Middle East

Egyptian court orders Al Jazeera and other news outlets to close down

"A Cairo court Tuesday ordered the closure of four television channels, including Al-Jazeera Egypt and Ahrar 25, a network belonging to the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood. The closure comes a day after Islamist broadcaster Al-Hafez was ordered shut following accusations that it was 'inciting hatred' against Coptic Christians and 'undermining national unity'. Tuesday’s order against Al-Jazeera Mubasher Misr comes two days after Egyptian authorities expelled three foreign journalists working as freelancers for the Doha-based network’s English-language channel. Egypt’s authorities have accused Al-Jazeera Mubasher Misr of bias in its reporting of the coup that ousted Morsi." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEgyptian court orders Al Jazeera and other news outlets to close down

UK troops deny mutilating Iraq insurgents’ corpses

"Troops are accused of unlawfully killing 20 or more Iraqis at Camp Abu Naji near Majar-al-Kabir in May 2004, and ill-treating detainees there as well as later at Shaibah Logistics Base, also in southwest Iraq. But at a hearing in London on Monday, Colonel Adam Griffiths said he had not seen any evidence to suggest that around a dozen bodies taken to Camp Abu Naji were mutilated before being returned to relatives, or that detainees had been mistreated. He suggested that the rumours sprang from 'ignorance amongst the local population as to the traumatic injuries that can be suffered in combat' as well as insurgents’ efforts to discredit the US-led troops that had invaded Iraq in 2003." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUK troops deny mutilating Iraq insurgents’ corpses

U.S. steps up Pakistan surveillance: ‘black budget’ analysis

"America has delivered nearly $26 billion in aid to Pakistan over the past 12 years, with the money aimed at stabilizing the country and ensuring its cooperation in counterterrorism efforts, according to the paper. US spy agencies reported that senior Pakistani military and intelligence officials knew of and possibly ordered a broad campaign of extrajudicial killings of militants and other adversaries, the Post said. Public disclosure of the reports could have forced the administration of President Barack Obama to sever aid to the Pakistani armed forces. This is because of a US law that prohibits military assistance to human rights abusers." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingU.S. steps up Pakistan surveillance: ‘black budget’ analysis

Kerry: U.S. has firm evidence sarin gas was used in Syria attack

"'Each day that goes by,' Kerry said, 'this case is getting stronger. I mean, today I'm at liberty to tell you that we now have samples back from first responders in East Damascus - those samples of hair and blood have been tested, and they have reported positive for signatures of sarin. So, we are now getting a stronger case each day. The credibility of the United States is on the line here and I believe that Congress will do the right thing.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingKerry: U.S. has firm evidence sarin gas was used in Syria attack

Gorbachev warns of Syrian intervention risks

"Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev said in Geneva on Monday that US President Barack Obama was right to seek backing from Congress for military action in Syria, but he warned that intervening raised dire risks. 'If he's not decisive enough in shooting and bombing, I think it's a good kind of indecisiveness,' Gorbachev told a conference of Green Cross International, a peace and environmental organisation he founded in 1993, two years after his Kremlin ouster. 'If, however, they decide to shoot without regard for the opinion of the people everywhere, including the United States, then I think the consequences could be very bad,' he warned." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGorbachev warns of Syrian intervention risks

Saudi princess snaps up luxurious Geneva estate for $62 million

"Princess Latifa Bin Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who is 54 and a daughter of former king Fahd, bought the 18,800-square-metre (202,362-square-foot) estate from the wealthy Nordmann family that co-owns upscale department store chain Manor and the maker of Lacoste clothing. The purchase price for the property is the second-highest on record in the city. The villa on the estate, known as Hauterive, is protected along with other properties overlooking Lake Geneva. Al Saud joins a number of other Saudi royals who already live in luxurious settings in the canton of Geneva." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSaudi princess snaps up luxurious Geneva estate for $62 million

On Obama’s Plan, a Message Emerges in Israel: Stay Quiet

"Israel has a powerful American lobby with bipartisan strength that could be uniquely positioned to help the White House shore up support in Congress. Yet there were no outward signs on Sunday that Israel would attempt to influence the outcome, and numerous experts on the Israel-American relationship said it would be deeply dangerous to try. 'It would be a mistake to overplay the Israeli interest,' said Itamar Rabinovich, who was Israel’s ambassador to the United States and also its chief negotiator with Syria in the 1990s. 'It’s bad for Israel that the average American gets it into his or her mind that boys are again sent to war for Israel. They have to be sent to war for America.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingOn Obama’s Plan, a Message Emerges in Israel: Stay Quiet