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☆ U.S. defense secretary aims to reassure Mideast allies, deliver tough message
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Idrees Ali | Thomson Reuters | National Security Correspondent Focusing On The Pentagon In Washington D.C. Reports On U.S. Military Activity | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The United States has about 30,000 troops in the region and is seen as pivotal in helping counter Iranian influence. Austin is poised to send a clear message on the need for Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to respect human rights, underscoring Washington's concern on the issue. "I fully expect him to bring up human rights, respect for fundamental freedoms," the U.S. defense official said. The United States has withheld small amounts of military aid to Cairo, citing a failure to meet human rights conditions. The United States has committed more than $32 billion in weapons to Ukraine including sophisticated air defense systems and tanks.

☆ Uber's Mideast business Careem to cease operations in Qatar
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Reuters Staff | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

FILE PHOTO: A customer uses Careem application with his smartphone in Mosul, Iraq September 25, 2019. REUTERS/Abdullah RashidDOHA (Reuters) - Uber’s Middle Eastern business Careem will cease operations in Qatar on Tuesday, the company announced in a message sent to customers in the Gulf Arab state on Monday. “Unfortunately, Careem’s ride hailing operations will no longer operate in Qatar as of February 28, 2023,” said the message, which also informed customers holding Careem credit that the company would issue a full refund by March 15. Careem was bought by Uber Technologies Inc in 2019 for $3.1 billion, giving the U.S. firm market dominance across the Middle East and Pakistan. Uber’s smart phone application offers ride-hailing services in Qatar and continued to operate normally late Monday.

☆ Jimmy Carter, the 39th U.S. president, is in hospice care
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Former President Jimmy Carter speaks to the congregation at Maranatha Baptist Church before teaching Sunday school in his hometown of Plains, Georgia on April 28, 2019. Former President Jimmy Carter, who at 98 years old is the longest-lived American president, has entered home hospice care in Plains, Georgia, a statement from The Carter Center confirmed Saturday. Jason Carter, the couple's grandson who now chairs The Carter Center governing board, said Saturday in a tweet that he "saw both of my grandparents yesterday. That's a staggering drop from when The Carter Center began leading the global eradication effort in 1986, when the parasitic disease infected 3.5 million people. I would not deserve to be your president," Carter said often as he campaigned.

☆ Blinken discusses Mideast tensions with Egypt's Sisi on first leg of tour
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry (not pictured) in Cairo, Egypt January 30, 2023. After arriving in Cairo on Sunday, Blinken met four activists to discuss the human rights situation in Egypt, said Hossam Bahgat, one of those who took part in the meeting. U.S. President Joe Biden's administration has withheld some military aid, citing a failure to meet human rights conditions, though advocacy groups have pushed for more to be held back. "He was already well aware of the magnitude of Egypt's human rights crisis and that many more new political prisoners are detained than those the regime claims to be pardoning," Bahgat told Reuters after meeting Blinken. "I think the Biden administration now accepts that two years of engaging Sisi on human rights have not led to much improvement."

At the same time, it opposes Western sanctions on Russia and has close ties with both Moscow and Kyiv, its Black Sea neighbors. But Ankara has pledged that international sanctions will not be circumvented in Turkey. Washington is also concerned about evasion of U.S. sanctions on Iran. While in the United Arab Emirates, Nelson will note the "poor sanctions compliance" in the country, the spokesperson said. Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis and Humeyra Pamuk Editing by Don Durfee and Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Palestinians say Israeli troops kill 9 in West Bank raid
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

The Israeli military said forces were operating in the area but did not immediately provide any other details. Palestinian Health Minister May Al-Kaila said paramedics were struggling to reach the wounded amid the fighting. Thursday’s violence brings the number of Palestinians killed this year to 29. Nearly 150 Palestinians were killed last year, making 2022 the deadliest since 2004, according to the Israeli rights group B’Tselem. Israel captured the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Mideast war, territories the Palestinians claim for their hoped-for state.

☆ Whirlpool partners Arcelik in Europe, quits MidEast and Africa
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Whirlpool also said it had agreed to sell its Middle Eastern and African businesses to Arcelik, which the Turkish firm said was for 20 million euros ($21.65 million) in cash. The moves come after Whirlpool launched a review of its Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) operations in April 2022 and said it planned to focus on higher margin businesses. The U.S. firm said the Middle Eastern and African businesses being sold to Arcelik had sales of around $4.2 billion in 2021. The entirety of Whirlpool's EMEA business reported sales of $5.01 billion last year. The deals are expected to be completed in the second half of the 2023, subject to regulatory approval, Arcelik said.

A crowning glory for Argentina's icon, or a rare repeat for reigning champion France? The men's World Cup final takes place Sunday in Qatar, capping a month of sporting drama and geopolitical controversy. The tournament has featured surprise results and fairytale runs, but the final will see two giants of the game compete for the title — headlined by a pair of diminutive stars. Lionel Messi will be hoping to secure the trophy that would cement his status as perhaps the game's greatest ever player. The 35-year-old will bow out on the global stage backed by a soccer-mad country that has sent legions of fans to the Mideast.

☆ Israel deports Palestinian activist to France
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-18 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Israel said it deported a Palestinian lawyer and activist to France early Sunday, claiming he has ties to a banned militant group, despite objections from the French government. Israel says Hammouri is an activist in the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a group that it has labeled a terrorist organization. He has worked as a lawyer for Adameer, a rights group that assists Palestinian prisoners that Israel has banned for alleged ties to the PFLP. Israel said there’s no connection between the terror designation of Adameer and five other Palestinian rights groups and any alleged use of NSO spyware. Residency rights can be stripped if a Palestinian is found to live outside the city for an extended period or in certain security cases.

☆ Analysis: Saudi prince seeks Mideast leadership, independence with Xi's visit
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Aziz El Yaakoubi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

The Saudi government did not respond to requests for comment on Xi's visit and its agenda. It is China's top oil supplier, although fellow OPEC+ producer Russia has increased its Chinese market share with lower-priced fuel. The Chinese delegation is expected to sign dozens of agreements with Saudi Arabia and other Arab states covering energy, security and investments, diplomats have told Reuters. U.S. officials have declined to comment when asked about Saudi-China bilateral relations ahead of Xi's visit. "The relationships with China pale versus those with the United States in terms of both complexity and intimacy," he said.

Pro-Palestinian sympathies among fans have also spilt into stadiums as four Arab teams compete. Qatari players have worn pro-Palestinian arm-bands, even as Qatar has allowed Israeli fans to fly in directly for the first time. The first Middle Eastern nation to host the World Cup, Qatar has often seemed a regional maverick: it hosts the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas but has also previously had some trade relations with Israel. Arab fans have shunned Israeli journalists reporting from Qatar. Omar Barakat, a soccer coach for the Palestinian national team who was in Doha for the World Cup, said he had carried his flag into matches without being stopped.

☆ Official says oil tanker hit by bomb-carrying drone off Oman
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

An oil tanker associated with an Israeli billionaire has been struck by a bomb-carrying drone off the coast of Oman amid heightened tensions with Iran, an official told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The attack happened Tuesday night off the coast of Oman, the Mideast-based defense official said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity as they did not have authorization to discuss the attack publicly. That tanker is operated by Singapore-based Eastern Pacific Shipping, which is a company ultimately owned by Israeli billionaire Idan Ofer. Iranian state media did not immediately acknowledge the attack on the Pacific Zircon.

☆ Iran blamed for a drone attack on an Israel-linked oil tanker off the coast of Oman
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A drone armed with a bomb hit an oil tanker off the coast of Oman on Tuesday evening. An Israeli government official has said that they believe Iran is responsible for the strike. The company said there had been "minor damage to the vessel's hull," but there was no "spillage of cargo," referring to the gas oil the tanker was carrying. However, no one has claimed responsibility for the Oman drone attack. Due to tensions between Iran and Israel, Tehran's possible involvement in the attack is suspected.

☆ Saudi wealth fund, BlackRock to jointly explore Mideast infrastructure projects
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DUBAI, Nov 14 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund and BlackRock (BLK.N) have signed an agreement to jointly explore infrastructure projects in the Middle East, focused on Saudi Arabia. The Public Investment Fund (PIF), which manages more than $600 billion in assets, said their non-binding memorandum of understanding will serve as the anchor for BlackRock's Middle East Infrastructure strategy. It added that the world's biggest fund manager plans to build a dedicated infrastructure investment team in Riyadh. In October last year, Saudi Arabia launched a national infrastructure fund to support up to 200 billion riyals ($53 billion) in projects over the next decade. It was not immediately clear whether the MoU was related to that National Infrastructure Fund, which is part of the National Development Fund.

☆ 2022 likely to be deadliest year for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, U.N. says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-29 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

The U.N. Mideast envoy said 2022 is on course to be the deadliest year for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank since the U.N. started tracking fatalities in 2005, and he called for immediate action to calm “an explosive situation” and move toward renewing Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. Wennesland said the month saw “a spike in fatal violence” that has 2022 on track to be the deadliest in the West Bank. More than 125 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli-Palestinian fighting in the West Bank and East Jerusalem this year. Ongoing Israeli arrest raids in the West Bank pose a serious challenge to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Palestinian Authority. The Palestinians want the West Bank to form the main part of their future state.

☆ Iranian Drones in Ukraine Project Tehran’s Power Beyond Mideast, Testing U.S., Europe
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Dion Nissenbaum | Benoit Faucon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Russia’s expanding use of Iranian drones in Ukraine poses an increasing threat for the U.S. and its European allies as Tehran attempts to project military power beyond the Middle East. In recent weeks, Ukrainian officials say, Russia has launched more than 300 Iranian drones that have targeted military units, power plants and civilian buildings in the capital, Kyiv. The Ukrainian military said it has shot down more than 70% of the drones, but Ukrainian officials are asking the U.S. and NATO allies for more help to counter the threat. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization has vowed to rush hundreds of drone jammers to Ukraine as part of a deepening effort to shore up Ukraine’s air defenses.

☆ Jewish settlers storm town and pepper spray Israeli soldiers in West Bank
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Jewish settlers stormed through a Palestinian town in the occupied West Bank, the Israeli military said Thursday, throwing stones at Palestinian cars and using pepper spray on troops who were trying to disperse the settlers. Israeli settlers walk with batons during clashes in which Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian residents and shops in the town of Huwara in the occupied West Bank last week. Meanwhile, the Palestinians launched a general strike throughout the West Bank and east Jerusalem in response to the death of a suspected Palestinian attacker. Tamimi was the subject of a more than weeklong manhunt that culminated when he opened fire at a security guard at a West Bank settlement Wednesday. Some 500,000 Jewish settlers now live in the West Bank in some 130 settlements.

☆ Australia drops recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

CANBERRA, Australia — Australia has reversed a previous government’s recognition of west Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, the foreign minister said Tuesday, prompting consternation from Israel. The Cabinet also reaffirmed that Jerusalem’s status must be resolved in peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said. Israel’s Foreign Ministry said it would summon the Australian ambassador over the issue. She described former Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital as out of step internationally. Only a handful of countries, including Kosovo and Guatemala, have joined the U.S. in recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

A clock is seen near the logo of Swiss bank Credit Suisse at the Paradeplatz square in Zurich, Switzerland October 5, 2022. Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia were weighing up, through their sovereign wealth funds, whether to put money into Credit Suisse's investment bank and other businesses, Bloomberg reported. A spokesperson for Credit Suisse declined to comment, reiterating that it will update on its strategy review when it announces third-quarter earnings. The largest Middle Eastern sovereign fund investor in Credit Suisse, the Qatar Investment Authority, declined to comment. The New Jersey case was the largest of its remaining exposure on its legacy RMBS business, Credit Suisse said, with five remaining cases, all far smaller, still in litigation.

SINGAPORE, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Russian oil is expected to come to Asia and the Middle East, while refined fuel produced in these regions will flow to the West as the global oil trade is disrupted by sanctions, Vitol's Chief Executive Officer Russell Hardy said on Monday. The Russia-Ukraine war has made energy security the top issues for governments as they grapple with inflation, and with bans on Russian oil looming and Moscow slashing gas supplies to Europe, policymakers are setting aside sustainability concerns for now. The EU is set to ban Russian crude oil from December in a move to strip the Kremlin of revenue, following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. Russian crude oil imports into the EU and UK last fell to 1.7 million barrels per day (bpd) in August from 2.6 million bpd in January, according to data from the IEA, though the EU was still the biggest market for Russian crude. Global gas prices rose to record levels this year, as Russia cut supplies to Europe while oil prices touched multi-year highs in March.

☆ APPEC: Vitol expects Russian fuel to come to Asia and Mideast
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SINGAPORE, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Russian fuel is expected to come to Asia and the Middle East, while fuels produced there are expected to flow to the West, Vitol's Chief Executive Officer Russell Hardy said on Monday. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register"You're beginning to see that with fuel coming East that would otherwise have stayed in Europe, and fuel in the East going to the West to cover the shortfall." The EU is set to ban Russian crude oil from December in a move to strip the Kremlin of revenue, following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. Russian crude oil imports into the EU and UK last fell to 1.7 million barrels per day (bpd) in August from 2.6 million bpd in January, according to data from the IEA, though the EU was still the biggest market for Russian crude. read moreThe IEA also forecasted that the United States could soon overtake Russia as the main crude supplier to the EU and the UK combined.

☆ APPEC: Vitol CEO says Russian fuel to come to Asia and Mideast
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterVitol CEO Russell Hardy speaks during the 20th Asia Oil & Gas Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia June 24, 2019. REUTERS/Lai Seng SinSept 26 (Reuters) - Russian fuel is expected to come to Asia and the Middle East and fuels produced there are expected to flow to the West, said Russell Hardy, chief executive officer of Vitol, at the 38th Annual Asia Pacific Petroleum Conference (APPEC) 2022. More than a million barrels per day of U.S. crude is expected to go to Europe to fill the gap in Russian supplies, he said. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Chen Aizhu and Jeslyn Lerh; Editing by Jacqueline WongOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

His comments have given fuel to the growing interest in a one-state solution in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as negotiations to create a sovereign Palestinian state have achieved little in recent years. But such a process insists on a sovereign Palestinian state. 01:18 - Source: CNNThe idea of the two-state solution sounds simple enough – an Israeli state next to a Palestinian state, existing side by side in peace. OPINION: What Trump’s meeting with Abbas meansWhat would a one-state solution look like? It is land that Palestinians, along with the international community, view as territory for a future Palestinian state.

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