Iraqi anti-Qaeda militias stripped of gun permits
BAQUBA: Anti-Qaeda militiamen in the central Iraqi province of Diyala have been stripped of the right to carry weapons, an official said on Sunday, sparking a wave of anger and…
Lack of water threatens Iraq's long-term stability
RAMADI, Iraq: Abdullah Hasan blames chronic water shortages for ruining his crops and has little faith a new government will be able to revive Iraq's agriculture sector, shattered by war…
Iran's May inflation dips to 9.9 pct, says report
TEHRAN: Iran's inflation rate dropped to 9.9 percent year-on-year in May, down from 10.3 percent the previous month, central bank figures published on Sunday said. "The inflation rate in the…
Oman expects to resume crude exports Sunday
MUSCAT: Non-OPEC producer Oman was expects to resume crude exports from the Mina Fahal terminal on Sunday, an Oman oil official said. Oman halted exports on Friday after Cyclone Phet…
Qatar agrees to sell LNG to Bangladesh, says official
DHAKA: Qatar Petroleum has agreed to sell liquefied natural gas (LNG) worth between $1-$1.5 billion to Bangladesh to help the South Asian country meet its fast-growing energy demand, a senior…
Kuwait not exiting BP, mulling China bank IPO, says report
KUWAIT: Kuwait's sovereign fund is not considering exiting its investment in BP and believes the energy giant's future is not threatened by the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, a newspaper…
Bombs kill 6 in Iraqi capital, including policemen
BAGHDAD: A car bomb exploded outside a Baghdad police station Sunday in the deadliest of a pair of attacks that killed six people in the Iraqi capital, security and hospital…
Vatican says world ignores Christians in Mideast
NICOSIA, Cyprus: The Vatican said Sunday that the international community is ignoring the plight of Christians in the Middle East, and that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the war in Iraq and…
Israel expels boat activists as calls for probe mount
JERUSALEM: All activists and crew on board the Rachel Corrie aid ship which tried to run the Israeli siege of Gaza would be expelled Sunday, an official said, as calls…
Blue chips drag Egypt to two-week low
CAIRO: Egypt's benchmark index fell 2.3 percent, dragged lower by blue chips and tracking losses in other markets. A sell-off at the end of last week in oil and global…