Turkish leader on landmark first visit to IraqTURKEY: TURKISH PRIME minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan paid his first visit to Iraq yesterday, becoming the second regional leader…Fri Jul 11 2008 - 01:00
Western multinationals win first round of tenders to boost production in Iraqi oilfieldsIRAQ: IRAQ YESTERDAY announced the first round of tenders opening its oilfields to foreign firms and providing for large-scale…Tue Jul 01 2008 - 01:00
Anger in Iraq as US troops kill premier's cousinIRAQ: IRAQI OFFICIALS said on Saturday that a raid on Friday by US special forces killed a relative of prime minister Nouri …Mon Jun 30 2008 - 01:00
Gaza truce near collapse as rockets hit IsraelMIDDLE EAST: THE CEASEFIRE between Gaza and Israel was close to collapse yesterday after two mortars were fired from the Strip…Sat Jun 28 2008 - 01:00
Nuclear inspectors in Syria to investigate bombed siteSYRIA: INSPECTORS FROM the International Atomic Agency (IAEA) arrived in Damascus yesterday to probe accusations that Syria …Mon Jun 23 2008 - 01:00
Hamas accepts Egyptian-brokered Gaza ceasefireEGYPT: CAIRO CONFIRMED yesterday that an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire covering Gaza could commence as early as tomorrow.Wed Jun 18 2008 - 01:00
Amnesty says plight of millions of Iraqi refugees is being ignoredAMNESTY INTERNATIONAL yesterday accused the international community of doing nothing while Iraqi refugees are facing hardship…Mon Jun 16 2008 - 01:00
Iraq-US talks on relations have reached 'a dead end'MIDDLE EAST: PRIME MINISTER Nuri al-Maliki said yesterday that negotiations on initial US texts defining long-term Iraqi-US …Sat Jun 14 2008 - 01:00
Iraqi PM tries to allay Iran's fears of attack by USIRAQ: IRAQI PRIME Minister Nuri al-Maliki yesterday tried to reassure Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and senior officials…Mon Jun 09 2008 - 01:00
Obama remark on Jerusalem angers PalestiniansTHE US/THE MIDDLE EAST: PALESTINIAN LEADERS have reacted angrily to the speech by Democratic presidential hopeful Barak Obama…Fri Jun 06 2008 - 01:00
Syria invites in nuclear watchdog to investigate allegations of secret reactorSYRIA: THE INTERNATIONAL Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced yesterday that Damascus has invited experts to visit Syria to…Tue Jun 03 2008 - 01:00
Optimism in Iraq after record low casualty rateIRAQ: MILITARY AND civilian death tolls in Iraq fell dramatically in May, raising hopes that violence is on the wane in the …Mon Jun 02 2008 - 01:00
Sadr calls for referendum on accord being negotiated between US and IraqDISSIDENT SHIA cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is calling for a popular referendum on a status of forces agreement between Iraq and the…Fri May 30 2008 - 01:00
Iraq's parliamentary talks falter as Sunni bloc outlines its portfolio demandsIRAQ: IRAQ'S SUNNI parliamentary bloc yesterday froze talks on rejoining the government due to a dispute over ministerial portfolios…Thu May 29 2008 - 01:00
Nothing achieved in Israeli talks, says AbbasMIDDLE EAST: PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT Mahmoud Abbas said on Saturday that nothing had been achieved during six months of negotiations…Mon May 26 2008 - 01:00
Israel and Syria confirm talks over Golan HeightsMIDDLE EAST: SYRIA AND Israel confirmed yesterday that they are set to begin indirect negotiations over the Golan Heights occupied…Thu May 22 2008 - 01:00
Palestinians who stayed behind arouse the suspicion of allLetter from Ramle: BUTHAYNA DIBIT, a tall Palestinian Israeli, a high crown of dark curls on her head, parks at the edge of …Tue May 20 2008 - 01:00
A celebration to one is an affront to the otherPALESTINE: For Palestinians, the 60th anniversary of the birth of Israel recalls the beginning of their national tragedy, writes…Sat May 10 2008 - 01:00
Islamic Jihad says it will not formally agree truceMIDDLE EAST: ISLAMIC JIHAD announced yesterday it would not formally accept a ceasefire for Gaza which did not include the West…Fri May 02 2008 - 01:00
Tariq Aziz trial delayed as Green Zone shelledIRAQ: THE TRIAL of Tariq Aziz, Iraq's former deputy premier, and seven co-defendants was delayed yesterday due to heavy shelling…Wed Apr 30 2008 - 01:00
Nearly 40 killed in Sadr attack on US and Iraqi forcesIRAQ: AT LEAST 38 people were killed in Baghdad in fierce clashes on Sunday, the US military announced yesterdayTue Apr 29 2008 - 01:00
Erdogan in fresh bid for Syria-Israel peace dealMIDDLE EAST: TURKISH PRIME minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan met Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on Saturday in an …Mon Apr 28 2008 - 01:00
Al-Sadr calls for end to clashes with Iraqi armyMIDDLE EAST: IRAQI PRIME Minister Nuri al-Maliki received a boost yesterday when Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr called for an end…Sat Apr 26 2008 - 01:00
Rejection of Gaza truce plan adds to Hamas difficultiesMIDDLE EAST: THE DISMISSAL yesterday by Israel of a proposal for a six-month ceasefire in Gaza has placed Hamas and Cairo in…Sat Apr 26 2008 - 01:00
UN agencies stop Gaza services due to fuel embargoUN: UN AGENCIES yesterday suspended or curtailed humanitarian operations in Gaza due to Israel's fuel blockade.Fri Apr 25 2008 - 01:00
Hamas accepts 1967 border but still rejects state of IsraelPALESTINIAN TERRITORIES: HAMAS WILL not recognise Israel, Khaled Mishaal, its politboro chief, said yesterday in response to…Tue Apr 22 2008 - 01:00
Carter meets Hamas and calls blockade of Gaza an atrocityEGYPT: FORMER US president Jimmy Carter is set to meet Hamas chief Khaled Mishaal in Damascus today in spite of stiff opposition…Fri Apr 18 2008 - 01:00
Al-Sadr's Mahdi Army remains focus for Maliki's struggling governmentIRAQ: THE STRUGGLING Iraqi government of Nuri al-Maliki yesterday continued a two-pronged offensive against the populist movement…Tue Apr 15 2008 - 01:00
Maliki warns Sadrists on pollIRAQ: IRAQI PRIME minister Nuri al- Maliki has warned that the movement of radical Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr will be barred…Tue Apr 08 2008 - 01:00
Fatah and Hamas agree on reconciliation planMIDDLE EAST: FATAH AND Hamas yesterday signed a seven-point Yemeni-sponsored reconciliation plan and pledged to hold direct …Mon Mar 24 2008 - 00:00
Fatah government losing support among Palestinians, poll revealsMIDDLE EAST: THE US-BACKED Palestinian leadership is losing popular support and the Fatah government is regarded as less legitimate…Wed Mar 19 2008 - 00:00
Survey shows Iraqis more optimistic about future but do not credit USIRAQ: FIVE YEARS after the US invasion, Iraqis have expressed more optimism about their lives and their country's future than…Tue Mar 18 2008 - 00:00
Strict Islamic state allows Catholic church to openQATAR: THOUSANDS OF Catholics attended the consecration in Doha on Saturday of the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary (St Mary…Mon Mar 17 2008 - 00:00
Hamas waiting for reply to ceasefire proposalsMIDDLE EAST: DEPOSED PALESTINIAN prime minister Ismail Haniyeh announced yesterday that Hamas is waiting for Israel's reply …Thu Mar 13 2008 - 00:00
Is this the beginning of a new intifada?MIDDLE EAST: A third bloody Palestinian uprising may have begun long before last week's seminary massacre.Mon Mar 10 2008 - 00:00
Charities urge Gaza intervention as humanitarian crisis worsensMIDDLE EAST: HUMANITARIAN GROUPS yesterday urged the international community to end the isolation and siege of Gaza, where conditions…Fri Mar 07 2008 - 00:00
Rice implicated in bid to oust Hamas from governmentMIDDLE EAST: AS US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice began yesterday's mission to relaunch negotiations between Israel and…Wed Mar 05 2008 - 00:00
Iran rejects UN resolution as state visit to Iraq endsIRAN: TEHRAN YESTERDAY condemned a United Nations Security Council resolution imposing fresh sanctions on Iran's refusal to …Wed Mar 05 2008 - 00:00
Veto of law on powersharing a 'setback' to US Iraq agendaIRAQ: A POWERFUL Iraqi Shia faction yesterday denounced the rejection by Shia vice-president Adel Abdul Mahdi of legislation…Fri Feb 29 2008 - 00:00
Rights group seeks ban on cluster munitionsMIDDLE EAST: The death and devastation wreaked by four million cluster bomblets fired by Israel into southern Lebanon in 2006…Mon Feb 18 2008 - 00:00
Arab satellite TV faces censorshipEGYPT: Information ministers of the 22-member Arab League have adopted a proposal to regulate and restrict content broadcast…Sat Feb 16 2008 - 00:00
Gates backs pause in troop withdrawal from IraqIRAQ: US defence secretary Robert Gates has endorsed a pause in the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq.Tue Feb 12 2008 - 00:00
Palestinians may soon outnumber Israeli JewsPALESTINE: The Palestinian central board of statistics reported on Saturday that the Palestinian population of the West Bank…Mon Feb 11 2008 - 00:00
Israel's power cuts 'war crimes'ISRAEL: Israel's fuel and power cuts to Gaza amount to collective punishment and violate international law, Human Rights Watch…Fri Feb 08 2008 - 00:00
Egypt seals last opening on frontier with GazaISRAEL: Egyptian soldiers closed the last opening on the frontier with Gaza yesterday, ending 11 days of unfettered movement…Mon Feb 04 2008 - 00:00
Hamas co-operates with Egypt on resealing of Rafah borderMIDDLE EAST: Egyptian border guards yesterday unrolled bales of razor wire and began to erect a new fence along the border with…Wed Jan 30 2008 - 00:00
Leading Arab nationalist Habash dies at 81JORDAN: George Habash, one of the most influential Arab figures of the 20th century, died in Jordan on Saturday, aged 81.Mon Jan 28 2008 - 00:00
Hamas vows to keep Egypt border openMIDDLE EAST: Black-clad Hamas activists yesterday drove a bulldozer through a section of Israel's iron wall separating Gaza …Sat Jan 26 2008 - 00:00
Musician becomes first Israeli to be given a Palestinian passportMIDDLE EAST: Conductor and pianist Daniel Barenboim has accepted Palestinian citizenship, becoming the first Israeli to be given…Wed Jan 16 2008 - 00:00
Iraq votes to rescind some anti-Baath measuresIraq: The Iraqi parliament on Saturday adopted legislation to permit former members of the Baath party to resume government …Mon Jan 14 2008 - 00:00
