Arabinform.org

Death penalty sought for Tunisia ex-leader

Thu, 24 May 2012 07:02:54 PDT

A Tunisian military tribunal prosecutor demanded the death penalty Wednesday for ex-president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who is being tried in absentia over killings during last year's Arab spring uprisings. Defence lawyers and the victims' relatives alike were surprised by the decision, as Ben Ali is charged only with "complicity in voluntary homicide" while others are accused of direct involvement. Aside from seeking the capital punishment for Ben Ali, the ...

Egyptians vote for president

Wed, 23 May 2012 07:43:30 PDT

Egyptians are queuing to polling stations in their first free presidential election, 15 months after ousting Hosni Mubarak in the Arab Spring uprising. Fifty million people are eligible to vote. The military council which assumed presidential power in February 2011 has promised a fair vote and civilian rule. The election pits Islamists against secularists, and revolutionaries against Mubarak-era ministers, Bbc.co.uk reported.

Bahrain activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja attends retrial

arabinform — Tue, 22 May 2012 07:13:10 PDT

The leading Bahraini human rights activist, Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, has appeared in court in the capital, Manama, for his retrial. Mr Khawaja, who began a hunger strike in February in protest at the prison sentence he was given by a military court in June, was in a wheelchair. Witnesses said he had looked weak but moved his chair without assistance. Mr Khawaja and 20 others are accused of plotting to overthrow the state. Seven of them are being tried in absentia, Bbc.co.uk reported.

Al-Qaeda blows Yemen army parade, dozens killed

Mon, 21 May 2012 07:13:04 PDT

At least 70 people have been killed in a suicide bomb attack during a rehearsal for a military parade in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa. The assailant, who was reportedly wearing army uniform, blew himself up among soldiers at al-Sabin Square, near the presidential palace. Bbc.co.uk quotes an al-Qaeda source that one of the group’s members had carried out the attack. "We were in a parade, suddenly there was a huge explosion. Dozens of our men were killed. We tri...

Algeria pays tribute to Arab singing diva Warda

Sun, 20 May 2012 01:03:05 PDT

Mourning Algerians paid final respects yesterday to Arab singing divaWarda, whose body was returned to her homeland after she died of a heart attack at the age of 72 in Egypt two days earlier. Known throughout the Arab world as Warda al-Jazairia (Warda the Algerian), or as the “Algerian Rose”, the singer famed in the north African nation and across the Arab world with singing Algerian independence songs as a young girl. Hundreds of Algerians, most of them w...

Yemeni army pushes Al-Qaeda from Loder

Sat, 19 May 2012 01:34:36 PDT

Yemeni troops sent Al-Qaeda fighters fleeing from the southern city of Loder and pressed towards militant-controlled Zinjibar. "We have cleansed Loder (of Al-Qaeda) and the fighters have been forced to flee," Middle-east-online.com quotes anonymous military official as saying.He said that Al-Qaeda gunmen retreated from three positions on the outskirts of Loder, in southern Abyan province, which they have been trying to overrun for several months.

Syrian opposition head Burhan Ghalioun 'to resign'

Fri, 18 May 2012 08:23:50 PDT

The head of Syria's main opposition coaltion, the Syrian National Council, has said he will resign amid growing criticism and rifts within the group. Burhan Ghalioun, who was re-elected as SNC leader on Tuesday, said he would step down once a replacement is found. The SNC was formed last year to present a united front for the opposition, but has been torn by divisions. "I will not allow myself to be the candidate of division, I am not attached to a position...

Belhadj quits army for Libya’s politics

Wed, 16 May 2012 05:29:14 PDT

Libyan Islamist commander Abdel Hakim Belhadj has resigned his military post in a bid to enter politics. Mr Belhadj, a key brigade leader in the 2011 toppling of Col Gaddafi, plans to run in elections next month He is a former member of an Islamist insurgent group which sought to overthrow Gaddafi in the 1990s. Mr Belhadj is currently taking legal action against the UK authorities, alleging they were complicit in his 2004 rendition to Libya, Bbc.co.uk repor...

Arab Gulf leaders meet for talks on further union

Mon, 14 May 2012 06:25:25 PDT

Leaders of the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) are meeting in Saudi Arabia to discuss plans for a regional political, economic and security union. The exact nature of this union is unclear. Bahrain's minister of state for information, Samira Rajab, said it could follow European Union model. The idea to form the union belongs to the Saudi monarch, King Abdullah, who is chairing the meeting in Riyadh, Bbc.co.uk reported.

Jordanians protest against newly appointed PM

Sun, 13 May 2012 02:46:13 PDT

More than 1,000 Jordanians, mostly opposition Islamists, marched on Friday demanding elected governments and "radical" reforms, and criticising newly appointed Prime Minister Fayez Tarawneh. Demonstrators gathered in central Amman after midday prayers, the protesters, including youths and trade unionists, carried banners reading "we want to reform the regime, radical change and elected governments." "Fayez (Tarawneh) go home, you are not up to reform. We wa...