Libya says 14,000 prisoners still on the run

TRIPOLI :Some 14,000 prisoners who escaped from various Libyan detention centres after the 2011 uprising against Muammar Gaddafi are still on the run, the interior minister said.

Speaking less than three weeks after more than 1,200 detainees escaped during riots from a prison in the eastern city of Benghazi, Mr Mohamed al-Cheikh told ministry officials on Monday that the interior and justice ministries were "working together to get them back to prison so they can serve out their sentences".

US terror alert fails to deter tourists to the UAE

The US embassy in Abu Dhabi and the consulate in Dubai are among 19 diplomatic posts that will remain closed till Saturday in response to a possible Al Qaeda attack in the region.
The list includes 15 of the 22 that were already ordered closed on Sunday due to the security fears, as well as four additional posts.

But the global travel alert issued by the US State Department on Friday, warning of the dangers of travelling to the Middle East during August, seems to have done little to dampen the tourism sector in the UAE, as it gears up for a busy Eid.

Iran's Rohani appoints a reformist as top deputy

TEHERAN : Iranian state TV says the country's new president has appointed a prominent reformist as his top deputy.

The Monday report says Mr Hasan Rohani named Mr Eshaq Jahangiri, a former industry and mines minister, as First Vice President.

Hassan Rouhani becomes new Iranian president

Iran's new president, Hassan Rouhani, vowed after assuming office on Saturday to work to lift the international sanctions imposed on Tehran over its controversial nuclear drive.

My government, "will take fundamental steps in elevating Iran's position based on national interest and lifting of the oppressive sanctions," the moderate cleric said in a first address, broadcast live on state television.

Rouhani was officially endorsed by Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who praised the newly-elected president's decades of service to the Islamic establishment.

Attacks on Baghdad mosques kill nine

BAGHDAD: A Shia and a Sunni mosque in Baghdad were targeted in bombings that killed at least nine people, Iraqi officials said.

Police officials said a suicide bomber set off his explosives on Shia worshippers as they were leaving a mosque in the city's suburb of Hussainya late on Tuesday.

Seven people died and 11 were wounded in that attack.

Air raids kill 11 Syrian kids

BEIRUT: Seven children in the northern Syrian province of Aleppo and another four in Homs in the center were among 17 civilians killed in air raids on Tuesday, a watchdog said.

The deaths in Homs come as troops pressed an offensive against remaining rebel areas there, while in Aleppo province, the raid comes exactly a year into the rebel takeover of the targeted town of Anadan.

ECC approves sugar export to Iran

ISLAMABAD: The government on Tuesday allowed sugar export to Iran against electricity import.It also allowed continued higher margins to Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) and petroleum dealers and put an immediate ban on import of gold and export of live animals.

The decisions were taken at a meeting of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet, presided over by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar that also decided to strictly go by the procurement rules in import of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) to ensure transparency instead of seeking exemptions.

Ousted Egypt president detained over Hamas contact

CAIRO: An investigating judge has ordered the detention of Egypt's ousted president over alleged contacts with Hamas to help in his escape from prison in 2011, the official state news agency reported Friday in the first official word on his status since a military coup on July 3.

The MENA news agency said Mohammed Morsi has been detained for 15 days for investigation into the charges. His detention can be extended as the inquiry continues.

The news agency indicated that Morsi has already been interrogated.

Militants kill nine police in Iraq's north: officials

BAGHDAD: Militants have killed nine policemen in an attack in the Iraq’s north, police said.

A police officer said an unspecified number of militants attacked a police headquarters outside the northern city of Mosul early on Wednesday.

He said the attack triggered a shootout that left nine policemen dead and two wounded.

There were apparently no casualties among the attackers, the police officer said.

Cairo clashes kill four

CAIRO, Qahirah: Clashes between supporters and opponents of Mohamed Morsi killed four people on Monday as the ousted Egyptian president's family vowed to sue the army over his ouster.

At least 28 people were also injured in the violence between the rival groups of demonstrators in Cairo and the nearby town of Qalyub, emergency services said.

Protest rallies against attack on Hazrat Zainab’s (RA) shrine

Demonstrators on Sunday took to the streets in Karachi and twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi against a rocket attack on the shrine of Hazrat Zainab (A.S) in Syria.

In Islamabad, hundreds of people marched and presented a memorandum to officials of Foreign Office.

The rally, which was taken out from from Sector G-6/2 Imambargah to Radio Pakistan Intersection, was led by Aleema Amin Shaheedi, Deputy Secretary General of Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM).

“It was not attack on the shrine of Bibi Zainab, it was an assault on the unity of Islamic ummah,” one of the protesters remarked.

'Ex-British minister may attend Rouhani's inauguration

Former British foreign secretary Jack Straw may attend Hassan Rouhani's inauguration ceremony, an advisor to the Iranian president-elect has said.

"It is possible that Mr. Straw, who previously showed an interest to travel to Iran, would be invited to the incoming (inauguration) ceremony" of Rouhani, reported Xinhua citing Morteza Bank as saying Thursday.

Earlier this month, Straw told the BBC that he was "more hopeful " about the incoming president to help resolve the country's nuclear issue.

'Ex-British minister may attend Rouhani's inauguration

Former British foreign secretary Jack Straw may attend Hassan Rouhani's inauguration ceremony, an advisor to the Iranian president-elect has said.

"It is possible that Mr. Straw, who previously showed an interest to travel to Iran, would be invited to the incoming (inauguration) ceremony" of Rouhani, reported Xinhua citing Morteza Bank as saying Thursday.

Earlier this month, Straw told the BBC that he was "more hopeful " about the incoming president to help resolve the country's nuclear issue.

Pro-Assad militia kills Syrian reconciliation team in Homs village

At least six mediators have been killed by pro-government militiamen in the Syrian province of Homs, reports say.

The men were reportedly trying to broker talks between Sunni Muslims and members of the minority Alawite sect in the area when they were shot dead.

Saudi arms will arrive soon: Syria rebel chief

The new head of the opposition Syrian National Coalition said he expected advanced weapons supplied by Saudi Arabia to reach rebel fighters soon and that the Geneva peace conference “is not possible” for now due to their currently weak military position.

Ahmad al-Jarba, who has close links to Saudi Arabia, told Reuters in his first interview since being elected president of the coalition on July 6 that the opposition would not go to a proposed peace conference in Geneva sponsored by the United States and Russia unless its military fortunes improve.

Secunderabad hotel collapse: 12 killed, many trapped under debris

Secunderabad: 12 people were killed and 14 injured after an 80-year-old building collapsed in Secunderabad in Andhra Pradesh this morning. Many are still trapped under debris, including the son of the building's owner.

The 3-storey building of the Iranian City Light hotel collapsed at around 6:30 am. Rescue teams managed to pull out 10 people from the rubble but at least a dozen people could be still trapped.

Turkish PM urges ‘so-called’ new rulers of Egypt to release Morsi

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has again slammed the military overthrow of elected Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, calling for his “immediate” release.

“Any attitude that can drag [Egypt] into confrontation should be avoided. We expect that all politicians, Morsi and the prime minister [Hisham Qandil] in the first instance, will be immediately released,” Erdogan said today during the opening of a new metro line in Istanbul.Erdogan also raised his rhetoric against the countries that have shied away from describing the takeover as a “coup.”