A regularly updated column of news briefs from around the region
Parents force son to marry four women
JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia - A divorced Saudi couple forced their son to marry four women in six months, the Arab News has reported. First the father insisted the son marry a woman from his side of the family. His mother then demanded he marry a woman from her side of the family. The father came back with a second demand - marry a second woman from his side - and mother retaliated with a similar demand. Finally, the son was hospitalized for stress, the newspaper reported.
Stormy winds lash Iraq
BAGHDAD - Stormy winds and heavy rains lashed Iraq on February 3 disrupting flights and vehicle traffic, a day after insurgents left a trail of blood across the war-torn country killing dozens. "Heavy storms and rains are lashing across Iraq since early hours today," said an official with Baghdad's meteorological department. He said that the storm was triggered after a massive depression near Saudi Arabia and the winds were whipping at a speed of 40 to 50 kilometers (25 to 30 miles) per hour. "This will continue for the next 24 hours," he said, adding that there were also sandstorms in some regions of the country.
Israeli AG to indict Kadima campaign chief
JERUSALEM - Israeli Attorney General Menahem Mazuz decided on February 2 to indict the governing Kadima party's election campaign manager Tzahi Hanegbi for cronyism during his time as environment minister. Judicial sources said that the charge will include allegations of bribery, fraud, violation of trust and perjury in connection with Hanegbi's time as environment minister between 1999 and 2003. Police began investigating Hanegbi in August 2004 after a report by the state comptroller found that he had "trampled on the law" by appointing dozens of political supporters to the ministry. The move forced Hanegbi, who was then serving as internal security minister, to step down.
Hizbullah threat after teen killed on Israel border
BASTARA, Lebanon - The body of a teenage Lebanese shepherd said to have been killed by Israeli fire was found near the volatile border on February 2, triggering a threat of reprisals by the Hizbullah militia. Police said that the body of Ibrahim Youssef Rahil, 15, was discovered with Israeli bullets in the Bastara region of southern Lebanon near the disputed Shebaa Farms area. The spokesman for the UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, Milos Struger, confirmed that the youth was killed on the Lebanese side of the border. Hizbullah chief Hassan Nasrallah said that if the boy was killed by Israeli fire, the movement's armed wing "would punish the culprits".
13 Bangladesh workers killed in Saudi road accident
DHAKA - At least 13 Bangladeshi construction workers were killed and 17 others injured on February 2 when their crowded bus hit a sidewall of a underpass near the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh, an official said. The accident occurred when the Bangladeshi bus driver lost control of this bus after giving a car coming in the opposite direction room to pass, the deputy head of Bangladesh's mission in Riyadh, Ali Akbar, said by phone. Three of the 17 injured were in critical condition, he said, adding that all those injured had been admitted to Riyadh area hospitals.
Doctors insert feeding tube for Sharon
JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, in a coma after suffering a huge brain hemorrhage four weeks ago, underwent an operation on February 1 to insert a feeding tube to his stomach. "The procedure, which went well, should allow Mr. Sharon to be fed directly via the stomach in order to avoid complications," Ron Krumer, spokesman for Jerusalem's Hadassah hospital where Sharon is being treated, said. "The prime minister is still in a critical but stable condition," he said. On January 31, Israeli television reported that Sharon had responded to commands by his doctors to move his eyes and one of his hands.
Qatar bans falcon imports over bird flu fears
DOHA - The gas-rich emirate of Qatar banned on February 1 the import and export of falcons, four days after 37 of the birds tested positive for the H5 avian flu virus in neighboring Saudi Arabia. The ministerial order is effective from February 10 for a period of one year, according to a statement in Qatar's official news agency. Saudi Arabia killed and burned 37 infected falcons and was still conducting tests to see if the birds were infected with the deadly H5N1 strain of the virus. Many wealthy Gulf residents are avid falconers but have been restricted from practicing the sport because of the threat of bird flu.
Eritrea to close its embassy in Belgium
ASMARA - Eritrea will close its embassy in Belgium by the end of the month and transfer diplomatic representation to the Netherlands for financial reasons, the foreign ministry said on February 1. Ahferom Berhane, director at the foreign ministry, said that the closure of the embassy, which represented the country in several European Union (EU) states was neither political nor linked to a current border stalemate with Ethiopia. "The decision has nothing to do with that," Ahferom said. "It is only for financial reasons, it will not affect our relationship with the EU. Our embassy in the Netherlands will be accredited to cover the same countries."
Bomb blast outside Gaza home of Fatah candidate
GAZA CITY - A bomb exploded on February 1 outside the home in the Gaza Strip of a candidate for the former ruling Fatah party in last week's Palestinian general election, security sources said. No one was injured in the blast at Suleiman Abu Mutleq's home in the Khan Younis area of southern Gaza, they added. Abu Mutleq accused members of the Islamist movement Hamas of being behind the explosion that caused some damage to his home. A former senior officer in the preventive security force, he stood for parliament in Khan Younis but lost heavily to Hamas. The Islamist movement, however, flatly denied any involvement.
Two executed in Iran
TEHRAN - Two men have been executed in Iran, one for serial kidnapping and drug dealing and the other for murder, Iranian media reported on February 1. The first convict who was not identified, was hanged in public in the southern city of Kerman. The second man, named as Reza, was hanged in a prison in the northeastern city of Mashhad. The executions bring to 12 the number of people executed in Iran this year, according to an AFP tally based on press reports and witnesses. At least 81 people were counted as executed in Iran in 2005.
Iraqi Siamese twins to be separated in Saudi hospital
RIYADH - Iraqi Siamese twins will be separated in a Saudi hospital at the expense of King Abdullah, a health official said on January 31. "King Abdullah has given orders to separate the Iraqi Siamese twins at the King Abdel Aziz medical city of the National Guard Hospital in Riyadh," said surgeon Abdullah Al Rabiah. The 20-year-old mother of the Siamese twins had made a humanitarian appeal on television to save her one-week old twins born in Iraq that lacks proper medical care. Moroccan Siamese twins are currently at the same hospital where an operation was to be held to separate them, also at the Saudi king's expense.
Body of French hostage in Lebanon identified
PARIS - Human remains recently found in Lebanon have been identified as those of French hostage Michel Seurat, who was kidnapped in Beirut in 1985, according to a DNA test, his wife said on January 31. "The test is positive," Marie Seurat said confirming an RTL radio report. She said that she had been told of the test result by her lawyer. Lebanese authorities sent human bones to French anti-terror Judge Jean-Louis Bruguiere, who is in charge of investigating the kidnapping, in November. Seurat, a sociologist, was kidnapped by militias when he arrived in Beirut in May 22, 1985.
Twenty Egyptian bus passengers killed in crash
QENA, Egypt - Twenty Egyptian Coptic Christian pilgrims were killed and 21 injured on January 31 when their bus hit another vehicle, the official Mena news agency reported. The accident occurred near the village of Qaraya, some 600 kilometers (370 miles) south of Cairo. The group was returning home from a pilgrimage to St. George's monastery in the town of Isna. After the collision, the bus, which had been traveling at high speed, flipped over into an irrigation ditch, police said. Earlier, 14 tourists from Hong Kong were killed and 30 injured when their speeding bus spun off the road along Egypt's Red Sea coast.
Algerian Islamist group mentor killed in clash with army
PARIS - A radical Algerian Islamist group linked to the Al Qaeda terror network announced on January 31 the death of its spiritual guide in a recent clash with the Algerian army east of the capital, Algiers. The Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat said in a statement on its Internet page that Sheikh Ahmed Abu Al Baraa was killed in a confrontation with the Algerian army on January 17. "The GSPC announces the death of Sheikh Ahmed Abu Al Baraa as a martyr on 17 Zhu Al Hijja [January 17] during violent clashes between the mujahideen [fighters] and the Algerian army," it said.
Israel's rightwing changes slogan after Hamas win
JERUSALEM - Israel's rightwing Likud has changed its campaign slogan for the March election in order to present itself as the party able to protect Israel from a Hamas-led Palestinian government. Likud has swapped its "Forward to the 1967 Border Lines" to "Strong against Hamas", following the Islamists' shock triumph in Palestinian elections last week, a party source said on January 31. The initial slogan sought to poke fun at its main challenger, Kadima, which means "forward" in Hebrew, by alluding to the centrist movement's intention to make further territorial concessions in the West Bank occupied since 1967.
Avalanche kills 15 villagers in northern Afghanistan
KABUL - At least 15 people were killed when an avalanche tore down a mountain in snowbound northern Afghanistan, destroying several homes in about five villages, a provincial governor said on January 31. The avalanche struck a northern district of Badakhshan province late on January 30, governor Munshi Abdul Majeed said. "Up to now they have found 15 bodies," he said. "It has been snowing for seven days in Badakhshan. Roads to 30 villages have been blocked. In the avalanche-hit villages, houses have been destroyed and people have been left homeless," he said.
Syria bars freed dissidents from holding press conference
DAMASCUS - Syrian authorities on January 31 prohibited five political dissidents who were released from prison from holding a press conference, the Association for Human Rights in Syria (AHRS) announced. "The security services prevented the holding of a press conference with the detainees of the 'Damascus Spring,'" a short-lived period of liberalization in 2001, who were freed on January 18, a statement said. The meeting with journalists had been set to discuss "the human rights situation in Syria", the statement added. Opposition MPs Riad Seif and Maamun Homsi and three other opposition figures were released after spending nearly five years in jail.
Afghan court upholds death sentences for men for killing journalists
KABUL - Afghanistan's Supreme Court has upheld death sentences imposed on three men for killing four journalists who entered the country to cover the 2001 toppling of the Taliban, a court official said on January 31. Only a presidential pardon could now overturn the sentences on the two brothers and a fellow gang member. A primary and an appeals court have agreed on the death sentences for the murders of the journalists - an Afghan, an Australian, an Italian and a Spaniard. "The supreme court ratified the primary and appeals court decision to sentence the trio to death for killing journalists," supreme court spokesman Wakeel Omari said.
Senior Jihad leader, militant killed in West Bank
RAMALLAH, West Bank - A local leader of the armed wing of Islamic Jihad and a fellow fighter were killed on January 31 in a shootout with Israeli troops in the northern West Bank, Palestinian sources said. The clashes broke out when Israeli troops moved into the village of Arraba in the Jenin area of the northern occupied territory, Palestinian and Israeli security sources said. "An exchange of fire erupted between two Islamic Jihad terrorists and the border police force in which these two Islamic Jihad terrorists were killed," an army spokeswoman said.
Iranian man hanged for murder
TEHRAN - An Iranian man convicted of murdering the aged parents of the woman that he had hoped to marry has been hanged in a prison in the southern city of Bandar Abbas, the Etemad-e-Melli newspaper said on January 31. The convict, identified only as Ali, was apparently rejected by the victims as a suitable husband because he had a history of drug abuse and drunkenness.
Jewish settlers leave Hebron market site
HEBRON, West Bank - Jewish squatters peacefully left a settlement near Palestinian wholesale markets in Hebron, in the southern West Bank, a police source said on January 31. According to Israeli media, the authorities promised that the evacuees would be allowed accelerated judicial procedures to allow them to return the settlement return later. However, Israeli attorney general Menahem Mazuz denied any "compromise or promise by the state".
Arabs plead continued EU aid for PA
CAIRO - Egypt and the Arab League called on European countries to maintain financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority after Hamas' election victory. Arab League assistant secretary-general for Palestinian affairs, Mohammed Sabih, said on January 30, "the league is against the punishment of the Palestinian people under any pretext", stressing that "the Palestinians are suffering enough from siege and continuous occupation". He said that the Arab League would continue financial assistance to the Palestinians.
Ahmadinejad slams foreign presence in Gulf
TEHRAN - Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad slammed the presence of foreign forces in Gulf countries, which he said harmed the region's interests. The hardline leader said that Gulf countries, including Iran, "could turn the Gulf into a region of peace and friendship by helping each other without foreign interference", the Iranian News Agency, IRNA, reported on January 30.
Hamas militants wounded in Gaza shooting
GAZA CITY - Two members of Hamas' military wing, including a local leader, were shot and lightly wounded in the Gaza Strip on January 30, sources in the Islamist faction and medics said. The local leader of the Ezzedine Al Qassam Brigades was named as Khaled Abu Anza, 33. He was wounded along with Assad Abu Abed in the drive-by shooting to the east of Khan Younis, the Hamas source said.
Second US soldier jailed for punching Afghan detainees
KABUL - A second US soldier was sentenced to a jail term in Kuwait on January 30 after being found guilty in a court-martial of punching detainees in Afghanistan. Kevin Myricks was sentenced to six months in jail and his rank was reduced to private. A court-martial at Bagram airfield on January 27 sentenced James Hayes to four months in jail in Kuwait and cut his rank. They had been accused of punching detainees in the chest, arms and shoulders at a base in southern Uruzgan province in July.
Iranian MP jailed for 'insulting the revolution'
TEHRAN - An Iranian MP has been jailed over complaints that a weekly newspaper that he manages insulted the 1979 Islamic revolution, the semi-official Fars news agency reported on January 30. Last week reports said that the judiciary had shut down his paper, the Tamadon-e Hormozgan weekly and arrested four of its staff members.
Army jet crashes in Turkey, pilot survives
DIYARBAKIR, Turkey - A Turkish military aircraft crashed on January 30 in southeastern Turkey but the pilot survived the accident, local officials said. The F-16 fighter went down on a training flight outside Diyarbakir, the main city of the predominantly Kurdish southeast. The pilot managed to eject.
Latest Darfur violence threatens peace process
LAGOS - A flaring of violence in the Sudanese region of Darfur over the weekend threatens the African Union-supervised peace talks underway in Abuja, the AU said on January 30 in a statement. The violence came "at a crucial moment for the negotiations in Abuja, the vital final phase of the discussions", which aim to reach a "peace agreement to put an end to the Darfur conflict in the coming weeks", the statement said.
Iran detains 50 suspects over blasts
TEHRAN - Iran said on January 30 that it had arrested "about 50" suspects in connection with last week's twin bomb attack in the southwestern oil city of Ahvaz, the official news agency IRNA reported. The January 24 explosions killed eight people and wounded 46, with regime officials putting the blame on Britain and its troops based just across the border in southern Iraq.
Ex-Pakistani PM Sharif arrives in London
LONDON - Former Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif has arrived in London from Saudi Arabia where he has lived in exile since being thrown from power by the regime of Pervez Musharraf. There was no official statement on the reason for his visit to Britain. A spokesman for Sharif's party, the Muslim League (PML-N) had said that his arrival marked the end of his exile in Saudi Arabia.
'Suicide bombers' arrested in Afghanistan
ISLAMABAD - Afghan security forces have arrested nine people, including would-be suicide bombers and two Pakistan nationals, for allegedly planning attacks, a provincial governor said on January 29. The nine were arrested in a series of search operations over the past few days in insurgency-hit southern Kandahar province, governor Asadullah Khalid said.
Iran hangs convicted murderer
TEHRAN - An Iranian man convicted of murder and armed robberies was hanged in public on January 29 in the southern city of Shiraz, the official news agency IRNA reported. "Mozafar Zare has been convicted of 12 counts of armed robbery, a case of kidnapping and a murder that took place more than two years ago," the head of local judiciary, Ahmad Siavoshpour, said adding, "We are not proud of hanging, but we can not stand still while people's peace of mind is endangered."
Bird flu found in Saudi Arabia
RIYADH - Saudi authorities have culled 37 falcons after discovering cases that have tested positive to the H5 virus of the avian flu, the agriculture ministry said on January 28. A ministry team inspecting falcons kept in a veterinary center in Riyadh, which takes care of the birds that are usually used for hunting, discovered the cases, said a ministry statement carried by SPA official news agency.
German spies informed US on Iraq 15 times
BERLIN - German intelligence officials informed the United States at least 15 times on developments in Iraq following requests by Washington, a news report said amid controversy over Germany's role in the conflict to which it was officially opposed. "On 33 occasions, the US Defense Intelligence Agency [DIA] asked the BND [Germany's foreign intelligence agency] questions, requesting help," said the news magazine Der Spiegel in its January 30 edition.
Schools torched in Afghanistan
KABUL - Suspected militants burned down three schools in the latest in a series of attacks on educational institutions in volatile southern Afghanistan, officials said on January 28. The boys' schools, all in the Nawa area of insurgency-hit Helmand province, were torched late on January 27, said provincial spokesman Moheedin Khan. Flames totally destroyed the schools but there were no casualties. One of the schools was a group of tents. There have been at least 10 attacks on schools and education officials in Afghanistan in the past two months.
US troops in Iraq cut by up to 20 percent
KUWAIT CITY - The United States has reduced its forces in Iraq by up to 20 percent in the last two months, but may choose to raise the number of troops if the situation worsens, a top US general said in comments published on January 28. More than 140,000 US soldiers are currently deployed in Iraq.
Palestinian, Colombians charged with helping rebels
MIAMI, FL, USA - US authorities have charged nine Colombians and a Palestinian with illegally smuggling Colombian guerrillas into the United States, the justice department said on January 27. A grand jury charged the 10 with aiding a foreign terrorist organization and alien smuggling, said a justice department statement. The Palestinian, Jalal Saadat Moheisen, and seven of the Colombians were stopped in Bogota on January 26, while the other two accused are on the run.
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