Multiple bombings in Iraq have killed at least 10 people and wounded more than 40 others. The deadliest attack Monday happened in Mussayib, south of Baghdad, where bomb blasts killed seven people. A deadly car bombing also hit Hillah, farther south of the capital, while other attacks targeted the northern city of Kirkuk. Officials said […]
Israel Allows Building Materials into Gaza
Israel has eased its five-year blockade of the Gaza Strip, allowing truckloads of building materials for private use to cross into the Palestinian territory in recent days. The materials purchased in Egypt are part of $400 million in projects Qatar has pledged for Gaza. Israel imposed the blockade in 2007 after the militant group Hamas […]
Brahimi: Without Diplomacy, Syria Conflict May Kill 100,000
International peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi has warned 100,000 people could die in Syria in the next year unless world powers press the Syrian government and rebels to negotiate an end to their 21-month conflict. Speaking Sunday in Cairo, Brahimi said the warring sides are not speaking to each other, despite his recent intensified diplomatic efforts […]
Yemeni Officials Say US Intensifying Drone Strikes on Al-Qaida
Yemeni authorities say apparent U.S. drone strikes on al-Qaida’s branch in Yemen have intensified, with confirmation of a fourth deadly missile attack on the group in the past week. Authorities said the latest strike happened late Saturday, when an unmanned aircraft killed three suspected al-Qaida members riding a vehicle in the central province of Bayda. […]
Egypt to Resume IMF Loan Talks as Currency Weakens
Egypt says it will resume negotiations in January for an emergency loan from the International Monetary Fund as the country’s economic crisis deepens with the national currency weakening to an eight-year low against the dollar. Egyptian Prime Minister Hesham Kandil said Sunday the requested $4.8 billion loan is small relative to the country’s needs. But, […]
Protesters Attack Iraqi Deputy PM, Guards Open Fire
An attempt by Iraq’s Sunni deputy prime minister to defuse an anti-government protest in the country’s west has ended in chaos, with his bodyguards opening fire and wounding two people as demonstrators tried to attack the official. The incident happened on Sunday near the city of Ramadi, where thousands of minority Sunnis have been staging […]
Brahimi Says He Has Potential Syria Solution
The joint U.N.-Arab League peace envoy says he has a proposal to end the 21-month conflict in Syria. Lakhdar Brahimi said Sunday in Cairo after meeting with Arab League officials he believes his plan, based on an agreement signed in Geneva earlier this year, “could be adopted by the international community.” He made no further […]
Israel Indicts Former Foreign Minister
Israeli justice officials say former foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman has been formally indicted on charges of fraud and breach of trust. The Justice Ministry filed the indictment against Lieberman in a Jerusalem court Sunday. Justice officials say Lieberman was indicted on charges relating to the promotion of an Israeli diplomat who had illegally given Lieberman […]
Egypt’s Morsi Appeals for National Unity
Egypt’s President Mohamed Morsi has appealed to Egyptians to work together to rebuild the country. In a speech Saturday before Egypt’s newly convened upper house of Parliament, Mr. Morsi said it is time for the country to focus on “work, seriousness and effort.” He announced plans to create jobs and investment in such areas as […]
Peace Envoy in Moscow for Talks on Syria
The joint U.N.-Arab League peace envoy has met Russia’s foreign minister in Moscow in an end-of-the-year bid to find a resolution to the crisis in Syria. Lakhdar Brahimi and Russia’s Sergei Lavrov met Saturday in Moscow where the peace envoy talked about his recent round of discussions with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the Syrian […]