Minefields circle Jesus’ traditional baptism site
By Aron Heller/ AP QASR EL-YAHUD: Just months before the official opening of one of Christianity's holiest sites to visitors, the area where John the Baptist is said to have baptized…
Palestinians confident on UN settlement resolution
RAMALLAH: A UN resolution condemning Israeli settlement building is to be put to the vote in February, with support from Russia and France, a Palestinian official said on Wednesday. Chief…
Tunisia’s uprising and politics in the Arab World
By Ronald Meinardus CAIRO: After the downfall of Tunisian dictator Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali and the gradual consolidation of the political situation on the ground, international attention is shifting to possible…
Lebanon: justice at the price of peace?
By Maria-Rita Kassis BEIRUT: In Lebanon, the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri on 14 February 2005 remains a mystery. Many expect it to be solved by the UN-sponsored Special…
What state without Jerusalem?
By Huda Imam JERUSALEM: "Another Palestinian symbol is being demolished today in Jerusalem!" It's an early Sunday morning in January, misty skies cover Jerusalem and my son wakes me up saying:…
Fixing the failure of Pakistan’s criminal justice system
By Qurat ul ain Siddiqui KARACHI, Pakistan: On Jan. 4, the governor of Pakistan’s Punjab province, Salman Taseer, was assassinated in Islamabad by a member of his security detail. Soon after,…
Qatari, Turkish foreign ministers in Lebanon, Saudi abandons mediations
BEIRUT: The Turkish and Qatari foreign ministers have met with Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah as part of efforts to mediate the latest political crisis in Lebanon, the Shia group announced…
15 dead in Iraq suicide attacks
BAQUBA: A suicide bomber rammed an ambulance packed with explosives into a security headquarters on Wednesday, killing 13 people in the second major attack against Iraqi forces in as many…
Ivory Coast mediator: political impasse remains
ABIDJAN: The African Union's mediator for Ivory Coast said Wednesday his two-day visit failed to break the political impasse in the troubled West African nation because the incumbent leader broke…
Iran, world powers to resume nuclear talks
ISTANBUL: Iran and six world powers meet Friday in Istanbul for a second round of talks, amid guarded hope for progress in efforts to settle tensions over Tehran's disputed nuclear…