An Egyptian activist who was a leader of the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak has been sentenced at a retrial to 15 years in prison for rioting. Ahmed Douma was also fined $335,000 (£262,000) over his alleged role in a Cairo protest in December 2011, in which a science academy was set ablaze. He had appealed against the 25-year sentence ...

An ancient Egyptian artefact has been returned after being illegally smuggled out of the country and displayed in an unnamed London auction house. In a statement on Tuesday, Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities confirmed that the relic — a tablet carved with the cartouche of King Amenhotep I — had been recovered, after the ministry scoured the websites of international auction halls. ...

His Majesty King Abdullah on Thursday received Yemeni Foreign Minister Khalid Yamani, who delivered a letter to His Majesty from Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, a Royal Court statement said.  During the meeting, held at Al Husseiniya Palace, the King affirmed Jordan’s support to Yemen and its efforts to achieve security and stability. He conveyed his greetings to President ...

A piece of legislation on US support to allies in the Middle East, which includes renewing defence support and cooperation with Jordan, has not been endorsed on Wednesday as a result of a dispute over the US partial government shutdown. On Tuesday, the US Senate voted 56 to 44, falling short of the 60 votes needed to advance the “Strengthening ...

Israel’s Foreign Ministry has filed a protest with the Jordanian government over recent incidents involving Israeli flags being disrespected in public places. The most conspicuous episode took place last week when a photo from a Jordanian website called Jfranews began circulating online. It showed Jordan’s Information Minister Jumana Ghneimat walking across a large depiction of the Israeli flag as she ...

Prime Minister Omar Razzaz on Wednesday met with executive directors of the World Bank (WB) Group, including the officials of the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA). Heading an economic-ministerial delegation to Washington, Razzaz stressed Jordan’s keenness on maintaining the relationship between the Kingdom and the WB Group, particularly in regards to ...

King Abdullah’s meeting with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday, attended by HRH Crown Prince Hussein, covered bolstering Jordan’s strategic partnership with the US and addressed developments in the Middle East. The King and Pompeo, who is on a tour of the region, discussed opportunities to expand cooperation in all fields, a Royal Court statement said. His Majesty ...

“Israeli National Security: A New Strategy for an Era of Change” by former Deputy National Security Adviser Charles Freilich proposes first public national security policy. srael should unilaterally withdraw from the West Bank in order to lay the groundwork for a two-state solution with the Palestinians and prevent terrorist attacks like Barkan from occurring again, says former deputy national security ...

Yedioth Ahronoth reports upcoming announcement from the Trump administration could include a clause that would make the city a capital for both sides Israel is reportedly concerned that the Trump administration is considering recognizing Jerusalem as the Palestinian as well as the Israeli capital in a bid to bring Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas back to the negotiating table. That ...

Expat Amir Yaron’s nomination as Bank of Israel governor has irked some with good reason, but the reasons for welcoming him are better. Watching fellow pioneers head back to Europe exhausted by Ottoman Palestine’s hardships, poet Noah Shapira lamented the beginnings of what we call “yeridah.” “It is no time today for me to cheer,” he wrote in 1902, “only ...