Yemeni security forces have clashed with thousands of opposition fighters preparing to enter the capital, Sana’a, to reinforce fellow tribesmen loyal to Sheikh Sadeq al-Ahmar. The rising chaos is pushing the conflict closer to an all-out civil war. Witnesses said Thursday that government troops, including elite Republican Guard units, confronted the tribal fighters at a […]
Yemeni Troops Clash with Tribesman Pushing Towards Capital
Posted June 2nd, 2011 at 5:25 pm (UTC-5)
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Nine Killed in Iraq Bombings
Posted June 2nd, 2011 at 4:00 pm (UTC-5)
Iraqi government officials say a series of explosions have rocked the western city of Ramadi, killing at least nine people. Investigators say more than a dozen people were wounded. At least two of Thursday’s blasts occurred in a market that is near government offices. In February, a suicide bombing marred a religious ceremony in Ramadi, […]
Syrian Opposition Calls for President’s Departure
Posted June 2nd, 2011 at 2:50 pm (UTC-5)
Syrian opposition figures have wrapped up a two-day meeting in Turkey with a call for President Bashar al-Assad’s immediate resignation. The 300 delegates issued the call in a joint declaration as Syrian forces continued to pound the central town of Rastan. Activists say at least 15 people were killed Thursday in the government’s shelling. The […]
Iran’s President Gives Up Role as Oil Minister
Posted June 2nd, 2011 at 1:45 pm (UTC-5)
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has stepped down from his role as the caretaker oil minister after parliament threatened to take him to court over the issue. State-run media say Mr. Ahmadinejad announced Thursday that he had named Mohammad Ali-Abedi as the interim chief of the ministry. He is the former head of Iran’s physical education […]
Syrian Opposition Figures Call for President’s Immediate Departure
Posted June 2nd, 2011 at 1:25 pm (UTC-5)
Syrian opposition figures have wrapped up a two-day meeting in Turkey with a call for President Bashar al-Assad’s immediate resignation. The 300 delegates issued the call in a joint declaration on Thursday, as Syrian forces continued to pound the central town of Rastan. Activists say at least 15 people were killed Thursday in the government’s […]
Rights Group: Iraqi Authorities Unjustly Detaining Reformers
Posted June 2nd, 2011 at 12:40 pm (UTC-5)
U.S.-based rights group Human Rights Watch says Iraq’s central government and northern Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish administration have been unjustly detaining protesters calling for reforms. In a report released Thursday, the group says authorities in Baghdad and Iraqi Kurdistan are keeping their citizens from demonstrating peacefully. It says Iraq needs to make sure that security forces […]
Ex-Israeli Spy Chief: Israel Not Planning Attack on Iran Soon
Posted June 2nd, 2011 at 10:50 am (UTC-5)
Israel’s recently-retired spy chief says the Israeli government has no immediate plans to attack Iran’s nuclear program, which the United States and its allies suspect is aimed at producing weapons. In comments published Thursday in the Israeli media, Meir Dagan says he is “not familiar” with any government decision to strike Iranian nuclear facilities in […]
France Offers to Host Middle East Peace Talks
Posted June 2nd, 2011 at 10:20 am (UTC-5)
France is trying to revive peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians before the Palestinians are expected to submit a petition to the United Nations in September for statehood recognition. French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe says his country wants to host peace talks in Paris before the end of July. He announced the proposal on […]
At Least 250 Fleeing Libya Missing off Tunisia
Posted June 2nd, 2011 at 9:35 am (UTC-5)
Tunisian rescuers combed the Mediterranean Sea on Thursday for some 200 migrants reported missing after a vessel they were aboard ran into problems in rough waters off the Tunisian coast. At least 570 people were rescued from the boat off the southern Tunisian port of Sfax. Some have been hospitalized and at least three people […]
Yemeni Tribesman Push to Enter Capital
Posted June 2nd, 2011 at 9:15 am (UTC-5)
Yemeni security forces and loyalists of an opposition tribal chief have clashed on the outskirts of the capital, Sana’a. Witnesses say hundreds of tribesmen loyal to Sheikh Sadeq al-Ahmar are trying to make their way to his Sana’a neighborhood , which is being pounded by government forces. They say dozens of people have been killed […]
