MUST-READS

• Israel in Gaza
  Here’s what really happened in the Gaza war (according to the Israelis)

  On a high floor of the Israeli defense ministry, a top intelligence officer sat down with a small group of foreign journalists Wednesday night to run through his slide show on the 50-day Gaza war — what surprised the Israelis about their enemy Hamas and what did not. With the condition of anonymity, the Israeli general discussed casualty figures, tunnel architecture and rocket deployment for Hamas and other belligerents.

  • Quartz - Israel is once again using gas to mend its neighborly relations
  • AP - Israelis Worry With Syrian al-Qaida on Doorstep
  • The Daily Star - After Gaza war, poll finds support for Hamas rises Read more:
• Egypt's Trains
  The Iron Way

  The crowded third-class train, the cheapest one, is packed with three to four times the number of passengers it should carry. It is unbelievably jammed. Taking photos in third-class trains with so many eyes gazing anxiously at my camera wasn’t easy. These pictures are my attempt to tell a story about the Train Man.

  • BBC - Egypt power cut disrupts Cairo rush hour
• Gaza
  Gaza Reconstruction Will Take 20 Years, Says Post-Conflict Housing Group

  It will take 20 years for Gaza's housing to be rebuilt following the mass devastation caused by fighting between Hamas and Israel over the summer, according to a post-conflict housing reconstruction and assessment organization.

• Saudi-France
  Saudi Crown Prince holds talks with Hollande

  Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz held talks in Paris on Monday with President Francois Hollande on bilateral cooperation in various areas, including combating the rise of terrorism in the Middle East region.

• Iran Negotiations
  Iran and the P5+1: Getting to “Yes”

  As in 2005, when now President Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif were last in charge of the nuclear portfolio, negotiators are bogged down in a worn-out debate over exactly why Iran insists on uranium enrichment; its economic logic or lack thereof; whether Iran should be subject to restrictions beyond those imposed on other members of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT); and how to calculate the time Iran would need to enrich enough uranium for one weapon – which, assuming other abilities are present, measures its “breakout capacity”.

  • Reuters - Iran's foreign minister hopes for nuclear accord 'in short time left' till deadline
  • Asharq Alawsat - Opinion: Iran’s foreign policy is shifting
• Islamic State
  Islamic State Militants in Syria Now Have Drone Capabilities – Blog

  While the drone may not have been critical in taking the base, it gave militants situational awareness they wouldn’t have had otherwise, Clarke said. “Any small advantage helps. I’d say it’s kind of a force multiplier,” he said. “Any time you can get advanced information by scouting out a position before attacking it is helpful because it helps you plan exactly what kind of resources you are going to need.” For now, it appears that ISIS does not have access to a more advanced armed UAV, though that is not entirely out of the question, Clarke said.

  • Reuters - Video shows Islamic State executes scores of Syrian soldiers
  • LA Times - Terrorism experts see long, tough battle to contain Islamic State
  • BBC - UN demands peacekeepers' release
  • Washington Post - Captives held by Islamic State were waterboarded
• Libya
  Libya’s interim government resigns under pressure – Your Middle East

  Libya's toothless interim government, led by prime minister Abdullah al-Thani, announced late Thursday it had tendered its resignation to the elected parliament, days after a rival Islamist administration was created.

• MERS
  Study finds little spread of MERS-CoV in Saudi households

  The standard thinking on MERS-CoV is that it doesn't spread very easily, other than in healthcare settings with weak infection control precautions. A new study looking for transmission of the virus in the households of Saudi Arabian patients in 2013 seems to fit well with that view, though it has some limitations.

• Oil
  Saudi crude exports fall in June as domestic demand rises

  Saudi crude exports fell in June to their lowest levels in almost three years as oil use in the country’s power sector rose and local refineries processed high volumes, official data showed.

• Pakistan
  Pakistan’s Khan looks isolated as crisis reaches crossroads

  Pakistani opposition politician Imran Khan appeared isolated in his struggle to bring down the prime minister on Thursday after a fellow protest leader announced he was ready to allow thousands of anti-government demonstrators to go home. Pakistan has been gripped by mass rallies for two weeks, with thousands of protesters led by Khan, a cricketer-turned-politician, and cleric Tahir ul-Qadri camped outside parliament demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

• 10 of 61017 results<< 1 … 6,075 6,076 6,077 … 6,102 >>