After the quake, darkness for Haiti's painters
Unlike some of Haiti's painters, it took Raymond Beauduy two months to return to work after January's quake. He needed to time to think about what had happened, and he…
Syria's smoking ban leaves cafes empty and pipes abandoned
DAMASCUS: Damascus's oldest cafe, the Havana, used to be packed with customers whiling away the hours sipping coffee and puffing on a water pipe, but today it is three-quarters empty.…
Scuds or no Scuds, south Lebanon beckons tourists
WAZZANI, Lebanon: Israeli claims that Hezbollah has obtained Scud missiles have revved up fears another war may break out soon. So it might not be the best time to try…
Israel deports West Bank teenager to Gaza
BEIT HANUN: Israel has deported a 19-year-old Palestinian from the occupied West Bank to the Gaza Strip, where he had not set foot in more than a decade, the teenager…
Kurdish rebels kill two soldiers in Turkey: report
DIYARBAKIR: Separatist Kurdish rebels opened fire on a military unit in southeast Turkey on Wednesday, killing two soldiers and wounding two others, Anatolia news agency reported. The troops came under…
Sarkozy slams Israel PM's 'foot-dragging' on peace: report
JERUSALEM: French President Nicolas Sarkozy has slammed Israel's prime minister for "foot-dragging" amid international efforts to relaunch the Middle East peace process, an Israeli newspaper said Wednesday. Citing unnamed officials,…
Iraqi detainees tortured, raped in 'secret' prison: HRW
BAGHDAD: Iraqi men were raped, electrocuted and beaten in a "secret prison" in Baghdad, Human Rights Watch said on Wednesday, in a harrowing report reminiscent of the abuses that took…
Hezbollah slams US accusations, vows to continue arming
BEIRUT: Hezbollah on Wednesday shot back at US charges it was stockpiling sophisticated weapons, accusing Washington of destabilizing the Middle East and vowing to continue to build its artillery. "The…
Iraq postpones election ruling, Clinton urges action
BAGHDAD: Iraq has delayed until next week a ruling on whether nine parliamentary election winning candidates will be disqualified, an official said, in another hold-up for the country's political process.…
Israeli forces demolish settlers' 'Obama's Shack'
JERUSALEM: Israeli security forces demolished a handful of illegal structures in West Bank settlements Tuesday, including a wooden bunker that hard-line Jewish activists had defiantly named after President Barack Obama.…