“Islamic State” leader calls for worldwide attacks
BAGHDAD — "Islamic State" leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi called for attacks against the rulers of Saudi Arabia in a speech purported to be in his name Thursday, saying his self-declared caliphate was expanding there and in four other Arab countries.Baghdadi also said a U.S.-led military campaign against his group in Syria and Iraq...Syria frees thousands, jails prominent dissident
DAMASCUS — Syria has freed around 11,000 detainees since President Bashar al-Assad declared a general amnesty in June, the country's National Reconciliation Minister Ali Haidar said.But authorities jailed Thursday a veteran dissident, arrested a day earlier as he tried to leave the country to visit his family abroad, his lawyer...Barghouthi placed in solitary confinement after calling for armed resistance
RAMALLAH — The Israeli Prison Service on Wednesday moved jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouthi to solitary confinement in Hadareim prison, a day after he sent a widely-published letter from prison calling for armed resistance against the Israeli occupation, a rights group said.In a statement, the Palestinian Prisoner's Society said...Local and state election results
Below are the results for this year's local and state elections.MICHIGAN GOVERNOR (R) Rick Snyder…1,598,922…51%(D)Mark Schauer…1,469,375…47%(L)Mary Buzuma…35,574…1%(UST) Mark McFarlin…19,177…1%(G)Paul Homeniuk…14,893…0%U.S. SENATE (D) Gary Peters…1,693,781…55%(R) Terri Lynn Land…1,283,850…41%(L) Jim...
Senator-elect Peters: We want to increase minimum wage
November 7th, 20140 DETROIT — In a post-election rally held at the at the MGM Grand Hotel on Tuesday, the Michigan Democratic Party celebrated Democratic Rep. Gary Peters’ win over Republican former Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by the retiring Democratic Sen. Carl Levin.Peters defeated Land by 13 percentage...
Victorious Snyder: It is time to get more done
November 7th, 20140 Snyder gives his acceptance speech in Detroit. Photo: Natasha DadoDETROIT — Addressing supporters after winning reelection, Gov. Rick Snyder touted his administration’s work throughout his first term and stressed this is only the beginning of what it will accomplish. “When you have success like this, what is the...Political prophecies: Sealing the fate of al-Aqsa
Israel's decision to shut down al-Aqsa Mosque on Oct. 30 is not just a gross violation of the religious rights of Palestinian Muslims.In fact, the rights of Palestinian Muslims and Christians have been routinely violated under the Israeli occupation for decades, especially in Jerusalem, and more recently in Gaza. During the 51-day war...Sectarian attack kills eight Shi’a in Saudi Arabia
RIYADH — On Monday, militants attacked a Shi'a Muslim village in Saudi Arabia and left eight people dead. By Wednesday, grief among the villagers was mixed with anger about a culture of sectarianism they say paved the way for the shooting.With civil wars in Iraq and Syria now being fought along mainly sectarian lines, Saudi Arabia's...Nasrallah warns Israel against war in Lebanon, backs Aoun for presidency
Nasrallah.BEIRUT — Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah rejected “Israel’s threats of war on Lebanon,” saying it is fully prepared to defend the country, while an Israeli MP said in the event of war the Israeli army would return Lebanon “to the Stone Age.”Addressing a mass gathering of Lebanese Shi'a celebrating the...Palestinian van attack kills Israeli policeman
JERUSALEM — A Palestinian driver rammed a van into several pedestrians in Jerusalem, killing a policeman, hours after clashes at the city's holiest site.At least 13 people were injured in the attack on Wednesday. The driver was shot dead.Hamas militants said they carried out the attack. Israel's prime minister said it was a result of...ICC will not prosecute Israel for Gaza flotilla raid
THE HAGUE — The International Criminal Court will not prosecute over Israel's raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla in 2010 in which 10 Turkish activists died, despite a "reasonable basis to believe that war crimes were committed."Chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said that there would be no investigation leading to a potential prosecution...Report: Obama sends letter to Khaminei seeking help in fight against “Islamic State”
Secretary of State Kerry (R) meets with Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif.WASHINGTON — President Obama has secretly written a letter to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, urging progress on nuclear talks and stressing common interest in fighting the "Islamic State" (IS), the Wall Street Journal says.Obama sent the letter to...Bombs kill four in Cairo
Egyptian mourners carry the coffin of Ahmed Kamal, one of the two policemen who were killed in a bomb attack, during his funeral on Nov. 6.CAIRO — A bomb blast aboard a train north of Cairo killed four people, including two policemen, and wounded nine, officials said Thursday it was the latest attack by suspected militants battling...Algerian killed, Frenchman wounded at Sanaa Houthi checkpoint
SANAA — An Algerian national was shot dead and a Frenchman was wounded on Wednesday during a scuffle at a checkpoint operated by Houthi fighters in the southern part of the Yemeni capital Sanaa, a police source said.The source said the incident developed when the Houthis stopped the two men for checks and then tried to arrest them,...Militants kill four Tunisian soldiers
TUNIS — Four Tunisian soldiers were killed and 11 others were wounded on Wednesday in an attack by suspected Islamist militants on a bus carrying soldiers in Kef near the Algerian border, the Defense Ministry said.The attack came while Tunisia was preparing its first free presidential election on Nov. 23 and only ten days after......
Judicial candidate Tony Guerriero passionate about Dearborn
October 31st, 20140 Guerriero.DEARBORN — "I care about the city of Dearborn-our community as a whole-and I believe I have the legal experience, temperament and compassion to serve the community properly as a district court judge," 19th District Court Judge candidate Tony Guerriero told The Arab American News. Guerriero, a former Dearborn magistrate,...Moroccan in Connecticut sentenced to two years for Harvard attack plot
NEW HAVEN Conn. — A Moroccan national, accused of plotting to attack Harvard University and a federal building with bombs attached to a drone, was sentenced to two years in prison on Wednesday by a federal judge in Connecticut.U.S. Attorney Krishna Patel had sought a maximum penalty of five years in prison for El Mahdi Semlali Fathi,...Egypt clears Gaza border area to create security buffer
Buildings being demolished by the Egyptian army to create a buffer zone along the border with Gaza.A day after being ordered by the army to move, many in the area had already packed their belongings and begun to leave when an announcement from Cairo made the eviction official."If any resident resists leaving the area in a cordial...Fighting kills 250 in central Yemen
A Houthi at the gate of the Yemeni Ministry of Interior, Oct. 23.SANAA — Fighting in central Yemen between Houthi rebels and an influential tribe in the town of Radda killed at least 250 people over three days of clashes, security officials said Monday.The violence in Yemen’s central Bayda province saw fighters from the strong Qifa......
Secular party wins Tunisia parliamentary elections
Tunisian woman celebrates the victory of Nidaa Tunis in the elections.TUNIS — Tunisia's secular Nidaa Tounes won landmark parliamentary elections, results showed Thursday, beating Islamist rivals in a vote that raised hopes of a peaceful transition in the birthplace of the Arab Spring.Sunday's election has been hailed as a victory for...Iraqi Kurdish forces enter Syria to fight “Islamic State”
A Kurdish Peshmerga soldier reaches out his hand to supporters in the northern Kurdish region of Iraq, Oct. 29.DAMASCUS — The first group of Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga fighters entered the besieged Syrian town of Kobani on Thursday to help push back "Islamic State" militants who have defied U.S. air strikes and threatened to massacre its......
Guns fall silent in Lebanon’s Tripoli as army moves in
October 31st, 20140 BEIRUT — The Lebanese army took the last position held by militants in the northern city of Tripoli on Monday, Oct. 27, ending two days of battles that marked some of the worst fighting to spill over into Lebanon from the Syrian civil war next door.Guns fell silent as the army issued a statement saying fighters who had fled should...“Islamic State” executes 220 tribesmen
BAGHDAD — "Islamic State" militants executed at least 220 Iraqis in retaliation against a tribe's opposition to their takeover of territory west of Baghdad, security sources and witnesses said.Two mass graves were discovered on Thursday containing some of the 300 members of the Sunni, Muslim Albu Nimr tribe that "Islamic State" had......