The Arab American News
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Yemen asks U.S. for drones to fight al-Qaeda
Sanaa — Yemen has asked the United States to supply it with drones, President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi said on Thursday, Aug. 22, to help it fight an al-Qaeda threat that recently forced Western countries to temporarily close diplomatic missions in Sanaa.State news agency Saba also quoted Hadi as telling police cadets that 40 suspected...Bomber hits Iraq military headquarters, killing 14
Baghdad — A suicide bomber drove a vehicle ,packed with explosives, to a military headquarters in western Iraq and blew himself up outside of it on Thursday, Aug. 22, killing at least 14 people, police said.The attack, which appeared to be the latest incident in a wave of violence by Sunni insurgents against the Shi'a-led government,...Saudi beheadings bring execution tally to 60 this year
Riyadh —On Tuesday, Aug. 22, two nations were convicted of murder and armed robbery, beheaded by the sword, the interior ministry said. Ibrahim al-Qanbar and Ahmed al-Musalam were found guilty of attacking a labor camp and opening fire on residents, killing Mohammed al-Shuja and wounding another person, the ministry...Jordan to build nuclear power plant
Amman — Jordan's Nuclear Regulatory Commission has given the go-ahead for a first nuclear research reactor to meet its energy needs.The five-megawatt reactor will be built at the Jordan University for Sciences and Technology near the northern city of Irbid, commission chief Majad Hawwari said."The approval of the project came after two...Tunisian Islamists accept union plan to resolve crisis
TUNIS - Tunisia's governing Islamists edged closer to negotiations with secular opponents on Thursday,Aug. 22, by agreeing in principle to a plan for a transition toward new elections proposed by the powerful trade unions.Rached Ghannouchi, chairman of the Islamist Ennahda party, said negotiations would quickly resolve the standoff that...Rockets fired at Israel from south Lebanon
Lebanese soldiers stand near the area where rockets were launched from southern Lebanon to Israel in Housh, Tyre August 22, 2013. REUTERS/Ali HashishoBeirut — The Israeli military said several rockets were fired at northern Israel from southern Lebanon on Thursday, Aug. 22, but one was intercepted by an anti-missile shield and three...Egypt: Mubarak under house arrest, Brotherhood leader in jail
Cairo — Egypt’s ex-president Hosni Mubarak was released from jail Thursday, Aug. 22, after a court ordered him freed, pending trial.Mubarak was taken from Cairo's Tora prison by helicopter to a military hospital in southern Cairo, where he is to remain under house arrest. Members of the April 6 Youth Movement and activists wear...U.S. soldier behind Afghan massacre apologizes for ‘act of cowardice’
TACOMA, Wash. — A decorated U.S. soldier, who gunned down 16 unarmed Afghan civilians in a nighttime rampage, apologized on Thursday, Aug. 22, at a sentencing hearing to determine his fate, calling the killings "an act of cowardice."Army Staff Sergeant Robert Bales, a veteran of four combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, has admitted...Zimmerman trial costs public $902,000
SANFORD, Fla. — The five-week trial of George Zimmerman that ended in his acquittal in the death of teenager Trayvon Martin cost the public $902,000, officials said.Zimmerman, who was charged with murder in the 2012 shooting death of Trayvon Martin, 17, in Sanford, began June 10 and a six-member jury returned the not guilty verdict on...Justice Department says it will sue Texas over voter ID law
Washington —The Justice Department said it will sue Texas on Thursday, Aug. 22, to try to block a voter identification requirement, enacted in 2011, setting up a new battle between the Obama administration and a state that is a conservative stronghold.The requirement, unlike similar laws passed in other states, was enacted with the...Bradley Manning wants to live as a woman and be called Chelsea
Washington — Bradley Manning, the Army private who was sentenced to prison for leaking classified documents, said Thursday, Aug. 22, he wants to live the rest of his life as a woman."I am Chelsea Manning. I am female," the Army private wrote in a statement read on NBC's "Today" by his attorney. "Given the way that I feel, and have felt...California gets OK to force-feed some hunger-striking inmates
SACRAMENTO — California authorities won court approval on Monday, Aug. 19, to force-feed some prisoners on a hunger strike, after officials voiced concerns that inmates may have been coerced into refusing food in a protest against the state's solitary confinement policies.U.S. District Court Judge Thelton E. Henderson, responding...Obama unveils plan that aims to make college more affordable
Washington — President Barack Obama on Thursday, Aug. 22, proposed a new plan to tackle soaring higher education costs with a system that would rate colleges and universities, based on their value for the money students spend and tie those ratings to disbursement of federal student aid.The president, who has spent much of the summer...University suspends a fraternity over Facebook posts
MIAMI — Florida International University has suspended a fraternity over Facebook posts that referred to selling drugs and hazing new members, officials said.The Facebook posts were made in a "private" group, created by the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity chapter at FIU, The Miami Herald reported. An anonymous person then took screenshots of...Consul General of Iraq discusses investment opportunities, upcoming elections and tourism in his country
SOUTHFIELD — Too often, positive news about Iraq is underreported or ignored, as the media focuses widely on the violence plaguing various parts of the country. As Iraq works to recover from a devastating war that spanned over a decade, many people remain optimistic about its future. During an interview with The Arab American......
Former Dearborn resident killed in recent Beirut car bomb attack
DEARBORN — Many in the local Arab American community are continuing to grieve the loss of a former Dearborn resident, who was killed in Beirut, Lebanon last week during a terrorist attack. A sign in Lebanon written in Arabic in remembrance of Ghamlouch and other victims of the bomb attackHussein Ghamlouch, 52, was one of more...
Department of Education: Edsel Ford one of the worst schools in the state
August 23rd, 20130 DEARBORN — Dearborn Public Schools received both good and bad news this year from the Michigan Department of Education. While the majority of the 33 schools in the district earned an average rating on the State's new reporting system for school performance, Edsel Ford High School was ranked as one of the worst in the State,......
U of M-Dearborn unveils student housing
DEARBORN — The Union, a private apartment complex designated for University of Michigan-Dearborn (UMD) students, opened Wednesday, Aug. 21, after an official ribbon-cutting ceremony. Students will be able to move into their new homes on Sept. 1; three days before fall classes begin.The ceremony was attended by students, parents,...Wayne County outlines future plans of jail project
DETROIT—After a 60-day suspension of construction on a new County jail, Robert Ficano’s administration presented what it believes are the best options for the project to the County Commission at a special meeting Aug. 14. Ficano’s administration has faced a lot of criticism about the jail exceeding its budget. According to a...Poetry Corner: A ready scenario
As a part of its continuing effort to share a portion of the literary wealth of Arabic poetry with the English reader, The Arab American News translates a poem by the legendary Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish. A Ready Scenario was published after Darwish's death, in his last book I Do not Want for this Poem to End.A ready...Detroit bankruptcy challenged on constitutional grounds
DETROIT — Public labor unions took aim at Detroit's historic bankruptcy filing on Monday, asking a U.S. court to toss the City's bid for protection from its creditors, because it is constitutionally flawed on both the state and federal levels.A union that represents public-sector workers even took the unusual step of arguing that......
Religious coalition challenges anti-Israeli protestors in Ann Arbor
August 23rd, 20130 ANN ARBOR — A coalition of over 30 religious leaders of various faiths, from Ann Arbor, Saline and Ypsilanti have come together to take a stand against a weekly anti-Israeli protest that is held outside of the Beth Israel Congregation, a synagogue in Ann Arbor. At the Ann Arbor City Council meeting that was held on Monday, Aug. 20,...Law Corner: You have a right to use deadly force to protect yourself in your own home
Nearly everyone has heard of and somewhat understands the self-defense doctrine. The Trayvon Martin killing brought this issue to the national spotlight. What does Michigan law say about self-defense? As a general rule, killing another person in self-defense is justifiable homicide if, under all the circumstances, the......
Bill passes that expands Medicaid in Michigan
MICHIGAN-In June, the Michigan House of Representatives passed House Bill 4714, which would expand Medicaid in Michigan. It is estimated that more than 400,000 uninsured adults in Michigan will be eligible for medical coverage under this legislation. “Medicaid expansion is crucial to the health and well-being of Michigan citizens,...Snyder dives into Lake Huron
LAKE HURON — Governor Rick Snyder scuba-dived in Lake Huron on Tuesday, Aug. 20, to explore the Monohansett, a large wooden ship that sank in the lake in 1907.The shipwreck is located in the Thunder Bay Marine National Sanctuary, one of 14 marine areas protected by the federal government for ecological or historic reasons.The......