Libya's UN Request to Probe 2003 Invasion Irks Iraqi Gov't
Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat- Libyan-Iraqi relations are currently strained, Asharq Al Awsat can reveal. The cause of tension between the two nations developed last month after Libya submitted an unexpected request to the United Nations, asking it to conduct ... more |
Pakistan Boosts Security after Lahore Bombs
LAHORE, Pakistan (Reuters) – Pakistan tightened security in the eastern city of Lahore on Thursday after three bomb attacks killed 33 people and wounded 171 and pressured the U.S.-backed government already overwhelmed by floods.
The blasts which hit ... more |
Iran Hardliners Attack Opposition Leader's Home: Website
TEHRAN (AFP) – Hardline "thugs" surrounded the home of opposition Iranian leader Mehdi Karroubi, pelting the building with rocks to prevent the cleric from attending a rally, his website said.
In the latest such incident, members of the Islamist Basij ... more |
Lebanon seeks Interpol Help to Arrest Ex-General 'Spy'
BEIRUT (AFP) – Lebanon has asked Interpol to circulate an arrest warrant against a Lebanese ex-general suspecting of working for the Israeli spy agency Mossad, a judicial source said on Thursday.
"Prosecutor General Said Mirza sent an arrest warrant ... more |
Hamas: Negotiations Have Already Failed
London, Asharq Al-Awsat- Senior Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar, rejected any connection between the launch of direct negotiations in Washington DC, and a terrorist attack on Route 60, which links the ‘Kiryat Arba’ settlement to the city of Hebron in ... more |
Iraq: US Vice President Supports Power Sharing Talks
London/ Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat- The statements of Iraqi political officials about US Vice President Joe Biden's visit to Baghdad, where he arrived the day before yesterday, reflected the intense struggles raging between the Iraqi political blocs ... more |
Iraq says It's Independent as US Ends Combat
BAGHDAD, (AP) – Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said the end of American combat operations Tuesday leaves his country independent and an equal to the United States and he assured his people their own security forces will protect them.
But the extent ... more |
Palestinians Crack Down on Hamas after Shooting
RAMALLAH, West Bank, (AP) – Palestinian security forces arrested more than 150 Hamas members in an overnight sweep throughout the West Bank after the Islamic militant group claimed responsibility for shooting dead four Israelis on the eve of new Mideast ... more |
Obama Readies Bold Mideast Peace Bid
WASHINGTON (AFP) – President Barack Obama steps into Middle East peace efforts on Wednesday in a bid to relaunch direct Palestinian-Israeli negotiations after four Jewish settlers were gunned down in the West Bank.
The fresh violence blamed on the ... more |
Bomb Attack Kills Afghan Muslim Religious Leader
KABUL, Afghanistan, (AP) – A bomb attack Wednesday in Afghanistan's volatile southern city of Kandahar killed the director of the local office for facilitating pilgrimages to Islamic holy sites, police said.
One other person was killed in the attack ... more |
Libya Releases Islamists Including Bin Laden Driver
TRIPOLI (AFP) – Libya late Tuesday released 37 Islamists, including a former driver of Osama bin Laden and members of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG).
Wearing white traditional robes, the mostly young detainees were assembled in a tent put ... more |
Iraq: Consensus over Power-Sharing Agreement Reached
London, Asharq Al-Awsat- Asharq al-Awsat can exclusively reveal from official sources that negotiations between the Iraqiya coalition, led by former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi and the National Coalition, led by Ammar al-Hakim, President of the Supreme ... more |
Fearing the Future, Few Iraqis Cheer US Departure
BAGHDAD, (AP) – As Vice President Joe Biden presides over the formal end to U.S. combat operations in Iraq; few Iraqis are cheering the American exit.
Iraqis, who for years have railed against the U.S. occupation, are generally happy to see that the ... more |
Iran Criticises Media for Calling Bruni 'Prostitute'
TEHRAN (AFP) – Iran's foreign ministry criticised the media on Tuesday for branding French first lady Carla Bruni as "prostitute" after she expressed support for a woman sentenced to death by stoning.
"Insulting officials of other countries and using ... more |
Abbas, Barak Held Secret Meeting in Jordan
JERUSALEM (AFP) – Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak have met secretly in Amman ahead of Middle East peace talks that start in Washington this week, Israeli media reported on Tuesday.
The two met on Sunday in ... more |
Birthplace of the Taliban: The Next Battleground
HOWZ-E-MADAD, Afghanistan, (AP) – As some 400 U.S. and Afghan soldiers gather to honor their first fallen comrade, mournful Muslim prayers mingle with the stutter of machine gun fire and the thud of exploding grenades just beyond their heavily fortified ... more |
Terror Plot Feared as Dutch Detain Two on US Plane
AMSTERDAM (AFP) – Two US residents of Yemeni descent have been arrested in Amsterdam after flying in from Chicago and staging what officials fear may have been a dry run for a terror attack.
US airport security screeners found suspicious-looking items ... more |
Abbas: No Peace Talks with Settlement Building
RAMALLAH, West Bank, (AP) – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas warned Sunday that he will not back down from his threat to pull out of new peace talks with Israel if it resumes construction in West Bank settlements.
The negotiations are set to resume ... more |
Lebanese PM Travels to Syria Amid Rising Tensions
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) - Syria's president urged Lebanon's leader early Monday to support the militant group Hezbollah and maintain calm in the country.
Bashar Assad met with Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri in Damascus for a pre-dawn meal called ... more |
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