RABAT - Saudi Arabia has given Morocco 100 million dollars towards a new fund to counter the effects of natural disasters, an official source said Tuesday in Rabat.In heavy storms and flooding at the end of last month, 28 Moroccans were killed and 200 houses destroyed in various parts of the country. Two industrial zones were flooded in the port of Tangiers.The gift from Saudi King Abdallah was aimed at "att... Read more »

BEIRUT (AlArabiya.net, AFP)Six makeshift bombs exploded in a mixed Sunni-Shiite area of west Beirut overnight, causing damage but no casualties, a security official said on Monday. The blasts occurred in Corniche al-Mazraa, an area that was the scene of violent sectarian clashes in May, during fierce fighting between political rivals that killed 65 people and sent Lebanon to the brink of civil war. Windows i... Read more »

THE HAGUE (Reuters)A decision on an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir is likely to come later than the widely-expected date of mid-October, the International Criminal Court's top prosecutor has said."Normally, when the judges start to analyze (a case) they call us for hearings and they ask for more information. They have not yet done that," ICC Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo to... Read more »

UNITED NATIONS (Agencies)The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the car bombing that left a Lebanese Druze politician dead near Beirut and urged rival parties to show restraint."I condemn yesterday's car bombing and urge restraint," the U.N. boss told a press conference. "This violence only underscores how important it is for dialogue and reconciliation to move forward."The Security C... Read more »

Saleh Aridi, a member of Lebanon's opposition Democratic party, was killed Wednesday in a car bomb explosion in the vicinity of Aley town, southeast of Beirut, officials said. "Aridi was killed in the explosion in Baysur, near Aley," a security official told AFP on condition of anonymity. "The initial probe indicates that the bomb was placed inside his Mercedes."A Lebanese army spokesman said three other peo... Read more »

OCCUPED JERUSALEM (Agencies)The Israeli government plans to build a new city for Arabs in the northern region of Galilee to meet the needs of a growing population, the press reported on Monday. The proposal for the city, whose location has still to be determined, was made by Interior Minister Meir Sheetrit and approved by the cabinet on Sunday. "There is a need to broaden the range of opportunities available... Read more »

Gulf Arab states look to harvest food from foreign investment to meet growing demand. DUBAI - Faced with a scarcity of fertile land, water shortages and surging world food prices, wealthy Arab states in the Gulf are seeking to secure their food supplies by investing in agriculture abroad. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the top food importers among Arab countries in the Gulf, are now looking to As... Read more »

Arab ministers discuss ways of dealing with ICC prosecutor's bid to arrest Sudan President.CAIRO - Arab foreign ministers were on Saturday to hold crisis talks on how to deal with the International Criminal Court prosecutor's bid to arrest Sudan President Omar al-Beshir for alleged genocide in Darfur. ICC chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo on Monday asked ICC judges to issue a warrant for Beshir's arrest on... Read more »

Interfaith conference said to have come at time when Islam is being lied about, distorted for political purposes. MADRID - Saudi Arabia won praise Friday for taking a leading role in an interfaith conference, with participants saying it was another sign the conservative kingdom is opening up. Rabbi David Rosen, the only Israeli who attended the three-day meeting led by Saudi King Abdullah, said he believes t... Read more »