Middle East: Febrile and fragmented

Beirut (AFP) - Across the Middle East, fierce rivalry between Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shiite Iran is heightening sectarian tensions, even in conflicts that analysts say are primarily political.

JERUSALEM — Israel’s prime minister harshly condemned the international community’s nuclear deal with Iran on Sunday while Western allies in the Persian Gulf were conspicuously quiet, reflecting the jitters felt throughout the Middle East over Iran’s acceptance on the global stage. Elsewhere, many welcomed the agreement as an important first step toward curbing Iran’s suspect nuclear program.

Thomson ReutersUS Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Wednesday accused Iran of 'alarming ongoing provocations' to destabilize countries in the Middle East as the Trump administration launched a review of its policy toward Tehran.

ByKurt Moeller:With a buyout agreement announced Friday, Gardner Denver's (GDI) stock has risen 30% since late July, when I suggested on Seeking Alpha that it was a takeover target.

 Ten years ago in the United Arab Emirates, a new settlement was started from scratch, with the aim of becoming “the world’s most sustainable city”. Masdar City was designed to be zero-carbon and zero-waste, home to a population of 40,000 people, with an additional 50,000 commuters, in an area of six square kilometres. Today, it’s playing a crucial role in the development of sustainable design and technology.

America may wish to pivot towards Asia and Europe may be turned inward, but the Middle East offers no respite, writes David Gardner

America may wish to pivot towards Asia and Europe may be turned inward, but the Middle East offers no respite, writes David Gardner

Middle East In a region that gave birth to all three Abrahamic faiths, fears for the future are growing among Christians as regimes that gave them protection yield to something less certain, writes David Gardner