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Israeli Racism Turns Violent - Again.Racist attacks on black Africans - they're not just for Libyans.
Seems to me everyone in the North has it in for sub-Saharans. But I do wonder whether the Israeli bigots have a heirarchy of racism which ranks Arabs and black Africans on a scale of hateability. The bigots would doubtless complain that their hate is also about "infiltrators" taking jobs and causing crime. As Ta-Nehisi Coates notes today though, "Complicating racism with other factors doesn't make it any better. It just makes it racism. Again." That's as true in Israel as it is anywhere else. Steve Hynd May 24, 2012 - 12:41pm
Syria assails rebel town, admits sanctions hurtingDamascus | May 24 The rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) meanwhile denied it was behind the abduction of Lebanese Shiite pilgrims, an incident stoking tensions in neighbouring Lebanon which is divided between pro- and anti-Damascus camps. There was no word on any Rastan casualties, but the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 15 people were killed nationwide, including seven troops shot dead at Qalamun in Damascus province as they tried to defect. As the violence continued to rage, Russia, one of Syria's few allies, offered to host direct talks between the Damascus regime and rebel representatives, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said. Soldiers were trying to overrun Rastan for the second time in 10 days, with shells crashing into the town at the rate of "one a minute" at one stage, according to the Britain-based Observatory. Tina May 23, 2012 - 11:08pm
( categories: AgonistWire | Arabia )
Saudis Pledge $3.25 Billion in Aid to YemenRiyadh | May 23 Riyadh, which already provides oil and military aid to its impoverished neighbour, convened Western and Arab Gulf nations to see how they can help Yemen push ahead with reforms and tackle its poverty and lawlessness. Raja May 23, 2012 - 7:16am
A Nation-by-Nation Look at Arab Spring's ProgressMay 21 Tina May 21, 2012 - 1:57pm
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![]() Suicide bombing rocks Yemen, scores killedAlan Cowell & Rick Gladstone | London | May 21 News reports described scenes of horrific carnage on the parade grounds. Suspicions of responsibility immediately fell on an Al Qaeda affiliate in Yemen, the Middle East’s most impoverished country, which has endured months of protests and insurgency since the first stirrings of the Arab Spring revolts last year. ‘‘This is a real massacre,’’ a soldier identified as Ahmed Sobhi was quoted by The Associated Press as saying. ‘‘There are piles of torn body parts, limbs and heads. This is unbelievable.’’ Tina May 21, 2012 - 11:59am
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Qatar and UAE call on citizens to leave LebanonBeirut | May 19 Saturday's call by the two countries' foreign ministries came days after clashes between pro- and anti-Syrian groups in the northern city of Tripoli left eight people and dozens wounded. Both countries said in statements posted on their state-run news agencies that the reason behind the decision was tension and instability in Lebanon. Tina May 19, 2012 - 8:54am
( categories: AgonistWire | Arabia )
Thousands of Shia Muslims protest over Gulf union plansMay 18 In Manama, the demonstration stretched for some three miles (5km), blocking a motorway. The Saudi king's proposal to unite the six members of the Gulf Co-Operation Council was discussed this week. The six members are Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates. There were also protests against the move in Dubai and Iran, where Bahrain's ambassador was rebuked. The planned union between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia - the first part of a broader union of the Gulf's six Arab monarchies - has triggered discord between Shia-dominated Iran and the Sunni rulers of Shia-majority Bahrain. 'Not for sale' Iran has called the proposal "the American plan to annex Bahrain to Saudi Arabia". Tina May 18, 2012 - 2:56pm
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F-15s Over YemenGo read David Axe on how Italian aviation blogger David Cenciotti joined the dots to throw some new light on America's shadow wars along Africa's Indian Ocean coastline. F-15s based in Djibouti carrying out airstrikes in Yemen, spyplanes at the same airbase, Reaper drones with bases in the Seychelles Yemen and Ethiopia. Axe himself adds the possibility of a floating headquarters for special forces ops sitting somewhere of the coast. America is waging more wars, with a bigger involvement, than it wants to admit. Steve Hynd May 15, 2012 - 1:29pm
( categories: Miscellany | Africa | Global War on Terror | USA: Armed Forces | USA: Foreign Relations | Yemen )
Saudi King Abdullah sacks conservative adviserMay 11 Sheikh Obeikan, who was an adviser to the royal cabinet, opposed moves to relax gender segregation. The dismissal comes shortly after Sheikh Obeikan attacked plans by "influential people to corrupt Muslim society by trying to change the natural status of women". Saudi officials did not give a reason for Sheikh Obeikan's departure. His recent comments were taken to be an attack on tentative steps towards relaxing some stricter interpretations of Saudi law. King Abdullah has promised women the right to vote in future elections, has opened the country's first co-educational university and introduced measures against domestic violence. The head of Saudi Arabia's religious police, the "mutawa", was also replaced in January, with the new head widely seen as more moderate than his predecessor. Sheikh Obeikan achieved a degree of notoriety several years ago with a decree suggesting that unrelated Saudi men and women could mix so long as the man drank the woman's breast milk, thus creating a maternal bond between them. Tina May 11, 2012 - 7:28pm
( categories: AgonistWire | Arabia )
Bahrain-US Strong Alliance Stressed/ Arms sales resumedManama | May 11 Representative (R) for Indiana's 5th Congressional District Dan Burton said. "The US maintains the 5th Fleet Headquarters in Bahrain and backs the Kingdom firmly. Those who seek to destroy Bahrain should realize this", he added. In a statement to Bahrain News Agency (BNA), the veteran Republican congressman described Bahrain as a friendly country and important US trade and security partner. "Some differences may emerge between both countries from time to time but I hope that long-term partnership and cooperation will continue", he said. He pointed out the long-dating co-existence between the Government and Bahraini people, describing the existence of the osmosis between sects and religions as a positive facet of Bahraini society. "We acknowledge however the existence of some problems- which is normal as all people may confront problems within the same family", he said. Wow, did the Bahraini government write Burton's swill? Tina May 11, 2012 - 4:53pm
Heading Down a Familiar Drone Path In YemenFormer Director of the CIA's Counter-Terrorism Center Robert Grenier makes the case against a stepped-up drone campaign in Yemen over at Al Jazeera:
the militarization of US counter-terrorism policy over the past decade has meant that turning a local problem group into one fixated on the "far enemy" of America, whether it be by occupation or drone strikes, is a regular occurence. Steve Hynd May 11, 2012 - 4:35pm
U.S. launches airstrike in Yemen as new details surface about bomb plotGreg Miller & Karen DeYoung | May 10 The strike came as new details surfaced about the foiling of the plot, including the disclosure that the operative who posed as a willing suicide bomber and later turned the device over to authorities was a British citizen, according to Western officials. Raja May 10, 2012 - 9:51pm
US foils Al-Qaeda bomb plot against airlinerWashington | May 7 "The device was for use by a suicide bomber on an airliner," a US counterterrorism official told AFP on condition of anonymity. The plot hatched by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula was uncovered at an early stage and represented a "success story" for US authorities working closely with allies, he added. "At no point were any airlines at risk," the official said, as news of the plot was revealed just days after the first anniversary of the killing of Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden by US commandos at his Pakistan hideout. The bomb had "notable differences" from the explosive employed in a failed attempt also linked to the Al-Qaeda affiliate to blow up a US-bound airliner on Christmas Day 2009 using plastic explosives hidden in a Nigerian man's underwear, the official said. According to the FBI, the improvised explosive device was seized abroad and was currently in its possession. Agents were "conducting technical and forensics analysis on it." "Initial exploitation indicates that the device is very similar to IEDs that have been used previously by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in attempted terrorist attacks, including against aircraft and for targeted assassinations," the FBI statement added. The bomb was "a non-metallic device," the counterterrorism official said, presumably to avoid detection by airport security. "This suggests AQAP is adapting its methodology, its tactics et cetera." Tina May 7, 2012 - 6:41pm
( categories: AgonistWire | Yemen )
Yemen: Al-Qaida's wretched utopia and the battle for hearts and mindsGhaith Abdul-Ahad | May 1 Driving east out of Aden, we were just a few hundred metres past the last army checkpoint when we saw the black al-Qaida flag. It flew from the top of a concrete building that had been part-demolished by shelling. From here into the interior, all signs of control by the government of Yemen disappeared. This is the region of newly proclaimed jihadi emirates in south Yemen that are run by affiliates of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the Yemeni franchise of the movement founded by Osama bin Laden. AQAP has existed in this ragged, mountainous terrain for years, but in the last 12 months the jihadis have moved down from the high ground to take control of cities in the lowlands. They are in the process of setting up an al-Qaida utopia here, where security is provided by jihadis, justice follows sharia law and even the administration of electricity and water supplies is governed by the emir. Tina May 1, 2012 - 2:05pm
( categories: AgonistWire | Arabia )
SPIEGEL ONLINE interviews Bahraini PM Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al KhalifaApr 27
The Pm likes to deflect a lot. Tina April 28, 2012 - 12:02pm
( categories: AgonistWire | Arabia )
U.S. Escalating Drone War in YemenJim Lobe | Washington | April 26 Washington is worried about recent advances by Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), particularly in the southern part of the country. Since the failed "Christmas Day" bombing by an AQAP-trained Nigerian national of a U.S. airliner over Detroit in December 2009, the group has been regarded here as a greater threat to the U.S. homeland than its Pakistan-based parent. Raja April 28, 2012 - 11:42am
( categories: AgonistWire | Yemen )
Saudi ambassador to Egypt had also been recalled, embassy shut downApr 28 Egyptian protesters have demanded the release of human rights lawyer Ahmed al-Gizawi. He was detained earlier this month on arrival in Saudi Arabia and accused of insulting King Abdullah. Egyptian activists say the lawyer was held after lodging a complaint against Saudi Arabia for its treatment of Egyptians in its prisons. His family say he had gone to perform a minor pilgrimage - a detail which has angered many Egyptians who feel resentment at the kingdom's treatment of Egyptians. But Saudi authorities say Mr al-Gizawi was found by airport officials to be carrying drugs - allegedly more than 20,000 anti-anxiety pills - in his luggage. They say they doubt Mr al-Gizawi was on a pilgrimage, as he was not wearing white pilgrims' clothes. ** ahram online Tina April 28, 2012 - 10:52am
Bahrain Protests Race Of ShameI know way too little about Bahrain to write in depth on the protests there. All I really know is that Bahrain's rulers have been violently putting down a democracy movement for over a year now, while the US looks the other way. Not co-incidentally, Bahrain is the base for the U.S. Fifth Fleet. The "Manama Statement" of combined Bahraini opposition political associations can be read here. Today, opposition supporters have mounted a mass protest demanding an end to the crackdown on dissent and the cancellation of Sunday's Grand Prix. Steve Hynd April 20, 2012 - 12:24pm
( categories: Arabia )
Saudi Arabia puts 50 al Qaeda suspects on trialAsma Alsharif | Jeddah | April 8 The report said five of the suspects had appeared at a special court in the capital Riyadh on Saturday, facing charges including the 2003 bombing of the al-Muhaya compound, where expatriates lived, and planning attacks on the U.S. and British embassies in Saudi Arabia. Of the defendants, 47 are Saudi, two are Syrian and one is Yemeni, SPA said late on Saturday. Raja April 9, 2012 - 11:55am
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![]() Gunmen attack Yemen's main airportHakim Almasmari | Sanaa | Apr 7 Two officials at Sanaa International Airport told CNN that the former commander of Yemen's air force had warned he would bring down any civil aircraft departing or arriving the airport unless his demands are met. The commander, Mohammed Saleh al-Ahmar, is one of several relatives of the former president who were replaced in a major military shakeup. Al-Ahmar refused to give up his post. Ali Saleh was forced to step down from power in February. Al-Ahmar, the half-brother of the former president, was given a new position as assistant to the minister of defense in Friday's presidential decree, but has refused to leave his air force post. The officials said he threatened to cause chaos if three opposition military officials are not removed from their military posts along with him. Tina April 7, 2012 - 11:19am
( categories: AgonistWire | Arabia )
The End of the Saudi Oil Reserve MarginThe Wall Street Journal, By Jim Krane, April 3 Doha, Qatar - President Obama’s sanctions plan on Iran follows an old Mideast policy playbook. Western moves against an oil-exporting country take place with the cooperation of Saudi Arabia. U.S. strategy requires the Saudis to ramp up production and replace Iranian exports in hope of avoiding a damaging spike in prices. It’s a familiar scenario: At one time or another, the Saudis have been called upon to replace exports from Iran, Iraq, Kuwait and, most recently, Libya. The idea is to have your cake and eat it—to meet U.S. foreign policy goals without disrupting oil markets and antagonizing the American motorist. But the old playbook may have to be torn up. This time Saudi Arabia is struggling to assume its usual role as the oil market’s swing supplier. This can be seen in current market tightness and in U.S. gasoline prices, which are edging toward $4, a dangerous prospect at election time. Raja April 5, 2012 - 11:58am
The Draft Anti-Terrorism Law in Saudi Arabia: Legalizing the Abrogation of Civil LibertiesJadaLiyya, By Saleh Al Amer, April 1 In July 2011, Amnesty International published a leaked copy of the draft Saudi Arabian Penal Law for Terrorism Crimes and Financing of Terrorism. This Anti-Terror Law, which grants the Ministry of Interior unprecedented levels of authority and discretion in intelligence gathering, policing, and detention, has already been reviewed by the Security Committee of the Consultative Council (Majlis al-Shura) and the Committee of Experts in the Ministers’ Council, and awaits final approval for its enactment. Given the recent appointment of the Interior Minister Prince Nayef Bin Abdulaziz as the new Crown Prince, it seems likely that the law will soon be adopted. Widespread criticism of the law has been voiced internally, by local activists, and internationally, with Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch leading the way. Unlike the US Patriot Act and the Terrorism Act 2006 of Great Britain, both of which allowed for tremendous expansions of state power, the proposed Anti-Terror Law seems designed to legitimize already-existing extra-judicial practices of the Saudi state by cloaking them in the rule of law. With broad support for legal reforms, continued protests and civil disobedience, and public debate growing over the injustices suffered by Saudi prisoners of conscience, the Anti-Terror Law seeks to forestall any movement towards enhanced legal protections. Raja April 2, 2012 - 11:50pm
Borat anthem stuns Kazakh gold medallist in KuwaitMarch 23 The team asked for an apology and the medal ceremony was later rerun. The team's coach told Kazakh media the organisers had downloaded the parody from the internet by mistake. The song was produced by UK comedian Sacha Baron Cohen for the film, which shows Kazakhs as backward and bigoted. Raja March 23, 2012 - 5:04pm
Saudi Mufti: destroy all churchesAmbrosia sabrina | Mar 17 Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah, the grand mufti, based his statement on the Islamic belief which states that only Islam and no other religion should be followed in the region. The mufti's declaration was in response to Kuwait's call for a ban on construction of non-Muslim places of worship, the report said. The mufti further added that the move should be followed by the Kuwaiti government as well, given that the country is a part of the peninsular region. It's also been reported that Osama Al-Munawer, a Kuwaiti parliamentarian, will soon introduce legislation that would call for a ban on constructing new churches in the kingdom. Existing churches, he added, will be exempt from demolition. The announcement has apparently prompted fury among Christians who make up around five percent of the population in the Middle East. Furthermore, the mufti's words may provoke the Muslim community to launch attacks on churches, thereby raising fears of religious violence. You can hear a pin drop waiting for US condemnation of our Saudi bff.. Tina March 17, 2012 - 4:19pm
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![]() Obama’s personal role in a journalist’s imprisonmentGlenn Greenwald | Mar 14 | SALON Jeremy Scahill, The Nation‘s national security correspondent, is easily one of America’s best and most intrepid journalists. He spends his time in dangerous places in order to uncover what the U.S. Government is doing around the world. He often produces vital scoops that, during the Obama presidency, are — for reasons often recounted here — largely ignored by the American establishment media and both political parties. In July of last year, he returned from Mogadishu and documented the Obama administration’s maintenance and proxy operation of secret CIA-run prisons in Somalia of the type that caused so much controversy during the Bush administration and which Obama supporters like to claim the President ended, and last month he returned from tribal regions in Yemen and detailed how U.S. civilian-killing drone strikes (along with its support for Yemeni despots) are the single most important cause fueling Al Qaeda’s growth in that country. But his newest article – describing President Obama’s personal, direct role in ensuring the ongoing imprisonment of a Yemeni journalist – may be his most important one yet; even for those inured to the abuses of the Obama administration, it’s nothing short of infuriating. read more at link Tina March 14, 2012 - 10:04pm
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