Greater Middle East

Lebanon issues warrant for Syrian official

A Lebanese judge issued an arrest warrant for a top Syrian intelligence official and his aide for alleged involvement in a bombing plot in Lebanon. 

North Africa

Mali: French fight Tuaregs in Kidal?

With French forces carrying out air-strikes in preparation for an advance on Kidal, it remains unclear if the remote town is under the control of jihadists or Tuareg separatists.

Watching the Shadows

John Kiriakou: CIA whistle-blower?

Ex-CIA agent John Kiriakou gets five years for blowing the cover of a fellow agent, and claims that he is a “whistleblower” on CIA torture—despite having justified the practice.

North Africa

Jubilation in Timbuktu —and ethnic cleansing

Amid music and celebration in northern Mali since a French-led advance swept the jihadists from power, come growing reports of Tuareg and Arab residents forced to flee in reprisals.

Greater Middle East

Armed left behind Ankara embassy blast?

The suicide blast at the US embassy in Ankara was allegedly carried out by the outlawed Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party/Front (DHKP-C), an armed left faction.

South Asia

India: Naxalite hand in opium trade?

Authorities in India say that the Naxalite guerillas, following a series of reversals, have taken refuge in the northeast, where they are trading opium for guns from Burma.

Southeast Asia

Burma: Kachin rebels agree to peace talks

With fighting escalating after a 17-year ceasefire broke down last year, Burma’s Kachin Independence Army (KIA) has agreed to talks with the government.

Watching the Shadows

Gitmo detainee seeks ECHR ruling on CIA prison

Gitmo detainee Abu Zubaydah asked the European Court of Human Rights to rule on whether Poland violated his rights by hositng a secret CIA prison where was tortured. 

Palestine

UN experts: Israeli settlements violate rights

The UN Human Rights Council adopted the first report of an International Fact-Finding Mission on Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, charging serious violations.

Greater Middle East

Egypt: death sentences for anti-Muslim ‘film’

An Egyptian court upheld the in absentia death sentences of seven Coptic Christians and a US preacher on charges stemming from the amateur anti-Muslim film Innocence of Muslims.