Hand grenade explodes in Beirut parking lot, says Lebanon army
BEIRUT: A hand grenade exploded Wednesday in a parking lot near Beirut's engineering union, damaging nearby cars and lightly wounding a Syrian national, Lebanese officials said. "The hand grenade went…
Twelve killed in Iraq as Shia pilgrimage ends
KARBALA: A series of attacks in Baghdad and a holy Iraqi city killed 12 people, while five others died in a helicopter crash, as major religious ceremonies came to a…
Abbas terms for direct talks ‘impossible’, says Israel minister
JERUSALEM: Israel on Wednesday accused Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas of imposing "impossible" conditions for moving to direct peace talks. "The Palestinians have set three impossible conditions: that the negotiations start…
Jordanian premier reshuffles cabinet
AMMAN: Jordanian Prime Minister Samir Rifai reshuffled his cabinet on Wednesday, dropping six ministers and replacing them with seven others, a senior official told AFP. The ministers of justice, education,…
Jordan trade unions slam Netanyahu’s visit
AMMAN: Jordan's Islamist-led trade unions on Wednesday strongly condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Jordan, describing him as a "criminal." "At a time when the Zionist enemy is…
Iran accuses US of paying opposition to topple regime
TEHRAN: Iran's electoral watchdog accused the United States of giving opposition leaders $1 billion to topple the Islamic regime and promising them another $50 billion, reports said Wednesday. The head…
Saudi cleric calls for Muslim maids only
RIYADH: A Saudi cleric said only Muslim housemaids should be allowed in the oil-rich country and they should be kept segregated from men in the home, an online news site…
Egypt gains, EFG sees possible rally
CAIRO: Egypt's benchmark index rose for a sixth day, with EFG-Hermes saying market conditions are ripe for a short-term rally. The index gained 0.5 percent to close at 6,226 points.…
Gazans want “Marshall Plan”, Israel policy falls short
GAZA: Wael El Wadiah's Gaza snack food factories once employed 250 people. Today, denied access to the West Bank market by Israel, he employs a few dozen workers in what…
Actis moves into payment card industry with MSCC buy-out
“We believe that e-payment will be the next big thing in Africa,” said Hossam Abou Moussa, investment principle at Actis, a private equity firm specializing in emerging markets. Actis announced…
