Egypt sentences Mubarak to three years over corruption
CAIRO — An Egyptian court on Wednesday sentenced ousted president Hosni Mubarak to three years in prison on charges of embezzling public funds."The court orders Mohammed Hosni Mubarak to be sent to jail for three years," said judge Osama Shaheen as Mubarak looked on from a cage flanked by his sons, who were sentenced to four years in...
Russia, China veto resolution to refer Syria to the ICC
May 23rd, 20140 A picture taken on Feb. 6, shows the Aleppo central prison during clashes.NEW YORK — On Thursday, May 22, Russia and China vetoed a resolution to refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court for possible prosecution of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the country's three-year civil...Lebanon PM warns of power vaccum in presidency
BEIRUT — Lebanon's Prime Minister Tammam Salam said Thursday, May 22, that the presidential void will not be a long one and urged various political groups to elect a new head of state as soon as possible.Speaking at the beginning of a cabinet session at the Grand Serail, hours after parliament failed to hold a session to elect a...
Wayne County Clerk: Longtime congressman Conyers ineligible for primary ballot
May 16th, 20140 Conyers.DETROIT — Longtime Michigan Democratic Congressman John Conyers's bid for reelection in November took a major hit on Tuesday when a local elections clerk declared him ineligible for the August primary ballot because he did not have enough valid signatures on a required petition.Wayne County Clerk Cathy M. Garrett found that...Egypt’s Sisi calls for U.S. help to fight “terrorism”
al-Sisi.CAIRO — Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the general who ousted an elected Islamist president and is set to become Egypt's next head of state, called on the United States to help fight jihadi terrorism to avoid the creation of new Afghanistans in the Middle East.In his first interview with an international news organization in the run-up...Algeria’s Bouteflika proposes constitutional amendments, term limits
ALGIERS — Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika proposed a two-term presidential limit and delegating more authority to the prime minister's post as part of constitutional amendments after his reelection, a government source said on Thursday.Bouteflika, 77, offered reforms to strengthen democracy after winning an April ballot to...Lebanese parliament fails to elect president in fourth voting session
BEIRUT — Parliament failed Thursday, May 15, in its fourth attempt to hold the second round of the presidential election, with Speaker Nabih Berri adjourning the session to May 22, only three days before President Michel Sleiman is scheduled to step down.MPs began arriving at Parliament slightly before the session, but by noon, the...
Gulf governments lift unofficial ban on travel to Lebanon
May 16th, 20140 BEIRUT — Saudi Arabia and other Gulf governments have lifted an unofficial ban on travel to Lebanon, boosting prospects for the summer tourism season, Lebanon's tourism minister said on Thursday, May 15."There is an implicit normalization," Michel Pharaon said. "I'm not putting the words in the mouths of any Saudi officials, but I...Lebanese Maronite Patriarch to meet South Lebanon Army collaborators while on pastoral trip to occupied Palestine
BEIRUT — Cardinal Beshara al-Rai, the head of the Maronite Church, has insisted on going ahead with his pastoral visit to occupied Palestine. Rai says he wants to meet with his parishioners face to face, although he has used teleconferencing before, to address Maronite youths in Nazareth, on February 15, 2013.On the eve of the...Two Palestinians killed in Nakba Day protests
RAMALLAH, West Bank — Two Palestinians - Mohammad Abu Thaher and Nadim Nuwara - were shot dead by Israeli soldiers during "Nakba Day" commemorations near the Israeli military base of Ofer just outside Ramallah, according to Palestinian medical sources.At noon on Thursday, May 15, an eerie silence fell on the West Bank City of...HRW urges Saudi to free two Ahmadis held for apostasy
RIYADH — Human Rights Watch on Thursday, May 15, urged Saudi Arabia to free two citizens held without trial for two years after converting to an offshoot of Islam banned in the conservative Sunni kingdom.Sultan al-Anzi, aged 33, and Saud al-Anzi, 35, were arrested and jailed in May 2012, three months after joining the Ahmadiyya group...30 militants, 8 soldiers killed in southern Yemen clashes
SANAA — The Yemeni army killed more than 30 al-Qaeda insurgents in heavy fighting on Wednesday, a senior military commander said, after the Islamists attacked military posts in a southern province where the government launched an offensive two weeks ago.A military source said the militants had surprised troops at military outposts in...Brahimi announces resignation as UN envoy to Syria
UNITED NATIONS — Lakhdar Brahimi is resigning as the international point man on Syria, the UN chief announced Tuesday, marking a second failure by the United Nations and Arab League to end the country's worsening civil war and highlighting the deep divisions among the parties and key countries on how to restore peace.With Brahimi at...Lebanese parliament fails to elect president, again
BEIRUT — Lebanon on Wednesday, May 7, postponed yet again a parliamentary session to elect a new president amid an ongoing political stalemate.Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri postponed the session to May 15 as the country's fiercely divided 128-member legislature, tasked with choosing a head of state, has been unable to agree on a...U.S. closes embassy in Sanaa, Yemeni army seizes al-Qaeda stronghold
Sanaa — The U.S. embassy in Sanaa was closed to the public Thursday, May 8, after a spate of attacks against foreigners and fears that al-Qaeda will seek revenge for a deadly offensive in the south."The embassy is closed today. And this will remain in effect until further notice," an employee at the U.S. mission in a heavily-guarded......
Lieberman denounces Arab Israelis as
JERUSALEM — Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Wednesday, May 7, denounced thousands of Arab Israelis who joined a demonstration calling for the right of return for Palestinian refugees as a "fifth column."Around 10,000 protesters, many waving Palestinian flags, joined a rally in northern Israel on Tuesday to remember 530...‘Saudi Liberals’ website founder sentenced to 10 years in jail, thousand lashes
Raif Badawi, who started the "Free Saudi Liberals" website, was originally sentenced to seven years in prison and 600 lashes in July last year, but an appeals court overturned the sentence and ordered a retrial.Apart from imposing a stiffer sentence on Badawi in his retrial, the judge at the criminal court in the Red Sea City of Jeddah......
Egypt court bans Mubarak-era leaders from running in elections
CAIRO — An Egyptian court banned, on Tuesday, May 6, the leaders of ex-president Hosni Mubarak's party from running in any coming elections they did not list any names, drawing complaints about a lack of clarity that could blunt the move's impact.Mubarak's National Democratic Party won all elections during his 30-year rule, mostly by...U.S. renews training of elite Iraqi forces in Jordan
AMMAN — The United States is resuming training for elite Iraqi soldiers in Jordan, a U.S. official said on Wednesday, May 7, as Washington seeks to bolster U.S. support for the Iraqi government's battle against Islamist militants.A small number of U.S. special forces will take part in a training exchange in Jordan with Iraqi...Lebanon divided over Maronite patriarch’s planned trip to Israel
BEIRUT — Israel does not recognize Jerusalem as being Palestinian. According to the Zionists, this land is their capital and they want their counterparts to thank them for allowing them to live on its eastern outskirts. Visiting the occupied lands is only possible by complying with the occupation authorities, who are in...
Judge Somers seeks reelection, discusses substance abuse epidemic in Dearborn
May 9th, 20140 DEARBORN — It is past 5:30 p.m. on a Wednesday evening, and 19th District Court Judge Mark Somers is still not finished with his afternoon docket. His final case of the day is a civil suit involving a woman who claims her ex-boyfriend is threatening to blackmail her with private photos she had once shared with him. "It's just......
John Conyers may not qualify to be on August primary ballot
May 9th, 20140 Conyers.DETROIT—U.S. Rep. John Conyers, D-Detroit, who serves Michigan’s 13th house district, may not qualify to be on the August primary ballot.Conyers did not collect enough valid signatures to get on to the primary ballot. Two people collecting signatures on behalf of his campaign were not registered voters, and the...Hansen Clarke, Brenda Lawrence squaring off in 14th Congressional District race again
Clarke.DETROIT — Hansen Clarke, former congressman for Michigan's 13th Congressional District, recently joined the state’s 14th Congressional District race. Clarke is competing in the race against Southfield Mayor Brenda Lawrence. In 2012, both Clarke and Lawrence, along with Congressman Gary Peters and former state......
Old City of Homs under Syrian Army control
May 8th, 20140 DAMASCUS — Syrian forces took full control on Thursday, May 8, over Homs, a city once associated with the some of the earliest anti-government protests but now famed for images of ruin that epitomize the brutality of Syria's civil war.After holding the Old City of Homs for nearly two years, around 1,200 rebel fighters and trapped...Assad seeks reelection as Syrian war rages
DAMASCUS — Syrian President Bashar al-Assad declared on Monday, April 28, he would seek reelection in June, defying calls from his opponents to step aside and allow a political solution to the country's devastating civil war.Assad formally submitted his nomination to Syria's constitutional court to stand in an election which......