Monthly Archives: December 2012

Gaza Commits War Crimes

By | 2012-12-28T01:21:08-04:00 December 28th, 2012|News|

The Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued a rare condemnation of Gaza terrorists on Monday for war crimes - without the usual “balancing act” of blaming Israel.   HRW did not go so far as to describe “Palestinian armed groups” as terrorists, but the categorical censure of rocket launchers marks a drastic change in the attitude

Egypt’s top prosecutor orders probe against ElBaradei, Moussa and Sabahi

By | 2012-12-28T00:47:32-04:00 December 28th, 2012|News|

Egypt’s top prosecutor ordered on Thursday an investigation into several opposition officials over allegations that they planned to overthrow the regime of newly elected Islamist President Mohammed Mursi.   The decree comes after a lawyer filed a complaint against Mohamed ElBaradei, Amr Moussa and Hamdeen Sabahi, the main opposition members of the National Salvation Front.

Cabinet resignations deal setback for Egypt’s Mursi

By | 2012-12-27T23:55:33-04:00 December 27th, 2012|News|

An Islamist minister quit Egypt’s government on Thursday, the second cabinet resignation this week, as President Mohamed Mursi tries to shore up his authority and gather support for unpopular austerity measures.   An economic crisis and a battle over a new constitution have underlined bitter divisions between Islamist-backed Mursi and his liberal opponents and delayed

Egypt pound lowest in almost eight years as devaluation fears spread

By | 2012-12-27T13:37:38-04:00 December 27th, 2012|News|

The Egyptian pound fell to its weakest in almost eight years as concerns the government might devalue or place restrictions on currency movements prompted citizens to pile into dollars, forex traders said.   Renewed political strife over the past month has thrown doubt on the ability of the government to push through a program of

Morsi: Constitution is a ‘New Dawn’ for Egypt

By | 2012-12-27T13:22:07-04:00 December 27th, 2012|News|

Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi on Wednesday hailed an Islamist-backed charter as "a new dawn" for his country, and said he would now tackle a teetering economy, AFP reported.   In a televised national address several hours after he signed the new constitution into law, Morsi said he would reshuffle his government and renewed an offer

Egypt’s Mursi in talks with PM to make Cabinet changes

By | 2012-12-27T02:09:30-04:00 December 27th, 2012|News|

Egypt’s President Mohamed Mursi on Wednesday said he would shuffle his government to tackle pressing economic problems.   The announcement was made in a national address during which he hailed a new constitution backed by his Islamist allies.   Mursi said he was consulting with Prime Minister Hisham Qandil on the ministerial changes.   “I

U.S. urges Egyptians to bridge divisions after constitutional vote

By | 2012-12-27T00:53:14-04:00 December 27th, 2012|News|

The United States on Tuesday urged all sides in Egypt to increase political engagement after Egyptian officials announced that voters had overwhelmingly approved a new constitution drafted by President Mohammed Mursi’s Islamist allies.   “President Mursi, as the democratically elected leader of Egypt, has a special responsibility to move forward in a way that recognizes

Egypt’s New Islamist Constitution Becomes Law

By | 2012-12-26T13:34:58-04:00 December 26th, 2012|News|

A new Constitution drafted by an Islamist-majority committee has been signed into law by Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi.   With less than one one-third of voters turning out to decide the fate of the draft over the past week, those who did approved the document by 63.8 %.   However, many Egyptian citizens appear to

Rare Find of Temple Era Artifacts near Jerusalem

By | 2012-12-26T13:12:26-04:00 December 26th, 2012|Archeology and History|

The discovery, like may others, was made during road excavation, this time at a new section of the Tel Aviv-Jerusalem Highway, known as Highway 1. The archaeological site is known as Tel Motza, at the Motza turnoff less than five miles west of Jerusalem.   A ritual building and a cache of sacred vessels date