Twitter topic “Blame the Muslims” explained as sarcasm
July 29th, 20110 The wildly popular social media site Twitter, which allows its millions of users to post short messages and "follow" their favorite friends, celebrities, media outlets, bloggers and more, was the subject of controversy this past weekend as a "trending topic" titled "#blamethemuslims" drew widespread attention.British blogger and activist...Erdogan to break siege on Gaza?
ANKARA — Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Tuesday that he is considering visiting the Gaza Strip, a move that is parallel to the already strained bilateral ties."If the conditions allow, I'm thinking of visiting Gaza," Erdogan informed reporters, clarifying that his foreign ministry will be working on it. "I...
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...
UN report slams Israel over Nakba Day bloodshed on border with Lebanon
July 8th, 20110 Blasting Israeli army for using unnecessary force when firing on protesterNEW YORK — A UN report into the bloodshed along the Israeli-Lebanon border on Nakba Day, has slammed the Israeli army for using unnecessary force when firing on protesters, a newspaper said on Wednesday.The report was released by UN Secretary...Iran fires medium-range missile in war game
TEHRAN - Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards fired 14 missiles in an exercise Tuesday, one of them a medium-range weapon capable of striking Israel or U.S. targets in the Gulf, state media said.The Guards' aerospace commander, Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, insisted Iran's missile program posed no threat to European nations but was...Saudis tell NATO they’ll pursue Nukes if Iran does
LONDON/TEHRAN - Saudi Arabia has warned NATO that it would pursue policies that could lead to “untold and possibly dramatic consequences” if Iran obtains nuclear weapons, a British newspaper reported Wednesday.The Guardian newspaper quoted Prince Turki al-Faisal, a former Saudi intelligence chief and ambassador to Washington and...Iran shows Russia downed U.S. drones
Iran has said it has shown Russia U.S. drones it shot down over the Gulf, Revolutionary Guards aerospace commander Brigadier General Amir Ali Hadjizadeh was quoted as saying on Tuesday."Russian experts requested to see these drones and they looked at both the downed drones and the models made by the Guards through reverse engineering,"...Second humanitarian flotilla prepares to sail for Gaza
BILBAO, Spain (IPS) — As the second Freedom Flotilla, made up of some 10 ships carrying 1,000 activists from 20 countries, gets ready to sail for the besieged Gaza Strip, Israeli authorities are stepping up their threats. The Israeli government is putting pressure on other Mediterranean...BBC Arabic Service gets more funds
LONDON — The British government announced Wednesday it will boost funding for the BBC's Arabic Service in recognition of its "valuable work" during the political turmoil in the Middle East and North Africa. In a written statement to parliament, Foreign Secretary William Hague said the Foreign...Dutch anti-Islam lawmaker Wilders acquitted
AMSTERDAM — Dutch far-right lawmaker Geert Wilders walked away from hate speech and discrimination charges Thursday for statements made attacking Islam, calling his acquittal a victory for freedom of speech."You are being acquitted on all the charges that were put against you," Judge Marcel van Oosten told Wilders who has been on trial...The Afghan drawdown is long, long overdue
President Obama is now doing something politically difficult — drawing down our troops from Afghanistan. However difficult it will be for the president to weather his Washington critics, it is the right decision politically and militarily. The United States has been fighting in Afghanistan...
World Bank: Hillary rumors and history of disastrous policies
June 19th, 20110 A clearly perturbed Secretary of State Hillary Clinton angrily denied that she was seeking the top spot at the World Bank this weekend as rumors flew that she plans to resign in 2012 and do just that. One Clinton spokesperson less charitably called the rumor "grade A BS." But the rumor of Clinton...
No evidence of Iranian weapons program, despite rhetoric
June 4th, 20110 Seymour Hersh reports in the latest issue of The New Yorker that "despite years of covert operations inside Iran, extensive satellite imagery, and the recruitment of Iranian intelligence assets, the United States and its allies, including Israel, have been unable to find irrefutable evidence of an...Strauss-Kahn scandal: Worlds collide in a luxury suite inNew York
How can I tell a story we already know too well? Her name was Africa. His was France. He colonized her, exploited her, silenced her and even decades after it was supposed to have ended, still acted with a high hand in resolving her affairs in places like Côte d'Ivoire, a name she had...‘Arab Spring’ comes in western arms
CAIRO - Global spending on arms in 2010 were an estimated 1.6 trillion dollars, with governments in the Middle East dishing out more than 111 billion for weapons - raising questions as to whether Western arms suppliers circumvented international treaties by exporting to repressive regimes. Last......
Osama bin Laden killed; Obama announces (with speech video)
May 2nd, 20110 WASHINGTON D.C. — President Barack Obama announced late Sunday night that Osama bin Laden has been killed. The Al-Qaida mastermind is dead and the United States has his body, the Associated Press reported. Obama is made the announcement from the White House. Bin Laden was killed in a firefight in Pakistan, Obama said. Obama...
Facebook loses face after intifada page is pulled
April 16th, 20110 @font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 10pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }a:link, span.MsoHyperlink { color: blue; text-decoration: underline; }a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed { color: purple; text-decoration: underline;...AIPAC’s newest strategy
@font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 10pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } AIPAC is a useful tool when you want to predict the future of any peace talks between Israelis and...Prominent Israelis offer ‘peace initiative’
@font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 10pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } The plan, drafted in part by ex-military and intelligence officials, includes land swaps and no right......
Jewish Israeli youth moving rightward
@font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 10pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } Poll finds young Israeli Jews prefer 'strong' leaders to democracy's legal checks and balances. JERUSALEM -...
Facebook cuts ‘Palestinian uprising’ page after Israel protest
April 2nd, 20110 @font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 10pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } RAMALLAH - Attempts by Facebook to shut down a "Third Intifada" page backfired on Tuesday, with more than 7,000......
Global stakes of Mideast turmoil
Political turmoil in the Middle East has powerful economic and financial implications, particularly as it increases the risk of stagflation, a lethal combination of slowing growth and sharply rising inflation. Indeed, should stagflation emerge, there is a serious risk of a double-dip recession for a global economy that has barely emerged...
Global unpopularity wearing down Israeli government
March 12th, 20110 Benjamin Netanyahu's advisers conceded last week that the Israeli prime minister is more downcast than they have ever seen him. The reason for his gloominess is to be found in Israel's diplomatic and strategic standing, which some analysts suggest is at its lowest ebb in living memory. Netanyahu's concern was evident at a recent cabinet......
