Archives for June, 2017

Expensive deposits leave Iranian banks stuck with toxic assets

A review of interest rates for bank deposits in Iran shows widespread violations of the interest rate ceiling ordered by the Central Bank of Iran.

Al-Hadba minaret at the Grand Mosque is seen among destroyed buildings during combats between Iraqi forces and Islamic State in Mosul, Iraq, April 4, 2017. REUTERS/Andres Martinez Casares - RTX340VF

Iraq outlines plans to rebuild country, inspire tolerance

Iraqi officials say they are ready to reconstruct the country and heal the populace devastated by the Islamic State.

Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende (C) is welcomed by Palestinians as he visits houses, which witnesses said were destroyed or damaged during the seven-week Israeli offensive, in the east of Gaza City September 8, 2014 . REUTERS/Ahmed Zakot (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR45D38

Israel wields influence to block foreign funding to Palestinian NGOs

Apparently at Israel's request, some Palestinian nongovernmental organizations are losing their financial support from abroad over allegations of their links to terrorism.

Palestinian farmers pick tomatoes to be exported into Israel, on a farm in Deir El-Balah in the central Gaza Strip March 11, 2015. Israel imported its first fruit and vegetables from the Gaza Strip in almost eight years on Thursday, in a partial easing of an economic blockade maintained since the Islamist group Hamas seized control of the Palestinian territory. Twenty-seven tonnes of tomatoes and five tonnes of eggplants were trucked across the border under an Israeli plan to bring in around 1,200 tonnes of

Gaza’s power crisis cripples farmers

The repercussions of the power crisis hitting the Gaza Strip, receiving less than four hours of daily supply, are now reflected in the agricultural sector and threatening food security in Gaza.

Heavy machinery work on a field as they begin construction work of Amichai, a new settlement which will house some 300 Jewish settlers evicted in February from the illegal West Bank settlement of Amona, in the West Bank June 20, 2017. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun - RTS17UHK

Palestinians despair as Israel breaks ground on new settlement

Despite UN Security Council Resolution 2334 and US President Donald Trump's efforts to resume the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, Israel has approved plans to develop its first new settlement area in 25 years.

A protester holds a Palestinian flag during clashes with Israeli troops at a protest against reducing power supply to Gaza, near the border with Israel in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip June 20, 2017. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa - RTS17WD5

Palestinians wary of talk Gaza may be declared 'rebel district'

The poor living conditions and security situation of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip could further deteriorate if Palesinian President Mahmoud Abbas declares Gaza a "rebel district."

Mourners gather at the Sacred Family Church for the funeral of Coptic Christians who were killed in Minya, Egypt, May 26, 2017. Picture taken May 26, 2017. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany - RTS17MF0

IS loses ground in Sinai, searches for other foothold in Egypt

The Islamic State has carried out several terrorist attacks against Copts in different Egyptian governorates, raising questions about anti-terrorism laws and the efficiency of the security services.

Syrian refugees in Turkey return home for holidays

As Eid al-Fitr approaches, marking the end of Ramadan, Turkish authorities opened two border crossings with Syria so refugees can visit their homeland.

Tunisia's President Beji Caid Essebsi (R), Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani (C) and President of the Assembly of People's Representatives Mohamed Ennaceur attend the opening of international investment conference Tunisia 2020, in Tunis, Tunisia November 29, 2016. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi - RTSTT1D

Tunisia can only afford neutrality in Qatar crisis

Tunisia has officially remained neutral in the Qatari-Gulf crisis given its economic relations with the two main parties involved.

Pictures of Palestinian Hamas militants held in Israeli jails are seen through a fence during a rally marking Palestinian Prisoner Day, in Gaza City April 17, 2016. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem - RTX2AAQR

PA cuts salaries to Hamas prisoners

The Palestinian Authority is exerting more pressure on Hamas with its latest move cutting off the allowances of former prisoners affiliated with the Gaza group.

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

Israeli defense minister accuses Abbas of pushing Israel-Hamas war

To destroy Hamas rule, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas pushes it into a confrontation with Israel.

Jason Greenblatt (L), U.S. President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy meets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Prime Ministerís Office in Jerusalem March 13, 2017. Picture taken March 13, 2017. Courtesy Matty Stern/U.S. Embassy Tel Aviv/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. EDITORIAL USE ONLY - RTX319TT

Netanyahu ready to meet Abbas, but not to negotiate

While the Palestinians hope that President Donald Trump will deliver a realistic negotiations process on a two-state solution, the Israeli side is determined to jeopardize such a process.

KILIS, TURKEY - MARCH 02: Turkish soldiers from the 1st Border Regiment Command run through alert drills at a military outpost on the Turkey/Syria border on March 2, 2017 in Kilis, Turkey. The military exercises were held to display the new border wall and new security measures such as thermal scanning and patrols by the new Tactical Armoured Reconnaissance vehicles (Kobra-2) that are being used to tighten Turkey's border. The government announced this week that more than half of the 511-kilometer wall ha

Ankara sends reinforcements into northern Syria

Turkish troops have entered northern Syria, sparking fears of a coalition-undermining attack on Syrian Kurdish forces.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrives to greet European Council President Donald Tusk (not pictured) before a meeting at the European Council in Brussels, Belgium, May 25, 2017. REUTERS/Olivier Hoslet/Pool - RTX37KO8

New clashes likely between Turkey, Europe

Controversy follows Turkey's president wherever he goes. Next stop: Europe.

Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (R) receives Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, June 19, 2017. Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RTS17RRQ

Iraq’s PM concludes tightrope regional tour

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's tour — which spanned Saudi Arabia, Iran and Kuwait — aimed to maintain regional balances amid discussions on post-IS preparations and regional aid to Iraq.

Palestinian labourers work at the construction site of a house, that witnesses said was destroyed by Israeli shelling during a 50-day war last summer, in Johr El-Deek village near the central Gaza Strip July 26, 2015. The house is rebuilt as part of a Qatari-funded project aimed at reconstructing housing units destroyed during the war. Palestinian Minister of Housing and Public Works Mufeed Al-Hassayna said that the reconstruction process in Gaza has started, almost a year since the 2014 war. More than 100

Gaza becoming unexpected destination for Egyptian jobseekers

After the pound's depreciation against the US dollar, some Egyptian workers are fleeing the difficult economic conditions in their country to work in the Gaza Strip so they can send money to their families back home.