The United States has condemned the ongoing violence in Syria, and urged President Bashar al-Assad’s government to end deadly actions against peaceful protesters. In a statement Monday, the State Department said the actions of Syria’s security forces are “reprehensible,” and include “barbaric shootings,” torture and other human rights abuses. Rights groups say Syrian forces have […]
UN Again Delays Gaza Flotilla Report
Posted July 25th, 2011 at 8:05 pm (UTC-5)
Release of a United Nations report on Israel’s deadly raid that killed nine Turkish activists on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla last year will be postponed until late August. The U.N. confirmed the delay Monday, giving Israel and Turkey more time to work out their differences. The report by a U.N. panel of experts was expected […]
Yemeni Tribesmen Push Out Militants From Key Southern City
Posted July 25th, 2011 at 5:50 pm (UTC-5)
Armed tribesmen in southern Yemen say they have routed Islamist militants from most of Zinjibar, the capital of volatile Abyan province. Tribal sources say fierce clashes Monday sent many militants fleeing north to the town of Lawdar, where they again were repelled. The New York Times quotes local residents as saying only pockets of Islamist […]
Libya Claims NATO Strikes Hospital
Posted July 25th, 2011 at 1:35 pm (UTC-5)
The Libyan government has accused NATO of bombing a hospital during an air raid, killing seven people. Libyan officials on Monday showed journalists a destroyed clinic in the town of Zlitan, east of the capital, Tripoli. The officials also took journalists to food warehouses in the town and said these buildings were damaged by airstrikes […]
Egypt Postpones Trial of Former Interior Minister
Posted July 25th, 2011 at 11:50 am (UTC-5)
An Egyptian court has postponed the trial of former Interior Minister Habib el-Adly so that it will coincide with the start of the trial of ousted Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak. The former interior minister and Mr. Mubarak face charges of killing protesters during the revolution that ousted the president in February. The court has set […]
Syria to Allow Political Parties Alongside Ruling Baath
Posted July 25th, 2011 at 11:40 am (UTC-5)
The Syrian government has endorsed a draft law that would allow the formation of political parties in addition to the ruling Ba’ath party, which for decades has controlled political life in the country. The multiparty bill is the latest conciliatory gesture from President Bashar al-Assad to more than four months of protests against his government. […]
Iran Shelling Kills 2 in Iraq’s Kurdish Region
Posted July 25th, 2011 at 10:35 am (UTC-5)
Cross-border shelling by Iranian forces has killed two people and wounded at least two others in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region. Iraqi Kurdish officials said Monday the artillery fire hit the town of Sidkan, about 20 kilometers from the border. Iran began an offensive against Kurdish rebels in the border region earlier this month and routinely […]
Iran Inks $10 Billion Gas Deal with Iraq, Syria
Posted July 25th, 2011 at 8:25 am (UTC-5)
Iran has signed a $10 billion deal with Iraq and Syria to export Iranian natural gas to Europe. Iran’s state-run Press TV says oil ministers from the three countries inked the deal Monday to build a 5,000-kilometer pipeline to carry natural gas from Iran’s South Pars gas field. The proposed pipeline will take three to […]
Egypt Postpones Trial of Former Interior Minister
Posted July 25th, 2011 at 8:25 am (UTC-5)
An Egyptian court has postponed the trial of former Interior Minister Habib el-Adly so that it will coincide with the start of the trial of ousted Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak. The former interior minister and Mr. Mubarak face charges of killing protesters during the revolution that ousted the president in February. The court has set […]
Syria to Allow Political Parties
Posted July 25th, 2011 at 4:15 am (UTC-5)
The Syrian government has approved a new law allowing the formation of political parties, reversing a ban on opposition groups since the Ba’ath Party took power in 1963. The state news agency SANA said Monday the bill is part of a political reform program, and stipulates that parties cannot be based on a religious, tribal […]
