Estonians abducted in Lebanon freed, in good health
BEIRUT — The seven Estonian men abducted four months ago in east Lebanon were released in the Bekaa Valley last Thursday and are in good health.After midday, Lebanese Interior Minister Marwan Charbel visited the French Embassy to check on the wellbeing of Estonians.Lebanon’s foreign minister, Adnan Mansour, confirmed the release,...
Lebanon: Hizbullah, Hariri exchange tough rhetoric
July 16th, 20110 - Hizbullah: Indictment is not worth the ink with which it was written- Hariri vows to topple government, lashes out at Nasrallah BEIRUT - The head of Hizbullah’s parliamentary bloc dismissed a U.N.-backed court’s indictment into former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s 2005 assassination as worthless, in the latest exchange of...Arabs to seek full Palestinian upgrade at U.N.
DOHA — The Arab League will ask the United Nations to upgrade the Palestinians to full member status, a draft statement from a league meeting in Qatar said on Thursday.“It was decided to go to the United Nations to request the recognition of the state of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital and to move ahead and request...Saudi authorities foil regime overthrow plot
JEDDAH — Saudi authorities have dismantled an Al-Qaeda-linked group of 16 people plotting to overthrow the regime, the Saudi-funded Asharq Alawsat daily reported last Wednesday.The "secret organization" aimed to "gain power with the aid of foreign intelligence services," Asharq Alawsat quoted a spokesman for the justice ministry as...Livonia Congressman McCotter kicks off presidential run
WHITMORE LAKE – Thaddeus McCotter, a Republican congressman from Livonia, announced his bid to run for U.S. President in 2012 at the WAAM Freedom Fest on July 2. About 600 people attended the event, which was sponsored by a local conservative radio channel. McCotter has said he is against "big government" and in favor of tax...Recall effort against Gov. Snyder hits halfway mark
An effort to recall Gov. Rick Snyder needing 800,000 petition signatures passed the halfway point last week of its 90-day timetable. Organizers have not yet revealed how many names they have collected. The recall organizing began at a fairly large rally at the state capitol on May 21. Organizers have said that more than 180,000...
Lebanon’s new beginning: Mikati’s cabinet wins confidence vote in Parliament
July 8th, 20110 Lebanon's Prime Minister Najib Mikati (top row, L) is congratulated by Hizbullah deputy members after he won 68 out of 128 votes in a vote of confidence on the third day of the parliamentary session in Beirut July 7, 2011. REUTERS/ Mohamed AzakirBEIRUT — Prime Minister Najib Mikati's government won a vote of confidence in Lebanon's...UN mission warns of Yemen humanitarian crisis
SANAA — Yemen needs urgent international aid to head off a humanitarian crisis, a UN mission visiting the impoverished country said on Wednesday, warning of "collective punishment" against civilians."We call on the international community to quickly provide humanitarian aid to Yemen during this difficult time," said a statement at the...Palestine’s ‘last village’ faces the bulldozers
Lifta will belatedly suffer same fate as hundreds of villages destroyed by Israel decades ago, make way for Jewish vacation homes.LIFTA — On a rocky slope dropping steeply away from the busy main road at the entrance to West Jerusalem is to be found a scattering of ancient stone houses, empty and clinging precariously to...Independents mull ‘third way’ for solving Syrian crisis
DAMASCUS - Some 100 Syrian independent figures met in the capital last Sunday to discuss a "third way" for the country, which has been rocked by anti-regime and pro Assad protests for three months, as newswire services reported from there.It was the second such meeting of its kind in a week, after critics of Syria's President Bashar...Ben Ali gets 15 years in jail over drugs, weapons charges
TUNIS - A Tunis court on Monday sentenced ousted Tunisian president Zine el Abidine Ben Ali in his absence to 15 years in jail for possession of arms, drugs and archaeological artifacts.In his second trial since fleeing to Saudi Arabia following a popular uprising in January, Ben Ali was also given a fine of 54,000 euros (78,500...
Skepticism clouds national dialogue in Bahrain
July 8th, 20110 WASHINGTON — As Bahrain's government launches its much-touted "national dialogue" with members of civil society, experts here are expressing skepticism that it will defuse growing tensions in the strategically located Gulf kingdom, let alone promote genuine reform.Strongly supported by the administration of President Barack Obama,...Iraqi children bear brunt of wars, international sanctions
BAGHDAD — Decades of war and international sanctions have turned Iraq into one of the worst places for children in the Middle East and North Africa, with around 3.5 million living in poverty, 1.5 million under the age of five undernourished and 100 infants dying every day, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) warns.The government can and...
Syrian opposition bitterly divided on engagement with Assad regime
July 8th, 20110 WASHINGTON (IPS) — Despite countless attempts by the Bashar al-Assad regime to subdue the sporadic protests that have appeared across Syria since February, the demonstrations have consistently grown in both size and intensity.Last week, a march in the town of Hama may have attracted over 100,000 protesters, quite likely the largest...
Nasrallah: Justice in Hariri case key to sustained stability
July 8th, 20110 BEIRUT — Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said Tuesday that serving justice into the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was the way to stability in Lebanon, reiterating Hizbullah’s rejection of accusations that some of its members was involved in the killing. “We do not accept abandoning justice for......
Frustrated Egyptians return to Tahrir Square to claim their rights, protect revolution
July 8th, 20110 Egyptian youth to military rulers: we want real cleansing, real trials, real governmentCAIRO — Five months after the ouster of president Hosni Mubarak, Egyptians are being asked to return to the streets for new mass protests amid frustration over the military rulers' handling of a promised transition to democracy.Hailed...Deadline for voter registration is July 5
LANSING – The office of new Michigan Secretary of State Ruth Johnson is reminding potential voters that the deadline to register is Tuesday, July 5 in order to vote in the upcoming Aug. 2 primary election.Polls on Election Day will be open from 7 a.m.-8 p.m.; applicants must be 18 years old by Election Day and be U.S. citizens. They......
National dialogue set to begin in Bahrain
MANAMA — Bahrain on Monday announced a high-ranging "national dialogue" opening on July 2, although the largest Shi'a opposition bloc said it has not yet decided whether to take part."The National Dialogue chairmanship has received views and recommendations" on parliament, the cabinet, electoral districts, citizenship, corruption and...
Lebanon: Indictment timing raises questions
July 1st, 20110 Four indictments issued in Hariri killing probe Timing of indictments slap in the face of newly formed government after months of intense discussionBEIRUT — A United Nations-backed court has handed down indictments requesting the arrest of four members of Hizbullah in connection with the 2005 killing of former Lebanese...
Al Jazeera wilts in Arab Spring
July 1st, 20110 Al Jazeera English was recently hailed by no less a person than U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for providing "real news." Viewership of the Los Angeles public television station, KCET-TV, increased by 135 percent after it started broadcasting Al Jazeera English. Al Jazeera Arabic, however, seems to have fallen from grace....
Ongoing unrest threatening Syrian economy
July 1st, 20110 DAMASCUS — As protests persist in Syria, the economy is becoming an increasing concern for many, who wonder if it will eventually falter in light of the recent unrest. "The global financial crisis had a moderate affect on Syria," Syrian economist Samir Seifan told IPS. But now, "people are only spending on basic items, which is......
Human rights groups cast doubt on Libya war atrocity allegations
Ground troops being considered NEW YORK — The Independent of London reports human rights organizations are beginning to cast doubt on some of the claims of atrocities committed by forces loyal to Col. Muammar Gaddafi that were used to justify NATO's war in Libya.Gaddafi's regime was accused of ordering mass rapes, using foreign...
Freedom Flotilla II ready to sail despite threats and sabotage
July 1st, 20110 ATHENS (IPS) — As the 10 ships of the Freedom Flotilla II — Stay Human make their final preparations to set sail for the Gaza Strip, purported acts of sabotage have been added to threats from Israel.The flotilla, which will attempt to break through Israel's blockade of Gaza for the second year in a row, includes two cargo vessels......
Egypt rejects IMF conditions
July 1st, 20110 CAIRO — Egypt has cancelled plans to borrow 3 billion dollars from the International Monetary Fund because of conditions that violated the country's national sovereignty and a public outcry that warned against terms that were blamed for impoverishing many Egyptians.According to several Egyptian newspapers, General Sameh Sadeq, member...Yemen VP says Saleh’s health worse than originally thought
ADEN- Yemen’s President Ali Abdullah Saleh was so severely injured in an assassination attempt that it is uncertain when he will return, Yemen Vice President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi has said.Saleh was injured in an attack on his palace in early June and is receiving medical treatment in Saudi Arabia. Yemen has been shaken by months of......
