News & Events
Syria wants 'to open new page' with Jumblatt
Syrian President ready to receive Lebanese Druze chief in Damascus amid improvement in ties....
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Sharks face extinction in Arab seas
Numerous species of sharks in the Arabian seas are facing a growing threat of extinction as demand for their fins rises across the world....
Violence flares in East Jerusalem
Palestinians have clashed with Israeli police in two areas of occupied East Jerusalem after Palestinian groups called for a "day of rage" over the reopening of a synagogue in the Old City....
Iraqi women miss Saddam Hussein's days
Women in Iraq bear double burden, feel less secure or free following US-led invasion....
Beirut rejects Tripoli's invite to Arab summit
Lebanese will not take part in Arab summit in Libya because of dispute with Tripoli over 1978 disappearance of Sadr....
Abu Dhabi presents Mozart opera with Arabic text
Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage gives UAE audience Mozart's 'La Finta Giardiniera'....
Uphill battle to supply prosthetics to Gaza war injured
Palestinians amputated by Israeli missiles find treatment difficulties due to Israeli siege of Gaza. ...
Female circumcision still rife in Egypt
WHO-funded study finds many of those surveyed see FGM/C as ‘family affair’, personal decision....
Iran offers 'courting' diplomas to cut divorce
Iran unveils online course to educate its young population on how to find Mr or Mrs Right....
Lebanon's Jumblatt urges Syria to open new page
Druze leader admits he has made unreasonable remarks about Assad at time of internal tensions within Lebanon....
ADACH launches Arab books distribution company
Company will find solutions for major concern for book publishers throughout Arab region....
Hariri to visit Syria to revise bilateral accords
Lebanese PM wants Beirut to have 'privileged, sincere and honest relations' with Damascus....
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Palestine Exists on Film
Over the past 10 years Palestinian filmmakers have constructed a specific national identity on screen. More directly political than the earlier portrayals of Palestinian lives and stories, filmmaking has become essential to the Palestinian cause, notes Sabah Haider....
Elections Don’t Justify Iraq War
I do admire the courage of Iraqi voters. And the situation in Iraq is more secure than at any time in the last few years. But none of this even remotely justifies the Iraq War and its toll. Estimates of Iraqi fatalities since Bush’s invasion range from 100,000 to upward of 1 million, says Amitabh Pal....
'The Hurt Locker' wins six Oscars, 'Avatar' wins three
Hollywood, March 09: "The Hurt Locker" blew away box office king "Avatar" to take six Oscars, with Kathryn Bigelow becoming the first woman to win the best director award....
Women-only taxis hit Cairo streets
CAIRO: A waxed rag in hand, Inas Hamam gives her car a good buff as she awaits her first clients of the day — Egyptian women, tired of sexual harassment, who prefer a female taxi driver. ...
Azerbaijan's long lifers 'a dying breed'
The famously long-lived people of the Talysh Mountains are now said to be dying younger, reports the BBC's Tom Esslemont from Azerbaijan....
The sleeping killers behind the wheel
A big increase in obesity threatens to cause health problems for millions of people across the world....
Anaesthetics
The word 'anaesthesia' is derived from Greek, meaning 'lack of sensation'. This can be achieved using several methods....
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Women train their sights on business in Lebanon camp
Specialised training courses give Palestinian women refugees hope in Nahr el-Bared camp....
Gaza fishermen still under Israeli fire
Gaza City, March 09: Sami al-Qouqa, a 30-year-old former fisherman from al-Shati refugee camp in northern Gaza, lost his left hand when his fishing boat came under fire from an Israeli gunboat on 12 March 2007, in an incident documented by the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights....
Tunisia's 'feminist' Muslim scholar commemorated in London
Tunisian embassy in UK organises lecture on Taher Haddad, 'precursor of women's rights'....
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Saudi awards Turkey's Erdogan for 'service to Islam'
Erdogan awarded for his calls for rapport between civilisations, constructive dialogue, openness....
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Turkish PM against Iran sanctions
Recep Erdogan, the Turkish prime minister, has cautioned against further UN Security Council sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme during a visit to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. ...
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Lebanon defence talks adjourned
Lebanon's rival political parties have adjourned talks on Hezbollah's weapons to April 15. ...
Syria and Israel eye nuclear plants
Israel and Syria have announced ambitions to develop nuclear power plants to meet their energy needs. ...
Audio slideshow: Palestinian Bagpipers
Across the West Bank on public holidays, thousands of Palestinian scouts march through the streets twirling batons, banging drums and playing bagpipes....
Jordan turns to Islamic banking
The Jordanian government has borrowed $100 million from the Jordan Islamic Bank, following the successful performance of Islamic banking during the latest global financial crisis. ...
Kuwaiti women complain of discrimination
Women in Kuwait are still barred from becoming judges, deprived of promotion to senior posts despite progress....
Maliki emerges as front-runner after Iraq vote
Local officials say PM Maliki's political bloc so far leading in nine of Iraq's 18 provinces....
Yemen arrests al-Qaeda suspects
Sana’a, March 4 – Yemeni security forces have arrested 11 suspected al-Qaeda members in raids in the capital Sana’a that sparked a gunfight which killed the father of a suspected militant, state media said on Thursday....
Mass drugs trial in Morocco
87 people, including members of security forces, sentenced to up to ten years in prison....
Bahrain Shia demand cabinet change
Bahrain's largest Shia parliamentary group is demanding the cabinet be chosen by its elected parliament, and not appointed by the king. ...
Clashes at Jerusalem's Aqsa mosque
Israeli police have entered Jerusalem's al-Aqsa mosque compound to disperse Palestinian protesters who they said threw stones at police officers and Jewish worshippers nearby....
Egypt president to undergo surgery
Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, will undergo a gall bladder operation in Germany on Saturday, Egyptian state television has announced....
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Iran's journalists under pressure
Iran's government has shut down two publications as part of a continuing crackdown on pro-reform media voices....
Dubai: Israeli premier faces arrest
The head of the Dubai police is planning to seek the arrest of the prime minister of Israel and the head of the country's secret service, Mossad, over the killing of a Hamas leader....
Tunisia suspends private university for three years
Ministry inspection finds 'Université Libre de Tunis' to be in breach of higher education law....
Oman, a tourist treasure trove - history and nature in splendid harmony
For nature lovers worldwide, Oman offers plenty to enjoy amid new international attention....
Palestinian village launches 'cultural' resistance
Palestinian youth resist Israeli occupation with stones one day, music and songs the next....
Car bombs kill 33 ahead of Iraq polls
Three co-ordinated attacks in Iraqi city of Baquba just days before parliamentary elections....
Separate cells for newly-weds, after bride attacks husband’s ex
A US couple has spent the first night of married life in separate prison cells after the bride attacked the groom’s former lover after the wedding....
Study: small dogs originated in Middle East
Research reveals version of IGF1 gene found in small dogs is closely related to that found in Middle Eastern wolves....
Platform of Knowledge: Muscat International Book Fair expands
Among the thousands of titles on display at the Muscat Book Fair are also eight books that have been short-listed for the International Prize for Arabic Section. This prize, also known as the Arabic Booker and awarded by Emirate Foundation in Abu Dhabi, is to encourage budding writers of Arabic prose....
Oil price bounces above 80 dollars
Strengthening US economy, upbeat jobs market news from Europe boost oil market sentiment....
Cleric urges Iraq poll neutrality
Ali al-Sistani, Iraq's highest Shia religious authority, has called on his fellow clerics to stay neutral in next month's general election and refrain from backing candidates....
Russia open to Iran sanctions
Russia has said it is ready to consider new sanctions against Iran over its nuclear programme as the chief of the UN nuclear watchdog says he cannot verify that all of Tehran's atomic activities are peaceful....
Nose scanning techniques could sniff out criminals
We already have iris and fingerprint scanning but noses could be an even better method of identification, says a study from the University of Bath, UK....
Iraq cracks down on Baghdad's camouflage tailors
There is a dizzying array of different camouflage shirts hanging in Qais Ibrahim's tailor shop: dark blue, light blue, even white, for the various different police departments....
Building the first 'Palestinian settlement'
Standing on the hills of Rawabi just north of Ramallah on the West Bank, at the moment there's little more than a stunning view. On a clear day you can see as far as Tel Aviv and the Mediterranean....
CIA suicide bomber calls for jihad against Jordan
Jordanian double-agent Balawi accuses Amman of being behind death of two top militant leaders, including Zarqawi....
Battling divorce stigma takes to Egypt airwaves
Egypt's 'Radio Divorcees' comes to defence of divorced women, offers enlightenment on topic....
Police break up Yemen rallies
Yemeni security forces have fired tear gas and live ammunition to disperse protesters in the southern city of Daleh, sources tell Al Jazeera....
Chile struggles to reach survivors
Rescue workers in central Chile are searching for survivors under the rubble of collapsed buildings, a day after one of the world's most powerful earthquakes struck the South American country....
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Cairo protest over anti-women vote
Dozens of Egyptian women and human rights activists have staged a protest in Cairo against a recent decision that bars women from holding judicial positions....
US names new envoy to Syria
The United States has moved to mend diplomatic ties with Syria, appointing a new ambassador to Damascus five years after withdrawing the last envoy....
Jordan and France sign uranium deal
Jordan has signed an agreement with France's nuclear giant Areva, giving the company exclusive uranium mining rights....
Arab press glee over 'Mossad exposed' in Dubai
Dubai police are praised by Middle East commentators for their investigations into the death of a senior Palestinian militant in Dubai last month, and for apparently unmasking the elite Israeli secret service, Mossad....
Algeria police chief shot dead at force headquarters
The chief of Algeria's national police force, Ali Tounsi, has been shot dead in the capital, Algiers, officials say....
UN slams Libya anti-Swiss 'jihad'
A top UN official has condemned as "inadmissible" Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's call for a jihad, or holy war, against Switzerland....
Syria and Iran defend strong ties
Syria and Iran have defended their strong ties and dismissed US efforts to break up the 30-year-alliance, saying America should not dictate relationships in the Middle East....
Trainer killed at Sea World
In the renowned US theme park "Sea World", Dawn Brancheau, a professional trainer, was killed on Wednesday by a killer whale while playing with it from a poolside platform. ...
Oil price reaches six-week high as dollar weakens
The price of oil has risen to a six-week high as reports of a rescue for debt-laden Greece lifted the euro and helped push the US dollar lower....
Saudi women to be allowed to argue cases in court
Saudi Arabia is planning to bring in a new law to allow women lawyers to argue cases in court for the first time....
Iran's role model and inspiration - on skis
The first Iranian woman to take part in the Winter Olympics says she hopes she will be able to inspire Muslim women all over the world to get involved in sport....
Unearthing Ur riches in Iraq
Archaeologists believe buried antiquities of Ur could one day outshine those of ancient Egypt....
Body falls from cargo plane leaving D.R.
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic - The body of a young man fell from a cargo plane as it was starting to take off for Miami, Dominican officials said....
'Malaria' killed King Tut
King Tutankhamen, Egypt's best-known pharaoh, was a frail youth who died due to "severe malaria" more than 3,000 years ago, researchers have said, following extensive DNA analysis on his remains....
Saudi religious policeman lashed for having six wives
A court in Saudi Arabia has sentenced a man to 120 lashes for having six wives at the same time....
Cairo protest over anti-women vote
Dozens of Egyptian women and human rights activists have staged a protest in Cairo against a recent decision that bars women from holding judicial positions....
Saudi grand mufti denounces terrorism
Sheikh Abdul Aziz condemns terror attacks against innocent civilians, calls them ‘un-Islamic’....
Malaysian Women Caned for Extramarital Sex
(AP) Authorities in Malaysia caned three Muslim women for having extramarital sex, making them the first women in the country to receive such punishment under Islamic law, an official said Wednesday. ...
'Saudi royal link' in London Landmark hotel murder
A 33-year-old being questioned over the murder of a man in London's Landmark hotel could have links with the Saudi royal family, it is understood....
Israeli FM vague over Dubai murder
Israel's foreign minister has said there is "no reason" to believe that his country's spy agency was behind the killing of a senior Hamas figure in the United Arab Emirates, but did not explicitly deny involvement....
Britain to investigate link in Hamas man murder
Brown pledges 'full investigation' into use of fake British passports by suspected Mossad agents....
Obama names first envoy to Syria since 2005
Washington (CNN) -- President Obama is ending the United States' five-year diplomatic absence in Syria by formally nominating veteran diplomat Robert Ford to serve as U.S. ambassador there, a sign of thawing relations between the two nations....
End of free health care hits Egypt’s poor hardest
Millions of poor Egyptians with no health insurance bear brunt of government’s empty coffers....
Clinton warns Iran 'becoming a military dictatorship'
Iran is "becoming a military dictatorship", US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said....
Dubai stock market falls on debt fears
Dubai's stock market fell 3.5% after a report said the government's investment vehicle Dubai World may offer only 60 cents on the dollar to creditors....
Valentine's black market fights Muttawa in Saudi
Valentine’s Day is annual battle between Saudi romantics and feared Islamic police in Saudi Arabia....
Gathafi ‘persona non grata’ in Switzerland
Report that among 188 blacklisted Libyans are lawmakers, people from PM's office, military, security, economic officials....
Israeli cult leader charged with enslavement, rape
Jerusalem (CNN) -- An Israeli man accused of having 23 wives and fathering 59 children was charged Sunday in a Tel Aviv court with multiple counts of sexual assault, rape, sodomy and enslavement....
An obstacle to better US-Muslim relations?
Dialogue between the US and the Muslim world is important even if the US is a country/superpower and the Muslim world is divided and spread over at least 56 countries that are more in need of dialogue amongst themselves than with Washington....
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