Middle Orient

GAZA (Reuters) – Rival Palestinian factions battled in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, raising the weekend death toll to at least three and 39 injured in the fiercest internal fighting since a ceasefire was declared nearly a month ago.

AMMAN, Jordan – Jordanian police exchanged gunfire with a small group of armed men suspected of stealing electricity and water in a town near the Israeli border, the official Petra news agency reported.

Jordan is still in its boom phase with construction projects dotting the Amman skyline, but spaces are filling up, writes Nadine Marroushi.

Belgium, Le Soir newspaper: The EU Council is planning to keep MEK in the terrorist list again. It seems that the Council is not paying attention to the verdict of EU Court of Justice issued on December 12th which ruled in favor of Mojahedin. (The Council did not even appeal …

WASHINGTON — In the dusty battlegrounds of Iraq where open-air food shopping poses a security threat, new technology is allowing US troops to enjoy fresh fruit and vegetables, even in remote desert locations.

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The UN Security Council refused to approve a statement Friday that would condemn remarks about Israel’s impending destruction attributed to Iran’s president because of objections from Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim country, council diplomats said.

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The UN envoy trying to promote a political solution to the four-year conflict in Darfur said the road to negotiations has become even more complicated because of the increasing number of rebel groups.

MOGADISHU (AP) — The international community is willing to help Somalia as long as there is “progress on the ground”, the United Nations’ political chief said during a four-hour trip to the Somali capital.

BEIRUT — The people of Beirut have turned to private security contractors using sniffer dogs, surveillance cameras and explosives detectors as government forces fail to prevent repeated bomb attacks.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) — Iraq accused Turkey of “intensively shelling” part of its northern Kurdish region this week and handed Ankara’s envoy a protest letter on Saturday which warned such actions could harm relations.