AL-EIN AL-SOKHNA, Egypt, May 31 (CEIS): Chinese and Egyptian officials yesterday laid foundation stone for a joint project to manufacture oil drills, which is the first land oil rigs plant in the Middle East region.
Read More »Reporter’s notebook: Egypt’s greatest fear: New Israeli immigrants
 The warm smile, anecdotal stories and freshly-squeezed lemonade almost make me miss the fact that I have just been told I am more dangerous than Iran’s nuclear program.
Read More »Turkey beefs up military presence on Iraqi border
Turkey sent more tanks and troops to its border with Iraq on Wednesday (May 30th), fuelling speculation about an imminent military offensive against Kurdish rebels based in the neighbouring country’s north.
Read More »UN Hariri court raises stakes for Syria
DAMASCUS — Syria is digging its heels in for a long confrontation with the United Nations after the Security Council voted to set up a special court to try suspects in the assassination of former Lebanese premier Rafiq Hariri.
Read More »Saudi Arabian Guantanamo detainee dies in ‘apparent suicide’
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A Saudi Arabian detainee died Wednesday at Guantanamo Bay prison and the US military said he apparently committed suicide.
Read More »Israel may agree to release Palestinian funds
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM (Reuters) — Israel is prepared to transfer withheld tax revenues to the Palestinians through a mechanism that guarantees none of the money will go to the Hamas-led government or fighters, Israeli officials said on Thursday.
Read More »Turkish army ready to cross into Iraq — general
ANKARA (AP) — Turkey’s military, building up troops on the Iraqi border, said Thursday it was ready to launch a cross-border offensive to fight Kurdish fighters — pressuring the government to support the idea which could strain ties with Washington and lead to tensions with Iraqi Kurds.
Read More »Lebanese divided on UN legally binding vote to set up international tribunal
BEIRUT (AFP) — The UN vote to set up an international court for the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri was hailed by his supporters on Thursday but it stirred up fears of more instability in the deeply-divided country.
Read More »Iraq bomber kills 20
FALLUJAH (Reuters) — A suicide bomber killed up to 20 men queuing at a police recruitment centre west of Baghdad on Thursday, police said, and Al Qaeda members battled a rival Sunni faction in the south of the capital.
Read More »Violence shakes Gaza despite calls for calm
GAZA CITY (AFP) — An Israeli air strike in the Gaza Strip wounded two Palestinians trying to fire a rocket on Thursday as violence continued in the lawless territory despite international appeals for restraint.
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