The Arab American News
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Rush on Kabul airport as Afghans flee Taliban takeover
August 16th, 20210 KABUL — Afghans rushed onto the tarmac of the capital’s airport on Monday as thousands tried to flee the country after the Taliban seized power with stunning speed. Some clung to the side of a U.S. military transport plane before takeoff, in a widely shared video that captured the sense of desperation as America’s 20-year war...
CIA director Burns holds talks in Israel, with focus on Iran
August 12th, 20210 JERUSALEM — U.S. Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns held talks in Israel on Wednesday with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, with Iran high on their agenda, an Israeli statement said. Regional tensions have risen over an attack on July 29 on an Israeli-managed tanker off the coast of Oman that Israel, the U.S. and...
Lebanon’s Aoun shields patriarch after he urged halt to rockets
August 10th, 20210 BEIRUT — On Tuesday, President Michel Aoun condemned criticism of Lebanon's Christian Maronite patriarch after he expressed opposition to the Iran-backed Shi'a group Hezbollah, warning that insults must be avoided to safeguard national unity. Following a cross-border salvo between Israel and Hezbollah, Patriarch Bechara Boutros...
Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Israel trade cross-border fire amid Iran tensions
August 6th, 20210 The Iranian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah fired barrages of rockets towards Israeli forces on Friday, drawing fire from Israel into south Lebanon, in a third day of cross-border salvoes amid wider regional tensions with Iran. Suggesting its attack was calibrated to avoid further escalation, Hezbollah said it had targeted open ground...
Israeli defense minister threatens Iran with military action, airstrikes launched into Lebanon
August 5th, 20210 Israel’s defense minister warned Thursday that his country is prepared to strike Iran, issuing the threat against the Islamic Republic after a fatal drone strike on a oil tanker at sea that his nation blamed on Tehran. The comments by Benny Gantz come as Israel lobbies countries for action at the U.N. over last week’s attack on...
HRW report: Some officials saw risk of Beirut blast, did not act
August 3rd, 20210 BEIRUT — A report released by Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Tuesday concluded there was strong evidence to suggest some Lebanese officials knew about and tacitly accepted the lethal risks posed by ammonium nitrate stored at Beirut port before the fatal blast there on Aug. 4 last year. HRW called for a U.N. investigation into the...
FBI probe shows amount of chemicals in Beirut blast was a fraction of original shipment
August 1st, 20210 BEIRUT — The amount of ammonium nitrate that blew up at Beirut port last year was one fifth of the shipment unloaded there in 2013, the FBI concluded after the blast, adding to suspicions that much of the cargo had gone missing. As the first anniversary approaches on Aug. 4, major questions remain unanswered, including how a huge...
Former U.S. Senator Carl Levin, who strenuously opposed the war on Iraq and investigated U.S. detainee abuse, dies at 87
July 30th, 20210 DETROIT — Famous for gazing over eyeglasses worn on the end of his nose, Carl Levin seemed at ease wherever he went, whether attending a college football game back home in Michigan or taking on a multibillion-dollar corporation before cameras on Capitol Hill. Michigan's longest-serving U.S. senator had a slightly rumpled,...
Understanding your FEMA letter and appeal options
July 29th, 20210 The following information, provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is up-to-date as of July. Survivors who registered with FEMA for disaster assistance following the June severe storms and flooding will receive a letter explaining FEMA’s eligibility decision and the reason for that decision. FEMA decision...
U.S. CDC recommends vaccinated Americans wear masks indoors in many cases
July 27th, 20210 Americans fully vaccinated against COVID-19 should go back to wearing masks in indoor public places in regions where the coronavirus is spreading rapidly, U.S. health authorities said on Tuesday. In a toughening of guidance issued earlier this month, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also recommended all...
Businessman Mikati secures votes to be designated Lebanon’s PM
July 26th, 20210 BEIRUT — Wealthy Lebanese businessman Najib Mikati secured enough votes in parliamentary consultations on Monday to be designated the next prime minister. Mikati, who has been prime minister twice before and unlike many Lebanese leaders does not hail from a political bloc or dynasty, received 72 votes out of a total of 118 members...
Lebanon: The accusations against Major General Abbas Ibrahim are malicious and politically motivated
July 25th, 20210 By Osama Siblani / Publisher One of the most unfortunate aspects of Lebanon’s continuing crisis is the way criminal investigations into major violent acts are handled. This has been the case since Lebanon was founded last century. Most of these investigations either did not occur at all, were done unprofessionally or were derailed by...
Masked haj pilgrims on Mount Arafat pray for COVID-free world
July 22nd, 20210 MT. ARAFAT — Thousands of face-masked Muslims gathered on Saudi Arabia's Mount Arafat on Monday, praying for an end to the pandemic and faster vaccination as the annual haj pilgrimage reached its climax. Saudi Arabia, home to Islam's holiest sites in Mecca and Medina, has barred worshippers from abroad for a second year running and...
Attainable housing critical to growing economic opportunity
July 20th, 20211 — The following article was contributed by Michele Wildman, senior vice president at the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). When it comes to economic development, topics around jobs and private investment often dominate the conversation – and there is no doubt they are a crucial driver of growth and talent...
Reports: Israeli firm’s spyware used to target journalists’ and activists’ cell phones
July 19th, 20210 WASHINGTON, D.C. — An Israeli company's spyware was used in attempted and successful hacks of 37 smartphones belonging to journalists, government officials and human rights activists around the world, according to an investigation by 17 media organizations published on Sunday. One of the organizations, The Washington Post, said the......
Lebanon spins further into crisis as Hariri abandons bid to form government
July 15th, 20210 BEIRUT — Lebanese politician Saad al-Hariri abandoned his months-long effort to form a new government on Thursday, dimming the chances of a cabinet being agreed on any time soon that could start rescuing the country from financial meltdown. Hariri announced his decision after meeting with President Michel Aoun, saying it was clear...
EU to adopt sanctions regime for Lebanon leaders, France says
July 12th, 20210 PARIS — On Monday, the European Union agreed to adopt a sanctions regime for Lebanese leaders by the end of July, France said, in an effort to force a stable government to emerge from nearly a year of political chaos following the Beirut blast. "There was a moment ago a political consensus to put in place a legal sanctions framework......
First person: Dearborn’s devastating flood exposes mistrust, deep divides
July 9th, 20210 Bilal Baydoun is a Michigan-based policy advisor and writer. He previously served as a lead policy and communications advisor in the Michigan Department of Attorney General. Ali Abazeed is a public health advisor with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services based in Washington D.C. The authors were born and raised in East...
Pfizer to ask FDA to authorize booster dose of vaccine as Delta variant spreads
July 8th, 20210 The drugmaker Pfizer said on Thursday it will ask the U.S. government for the approval of a booster dose of its COVID-19 vaccine within the next month, as fears among experts grow around the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant. The request with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is based on evidence of greater risk...
Saudi minister says he held “great meeting” with Blinken
July 8th, 20210 WASHINGTON, D.C. — Saudi Deputy Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman said he held "a great meeting" on Wednesday with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in which they explored strengthening U.S.-Saudi ties and reviewed regional developments. Prince Khalid, the brother of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's de facto...
Lebanon is “days away” from social explosion, PM Diab warns
July 6th, 20210 BEIRUT — Lebanon is a few days away from a social explosion, caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab warned on Tuesday, calling on the international community to save a country in deep economic crisis. The World Bank has called Lebanon's crisis one of the worst depressions of modern history. The currency has lost more than 90 percent......
Dearborn government answers questions about sewer system and flooding
July 3rd, 20210 DEARBORN — The city government released a Q & A memo regarding the recent flooding and the sewage backup through its public information department. The answers below were up-to-date as of June 28. What is believed to have caused the significant flooding that occurred June 26? The storm that led to severe flooding on June 26...
Farewell to Donald Rumsfeld, dreary war criminal
July 2nd, 20210 At 2:40 p.m. on September 11, 2001, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld issued orders to one of his underlings. Among Rumsfeld’s thoughts: Best info fast. Good enough judge whether good enough hit SH @ same time not only UBL And: Near term target needs – – go massive – sweep it all up – Things related &......
Booster may be needed for J&J shot as Delta variant spreads, some experts already taking them
June 28th, 20210 Infectious disease experts are weighing the need for booster shots of the Pfizer/BioNTech, or Moderna mRNA-based vaccines for Americans who received Johnson & Johnson's one-dose vaccine due to the increasing prevalence of the more contagious Delta coronavirus variant. A few say they have already done so themselves, even without...
U.S. suspects 4,000 cases of fraud in Iraqi refugee program
June 25th, 20210 WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. authorities pursuing a sweeping fraud investigation suspect some 4,000 Iraqis of filing fraudulent applications for resettlement in the U.S. as refugees, and they are re-examining cases involving more than 104,000 others, according to State Department reports reviewed by Reuters. More than 500 Iraqis already......
