Wednesday 31 July 2013

Why Drones Work

Why Drones Work: The Obama administration relies on drones for one simple reason: they work. Drone strikes have devastated al Qaeda at little financial cost, at no risk to U.S. forces, and with fewer civilian casualties than many alternative methods would have caused.

How Yemen Chewed Itself Dry

A Yemeni man chews qat in the main qat market in Sana'a May 9, 2007.
How Yemen Chewed Itself Dry: In a little over a decade, Sana’a, Yemen, might become the world’s first capital to run out of water, turning its millions of citizens into water refugees. A major cause: the cultivation of qat, a mild narcotic plant that takes unusually large amounts of water to farm and to which much of Yemen's population is addicted.

Friday 26 July 2013

Head of Syrian Kurdish group in Turkey for talks: sources


The head of a Syrian Kurdish group with links to militants in Turkey was in Istanbul on Friday for talks with government officials after an upsurge in fighting near the border, Kurdish political sources said.
Saleh Muslim, head of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), whose militias have seized control of districts in northern Syria over the past year, arrived in Turkey late on Thursday, the sources told Reuters.
Turkey is keen to extract assurances from the PYD that it will not seek to carry out actions on Turkish soil, will not try to carve out an autonomous region on the border, and that it will maintain a stance of firm opposition to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/26/us-syria-crisis-kurds-idUSBRE96P09820130726

A Shared Responsibility Trap: Supplying Weapons to the Syrian Opposition

http://www.ejiltalk.org/a-shared-responsibility-trap-supplying-weapons-to-the-syrian-opposition/

The Role of the European Convention on Human Rights in the Wake of Kiobel

 The decision of the U.S. Supreme Court (photo credit) in Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum has generated concerns that a governance gap will emerge for corporations that commit human rights violations abroad. As American courts become less open to extraterritorial claims, however, recognition of the global context gains importance. The current climate presents opportunities for other judicial systems to step forward. Kiobel gives the European Court of Human Rights the occasion to interpret the European Convention on Human Rights to require the right to an extraterritorial forum and counterbalance the shift that has occurred in the United States.
Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights offers a potential pathway to jurisdiction over extraterritorial corporate human rights claims.
http://www.ejiltalk.org/the-role-of-the-european-convention-on-human-rights-in-the-wake-of-kiobel/

Morsi detained over accusations he conspired with Hamas during 2011 prison break


Egyptian authorities have detained President Mohammed Morsi for 15 days over an array of accusations, including killing soldiers and conspiring with the Palestinian group Hamas, the state news agency reported on Friday.
Morsi has been held by the military since his downfall, but until Friday's step by an investigating judge, he had not faced any formal legal measures. The charges relate to his escape, along with other top Brotherhood leaders, from a prison north of
Cairo.
Morsi detained over accusations he conspired with Hamas during 2011 prison break - Middle East - Israel News | Haaretz

Thursday 25 July 2013

How the Muslim Brotherhood lost Egypt


The stunning fall from power of President Mohamed Mursi, and the Muslim Brotherhood which backed him, has upended politics in the volatile Middle East for a second time after the Arab Spring uprisings toppled veteran autocrats.
Some of the principal causes were highlighted a month before the army intervened to remove Mursi, when two of Egypt's most senior power brokers met for a private dinner at the home of liberal politician Ayman Nour on the island of Zamalek, a lush bourgeois oasis in the midst of Cairo's seething megalopolis. It was seen by some as a last attempt to avert a showdown.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/25/us-egypt-mistakes-specialreport-idUSBRE96O07H20130725

The U.S.'s refusal to allow those of its citizens born in Jerusalem to request 'Israel' as their birthplace is discriminatory, reprehensible, even offensive

The decade-long struggle to get the United States to allow “Jerusalem, Israel” on passports of U.S. citizens born in Jerusalem was dealt another blow this week, when a federal appeals court ruled that doing so would infringe on the U.S. president’s power to recognize foreign governments. As a consequence, “Jerusalem” will continue to stand alone on those passports without a country designation.
The decision by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia stems from a lawsuit filed a decade ago by Ari and Naomi Zivotofsky, whose son Menachem was born in Jerusalem and is a U.S. citizen. The Zivotofskys sought to identify Israel as the birthplace on their son’s passport.
http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.537892#

HRW: Egypt detaining Syrian refugees

 Rights group says ruling military is detaining refugees without charge and is threatening to deport them back to Syria.
HRW: Egypt detaining Syrian refugees - Middle East - Al Jazeera English

Report says 220,000 died in Colombia conflict

Report says 220,000 died in Colombia conflict - Americas - Al Jazeera English

Tuesday 23 July 2013

Hezbollah: The EU's new 'terrorists'

 Analysts say the EU decision to blacklist Hezbollah's military wing will have little impact on the ground.
A year ago this week, the usually tranquil coastal town of Burgas, Bulgaria, was shaken when a bomb exploded on a tourist bus, killing five Israeli vacationers and their Bulgarian bus driver.
Hezbollah: The EU's new 'terrorists' - Features - Al Jazeera English

Saturday 20 July 2013

Italian minister fights for immigrant rights

 The top priority for Cecile Kyenge, Italy's new Minister for Integration, and the country's first black minister, has been to change a law that affects children born in Italy to migrant parents.
Italian minister fights for immigrant rights - Europe - Al Jazeera English

Egypt to re-evaluate relations with Syria

In first comments as foreign minister, Nabil Fahmy says Egypt supports Syrian uprising, but won't wage jihad in Syria.

Egypt to re-evaluate relations with Syria - Middle East - Al Jazeera English

Sunday 14 July 2013

This day in Jewish history / Pope Paul IV orders Jews to live in a ghetto - This Day in Jewish History - Israel News | Haaretz Daily Newspaper


Pope Paul IVOn July 14, 1555, Pope Paul IV issued his bull “Cum nimis absurdum,” which subjected the Jews under his dominion to a long list of restrictions and humiliations, most notably the requirement that the Jews of Rome live within a closed area. This became the Rome Ghetto, the mandatory home of the city’s Jews until its abolishment in 1870.

This day in Jewish history / Pope Paul IV orders Jews to live in a ghetto - This Day in Jewish History - Israel News | Haaretz Daily Newspaper

Bangladesh war crimes tribunal on the dock

 International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Dhaka
Bangladesh war crimes tribunal on the dock - Features - Al Jazeera English

New group of 'Amazon Jews' arrives in Israel

New group of 'Amazon Jews' arrives in Israel - Jewish World News - Israel News | Haaretz Daily Newspaper

Egypt freezes Muslim Brotherhood funds

Egypt freezes Muslim Brotherhood funds - Middle East - Al Jazeera English

Friday 12 July 2013

Presidente eleito do Paraguai rejeita volta ao Mercosul

http://noticias.uol.com.br/ultimas-noticias/afp/2013/07/12/presidente-eleito-do-paraguai-rejeita-volta-ao-mercosul.htm

Report: Israel behind recent strike on Syria missile depot, U.S. officials say

 A Yakhont missile.
Report: Israel behind recent strike on Syria missile depot, U.S. officials say - Diplomacy & Defense - Israel News | Haaretz Daily Newspaper

Snowden to seek temporary asylum in Russia

Snowden to seek temporary asylum in Russia - Europe - Al Jazeera English

Egypt turns back flights from Syria after tighter visa rules


Egypt this week introduced visa requirements for Syrians after local media accused Syrian Islamists of joining deadly clashes between Mursi's supporters and the army who had ousted him. They previously only needed a passport to enter Egypt.
Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have fled a conflict pitting forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad against insurgents, which has killed an estimated 100,000 people and driven 1.7 million abroad.
UNHCR spokeswoman Melissa Fleming said Egyptian authorities had refused permission for several flights from Damascus and the Syrian coastal city Latakia - one with 250 Syrians on board - to land. Syrians landing on flights from other countries were deported upon arrival at Cairo airport.
"I appeal t
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/12/us-syria-crisis-egypt-idUSBRE96B0VJ20130712

South American bloc repudiates U.S. on spying

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/12/us-usa-security-snowden-latinamerica-idUSBRE96B0TP20130712

Wednesday 10 July 2013

Bin Laden raid reveals 'state failure'

 On the night of May 1, 2011, United States Special Forces launched a raid to kill or capture al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, deep inside Pakistani territory, in a compound within the garrison town of Abbottabad. Following the event, the Pakistani government set up a Commission to establish how US forces could have violated Pakistani sovereignty without repercussions, and how Bin Laden, the world's most wanted man, came to reside secretly in Pakistan for so long.
During the course of its investigation, the Commission found "a shocking state of affairs", where local governance had completely collapsed, as had the ability of the military, intelligence and security services to perform their jobs. In this report, Al Jazeera's Asad Hashim examines the many failures of the Pakistani civil state that allowed Bin Laden to evade capture for nine years.
Bin Laden raid reveals 'state failure' - Features - Al Jazeera English

US bankrolled anti-Morsi activists

 President Barack Obama recently stated the United States was not taking sides as Egypt's crisis came to a head with the military overthrow of the democratically elected president.
But a review of dozens of US federal government documents shows Washington has quietly funded senior Egyptian opposition figures who called for toppling of the country's now-deposed president Mohamed Morsi.
Exclusive: US bankrolled anti-Morsi activists - Features - Al Jazeera English

Who knew what in the hunt for Bin Laden? - Inside Story - Al Jazeera English


The 336-page report of the Abbottabad Commission, set up by the Pakistani government shortly after the US special forces killed Bin Laden in 2011, is based on interviews with 201 sources including members of his family and various officials.
It has offered a scathing critique of the hunt for Osama bin Laden - a military mission that humiliated Pakistan and strained relations with the US.
 The CIA is also accused of failing to share information with Pakistan on Bin Laden's whereabouts. And the commission added that the raid was the "greatest humiliation visited upon Pakistan since its break-up in 1971".


Who knew what in the hunt for Bin Laden? - Inside Story - Al Jazeera English

Military failures revealed by Bin Laden raid


 

 Pakistan's military response to the raid that killed al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden on the night of May 1, 2011, was entirely inadequate, a leaked government report has charged. Furthermore, due to "outdated" defence procedures and an overall defence "policy bankruptcy", the country remains vulnerable to such raids in the future, the report reveals.
Military failures revealed by Bin Laden raid - Features - Al Jazeera English

ההבדל בין ישראל לבלגיה

 לנוכח הגרסאות השונות להצעת חוק יסוד, שיחזק את העוגן החוקי שעליו נשענת הגדרת ישראל כ”מדינה יהודית”, עלתה השאלה בדבר טיב הקשר בין לאומיות לאזרחות. רבים מתנגדים באופן עקרוני לחוק יסוד מסוג זה, בטענה שהוא יפגע בדמוקרטיה ויאפשר אפליה חוקתית של הערבים בישראל. זו ביקורת מוצדקת.
אייל גרוס | ההבדל בין ישראל לבלגיה - דעות - הארץ

Monday 8 July 2013

Espionagem dos EUA se espalhou pela América Latina

 Depois do Brasil, Colômbia foi o país mais vigiado

 
http://oglobo.globo.com/mundo/espionagem-dos-eua-se-espalhou-pela-america-latina-8966619

Pakistan's Bin Laden dossier - Features - Al Jazeera English

 It finds that "culpable negligence and incompetence at almost all levels of government can more or less be conclusively established".
 It also states that the US violation of Pakistani sovereignty, in carrying out the raid unilaterally, had been allowed to happen due to inaccurate and outdated threat assessments within the country's defence and strategic policy establishments.

"From a Pakistani strategic doctrine point of view," the report notes, while issuing findings on how the military had wholly focused its "peacetime deployment" of defence capabilities on the border with India, "the world stood still for almost a decade."
Finally, through testimony from Bin Laden’s family and intelligence officials, it provides a fascinating, and richly detailed, account of Bin Laden's time in Pakistan: his movements, his habits and his pattern of life.
In concluding its report, the Commission finds that the country's "political, military intelligence and bureaucratic leadership cannot be absolved of their responsibility for the state of governance, policy planning and policy implementation that eventually rendered this national failure almost inevitable", and calls on the country's leadership to formally apologise to the people of Pakistan for "their dereliction of duty".

Pakistan's Bin Laden dossier - Features - Al Jazeera English

Document: Pakistan's Bin Laden Dossier - Pakistan's Bin Laden Dossier - Al Jazeera English

Document: Pakistan's Bin Laden Dossier - Pakistan's Bin Laden Dossier - Al Jazeera English

Egypt's Islamist divide

 "The game is over for Islamists now. They will not be able to come back to power at the moment, and they must learn from their lessons, change their ideologies and look ahead"
Egypt's Islamist divide - Features - Al Jazeera English

Rafael Correa: 'Our right to grant asylum'

 The president of Ecuador discusses whistleblower Edward Snowden's attempt to seek political asylum in his country.
"Every human being, every citizen has the right to request asylum under the declaration of human rights, under inter-American legislation, under our constitution or our law on foreigners. Snowden has the right to request asylum and it's our country's sovereign right to grant asylum or not. When the time comes we will decide"
Rafael Correa: 'Our right to grant asylum' - Talk to Al Jazeera - Al Jazeera English

The raid: How it happened

 In the skies on the Afghan side of the border, US aircraft maintain a Combat Air Patrol (CAP) and an AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) presence, in order to respond swiftly to any Pakistani military response to the raid.
There is none.
The Pakistan Air Force's (PAF) radar is on "peacetime deployment", and low-level coverage is sparse on the western border. PAF controllers at Air Defence Command in Chaklala track the US CAP and AWACS in Afghan airspace, but log the activity as routine.
The raid: How it happened - Features - Al Jazeera English

Muslim Brotherhood calls for Egypt uprising


Muslim Brotherhood calls for Egypt uprising - Middle East - Al Jazeera English

The Bin Ladens' life on the run

 
The Bin Ladens' life on the run - Features - Al Jazeera English

How Syria's Civil War Became a Holy Crusade

How Syria's Civil War Became a Holy Crusade: Yusuf al-Qardawi is the most influential cleric in the world of Sunni Islam. Now that he has declared the war in Syria a jihad, a wider sectarian battle may be inevitable.

Thursday 4 July 2013

Ecuador seeks London's help over embassy bugging

 Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino Patino said a microphone was found inside the office of the ambassador to the United Kingdom, Ana Alban, while he visited the embassy to meet with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on June 16.
Assange, who was granted asylum by Ecuador last year, lives and works in a different room within the embassy.
"After this discovery, the government of Ecuador will request the collaboration of the British government in investigating this issue to discover who is implicated in this espionage operation," Patino told a news conference in Quito.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/03/us-britain-ecuador-microphone-idUSBRE9621HR20130703

U.N. concerned about Egypt army interference but doesn't condemn

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/04/us-egypt-protests-un-idUSBRE96301P20130704

Agressão a Morales “destroçou direito internacional”, diz Rafael Correa

http://operamundi.uol.com.br/conteudo/noticias/29815/agressao+a+morales+destrocou+direito+internacional+diz+rafael+correa.shtml

Turkey calls Mursi's removal 'unacceptable coup'

 Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Thursday said the army's overthrow of Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi was a "military coup", and "unacceptable".
www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/04/us-egypt-protests-turkey-idUSBRE9630DD20130704

PKK militants attack Turkish military despite ceasefire

 The PKK earlier issued a statement saying its fighters had killed one Turkish soldier in an attack on a military outpost in Hani, in retaliation for the killing of a Kurdish protester last week.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/04/us-turkey-kurds-killing-idUSBRE9630KM20130704

Fall of Egypt's Mursi splits region

 The toppling of Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi divided the Middle East on Thursday, with Tunisia's ruling Islamists denouncing it as a coup while Gulf Arab leaders celebrated.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/04/us-egypt-protests-reaction-idUSBRE9630KJ20130704

Maduro afirma que CIA fechou espaço aéreo europeu para Morales

O populismo na AL sempre se volta contra os EUA, assim como os arabes sempre acusam Israel, a tatica do bode espiatorio na "resistencia" dos Estados marginalizados
http://noticias.uol.com.br/ultimas-noticias/afp/2013/07/04/maduro-afirma-que-cia-fechou-espaco-aereo-europeu-para-morales.htm

Venezuela avaliará relações com Espanha após incidente com Evo Morales

 "Vamos avaliar nossas relações com a Espanha", disse Maduro ao chegar de sua viagem europeia. "O que fez o governo da Espanha é infame", completou o sucessor de Hugo Chávez em relação ao fechamento temporário de seu espaço aéreo.
http://noticias.uol.com.br/ultimas-noticias/reuters/2013/07/04/venezuela-avaliara-relacoes-com-espanha-apos-incidente-com-evo-morales.htm

Coup? What coup? Egyptians see no evil

 "A coup? No!" said Ahmed Eid, 19, a business studies student at Cairo University, as he and his friends snapped souvenir pictures of each other, draped in the national flag, on Tahrir Square. "This was our new revolution!"
"Our president was very bad. The army are our brothers."

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/04/us-egypt-protests-coup-idUSBRE9630RR20130704

Peru police fire tear gas on protesting students, civil servants

 Peruvian police fired tear gas at hundreds of students and civil servants in Lima on Thursday as they marched towards Congress to protest reforms that would impose tougher standards on universities and bureaucrats.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/04/us-peru-politics-protests-idUSBRE9630RB20130704

Unasul exige explicações e "desculpas públicas" da Europa por veto a avião de Evo

 Reunidos em Cochabamba, na Bolívia, chefes de Estado e ministros da América do Sul cobraram "desculpas públicas" dos países envolvidos por terem feito Evo "virtualmente de refém" nas horas em que esteve impedido de retornar a La Paz.
Para a Unasul, o episódio é uma "flagrante violação dos tratados internacionais" e um "ato ilícito" por afetar a "a liberdade de trânsito de um chefe de Estado" e a "inviolabilidade" de um mandatário.
A Bolívia acusa França, Espanha, Portugal e Itália de não permitirem, inicialmente, o sobrevoo sob a suspeita de que o avião presidencial -que saíra de Moscou rumo a La Paz- transportasse o ex-técnico da CIA Edward Snowden, responsável por revelar um megaesquema de espionagem do governo americano.
http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/mundo/2013/07/1306622-unasul-exige-explicacoes-e-desculpas-publicas-da-europa-por-veto-a-aviao-de-evo.shtml

Europe’s new frontier

 Croatia’s European Union membership offers hope for others
 
http://www.economist.com/news/europe/21580141-croatias-european-union-membership-offers-hope-others-europes-new-frontier

Islam, democracy and soldiers Egypt’s tragedy

 Muhammad Morsi was incompetent, but his ouster should be cause for regret, not celebration
http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21580462-muhammad-morsi-was-incompetent-his-ouster-should-be-cause-regret-not-celebration-egypts

Tuesday 2 July 2013

#MudaBrasil


Brazilian protesters approaching the Estadio Castelao during the Confederations Cup soccer match between Brazil and Mexico.
#MudaBrasil: Unless the protesters can find a common cause and articulate it together, the energy of the protests will be hard to maintain and no government response will be necessary.

Breaking the Silence in Brazil

Breaking the Silence in Brazil: The massive protests of the past few weeks have demonstrated how deeply Brazilians feel the right to speak out against their government. But just 30 years ago, the country was ruled by a brutal dictatorship that blocked free expression. A group of young playwrights sought to change that.

The Egyptian Military's Playbook

The Egyptian Military's Playbook: The Egyptian military, still bruised from its last stint in power, is likely to procede with caution this time around. If it does intervene, it will likely seek some acquiescence from the Islamists and will want to quickly form an inclusive caretaker government.

Israel agrees to Egypt troop movements in Sinai as ultimatum to Morsi nears

 With unrest sweeping the country, Egypt is believed to have moved several dozen armored vehicles to the volatile border area to contain militant activity. The Israeli military gave no details.
Under a 1979 peace treaty, Egypt is required to coordinate any special military activity in the area with Israel.
Israel agrees to Egypt troop movements in Sinai as ultimatum to Morsi nears - Middle East - Israel News | Haaretz Daily Newspaper

In Egypt, the young and unemployed are keeping the protest against Morsi alive

 Egypt protests
In Egypt, the young and unemployed are keeping the protest against Morsi alive - Middle East - Israel News | Haaretz Daily Newspaper

Egypt's military drafts roadmap to scrap constitution, dissolve parliament -

 Egyptian vendor sells flags and anti-Morsi signs - Reuters
Egypt's military drafts roadmap to scrap constitution, dissolve parliament - Middle East - Israel News | Haaretz Daily Newspaper