Israel 'mulls plan to ease Gaza blockade'
JERUSALEM: Israel's security cabinet was meeting on Wednesday to reportedly consider an international proposal for significantly easing its Gaza blockade after weeks of mounting global pressure. The 15-member body was…
Iraqi officials say bombs kill 1, wound 8 people
BAGHDAD: Two separate blasts in eastern Baghdad Wednesday killed one person and wounded eight people, Iraqi police and hospital officials said. The officials said one of the bombs was attached…
Iran parliament backs 20 percent uranium enrichment. says speaker
TEHRAN: Parliament speaker Ali Larijani on Wednesday called on Iran's government to push ahead with its controversial program to enrich uranium to 20 percent, despite being slapped with fresh UN…
Israeli border guards kill Egyptian believed to be smuggler
CAIRO: Israeli soldiers at the border with Egypt shot and killed an Egyptian man Wednesday who is believed to be a smuggler. The body was discovered by Egyptian border guards…
Ahmadinejad under fire for opposing veil crackdown
TEHRAN: Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad came under fire from other hardliners on Wednesday for opposing a social crackdown targeting dress and behaviour, mainly of women. In a televised interview at…
HRW urges Iraq Kurds to ban female circumcision
NEW YORK: Human Rights Watch called on Iraqi Kurdish authorities on Wednesday to implement proposals to outlaw female circumcision in the face of growing evidence of the extent of the…
South Sudan clashes between army and insurgents, says spokesman
KHARTOUM: South Sudan army troops have clashed with supporters of a renegade leader in the sensitive Jonglei state, with more fighting expected on Wednesday, an army spokesman told AFP. The…
Duba''s Drake to focus on mid, high end projects
DUBAI: Faced with fierce competition for work in Abu Dhabi, Dubai's Drake & Scull International will focus on middle and upper range projects to protect profit margins, its chief executive…
Criminal Court refers double homicide defendant to Mufti
CAIRO: Judge Mohamed Abdel-Rehim Ismail, who is residing over the double homicide of two university students last year, on Wednesday referred the man charged in the case to the Grand…
Banks lose over half of Dubai World loan value, says JP Morgan
DUBAI: Dubai World's creditor banks may have lost 54 percent to 56 percent of the value of their loans to the troubled state-owned conglomerate, based on the repayment terms offered…
