Algeria begins work on mega mosque

Workers in Algiers started laying foundations Sunday for what should become the world’s third-largest mosque, a one-billion-euro project that will include a dizzyingly tall minaret. The huge building in the capital Algiers will be built by the China State … Read More

Talk on possible EU boycott of Israeli settlements stirs controversy

Irish Foreign Minister Eamon Gilmore’s recent statements that he may push for an EU wide boycott of products from Israeli settlements if Israel does not quickly change its settlements policy in Palestinian territories has stirred controversy. Gilmore, whose country will … Read More

Radical Islamists urge bigger role for Islam in Tunisia

Waving black flags embossed with Islamic verses, thousands of radical Islamists rallied in the central Tunisian town of Kairouan on Sunday to demand a wider role for religion in a country long considered one of the Arab world’s most secular. Draping their banner from the … Read More

A nation-by-nation look at Arab Spring’s progress

Starting Wednesday, Egypt is holding its first free presidential election since it came under dictatorship 60 years ago. The winner will succeed Hosni Mubarak, one of four rulers toppled in the uprisings that began 18 months ago across the Middle East and became known as … Read More

Jerusalem must be partitioned: former Israeli PM Olmert

Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Sunday urged Israeli leaders to relinquish the idea of a unified Jerusalem if they truly want peace, contending in a pair of interviews that years of government neglect have kept the Jewish and Arab sectors irreparably divided. … Read More

Ahmadinejad should ‘open nightclubs’: Iran MP Jibes

A hardline Iranian MP on Saturday took a jibe at President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for failing to support an Islamic dress code for women, suggesting the president should now move to open “nightclubs” in the Islamic republic. Fars news agency quoted MP Ali … Read More

Thousands evacuated from northeast Italy quake zone

About 3,000 people have been evacuated from their homes in northeast Italy’s Emilia Romagna region, where a magnitude 6.0 quake struck early Sunday killing at least six, civil defense services said. Most were evacuated from the Modena area, while 500 were … Read More

Saudi Arabia to employ 28,000 locals as taxi drivers

Taxi companies across Saudi Arabia are expected to hire more than 28,000 Saudi drivers to replace foreigners who dominate the sector, according to the Labor Ministry which announced a plan to localize the transportation sector on Sunday. The new plan, which is expected … Read More

Israel’s Lieberman ‘unbearable,’ says Austrian minister

Austria’s defense minister has called Israel’s Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman “unbearable” because of his insistence on hawkish policies regarding the Mideast peace process and Iran. Sunday newspaper Die Presse quoted Norbert Darabos as saying that … Read More

Pakistan restores Twitter after block over the Prophet cartoons

Pakistan restored access to Twitter Sunday after briefly blocking the microblog over posts that Islamabad said promoted a Facebook contest involving caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed. The website, which is widely used in Pakistan, was blocked by the … Read More

Arab Spring a loss for Israel: Qatari ruler

Qatar’s ruler says Israel has become more isolated by the Arab Spring and will face increasing pressures over issues such as its presumed nuclear arsenal. Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani urged Israel’s leaders to view the Middle East uprisings as an … Read More

Army kills Sunni cleric in Lebanon: security official

Army troops shot dead a Sunni cleric on Sunday when his convoy failed to stop at a checkpoint in north Lebanon, the scene of deadly clashes linked to the uprising in Syria, a security official said. The official told AFP that a fellow passenger in the car … Read More

UAE government firms’ debt refinancing ‘a challenge’ - IMF

Refinancing the debts of the United Arab Emirates’ government-related entities (GREs) remains a challenge made more difficult as European banks trim their activities in the region, the International Monetary Fund said on Sunday. State-owned companies in the UAE, one of … Read More

Iraqi Kurdistan to push ahead with oil export plan

Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region said on Sunday it expects to start exporting its crude oil production along a new pipeline to the Turkish border by August 2013, defying Baghdad in a long-running dispute over who should control the country’s oil exports. The Kurdistan … Read More

G8 backs Greece, papers over tensions

G8 leaders said they want debt-stricken Greece to stay in the eurozone at a Camp David summit as the group papered over deep-seated divisions about how best to tackle the eurozone crisis. With the future of Europe’s currency union in doubt, leaders of the … Read More

Iran’s budget revised higher at $453 billion

Iran on Sunday announced an upward revision of its annual budget, as a rise in oil prices appeared to mitigate the impact of international sanctions on its economy. The Islamic republic’s Guardians Council approved the budget for Iran’s calendar and fiscal … Read More

Egyptian army’s pledges of retreat could be an illusion: Analysts

Egypt’s ruling military has promised a return to the barracks once a new president is elected, but the army’s formidable political and economic weight means that such a withdrawal could be an illusion, analysts say. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces … Read More

Greek election race tightens into dead heat

A flurry of polls on Saturday showed the race to lead Greece has tightened into a dead heat ahead of an election next month that could determine whether it remains in the euro. Greece was forced to call the new vote for June 17 after an election on May 6 left parliament … Read More

Old drug for arthritis is effective against killer parasites

A cheap off-patent drug that is commonly used for arthritis could be a wonder treatment for amoebic parasites that infect 50 million people each year, 70,000 of them fatally, a study on Sunday said. Researchers in California found that auranofin, an oral … Read More

South Africa wants ‘made in Palestinian territories’ labels

South Africa is planning to require “Made in the Occupied Palestinian Territories” labels on products from Jewish settlements in place of “Made in Israel” labels, the trade ministry said on Saturday. The move prompted a furious response from Israel’s … Read More

Iranian beauty wins Miss Universe Canada

An Iranian Canadian, Sahar Biniaz, was crowned Miss Universe Canada on Saturday. The 26 year-old, who was born in India, grew up in Iran and later became a Canadian citizen living in Vancouver, was previously the first runner-up in Miss Universe Canada in … Read More

Israel ranks third in poll on worst countries in world

Israel has come in third in a poll conducted by BBC World Service on Friday on countries that are viewed negatively. Iran ranked first, with 55 percent of those polled saying they viewed it as a “negative state” while Pakistan came in second with 51 percent followed by … Read More

Bayern still waiting to crown ‘golden generation’

Another Champions League final another defeat, time is running out for Bayern Munich's home-grown talent to claim the top prize in European club football and cement their status as a golden generation. Bayern had set their sights on the Champions League in December … Read More

Formerly banned fencing makes a comeback in Libya

Fencing is making a comeback in Libya, after it was banned along with other sports deemed as violent, such as boxing and wrestling, during ousted leader Muammer Qaddafi’s reign. The Libyan Fencing Federation has been working on reviving the ancient sword sport since its … Read More

Dina al-Shibeeb: Arabs and heritage, and why Islamists win

The reason behind the religiosity of the Arab World and its conspicuous Islamic nature is because it is its heritage, more so than Christianity as heritage to secular Europe. One must say that the Arab World has experienced secularism somehow, but a tainted one. It has … Read More

Eman El-Shenawi: Bailing out Greece has tipped it over the eurozone’s edge

Greece was bailed out under rules it wasn’t ready for. The attempt to save the country from defaulting has actually tipped it over the edge and foreshadows a eurozone exit. Why? Because the bailout never ensured the country’s fiscal stability. If anything, the rescue … Read More