Iran says return of IAEA inspectors not full resumption of cooperation
Iran said Wednesday that the return of UN nuclear inspectors did not represent a full resumption of cooperation, which was...
Geostrategy
Hezbollah chief rejects disarmament ahead of government talks with visiting US officials
Hezbollah's chief on Monday doubled down on his refusal to give up the group's weapons ahead of talks between Lebanese...
Geostrategy
US diplomats go cold turkey on Turkey name, switch to Turkiye
In a statement announcing measures to disrupt financiers of the Islamic State group, the State Department wrote of joint action...
- The embassy websites in Ankara of Australia, Canada, India and New Zealand write Turkiye, while the British, Irish and South African embassies use Turkey
- Turks have long been upset by cartoons and other references that associate their country's name in English with the bird
Geostrategy
Erdogan asks Putin to announce ‘unilateral’ ceasefire in Ukraine
Erdogan's call for a ceasefire followed a proposal earlier Thursday by Russia's spiritual leader Patriarch Kirill for an Orthodox Christmas...
- The Turkish leader has used his good relations with both Moscow and Kyiv to try and mediate an end to the war.
- Erdogan has been able to maintain good relations with Putin by refusing to join Western sanction on Russia.
Geostrategy
UAE leads arrest of the ‘most wanted’ Eritrean trafficker
Kidane Zekarias Habtemariam has been accused of being a smuggling kingpin, running a camp in Libya where hundreds of East...
- The Eritrean, on Interpol's radar since 2019, earned a reputation for "particularly cruel and violent treatment of migrants", Interpol said.
- Habtemariam was arrested in Ethiopia in 2020 but escaped custody after one year and was later sentenced in absentia to life in prison.
Geostrategy
Arab-Israeli released after 40-year prison term for killing soldier
With a black and white keffiyeh around his shoulders, 64-year-old Younis was met by a crowd singing the Palestinian national...
- The 64-year-old Karim Younis was convicted in 1983 of the murder three years earlier of an Israeli soldier.
- Israeli Interior Minister Aryeh Deri wrote to the state prosecutor on Tuesday requesting a legal opinion on revoking the citizenship of the two men.
Geostrategy
Lebanon charges seven for Irish UN peacekeeper killing
Lebanon has charged seven people for participating in an attack against United Nations peacekeepers that killed one Irish soldier in...
- UNIFIL urged Lebanon to ensure a swift investigation, the first violent death of one of its peacekeepers in nearly eight years.
- UNIFIL, made up of some 10,000 peacekeepers, has been deployed since 1978 to act as a buffer between Lebanon and Israel.
Business
Jordanian-Bahraini business forum explores investment opportunities
AMMAN, JORDAN - The Jordan Chamber of Industry (JCI) organized the Jordanian-Bahraini Business Forum in Bahrain's capital, Manama, to increase...
- The Jordan Chamber of Industry stressed on the role of the private sector as a driver of the economy.
- The JCI described the level of trade between Jordan and Bahrain as "below aspirations," amounting to less than US$300 million.
Geostrategy
Turkey’s bickering opposition seeks unity against Erdogan
The opposition's campaign "appears abstract and distant" to voters, especially in a country where the media is heavily controlled by...
- The opposition's campaign "appears abstract and distant" to voters, especially in a country where the media is heavily controlled by the government, Western diplomat said
- Rumors are swirling that Erdogan may push forward the election to late April or early May, giving the opposition even less time to prepare
Geostrategy
Israel justice minister presents controversial court reforms
After November elections, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned to power last week, heading what analysts call the most right-wing government...
- The key reform proposed, the "derogation clause", would allow parliament to annul a decision of the Supreme Court with a simple majority vote
- Analysts say such a clause would also allow lawmakers to uphold any annulment of the corruption charges against Netanyahu
Geostrategy
UAE President and Jordan’s King discuss ties in Abu Dhabi
The UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed has met with Jordan's King Abdullah II in Abu Dhabi and discussed "fraternal...
- Ayman Al Safadi, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan was also present
- Upon his arrival, the king was welcomed by the president and a number of Sheikhs
Geostrategy
Iranian Revolutionary Guard killed outside his house in Tehran
Tehran, Iran - A member of Iran's Revolutionary Guards was shot dead outside his house in Tehran, state media reported Wednesday,...
- Qassam Fathollahi was shot "four times in front of his house" in southern Tehran late Tuesday by "unknown persons".
- Police had noted "signs of theft from the apartments around the scene" of the shooting, the report added.
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Iran says return of IAEA inspectors not full resumption of cooperation
Iran said Wednesday that the return of UN nuclear inspectors did not represent a full resumption of cooperation, which was...
Geostrategy
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Blinken presses for Gaza aid on Jordan visit
Blinken, on his latest tour of the region since the Gaza war erupted in October, observed Jordan's efforts to bring...
Geostrategy
Blinken demands ‘no more delays’ by Hamas on truce deal
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken demanded Tuesday that Hamas accept a proposal for a Gaza ceasefire and release of...
Geostrategy
Hopes rise for possible truce deal between Israel and Hamas
Jerusalem, Undefined - Hopes rose on Monday for a long-sought-after truce and hostage release deal after almost seven months of war...
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Geostrategy
Forty-day ceasefire offered to Hamas: UK foreign secretary
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken renewed US opposition to an Israeli offensive on Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah. "We...
- British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said Hamas has also been offered the release of potentially thousands of Palestinians in return for the release of Israeli hostages
- Speaking at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in the Saudi capital Riyadh, Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas urged the US to intervene.
Geostrategy
Blinken promotes Gulf Arab defence in sign to Israel and Iran
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Monday for tighter defence integration among Gulf Arabs in response to Iran, part...
- Blinken said the United States would hold defense talks in the coming weeks with the six-nation bloc
- Blinken: 'US-Saudi security pact for Israel normalization nears 'completion'.
Geostrategy
Hamas says no ‘major’ issues, as Gaza truce effort builds
Egypt, Qatar and the United States have been trying to mediate a new truce ever since a one-week halt to...
- A delegation from the Islamist movement will arrive in Egypt on Monday to deliver the group's response to Israel's counterproposal, a senior Hamas official told AFP
- Israel's government has come under intense pressure from global allies to reach a ceasefire in the war that humanitarians say has brought Gaza to the brink of famine