Iraq province takes first steps to energy independence
BAGHDAD - Iraq's northwest Nineveh province has started talks with oil companies and is drafting terms to attract investment in its significant oil and gas reserves, steps that are certain to antagonize the central government.Nineveh Governor Atheel Nujaifi says Baghdad has focused on the giant southern oil fields and has paid little...Qatari poet sentenced to 15 years in prison for insulting emir
DOHA - A Qatari court on Monday, Oct. 21, upheld a 15-year jail sentence handed down to a poet, convicted of criticizing the former emir and attempting to incite revolt, a relative said.In his verses, Muhammad Ibn al-Dheeb al-Ajami praised the Arab Spring revolts that toppled four authoritarian leaders. He also criticized Qatar's former...Ten killed in Tunisia clash
TUNIS - At least eight Tunisian policemen and two Islamist militants were killed on Wednesday, Oct. 23, when they clashed during a raid by security forces in Sidi Bouzid in the south of the country, security sources and state television said.Tunisian authorities say Ansar al-Sharia, one of the Islamist militant movements to emerge since...Bahraini court temporarily releases opposition leader
MANAMA - A senior Bahraini opposition politician was temporarily freed on Thursday, Oct. 24, by the court, which tried him on charges that include inciting terrorism, in a surprise conciliatory ruling in the U.S.-allied Gulf Arab state.Khalil al-Marzouq, a former parliament member, was detained in September by police investigating his...Syrian man in limbo for 16 days at Dubai airport
DUBAI - A Syrian man has been stranded at Dubai airport for 16 days in a case with echoes of the Tom Hanks film "The Terminal."Wasfi Tayseer Jarad has been stuck at the airport's Terminal 2, since being freed from prison after serving time for a drug conviction and being issued a deportation order, the English-language Gulf News reported...Detroit mayoral candidates square-off in heated debates
DETROIT — This week, mayoral candidates Benny Napoleon and Mike Duggan squared off in public debates to discuss which of their campaign platforms would best be suited to turn around Detroit's fragile government, neighborhoods and economy.Words got heated between the two at the first debate, which took place on Sunday, October 22. While...Truck bomb targets Iraqi minority, killing 15
Baghdad — A suicide bomber driving a truck packed with explosives blew himself up in a village in northern Iraq, killing at least 15 members of the country's Shabak minority early on Thursday, Oct. 17, police said.It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack, but Sunni Islamist militants have in the past targeted...Sharp increase in Israeli West Bank settlements
RAMALLAH-- Israeli construction in the West Bank increased by 70 percent, from January to June, compared to the same period in 2012, an anti-settlement advocacy group said. A report released by the group, Peace Now, said more than 340,000 settlers live in the West Bank, more than triple the number who lived there 20 years ago when the...Bomb found in south Beirut on eve of Eid
BEIRUT — Lebanese security forces defused a car bomb on Monday in the southern suburb of Beirut.The discovery of a bomb happened on the first night of the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha and two months after a car bomb killed 20 people in the area and looked like the latest sign of growing sectarian tensions in Lebanon, exacerbated by...Saudi Arabia obtains UN Security Council seat for the first time
Riyadh — Saudi Arabia on Thursday, Oct. 17, won a UN Security Council seat for the first time in a new show of determination to make its voice heard, joining Chad, Chile, Lithuania and Nigeria in taking places on the key body.All five countries stood unopposed in an election by the 193 member UN General Assembly.They will replace...Qatar arrests two suspects in British teacher murder
Qatar arrests two suspects in British teacher murderDOHA — Qatar has arrested suspects over the murder of a European woman, the Interior Ministry said on Wednesday, Oct. 16, after a British school teacher was found dead in the desert of the Gulf Arab state.British media said a 24-year-old woman identified as Lauren...Al-Qaeda: Sept. attack targeted Yemeni-U.S. drone base
SANAA — The Yemen-based branch of al-Qaeda said on Monday, Oct. 14, its attack on a Yemeni army base last month targeted an operations room used by the United States to direct drone strikes against militants, and it threatened more such assaults.Dozens of militants stormed and captured the headquarters of the Yemeni army's Second...Candidate Edward Binkley offers to put salary back in City if elected Mayor
DEARBORN - This election year, while Jack O'Reilly looks to fill the mayoral seat for another four-year term, another candidate, Edward Binkley, is looking to challenge him, by reaching out to local voters on a personal level.Binkley says he is unfamiliar with politics and lacks the expertise that a typical candidate would perhaps offer....Syrian army ends opposition siege on Aleppo
DAMASCUS - The Aleppo-Salamiyeh road has now opened to civilians and convoys carrying supplies and fuel, ending the weeks-long siege imposed by opposition militants on the city. According to sources on the ground, the move will usher in a new phase of military operations in the city and surrounding areas.Aleppo – The city of Aleppo has...Saudi preacher gets 8 years in jail for daughter’s abuse, murder
RIYADH - A court in Saudi Arabia has sentenced a Muslim preacher convicted of abusing his daughter and causing her death to eight years in prison and 800 lashes, Saudi media said on Tuesday, Oct 8.The court in Hotat Bani Tamim, a town south of the capital Riyadh, also gave the girl's stepmother 10 months in jail and 150 lashes for......
Libyan PM ‘arrested’ for 6 hours by former rebel militia
TRIPOLI - Libya's prime minister was seized and held for several hours on Thursday, Oct. 10, by former rebel militiamen angry at the weekend capture by U.S. special forces of a Libyan al-Qaeda suspect in Tripoli.Ali Zeidan was freed unharmed but the incident underlined the anarchy prevailing in the oil-rich North African state, two years...Gulf states to ‘detect’ gays at airports and ban them from entry
KUWAIT CITY - Routine clinical screenings may be used to "detect" homosexuals and bar them from entering Kuwait and other Gulf member states, according to a top Kuwaiti official.A central committee tasked with the status of expatriates is set to view the proposal on November 11.“Health centers conduct the routine medical check to......
Lebanon delays gas exploration bid deadline to January
BEIRUT - Lebanon's Energy Ministry has delayed its offshore gas licensing round by a month until January after politicians failed to form a new government which could approve decrees needed to launch the bidding process.The ministry said Energy Minister Gebran Bassil had put back the auction date for exploration blocs to January 10,...U.N. tells staff to stay at home after German killed in Yemen
SANAA - The United Nations told its staff in Yemen to stay home on Monday, Oct. 7, a day after gunmen shot dead a German embassy security guard.International humanitarian organizations have also advised staff to limit their movements, an aid worker said."Staff should remain at home and not travel. No travel to shops or elsewhere is...UAE oil company to develop Kurdistan oilfield in Iraq
ABU DHABI - Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (Taqa) has received approval from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to develop the Atrush Block, an oil field in the autonomous region of Iraq, the state-controlled company said on Monday, Oct 7.Deals between foreign investors and the KRG to develop oilfields have angered the federal...AAPAC announces endorsement for upcoming local elections
DEARBORN — Just weeks ahead of the General Elections which will take place on Tuesday, November 5, the Arab American Political Action Committee (AAPAC) has announced their slate of endorsements in the local municipality races. Formed in 1998, AAPAC’s membership consists of a diverse group of Arab American professionals, who work......
Iraq executes 42, as violence worsens
BAGHDAD - Iraq executed 42 people, including a woman, for mass killings and other terrorism charges over two days this week, the justice ministry and the United Nations said on Thursday, Oct 10, after a surge in sectarian violence.The U.N. mission in the country said it was concerned about the executions, which took place on Tuesday and...
U.S. suspends more military aid to Egypt
October 10th, 20130 WASHINGTON - The administration of President Barack Obama announced Wednesday it was freezing hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to the Egyptian military pending “credible progress” toward a return to democratic rule. The State Department said Washington was suspending deliveries of big-ticket weaponry, including tanks, warplanes......
How Yemeni coffee reaches American cups
SANAA, Yemen — Moving from tree to tree, an old man shows off his treasure. He is so engrossed in his task that, at times, he forgets who is around. His hand, tanned and wrinkled by years of working under the sun, cautiously extends toward a stem and carefully handpicks coffee cherries, while explaining the delicate and intricate...Russian embassy in Libya attacked by gunmen
TRIPOLI — Russia's embassy in the Libyan capital of Tripoli came under fire on Wednesday, Oct. 2, and a group of people tried to force their way into the compound, the Russian Foreign Ministry said. A damaged car is seen in front of the Russian embassy, a day after it came under attack in Tripoli October 3, 2013. REUTERS/Ismail......