Middle East
Latest stories
Ex-Libya PM Misused Public Funds

Ousted dictator Moammar Gadhafi's last prime minister redirected public funds to support the regime's armed forces during Libya's bloody uprising in 2011, a witness in his trial said on Monday.

Former premier al-Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi stands accused of killing civilians and of financial crimes.

W140 Full Story
Yemenis Celebrate Uprising's Second Anniversary

Tens of thousands of Yemenis gathered Monday in Sanaa to celebrate the second anniversary of the launch of nationwide protests that pushed president Ali Abdullah Saleh out of power after 33 years in office.

Jubilant Yemenis gathered in Sitin street, a capital artery that was the scene of frequent protests and confrontations between anti-regime demonstrators and police and militiamen backing the former leader.

W140 Full Story
Tension Rises in Rebel Syria between Jihadists, Locals

Syrian rebels once welcomed fighters of the jihadist al-Nusra Front with open arms but disputes over the extremists' strict interpretation of Islam are beginning to strain the ties.

In a rebel rear base at Atme in northern Syria, on the border with Turkey, at least four fights have broken out in recent weeks between jihadists and mainstream rebels, witnesses and residents told Agence France Presse.

W140 Full Story
Saudi Tornado Fighter Crashes in Training

A Saudi Arabian Tornado fighter crashed in the kingdom's Eastern Province during a training mission on Monday, but its crew survived, the defense ministry said.

The aircraft crashed at the King Abdul Aziz Airbase in Dhahran while on a "routine training mission," state news agency SPA quoted a ministry official as saying.

W140 Full Story
New Top Muslim Cleric Elected in Egypt

Clerics of al-Azhar on Monday elected a new mufti, or Egypt's leading interpreter of Islamic law, in an unprecedented vote signaling the Islamic institute's growing independence from the government.

Shawqi Ibrahim Abdel Karim, a professor of Islamic jurisprudence, was elected by a newly-formed council of senior clerics, which submitted its nomination for President Mohamed Morsi to ratify.

W140 Full Story
Assad Says Syria Will not Submit to 'Plots'

Syrian President Bashar Assad on Monday stressed that his regime, battered by nearly two years of revolt, will not submit to pressure or "plots" against it, reported state news agency SANA.

"Syria will remain the beating heart of the Arab world and will not give up its principles despite the intensifying pressure and diversifying plots not only targeting Syria, but all Arabs," Assad said at a meeting with a Jordanian delegation in Damascus.

W140 Full Story
13 Dead, Dozens Hurt in Blast at Turkey-Syria Border Crossing

At least 13 people were killed and dozens wounded when a Syrian mini-bus exploded Monday near the border between Turkey and Syria, officials said, though the cause was not immediately clear.

"All possibilities are on the table, including political motives," Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc said after unidentified explosives triggered the "powerful blast".

W140 Full Story
Twin Suicide Attacks Kill 14 Syria Security Officers, Says NGO

Jihadist rebels killed 14 Syrian intelligence officers in twin suicide car bomb attacks against their offices in the northeast province of Hasakeh on Monday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

"At least 14 members of state security and military intelligence were killed when Al-Nusra Front fighters detonated car bombs in front of the state security headquarters and a military intelligence building in the town of Shadada," the watchdog said, citing sources on the ground.

W140 Full Story
Iran Arrests Opposition Figure's Daughters

Security forces on Monday arrested two daughters of opposition figure Mir Hossein Mousavi who along with his wife is under house arrest, an opposition website reported.

"Security forces raided the home of Zahra and Narges, and arrested them in the morning," Kaleme.com, which is close to Mousavi, said without citing a source.

W140 Full Story
Syria Opposition Says No 'Clear' Response over Talks Offer

The head of Syria's opposition coalition, Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib, said Monday he had received "no clear response" from the regime of President Bashar Assad over his offer of dialogue.

Khatib said in late January he was prepared to hold direct talks with regime representatives who did not have "blood on their hands," and so long as the discussions addressed replacing Assad.

W140 Full Story