Middle East

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Hey Saudis, Let the Women Play!
 Hey Saudis, Let the Women Play!
Opinion
Aug 14, 2008 10:42 AM CDT

Hey Saudis, Let the Women Play!

Time for the IOC to enforce it's no discrimination rule

(Newser) - The most beautiful sight in the Olympics' opening ceremony came when Egypt’s 26 female competitors strode into the stadium, writes Mona Eltahawy, an Egyptian Muslim, in the Washington Post. Women also carried flags for Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, filling Eltahawy with pride. And then came Saudi Arabia—...

Israeli PM to Step Down in 2 Months

Olmert's move may threaten peace effort, national stability

(Newser) - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced today he will resign in September, throwing his country into political turmoil and raising doubts about progress for US-backed Mideast peace efforts. Olmert's brief address included harsh criticism of police investigations of corruption allegations against him. He said he was choosing the public good...

GOP's Offshore Drilling, Dems' Afghan Surge Both Bad Ideas

Both are blindly touting poor policy: Friedman

(Newser) - Democrats and Republicans alike are beating empty campaign slogans, and both need to take a look at their real-world implications, writes Thomas L. Friedman in the New York Times. Republicans who insist that offshore oil drilling will solve the world's problems sound like "someone back in 1980" pushing for...

Next, Thicket of Arab-Israeli Conflict Awaits Obama

Dem to meet key Jordanian, Palestinian, Israeli figures; street expects little change

(Newser) - With the war leg of his foreign tour behind him, Barack Obama must next navigate the Middle East peace process. He’ll meet with top Israeli and Palestinian leaders tomorrow, the New York Times reports, and will visit the rocket-bombarded town of Sderot. US Jewish voters will be particularly attentive...

US Closer to Establishing Diplomatic Outpost in Iran

Interest section, to be announced next month, first presence since 1979

(Newser) - The Bush administration is moving forward with plans to establish a US interest section—precursor to a formal embassy—in Iran, the Guardian reports. An announcement will come in the next month about the office, which will put US diplomats in Iran for the first time since the hostage crisis...

Egypt's Spymaster the Next President?

Omar Suileman's many strengths boost potential to move into top spot

(Newser) - As the 26-year reign of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak comes to a close, his likely successor is looking less like son Gamal, head of the benighted National Democratic Party, reports the Los Angeles Times. Instead, the man at the head of the country's foreign intelligence service, Omar Suleiman—"a...

Dubai Cracks Down on Nude Tourists

79 people detained by 'decency police'

(Newser) - It hasn't been all fun and games for Western vacationers on Dubai beaches, thanks to  decency police who have detained 79 people in recent days for topless sunbathing and nudity, AP reports. The Muslim city-state is attracting hordes of foreign sun seekers, who are being scrutinized by cops on the...

Turkey Indicts 86 for Coup Plot
 Turkey Indicts 86 for Coup Plot 
Jul 14, 2008 8:22 AM CDT

Turkey Indicts 86 for Coup Plot

Secularists allegedly tried to overthrow Islamic government

(Newser) - Prosecutors today indicted 86 secular Turks—including high-ranking ex-military officials—on terrorism charges for their alleged involvement in plots to topple the Islamic-rooted government. The suspects, believed to include at least one former general and an opposition politician, are accused of having plotted to provoke a military coup to topple...

Study Yields More Clues About Autism

Scientists find genes needed for learning stuck in the off position

(Newser) - Scientists have found six new genes linked to autism, inching closer to a fuller understanding of the disorder and how to treat it, the AP reports. The genes in question are necessary for learning but are essentially stuck in the "off" position. The finding lends credence to the philosophy...

Turkey Suspects al-Qaeda in US Consulate Attack

Shootout leaves three policemen, three assailants dead

(Newser) - Turkish police say they suspect al-Qaeda is behind today's attack on the US consulate in Istanbul. So far, no one has claimed responsibility, but a police official confirmed the suspicion to the AP on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief journalists on the investigation.

Quiet Qatar Plays Key Mideast Peacemaker Role

Iconoclastic emirate works to calm conflicts

(Newser) - Qatar has managed the amazing diplomatic feat of staying friendly with just about everybody in the Middle East, the New York Times writes. The tiny, oil-rich emirate, which somehow maintains close ties with Iran while also hosting an American airbase, is rapidly becoming the region's mediator. Its diplomats recently pulled...

Obama Show Coming to Europe, Mideast

Hopeful seeks to bolster image by traveling this summer

(Newser) - Barack Obama will travel to Europe and the Middle East this summer in his first international tour as a presidential candidate, he announced today. Designed to offset criticism that he lacks foreign policy experience, the trip will include stops in Jordan, Israel, Germany, France and Britain, the New York Times...

Al-Qaeda Stuck in Web 1.0
Al-Qaeda Stuck in Web 1.0
OPINION
Jun 26, 2008 9:07 AM CDT

Al-Qaeda Stuck in Web 1.0

Osama not up on his Facebook, YouTube; US should exploit populist backlash

(Newser) - At its height, al-Qaeda had mastered how to amplify the effect of real-world attacks with virtual representations—videos, audio recordings, and articles reproducing its mayhem online. But as the Web has transformed into a more social entity, the terrorist organization is " stuck in 1.0," writes analyst Daniel...

Refugees: Iraq's Unspoken Crisis
Refugees: Iraq's Unspoken Crisis
OPINION
Jun 26, 2008 6:56 AM CDT

Refugees: Iraq's Unspoken Crisis

US must rebuild shattered lives now or face decades of disorder: Kristof

(Newser) - New York Times columnist Nicholas D. Kristof travels to Jordan to report on one of the unintended consequences of the Iraq war: a regional refugee crisis. About 2 million Iraqis, mostly Sunnis, have fled since the war, living mostly in Jordan and Syria in deplorable conditions. "They are the...

Rockets Hit Israel, Olmert Ends Ceasefire

Islamic Jihad militants call Gaza Strip attack revenge for raid

(Newser) - Police say three Palestinian rockets have hit southern Israel and Ehud Olmert's office says the ceasefire that took effect last week has been broken. Islamic Jihad militants in the Gaza Strip say they carried out the attack to avenge an Israeli military raid that killed one of their fighters in...

Gaza Truce Takes Hold
 Gaza Truce Takes Hold 
Jun 19, 2008 8:00 AM CDT

Gaza Truce Takes Hold

Skeptics wary of future of the ceasefire

(Newser) - Guns went quiet as a six-month truce between Israel and Gaza Strip militants took effect early today, despite widespread skepticism about its longevity. If the quiet holds, Israel will ease its blockade on Sunday to allow larger shipments of some supplies. A week later Israel is to further ease restrictions...

Taliban Said Routed Near Kandahar

NATO forces help kill 56 insurgents in 'successful airstrikes'

(Newser) - Yesterday's swift offensive by Afghan and NATO forces drove Taliban militants from a strategic group of villages outside southern Afghanistan's largest city and killed 56 insurgents, Afghan officials said today. The Afghan National Army has taken control of the villages, a defense ministry spokesman said, but militants had planted hundreds...

Israel Invites Lebanon to Talks
 Israel Invites Lebanon to Talks 
Jun 18, 2008 2:06 PM CDT

Israel Invites Lebanon to Talks

Disputed sliver along border on table; offer follows Rice visit to region

(Newser) - Israel today invited the Lebanese government to direct negotiations, adding that it would be willing to discuss all issues, including a long-disputed area along their border, the New York Times reports. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who visited both nations earlier this week, is attempting to use negotiation over...

Obama: The Muslim World's Candidate
Obama: The Muslim World's Candidate
OPINION
Jun 11, 2008 10:13 AM CDT

Obama: The Muslim World's Candidate

Win or not, clinching nomination gives US huge boost abroad

(Newser) - Egypt is the latest foreign spot where US journalists are finding support for the candidacy of Barack Obama, with Thomas Friedman, in the New York Times, finding "Egyptians are amazed, excited, and agog that America might elect a black man whose father’s family was of Muslim heritage."...

'Sisters' Colleges Recruit in Middle East

Single-sex education remains strong in region

(Newser) - Facing fewer applicants than comparable co-ed institutions around the US, representatives of top women’s colleges toured the Middle East this spring on a recruiting mission, the New York Times reports. While women’s colleges have become a niche market for US applicants, single-sex education remains widespread in the Middle...

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