Sudan, S. Sudan presidents meet in summit to defuse tension
Sudan, S. Sudan presidents to meet in summit to defuse tension Leaders of Sudan and South Sudan are due to meet Friday in the Ethiopian capital to push for progress on stalled economic, oil and security deals that were drafted to ease tension between the former civil war … Read More
Thousands rally in Gaza to support Fatah anniversary
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians joined a rare rally staged by President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah group in Gaza on Friday, as tensions ease with rival Hamas Islamists ruling the enclave since 2007. A long hiatus in peace talks between Abbas’s administration and Israel … Read More
Iran calls Washington the world’s only nuclear ‘criminal’
Iran, whose relationship with the United States has worsened over its disputed nuclear program, blames Washington for violating a nuclear non-proliferation treaty and its failure to wipe out terrorism in Afghanistan. Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary, … Read More
Arab Spring-inspired reform movement commemorates second anniversary
Protesters in support of the Arab Spring-inspired reform movement gathered near the Jordanian capital’s Husseini mosque on Friday to commemorate the second anniversary of the organization. “We are here today to commemorate the second anniversary of this Jordanian … Read More
Sadr visits Baghdad church, site of 2010 attack
Firebrand Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr visited a Baghdad church that was the scene of a deadly 2010 attack as well as one of the Iraqi capital’s main Sunni mosques on Friday, an apparent overture to other religious groups as opposition mounts against his rival, Prime … Read More
Awlaqi may have bought hijackers pre-9/11 air tickets
The FBI suspected that U.S.-born Al-Qaeda cleric Anwar al-Awlaqi, killed in a 2011 drone strike in Yemen, could have bought flight tickets for three of the 9/11 hijackers before the attacks, a transparency watchdog said. Judicial Watch, which is based in Washington, … Read More
Successor replaces slain Pakistan warlord: officials
A senior Pakistani militant commander has been appointed to succeed warlord Mullah Nazir, who orchestrated attacks in Afghanistan until his death in a U.S. drone strike, officials said Friday. Nazir, killed late Wednesday and buried Thursday, was the main militant … Read More
Malala discharged from British Hospital
The Pakistani schoolgirl shot in the head by the Taliban as punishment for campaigning for girls’ education has been discharged from the British hospital treating her, but will return soon for more surgery, the hospital said Friday. Queen Elizabeth Hospital in … Read More
Turkey will no longer reveal where it buys its oil: official
Turkey, a major buyer of oil and gas from Iran, will no longer give a breakdown of where its energy imports come from, an official at the country’s statistics office said Friday. The move, as the West tightens sanctions on Tehran over its contested nuclear … Read More
OPEC oil output falls to lowest in more than a year as Iran exports dip
OPEC oil output fell in December to its lowest in more than a year as Iranian exports dipped again because of sanctions, top exporter Saudi Arabia cut output and supplies from Iraq eased, according to a Reuters survey. Crude supply from the Organization of the Petroleum … Read More
Lebanon asks for $180 million to aid Syrian refugees
Lebanon, now a haven for 170,000 Syrians fleeing civil war, has asked foreign donors for $180 million to help care for them and said it will register and recognize refugees after a year-long hiatus. The Beirut government has officially sought to “dissociate” itself from … Read More
Big Spender: Saudi Arabia upholds high budget
Determined to push past global economic crises and spiraling political unrest in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia’s recently announced all-time high expenditure plan is part of a strategy to bolster the Kingdom’s economic solidity. Saudi Arabia’s council of ministers on … Read More
Trying to live ‘normally’ in Syria’s second city
The benches in Hawas park in the battered city of Aleppo are now mere metal skeletons, the wood stripped off by residents to burn so they can keep warm in the northern Syrian winter. After months of battles devastated much of the city, the country’s former … Read More
Iraqi town caught in middle of territory row
Butcher Sherzad Saleh stands outside his shop in Tuz Khurmatu holding a dead chicken. He has more pressing concerns than a high-level dispute over territory. “The army comes here, this is my job; the peshmerga come here, this is my job,” says Saleh. … Read More
Good cop, ‘fat’ cop? Iraq cracks down on pudgy police
Ihsan Ghaidan, a policeman in one of Iraq's most volatile provinces, admits he stands little chance of promotion and notes his performance is increasingly under the microscope, for one simple reason. He is overweight, and Iraq's security leaders … Read More
Yemen cyclists complain of lack of support in the country
Dressed in their cycling gear members of Yemen’s National Cycle Foundation hit the road as part of a training session. But navigating through the traffic in the country’s capital, Sana’a, isn’t their only worry; the cyclists say they often face a barrage of abuse from … Read More
Richard Gasquet reaches Qatar Open final
Second-seeded Richard Gasquet overcame German qualifier Daniel Brands 7-5, 7-5 Friday to reach the Qatar Open final. The 10th-ranked Frenchman struggled early against the big-hitting German. Brands controlled the rallies with his forehand, often pushing Gasquet beyond … Read More
Gulf Cup biennial football kicks off in Bahrain
Eight Arab football teams have arrived in Bahrain ahead for the 21st Gulf Cup biennial football tournament due to kick off on Jan.5 and will last for about two weeks. Teams from Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Yemen, and Iraq arrived in the small island country … Read More
Will Charlie Hebdo fail to provoke Muslims this time?
Oussama Romdhani - Last Wednesday, a comic-book biography of the Prophet Mohammed hit the newsstands in France. It was …
The Islam that women were promised
Musa Furber - The horrific and heartbreaking news from India is tragic enough on its own: two alleged victims of …
How the U.S., Russia have set the Syrian regime loose
Abdul Wahab Badrakhan - Why did Russia and peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi promote a “political solution” to the crisis in …
Lebanon missed the ‘success’ train
Mazen Hayek - Some “politics traders” are preoccupied with the Lebanese parliamentary elections that are …
Turkish military and Kurdish projects speed up together
Murat Yetkin - It all happened in a few hours yesterday, Jan. 3. Within three morning hours the breaking news was …