Egypt's cabinet on Wednesday approved a new draft law regulating public demonstrations that was swiftly slammed by rights groups as restrictive, AFP reports. The law, which needs the ratification of the upper house of parliament, was created "to ensure the peaceful nature of demonstrations," Justice Minister Ahmed Mekki told reporters. The law aims
French Interior Minister Manuel Valls announced Sunday that the French government will be taking steps in the coming days to deport several radical Muslim clerics from the country in an effort to counter the rising tide of radical Islam and prevalent threat of “global jihadism.” "Many radical preachers of foreign origin will be deported
Thousands demonstrated against Egypt’s President Mohamed Morsi and his political backers, the country's ruling Muslim Brotherhood, on the second anniversary of former President Hosni Mubarak’s ouster from power. Protesters in planned anti-government marches set out Monday evening from around the Egyptian capital of Cairo, heading towards Tahrir Square, the birthplace of the January 25
A run on Egypt’s pound has left foreign currency in short supply and driven some dealers into the streets in search of people with U.S. dollars to sell, spawning a new black market. The currency’s decline was triggered by a political uprising that swept Hosni Mubarak from power in 2011 and it has officially
Hundreds of thousands of people marched on Sunday in Tehran and other cities chanting “Death to America” as Iran marked the 34th anniversary of the Islamic revolution that ousted the U.S.-backed shah. In the capital, crowds waving Iranian flags and portraits of revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini walked toward the landmark Azadi (Freedom) Square,
Egypt’s Minister of Antiquities Mohammed Ibrahim denied earlier media reports that a fire broke out inside the Temple of Karnak in Luxor, asserting that what happened was a limited fire in some plants in the open ground outside the temple. Minister Ibrahim added that the fire was extinguished immediately and that about 60 tourists
Thousands took to the streets across Egypt on Friday, after opposition groups called for "Friday of dignity" rallies demanding President Mohammed Morsi fulfill the goals of the revolt that brought him to power. Banging on drums, waving flags and clapping in unison, demonstrators marched from several locations in the capital to Tahrir Square and
More than two years after the Jasmine Revolution brought down the government of President Zine al Abidine Ben Ali, starting the so-called Arab Spring, violent protests have returned to the streets of Tunisia. Police fired tear gas and clashed with protesters on Friday as tens of thousands joined the funeral of opposition leader Chokri
Cyprus has given the “state of Palestine” an embassy, even though it still says that a “Palestinian state” needs to be established through negotiations with Israel. AFP reported Cyprus said on Friday it has upgraded its relations with the Palestinian Authority to full diplomatic mission status, one of just eight European Union countries to
Iran's Supreme Leader on Thursday rejected a U.S. offer to negotiate one-on-one on Tehran's nuclear ambitions, ruling out such contacts so long as Washington keeps up its threats against the Islamic Republic. "I am not a diplomat but a revolutionary and I speak frankly," Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told air force commanders in remarks published
