The Arab American News
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Bill aims to block public funds for governor’s legal fees
LANSING — A State lawmaker is trying to block Gov. Snyder from using public funds for legal fees related to the Flint water crisis. State Sen. Minority Leader Jim Ananich would bar the governor (and a few other top officials) from using public money to pay for private attorneys in any legal matter that's...Michigan may soon allow driverless cars
LANSING - A state Senate committee approved a package of four bills that loosen existing rules for autonomous vehicles. The state created rules for driverless cars just a few years ago. But evolving technology has apparently made those rules obsolete.“The laws we put on the books before are now antiquated,” says Sen. Mike Kowall,...
Instagram filters linked to depression
September 2nd, 20160 Instagram may be best known for users' selfies and pictures of food, fashionable outfits and inspirational quotes. But if your friend is posting frequently on Instagram in darker colors, they may be exhibiting signs of depression, according to a new paper. Researchers Andrew Reece of Harvard University and Chris Danforth of the...
More than 300 million at risk of life-threatening diseases from dirty water
September 2nd, 20160 More than 300 million people in Asia, Africa and Latin America are at risk of life-threatening diseases like cholera and typhoid due to the increasing pollution of water in rivers and lakes, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) said. Between 1990 and 2010, pollution caused by viruses, bacteria and other micro-organisms, and...
Syrian refugees are not subjects for a social media gallery
September 2nd, 20160 The Italian "activist" was keen on that photo, as if her social media activism career was dependent on it. As if the misery of the poor Syrian child was not palpable enough in his dejected face and his rash-infested skin, she wanted to define a point of absolute misery for a perfect Instagram photo. So she handed him a bucket filled...Social media’s challenge to democracy
I've been involved in politics for the better part of a lifetime, and have spoken at a lot of public meetings over the years. There's one question, I think, that I've heard more than any other: "If I want to be an informed citizen, which sources of information should I consult?" For many years, I had a set answer for this. Read one or...Has Turkey overplayed its hand in Syria?
Turkey is back in the game in Syria. Turkish tanks and special forces last week joined anti-Assad rebels to capture the border town of Jarabulus from ISIS. It was the first significant Turkish ground operation in Syria since the beginning of the war in 2011. The immediate target was ISIS, but a more important Turkish objective is to...Amnesty urges Bahrain to end ‘heightened crackdown’ on opposition
LONDON — Amnesty International urged Bahraini authorities Thursday to end a "heightened crackdown" on its opposition, after some 60 Shi'a clerics were summoned or arrested for participating in a protest. The clerics were among scores of other demonstrators detained after taking part in a sit-in protesting the stripping of top Shi'a...U.S. troops in Iraq increasingly active as Mosul battle nears
Defense Secretary Ash Carter talks to troops at the Baghdad International Airport, July 23.BAGHDAD — Kurdish Peshmerga forces retook a swath of northern Iraq late last month from ISIS and days later American forces appeared in the area, the latest sign of increasing U.S. military activity in the country. The U.S. troops, numbering...Egypt seeks tougher punishment for female genital mutilation
Cards used to educate women about FGM, Minia, 2006CAIRO — Women's rights activists hailed the Egyptian government on Monday for advocating increased prison sentences for perpetrators of female genital mutilation but warned that a new law could shroud the practice in greater secrecy. Egypt's cabinet on Sunday approved a bill, which...Air strike kills 16 members of Yemeni imam’s family
SANAA — At least 16 members of the extended family of a Yemeni mosque imam were killed on Wednesday in an air strike on their family home in northern Yemen by the Saudi-led coalition, a Reuters witness, a medic and a resident said. The coalition has been giving air support to President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi in his fight against the...Israel approves 284 new illegal West Bank housing units
JERUSALEM — Israel approved 284 new illegal housing units in Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, drawing a U.S. accusation that its policies could expand settlements in a "potentially unlimited way." U.S. officials said the criticism from the U.S. State Department marked the first time it has suggested in...U.S. court voids $655 million verdict against PLO over Israel attacks
NEW YORK - A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday threw out a $655.5 million verdict against the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization for damages suffered by American families from terrorist attacks in Israel.By a 3-0 vote, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan said a lower court judge erred in...U.S. appeals court: Potheads can be denied guns
WASHINGTON - A federal appeals court on Wednesday upheld federal regulations that prevented a woman with a medical marijuana card from buying a firearm in Nevada, in a ruling that cited the government's interest in preventing gun violence. In upholding a lower-court ruling, a three-judge panel of the San...Mexico president blasts Trump’s policies as ‘huge threat’ after meeting
MEXICO CITY - Mexico's president rebuked Donald Trump as a threat to his country just hours after painting a positive picture of talks the two held on Wednesday to try to defuse tensions over the U.S. presidential hopeful's anti-Mexican campaign rhetoric. President Enrique Pena Nieto had on Wednesday......
Clinton hacker sentenced to 4.5 years in prison
WASHINGTON - The hacker known as Guccifer - but better known for exposing Hillary Clinton's private email server - was sentenced today by a U.S. court to four years and four months in jail. Federal District Court Judge James Cacheris passed down the sentencing in Alexandria, Virginia, on Thursday morning,...
Romulus man attempts to set girlfriend on fire
September 1st, 20160 ROMULUS - A Romulus man faces multiple felony charges after investigators say he tried to light his girlfriend on fire.Investigators say Frank Stanchulski, 31, doused his girlfriend in gasoline at a home on the 10700 block of Belleville Road in Wayne County's Van Buren Township about 9 p.m. on Sunday, August 28.He used a lighter to try......
Suspect pleads not guilty to killing Imam, assistant
NEW YORK - The man accused of killing a Queens imam and his associate faced a judge on Thursday as his defense attorney raised questions about the case.Members of the Al-Furqan Jame Masjid mosque filled the courtroom as Oscar Morel, 35, entered a not guilty plea.Morel is charged with one count of first-degree murder, two counts of...Muslim woman stabbed to death in Queens
NEW YORK - An NYPD officer’s aunt was stabbed to death while taking a walk with her husband in Queens Wednesday night, and the victim’s family believes it could have been a hate crime. Nazma Khanam, 60, was walking around 9 p.m. in Jamaica Hills when she was stabbed in what may have been an attempted robbery. She was taken...Austrian official ‘recommends’ Muslim kids don’t wear hijab to kindergarten
AUSTRALIA - An Austrian deputy mayor has urged parents to avoid sending their daughters to kindergarten wearing headscarves as the covering insinuates men look at them in a “lustful” way. She termed the comment a “recommendation” rather than an attempt to ban “something religious.” Parents should avoid covering their...
At 32, we remain young and strong
September 1st, 20160 The Arab American News was established 32 years ago. Osama Siblani founded the newspaper on Sept. 7, 1984, following the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon and after he witnessed the American mainstream media's atrocious pro-Israeli bias. Over the past three decades plus, the newspaper has evolved, but its core mission and founding......
Keith Ellison urges engagement, encourages community to back Clinton
August 31st, 20160 Keith Ellison speaking at the DNC (Reuters)DEARBORN — Six months ago, Keith Ellison, America’s first Muslim member of Congress, came to Michigan to campaign for Bernie Sanders. Now he is trying to convince the community to support the senator’s once-rival, Hillary Clinton.Ellison met with political activists and community leaders...Christian woman files lawsuit after being forced to remove headscarf
ALABAMA - The American Civil Liberties Union on Tuesday filed a lawsuit accusing Alabama county officials of violating a Christian woman's religious rights by forcing her to remove her headscarf before taking her driver's license photo. Yvonne Allen, of Tuskegee, said a court clerk told her when she sought a license renewal last......
Obama administration meets goal of admitting 10,000 Syrian refugees
WASHINGTON - The Obama administration met its goal of admitting 10,000 Syrian refugees this fiscal year a month ahead of schedule and is working with Congress to increase the target by a few thousand in 2017, the White House said. The 10,000th Syrian refugee arrived in the United States on Monday afternoon, national security advisor...
Judge allows government mental exam of Odeh
August 31st, 20160 Rasmea Odeh with her supportersDETROIT - U.S. Judge Gershwin Drain allowed prosecutors’ request for psychological evaluation of Palestinian community leader Rasmea Odeh by a government expert.In 2014, Odeh was found guilty of lying on her naturalization application because she was failed to disclose that she was convicted in 1969 by......