It had the feel of a victory lap, albeit short and quick. Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz visited Cairo on June 20 to congratulate Egypt’s new President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on his inauguration. For the ailing monarch it was a symbol of the kingdom’s success in turning back what he

  Alarming Convictions of Al Jazeera Journalists in Egypt   The conviction of three journalists by an Egyptian court on Monday for doing their jobs is the latest effort by the country’s military-backed rulers to crush all dissent. The alarming verdict sends a chilling and intimidating message not just to other journalists

  June 21, 2014 “ICH” – “DN“- -    The New York Times revealed the U.S. ambassador in Iraq, Robert Beecroft, and the State Department’s top official in Iraq, Brett McGurk, recently met with the controversial Iraqi politician Ahmed Chalabi , who has been described as a potential candidate to replace al-Maliki.

  Francois-Marie Arouet, better known by his nom de plume, Voltaire, is often attributed as having said: “I disagree with every word you utter but will defend to the death your right to say it.” In fact, the remarks came from Evelyn Beatrice Hall, an English author describing Voltaire’s passion for freedom

  Al Jazeera journalists (L-R) Mohamed Fahmy, Peter Greste and Baher Mohamed stand behind bars at a court in Cairo, May 15, 2014.  (photo by REUTERS) Last week, Wael Metwally, my new business partner, texted at 11 a.m., saying, “Apparently I have been sentenced to 15 years in absentia despite being in attendance

The US government is to blame for the ongoing offensive by Takfiri militants in Iraq, which is a spillover of the turmoil in neighboring Syria, an analyst tells Press TV. “The United States should have tackled the crisis in Syria earlier… because it could have basically preempted its regional implications,”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeks approval for a highly controversial bill that would allow Guantanamo-style force-feeding of Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike. Netanyahu has instructed his security cabinet on Sunday to speed up discussions on the force-feeding bill, which has already passed its first reading in the Israeli parliament.

The United Nations and its Security Council are pursuing the interests of colonial powers, a leading human rights activist tells Press TV. “[The] United Nations with its structures of Security Council and permanent members and the veto, it is in reality a tool of colonial powers and we need to

Syria is holding presidential elections amid the country’s ongoing civil war. Voting will only take place in areas controlled by the regime – opposition areas in the northern and eastern parts of the country are boycotting the vote. This is the first time in decades than more than one name has

President Obama has announced a plan to invest $1 billion in stepping up its military presence in Eastern Europe amid the Ukrainian crisis. The White House will send more troops and equipment to the region to “reaffirm” its commitment to NATO allies. Speaking at a news conference in Warsaw, Obama

Likely president tells editors to give officials the chance to do their jobs before exposing corruption. Al Jazeera’s journalists stand accused of supporting the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood [AP] Egyptian presidential candidate Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has warned newspaper editors not to press for freedom of speech and other rights. Sisi, the likely

Sa’ad al-Faqih, the head of the Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia, said on Wednesday that the number of jailed activists ranged from 25,000 to 30,000. Faqih also accused the government of stepping up the crackdown on dissent since the beginning of the year. The Saudi activist said the crackdown

April 23, 2014 “ICH” - It is unsurprising that public opinion in the UK and elsewhere, resents the notion that we should engage with the politics of the Middle East and beyond. We have been through painful engagements in Afghanistan and Iraq. After 2008, we have had our own domestic anxieties