middle-east - INTERNATIONAL AGENCY FOR JOURNALISM AND STRATEGIC STUDIES

Turkey, US begin negotiations on Patriot missile sale

Ankara and Washington began negotiating Turkey’s purchase of Patriot missile defense systems from the US, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Friday, Anadolu Agency reports. ...

Benjamin Netanyahu: Israel PM faces corruption charges

Israel's attorney general intends to indict Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on corruption charges. ...

President Trump said the Islamic State’s caliphate is over. That was news to troops on the ground.

President Trump’s surprise announcement Thursday that “we just took over” the last Islamic State-controlled territory in Syria came as news to U.S.-backed forces leading the fight on the ground, spokesmen said. ...

Egypt transport minister resigns after train crash kills 25

  Egypt’s transport minister resigned on Wednesday after a deadly train crash in Cairo killed at least 25, and left 50 injured. The prime minister Mostafa Madbouly accepted Hisham Arafat’s resignation, a cabinet satement the statement said. Madbouly who visited the scene of the crash announced that the incident would be investigated and anyone found responsible held to account. ...

Egypt activists condemn executions as illegal

Egyptian human rights activists have condemned the recent executions of 12 political prisoners as a violation of the judiciary’s own procedural laws. ...

'Global indifference' contributing to Middle East crackdowns, Amnesty says

"global indifference" to human rights abuses in the Middle East is fueling repression across the region, Amnesty International announced Tuesday. ...

Egypt, Tunisia agree to strengthen counterterrorism cooperation

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and his Tunisian counterpart Beji Caid Essebsi yesterday agreed on “mutual coordination in the face of terrorism.” The two leaders’ remarks came during their meeting in Egypt’s eastern Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh, hours before the start of the first-ever Arab League-European Union (EU) summit. ...

Kushner says Middle East peace plan focuses on "drawing the borders"

In a rare interview, Jared Kushner, who leads the White House "peace team," told Sky News Arabia that the upcoming U.S. peace plan will focus on "drawing the borders" between Israel and the Palestinians and solving the core issues in the conflict. ...

Erdogan: Will not meet Sisi until inmates are released

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he will never meet Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi unless the latter releases prisoners. ...

Egypt denounces UN over executions criticism

Egypt’s foreign ministry on Sunday condemned the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) for criticising trials that led to the execution of nine people last week. ...

Egypt seeks death sentence for two monks over bishop’s murder

An Egyptian court on Saturday recommended the death penalty for two monks after they were convicted of murdering a bishop at a monastery last year, reported Reuters. ...

Gen Bajwa reshaping relations with Middle East

A leading Middle Eastern publication has said that Pakistan's relationship with the UAE and Saudi Arabia is being reshaped by its army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa. ...

UN warns Egypt about executions

The UN human rights arm Friday raised concerns about the recent executions of 15 people in Egypt earlier this month, Anadolu Agency reports. ...

Algerians protest president’s bid for 5th term

Algerians on Friday staged demonstrations in several cities, including capital Algiers, to protest President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s planned bid for a fifth term in office. ...

Islamic State: Thousands of foreign children in Syrian camps

Thousands of children from around the world remain trapped in Syria facing an uncertain and dangerous future, a charity has warned. ...

US-backed SDF hand Daesh foreign fighters to Iraq

The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) handed over more than 150 Iraqi and other foreign Daesh fighters to Iraq earlier this morning, as controversy as to the fate of foreign fighters rages on. ...

Egypt executes 9 political prisoners despite international outcry

Egypt has executed nine young men convicted over the 2015 killing of the country’s top prosecutor, a prison source and a lawyer confirmed this morning, despite international condemnation from rights groups over the death sentences, with concerns over due process violations. ...