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Obama welcomes Iran's election of moderate president

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:40:07 -0400

WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama has urged Iran's newly elected president to prove to the world that the Islamic republic was not pursuing a nuclear weapon programme as the White House welcomed election of a moderate leader as a hopeful sign. "I think it says that the Iranian people want to move in a different direction," Obama said of the election results in Iran that saw a surprising ...

Gaddafi's son to stand trial in Libya in August

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:29:24 -0400

LONDON - Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of deceased Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, will stand trial in August along with Gaddafi's last prime minister and a former intelligence director, the prosecutor's office has announced. The men will be tried for crimes against the Libyan people during the 2011 uprising that toppled the former regime. Notorious former spy chief Abdullah ...

Leaders of G8 call for peace in Syria and pledge humanitarian aid

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:28:36 -0400

ENNISKILLEN - The Group of Eight industrialised nations called for a swift end to the bloody civil war in Syria and urgent peace talks but stopped short of calling for the ouster of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad in its joint statement at the end of talks Tuesday. Despite the lack of consensus among the G8 on the fate of Assad, as well as the use of chemical weapons by his regime, Canadian ...

G8 leaders back calls for Syria peace talks in Geneva

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:50:02 -0400

Leaders at the G8 Summit in Northern Ireland have backed calls for Syrian peace talks to be held in Geneva as soon as possible. After adopting the statement, UK Prime Minister David Cameron said the leaders had managed to overcome fundamental differences. The statement, however, does not mention what role Syrian President Bashar al-Assad could play in the future. According to the BBC, the G8 ...

US to join direct peace talks with Taliban over Afghanistans future in Qatar

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:20:03 -0400

The United States is to open direct talks with Taliban leaders within days. The development comes after Washington agreed to drop a series of preconditions that have previously held back negotiations over the future of Afghanistan. According to the Guardian, political representatives of the Taliban will meet Afghan and US officials in Doha, the capital of Qatar. They will have discussions on ...

Emirates voted worlds best airline

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:50:02 -0400

UAE based Emirates airline, has been voted as the 'world's best airline' pushing last year's winner Qatar to the second position and also winning the 'best in-flight entertainment' category. According to Skytrax World airline awards, which is the world's largest survey of air passengers, Qantas' partner airline 'Emirates' has been declared as the world's best. Skytrax has booted Qantas, which ...

Egypt says it values its relations UAE

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:20:01 -0400

Egypt is proud of its deep-rooted fraternal ties with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and its people, an Egyptian foreign ministry spokesperson has said. The relations with the UAE were based on mutual respect and joint interests, and would not be affected by any statements here or there, said spokesperson Badr Abdel Aaty in an official statement. The Egyptian foreign ministry was closely ...

Israel wants Iran to halt uranium enrichment

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 22:20:01 -0400

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that his country would not accept anything less than the total halt of Iranian uranium enrichment. "We cannot accept anything less than a total cessation of all enrichment of nuclear materials at all levels, removal of all enriched nuclear material and a closure of Iran's illicit nuclear facilities," reported Xinhua citing Netanyahu during a ...

G8 condemns use of chemical weapons in Syria

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:30:02 -0400

G8 leaders Tuesday condemned any use of chemical weapons in Syria, and that they were deeply concerned by the growing threat from terrorism and extremism in the Middle East country. In a final communique issued after the annual G8 summit in Lough Erne, Northern Ireland, the leaders called on all parties in the conflict to allow access to the UN investigating team, Xinhua reported. It said the ...

Khurshid welcomes three months respite given to Indian expats in Saudi Arabia

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:40:01 -0400

External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid on Tuesday lauded the gesture of Saudi Arabian Government to grant three months respite to Indian immigrant workers overstaying or illegally residing in that country. "All those people who were there and did not have their complete paperwork or passports or those whose work visa had expired or those people who had received the visa for some work and were ...

More flights for repatriation of Indians from Saudi Arabia

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:40:01 -0400

Additional flights will operate between Saudi Arabia and India to help in the repatriation of illegal Indian expatriates who want to return to India from the Gulf nation, a top Indian diplomat has said. "The embassy has taken up the issue with the Indian authorities, and accordingly Air India, the national flag carrier, has expressed its readiness to operate flights," the Saudi Gazette Tuesday ...

Saudi Arabia e-security centre to prevent hacking

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 07:20:01 -0400

Saudi Arabia has set up a national e-security centre to protect the country's e-system from hackers, a media report said Tuesday. Several hackers have been attacking government websites to steal data by planting undetected viruses for months, the centre's director, Abdulrahman Al Mueeqal, was quoted as saying by the Al Sharq Al Awsat newspaper. The centre will review the e-security system and ...

Putin Obama agree to push for Syria talks in Geneva

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 07:10:06 -0400

Beijing, June 18 (Xinhua-ANI): Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday held here face-to-face talks on Syria on the sidelines of the G8 summit in Lough Erne, Britain. At a press conference after their two-hour talks, the two leaders admitted they had big differences on Syria, but they agreed to push for a summit in Geneva, Switzerland. "Our positions do not ...

Afghan peace council members to talk with Taliban in Qatar Karzai

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 07:10:03 -0400

Kabul, June 18 (Xinhua-ANI): Some members of Afghan High Peace Council will travel to the Gulf state of Qatar to hold formal peace talks with the Taliban, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said on Tuesday. "Members of peace council will go to Qatar to initiate peace talks with the Taliban," Karzai told a joint press conference with the visiting NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen. Earlier ...

Barbra Streisand criticizes womens discriminatory treatment in Israel

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 06:50:02 -0400

Barbra Streisand has spoken about the Jewish religious practices that separate men and women. The 71-year-old actress took aim at cases of ultra-Orthodox Jews targeting women while speaking at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem on Monday. The star, who herself was born in a Jewish family, said that it was distressing that women in Israel were forced to sit at the back of the bus, CBS News ...

Syria splits G8 into “seven plus one”

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:28:01 -0400

As it was expected Syria became the main cause of differences between Russia and the other participants in the G8 summit that ended on Tuesday in Lough Erne. The West was unwilling to give up unilateral support for the Syrian opposition, as Moscow calls ...

Israel hit by Grad rocket today

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:22:43 -0400

Occupied Jerusalem: June 19 -- (BNA)-- "Radio Israel" reported that one (Grad) rocket hit this morning near Ashkelon city. The Israeli radio station said that the source of the rocket was from Gaza Strip and that no human causalities or property damage were reported so far. The Hebrew Radio pointed out that two rockets were launched however both rockets landed inside Palestinian ...

Israeli authorities arrest 3 Palestinian youngsters and dismantle the doors of 10 shops in Jenin today

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:22:43 -0400

Ramallah: June 19 -- (BNA)-- Israeli occupation forces arrested three Palestinian youngsters from Jenin province at dawn today (Wednesday: 19 June 2013) and dismantled the doors of ten commercial shops in the industrial area. Local security sources quoted by the Palestinian News Agency (WAFA) reportedly said that a large number of Israeli occupation forces stormed into Jenin City, abducting ...

Qatar Signs Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:22:43 -0400

New York, June 19 (BNA) - Qatar signed last night the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products. The signing ceremony took place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, where the Permanent Representative of Qatar to the UN Shaikh Mishaal bin Hamad Al Thani signed the Protocol. The signing ceremony was attended by Representative of UN Secretary General and Head of the Treaty ...

Kuwait telco Viva signs $270m financing deal

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:22:07 -0400

Kuwaiti telecoms operator Viva, part-owned by Saudi Telecom Co (STC) and the Kuwaiti government, has secured $270m to help fund plans to upgrade its network and expand in ...

Three people killed in northern Yemen bombing - official

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:20:41 -0400

SANAA (Reuters) - Three people were killed and eight wounded in a town in northern Yemen on Wednesday when a suicide bomber riding a motorbike blew himself up in a busy market, a security official said. The attack occurred in Saada, a town near the border with Saudi Arabia and about 130 km (80 mile) north of the capital, Sanaa. Saada has been under the control of Shi'ite Houthi rebels for ...

China Envoy Says Middle East Conflict Too Complex for U.S. Alone

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:14:34 -0400

Middle East 's challenges are too complicated for the U.S. to address alone, a top Chinese envoy said today, as the government seeks greater influence in a region that's the source of 50 percent of its oil ...

Desert Regions on the Horizon REC Enters the Middle East

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:14:33 -0400

MUNICH, June 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- REC, the largest European supplier of solar panels globally, plans to make an impact at this year's Intersolar in Munich in hall A1, booth 380, by displaying for the very first time a bi-facial solar panel concept well suited for desert conditions, and announcing the opening of a new office in Dubai, UAE. ...

Afghanistan suspends security pact talks with U.S. amid Taliban peace process

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:07:41 -0400

Afghan President Hamid Karzai speaks during a joint news conference with NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen following a security handover ceremony at a military academy outside Kabul June 18, ...

On Syria Obama no fool on question of intervention

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:07:37 -0400

Last week, Bill Clinton warned that President Barack Obama risked looking like a "wuss" and "a total fool" for not acting sooner on Syria. Shortly thereafter - but two months after Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel charged that strongman Bashar Assad had crossed a "red line" in using chemical weapons against his own people - the White House announced that in response ...

Iran and Egypt Old Foes New Competitors

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:02:39 -0400

Demonstrators storm the offices of the Muslim Brotherhood's political wing, the Freedom and Justice Party, in protest of President Morsi's expansion of powers in Alexandria, Egypt, on Nov. 23. (Photo: Mohamed Hanno, ...

Obama Again Backs Off On Syria

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:00:04 -0400

WASHINGTON [MENL] -- President Barack Obama, less than a week afterapproving U.S. military aid to Sunni rebels, has backed away from proposalsmeant to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad. Obama, in his first interview on the subject, acknowledged that he wasskeptical over measures to restrain Assad's military amid its offensiveagainst the rebels. The president dismissed the prospect of a ...

Israel Reports New Arms Deals

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:00:01 -0400

TEL AVIV [MENL] -- Israel has reported a series of arms export deals. The state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries reported a series of newcontracts with unidentified foreign militaries. IAI said the contracts,awarded in 2013, exceeded $100 ...

Twin suicide bombings More blood drenches streets of Iraq

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:59:59 -0400

Twin suicide bombings killed 31 people after midday prayers at a Shiite Muslim religious centre in Baghdad on Tuesday, the latest in violence sparking fears of a revival of full-blown sectarian ...

Erdogan demonizes opposition like all dictators do

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:59:59 -0400

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday claimed victory over anti-government protesters after a heavy crackdown, as police raided homes and arrested dozens of demonstrators in a bid to stamp out nearly three weeks of ...

UN Gathafis move to Oman in breach of sanctions

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:59:59 -0400

UNITED NATIONS - A daughter and son of late Libyan dictator Moamer Gathafi have moved from Algeria to Oman in breach of UN sanctions, a UN ambassador said ...

Hamas Follows Hizb In Tunnel Rockets

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:59:56 -0400

GAZA CITY [MENL] -- The Hamas regime in the Gaza Strip has been directed byHizbullah on the use of tunnels for missile and rocket fire toward ...

Hawks doves and pipeline politics in Syria

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:53:22 -0400

By Peter Dale Scott Like President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, United States President Barack Obama's Syrian policy is being tugged strenuously in Washington by hawks and by doves. On June 13, Obama handed two limited but ominous victories to the hawks: a finding of fact that the troops of Syria's president Bashar al-Assad "have used chemical weapons [i.e. Sarin] against rebel ...

Modernity makes a mark in Iran vote

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:53:21 -0400

if you are interested in contributing. The June 14 election in Iran has not only shattered many prejudgments about the supposedly predetermined results of the 11th Iranian presidential poll on the international level, but it has also taken many inside Iran by surprise. The reformists, who have been subject to the most severe media criticism and sabotage ...

IAEA should avoid political stance Iran says

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:26:43 -0400

Iran questions IAEA's political stance, says committed to NPT. Iranian Foreign Ministry has called on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief to avoid politicizing Tehran’s nuclear issue. "If the International Atomic Energy Agency’s expectations are beyond Iran’s obligations [under the Non-proliferation Treaty], this will require the definition of a new ...

Turkeyss Erdogan welcomes Hamas leaders

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:23:39 -0400

Even as the EU canceled a parliamentary visit to Ankara scheduled for Wednesday, and UN Secretary-General Ban Kimoon criticized Turkey for its handling of the recent protests, embattled Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday welcomed Hamas leaders Khaled Mashaal and Ismail Haniyeh for meetings in the Turkish capital.It was not immediately clear if the arrival of the Hamas leaders was ...

Gunmen briefly kidnap farmer in Lebanon’s Baalbek

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:19:34 -0400

BEIRUT: Unidentified gunmen briefly kidnapped early Wednesday a farmer after blocking the path of two vehicles in Baalbek, east Lebanon, security sources ...

Bahrain to clamp down on bars nightclubs

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:17:09 -0400

Bahrain's parliament unanimously voted to deny any more building permits for nightclubs and bars in the residential and commercial district of Juffair, a move which could be the start of a clampdown across the whole of the island state, it was reported on ...

Lebanese March 14 coalition call for Hezbollahs Syria withdrawal

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:16:58 -0400

The March 14 coalition called Tuesday for an immediate withdrawal of Hezbollah from the fighting in Syria and the deployment of the Lebanese Army along the tense border to prevent recurrent attacks on Lebanon.In a memorandum delivered to President Michel Sleiman, the coalition also called for ...

Middle East investors now more active in managing capital

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:16:55 -0400

More than half (55 per cent) of respondents said they invested locally rather than internationally While other markets are busy finding ways to stem capital flight, there is a growing trend of Middle Eastern investors keeping their money at home and taking control of their assets.Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Qatar are now being seen as safe havens for investors to park their wealth. This trend became ...

World Cup 2014 Josh Kennedy coming to terms with scoring match-winning goal against Iraq

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:16:34 -0400

Sydney 2000 Josh Kennedy says the impact of his match-winning goal in the World Cup qualifier against Iraq is only just "starting to sink in".Kennedy confirmed Australia's passage to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil with his 83rd-minute header at the Olympic stadium on Tuesday night.The lanky striker was still coming to terms with being the toast of the nation as he joined his ...

Israel celebrates 90 years of Shimon Peres

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:02:09 -0400

Celebrations have been taking place to mark the 90th birthday of Israel’s President Shimon Peres, although his real birthday is on August 2. Some 3,000 guests ...

Syria peace talks delayed after Putin unyielding

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:54:32 -0400

Syrian peace talks will be delayed after Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to boycott talks that assume President Bashar Assad will resign, officials said. The international peace conference in Geneva, Switzerland, proposed by Washington and Moscow six weeks ago to be held as soon as May is now likely to be delayed until September, a Western official told several news organizations after ...

New Wave Poll 62.720.1 Attack Syria to stop weapons shipments despiteAssad threats

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:48:54 -0400

New Wave Poll: 62.7%:20.1% Attack Syria to stop weapons shipments despite Assad threats Dr. Aaron Lerner - IMRA 14 June 2013 The survey of 500 Jewish Israeli adults was conducted by New Wave for Yisrael Hayom 12 June 2013 and published on 14 June. Statistical error +/- 4.4 percentage points. Should Israel attack Syria in order to stop weapons shipments, despite threats from Assad to ...

Wealth creation is faster in Middle East HNWIs

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:20:32 -0400

A majority of high net worth individuals (HNWIs) in the Middle East believe wealth creation is faster today than in the past, more than any other region globally, according to the latest report by of Barclays Wealth Insights.Over half (60%) of respondents in the Middle East agreed that wealth can be created faster today than in the past, in comparison to 43 per cent in Europe and 31 per cent in ...

Abbas Palestinians want Kerrys efforts to succeed

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:19:49 -0400

Kerry is expected to return to the region next week as part of his efforts to revive stalled peace talks, the Palestinian Authority and Israeli officials said Tuesday.PA President Mahmoud Abbas emphasized that the Palestinians were keen on making Kerry's mission ...

The best books on Egypt start your reading here | Pushpinder Khaneka

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:18:00 -0400

Egypt as the country attempts to emerge from British occupation and forge its own identity. Palace Walk tells the story up to the 1919 revolution against the ...

New Dreamliner too small for us says Emirates

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:13:40 -0400

Emirates president Tim Clark threw cold water on Boeing's launch of the new improved and bigger 787-10 version of its flagship Dreamliner, saying the new model may not be big enough for the fast growing Dubai carrier, it has been ...

Emirates takes home 2013 World’s Best Airline’ Award

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:13:30 -0400

Emirates Airlines Emirates Airlines was awarded the highly coveted 'World's Best Airline' award, presented by Skytrax at the 2013 World Airline Awards yesterday.In addition to winning 'World's Best Airline' Emirates scooped up a further two awards including; 'Best Middle East Airline' and for a record ninth year in a row, ?World's Best Inflight ...

Israeli president Shimon Peres 90 says he expects peace with Palestinians within his lifetime

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:06:08 -0400

Weeks away from his 90th birthday, Israel's president Shimon Peres, has said that he expects to see peace with the Palestinians within his ...

Muslim Brotherhood will not change the Emirati attitude towards Egypt and its people says paper

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:47:39 -0400

WAM ABU DHABI: "What do the new Egypt rulers want by singling out the UAE as the reason for their failure to rise up to the challenges of the post-January 25 Revolution facing the largest Arab country?," a local UAE paper on Wednesday asked. Describing the constant attacks on the UAE by senior leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood, the ruling party in Egypt, as inexplicable, the English ...

Syria Western-backed terrorists running like rats

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:45:13 -0400

The western-backed terrorist filth which has infested many parts of Syria in the last two years is being systematically exterminated and removed from its hideouts before the areas are sterilized by the Syrian Armed Forces, heroically waging a winning war against NATO's mercenaries, special forces and Islamist terrorists they have brought into the ...

Rohani once spoke approvingly of hiding Iran atomic work

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:24:34 -0400

Reuters © Iranian President-elect Hassan Rohani gestures to the media during a news conference in Tehran June 17, 2013. REUTERS/Fars News/Majid ...

UN chief hails G8 leaders understanding on Syria

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:19:02 -0400

United Nations, June 19 : UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon Tuesday welcomed the understanding reached on Syria by leaders of the Group of Eight (G-8) industrial ...

Putin warning as global leaders agree blueprint for Syrias future

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:15:22 -0400

Putin to agree to plans for a new transitional government, which could eventually replace the Assad regime, following intensive private discussions over dinner on Monday night.Mr Cameron appealed directly to supporters of the Syrian dictator to turn against Assad - promising that they could have a role in a future Syrian government. He said that they should "know in their hearts" that ...

A big step but trust is still low

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:15:22 -0400

Yet the fact that a senior US official in the next breath warned that "peace is not at hand" is a reminder of how many obstacles still lie ahead.Earlier attempts to get the sides together skidded to a halt and it is not clear what has changed to make this time different.High on the agenda will be the transfer of prisoners. America wants the return of ...

HSBC hired to manage Oman power JVs IPO

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:09:56 -0400

HSBC Holdings has been appointed to manage a public share offer of a joint venture firm that owns and operates a $1bn water and power project in Oman, two banking sources said on ...

Human rights group criticises executions in Kuwait

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:09:55 -0400

Kuwait hanged two Egyptian men on Tuesday, one for murder and the other for abduction and rape, state news agency KUNA reported, in the second set of executions in the Gulf Arab state this ...

SolarWorld seeks nod to make Qatar shareholder

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:09:55 -0400

SolarWorld still needs the backing of some bondholders for a wide-ranging debt restructuring that would make Qatar a major new shareholder in the ...

Kuwaits Zain eyes acquisitions in IT industries

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:09:54 -0400

Kuwait mobile operator Zain will make acquisitions and partnerships in computer-based industries this year to exploit rising demand for data and help offset falling conventional call and text income, its chief executive told ...

Aastra Helps Enterprises in the Middle East and Africa Transform Their Communications

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:02:29 -0400

Offering a cost-efficient migration from legacy to IP technology Aastra, a leading company at the forefront of the enterprise communication market, launched a campaign aiming at enterprises with legacy telephony systems. Today, Voice-over-IP, SIP trunking, Unified Communications & Collaboration, Video telephony & conferencing and Fixed-Mobile Convergence technologies promise cost ...

Oman urged to consider fiscal reforms

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:52:46 -0400

Oman should consider fiscal reforms as a priority because continued growth in public spending may be unsustainable in the long run, its central bank has ...

Iraq claims legal ruling expected

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:06:06 -0400

Relatives want the right to sue for negligence and to make claims under human rights legislation.The Supreme Court - the highest court in the UK - analysed arguments from lawyers representing relatives and the Ministry of Defence (MoD) at a hearing in London in February.Judges in the Court of Appeal and the High Court have already considered the issues.In October, appeal judges said relatives ...

Coldwell Banker launches operations in Oman

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:05:23 -0400

US-based global provider of real estate services, Coldwell Banker has announced the launch of its Oman operations, Muscat Daily has reported. The company's operations in the sultanate will provide professional real estate services like residential renting, buying and selling services, commercial renting, market research and property valuation, and property and facility ...

Sigma Paints Middle East achieves sustained success

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 23:58:16 -0400

Since its establishment 32 years ago, Sigma Paints Middle East has strived to maintain the highest international quality standards throughout its wide range of products, hence ensuring clean paints absolutely lead- and VOC-free. Moreover, Sigma Paints Saudi Arabia has been keen to create and deliver the finest and safest products, with the support of the latest relevant novelties in sciences and ...

Jerusalem Journal A-List Celebration Traces Leader’s Trajectory and Israel’s

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 23:54:16 -0400

President Shimon Peres turns 90 in August. He is the last of Israel's founding fathers still in office, and in recent months has strained his largely ceremonial role by speaking out on resolving the Israeli-Palestinian ...

On Syria leaders didn’t agree on much

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 23:13:20 -0400

For Syrian rebels fighting to overthrow the regime of Bashar al-Assad, Tuesday's communiqu issued by the Group of Eight meeting in Northern Ireland was hugely disappointing; as it was for the four million internally displaced civilians in Syria and the 1.6 million people who have sought refuge in neighbouring ...

When artists scapegoat Israel

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 23:08:31 -0400

Dear Ms. Walker,I am writing this letter to you with great pain, after encountering your name in the news, again, calling for a boycott on my home and country. Recently, you urged a popular American artist to boycott Israel. In your statement you claimed that "under a campaign named ‘Brand Israel,’ Israeli officials use culture and arts to showcase Israel as a modern, welcoming ...

Obama’s Second-Term G-8 Dance Card Judo With Putin Trade and Syria

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 23:07:36 -0400

. Europeans also see a free-trader pressuring the French to bow before the altar of low tariffs in pursuit of a U.S. and European trade pact. Just last week, White House officials feared they wouldn't even be able to announce the beginning of trade talks at the G-8 Summit at the Lough Erne golf resort in Northern Ireland. Under sustained pressure from British Prime Minister David Cameron, ...

Obama Putin express cautious optimism over Iran

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 23:05:19 -0400

ENNISKILLEN, Northern Ireland - US President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed "cautious" optimism on Monday that the election of a moderate cleric in Iran's presidential poll would open up dialogue with Tehran over its disputed nuclear program.In a private meeting following the press conference, however, the presidents said they would sign an agreement on ...

Putin scores victory on Syria at G8 summit

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 22:44:31 -0400

With scant support at the G8 summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin managed to derail the prospect of a statement condemning Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and left Western allies divided over how to end the conflict.The summit concluded in brilliant sunshine at the Lough Erne Resort, about two hours outside Belfast, with a lengthy statement on the Syrian conflict signed by all eight leaders. ...

10 killed 53 wounded in Iraqs violence

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 22:29:47 -0400

BAGHDAD, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Ten people were killed and 53 wounded in separate shootings and bombings in central and northern Iraq on Thursday, the police said. Up to five people, including two policemen, were killed and 30 wounded when two roadside bombs detonated near a police patrol in Nahrawan area, in the southeastern part of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, an Interior Ministry source told ...

Russian stand on Syria settlement in line with those of other G8 countries

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:59:41 -0400

LOUGH ERNE, June 18 (Itar-Tass) - The Russian stand on the settlement in Syria is in line with the stands of other G8 countries, which is confirmed by the statement of the Group of Eight, Sergei Ryabkov, Russian deputy foreign minister, told reporters on ...

Calm restored in southern Lebanon

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:57:54 -0400

The Lebanese army completed its deployment in various neighborhoods of the southern city of Sidon which witnessed sectarian clashes Tuesday that left one person dead and four injured.The army Command-Guidance Directorate said in a statement that the army units managed to "eliminate all armed manifestations, opening roads to traffic and fully restoring normal situation."Clashes erupted ...

Lebanon reiterates appeal to Intl commusharing burden of Syrian

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:57:50 -0400

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Miqati reiterated Tuesday his appeal for the international community to cooperate with Lebanon in sharing the burden of Syrian refugee influx.Miqati called for imposing certain standards on the refugees entering Lebanon during a conference attended by UN Higher Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres.The prime minister said Lebanon would not be able to cope with ...

EU Lebanon discuss Syrian refugee issue

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:57:48 -0400

Visiting EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton on Tuesday discussed with Lebanese officials the plight of Syrian refugees in the country and urged "a political solution to the conflict in Syria."According to a statement, Ashton said after a meeting with Lebanese President Michel Suleiman that "de-escalating tensions in Lebanon is a priority."Ashton said "any country ...

G8 leaders concerned by threat from terrorism in Syria

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:57:45 -0400

The G8 leaders said here Tuesday afternoon they are deeply concerned by the growing threat from terrorism and extremism in Syria.They also said they are deeply concerned by the increasingly sectarian nature of the conflict."Syria must belong to all Syrians, including its minorities and all religious groups," they said in a final communique, issued after the annual G8 summit in Lough ...

G8 leaders express commitment to political solution in Syria

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:57:45 -0400

G8 leaders on Tuesday said they remained committed "to achieving a political solution to the crisis based on a vision for a united, inclusive and democratic Syria.""We strongly endorse the decision to hold as soon as possible a Geneva conference on Syria," a final communique issued after the G8 Summit read.The communique said the Syrian government's military forces and ...

UN refugee chief urges support for Lebanon in hosting Syrian

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:57:44 -0400

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres warned of the massive support needed for refugees and for the countries and communities hosting them as he started a visit to the region Tuesday, the UNHCR said.Guterres noted in Beirut, Lebanon during his visit to mark the World Refugee Day that the long-feared spillover of the Syrian crisis into neighboring countries is becoming a ...

G8 statement on Syria nothing new

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:54:38 -0400

n analysts said that the G8 leaders brought "nothing new" on the Syrian issue during their two-day summit at Lough Erne in Northern Ireland. After their summit, the G8 countries stressed their commitment to achieve a political solution to Syria's long-standing crisis but didn't call for the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as precondition to political dialogue in ...

McCain and MacKay talk Syria in D.C.

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:47:09 -0400

U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) (L) talks to reporters as he departs following the weekly Republican caucus luncheon at the U.S. Capitol in Washington June 18, 2013. (REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst ...

Iran’s president-elect is an odd ‘moderate’

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:38:09 -0400

Mainstream Western media praising Hassan Rowhani, Iran's president-elect, as a "voice of moderation" and a "reformist" no doubt please the radical clerics who actually rule in Tehran. The more he's seen as something other than what he is -- one of the mullahs' own -- the more easily they can continue developing nuclear weapons by stringing along an America ...

Long overdue Reactions to announcement on Syria

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:30:11 -0400

announced that the U.S. government plans to provide support to opposition groups in Syria after determining that President Bashar Assad's regime has, in fact, used chemical weapons against rebel groups.Political leaders started praising the decision almost immediately.In a joint statement, U.S. Senators John McCain, R-Ariz., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said, "A decision to provide ...

BP classes Iran as top gas reserves holder in world

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:23:49 -0400

BP classes Iran as top gas reserves holder in world BP classes Iran as ...

Platini Praises Israel as Spain Take Spoils Once Again

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:11:19 -0400

JERUSALEM ...

Op-Ed Contributors How to End the Stalemate With Iran

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:01:31 -0400

THE stunning election of a pragmatic former Iranian nuclear negotiator, Hassan Rowhani, has offered the Obama administration a once-in-a-lifetime chance to end the atomic stalemate with Iran. In the West, Mr Rowhani is widely seen as a turbaned politico from inside the establishment. One of us has worked for him directly, as his deputy in nuclear talks. The other has conducted research at ...

Star-studded party for Israels Peres 90

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:00:54 -0400

More than 3000 guests, including prominent politicians and Hollywood stars, have turned out for a gala dinner held in honour of Israeli President Shimon Peres, who will turn 90 in August."We have our queen, you have your Shimon," said former British prime minister Tony Blair as the celebration got under way on Tuesday evening in Jerusalem.Former US president Bill Clinton, former Soviet ...

Islamists Press Blasphemy Cases in a New Egypt

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:58:07 -0400

DEIR EL GABRAWI, Egypt ...

Kerry briefs House leaders on Syria

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:56:47 -0400

Leadership from both parties in the House received a classified briefing on Syria from Secretary of State John Kerry and other military officials on Tuesday afternoon.House Speaker John Boehner, Majority Leader Eric Cantor, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Minority Whip Steny Hoyer and committee chairs from both parties attended the ...

Hapag-Lloyd to Add Bahrain Call to Intra-Asia Services

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:52:32 -0400

will add a direct port call at Bahrain to its South China Sea Express and Middle East Express services.The new rotation will begin on Aug. 12, with the sailing of the NYK Theseus, voyage 26w/27e33, according to the container ...

G8 Calls for Political Solution in Syria

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:52:05 -0400

Group of Eight leaders emphasized the need for a political settlement in Syria in a statement issued Tuesday as the summit in Northern Ireland ended. The communique referred to the Syrian civil war as "an appalling human tragedy" and pledged more aid to refugees and to the countries giving them shelter. It also condemned human rights violations and called for a U.N. investigation ...

Syria fighting for strategic air bases in countrys north

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:50:31 -0400

The bombings occured near the Kweiras and Mang air bases near the Turkish border, which rebels have been fighting for over the last two ...

U.N. recommends bringing Iraq closer to ending 1990s sanctions

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:44:48 -0400

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday recommended bringing Iraq one step closer to ending all U.N. sanctions imposed on Baghdad more than two decades ago after former leader Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait In 1990. Despite the toppling of Saddam in 2003 after a U.S.-led invasion, the United Nations has not fully lifted the sanctions. U.S.-led troops drove Iraq out ...

Cameron claims credit for seven-point plan on Syria

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:42:31 -0400

Vladimir Putin denied he was isolated at the summit on the violence in Syria and stood by his claim that supplying weapons for any one side in the civil war would only lead to more violence. He defended Moscow's role in the conflict to date and did not rule out further military contacts with the Assad ...

Daniel Kawczynski MP Refocusing UKTI on the Middle East and North Africa

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:38:40 -0400

Daniel Kawczynski has tabled a Westminster Hall debate on UKTI support to enable British small and medium enterprises to export to the Middle East and North Africa and shift the focus away from ...

Isolated Putin won’t budge on Syria

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:31:24 -0400

ENNISKILLEN, Northern Ireland -- Russia's Vladimir Putin derailed President Obama's efforts to win backing to bring down Syrian leader Bashar Assad at a G-8 summit on Tuesday, warning the West that arms supplied to the rebels could be used for attacks on European ...

Video President Obama defends decisions on surveillance and Syria

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:29:25 -0400

In an interview with "CBS This Morning" co-host Charlie Rose, President Barack Obama defended the NSA surveillance programs and his recent decision to provide military support to the Syrian opposition in that country's civil ...

Iran and U.S. New hope on nukes

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:26:04 -0400

>Editor's note: David Rothkopf writes regularly for CNN.com. He is CEO and editor-at-large of the FP Group, publishers of Foreign Policy magazine, and a visiting scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Follow him on Twitter.(CNN) -- It would be easy to dismiss Friday's election of Hassan Rouhani as president of Iran as little more than a sham -- a rigged election that ...

India snubs US backs Iran

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:20:05 -0400

Iran took over the presidency on May 27. Declaring it "an honour to speak during the presidency of Iran", foreign secretary Ranjan Mathai said in a statement in Geneva, "Questioning the relevance and authority of established multilateral disarmament frameworks is misplaced when in fact the current impasse is more due to the obstacles placed in its path rather than any inherent ...

U.S. to give Syria rebels military aid after chemical attacks

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:16:58 -0400

In a sharp escalation of the U.S. role in Syria's bloody civil war, the White House announced late Thursday that it will provide military aid to rebels fighting to topple President Bashar al-Assad after confirming that his government used chemical weapons against the opposition. Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications Ben Rhodes told reporters on a conference call that ...

Armed groups formed by Zionist organizations such as Irgun Stern and Haganah were responsible for collective killings to force hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homes and residential areas during and after the 1948 war unleashed by the pr

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:16:52 -0400

Prensa Latina The finding of the remains of dozens of people in a collective tomb in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv could witness today, 65 years later, Israeli militia ...

Video John McCain Peter MacKay outline differing Syria strategies

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:54:21 -0400

U.S. Sen. John McCain says military intervention in the Syrian conflict is necessary, despite Canada's reluctance. McCain says he respects Canada's history of defending freedom around the ...

A Look Ahead To The Future Of Afghanistan

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:49:25 -0400

Copyright © 2013 NPR. For personal, noncommercial use only. See Terms of Use. For other uses, prior permission required. JOHN DONVAN, HOST: This is TALK OF THE NATION. I'm John Donvan in Washington. Neal Conan is away. Of course somebody needed to mark the occasion today by setting off a bomb. It was Afghanistan, where what is hoped will be a turning point was reached today when a ...

Australia v Iraq what we learned from the World Cup qualifier

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:45:14 -0400

For 48 hours before the game, a major Sydney road was rechristened as the Tim Cahill Expressway. This was a man who had scored his country's first ever World Cup goal and at times had dragged the team through qualification. For years, he has been the source of goals when all others had run dry. Yet with 13 minutes remaining ...

Journalist Michael Hastings Killed in Car Crash

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:38:28 -0400

"We are shocked and devastated by the news that Michael Hastings is gone. Michael was a great, fearless journalist with an incredible instinct for the story, and a gift for finding ways to make his readers care about anything he covered from wars to politicians. He wrote stories that would otherwise have gone unwritten, and without him there are great stories that will go untold. Michael was ...

UPDATE 2-Egypt tourism minister protests over Islamist governor

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:30:59 -0400

Tue Jun 18, 2013 7:30pm EDT * Tourism minister sees "dire consequences" * New Luxor governor is member of ex-militant group * Says proud of pharaonic temples, will protect them * Pledges to welcome and protect tourists (Rewrites with tourism minister resignation) By Tom Perry and Asma Alsharif CAIRO, June 18 (Reuters) - Egypt's tourism minister tendered his resignation on Tuesday ...

CAPTIVE IN KUWAITContract Dispute Leaves 100 Americans Stranded

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:27:19 -0400

More than 100 American citizens have been trapped on two U.S. Army bases in Kuwait for months because of a contract dispute. (Wikipedia/public ...

Senators U.S. must take more decisive military action in Syria

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:25:02 -0400

WASHINGTON A bipartisan trio of key senators is demanding that President Obama take "more decisive" action to stem the military advance by Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces. Senate Armed Services Committee chairman Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich.; Foreign Relations Committee chairman Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J.; and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., wrote in a joint letter to Mr. Obama ...

Time to Leave Conflict Behind Panellists Say as International Meeting on Israeli-Palestinian Peace Considers Viability of Two-State Solution

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:51:59 -0400

BEIJING, 18 June ‑ The United Nations Meeting in Support of Israeli-Palestinian Peace this afternoon heard appeals to leave perpetual conflict behind, as experts grappled with ways to revitalize the two-State solution and re-engage the international community in that effort, amid regional turmoil and, by some accounts, societal and political indifference within ...

As Syria crisis roils Middle East Ban says Israeli-Palestinian peace remains urgent priority

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:51:55 -0400

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today said ';we must not lose sight of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,'; whose resolution was no less urgent. Calling for a ';clear political horizon'; to break the impasse and maximize present momentum, Mr. Ban told the UN Asia and Pacific International Meeting in Support of Israeli-Palestinian Peace, in ...

US to talk to Taliban as they open Qatar office

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:51:46 -0400

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US envoys will launch talks this week with the Taliban, officials announced Tuesday, in a tentative first step towards finding a negotiated escape from the decade-long Afghan war.The chance to start a dialogue came as the Islamist insurgent group opened a political office in the Qatari capital Doha to act as an embassy to its foes in Washington and President Hamid Karzai's ...

Video Obama seeks G8 support on Syria

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:51:10 -0400

President Barack Obama, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other G-8 leaders attempted to speak with one voice on seeking a negotiated Syrian peace settlement, yet couldn't publicly agree on what this ...

Kerry Wanted to Bomb Syria

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:45:30 -0400

Bashar al-Assad had used chemical weapons, notably sarin gas, on his own people, and tripping the president's "red line" that would rouse the United States to greater action. The response includes arming and training the rebels. It turns out that Secretary of State John Kerry also wanted the response to include an air strike on Syrian airfields, according ...

Defiant Putin torpedoes G-8 efforts to urge Assad to leave power

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:39:39 -0400

Russian President Vladimir Putin, British Prime Minister David Cameron and US President Barack Obama wave during a group photo opportunity during the G-8 summit at the Lough Erne golf resort in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, on Tuesday, June 18, 2013. (AP Photo/Lefteris ...

Saudi Arabia’s role in Syria driven by fear of Shiite ‘full moon’

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:39:38 -0400

Gulf Research Center in Jeddah. Since the fall of Syrian rebel stronghold Qusair this month, there has been growing unease in Saudi Arabia’s dusty capital Riyadh about the opposition’s chances. Riyadh has been backing the mainly Sunni rebels with arms, money and political support, while Western countries, above all the U.S., have given mixed signals, calling for Assad’s ...

Kurds carve out autonomy in chaos of Syrian civil war

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:39:37 -0400

File - In this Sunday, March 3, 2013 file photo, A Kurdish female member of the Popular Protection Units stands guard at a check point near the northeastern city of Qamishli, Syria. Taking advantage of the chaos of the civil war, ...

Copycats take Turkish silent protester viral

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:39:35 -0400

TRT said 13 had been held in Eskisehir.Protests have frequently turned into fierce clashes between police firing tear gas and water cannons and masked demonstrators throwing bottles and other missiles, images that have dented Turkey's reputation for stability in a volatile Middle East.Western countries have expressed concern about the police's handling of the protests against Erdogan, ...

Russia urges West to soften Iran sanctions

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:39:26 -0400

Russia Tuesday urged the West to consider relaxing sanctions against Iran, saying there was unprecedented hope of a breakthrough in the nuclear standoff ...

World Cup 2014 qualifiers Iran and South Korea join Socceroos and Japan in Brazil

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:36:54 -0400

The Socceroos confirmed their qualification with a 1-0 win over Iraq in Sydney thanks to an 83rd minute goal from Josh Kennedy.Later Jordan's 1-0 win over Oman in Amman meant Australia would have qualified even with a draw to Iraq or a loss due to a superior goal difference to Jordan.Irate South Korean fans hurled water bottles and other debris after Iran booked their ticket with a 1-0 ...

The ins and outs of G8 summit promises

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:36:00 -0400

The G8 leaders met Libya's Prime Minister Ali Zeidan to discuss ways of supporting democracy in the country following the overthrow of the late dictator Moammar ...

Iran president escapes attack

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:35:31 -0400

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad escaped an assassination attempt on Wednesday when a blast hit one of the vehicles of his cavalcade, a media report said. Iran's Press TV, however, denied the report. Al Arabiya TV reported the blast took place in the western city of Hamadan as the president was about to address a crowd. The attacker was arrested on the spot. The bomb hit a car carrying ...

Syria and the G8 lost in translation

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:24:22 -0400

Mr Putin's sympathy is with the despots, not their people. It should therefore come as no surprise that the G8 leaders had difficulty arriving at even the blandest of statements on ...

AP EXCLUSIVE US supervises war games in Jordan amid fears of spillover from Syrian conflict

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:21:22 -0400

An Iraqi Counter Terrorist forces soldier participates in a rehearsal with forces from Jordan and Lebanon as part of Eager Lion, a multinational military exercise in Zarqa, Jordan, Monday, June 17, 2013. (AP Photo/Maya ...

FIFA World Cup Qualifying Wrap Ethopia Egypt top groups

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:17:01 -0400

They secured a 2-1 success at home to South Africa on Sunday, however, their place in the last phase is under threat following an announcement from FIFA that they are face an investigation for allegedly fielding an ineligible player in a fixture with Botswana on June ...

Address by President Shimon Peres on his 90th birthday

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:09:36 -0400

" I know you have come to Jerusalem from around the world and from across the country to pay tribute, with me, to our people, to the State of Israel, and to Tikun Olam."(and at least in the instance of his good friend Bill Clinton, advance payment of half a million dollars plus expenses) Address by President Shimon Peres on the occasion of his 90th birthday Jerusalem, Tuesday 18th ...

G-8 summit ends with semi-agreement on Syrias future

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:48:29 -0400

Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron, answers questions from the media at a concluding press conference at the G8 venue of Lough Erne on June 18, 2013 in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland. (Matt Cardy, Getty ...

Defence Minister dodges question from McCain about Canadian military intervention in Syria

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:46:27 -0400

Minister of Defence Peter MacKay responds to a question during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, June 12, 2013. (Sean Kilpatrick/THE CANADIAN ...

The Standing Man Of Turkey Act Of Quiet Protest Goes Viral

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:41:48 -0400

Over the weekend , police removed their tent city and re-opened Istanbul's Taksim Square to traffic, while maintaining a strong presence in the area. This might have seemed like the end of it for many protesters, until a lone man decided to take a stand, literally, against the government. For more than six hours Monday night, Erdem Gunduz stood motionless in Taksim Square, passively ignoring ...

Vladimir Putin may allow Assad to go if power vacuum in Syria is avoided

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:37:16 -0400

Vladimir Putin with G8 leaders. The Russian leader has agreed to let President Assad of Syria go on certain conditions. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/AFP/Getty ...

Bahrain Delegation Meets Deputy Russian Foreign Minister

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:32:58 -0400

Moscow, June 18. (BNA) - A Bahrain parliamentary delegation led by Mp Abdulrahman Boumajeed today met Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and Russian President's Envoy to the Middle East Mikhail Bogdanov and discussed regional and international developments. Talks focused on steps undertaken to implement the recommendations set by the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI), the ...

G8 wraps up with few concrete steps on war-torn Syria

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:31:46 -0400

Northern Ireland G8 leaders have called for a Syrian peace conference to be held as soon as possible, but deep divisions remain as Russia stands by its embattled Middle East ally.The tranquil summit setting at Lough Erne, Northern Ireland, belied the meeting's bitter divide over the Syrian issue, which two days of talks have done little to resolve.The war in the country overshadowed a deal ...

Syrian tensions spillover into Lebanon as Sunni and Shia militias clash

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:28:19 -0400

It was one of the most serious outbreaks of violence in Sidon, a mostly Sunni city whose population largely sympathises with the Sunni-led insurgency ...

Cameron says morning swim helped with G8 Syria talks

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:18:24 -0400

British Prime Minister David Cameron speaks during a press conference at the end of the G8 summit at Lough Erne resort, Northern Ireland, June 18, 2013. A dip in the icy waters of a Northern Irish lake proved the ideal tonic before a day of tough talks with G8 leaders on tax evasion and the Syria crisis, Cameron said on ...

Iran Hassan Rohani the pragmatic president

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:17:02 -0400

Lawyer, cleric, academic. Iran’s new president Hassan Rohani was playing the role of the diplomat as he met his predecessor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Tehran on Tuesday. The pair discussed the economic and political problems the country faces, especially after years of sanctions imposed by the West over Iran’s nuclear stance. ';The next government aims to make use of experiences of ...

First Italian jihadi killed in Syria

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:16:59 -0400

An Italian fighting with rebels in Syria has been killed. 20 year-old Giuliano Ibrahim Delnevo from Genoa was a convert to Islam from a Catholic family, and is believed to be the first Italian jihadi to die in combat. He was under investigation for terrorist recruitment in Genoa at the time of his ...

Suspected Islamic terrorist among newly appointed governors in Egypt

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:16:40 -0400

Among the 17 provincial governors appointed by Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi on June 16, at least 7 are affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, and one is affiliated with a suspected Islamic terrorist group. The appointments by Morsi show that the Egyptian president is feeling pressure from Islamic groups, notes the AsiaNewes service. The appointment of Adel Asaad el Khayat as governor of ...

Egypt and Ethiopia try to roll back threats of war

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:16:07 -0400

CAIRO, Egypt Egypt's foreign minister is in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa today to diffuse a diplomatic standoff over access to the Nile River that had led President Mohamed Morsi to threaten his Ethiopian counterparts with the prospect of "war." Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr's visit comes a week after Ethiopia's parliament voted to strip Egypt of its right to ...

G8 leaders fail to reach agreement on ending conflict in Syria

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:15:57 -0400

World leaders attending the G8 summit have failed to reach agreement on ending the conflict in Syria.Instead they are backing a future conference examining how to bring about peace.Also discussed in Co Fermanagh was David Cameron's "three Ts" - tax, trade, and transparency.There are plans to close international tax loopholes, and improve trade links between the US and ...

Searching for Monsters to Destroy in Syria

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:10:10 -0400

Such is the case with the Syrian imbroglio. That Syria has degenerated into crisis is clear. That the violence on the ground is atrocious, and horrifying, goes without saying. But the notion that the Syrian mess is an American problem, or that the United States can or should choose a favorite in the fight, is highly debatable. There is no defense for the actions of the Syria government, but only ...

U.N. sees huge need for helping Syrian refugees in Lebanon

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:10:04 -0400

A United Nations official says more needs to be done to support the estimated 1 million Syrian refugees who will have fled to Lebanon by year's end. The worsening violence in Syria has prompted an estimated 1.5 million people to flee to neighboring Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey with refugee camps already filled beyond capacity in the countries. U.N. High Commissioner for ...

African nations set negotiations on planned Nile dam

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:09:59 -0400

A controversial dam on the Nile River will be the subject of negotiations by Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan, foreign ministers of the countries announced Tuesday. The negotiations will deal with the political and technical aspects of dividing the river's waters between the countries, Egypt's Ahram Online reported. The $4.2 billion dam is planned by Ethiopia to power a hydroelectric plant. ...

Iranians Observers Wonder How Rowhani Was Allowed to Win

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:42:32 -0400

W hen tens of thousands of Iranians took to the streets to celebrate Hassan Rowhani's presidential victory last weekend, one chant stood out: "Dictator! Thank you!" In the back of their minds, the protesters must have been asking themselves the same thing surprised Iran observers are wondering: Why would Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the "dictator" who has ...

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict No Less Urgent Secretary-General Stresses amid Fears that Syria Crisis Could Engulf Already Tense Region

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:41:22 -0400

BEIJING, 18 June ‑ With regional tensions rising over relentless fighting in Syria, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today ...

‘Syria dollar rate caused fuel price hike’

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:31:28 -0400

Oil firms have announced a new round of price hikes--among the highest for the year. AP FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines--Oil firms have announced a new round of price hikes--among the highest for the year. In separate announcements, Petron, Pilipinas Shell and Seaoil raised gasoline prices by P1.05 per liter, kerosene by P1.30 and diesel by P1.45. The adjustments took effect at 6 a.m. Tuesday. ...

Syria spillover into Lebanon intensifies with clashes in Sidon

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:22:09 -0400

The southern Lebanese city of Sidon erupted in heavy clashes as followers of a radical Sunni cleric battled gunmen believed to be sympathisers of the Shia-backed Hezbollah, in the latest outbreak of violence between factions supporting opposing sides in the Syrian ...

Gangs of Cairo Egyptian minister fights culture war

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:19:52 -0400

View Photo Reuters/Reuters - Anti-Mursi protesters, made up of intellectuals and artists, demonstrate in front of the Ministry of Culture against what they claimed are increasing influence of the Muslim Brotherhood ...

Russia frustrates G8’s Syria hopes

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:18:01 -0400

ENNISKILLEN, Northern Ireland - G8 leaders struggled to find the ';common ground'; on Syria that had been hoped for by their British hosts, with the results of Tuesday's summit confirming the predictions of many ...

Measles epidemic sweeps northern Syria MSF

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:12:19 -0400

Syrian children roll used car tyres on a street in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo on April 12, 2013. An epidemic of measles is sweeping through parts of northern Syria, with at least 7,000 people affected because the ongoing civil war has disrupted vaccination programmes, Doctors Without Borders said on ...

UN says 2 children of Libyas Gadhafi moved to Oman in apparent violation of UN travel ban

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:10:27 -0400

A son and daughter of former Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi moved from Algeria to Oman in apparent violation of a U.N. travel ban, the committee monitoring U.N. sanctions against Libya said Tuesday. Rwanda's U.N. Ambassador Eugene Richard Gasana, who chairs the committee, told the Security Council that Algeria's U.N. Mission confirmed on June 5 that Aisha Gadhafi and Mohammed Gadhafi ...

Turkeys Erdogan meets top Hamas officials for talks on Palestinian reconciliation

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:10:20 -0400

In this photo released by the Turkish Prime Minister's Press Office, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, seen during a meeting with Khalid Mashaal, the Hamas chief in exile, center, and Gaza’s prime minister Ismail Haniyeh in Ankara, Turkey, Tuesday, June 18, 2013. The meeting is expected to focus on talks on Palestinian reconciliation.(AP Photo/Yasin Bulbul, Prime ...

Israeli premier pressure on Iran nuclear program must not ease despite election of reformist

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:10:07 -0400

JERUSALEM - Israel's prime minister says the international community must not ease pressure on Iran because of the election of a reformist president. Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that he believed Iran's president-elect Hasan Rowhani spoke moderately but backs enriching uranium for nuclear weapons. The comments came after Russia's foreign minister was quoted as saying Iran was ...

With massive protests planned against Islamist leader Egypts polarization risks violence

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:10:03 -0400

FILE - In this Friday, May 17, 2013 file photo, An Egyptian protester shouts anti-President Mohammed Morsi slogans as he holds an application for "Tamarod", Arabic for "rebel", a campaign calling for the ouster of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi and for early presidential elections, during a protest in Tahrir Square, in Cairo, Egypt. Opponents of Egypt’s Islamist ...

Egypt Ethiopia Egypt Meet to Ease Nile Dam Tensions

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:06:49 -0400

ADDIS ABABA - Egypt and Ethiopia are taking steps to defuse tension over Ethiopia's diversion of the Nile River to construct a massive hydroelectric dam. The ministers of foreign affairs from both countries held talks in Addis Ababa on Monday and Tuesday. At issue: the tensions that rose after Ethiopia began diverting part of the Blue Nile to advance construction the Great Ethiopian ...

For impatient art lovers Louvre Abu Dhabis completion date approaches

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:03:59 -0400

ABU DHABI - Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC), master developer of major tourism, cultural and residential destinations in Abu Dhabi, has announced that work has begun to waterproof the Louvre Abu Dhabi's ...

Learning a Lesson from Libya Iraq Reconciliation Not Revenge

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:02:58 -0400

Even as Syria’s nightmare continues, policy makers should consider the country’s future once hostilities end. Those planning for Syria’s "day after" should learn a lesson from the past and avoid an approach just adopted in Libya, and before that in Iraq, that will widen divisions rather than heal the wounds. Libya’s parliament recently voted to bar many ...

Can fragmented Egypt find 15 million who want President Morsi out

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:01:15 -0400

The key to the success of Egypt's 'Rebel' campaign may be its modest scope: Collecting signatures on a petition calling for early elections to replace President ...

Tel Aviv-based group threatens Australian professors over Israel

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:57:53 -0400

Tel Aviv-based group threatens Australian professors over Israel boycott Shurat HaDin - Israel Law Center June 13, 2013: A Tel Aviv-based civil rights group warned Australian supporters of a proposed boycott against Israel on Thursday that their activities were racist, and in violation of Australian Federal anti-discrimination laws. Recently, faculty and students at Sydney University called ...

Clashes erupt in Egypt over Islamist governors

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:57:51 -0400

CAIRO (AP) -- Clashes erupted between supporters and opponents of Egypt's president and his Muslim Brotherhood Tuesday over his appointment of new Islamist governors, some in areas where opponents are ...

Taliban Opens Office For Talks with US Afghan Government

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:36:35 -0400

Muhammad Naeem (L), a spokesman for the Office of the Taliban of Afghanistan, speaks during the opening of the Taliban Afghanistan Political Office in Doha, June 18, ...

Video Harper praises shift in Russias attitude on Syria

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:34:50 -0400

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is praising the outcome of the G8 summit in Northern Ireland, saying it was "very different" from what he expected. Harper says the countries, including Russia, are all on the same page about ...

Secretary Kerry Briefs Senate Intel Members on Syria Plans Cost Still Unknown

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:28:21 -0400

Secretary of State John Kerry went into a closed briefing with Senate Intelligence Committee members Tuesday afternoon to discuss the Obama administration's plans to provide small arms to Syrian rebels. Senators ...

The End of Hezbollah in the New Middle East

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:26:44 -0400

The Priority of Principle Any movement or political organization is defined by its principles. It's very essence and identity is constituted by its distinct platform. Policies, and strategies employed by the movements are based primarily on these principles, and its socio-political outlook and philosophy. However, a movement ceases to exist as a distinct group of people with shared ...

Palestinians ‘aiding US peace drive’

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:25:24 -0400

JERUSALEM - The Palestinian administration in the West Bank has tried to help the latest US peacemaking drive by quietly cutting off funds for grassroots campaigners against Israel's occupation of the territory, a senior Israeli general said on ...

Don’t prolong Iran talks Netanyahu

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:25:18 -0400

Jerusalem - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned world powers on Tuesday against holding ';drawn out'; negotiations with Iran on its nuclear programme following the election of a more moderate president in ...

Brazil here we come Iran fans sing

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:23:35 -0400

Iran .Footage aired on state television showed similar outpourings of joy around the country.In Tehran, residents waved the green-white-red national flag while motorists honked their horns and bikers sped through the capital to join the ...

Irans new leader offers softer tone same key policies

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:21:22 -0400

TEHRAN--Newly elected president Hassan Rowhani struck a diplomatic chord in his first news conference but offered little real change in key policy areas, especially on the long-running dispute over Iran's nuclear ...

Jordan advance to World Cup play-offs after beating Oman 1-0

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:19:26 -0400

Ahmad Hayel Ibrahim scored the winning goal with a superb diving header into the bottom corner (57).Jordan will face Uzbekistan in the fifth-place home-and-away play-off on 6 and 10 September.Jordan or Uzbekistan will then play the fifth-placed side in South America in an intercontinental home-and-away play-off on 15 and 19 ...

Syria crisis World leaders appeal to allies of Bashar al-Assad to force the Syrian President to surrender power

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:14:58 -0400

World leaders appealed to allies of Bashar al-Assad to force the Syrian President to surrender power at the close of their two-day summit in Northern ...

Weak G8 agreement on Syria hailed as victory

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:14:10 -0400

Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron (4th L) arrives for a group photo with (L-R) European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, U.S. President Barack Obama, Russia's President Vladimir Putin, France's President Francois Hollande, Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Italy's Prime Minister ...

World Cup Success a Lift for Troubled Egypt

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:05:24 -0400

MAPUTO ...