The Arab American News
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Family and friends honor Helen Thomas legacy at memorial service
August 16th, 20130 TROY — Family and friends of Helen Thomas gathered at the St. George Orthodox Church here Thursday, where the legendary White House Correspondent was remembered at a memorial service in her honor.The public knew Thomas as a tough and courageous journalist, but family members of the icon shared stories about who she was outside of the...‘Sexual Jihad’ and the ‘Syrian revolution’
Damascus — It took her a long time to take the decision to talk and when she did, she would only meet in a public place.She was an ordinary Damascene, dressed in a long coat and a scarf that completely covered her hair. Light skinned and brown eyed, there was nothing outstanding about her – nothing outstanding until she told her...Adjusting to the new Iranian reality
As Hassan Rouhani was inaugurated Iran’s new president last weekend, there was self-referential optimism in Western policy circles about what his accession might portend. A substantial quorum in these circles sees Rouhani as perhaps someone with whom the West — to recall Margaret Thatcher’s 1984 assessment of rising Soviet leader...The Arab turmoil: Where do we stand?
Seasons come and go, yet Arab countries remain in ongoing turmoil. They called it an ‘Arab Spring,’ but even if that ‘spring’ had ever existed in the shape and form that the media portrayed it to be, it never really lasted. It has now morphed into something far more complex.But it is not an ‘Islamic winter’ either; a...
Primary election a victory for local communities, despite low turn-out
August 9th, 20130 DEARBORN — Despite lower turnouts across the board, the Primary elections ended on a positive note for the Arab and Muslim American communities in Dearborn and Hamtramck.Attracting the majority of the attention in Dearborn was the city council race, which saw three first-time Arab American city council candidates advance to the...Will Zionism sink Mideast peace?
President Barack Obama and his congressional colleagues are carrying on an established, yet clearly dangerous, tradition of U.S. foreign policy — the mixing up of national interest and the parochial interests of powerful lobby groups.Indeed, given the way U.S. federal politics has long operated, national interest is, except in rare...Bahrain bans protests in capital ahead of opposition demonstration
Manama- Bahrain's King Hamad has banned protests in Manama in an amendment to a law on public gatherings, ahead of a major opposition demonstration, expected in mid-August, the state news agency BNA reported.The monarch, whose kingdom has been rocked by protests since 2011, also toughened penalties against the guardians of minors caught...Two Kazakh students charged with obstruction in Boston bomb probe
A U.S. grand jury on Thursday indicted two students from Kazakhstan on obstruction of justice charges, alleging they helped hide evidence, related to the April Boston marathon bombing that killed three and injured 264.Dias Kadyrbayev and Azamat Tazhayakov, both 19, were college friends of surviving bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.They...Marine demoted for urinating on Taliban corpses
A U.S. Marine sergeant who was videotaped urinating on dead Taliban fighters in Afghanistan has been demoted to the rank of corporal after pleading guilty, the Marine Corps has said.Sergeant Robert Richards was the last of eight Marines to be punished in connection with the incident, which took place on July 27, 2011, during a...Drone strikes kill eight suspected militants in Yemen
U.S. drone strikes killed at least eight suspected al- Qaeda militants in Yemen on Thursday, bringing the number of people killed by drones in less than two weeks to at least 25.The strikes follow Yemen's announcement on Wednesday that it had foiled a plot by al Qaeda to seize two major oil and gas export terminals and a provincial...
Bandar, ‘Prince of Jihad’: Expect a Syrian shift in power
August 9th, 20130 In theory, Syrian opposition fighters now have one single commander: Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan. The man, who had a failed military adventure in Beirut, is vying today to alter the balance of power in Syria. But his foes say they will not let him win this time either.Bandar bin Sultan, the Saudi intelligence chief, is no ordinary...CIA deputy director: Al-Qaeda replacing Assad is the biggest threat to U.S.
Washington — The second-in-command of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) says that the toppling of Bashar Assad’s regime in Syria is the largest threat to United States national security and may help Al-Qaeda acquire chemical weapons.Speaking to The Wall Street Journal, CIA Deputy Director Michael Morell said the prospect of the...Israeli soldiers set Lebanese forest on fire after four soldiers injured by landmine
Israeli forces set fire to woodlands in South Lebanon near the border, the Lebanese National News Agency reported, on Wednesday, August 7.Civil defense and Lebanese army units were working on extinguishing the fire in Houla, the NNA added.The blaze was started after four Israeli soldiers were injured by a landmine after having crossed...Syrian rebels claim attack on Assad convoy, government denies report
Syrian rebels said on Thursday, Aug. 8, they had targeted President Bashar al-Assad's motorcade heading to a Damascus mosque to mark the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, but state television showed him unharmed and the government denied he had been attacked.The Tahrir al-Sham rebel brigade, a unit of the Free Syrian Army, said it fired...Israel to expand West Bank settlements
Israel has given preliminary approval for the construction of more than 800 new homes in Jewish settlements on the occupied West Bank, an Israeli official has said.Guy Inbar, the spokesman for Israel's military-run Civil Administration in the West Bank, said on Thursday, Aug. 8, that initial plans to build 800 new settler homes were......
Obama cancels meeting with Putin over Snowden
Washington — President Barack Obama has canceled a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow which was scheduled for September. The move comes after Russia’s recent decision to grant temporary asylum to NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.The U.S. decision is seemingly a diplomatic snub to Russia amid heightened tensions...
Municipal primary election results
August 9th, 20130 Tuesday’s Aug. 6 Primary Election results from races in the cities of Detroit, Hamtramck and Dearborn are listed below. Arab Americans claimed victories in major races. Yemeni American Hamtramck Mayoral Candidate Dr. Abdul Algazali managed to beat the City’s current mayor, Karen Majewski, and first time Dearborn City Council......
1.8 million to face cuts in food assistance this fall in Michigan
MICHIGAN — In Michigan, 1.8 million people will see a cut in their food assistance benefits this fall, when a temporary boost to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — or SNAP, formerly known as food stamps — is set to expire, according to a new report from the Washington, D.C.-based Center on Budget and Policy...National group hosts Dearborn iftar with Syrian Ambassador to UN, religious and community leaders
DEARBORN — More than 400 Arab Americans gathered here Friday, Aug. 2 at Greenfield Manor, where Dr. Bashar Al-Jaafari, Syria’s permanent representative to the United Nations and Archbishop Louka Al-Khour, deputy patriarch of the Antiochian Orthodox Church, spoke at an Iftar dinner. Those who attended the event are supporters of...Syria’s ambassador to UN discusses opposition, Geneva II and future of Syria
Syria's ambassador to the United Nations, Bashar Jaafari, said that the Syrian crisis will be solved at the right moment, when the internal, regional and international dimensions of the war positively overlap.He added that such a solution is not simple and involves aspects that the Syrian government cannot control on its own. "We...
Vacant stores in west Dearborn: A challenge for City, business owners
August 9th, 20130 Dearborn is the birthplace of Henry Ford, an American symbol of innovation and prosperity. The City is also home to the Greenfield Village, Ford Motor Company’s world headquarters and dozens of other cultural, dining and commercial attractions. However, the City’s west side downtown area does not seem to be in the best possible......
Lansing woman buys explosive device from garage sale
LANSING — A woman unknowingly purchased an explosive device at a Lansing area garage sale on Sunday, Aug. 4. According to a WXLI- TV report, the Michigan State Police bomb squad successfully defused the bomb, after responding to a call from the woman's house. No injuries were reported.The woman says that she had visited...Head of Detroit FBI steps down, makes tough career choice for family
Detroit--Detroit FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Foley announced this week that he is leaving the City, after less than a year on the job, for personal reasons.Foley has decided to step down to dedicate more time to his family. His decision was made after a family member developed a health problem, during his tenure in Detroit.......
“Transformer 4” filming in Detroit
DETROIT — The Rosa Parks Transit Center in downtown Detroit was transformed into a movie set this week, as filming commenced in the City on Sunday, Aug. 4 for the "Transformers 4" movie. The bus station and surrounding streets were shut down on Sunday at 5 a.m. and reopened on Monday at 4 a.m. The Detroit Department of...Orr hires auction firm to value DIA art
DETROIT — Emergency Manager Kevin Orr has hired Christie’s Appraisals, a New York-based international auction house, to appraise the City-owned collection at the Detroit Institute of Arts. Orr said, in a statement on Monday, August 5, that the City's plan has never been to sell art, but the City must know the current value of......