Bandar appointment suggests bigger regional ambition for Saudis
July 21st, 20120 RIYADH—Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah appointed a veteran former Saudi ambassador to Washington as the head of the country's intelligence agencies Thursday, as the kingdom continues to push for stronger action on Syria. Bandar bin SultanPrince Bandar bin Sultan, who was popular with Western leaders as Saudi envoy to the U.S. from...
Nasrallah renews support for Assad after killing of his ‘comrades-in-arms’
July 21st, 20120 BEIRUT — In a speech marking the 6th anniversary of the Second Lebanon War, Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah renewed his support Wednesday for the regime of embattled Syrian President Assad and praised the three generals killed in a bombing in Damascus, describing them as comrades-in-arms to the resistance party. Supporters...
Egypt’s former spy chief Omar Suleiman dies
July 21st, 20120 Omar Suleiman, Egypt's former vice-president and long-time spy chief to deposed president Hosni Mubarak, has died in the U.S., the official MENA news agency has reported. He was 76. Omar Suleiman"Former vice president General Omar Suleiman died in the early hours of Thursday in a hospital in the United States," the agency said."He was...DIA asks metro-Detroit residents to vote “yes” on Aug. 7 ballot proposal crucial to its survival
DETROIT — The Detroit Institute of Arts has been a vital part of the community for 127 years. With more than 400,000 annual visitors, the DIA is one of America's most visitor friendly museums. But the DIA is at risk of closing its doors. Voting "yes" on an Aug. 7 millage ballot proposal will help keep it open. By voting "yes" on...Two Chaldeans from opposing parties vying for 30th District seat
STERLING HEIGHTS -This year a noticeable change has occurred within the Chaldean community like never before. Leading up to election season, many have pointed out the large number of Chaldean individuals who are seeking positions such as State Rep or City Judge, a drastic change from previous years when even one Chaldean individual...
Syria: A tug-of-war on the ground as world powers search for solutions
July 7th, 20120 Defection cheers anti-Assad coalition ahead of Paris meet Manaf TlasReports of the defection of a general and personal friend of Bashar al-Assad will cheer the Syrian leader's enemies at a meeting in Paris on Friday of the Western and Arab states that want to drive him from power.A source in the exiled opposition said Manaf Tlas, a...Is the P.A. afraid of a third intifada?
The light was still too dim to penetrate the cracks in the shutters when the rooster crowed. For a fraction of a second it felt like a village. But it was the Jenin refugee camp, circa two weeks ago. There, as in other refugee camps, the rooster's wake-up call is something more: nutrition for the unemployed, as well as the longing and...
Tests point to possible Arafat poisoning
July 7th, 20120 DOHA, Qatar — It was a scene that riveted the world for weeks: The ailing Yasser Arafat, first besieged by Israeli tanks in his Ramallah compound, then shuttled to Paris, where he spent his final days undergoing a barrage of medical tests in a French military hospital. More importantly, tests reveal that Arafat’s final personal...
Snyder vetoes three voter restriction measures, signs 11 election reform bills into law
July 6th, 20120 LANSING — On Tuesday Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder vetoed a portion of the state's election reform legislation. Snyder vetoed SB 754, which would have required a photo ID for voter registration and implemented new restrictive regulations on voter registration organizations; SB 803 which would have required individuals to attest to...Iraqi American announces run in race for West Bloomfield Township trustee
WEST BLOOMFIELD - Al Zara, a Chaldean American is competing for a trustee seat on the West Bloomfield Township board. This is the first time Zara has run for public office. The board is comprised of seven members which include a supervisor, clerk, treasurer and four trustees. He is running as a Democrat in the August 7 primary....UM-D alumni Knezek seeks a State Rep. seat for District 11
DEARBORN HEIGHTS — When shuffling through the candidates for State Representatives in District 11, one might take a longer look at candidate David Knezek, the 25-year-old University of Michigan-Dearborn graduate who might be years younger than any of his opponents, but arguably has just as much credentials to take on the job. Knezek...Pessimism precedes Geneva meeting as Syrian crisis worsens
Gunmen attacked a pro-government TV station Wednesday near the Syrian capital, killing seven employees in the latest barrage of violence as world powers prepared for a high-level meeting on June 30 that the U.S. hopes will be a turning point in the crisis.Invitations to Saturday's gathering in Geneva were sent by special envoy Kofi Annan...
Muslim Brotherhood takes the reins in Egypt
June 30th, 20120 Muslim Brotherhood rises under a military thumbCAIRO — The Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi faces a host of daunting political hurdles after being officially declared Egypt's first freely-elected president on Sunday. Egypt's President-elect Mohamed Morsi receives an abaya from an unknown member of Sinai Party during a meeting with...Mohammed Morsi wins Egypt’s presidency
Mohammed Morsi, who's backed by the Muslim Brotherhood won Egypt's presidency today. His election marks a new era of hope for the country both politically and socially. His leadership comes after Egypt's former president, Hosni Mubarak who ruled Egypt with an iron fist for more than three long decades was ousted by his own people...
Russia to West: Assad’s fate is for Syrians to decide
June 22nd, 20120 Britain and U.S. offer Assad clemency and a seat at a UN-sponsored conference on a power transfer The new Western tactic to creating an end to violence in Syria is, yet again, centered on ousting President Bashar al-Assad. Britain and the U.S. are ready to offer Assad clemency should he join a UN-sponsored conference on a power......
AAPAC endorsements: A powerful force in local elections
June 22nd, 20120 Gearing up for the August 7 Primary DEARBORN - It's uncertain whether anyone has won an election solely based off of receiving an endorsement from the Arab American Political Action Committee (AAPAC), but the group certainly has had a history of influence in local elections during the last 14 years of its existence. It is a...Showdown looming between Brotherhood and military in Egypt
A banner with a picture of presidential candidate Mohamed Morsy is seen at a makeshift sleeping area used by protesters during a sit-in at Tahrir Square in Cairo June 21, 2012. The Muslim Brotherhood called for a sit-in at Tahrir Square and other squares across the country to step up pressure against the military council as Egyptians......
Poll: Obama takes four point lead over Romney
According to a new poll conducted by JZ Analytics over the past weekend U.S. President Barack Obama had a four point lead over Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. The poll was conducted June 15-18 among 1149 likely voters. The new poll maintains the gender gap, with Obama continuing his 13 point lead among women...Proposals may endanger voter access
Earlier this week, the House passed a series of bills many say will limit people's access to vote in Michigan. According to opponents of the proposals, Senate Bills 751, 754 and 803 create unnecessary requirements that do nothing to promote fair and safe elections and create unreasonable and burdensome requirements on organizations that...Hundreds petition Saudi King over women’s right to drive
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Following the one year anniversary of the Women2Drive campaign Saudi King Abdullah is being urged to give women the right to drive. Hundreds of people have petitioned Abdullah. The campaign was initially launched June 2011. About 600 signatures were received. According to reports Saudi Arabia is the only...
Russia-America tussle over Syria evokes Cold War
June 15th, 20120 The world could slip back into a Cold War over Syria and the sprawling Arab country could break up into two or three warring parts, with unforeseeable consequences for the Middle East, a senior Israeli military commander said."Support for (Syrian President Bashar) Assad from Russia and China is taking us back to the Cold War," he said......
Mursi vs. Shafiq, stark contrast in Egypt’s elections
In the first round of elections Egyptians expressed their priorities, but in the runoff round they will express their fears.It was an achievement for Egypt to conduct a democratic presidential election last month. This weekend Egyptians will choose between two ideologically contrasting, authoritarian figures in a decisive second round of...First major victory: Yemen army retakes two Qaeda strongholds
SANA - Yemen's army seized the Al-Qaeda strongholds of Jaar and Zinjibar on Tuesday, officials said, more than a year after the jihadists captured most of the Abyan province. emen's Defence Minister Mohammed Nasser Ahmed (R) shakes hands with army soldiers during a visit to the southern city of Zinjibar June 13, 2012, one day after the......
New poll reveals Michigan could be a swing state in Presidential election
June 15th, 20120 DETROIT - Earlier this month the Arab American News reported that Mitt Romney was leading the polls against Barack Obama in Michigan for the presidential race in November. However a new poll conducted through an automated phone survey by Foster McCollum White & Associates and Baydoun Consulting found that Barack Obama was still...Tahrir Square: Round two
CAIRO — The long-awaited verdict in Egypt's "trial of the century"— a life sentence for ousted president Hosni Mubarak and acquittals for most other defendants — has brought the people back to Cairo's Tahrir Square. The controversial court rulings come at a time of extraordinary domestic political upheaval, with Egypt's......
