Activists say revolution must go ‘back to basics’
By Jailan Zayan /AFP CAIRO: Egyptian activists are calling for a massive rally on July 8 to "save the revolution" that toppled Hosni Mubarak, urging politicians to drop debates on the…
Cabinet, political powers hail Azhar’s call for democratic state
By Heba Fahmy CAIRO: Egypt’s Cabinet and different political powers hailed an Al-Azhar document calling for a "modern, democratic" and secular state in Egypt. Deputy Prime Minister Yehia El-Gamal commended the…
Two years on, Jackson death still casts shadow
Two years after Michael Jackson's shock death, the mystery over exactly how he died continues to fuel legal wrangling, conspiracy theories and family strains over the King of Pop's clouded…
Witness: Airstrike wounds 3 militants in Somalia
MOGADISHU: An airstrike from military aircraft hit a convoy carrying Al-Qaeda-linked militants near the coast of southern Somalia, witnesses said Friday. A militant leader confirmed that fighters were wounded. According…
EU names Iranian Guard commanders in Syria sanctions
BRUSSELS: The European Union published extended sanctions on Syria on Friday, including the names of three commanders of Iran's Revolutionary Guard accused of supporting Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad's suppression of…
Israeli, Palestinian rights groups unite for Shalit
JERUSALEM: Israeli, Palestinian and international human rights groups issued a joint statement on Friday demanding that Gaza insurgents end "inhumane" treatment of an Israeli soldier they hold captive. …
More than 1,500 refugees flee Syria in one day
BEIRUT: More than 1,500 Syrian refugees streamed across the border to safe havens in Turkey in one day as Syria's 3-month-old pro-democracy movement braced for another day of mass protests…
Qaddafi ‘may abandon’ bombed capital, rebels seek arms
TRIPOLI: Moammar Qaddafi is considering leaving the capital Tripoli following blistering NATO air raids, a report said, as Libya's rebels hinted they may allow him to remain in the country…
Free speech under siege
LONDON: Recently, at a literary festival in Britain, I found myself on a panel discussing free speech. For liberals, free speech is a key index of freedom. Democracies stand…
What we can learn from A Gay Girl in Damascus
By Nada Akl LONDON: The elaborate fiction that was the blog “A Gay Girl in Damascus” by the fictional character Amina Abdullah Arraf Al-Omari left many feeling frustrated, betrayed or outraged.…
