Arab protests

Stories 81 - 100 | << Prev   Next >>

Assad Orders Referendum on New Constitution

It would allow more parties, and include term limit

(Newser) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has ordered that a referendum be held later this month on a new constitution that would allow for additional political parties and limit the president to two 14-year terms, Syria's state-run TV station announced today. But opposition leaders immediately dismissed the gesture as an attempt...

Arab League Resolution OKs Arming Syrian Rebels

Homs shelling continues as UN warns of civil war

(Newser) - The Arab League has delivered a veiled threat to Bashar al-Assad's regime in the form of a resolution passed Sunday urging Arabs to "provide all kinds of political and material support" to Syrian rebels—and yes, "material support" means guns, diplomats confirm for Reuters . "We will...

Syria Continues Assault on Homs

23 reported killed yesterday as Arab League seeks peacekeepers

(Newser) - Syrian tanks have relaunched their assault on Homs, shelling the beleaguered city for a 10th day today after the government's rejection of the Arab League's attempts to launch a UN peacekeeping mission in the country. The League's push was today also rejected by Russia, which said a...

Al-Qaeda: Help Syria Boot Assad

Al-Zawahri confirms terror group seeking to turn tide in Syrian uprising

(Newser) - Al-Qaeda's chief has called on Muslims from other countries to support rebels in Syria seeking to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad, saying they cannot depend on the West for help. Ayman al-Zawahri, in a videotaped statement released late yesterday, asked Muslims in Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey to join the...

Syria Still Pounding Homs as Russia Arrives

Sergei Lavrov reportedly has own peace plan

(Newser) - Syria's regime is raining devastation down on Homs for a fourth day today, with the Telegraph reporting that hundreds of shells are hitting the city with each passing hour. Rebels there have been rendered defensively helpless, incapable of responding with anything more than gunshots. "We can't count...

Syrian Troops Step Up Homs Bombardment

Activists say 50 people have been killed so far today

(Newser) - Syrian troops resumed their shelling of Homs this morning, with the BBC reporting near-constant explosions in the restive city. Some rebels are reportedly returning fire (though a BBC correspondent describes their efforts as a "futile gesture"), and Reuters reports that 50 people have been killed today. According to...

Egypt Will Try LaHood Son, 42 NGO Workers

Sam LaHood, 18 Americans headed for trial in political showdown

(Newser) - Egyptian investigating judges today referred 43 NGO workers, including 19 Americans, to trial before a criminal court for allegedly being involved in banned activities and illegally receiving foreign funds. Among the Americans is Sam LaHood, the head of the Egypt office of the International Republican Institute and the son of...

Gunmen Kidnap 2 Female American Tourists in Egypt
Egypt Kidnappers Release
2 American Tourists
UPDATED
Feb 3, 2012 10:51 AM CST

Egypt Kidnappers Release 2 American Tourists

Bedouin tribesmen free hostages after negotiations

(Newser) - Two female American tourists and their Egyptian guide were freed today, hours after they were abducted at gunpoint near St. Catherine's Monastery in the Sinai Peninsula. Local police chief Maj. Gen. Mohammed Naguib says the three were released after negotiations with Bedouin tribesmen. The three were seized from a...

There Were 2 Crazy Plots to Smuggle Out Gadhafi's Son

Plans to get al-Saadi Gadhafi out of Libya were 'Indiana Jones-style'

(Newser) - The strange story of the plot to smuggle al-Saadi Gadhafi into Mexico gets stranger: Prosecutors now say they actually broke up two plots to get Moammar Gadhafi's playboy son out of Libya and into Mexico, plots that the AP calls "Indiana Jones-style." A Canadian woman, Danish man,...

Russia: Syria Is Ready to Talk
 Russia: Syria Is Ready to Talk 
Jan 30, 2012 12:56 PM CST

Russia: Syria Is Ready to Talk

But opposition rejects offer, as fighting rages outside Damascus

(Newser) - With fighting raging outside Damascus , Syria's regime has indicated that it is open to "informal" talks with opposition leaders in Moscow, Russian officials announced today. But the Syrian National Council swiftly rejected the idea, saying it wouldn’t talk until President Bashar al-Assad stepped down, al-Jazeera reports. Russia'...

Syrian Army Strikes Damascus &#39;Burbs
 Syrian Army Strikes 
 Damascus 'Burbs 
AT LEAST 12 DEAD
Jan 29, 2012 12:36 PM CST

Syrian Army Strikes Damascus 'Burbs

Situation looks to be unraveling near the capital

(Newser) - The Syrian military launched an offensive to regain control of suburbs on the eastern edge of Damascus today, storming neighborhoods and clashing with groups of army defectors in fierce fighting that sent residents fleeing and killed at least 12 people, activists said. Violence elsewhere in the country killed at least...

Thousands Mark Egypt Revolution's Anniversary

Crowds gather in Tahrir Square to reflect on past year

(Newser) - It's been a year to the day since Egypt's revolution began, and thousands headed to Tahrir Square today to acknowledge that milestone—though for many, it wasn't a time to celebrate. While a Muslim Brotherhood stage noted "the first holiday," a stage run by young...

Gulf Arab Monitors Bail on Syria

Arab League says mission will continue

(Newser) - Saudi Arabia's Persian Gulf allies are following the Saudis' lead: They're exiting the Arab League's monitoring effort in Syria, days after the League's mandate expired . The move prompted the Arab League to again review and reaffirm its mission today, Reuters reports. The Gulf Cooperation Council said...

Russians Hawk Jets to Syria Regime

Even as US senators propose tougher sanctions

(Newser) - Russia is so unconcerned with the international outcry against Syria that it has reached a deal to sell Bashar al-Assad's regime three dozen Yak-130 fighter jets, a Syrian business newspaper reported today. The twin-engined jet is capable of attacking ground targets, the AP reports. Experts say the contract, which...

Libyan Protesters Raid NTC Offices

Deputy council chief resigns amidst fresh unrest

(Newser) - Don't look now, but protests are still raging in Libya—only now, they're against the new interim government. Protesters ransacked the government's offices in Benghazi yesterday, capping off months of demonstrations across the country, and prompting the resignation of the government's second-highest official, the New York ...

Syria Nixes Arab League Peace Plan

Calls for Assad to leave power are a 'flagrant interference'

(Newser) - Syria has quickly rejected a peace plan floated by the Arab League, today calling it a "flagrant interference" in the country's internal affairs. The plan, proposed as the Arab League's observer mission flounders , called for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down within two weeks, transfer power...

Yemen's Saleh En Route to US: Report

Hands over power, will seek medical treatment in Washington

(Newser) - Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh said Sunday he will travel to Washington for medical treatment and he asked Yemenis for forgiveness, saying it is time to hand over power in a farewell speech, state media reported. The mercurial president told Yemeni TV networks that he had formally handed power to...

Arab League Extends Syria Mission 1 Month

Will boost number, training of observers

(Newser) - Arab League officials say the 22-member organization's observers mission in Syria, which ran out Thursday, has been extended for an extra month. Today's decision has been made by Arab foreign ministers meeting in Cairo. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to...

5 Unemployed Moroccans Set Themselves Ablaze

Security forces had prevented them from bringing food to friends

(Newser) - Five Moroccan protesters set themselves on fire today, after security forces prevented them from bringing food and water to fellow demonstrators. The men were part of the "unemployed graduates" movement that's swept Morocco, where unemployment is only 9.1% overall, but around 16% for college graduates, the AP...

UN Chief to Syria's Assad: Stop Killing Your People

Ban Ki-moon says 'old order is crumbling'

(Newser) - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon demanded today that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad stop the slaughter of his own people, and said the "old order" of one-man rule and family dynasties is over in the Middle East. In a keynote address at a conference on democracy in the Arab world, Ban...

Stories 81 - 100 | << Prev   Next >>
Most Read on Newser