Middle East & North Africa

18 July 2018; Egypt SIS; Minister of Investment and International Cooperation Sahar Nasr and UN Assistant Secretary General and Director of the UN Development Programe (UNDP) Regional Bureau for Arab States Mourad Wahba on Wednesday signed a declaration of intent to support Egypt's program for Sinai Peninsua development.

Minister of Environment Yasmin Fouad attended the signing ceremony which was held on the fringe of the Economic and Social Council Forum on Financing for Development, currently in session in New York.

TEHRAN, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday said that any negotiation with the United States to solve the existing mutual problems is an "obvious mistake," official IRNA news agency reported.

Khamenei also said that negotiations with the Europeans should continue to secure Iran's interests from the 2015 international nuclear deal.

ABU DHABI, July 20 (Xinhua) -- China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Friday decided to upgrade their bilateral relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership

The decision was made as visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks here with UAE Vice President and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

ABU DHABI, July 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived here on Thursday for a state visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the first by a Chinese head of state in 29 years to the Arab state.

Xi's plane was escorted by the UAE fighter jets when it entered the country's air space.

ANKARA, July 18 (Xinhua) -- The state of emergency in Turkey has ended Wednesday midnight after it went into effect two years ago in the wake of the botched military coup in July 2016.

It will be replaced by a new set of security laws aiming to crack down on terrorist activities.

The termination of the emergency rule was promised by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in his presidential campaign before his victory in the general elections in June.

Israel’s ruling Likud party seeks to pass an Apartheid type legislation that will allow for Jewish-only communities in Israel.

According to The Guardian, “The proposed legislation would allow the state to “authorise a community composed of people having the same faith and nationality to maintain the exclusive character of that community”.

“In its current state, the draft would also permit Jewish religious law to be implemented in certain cases and remove Arabic as an official language.

Iran on Tuesday criticized India for not fulfilling its promise of making investments in the expansion of the strategically located Chabahar Port.

“It is unfortunate that Indian investment promises for the expansion of Chabahar Port and its connectivity projects have not been accomplished. India is expected to take immediate and necessary measures in this regard if its cooperation and engagement in Chabahar Port are of strategic nature,” Iran’s Deputy Ambassador and Charge d’Affaires Masoud Rezvanian Rahaqi said.

DARAA, Syria, July 4 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian army on Wednesday showcased Western-made weapons confiscated from the rebels during the nearly two-week-long battles in the southern province of Daraa.

In the town of Izra'a in the countryside of Daraa, the confiscated weapons were put on the ground, where soldiers showed reporters various types of ammunition.

Among the weapons were U.S.-made TOW missile launchers and other Western-made military gear, including anti-tank launchers, anti-aircraft launchers and mine-sweepers.

According to Xinhua, a Chinese English newspaper, “Israeli security forces clash with demonstrators protesting against the demolition in the Bedouin village of Khan al-Ahmar in East Jerusalem, on July 4, 2018.”

“On May 24, the Israeli High Court reached a verdict to raze the Bedouin village of Khan al-Ahmar in East Jerusalem, where 200 homes and community structures are slated for demolition.”, reported Xinhua.

June 25, 2018; Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has won the Turkey’s presidential election with an absolute majority with 90% of 59 million eligible voters participation.

Erdogan  brought forward the elections from November 2019.

Opposition parties and NGOs had deployed up to half a million monitors at ballot boxes to try to prevent possible electoral fraud.

Erdogan will start a new five-year term with new powers that was won in a referendum last year.