Pact gives Iraqis more oversight over American presence
Associated Press Nov 27, 08 8:14 AM CST
(AP)
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Iraq's parliament today passed a security pact with the US that lets American troops stay in the country for 3 more years. The ruling coalition's Shiite and Kurdish blocs as well as the largest Sunni Arab bloc backed the "yes" vote, the AP reports. The parliament speaker said an "overwhelming majority" lawmakers present voted in favor. PM Nouri al-Maliki appeared to have won the comfortable majority he sought to give the agreement additional legitimacy.
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Research contradicts previous government denials
Los Angeles Times Nov 17, 08 3:55 PM CST
(Newser)
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Gulf War syndrome is real, and "few veterans have recovered or substantially improved with time," according to a scientific study commissioned by Congress. Nearly a quarter of the 700,000 troops who served in the first Gulf War suffer from neurological problems related to exposure to chemicals during the conflict, the LA Times reports. The study, released today, contradicts previous government reports, which had denied the connection.
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Company seeks to tap into Arabic appetite for family-friendly films
Financial Times (UK) Nov 12, 08 8:55 AM CST
(Newser)
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Disney has decided it's a big world after all, the Financial Times reports. The company is making its first Arabic-language movie, aiming to tap into demand for family-friendly fare in the Middle East. The Last Storyteller will be produced somewhere in the Middle East and distributed in Morocco, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Kuwait and Qatar. Foreign-language remakes of hits like High School Musical are also in the works.
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OPINION
Nobel laureate calls on Obama, new Congress to act now
New York Times Nov 9, 08 12:11 PM CST
(Newser)
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The road to energy efficiency is paved with the same solutions needed to fix the economic crisis, Al Gore writes in a New York Times op-ed. Dismissing proposals for domestic drilling, the climate crusader says, “We simply cannot any longer base the strategy for human survival on a cynical and self-interested solution,” and offers a 5-part plan to get started now:
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In region, Rice aims to keep process on track for Obama's team
Associated Press Nov 6, 08 4:46 PM CST
(Newser)
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Israel and the Palestinians won’t likely reach a peace agreement by the 2009 deadline set at the Annapolis negotiations a year ago, the White House said today. The Bush administration began to question the feasibility of the deadline when a corruption scandal ousted PM Ehud Olmert and set the stage for a new leader to be chosen in February, AP reports.
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Feat beats Clinton, but UN wonders if he's doing his peace job
Times (UK) Oct 29, 08 2:05 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Tony Blair took in around $20 million since stepping aside as British PM last October, the Times of London reports, six times what he’d made in his entire life and more than double Bill Clinton’s take in his first year out of office. Some at the UN have questioned whether Blair is spending enough time in his unpaid role as Middle East peace envoy, however.
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Lebanon bike tour celebrates iconic rides
Los Angeles Times Oct 14, 08 3:44 PM CDT
(Newser)
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It may seem incongruous, but in a region rife with anti-American sentiment, the all-American symbol has found a home: Harley-Davidsons are on the rise in the Middle East, even in conservative countries like Saudi Arabia. The hogs’ popularity was marked this month by Lebanon’s first-ever Harley-Davidson tour, which saw some 130 bikers from across the Mideast gather to cruise through the country—women and children included, the Los Angeles Times reports.
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OPINION
Counterinsurgency expert may need to learn a few new tricks to quell Taliban rebellion
Times (UK) Oct 6, 08 2:55 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Gen. David Petraeus faces an uphill battle in replicating the successes of the Iraq surge in Afghanistan, Michael Evans writes in the Times of London, “because the economic, social and political conditions are so different.” Afghanistan doesn’t have nearly the natural, fertile resources, and neither the US nor NATO allies can provide much in the way of troop reinforcements.
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GLOSSIES
Concern bonds violate Sharia causes crisis despite stable market
Portfolio Sep 24, 08 9:49 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Of the challenges facing Western financial markets, fear of divine intervention isn’t one. The Middle East’s booming debt market is considered one of the most stable in the world, but investors there are getting a taste of “religious interpretation risk,” Portfolio reports. Islamic scholars are declaring that some 85% of sukuks, or Islamic bonds, violate Koran rules against accepting interest.
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Secretary hails historic trip as US officially renews ties with former foe
AFP Sep 5, 08 2:34 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Iran and North Korea, take heed: America’s reconciliation with Libya proves that Washington has no permanent enemies, Condoleezza Rice said today. The secretary of state, meeting in Tripoli with onetime international pariah Moammar Gadhafi, said her historic trip “demonstrates that when countries are prepared to make strategic changes in direction, the United States is prepared to respond,” AFP reports.
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Continue to hold crew after commandeering jetliner in Sudan
Associated Press Aug 27, 08 7:29 AM CDT
(AP)
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Hijackers began releasing the 87 passengers today at a remote desert airfield in southern Libya, reports the AP, a day after they took control of a Sudanese 737 jetliner as it took off from Darfur. The hijackers continued to hold eight crewmembers. Sudan officials called the hijacking an "irresponsible terrorist act" and called for the hijackers to be extradited.
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As US sales slide, GM looks overseas to unload gas-guzzler unit
Reuters Aug 26, 08 10:04 AM CDT
(Newser)
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There may soon be more Hummers heading to the Persian Gulf, this time as two Gulf Arab investors signal interest in buying GM's troubled brand of SUV—modeled on the military vehicle. Analysts have expected the gas-guzzler to be tough to unload, but low fuel prices, economic prosperity, and Hummer’s position as a status symbol in the Gulf have made it quite popular.
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