Middle East
Saudi Arabia confirms additional death from SARS-like virus - (17 hours ago)
ReutersSaudi Arabia has announced another death from the SARS-like novel coronavirus (nCoV) in its central Al-Qassim region, bringing the total number of deaths in the kingdom to 17.A non-Saudi, whose nationality and age were not given, died Tuesday, the Saudi health ministry said on its website late Wednesday. It said he had been admitted to a hospital in Al-Qassim several days ago with an
Brotherhood in Libya denies it is instructed, supported by Supreme Guide in Egypt - (18 hours ago)
Tripoli PostIn an effort to clear its image and play down accusations that its loyalty lays outside Libya, the Libyan Muslim Brotherhood Group denied that it is receiving instructions and support from outside Libya, particularly from the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt.The group held a press conference on Wednesday evening aimed at establishing better ties with the media and explain its position with
Hamas blamed for Egyptian jail breaks in 2011 - (19 hours ago)
The Times of IsraelIt was one of the most perplexing events of Egypt’s revolution: orchestrated attacks on prisons around the country that broke out more than 20,000 inmates while police were tied down with the massive popular protests that swept autocrat Hosni Mubarak from power.The prison breaks added to the chaos during the 18-day uprising in 2011, and the flood of criminals onto the
Not ours, says Iran of drone found off Bahrain - (19 hours ago)
AFPTehran on Thursday denied a Bahraini claim it had found an Iranian drone in the sea near Saudi Arabia, and urged Manama to refrain from making "baseless accusations", the ISNA news agency reported.It cited an unnamed foreign ministry source as denying Bahrain's assertion that the downed aircraft was Iranian."Instead of making baseless claims, it would be better to respond to the legitimate
Kerry back in Israel for peace push - (19 hours ago)
AFPUS Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday admitted there was scepticism and cynicism about his efforts to broker new talks between Israelis and Palestinians, as he made his fourth visit to Israel.Flying in from a night of diplomacy in Amman over the war in Syria, Kerry went straight into talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he pursued his bid to kick-start negotiations frozen
75 Hezbollah fighters killed in Syria so far: Source - (19 hours ago)
AFPSeventy-five fighters from Lebanon's Hezbollah have been killed in Syria since they first became involved in the country's war months ago, a source close to the Shiite militant group said on Thursday."There have been 57 killed and 18 others who have died of their wounds since the start of its (Hezbollah's) participation in the war in Syria," the source told
Human rights abuses rampant in Gulf states: Amnesty - (19 hours ago)
AFPHuman rights abuses remained widespread last year in the Gulf states, including discrimination against dissidents, migrant labourers, women and religious minorities, Amnesty International said in a report on Wednesday.In particular, authorities severely restricted freedom of speech, association and assembly and clamped down on the dissent and unrest that swept several countries during the
5 killed, 50 wounded in Lebanon's Tripoli - (20 hours ago)
Five people were killed and more than 50 wounded in overnight clashes in Tripoli between Lebanese gunmen backing rival factions in Syria's civil war, doctors and security sources said on Thursday.Tripoli has suffered sporadic sectarian violence since the Sunni Muslim-led uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad broke out in March 2011, but after a night of mortar, grenade and machinegun
Kerry warns Syria's Assad against rejecting political solution - (20 hours ago)
ReutersWestern governments are ready to increase support to opponents of President Bashar al-Assad if he rejects a political solution to Syria's civil war, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Wednesday.Kerry said recent military gains by Assad's forces were only temporary and that if he believed the counter-offensives against the rebels would be decisive, "then he is
Recovering Bouteflika to 'return soon' to Algeria - (20 hours ago)
Hospitalised Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika is recovering well in Paris and will return home soon, Foreign Minister Mourad Medelci said on Wednesday."The president is in good health; he will return soon to Algeria. For the moment he is still in France for a few days of recovery," Medelci told Radio France Internationale (RFI).Bouteflika, 76, was flown to Paris for treatment about three
Israel arrests 3 Palestinian police who served jail - (20 hours ago)
AFPIsrael arrested three Palestinian police officers on Wednesday after they returned to duty having served jail terms in Palestinian prisons for shooting dead a Jewish settler, a Palestinian official said."Israel arrested three elements of the national security who had been detained by the Palestinian Authority in Al-Jneid prison in Nablus for their unintentional killing of a settler two years
Iran speeds up installation of nuclear equipment: IAEA - (20 hours ago)
AFPIran has accelerated the installation of advanced nuclear machines at its Natanz plant in the last three months, the UN atomic agency said in a report Wednesday.The International Atomic Energy Agency said that Iran has installed at Natanz almost 700 IR-2m centrifuges and empty casings, used to enrich uranium, compared with 180 in
Turkey police foil attacks against Syrian refugees: Governor - (20 hours ago)
AFPTurkish police have arrested six people who were planning attacks against refugees staying in camps near the Syrian border, a local governor said on Wednesday.The suspects -- all of them Turkish nationals -- allegedly plotted "kidnappings and bombing attacks at refugee shelters" in southeastern Hatay province, its governor Celalettin Lekesiz said in televised
Iran denies links to 'spies' arrested by Saudis - (20 hours ago)
AFPIran denied on Wednesday claims by Saudi Arabia that alleged spies it arrested were linked to the Islamic republic, and criticised the kingdom for publicising such allegations.Foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Araqchi said the reports were "false," maintaining Iran's position of completely rejecting the accusations.On Tuesday, Saudi authorities said they had detained 10 more suspects, bringing
Syria opposition to mull peace talks - (20 hours ago)
Syria's main opposition group gathers Thursday for a landmark conference in Istanbul, Turkey, to discuss peace talks with the regime, as rebels on the ground suffer a massive army onslaught.The National Coalition's fresh round of talks is set to run for three days.It is the opposition group's first meeting since the United States and Russia announced a peace initiative dubbed Geneva 2 to end the
Assad's departure urged as Friends of Syria meet - (20 hours ago)
AFPBritain and Qatar urged President Bashar al-Assad to step down, as major world powers gathered on Wednesday to seek ways toward a peaceful end to Syria's conflict.And the United States urged Assad to make a "commitment to find peace" in a country whose conflict has killed more than 94,000 people and threatens to spill beyond its borders."It is the longstanding view of the UK that Assad needs
Palestinian cause fades into background post-Arab Spring, say experts - (20 hours ago)
The struggle for Palestinian rights has ground to an almost complete halt and is in need of a revamp. This was the message voiced by many experts at Wednesday's roundtable discussion in Cairo organised by the Afro-Asian Peoples’ Solidarity Organisation (AAPSO) and UNIC-Egypt.Experts concurred that the Palestinian cause had been largely forgotten since the outbreak of the Arab Spring and
Iran to publish Egyptian version of holy Quran in Lebanon - (2 days ago)
Iran Book News AgencySpeaking with IBNA, Mohammad Babaei, executive manager of Iran’s Center for Publication of the holy Quran, stated that although the Egyptian version of the holy Quran follows the writing rules of Egyptian Arabic, it is not specifically intended for Egyptians and will be published for Moslems in countries like Libya, Tunisia, Sudan and, of course, Egypt.As he said, the
Clashes in Lebanon's Tripoli kill 11 - (2 days ago)
AFPAt least 11 people have died and more than 100 been wounded in three days of Syria-related clashes in Lebanon's flashpoint city of Tripoli, a security source said on Wednesday.Fighting between Sunni and Alawite residents of the city was continuing for a fourth day on Wednesday but clashes had become more sporadic, the source told AFP.An AFP correspondent said large parts of the city of 500,000
Gunmen kill 12 at Baghdad brothel: Officials - (2 days ago)
AFPUnknown gunmen shot dead at least seven women and five men at a brothel in Baghdad on Wednesday, security and medical officials said.The attack took place in the capital's eastern area of Zayouna, where a number of brothels are located.An interior ministry official said the gunmen burst into the establishment early in the afternoon and opened fire.Both prostitution and alcohol are prohibited
Recovering Algerian president moved to new Paris facility - (2 days ago)
AFPAlgerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has been transferred to a new facility in Paris to continue his recovery after treatment in a French military hospital, France's defence ministry said Tuesday.Bouteflika, 76, was flown to the Val de Grace hospital in Paris three weeks ago following a mini-stroke and speculation has been rife about the state of his health.In a statement, the French
Syria opposition to attend Amman Syria meet: Spokesman - (2 days ago)
AFPThe opposition Syrian National Coalition has received a last-minute invitation to Wednesday's Friends of Syria meeting in Amman, and acting chief George Sabra will attend, a spokesman said.Spokesman Soner Ahmed said "the Coalition received a late invitation and has confirmed its participation in the meeting of the Friends of the Syrian people.""The Coalition will be represented by its interim
Ahmadinejad slams decision to bar ally from Iran vote - (2 days ago)
AFPIran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad hit out Wednesday at a decision to disqualify a close ally from a vote to elect his successor, while former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani had no objections to his own omission.The conservative-dominated Guardians Council on Tuesday eliminated both Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie and Rafsanjani from a list of eight candidates for the June 14 poll, and those
Syria opposition urges rebels to join Qusayr battle - (2 days ago)
AFPSyria's opposition urged fighters across the country Wednesday to "rush to the rescue" of rebel stronghold Qusayr, while appealing to the international community to set up a humanitarian corridor to the embattled town.Syria's acting National Coalition opposition chief George Sabra issued the call for rebel reinforcements to the town as Syrian troops backed by fighters from Lebanon's Hezbollah
Friends of Syria to press for peace talks - (2 days ago)
AFPCountries supporting the Syrian uprising against President Bashar al-Assad meet on Wednesday in Amman to discuss ways to end the bloody conflict, mainly a US-Russian proposal for peace talks.Eleven top diplomats from Britain, Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United States, are attending the meeting of the Friends of Syria
Iran bars Rafsanjani from standing for president - (2 days ago)
AFPIran said Tuesday the moderate ex-president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani was among those barred from standing in next month's presidential election, provoking a sharp reaction from Washington.Rafsanjani and a controversial aide of incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had been ruled unsuitable, the interior ministry said.The Guardians Council, a conservative-dominated vetting body, omitted Rafsanjani, who
Iranian Rafsanjani, Ahmadinejad aide excluded from presidential ballot - (2 days ago)
AFPIran’s election authorities have excluded former Iranian president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, a top aide of outgoing President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, from the country’s June 14 presidential ballot.Eight candidates won approval to stand -- five conservatives close to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as two moderate conservatives and a
Iranians joining Hezbollah in key Syria battle: US - (2 days ago)
AFPIranians are working alongside Hezbollah fighters to back Syrian troops battling to retake the rebel stronghold of Qusayr amid fears of a civilian massacre, a US official said Tuesday."It is the most visible effort we have seen by Hezbollah to engage directly in the fighting in Syria as a foreign force, and we understand there are also Iranians up there," a senior State Department official
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BBC SportWhen it's put to him that he might be the most talented athlete in the world to hold a racquet, a bashful Ramy Ashour admits "that's pretty great".The 25-year-old Egyptian is more than just the current squash world number one - his elastic, unorthodox brilliance and charisma could be the key to squash breaking out beyond its four walls and regaining a place on the wider sporting
Ministers in Prime Minister Hisham Qandil's cabinet following the recent reshuffle (new appointees are in italics): 1. Minister of Agriculture Ahmed Mahmoud Ali El-Gizawi2. Minister of Antiquities Ahmed Eissa3. Minister of Aviation Wael Maadawi4. Minister of Communication Atef Helmy5. Minister of Culture
AP— April 15, 2013: Two bombs explode in the packed streets near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three people and injuring more than 140.— January 17, 2011: A backpack bomb is placed along a Martin Luther King Day parade route in Spokane, Washington, meant to kill and injure participants in a civil rights march, but is found and disabled before it can explode. White
The convenient marriage between Iran and the Arab left would have been unthinkable only a few years ago, given the traditional ideological paradoxes between patriarchal Persian Shiism, on the one hand, and leftist orthodoxy on the other.Indeed, a casual viewer of Hizbullah's Al-Manar television, or the Iranian-funded Al-Mayadin TV, these days would probably think that the two Shia propaganda
