Syria fighting rages, Annan urges immediate ceasefire
DAMASCUS: International envoy Kofi Annan urged Syria's President Bashar Al-Assad to immediately implement a ceasefire, as fighting raged Friday even after the embattled leader said he had accepted the peace…
Israel girds for regional anti-Israel protests
By Diaa Hadid / AP JERUSALEM: Israeli security forces in riot gear prepared Friday for Palestinian and Arab demonstrations, deploying at traditional flashpoints and along Israel's frontiers and confining West Bank…
Could bombing Iran push it to build the Bomb?
By Fredrik Dahl / Reuters VIENNA: Pre-emptive military strikes aimed at forcing Iran to abandon its nuclear activities may end up having the opposite effect: convincing the Islamic Republic's leaders they…
French police swoop on suspected Islamists
By Gerard Bon and Brian Love / Reuters PARIS: French police commandos arrested 19 people and seized weapons on Friday morning swoops on people suspected of radical Islamist activity, in several…
Bin Laden fathered four children while on run, says wife
By Emmanuel Duparcq / AFP ISLAMABAD: Osama bin Laden fathered four children as he hid out in Pakistan after the 9/11 attacks, his youngest wife told interrogators, according to a police…
S.Africa’s MTN slides on Iran corruption lawsuit
By David Dolan / Reuters JOHANNESBURG: Shares in MTN Group slid on Friday after rival Turkcell filed a $4.2 billion suit against the South African mobile operator, alleging it bribed officials…
Unrest pushes Orascom Development into loss
By Shaimaa Fayed / Reuters CAIRO: Swiss-listed Egyptian property and hotels group Orascom Development on Friday reported a full-year net loss of 69.7 million Swiss francs ($76.82 million), due to the…
Graft, corruption found in Morocco public sector
By Souhail Karam / Reuters RABAT: An audit court has found evidence of graft, corruption and insider trading in Morocco's state-owned firms and entities, putting to the test a government promise…
Julia Roberts reflects on evil in ‘Mirror Mirror’
By Romain Raynaldy/ AFP Julia Roberts has taken time off from Hollywood of late to focus on her three young children — but admits she enjoys being back on the big…
Harry Potter breaks e-book lockdown
By Peter Svensson / AP When the Harry Potter books finally went on sale in electronic form on Tuesday, it was as if Harry himself had cast the "Alohomora" spell on…