Middle East

EU blacklists UAE, Bahrain and Tunisia as tax havens

Oxfam activists mimic wealthy people hiding their money in a tax haven nearby the EU meeting on Tuesday (AFP) European Union ministers adopted a blacklist of 17 non-EU tax havens on Tuesday including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Tunisia after a year of tough negotiations. The

Middle East

Yemenis cheer death of Saleh, as others flee Houthi backlash

SANAA – Thousands of Yemenis thronged the streets of Sanaa on Tuesday to celebrate the death of the former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was captured and killed by Houthi militiamen outside Yemen's capital as a "traitor" for turning on his former allies. The city had been quiet in the morning as five days of intense clashes halted within hours of Saleh's

Middle East

Key US allies concerned about Trump’s Jerusalem announcement

The announcement, expected this week, would fulfill a Trump campaign promise — one made by previous presidents and then set aside because of regional concerns and Jerusalem's contested status between Israelis and Palestinians. Both sides claim the holy city as their capital.The resistance from allies is reportedly leading to debate within the administration on how to

Middle East

Saleh’s death redraws Yemen’s landscape

Saleh was killed amid clashes with his erstwhile allies in Yemen — the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. He had joined forces with the Houthis in 2014, prompting Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to launch an offensive against what was never more than a marriage of convenience. For Saleh, the marriage had recently become inconvenient. On Saturday he declared he was

Middle East

Turkey agrees with US allies

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday that a reported plan for such recognition, in whole or in part, would be a "red line for Turkey" and could lead to Ankara cutting diplomatic ties with Israel. "As the temporary president of the Islamic Cooperation Organization, we will follow this issue very closely," Erdogan said at his party's weekly meeting in the

Middle East

Hariri rescinds shock resignation month after throwing Lebanon into crisis

The French foreign ministry has said Lebanese PM Hariri will return to Paris for talks on Friday (AFP) Saad Hariri on Tuesday withdrew his resignation as Lebanese prime minister, a month after the shock move drew accusations that Saudi Arabia was holding him hostage and sparked a political crisis. "The council of ministers thanks the prime minister for rescinding his

Middle East

Sanctions buster Reza Zarrab goes from ‘hero’ to ‘crook’ in Turkey

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is previously thought to have personally tried to intervene on Reza Zarrab’s behalf with top US officials (AFP) ISTANBUL, Turkey – The number of people detained by Turkish authorities for affiliation to a Turkish-Iranian businessman standing trial in New York for busting US sanctions on Iran rose to 17 on Tuesday, a sharp reversal

Middle East

Egypt arrests Mubarak’s interior minister, say security sources

Former Egyptian interior minister Habib al-Adly has been arrested after failing to attend his sentencing in a trial over corruption charges, two security sources said on Tuesday. Adly, who served under ousted president Hosni Mubarak, was due to attend the final hearing in April and hand himself over to authorities, but did not show up and had been missing since

Middle East

Trump delays Israel embassy decision as pressure mounts

Recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital would be a 'major catastrophe,' Turkey said (Reuters) Facing dark warnings of a historic misstep and widespread unrest, US President Donald Trump on Monday delayed a decision on whether to recognise Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and move the US embassy there. The White House said Trump would miss a deadline to

Middle East

GCC in crisis: UAE and Saudi Arabia agree new parnership ahead of summit

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir (R) with UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash (C) during an Arab League meeting in Cairo (AFP) The UAE and Saudi Arabia have agreed to form a joint economic and political partnership, just hours ahead of a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council. According to a UAE foreign ministry statement, the new Joint