For US, Palestinian pact not the end of Middle East peace hopes

US Secretary of State John Kerry’s single-minded and relentless efforts to drag reluctant Israelis and Palestinians towards peace have hit rock bottom, although analysts warned it was too early to sound the death knell.

On every April 17, the people of Palestine mark the ‘Palestine Political Prisoners Day’. According to various reports, there are thousands of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli cells.

As jihadists storm through the Sunni heartlands of Iraq towards Baghdad, where a Shiite government they regard as heretic clings on, they have lifted the veil on deep sectarianism which has also stoked the fires of Syria’s civil war and is spilling over into vulnerable mosaic societies such as Lebanon.

AINA
Forced Exodus: Christians in the Middle East
AINA
In September, senior clerics from a dozen different Christian denominations all over the Middle East met in Amman, Jordan, for a conference organized by King Abdullah II. The subject was the crisis facing Christianity in the region, and what to do about it.
A hole in the Middle Eastern social fabricgulfnews.com
Church of Tanzania should plan to maintain Muslim-Christian relationsAnglicannews
The Hound of Jihad: Christian Victims Pay Time...

Images from North Africa and the Middle East

WHO warns Middle East must act fast to contain coronavirus  Al Jazeera EnglishWindow for containing coronavirus in Mideast closing: WHO - The Jakarta Post  Jakarta PostCountries in Middle East face narrow window to contain coronavirus spread: WHO  Global NewsWindow for containing virus in Mideast closing, says WHO  Free Malaysia TodayWindow for containing coronavirus in Mideast closing: WHO  The Straits TimesView Full coverage on Google News

“Online banking has made most people’s life easy due to the fact that banking can be done just about anywhere as long as you are connected with internet. People made use of it for buying things online, paying bills and do some other transactions. Just like every story line with two sides, this most excitement experience keeps on showing its dark side simply because cybercriminals extend its target to it” – Yusuph Kileo

“I recently encountered a botnet targeting Android smartphone users...

WHO raises alarm as virus spreads in parts of Middle East, Europe  Al Jazeera EnglishCoronavirus: World must prepare for pandemic, says WHO  BBC NewsWith New Hotspots, Coronavirus on Verge of Pandemic  MedscapeFears abound over coronavirus reaching pandemic scales  KBC Channel 1Death toll from coronavirus in Italy raises to 7, WHO warns of ‘potential pandemic’  RFIView Full coverage on Google News

AFP
Aussie Navy Destroys Massive Heroin Haul In Middle East
Bernama
MELBOURNE, Feb 8 (Bernama) -- The Australian Navy has seized and destroyed heroin estimated to have a street value of more than A$700 million as part of a security mission in the Middle East. The Australian Associated Press reports that HMAS ...
Australian navy makes big drug bust off TanzaniaAFP
Australian navy makes $700m heroin bust off TanzaniaThe Australian

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