Poe fans call an end to ‘Toaster’ tradition
Edgar Allan Poe fans waited long past a midnight dreary, but it appears annual visits to the writer's grave in Baltimore by a mysterious figure called the "Poe Toaster" shall…
Buttered Up: A sweeter smell to a basterma pasta bake
A particular smell connects me to both my home countries. It is a scent that I do not care for much but will not cower away from when it is…
Syria protesters find little hope in Arab monitor mission
BEIRUT: Syrian protesters turned out in force to greet Arab monitors in one flashpoint town in the early days of their mission. But the observers never showed up, one activist…
Iran warns region against ‘dangerous’ stance on Hormuz
ANKARA: Iran's foreign minister warned Arab neighbours not to put themselves in a "dangerous position" by aligning themselves too closely with the United States in the escalating dispute over Tehran's…
Tunisian town rebels over being left out in the cold
MAKTHAR: Makhtar, a mountain town in central Tunisia battered by the cold and grinding unemployment, decided to rebel to protest the lack of progress since the ouster of the country's…
Libya ex-rebels sign up for government jobs
TRIPOLI: Dressed in green military fatigues and clutching CVs under their arms, young Libyans who fought Moammer Qadddafi are now signing up to register for government jobs. Some of these…
Gov’t probes reports of stolen radioactive material
CAIRO: Experts are investigating reports that a safe containing radioactive material was stolen from a site where Egypt plans to build its first nuclear power plant, government newspapers said on…
Egypt central bank tightens money transfer rules
CAIRO: Egypt's central bank has tightened its rules for importers who want to transmit funds, a move analysts say seems designed to close a loophole that has allowed businessmen to…
The Arab Spring’s balance sheet
By Wadah Khanfar CAIRO: Last year’s events in Egypt and Tunisia drew the curtain on a tottering old order and delivered much of the Arab world into a long-awaited new era.…
Iran is not an existential threat
By Bruce Riedel The danger of war is growing again over Iran's nuclear ambitions. Iran is rattling its sabers, the Republican presidential candidates and others are rattling theirs. But even if…