Hammoud hoping to inspire community with run for Wayne County Sheriff
DEARBORN – Local residents may see a familiar name on the 2012 Democratic ballot for Wayne County Sheriff in the voting booth for the August 7 primary, aside from longtime sheriff Benny Napoleon, that is. Hammoud: “I want to show Arab Americans that they have a voice, and that they can be a part of the politics and governing...
Assad says foreign aid to rebels must stop under peace plan
March 31st, 20120 President Bashar al-Assad said on Thursday Syria would spare no effort to ensure the success of international envoy Kofi Annan's peace mission but warned it would not work without securing an end to foreign funding and arming of rebels opposing him. A Syrian refugee waves a Turkey flag as he sits atop a tent at the Reyhanli refugee camp...
Hunger striker Shalabi freed after deal, but she’s headed back to different prison
March 31st, 20120 BETHLEHEM - A deal to release Palestinian hunger-striker Hana Shalabi to the Gaza Strip temporarily was reached late Thursday, officials with knowledge of the negotiations told Ma'an. Protesters show support for Hana Shalabi (image by mondoweiss)The officials say Shalabi will be sent to Gaza for three years in exchange for...Palestinian hunger striker Shalabi at risk of “imminent death,” hospital transfer reportedly refused
According to Addameer (Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association) and Physicians for Human Rights - Israel (PHR-I), the Israel Prison Service has refused to transfer Hana al-Shalabi to hospital despite her grave medical situation due to more than a month of hunger strike and immediate risk of death, Electronic Intifida reports...Palestinian rights retreat to the backburner
JERUSALEM — The latest tit-for-tat confrontation which earlier this week pitted Israel against Islamist factions operating from the Gaza Strip follows a conditioning pattern which highlights the marginalization in the international arena of the Palestinian aspirations to freedom and independence. The parents of a Palestinian militant...Syria in crisis one year later
President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron met to discuss Syria and other issues. PHOTO: ReutersPresident Barack Obama has said the prospect of international military intervention in Syria is premature and could lead to a civil war.Speaking at a White House news conference on Wednesday, Obama said military...Rick Santorum sweeps Mississippi and Alabama in blow for Mitt Romney
Rick Santorum has made a clean sweep of the Deep South primaries, taking Mississippi and Alabama in victories that put pressure on Newt Gingrich to bow out and set up a showdown in Illinois next week with the struggling favourite, Mitt Romney. Republican U.S. presidential candidate and former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum gives a thumbs up...Palestinians prepare to lose the solar panels that provide a lifeline
Israel is planning to demolish 'illegal' solar panels that are the only source of electricity for Palestinians in West Bank villagesTwo large solar panels jut out of the barren landscape near Imneizil in the Hebron hills. The high-tech structures sit incongruously alongside the tents and rough stone buildings of the Palestinian village,...Wag the dog: How to cook up Syrian drama
Some mainstream news channels have been recently caught carrying dubious footage from Syria. It fuels the debate over media's role in legitimizing possible military intervention in the country.‘Danny’ is a Syrian opposition activist who reports from Homs for CNN, BBC, Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya. He is attached to the opposition...Report: Santorum, Ron Paul in position to win most of Iowa delegates
WASHINGTON — Rick Santorum and Ron Paul are best positioned to win the most delegates in Iowa as the Republican primary process moves forward, making Mitt Romney the odd man out, state insiders told The Huffington Post.Santorum and Romney finished first and second on Jan. 3, with Paul finishing about 3,000 votes behind the 29,000 votes...Hundreds to run for Egyptian presidency
At least 500 Egyptians have taken the first step to run for president, election officials said on Wednesday.They said the 500 have obtained applications to officially declare their candidacy for the vote, which follows last year's ouster of dictator Hosni Mubarak.Beside known presidential hopefuls who have been seriously campaigning, the...
US intelligence: Assad firmly in charge in Syria
March 10th, 20120 One year after the unrest in Syria started President Bashar Assad is still firmly in control of his country, US intelligence services say, despite their leaders claiming his regime is doomed.Bashar AssadSpeaking on condition of anonymity, three US senior intelligence officials have said Assad holds a strong position in Syria and his...
Not so Super Tuesday
March 10th, 20120 Romney extends lead with 'Super Tuesday' wins Santorum feels confident after second-place finish, wins in key states Republican U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney speaks to supporters at his "Super Tuesday" primary election night rally in Boston, Massachusetts, March 6, 2012. REUTERS/Jessica RinaldMitt Romney took a...Local businessman endorsed to run for Michigan State University Board
On Sunday March 10, Dearborn resident Brian Mosallam will be attending the Democratic party convention where he is expected to be endorsed for the Michigan State University Board of Trustees. Mosallam previously graduated from MSU in 1996 where he received a Business of Science degree in Engineering Arts with Cum Laude...
Syrian rebels suffer major setbacks
March 4th, 20120 Baba Amr surrenderedFailure in TunisConstitution passesSyrian Army takes control of Baba Amr in Homs, rebels flee city89% of Syrians cast ballots for new constitution, reforms Members of the Free Syrian Army check ammunition in al-Bayada district in Homs, February 29, 2012. Most Syrian rebels pulled out of the besieged Baba Amro......
Tunisia Summit highlights glaring absence of unity on the ‘Syria question’
TUNIS — In the Friends of Syria meeting held in Tunis last week, Gulf Arab monarchies offered nearly unqualified support for the Syrian opposition, while the democratic states were more cautious.Representatives of 60 nations and members of Syria’s largest opposition group, the Syrian National Congress (SNC), met here Friday to...
Standing room-only Dearborn crowd pumps energy into Paul campaign
March 3rd, 20120 DEARBORN – The Michael A. Guido Theater at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center was filled to its 1,2000-seat capacity and then some Monday night's rally for Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul, with some supporters even watching the event on a video screen outside. As many as 4,000 people reportedly also watched his......
Romney takes Michigan, Arizona as ‘Super Tuesday’ push begins
March 3rd, 20120 LANSING — Detroit-born Mitt Romney overcame negative vibes from past comments about his desire to let the city's auto industry go bankrupt to win the Republican primary Tuesday in his native state, beating out former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum by a total of 41% to 38%. He will now set his sights on ‘Super Tuesday’ and...
89% vote in favor of new Syrian Constitution
February 27th, 20120 Syria’s Interior Minister has announced that 89 per cent of those who took part in the referendum have voted in favor of a new constitution. The new law puts an end to five decades of one-party rule among other reforms put forward by President Bashar al-Assad. Syria's President Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma vote during a...Salamey primed for 19th District Judge race, gets O’Reilly endorsement
DEARBORN — Attorney and former 19th District Court Magistrate Sam Salamey officially announced his candidacy for the court's upcoming judge seat this week, and he's doing so with the endorsement of the city's top official, Mayor Jack O'Reilly. Salamey, 53, served 15 years as a judicial magistrate and said that the experience gave him a...
Our endorsement: Ron Paul is the right man for the job
February 24th, 20120 It was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., perhaps America's greatest civil rights leader and one of its most trusted moral compasses, who once spoke out against America's penchant for dictating the affairs of other nations through military and other interventions. “Don't let anybody make you think that God chose America as his divine,......
Michigan primary looms as candidates fight for votes
February 24th, 20120 Santorum faring better than native son Romney in projection polls Michigan voters will head to the polls on Tuesday, Feb. 28, casting their ballots in the state's Republican primary on the same day as Arizona voters decide their winner. U.S. Republican presidential candidates (L to R) U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, former U.S. Senator...
Syria: To arm or not to arm rebels, that is the question
February 24th, 20120 WASHINGTON — Just days before the opening meeting of the new international "Friends of Syria" in Tunis Friday, the debate over whether the United States should provide more support – including weapons – to opposition forces is gathering steam. Free Syrian Army fighters look at a tank taken by defectors from the regular Syrian Army......
Tawakkul Karman: A tool for farcical democratic initiatives
February 23rd, 20120 Who is Tawakkul Karman and more importantly, how and why has this religiously-dressed Yemeni woman come to be the darling of Western-oriented democracy movements? To understand who is actually reaping the rewards of this activist, we should begin by following the money. Mrs. Karman has a non-governmental organization (NGO)...
Rise of Islamists in Syria could threaten Jordan’s political stability, analyst warns
February 23rd, 20120 AMMAN - An eventual fall of Syria's regime, followed by the rise of an Islamist government could create a quandary for Jordan, a small country that has strategic ties with its northern neighbor, analysts say. Free Syrian Army fighters pose in front of a tank taken by defectors from the regular Syrian Army in Al Qusayr February 23, 2012.......