First Independent Mena Newspaper
Lawmakers in Burundi on Wednesday approved legislation that will effectively hand outgoing president Pierre Nkurunziza a retirement package. According to the legislation, the package includes a one-time payment of one billion Burundian francs, a luxury villa built with public funds in the location of his choice within five years and benefits equivalent to those of […]
American aircraft manufacturer Boeing Co on Wednesday said it would give $100 million over multiple years to local governments and non-profit organizations to help families and communities affected by the deadly crashes of its 737 MAX planes in Indonesia and Ethiopia. Two crashes within five months—Lion Air Flight 610 in October off the coast of […]
Gaza ruler, Hamas Wednesday allowed three Italian security officers to leave the enclave after holing up the UN office in the Strip as they were chased down and taken for Israeli intruders, Times of Israel reports. The men, the Israeli media citing a Hamas official said, sought refuge in the office in central Gaza on […]
Qatar mother said it will oppose efforts by large members of the Arab League to reinstate Syria noting also that it will not reopen its diplomatic mission in the Syrian capital Damascus contrary to some leading Arab countries, reports say. “Since day one Qatar had reasons for which it supported suspending (Arab League) membership and […]
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Sunday said Washington will press Saudi Arabia to hold murders of dissent journalist Jamal Khashoggi killed on October 2 in Istanbul-Turkey, accountable. Pompeo who is on a tour in the Middle East is expected in Riyadh Sunday after a visit to Qatar where he urged for the quick end […]
A month after President Erdogan’s security detail tussled with protesters outside the Turkish ambassador’s residence in Washington, the police department has announced on Thursday that it has obtained arrest warrants for 12 of the Turkish president’s bodyguards. Erdogan deemed the warrants are baseless. “If my bodyguards cannot protect me, then why am I bringing them […]
Hamas has reacted in disbelief after the Saudi’s Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir termed it as being part of the extremist and terrorist groups supported by Qatar. A statement released by the Gaza-based group stated that remarks made by the Minister are “a shock to our Palestinian people and to our Arab and Islamic nation, which […]
The African Lion military exercises kicked off with the participation of about 1300 military personnel from the U.S., Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal, Spain and Tunisia. “We are excited to conduct training with our Moroccan partners. African Lion gives us the ability to enhance our operational capabilities in an unfamiliar, yet non-austere, […]
Citizens of 18 countries including Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria have been exempted from visa requirements to visit far-eastern part of Russia, reports say. The Russian Premier Dmitry Medvedev announced Russian authorities’ decision on Monday. “I recently approved the list countries whose nationals can benefit from the preferential treatments,” Medvedev said. The decision is taken in […]
The Arab Parliamentary Union called on Spain to return the occupied enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla in addition to the Mediterranean Chafarinas Islands to Morocco. The call was made in the closing statement of the 24th congress of the Union, which was held in Rabat. In this regards, Arab MPs underscored the efforts led by […]