Canada will freeze all remaining trade with Iran to protest the Tehran’s nuclear ambitions and its human rights record, Foreign Minister John Baird said on Wednesday. Canada, which has had increasingly poor relations with Iran for more than a decade, had already imposed a series of trade sanc ... Read more

A top Argentine prosecutor formally accused Iran on Wednesday of opening secret intelligence stations in several South American countries to plan and conduct terror attacks. Prosecutor Alberto Nisman filed a 502-page indictment detailing the accusations in federal court. “I legally accuse Ira ... Read more

The U.S. Embassy in Tunisia said Wednesday it is “deeply troubled” that the 20 people convicted of attacking the embassy last year only received suspended sentences. A mob of some 2,000 people, mostly religious conservatives, attacked the compound on Sept., 14, 2012, destroying cars, pr ... Read more

Iran has received “an oral invitation” to attend a planned Syria peace conference in Geneva next month, the official IRNA news agency quoted a deputy foreign minister as saying on Wednesday. Hossein Amir Abdollahian said “an oral invitation” had been made “but we have ... Read more

One of Lebanon’s Christian leaders, Samir Geagea, accused the Shiite party Hezbollah of attempting to turn Lebanon into a sectarian state in a press conference, held in the country, on Wednesday. Geagea, who is leader of the Lebanese Forces (LF) party, claimed that “the concept of the L ... Read more

Bomb blasts tore through two Baghdad neighborhoods Wednesday evening, killing at least 30 people including several members of a wedding party and extending a relentless wave of bloodshed roiling Iraq. The attacks come as the country is experiencing its most sustained bout of violence since the 2011 ... Read more

Several U.N. experts on Wednesday criticized Iran’s decision to bar women from running in upcoming elections, saying the move violated international law. “This mass disqualification including that of women wishing to stand in the presidential elections is discriminatory and violates the ... Read more

Egypt and Sudan were holding talks on Wednesday following a decision by Ethiopia to divert the Blue Nile as part of a giant dam project which risks affecting the two downstream Arab states. Sudan’s minister of irrigation, Osama Abdallah al-Hassan, arrived in Cairo for a one-day visit to discu ... Read more

The Suez Canal will not fall into non-Egyptian hands, the head of the waterway's management has confirmed, amid worries of foreign involvement in an associated development project. “I assure the Egyptian people that the Suez Canal will not be touched, sold or managed, except by the Egyptians&r; ... Read more

Qatar may change its peg to the U.S. dollar when the economy becomes less dependent on hydrocarbons and local financial markets deepen, although no changes are currently being considered, its central bank chief said. Asked by Reuters which economic conditions needed to be met for Qatar to consider c ... Read more

The International Monetary Fund hopes to agree a new longer term loan for impoverished Yemen by the end of 2013 and mobilize aid from international donors which has been slow to arrive. The IMF has not decided yet on the exact size of the program, a central bank official has put at as much as $500 m ... Read more

Jordan’s prime minister says the government will lift subsidies on electricity to curb a growing budget deficit. Abdullah Ensour made the announcement late Tuesday. Information Minister Mohammad al-Momani told The Associated Press Wednesday that it is still unclear when the price hike would ta ... Read more

The disqualification of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani from Iran’s presidential race has disappointed some women’s rights activists who were looking to the moderate candidate to bring about change. This demographic is now left with just eight candidates who have been approved to run by Iran&rs; ... Read more

It’s hard to consistently please the editor; any journalist will tell you that. But pleasing the state is no-doubt a tougher task. That’s what Hani Shukrallah, the veteran former editor of Egypt’s English-language Ahram Online news site, will tell you. With a wealth of experience i ... Read more

Indonesian mosques have been ordered to cut down on their use of loudspeakers, an Islamic group said Wednesday, a move that may provide some relief to millions who live near the places of worship. There are some 800,000 mosques in Indonesia, which has the world’s biggest Muslim population, an ... Read more

Ahead of Egyptian President Mohammed Mursi’s first anniversary in power, organizers of an anti-Mursi campaign are set to reveal the final count of signatures on Wednesday which may lead to mass protests later this week. The “Tamarod” (rebellion) campaign has attracted global media ... Read more

CS Sfaxien won the Tunisian championship on Wednesday with a 2-1 home victory over Club Africain in their final game of the season, handing former Netherlands captain Ruud Krol the title in his first season at the club. Sfaxien ended the four-team play-offs with 13 points from six games, one ahead ... Read more

FIFA has backed its reform process and insists it’s carrying out many recommended changes aimed at more financial transparency, although president Sepp Blatter’s annual salary is still a secret. Domenico Scala, a Swiss industrialist brought in to be FIFA’s top financial watchdog an ... Read more