Topic: Arabian Peninsula

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Getting the Strait of Hormuz straight: an FAQ

Iran has caused a stir with its threat this week to close down the Strait of Hormuz if sanctions were imposed on Iranian oil exports. Here’s why this small body of water generates so much world attention.
What is Somalia's Al Shabab?

The international community has more questions than answers about the Somali militant group Al Shabab, the target of Kenya's military incursion into Somalia. But they know how it affords food for its troops – and it's not from piracy.
Yemen: six 'facts' to question

Don't believe everything you hear about Yemen.
How Mideast turmoil affects oil prices. Six questions answered

From the first spark of Middle East unrest in Tunisia in December until the violent suppression of protests in Libya in late February, the price of a barrel of crude oil rose from $88 a barrel to more than $100. Here’s a rundown on oil supply-price issues affecting the US.
Five key members of Al Qaeda in Yemen (AQAP)

Here are five leaders and key members of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

All Content

Is State Dept. hacking Al Qaeda? Not quite, but propaganda war is fierce.

Despite early reports, a State Department program to shoot down Al Qaeda propaganda online is not a hack. But the efforts are having an impact, Secretary Clinton says.
Terrorism & Security
Yemen vows to defy Al Qaeda's intimidation campaign

As Yemen celebrated a national holiday with a parade in Sanaa today, President Hadi said that recent attacks, including a bombing yesterday that killed more than 90 people, would not derail his government's campaign against terrorism.
Bin Laden letters paint picture of al-Qaeda at its worst

The seventeen documents released by the Obama administration are calculated to highlight the President's foreign-policy successes.
US teacher killing: How religiously open is Yemen?

Al Qaeda-linked militants say they killed Joel Shrum for proselytizing. The country has seen other attacks on Christians, but also has Catholic sisters working openly.
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen: movie review

'Salmon fishing in the Yemen,' based on a satirical novel, manages to lose the satire in damp whimsy despite a good cast that includes Ewan McGregor, Emily Blunt, and Kristin Scott Thomas.
Africa Rising: First it was China, now the Gulf discovers the African market

A decade ago, many African economies seemed locked in stagnation. Now they are booming, and Gulf investors are moving in to take advantage of the growth.
Elephants in Arabia? Scientists find prehistoric footprints.

The fossilized gigantic footprints detected in the Arabian dessert belong to a herd of elephants, scientists say. The seven-million-year-old discovery marks the world’s oldest evidence on how these ancient mammals lived.
US to seek life sentence for underwear bomber, saying he remains a threat

The sentencing hearing for the so-called underwear bomber, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, takes place Thursday. Prosecutors argue that he remains willing to carry out another martyrdom mission.
Arab Spring justice – but a free pass for Yemen's Saleh

Under a plan backed by Obama and Saudi Arabia, Yemen's interim cabinet agreed Sunday to amnesty for President Ali Abdullah Saleh in return for him stepping down. But democracy can't take root without rule of law.
Nigeria dispatches troops to north to stop Boko Haram attacks

The Christmas Day attack on a church is only the latest in string of attacks by the militant Islamist group Boko Haram, who has given Christians living in the north three days to leave the region.
Getting the Strait of Hormuz straight: an FAQ

Iran has caused a stir with its threat this week to close down the Strait of Hormuz if sanctions were imposed on Iranian oil exports. Here’s why this small body of water generates so much world attention.
Frankincense in decline. Fewer gifts will grow on trees.

Frankincense production could fall by half in 15 years. New study of the fragrant resin finds that frankincense-producing trees are in jeopardy.
NYC police arrest 'lone wolf' in terror bomb plot

New York City police have taken a man into custody in association with an alleged bomb plot where US soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan were targeted.
Horizons
Uncharted 3 review roundup

Uncharted 3 reviews pop from cover as the highly anticipated game swings onto television screens this week. So how does the latest installment in the Uncharted franchise stack up?
What is Somalia's Al Shabab?

The international community has more questions than answers about the Somali militant group Al Shabab, the target of Kenya's military incursion into Somalia. But they know how it affords food for its troops – and it's not from piracy.
Turkey earthquake: Why the country is such a hot spot for seismic activity

Turkey earthquake does not surprise seismologists. Turkey is, in effect, caught in a geophysical vise between the Arabian plate, inching northward, and the Eurasian plate, the immovable object.
US must engage Yemen's real power-brokers

Yemen’s rural tribes will play a pivotal role in its future. With President Ali Abdullah Saleh's power eroded, US diplomats are going to have to leave the comfort of the capital and engage these tribes, whether in resolving the government crisis or countering Al Qaeda.
Yemen Al-Qaida chiefs still menace US: Report

Yemen Al-Qaida: A year in the making and written before Friday's drone strike that killed al-Awlaki and fellow U.S.-born propagandist Samir Khan, the report also suggests that its leaders' strength is key to the group's end.
Al Qaeda drone attacks on US? Soon it won't be so far-fetched.

An Al Qaeda sympathizer was arrested who allegedly planned drone attacks in Washington. An expanding market and improved technology could make small drones more available to anti-US terrorists.
Anwar al-Awlaki strike: why it's important, but not a death-blow for Al Qaeda

Anwar al-Awlaki was one of Al Qaeda's idea men – a propagandist who inspired youth to jihad. The drone attack that killed him is a 'big setback,' but it doesn't hurt Al Qaeda's capacity.
Backchannels
Anwar al-Awlaki dead: what it means for US, Yemen

The assassination of Anwar al-Awlaki, a US citizen and Al Qaeda recruiter in Yemen, will be heralded as a major triumph in the US today. But it has very little to do with Yemen's own problems.
Africa Monitor
US to expand drone use in Horn of Africa

To aid counterterrorism operations in Somalia and Yemen, the Obama administration is beefing up its drone network by expanding to Ethiopia, possibly risking its relationship with Africa.
Global News Blog
Good Reads: Taliban's Kabul attack, looming demise of Al Qaeda... and the euro

Today's top stories include a report that the Taliban attack on Kabul may have been a 'last gasp.' Also; how Al Qaeda is being eclipsed by its affiliates. And is the eurozone on its last leg?
TSA warning describes surgically implanted bombs

TSA warning: If terrorists hide bombs inside their bodies, current screening measures may be useless.
Ali Abdullah Saleh may be hurt worse than previously thought: Sources

Ali Abdullah Saleh, Yemen's president, may be injured more critically than US officials originally thought, complicating the US response to increased instability in a key battleground in the war against al-Qaida.