Saudi preacher gets 8 years in jail for daughter’s abuse, murder
RIYADH - A court in Saudi Arabia has sentenced a Muslim preacher convicted of abusing his daughter and causing her death to eight years in prison and 800 lashes, Saudi media said on Tuesday, Oct 8.The court in Hotat Bani Tamim, a town south of the capital Riyadh, also gave the girl's stepmother 10 months in jail and 150 lashes for...Libyan PM ‘arrested’ for 6 hours by former rebel militia
TRIPOLI - Libya's prime minister was seized and held for several hours on Thursday, Oct. 10, by former rebel militiamen angry at the weekend capture by U.S. special forces of a Libyan al-Qaeda suspect in Tripoli.Ali Zeidan was freed unharmed but the incident underlined the anarchy prevailing in the oil-rich North African state, two years...Gulf states to ‘detect’ gays at airports and ban them from entry
KUWAIT CITY - Routine clinical screenings may be used to "detect" homosexuals and bar them from entering Kuwait and other Gulf member states, according to a top Kuwaiti official.A central committee tasked with the status of expatriates is set to view the proposal on November 11.“Health centers conduct the routine medical check to...Lebanon delays gas exploration bid deadline to January
BEIRUT - Lebanon's Energy Ministry has delayed its offshore gas licensing round by a month until January after politicians failed to form a new government which could approve decrees needed to launch the bidding process.The ministry said Energy Minister Gebran Bassil had put back the auction date for exploration blocs to January 10,...U.N. tells staff to stay at home after German killed in Yemen
SANAA - The United Nations told its staff in Yemen to stay home on Monday, Oct. 7, a day after gunmen shot dead a German embassy security guard.International humanitarian organizations have also advised staff to limit their movements, an aid worker said."Staff should remain at home and not travel. No travel to shops or elsewhere is...UAE oil company to develop Kurdistan oilfield in Iraq
ABU DHABI - Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (Taqa) has received approval from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to develop the Atrush Block, an oil field in the autonomous region of Iraq, the state-controlled company said on Monday, Oct 7.Deals between foreign investors and the KRG to develop oilfields have angered the federal...AAPAC announces endorsement for upcoming local elections
DEARBORN — Just weeks ahead of the General Elections which will take place on Tuesday, November 5, the Arab American Political Action Committee (AAPAC) has announced their slate of endorsements in the local municipality races. Formed in 1998, AAPAC’s membership consists of a diverse group of Arab American professionals, who work...Iraq executes 42, as violence worsens
BAGHDAD - Iraq executed 42 people, including a woman, for mass killings and other terrorism charges over two days this week, the justice ministry and the United Nations said on Thursday, Oct 10, after a surge in sectarian violence.The U.N. mission in the country said it was concerned about the executions, which took place on Tuesday and...
U.S. suspends more military aid to Egypt
October 10th, 20130 WASHINGTON - The administration of President Barack Obama announced Wednesday it was freezing hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to the Egyptian military pending “credible progress” toward a return to democratic rule. The State Department said Washington was suspending deliveries of big-ticket weaponry, including tanks, warplanes...How Yemeni coffee reaches American cups
SANAA, Yemen — Moving from tree to tree, an old man shows off his treasure. He is so engrossed in his task that, at times, he forgets who is around. His hand, tanned and wrinkled by years of working under the sun, cautiously extends toward a stem and carefully handpicks coffee cherries, while explaining the delicate and intricate...Russian embassy in Libya attacked by gunmen
TRIPOLI — Russia's embassy in the Libyan capital of Tripoli came under fire on Wednesday, Oct. 2, and a group of people tried to force their way into the compound, the Russian Foreign Ministry said. A damaged car is seen in front of the Russian embassy, a day after it came under attack in Tripoli October 3, 2013. REUTERS/Ismail...Egyptian: insulting flag is a crime
CAIRO — Refusing to stand for the national anthem, or insulting the country's flag is now an offense punishable by law."Ridiculing the Egyptian flag and not standing in respect when the national anthem is played in public is a crime punishable by the maximum of six months imprisonment and/or $5,000 pounds fine," the draft law approved...Battle rages between rebels, FSA delegates meet regime officials
Al-Qaeda-linked fighters fought rival Syrian rebels near the border with Turkey on Wednesday, Oct. 2, activists said, in an outbreak of violence driven by the divisions between factions battling President Bashar al-Assad.The fighting illustrates the volatile situation in Syria as a team of chemical weapons experts start the process of...Five Yemenis jailed for role in 2012 al-Qaeda suicide attack
SANAA — Yemen jailed five people for up to 10 years on Wednesday, Oct. 2, for their part in an al-Qaeda suicide bombing last year that killed more than 90 soldiers rehearsing for a military parade.Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) - one of the most active franchises of the Islamist group - claimed responsibility for the bombing...Sudan arrests 700 people duringweek of anti-government unrest
KHARTOUM — Seven hundred people have been arrested during a week of the worst unrest in central Sudan in years, the government said on Monday, Sept. 30, as protests continued against President Omar Hassan al-Bashir.One week after the start of demonstrations against subsidy cuts, police once again used tear gas on protesters, this time......
Saudi cleric: Driving damages women’s ovaries
RIYADH — A conservative Saudi Arabian cleric has said women who drive risk damaging their ovaries and bearing children with clinical problems, countering activists who are trying to end the Islamic kingdom's male-only driving rules.A campaign calling for women to defy the ban in a protest drive on October 26 has spread rapidly online...Militants shoot down army helicopter in northern Iraq
Unidentified militants shot down a military helicopter in northern Iraq on Wednesday, Oct. 2, killing all four crew members.The helicopter was carrying out a security mission between the city of Kirkuk and Salahuddin province in the early morning when it came under heavy fire and crashed in western Baiji, 180 km (112 miles) north of...Saudi cleric: Driving damages women’s ovaries
RIYADH — A conservative Saudi Arabian cleric has said women who drive risk damaging their ovaries and bearing children with clinical problems, countering activists who are trying to end the Islamic kingdom's male-only driving rules.A campaign calling for women to defy the ban in a protest drive on October 26 has spread rapidly online...Thousands rally against Tunisia ruling Islamists
SFAX, Tunisia — Thousands protested in cities across Tunisia on Thursday, Sept. 26, to call on the ruling Islamist Ennahda party to step down immediately, to make way for new elections to end a stalemate with its secular opponents.The North African nation that started the 2011 "Arab Spring" revolts has been caught in political deadlock......
Qatar examining allegations of labor abuses
DOHA - Qatar government authorities are investigating allegations in the Guardian newspaper that dozens of migrant Nepalese workers have died in recent weeks, the committee managing preparations for the 2022 World Cup said on Thursday, Sept. 26.The Guardian report, published on Wednesday, said thousands of Nepalese workers were enduring...Arrested Moroccan editor to face terrorism investigation
RABAT — A Moroccan editor is being investigated on suspicion of helping militants after posting an al Qaeda video on his website, prosecutors said, in a case that rights groups say erodes press freedom. Anouzia.Ali Anouzla, editor of Lakome.com and known for his investigative journalism and columns, criticizing the kingdom's rulers,......
Egypt shuts headquarters of Muslim Brotherhood newspaper
CAIRO — Egyptian authorities have shut down the headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice newspaper in Cairo, the latest move aimed at crushing the Islamist movement, the Brotherhood said on Wednesday, Sept. 25."We the journalists of the Freedom and Justice newspaper condemn the security forces for closing down...American in Bahrain sentenced to 10 years in jail
Manama - A U.S. citizen was jailed for 10 years in Bahrain on Tuesday, Sept. 25, on charges of attempted murder, during a disturbance related to anti-government protests, his lawyer said.The State Department confirmed the jailing of American-born Tagi al-Maidan for 10 years and said his lawyer would appeal the sentence.Maidan had earlier......