Yemen: Anwar al-Awlaki, top Al Qaeda figure killed

Al Qaeda figure Anwar al-Awlaki, one of the most wanted terrorists on a U.S. target list, has been killed in Yemen, according to a statement issued by the country’s defense ministry. (more…)

Syrian Soldiers, police killed in Rastan, amid reports of mass defections

Seven Syrian soldiers and police have been killed in clashes with forces opposed to President Bashar al-Assad in the central town of Rastan, Syria’s state news agency Sana reports.

At least three civilians were reported killed in the surrounding province.

The news came amid reports of mass defections to the rebels in Rastan. (more…)

Geagea: Assad wants to gain Sunni legitimacy

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad wants to gain Sunni legitimacy by receiving Lebanese Sunni figures, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said during an interview with An-Nahar newspaper published on Friday , in reference to the visits of former Prime Ministers Salim al-Hoss and Omar Karami to Damascus. (more…)

Court acts to stop arranged wedlock

A 16-YEAR-OLD Lebanese Australian girl has been placed on a nationwide airport watch list to stop her being sent to Lebanon against her will for an arranged marriage.

In what a magistrate has called an ”act of great bravery”, the girl sought a court order to stop her parents taking her out of Australia to marry a man she has met only once. (more…)

Model Airplanes a New Terrorist Weapon?

Model airplanes are suddenly on the public’s radar as potential terrorist weapons.

A 26-year-old man from a Boston suburb was arrested Wednesday and accused of plotting to attack the Pentagon and the U.S. Capitol with remote-controlled model planes packed with explosives. (more…)

Security Council divided over threat of UN sanctions against Syria

The Security Council is now divided over whether to even threaten United Nations sanctions against Syria.

The council met again Thursday behind closed doors to try to bridge divisions on what would be a first U.N. resolution condemning the government’s six month military crackdown and calling for inclusive political talks. (more…)

Syrian authorities seize arms coming from Lebanon, SANA

The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), a Government owned organization reported late Thursday that Syrian authorities at the country’s Jdeidet Yabous border crossing seized a large amount of weapons and ammunition being smuggled in from Lebanon. (more…)

Saudi adviser denies threat to Westerners in Riyadh

An adviser to Saudi Arabia’s government Thursday denied there is any kidnapping threat for Westerners in Riyadh, adding that he has “no idea” what prompted U.S. officials to issue such a warning. (more…)

Syria refugees say they are trapped, unsafe in Lebanon

Syrian refugees who have fled violence and bloodshed into neighboring Lebanon say they are unable to return for fear of persecution, but complain that they are still not safe from Syrian authorities who, they say, have infiltrated Lebanon.

“I can’t return until the regime falls,” said dissident Suheed al-Aqari, 30, who has been staying at an abandoned school where food and shelter are provided by a local charity. (more…)

Era of one-man rule over in Arab world: U.N. envoy

The era of one-man rule in Arab countries is drawing to a close and the change sweeping the region will take hold in Syria soon, a United Nations envoy said.

“Syria is in the midst of a profound crisis. I do believe strongly that there will be substantial change,” U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Michael Williams told Reuters. (more…)