Middle East
Syrian army kills 100 people fleeing captured town: Activists - (10 days ago)
ReutersForces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad have killed at least 100 people who fled the town of Qusair after it was captured by army troops and fighters from the Lebanese Shi'ite group Hezbollah last week, opposition activists said on Sunday.Most of the dead were hit by machinegun fire and a sustained bombardment over the past three days as they tried to cross a highway east of
UN expert under fire ahead of Palestinian rights report - (10 days ago)
AFPA pro-Israel rights group said Sunday that it, with backing from Washington, would call on the UN's top rights body to dismiss a top official after he demanded an investigation of the organisation."UN Watch's draft resolution to remove (Richard) Falk has been published by the United Nations as an official document and will be put before the (Human Rights) Council when he addresses it
Israel PM says sharp rise in cyber attacks from Iran - (10 days ago)
AFPIsrael has been the target of a growing number of cyber attacks from Iran and its militant allies Hizbullah and Hamas, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Sunday."In recent months, we have identified a significant rise in the scope of cyber attacks by Iran, which are carried out directly by Iran and its proxies Hizbullah and Hamas," he told a cyber security conference at Tel Aviv
Istanbul protesters hunker down with yoga and books - (10 days ago)
ReutersIn Istanbul's Gezi Park, yoga practitioners stretch and students read in a makeshift library - a statement of their intent to stay on after a week of protests.At night demonstrators taunt riot police from beyond barricades on the streets around Taksim Square. Those in its Gezi Park hold sit-down protests and discuss Turkey's future.High school teacher Aylin Erkan helped set up a library
Yemen air strike 'kills five Qaeda militants' - (10 days ago)
AFPAn air strike believed to have been carried out by a US drone in north Yemen killed five presumed members of Al-Qaeda on Sunday, a tribal source said.The air raid targeted a vehicle in the Khab al-Shath area near al-Jawf, the source said, adding that suspected Al-Qaeda member Hassan al-Saleh Huraydan, his brother and three others were
Anti-Hezbollah protester shot dead in Beirut - (10 days ago)
AFPA young Lebanese man demonstrating against Hezbollah's participation in Syria's war was shot and fatally wounded Sunday, in the first such incident in Beirut, a security official told AFP.Shots were fired in front of the Iranian embassy on the outskirts of the capital, where opponents of the Iran-backed Shiite movement Hezbollah were demonstrating against its involvement in the two-year-old
Strikes to hit French airports from Tuesday - (10 days ago)
ReutersFrench air-transport unions plan to strike from Tuesday to Thursday and airlines should reduce flights to the major airports, France's civil aviation authority (DGAC) said.The DGAC has asked airlines to drop half their flights to airports serving Paris, Lyon, Nice, Marseille, Toulouse and Bordeaux.The unions are protesting against European Union plans to liberalise civil airspace under the
Syria army preparing for Aleppo battle: Security source - (10 days ago)
AFPSyria's army is preparing to launch an assault on Aleppo aimed at driving rebels out of the northern city and surrounding province, a Syrian security source told AFP on Sunday.The announcement comes five days after the army and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah seized Qusayr in central-west Syria, a year after the strategic region had fallen into rebel hands."It is likely the battle for Aleppo will
Syria rebels fire on Iraq border posts, one killed - (10 days ago)
AFPSyrian rebels on Sunday opened fire on two Iraqi border posts along the southern edge of the two countries' frontier, killing one guard and wounding two others, officials said.Iraqi border guards Colonel Nayif Zaili said Syrian rebels fired on two posts which lay two kilometres (1.25 miles) from the Al-Waleed border crossing linking the two countries.One Iraqi border guard was killed and two
180,000 foreign workers leave Saudi in 2 months: Report - (10 days ago)
180,000 foreign workers leave Saudi in 2 months: ReportAFPSome 180,000 illegal foreign workers have left Saudi Arabia since 1 April under an amnesty that allowed them to try to sort out their papers or leave without paying a penalty, a report said on Sunday."Between the beginning of April and the start of June, 180,000 foreigners left the kingdom for good," Okaz daily quoted Badr Malek, spokesman
Netanyahu, Putin discuss Syria crisis - (10 days ago)
AFPPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has spoken to Russia's Vladimir Putin after Moscow offered to bolster the beleaguered UN peacekeeping force monitoring the Israeli-Syrian ceasefire line on the Golan Heights, Netanyahu's office said Sunday."We discussed issues linked to Syria where the situation is becoming more complex by the day," Netanyahu said in remarks communicated by his office."We saw
'Teach protesters a lesson' in local polls, Turkey PM urges - (10 days ago)
AFPTurkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday urged supporters of his Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP) to use next year's local elections to "teach a lesson" to the anti-government demonstrators whose mass protests have rocked the country for over a week."There are just seven months left until the local elections. I want you to teach them a first lesson through
Lebanese protester killed at Iranian Embassy in Beirut: Official - (10 days ago)
ReutersAn unarmed Lebanese protester was killed on Sunday by gunfire in front of the Iranian Embassy in Beirut, Lebanese security officials said.It was not clear who killed the man, a member of a small crowd demonstrating against the backing of Iran and its Hezbollah ally for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.Pro-Assad Lebanese gunmen were in the vicinity at the time of the killing, the sources
Turkey PM warns patience 'has limit' as protests persist - (10 days ago)
AFPTurkey's defiant Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday told supporters his patience "has a limit" as he went on the offensive against mass protests to his Islamic-rooted government's decade-long rule.As thousands of protesters massed in Istanbul, the capital Ankara and the western city of Izmir, in unrest now in its 10th day, Erdogan staged his own rallies, hitting three cities in one
Israel official: No Palestinian state in '67 lines - (10 days ago)
APA senior member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party said in an interview broadcast Sunday that the Israeli government will not accept a Palestinian state with the borders favored by the Palestinians and the international community, a new hurdle to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's effort to restart peace talks in his latest visit to the region.Netanyahu's office rushed to
Dozens of Qusayr wounded taken to Lebanon hospitals - (10 days ago)
AFPA total of 87 Syrians wounded in the battle for Qusayr, which ended last week in victory for Syrian regime forces, have been transported to Lebanese hospitals, the Red Cross said on Sunday.The Lebanese army escorted the wounded in cooperation with local authorities in the embattled Syrian region and the International Committee of the Red Cross, an official said."Eighty-seven wounded Syrians
Flames, tear gas in streets as protesters defy Turkey PM - (10 days ago)
AFPTurkish rioters burned tyres and hurled fireworks at police who fired back tear gas as unrelenting protests erupted into fresh unrest early Sunday, in defiance of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.The new clashes raised pressure on Erdogan's Islamic-rooted conservative government after he ordered an end to the protests, which have thrown up the fiercest challenge to his decade of rule.Tens
Turkey protests unnerve Islamists in Egypt, Tunisia: Analysts - (11 days ago)
AFPThe pro-secular protests rocking Turkish cities have sent ripples across the Arab world, unnerving Islamist leaders who have long touted Turkey as a successful model of political Islam, analysts say.Thousands of Turks have joined in mass anti-government demonstrations, defying Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's call to end the worst civil unrest of his decade-long rule.Turkey's unrest began
Erdogan's party rules out early elections as protests enter 2nd week - (11 days ago)
APPolice in Ankara fired tear gas and used water cannons to disperse thousands of people protesting near government buildings on Saturday, as Turkey's biggest wave of anti-government protests in decades entered its second week with no signs of waning.Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's governing party, meanwhile, rejected calls for early elections, and dismissed the protests as an attempt by
Yemen begins new national talks as Hadi hails progress - (11 days ago)
AFPYemen began the second round of its national dialogue in Sanaa on Saturday, as President Abrabuh Mansur Hadi hailed progress made in talks in March.The UN-backed dialogue aims to draft a new constitution and preparing for elections in 2014, after a two-year transition led by Hadi.Saturday's dialogue was held as part of the UN-brokered deal that eased former strongman Ali Abdullah Saleh from
Syria opposition again rules out peace talks - (11 days ago)
AFPSyria's main opposition coalition reiterated on Saturday its refusal to participate in proposed international peace talks, saying recent developments in the civil war had "closed the doors" to any political initiative."What is happening in Syria today completely closes the doors on any discussions about international conferences and political initiatives," George Sabra, interim head of the
Ex-Libya rebel HQ attacked in Benghazi, 7 dead: hospital - (11 days ago)
AFPAt least seven people died and 30 were wounded on Saturday when demonstrators attacked the headquarters in Benghazi of former rebels who had fought to oust Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, a hospital official said."At least seven people are dead," said a doctor at Al-Jala hospital in the eastern city, which was the cradle of the anti-Gaddafi uprising in 2011."We also have received some 30
Turkish ruling party says no early elections after protests - (11 days ago)
ReutersTurkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party on Saturday said there was no question of calling early elections after a week of the fiercest anti-government protests in decades."Local elections will be held in March 2014, presidential elections in August 2014, and general elections in June 2015, and a change in the schedule is out of the question,"
Iran media praises heated presidential debate - (11 days ago)
AFPIran's media on Saturday hailed the latest televised debate of presidential candidates, highlighting sharp exchanges among them on topics such as the nuclear issue and political freedom."The differences among the candidates are clear. The final sprint has begun," said leading economic daily Donya-e Eqtesad about the debate on Friday evening.Reformist daily Arman hailed the discussions, saying
Istanbul protest park 'won't become shopping mall': mayor - (11 days ago)
AFPA small Istanbul park whose conservation fight sparked mass protests will not be turned into a shopping mall, the city's mayor assured protesters Friday, but insisted the site's controversial redevelopment would go ahead."We are definitely not thinking of building a shopping mall there, no hotel or residence either. It can be... a city museum or an exhibition centre," Istanbul mayor Kadir
Car bomb in Baghdad Shiite area kills four - (11 days ago)
AFPA car bomb explosion in a majority Shiite area of the Iraqi capital killed four people on Saturday, medical and security officials said.The explosion, near a clinic in Al-Amin district in southeast Baghdad, also wounded 20 people including four children, the medical source said.Sunni Muslim insurgents in Iraq, including members of Al-Qaeda, consider the country's Shiite majority to be
Yemen court orders Saleh quizzed on deadly demo attack - (11 days ago)
AFPA Yemeni court Saturday ordered a new probe into the alleged involvement of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh in the killing of 45 protesters during the 2011 uprising against his rule.The court ordered that 12 other Saleh-era officials be questioned on the same 18 March incident during which the ex-autocrat's loyalists and troops opened fire on an anti-regime rally in the capital, Sanaa.They
Settlement on Syria is not around the corner: Diplomats - (11 days ago)
Western and Arab diplomats say a round of consultations is expected to take place in Europe, Washington and the Middle East over how to conclude a settlement to end the Syrian crisis."What we saw in Geneva yesterday during a meeting of the concerned parties was much disagreement: we saw parties who were supposed to set the ground for an agreement among Syrians while they were unable to amongst
Turkey unrest divides fond locals in PM's birthplace - (11 days ago)
At the pavement cafes of the Istanbul district where he grew up, folks speak fondly of Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. But even here, doubts are creeping in about his handling of a violent crackdown on protests against his rule.The unrest broke out a few hundred metres (yards) from the Kasimpasa neighbourhood, where as a young boy Erdogan hawked lemonade and bread rings and attended
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AFPTurkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan rallies supporters after riot police again clash with thousands of anti-government demonstrators in a second week of nationwide unrest.Three people have died in the protests against Erdogan and his Islamic-leaning Justice and Development Party (AKP), in power since 2002.Following are the main events of the past days:- May 28: A peaceful local protest
AFPTurkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is facing one of the biggest challenges of his decade in power with anti-government protests that critics say have exposed growing discontent with his increasingly authoritarian and conservative agenda.Here are the key events since Erdogan's Islamist-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP) assumed power in the predominantly Muslim but staunchly
AHRAM ONLINEFounders of Egypt’s 'Rebel' campaign, a newly established movement that aims to withdraw confidence from President Mohamed Morsi by collecting citizens' signatures, spoke at an open forum on Wednesday to discuss the campaign, which has recently gone viral online and on the streets.'Rebel' campaigners hope to collect 15 million signatures and hold a mass sit-in on 30 June –
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
