Palestinians’ UN gambit could spur changes
JERUSALEM: Many Israelis are dismissing the Palestinians' efforts to win international recognition of their independence at the United Nations this month as merely symbolic. But the Palestinians hope the high-profile…
Oddly against consensus
By Issam Younis The human rights community was waiting for the Palmer committee's report to come out with a recommendation for Luis Moreno Ocampo, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court,…
The banking conundrum
By Xavier Vives BARCELONA: Central bankers and regulators tend to worry that too much competition in the financial sector increases instability and the risk of systemic failure. Competition authorities, on the…
The crisis of fiscal imagination
By Dani Rodrik CAMBRIDGE: Greedy banks, bad economic ideas, incompetent politicians: there is no shortage of culprits for the economic crisis in which rich countries are engulfed. But there is…
Israel/neighbors must cooperate to stop the food crisis
By Naava Mashiah GENEVA: The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is facing hard times as it struggles with a growing food security crisis. Food security has been in the…
Arabs pledge to lobby for Palestinian UN membership
CAIRO: Arab foreign ministers agreed in a meeting attended by Palestinian chief Mahmud Abbas on Monday to marshal support for a Palestinian bid for UN membership this month despite Israeli…
Activists call on Arab League to press Syria
CAIRO: Activists are calling on the Arab League to follow up on a regional initiative to end the Syrian crisis by demanding guarantees that Syria's President Bashar Assad immediately stop…
Turkish PM, Abbas in Egypt ahead of Palestinian UN bid
CAIRO: Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan Monday kicks off an 'Arab Spring' tour in Egypt, where a diplomatic flurry is underway ahead of a Palestinian push to win UN…
Legal experts say amending, extending emergency law illegal
CAIRO: The new amendments to the emergency law announced by the ruling army council are illegal, experts argued Monday. The council said the state of emergency would continue until mid…
Separating Shoura and PA elections will facilitate voting process, say experts
CAIRO: Holding the Shoura Council and People’s Assembly elections separately "makes the voting process less complicated and reduces the number of potential invalid votes," said experts. According to a statement…