Middle East

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Israel to lift blockade of Gaza except for Weapons
 Israel Eases 
 Gaza Blockade 
Jun 20, 2010 1:55 PM CDT

Israel Eases Gaza Blockade

Ban on weapons remains in force

(Newser) - Israel will allow goods to enter Gaza by land but will continue to ban the importation of weapons and will maintain its naval blockade on the area, CNN reports . Rather than listing what's allowed in , Israel will permit everything other than " weapons and material that Hamas uses to prepare...

Israel Rejects Arab Proposal for Nuke-Free Mideast

It's 'hypocritical' to single out Jerusalem and ignore Tehran

(Newser) - Israel has condemned a plan approved by the 189 member nations of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty to move toward banning nuclear arms from the Middle East, calling it "deeply flawed and hypocritical." The NPT member states (Israel is not one of them) agreed yesterday to have a conference...

US Expands Secret Mideast Operations

Petraeus authorizes special ops in friendly, unfriendly Mideast nations

(Newser) - The head of US Central Command has green-lighted a huge expansion in American secret operations in the Middle East, the Horn of Africa, and Central Asia, according to documents obtained by the New York Times . Gen. David Petraeus has authorized the sending of special forces to both friendly and hostile...

FT.com / Columnists / Gideon Rachman - Israel’s fear and loathing of Obama
 Obama Wants Israel 
 to Take its Medicine 
OPINION
Apr 27, 2010 8:27 AM CDT

Obama Wants Israel to Take its Medicine

And Israel hates him for it

(Newser) - The president isn't a popular man in Jerusalem these days, thanks to his call for a freeze on Israel's illegal settlements in the West Bank, and rumors that he's hatching his own Mideast peace plan. “Barack Obama is a disaster for Israel,” one liberal commentator there tells Gideon...

Syria Accused of Supplying Hezbollah With Scuds

GOP seeks to block appointment of US ambassador to Damascus

(Newser) - Syria has been supplying Hezbollah militants in Lebanon with long-range Scud missiles capable of hitting Israeli cities and nuclear installations, US and Israeli officials say. The accusations threaten to upend the Obama administration's efforts to reach out to Syria, and if true, stand to upset the military balance of power...

Modern Dogs Hail From Middle East
Modern Dogs Hail
From Middle East
Mar 18, 2010 3:53 PM CDT

Modern Dogs Hail From Middle East

DNA shows most breeds descended from region's gray wolf

(Newser) - Scientists have discovered the origin of the domesticated dog—somewhere in the Middle East. Most dogs in the world are descended from the Middle Eastern gray wolf, a team of geneticists found. The researchers analyzed the dog genome, using 900 animals from 85 breeds, and then compared it to 200...

Bill Clinton Likely Headed Home Tomorrow
Bill Clinton Likely Headed Home Tomorrow
UPDATED
Feb 11, 2010 8:47 PM CST

Bill Clinton Likely Headed Home Tomorrow

... and Hillary won't leave for Middle East until Saturday

(Newser) - It looks like Bill Clinton will only spend one night in the hospital after undergoing an emergency heart procedure today—and wife Hillary will merely postpone her diplomatic trip to the Middle East by a day. “He’s in good spirits, and we hope to have him go home...

Hey, Obama: In Iraq Exit, Don't Forget Strategy

US withdrawal or not, the country still has 'geostrategic significance'

(Newser) - Iraq is centrally important to the Middle East region, and the Obama administration does the country and the world a disservice by focusing on troop withdrawal without considering the future, writes Henry Kissinger. “The outcome in Iraq will influence the psychological balance in the war against radical Islam, specifically...

Muslims, Hindus Make Beautiful Punk Music Together

'Taqwacore' bands seize their moment in the spotlight

(Newser) - From the basement of a middle-class home west of Boston, the Kominas have helped launch an unlikely trend. A son of Indian immigrants, trained in classical violin and raised on traditional Punjab music, the 25-year-old electric guitarist Arjun Ray is getting his three Pakistani-American bandmates in sync, with the goal...

Tension Builds Between Hillary, Obama
 Tension Builds Between 
 Hillary, Obama 
Joe Klein
Nov 5, 2009 6:50 PM CST

Tension Builds Between Hillary, Obama

Clinton a strong secretary, but not yet administration's voice

(Newser) - Ask Hillary Clinton or her staff about President Obama and they’ll praise him and tell you the relationship between the two really is strong. But the tensions between the State Department and White House are starting to show, writes Joe Klein . The president’s foreign policy hasn’t yet...

Mideast Peace Would Justify Obama's Nobel
Mideast Peace Would Justify Obama's Nobel
Joe Klein
Oct 16, 2009 12:13 PM CDT

Mideast Peace Would Justify Obama's Nobel

There's consensus on a deal; the president is the guy to get it done

(Newser) - With his Nobel Prize, President Obama has once again been celebrated and rewarded for who he’s not (George W. Bush) and who he might be. Although Obama’s preferred foreign policy MO—patient diplomacy on many fronts—doesn’t “lend itself to high drama,” that's exactly what...

Israelis, Palestinians Skeptical of Obama Nobel

Israel fears prize will spur president to 'force-feed' them peace deal

(Newser) - President Obama won praise from Israeli and Palestinian leaders after yesterday's surprise Nobel Peace Prize win, but many others on both sides of the conflict expressed puzzlement and wariness. The decision is "very strange," said the speaker of Israel's parliament, adding that he hoped Obama wouldn't now feel...

A Quarter of World Is Muslim
 A Quarter of World Is Muslim 
Oct 8, 2009 5:31 AM CDT

A Quarter of World Is Muslim

Asia, not Middle East, is center of the world of Islam

(Newser) - A quarter of the world's population is Muslim, and nearly two-thirds of the religion's adherents live in Asia, according to an extensive new study mapping the world of Islam. Indonesia is the largest Muslim nation, and India, a majority-Hindu country, has the world's third-largest population of Muslims—more than twice...

Ahmadinejad Rips Israel, US, as Usual, in UN Speech

American, other delegations walk out of Iranian president's speech

(Newser) - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ripped Israel and the US in his speech today before the United Nations General Assembly, even as Iran’s president said his country was ready to work for peace and would shake hands “honestly extended to us.” The US and other delegations walked out—in protest...

Global Rates of Alzheimer's Disease Soar

Aging populations drive increase; developing world will be hit hard

(Newser) - Rising life expectancy in the developing world will lead to a dramatic increase in the number of people stricken by Alzheimer’s disease, HealthDay News reports. The number of dementia cases worldwide will reach 35.6 million in 2010, a 10% increase over the total in 2005. That number is...

Gaza War Was Genocide: Chavez

Israel started war to 'exterminate the Palestinians'

(Newser) - The Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip earlier this year was perpetrated for the express purpose of killing Palestinians, says Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, the Guardian reports. “The question is not whether the Israelis want to exterminate the Palestinians. They're doing it openly. What was it, if not genocide?”...

Obama, Egypt's Mubarak Click at DC Meeting

Presidents cite 'positive steps' for Israelis, Palestinians

(Newser) - A meeting today between President Obama and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak signaled a thaw in relations between the two countries, the New York Times reports. Obama also spoke of “positive steps” that “could help to jump-start an effective process on all sides” in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Mubarak,...

Israel Blames Emanuel for Mideast Policy

Push against settlements seen as betrayal by 'native son'

(Newser) - Israelis are none too pleased with the pressure the Obama administration is putting on them to halt the expansion of their West Bank settlements, but it’s not Obama they’re mad at; it’s Rahm Emanuel. The chief of staff has extensive personal ties to the country—“Israel”...

Kuwait Wedding Fire Linked to Groom's Ex

(Newser) - The fire that engulfed a wedding tent in Kuwait and killed 43 women and children in less than 3 minutes was set by the groom's ex-wife, local media reported today. A government spokesman confirmed that the arsonist has confessed, according to the AP, but offered no further details. The incident...

Sadat Daughter Fumes Over Hollywood Slight

I Love You, Man 's canine namesake sparks legal complaint

(Newser) - I Love You, Man's friendly title clearly wasn’t directed at former Egyptian President Anwar Sadat—whose namesake in the movie is a dog. Now the popular leader’s daughter is suing DreamWorks for the affront, the AP reports. “This has caused serious psychological and moral damages to the...

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