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  • Kerry holds talks with Israeli and Palestinian officials Kerry holds talks with Israeli and Palestinian officials

    JERUSALEM - US Secretary of State John Kerry Thursday separately began meetings with Israeli and Palestinian officials but appeared doubtful about his success on getting the two warring sides back to peace negotiations. This is Kerry's fourth trip to the Middle East in as many months of his assuming the office of the top US diplomat. He was been trying to revive a peace process that has been ...

  • Meeting of Syrian opposition leaders begins in Istanbul Meeting of Syrian opposition leaders begins in Istanbul

    ISTANBUL - Syrian opposition leaders Thursday began their three-day meeting in this Turkish capital city to decide on their participation in talks aimed at end the civil war in the country. As the meeting began in Istanbul a prominent Syrian figure in the opposition proposed a transition plan for the country that requires President Bashar al-Assad to hand over power to a senior aide and ...

  • Work starts on creation of new Dubai island Work starts on creation of new Dubai island

    Work began on Monday on the development of a man-made island in Dubai, 500 metres directly opposite the Jumeirah Beach Residence complex. To be known as Bluewaters Island, the new development will house five star hotels and resorts, al fresco dining and entertainment zones, and residential apartments and villas. The focal point of the island city, which will cost $1.6 billion, will be a 688 ...

  • Syrias Civil War Fuels Violence in Iraq

    Ominous ties are emerging between skyrocketing sectarian violence in Iraq and Syria's civil war. Analysts say al-Qaida-linked militants are flowing back and forth from both countries and are seeking to use religious differences to bring down the government, not only in Damascus, but also in Baghdad. Iraqis are witnessing the worst violence to rock their country in five years. ...

  • Iran upgrading nuclear program IAEA

    Tehran has reportedly upgraded its nuclear program by adding advanced uranium enrichment facilities and building a plutonium-producing reactor according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The IAEA report reflects the increased international concerns about the potential proliferation dangers it represents as the completion date approaches, the Huffington Post reports. According ...

Movie Review

From Hell

Some 114 years after he murdered at least five women in London's East End, we still do not know for sure who Jack the Ripper was. He remains a shadowy figure of both history and myth, and although he was not the first serial killer, he remains the "prototype" for thinking about serial killing. As Mark Seltzer noted in his book Serial Killers, "That nothing reliable is known about the ident ... ...

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  • Cannes-Fashion Photos Sharon Stone Accessorizes with a Snake Janet Jackson Opts for a Sexy White Pantsuit

    aids gala on Thursday. There, they presumably held onto their metallic clutches extra tightly as they demonstrated creative new ways of baring flesh. For Sharon Stone, this meant accessorizing her bare back with a gilt snake ornament, while Brazilian model Isabeli Fontana chose a black gown with circular cutouts. Karlie Kloss and Janet Jackson went in the other direction, opting for sexy ...

  • Obama Vows to Work with Britain on Syria

    President Obama vowed Monday to work with Britain to pressure the Syrian government to end its bloody civil war, calling the violence there appalling. With Prime Minister David Cameron at his side, Obama said the two allies would work to strengthen moderate opposition against the hardline regime of President Bashar al-Assad. The two also discussed the Mideast peace process and a possible ...

  • Turkish interior minister says no al-Qaida involvement in the deadliest attack to hit Turkey-Syria border sinc…

    Turkish interior minister says no al-Qaida involvement in the deadliest attack to hit Turkey-Syria border since the beginning of the Syrian uprising HATAY - Turkish interior minister has said there was no al-Qaeda involvement in twin car bomb attacks in a Turkish town near the Syrian frontier, the deadliest cross-border violence in Turkey since Syria`s popular uprising began in March ...

  • Yemen welcomes Obama decision on Gitmo transfers

    WASHINGTON (AP) — Yemen is welcoming President Barack Obama's decision to lift his ban on the transfer of Yemeni prisoners from the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.In a statement released Thursday shortly after Obama announced the step, the Yemeni Embassy said it appreciated the switch. It said Yemen would work with the U.S. to ensure the safe return of Yemeni detainees ...

  • Shift In Drone Policy Resonates in Yemen

    Gregory Johnsen . He says he’s encouraged that a more selective use of drones could go a long way to protecting civilians in places like Yemen, while aiding US intelligence gathering efforts. ';I think this has a real benefit for US counter-terrorism,'; Johnsen says. ';Obviously dead men tell no tales. But if you have someone that you picked up, you can gain a lot more ...

  • Obama lifts ban on Guantanamo transfers to Yemen

    WASHINGTON -; President Barack Obama is lifting his self-imposed ban on transferring Guantanamo Bay detainees to Yemen in his renewed effort to close the ...

  • USA Prepares Regional War in the Middle East

    Ottawa, May 23 (Prensa Latina) Hidden behind alleged peace talks between, the United States is preparing a regional war, denounced today the Canadian alternative publication Global Research. Using as background curtain the peace talks between the Syrian government and Western-backed "rebels", Secretary of State, John Kerry, met with US allies to prepare for region-wide war, says the ...

  • Israels Hand in Guatemalas Genocide

    Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. (Photo credit: Jim Wallace of the Smithsonian Institution) At the height of Guatemala's mass slaughters in the 1980s, including genocide against the Ixil Indians, the Reagan administration worked with Israeli officials to provide helicopters that the Guatemalan army used to hunt down fleeing villagers, according to documentary and eyewitness ...

  • More Young Syrians Flee Home Lives To Face The Unknown

    Over the past few months, the security situation in the Syrian capital Damascus has been deteriorating. For many Damascenes, the city they always called home is no longer a livable place. They can't make a living anymore, and everyday is a risk that tempts fate. In an exodus from Damascus, many young professionals are abandoning their lives at home to flee abroad and face the ...

  • Qatar Tunisia negotiate possible CB deposit

    (MENAFN) Tunisia's Prime Minister, Ali Larayedh, stated that the government is currently negotiating a Qatari deposit in the North African country's central bank, reported Arabian Business.Larayedh said that officials from Qatar are also planning to increase investments in Tunisia, which reached a USD1.75-billion loan agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in April to ...

  • Defying naysayers on all sides Kerry keeps pushing Israelis Palestinians to table

    Conventional wisdom is that the Israelis and Palestinians are too far apart to even begin talks, but Secretary of State John Kerry appeared undaunted on his fourth visit in as many ...

  • National Council of Resistance of Iran Deplores Christian Detentions in Country

    The National Council of Resistance of Iran has advocated on behalf of persecuted religious minorities in Iran and has called for the humane treatment of Christians in prison in light of deteriorating conditions in some of the country's most notorious ...

  • Arab Spring Puts the Middle East in Bloody Whirlpool Says Patriarch

    Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal of Jerusalem said that the historical period referred to as the "Arab Spring" puts the Middle East in a "serious and bloody ...

  • Terracide and the Terrarists Destroying the Planet for Record Profits

    We have a word for the conscious slaughter of a racial or ethnic group: genocide. And one for the conscious destruction of aspects of the environment: ecocide. But we ...

  • Israel says global pressure has no effect on Iran

    Israel's prime minister said Thursday that a new report by the U.N. atomic agency shows that international pressure is having no effect on stopping Iran's suspect nuclear ...

  • Palestinians pessimistic about Kerrys peace prospects

    TEL AVIV // A senior Palestinian official yesterday expressed pessimism about returning to negotiations with Israel as John Kerry, the US secretary of state, continued his efforts to revive the deadlocked peace process. Hanan Ashrawi, an official on the Palestine Liberation Organisation's executive committee, said that the Palestinians were "sceptical" Israel would agree to stop ...

  • Clashes in Lebanon feed fear of Syria spillover

    In this image from amateur video obtained by a group which calls itself Ugarit News, shows rebel fighters celebrating after purportedly capturing an army base in Nairab, northwestern Syria, Thursday, May 23, 2013. The video is consistent with independent AP reporting. Rebel fighters captured an army base late Wednesday, a rare victory after a series of battlefield setbacks, the Britain-based ...

  • Counting US drone strikes in Pakistan Yemen

    WASHINGTON -; President Barack Obama said Thursday that he will engage Congress in exploring a number of options for increased oversight of lethal drone strikes outside of war zones like ...

  • Kerry urges Netanyahu Abbas to compromise for peace

    Kerry to Peres: This moment is critical for Israel, region The two met spoke in the evening after a long day of back-to-back meetings that included talks with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.It is likely that Kerry will meet Netanyahu again on Friday before departing for Ethiopia. Kerry is expected to meet Abbas again in Jordan on Sunday, ...

  • Egypt Hope in the Midst of Storms

    The following article was written by Michael (not his real name). He is a Christian leader in Egypt, which is ranked No. 25 on the Open Doors 2013 World Watch List of the worst persecutors in the ...

  • IHT Special In Lebanon Stoking the Fire of Syrias War

    HERMEL, Lebanon -- On the outskirts of this northern Lebanese town near the Syrian border, a short, rugged dirt track leads downhill to a turquoise river regarded, in times of peace, for its white-water rafting, eco-lodges and fish restaurants. But in a small clearing at the river's edge, there are no picnickers or vacationers escaping the summer heat to be found, just a few armed men in ...

  • Glencore and Trafigura may have supplied Irans nuclear programme

    The Guardian reported in April that Glencore had traded $659m (430m) of goods, including aluminium oxide, with Iran last year .Glencore, which is run by the ...

  • US and Israel raise hopes of peace restart in the Middle East

    May 23, 2013: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, left, meets with Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem. The United States and Israel are raising hopes for a restart of the Middle East peace process after more than four years of hardly any ...

  • AP PHOTOS Egypts languishing Islamic antiquities left worse for wear after 2011 uprising

    In this photo taken Sunday, May 12, 2013, Egyptians walk by the medieval fortress wall in the historic Fatimid Cairo, Egypt. Cairo, the Arab world's most populated city, is often referred to as an open-air museum of Islamic antiquities and the city of 1,000 minarets. But its rich history and contributions to Islamic art has languished. (AP Photo/Nasser ...

  • Darfur clashes displace 300000 people in 5 months

    KHARTOUM - A resurgence of fighting in Sudan's western Darfur region has driven 300,000 people from their homes so far this year, UN humanitarian aid chief Valerie Amos said on ...

  • Syria drags Lebanon into another Lebanese-Lebanese war

    Fighting in the Lebanese port of Tripoli between supporters and opponents of the regime in neighbouring Syria killed nine people on Thursday, as a fifth day of violence spread to previously quiet neighbourhoods, a security source ...

  • Israel eyes Syrian missile threat to gas fields

    Hezbollah , has heightened Israeli concerns about protecting its offshore natural gas fields. Israel began production in March from its second largest field, Tamar discovered 40 miles off northern Israel in 2009. The field, jointly operated by Nobel Energy of Houston, and its Israeli partners, Delek Group, Isramco and Dor Alon, has reserves of around 8 trillion-10 trillion cubic feet -- enough ...

  • Cornet advances to Strasbourg International semis

    Alize Cornet and Eugenie Bouchard advanced but two other quarterfinals were rained out Thursday at the Strasbourg international tennis tournament in France. Cornet, seeded No. 3, defeated seventh-seeded Chanelle Scheepers 6-3, 6-1 by amassing seven breaks. Cornet won nearly two-thirds of the points when receiving serve and won in a lopsided score despite dropping serve three times. The ...

  • Syria-linked clashes kill nine in Lebanon

    FIGHTING in the Lebanese port of Tripoli between supporters and opponents of the regime in neighbouring Syria has killed nine people, as a fifth day of violence spreads to previously quiet neighbourhoods. "Very violent fighting took place last night until 5am that killed six people and wounded 40," a security source told AFP. "The clashes and shelling affected several areas of the ...

  • Israel to discuss military draft reform proposal

    JERUSALEM -; An Israeli committee has handed the government its proposal for ending a system granting Jewish ultra-Orthodox seminary students automatic exemptions from military ...

  • Syrian refugee exodus to Jordan has slowed to trickle U.N. says

    BAGHDAD - The flow of refugees crossing from Syria into Jordan has all but stopped in the last six days amid heavy fighting in the area and claims by Syrians that Jordanian border guards are preventing them from entering. The Jordanian foreign minister has denied that his government had closed the border, but Syrians said Jordanian soldiers had turned them back. A decision by the Jordanian ...

  • Abbas Israel must act before returning to table

    Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday reiterated his demand for a full cessation of settlement construction and the release of Palestinian prisoners before returning to the negotiating table with Israel.Abbas raised with visiting US Secretary of State John Kerry the issues of continued construction in settlements, Israeli assaults on Jerusalem, settler assaults and the ...

  • Israel - Israels accusations against TV stations coverage of boys death are unsupported

    's coverage of 12-year-old Palestinian Muhammad al-Durrah's death during rioting in the Gaza Strip on 30 September 2000 and the disputed claim that he was killed by a shot fired from Israeli ...

  • Iran increasing its ability to produce nuclear bombs IAEA report

    The International Atomic Energy Agency says that Iran has made progress in its ability to produce material for a nuclear bomb since ...

  • Kerry heads back to Israel for fourth time since February continuing peace push

    US Secretary of State John Kerry arrives for a joint press conference between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Barack Obama at the Prime Minister's Residence in Jerusalem on March 20, 2013. (Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty ...

  • Ex-leader barred from running again slams Iran govt report

    TEHRAN, Iran--Former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has blasted the Islamic Republic's clerical rulers, declaring it impossible for them to do a worse job running the country, an Iranian pro-reform website reported ...

  • Jordanian Parliament Speaker Slams Iranian Meddling in Bahrain

    Amman-May-23(BNA)Jordanian Parliament Speaker Saad Hayel Al-Srur today voiced dismay over the statements made by a top Iranian official against Bahrain, dismissing the blatant stance as a flagrant interference in the Kingdom's internal affairs and a violation of international covenants and norms. In a statement to Jordanian news Agency "Petra", he strongly condemned the ...

  • Teenagers trapped on Yemen’s death row

    "My hands were tied. The doctor drew a circle on my back around my heart. I was to lie on the sand for the executioner to shoot me. Then I heard the phone call." Hafedh Ibrahim's words trip mechanically off his tongue as he describes being moments from the carrying out of his death sentence. I feel guilty making him relive it for my television camera. Especially because, being ...

  • Syria opposition open key talks on peace initiative

    ISTANBUL (AFP) - Syria's main opposition group met for key talks in Istanbul on Thursday to debate whether to join a new US-Russian peace initiative to end the two-year civil war, while the regime vowed to crush the insurgency.Holding its seventh general assembly meeting since its creation last November, the National Coalition is expected to choose a new president, discuss incorporating new ...

  • 56700 Indians face deportation from Saudi Arabia says Khurshid

    As many as 56,700 Indians face deportation from Saudi Arabia in the next one-and-half months and ten officials have been despatched to the kingdom to help the Indian mission prepare emergency certificates for their exit, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said on Thursday."As of now, 56,700 Indians have registered with the Indian mission for getting exit permits as they have no valid ...

  • Jordan Miles hires two attorneys for civil trial against Pittsburgh officers

    A Homewood man bolstered his legal team with two high-profile attorneys in preparation for a November civil trial to try to prove that three Pittsburgh police officers falsely arrested him and used excessive ...

  • John Kerry acknowledges failures over Israeli-Palestinian peace process

    John Kerry , has acknowledged years of disappointment over the Israeli-Palestinian peace process at the start of his fourth recent visit to the area, but added that he hoped to confound sceptics and cynics.Kerry met the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, and the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, and won strong support for his peace mission from the British foreign secretary, William ...

  • Mali Islamists take revenge on France in Niger

    Islamist militants staged twin suicide car bombings on an army base and a French-run uranium mine in Niger on Thursday, killing at least 20 people and taking several trainee officers hostage in the impoverished West African ...

  • US acknowledges killing Awlaki

    The United States formally said for the first time on Wednesday that it had killed radical Yemeni-American cleric Anwar al-Awlaki and three other US citizens in anti-terror strikes ...

  • Cameron Gruesome murder of British soldier is betrayal of Islam

    Prime Minister David Cameron vowed on Thursday that Britain would be resolute against violent extremism following the gruesome murder of a soldier by two suspected Islamists on a London ...

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