Blog Profile / Babylon & Beyond
| URL : | http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/ | |
|---|---|---|
| Filed Under: | News / International Affairs | |
| Posts on Regator: | 1407 | |
| Posts / Week: | 9.5 | |
| Archived Since: | July 25, 2010 | |
Blog Post Archive
ISRAEL: Trying classic, digital and celebrity diplomacy
The Palestinian plan to ask the United Nations for statehood recognition has preoccupied Israel's leaders and news media for months, making "September" a code word for trouble ahead. Public officials have sounded dire warnings, each with a metaphor describing what...
IRAN: Key cleric calls for more prayer, less Web surfing
An influential Iranian ayatollah is telling his students to spend more time praying and less time clicking through cyberspace. Ayatollah Mesbah-Yazdi, a conservative Islamic cleric and chairman of the Imam Khomeini Research and Education Institute in Qom, said the Internet is rife with dangers and temptations that lead to family problems.
WEST BANK: U.S. envoys' paper emboldens Abbas to go before U.N.
A paper special U.S. peace envoys David Hale and Dennis Ross presented to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday that was supposed to sway him away from going to the United Nations was what caused Abbas to take a....
SYRIA: Momentum builds as uprising reaches six-month mark [VIDEO]
Protests continued throughout Syrian villages late Wednesday, which marked the eve of the uprising's six-month anniversary. At least eight protesters were reported dead, three each in Hama and Homs, and one in each Aleppo and and Idleb. The uprising stands...
WEST BANK: 18 years after Oslo, Palestinians try a new tack
On Sept. 13, 1993, current Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and current Israeli President Shimon Peres signed at the While House the so-called Oslo Accords, ushering in a new era and hopes of peace in the decades-old Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The...
LIBYA: Seven keys to post-revolution resurgence
Editor’s note: This post is from analyst Lahcen Achy with the Carnegie Middle East Center. Neither the Los Angeles Times nor Babylon & Beyond endorses the positions of Carnegie analysts, nor does Carnegie endorse the positions of The Times or...
SYRIA: Activist's death shakes opposition as casualty count jumps
The body of well-known Syrian opposition activist Ghaith Mattar was delivered to his family over the weekend by security forces loyal to the regime of President Bashar Assad. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Mattar was on the run...
EGYPT: Testimony of top general postponed in Mubarak trial
The testimony of Egypt's top general in the trial of former President Hosni Mubarak was postponed Sunday after the military leader said he was too busy with national security matters, including repercussions from a mob attack on the Israeli embassy...
WEST BANK: Palestinians start pro-U.N. bid activities
The Palestinian support group for the United Nations bid to gain statehood recognition announced Saturday a series of activities that would reach a peak when Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas addresses the U.N. General Assembly on Sept. 23.
SYRIA: Some Syrians decry Arab League chief's visit with Assad
The secretary-general of the Arab League, Nabil Elaraby, visited Syrian President Bashar Assad on Saturday in an effort to end the bloody crackdown on anti-regime protesters that has gripped Syria for months and led to international condemnation.
EGYPT: Thousands in Tahrir Square angry at slow pace of reforms
Thousands of Egyptians returned to Tahrir Square on Friday, calling on the ruling Supreme Council of Armed Forces to fulfill the demands of the revolution that overthrew former President Hosni Mubarak. It was the first in Tahrir since a sit-in in July and early August that lasted for more than three weeks and made similar demands.
SYRIA: Protesters call for international protection [Video]
Thousands of opponents of Bashar Assad's regime took to the streets of Syria on Friday and called for the international community to intervene and protect civilians.
SYRIA: Homs hit hard in hunt for defectors, activists say [Video]
The death toll in Syria reportedly rose to 23 people Thursday after government forces launched an artillery-backed offensive against neighborhoods in the central city of Homs. Citizens of Homs said the strikes were hardest in areas where...Show More Summary
SYRIA: Death of popular Sunni cleric stirs unrest in Aleppo
The funeral of an outspoken Sunni cleric who died under tight security in a hospital Tuesday interrupted the calm that has largely prevailed in the Syrian commercial center of Aleppo. Dr. Ibrahim Salkini, the Sunni mufti of Aleppo and dean of theology at Damascus University, died Tuesday after spending several days in the hospital.
EGYPT: Prosecutors face setback in case against Mubarak
The prospect of convicting former President Hosni Mubarak in the deaths of hundreds of protesters during last winter's revolution has been complicated by the testimony of four high-ranking police officers that supports the toppled leader. During the trial's third session,...
SYRIA: Activists report manhunt for defectors and protesters
Syrian security forces reportedly launched fresh widespread attacks on Monday, intensifying the assault on the central cities of Hama and Homs as the president of the Red Cross visited the country's prisons for the first time.
ISRAEL: Diplomatic dispute with Turkey lands at Istanbul airport
Israel's airport security is widely admired but its stringent passenger screening has been criticized by other countries -- and by the Israeli supreme court. On Monday, some Israelis got a glimpse of what it's like on the receiving end of...
SYRIA: Activists report at least 14 dead as hunt for defector continues
At least 14 died Sunday in one of the bloodier days of the Syrian government's crackdown against anti-regime protesters, activists reported. Activists and residents said military forces have launched an offensive in the cities of Idleb and Hama as part...
PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES: Legal opinion muddies U.N. statehood bid
As the Palestinian Authority is getting ready to ask the United Nations to accept the West Bank and Gaza Strip within the 1967 borders as a member state, a legal opinion by an Oxford University international-law professor has provoked second thoughts about the move among many Palestinians.
SYRIA: Thousands in Khaldieh protest Assad regime [Video]
Thousands of protesters from the restive Syrian town of Khaldieh are shown demanding the end of the four decades of rule of the Assad family, a new video purportedly taken Friday shows.