Libyan strongman issues new threat over oil revenue

BENGHAZI: Libyan military strongman Khalifa Haftar, who backs the politically split country’s eastern administration, has threatened military action unless oil revenues are divided fairly by the end of August.
The country sits on Africa’s biggest oil reserves but the wedge between the eastern government and a UN-recognized administration in Tripoli has hampered Libya’s efforts to sharply ramp up output in response to a surge in European demand for non-Russian oil and gas.


Qur’an burning in Sweden raises questions about its reliability as a possible NATO member, says Turkiye’s foreign minister

ANKARA: Turkiye’s foreign minister said on Tuesday that Swedish authorities’ failure to prevent Qur’an-burning protests in the country is raising security concerns and questions about Sweden’s credentials for possible NATO membership.
But Hakan Fidan said Turkiye would still approve Sweden’s membership in the military alliance if Stockholm “completes its homework” and presses ahead with efforts to address Turkiye’s concerns.


Jordan foreign minister, Assad discuss Syria refugees, drug smuggling

DAMASCUS: Syrian President Bashar Assad and Jordan’s top diplomat Ayman Safadi met Monday in Damascus and discussed war refugees and a crackdown on cross-border drug smuggling, Amman’s foreign ministry said.
Safadi’s visit comes at a time of increasing regional engagement with the Assad regime, peaking with Damascus’s return to the Arab League after years of isolation since Syria’s war began in 2011.


Erdogan signals Turkiye isn’t ready to ratify Sweden NATO membership, saying there’s more work to do

ANKARA: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signaled Monday that his country is not ready to ratify Sweden’s membership in NATO, saying Stockholm had to work harder on the “homework” it needs to complete.
Speaking after a Cabinet meeting, Erdogan also renewed his condemnation of a Qur’an-burning protest that took place in Sweden last week, describing the action as a hate crime against Muslims.


Palestinian Authority losing favor in West Bank, Israeli study shows

GAZA CITY: The popularity of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank has fallen sharply, while support for Hamas and Islamic Jihad has grown, according to an Israeli study.

The report, carried out by the Institute for National Security Studies at the Israeli Tel Aviv University, urged the Israeli government to strengthen the PA’s security services and boost its economy, describing it as being in the “Israeli interest.”

The research team comprised a retired major general and two academics from the University of Wales in the UK.