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…
South Sudanese in most states back independence: poll
JUBA: South Sudanese voted overwhelmingly to declare independence from the north in a referendum, according to officials in seven out of the region's ten states polled by Reuters on Wednesday.…
US push for Israeli, Palestinian intelligence: Leaks
JERUSALEM: The United States instructed its Middle East diplomats in 2008 to gather data on encrypted Israeli communications and build financial and "biometric" profiles of Palestinian leaders, a leaked embassy…
Bahrain: Encouraging entrepreneurship
By Oxford Business Group A renewed focus on entrepreneurship is at the heart of Bahrain’s efforts to diversify its economy and achieve the goals outlined in its long-term development plan, Economic…
Hamas launches Gaza rebuilding program
GAZA: Hamas launched a program on Tuesday to rebuild 1,000 homes in the Gaza Strip destroyed during an Israeli offensive two years ago, a project that could boost the Islamist…
IEA says Saudi oil output jumps, OPEC critical
LONDON: The International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Tuesday that OPEC leader Saudi Arabia had stealthily boosted output to cool an oil price rally, while OPEC accused the agency of…
Obama consults Mubarak on Tunisia, Lebanon
By AFP WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama on Tuesday consulted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on political tumult in Tunisia and tensions in Lebanon sparked by a UN probe into the…