Tunisian Revolution and the Middle East--And Now, The Withdrawal From Afghanistan (M.E.T.)

[visionary]

EGYPT

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/04/201141216755944186.html

Hosni Mubarak hospitalised

Former Egyptian president taken to hospital in Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh

Last Modified: 12 Apr 2011 17:22

Hosni Mubarak, the former Egyptian president, has been hospitalised at the Red Sea port of Sharm el-Sheikh, where he has been staying since he was ousted from power by a popular uprising on February 11.

"He has been under house arrest in Sharm el-Sheikh ever since he was ousted from power. We are still not sure of what condition he is in, but the former president has been complaining that he's been unwell for some time now," reported Zeina Khodr, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Cairo, on Tuesday.

Egyptian security officials told the Associated Press news agency that Mubarak arrived under heavy police protection at the hospital, which was being picketed by pro-democracy activists.

Mubarak has kept a low profile since he stepped down from the presidency, but released an audio message earlier this week saying that he would cooperate fully with the prosecutor-general's investigations into allegations of corruption committed by his himself and family members.

Mubarak had been expected to be questioned by investigators for the first time on Tuesday in connection with corruption allegations and violence against protesters during the uprising.

The public prosecutor issued the summons on Sunday.

Mubarak's sons Alaa and Gamal have also been summoned for questioning.

"He was supposed to travel to Cairo to be questioned about his wealth, about his assets, by the prosecutor-general here, but he said that he was unable to travel.

Now whether or not its a coincidence that he falls ill just days after the prosecutor-general decided to summon him as well as his two sons, Gamal and Alaa, for questioning about their wealth and their assets ... in fact, at this hour, ministry of justice officials are questioning his sons," Khodr reported

Reuters is now reporting that Mubarak had some sort of heart incident while being questioned today!

SYRIA

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/04/201141212342295758.html

Syrian security forces attack village

Witnesses say security forces opened fire on villagers in Bayda, as opposition delegation meets vice-president.

Last Modified: 12 Apr 2011 17:46

Syrian security forces have fired upon people in the village of Bayda, near the town of Baniyas in the country's northeast, injuring at least one person, witnesses have told Al Jazeera.

On Sunday, security forces in Baniyas killed at least four pro-reform protesters and left another 17 wounded, human rights groups have said.

"Security forces and armed men are firing machine guns indiscriminately at [bayda]," a witness said on Tuesday.

"The gunfire against Bayda is intense like the rain. At least one person was injured," another witness said, describing the violence in the village, which is 10km south of Baniyas.

"What we are hearing from residents [in Bayda] is that there has been a campaign of arrests, those who have been detained are taken to the main square ... and eyewitnesses say they are being brutally beaten," reported Al Jazeera's Rula Amin from Damascus.

"In Baniyas ... the city is still sealed, tension is very high ... and [there is a] heavy security presence."

"The goal of the attack is probably the arrest of Anas al-Shukri [one of the leaders of the opposition movement]," a human rights activist, who wished to remain anonymous, said.

The AP news agency reported that pro-government armed men were also attacking the village of Beit Jnad, near Baida, on Tuesday.

Haitham al-Maleh, an opposition activist, said attackers were using automatic rifles in the two villages.

A resident from a third village nearby said he could hear the sound of heavy gunfire coming from the two villages.

"Some residents of the two villages took part in the anti-regime protests in Baniyas," the resident said, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of government reprisals.

Also on Tuesday, Khalil Matouk, a human rights lawyer, told AFP that Ghiyath Oyun al-Sood, secretary-general of the Democratic People's Party (a banned communist party) had been arrested while shopping near his home in southern Damascus.

Meanwhile, about 600 Kurds held a one-hour long peaceful protest demonstration in the village of Ain Arab in the northern part of the country, Radif Mustapha, the head of the Rased Kurdish human rights group told AFP. The protesters were calling for reforms and the release of political prisoners.

Al Jazeera's Amin reported that an opposition delegation from the city of Daraa, where protests against the government first began several weeks ago, had met with the country's vice-president on Tuesday.

"The people of Daraa had a delegation led by the imam of the Omari mosque [where protests started] ... met with Syria's vice-president Farouk al-Sharra. This is a very significant step.

"The people we spoke to, including this imam, told us that they met the vice-president, they gave him their list of demands, some have to do with Daraa - like pulling out the heavy security that's stationed there, releasing all prisoners - and some demands have to do with all of Syria, like lifting the state of emergency law, giving them more political freedoms and to stop the heavyhandedness of security forces in their daily lives."

YEMEN

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/04/2011412163147534399.html

Yemenis decry immunity for president

Tens of thousands hold protests against mediation by the GCC aimed at ending political crisis.

Last Modified: 12 Apr 2011 17:57

Tens of thousands of Yemenis have held protests against a mediation proposal by Gulf nations aimed at ending the political crisis in the country.

Demonstrations were held across Yemen on Tuesday objecting to the proposal because it offers Ali Abdullah Saleh, Yemen's president, immunity from prosecution.

Protesters in Yemen have for months been calling for Saleh to step down over the country's lack of freedoms and extreme poverty.

The mediation proposal, which was put forward by the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), called on Saleh to transfer power to his deputy, but gives no specific timeframe for him to leave office.

It also included immunity from prosecution for Saleh and his family.

"The initiative does not clearly mention the immediate departure of the head of the regime and it did not touch on the fate of his relatives who are at the top military and security agencies that continue killing the peaceful protesters," the anti-government Civil Alliance of the Youth Revolution said in a statement.

The alliance, which includes 30 youth groups, said the GCC proposal was an attempt to abort the revolution.

Swaziland

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/04/2011412104937925784.html

Police disperse Swaziland protesters

Water cannons fired on pro-democracy demonstrators challenging the rule of King Mswati, Africa's last absolute monarch.

Last Modified: 12 Apr 2011 12:07

Police in Swaziland have fired water cannons at pro-democracy protesters and detained people on the streets to prevent demonstrations in sub-Saharan Africa's last absolute monarchy.

Simantele Mmema, a spokeswoman for the Swaziland National Association of Teachers, said on Tuesday that more than 1,000 protesters who were singing and chanting in a teacher's training centre were dispersed by police using water cannons.

Mmema said teachers left the centre and were marching to the centre of Manzini, the economic hub of southern Africa's usually peaceful mountain kingdom.

An online campaign has tried to rally support for the demonstrations, which come exactly 38 years after the current Swazi king's father, King Sobhuza II, banned political parties and abandoned the country's constitution.

A police spokeswoman, Wendy Hleta, said union leaders were being questioned over threats to overthrow the government they allegedly made to foreign media.

COSATU, the biggest trade union federation in neighbouring South Africa, said police arrested seven labour leaders on Tuesday morning.

A South African radio station said one of its reporters had been detained in the country, where she was sent to cover planned pro-democracy protests.

Talk Radio 702's report followed a statement from a pro-democracy group in the country that several activists had been arrested ahead of planned protests.

King Mswati III, who has 13 wives and a fortune estimated at $100m in a country where 70 per cent of people live on less than a dollar a day, has refused to loosen the monarchy's grip on power.

Forbes magazine lists the 42-year-old king among the 15 richest monarchs in the world. He assumed the throne in 1986 at the age of 18, has a penchant for fast cars, luxury palaces and extravagant parties.

Police commissioner Isaac Magagula said the police, the army and correctional services were ready to face down "evil" protesters.

"Such evil will not be tolerated," the Times newspaper, a privately owned publication, quoted him as saying.

Police have been raiding activists' homes since last week, with four key protest organisers arrested on Monday.

Last week the national organiser of the banned Swaziland Youth Congress, Mcolisi Ngcamphalala, said he was held and tortured by police for 24 hours.

---------- Post added April-12th-2011 at 03:31 PM ----------

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/12/us-egypt-mubarak-idUSTRE73B1D120110412

Egypt state TV says Mubarak in intensive care

(Reuters) - Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was taken to an intensive care unit after suffering heart problems, state television reported.

Mubarak was admitted to hospital in Sharm el-Sheikh, where he has been staying since leaving office, after being taken ill during questioning over the killing of protesters and embezzling of public funds, state TV said.

Edited April 12, 2011 by visionary

[visionary]

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/04/20114121849525309.html

Egyptian army clears Cairo's Tahrir Square

Traffic begins to flow in central thoroughfare as protesters dispersed after five-day sit-in.

Last Modified: 12 Apr 2011 20:40

Soldiers and police have moved into Cairo''s iconic Tahrir Square to end a five-day sit-in by protesters demanding that the country''s ruling military council step down and that Hosni Mubarak, the country''s former president, and his allies be prosecuted more swiftly.

Traffic began flowing in the central Cairo thoroughfare by early Tuesday evening.

Earlier, hundreds of soldiers took positions in the middle of the square, and military vehicles were seen at every entrance to the normally busy thoroughfare.

Protesters had earlier closed the square to traffic by setting up barricades.

Troops with machine-guns detained several young men, pushing them into police vans, while others broke down the barricades and rolled up coils of barbed wire.

Men were also seen picking up debris from across the square, which had been the focus of an 18-day popular uprising against Mubarak, who was forced to resign from office on February 11.

A youth coalition that had been involved in the uprising said that it had persuaded the remaining protesters to reopen the square because they were causing more harm than good by staying.

"We met with the [ruling] military council yesterday and discussed opening Tahrir. We agreed to end the protest and give the army a chance to proceed," said Mohamed Sukri, a member of the Revolutionary Youth Coalition.

"The military council thanks the youth of the January revolution for returning Tahrir Square to normal," it said in a statement.

Mohamed Zaidan, a protester who was at the square when the army arrived, however, gave a different account.

"We didn''t agree with anyone to clear Tahrir," said the 25-year-old Zaidan.

"We were attacked by rock-throwing people who wanted to force us out and then the army came, didn''t speak to us and suddenly moved in to force us out of the square."

Al Jazeera English is reporting that Egyptian authorities are apparently now continuing to question Mubarak and his sons at the hospital where he is currently being treated.

[visionary]

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/04/20114136150229967.html

Egypt detains Mubarak and sons

Egypt's top prosecutor says the three men will be held 15 days pending a probe into abuse of authority and corruption.

Last Modified: 13 Apr 2011 06:46

Hosni Mubarak, Egypt's former president, has been detained along with his two powerful sons pending investigations into accusations of corruption and abuse of authority, the prosecutor general has said.

A statement from the prosecutor's office, posted on Facebook early on Wednesday, said Mubarak's detention would last 15 days.

"The prosecutor general orders the detention of former President Hosni Mubarak and his sons Gamal and Alaa for 15 days pending investigation after the prosecutor general presented them with the current state of its ongoing investigations," it read.

It said the ongoing investigation was into allegations of corruption, the wasting of public money, and the abuse of position for personal gain.

Mubarak's sons Gamal and his business brother Alaa were driven away in a police van with drawn curtains as an angry crowd of 2,000 people pelted the car with water bottles, stones and their flip-flops, a sign of disrespect in the Arab world.

"Brothers, whatever you wanted, you have got ... 15 days," said Major-General Mohammed el-Khatib, the head of provincial security in the South Sinai.

Gamal, Mubarak's younger son, was a senior official in the ruling party and was widely seen as being groomed to succeed his father before popular protests brought down the regime.

His increasing role in the government over the last decade and the belief that he might succeed his father helped galvanise Egypt's protest movement.

Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr, reporting from Cairo, said that Mubarak's sons have already been questioned for two days at a courthouse near Sharm el-Sheikh and are expected to arrive in Cairo on Wednesday.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/13/us-yemen-idUSTRE73C0W120110413

Rival security forces clash in Yemeni capital

Rival Yemeni security forces clashed in the capital Sanaa on Wednesday when forces loyal to a defected army general set up a checkpoint and were attacked by pro-government forces, a source close to anti-government forces said.

"Ten were wounded in an attack on the forces of the first division by forces of the central security police," a source close to the forces of defected army General Ali Mohsen said, adding that the clashes lasted about an hour.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/04/201141220154357546.html

Bahrain opposition figure 'dies in custody'

Officials yet to confirm Kareem Fakhrawi's reported death - the fourth such case in recent days in the Arab Gulf state.

Last Modified: 12 Apr 2011 20:39

A Bahraini businessman who was a member of the country's leading Shia Muslim opposition group, Wefaq, has died in police custody, sources say.

There was no immediate reaction by state media to Kareem Fakhrawi's reported death and officials in the Arab Gulf kingdom were not available to comment.

Fakhrawi's was the fourth known death in police custody in recent days. Bahrain's government denies there is torture in Bahrain and says all such allegations will be investigated.

Mattar Mattar, a member of Wefaq, said Fakhrawi had died in police custody a week after he never returned home from a police station where he had tried to complain about his house being demolished by police.

"Either he was sick and didn't receive treatment or was tortured," Mattar said.

Wefaq said on Tuesday three Shia Muslim doctors and several staff from the education ministry had been arrested the day before, bringing the total number of detainees to 453.

"After these problems, many are afraid to contact us," Mattar said. "I estimate the real number is not less than 600. That's one in every 1,000 Bahrainis."

Bahrain says it has released 86 people held under martial law while "legal measures" are being taken against other detainees.

In another development, the daughter of a prominent Bahraini activist has said she is beginning a hunger strike in protest over the arrest of her father, husband, brother-in-law and uncle.

Zainab Al-Khawaja said on Monday that she would refuse food until her father Abdulhadi, who she said was beaten unconscious before being taken away, and other relatives were released.

Three of the men were detained following a police sweep on Zainab's house over the weekend, while her uncle was arrested three weeks ago.

Zainab al-Khawaja announced her hunger strike in a letter addressed to Barack Obama, the US president, posted on her blog Angry Arabiya.

"I chose to write to you and not to my own government because the Al-Khalifa regime has proven that they do not care about our rights or our lives," she wrote.

"I demand the immediate release of my family members. My father: Abdulhadi al-Khawaja. My husband: Wafi Almajed. My brother-in-law: Hussein Ahmed. My uncle: Salah al-Khawaja."

Quite a few pro-government people (and probably some random trolls as well) on twitter have harassed her and mocked her over this hunger strike.

[visionary]

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/04/20114138440541592.html

Yemen violence claims more lives

Five people killed in Sanaa and two more in the southern city of Aden as protesters push for president's ouster.

Last Modified: 13 Apr 2011 09:55

At least five people have been killed in the Yemeni capital Sanaa as forces loyal to a defected army general and pro-government fighters clashed, Al Jazeera's correspondents have said.

Two more people were killed on Wednesday in the southern city of Aden in clashes between security forces and anti-regime demonstrators, who are pushing for the ouster of long-serving president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/13/us-syria-idUSTRE72N2MC20110413

Women march in Syria to demand jailed men be freed

Hundreds of women from a Syrian town that has witnessed mass arrests of its men marched along Syria's main coastal highway on Wednesday to demand their release, human rights activists said.

Security forces, including secret police, stormed Baida on Tuesday, going into houses and arresting men aged up to 60, the activists said, after townsfolk joined unprecedented protests challenging the 11-year rule of President Bashar al-Assad.

The women from Baida were marching on the main highway leading to Turkey chanting slogans to demand the release of some 350 men who have been arrested, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

"The women of Baida are on the highway. They want their men back," the organization said.

Women demonstrated in support in the nearby Mediterranean city of Banias, it said.

A human rights lawyer earlier said security forces had arrested 200 residents in Baida, killing two people.

[visionary]

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/04/201141315543918716.html

Syrian protests spread to Aleppo

Students reportedly clash with security forces in country's second city while women march in protest over mass arrests.Last Modified: 13 Apr 2011 16:50

Syrian students have demonstrated in the country's second-largest city of Aleppo in the first protests there since a wave of pro-reform demonstrations broke out in mid-March, an activist has said.

Radif Mustafa, the president of the Kurdish Committee for Human Rights, said security forces and students clashed on the campus of Aleppo's faculty of literature.

"Security forces dispersed by force a protest by students calling for freedom," he told the AFP news agency by telephone.

At least three students were reported to have been arrested.

Most of the demonstrators were said to have come from Daraa, the town in the south of the country where the pro-reform protests first began.

In Damascus, about 50 students staged a protest at the law faculty demanding greater freedoms, Abdel Karim Rihawi of the Syrian League for the Defence of Human Rights said, two days after a sit-in at the science faculty.

"Security forces used batons to disperse the students and some students have been arrested," said Rihawi

[jpyaks3]

Cool website from the Egyptian Revolution, http://www.tahrirdocuments.org/ is a collection of documents/flyers/pamphlets from Tahrir Square throughout the revolution translated. A lot of really cool stuff in there.

[visionary]

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/04/2011414101449100386.html

Yemen's opposition has set a two-week deadline for President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step aside, rejecting a Saudi-brokered, Gulf-backed initiative to end the country's political turmoil.

"We have renewed our emphasis on the need for speeding the process of (Saleh) standing down within two weeks. Therefore we will not go to Riyadh," Mohammed al-Mutawakkil, a prominent opposition leader, said on Thursday, referring to the proposed talks in the Saudi capital.

This comes a day after five people were killed in the Yemeni capital Sanaa as forces loyal to a defected army general and pro-government fighters clashed, Al Jazeera's correspondents said.

Two more people were killed on Wednesday in the southern city of Aden in clashes between security forces and anti-regime demonstrators.

The defected general, Ali Mohsen, a kinsman of Saleh who has thrown his weight behind the opposition and whose military units are protecting protesters in Sanaa, has welcomed a mediation proposal by the six-nation Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) to end the unrest.

But on Tuesday, tens of thousands of Yemenis staged protests against the proposal, with many saying it offers Saleh, in power since 1978, an immunity from prosecution.

So...what are they going to do if he doesn't step down?

---------- Post added April-14th-2011 at 07:44 AM ----------

Oh, man!

http://twitter.com/#!/BreakingNews

Bahrain to seek court approval to dissolve main Shiite opposition party - State news agency via Reuters

---------- Post added April-14th-2011 at 07:57 AM ----------

There's some possibly good news today....

SYRIA

http://twitter.com/#!/RulaAmin

Daraa delegation says meeting with Prs Assad ended and it went well, 12 minutes ago

Also reports that a deal was struck with a delegation from Banyas and authorities in Damascus to calm situation in the city 12 minutes ago

http://twitter.com/#!/calperryAJ

The meeting between the Pres. and the delegation from Deraa has concluded. The delegation tells us they are "happy with the outcome" 8 minutes ago

I wonder what the deals were....

Edited April 14, 2011 by visionary

[visionary]

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/04/2011414115350577277.html

Ugandan opposition leader injured at protest

Kizza Besigye suffers hand injury after police use tear gas and fire shots into air during protest over cost of living.

Last Modified: 14 Apr 2011 12:51

Kizza Besigye, Ugandan opposition leader and president Yoweri Museveni's closest rival in February elections, has been taken to hospital after apparently being injured while taking part in a protest, police said.

"Besigye fell down, we don't know what happened to him but the next thing we saw was that a Red Cross vehicle came nearby and he jumped into it," Vincent Sekate, a police spokesman, said on Thursday.

The Ugandan Red Cross confirmed that Besigye had been injured.

Michael Richard Nataka, general secretary of the Uganda Red Cross, told the AFP news agency "He got injured in the process of the demonstration. It was a hand injury."

Police used tear gas and fired in the air to prevent Besigye from holding the march to protest the rising cost of living and what the opposition says is bad governance on the part of Museveni.

Besigye had planned for the second time this week to get Ugandans to join a walk-to-work protest march.

When the opposition leader left his home in Kasangati, a suburb of Kampala, he was met by anti-riot police.

"We stopped him from walking to work because we received information that he had asked people to join him on the way to create chaos in town," Ssekate told AFP.

"There are laws governing processions, and Besigye should follow these guidelines. Short of that we cannot allow him to proceed," he added.

However, Besigye said that he was within his rights to walk to work.

"Do I have to ask for permission from the police to walk to my place of work?" he asked.

By mid-morning, Besigye, surrounded by his supporters, was still being watched by a large contingent of police.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/04/201141414535764169.html

Assad forms new Syrian government

Adel Safar confirmed as new prime minister, while deal allows Syrian army to enter restive coastal city of Baniyas.

Last Modified: 14 Apr 2011 16:04

Bashar al-Assad, Syria's president, has formed a new cabinet two weeks after sacking the country's government amid unprecendented protests against his rule.

Adel Safar, a former agriculture minister, will lead the new government while veteran diplomat Walid al-Moualem remains as foreign minister, Syria's state news agency reported.

The announcement follows a deal allowing Syria's army to enter the restive coastal city of Baniyas and claims by human rights groups that several people detained by security forces had been tortured.

"There was a deal on Wednesday between Syrian officials and city residents for the army to enter Baniyas imminently to restore order," Rami Abdel Rahman, president of Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), told AFP by telephone.

"Security agents will refrain from patrolling neighborhoods to make arrests, and the hundreds of people arrested in Banyias will be released," he added.

"Elements of armed gangs," some of whom he said were close to security and intelligence services and "have caused unrest in order to create dissension, will be prosecuted", he said.

Al Jazeera's Rula Amin spoke to an eyewitness where he described a celebratory scene as the Syrian army entered Baniyas.

"People were chanting the people and the army are one, they were throwing rice at them, they were welcoming and celebrating their arrival. The scene there is of a calming tension not escalation, "she said.

She also added that "The residence of the town have been fearing these gunmen, four residence have been killed, one soldier killed today and another one injured.

"According to the government two days ago nine soldiers were gunned down. So it is a highly volatile situation that the government is trying to contain and it seems like the Baniyas people are cooperating and engaging the governments efforts."

Rula Amin on AJE is reporting that President Assad of Syria has made a ruling stating that all prisoners taken in the last month should be released. This does not apparently include those convicted or alleged to be perpetrators of crimes. Hard to say if that last part means people arrested and blamed for crimes or 'overzealous' loyalists arrested by the military or police.

We'll have to see what comes of all this.

I'm not sure how much has changed from before the protests started.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/04/201141421645338302.html

Tunisia files cases against Ben Ali

The former president, living in exile in Saudi Arabia, faces charges of voluntary manslaughter and drug trafficking.

Last Modified: 14 Apr 2011 02:37

Tunisian authorities have prepared 18 legal cases against former president Zine El Abidine

Ben Ali, including "voluntary manslaughter" and "drug trafficking", the state TAP news agency reported.

The revelation was made by Justice Minister Lazhar Karoui Chebbi in an interview aired on state television on Wednesday, TAP said.

Other charges include "conspiring against the state" and "drug use."

The news agency quoted Chebbi as saying a total of 44 legal cases had been prepared by his ministry against Ben Ali, his family and his inner circle.

This is just disgusting. Why not just deport every Shia in Bahrain while you're at it?

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/04/2011414145159153258.html

Bahrain moves to ban main opposition party

Wefaq party, which played key role in country's protests, accused of "harming social peace and inciting disrepect".

Last Modified: 14 Apr 2011 15:51

Bahraini authorities are seeking court approval to dissolve the country's main Shia opposition group in the strongest move yet against anti-government protesters calling for change.

The justice ministry said Thursday it was seeking to ban Wefaq, which called supporters onto the streets in mass protests last month, for "undertaking activities that harmed social peace, national unity, and inciting disrespect for constitutional institutions."

The ministry also moved to ban the Islamic Action party, a Wefaq ally. Wefaq is the biggest single party in Bahrain's parliament, holding 18 out of 40 seats.

Bahrain remains under a state of emergency following a government crackdown on protests last month.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates sent troops to the Gulf island nation to help quell the demonstrations and protect facilities including oil and gas installations and financial institutions.

According to the Bahrain Human Rights Council, the Bahraini government has arrested more than 370 opponents of the regime since the introduction of emergency rule.

Edited April 14, 2011 by visionary

[visionary]

Oh God....

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/apr/14/health-bahrain-hunger-regime

Health of Bahrain hunger striker slumps as regime comes under pressure

Mother of Zainab al-Khawaja – a 27-year-old protesting against treatment of father – says she is struggling to stand up

Britain and the European Union have heaped diplomatic pressure on Bahrain over the alleged killing of pro-democracy activists in custody, while the health of a hunger striker protesting at the beating and arrest of her dissident father has deteriorated markedly.

In a meeting with Interior Minister Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, the British ambassador to Bahrain, Jamie Bowden, raised concerns over the deaths of four dissident prisoners in the last week. Catherine Ashton, the EU's high representative for foreign affairs, speaking through a spokesman also called on the Bahrain regime to immediately release all those who have been detained for peacefully expressing themselves. Ashton announced she is to visit Bahrain next week and her spokesman called on the authorities to "investigate all recent events which have resulted in loss of life and injuries".

The high-level interventions follow what pro-democracy activists in Bahrain complain has been a period of minimal censure from Europe and the US of the renewed crackdown. They came as Zainab al-Khawaja, a 27-year-old mother on hunger strike following the beating and arrest of her father, Abdulhadi al-Khawaja – a prominent human rights activist – along with her husband and brother-in-law, saw her health slump.

She had been speaking out against the government's treatment of her family through the media and her Twitter blog but she struggled to stand up, vomited and could no longer breastfeed her 18-month-old daughter, according to her mother.

"I asked if I could put some sugar in her water because I can see her suffering and her daughter is crying for milk because she can't breastfeed her. She said no," said Khadija al-Khawaja, 52. "She is just sleeping. I go and wake her up, she opens her eyes and speaks to me and says she is OK. I told her you have a little girl whose father is not here and if anything happens to you … but she feels she needs to do something. She is very angry and very upset about what is happening."

Pro-government people have been mocking her and harassing her on twitter because of her decision and her family for about a week now.

Edited April 14, 2011 by visionary

[visionary]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13090094

15 April 2011 Last updated at 00:03 ET

Gunfire 'protest' at barracks in Burkina Faso capital

Shooting has been heard at an elite barracks in the Burkina Faso capital, Ouagadougou, where unrest within the military has been simmering.

Soldiers at the presidential guard barracks in the presidential compound reportedly fired into the air in protest at unpaid housing subsidies.

President Blaise Compaore sought to calm soldiers earlier this month after protests over pay and conditions.

Earlier on Thursday, marches were held in the capital and other towns to protest at rising food prices and alleged civil rights abuses, AFP news agency reports.

Reports varied about the second shooting, saying variously that it had occurred at a second guard barracks about 3km (two miles) from the presidential palace, or near the state radio station.

There were no immediate reports of injuries.

Mr Compaore has ruled the country since taking power in a coup in 1987, after which he won four presidential elections, the latest in November 2010.

[visionary]

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/04/2011415114336383100.html

Yemen's Saleh calls for talks

President calls on the opposition to engage in dialogue to preserve stability in the country.

Last Modified: 15 Apr 2011 12:06

Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh has called on the opposition to join talks.

"We call on the opposition to consult their consciences and come to dialogue and reach an agreement for security and stability of the country," Saleh said in an address to thousands of his supporters on Friday.

"These crowds are a clear message to those inside and outside the country ... on constitutional legitimacy."

Thousands of pro- and anti-government demonstrators are holding rival rallies in Yemen including in the capital Sanaa.

Opposition groups, protesting for months, have called for Saleh to step down over the country's lack of freedoms and extreme poverty.

Activists distributed leaflets calling on people to stop paying taxes, electricity and other bills to the government in a campaign of civil disobedience to force Saleh out.

Strikes in schools and government offices began in the southern city of Aden last week.

Electricity supply was hit in cities including Sanaa, Taiz, Hudaida and Ibb after tribesmen attacked a main power plant, an official said, accusing them of acting on behalf of opposition parties.

Thirteen protesters were hurt in Taiz when Saleh loyalists opened fire on some of tens of thousands who took to the streets after Friday prayers, witnesses said.

The opposition has set a two-week deadline for the President to step aside, rejecting a Saudi-brokered, Gulf-backed initiative to end the country's political turmoil.

"We have renewed our emphasis on the need for speeding the process of (Saleh) standing down within two weeks. Therefore we will not go to Riyadh," Mohammed al-Mutawakkil, a prominent opposition leader, said on Thursday, referring to the proposed talks in the Saudi capital.

Meanwhile, Yemeni religious scholars and tribal leaders have said they would support the demands of the youth revolution and called on President Saleh to step down immediately.

In a statement issued late on Thursday in the capital Sanaa, they said the peaceful demands of protestors should be met and urged "the immediate stepping down of the President of the Republic and the dismissal of all his relatives from the military and security apparatus of the state".

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/04/201141511585431229.html

Thousands take to streets in Syria protests

Pro-democracy protesters reported in Daraa, Baniyas, Homs, Latakiya, Deir ez Zor and suburbs of Damascus.

Last Modified: 15 Apr 2011 12:22

Pro-democracy protests have taken place in several cities in Syria, a day after Bashar al-Assad, the country's president, attempted to calm mounting opposition to his rule.

Around 2,500 people marched in the Syrian town of Daraa on Friday, chanting slogans calling for the "freedom" of the southern town, which has been the epicentre of protests against President Assad's rule.

"Between 2,500 and 3,000 people showed up at Al-Saraya area in the centre of the city, chanting slogans in favour of freedom and against the hostile regime," a human rights activist told the AFP news agency, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Protests are also underway in Baniyas, Homs, Latakia and Deir ez Zor, as well as in the Duma suburb of the Syrian capital Damascus.

Rula Amin, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Daraa, reported that the army and security forces were not visible in the city, and that the protesters were being allowed to hold their demonstration.

"It's a completely different scene from last Friday when more than 26 people were killed during protests and clashes with the security forces and protesters here. Today, no security forces are visible at all. People went after the Friday prayers ... in thousands. They were marching carrying olive branches saying 'peaceful, freedom'. Some were demanding the toppling of the regime, others were saying they just want reforms," she reported.

"It comes one day after they met with President Assad in an attempt by the government to calm the situation. Now here in Daraa, these measures seem to have calmed the situation a little bit. People say the president promised them very specific reforms that will be announced very soon, maybe as early as next week."

A large pro-democracy protest also took place in the city of Deir ez Zor, on the Euphrates river, while a smaller demonstration was reported in the Barzeh district of Damascus, Reuters reported.

In the coastal city of Baniyas, meanwhile, about 1,500 people chanted "freedom" after Friday prayers, despite the deployment of the army in the city as part of a deal to contain protests, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/04/201141573222422175.html

Bahrain backs off on opposition party ban

The pull back from outlawing Wefaq party comes after criticism from US, but probe into the main Shia group continues.

Last Modified: 15 Apr 2011 08:32

Bahrain's government appears to be pulling back from plans to dismantle the main Shia opposition group after swift criticism from Washington and other allies.

The state-run Bahrain News Agency reported on Friday that authorities are holding off any action until the outcome of investigations into Wefaq party, which played a key role in recent pro-democracy protests, and a smaller Shia bloc.

Bahraini authorities said on Thursday they will seek court approval to dissolve the opposition groups for alleged links to the Shia-led uprising in the Gulf kingdom that hosts the US Navy's 5th Fleet.

The US State Department quickly raised concerns about the plans to block the political groups.

Wefaq has withdrawn its lawmakers from Bahrain's parliament to protest the government's crackdown on dissent, including a declaration of martial law.

The justice ministry said on Thursday it was seeking to ban Wefaq, which called supporters onto the streets in mass protests last month, for "undertaking activities that harmed social peace, national unity, and inciting disrespect for constitutional institutions."

The ministry also moved to ban the Islamic Action party, a Wefaq ally. Wefaq is the biggest party in Bahrain's parliament, holding 18 out of 40 seats.

Remember that article I posted about some soldiers firing in their barracks in Burkina Faso?

Check this out!

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/04/201141562826993499.html

President of Burkina Faso 'flees mutiny'

Mutiny by president's military bodyguards demanding housing allowance spreads and the home of a top aid torched.

Last Modified: 15 Apr 2011 07:31

Blaise Compaore, president of Burkina Faso, has reportedly fled the capital as a mutiny among his military bodyguards spread through barracks at the presidential compound and other army bases.

Compaore, who has held power in the land-locked, West African nation for nearly 24 years, left during the night for his hometown Ziniare, 30km north of capital Ouagadougou, an official speaking on condition of anonymity told the AFP news agency.

Gunfire erupted at the 50-acre presidential compound late on Thursday night, as troops demanding reportedly unpaid housing allowances began firing their weapons.

The shooting came from the military barracks of the presidential guard before spreading to other barracks and military camps, the source said.

An AFP journalist added that soldiers also looted shops in the capital overnight.

It was not immediately clear if there were casualties, but an ambulance was seen leaving the Ouagadougou compound late on Thursday night, said AFP.

A military official also said the home of General Dominique Diendiere, Compaore's chief of staff, was ransacked and burned down.

[visionary]

SYRIA

Al Jazeera English reported earlier that around 50,000 anti-government protesters from Douma had entered Damascus. Some of them were dispersed with tear gas.

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/middle-east/live-blog-middle-east-protests-april-15

3:03pm SYRIA Al Jazeera's Rula Amin says the protesters who tried to enter Damascus from Douma have been dispersed by security forces using teargas.

3:15pm SYRIA Haitham al-Maleh, an activist and lawyer in Damacus, tells Al Jazeera that the protesters entering Damascus from Douma were close to Abasyeen Square when "the intelligence services brought several buses" with men "carrying pisols and sticks" who attacked the people. He said injured people were taken away by medics.

Commenting on the government's approach to the protests spreading across the country, he says thugs are being used to attack protesters so that security forces cannot be blamed.

"They have farm workers, people from schools, students, they bring them to attack the others," he says

Edited April 15, 2011 by visionary

[visionary]

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/middle-east/live-blog-middle-east-protests-april-15

11:32am SYRIA: This video has emerged online and purports to show anti-government protesters being kicked around by security forces in Baida. It was put out by Sham press, an opposition news source ['Sham' is another term for Damascus]

Al Jazeera can't independently verify the veracity of this video.

This video was apparently shown on AJA a lot today and is reportedly from a few days ago.

sjZ-kcLjeUE

11:55am SYRIA: Another video has been published online by the opposition Shams news agency, this one purporting to show a large and loud protest in the coastal city of Jableh from today.

As with the earlier content from Shams, Al Jazeera can't independently verify this video.

A9XmMM-6MR0

12:17pm SYRIA: More video from opposition agency Shams has been posted online. This one claims to show protesters today in the Damascus suburb of Douma. The people are chanting:

No emergency law ... no corruption ... with our blood and our souls, we sacrifice for you, Daraa.

Daraa is a "flashpoint" city in the south of the country that has seen many deaths in the past weeks of anti-government protests.

As with earlier footage from Shams, and other third-party sites, Al Jazeera cannot independently verify where or when this video was filmed.

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6:30pm SYRIA This video has been posted on YouTube showing protesters in Latakia.

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---------- Post added April-15th-2011 at 02:40 PM ----------

Very interesting.

http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/node/401717

Special from Yemen: Tribal sheikhs expel Al-Qaeda from their land

Sanaa--A coalition of tribal sheikhs has succeeded in preventing the Yemen-based Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) from taking over its districts.

The coalition accused the government of encouraging Al-Qaeda to spread its operations in some cities to create fear that regime change would allow the organization to engender more chaos.

Sheikh Hussein bin Saleh bin Othman, head of the Sheikh coalition to stop AQAP from spreading, particularly in Azan, Maifa’a, told Al-Masry Al-Youm that 800 sheikhs from various tribes gathered on a bridge in Azan earlier this week to give AQAP members a stern warning.

“We told them that they have to leave our land and that we will not be watching them taking over. We are the majority and there is no comparison,” said bin Othman.

He also said the state is urging AQAP to attack locals.

"The state wants to affect the country negatively and make the world think that Al-Qaeda is a real threat in Yemen so they will financially help (President Ali Abdullah) Saleh fight Al-Qaeda,” he said.

Around 50 AQAP members began controlling the roads in Maifa’a, a district in Shabwa Governorate, when Yemeni security forces withdrew from some cities recently. The tribes were able to identify the outsiders because the tribal societies know each other and belong to the same families.

“Our tribal power enables us to gather over 10,000 warriors in less than two days to fight Al-Qaeda,” said bin Othman.

Edited April 15, 2011 by visionary

[The Brave Little Toaster Oven]

the hunger strike chick looks hot...

[visionary]

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/04/2011415191127848291.html

Algerian president 'to amend constitution'

Abdelaziz Bouteflika vows "to reinforce representative democracy", tackle unemployment, and help the poor.

Last Modified: 15 Apr 2011 19:55

The Algerian president has pledged reforms after weeks of simmering protests.

In a televised address to the nation, Abdelaziz Bouteflika said he had decided to amend the constitution "to reinforce representative democracy" in Algeria, and that he will also launch other legislative reforms.

"I will urge the parliament to review all the legislative framework," he said on Friday.

Bouteflika, who has not spoken in public for at least three months, also vowed to take steps to tackle unemployment.

He said Algeria is moving to achieve the demands of the people, especially the young and unemployed, and outlined a number of measures to help the poor.

He said the government will subsidise housing to make it more affordable, "so that everyone have the ability to enjoy their citizenship and no one has more privileges than the others".

He also pledged a new programme to develop the administration system and "stop any embezzlement of national wealth".

Edited April 15, 2011 by visionary

[visionary]

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/04/201141519562625827.html

Burkina Faso's president dissolves government

Blaise Compaore issues decrees announcing appointment of officials who will be in charge until a new cabinet is named.

Last Modified: 15 Apr 2011 21:09

Burkina Faso's president has dissolved his government and named a new army chief following a mutiny by members of his presidential guard.

In three separate decrees, Blaise Compaore, announced on Friday that "the secretaries-general of the ministries will be in charge of current affairs" until a new cabinet of ministers is appointed on a date he did not specify.

He also named Colonel-Major Honore Nabere Traore as army chief to replace General Dominique Djindjere.

A second witness said he had seen soldiers in four-wheel-drive pick-up trucks speeding in the streets and firing in the air. One taxi driver was dragged out of his car, which was taken by the soldiers.

Soldiers looted many consumer goods' stores in the city centre and several people, including civilians, were slightly injured.

They also ransacked a private radio station, Savane FM, putting it off the air and roughing up staff for no apparent reason, management said.

[visionary]

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/04/2011416125051889315.html

Egypt dissolves former ruling party

Administrative court orders funds and property of the National Democratic Party to be handed over to the government.

Last Modified: 16 Apr 2011 13:26

An Egyptian court has dissolved the former ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) and ordered its funds and property to be handed over to the government.

The Higher Administrative Court issued the order on Saturday, meeting one of the key demands of the protest movement that ousted former president Hosni Mubarak in February.

"The administrative court issued a ruling to dissolve the NDP and seize its money, and its headquarters and buildings will be handed to the government," a judicial source said.

Lawyers had raised a suit demanding the party's dissolution, accusing it of corruption.

The NDP dominated Egyptian politics since it was set up by Mubarak's predecessor, Anwar el-Sadat, in 1978.

Much of its senior leadership is now behind bars on suspicion of embezzlement.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/04/201141683355504200.html

Syria's Assad swears in new government

President chairs cabinet's first session as state media says one policeman was killed in Friday's clashes.

Last Modified: 16 Apr 2011 12:47

The Syrian president has sworn in the country's new government amid reports by the state media that a policeman was killed when forces dispersed mass pro-democracy protests in several cities.

Bashar al-Assad is chairing the first session of Syria's new council of ministers on Saturday, and will then deliver a speech to be broadcast on national television later.

Adel Safar, the prime minister, unveiled the new cabinet on Thursday, and it is expected to carry out broad changes, including lifting the emergency law and replacing it with new anti-terrorism legislation.

Assad had earlier promulgated the new government in response to growing pro-democracy protests.

Reuters reported that more than 1,000 women marched on Saturday in the coastal city of Baniyas in an all female pro-democracy protest.

"Not Sunni, not Alawite. Freedom is what we all want," the women chanted, according to a rights campaigner quoted by the news agency. The city and surrounding villages have many Alawite residents, belonging to the same religious minority as President Assad.

Earlier in the day, mourners in the city attended the funeral of a man who witnesses said had died from his wounds after being shot by gunmen loyal to President Assad during protests on April 10.

Osama al-Sheikha, 40, was among a group of men armed with sticks guarding a mosque in Baniyas, where the army has since been deployed to contain protests. Pro-government gunmen shot at them with AK-47 rifles, witnesses said

[visionary]

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/04/2011416135127178281.html

Burkina Faso traders riot over lootings

Merchants set fire to ruling party's headquarters after officials fail to stop soldiers ransacking their shops.

Last Modified: 16 Apr 2011 14:38

Hundreds of traders in Burkina Faso have taken to the streets of Ouagadougou, setting fire to the headquarters of the country's ruling party in protest after mutinous soldiers looted their shops.

Merchants on Saturday ransacked the National Assembly, the trade ministry and other public buildings in the capital, according to a witness quoted by the Reuters news agency.

"We are angry against the soldiers who have looted our stores, and also against the government that is doing nothing to stop the looting," Abdoulaye, a mobile phone trader who declined to give his second name, said.

"Among us are people who have lost everything ... and do not even know yet whether they will be reimbursed. We're fed up."

The Associated Press reported witnesses as saying soldiers had robbed hotels early on Saturday and were continuing to loot shops and steal cars.

The merchant's protest follows a mutiny by soldiers on Thursday who demanded the payment of promised bonuses.

Soldiers looted consumer goods' stores in the city centre and ransacked a private radio station, with several civilians reported injured.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/04/20114161511286268.html

Syria to lift emergency law

President Assad expects legislation to be enacted "by next week" and pledges further reforms.

Last Modified: 16 Apr 2011 16:22

Syria's president has said he expects his government to lift the decades-old emergency law next week.

Bashar al-Assad also pledged further reforms in a televised speech to his new cabinet after it was sworn in on Saturday.

"The juridical commission on the emergency law has prepared a series of proposals for new legislation, and these proposals will be submitted to the government, which will issue a new law within a week at the most," he said.

Lifting the 48-year-old state of emergency has been a key demand during a wave of protests over the past month.

The emergency law gives the regime a free hand to arrest people without charge and extends the state's authority into virtually every aspect of Syrians' lives.

The president said unemployment remains the biggest problems in the country and pledged that his new government will follow through on measures introduced by the former cabinet.

He said he realises there is a gap between citizens and the state institutions and that the government has to "keep up with the aspirations of the people".

"The world is rapidly changing around us and we have to keep up with developments," he said. "We have to focus on the demands and the aspirations of the people or there will be a sense of anger".

Assad also said he was saddened by the loss of lives in the demonstrations.

"We pray for their souls, whether they're from the armed forces, the police or ordinary citizens. Investigations are continuing to find those responsible and hold them responsible."

Edited April 16, 2011 by visionary

[visionary]

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/04/2011416162256587141.html

Yemeni women protest over Saleh criticism

Thousands reject president's view that it is un-Islamic for women to join men in demonstrations against his rule.

Last Modified: 16 Apr 2011 17:06

Thousands of women have protested in Sanaa, the Yemeni capital, and other cities against remarks by Ali Abdullah Saleh, the president, that it is un-Islamic for women to join men in the demonstrations against his rule.

The women, many clad in black dress with full face veils, said their role in protests was religiously sound and called on the president to step down in line with nearly three months of demonstrations demanding his resignation.

"It seems that President Saleh failed in all his efforts to employ tribes and security to strike at those seeking his exit, and so he resorted to using religion, especially after he saw that thousands of women were taking part in protests," said Samia al-Aghbari, a leader in the protest movement.

Saleh, who has warned of civil war and the break-up of Yemen if he is forced out before organising an orderly transition, urged the opposition on Friday to reconsider their refusal to join talks to resolve the crisis.

But he also struck a defiant tone, calling the opposition liars and bandits, and appealing to religious sensitivities in the conservative Muslim country by criticising the mixing of unrelated men and women among Sanaa protesters.

About 5,000 women demonstrated against the president in the capital on Saturday, with similar numbers in the industrial city of Taiz, south of the capital.

The protests have had the support of the main opposition coalition, whose largest member is the Islamic party, Islah.

"Oh youth, the honour of women has been slandered," the women chanted, referring to Saleh's remarks.

Some women brought their young daughters to the protests, including one with her face painted with the image of the Yemeni flag encircled by a heart on her cheek and the word "Leave" scrawled on her forehead.

"If Saleh read the Quran he wouldn't have made this accusation," said one protester, who gave her name only as Majda. "We ask he be tried according to Islamic law."

On the Al Jazeera coverage of this some of the women mentioned that they are constantly put together with men in universities and other places. (also note that in most protests they're usually much less conservatively dressed than the veils and such that they wore today)

Al Jazeera says that African Union stalwart, Ugandan president Museveni has said he will not allow protests in Uganda about the economy.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/04/20114161822138150.html

Bahrain 'arrests rights lawyer and doctors'

Campaigners say security forces have detained lawyer who represented leader of the Haq opposition group and two doctors.

Last Modified: 16 Apr 2011 18:23

Bahrain has detained a human rights lawyer and at least two doctors as part of a crackdown on pro-democracy protestors in the Gulf Arab kingdom, campaigners have said.

Security forces arrested lawyer Mohammed al-Tajer on Saturday, the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights and Wefaq, the biggest opposition party, said.

"Security forces stormed his home... [at] 2am," the rights group said in a statement.

Tajer represented Hassan Mushaimaa, leader of the Bahraini opposition group Haq, who returned from exile in London in February and was arrested last month.

At least two doctors were also detained, said Mattar Ibrahim Mattar, a Wefaq politician.

"Two doctors were detained," he said. "They arrested Mohammed al-Tajer to put fear also into lawyers."

Opposition activists have accused the government of trying to intimidate medical staff to discourage them from treating protestors.

On Al Jazeera earlier they mentioned that the lawyer represented many of the hundreds of politicians, activists, and protesters who had been arrested already.

Edited April 16, 2011 by visionary

[visionary]

Oh boy.

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2011/04/obama-no-big-move-toward-democracy-in-qatar/1

Obama: 'No big move toward democracy in Qatar'

During the day Thursday, President Obama met with the emir of Qatar, praising his help in Libya and his leadership "when it comes to democracy in the Middle East."

That night, Obama provided political donors in Chicago with a somewhat different view of the emir and Qatar.

"Pretty influential guy," Obama said of Emir Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, noting that he basically owns the Al Jazeera television network. "He is a big booster, big promoter of democracy all throughout the Middle East. Reform, reform, reform -- you're seeing it on Al Jazeera."

But Obama: "Now, he himself is not reforming significantly. There's no big move towards democracy in Qatar. But you know part of the reason is that the per capita income of Qatar is $145,000 a year. That will dampen a lot of conflict."

Having banished the press pool from a q-and-a session with the donors, Obama did not realize he was still speaking on an open mike. Mark Knoller of CBS News recorded his comments.

If only he were this honest about Bahrain and some others right now, lol.

I do hope this doesn't get in the way of working together on Libya though.

[visionary]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-13107318

Cuba President Raul Castro seeks 10-year term limits

Cuban President Raul Castro has said top political positions should be limited to two five-year terms, and promised "systematic rejuvenation" of the government.

President Castro was speaking at the start of the first congress of Cuba's ruling Communist Party in 14 years.

He said the party leadership was in need of renewal and should subject itself to severe self-criticism.

The proposal is unprecedented under Cuban communism.

Mr Castro, 79, made clear the limits would apply to himself.

He took over from his brother Fidel in 2008 and between them they have ruled Cuba for 52 years.

Much of what he said concerned his plans to reduce the role of the state in the economy and encourage private enterprise.

It would take at least five years to update Cuba's economic model, Mr Castro said.

Free education and healthcare would still be guaranteed, but mass subsidies of basic goods would be removed and social spending would be "rationalised".

Mr Castro said 200,000 people had already registered as self-employed since changes were announced last October, doubling the number of Cubans working for themselves.

But he insisted the socialist character of Cuba would be "irreversible" and accumulation of property would not be allowed.

[visionary]

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/04/20114174454614208.html

Yemen opposition to join Gulf-brokered talks

Leaders of opposition bloc head to Saudi Arabia to discuss transition of power with Gulf ministers amid protests.

Last Modified: 17 Apr 2011 06:00

Yemen's Joint Meeting Parties, a main opposition coalition formed in 2002, has said it would send a delegation to Saudi Arabia on Sunday to discuss with Gulf Arab ministers the transition of power in their country, as thousands rallied to demand Ali Abdullah Saleh, the embattled president, to step down.

"We have requested this meeting with the GCC states' foreign ministers to explain our points of view on the Gulf initiative," opposition leader Yassin Noman told Reuters, adding that former foreign minister Mohammed Basindwa would head the delegation.

Opposition leaders previously refused to join Gulf-mediated talks with Saleh's representatives, saying they wanted to force him out within two weeks, because the Gulf plan did not include a quick or clear timetable for the transition of power.

The youth movement, which plays a prominent role in the anti-government demonstrations, said it remains unwilling to take part in any talks before president Saleh's departure.

There's lots of reports of protests in Syria today and loyalist thugs attacking and beating protesters in some cities. I'll see if I can find more info, preferably in the form of an article.

[visionary]

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/04/2011417131422534165.html

Syrians protest despite Assad concessions

Hundreds rally in the southern city of Suweida, a day after the president vowed to lift emergency law within a week.

Last Modified: 17 Apr 2011 15:16

Witnesses say about 300 protesters took to the streets in the southern Syrian city of Suweida, but were dispersed and beaten by security forces.

Sunday's demonstration came a day after Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president, said the country's decades-long emergency laws would be lifted within a week and also promised a number of other reforms.

Some protesters in Suweida, about 130km south of the capital, Damascus, said they were attacked and badly beaten by government thugs.

Mazen Darwish, an activist in Damascus, said two people had been injured and taken to hospital.

"Protesters were sitting in the square, chanting slogans for political freedom," he told Al Jazeera. "After a few minutes, people in civilian clothes attacked them."

There were also reports of demonstrations in Aleppo, Syria's second biggest city, and in the coastal city of Baniyas.

Rights activist Suhair Atassi said on Twitter that 400-500 people were protesting in Aleppo, chanting slogans for national unity.

Activists had called for protests across Syria on Sunday, which is Syria's Independence Day, commemorating the departure of the last French soldiers 65 years ago and Syria's proclamation of independence.

The Damascus Declaration, an opposition umbrella group, called for peaceful protests in all Syrian cities and abroad to "bolster Syria's popular uprising and ensure its continuity".

In a statement posted on its website, the group said the government was responsible for killing and wounding hundreds of Syrians who have been calling for their legitimate rights in the past month.

"The regime alone stands fully responsible for the blood of martyrs and all that will happen next in the country,'' the statement said.

Other activists also called for protests through social network sites.

Aleppo:

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Homs

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Latakia

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Daraa

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Suweida

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http://www.enduringamerica.com/home/2011/4/17/syria-libya-and-beyond-liveblog-a-speech-and-a-city-demolish.html

[visionary]

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/04/201141715495475107.html

Yemeni troops 'open fire on protesters'

Reports of more clashes come as leaders of opposition bloc head to Saudi Arabia to discuss transition of power.

Last Modified: 17 Apr 2011 16:44

Forces loyal to Ali Abdullah Saleh, the Yemeni president, have opened fire at an anti-government protest march in the capital Sanaa, wounding at least four people, witnesses say.

They said the shooting began when they tried to march in a street outside their normal protest zone on Sunday.

Wounded people were being rushed to hospital in ambulances and private cars.

Security forces deployed heavily in Sanaa where hundreds of thousands of men and women took to the streets in protest against Saleh's call for an end to men and women joining together in anti-regime protests, and calling for his overthrow.

Protesters also took to the streets in the cities of Taiz and Ibb, south of Sanaa, and the Red Sea city of Al-Hudaydah, the organisers said.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/04/2011417103043486641.html

Soldiers 'continue to mutiny in Burkina Faso'

Reports troops have taken over southern town, in protest against president over payment of housing and food allowances.

Last Modified: 17 Apr 2011 15:58

Mutinous soldiers are reported to have taken control of a southern town in Bukina Faso as the revolt against Blaise Compaore, the West African nation's ruler, enters its fourth day.

Soldiers at a military garrison in Po, near the Ghana border, fired in the air and took over the town on Sunday, looting and seizing private vehicles, residents told AFP.

Two people were injured in the firing, a hospital source said.

Po, about 140km from Ouagadougou, the capital, houses a training school for Burkinabe military officers.

The government said the soldiers are protesting over payment of housing and daily food allowances.

Soldiers in Ouagadougou began shooting at the presidential compound late on Thursday, sparking two nights of looting by soldiers.

Hundreds of traders rioted and set fire to the headquarters of Burkina Faso's ruling party on Saturday, in protest against the soldiers looting their shops.

The defence ministry announced a curfew in Ouagadougou from 7pm on Saturday to 6am on Sunday, while France warned its citizens not to travel to the country.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/17/us-iran-minister-idUSTRE73G1LA20110417?WT.tsrc=Social%20Media&WT.z_smid=twtr-reuters_%20com&WT.z_smid_dest=Twitter

(Reuters) - Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejected the resignation of the intelligence minister on Sunday, the student news agency ISNA reported.

"Heydar Moslehi will continue his work as the intelligence minister after the Supreme Leader rejected his resignation," ISNA reported, without giving further details.

The official IRNA news agency reported earlier that Moslehi's resignation had been accepted by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The semi-official Fars news agency also quoted an unnamed source as saying the minister had been sacked.

http://twitter.com/#!/Reuters

FLASH: Syrian forces fire during a demonstration at a funeral in Talbiseh town, killing three: witnesses 34 minutes ago via web

[visionary]

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/18/world/asia/18beijing.html?_r=2&hp=&pagewanted=all

Illicit Church, Evicted, Tries to Buck Beijing

BEIJING — It has all the trappings one would expect from the capital’s most well-heeled and prestigious Christian congregation: a Sunday school for children, nature hikes for singles and clothing drives for the needy. Last year, the church, called Shouwang, or Lighthouse, collected $4 million from its 1,000 members to buy its own house of worship.

But Shouwang, according to China’s officially atheist Communist Party leadership, is technically illegal. It is a so-called house church, which in recent years had come to symbolize the government’s wary tolerance for big-city congregations outside the constellation of state-controlled churches. The church has been a release valve for an educated elite seeking a nonpolitical refuge for its faith.

That is, until now.

Evicted yet again from its meeting place by the authorities, Shouwang announced this month that its congregants would worship outside rather than disband or go back underground. Its demands were straightforward but bold: allow the church to take possession of the space it had legally purchased. Officials responded with a clenched fist.

On Sunday, for the second week in a row, the police rounded up scores of parishioners who tried to pray outdoors at a public plaza. Most of the church’s leadership is now in custody or under house arrest. Its Web site has been blocked.

“We are not antigovernment, but we cannot give up our church family and our faith,” Wei Na, 30, the church choir director, said last week just before more than 160 congregants were corralled onto buses and detained. “Satan is using the government to destroy us, and we can’t let that happen.”

The move against Shouwang, as well as other house churches, coincides with the most expansive assault on dissent in China in years, one that has led to the arrests of high-profile critics like the artist Ai Weiwei, but also legions of little-known bloggers, rights lawyers and democracy advocates who have disappeared into the country’s opaque legal system. The crackdown, now in its second month, was prompted by government fears that the Arab revolts against autocracy could spread to China and undermine the Communist Party’s six-decade hold on power.

Edited April 18, 2011 by visionary