Lebanon’s grand mufti joins call for international investigation into blast, early parliamentary elections
August 21st, 20200 BEIRUT — On Wednesday, Lebanon’s leading Sunni grand mufti joined calls for early parliamentary elections and an international investigation into the explosion at the Beirut port, which he said deepened the country’s existential crisis. At least 179 people were killed and 300,000 left effectively homeless when massive amounts of...
Sultan of Oman reshuffles government
August 21st, 20200 MUSCAT - The Sultan of Oman issued 28 new royal decrees this week during a reshuffle of government roles and responsibilities. Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said has named Badr bin Hamad bin Hamoud Al Busaidi as foreign minister to replace foreign affairs chief Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah after 23 years of service. When you have...
Dubai changes its alcohol consumption laws to help its economy
August 21st, 20200 DUBAI - While the United Arab Emirates struggles to regain its economic footing during the COVID-19 pandemic, Dubai has once again loosened its alcohol consumption laws. Previously in Dubai, non-Muslim residents were required to carry plastic red cards issued by police in order to purchase alcohol. Otherwise they’d face action from...
Tlaib, Dingell lead effort to urge temporary deportation protections for Lebanese nationals after Beirut blast
August 20th, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) and Debbie Dingell (D-Dearborn) are co-leading an effort to put pressure on the Trump administration to use its powers to defer deportation of Lebanese nationals in light of the Aug. 4 Beirut explosion. The relief effort for the people of Lebanon comes after the Beirut...
Trump expects Saudi Arabia to join UAE-Israel deal
August 20th, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Wednesday, President Trump said he expected Saudi Arabia to join the agreement announced last week by Israel and the United Arab Emirates to normalize diplomatic ties and forge a broad new relationship. “I do,” Trump replied when asked at a White House news conference if he expected Saudi Arabia to join...
Julia Yezbick explores the uncertainty of belonging, identity in “Marratein, Marratein”
August 19th, 20200 DETROIT — The ART X Detroit (AXD) festival, a twice-yearly festival showcasing works from Kresge Foundation fellows conducting projects in Detroit, Highland Park and Hamtramck, celebrated those works in a virtual celebration on Wednesday evening. AXD organizers say the 22 commissioned pieces showcased this year reflect on “the...
Subdued atmosphere dominates protest in front of the Lebanese embassy in Washington, D.C.
August 18th, 20200 By Laura Albast WASHINGTON, D.C. — Between 50 and 60 individuals from the Lebanese diaspora gathered in front of Lebanon’s Embassy in Washington, D.C. on Sunday afternoon. They demonstrated to show solidarity with, and demand justice for, the victims of the Beirut blast. Compared to the demonstrations held last year at the...
U.N. tribunal convicts main defendant in Hariri assassination case
August 18th, 20200 LEIDSCHENDAM, Netherlands — On Tuesday, a U.N.-backed tribunal convicted Salim Jamil Ayyash, allegedly a member of the Hezbollah group, of conspiring to kill former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri in a 2005 bombing that set the stage for years of confrontation between Lebanon’s political forces. Hariri, a Sunni Muslim...
The politics of war: What is Israel’s endgame in Lebanon and Syria?
August 15th, 20201 On August 4, hours before a massive explosion rocked the Lebanese capital, Beirut, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued an ominous warning to Lebanon. “We hit a cell and now we hit the dispatchers,” Netanyahu said during an official tour of a military facility in central Israel. “I suggest to all of them, including,...
Lebanese continue their recovery efforts and demand reform, U.S. joins Beirut blast probe
August 14th, 20200 BEIRUT — Another day of unrest and protests in Beirut on Thursday, as Lebanese security forces tried to stop angry protesters from approaching a meeting of MPs. The MPs gathered for the first time since the port side blast that killed 172 people on Tuesday, Aug. 4, with dozens still missing. The death and injury toll (estimated...
Palestinians call Israel-UAE normalization deal treason and stab in the back
August 13th, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. — Israel and the United Arab Emirates reached a "historic" deal on Thursday that will lead to a full normalization of diplomatic relations between the two nations in an agreement that President Trump helped broker. Under the agreement, Israel has agreed to suspend applying sovereignty to areas of the West...
Qatari sociologist says Beirut explosion is “divine punishment” for blasphemy, plastic surgery and homosexuality
August 11th, 20200 QATAR — A Qatari sociologist known for posting videos of his controversial viewpoints on YouTube, has sparked outrage once again. The popular sociologist, Abd Al-Aziz Al-Khazraj Al-Ansari, said in his most recent video that the port explosions in Beirut is a sign of divine punishment. “This is a message to our people of...
Lebanon’s government resigns after outrage over deadly Beirut blast
August 10th, 20200 BEIRUT — On Monday, Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab announced the official resignation of his government after a powerful Beirut port explosion sparked outrage and protests against the country’s leaders. The massive explosion that devastated the capital last Tuesday killed some 200 people and wounded 6,000 others. Diab...
After going viral, the bride from Beirut tells her story
August 8th, 20200 BEIRUT — Aug. 4, 2020 was meant to be the happiest day of Israa Al Seblani’s life, but it quickly turned to be the most terrifying. Al Seblani is the bride from the now viral video shoot taken during the explosion in Beirut that has killed more than 150 people and injured more than 5,000 more. “The first thought that...
“Possibility of external interference”: Lebanon’s president expands blast probe
August 7th, 20200 BEIRUT (REUTERS) — Lebanon’s president said on Friday an investigation into the biggest blast in Beirut’s history would examine whether it was caused by a bomb or other external interference, as residents tried to rebuild their shattered lives after the explosion. The search for those missing has intensified, as rescuers sifted......
In solidarity: Western Union allows money transfers to Lebanon for zero fees and paid out in U.S. dollars
August 7th, 20200 DENVER – Western Union announced that it is offering zero-fee, international money transfers paid out in U.S. dollars to Lebanon, as the country grapples with its recent tragedy amidst other economic and pandemic-related threats. “We owe the people of Lebanon recognition for their spirit of resilience, especially during times of...
Beirut reels from huge blast as death toll climbs to at least 135
August 5th, 20200 BEIRUT — On Wednesday, Lebanese rescue teams pulled out bodies and hunted for missing people in the wreckage caused by a massive warehouse explosion that sent a devastating blast wave across Beirut, killing at least 135. Prime Minister Hassan Diab declared three days of mourning from Thursday as early investigations blamed......
Breaking: Huge explosion rocks Beirut, dozens dead, thousands injured
August 4th, 20200 BEIRUT — A huge explosion in Beirut has caused at least 78 deaths and 4,000 injuries. The explosion sent a shockwave across the Lebanese capital, creating massive destruction, shattering windows and collapsing apartment balconies. Social media became flooded with videos and photos from eyewitnesses on the ground soon after the...
Lebanese foreign minister quits over slow reforms, Aoun adviser takes over
August 3rd, 20200 BEIRUT (REUTERS) — Lebanon named the president’s diplomatic adviser as new foreign minister on Monday after Nassif Hitti quit the post, blaming a lack of political will to enact reforms to halt a financial meltdown, which he warned could turn Lebanon into a failed state. Foreign donors have...
List of Israeli targets leaked: Tel Aviv fears the worst in ICC investigation of war crimes
July 29th, 20200 When International Court of Justice (ICC) Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda confirmed last December that the Court has ample evidence to pursue a war crimes investigation in occupied Palestine, the Israeli government responded with the usual rhetoric, accusing the international community of bias and insisting on Israel’s “right to defend...
Lebanon reimposes COVID-19 restrictions as infections spike
July 27th, 20200 BEIRUT (Reuters) — Lebanon reimposed severe COVID-19 restrictions on Monday for the next two weeks, shutting places of worship, cinemas, bars, nightclubs, sports events and popular markets, after a sharp rise in infections. Shops, private companies, banks and educational institutions would be permitted to open, but only on Tuesdays......
Why Palestinian-Israeli prisoners exchange deal could happen soon
July 22nd, 20200 For the first time since the Israeli war on Gaza in 2014, the Israeli government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is signaling its willingness to engage in negotiations regarding the release of the bodies of two Israeli soldiers believed to be held by resistance groups in Gaza. But will another prisoner exchange similar to that of...
Tlaib, Dingell spearhead historic legislation to repeal Muslim travel ban
July 22nd, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass the NO BAN Act, a bill that will effectively repeal the Trump Administration's discriminatory ban against Muslims, Africans, refugees and asylees. The final vote tally was 233-183. U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Dearborn) presided over the debate of......
Dearborn mother pleads for return of 3-year-old twins their father abducted to Saudi Arabia
July 22nd, 20200 DEARBORN — Madonna Saad is imploring elected officials to help with the safe return of her 3-year-old twin children Nour and Hussein Al-Abdulaziz after an ongoing abduction case that has lasted almost a year. On Aug. 6, 2019, the twins were taken by their father, Ali, a Dearborn resident, on what was supposed to be a three-week...
Good news from Washington: AIPAC, Israel losing to progressive Democrats
July 19th, 20200 While the U.S. administration of President Trump remains adamant in its support for Israel, the traditional Democratic leadership continues to employ underhanded language, the kind of “strategic ambiguity” that offers full support to Israel and nothing but lip service to Palestine and peace. Trump’s policies on Israel and......
