Amman, Jordan 25 July 2017 (IHS Jane's Defence Weekly) The Royal Jordanian Air Force (RJAF) has received into service a further two Sikorsky S-70 Black Hawk helicopters to augment the 24 it already fields. The event, which was announced by the US Embassy in Jordan on 23 July, involved the delivery of helicopters to Jordan...

Doha 26 July 2017 Qatar has described a new blacklist released by Saudi Arabia and its allies as a "disappointing surprise", saying it was doing all it could to fight extremism. Sheikh Saif bin Ahmed Al Thani, Qatar's communications director, said the decision by the four Arab states to add 18 groups and individuals allegedly...

Nicosia 24 July 2017 (TRNC PIO/ Kıbrıs Postası) Nicosia based 'The Five Fingers Think Tank' stated that the arrival at a deadlock on a federal partnership (with Greek part of Cyprus Island) is not the end of the world. In a written statement, the think tank said that, according to the long-held principle that “Nothing...

Doha 25 July 2017 Delegates representing 150 global media and human rights bodies today at the end of a two days conference in Doha on 'Freedom of Expression' have condemned Saudi Arabia led blockade on Qatar seven weeks ago. Journalists and human rights activists denounced "threats" by Saudi Arabia and its allies against Qatari media...

Washington, DC 25 July 2017 (AlJazeera Network) A Saudi lobby in the United States has launched a television advertisement campaign against Qatar, contracts reviewed by Al Jazeera show, with $138,000 spent on seven, 30-second TV spots. The TV spots have been purchased by the Saudi American Public Relation Affairs Committee (SAPRAC). The advertisements, which began...

25 July 2017 (TRNC News) UN Secretary General’s Special Adviser on Cyprus Espen Barth Eide has said that the situation as it stands after the Conference on Cyprus, in Crans-Montana, Switzerland which ended without a positive conclusion, is “complicated”, adding that he has not seen any immediate developments. In statements to the press after two...

Egypt has said that the four Arab states will accept no compromise in their dispute with Qatar over allegations that Doha supports "terrorism". Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, speaking after talks with the European Union Diplomatic Chief, Federica Mogherini in Brussels on Tuesday, said Qatar must accept in full the demands by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain...

Lahore 24 July 2017 (BBC/AlJazeera News) At least 26 people killed and more than 50 injured in a car bomb blast in second biggest city of Lahore of Pakistan, media reports quoted officials reference. The Pakistani Taliban said it was behind the explosion. According to the various media conflicting news, either it was a suicide...

23 July 2017 (Reuters) Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan traveled to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait on Sunday, the Gulf states' official news agencies reported, as part of a diplomatic tour aimed at healing an Arab rift with Ankara's ally Qatar. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut ties and imposed sanctions on Qatar...

Amman, Jordan 24 July 2017 (Yahoo News/AFP) Two Jordanians were killed and an Israeli seriously wounded in a shooting Sunday at the Jewish state's embassy in Amman, a security source said. "The first Jordanian, 17-year-old Mohammed Jawawdeh, succumbed to his injuries at the scene. The second, Bashar Hamarneh, a doctor who was in the residential...