middle-east - INTERNATIONAL AGENCY FOR JOURNALISM AND STRATEGIC STUDIES

IRAN REJECTS ANTISEMITISM ALLEGATION BY MIKE PENCE

A senior Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander in January threatened Israel, which Iran does not recognize, with destruction if it attacks Iran, state media reported. ...

Abdul Fattah al-Sisi: Egyptian president may rule until 2034

Egypt's parliament has overwhelmingly voted to approve draft constitutional changes that could extend President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi's time in office by another 12 years. ...

Syria refugees fleeing back to Lebanon, NGO says

Syrian refugees who made the journey back home are fleeing back to Lebanon after finding their homes destroyed or occupied by others, according to Lebanese NGO Sawa for Development and Aid. ...

US nuclear industry seeks Donald Trump’s help to win Middle East business

Push comes as developers seek government approval of next-generation advanced and small modular reactors and the administration’s help in selling their products worldwide. ...

Russia Says Trump's Mideast Peace Plan Will Foil All Palestinian Gains

Russian FM laments Trump's failure to include Palestinian state in blueprint ■ Abbas in Riyadh to combat deal ■ PLO secretary general sends letter to foreign diplomats urging them not to endorse plan. ...

ROUHANI: The Iranian revolution is 'Thriving' Amid U.S. Failure In Middle east

Iran presents itself as a model of regional security in Turkey while Tehran’s foreign minister meets Hezbollah in Lebanon. ...

Egypt: Inflation rates increase again reaching 12.2 per cent

Egypt’s annual inflation rate has reached 12.2 per cent in January, with an increase of 0.8 per cent compared to 11.1 per cent in December 2018. These figures were announced by the Central Agency of Egypt Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS) in a statement on Sunday morning, following a steady rise in inflation starting from November 2016, after the liberalisation of the Egyptian pound exchange rate. Reuters quoted Radwa El-Swaify, Head of Equity Research at Pharos Holding for Financial Investments, saying that “food and beverages are the main cause of higher rates of inflation … What usually happens is that prices are adjusted by manufacturers at the beginning of the new year to regulate the profitability margins,” noting that “profit margins fixed for manufacturers have decreased since the beginning of July with the reduction of subsidies. Thus, some of these manufacturers, who were concerned about the decrease in sales volume, did not raise prices.” On 10 May 2018, the Egyptian government raised the prices of subway tickets in Cairo by 50 per cent, 150 per cent and 250 per cent. In June, the prices of tap water for domestic use were increased for the second time in less than a year, reaching 44.4 per cent. Additionally, the cost of electricity consumption for domestic use was augmented by an average rate of 26 per cent to reach 69.2 per cent. Besides, fuel prices increased by 66.6 per cent. On July the 21st, the authorities decided to raise gas prices for both domestic and commercial uses by 75 per cent starting from last August. Hence, at the end of December 2018, the Central Bank of Egypt fixed interest rates at 16.75 per cent for deposits and 17.75 per cent for lending. Millions of Egyptians, who live below the poverty line, face difficulties in meeting daily basic needs following successive increases in fuel, medicine, and transportation prices. Recently, the prices of vegetables and fruits in Egypt have been increasing continuously, prompting the authorities to lower the costs of some alimentary supplies, below market prices, in an attempt to ease their suffering. Compared to the previous month, consumer prices in Egyptian cities have risen by 0.6 per cent in January, after shrinking by 3.4 per cent in December. According to statements by the government, Egypt is expected to cut fuel and electricity subsidies later this year. Thus, the Central Bank has declared earlier that domestic and foreign risks threaten the prospect of consumer prices in the country, about the expected increase in fuel prices, and global interest rates.   AFP. ...

Palestinians urge Arab states to boycott US-led Middle East summit

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki urged Arab countries to boycott the upcoming US-led Mideast summit in Poland during a Monday radio interview with the Voice of Palestine. ...

Lebanon Boycotts U.S.-hosted Mideast Conference in Warsaw

Lebanon will not take part in a conference that Poland is holding this week on the situation in the Middle East and Iran. ...

White House said to have finalized Middle East peace plan

The Trump administration’s proposed Israeli-Palestinian peace plan has been completed, and the US president has been briefed on its contents, senior administration officials told Fox News on Tuesday. A senior negotiator swi ...

Poland’s warning from history ahead of Middle East conference

The governments of Poland and the US will host a conference in Warsaw to address issues related to the Middle East on Wednesday and Thursday. The hosts expect representatives from at least 70 countries to attend, according to the website Polandin.com. It will be a massive gathering and perhaps an opportunity for some serious breakthroughs in the struggle to bring peace to the region. ...

U.S. Actions in Middle East Can Spark Israel-Lebanon Conflict, Russian Envoy Warns

U.S. campaign against Iran and Hezbollah making region even more volatile, Russian Ambassador to Lebanon Alexander Zasypkin charges. ...

Merkel: Syria top priority for German intelligence

Syria will continue to be one of the key issues for Germany’s intelligence service BND, Chancellor Angela Merkel said Friday, Anadolu Agency reports. ...

Palestinian chief negotiator Erekat says will not attend Warsaw conference

Palestinian officials will not attend next week's US conference hosted by Poland, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said on Friday after a US official said they had been invited."Regarding statements that we have been invited, we can say that only today there was some contact from the Polish side," Erekat said on Twitter. "Our position remains clear: We are not going to attend this conference and reiterate that we have not mandated anyone to talk on behalf of Palestine." ...

Pompeo Scheduled to Visit Hungary For Meetings, Poland For Middle East Conference

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will travel to Hungary next week to meet with leaders of the government of nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who is facing a growing number of protests on the streets against his right-wing policies. ...

Egypt secretly backs Gaddafi’s son in Libya elections

Egypt is reported to have led covert efforts to support Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi, son of the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, in the upcoming presidential elections in Libya slated for later this year. ...

U.S. Supports "Dictators, Butchers And Extremists" In Middle East, Says Iran

The United States supports "dictators, butchers and extremists" in the Middle East, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in a Twitter post Wednesday in a response to US President Donald Trump's State of the Union speech. Tensions have ramped up between Iran and the United States since Trump pulled out of a multilateral nuclear deal last May and reimposed sanctions on the Islamic Republic. ...

US calls on countries to take Daesh prisoners from Syria

The US State Department on Monday called on countries to take in foreign fighters captured by America’s Kurdish allies in Syria, two days ahead of a meeting in Washington of dozens of coalition partners fighting Daesh to discuss the way forward in Syria, Reuters reports. ...

Arab League calls on EU to recognise State of Palestine

The Arab League has called on European countries to recognise the State of Palestine with-in the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. ...