July, 2007

• 21 July

  Israel frees 255 prisoners in bid to boost Abbas

  Israel released 255 Palestinian prisoners on Friday as part of a series of goodwill gestures designed to bolster Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in his standoff against Hamas.

  Read More »
• 21 July

  Freed Palestinians welcomed home

  More than 250 Palestinians released from Israeli prisons have received a rapturous welcome from relatives and friends in Ramallah, on the West Bank.

  Read More »
• 21 July

  Sunni bloc ends boycott of Iraqi parliament

  Iraq’s main Sunni Arab bloc has ended its boycott of the Shi’ite-dominated parliament, officials said on Thursday, in a positive sign for the country’s faltering attempts at national reconciliation.

  Read More »
• 21 July

  U.S. says Iran knows its weapons reaching Taliban

  KABUL (Reuters) – Iranian arms are entering Afghanistan and reaching Taliban insurgents in such quality and quantity that the Tehran government must know about it, the U.S. ambassador to Kabul said on Tuesday.

  Read More »
• 21 July

  Insurgents form political front to plan for US pullout

  Seven of the most important Sunni-led insurgent organisations fighting the US occupation in Iraq have agreed to form a public political alliance with the aim of preparing for negotiations in advance of an American withdrawal, their leaders have told the Guardian.

  Read More »
• 21 July

  Egyptian bourse inches up, led by Raya and CIB

  Main Egyptian stock indexes rose on Thursday as shares in technology and communications firm Raya surged following an offer by Orascom Telecom to buy all issued shares in the firm, traders said.

  Read More »
• 21 July

  Egypt opens shelters in Sinai for stranded Gazans

  Egypt opened shelters on Thursday to house hundreds of Palestinians stranded at the closed border with the Gaza Strip for fear that some could resort to sleeping on the streets, an Egyptian official said.

  Read More »
• 21 July

  Two in one

  Chief of General Intelligence Omar Suleiman visited America this week to discuss a range of strategic issues with US administration officials, including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and CIA Director Michael Hayden.

  Read More »
• 21 July

  How many Copts in Egypt?

  Intense debate followed a bishop’s controversial announcement about the exact number of Coptic Christians in Egypt. Bishop Basenti of the diocese of Helwan and Massara told a seminar on citizenship that the Copt population was “between 10 million and 15 million”.

  Read More »
• 21 July

  Sex-crimes rise

  Sexual harassment, and even rape, continue to be viewed by society as personal dilemmas rather than criminal acts, writes Reem Leila. Eleven-year-old Hend Mohamed became a mother after being raped by 21-year-old Mohamed Sami, a tuk-tuk driver.

  Read More »