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Monday, March 02 2015
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News from the Middle East
Israel conducts 'surprise' military drills in West Bank
Israeli occupation forces called up thousands of soldiers in a "surprise" training drill in the occupied West Bank, news reports said yesterday.
For second day, Gaza turns out in support of Hamas
EXCLUSIVE IMAGES
Thousands of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip took to the streets for the second day in support of Hamas, refusing Egypt's labelling of the group as a terrorist organisation.
Dahlan's corruption trial adjourned
The Palestinian corruption crimes tribunal yesterday postponed judgment in the corruption case against the former leader of the Fatah movement in the Gaza Strip Mohammed Dahlan pending a decision from the Palestinian Supreme Court about lifting Dahlan's parliamentary immunity.
Houthi delegation on official visit to Iran
A delegation from the Houthi group went to Tehran, Iran, yesterday on "an official visit which will last several days", the group' official news agency said.
US university seeks to open branch in Nazareth, faces obstacles
Texas A&M University's plan to open a branch in Nazareth has been hampered by its inability to find a suitable investor.
US, UK missions in Yemen to resume work from Aden: Sources
The US and UK embassies in Yemen are set to resume operations within days, but from the southern city of Aden, diplomatic sources said Sunday.
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News from Africa
Libya's Tobruk-backed army slams UK diplomat
The command of the Tobruk-backed army on Saturday denounced remarks made earlier by a British diplomat before the United Nations Security Council on Libya.
Arab revolutions faced by 'stagnant global capitalism'
Arab thinker Samir Amin said on Friday that the Arab revolutions are faced by a "stagnant global capitalism" that opposes the emergence of new democracies and the peaceful transfer of authority in nation states. "This capitalism deviated the track of the revolutions in a number o...
Egypt sentences four Brotherhood members to death for HQ violence
An Egyptian court on Saturday sentenced four Muslim Brotherhood members to death - two in absentia - over charges of killing demonstrators outside the group's headquarters in 2013, a judicial source has said.
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News from Europe and Russia
Erdogan welcomes 'call on terror group to disarm'
A call towards disarmament of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or the PKK, marks the realization of a key expectation of the Turkish government but what matters is implementation, said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday.
Turkey condemns ISIS kidnapping of Christians in Syria
Turkey harshly condemned Saturday Daesh attacks on predominantly Assyrian Christian villages in the northeast Syrian province of Hasakah, where the group is thought to have kidnapped dozens civilians.
Belgium to send 35 soldiers to Iraq
Belgium is to send 35 soldiers to Iraq to help train the Iraqi army in the fight against ISIS, AFP reported on Friday. The troops are expected to leave today on a six-month tour of duty in a "secure location", a government statement revealed.
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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
Saudis have concerns about Egyptian foreign policies
As Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi concluded his first official visit to Saudi Arabia since King Salman Abd Al-Aziz came to the throne, arguments about the results of the visit continued. Some commentators have focused on the fact that it only lasted a few hours and newspa...
ISIS recruitment in Kosovo
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Kosovo is the youngest republic in Europe, proclaiming itself to be independent of Serbia in 2008. Today it seems to have become fertile recruiting ground for ISIS. During 2014, dozens of people were arrested for suspected terrorist activity and more than 300 left for the M...
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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.
