A celebration to one is an affront to the otherPALESTINE: For Palestinians, the 60th anniversary of the birth of Israel recalls the beginning of their national tragedy, writes…Sat May 10 2008 - 01:00
Islamic Jihad says it will not formally agree truceMIDDLE EAST: ISLAMIC JIHAD announced yesterday it would not formally accept a ceasefire for Gaza which did not include the West…Fri May 2 2008 - 01:00
Tariq Aziz trial delayed as Green Zone shelledIRAQ: THE TRIAL of Tariq Aziz, Iraq's former deputy premier, and seven co-defendants was delayed yesterday due to heavy shelling…Wed Apr 30 2008 - 01:00
Nearly 40 killed in Sadr attack on US and Iraqi forcesIRAQ: AT LEAST 38 people were killed in Baghdad in fierce clashes on Sunday, the US military announced yesterdayTue Apr 29 2008 - 01:00
Erdogan in fresh bid for Syria-Israel peace dealMIDDLE EAST: TURKISH PRIME minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan met Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on Saturday in an …Mon Apr 28 2008 - 01:00
Rejection of Gaza truce plan adds to Hamas difficultiesMIDDLE EAST: THE DISMISSAL yesterday by Israel of a proposal for a six-month ceasefire in Gaza has placed Hamas and Cairo in…Sat Apr 26 2008 - 01:00
Al-Sadr calls for end to clashes with Iraqi armyMIDDLE EAST: IRAQI PRIME Minister Nuri al-Maliki received a boost yesterday when Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr called for an end…Sat Apr 26 2008 - 01:00
UN agencies stop Gaza services due to fuel embargoUN: UN AGENCIES yesterday suspended or curtailed humanitarian operations in Gaza due to Israel's fuel blockade.Fri Apr 25 2008 - 01:00
Hamas accepts 1967 border but still rejects state of IsraelPALESTINIAN TERRITORIES: HAMAS WILL not recognise Israel, Khaled Mishaal, its politboro chief, said yesterday in response to…Tue Apr 22 2008 - 01:00
Carter meets Hamas and calls blockade of Gaza an atrocityEGYPT: FORMER US president Jimmy Carter is set to meet Hamas chief Khaled Mishaal in Damascus today in spite of stiff opposition…Fri Apr 18 2008 - 01:00
Al-Sadr's Mahdi Army remains focus for Maliki's struggling governmentIRAQ: THE STRUGGLING Iraqi government of Nuri al-Maliki yesterday continued a two-pronged offensive against the populist movement…Tue Apr 15 2008 - 01:00
Maliki warns Sadrists on pollIRAQ: IRAQI PRIME minister Nuri al- Maliki has warned that the movement of radical Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr will be barred…Tue Apr 8 2008 - 01:00
Fatah and Hamas agree on reconciliation planMIDDLE EAST: FATAH AND Hamas yesterday signed a seven-point Yemeni-sponsored reconciliation plan and pledged to hold direct …Mon Mar 24 2008 - 00:00
Fatah government losing support among Palestinians, poll revealsMIDDLE EAST: THE US-BACKED Palestinian leadership is losing popular support and the Fatah government is regarded as less legitimate…Wed Mar 19 2008 - 00:00
Survey shows Iraqis more optimistic about future but do not credit USIRAQ: FIVE YEARS after the US invasion, Iraqis have expressed more optimism about their lives and their country's future than…Tue Mar 18 2008 - 00:00
Strict Islamic state allows Catholic church to openQATAR: THOUSANDS OF Catholics attended the consecration in Doha on Saturday of the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary (St Mary…Mon Mar 17 2008 - 00:00
Hamas waiting for reply to ceasefire proposalsMIDDLE EAST: DEPOSED PALESTINIAN prime minister Ismail Haniyeh announced yesterday that Hamas is waiting for Israel's reply …Thu Mar 13 2008 - 00:00
Is this the beginning of a new intifada?MIDDLE EAST: A third bloody Palestinian uprising may have begun long before last week's seminary massacre.Mon Mar 10 2008 - 00:00
Charities urge Gaza intervention as humanitarian crisis worsensMIDDLE EAST: HUMANITARIAN GROUPS yesterday urged the international community to end the isolation and siege of Gaza, where conditions…Fri Mar 7 2008 - 00:00
Iran rejects UN resolution as state visit to Iraq endsIRAN: TEHRAN YESTERDAY condemned a United Nations Security Council resolution imposing fresh sanctions on Iran's refusal to …Wed Mar 5 2008 - 00:00
Rice implicated in bid to oust Hamas from governmentMIDDLE EAST: AS US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice began yesterday's mission to relaunch negotiations between Israel and…Wed Mar 5 2008 - 00:00
Veto of law on powersharing a 'setback' to US Iraq agendaIRAQ: A POWERFUL Iraqi Shia faction yesterday denounced the rejection by Shia vice-president Adel Abdul Mahdi of legislation…Fri Feb 29 2008 - 00:00
Rights group seeks ban on cluster munitionsMIDDLE EAST: The death and devastation wreaked by four million cluster bomblets fired by Israel into southern Lebanon in 2006…Mon Feb 18 2008 - 00:00
Arab satellite TV faces censorshipEGYPT: Information ministers of the 22-member Arab League have adopted a proposal to regulate and restrict content broadcast…Sat Feb 16 2008 - 00:00
Gates backs pause in troop withdrawal from IraqIRAQ: US defence secretary Robert Gates has endorsed a pause in the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq.Tue Feb 12 2008 - 00:00
Palestinians may soon outnumber Israeli JewsPALESTINE: The Palestinian central board of statistics reported on Saturday that the Palestinian population of the West Bank…Mon Feb 11 2008 - 00:00
Israel's power cuts 'war crimes'ISRAEL: Israel's fuel and power cuts to Gaza amount to collective punishment and violate international law, Human Rights Watch…Fri Feb 8 2008 - 00:00
Egypt seals last opening on frontier with GazaISRAEL: Egyptian soldiers closed the last opening on the frontier with Gaza yesterday, ending 11 days of unfettered movement…Mon Feb 4 2008 - 00:00
Hamas co-operates with Egypt on resealing of Rafah borderMIDDLE EAST: Egyptian border guards yesterday unrolled bales of razor wire and began to erect a new fence along the border with…Wed Jan 30 2008 - 00:00
Leading Arab nationalist Habash dies at 81JORDAN: George Habash, one of the most influential Arab figures of the 20th century, died in Jordan on Saturday, aged 81.Mon Jan 28 2008 - 00:00
Hamas vows to keep Egypt border openMIDDLE EAST: Black-clad Hamas activists yesterday drove a bulldozer through a section of Israel's iron wall separating Gaza …Sat Jan 26 2008 - 00:00
Musician becomes first Israeli to be given a Palestinian passportMIDDLE EAST: Conductor and pianist Daniel Barenboim has accepted Palestinian citizenship, becoming the first Israeli to be given…Wed Jan 16 2008 - 00:00
Iraq votes to rescind some anti-Baath measuresIraq: The Iraqi parliament on Saturday adopted legislation to permit former members of the Baath party to resume government …Mon Jan 14 2008 - 00:00
Year-long deadlock in Lebanon may be broken by Arab LeagueLEBANON: In a last-ditch effort to end the political crisis in Lebanon, Arab League secretary general Amr Moussa is set to arrive…Mon Jan 7 2008 - 00:00
Banks swamped as Malta and Cyprus become latest members of euro zoneBanks were swamped yesterday with Cypriots seeking euros on the first full day of trading in the currencyThu Jan 3 2008 - 00:00
More deaths in Gaza as Abbas proposes dialogueMIDDLE EAST: Clashes in Gaza yesterday killed a Hamas policeman and a member of the Fatah-affiliated Dugmush clan, raising the…Wed Jan 2 2008 - 00:00
Kurds agree to delay Kirkuk voteIRAQ: The Kurdish regional assembly has capitulated to Baghdad by agreeing to a six-month postponement of a referendum on whether…Fri Dec 28 2007 - 00:00
Hamas has consolidated control in Gaza - reportMIDDLE EAST: Six months after seizing control of the Gaza Strip, Hamas remains in control and is unlikely to be ousted by international…Sat Dec 22 2007 - 00:00
Hamas flexes muscles before meeting of donorsMiddle East: In anticipation of today's meeting of donor countries in Paris, Hamas demonstrated its strength in the Gaza Strip…Mon Dec 17 2007 - 00:00
Iran's former president to lead coalition into electionIran: Former president Mohammad Khatami is set to lead a 21-party coalition with the aim of winning a majority in Iran's parliament…Mon Dec 17 2007 - 00:00
General's killing raises tension in LebanonLebanon: The assassination of a senior Lebanese army general yesterday exacerbated tensions in a country already on edge due…Thu Dec 13 2007 - 00:00
Israel rebuked over settlement homes planMIDDLE EAST: Saudi foreign minister Prince Saud Al Faisal has castigated Israel for approving the construction of 307 homes …Wed Dec 12 2007 - 00:00
Iraq calls for Gulf security pact to include IranIRAQ: Iraq yesterday called on Gulf states to form a regional security pact which would include Iran.Mon Dec 10 2007 - 00:00
Arab opinion welcomes Iran reportMIDDLE EAST: Arab opinion seems to have been greatly relieved by the news that the US National Intelligence Estimate found that…Fri Dec 7 2007 - 00:00
Opposition calls for mass protest in BeirutMIDDLE EAST: A mass demonstration has been called for today by Lebanon's Hizbullah-led opposition to mark the first anniversary…Sat Dec 1 2007 - 00:00
Iran hails release by US of nine detaineesIRAN: Nine Iranians held in Iraq by US forces were released yesterday and handed over to the government of Iraq.Sat Nov 10 2007 - 00:00
UN warns Lebanese factions against rearmingUN: UN secretary general Ban Ki-Moon has warned Lebanese factions against rearming and training militias and urged them to end…Fri Oct 26 2007 - 01:00
Amnesty accuses Hamas, Fatah of rights abusesMIDDLE EAST: Amnesty International yesterday issued a report sharply critical of Hamas and Fatah for violating Palestinian human…Thu Oct 25 2007 - 01:00
Hopes rise as Iran moderate called in for talksIRAN: Iran announced yesterday that the country's former top nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, and his successor, Saeed Jalili…Mon Oct 22 2007 - 01:00
Warning of Palestinian violence if US talks failMIDDLE EAST: Palestinian chief negotiator Ahmad Qurei warned yesterday that if the US-sponsored regional summit in November …Fri Oct 12 2007 - 01:00