Latest in Region Highlight
Latest in Region
Kurds demand support from Syria opposition as rebels attack
On Saturday, one rebel was reported dead and three wounded in fierce clashes between Kurdish fighters and the jihadist Al-Nusra Front and several other Islamist factions in Ras Al-Ain, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
France tells Africans to take up baton in Mali
Fabius is attending the ECOWAS summit in a bid to accelerate the deployment of a force of more than 3,000 troops that the regional grouping has promised to send to Mali under the auspices of the United Nations.
Syria rebels see airport as key to taking Aleppo
“If the airport falls, all of Aleppo will fall,” said Colonel Abu Kosai, one of the rebel commanders
Ahmadinejad: Iran must alter strategy to counter sanctions
Estimated at around $5 bn per month according to experts, the loss in oil revenues has led to a contraction of the 2013/2014 budget being prepared by the government, according to some MPs.
Syria universities shut, Aleppo blast toll at 87
More than 60,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in Syria’s conflict, according to the United Nations, while the Observatory says it has documented more than 48,000 dead.
Somali Shebab say have ‘decided to execute’ French hostage
The Al-Qaeda linked Shebab said in a statement they have “reached a unanimous decision to execute the French intelligence officer, Denis Allex.”
Saudi clerics protest king’s move to empower women
Abdullah’s decrees marked a breakthrough in the conservative kingdom that imposes stringent restrictions on females, who are banned from driving and denied the right to travel without male consent.
Netanyahu govt in ‘record’ settlement expansion, says NGO
In total, the Netanyahu government advanced and approved 8,730 units in West Bank settlements over the past four years, Peace Now said, noting that the figures could be higher because the defence ministry does not make public its approvals for planning.
Russia against referring Syria to ICC
Russia argued on Sunday that Assad’s removal from power was impossible because outside players had no right to meddle in the conflict under the terms of the June pact.
Gunmen kill four policemen in attacks in Nigeria’s Kano
Violence related to Boko Haram’s insurgency has left some 3,000 people dead since 2009 in Nigeria, including killings by the security forces.
Suicide bomb kills Sunni Iraqi MP and six others
The demonstrations in Sunni Iraqi areas have decried alleged misuse of anti-terror laws to detain members of the minority community, and claim Sunnis are being targeted by the Shiite-led authorities.
Al-Araby receives head of EU Council
Arab League secretary general and top European politician discuss Palestine, Syria and Mali
Arab ministers condemn Israel for damaging Palestinian economy
Arab Ministers accuse Israel of withholding money owed to State of Palestine and causing an economic crisis
Tunisia marks its Arab Spring revolution amid tensions
President Moncef Marzouki, Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali and parliamentary speaker Mustapha Ben Jaafar saluted the national flag at an early-morning ceremony in Tunis to mark the occasion.
Shebab say second French soldier dies after failed Somalia raid
The Shebab have displayed the body of an alleged French commander in photographs. One depicts him dressed in a black button-up shirt and khaki trousers, lying face up on an orange surface next to presumably his combat gear. A small crucifix was seen around his neck.
Mali jihadists seize town north of Bamako
Islamists occupy the northern Malian town of Diabali
Israel evicts Palestinians from West Bank protest site
Israel recently moved forward with plans to build in the area, drawing international criticism for the move, which Palestinians say would effectively end the chances for the creation of a contiguous Palestinian state.
Israel plans 170 new settler homes in Jordan Valley
The Israeli government has moved forward aggressively in recent weeks with settlement construction plans in east Jerusalem and the West Bank, prompting angry condemnation from the Palestinians, and international criticism.
Syria calls peace envoy’s mission ‘useless’
Brahimi, who last week criticised a three-step solution announced in a rare speech by Assad, “represents the Turkish, US and Gulf states’ position, and is not an objective mediator,” said Al-Watan.
Six arrested in new India bus gang-rape case
The attack is disturbingly similar to the December 16 gang-rape and murder of a 23-year-old student in Delhi, where five men are on trial in a case that has fuelled anger across India over the treatment of women.
Italy condemns attack on Libya consul as ‘terrorism’
The incident comes four months after US Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans were killed in the city in an attack on the US mission there
French air strikes in Mali continue for third day
French air power helped the Malian army to retake the central town of Konna from the Islamists on Friday and President Francois Hollande said Saturday that the rebels had suffered heavy losses, estimated at 100 of their fighters.
Turkey demands France clarify Paris slayings
Hollande had said the murder of Sakine Cansiz, Fidan Dogan and Leyla Soylemez was “terrible,” adding that he knew one of the Kurdish women and that she “regularly met us.”
New clashes erupt in Tunisian town near Libya
Ben Guerdane, around 30km from the border, has witnessed sporadic unrest since Sunday, fuelled by Tripoli’s decision to close the Ras Jdir border crossing in early September for security reasons.
Angry Pakistani Shi’as refuse to bury dead
In total 126 people were killed in bombings in what was one of Pakistan’s deadliest days for years, raising concerns about rising violence in the nuclear-armed country ahead of general elections
Obama: US to speed up Afghan troop transition
The US president warned that Karzai, with whom he has had a somewhat testy relationship, would have to accept a security agreement, still under discussion, granting legal immunity to US troops who remain behind.
Damascus hit by clashes after key rebel gain
Capturing Taftanaz, from which regime forces launched deadly helicopter gunship sorties, eases the pressure on rebels who already control vast swathes of Syria’s north and east.
Israel orders Palestinians to quit protest outpost
More than 200 activists erected the 20-tent “outpost” on Friday in the sensitive West Bank corridor east of Jerusalem where Palestinians say Israeli settlement construction would destroy the prospects of territorial contiguity for their promised state.
Hundreds back Maliki amid calls for Iraq PM to quit
Anti-government rallies blocked a key highway linking Baghdad to Jordan and Syria for a third week, while protests were also held in Samarra, Tikrit, Baiji and Mosul, all Sunni-majority areas north of the capital
19 killed in failed French raid to free Somalia hostage
Allex is among nine French hostages in Africa of whom at least six are held by Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM)