Facts, News, Trends, Analysis
Hezbollah blamed Phalange for recent incidents at Lebanese universities. Students have been speaking out against Hezbollah and its supporters, saying that there is no place for them in their universities. Hezbollah spoke out against these incidents calling for less hatred, and instead acceptance of one’s “brethren.” In Hezbollah’s statement on Sunday they sent a message [...]
The reaction of Turkish officials to Barack Obama’s choice of statesmen is positive, especially that of Hillary Clinton. “The announcement on Clinton is due to come at a news conference in Chicago,” said officials on Obama’s transition team. The incoming president has also asked Robert Gates, the current defense secretary, to keep his job for [...]
Palestinian Authority negotiator Saeb Erekat praised Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s decision to release 250 Fatah prisoners for the Eid-Al-Adha Muslim holiday. The Israeli Cabinet voted 13-4 in favor of the release, enabling Olmert to keep a promose made recently to Palestinian Authority President Muhammad Abbas. This much anticipated release was also appreciated by a Hamas [...]
After heated debate, the Iraqi Parliament passed the Status of Forces Agreement by a vote of 149-49. President George Bush praised the agreement that requires all US forces to be out of Iraq by the end of 2011. Perhaps the operative phrase here, though, is “by,” meaning it could occur before then, specially noted with [...]
As noted recently, the government of Lebanon has announced plans to officially recognize a “state of Palestine.” The move would establish full diplomatic relations and make the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in Beirut an embassy. As of yet, however, the decision has not been approved by the cabinet, and no date has been set for its implementation. [...]
Following up on our recent posting re: The China Railway Construction Corporation which has begun a $1.7 billion, or 2.2 billion dinars, railroad project in Libya, there are other international companies involved. One is an unnamed Russian company. Lately, China “has been aggressively seeking trade and investment ties with a number of African countries in [...]
Egyptian police detained 28 members of the opposition Muslim Brotherhood movement in the northwestern coastal town of Marsa Matrouh on Saturday, police and Brotherhood sources told Reuters. The police said the Islamists, 24 from Marsa Matrouh province and four from the coastal city of Alexandria, were attending an organizational meeting. The Brotherhood said police took them [...]
Bank of America, has refused to deposit $7.7 million in Libyan settlement checks by the attorney for the families of the victims of the Lockerbie bombing who live in Southeastern Pennsylvania and New York. On Monday, Attorney Mark Zaid tried to deposit four checks into his attorney trust account, each in the amount of $1,932,500. [...]
Several sources have reported in the last 24 hours that Israel is preparing for large scale attacks in the Gaza Strip in response to an attack on an IDF force base that wounded 8 soldiers. Reports indicate that all Gaza checkpoints will be closed on Sunday. Deputy Israeli Defense Minister Matan Vilna’i stated, “we are [...]
The United States Senate confirmed Gene Cretz, a U.S. diplomat who has held positions in cities such as Tel Aviv, Cairo, New Delhi, and Beijing throughout his career, as the new ambassador to Libya. Cretz’s confirmation as a Washington ambassador to Libya occurred on November 20th, and he will be sworn into office on December 17th, starting [...]
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