Youth Coalition withdraws from National Dialogue
CAIRO: The Coalition of the Youth of the Revolution withdrew from the National Dialogue conference on Sunday, objecting to its domination by members of the “former corrupt regime”. “No members…
Six Tutankhamun era tombs open to view near Cairo
CAIRO: Minister of State Zahi Hawass on Monday opened to the public six ancient Egyptian tombs dating back to the Tutankhamun era, following their restoration. Hawass unveiled the tombs of…
Obama’s ‘Jewish state’ reference jars Palestinians
JERUSALEM: US-Israel tension over Barack Obama's endorsement of Israel's pre-1967 borders is obscuring a flip side of the Middle East coin: The past days' speeches by the US president contained…
Yemen’s Saleh refuses to sign deal to step down
SANAA: Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh refused to sign an agreement on Sunday to step down; the third time such a deal has fallen through at the last minute, despite…
EU sanctions Syria’s Assad for first time
BRUSSELS: Europe tightened the noose on President Bashar Al-Assad on Monday, sanctioning the Syrian leader for the first time as it responded to the change sweeping North Africa and the…
War tests loyalties in Libya’s rebel west
TAMZIN: The rebels said it would be easy: roll in, block the road, raise the flag -- another village under their writ in Libya's Western Mountains. The villagers are with…
UN demands Khartoum troops quit flashpoint Abyei
JUBA: The UN demanded Khartoum withdraw its troops from Abyei after what the south branded an "invasion" of the flashpoint border district prompted warnings Sudan is "close to the precipice"…
Malick’s ‘Tree of Life’ wins top Cannes fest honor
American director Terrence Malick's expansive drama "The Tree of Life" won the top honor at the Cannes Film Festival on Sunday, while Kirsten Dunst took the best-actress prize for the…
A memo from a pre-revolution Egypt
By Joseph Fahim The smothering injustices, poverty, frustration and despair that transformed the large January 25 protest into a revolution are embedded in every frame of Emad Ernest’s “Leather Chairs,” a…
Turkey and the Arab Spring
By Ibrahim Kalin ANKARA: As the Arab Spring enters its fourth month, it faces challenges but also presents opportunities. Despite setbacks in Libya, Yemen, and Syria, the democratic wave has already…