Bulldozers raze Gaddafi Bab al-Aziziya compound

Bulldozers have begun demolishing the fortress-like Bab al-Aziziya compound of deposed Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in the capital Tripoli.

Interim leaders said it was time “to tear down the symbol of tyranny”. (more…)

Arab League divided over suspending Syria’s membership

The Arab League debated for hours Sunday on whether to suspend Syria’s membership over the bloody crackdown on anti-regime protesters, but deep divisions among the 22 nations suggested the proposal will not pass.

To sideline Syria, at least two-thirds of the countries would have to support suspension. A bloc of six Gulf nations, including Saudi Arabia, was leading the push for the measure (more…)

Israel names prisoners to be freed in swap deal

Israel has made public the names of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners it will free in exchange for soldier Gilad Shalit as part of a deal it reached with Hamas. (more…)

Italy complicit in masking Sadr’s disappearance, report

During an exclusive interview with NOW Lebanon on the day the Lebanese Supreme Court heard the plaintiffs in the case of the disappearance of Imam Moussa Sadr in open court for the first time, Chibli Mallat—the lawyer representing the families of Imam Moussa Sadr, Sheikh Muhammad Yaqub and Journalist Abbas Badreddin, who disappeared in Libya in 1978—said that new evidence showed Italy had been complicit in masking the role that embattled Libyan leader Moammar Qaddafi had in the incident. (more…)

Experts: Arms smuggling into Syria flourishes

As the revolt in Syria drags on, experts say weapons smuggling into the country has flourished, especially from Lebanon, with automatic weapons, grenades and hunting rifles in high demand.

They say that those behind the trafficking are smugglers in search of quick profits rather than political parties (more…)

Lebanon: As Syria retreats, Iran advances

As Syria’s influence in Lebanon wanes, that of Iran, already significant, increases.

Assad forms committee to change Syria’s constitution

President Bashar al-Assad formed a committee on Saturday to draft a new constitution within four months, the official news agency said, following a series of new laws that gave Syrians more freedom on paper after months of popular unrest. (more…)

Syrian embassy slammed over kidnappings in Lebanon

MP Akram Chehayeb, a member of the National Struggle Front bloc which is headed by MP Walid Jumblatt slammed Syrian Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Abdel Karim Ali by saying that “no diplomat has the right to interfere in a case that is now in the hands of the relevant [Lebanese] judiciary,” in reference to the disappearance of Shebli al-Aysami. (more…)

Syria forces kill 12, toll tops 3,000

Syrian forces killed at least 12 people on Friday, as supporters and opponents of UN action against the regime crossed swords at the Security Council over a crackdown that has cost more than 3,000 lives. (more…)

U.S. envoy to Syria warns of worsening violence

The top U.S. diplomat in Syria warned Friday that rising violence in Syrian cities is fueling concerns of civil war, and he accused the Syrian government of deliberately exacerbating tensions between ethnic and religious groups. (more…)