visionary Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/goal-of-iran-sanctions-is-regime-collapse-us-official-says/2012/01/10/gIQA0KJsoP_story.html The Obama administration sees economic sanctions against Iran as building public discontent that will help compel the government to abandon an alleged nuclear weapons program, according to a senior U.S. intelligence official.In addition to influencing Iranian leaders directly, the official said, “another option here is that [sanctions] will create hate and discontent at the street level so that the Iranian leaders realize that they need to change their ways.” The intelligence official’s remarks pointed to what has long been an unstated reality of sanctions: Although designed to pressure a government to change its policies, they often impose broad hardships on a population. The official spoke this week on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal administration assessments. The comments came as the administration readies punitive new sanctions that affect Iran’s central bank and the European Union moves toward strict curbs on Iranian oil imports. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 (edited) http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ic2rj6WFjN-Y4BuxjoEoECmPaBRg?docId=CNG.4e49b326c0b56a603281add8e86b2b2d.631 10 injured, several arrested in Algeria protests(AFP) – 9 hours ago ALGIERS — Police fired tear gas Tuesday on protesters angry over unemployment and housing shortages in a southern Algerian gas industry town, leaving at least 10 injured, officials said. The clashes in Laghouat began in the morning "when the population responded to provocations by members of the security forces who insulted elderly people who were waiting for a bus," said a representative of the National Coordination for the Defence of the Rights of the Unemployed (CNDDC), Abbes Hadj Aissa. At least 10 people were injured in the ensuing clashes, he said, adding that people in this town of some 500,000 kept their curtains drawn as a mark of protest. Security forces arrested an unspecified number of demonstrators, the Algerian League for the Defence of Human Rights (ALDHR) said. ---------- Post added January-11th-2012 at 01:15 AM ---------- WOW.... https://twitter.com/#!/SkyNewsBreak Reuters: Car explodes near university in Northern Tehran, one person killed and two injured 2 minutes ago https://twitter.com/#!/BreakingNews Update: State-run TV says university professor killed in Tehran bombing - @Reuters 2 minutes ago https://twitter.com/#!/pdanahar Iranian nuclear scientist killed by car bomb http://tinyurl.com/6p52ngn2 minutes ago https://twitter.com/#!/alihashem_AJA Dr mustafa ahmadi an Iranian nuclear scientist and director of Natanz nuclear site was killed in tehran 's explosion today 2 minutes ago Edited January 11, 2012 by visionary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 More info on the bombing: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/01/201211162848691713.html The semi-official Fars news agency cited witnesses as saying a motorcyclist stuck a magnetic bomb on the side of the car which then exploded, killing one and injuring two people inside.Fars identified the victim as Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, whom state-run Press TV said was both a university lecturer and a scientist. "What we know about him is that he was a chemistry graduate from Sharif University," Al Jazeera's Dorsa Jabbari said. "The deputy governor of Tehran is blaming [the attack] on Israel, saying it wants to destabilise the country ahead of presidential elections in March," our correspondent said. The Fars news agency said Ahmadi Roshan had been working on a project to make polymeric membranes used to separate gas, according to a colleague of his. Three other Iranian scientists were killed in 2010 and 2011 when their cars blew up in similar circumstances. At least two of the scientists had been working on nuclear activities. The current head of Iran's atomic organisation, Fereydoun Abbasi, escaped another such attempt in November 2010, getting out of his car with his wife just before the attached bomb exploded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 (edited) http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/01/2012114123959528822.html ElBaradei will not seek Egypt presidencyDeclaring there is still no real political change in the country, ElBaradei said on Saturday in a statement: "My conscience does not allow me to run for the presidency or any other official position unless there is real democracy." He praised the revolutionary youths who led massive popular uprisings that toppled president Hosni Mubarak last year but said "the former regime did not fall". ElBaradei compared the revolution to a boat and charged that "the captains of the vessel ... are still treading old waters, as if the revolution did not take place". He said corruption was still rife in post-Mubarak Egypt, which has been ruled by a military council since the veteran president was removed from power in February following an 18-day popular revolt. "We all feel that the former regime did not fall," ElBaradei said in the statement. He denounced the "repressive" policies of Egypt's new rulers, whom he said were putting "revolutionaries on trial in military court instead of protecting them and punishing those who killed their friends". "The bottom line is that he feels this is not a transition to democracy ... so he wants no part in the process," Al Jazeera's Sherine Tadros said, reporting from Cairo. "This is a blow to the liberal movement as a whole, just after Islamists swept the vote [for the lower house of parliament]. What they've lost is someone who has a vision and a plan for Egypt's future." ---------- Post added January-14th-2012 at 12:13 PM ---------- http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/14/world/meast/iraq-violence/index.html?hpt=hp_t3 A suicide bomber disguised as a policeman targeted Shiite pilgrims Saturday outside the southern Iraqi city of Basra, killing at least 53 people and wounding 137, the Interior Ministry said.The blast was the single deadliest attack on the Shiite community since the U.S. military completed its troops withdrawal from Iraq. A January 5 suicide attack on Shiite pilgrims west of the southern city of Nasiriya killed 44. Saturday's bomber struck a police checkpoint near a Shiite mosque where many of the pilgrims were headed to mark a revered holy day, the end of a 40-day mourning period known as Arbaeen, Interior Ministry officials said. Edited January 14, 2012 by visionary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 http://edition.cnn.com/2012/01/16/world/meast/egypt-bedouin-threat/index.html?iref=allsearch Bedouin leaders threaten armed rebellion against Egyptian governmentEgypt's military-led government, struggling to manage the transition to democracy, has a rising adversary: rebellious Bedouin tribes. At a meeting last Friday in the south Sinai desert, Bedouin leaders accused the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces of treason against Egypt and warned that -- if necessary -- they might take up arms to achieve greater representation in the nation's new parliament. At a venue not far from the ancient St. Catherine's monastery, amid Sinai's imposing granite mountains, top Bedouins gathered to protest what they decried as "forged parliamentary elections" and a political system they claim historically has left them marginalized and oppressed for decades. "We will not allow a parliament without Bedouin representation (as determined by) elections ... forged through the alliance between the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces and a certain Islamic party," yelled Ahmed Hussein, a member of the Kararesha tribe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2012/01/201212085958596644.html France suspends Afghan troop training Move comes shortly after shooting by Afghan army soldier leaves four French troops dead and another 16 wounded. France has suspended its training programmes for Afghan troops after an Afghan army soldier opened fire in eastern part of the country, killing four French soldiers, according to both NATO and Afghan accounts. Sixteen more members of the French armed forces were injured in Friday's shooting, in the Tagab district of Kapisa province, north of the capital Kabul, a security official told the AFP news agency on condition of anonymity. The attack took place inside the base during a training session conducted by French forces. French troops had surrounded their base in Kapisa and were not allowing any Afghan soldiers to approach, a security source told AFP. The shooter has been arrested by NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), the source said. Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, said he was mulling an early withdrawal of French troops out of Afghanistan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 EGYPT http://blogs.aljazeera.net/liveblog/Egypt 4 hours 20 min agoThe Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), which represents Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, has won 47 per cent of all seats in the country's election for the lower house of parliament, the election commission has said. The FJP won 235 seats in the new People's Assembly, Abdel Moez Ibrahim, the head of the country's election commission, announced on Saturday. It also secured 127 seats on party lists, while its candidates won another 108 in first-past-the-post constituency votes, where votes were cast for individual candidates. The hardline Islamist Salafi al-Nour party has won 24 per cent of all seats on offer. The liberal al-Wafd party has won about seven per cent of the seats, according to the latest results. The election commission says that voter turnout was 54 per cent in the polls. Two-thirds of the 498 seats up for election were reserved for those belonging to registered political parties (refered to as 'closed party lists'), while the remaining one-third of seats were contested by individuals. Ten seats were reserved for appointees. "This parliament, that has its opening session on Monday, has very limited powers. The most important thing that it will be doing in the coming weeks and months, is setting up a 100-member body that will then write the constitution," reported Al Jazeera's Sherine Tadros from Cairo, the Egyptian capital. 3 hours 38 min agoAccording to the latest election results, the Egyptian bloc has won 34 seats overall (6.8 per cent), al-Wasat has won 10 seats and the Revolution Continues party has won seven seats. 1 hour 43 min agoThe Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) has appointed the last 10 members of the lower house of parliament. Four members of Egypt's Coptic community are among those appointed. 4 min 12 sec agoField Marshal Hussein Tantawi, the head of SCAF, has signed an order for the release of 1,959 detainees who were tried and convicted in military courts for crimes related to anti-government protests. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 (edited) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-16671533 Yemen's President Saleh 'leaves country' for treatmentHis departure came a day after MPs approved a law giving him immunity from prosecution. The law was part of a deal under which President Saleh would relinquish power and leave Yemen. A spokesman for Mr Saleh, Ahmed al-Soufi, said the president had flown out of the country late on Sunday bound for neighbouring Oman, from where he is expected to continue his journey. Afterwards, a senior official in Washington said the Yemeni president had been cleared to go to the US for medical treatment, AP news agency reported. God willing, I will leave for treatment in the United States and I will return to Sanaa as head of the General People's Congress party," Mr Saleh earlier told party officials in his speech. "I ask for forgiveness from all my people, men and women, for any shortcomings during my 33-year-long rule," he said. One official who was at the early-morning event which brought together senior political, military and security officials, quoted Mr Saleh as saying: "Today, I leave the country in your hands.'' https://twitter.com/#!/AP BREAKING: AP source: US clears Yemen's president to seek medical treatment in US. -EF 8 minutes ago https://twitter.com/#!/LeShaque I think the media is wrong. Saleh actually flew to Syria and took the GCC plan with him. 10 minutes ago :ols: Edited January 22, 2012 by visionary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted January 26, 2012 Share Posted January 26, 2012 (edited) http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0112/71981.html Ray LaHood's son barred from leaving EgyptEgyptian authorities are barring several U.S. citizens — including Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood’s son — from leaving the country after Egyptian government forces raided the offices of Washington-backed groups monitoring recent parliamentary elections there. Sam LaHood is director of the Egyptian program for the International Republican Institute, a nongovernmental organization with close ties to GOP congressional leadership. He attempted to board an airplane in Cairo on Saturday to leave the country but was told he was on a “no-fly list” and was refused permission to depart. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_PAPUA_NEW_GUINEA_MUTINY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-01-25-19-47-02 Soldiers overthrow Papua New Guinea defense chiefPORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (AP) -- Rebel soldiers have staged an apparently bloodless mutiny in the Papua New Guinea capital on Thursday and installed a new military leader, a news agency and Australian officials reported. The new crisis comes during a turbulent period in the South Pacific's most populous island nation, where two political leaders claim to be the rightful prime minister. Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported that the rebel troops are loyal to ousted prime minister Sir Michael Somare, but it is unclear whether the mutiny amounts to an attempted coup. Between 12 and 20 soldiers overpowered guards at the Taurama Barracks in Port Moresby before dawn, ABC reported, citing an unnamed senior source in the Papua New Guinea defense force.... Edited January 26, 2012 by visionary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 (edited) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-16931206 Two jailed activists released in BahrainThe authorities in Bahrain have freed two imprisoned human rights activists. They were imprisoned last year for supporting the pro-democracy movement in the tiny Gulf island kingdom. Fadheela al-Mubarak was freed on Monday, nearly a year after she was arrested for listening to what was called "revolutionary music" in a car. The other activist was Naser al-Raas, a Kuwait-born Canadian citizen who was serving a five-year term for breaking Bahrain's illegal-assembly laws. The releases come as the government continues to struggle to quell the pro-democracy protests which erupted on 14 February 2011, despite a crackdown by security forces that human rights groups say has left at least 60 civilians dead. Four police officers have also been killed http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2012/02/20122765334806442.html The president of the Maldives has resigned, after clashes in the capital, Male, between soldiers and police who sided with anti-government protesters.Mohamed Nasheed confirmed his resignation on Tuesday in a nationwide broadcast after police defied orders to break up demonstrations and seized control of the state television station. “I believe if I continue as the President of the Maldives, the people of the country would suffer more. I therefore have resigned as the President of Maldives,” Nasheed said. “I wish the Maldives would have a consolidated democracy. I wish for justice to be established. My wish is for the progress and prosperity of the people,” he said. Mohamed Waheed, Nasheed's vice president, was sworn in as the country's interim leader soon after. Good blog post, definitely worth a read: http://el-baghdadi.com/articles/48-articles/107-wheres-your-qarab-springq-now.html Edited February 7, 2012 by visionary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 https://twitter.com/#!/NorthAndrew US envoy Robert Blake due in Maldives tonight, UN also on way11:49 PM US spokesman: envoy Robert Blake due in Male Saturday #Maldives 2:14 AM Small team of US diplomats already in Male fact-gathering #Maldives 2:15 AM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 (edited) http://blogs.aljazeera.com/liveblog/Egypt 2 hours 24 min agoHundreds of protesters have marched to the defence ministry today, demanding that Egypt's military rulers stand down. The activists have planned further marches that will converge on the defence ministry, as a prelude to strikes and sit-ins on Saturday, exactly one year after former president Hosni Mubarak stepped down. At the Fateh mosque in central Cairo, the protesters began chanting, "Down with military rule," at the end of the weekly Muslim prayer before setting off in the direction of the ministry. "We are marching to the defence ministry, we want to remove the military," said prominent activist Asmaa Mahfuz. https://twitter.com/#!/Reem_Abdellatif Everyone is here on the bridge! The scene is moving, people of all ages, backgrounds chanting against SCAF, some beat drums to the chants9:32 AM After other marches joined, at least 50,000 people here marching up the bridge after army blocked all roads to MOD 9:34 AM March grew to at least 60,000-- Moment of silence & prayer for the martyrs, then rocking chants start again! http://ow.ly/i/saiA 10:03 AM Tahrir is at the ministry of defense, thousands chant "freedom" as drums beat, high spirits 10:53 AM Just passed fangary bridge, Military police & soldiers are marching on it. the foot of the bridge is blocked w/ metal chains & barbed wire 11:29 AM Edited February 10, 2012 by visionary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 (edited) Some updates from Iran: http://www.enduringamerica.com/home/2012/2/10/the-latest-from-iran-10-february-a-radio-debate-brings-back.html#1745 The Latest from Iran (10 February): A Radio Debate Brings Back the 2009 Election A poster calls for "Allahu Akbar (God is Great) on the night of 13 February for political prisoners such as Mehdi Karroubi, Mir Hossein Mousavi, and Zahra Rahnavard Edited February 10, 2012 by visionary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 http://blogs.aljazeera.net/liveblog/Egypt 1 hour 39 min agoThe Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) says that Egypt is facing conspiracies that seek to topple the state and spread chaos. In a letter read on state television, SCAF says it will now [now or not?] bow to pressure to accelerate the transition to full civilian rule. Thousands of activists were at demonstrations in Tahrir Square and the Defence Ministry in Cairo today, demanding that SCAF immediately hand over power. A general strike call from activists for Saturday, the one-year anniversary of the day that Hosni Mubarak stood down as president, remains in effect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted February 11, 2012 Share Posted February 11, 2012 http://blogs.aljazeera.com/liveblog/Bahrain 4 hours 16 min agoTwo US citizens were reportedly arrested in Bahrain during protests on Saturday morning in Manama. Huwaida Arraf and Radhika Sainath were arrested near the Standard Chartered Bank in the city centre after protesters marched into the area to re-establish their presence leading up to the one-year anniversary of the country's uprising, on February 14. According to a press release, Arraf and Sainath were in the country with an international effort to provide an international civilian presence to report and monitor the situation on the ground, in an initiative called Witness Bahrain. http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/02/201221014203021295.html Yemenis rally ahead of presidential vote Thousands of Yemenis have rallied in the capital Sanaa to back a single-candidate presidential election planned for later this month, an AFP correspondent reported. The demonstrators gathered in Sanaa's Change Square on Friday, chanting slogans in support of the election in which Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi, the vice president, will be the sole candidate. The planned vote has sparked protests in the country's south. "February 21 is the day on which Yemen will be reborn," read a slogan printed on a large picture of Hadi brandished by the demonstrators. "We have all agreed that Hadi will rule for our country's independence," they chanted. "Hadi, take the key, the slaughterer's rule has ended," they shouted, referring to the hundreds of people killed in clashes with the security forces since nationwide protests erupted in January last year opposing President Ali Abdullah Saleh's rule. http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/02/20122116529826459.html Strikes mark anniversary of Mubarak's removalActivists in Egypt have begun a day of civil disobedience to mark the first anniversary since the toppling Hosni Mubarak, the former president. The call for strikes in universities and workplaces on Saturday comes after a series of protests aimed at pressuring the military to transfer power immediately to civilians. The demonstrators say the military should hand power to parliament, which was elected over three rounds in November and December, or to a civilian council, ahead of presidential elections set to take place before the end of June. http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/02/201221164950683693.html Second protester shot dead in Saudi ArabiaSaudi security forces shot one person dead and injured three others during what the country's state news agency described as "clashes" in the oil-producing Eastern Province. Activists and witnesses said Friday's casualties came when security forces opened fire on an anti-government demonstration in the Qatif district. "While security men were following up on an illegal gathering in the town of Awwamiya in Qatif on Friday they were attacked by gunfire," a police statement on the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said on Friday. "They dealt with the situation by firing back, which resulted with the death of one." The SPA also said a protester was killed and three others were wounded in clashes on Thursday. Activists and witnesses said that security forces opened fire when a Shia procession marking the birthday of the Prophet Mohammad - a celebration forbidden in ultra-conservative Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia - turned into a demonstration for reform and the release of detainees. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2012/02/12/un_consultant_shot_dead_in_egyptian_capital/ UN consultant shot dead in Egyptian capitalA security official said the 41 year-old Egyptian woman, named Nermeen Gomaa Khalil, was shot in broad daylight while driving her SUV on one of Cairo's busiest streets in the neighborhood of Mohandiseen. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters. https://twitter.com/#!/Repent11 Death toll for clashes following Portsaid massacre reach 16 after one hospitalized protester in Suez died suffering of his wounds. 1:30 pm http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2012/02/2012211164838560639.html Maldives president agrees to 'coup' probe http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/12/world/americas/venezuela-primary-analysis/index.html?hpt=wo_c2 Venezuelan primary candidates aim to end Chavez ruleVenezuelan voters hoping for an end to Hugo Chavez's presidency head to the polls Sunday to pick a candidate to compete against him. The five opposition candidates vying for a spot on the ballot have agreed on one thing: supporting whoever wins the primary. The unified front could be a key weapon in the political battle leading up to October's presidential election, analysts say. "The opposition realized that if they are not united, if they divide the vote, they can never beat Chavez," said Federico Welsch, a political science professor at the Simon Bolivar University in Caracas. "After Sunday, President Chavez will have an adversary with a face and a name. ... This time it seems like the opposition has a real possibility of winning. It's not a very high probability, but there's a chance." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 (edited) http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/02/20122148441179977.html Security forces in Bahrain have fired tear gas at protesters attempting to march to the landmark Pearl roundabout in the capital, Manama, on the one-year anniversary of the beginning of anti-government demonstrations at the site.Activists reported on Tuesday that security forces had used stun grenades and shotguns to scatter hundreds of protesters attempting to occupy the roundabout which became the epicentre of weeks of protests last year by the Gulf island's Shia majority against the ruling Sunni dynasty. Protesters marched from Sanabis, Deih and Jidhafs, which lie a few kilometres to the west of Manama, despite police warnings that protests would be dispersed, witnesses said. "Down with (King) Hamad!" they chanted. The Coalition of the Youth of February 14th Revolution, a group that operates separate from the main Shia bloc led by Al-Wefaq, declared on Tuesday that they planned to return to the central roundabout. "All of us are returning", read a call for protest posted on its Facebook page, designating 6:40am local time (0340 GMT) as the starting time. Bahrain News Agency quoted interior ministry’s appeal that cautioned against what it called "dubious TV channels that may attempt to mislead the public". There's also been a huge crackdown on Shia villages in Bahrain the last few days with massive usages of teargas and lots of arrests. http://blogs.aljazeera.net/liveblog/Bahrain https://twitter.com/#!/reidarvisser Bahrain solidarity demo among Saudi Shia today. Slogans on pic include "Qatif & Bahrain, one people, not two peoples". http://pic.twitter.com/eCHJsTjm There's been a lot of protesting in Qatif lately and two people were killed there by security forces last week. http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/4374/crocodiles-of-arabia Edited February 15, 2012 by visionary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 http://www.thenation.com/article/166265/washingtons-war-yemen-backfires Washington's War in Yemen Backfires http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2012/02/15/Yemen-intercepts-Iranian-ship-with-weapons/UPI-63061329332660/ Yemen intercepts Iranian ship with weapons Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 (edited) http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/02/18/147085880/independence-day-parade-benghazi-style?ft=1&f=1001&sc=tw&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter Independence Day Parade, Benghazi-StyleStepping out of my hotel on Friday evening, I could see cars backed up for miles, stretching all the way around the Benghazi's biggest lake, not far from the shores of the Mediterranean. Horns blared in every direction, but not just car horns: bull horns, oo-gahhorns, vuvuzelas, aerosol-powered horns, even a bagpipe or two. The air smelled of exhaust, gasoline and the occasional whiff of hash. It was a cacophonous mess, overwhelming, painful to the ears, joyful, extraordinary. Stepping closer to the cars, I could see people of all ages stretching out the windows, waving Libyan independence flags that were sometimes larger than the person waving them. Boys and girls, men and women, the elderly, they'd all come out to celebrate. As for the thousands of Libyan families in their cars, their goal was to reach Benghazi courthouse and its main square, the symbolic heart of the Libyan revolution. At this rate, though, there was no chance that most of these cars would ever find a place to park. Since the road runs all the way around the lake, at least they had another option: to continue as a procession of hundreds of cars, cruising slower than a person walks, laughing, cheering, singing, waving Vs for victory to whomever made eye contact with them. They may not have realized it, but these Libyans had just created Benghazi's first true Independence Day parade. https://twitter.com/#!/acarvin has been tweeting about his experiances in Libya during anniversary celebrations of the Libyan revolution. Edited February 18, 2012 by visionary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/15/us-algeria-vote-idUSTRE81E15420120215 Is an Arab Spring in the air for Algeria? Alone among its neighbors in North Africa, Algeria has been largely untouched by the uprisings which last year ousted leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen and touched off the revolt still raging in Syria. Helped by revenues from energy exports that have bequeathed it the world's 14th biggest foreign exchange reserves, the Algerian authorities handed out pay rises, grants and subsidies that blunted a brief flare-up of protests demanding reform. The country's rulers continue to run the country much as they have since independence from France 50 years ago: with a huge state apparatus backed by the powerful security forces and elections dominated by the ruling FLN party and its allies. That is looking more and more out of step with the mood of the times, however, and a parliamentary election set for May 10 could be a watershed. Pressure is building inside Algeria and abroad to ensure a fair election. As elsewhere in the Middle East, it is likely to give greater power to Islamists who for years have been pushed to the fringes by the strongly secularist state. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 (edited) http://uk.news.yahoo.com/hundreds-gather-china-self-immolation-034118198.html 'Hundreds gather' in China after self-immolationHundreds of Tibetans gathered in China's southwest to hold a vigil for a young Buddhist monk who set himself on fire, a rights group said, in the latest self-immolation to hit the country. The 18-year-old monk, identified as Nangdrol, set himself alight Sunday in Sichuan province's Rangtang county, where one Tibetan was reportedly shot dead by security forces last month, the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) said on Monday. Citing exiled Tibetan sources with contacts in the area, ICT said Nangdrol had died and his body was taken back to a local monastery. The information was confirmed by the London-based Free Tibet. Monks did not comply with police orders to hand over the body and more than 1,000 people gathered to hold a vigil on Sunday evening, ICT said. The group said the young Buddhist monk shouted "May HH (His Holiness) Dalai Lama live 10,000 years" and "Freedom for Tibet" when he set himself on fire. An official surnamed Huang, who works for the finance department of the Rangtang government, denied the self-immolation and gathering had taken place. "Everything is fine. The order is normal," he told AFP, adding there was a strong security presence. https://twitter.com/#!/ska_kongshan China sends combat troops to South Sudan UN peacekeeping8:08 PM This is the first time that China has actually deployed infantry on a PKO, although they offered them for the Lebanon peacekeeping operation 8:09 PM Edited February 20, 2012 by visionary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 (edited) http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/02/201222114749579234.html Yemenis to vote for new presidentYemenis will be soon voting for a successor to President Ali Abdullah Saleh in an election with Vice President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi as the only candidate.... ....The vote has also been denounced by youth activists who took to the streets to demand the end of Saleh's 33-year rule, and regard the transfer plan as a pact among an elite they regard as partners to the crimes of Saleh's tenure, including the killings of protesters in the uprising against him. It leaves unresolved a military standoff between Saleh's relatives, a mutinous general and gunmen loyal to tribal notables. There is an armed revolt in the north of the country and Islamists accused of links to al-Qaeda have made advances in the south. Abdullah al-Faqih, a Sanaa-based analyst, said the biggest challenge for Hadi will be to take control of the country's security forces, which remain under the control of Saleh's sons and nephews. The sons were responsible for a bunch of massacres of protesters while Saleh was in Saudi Arabia. Tuesday's vote is the result of a power-transition deal brokered by Yemen’s Gulf neighbours in November after months of protests calling for Saleh’s removal.The Gulf-brokered deal gave Saleh and his closest aides immunity from prosecution and made him honorary president. It also stipulated that Hadi become the next president of Yemen for an interim two-year period. http://af.reuters.com/article/idAFTRE81J1C420120220 Libyans queue for first vote in battle-hit MisrataMISRATA, Libya (Reuters) - People from Libya's battle-scarred city of Misrata queued up to vote in their first free election Monday, hoping to set a standard for the rest of the country as it prepares for national polls in June after the war that overthrew Muammar Gaddafi. Months after Misrata saw the biggest and bloodiest battle in Libya's eight-month conflict, voters waited outside polling stations set up in schools, many of the buildings still marked with bullet holes from the fighting. Residents were picking the new 28 members of the Misrata local council, who will have the tough job of rebuilding a city of around 300,000 people which was bombed beyond recognition. "For the first time in our life we feel we are human. We can choose what we want, it's a joy for all Libyan people, and God willing, it will get better and better," teacher Basma Fortey said, showing her left index finger dipped in ink for the vote. Security was tight in the coastal city, with armed men, sometimes near trucks mounted with anti-aircraft guns, standing guard at the schools. Banners reading "Just as you were present on the front line, be there for the election" were posted around the destroyed city. The small town of Zwara last year held local elections but Misrata's polls are the first in a major settlement, its residents say. http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/02/201222013257821201.html Election anger mounts in Senegal New round of protests called against Abdoulaye Wade's controversial move to seek third term of office in Sunday's vote. Edited February 21, 2012 by visionary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 (edited) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17127353#TWEET83058 Somalia al-Shabab militant base of Baidoa capturedEthiopian and Somali troops have taken a strategic stronghold of Islamist militants in south-western Somalia. Eyewitnesses told the BBC that about 50 vehicles, including some 20 tanks, had entered Baidoa, which was not defended. After the southern port of Kismayo, the town was the most important al-Shabab base. The news comes as the UN Security Council voted to increase the African Union force in Somalia from 12,000 to 17,731. BBC Somali service analyst Abdullahi Sheikh says Baidoa is a big loss to al-Shabab, as the main road linking Mogadishu to the south-west and parts of Kenya and Ethiopia passes through the city.It is also the business route for most commodities that are transported from Mogadishu to other towns in the region. Baidoa also has an airport, which the Islamist group is thought to have used to bring in weapons. https://twitter.com/#!/BBCAndrewH Next stop Kismayo says African Union spokesman in Mogadishu following news that Al Shabab forced out of key town of Baidoa.12:39 PM Edited February 23, 2012 by visionary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 http://sg.news.yahoo.com/indian-ministry-calls-gay-sex-immoral-urges-ban-071634840.html Indian ministry calls gay sex 'immoral', urges banIndia's home ministry urged the country's Supreme Court on Thursday to reverse a landmark decision to decriminalise gay sex, saying homosexuality was immoral, "against nature and spreads HIV." The Supreme Court is hearing more than a dozen petitions filed to overturn a 2009 ruling by a Delhi High Court that made gay sex between consenting adults legal for the first time. The ministry said it favoured the ban staying in place in order to prevent child abuse and because Indian society was largely against homosexuality according to a survey by the Law Commission, Malhotra explained. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visionary Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 http://mideast.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/02/22/voting_saleh_out To the outside world, the idea of settling a million-person uprising with a one-man vote might seem farcical, but most of the Yemenis I spoke to in the capital, Sanaa, on Tuesday were treating the election with the utmost seriousness."We are drawing a line in the sand," said Sara Al-Maqtari, a 26-year-old student who stood under a hot sun outside a hospital in a line of veiled women waiting patiently to cast their votes. "It's hard for you to understand just how much of a relief that is for us. One man and his family ruling, plundering your country for a third of a century -- try to imagine it." "Yes, I consider this the first democratic election in the Republic of Yemen," said Samir Radhman, a surgeon, overhearing our conversation and cutting in. "People are coming to vote without pressure, without bribes. I'm not voting Hadi in; I'm voting Saleh out," he said, holding up his purple thumb to the sky as if to prove his conviction. Tawakkol Karman, the joint recipient of last year's Nobel Peace Prize, was among the mass of voters, insisting that however imperfect the exercise was, it still represented Yemen's final refutation of Saleh's rule. "I felt like I was closing a heavy door on Saleh's regime," she told me with a sigh over the phone shortly after casting her vote with one of her sisters. "This ends Ali Abdullah Saleh era. Now we will build a new Yemen." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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