Egypt on Monday postponed the swearing-in of a new Cabinet for at least a day as protesters vowed to continue a sit-in at Cairo’s main square, saying government reforms do not go far enough. Egypt’s military-appointed Prime Minister Essam Sharaf announced Sunday that he has chosen one of his two newly-appointed deputies to serve as […]
Sectarian Violence in Syria Kills at Least 30
Posted July 18th, 2011 at 10:05 am (UTC-5)
Syrian rights activists say an outbreak of sectarian fighting between supporters and opponents of President Bashar al-Assad has killed about 30 people in the central city of Homs. The activists say the fighting began late Saturday when the dismembered bodies of three government supporters were returned to relatives in Homs. The three Assad loyalists belonged […]
Iran Guard Says in Control of Opposition Bases on Iraq Border
Posted July 18th, 2011 at 8:50 am (UTC-5)
Iran state media say Iranian Revolutionary Guards are in control of three bases of an Iranian Kurdish opposition group along the border of neighboring Iraq. Guard Colonel Delavar Ranjbarzadeh claimed on Monday “a large number” of deaths of opposition group fighters from clashes Saturday and Sunday. A rebel spokesman earlier said that many soldiers were […]
Iraqi PM Visits China Seeking New Investment Sources
Posted July 18th, 2011 at 5:30 am (UTC-5)
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki is in Beijing for high-level talks aimed at securing investment in the reconstruction of his war-ravaged country. Mr. Maliki is expected to meet with Chinese President Hu Jintao, Premier Wen Jiabao and other officials during his first visit to China, which winds up Thursday. In an exclusive interview with […]
Rights Group Urges Bahrain to End Medical Personnel Arrests
Posted July 18th, 2011 at 5:05 am (UTC-5)
A human rights group has called on Bahrain to end a “campaign of arrests” against medical personnel and attacks against patients who were injured during mass anti-government protests earlier this year. New York-based Human Rights Watch issued a report Monday detailing what is says are attacks against health care workers, the siege of hospitals and […]
Yemeni Army, Tribes Launch Southern Offensive
Posted July 17th, 2011 at 10:35 pm (UTC-5)
Yemeni forces backed by hundreds of armed tribesmen have launched an offensive to retake the southern town of Zinjibar, after months of fighting with Islamist fighters. Security officials said Sunday that several militants have been killed in what they described as the fiercest fighting in the provincial capital since late May, when Zinjibar fell to […]
Syrian Troops Mass Near Border Town as Tensions Mount
Posted July 17th, 2011 at 9:00 pm (UTC-5)
Syrian forces have surrounded a town on the Iraqi border as the country’s opposition took a step closer to forming an alternative government that would challenge President Bashar al-Assad’s grip on power. About 1,000 troops flown in by helicopter and backed by tanks and armored vehicles massed Sunday around the troubled eastern town of al-Boukamal […]
Libyan Rebels: Street Fighting Engulfs Brega
Posted July 17th, 2011 at 6:35 pm (UTC-5)
Libyan rebels say they have entered the strategic oil port of Brega and are fighting street battles there with forces loyal to leader Moammar Gadhafi, the biggest offensive that eastern Libya has seen in weeks. Reports from Brega Sunday described clashes in residential areas. Opposition leaders said at least 10 rebels have been killed in […]
Iranian Raid Kills Two Kurdish Rebels in Northwest
Posted July 17th, 2011 at 5:00 pm (UTC-5)
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has killed at least two Iranian Kurdish rebels in a raid that destroyed one of the group’s headquarters in northwestern Iran. The hours-long gunbattle between Iranian forces and militants from the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan began late Saturday and ended early Sunday. It occurred along the Iraqi border near the […]
Egyptian PM Picks New Finance Minister in Cabinet Reshuffle
Posted July 17th, 2011 at 3:10 pm (UTC-5)
Egypt’s military-appointed prime minister has released more details of a Cabinet reshuffle demanded by opposition activists who have camped out in Cairo’s Tahrir Square for more than a week. Prime Minister Essam Sharaf announced Sunday that he has chosen one of his two newly appointed deputies to serve as finance minister in the reshuffled Cabinet, […]
