Yemen’s Saleh refuses to sign deal to step down
SANAA: Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh refused to sign an agreement on Sunday to step down; the third time such a deal has fallen through at the last minute, despite…
EU sanctions Syria’s Assad for first time
BRUSSELS: Europe tightened the noose on President Bashar Al-Assad on Monday, sanctioning the Syrian leader for the first time as it responded to the change sweeping North Africa and the…
War tests loyalties in Libya’s rebel west
TAMZIN: The rebels said it would be easy: roll in, block the road, raise the flag -- another village under their writ in Libya's Western Mountains. The villagers are with…
UN demands Khartoum troops quit flashpoint Abyei
JUBA: The UN demanded Khartoum withdraw its troops from Abyei after what the south branded an "invasion" of the flashpoint border district prompted warnings Sudan is "close to the precipice"…
Malick’s ‘Tree of Life’ wins top Cannes fest honor
American director Terrence Malick's expansive drama "The Tree of Life" won the top honor at the Cannes Film Festival on Sunday, while Kirsten Dunst took the best-actress prize for the…
A memo from a pre-revolution Egypt
By Joseph Fahim The smothering injustices, poverty, frustration and despair that transformed the large January 25 protest into a revolution are embedded in every frame of Emad Ernest’s “Leather Chairs,” a…
Turkey and the Arab Spring
By Ibrahim Kalin ANKARA: As the Arab Spring enters its fourth month, it faces challenges but also presents opportunities. Despite setbacks in Libya, Yemen, and Syria, the democratic wave has already…
Opportunities for economic and political inclusion in the Arab Spring
By Helen Clark In recent months, millions of people came onto the streets of a number of Arab states demanding change. In Tunisia and Egypt, these uprisings led to the downfall…
The Khul Law: Bane or Boon for Society?
By Maha Ghalwash Egypt’s 2011 Revolution stands as eloquent testimony to Egyptians’ desire for the establishment of a new order which ensures essential fundamental rights for all citizens, as freedom, justice,…
Hobble and muddle
By Mohamed El-Erian NEWPORT BEACH: Colleagues from around the world recently gathered at PIMCO’s headquarters in California for our annual Secular Forum, when we leave behind high-frequency issues for a few…