Middle Orient

BAGHDAD (Reuters) — Wrangling over the oil ministry portfolio and other top jobs held up on Wednesday the formation of a unity government the United States hopes can end rampant bloodshed and allow it to start withdrawing troops from Iraq.

ALGIERS (Reuters) — President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has repeated a demand that France apologise to Algeria for “genocidal” colonial rule, saying this was the only way to turn a chronically ill relationship into true friendship.

KALMA CAMP, Sudan (Reuters) — UN humanitarian chief Jan Egeland and aid workers beat a hasty retreat from a refugee camp in Darfur on Monday after a demonstration spun out of control and an aid worker was attacked.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) — Iraq’s political parties inched closer to sealing a deal on a unity government as Prime Minister-designate Nuri Maliki sketched out the sectarian balance among parliamentary blocs, officials said on Monday.

FOREIGN MINISTER Abdul Ilah Khatib left Monday for New York to join a meeting today of the Quartet of diplomatic powers seeking Middle East peace and hoping to revive its stalled efforts and unify its approach to the  new Palestinian leadership.

SANAA — Sumayya Ali Rajja is dogged by rumours that her bid to become Yemen’s first female president is part of a shady deal struck with the incumbent leader, but she refuses to let gossip halt her fledgling campaign.

KHARTOUM (AP) — Sudan would welcome the help of the United Nations in Darfur to implement a peace agreement between Khartoum and one of the rebel groups, despite the country’s initial resistance, a government spokesman said.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) — Car bombs killed 30 people in Iraq on Sunday and wounded more than 70 in one of the bloodiest spasms of violence of recent weeks as political leaders sought a deal to form a national unity government.

Postul arab de televiziune Al-Jazeera a dat publicităţii o înregistrare audio cu liderul reÅ£elei teroriste Al Qaida, Osama bin Laden. ÃŽn mesaj, el acuză Occidentul că duce un război împotriva Islamului. Bin Laden cere de altfel boicotarea tuturor produselor americane ÅŸi pe cele din ţările solidare Danemarcei în scandalul privind …

Three explosions struck the Egyptian Sinai resort town of Dahab on Monday night, killing more than 30 people and wounding 150 others. The blasts took place at about 7:15 p.m. local time (1315 EDT) in an area frequented by tourists. The Egyptian Interior Ministry said the explosions hit the Nelson and Aladdin …