In These New Times

“In these new times, in spite of the dangers, the most brutal force, the most fearful night, we are engaged in the fight to survive.” No Novo Tempo-Ivan Lins, Vitor Martins

Archive for March, 2011

Arab League criticises NATO bombing

Posted by seumasach on March 20, 2011

BBC

20th March, 2011

Click on above link for full article

The head of the Arab League has criticised the bombardments.

His comments are significant because the Arab League’s support for the no-fly zone was a key factor in getting UN Security Council backing for the resolution authorising the move.

“What is happening in Libya differs from the aim of imposing a no-fly zone, and what we want is the protection of civilians and not the bombardment of more civilians,” said Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa.


Posted in Arab revolution, Libya | Leave a Comment »

India regrets air strikes by U.S.-led coalition forces in Libya

Posted by smeddum on March 20, 2011

Sujay Mehdudia

New Delhi, March 20, 2011

The Hindu


T+ ·   T-
India hoped that the air strikes would not harm innocent civilians, foreign nationals and diplomatic missions and their personnel, who are still in Libya. File Photo
The Hindu India hoped that the air strikes would not harm innocent civilians, foreign nationals and diplomatic missions and their personnel, who are still in Libya. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Arab revolution, Libya | Leave a Comment »

‘West to sow constant chaos in PG’

Posted by seumasach on March 20, 2011

PressTV

19th March, 2011
To discuss the future of regional uprisings and revolutions, Press TV has conducted an interview with Kevin Ovendun, an author and political analyst in London.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Arab revolution, Libya | Leave a Comment »

We should know by now that NATO kills

Posted by seumasach on March 20, 2011

We should know by now that NATO kills

 

Cailean Bochanan

 

We should know by now that NATO kills

 

Killing in Serbia and Iraq

In Afghanistan the plan of attack

Bombing weddings in the hills

We should know by now that NATO kills

 

Taking away the child’s breath

In tribute to the cult of death

Is this really what God wills?

We should know by now that NATO kills

 

What is it? What is this beast

That amidst the carnage comes to feast

As in its bloody trough it swills?

We should know by now that NATO kills

 

The image of Obama smirking there

Reminding me of Tony Blair

With deep disgust my soul it fills

We should know by now that NATO kills

 

Ever there the news to manage

Telling us of collateral damage

Their army of despicable, lying shills

We should know by now that NATO kills

 

What exotic locations to destroy!

What wonderful weapons to deploy!

Is this how they get their thrills?

We should know by now that NATO kills

 

What kind of mind could spawn

The idea of weapons to kill the unborn?

And the marrow of my bones chills

We should know by now that NATO kills

 

So now the moment to end its reign

To be subject never again

To all its crimes and attendant ills

We should know by now that NATO kills

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

Bienensterben und die Gründe

Posted by smeddum on March 19, 2011

Txtoo

19th March, 2011

Die weltweiten Bienenbestände gehen immer drastischer zurück, wodurch die Nahrungsversorgung in Zukunft in Frage gestellt sei, so die Warnung eines Reports, den das Umweltprogramm der Vereinten Nationen in der vergangenen Woche in Genf vorlegte. Besonders im industrialisierten Norden seien starke Rückgänge der Bienenpopulation zu verzeichnen, in einigen bis zu 85 Prozent. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Colony Collapse Disorder | Leave a Comment »

Craig Murray on UN intervention

Posted by seumasach on March 19, 2011

“I repeat, this all has nothing to do with promoting democracy. It is about promoting US interest, controlling and directing pro-democracy movements where they cannot be stopped, but more widely clamping down on them with brutal force in favour of US client tyrants.”

Craig Murray is right. Quid pro quo is a nice way of putting it: we’ll help you crush the Bahraini people is you help us crush the Libyan people.

Craig Murray’s Blog

18th March, 2011

I was much attacked, especially by “Liberal interventionists”, in comments across the blogosphere when I broke the news four days ago that:


A senior diplomat in a western mission to the UN in New York, who I have known over ten years and trust, has told me for sure that Hillary Clinton agreed to the cross-border use of troops to crush democracy in the Gulf, as a quid pro quo for the Arab League calling for Western intervention in Libya.

 

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Arab revolution, Libya | Leave a Comment »

The poisoned chalice

Posted by seumasach on March 18, 2011

Subsequent events and revelations, by Thierry Meyssan and others, have, of course, shown this analysis to be completely wrong. This reflects both the effectiveness of propaganda at the time, notably that of Al Jazeera, and the appearance that the events in Libya were simply a response to the Arab Spring. We know now that the intervention in Libya was planned in advance of the Egyptian events suggesting the West may also have instigated those events too, a conclusion which certainly seemed most unlikely at the time. The West seems to have completely misread the Arab street and their various manipulations have not achieved their desired ends. Claims that Gaddafi attacked civilians also appear to false.

Cailean Bochanan

18th March, 2011

“We are concerned about the effects on freedom movements in north Africa and the Arab world. We admired the jasmine revolution in Tunisia … but we want these freedom movements to be strengthened, not weakened.”

Germany’s foreign minister, Guido Westerwelle, explaining his opposition to military intervention in Libya

These words by German foreign minister Westerwelle are striking. He implies that the UN backed mission is directed against the Arab revolution itself. I have to agree. At this moment ferocious repression is being directed against the people in Bahrain and Yemen without so much as a murmur coming from Washington or London. Are we really to believe that the latter are intent on promoting democracy in the Arab world? Of course, they are not. And yet the Libyan opposition appears to have agreed to, even insisted on, this measure. I say”appears” because what is going on in Libya is far from clear, the fog of war has never been denser and I find it difficult to believe that Libyan revolutionaries really believe they can find their own emancipation in the sickening spectacle of a NATO bombing of their own country. If they have done it can only be in despair before the murderous violence of Gaddafi’s counter attack.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Arab revolution, Libya | 1 Comment »

UK Unemployment surges to 17-year high

Posted by smeddum on March 18, 2011

Unemployment has reached a 17-year high of more than 2.5m and youth joblessness is at record levels, official statistics showed.

Youth unemployment has reached a record high, says ONS. 

Youth unemployment has reached a record high, says ONS. Photo: GETTY
By Louisa Peacock, Jobs Editor  16 Mar 2011

The total number of people unemployed increased by 27,000 in the three months to January to 2.53m, the highest figure since 1994, the Office for National Statistics said. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in UK economy | Leave a Comment »

Rebels fight to hold on in Libya- Aljazeera

Posted by seumasach on March 17, 2011

Posted in Arab revolution | Leave a Comment »

Gaddafi forces ‘nowhere near Benghazi’

Posted by seumasach on March 17, 2011

PressTV

17th March, 2011

“They are nowhere near Benghazi,” Reuters quoted spokesman for the February 17th coalition, Essam Gheriani, as saying on Thursday.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Arab revolution, Libya | Leave a Comment »

Bahrain rounds up dissident leaders

Posted by seumasach on March 17, 2011

Things have moved on apace since Gates visit. The message is clear: no democracy in the Arab Peninsula. The Saudi invasion was cheerily reported by the BBC on Monday, then we had the shootings and now the opposition is being rounded up. It’s OK though: they’re hardliners.

Straits Times

17th March, 2011

BAHRAIN rounded up dissidents on Thursday as it came under mounting diplomatic pressure to end a bloody crackdown on Shiite-led protesters which has alarmed its ally the United States and infuriated Iran.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Arab revolution | Leave a Comment »

 
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