World
Tunisia recovers millions of Ben Ali's 'looted assets' - (44 days ago)
Tunisia received US$28.8 million on Thursday in the first such retrieval of what it calls looted assets held abroad by ousted President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and his family. The state news agency TAP said a cheque in that amount had been handed to President Moncef Marzouki by Ali bin Fetais al-Marri, appointed by the United Nations to head efforts to recover money from leaders overthrown in
Palestinian PM poised to submit resignation - (44 days ago)
Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad is to present his resignation to President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday, a senior Palestinian official said. Abbas and Fayyad are known to have been at odds over a raft of issues but their relationship took a nose dive last month when Fayyad accepted his finance minister's resignation only for it to be rejected by Abbas. "There will be a meeting between
Canada breaks taboo on Israel E.Jerusalem talks: Report - (44 days ago)
Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird met an Israeli minister in annexed Arab east Jerusalem this week, deliberately breaking a widely-observed diplomatic taboo, an Israeli newspaper reported on Thursday.Baird met Justice Minister Tzipi Livni at her office in east Jerusalem, in a move normally avoided by visiting diplomats over concerns it could be seen as legitimising Israel's annexation of the
UN talks with Syria on chemical arms probe at impasse - (45 days ago)
ReutersDiscussions between the United Nations and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government on a possible investigation into the alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria have reached an impasse, UN diplomats said on Wednesday.Syria and the United Nations have been exchanging letters for weeks but the two sides are far from agreement on how the investigation should be run, diplomats said on
Korea and Syria high on agenda at London G8 talks - (45 days ago)
The Korean and Syrian crises will be high on the agenda for foreign ministers from the G8 group of nations, as their talks began in London.Correspondents say Japan, present at the talks, is looking for a strong statement of solidarity over Korea.North Korea has been making bellicose threats against South Korea, Japan and US bases in the region.The foreign ministers will also debate the Syrian
Uruguay approves gay marriage, second in region to do so - (45 days ago)
Uruguay's Congress passed a bill on Wednesday to allow same-sex marriages, making it the second country in predominantly Roman Catholic Latin America to do so.Seventy-one of 92 lawmakers in the lower house of Congress voted in favor of the proposal, one week after the Senate passed it by a wide majority. Leftist President Jose Mujica, a former guerrilla fighter, is expected to sign the bill into
Estee Lauder heir gifts $1bn worth of cubist art to the MET - (45 days ago)
Cosmetics heir and art collector Leonard A. Lauder donated his collection of 78 Cubist works, valued at more than $1 billion, to New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, its director said Tuesday.The collection, which consists of 33 works by Pablo Picasso, 17 by Georges Braque, 14 by Juan Gris and 14 by Fernand Léger, was amassed over 37 years and is considered one of the
China bird flu threatens KFC parent's winning streak - (45 days ago)
Yum Brands Inc, the biggest foreign fast-food chain operator in China, is in danger of breaking its 11-year streak of double-digit profit growth as it scrambles to deal with food scares and bird flu in its most lucrative market.The U.S.-listed firm, the world's largest restaurant company by number of outlets, said in a filing Wednesday that the latest deadly avian flu outbreak would have a
China detains 10 for bird flu rumors, death toll at 9 - (45 days ago)
SHANGHAI/BEIJING — Chinese police detained at least 10 people for spreading rumors about the H7N9 bird flu virus, state media said on Wednesday, as the death toll from the new strain rose to nine. Authorities detained the people in six provinces — Shaanxi, Guizhou, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui and Fujian — some of whom had posted "fake information" online about new cases
Saudi Shias fear new unrest after spy arrests - (45 days ago)
QATIF, Saudi Arabia — Al-Awamiyah is a small village of shabby houses, narrow streets and dilapidated palm groves that has earned a big reputation as the center of unrest among Saudi Arabia's Shia Muslim minority. In two years of persistent protests in Awamiyah and other parts of Qatif district on the Gulf coast, 17 people have died in unrest as Shia youths took to the streets
Suicide car bomber kills 15 in central Damascus - (47 days ago)
A suicide car bomb killed at least 15 people and wounded 53 in the main business district of Damascus on Monday in what the Syrian prime minister said was a response to army gains against rebels around the capital. The bomb near a school in the Sabaa Bahrat district, which also houses the Central Bank and Finance Ministry, set cars ablaze and damaged buildings, state television footage showed. A
North Korea suspends last project with South, Putin cites Chernobyl - (47 days ago)
North Korea suspended its sole remaining major project with the South on Monday, after weeks of threats against the United States and South Korea, as Russian President Vladimir Putin said any nuclear conflict could make Chernobyl look like a fairy tale. Reclusive North Korea's decision to all but close the Kaesong industrial park coincided with speculation that it will carry out some sort of
Iron lady Margaret Thatcher dies - (47 days ago)
Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher has died following a stroke, a spokesman for the family said. "It is with great sadness that Mark and Carol Thatcher announced that their mother Baroness Thatcher died peacefully following a stroke this morning," Lord Tim Bell said. Britain's only woman prime minister, the tough, outspoken Thatcher, 87, led the Conservatives to three election
WikiLeaks to release more US diplomatic records - (47 days ago)
Whistleblowing website WikiLeaks was on Monday to publish more than 1.7 million US diplomatic and intelligence documents from the 1970s, founder Julian Assange revealed. The website has collated a variety of records including cables, intelligence reports and congressional correspondence and is releasing them in a searchable form. Assange has carried out much of the work from his refuge in
EU's Ashton 'concerned' about cathedral violence - (48 days ago)
The European Union's foreign policy chief has said that she followed with great concern the Sunday clashes between Muslims and Christians in front of the Abbasseya Cathedral. "I am extremely worried about the violent incidents at the Abbasseya Coptic Cathedral in Cairo. On hearing the news I immediately contacted the presidency, strongly urging restraint and for the security forces to
UPDATE 1-EU's Ashton seeks consensus in Egypt on economy and reform - (48 days ago)
The European Unions foreign policy chief met Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi on Sunday against a backdrop of sectarian violence to encourage feuding political leaders to seek a national consensus in tackling mounting problems. "This is a critical time for Egypts transition. The country is facing huge economic and political challenges," Catherine Ashton said before the
US delays missile test to avoid stoking N.Korea tensions - (48 days ago)
Reuters The United States has decided to delay a long-planned missile test scheduled for next week out of California "to avoid any misperception or miscalculation," given tensions with North Korea, a senior US defense official said on Saturday.The unusual precaution by the United States follows a barrage of hostile rhetoric from North Korea - including the threat of open war - that has created
Brazil to investigate ex-president Lula in vote-buying scandal - (48 days ago)
Reuters A Brazilian federal prosecutor has opened an investigation into allegations that former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was involved in a vote-buying scheme in Congress that led to the conviction of close aides for corruption.The federal prosecutor's office said in a statement late on Friday it asked the federal police to probe accusations of a businessman at the center of the
S. Korea-US military meet delayed on N. Korea threats - (48 days ago)
AFPSouth Korea and the US postponed a major military meeting due to take place in Washington, an official said Sunday as Seoul was on high alert for potential attacks from North Korea.General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, and his Seoul counterpart General Jung Seung-Jo were to coordinate policy on the North and other issues during the annual Military Committee Meeting
EU's Ashton seeks consensus in Egypt on economy and reform - (48 days ago)
The European Unions foreign policy chief met Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi on Sunday to encourage the countrys feuding political leaders to seek a national consensus in tackling mounting economic and political problems. "This is a critical time for Egypts transition. The country is facing huge economic and political challenges," Catherine Ashton said in a statement before the
Demos in Sudan's Darfur ahead of donors' meet - (49 days ago)
AFPDemonstrations have taken place across Sudan's troubled Darfur region against an international donors' conference which begins on Sunday in Qatar, a civil society activist and other sources said on Saturday.Some of the 1.4 million people displaced by Darfur's decade-long conflict protested on Friday at their camps near North Darfur's state capital El Fasher, and in Kalma camp, South Darfur,
Attack on Iraq election campaign tent kills 22: police, medics - (49 days ago)
At least 22 people were killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up in a busy election campaign tent in the Iraqi city of Baquba on Saturday, police and medics said. Another 60 people were wounded in the attack, which began with a hand grenade being thrown into the tent in Baquba, 65 km (40 miles) northeast of the capital Baghdad. Local elections are due to be held across Iraq later in April,
Thousands of Bangladesh Islamists rally against atheist bloggers - (49 days ago)
Hundreds of thousands of Islamists rallied in Dhaka after an overnight "long march" to the Bangladeshi capital, demanding the execution of atheist bloggers for defaming Islam. It is the latest protest to rack Bangladesh, deepening tensions between secularists and the largest Islamic party, Jamaat-e-Islami, whose leaders are under trial for crimes committed during the country's 1971 war of
North Korea moves missiles, South Korean markets roiled - (50 days ago)
North Korea has placed two of its intermediate range missiles on mobile launchers and hidden them on the east coast of the country in a move that could threaten Japan or US Pacific bases, South Korean media reported on Friday. The report could not be confirmed. But any such movement may be intended to demonstrate that the North, angry about joint US-South Korean military exercises and the
'We are broke,' UN says as Syria refugee funds dry up - (50 days ago)
The United Nations gave its starkest warning yet on Friday that it would soon run out of cash to cope with the vast influx of Syrian refugees into Jordan and other neighboring countries. "The needs are rising exponentially, and we are broke," Marixie Mercado, spokeswoman for the UN Children's Fund UNICEF, told a UN news conference in Geneva. The number of people fleeing in the
Iran's Jalili vows stronger defense of nuclear policy - (51 days ago)
Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili sounded a defiant note ahead of a new round of talks with world powers in Kazakhstan, saying on Thursday they had to recognize Iran's right to enrich uranium to see any breakthrough. The six powers — United States, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany — will meet Iranian negotiators on Friday and Saturday in the Kazakh city of
Britain urges Saudi Arabia not to paralyse convict - (51 days ago)
Britain on Thursday urged Saudi Arabia not to carry out the "grotesque" punishment of paralysis for a man whose alleged crime took place when he was just 14 years old. Ali al-Khawahir, 24, has reportedly been sentenced to Qisas (retribution) for allegedly paralysing a friend when he stabbed him in the back 10 years ago. He could be paralysed from the waist down if he fails to pay
US to send missile defenses to Guam over North Korea threat - (52 days ago)
The United States said it would soon send a missile defense system to Guam to defend it from North Korea, as the US military adjusts to what Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel called a "real and clear danger" from Pyongyang. Hours later, South Korea's Yonhap news agency said North Korea had moved what appeared to be a mid-range Musudan missile to its east coast. It was not clear if the
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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
