Tag Archives: Middle East

Hur transcript reveals Biden presidency’s profound and mundane moments

WASHINGTON (AP) — Special counsel Robert Hur was thanking the president for his time. He understood, Hur said, that there were a lot of things going on that demanded Joe Biden’s attention. “We may be interrupted by one,” Biden said, explaining that he’d just gotten off the phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It was Oct. 8, 2023, the …

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US-mandated religious freedom group ends Saudi trip early after rabbi ordered to remove his kippah

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A U.S. Congress-mandated group cut short a fact-finding mission to Saudi Arabia after officials in the kingdom ordered a Jewish rabbi to remove his kippah in public, highlighting the religious tensions still present in the wider Middle East. Speaking to The Associated Press, Rabbi Abraham Cooper of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom …

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Iraq announces reopening of a key oil refinery a decade after it was stormed by the Islamic State

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq’s prime minister announced Friday the reopening of the Beiji refinery, the country’s largest, which had been shut down for a decade after being damaged in the battle against the Islamic State extremist group. Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said in a statement that the refinery’s return to operation will enable Iraq to meet its oil derivative …

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UN Security Council to vote Tuesday on resolution demanding Gaza ceasefire, US vows to use its veto

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council is expected to vote Tuesday on an Arab-backed resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, which the United States announced it will veto. Algeria, the Arab representative on the council, put the draft resolution in a final form that can be voted on. Council diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity because …

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Truck crashes into passenger vehicles in Egypt’s Alexandria leaving 15 dead, officials say

CAIRO (AP) — A truck slammed into several passenger vehicles in Egypt’s Mediterranean province of Alexandria, killing at least 15 people, authorities said Wednesday. The crash, which happened late Tuesday in Amreya district, west of Alexandria city, also injured eight people, according to a police report. The truck slammed into four microbuses, a type of mass-transit minivan that’s popular across …

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Israel and Hamas are making progress in cease-fire and hostage-release talks, officials say

CAIRO (AP) — Israel and Hamas are making progress toward another cease-fire and hostage-release deal, officials said Tuesday, as negotiations went on and Israel threatened to expand its offensive to Gaza’s southern edge, where some 1.4 million Palestinians have sought refuge. The talks continued in Egypt a day after Israeli forces rescued two captives in Rafah, the packed southern town …

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What to know about the situation in the Middle East this week

Violence has continued this week in the Gaza Strip, as well as across the broader Middle East. The U.S. administration has been pushing for a prolonged cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, but so far has not succeeded. Here’s what you need to know: ISRAEL SAYS IT WILL FIGHT ON IN GAZA Israel said Friday it would continue with its invasion …

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