World
Cyprus court gives Hezbollah man 4 years over 'Israel plot' - (53 days ago)
The official Cyprus News Agency said the criminal court in the south coast city of Limassol sentenced Hossam Taleb Yaacoub, a dual Lebanese and Swedish citizen, to four years minus time already served in prison since last July. He was found guilty on March 22 on five counts -- including participating in a criminal organisation, taking part in a criminal act and money
Weapons arsenal found in US's Connecticut gunman's home - (53 days ago)
An arsenal of weapons including guns, a gun safe with shotgun shells, a bayonet and several swords were found in the home of the gunman who carried out the Newtown school massacre, according to search warrants released Thursday. Adam Lanza killed 26 people inside Sandy Hook Elementary School and took his own life within five minutes of shooting his way into the building, State's
Cyprus court jails Hezbollah man for plotting to attack Israelis - (53 days ago)
A Cyprus court sentenced a member of Lebanon's Shia Muslim Hezbollah movement to four years in jail on Thursday on charges of plotting to attack Israeli interests on the island. In a case bearing similarities to a deadly bus bombing in Bulgaria targeting Israelis last year, the Cypriot court convicted Hossam Taleb Yaccoub on five counts of participating in a criminal organization and agreeing
UPDATE: South Africa's Mandela 'responding positively' to treatment - (54 days ago)
"The doctors advise that former president Nelson Mandela is responding positively to the treatment he is undergoing for a recurring lung infection," President Jacob Zuma's office said in a statement. "He remains under treatment and observation in hospital." Mandela has been readmitted to hospital with a recurrent lung infection, the presidency said Thursday,
Turkey denies mass deportation of Syrian refugees - (54 days ago)
Witnesses said hundreds of Syrians were bussed to the border after Wednesday's clashes in which refugees in the Suleymansah camp, near the Turkish town of Akcakale, threw rocks at military police, who fired teargas and water cannon. The Turkish foreign ministry denied any Syrians had been forcibly expelled, saying around 50-60 people had returned to Syria overnight and that some of
Turkey deports Syrian refugees over camp unrest: officials - (54 days ago)
Turkey has sent hundreds of refugees back to Syria after clashes with Turkish military police at their camp near the border in a protest over living conditions, officials said on Thursday, the first such mass deportation since the conflict began. Refugees threw rocks at military police who fired teargas and water cannon in the unrest in the Suleymansah camp, near the Turkish town of Akcakale, on
Patient Cypriots line up as banks reopen - (54 days ago)
Cypriots lined up calmly at banks as they reopened on Thursday under tight controls imposed on transactions to prevent a run on deposits after the government was forced to accept a stringent EU rescue package to avert bankruptcy. Banks were shut almost two weeks ago as the government negotiated a 10 billion euro international bailout, the first in Europe's single currency zone to impose losses
Mortar attack kills 12 Damascus University students: TV - (54 days ago)
"The number of students killed in the mortar attack on the architecture faculty in Damascus University has risen to 12," said the broadcaster, blaming "terrorists" for the attack, using the regime term for insurgents. Previously, the television station had reported that several people were killed or wounded in the attack. "The National Students Union condemns the cowardly terrorist
Fierce battles in Damascus outskirts: NGO - (54 days ago)
"Fierce battles broke out at dawn on Thursday pitting rebels against troops in the (northeastern) district of Qaboon, while tanks shelled the neighbourhood's edges," said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Clashes also raged on a main road linking the southern Damascus area of Yarmuk to Al-Hajar Al-Aswad, said the Britain-based group. Both districts have seen intermittent fighting
Verdict in Tunisia veil trial postponed - (54 days ago)
The new date was set for April 4, according to the court in the La Manouba suburb of Tunis, where a large crowd gathered to support the defendant, Habib Kazdoghli, who is dean of the humanities faculty at Manouba University. Kazdoghli faces a possible five-year jail term if convicted of "violence committed by a public employee while performing his duties," in a controversial trial that
Putin orders unscheduled Black Sea military exercise: Kremlin - (54 days ago)
The order was presented to Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu in a sealed envelope at 4:00 am (2400 GMT), his spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian news agencies, adding the exercises would involve 36 ships and up to 7,000
Al-Zahar decries bids to harm Egyptian-Hamas ties - (54 days ago)
"Some Palestinians who work for, or previously worked in, Palestinian security institutions deliberately undertook these actions, ignoring the historical relationship between Gaza and Egypt," Al-Zahar said during a conference on Egyptian-Palestinian relations. Al-Zahar did not name names, but said that Egypt and Hamas "knows them." He underlined that Egyptian authorities have not
New York City marks 10th anniversary of smoking ban - (54 days ago)
"Ten years ago when New York City prohibited smoking in restaurants and bars, many predicted the end of the hospitality, restaurant and tourism industries," Bloomberg said in a statement. "Yet ten years later, fewer New Yorkers are smoking, we are living longer, our industries are thriving and nobody longs for a return to smoke-filled bars and restaurants." Critics of the move feared
Despite threats, N.Korea keeps border factories open - (54 days ago)
North Korea on Wednesday severed the last of three telephone hotlines with South Korea as it readied its troops to face what it believes to be "hostile" action from Seoul and Washington. The phone line is used to regulate access to the Kaesong industrial park on the North Korean side of the border as well as for military communications with the South. Nearly 200 South Koreans
UN Security Council concerned Syria war spilling over into Golan - (54 days ago)
The armed struggle between rebels and forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has posed increasing difficulties for the 1,000-strong UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF). UN peacekeepers monitoring the line halted patrols this month after rebels held 21 Filipino observers for three days. "The members of the Security Council expressed grave concern at all violations of the
Islamist leader threatens to oust Tunisian PM - (54 days ago)
Saif-Allah Benahssine, leader of radical Islamists Ansar al-Sharia, said in a statement on its web page that he would topple Prime Minister Ali Larayedh and throw him into the "dustbin of history" if the government interfered with the group. Larayedh told French daily Le Monde on Tuesday that Benahssine, whose Salafist organisation wants to impose a puritanical form of Islam, was
Nelson Mandela back in hospital with lung infection - (54 days ago)
The 94-year-old was admitted "due to the recurrence of his lung infection" just before midnight on Wednesday, President Jacob Zuma's office said in a
Iran slams Arab League over Syria opposition seat - (54 days ago)
Iran's foreign ministry criticized the Arab League of Nation's decision to allocate Syria's long-vacant seat to the Syrian opposition, calling the move a "dangerous precedent" on Wednesday. Opposition chief Moaz al-Khatib took Syria's seat on Tuesday as Arab leaders gathered in Doha for their annual summit, sparking a furious reaction from Damascus. "Handing Syria's
British troops arrive in Mali for training mission - (54 days ago)
The team of 40 will help develop the Malian armed forces' infantry and artillery skills, among about 500 troops from 22 European Union countries. British ministers have stressed they will not join French troops in fighting back the Al-Qaeda-linked extremists who seized control in northern Mali. Twenty-one members of 1st Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment arrived in Bamako on
Supreme Court tackles US law on gay marriage - (54 days ago)
For nearly two hours, its nine justices questioned the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), with five of them appearing to lean in favor of striking it down. The controversial 1996 law prevents couples who have tied the knot in nine states—where same-sex marriage is legal—from enjoying the same federal rights and benefits as heterosexual couples. The
Turkish police fire teargas at protesters in Syrian refugee camp - (54 days ago)
The fire broke out in the camp in Akcakale in southeastern Turkey which is housing some 25,000 Syrians who fled the conflict in their country. One child was killed and three others injured, sparking the protest by dozens of angry residents against their living conditions, who pelted police with stones. Anatolia said one protester was injured as anti-riot police, called as back-up,
War crimes court jails Bosnian Serb ex-officials for 22 years - (54 days ago)
"The trial chamber hereby sentences Mico Stanisic" and his subordinate Stojan Zupljanin "to a single sentence of 22 years in prison," International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) judge Burton Hall said. Stanisic, 58, a former minister in the Bosnian Serb Ministry of Internal Affairs and former regional security services chief Zupljanin, 61, faced
N. Korea cutting of military hotline provocative: US - (54 days ago)
"This is yet another provocative and unconstructive step that the North Korean regime has taken," Pentagon spokesman George Little said. "It's very important for the regime to focus on what we think is the right course of action, and that is peace and stability on the Korean peninsula, and their provocations and bellicose rhetoric aren't helpful in the
Sectarian clashes in central Nigeria kill 23: Military - (54 days ago)
Details of the 20 and 21 March attacks were slow to emerge from Plateau state, which falls on the dividing line between Nigeria's mostly Christian south and predominately Muslim north. Military spokesman Lieutenant Jude Akpa said that 11 members of the mainly Muslim Fulani ethnic group, known largely as nomadic herders, were killed on 20 March after crossing onto land belonging to
Arab League part of Syria problem: Damascus - (54 days ago)
"The decision taken by the Arab League on Tuesday has permanently eliminated it from playing a role in a solution for the crisis in Syria, because it has become part of the problem rather than its solution," a government statement said. "The summit encouraged the use of violence, extremism and terrorism that are a danger not only for Syria but also the whole Arab nation and the world,"
Syria opposition chief surprised by US refusal of missile cover - (54 days ago)
"There is an international will that the revolution does not come out victorious," Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib, head of the National Coalition, said in Doha, Qatar. "But the people that have defied injustice and tyranny will not stop," said Khatib, who still acts as the head of the coalition despite announcing his resignation on Sunday. He told an Arab League summit on Tuesday that he had
UN says Darfuris still held, despite rebel vow - (54 days ago)
Ali Al-Za'tari, the United Nations chief in Sudan, said he is "extremely concerned by the continued abduction of Sudanese civilians travelling from Zalingei in Central Darfur to Nyala, South Darfur, to attend a conference on internal displacement." He called the abduction a serious crime. The case highlighted security problems faced by 1.4 million Darfuris uprooted by
Afghan army cancels Pakistan visit over 'shelling' - (55 days ago)
The Pakistani army invited 11 Afghan officers to take part in a military exercise and drill in the southwestern city of Quetta, the Afghan foreign ministry said. "This visit will no longer take place due to the resumption of unacceptable Pakistani artillery shelling against different parts of Kunar province," it said. Kunar provincial governor Fazlulah Wahidi told AFP that
Russia raids HRW office amid EU concern over crackdown - (55 days ago)
Germany said the inspections risked affecting the two allies' relations while France sought an explanation from the Russian embassy about a check into the activities of its Alliance Francaise cultural outreach organisation. HRW's Europe and Central Asia department head Rachel Denber said three representatives from the prosecutor's office and a tax official had undertaken what
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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
