Archives for March, 2017

Israel Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman speaks at the 53rd Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, February 19, 2017. REUTERS/Michaela Rehle - RTSZCHS

How will ban on national fund affect Palestinians?

Israel’s recent decision to label the Palestinian National Fund, which serves as the PLO’s Ministry of Finance, as a “terror group” raised Palestinian concerns over the future of relations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

FIFA's acting president Issa Hayatou addresses a news conference after a meeting of the Executive Committee at FIFA's headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland December 3, 2015. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann - RTX1X0JI

Egyptian court launches probe into sale of soccer broadcasting rights

The Egyptian public prosecutor decided to refer the former chairman of the Confederation of African Football to court on charges of violating Egyptian laws that prohibit monopolistic practices.

Palestinian supporters of Mazen Faqha, who was shot dead by unknown gunmen in the Gaza Strip a day earlier, march during a demonstration in the West Bank village of Tubas on March 25, 2017.
Gunmen in the Gaza Strip on March 24 shot dead a Hamas official who was freed by Israel in a 2011 prisoner swap, the interior ministry in the Palestinian enclave said. Faqha was released along with more than 1,000 other Palestinians in exchange for Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier Hamas had detained for five years. / AFP

Assassination of Hamas senior operative won't ensure Passover calm

While Israel tries to prevent attempts by Hamas and other groups to perpetrate attacks during the Passover period, officially Israel did not take responsibility for the killing of Hamas military branch senior operative Mazen Faqha.

EDITORS NOTE: Graphic content / Yahya Sinwar (C-R), the new leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip and senior political leaders of the Islamist movement, Ismail Haniyeh (C-L) and Rawhi Moshtaha (L-2) attend the funeral of Hamas official, Mazen Faqha in Gaza city on March 25, 2017.
Gunmen in the Gaza Strip had shot dead the Hamas official on March 24, 2017, according to Iyad al-Bozum, an interior ministry spokesman in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. Faqha had been released by Israel six years earlier in the 2011 pris

Will Hamas respond to assassination of military leader?

Hamas is blaming Israel for the killing of military commander Mazen Faqha but is waiting on a commission of inquiry before announcing any response.

Members of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) attend the funeral of eight fellow fighters who died during an assault against the Islamic State (IS) group in the town of Manbij, in the Syrian Kurdish town of Kobane (aka Ain al-Arab) on June 24, 2016. In the background a Martyrs memorial is under construction.
The US-backed Kurdish and Arab forces, pushed further into the Islamic State group stronghold of Manbij, seizing a key road junction and grain silos overlooking the city, a monitoring group said. The city l

Is Manbij the latest Kurdish poke in Erdogan's eye?

Erdogan's plan to contain Kurds suffers a setback as Manbij on Syria's northern border with Turkey declares itself a self-governed canton.

A Turkish flag (R) flies among others flags of NATO members during the North Atlantic Council (NAC) following Turkey's request for Article 4 consultations, at the Alliance headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, July 28, 2015. Turkey sought moral support for its campaign against militants in Syria and Iraq at an emergency meeting on Tuesday with its North Atlantic allies, with both NATO and Ankara playing down any idea of a call for military help from the alliance. Turkey requested urgent consultations with its

Turkey determined to test NATO

Turkey’s bargaining with Russia for the S-400 air defense system raises a number of military issues, the least of which being that the system is incompatible with NATO's defense structure.

A staff member removes the Iranian flag from the stage during the Iran nuclear talks in Vienna, Austria July 14, 2015. Carlos Barria: For more than a decade the United States and other world powers have participated in talks to reach an agreement on Iranís nuclear program. They and Iran have spent thousands of hours around a table seeking a solution to what the West sees as a threat to global stability if Iran gains the capability to make a nuclear bomb. The last chapter was in Vienna, where I travelled wit

Iran responds to US with 'reciprocal sanctions'

In response to new US sanctions on Iran’s ballistic missile program, Tehran sanctioned US firms that supply the Israeli government with arms and other equipment to support the settlement enterprise.

5 reasons to watch Rouhani’s visit to Russia

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani is in Moscow for his first official visit to Russia.

Egypt's former president Hosni Mubarak waves from his room at the Maadi military hospital in Cairo on May 4, 2015 as his supporters gather outside the building for his birthday. An Egyptian court is expected to examine on May 7, 2015 an appeal filed by the prosecution against a lower court's verdict that dropped murder charges against Mubarak and also acquitted six of his top security chiefs of charges of killing protesters during the 2011 uprising. Standing behind Mubarak is a doctor. AFP PHOTO / MOHAMED E

Mubarak's release draws mixed reactions in Egypt

While supporters of former President Hosni Mubarak celebrated his release, others in Egypt lament that many activists still languish behind prison bars.

Commuters are seen inside Sadat metro station underneath Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, June 17, 2015. Egypt reopened a vital downtown Cairo metro station on Wednesday after a two-year closure, signalling government confidence in the security situation regardless of a series of low-level attacks in the capital. Located underneath Tahrir Square, a symbol of the popular uprising that toppled veteran leader Hosni Mubarak in 2011, the Sadat metro station is one of the largest and most central stations in Cairo.

Cairo metro drowns in debt, risks shutdown

The Cairo metro system owes vast sums to electrical, water and maintenance companies, and this week's move to double the price of a ticket to about $0.11 a ride isn't enough to solve the debt problem.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) meets with Chechnya's leader Ramzan Kadyrov at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, March 25, 2016. REUTERS/Mikhail Klimentyev/Sputnik/Kremlin ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS. - RTSC7SC

What’s Chechnya doing in Syria?

Russia is finding the Republic of Chechnya’s influence to be very helpful in Syria.

Idlib — more than Raqqa — may be decisive Syria fault line

Russian-Turkish agreement under strain in key northern city.

U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Saudi Deputy Crown Prince and Minister of Defense Mohammed bin Salman in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, U.S., March 14, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RTX30ZWC

Saudis jump on Trump bandwagon

After a deep disillusionment with the United States during Obama’s terms in office, the Saudis are now looking toward a better relationship with the Trump administration.

Tourists enjoy a beach in the Mediterranean resort city of Antalya, a popular destination for German tourists, in Turkey, July 25, 2016. REUTERS/Kaan Soyturk - RTSJIDA

Turkey's drive to attract Iranian tourists hits political snags

Scrambling to compensate for lost markets, Turkey’s tourism sector aims to attract 2 million tourists from Iran this year, but Ankara’s erratic foreign policy could throw this target into jeopardy.

The restored Edicule is seen during a ceremony marking the end of restoration work on the site of Jesus's tomb, in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, in Jerusalem's Old City March 22, 2017. REUTERS/Sebastian Scheiner/Pool TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX324T0

Jesus' tomb in Jerusalem opens after monthslong renovation

The restoration works of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre were completed earlier this week, thanks to an agreement between the three main churches in Jerusalem.

Iraqi federal police forces take on key role in west Mosul

Federal police forces are playing a crucial role in the liberation of Mosul, which will give them an opportunity to maintain security in the city after completing the liberation.