EgyptAir hijacker wanted to see ex-wife
LARNACA, Cyprus — An Egyptian man accused of hijacking a passenger plane and diverting it to Cyprus has told police he acted because he wanted to see his estranged wife and children, saying "what should one do?"The suspect, whom Cypriot and Egyptian authorities have identified as Seif Eldin Mustafa, 59, surrendered on...Lebanese newspaper As-Safir will not close
BEIRUT — Lebanese daily As-Safir will not shut down, its editor-in-chief and publisher said on Wednesday, despite announcing last week it would close after more than 40 years because of falling revenues and Lebanon's political and sectarian problems.The paper is now looking for business partners to help it weather the tough...Messi in hot water for shoe donation to Egyptian charity
CAIRO — Some Egyptians are furious at soccer superstar Lionel Messi for donating a pair of his soccer boots to a charity. It was only a few weeks ago that Messi was widely praised for making a young fan's dream come true when he sent a shirt and a football to a young Afghan boy.However, when the player made a similarly...Iconic Lebanese newspaper to close
BEIRUT — Lebanese daily As-Safir is to cease its print and online operations after over 40 years, editor-in-chief and publisher Talal Salman said on Thursday, blaming falling revenues and Lebanon's political and sectarian problems. As-Safir, founded by Salman in 1974 with the slogan "a voice for those who have no voice", will end...Yemen combat to halt April 10, a week before peace talks
UNITED NATIONS — The warring parties in Yemen have agreed to a cessation of hostilities starting at midnight on April 10 and peace talks in Kuwait beginning a week later, United Nations special envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said on Wednesday. There have already been several failed attempts to defuse the conflict in Yemen, which has...
If Syria succumbs to federalism, others will follow
March 25th, 20160 The apparently sudden Russian military withdrawal from Syria, starting on March 15, left political commentators puzzled, but few of the analyses offered should be taken seriously. There is little solid information about why the Russian leader decided to end his country's military push in Syria. The intervention, which began last...
Syrian army expects to retake Palmyra from ISIS ‘within hours’
March 23rd, 20160 Syrian soldiers and their allies advanced to within 1 km of Palmyra on Thursday and soldiers speaking from the outskirts of the historic city said they hoped to recapture it from ISIS fighters within hours.The Syrian army is trying to retake Palmyra, which the ultra-hardline terrorist militants seized in May, to open a road to the...Putin: Russia can make powerful Syria military comeback in hours
Putin.MOSCOW — President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia could scale up its military presence in Syria again within hours and would still bomb terrorist groups there despite a partial draw-down of forces ordered after military successes. Speaking in one of the Kremlin's grandest halls three days after he ordered Russian...Sisi warns against intervention in Libya
CAIRO — Military intervention in Libya is risky and foreign powers would be better off supporting a military commander based in the east, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi of neighboring Egypt was quoted as saying on Thursday. A power struggle between two rival administrations in Libya has allowed ISIS militants to gain ground there...Saudi-led air strikes on Yemeni market kills more than 100
SANAA — The death toll from Saudi-led air strikes on an outdoor market in northwestern Yemen has risen to more than 100, a provincial health director and a U.N. official said on Thursday, making it one of the deadliest attacks in the year-old war. Spokesman Brigadier General Ahmed al-Asseri said the Saudi-led coalition, which has...Syria’s Kurds vote to seek autonomy under federal system
Members of the self defense forces, Feb. 9.RMEILAN, SYRIA — Syria's Kurdish-controlled northern regions voted to seek autonomy under a federal system on Thursday, angering both the Damascus government and neighboring power Turkey with a move that could complicate new U.N.-backed peace talks. The vote to unite three Kurdish-controlled...EU to pitch migrant plan to Turkey but no done deal
Refugees and migrants at a makeshift camp near the village of Idomeni, Greece, March 17ANKARA — European Union leaders agreed to offer Turkey financial and political concessions if it stops migrants reaching Greece and will meet the Turkish prime minister in Brussels on Friday to try and clinch the deal. Even if they can overcome...In Bekaa Valley camp, Angelina Jolie urges support for Syrian refugees
Angelina Jolie during her visit to Syrian refugees in the Bekaa valley, March 15BEIRUT — U.N. special envoy Angelina Jolie urged world powers on Tuesday to do more to end Syria's five-year war and help the millions who have fled the conflict, as she visited refugees in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley.The war has killed 250,000 people,...
Russians to start withdrawing from Syria, as peace talks resume
March 15th, 20160 MOSCOW — President Vladimir Putin announced out of the blue on Monday that "the main part" of Russian armed forces in Syria would start to withdraw, telling his diplomats to step up the push for peace as U.N.-mediated talks resumed on ending the five-year-old war.Damascus rejected any suggestion of a rift with Moscow, saying...ISIS used ‘poisonous substances’ in Iraqi village shelling
Children receive oxygen, after suffering from choking, at a hospital in Taza south of Kirkuk, March 9BAGHDAD — More than 40 people suffered partial choking and skin irritation in northern Iraq when ISIS fired mortar shells and Katyusha rockets filled with "poisonous substances" into their village late on Tuesday, local officials......
Lebanese soldier, five militants killed in clashes
BEIRUT — A Lebanese soldier and five ISIS militants were killed Thursday in clashes on the outskirts of a northeastern border town, a Lebanese Army statement said. The statement said that the clashes ignited at 3:30 a.m., after the army carried out a preemptive strike against a large group of extremists on the outskirts of Ras...U.S. raised concerns with Saudis about halting aid to Lebanese army
WASHINGTON — The United States said on Tuesday it had raised concerns with Saudi Arabia about the kingdom's cutting off aid to the Lebanese army, adding that international assistance to Lebanon is essential to curbing the influence of Hezbollah.Saudi Arabia said last month it had suspended a $3 billion aid package for the Lebanese......
Houthis, Saudis discuss ending Yemen war
A spices vendor works in his roadside stall in Sanaa, March 3. Photo: ReutersSANAA — Iran-allied Houthis and their Saudi foes have begun talks to try to end Yemen's war, two officials said, in what appears their most serious bid to close a theatre of Saudi-Iranian rivalry deepening political tumult across the Middle East.A delegation...Netanyahu seeks to expel families of Palestinians resisting occupation
JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday he hopes to curb a wave of Palestinian assaults by expelling to Gaza families of assailants found to have encouraged them to attack Israelis. Netanyahu, in a letter to Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit released to the media, asked for a legal opinion on such a move,...
Gulf Arab states label Hezbollah a terrorist organization
March 2nd, 20160 The GCC defined Hezbollah as a 'terrorist' group. Photo: ReutersDUBAI — The six-member Gulf Cooperation Council named Hezbollah a terrorist organization on Wednesday, opening up the possibility of further sanctions against the Iran-allied group that wields influence in Lebanon and fights in Syria.The council - representing Saudi...Kurdish special forces rescue Swedish girl from ISIS
ERBIL — A teenage Swedish girl being held by ISIS militants in Iraq was rescued in a raid by Kurdish special forces last week, the autonomous region's security council said in a statement on Tuesday. The 16-year-old traveled from Sweden to Syria last year and later crossed into Iraq, where she was rescued near the ISIS stronghold of......
Sisi ends up on eBay after saying he would sell himself
CAIRO — President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has come under withering criticism from Egyptians on social media after delivering a long televised speech on Wednesday. Signs are growing that the former army chief, who seized power in 2013, is losing popularity, though there are no clear indications his rule is under threat. Egyptian media,...Partition could be part of ‘plan B’ if Syria peace talks fail
WASHINGTON — Secretary of State John Kerry said he will move towards a plan B that could involve a partition of Syria if a planned ceasefire due to start in the next few days does not materialize, or if a genuine shift to a transitional government does not take place in the coming months."It may be too late to keep it as a whole......
Beirut’s river of trash captures international attention
A general view shows packed garbage bags in Jdeideh, Beirut, Feb. 23BEIRUT — Lebanon is known for its sandy beaches, majestic mountains and lush rivers. But a new kind of scenery is snaking its way through Beirut. A river of garbage in the country's capital has captured international headlines.An overflown landfill in the Beirut...Violence rages in Syria as Kerry and Lavrov reach provisional deal on ceasefire
A woman carries an injured boy inside a hospital after multiple bomb blasts hit a southern district of Damascus, Feb. 21AMMAN — Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sunday he and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, had reached a provisional agreement on terms of a cessation of hostilities in Syria and the sides were closer to a......