Spotlight
Vandals believed to be Jewish extremists desecrated graves and damaged property in a Palestinian village in the West Bank on Monday, Palestinian and Israeli officials said.
Ghassan Daghlas, a Palestinian Authority official responsible for the northern West Bank, told Agence France Presse that vandals entered the village of Al-Sawiya, south of Nablus in the early hours of the morning.
Full StoryIraq's chief prosecutor called on parliament on Monday to replace President Jalal Talabani, who has been receiving treatment in Germany for almost five months, but MPs rejected the appeal.
Ghadanfar Hammud al-Jassem made the call in a letter to parliament speaker Osama al-Nujaifi, citing Article 72 of the Iraqi constitution, which requires a new president to be elected if the post "becomes vacant for any reason."
Full StorySyria's opposition will consult with backers Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey before it decides whether to take part in a peace conference proposed by the United States and Russia, its acting chief said Monday.
"It is too early to decide whether or not we will take part, because the circumstances of this conference are not yet clear. There is no agenda or calendar yet," said the opposition National Coalition's acting head George Sabra.
Full StoryThe head of a radical Salafist group in Tunisia has threatened to wage war against the government, led by moderate Islamist party Ennahda, accusing it in a message posted online of un-Islamic policies.
"To the tyrants who think they are Islamists... know that the stupid things you are doing are dragging you to war," said Abu Iyadh, the fugitive leader of Ansar al-Sharia who is wanted by the police over deadly unrest last year.
Full StoryRussia on Monday condemned the twin weekend bombings near Turkey's border with Syria that Ankara blamed on groups close to the Damascus regime, calling for a thorough investigation.
"We strongly condemn these terrorist acts," the Russian foreign ministry said, expressing condolences to the victims of the "barbaric crime" that killed 48 people near the town of Reyhanli.
Full StorySyrian troops captured three villages in the strategic Qusayr area of Homs province on Monday, allowing them to cut supply lines to rebels inside Qusayr town, a military officer told Agence France Presse.
"The attack on the villages of Western Dumayna, Haidariyeh and Esh al-Warwar began this morning," the lieutenant colonel said on condition of anonymity.
Full StoryConfronted with what it describes as a "major humanitarian catastrophe" in Syria, the Red Cross on Monday urged donors to more than double its budget this year to address the conflict in and around the war-torn country.
The International Committee of the Red Cross appealed to donors for an additional 62.3 million Swiss francs ($65.2 million, 50.5 million euros) to help it step up its response this year to the conflict inside Syria and in neighboring countries.
Full StoryThe deadly blasts that shook Turkey at the weekend will only spur Ankara to press harder for global action against the Syrian regime, analysts say, as fears grow that the country is being dragged into the spiraling conflict.
At least 48 people were killed Saturday in twin blasts in the town of Reyhanli, near the Syrian border, in an attack Turkey claims was masterminded by a group linked to embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad, though Damascus rejects the allegation.
Full StoryThe United States and Britain on Monday pledged to forge ahead with diplomatic efforts to end the civil war in Syria, saying they had found common ground with Russia on how to proceed.
U.S. President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron vowed to increase pressure on the regime of Syria's President Bashar Assad, and insisted that he could not be part of a democratic transition.
Full StoryThe Swedish government said Monday U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will arrive in Stockholm on Tuesday to discuss issues including the situation in Syria and the stalled Middle East peace process.
Kerry will meet his Swedish counterpart Carl Bildt and Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, the government said on its website.
Full Story