First Independent Mena Newspaper
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Monday called on Egypt to hold free and transparent presidential elections next month in a vote that is smeared by crackdown on President Sisi’s rivals and marked by wave of oppression. Tillerson, who began a five-nation visit to the Middle East with a stop in Egypt Monday, touched […]
The US has designated Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, on a terrorist blacklist. The US State Department labelled Haniyeh a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist,” a title used to describe leaders of international terror organizations or perpetrators of mass-scale terror attacks. “Ismail Haniyeh is the leader and President of the Political […]
US Deputy President, Mike Pence, is paying a visit to Israel described by his aids as “personal” and by Palestinians as a continuation of the US blind support for Netanyahu government. Wearing a Jewish skullcap on his head, Pence prayed in the Western Wall amid tensions with the Palestinians over President Donald Trump’s recent decision […]
US President Donald Trump has acted on his threats to slash aid to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) withholding $65 million while offering only $60 million. A US official confirmed the news noting that the Trump administrations demands the UNRWA to carry out reforms to its system. US President Donald Trump earlier this […]
Morocco has been described as one of the few safest countries in the globe for travelers by the US travel advisory issued by the US Department, while Algeria has been included in tier 2 danger requiring “increased precaution” due to the threat of terrorism. The contrast reflects the security gap in the Maghreb between oil-rich […]
Laureate Education, a Baltimore-based company, said it will sell its university in Morocco, Université Internationale de Casablanca, for $53.6 mln to KMR Holding Pédagogique, a company that owns the Private University of Marrakech and invests in education in west Africa. The Université Internationale de Casablanca, which opened in 2010, is one of the few state-recognized […]
Morocco’s special forces will receive $18 million dollars as part of a US administration plan worth hundreds of millions of dollars to equip allies in the MENA region to counter the IS threat as the group seeks to relocate its terrorist activities from Iraq and Syria to Africa. The news was relayed by Al Monitor […]
After the ban imposed by the US Federal Aviation Administration on Air Algérie, China followed suit banning the Algerian flag carrier from landing in its airports. The ban was issued by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), which has barred Air Algérie along with China United Airlines, MIAT Mongolian Airlines and Ariana Afghan Airlines […]
The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Vella Gulf has taken part in naval drills alongside Morocco’s frigate Sygma Sultan Moulay Ismail on the coast of Agadir, Moroccan media reported. The naval war games took place on the sidelines of a visit by the USS Vella Gulf to Agadir in December. “The visit serves to enhance US-Morocco […]
Morocco will bolster the defense capabilities of its F16 fighter jets with the acquisition of advanced medium range air-to-air AMRAAM missiles, the Pentagon said in a press release. A contract has been signed between Morocco’s air force and the US defense contractor, Raytheon, providing for the acquisition of the air-to-air missiles as well as for […]