February 10, 2011 :: staff :: Comments Off
Egyptian pro-democracy demonstrators today are intensifying their protests against the regime of Hosni Mubarak. Prominent figures from the entertainment industry today formed a rally outside Tahrir Square in the center of Cairo, which numbered as many as 1,000 by the time they reached the square. A nationwide transport strike is seeking to paralyze the country’s economy, joining the call for Mubarak to resign.
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February 9, 2011 :: staff :: Comments Off
Wael Ghonim, the new face of the Egyptian protest movement, abducted on video in broad daylight by Mubarak’s security forces and held incommunicado for 12 days, addresses hundreds of thousands gathered at Tahrir Square. Ghonim told the massive crowd that now is not a time for parties and factions, but for the Egyptian people to speak with one voice, to put the good of the nation ahead of personal interest, and to demand the end of the regime.
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February 9, 2011 :: staff :: Comments Off
Faced with the expansion of the Cairo demonstrations to a second site, outside the parliament building, and of the wider movement into Kharga Oasis, in Wadi al-Gadid (New Valley) governorate, Vice President Omar Suleiman yesterday issued a statement describing the protests as “very dangerous” and warning they were potentially leading to a “coup”. The language is widely thought to presage a renewed crackdown on dissent. But the pro-democracy movement is now expanding across the country, as a general strike spreads, and workers join in the call for Mubarak to leave office.
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February 8, 2011 :: staff :: 2 Comments
Central Cairo was again today the scene of a massive demonstration numbering in the hundreds of thousands, as ordinary Egyptians traveled to lend their support to the pro-democracy movement and call for the end of the regime of Hosni Mubarak. Thousands marched from Tahrir Square to the parliament, denouncing the parliament, which Mubarak filled with 83% membership from his own party in rigged elections last year, and calling for a new government.
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February 8, 2011 :: staff :: Comments Off
This video shows the second segment of series of YouTube posts showing Egyptian democracy activist Wael Ghonim’s emotional interview with DreamTV, just hours after his release from 12 days of secret detention. Ghonim was abducted from a Cairo street in broad daylight on the 28th of January; on Sunday, Amnesty International published information it had received that Ghonim was still in custody of the secret police, was being set up for prosecution on false charges and was likely to face torture.
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February 8, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off
The people of Egypt today mark 14 days of nonviolent uprising against a brutal military regime that has ruled with near total power for 30 years. The peaceful protests are an astonishing coalition of educated and working-class, Muslim and Christian, secularist and religiously driven, old and young, male and female, and yet they are in fact a peaceful citizen-driven revolution against tyranny. The Mubarak regime has waged a brutal assault on peaceful demonstrators, human rights monitors and international press, and now there is concern the international attention may turn away.
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February 7, 2011 :: staff :: Comments Off
A video from Alexandria reportedly shows Mubarak’s police force shoot an unarmed pro-democracy demonstrator in cold blood. The man was walking in a street, and there were reportedly other demonstrators behind him, encouraging him to walk toward the armed police. The video clearly shows the man shot by the police, without any violent provocation whatsoever.
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February 7, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off
After intense pressure from Amnesty International, foreign governments, private business and the press, Egypt’s new vice president Omar Suleiman pledged yesterday that Wael Ghonim, a Google executive who is reputed to have launched a Facebook page denouncing police brutality and political persecution, would be freed. He was abducted by regime police near the beginning of the pro-democracy demonstrations, on 28 January, and was not heard from publicly till today.
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February 6, 2011 :: staff :: Comments Off
Even as the government has begun to agree to concessions and to begin a process of democratization, there are concerns an employee of Google, reportedly abducted by the regime at the beginning of the pro-democracy protests, faces “serious risk of torture”. There is video showing the moment of his abduction by plainclothes security officers working for the Mubarak regime.
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February 5, 2011 :: The Editors :: Comments Off
The news from Egypt this Saturday suggests pro-democracy demonstrators have begun negotiations with the authorities on ways to ease Hosni Mubarak out of power. Under pressure from foreign governments and diplomats across the region, as well as the UN, EU and US, Egyptian government officials and the military have reportedly begun planning for a process [...]
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February 5, 2011 :: The Editors :: Comments Off
The Guardian’s Jack Shenker has sent forward a list of human rights activists and pro-democracy leaders taken into custody by the Mubarak regime during the last week. The list, which is not considered to be complete, as it is difficult to get information on who has been arrested, and under what circumstances, includes the affiliation [...]
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February 4, 2011 :: staff :: Comments Off
Friday, for the planned “day of departure”, hundreds of thousands of non-violent pro-democracy demonstrators again massed at Midan Tahrir —Cairo’s Liberation Square—, despite two days of brutal pro-Mubarak militia attacks on demonstrators and journalists. The military today began to play a more active role in securing the square against armed gangs and pro-government cadres. They [...]
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February 4, 2011 :: staff :: Comments Off
Video from the Guardian newspaper shows massive crowds, described by some as the single largest public pro-democracy protest in the history of the Arab world, at Tahrir Square in central Cairo. Demonstrators urge embattled Pres. Hosni Mubarak to “please, leave now”; one says “Everything is destroyed. What more do you want? Just leave,” while another says “Please, Mr. Mubarak, if you love this country, leave this country.
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February 4, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: One Comment
Over the last two days, Hosni Mubarak has made Cairo the most dangerous place in the world for journalists. After Mubarak’s new prime minister issued an “apology” for the lethal violence waged by pro-Mubarak gangs on Wednesday and into Thursday’s pre-dawn hours, the government appeared to be engaged in an even more intense campaign of violent assaults on unarmed pro-democracy demonstrators and journalists.
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February 4, 2011 :: staff :: Comments Off
The “Day of Departure” rally has swelled the ranks of pro-democracy demonstrators occupying Tahrir Square. Reuters reports the prime minister has instructed the army to “assist” journalists and protect them from the armed pro-Mubarak gangs roaming the city. The Guardian’s Peter Beaumont gave an interview describing a harrowing experience of being detained multiple times by armed men, some wielding machetes, being forced “to kneel in front of a wall”, being detained for 2 hours by the army, which he described as “polite and disciplined”.
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February 3, 2011 :: staff :: Comments Off
Pro-democracy demonstrator tells Al Jazeera about the senseless chaos at Tahrir Square. She explained that they cannot leave the square, because if they abandon the cause, they will be “hunted one by one”. She described watching a fellow demonstrator “shot right through the head”, and urged the military, which is on the scene but not intervening. She urged the military to stand with the people and for Egypt and the world to come together and persuade Mubarak to resign.
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February 2, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: 4 Comments
The suspicion now seems to have been demonstrated to be fact: news media across the world have shown images from Cairo of police ID cards recovered from rioting pro-Mubarak forces allegedly paid to assault journalists and pro-democracy demonstrators. The Mubarak regime has seized control of state media, is lying the Egyptian people, and is paying “goon squads” to brutally assault journalists and unarmed pro-democracy demonstrators.
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February 2, 2011 :: staff :: Comments Off
Al Jazeera reports sounds of gunfire heard echoing across Tahrir Square, as “pro-Mubarak activists seize control of three military armored vehicles, escalating what appears to be a Mubarak-led crackdown on the pro-democracy movement. The assault on military personal may provoke a military response against the pro-Mubarak faction.
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February 2, 2011 :: staff :: Comments Off
King Abdullah II of Jordan responded yesterday to mass pro-democracy demonstrations in his nation’s capital Amman by dismissing the unpopular government, as protesters had urged. The move is considered a “pre-emptive” maneuver designed to show the King aligned with the democratic rights and interests of the Jordanian people. In Yemen, today, the president, in power for 32 years, announced he would not seek another term in office.
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February 1, 2011 :: staff :: Comments Off
United States president Barack Obama addressed the nation and the world on live television this evening, explaining that first of all the United States supports non-violence. He commended the Egyptian military for showing restraint and coexisting peacefully with demonstrators. He added that second, the United States believes in universal rights.
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February 1, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: One Comment
Marking one full week of mass demonstrations, on the 8th day of the pro-democracy popular uprising, the Egyptian people staged the largest demonstration to date. Estimates for the size of the crowd at Midan Tahrir —or Liberation Square— range from 500,000 to 2 million. Some say more may have come to central Cairo but were unable to enter the square. The military pledged not to attack or interfere with demonstrators and the rally was peaceful. Security, both military and civilian, checked people entering the square to ensure there would not be violence.
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January 31, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: 3 Comments
A new body, called the People’s Parliament, is planning a process of peaceful and orderly transition to an electoral democracy in Egypt. The People’s Parliament has 100 delegates, representing every major opposition party, including the Muslim Brotherhood (which holds 16 seats), and is reported to also have caucuses representing youth, academia, labor unions and professionals. The People’s Parliament has grown out of the National Assembly for Change, a coalition of opposition groups that has been organizing since 2009, to bring about this transition.
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January 31, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off
Thousands of Egyptian protesters are holding Tahrir Square, which has repeatedly been closed by security forces. Reports from Cairo suggest embattled Pres. Hosni Mubarak is moving to reassert control over major sections of the capital, but has yet to order an offensive against protesters in the main square. Mubarak told the nation he has asked his new prime minister to engage in dialogue with the opposition to promote democratic reform in Egypt.
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January 30, 2011 :: staff :: 4 Comments
A pro-democracy student movement has staged pro-democracy demonstrations in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, and at two universities. According to VoA: “Hundreds of students took part in the protests, shouting slogans that criticized high prices, the government, and President Omar al-Bashir.” Security forces clashed with demonstrators, and reports suggest stones were thrown and police attacked demonstrators with batons.
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January 30, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: 5 Comments
NBC journalist Richard Engel told the weekly program Meet the Press today that Egypt is experiencing a “basic collapse of law and order” and that looting overnight, prison breaks and street violence are being blamed on Pres. Hosni Mubarak, whom many say is using the unrest to make freedom appear undesirable. There are rumors that prison breaks have been “allowed” in order to frighten the people and that police have been withdrawn in order to justify their return with extreme brutality.
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January 29, 2011 :: staff :: 7 Comments
This video from Daily News Egypt shows a street leading to Tahrir Square, where early Saturday morning, demonstrators were confronted by armed police. The police fired shots into the air, apparently a warning to go no further. Three armored military personnel carriers are seen moving into position between the protesters and the police, apparently in an effort to prevent injury to demonstrators and/or to prevent an attack by police.
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January 29, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: 5 Comments
Day 5 of the Egyptian pro-democracy uprising against the 30-year rule of Pres. Hosni Mubarak saw massive crowds of tens of thousands marching through Cairo, Alexandria and other cities across the country. While many images show demonstrators standing with or even riding joyously with military personnel on security vehicles, there were clashes near the Interior Ministry, where government snipers killed at least 12 demonstrators.
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January 29, 2011 :: staff :: 8 Comments
Thousands of protesters, demanding democratic reforms in Jordan, have taken to the streets. The wave of public outcry, across the Arabic-speaking world, that started with one protest in a small Tunisian city, has roiled the political landscape of Egypt, sparked an organized movement for democratic change in Yemen, and inspired protesters in Jordan to demand [...]
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January 29, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: 5 Comments
Two days ago, US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton was similarly artful in her response to the protests: she called on “both sides” to refrain from violence and urged the administration of Hosni Mubarak to honor the “universal rights” of the people of Egypt, including the rights to assembly, association and expression. Mubarak has not been seen or heard from publicly since the crisis began, and observers speculate he may be considering concessions that would allow him to remain in power, at least temporarily.
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January 16, 2011 :: staff :: 3 Comments
The hardline government of Tunisia, which had ruled for 23 years, was toppled this week by street protests which at times turned violent. Clashes between police and demonstrators raised questions about whether authorities would be able to quell an uprising. The president, Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali was forced to flee the country, after one of [...]
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January 12, 2011 :: staff :: Comments Off
In a brief message to the press, it has been reported that Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, target of an assassination attempt that resulted in a mass shooting, leaving six dead, in Tucson, is now breathing on her own. Physicians treating her report they have been steadily reducing the amount of sedation she is receiving, allowing her to wake from a medically-induced coma.
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January 10, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off
South Sudan, a region that lives every day with the deep wounds of a long-running civil war that took more than 2 million lives, yesterday saw democracy play out peacefully, as locals went to the polls to vote in the referendum promised by a 2005 peace treaty with the Khartoum government in northern Sudan. The referendum will decide whether southern Sudan secedes from the larger nation, and with international observers and aid groups staging a formidable presence, and Khartoum sounding peaceable, day one of the vote was free of violence, and much like a celebration.
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December 24, 2010 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off
The small west African nation of Ivory Coast (also known by its French name Côte d’Ivoire) may be on the brink of civil war. After delaying presidential elections for 5 years, Pres. Laurent Gbagbo is reported to have disqualified over 500,000 ballots from opposition strongholds and is refusing to accept the results which show his opponent as the winner. Yesterday, the UN General Assembly (representing all member nations) formally recognized Gbagbo’s opponent, Alassane Ouattara, as president, in a unanimous vote.
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December 5, 2010 :: staff :: Comments Off
There are reports online that suggest the US Dept. of State may be seeking to suppress the use of data and information emerging from WikiLeaks document releases, telling possible recruits that all such information remains “classified”, i.e. secret, and that any use of such data, including reposting of links to the leaks themselves or to WikiLeaks generally, will disqualify them from serving at the Dept. of State. Critics say this is an attempt to avoid facing reality and an undemocratic demand against the the right to free and open debate.
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October 31, 2010 :: staff :: Comments Off
I can’t control what people think this was. I can only tell you my intentions. This was not a rally to ridicule people of faith or people of activism or to look down our noses at the heartland or passionate argument or to suggest that times are not difficult and that we have nothing to fear. They are and we do. But we live now in hard times, not end times. And we can have animus and not be enemies.
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October 22, 2010 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off
French president Nicholas Sarkozy’s plans to raise the retirement age from 60 to 62 and to reform the pension system has sparked a massive, coordinated general strike that has seen air traffic cut in half, and fuel supplies interrupted across the country. More than one-quarter of filling stations are reportedly out of fuel, and gas lines are causing commerce to break down: strike organizers promise a war of attrition.
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October 5, 2010 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off
In Brazil’s hotly contested presidential election, to decide the successor to the hugely popular Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, founder and leader of the Workers Party of Brazil (PT), the failure of any candidate to win more than 50% of the vote has set up a second round between the two leading candidates. But for many, the big news is that the Green Party (PV) candidate, Marina Silva, won nearly 20% of the vote, which means neither of the two leading candidates has a lot of freedom to govern without her support. Silva will now clearly demand that whichever candidate she backs for the runoff agree to enact much of the Green Party’s sustainability platform.
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October 2, 2010 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off
A new report on the intricacies of regional involvement in the brutal civil war that was fought in the Democratic Republic of Congo, between the late 1990s and early 2000s, whose resulting chaos, factionalism and scarcity, continue to take huge numbers of lives every month, has found that other nations contributed to the hostilities and that some alleged atrocities might constitute war crimes or genocide. Rwanda, Burundi and other nations, say the report is flawed and they were not involved in any such crimes.
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September 1, 2010 :: staff :: Comments Off
Pres. Barack Obama appeared today at the White House, alongside Pres. Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, King Abdullah II of Jordan, PM Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and Pres. Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian National Authority, to relaunch intensive peace negotiations between the government of Israel and the leadership of the Palestinian people. The event was a major breakthrough, considering the tensions that had earlier arisen between the US and Israeli administrations and the ongoing hostilities in the region.
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June 16, 2010 :: staff :: Comments Off
In a meeting with Pres. Barack Obama, BP’s directors have agreed to open a dedicated escrow fund, to be operated by a third party, through which billions of dollars will flow to compensate victims of the environmental and economic fallout of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, across the Gulf of Mexico. As of 12:15 EDT, with the news breaking across US media, the specifics of how much will be paid, how quickly and to whom, have not yet been released.
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June 4, 2010 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off
Malaria Kills Millions Every Year in Africa. It is responsible for anywhere from 1 to 3 million deaths per year, most of them in sub-Saharan Africa. Efforts to eradicate the disease are mounting: in the year 2000, just 3% of children under 5, in sub-Saharan Africa, slept with mosquito nets; by 2008, that figure had risen to 56%. Aid groups now project that aggressive preventive measures can protect 100% of the population by the end of 2010 and reduce the number of deaths to near zero by 2015.
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June 4, 2010 :: J.E. Robertson :: 2 Comments
Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev has said Israel will attempt to intercept the MV Rachel Corrie, a ship carrying humanitarian cargo and aid workers into the Gaza Strip. Tensions with Turkey are reaching fever pitch, as Turkey’s prime minister vows the killing of Turkish nationals by the IDF will never be forgotten, and there is now heated political discussion in Turkey about whether to send warships to escort the next flotilla of aid-bearing ships that sail for Gaza.
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May 11, 2010 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off
As the Labour party’s leadership seems to indicate resignation to working from the opposition to what is likely to be a coalition formed by the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats, it looks like the Liberal Democratic leadership have their eye on a major parliamentary reform: proportional representation.
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May 3, 2010 :: J.E. Robertson :: One Comment
The 1st of May brought massive immigration rights protests across the country, calling for fair treatment, equality before the law, humane reform and the repeal of Arizona’s immigrant-ID law. The wave of protest this year may have swelled due to widespread anger over Arizona’s passage of a draconian anti-immigrant law that establishes a mandate for police to stop anyone whom they have a “reasonable suspicion” that person’s immigration status is not fully up to date, demanding papers.
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April 18, 2010 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off
Pres. Obama’s nuclear diplomacy has already defined one of the most successful periods of progress toward collaboration on international peace and security since the Second World War. His Nuclear Security Summit, hosted this month in Washington, DC, helped further the goal of steering the world toward a moment in which nuclear proliferation is more science fiction than an immediate threat.
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April 13, 2010 :: staff :: Comments Off
[T]oday is an opportunity — not simply to talk, but to act. Not simply to make pledges, but to make real progress on the security of our people. All this, in turn, requires something else, which is something more fundamental. It will require a new mindset — that we summon the will, as nations and as partners, to do what this moment in history demands. I believe strongly that the problems of the 21st century cannot be solved by any one nation acting in isolation. They must be solved by all of us coming together.
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March 19, 2010 :: staff :: Comments Off
A prominent muslim scholar and cleric has issued a 600-page fatwa, or religious edict, drawing from authoritative historical sources and scripture, to rule that true Islam bars any form of bloodshed. Dr. Tahir ul-Qadri, a muslim theologian from Pakistan, who lives and teaches in Britain, said an honest examination of the teachings and doctrines of Islam demonstrates an absolute prohibition on the shedding of blood for political or religious purposes.
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February 27, 2010 :: staff :: Comments Off
A massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake has hit central Chile, the epicenter estimated about 200 miles southwest of the capital Santiago, roughly 70 miles from the city of Concepción, the nation’s second most populous city. The tremor lasted about 90 seconds and caused serious damage to roads and bridges. 122 people are confirmed dead, according to Chilean authorities, and a tsunami warning has been issued for the entire Pacific Ocean basin (including Hawai’i, Japan and the Philippines).
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January 18, 2010 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off
The bottleneck problem is center stage, as the volume of aid appears to outpace the remaining transport infrastructure for getting it where it needs to go. Today, Haitian authorities have complained there may be too exclusive a focus on the capital Port-au-Prince, causing some heavily devastated population centers to be left unattended, by comparison.
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January 18, 2010 :: staff :: Comments Off
Apple has set up a special section of its iTunes Music Store to allow users to donate directly to the Red Cross. The funds are charged through the user’s iTunes account, billed to the same bank account or credit card on file, and use the same process as for buying a song, video or iPhone app. The move is the latest in a series of high-profile actions designed to help expedite the delivery of charitable donations to the Haiti relief effort.
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