Yesterday Ayman Nour was released from prison. Mr. Nour, Egypt’s most famous secular opposition politician, was imprisoned several years ago after performing a bit too well in the first multi-party presidential elections. Ostensibly jailed for forging a few hundred petition forms supporting his candidacy, Mr. Nour’s arrest effectively dampened a cautiously optimistic mood amongst established […]
“It is better to start building a popular secular base, which starts with non-sectarian gatherings in schools and universities in all regions and builds up to civil society, and then we can begin to change the laws and system of the country,” said Greek Catholic Bishop Gregoire Haddad. Wise man! One of Ziad Baroud’s smart […]
Shimon Peres intends to stress the importance of a moderate unity government with Kadima Chairman Tzipi Livni and Likud Chairman Benyamin Netanyahu tomorrow. Netanyhu is slowly solidifying a coalition that now includes Yisrael Beiteinu Chairman Avigdor Lieberman, who backed Likud yesterday. Due to this rightwing partnership, Kadima has virtually no viable coalition partners, leaving Livni […]
The Special Tribunal for Lebanon, due to try the suspected killers of ex-Premier Rafiq Hariri, it will open in a suburb of The Hague on March 1 reported NAHARNET. More here.
Martin Indyk of the Brookings Institution and, formerly, the Clinton administration echoes the widely held sentiments that 1. now is the time to advance a sustainable solution to the Palestinian/Israeli conflict and 2. Barack Obama is the best man for the job. (You can also read this article at Time Magazine if you prefer red […]
… in an interview with the Guardian. He will meet with Senator John Kerry next week, and looks forward to the possibility of a future meeting with General Petraeus. One of the effects of the Gaza incursion of this December/January has certainly been the catapulting of the peace process to the front of everyone’s minds. […]
As the Durban II antiracism conference plenary sessions near conclusion, the U.S. delegation continues to attempt to change the agenda. The first conference elicited strong back lash from the United States and Israel, with Israel and some members of Congress encouraging the United States not to participate in this year’s events. During a State Department […]
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s attempts of tying a Gaza truce deal to the return of abducted IDF soldier Gilad Shalit has created dissent both within Israel and from Hamas. The National Security Cabinet debated a measure to continue the blockade on Gaza until the release of Shalit, while Israeli protesters declared that Olmert continues […]
Yisrael Beiteinu Chairman Avigdor Lieberman may recommend the formation of a Likud-Kadima-Yisrael Beiteinu coalition later this week amidst concerns that an ultra-right coaltion would not appropriately represent the Israeli people and respond to foreign criticisms. Another article questions the working relationship between a Likud-led or Kadiam-led coalirion with the United States, declaring a right wing […]
Traffic accidents in Egypt continue to be a major problem as over 30 people have been killed and scores injured on the roads just this month. Official estimates place the number of deaths resulting from road accidents in Egypt at around 6000 to 8000 per year with tens of thousands of injuries. In August 2008, […]
Read it all on Al Manar. Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah declared on Monday that the Islamic Resistance has the full right to possess all kinds of weaponry, including anti-aircraft weapons, emphasizing that the Resistance has the courage to use such weapons. His eminence renewed his pledge to retaliate the assassination of Islamic Resistance […]
the New York Times’ Sabrina Tavernise covers a conference among Muslim women interested in reform that took place this past weekend in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She quotes several women advocating Islamic reform efforts to patriarchal systems, as opposed to reform efforts using the language of secular liberalism. She also points out references to Morocco’s sweeping […]
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