Articles

Another setback for Saudi policy as the regime is forced to retreat on its threats against Qatar from where it had withdrawn its ambassador last month. Bahrain and the UAE had followed suit but Kuwait and Oman did not. An agreement has now been reached to patch differences and get back to business as usual--rubbing noses and kissing.

While appearing for a court hearing, albeit behind closed doors, human rights lawyer and activist Waleed Abulkhair was sent to prison. He was out on bail following his three-month sentence last October for “insulting the judiciary,” the “authorities” and “holding unauthorized meetings.” The regime has become totally paranoid but its oppressive tactics seem not to work as people are posting messages on YouTube demanding basic rights.

The New York Police Department claims it has ended its mass surveillance of Muslims in New York State. Is this true? Have they disbanded all their illegal activities or is it just an attempt to deflect criticism from civil rights groups that have exposed NYPD wrongdoing causing embarrassment to the US abroad where US officials never tire of lecturing others about human rights?

The mystery of Bandar bin Sultan's absence from the kingdom has finally been resolved with his removal from the post of intelligence chief. He had lost the Syria file to cousin and Interior Minister Mohammed bin Nayef earlier this year. What will Bandar do now? Given his penchant for mischief-making, it would be premature to write him off but his major role in the kingdom's affairs is over. Good riddance!

This year's Pulitzer prize went to two newspapers, The Guardian of Britain and the Washington Post in the US. The Pulitzer board recognized the contribution of two mainstream newspapers that exposed massive official wrongdoing in the US. Other mainstream media outlets did not. The Pulitzer board did not name individual reporters, like the Guardian's Glenn Greenwald (picture) who took Edward Snowden's documents and published them.

The tragedy of Muslims in India is that they face two enemies: the fascist Hindus that closely follow the Nazi ideology, and their own religious leaders. The maulanas of India are a bunch of opportunists that issue statements to benefit themselves, not the broader Muslim community. Pity the Muslims as the Hindu Nazis of the BJP are poised to come to power in India with elections underway.

Terrorist mercenaries have attacked international peace activists visiting Syria. Rockets landed close to their hotel in Damascus. While two people were reported injured, none of them was a peace activist. The group is on the third day of its visit to Syria and hope to meet different groups, including members of the opposition and bring out the correct news about what is underway in Syria.

An outrageous case of attempted murder registered against a 9-month-old infant Muhammad Musa Khan has been withdrawn after the police removed his name from the First Information Report (FIR). The case, however, shows the unruly nature of the police as well as the dysfunctional legal system that would allow an infant to be brought to court on such charges and fingerprinted. Have they lost their minds?

The US continues to behave in a manner that confirms its outlaw status. Its latest outrageous act has been denial of visa to Iran's ambassador-designate to the UN, Hamid Aboutalebi. The warlords in Washington think they have the authority to decide who should be a country's ambassador to the UN. It is time the UN was moved out of New York. The US is unfit to host the world body.

In the absence of clear information, there is bound to be speculation about Malaysia Airline Flight MH-370. The biggest unanswered question is: how can a huge plane simply disappear with all the modern technology and satellite images that can identify a car number plate from several miles up in the air? A great number of countries are withholding crucial information. There is much more to the mystery than meets the eye.