Israel’s population stands at 7.746 million on the 63rd year of its independence, the Central Bureau for Statistics reported Sunday. Since last Independence Day, there has been a 2% rise, 155,000 people, in Israel’s population. Israel’s Jewish population comprises about 5.837 million (75.3%) of the total 7.746 million inhabitants, while […]
The death of Osama bin Laden has raised important questions about how far a country can go in the desire for revenge. In a SPIEGEL ONLINE interview, German political scientist Herfried Münkler discusses whether democracies can carry out targeted killings and talks about the “unthinking naïveté” of the American celebrations […]
Ernst Uhrlau is the head of Germany’s foreign intelligence agency, the BND. In a SPIEGEL interview he talks about the consequences of Osama bin Laden’s death for al-Qaida and his expectation that the organization will carry out terror attacks in the near future. SPIEGEL: How severe a blow to al-Qaida […]
by Eveline Kobler in Tunis, swissinfo.ch The Swiss ambassador to Israel says the democratisation process sweeping through the Arab world could pose a threat to Israeli security. Walter Haffner also tells swissinfo.ch that the agreement aimed at uniting the main Palestinian factions is a positive development. The interview was conducted […]
Defence Minister Ueli Maurer says there has been an increase in the recruitment of Muslims for militant training camps. In an interview with the SonntagsZeitung newspaper, Maurer said the government was aware of Swiss who went to these training camps, and others who visited Koran schools. He said the federal […]
CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt’s government announced measures to curb religious violence on Sunday after 12 people died in clashes in a Cairo suburb sparked by rumours that Christians had abducted a woman who converted to Islam. The fighting on Saturday was Egypt’s worst interfaith strife since 13 people died on […]
HASSAN BIN YOUSSEF YASSIN | ARAB NEWS Stability of monarchies is in sharp contrast to the failure of Arab republics Napoleon Bonaparte once said that monarchy was the most sensible and effective form of government. In any history or course on political theory in the West, it is taken for […]
By Khetam Malkawi AMMAN – Amidst a period of regional unrest, Petra has emerged as a top travel destination for 2011, according to a leading tourism website. TripAdvisor.com has ranked the UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the New Seven Wonders of the World as one of the 25 […]
Nuclear power will remain the cheapest way for the UK to grow its low-carbon energy supply for at least a decade, according to government advisers. But renewables should provide 30-45% of the nation’s energy by 2030, says the Committee on Climate Change (CCC). Its new report suggests ministers may want […]
By CHRISTIAN C. SAHNER It’s Friday and the weekly congregational prayer has just ended at the Umayyad Mosque, Syria’s most famous monument. As the faithful exit, they walk past an unassuming bit of masonry on the mosque’s southern wall: a Greek inscription above a blocked doorway, with a most […]
The heads of 16 US government agencies and representatives from 20 Chinese government departments will discuss the most difficult issues in a complex, interdependent relationship. The annual Strategic and Economic Dialogue comes just four months after bilateral discussions between President Barack Obama and President Hu Jintao. Read More
BEIJING – China successfully launched a space environment-monitoring rocket Saturday morning from the southern island province of Hainan as part of the nation’s key “Meridian Project.” Read More
The killing of Osama bin Laden is a “vigilante” act of “vengeance” that undermines the rule of law, according to leading clerics in the Church of England. Three bishops have added their voices to the debate over the legitimacy of the operation that resulted in the death of the unarmed […]
By Faheem Younus. Adjunct Faculty for Religion and History, Community Colleges of Baltimore I wonder if an ad went up on some websites on May 1, seeking applicants for a new commander-in-chief for al Qaeda? Trust me. Al Qaeda Inc. is not going to allow a leadership vacuum to develop — […]
Backers see justice finally being served over cartoons they say defamed Mohammad; critics see show trial aimed at winning favor with Islamists. Talkbacks (5) AMMAN, Jordan – Almost six years after a series of cartoons caricaturing the Prophet Mohammad were published by a Danish newspaper, a Jordanian court is […]
The good news is sympathy for the Israeli point of view in Europe is steadily eroding During his visits to London and Paris, Benjamin Netanyahu did what he could to persuade Britain and France to oppose UN recognition of a unilaterally declared Palestinian state. His mission was also to try […]
By Selim Saheb Ettaba Agence France-Presse OCCUPIED JERUSALEM – Even as Israel slammed the door on any dialogue with the Palestinians after a unity deal with Hamas, the Islamic group has been slowly inching its way towards a tacit acceptance of Israel. Despite being officially dedicated to “liberating all of […]
The radical Islamist preacher Pierre Vogel stepped back from plans to pray for Osama bin Laden at a rally in Frankfurt on Saturday evening. While planning the meeting, Vogel had said he would pray for bin Laden’s soul with a prayer for the dead on the Roßmarkt in the centre […]
We have lost perspective in this endless war. In a kind of affirmative action, some progressive American Jews support, identify with and help Palestinian victims of the conflict, while shunning, or worse, blaming the Israeli victims. Please try to imagine what it’s like here. It’s Shabbat, a gorgeous day in […]
Israel can demand that the world not talk to Hamas and the members of the Palestinian government representing Hamas, but it cannot demand that there be no communication with those who talk to Hamas, or even those who sign agreements with it. Even after the reconciliation agreement, if it is […]