Global briefing
Week in review: Al Qa'eda denounced by Libyan group
- Jihadist ideology is now under attack from its erstwhile proponents. A Libyan group has issued a new religious document denouncing the tactics used by al Qa'eda as illegal under Islamic law.
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CIA in recruitment pitch to Arab-Americans
Advertising campaign aims to woo immigrants from the Middle East who blame the intelligence agency for its role in torture.
US talk show queen Oprah is pulling the plug
After two decades at the top of the ratings list, The Oprah Winfrey Show is drawing to a close.
Obama welcomes new EU President
The US president Barack Obama welcomes the appointment of Herman Van Rompuy as the first European Union president.
US wavering could scupper climate deal
US main stumbling block to new climate change treaty, climate guru says.
Obama cautious over human rights in China
The US president did not ignore the issues during visit nor did he actually push China on them.
Republicans quick to condemn civilian trial for 9/11 suspects
Republicans say the trial could pose a serious threat to US national security.
Obama walks a political tightrope over Muslim rapprochement
Obama's policy towards Muslim's has backfired after the Fort Hood shootings followed by the discovery of a series of domestic terrorist plots.
Obama boosts hopes of climate change deal after China talks
The United States and China agree to cooperate on a host of issues, from climate change to North Korea.
Microsoft co-founder Allen has cancer
The billionaire Paul Allen, who founded the US software giant Microsoft with Bill Gates, has been diagnosed with cancer.
NYPD's own imam helps Muslims and US engage
The Muslim chaplain for the NYPD, Khalid Latif, is in the vanguard of a new generation of Muslims who are defining what it means to follow their faith and be faithful US citizens.
Major Hasan’s complicated life
Analysis Undertones of dual loyalties lie at the hear of the investigation into why a Muslim American shot dead 13 people at a US Army base.
Today's comment
A spiritual analysis of extremism
Jihad Hashim Brown : Westerners need to stop thinking they are celebrities living out pop-modern lives for us on a stage for all their eastern fans to wish they were them.
Your Prophet is your Islam
Omid Safi: Whenever I ask non-Muslims about the Prophet Mohammed: the response is invariably one of deafening silence.
Cold feet as I prepare for journey of a lifetime
Hadeel al Shalchi: By this time next week I hope to be in the final stages of possibly the most challenging duty of my faith – the Haj.
Most popular stories
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Armed with a police badge and the Qur’an
The imam Khalid Latif was appointed the NYPD’s second Muslim chaplain, as part of ongoing efforts to foster closer ties with the wider Muslim community.
Clinton: US has 'no long-term stake' in Afghanistan
The US has no interest in staying in Afghanistan and its primary aim is to defeat al Qa’eda, Hillary Clinton says.
NASA Moon crash reveals water
Experts have had long held suspicions of water on the Moon confirmed by data churned from two NASA spacecraft slammed into a lunar crater last month.
Japan, US ties still troubled after summit
President Obama stressed the importance of the US-Japan alliance today, but his stay in Tokyo has left unresolved a feud over a US military base.
Spotlight
The legal legacy of a ‘hedonist’
- In an unprecedented case, the former prime minister Ehud Olmert faces trial for graft, while some of his ministers have been sentenced.
Frontiers
Why the historian is wearing flippers
- Prehistoric European cultures existed along coastlines that have since been reclaimed by the sea. Archaeologists are turning to the ocean floor to join the missing pieces of human civilisation.
Dispatches
Bad blood between Egypt and Algeria runs deeper than football
- Violence is latest incident in escalating diplomatic row between Egypt and Algeria, whose two World Cup qualifying matches this week inflamed decades-old tensions.
The week
- 14.11.2009 to 20.11.2009 Jet fighters took to the Dubai skies, five people survived two months adrift on open seas and Apple entered talks to allow music downloads in the UAE.
Review
- World Young Egyptian women, Ursula Lindsey reports, are taking to blogs and publishing books to give voice to their frustration with the indignities of single life, the pressure to marry and the stigma of divorce.
