MENASource

Continued Obstacles to a Deal in Libya

By Mohamed Eljarh

The UN Special Envoy for Libya Bernardino Leon announced his final proposals for Libya’s national unity government on October 8, after more than a year of negotiations between the country’s rival factions. Both of Libya’s rival parliaments, however, remain split on whether to accept or reject the proposed agreement.

Top News: Russia Says it Wants Syria Elections, Ready to Help Free Syrian Army

By MENASource

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the Kremlin wanted Syria to prepare for parliamentary and presidential elections. He also said that Russia’s air force, which has been reportedly bombing the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL), would be ready to help Western-backed Free Syrian Army rebels if it knew where they were.

Top News: Alexandria Flash Floods Lead to Governor’s Resignation

By EgyptSource

Torrential rains lashed Egypt’s Mediterranean city of Alexandria Sunday, killing five people, including two children and the captain of a ship who was trapped in his car by floodwaters, officials said.

EconSource: Cheap Oil Weans Gulf State Firms Off Public Purse, Pushes Them to Market

By EconSource

Gulf state-linked firms are being forced to wean themselves off direct government funding and focus more on capital markets and private investment as they push ahead with projects in an era of cheap oil.

Iraqi Kurdistan Needs a Referendum to Resolve its Political Crisis

By Nussaibah Younis

Iraqi Kurdistan is often hailed as a democratic, reliable, and effective partner for Western powers engaging with Iraq, but the political crisis that has overtaken the region this year has exposed just how fragile and problematic the Iraqi Kurdish political system really is.

Top News: Russia, US, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia Seek Solution to Syrian War in Vienna

By MENASource

US Secretary of State John Kerry opened talks in Vienna on Friday with his Russian, Saudi, and Turkish counterparts aimed at reviving a moribund effort to end Syria’s civil war.

Top News: Security Forces Arrest Senior Brotherhood Figure Hassan Malek

By EgyptSource

Egyptian security forces arrested Hassan Malek, a leader of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, security officials said.

EconSource: Islamic State Earning Up to $50 Million a Month in Oil Sales

By EconSource

The Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) is raking in up to $50 million a month from selling crude oil from fields under its control in Iraq and Syria, according to Iraqi intelligence and US officials.

Photo Essay: The Citizens Speak

By Jonathan Rashad

Final figures for Egypt’s parliamentary elections have been announced, with voter turnout reaching 26 percent in the first phase. With only four independent seats secured, voters will be expected to go to the polls once again to cast their votes for the remaining 222 seats in run-off elections. The vote also has yet to take […]

Top News: US Soldier Killed Freeing ISIS Prisoners in Iraq

A US soldier was killed on Thursday morning as American and Kurdish commandos raided an ISIS outpost near the northern Iraqi town of Hawija, freeing prisoners and capturing some of the militants, Iraqi and American officials said.