Monthly Archives: December 2012

Abbas Makes It Official: All of Israel is Palestine

By | 2012-12-30T14:49:28-04:00 December 30th, 2012|News|

The Fatah party, headed by Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, has made official what it has been saying quietly and has adopted a new logo showing all of Israel as Palestine.   The logo marks the 48th anniversary of the founding of Fatah by Yasser Arafat and includes a map with the PA flag and

Chiselled stonework with ‘Christian figure’ discovered at holy site in Yemen

By | 2012-12-30T00:34:49-04:00 December 30th, 2012|Archeology and History|

An Archaeologist has discovered what he believes to be the ruins of a buried Christian empire in the highlands of Yemen.   The find has led to theories that there may have once been a Christian church in Mecca.   A stone carving of a Christian figure was found in Zafar, some 581 miles south

Mursi to speak at Shura Council as challenges to foster a consensus increase

By | 2012-12-29T12:07:04-04:00 December 29th, 2012|News|

Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi is to deliver a speech in front of the upper house of legislature on Saturday, expected to focus on plans to revive the country’s faltering economy and renew dialogue calls with the opposition, reported Al Arabiya.    Last week, Mursi passed all legislative powers to the Shura Council after the official

Brotherhood’s Shater seeks ‘total control’ of media

By | 2012-12-29T11:49:40-04:00 December 29th, 2012|News|

Egypt’s opposition group, the Popular Front, said on Wednesday that it had laid hands on a leaked document signed by the Muslim Brotherhood’s deputy chairman Khairat al-Shater in which he urged the government to claim “total control of the media.”   Shater, who was the Brotherhood’s main presidential candidate before he was disquieted by the

Tunisia’s Islamist FM caught in affair and money embezzlement scandal

By | 2012-12-29T11:30:23-04:00 December 29th, 2012|News|

Tunisia’s Foreign Minister Rafik Abdessalem, from the ruling Islamist Ennahda party, has found himself at the center of an embarrassing scandal following accusations of public money embezzlement and involvement in an extramarital affair.    According to documents published by Tunisian journalist and blogger, Olfa Riahi, the Islamist minister spent several nights at the Sheraton hotel

Iran Bans Flights During Call to Islamic Prayer

By | 2012-12-28T14:31:17-04:00 December 28th, 2012|Islam|

Iran has ordered domestic airlines to take off half an hour after pre-dawn Muslim prayers, the website of country's civil aviation organization quoted its chief as saying on Wednesday.   "According to a directive we issued to the domestic airlines, from now on the airlines will be authorized to take off at least 30 minutes

End of Free College for Terrorists

By | 2012-12-28T13:53:30-04:00 December 28th, 2012|News|

The High Court ruled Tuesday that terrorist security prisoners were not eligible for free university education in Israeli schools. The permission and assistance extended to prisoners convicted of criminal activities that supplies them with free courses and degree programs at Israel's Open University does not apply to prisoners convicted of terror activities, the court ruled.

Qatar May Be Buying Its Way into the PA to Isolate Iran

By | 2012-12-28T13:30:21-04:00 December 28th, 2012|Reports|

Qatar’s emir, after having brought a $250 million check to Hamas in Gaza, plans to bail out Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas next week, possibly as part of a strategy to separate Iran from Hamas.   Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad Ibn Khalifa al-Thani said he will make good on his pledge to bail out the

Egyptian Communications Minister Also Quits Cairo Government

By | 2012-12-28T01:39:59-04:00 December 28th, 2012|News|

Communications and Information Technology Minister Hany Mahmoud Abdel Megeed,  has become the next to quit in the battle over Egypt's government transformation.   Megeed, a trained engineer and a member of the Cabinet of Prime Minister Hisham Qandil, announced late Tuesday in his statement of resignation that he was “quitting for Egypt,” according to the