New ministers take oath after changes in nominated names
By Samer Al-Atrush /AFP CAIRO: New ministers in a sweeping reshuffle of Egypt's cabinet took their oaths before the military ruler on Thursday, as the prime minister sought to appease protesters…
Panel opposes political role for Egyptian military
By Hamza Hendawi / AP CAIRO: A key member of a panel drafting guidelines for Egypt's next constitution said on Wednesday that most of the group's 50 members object to giving…
Shots, arrests as Syrian troops tighten screws on Homs
NICOSIA: Syria's security forces Thursday pressed a clampdown against dissidents in the central city of Homs, where shots were heard, arrests were made and many streets were deserted, rights activists…
Germany seeking to convince Saleh to stand down, says report
BERLIN: Germany is serving as an intermediary in a bid to convince Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh to stand down amid a popular revolt against his three-decade rule, a newspaper…
Libya rebels seek arms, press pre-Ramadan offensive
BENGHAZI: Libya's rebels asked France for extra arms to help them overrun Tripoli within "days", as they ramped up a pre-Ramadan offensive that has Moamer Kadhafi's troops on the run…
Iraq Shia militia splinters into hit squads, gangs
BAGHDAD: Anti-US cleric Moqtada Al-Sadr's Mehdi Army has spawned dozens of renegade splinter groups which frequently assassinate Iraqi officials on behalf of foreign sponsors, Sadrist and security officials say. The…
Storms ahoy as the tide turns
By Philip Whitfield ALEXANDRIA: Casting their long rods, lines and bait into the Mediterranean, fisher folk are taking advantage of the season’s neap tides. Gentle waves lap the rocks and the…
The autism generation
By Allen Frances SAN DIEGO: Not long ago, autism was among the rarest of disorders, afflicting only one child in every 2,000-5,000. This changed dramatically with the publication in 1994 of…
Social media show limits as Egypt elections loom
By Yasmine Saleh / Reuters CAIRO: Egyptians who turned to Facebook and Twitter to galvanize their revolt against Hosni Mubarak are starting to wonder whether faith in social media as the…
Downtown march calls for end to military trials for civilians
By Mai Shams El-Din CAIRO: Family members of civilians tried in military courts led a march of around 2,000 protesters in Tahrir Square and around Downtown Cairo, urging the Supreme Council…
