North Africa unrest

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Gunmen Kidnap 2 Female American Tourists in Egypt
Egypt Kidnappers Release
2 American Tourists
UPDATED
Feb 3, 2012 10:51 AM CST

Egypt Kidnappers Release 2 American Tourists

Bedouin tribesmen free hostages after negotiations

(Newser) - Two female American tourists and their Egyptian guide were freed today, hours after they were abducted at gunpoint near St. Catherine's Monastery in the Sinai Peninsula. Local police chief Maj. Gen. Mohammed Naguib says the three were released after negotiations with Bedouin tribesmen. The three were seized from a...

There Were 2 Crazy Plots to Smuggle Out Gadhafi's Son

Plans to get al-Saadi Gadhafi out of Libya were 'Indiana Jones-style'

(Newser) - The strange story of the plot to smuggle al-Saadi Gadhafi into Mexico gets stranger: Prosecutors now say they actually broke up two plots to get Moammar Gadhafi's playboy son out of Libya and into Mexico, plots that the AP calls "Indiana Jones-style." A Canadian woman, Danish man,...

Syria Nixes Arab League Peace Plan

Calls for Assad to leave power are a 'flagrant interference'

(Newser) - Syria has quickly rejected a peace plan floated by the Arab League, today calling it a "flagrant interference" in the country's internal affairs. The plan, proposed as the Arab League's observer mission flounders , called for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down within two weeks, transfer power...

Tourism Spikes Worldwide
 Tourism Spikes Worldwide 
Jan 16, 2012 6:59 PM CST

Tourism Spikes Worldwide

Europe sees boost as Middle East, North Africa lose travelers

(Newser) - The economic crisis, Japanese disasters, and the Arab Spring couldn't stop tourists from globetrotting last year, AFP reports. European tourism surged the most—6% higher than in 2010—helping to fuel an international rise of 4.4% that clocked 980 million travelers, according to a UN report. But tourists...

Syria's Assad Makes Rare Public Appearance

Bashar al-Assad tells supporters he wants to 'draw strength' from them

(Newser) - President Bashar al-Assad hasn't exactly been a man of the people since the Syrian uprising began, but today he joined thousands of supporters at a Damascus rally, the AP reports. "I wanted to be with you so I can draw strength from you in the face of everything...

Arab League Sending 135 New Monitors to Syria

League hopes more observers will lead to decreased violence

(Newser) - Amid concerns that its monitors are not making much of a difference in Syria, Arab League officials have decided to almost double the number of observers in the country in an effort to put more pressure on the regime. At a meeting yesterday, League members decided to bring the total...

Egyptians Head to Polls for Final Round of Voting

Plus: Hosni Mubarak's trial resumes

(Newser) - The final round of voting began in Egypt today, and it looks like the Muslim Brotherhood could walk off with a controlling majority of seats in Parliament's lower house. The Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, the country's mainstream Islamist party, had already won a high percentage...

10 Killed, Thousands Protest in Syria

But Arab League monitors fuel activists' hope

(Newser) - Tens of thousands—perhaps hundreds of thousands—of protesters rallied across Syria today in an effort to show Arab League monitors the extent of opposition anger. At least 10 were reported killed in ensuing clashes with security forces, the BBC reports; the deaths follow up to 40 others yesterday. But...

Syrian Activists Lambaste Arab League Observers

Say violence rages despite their presence

(Newser) - Arab League observers are scheduled to visit Daraa today, but activists are quickly losing faith that their presence will make much difference. Human rights activists had criticized the Arab League’s choice to lead the mission—former Sudanese military intelligence head Mohammed al-Dabi—from the start, the New York Times...

Syrian Army Leaving Homs
 Syrian Army Leaving Homs 
Dec 27, 2011 7:46 AM CST

Syrian Army Leaving Homs

Arrival of Arab League observers leads to withdrawal

(Newser) - Soldiers and tanks began pulling out of Homs this morning, in response to the arrival of Arab League observers in Syria yesterday. Prior to the army’s retreat, fighting in Homs had been on the rise , with 34 civilians reportedly killed there yesterday. “The government’s goals haven’t...

Gadhafi Son in 'Good Physical Condition'

But he has no access to lawyer, says Human Rights Watch

(Newser) - Saif al-Islam Gadhafi is imprisoned in isolation and has not been given access to a lawyer, but the son of Moammar Gadhafi is in “good physical condition,” according to Human Rights Watch. In a 30-minute meeting with the group, Gadhafi called his treatment “OK” and said he...

Syria Death Toll Tops 5K
 Syria Death Toll Tops 5K 
Dec 13, 2011 6:54 AM CST

Syria Death Toll Tops 5K

20 more killed yesterday

(Newser) - The death toll in the Syria protests now tops 5,000, according to the UN human rights chief, who wants the situation referred to the International Criminal Court. That number, which does not include soldiers or security personnel killed by the opposition, is up by 1,000 from the one...

Syria Uprising: President Bashar al-Assad Tells Barbara Walters He Did Not Order Crackdown (VIDEO)


 Assad: I Didn't 
 Order Crackdown 
barbara walters interview
Dec 7, 2011 7:29 AM CST

Assad: I Didn't Order Crackdown

He feels no guilt, says he tried to protect his people

(Newser) - A defiant Bashar al-Assad sat down with Barbara Walters and denied ordering a brutal crackdown against Syrian protesters, saying that he feels no guilt because "I did my best to protect the people." In fact, most of the dead are his own supporters and troops, Assad insisted, blaming...

Egypt Protests Send Economy Into Crisis

Egyptians frustrated that end of Mubarak rule has not spurred economy

(Newser) - The ongoing public unrest in Egypt is now threatening to devastate the country's economy and turn into a full-bore financial crisis, reports the AP . Continued protests, violent crackdowns, and a huge decline in tourism have driven Egypt's annual growth rate down to just 1% from its usual 7%,...

Military Apologizes as Egypt Clashes Ease

Truce declared after dozens killed in Cairo

(Newser) - Egypt's military rulers apologized today for the deaths of dozens of pro-democracy protesters and vowed to prosecute those responsible in its latest attempt to appease the tens of thousands who have taken to the streets demanding that the generals immediately step down . Police and protesters also agreed to a...

Protesters Jam Egypt's Tahrir Square Again

This time, Islamists are leading protests against the military's power

(Newser) - A familiar scene in Egypt today: Tens of thousands of protesters have packed into Tahrir Square to demand political reform, reports Al Jazeera . The key difference this time is that the protesters are led by Islamists, particularly the Muslim Brotherhood, instead of the more secular groups that pushed for the...

Why Arab Intellectuals Missed Arab Spring
 Why Arab Intellectuals 
 Missed Arab Spring 
ANALYSIS
Oct 30, 2011 7:39 AM CDT

Why Arab Intellectuals Missed Arab Spring

No Thomas Paines, no Vaclav Havels—and maybe that's a good thing

(Newser) - The Arab Spring protests that have roiled the Middle East for the past 10 months may have ousted dictators and brought more democracy to the region, but they've done so with precious little help from the Arab world's intellectuals, writes Robert Worth in an analysis in the New ...

Islamists Claim Victory in Tunisia Vote

Once-banned party Ennahda leading in many constituencies

(Newser) - A moderate Islamist party has claimed victory in Tunisian elections today with at least 30% of the vote, the AP reports. If they win, the Ennahda party will guide the nation's 217-seat constituent assembly in choosing a new government and writing a new constitution. More than 90% of registered...

Syrians Throw Eggs at US Ambassador

He was on his way to meet an opposition leader

(Newser) - An angry crowd of Bashar al-Assad supporters pelted US ambassador to Syria Robert Ford with tomatoes and eggs today on his way to meet with opposition leader Hassan Abdul-Azim, opposition activists tell the AP . Once Ford was inside Abdul-Azim’s office, the mob stormed the building, trying to break the...

Militants Attack Egypt Gas Pipeline

Officials suspect al-Qaeda-inspired Islamist militants

(Newser) - Suspected Islamist militants today attacked a gas pipeline in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula that transports fuel to neighboring Israel and Jordan, officials say. The attack, which targeted a pumping station about 15 miles west of the city of el-Arish, is the sixth on the pipeline since the popular uprising that...

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