Blogging the democratic revolution
Haaretz is reporting that at least 20 people have been injured in a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv: The suicide bomber apparently blew himself up at around 11:15 PM on a Friday night at the “Stage” club on the corner of Herbert Samuel and Yonah Hanavi streets in the city. Police were closing roads Friday night, and have asked the public to avoid arriving at the area. Security officials are persuing two suspects, after witnesses reported they saw two men fleeing the scene of the explosion. According to the police, the terrorists may have come from the northern West Bank,…
It’s only for two days, so don’t worry too much about it. I have a lot of work to do in my school life. We’re performing a mock trial on Saturday and I need to be prepared for it. I also have a lot of essays to write as the quarter comes to a close. Sunday, though, is the date set for the Kyrgyx and Tajik parliamentary elections. That will be my pet issue for the entire day. Monday, the no-confidence vote goes to the Lebanese parliament, a day I have been hedging bets will be a big day for…
Rather unprecedented: President Chen Shui-bian yesterday reiterated that he will not seek Taiwan’s independence, as he and opposition leader James Soong issued a rare joint statement agreeing to put aside partisan interest in pursuit of cross-strait peace. The head of state and the People First Party chief issued the joint statement after meeting behind closed doors for more than two hours in the first fence-mending talks in four politically tumultuous years. They said in order to protect Taiwan’s interests, it is vital to “find viable solutions to the issues of importance, that being: permanent peace across the Taiwan Strait, and…
Not anything to get worked up over: BEIRUT, Feb 25 (AFP) – Syria, under intense international pressure to end its tight military and political grip on neighbouring Lebanon, prepared Friday to redeploy its troops toward the border, Lebanese officials said. That news came as Al-Arabiya television said UN Secretary General Kofi Annan had demanded that Damascus pull its troops out of Lebanon by April or face “measures” from the Security Council. But Annan’s spokesman denied the report, issuing a clarification. Damascus’ move comes as the Syrian-backed Beirut government was braced for a parliamentary no-confidence vote, which could bring to a…
Read what it is. I think a lot of people have this dream.
Zed is back from his break, and is keeping us up to date with a new Daily Burma. Check it out!
I liked this article, because I think humor sets a good mindset. KHOST, AFGHANISTAN – Mubariz Bidar would give Robin Williams a run for his money. He’s an Afghan comic who has this city – once ruled by severe Taliban – howling at their former oppressors. His spot-on impressions of everyone from a Taliban soldier to an Afghan drug addict would have even Mullah Omar giggling into his turban. At a recent impromptu performance, Mubariz wraps on a long black turban – a favorite Taliban accessory – and twists his face into a scowl. He grabs a Kalashnikov to complete…
Andy has got his weekly round up news from Russia, focusing on domestic, foreign, near-abroad, and business. Well, that’s just about everything. Did I mention it’s Andy’s birthday? Go over and give him so love.
Orange Revolution reports that PORA has acquired contacts among uncountable numbers of youth in Russia, and that they are seeking ways to have a movement of their own. Yabloko’s Youth wing and a new movement “Moving without Putin” have signed a pact to consolidate youth groups opposed to the Putin regime. PORA has reported the expansion of contacts with Russian youth seeking to replicate the success of the Orange Revolution: That’s a good sign. In other countries such as those in Central Asia, opposition groups are fragmented, which makes it much harder to carry out their opposing. The consolidation of…
Reading over the actual transcript of the press conference has been a lot more interesting than just reading the news articles about that. I guess those in the press just haven’t caught on to my tastes yet, but I can forgive them for now. At the beginning of the press conference, both President Bush and Putin give their littles speeches. The action didn’t start until the newspeople started asking their loaded questions… something that made for even better answers. You’ve got to love it. I’ve put in bold some parts of interest; things that many of us have wondered about.…
I came across an article a couple of days ago detailing how Russia killed some Chechen rebels by using gas and storming the building. Russian troops on Sunday used heavy weaponry and gas to kill three rebels holed up in a house near Chechnya, local media reported. The rebels were besieged in an apartment block for more than a day, before dozens of special forces troops with armored vehicles subdued them, leaving their apartment in flames, Reuters news agency reported. Now, what I’m getting at is not how dire the situation is between these two factions, but the use of…
Nathan has got today’s roundup posted. Along with some cool buttons I’m going to ad to the side bar.
Not only are people taking to the streets in huge numbers, but now business, banking, and industrial leaders will be totally shutting down on the Monday vote of confidence in the government. BEIRUT, Feb 23 (AFP) – Leaders of Lebanon’s banking, industrial and commercial sectors said they would shut down next Monday to demand the country’s pro-Syrian government resign and that a “neutral” one replace it. The strike would coincide with an expected vote of confidence in parliament, two weeks after the murder of former premier Rafiq Hariri in a bomb blast for which the opposition has pinned blame on…
Abdymok has a great interview with a Dmytro Potekhin, who details how preparations for the Orange Revolution began, and how the money donated by some organizations was used. even amid all the media speculation about ???????revolution templates??????? last fall, few reported what pro-democracy activists were actually doing to set the stage for the non-stop demonstration against voting fraud that erupted in kyiv on nov. 22. Good point. And a good reason to read the interview.
Posted in the Ukraine Action Report, the speech basically thanks the European Union for their support, rejects the “neighborhood policy” in favor of full member status, explains how Ukraine will reform, and talks a lot about freedom and democracy. A great speech, overall, for a prestigious president.
From this article: Although details were still being negotiated last night, the joint statement to be released at the presidential summit in Bratislava, Slovakia, could be used as a counterpoint to the rising tension in U.S.-Russian relations over Putin’s crackdown on domestic dissent. Bush has promised to challenge Putin on Russia’s retreat from democracy during their meeting but has also stressed his continuing friendship for the Russian president and their ability to work together on mutual security issues. “We’re trying to demonstrate that we can make progress and move forward despite these other issues,” a senior Bush administration official said.…
Reporters Without Borders has the report: Reporters Without Borders has renewed an appeal for the release of 11 journalists currently being held in prisons in Nepal. Six of those being held were among at least 16 journalists security forces picked up after King Gyanendra seized power on 1 February and declared a state of emergency. Nepal was already holding five journalists before the royal coup, making it, after China, Cuba and Eritrea, the world’s fourth largest prison for journalists. “Until they are released we will continue to urge the international community, particularly the European Union, to apply political and economic…
I must apologize for not being able to feature especially large segments related to Lebanon due to personal time constraints. I hope to be able to do something big and comprehensive for the Kyrgyzstan elections on Sunday. However, Arthur Chrenkoff has done a great job day by day rounding things up on Lebanon, just like he has done for Afghanistan and Iraq. One thing I will point out especially because it is so amazing. Lebanon has a tent city: BEIRUT – A small tent city has popped up on Martyrs’ Square in Beirut as anti-Syrian protesters call for political changes…
So CNN finally writes something about this story. . . OLYMPIA, Washington (AP) — Republicans dissatisfied with the balloting that installed Democrat Gov. Christine Gregoire alleged Tuesday that 1,108 felons voted illegally in the 2004 election. Dino Rossi, the failed GOP candidate, is challenging Gregoire’s election in court on the grounds that illegal votes and election workers’ errors irrevocably tainted the results. He is pushing for a new election. Gregoire won the election by just 129 votes, after a hand recount of 2.9 million ballots. Rossi had won the first two counts. Democrats say Gregoire is the legitimate governor, and…
John Burgess has another article by a woman writing in support of suffrage., as well as letters to the editor regarding a previous article. Very cool stuff. Women’s suffrage shouldn’t even need evidence to back itself up, however, these womens’ ability to write logically and eloquently on the subject lends a great deal of additional weight to their cause in the minds of detractors.
I found this post by Neeka disturbing. In Khasavyurt, Daghestan, today, blood on the floor of a tiny, shitty apartment with shattered windows and bullet marks on the ceiling. The blood is, possibly, of Raja Aliyev, b. 1984, allegedly head of a militant group from Chechnya. A dead body on the floor is probably Aliyev’s as well. On the table, “the evidence”: a few Qur’ans and a dozen other religious-looking volumes – and then, suddenly, a 1980s Soviet edition of the Arabian Nights, its cover filled with Islamic ornaments, pretty and so unmistakably familiar. But I’m sure there are people…
David McDuff posts the translated political declaration on his blog. The topics it covers are both broad and general, positive and negative. The negative is quickly reinforced with the positive, however. It looks pretty sober, in any case.
Picked up the story from Bloggledygook. Captain Ed reports a little-told story that the Taliban in Afghanistan is starting to give up the fight and rejoin society on peaceful terms. One of the Taliban’s most senior and charismatic commanders has become a key negotiator as more and more members of the Islamic militia in Afghanistan give up the fight against the Americans. The commander, Abdul Salam, earned the nickname Mullah Rockety because he was so accurate with rocket propelled grenades against Russian troops. … After the Taliban’s three-year struggle against a superior US force, there is growing optimism among the…
Virtually one of the only good sources of news that I can find, Radio Free Nepal has a roundup of the latest stories coming out of the country. And pictures. And the emergence of yet another Nepali blogger! I think we will start to see more and more of these as the crisis goes on. UPDATE: Even more! One Nepali blogger notes that the tide may be turning against the monarchy. Just look at this. I am giving King G a few more weeks. With India, US, and UK united, China is not going to even think of meddling. So…