Middle East

Reuters | — “On the first day of his visit to Turkey, Pope Francis has called for interreligious dialogue “so that there will be an end of all forms of fundamentalism and terrorism.” Reuters: “Pope calls for interreligious dialogue to stop terrorism”

Arab Spring

Cairo Erupts as Mubarak, Adly Declared Innocent in Deaths of Protesters

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | — An Egyptian court on Saturday found found deposed dictator Hosni Mubarak and his former interior minister Habib Adly not guilty (or rather just dropped the charges) the killing of nearly 900 young protesters by police in January-February 2011. Downtown Cairo and some provincial towns erupted in protests. Indeed, these were […]

Humor

The Rolex Caliph’s Camel Selfie: How Iraqi Youth are Ridiculing Daesh/ISIL Online

contributors

By Cathrin Schaer | Berlin | (Niqash.org) — The extremist Islamic State group has been very effective on social media, terrifying their enemies and boosting their own prestige. Now a new group of keyboard warriors are fighting back. They come via the Twitter website and they’re well armed with jokes about goats and donkeys and […]

Israel

Far-Right Israeli FM Lieberman: Offer Israeli Arabs Money to Move to [Non-Existent] Palestinian State

contributors

Wotchit | — “Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman proposed on Friday that Arab citizens of Israel be offered financial incentives to leave the country and relocate to a future Palestinian state. Lieberman, whose ultra-nationalist party is a core part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition, has previously spoken about redrawing borders but not about using […]

Apartheid

Israeli soldiers shoot Italian Activist in stomach at rally, wound 11 Palestinians

contributors

NABLUS (Ma’an) — An Italian was critically injured along with 11 Palestinians on Friday afternoon after Israeli forces opened live fire on a protest march in the village of Kafr Qaddum west of Nablus. Palestinian Minister of Health Jawad Awwad told Ma’an that Italian solidarity activist Patrick Corsi, 30, was injured after Israeli forces fired […]

Featured

Oil Price Fall: Saudi Arabia targets US Shale Oil, Iran, Iraq, Russia

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole It is clear that among the major losers in the fall in the price of Brent crude petroleum from $115 a barrel last summer to about $75 a barrel today are Russia, Iraq and Iran. Petroleum sales are 50% of Russia’s income, and are also central for Iran and Iraq. But the […]

Apartheid

100K Homeless in Gaza face severe Flooding, Cold as UN Declares State of Emergency

contributors

BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — The UN’s Palestine refugee agency UNRWA on Thursday evening declared a state of emergency in Gaza City amid massive rains that have shut down normal life in parts of the besieged coastal enclave’s largest city. A major storm over the past week has filled the streets of Gaza City with water and […]

Christianity

Christians of Syria’s Aleppo Hold out Despite Extremist Daesh/ISIL Threat

contributors

AFP | — “Tens of thousands of Christians have fled homes in Syria’s war-wracked second city of Aleppo but many others are determined to hold out despite their dread of Islamic State jihadists.” AFP: “Christians of Syria’s Aleppo hold out despite jihadist threat”

Energy

Iran Leader Khamenei: We are not Opposed to Nuclear Talks, Will Accept Just Deal

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | — Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the clerical Leader of Iran, told an assemblage of volunteer paramilitary (Basij) forces on Thursday that he is not opposed to nuclear talks with the P5 +1 and would accept a just and reasonable deal. I said that a breakdown in the talks, which have been extended […]