Repatriation town receives royal honour

2011-10-16T16:30:26Z

Wootton Bassett, the town which became a focal point for honouring soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, was Sunday officially renamed with the prefix "Royal" in recognition of its efforts.

Thousands lined the streets of the town in Wiltshire

Saudi crown prince has surgery in US: consulate

2011-07-06T14:30:37Z

Saudi Arabia's ailing Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz has undergone an operation in a New York hospital, an official at the kingdom's consulate in the US metropolis told AFP on Wednesday.

"He is in New York. He has been operated on," said the official, who declined to be named discussing private matters of the royal fam...

Dubai Brits hold royal wedding party

2011-04-29T11:30:40Z

Tens of thousands of Britons joined street parties in the United Arab Emirates on Friday to mark the royal wedding in London, despite a decided lack of enthusiasm among other expatriate communities.

Hotels in the oil-rich UAE offered an Arabian fantasy to guests willing to fork out $450 to $1,500 (300-1,010 euros) for an overnight stay with a royal...

Arabian fantasy for royal wedding

2011-04-28T13:30:49Z

Luxury hotels in the United Arab Emirates are offering their guests an Arabian fantasy as Britain's Prince William marries Catherine Middleton on Friday.

The Emirates Palace hotel in Abu Dhabi, the capit...

Royal snapshots: Bride Vroom and withdrawn invitation

2011-04-28T09:00:15Z

(Reuters Life!) - Following is a selection of stories related to the April 29 royal wedding of Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton that have appeared in newspapers and on websites in the last week.

(Reuters does not vouch for the accur...

Harry soldiers on fighting playboy prince tag

2011-04-18T14:30:49Z

Prince Harry has worked hard to shake off his wildchild image -- and his newfound maturity will be tested to the limit when he acts as best man at his brother Prince William's wedding.

After highly-publicised indiscretions, William's younger brother now takes his responsibilities seriously and became the first royal in more than 25 ...

Squatters threaten view of London's royal wedding

2011-03-27T05:30:09Z

The squatters installed in washed-out tents opposite Westminster Abbey will have the perfect view of the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton -- as long as they have not been evicted by then.

"We've been here for ten years. We had three prime ministers, two lord mayors, the...

Jordan tribes break taboo by targeting queen

2011-02-09T15:30:43Z

Popular discontent took a new turn with unprecedented public criticism of King Abdullah II's wife, Queen Rania, who stands accused of "corruption" by large tribes, the bedrock of Jordan's regime.

"We call on the king to return to the treasury land and farms given to the Yassin fami...

Editorial Roundup: Excerpts From Recent Editorials

2010-12-29T11:00:12Z

Editorial Roundup: Excerpts From Recent Editorials in Newspapers in the US and Abroad

Excerpts from recent editorials in newspapers in the United States and abroad:

Dec. 28

The Daily Gazette, Schenectady, N.Y., on flexible spending accounts and over-the-counter drugs.

Flexible spending accounts, which have give...

Qatar royal killed in car crash in Iraq

2010-12-05T13:30:38Z

FALLUJA, Iraq (Reuters) - A member of the Qatari royal family was killed in a car accident during a hunting trip in Iraq's western Anbar province Sunday, a provincial official said.

The victim was identified as Khalifa b...

Arabs 'urged US to air strike Iran', WikiLeaks reveals

2010-11-29T15:00:39Z

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Arabs 'urged US strikes on Iran'

2010-11-29T15:00:38Z

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Saudi king healthy and walking, says top prince

2010-11-28T05:30:46Z

Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah is in good shape and was walking shortly after undergoing an operation last week, Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz said in newspaper reports on Sunday.

Nayef, the king's half-brother considered second in line to the throne, said the 86-year-old king was walking "outside" his New York city hospital on...

Queen Elizabeth II attends equestrian show in Oman

2010-11-27T16:30:43Z

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip attended an equestrian show on Saturday during a visit to Oman marking four decades of the sultan's rule in the Gulf state.

Accompanied by British Foreign Secretary

Queen Elizabeth II meets Sultan Qaboos in Oman

2010-11-26T17:30:32Z

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II met Sultan Qaboos on Friday during a visit to Muscat marking the 40th anniversary of his rule, on her second and final leg of a Gulf tour.

Dressed in light pink with a white bag, gloves and shoes, the 84-year-old monarch who arrived from a two-day visit to the Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip arrived in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, more than three decades after their only other visit to the oil-rich United Arab Emirates.

On her first stop, the queen, dressed in white and gold, visite...

Britain's queen visits UAE

2010-11-24T18:30:52Z

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip arrived in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, more than three decades after their only other visit to the oil-rich United Arab Emirates....

Britain's queen makes first visit to UAE in 31 years

2010-11-24T16:31:08Z

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip arrived in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, 31 years after their first visit to the oil-rich United Arab Emirates, the state news agen...

Diana's regiment will stand guard on wedding day

2010-11-29T15:00:17Z

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Widow Six Seven

2010-11-30T13:57:10Z

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William flies to Helmand as war dead remembered

2010-11-14T10:30:28Z

The Prince attended a Remembrance Sunday service earlier in the morning at Camp Bastion, Helmand province, and laid a wreath before flying home.

Back in London, Queen Elizabeth led the nation in ...

Harry opens Afghan memorial field

2010-11-29T14:59:42Z

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Harry to open Afghan memorial field

2010-11-29T14:59:37Z

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Assessing the media's role in "outing" Prince Harry's presence in Afghanistan

2010-11-29T15:41:48Z

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Facts and legends about rubies

2010-11-04T14:43:55Z

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Qatar emir goes back to school on Britain visit

2010-10-28T15:31:49Z

Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, 58, returned to the Royal Military Academy at Sandurst, the elite army officer training college which he graduated from in 1971.

The visit to Sandhurst, southwest of London, which counts British Princes William and Harry among its recent graduates, came after he bade farewell to Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani was the guest of honour for the banquet Tuesday in regal surroundings at Windsor Castle, which was also attended by senior figures from the British royal family and Prime Minister David Cameron.

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Emir of Qatar in Britain on state visit

2010-10-26T21:33:13Z

Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani was the guest of honour for the banquet Tuesday in regal surroundings at Windsor Castle, which was also attended by senior figures from the British royal family and Prime Minister David Cameron.

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Emir of Qatar welcomed with state banquet

2010-10-26T16:31:01Z

Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani was the guest of honour for the banquet in regal surroundings at Windsor Castle, which was also attended by senior figures from the royal family and Prime Minister David Cameron.

The 58-year-old ...

Mob storms Kuwaiti TV station critical of rulers

2010-11-02T12:28:46Z

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UK head of military demands halt to prince drama

2010-10-18T07:00:58Z

Head of Britain's armed forces demands Channel 4 withdraw Prince Harry docu-drama

Britain's Press Association says the head of Britain's military is demanding that Channel 4 withdraw a drama that looks at the crisis that would have ens...

UK defense boss calls for Harry drama to be dropped

2010-10-18T07:00:26Z

LONDON (Reuters Life!) - The head of Britain's armed forces has written to broadcaster Channel 4 to urge it not to show a "dramatized documentary" examining what might happen if Prince Harry were kidnapped on military duty in

Channel 4's Prince Harry film insults sacrifice made by troops, says Army chief

2010-11-02T13:25:46Z

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WAS OSAMA BIN LADEN RELIGIOUS?

2010-11-03T00:15:55Z

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TV to screen Prince Harry Afghan kidnap drama

2010-10-08T16:43:11Z

A British television channel is to screen a drama documentary this month based on what might happen if Prince Harry were captured by insurgents in Afghanistan.

Harry, 26, third in line to the throne and an British military officer, has served one tour of duty in Afghanistan and made no secret of his desire to return.

Channel 4 television...

Prince Harry film sparks tabloid reactions

2010-10-08T16:35:15Z

Film that depicts Prince Harry being abducted by Taliban sparks outrage in UK

British tabloids expressed outrage Thursday over a new documentary-style film that imagines what would happen if Prince Harry was taken hostage by the Taliban.

"The Taking of Prince Harry" depicts the prince, played by actor Sebastian Reid, se...

TV to screen Prince Harry kidnap drama

2010-10-06T20:15:23Z

A television channel is to screen a drama documentary this month based on what might happen if Prince Harry were captured by insurgents in Afghanistan.

Harry, 26, third in line to the throne and a military officer, has served one tour of duty in Afghanistan and made no secret of his desire to return.

Channel 4 television is to show a 90-...

British TV to screen Prince Harry kidnap drama

2010-10-06T19:15:33Z

A British television channel is to screen a drama documentary this month based on what might happen if Prince Harry were captured by insurgents in Afghanistan.

Harry, 26, third in line to the throne and an British military officer, has served one tour of duty in Afghanistan and made no secret of his desire to return.

Channel 4 television...

Film simulates Afghan capture of Prince Harry

2010-10-06T08:00:10Z

LONDON (Reuters) - A documentary film to be aired on British television this month will examine what might happen if Prince Harry, Queen Elizabeth's grandson, were kidnapped while on military duty in

Blair memoir lifts lid on Iraq, alcohol and royals

2010-09-01T22:22:15Z

Tony Blair does not regret the Iraq war despite the "nightmare" it unleashed, but he feels "desperately sorry" for those who died, the former British prime minister says in memoirs published on Wednesday.

"A Journey", Blair's account of his decade in Downing Street, also includes an unprecedented attack on ...

Saudi Arabia's House Of Cards

2010-11-02T12:24:02Z

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Avigdor Arikha

2010-11-02T15:36:14Z

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Queen Rania of Jordan is Becoming a Different Kind of Queen

2010-09-10T11:51:05Z

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UK department store Harrods sold to Qatar investor

2010-05-08T08:15:08Z

LONDON (Reuters) - Egyptian-born businessman Mohamed Al Fayed has sold prestigious London department store Harrods to the investment vehicle of the Qatar royal family in a deal reporte...

Britain's Harry passes helicopter course

2010-04-30T13:30:59Z

Britain's Prince Harry has passed his army helicopter pilot's course, his office said Friday, boosting his hopes of returning to frontline fighting in Afghanistan.

The 25-year-old, third in line to the throne, was told Thursday that he had completed his training.

He has until his graduation ...

Prince Harry passes British army pilot's course

2010-04-30T06:45:06Z

His Royal Fly-ness: Prince Harry qualifies to fly British army helicopters

Just call him Your Royal Fly-ness: Prince Harry has earned his wings, his office said Friday.

Harry, the younger son of Charles and the late Princess Diana, is third in line to the British throne, but known in the military simply as Lt. Harry Wales. Ear...

Saudi Arabia 2010: Its Unemployed Youth Problem

2010-10-27T08:17:56Z

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Rescuers search Morocco lake for Abu Dhabi sheikh

2010-03-29T10:30:14Z

RABAT/ABU DHABI (Reuters) - Rescuers on Sunday were searching a Moroccan hillside lake for the boss of the world's largest sovereign fund, the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), two days after...

Prince Charles meets Afghanistan-bound Polish troops

2010-03-17T18:45:35Z

Prince Charles and his wife Camilla met on Wednesday with Polish soldiers who are due to be sent to Afghanistan, as they wound up a three-day visit to the central European nation.

The prince and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, reviewed troops at the base of

Saudi security confiscate books by reformer

2010-03-09T11:45:25Z

Saudi security confiscate books by prominent reformer at Riyadh book fair

Saudi security forces confiscated books of a well-known reformer and critic of the royal family from stalls at the kingdom's annual international book fair, a Saudi civil rights group said Saturday.

The Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association said in ...

Dutch government falls over Afghan military mission: PM

2010-04-16T07:01:38Z

The Dutch premier tendered his government's resignation to Queen Beatrix on Saturday after a dispute over the country's Afghan military mission scuppered his ruling coalition.

"Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende this morning offered the resignations of the (12) ministers and deputy ministers of the Afghanistan were repatriated on Saturday and received by King Abdullah II, Queen Rania and other royals.

Captain Ali bin Zeid was killed "on W...

Queen Elizabeth praises forces in Afghanistan

2010-04-16T08:07:34Z

Queen Elizabeth pays tribute to troops in Afghanistan in annual Christmas broadcast

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II paid tribute to the country's troops fighting in Afghanistan in her annual Christmas speech broadcast Friday, praising their work while expressing her sadness at the casualt...

UK service of commemoration marks end of Iraq war

2010-04-16T09:54:41Z

Queen, prime minister attend service of commemoration for British forces killed in Iraq

At a memorial service honoring Britons who died during the Iraq war, the Archbishop of Canterbury said Friday it will take time for historians and moralists to decide if the conflict was justified.

Rowan Williams — an outspoken critic of Saudi King Abdullah flew to Morocco Thursday to check on the health of the government's number two, Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, who left Saudi Arabia for medical treatment in November and has not returned since.

The king is going to Morocco "to visit and inqui...

Conservative pressure shuts Saudi film festival

2010-04-16T11:16:33Z

Saudi Arabia's only film festival was halted before it even opened on Saturday, festival sources said, as powerful Islamic conservatives battle a popular push for more entertainment in the country.

Organisers of the Jeddah film festival were told late on Friday by the city authorities they could not go ahead, even though the event had been heralded as a highlight of the city's summer...

UK's Prince William hints at ambitions for combat

2010-04-16T11:45:12Z

Britain's Prince William hopeful he may one day fight on the front line

Britain's Prince William has hinted he would like to follow in the army-booted footsteps of his younger brother and fight on the front line.

But, as the future king, it's unlikely William would be exposed to the dangers faced by Prince Harry<...

Saudi activists call for reform of monarchy

2010-04-16T12:18:33Z

A group of Saudi activists has called in a petition for a sweeping reform of political institutions that would reduce the royal family's role and move the kingdom towards a constitutional monarchy.

In a petition sent to King Abdullah and other leaders, obtained by AFP on Friday, the 77 rights activists and lawyers called for the creation of an elected parliament and for a non-royal prime minister to run the government.

Jordan queen all a-Twitter over papal visit

2010-06-12T07:42:14Z

Jordan's Queen Rania "twittered" on the social online network about Pope Benedict XVI's first ever visit to an Arab country on Friday, as the pontiff kicked off his Holy Land tour.

"Just choppered to airport to receive the Pope. Husband piloting, he got acrobatic to quiet butterflies in stomach... told u he was action man!" the stylish young qu...

Rights group demands UAE renounce torture

2010-04-16T13:11:21Z

Human Rights Watch called Tuesday on the United Arab Emirates to renounce the use of torture and launch a probe after a video appeared to show a royal family member mercilessly beating a man.

US network ABC last week broadcast a video it said showed Sheikh Issa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a brother of Abu ...

US businessman: Videos show torture by member of United Arab Emirates royal family

2010-04-16T14:08:33Z

As a trusted adviser to a member of the ruling family of the United Arab Emirates, Texas businessman Bassam Nabulsi says he safeguarded the sheik's most important documents: financial records, investment documents and videotapes showing the sheik torturing people with a cattle prod and a spiked plank.

When the ...

Prince William up for Afghanistan fight: report

2010-04-16T15:55:48Z

Prince William, who is training to become a full-time military helicopter pilot, wants to fight in Afghanistan, a newspaper said Sunday, citing the royal.

The News of the World, Britain's biggest-selling newspaper, said the 26-year-old royal, who is second in line to the throne, unwittingly sp...

Top Saudi minister moves closer to throne

2010-04-16T16:02:35Z

Powerful Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz has moved one step closer to the throne of the world's biggest oil exporter with his promotion to Saudi deputy premier, analysts said on Saturday.

Nayef, who for more than 33 years has run the key ministry's crucial internal security and anti-terror operations, was named second deputy prime minister on Friday by his half brother

Top Saudi minister edges closer to throne

2010-04-16T16:02:52Z

Powerful Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz has moved one step closer to the throne of the world's biggest oil producer with his promotion to Saudi deputy premier, analysts said on Saturday.

Nayef, who for more than 33 years has run the key ministry's crucial internal security and anti-terror operations, was named second deputy prime minister on Friday by his half brother

Australia accused of trading principles for African UN support

2010-04-16T16:09:57Z

Australia's opposition accused the government Monday of being prepared to trade its principles for African support of its bid for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who has proclaimed a mission to take a more activist "middle power" role in world af...

Saudi Arabia: From Bras in Bondage to Reform

2010-10-21T09:26:46Z

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Queen Elizabeth gives somber Christmas broadcast

2010-04-16T13:42:09Z

Queen Elizabeth II talks about economic crisis in somber Christmas message

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II delivered a somber Christmas broadcast Thursday, acknowledging how the economic crisis has cast a shadow over the traditional festive season.

The sober tone was in sharp contrast to last year's address when the monarch opined abou...

Hundreds greet Royals at church

2010-10-21T10:29:59Z

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Queen reflects on 'sombre' times

2010-10-21T10:29:54Z

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Queen to pay tribute to unselfish

2010-10-21T10:29:54Z

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Britain's Prince Harry to train as helicopter pilot

2010-04-16T13:50:54Z

Britain's Prince Harry is to train as an army helicopter pilot, following in the footsteps of his older brother William who earned his wings with the Royal Air Force, it was announced Thursday.

The royal family said Harry would start training wit...

Prince Harry to train as helicopter pilot

2010-04-16T13:51:25Z

Prince Harry is to train as an army helicopter pilot, following in the footsteps of his older brother William who earned his wings with the Royal Air Force, it was announced Thursday.

The royal family said Harry would start training with the Cairo demanded Tuesday that Saudi Arabia release an Egyptian doctor sentenced to 15 years in prison and 1,500 lashes after he was convicted of malpractice — reportedly after treating a Saudi princess.

His wife said she feared the punishment would kill him.

Raouf Amin el-Arabi, a doctor who has ...

Queen leads UK's Remembrance Sunday ceremony

2010-04-16T14:32:00Z

Queen Elizabeth II lays poppy wreath in Remembrance Sunday ceremony honoring war dead

Laying a wreath of bright red poppies on a chilly fall morning, Queen Elizabeth II led Britain's annual ceremony for the country's war dead Sunday, including troops killed in Iraq and Britain's Prince William is to train as a search and rescue pilot, aiming to serve in the emergency services after being told he cannot be sent to Afghanistan, he said Wednesday.

William, second-in-line to the British throne, learned to fly with the Ro...

From party animal to soldier

2010-04-16T14:42:48Z

Has Prince Harry undergone a metamorphosis from party animal to warrior? The question arises - as the world now knows - courtesy of a little-known Australian magazine called New Idea - that the man who is third in line to the throne, has been serving in Afghanistan<...

Rushdie receives apology over libellous book

2010-04-16T14:43:05Z

Author Salman Rushdie received an apology at London's High Court on Tuesday from a former police officer who libelled him in a book about his time in hiding while under threat from a fatwa.

Rushdie said Ron Evans, an ex-police driver who helped guard him after I...

Media: How playboy royals became tabloid heroes

2010-04-16T14:44:37Z

It is a compare and contrast case study that will no doubt appear in PR textbooks in years to come. Return to the tabloids of three years ago, and Princes William and Harry were not faring well. Here's a drunken Harry groping a female friend, or sparking outrage by wearing a swastika armband to a fancy dress party. There's William with his plastered pals falling out of Mahiki, having treated themselves to sever...

THE SPECTATOR'S NOTES

2010-04-16T14:49:23Z

The last time there was a scare about the BNP was in the 1970s.

People thought that the Labour government was ignoring them about immigration, and started to vote for the National Front, as it was then known. It was to head this off, in early 1978, that Mrs Thatcher, then leader of the opposition, famously intervened. She dismissed the National Front as both nasty and socialist (people forget that the word Nazi mea...

CHRISTMAS QUIZ: THE ANSWERS

2010-04-16T14:49:38Z

Rabbit and pork 1. Victoria Beckham; 2. Mr John Prescott (to Sir Christopher Meyer, the former ambassador to Washington, who had published some indiscreet memoirs);

3. President ...

Princes pay tribute to killed comrade

2010-04-16T12:53:10Z

Princes William and Harry have expressed their deep sorrow on the death of a former comrade serving in Afghanistan.

Trooper James Munday, from Birmingham was killed in an explosion while on routine patrol about 14 miles north of Forward Operating...

TV reporters are not showing the Taliban's humanity, says BBC presenter

2010-10-21T10:21:36Z

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The World's Richest Royals

2010-10-21T09:39:09Z

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One is rather chilly: Queen fends off the cold with a blanket in birthday parade

2010-10-21T10:15:50Z

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Two more Paras die in Afghanistan as regiment suffers worst week of casualties since Falklands War

2010-10-21T10:15:43Z

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King Faisal II

2010-10-23T09:52:35Z

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Pictured: Prince William at the controls as he flies fallen comrade home from Afghanistan

2010-10-19T14:20:33Z

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Pictured: Prince William at the controls as he flys fallen comrade home from Afghanistan

2010-10-19T14:20:42Z

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UC Berkeley to help build grad school in Saudi Arabia

2010-10-19T11:29:32Z

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Terror target Harry arrives back in Britain as Al Qaeda threatens to take revenge for 'royal aggression against Muslims'

2010-10-19T10:11:36Z

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Harry the No 1 terror target as Al Qaeda threatens to take revenge for 'royal aggression against Muslims'

2010-10-19T10:11:38Z

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Rudy's Company Profited Off Country That Shielded Terror Mastermind

2010-09-10T16:34:14Z

Wow, this really should put a dent in Rudy Giuliani's Mr. 9/11 image. Wayne Barrett, a biographer and vocal critic of Rudy, has a new article outlining Rudy's business relationship with Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifah al-Thani, a Qataran emir whose finances helped found Iran's Farah Pahlavi, widow of Iranian Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, right, and her son Alireza Pahlavi, are seen during Prince Raini...

Qatar ATP Open Tennis

2011-01-04T10:32:33Z

Slovakia's Karol Beck serves the ball to Rafael Nadal of Spain during the Qatar ATP Open Tennis tournament in Doha, Qatar, Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2011. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Mideast Israel Palestinians

2011-01-04T09:32:05Z

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convenes the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, Sunday, Jan. 2, 2011. (AP Photo/Ronen Zvulun, Pool)

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Afghanistan

2011-01-04T06:02:28Z

Afghan police officers look for clues near the site of an explosion in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2011. The bomb exploded in central Kabul early Tuesday, killing one police officer and wounding three other people, a government official said, on the one-year anniversary of the country's constitution.(AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Copyright 2011 Givatayim near Tel Aviv, Israel, Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2011. A partial solar eclipse began Tuesday in the skies over the Mideast and will extend across much of Europe. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

The latest in Middle East

Anti-royal graffiti on walls of eastern Saudi