Al Akhbar English

150 doctors demand independent care for Guantanamo hunger strikers

Chloe Benoist — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:19:09 +0000

Activists from Amnesty International human rights association wear orange uniforms like Guantanamo detainees and hold a banner reading "Investigate and prosecute US Torture" during a protest action on the Potsdamer Platz in Berlin, on 19 June 2013 where US President has his hotel during his official visit. (Photo: AFP - Oliver Lang)

More than 150 doctors from the United States and Britain have written to President Barack Obama urging him to grant independent medical care to hunger-striking Guantanamo detainees.

The hunger strike, which began more than four months ago, is meant to protest the inmates' indefinite detention at the military facility even though more than half have been cleared for release.

Syrian National Currency Takes a Plunge

Ali — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:41:26 +0000

A bundle of Syrian pounds and U.S. dollars is seen in Amman in this 6 December 2011 file photo. (Photo: Reuters - Ali Jarekji)

Damascus – This week brings unprecedented economic news to Syria as the Syrian pound is further depreciated against the US dollar. According to the most recent bulletin of foreign exchange rates, the price of the dollar has exceeded SP200.

Nadeem Mohammed

Lebanon: The University as Exporter of Graduates

Ali — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:33:33 +0000

there are no factories and no work opportunities, and if they want to open a factory, they have to pay bribes. (Photo: Haitham Moussawi)

There are no factories and no work opportunities, and if they want to open a factory, they have to pay bribes. (Photo: Haitham Moussawi)

Little coordination exists between Lebanon’s industrial sector and its university engineering and scientific research centers. Each side blames the other for the problem, with manufacturers claiming that universities do not apply their theoretical work practically, and universities countering that there is a lack of interest on behalf of local companies in developing indigenous knowledge production.

Faten Elhajj

Interview: UN Envoy in Syria Warns of “Major Disaster”

Ali — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:25:06 +0000

A Syrian young boy runs holding an old rifle as he helps fighters belonging to the "Martyrs of Maaret al-Numan" battalion on 13 June 2013 in the southern Syrian town of Maaret al-Numan in the Idlib province. (Photo: AFP - Niel Leal-Olivas)

In his first interview with the press, Moroccan-Canadian diplomat Mokhtar Lamani spoke about the UN mission he heads in Syria, its day-to-day details, and the prospects of a negotiated political solution.

Qusayr’s Wounded Convalesce in the Lebanese Bekaa

Ali — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:15:42 +0000

A Syrian injured young man, who fled with his family the recent violence in Qusayr, lays down in the backyard of Arsal municipality where refugees wait before registering and finding a shelter on 14 June 2013 in the Lebanese Bekaa valley. (Photo: AFP - Joseph Eid)

The Farhat Hospital in the Lebanese town of Jib Janine is packed with injured Syrian opposition fighters. On the second floor, spread out over 15 rooms, 36 fighters wounded in Qusayr are being treated.

Usama al-Qadiri

Obama keeps mum on US military aid to Syrian rebels

Chloe Benoist — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:06:04 +0000

US President Barack Obama listens during a bilateral meeting with French President Francois Hollande on the sidelines of the G8 summit in the Lough Erne resort near Enniskillen, Northern Ireland on 18 June 2013. (Photo: AFP - Jewel Samad)

US President Barack Obama on Wednesday refused to specify the exact nature of new US military aid to Syrian rebels, despite signals from top US officials that they will be receiving small arms and ammunition.

Obama’s silence comes as Syria's main opposition bloc, the Syrian National Coalition (SNC), said Wednesday that any political solution to the conflict must lead to the fall of the Syrian government.

The National Coalition's statement comes after G8 leaders said they were "committed to achieving a political solution" to the Syrian conflict.

Suicide bomber kills local political leader in Iraq

Chloe Benoist — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:48:01 +0000

A suicide bombing in northern Iraq on Wednesday killed the leader of a provincial political party and four relatives, officials said, on the eve of elections his bloc was to participate in.

Yunus al-Ramah, head of the United Iraq party, had been hosting a social gathering at his home in the town of al-Hadhr, in Nineveh province, when the attack took place, according to security and medical officials.

"The suicide bomber targeted people gathering in Ramah's garden," said police First Lieutenant Islam al-Juburi.

Bahraini teen activist faces up to 80 years in prison

Yumna Ghandour — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:12:04 +0000

A Bahraini protestor protects himself from tear gas fired by riot police during clashes following a protest to demand more rights and against the ruling regime in the village of Bilad al-Qadeem, in a suburb of Manama, on 15 June 2013. (Photo: AFP - Mohammed al-Shaikh)

A Bahraini court sentenced an 18-year-old opposition member, Akbar Ali al-Kishi, to 10 years in prison Wednesday over charges of blowing up gas cylinders, family and activists said, adding that the young activist faces several more decades of imprisonment.

Five others were accused of the same crime and were all handed down a ten-year sentence, Kishi’s father told Al-Akhbar, while one of them was tried in absentia.

“They didn’t allow [his mother and I] to be at the court hearing when they gave him the sentence,” he added.

Turkey's peaceful protests continue despite Erdogan claiming "victory"

Chloe Benoist — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 11:46:37 +0000

People stand on the flashpoint Taksim square in Istanbul on 18 June 2013 during a wave of new alternative protests in Turkey. (Photo: AFP - Bulent Kilic)

Riot police on Wednesday clashed briefly with groups of anti-government protesters in two Turkish cities, as demonstrators in Istanbul switched to silent protests after a heavy police crackdown.

A day after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed victory over the mass protests that have defied his authority for nearly three weeks, several dozen protesters held a quiet vigil on Istanbul's Taksim Square, standing still and silent in the midday heat.

Egypt tourism minister resigns over controversial new governor

Chloe Benoist — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 10:15:01 +0000

Iranian tourists visit the Temple of Hatshepsut in Luxor on 3 June 2013. (Photo: AFP)

Egypt's minister of tourism has resigned following the appointment of a member of an Islamist party linked to a deadly attack on tourists as new governor in the temple city of Luxor, state TV said Wednesday.

Hisham Zazou said that following the appointment of Adel al-Khayat – a member of the political arm of ex-Islamic militant group Gamaa Islamiya – he "cannot continue in his role as minister of tourism."

Khayat's nomination sparked fury across the tourism sector, a once-lucrative industry which has been devastated in the aftermath of the 2011 uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak.