Obama ‘deeply concerned’ by the situation in Gaza

“The loss of civilian life in Gaza and Israel is a source of deep concern for me”, said Barack Obama, the US president-elect (photo, from cbsnews.com).

He repeated that until he became president on January 20, only George W. Bush could speak on US foreign policy.

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Israel to release Palestinian prisoners

A new batch of 250 Palestinians prisoners will be freed, approved the Israeli cabinet. They will be released in the occupied West Bank before the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, said Israeli officials on Sunday.

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Abbas threatens early elections

If Fatah and Hamas do not reconcile by the end of this year, Mahmoud Abbas (photo, from newsday.com), the Palestinian president, has said he would call for elections in 2009.

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Egypt has to suspend gas exports to Israel

The Egyptian government has been ordered by a court to suspend gas exports to Israel, though it is unclear whether the ruling will be heeded. (photo,from aljazeera.net)

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Mubarak’s health reports send journalist in jail

The verdict sentencing an Egyptian outspoken journalist to two months in jail has been upheld by an appeal court. Ibrahim Eissa was convicted in March, for stories he wrote on President Hosni Mubarak’s health.

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Egyptian film director dies at 82

Youssef Chahine (photo, from lepoint.fr), 82, Egyptian film director and one of Arab cinema’s most admired figures, has died in Cairo, four weeks after suffering a brain haemorrhage.

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Hamas members detained in West Bank

Loyal to Mahmoud Abbas (photo), the Palestinian president, security forces have detained 35 members of the rival Hamas movement, in the West Bank.
They were arrested on Sunday, in Jenin and Tulkarm, after a crackdown in the Gaza Strip, controll

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Unity call rejected by the opposition

The idea of forming a unity government has been rejected by Morgan Tsvangirai (photo, from daylife.com), the opposition leader, if he is not recognised as the winner of presidential election in Zimbabwe.
Days after Robert Mugabe won a run-off boycotted by the opposition (link), African leaders called for a unity government.

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Western countries can ‘go hang’, said Mugabe

Western criticism of Zimbabwe’s disputed presidential run-off election have been rejected by a spokesman for president Robert Mugabe (photo).

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Zimbabwean vote to be discussed in AU summit

An African Union (AU) summit is set to open in Sharm el-Shiekh, gathering leaders, amid growing calls for African leaders to shun the Zimbabwean president over his widely discredited re-election.
Robert Mugabe has arrived for the meeting right after the election and being sworn in on Sunday.

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