CAIRO (AP) — Facing a popular uprising, Egypt’s president fired his Cabinet early Saturday after protesters engulfed his country in chaos — battling police with stones and firebombs, burning down the ruling party headquarters and defying a night curfew enforced by the army. (more)
CAIRO (AP) — Though he still delivers a speech like an aloof corporate executive announcing quarterly profits, the son and presumptive heir of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is busy remolding his image into a populist who can deliver prosperity for the struggling population in this key U.S. ally. (more)
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Zimbabwe’s president said Saturday his party is ready to regain its political dominance, likening it to a fast-moving train that would crush those who stood in its way. (more)
Last weekend’s parliamentary elections in Egypt once again highlighted the dismal state of democracy in the Arab world. The Mubarak regime pulled out all the stops to stymie the opposition and ensure that the ruling party captured 201 of the 209 seats up for grabs in the first round of elections. (more)
For the first time in decades, the Egyptian people have pressured the major political opposition groups to boycott the country’s parliamentary elections. The move denies the aging autocracy its traditional democratic fig leaf and is raising hopes that the government will eventually be forced to open the Egyptian political system. (more)
Washington and Cairo are locked in a war of words over whether or not the government of Egypt will allow international observers to monitor the country’s parliamentary elections this Sunday. The U.S. State Department has fanned the flames of the controversy by demanding international observers. (more)
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The main Afghan election observer group said it had serious concerns about the legitimacy of this weekend’s parliamentary vote because of reported fraud, even as President Hamid Karzai commended the balloting as a solid success. (more)
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) — A loud explosion 20 minutes before the polls opened set the tone for election day in this Taliban stronghold, where a series of rocket attacks and bombings dampened turnout despite a heavy presence of security forces. (more)
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Police set up extra checkpoints across Afghanistan on Friday to scan for suicide bombers and insurgents a day ahead of parliamentary polling that will test the government’s ability to hold a legitimate election after last year’s disastrous presidential vote. (more)
Eid ul-Fitr, the Muslim holiday marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, is supposed to be a joyous occasion. But in the U.S.-allied Persian Gulf nation of Bahrain, where the Sunni-dominated government has arrested scores of Shi’ite opposition activists in recent weeks, many celebrated in fear. (more)
TOKYO (AP) — Japan braced for yet another new leader ahead of Tuesday’s ruling party vote that pits the prime minister against a veteran lawmaker known as a backroom powerbroker. The race comes amid an escalating diplomatic spat with China and a surging yen that is battering the country’s vital exporters. (more)
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan warned Tuesday that an American church’s threat to burn copies of the Muslim holy book the Quran could endanger U.S. troops in the country and Americans worldwide. (more)
CAIRO (AP) — The bearded young cleric yells at a young woman for lifting her traditional veil from her face while speaking to him on the street, and rants against Egyptians who adopt Western lifestyles and values. His followers beat up an opponent. (more)
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (AP) — A leading international rights group warned Wednesday that the torture and arbitrary detention of ethnic Uzbeks by security forces in southern Kyrgyzstan could lead to a new wave of intercommunal conflict. (more)
Belgium is holding parliamentary elections which could bring the country closer to a constitutional split. (more)
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — Tens of thousands of ruling party supporters rallied Tuesday in Ethiopia’s capital to celebrate victory in the national election, while the chief EU observer said the poll had been marred by an uneven playing field. (more)
LONDON (AP) — Britain ushered in its first coalition government since World War II on Wednesday as a pair of rivals-turned-partners pledged to set aside their deep policy differences and tackle the country’s disastrous budget deficit. (more)
LONDON (AP) — The kingmaker in Britain’s drama-soaked election faces what must be an agonizing choice. (more)
BAGHDAD (AP) — An agreement to form an alliance between Iranian-backed Shiite blocs gives the final say on political disputes to Iraq’s top clerics, solidifying a role for the Shiite religious leadership in the country’s likely new government. (more)
BAGHDAD — A once-feared Shiite militia that was crippled two years ago by defections and a U.S.-Iraqi crackdown has quietly started to regroup, adding street muscle to the Shiite party that emerged strongest from Iraq’s parliamentary elections. (more)
