November 21, 2024
Home Archive by category Middle East (Page 136)
Middle East

Abbas seeks to rally world leaders against Trump Jerusalem move

By Nasser Abu Bakr Palestinian leaders were seeking on Sunday to rally diplomatic support to persuade US President Donald Trump not to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital after suggestions that he planned to do so. Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas was holding a series of phone calls with world leaders to "explain the dangers of any decision to move the embassy
Middle East

Yemen war: Saudi planes bomb Houthis to support Saleh’s forces

An armed Houthi follower reacts after attending a gathering celebrating Houthi advances on forces loyal to Yemen's former president Ali Abdullah Saleh at Tahrir Square in Sanaa, Yemen on 3 December 2017 (Reuters) Saudi-coalition aircraft struck Houthi positions in Sanaa overnight in support of Ali Abdullah Saleh, whom they have opposed during Yemen's civil
Middle East

UAE denies Houthis have fired missile at nuclear reactor

A Houthi rebel uses his cell phone to film as his comrades and their supporters watch on a big screen a live speech given by leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi on 30 November 2017 (AFP) The United Arab Emirates on Sunday denied a report that Yemen's Houthi group had fired a missile towards a nuclear plant in the UAE, state news agency WAM reported on its Twitter
Middle East

Iran opens $1bn extension at gateway port to Afghanistan

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (centre) inaugurating the first phase of Chabahar (Shahid Beheshti) Port on the southern Iranian coastal city of Chabaharon on 3 December 2017 (Handout: Iranian Presidency/AFP) Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday presided over the opening of a $1bn extension to Iran's southeastern Chabahar port, which Tehran hopes will become a
Middle East

After protests, Netanyahu calls for change to draft bill restricting police powers

Israelis take part in a protest against corruption in Tel Aviv, Israel December 2, 2017 (AFP) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for changes to a controversial draft bill on police investigations so it does not apply to criminal probes involving him, according to a statement released on Sunday. It comes after tens of thousands of Israelis demonstrated
Middle East

Ahmed Shafiq whereabouts unknown after he is ‘deported to Cairo’

Shafiq was a former air force chief and government minister under Hosni Mubarak (Reuters) The family of former Egyptian prime minister Ahmed Shafik said on Sunday they have lost contact with him since they say he was deported from the United Arab Emirates to Cairo days after announcing his intention to run for president next year. Shafiq, a former air force chief and
Middle East

Erdogan says US courts cannot put Turkey on trial

Courts in the United States cannot put Turkey on trial, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday, in reference to the case of a Turkish bank executive who has been charged with evading US sanctions on Iran. Already strained ties between NATO allies Ankara and Washington have deteriorated in recent weeks as Turkish-Iranian gold trader Reza Zarrab, who is
Middle East

Middle East leaders paint ‘dark picture’ at Rome conference

Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani (AFP/file photo) When Italy organised a conference focused on the Middle East, the Gulf and North Africa, it promised to look beyond the turmoil roiling the region and instead promote a "positive agenda". But many of the 45 heads of state, ministers and business leaders who attended the annual
Middle East

France’s Macron calls on Iraq to dismantle all militias

Regional Kurdistan Government Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani, right, leaves Elysee Palace after meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, left, in Paris on Saturday (AFP) French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday called for Iraq to dismantle all militias, including the government-sanctioned, Iran-backed Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), a rare public call