Mikati praises ISF achievements in Beqaa

Information Minister Walid Daouq told the press following the cabinet’s meeting that Prime Minister Najib Mikati “praised the exceptional achievement of the ISF in the Bekaa.” (more…)

Kuwait rally demands PM quit over ‘corruption scandal’

Thousands of Kuwaiti protesters called on Wednesday for the resignation of the prime minister and the government over an alleged corruption scandal involving several MPs. (more…)

Obama urges UN Security Council to sanction Syria

President Barack Obama says it’s time for the U.N. Security Council to sanction Syria for using deadly violence against citizens who are rising up against the authoritarian government there. (more…)

Syrian security forces detain students; 4 killed in clashes

Syrian security forces moved against several schools around the country Wednesday and detained students who demonstrated against President Bashar Assad’s regime, while troops shot dead at least four people in central Syria, activists said. (more…)

Turkey slams Syria over rape claim in refugee camps

Turkey’s worsening relations with Syria took another hit this week over a Syrian state news report about conditions in Turkish camps housing Syrian refugees.
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Turkey Considers Sanctions Against Syria

Turkey is considering imposing sanctions against Syria for its brutal crackdown on the country’s uprising and is coordinating its efforts with the United States, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was quoted as saying Wednesday. (more…)

Obama tells U.N. only talks will create Palestinian state

U.S. President Barack Obama told the United Nations on Wednesday that the Palestinians deserved a state of their own, but that this would only be achieved through talks with Israel.

“I am convinced that there is no short cut to the end of a conflict that has endured for decades. Peace will not come through statements and resolutions at the U.N.,” (more…)

Iran frees U.S. hikers, ending two-year ordeal

Two Americans jailed in Iran on charges of espionage and entering the nation illegally were released from Tehran’s prison after more than two years in custody.

A convoy of vehicles, including Swiss and Omani diplomats along with Iranian police, was seen leaving Evin prison Wednesday with Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer inside. (more…)

Gaddafi bastion Sabha falls to interim forces

New Libyan regime forces have largely seized one of the last three main bastions of Moamar Gaddafi, a month after the strongman was toppled, officials said.

Sabha, deep in the North African state’s Sahara desert, has been holding out along with Bani Walid and Gaddafi’s hometown Sirte since the fall of the capital Tripoli on August 23. (more…)

Palestinians rally for Abbas’s U.N. statehood bid

Flag-waving Palestinians filled the squares of major West Bank cities on Wednesday to rally behind President Mahmoud Abbas’s bid for statehood recognition at the United Nations despite U.S. and Israeli objections. (more…)