Egyptian poet Abdel Rahman al-Abnudi dies
CAIRO — Egyptian poet Abdel Rahman al-Abnudi, widely known for his revolutionary verse and criticism of two toppled presidents, diedTuesday at the age of 76, his wife said.Abnudi, who underwent brain surgery at a Cairo hospital just days ago, rose to prominence in the 1960s for his poems, some performed by legendary Arab...Civilian death toll in Yemen exceeds 550; airstrikes continue
ADEN — Fighting between Yemen's warring factions raged in southern and central parts of the country and air strikes hit Houthi militia forces in Aden on Friday, but there were no fresh moves toward dialogue.Saudi Arabia says it is winding down its month-old bombing operation against the Iran-allied Houthis and forces loyal to...Lebanese Armenians commemorate the genocide centennial
BEIRUT — Tens of thousands of Lebanese Armenians marched north of Beirut Friday to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide.Carrying Armenian flags and white signs with the picture of a violet forget-me-not flower which was adopted as the symbol of the centennial, the demonstrators gathered the...Former Egyptian President Morsi sentenced for 20 years
CAIRO — Former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi was sentenced to 20 years in prison without parole on Tuesday on charges arising from the killing of protesters, nearly three years after he became Egypt's first freely elected president.Morsi stood in a cage in court as judge Ahmed Sabry Youssef read out the ruling...Information on voting in the May 5 special election
April 24th, 20150 DEARBORN – Residents are urged to partake in the special election being held on Tuesday, May 5. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.. The election will determine the outcome of Proposal 1, regarding funding for state roads, as well as revenue for schools and municipalities. In Dearborn, registered voters who qualify for an absentee...Former Egyptian President Morsi jailed for 20 years
April 21st, 20150 Morsi in the courtroom CAIRO — Former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi was sentenced to 20 years in prison without parole on Tuesday on charges arising from the killing of protesters, nearly three years after he became Egypt's first freely elected president.Morsi stood in a cage in court as judge Ahmed Sabry Youssef read out the...Russia pushes for Syria peace talks to defeat ISIS
DAMASCUS — Latest U.N. efforts to resolve the Syria crisis could succeed this time and lead to a united front against "Islamic State" followed by a political transition, Russia's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva said. Earlier this week, the United Nations said its Syria envoy would launch fresh consultations with Syrian...Naming and shaming in Yarmouk
Residents of Yarmouk, queuing to receive food supplies, Jan. 14.The population of Syria’s Palestinian Refugee Camp, Yarmouk — whose population once exceeded 250,000, dwindling throughout the Syrian civil war to 18,000 — are a microcosm of the story of a whole nation, whose perpetual pain shames us all, none...Naming and shaming in Yarmouk
Residents of Yarmouk, queuing to receive food supplies, Jan. 14.The population of Syria’s Palestinian Refugee Camp, Yarmouk — whose population once exceeded 250,000, dwindling throughout the Syrian civil war to 18,000 — are a microcosm of the story of a whole nation, whose perpetual pain shames us all, none...New Yemeni VP says he hopes to avoid Saudi invasion
ADEN — Yemen's newly-appointed Vice President Khaled Bahah, a widely respected figure named this week to shore up the legitimacy of the exiled Saudi-backed government, said on Thursday he hoped to avert a Saudi-led invasion to restore unity to the country. Arab military exercises planned for Saudi Arabia have raised speculation that...Nusra hails slain Lebanese militant as hero
Osama Mansour.BEIRUT — On Thursday, Al-Qaeda’s Syria affiliate the Nusra Front mourned Thursday Lebanese militant Osama Mansour, who was killed during a shootout with police in Tripoli last week. In a video tribute posted to the Twitter account of the group's Qalamoun branch, Nusra called the notorious jihadi militant a...Palestinian rams car into bus stop, killing Israeli
Israeli border guards stand near a car that plowed into pedestrians in Jerusalem injuring several people, March 6.JERUSALEM — Police said Thursday a Palestinian whose car struck people at a Jerusalem bus stop, killing an Israeli, appeared to have driven into them deliberately. Police had said earlier it was unclear whether the...Saudi Arabia executes two Indonesian women
RIYADH — Saudi Arabia executed an Indonesian domestic worker Thursday just days after beheading another woman from that country, prompting the Indonesian foreign ministry to summon the kingdom's ambassador, Jakarta said. Karni binti Medi Tarsim, 37, was convicted of murdering a 4-year-old girl in 2012, according to a statement from...“Islamic State” clashes with security forces in Iraq’s largest refinery
Iraq’s largest oil refinery near the northern city of Baiji.BAGHDAD — "Islamic State" militants clashed with security forces inside Iraq's largest refinery on Thursday and held on to recent gains in the west of the country, as Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said the extremist group remained "very, very dangerous".The insurgents...Hezbollah: Saudi Arabia is the Israel of Yemen
BEIRUT — Hezbollah condemned the U.N. Security Council decision to impose an arms embargo on Yemen’s Houthis Thursday, comparing the Saudi-led military campaign to the Israeli wars on Gaza. "What Saudi Arabia is committing is identical to what Israel commits in Gaza," Hezbollah deputy chief Naim Qassem told France 24 in an......
Iran sends warships to the Gulf of Aden as fighting intensifies
SANAA — Houthi forces fought street-by-street battles with local militia in the old center of Aden on Wednesday, as the first boatloads of emergency medical aid reached the south Yemeni port city, which relief workers say faces a humanitarian catastrophe. Iran, which denies arming the Houthis, has condemned the Saudi-led...Lebanese security forces kill prominent militant
Osama Mansour speaking in front of supporters in Tripoli.BEIRUT — Lebanese police shot dead notorious Islamist militant Osama Mansour and another man in the northern city of Tripoli Thursday evening, state media reported. The National News Agency said Mansour and his partner Ahmad al-Nather were killed in a shootout with the Internal......
Tsarnaev convicted in Boston bombing, may face death sentence
Tsarnaev.BOSTON — Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was found guilty on Wednesday of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing that killed three people and injured 264 others, and the jury will now decide whether to sentence him to death. Tsarnaev, 21, is the surviving member of pair of ethnic Chechen brothers who planted the homemade pressure-cooker bombs...Yemen’s Houthis seize central Aden district, presidential site
ADEN — Yemeni Houthi fighters and their allies seized a central Aden district on Thursday, striking a heavy blow against the Saudi-led coalition that has waged a week of air strikes to try to stem advances by the Iran-allied group. Hours after the Houthis took over Aden's central Crater neighborhood, they marked another symbolic...Egyptian terrorist group confirms leader’s death
CAIRO — Egyptian jihadist group Ajnad Misr confirmed Thursday the death of its leader, Hammam Mohamed Attiyah, who police said was shot dead in a gunfight in Cairo. On Sunday, the interior ministry announced that Attiyah was killed in a Cairo apartment when security forces raided it, without saying when. Police say Attiya previously...Saudi policeman killed during raid in Eastern province
RIYADH — A Saudi policeman was shot dead and three were wounded during a raid which devolved into a gun battle in the eastern Saudi city of Awamiya on Sunday, state news agency SPA said. "An exchange of fire led to the injury of Corporal Majid bin Turki al-Qahtani, and his death after being taken to hospital - may God have mercy on......
Al-Qaeda in Syria vows to enforce Sharia law in Idlib
DAMASCUS — The al-Qaeda-linked Nusra Front indicated on Wednesday that a Idlib, a Syrian city captured from the government in recent days would be ruled according to Islamic sharia law, but the group would not seek to monopolize power there. Nusra Front's leader, Abu Mohamad al-Golani, also said residents of the northwestern city of...Tunisia to restore diplomatic relations with Syria
TUNIS — Tunisia's foreign minister said the diplomatic relations with Syria will be restored at a consular level, following a long hiatus that began during the beginning of the Syrian uprising. Taieb Baccouche told journalists Thursday that Syria had responded positively to the suggestion to restore relations, which were cut in......
Israel arrests Palestinian lawmaker
RAMALLAH — Israel arrested a Palestinian lawmaker from a left-wing militant group on Thursday for disobeying an Israeli order restricting her movements in the West Bank. The Israeli military said it arrested Khalida Jarrar, a senior political leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, in the West Bank city of...Bahraini activist arrested over tweets
Nabeel RajabMANAMA — Bahrain police arrested prominent democracy activist Nabeel Rajab on Thursday for comments he made on his Twitter account seen as "harmful" to civil peace, the kingdom's interior ministry said. Rajab took a leading role in mass demonstrations in Bahrain in 2011, which asked for reforms in the Gulf Arab state,......