Middle East
Egyptian Christian dies in Libyan detention - (71 days ago)
Ahram OnlineAn Egyptian Foreign Ministry official says a man suspected of trying to spread Christianity in Libya has died in prison there.The diplomat says Ezzat Atallah, who suffered from diabetes and heart ailments, likely died of natural causes. He spoke anonymously Sunday in line with regulations.Atallah was among five Evangelical Christian Egyptians detained in Libya for allegedly
Locusts continue you to swarm in to Israel - (71 days ago)
Jerusalem PostSwarms of locusts continued to threaten crops in Israel on Monday as day break saw Ministry of Agriculture spray planes continuing to battle the infestation. The head of the Ramat Hanegev municipality Shmuel Rifman called on the President of Egypt Mohamed Morsi to spray the locust swarms while they were still in the Sinai and before they landed in Israel, Israel Radio
Qaeda claims killing of 48 Syrian soldiers in Iraq - (71 days ago)
Al-Qaeda's Iraqi front group claimed an attack on a convoy in west Iraq that killed 48 Syrian soldiers and nine Iraqi guards, in a statement posted on jihadist forums on Monday. The soldiers had entered Iraq for medical treatment and were being transported through the western province of Anbar on their way back to Syria when the attack took place on March 4, according to the Iraqi
Egyptian ambassador to Palestine inspects Al-Aqsa Mosque - (71 days ago)
The Egyptian ambassador to Palestine, Yasser Othman, inspected Al-Aqsa Mosque after what he called Israeli excesses against the Islamic and Christian sanctities of Jerusalem, particularly the attack on the Holy Quran and the excavations below the mosque. “The Egyptian leadership sent me to declare our rejection of the excesses on Al-Aqsa Mosque, which is at the heart of the doctrine of
Egypt, Tunisia strive to woo back tourists - (71 days ago)
Two years after the Arab Spring uprisings, Tunisia and Egypt are trying to win back holidaymakers in a lifeblood sector for both countries which are gripped by renewed political crisis. Leading tourism officials from Tunisia and Egypt were keen to stress at the ITB Berlin tourism fair, which closes Sunday, that their destinations are safe and outlined plans for wooing back visitors. Egyptian
Hamas: Egypt promised to pressure Israel over cargo trucks to Gaza - (71 days ago)
Egypt promised to pressure Israel to increase the number of cargo trucks allowed to the Gaza Strip through the Karam Abu Salem crossing, in accordance with the truce signed by the resistance factions and Israel after the last war, Hamas Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Ghazi Hamad said. Hamad added at a news conference Sunday that Hamas is discussing with Egyptian security officials the
Moroccan policeman kills 3 colleagues - (72 days ago)
The ministry, in a statement carried by the MAP news agency, said the reason for the triple homicide was not immediately clear but the policemen was in a "state of hysteria" when he used his service weapon to kill three colleagues. The state security services launched an investigation and dispatched experts, including a psychiatrist, to Mechraa Belksiri in northern Morocco where the
Syrian refugee numbers could triple by year-end: U.N - (72 days ago)
The number of refugees outside Syria could triple by the end of the year from the 1 million now if there is no resolution to the conflict, the head of the U.N. refugee agency said on Sunday. The millionth Syrian refugee was registered in Jordan on Wednesday, following a dramatic acceleration in the number of civilians fleeing war in their homeland. Syrians started trickling out of the
Iran repeats offer to help US find missing ex-FBI agent - (72 days ago)
On Friday the United States, arch-foe of Iran, asked again for Tehran's help in finding Robert Levinson who disappeared six years ago from the Gulf island of Kish. "We have said many times that we do not have any information in this regard," Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi was quoted as saying by the ISNA and IRNA news agencies. "We have repeatedly announced that we are ready to
Tunisia faces crunch week in resolving political crisis - (72 days ago)
There are hopes that it may finally be able to overcome this crisis, which brought down the government of Hamadi Jabali, when parliament holds a vote of confidence on Tuesday for the new cabinet line-up of premier-designate Ali Larayedh. His Islamist Ennahda party and its two secular partners in the outgoing coalition control 109 out of the 217 seats in the National Constituent
Air strikes on Homs district attacked by Syria rebels: NGO - (72 days ago)
"The air force is bombing Baba Amr," which thousands of residents have returned to since it was taken by the army last March, said Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdel
Syrian refugee numbers may double or triple this year: UN - (72 days ago)
"Now if this escalation goes on and nothing happens to solve the problem we might have in the end of the year a much larger number of refugees: twice or three times the present level," he told reporters in
Gunmen kill protest organiser in north Iraq - (72 days ago)
Unknown gunmen shot dead Bnayan Sabar al-Obeidi in front of his house in the northern city of Kirkuk, they said. Protesters have taken to the streets in Sunni-majority areas of Iraq for more than two months, calling for Prime Minister Nuri Maliki's resignation and decrying the alleged targeting of their minority community by Shiite-led authorities. Obdeidi's death comes two days after
Israel PM in final throes of forming coalition - (72 days ago)
Time is of the essence for the Israeli leader who is facing a final deadline of March 16 to announce the shape of his new government after receiving a two-week extension to the initial 28 days he was given.If he fails to piece together a working majority of at least 61 MPs, the task will be handed by President Shimon Peres to another party leader.According to public radio, Netanyahu was expected
Saudi Arabia may stop beheading due to swordsmen shortages - (72 days ago)
The committee argued that such a step, if adopted, would not violate Islamic law, allowing heads – or emirs – of the country's 13 local administrative regions to begin using the new method when needed. "This solution seems practical, especially in light of shortages in official swordsmen or their belated arrival to execution yards in some incidents; the aim is to avoid
Libya suspends national congress meetings after violent protest - (72 days ago)
"We don't have a secured hall for meetings, and members cannot gather under gun and terrorism threats," the newspaper quoted GNC President Mohamed Maqrif as saying during a press conference held at the GNC headquarters on Saturday. The GNC president said discussions on the state budget, isolation law, and 'constitutional entitlement' were interrupted by violent protests that lasted for
U.N. says Syrian refugee numbers could triple by end of 2013 - (72 days ago)
The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said on Sunday there could be two or three times the 1 million registered Syrian refugees outside the country by the end of 2013 if the rise in numbers continues at its current rate. The 1 millionth Syrian refugee was registered in Jordan on Wednesday, following a dramatic acceleration in the number of civilians fleeing fighting in
Syrian National Coalition postpones meeting to form government - (72 days ago)
The meeting to elect a provisional prime minister, which was due to be held on March 12 after being postponed once already, has been rescheduled for March 20, but it was uncertain it would be held even then, the sources
Jordan's King Abdullah reappoints Ensour as PM - (72 days ago)
The monarch's consultations with the new parliament follow constitutional changes that devolved some his powers to the assembly - a response to calls for reform prompted by recent uprisings across the Arab world. King Abdullah previously hand-picked his prime ministers without consulting parliament. Ensour, an economist educated in the United States and France, who is not tainted with
Rights group slams Saudi for jailing tweeting activists - (72 days ago)
"We strongly condemn these jail terms and demand that Saudi authorities release them immediately and scrap the verdicts," said the Gulf Forum for Civil Societies (GFCS), a pan-Gulf liberal group, in a statement overnight. "We caution against the use of the judiciary as a means of settling political scores, which has become a policy used repeatedly by Gulf states during the past two
Syria crushed by war two years into revolt - (72 days ago)
But while dictatorships fell in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen and Libya, President Bashar al-Assad clung to power in Damascus, unleashing a brutal crackdown on what began as a peaceful pro-reform movement. The response on the street was no surprise. As many Syrians clung to the belief that peaceful tactics could change things, an ever-growing number took up arms. Two years on, Syria is mired in
Israel army prevents 'symbolic marriage' near barrier - (72 days ago)
The "marriage" was to have been held at an army roadblock between Jerusalem and Ramallah in the West Bank, with an Israeli Arab bride coming from Nazareth in northern Israel. But the army prevented the bride from arriving at the site and soldiers used stun grenades to disperse about 50 Palestinians who had gathered at the other side of the roadblock, causing no injuries. The ceremony,
Ban says Syrian rivals must respect UN 'impartiality' - (73 days ago)
Ban "appreciates the efforts of all concerned to secure their safe release," said a statement released by his press office after the 21 crossed from Syria into Jordan. The 21 members of the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), which monitors a ceasefire between Syria and Israel in the Golan Heights, were abducted on Wednesday. "The secretary general emphasizes to all parties the
Hundreds protest against Tunisia's ruling Islamists - (73 days ago)
"The people demand the fall of the regime!" protesters shouted as they carried placards criticising the composition of a new cabinet announced on Friday in the latest attempt to pull Tunisia out of its worst political crisis since the revolution two years ago. "The cabinet reshuffle was a piece of theatre," read one placard. The new cabinet unveiled by premier-designate Ali Larayedh
Jordan king hopes Obama visit revives Mideast peace - (73 days ago)
"We are looking forward to welcoming President Obama in Jordan soon. And I hope to see real momentum in the peace process after his visit, a strategic national interest for both our countries," the king said in an address to Jordanian and American businessmen at a meeting in Amman. Palestinian-Israeli peace talks have been deadlocked for more than two years. The Palestinians insist on
Saudi Arabia delays execution of seven facing crucifixion and firing squad - (73 days ago)
A Saudi security official says executions of seven Saudis sentenced to death by crucifixion and firing squad have been postponed for a week. He said King Abdullah would review the sentences. He met families of the seven on Sunday. The official said on Tuesday that the ruler of the southwestern province of Asir, Prince Faisal bin Abdel Aziz, ordered the postponement. He spoke on
BREAKING: UN peacekeepers taken to Syria-Jordan border - Rebels - (73 days ago)
It was no immediately clear whether the peacekeepers had crossed into Jordan. They had been held in the village of Jamla, about one mile (1.6 km) east of the frontier with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and six miles (10 km) north of
New Tunisia government faces daunting challenges - (73 days ago)
Parliament remains divided over the future political system, with the powerful Islamist Ennahda party pushing for a pure parliamentary system while other parties demand that the president retain key powers. Larayedh unveiled a cabinet on Friday with key portfolios handed to independent and little known figures, in a clear concession by Ennahda, and announced that the new government would
Yemeni clashes over Egyptian ship leave one dead - (73 days ago)
A young man was killed and 30 others injured in violent clashes in Hodeidah, western Yemen, between military police forces and members of a group called “Al-Herak al-Tohamy,” advocating the rights of Tihamah region in Yemen. The clashes resulted in the death of man named Abdel Rahman al-Gendy, while security forces arrested 80 people after group members and Yemeni fishermen
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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
"Abdullah's appointment was done via constitutional decree; it was a sovereign act by the head of the executive and therefore cannot be reversed by court ruling," said one leading FJP/Brotherhood figure. His comments echoed earlier assertions by Brotherhood lawyer Abdel-Moneim Abdel-Maksoud.The return of former prosecutor-general Mahmoud is "not going to happen," according to several government
