There are 17999 articles

  • Meshaal warns of third intifada

    The political leader of Hamas has said Palestinians will begin a third intifada - or uprising - if a political route to a Palestinian state within 1967 borders is not found within six months. "If our demands are not met, the Palestinian people will close all political files and launch a third intifada," Khaled Meshaal said in Cairo on Saturday. "We.. More

  • Bomber strikes Afghan restaurant

    An unidentified bomber has killed at least seven people and hurt 20 others in an attack on a restaurant in south-eastern Afghanistan, a local official has said. The attack took place in the Urgun district in Paktika province, on the border with Pakistan. Most of those killed in the blast were civilians, governor Mohammed Akram Akhpelwak told the.. More

  • Gaza ceasefire begins

    A Gaza ceasefire to halt Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel and a five-month-old Israeli military offensive in the territory has begun. The ceasefire, which went into effect at 6 am (4:00 GMT) on Sunday, could set the stage for a summit between Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president and Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister. Palestinian fighters.. More

  • Lebanon death 'may herald coup'

    The killing of Lebanese politician Pierre Gemayel may be the "first shot" in a coup against the government, a top US official has said. John Bolton, the American ambassador to the United Nations, said recent probes into political killings in Lebanon suggested Syrian involvement. He told the BBC that if Syria was deemed to have been involved, the.. More

  • US forces 'kill Iraq fighters'

    There has been more violence in Iraq, despite a curfew imposed on the capital in response to recent killings. US forces say they have killed 22 insurgents - 10 in a raid on a bomb-making facility north of Baghdad and 12 in a convoy of cars. The bodies of 21 Iraqi villagers have been discovered north-east of Baghdad in Diyala province. President.. More

  • Bahrain votes on new parliament

    The people of the Gulf state of Bahrain have begun voting to elect a new parliament and local councils. It is the second time people have been able to vote for representatives at a national level under a new system introduced by the King of Bahrain. On Friday, about 2,000 people protested in the capital Manama demanding the resignation of the prime.. More

  • Baghdad Shias mourn bomb victims

    Funerals are being held in Iraq for victims of Thursday's bomb attacks in Baghdad's Shia Sadr City district that left more than 200 people dead. In apparent retaliation, mosques were attacked in a Sunni area of Baghdad with unconfirmed reports of casualties. The latest violence came despite a city-wide curfew and appeals for calm. A key Shia group.. More

  • Israel rejects ceasefire proposal

    Israel has dismissed an offer by Palestinian militant groups to stop firing rockets into Israel, if Israel ends attacks on Palestinians. An Israeli government spokeswoman, Miri Eisen, said the militants had offered only a partial ceasefire. She said the offer of an end to firing rockets from Gaza showed a lack of real commitment to peace. The.. More

  • Ethiopia warning draws Somali ire

    The Islamic body that controls much of Somalia has reacted angrily to comments by Ethiopia that it is prepared for an attack by its eastern neighbor. The head of Somalia's Union of Islamic Courts (UIC), Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, said his forces were ready to face Ethiopian troops within Somalia. On Thursday Ethiopia's PM said the UIC had declared.. More

  • Four Palestinians killed by Israeli troops in Gaza

    Four Palestinians were killed when Israeli ground troops backed by tanks and armoured vehicles raided the northern Gaza towns of Beit Hanoun and Jebaliya. Palestinian witnesses said that two armed men and two civilians were killed in the fighting on Wednesday. Israel appeared to be stepping up its offensive into northern Gaza as night fell. Israeli.. More

  • African leaders discuss Darfur

    Six African leaders, including the presidents of Sudan and Chad, have begun in Libya a mini-summit on Sudan's Darfur region, where internal strife is spilling over into Chad and the Central African Republic. Tuesday's meeting, aimed at carving out Libya's wish for a "radical solution", comes amid rising impatience from both the US and the UN. Sudan's.. More

  • EU and AU tackle illegal immigration

    African and European Ministers have called for greater co-operation on illegal immigration. They are meeting in Libya to discuss concerns over the flood of migrants using North Africa as a transit route to Western Europe. But talks have stalled over the issue of a development fund to stop people leaving their countries. European Commission Vice-President.. More

  • Iraqi death toll hits record high

    The Iraqi death toll hit a record high in October, with more than 3,700 people losing their lives in the ongoing violence, according to a UN report. The majority of the 3,709 people who died were killed in sectarian attacks - nearly 200 more than in the previous record month of July. The brunt of the violence was borne in Baghdad, while the report.. More

  • UN agrees to probe Lebanon murder

    The UN Security Council has agreed to a request from Lebanon to help investigate the murder of leading anti-Syrian politician Pierre Gemayel. The council's current president said the decision was taken quickly and needed no discussion. The UN commission already looking into the murder of ex-Lebanese PM Rafik Hariri in 2005 will take on the probe... More

  • Bush pledges to stand by Lebanon

    US President George W Bush has pledged to support Lebanon's independence from what he called the "encroachments of Iran and Syria", a US official said. Mr Bush's promise came in a call to Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, following Tuesday's murder of leading anti-Syrian politician Pierre Gemayel. Many people in Lebanon blame Syria but Damascus.. More