Kuwait pledges $2b for Iraq reconstruction
Reuters, Kuwait
Kuwait’s Emir said it would lend $1 billion and commit a further $1 billion of investments to Iraq, joining a group of international backers that have this week pledged funds to bolster the country’s recovery.
Donors and investors have gathered in Kuwait to discuss efforts to rebuild Iraq’s economy and infrastructure as it emerges from a devastating conflict with Islamic State militants who seized almost a third of the country.
US set to boost aid to Jordan
AP, Amman
Despite repeated threats to punish countries that don’t agree with U.S. policy in the Middle East, the Trump administration is set to boost aid to Jordan by more than $1 billion over the next five years.
President Donald Trump has vowed to cut aid to nations that oppose the U.S., yet rhetoric appears to have hit reality with Jordan, a critical American partner in the volatile Middle East that has opposed the administration’s Mideast approach.
Netanyahu rejects calls to resign
AFP, Jerusalem
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected calls to step down Wednesday after police recommended his indictment for corruption, the biggest challenge yet to the right-wing premier’s long tenure in power.
Netanyahu again came out swinging on Wednesday morning, harshly criticising the police investigation against him while making clear he has no intention of resigning.
Militants kill 4 Pak paramilitary troops
AP, Pakistan
Militants riding on motorcycles opened fire at a vehicle carrying paramilitary forces in southwestern Pakistan on Wednesday, killing four troops before fleeing, police said.
Hours later, the Taliban-linked Lashkar-e-Jhangvi Al-Almi militant group claimed responsibility for the attack in Quetta’s Saryab neighborhood.
Dutch Foreign Minister quits
Reuters, Amsterdam
Dutch Foreign Minister Halbe Zijlstra resigned on Tuesday after admitting that he had lied about attending a meeting in 2006 at which he said Russian President Vladimir Putin had outlined a strategy for building a greater Russia.
