Arab Spring

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Kuwait Man Gets 2 Years for Tweet Insulting Emir

Country is cracking down on social media

(Newser) - A Kuwaiti man will spend the next two years of his life in prison over a tweet, as the Gulf nation continues its crackdown on dissent in social media. The man, who has 5,700 Twitter followers, received a 2-year sentence for a tweet deemed to have "stabbed the...

Assad Outlines Peace Deal, Blasts 'Terrorists'

Rebels blast speech as intended to derail diplomatic solution

(Newser) - Bashar al-Assad today took to Syria's airwaves to outline a new peace initiative that wasn't terribly likely to result in peace of any kind. Staunchly refusing to step down, Assad said he's now ready to negotiate with those "who have not betrayed Syria," dismissing rebels...

UN Envoy: Syria Faces 'Hell' Without Deal

Lakhdar Brahimi warns of dire consequences if solution isn't reached soon

(Newser) - UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi is warning that a political solution must be reached in the Syrian crisis, lest the nation ravaged by a 21-month-old civil war tumble "into more and more chaos and perhaps a failed state." Speaking in Moscow where he's negotiating, Brahimi said the world...

Syria Strike Kills Dozens: Activists

As Lakhdar Brahimi in Damascus for peace talks

(Newser) - A government airstrike killed dozens of people today in a town near the central city of Hama, anti-regime activists in Syria said. The attack came as main international envoy Lakhdar Brahimi was beginning talks in Damascus aimed at ending the civil war. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said...

NBC's Engel Details 5 Days in Syria Captivity

Foreign correspondent and team were rescued yesterday

(Newser) - Five days after their kidnapping in Syria, an NBC News team has been "freed unharmed," the network says. "We are pleased to report they are safely out of the country." The release of chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel and his crew followed a firefight at a...

Syria Bombs Refugee Camp
 Syria Bombs Refugee Camp 
Dec 16, 2012 8:42 AM CST

Syria Bombs Refugee Camp

Unknown number dead in Damascus refuge for Palestinians

(Newser) - Fighter jets belonging to the regime of Bashar al-Assad have bombed a Damascus refugee camp today amid heavy fighting with rebels. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights tells the BBC that at least eight are dead in the al-Yarmouk refugee camp, which is home to mainly Palestinian refugees; Reuters, meanwhile,...

Russia Admits Syria Regime Is 'Losing Control'

Opposition may win, deputy foreign minister says

(Newser) - For the first time, Russia—a staunch Syria ally—has admitted President Bashar al-Assad's government may fall. His forces are "losing more and more control and territory," Russia's deputy foreign minister said today. "Unfortunately, we cannot rule out the victory of the Syrian opposition."...

Vigilante Morsi Supporters Detained, Beat Foes

Protesters forced to confess to being traitors

(Newser) - Vigilante supporters of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi captured dozens of rival protesters in clashes in Cairo last week, beat them, and held them for hours before delivering them to police, the New York Times reports. Using tactics human rights groups say are strongly reminiscent of Hosni Mubarak's regime, the...

Syrian Rebels Overrun Aleppo Base

35 troops killed in latest rebel advance

(Newser) - Syrian rebels are now in full control of a sprawling military base they stormed two days earlier and have killed 35 government troops in the fighting, an activist group says. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the battle for the Sheik Suleiman base near the northern city of...

Egypt Opposition: No Talks With Morsi

Rejects president's offer for dialogue, calls for more protests

(Newser) - Mohamed Morsi's call for a dialogue between himself and opposition leaders tomorrow has been rejected by the opposition, AFP reports.The National Salvation Front, a coalition of opposition groups, called for more demonstrations today and told Reuters that its "official stance" is that it will not join any...

Morsi Returns to Palace as More Protests Loom

Muslim Brotherhood, opposition call for competing protests at palace today

(Newser) - Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi returned to the presidential palace today after fleeing yesterday when it was thronged by protesters, Reuters reports. Though 200 demonstrators camped out overnight, traffic was back to normal today and riot police had left the area. In yesterday's clashes, 35 protesters and 40 police officers...

Syria May Be Prepping Chemical Weapons

US official says activity suggests they may intend to use weapons

(Newser) - Syria and chemical weapons: Words you don't want to hear in the same sentence, but ones that are once again making headlines. The New York Times reports that the regime appears to be moving its chemical weapons again , according to intelligence out of Syria. But the most recent reports...

Egypt's Court Shuts, Blames 'Psychological Assassination'

Judges blocked by pro-Morsi protesters

(Newser) - Amid mass protests in support of Mohamed Morsi, Egypt's top court went on strike indefinitely today, saying in a terse statement that "[the judges] announce the suspension of the court sessions until the time when they can continue their message and rulings in cases without any psychological and...

US Rethinks Role in Syria


 US Rethinks Role in Syria 
Nov 29, 2012 9:57 AM CST

US Rethinks Role in Syria

White House considering more involvement to aid rebels

(Newser) - With the US election over and Syrian rebels seemingly gaining momentum, the Obama administration is taking a fresh look at its own potential involvement in the conflict, the New York Times reports. First, Washington must consider whether NATO should install surface-to-air missiles in Turkey, which some see as a deterrent...

2 Car Bombs Kill Dozens in Damascus

Twin bombs went off in a parking lot between two commercial buildings

(Newser) - Twin car bombs ripped through a Damascus suburb today, killing at least 34 people and leaving dozens critically wounded, according to state media and hospital officials. State news agency SANA said two cars packed with explosives detonated within five minutes of each other early in the morning just before employees...

Is Morsi a Dictator at Heart?
 Is Morsi  
 a Dictator 
 at Heart? 
OPINIONS
Nov 27, 2012 12:26 PM CST

Is Morsi a Dictator at Heart?

Two views on whether he and the Muslim Brotherhood duped the West

(Newser) - Mohamed Morsi's bid to put himself above the courts, at least temporarily , has protesters filling Tahrir Square again and commenters debating whether he's been a dictator-in-waiting all along. Two views on that subject:
  • Jonah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times : Morsi is no moderate and never has been, no matter
...

Anti-Morsi Protests Rage in Tahrir Square

And judges say dispute over power grab has not been resolved

(Newser) - Despite reports yesterday that Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi had agreed to limit the scope of his recent power grab , protesters are rallying in Tahrir Square for a fifth day, and Egyptian judges say no deal with Morsi has yet been reached. Morsi's spokesperson yesterday said the president's new...

US Pledges $30M More in Syria Aid

France formally recognizes opposition coalition

(Newser) - Two pieces of good news this week for the newly-formed Syria opposition coalition : France became the first Western country to officially recognize it as the only valid representative of the Syrian people, and the US pledged $30 million in humanitarian aid. Hillary Clinton pledged the additional aid today at a...

Israel Fires Warning Shot at Syria

First foray into fighting after mortar shells hit Golan Heights

(Newser) - The Israeli military has fired a missile into Syria, the first time Israel has been drawn into the fighting in the neighboring country. The military said it fired the missile as a warning shot today after a stray mortar from Syria hit a military post in the Golan Heights. The...

Syrian Rebels Form Coalition
 Syrian Rebels Form Coalition 
Nov 11, 2012 5:45 AM CST

Syrian Rebels Form Coalition

Deal announced after week of talks in Qatar

(Newser) - After a week of talks, Syria's fractious opposition movement has agreed on one thing: Get Bashar al-Assad out. The rebels announced they had formed a coalition today in Doha, Qatar, reports the BBC , after significant international pressure to unite. "An initial deal has been signed," says a...

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