Liberating NASA
NEW YORK: Let me disclose my biases up front: I did not dream of going into space as a child. I took it for granted. My father was a (genuine)…
Pakistan court bans Facebook over Mohammed cartoon page
LAHORE: A Pakistani court Wednesday ordered authorities to block Facebook in the country over a page encouraging users to post caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed on the site. Thousands of…
Darfur rebel chief detained in Chad, says spokesman
KHARTOUM: Chadian airport authorities are holding the head of Darfur's most heavily armed rebel group, the Justice and Equality Movement, denying him access to the Sudanese region through neighboring Chad,…
Kuwaitis rally for top writer's release
KUWAIT CITY: Hundreds of Kuwaitis have rallied in support of a writer critical of the government who remained behind bars for the ninth day on Wednesday facing charges of plotting…
Russia confirms UN Iran sanctions draft
MOSCOW: Russia on Wednesday confirmed that it and the other members of the UN Security Council were in agreement over a US-proposed draft resolution that would impose tough new sanctions…
US envoy in new talks with Palestinian president
RAMALLAH: US envoy George Mitchell and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on Wednesday held their first meeting since indirect peace negotiations with Israel were launched earlier this month. "We gave Americans…
Godard blames Greeks for Cannes no-show
Film legend Jean-Luc Godard, known to some simply as "God", disappointed his following by cancelling a rare and much anticipated appearance at Cannes for his latest movie "Film Socialism." In…
Iraq's Ashur Bank exploring Islamic banking window, says chairman
DUBAI: Iraq's Ashur International Bank wants to open Islamic banking services in Iraq amid growing interest in sharia-compliant financing, the investment bank's chairman said on Tuesday. Speaking on the sidelines…
Iranian director at Cannes slams crackdown on art at home
Iran's Abbas Kiarostami premiered his new film at Cannes Tuesday and used the festival to slam his government's crackdown on artists and call for the release of jailed director Jafar…
Bahrain hails its first clean diesel shipment
MANAMA: Non-OPEC oil producer Bahrain has recently made its first shipment of ultra-low sulphur diesel of less than 10 parts per million (ppm), the country's Minister of Oil and Gas…