The Arab American News
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Special Tribunal for Lebanon: Another frame-up?
Here we go again. The Special Tribunal for Lebanon, a United Nations-backed body investigating the killing of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri in 2005, has accused four people of his murder. They all belong to Hizbullah, the militant Lebanese Shiite movement that Israel and the United States define as terrorist. But they are probably...
A time to mourn, a time to ask why
July 16th, 20110 Hassan Mustafa Zeidan. Dead this week at 23 years of age. Not of illness, or natural disaster, or accidental injury.He died, instead, from what looks to be an intentionally inflicted gunshot wound from a fellow basketball player, ostensibly over an argument of some sort. What courtside disagreement could have been so important that...The global war on tobacco
Second-hand smoke still a major killerUNITED NATIONS (IPS) — This year, tobacco use will kill nearly six million people. Of that number, 600,000 will die because of exposure to second- hand tobacco smoke. If current trends continue, the annual death toll could rise to eight million by 2030, according to a new report by the World...
U.S. hardens tone against Assad
July 16th, 20110 Neo-con hawks, Israel allies pressure Obama for a regime change in DamascusWASHINGTON (IPS) - Escalating its rhetoric against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the White House declared last week that the Syrian president had "lost his legitimacy" but declined to call explicitly for his resignation or removal.The statement, which echoed...How the PA sold out Palestinian unity
If you happen to be a Palestinian government employee, chances are you will receive only half your usual salary this month. The other half will only be available when international donors find it in their hearts to make up for the huge shortage of funds currently facing the Palestinian Authority (PA). President Obama meets with President...
Basketball game killing shocks Dearborn Arab community
July 16th, 20110 DEARBORN – A year after an 18-year-old man was stabbed to death outside of an ice skating rink on the same date, tragedy struck the community again on Wednesday, July 13 as another young man was shot multiple times and killed. The incident happened after a pick-up basketball game near Riverside Academy West on the city's east side...ACLU suing CIA for documents on Michigan professor, anti-war activist
DETROIT — The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Michigan filed a lawsuit on Wednesday, July 13 demanding that the federal government turn over any documents it has relating to University of Michigan Professor Juan Cole, a vocal critic of the Iraq War and the Bush administration who writes for the popular blog Informed...
How the Arab world lost southern Sudan
July 16th, 20110 Both pan-Arabist and Islamist governments have failed to embrace diversity and pluralism — to their own detriment.The division of Sudan into two states is a dangerous precedent. The Arab world has to draw the right lessons from if it wants to avoid the break-up of other Arab states into ethnic and sectarian enclaves.The birth of South...
“Arab Attitudes”: U.S. standing plunges across Arab world
July 16th, 20110 WASHINGTON - The United States' popularity in the Arab world has plummeted to levels lower than the last year of the George W. Bush administration, according to a new survey of public opinion in six Arab countries released here last Wednesday.The "Arab Attitudes" survey found that favorable ratings of the United States have fallen by...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,...
Tensions mount over Iraq, nuke sanctions
July 16th, 20110 WASHINGTON (IPS) - Reviving U.S.-Iran friction over Iraq may have more to do with deteriorating relations over Iran's nuclear program than with uncertainty over U.S. troop levels in Iraq beyond the end of this year.In recent weeks, a chorus of U.S. officials has accused Iran of providing lethal weapons to Iraqi Shia militias that have...
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...New study: Women drivers more accident-prone than men
ANN ARBOR – A new study from the University of Michigan of 6.5 million car crashes found that a disproportionate number of accidents happen when both drivers are women. The study showed that female-to-female accidents accounted for 20.5% percent of all crashes, a number that was higher than expected considering that most drivers...New study: More than 30% in Michigan now obsese
A new study finds that Michigan is now the 10th fattest state in America. According to the study released last Thursday, July 7, three in ten Michigan adults are considered obese which is about 30.5% of the state compared to 17.2% in 1995. The study that named Michigan the 10th fattest state was, “F as in Fat:...Macomb County to get more aggressive on home foreclosures
MACOMB —Macomb County is looking to get more aggressive on foreclosing occupied homes of people who fail to pay their property taxes in 2012. According to Macomb County treasurer Ted Wahby, for years the county has avoided such measures as foreclosure, with policies that help home owners come up with negotiations for payment plans.......
Welfare benefits limited to 48 months in Michigan
LANSING – A special summer session of the state Senate passed a bill that will limit welfare benefits in Michigan to 48 months by a tally of 24-12. It was opposed by a voting bloc of Democrats before passing. The limit previously only applied to the the state's Work First program according to The Detroit News and to those in an...States asked to wait for more data before passing cellphone ban
WASHINGTON — A safety group has called on Michigan and 40 other states that haven't banned the use of hand-held cellphones by drivers to wait until more data can be researched before passing new restrictions or rules. The group, the Governors Highway Safety Association, submitted a 50-page report this past week making other...Pregnancies outside of marriage rising in Michigan
LANSING – A total of about two-thirds of babies born to Michigan women in their early twenties are born outside of marriage according to a new report by the Michigan League for Human Services organization. The number has risen significantly in the past ten years although teen pregnancy numbers were higher in the past according to...Severe storm hits Dearborn, city offers tree limb removal
DEARBORN – The severe thunderstorm that blew through the city on Monday led to more 70 downed trees according to city officials.Three house fires were also reported as were reports of about 100 downed wires and more than 500 calls to 9-11 during the storm. The city also said that about 20 people were transported for hospital care......
Michigan deaths in Afghanistan, Iraq: 204
A total of 204 Michigan servicemen have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan combined according to data released by CNN.com. More than 6,000 on the U.S. side have been killed altogether in both wars. The numbers from Michigan break down as 159 killed in Iraq and 45 in Afghanistan, according to the statistics. ...ACC study shows higher lead poisoning risk for immigrants
DETROIT — The Arab American and Chaldean Council recently announced that its study on lead poisoning among Arab American and African American children in the metro Detroit area was published in the Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology Journal. The study explored the hypothesis that acculturation is a risk factor......
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......
