Latest Middle East News
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West fearful as Syria jihadist group splits over al-Qaida link
Richard Spencer Aleppo - 20 May 2013 Jabhat al-Nusra, the much-feared militant jihadist group that has taken control of large rebel-held areas of ...
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Saudi vegetable seller dies after torching himself
The man, identified only by the family name of Sureihi, doused himself in petrol and set himself ablaze.The self-immolation emulated that of a street vendor ...
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Assad forces launch assault on strategic rebel-held border town
20 May 2013 Syrian troops have launched an assault on a strategic rebel-held town near the Lebanese border, killing at least 30 people and forcing residents to scramble for cover, activists ...
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Kurdish Women Fighters Battle In Syria
My eyes adjust to the dark as my nose adjusts to the fragrant feminine smell of shampoo and conditioner inside the room. It is a revelation. I had heard of these fighters but I didn't expect to meet them so easily. A band of sisters. The most extraordinary latest development in this awful war. They are Kurds. A women's brigade tasked with defending their own people. They are ...
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‘Band-Aid on A Bullet Wound’ Jordan ‘Campus Violence’ Plan
reportedly proposed a plan to "stomp out" violence in university campus. The plan consists of the following steps in the SHORT TERM: 1) "...making changes to the admission system and criterion that universities in Jordan currently use, saying that the high percentage of students enrolling in higher education courses in their governorates may have led to the increase of ...
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Obama Putin discuss Syria agree to meet in Russia
U.S. President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Monday discussed the protracted conflict in Syria and agreed to have a summit in Russia in September. In a phone conversation, the two leaders discussed the situation in Syria, where the conflict has entered its third year and killed more than 70,000 people, the White House said in a statement. Obama underscored his ...
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UN chief voices complete confidence in chemical weapons investigation in Syria
UNITED NATIONS, April 29 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-general Ban Ki-moon on Monday voiced his "complete confidence" in the UN fact- finding mission on the alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria, while urging the Syrian authorities to allow the investigation to proceed "without delay and without any conditions." "This is a crucial moment in our efforts to get the team on ...
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Ajloun Castle in Jordan
Tourists visit the Ajloun Castle, some 73 km north of the capital Amman of Jordan on May 19, 2013. Ajloun Castle, better known as Qal'at Ar-Rabad, was built by one of Saladin's generals in 1184 AD to control the iron mines of Ajloun, and to deter the Franks from invading the ...
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Scenery of Israels el-Wad Cave
Sites of human evolution at Mount Carmel, including the caves of Tabun, Jamal, el-Wad and Skhul, were recognized as World Heritage Site by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in ...
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Arab League organises emergency Syria meeting
The flag of the Syrian opposition is shown at the seat of the delegation representing Syria at the Arab League summit in Doha in March. Image courtesy of The Daily ...
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More Israeli attacks inside Syria possible Israel
/enpproperty--> Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held out the prospect on Sunday of further Israeli strikes inside Syria, pledging action to prevent advanced weapons from reaching Hezbollah and other militant groups. Although Israel has not publicly taken sides in the civil war between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and rebels trying to topple him, Western and Israeli sources say ...
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Sectarian clashes in Tripoli northern Lebanon kill two injure six
A Sunni Muslim gunman sits with his child on Syria Street during fighting in the Bab al-Tebbaneh neighbourhood of the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli. AFP Photo/Getty ...
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Policemen Killed in Iraq Attacks - Report
MOSCOW, May 20 (RIA Novosti) - At least three policemen have been killed as gunmen launched an attack on their station in the north of Iraq, media quoted local officials as saying. Two police officers were also wounded in the town of Rawa about 260 kilometers (160 miles) northwest of the capital Baghdad, the BBC reported late Sunday. According to reports cited by the British broadcaster, ...
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Israel favors interim deal with Palestinians
JERUSALEM -- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's senior coalition partner says that reaching a final peace agreement with the Palestinians is unrealistic at the current time and the sides should instead pursue an interim ...
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Egypt’s NGO Funding Crackdown
Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are essential to democracy and a key way for people of all political views to band together to influence public debate. But once more, the Egyptian government is threatening to restrict NGOs that receive foreign funds. Exercised about criticism from some of these groups, the ruling party is pushing a bill that would empower the government to decide which ...
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Intertwined fates The Lebanon-Syria-Iran axis
The instability rocking Syria has caused three critical security arenas - Lebanon, Syria and Iran - to become more closely intertwined than ever before.As has been widely reported, Hezbollah, acting on Iranian orders, has mobilized a significant portion of its fighting force to Syria to help secure a turnaround for the regime of President Bashar ...
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Assad Hezbollah forces advance into Qusair
Hezbollah fighters have reportedly advanced into the main square of besieged Qusair, with fierce battles continuing overnight Monday for control of the strategic city near the Lebanese border. At least 40 people were killed, activist organizations said, in battles that saw forces loyal to ...
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Gunmen abduct father of Syria deputy FM official
Faisal Mekdad Saturday, apparently in reprisal for the arrest of one of their relatives, according to a government source and an activist. "Today armed men abducted Mr. Mekdad’s father from his home in the village of Ghossom," in the southern province of Deraa, the government source said on condition of anonymity. "They beat him up in front of his family then took him ...
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Riyadh strives to avoid Afghan-style blowback from conflict
RIYADH: Chastened by the experience of Afghanistan, where hundreds of Saudis fought before returning to sow terror at home, the kingdom is battling to avoid similar blowback from the conflict in Syria, analysts say.In recent months, Saudi officials have issued increasingly stern warnings against volunteers from the conservative Sunni Muslim kingdom heading off to fight alongside the mainly Sunni ...
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Salafist protester killed in clashes with Tunisia security forces
Radical Islamist movement Ansar al-Shariah supporters clash with Tunisian police officers after Tunisia's Interior Ministry on Friday banned their annual conference supposed to be held in Kairouan, in Ettadhamen, near Tunis, Sunday May 19, 2013. Around 11,000 police officers and soldiers blocked an annual conference Sunday at Tunisia's main religious center by a radical Islamist ...
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Oxfam warns of health risks to Syria refugees
Aid organisation Oxfam warned on Monday that the warmer weather will increase health-related risks for hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon, and appealed for urgent ...
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Lebanon wins World Bank $30 million soft loan
The World Bank has approved a $30 million soft loan aimed at supporting a government initiative to improve access to basic services in impoverishedparts of the country."The Social Protection and Promotion Project approved by the World Bank Board of Directors will expand the coverage of Lebanon's National Poverty Targeting Program from 93,900 to 160,700 people over the next five ...
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Qatars spending returns home
While the funds bought the Gulf emirate the regional leadership role long held by Saudi Arabia and Egypt, it's also turned it into the lightning rod for rebellion against new governments. In recent weeks, protesters burned Qatari flags in countries whose revolts it helped fund. A Qatari plan to invest in some French suburbs last year spurred lawmaker Lionel Luca to seek an investigation ...
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Syria may be Obamas real headache
A trifecta of domestic headaches confronts President Obama these days. They’ve shaken his self-confidence, thrown his second-term agenda off track, and given Republicans seemingly endless opportunities to hammer him.And yet a fourth headache looms not at home; but abroad, a migraine really, potentially more painful than the ...
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USD16b to be invested in Irans South Pars field
(MENAFN) Pars Oil and Gas Company Managing Director Mohammad-Reza Zohairi said that USD16 billion will be invested in Iran's South Pars gas field during this Iranian calendar year, which started on March 21st, reported Tehran Times.He also said that a major part of this investment will come from domestic sources.The South Pars field is producing 300 million cubic meters of gas per ...
Israel Focus
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Biggest construction project in Israeli history
The Port of Ashdod is the gateway to the economy of Israel, it has played a central role in the development of the state and will play a central role in future development, hence the reason for an ambitious $500 million expansion project currently underway in two stages (in the picture, green represents stage 1 and brown stage 2).
The Port of Ashdod is currently undergoing the largest construction project ever undertaken in the history of Israel. In 1999, Israel news media reported that the government wanted to double the cargo capacity of Ashdod, an ambitious construction project was therefore envisioned, involving the building of new piers, new docks, warehouses and cargo handling equipment. It was to take place in two stages, with the total project costing around $500 million. Read more
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