Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani has entered the Gaza Strip for the first visit to the Palestinian territory by a head of state since Islamist Hamas militants took control in 2007. He crossed into Gaza from Egypt on Tuesday, receiving a red-carpet welcome from Hamas officials. The Qatari leader is inaugurating more than […]
UN Envoy: No Improvement In Iran’s Human Rights Situation
Posted October 22nd, 2012 at 8:05 pm (UTC-5)
A United Nations human rights envoy says the Iranian government is responsible for egregious rights violations and remains a leading user of capital punishment. Ahmed Shaheed, U.N. Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, told reporters, diplomats and rights activists in New York Monday that unfair trials, torture of prisoners, repression of journalists, persecution of […]
Lebanese Army Vows to Restore Order Amid Clashes
Posted October 22nd, 2012 at 9:40 am (UTC-5)
The Lebanese army says it will act decisively to quell unrest linked to the Syrian conflict, as six people were wounded in clashes in southern Beirut Monday following the assassination of a top security official. Soldiers and tanks were deployed between Sunni and Shi’ite neighborhoods in the capital’s Kaskas district Monday, trying to bring calm […]
Clashes Wound 6 in Lebanese Capital
Posted October 22nd, 2012 at 5:20 am (UTC-5)
Lebanese security officials say at least six people have been wounded in clashes in southern Beirut, amid rising tensions following the assassination of a top security official. Soldiers and tanks were deployed between Sunni and Shi’ite neighborhoods in the capital’s Kaskas district Monday, trying to bring calm to the area. Separate fighting in the northern […]
Jordan Arrests 11 in Alleged Al-Qaida Plot
Posted October 22nd, 2012 at 3:35 am (UTC-5)
Jordanian officials say state security forces have arrested 11 people in connection with what they call an al-Qaida-linked plot to bomb shopping centers and attack Western diplomatic posts in the capital, Amman. Government spokesman Sameeh Maaytah told reporters Sunday that the group had been working since June, and planned to carry out the attacks with […]
Protesters Continue Calls for Lebanese PM to Resign
Posted October 22nd, 2012 at 12:45 am (UTC-5)
A group of protesters has set up tents outside Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s office, vowing to remain there until he resigns. The sit-in began late Sunday outside the building in central Beirut. Earlier Sunday, Lebanese security forces fired their weapons into the air and used tear gas to disperse protesters who were trying to […]
Protesters, Police Clash in Kuwait
Posted October 21st, 2012 at 7:55 pm (UTC-5)
Police in Kuwait used tear gas, stun guns and batons on Sunday to disperse tens of thousands of anti-government protesters. Opposition groups took to the streets of Kuwait City to protest changes in Kuwait’s electoral law that they say would undercut their rising clout in the oil-rich nation. Dozens of people were injured and several […]
Four Killed in Yemen Drone Strike
Posted October 21st, 2012 at 6:00 pm (UTC-5)
Yemeni security officials say four suspected militants were killed in a drone strike in the country’s east. Officials say the strike targeted a car travelling Sunday on the outskirts of the city of Marib. Reports say a local al-Qaida leader was among those killed in the attack. U.S. drones deployed in the region have backed […]
US, Iran Deny Report of One-On-One Nuclear Talks
Posted October 21st, 2012 at 10:20 am (UTC-5)
Both the United States and Iran are denying a U.S. newspaper report that they have agreed to unprecedented one-on-one talks on Tehran’s controversial nuclear program. Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi told a news conference Sunday that his government is not involved in any such talks with Washington. The White House on Saturday also denied […]
Protesters Try to Storm Lebanese Govt. After Funeral
Posted October 21st, 2012 at 10:20 am (UTC-5)
Hundreds of Lebanese security forces fired their weapons into the air and lobbed volleys of tear gas at a small group of protesters as they tried to storm the central Beirut offices of Prime Minister Najib Mikati, demanding he quit over the assassination of a top intelligence official. Live television images Sunday showed the army […]
