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

[visionary]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/27/us-senegal-election-idUSTRE81Q04T20120227

Senegal's Wade in tight race for new term

Senegal President Abdoulaye Wade is in a tight race with chief rival Macky Sall, according to early unofficial tallies from the West African state's most contentious poll in recent history, signaling a possible run-off between the former allies.

The election follows weeks of violent street protests against the 85-year-old Wade's bid for a third term in office despite a two-term limit, and warnings that Senegal's reputation as an established democracy hangs in the balance.

"We think the second round could be between Macky Sall and President Wade," said Jean Paul Diaz, a political ally of Macky Sall, adding the campaign's internal count showed the race was within a few percentage points.

Partial unofficial results published by website SUNU2012, which has been aggregating figures from volunteers at individual polling stations, showed Wade with about 24 percent, ahead of Sall's 21 percent, with 10 percent of the ballots counted.

"We are showing all the world that we are changing this country without a civil war," said Arona Ndofene Diouf, political counselor in Sall's campaign, who was among a small gathering celebrating at Sall's headquarters.

The trend could change rapidly, however, as Wade claims strong support in rural areas of the country where figures may be slower to come in. He has said he is confident of a win in the election's first round of voting.

Edited February 27, 2012 by visionary

[visionary]

Wow. This could be huge news if it's true.

Of course, knowing Saleh...one has to wonder what the catch is.

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2107695,00.html?xid=tweetbut

Aides: Yemen's Saleh to Seek Ethiopia Exile

Aides to Ali Abdullah Saleh say that the ousted Yemeni president plans to go into exile in Ethiopia.

The aides told The Associated Press on Monday that the former president will leave Yemen within two days along with some of his family members.

A diplomat in Sanaa confirmed that arrangements had been made for Saleh's arrival. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.

Edited February 27, 2012 by visionary

[visionary]

Ivan Watson is in Tehran covering the parliamentary elections in Iran this weekend.

Follow him on twitter for updates on any developments there.

https://twitter.com/#!/IvanCNN

Landed in Tehran to cover parliamentary elections. They haven't let me in since Ahmadinejad won 2005 elex. A lot has changed in 7 years...

3:12 AM 28 Feb

Sadegh Zibakalam, Tehran University political scientist, calls Friday's election "a rivalry between Ahmadinejad and the Supreme Leader"

4:54 PM

after 15 minutes of interviews on Tehran street, Bassiji militia detained us. We spent 3 hours in police station before being released

4:58 PM

---------- Post added February-29th-2012 at 06:18 AM ----------

https://twitter.com/#!/AlanStrangeSky

AP - Senior Qaeda chief Seif al-Adel arrested in Cairo airport (wanted over East Africa US embassy bombs, Sadat/Daniel Pearl killings)

6:09 AM

https://twitter.com/#!/Skytwitius

Egypt police have arrested senior AQ man Seif al Adel.AFP. He was temp leader after BIn Laden death. Explosives expert.

6:08 AM

https://twitter.com/#!/erinmcunningham

MOI source just told me that it is NOT Saif al-Adel that was arrested at Cairo airport, but Mohamed Ibrahim Makkawi.

7:21 AM

It seems like it was a case of mistaken identity.

Edited February 29, 2012 by visionary

[visionary]

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/02/29/world/meast/egypt-ngos/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

Egypt lifts travel ban on Americans, judge says

Egyptian authorities have lifted the travel ban on 16 Americans accused of fraud and stirring up unrest, a judge said Wednesday, but a U.S. official warned no deal is final.

Judge Abdel Moez Ibrahim, the head of Egypt's Court of Appeal, said the Americans still face charges and fines of 2 million Egyptian pounds (about $332,000). And a U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the diplomacy, told CNN that "the deal isn't done."

"We don't have the green light they can go home," the official said. The official said the Egyptian government, not the court, has to lift the ban -- and "as far as we know, that hasn't been effectuated."

The Americans were among 43 people detained in a series of raids targeting pro-democracy, non-governmental organizations. One of those charged is Sam LaHood, director of Egypt operations for the International Republican Institute and the son of U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

Only seven are believed to remain in Egypt, all of them at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo.

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/02/29/world/africa/egypt-election/index.html?iref=allsearch

Dates set for Egyptian presidential vote

Egypt's first presidential election since the ouster last year of Hosni Mubarak will take place on May 23-24, with final results expected June 21, the head of the election commission announced Wednesday.

Under that schedule, the outcome would be announced 10 days before the ruling military council, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, has said it will hand over authority to an elected government.

Farouk Sultan, the election commission head, told a nationally televised news conference that candidates can register for the presidential election from March 10 until April 8, with three weeks of campaigning commencing on April 30.

Candidates must have 30,000 supporters from 15 cities in Egypt in order to qualify, Sultan said.

Egyptians living abroad will be able to vote from May 11 to May 17, and if a runoff is necessary, it would take place June 16-17, he said.

No formal international monitoring will occur, according to Sultan, who said the military and police will provide security and the commission will "ensure the transparency of the elections."

[visionary]

https://twitter.com/#!/politico

Sam LaHood and six other Americans have left Egypt, a source close to the situation tells John Bresnahan: http://politi.co/xP9KBI

11:57 AM

http://mccain.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressOffice.PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=cf34de54-d3b5-651d-c3ee-505c71941ff2

SENATORS ISSUE STATEMENT ON DECISION TO DISMISS TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS ON AMERICAN EMPLOYEES OF NGOs IN EGYPT

March 1, 2012

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators John McCain (R-AZ), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), John Hoeven (R-ND) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) released the following statement regarding the decision today by the Egyptian judiciary to lift the travel restrictions on American and other foreign employees of international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Egypt. The senators visited Egypt last week as part of a Congressional delegation.

“We welcome the decision today by the Egyptian judiciary to lift the travel restrictions on American and other foreign employees of international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Egypt, including the National Democratic Institute and the International Republican Institute. We are pleased and relieved that these individuals are now able to return home to their families.

“At the same time, we remain concerned about the fate of the many Egyptian employees who have worked for these NGOs and who remain in Egypt, where they are still subject to trial. These men and women have worked tirelessly on behalf of their fellow Egyptians to defend democracy, civil society, human rights, and the rule of law in their country. We hope that the recent decision to postpone the trial of these individuals until April will ultimately lead to the court proceedings being halted altogether. We will continue to advocate for the rights of these Egyptian NGO workers, who have done no wrong.

[visionary]

Iran Parliamentary Elections are starting now.

Stay tuned to find out if the voters will support the Supreme Dictator's candidates or Stupid Nutcase's candidates.

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/liveblog/Iran-elections

https://twitter.com/#!/IvanCNN

http://www.enduringamerica.com/

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/10122648

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/iran

-----------------------------------------

BAHRAIN

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/liveblog/Bahrain

7 min 54 sec ago

The Bahraini government has imposed restrictions on groups attempting to monitor reforms and has asked a United Nations investigator to delay a visit to investigate allegations of torture, the UN and rights groups say.

The UN human rights office in Geneva said on Thursday that Bahrain had formally requested that the visit of the special rapporteur on torture be delayed until July.

Juan Mendez, the investigator, had initially been scheduled to visit the Gulf island country from March 8 to 17.

That's a hell of a delay.

I guess there's a lot of torturing still to be done in the meantime. :mad:

Edited March 2, 2012 by visionary

[visionary]

https://twitter.com/#!/JShahryar

IranElection Live: Guardian Council, seeking control over results, puts out warning to Min of Interior http://bit.ly/zPnVKK

3:33 AM

IranElection Live: Rafsanjani votes "God willing, election result is what people place in the ballot boxes" http://bit.ly/xCx1vc

3:33 AM

http://www.enduringamerica.com/home/2012/3/2/the-latest-from-iran-2-march-the-parliamentary-elections.html#0810

0803 GMT: One story we are watching closely is a push for Gholam Ali Hadded Adel, the former Speaker of Parliament, to re-claim that position and eject the current Speaker, Ali Larijani.

Haddad Adel has a personal link to the Supreme Leader --- his son is married to Ayatollah Khamenei's daughter. While Larijani is also close to Khamenei, the Supreme Leader's office may consider Haddad Adel a safer pair of hands to handle the political feuding within the Iranian system.

[terpfan44]

Vis....thought of your efforts when I read this...

http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/02/why_is_obama_in_bed_with_the_muslim_brotherhood.html

[visionary]

Vis....thought of your efforts when I read this...

http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/02/why_is_obama_in_bed_with_the_muslim_brotherhood.html

LOL. That article is pretty off base.

I think for instance if they want tar Obama as being friends with the Muslim Brotherhood, they might want to look at McCain, who's been advocating much more of all this than Obama has and who has pretty much endorsed them in Egypt.

I don't want to get into details too much about this stuff right now, but I think most of the stuff in the article is overblown.

One thing to keep an eye on in fact is that groups like the Muslim Brotherhood and even Hamas (which is nothingshort of stunning) have been going through some very interesting transitions.

Hamas has been pretty much torn away from Syria, Iran, and Hezzbollah and is being actively shaped into a more moderate organization by the gulf states.

Whether it will stick, or they will go right back to what they have been doing in the past, will be something to watch for.

I think in the case of the Muslim Brotherhood, they aren't as big a problem as many like to paint them.

Also we need to look at them differently in each place, because they aren't all the same.

The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt has already moderated itself to the point that they're considered allies of the military establishment by many now.

The Muslim brotherhood in Lybia is starting to form parties but the leaders are not particuarlly popular and in fact are laughed at by more than a few.

In Syria the Muslim Brotherhood has very little visable influence and I've yet to see much said about them.

That doesn't mean that they couldn't maybe slip into an opening if there's a power vacuum later.

But the Syrian people have little use for extremism right now and are not going to appreciate anyone trying to set up a dictatorship.

Now that could change if they start to really resent the outside world and become bitter and hardened into resorting to any tactics to defeat Assad.

That's why most Syrians and those who've been in Syria, and of those who have been watching the situation there have been calling for some sort of intervention to keep that from happening.

[visionary]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/mar/03/iran-elections-ahmadinejad-rivals-ahead?CMP=twt_gu

Conservative rivals of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appear on course to gain firm control of the Iranian parliament, according to early election results.

In a huge embarrassment to the president, his younger sister Parvin Ahmadinejad was defeated by a conservative rival in their hometown of Garmsar.

Of 197 winners declared by midday Saturday, at least 102 were conservatives who turned against Ahmadinejad after he openly challenged the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Among the prominent anti-Ahmadinejad victors were Gholam Ali Haddad Adel, whose daughter is married to Khamenei's son, and parliament speaker Ali Larijani, Iran's former nuclear negotiator.

Six independent candidates opposed to the president have also been elected so far.

The remaining seats were split between Ahmadinejad supporters and centrists. At least 15 races will have to be decided in runoffs.

The results indicate Ahmadinejad may face a more hostile parliament in his final 18 months in office and give the ruling clerics a clear path to ensure his successor is a Khamenei loyalist.

Edited March 3, 2012 by visionary

[visionary]

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/03/06/world/meast/yemen-violence/index.html?eref=edition&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=cnni

Huge death toll doubles in Yemen 'slaughter'

The death toll from a sophisticated attack by Islamic extremists against soldiers in Yemen jumped to 177 Tuesday, three Yemeni security officials told CNN.

Air raids on militant positions since the attack have left at least 42 militants dead in Abyan province, security officials said.

The attack Sunday at an army base by Ansar al-Sharia, which is allied with al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), originally claimed the lives of 90 soldiers and wounded many others.

The militants seized large amounts of weaponry -- including rocket launchers, mortars, armored vehicles, and tanks -- and appeared to have had help from within the security apparatus, according to Yemeni officials.

The bloodbath took place near Zinjibar, a town on the Arabian Sea where Ansar al-Sharia has been active for nearly a year.

One Yemeni official, who declined to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said militants began attacking an army base from the east, drawing the fire of troops, and then began attacking from the other side of the base. The "reinforcement response was too slow," he said, adding that was partly because of sandstorms in the area.

On Monday, more attacks took place.

Al Qaeda-linked militants occupied a Republican Guard garrison in the province of Baitha, before the Yemeni army overtook it, a Yemeni government official said.

Hamas really does seem to be going through some changes.

Very interesting.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/mar/06/hamas-no-military-aid-for-iran?CMP=twt_gu

Hamas rules out military support for Iran in any war with Israel

Hamas will not do Iran's bidding in any war with Israel, according to senior figures within the militant Islamic group.

"If there is a war between two powers, Hamas will not be part of such a war," Salah Bardawil, a member of the organisation's political bureau in Gaza City, told the Guardian.

He denied the group would launch rockets into Israel at Tehran's request in response to a strike on its nuclear sites. "Hamas is not part of military alliances in the region," said Bardawil. "Our strategy is to defend our rights"

The stance underscores Hamas's rift with its key financial sponsor and its realignment with the Muslim Brotherhood and popular protest movements in the Arab world.

Bardawil's words were echoed by a second senior Hamas figure, who declined to be named. Hamas, he said, "would not get involved" in any war between Iran and Israel.

[visionary]

Disturbing...although I'm also surprised that young people in Baghdad feel free enough to dress as emos at all.

By the way, I suggest reading through the entire article.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/10/us-iraq-emo-killings-idUSBRE8290CY20120310

At least 14 youths have been stoned to death in Baghdad in the past three weeks in what appears to be a campaign by Shi'ite militants against youths wearing Western-style "emo" clothes and haircuts, security and hospital sources say.

Edited March 10, 2012 by visionary

[visionary]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/in-iraq-growing-gap-sets-kurdistan-apart/2012/03/05/gIQAcT5t2R_story.html?tid=pm_world_pop

In Iraq, growing gap sets Kurdistan apart

IRBIL, Iraq — To land at the gleaming new airport in this booming regional capital is to glimpse what the United States hoped a decade ago that all of Iraq might become.

Cranes swivel across a skyline whose glittering high-rises and five-star hotels bring an air of Dubai grandeur. Modern malls with brightly lit boutiques do a brisk business. Modern, wide highways include pedestrian bridges, some with escalators.

This is Iraqi Kurdistan, a region that was semiautonomous even under Saddam Hussein, but one that has been transformed in remarkable ways since the American invasion of 2003. While the rest of Iraq remains saddled by scars and trauma from the conflicts the U.S. invasion unleashed, the Kurdistan region increasingly stands apart, with its own fractious, impoverished past mostly a distant memory.

But Kurdistan can only be held up as a success story with significant caveats. Security has come at the expense of the repressive features of a police state. Two ruling political parties have held on to power through a vast network of patronage that has given the opposition little breathing room.

Perhaps most alarmingly, its historically acrimonious relationship with Baghdad has become downright poisonous since the last U.S. soldiers left the country last December — casting a pall over the sustainability of its aspirations....

[visionary]

Rumblings of dissent in Morroco seem to be starting up again.

https://twitter.com/#!/__Hisham

Complete media blackout as clashes continued overnight in northern Morocco: @Mamfakinch posts this account: http://post.ly/5vhEN

1:33 AM

[Video] Casablanca: demonstration in solidarity with protests in Bouayach (northern Morocco) and neighboring areas http://post.ly/5vTvw

1:39 AM

[visionary]

http://www.egyptindependent.com/node/707931

Church leaders divided over backing presidential candidate

Leaders of Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox Church have split over which candidate the church should support in the presidential election slated for 23 and 24 May.

Last week, 22 bishops held a meeting at the office of Pope Shenouda III to review the platforms of presidential hopefuls Abdel Moneim Abouel Fotouh and Amr Moussa. The meeting ended with 12 bishops agreeing to back Abouel Fotouh.

There is no precise breakdown of how many Christians live in the Egypt, because past governments have refused to announce numbers. Unofficial estimates say that Christians, mostly Copts, make up about 10 percent of Egypt’s 85 million people.

During Mubarak, Copts were seen as a contingency that could propel a specific candidate to Parliament, but their real electoral power is unknown.

Sources told independent daily Al-Shorouk newspaper on Monday that the rest of the bishops at the meeting declined to support Abouel Fotouh because of his background as a former Muslim Brotherhood member.

Abouel Fotouh officially left the Brotherhood after the group decided not to make a bid for the presidency. He is considered to be a moderate Islamist who has expressed his full support of freedom of faith. In a TV show last year, he said: “Nobody should interfere if a Christian decides to convert to Islam or a Muslim decides to leave Islam and become Christian.”

He has expressed his support of a Copt’s right to run for president.

[visionary]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/12/us-iran-rights-idUSBRE82B16N20120312

Iran executed 670 in 2011, says U.N. investigator

Iran executed some 670 people last year, most of them for drug crimes that do not merit capital punishment under international law and more than 20 for offences against Islam, a United Nations investigator said on Monday.

[visionary]

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2012/03/20123145268387804.html

China premier calls for political reforms

China could see a repeat of the deadly chaos of the country's so-called 'Cultural Revolution' without urgent political reform, Wen Jiabao has warned in a dramatic parting shot at his final news conference as premier.

Wen is widely considered the most progressive of China's leaders, but analysts said his comments on Wednesday, at the closing of the annual parliamentary session, were his strongest call yet for political reform within the one-party state.

"We must press ahead with both economic structural reform and political structural reform, in particular reform in the leadership system of our party and country," he told reporters, calling the process an "urgent task".

"Without a successful political structural reform, it is impossible for us to fully institute economic structural reform and the gains we have made in this area may be lost," he said.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2012/03/201231522140508295.html

Senior Chinese leader sacked

Bo Xilai, a high-profile contender for the top leadership of China, has been removed from his post as the Communist Party leader of the major southwestern city of Chongqing.

Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang will replace Bo and will also keep his vice premier portfolio, state news agency Xinhua said in a brief report on Thursday.

Initial reports did not say if Bo would retain his seat in the party's 25-member Politburo.

Bo, 62, had tried to push the boundaries of populism in China, where many leading politicians are cautious pragmatists who climbed the ranks of the party bureaucracy.

The move, which comes ahead of a major leadership transition in China's ruling party later this year, follows weeks of intense speculation about Bo's future after a key aide reportedly tried to defect to the United States.

https://twitter.com/#!/limlouisa

So much for a softer line in Qinghai RT@ChinaLetter Tibetan Protesters Told to Surrender http://bit.ly/zzLdAc

5:33 AM

Yang Fan, who wrote the book about the Chongqing model, says Bo Xilai had made "leftist mistakes".

11:19 PM

The purge continues RT@damienics Wang Lijun officially stripped of v mayor, new Qinghai guy replaces him http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2012-03/15/c_3211657329.htm

11:43 PM

[visionary]

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/03/20123189523528780.html

Villages razed in Sudan's South Kordofan

Thousands of people in the Sudanese border region of South Kordofan have fled their homes to the nearby mountains, fearing attacks by Sudanese forces that have left entire villages devastated.

Al Jazeera's Peter Greste gained access to the remote region and documented evidence of villages and crops destroyed and spoke to people who said they had abandoned their homes out of fear that they would be killed if they stayed.

Sudan's army has been accused of deliberately targeting civilians in South Kordofan during a months-long military campaign that has included air raids and allegations of soldiers razing villagers.

The government in Khartoum blames separatist fighters of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM) for the violence, and says the group is aligned with South Sudan, which achieved independence last year.

"Of course there is a confrontation between the SPLM and the Sudanese government," Mukesh Kapila, the former UN humanitarian co-ordinator for Sudan told Al Jazeera on Sunday.

"What do you expect if the Khartoum government murders, rapes and bombs its civilians? Then do you expect the people of the region to take it and enjoy it themselves?

"I think it is a right in international law, for a people whose government has betrayed them, to defend themselves," he said.

Kapila said he saw evidence of genocide and crimes against humanity on a trip to the area this month. He said the Khartoum government had "no right to be attacking women and children indiscriminately" and called for further investigation into what is taking place there.

[visionary]

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/03/2012321184549658627.html

Mali soldiers attack palace in 'coup bid'

Soldiers have attacked Mali's presidential palace as a protest over the government's handling of a Tuareg-led rebellion in the north turned into an all-out coup bid.

Heavy weapons fire rang out in the capital Bamako early on Thursday and the mutineers, who complain they lack arms and resources to face a separatist uprising in the Sahara desert north, forced the state broadcaster off the air.

One of the mutineers told the AFP news agency that soldiers had seized control of the palace and that Soumeylou Boubeye Maiga, Mali's foreign minister, was among those being held.

"We now know it is a coup d'etat that they are attempting," a defence ministry official said, asking not to be named.

A diplomat confirmed the clashes at the presidential palace. The official said Malian President Amadou Toumani Toure was in a secure location but gave no further details.

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

Reuters: Mali soldiers on state TV say they have ended the rule of President Toure, will aim to hand over power to new elected government

1:07 AM

So far in 2012 we've had coups in the Maldives and Mali.

I wonder what's next....

Edited March 22, 2012 by visionary

[visionary]

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/03/201232319109223333.html?utm_content=automateplus&utm_campaign=Trial6&utm_source=SocialFlow&utm_term=tweets&utm_medium=MasterAccount

Bahrain protesters battle with police

Peaceful protests erupted into violence between police and demonstrators in several areas, exposing the divide between Bahrain’s formal political opposition and ranks of frustrated youth activists.

Thousands of people marched in 10 rallies on Friday organised by Al Wefaq, Bahrain's largest opposition political organisation in Bahrain.

The rallies were a show of defiance coming days after a government commission praised the king’s progress in implementing reforms since widespread protest began last year.

The marches were soon overshadowed by clashes that erupted in Sanabis and Sitra, two predominantly Shia villages.

The streets of Sitra were littered with broken glass and the chunks of cement that protesters used as makeshift roadblocks. Tear gas and thick black smoke from burning rubbish bins lingered in the air.

Clashes also broke out in Jidhafs, where mourners buried a woman who human rights groups said was killed by tear gas last night.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/03/20123241489417577.html

Mali coup leader appeals for calm

The self-declared leader of a military coup in Mali has appeared in a recorded interview on state television to call for calm, and deny reports that soldiers had looted petrol stations and hijacked cars in the capital, Bamako.

"I call on all Malians to stop the pillaging. The acts of vandalism are not from our soldiers. It is not their mission, it is not their fight," said Amadou Sanogo, an army captain, in the interview broadcast late on Friday.

"You can buy a [soldier's] uniform in the market. What makes you think it is not other people who are doing this to damage the image of our cause?" Sanogo added.

The situation remained tense and confused, with reports of sporadic gunfire in the capital, 48 hours after the coup against President Amadou Toumani Toure.

Rumours swirled of an imminent counter-coup led by Toure loyalists and that Sanogo had been killed, a suggestion denied on state TV.

"We assure you that everything is fine," a statement from the coup's leaders on Friday said. "We invite you to go about your daily business as normal."

[visionary]

Genius move throwing out the election laws to allow himself a third term as president, only to get crushed in the election.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/03/2012325215047179839.html

Senegal's Wade concedes election defeat

Senegal's President Abdoulaye Wade, 85, has conceded election defeat as results gave an overwhelming lead to his rival Macky Sall.

"We have confirmation now from the presidential office that Abdulaye Wade has telephoned Macky Sall to concede defeat," said Al Jazeera's Andrew Simmons, confirming a state television report that Wade had made a congratulatory phone call to Sall at 21:30GMT (9:30pm local time).

The move alleviated fears that Wade would attempt to stay in office after 12 years or would challenge the runoff results.

Even before Wade conceded, Sall's supporters began celebrating in the streets of the capital, singing and marching through downtown Dakar.

"I think tonight is a great night for Senegalese people," Aly Fary Ndieye, a Senegalese political analyst told Al Jazeera.

"[Voters] have chosen someone who has a very clear record... and good candidate.

"We have never seen a president elected with this kind of landslide victory [in Senegal].

"It gives a lot of political capital [to Sall]. The question now is how will Macky Sall turn this win into political power.

"The biggest challenge now is how to effectively implement policies to benefit Senegalese people."

[visionary]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17516440

Al-Shabab forces lose Somali base of El Bur

The central town of El Bur was one of the main bases still controlled by the al-Qaeda-linked group, analysts say.

But residents say al-Shabab fighters had withdrawn before the pro-government forces arrived.

Al-Shabab still controls many southern areas but is also under pressure from Kenyan and African Union forces.

Kenyan troops invaded from the south last year, while the AU force has pushed al-Shabab out of the capital, Mogadishu.

Residents of El Bur say they have seen Ethiopian armoured personnel carriers move into the town, which was taken without a fight.

BBC Somali service analyst Mohamed Ibrahim Mwalimu says the capture of El Bur opens the way to other nearby areas.

Ethiopian forces were accompanied by fighters from moderate Islamist militia Ahlu Sunna Wal Jamaa, which is allied to the UN-backed government.

Here's a map that BBC put up in their article about the recent capture of another Shabab stronghold, Baidoa in the south west

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17127353#TWEET83058

Edited March 26, 2012 by visionary

[visionary]

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/04/06/world/meast/bahrain-hunger-strike/index.html

Bahrain hunger-striker's daughter arrested

Authorities in Bahrain have arrested the daughter of a human rights activist who has been on a hunger strike for eight weeks, they said Friday.

Investigators arrested Zainab Al-Khawaja outside the complex of the Interior Ministry, said Mohammed Al Jishi, a lawyer for Al-Khawaja's father, Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, who is on a hunger strike to protest his sentence of life in prison.

[visionary]

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/04/2012479515618741.html

Yemeni airport shut down amid tensions

The airport in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, has been shut down after forces loyal to a general close to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh threatened to attack landing and departing aircraft, according to an airport source.

The source said Saturday's closure came after the airport was surrounded by loyalists of the air force chief, General Mohammed Saleh al-Ahmar, the former president's half-brother, who has refused to step down after being sacked by Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi, the current president.

Hadi dismissed on Saturday Saleh al-Ahmar, the air force chief, and the head of the presidential guard, General Tareq Mohammed Abdullah Saleh.

LIBYA

https://twitter.com/#!/ChangeInLibya

April 7th was the day Gaddafi hanged students in the 70s and 80s just because they a different opinion to his. He called it Students day

7:30 AM

My mother and my uncles were forced to watch their friends get hanged at school, they told them it was a 'special event'

7:31 AM

My mother spent the rest of her life terrified of uttering a single word against Gaddafi, and my uncles will never forget that day

7:32 AM

People were also hanged in Ramadan, our sacred month where even getting angry at someone is a bad thing. Ppl watched hangings on TV

7:33 AM

Edited April 7, 2012 by visionary

[visionary]

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/04/2012481441621740.html?utm_content=automate&utm_campaign=Trial6&utm_source=NewSocialFlow&utm_term=plustweets&utm_medium=MasterAccount

Egypt presidency nomination race heats up

Egypt's most powerful political group, the Muslim Brotherhood, has announced it is nominating the head of its party as a back-up candidate for president in the face of attempts to disqualify their primary nominee.

Other politicians also battled on Saturday to keep their candidacies from being disqualified on technical grounds.

The moves have shaken up Egyptian politics and raised passions one day before the deadline on Sunday for candidates to nominate themselves in the country's first free presidential vote, scheduled to take place in two rounds in May and June.

The Muslim Brotherhood’s decision to put forth a second candidate was spurred by fears that the ruling military council may use Egypt's election committee to disqualify Islamist presidential hopefuls in order to make room for former regime officials to win.

The announcement comes just hours after Gamaa Islamiya put forward a cleric as its candidate after reports surfaced that the group’s hopeful, Hazem Abu Ismail, could be disqualified from running. Egypt's election commission said on Saturday that his mother was a US citizen.

The Gamaa Islamiya, or Islamic Group, said it selected Safwat Hegazy, a prominent imam who preaches on television and who took part in last year's protests as a back-up to Abu Ismail.

Last month France barred Hegazy from entering the country for an Islamic conference along with a number of other high-profile Muslim clerics on the grounds that they "call for hatred and violence."

Edited April 8, 2012 by visionary