Syria News Wire

Well done to the BBC for this sentence: “About 1,200 Lebanese, mostly civilians, and 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers, were killed in the conflict.” It avoids the usual fog of “the conflict which killed more than 1,000 people”. It highlights the asymmetry of the conflict in two ways: many, many more Lebanese died than Israelis. And [...]

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The past seven days in Syria really could have taken place in 1987, not 2007. If two events show us that nothing has changed, it is the parliamentary elections, and the sentencing of human rights campaigner Anwar Al-Bunni. The embarrassing contrast of Syria’s polls taking place on the same day that France voted for its [...]

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While the rest of the world was waiting for the results of France’s elections, Al Jazeera devoted thirty-minutes to Syria’s vote. An incisive debate between: The Opposition: Ausama Monajed from the Movement for Justice and Development The Loyalist: George Jabbour, former adviser to Hafez Al-Assad The Sceptic: Dr Marwan Kabalan, political science professor at the [...]

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At least fifteen people have been killed, and many more injured in a major road accident on the main highway to Iraq. It happened when a speeding truck crashed into a total of eighteen other vehicles. The cars were travelling slowly through a sandstorm, and that may have contributed to the lack of visibility. All [...]

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I’m sleeping, don’t wake me up. Photos: John Wreford. “There was little drama about the outcome. Pre-election horse-trading and backroom alliances meant that nine of the 19 seats were uncontested, and there was little real opposition … for control of the rest. Outside polling stations, voters were handed small squares of paper with [a] political [...]

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Some of the delicious Al Jazeera English programmes now have their own dedicated page on YouTube. It means you can watch some of AJE’s fantastic feature programming just a day or two after transmission. Right now, the Fabulous Picture Show (Amanda Palmer’s alternative movie programme, made at London’s beautiful Everyman Cinema Club, at the top [...]

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HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY 17 April 1946

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An Israeli Minister says his country is ready to start negotiating with Syria. Syria has repeatedly offered talks with Israel over the past seven years, but Israel has ignored every call. When US Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Damascus and announced that Israel and Syria were ready to start peace talks, she was rebuked by Israel. [...]

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Why is this not called ‘terrorism’?

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The World Economic Forum has analysed Syria’s economy for the first time, and praised it for having low corruption. It also says Syria’s economic infrastructure is efficient – with the exception of the airports and sea ports. The health care and education systems also come in for praise, where progress has been made. Syria is [...]

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