Russia has released a dual US-Israeli national who was detained on charges of drug trafficking last year. Naama Issachar, 26, was arrested in Moscow in April 2019 after more than nine grams of marijuana were found in her luggage. She was later sentenced to more than seven years in prison. President Putin pardoned Issachar on Wednesday. The decision came ahead… Read more »
Israeli PM withdrew his bid for immunity on Tuesday, hours before Knesset due to hold debate.6 hours ago Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been formally indicted in court on corruption charges after he withdrew his request for parliamentary immunity from prosecution. Netanyahu was in Washington for meetings with US President Donald Trump ahead of the release of Trump’s long-delayed US-Israeli “peace”… Read more »
US President Donald Trump has presented his long-awaited Middle East peace plan, promising to keep Jerusalem as Israel’s undivided capital. He proposed an independent Palestinian state and the recognition of Israeli sovereignty over West Bank settlements. Standing alongside Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, Mr Trump said his proposals “could be the last opportunity” for Palestinians. Palestinian President… Read more »
Turkey has witnessed an influx of Syrian immigrants in the previous years and are starting to feel the effects. In an effort to decrease the number of migrants, Turkey is working to create safe places in Syria for the displaced people to live. In a new initiative, aid workers from Turkey are building safe and durable structures on the Syrian… Read more »
ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkish aid groups have begun building more than 10,000 houses in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib to shelter growing numbers of people displaced by fighting, while Turkey seeks to prevent a new influx of migrants fleeing from Syria. The houses are being erected near a Syrian village next to the Turkish border, an area so far spared… Read more »
Lebanon‘s new government is looking to secure $4-5bn in soft loans from international donors to finance purchases of wheat, fuel and medicines, according to local media reports, amid the country’s worst economic crisis in decades. Lebanon formed a new cabinet on Tuesday following three months of political deadlock after the cabinet of former Prime Minister Saad Hariri resigned amid unprecedented… Read more »
The Libyan capital’s only operational airport has closed again after threats by forces loyal to renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar, dealing another setback to peace efforts. Despite repeated appeals from the United Nations, the airport has been hit multiple times since the start of an offensive in April by fighters led by eastern-based commander Haftar to seize Tripoli from the UN-recognised… Read more »
DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) – Former Lebanese foreign minister Gebran Bassil appealed to world leaders on Wednesday to help save his country from becoming a “failed state” amid a spiraling financial crisis. Lebanon is hoping a new government formed on Tuesday can win the financial support of donors it needs to climb from a deep economic emergency as increasingly violent protests… Read more »
CAIRO (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia will start screening passengers arriving from China and take other preventive measures following the outbreak of the new coronavirus in China, the kingdom’s health ministry said on Wednesday. Deaths from China’s new flu-like virus rose to 17 on Wednesday with more than 540 cases confirmed, increasing fears of spreading contagion from an infection suspected of… Read more »
SAN FRANCISCO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.N. experts have demanded an immediate investigation by U.S. and other authorities into allegations that Saudi Arabia’s crown prince was involved in a plot to hack the phone of Amazon boss Jeff Bezos. The U.N. special rapporteurs, Agnes Callamard and David Kaye, said on Wednesday they had information pointing to the “possible involvement” of Crown Prince… Read more »