War On Terror News

Middle East News 21 June 2012

A Syrian fighter pilot has landed at a military base in Jordan and asked for political asylum, in a high-profile defection from the armed forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Also, western experts are saying that Syria has a stockpile of chemical weapons.

The near failure of talks about Iran in Moscow and the pending imposition of a full oil embargo by the European Union have deepened the dispute between Iran and the international community, and increased concerns about military action.

Egypt's election officials are reviewing complaints about irregularities in the nation's first freely-contested presidential election, delaying announcement of the results. The indefinite postponement is adding to tensions already heightened by the appropriation of some presidential powers by the military.

A Pakistani judge issued an arrest warrant Thursday for one of the candidates poised to replace the country's ousted Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. An anti-narcotics judge in the northern city of Rawalpindi ordered Makhdoom Shahabuddin's arrest in connection with a scandal involving illegal imports of the drug ephedrine during his time as health minister.

Middle East News 20 June 2012

In eastern Afghanistan, a suicide bomber killed at least 21 people, including three coalition soldiers, in an attack on a joint NATO and Afghan patrol. Also, at least six women and children were killed Tuesday when the tractor they were riding on struck a roadside bomb in Logar province.

Egypt's Election Commission says it has delayed Thursday's planned announcement of the results of a runoff presidential vote while it continues to review appeals from the two candidates, hiking tension as allegations of fraud mounted.

Officials in Pakistan say an al-Qaida leader has been detained near the country's border with Iran. Pakistani authorities said Wednesday that Naamen Meziche, a French national of Algerian origin, was captured during a raid near Quetta - the capital of Baluchistan province.  They said he was arrested while trying to flee the country, but provided no further details

Syrian rights activists say violence across the country Wednesday has killed at least 53 people, after the head of a United Nations monitoring mission says his team is committed to staying in the war-torn country. Shelling and bombings killed Syrians from north of Aleppo, to the southern city of Daraa, to the eastern city of Deir Ezzor and the northwestern province of Latakia. Abdelrahman also reported deaths from attacks in Hama, Idlib and Damascus provinces.

Egypt: Mubarak on life support

VOA News 20 June 2012

Egyptian security sources say ousted president Hosni Mubarak is unconscious and on a respirator after being rushed from prison to a military hospital following a stroke.

Military officials said early Wednesday that Mubarak, who was taken to Maadi Hospital in southern Cairo, was "using artificial respiration."

Earlier reports by the state news agency MENA said Mubarak's doctors had declared the former leader "clinically dead," but the military said it was too early to make that designation.

Egyptian Presidential polls close as Islamists declare new Constitution

As election officials began counting ballots in Egypt's presidential runoff, the ruling military issued an interim constitution handing itself sweeping powers, including legislative authority, after a court dissolved the Islamist-led parliament.

Egyptian state television reported late Sunday that the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces would explain the widely anticipated declaration at a news conference the next day.

According to military sources, the move would grant the SCAF exclusive legislative powers in addition to control of the nation's budget until a new parliament is elected. The decree also gives the military the authority to compose its own 100-member panel that would draft Egypt's new constitution.

After polls closed Sunday night and counting began, aides to both candidates in the runoff – Ahmed Shafiq, the Mubarak-era representative, and an Islamist, Mohammed Morsi – were claiming their man was in the lead.

Middle East News 14 June 2012

Tempers flared and protesters took to the streets after Egypt's constitutional court issued twin rulings that sparked anger and confusion just days ahead of a presidential run-off election. Egypt's Supreme Constitutional Court Thursday rejected a parliamentary law that barred ex-officials from the rule of fallen dictator Hosni Mubarak from running for office.

A Bahraini appeals court on Thursday reduced the prison sentences of nine medics convicted for their role in last year’s anti-government uprising while acquitting nine others, in a case that has been heavily criticized by rights groups. A military court in September sentenced 20 health professionals to between five and 15 years in prison. The revised sentences range from one month to five years.

United Nations observers arrived in the Syrian town of al-Haffeh Thursday after government forces overran the opposition enclave, while Syria's envoy to Moscow denied that Russia is supplying Syria with attack helicopters. The U.N. monitors had been trying to enter al-Haffeh after several days of intense clashes. They found the Sunni Muslim town nearly deserted, with state buildings burnt, shops abandoned and a corpse lying in the street. 

Details after the break.

What Wars should we fight?

Some would have us believe that there can never be a reason to go to war.  Others portend that only a war in which we have no National Interest is one in which we should engage.  And still others say we should only fight when we have an unparalled National Interest. 

Some say we should never be involved in a civil war.  Some say we should only be involved in peacekeeping, particularly in civil wars.  Some say we should only fight after we've been attacked.  And some say that attack must occur on our own soil before we should fight.  And then there's the age old philosophical question: If we knew then what we know now, should we have assassinated Hitler, preventing World War II, before he took power?

Is it really war, if we only send flying robots to bomb specific mud huts?  Or if only the enemy calls it war and we pretend it's just a common crime?  Is it war if the enemy has a flag, and are still only fighting to get a nation, or an empire?

The decision to go to war should not be made lightly.  It is a decision to have humans kill other humans, but that is sometimes the only way to save the lives of more humans.  The ability to win a war rests on one fundamental principal: breaking the enemy's will to fight.  There are many ways that may be accomplished, but to win a war, one must cause the enemy to choose to end the fight.

Egyptians protest Mubarak verdict

Thousands of Egyptians took to the streets across the country late Saturday to protest the verdicts in the trial of former president Hosni Mubarak, former interior minister Habib al-Adly and six top security officials.

The ousted leader was found guilty for his role in the killings of hundreds of anti-government protesters during the first week of the uprising in February 2011 that forced his downfall. He was given a life sentence. Prosecutors had called for the death penalty, but the presiding judge said that although Mubarak failed to prevent the deaths, he was not directly responsible for them. Mubarak's lawyers are expected to appeal the sentence.

Middle East News 1 June 2012

Israel Defence Force relatiates after deadly kidnapping attempt and mortar fire. Shortly after noon on Friday identified a terror squad in Gaza preparing to fire rockets into Israel and scored a direct hit. The Bethlehem-based Maan News Agency said four people were killed and four were wounded in the attack.

As the killings of Syrian civilians continues, the UN is now an independent investigation into last week's slaughter of dozens of civilians in the Syrian town of Houla, as activists on Friday reported the killing of at least 12 more civilians.

A prominent U.S. newspaper says U.S. President Barack Obama has been orchestrating secret, sophisticated cyber attacks on Iran's main nuclear facility. The New York Times cited anonymous sources close to the program who said the order - given just after Obama took office in January 2009 - was a major expansion of America's cyberweapons program.

After the promise of round one of Egypt's first post-revolution presidential election, a bitter debate has arisen among many voters over the relative merits - and demerits - of the final two candidates. The crowds on Tahrir Square last year were euphoric; they had forced their president of nearly 30 years to resign. The promise of the revolution was still there in round one  -- 13 candidates on the ballot, the first real choice most voters had ever had.

The future of seven Islamist activists stripped of their nationalities and imprisoned in the United Arab Emirates remains in doubt after a court this week rejected a request to return the men’s Emirati passports. It is the latest incident in what appears to be an intensifying crackdown on dissent by authorities in the Gulf nation worried that regional unrest could spread to their shores.

Details after the break.

Middle East News 30 May 2012

UN Security Council was briefed today on the ongoing violence in Syria. This after the UN envoy Kofi Annan left Syria on Wednesday to attend talks with Jordanian officials.  A U.N. official said the international envoy did not secure any major steps from the Syrian government to implement a faltering peace plan for the country.

The Iranian government said Tuesday it has produced an antivirus program capable of fighting what computer experts are calling "the most sophisticated cyber weapon yet unleashed."
The data-stealing virus has been infecting computers in Iran and other parts of the Middle East.

In Egypt, when el-Sayyed heard that the Supreme Presidential Electoral Commission (SPEC) had rejected all appeals challenging last week’s election results, thus pitting Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Morsi and Mubarak minister Ahmed Shafiq against each other in the runoff, he came straight to Cairo’s Tahrir Square.

Details after the break.

Egyptians face Presidential choice between Muslim Brotherhood & Secularist

The top two vote-getters in Egypt's first round of presidential elections reached out to their rivals Saturday and described their visions of building a new Egypt if elected in next month's run-off.

Former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq, a secularist, has praised the “glorious” revolution that toppled President Hosni Mubarak, and vowed there will be no “re-creation” of the old regime. Shafiq said he was extending his hand to all political forces, especially the young people, who were the backbone of the uprising, and said nobody will be excluded or pushed aside by the new government.

“Egypt is for everyone. No one will be excluded and no one will be pushed aside. Everyone must have a share in this nation.”

But Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohammed Mursi dismissed Shafiq as a symbol of the old regime and refused any cooperation with it, saying it ruined the country. He promised to create a new regime based on one that is inclusive of all forces in the country.

Middle East News 25 May 2012

In central Turkey, suspected suicide attackers have set off a car bomb near a police station, killing one policeman and wounding nearly 20 civilians.   Turkey's interior minister, Idris Naim Sahin, said two suspects sped through a checkpoint Friday and detonated the bomb outside a police station in the town of Pinarbasi in Kayseri province.

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon says the "stepped-up security crackdown" by the Syrian government is leading to "massive violations of human rights" by both sides of the conflict.
In a report to the U.N. Security Council Friday, Ban said the presence of unarmed U.N. observers is "having a calming effect" but the overall level of violence in Syria remains "quite high".

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says "significant differences" remain over Iran's nuclear program following two days of talks in Baghdad. She also says Pakistan's conviction of a doctor who helped in the capture of Osama bin Laden is "unjust."

Egypt's presidential race appeared headed on Friday to a decisive and polarizing runoff between the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood’s candidate and another with strong ties to former President Hosni Mubarak’s regime. Preliminary counts from Egypt's first free presidential race show the Brotherhood's Mohammed Morsi in the lead and former prime minister and secularist Ahmed Shafiq a strong second.

Details after the break.

Middle East News 24 May 2012

Iran nuclear talks moving to Moscow: Six world powers holding nuclear talks with Iran in Baghdad agreed Thursday to hold another round of negotiations in Moscow next month to try to resolve international concerns about the Iranian nuclear program.

In Egypt, Muslim Brotherhood claims early lead in the vote counting after two days of historical vote.  This according to exit polls. The reliability of the Brotherhood's polls could not be confirmed. Regional television channels, citing their own exit polls, also placed Morsi as the top finisher, with rivals Ahmed Shafiq and Hamdeen Sabahi vying for second place.

Pakistan on Thursday rejected U.S. criticism of the jailing of Shakeel Afridi, a Pakistani doctor who helped the United States track down Osama bin Laden, while a U.S. congressional panel cut aid to protest his imprisonment.

Details after the break.

Middle East News 23 May 2012

Officials in northeastern Afghanistan say unidentified gunmen have kidnapped five aid workers, including two foreigners.  In Takhar province, doctors are treating 120 school girls for possible poisoning.

Government officials say the Pakistani doctor who helped the United States track down Osama bin Laden has been sentenced to 33 years in prison for treason. In the US, as a tit for tat move, a Senate subcommittee voted Tuesday to cut proposed aid to Pakistan by more than half, and threatened to withhold even more money unless the NATO supply routes are reopened.

Millions of Egyptians stood in long lines Wednesday to cast ballots in the first presidential election since President Hosni Mubarak resigned last year amid massive protests.

Activists say Syrian government forces have pounded targets in the opposition stronghold of Rastan, and at least six people have been killed elsewhere, during violence related to the country's anti-government unrest.  As a byproduct of the ongoing violence, the smuggling business has boomed, especially on the border with northern Jordan.

International donors have pledged $4 billion in aid to Yemen to help the impoverished state boost the fight against Islamist militants and develop the Yemeni economy.

Iran and world powers exchanged proposals Wednesday at a Baghdad meeting aimed at resolving international concerns about potential military dimensions to the Iranian nuclear program. IRNA criticized the proposal put forward by the six-nation group, saying it makes too many demands of Iran while offering too little in return.

Details after the break.

Middle East News 4 May 2012

Rights activists say government forces killed at least 10 people across Syria on Friday amid reports of mass anti-government demonstrations taking shape.

Protesters and soldiers clashed Friday in Egypt, as thousands rallied against the country's ruling military council prior to landmark presidential elections later this month.

Iranian voters are casting ballots in parliamentary runoff elections Friday that could shape the make-up of the 2013 presidential election. Sixty-five seats are at stake in Iran's 290 seat parliament, with 25 of those seats in the capital, Tehran.

The controversial prison release of Hagai Amir, the brother of the man who assassinated Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, has stirred emotions in Israel and stoked memories of a dark chapter in the nation’s history.

Details after the break.

Middle East News 3 May 2012

Afghan politicians are generally enthusiastic about the agreement signed last night by Karzai and Obama, and are expected to ratify it within the week.  Taleban approval?  Not so much, as they set off a suicide car bomb at a foreigners' housing compound, and killed at least seven people.

In Syria, An international rights group has accused the Syrian government of committing war crimes, while activists said rebels killed 15 security force members as a U.N.-brokered cease-fire continues to unravel.

Hundreds of Pakistanis took to the streets Wednesday to mark the first anniversary of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden's death. In the southwestern city of Quetta, members of the pro-Taliban Jammat-e-Ulema Party condemned bin Laden's killing - shouting slogans in support of the al-Qaida leader and burning the American flag.

Turmoil is growing in Egypt in the run-up to the first round of presidential elections, scheduled for May 23 and 24.  The violence claimed at least 11 lives when unknown assailants attacked a protest against Egypt's ruling generals.

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak is maintaining his government's hard line against Iran's nuclear program, saying Israel will not be duped by negotiations, and warning that an attack is not out of the question.

Details after the break.

Middle East News 27 April 2012

In Egypt, protesters again gather at Tahrir Square following Friday prayers.  Main focus of the prayers is the Military rulers.

Violence and death continue in Syria, as two explosions in Damscus today kill at least 10 people. International criticism also continues as it is noted that Syria has failed to live up to its commitments.

Out of Iraq, a film called The List that highlights the perils of those Iraqis who have worked with the Americans, has its premiere in New York.

The government of Israel recently said it would begin deporting illegal immigrants from two African countries because conflicts there had subsided and it was safe to return home.

A commander of the Libyan rebel forces that helped to oust Moammar Gadhafi last year claims British intelligence services played a key role in his capture and alleged CIA rendition back to Libya in 2004, where he says he was tortured. His lawyers say the case reveals the murky links between Western governments and Gadhafi before the 2011 uprising.

Details follow the break.

Crimes Against Islam Land Egyptians in Jail in 2012

An Egyptian comedian and filmmaker has been convicted of "Offending Islam" for films he made in the 1990's.  This comes on the heels of a Coptic Christian's conviction in January for tweeting a Mickey & Minnie Mouse cartoon.  These are just two of the cases recently reported by the ABC News.

The cartoon portrayed Mickey Mouse with a beard and Minnie with a veil.  Egyptian businessman, Naguib Sawaris, was prosecuted and convicted by Islamist lawyers for the tweet.

Middle East News - 14 April 2012

Iran is talking about talking about its nuclear ambitions again.  Next stop: Baghdad.

Egypt has banned 10 candidates from running for its Presidency.

The UN has voted to send unarmed individuals to watch the violent "cease-fire in Syria, as 11 more Syrians were killed today.

14th Attack on Egyptian Gas Pipelines

Egyptian security officials say an explosion hit a gas pipeline supplying gas to Israel and Jordan.

The officials say the blast early Monday occurred near the northern coastal town of Al-Arish in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.

It was the 14th such attack on the pipeline since 2011, when the uprising against President Hosni Mubarak began. The pipeline has been shut since the last attack earlier this year.

No one has claimed responsibility for Monday's blast.

Egypt and Israel signed a gas deal during Mr. Mubarak's presidency, under which Egypt would export gas to its northern neighbor.

Last year, Egyptian police arrested a leading member of an armed Islamist group suspected in connection with several of the bombings. VoA

Obama Admin Holds Islamist Conference in DC

The White House has defended Thursday meetings between mid-level officials from the U.S. National Security Agency and representatives of Egypt's Islamist political party, Muslim Brotherhood.

White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters the United States in engaging with a variety of Egypt's emerging political groups as the country's political situation evolves following last year's ouster of President Hosni Mubarak.

On Wednesday, Carney described the agency officials as “low-level.”

Carney said he did not have information on the substance of the meeting but gave assurances that great emphasis was placed on democracy and human rights.

Middle East News 4 April 2012

Officials in northern Afghanistan say a suicide bomber on a motorcycle has killed at least 13 people, including three U.S. troops, and wounded more than 25 others.

The killings in Syria continue, even as UN monitors are going there in a mission aimed at decreasing violence in the country.

The Pakistani government says it needs "concrete evidence" to move legally against the founder of the militant group blamed for the 2008 Mumbai attacks, a day after Washington posted a $10 million bounty on him.

Two surviving leaders of Turkey's 1980 coup have gone on trial in Ankara. The case is being heralded as a landmark in democracy in Turkey and the symbolic end of the army's long tradition of meddling in politics.

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood's decision to field a presidential candidate marks the latest reversal in the group's tactics during the nation's political transition.

Details after the break.

Middle East News - 24 March 2012

Hillary Clinton has overruled Congress and is giving $1.3 to $1.5 Billion in aid to the new Islamist government of Egypt, ignoring legislation forbidding it passed in December.

Syria has renewed its artillery bombardment on the civilians of Homs.

Soccer riots have caused 1 death and 68 injuries in Egypt, as Islamists choose their authors of the new Islamist Constitution in that country.

Stories follow:

Muslim Brotherhood to Write New Egyptian Constitution

Egypt's newly elected parliament has selected members of an assembly that will draft the country's first constitution since last year's overthrow of long-time President Hosni Mubarak.

However, lawmakers from liberal and leftist parties withdrew from Saturday's crucial vote, saying the country's most powerful political group — the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood which won a sweeping victory in parliamentary elections earlier this year — was trying to monopolize the 100-member panel.

Liberals say that a permanent constitution should not be written solely by the victors of a single election, but it should include all political and ideological streams in the assembly and represent all sectors of Egyptian society.

The new constitution will define the balance of power between the Islamist-dominated parliament and once all-powerful president. A power struggle over the future document is already underway between Egypt's army-backed executive and the parliament, which wants to curb presidential powers.

Other key concerns are the role of Islamic Sharia law, which is subject to a wide variety of interpretation, as well as the role of the military and the future of the country's military rulers. VoA

Middle East News 23 March 2012

As reported by WOTN earlier today, the US military has filed murder charges against Army Staff Sergeant Robert Bales in connection to the killings of 17 Afghan villagers, including nine children.  

Syria's British-born First Lady has now become the focus of new further sanctions by the EU. This while the UNHCR issued "strong condemnation" of the continuing escalating violence against civilians.

Israel's Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Friday he may recall the Israeli ambassador to the UN Human Rights Council and cut ties with the body.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has signed off on the release of $1.3 billion in annual military aid to Egypt, despite concerns that the country's new leaders are not making sufficient democratic reforms.

Details after the break.

Middle East News 15 March 2012

In Syria, another day of rising death tolls, as at least 23 people are reported dead as Syrian forces continue a crackdown on dissent. State television showed huge rallies in support of President Bashar al-Assad.

Armed Egyptian Bedouins have surrounded an international peacekeepers' camp in the Sinai Peninsula to try to pressure Egyptian authorities into releasing fellow tribesmen from prison.

The world's largest electronic payment system says it will cut off Iranian banks blacklisted by the European Union, another step in the West's effort to further diminish Tehran's ability to finance its nuclear program.

Israel National News reports IDF forces were able to thwart an infiltration from Egypt on Thursday evening. An IDF Spokesman said in a statement that the troops, who were engaged in routine activity along the Israel-Egypt border, noticed a number of suspects who had infiltrated the border.

Details after the break.

Middle East News 1 March 2012

Syrian rebel fighters said they have pulled out of the besieged Baba Amr district of Homs after a punishing, month-long military assault by President Bashar al-Assad's security forces.

U.S. pro-democracy activists charged with encouraging unrest in Egypt have left Cairo after courts there lifted a travel ban against them.  

Iran is crushing dissent leading up to its March 2 parliamentary elections and has launched a “cyber army” to block Internet and social media communication, according to Amnesty International.

Details after the break.

Middle East News 26 FEB 2012

Another 31 Syrians were killed today, as the siege of Homs continues, and other parts of the country voted on a new Constitution.

Egypt attempted to start the trial of the son of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, 15 other Americans, and 27 others charged with illegal political activities by unlicensed foreigners in that country.  Still no word from the White House on the Marine who faces execution in Iran.

VoA Details follow:

Middle East News - 25 FEB 2012

The Obama Administration is in "intense" discussions to get Cabinet member Ray LaHood's son and 16 other Americans released from the new Islamist government in Egypt.  Meanwhile, the Administration has made no mention of the former American Marine facing execution in Iran.

The new President of Yemen was sworn as Islamists blew up a car, killing 26 Yemenis.

The ICRC failed, as has every other organization, it convincing the Syrian Government to stop killing its people, even for 2 hours a day, as the Artillery Bombardment of Homs continues.

Middle East News - 18 FEB 2012

Egypt will start the trial of 19 Americans, including the son of US Cabinet member, accused of illegal financing of electoral activity on the 26th.

Syria has continued its attacks on its civilians, as China officials visit.

Iran has sent it ships into the Mediterranean through the Suez with supplies for its ally Syria, for the 2nd time since the fall of Mubarrak.

Middle East News - 11 FEB 2012

Bahrain has expelled two American protestors, in contrast to Egypt, where 19 are being put on trial.

Syrian violence continues to expand, including to Lebanon's Tripoli, as two were killed there, and into Damascus, where a senior Syrian General/Doctor was assassinated today.  Meanwhile 10 civilians were killed in Homs.  Three others were killed in Douma.  Another 25 were killed when the anti-Syrian forces bombed government buildings in Alleppo.

In Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood continues to press for earlier elections while they hold the edge of organization over newer political parties.  Islamists have a solid hold on both houses of legislature.  On the contrary, protests marking the anniversary have withered on the vine, as it appears that many Egyptians have buyer's remorse over the results of their previous actions.  Three South Koreans were released today.

VoA details follow:

Middle East News - 05 FEB 2012

Obama claims he believes Israel has not yet decided to militarily strike Iran's Nuke program, ahead of a visit by the Israeli President to the US.

An Egyptian oil pipeline to Jordan and Israel was attacked by Ansar-al Islam, which has pledged support to Al-Qaeda, as Egyptians call for the Presidential elections to be moved up.

Also, in Egypt, 19 Americans and a total of 43 individuals have been charged in illegal election activities.

SecState Clinton is calling on an international coalition of talkers to condemn the murder of Syrian citizens in the aftermath of the UN failing to even talk tough about it.  Twenty-two more Syrians were killed today.

VoA Details follow:

Middle East News - 04 FEB 2012

The UN failed to approve even tough talk about the Syrian oppression and murder of its people.  Their government killed 12 more Syrians mourning others killed by their government today and killed 217 in an artillery barrage of another city.  It appears the Obama Administration is waiting for the UN to do anything, and has no desire to take it to Congress, as it did not in the Libyan War either.

Twelve Egyptians have been killed and 2,500 injured in soccer riots.

Details Follow:

Middle East News - 29 Jan 2012

Syrian Govt Troops are defending the capital of Damascus, as they attempt to retake suburbs from rebels and 19 Syrians were killed.

The IAEA arrived in Tehran for a 3 day visit to look at Iranian Nuke Facilities.

The soon to be ex-President of Yemen arrived in the US for medical treatment, possibly related to the Al-Qaeda assassination attempt on him at a mosque.

The Obama Administration has opened negotiations with the Taliban in Qatar.

An Iraqi was killed in a bombing, as the Iraqi Parliamentary Impasse ended.

And the Islamists are expected to take the upper house of Parliament in Egypt in elections with low turnouts.

Islamists Expected to Take Egypt's Upper House of Parliament

Turnout was decidedly low as Egyptians voted Sunday for the upper house of parliament, with Islamist parties widely expected to build on their success from lower house elections in November, when voters turned out in record numbers.

Few voters showed up to cast their ballots at polling stations in Cairo, one of 13 provinces where the first stage of elections for the largely advisory Shura Council are taking place. A second stage will take place February 14-15.

Under the complex system adopted after former president Hosni Mubarak's ouster, two-thirds of the Shura's 180 elected members will be voted on through a party-list system, while one-third will be directly elected.

The remaining 90 will be appointed by Egypt's next president, expected to be elected in June according to a transition timetable drawn up by the military council to whom Mubarak handed power nearly a year ago.

Middle East News 27 January 2012

Egyptian activists have gathered in Cairo's Tahrir Square on Friday, as the country continues to mark the first anniversary of the uprising that ousted former President Hosni Mubarak.
A small group of protesters has camped out in the square since Wednesday, when massive crowds of Egyptians filled the streets.

Violence in Syria continued Friday, bringing to more than 50 the number of people killed there over the past two days, as a resolution to curb the bloodshed appeared to be stalled in the United Nations.

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is urging Iran to resume talks with Western nations that suspect it is working on a nuclear weapons program.  Tehran insists that its atomic program is for peaceful purposes. During a press briefing at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Mr.Ban said Iran has the responsibility to prove its case.

Iraqi officials say at least 31 people were killed Friday when a car bomb exploded near a funeral procession in a mainly Shi'ite neighborhood of the Iraqi capital. Hospital workers say at least 60 people were wounded in the suicide bombing in the neighborhood of Zafaraniyah. There were no immediate claims of responsibility.

Details after the break.

Middle East News 26 January 2012

The State Department says U.S. officials are very actively involved in getting Egypt to stop preventing several U.S. citizens from leaving the country. As many as five Americans, including Sam LaHood – son of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, have been stopped from boarding planes for home by Egyptian authorities.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says his government does not oppose negotiating with Western powers about its nuclear program but also wants them to change what he calls their “foul” behavior toward Iran.

Yemen's President remains in Oman, making his departure for the US uncertain. An official at the Yemeni embassy in Washington told VOA Thursday he has no information on when Saleh might arrive. Mohammed Albasha also denied an article in The Wall Street Journal saying the president's family is searching for a plane to fly him to New York.

Arab League officials announced Thursday that they will present a palm for resolving Syria's months-long unrest to the U.N. Security Council on Monday. Meanwhile, Syrian opposition forces say government troops stormed the Damascus suburb of Douma in an attempt to crush rebel forces.

Details after the break.

Middle East News 25 January 2012

  Egyptians poured into Tahrir Square Wednesday to celebrate their revolution of one year ago. Women, embattled for decades under autocratic rule, are among the tens of thousands celebrating the one-year anniversary of the popular uprising that toppled President Hosni Mubarak.

The new United Nations envoy to Afghanistan said Wednesday any peace talks with the Taliban must be Afghan-led in order to be successful. Despite calls by U.N. and U.S. officials that peace talks with the Taliban be Afghan-led, the insurgent group has not included the Afghan government in its comments about peace negotiations

In Syria the killings continue. The Arab League says the withdrawal of monitors from Gulf Arab states will not hinder its work as France, Britain and Germany joined efforts at the United Nations to end President Bashar al-Assad's rule. A league official said Wednesday a new group of observers is set to replace the 55 monitors from the Gulf Cooperation Council who left Syria Wednesday.

Iran is "more isolated than ever" and its leaders facing "crippling" sanctions, according to  US President Obama in his State of the Union address on Tuesday. The president said that he will not rule out any option for preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, but that the issue can be resolved peacefully.  Iran claims the latest sanctions could actually benefit them.

Details after the break.

Middle East News, 24 January, 2012

One year after defiant Egyptians took to the streets demanding change, the change that came is not what many envisioned on the anniversary of the January 25 revolution.

The millions who poured into Tahrir Square last year came from all walks of life: the poor, the middle class, Muslims and Christians. But the seeds of the uprising were largely planted by the young and the secular. They were the Facebook activists, the Twitter organizers, and they became the face of the revolution.

One year later, it is the Muslim Brotherhood, largely absent from the early days of the revolt, which now dominates the first popularly elected body of the new Egypt, leaving many  young activists, like Hanan Abdel Alim, unhappy.

A worker makes repairs to a fence outside the People's Assembly as final preparations are made for the opening session January 23 of the first post-Hosni Mubarak parliament session, several days ahead of the one-year anniversary of Egypt's revolution, in Cairo, Egypt, January 22, 2012.

One year after defiant Egyptians took to the streets demanding change, the change that came is not what many envisioned on the anniversary of the January 25 revolution.

The millions who poured into Tahrir Square last year came from all walks of life: the poor, the middle class, Muslims and Christians. But the seeds of the uprising were largely planted by the young and the secular. They were the Facebook activists, the Twitter organizers, and they became the face of the revolution.

One year later, it is the Muslim Brotherhood, largely absent from the early days of the revolt, which now dominates the first popularly elected body of the new Egypt, leaving many  young activists, like Hanan Abdel Alim, unhappy.

"I think this council came on the blood of the people who died in the [Tahrir] Square and we're here to remind them that it was a revolution that brought them this council," said Alim.

Pro-democracy, Islamist views

For pro-democracy activists, their fight has been bittersweet: They called for the voice of the people to be heard, and are now hearing that people want Islamists.

Not everyone despairs. Some, like Sameh Abdel Azim, are optimistic that this will be an unbiased parliament, able to stand up to other powers, including the current military rulers.

"These people are elected from the Egyptian people and we trust our choice, and we trust that they will follow our hopes, insha'allah. We hope that this new parliament is different from the past and we are in a new environment after the revolution," said Azim.

Other activists dismiss the Islamist ascendency as a distraction. Human rights activist Gasser Razek said the debate about a secular state versus a religious one is "completely artificial."

"Egypt has never been a secular state, Egypt has always been somewhere in the middle: simple things, [for example] inheritance. You do not inherit according to a civilian law. You inherit according to sharia, and you inherit according to rules that the church sets. A Christian man cannot marry a Muslim woman; there is no civil marriage in this country," said Razek.

Working together, with military

What is new, many say, is the need to get along. The country's problems are such that the Muslim Brotherhood has made clear it does not want to shoulder responsibility alone, and Razek argues that is a good thing.

"We all have been living under a very repressive, autocratic regime for almost 60 years. No one has learned over those 60 years to work in coalitions. No one has learned to play the game properly and I think Egypt needs that today. Egypt needs Islamists to work with liberals," said Razek.

The first challenge, some say, is making sure the people's voice remains heard. And for them, that means getting the military back to their barracks.

The military may have taken a step in that direction Tuesday when Egyptian military ruler Mohamed Hussein Tantawi announced that he will partially lift the country's 30-year-long state of emergency, long a staple of Egypt's military rule.

 

 

VOA

Middle East News - 23 JAN 2012

The EU has banned Iranian oil imports as China & Russia step in to pick up the slack.

15 more Syrians were killed in today's violence as Syria's Bashir Assad has rejected calls for him to step down by fellow Arab leades.

Libyan Rebels killed 4 Libyan Rebel Government troops in Benghazi, as the Civil War there appears to be re-kindling.

Egyptian parliamentarians began their disputes during oathes of allegiance to a non-existant Constitution, on their first day at work.  Islamists, which grossly outnumber all others, want to include allegiance to Sharia.

The soon to be ex-President of Yemen has departed for medical treatment in the US, with a layover in Oman.

The USS Abraham Lincoln has returned to the Persian Gulf, a few days after Iran backed down from vague threats if a US Aircraft Carrier did so.

Middle East News 21 Jan 2012

Syrian Rebels have taken Douma, as 30 more have been added to the death toll.

Libyans stormed a Rebel Government building in protest of the exclusions of all dissenters to the new rulers.

And Islamists have taken the reins of government in Egypt and will  be writing the new Constitution of Egypt. 

A crowd of Libyan demonstrators used hand grenades to force their way inside the local headquarters of Libya's ruling National Transitional Council in the eastern city of Benghazi Saturday, to protest the pace of reforms.