Gunmen attack police HQ in Iraq, kill 8 policemen

BAGHDAD: Iraqi officials say gunmen have attacked a police brigade headquarters north of Baghdad, killing the commander and seven policemen and wounding 15. Police officials say the attack took place on Friday... Read more »

Holland: Muslim convert politician to launch new Islamic party

Arnoud van Doorn, a former far-right Dutch politician who later accepted Islam and became a Muslim, has announced his plans to launch a new Islamic party in his native Holland. The Islamic... Read more »

Three Gulf Arab states recall envoys in rift with Qatar

RIYADH/DOHA: Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain withdrew their ambassadors from Qatar on Wednesday in an unprecedented public split between Gulf Arab allies who have fallen out over the role... Read more »

Mecca: bulldozers at the site of the Prophet’s birth (PBUH)

by David Usborne Source: independent.co.uk Fresh plans are being drawn up to erect a modern complex on the site of what scholars of Islam contend is the birthplace of the Prophet Mohamed as... Read more »

Camels likely source of MERS virus in people

A respiratory virus that has killed dozens of people, mainly in the Middle East, is widespread in camels and may be jumping directly from camels to humans Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, or... Read more »

Russia warns Saudi against giving Syria rebels missiles

MOSCOW: Russia on Tuesday warned Saudi Arabia against supplying Syrian rebels with shoulder-launched missile launchers, saying such a move would endanger security across the Middle East and beyond. The Russian foreign ministry... Read more »

Iraq bomber targets Anbar government base

Suicide bombing near council headquarters and attack by gunmen on police checkpoint kill seven, as violence continues. Attacks in Iraq, including a suicide bombing near the Anbar provincial council headquarters, have killed seven... Read more »

Egypt interim government resigns unexpectedly

Egypt’s interim Prime Minister Hazem Beblawi has unexpectedly announced the resignation of his government. Mr Beblawi said the decision was taken “in light of the current situation the country is going through”.... Read more »

Chemical arms watchdog split on Syria delays

THE HAGUE: The executive council of the Hague-based watchdog tasked with destroying Syria s chemical weapons arsenal failed Friday to reach agreement on what to do about Damascus s delays, because of... Read more »

Iraq Puppet Regime’s Crimes against Humanity: Stop the Al-Maliki Government’s Atrocities against Civilians

On behalf of a coalition of NGOs Geneva International Centre for Justice (GICJ) has sent an urgent appeal to the International community and UN bodies following its appeal from 13 January 2014... Read more »

Syria accuses the west of pouring arms into the hands of terrorists

Foreign minister Walid al-Moallem delivers provocative speech at start of Montreux talks. The Syrian government has accused the west of backing terrorism in Syria in a defiant opening address at the start... Read more »

Obama Says U.S. Prepared to Strike Iran

US President Barack Obama has said the United States is still prepared to “strike” Iran over its nuclear program despite the decision to back off a military threat against Syria. The Obama administration blamed the... Read more »

Obama defends Geneva chemical weapons deal as Syria claims ‘victory’

President Barack Obama has been forced to defend the US-Russia deal on a framework to put the Syrian regime’s chemical weapons under international control, saying that while his approach might not have... Read more »

Bulgarian Charge of Hezbollah Bombing Was an “Assumption”

London, Feb 7 2013 (IPS) – Bulgarian Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov’s dramatic announcement Tuesday on the Bulgarian investigation of the July 2012 terror bombing of an Israeli tourist bus was initially reported by... Read more »

Suicide bomber, gunmen kill 33 in Iraq’s Kirkuk

A suicide bomber driving a car and gunmen disguised in police uniforms killed at least 33 people in the Iraqi city Kirkuk on Sunday when they tried to storm the police headquarters.... Read more »

Tehran-Cairo relations crucial for Middle East: Egyptian envoy

Head of Egypt’s interest section in Iran Khaled Amareh has stressed the need for Tehran-Cairo rapprochement in the face of the ongoing crises in the Middle East. In an exclusive interview with... Read more »

Israeli PM Netanyahu scrambles to keep his job

 By Amy Teibel, Jerusalem: A badly weakened Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu scrambled Wednesday to keep his job by reaching out to a new centrist party that advocates a more earnest push on peacemaking with the... Read more »

Fatah holds first mass rally in Gaza in years

Hamas, which governs Gaza, has allowed the West Bank political party, Fatah, to celebrate its 48th anniversary by staging a rally in Gaza City for the first time since its forces were... Read more »

Egypt’s new cabinet ministers sworn in

Egypt’s government has sworn in 10 new ministers in a shuffle of the Cabinet aimed at mapping out ways of handling of the country’s struggling economy. The top posts that changed hands... Read more »

Syria’s Assad speaks to embattled nation

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has started a rare televised speech about the uprising against his rule. With rebels fighting their way closer to the seat of his power, state media said in a statement on... Read more »

Egypt awaits official referendum results

Electoral commission to announce results on Tuesday, amid opposition allegation of irregularities. Egypt is awaiting official results of a referendum on a new constitution reportedly backed by two-thirds of voters, but which... Read more »

Brahimi: The situation in Syria is worrying

UN-Arab League envoy meets with president in Damascus, as burials are held for victims of air strike near a Hama bakery. Lakhdar Brahimi, the UN-Arab League envoy to Syria, has said after... Read more »

Israel endorses first university in West Bank

Authorities grant a settlement college in the West Bank a university status. Most world powers see Israeli settlements on land that Palestinians seek for a state as illegal  Israel has upgraded a... Read more »

Iran says it captures drone; U.S. denies losing one

Iran said on Tuesday it had captured a U.S. intelligence ScanEagle drone in its airspace over the Gulf in the last few days, but the United States said there was no evidence to support... Read more »