Ramallah – Hamas is launching one of its largest campaigns against extremist movements in the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian party has arrested in the past few weeks around 350 members of extremist movements, while it was still chasing others in an attempt to stop their expansion in the Strip. In
In the past few days Russian media have been full of reports and speculations regarding “the imminent end “of the campaign that President Vladimir Putin has led against insurgents in Aleppo, Syria’s second largest city. The Kremlin controlled Sputnik agency claims that Russia and the remnants of Syr
Iran called in the British ambassador on Saturday protesting against recent remarks by Prime Minister Theresa May who accused Tehran of “aggressive regional actions” in a speech to a Gulf Arab summit. Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi said the move was prompted by May’s R
OPEC and non-OPEC oil producers on Saturday struck their first deal in a little over a decade to cut back oil output jointly and ease a global glut. With the deal finally signed after almost a year of arguing within the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and mistrust in the willingnes
Turkey’s ruling AK Party on Saturday submitted to parliament a package of constitutional reform proposals that would expand the president’s powers, party officials said, in a move that could potentially see President Tayyip Erdogan rule until 2029. Erdogan and his supporters have long ar
The European Union has banned Iran’s Aseman Airlines from operating within the EU due to safety concerns, according to a statement issued Thursday. This decision was taken after the European Commission updated the EU Air Safety List, the list of airlines that do not meet international safety s
A report by Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren has revealed that Russia’s sports ministry is directly involved in the ‘institutionalized doping’ that took place between 2011 and 2015; a scandal that includes more than 1000 athletes and about 30 sports including football. McLaren, who has previously acc
Washington- The U.S.-led coalition has killed 50,000 ISIS militants in the last two years in Iraq and Syria, marking a milestone in the long terror fight, a senior U.S. military official said, according to AFP. The official made the remarks for the first time and called the figures a conservative es
Kabul- U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter made on Friday an unannounced visit to Afghanistan to consult with military commanders and deliver a preholiday pep talk to U.S. troops, and he met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. The United States will “remain committed” to Afghanistan, Carter said on Fr
Seoul- South Korean lawmakers voted on Friday to impeach President Park Geun-hye over political corruption, setting the stage for her to become the country’s first elected leader to be expelled from office. Park, 64, is accused of colluding with a friend and a former aide, both of whom have be
Khobar- December would be the last month the oil market would be upholding OPEC production rates entry given by the organization’s General Secretariat. As of January 2017, the multinational organization’s oil production will be traced down by secondary sources. The OPEC agreement stipulates that mem
Paris-Paris announced on Friday it will host the countries backing Syria’s moderate opposition forces. French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault is set to host the meeting that will include his counterparts from the United States, John Kerry; Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier; United Kingdom,
Beirut- Regime air forces in Syria renewed aerial bombardment of rebel-held Aleppo eastern neighborhoods on Friday. All eyes have turned to the Turkish-led Operation Euphrates Shield making advances on al-Bab grounds, an ISIS controlled city in northern Syria. Rupert Colville, spokesman for the U.N.
Cairo-Six police officers were killed Friday morning in an explosion believed to the be result of an IED stationed next to two security roadblocks in al-Haram street west Cairo, a main road leading to Egypt’s famed Giza pyramids, according to paramedical and security sources in Egypt. A recently eme
It has proved quite difficult to make sense of the policies and standards the West implements in the Middle East, particularly in the matters concerning counterterrorism efforts— the West represents a group of influential countries and institutions like the United Nations. Most of the confusion stir
The United Stated will send as many as 200 additional American troops to Syria to help Kurdish and Arab fighters capture the ISIS group’s key stronghold of Raqqa, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Saturday. The extra troops will include special operations forces and are in addition to 300
Kuwait-For the second consecutive day, Kuwait has continued to celebrate the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosque’s visit. With the p[resence of Amir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah and Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah held a luncheon
Washington- U.S. State Department deputy spokesperson Mark Toner has lauded Saudi-U.S. relations on military sales. “On December 7th the Administration did formally notify Congress on the sale of helicopters to Saudi Arabia at a value of 3.5 billion dollars,” Toner said on Friday in response to a qu
Tripoli- As ISIS’ last defenses crumbled this week in their Libyan bastion Sirte, dozens of women and children used as human shields stumbled dazed and dust-caked from the rubble. Fighters from the armed groups that defeated the jihadists feted the end of a punishing six-month battle by flying Libya
King Salman has long been recognized as the one holding the reins of Gulf files within the Saudi government before allegiance was pledged for him as a king. He knows the countries, the ruling families, governments, people, history, issues, and common and bilateral relations. Though the relations bet
