CAIRO, May 24, 2013 (AFP) Plans to shut two runways at Cairo's international airport at night have been shelved temporarily, the head of Egypt's airports authority said on Friday, explaining that they need to be studied further. Civil Aviation Minister Wael al-Maadawi announced last month that the runways would be shut for four hours each night from 1:30 am (2330 GMT) from June 1 due to few incoming flights ...

MOSCOW ,May 24, 2013  (AFP) Russia said on Friday that the Damascus regime had agreed "in principle" to attend an international peace conference on the Syria crisis that is expected to take place in Geneva in June. "We note with satisfaction that we have received an agreement in principle from Damascus to attend the international conference, in the interest of Syrians themselves finding a political path to ...

Tripoli, May 24, 2013 (AFP) At least 23 people have been killed since Sunday in Syria-linked clashes between Sunni and Alawite residents of the Lebanese port city of Tripoli, a security source told AFP on Friday. Thursday was the bloodiest day yet in the clashes, with at least 11 people killed in 24 hours, the source said. At least 167 people have been wounded in the clashes pitting gunmen in the Alawite Ja ...

 Istanbul, May 24, 2013 (AFP) Syria’s main opposition group is set to hold a second day of talks Friday, mulling a new U.S.-Russian peace initiative to end the two-year civil war while the regime vows to crush the insurgency. Holding its seventh general assembly meeting since its creation last November, the National Coalition is expected to choose a new president, incorporate new members and decide the fate ...

May 23, 2013 Humble, sweet and candid, Raha Moharrak’s conversation with Al Arabiya English ranged from her latest accomplishment of climbing Mount Everest, to women’s rights, family and friends. She stirred a media storm in the last week, becoming the first Saudi woman to climb the highest peak in the world, and the youngest Arab to do so. “I felt relieved once I was done with the climb,” said the freelanc ...

CAIRO, May 22, 2013 (AFP) The Arab League said on Thursday it will submit to the UN Security Council a list of proposals for a June peace conference aimed at ending the conflict in Syria. The pan-Arab body's Syria committee, which met in Cairo on Thursday, agreed on "several points to help the next international conference in Geneva succeed," it said in a statement without elaborating. Qatari Prime Minister ...

DAMASCUS, May 23, 2013 (AFP) President Bashar Al Assad told a Tunisian delegation on Thursday he was determined to crush the rebellion against his regime and to find a political solution to the crisis in Syria, SANA news agency reported. “Syria is determined to tackle terrorism and those who support it regionally and globally, and to find a political solution to the crisis,” Assad was quoted as telling the ...

 GENEVA, May 22, 2013 (AFP) Switzerland, currently in the process of restituting assets to several former autocratic countries, is working on a new law aimed at simplifying the process of freezing and unblocking such funds, the government said Wednesday. The law under construction would regulate "the administrative confiscation and restitution of dictator assets," the government said in a statement. Bern pr ...

CAIRO, May 22, 2013 (AFP) Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi appealed Wednesday to the opposition for unity, in the face of criticism he is failing the revolution that brought him to power almost a year ago. "To all those who love Egypt, to the opposition, those who love this country and care for its interests, let's proceed together... help each other, love each other more... and move forward," said Morsi. T ...

AMMAN, May 22, 2013 (AFP) British Foreign Secretary William Hague said on Wednesday ahead of an international conference to discuss peace efforts in Syria that only President Bashar al-Assad's departure could clear the way for a settlement. "It is the longstanding view of the UK that Assad needs to go, and we have never been able to see any solution which involves him staying," Hague told a press conference ...

by Jailan ZAYAN CAIRO, May 22, 2013 (AFP) Kidnappers on Wednesday released three Egyptian policemen and four soldiers seized in the Sinai, the army said, leading to the reopening of a Gaza border crossing that police closed to protest the abductions. "The seven security personnel have been released by their kidnappers in Sinai," military spokesman Ahmed Aly said in a statement carried by Egypt's official ME ...

CAIRO, May 22, 2013 (AFP) Kidnappers on Wednesday released three Egyptian policemen and four soldiers captured last week in the Sinai peninsula, the army said. "The seven security personnel have been released by their kidnappers in Sinai," military spokesman Ahmed Aly said in a statement carried by the official MENA agency. "The seven are on their way to Cairo following their release, which came as a result ...