Israel Retaliates for Deadly Attacks Near Sinai

Israeli jets attacked the southern Gaza Strip Thursday after the government blamed Gaza militants for a series of deadly raids in southern Israel. (more…)

Obama calls on Assad to step down, freezes Syria’s assets

President Obama today called on Syrian President Bashar Assad to step down, as his brutal crackdown on the country’s uprising continues to escalate.

“The future of Syria must be determined by its people, but President Bashar al-Assad is standing in their way,” Obama said in a statement. “His calls for dialogue and reform have rung hollow while he is imprisoning, torturing and slaughtering his own people …” (more…)

Lebanon bans indoor smoking and tobacco advertising

Lebanon’s Parliament Wednesday endorsed a law banning smoking in all enclosed public places, including restaurants, bars, cafes and offices.

The law was presented for vote with an amendment that would fine owners of businesses if they fail to implement the smoking ban and will also fine individuals who violate the ban. (more…)

Hezbollah, allies slam STL’s released indictment in Hariri murder

Hezbollah MP Nawwaf Moussawi slammed on Thursday the indictment by the UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), which said it has enough evidence to try the four Hezbollah members in the 2005 assassination of former PM Rafik Hariri. (more…)

Nasrallah slams STL indictment of Hezbollah members

“What was published today supports what have been saying in the past few months that this investigation is neither transparent nor scientific. I call on the Lebanese people to look at the media reports and compare it with the indictment. They tried to hide some numbers to say that not all of it was leaked” Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said (more…)

Syrian Central Bank curbs foreign currency sales due to uprising

The Central Bank commission responsible for combating money laundering and terrorism financing said banks and exchange institutions should only offer foreign currency when there is an “economic justification” for the transaction. (more…)

Hariri urges Hezbollah to cooperate with the Tribunal

Former Lebanese PM and current opposition leader Saad Hariri praised in a statement on Wednesday the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL)’s decision to publish the indictment for the 2005 murder of his father, former PM Rafik Hariri and urged Hezbollah to cooperate with the court. (more…)

Leave Syria now, 17,000 Filipinos urged

The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Tuesday urged some 17,000 Filipinos, mostly women working as domestic helpers, to leave Syria due to rising cases of violence, saying it would cover the costs of their evacuation. (more…)

STL publishes indictment in 2005 Hariri murder

The UN-backed tribunal investigating the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri said Tuesday it had published the full indictment. (more…)

Assad regime counting its days?

Western experts seem to believe that the Assad regime is counting its days, that this regime will not be able to sustain the force of the uprising and, of course, the violence used by this regime against the uprising is creating the situation where this regime seems that it will collapse