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Saturday, February 28 2015
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February Guest Writer
News from the Middle East
UAE signs military deals for $5 billion during IDEX 2015
The UAE Armed Forces signed military deals worth 18.328 billion dirhams ($5 billion) during the five-day International Defence Exhibition (IDEX) held in the capital Abu Dhabi this week, said the exhibition's spokesperson.
OIC: Washington is an unreliable mediator in the Middle East settlement process
The Secretary General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Iyad Madani, has said that the United States has so far failed to be an effective mediator in the Israeli-Palestinian settlement process.
PA rejects draft resolution to extend its control of the Gaza Strip
Western diplomatic sources revealed that last September the Palestinian Authority (PA) rejected a US-European draft resolution at the UN Security Council that would have extended its authority to the Gaza Strip and stipulated the immediate start of reconstruction.
Assad regime executes four Palestinian refugees in Homs
The Syrian regime is reported to have executed four Palestinian refugees on Wednesday from the Al-Aideen refugee camp in Homs.
PA holds Israel responsible for torching of mosque and church
The Palestinian presidency held the Israeli government responsible for settler attacks against Islamic and Christian places of worship in the West Bank and Jerusalem.
UNHCR: Syrian war unleashed worst humanitarian crisis of our time
The war in Syria has unleashed the "worst humanitarian crisis of our time", posed a terrible threat to regional and global peace and security, and risks an explosion that could engulf the entire Middle East, a senior UN official warned yesterday.
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News from Africa
Ghannouchi: Only when Palestine is liberated will Muslims be free
Tunisia's Islamic scholar and head of the Ennahda movement Rashid Al-Ghannouchi applauded the steadfastness of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.
Over 25,000 Egyptians returned from Libya this week
Over 25,000 Egyptians returned from neighbouring Libya over the past week, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said on Friday.
South African student body wants plight of Palestinians taught in schools
A body representing South African students yesterday called on the Ministry of Basic Education to include the Palestinian struggle against the Israeli occupation in the school curriculum as an example of the "anti-colonial struggle", the Anadolu Agency reported.
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News from Europe and Russia
Italy votes to support a Palestinian state and resumption of talks
Italian MPs have backed a non-binding resolution to encourage the government to recognise Palestine as a state, Anadolu reported today. In a separate resolution, the parliamentarians called for the resumption of peace talks with Israel.
EU missions denounce Jewish settler attacks on mosque and church
The European Union's diplomatic missions in Jerusalem and Ramallah have denounced recent attacks by extremist Jewish settlers on Muslim and Christian religious sites in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, it has been reported by Anadolu.
SOAS votes for academic boycott of Israel
SOAS students and staff have endorsed an academic boycott of Israel, after the results of a week-long referendum were released Friday evening.
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News from Asia, the Americas, & International Organisations
PLO, PA to appeal against US court that sued Palestinians
A senior member of Fatah's Central Committee, Nabil Shaath, said on Wednesday that the PLO and the Palestinian Authority (PA) are going to appeal against the US jury that ordered them to pay $218.5m for Israeli-Americans hurt or killed in Palestinian attacks in Israel between 200...
UNSC backs Hadi as Yemeni president
The UN Security Council has given unanimous backing to Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi as "the legitimate president of Yemen" and reaffirmed its strong commitment to the country's unity, AP reported yesterday.
Kerry, Abbas discuss Israeli withholding of Palestinian tax revenues
US Secretary of State John Kerry and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas discussed on Wednesday in a telephone conversation Israel's withholding of Palestinian tax revenues, a senior Palestinian official said.
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Latest In-Depth Articles
Egyptian panorama
Al-Sisi's government is living in a chaotic state closer to insanity after the recent leaks which revealed his hatred and exploitation of the Gulf states and its strike on the city of Darnah in Libya in response to the killing of 21 Copts in the city of Sirte.
Sinan Antoon: The haunting poetry of death
"What does it mean when a society disintegrates? What do people do? How do they make sense of a world in which the human dimension is missing completely?"
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MEMO Commentary & Analysis
A perfect gift for Egypt's failing regime
The callous murder of 21 Copts in Libya over the weekend was a welcome gift to the military-led regime in Egypt. Like the senseless killings in Paris, it offered an opportunity for the government in Cairo to present itself as a deserving and credible partner in the great "war on ...
DEBATE by Ben White
NGOs slam 'disarmament for development' as Gaza lies in ruins
Leading NGOs have heavily criticised attempts to link the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip with its demilitarisation, ahead of a debate about the issue in Westminster today.
INQUIRY by Asa Winstanley
Spy Cables show America's hypocrisy on Hamas
The publication by Al Jazeera and The Guardian this week of a cache of cables leaked from the files of the South African intelligence services has been enlightening.
