News

Syria death toll hits 33,082 – Security Council inaction encouraging Assad

Oct 13 2012
Syria
Source: 
Kuwait Times

Violence in Syria has killed at least 33,082 people, most of them civilians, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said yesterday. Some 1,000 people have been killed in the past five days alone, the Britain-based watchdog said.  “This is all-out war-there is no other way to describe the violence in Syria,” Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said. At least 23,630 civilians have been killed, along with 8,211 soldiers and 1,241 army defectors who joined the insurgency against President Bashar al-Assad.

Assembly dissolution under scrutiny – Experts debate decree amid conflicting views

Oct 06 2012
Kuwait
Source: 
Kuwait Times

National Assembly was subjected to a delicate constitutional scrutiny by experts and law professors to make sure that it does not have any constitutional violations in it. The source confirmed approving the decree any minute besides other decrees to call for new elections, the state’s budget and transforming Kuwait Airways into a shareholding company, as the Government considers them to be laws that cannot be delayed to meet the urgency requirement, according to Article 71 of the Constitution.

Parliament dissolved, paving ground for early elections

Oct 04 2012
Jordan
Source: 
Jordan Times

A Royal Decree was issued on Thursday dissolving Parliament, a Royal Court statement said. Another Royal Decree was issued calling for early elections according to the provisions of the Elections Law. According to Paragraph 1 of Article 34 of the Constitution, the King issues directives for holding Lower House elections in the manner described in the Elections Law and related bylaws. In accordance with the amended Constitution, the current government will have to resign within a week of the dissolution.

Brahimi meets Assad in Damascus

Sep 15 2012
Syria
Source: 
AL JAZEERA

UN-Arab League envoy has first meeting with Syrian president since accepting envoy's role amid reports of new killings.
Syrian state television says UN-Arab League envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi has met President Bashar al-Assad to discuss efforts to end the country's 18-month-old conflict that activists say has killed more than 27,000 people.
Saturday's meeting was Brahimi's first with Assad since he replaced Kofi Annan as peace envoy two weeks ago, taking on a mission which the veteran Algerian diplomat described as "nearly impossible".

Political, religious leaders meet Pope at Lebanon presidential palace

Sep 15 2012
Lebanon
Source: 
Now Lebanon

Pope Benedict XVI on Saturday visited the Baabda Presidential Palace and met with Lebanon’s top political and religious leaders during the second day of his thre-day visit to the country.
The pontiff was greeted by President Michel Suleiman and his wife at the entrance of the palace.
Following the meeting with Suleiman, the pope also held talks with Prime Minister Najib Miqati and Speaker Nabih Berri.
He later met with Lebanon’s religious leaders representing the different sects that constitute Lebanon’s religious makeup.

Turkish PM slams anti-Muslim film, violent reactions

Sep 14 2012
Turkey
Source: 
Hurriyet Daily NEws

Insulting Islam and the Prophet Muhammad cannot be considered freedom of speech, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said today in relation to protests that are sweeping the world in response to an anti-Islam film. At the same time, however, such insults do not provide people with the right to attack others, Erdoğan said in the Ukrainian city of Yalta. “Those who made this movie should be condemned in the harshest terms. But insulting religion cannot be an excuse to attack people,” Erdoğan said, according to daily Hürriyet.

Yemenis protest 'Saleh terrorism'

Sep 13 2012
Yemen
Source: 
Gulf Times

Tens of thousands of people demonstrated in Yemen’s capital yesterday to denounce violence a day after a failed attempt to assassinate the defence minister killed 12 people.
Protesters answering a call to demonstrate “against terrorism and assassinations” also slammed ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh whom they accuse of fuelling violence, and called for an end to his immunity from prosecution.
“Terrorism and Al Qaeda are Ali Saleh and his sons,” chanted demonstrators in the protest called by a group of activists from the Committee of Youth of the Peaceful Revolution.

Egyptian Court Affirms Ruling to Disband Parliament

Jul 09 2012
Egypt
Source: 
THE POST

CAIRO — Egypt's constitutional court insisted on Monday that an earlier court decision that led to the dissolving of Parliament must stand, ratcheting up a confrontation with the new president a day after he tried to reclaim legislative authority by unexpectedly ordering the country’s Islamist-led Parliament to reconvene. State television said that the Supreme Constitutional Court, after discussing President Mohamed Morsi's order to Parliament on Sunday, refused to reconsider its decision, affirming that it was final and binding, news agencies reported.

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