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Rice repeats unlikely pledge to seek peace deal between Palestinians, IsraelisUS Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice pledged Tuesday to leave "no stone unturned" in her quest for a Palestinian-Israeli peace deal by January 20 when President George W. Bush steps down. As time draws near "for the end of this administration, I still believe that we must make every effort.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 15-Oct-2008 01:21
'Racist' Israeli police arrest man attacked for driving on Yom Kippur
Israeli police arrested a Palestinian-Israeli man who drove his car during the Yom Kippur holiday in an incident which sparked four nights of rioting in the northern town of Acre, police said on Tuesday. "Tawfik Jamal was remanded in custody for three days for reckless endangerment and harming religious sensitivities," said police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 15-Oct-2008 01:06
Global stocks on a roll after second day of gains?
World stock markets gained ground for the second straight day Tuesday on investor confidence in government moves to shore up shaky banks and keep credit flowing. Following solid gains in Asia and Europe the Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 4.07 percent in the first trades but later ran out of steam on profit-taking.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 15-Oct-2008 00:51
Turkish prison officials, guards suspended over inmate death
Nineteen Turkish prison officials have been suspended as part of an investigation into allegations that an inmate was tortured to death, Justice Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin said on Tuesday. The officials, including prison guards and a doctor, were suspended after a preliminary probe at Metris Prison in Istanbul found that.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 15-Oct-2008 00:36
PKK says Ankara is 'weaving plots' to divide Kurds
The military commander of the rebel Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) has accused Ankara of seeking conflict with Iraqi Kurds through its charges that they are sheltering rebel fighters in their mountainous semi-autonomous region. "Turkey wants to drag the Kurdistan region into war by accusing Iraqi Kurds of harboring us," Murat Karayilan told in an interview.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 15-Oct-2008 00:21
OIC condemns violence against Iraqi Christians
The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) on Tuesday joined the US in condemning deadly attacks against Christians in northern Iraq which have been blamed for the flight of over 1,000 families. OIC chief Ekmeleddin Ihasanoglu said the violence in the northern city of Mosul was "unprecedented in the history of Iraq."
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 15-Oct-2008 00:06
'Just like any business:' For Somali pirates, 'ransom represents a legal tax'
As Somalia sinks ever deeper into hunger and despair, attacking foreign ships bottle-necking into the Gulf of Aden is proving to be one of the few profitable activities in the country. Abdi Garad, who describes himself as the commander of one of the first groups of pirates who started marauding Somalia's much-frequented waters.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 14-Oct-2008 23:51
Zardari may use China visit to ink nuclear deal after US-India pact
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari may sign a preliminary civilian nuclear pact with China during his state visit to the country, Pakistan's ambassador to China said Tuesday. Masood Khan, speaking to Pakistan's Geo TV in Beijing as Zardari arrived for his first state visit abroad, hinted that a nuclear deal could be on the cards during four days of talks.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 14-Oct-2008 23:36
Pakistani police arrest American in tribal belt
Pakistani police on Tuesday questioned a man they said was a US national arrested near the Afghan border in a remote tribal region said to be a hub of Al-Qaeda and Taliban militants. The man was dressed as a local and was not carrying any travel documents, police said.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 14-Oct-2008 23:21
Afghan blast kills nine civilians, including two children
A bomb blew up a small bus in Afghanistan on Tuesday, killing nine civilians, two of them children, while three soldiers from the NATO force were killed in a roadside blast, officials said. Another six civilians were wounded in the bus bombing in the southern province of Uruzgan, provincial police chief Juma Gul Hemat said.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 14-Oct-2008 23:06
Maliki urges British troops to quit Iraq, says they're no longer needed
British troops are no longer necessary for the security of Iraq and should go home, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said in a newspaper interview published in the British capital on Monday. "We thank them for the role they have played, but I think that their stay is not necessary for maintaining security and control," he told the Times.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 14-Oct-2008 01:18
Stocks take off after leaders 'seem to get the severity' of crisis
World stock markets staged spectacular gains Monday as governments pumped billions of dollars into markets crippled by the credit crunch, coaxing newly confident investors into buying shares. Wall Street skyrocketed at the opening, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average 6.19 percent in positive territory at 8,974.56 by mid-day.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 14-Oct-2008 01:03
Livni boosts premiership bid by sealing deal with Labor
Israel's Kadima and Labor parties on Monday reached an agreement in principle that could pave the way for the formation of a new government headed by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, media reports said. The agreement was signed by MPs from both sides following a marathon 19-hour negotiating session.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 14-Oct-2008 00:48
Palestinian brewer still waiting for peace to break out
Some Palestinians have taken up arms and others attend peace talks in their decades-long struggle, but Nadim Khoury has found a third route to statehood - the brewing of delicious local beer. The 49-year-old returned to his native Occupied West Bank village of Taybeh from the US in 1994 with the unusual and ambitious idea of distilling.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 14-Oct-2008 00:33
Morocco celebrates offer of special deal for ties with EU
Moroccan Foreign Minister Taieb Fassi Fihri hailed Monday an EU offer of "advanced status" relations, saying Rabat would benefit from "all" the advantages of the bloc, except its institutions. EU foreign ministers, meeting in Luxembourg, were to afford the new status to Morocco which, though it has no extra legal weight.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 14-Oct-2008 00:18
Rival Cypriot administrations to scrap war games in bid to improve climate for talks
Greek and Turkish Cypriot administrations plan to scrap war games amid ongoing peace talks in order to clear the air for the push to reunite the divided island. Greek Cypriot President Demetris Christofias said Monday he had decided to cancel the large-scale military exercises in order to improve the climate of reunification talks launched last month.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 14-Oct-2008 00:03
Migrants decry conditions at Istanbul detention facility
Several dozen illegal immigrants on Monday protested against their detention conditions at a state-run center in Istanbul, breaking windows and throwing burning blankets out onto the street. "We are here for one year and two months. They give us food only once a day and don't give us any medicine ...
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 13-Oct-2008 23:48
Peres visits Acre in wake of clashes, says 'we are destined to live side by side'
Israeli President Shimon Peres traveled on Monday to the northern city of Acre where he appealed for tolerance after four days of clashes between Palestinian-Israeli and Jewish residents. "I was surprised by the extent of appeals for peaceful coexistence issued by leaders from both sides," the Israeli politician told journalists.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 13-Oct-2008 23:33
Fearful Christians continue to flee Mosul
More Christian families have quit their homes in Mosul, a local official said on Monday, as the UN voiced concern at the community's plight in the northern Iraqi city. One Christian was killed and his nephew wounded late on Sunday when gunmen opened fire in the eastern neighborhood of Hay al-Ekhaa.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 13-Oct-2008 23:18
Blacklisted Muslim charity to get its day in US court
In what appears to be another stunning legal rebuke to President George W. Bush's policies in the "global war on terrorism," a federal judge has blocked the government from blacklisting a Muslim-oriented charity to give the group a chance to defend itself after its assets were frozen almost three years ago.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 13-Oct-2008 23:03
Civilian killed in crossfire as African Union peacekeepers battle rebels in Mogadishu
Islamist insurgents attacked African Union (AU) peacekeepers in the Somali capital on Monday, triggering clashes that killed a civilian and wounded five others, witnesses said. The insurgents fired artillery into Mogadishu's southern K4 quarter where Ugandan troops from the AU peacekeeping force are based, drawing retaliatory fire, residents said.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 13-Oct-2008 22:48
Economic woes are another test for Pakistan's fragile stability
Already nearly broke when the global financial crisis took hold, Pakistan now faces further woes that could take the nuclear-armed nation's security situation closer to the edge, experts said. The country, a front-line ally in the US-led campaign against Al-Qaeda and Taliban militants, has been forced to seek $10 billion from Western backers.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 13-Oct-2008 22:33
Besieged Zardari set for crucial trip to 'all-weather friend' China
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari flies to China on Tuesday seeking economic investment and support for his country as its ties with the United States come under increasing strain. Pakistan is one of China's closest allies in Asia, with Beijing seeing the country as a counter-balance to its traditional enemy, India.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 13-Oct-2008 22:18
Eurozone takes joint action against global meltdown
European leaders on Sunday hammered out action to confront the financial crisis, adding their voices to a global chorus of demands for coordinated action against the turmoil. As French President Nicolas Sarkozy opened emergency meetings of leaders from 16 European Union countries, nations around the world took new measures.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 13-Oct-2008 01:19
Maliki beefs up security in Mosul to protect Christians
Iraq ordered nearly 1,000 police to patrol Christian areas of Mosul on Sunday as thousands of members of the minority group fled the worst violence against them in five years. The action came as Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki ordered an immediate investigation into the murders of Christians in the restive northern city.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 13-Oct-2008 01:04
Syria playing 'essential' role in inter-Palestinian talks - Abbas
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday called for an end to divisions between his Fatah faction and rival Hamas, adding that Syria as well as Egypt is helping reconciliation efforts. "Syria's role is essential ... Syria is playing a role and we will continue to coordinate our positions with it and with other Arab countries.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 13-Oct-2008 00:49
Cypriot minister under fire for proposing unbiased history books
A decision by the Cypriot government to revise history textbooks to bolster peaceful coexistence between the island's Greek and Turkish communities has enraged many clerics and politicians. Critics have demonized Education Minister Andreas Demetriou for making such a bold proposal, which opponents say will undermine the heritage of the Mediterranean island.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 13-Oct-2008 00:34
Apparent US missile strike kills four in Pakistan
Unmanned US spy planes on Sunday flew over a Pakistani tribal town bordering Afghanistan just hours after a missile strike killed at least four people, residents said. Two missiles from suspected US drones overnight struck a compound just outside Miranshah, the main town in the restive North Waziristan district.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 13-Oct-2008 00:19
Wave of attacks kills 13 and wounds 24 in Iraqi capital
A spate of attacks in the Iraqi capital on Sunday killed at least 13 people and wounded 24 others, including women and children, security officials said. In the deadliest attack at least nine people were killed and 13 wounded in a car bombing at a crowded market in Baghdad's Bayaa district, a mainly Shiite area, southwest of the Iraqi capital, police said.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 13-Oct-2008 00:04
Afghan, UK forces say they killed 100 militants
About 100 militants were killed in Afghanistan's Helmand province, half in air strikes that thwarted a major attack on a key town overnight, Afghan and British forces said on Sunday. Between 50 and 60 militants were killed in air strikes as they tried to enter the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah from three directions.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 12-Oct-2008 23:49
Puntland forces kill two in attack on cargo vessel seized by pirates
Forces from the Somali breakaway region of Puntland on Sunday attacked pirates holding a Somali cargo freighter, setting off clashes that claimed the lives of two pirates and a Puntland soldier, an official said. Four others, including another Puntland soldier, were wounded when the forces attempted to rescue MV Awail.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 12-Oct-2008 23:34
Janjaweed attack Darfur villages - rebels
Rebel commanders in Darfur on Sunday accused Arab militias, which are backed by the Sudanese government, of attacking villages in the southern swathe of the region, killing civilians and torching homes. The accusations, on top of fighting in North Darfur said to have displaced thousands of civilians.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 12-Oct-2008 23:19
Reformist ex-speaker to run for Iran's presidency
Mehdi Karroubi, the leader of Iran's reformist National Confidence party, announced on Sunday he will run in next year's presidential race, the first Iranian politician to declare his candidacy to succeed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. "After many consultations I have conducted, and knowing the difficulties that comes with standing [as candidate].
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 12-Oct-2008 23:04
Immunity remains sticking point in US-Iraq pact
Washington has made "huge concessions" in a controversial military pact still under negotiation, but immunity issues remain a problem, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said on Friday. Among sticking points is a demand that neither foreign troops nor civilian Americans should enjoy legal immunity while in Iraq, Maliki said.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 11-Oct-2008 01:09
'Jewish fascist' gang tries to storm home of Arab in Acre
Police clashed with Jewish protesters in Acre on Friday as Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni traveled to the northern Israeli city to appeal for calm after two days of clashes between Palestinian and Jewish Israelis. Police fired a water cannon at the crowd of about 200 people as some demonstrators hurled bottles and stones at security forces.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 11-Oct-2008 00:54
Nobel Peace Price goes to veteran Finnish statesman
The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded Friday to former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari, who has spent 30 years helping end conflicts in troublespots ranging from Kosovo to Namibia and Indonesia. The Norwegian Nobel Committee hailed Ahtisaari, 71, "for his important efforts, on several continents and over more than three decades, to resolve international conflicts."
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 11-Oct-2008 00:39
US journalists claim cabbie took them to Syria by force
Two American journalists who were detained in Syria after going missing in Leb-anon claimed in comments published Friday that they had been abducted and smuggled across the border against their will. On arriving back in Amman in the early hours, Taylor Luck and Holli Chmela told their employer, the Jordan Times.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 11-Oct-2008 00:24
Bush speaks - and stocks take another beating
US and European share prices suffered more heavy losses Friday, as fear stalked trading floors and frazzled investors looked to a meeting of G7 finance chiefs for salvation. Stock exchanges were in turmoil after Wall Street opened sharply lower before limping into positive territory, only to plunge again on comments.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 11-Oct-2008 00:09
Smugglers force 100 off boats in Gulf of Aden
About 100 people have been reported missing in the Gulf of Aden after being forced overboard by smugglers on their way to Yemen from war-torn Somalia, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said Friday. The latest figure brings the total number of people still missing in the Gulf to 365 so far this year.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 10-Oct-2008 23:54
Suicide bomber kills 32 at anti-Taliban meeting
A suicide bomber blew himself up at a meeting of anti-Taliban tribal leaders in a Pakistani region on the Afghan border Friday, killing at least 32 people and wounding dozens, officials said. The explosion happened a day after a force of pro-government tribesmen destroyed two militant hideouts in the Orakzai district.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 10-Oct-2008 23:39
Rival Cypriot leaders hold private talks on reunification
Rival Greek- and Turkish-Cypriot leaders held private talks on Friday in a bid to speed up slow-moving negotiations on reunifying the divided Mediterranean island. President Dimitris Christo-fias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat met alone for a hour before being joined by their delegations for a further two hours of discussions, UN mediators said.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 10-Oct-2008 23:24
NATO forces to combat opium trade in Afghanistan
NATO forces will from now on directly target Afghanistan's opium trade to stop hundreds of millions of dollars in drug money from reaching Taliban-led insurgents, the alliance announced Friday. NATO has generally avoided tackling drugs, with many members fearful of compromising support from ordinary Afghans.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 10-Oct-2008 23:09
Sadr supporters blame US occupation for lawmaker's assassination
Mourners shouted anti-US slogans, torched American and Israeli flags and called for a work stoppage in Baghdad's largest Shiite neighborhood on Friday as an assassinated legislator was laid to rest. "Down with American, down with the occupation," Shiite youngsters shouted while burning flags at a public square in Sadr City after Friday prayers.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 10-Oct-2008 22:54
NATO plans new squadron to fight Somali piracy
NATO defense ministers have agreed to send seven warships this month to help combat piracy off Somalia, as attacks on vessels in Horn of Africa waters spiral, an alliance spokesman said. "Ministers agreed that NATO should play a role. NATO will have its standing maritime naval group, which is composed of seven ships.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 10-Oct-2008 22:39
Indian police use force to break up Kashmir protest against visit by prime minister
Police fired tear gas and baton-charged hundreds of Kasmiri Muslims protesting a visit Friday to the volatile region by Indian Premier Manmohan Singh. The demonstrators, led by senior separatist Yasin Malik, took to the streets of Indian-administered Kashmir's summer capital Srinagar after prayers.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 10-Oct-2008 22:24
US missile 'just missed' Al-Qaeda, Taliban commanders in Pakistan
A US missile strike targeting a high-level meeting of Al-Qaeda and Taliban commanders in a Pakistani tribal area missed most of them by just minutes, security officials said Friday. Two missiles hit the house of Pakistani Taliban leader Hafiz Sahar Gul in the North Waziristan district bordering Afghanistan on Thursday night.
Source : dailystar.com.lb | 10-Oct-2008 22:09