British grandfather faces 350 lashes in Saudi Arabia for alcohol possession
Karl AndreeRIYADH — A 74-year-old British grandfather faces punishment, including 350 public lashes, in Saudi Arabia after homemade wine was found in his car.Saudi police discovered wine in Karl Andree’s car in August 2014, and he has since been serving a yearlong sentence for possessing alcohol — an illegal act in the Islamic...Flogged Saudi blogger Badawi named ‘writer of courage’ in Britain
"Saudi Arabia is a world of inconceivable cruelty, but intimately linked to ours by business, strategic interests, military and diplomatic ties."LONDON — Saudi blogger Raif Badawi, who has been sentenced to 1,000 lashes and 10 years in jail for "insulting Islam," was named on Tuesday as the International Writer of Courage and PEN...Palestinians raise flag at U.N.
UNITED NATIONS — With prospects for Middle East peace looking increasingly thin, Palestinian diplomats and officials cheered and applauded on Wednesday as their national flag flew for the first time at United Nations headquarters in New York. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas officiated at the ceremony minutes after delivering a...
Russia starts air strikes in Syria, tells U.S. to steer clear
September 30th, 20150 President Obama extends his hand to Russian President Vladimir Putin during their meeting at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Sept. 28, MOSCOW — Russia launched air strikes against targets in Syria on Wednesday in the Kremlin's biggest intervention in the Middle East in decades, telling the U.S. air force to steer...Pope Francis holds mass in Cuba
Pope Francis greets Cuban President Raul Castro in Holguin, Cuba, Sept. 21. HOLGUIN, Cuba — On a special anniversary for him, Pope Francis celebrated Mass in east Cuba on Monday on the last full day of a trip where he has been praised for aiding rapprochement between the communist government and the United States.Two predecessors have...Netanyahu: Israel, Russia to coordinate military action on Syria
Benjamin Netanyahu speaks with Vladimir Putin at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, Sept. 21MOSCOW — Israel and Russia agreed on Monday to coordinate military actions over Syria in order to avoid accidentally trading fire, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a visit to Moscow.Recent Russian...Charlie Hebdo stirs new controversy with refugee cartoons
In its latest edition, satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo published a cartoon of Aylan Kurdi, the drowned Syrian child who was photographed on a beach in Turkey.French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo is courting controversy again by publishing cartoons deriding the response of predominantly Christian European countries to a flood of...
Islamophobia crimes up 70 percent in London: Muslim women being spit on and punched
September 7th, 20150 The number of hate crimes against Muslims in London has risen by over 70 percent, according to police figures.The majority of targets have involved women who wear veils.There were 816 Islamophobic offences recorded across the city in the 12 months up to July this year, compared with 478 for the previous 12 months.In Merton, the...Britain to take in 20,000 Syrian refugees over five years
David Cameron leaves 10 Downing Street in London, Sept. 7. Photo: ReutersLONDON — British Prime Minister David Cameron pledged on Monday to take in up to 20,000 Syrian refugees over the next five years, responding to public clamor for his government to help those fleeing civil war in the country."We are proposing that Britain should...Truck of up to 50 migrant corpses found in Austria
Forensic police officers inspect the truckPARNDORF, Austria — As many as 50 refugees were found dead in a parked truck in Austria on Thursday, and another migrant ship sank off Libya, deepening a crisis that is overwhelming Europe and throwing up new tragedies by the day.The abandoned refrigerated truck was found by an Austrian...
World powers welcome Iran deal; Saudi Arabia and Israel furious
July 16th, 20150 VIENNA — Iran and six major world powers reached a nuclear deal on Tuesday, capping more than a decade of negotiations with an agreement that could transform the Middle East. President Obama hailed a step toward a "more hopeful world" and Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said it proved that "constructive engagement works." But...
Historic Iran nuclear deal reached
July 14th, 20150 VIENNA — Iran and six major world powers reached a nuclear deal on Tuesday, capping more than a decade of negotiations with an agreement that could transform the Middle East.President Obama hailed a step toward a "more hopeful world" and Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said it proved that "constructive engagement works." But...
The Iran nuclear deal is brewing, Saudi Arabia is boiling
July 3rd, 20150 The nuclear deal with Iran "reached on all key aspects," Russia's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday. The statement snuffed out speculations about the failure of the negotiations, as the June 30 deadline passed without white smoke rising. The week-extension to the deadline seems negligible compared to 20 months of...Iran envoy declines nuclear transparency measures
VIENNA — On Thursday Iran's envoy to the U.N. nuclear agency declined to commit to nuclear transparency measures that were part of a preliminary deal Tehran and world powers reached in April, deflecting U.S. demands to implement such provisions. The United States urged Iran to implement the so-called Additional...
Vatican recognizes state of Palestine
May 13th, 20150 Pope Francis at Israel's Separation Wall in Bethlehem.The Vatican concluded its first treaty that formally recognises the State of Palestine, with an agreement on Catholic Church activities in areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority, the Holy See said on Wednesday.The agreement "aims to enhance the life and activities of the......
U.N. invites Syrian parties to peace talks in Geneva
UNITED NATIONS — United Nations Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura has invited Syria's government and opposition groups for separate talks in Geneva next month in the latest bid to end the four-year-old civil war, a U.N. spokesman said on Friday.De Mistura, who is due to brief the U.N. Security Council later on Friday,...
U.S. Iran bill makes nuclear deal harder, but not impossible
April 17th, 20150 WASHINGTON — A compromise allowing the U.S. Congress to vote on a nuclear deal with Tehran may prompt Iranian negotiators to drive a harder bargain, but does not drastically weaken President Obama's ability to deliver on a final agreement. For months, Obama resisted attempts led by Republicans and some Democrats to open an agreement......
UN warns of slaughter of innocents at ISIS-controled Yarmouk
DAMASCUS — United Nations officials warned on Wednesday of a potential "slaughter of innocents" unless aid and assistance reached a Palestinian refugee camp in Syria where thousands of civilians are trapped up in a vicious battle. Some 18,000 civilians, including 3,500 children, are caught in the camp outside Damascus just a few...
Iran, West agree on framework for nuclear agreement
April 2nd, 20150 German Foreign Minister Frank Walter Steinmeier, European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, Switzerland, April 2Iran and world powers reached a framework on curbing Iran's...
Yemeni President Hadi leaves country as Saudi Arabia steps up air strikes
March 27th, 20150 People gather at the site of an air strike at a residential area near Sanaa Airport, March 26.SANAA — Yemen's President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi left his refuge in Aden for Saudi Arabia on Thursday as Houthi rebels battled with his forces on the outskirts of the southern port city. Throughout the day, warplanes from Saudi Arabia and...Yemeni president evacuated after air raid targets his palace
Abedrabbo Mansour HadiADEN — Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi was evacuated to safety Thursday after a warplane targeted a palace in Aden where he was staying after fleeing political turmoil in the capital, an aide said. "President Hadi has been evacuated to a safe place, but he has not left the country," the source said as......
Netanyahu claims victory in Israeli elections
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu waves to supporters at the party headquarters in Tel Aviv, March 18.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed victory in Israel's election after exit polls showed he had erased his center-left rivals' lead with a hard rightward shift in which he abandoned a commitment to negotiate a Palestinian...Twin bombings at churches in Pakistan kill 14, wound 78
Bombs outside two churches in the Pakistani city of Lahore killed 14 people and wounded nearly 80 during Sunday services, and witnesses said quick action by a security guard prevented many more deaths.A Pakistani Taliban splinter group claimed responsibility. Islamist militants in Pakistan have attacked Christians and other......
Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi resigns
SANAA — Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi resigned on Thursday, a government source said.Just before, Prime Minister Khaled Baha offered his government's resignation to Hadi, saying it did not want to be dragged into "an unconstructive political maze".This was an apparent reference to a stand-off between Hadi and...Pope Francis on Charlie Hebdo: There are limits to free speech
Pope Francis waves to Filipino Catholics as his motorcade passes by in Manila on Jan. 15.MANILA — Pope Francis on Thursday condemned killing in God's name but warned religion could not be insulted, weighing into a global debate on free speech ahead of a rapturous welcome in the Philippines. The pontiff made the comments to reporters......