Author's posts
Jul 26 2009
Weekend News Digest
Weekend News Digest is an Open Thread
Now with World and U.S. News.
1 First results due Monday in Iraqi Kurd election
By Tim Cocks and Shamal Aqrawi, Reuters
Sun Jul 26, 11:28 am ET
| ARBIL, Iraq (Reuters) – Preliminary results of elections in Iraqi Kurdistan, widely expected to keep two ruling parties in power despite an unprecedented opposition challenge, will be announced on Monday, Iraq’s electoral commission said.
Kurdish opposition groups are complaining of violations in Saturday’s parliamentary and presidential vote, the first time Kurds have directly elected a leader of their mostly autonomous region, but voting officials say the poll was largely sound. Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) said the preliminary results would come on Monday evening, according to a statement from the government’s media center. |
Jul 25 2009
Weekend News Digest
Weekend News Digest is an Open Thread
| From Yahoo News Top Stories |
1 Iraqi Kurds end voting as feud with Baghdad looms
By Tim Cocks and Shamal Aqrawi, Reuters
1 hr 33 mins ago
| ARBIL, Iraq (Reuters) – Iraqi Kurds ended voting on Saturday in elections expected to keep President Masoud Barzani in power in Kurdistan and unlikely to allay voters’ worries about corruption or end a feud with Baghdad over land and oil.
Polls closed at 12:00 p.m. EDT (1600 GMT) after voting was extended one hour in the largely autonomous region. Ballots will be counted in Baghdad, the official tally expected to take at least 2-3 days. The people of the relatively peaceful northern enclave elected their president directly this time, unlike in 2005 polls that voted only for parliament. Former guerrilla leader Barzani looks certain to defeat his five competitors. |
Jul 25 2009
A message from Turkana-
Tomorrow (TODAY!– ek), Saturday July 25, demonstrations will be held in over 105 cities, from six continents, to protest the Iranian government’s brutal crackdown, in the aftermath of the recent election. This is a cause that should unite us all, including our Republican lurkers. It is not about lobbying various governments, and it is not about lobbying our own government. It is a statement by people for the people of Iran. Click this link, to find out where and when demonstrations will be held.
From the official website:
Nobel Peace Laureates, prominent Iranian poets & artists, and many others support the global day of action: Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Shirin Ebadi, Sean Penn, Dariush, Jody Williams, Betty Williams, Mairead Maguire, Adolfo Perez Esquivel, Rigoberta Menchu Tum, Simin Behbahani, and Ismael Khoii. Dariush to Perform at DC Rally!
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu:
And the press release:
Human rights activists are organizing a coordinated Global Day of Action on July 25, 2009 to demand respect for the human rights of the Iranian people and to demonstrate worldwide solidarity with the civil rights movement in Iran. Major human rights organizations have sponsored the event.
Around the world, people will gather in solidarity with the Iranian people following over a month of intensified state repression against citizens peacefully demonstrating for their rights. Many have been killed in the streets, many hundreds have been beaten and injured, and at least 2,000 are thought to have been detained.
The Global Day of Action is a not affiliated with any partisan political agenda, and is aimed at securing the internationally recognized rights of the Iranian people.
The organizers believe that while political questions facing Iran can only be resolved by the Iranian people themselves, the violent repression of their internationally guaranteed human rights are of concern to people all around the world.
The global day of action is organized around the following core demands:
- That member states and civil society organizations of the international community give sustained attention to the Iranian people’s human rights as a matter of international concern, and that the UN should immediately initiate an investigation into grave and systematic human rights violations in Iran, including the fate of prisoners and disappeared persons, unlawful killings, and torture and other ill-treatment;
- An end to state-sponsored violence, accountability for crimes committed and no recourse to the death penalty;
- The immediate and unconditional release of all prisoners of conscience, including politicians, journalists, students, and civil society activists; and
- Freedom of assembly, freedom of association, and freedom of expression (including freedom of the press) as guaranteed by the Iranian constitution and Iran’s obligations under international covenants that it has signed.
Who are the volunteers coordinating this action?
United4Iran is a non-partisan collaborative of individuals and human rights organizations. United4Iran does not promote any political agenda; our only aim is to support the people of Iran in their struggle for democracy and freedom.
We came together to organize a Global Day of Action on July 25th so the citizens of the world can stand together for:
- Civil and human rights for the people of Iran;
- Stopping the abuse of power-the imprisonment, torture and killing?.
- Solidarity with the Iranian people.
To our Iranian brothers and sisters: We have heard your voices, and you are not alone.
Follow the updates on Twitter.
Download rally toolkits.
Download press toolkits and media guides.
Download posters, flyers, logos, and banners.
But most importantly, if you will be near any of the cities where demonstrations will take place, show up, and let your voice be heard!
Jul 22 2009
Wednesday Morning Science Supplement
Wednesday Morning Science Supplement is an Open Thread
| From Yahoo News Science |
1 Solar eclipse shrouds Asia in cloak of darkness
by Pedro Ugarte, AFP
2 hrs 3 mins ago
| VARANASI, India (AFP) – The longest solar eclipse of the 21st century plunged millions across Asia into temporary darkness on Wednesday, triggering scenes of religious fervour, fear and excitement in India and China.
Ancient superstition and modern commerce came together in what was likely to end up being the most watched eclipse in history, due to its path over Earth’s most densely inhabited areas. A woman was killed in a stampede in the holy city of Varanasi where tens of thousands of devout Hindus had crowded the river Ganges at dawn. |
Jul 19 2009
Weekend News Digest
Weekend News Digest is an Open Thread
Now with World News.
| From Yahoo News Top Stories |
1 Honduras crisis talks deadlocked over Zelaya return
By Ana Isabel Martinez and John McPhaul, Reuters
1 hr 32 mins ago
| SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (Reuters) – Talks to resolve Honduras’ political crisis dragged into a second day on Sunday, with negotiators for deposed President Manuel Zelaya and coup leaders deadlocked over his proposed return to power.
A new session opened in Costa Rica after nearly 10 hours of closed-door meetings on Saturday failed to yield any kind of agreement. Zelaya, a leftist, was ousted in a June 28 military coup, and the de facto government led by Roberto Micheletti has so far resisted all international pressure, refusing to accept any deal that includes Zelaya being restored to power. |
Jul 18 2009
Weekend News Digest
Weekend News Digest is an Open Thread
| From Yahoo News Top Stories |
1 CIT talks to bondholders; bankruptcy still feared
By Paritosh Bansal and Jennifer Ablan, Reuters
Sat Jul 18, 9:22 am ET
| NEW YORK (Reuters) – CIT Group Inc is in talks with a group of bondholders for $2 billion to $3 billion in rescue financing as it tries hard to avoid bankruptcy, a source close to the company said late on Friday.
Bankruptcy is possible if these talks fail, and CIT, a 101-year-old lender that services nearly one million small- and mid-sized businesses, is also exploring the possibility of getting debtor-in-possession (DIP) financing, the source said. The focus of talks turned to the bondholders after earlier negotiations with JPMorgan Chase & Co and Goldman Sachs Group Inc about short-term financing out of court did not result in a deal, the source said. |
Jul 17 2009
The Morning News
The Morning News is an Open Thread
| From Yahoo News Top Stories |
1 Jakarta hotel bombs kill 9, wound 42: police
By Telly Nathalia and Olivia Rondonuwu, Reuters
53 mins ago
| JAKARTA (Reuters) – Near-simultaneous bomb blasts ripped through the JW Marriott and the Ritz-Carlton hotels in Jakarta’s business district on Friday, killing nine people and wounding 42 others including foreign businessmen, police said.
A car bomb had also exploded along a toll road in North Jakarta, police said. Indonesia’s Metro TV said two people had been killed. No further details on that blast were available. The bomb attacks, the first in several years, could badly dent investor confidence in Southeast Asia’s biggest economy. The Indonesian government has made considerable progress in tackling security threats from militant Islamic groups in recent years, bringing a sense of greater political stability to the country. |
Jul 15 2009
Wednesday Morning Science Supplement
Wednesday Morning Science Supplement is an Open Thread
| From Yahoo News Science |
1 Experts hail Sahara-Europe solar plan
by William Ickes, AFP
Tue Jul 14, 12:19 pm ET
| FRANKFURT (AFP) – Far-sighted plans to energise Europe by tapping solar power from the sweltering Sahara desert offer bright prospects but must not overshadow renewable sources closer to home, experts say.
German deputy environment minister Matthias Machnig said solar systems behind the 400-billion-euro (560-billion-dollar) project, launched in Germany on Monday, had “enormous potential.” The Desertec Industrial Initiative (DII) is powered by 12 mostly German companies from the engineering, energy and finance sectors but has also won support from firms in Algeria and Spain and from officials in Egypt and Jordan. |
Jul 15 2009
A Few Words From Ed Asner
I may have mentioned my activist brother. The reason I know he’s more activist than I is that I never get mail like this from Ed Asner-
Democratic Socialists of America Fund Dear friend,
If you at all like me, you have been angry for much of the last decade. Angry about the stolen election of 2000 and then the sequel in 2004 – and even angrier with what Republicans did while controlling all three branches of government until the Democrats took Congress back in 2006. And I am angry at the situation in Washington that still makes it very difficult to pass even moderate reforms.
I am still angry about war powers granted to a president without real debate, and angrier about the rush to war to protect us from non-existent weapons of mass destruction and ongoing occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan that seem like they will never end. And I am angry that no one in power seems willing to hold those who were responsible for implementing a program of torture to account.
I remain angry about billions of dollars in tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, passed with the express purpose of preventing a future administration, like the one we have just elected, from implementing spending programs that might actually help alleviate poverty, pay for a national health care program, or respond to a hurricane.
Like you, I worked to ensure that the 2008 election brought us the change that this country and the world need. And I am sure we share a great sense of satisfaction at the election of Barack Obama and the thrashing Republicans took at the polls. But there is another thing I know for sure and that I hope you agree with me on: we won’t get all the reforms we need if we simply let the new bunch in power follow the path of least resistance- no matter how pleased we remain by their win.
I bet by now you think I am writing you because I am running for office or supporting a candidate or even a new party, but I am not. This is about what to do between elections, regardless of who is in office.
Jul 12 2009
Weekend News Digest
Weekend News Digest is an Open Thread
Now with World News.
| From Yahoo News Top Stories |
1 Cheney ordered intel withheld from Congress: senator
Reuters
17 mins ago
| WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The CIA withheld information from Congress about a secret counterterrorism program on orders from former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney, a leading U.S. senator said on Sunday.
Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein told Fox News Sunday that CIA Director Leon Panetta disclosed Cheney’s involvement when he briefed members of Congress two weeks ago. She said Panetta told them he had canceled the program. President Barack Obama appointed Panetta to head the agency early this year. The still-secret program, which The New York Times said never became operational, began after the September 11 attacks on the United States. |
Jul 11 2009
Weekend News Digest
Weekend News Digest is an Open Thread
| From Yahoo News Top Stories |
1 Bosnia buries, mourns Srebrenica massacre victims
By Daria Sito-Sucic, Reuters
2 hrs 15 mins ago
| SREBRENICA, Bosnia (Reuters) – Tens of thousands of grieving Bosnian Muslims attended a somber burial ceremony on Saturday for 534 newly identified victims of the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, one of the bloodiest events in the 1992-95 Bosnia war.
Bosnian Serb forces led by General Ratko Mladic seized Srebrenica, in eastern Bosnia, and slaughtered more than 8,000 Muslim men and boys in July 1995. Every year thousands of Bosnians gather on the July 11 anniversary of the attack for burials, family reunions, and to remember their relatives and friends lying beneath the thousands of white tombstones in the special memorial cemetery. |
Jul 09 2009
The Usual Suspects
AIDS activists shut down US Capitol rotunda over Obama reversal on AIDS policy
by John Aravosis (DC), Americablog
on 7/09/2009, 12:35:00 PM
Reminder
by Tim F., Balloon Juice
7/8/09, 11:38 am
Panetta: CIA Misled Congress ‘For a Number of Years." We Are Shocked!
By Susie Madrak, Crooks and Liars
Thursday Jul 09, 2009 10:30am
Mission Accomplished
by digby, Hullabaloo
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
The Obama justice system
Glenn Greenwald, Salon
Wednesday July 8, 2009 08:09 EDT
The significance of McClatchy’s act of journalism
Glenn Greenwald, Salon
Thursday July 9, 2009 09:10 EDT
Stunning al-Haramain Filing Shames Obama; Shows Duplicity Of Officials
By: bmaz, Firedog Lake
Thursday July 9, 2009 12:35 pm
Obama and Gang of Eight Veto Threat: "Fundamental Compact" My Ass
By: emptywheel, Firedog Lake
Wednesday July 8, 2009 1:27 pm
Want To Read That al-Haramain Filing?
By: Spencer Ackerman, Firedog Lake
Thursday July 9, 2009 4:53 pm
Jeh Johnson Opens The Door To Post-Acquittal Detentions
By: Spencer Ackerman, Firedog Lake
Tuesday July 7, 2009 12:14 pm
Guantanamo After January 2010
By: Spencer Ackerman, Firedog Lake
Tuesday July 7, 2009 6:05 pm
Ex-Military Commissions Prosecutor Says The System Cannot Be Reformed
By: Spencer Ackerman, Firedog Lake
Tuesday July 7, 2009 8:30 pm
Vandeveld’s Military-Commissions Dissent: Jawad Edition
By: Spencer Ackerman, Firedog Lake
Wednesday July 8, 2009 10:56 am
Mike Mullen On U.S. Mideast And Defense Policies
By: Spencer Ackerman, Firedog Lake
Wednesday July 8, 2009 2:02 pm