Courting catastrophe in Syria
The United States and Saudi Arabia appear to be ramping up aid to the Syrian rebels. Here we go again on the road to debacle. Why? The media never holds anybody to either their predictions or their results — officeholders, politicians, and of course their own pundits. And it’s a good thing for people like Bill Kristol, John McCain,...Beirut infrastructure among world’s worst
The Lebanese capital’s infrastructure is among the worst of cities across the world. According to a ranking by Global Investments reported by Byblos Bank’s Lebanon This Week, Beirut placed 204th out of 221 cities worldwide and 21st out of 25 in the Middle East and Africa region. Out of 42 middle-to-high income cities,...Hizbullah link to bombing doubted
When European Union foreign ministers discuss a proposal to designate Hizbullah as a terrorist organization, Bulgaria’s Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov will present his government’s case for linking two suspects in the July 18, 2012, bombing of an Israeli tourist bus to Hizbullah.But European ministers who demand hard evidence of...Political violence grips Egypt from all sides
CAIRO - Since the second anniversary of the uprising that ended the Mubarak regime, Egypt has witnessed a spate of political violence. Egypt’s opposition led by the high-profile National Salvation Front (NSF) blames President Mohamed Morsi for the bloodshed, but many blame the NSF and its leaders.“The NSF’s slowness in condemning...Analyst: ‘Syrian rebels too weak to target Hizbullah sites’
BEIRUT - The situation in Syria has escalated lately since terror groups are trying to counter any negotiations that could lead to a peaceful solution to the ongoing conflict, strategic expert Ameen Hutait told RT Arabic.In a new turn in the nearly two-year-old civil war, Syrian rebels warned the Lebanese political party Hizbullah to...
Deadly terrorist attacks rock central Damascus
February 22nd, 20130 DAMASCUS - A powerful car bomb exploded Thursday close to ruling party offices in Damascus, killing over 50 people and causing widespread destruction in the Syrian capital's deadliest attack for more than nine months.The bombing, which rocked the city center and sent thick smoke scudding across the skyline, was followed soon after by a...Israel to drill for oil in Syria’s Golan
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM - Israel has authorized drilling for oil on the occupied Golan Heights in a move likely to draw international protest, local media reported on Thursday.Yediot Aharonot daily said that a license to prospect had been issued to U.S.-Israeli energy company Genie, headed by Effie Eitam, a Golan settler and former hardline...Dearborn’s 2013 elections: City Council race attracts early interest
DEARBORN - Last week the announcement of Jack O'Reilly's candidacy to seek a second term as Mayor, as well as the announcement of Attorneys Tarek Baydoun and Susan Dabaja seeking one of seven city council positions kick started the city's Municipality race. The primary elections will be held on August 6, and from there the top vote...Egypt floods Gaza tunnels to cut Palestinian lifeline
GAZA — Egyptian forces have flooded smuggling tunnels under the border with the Palestinian-ruled Gaza Strip in a campaign to shut them down, Egyptian and Palestinian officials said.The network of tunnels is a vital lifeline for Gaza, bringing in an estimated 30 percent of all goods that reach the enclave and circumventing a...‘We grow, they bulldoze, we re-plant’
ZEITOUN, Gaza — Tawfiq Mandil, 45, stands amongst hundreds of Palestinian farmers, activists, and international supporters in the Gaza Strip’s eastern Zeitoun district, about half a kilometer from the border with Israel. They are renewing a call for the boycott of Israeli goods.“The Israeli army destroyed my house and my five...Head of historic philosopher Abu al-Alaa al-Maari cut off by ‘sword’ of extremism
BEIRUT - Unidentified members of an armed group in northern Syria have cut off the head of a statue honoring Abbasid-era poet Abu al-Alaa al-Maari, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Tuesday."An armed group in the (rebel-held) town of Maaret al-Numan have cut off the head of a sculpture honouring the memory of poet and...Britain cautions against gathering Syrian extremist threat to Europe
DAMSACUS - President Bashar al-Assad's forces bombarded the southeast of Damascus with air strikes and artillery on Wednesday to try and dislodge rebel fighters who have gained a foothold in the Syrian capital, opposition activists said.A Middle East diplomat following the military situation described battles in and around Damascus as a...Revolution redux: Libya to mark two years post-Gaddafi
TRIPOLI - Libya is set to celebrate two years since the start of the uprising that ended with the death of longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi. But this anticipation is marred by an expectation of mass protests, a lack of reform and a resurgent secessionist mood.While no official commemoration is planned, many cities in Libya are raising...Human Rights Watch urges Saudi Arabia to release founder of rights group
DUBAI - Human Rights Watch on Wednesday urged Saudi authorities to free an ex-judge and founder of a rights group who is serving a 15-year jail sentence for "breaking allegiance to the king."Sulaiman al-Rashudi, 76, was one of 16 people detained in 2007 and sentenced to jail in November 2011 "for peacefully trying to establish a human...Qatif uprising: Demanding inclusion
The uprising in Qatif, Saudi Arabia is not a revolution. For the most part, people have not demanded the “fall of the regime.” Starting in March 2011, one month after Bahrain’s uprising, this majority Shi'a town found itself at the center of a campaign in the Eastern Province to lift sectarian injustice.The marginalization of the......
Former Dearborn police officer announces City Council bid
DEARBORN - Mohamed Berro has officially announced his bid to seek one of the seven City Council seats in the city's Municipality elections this year, making the race even more competitive for the Arab American community. Berro joins Attorneys Susan Dabaja and Tarek Baydoun as the third Arab American candidate vying for a...
New political crisis in Tunisia after assassination of opposition leader
February 8th, 20130 TUNIS - Tunisia's political crisis looked likely to deepen on Friday with strikes and protests planned around the funeral of assassinated opposition politician Chokri Belaid.Belaid's killing on Wednesday has brought thousands of people onto the streets of the capital Tunis and other cities in violence-marred protests. Unions have called......
Mayor O’Reilly seeks second term, holds fundrasing breakfast
February 8th, 20130 DEARBORN — Mayor Jack O'Reilly has announced that he will be seeking re-election for a second term this year. O'Reilly became the interim mayor when Michael Guido passed away in December 2006. In 2009, he was elected to his first full term in office. Mayor O'ReillyO'Reilly held a campaign fundraiser Thursday morning at The Henry Hotel...Bulgarian charge of Hizbullah bombing was an “assumption”
LONDON — Bulgarian Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov’s dramatic announcement Tuesday on the Bulgarian investigation of the July 2012 terror bombing of an Israeli tourist bus was initially reported by Western news media as suggesting clear evidence of Hizbullah’s responsibility for the killings.But more accurate reports on the...Dearborn Attorney Susan Dabaja bids for city council seat
DEARBORN — Attorney Susan Dabaja has announced her bid for Dearborn City Council, seeking one of seven positions up for election this November. Dabaja, born and raised in Dearborn, is hoping her full-fledged commitment and diverse background as an active member in the community will spark renewed enthusiasm with Dearborn's residents at...Attorney Tarek M. Baydoun pulls petition for Dearborn city council
DEARBORN — Local Attorney Tarek M. Baydoun, a life-long Dearborn resident has announced his bid to seek a seat on Dearborn's City Council. Dearborn will elect seven city council members, a mayor, and a city clerk in November 2013. Baydoun pulled petitions on Thursday, where he was joined by his wife Noha, and their daughter Eman, who......
Arab Spring fails to deliver basic human rights
LONDON - The Arab Spring has given way to new governments that are failing to respect basic rights such as freedom of expression, Human Rights Watch warned as it published its annual report Thursday.The US-based group urged the young Islamist regimes of countries such as Egypt, Libya and Tunisia to build "genuine" democracies, saying...Syria protests over Israel attack, warns of “surprise”
The foreign ministry summoned the head of the UN force in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights to deliver the protest a day after Israel hit what Syria said was a military research center and diplomats said was a weapons convoy heading for Lebanon."Syria holds Israel and those who protect it in the Security Council fully responsible for......
Parliament majority achieved by King in Jordan
AMMAN - Tribal leaders, pro-regime loyalists and independent businessmen looked set to sweep Jordan's parliamentary election that was shunned by Islamists, according to initial results released on Thursday.Analysts say the new parliament will be dominated by loyalists who will carry out King Abdullah II's orders, dashing hopes of real...Victory close to defeat for Netanyahu
JERUSALEM — As expected, Benjamin Netanyahu has been ensured another term in office. Against all expectations, he could have been defeated. Now, he faces uncertainty over the kind of governing coalition he will lead and thus the kind of policies he will carry out. And he faces a lingering question: can any prospective coalition......