President-elect Barack Obama‘s Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel apologized Nov. 14 for disparaging remarks made by his father about Arabs. Benjamin Emanuel, speaking about his son to an Israeli newspaper last week, said, “Obviously, he will influence the president to… Read moreEmanuel disavows dad’s diss of Arabs
Palestinian security forces arrested 12 followers of Hamas in West Bank Nov. 16, in an ongoing crackdown against the Islamic movement. The arrests, by forces loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah, took place in Nablus, Salfeet and Hebron, a… Read morePalestinian forces arrest Hamas militants in West Bank
Iraq’s cabinet Nov. 16 approved a security pact with the US that will allow American forces to stay for three years after their UN mandate expires at the end of the year. The decision follows months of negotiations and, pending… Read moreIraqi cabinet approves security pact with US
A Moroccan criminal court Nov. 13 convicted Moroccan citizen Said Boujandia of crimes related to terrorist acts. The SalĂ© Criminal Court sentenced Boujandia to 10 years in prison. Boujandia admitted his association with with an organization which sought to aid… Read moreMorocco court convicts ex-Gitmo detainee on terror charges
Speaking before the General Assembly, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said Israel’s ongoing efforts to build settlements in the West Bank is “illegal,” a breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention, and have lead to widespread human rights abuses against Palestinians. Ban’s… Read moreUN reports condemn West Bank settlement
An explosion in the northern Gaza Strip killed a Palestinian militant and critically wounded another, medical workers reported Nov. 15. The Popular Resistance Committees said an Israeli air-strike targeted a group of its militants as they approached the Israel-Gaza border… Read moreGaza: explosion kills Palestinian militant
Iran’s judiciary has sentenced a Sufi leader to five years in prison, flogging and exile on charges of spreading lies, the moderate Kargozaran newspaper reported Nov. 15. The report identified the man as Amir Ali Mohammad Labaf, of the Nematollahis… Read moreIran condemns Sufi to prison, flogging, exile
A veteran crime reporter in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juárez was fatally shot as he left his home Nov. 13. The reporter, Armando RodrĂguez Carreon, worked for the newspaper El Diario. He was in a car with his… Read moreMexico: gunmen kill reporter, kidnap farmworkers
A criminal complaint has been filed in the Spanish High Court in connection with the Salvadoran army’s Nov. 16, 1989 slaying of six Jesuit priests in one of the most notorious events of El Salvador’s civil war. Human rights lawyers… Read moreSalvadoran officers could face charges in Spain for 1989 massacre
Days after the arrest of nine by police in India’s Maharashtra state as a “terrorist cell” responsible for the September Malegaon attack, the Hindu nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) announced a campaign for their release. The nine, including Hindu nun… Read moreIndia: Hindu right rallies around accused terrorists
The anti-terrorist NEFA Foundation Nov. 13 reports a new statement from the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban) addressed to US President-elect Barack Obama. The statement says that “the overwhelming victory of Barrack Obama [sic]…reveals the collective willingness of American… Read moreTaliban to Obama: pull out now
At least 12 people were killed in a missile strike apparently carried out by a US drone in Pakistan’s Tribal Areas. The raid is believed to have killed neo-Taliban fighters, five of them foreigners, Pakistani officials said. The attack targeted… Read moreUS bombs Pakistan —again
