World Unrest in the Middle East

[The Helper]

Libya is turning into something very serious. Apparently two pilots who were ordered to assault the protesters refused and flew to Malta to claim political asylum; soldiers who refused to fire on protesters were shot in cold blood. Considering that most of his political allies in Libya have abandoned him, Gaddafi must know he stands on a precipice; not all the army is behind him, as his son claims, and when the people catch up with him, they will be more than happy to push him off the edge of that precipice.

The real sad thing is that only two defected. The others did not have a problem with it. Neither did the hired African Mercenaries.

 

[The Helper]

Gaddafi loses more Libyan cities

Muammar Gaddafi, Libya's long-standing ruler, has reportedly lost control of more cities as anti-government protests continue to sweep the African nation despite his threat of a brutal crackdown.

Protesters in Misurata said on Wednesday they had wrested the western city from government control. In a statement on the internet, army officers stationed in the city pledged "total support for the protesters".

The protesters also seemed to be in control of much of the country's east, and an Al Jazeera correspondent, reporting from the city of Tobruk, 140km from the Egyptian border, said there was no presence of security forces.

"From what I've seen, I'd say the people of eastern Libya are the ones in control," Hoda Abdel-Hamid, our correspondent, said.

More.

 

[XXXconanXXX]

Funny how the repressed youth have done in a few months with protests and rallies what the U.S. and USSR tried to do in decades with armies and military might.

Profound, lasting cultural and political change comes from the grassroots, not other countries or oppressive regimes.

 

[The Helper]

Egyptian Military Cracks Down on New Protest

CAIRO — Tens of thousands of protesters returned Friday to Tahrir Square, the site of demonstrations that led to the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak two weeks ago, to keep up the pressure on Egypt’s military-led transitional government.

But by early Saturday, the military made it clear there would be limits to further dissent as soldiers and plainclothes security officers moved into the square, beating protesters and tearing down their tents, witnesses said.

In a day that had begun with equal parts carnival and anti-government demonstration, protesters’ called for the quick cancellation of the Emergency Law, which for three decades has allowed detentions without trial, and the resignation of Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq, a former air force general appointed by Mr. Mubarak days before he stepped down.

But after night fell, the protest transformed into a tense standoff between protesters and the military, whose neutrality during the uprising, and unwillingness to fire on the protesters, had turned them into popular heroes.

More.

 

[The Helper]

Tunisia prime minister resigns

Mohammed Ghannouchi, Tunisia's interim prime minister, has resigned, as security forces clashed with protesters in Tunis, the capital, who were demanding some of his ministers be removed.

Ghannouchi made the announcement on state television on Sunday, saying that he had thought carefully before taking the decision and that he had the support of his family.

"I am not running away from responsibility ... This is to open the way for a new prime minister," he said. "I am not ready to be the person who takes decisions that would end up causing casualties."

Ghannouchi has led the country since Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia's former president, fled Tunisia on January 14, following a popular uprising.

Read the news here.

 

[Wiseman_2]

At least in Tunisia there has been little in the way of bloodshed. If only we could say the same of Libya... Gaddafi's actions should be considered tantamount to crimes against humanity.

 

[Jedimindtrixxx]

this guy actually seems like he actually wants whats best for his people. good for him. as wiseman put it, "If only we could say the same of Libya"

 

[The Helper]

Protesters in Oman set supermarket ablaze

SOHAR, Oman – Protesters set a supermarket ablaze and rallied at two places in this seaside town on Monday in a third consecutive day of unrest that has included deadly clashes in the strategic Gulf nation.

Security forces sealed off main roads to Sohar, about 120 miles (200 kilometers) northwest of the capital of Muscat, in an attempt to isolate the protesters and keep crowds from swelling.

Omar al-Abri, an official at the state-run Oman News Agency, said one person was confirmed dead Sunday after police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse hundreds of demonstrators in Sohar.

Witnesses said a supermarket was set on fire Monday and several hundred protesters — mostly young men — were rallying in the town's main roundabout, demanding higher salaries, jobs for unemployed youth and the dismissal of some government ministers.

More about it here.

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Well there is a new name into the mix. Oman.

 

[Slayer4000X2008]

It is literally chaos over there, and it's having dire effects on the rest of us. I literally think foreign governments should send in the military to aid the protesters. These cruel and evil dictators have been in power for far too long and it's time for them to be forced out of power.

 

[Jedimindtrixxx]

It is literally chaos over there, and it's having dire effects on the rest of us. I literally think foreign governments should send in the military to aid the protesters.

No. Just no. I am tired of other countries always trying to stick their nose in other countries' businesses. This is their conflict, let this be a victory for the people, not for the U.S or whoever.

 

[Slayer4000X2008]

Sometimes foreign aid is needed. Many governments in the middle east will kill civilians when they go against the government. Hell some governments over there will actually kill there own people just for the hell of it. But it is no longer just their problem over there, it effects the entire planet, it's now all our problems.

 

[Jedimindtrixxx]

k imagine this. We are trying to revolt against the Canadian government, and they decide to fire back at us, and all of a sudden Spain comes in trying to help us and throwing around their influences while they are at it, just because it is affecting their maple syrup prices.

 

[The Helper]

Special Report: U.S. cables detail Saudi royal welfare program

When Saudi King Abdullah arrived home last week, he came bearing gifts: handouts worth $37 billion, apparently intended to placate Saudis of modest means and insulate the world's biggest oil exporter from the wave of protest sweeping the Arab world.

But some of the biggest handouts over the past two decades have gone to his own extended family, according to unpublished American diplomatic cables dating back to 1996.

The cables, obtained by WikiLeaks and reviewed by Reuters, provide remarkable insight into how much the vast royal welfare program has cost the country -- not just financially but in terms of undermining social cohesion.

Besides the huge monthly stipends that every Saudi royal receives, the cables detail various money-making schemes some royals have used to finance their lavish lifestyles over the years. Among them: siphoning off money from "off-budget" programs controlled by senior princes, sponsoring expatriate workers who then pay a small monthly fee to their royal patron and, simply, "borrowing from the banks, and not paying them back."

Whole article here.

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This is a fantastic article, imho. It describes the way the Saudi Royal Family makes money, basically by siphoning money from the people and controlling all the oil revenue. I can just say this, Saudia Arabia is going to end up exactly like Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya. Its going to happen soon.

 

[The Helper]

Up to the minute Middle East News

http://english.aljazeera.net/watch_now/

 

[The Helper]

Saudi Arabia bans all protest and marches

RIYADH — Saudi Arabia said Saturday it would ban all protests and marches after minority Shiites staged small protests in the oil-producing eastern province.

Security forces would use all measures to prevent any attempt to disrupt public order, the interior ministry said in a statement carried by state television.

The ban follows a series of protests by Saudi Shiites in the kingdom's east in the past weeks mainly to demand the release of prisoners they say are long held without trial.

Saudi Arabia's Shiite minority mostly live in the east, which holds much of the oil wealth of the world's top crude exporter and is near Bahrain, scene of protests by majority Shiites against their Sunni rulers.

More here.

 

[The Helper]

Report: Gaddafi agrees to leave power if his safety is guaranteed

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has proposed to give up power and leave Libya if the saftey of his family and him are guaranteed, the London-based Asharq Alawsat Newspaper reported. Also according to the report, Gaddafi demanded to be allowed to leave for any country he chooses, without future prosecution.

More here.

 

[The Helper]

Gaddafi hints he is ready to leave Libya for cash and immunity

Muammar Gaddafi was reported last night to be ready to quit after 41 years in power.

The dictator is said to have proposed a meeting of the Libyan parliament to agree a transition period to pave the way for him to step down, according to Al Jazeera, the Arab TV network.

His terms include immunity from criminal prosecution and a pile of cash.

The rebel interim council, based in the eastern city of Benghazi, reportedly rejected the offer because such an ‘honourable’ exit would offend Gaddafi’s victims.

Read more here.

 

[The Helper]

Saudi prince questions ban on women driving

RIYADH, March 9 (Reuters) - A senior Saudi prince questioned the need for a ban on women driving on Wednesday and said lifting it would be a quick first step to reduce the Islamic kingdom's dependence on millions of foreign workers.

The Gulf Arab state is a monarchy ruled by the al-Saud family in alliance with clerics from the strict Wahhabi school of Islam. Women must be covered from head to toe in public and are not allowed to drive.

But the ruling family has been facing calls from activists and liberals, empowered by protests across North Africa and the Middle East, to allow some political reforms in the absolute monarchy that has no parliament.

Using social media, activists have called on King Abdullah to allow women to participate for the first time in municipal elections expected later this year.

Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, a nephew of King Abdullah and advocate of his reforms, said the kingdom could send some 750,000 foreign drivers home if women could drive.

More.

 

[The Helper]

Bahrain in state of emergency as crowd marches on Saudi embassy

The King of Bahrain has declared martial law, giving the military authority to end pro-democracy protests with the backing of 2,000 troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Some 10,000 Bahraini demonstrators marched on the Saudi embassy in the capital, Manama, yesterday to protest against the Saudi intervention, which an opposition statement said amounted to an occupation.

Significant parts of the island kingdom, which has a population of 600,000, remain in the hands of protesters, one of whom was reported to have been killed yesterday by the security services.

Iran has denounced the entry of foreign troops into Bahrain as unacceptable and says that the United States is responsible for Saudi actions, which will have "dangerous consequences".

More.

 

[The Helper]

Saudis send troops into Bahrain to quell protests (w/ Video)

Saudi Arabia sent troops into Bahrain yesterday to quell protests by the Shia Muslim majority against the Sunni monarchy, in a move that the opposition denounced as an act of war.

Saudi armoured vehicles rolled along the 16-mile causeway linking Saudi Arabia and Bahrain in an unprecedented armed intervention likely to provoke a new crisis in the Gulf.

About 1,000 Saudi soldiers entered the island, a Saudi official said. Witnesses said about 150 armoured vehicles and 50 other vehicles – including jeeps, buses, ambulances and water tankers – took up positions in the district of Riffa, where the royal family lives and where there is a military hospital.

The Saudi intervention is the first time that any Arab state has acted to quell protests in another since the wave of uprisings began in the region. The Bahraini government had earlier called for support from its neighbours after fighting in the streets of the capital, Manama, on Sunday, in which demonstrators routed riot police.

More.