Egyptian hardline Islamist group al-Gamaa al-Islamiya said on Saturday that its member Adel el-Khayat will resign from his post as governor of the ancient touristic city of Luxor following violent protests over his appointment. Safwat Abdel-Ghani, the head of the political bureau of al-Gama’a al-Islamiyya’s Construction and Development Party, told Egypt’s al-Mehwar TV that
Syria’s army on Saturday pressed a fierce assault launched four days ago against rebel areas in northern and eastern Damascus, killing three children with mortar fire, a monitoring group said. In northern Syria, rebels said they had begun a new assault on regime-held neighborhoods of the country’s second city, Aleppo. “The district of Qaboon
Egyptian President Mohammed Mursi on Saturday renewed his calls for dialogue with the opposition in an attempt to ease deep political rifts ahead of planned protests calling for his resignation set for June 30. “I have said it before. I urge everyone to sit together to discuss what would achieve the interests of
A new law passed by the Hamas government in Gaza banning co-ed schools has left many Christians fearful that their schools are in danger of closure, according to the Beirut-based Al-Akhbar daily. The new law, which mandates gender segregation in all schools, also bans men from teaching at girls’ schools. The law will likely
Egypt’s largest opposition bloc on Saturday reached out to former members of the deposed president’s party, ahead of mass protests on June 30 demanding the ouster of his successor. The opposition’s move came a day after some 100,000 supporters of current President Mohammed Mursi, an Islamist and the country's first elected leader,
Egyptian opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei on Saturday urged President Mohammed Mursi to step down ahead of planned anti-Mursi protests calling for the Islamist president’s resignation. During a press conference, ElBaradei said Mursi’s resignation will mark a new era, where another constitution is to be drafted to replace a current one drafted by Islamists.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu warned the international community not to be fooled by Iran’s new "moderate" president. Speaking to the Washington Post’s Lally Weymouth on Thursday, Netanyahu said that the elections in Iran “reflect a deep dissatisfaction of the Iranian people with its regime. Unfortunately, this result doesn’t have the power to change Iran’s
Syria activists reported a military offensive by regime forces against rebel strongholds in northern and eastern Damascus. “The district of Qaboon in (northeastern) Damascus is being intensely shelled by regime forces,” the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said according to AFP. Rebels were battling troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad on the edges of
Egypt’s airports will raise their alert level to “high” ahead of June 30 when opposition-backed protesters plan to demonstrate against President Mohamed Mursi, security officials said on Saturday. “An emergency plan will be put in place from June 28 until July 1,” the head of Cairo airport security, General Magdy al-Yussri, told reporters.
Protesters in Turkey say they are safeguarding liberties that are increasingly threatened under Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. “This protest is very important,” said Asgi, a leftist activist who joined the protests in Taksim Square. Like other activists, Asgi has been sleeping at the protest epicenter for days, and is ready to stay
