Israelis shadow peace boats exit from GazaISRAEL: ISRAELI NAVAL vessels shadowed the SS Free Gaza and SS Liberty as they started their 370km (230miles) return journey…Fri Aug 29 2008 - 01:00
Palestinian peace activists sail into Gaza StripMIDDLE EAST: PEACE ACTIVISTS who breached Israel's blockade of Gaza in two Greek-flagged wooden boats lunched yesterday with…Mon Aug 25 2008 - 01:00
No deal on US presence in IraqMIDDLE EAST: US SECRETARY of State Condoleezza Rice and Iraqi foreign minister Hoshyar Zebari declared yesterday that Washington…Fri Aug 22 2008 - 01:00
Iraqi forces storm governor's office in Diyala provinceIRAQ: IRAQI FORCES stormed the governor's offices in Baquba yesterday, capital of the turbulent Diyala province, killed his …Wed Aug 20 2008 - 01:00
Syria and Lebanon move closer to formal separationSYRIA/LEBANON: THE SYRIAN and Lebanese presidents ended a ground-breaking two-day summit yesterday by reiterating their intention…Fri Aug 15 2008 - 01:00
Israeli plan to withdraw from 93% of West Bank rejectedMIDDLE EAST: THE PALESTINIAN Authority yesterday rejected a proposal reportedly floated by Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert…Wed Aug 13 2008 - 01:00
US close to deal on phased pull-out of forces from IraqIRAQ: BAGHDAD AND Washington are said to be nearing agreement on the staged withdrawal of US forces from Iraq over the next …Sat Aug 09 2008 - 01:00
Sadr calls on Mahdi Army to end all armed actionIRAQ: DISSIDENT IRAQI cleric Moqtada al-Sadr is today set to order members of his Mahdi Army militia to put aside their arms…Fri Aug 08 2008 - 01:00
Hamas and pro-Fatah clan clashes kill nineMIDDLE EAST: ISRAEL YESTERDAY returned to Gaza 32 members of a clan who fled the Strip after clashes with Hamas police which…Mon Aug 04 2008 - 01:00
Hamas holds Fatah chiefs in retaliationMIDDLE EAST: POLICE LOYAL to Hamas yesterday detained senior figures of the Fatah movement in the Gaza Strip, ratcheting up …Sat Aug 02 2008 - 01:00
Palestinian PM seeks emergency funds to pay staffMIDDLE EAST: PALESTINIAN PRIME minister Salam Fayyad has asked the World Bank for a letter to help him secure emergency funding…Wed Jul 30 2008 - 01:00
Fatah arrests 50 supporters of Hamas in West BankMIDDLE EAST: TENSIONS BETWEEN Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas have risen to their highest level since Hamas seized control…Tue Jul 29 2008 - 01:00
Film-maker Chahine dies in Cairo at 82EQYPT: YOUSSEF CHAHINE, the Arab world's greatest film-maker and recipient of the 50th annual lifetime achievement award at …Mon Jul 28 2008 - 01:00
Six Sunni ministers rejoin Iraqi coalitionIRAQ: SIX MINISTERS from the Iraqi Accordance Front, the main Sunni parliamentary bloc, rejoined Iraq's Shia-Kurdish coalition…Mon Jul 21 2008 - 01:00
West Bank model not an effective one, says ICG reportMIDDLE EAST: THE WEST Bank has not become a model of effective Palestinian control and good governance, although gains have …Sat Jul 19 2008 - 01:00
Parliament seeks to resolve Iraqi electoral law disputeMIDDLE EAST: THE IRAQI parliament is due to meet today in an attempt to resolve a dispute over an election law which must be…Thu Jul 17 2008 - 01:00
Israel, Hizbullah prisoner swop set for todayMIDDLE EAST: HIZBULLAH REGARDS today's German-mediated prisoner swap with Israel as a triumph, writes Michael Jansen.Wed Jul 16 2008 - 01:00
Iraq and US fail to find agreement on troop numbers and future relationsIRAQ: IRAQI AND US negotiators have given up on an attempt to reach by the end of the month separate agreements governing the…Tue Jul 15 2008 - 01:00
Israeli settlements put talks in doubtMIDDLE EAST: THE PALESTINIANS may suspend negotiations with Israel in protest at Israeli construction plans for East Jerusalem…Sat Jul 12 2008 - 01:00
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
Sweltering Cyprus taps Greek water to help beat drought crisisLETTER FROM NICOSIA: GLOBAL WARMING has come to Cyprus. It ambushed us with a fourth year of drought.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
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
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
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
