While the war in Syria and Iraq rages on, covered daily by all news networks and America constantly seems to have public disagreements with Saudi Arabia and Israel, many Americans seem to think they know quite a bit about Middle Eastern affairs. However, one area which seems to be of little or no concern to the vast majority of Americans… Read more »
Reuters: Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president overthrown in 2011 and the first leader to face trial after the Arab Spring uprisings that swept the region, was freed on Friday after six years in detention, his lawyer said. He left the Maadi Military Hospital in Cairo where he had been detained, heading to his home in Heliopolis. “Yes, he is now… Read more »
Reuters: Turkey will review all political and administrative ties with the European Union after an April referendum, including a deal to curb illegal migration, but will maintain economic relations with the bloc, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday. In an interview with broadcaster CNN Turk, Erdogan said everything “from A to Z” in Turkey’s relations with Europe would be reviewed… Read more »
Reuters: Israeli troops shot dead a Palestinian and wounded three others on Thursday in the occupied West Bank, a Palestinian health official said. The Israeli army said they had attacked a settlement with petrol bombs. The Palestinian health source said the dead man was 17 and that one of the three wounded was in critical condition. An Israeli army spokeswoman… Read more »
Reuters: Oil prices edged up on Friday, supported by a fall in Saudi exports to the United States, but overall markets remained under pressure on the back of a world market awash with fuel. Benchmark Brent crude futures LCOc1 were at $50.69 per barrel at 0756 GMT, up 13 cents or 0.3 percent, from their last close. U.S. West Texas… Read more »
ISIS is losing ground in Syria and Iraq. In Mosul, the Iraqi Army seems to be soundly defeating its insurgent opponents. The liberation of cities such as Palmyra, Aleppo, and Al-Bab in Syria, and Mosul and Fallujah in Iraq, show the terrorist group is on the desperate defense. The Iraqi Army’s push into Mosul supported by US and coalition airstrikes,… Read more »
(GULF NEWS): Kuwait and Turkey have signed three agreements worth $15 million to contribute to the response plan of Syrian refugees living in Turkey. The agreements were signed by Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED)’s Director-General Abdul Wahab Al Bader and the mayors of Gaziantep, Kilis and Sanliurfa, in the presence of Kuwait’s Emir Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah… Read more »
(AL JAZEERA): Ten Egyptian security personnel, including three army officers, have been killed in two roadside bombings during a security operation in Egypt’s troubled Sinai peninsula on Thursday, an Egyptian army spokesman said. The explosions hit the security vehicles during a raid on a group affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS). Security… Read more »
(MIDDLE EAST MONITOR): Oman sent Jordan a messaging saying that the Gulf state will reduce its presence at the Arab Summit scheduled for 29 March or will excuse itself if comments or recommendations made during the event put Muscat in an awkward situation, diplomatic sources have said. According to London’s Rai Al-Youm newspaper, the same sources said that the message did… Read more »
(THE INDEPENDENT): One of the largest ever lawsuits relating to the September 11 terror attacks has been filed against Saudi Arabia in New York. Families of 850 victims who died and the 1,500 injured, are suing the Middle Eastern country’s government, accusing it of providing material and financial assistance to al Qaeda in the years leading up to worst ever terrorist attack on US… Read more »