Yemen slides towards all-out war after President Saleh survives rocket attack
June 3, 2011 No Comment
Government claims attack on presidential compound was ‘attempted coup’ as fighting intensifies in Sana’a Yemen’s embattled president survived an apparent attempt to kill him on Friday as fighting intensified in Sana’a amidst warnings that the country is sliding inexorably into all-out war. Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has ruled Yemen for 32 years, emerged defiant from his compound in the capital after it was attacked: shells or a missile hit a mosque inside, killing three guards and a cleric and lightly injuring him and two other senior government figures. The incident fuelled growing anxieties that the Arab uprisings, which have have brought dramatic changes to Egypt and Tunisia, is turning Yemen — already the Arab world’s poorest country — into something far more volatile and dangerous. The government was quick to accuse Saleh’s bitter rival, Hamid al-Ahmar of the opposition Islah party, of launching the attack, and government forces immediately shelled his mansion in Sana’a. “The al-Ahmars have committed a great crime, and crossed a red line,” said Tareq al-Shami, a government spokesman. “This was an attempted coup, and the government will take all necessary measures.” Sadeq al-Ahmar, head of the powerful Hashid tribal federation, blamed Saleh himself for the shelling, saying it was carried out to help justify the government’s escalation of streetfighting in the capital. Saleh, who was treated at a military hospital, was reported to be preparing to give a press conference later. Claims of his death were first reported by an oppostion TV station and made headlines around the world before being denied. Abdul Ghani al-Iryani, a Yemeni political analyst, told al-Jazeera it was “quite reasonable to assume” that Ahmar’s fighters were behind the palace attack. “[The tribesmen] probably wanted him to know that [Saleh] can no longer attack them with impunity, and that they can reach him as he can reach them,” Iryani said. Other regional analysts say the chances for a democratic or peaceful transition of power in Yemen are slim. It was a violent end to a violent week. On Thursday government jets strafed roads and villages north of Sana’a as thousands of tribesmen tried to enter the capital to fight Saleh loyalists. Residents described an atmosphere of fear and alarm at food shortages and rising prices. Saleh has reneged on a deal brokered by Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states under which he would step down in return for an amnesty to be followed by free elections. The US, which has leaned on the Yemeni leader in its fight against al-Qaida, has increased pressure for Saleh to go, blaming the bloodshed on his backpedalling from the agreement. Britain and the EU are also pushing hard for him to implement it. The latest violence is likely to persuade neighbouring Saudi Arabia, which has strong ties with the Yemeni tribes, to strongly press Saleh to step aside, and so avert disaster in a country where half of the 23 million people owns a gun. The attack on the president came after Friday prayers, with heavy artillery repeatedly striking the presidential compound and shaking nearby buildings. The streets were deserted after many residents fled the city for the safety of nearby villages. “People there were happy to hear that he [the president] had been killed, but then the government denied that,” said Ibrahim Mothana, 22, a student. “It means we will experience an escalation and it will probably be more violent.” Another resident told the Guardian: “The streets are empty. I managed to go out yesterday to buy some food but the prices are going up daily. In the street where I live all the families have gone back to their villages and just left a family member to stay behind to look after the house. There must be more than 100,000 in total who have left the city.” The US emphasised the need for an orderly and peaceful transfer of power. “Violence cannot resolve the issues that confront Yemen, and today’s events cannot be a justification for a new round of fighting,” a White House spokesman said. President Barack Obama’s counterterrorism adviser, John Brennan, spent two days this week trying to peruade the Saudis and the UAE to boost efforts to help bring an end to Yemen’s violence. On Thursday, the official Yemeni news agency said the government was, again, willing to endorse the Gulf-brokered transition agreement. Yemen Middle East Ian Black guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Yemen slides towards all-out war after President Saleh survives rocket attack
June 3, 2011 No CommentGovernment claims attack on presidential compound was ‘attempted coup’ as fighting intensifies in Sana’a Yemen’s embattled president survived an apparent attempt to kill him on Friday as fighting intensified in Sana’a amidst warnings that the country is sliding inexorably into all-out war. Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has ruled Yemen for 32 years, emerged defiant from his compound in the capital after it was attacked: shells or a missile hit a mosque inside, killing three guards and a cleric and lightly injuring him and two other senior government figures. The incident fuelled growing anxieties that the Arab uprisings, which have have brought dramatic changes to Egypt and Tunisia, is turning Yemen — already the Arab world’s poorest country — into something far more volatile and dangerous. The government was quick to accuse Saleh’s bitter rival, Hamid al-Ahmar of the opposition Islah party, of launching the attack, and government forces immediately shelled his mansion in Sana’a. “The al-Ahmars have committed a great crime, and crossed a red line,” said Tareq al-Shami, a government spokesman. “This was an attempted coup, and the government will take all necessary measures.” Sadeq al-Ahmar, head of the powerful Hashid tribal federation, blamed Saleh himself for the shelling, saying it was carried out to help justify the government’s escalation of streetfighting in the capital. Saleh, who was treated at a military hospital, was reported to be preparing to give a press conference later. Claims of his death were first reported by an oppostion TV station and made headlines around the world before being denied. Abdul Ghani al-Iryani, a Yemeni political analyst, told al-Jazeera it was “quite reasonable to assume” that Ahmar’s fighters were behind the palace attack. “[The tribesmen] probably wanted him to know that [Saleh] can no longer attack them with impunity, and that they can reach him as he can reach them,” Iryani said. Other regional analysts say the chances for a democratic or peaceful transition of power in Yemen are slim. It was a violent end to a violent week. On Thursday government jets strafed roads and villages north of Sana’a as thousands of tribesmen tried to enter the capital to fight Saleh loyalists. Residents described an atmosphere of fear and alarm at food shortages and rising prices. Saleh has reneged on a deal brokered by Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states under which he would step down in return for an amnesty to be followed by free elections. The US, which has leaned on the Yemeni leader in its fight against al-Qaida, has increased pressure for Saleh to go, blaming the bloodshed on his backpedalling from the agreement. Britain and the EU are also pushing hard for him to implement it. The latest violence is likely to persuade neighbouring Saudi Arabia, which has strong ties with the Yemeni tribes, to strongly press Saleh to step aside, and so avert disaster in a country where half of the 23 million people owns a gun. The attack on the president came after Friday prayers, with heavy artillery repeatedly striking the presidential compound and shaking nearby buildings. The streets were deserted after many residents fled the city for the safety of nearby villages. “People there were happy to hear that he [the president] had been killed, but then the government denied that,” said Ibrahim Mothana, 22, a student. “It means we will experience an escalation and it will probably be more violent.” Another resident told the Guardian: “The streets are empty. I managed to go out yesterday to buy some food but the prices are going up daily. In the street where I live all the families have gone back to their villages and just left a family member to stay behind to look after the house. There must be more than 100,000 in total who have left the city.” The US emphasised the need for an orderly and peaceful transfer of power. “Violence cannot resolve the issues that confront Yemen, and today’s events cannot be a justification for a new round of fighting,” a White House spokesman said. President Barack Obama’s counterterrorism adviser, John Brennan, spent two days this week trying to peruade the Saudis and the UAE to boost efforts to help bring an end to Yemen’s violence. On Thursday, the official Yemeni news agency said the government was, again, willing to endorse the Gulf-brokered transition agreement. Yemen Middle East Ian Black guardian.co.uk
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Ralph Reed is back and has been on the campaign circuit raising lots and lots of money for his new, shiny, religious right PAC, the Faith and Freedom Coalition . If you’d like to see him in action, tune into CSPAN tomorrow for his shiny new conference, featuring such faithful stalwarts as Mitt Romney, Herman Cain and Glenn Beck. But just in case you may not be familiar with Ralph Reed, let me share a small excerpt from the Jack Abramoff hearings a few years back, when Kent Conrad had his shot at him: I was struck by the article in the Washington Post on Sunday. The beginning paragraph says Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff and public relations consultant Michael Scanlon quietly worked with conservative religious activist Ralph Reed to help the State of Texas shut down an Indian tribe casino in 2002. Then the two quickly persuaded the tribe to pay $4.2 million to try to get Congress to reopen it. If this is not cynical behavior, I do not know what is. On the one hand, it turns out Scanlon and Abramoff paid Ralph Reed $4 million to conduct a campaign to close down a casino, at the very time they are asking the casino to hire them so that it can get reopened. One week later, after Mr. Abramoff met with the Tiguas who were in danger of getting their casino shut down, a Texas consultant employed by the tribe thanked Abramoff for his visit and said he would push his proposal. Abramoff forwarded the e-mail to Scanlon with the message, ‘‘This guy needs us to save his ass.’’ It goes on to say, Ralph Reed, the conservative religious leader, was paid $4.2 million by Abramoff and Scanlon for his work opposing several tribal casinos. There is an e-mail traffic that is laid out in the paper in which Abramoff writes to Ralph Reed, ‘‘Great. Thanks, Ralph. We should continue to pile on until the place is shuttered,’’ referring to the casino. Ralph Reed’s job was simple: Get the grassroots stirred up and shaken so they would get active and oppose whatever it was his firm, Century Strategies, was paid to oppose. His partner, Tim Phillips, now director of Freedomworks, worked alongside Reed, but the strategies and interaction with Abramoff was strictly between Reed, Abramoff and Scanlon. Ralph Reed should have gone to jail along with his buddy Jack, and by all rights ought to be slinging pizza in the outer reaches of south Georgia right about now. Instead, he’s taken a run at the Lieutenant Governor spot in Georgia and runs Century Strategies, and now the Faith and Freedom Coalition as well. He is not repentant. He makes no apologies for what he did. Also? He made millions. I’m telling you all of this so you’ll understand why I firmly believe this Think Progress article is just the tip of the Ralph Reed iceberg. It illustrates how cynical, brazen and corrupt these people are. Lee Fang has been digging at the money thrown around to oppose net neutrality, and came up with Ralph Reed on the end of his hook. However, little is known about Reed’s work reviving his business as an astroturf lobbyist. According to documents obtained by ThinkProgress, the National Cable and Telecom Association (NCTA), a trade association that represents cable providers like Comcast and Qwest Communications, has provided Reed’s lobbying firm with at least $3,462,117 worth of contracts in the last three years alone. Century Strategies, the firm founded by Reed and fellow astroturf lobbyist Tim Phillips in 1997, received the contracts for what NCTA deemed “legal and advertising” services. View a screenshot of the relevant documents here and here . Here’s the thing. Century Strategies vigorously denies any involvement with the cable industry and claims they have done no work on their behalf. If that’s the case, why did NCTA pay the firm over $3 million dollars ? There’s a couple of possibilities. Most obvious choice: The firm did not lobby on behalf of NCTA, but was used as a conduit to stir up grassroots opposition to regulatory and legislative efforts to establish net neutrality guidelines. Fang: The business of asking corporations to donate to conservative nonprofits for stealth lobbying campaigns has been a winning model for Reed since he was in his early 20s. As Thomas Frank detailed in his book “ The Wrecking Crew ,” Reed got his start in college via the United Students of America Foundation. As a College Republican, Reed would collect money from corporate interests hoping to destroy campus-based Public Interest Research Groups (consumer action groups better known as PIRGs). As PIRGs fought to enact regulations on polluters, Reed and his college-aged buddies, including Abramoff and Grover Norquist, would solicit the same polluters to donate to their nonprofits to do battle with the do-gooders at PIRG. To be clear, there’s no direct chain from Reed to NCTA. But he is a partner in Century Strategies, is close to Tim Phillips at Freedomworks, and has a long history of creating astroturf opposition. Out of all of this, two things make me want to scream. First, that Reed is not serving a very long jail sentence, but that he’s living like a high holy roller sponsoring conferences where he snags the Republican primary contenders en masse. And second, that people allow themselves to be fooled over and over again by that nice-looking boy with the Bible tucked under his arm into being stirred up and called to action for interests completely against their own. Update: 1:00 am : Matt Drudge just linked up this rather strange Washington Examiner article accusing the FCC of colluding with Free Press on net neutrality. More distractions, I’d say, given the Republican habit of doing what they like to accuse others of doing. The article’s author is Conn Carroll , Assistant Director of strategic communications for the Heritage Foundation. (The Examiner fails to note that on the article, by the way). I’d say Carroll’s diversionary tactic is an effort at strategic communication, but that it failed.
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Ralph Reed is back and has been on the campaign circuit raising lots and lots of money for his new, shiny, religious right PAC, the Faith and Freedom Coalition . If you’d like to see him in action, tune into CSPAN tomorrow for his shiny new conference, featuring such faithful stalwarts as Mitt Romney, Herman Cain and Glenn Beck. But just in case you may not be familiar with Ralph Reed, let me share a small excerpt from the Jack Abramoff hearings a few years back, when Kent Conrad had his shot at him: I was struck by the article in the Washington Post on Sunday. The beginning paragraph says Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff and public relations consultant Michael Scanlon quietly worked with conservative religious activist Ralph Reed to help the State of Texas shut down an Indian tribe casino in 2002. Then the two quickly persuaded the tribe to pay $4.2 million to try to get Congress to reopen it. If this is not cynical behavior, I do not know what is. On the one hand, it turns out Scanlon and Abramoff paid Ralph Reed $4 million to conduct a campaign to close down a casino, at the very time they are asking the casino to hire them so that it can get reopened. One week later, after Mr. Abramoff met with the Tiguas who were in danger of getting their casino shut down, a Texas consultant employed by the tribe thanked Abramoff for his visit and said he would push his proposal. Abramoff forwarded the e-mail to Scanlon with the message, ‘‘This guy needs us to save his ass.’’ It goes on to say, Ralph Reed, the conservative religious leader, was paid $4.2 million by Abramoff and Scanlon for his work opposing several tribal casinos. There is an e-mail traffic that is laid out in the paper in which Abramoff writes to Ralph Reed, ‘‘Great. Thanks, Ralph. We should continue to pile on until the place is shuttered,’’ referring to the casino. Ralph Reed’s job was simple: Get the grassroots stirred up and shaken so they would get active and oppose whatever it was his firm, Century Strategies, was paid to oppose. His partner, Tim Phillips, now director of Freedomworks, worked alongside Reed, but the strategies and interaction with Abramoff was strictly between Reed, Abramoff and Scanlon. Ralph Reed should have gone to jail along with his buddy Jack, and by all rights ought to be slinging pizza in the outer reaches of south Georgia right about now. Instead, he’s taken a run at the Lieutenant Governor spot in Georgia and runs Century Strategies, and now the Faith and Freedom Coalition as well. He is not repentant. He makes no apologies for what he did. Also? He made millions. I’m telling you all of this so you’ll understand why I firmly believe this Think Progress article is just the tip of the Ralph Reed iceberg. It illustrates how cynical, brazen and corrupt these people are. Lee Fang has been digging at the money thrown around to oppose net neutrality, and came up with Ralph Reed on the end of his hook. However, little is known about Reed’s work reviving his business as an astroturf lobbyist. According to documents obtained by ThinkProgress, the National Cable and Telecom Association (NCTA), a trade association that represents cable providers like Comcast and Qwest Communications, has provided Reed’s lobbying firm with at least $3,462,117 worth of contracts in the last three years alone. Century Strategies, the firm founded by Reed and fellow astroturf lobbyist Tim Phillips in 1997, received the contracts for what NCTA deemed “legal and advertising” services. View a screenshot of the relevant documents here and here . Here’s the thing. Century Strategies vigorously denies any involvement with the cable industry and claims they have done no work on their behalf. If that’s the case, why did NCTA pay the firm over $3 million dollars ? There’s a couple of possibilities. Most obvious choice: The firm did not lobby on behalf of NCTA, but was used as a conduit to stir up grassroots opposition to regulatory and legislative efforts to establish net neutrality guidelines. Fang: The business of asking corporations to donate to conservative nonprofits for stealth lobbying campaigns has been a winning model for Reed since he was in his early 20s. As Thomas Frank detailed in his book “ The Wrecking Crew ,” Reed got his start in college via the United Students of America Foundation. As a College Republican, Reed would collect money from corporate interests hoping to destroy campus-based Public Interest Research Groups (consumer action groups better known as PIRGs). As PIRGs fought to enact regulations on polluters, Reed and his college-aged buddies, including Abramoff and Grover Norquist, would solicit the same polluters to donate to their nonprofits to do battle with the do-gooders at PIRG. To be clear, there’s no direct chain from Reed to NCTA. But he is a partner in Century Strategies, is close to Tim Phillips at Freedomworks, and has a long history of creating astroturf opposition. Out of all of this, two things make me want to scream. First, that Reed is not serving a very long jail sentence, but that he’s living like a high holy roller sponsoring conferences where he snags the Republican primary contenders en masse. And second, that people allow themselves to be fooled over and over again by that nice-looking boy with the Bible tucked under his arm into being stirred up and called to action for interests completely against their own. Update: 1:00 am : Matt Drudge just linked up this rather strange Washington Examiner article accusing the FCC of colluding with Free Press on net neutrality. More distractions, I’d say, given the Republican habit of doing what they like to accuse others of doing. The article’s author is Conn Carroll , Assistant Director of strategic communications for the Heritage Foundation. (The Examiner fails to note that on the article, by the way). I’d say Carroll’s diversionary tactic is an effort at strategic communication, but that it failed.
Continue reading …NBC: Stimulus Started Economic ‘Healing,’ Auto Bailout Was a ‘Gutsy Call’ by Obama
June 3, 2011 No Comment
An otherwise straightforward report on bad economic news on Friday's NBC Today cited economist Diane Swonk, who argued government stimulus prevented things from getting worse: “We basically had a massive coronary during the financial crisis….Financial stimulus and monetary stimulus, you know, got us to the stage where we're healing but we're in still in a lot of rehab.” Correspondent Tom Costello set up the sound bite by declaring: “To get things moving, the government has already cut payroll taxes while the Fed has
Continue reading …Incoming NYT Editor Recalls Considering Paper ‘Absolute Truth’; Times Scrubs Quote
June 3, 2011 No Comment
Some time on Thursday, the New York Times scrubbed a very telling quote from its website. “In my house growing up,” said the paper's new executive editor, Jill Abramson, “The Times substituted for religion. If The Times said it, it was the absolute truth.” Well isn't that nice. The paper's new head hancho was indoctrinated in Times-ology from childhood. When someone says they read the paper “religiously,” we tend to think of it as a figure of speech. No so for Abramson. The paper was apparently her veritable scripture. Does she still feel that way? Well, since being tapped for chief editor, Abramson said it was like ” ascending to Valhalla .” The Times must have realized how this sounded. National Review's Jay Nordlinger noticed late Thursday night that the quote no longer appeared in the online version of the story. To date, readers have not been notified of the change. This sort of divine reverence for a news outlet is all the more ironic, given the criticism leveled at Roger Ailes of late for the apparent devotion he commands among Fox News employees. Rolling Stone even compared Ailes to Chairman Mao in a recent profile. Meanwhile, the new boss at the Times admitted to drawing the divine word from the paper's pages. For all the whining about people supposedly accepting Fox's spin at face value, we hear very little about the near-fanatical faith the left places in its flagship newspaper.
Continue reading …Incoming NYT Editor Recalls Considering Paper ‘Absolute Truth’; Times Scrubs Quote
June 3, 2011 No CommentSome time on Thursday, the New York Times scrubbed a very telling quote from its website. “In my house growing up,” said the paper's new executive editor, Jill Abramson, “The Times substituted for religion. If The Times said it, it was the absolute truth.” Well isn't that nice. The paper's new head hancho was indoctrinated in Times-ology from childhood. When someone says they read the paper “religiously,” we tend to think of it as a figure of speech. No so for Abramson. The paper was apparently her veritable scripture. Does she still feel that way? Well, since being tapped for chief editor, Abramson said it was like ” ascending to Valhalla .” The Times must have realized how this sounded. National Review's Jay Nordlinger noticed late Thursday night that the quote no longer appeared in the online version of the story. To date, readers have not been notified of the change. This sort of divine reverence for a news outlet is all the more ironic, given the criticism leveled at Roger Ailes of late for the apparent devotion he commands among Fox News employees. Rolling Stone even compared Ailes to Chairman Mao in a recent profile. Meanwhile, the new boss at the Times admitted to drawing the divine word from the paper's pages. For all the whining about people supposedly accepting Fox's spin at face value, we hear very little about the near-fanatical faith the left places in its flagship newspaper.
Continue reading …Bahrain gets go-ahead for grand prix as rights activists condemn F1 decision
June 3, 2011 No Comment
FIA chiefs reinstate Bahrain grand prix after original race was postponed because of clashes between protesters and regime Bahrain was granted permission to stage the most coveted event on its calendar – the Formula One Grand Prix – in a move that has drawn condemnation from rights groups angered by a three-month crackdown against anti-regime protesters. The event, to be held in October, was originally scheduled for March but was postponed as clashes intensified between the country’s majority Shia population and security forces who were heavily backed by the militaries of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states. Public pressure on organisers to not reschedule the race had been intense, with a Facebook campaign calling for a cancellation drawing 320,000 signatures. At least one quarter of staff from the Grand Prix’s organising committee, Bahrain International Circuit – all of them Shia – were sacked in April after being accused of taking part in anti-government demonstrations. Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone had earlier indicated that staging the race in Bahrain would be difficult if widespread allegations of discrimination and torture against civilians were proven. Sports teams had lobbied Ecclestone and Formula One executives not to hold the event, citing numerous human rights violations. The sport’s organising body, the FIA, said yesterday: “After considering all the factors and taking into consideration all stakeholders’ concerns, the World Motor Sport Council unanimously agreed to reinstate the Bahrain Grand Prix … this decision reflects the spirit of reconciliation in Bahrain, which is evident from the strong support the race receives from the government and all major parties in Bahrain, including the largest opposition group, all of whom endorse the Formula One grand prix and motorsport in the country. The decision has enraged human rights activists. Alex Wilks, the Avaaz campaign director whose online poll to ban the race was backed by hundreds of thousands of people including former world champion Damon Hill, said: “Formula One’s decision is a kick in the teeth for the Bahraini people. The race will happen in a country where government troops continue to shoot and arrest peaceful protesters. “Money has trumped human rights and good judgment, so now Formula One, plus Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari and every other team will be directly linked with a bloody crackdown that’s ruined the lives of hundreds of innocent people.” Amnesty International yesterday claimed serious human rights abuses continue to be committed in Bahrain. It said more than 2,000 people had been suspended or sacked from public and private sector jobs because they had been involved in protests. Zayad R al-Zayani, the chairman of the Bahrain International Circuit, hailed the FIA decision. “This is welcome news for all of Bahrain. As a country we have faced a difficult time, but stability has returned; with businesses operating close to normal, the State of National Safety lifted and countries removing travel restrictions. “Importantly, it will also offer a significant boost to the economy. The Grand Prix attracts 100,000 visitors, supports 3,000 jobs and generates around $500m of economic benefit. Its positive effect will be felt throughout the country.” Three months of martial law imposed by the ruling monarchy was lifted this week, but recriminations from the anti-regime protests that have paralysed the kingdom are still being played out. Some of those arrested are still being tried in secret by a powerful judicial body set up under emergency laws. Several dozen doctors and nurses remain under arrest. And Bahrain’s Human Rights Watch claims the number of people detained could top 1,000. Clashes have continued in the four days since martial law was lifted, though not on the same scale as the running battles seen in mid-February and March. Security forces again fired rubber bullets and bird shot at demonstrators in several parts of Manama on Friday. Authorities have been pursuing Shia opposition supporters who staged street marches to demand greater freedoms, equal rights and an elected government in the island kingdom. As the violence intensified, the calls for reform became calls for an overthrow of the 200-year-old Sunni dynasty, which demonstrators say actively discriminates against the country’s majority Shia population. The kingdom accused Iran of inciting the demonstrations and invited in Saudi forces under heavy pressure from Riyadh to help quell dissent. The Formula One Teams’ Association – which represents 11 of the marques, with Hispania Racing the exception – is to look into the FIA decision. A McLaren spokesperson said: “All FOTA teams, of which McLaren is one, acknowledge the decision made by the FIA World Motor Sport Council today. That decision is likely to be discussed internally within FOTA, and a more detailed joint position may be defined after those discussions have taken place.” Hill, the 1996 world champion, and Max Mosley, the former FIA president, have both called for the Bahrain race to be abandoned, while Red Bull’s Mark Webber is the only driver to speak out against the country hosting the race. Formula One Bahrain Middle East Motor sport Paul Weaver Martin Chulov guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Bahrain gets go-ahead for grand prix as rights activists condemn F1 decision
June 3, 2011 No CommentFIA chiefs reinstate Bahrain grand prix after original race was postponed because of clashes between protesters and regime Bahrain was granted permission to stage the most coveted event on its calendar – the Formula One Grand Prix – in a move that has drawn condemnation from rights groups angered by a three-month crackdown against anti-regime protesters. The event, to be held in October, was originally scheduled for March but was postponed as clashes intensified between the country’s majority Shia population and security forces who were heavily backed by the militaries of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states. Public pressure on organisers to not reschedule the race had been intense, with a Facebook campaign calling for a cancellation drawing 320,000 signatures. At least one quarter of staff from the Grand Prix’s organising committee, Bahrain International Circuit – all of them Shia – were sacked in April after being accused of taking part in anti-government demonstrations. Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone had earlier indicated that staging the race in Bahrain would be difficult if widespread allegations of discrimination and torture against civilians were proven. Sports teams had lobbied Ecclestone and Formula One executives not to hold the event, citing numerous human rights violations. The sport’s organising body, the FIA, said yesterday: “After considering all the factors and taking into consideration all stakeholders’ concerns, the World Motor Sport Council unanimously agreed to reinstate the Bahrain Grand Prix … this decision reflects the spirit of reconciliation in Bahrain, which is evident from the strong support the race receives from the government and all major parties in Bahrain, including the largest opposition group, all of whom endorse the Formula One grand prix and motorsport in the country. The decision has enraged human rights activists. Alex Wilks, the Avaaz campaign director whose online poll to ban the race was backed by hundreds of thousands of people including former world champion Damon Hill, said: “Formula One’s decision is a kick in the teeth for the Bahraini people. The race will happen in a country where government troops continue to shoot and arrest peaceful protesters. “Money has trumped human rights and good judgment, so now Formula One, plus Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari and every other team will be directly linked with a bloody crackdown that’s ruined the lives of hundreds of innocent people.” Amnesty International yesterday claimed serious human rights abuses continue to be committed in Bahrain. It said more than 2,000 people had been suspended or sacked from public and private sector jobs because they had been involved in protests. Zayad R al-Zayani, the chairman of the Bahrain International Circuit, hailed the FIA decision. “This is welcome news for all of Bahrain. As a country we have faced a difficult time, but stability has returned; with businesses operating close to normal, the State of National Safety lifted and countries removing travel restrictions. “Importantly, it will also offer a significant boost to the economy. The Grand Prix attracts 100,000 visitors, supports 3,000 jobs and generates around $500m of economic benefit. Its positive effect will be felt throughout the country.” Three months of martial law imposed by the ruling monarchy was lifted this week, but recriminations from the anti-regime protests that have paralysed the kingdom are still being played out. Some of those arrested are still being tried in secret by a powerful judicial body set up under emergency laws. Several dozen doctors and nurses remain under arrest. And Bahrain’s Human Rights Watch claims the number of people detained could top 1,000. Clashes have continued in the four days since martial law was lifted, though not on the same scale as the running battles seen in mid-February and March. Security forces again fired rubber bullets and bird shot at demonstrators in several parts of Manama on Friday. Authorities have been pursuing Shia opposition supporters who staged street marches to demand greater freedoms, equal rights and an elected government in the island kingdom. As the violence intensified, the calls for reform became calls for an overthrow of the 200-year-old Sunni dynasty, which demonstrators say actively discriminates against the country’s majority Shia population. The kingdom accused Iran of inciting the demonstrations and invited in Saudi forces under heavy pressure from Riyadh to help quell dissent. The Formula One Teams’ Association – which represents 11 of the marques, with Hispania Racing the exception – is to look into the FIA decision. A McLaren spokesperson said: “All FOTA teams, of which McLaren is one, acknowledge the decision made by the FIA World Motor Sport Council today. That decision is likely to be discussed internally within FOTA, and a more detailed joint position may be defined after those discussions have taken place.” Hill, the 1996 world champion, and Max Mosley, the former FIA president, have both called for the Bahrain race to be abandoned, while Red Bull’s Mark Webber is the only driver to speak out against the country hosting the race. Formula One Bahrain Middle East Motor sport Paul Weaver Martin Chulov guardian.co.uk
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As Nato continues strikes on Tripoli, US expresses concerns for the safety of Iman al-Obeidi A Libyan woman who claimed she was gang-raped by Muammar Gaddafi’s troops has been deported from Qatar, where she sought refuge, and is now in the rebel stronghold of Benghazi, a UN official has said. Her expulsion casts light on one of the most widely covered alleged abuses by Gaddafi’s forces. Meanwhile Nato continued its relentless nightly bombing raids on Libyan military and security bases, backing rebels who are trying to unseat the Libyan dictator after a four-decade rule. A series of at least 10 strikes hit targets in and around the Libyan capital early on Friday. The attacks targeted military barracks close to Gaddafi’s sprawling compound in central Tripoli, a police station and a military base, according to a government official speaking on condition of anonymity. He said it was not immediately clear if there were any casualties. The US government expressed concern for the safety of the Libyan woman, Iman al-Obeidi. In March, al-Obeidi rushed into Tripoli’s Rixos hotel where all foreign correspondents are forced to stay while covering the part of Libya under Gaddafi’s control, and shouted out her story of being stopped at a checkpoint, dragged away and gang-raped by soldiers. As she spoke, and as photographers and reporters recorded her words, government minders whose job is to escort reporters around the area, dragged her away. She disappeared for several days, then turned up in Tunisia and later Qatar. Little was heard from her until Thursday, when she was suddenly expelled from Qatar and ended up in Benghazi, the Libyan rebels’ de facto capital. No explanation was forthcoming from Qatar. Rebel spokesman Jalal el-Gallal said al-Obeidi arrived in Benghazi by plane. “She’s welcome to stay, this is her country,” el-Gallal told the Associated Press. The UN refugee agency’s Sybella Wilkes said al-Obeidi should have been allowed to stay in Qatar, and her deportation runs contrary to international law. Al-Obeidi “is a recognized refugee, and we don’t consider there is any good reason for her deportation,” Wilkes told AP. US state department spokesman Mark Toner said the US was “monitoring the situation” and working to ensure al-Obeidi’s safety. “We’re going to work to make sure that she’s kept safe, first and foremost, and that she finds appropriate asylum,” Toner told reporters in Washington on Thursday. Libyan authorities have alternately labeled her a drunk, a prostitute and a thief. Al-Obeidi has maintained that she was targeted by Gaddafi’s troops because she is from Benghazi, the rebel stronghold. Human rights violations are one aspect of the rebels’ complaints against the Gaddafi regime. This week a report by a UN body said it found evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity by Gaddafi’s government, and also charged that the rebels have committed abuses. Four of the early morning blasts on Friday shook and rattled the city, targeting an area where military barracks are located, said the government official. Those barracks, which had been hit in the past, are close to the sprawling compound of the Libyan leader. The blasts shook windows of the hotel where reporters stay in Tripoli. The official said it wasn’t immediately clear if there were any casualties. Six earlier strikes targeted a police station and a military base outside of Tripoli in the areas of Hera and Aziziya, said the official. The strikes appeared to be the heaviest to hit Tripoli since South African president Jacob Zuma visited Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in the capital last week in an effort to find a peaceful resolution to the country’s crisis. Libya Iman al-Obeidi Muammar Gaddafi Arab and Middle East unrest Qatar Middle East Africa guardian.co.uk
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