Author: Imran

A German entrepreneur’s  message is “Islam isn’t just compatible with Western values of tolerance and free expression – it can be hip, too”: Muslim Fashion Label Conquers Streets of Europe (Washington Post) With the turnout down from 76% in the December 2005, the true test for Iraqi democracy will be its ability to form governing…

Former Guantanamo detainee’s lawyer says extension of secrecy “is really about the [British] government avoiding embarrassment for … collaboration with the US and all that happened, rather than any real national security issues”: Government Attempts to Keep Torture Case Secret (Guardian) At least 38 are dead with 80 wounded, but Iraqis consider the elections to…

“‘Because of the explosions and because there is no honorable man I can elect, I stayed at home,’ said Ali Malek Hussein, who lives in eastern Baghdad”… Violence Mars Early Hours of Voting in Iraq (Washington Post) … Meanwhile, US forces continue to play out their role as the lame duck in Iraq: As Iraq…

NATO’s strategy revolves around the principles of supporting the locals while developing infrastructure; if successful Marjah could provide the blueprint needed to succeed in Afghanistan: Afghanistan War: NATO Unfolds Blueprint to Rebuild Marjah (Christian Science Monitor) International pressure mounts as exemptions for China embolden Brazil, Turkey and Lebanon to also express opposition to Iranian sanctions:…

The US seeks a freeze on nuclear related assets, an expanded ban on individual travel, and an outright ban on arms exports and transactions for listed Iranian banks,  but no sanctions on oil exports: U.S. Circulates New Draft Proposal for Iran Sanctions (NY Times) Under Iraqi law, US forces are on their way out and…

Dhahi Khalfan Tamim plans to ask the Dubai prosecutor to issue arrest warrants for Binyamin Netanyahu and Meir Dagan because of their involvement in the killing of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh: Dubai: Israeli Premier Faces Arrest (Al Jazeera) Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani’s neutrality and endorsement of open democratic processes will play a critical role in shaping the…

The ” justices wiped out a ruling … that the judicial branch had no power to release into the United States those cleared of being enemy combatants but who cannot be returned to their home countries for fear of persecution”: Supreme Court Dismisses Case Involving Resettlement of Guantanamo Detainees (Washington Post) The IAEA announcement that…

The new envoy to the OIC says misperceptions run in both directions: Rashad Hussain, a Muslim and New U.S. Envoy, is Bridge Between Two Worlds (Washington Post) Economic growth remains meaningless without political freedom and an end to Israeli oppression: Growth That Palestine Can Believe In (Guardian) “Dr. ElBaradei has called on the state to…

After clashes in Hebron and four Palestinians shot by Israeli soldiers near Bethlehem: Violence Flares at Jerusalem Holy Site (Reuters) “Tens of millions of Iranians are calling for a halt to censorship, restrictions, repression, adventurism and ambivalence in foreign diplomacy, ruinous economic polices and the expansion of corruption and lies… Our people very well understand…

In what has become the most dangerous country  in the world for journalists, the government has recently implemented legislation described as “an alarming return to authoritarianism”: Iraqi Journalist Sees Threats to Press Freedom (Washington Post) 80% of imports arrive through the tunnels creating a powerful mafia in Gaza leading some dreamers to hope that closure…