns of covid food crisis
Lebanon is at risk of a major food crisis and many Lebanese may soon find it hard to afford bread because of an acute financial crunch and the fall-out of COVID-19, the prime minister warned. Writing in the Washington Post, Hassan Diab also warned of a global food security emergency …
Read More »Turkish and Italian embassies in Libya under attack
Shells landed near the Turkish and Italian embassies in central Tripoli late on Thursday, they said, in an apparent expansion of bombardment by eastern-based forces to a central district of the Libyan capital. The eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA) of Khalifa Haftar has been bombarding Tripoli for months as part …
Read More »Kuwait cracks down on Egyptian workers during corona crisis
Kuwaiti security forces broke up a riot by Egyptian workers seeking repatriation who were being held in shelters dedicated for those in violation of the Gulf Arab state’s residency laws, the Ministry of Interior said on Monday. Security forces intervened after “riots and chaos” broke out and seized several people …
Read More »15 victims in latest terror attacks in Egypt
Egypt’s military said on Sunday that 15 of its men had died or been wounded in operations in the Sinai Peninsula recently, and that 126 suspected militants had been killed. The military publishes updates on its operations in Sinai every few months, without giving a specific time frame. The statement …
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