UN agencies involved in Somalia, but based in neighboring Kenya for the reasons of safety, have been told to move to the capital city of Mogadishu within three months. The prime minister of Somalia's UN-backed interim government, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, is the one who ordered to move. Islamist militants lfrom the al-Shabab group linked to al-Qaeda control much of the country. But the government, supported by African Union troops, has recently gained some... Read more »

At least one person died and scores injured at a protest in the southern Yemeni city of Taiz where police opened fire. According to doctors, police had used live rounds, tear gas and batons. And overnight, more than 400 people were wounded after police opened fire on a demonstration in the Red Sea town of Hudaida. Oppositionists have been urging President Ali Abdullah Saleh to resign. He’s been ruling the country more than three decades, he announced earlie... Read more »

The report's author, South African judge Richard Goldstone, has admitted that new accounts indicated Israel had not deliberately targeted Palestinian civilians during the war in Gaza. He said that if he had known what he did knew now, "the Goldstone Report would have been a different document". Israel's prime minister said the Goldstone’s remark meant the report "should be buried". Operation Cast Lead was launched in response to repeated rocket hits on Isra... Read more »

Gas-rich Gulf kingdom Qatar unveiled its budget for the 2011-2012 fiscal year that forecasts 22.5 billion riyals ($6.1 billion) in surplus revenues. The Qatari fiscal year starts April 1 and ends March 31. As in the previous fiscal year, calculations were based on a crude oil price of 55 dollars per barrel, although oil has been trading above 100 dollars a barrel because of the conflict in Libya. According to the ministry forecasts economic growth in Qatar ... Read more »

Seven civilians died and 25 were wounded in a coalition air strike on a pro-Gaddafi convoy. Wednesday's raid happened in the village of Zawia el Argobe, 9 miles from Brega. The strike hit a trailer carrying ammunition, but the following explosion destroyed two nearby homes. All the killed were between the ages of 12 and 20, they mainly died of shrapnel. The news comes as opposition leader Mustafa Abdul Jalil said the rebels would agree to a ceasefire if Col... Read more »

Sunni militants linked to al-Qaeda were behind a bloody siege in Tikrit in which 56 people were killed, another 100 people were injured. Iraqi officials have said. Tuesday's deadliest attack took place at a local government building in Tikrit, the hometown of Saddam Hussein. A fierce gun-battle ended when the attackers wearing military uniforms - numbering about eight - blew themselves up. Bbc.co.uk.

Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad has said the first speech since anti-government demonstrations erupted two weeks ago. He mentioned that “Syria was a target of a big plot from outside”. "Deraa is in the heart of every Syrian," bbc.co.uk. quotes Mr Assad as saying. Deraa is the southern city where 60 people have been killed during violent protests. According to Mr Assad, people were "duped" to go into the streets. Earlier this week, the country's cabinet re... Read more »

A Saudi student Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari has pleaded not guilty to charges he was trying to make a bomb and planned terror attacks in the US. 20-year student is charged in Texas with attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction. He faces life in prison. One of targets allegedly included the dwelling of former President George W Bush in Texas. Mr Aldawsari lives in the US legally on a student visa, and was studying business at South Plains College near Lubboc... Read more »

An Israeli air strike killed two people and injured another one in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, spokesman for the Gaza emergency services said. The militaries could not immediately confirm the report. On Saturday, after a week of deadly clashes with Israel that killed eight Palestinians, Hamas rulers of Gaza declared they wanted to calm tensions in the coastal enclave. There was no immediate reaction from the Israeli cabinet to the militants' statement. Middle... Read more »

Libyan opposition troops backed by allied air strikes retook the strategic eastern town of Ajdabiyah on Saturday. According to Alarabiya.net the whole town was in the opposition's hands by late morning. There were signs of heavy fighting at the western and eastern gates, the last part of the town taken from government troops.
Gaddafi's army stopped an opposition fighters' advance near the major oil export terminal of Ras Lanuf and pushed them back to... Read more »