Thursday, April 30, 2015
Watch This 6th Grader Cut Off President Obama for Talking Too Much
“Mr. President, let’s move on to the next question,” is not something you hear that often in Washington, especially not on friendly panel discussions. But Osman Yahya is not your typical presidential interviewer; he’s a sixth-grader.
President Obama sat down with a group of students Thursday to talk about a new initiative to get more kids to read, but the Maryland middle schooler stole the show with a brisk demeanor and pointed questions. His decision to cut off one of Obama’s characteristically long-winded answers won plaudits on social media.
When a student asked Obama to explain how he gets writer’s block, Yahya asked him to first explain what writer’s block is. When a second-grade class asked the president whether he enjoyed reading, Yahya pointed out that the president had already answered that question and moved along to the next question. When the president began to wax poetic about his love for reading, Osman stopped him. “I think you’ve sort of covered everything about that question,” said Yahya, a student at Bennett Middle School in Salisbury, Md.
The interview was the highlight of a “virtual field trip” hosted by Discovery Education as a part of their “Of The People” series which gets kids across the country an inside look at how leaders in Washington work and make decisions. The focus of Thursday’s discussion was a White House effort to get more kids access to libraries.
But even Washington reporters had to admit, it was Yahya’s show all the way.
http://time.com/3841996/barack-obama-osman-yahya/
US Lawmakers Debate Response to Baltimore Unrest
The unrest in the East Coast city of Baltimore, triggered by the death in police custody of 25-year-old resident Freddie Gray, sparked emotional debate in the U.S. Congress Thursday. Not surprisingly, Republican and Democratic lawmakers expressed different views on the best ways to tackle poverty, inequality and policing problems.
Baltimore Native Nancy Pelosi Calls for Peace
Baltimore Native Nancy Pelosi Calls for Peace
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is sometimes referred to as the “daughter of Baltimore” because her father and brother were both mayors of the city many years ago. She told reporters that the riots this week were not as bad as the violence that erupted after the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. when her brother was mayor in 1968, but she said it has been a sad week.
“All of us who love justice and all of us who love Baltimore are deeply saddened by the death of Freddie Gray and deeper wounds that have been laid bare in the Baltimore community,” she said.
Pelosi called for peace and non-violent action in her native city. She said the root causes of the furor unleashed this week are very complex, but access to a good education and job training for all would be a good place to start.
African American Lawmakers Call on Congress to Act
On the House floor Thursday, several members of the Congressional Black Caucus also spoke passionately about Baltimore and offered their apologies to the family of Freddie Gray, whose spinal cord was severed while in police custody.
Democratic Representative Marcia Fudge of Ohio apologized to Gray’s family, saying Congress’ own policy failures are partly to blame.
“When you disinvest in education, when you provide no places for kids to play and no summer jobs, Baltimore happens. When you refuse to provide resources for job training, for decent housing and you have a lack of resources to the communities of highest need, Baltimore happens," she said.
Fudge said the budget Congress is working on this week continues to prove that the majority of the people in the House of Representatives care little about the plight of poor and underserved communities.
Speaker Boehner Calls for New Solutions
Republican House Speaker John Boehner also expressed his condolences to the Gray family, as well as recovery wishes to the police who were injured in violence in the city this week. He said he disagrees with President Barack Obama that government programs can help fix the underlying problems.
“Now the president has suggested more taxpayer money is the answer," he said. "Again, we believe the answer is more jobs and more opportunity.”
Boehner said the U.S. government has invested hundreds of billions of dollars in well-intended programs designed to help people get out of poverty, but those programs are not working. He said people do not want to be dependent on government services.
President Does Not Plan a Visit
Earlier this week, Obama spoke at length about the situation in Baltimore, saying there is no excuse for violence or looting. But he said the United States needs to do some soul searching about the way people of color are treated by police, and about the inequality and poverty that fuels unrest.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the president has no plans to travel to Baltimore, because he does not want to divert city policemen to help provide security for him.
“When you disinvest in education, when you provide no places for kids to play and no summer jobs, Baltimore happens. When you refuse to provide resources for job training, for decent housing and you have a lack of resources to the communities of highest need, Baltimore happens," she said.
Fudge said the budget Congress is working on this week continues to prove that the majority of the people in the House of Representatives care little about the plight of poor and underserved communities.
Speaker Boehner Calls for New Solutions
Republican House Speaker John Boehner also expressed his condolences to the Gray family, as well as recovery wishes to the police who were injured in violence in the city this week. He said he disagrees with President Barack Obama that government programs can help fix the underlying problems.
“Now the president has suggested more taxpayer money is the answer," he said. "Again, we believe the answer is more jobs and more opportunity.”
Boehner said the U.S. government has invested hundreds of billions of dollars in well-intended programs designed to help people get out of poverty, but those programs are not working. He said people do not want to be dependent on government services.
President Does Not Plan a Visit
Earlier this week, Obama spoke at length about the situation in Baltimore, saying there is no excuse for violence or looting. But he said the United States needs to do some soul searching about the way people of color are treated by police, and about the inequality and poverty that fuels unrest.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the president has no plans to travel to Baltimore, because he does not want to divert city policemen to help provide security for him.
Homophobia in Pakistan
Because of lack of understanding and the extent to which religion dictates societal morality, there appears to be little hope left for homosexuals to demand their basic rights.
To even talk about it here is taboo and to profess to it is a sure call for victimisation. This area has never been studied academically here nor has there been any data collected in this regard. The only source of information on it is through personal anecdotes and confessions, majorly from male prostitutes. This creates a problem in understanding the gaps homosexuals feel in living their lives securely in society and the perception about them on humanistic grounds. Religion abhors homosexuality. Society finds it unforgivable to consider homosexuals as having the right to live freely and securely. To add insult to injury, successful attempts have been made to demoralise and dehumanise homosexuals. There lies the contention of their right to dignity being heavily compromised by right wing conservatives and the radical elements in society that punish them for their sexual orientation, which they consider as being unnatural.
Before one delves further into the subject of the criminalisation of homosexuality, it is first important to understand what homosexuality is. In common terms, it is understood as the orientation of an individual to feel sexually attracted to another person of the same gender. It is argued that same sex orientation is inbred and naturally occurring while others assert that it is acquired and is unnatural. Whatever the case may be, there is no denying the fact that homosexuals exist in Pakistan and they are not allowed dignity and freedom to follow their lifestyle openly here.
Homophobia is a common phenomenon in Pakistan. The person speaking in defence of homosexuals is the odd one out and is even vulnerable to the dangers of a criminal backlash. The reason for this is the narrow view people hold about diverse sexual orientations despite the fact that homosexuality is not something new in Pakistan. Prevalent homophobia causes much distress and psychiatric problems in our closet gay community. It is unfair to lay the blame on homosexuals for their orientation because, in their minds, they do not consider themselves to be of the gender they were born with. This is double jeopardy for them: cursed by society and by their religion they find themselves helpless in finding dignity. This is also the reason why they suffer from emotional conflicts, the sense of guilt they suffer from. Families are hardly ever around to support them and refuse to accept that their children are born with a different orientation. There have also been fatwas issued by several clerics against homosexuals. There have been incidents of how gays have been brutally murdered with clubs and stones for their sexual preference.
Last year, a man named Ejaz Muhammed confessed to the crime of killing three men whom he said were gays. His motive was to send a warning to homosexuals for the ‘evil’ they were spreading in society and society at large commended the serial killer who murdered his victims in cold blood. What got this man to hate homosexuals was his own personal experience of being sexually abused by a male adult when he was 10 years old. What he seemed to have blurred out was the difference between sexual abuse and consensual sex between two adult individuals. This is an important case to mention as it demonstrates how a lack of understanding of consensual sex can lead to malice against those with different orientations. What is found to be ironic is that there is not a single protest against child sexual abuse and rape, which are often witnessed in ‘religious’ seminaries and places where adults are in control of children whilst, in comparison, two consenting adults are conveniently dehumanised. There is also another avenue to explore further the reason why sexual abuse of children and adolescents is on the rise. This is so because, in a closed society that does not acknowledge homosexuality as normal, cases of exploitation of defenceless children who have no concept about sexuality are prevalent, which can indirectly be linked to sexual frustrations here.
In Pakistan, homosexuality can be implied as a criminal act under the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). Section 377 of the PPC states imprisonment of up to 10 years for carnal intercourse against the “order of nature”. Nature here is a contested terminology as scientific determinants have to be brought in here to consider same-sex orientation as an unnatural order, which, due to the narrow prism of the religiously indoctrinated mindset, has never been considered here. Thus, there is very limited knowledge on the subject in Pakistan. Because of this lack of understanding and the extent to which religion dictates societal morality, there appears to be little hope left for homosexuals to demand their basic rights. Quite recently, the US consulate hosted an event for the Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Transgender (LGBT) group in Pakistan, which became the subject of trenchant criticism in the media and the dangerous exposé of its members has caused them to receive death threats. As a result, LGBT members had to go into hiding for fear of their lives.
The punishing attitude of society towards homosexuals is a serious concern as it robs the individual of his/her right to live confidently and effectively. It is also discouraging to see how homosexuals are discriminated against and threatened for the lifestyle they adhere to. Instead of understanding their behaviour in all honest neutrality, morality based on religion has superseded general empathy. People have been blinded by their hate and bigotry against those who do not conform to their conventional stereotypes. This is the sad predicament of people who do not align themselves to socially dictated orientations. There is no way for them to get redress for their grievances because they are not given their due acknowledgement and are thus cornered and ostracised.
Pakistan - Meet Swat’s first Christian contender for LG polls
Only six years ago, girls in Swat were barred from leaving their homes and their education was banned by the Taliban. However, since the security forces drove out the militants, the district’s women have made great strides in raising their voices for their rights. From Malala Yousafzai campaigning for girls education to Tabassum Adnan working for women’s rights and Humaira Shaukat becoming Swat’s first women lawyer.
Hina Patras, a representative of Swat’s small Christian community, has now joined the ranks of these brave women. Patras, 25, has become the first Christian woman to contest local government polls for a district councillor seat in Saidu Sharif.
Patras has a master’s degree in sociology and is a social worker by profession.
“Serving people was my innate drive,” Patras tells The Express Tribune. Her passion only grew after she joined an NGO and came across those marginalised by society.
For Patras, fighting for minorities’ rights and resolving their problems is not the only factor that pushed her to contest elections; she wants to serve humanity irrespective of religion and creed.
“In my social work, when I meet poor communities, particularly women, my heart sinks. I want them be happy and prosperous, with equal rights,” she says, adding the major hurdle in women speaking up for their rights is lack of awareness and education.
The problems minorities are facing in Swat are a bit complicated; they do not face discrimination from locals, but they feel that the government does not take their needs seriously, she says. “We (Christians) have no proper church or graveyard, and we are only considered fit for lower positions such as sanitary workers and peons, in government departments despite being highly educated,” she says.
However, Patras is confident that if elected she would resolve these issues as she believes she has the support of minorities and Muslims alike.
Patras is aware that working in a male dominated set-up will not be easy but she says her parents encouraged her in her cause. “Some people tried to put pressure on me to give up the idea of contesting. They said politics is not a woman’s job but I will show them that women can be better at it than men, if they have the support of their community and passion to serve,” she says.
After finding out that Patras will be contesting, many women have already started listing their demands. “Girls want me work on establishing a playground and women’s university. They also want skill training schools in Swat,” she says.
A staunch supporter of girls education, Patras says many women have received higher education but do not make use of it for various social reasons, which should not be the case.
“I will mainly focus on women rights violations in the area because domestic violence, underage marriages, dowry demands, denial of legal share in property, acid throwing and swara affect me emotionally,” she adds.
Patras says she will do all she can to fight for women’s rights and for the rights of marginalised people, but she also calls for collective action. “Alone I cannot do much, but collectively we can make a difference.”
A staunch believer in equality, Patras says, “I am not a minority, I am an equal citizen of this country.”
Pakistan - Grisly murder
Karachi has become a centre of target killings, grisly murders, assassinations and sectarian violence. The latest victim of this death-trap was Dr Syed Waheedur Rehman, an Assistant Professor at the University of Karachi, who was shot dead by unidentified assailants in broad daylight. Rehman expired after receiving bullet wounds in the face, head and chest. The Karachi University suspended all educational activities and examinations for two days in the wake of the killing of its faculty member. Despite the ongoing operation by the law enforcement agencies with the help of the army, there seems no end to such killings. It seems that they all have failed to restore peace in the biggest city of Pakistan. So far, the police are clueless about the murderers. Speculations are ripe that it was a sectarian murder, because the late professor belonged to the Shia community. Another opinion is that Professor Rehman was a close associate of Dr Shakeel Auj who was murdered last year and he was pursuing this case. It was widely speculated that the deceased was linked to a seminar on Balochistan to be held at the university on May 6. Confirming that Rehman — popularly known as Yasir Rizvi — was not Shia, police said the murder could be a case of mistaken identity and hence, sectarian killing. A fifth academician has been murdered in Karachi in less than a month. Are these murders a carefully planned counter-narrative aiming to prove those people wrong who claim that targeted killings have declined after the Rangers' operation in Karachi?
Whatever the reason may be, the law enforcement agencies need to thoroughly probe this case and resolve this murder mystery. The murder of a capable educationist is a national loss. Although the President and the Prime Minister have taken notice of this brutal killing, yet the culprits must be captured and handed down punishments on an immediate basis for committing such a heinous crime. The matter should not be limited to mere condolences and protests. By killing intellectuals, the extremists are clearing the ground for their mindless faith and ideas. The silent majority will pay a big price for their silence. Soon they will come after everyone that raises a voice for justice and accountability. Already rampant violence has terrorised citizens and serious efforts are needed to rid Karachi of criminal elements.
May Day Preparations in Pakistan
The Pakistan Trade Union Defence Campaign is fully geared for massive May Day activities in more than 70 cities and towns in Pakistan.
A poster for May Day has already been published and pasted on the walls of major industrial units and working class districts across the country. A special issue of Mazdoor Nama (Worker’s News) has been published and will be sold in May Day rallies and public meetings across the country. Mazdoor Nama is the organ of PTUDC. It carries reports and news from the working class and its struggles which are usually not covered by the mainstream media.
The first issue of Mazdoor Nama in March was warmly welcomed by Labour unions and federations all over the country and they were eager to support this cause. The sensationalist headlines and debates in bourgeois media have nothing to report on the harsh realities of life and the exploitation of the working class. In this situation Mazdoor Nama is the only ray of hope for workers to extend solidarity and to develop their own media in order to disseminate their experiences to fellow workers in other sectors.
The current issue of Mazdoor Nama also contains a report on the plight of immigrant workers in Saudi Arabia and a recent strike of construction workers in Dubai. There are also reports on unsafe working conditions in Pakistan, a successful strike in Forward Sports (a manufacturer of footballs in Sialkot), of public meetings and protests of workers of WAPDA and SNGPL as well as solidarity messages from PTUDC. Furthermore there is an editorial highlighting current problems of workers in Pakistan and a showing that the only way out is for the workers to take power themselves.
Once again this year, May day takes place amid a terrible situation for the working class. Millions of children have to work hard every day for their survival and in order to support their families. Women are being exploited in unsafe and unhealthy working environments where they work long hours and where sexual harassment has become a regular occurrence. An eight hour working day has become a distant dream in a situation where it is normal to work 12 to 14 hours a day. At the same time, the public sector is rapidly being privatised by the ruling class, although the workers do resist these attacks.
This year May Day will be highlighted by the movement of WAPDA and SNGPL (power and gas companies) workers against privatisation. In many places PTUDC will be organizing activities jointly with the WAPDA Hydro union. At other places workers in Railways, Post Offices, Steel works, Sanitation, Hospitals, Food and Beverages industries - like Unilever, Coca Cola and Nestle- Chemical industries and other sectors will be co-hosting May Day activities with PTUDC. Thousands of leaflets on current issues have also been published in every place and will be distributed during our activities.
Among other things PTUDC posters put forward the slogan of raising the minimum wage to 10 grams of gold. This demand means raising the current official minimum wage four times (and actual wages five times.) We also raise demands to end privatization, unemployment and the casual contract system and for the introduction of permanent employment for all workers. All of this is tied to the slogan of the expropriation of all industry and the commanding heights of the economy under the democratic control of workers.
We appeal to workers of the world to show solidarity with the Pakistani working class, which is suffering under the brutalities of capitalist system and to support the work of PTUDC. You can support this struggle by donating to PTUDC and to support its revolutionary work. Please contact contact@marxist.com for more information on how you can support us.
Pakistan - #PPP4Labour - PPP committed to expanding rights and privileges of workers
https://mediacellppp.wordpress.com
This has been stated by Co-Chairman PPP former President Asif Ali Zardari in his message on the international Labor Day falling on Friday May 1.
Workers are the back bone of the society the PPP Co-chair said adding also that the Party will always stand by them in their fight for dignity and rights.
The Party will resist any attempt at retrenchment of workers in the name of privatization and will use every available forum for saving workers jobs.
He said that the Party was proud of its record that during the previous PPP government we reinstated sacked employees, regularized contract and daily wage earners, restored trade union activities and created legislative mechanisms enabling workers seek legal remedies against any unlawful dismissals.
We will not permit any reversal of those policies to the detriment of working classes he said.
Both the founding chairperson and his daughter Shaheed Benazir Bhutto promised workers right to job security, decent wages and right to dignity and a rightful place in society. They also struggled alongside the labor for the attainment of these rights. We will ensure that the promises made by our Shaheed leaders are fulfilled in letter and spirit, he said.
The struggle for improving the working conditions of workers and protection from exploitation is a continuous one and the Party will continue its struggle to secure the rightful place of workers in the society, Mr Zardari said.
#PPP4Labour: Bilawal Bhutto pledges to stand guard against any injustice to labour
PPP
Chairman #PPP @BBhuttoZardari pledges to stand guard against any injustice to labour - #PPP4Labour #Pakistan http://wp.me/p3b2DQ-4Y1
In his message on the Labour Day falling on May 1, the PPP Chairman said Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto laid sound foundations for the labour rights through legislations and labour policies giving them trade union rights. Former President Asif Ali Zardari even gave share in the state production units under Benazir Employees Stock Option Scheme to the employees, including labour for their empowerment. Besides, the PPP leadership also eliminated black laws against the working class.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari pointed out that the cause of labour and working class has always been dear to his Party and steps will be taken in future for more empowerment this particular segment of Pakistani society as PPP derives its strength more from them than any other political party in the country.
PPP Chairman extended reassurances to the working classes and hoped that Peoples Labour Bureau will again become a vibrant wing to further help the Party to formulate policies and struggle for their rights in the light of vision of our martyred leadership.
Peshawar tornado: The 44 lives that could have been saved
Earlier on Sunday a tornado hit Peshawar and its surroundings, leaving dozens dead and many more injured; the unprecedented extreme weather startled residents and local climatologists. They don’t even have a name for it in Pushto.
On April 26, winds blowing over 110 km per hour, accompanied by rain and hail, destroyed structures and lives in Peshawar and adjoining areas.
By Monday, 44 were dead, another 200 injured, and millions were lost in property and livestock. Officials at the Pakistan Meteorological (Met) Department claim they had forewarned about “rain with dust-thunderstorm” for Peshawar.
Tornadoes are infrequent and thus, are not well known in Pakistan. They usually occur in March or April when days are getting warmer, but the nights are still cold. Similar weather conditions were reported in March 2001 in Chak Misran village (Sargodha), and in Bahadurpur village near Head Marala in March 2011. Scores died as a result. Because of climate change, one should expect the unexpected to occur frequently.
Pakistan has always experienced floods. Several political tenures have been cut short by floods in successive years. Despite the humongous losses in life and property, the society and the State has neither planned nor acted to mitigate the devastating impacts of natural disasters. The devastating earthquake in 2005, which caused the death of over 85,000 and injured many more, should have served as the final warning to the eternally unprepared nation.
In pictures: 'Mini cyclone' wrecks Peshawar
The equally devastating floods in 2010 revealed that Pakistanis were not ready yet again. They would rather deal with the aftermath than plan to minimise their exposure. With the unexpected changes in climate, the frequency and severity of natural disasters may exceed the resilience of the people.
Pakistan should act now to prevent future grief and losses that may exceed the nations’ collective capacity to heal.
The provincial authorities in KP reported that most deaths and losses occurred in informal settlements. The high-speed winds tore through the mud houses. Trees were uprooted and crushed structures underneath them. The low-income households, whose mud houses were destroyed, may not have the resources to fortify their humble abodes against earthquakes and tornadoes. But what about the rest? In the rural KP, hujras of even the landed gentry could best be categorised as informal structures.
If the people are not prepared to deal with natural disasters, so is not the State. KP’s minister of information, Mushtaq Ghani, revealed that the province did not have a weather warning system. Strange! A nation armed with nuclear weapons lacks sufficient warning systems.
Mr. Ghani claimed that the Met department, operated by the feds, shared the last weather forecast on April 17 that carried no warning. The Met office’s website lists a press release dated April 17 that warned of rain and thundershowers for April 18 to 20. Officials at the Met claim they had warned of rain and thunderstorms for Peshawar two days in advance of April 26. Their website though mentions no warnings for April 26.
What the bickering between the KP government and the Met exposes is the lack of preparedness of the State. Shirk the blame is the name of the game. Expect no one to resign; it will be too honourable for the politicians or the State functionaries.
Earlier in 2011, the environment portfolio was devolved to provinces. Given that many environmental concerns are national, or global, an exclusive provincial mandate for the environment was not a prudent move. As a result, the Ministry of Planning in Islamabad took over the climate change portfolio. A new Ministry of National Disaster Management was subsequently created and ultimately renamed as the Ministry of Climate Change in April 2012. In the spirit of change, the PML-N government in 2013 disbanded the ministry only to resurrect it later.
Pakistan, at least on paper, has been making some efforts on climate change. The country now has a dedicated ministry for climate change lead by Senator Mushahidullah Khan.
In fact, Pakistan approved, but failed to implement, the first National Climate Change Policy in September 2012. How effective is the minister beyond issuing warnings of imminent environmental disasters is yet to be seen.
What the nation needs is preparedness against unforeseen and frequently occurring natural disasters whose devastating impact compounds because of an ill-prepared state and the society. Our shortcomings turn manageable natural disasters into unmanageable human disasters.
Also read: No lessons learnt in flood-hit Pakistan
The society in general and the electronic media, in particular, have a big role to play, especially when the State continues to falter on its responsibilities. The electronic media must include weather warnings in their routine programming to warn those who may want to act accordingly. Reporting on the dead afterwards is not as helpful as forewarnings.
At the same time, ordinary citizens should play a larger civic role in preparing the society for disasters. The Pakistan Weather Portal, an independent effort by Babar Hussain, was an excellent weather blog dedicated to developments in Pakistan. It is sad to see the blog is no longer active.
Babar and others like him in Pakistan should continue with their altruist efforts because the State seems unprepared to forewarn the citizens of natural and other hazards.
Pakistan: 10 sentenced to life in prison for attack on Malala Yousafzai
Ten people have been sentenced to life in prison for their roles in the 2012 attack on Nobel Peace Prize-winning activist Malala Yousafzai, a judge announced Thursday.
The assailants' conviction and sentences follow a trial that included testimony from both sides, Pakistani antiterrorism judge Mohammad Amin Kundi said. They could be eligible for release in 25 years.
The 10 were arrested in Swat, a district of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistani army spokesman Maj. Gen. Asim Bajwa said last September.
That was nearly two years after the then 15-year-old Yousafzai, whom Taliban militants despised for her outspoken support of girls' right to an education, was shot as she was traveling home on a school bus.
Authorities in Pakistan said the people involved in the attack were linked to the Pakistan Taliban and were taking orders from its leader, Mullah Fazlullah. In fact, the Taliban claimed responsibility for the assault against Yousafzai, whom they labeled "a symbol of the infidels and obscenity" for her activism, including a BBC blog documenting her harrowing experiences.
It's not known if the men who directly attacked Yousafzai -- who was born in the Swat city of Mingora but has since moved to England -- were among those convicted and sentenced this week.
Around the time of their arrest, Bajwa said that "we were able to track down the entire gang," known as Shura. All of them are residents of Malakand, which is also in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Yousafzai not only survived that attack, she went on to become an even more vocal and influential international activist. In fact, her efforts helped earn her the Nobel Peace Prize -- which she shared with India's Kailash Satyarthi -- last year.
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar pose serious threat acting as hotbeds of extremism
http://www.sana.sy/en/
Assistant Foreign and Expatriates Minister Ayman Sousan said Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, acting as hotbeds of extremism and obscurantist thinking, pose a serious threat to the international and regional stability and peace.
He was speaking to a delegation of Syrian expatriates from Sweden whom he briefed on the reality of the terrorist aggression waged against Syria, during a meeting on Wednesday.
Sousan said the threat posed by the afore-mentioned countries necessitates that the international community take a serious stand to compel them to abide by the Security Council resolutions related to fighting terrorism and halting support to the terrorist organizations.
He dismissed in particular Turkey’s direct involvement in the aggression on Syria as a flagrant violation of the international law.
The Syrian people, nevertheless, are bent on confronting this aggression with the same determination and will by which they had previously brought an end to the Turkish occupation of the Arab countries, Sousan said.
For their part, the delegation members voiced the solidarity of the Syrians abroad with the homeland and their readiness to provide everything necessary to boost Syria’s steadfastness in the face of the aggression.
Saudis ‘floundering’ over Yemen war, analyst says
Press TV has conducted an interview with Mark Sleboda, an international relations and security analyst in Moscow, to discuss Saudi Arabia’s ongoing aggression against Yemen.
The following is a rough transcription of the interview.
Press TV: Mark Sleboda over 30 days now these Saudi airstrikes, US-backed in terms of at least what we are looking at in terms of their planes and now we noticed not even a Saudi coalition, at least our sources says this is a Saudi attack on Yemen. What is your reading into this?
Sleboda: First of all, this is Saudi-US axis and we have to make it perfectly clear the United States is a full partner. The US is at war in another Middle East country. They are providing C4ISR, reconnaissance, intelligence, re-fueling, ammunitions for the Saudi and their lackey [P]GCC allies’ attacks on Yemen.
First of all that the attacks are going very badly. The Saudis principally have two goals on this case. First is to stop the Houthi alliance advance and the other one is to restore their ousted puppet [Yemen’s former President Abd Rabbuh Mansour] Hadi to power.
It is impossible to see how they might achieve either one of them without a truly massive ground intervention of hundreds of thousands of troops from them and neighboring countries and we have seen before Saudi ground interference in Yemen has failed disastrously time and time again over the last half a century.
So they are very reluctant to do this. I think they do not know what to do. They have tried to rebrand their attacks on Yemen calling it “hope” instead of “storm” but I do not think any of that really matters on the ground.
On the ground we see two principle effects. The Houthi alliance is advancing despite the attacks, and also the opponents of both them and supposedly the ousted president, al-Qaeda is advancing as well.
We could have a very possible result of all of this, is that al-Qaeda makes some of the greatest gains because of the Saudi attacks.
Press TV: Do you think a ground invasion is eminent?
Sleboda: I think Saudi Arabia intended a ground invasion at some point but some cooler and more level heads seem to have at least put this process on pause. They are re-assessing and seeing how that alone is not a guarantee of any success.
The Saudi-US axis and their allies want to achieve a political result against the prevailing popular sentiments in the ground in Yemen by military force. The US itself when it put its full military force to bear has failed at this time and time again in the Middle East and Saudi supported only from behind the scenes by the US and only tacitly by other [Persian] Gulf state Arab allies ...
I do not think they know what they are doing at this point. They are floundering. They do not know what to do.
337 Bahraini Opponents Sentenced to 2845 Years in Jail in 1st Quarter: Report
More than 1600 detainees in Jow central prison were subjected to torture, humiliating treatment and deprivation of basic rights during the first quarter of 2015, LHRD said in its report.
The report further said that 653 people, including 16 women and 119 children, were detained in the January-March period.
337 political prisoners were sentenced to a total of 2845 years, including 32 life sentences. Three were sentenced to death.
Sayed Hadi al-Mousawi, the head of the Liberties and Human Rights Department in Al Wefaq, said 2691 peaceful protests have been held across the country, including 1022 protests that were suppressed by the regime forces that used tear gas and shotguns.
The report added that 413 torture cases were recorded in the 3-month period.
559 house raids were also reported, the report said, adding that 278 were arrested during the house raids.
72 opponents, including 49 political and human right activists abroad, were stripped of their nationality, according to the report.
Referring to the continued detention of Sheikh Ali Salman, the secretary general of Al Wefaq, al-Mousawi called for his immediate release, saying the charges against him are baseless.
He also referred to the detention of Sayed Jamil Kadhem, the head of Al Wefaq Shura Council, and Nabeel Rajab, the prominent human rights activist, during the 3-month period.
Anti-government protesters have been holding peaceful demonstrations across Bahrain since mid-February 2011, calling for an end to the al-Khalifa dynasty.
Violence against the defenseless people escalated after a Saudi-led conglomerate of police, security and military forces from the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC) member states - Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar - were dispatched to the tiny Persian Gulf kingdom on March 2011, to help Manama crack down on peaceful protestors.
So far, hundreds of protesters have been killed, hundreds more have gone missing and thousands of others have been injured.