Bay Ledger News Zonebill@blnz.comtag:www.blnz.com,2009:cities/damascustag:www.blnz.com,2009:2010/01/27/Eastern_Syria_grapples_with_drought_3675

DAMASCUS (Reuters) - Syrian officials addressing a rare public forum have revealed the full impact of a drought that ravaged the 2008 wheat crop and displaced hundreds of thousands of people in the east of the country.

2010-01-27T18:51:46ZReuters Environmental Online ReportKhaled Yacoub Oweistag:www.blnz.com,2009:2010/01/22/Hamas_chief_hits_Israel_over_4799

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2010-01-22T20:37:57ZAFP Global EditionAFPtag:www.blnz.com,2009:2010/01/20/Ladens_Omar_talks_Rolling_Stone_2639

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Osama bin Laden's son Omar believes the al Qaeda leader has achieved his aim of humbling the United States but warns his death could unleash "very, very nasty" attacks by militants, Rolling Stone magazine said.

2010-01-21T00:03:37ZReuters US Online Report Entertainment NewsREUTERStag:www.blnz.com,2009:2010/01/20/US_seeks_progress_Syria-Israel_deal_4013

DAMASCUS (Reuters) - A U.S. official discussed reviving peace talks between Israel and Syria on Wednesday with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who said Israel had to "declare frankly" it wants peace.

2010-01-20T19:49:22ZReuters US Online Report Politics NewsKhaled Yacoub Oweistag:www.blnz.com,2009:2010/01/20/Mideast_envoy_Lebanon_regional_peace_5739

US Mideast envoy seeks help from Arab nations to restart Israel, Palestinian talks. U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell said Wednesday that Syria and Lebanon were key to achieving peace in the Middle East.

2010-01-20T15:33:03ZAP NewsALBERT AJItag:www.blnz.com,2009:2010/01/20/envoy_stresses_Syria_role_Mideast_4361

US envoy George Mitchell on Wednesday met President Bashar al-Assad and said Syria had an important role to play in the search for peace in the Middle East.

2010-01-20T14:50:00ZAFP American EditionAFPtag:www.blnz.com,2009:2010/01/20/envoy_stresses_Syria_role_Mideast_4360

US envoy George Mitchell on Wednesday met President Bashar al-Assad and said Syria had an important role to play in the search for peace in the Middle East.

2010-01-20T14:37:33ZAFP American EditionAFPtag:www.blnz.com,2009:2010/01/20/envoy_stresses_Syria_role_Mideast_4367

US envoy George Mitchell on Wednesday met President Bashar al-Assad and said Syria had an important role to play in the search for peace in the Middle East.

2010-01-20T14:29:13ZAFP Global EditionAFPtag:www.blnz.com,2009:2010/01/20/envoy_discusses_Mideast_process_with_4366

US Mideast envoy George Mitchell met with Lebanese President Michel Sleiman on Wednesday and reiterated Washington's commitment to the stalled Middle East peace process and Lebanon's independence.

2010-01-20T12:27:19ZAFP Global EditionAFPtag:www.blnz.com,2009:2010/01/20/envoy_discusses_Mideast_process_with_4365

US Mideast envoy George Mitchell met with Lebanese President Michel Sleiman on Wednesday and reiterated Washington's commitment to the stalled Middle East peace process and Lebanon's independence.

2010-01-20T10:34:58ZAFP American EditionAFPtag:www.blnz.com,2009:2010/01/18/Palestinian_group_refuses_disarm_Lebanon_0456

The head of a Syrian-backed Palestinian militia said on Monday his group will not disarm in Lebanon but is willing to discuss where in the country it holds its arms.

2010-01-18T14:31:01ZAFP Global EditionAFPtag:www.blnz.com,2009:2010/01/18/Syria_reconciliation_nearly_complete_Jumblatt_9028

Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt said at the weekend he was close to reconciling with former arch-foe Syria and dismissed criticism of his latest political about-turn.

2010-01-18T12:23:41ZAFP Global EditionAFPtag:www.blnz.com,2009:2010/01/17/Turkey_says_Israel_ally_while_5124

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey and Israel will remain allies as long as their interests align, Turkey's Defense Minister said after talks with Israeli counterpart Ehud Barak on Sunday aimed at mending frayed relations.

2010-01-17T18:26:20ZReuters US Online Report World NewsDan Williamstag:www.blnz.com,2009:2010/01/17/Syria_open_foreign_banking_investors_8402

Syria is offering foreign investors a majority stake in its private banks as the country pushes ahead with efforts to boost economic reforms and move away from its socialist legacy.

2010-01-17T04:49:12ZAFP Global EditionAFPtag:www.blnz.com,2009:2010/01/15/British_lawmaker_calls_Gaza_blockade_7308

Israelis who authorized the use of white phosphorous in densely populated Gaza should be tried for war crimes, a British Labour Party legislator said Friday, after entering the Hamas-ruled territory with 60 European parliamentarians.

2010-01-15T18:28:53ZAP FeaturesStafftag:www.blnz.com,2009:2010/01/15/Hamas_urges_Egypt_halt_Gaza_1423

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal called on Egypt on Friday to stop building an underground wall along its border with Gaza, which the Islamist group says would put further strain on the isolated enclave.

2010-01-15T16:31:22ZReuters US Online Report Top NewsYara Bayoumytag:www.blnz.com,2009:2010/01/15/Israel_suspects_Qaeda_Hezbollah_Jordan_1069

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Al Qaeda and Lebanon's Hezbollah top Israel's list of suspects in the bomb attack against its diplomats in Jordan, an Israeli official said on Friday.

2010-01-15T14:56:37ZReuters US Online Report Top NewsREUTERStag:www.blnz.com,2009:2010/01/13/Syrias_Assad_starts_Saudi_visit_3599

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad arrived in Riyadh on Wednesday for talks with King Abdullah expected to cover Middle East peace efforts, Iran's role in the region and Iraq.

2010-01-13T18:15:08ZAFP Global EditionAFPtag:www.blnz.com,2009:2010/01/13/Syria_Foreigners_majority_stakes_banks_9264

Syria allows foreign investors to own majority stakes in local banks. Syria is allowing foreign investors to own majority stakes in the country's banks, the latest in a string of efforts to unshackle the economy as Syria emerges from years of isolation.

2010-01-13T17:50:23ZAP NewsELIZABETH A. KENNEDYtag:www.blnz.com,2009:2010/01/12/justice_chief_cautions_body_scanners_1579

Europe, Mideast protest tighter airline security in wake of Christmas bombing attempt. Officials in the Middle East and Europe questioned tighter U.S. airline security measures Tuesday, saying increased body scanning and inspections of Arab passengers would be discriminatory and overly intrusive.

2010-01-12T19:31:34ZAP NewsROBERT WIELAARD and BASSEM MROUE