Lack of standardization hobbles Islamic finance
DUBAI/KUALA LUMPUR: Wrangling among scholars and wiggle room in interpretation of Sharia principles threaten to derail any attempt to arrive at global standards in Islamic finance, holding back the $1-trillion…
Hamas accuses Israel of obstructing prisoner exchange
DAMASCUS: Hamas Chief Khaled Meshaal has accused Israel of obstructing a prisoner exchange that would include an Israeli soldier held captive for nearly four years, a senior official of the…
Lebanon jails 31 over Al-Qaeda-linked plots
BEIRUT: A Lebanese military court handed 31 alleged members of the Al-Qaeda-inspired group Fatah Al-Islam prison terms of up to 15 years for terrorism, a judicial source said on Wednesday.…
Booby trapped body kills 3 in Baghdad
BAGHDAD: A Baghdad police official says three people were killed in northwest Baghdad when a booby-trapped body exploded near a grocery store. The police official says the body was left…
More than 100 killed in Darfur clashes since March, says UN
KHARTOUM: Clashes between rival Arab tribes have claimed 107 lives since March in Darfur, the UN peacekeeping mission in Sudan said, warning of a buildup of government and rebel troops…
US urges citizens to avoid Niger kidnap threats
WASHINGTON: The United States on Tuesday urged Americans to avoid traveling to northern Niger as westerners risk being abducted by an Islamist group linked to Al-Qaeda. "The Department of State…
Israeli FM warns of N. Korean 'axis of evil'
TOKYO: Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Wednesday accused North Korea of creating a world-threatening "axis of evil" with Iran and Syria by supplying them with weapons technology. The firebrand…
Iraqi commission to end election work
BAGHDAD: Iraq's committee charged with vetting officials for ties to Saddam Hussein's regime will not ban any more candidates from the disputed election though the fate of nine others that…
Government champions new emergency law, opposition criticize extension
CAIRO: The Egyptian government championed the new version of the emergency law recently passed through parliament while the opposition derided it as cosmetic change which would not change facts on…
Ahmadinejad says UN sanctions 'not worth a cent'
YASOUJ, Iran: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday dismissed the threat of new international sanctions, saying any UN resolution punishing Iran for its refusal to stop uranium enrichment "won't be worth…