Libya’s revolutionary leadership is split over who is in command of their armed campaign against Muammar Gaddafi Libya’s revolutionary leadership is split over competing claims to command its armed campaign as the rebels attempt to shore up their credibility in the west after losing almost all the territory gained by foreign air strikes. The dispute comes as the military leadership continues to struggle with the lack of discipline that has been so damaging to its campaign and which led to the death of 13 rebel fighters and medics at the weekend after one of them indiscriminately fired an anti-aircraft gun and provoked a western air strike. Four vehicles were destroyed including an ambulance. The revolutionary council described the incident near the town of Brega as a “terrible mistake” for which it took responsibility. The rebels continued a standoff with Muammar Gaddafi’s army near the scene of the air strike after making a show of bringing better trained and more disciplined troops to the front along with larger weapons in an attempt to turn around the image of the their force as chaotic, lacking in tactics and largely unable to fight. Fighting also continued in the two rebel enclaves in the west of the country, Misrata and Zintan, on Sunday. Doctors trapped at the hospital in Misrata said scores of people had died in recent days under attack from Gaddafi’s forces. The revolutionary leadership privately concedes a military victory is unlikely, even with the support of western air strikes. It is increasingly looking to a diplomatic track or the collapse of the regime from within as the best hope of removing Gaddafi, although it is still attempting to encourage popular uprisings in cities under the control of the Libyan leader. There is an awareness in the rebels’ de facto capital, Benghazi, that the military campaign needs to be continued as a means of defence and to keep the pressure on Gaddafi. The revolutionary leadership also recognises that it needs to build a credible military force amid creeping concern in the west over how thousands of evidently undisciplined but armed young men might behave as they move in to other towns. But that effort appears to be undermined by an internal dispute over who is in charge of reviving the rebels’ military fortunes after a week of stunning setbacks. Last week, the revolution’s military wing appointed its own spokesman, Colonel Ahmed Omar Bani. He announced that Colonel Khalifa Belqasim Haftar, who fought in Libya’s war against Chad in the 1980s before he was captured and joined a CIA-run anti-Gaddafi force, had been appointed commander of the military campaign. According to the announcement, he replaced General Abdel Fatah Younis – Gaddafi’s interior minister until two months ago and former head of Libya’s special forces who defected to the rebels at the beginning of the revolution. But at the weekend, the revolutionary administration announced that Younis was back in charge. When confronted with this flip-flop, the council denied there had ever been a change. Both men have their constituencies and their critics given their deeply tainted pasts. Haftar is popular among some of the civilian volunteers who make up the bulk of the rebel forces because of his long opposition to Gaddafi. After the Chad war, he was recruited as commander of an anti-Gaddafi force put together by the CIA and funded in part by Saddam Hussein. When that failed, Haftar moved to Virginia where he lived for 20 years not far from the CIA headquarters, raising questions among his present critics about how close past ties remain. Some members of the revolutionary political leadership say Haftar returned to Libya with a swaggering arrogance and an expectation that he would automatically be put in charge of the armed fight against Gaddafi. The revolutionary council had already appointed Omar Hariri as the de facto defence minister and Younis as the military commander in the belief that he would win over defectors from Gaddafi’s army who are supposed to provide the backbone of the rebel force, although so far there has been limited evidence of it. “We defined the military leadership before the arrival of Haftar from the United States,” said Abdul Hafidh Ghoga, vice president of the Interim National Council. “We told Mr Haftar that if he wants, he can work within the structure that we have laid out.” As Younis failed to deliver, twice losing gains already made against Gaddafi’s forces including more recently by the air strikes, the fighters started to look elsewhere. There was already considerable suspicion about Younis among many ordinary Libyans in the rebel-held territory because of his long service to Gaddafi and the belief that as interior minister it is impossible for him not to be implicated in some of the regime’s crimes. The council had to work hard to get them to accept his appointment. Last week, the military appeared to try to bypass the council by announcing that Haftar had been appointed commander with Younis downgraded to chief of staff. The council disagreed. Libya Arab and Middle East unrest Middle East Chris McGreal guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …As if it needed to be said. Pro-Republican astroturf groups will spend an estimated $2,000,000 this week alone for next Tuesday’s State Supreme Court election, including this sleazy one in support of Republican candidate David Prosser. Wisconsin Democrats are asking everyone supporting them to post this video through all the social media. Please help if you can.
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Requiem for the hipster as James Murphy and his band play last ever gig When LCD Soundsystem announced their final gig at New York’s Madison Square Garden, tickets sold out in just 15 seconds. Would-be concert-goers erupted in hysterical rage when touts began selling tickets priced as high as $1,500 (£930). The band’s front man James Murphy tweeted: “NO MATTER WHAT WE DO, IT IS NOT WORTH THAT KIND OF MONEY TO SEE US!” Evidently some 14,000 people thought it was. The atmosphere in the stadium on Saturday night was somewhere between joyous wake and dance party funeral – as the band announced on their website: “If it’s a funeral, let’s have the best funeral ever!!!” The stands were filled with people known as the hipsters, many were dressed in Murphy’s trademark look (black suit, white shirt, skinny black tie), and all had come to pay their respects to the band that Esquire magazine described as “arguably the most influential indie band of the past five years.” From their breakout 2002 single, Losing My Edge, LCD Soundsystem have offered a unique combination of geek knowledge, passion and intelligent, ironic distance. The ultimate hipster band, they are calling it quits just as the decade of the hipster seems to be coming to an end. American Apparel is facing bankruptcy and the market is awash with Tumblr-to-book titles like Stuff Hipsters Hate and Look At This Fucking Hipster. Brooklyn literary magazine n+1 recently proclaimed: “Hipsters are not dead, they still breathe, they live on my block. Yet it is evident that we have reached the end of an epoch of the type.” Murphy himself was never really a hipster. For nearly a decade, Murphy – at 41, at least a good decade older than the crowd on Saturday night – stood as a self-mocking totem to a certain kind of experience. Losing My Edge was an anthem for the aging music nerd, with lyrics detailing a comically epic list of historical dates, bands and attended gigs: the anti-hipster’s defence against “the art-school Brooklynites in little jackets and borrowed nostalgia for the unremembered eighties”. Unlike some of the output of those art-school Brooklynites, which has tended to espouse a tone of context free apathy, Murphy has always been interested in creating a record of the times. And as if to prove he’s still one step ahead, Murphy is now bowing out. The three-and-a-half-hour concert included a guest appearance by Arcade Fire, who sang back-up on North American Scum, prompting chants of ‘North American! North American!’ – as close as a hipster can get to shouting “USA! USA!”. And Murphy closed with the unabashedly elegiac New York, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down, a mournful chronicle of New York’s post-Giuliani transformation. On Twitter, The Believer contributing editor Brandon Stosuy asked: “How many upcoming 30-something novels can we expect to use LCD Soundsystem’s final shows as a metaphor for something?” The question now is what. LCD Soundsystem United States guardian.co.uk
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• Willetts holds to claim that most will charge £6,000 • Student numbers may have to be cut as fees rise The universities minister, David Willetts , has refused to withdraw his claim that most universities will charge more than £6,000 a year only in exceptional circumstances, as cabinet ministers privately admitted the plans were in serious
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Supermarket group says Tesco cars will cut out the middlemen – and offer Clubcard points Tesco, which has recently branched out into areas as diverse as banking and pet insurance, has taken yet another step to widen its already dizzying range of products with the launch of a website selling secondhand cars. The supermarket chain, which takes one in seven pounds spent by British shoppers, said it was seeking to compete with used-car dealers, many of whom are not trusted by consumers. Tescocars.com promises to offer thousands of secondhand cars, independently checked for quality and delivered to customers’ homes. The sites will also provide the supermarket group with the opportunity to offer car buyers Tesco purchase financing, insurance and breakdown cover. Andrew Higginson, chief executive of retailing services at Tesco, said: “By supplying directly to customers, there is no middle man, no expensive showroom and no salespeople on commission. Buyers can be sure they are getting the best value out there – and we will say ‘thank you’ with 2,000 Clubcard points.” He said the new site offers dedicated after-sales support from a nationwide network of more than 1,000 independent garages. These will offer servicing and vehicle repairs up to 30% cheaper than franchise dealers. Tesco will buy the cars from rental firms and corporate fleet suppliers and they will typically have had one previous owner. The launch of Tesco’s site on Sunday follows the acquisition of a minority stake in online dealership Carsite. The supermarket group has an option to take full control of the venture over time. Tescocars.com will not provide a forum for private sales in the way that Autotrader.co.uk does and customers will not be able to enter into part-exchange deals. Sir Trevor Chinn, the former RAC boss and chairman of both Carsite and Tesco Cars, said: “Consumers want to know they can trust the information supplied about a used car, that they are getting value for money and good customer service. Importantly they also want to be able to take their time to make the right purchase for them. We are delivering a positive new experience for today’s car buyer.” Tesco Supermarkets Retail industry Consumer affairs Car insurance Motoring Simon Bowers guardian.co.uk
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Army chiefs are worried about the 100ft minarets but local Muslims say they need more space for worshippers Plans to erect a mosque next to Sandhurst that have divided locals and prompted interventions from a Tory minister and the Ministry of Defence are to be considered at a public inquiry this week. The proposals – to demolish a locally listed Victorian schoolbuilding in a conservation area in Camberley, Surrey, and replace it with a £3m domed mosque – have pitted members of the Berkshire, Hampshire and Surrey Bengali Welfare Association against thousands of residents, army chiefs and the constituency MP and education secretary, Michael Gove. The residents say the mosque would be out of keeping with the town’s architecture; army chiefs dislike the idea of 100ft-high minarets overlooking the parade ground of Sandhurst Military Academy; and Gove wants the application withdrawn for the sake of community harmony. The mosque is also described as a “supremacist statement” by a collective comprising local churches. The inquiry, to be held at Camberley Theatre, is scheduled to last six days and is the culmination of a year-long struggle between the association and its equally doughty opponents over the fate of the former Roman Catholic school sitting on an unsightly stretch of the A30. Alan Kirkland, from Save Our School, was among those who gathered 7,000 signatures opposing the radical redevelopment of the site. “There is nothing in the Qur’an that says you should have domes and minarets,” he said. “It doesn’t even have to face the qibla [direction of Mecca]. It doesn’t matter what the mosque looks like if you’re only going to pray there. They need a mezzanine floor that is for women only. To most people, that’s objectionable. “They are trying to target us as racist. I’m slightly offended by that. My ex-brother in law is Muslim, so are my niece and nephew.” The Bengalis say the existing building, designed by Charles Buckeridge, does not suit their needs. Camberley Muslims have used the old school as a mosque since 1996, purchasing it for £300,000 following a generous contribution from a Kuwaiti billionaire. But it is dilapidated, inside and out, and lies empty for much of the week except Friday, when Muslims pour into every available space, including the kitchen, for prayer. The capacity is 350, which the association estimates is a fraction of the Muslim community within a 10-mile radius. The new mosque would accommodate classrooms, segrated facilities for men and women, a morgue, a community centre and thousands of people. The Bengalis agreed to restrict access to the minarets – making them ornamental and partially solid – but only after the Ministry of Defence raised concerns over them. The compromise – the only one to date – has failed to appease to Save Our Schools, which has raised £10,000 to ensure it has legal representation at the inquiry. Ivar Hellberg, also from Save Our School, is outraged at the BWA’s perceived indifference to Camberley’s heritage. “They are bad stewards,” he said. “Why haven’t they looked after the house of Allah?” Abdul Wasay Chowdhury, from the association, said: “It is hard to collect money to renovate the school. It is not a religious building, it is not a mosque. We don’t want to extend from the back because then it won’t be a school or a mosque. It will be neither. If people were so concerned about heritage, why didn’t they buy the building? If we hadn’t bought it, it would have been empty for the last 15 years. That would have been worse.” “The local church is out of keeping with the area. The steeple will be taller than our minarets – why don’t they complain about that?” He points to Robins Cinema, a building with art-deco frontage, and the boarded-up Duke of York Hotel, built in 1816, opposite. Both face demolition. “The problem is, if you try to save everything, you end up saving nothing.” Religion Islam Development Riazat Butt guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Army chiefs are worried about the 100ft minarets but local Muslims say they need more space for worshippers Plans to erect a mosque next to Sandhurst that have divided locals and prompted interventions from a Tory minister and the Ministry of Defence are to be considered at a public inquiry this week. The proposals – to demolish a locally listed Victorian schoolbuilding in a conservation area in Camberley, Surrey, and replace it with a £3m domed mosque – have pitted members of the Berkshire, Hampshire and Surrey Bengali Welfare Association against thousands of residents, army chiefs and the constituency MP and education secretary, Michael Gove. The residents say the mosque would be out of keeping with the town’s architecture; army chiefs dislike the idea of 100ft-high minarets overlooking the parade ground of Sandhurst Military Academy; and Gove wants the application withdrawn for the sake of community harmony. The mosque is also described as a “supremacist statement” by a collective comprising local churches. The inquiry, to be held at Camberley Theatre, is scheduled to last six days and is the culmination of a year-long struggle between the association and its equally doughty opponents over the fate of the former Roman Catholic school sitting on an unsightly stretch of the A30. Alan Kirkland, from Save Our School, was among those who gathered 7,000 signatures opposing the radical redevelopment of the site. “There is nothing in the Qur’an that says you should have domes and minarets,” he said. “It doesn’t even have to face the qibla [direction of Mecca]. It doesn’t matter what the mosque looks like if you’re only going to pray there. They need a mezzanine floor that is for women only. To most people, that’s objectionable. “They are trying to target us as racist. I’m slightly offended by that. My ex-brother in law is Muslim, so are my niece and nephew.” The Bengalis say the existing building, designed by Charles Buckeridge, does not suit their needs. Camberley Muslims have used the old school as a mosque since 1996, purchasing it for £300,000 following a generous contribution from a Kuwaiti billionaire. But it is dilapidated, inside and out, and lies empty for much of the week except Friday, when Muslims pour into every available space, including the kitchen, for prayer. The capacity is 350, which the association estimates is a fraction of the Muslim community within a 10-mile radius. The new mosque would accommodate classrooms, segrated facilities for men and women, a morgue, a community centre and thousands of people. The Bengalis agreed to restrict access to the minarets – making them ornamental and partially solid – but only after the Ministry of Defence raised concerns over them. The compromise – the only one to date – has failed to appease to Save Our Schools, which has raised £10,000 to ensure it has legal representation at the inquiry. Ivar Hellberg, also from Save Our School, is outraged at the BWA’s perceived indifference to Camberley’s heritage. “They are bad stewards,” he said. “Why haven’t they looked after the house of Allah?” Abdul Wasay Chowdhury, from the association, said: “It is hard to collect money to renovate the school. It is not a religious building, it is not a mosque. We don’t want to extend from the back because then it won’t be a school or a mosque. It will be neither. If people were so concerned about heritage, why didn’t they buy the building? If we hadn’t bought it, it would have been empty for the last 15 years. That would have been worse.” “The local church is out of keeping with the area. The steeple will be taller than our minarets – why don’t they complain about that?” He points to Robins Cinema, a building with art-deco frontage, and the boarded-up Duke of York Hotel, built in 1816, opposite. Both face demolition. “The problem is, if you try to save everything, you end up saving nothing.” Religion Islam Development Riazat Butt guardian.co.uk
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Afghan president issues demand despite Barack Obama’s condemnation of ‘act of extreme intolerance and bigotry’ The Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, appears to have added fuel to the violent protests in Afghanistan after calling on the US Congress to condemn a Christian preacher’s burning of the Qur’an. Karzai’s demand came despite a statement from Barack Obama denouncing the behaviour of American pastor Terry Jones as “an act of extreme intolerance and bigotry”. But the Afghan president, in a meeting on Sunday with the US ambassador, Karl Eikenberry, and David Petraeus, the US commander of Nato forces in the country, demanded that the top US lawmaking body should condemn Jones. The report of the national security council meeting, issued by Karzai’s office, highlights the concern of some analysts that the president is pandering to the demands of anti-western protesters rather than attempting to quell violence that has already cost dozens of lives, including the seven UN officials killed by a mob in Mazar-e-Sharif on Friday. On Sunday violence continued for a second day in the Taliban heartland city of Kandahar, with at least one person killed, while protests also raged in Jalalabad where students blocked a road to Kabul. Karzai has been bitterly criticised by some for drawing attention to the Qur’an fire in the first place. Though it was largely ignored by the media, Karzai issued a press release on 24 March, four days after the book-burning in Gainsville, Florida, condemning the “crime against a religion and entire Muslim umma [community]“. He said the US and UN should “bring to justice the perpetrators of this crime”. Western officials showed their dismay. Petraeus issued a statement with Nato’s Kabul ambassador, Mark Sedwill, condemning “any disrespect to the holy Qur’an and Muslim faith”. Jones has claimed the FBI told him a $2.4m bounty had been put on his head in Pakistan. In interviews he said he was “saddened” by the violence. He had promised in September not to set fire to the book, then he and his congregation discussed shredding, shooting, or dunking it in water instead. Jones said his desire to shed light on the “dangerous book” won out, so the burning was streamed on the internet ,with Arabic subtitles to reach Muslims. “For some of them,” he said, “it could be an awakening.” Afghanistan Islam Religion Christianity US Congress United States US politics Barack Obama Hamid Karzai US foreign policy Jon Boone Dominic Rushe guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Afghan president issues demand despite Barack Obama’s condemnation of ‘act of extreme intolerance and bigotry’ The Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, appears to have added fuel to the violent protests in Afghanistan after calling on the US Congress to condemn a Christian preacher’s burning of the Qur’an. Karzai’s demand came despite a statement from Barack Obama denouncing the behaviour of American pastor Terry Jones as “an act of extreme intolerance and bigotry”. But the Afghan president, in a meeting on Sunday with the US ambassador, Karl Eikenberry, and David Petraeus, the US commander of Nato forces in the country, demanded that the top US lawmaking body should condemn Jones. The report of the national security council meeting, issued by Karzai’s office, highlights the concern of some analysts that the president is pandering to the demands of anti-western protesters rather than attempting to quell violence that has already cost dozens of lives, including the seven UN officials killed by a mob in Mazar-e-Sharif on Friday. On Sunday violence continued for a second day in the Taliban heartland city of Kandahar, with at least one person killed, while protests also raged in Jalalabad where students blocked a road to Kabul. Karzai has been bitterly criticised by some for drawing attention to the Qur’an fire in the first place. Though it was largely ignored by the media, Karzai issued a press release on 24 March, four days after the book-burning in Gainsville, Florida, condemning the “crime against a religion and entire Muslim umma [community]“. He said the US and UN should “bring to justice the perpetrators of this crime”. Western officials showed their dismay. Petraeus issued a statement with Nato’s Kabul ambassador, Mark Sedwill, condemning “any disrespect to the holy Qur’an and Muslim faith”. Jones has claimed the FBI told him a $2.4m bounty had been put on his head in Pakistan. In interviews he said he was “saddened” by the violence. He had promised in September not to set fire to the book, then he and his congregation discussed shredding, shooting, or dunking it in water instead. Jones said his desire to shed light on the “dangerous book” won out, so the burning was streamed on the internet ,with Arabic subtitles to reach Muslims. “For some of them,” he said, “it could be an awakening.” Afghanistan Islam Religion Christianity US Congress United States US politics Barack Obama Hamid Karzai US foreign policy Jon Boone Dominic Rushe guardian.co.uk
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On this day in history: Truman signs Marshall plan; Jesse James shot to death; Pony express begins service. (April 3rd)
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