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

[visionary]

The Libyan parliamentary/assembly election for PM is underway right now. The voting is done and counting results are trickling out.

It seems that the two main moderates (Jibril and Abu Shagur) are in the lead and will make it into the runoff.

Jibril had 86 votes and Shagur had 55, the third place candidate (Barassi of the Muslim Brotherhood) had 41.

(out of 200)

A lot of people are speculating that in the second round, people who voted for Barassi will vote for Shagur to try to put him over Jibril.

https://twitter.com/Libyan4life

Mahmoud Jabril wins the first round of elections in the vote for LibyasNextPM

2:06 PM

Mustafa Abushagur and Mahmoud Jabril will now go on to the next stage of voting. The winner of this second round will be LibyasPM

2:08 PM

GNC is taking a 15 minute break for Mughrib prayer then resume and another vote will take place

2:08 PM

Hmmm:

https://twitter.com/EmadDlala

Next round will be close. Most of the Barasi voters will go to Abu Shagur but maybe not all. Some will go to Jibril too (the independent)

2:10 PM

I think Barasi votes will be divided but mostly will go to Abu shagur. It'll be too close to call

2:16 PM

I think the winner needs 101 (or 102) votes out of 200

Although now I'm seeing someone say that only 190 voted so it may be they only need 96 votes.

Politics is confusing. lol

Edited September 12, 2012 by visionary

[visionary]

https://twitter.com/Reuters

LIBYA GENERAL NATIONAL CONGRESS VOTES MUSTAFA ABU SHAGOUR AS NEW PRIME MINISTER

4:01 PM

He won 96-94 over Jibril.

Abu Shagur's twitter account:

https://twitter.com/MustafaAG

Edited September 12, 2012 by visionary

[visionary]

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/09/2012918154913113773.html

S Africa miners to resume work after pay rise

Striking workers at South Africa's Lonmin platinum mine say they will return to work on Thursday after accepting a pay rise of 22 per cent.

The planned return to work, announced on Tuesday, will end more than five weeks of crippling and bloody industrial action that left at least 34 miners dead in a police crackdown last month.

Workers gathered at a football pitch near the Marikana mine cheered when they were informed of the pay offer, the Reuters news ageny reported.

"The actual increase is about 22 per cent, which is very high," said Bishop Jo Seoka, South African Council of Churches president who brokered the talks between the miners and their employer.

The wage strike, which started on August 10 and spread to other platinum and gold mines in the country, triggered growing concerns that the industrial action would dent the economy of Africa's wealthiest country.

Al Jazeera's Haru Mutasa, reporting from Marikana, said the offer amounted to about $1,200 a month.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/09/20129189151922935.html

Somali forces battle al-Shabab near Kismayo

Somali troops backed by African Union forces have clashed with al-Shabab fighters, an al-Qaeda-linked Somali militia, as they try to advance towards the key port town of Kismayo, sources from rival sides have said.

Heavy fighting broke out on Monday near Birta-dher, about 40km from Kismayo, the biggest bastion of al-Shabab in southern Somalia, witnesses said.

Military officials confirmed that Somali and Kenyan troops launched an attack on the barracks of al-Shabab fighters in the area.

"The fighting is going on for the second day after our forces supported by Kenyan troops launched a final military offensive on al-Shabab positions in the Kismayo corridor", Mohamed Farah, Somali military spokesman at the frontline, said.

"The operation is aimed to root out the militants before we secure control of the port town", he said.

There are reports that the strongest armed group in the war-torn country has started leaving the town of Kismayo, a key commercial centre.

"The resistance is being squeezed and very soon we will take control of Kismayo as the militants have abandoned the city. We have very minimal casualties so far", he added.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/09/20129171519715907.html

Nigeria captures two 'Boko Haram leaders'

The Nigerian army says it has arrested two high-ranking members of the armed Islamist group Boko Haram.

A third man was killed during the operation on the outskirts of the city of Kano.

There were unconfirmed reports that the man who died was a Boko Haram spokesmen who uses the alias Abul Qaqa.

The AP news agency reported that two members of Boko Haram were killed in the incident.

According to a soldier who spoke on condition of anonymity, the three men were coming into Kano early on Monday along with a woman they were transporting to receive medical treatment.

One of those arrested is an alleged "field commander" for Kogi and Kaduna states as well as for the capital Abuja, the soldier said.

The woman who was with them allegedly told security forces that the man killed was Abul Qaqa.

Statements are often issued on behalf of Boko Haram in the name of Abul Qaqa, and someone identifying himself by that name has regularly held phone conferences with journalists.

[twa]

interesting

http://debka.com/article/22360/Al-Qaeda-led-Salafis-hit-three-Egyptian-Sinai-bases-down-Egyptian-chopper-

Al Qaeda-led Salafis hit three Egyptian Sinai bases, down Egyptian chopper

+

Salafi Bedouin and al Qaeda bands Sunday, Sept 16, expanded their Sinai offensive to three Egyptian bases along a 70-kilometer front three days after they raided the US-led Multinational Force base south of El Arish in northern Sinai and hoisted the black Islamist flag. debkafile’s military sources report that at dawn, a small group managed to creep up to the northern Sinai Egyptian command center in al Arish and plant a large bomb against its walls. Because of the total Egyptian blackout on the episode, there is no information on casualties or damage.

The explosion was followed by a horde of heavily armed gunmen firing rocket grenades and heavy machine guns swooping on the center and seizing the rooftops of surrounding buildings to pin down the Egyptian commanders inside the compound. By the end of the day, the Salafi-al Qaeda gangs were in control of El Arish, the key town of northern Sinai.

At a distance of 40 kilometers, a fierce battle erupted at another site, Sheikh Zuwaid, 3 kilometers from the MFO’s northern base which was attacked Friday. The raiders captured the local school and took dozens of children hostage. Using them as human shields, the terrorists advanced on the local police station shooting anti-tank rockets, rocket grenades, automatic weapons and fire bombs.

To repel this attack, the Egyptian army deployed combat helicopters which struck the invaders with missiles and heavy machine guns. One chopper was reported shot down. Due to the Egyptian news blackout, there is no word on the fate of the children, the helicopter crew or whether it was downed by an anti-air rocket or machine gun fire,

The Salafi-al Qaeda terrorists next turned to the Egyptian special forces base at Rafah abutting the Gaza Strip and just across the Israeli border. This is the same base which Salafi Bedouin and al Qaeda gunmen attacked on Aug. 5 killing 16 Egyptian troops and crashing through the frontier barrier into Israel.

[Stadium-Armory]

It wouldn't surprise me to see a military coup in Egypt. I can't imagine the generals like where this is going.

[visionary]

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/09/2012920172745668920.html

Deadly blast rocks Somalia capital

A suicide bomber has killed at least 15 people and severely wounded several more in a restaurant in the centre of Somalia's capital Mogadishu, witnesses said.

The attack on Thursday, the latest in the war-ravaged city where al-Qaeda linked al-Shabab fighters have vowed to topple the government, marks one of the first times several new upmarket restaurants recently set up by the members of Somali diaspora have been targeted.

"I saw eight people killed in the blast, and around them there were many wounded, many of them with severe wounds," said Hassan Ibrahim Abdullahi, who was in the restaurant at the time.

Those killed included two journalists working for Somalia's national television station, witnesses added.

Al Jazeera’s Peter Grester, reporting from the Kenyan capital Nairobi, said police were in desperate need of training to deal with this type of threat, adding that this was a challenge for the new government.

"The restaurant is a popular place for journalists, for government workers, which appears to be why it was targeted … people involved in the administration," he said.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/09/2012919235852501851.html

Bahrain pledges to improve rights record

The Gulf kingdom of Bahrain has said it will implement most of the recommendations in a new United Nations report on the nation's human rights situation.

On Wednesday, Manama pledged to improve its treatment of political activists, crackdown on torture and prevent violence against ethnic and religious communities while accepting the vast majority of the UN's recommendations regarding human rights.

Bahrain is now the first country to be subjected to the 47-nation UN Human Rights Council's reviews of all nations' records in 2008 and this year.

This time around, the council had issued 176 recommendations, 158 of which, were accepted by the government.

Some of the recommendations focused on the government's response to the unrest that has hit Bahrain since February 2011, calling for fair trials in the wake of arrests and prosecutions of demonstrators and guarantees against the use of torture.

Others called for increased co-operation with the UN in attempts to investigate alleged abuses in Bahrain where the Shia majority have been demanding a greater political voice in the Sunni-ruled country.

In Geneva on Wednesday, Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, the nation's foreign minister, told the UN's top human rights body, that Bahrain would accept the bulk of the recommendations, including calls for fair trials and

improved religious protections.

But he rejected the recommendations for abolishing the death penalty, saying that would violate his country's constitution.

[visionary]

https://twitter.com/GEsfandiari

Some hardline Iran sites report Faezeh Rafsanjani daughter of ex-president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has been detained.

5:24 PM - 22 Sep

Rafsanjani's son returns to Iran, must present himself to prosecutor's office within 24h, Fars reports http://www.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=13910702001441 …

3:50 PM

Iran Ex-president Rafsanjani's son also arrested. Both his son and daughter Faezeh held in Tehran's Evin prison.

8:23 AM

Edited September 24, 2012 by visionary

[visionary]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/24/sars-like-virus-middle-east-coronavirus_n_1909054.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003

SARS-Like Virus, Type Of Coronavirus, Detected In The Middle East

Global health officials are closely following a new respiratory virus related to SARS that is believed to have killed at least one person in Saudi Arabia and left another person in critical condition in Britain.

The germ is a coronavirus, from a family of viruses that cause the common cold as well as SARS, the severe acute respiratory syndrome that killed some 800 people, mostly in Asia, in a 2003 epidemic.

In the latest case, British officials alerted the World Health Organization on Saturday of the new virus in a man who transferred from Qatar to be treated in London. He had recently traveled to Saudi Arabia and is now being treated in an intensive care unit after suffering kidney failure.

Health officials don't know yet whether the virus could spread as rapidly as SARS did or if it might kill as many people.

"It's still (in the) very early days," said Gregory Hartl, a WHO spokesman. "At the moment, we have two sporadic cases and there are still a lot of holes to be filled in."

[visionary]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/25/us-kuwait-politics-court-idUSBRE88O0AU20120925

Kuwait court rejects government bid to change voting law

Kuwait's highest court rejected a government appeal on Tuesday aimed at changing electoral boundaries after a protest by opposition figures against the move.

The ruling is likely to defuse immediate tensions with the opposition, which had promised to take to the streets if the court ruled in the government's favor.

The government wanted to redraw the electoral constituencies but the opposition feared it would do this in a way which would favor government-friendly candidates in elections.

[visionary]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/26/us-libya-fighter-idUSBRE88P0TZ20120926

Death of rebel who caught Gaddafi stokes Libya tensions

One of the Libyan rebels who helped capture Muammar Gaddafi in a drain pipe was buried early on Wednesday after his relatives said he had been shot and tortured in a rival town.

The death of Omran Shaban on Monday again highlighted the struggle of Libya's new leaders to rein in armed groups and could further stoke tensions between the towns of Misrata and Bani Walid, which backed opposing sides in the 2011 conflict.

Shaban shot to fame when he was seen in pictures grabbing Gaddafi on October 20. before the former Libyan leader was killed in his home town of Sirte.

According to his relatives, Shaban was kidnapped by armed men in July close to Bani Walid while on his way back to Misrata after he had been on government business in western Libya to calm clashes there. Bani Walid, a former Gaddafi stronghold, lies some 140 km (90 miles) from Misrata.

"He was kidnapped on his way back by some criminal group," his brother Walid said. "The lower part of his body had gunshot wounds and he was tortured."

Shaban was freed earlier this month after mediation efforts by Mohammed Magarief, leader of the ruling national congress. But he was in critical condition and died in Paris on Monday.

Hundreds attended funeral prayers for Shaban in a Misrata football stadium.

His brother Hussein complained that the Libyan authorities did nothing to help Shaban.

"Libya was declared liberated of Gaddafi's rule on October 23 last year. It isn't," he said.

The national congress has ordered the defence and interior ministries to find those who abducted Shaban, calling him a "brave hero".

https://twitter.com/ChangeInLibya

"More than 10,000 people gathered to mourn one of the Libyan rebels credited with capturing ex-leader Muammar Gaddafi last year." BBC

8:07 AM

[visionary]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/26/us-libya-government-idUSBRE88P1U320120926

Libya's congress gives new PM ultimatum to name government

Libya's ruling congress on Wednesday said it threatened to dismiss the new prime minister if he fails to name his new Cabinet by October 8.

A spokesman for the congress told reporters the ultimatum was given after Prime Minister-elect Mustafa Abushagur asked to extend the period in which he can form a government by 10 days.

Abushagur, elected by the congress on September 12, was due to present his government list to the national assembly for approval by September 28.

"If he fails to submit his proposed Cabinet by the deadline, we would consider his position as resigned, and there will be a vote for a new prime minister," spokesman Omar Homaidan told reporters.

In an emailed statement to Reuters, Abushagur's office said he would meet the deadline, adding he was working on forming a "coalition government."

"He will present his government before the end of the period identified on Oct 8," the statement said.

"He would like to form a national coalition government in what is still a critical stage of Libyan history ... There is a committee studying all the candidate applications for the government since a week ago."

[visionary]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/26/us-un-assembly-mali-idUSBRE88P1N720120926

U.N. members divided over response to Mali crisis

U.N. members appeared deeply divided on Wednesday as they sought to resolve the crisis in Mali, with France and some of Mali's neighbors backing possible military intervention while the United States said the West African nation first must have an elected government.

A special U.N. session on Mali, held on the sidelines of the annual General Assembly, was intended to devise a plan for a nation that descended into chaos in March after a military coup toppled the president, leaving a power vacuum that enabled local Tuareg rebels to seize nearly two-thirds of the country.

Islamist groups have since hijacked the rebellion in the north, imposing strict Islamic law in regions under their control and spurring fears that religious extremist fighters could further destabilize the region.

Islamist groups including the al Qaeda-linked Ansar Dine have carried out public whippings of alleged adulterers and destroyed UNESCO-listed shrines of local saints in the ancient town of Timbuktu, arguing such worship was un-Islamic.

France, Mali's former colonial power, on Wednesday called for the U.N. Security Council to adopt as soon as possible a resolution enabling military intervention in northern Mali, a call that has been supported by some West African nations that fear Mali's chaos will spread beyond its borders.

[visionary]

http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/peopleandpower/2012/09/2012926183033267117.html

Kabul - A City of Hope and Fear

Taking a stroll through the parks and bazaars of Kabul, Afghanistan's capital, after many years covering the war in the south and the east of the country, could have been both terrifying and liberating.

I was conscious that there was certainly a very real threat from suicide bombers and the “spectacular” attacks that garner international headlines, but in reality I found that after following US troops patrolling IED (improvised explosive device) infested orchards in Kandahar or climbing mountains swarming with Taliban fighters in Nuristan and Kunar, Kabul actually felt like a different, much safer world. For the moment at least.

Kabul is the beating heart of Afghanistan. It is the centre of politics and commerce and culture, the place to which all roads here lead. This is why the Mujahedeen battled the Soviets so hard here in the 1980's and why the Taliban fought so desperately to capture it during the brutal civil war that followed.

Now, though the Taliban know that while they cannot hope to reoccupy the city while international forces are in the country, keeping up attacks or at least maintaining the threat of attack, accomplishes two objectives. It acts as constant reminder to the politicians and public in the West that their troops should leave - and it reminds Afghans that once the foreigners are gone, the Taliban will be waiting.

In two years time, the people of Kabul will again watch a superpower’s troops pack up and leave.

As they withdraw, much of the aid money that has kept this country afloat for the last ten years will go with them. That could totally undermine the already fragile confidence of the Afghan business community; several company bosses - and not a few politicians - are known to be quietly planning their departure.

As for Kabul, whether the Taliban could actually retake the capital after 2014 is still open to question. But as we found, most people here expect them to try.

With worsening security and a government losing legitimacy, all-out civil war is a very real threat.

If that happens, the progress the city has made in the last decade could again be thrown into reverse – and this time it might never recover.

[visionary]

Article by Tunisia's president:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/28/opinion/the-arab-spring-still-blooms.html?smid=tw-nytimesworld&seid=auto&_r=0

The Arab Spring Still Blooms

THE violent demonstrations that have spread across the Muslim world in recent weeks have convinced many in the United States and Europe that the Arab revolutions that began in late 2010 are now over and that the democratic project has failed. Bitterness and a sense of impending catastrophe are replacing the enthusiasm that followed the toppling of dictators in Tunisia and Egypt last year.

Now there is ominous talk of an “Islamist Fall” and “Salafi Winter” after a supposedly failed Arab Spring. To these skeptics, religion is the driving force in Arab politics, and hateful anti-Western slogans and the killing of America’s ambassador to Libya, J. Christopher Stevens, are evidence of a “clash of civilizations” between Islam and the West.

While these fears are understandable, such alarmism is misplaced. The Arab revolutions have not turned anti-Western. Nor are they pro-Western. They are simply not about the West. They remain fundamentally about social justice and democracy — not about religion or establishing Shariah law.

The democratization of Tunisia, Egypt and other countries has allowed a number of extremist free riders into the political system. But it has also definitively refuted the myth that democracy and Islam are incompatible. Islamists are political actors like any others: they are no more pure, more united or more immune from criticism than anyone else.

https://twitter.com/AJELive

BREAKING: Kenyan forces have entered last al-Shabab bastion in Somalia. More Soon.

1:21 AM

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/28/somalia-conflict-kenya-idUSL5E8KS0I620120928

Kenyan military spokesman: Kenyan, Somali government troops have captured Somali rebel bastion of Kismayu - @Reuters http://reut.rs/SoJjuZ

1:36 AM

Edited September 28, 2012 by visionary

[visionary]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-19754639

Kenya says AU forces storm Somali rebel city of Kismayo

African Union (AU) forces have launched a beach assault and taken control of parts of Kismayo, the last major Islamist militant bastion in southern Somalia, Kenya's military says.

The port city has been a stronghold of the al-Qaeda-aligned group al-Shabab.

Al-Shabab spokesmen told news agencies that fierce fighting was now under way.

The Kenyan troops are part of the AU's Amisom force, which is trying to wrest control of the country for the newly elected UN-backed president.

Kenyan military spokesman Cyrus Oguna confirmed to the BBC that parts of Kismayo had been captured and the rest was expected to fall soon.

Mr Oguna said the joint operation of Kenyan Defence Forces and Somali government troops had begun at 02:00 local time (23:00 GMT Thursday) and was "basically amphibious".

Mr Oguna said: "We cannot give casualty figures at the moment, the damage has not been assessed, but I can tell you our forces are already in Kismayo."

He told the BBC: "There are some parts that still will be under the control of al-Shabab because we only got there a couple of hours ago, and Kismayo is a big city."

[visionary]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/29/us-somalia-conflict-idUSBRE88S04H20120929

Somalia's al Shabaab pull out of last stronghold: rebels

Somalia's al Shabaab rebels withdrew from the southern Somali city of Kismayu overnight, the rebel group and residents said on Saturday, a day after Kenyan and Somali government forces attacked the militants' last bastion.

"We moved out our fighters ... from Kismayu at midnight," al Shabaab spokesman, Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage, told Reuters.

He threatened to strike back soon. "The enemies have not yet entered the town. Let them enter Kismayu which will soon turn into a battlefield," he said.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/09/20129295415328148.html

Residents in the city confirmed that the fighters seemed to have moved outside city lines and that their radio station, Radio Andalus, was off the air.

"We don't know where they went to... but early this morning the last military vehicle left the town," said Hassan Ali, a resident.

Al-Shabab fighters on the ground also confirmed the withdrawal. "We got orders from our superiors to withdraw from the city... this is part of broader military tactic we have set for the enemy," said Sheikh Mohamed Abu-Fatma, a commander for the group, told the AFP news agency by telephone.

Fighting for the city began after an amphibious assault led by the Kenyan military that began overnight on Thursday and raged through Friday.

Edited September 29, 2012 by visionary

[visionary]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/30/us-somalia-conflict-idUSBRE88T08920120930

Kenya navy shells Somali town after rebels announce retreat

Kenyan warships shelled the southern Somali port of Kismayu overnight after al Qaeda-linked rebels said they had abandoned the city, residents said on Sunday.

Stunned by an assault by sea, air and ground forces late on Friday night, al Shabaab rebels fled the city that had been their key source of revenue, retreating to surrounding forests and towns.

The shells may have been targeting any remaining pockets of resistance or military installations in the city that was the rebels' last stronghold.

"The ships were firing deafening shells to the outskirts last night but several shells landed on houses," said Samira Ismail, a local mother of four.

Al Shabaab said two children were killed and other people injured by the shells, a statement rejected as propaganda by Kenyan military spokesman Col. Cyrus Oguna.

Kenyan and Somali troops sent to retake Kismayu from the rebels were still in the town's outskirts, Oguna said, proceeding carefully in case al Shabaab's claim that it had abandoned the city was a ploy to lure them into a trap

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/09/201293011383390624.html

African Union troops 'to move into Kismayo'

Kenyan and Somali troops are preparing to move into Kismayo following the withdrawal of rebel fighters from the southern port city, Hussein Arab Isse, Somalia's deputy prime minister, has told Al Jazeera.

Isse, who is also in charge of the country's defence ministry, said on Sunday that troops would enter the key commercial city later in the day.

Joint forces launched a series of assaults to take the city on Friday, forcing al-Shabab rebels to withdraw from the port town - their last stronghold in Somalia.

The Kenyan and African Union troops, who surround the city, have been waiting for peace negotiations to conclude with tribal elders there.

"We truly pacified the city without any problems," Isse said.

Residents in Kismayo said they woke to find police and government headquarters abandoned by al-Shabab, sparking a looting spree of the government and police headquarters.

"We are entering Kismayo with caution and working very closely with people inside the city, however there are special forces inside Kismayo to ensure al-Shabab fighters are not causing harm," the Somali deputy prime minister said.

[visionary]

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/10/201210195911177809.html

Bahrain court upholds verdict in medics trial

Bahrain's highest court has upheld prison terms against nine medics convicted for taking part in last year's pro-democracy uprising.

The medics were part of a group of 20 arrested last year and convicted by a military court; those convictions were upheld by a civilian tribunal in June, despite widespread criticism of the trial from international human rights groups.

The longest sentence, five years, went to Ali al-Ekry, formerly the senior medic at Salmaniya Medical Complex, the largest hospital in Bahrain. He was convicted of "possession and concealment" of weapons and "illegal assembly".

Eight other doctors were sentenced to between one month and three years.

On Monday, the court of cassation rejected their appeals and confirmed the prison sentences, according to the state-run Bahrain News Agency.

All nine medics have been free on bail since last September, though they still face a travel ban. This was their final appeal, but it is unclear whether they will immediately be remanded to prison. "It's always been vague in dealing with the medics issue," al-Ekry said in an interview.

[visionary]

****ing hell....

https://twitter.com/AJELive

Al Jazeera has learned that five medics have been arrested in a series of dawn raids in Bahrain. Details soon.

1:05 AM

[visionary]

https://twitter.com/Repent11

King Abdulla of Jordan has dissolved parliament and called for early elections! #powerofthepeople

12:10 PM

Not sure what that means in the long run, I know the cabinet usually gets shuffled a lot there, not sure about the parliament.

https://twitter.com/daoudkuttab

jo King dissolves parliament and calls for early elections. By law it has to take place within 4 months. electoral comission decides date

12:53 PM

Edited October 4, 2012 by visionary

[visionary]

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/10/201210615642288370.html

Protesters clash with police in Bahrain

Protesters have clashed with police in the Bahraini capital, Manama, after their march was stopped from proceeding towards Pearl roundabout, the focus of the mass protests that began in February last year.

Police used water cannon and tear gas to disperse hundreds of protesters on Friday after a memorial for a Shia man jailed over last year's pro-democracy uprising, witnesses have said.

The interior ministry said on Twitter that a "group of terrorists" attacked police with Molotov ****tails and blocked streets, prompting police to take "legal measures" in response.

Witnesses said riot police, who were heavily deployed in the area, used tear gas, water cannon, sound bombs and buckshot to disperse the demonstrators.

Bahrain's Information Authority said Mohammed Ali Ahmed Mushaima, 23, had been in hospital since August and died of complications from sickle cell disease.

Opposition activists said the authorities caused his death by denying him proper treatment. His funeral was held on Tuesday.

Mushaima was jailed for seven years in March 2011 for "vandalism, rioting, assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest".

[visionary]

https://twitter.com/BreakingNews

Libyan prime minister names new government with 10 ministries, including defense, interior and justice - @Reuters

11:42 AM

Video of the speech

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/25984776

He gave a very emotional and fiery speech this time that has been roundly cheered on by Libyans on twitter. Most seem very happy and impressed with him today.

Much more so than a few days ago when he submitted a long list of unknown candidates that baffled most people and was ultimately rejected by the GNC. We'll have to see is this bunch is accepted, since he really lit into the GNC over playing political games and being selfish this time around.

First Jordan, now Kuwait.

Although they've been having issues between Parliament and the government for a while.

Actually I think this is the second time they've done this in months.

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/kuwaiti-state-tv-says-ruler-has-dissolved-parliament-setting-stage-new-elections#overlay-context=

Kuwaiti ruler dissolves parliament, sets up vote

Kuwait's ruler dissolved parliament Sunday, a step toward ending months of political gridlock and calling the second elections this year that could again swing in favor of opposition groups led by Islamist factions.

The move by Kuwait's Western-allied emir, announced on state-run media, followed a failed attempt last month by the government to overturn a voting district law that appeared to favor the opposition. New elections must now be held within 60 days.

Kuwait is one of America's most strategic Gulf military allies. Its strategic importance to Washington rose sharply after the U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq in December. It is now the hub for U.S. ground forces in the Gulf region, where the U.S. and its Arab allies seek to counter Iran's military buildup.

Kuwait has been locked in a political limbo for months as the government tried to challenge the voting system in the February elections, which gave Islamists and allies control of the 50-seat parliament. A stopgap parliament, comprising lawmakers elected in 2009, was installed in June, but it never held any sessions.

Opposition leaders had called on Kuwait's ruler, Sheik Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah, to end the impasse and call new elections. Kuwait has the one of the Gulf region's most politically active parliaments. It often clashes with the government over policies and alleged corruption

Edited October 7, 2012 by visionary

[twa]

not sure this fits,but I find it mildly intriguing

http://opinion.financialpost.com/2012/10/05/will-egypt-seize-libya-for-its-oil/

Will Egypt seize Libya for its oil? Given Egypt’s political ideology, its history with its neighbours, and its material needs, this must be a live issue.

First, Egypt’s needs. Since the Arab Spring began almost two years ago, the Egyptian economy has been collapsing. Egypt’s foreign currency reserves have more than halved and many expect the Egyptian pound, already at its lowest point in eight years, to be devalued. Discontent is widespread. According to Gulf News, “In the past three months, Egypt has experienced increased power cuts that sometimes last for hours, while a fuel and diesel crisis has at times paralyzed the country, with mile-long queues forming outside petrol stations.” The black market price for gas canisters is 10 times higher than the official selling price; for bread it’s five times higher.

The Muslim Brotherhood government desperately needs a $4.8-billion IMF bailout to stop the bleeding but it refuses to curtail its subsidies, as the IMF demands, for fear of triggering a popular revolt. It is instead hoping for aid from oil states and the U.S. government, but even if this materializes, it will be at best a stopgap. With tourists, the country’s chief source of foreign exchange, steering clear of Egypt because of its anti-Western riots, and with foreign investors equally fearful of venturing into the country, Egypt’s options are daily becoming more limited. The temptation to look next door to Libya could be irresistible, particularly since Egypt views union with Libya as inevitable.

Unlike most of the world, where nationalist sentiments run deep, pride of country is a largely alien notion in the clan-oriented Arab Middle East. Since the 1950s, Arab rulers have made at least 10 attempts to merge their countries together, all but one of them (the United Arab Emirates) short-lived failures that collapsed in five years or less. Among others, Egypt attempted a union with Libya in 1972 and two with Syria in 1958 and 1976; it attempted federations with Libya and Sudan in 1969 and with Libya and Syria in 1971. If plebiscites taken at the time to ratify the new countries are to be believed, these pan-Arabic arrangements tended to be wildly popular at the outset, the peoples of the region quick to embrace new flags and to unsentimentally discard old ones in the name of Arab solidarity.

[visionary]

not sure this fits,but I find it mildly intriguing

http://opinion.financialpost.com/2012/10/05/will-egypt-seize-libya-for-its-oil/

Will Egypt seize Libya for its oil? Given Egypt’s political ideology, its history with its neighbours, and its material needs, this must be a live issue.

I recall some Libyans considering a unification of Tunisia, Libya and Egypt a while back, but I think the political scene is just to different in each country these days for it to work. Haven't really heard anyone propose something like that in a few months though.

And now the Libyan GNC assembly just self destructed by voting down the new cabinet by the PM, effectively dismissing him from office, and pissing off a hell of a lot of Libyans. WTF?

I think they just wanted a different PM now though, because he wouldn't spread the political wealth around by giving certain numbers of positions to members of the various parties.

https://twitter.com/JomanaCNN

125 GNC members NO vote for Abushagur gov, 44 YES & 7 abstained.

1:24 PM

GNC is going to face an angry population- it will much worse than loss of credibility the NTC faced

1:34 PM

A couple examples of many many upset Libyans on twitter now.

https://twitter.com/EmadDlala

We learned today that we have 124 jackasses but @MustafaAG has won the admiration of many Libyans and non-Libyans

1:27 PM

https://twitter.com/Libyan4life

If any Libyans want to storm the GNC now in protest, I wholeheartedly support you.

1:27 PM

These stupid, ridiculous, self-serving men and women in those chairs.You are disgusting and DO NOT represent me. Libya deserve much better.

1:30 PM

[visionary]

http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/55099.aspx

BREAKING: Egypt's Morsi pardons all political prisoners

Egypt's president Mohamed Morsi issued a blanket pardon, Monday evening, for all citizens arrested during protests since the start of the last year's revolution until 30 June, 2012 when he was inaugurated.

The pardon includes those who are currently facing trial as well those already serving jail sentences minus those convicted of murder.