An Egyptian court ratified on Thursday the death sentence of an Egyptian real estate mogul and his associate who were convicted in the killing of a Lebanese pop star. Hisham Talaat Moustafa, who is also a former ruling party lawmaker,

Hundreds of angry Iraqis gathered Thursday around the wreckage of a market bombing in Baghdad where 78 people died, demanding better protection from the government after US troops pull back to bases. A string of blasts has cast doubt on

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused Barack Obama on Thursday of behaving like his predecessor toward Iran and said there was not much point in talking to Washington unless the US president apologized. Obama said Tuesday he was "appalled and outraged" by

For years, women's defiance in Iran came in carefully planned flashes of hair under their head scarves, brightly painted fingernails and trendy clothing that could be glimpsed under bulky coats and cloaks. But these small acts of rebellion against the

Iran's political turmoil has dimmed immediate prospects for US dialogue with Tehran but US President Barack Obama's hopes for engagement have by no means been snuffed out, US officials and analysts said. Officials acknowledge that the Iranian authorities bloody crackdown

Saudi state oil giant Aramco is shifting its exploration and production focus to gas to meet rapidly rising domestic demand as its program to expand oil capacity comes to a close. Falling global oil consumption has left the kingdom sitting

Many Iraqis, inured to violence after years of slaughter between Shiites and Sunnis, seem more worried about the corruption that has crept into every corner of life and is eating away at Iraq's nascent public institutions. The violence triggered by

The House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday approved a $48.8 billion spending bill for US foreign policy and aid efforts, and tried to apply more pressure on Iran after the violence that followed its disputed election results. The legislation includes $2.7

Prospects for economic recovery next year have improved for the first time in two years, the OECD said on Wednesday, while the ECB lent banks at the heart of the crisis a record 442 billion euros. The slowdown is close

President Barack Obama painted a bleak picture of the economy, warning unemployment will get worse, and vowed to act on climate change and health care as long-term solutions. In a White House conference, Obama also said he had no plans

The Czech Embassy issued a statement detailing Schengen regulations that govern visa issuance for each traveler who wishes to visit one of the 25 countries of the Schengen Area or to travel in the Schengen Space. Visa applications should be

The number of diagnosed cases in Lebanon of A(H1N1), otherwise known as swine flu, has risen to 30 after the discovery of five new cases, the Health Ministry said Wednesday. "Most cases have been treated," said a statement from the

The National Committee for the Follow-Up on Women's Issues held a press conference on Tuesday to announce the finalization of a program to eliminate sexism in academic books in public schools. The president of the committee,Aman Shaarani, and coordinator of

The Women Chapter of the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) celebrated the end of a series of workshops entitled "Toward Building a Dynamic Relationship between Civil Society Organizations and the Media," with a reception held at the Monroe Hotel Tuesday. Organized

Professor Emeritus Salim Maksoud, an expert on water resources and irrigation in the Middle East and one of the American University of Beirut's earliest agriculture professors, passed away on Wednesday, according to a university statement. Maksoud combined a career in

US President Barack Obama's decision to return an ambassador to Syria after a four-year diplomatic absence was a wise one. Although some observers in Lebanon may be astonished by the rapid pace of rapprochement between Washington and Damascus, the Lebanese

An Iranian woman is framed for adultery, then bound, gagged and buried to her waist in dirt before being stoned to death. This bloody, harrowing sequence features in a new film in US cinemas this week. The movie, "The Stoning

Not for nothing did Lewis Carroll dispatch his character Alice for adventures in a looking-glass world. There is an aura of magic and mystery about mirrors, which present us with something very close to reality, but differing in crucial respects.

Blast south of capital follows Wednesday's bombing that killed 72 people at market in mostly Shi'ite district of Sadr City

Violence comes as June 30 deadline approaches for US combat forces to pull out of Iraq's urban areas