Sudan, S. Sudan presidents meet in summit to defuse tension

Sudan, S. Sudan presidents to meet in summit to defuse tension Leaders of Sudan and South Sudan are due to meet Friday in the Ethiopian capital to push for progress on stalled economic, oil and security deals that were drafted to ease tension between the former civil war … Read More

Thousands rally in Gaza to support Fatah anniversary

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians joined a rare rally staged by President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah group in Gaza on Friday, as tensions ease with rival Hamas Islamists ruling the enclave since 2007. A long hiatus in peace talks between Abbas’s administration and Israel … Read More

Iran calls Washington the world’s only nuclear ‘criminal’

Iran, whose relationship with the United States has worsened over its disputed nuclear program, blames Washington for violating a nuclear non-proliferation treaty and its failure to wipe out terrorism in Afghanistan. Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary, … Read More

Arab Spring-inspired reform movement commemorates second anniversary

Protesters in support of the Arab Spring-inspired reform movement gathered near the Jordanian capital’s Husseini mosque on Friday to commemorate the second anniversary of the organization. “We are here today to commemorate the second anniversary of this Jordanian … Read More

Sadr visits Baghdad church, site of 2010 attack

Firebrand Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr visited a Baghdad church that was the scene of a deadly 2010 attack as well as one of the Iraqi capital’s main Sunni mosques on Friday, an apparent overture to other religious groups as opposition mounts against his rival, Prime … Read More

Awlaqi may have bought hijackers pre-9/11 air tickets

The FBI suspected that U.S.-born Al-Qaeda cleric Anwar al-Awlaqi, killed in a 2011 drone strike in Yemen, could have bought flight tickets for three of the 9/11 hijackers before the attacks, a transparency watchdog said. Judicial Watch, which is based in Washington, … Read More

Successor replaces slain Pakistan warlord: officials

A senior Pakistani militant commander has been appointed to succeed warlord Mullah Nazir, who orchestrated attacks in Afghanistan until his death in a U.S. drone strike, officials said Friday. Nazir, killed late Wednesday and buried Thursday, was the main militant … Read More

Malala discharged from British Hospital

The Pakistani schoolgirl shot in the head by the Taliban as punishment for campaigning for girls’ education has been discharged from the British hospital treating her, but will return soon for more surgery, the hospital said Friday. Queen Elizabeth Hospital in … Read More

Turkey will no longer reveal where it buys its oil: official

Turkey, a major buyer of oil and gas from Iran, will no longer give a breakdown of where its energy imports come from, an official at the country’s statistics office said Friday. The move, as the West tightens sanctions on Tehran over its contested nuclear … Read More

OPEC oil output falls to lowest in more than a year as Iran exports dip

OPEC oil output fell in December to its lowest in more than a year as Iranian exports dipped again because of sanctions, top exporter Saudi Arabia cut output and supplies from Iraq eased, according to a Reuters survey. Crude supply from the Organization of the Petroleum … Read More

Lebanon asks for $180 million to aid Syrian refugees

Lebanon, now a haven for 170,000 Syrians fleeing civil war, has asked foreign donors for $180 million to help care for them and said it will register and recognize refugees after a year-long hiatus. The Beirut government has officially sought to “dissociate” itself from … Read More

Big Spender: Saudi Arabia upholds high budget

Determined to push past global economic crises and spiraling political unrest in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia’s recently announced all-time high expenditure plan is part of a strategy to bolster the Kingdom’s economic solidity. Saudi Arabia’s council of ministers on … Read More

Trying to live ‘normally’ in Syria’s second city

The benches in Hawas park in the battered city of Aleppo are now mere metal skeletons, the wood stripped off by residents to burn so they can keep warm in the northern Syrian winter. After months of battles devastated much of the city, the country’s former … Read More

Iraqi town caught in middle of territory row

Butcher Sherzad Saleh stands outside his shop in Tuz Khurmatu holding a dead chicken. He has more pressing concerns than a high-level dispute over territory. “The army comes here, this is my job; the peshmerga come here, this is my job,” says Saleh. … Read More

Good cop, ‘fat’ cop? Iraq cracks down on pudgy police

Ihsan Ghaidan, a policeman in one of Iraq's most volatile provinces, admits he stands little chance of promotion and notes his performance is increasingly under the microscope, for one simple reason. He is overweight, and Iraq's security leaders … Read More

Yemen cyclists complain of lack of support in the country

Dressed in their cycling gear members of Yemen’s National Cycle Foundation hit the road as part of a training session. But navigating through the traffic in the country’s capital, Sana’a, isn’t their only worry; the cyclists say they often face a barrage of abuse from … Read More

Richard Gasquet reaches Qatar Open final

Second-seeded Richard Gasquet overcame German qualifier Daniel Brands 7-5, 7-5 Friday to reach the Qatar Open final. The 10th-ranked Frenchman struggled early against the big-hitting German. Brands controlled the rallies with his forehand, often pushing Gasquet beyond … Read More

Gulf Cup biennial football kicks off in Bahrain

Eight Arab football teams have arrived in Bahrain ahead for the 21st Gulf Cup biennial football tournament due to kick off on Jan.5 and will last for about two weeks. Teams from Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Yemen, and Iraq arrived in the small island country … Read More