• Thousands flee into Turkey in face of advance • Demonstrations met with gunfire, say activists The Syrian regime ordered its army to enter the besieged town of Jisr al-Shughour on Friday as pro-democracy demonstrations across the country were met with gunfire, leaving more than 20 dead, according to activists. Over the past few days refugees have flooded across the border into Turkey, where officials say almost 3,000 Syrians have made their way to camps to escape the fighting. Most have walked over rolling hills from the northern town that has been menaced all week by Syrian tanks and troops, who finally entered Jisr al-Shughour just after daybreak. Those who had reached Turkey were unable to contact those relatives that had stayed behind, with all lines to the town cut. Anecdotal reports suggested Jisr al-Shughour has been largely abandoned. There were no means of establishing what was taking place during the largest operation mounted by the Syrian army since the initial popular uprising of 15 March. The town – normally inhabited by 41,000 people – has become a focal point of the Syrian revolution ever since President Bashar al-Assad’s regime vowed to wreak vengeance on its mostly forsaken inhabitants, who the regime accuses of killing 120 government troops last weekend. Almost all its residents are now on the move. Two men who spoke with the Guardian in the southern Turkish village of Guvecci on Friday, less than an hour after they had crossed the border, said many hundreds were hiding in the 20 miles of hills and valleys between their home town and safety. Turkey said it would take in as many refugees as it needed to. The quid pro quo, however, continued to be that none of them were allowed to speak publicly about what they had endured. The Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has remained a staunch supporter of Assad throughout. However, Erdogan appeared to change tone on Thursday night, describing the situation in Syria as “appalling” and suggesting that Damascus had not taken seriously his most recent complaints. Despite mounting condemnation, there appeared to be no respite on Friday in the violence elsewhere in Syria, with human rights groups in Damascus claiming that up to 21 people had been killed at demonstrations across the country. The largest of them appeared to be in the capital, where activists reported that troops fired teargas and live rounds into numerous suburbs. Large protests were also held in Lattakia, Alleppo and Hama, where more than 60 demonstrators were killed the previous Friday. Friday, the first day of the weekend in Syria, when worshippers gather in mosques to pray, has been the bloodiest day of each of the past six weeks. Prayers have often spilled over into demonstrations, then marches, which had been outlawed for much of the past four decades as potential threats to the dictatorship. This Friday was no different, despite clear signs that the embattled regime was refusing to acknowledge international condemnation that this week led to attempts by Britain and France to introduce a resolution criticising Syrian leaders at the UN security council. Syrian refugees also continued to stream into Lebanon, where there were no restraints on them giving accounts of what had happened during clashes in their towns and villages. None of the residents from Jisr al-Shughour had seemingly tried to reach the Lebanese border, with nearly all having fled north, raising the spectre of a humanitarian crisis between the town and the Turkish border. “There are people still trying to get to the border who have no food or water,” said Hassan, an 18-year-old shopkeeper from Jisr al-Shughour, who claimed to have found a way across the frontier that he uses to resupply family members on the move. “I have been in this area for five days, coming and going, and there are more people travelling than before.” A clearer picture also began to emerge of the deadly series of battles that took place in Jisr al-Shughour last weekend, leading the government to vow revenge. The Guardian has spoken with six men who all said independently that some men with full beards and in civilian clothes stood alongside Syrian soldiers last Saturday as battles raged in the town. Their accounts could not be corroborated. But British officials on Friday reiterated a claim that the Syrian government is receiving advice and riot control equipment from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. Westminster said it had seen no evidence of Iran sending troops or paramilitaries to suppress Syrian protests directly. “That would be something new, that we have not been aware of, but we can’t rule it out,” one official said. On Thursday, the UK’s chargé d’affaires in Tehran was summoned to the foreign ministry to hear Iranian complaints about the British allegations. “The UK stands by its statements,” the UK Foreign Office said in a statement. “We have seen credible information suggesting Iran is helping Syria with the suppression of protests there, including through the provision of expertise and equipment.” Syria Bashar Al-Assad Arab and Middle East unrest Middle East Turkey Refugees Martin Chulov Julian Borger guardian.co.uk
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• Thousands flee into Turkey in face of advance • Demonstrations met with gunfire, say activists The Syrian regime ordered its army to enter the besieged town of Jisr al-Shughour on Friday as pro-democracy demonstrations across the country were met with gunfire, leaving more than 20 dead, according to activists. Over the past few days refugees have flooded across the border into Turkey, where officials say almost 3,000 Syrians have made their way to camps to escape the fighting. Most have walked over rolling hills from the northern town that has been menaced all week by Syrian tanks and troops, who finally entered Jisr al-Shughour just after daybreak. Those who had reached Turkey were unable to contact those relatives that had stayed behind, with all lines to the town cut. Anecdotal reports suggested Jisr al-Shughour has been largely abandoned. There were no means of establishing what was taking place during the largest operation mounted by the Syrian army since the initial popular uprising of 15 March. The town – normally inhabited by 41,000 people – has become a focal point of the Syrian revolution ever since President Bashar al-Assad’s regime vowed to wreak vengeance on its mostly forsaken inhabitants, who the regime accuses of killing 120 government troops last weekend. Almost all its residents are now on the move. Two men who spoke with the Guardian in the southern Turkish village of Guvecci on Friday, less than an hour after they had crossed the border, said many hundreds were hiding in the 20 miles of hills and valleys between their home town and safety. Turkey said it would take in as many refugees as it needed to. The quid pro quo, however, continued to be that none of them were allowed to speak publicly about what they had endured. The Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has remained a staunch supporter of Assad throughout. However, Erdogan appeared to change tone on Thursday night, describing the situation in Syria as “appalling” and suggesting that Damascus had not taken seriously his most recent complaints. Despite mounting condemnation, there appeared to be no respite on Friday in the violence elsewhere in Syria, with human rights groups in Damascus claiming that up to 21 people had been killed at demonstrations across the country. The largest of them appeared to be in the capital, where activists reported that troops fired teargas and live rounds into numerous suburbs. Large protests were also held in Lattakia, Alleppo and Hama, where more than 60 demonstrators were killed the previous Friday. Friday, the first day of the weekend in Syria, when worshippers gather in mosques to pray, has been the bloodiest day of each of the past six weeks. Prayers have often spilled over into demonstrations, then marches, which had been outlawed for much of the past four decades as potential threats to the dictatorship. This Friday was no different, despite clear signs that the embattled regime was refusing to acknowledge international condemnation that this week led to attempts by Britain and France to introduce a resolution criticising Syrian leaders at the UN security council. Syrian refugees also continued to stream into Lebanon, where there were no restraints on them giving accounts of what had happened during clashes in their towns and villages. None of the residents from Jisr al-Shughour had seemingly tried to reach the Lebanese border, with nearly all having fled north, raising the spectre of a humanitarian crisis between the town and the Turkish border. “There are people still trying to get to the border who have no food or water,” said Hassan, an 18-year-old shopkeeper from Jisr al-Shughour, who claimed to have found a way across the frontier that he uses to resupply family members on the move. “I have been in this area for five days, coming and going, and there are more people travelling than before.” A clearer picture also began to emerge of the deadly series of battles that took place in Jisr al-Shughour last weekend, leading the government to vow revenge. The Guardian has spoken with six men who all said independently that some men with full beards and in civilian clothes stood alongside Syrian soldiers last Saturday as battles raged in the town. Their accounts could not be corroborated. But British officials on Friday reiterated a claim that the Syrian government is receiving advice and riot control equipment from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. Westminster said it had seen no evidence of Iran sending troops or paramilitaries to suppress Syrian protests directly. “That would be something new, that we have not been aware of, but we can’t rule it out,” one official said. On Thursday, the UK’s chargé d’affaires in Tehran was summoned to the foreign ministry to hear Iranian complaints about the British allegations. “The UK stands by its statements,” the UK Foreign Office said in a statement. “We have seen credible information suggesting Iran is helping Syria with the suppression of protests there, including through the provision of expertise and equipment.” Syria Bashar Al-Assad Arab and Middle East unrest Middle East Turkey Refugees Martin Chulov Julian Borger guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Fort Calhoun’s reactor has been closed since April for refueling. The plant had already been operating under a heightened level of alert because of nearby flooding on the Missouri River, the NRC said. They still don’t know what caused the fire: A fire in an electrical switch room on Tuesday briefly knocked out cooling for a pool holding spent nuclear fuel at the Fort Calhoun nuclear plant outside Omaha, Neb., plant officials said. The safety of deep pools used to store used radioactive fuel at nuclear plants has been an issue since the accident at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant in March. If the cooling water [for] a pool is lost, the used nuclear fuel could catch fire and release radiation. As ProPublica reported earlier, fire safety is a continuing concern at the country’s 104 commercial reactors, as is the volume of spent fuel piling up at plants. Officials at Fort Calhoun said the situation at their plant came nowhere near to Fukushima’s. They said it would have taken 88 hours for the heat produced by the fuel to boil away the cooling water. Workers restored cooling in about 90 minutes, and plant officials said the temperature in the pool only increased by two degrees. Okay, so it sounds like this was not a big deal. But we also know the NRC is a classic example of regulatory capture, and we’d have to count on them to tell us the truth about any nuclear crisis. Considering what we’ve seen of dangerous industries, ask yourself this question: Do you feel trusting?
Continue reading …Fort Calhoun’s reactor has been closed since April for refueling. The plant had already been operating under a heightened level of alert because of nearby flooding on the Missouri River, the NRC said. They still don’t know what caused the fire: A fire in an electrical switch room on Tuesday briefly knocked out cooling for a pool holding spent nuclear fuel at the Fort Calhoun nuclear plant outside Omaha, Neb., plant officials said. The safety of deep pools used to store used radioactive fuel at nuclear plants has been an issue since the accident at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant in March. If the cooling water [for] a pool is lost, the used nuclear fuel could catch fire and release radiation. As ProPublica reported earlier, fire safety is a continuing concern at the country’s 104 commercial reactors, as is the volume of spent fuel piling up at plants. Officials at Fort Calhoun said the situation at their plant came nowhere near to Fukushima’s. They said it would have taken 88 hours for the heat produced by the fuel to boil away the cooling water. Workers restored cooling in about 90 minutes, and plant officials said the temperature in the pool only increased by two degrees. Okay, so it sounds like this was not a big deal. But we also know the NRC is a classic example of regulatory capture, and we’d have to count on them to tell us the truth about any nuclear crisis. Considering what we’ve seen of dangerous industries, ask yourself this question: Do you feel trusting?
Continue reading …On Friday morning, the Daily Kos blogger with the byline Seneca Doane tried to have fun with the mass defection away from Newt Gingrich, satirically offering Newt his services in defeating the other GOP candidates. He was especially vicious with Herman Cain: “I'll admit it right up front — Cain scares me.
Continue reading …On Friday morning, the Daily Kos blogger with the byline Seneca Doane tried to have fun with the mass defection away from Newt Gingrich, satirically offering Newt his services in defeating the other GOP candidates. He was especially vicious with Herman Cain: “I'll admit it right up front — Cain scares me.
Continue reading …Gaddafi’s forces kill 22 rebels in Libyan city Misrata as conflict escalates
June 10, 2011 No Comment
Attack launched as a response to Thursday’s airstrikes by Nato helicopters on communications and military positions Muammar Gaddafi has raised the stakes in the conflict with Nato, responding to air strikes by Apache helicopters with the heaviest bombardment of the besieged rebel enclave of Misrata in two months. Rockets and mortar shells rained down on opposition positions around the ruined village of Dafniya, leaving 22 rebels dead, the highest toll since they took control of the city in mid-April. A stream of ambulances brought the dead and wounded to the city’s Hikma hospital. Bodies arrived with limbs missing, accompanied by the shouts of medics, the thud of Grad rockets and the wail of prayers from mosques. “The frontline is like hell,” said Feras Mohammed, a 20-year-old medic who accompanied a badly injured soldier in an ambulance. On the frontline, trees were set on fire by the constant stream of grads and rockets. Gaddafi’s forces launched an infantry attack supported by four tanks which was repulsed by rebel fighters, who then pushed on into Gaddafi-held territory for six miles. “We attacked them and caught two tanks which we destroyed,” said a fighter, Mohamed Khalid. Nato helicopters made a series of strikes on communications and military positions outside Misrata on Thursday night. But when Gaddafi forces replied with the morning attack, Nato planes were nowhere to be seen. Rebel commanders have repeatedly complained that Nato has ignored requests for air support. “The tanks were clear for Nato. I don’t know why Nato didn’t bomb. They were very easy to see,” said Khalid. Nearby, 20-year-old hospital porter Ali Buzet sat wailing after his cousin was brought in with wounds to his head, face, stomach and legs from a grad rocket strike. Standing amid the chaos dressed in a spotless white uniform and red headscarf, nurse Mona Felag was close to tears. “The only wounds are rocket wounds, rocket wounds and mortar wounds, no bullet wounds. That is how Gaddafi’s forces fight. They are not men, they are not real men.” The bombardment lasted all day. The thunder of rocket and mortar fire was so constant that for long periods the explosions blended into one long rumble. The failure of the alliance to counter the assault is likely to sharpen criticism that Nato, having refused permission for the rebels to acquire weapons of their own, is unable to protect them. Officials involved in the Nato campaign say the frustration on the ground reflects tension between what the insurgents want and the mandate laid out by the UN. “Nato nations are in Libya to protect civilians. The rebels have proved themselves to be very courageous but we are not there to act as their air force,” said one. Officials say they are concerned about creating a situation where civilians are caught up in chaotic fighting between rebels and Gaddafi’s forces. This has been heightened by fears of a lack of co-ordination between rebels and Nato commanders responsible for approving air strikes. Libya Middle East Arab and Middle East unrest Muammar Gaddafi Nato guardian.co.uk
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Reporters among 8,000 staff under most threat from World Service merger with News after licence fee deal BBC News tabled proposals for widespread cuts to its 8,000 news staff in the UK and abroad, as part a plan to make annual savings of £89m. Senior members were informed of the plans tabled by Helen Boaden, the director of BBC News, to make the savings by 2016-7 – with the bulk from cutting reporting jobs. The cuts amount to a 20% saving from a total budget of close to £500m. The BBC will also merge the previously separately funded BBC World Service into the main News division, as it contends with the consequences of a licence fee freeze agreed with the coalition government last autumn. Exact numbers of staff to be cut were not disclosed, but more detail is expected to be revealed next week when the proposals are fleshed out. However, if job losses were to match the 20% saving sought, more than 1,500 journalists may be forced to go. It is expected job losses will affect reporters on regional and domestic news as well as international field correspondents, who are most likely to be impacted by the News-World Service merger. The plan is that some World Service journalists will take over BBC News jobs. BBC News employs about 3,000 staff in London and overseas and a further 3,000 around the UK providing coverage in the nations and regions. The World Service employs an additional 2,000. “It should be remembered these are just proposals, they have not yet been taken to the BBC Trust and anything could happen,” said one source. “There may not be a viable argument that just because a World Service person is somewhere they can automatically step into a BBC News role”. BBC News and the World Service – for which the corporation is officially taking over funding from the Foreign Office in 2013 – are set to be brought together in the redeveloped Broadcasting House in central London. A large number of regional editors from the World Service are also thought likely to go. The channel is also planning to air fewer features and outside broadcasts using a lot of resource, such as truck-based broadcasting, which are very expensive to operate. Martin Bell, the former BBC foreign correspondent, said in an article for the British Journalism Review that the BBC needed to cut back on the “expensive and wasteful practice” of sending news anchors such as Huw Edwards “somewhere near the scene of a news event and pretending that this adds value and authenticity”. Other savings being suggested include cutting specific business and sports segments in bulletins and programmes such as Today and instead using specialist reporters – such as Robert Peston, the business editor, or David Bond, the sports editor, to fill in as required The BBC Trust is thought to be informally aware of the proposals although it will not officially receive a full detailed plan until next month. “We are not going to get drawn into a running commentary, no decisions have been taken and therefore these claims remain speculation,” said a spokesman for BBC News. “Any decisions coming out of the process would be subject to approval by the BBC Trust.” In April MediaGuardian.co.uk revealed internal documents that outlined a range of ideas for cost-saving including a “slimmed-down” BBC News channel concentrating on “developing news and headlines” and increasing commercial income from its journalism. Other proposals being discussed include making the BBC Parliament channel, the most expensive the BBC operates in terms of the number of viewers that it obtains, “more cost effective and accessible” and making more money from selling BBC News output to overseas broadcasters “without damaging our brand and reputation”. BBC BBC World Service BBC licence fee Helen Boaden Radio industry Television industry BBC Trust Mark Sweney guardian.co.uk
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enlarge There are denials flurrying around, but it’s still being reported as fact by Reuters : Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in talks to become the president of the World Bank, Reuters’s Lesley Wroughton reports. Clinton’s spokesman Philippe Reines offered a denial to Reuters and has been offering strong quotes to other outlets. He told NBC , “It’s 100% untrue, Reuters is wrong. That’s on the record.” According to Reuters, which cited three different “sources familiar with the discussions,” Clinton would leave the Obama administration next year to lead the organization. Clinton has previously said she wants to leave her post at the State Department at the end of President Obama’s first term. When asked early last year if she could imagine staying in the job for another four years, she answered, “No, I really can’t.” She also said she was “absolutely not interested” in seeking the U.S. presidency again. Actually, this makes sense in many ways. The head of the World Bank is traditionally an American. And the current president, Robert Zoellick, was seated in 2007 for his five year term. At 63, she’s certainly more than up for the challenges of the office and remain an important figure on the international scene–this was Paul Wolfowitz’s old position, don’t forget. And it leaves her conveniently unavailable in 2016 to run for the Presidency, which at 68 would be more strenuous than she would like.
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