Chinese, Russian arms fuel Darfur abuse: amnesty

Chinese-made bullets and aircraft bought from Russia are used to commit rights violations in Sudan’s Darfur under an ineffective U.N. arms embargo, Amnesty International said on Thursday. The London-based rights watchdog aired similar concerns five years … Read More

Gaza Hamas chief to visit Iran this week: officials

The Hamas prime minister in Gaza, Ismail Haniya, is on Friday to make a visit to Iran, which is celebrating the anniversary of its 1979 Islamic revolution, Iranian government officials said. The Palestinian leader was to be received by Iranian Vice … Read More

Afghan forces will be ‘good enough’ to take over: U.S.

Afghanistan’s forces will be “good enough” to take over its security by the end of 2014, even though only a small number of them now operate independently from NATO-led troops, a top U.S. general said Wednesday. Lieutenant General Curtis Scaparrotti, deputy … Read More

Turkey plans conference on Syria, says Assad dares not to use ‘Kurds as a card’

Turkey plans an international conference “as soon as possible” with regional players and world powers to solve the Syrian crisis, its foreign minister said on Wednesday. “We are determined to establish a broad-based forum to promote international … Read More

At least 117 killed in military attacks mostly across Syrian city of Homs

The Syrian army is using protesters in the flashpoint city of Homs as “human shields,” an Al Arabiya correspondent said late Wednesday amid reports of a car bomb exploding in a close by district. Several people were killed and wounded on Wednesday when a car bomb … Read More

Syria sanctions have wide backing in EU, says diplomat

European Union governments have reached an agreement in principle to impose sanctions on the Syrian central bank this month as part of new measures intended to force President Bashar al-Assad out of power, a senior EU diplomat said on Wednesday. Speaking on condition … Read More

ElBaradei calls on Egyptians to end military rule; civil disobedience planned

Egyptians must overcome economic and political differences to unite and put the country on the path to democracy and away from military rule, former presidential candidate Mohammed ElBaradei said on Wednesday amid calls for civil disobedience on Feb. 11 to demand a swift … Read More

London tackles gangs six months after UK riots

Six months after Britain was struck by five nights of rioting, London police launched a major crackdown on streets gangs which politicians blamed for the country’s worst disorder for decades. London’s new police chief, installed in the job in the wake of last August’s … Read More

Libya seeks Jordan help in fighting ex-regime officials

Libya wants Amman to help fight remnants of slain dictator Muammar Qaddafi’s regime if found in Jordan, a government statement said on Wednesday as the two nations vowed to boost their ties. Libya is “looking forward for Jordanian help in fighting remnants … Read More

Kuwait cancels festival concerts in solidarity with Syria

Organizers of Kuwait’s annual shopping festival, “February Nights,” have cancelled all musical concerts in solidarity with the Syrian people, an organizer said on Wednesday. “The situation is not suitable for staging concerts now since we are in a state of … Read More

Ahmadinejad wants Pope Benedict to visit Iran

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad would like Pope Benedict to visit Iran, Teheran's ambassador to the Vatican said on Wednesday. ‘If the pope decides to come, we will welcome him in an excellent way, and, as far as the government is concerned, we will welcome … Read More

Top U.S. envoy met Taliban leaders in Qatar, Afghan official says

Washington’s chief envoy to Afghanistan met Taliban leaders in Qatar as part of U.S. efforts to bring the insurgents to the negotiating table, a senior Afghan official said on Wednesday. The talks between the Taliban and Marc Grossman came in late January, … Read More

Strike talks could be strategy to keep pressure on Iran: Israeli experts

Israel is pursuing a studied ambiguity on whether it will attack Iran, keeping its options open on how to rein in Tehran’s alleged nuclear weapons ambitions, Israeli experts say. Speculation about an Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear facilities has reached fever pitch in … Read More

Signs build that Iran sanctions disrupt food imports, impose hardship ahead of election

More evidence emerged on Tuesday of the crippling impact of new sanctions on Iran, with international traders saying Tehran is having trouble buying rice, cooking oil and other staples to feed its 74 million people weeks before an election. New U.S. financial sanctions … Read More

Saudi pledges secure energy supply to South Korea

Saudi Arabia has pledged to ensure a stable supply of oil to South Korea, which is under pressure from the United States to reduce purchases from Iran, a report said on Wednesday. The assurances came as South Korea’s President Lee Myung-Bak held talks in … Read More

UAE to pump more crude to Asia to cut reliance on Iran

The United Arab Emirates’ main exporter of crude oil will fulfill all supply contracts to Asia for March, for the first time in almost a year, to help the region’s top buyers cut their dependence on oil from sanctions-hit Iran. Asia consumes more than half of Iran’s … Read More

Political instability in Maldives triggers fears for vital tourism industry

Political instability and unrest in the Maldives have raised fears for the islands’ vital tourism industry which caters to high-end travellers and honeymooning couples. The archipelago nation, made up of 1,192 coral and sand-fringed islands dotted with … Read More

Israel general strike shuts airports, ports, banks and stock market

Israel’s main labor union declared a strike on Wednesday that shut airports, ports, banks and the stock market after talks with the government failed to produce an agreement on the status of workers employed through labor contractors. The Histadrut labour … Read More

After doubts grow, a regime backer flees Syria

Younes al-Yousef rarely goes outside in Cairo, fearful that even here someone will recognize him and word will get back to Damascus. He stays in a simple, rented apartment with his wife and children, smoking cigarettes, drinking coffee and watching TV for the latest from … Read More

‘Baseless accusations’ jail ex-Guantanamo detainee in Algeria

Concerns over the deteriorating health of ex-Guantanamo detainee Abdul Aziz Naji have angered groups fighting for his freedom after he was jailed again this week in his native Algeria for what they deem to be “baseless accusations.” Naji, who is currently on hunger … Read More

Mecca the spiritual homeland for billions

From every corner of the world, Arabs and Africans… Caucasians and Asians… Europeans and mixed race Whole convoys cross stretches of land to reach this destination in a long journey that unravels man’s eagerness to go through the most exhausting of challenges in order to … Read More

Iran’s Oscar contender has ‘universal’ appeal, actor says

The Iranian film “A Separation” which is vying for an Oscar at the US Academy Awards, is a “universal” tale that resonates strongly with foreign audiences, its lead actor told AFP on Wednesday. The movie’s international popularity -- evidenced by multiple … Read More

Capello quits as England manager

Italian Fabio Capello’s turbulent reign as England manager ended on Wednesday when he resigned after meeting FA chairman David Bernstein and general secretary Alex Horne at Wembley stadium. The discussions followed the FA decision to remove the England team captaincy … Read More

Chelsea reveals $45 million cost of hiring Villas-Boas

Chelsea spent 28 million pounds ($45 million) on firing manager Carlo Ancelotti and hiring Andre Villas-Boas, an outlay that does not appear to be paying off with the team performing worse in the English Premier League this season. Ancelotti was ditched in … Read More

Dina al-Shibeeb: As death toll mounts, Syria’s beloved President Bashar al-Assad is still seen as innocent

In Syria there is an inevitable, expected death toll on a daily basis, and what is worse, the situation worsened after the latest futile attempt by the U.N. Security Council to curb the violent crackdown against the protesters, dissidents and defected soldiers as both … Read More

Nadia Idriss Mayen: Business delights

Let’s get down to business: You have a client coming in from another country or maybe you are flying in to a new place with certain expectations. Your main goal is to seal the deal and celebrate. Some may think entertaining a business client is more or less the same … Read More