Middle East
Turkey says EU arms embargo on Syrian rebels skews conflict - (74 days ago)
Turkey said on Friday anti-government fighters in Syria were at a disadvantage because they werent properly armed, and stopped just short of calling for a European Union arms embargo to be lifted. In some of his strongest comments on the subject so far, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said he had discussed the embargo barring delivery of all arms to Syria with Britain and
Ali Larayedh, moderate Islamist set to head new Tunisia govt - (74 days ago)
Larayedh vowed to head a government "for all Tunisians" when he was tasked with forming a cabinet last month and resolving a political crisis triggered by the February 6 assassination of leftist opposition leader Chokri Belaid. But two weeks of "marathon negotiations" failed to win over the three opposition parties that he had hoped would join his government, leaving him with the two
Independents take senior roles in Tunisia's new Islamist-led government - (74 days ago)
Tunisian Prime Minister Ali Larayedh unveiled a new coalition government led by the moderate Islamist Ennahda party on Friday, saying it would serve only until an election later in the year. Larayedh replaced Hamadi Jebali, who resigned following the assassination of secular politician Chokri Belaid on February 6, which provoked the worst unrest in Tunisia since the uprising that
Tunisian PM unveils new Islamist-led government - (75 days ago)
The new government is led by the Islamist Ennahda party, backed by the centre-left Ettakatol and the secular Congress for the Republic led by President Moncef Marzouki - the same parties that were in the previous cabinet. Larayedh replaced Hamadi Jebali, who resigned following the assassination of secular politician Chokri Belaid on Feb. 6, which provoked the worst unrest in Tunisia
Hamas brands Obama visit a 'trap' - (75 days ago)
"We are convinced that Obama's visit will not produce the necessary breakthrough for our people," Ismail Haniya said at a sermon during weekly Muslim prayers in the Gaza Strip's Al-Omari mosque. And he urged rival Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas, who is due to meet Obama at his West Bank headquarters, not to be deluded by the visit or sacrifice efforts to seal Palestinian
Iraq security forces kill protester: Activists - (75 days ago)
"Fire from police and the army in Al-Ahrar Square resulted in the killing of a protester," spokesman for the demonstrators Ghazi al-Faisal said, identifying the dead man as Mahmud Saleh Yassin. Hamad Salman, the head of the coordinating committees for the protests in Nineveh province, of which Mosul is the capital, also reported deadly fire against the demonstrators. A police officer
Syria's millionth refugee despairs, thinks of home - (75 days ago)
She and her little boy and girl now live with her in-laws and relatives in a 20-square-metre (215-square-foot) house in a poor neighbourhood in Lebanon's northern port city of Tripoli. Bushra knows nothing of her husband, Mohammed, who stayed behind when she and the children fled to her parents in a Damascus suburb a year ago. She, Hanine, aged 4, and Sultan, 2, arrived in Lebanon two
Israeli police, Palestinians clash at Jerusalem mosque - (75 days ago)
Israeli police fired stun grenades to disperse Palestinian worshippers who had thrown rocks and firebombs at them after Friday prayers at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City, police said. Dozens of officers entered the politically sensitive area, one of Islam's holiest sites to break up several hundred protesters. A number of policemen were lightly hurt, a police spokesman
Saudi accuses activists of lying to stir protests - (75 days ago)
Concern over the fate of the kingdom's thousands of security detainees, who the government says are Islamist militants, has prompted demonstrations, culminating in the arrest of 161 people at a protest last week in the central city of Buraidah. The accusation, delivered during a news conference in Buraidah, underscored the government's concerns over the impact of reports distributed via
One millionth Syria refugee despairs, thinks of home - (75 days ago)
She and her little boy and girl now live with her in-laws and relatives in a 20-square-metre (215-square-foot) house in a poor neighbourhood in Lebanon's northern port city of Tripoli. Bushra knows nothing of her husband, Mohammed, who stayed behind when she and the children fled to her parents in a Damascus suburb a year ago. She, Hanine, aged 4, and Sultan, 2, arrived in Lebanon two
Syrian rebels firm on UN's hostage demands - (75 days ago)
The refusal by the Syrian rebels to compromise had dampened hopes of the UN peacekeepers being released quickly, and forced the government to step up its negotiation efforts, foreign affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez said. "The demand of the rebels for the re-positioning of Syrian forces in the area of Jamla is still outstanding so this is still being worked out," he said on ABS-CBN
Larayedh set to unveil last-moment Tunisia government - (75 days ago)
"After marathon negotiations, we have reached an agreement on the government... we are going to give it the final touch tomorrow morning" before presenting the plan to the president, Larayedh said late on Thursday. The announcement came after two weeks of fraught discussions, which three political parties pulled out of on Thursday, amid ongoing tensions and uncertainty sparked by the
Gunmen storm private Libyan TV, seize staff - (75 days ago)
Alassema TV owner Jomaa Al-Osta and four of his staff were abducted by unknown assailants, the statement said. The commission urged the interior ministry "to intervene immediately to release the prisoners." Mohammed al-Sharkassi, an anchor at Alassema TV, told another news channel he was seized briefly outside his workplace by "individuals who identified themselves as former
PM asks Egypt to stay out of Libyan affairs - (75 days ago)
Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zaidan asked Egypt not to interfere in Libyan internal affairs at a news conference with his Egyptian counterpart, Hesham Qandil, in Cairo Thursday. Qandil was quick to assure Zaidan that Egypt has no plans to become involved in Libyan affairs. “We are interested in the success of the Libyan revolution. Our intervention will be positive because we have common
No idea when govt will be formed :Tunisia's new PM - (76 days ago)
Larayedh pointed out that that appointed premier represents the only source of credible information in the country as Ettakatol, the coalition partner of the ruling Islamist Ennahda party, revealed that negotiations over government formation had reached its "final round." These statements came in light of opposition figure Chokri Belaid's murder, which sparked deadly street protests and
Syria's Assad hails Turkey anti-Erdogan opposition - (76 days ago)
The statement comes after Assad met a Turkish opposition delegation. Assad told the Republican People's Party delegation there was "a need to distinguish between the stance of the Turkish people, who support stability in Syria, and the positions of Erdogan's government, which supports terrorism, extremism and destabilisation in the region," it said. "The Syrian people appreciates the
Palestinians mourn loss of their champion Chavez - (76 days ago)
The 58-year-old Venezuelan president, who died on Tuesday after a nearly two-year struggle with cancer, was hugely popular with the Palestinians for his outspoken support for their plight. "This is a great loss for us," president Mahmud Abbas said during a condolence call to the Venezuelan representative's office in Ramallah. "The Palestinian people will remain faithful to Chavez whose
Kuwait jails two for emir insult tweets: Lawyer - (76 days ago)
Sager al-Hashash was given two years in jail with immediate effect while Nasser al-Deehani was handed a 20-month term but was asked to pay 200 dinars ($700) to suspend it, lawyer Khaled al-Humoud wrote on his own Twitter account. The two verdicts are not final as they can be challenged in the Gulf emirate's court of appeal and supreme courts, Humoud said. The opposition slammed the
Damascus rejects opposition representation in Arab League - (76 days ago)
"The recognition decision violates the Arab League Charter and legitimises the presence of one party to the conflict despite its involvement in bloody acts at the expense of the Syrian victims," the statement said.The statement accused the Arab League of "political bias" to regional and international players, referring to Qatar and France, which support military action in the two-year Syrian
Fishermen syndicate calls on president to intervene over boats confiscated in Libya - (76 days ago)
Ahmed Abdo Nassar, head of the Kafr al-Sheikh fishermen’s syndicate, has appealed to President Mohamed Morsy to intervene to secure the release of five Egyptian fishing boats detained by Libyan authorities since last year.The call came Wednesday, only a few hours after the arrival of Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan in Cairo to hold discussions with Egyptian officials.Libyan authorities are
Brotherhood to Hamas: Implement jihad in other ways - (76 days ago)
YnetnewsEgyptian leadership urges Gaza rulers to follow its lead in attempt to convince international community of legitimacy. 'Take an example from us…we paved the way, we did the dirty work for you,' they say When Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Morsi rose to power in Egypt, Hamas hoped he would instill a new policy that would grant the terror organization more freedom on many
Morocco eyes law on rape and child marriage - (76 days ago)
Morocco was shocked in March 2012 by the suicide of Amina Filali, 16, who was forced to marry the man who had raped her. He remained a free man under Article 475 of the kingdom's penal code. A year later, the controversial article is to be amended after the Islamist government threw its weight behind a new bill now expected to be adopted by parliament at a spring session. The justice
Qaeda militant killed planting bomb: Yemen official - (76 days ago)
An Al-Qaeda militant was killed Thursday when a roadside bomb he was trying to plant at a central market in the southern town of Loder exploded, a security official told AFP. Witnesses in the town where a suspected Al-Qaeda suicide bomber killed 12 pro-government militiamen earlier this week said the militant's body was torn to pieces in the blast. Yemeni President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi
Syria rebels seize UN peacekeepers, take key city - (76 days ago)
Syrian rebels on Wednesday abducted the peacekeepers, who are from the Philippines, diplomats said, as the frontiers of their war against President Bashar al-Assad spread further. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon called for their "immediate" release and demanded the Syrian government and rebels respect their "freedom of movement and security". The UN said it was trying to negotiate the
Egypt's tunnel closures hit Gaza builders - (76 days ago)
Business was booming for Gaza brick-maker Yasser Qreqea, until neighbouring Egypt shut down smuggling tunnels across its border that were funnelling arms to militants in the territory and cement and other basic goods to everyone else. Overnight the price of building materials soared in the Gaza Strip, hitting Qreqeas key customers and, industry sources said, slowing the construction of
UN: Israel guilty of 'systematic' and 'cruel' treatment of Palestinian minors - (76 days ago)
The ill-treatment of Palestinian minors held within the Israeli military detention system is "widespread, systematic and institutionalized," claims a new report published Wednesday by the UN children's fund. UNICEF’s report examined the Israeli military court system and found that its practices for holding Palestinian children were "cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or
Arab League calls on Syrian National Coalition to take council seat - (76 days ago)
Foreign ministers from Arab League member nations declared the Syrian National Coalition as the sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people following a closed meeting in Cairo Wednesday. The council called on the coalition to form an executive body to represent Syria in the league and to participate in a Doha summit until a new Syrian government is formed. The council stressed the
Iran arrests 2 journalists, bans reform papers - (76 days ago)
The latest moves are seen in the context of rivalries among political factions ahead of June's presidential election. A report by semi-official ISNA news agency Wednesday says agents from Tehran prosecutor's office detained managing editor Mohammad Mahdi Emami Nasseri and political editor Ali Reza Aghaeirad of the reformist Maghreb daily over an article that criticized President Mahmoud
Israel urges tourists to avoid Sinai, African states - (76 days ago)
It warned of "the dangers of attacks" in the Sinai—scene of anti-Israeli attacks both before and since Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak's 2011 ouster—and in Kenya, Mali, Morocco, Nigeria and Tunisia. Indian Kashmir and southern Thailand were also on the list of destinations for Israeli holidaymakers to
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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
