Middle East

Biblical Sea of Galilee is at 100 year low

If Jesus were alive today, he might reconsider a baptism in the river Jordan; there’s a good chance he’d pick up an eye infection. Faecal bacteria in the pungent, murky…

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The phone call which reshaped US policy in the Middle East

President Donald Trump’s declaration in a phone call with Tayyip Erdogan that he was pulling U.S. troops from Syria has stunned Turkey and left it scrambling to respond to the…

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Christmas Tree lit in Betlehem

Thousands of faithful and dignitaries have attended the lighting of the giant Christmas tree outside the Church of the Nativity in the traditional birthplace of Jesus. ABC reports that Palestinian Prime Minister Rami…

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Evening News Roundup

Good evening, This your evening news round up. Apart from the recent developments on Brexit and the Middle East, one can read the main highlights from Malta's news portals. Corporate…

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Two Israelis shot dead by Palestinian gunman in the West Bank

A Palestinian gunman shot dead two Israelis and wounded a third on Sunday in an industrial park next to a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank, the Israeli military…

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Seven Palestinians, two children killed in latest violence in Gaza’s border

Israeli troops killed seven Palestinians, two of them children, and wounded dozens more in the deadliest day in recent weeks as Gaza’s Hamas rulers stepped up protests along the border…

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Fatal clashes in Jordan

AP/Hala Akhbar: A Jordanian official says five suspected militants are in custody after opening fire and setting off explosions that killed three members of the security forces and collapsed a multi-story…

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Israel bombs Hamas positions after rockets were fired from Palestinian enclave injured several Israelis

The Times of Israel reports that Israel’s air force bombed 12 Hamas positions across the Gaza Strip Wednesday night after dozens of rockets and mortar shells were fired at southern Israeli communities from…

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Saturday Morning Briefing

Good morning, Our Saturday morning briefing follows. The Malta Independent reports that Maria Efimova, said that ‘People connected to the Maltese government openly call for my execution’, arguing that after the…

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Israeli civilian stabbed to death near Ramallah while three Palestinians killed in separate cases

BBC: An Israeli civilian has been stabbed to death in a settlement near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. The 31-year-old victim was taken to hospital where he died of his…

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Palestine elected as presiding country of the UN Group of 77

New York Times / Al Jazeera: The state of Palestine has been elected as the presiding country of the Group of 77, the biggest bloc of developing countries at the United Nations, a move…

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Friday Morning Briefing

Good morning, Your Morning Briefing provides you with the salient news of the main happenings in Malta, Europe and the World. Wishing you a good day. Greece has “serious…

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Israeli jets said to strike Iranian-run missile production facility in Syria

Israeli fighter jets attacked parts of western Syria yesterday on a military site in the Masyaf countryside. A military source said in a statement to Syrian news agency SANA that a “military…

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Israel and Hamas agree on cease fire following Friday’s escalation between the two

Israel and Hamas have agreed to restore calm in the Gaza Strip, a spokesman for Hamas said on Saturday, after the Israel Defense Forces launched a massive attack on the Gaza…

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Indifference kills, and we desire to lift up our voices in opposition to this murderous indifference – Pope Francis

The Local: "The Middle East has become a land of people who leave their own lands behind,” Pope Francis said. Pope Francis on Saturday voiced concern that Christians will disappear from…

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Corporate Dispatch – Saturday’s Morning Briefing

Good morning, The Maltese Newspapers report that the Malta Financial Services Authority said that Ali Sadr Hasheminejad’s arrest in the US “immediately compromised” Pilatus Bank’s entire operation and made it…

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Developing Story – Mortar shells fired at Souther Israel

The Times of Israel reports that sirens blared throughout Sha'ar Hanegev, Eshkol regions during at least 2 separate attacks from Gaza; Iron Dome intercepts most projectiles; Israel said to retaliate…

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Lebanon votes in first elections since 2009

As the polls opened on Sunday, more than 3.6 million Lebanese eligible voters are to elect the 128 parliament members of Lebanon in the country's first legislature election since 2009.…

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Demonstrations in Gaza enter the sixth day

An estimated 10,000 Palestinians have faced tear gas and live bullets during protests on the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel. The latest crackdown, on the sixth day of…

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Prince Mohammed bin Salman not so diplomatic interview

In an interview with The Atlantic, the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the putatively reformist crown prince of Saudi Arabia irked enough people to position himself in the pole…

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Palestinians die in clashes with Israeli forces during major border protest

The Guardian - At least seven Palestinians have been killed and hundreds wounded by Israeli forces in Gaza, Palestinian medics have said, as protesters kicked off a planned six-week demonstration demanding…

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