All-American Harleys Take Off in Mideast

US more unpopular there now than it was under Bush

(NEWSER) - You know President Obama’s plan to reach out and win hearts and minds in the Middle East? It’s not going well. In a stunning new Pew Poll spotted by Glenn Greenwald of Salon , only 10% of residents in Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates said they had a positive view of Obama, and less than that had a positive view of the US—putting the numbers at sub-Bush levels. More»

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 in the Middle East, the Wall Street Journal reports. More»

(NEWSER) - Twenty-five Harley-Davidsons roared into the center of New Delhi yesterday, loudly proclaiming that the US brand is ready to take on India, the Washington Post reports. The motorcycle’s long-awaited arrival consummates the 2007 mangoes-for-motorcycles trade pact between the US and India, in which the US agreed to allow Indian mangoes to be imported, if India would open its highways to Harleys. More»

Hezbollah defeat bodes well for Iranian election this Friday

(NEWSER) - Voters in Lebanon had many reasons for backing American allies over a Hezbollah-led coalition in Sunday's bellwether elections, but political analysts say that Barack Obama's efforts to reach out to the Muslim world played a significant role in the outcome. For the first time in years, being linked to Washington was seen as a benefit rather than a hindrance. As Michael Slackman of the New York Times writes, the Lebanon vote may foreshadow another key election: the Iranian presidential vote this Friday. More»

Hit on Lebanese pop star cost Egyptian billionaire $2M

(NEWSER) - An Egyptian tycoon and the ex-cop he hired to kill his Lebanese pop singer ex-girlfriend have been sentenced to death by hanging, the BBC reports. The trial of billionaire Hisham Talaat Moustafa, an associate of president Hosni Mubarak's son Gamal, has gripped the Arab world. Although Suzanne Tamim was murdered in Dubai, the trial took place in Cairo, where the government imposed a news blackout. More»