New regional alliance emerging
BEIRUT — Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Al-Hariri paid a state visit to Iran for the first time this week, the latest in a series of diplomatic exchanges that highlighted shifting balances within Lebanon and the region. Al-Hariri's trip followed Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's touchdown in Beirut a few days before. These...Egypt’s duplicity stands exposed
CAIRO – More than 250,000 classified U.S. diplomatic cables released by online whistle- blower WikiLeaks include statements made behind closed doors that could prove embarrassing for Egypt's government, say analysts. The embassy missives lift the veil on Egypt's advice to U.S. administration officials concerning the growing political...Sudan set to split despite Egyptian moves
CAIRO (IPS) — The U.S. has rejected an Egyptian proposal for a "confederation" between northern and southern Sudan, insisting that a Jan. 9 referendum — which will determine the fate of the south — go ahead as scheduled. According to Egyptian analysts, the move proves Washington's determination to see Africa's largest country split...Lebanon pressured to improve Palestinians’ lot
BEIRUT (IPS) — Abu Yussif doesn't want to talk about his work any more. "It's not going to help and nothing will change anyway," he says. The tall, white-haired Palestinian has just returned from work and relaxes in his little garden in the refugee camp Bourj ash-Shamali near the southern Lebanese city of Tyre. Abu Yussif is a...Egypt rejects “interference” in elections
NEW YORK (IPS) — Egypt's authoritarian government ramped up its crackdown on journalists and opposition politicians ahead of the Nov. 28 parliamentary elections and rebuffed a U.S. call for international observers to monitor "free and fair" balloting. A man walks past electoral banners for Egypt's ruling National Democratic Party...U.S. influence on the decline in Iraq
SULAIMANIYA (IPS) — Iraq's much-awaited recent power-sharing deal signifies a shift of influence on Iraqi politics away from the U.S. and its regional allies to domestic Iraqi political actors, most notably the Kurds, and eastward to Iran. In a matter of days, Kurdish-initiated talks did what Washington and Tehran and their regional...
How Israel and the U.S. hope to destroy Hizbullah, remake Middle East
November 28th, 20100 UN is a willing partner in the plan, hoping the Special Tribunal for Lebanon can do what UN Resolution 1559 could not. If carried out, Lebanon could burn. "I've got these just where we want them Maura! Watch the 1000 slow cuts as we shred Hizbullah — who do they think they are? And we'll do it by using 1757 and this time...
No sex education please, we’re Arab
November 27th, 20100 CAIRO — Civil society has warned of adverse social and health consequences after the Egyptian government ordered the removal of content related to male and female anatomy, reproductive health and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) from the school curriculum. "We know most of this material wasn't being taught, but removing it from...Iraqi kids struggle on dangerous edges
DAMASCUS (IPS) — Leila, 17, presses her hijab-clad head against the front door and strains to hear outside. "There's nothing," she says cautiously, turning towards her mother Rawda, the head of the household, in their quiet basement apartment. Along the brocade couch sit her two sisters, Mona, 19, Nadja, 15, and 10-year-old brother...Egypt cracks down as U.S. stands by
NEW YORK — In the face of police brutality, crackdowns on political parties and media, and a host of other violations ahead of Egypt's Nov. 28 parliamentary election, human rights advocates are calling on President Barack Obama to use U.S. leverage to persuade Egypt to reform its electoral process, allow international monitors to...Bazzy to replace Darany on council come January
DEARBORN — Local businessman David Bazzy is expected to fill the vacant seat of former Dearborn City Councilman Democrat George Darany, who defeated city council member Suzanne Sareini of the Republican Party in the race for 15th District State Representative. Bazzy was in line to pick up the vacant seat of the winner. He is last...Netanyahu pounds war drums
WASHINGTON (IPS) — Less than a week after Republicans made major gains in the U.S. midterm elections, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has called on President Barack Obama to "create a credible threat of military action" against Iran. Initial official reaction was negative, with Defense Secretary Robert Gates insisting that...Iraqi MPs vote in new government
Iraqi politicians have broken an eight-month political impasse by agreeing to take part in a new unity government headed by the incumbent prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki. The Sunni-backed Iraqiya coalition, which had been opposing al-Maliki's continuation in power, has decided to join his government. "This is a great victory for Iraqi...Behind drone issue in Yemen, a struggle to control covert ops
WASHINGTON — The drone war that has been anticipated in Yemen for the last few months has been delayed by the failure of U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF) to generate usable intelligence on al Qaeda there. That failure has given the CIA a new argument for wresting control of the drone war in Yemen from the Joint Special Operations...Glut of fatwas spurs Saudi king to impose curbs
CAIRO — The ideology that reigns in Saudi Arabia comes into plain view on the website of the Council of Senior Religious Scholars, where boys and girls sharing a swimming pool causes "mischief and evil" and bringing flowers to a hospital patient is to be discouraged because it's a foreign custom that "imitates Allah's......
Snyder leads GOP to victory, helps party regain Supreme Court
Republican Supreme Court Justices Bob Young and Mary Beth Kelly claiming victory on election night at the Westin Book Cadillac Detroit hotel. PHOTO: Natasha Dado/TAANRepublicans celebrated their victory together Tuesday night at Michigan Governor-elect Rick Snyder's election party at the Westin Book-Cadillac Detroit Hotel with...Egypt’s Muslim leaders slam Al Qaeda threat to Copts
Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood says believers must protect Christian houses of worship. CAIRO -An Al Qaeda threat to Egypt's Coptic Christians has met with growing condemnation from leading Muslim figures and the press in Egypt, which said it was an attack on national unity. The Muslim Brotherhood, the country's biggest opposition group,...Democrat Darany defeats Sareini in state rep. race
DEARBORN - The race for 15th District State Representative was one of the most talked-about in recent memory in the city of Dearborn, and when the dust settled on the night of Tuesday, November 2, Democrat George Darany had defeated fellow city council member and Arab American Suzanne Sareini of the Republican Party. State...
Dearborn votes for Snyder but remains Democrat
November 6th, 20100 Tuesday's election can easily be called a Republican tsunami. Republicans won big across the country and across the state of Michigan. In fact, all three major state offices are now held by Republicans, who also control the State House and Senate. So why did Republican Suzanne Sareini lose her bid to become a State......
Republican tsunami sweeps Michigan
November 6th, 20100 Republicans sweep Michigan's top posts, control both houses Voters register at Salina School on Dearborn's south end on election day this past Tuesday, Nov. 2. AAPAC volunteers passed out voting slates that could be taken into the voting booth. The top three Michigan posts were won by Republicans but Democrats did well...Lebanon in a “hyper-dangerous” state
Nasrallah has said that further collaboration with the UN tribunal would be tantamount to an attack on Hizbullah.BEIRUT — Hizbullah chief Hassan Nasrallah on Thursday urged all Lebanese to boycott a UN-backed probe into ex-premier Rafiq Hariri's murder, warning that cooperation amounted to an attack on his militant group. The......
Wikileaks paints grim picture of Iraqi civilian casualties
October 31st, 20100 NEW YORK (IPS) – Two revelations await the reader of the Wikileaks section dealing with civilian deaths in the Iraq War: Iraqis are responsible for most of these deaths, and the number of total civilian casualties is substantially higher than has been previously reported. A policeman wounded when gunmen attacked a goldsmiths'...
AAPAC rallies votes for endorsed candidates at sold-out banquet
October 31st, 20100 Community Leaders, public servants honored at 13th annual banquet Lead Democratic candidates speak at AAPAC dinner DEARBORN — A packed house of more than 600 people attended the Arab American Political Action Committee's (AAPAC) 13th Annual Dinner at Bint Jebail Banquet Hall in Dearborn on Friday, October 29. With big-name......