Israeli President Peres sends message of peace to Iranians
Wednesday, 08 February 2012
President Shimon Peres sent a message of peace to Iranians from the podium of Israel’s parliament on Wednesday, saying there was no need for the two peoples to be foes. “We were not born enemies and there is no need for us to live as enemies,” Peres said in a speech marking the 63rd anniversary of the Knesset’s ... Read More
Egyptian judges accuse NGOs of meddling in politics
Wednesday, 08 February 2012
Egyptian judges probing alleged illegal foreign funding of non-governmental organizations on Wednesday accused domestic and foreign groups, including American ones, of illegally meddling in politics. The NGOs are operating “without license,” and their work “constitutes pure political activity and has nothing to do with civil ... Read More
Libya seeks Jordan help in fighting ex-regime officials
Wednesday, 08 February 2012
Libya wants Amman to help fight remnants of slain dictator Muammar Qaddafi’s regime if found in Jordan, a government statement said on Wednesday as the two nations vowed to boost their ties. Libya is “looking forward for Jordanian help in fighting remnants of the old regime if they are found in Jordan,” the ... Read More
Kuwait cancels festival concerts in solidarity with Syria
Wednesday, 08 February 2012
Organizers of Kuwait’s annual shopping festival, “February Nights,” have cancelled all musical concerts in solidarity with the Syrian people, an organizer said on Wednesday. “The situation is not suitable for staging concerts now since we are in a state of sorrow for what is happening in Syria,” the head of the ... Read More
Tunisia president in morocco to promote Maghreb union
Wednesday, 08 February 2012
Tunisia’s new President Moncef Marzouki arrived in Morocco Wednesday to push for a revival of a dormant project to unify the Maghreb region on his first foreign tour since taking office. “This year we will work to restore unity with our brothers in Algeria, Morocco, Libya and Mauritania, with the aim of ... Read More
Iraq wants to limit private security contractors
Wednesday, 08 February 2012
Iraq deeply mistrusts private security companies and wants to limit their operations here, officials say, while the contractors themselves have faced bureaucratic delays and detentions. This mistrust stems from perceived arrogant behavior by employees of these firms in the past and various incidents of violence ... Read More
Turkey plans conference on Syria, says Assad dares not to use ‘Kurds as a card’
Wednesday, 08 February 2012
Turkey plans an international conference “as soon as possible” with regional players and world powers to solve the Syrian crisis, its foreign minister said on Wednesday. “We are determined to establish a broad-based forum to promote international understanding with all countries concerned” with the developments ... Read More
Yemen’s Saleh to return from U.S. to ‘attend and supervise vote’
Wednesday, 08 February 2012
Yemen’s President Ali Abdullah Saleh, in New York for medical treatment after agreeing to step down following months of protests, will return to vote in presidential polls, a member of his party and state media said Wednesday. “He will return and the General People’s Congress party wants him back to attend and ... Read More
Assad militia kills 3 families in Syria’s Homs
Wednesday, 08 February 2012
Militiamen loyal to President Bashar al-Assad shot dead at least 20 civilians when they stormed the homes of three unarmed families on the edges of opposition districts in the city of Homs on Wednesday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. “The shabbiha (Assad’s militiamen) broke into three houses overnight and ... Read More
Syrian regime hunts down Arab journalists who are covering protests
Wednesday, 08 February 2012
As part of an overall plan to cover up for atrocities committed against unarmed civilians, the Syrian regime has embarked on an expansive campaign to silence Arab journalists abroad particularly, in Moscow. The Syrian regime has accused Arab journalists based in the Russian capital of receiving money from the embassy of ... Read More
Russia sticks to support for Assad, warns West against meddling in Syria
Wednesday, 08 February 2012
Russia on Wednesday warned against outside interference in Syria, as Britain and France expressed strong doubt Damascus would live up to promises to end its violent repression of dissidents. Meanwhile, U.N. rights chief Navi Pillay called for urgent action to protect Syrian civilians caught in 11 months of ... Read More
Strike talks could be strategy to keep pressure on Iran: Israeli experts
Wednesday, 08 February 2012
Israel is pursuing a studied ambiguity on whether it will attack Iran, keeping its options open on how to rein in Tehran’s alleged nuclear weapons ambitions, Israeli experts say. Speculation about an Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear facilities has reached fever pitch in recent weeks, driven by comments from Israeli ... Read More
Hezbollah chief says group gets support, not orders, from Iran
Wednesday, 08 February 2012
Lebanon’s Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah acknowledged on Tuesday for the first time that his armed movement received financial and material support from Iran, but denied it took instructions from the Islamic Republic. Nasrallah said Hezbollah previously only confirmed Iranian political and moral backing ... Read More
ElBaradei calls on Egyptians to end military rule; civil disobedience planned
Wednesday, 08 February 2012
Egyptians must overcome economic and political differences to unite and put the country on the path to democracy and away from military rule, former presidential candidate Mohammed ElBaradei said on Wednesday amid calls for civil disobedience on Feb. 11 to demand a swift handover of power to civilians. “It is time to set ... Read More
Top senators see Egypt risking ‘disastrous’ rupture in ties with Washington
Wednesday, 08 February 2012
A trio of leading U.S. senators Tuesday warned Egypt that the risk of a “disastrous” rupture in ties had “rarely been greater” amid an escalating row over the planned trial of U.S. pro-democracy activists. Echoed by a bipartisan chorus of anger from U.S. lawmakers, Republican senators John McCain and Kelly ... Read More
Death toll mounts as attacks in Syria’s Homs resume after Russian peace foray
Wednesday, 08 February 2012
Scores of people have been killed as Syrian forces shelled Khaldeya, Bayyada and Baba Amro neighborhoods in Homs, Al Arabiya correspondent said on Wednesday. Activists told Al Arabiya that Baba Amro has been completely destructed by the bombardment, which started in the early hours of the day. At least 52 people have been ... Read More
After Doha deal, challenges remain to Hamas- Fatah unity
Tuesday, 07 February 2012
The deal signed in Doha by rival Palestinian movements Fatah and Hamas has moved the two sides closer to reconciliation but challenges remain, officials and experts warn. Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, who also heads Fatah, and Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal signed an accord on Monday placing Abbas at the head of an ... Read More
Israeli leaders’ silence on Assad’s crackdown reflects fears of uncertain future
Tuesday, 07 February 2012
Israel’s leaders, wary of what might follow an eventual fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s, have been muted in their criticism of his bloody crackdown on opponents, but that might change. Despite the dispute between the two neighbors over the Golan Heights, seized by Israel during the 1967 Six Day war ... Read More
Egyptian Salafi MP calls to prayer in parliament session, met with anger
Tuesday, 07 February 2012
Salafi member of the Egyptian parliament was ordered to “stop talking and remain quiet” by the Speaker after he loudly recited the Azan, or the Muslim call to prayer, while ministers were in session on Tuesday. Mamdouh Ismail surprised fellow MPs when he stood up from his bench, calling out “God is great … Hasten to prayer,” ... Read More
Iran’s parliament summons Ahmadinejad on economic policy
Tuesday, 07 February 2012
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will appear in parliament next month to be grilled on his handling of the economy, state radio reported on Tuesday, after lawmakers took the unprecedented action of summoning him. Around 100 members of the 290-seat assembly signed a petition to call up Ahmadinejad, in what analysts saw ... Read More