Tag: Middle East

Jim Jones, former Obama national security adviser, called sanctions on Iran “effective” and said he would like to see more countries sanction Iran.

CAIRO (AP) – Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox Church says a bishop has been found dead inside a monastery in the desert northwest of Cairo.

Palestinians have been warned they risk a fine and/or jail time if they take the globalized “Kiki challenge,” making them the latest citizens in the Middle East to be threatened by authorities for trying what has been – until now – a purely “western” phenomenon.

The British government has admitted that no Christians were taken among the Syrian refugees flown into Britain recently, with the Home Office rejected the handful of non-Muslims selected for resettlement by the United Nations.

Renewed water protests continued in Iran on Sunday ahead of United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s speech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, on Sunday, with calls for authorities to address the water issues and chants to replace the current government.

China’s communist leader Xi Jinping begins a whirlwind tour of Africa and the Middle East Thursday, hoping to expand the nation’s One Belt, One Road (OBOR) project throughout the continent and solidify trade deals with the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The Central Bank of Venezuela has begun refining gold in Turkey in a bid to escape the pressure of international economic sanctions against the Maduro regime, the country’s mining minister announced on Wednesday.

On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump will hold a globally-anticipated one-on-one meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Contents: Tensions grow between Armenia and Azerbaijan in Nakhchivan enclave; Concerns grow that Azerbaijan plans Armenia invasion from Nakhchivan enclave

At a meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum in Beijing on Tuesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping offered $23 billion in loans and financial aid to Arab states and said China will pursue free trade deals with all 22 members of the Arab League.

ROME — There is a danger that the Christian presence in the Middle East will disappear, “disfiguring the very face of the region,” Pope Francis said Saturday.

On the heels of President Donald Trump’s diplomatic breakthrough with North Korea, Vladimir Putin has decided to test the U.S. leader.

“The Middle East today is a crossroads of difficult, painful situations,” Pope Francis said Friday, while suggesting that some would like to see the Christian presence eliminated.

President Donald Trump’s Middle East mediators, senior advisor Jared Kushner and chief negotiator Jason Greenblatt, are due in the Middle East this week to discuss aspects of their proposal for peace between Israel and the Palestinians with regional leaders.

Whereas Netanyahu presented Trump with clearly articulated plans for achieving Trump’s own goals, Trudeau chose to ignore trade, hoping Trump would just go away.

Contents: Jordan’s government in chaos as PM resigns in face of anti-government protests; Fears grow that Jordan will be the next victim of the ‘Arab Spring’

Contents: Stage is set for a new humanitarian catastrophe in Syria’s Idlib province; Turkey warns Syria’s Bashar al-Assad not to attack Idlib province

Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX), Dean Heller (R-NV), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Mike Lee (R-UT) made the trip, along with ten Republican U.S. Representatives — but not one Democrat joined the U.S. delegation for the embassy event.

A series of new protests could occur throughout Iran if millions of citizens feel empowered by President Donald Trump’s decision to reimpose sanctions on Iran’s Central Bank and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday, effectively withdrawing the United States from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), or Iran nuclear deal.

The future of Christianity overseas looks “bleak” if U.S.-based Christians continue to ignore the persecution of their spiritual brothers and sisters in places like the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, Frank Gaffney, the president of the Center for Security Policy think tank, suggested on Thursday.

Trump strengthened America’s real options for preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. He restored the balance of powers in America’s constitutional order. And he restored U.S. credibility internationally with America’s friends and foes alike.

Iran on Tuesday demanded that the world cooperate more closely with the country with regard to intelligence sharing related to cybercrime.

Contents: Armenia’s protesters continue protesting after forcing resignation of prime minister; Fears grow that Armenia’s instability will spill over into Russia; Armenian political chaos follows the path of America in the 1960s

Presidents Donald Trump of the U.S. and Emmanuel Macron of France didn’t deny continued differences on the Iran nuclear deal during a joint press conference at the White House on Tuesday, but they expressed hopes for renegotiating or adding to the Iran JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action).

During a ceremony held to celebrate National Army Day in Iran on Wednesday, Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani said the Islamic Republic will “produce or procure any weapons” that it needs to defend itself.

Susan Rice, former National Security Adviser to President Barack Obama, said she approved of President Donald Trump’s decision to inflict a military strike on Syria after a chemical weapons attack on civilians.

A Turkish court ordered the continued detention of American Pastor Andrew Brunson on Monday, deeming him a flight risk and placing him in what advocates call an “extremely grim” prison on charges of having used his Christian sermons to promote Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen.

Contents: Israel’s top court orders 207 African migrants to be released from jail; Uganda first agrees to accept Israel’s African migrants, then backs down

Iran is reportedly responsible for more than half of all recorded executions in the world and ranks second after China.

Syria’s Ministry of Expatriates and Foreign Affairs vehemently protested targeted airstrikes against Assad regime scientific research centers in Damascus early Saturday morning local time in response to alleged chemical attacks by the regime, blaming them on “western arrogance and hegemony.”

“These are not the actions of a man. They are crimes of a monster instead,” Trump said, condemning Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad for using chemical weapons against his people.

The leader of an Istanbul taxi union claimed on Thursday that the ride-sharing service Uber is “officially a terrorist group” whose customers are “traitors” to Turkey.

Saudi Arabia and its United Arab Emirates ally are reportedly planning to turn the region along the border they share with Qatar into a nuclear waste dump, further deepening the rift between the countries.

President Donald Trump condemned the reported chemical weapons attack in Syria, promising an administration response in the next 24-48 hours.

A Saudi media outlet revealed this week that a lieutenant in Qatar’s military commando force reportedly expressed congratulations and pride for an Islamic State fighter from Saudi Arabia over social media.