Middle East News latest RSS headlines - The Iran News.net

Kerry begins efforts to restart Israeli and Palestinian peace talks

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:37:23 -0400

JERUSALEM - US Secretary of State John Kerry Thursday separately began meetings with Israeli and Palestinian officials but appeared doubtful about his success on getting the two warring sides back to peace negotiations. This is Kerry's fourth trip to the Middle East in as many months of his assuming the office of the top US diplomat. He was been trying to revive a peace process that has been ...

Istanbul hosts meeting of Syrian opposition leaders

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:33:08 -0400

ISTANBUL - Syrian opposition leaders Thursday began their three-day meeting in this Turkish capital city to decide on their participation in talks aimed at end the civil war in the country. As the meeting began in Istanbul a prominent Syrian figure in the opposition proposed a transition plan for the country that requires President Bashar al-Assad to hand over power to a senior aide and leave ...

Syrias Civil War Fuels Violence in Iraq

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:15:03 -0400

Ominous ties are emerging between skyrocketing sectarian violence in Iraq and Syria's civil war. Analysts say al-Qaida-linked militants are flowing back and forth from both countries and are seeking to use religious differences to bring down the government, not only in Damascus, but also in Baghdad. Iraqis are witnessing the worst violence to rock their country in five years. ...

Iran upgrading nuclear program IAEA

Thu, 23 May 2013 03:00:03 -0400

Tehran has reportedly upgraded its nuclear program by adding advanced uranium enrichment facilities and building a plutonium-producing reactor according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The IAEA report reflects the increased international concerns about the potential proliferation dangers it represents as the completion date approaches, the Huffington Post reports. According to ...

Egypts cash-strapped rulers woo former regime tycoons

Fri, 24 May 2013 02:29:01 -0400

Almost three years after an uprising fuelled bythe old regime's venality, Egypt's cash-strapped Islamist government is makingamends with businessmen who offer to pay their way back into the ...

Sale of Russian weapons to Syria destabilising says John Kerry

Fri, 24 May 2013 02:19:42 -0400

The sale of S-300 air defence systems by Russia to Syria would be "destabilising" for the region, US Secretary of State John Kerry said."S-300 missiles coming from Russia, or other countries, Iranian missiles, are destabilising to the region," Kerry said."The United States is committed, not only in its defence of Israel, but in its concerns for the region to try to ...

US drone strikes and estimated deaths in Pakistan and Yemen since 2002

Fri, 24 May 2013 02:13:08 -0400

President Barack Obama said he will engage Congress in exploring a number of options for increased oversight of lethal drone strikes outside of war zones like Afghanistan. The official U.S. figures of number of strikes and estimated deaths remain classified. But, according to the New America Foundation which maintains a database of the strikes, the CIA and the military have carried out an ...

Poll 71.610.7 Support privatization of the ports in principle

Fri, 24 May 2013 01:59:58 -0400

Poll: 71.6%:10.7% Support privatization of the ports in principle Dr. Aaron Lerner Date 24 May 2013 Representative sample 500 adult Israeli Jews surveyed 22 May 2013 by New Wave for Yisrael Hayom. Statistical error +/- 4.4 percentage points Pubilshed in Yisrael Hayom 24 May, 2013. Do you support the privatization of the ports in principle? Support 71.6% Oppose 10.7% Don't know 17.7% ...

Obama lifts ban on transferring Guantanamo Bay detainees to Yemen

Fri, 24 May 2013 01:36:03 -0400

Guantanamo Bay detainees to Yemen , a step toward his goal of closing the US military-run prison that he said "has become a symbol around the world for an America that flouts the rule of law." Nearly 100 of the 166 terrorist suspects held at the prison in Cuba are from Yemen and have had nowhere to go even if they had been cleared for transfer. Obama wouldn't send them home, and no ...

Egypt denies Morsi intents to run cabinet

Fri, 24 May 2013 01:06:38 -0400

Egyptian presidency denied Friday the circulated rumors that President Mohamed Morsi intended to hold the post of prime minister in an imminent cabinet reshuffle, official news agency MENA reported. "There is deliberation over assigning the post to another figure," MENA quoted presidential spokesman Omar Amer as saying. "Qualification will be the basic criteria for the upcoming ...

5 al-Qaida members killed in U.S. drone strike in Yemens south

Fri, 24 May 2013 00:12:47 -0400

ADEN, Yemen, May 18 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. drone strike killed at least five members of the Yemen-based al-Qaida offshoot in the southern province of Abyan on Saturday, a government official told Xinhua. "About five terrorists were killed when a drone strike targeted an al-Qaida convoy that was passing through a desert road in the town of Jaar in Abyan province," the government source said ...

8 killed 8 policemen kidnapped in Iraqs violence

Fri, 24 May 2013 00:12:47 -0400

RAMADI, Iraq, May 18 (Xinhua) -- Eight people were killed in separate attacks across Iraq on Saturday, while gunmen kidnapped eight policemen in the western province of Anbar, the police said. In western Iraq, two people were killed in clashes between tribesmen and Iraqi security forces near the city of Ramadi, capital of Anbar province, when the tribesmen apparently believed that a police unit ...

Turkey to build wall on border with Syria

Thu, 23 May 2013 23:53:55 -0400

Turkey will build a 2.5 km-long wall along its border with Syria to prevent illegal crossings, Turkish Trade and Customs Minister Hayati Yazici said Thursday. The wall is to be built along Hatay province's Cilvegozu gate with Syria, he said, adding that a protocol with the Turkish Armed Forces had already been signed for the construction of the wall. "According to the protocol, we ...

US slaps new sanctions on Iran over weapon programs

Thu, 23 May 2013 23:53:54 -0400

The US government on Thursday slapped new sanctions on Iran's 20 individuals and entities for their involvement in Tehran's nuclear and missile programs. In a written statement, the Department of Treasury accused these individuals and entities of "moving supplies and providing essential services to Iran's clandestine nuclear and weapons programs." The Treasury said that ...

Analysts expect nothing much new from Kerrys Middle East tour

Thu, 23 May 2013 23:53:53 -0400

The United States Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Israel on Thursday as part of his efforts to restart the peace process, but analysts expect "nothing much new" from his tour and caution the public to lower expectations. It is Kerry's fourth visit to Israel since assuming his post in January. In addition to visiting Israel and Palestinian National Authority (PNA), Kerry ...

Syria denies rebels control over central prison of Aleppo city

Thu, 23 May 2013 23:53:53 -0400

A Syrian military source denied media reports that the rebels had stormed the central prison of the northern city of Aleppo, saying that the rebels only shelled the prison with mortars that led to the killing of a number of prisoners. The source, whose remarks were carried by the state-TV on Thursday, said the "terrorists" couldn't storm the prison, adding that many of the ...

Magnitude-5.1 quake hits southern Iran

Thu, 23 May 2013 23:53:51 -0400

An earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale jolted southern Iran at 2244 GMT on Thursday ( 0644 Beijing Time on Friday), the US Geological Survey said. The epicenter, with a depth of 9.80 km, was initially determined to be at 27.2095 degrees north latitude and 53.6110 degrees east ...

World Economic Forum to kick off a Dead Sea Jordan on Friday

Thu, 23 May 2013 23:48:48 -0400

The World Economic Forum is set to kick off at the Dead Sea, Jordan, on Friday. Image courtesy of WEF. World leaders including King Abdullah of Jordan, the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry are set to attend this ...

Two-day conference in UAE discusses future of Arab-Islamic culture

Thu, 23 May 2013 23:25:48 -0400

Jamal Sanad Al-Suwaidi, Tharwat El-Kherbawy, Nabil Abdel-Fattah, Tayyeb Tizini and other Arab researchers and intellectuals examine future of Arab-Islamic culture at ECSSR Office Complex in Abu ...

Barred from poll ex-president Rafsanjani calls Iranian leaders ignorant

Thu, 23 May 2013 23:00:13 -0400

Former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has accused Iran's leadership of incompetence and ignorance just days after he was barred from standing in an election next month, the opposition Kaleme website reported on Thursday.Rafsanjani's comments appeared to add to the political conflict between those loyal to the leadership and opposition groups who have been marginalized since ...

Syria’s civil war combat spilling into Lebanon

Thu, 23 May 2013 22:40:13 -0400

Lebanon has been on edge since the uprising in Syria began in March 2011. The country, which still is struggling to recover from its own 15-year civil war, is sharply divided along sectarian lines and into pro and anti-Assad camps. The overt involvement by Iranian-backed Hezbollah Shiite militant group alongside Assad's regime has sparked outrage among many Sunnis in Lebanon, who identify ...

Syria demands foreign fighters leave or get killed

Thu, 23 May 2013 22:22:49 -0400

Syrian Prime Minister Wael al- Halqi said Monday that the armed rebels in Syria have two options "return to where they came from, or to be killed." The minister's remarks came during a session of the ministerial committee tasked with implementing the political program outlined by President Bashar al-Assad recently. According to the state-run SANA news agency, al-Halqi stressed ...

Egypt tourism recovery forecast for 2014

Thu, 23 May 2013 22:02:03 -0400

While tourist numbers to Egypt have risen in the first four months this year, a full recovery would not be likely until at least 2014, according to economist forecasts. The number of travellers visiting Egypt in the first four months of 2013 rose 11.8 percent from a year earlier, after falling by a third in the year after the uprising revolt, Reuters reported. Tourism revenue rose 16.2 ...

Syrian opposition mulls dialogue with regime

Thu, 23 May 2013 22:01:15 -0400

Istanbul Thursday to discuss its expansion, the election of a new president, and whether it will participate in the dialogue proposed by the U.S. and Russia scheduled to take place ...

Be a fighter not a killer coalition tells rebels

Thu, 23 May 2013 22:01:14 -0400

Syria must be investigated. The U.N. report stated that "Government forces and affiliated militias have committed extra-judicial executions, breaching international human rights law. This conduct also constitutes the war crime of murder. Where murder was committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack against a civilian population, with knowledge of that attack, it is a crime against ...

Opposition 15 executed in Halfaya

Thu, 23 May 2013 22:01:13 -0400

BEIRUT: Fifteen Syrians were executed by pro-regime militia in a town in Hama province Thursday after government troops overran the area, the ...

Syria conflict makes Palestinians refugees for second time

Thu, 23 May 2013 22:01:12 -0400

DAMASCUS: Syria’s fighting has uprooted more than half of the country’s 530,000 Palestinians – descendants of refugees from a Middle East conflict more than half a century ago – and their situation is becoming increasingly desperate, the head of ...

Police crackdown on radical Islamists tests stability in Tunisia

Thu, 23 May 2013 22:01:11 -0400

Ansar al-Shariah supporters clash with police Sunday after Tunisia's Interior Ministry banned their annual conference that was to be held in Ettadhamen, near ...

Peace plan for Syria includes call for Assad to step down and exit country

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:56:37 -0400

Former Syrian opposition National Coalition president Moaz al-Khatib yesterday called on President Bashar al-Assad to step down and leave the country as fighting between pro-government forces and rebels continued in the besieged Syrian town of ...

John Kerry reaches out in effort to restart Middle East peace talks

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:56:34 -0400

US secretary of state John Kerry greets workers as he visits a restaurant in the West Bank city of Ramallah yesterday. Photograph: Jim ...

William Hague Israel Losing Support In UK

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:54:15 -0400

Britain's Foreign Secretary has brushed aside an Israeli minister's allegation that anti-Israeli sentiment was growing in the United Kingdom - by agreeing with him. William Hague's comments come after Yuval Steinitz, a close confidant of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said perceptions of Israel were more negative in Britain than in other countries. ...

World Briefing | Middle East Iraq Seven Soldiers Die in Two Attacks

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:48:32 -0400

Iraq on Thursday, officials said. Militants attacked an army checkpoint in the town of Taji, killing four soldiers and wounding four others, two police officers said. Another group of militants exchanged fire with military forces and pro-government Sunni militia in the western village of Karma, two other police officers said. Three soldiers were killed and 18 were wounded, including 7 Sunni ...

Repatriating detainees to Yemen key to closing Guantanamo

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:45:24 -0400

The interior of an unoccupied communal cellblock is seen at Camp VI, a prison used to house detainees at the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay March 5, ...

Pro-Gadhafi soldiers and rebels abuse of detainees

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:32:09 -0400

Pro-Gadhafi soldiers and rebels abuse of detainees Libya, Politics, 8/26/2011 Amnesty International reported yesterday that it has gathered powerful testimonies from survivors of abuse at the hands of both pro-Gadhafi soldiers and rebel forces, in and around the town of Az-Zawiya. Amnesty International met on Tuesday with "officials at Bir Tirfas School which is now being used to ...

legal issues surrounding any capture of al-Gadhafi

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:32:09 -0400

legal issues surrounding any capture of al-Gadhafi Libya, Politics, 8/26/2011 Amnesty International yesterday addressed the question of "What should happen to Colonel al-Gadhafi upon his capture?" saying in the report "Colonel al-Gadhafi must be given a fair trial. This is essential so that his victims in Libya can see justice being done. Everyone should be brought to justice, ...

El Salvador recognizes Palestinian state

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:32:09 -0400

El Salvador recognizes Palestinian state Palestine-El Salvador, Politics, 8/26/2011 El Salvador Thursday recognized Palestine as an independent and sovereign state, according to Palestinian officials. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas thanked the president of El Salvador for the recognition, expressing hope that it will bolster bilateral relations. Foreign Minister Riyad Malki had ...

Syrian cartoonist beaten savagely

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:32:08 -0400

Syrian cartoonist beaten savagely Syria, Politics, 8/26/2011 Reporters Without Borders reported that the famous cartoonist Ali Ferzat's torture while abducted for several hours today in Damascus and the woman journalist Hanadi Zahlout's torture while in detention are typical of the way the regime treats those who challenge its propaganda and express views different from its own. ...

U.N. Security Council to unfreeze Libyan assets

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:32:08 -0400

U.N. Security Council to unfreeze Libyan assets Libya-UN, Politics, 8/26/2011 The United Nations and its diplomatic partners seeking a resolution to the Libyan crisis yesteday urged the U.N. Security Council to release assets frozen under United Nations sanctions to the country's transitional authorities to help them set up a government in the North African nation. "We have ...

US officials meet the Libya Contact Group at historic time

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:32:08 -0400

US officials meet the Libya Contact Group at historic time Libya-USA, Politics, 8/26/2011 US Deputy Secretary of State William J. Burns led the U.S. delegation to the August 25 Libya Contact Group meeting in Istanbul, where representatives from 28 countries, the UN, EU, NATO, AU, OIC, Arab League and GCC came together to demonstrate the international community's firm commitment to ...

Hot weather and fast does not keep Iranians from Quds Day established by imam Khomeini

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:32:08 -0400

Hot weather and fast does not keep Iranians from Quds Day established by imam Khomeini Palestine-Iran, Politics, 8/26/2011 Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said today Zionist regime's existence "is not merely a threat to the Palestinian and the entire regional nations, rather its establishment and continued survival contrast interests, independence and dignity of all ...

Ahmadinejad Iran backs restoration of security in Iraq

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:32:08 -0400

Ahmadinejad: Iran backs restoration of security in Iraq Iraq-Iran, Politics, 8/26/2011 Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said yesterday that the Iran fully backs restoration of security and progress in Iraq, in a meeting with visiting Iraqi deputy chairman of Iraqi Kurdistan administration Nechirvan Barzani. IRNA reported saying "Given historical and cultural affinities ...

Reporters Without Borders condemns mistreatment of Palestinian journalists