Syria opposition struggles to stay united
DAMASCUS: Syria's opposition was in disarray Wednesday, struggling to present a united front in the face of a protest crackdown whose death toll rose again despite the presence of Arab…
Militias could drag Libya into civil war, says NTC chief
TRIPOLI: Libya risks sliding into civil war unless it brings under control the rival militias which filled the vacuum left by Muammar Gaddafi's downfall, the head of the interim administration…
Taliban move could help Afghan peace drive, say analysts
KABUL: The Taliban's move to open a political office abroad ahead of possible peace talks with the US could mark a significant step on the road towards a negotiated end…
Israeli press skeptical over Amman talks
JERUSALEM: Israeli media and officials reacted skeptically on Wednesday, a day after Israeli and Palestinian negotiators held their first face-to-face talks since September 2010 at a meeting in Amman. "It's…
Peril or Promise in North Korea?
By Javier Solana MADRID: Two days after Kim Jong-il, North Korea’s leader, died in a train in his country, South Korean authorities still knew nothing about it. Meanwhile, American officials seemed…
Europe is not the United States
By Martin Feldstein CAMBRIDGE: Europe is now struggling with the inevitable adverse consequences of imposing a single currency on a very heterogeneous collection of countries. But the budget crisis in Greece…
Macedonia’s man of peace
By Christopher Hill DENVER: Angelina Jolie’s new film, “In the Land of Blood and Honey,” is about the ethnic tensions that produced the bloodiest conflict in Europe since World War II.…
Music icon Youssou Ndour shakes up Senegal presidential race
World-renowned singer Youssou Ndour stirred up the battle for Senegal's presidency Tuesday by announcing he plans to take on veteran incumbent Abdoulaye Wade in February elections. Revered in his home…
Hockney takes a swipe at Hirst over work ethic
By AFP British painter David Hockney has criticized controversial fellow artist Damien Hirst for employing other people to help create his works of art, saying it was "insulting". A poster…
Louvre cements spot as world’s most-visited museum
The Louvre cemented its position as the world's most-visited museum with a record 8.8 million visitors last year to the Paris home of Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa and other…