JERUSALEM – A former Israeli leader was laid to rest Monday in a state funeral. Israelis paid their last respects to former prime minister Yitzhak Shamir as his flag-draped coffin lay in state in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament.
Syrian opposition leaders and Arab diplomats began a two-day conference in Cairo Monday under the auspices of the Arab League to consider measures to step up pressure against the government of President Bashar al-Assad.
Iran has acknowledged that Western sanctions over its controversial nuclear program have reached their toughest level, as the European Union begins a total ban on Iranian oil imports.
U.S. Congressman Frank Wolf has expressed confidence that an amendment restricting former U.S. government officials from lobbying on behalf of certain foreign nations will soon become law.