Arab Americans hold ground in Michigan elections

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Updated 05 August 2022
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Arab Americans hold ground in Michigan elections

CHICAGO: Arab Americans held their own in Michigan’s primary elections on Aug. 2, but it was a Jewish American congressman who was ousted there by a massive $12 million funded campaign by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) that targeted several incumbents and candidates.

Jewish Congressman Andy Levin, the son of a former Congressman Sandy Levin and nephew of former Senator Carl Levin, was forced to run in a new district as a result of remapping last year, and lost Tuesday.

Despite his well-known surname, Levin lost to Congresswoman Haley Stevens in part because he was targeted by AIPAC, which was angered by his support of both Israeli and Palestinian interests.

But long-time Michigan political consultant and pollster Dennis Denno told Arab News that AIPAC’s money wasn’t the real factor that caused his loss, but rather it was his decision to challenge Stevens in a year when women candidates are seeing a surge in their popularity.

 

“Haley Stevens was kind of a celebrity with Michigan Democrats. She flipped a Republican congressional seat. And she takes credit with helping with the auto bailout under President Obama. So that was unfortunate for Democrats because you had two congressionals getting merged into one district,” said Denno, explaining the battle in the newly drawn 11th Congressional District during an appearance on The Ray Hanania Radio Show.

“A lot of Democrats were frustrated if not bitter with Andy Levin because he could have run in that Carl Marlinga-John James seat (10th District) and could have avoided this really ugly expensive primary because he wanted to run in Oakland County.”

Denno added: “Andy Levin was kind of more, for a lack of a better word, moderate with regards to Middle East policies. The pro-Israel and AIPAC groups beat him up over that. ... I saw a lot of the mail and I saw a lot of the TV ads (attacking Levin). One you had Haley Stevens, she is a woman, so she has got that bounce and I didn’t see how Andy Levin was going to break through.”

But Levin chose not to run in the 10th District where Palestinian American activists Huwaida Arraf announced her candidacy. Arraf was also targeted by AIPAC but Denno said he didn’t believe she could overcome the popularity and name recognition that fueled Carl Marlinga’s election victory there on Tuesday.

Stevens won 60 percent or 70,478 votes in the new 11th District while Levin only took 40 percent or 47,117 votes, according to unofficial election returns from Wednesday morning.

In the 10th District, Marlinga won on his high-profile name recognition, securing 48 percent of the vote in a field of five Democratic candidates, including Arraf, who ran fourth with 13 percent support.

Marlinga served nearly 40 years as Macomb County prosecutor, assistant US attorney and judge on the 16th Judicial Circuit Court and Probate Court. Oakland and Macomb counties have always represented the heart of innovation and hard work in Michigan.

Denno said the new 10th District leans Republican and despite Marlinga’s primary victory, he faces a tough race in November against John James who ran twice as a Republican for the Michigan Senate.

 

“Carl Marlinga was the only one who had name ID. I really like Carl Marlinga. He is a great guy. He has been in politics since forever. There have been some questions in his past. But I just think it was very difficult for anyone to take out Carl Marlinga in that Democratic Primary,” Denno said of Arraf’s challenge.

“That being said, it is going to be very difficult for Carl Marlinga to take out the Republican John James who ran for Senate two times and almost won in both of those elections. I think Carl Marlinga is going to have an uphill battle.”

Denno said he expects Michigan to lean Democratic in the upcoming November General Elections, noting the strong performance of Palestinian Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, who was also a major target of the AIPAC campaign to unseat or block Arab candidates. Michigan shows that women candidates in the Democratic Party will have an edge going into the November elections in part because of the high-profile battle over abortion rights.

 

“Some of Donald Trump’s candidates did really well, and some didn’t. I think the other thing is, again, female candidates did really well. Female candidates start off with a one to three point advantage, and I think that has been proven over and over again,” Denno said, saying that Trump will be an albatross on Michigan Republicans rather than an advantage.

“(Rashida Tlaib) did really well in a brand new district for her. She is a national name. I did a little work for her opponent Janice Winfrey who is a nice person. But no offense to Janice, she was kind of a second-tier candidate. There really wasn’t that strong candidate that was needed to challenge Rashida. And Rashida works really hard. She raised a lot of money.”

Tlaib’s previous district was majority Detroit but her new 12th district includes Dearborn, Dearborn Heights and more Arab American voters than before. Tlaib won with 64 percent or 61,401 votes in a field of four candidates. Winfrey ran second with 22 percent or 21,577 votes.

The Ray Hanania Show is broadcast live every Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. EST on WNZK AM 690 radio in Greater Detroit including parts of Ohio, and WDMV AM 700 radio in Washington, D.C. including parts of Virginia and Maryland. The show is rebroadcast on Thursdays at 7:00 a.m. in Detroit on WNZK AM 690 and in Chicago at 12 noon on WNWI AM 1080.

You can listen to the radio show’s podcast by visiting ArabNews.com/rayradioshow.


Kremlin says no date yet for next round of Ukraine peace talks

Updated 11 sec ago
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Kremlin says no date yet for next round of Ukraine peace talks

Peskov said Russia was in favor of continued US efforts to mediate
They have made no progress toward a ceasefire

MOSCOW: The Kremlin said on Thursday there was no progress yet toward setting a date for the next round of peace talks with Ukraine, Interfax news agency reported.

Another agency, TASS, quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying Russia was in favor of continued US efforts to mediate.

Resuming negotiations after a gap of more than three years, Russia and Ukraine held face-to-face talks in Istanbul on May 16 and June 2 that led to a series of prisoner exchanges and the return of the bodies of dead soldiers.

But they have made no progress toward a ceasefire which Ukraine, with Western backing, has been pressing for.

16 dead, thousands of businesses destroyed after Kenya protests

Updated 19 min 29 sec ago
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16 dead, thousands of businesses destroyed after Kenya protests

  • The marches had been called to mark one year since anti-tax demonstrations
  • “What unfolded yesterday was not a protest. It was terrorism disguised as dissent,” Kipchumba Murkomen, interior cabinet secretary, said

NAIROBI: At least 16 people died in protests across Kenya on Wednesday, Amnesty International said Thursday, as businesses and residents were left to clean up the devastation in the capital and beyond.

The marches had been called to mark one year since anti-tax demonstrations that peaked when a huge crowd stormed parliament and dozens were killed by security forces.

The anniversary marches began peacefully Wednesday but descended into chaos as young men held running battles with police, lit fires, and ripped up pavements to use as projectiles.

“What unfolded yesterday was not a protest. It was terrorism disguised as dissent,” Kipchumba Murkomen, interior cabinet secretary, said in a televised speech.

“We condemn the criminal anarchists who in the name of peaceful demonstrations unleashed a wave of violence, looting, sexual assault and destruction upon our people,” he added.

In Nairobi’s business district, the epicenter of the unrest, AFP journalists found entire shopping centers and thousands of businesses destroyed, many still smoldering.

At least two banks had been broken into, while businesses ranging from supermarkets to small electronics and clothing stores were reduced to ashes or ransacked by looters.

“When we came we found the whole premise burnt down,” said Raphael Omondi, 36, owner of a print shop, adding that he had lost machines worth $150,000.

“There were guys stealing, and after stealing they set the whole premises on fire... If this is what protest is, it is not worth it.”

“They looted everything... I do not know where to start,” said Maureen Chepkemoi, 32, owner of a perfume store.

“To protest is not bad but why are you coming to protest inside my shop? It is wicked,” she added.

Several business owners told AFP that looting had started in the afternoon after the government ordered TV and radio stations to stop broadcasting live images of the protests.

Amnesty International’s Kenya director Irungu Houghton said the death toll had risen to 16.

Rights group Vocal Africa, which was documenting the deaths and helping affected families at a Nairobi morgue, said at least four bodies had been brought there so far.

“All of them had signs of gunshots, so we suspect they all died of gunshot wounds,” its head Hussein Khalid told AFP.

“We condemn this excessive use of force,” he said. “We believe that the police could have handled themselves with restraint.”

“You come out to protest police killings, and they kill even more.”

A coalition of rights groups had earlier said at least 400 people were wounded, with 83 in serious condition in hospital. It recorded protests in 23 counties around Kenya.

Emergency responders reported multiple gunshot wounds, and there were unconfirmed local media reports that police had opened fire on protesters, particularly in towns outside the capital.

There is deep resentment against President William Ruto, who came to power in 2022 promising rapid economic progress.

Many are disillusioned by continued economic stagnation, corruption and high taxes, as well as police brutality after a teacher was killed in custody earlier this month.


Vehicle hits pedestrians near school in Beijing: Chinese police

Updated 35 min 44 sec ago
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Vehicle hits pedestrians near school in Beijing: Chinese police

  • A grey SUV wedged against a tree as several people and clothing were seen in the road
  • “On June 26, 2025, at around 13:00, a traffic accident occurred near the intersection of Yucai Road and Dongmen Street in Miyun district,” local police wrote

BEIJING: A vehicle crashed into pedestrians in an “accident” near a school in Beijing on Thursday, Chinese police said, with footage shared online appearing to show young people lying injured in the street.

Videos geolocated by AFP to an intersection in Miyun district in the northeast of the capital showed a grey SUV wedged against a tree as several people and clothing were seen in the road.

In one clip a bloodied young person was seen being given first aid by somebody in white overalls.

“On June 26, 2025, at around 13:00, a traffic accident occurred near the intersection of Yucai Road and Dongmen Street in Miyun district,” local police wrote in an online statement.

A 35-year-old man surnamed Han “collided” with people “due to an improper operation,” it said, adding those injured were taken to hospital.

It did not give the number of injured.

“The accident is under further investigation,” the statement said.

China has seen a string of mass casualty incidents — from stabbings to car attacks — challenging its reputation for good public security.

Last year a man who plowed his car into a crowd of mostly school children in central China was handed a suspended death sentence with a two-year reprieve.

In November 2024 the attacker named as Huang Wen repeatedly rammed his car into a crowd outside a primary school in Hunan province.

When the vehicle malfunctioned and stopped, Huang got out and attacked bystanders with a weapon before being apprehended.

Thirty people, including 18 pupils, sustained minor injuries.

Some analysts have linked the incidents to growing anger and desperation at the country’s slowing economy and a sense that society is becoming more stratified.

In November last year, a man killed 35 people and wounded more than 40 when he rammed his car into a crowd in the southern city of Zhuhai, the country’s deadliest attack in a decade.

And in the same month, eight people were killed and 17 wounded in a knife attack at a vocational school in the eastern Chinese city of Yixing.


Lavrov says NATO spending increase won’t significantly affect Russia’s security

Updated 26 June 2025
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Lavrov says NATO spending increase won’t significantly affect Russia’s security

  • NATO allies on Wednesday agreed to raise their collective spending goal to 5% of GDP over the next decade

MOSCOW: NATO’s decision to increase defense spending will not significantly affect Russia’s security, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday.

NATO allies on Wednesday agreed to raise their collective spending goal to 5 percent of gross domestic product over the next decade, citing what they called the long-term threat posed by Russia and the need to strengthen civil and military resilience.

“As for the impact of this 5 percent goal on our security, I don’t think it will be significant,” Lavrov told a press conference.

“We know what goals we are pursuing, we don’t hide them, we openly announce them, they are absolutely legal from the point of view of any interpretation of the principles of the UN Charter and international law, and we know by what means we will always ensure these goals.”

NATO adopted the higher spending target in response to pressure from US President Donald Trump for European members to pull their weight, and also to European fears that Russia poses a growing threat to their security following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Russia, which is spending more than 40 percent of this year’s budget on defense and security, denies any intention to attack a NATO state.

The Kremlin accused the alliance this week of portraying Russia as a “fiend of hell” in order to justify its “rampant militarization.”


Myanmar burns confiscated drugs worth around $300 million

Updated 26 June 2025
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Myanmar burns confiscated drugs worth around $300 million

  • The destroyed drugs included opium, heroin, methamphetamine, marijuana, ketamine and the stimulant known as ice
  • Myanmar has a long history of drug production linked to political and economic insecurity caused by decades of armed conflict

YANGON: Officials in Myanmar’s major cities destroyed about $300 million worth of confiscated illegal drugs Thursday.
The destroyed drugs included opium, heroin, methamphetamine, marijuana, ketamine and the stimulant known as ice, or crystal meth, Yangon Police Brig. Gen. Sein Lwin said in a speech at a drug-burning ceremony.
The drug burnings came nearly a month after UN experts warned of unprecedented levels of methamphetamine production and trafficking from Southeast Asia’s Golden Triangle region, where the borders of Myanmar, Laos and Thailand meet, and Myanmar’s eastern Shan State in particular.
The production of opium and heroin historically flourished there, largely because of the lawlessness in border areas where Myanmar’s central government has been able to exercise only minimum control over various ethnic minority militias, some of them partners in the drug trade.
The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said in a May report that the political crisis across the country after the military takeover in 2021 — which led to a civil war — has turbocharged growth of the methamphetamine trade.
In the country’s biggest city, Yangon, a massive pile of drugs worth more than $117 million went up in a blaze, Sein Lwin said.
Similar events to mark the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking also occurred in the country’s second-largest city of Mandalay, and in Taunggyi, the capital of eastern Myanmar’s Shan state, all areas close to where the drugs are produced.
A police official from the capital Naypyitaw told The Associated Press that the substances burned in three locations were worth $297.95 million. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the information has not yet been publicly announced.
Myanmar has a long history of drug production linked to political and economic insecurity caused by decades of armed conflict. It has been a major source of illegal drugs destined for East and Southeast Asia, despite repeated efforts to crack down.
That has led the flow of drugs to surge “across not only East and Southeast Asia, but also increasingly into South Asia, in particular Northeast India,” the UN said last month. Drugs are increasingly trafficked from Myanmar to Cambodia, mostly through Laos, as well as through maritime routes linking Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines, with Sabah in Malaysia serving as a key transit hub, it added.
The UN agency labeled Myanmar in 2023 as the world’s largest opium producer.