Saudi boosts citizen benefits as taxes bite
AFP | Saudi Arabia announced Saturday it had boosted stipends and benefits for citizens to cushion the impact of economic reforms including the kingdom's first...
Iran and Saudi Arabia revisit their strategies
James M Dorsey | Expressions of support by US President Donald J. Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu have provided the grist for Iranian...
Russian air strikes kill 18 civilians in Syria
AFP | At least 23 civilians were killed Wednesday in the Syrian opposition stronghold of Eastern Ghouta, near Damascus, most of them in Russian air...
Israel to expel thousands of African migrants
AFP | Israel plans to force tens of thousands of African migrants to leave over the next three months by threatening to arrest those who...
Middle East mess expands to East Africa
James M Dorsey | The six-month-old Gulf crisis has expanded to the Horn Africa, potentially fuelling simmering regional conflicts. Renewed fears of heightened tension in the...
Trump targets Palestine in next aid cut threat
AFP | President Donald Trump admitted the Middle East peace process was in difficulty Tuesday and threatened to cut US aid to Palestinians, currently worth...
Fresh Iran protests lead to 9 fatalities and hundreds of arrests
AFP | Nine people were killed as fresh unrest hit Iran overnight, state television said Tuesday, while hundreds have been arrested as authorities crack down...
Pentagon Chief Statement hints division of Syria
News Analysis | Russian and US forces have been communicating across the "deconfliction line" in Syria despite glitches, US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told reporters...
Protests in Iran posing threats to Saudi and US policymakers
James M. Dorsey | If Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s chequered foreign policy track record is anything to go by, Iran could tempt him...
Is Iran’s failing economy the real cause for protests?
AFP | Despite demonstrators chanting provocative slogans against Iran's Islamic rulers, analysts say the roots of the current protests lie in the same anger at...
Video of stray dog poisoning sparks outrage in Lebanon
AFP | Video footage of stray dogs apparently being poisoned by municipal staff has sparked a public outcry in Lebanon, with politicians rushing to post...
Could the US be responsible for anti-government protests in Iran?
James M Dorsey | In supporting recent anti-government protests in Iran, both Iranian hardliners and the US State Department may want to be careful what...