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by Peter Murphy & Geza Molnar Agence France-Presse BUDAPEST, Hungary – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday denounced the European Union’s political demands on Israel as “absolutely crazy,” in remarks leaked from a closed-door meeting with eastern and central European leaders in Budapest. “The (EU) is the only association of countries in the world that conditions the relations with Israel… in every area on political conditions,” he said in a recording heard by AFP. […]
by Rouba El-Husseini Agence France-Presse RAQA, Syria – Heavy bombardment and fierce fighting shook the Islamic State group’s Syrian stronghold Raqa on Monday, as United States-backed forces said they captured a new neighborhood from entrenched jihadists. Bursts of gunfire and artillery as well as the thud of air strikes conducted by the US-led coalition filled the air in western neighborhoods of Raqa, on what AFP’s correspondent said was the heaviest day of bombardment to date. […]
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) — An agreement between Qatar and the United States on combating terror funding is “insufficient,” the four Arab states that imposed sanctions on the emirate said in a joint statement Tuesday. The memorandum of understanding announced in Doha during a visit by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is “the result of pressure and repeated calls over the past years by the four states and their partners upon Qatar to stop supporting terrorism,” said […]
by Tony Gamal-Gabriel with W.G. Dunlop in Baghdad Agence France-Presse MOSUL, Iraq – Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory over “brutality and terrorism” in Mosul on Monday, announcing his forces had ended the Islamic State group’s rule over the country’s second city. Standing with members of the security forces, Abadi hailed the retaking of Mosul — where Islamic State dealt Iraqi troops a devastating defeat three years ago — as a key moment in […]
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AFP) — United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan made his first public appearance Sunday since suffering a stroke more than three years ago, to mark the Eid al-Fitr Muslim holiday. The official WAM news agency published pictures showing Sheikh Khalifa meeting a number of prominent officials and rulers of the other six emirates that with Abu Dhabi form the UAE. The guests came to his Abu Dhabi […]
by Ian Timberlake Agence France-Presse RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Saudi Arabia’s King Salman ousted his nephew as crown prince on Wednesday and installed his son Mohammed bin Salman, capping a meteoric rise for the 31-year-old that puts him one step from the throne. The young prince already wielded huge power before he became heir, spearheading a sweeping economic and social reform programme for the ultraconservative kingdom. His rise comes at a crucial time for Saudi Arabia […]
by Delil Souleiman Agence France-Presse RAQA, Syria (AFP) – Khalil al-Hussein fled the Islamic State group’s Syrian stronghold Raqa 18 months ago, but now he is back and fighting to help oust the jihadists from his hometown. The 25-year-old is one of several members of a Kurdish-Arab alliance fighting IS who are originally from the northern city. The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces began an operation to capture Raqa last year, and finally entered the city […]
by Sara Hussein Agence France-Presse BEIRUT, Lebanon – The battle to oust the Islamic State group from its stronghold of Raqa is creating daunting challenges for aid groups responding to the latest humanitarian crisis in the Syrian conflict. Tens of thousands of civilians have fled Raqa and its surroundings since the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) began its operation to capture the jihadist stronghold last year. But new waves of displacement are expected as the […]
by Ali Noorani and Eric Randolph Agence France-Presse TEHRAN, Iran – Gunmen and suicide bombers stormed Iran’s parliament and the shrine of its revolutionary leader on Wednesday, killing 12 people in the first attacks in the country claimed by the Islamic State group. Dozens were injured in the attacks, which targeted two of Iran’s most potent symbols: its parliament complex in central Tehran and the mausoleum of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini who led the 1979 […]
by Ian Timberlake with David Harding in Doha Agence France Presse United States President Donald Trump threw his weight behind efforts to isolate Qatar on Tuesday, backing Saudi Arabia and its allies after they cut ties with Doha over claims it supports extremism. In a surprise move against a key US ally, Trump suggested Qatar — home to the largest American airbase in the Middle East — was funding extremism as he tacitly backed the diplomatic […]
by Ian Timberlake with David Harding in Doha Agence France-Presse RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Saudi Arabia and several of its allies on Monday cut relations with Qatar, accusing it of supporting extremism, in the biggest diplomatic crisis to have hit the region in years. Bahrain, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen and the Maldives also severed ties with gas-rich Qatar, which Riyadh accused of supporting groups, including some backed by Iran, “that aim to destabilize […]
by Jerome Cartillier with Sarah Benhaida in Bethlehem Agence France-Presse JERUSALEM, Undefined – US President Donald Trump called on Israelis and Palestinians to make compromises for peace Tuesday as he wrapped up a closely watched visit, but offered no specifics on how he would resolve the decades-old conflict. In a speech toward the end of his visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories, Trump offered a forceful defence of the Jewish state and pledged to […]
