Middle East
FM Davutoglu says protests harm Turkey's reputation, clashes continue - (16 days ago)
AFPTurkey's leaders faced a fourth day of protests on Monday after demonstrators clashed with police firing tear gas, in the biggest outburst of anger at the Islamist-rooted government since it took power more than a decade ago.A defiant Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was due to leave later on Monday on a four-day official trip abroad, underlining his scorn of the protesters and their
Gulf Arab countries to consider action against Hezbollah - (16 days ago)
ReutersGulf Arab countries will consider taking action against Hezbollah if the Shi'ite Muslim Lebanese movement continues its involvement in Syria's civil war or interferes in Gulf Arab affairs, Bahrain's deputy foreign minister said on Sunday.Ghanem al-Buainain said the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) regarded Hezbollah's involvement in Syria as "sectarian intervention", but had not
Simmering anger at Erdogan's authoritarianism boils over in Turkey - (16 days ago)
ReutersIn power for more than a decade, Erdogan's Islamist-rooted AK Party has increased its share of the vote in each of the past three elections, ushered in unprecedented political stability and overseen some of the fastest economic growth in Europe.Now in his last term as prime minister, Erdogan is trying to leave his stamp on Turkey by recasting foreign policy, overhauling the constitution
Syria bombards Qusayr, tells Red Cross to wait - (16 days ago)
AFPSyria's air force bombarded Qusayr on Sunday, two weeks into a Hezbollah-backed assault, as the regime said it will only allow the Red Cross into the embattled town once it has defeated rebels.At the United Nations, diplomats said Russia blocked a draft Security Council declaration expressing "grave concern" about the situation in the strategic town near the border with Lebanon.Elsewhere, a
Turkey police tear gas protesters in Istanbul, Ankara - (16 days ago)
AFPWhite fumes filled the air as riot cops fired gas and lashed stone-throwing protestors with water-cannons in the two cities, the latest in a string of nationwide clashes that have left scores injured."Dictator, resign!" yelled the crowds in Ankara. "We will resist until we win".Police had withdrawn on Saturday from Istanbul's main Taksim Square, the symbolic heart of demonstrations that
Russia blocks draft UN declaration on Qusayr: Diplomats - (16 days ago)
AFPRussia has blocked a draft United Nations Security Council declaration on the situation in the besieged Syrian town of Qusayr, diplomats said Sunday.The text, proposed by Britain on Saturday, expressed the council's "grave concern" about the fate of civilians trapped in the strategically important town in central Homs province, where regime forces backed by Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group
Syria issues Turkey travel warning after protests - (16 days ago)
AFPWar-torn Syria on Sunday advised its citizens to avoid travel to neighbouring Turkey, where massive protests have rocked several cities, because of "a deterioration in the security situation."The warning issued by the foreign ministry comes as a civil war that has killed tens of thousands ravages Syria, pitting rebels backed by Turkey and other countries against the regime of President Bashar
Palestinian president appoints new prime minister - (16 days ago)
The official Palestinian news agency says President Mahmoud Abbas has appointed a new prime minister, ending weeks of uncertainty following the resignation of the previous premier.The Wafa agency said Abbas appointed academic Rami Hamdullah on Sunday evening. Hamdullah replaces Salam Fayyad, a respected U.S.-educated economist who was seen as being too independent and frequently clashed with
Over 1,700 arrested in Turkey protests, most released: Minister - (16 days ago)
AFPTurkish Interior Minister Muammer Guler on Sunday said more than 1,700 people had been arrested in anti-government protests that have spread to 67 cities nationwide, though most have since been released."A large majority of the detainees were released after being questioned and identified," he said in remarks carried by the state-run Anatolia news agency. He added that the country had seen 235
Uncertainty as Palestinian PM's term ends - (16 days ago)
AFPOutgoing Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad was meeting with his cabinet on Sunday evening to discuss the way forward as his term as caretaker premier formally drew to a close.Fayyad, a political independent, resigned on 13 April after months of tension with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, despite US efforts to keep him in place.He stayed on in a caretaker role which formally ends on
Police fire tear gas to disperse hundreds of protesters in Ankara - (16 days ago)
AFPPolice fired tear gas and used water cannon on Sunday to disperse protesters in Ankara on the third day of demonstrations against the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.Authorities took the measures to stop around 1,000 protesters who were attempting to march to the high-security prime minister's office.Private NTV news network broadcast live images of the protest in downtown
Thousands take to streets on third day of Turkey protests - (16 days ago)
ReutersTens of thousands of people took to the streets in Turkey's four biggest cities on Sunday and clashed with riot police firing tear gas in the third day of the fiercest anti-government protests in years.Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan blamed the main secular opposition party for inciting the crowds, whom he called "a few looters", and said the protests were aimed at depriving his ruling AK
Kerry to visit Jordan within days: Judeh - (17 days ago)
AFPUS Secretary of State John Kerry is to visit Amman "within days," Jordan's top diplomat said on Sunday after talks with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas that were focused on US peace efforts.Speaking at a joint press conference in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh said his talks with Abbas had focused on Kerry's intensive efforts to revive peace talks
Gunmen kill six, kidnap five in Iraq: Officials - (17 days ago)
AFPGunmen on Sunday killed six people and kidnapped five others in separate attacks in Iraq's western province of Anbar, officials said.Among those killed were three Syrian truck drivers, while three police were among those kidnapped.Armed men shot dead the Syrian truck drivers and set their vehicles on fire near the town of Al-Rutba, close to the Syrian border, a local administrative official
Jordan city hit by riots after double murder: MP - (17 days ago)
AFPBusinesses in Jordan's restive southern city of Maan closed on Sunday in an act of "civil disobedience" after overnight clashes with police over the murders of two residents, an MP and witness said."Civil disobedience in Maan is growing after the authorities failed to arrest the killers of two people," Maan MP Amjad al-Khattab told AFP, saying the killings took place five days ago.Resident Abu
Iran presidential hopefuls united on nuclear issue - (17 days ago)
AFPThe eight candidates standing for president this month may differ on several issues, but when it comes to Iran's nuclear drive they are united in pursuing what they see as its peaceful atomic ambitions.Whoever is elected president on June 14 to succeed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Islamic republic is unlikely to alter the course of its controversial programme of uranium enrichment.Supreme leader
Netanyahu slams anti-Arab racism, 'price tag' attacks - (17 days ago)
AFPIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday condemned acts of racism against the country's Arab population after an outcry over an amusement park which segregated Jewish and Arab children.And he also pledged to bring to justice Israeli extremists behind the wave of so-called "price tag" hate crimes against Palestinians."I would like to strongly condemn recent phenomena of racism
Arrests at Iran presidential campaign rally: Reports - (17 days ago)
AFPSecurity forces arrested several supporters of moderate presidential candidate Hassan Rowhani in Iran's June 14 election after pictures of detained opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi were displayed at a meeting, websites reported Sunday.Opposition website Kaleme.com reported seven arrests of participants in a ceremony in the Jamaran mosque in northern Tehran on Saturday, with relatives
Sunni-Shia tensions flare in Iraq, causes unaddressed - (17 days ago)
Two years have passed since the US troop withdrawal from Iraq in December 2011 after spending hundreds of billions of dollars and losing roughly 4,500 servicemen during an eight-year occupation phase.Sadly, the present crisis of the oil-rich state lies in its divided nation, not the presence of foreign troops.The alarming death toll, which exceeded a thousand in this month alone, is not a result
Turkey protesters occupy Istanbul Taksim square after hundreds detained - (17 days ago)
AFPHundreds of people were on Sunday occupying Istanbul's Taksim Square, the epicentre of the worst demonstrations in a decade against Turkey's Islamist-rooted government which have seen almost 1,000 people detained and scores wounded nationwide.Some protesters camped around the square's monument to Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern secular Turkey, occasionally chanting "Government,
Turkish PM urges end to Istanbul protests as police pull out - (17 days ago)
AFPTurkey's prime minister on Saturday called for an immediate end to violent protests which have engulfed Istanbul for two days, in what were one of the biggest anti-government demonstrations since the Islamist-rooted leadership came to power.Police pulled back from Taksim square, the epicentre of the demonstrations that have left dozens injured and earned Turkey a rare rebuke from its Western
Lebanon to file UN complaint after Israeli overflights - (17 days ago)
Lebanon's President Michel Sleiman on Sunday instructed the country's foreign minister to file a complaint with the United Nations over Israeli violations of Lebanese airspace.The president's office announced the order in a statement after Israeli warplanes could be heard flying over several parts of the country on Sunday morning."President Michel Sleiman tasked Foreign Minister Adnan Mansur with
Syria peace talks in Geneva could take place in July: Fabius - (17 days ago)
AFPFrench Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Sunday that a peace conference on Syria in Geneva could take place in July, later than previously expected.Amid desperate diplomatic efforts to bring Syria's regime and opposition to the table for talks, Fabius said it was unlikely the conference would take place this month as hoped."'Geneva 2' is in my opinion a last-chance conference. I hope it
28 Syrian rebels killed in assault on village: NGO - (17 days ago)
AFPSyrian regime troops repulsed a rebel assault on a village loyal to President Bashar al-Assad in central Homs province, killing at least 28 of the attackers, a watchdog said on Sunday."The number of rebels killed yesterday (Saturday) in an ambush and clashes with regime forces on the outskirts of Kafr Nan rose to 28," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said in a statement.Observatory
3 Tunisia soldiers wounded by jihadist mine - (17 days ago)
AFPThree Tunisian soldiers hunting Al-Qaeda-linked jihadists in the rugged border region near Algeria have been wounded in a mine explosion on Mount Chaambi, the defence ministry said."The blast happened at 6:15 pm (1715 GMT on Saturday) under a military vehicle, wounding three soldiers," ministry spokesman Colonel Mokhtar Ben Nasr told AFP.However, Salah Amri, director of the regional hospital
Iranian Ahmadinejad unhurt in helicopter 'accident' - (17 days ago)
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's helicopter had to make an emergency landing in the northeast on Sunday after an unspecified "accident," the presidency reported, adding that he was unhurt."The helicopter carrying Dr Ahmadinejad and a number of officials on Sunday had an accident, but the pilot managed to land the aircraft safely," the website president.ir reported.He had been en route to
Protesters defiant as Turkey unrest goes into third day - (17 days ago)
ReutersProtesters lit fires and scuffled with police in parts of Istanbul and Ankara early on Sunday, but the streets were generally quieter after two days of Turkey's fiercest anti-government demonstrations for years.Hundreds of protesters set fires in the Tunali district of the capital Ankara, while riot police fired tear gas and pepper spray to hold back groups of stone-throwing youths near
Daughters of missing journalist in Syria video appeal - (17 days ago)
AFPThe two daughters of a missing Italian journalist on Saturday launched a video appeal asking Syrians to help them find their father who disappeared while on a mission in the war-torn country."We are the daughters of the Italian journalist and correspondent Domenico Quirico for La Stampa newspaper who disappeared in Syria 50 days ago," Metella and Eleonora said in the video posted on the
Tunisia’s draft constitution completed - (17 days ago)
AFPTunisia’s National Constituent Assembly on Saturday completed the long-delayed draft of the country’s first post-revolution constitution, its top officials said.NCA president Mustapha Ben Jaafar “signed on Saturday the final draft of the new constitution,” said the body’s vice president, Meherzia Laabidi.Jaafar’s office, quoted by state news agency TAP,
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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
