Haaretz Gazans studying abroad are trapped in Strip due to Egyptian border closure About 1,000 students from the Gaza Strip who are studying at universities abroad have been stranded in Gaza since last summer's war with Israel. The students — whose studies and, in some cases, scholarships have been jeopardized by their failure to return to their campuses — are among some 8,000 Gazans on the Palestinian Interior Ministry's waiting list of those who wish to go abroad if and when Egypt opens its border crossing at Rafah. Registration in advance has been required to prevent overcrowding on the few days that the crossing is open. In addition to the months of studies that the students have missed, the delay in their departure from Gaza in some cases could result in the expiration of their visas in the countries where they are studying as well as a loss of scholarship funds. Information from Israel's Gisha legal center for freedom of movement, indicates that the Palestinian Authority had actually asked Israel for permission to allow 300 Gazan students to cross into Jordan via the Allenby Bridge. The process of getting permission for 150 of them took about a month. The Palestinian Authority has just submitted a request for another 100 to leave Gaza via Israel and Jordan. Last Thursday Gisha asked COGAT to allow eight students that the organization represents to leave via the Allenby Bridge with Jordan. The organization said the request on the behalf of the eight had been submitted about two months ago but has yet to receive a response. Read more: http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.641999 The Jerusalem Post US signals it won't oppose Russia-Egypt deal on nuclear reactors Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Tuesday that his country would help build "a whole new nuclear power industry" in Egypt, Russian media reported. "We discussed today the possibility of cooperation in nuclear power engineering," said Putin, RT news reported. "If final decisions are made, they will relate not only to the construction of a nuclear power plant but also to the creation of a whole new nuclear power industry in Egypt." Russia would also aid in providing staff and scientific research, added Putin. The two leaders signed "a memorandum of understanding to build the first nuclear plant in [the northern city of] El-Dabaa," said Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who pointed out that it would be used to meet the country's electricity needs. Read more: http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/US-signals-it-wont-oppose-Russia-Egypt-deal-on-nuclear-reactors-390730 The Jerusalem Post WATCH: Israel intercepts boat carrying rocket-making materials from Egypt to Gaza The Israel Navy and the Shin Bet (Israel Intelligence Agency) jointly intercepted a boat traveling from Sinai to the Gaza Strip, carrying material for the production of rockets and mortars, security officials announced on Wednesday. The boat, carrying fiberglass resin and three Gazan residents, was intercepted by the navy on January 19. During questioning, the three suspects on board told the Shin Bet that their smuggling attempt was aimed at assisting Hamas's military wing, the Izzadin Kassam Brigade, by providing it with raw material for building rockets and mortar shells. The Israel Police's southern district also took part in the investigation. According to security officials, many details on sea-based smuggling attempts between Gaza and Sinai emerged during the investigation, shedding light on how Hamas's military wing uses the Mediterranean as a smuggling route. Hamas also uses the sea for the smuggling civilian products to sell to Gaza's residents, and uses the profits for its purposes, the Shin Bet added. "Recently, Hamas has invested much in exploiting naval smuggling routes, partly due to Egypt's efforts to prevent smuggling tunnels that linked Sinai and Gaza," it said. Read more: http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Israel-Navy-Shin-Bet-intercept-attempt-to-ship-weapon-material-to-Gaza-390738 The Washington Post Putin went to Egypt and heard this terrible version of the Russian anthem Russian President Vladimir Putin conducted an eventful trip to Egypt this week. His arrival in Cairo was heralded by banners with his portrait fluttering along the capital's boulevards and a full-page, reverent photo-spread in one of the country's main newspapers. But the visit didn't go off totally without a hitch. At a ceremony marking Putin's visit, an Egyptian military band mangled the Russian national anthem. As Buzzfeed quips, just "see how long you can listen to this train wreck." The rendition has been deemed "ear-splitting," "grotesque," a "massacre" and a "mauling." Putin himself was clearly not that impressed. Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2015/02/11/putin-went-to-egypt-and-heard-this-terrible-version-of-the-russian-anthem/
