Ahmadinejad wants girls to marry at 16

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says the best age for girls to get married is between 16 and 18, according to Iranian newspapers. But some analysts say such a comment could be part of the government’s efforts…

Iraq: a profitable ground for US arms sale

Iraq will buy weapons worth $13 billion from the United States by 2013 and will spend another $13 billion on weapons later, a Baghdad newspaper reported citing an Iraqi Defense Ministry spokesman, according to RIA…

Israel confirms major gas find

Noble Energy, a US-based oil and gas firm, along with its Israeli exploration partners, have confirmed the discovery of a huge offshore gas field called Leviathan, 130km off the coast of the Mediterranean port of Haifa. Delek Energy, one…

Brazil, Argentina recognize Palestinian State

Brazil has publicly recognized the state of Palestine based on borders before Israel seized control of the West Bank in 1967, and said it is a “legitimate aspiration of the Palestinian people for a secure, united,…

Muslims and Hajj – the pilgrimage to Mecca

Allah Huma Labaik…these words are spread in the surroundings of Mecca, Saudi Arabia at Hajj every year – between the eighth to the thirteenth day of the last month of the Islamic calendar – Dhu’l-Hijjah (Zul-Hijjah). Hajj or…

Afghan Female MP barks at the West

Malalai Joya – the youngest woman elected to the Afghanistan Parliament in 2004, who later faced death threats for criticizing tribal warlords – says the image of Afghan women is being unfairly used to justify…

Iraq: Al -Maliki confirmed as Prime Minister

Iraq’s president gave Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki the affirmation to form the next government on Nov 11, after an eight-month impasse, but a dramatic walkout from parliament by his Sunni rivals cast doubt on…

U.S. offers Israel warplanes in return for new settlement freeze

  Netanyahu presents security cabinet with Clinton’s incentive of 20 F-35 fighter planes and security guarantees in exchange for 90-day West Bank building moratorium. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s seven-member inner cabinet discussed Saturday an offer…