Report: Obama sends letter to Khaminei seeking help in fight against “Islamic State”
Secretary of State Kerry (R) meets with Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif.WASHINGTON — President Obama has secretly written a letter to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, urging progress on nuclear talks and stressing common interest in fighting the "Islamic State" (IS), the Wall Street Journal says.Obama sent the letter to...ICC will not prosecute Israel for Gaza flotilla raid
THE HAGUE — The International Criminal Court will not prosecute over Israel's raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla in 2010 in which 10 Turkish activists died, despite a "reasonable basis to believe that war crimes were committed."Chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said that there would be no investigation leading to a potential prosecution...Bombs kill four in Cairo
Egyptian mourners carry the coffin of Ahmed Kamal, one of the two policemen who were killed in a bomb attack, during his funeral on Nov. 6.CAIRO — A bomb blast aboard a train north of Cairo killed four people, including two policemen, and wounded nine, officials said Thursday it was the latest attack by suspected militants battling...Algerian killed, Frenchman wounded at Sanaa Houthi checkpoint
SANAA — An Algerian national was shot dead and a Frenchman was wounded on Wednesday during a scuffle at a checkpoint operated by Houthi fighters in the southern part of the Yemeni capital Sanaa, a police source said.The source said the incident developed when the Houthis stopped the two men for checks and then tried to arrest them,...Militants kill four Tunisian soldiers
TUNIS — Four Tunisian soldiers were killed and 11 others were wounded on Wednesday in an attack by suspected Islamist militants on a bus carrying soldiers in Kef near the Algerian border, the Defense Ministry said.The attack came while Tunisia was preparing its first free presidential election on Nov. 23 and only ten days after...
Judicial candidate Tony Guerriero passionate about Dearborn
October 31st, 20140 Guerriero.DEARBORN — "I care about the city of Dearborn-our community as a whole-and I believe I have the legal experience, temperament and compassion to serve the community properly as a district court judge," 19th District Court Judge candidate Tony Guerriero told The Arab American News. Guerriero, a former Dearborn magistrate,...Moroccan in Connecticut sentenced to two years for Harvard attack plot
NEW HAVEN Conn. — A Moroccan national, accused of plotting to attack Harvard University and a federal building with bombs attached to a drone, was sentenced to two years in prison on Wednesday by a federal judge in Connecticut.U.S. Attorney Krishna Patel had sought a maximum penalty of five years in prison for El Mahdi Semlali Fathi,...Egypt clears Gaza border area to create security buffer
Buildings being demolished by the Egyptian army to create a buffer zone along the border with Gaza.A day after being ordered by the army to move, many in the area had already packed their belongings and begun to leave when an announcement from Cairo made the eviction official."If any resident resists leaving the area in a cordial...Fighting kills 250 in central Yemen
A Houthi at the gate of the Yemeni Ministry of Interior, Oct. 23.SANAA — Fighting in central Yemen between Houthi rebels and an influential tribe in the town of Radda killed at least 250 people over three days of clashes, security officials said Monday.The violence in Yemen’s central Bayda province saw fighters from the strong Qifa...Secular party wins Tunisia parliamentary elections
Tunisian woman celebrates the victory of Nidaa Tunis in the elections.TUNIS — Tunisia's secular Nidaa Tounes won landmark parliamentary elections, results showed Thursday, beating Islamist rivals in a vote that raised hopes of a peaceful transition in the birthplace of the Arab Spring.Sunday's election has been hailed as a victory for...Iraqi Kurdish forces enter Syria to fight “Islamic State”
A Kurdish Peshmerga soldier reaches out his hand to supporters in the northern Kurdish region of Iraq, Oct. 29.DAMASCUS — The first group of Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga fighters entered the besieged Syrian town of Kobani on Thursday to help push back "Islamic State" militants who have defied U.S. air strikes and threatened to massacre its...
Guns fall silent in Lebanon’s Tripoli as army moves in
October 31st, 20140 BEIRUT — The Lebanese army took the last position held by militants in the northern city of Tripoli on Monday, Oct. 27, ending two days of battles that marked some of the worst fighting to spill over into Lebanon from the Syrian civil war next door.Guns fell silent as the army issued a statement saying fighters who had fled should...“Islamic State” executes 220 tribesmen
BAGHDAD — "Islamic State" militants executed at least 220 Iraqis in retaliation against a tribe's opposition to their takeover of territory west of Baghdad, security sources and witnesses said.Two mass graves were discovered on Thursday containing some of the 300 members of the Sunni, Muslim Albu Nimr tribe that "Islamic State" had...Israel closes, reopens Al-Aqsa mosque for Muslim worshipers
JERUSALEM — Israel decided late Thursday to reopen Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound to Muslims on Friday, hours after ordering its closure and following Arab and U.S. calls."It was decided to restore (the compound) to normal," police spokeswoman Luba Samri told AFP, adding that because of a fear of unrest at Friday midday prayers,...Sweden recognizes Palestinian state
STOCKHOLM — Sweden on Thursday became the biggest Western European country to recognize a Palestinian state, prompting a strong protest from Israel, which swiftly withdrew its ambassador from Stockholm.The move by Sweden's new left-leaning government reflects growing international impatience with Israel's nearly half-century control of......
Palestinians, Israeli forces clash in Jerusalem after “hit-and-run” incident
Palestinian protesters set fire to tires during clashes with Israeli forces in Ramallah, West Bank on Oct. 21.JERUSALEM — Renewed clashes broke out early Thursday in East Jerusalem following the death of a Palestinian suspect who rammed his car into Israeli settlers Wednesday, injuring six and killing one.Israeli forces and...Britain’s Real Promise to Israel; “Symbolic” Vote on Palestine
A pro-Palestine supporter wears a Palestinian and Union flag outside the Houses of Parliament in London Oct. 13.The text of the letter was short and precise, leaving no room for any misinterpretation in the “promise” made by Britain’s Foreign Secretary, Arthur James Balfour, to a powerful representative of the Jewish community in......
Oakland County Commission candidate is diversity champion
October 24th, 20140 Dr. Phyllis A. Noda. DEARBORN — Throughout her career, Dr. Phyllis A. Noda, an Arab American Democratic candidate for the Oakland County Commission, has been a relentless advocate for diversity. Noda has embraced her Arab American identity while campaigning for the position in a county that historically has not had adequate...
Michigan Supreme Court candidate Bill Murphy: A seat on the court should not come with a ‘for sale’ sign
October 24th, 20140 Michigan Supreme Court Candidate William (Bill) Murphy. DEARBORN — Michigan Supreme Court Candidate William (Bill) Murphy criticized the amount of money being poured into the judicial elections."The seat for the supreme court should not come with a for sale sign," he told The Arab American News in an interview last...Lebanese army kills three terror suspects
People inspect damage in a apartment following a raid by the army in Asoun, Oct. 23.BEIRUT — The Lebanese Army killed three gunmen during a raid in north Lebanon Thursday and arrested a local “terror” suspect accused of recruiting young Lebanese to join the "Islamic State" – including a relative involved in the beheading of a...Libyan prosperity and democracy: A distant dream
A fighter from armed group Operation Dawn fires a weapon during clashes with rival group the Zintan brigade, southwest of Tripoli Oct. 21.BENGHAZI — When longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi's regime collapsed in a 2011 revolution, many Libyans looked to affluent and booming Dubai as an example of what the future could hold.Three years......
Kobani in less danger, airstrikes killed 521 militants, 32 civilians
Smoke and flames rise over a hill near the Syrian town of Kobani, Oct. 23.DAMASCUS — The Syrian border town of Kobani appears in less danger of falling to the "Islamic State," but the threat still remains, U.S. officials said on Thursday, offering a measured view of a key battle against the militant group.Officials at the U.S....Relatives of Iraq massacre victims demand death penalty for Blackwater guards
BAGHDAD — Four former Blackwater guards found guilty for their roles in the 2007 massacre of at least 14 civilians in Baghdad's busy Nisur Square should be executed, relatives of victims said Thursday.Their convictions followed a two-month trial that heard how they opened fire with sniper rifles, machine guns and grenade launchers in......
Saudi Arabia jails mothers for preparing sons to wage jihad
RIYADH — Four women in Saudi Arabia have been jailed for preparing their sons to wage war and for supporting al-Qaeda, official media said, in the kingdom's latest "terrorist" convictions.They were sentenced to between six and 10 years in prison, the Saudi Press Agency reported late Wednesday following the verdicts.It said a court...Two Israeli soldiers wounded in attack along Egypt border
CAIRO — Gunmen in Egypt's Sinai peninsula opened fire on Israeli troops across the border on Wednesday, wounding two soldiers, the Israeli military said.Islamist militants are active in the lawless peninsula, which borders southern Israel, though assaults across that boundary are rare.The attackers fired guns and an anti-tank missile......