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Karzai says peace talks with Taliban should be Afghan led

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:23:12 -0400

KABUL - An angry Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Wednesday his government would not join US peace talks with the Taliban "until the peace process is totally under Afghan control." He also suspended talks with the US to discuss the nature of US military presence after international troops withdraw in 2014. A spokesman for President Hamid Karzai said the decision was taken over ...

UNESCO adds 6 Syrian sites in List of World Heritage in Danger

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 06:30:03 -0400

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British Court Ruling Threatens Iran Sanctions

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:15:10 -0400

LONDON Western government sanctions against Iran suffered a big setback on Wednesday when Britain's top court ruled that the government was wrong to have imposed sanctions on the biggest Iranian private bank over alleged links to Tehran's nuclear program. The Bank Mellat case and 50 more like it pending at the European Union's General Court have cast a cloud over the future of EU ...

Tourism Protests Keep New Luxor Governor Away in Egypt

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:15:05 -0400

LUXOR A hardline Islamist appointed governor of Luxor stayed away from his new office on Wednesday as protesters barred access and demanded Egypt's president revoke a nomination they fear will hurt local tourism. Adel Mohamed al-Khayat, appointed by President Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood, is a member of al-Gamaa al-Islamiya, the movement accused of killing 58 foreign tourists ...

5000 Indian expats in Saudi Arabia get new jobs

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:20:02 -0400

Around 5,000 expatriate Indians in Saudi Arabia, affected by a new labour policy in the Gulf nation, have found new jobs, the Indian consul general in Jeddah said. Consul General Faiz Ahmed Kidwai said the consulate's various pro-active measures have helped these Indians rectify their residency status and get new jobs, Arab News reported Wednesday. Indian expatriates were badly hit by the new ...

PM congratulates President-elect Rowhani of Iran

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:30:04 -0400

The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, has congratulated President-elect Hasssan Rowhani of Iran on his election. Dr. Singh in his congratulatory message said India and Iran enjoy deep historical and civilizational links, which have provided a strong foundation for our broad-based and mutually beneficial relationship. "We look forward to strengthening this relationship further and harnessing ...

War drives number of forcibly displaced worldwide to 18-year high says UN report

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 20:15:31 -0400

19 June 2013 150 A United Nations report released today says that more people are refugees or internally displaced than at any time since 1994, with the crisis in Syria having emerged as a major new factor in global displacement. The annual Global Trends report, released by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), shows that as of the end of 2012, more than 45.2 million people were in ...

Four killed 21 injured Iraq attacks

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:40:01 -0400

At least four people were killed and 21 wounded in separate incidents of shooting and bomb attacks in Iraq Wednesday, the police said. Three people were killed and 15 injured in a roadside bomb explosion at a popular football field at a village near Maqdadiyah city, some 100 km from Baghdad, reported Xinhua citing a local police source. In another incident, an Iraqi army colonel was shot dead ...

UK Soldier Deaths Court Ruling Will Harm Combat Missions

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:15:13 -0400

LONDON The British government warned on Wednesday that future combat operations could become more difficult after a court ruled that families of three soldiers killed in Iraq could sue the military for failing to protect troops on active duty. Britain's Supreme Court upheld the claim of relatives that the Human Rights Act applied to troops serving in battle abroad, and rejected the ...

Analysts Assess Impact of Military Attack on Iran

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:15:08 -0400

The United States and the European Union believe Iran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons, but Tehran says its program is for peaceful, civilian purposes. The international community has been trying for years to persuade Iran to end its uranium-enrichment program, but to no avail. Low-enriched uranium can be used for civilian nuclear-power plants, but highly enriched uranium is an ...

NRI lawyer wins Iran bank case in British Supreme Court

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 11:50:02 -0400

Mumbai-born Parsi lawyer Sarosh Zaiwala Wednesday notched a remarkable success in a bank case in the British Supreme Court, with major ramifications on the international banking system, an official said. By the court verdict, the British government's sanctions on Iran's largest private bank, Bank Mellat, were lifted after the its security service's "Secret Court" failed to produce significant ...

Palestinians should have a state as a right Blair

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:00:01 -0400

Palestinians "should have a state, not as a reward for good behaviour but as a right", Tony Blair, the official envoy of the Middle East Quartet, said Wednesday. Blair cautioned Israeli leaders that the "window of opportunity" for peace with the Palestinians might close shortly, Xinhua reported. "Some say the two-state solution is a fantasy. The fantasy is thinking one-state is sustainable or ...

Returning to smoldering ruins of Syria’s Qusayr

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 06:32:25 -0400

ousted rebels from the city, which is strategically located near the border with Lebanon and very close to the main highway connecting Damascus to Syria’s coast and to northern cities like Aleppo. ';Of course we want to come back here,'; an elderly man told me. ';We are hoping for government support to make this Qusayr worth living in again.'; The man’s name is ...

Half of Jordan teenage boys think honour killings justified study

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 06:29:59 -0400

AMMAN // Belief that so-called honour killings are justified is still common among Jordanian teenagers, a Cambridge University study revealed today. The study by researchers from the university's Institute of Criminology found that almost half of boys and one in five girls interviewed in Amman believe that killing a daughter, sister or wife who has "dishonoured" or shamed the ...

June 20 Ending Syria’s conflict and other letters to the editor

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 06:29:38 -0400

Re Five Reasons To Stay Out Of Syria (June 19): Proponents of quickie "solutions," such as no-fly zones, arms shipments and military intervention, to unseat President Bashar al-Assad reveal a monumental lack of understanding of the complex broader historical, cultural and regional issues that fuel this conflict. If the logic of Derek Burney and Fen Osler Hampson are unconvincing to ...

Qatar- QCB regulation will boost investments

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 06:28:40 -0400

(MENAFN - The Peninsula) Qatar Central Bank's (QCB) newly announced decision to regulate Qatari banks' investment portfolio is expected to drive more bank investments into the country's capital markets, mostly into government securities.Contrary to apprehensions expressed by a section of investors on the central bank decision, a leading investment bank, which analysed the impact of ...

Kuwait- Guard beaten in failed robbery bid

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 06:26:14 -0400

(MENAFN - Arab Times) Police are looking for unidentified persons for attempting to rob a bank branch in Shuwaikh Industrial Area, reports Al-Watan Arabic daily.A security source said the robbers attempted to break the ATM machine after tying the hands and feet of one of the security guards and taking hostage the other who attempted to escape from them.The daily added, security guards of the ...

Kuwait- 301 held 145 citations issued in Ahmadi raids

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 06:26:06 -0400

(MENAFN - Arab Times) Ahmadi securitymen arrested 301 individuals, issued 145 citations against various traffic violations and recovered five stolen vehicles during intensive campaigns that were launched in various locations within Ahmadi Governorate on Tuesday.Sources revealed that the campaigns were launched based on instructions from Acting Director General of Ahmadi Security Directorate ...

Kuwait- Syrian bag thief

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 06:25:59 -0400

(MENAFN - Arab Times) A Syrian expatriate who stole the handbags of ladies working at a bank in Sharq area, while they were busy with work, was taken into police custody.Security sources said the suspect was identified and arrested, with the help of surveillance camera, before he could even escape from the bank.They observed he was under the influence of drugs during his arrest, and also ...

Kuwait- Iraqi woman gets death threat

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 06:25:52 -0400

(MENAFN - Arab Times) An Iraqi woman has filed a complaint with the police accusing a Kuwaiti inmate of the Central Prison of threatening to kill her, reports Al-Watan Arabic daily.In her complaint, the woman said the inmate is serving a life term for the murder of her brother.She alleged the man sent her a text message on her cell phone to drop the case against him. The message also said he is ...

Kuwait- Over 100 expats arrested in new Jahra and Ahmadi raids

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 06:25:32 -0400

(MENAFN - Arab Times) Jahra securitymen arrested 60 individuals during a security campaign launched in bachelor accommodations at Jahra Industrial Area based on instructions from Jahra Security Director Major General Ibrahim Al-Tarrah.Among the arrested individuals, 50 were violators of residency law and some among them were wanted by law, while the remaining 10 were hawkers.Meanwhile, Ahmadi ...

Russian marine and air power head for Syria versus Western intervention – “to defend Russian citizens” says Moscow

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 06:25:20 -0400

June 20, 2013 Just one day after the G8 Summit ended in the failure of Western leaders to overcome Russian resistance to a resolution mandating President Bashar Assad's ouster, Moscow announced Wednesday June 19, the dispatch to Syria of two warships carrying 600 Russian marines.They were coming, said the official statement, ';to protect the Russian citizens there.'; Russian ...

Kuwait- Asian kills self

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 06:25:17 -0400

(MENAFN - Arab Times) An Asian expatriate committed suicide by hanging himself from the ceiling of his room using a rope.According to security sources, when the Operations Room of Ministry of Interior received information about the incident, securitymen rushed to the location and referred the corpse to the Forensics Department.A case was registered and investigations are ongoing to determine the ...

Kuwait- Wife accused of stealing furniture

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 06:25:01 -0400

(MENAFN - Arab Times) A Kuwaiti citizen filed a case against his wife, accusing her of stealing the furniture of his flat and KD 5,000 while he was admitted in a hospital.According to security sources, when the citizen was discharged from the hospital, he was shocked to find the furniture and cash missing from his flat.Securitymen are carrying out necessary investigations to find the wife and ...

US-Taliban talks in Qatar suspended indefinitely

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 06:19:38 -0400

CAIRO, June 20 (Itar-Tass) - Peace negotiations on the settlement in Afghanistan that were due to have taken place in Doha, the capital of Qatar, have been postponed indefinitely, sources close to the negotiating process said. On Wednesday, the US Department of State said a trip to Qatar of US special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan James Dobbins was postponed. According to local ...

Russian peacekeepers on Golan Heights to ensure security of Syria Israel

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 06:19:35 -0400

ST PETERSBURG, June 20 (Itar-Tass) - Russian peacekeepers on the Golan Heights could be an excellent variant to ensure security in Syria and Israel where most Russian compatriots live there, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday. "The deployment of Russian peacekeepers on the Golan Heights will depend on the readiness of the Syrian government and Israel," the minister said. ...

Israel has worlds ninth largest home prices rise

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 06:17:40 -0400

Israel has one of the world's hottest property markets according to "Global Property Guide." In the year ending March 31 2013, "Global Property Guide" reports that average home prices in Israel rose 6.34%, the ninth largest rate of home price rises of any country surveyed. Half of the rise - 3.12% - was in the first quarter of 2013, the seventh largest rise of any country ...

Is Egypts military worse than Mubarak

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 06:17:31 -0400

Nearly a year after an 18-day uprising ousted decades-long dictator, Hosni Mubarak, from power, civil society has again become the target of an increasingly repressive military junta (the Supreme Council of Armed Forces, or SCAF) that took control during the revolt and has since shown little tolerance for dissent. Instead of shunning Mubarak's heavy-handed tactics in favor of democratic ...

Egypt Security in the Sinai Peninsula is getting worse

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 06:17:29 -0400

Palestinian women wave their national flag and shout slogans during a protest near the Rafah border crossing with Egypt in the southern Gaza Strip on March 20, 2012. (SAID KHATIB/AFP/Getty Images) ...

Egypt election Its the economy stupid

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 06:17:28 -0400

Egypt -- As Egypt's first free presidential race enters the final stretch, Egyptians say the top contenders have so far offered only meager prescriptions for the issue they worry about most: the economy. Eighty-one percent of Egyptians ranked improving economic conditions -- more than any other political reform -- as "very important" in a poll by the Pew Research Center released ...

Mohamed Morsi vs. Egypts Press

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 06:17:27 -0400

Egypt's new president, Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed Morsi, sits in the studio of the state television station in Cairo. (AFP/Getty Images) CAIRO, Egypt -- Mohamed Morsi, Egypt's new president, appears to be taking a page from Hosni Mubarak, Egypt's old strongman. A court remanded the editor-in-chief of a local newspaper Thursday on charges of "insulting the ...

Egypts ongoing revolution takes violent turn

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 06:17:27 -0400

Egypt's protesters, hardened by a series of broken promises and violent crackdowns, have dropped almost entirely the pretense of a peaceful ...

Egypt protests Can the army keep the peace

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 06:17:26 -0400

Egyptian soldiers stand guard as protestors opposing President Mohammed Morsi chant slogans during a demonstration at the Presidential Palace on Dec. 18, 2012, in Cairo, Egypt. More than 50 people have been killed and hundreds more injured during violent protests this week against the government of President Mohamed Morsi. (Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images) ...

Muslim Brotherhood vs. Supreme Council of the Armed Forces in Egypt

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 06:17:26 -0400

Relatives and friends pray over the coffins of soldiers killed during a border post attack in Northern Sinai, during their funeral on August 7, 2012 in Cairo, Egypt. Since then, President Mohamed Morsi has ordered security forces to take full control of the Sinai Peninsula. Yesterday, he dismissed key military officials and nullified a constitutional provision aimed at limiting presidential ...

Is China buying Egypt from the US

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 06:17:25 -0400

Chinese President Hu Jintao (L) and Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi review an honor guard during a welcoming ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Aug. 28, 2012. (Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images) CAIRO, Egypt -- ...

Gaza-Israel clash ensnares Egypt

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 06:17:25 -0400

Turkey to also address the Gaza crisis. Earlier in the day, in a televised address, Morsi called the Israeli attacks "unacceptable." On Wednesday --following Israel's assassination of Hamas military commander, Ahmed Al Jabari -- he recalled Egypt's ambassador to Israel, Atef Salem Al Ahl, and called on the United Nations Security Council to meet on the crisis. The ...

Syrian conflict a proxy war against Iran

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 06:17:24 -0400

Syria's national flag flies during the flag raising ceremony at the Olympic village in London on July 25, 2012. The Syrian conflict appears to have devolved into a proxy war among world powers. (Saeed Khan/AFP/Getty Images) CAIRO, Egypt -- The 17-month-old ...

West not sure it can bring Syria rebels to peace meet Russia

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 06:15:49 -0400

United States proposed putting together a peace conference in a bid to try to find an end to the civil war in Syria but the date for the talks has repeatedly been pushed back. At ...

Russia to fulfill Syria missile system contract

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 06:15:49 -0400

Syria advanced S-300 air-defense missiles, which are considered to be the cutting edge in aircraft interception technology.Russia has stood by Syrian ...

Iraqis vote in delayed provincial polls

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 06:15:47 -0400

BAGHDAD: Iraqis in two Sunni-majority provinces voted under heavy security in delayed provincial polls on Thursday as the country grapples with a surge in nationwide violence and months of angry protests. The elections, postponed for two months in Anbar ...

Mortar bomb from Syria strikes Israeli-occupied Golan

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 06:15:46 -0400

Israeli soldiers sit atop a mobile artillery vehicle (front) as they return from a drill near the Quneitra border crossing between Israel and Syria, on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights June 12, 2013. REUTERS/Ammar ...

Oman Air cockpit window damaged in mid flight

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 06:13:33 -0400

An Oman Air flight with 106 people on board was forced to return to Muscat airport on Monday following damage to one of the cockpit window, the carrier has ...

Egypt current account deficit shrinks in fiscal year to March

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 06:13:21 -0400

the first three quarters of the fiscal year saw tourism revenue rise to $8.08 billion Egypt's current account deficit narrowed in July-March, supported by stronger tourism revenues and a shrinking trade deficit, data showed on Wednesday.The current account deficit shrank in the nine months to end-March to $3.9 billion compared to $7.1 billion in the nine months to March 2012, the central ...

Qatar Development Banks TASDEER promotes Qatari export companies in Morocco

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 06:13:19 -0400

Qatar Development Bank TASDEER supported 12 Qatari plastic export companies, who showcased their products and services to over 2,800 delegates and 150 exhibitorsQatar Development Bank's export development agency TASDEER "is pressing ahead with promoting Qatari non-oil export companies by paving the way for 12 local exporters to showcase their unique products and services to over 2,800 ...

Ancient Syria sites listed as endangered on UNESCO world heritage list

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 06:12:59 -0400

Syrian Arab Republic More than two years of civil war has inflicted heavy damage on Syria's world heritage sites, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) says.UNESCO has added Syria's six ancient sites, including the fortress of Saladin and a Crusader castle, to the endangered World Heritage list."Due to the armed conflict situation in Syria, ...

US talks with Taliban in Qatar expected to be delayed

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 06:09:28 -0400

A senior US official said yesterday that talks with the Taliban were likely to be held within the next few days in Qatar after delays caused by tensions over the naming of a new Taliban office in the capital, ...

Nick Clegg warns over Syria intervention

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 05:59:41 -0400

Nick Clegg, who claims Barack Obama described him as the better-looking half of the coalition, has urged caution over Syria. Photograph: John ...

Daoud Kuttab Jordanians Unprepared for Worst Possibilities re Syria

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 05:59:37 -0400

President Mohamed Morsi that his country will cut off all diplomatic relations with Syria do not bode well for a quick and peaceful solution to the civil war that has been raging on in Syria for the past two years. Some Jordanian officials and members of ...

Oman Air passengers flew through scare

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 05:57:59 -0400

One hundred passengers and a crew of six were unharmed on Monday when the cockpit window of their Muscat-Salalah flight was damaged minutes after take-off, according to a statement issued by the company on Wednesday. "Oman Air flight WY3905, Muscat to Salalah departing 18.25, returned to Muscat International Airport shortly after take-off at 18.30 on Monday, following damage to its cockpit ...

Post-presidency whats next for Irans Ahmadinejad

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 05:50:49 -0400

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has denied the Holocaust existed, holds up copies of the Koran and the Bible as he addresses the 65th United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. headquarters in New York in this Sept. 23, 2010 file ...

Top US general scolds Kerry over Syria air strikes

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 05:50:25 -0400

WASHINGTON - Top US military officer General Martin Dempsey has clashed with Secretary of State John Kerry over the merits of bombing Syria's regime at a White House meeting, media reported ...

Saudi to expel Hezbollah supporters over Syria war

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 05:44:21 -0400

BEIRUT (AP) -- The Saudi envoy to Lebanon says the kingdom will deport Lebanese citizens who support the militant Hezbollah group because of its role in the Syrian civil ...

Man in police uniform kills 3 Afghan police

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 05:43:55 -0400

A man in police uniform opened fire and killed three Afghan police in Khost province 150 km southeast of Kabul on Saturday, an official said. "In a tragic incident, a police constable opened fire and killed three colleagues in a checkpoint in Zazai Maidan district at 03:00 a.m. local time today," the district police chief Azizullah told Xinhua. He also stated that investigation is ...

Iran and Hezbollah go global

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 05:43:25 -0400

By Emanuele Scimia The recent discovery in Nigeria of an arsenal with Hezbollah's fingerprints all over it has reinforced the suspicion that Iran and the Party of God are extending their outreach while helping security forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad against Sunni rebels backed by Western countries, Turkey and the Persian Gulf petro-monarchies. From Africa to Europe, ...

What Does It Mean That Irans President-Elect Is A Moderate

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 05:16:05 -0400

The man elected to be Iran's new president has been consistently described as moderate. In the days since the election, many have come to question what that means -- especially when it comes to the country's nuclear program and its relations with the U.S. Steve Inskeep talks to one of the president-elect's long-time deputies, Hossein ...

Iraq intrinsic to Indias strategic positioning for energy security

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 05:13:39 -0400

NRI News: "In India's growth story, we need energy security and Iraq is intrinsic to India's strategic positioning for purposes of energy security," Indian foreign minister Salman Khurshid told on the first visit to Iraq by an Indian foreign minister since ...

India welcomes election of Hassan Rouhani as President of Iran

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 05:13:38 -0400

NRI News: "It's an outcome of Iranian democracy. Iranian democracy has evolved over the years," India's External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, who is on a two day visit to Iraq, which is bordering Iran ...

Russia calls for holding full-fledged round of Sextet-Iran talks as soon as possible

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 05:13:10 -0400

ST PETERSBURG, June 20 (Itar-Tass) - Russia calls for holding the full-fledged round of talks between the Sextet and Iran on Tehran’s nuclear dossier as soon as possible, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Rossiya 24 TV Channel on Thursday. The minister stressed that after the presidential elections in Iran "we call for holding the full-fledged talks between the Sextet and ...

Arms supplied to Syria to be distributed via Jebhat al Nusra

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 05:13:08 -0400

ST PETERSBURG, June 20 (Itar-Tass) - Weapons, which have been supplied to Syria, will be distributed through the Jebhat al-Nusra extremist organisation, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Rossiya-24 TV Channel on Thursday. "The partners realise the danger of the path that they can embark to," the Russian minister said. "Jebhat al-Nusra is the most effective structure of ...

No proof in US British French data on use of chemical arms by Syria

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 05:13:07 -0400

ST PETERSBURG, June 20 (Itar-Tass) - There is no proof in the U.S., British and French data on the possible use of chemical weapons by Syria, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Rossiya-24 television channel on Thursday. "American experts arrived to us and British and French experts presented their analysis. We’ve found nothing in their data what can be criticised," the ...

Russia hopes Friends of Syria Group meeting to be devoted to preparing Geneva-2 conference

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 05:13:02 -0400

ST PETERSBURG, June 20 (Itar-Tass) - Russia hopes that the Friends of Syria Group meeting in Doha on June 22 will be devoted to preparing the Geneva-2 conference and not to winding up of the opposition, Russian presidential special envoy for Africa Mikhail Margelov told Itar-Tass. "If the meeting helps prepare the Geneva-2 conference, I believe that it has the right to being held," the ...

Bahrain will join other nations in celebrating the International Olympic Day

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 05:07:27 -0400

Manama, June 20 (BNA) -- Bahrain will join the other nations of the World on Sunday (June23) in celebrating the International Olympic Day as the Bahrain Olympic Committee (BOC) is organizing a marathon to mark this occasion. A special campaign to promote this annual event is scheduled for tomorrow (June 21) at the Bahrain City Centre, featuring a series of sports and entertainment events will be ...

Emirates cuts business class fares by 30

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 05:06:47 -0400

Business Class customers can relax before their flights in one of Emirates' 35 global Business Class lounges including the world's largest in Terminal 3 at Dubai International, it ...

Unesco lists 6 Syrian heritage sites as endangered

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 05:05:26 -0400

Syria including a fortress of Saladin and a Crusader castle to the endangered world heritage list, warning that more than two years of civil war had inflicted heavy ...

Syrias warring sides trade wheat for flour

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 04:56:47 -0400

Members of the Free Syrian Army and men from the northern Syrian town of Ras al-Ain load sacks of wheat, as seen from the Turkish border town of Ceylanpinar, Sanliurfa province, November 26, ...

The X Factor Sharon Osbourne gets less than premier treatment | Media Monkey

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 04:53:36 -0400

included a 1,000-a-night room at Claridge's during the filming of the series. But the Sun reports that the star's arrangements haven't gone quite to plan. After a power cut at the posh hotel, she was forced to prepare for the show at a Premier Inn, where rooms cost from 29 up. Monkey wonders whether the star ended ...

Taliban offers to free US soldier

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 04:50:42 -0400

The Afghan Taliban has said it is ready to hand over a US soldier held captive since 2009 in exchange for five of its senior operatives being held at Guantanamo Bay.Taliban spokesman Shaheen Suhail said US Army Sgt Bowe Bergdahl "is as far as I know in good condition".He was speaking from the newly opened Taliban offices in Doha, Qatar.Sgt Bergdahl disappeared in eastern Afghanistan on ...

11 militants killed in operations in Afghanistan

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 04:39:02 -0400

KABUL, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Up to 11 militants have been killed and 40 others detained in the latest military operations in different Afghan provinces, authorities said Saturday. "Afghan police supporting by army and the NATO-led coalition forces carried out eight cleanup operations in Kapisa, Kunduz, Sar- e-Pul, Ghazni, Paktia, Farah and Helmand provinces, killing five armed Taliban ...

Egypts Coptic Christians say they are no longer safe

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 04:09:47 -0400

Egyptian Muslim women hold a cross in support of Christians during a memorial march in Cairo for Christians who were killed during deadly clashes with Muslims in ...

KKK man makes death ray against Israels enemies

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 04:07:39 -0400

A KKK member from upstate New York was arrested on Tuesday after he allegedly designed a "death ray" that is meant to kill Muslims and other "enemies of ...

Report Irans Rohani tied to AMIA 1994 bombing

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 04:07:35 -0400

'Washington Free Beacon' cites indictment by the Argentine government prosecutor accusing the Iranian government of directing the bombing; says Iranian president-elect connected to decision to launch ...

SNBs Jordan says Swiss franc should weaken in coming quarters

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 04:07:04 -0400

BERNE, June 20 | Thu Jun 20, 2013 4:07am EDT BERNE, June 20 (Reuters) - The Swiss National Bank expects the Swiss franc to weaken further in coming quarters, chairman Thomas Jordan said after the central bank's rate-setting session on Thursday. "Overall, the value of the Swiss franc remains high and should fall further over the next few quarters," Jordan said in prepared ...

Iran springs a promising surprise

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 04:02:44 -0400

/enpproperty--> The victory of moderate leader Hassan Rouhani in the June 15 presidential election in Iran - in which he routed hard-line conservatives by garnering more than 50 percent of the votes - reflects Iranian people's strong desire for change. The United Nations and the world's major powers, including the United States and the European Union, have responded ...

Israeli occupation forces arrest five Palestinians from West Bank provinces today

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 04:01:15 -0400

Bethlehem: June 20 -- (BNA)-- Israeli occupation forces arrested this morning five Palestinian citizens from Bethlehem, Jenin, Nablus and Hebron provinces. In Bethlehem, the occupation forces arrested in the wee hours of dawn today a Palestinian youngster after raiding and inspecting his home in Khadir Town. Also, another Palestinian youngster from Bait-Jala Town sustained bone fractures as a ...

2013 Lions Tour Israel Folau named to make Wallabies debut against tourists

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 04:00:09 -0400

Brisbane 4000 Former rugby league international Israel Folau is one of three debutants named in Australia's starting XV to face the British and Irish Lions at Lang Park on Saturday night.Folau, playing his first season of professional rugby union following an unsuccessful stint in the AFL, has been named to make his Wallabies debut on the wing in the first Test.He will be joined by ...

US-Taliban talks in Qatar not expected on Thursday Source

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 03:59:25 -0400

Asked if the meeting would happen on Thursday, the source replied: "There is nothing scheduled that I am aware of." Asked if that meant they would not happen today, the source added: "Yes that's correct." A senior US official said on Wednesday that talks with the Taliban were likely to be held within the next few days in Qatar, after delays caused by tensions over the ...

Yak-130 Jets For Syria Waiting Political Decision - Source

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 03:56:55 -0400

Yak-130 combat trainer jets for Syria as part of a deal signed in 2011, but no final decision on delivery has yet been made, a Russian official source said on Thursday. An unspecified number of the aircraft have been produced by aircraft-builder Irkut as part of the $550 million deal for 36 Yak-130s. "They are standing outside the factory waiting for a political decision," a source ...

Yemens displaced families yearn for home – video

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 03:46:59 -0400

Conflict in the Houthi-controlled areas of north-west Yemen has been devastating for Qasim and his family, who now live in a camp for internally displaced people. About 300,000 people have been displaced and are struggling to cope with water shortages and poor services. Authorities are encouraging people to go home, but renewed fighting, damaged houses and the lack of opportunities are a ...

Obamas proxy war in Syria not likely to end well

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 03:45:58 -0400

In Syria, the Obama administration seems to be stumbling back to the future: an old-fashioned proxy war, complete with the usual shadowy CIA arms-running operation, the traditional plan to prop up ostensible "moderates" whose prospects are doubtful and, of course, the customary shaky grasp of what the fighting is really ...

Egypts tourism minister quits in protest ICTP President Geoffrey Lipman releases statement

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 03:45:08 -0400

Tourism is one of the major industries in Egypt and Luxor is a ctiy visited by millions of tourists every year. The newly appointed Luxor governor is a member or is close to a terror group that killed 58 tourists in 1997. Egypt's current minister of tourism Hisham Zaazou is resigning because of this appointment. The International Coalition of Tourism Partners (ICTP) through his President ...

Spreading shakedowns and distrust of authorities embolden al-Qaida in Iraqs restive Mosul

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 03:44:08 -0400

FILE - In this file photo taken on Jan. 16, 2012 Iraqi security forces inspect bombs at the scene of a car bomb attack outside the northern city of Mosul, 225 miles (360 kilometers) northwest of Baghdad, Iraq. Al-Qaida's Iraq arm is gaining strength in the restive northern city of Mosul, reviving its fundraising efforts through gangland-style shakedowns, feeding off anti-government anger and ...

Rohani tops early Iran election results interior ministry says

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 03:38:59 -0400

By Yeganeh Torbati, Reuters DUBAI - Moderate cleric Hassan Rohani took a commanding lead over conservative rivals in Iran's presidential election, according to initial results, but it was unclear whether he could avoid a second-round run-off on June 21.The vote is unlikely to radically alter ties between Tehran and the West, but if Rohani wins he has indicated he would pursue a less ...

30 Egyptians Emiratis charged over Brotherhood cell

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 03:38:35 -0400

ABU DHABI - A group of 30 Egyptians and Emiratis have been charged by the UAE authorities for allegedly setting up an illegal branch of Egypt's Islamist Muslim Brotherhood, a prosecutor said on ...

Mali inks ceasefire accord with Tuareg rebels

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 03:38:35 -0400

Mali's government signed a ceasefire accord with Tuareg rebels Tuesday, paving the way for presidential elections in the troubled west African state next ...

Special Report - How Syrias Islamists govern with guile and guns

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 03:08:23 -0400

Reuters © Military uniforms are displayed for sale among Islamists and Syrian opposition flags at a street in the souk of Raqqa province in east Syria in this April 24, 2013 file photo. REUTERS/Hamid ...

Video Shelling between Syria’s Sunni Shi’ite villages

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 03:08:16 -0400

A series of amateur videos posted on the Internet on Wednesday purport to show tit-for-tat shelling between Syria's Sunni and Shi'ite villages north of Aleppo, near where President Basher al-Assad hopes to stage a ...

Iran GC confirms pres. poll results

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 03:02:12 -0400

Guardian Council confirms Iran presidential vote results. The Guardian Council, Iran’s highest electoral supervisory body, has confirmed the validity of the country’s June 14 presidential election results. The Iranian Interior Ministry announced on Wednesday that the Council has declared the results of the 11th presidential election valid, officially announcing Hassan Rohani as ...

Bahrain University College CEO praises the Kingdom of Bahrains Higher Education Council

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 02:53:05 -0400

Manama: June 20 --(BNA)-- The University College of Bahrain (UCB)'s Administrative and Financial Affairs CEO, Shaikh Ibrahim bin Khalid Al Khalifa, praised the Bahrain Higher Educational Council's signing of a Services Agreement with the British Accreditation Board regarding the setting up of academic standards for accreditation of higher educational institutions in the Kingdom of ...

Kuwaits KFH says 20 capital rise oversubscribed

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 02:52:17 -0400

Kuwait Finance House (KFH), the Gulf Arab state's largest Islamic bank, said on Thursday its 20 percent capital increase had been oversubscribed by shareholders, without providing specific ...

Qatar said to mull new $23bn UK investments

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 02:52:17 -0400

Qatar is planning to invest another 10-15bn ($15-23bn) in the UK in the next few years, bringing its total investment to nearly $57bn, it has been ...

Syria no-fly zone would cost billions say analysts

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 02:52:14 -0400

The cost of implementing a no-fly zone in Syria would run into the billions of dollars, would be a lot more complex to manage than the previous one introduced in Libya and Gulf governments would be required to burden some of the cost, military analysts have told Arabian ...

Syria President Assad’s grip on Damascus suggests David Cameron’s ‘coup’ is little more than fantasy

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 02:44:16 -0400

The government of President Bashar al-Assad is tightening its control of Damascus, encircling and bombarding the remaining rebel strongholds in or near the city. There was only the sound of a few distant explosions today that appear to come from the south where the Syrian army is seeking to drive rebels from around the golden-domed Shia shrine of Sayida Zeinab 10 miles from the centre of ...

Afghanistan threatens to boycott US-backed peace talks in anger at Talibans Qatar office

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 02:44:10 -0400

The United States was racing to gather up the pieces of its always fragile relationship with President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan after he broke off security talks with Washington and denounced plans for the start of peace negotiations with the ...

Syria war gives US-Jordan war games a sharp edge

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 02:36:37 -0400

The US and Jordan have ended annual joint military exercises in the Arab country, with the drills taking on heightened significance due to the war raging in neighbouring Syria. The US is reportedly increasing its military presence in Jordan. Earlier this month it said it would deploy Patriot anti-aircraft missiles and F-16 fighter jets there, drawing swift criticism from Moscow. Nineteen Arab ...

U.S. Israeli defense chiefs met on Iran Syria

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 02:24:00 -0400

WASHINGTON, June 14 (Xinhua) -- U.S. and Israeli defence chiefs on Friday reaffirmed cooperation to counter threats from Iran and condemned the alledged use of chemical weapons by Syrian government forces. U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and his Israeli counterpart Moshe Yaalon reiterated during a meeting that the two allies "will continue to work together to counter threats posed by ...

Panic over MERS virus fades in Saudi Arabia

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 01:42:06 -0400

People in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province have again started greeting friends with the traditional kiss on the cheek, and face masks in public are becoming rarer, as panic subsides over the outbreak of a deadly respiratory disease that hit the country last ...

Two U.S. men allegedly tried to make X-ray weapon to secretly harm foes of Israel

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 01:33:22 -0400

Glendon Scott Crawford, 49, of Galway, N.Y., leaves the federal courthouse in shackles after being arraigned Wednesday June 19, 2013, in Albany, N.Y. Federal authorities accused Crawford and 54-year-old Eric J. Feight, of Hudson, N.Y. of assembling a portable X-ray weapon that they intended to use to secretly sicken opponents of Israel. Investigators said Crawford approached Jewish organizations ...

‘The Devil’s Fire’ Syria’s Unique Blend of Pure Horror

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 01:30:09 -0400

A land that has been fought over by Egyptians, Hittites, Babylonians, Canaanites, Judeans, Samaritans, Greeks, Phoenicians, Romans, Persians, Arabs, Franks, Turks, Mongols, British, French and Israelis. Not necessarily in that order, and in the case of some of the combatants, more than once. Home to a variety of Muslim sects and Christian churches, not to mention a substantial community of ...

Men built X-ray gun to shoot Israel opponents – FBI

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 01:25:04 -0400

Israel .An indictment charges 49-year-old Glendon Scott Crawford and 54-year-old Eric J Feight with conspiracy to provide support to terrorists with the weapon.Investigators have said Crawford approached Jewish organisations in 2012 looking for funding and people to help him with technology that could be used to surreptitiously deliver damaging and even lethal doses of radiation against those he ...

WMD Regulation in the Middle East

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 01:18:53 -0400

"For the Syrian government to utilize chemical weapons on its people crosses a line that will change my calculus and how the United States approaches these issues," President Obama recently said. "So this is not an on and off switch. This is an ongoing challenge that all of us have to be concerned about." Evidently, current methods to control WMD, such as relying on ...

MLS Vancouver 3 Chivas USA 1

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 01:16:46 -0400

Camilo Sanvezzo scored twice and had an assist as well Wednesday to bring Vancouver a 3-1 decision over Chivas USA. Vancouver (6-5-4) jumped into the top half of the Western Conference and, with 22 points, moved within six of first-place Dallas. The Whitecaps have earned 13 points in their last six games and have won back-to-back contests for the first time this season. Chivas USA (3-9-2) has ...

Apology to Professor Amiram Goldblum

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 01:10:23 -0400

Apology to Professor Amiram Godlblum In July 2008 I published in my information site (www.imra.org.il) a piece against Prof. Amiram Goldblum, wrongly attributing to him activity to bring back a convicted terrorist to continue his PhD studies at Hebrew University. The source of this false information was the journalist Gil Ronen, who quoted in part a totally wrong story by the journalist Amit ...

Oman Air orders planes worth $473m from Boeing

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 00:33:21 -0400

With this new order, the airline now has a backlog of six 737-800s and five 737-900ERs. In addition, Oman Air has six Boeing 787-8s on order, the statement ...

Ashton in power struggle over Middle East policy

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 00:26:09 -0400

This microsite has been made possible by support from the European Patent Office (EPO). The sponsor has no control over the content for which European Voice retains full editorial responsibility. EPO maintains a sponsored content section on this microsite. EPO articles are labelled as sponsored ...

“Everything’s Up For Discussion” Open Debate in Oman

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 00:24:46 -0400

‘Things Are OK'; was the official name of an informal event that took place in Salalah's largest ballroom last Friday night with none other than H E Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, Oman's Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs. The aim of the meeting was to invite young people in Dhofar to meet with His Excellency in an informal setting as part of the National Youth ...

U.S. tries to save peace talks after Karzai objects to Taliban’s Qatar ‘embassy’

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 00:18:18 -0400

Hopes dimmed for talks aimed at ending the Afghan war when an angry President Hamid Karzai on Wednesday suspended security negotiations with the U.S. and scuttled a peace delegation to the Taliban, sending American officials scrambling to preserve the possibility of dialogue with the militants. What provoked Afghanistan’s mercurial president and infuriated many of his compatriots was a ...

Damning Suicide Note to Iran’s New Prez

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 23:38:05 -0400

Benny Avni Did the eldest son of Iran’s President-elect Hassan Rouhani kill himself to protest the "hypocrisy" of his father and the regime he serves? Iranian news reports at the time said the son shot himself with his father’s pistol in 1992. But now Iranian dissident Ali Reza Nuri reports that the son wrote a suicide note. Writing in the London-based, Saudi-owned pan-Arab ...

Analysis US arming Assads foes forces Iran to bleed resources in Syria

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 23:35:22 -0400

WASHINGTON - In a darkening Syria, airstrips serve as the veins of the Assad government. Flying over quiet, unsupervised Iraqi airspace, Iranian craft transport undocumented weapons to their chief ally in the region on a routine basis.To the frustration of military experts and Western officials, the Iranians release no defense budget, and certainly no inventory for covert ...

Bahrain - Bahraini rights defender faces reprisals for collaborating with UN

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 23:34:04 -0400

The Gulf Center for Human Rights (GCHR) and Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) express their serious concern over the ongoing campaign of judicial harassment against human rights defenders in Bahrain, that includes the very recent trial of defender Mohamed Al-Maskati on freedom of assembly related charges.On 19 June 2013, human rights defender and president of the Bahrain Youth Society for ...

HARPER Media overlook key player in Middle East crisis

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 23:21:44 -0400

As the U.S. media have focused on the Syrian civil war and Iran’s elections, news organizations have failed to concentrate on what I consider a key player in the equation: Hezbollah, the Shiite militia.Having covered both al Qaeda and Hezbollah, I think the U.S. news outlets have placed too much emphasis in recent months on the Sunni group, al Qaeda, helping the Syrian rebels rather than ...

Kerry calls Karzai twice to smooth waters over Taliban talks

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 23:05:10 -0400

Hamid Karzai twice to try to mend fences over the U.S. outreach to the Taliban. The phone diplomacy occurred after Karzai said the Afghan government had suspended security talks with the United States in Kabul "in view of the contradiction between acts and the statements made by the United States of America in regard to the peace process." "The secretary spoke with President ...

Syria opposition vows to fight on to topple president Bashar al-Assad

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 23:00:34 -0400

United Nations to investigate the alleged use of chemical weapons by Assad's forces in rebel-held areas, and said it "reserves the right to use all means at its disposal" to topple Assad. "The Assad regime has continuously killed civilians using ballistic missiles, chemical weapons and warplanes. It is the only source of terrorism ...

Egypts BOP deficit narrowed by 81.2 pct in 9 months

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 22:26:22 -0400

The deficit in Egypt's balance of payment (BOP) narrowed by 81.2 percent to $2.1 billion in the period between July 2012 and March 2013, Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) said Wednesday.In a statement, the CBE said the BOP deficit in the first nine months of the fiscal year 2012-2013 (which starts on July 1, 2012 and ends on June 30, 2013) declined thanks to the 0.7 billion dollar drop in the ...

Obama United States not ready to go to war

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 22:24:13 -0400

Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The assault appears aimed at decisively pushing rebels back and securing the suburb of the shrine, Abdel-Rahman said. Hezbollah fighters as well as Iraqi Shiite militiamen have been reported fighting in the area in the past weeks. The international community has been largely unable to end the Syrian civil war, now in its third year, which has killed nearly ...

While Claiming Battle Gains Against Rebels Syria’s Assad Is Facing Currency Crisis

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 22:10:21 -0400

Even as President Bashar al-Assad of Syria is proclaiming battlefield momentum against the insurgency with the help of his Hezbollah ally, he appears to be facing a new threat: a rapidly weakening currency that has unnerved many ...

Op-Ed Contributor Lebanon Overrun by Syrian Refugees

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 22:10:19 -0400

ZAHL, Lebanon -- MY eyes kept being drawn to the shoes. The tiny pink running shoes with Velcro straps, on the feet of the 2-year-old girl sitting quietly on her mother's lap. She fidgeted only a bit -- jostling occasionally with her 7-year-old twin sisters while her father told ...

Morsy’s appointees spark clashes across Egypt

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 22:07:32 -0400

Egyptians chant slogans during clashes between supporters and opponents of Egypt's president and his Muslim Brotherhood in Luxor, Egypt, Wednesday, June 19, 2013. On Sunday, Morsi appointed 17 new governors, including seven members of the Brotherhood and one from an ex-militant group to rule the ancient city of Luxor. That appointment outraged Luxor residents, as the governor's group ...

Israel and Palestine Consequences of Deterrence

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 22:02:33 -0400

"Deterrence has to be maintained," said Gabi Siboni, a colonel for strategic affairs at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv. "It was only a question of time until this moment arrived." It seems the Palestinians are of like mind. As things stand, this latest round of conflict between Israel and the Palestinians was probably inevitable. Escalation and ...

China Russia and Uzbekistan drop on U.S. human trafficking list

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 21:59:29 -0400

The U.S. State Department Wednesday downgraded China, Russia and Uzbekistan on its human trafficking list, meaning they could face sanctions. The department promoted Azerbaijan, Congo-Brazzaville and Iraq from its Tier 2 Watch List to Tier 2. China, Russia and Uzbekistan were moved from the watch list to Tier 3 on the four-tier system. The shifts came as, for the first time, the department was ...

Iran to load heavy water reactor with virtual fuel nuclear chief

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 21:53:04 -0400

Head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Fereidoon Abbasi, said Sunday that his country will load Arak heavy water reactor with "virtual fuel" by the end of current Iranian calendar year, March 20, 2014, local media reported. Abbasi made the remarks in a ceremony, attended by Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in the site to install the "main upper ...

Tests confirm sarin used in Syria French FM

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

France has "no doubt" that the Syrian regime had used the deadly nerve agent sarin in conflicts with rebels and "all options are on the table" to end the conflicts in the violence-torn country including military actions, Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Tuesday. "There is no doubt that it was the regime and its accomplices because we are aware of the entire chain ...

John Kerry to discuss Syria Mideast peace in foreign trip

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 21:20:51 -0400

US Secretary of State John Kerry will kick off a 12-day foreign trip on Friday with the Syrian conflict and the Mideast peace process atop his agenda, the State Department said on Wednesday.Kerry will first head to Doha, capital of Qatar, to discuss the Syria situation with foreign ministers from the "Friends of Syria" group, "including support to the Syrian opposition and efforts ...

Jordan army kills 1 militant injures 2 coming from Syria

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 21:20:46 -0400

The Jordanian army killed one militant and injured two others after clashes at the borders with Syria, the state-run Petra news agency reported.A group of militants tried to infiltrate into Jordan from Syria and attacked one of the Jordanian army's military points at the borders with Syria, the report said, citing a source at the army.The Jordanian army clashed with the armed group, killing ...

Egypt allocates over $628m for Sinai development

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 21:20:43 -0400

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi approved Wednesday the allocation of 4.4 billion Egyptian pounds (about $628.9 million) for the development of Sinai Peninsula, said presidential spokesman Ehab Fahmi."President Morsi asked the cabinet to take necessary measures to implement development plans in Sinai and meet needs and demands of Sinai people," Fahmi said during a joint press conference ...

Israel urges parents to vaccinate children after polio traces found

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 21:20:41 -0400

Parents in southern parts of Israel, whose children are not vaccinated against the polio virus, rushed Wednesday to local health centers after traces of the virus were found last week in sewage waters near their communities.Last week an inspection into the sewage system in Israel's southern communities led to the discovery of the polio virus, a deadly virus that is almost eradicated ...

Emirates Qantas named top world airlines

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 21:19:30 -0400

While Emirates was honoured as the world’s best airline, new alliance partner Qantas has made a return to the top ten in the annual World Airline Awards 2013. Qantas jumped five spots from ...

Syria’s internally displaced – ‘The world has forgotten us’

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 21:16:46 -0400

When we got here we found that it was impossible to cross into Turkey because the border is closed. So we've been stuck here all winter with nothing. There is little food, we don't even have clothes and blankets to keep warm, we can't keep the rain out, and everything is wet. The children get sick all the time. The world has forgotten us. What will become of ...

The Peak Oil Crisis Middle Eastern Turmoil

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 21:09:37 -0400

Tom Whipple Some 24 million barrels of oil per day or 27 percent of the world's daily production comes from countries in the Middle East and North Africa. Until recently the oil markets have paid remarkably little attention to the deteriorating political and security situation in the region. With the intervention of the Lebanese Hezbollah militia on the side of the Assad government and the ...

Syria needs more help governor-general

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 21:05:22 -0400

SYRIA is on the brink of catastrophe unless the international community steps up its aid to refugees from the conflict, says Australia's ...

Italian killed fighting in Syria suspected of recruiting terrorists

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 20:55:08 -0400

Italian officials said an Italian Muslim convert who was killed fighting against the Syrian government was believed to have recruited terrorists in Italy. Prosecutors in Genoa Wednesday said Giuliano Ibrahim Delnevo, 24, allegedly recruited one Italian Muslim convert and three North Africans with online sermons and a blog, ANSA of Rome reported. The five men were being investigated for ...

Equatorial Guinea prohibits Egypt revolt reports

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 20:51:00 -0400

No talk of a Tunisia or Egypt-style revolutions in Equatorial Guinea. These were the orders given to media in the country, which all are controlled by the state or the family of President Teodoro Obiang ...

The Palestinian ambassador to the UN said on Friday that the Israeli regime has often demonstrated that they prefer the expansion of Jewish settlements instead of peace and security. The construction on Palestinian land has been criticized even by allies

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 20:48:24 -0400

The Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations (UN) Riad Mansur said on Friday (3rd) that the Israeli regime has demonstrated on numerous occasions that they prefer the expansion of Jewish settlements instead of peace and security. The construction on Palestinian land has been constantly criticized, even by allies of Israel, as detrimental to a "peace process" that the United States ...

War against Iraq neither for peace nor democracy

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 20:48:22 -0400

The success of the U.S. in its recent wars has been insignificant. This was the case for war against Iraq, which was never found: chemical weapons to legitimize that ...

The Price of Protection Who should pay to clean Jordan Lake

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 20:26:55 -0400

Just In : Actor James Gandolfini, who won Emmys for his role as Tony Soprano in the HBO series "The Sopranos," has died of an apparent heart attack, according to CNN. He was ...

Iraq to boost output by 45 by 2014-end

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 20:11:14 -0400

Thamir Ghadhban, energy adviser to Iraq's prime minister has said the government aims to boost oil production by nearly 45% by the end of 2014, and that Baghdad had lost confidence in Kurdistan after the region stopped exporting oil through the federal pipeline system, Reuters has reported. Baghdad's ambitious 4.5 million barrels per day (b/d) target relies on new oil pumped from ...

Egypt reshuffles management of energy firms

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 20:11:14 -0400

Egypt has reshuffled several officials at the top of state-owned companies in the energy sector, in a bid to tackle the deepening fuel crisis that is gripping the country, Dow Jones has reported. The move is aimed at "improving the performance of the petroleum sector, and giving it a push to cope with the demands of the current situation [in the country]," said the oil ministry. Among ...

Iran cancels local drilling rigs deal to buy from China

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 20:11:14 -0400

The North Drilling Company of Iran has cancelled contracts with local manufacturers and signed a contract with Chinese manufacturers to build 14 onshore and offshore drilling rigs, Mehr news has reported. Chinese financiers will secure 80% of the required fund for manufacturing the rigs, said NDC managing director Hedayatollah Khademi. The rigs are expected to be delivered within the next two ...

Video Joint military exercises in Jordan send signal to Assad

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

As Syria's civil war rages on just beyond the border with Jordan, the U.S. is participating in joint military exercises -- complete with 8,000 troops, F-16s, and cobra attack helicopters -- are sending a message to the Syrian dictator to stay out. Clarissa Ward ...

PM Netanyahu on Decision to Increase to 60 Natural Gas for Israeli

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:44:43 -0400

PM Netanyahu's Remarks on the Decision to Increase to 60% the Amount of Natural Gas Designated for the Israeli Market (Communicated by the Prime Minister's Media Adviser) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Finance Minister Yair Lapid, Energy and Water Minister Silvan Shalom, and Bank of Israel Governor Prof. Stanley Fischer, today (Wednesday, 19 June 2013), decided to increase to ...

Iran Has No Plan to Sell Crude Oil to Russia

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:12:54 -0400

Iranian Oil Ministry spokesman Alireza Nikzad-Rahbar has said Iran has not been in talks with Russia for the sale of crude oil to its northern neighbour, ISNA reported. Referring to some news which has been published by some media outlets, Nikzad-Rahbar said that there is basically no infrastructure for transferring crude oil from southern Iran to the Caspian Sea. On Tuesday, the Mehr ...

The Struggle for Power in Saudi Arabia - By David B. Ottaway

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:10:42 -0400

Obama to outline big nuke cuts today; DOD civilian owes $500k - to DOD; Petraeus to Team Rubicon; Hastings, dead; Say goodbye, Rambo; Tara Sonenshine on "bottom line diplomacy;" and a bit more. - by Gordon ...

People fleeing Syria must be granted access when they arrive on borders of EU states

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:02:43 -0400

A Syrian child gathers water in the Za'atari refugee camp in Mafraq, Jordan. Record numbers of refugees are fleeing the violence and bombings in Syria to cross the borders to safety in northern Jordan and overwhelming the camp. Photograph: Getty ...

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Virus Investigation Reported by Johns Hopkins Experts

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:59:11 -0400

more news from this source Newswise — An investigative team of infectious disease experts who traveled to Saudi Arabia during an outbreak of the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus reports that the virus poses a serious risk to hospitals because it is easily transmitted in health care settings. The team, from Johns Hopkins and elsewhere, investigated the spread of the virus, or ...

World rights groups say Jordan trying to censor online media

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:48:44 -0400

AMMAN (AFP) - International rights groups and media freedom defenders expressed concern on Wednesday about a recent Jordanian government decision to block unlicensed local news websites saying it was a censorship attempt."We are on an urgent press freedom mission with my colleagues," Anthony Mills, deputy director of the International Press Institute, told a joint news conference in ...

FIFA World Cup Qualifying Wrap Australia Iran South Korea qualify

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:46:10 -0400

Australia, Iran and South Korea secured their places at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in the last round of AFC qualifying on Tuesday. Iran secured their fourth finals appearance thanks to a 1-0 win over South Korea in Ulsan. Ahead of the game, each team knew a win would secure their place in Brazil, with Uzbekistan hoping to overtake the losers. With the Koreans going into the game a point clear, a ...

UN Special Envoy Angelina Jolie appeals for more aid to help Syrian refugees

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:15:40 -0400

UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie (right) records the stories of refugees who have just escaped the war in Syria at the Jaber border crossing in Jordan on 18 June 2013. Photo: UNHCR/O. ...

Writings from Israel Nepal and Myanmar included in UNESCO world register

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:15:39 -0400

Print 19 June 2013 &#150 Documentation on Holocaust victims, a collection of Buddhist scriptures written on stones from Myanmar, two rare manuscripts from Nepal and diaries belonging to Ernesto Che Guevara, are among 54 ...

Iran’s president-elect may shift country’s policies toward Persian Gulf Israel

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:08:22 -0400

TEHRAN, Iran - To understand the changes likely to occur under Iran’s new president, Hasan Rowhani, consider this summation of the outgoing regime by a veteran foreign policy analyst. Iran’s approach to the world was ideological and focused attention on the Arab-Israeli conflict and Lebanon – issues far from the country’s vital interests, said Davood Hermidas Bavand, a ...

Senators pressure Obama on no fly zone in Syria

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:07:05 -0400

WASHINGTON - Less than a week after the White House announced findings of chemical weapons use in Syria and the initiation of a policy that would allow the CIA to provide Syrian rebels with light weaponry and ammunition, President Barack Obama is answering critics who say that small arms are no longer enough to turn the direction of the war.In a letter from leading senators on foreign ...

Iraqi Shiite fighters flock to Assad’s side

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:03:22 -0400

Bashar Assad but against them. Dressed in jeans, their hair cropped short, the 12 men awaiting their flight are Iraqi Shiites, among hundreds heading for what they see as a struggle to defend fellow Syrian Shiites and their holy sites from the ...

Obama on Syria – too little too late

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:03:20 -0400

WASHINGTON: For a measure of the snail’s pace of President Barack Obama’s decision-making on Syria, look at two dates: Aug. 18, 2011, and June 14, 2013. One marks the first of several calls for ...

Daphne Bramham Refugees and their hosts pay high cost of Syria’s civil war

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:55:32 -0400

Fourteen-year-old Arwa is wearing a sparkly blue scarf and white socks covered in dust. She looks up at me with sweet brown eyes and shows me her drawing. An intensely coloured red heart ripped apart by a knife and a vast pool of dripping blood."Can you write 'Syria Bleeding' in English for me please?" she asks. I do this. Then, I find her another piece of paper and she draws ...

New Middle East virus spread in hospitals

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:53:21 -0400

Egyptian medical workers wear masks as they leave the emergency section in King Fahad Hospital in the city of Hofuf, 230 miles east of the Saudi capital Riyadh, on June 16, 2013. The new MERS virus, which has infected 64 people and killed 38 of them, is mostly spread in hospitals and it will take special care to prevent bigger outbreaks, experts reported on Wednesday.An investigation into the ...

Egypt Luxor protests appointment of governor linked to terrorist group

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:45:39 -0400

Residents in the Egyptian city of Luxor protested on June 19, decrying the appointment of a member of a hardline Islamist group as the new governor of their province. Adel Mohamed al-Khayat is a member of al-Gamaa al-Islamiya – a former militant group responsible for the 1997 massacre at a Luxor temple that killed 62 people, including 58 foreign tourists. Demonstrators rallied against ...

Driven by war a beloved Syrian tradition - ice cream - sets up shop in Jordan to exiles joy

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:44:40 -0400

Customers visit the Bakdash ice cream store, in Amman, Jordan, Wednesday, June 19, 2013. For Syrians, no visit to Damascus' Old City is complete without a stop at a more than century-old ice cream parlor in its main souq where you can watch them make their distinctive desert by pounding it into shape with giant wooden mallets, then enjoy a bowl of it sprinkled with pistachios. (AP ...

Infiltrators from Syria clash with Jordanian soldiers at border post 1 killed

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:44:38 -0400

ZAIN, Jordan - Jordan's military says infiltrators from Syria have clashed with Jordanian soldiers near the border. One infiltrator was killed and two wounded. The attackers opened fire on a border post on Wednesday, according to a Jordanian military spokesman. Soldiers returned the fire. The spokesman would not say how many infiltrators were involved or disclose other details. He spoke on ...

US officials say help for Syria likely gradual

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:39:03 -0400

By Jim Miklaszewski and Courtney Kube, NBC News U.S. military officials said Friday that American help for Syrian rebels is likely to escalate gradually, beginning with basic equipment like body armor and night-vision goggles and shifting later to weapons and ammunition.The officials told NBC News that providing the rebels with heavy weapons, such as anti-tank or anti-aircraft rockets, was not ...

Iraq Chevron Total expand Kurdish drilling

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:38:31 -0400

Iraq's Kurds have consolidated their growing energy sector with Chevron Corp. securing a third exploration block in the semiautonomous northern region that increasingly operates as a de facto independent state and France's Total buying a majority stake in ...

Welcome to Russia’s Syria doublespeak

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:37:36 -0400

joint communique on Syria at the end of the G8 summit, the closing media remarks made it clear that Vladimir Putin hasn’t actually moved an inch on the issue. The Russian president once again lashed out at the European Union and the United States for considering arms shipments to the Syrian opposition, suggesting it will further destabilize Syria. At the same time, he made it clear that ...

Mexican Bishop Who Was Nobel Nominee Aims to Fact-Find in Syria

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:36:29 -0400

Delegation Set to Collect Information on Rights Violations in War ZoneROME, May 30, 2013 (Zenit.org) - Bishop ...

Fast-Spreading Virus Under Inquiry in Saudi Arabia

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:06:07 -0400

A man in a Saudi hospital has pneumonia. The patient in the room next door gets sick, and before anyone realizes what is happening he infects seven others, each of whom infects at least one more. An outbreak is born. A detailed investigation of the viral illness first detected last year in Saudi Arabia has revealed the chilling ease with which the virus can spread to ill patients in the ...

Syria infiltrators Jordan military clash 1 dead

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:03:49 -0400

ZAIN, Jordan -; Jordan's military says infiltrators from Syria have clashed with Jordanian soldiers near the border. One infiltrator was killed and two ...

Half-Finished Buildings A Symbol Of Forgotten Promise In Egypt

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:00:40 -0400

Marsa Alam is a region of more than 100 miles of beautiful coastlines, coral reefs and diving spots. But the city itself is a microcosm of neglect in Egypt since the revolution. It is a ghost town of unfinished construction and promised infrastructure that still doesn't exist. There is no power grid, no water so local hotels and resorts must provide their own generators and water source. And ...

Telecom operator Viva National Bank of Kuwait Group sign USD270m deal

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:59:24 -0400

(MENAFN) Telecoms operator Viva's Chief Executive Officer, Salman Al Badran, stated that the company signed a financing deal of USD270 million with the National Bank of Kuwait Group, reported Arabian Business.Al Badran also said that the funds will be used to help the Kuwait-based firm in upgrading its network and further expanding in the country.It is worth noting that Viva is 26 percent ...

Qatar Diar govt in talks of acquiring 70 stake in Salam Yiti

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:59:17 -0400

(MENAFN) Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Diar Real Estate Investment Company (Qatar Diar) said that the company and the Qatari government are looking into acquiring a seventy percent stake in Salam Yiti from Sama Dubai, reported Times of Oman.The CEO noted that work will be resumes on the project that was launched back in 2007 and suspended in 2009 when the global economic crisis hot many ...

Oman- inflation falls to 40-month low

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:59:17 -0400

(MENAFN - Muscat Daily) Helped by moderating global commodity prices and a strong US dollar, to which Oman keeps its currency pegged, the sultanate's annual inflation fell to a 40-month low in April.The annual inflation, based on the consumer price index (CPI), dropped to 1.2 per cent in April, the lowest level since December 2009 when it hit a low of 0.9 per cent. Annual inflation came in ...

Oman- Omran plans new Muscat hotels to host first OCEC event in 2015

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:59:16 -0400

(MENAFN - Muscat Daily) The tourism development and investment arm of the sultanate, has announced plans for two new five-star hotels in Muscat and said it expects to host the first event at its upcoming Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre (OCEC) by the end of 2015.Speaking at a media briefing on Omran's ongoing and upcoming development projects and its joint tourism assets, chief ...

Kuwait- KSE opens Wednesdays trading on mixed board

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:59:16 -0400

(MENAFN - Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) Trading at Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) started on Wednesday on a mixed board with the weighted index doing down by 0.19 points and the price index going up by 5.83 points. The KSX 15 index, which reflected trading in blue-chips, decreased by 0.86 points at 9:15 a.m. Value of transactions reached KD 4.7 million, volume stood at 72.5 million shares, while number ...

Qatar- QCB move draws flak from investors

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:59:14 -0400

(MENAFN - The Peninsula) Qatar Central Bank's (QCB) decision to tighten cap on local banks' investment in stocks and bonds, has drawn flak from a section of investors and market analysts. The central bank's directives to the banks to restrict their total investment in equities and debt instruments to 25 percent of their capital and reserves is "untimely" and would ...

Entrepreneurs launch initiative for Palestinian future

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:57:48 -0400

RAMALLAH - Young Palestinians who are fed up with the existing leaders' attempts to establish an independent Palestinian state launched their own initiative designed to give the young people a voice in determining the Palestinian future.Several Palestinian entrepreneurs launched NEWpal, a youth group based in this city, which got started this week by hosting a full day "Future ...

Irans Presidential Election Sparks Mixed Reactions

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:52:33 -0400

. Voting was extended by five hours, a decision some argue simply met the demand, while others suggest it was a political move to showcase participation. On one side there was nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, and on the opposite side a former nuclear envoy, Hasan Rowhani. Officials say there's no clear front-runner in the fight to succeed controversial President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, but ...

Mass anti-Morsi June 30 protests permitted - Egypts top Muslim cleric

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:51:30 -0400

Sheik Ahmed al-Tayeb, Egypt's leading Muslim cleric. (AFP file photo, courtesy of dailynewsegypt.com) Egypt's top Muslim cleric says that peaceful protests against the president are ...

Letters International intervention in Syria

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:37:36 -0400

Prime Minister David Cameron speaks during a press conference at the G8 summit in Northern Ireland where leaders called for a peace conference on Syria to be held. Photograph: Matt Cardy/AFP/Getty ...

Syria crisis needs political solution David Cameron tells MPs

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:37:34 -0400

Syria , putting his strongest emphasis yet on a political solution to the crisis as he came under pressure from his own backbenchers and Labour not to supply weapons to the Syrian rebels.Cameron was reporting back to the Commons from ...

Iran says appeals for jihad in Syria fuel radicalism

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:36:42 -0400

KUWAIT (Reuters) - Calls by Sunni Muslim clerics for a holy war against the Syrian government and its Shi'ite allies are fuelling radicalism in the region, a senior Iranian official said on ...

Angelina Jolie Visits Syrian Refugees in Jordan for World Refugee Day

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:36:08 -0400

Sent by the UNHCR Special Envoy on Tuesday, Jolie's visit was "to show support for Syria's refugees, to call on the world to address their plight, and to better understand needs in Jordan and other countries in the region most directly affected by this devastating conflict," Us Magazine reported."The worst humanitarian crisis of the 21st century is unfolding in the Middle ...