Christmas trees remain banned by Israeli mayor in Nazareth
TEL AVIV — A prior ban on putting Christmas trees in the squares of the Arab section of Upper Nasira or Nazareth which is adjacent to Nazareth, referred to as the childhood home of Jesus Christ, will continue this year, according to a report by Turkish Radio Television. The mayor of Upper Nazareth Shimon Gapso has claimed that the...
New Republican front-runner Gingrich roils Middle East waters
December 16th, 20110 WASHINGTON (IPS) — Newt Gingrich has a well-documented reputation for bomb throwing, but his latest assertions about Palestinians threaten to blow at least two decades of U.S. Middle East diplomacy to pieces. U.S. Republican presidential candidate and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich speaks at "The Gift of Life" movie premiere...
Ex-FBI official: U.S. troops surrounding Syria for possible coup
December 15th, 20110 A former official from within the ranks of the Federal Bureau of Investigation is reporting that U.S. and NATO forces have landed outside of Syria and are training militants to overthrow the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. The Royal Navy’s Type 42 destroyer HMS York steams alongside the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov...Libya: Old ways under a new flag
TRIPOLI (IPS) — "They would call you a Gaddafist if you drove one of those 4 x 4 cars," says Bashar, emerging from one of those traffic jams in Tripoli. "Today almost every rebel commander has one."Since the city fell into rebel hands in August, this young man of 30 has watched life change by the day through the windshield of his...
Syrian opposition: Dying for foreign intervention?
December 14th, 20110 Using the ‘Libyan scenario’ as their template for regime change, the Syrian opposition is provoking a humanitarian crisis in the country in order to win foreign intervention, Russia says.Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said it appears that Syria's armed opposition is attempting to trigger a humanitarian catastrophe in order to justify...
Assad appoints Mustafa as new ambassador to China
December 13th, 20110 Imad MustafaDAMASCUS -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad issued a decree appointing Imad Mustafa, Syria's former ambassador to the United States, as ambassador to China, al-Watan newspaper said on Wednesday.Mustafa served his assignment in Washington from February 2004 to last month, when he was summoned back to Syria.The U.S....
Gingrich: Palestinians are “invented people”, have no state right
December 12th, 20110 WASHINGTON -- Newt Gingrich, now one of the leaders in the Republican U.S. presidential race, said the Palestinians have no legitimate claim to a state. Newt GingrichIn an interview last Friday on the Jewish Channel, Gingrich described the Palestinians as an "invented" people, the Los Angeles Times reported. Gingrich suggested the...Salamey considering run for judge
DEARBORN — Veteran Dearborn attorney and former magistrate Sam Salamey has formed an exploratory committee to plan his 2012 campaign run for judge of the 19th District Court in Dearborn. Sam Salamey"I have been approached by numerous citizens and civic and business leaders across Dearborn and they have urged me to consider running for...
Nasrallah makes rare appearance, speaks on Syria, Iraq and Lebanon
December 9th, 20110 Hizbullah fighters increased in numbers and are better equipped, Nasrallah saysBEIRUT- Nasrallah making his first public appearance since July 2008, Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah addressed hundreds of thousands of followers in the south part of Beirut on Tuesday, Dec. 6, the tenth day of the holiday of Ashura, touching...
Civil war looms as Syrian protests grow increasingly complex
December 9th, 20110 WASHINGTON - As the Syrian uprising enters its ninth month, it faces some of its most daunting challenges to date, despite the consolidation of near-unanimous international condemnation of the Syrian government.Over the past two months, the Syrian National Council – having modeled itself as the sole legitimate representative of the...
Feltman says U.S. to assist Lebanon to secure border with Syria
December 9th, 20110 FeltmanBEIRUT - U.S. official Jeffrey Feltman said Wednesday the United States would support the Lebanese Army to secure its borders with its neighbors.Feltman, who arrived earlier Wednesday, also told reporters at the Grand Serail after meeting Prime Minister Najib Mikati that Lebanon is conscientious of its commitments toward the...
Arab Spring does not mean democracy, diplomat says
December 9th, 20110 The Arab Spring will not bring democracy, former Deputy Secretary General of the Arab League Adnan Omran warns. He says slogans brandished before elections are no guarantee that the winner is actually going to practice democracy.The Syrian diplomat says spring is a time of sand storms in the Arab lands, a time “when you have to wait...
Round one goes to Islamists in Egyptian election
December 9th, 20110 CAIRO — Islamists appear poised for a landslide victory in the first round of Egypt's parliamentary elections, putting them on track to secure a majority in the country's first parliament since the fall of president Hosni Mubarak. An Egyptian soldier stands guard as members of the election committee seal a ballot box using wax after...
Obama’s approval rating dips below Carter’s
December 5th, 20110 The frontrunners in the 2012 election race like to label Barack Obama a one-term president, and new reports suggest that prediction might be more likely than ever. Obama’s approval rating is now lower than that of Jimmy Carter before he lost a second chance at the White House. ObamaUsing data on the...Arab Americans support Conyers’ 2012 run at fundraising dinner
DEARBORN – Supporters of Michigan Congressman John Conyers (D-Detroit) came out to Byblos Banquets on Monday, Nov. 28 for a fundraising dinner event in preparation for what could be a new challenge for the venerable 14th District representative.Some have said that his main competitor in the newly-redrawn 13th District, which he plans......
Just in case? Russian fleet to reach Syria in December
Speculation is growing whether Russian war ships heading to the Mediterranean will indeed anchor by the Syrian coast. And, despite military officials’ assurances, some expect it to disturb the balance of power in the region.Conflicting reports are coming from the Russian military on whether the Russian battle group of three vessels...
The shadow war in Syria
December 4th, 20110 Target Syria - the strategic prize that outstrips Libya. The stage is set. The stakes couldn't be higher. Libya 2.0 equals Syria? It's more like Libya 2.0 remix. With the same R2P (''responsibility to protect'') rationale - starring civilians bombed into ''democracy''. But with no UN Security Council resolution (Russia and China will......
Saudi Arabia accused of repression after Arab Spring
December 3rd, 20110 Saudi authorities are accused of of arresting people for demanding political and social reform; Clashes in eastern Saudi regionRIYADH - Amnesty International has accused Saudi Arabia of reacting to the Arab Spring by launching a wave of repression.In a report, the human rights group said hundreds of people had been arrested, many of them...Arab women seek a place in the Spring
CAIRO (IPS) — As several countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) elect bodies to write new constitutions, women are looking to expand their rights through legislation.Tunisia's newly elected constituent assembly has begun a year-long process of writing a new constitution, and women's rights advocates greeted the inaugural...Lebanon agrees to fund UN court, averting Mikati government collapse
BEIRUT — Prime Minister Najib Mikati said Wednesday he had transferred Lebanon's share of funding to a UN-backed court probing the murder of ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, an issue that has threatened to spark the collapse of his government."This morning, I transferred Lebanon's share of funding to the Special...Egypt army behaves as if Mubarak ouster ‘was coup d’etat’
CAIRO - Its tanks were cheered by raucous crowds during the January revolt, but today the army is under fire for pulling the reins on reform as it scrambles to retain some influence in Egypt's future, analysts say.As Egyptians prepare to vote Monday in the country's first legislative elections since the uprising, the military which took......
It’s January again in Tahrir Square
CAIRO (IPS) — Days of clashes between protesters and security forces culminated on Tuesday evening in what was estimated to be a million-man rally in Cairo's Tahrir Square to demand an end to military rule. The new political crisis has prompted fears that Egypt's first post-Mubarak parliamentary polls, slated to begin only five days...Protests flare anew in Saudi Arabia
Two men shot dead in gunfight between police, gunmen who "infiltrated" funeral of another protester in Qatif.RIYADH - Two men were shot dead during renewed Shi'a protests in Saudi Arabia, as police exchanged fire with gunmen who "infiltrated" the funeral of another protester, the interior ministry said Thursday.It said the new deaths......
Lebanon: Mikati to quit if STL funding fails
November 28th, 20110 BEIRUT - Prime Minister Najib Mikati said Thursday night he would resign if the Cabinet failed next week to approve the payment of Lebanon’s share to the funding of a U.N.-backed court, in a dramatic move that would plunge the divided country into further political turmoil.Mikati warned that failure to fund the Special Tribunal...
Militarization of Syria revolt would lead to war, analysts say
November 28th, 20110 A militarization of the anti-government revolt in Syria, an option favored by some within the opposition, would inevitably lead to civil war, analysts warn."For now, the majority of the protesters want the movement to remain peaceful but after months of repression there is a risk of militarization," said Agnes Levallois, a Paris-based......
