Mubarak addresses economy, elections, wikileaks in speech to new parliament
By Heba Fahmy CAIRO: Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak gave a speech to the newly elected parliament on Sunday, amid wide applause and praise from the parliament members; however, the opposition’s reaction…
Iraq PM to name cabinet, delay security posts
BAGHDAD: Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki will himself take charge of Iraq's security as ministers heading the army and police will not yet be named when he unveils his cabinet on…
OT agrees to pay Telecel back taxes as VimpelCom deal deadline approaches
CAIRO: Orascom Telecom (OT) has agreed to pay $3 million in back taxes by the end of 2010 to Burundian authorities out of a total of $8 million in back…
Ashour, Hassan battle for Nasserist Party presidency
By Essam Fadl CAIRO: An ongoing feud over the presidency of the Arab Democratic Nasserist Party between Secretary General Ahmed Hassan and first Vice President Sameh Ashour has left the party’s…
Obama says US-Turkish ties ‘more important than ever’
ANKARA: US ties with Turkey are "more important than ever" despite differences over Iran, President Barack Obama said, also urging Ankara to repair ties with Israel, in an interview published…
Sudan to reinforce sharia after south vote, says Bashir
KHARTOUM: Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir said on Sunday that the country's north will reinforce its Islamic law after a referendum expected to grant independence to the south. "If South Sudan…
Iran ex-foreign minister says sacking ‘un-Islamic’
TEHRAN: Iran's former foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki has hit out at his sacking this week by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, branding the move both "un-Islamic and offensive." "Sacking a minister while…
Stabbed US tourist’s body found near Jerusalem
JERUSALEM: The body of a female American tourist, bound and with multiple stab wounds, was found Sunday near a road outside Jerusalem, police said. Her friend, a naturalized Israeli originally…
Kuwait academic detained on security accusations
KUWAIT CITY: A prominent Kuwaiti academic, Obaid Al-Wasmi, has been detained on suspicion of undermining the status of the emir, his lawyer said on Sunday. "The public attorney ordered professor…
Qandil’s defense team call on court to step down
By Marwa Al-A'asar CAIRO: The defense team of outspoken former TV host and columnist Hamdy Qandil called on the court to step down after the judge allegedly seemed bias to…
