Spain protests: Young protesters in Madrid and beyond have many different demands, but they are united in opposing the Spanish governmentThis article titled “Spain reveals pain over cuts and unemployment” was written by Giles Tremlett in Madrid, for guardian.co.uk on Saturday 21st May 2011 11.59 UTCThe arrival of the table, a battered piece of formica bashed on top of four rough, oversized legs raised a cry of joy. Never mind that anyone on a normal chair would barely be able to see over the top – here was another small triumph of the new Spanish revolution, the gathering of angry Spaniards of all colours, ages and persuasions that is sweeping across the country and beyond its borders.The table that arrived in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol square was part of the swirl of creative chaos, naive enthusiasm and pent-up frustration that has transformed it into a makeshift camp for thousand of protesters who call themselves los indignados, the indignant ones.Tents and mattresses, armchairs and sofas, a canteen, portaloos and solar panels have sprung up in a remarkable display of organisational prowess. And the mass of people jostling around, each pursuing their own dream or demand, or just watching others doing the same, seemed more like something transported from the Arab spring in North Africa than from Europe.As the protests continued to swell on Friday, with 60,000 people defying authorities to obey the campaign’s “Take over the square!” slogan in dozens of Spanish cities, and with copycat demonstrations across Europe, the question was whether this was the new May 1968 – a youth-led popular revolt against an establishment deemed to have failed an entire generation.Esther Gutierréz, an elfin 26-year-old, wandered through the crowd with a battered shopping cart full of fruit.“We’ve got so much food we don’t know what to do with it. People just bring it to us for free and it’s wonderful stuff,” she said. “We want real democracy. Not just freedom for bankers. You’re not from the Spanish press, are you? We don’t speak to them.”Cynical and ingenuous by turns, the Madrid protesters and those who last week refused to obey orders to budge from the occupied city squares have torn up the rule book of Spanish public politics. The heavyweights of old – political parties, trade unions and media commentators – are not wanted here.“I was sacked when the Madrid regional government closed down a women’s centre last year when it imposed cuts,” explained Beatriz García as she bashed a small frying pan with a wooden spoon. “The unions didn’t even bother to turn up.”The political parties were worse, she said. “There is no renovation. There is nothing new or different, just two parties who take it in turn to govern because our electoral laws favour them.”Just a week ago Spain was known for the passivity of its citizens as they put up with one of the most depressing eras in recent history. Despite unemployment hitting 21%, widespread spending cuts and a socialist government bound to obey the diktats of Germany’s chancellor, Angela Merkel, and the financial markets, they had refused to show their pain. Marches, sit-ins or riots were for the French – or British students. The real drama, anyway, was in North Africa. Spaniards stayed at home.All that changed this week as demonstrations organised via Facebook and Twitter became static protests in city squares, mushrooming into something that caught politicians, unions and the media by surprise.While journalists were following the dull routine of campaigning for Sunday’s municipal and regional elections, the steam was beginning to escape from a pressure cooker of discontent.Many Spaniards had told pollsters they were tired of the same, well-known political faces – especially those who are due to be re-elected despite being mired in corruption scandals. Politicians have rarely been held in such disregard, with the prime minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, and opposition leader, Mariano Rajoy, of the conservative People’s party, rating lowest. Rajoy seems set to take over after a general election next March.When police forcibly evicted the Madrid demonstrators on Tuesday morning, they came back in even greater numbers later that day. By Friday night authorities had lost the battle to impose rules banning public politics on the day before elections. Police could only look on. “Join us, police officers!” the demonstrators shouted.By the early hours of Friday, it was already elbow-room only in the Puerta del Sol – the square which prides itself on being Spain’s “kilometre zero”, the spot from which all other distances are measured.On the statue of King Carlos III, somebody had pinned a sign that read: “We are anti-idiots, not anti-politicians.” Other placards read: “We aren’t against the system, we want to change it”, “Democracy, a daily fight”, and “Take your money out of the bank!”“We’ve brought tents, food and even Trivial Pursuit to keep us entertained,” said Pablo Cantó, a fresh-faced 23-year-old journalism student. Like many younger protesters, and the movement as a whole, he had trouble expressing exactly why he was here. “We want change,” he said. “Things just can’t carry on as they are.”The heavy clouds of cannabis smoke suggested others had brought their own form of entertainment.“I’ve been protesting for decades,” said 60-year-old school teacher Rosa Marín. “I’m glad to see so many young people here. The questions is this: Is this another May 1968, or are they just here for the party?”A gang of drunken skinheads, mindlessly chanting football terrace slogans, were there for the latter.But a neat, disciplined circle of people intently debating social reform showed many were here in earnest. They took turns to stand up and make their proposals, the audience listening and using the sign language applause of the deaf – by shaking their hands above their heads – to show approval without drowning the speakers out.The proposals, due to make their way through a laborious process of committees, working parties and general assemblies, varied from calls for less spending on the military to helping businesses. “Because it is not just money for the owners. They are the ones who give people like us jobs,” said one young man.For some younger protesters, it was a political baptism. “I don’t know what will come out of this, but it is enough just to show everyone how upset we are,” explained Javier de Coca by phone from the protest camp in Barcelona’s Plaza de Catalunya, where there was a surprising absence of the nationalist or separatist symbols of protest movements in recent years.“It’s as if they’ve realised they have more serious problems to deal with,” said one protester. One of those problems is 45% youth unemployment.On a wall beside the tarpaulin-covered command centre in what some were calling Madrid’s “Republic of Sol” – home to a press office, an infirmary and a legal centre – a list of needs had been pinned up. Toilet paper and food were scratched off the list. Bookshelves, wood, rubber gloves and bottles of cooking gas were on it. Volunteers were needed for a creche.“We process the proposals and try to turn them into something that makes legal sense,” explained a volunteer at the legal centre.However, the open assemblies are painfully slow. Some last for hours, as everybody is given their turn to speak. After almost a week of protests, the demonstrators have failed to come up with a coherent set of demands.Electoral reform to end the two-party system and action to both punish corrupt politicians and limit their luxuries and privileges were the main areas of agreement.So is the Arab spring spreading to southern Europe? “You can’t really compare us to people who were risking their lives by protesting,” said 23-year-old computer engineer Jaime Viyuela. “But yes, you can say that we are inspired by the courage of the Arab spring.” guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010Published via the Guardian News Feed plugin for WordPress.Thanks for subscribing to Andy Roberts blogSpain reveals pain over cuts and unemploymentRelated posts:Zapatero says Spain safe from bailoutProtest march against coalition cuts expected to attract 300,000Anti-cuts campaigners plan to turn Trafalgar Square into Tahrir Square
-
I posted to distributedresearch.net
Spain reveals pain over cuts and unemployment
http://distributedresearch.net/blog/2011/05/21/spain-reveals-pain-over-cuts-and-unemployment
- Tags:
- money
- spain
- food
- king
- Europe
- election
- business
- crowd
- Article
- demands
- Protest
- Protesters
- World news
- democracy
- Giles Tremlett
- Arab Spring
- Global economy
- socialist
- Demonstrators
- rage
- demonstration
- youth
- Global recession
- Recession
- Angela Merkel
- Germany
- north Africa
- financial markets
- protester
- reform
- Barcelona
- movement
- gathering
- Regional
- Madrid
- Euro
- unemployment
- Trade unions
- spanish government
- josé luis rodríguez zapatero
- José Luis Zapatero
- socialist government
- Carlos III
- Mariano Rajoy
- puerta del sol
- regional government
- revolt
- spaniards
- spanish cities
- spanish revolution
May 21 2011, 8:54am | Comments »
-
I posted to distributedresearch.net
Syria, Libya and Middle East unrest – live coverage
http://distributedresearch.net/blog/2011/04/29/syria-libya-and-middle-east-unrest-live-coverage
Syria faces ‘day of rage’, EU discusses sanctions against Syrian regime. Pro- and ant-government supporters rally in Yemen. Pro-Gaddafi forces attack Tunisian town of Dehiba
This article titled “Syria, Libya and Middle East unrest – live coverage” was written by Mark Tran, for guardian.co.uk on Friday 29th April 2011 09.43 UTC
12.03pm – Syria: Reports are coming in of thousands of people demonstrating in Kurdish regions of eastern Syria in solidarity with the southern city of Deraa, which has been in lockdown for days. There are also reports of large demonstrations in the Damascus suburb of Saqba amid chants of “overthrow the regime”.
11.45am – Syria: President Bashar al-Assad’s government has deployed forces in strength in anticipation of protests after Friday prayers. Syrian Republican Guard trucks equipped with machine guns and carrying soldiers in combat gear patrolled the circular road around Damascus ahead of prayers on Friday, a witness told Reuters. Two other witnesses said various security units and secret police manned checkpoints around Damascus, cutting off the city from the suburbs and rural regions, as telecommunications and electricity were cut off from urban centres and towns that had defied warnings not to hold protests.
11.36am – Libya: Susan Rice, the US ambassador to the UN, has accused the Gaddafi regime of passing out tablets of Viagra to his front line troops to help them rape women. Rice made the allegation in a closed-door meeting of the security council, Colum Lynch reports on Turtle Bay, on the Foreign Policy website. Rice made the allegation after facing criticism from council members that the Western-backed coalition has effectively sided with Libya’s rebels in the country’s ongoing civil war. China, Russia, India and other have expressed concern that the Nato-backed military coalition has exceeded its mandate to protect civilians, and had become a party to the country’s conflict… UN council diplomats said that Rice provided no evidence to support her claim, which appeared earlier this week in the British tabloid, the Daily Mail. Human rights advocates say the allegation first surfaced publicly last month when a doctor in Ajdabiya, Suleiman Refadi, claimed in an interview with Al Jazeera English that Qaddafi’s force’s had received packets of Viagra and condoms as part of a campaign of sexual violence. “I have seen Viagra, I have seen condoms,” Refadi told Al Jazeera.
Save the Children has alleged that Libyan children as young as eight have suffered sexual assaults, including rape, amid the worsening conflict across the country.
11.27am – Syria: Syria is also facing pressure from the UN’s nuclear watchdog. The Associated Press reports that the IAEA is setting the stage for UN security council action against Syria for allegedly trying to build a secret nuclear reactor. On Thursday the head of the IAEA said for the first time that a target destroyed by Israeli warplanes in Syria in 2007 was a covert nuclear site. The agency later retracted the statement, but diplomats say it is working on an assessment that will judge the destroyed building a likely reactor.
11.17am – Libya: The Guardian’s Xan Rice, has interviewed the leader of the rebellion in Misrata, the only rebel-held city in western Libya. The rebel leader made an urgent plea to the international community for weapons that would allow his fighters not just to defend the besieged city, but to topple the Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi. Khalifa al-Zwawi, an appeal court judge who heads Misrata’s transitional council, said that after weeks of fierce fighting, rebel forces would eject the last of Gaddafi’s troops from the city “very soon”. “Once we have done that our target is to eliminate the Gaddafi regime,” he told the Guardian in an interview. “We want to go to Tripoli and set it free, and Libya free. We want to move from defence to attack.” Until now, the rebels in Misrata have relied solely on small arms and weapons captured from loyalist troops, or sent by sea from Benghazi, the rebel capital in the east. But Zwawi said help was required if his forces were to go on the offensive. “The most important thing for us now is arms. We need weapons that are suitable to take on Gaddafi. As soon as our freedom fighters reach people in other cities they will join our revolt,” he said.
11.08am – Syria: The Human Rights Council, which is holding a special session in Geneva, is expected to call for a fact-finding mission to look into violations committed by Syrian forces and also suggest that Syria should not seek membership in the forum next month, Reuters is reporting. “The council will be quite divided, but we should get a vote in favour of the text,” a western diplomat told Reuters. “It will be a tough slog today. But the key thing is getting a result,” said another. In an opening speech, Kyung-wha Kang, UN deputy high commissioner for human rights, said Syrian tanks were shelling densely populated areas and entire towns were under siege. “There have been reports of snipers firing on persons attempting to assist the injured or remove dead bodies from public areas,” she said. There is “a widespread, persistent and gross disregard for basic human rights by the Syrian military and security forces,” she said, speaking on behalf of the UN human rights office.
On the divided Arab response. “There will be an Arab League statement. But it would be a lie to say there is a consensus of positions,” a Geneva-based Arab diplomat told Reuters. “To avoid speaking in favour of Syria, most (Arab) delegations will not take the floor.” “The Arab group is a bit embarrassed. During the Libyan affair we were all unified and integrated the international community’s consensus,” he said, adding that censuring Syria could set off a chain reaction. “Do this and a Pandora’s Box will open. Bahrain is also a member and Gulf countries are fully behind Bahrain,” he said.
11.00am – Libya: My colleague, Harriet Sherwood, who is in Tripoli, has sent an update on the fighting on the border with Tunisia. Forces loyal to Gaddafi have retaken a border crossing between Libya and Tunisia close the Western Mountains region, which has been the scene of fierce fighting over recent weeks. Rebel fighters gained control of the Wazin-Dehiba border post last week. But it fell in an onslaught by regime troops, in which missiles were fired across the border into Tunisia, on Thursday. The Tunisian news agency, TAP, quoted witnesses saying Libyan refugees on the Tunisian side of the border had been killed and wounded. According to the UN refugee agency UNHCR, more than 30,000 Libyans have fled the area in recent weeks. The region is largely populated by Berbers, who have suffered decades of repression under the Gaddafi regime.
10.30am: Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of unrest in the Middle East, where major shows of strength are expected in Syria and Yemen. • In Syria, activists have called for a “Friday of rage” following Muslim prayers, to commemorate the death of over 100 people killed by security forces exactly a week ago. As the Assad regime braces itself for more protests, international diplomatic pressure is mounting. The UN’s top human rights body is holding a special session in Geneva to consider possible abuses in Syria. Meanwhile, EU governments are meeting in Brussels are to discuss sanctions on the Syrian leadership for the first time. • In Yemen, opponents of President Ali Abdullah Saleh have called for rallies across the country after Friday prayers to demand his exit, two days after plainclothes gunmen shot dead 12 demonstrators in the capital. Funerals of the 12 protesters killed on Wednesday were expected to draw big crowds in Sana’a. • There are reports of clashes between Tunisian troops and forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi inside the Tunisian border town of Dehiba. Residents say there was heavy fighting in the centre of the town, which is near a border crossing point into Libya. This would be the first time that fighting in Libya has spilled across the border to Tunisia. • The death toll in one of Morocco’s worst terrorist attacks has risen to 16. The MAP news agency said two people died of injuries in the hospital after Thursday’s explosion in a tourist cafe in Marrakech, bringing the number of dead from 14 to 16. At least 11 of those killed were foreigners, and at least 20 people were injured.
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 Published via the Guardian News Feed plugin for WordPress.
Thanks for subscribing to Andy Roberts blogSyria, Libya and Middle East unrest – live coverage
Related posts:Libya and Middle East uprising – live updates Libya unrest: Allies assemble arsenal for possible strike against Gaddafi Libya no-fly zone – live updates
- Tags:
- Middle East
- Article
- Yemen
- Russia
- Protesters
- Libya
- Muammar Gaddafi
- Morocco
- Arab Spring
- International
- Al Jazeera
- capital
- Mark Tran
- Blogposts
- Misrata
- Bahrain
- Demonstrators
- activist
- president
- Minute by minutes
- News blog
- rebel
- gaddafi regime
- Ajdabiya
- qaddafi
- Daily Mail
- Ali Abdullah Saleh
- protester
- Syria
- Abdullah
- Arab and Middle East unrest
- Harriet Sherwood
- warplane
- Dehiba
- Muammar
- Bashar Al-Assad
- circular road
- kurdish regions
- machine guns
- middle east unrest
- military coalition
- president bashar
- Susan Rice
- syrian regime
- turtle bay
- us ambassador to the un
- Xan Rice
April 29 2011, 6:14am | Comments »
-
I posted to distributedresearch.net
Bristol 1831 Mural Artist compares Arab Spring 2011 and Bristol Stokes Croft Riots
Bristol Riot by Scott Buchanan Barden A blank wall on Bath Road in Bristol has become host to a massive mural depicting one of the most horrific events in the city’s history. Now in a nearly complete state, the almost cartoon-like mural underlines what a precious gift democracy is and how difficult it is to attain. The artist, Scott Buchanan Barden, says his motivation to undertake this massive work was not simply to highlight a very important but largely forgotten milestone in the history of British democracy. In fact, he sees a clear parallel between the Bristol riots in 1831 and the current situation in North Africa and the Middle East where extreme brutality to suppress legitimate protest always seems to be the first instinct of the ruling classes. “At a time when attention is focussed on North Africa and the Middle East where ordinary people have been asserting their rights to greater democracy and an end to corruption, I feel it’s important to remind ourselves that the brutal treatment being meted out to them is not much different to what many citizens of Bristol were subjected to in similar circumstances just 180 years ago,” he explained. “We look on at current events in the Middle East with a degree of unwarranted arrogance and feeling of moral superiority, often forgetting that our own path to democracy was just as bloody. “What brought people onto the streets of Bristol was the fact that reactionary elements in the House of Lords had thwarted a parliamentary bill that would have enfranchised many more people in Britain. Public demand for this had been growing ever since the French Revolution 40 years earlier. “Out of a population in Bristol of some 104,000 at that time, only about 6,000 were eligible to vote and most of these were part of the establishment of property and business owners. Political corruption was endemic throughout Britain, with many MPs representing ‘rotten boroughs’ that had little or no electorate to speak of.” The artist went on to explain that it is interesting to note that military commanders are not always willing to carry out the kind of draconian measures against their own people often demanded by their political masters at such times. “The Egyptian army’s refusal to be Mubarak’s pawn a month or so ago was crucial in saving thousands of lives. Unfortunately the same doesn’t seem to have happened in Libya. In 1831, a local military commander – an Irish guy called Brereton – was initially reluctant to use force against the Bristol protesters and it was only after extreme political pressure that he did so. As a result, hundreds of people were butchered by his dragoons in and around Queen’s Square. “He was subsequently court-martialled, amazingly not for the massacre he had committed but for his initial leniency. He shot himself before the court-martial ended. “The Bristol event is a sad reflection of the fact that, no matter where it may be in the world, we seldom seem able to overcome oppression without innocent blood being spilled on a massive scale.” Thanks for subscribing to Andy Roberts blogBristol 1831 Mural Artist compares Arab Spring 2011 and Bristol Stokes Croft Riots
Related posts:Bristol Stokes Croft Riot Arab youth: the tipping point Artist Anish Kapoor warns arts cuts are ‘rolling us back to the Thatcher years’
- Tags:
- Art
- UK
- Middle East
- revolution
- Military
- Protest
- Protesters
- Libya
- democracy
- Arab Spring
- Mubarak
- Britain
- north Africa
- egyptian army
- bristol
- Bath Road
- bristol riots
- british democracy
- french revolution
- political corruption
- scott buchanan
April 22 2011, 5:43pm | Comments »
-
I posted to distributedresearch.net
Bristol Stokes Croft Riot
http://distributedresearch.net/blog/2011/04/22/bristol-stokes-croft-riot
What’s happening in Bristol’s Stokes Croft area this weekend as young people seemed to want to take over part of the high street late on Thursday night early Good Friday morning. The long hot summer comes early in April this year, and with the provocation of a Royal Wedding coming up, the looters get their retaliation in first. In 2011. the year of the Arab Spring revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt, nothing will be the same anywhere again.
Thanks for subscribing to Andy Roberts blogBristol Stokes Croft Riot
Related posts:Arab youth: the tipping point Egypt Celebrates Libya – Gaddafi’s time is running out
- Tags:
- UK
- youtube
- politics
- long
- weekend
- Egypt
- revolution
- Revolutions
- Arab Spring
- Tunisia
- Tunis
- High Street
- summer
- Royal wedding
- bristol
- friday morning
- long hot summer
- looters
- provocation
- retaliation
- thursday
- thursday night
- Wedding
April 22 2011, 9:52am | Comments »
-
I posted to distributedresearch.net
Gaddafi’s daughter whips supporters into a frenzy with speech in Tripoli
Aisha Gaddafi tells a roaring crowd her father moammar Gaddafi will not step down – 25 years after US forces bombed his Tripoli home.
This article titled “Gaddafi’s daughter whips supporters into a frenzy with speech in Tripoli” was written by Harriet Sherwood in Tripoli, for The Guardian on Friday 15th April 2011 14.21 UTC They gather nightly, ready to die for the Brother Leader. Wrapped in loyalist green, waving flags, chanting slogans, holding aloft portraits of their “Guide”, singing, dancing and praying, they are Muammar Gaddafi’s human shields against Nato air strikes. In the early hours of Friday, exactly 25 years after US forces bombed Gaddafi’s Bab al-Aziziya compound in central Tripoli, thousands gathered in defiance of the new international coalition against the Libyan regime’s brutal efforts to suppress the uprising from the east. Whipped up by loyalist chants led from loudspeakers and patriotic songs, they were already in a state of fervour when Aisha Gaddafi, the Libyan leader’s daughter, appeared high in the skeleton of a bombed-out building. Against a backdrop of the shattered facade and draped in a flowing headscarf of green and gold, Aisha pumped her fists at the crowd as they roared and ululated their approval. Just a few hours earlier, Nato warplanes had flown sorties over Tripoli. Explosions and responding gunfire and anti-aircraft fire echoed around the capital, destroying at least one military site and causing blast damage to a nearby university cafeteria. Aisha’s message was one of uncompromising defiance. Referring to the strike in 1986, she said: “They rained down on us their missiles and bombs, they tried to kill me and they killed dozens of children in Libya. Now a quarter of a century later the same missiles and bombs are raining down on the heads of my and your children.” Below her was a statue of a giant golden fist crushing a western warplane in its grip. The throbbing crowd – mainly men, but including hundreds of women separated to one side – appeared intoxicated on love and loyalty. “Talk about Gaddafi stepping down is an insult to all Libyans because Gaddafi is not in Libya, but in the hearts of all Libyans,” Aisha told them. “Gaddafi said if the Libyan people don’t want me I don’t deserve to live. The Libyan people responded, ‘He who doesn’t want you does not deserve life’.” Half a dozen of Gaddafi’s fabled female protection guards stood to the side as Aisha spoke, some with their faces covered, amid an atmosphere akin to a hyped-up football crowd crossed with a rock concert. The cult of Gaddafi is evident across the capital. Huge portraits of him – saluting with a stern expression, beaming with his hands clasped, silhouetted against the rays of a rising sun – hang from buildings. Many in the crowd on Friday night wore miniature laminated versions on green ribbons around their necks. “I love him more than my husband,” said Randa Mohamed, 28, her voice hoarse from shouting and chanting. “We will never leave him. I will do anything to protect him.” This overt display of loyalty fractures when rare opportunities for rushed conversations out of earshot of the ubiquitous regime minders and informants arise. “He must go for the sake of Libya,” is a view expressed in whispers. These few glimpses beneath the surface are always accompanied by visible fear at the possibility of being overheard and punished. But in the Bab al-Aziziya compound, there was only one message: devotion to Gaddafi and hatred of Nato and Libya’s rebel opposition. “We will never give up. Victorious or we die,” ran one chant. As the foreign media were escorted from the compound at the end of Aisha’s speech, the “Zenga Zenga” song blared from speakers. The words are taken from a speech by Saif al-Islam, Aisha’s brother and Gaddafi’s son, early in the conflict, in which he pledged to hunt down the rebels. “House to house, room to room, alley to alley, person to person we will disinfect the whole country from filth,” it goes. “Zenga Zenga” – alley to alley – has now become part of loyalist Libya’s lexicon, a chilling term of approval among people in Gaddafi’s grip.
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 Published via the Guardian News Feed plugin for WordPress.
Thanks for subscribing to Andy Roberts blogGaddafi’s daughter whips supporters into a frenzy with speech in Tripoli
Related posts:Benghazi celebrates as reports emerge of battles in central Tripoli Libya and Middle East uprising – live updates Gaddafi issues defiant challenge to Libya conference in London
- Tags:
- politics
- Portrait
- female
- crowd
- The Guardian
- Middle East
- News
- Article
- Main section
- uprising
- Libya
- Muammar Gaddafi
- World news
- Arab Spring
- International
- Tripoli
- Islam
- libyans
- libyan leader
- air strikes
- defiance
- green and gold
- gunfire
- Harriet Sherwood
- headscarf
- human shields
- international coalition
- nato warplanes
- patriotic songs
- warplane
April 15 2011, 10:32am | Comments »
-
I posted to distributedresearch.net
Libya and Middle East uprising – live updates
http://distributedresearch.net/blog/2011/04/11/libya-and-middle-east-uprising-live-updates
Muammar Gaddafi has reportedly accepted an African Union roadmap for peace in Libya, which includes an immediate ceasefire.
This article titled “Libya and Middle East uprising – live updates” was written by Haroon Siddique, for guardian.co.uk on Monday 11th April 2011 08.57 UTC
10.04am – Libya: In an editorial, the Guardian says the prospect of stalemate and even partition is making the prospect of a ceasefire in Libya more attractive to both sides. Air strikes may have degraded Gaddafi’s forces to the point that they no longer threaten Benghazi, but that is a long way from him surrendering control of Tripoli. Libya is the only country where the Arab revolution became a military struggle, and for this very reason it may be one of the places where the regime stays put … All we know is that the military option is looking less appealing and the regime, despite the defections, is not crumbling. The air war may have secured parts of Libya, but Gaddafi has shown for the second time in his life that he is still standing on home turf. This could change, but how many in Nato are that confident that it will? All this points to an outcome with Gaddafi and his sons in place. It is messy. It lacks a redemptive conclusion. But it is the way this conflict is going.
9.57am: Welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the conflict in Libya and the protests throughout the Middle East. • The African Union says Muammar Gaddafi has accepted a peace plan for ending the conflict in Libya, which includes an immediate ceasefire. It has called on Nato to halt air raids. • The AU representatives are travelling to Benghazi today to present the Libyan peace plan to the opposition leadership. Opposition spokesman Mustafa Gheriani told Reuters the rebels would respond to the plan but it could only work if Gaddafi stands down. • The Syrian army has entered the port city of Banias, witnesses have told AP. At least four anti-government protesters were killed in the city yesterday and dozens injured.
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 Published via the Guardian News Feed plugin for WordPress.
Thanks for subscribing to Andy Roberts blogLibya and Middle East uprising – live updates
Related posts:Libya uprising continues – live updates Libya military action: live updates Libya no-fly zone – live updates
- Tags:
- Middle East
- Egypt
- revolution
- Article
- uprising
- Protesters
- Libya
- Muammar Gaddafi
- Arab Spring
- Benghazi
- Tripoli
- Blogposts
- Minute by minutes
- News blog
- ceasefire
- protester
- Syria
- air strikes
- Arab and Middle East unrest
- conflict
- African
- air raids
- air war
- Haroon Siddique
- military option
- peace plan
- roadmap
- siddique
- stalemate
- syrian army
April 11 2011, 4:13am | Comments »
-
I posted to distributedresearch.net
Libya rebels isolate Gaddafi, seizing cities and oilfields
Well it looks like the worst case scenario, that in which Gaddafi sabotages the oil fields, may have been avoided. There’s still a strong danger of civil war within Tripoli as hard core loyalists and mercenaries defend a last ditch position. Meanwhile what’s the news from Tangiers and other places?
This article titled “Libya rebels isolate Gaddafi, seizing cities and oilfields” was written by Martin Chulov in Benghazi, for guardian.co.uk on Thursday 24th February 2011 17.29 UTC Opposition activists are increasing the pressure on Muammar Gaddafi’s ailing regime, shutting down oil exports and mobilising rebel groups in the west of the country as the revolution rapidly spreads. Gaddafi’s hold on power appears confined to parts of Tripoli and perhaps several regions in the centre of the country. Towns to the west of the capital have fallen and all of eastern Libya is firmly in opposition hands. In a rambling appeal for calm on state TV, Gaddafi blamed the revolt on al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, and said the protesters were fuelled by Nescafe spiked with hallucinogenic drugs. In Benghazi, the country’s second city, basic order is returning to the streets after days of fierce fighting that resulted in the military defecting en masse. Virtually all government buildings were looted and wrecked. There are long lines outside closed banks as people try to resume normal life. Cars have returned to city streets but almost all shops remain closed and the internet is blocked. • Watch dramatic Libya video with commentary by Martin Chulov • Follow live reaction to Gadaffi’s latest statement • David Cameron apologises for delay in evacuating Britons Benghazi is now being run by a makeshift organising committee of judges, lawyers and other professionals who have sent out young people to direct traffic and restore basic order. One high court lawyer, Amal Bagaigis, said: “We started just as lawyers looking for our rights and now we are revolutionaries, and we don’t know how to manage. We want to have our own face. For 42 years we lived with this kind of barbarianism. We now want to live by ourselves.” The town of Misrata, about halfway between Benghazi and Tripoli, is reported to have fallen after days of violence. A resident, Abdul Basit Imzivig, told the Guardian that regime forces had fled overnight and the city was in opposition hands. All southern oilfields are in rebel control. Moustafa Raba’a, a mechanical engineer with the Sirte oil company, said pressure had been put on field and refinery managers to stop work and protect all foreign nationals working with them. “The order was put out to send a message to Gaddafi to stop the slaying of our people in Benghazi. We made a decision to deny him the privilege of exporting oil and gas to Europe.” He said the blockade had prevented 80,000 barrels a day being exported from the Dregga field alone. In Gaddafi’s latest broadcast, he spoke to state television by telephone without appearing in person, and his tone seemed more conciliatory. But it was peppered with bizarre references – he compared his authority to the British Queen and said of the protesters: “Their ages are 17. They give them pills at night, they put hallucinatory pills in their drinks, their milk, their coffee, their Nescafe.” Opposition to Gaddafi appears to have reached a critical mass, with his influence confined to parts of the capital and steadily shrinking. Tripoli remains in lockdown and there are reports of snipers. Irish-trained surgeon Heitham Gheriani, who was one of the revolution’s organisers in Benghazi, said: “Now the people realise the power they have. They started this protest peacefully and then the youths joined them. And when Gaddafi started killing them they rose up. But we honestly didn’t think it would happen so quickly.” A Turkish ferry has docked in Benghazi to evacuate a small number of Turkish nationals, and a British warship remains off the coast waiting for permission to approach Libyan shores. A second ship, the HMS York, has been stationed in Malta to help with the rescue effort. Tens of thousands of Egyptians are continuing to pour towards their home border along with a convoy of other foreign workers. Elsewhere in Libya forces loyal to Gaddafi are reported to have launched a counter-attack on anti-government militias controlling Misrata, 125 miles (200km) east of Tripoli. Several people were killed in fighting near the city’s airport. Lawyers and judges have said they control the city in an internet statement. With help from “honest” military officers they had removed agents of the “oppressive regime” in Misrata, the statement said. Another western town, Zuara, is reported to have fallen to opposition forces as the tide of rebellion advanced closer to Tripoli. Violence reached the town of Az-Zawiyah, 30 miles west of Tripoli. Al-Arabiya television said Gaddafi would address residents of the town. In Oman, the British prime minister David Cameron delivered an unequivocal apology for the failings that left British citizens stranded in Libya. Two chartered planes have now left Tripoli, and a Hercules landed in the Libyan capital. British officials are confident that all UK citizens at the airport have been flown out, though they expect more to turn up. The prime minister said British officials would be “sweeping up” any remaining British citizens who arrive at the airport, while HMS Cumberland has docked in Benghazi to pick up passengers there. The Ministry of Defence is assessing how to rescue between 100 and 150 British citizens working for oil companies in the desert.
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 Published via the Guardian News Feed plugin for WordPress.
Thanks for subscribing to Andy Roberts blogLibya rebels isolate Gaddafi, seizing cities and oilfields
Related posts:Libya protests: ‘Now we’ve seen the blood our fears have gone’ Blair and Gaddafi How will Libya’s protests play out?
- Tags:
- politics
- World
- David Cameron
- Government
- Middle East
- News
- Oil
- Egypt
- revolution
- Article
- uprising
- Protest
- Arab and Middle East protests
- Libya
- Muammar Gaddafi
- World news
- Arab Spring
- Benghazi
- Tripoli
- arab
- capital
- Malta
- Abdul Basit
- Amal Bagaigis
- barbarianism
- critical mass
- hallucinatory
- Irish-trained
- Martin Chulov
- Misrata
- Moustafa
- Nescafe
- refinery
- Tangiers
February 24 2011, 12:06pm | Comments »
-
I posted to distributedresearch.net
Libya – Gaddafi’s time is running out
http://distributedresearch.net/blog/2011/02/22/libya-gaddafis-time-is-running-out
Time is running out for Colonel Gaddaffi’s regime in Libya as the spreading region-wide revolution of the arab spring appears unstoppable.
Deep cracks were showing and Gaddafi seemed to be losing vital support, as Libyan government officials at home and abroad resigned, air force pilots defected and major government buildings were targeted during clashes in the capital. At least 61 people were killed in the capital city on Monday, witnesses told Al Jazeera. Protesters called for another night of defiance against the Arab world’s longest-serving leader, despite a crackdown by authorities Two Libyan fighter jets landed in Malta, their pilots defecting after they said they had been ordered to bomb protesters, Maltese government officials said. http://english.aljazeera.net//news/africa/2011/02/2011221215421542497.html Thanks for subscribing to Andy Roberts blogLibya – Gaddafi’s time is running out
Related posts:Libya protests: ‘Now we’ve seen the blood our fears have gone’ Oil price climbs on Libyan unrest How will Libya’s protests play out?
- Tags:
- politics
- spring
- revolution
- Protest
- Protesters
- Libya
- Arab Spring
- Al Jazeera
- arab
- capital
- Colonel Gaddaffi
- crackdown
- Gaddafi
- Malta
February 22 2011, 5:28am | Comments »
-
I posted to distributedresearch.net
Oil price surge risking global recovery, says IEA chief
The combination of approaching Peak Oil and the Arab Spring regional revolution is likely to become the single biggest factor in global economics. This article titled “Oil price surge risking global recovery, says IEA chief” was written by Julia Kollewe, for guardian.co.uk on Tuesday 22nd February 2011 08.34 UTC The surge in oil prices caused by the Libyan crisis could derail the global economic recovery, the International Energy Agency’s chief economist warned on Tuesday. Fatih Birol said high oil prices could weaken trade balances, add to inflation and put pressure on central banks to raise interest rates at a time when economic growth remains lacklustre in many countries, including the UK. “Oil prices are a serious risk for the global economic recovery,” he said. “The global economic recovery is very fragile – especially in OECD countries.” Birol said IEA members would consider a coordinated release of oil from their emergency stocks to tackle any supply disruption if the turmoil continues in the Middle East and North Africa. The agency’s members – the OECD countries, which are mostly western economies – hold 1.6bn barrels of emergency oil stocks. He added that Saudi Arabia stood ready to pump more oil if necessary. Oil ministers from top consuming and producing countries are meeting at a scheduled energy conference in Riyadh on Tuesday. The FTSE 100 index in London was down more than 60 points in early trading at 5953.95 as the market took fright at the escalating Libyan crisis. Overnight, shares in Japan tumbled almost 2%, falling 192.83 points to 10,664.70. Stocks on Wall Street are expected to open sharply lower following Monday’s closure for President’s Day. The price of oil and grains jumped again this morning amid fears that growing violence in oil-rich Libya could spill over into other oil-producing countries in the region. Libya is the first major oil exporter to be engulfed by the crisis – it exports 1.6m barrels a day – and the first to see significant disruption to oil production. Brent crude oil rose nearly $2.83 to $108.57 a barrel after hitting $108.70 on Monday, the highest since the onset of the financial crisis. US crude for March delivery, which expires on Tuesday, also touched a two-and-a-half-year high, rising to $94.49. “The market is very nervous over news of violence in Libya, and that’s driving prices,” said Yinxi Yu, a commodities analyst at Barclays Capital. “The situation threatens to blow out in the next few days, and it looks like the uncertainty in the region is not going to be resolved anytime soon.” Prices are still a long way from the all-time high of $147.02 reached in July 2008 for Brent crude. Prices then slumped as the recession in the west led to a sharp fall in demand. One international oil firm has shut down as much as 100,000 barrels a day of output, about 6% of Libya’s production. Other big oil firms are evacuating their staff from the country as Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi fought to hang on to power and dozens were reported killed in the capital, Tripoli. However, Julian Jessop at Capital Economics said: “There are two reasons not to press the panic button just yet. First, although Libya is an Opec member, it is still a relatively small player. Libya’s usual daily production of 1.6m barrels ranks the country at around number nine of the 12 members. In principle, any shortfall on global markets could easily be offset by an increase in output from Saudi Arabia, which is currently producing some 3m barrels per day less than its estimated capacity (though this additional supply cannot be turned on overnight).” Gold slipped from its seven-week high, to $1,400.95 from $1,410.65, while silver leapt to its highest price since 1980, above $34 an ounce. Grain prices were also higher, with US corn futures up by 0.6% and soy and wheat both 0.5% higher.
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 Published via the Guardian News Feed plugin for WordPress.
Thanks for subscribing to Andy Roberts blogOil price surge risking global recovery, says IEA chief
Related posts:Oil price climbs on Libyan unrest WikiLeaks cables: Saudi Arabia cannot pump enough oil to keep a lid on prices gapingvoid: the global microbrand rant
- Tags:
- economics
- politics
- business
- The Guardian
- Energy
- Financial
- Middle East
- Oil
- Oil and gas companies
- Peak oil
- revolution
- Article
- Barclays
- Libya
- Muammar Gaddafi
- Arab Spring
- Commodities
- Julia Kollewe
- Tripoli
- Global economy
February 22 2011, 2:51am | Comments »
-
I posted to distributedresearch.net
Oil price climbs on Libyan unrest
http://distributedresearch.net/blog/2011/02/21/oil-price-rises-libya-unrest
The price of world oil rose to its highest level since September 2008 yesterday, leaping of more than one dollar a barrel. The cause now is the forboding situation in Libya, a key member of Opec, where the Gaddafi family and supporters have adopted a belligerent stance towards the undeterred protests. The biggest fear amongst oil commodity speculators for even bigger price rises now is that the unrest may spread to Saudi Arabia. This article titled “Oil price climbs on Libyan unrest” was written by Julia Kollewe, for guardian.co.uk on Monday 21st February 2011 10.13 UTC Oil prices leapt to a fresh two-and-a-half year high as violent clashes in Libya, a member of the oil cartel Opec, and other Middle Eastern countries fuelled fears of disruption to supplies. As the anti-government protests in Libya threaten to escalate, BP today suspended preparations for exploratory drilling for oil and gas in western Libya. The company does not produce any oil or gas in Libya but had been preparing an onshore rig to start drilling. One of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s sons warned the country could descend into civil war as the regime tried to halt the popular uprising with a bloody crackdown. Protests broke out in the capital Tripoli for the first time following days of unrest in Benghazi, the second largest city. Libya exports 1.1m barrels of oil a day. It was the world’s 12th-biggest oil exporter in 2009 and has proven oil reserves of 44bn barrels, the largest in Africa, according to the International Energy Agency. Brent crude for April delivery hit a new two-and-a-half year high of $104.60 a barrel, and later traded up $1.90 at $104.44. US crude for March delivery climbed by over $2 to 88.42 a barrel. The price of gold, seen as a safe haven, soared to a seven-week high, while prices of silver and palladium hit historic highs on expectations of growing demand. Spot gold climbed to $1,396.1 an ounce. The head of the Al-Suwayya tribe in eastern Libya threatened on Sunday to cut oil exports to western countries within 24 hours unless the authorities put an end to the “oppression of protesters”. There are also fears that the unrest in northern Africa and the Middle East, which has already ousted the Tunisian and Egyptian presidents, could spread to Saudi Arabia. “The oil market could easily jump another $10 in the short term if the violence continues,” said David Cohen, director of Asian Economic Forecasting at Asian Economics.
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 Published via the Guardian News Feed plugin for WordPress.
Thanks for subscribing to Andy Roberts blogOil price climbs on Libyan unrest
Related posts:Anger on the streets: unrest in Iran, Algeria, Yemen, Morocco and China WikiLeaks cables: Saudi Arabia cannot pump enough oil to keep a lid on prices How will Libya’s protests play out?
- Tags:
- economics
- politics
- World
- price
- business
- Government
- Middle East
- News
- Oil
- Peak oil
- Saudi Arabia
- uprising
- Protest
- Arab and Middle East protests
- Libya
- Muammar Gaddafi
- World news
- Arab Spring
- Benghazi
- Commodities
- David Cohen
- International
- Julia Kollewe
- northern Africa
- Tripoli
- Tunisia
- Tunisian
February 21 2011, 4:27am | Comments »
1
