Egyptian aid initiative meets preliminary support, criticism
CAIRO: Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar Ahmed El-Tayeb gave a nod to an initiative launched by Salafi preacher Mohamed Hassan to forgo US military aid and replace it with a local…
Prosecution refers Sharqiya Coptic girl to care center
CAIRO: Sharqiya Attorney General Ahmed De'bes referred Wednesday a Coptic girl rumored to have converted to Islam, to a care center where a committee from the Egyptian Center for Motherhood…
US groups point finger at Egyptian minister
WASHINGTON: US nonprofit organizations under investigation in Egypt say an old ally of deposed President Hosni Mubarak is behind an Egyptian campaign against pro-democracy groups. They want Washington to end…
Opposition urges Syrians to boycott charter vote
DAMASCUS: Syria's opposition on Thursday urged voters to boycott a referendum for a new constitution, as monitors said government armor moved on protest hubs Homs and Daraa, cradle of an…
Iran eyes talks after nuclear boasts
TEHRAN: Iran on Thursday expressed hopes of reviving moribund talks with world powers, a day after the Islamic republic unveiled what it described as major progress in its controversial nuclear…
Afghan leader in Pakistan to discuss peace talks
ISLAMABAD: Afghan President Hamid Karzai is expected to press Pakistan during a visit that began Thursday on specific steps Islamabad can take to facilitate peace talks with the Afghan Taliban.…
Iranians planned to attack Israelis, says Thailand
BANGKOK: Three Iranians detained after accidentally setting off explosives in Bangkok were planning to attack Israeli diplomats, Thailand's top policeman said Thursday in the first confirmation by local officials that…
Africa’s imperiled democracy
By Alfred Stepan and Etienne Smith NEW YORK: The future of one of Africa’s oldest democracies is at stake in Senegal’s presidential election on February 26. The incumbent, Abdoulaye Wade, formerly…
Jordan needs continued talks
By Mohammad K. Shiyyab The situation in the Middle East is unpredictable. At best, one can identify many processes as they unfold: the "Arab Spring", the proliferation of political Islam, increasing…
Lighting the dark continent
By Adnan Amin, Achim Steiner, and Kandeh Yumkella NAIROBI: Nineteenth-century European explorers called Africa the “Dark Continent,” because to them it was vast and largely unknown. Today, Africa may still be…