Doha imagines itself in a better negotiating position and willing to play its role as a peacemaker. As the inauguration of US President-elect Joe Biden approaches, and with his administration’s intention to reopen the gate for negotiations with Iran, Qatar is seeking to position itself as the “number one” mediator …
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Abbas seeks Qatari support as regional pressure mounts on PA to adjust course
Palestinian sources in Ramallah say that the Palestinian president wants Qatar to play a supportive role with the new US administration in order to ensure that the Palestinian file is on the top of American priorities. Well informed Palestinian sources said that President Mahmoud Abbas’s visit to the Qatari capital, …
Read More »Russia Successfully Test-Launches Angara A-5 Heavy Carrier
Russia’s Angara-A5 heavy-class carrier rocket with a payload simulator was successfully test-launched from the Plesetsk spaceport in the country’s north, the defence ministry said on Monday.
Read More »Suspected Russian Hackers Breach U.S. Treasury, Other Government Agencies
Suspected Russian hackers broke into U.S. government networks, including the Treasury and Commerce departments, as part of a monthslong global cyberespionage campaign believed to have also targeted other governments and major corporations. National Security Council spokesperson John Ullyot said in a statement on December 13 that the government was “taking …
Read More »Egypt targets businessmen over alleged ties to Brotherhood
Egyptian authorities stepped up their crackdown against the Muslim Brotherhood, this time arresting a number of businessmen they accuse of funding the group’s activities.
Read More »Syrian Kurds squeezed between Turkish threat, Russian pressure in Ain Issa
Amid growing fears of a fresh Turkish offensive, the Syrian Kurds are under Russian pressure to cede full or partial control of the strategic town of Ain Issa to the Syrian government.
Read More »How Russia is preparing in Syria for Biden’s presidency
Moscow is hoping the final months of outgoing President Donald Trump’s presidency will allow it an opportunity to reinforce its positions in Syria. While Russian foreign policy circles have noted reasons why President-elect Joe Biden’s administration may see the Middle Eastern theater relegated further down the list of American policy …
Read More »Idleb: Assailants Attack Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham Checkpoint, One Fighter Killed
A Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham fighter was killed by two men who opened fire from a motorcycle at a checkpoint in Idleb’s western countryside reports Zaman Al-Wasl. Two masked men opened fire on a Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham checkpoint in northern Idleb province, killing one fighter and wounding another, Zaman Al-Wasl’s reporter …
Read More »Is Egypt ready to turn page on Gulf crisis with Qatar?
Egypt has welcomed the recent Kuwaiti efforts to end the Gulf crisis pitting a Saudi-led bloc of nations, including Egypt, against Qatar. After Saudi Arabia and Kuwait recently announced that they had made progress toward ending the dispute Egypt and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have with Qatar, Egypt’s Foreign …
Read More »Western Sahara media, activists criticize US decision to recognize Moroccan sovereignty
US President Donald Trump announced Thursday that the United States had accepted Morocco’s claim to disputed Western Sahara and that Morocco and Israel were establishing full relations.
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