“It was not expected that Obama would criticize any of the U.S. allies, but he did so when he talked about Bahrain and called for a dialogue with the opposition while calling for the release of prisoners. Obama set a new approach toward the Middle East … opening a new […]
By SIRAJ WAHAB, MAHER ABBAS & GHAZANFAR ALI KHAN | ARAB NEWS RIYADH/DAMMAM: Saudis dismissed US President Barrack Obama’s much-anticipated “Arab Spring address” as meaningless, predictable drivel while Egyptians and other Arabs, to whom Obama offered some sops, also did not find anything new in the speech, which according to […]
Washington (CNN) — The United States will support efforts for reform across the Middle East and North Africa, including “transitions toward democracy,” President Barack Obama said Thursday. In a speech at the U.S. State Department laying out his policies toward the region, the president said he is marking “a new […]
by Tom Bowman A U.S. Army helicopter brigade is set to pull out of Baghdad in December, as part of an agreement with the Iraqi government to remove U.S. forces. So the armed helicopters flying over the Iraqi capital next year will have pilots and machine gunners from DynCorp International, […]
Two Christian communities in Baghdad show real hope for Iraq’s historic diversity – if politicians do their bit by Michael Nasir Ali The savage attack on Christians worshipping at Our Lady of Salvation Chaldean Catholic church in Baghdad drew the world’s attention to the violence against Christians and other minorities, […]
Resignations over crackdown leave lower house with just 22 members as more accusations of torture are levelled. Bahrian’s parliament has accepted the resignations of the last seven lawmakers of Al Wefaq, the country’s largest Shia opposition party. The resignations, approved on Tuesday, were submitted in February in protest over the […]
The secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) expresses optimism about the positive effects of Islamic awakening in the Middle East on the fight against arrogant powers. The growing campaign against arrogant powers and dictatorship in the region is promising and would cause accomplishment among Muslims, said Saeed Jalili […]
SANAA, May 18 (Xinhua) — Yemeni Deputy Information Minister Abdul Janadi said in a statement on Wednesday that Yemen is close to sign the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) deal, which may take place within next few hours or days. “President Ali Abdullah Saleh agreed earlier today to sign the deal, […]
It is becoming almost certain that the U.S. succeed in forcing Iraq to “invite” thousands of American troops to stay indefinitely in the latest imperial outpost of the United States in the Arab world. [New York Times, May 12] To recap: the Bush administration signed a pact with the Iraqi […]
Saudi Arabia is leading a counter- revolution against the sweeping political changes in the Middle East by using money, force and God. As popular movements for democracy toppled leaders in Egypt and Tunisia and began threatening neighboring Bahrain and Yemen, Saudi Arabia’s Al Saud royal family strengthened control over the […]
By MUSHTAK PARKER | ARAB NEWS The Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB), the prudential and supervisory standard-setting organization for the global Islamic financial industry, embarked on a new phase of its development which may lead to a review of its mandate to facilitate a wider reach including those countries and […]
By Khetam Malkawi AMMAN – The winning team of a Little League football competition in the Kingdom will get an unusual prize – a one-week trip to Spain to visit the Real Madrid club. The idea behind the award is to motivate schoolchildren and foster the spirit of competition, according […]
WASHINGTON: The crown prince of Abu Dhabi has hired the founder of private security firm Blackwater Worldwide to set up an 800-member battalion of foreign troops for the United Arab Emirates, The New York Times reported on Sunday. Blackwater, which once had lucrative contracts to protect US officials in Iraq, […]
The United Arab Emirates has hired the in-famous private security firm ‘Blackwater’ to establish an 800 mercenary army (as a first step) to keep the Rulers safe… The crown prince insisted that no Muslim should be part of this ‘force’ (because a Muslim may refuse to kill another Muslim, presumably). […]
History will remember the Libya war by how it ends, not how it began. And it’s far too early to declare success or failure. The manner in which the war started though, allows us to draw three broad conclusions: Barack Obama successfully delegated the burden of global policing. Europe, for […]
Last month, a Cairo court ordered that images of ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and his wife, Suzanne, as well as their names, be removed from all “public squares, streets, libraries and other public institutions around the country.” Posters and portraits of the Mubaraks are ubiquitous in Egypt. Squares, sports […]
I wonder if an ad went up on some websites on May 1, seeking applicants for a new commander-in-chief for al Qaeda? Trust me. Al Qaeda Inc. is not going to allow a leadership vacuum to develop — no matter how decentralized their operations become and how many terror franchises […]
MAJDAL SHAMS, Golan Heights (Reuters) – Israeli troops shot Palestinian protesters who surged towards its frontiers with Syria, Lebanon and Gaza on Sunday, killing up to 13 people on the day Palestinians mourn the Nakbeh. Israeli forces opened fire in three separate border locations to prevent crowds of demonstrators from […]
With President Obama about to meet two big allies and make a major speech on the region, the timing of his special Mideast envoy’s departure couldn’t be more uncomfortable. Daniel Stone on why Mitchell is going—and what it means for Israel and Palestine. Two days after Barack Obama’s inauguration, George […]
Kuwait Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Mohammad Abbas Al-Nomes on Friday stressed that his ministry would strictly apply laws related to the lectures and gatherings inside or in front of mosques. In statements to KUNA here, Nomes said: “The Ministry will never allow the use of mosques for any […]