QAMISHLI – The Kurdish-led authorities in northern Syria want a multinational force to deploy at the Turkish border and reject the creation of a large “safe zone” that Turkey hopes to control, a Kurdish politician told Reuters. Fawza Youssef said the Kurdish-led authorities have proposed their idea in talks with U.S. officials while stressing the need for continued joint efforts… Read more »
Tripoli — AROUND 50 asylum seekers have been injured after police used excessive force against the individuals protesting against detention under horrible conditions in Libya. The foreign nationals staged protests at the Sikka detention centre, where they have been detained for months with no prospects of solutions. Some 400 national protesters consisted of individuals from Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia and Sudan… Read more »
United Nations — Human rights violations are at an all-time high in the Middle East and North Africa, and global indifference is only making it worse. In a new report, Amnesty International reviewed the state of human rights in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and found a bleak landscape of repression. “Across MENA throughout 2018, thousands of dissidents… Read more »
Tens of thousands of Algerians have been protesting against 81-year-old President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s decision to run for a fifth term on 18 April. It is a rare show of dissent in the North African country, where more than 30% of people aged under 30 are unemployed. Are the demonstrations a surprise? Yes, they are the biggest protests against President Bouteflika… Read more »
The Middle East’s polarised and repressive politics will lead to even more instability in the region unless countries take steps to reform and calm tensions, a senior Qatari politician has said. Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, Qatar’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister, urged international powers including the US to be more inclusive in their approach to the region, saying one-sided… Read more »
For most outside observers of the Kremlin, Russia‘s policymaking process is an inscrutable monolith, with decisions taken exclusively by President Vladimir Putin and any dissent stifled behind closed doors. In reality, however, within the Russian political elite, there is a good number of competing political interests and visions which clash on a regular basis. Policies are often the product of Putin playing a… Read more »
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump’s senior adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, will embark on a diplomatic lobbying blitz for his Middle East peace plan – starting next week in Europe and continuing later this month with stops across the Arab world. Kushner and Jason Greenblatt, Trump’s special representative for the Middle East peace negotiations, plan to tout their peace plan during a high-level meeting… Read more »
ABU DHABI — The United Arab Emirates announced roughly $1.35 billion in defense deals with local and international companies on the opening day of IDEX 2019, the International Defence Exhibition and Conference, in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. Of the 33 deals announced Sunday, 18 were domestic and 15 were with foreign firms, the latter accounting for just under $1.1 billion of the total, an… Read more »
Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney will host a private meeting of a group of Arab and EU foreign ministers on Monday to discuss the Middle East peace process. The consultative meeting takes place against the background of the imminent announcement of a new US peace initiative, and, sources say, is an attempt by the more sympathetic EU states to engage with… Read more »
The most volatile region in the world is about to be plunged into further chaos because of climate change, academics and international officials warned at a conference on Tuesday. Food scarcity and water shortages will add to the flood of displaced people, sparking wars and providing opportunities for extremist groups, they said. These developments will mean 7 to 10 million people in the Middle… Read more »