More than 25,000 Jews from around the world attended an Ultra Orthodox Jewish wedding to witness the marriage of the grandson of Yissachar Dov Rokeach, the leader of the Hasidic dynasty Belz Rebbe. Steeped in tradition, the ceremony of 18-year-old Shalom Rokeach and his 19-year-old bride Hannah Batya Penet was held in Jerusalem, Israel. Shalom [...]
May 23 2013 | Posted in
Middle East News |
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At least 54 people have been killed and many others injured in a series of car bomb attacks in Iraqi cities Baghdad, Basra and Samarra, officials say. Baghdad was worst hit, with nine explosions at bus stations and markets in the mainly Shia Muslim districts. Two bombs went off earlier in the day in the [...]
Fighting has raged in Syrian town of Qusair near Lebanon border after government troops launched a major operation to seize the strategic rebel stronghold. State media said the army “restored security and stability” to most of the town – a claim denied by activists. Lebanese militants are said to be involved – Hezbollah siding with [...]
Raha Moharrak is the first Saudi woman who has made history by reaching the summit of the world’s highest mountain. Raha Moharrak, 25, not only became the first Saudi woman to attempt the climb but also the youngest Arab to make it to the top of Everest. She is part of a four-person expedition that also includes [...]
The US has criticized Russia for what it calls an “unfortunate decision” to deliver missiles to the Syrian government. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey said the shipment “will embolden the regime and prolong the suffering” that has killed 80,000. The sophisticated anti-ship missiles could be used to counter any future foreign [...]
The newly released White House Benghazi emails reveal the then CIA-Director David Petraeus strongly objected to the Obama administration’s version of events of the terror attack on the U.S. diplomatic post in Libya. David Petraeus, who was forced to resign in disgrace in November after an extra-marital affair with Paula Broadwell became public, wanted to [...]
Russia and the United States have agreed to work towards holding an international conference to find a political solution to the conflict in Syria. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Secretary of State John Kerry announced it would follow on from an Action Group for Syria meeting in Geneva last June. John Kerry said they would [...]
According to leading United Nations investigator Carla del Ponte, testimony from victims of the Syrian conflict suggests rebels have used the nerve agent sarin. Carla del Ponte told Swiss TV there were “strong, concrete suspicions but not yet incontrovertible proof”. However, she said her panel had not yet seen evidence of government forces using chemical [...]
Syrian state television has reported that Israeli rockets have hit Jamraya army research centre near Damascus. Witnesses heard huge explosions near the Jamraya facility, and residents said nearby military positions were also hit. The Jamraya site was the target of an Israeli strike in January. Earlier, unnamed Israeli officials said that on Friday Israeli aircraft [...]
Google has changed the tagline on the homepage of its Palestinian edition from “Palestinian Territories” to “Palestine”. The change, introduced on May 1st, means google.ps now displays “Palestine” in Arabic and English under Google’s logo. Using the word Palestine is controversial for some. Israeli policy is that the borders of a Palestinian state are yet [...]
Syrian PM Wael al-Halqi has survived a car bomb attack targeting his convoy in western Mazzeh district of Damascus, state television said. There are also reported to be a number of casualties. UK-based activist group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said Wael Halqi’s bodyguard had been killed, AFP news agency reported. The blast is [...]
Syria may have used chemical weapons against rebels, the White House has said. US intelligence agencies believe “with varying degrees of confidence” that the nerve agent sarin had been deployed on a “small scale”, and did not say where or when it had been used. The White House has warned chemical weapons use would be [...]
The minaret of Umayyad Mosque, one of Syria’s most famous, has been destroyed during clashes in the northern city of Aleppo. The state news agency Sana accused rebels of blowing up the 11th-Century minaret of the Umayyad Mosque. However, activists say the minaret was hit by Syrian army tank fire. The mosque, which is a [...]
A Cairo appeals court has ordered former Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak back to prison from military hospital. Hosni Mubarak’s retrial will open on May, the court ruled. The former leader is charged alongside his former interior minister and six former security chiefs with complicity in the murder and attempted murder of hundreds of protesters in [...]
South-east Iran has been hit by a 7.8-magnitude earthquake, with tremors felt across Pakistan, India and the Middle East. The US Geological Survey said the epicentre of the earthquake was 53 miles from the city of Khash, near the border with Pakistan. Offices were evacuated in Abu Dhabi and tall buildings swayed in the Indian [...]
Egypt’s ex-President Hosni Mubarak should no longer be held over the killings of protesters during the revolution that toppled him, a Cairo court has ruled today. However, Hosni Mubarak will remain in custody as he faces separate corruption charges. Hosni Mubarak, 84, is awaiting a retrial for conspiring to kill protesters in early 2011. The [...]
Palestinian PM Salam Fayyad has resigned, after a long-running dispute with President Mahmoud Abbas. Official Palestinian news agency Wafa said Mahmoud Abbas accepted Salam Fayyad’s resignation after they met in person. The president asked him to remain as caretaker until a new government is formed. Salam Fayyad’s resignation is a major blow for US efforts [...]
Judge Mustafa Hassan Abdullah presiding over the retrial of ousted Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak has withdrawn himself from the case as the trial opened in Cairo. There were chaotic scenes as the judge said he was referring the trial to another court. Hosni Mubarak was convicted in June 2012 of conspiring to kill protesters during [...]
An Orthodox Jewish passenger took his beliefs a step further by covering himself in a plastic bag for the whole of his journey because his religion forbids him to fly over cemeteries. It was believed the man is a Kohein, a religious descendant of the priests of ancient Israel, who are banned from flying over [...]
Apr 12 2013 | Posted in
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At least 30 people have been killed and other 800 have been injured after a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck Bushehr province in south-west Iran, officials say. Rescue teams have been sent to the affected area, but darkness is hampering rescue operations. The quake struck 90 km (60 miles) south of Iran’s only nuclear power station [...]
At least one person has been killed and more than 20 injured in clashes outside Cairo’s St Mark’s Cathedral following the funerals of four Coptic Christians killed in religious violence. Coptic mourners leaving Cairo’s main cathedral are said to have clashed with local residents. Police fired tear gas to break up the violence. The head [...]
Israel has launched an air strike on the Gaza Strip for the first time since an eight-day war ended in a truce in November 2012. According to Hamas, the Islamist group that runs Gaza, aircraft bombed fields near the border and no-one was injured. The Israeli move comes after a Palestinian rocket attack on Israel [...]
Egyptian satirist Bassem Youssef has been released on bail, after being questioned by prosecutors over allegations he insulted Islam and President Mohamed Morsi. Bassem Youssef was ordered to pay 15,000 Egyptian pounds ($2,190). He had spent five hours at the public prosecutor’s office, a day after a warrant was issued for his arrest. Bassem Youssef [...]
An arrest warrant has been issued in Egypt for popular political satirist Bassem Youssef for allegedly insulting Islam and President Mohamed Morsi. Bassem Youssef has faced several complaints over his show Al Bernameg (The Programme). The satirist has poked fun at a wide range of figures, from fellow television presenters to well-known Muslim scholars and [...]
Mar 30 2013 | Posted in
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Israeli Jews craving a smoke during the week-long Passover holiday that starts at sundown Monday can now enjoy a rabbi-approved cigarette. It’s the first time cigarettes have joined the long list of goods stringently checked to ensure they comply with Passover rules on what items are allowed, or kosher for the holiday, meaning they have [...]
Mar 25 2013 | Posted in
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