Blinken visits the Middle East
Cairo – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was heading back to the Middle East on Monday to push a ceasefire plan, but Israeli politics and silence from Hamas raised further questions on whether he can succeed. The top US…
US in Gaza ceasefire push with UN vote, Middle East tour
– The United States stepped up pressure Monday for a Gaza ceasefire with a call for a UN Security Council vote on a truce as it redeployed Washington’s top diplomat to the region scarred by eight months of war. Secretary…
Israel bombs Gaza as mediators discuss truce-hostage plan
Bureij – Israel’s military pounded central Gaza with heavy air strikes on Wednesday as international talks to secure a truce and hostage release deal resumed. Tensions were high in annexed east Jerusalem as thousands of police guarded Israel’s annual “flag…
Israel strikes Palestinians in Rafah after top UN court orders it to halt offensive
Rafah – Israel bombed the Gaza Strip, including Rafah, on Saturday, a day after the top UN court ordered it to halt military operations in the southern city as efforts get underway in Paris to seek a ceasefire in the…
Saudia Group in ‘landmark’ deal for 105 Airbus planes
Riyadh – Saudi Arabia’s Saudia Group will buy 105 Airbus planes, the company said on Monday, hailing it as the biggest aircraft deal in the country’s history. Saudia airline will receive 54 A321neo aircraft, while budget offshoot flyadeal will acquire…
Israel’s Rafah attack set Hamas talks ‘backward’: mediator Qatar
Doha – Israel’s military operation in Rafah has set truce negotiations with Hamas “backward”, mediator Qatar said on Tuesday, adding that talks have reached “almost a stalemate”. “Especially in the past few weeks, we have seen some momentum building but…
Israel attacks Gaza after truce talks end
– Israel launched fresh strikes in the Gaza Strip Friday after negotiators pursuing a long-stalled truce agreement left talks in Cairo without having secured a deal. AFP journalists in the Gaza Strip early Friday witnessed artillery strikes on Rafah on…
Israel launches fresh Gaza strikes as negotiators work towards truce
Rafah – Israel struck targets in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday after seizing the main border crossing with Egypt, where negotiators were working to make good on their “last chance” to cement a ceasefire deal. After weeks of vowing to…
Israel orders evacuation from Rafah area in south Gaza
Rafah – Israel’s military on Monday called for the evacuation of Palestinians from eastern Rafah, ahead of a long-threatened ground invasion of the southern Gaza city, the prospect of which has triggered widespread global alarm. The evacuation announcement followed intensified…
Baghdad, Qatar’s UrbaCon discuss setting up 2,100 megawatt power plant
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Iraqi Minister of Electricity, Ziyad Ali Fadel, announced on Sunday that the government is studying setting up a 2,100 megawatt power plant in Baiji in the northern governorate of Salah Al-Din. The Iraqi Electricity Ministry mentioned…