Iraqi army, Iranian-backed militia prepare for Tikrit battle
An Iraqi soldier looks on as smoke rises from oil wells in the Ajil field east of the city of Tikrit in the Salahuddin province, March 4.BAGHDAD — "Islamic State" militants have set fire to oil wells northeast of the city of Tikrit to obstruct an assault by Iranian-backed Shi'a militiamen and Iraqi soldiers trying to drive them from...UAE sentences six Iranians to life for kidnapping businessman
Abbas Yazdi and his wife Atena Yazdi.DUBAI — A court in the United Arab Emirates sentenced six Iranians, three of them in absentia, to life in prison for kidnapping a British businessman who went missing in Dubai in 2013, newspapers reported on Thursday. Abbas Yazdi, a businessman of Iranian descent who owns a general trading company...Bahrain sentences three men to death for killing police officers
MANAMA — Three men were sentenced to death by a Bahraini court on Thursday and seven others were given a life term for killing three policeman, the kingdom's Public Prosecution said on its Twitter account. The ruling is the latest in a series of strict penalties handed down to those accused of seeking to destabilize the...Two Egyptian policemen held after lawyer’s death in custody
Karim Hamdy.CAIRO — Two Egyptian policemen accused of killing a lawyer in custody were detained on Thursday on the orders of an Egyptian prosecutor, judicial sources said, a rare action against members of the security forces. The officers, a lieutenant colonel and a major, will be held for four days pending investigations in to the...“Islamic State” British executioner identified
IS executioner Mohammed Emwazi, known as Jihadi John.The masked "Jihadi John" killer who fronted "Islamic State" beheading videos has been identified as Mohammed Emwazi, a British computer programming graduate from a well-to-do London family. The black-clad militant brandishing a knife and speaking with an English accent was shown in...Engineer named Baghdad’s first female mayor
BAGHDAD — Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi named a woman mayor of Baghdad for the first time in Iraqi history, as corruption and violence continue to rage throughout the country. Zekra Alwach, a civil engineer and director general of the Ministry of Higher Education, begins work on Feb. 28, according to a municipal source cited by...Air strikes hit “Islamic State” in Syria after hundreds of Christians abducted
DAMASCUS — A U.S.-led alliance launched air strikes against "Islamic State" on Thursday in an area of northeast Syria where the militants are now estimated to have abducted at least 220 Assyrian Christians this week, a group monitoring the war reported. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the air strikes targeted "Islamic...U.S. arms flow to Iraq ahead of planned Mosul offensive
BAGHDAD — Some 10,000 U.S. M-16 rifles and other military supplies worth about $17.9 million arrived in Iraq this week as U.S. troops pushed ahead with training and supplying Iraqi security forces battling "Islamic State" fighters, the Pentagon said on Tuesday. The update on U.S. efforts to arm Iraqi troops followed an unusual...With sledgehammers, “Islamic State” smashes Iraq’s history
BAGHDAD — Extremist Islamist militants in northern Iraq have destroyed a priceless collection of statues and sculptures from the ancient Assyrian era, inflicting what an archaeologist described as incalculable damage to a piece of shared human history. A video published by "Islamic State" on Thursday showed men attacking the...Egypt TV host faces trial for false bathhouse accusations
Mona IraqiCAIRO — An Egyptian television presenter whose undercover report from a public bathhouse landed 26 men in court for "debauchery" is herself to face trial for falsely accusing them, an official said Tuesday.The men were arrested Dec. 7 in a night-time raid on the Cairo bathhouse after Mona Iraqi tipped off police, claiming it...Jordanian rap group sues Netanyahu over campaign clip
A screenshot from the rap video that was used in Netanyahu's campaign clip.AMMAN — A Jordanian hip-hop group has taken legal action against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party after one of its songs was used in a campaign video for Israel's election next month. Firas Shehadeh, founder of the group Turabyeh ("Of the...U.S. believes Iraqi offensive will retake Mosul in three months
BAGHDAD — An Iraqi and Kurdish military force of some 20,000 to 25,000 troops is being prepared to recapture the city of Mosul from "Islamic State" fighters, probably in the April-May time frame, an official at the U.S. Central Command said on Thursday. The official said Mosul was currently being held by 1,000 to 2,000 "Islamic State"...Saudi court uphold 15-year sentence for rights lawyer
Waleed AbulkhairRIYADH — An appeals court in Saudi Arabia has upheld a 15-year jail term for a human rights lawyer who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, a watchdog said Wednesday. The Specialized Criminal Court of Appeal, which hears terrorism cases, confirmed on Sunday the latest verdict against Waleed Abulkhair, said the...Emirates Airline rejects Delta apology over 9/11 comments
DUBAI — A bitter trade row between U.S. and Gulf airlines deepened on Thursday when Dubai's Emirates rejected a Delta Air Lines apology for remarks perceived as linking Gulf carriers with the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States in 2001. Relations have deteriorated since a group of U.S. airlines compiled a dossier claiming that...UN seeks ceasefire in Aleppo
A rebel fighter of al-Jabha al-Shamiya (the Shamiya Front) covered with mud carries his weapon as he sits near the front line with Bashkuwi village, north of Aleppo Feb. 19.DAMASCUS — Battles in and around the Syrian city of Aleppo have killed at least 70 pro-government fighters and more than 80 insurgents after the army......
Egypt asks for UN help against militants in Libya
"Islamic State" militants hold down Egyptian Chiristian hostages before execution.CAIRO — Libya and Egypt asked the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday to lift an arms embargo on Libya, impose a naval blockade on areas not under government control and help build the country's army to tackle "Islamic State" and other...Three Syrian refugee children die in fire
BEIRUT — Three Syrian refugee children were killed when their tent caught fire Thursday, after an apparent electrical short caused by the severe weather. Storm “Windy” has brought high winds, thunderstorms and heavy snow, flooding rivers and fields and blocking mountain roads. Officials have announced that schools will be......
A practical solution to Lebanon’s oil and gas dilemma
February 18th, 20150 Believe it or not, the window of opportunity to engage Lebanon in the new and vast oil and gas exploration frontier is narrowing and the ship of the International Oil Companies (IOC) is sailing away. As a geologist, I have studied (in depth) the GeoScience Offshore EMED. I have discussed the subject matter with Lebanon’s...“Islamic State” says it’s holding ‘Israeli spy’ in Syria
The mother of Muhammad Musallam, weeps as she holds his photograph, Feb. 12DAMASCUS — "Islamic State" said on Thursday it was holding an Israeli Arab who had posed as a foreign fighter in order to spy for Mossad, an account denied by Israel and by the man's family, who said he had been kidnapped. In an interview published by IS...Syrian army, Hezbollah advance in campaign against rebels in south
People inspect a site hit by what activists said were airstrikes by forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad.DAMASCUS — Syrian government forces and their Lebanese allies took new ground in a major offensive in southern Syria pressing a campaign against insurgents posing one of the biggest remaining threats to Damascus. The...“Islamic State” seizes western Iraqi town
A banner is placed at a IS checkpoint, in Anbar province, July 22, 2014. The banner reads, ''Islamic State, State of Anbar, City of Rawah.''BAGHDAD — "Islamic State" insurgents took control on Thursday of most of the western Iraqi town of al-Baghdadi, threatening an air base where U.S. Marines are training Iraqi troops, officials......
UN warns Yemen is on the brink of collapse
February 13th, 20150 Houthi rebels drive through Sanaa amid rival protests for and against them, Oct. 11.SANAA — Al-Qaeda-linked fighters seized a large army base in a dawn attack in southern Yemen on Thursday, militants and residents said, hours after the United Nations warned that the country was on the brink of civil war. The base in the southern...Egypt releases Al Jazeera journalists on bail
Mohamed Fahmy's fiancée Marwa Omara is pictured here reacting to the news in a Cairo courtroom, Feb. 12.CAIRO — Two remaining Al Jazeera journalists jailed in Egypt on charges of aiding a "terrorist organization" were freed on bail on Thursday after more than 400 days, but the court said the case against them was still pending. The......
Russia to help build Egypt’s first nuclear power plant
Putin and Sisi at a joint press conference in Cairo.CAIRO — The presidents of Russia and Egypt have announced after talks in Cairo, that the two countries are to build Egypt's first nuclear power plant together, as well as boosting natural gas trade among other deals. Vladimir Putin and Abdel Fattah el-Sisi made the announcement on...Israel bans Arab MP from next elections
JERUSALEM — Firebrand Arab MP Haneen Zuabi, a regular critic of Israel's right-wing government, was banned Thursday from standing in next month's general election. The elections committee gave no reason for the disqualification, reported on its website, but Zuabi's lawyer Hassan Jabareen said it was because she was deemed "hostile to......