Article: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/12/17/israel-to-advance-plans-for-9000-houses-in-occupied-east-jerusalem Israeli authorities are expected to advance plans to build about 9,000 new housing units in a settlement in East Jerusalem on the site of the abandoned Qalandiya airport. The settlement area is in northern East Jerusalem, in a densely populated Palestinian urban corridor. Critics are saying the project aims to create an Israeli enclave surrounded by Palestinian areas… Read more »
Article link: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/saudi-french-us-officials-push-hezbollah-disarmament-plan-2025-12-18/ French, Saudi Arabian, and U.S. officials met in Paris with Lebanon’s army chief to finalize a roadmap aimed at disarming the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia, diplomats said. The talks are meant to strengthen mechanisms to verify and support Lebanon’s compliance with a U.S. brokered 2024 ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that ended more than a year of fighting… Read more »
Article link:https://www.reuters.com/world/india/oman-india-sign-comprehensive-economic-partnership-agreement-omans-state-news-2025-12-18/ India and Oman signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) on December 18th, 2025, aimed at boosting bilateral trade and investment while deepening economic ties. Under the pact, Oman will grant zero-duty access on over 98% of its tariff lines to Indian exports including gems and jewelry, textiles, pharmaceuticals, and autos. India will cut tariffs on about 78%… Read more »
Article link: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/12/18/drone-strike-plunges-sudan-major-cities-into-darkness-as-civil-war-rages Major cities across Sudan, including the capital Khartoum and the coastal city Port Sudan, were plunged into darkness after drone strikes hit a key power plant in Atbara, in the country’s East, amidst the ongoing civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces(SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces(RSF). The power facility, which is in a government-controlled area,… Read more »
https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/us-encourages-investments-morocco-ruled-western-sahara-2025-09-25 Summary: The US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said that the US supports investment in Western Sahara: a territory managed by Morocco yet claimed by the Algeria-backed Polisario Front, which is seeking independence. Landau stated that US companies will be supported in doing business with the entirety of Morocco, including Western Sahara. This push comes from a broader… Read more »
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/qatar-bets-cheap-power-catch-up-gulf-ai-race-2025-12-17 Summary: Qatar is currently attempting to catch up to its Gulf/Arabian neighbors by integrating AI into more large-scale operations. They believe that this is an achievable, realistic goal because they have access to abundant electrical resources—so abundant to the point that the low cost could offset their lag behind neighboring countries. As of right now, Qatar has launched an… Read more »
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/30/middleeast/netanyahu-pardon-israel-president-intl Summary: Netanyahu formally requested a pardon from Israeli President Herzog in regards to his ongoing trial, where he faces charges of bribery, fraud, and corruption. Netanyahu urges that the pardon is necessary and in the “public interest.” As the first Israeli PM to be in a longstanding trial, he claims that this trial is polarizing to the population. Trump,… Read more »
Link to Article: Gaza famine averted but strip still faces starvation, report says | AP News A new report from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) says that while famine has been averted in the Gaza Strip, the situation remains extremely fragile, with the entire population still facing severe hunger. The IPC previously warned that famine was occurring in… Read more »
Link to Article: Trump expands travel ban and restrictions to include an additional 20 countries The Trump administration has expanded U.S. travel restrictions to include 20 additional countries and people traveling on Palestinian Authority documents, doubling the number of nations affected by past restrictions. Five countries, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria, were added to the full travel… Read more »
Link to Article: Egypt vows to prevent escalation between Lebanon and Israel amid tensions over Hezbollah – ABC News Egypt is attempting to prevent further escalation between Lebanon and Israel amid tension between the two neighbors over the disarmament process of the militant Hezbollah group. Egypt, who signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, has been working for months… Read more »
