When prevention is better than relief
By Peter Singer PRINCETON: When the earthquake and tsunami hit Japan in March, Brian Tucker was in Padang, Indonesia. Tucker was working with a colleague to design a refuge that could…
Syrian tanks shell towns, at least 19 killed
AMMAN: Syrian tanks shelled residential areas in two towns and at least 19 people were killed across the country, rights campaigners said, as President Bashar Al-Assad's forces fought to crush…
Yemen protest crackdown kills 16, hurts hundreds
SANAA: Yemeni forces sprayed bullets at crowds of thousands calling for the ouster of veteran President Ali Abdullah Saleh, killing at least 16 protesters and injuring hundreds, medics and witnesses…
Libya rebels gear for fresh advance towards Tripoli
MISRATA: Libyan rebels, bouyed by their capture of Misrata airport, geared Thursday for an assault on the town of Zlitan that would take them another step closer to the capital…
Ahmadinejad, Larijani in bitter row over ministries
TEHRAN: A blazing row has erupted between President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and parliament speaker Ali Larijani over the restructuring of ministries, reports said Thursday, in a fresh sign of tension in…
Military Council warns of sectarianism as unity rally planned
CAIRO: Egypt's military warned on Thursday it will strike down sectarianism, as Muslims and Christians prepared to hold a unity rally denouncing attacks on Cairo churches. The military, in power…
Market’s main remedy is political stability, experts say
CAIRO: With Egypt’s credit ratings recently downgraded by top agencies like Moody’s and Fitch, experts warned of further negative economic effects if the country’s political situation does not stabilize. On…
Egypt investors look beyond short-term turbulence
CAIRO: When mass protests drove Egypt's Hosni Mubarak out of office in February and political turmoil sent the economy into a tailspin, Sweden's Electrolux put its deal to buy an…
Wind says Weather II will seek Vimpelcom seats
CAIRO: Weather Investments II rather than its majority owned Wind Telecom will ask for seats on Russian operator Vimpelcom's board if an existing shareholders agreement is cancelled, a Wind spokeswoman…
EBRD bank looks to invest in north Africa
LONDON: The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, a key investor in ex-communist countries for the past 20 years, said on Wednesday that it sees north Africa as a future…