CAIRO (AP) — Egypt’s military has bulldozed at least 140 homes and more than 200 acres along the Gaza Strip border, expanding a buffer zone in an effort to cut off the flow of weapons and militants. The governor of Northern Sinai province, Maj. Gen. Abdel-Fatah Harhour, told The Associated Press late Monday that the military began a new phase ...

LEBANON, Pa. (WHTM) – Cub Scout Pack 439 in Lebanon held its annual flag retirement ceremony at Kochenderfer United Methodist Church on Monday night. Cubmaster Scott Miller says it has become an important tradition. “We started the ceremony after the September 11th attacks,” said Miller. “We think it helps the scouts understand the importance of what the flag means for ...

Hassan Youssef was 10 years old when a local Syrian composer discovered his talent: a deep powerful voice that was particularly resonant for traditional songs. It wasn’t long, however, before Syria’s grinding civil war nearly shattered Youssef’s hope of polishing his natural gift. He and his family left their home in a suburb of Damascus and traveled to Lebanon’s Bekaa ...

State Police say an 81-year-old Lebanon, Maine, man died Monday afternoon when his moped was struck by a car on Route 202 in Alfred. Russell Faxon died at the scene. The car involved in the collision was operated by 65-year-old Laura Melisi of Acton, Maine, who was attempting to turned left to access an ice cream stand, police said. Troopers ...

ERBIL A border, which linked Iran with northern Iraq, remained “operational”, head of Bashmakh border crossing said on Tuesday. “The daily and commercial transitions between Iran and Kurdish Regional Government are quite normal,” Mahmud Ezver, head of Bashmakh border crossing, told Kurdish Regional Government’s official (KRG) website Pukmedia on Tuesday. His remarks came a day after Iran announced that it ...

American military contractors operating in Iraq are accusing Baghdad of employing strong-arm tactics to make them pay exorbitant income taxes, a practice they’ve warned the Trump administration is hampering the fight against Islamic State extremists. To force payment of the taxes, which the companies say are haphazardly calculated and can total millions of dollars, Iraqi authorities have held up — ...

King Abdullah II of Jordan has held talks with US President Donald Trump, focusing on efforts to revive the peace process and the overall developments in the Middle East. According to the Jordan News Agency, the talks touched on ways of enhancing cooperation and strategic partnership between Jordan and the United States in various fields. The talks stressed the need ...

The United Nations Migration Agency, IOM, the European Union, EU, and the Jordanian Armed Forces have launched a project to support border management in Jordan. The project, funded by the EU Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace, will support Jordanian authorities in improving security and facilitating humanitarian assistance in the country’s north-eastern border with Syria. Jordan plays a key role ...

The 2nd Gulf-Jordanian Economic Forum, which is organised by the Jordan Chamber of Commerce in cooperation with the Federation of Chambers of the Gulf Cooperation Council, will kick off in Amman on Thursday. According to Petra, the Jordan News Agency, the forum will discuss means to forge closer trade and investment relations between the two sides and further boost trade ...

Prime Minister Hani Mulki has approved a request for Syrian refugees to enroll in government schools without possessing required documents. To avoid overcrowding, the new students would attend afternoon sessions in double-shift schools. Special programs have also been introduced to help Syrian children catch up on the years of education they have missed. Approximately 80,000 Syrian children in Jordan were ...