MIDDLE EAST

On Wednesday, several rockets landed in the eastern region of Bekaa in Lebanon, as a Syrian warplane had earlier raided the outskirts of the town Arsal. According to reports, a rocket had landed between Brital and al-Taybeh reigions, two rockets near the farm Qassem Mazloum, and another rocket in the Ain al-Jawzeh area in Bekaa. There have been no reports …

On Wednesday, members of the UN Security council called for an investigation into the latest claim of chlorine gas chemical attacks in a rebel-held part of Syria, expressing their apprehension over the reports. The briefing of the fifteen member organization had taken place behind closed doors and was conducted by Sigrid Kaag, who is co-ordinating the mission which oversees the …

On Wednesday, a police brigadier general was killed by a bomb planted under his car; the attack is the fifth such targeted blast in Cairo this week. The attack, in the upscale suburb of 6th October City, killed commander of Egypt’s central security forces Ahmed Zaki, who spearheaded a crackdown on Morsi supporters. Morsi supporters have launched several attacks, mostly …

New claims have surfaced that President Bashar Assad’s regime launched chemical attacks with an industrial chemical agent earlier in the month, despite its international agreement to get rid of its entire chemical arsenal. The latest evidence, cited by French and US authorities, comes as Syria announced its plant to hold a presidential election on June 3, which the Syrian opposition …

Syrian opposition condemned Monday’s announcement of the presidential election to be held on June 3rd, expected to keep President Bashar Assad in power despite the several thousand deaths in anti-regime revolts since 2011. Speaker of the Parliament Mohammed al-Lahham had announced that the election would be held on June 3 and that Syrians living outside the country can vote on …

On Tuesday, Egyptian prosecutors submitted new evidence against the defendants in a trial of Al-Jazeera journalists, accused of having connections to the banned Muslim Brotherhood. The defendants’ lawyers have disputed the new evidence, which include audio tapes as well. In the trial’s last hearing, prosecutors aired video footage and showed random photographs which were not connected to the case. Authorities …

On Monday, a Yemeni and US air campaign killed at least 68 al-Qaeda members in an attempt to one-up al-Qaeda’s local affiliate. Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has been connected to several failed terror plots against the US, and its leader had made a rare appearance in a recent video, in which he promised to attack Western “crusaders … …

Palestine has re-launched its efforts to reconcile with Israeli leaders as the US brokered talks between Israel and Palestine seem to be on the verge of collapsing. A week before the nine-month target initially set for the deal, a Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) delegation will on Tuesday try and revive the talks in Gaza City. The team is led by …

The World Economic Forum has released its latest report, The Global Competitiveness Index, an annual report which ranks countries according to how well they are able use resources available to them in an effective and productive way.. The Global Competitiveness Index also measures how the institutions, policies, and factors in a country affect economic prosperity in current and medium-term levels. …

On Sunday, A Kuwaiti judge reportedly ordered the two independent newspapers Alam al-Youm and al-Watan to shut down for two weeks for disclosing the news about the alleged ‘coup videotape’ and breaking the media blackout on the issue. The tape allegedly shows former senior officials planning a coup against the royal family. Reportedly, the order against Alam al-Youm and al-Watan …