The US seeks control of Libyan oil facilities in order to push China and Russia out of the Mediterranean in its quest for world hegemony, says an analyst.
Question for Caricom on Nato's 'war' in Libya
So, will Caricom move from its recently stated position in favour of a negotiated settlement to the Libyan crisis and enquire of the UN Secretary General as to whose mandate is really being enforced by NATO in Libya to "get rid of Gadaffi"?
Gadaffi Wanted Dead Or Alive! 30 Million Sterling Pounds Bounty on His Head
The hunt is on for Libya's mad dog Muammar Gadaffi, and elite British troops are going in to get him. Britain's Daily Star reports that the highly trained secret British service troops have already infiltrated Gadaffi's Tripoli stronghold after having been sent to Libya from Afghanistan.
The Responsibility to Protect — The Cases of Libya and Ivory Coast
The United States, France and Britain invaded Libya with cruise missiles, stealth bombers, fighter jets and attack jets. Although NATO has taken over the military operation, U.S. President Barack Obama has been bombing Libya with Hellfire missiles from unmanned Predator drones. The number of civilians these foreign forces have killed remains unknown.
Israeli Jews should mark Nakba Day, too
It is possible and necessary to teach that this glory that is the establishment of Israel also has a dark side - so we can know our history, and understand the wishes of the Palestinians.
16 dead, dozens injured as violence erupts along Israel's borders with Syria
Israeli troops today clashed with Arab protesters along three hostile borders, including the frontier with Syria, leaving 16 people dead and dozens more wounded in an unprecedented wave of demonstrations marking a Palestinian day of mourning for their defeat at Israel's hands in 1948.
Israeli troops clashed with Arab protesters along three hostile borders on Sunday, leaving as many as 16 people dead and dozens wounded in an unprecedented wave of violence marking the anniversary of the mass displacement of Palestinians surrounding Israel's establishment in 1948.
Israeli troops fire at Palestinian protesters on borders, killing at least 12
Thousands of Palestinians marched from Syria, Lebanon, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank toward Israeli border positions on Sunday, hurling rocks and surging across one frontier before the Israeli army opened fire, killing at least 12 people and injuring scores.
Israel-Palestinian violence erupts on borders
MAJDAL SHAMS, Golan Heights: Israeli troops shot Palestinian protesters who surged towards its frontiers with Syria, Lebanon and Gaza on Sunday, killing up to 13 people on the day Palestinians mourn the creation of Israel.
As the quest for reforms continues in the Arab world, the U.S. is increasuing its influence over anti-government activists in the region. America is conducting a cyber-war in a bid to direct the spread of the pro-democracy movement. But as RT's Gayane Chichakyan reports, U.S intentions could easily backfire.
Libya buries imams it says NATO killed in air strike
Tears, chants and volleys of gunfire fired into the air punctuated the funeral for nine imams Libya said NATO killed in an air strike, but the alliance said the building it struck was a command-and-control centre.
Libyan TV carries audio of Gaddafi taunting NATO
Libyan state television carried brief audio tape remarks it said were by Muammar Gaddafi in which he taunted NATO as a cowardly crusader whose bombs could not kill him.
WH: Libya mission to go on until Gadhafi stops
The U.S. and NATO will continue military operations in Libya as long as Moammar Gadhafi keeps attacking his people, the White House said Friday as top U.S. officials met in Washington with leaders of the Libyan opposition.
Death Toll Mounts as Syria Extends Crackdown on Protesters
At least 10 Syrian protesters have died in the past 24 hours as thousands took to the streets nationwide, defying mass arrests amid an intensifying crackdown on dissent that began about two months ago.
Noam Chomsky spoke in Syracuse, NY on May 11, 2011. This event was sponsored by the Syracuse Peace Council.
Israel has to choose: Mideast peace or apartheid
The choice is not between Hamas and Israel; the choice is between settlement-colonies or states: between accepting two states with the 1967 border or maintaining an apartheid regime.
World Has Simplistic View Of Events In Syria, Says Reporter Who Sneaked In
One of the few Western journalists who has been able to get in to Syria to see the protests there and the crackdown by the regime of President Bashar Assad says he was "surprised at how much support President Assad himself still has."
NATO shells Libya Red Crescent centers: report
Libyan state television said NATO warships hit a Red Crescent Society building when they shelled the rebel-controlled city of Misrata Friday.
Int'l court to seek Libya arrest warrants
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — An international prosecutor said Friday he will seek arrest warrants next week for three top Libyan leaders on charges of murder and persecution during their attempts to crush the uprising against Moammar Gadhafi's regime.
NATO chief envisions role in reconstruction of Libya
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Thursday envisioned a role for the military alliance in the reconstruction of Libya after the government of Muammar Gaddafi is toppled.
Three dead in strike on Gaddafi compound
NATO-led air strikes hit Muammar Gaddafi's compound, killing three people, the Libyan regime said, as rebels celebrated the capture of Misrata airport and fresh diplomatic coups in the West.
Qatar quits Gulf plan for Yemen, cites delays
Qatar on Thursday pulled out of a Gulf-brokered plan to ease Yemen's president from power, leaving a deal to end months of violent protests against Ali Abdullah Saleh's rule close to collapse.
At Deadline, U.S. Seeks to Continue War in Libya
President Obama and his legal advisers are deliberating about how the United States military may lawfully continue participating in NATO's bombing campaign in Libya after next week, when the air war will reach a legal deadline for terminating combat operations that have not been authorized by Congress.
US/NATO hits Gaddafi compound, rebels seek aid
NATO bombed Muammar Gaddafi's compound on Thursday, hours after the Libyan leader ended doubt about his fate by making his first television appearance since another air strike killed his son nearly two weeks ago.
Bin Laden out, Gaddafi next
Let's start by invoking a Western cultural icon, Dante; "Abandon all hope ye who enter here" - because international law as we know it has just been delivered a stake through its heart. The "new" sociopolitical Darwinism entails humanitarian neo-colonialism, targeted assassinations - extrajudicial executions - and drone wars, all carried out in the name of a revamped white man's burden.
NATO strikes Libyan capital after Gadhafi appears
NATO airstrikes struck Moammar Gadhafi's sprawling compound in Tripoli and three other sites early Thursday, hours after the Libyan leader was shown on state TV in his first appearance since his son was killed nearly two weeks ago.
Libyan TV shows footage of long-absent Gaddafi
Libyan state TV showed footage of an apparently healthy Muammar Gaddafi meeting officials in a Tripoli hotel Wednesday, ending nearly two weeks of doubt over his fate since a NATO air strike killed his son.
John McCain: Libya vote unlikely
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said Wednesday he does not believe Congress will act before the May 20 deadline to authorize military engagement in Libya and he does not "recognize" the constitutionality of the War Powers Act that sets the timeline, in any case.
Divisions sap credibility of Libyan rebels
One day last month Wahid Bugaighis arrived at the offices of eastern Libya's main oil company with plans to reorganise the major source of funds for the struggling rebel movement.
May 11, 2011
Why the West Is Attacking Gaddafi
The basic reason is simple. Gaddafi confronts their power. He confronts the status quo of the Empire. He demands greater power for Africa and the African Union. He demands greater power for smaller countries in the United Nations. Gaddafi calls for investigations of past wars. He is calling for a new way forward that reduces the powers of any one or a few countries to dominate the world.
NATO Out of Ideas as Libyan War Mired in Stalemate
The story is the same as ever, the Libyan War is still a stalemate. Claims of progress are few and far between for either faction, while the NATO air strikes are showing no signs of changing anything on the ground.
More than 80 killed in Southern Sudan violence
More than 80 people were killed when rebels attacked cattle herders in Southern Sudan, officials said, while hundreds marched in the southern capital to protest the unresolved status of a volatile border hotspot.
Obama's "Kill-at-Will" Strategy
In the space of a few days in May, the United States launched its bin Laden operation, NATO targeted Moammar Gaddafi's residence while the Libyan leader was present, killing his youngest son and three grandchildren, and U.S. drones tried to obliterate American citizen Anwar al-Awlaki, personally marked for death by President Obama.
Nato co-ordinates air attack with rebel ground forces
NATO LAUNCHED its most ambitious air attack of the Libyan war yesterday, co-ordinating strikes with rebel ground forces in what may be a sign of things to come west of the town of Ajdabiya.
EU to open Benghazi office to back Libya rebels
The European Union plans to open an office in the rebel-held Libyan city of Benghazi to facilitate assistance to the rebel council based there, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said today.
Libya stalemate leaves Nato without 'Plan B'
It was the British and the French, of course, who were at the forefront of pushing for military action in Libya. Earlier this week, following talks with his French counterpart, UK Defence Secretary Liam Fox rejected any idea of a military stalemate, noting that the mission to defend the population in Libya would continue.
Killings and Rumors Unsettle a Libyan City
Three weeks ago, a traveler spotted a man's body in the farmland on this city's outskirts, shot twice in the head with his hands and feet bound. He had disappeared earlier that day, after visiting a market.
Fascism in the Gulf
Welcome to Bahrain: If you want to see how an ostensive religious regime can be corrupted into something close to fascism, just take a look at contemporary Bahrain. In February 2011 there were a series of non-violent demonstrations staged mostly by the small kingdom's Shia majority (approximately 70% of the country's Muslim citizens.) These were held to protest the discriminatory practices of the country's Sunni monarchy.
May 10, 2011
AP sources: US closer to calling for Assad to go
The Obama administration is edging closer to calling for an end to the long rule of the Assad family in Syria. Administration officials said Tuesday that the first step would be to say for the first time that President Bashar Assad has forfeited his legitimacy to rule, a major policy shift that would amount to a call for regime change that has questionable support in the world community.
NATO Denies Tripoli Strikes Targeted Gadhafi
NATO is once again escalating its attacks in and around the Libyan capital city of Tripoli, with strikes today hitting a number of targets including, according to witnesses on the ground, the Gadhafi compound.
NATO Bombs Rock Tripoli, Libya Rebels Advance
A NATO bombing blitz rocked Tripoli Tuesday while rebels in besieged Misrata said they are pushing back Moamer Gadhafi's forces and the UN warned Libya is being paralyzed by widespread shortages.
NATO hits Libyan arms depot as West faces rebel-aid dilemma
NATO planes pounded Libyan government targets Monday but stalemate in the rebel war to unseat Moammar Gadhafi has presented Western powers with a dilemma over whether to offer covert aid to the rebel cause.
Ship 'with 600 people aboard' sinks as refugees flee from Libya
A ship carrying up to 600 migrants has sunk off the coast of Libya, witnesses have reported, in what would be one of the worst accidents to have befallen refugees fleeing recent unrest in North Africa, if confirmed.
Those Libyan 'Freedom Fighters': The Fix Is On
In a column three months ago ("Egypt: Let the Looting Begin"), I suggested that what was really going on in Egypt was somewhat different from the official narrative. In quite a few of the "people power" revolutions in recent years—no matter how sincere the people on the streets—it turned out that there were attempts to orchestrate things by people behind the scenes for whom "people power" was the very last thing on the agenda. In that column I reported that Frank Wisner, a veteran spook described by Vijay Prashad at Counterpunch as a "bagman of empire," was Obama's man on the ground.
May 09, 2011
Syria Proclaims It Now Has Upper Hand Over Uprising
The Syrian government has gained the upper hand over a seven-week uprising against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad, a senior official declared Monday, in the clearest sign yet that the leadership believes its crackdown will crush protests that have begun to falter in the face of hundreds of deaths and mass arrests.
NATO warplanes strike Tripoli command center; rebels claim gains at Misrata
NATO warplanes struck a command center in Tripoli early Tuesday in the heaviest bombing of the Libyan capital in weeks, while rebels — capitalizing on other NATO air strikes — reported battlefront gains that could ease the siege of the port city of Misrata.
May 08, 2011
Armed gang kill 10 Syrian civilians: state agency
An armed gang shot dead ten Syrian civilian workers on their way back from Lebanon in a bus ambush near the Syrian city of Homs Sunday, the official state news agency said.
Yemeni security forces kill 3 more protesters
SANAA, Yemen: Security forces backed by army units opened fire Sunday on protesters demanding the ouster of Yemen's longtime president, killing three, an opposition activist said.
While Bahrain demolishes mosques, U.S. stays silent
In the ancient Bahraini village of Aali, where some graves date to 2000 B.C., the Amir Mohammed Braighi mosque had stood for more than 400 years - one of the handsomest Shiite Muslim mosques in this small island nation in the Persian Gulf.
May 07, 2011
Bahraini's take torture evidence to UN
The International Criminal Court (ICC) will decide this week as to whether it plans to accept a case of war crimes against Bahrain's government. A group of Bahrainis living in Britain, with a team of international lawyers, travelled to The Hague last week to present their report to the prosecutor.
Libyan government drafting conflict amnesty law
Libya's government is drafting an amnesty law for fighters in the country's civil war, its prime minister said Saturday, in the latest in a series of measures aimed at appeasing rebels.
Pakistan: The Treason of the Rulers
The unfolding of Osama bin Laden killing plan exposes a much hated and embittered sadists and insane gang of Pakistani rulers at the helm of decision making.
Libya government planes destroy Misrata fuel tanks: rebels
Libyan government forces dropped bombs on four large oil storage tanks in the contested western city of Misrata, destroying the tanks and sparking a fire that spread to four more, a rebel spokesman said on Saturday.
Italy to supply Libyan rebels with arms: spokesman Rebels fighting to oust Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi said on Saturday they have reached an agreement with Italy to supply them with weapons, but the former colonial power denied the report.
Italy to supply Libyan rebels with arms
Libya's rebel government says Italy has agreed to supply it with weapons "very soon" to fight against Muammar Gaddafi.
U.S. Tries to Assassinate US Citizen Anwar al-Awlaki
But one policy where Obama has gone further than Bush/Cheney in terms of unfettered executive authority and radical war powers is the attempt to target American citizens for assassination without a whiff of due process. As The New York Times put it last April.
U.S.-born cleric was target of Yemen drone strike
The special operations mission targeted Anwar Awlaki, a cleric suspected of involvement in terrorist plots. He escaped but two other terrorist suspects were killed.
"The Greatest Purveyor of Violence in the World Today"
Syrian security forces shot dead at least 26 protesters yesterday as thousands rallied on a "Day of Defiance" against the Syrian regime, a rights group said, and authorities accused "terrorists" of killing 10 soldiers and policemen.
36 die in Syria 'Day of Defiance'
The greatest threat to Libyan sovereignty and independence is the United States of America. Nothing else comes close.
Gunmen kill ten in attack on Syrian checkpoint
A total of 10 Syrian police and servicemen were killed when unknown gunmen attacked a checkpoint some 160 km north of Damascus, Syrian state news agency SANA said.
As tanks line the streets, Syrians stand firm to defy brutal regime
Thousands of protesters faced the guns of the Syrian regime yesterday undeterred by a ferocious crackdown and a campaign of intimidation that has failed to quell popular discontent against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad.
Robert Fisk: Truth and reconciliation? It won't happen in Syria
If you want to understand the cruel tragedy of Syria, there are two books you must read: Nikolaos van Dam's The Struggle for Power in Syria and, of course, Patrick Seale's biography Assad.
Libyan tribal chiefs urge amnesty to all fighters
Libya's tribal chiefs urged a general amnesty for all fighters engaged in the oil-rich nation's civil war, as Amnesty International said the regime's siege of Missrata could be a war crime.
May 06, 2011
U.S. labor urges trade pact with Bahrain be suspended
The largest U.S. labor group wants President Barack Obama's administration to suspend a free trade pact with Bahrain over human rights abuses in the kingdom's crackdown on anti-government protests.
Strike Marked Yemeni Cleric
A U.S. drone strike in Yemen Thursday was aimed at killing Anwar al-Awlaki, the American-born radical cleric suspected of orchestrating terrorist attacks in the U.S, but the missile missed its target, according to Yemeni and U.S. officials.
Russia opposes any ground operation in Libya
Russia on Friday said that it staunchly opposes any foreign ground operation in Libya and criticized a Western-led grouping that has pledged aid to the rebels fighting Muammar Gaddafi's government forces.
Russia criticizes Libya contact group
Russia on Friday criticized a Western-led grouping that has pledged aid to the Libyan rebels fighting Muammar Gaddafi's forces, warning that it must not seek to usurp the authority of the U.N. Security Council.
Rome meeting on Libya boosts efforts to exit crisis
The second contact group meeting on Libya brought diplomats in Rome on Thursday to enhance efforts to find a solution to the Libyan crisis, but different voices have also been heard.
In Libya, An Eerie Quiet On The Eastern Front
In Libya, fighting is still raging around the besieged western city of Misrata. It's also strong near the Tunisian border, where the rebel-held town of Zintan is under attack by forces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi.
Army pulls back in Daraa; arrests continue
Syria said yesterday army units have begun to leave Daraa, the heart of an uprising against President Bashar Al Assad, but residents described a city still under siege.
Syrian forces kill 22 protesters: activists
Syrian security forces killed 22 protesters on Friday demanding an end to President Bashar al-Assad's rule, rights campaigners said, and the European Union agreed to impose sanctions in response to his crackdown.
May 05, 2011
The Politics of Revenge and Submission
Osama bin Laden is dead. And so is the U.S. republic. We had to destroy our freedoms in order to save them. What is left to save from the next rampaging dragon when the knights, sworn to kill the monster, destroy everything in their path in the pursuit of him? One killer is dead. Now what are we going to do with all the killers in our midst who killed him.
More speculation has been raised on the reasons for NATO's intervention in Libya. As RT's Laura Emmett reports, the organisation may have been trying to prevent Gaddafi from burying the American buck.
Libya at any Cost: Warmongers seek Libyan escalation
"It is a test that the international community has to pass. Failure would shake further the faith of the people's region in the emerging international order and the primacy of international law." This comes from Brookings Institution's "Libya's Test of the New International Order," February 2011.
Libya's Long Slog War Shows No Signs of Progress
Fighting along the East Libya frontier has mostly stalled, with rebel forces in control of Ajdabiyah and the regime controlling all points westward. The Western city of Misrata is still in rebel hands, and constantly under siege. NATO strikes continue apace, while doing little to change the reality on the ground.
U.S. drone strike in Yemen is first since 2002
The U.S. military used a drone to strike Thursday at an al-Qaeda target in Yemen, the first such U.S. attack using unmanned aircraft in that country since 2002, according to U.S. and Yemeni officials.
May 04, 2011
Fallujah, Iraq 2004 - Misrata, Libya 2011 Operation Phantom Fury: In November 2004, the UN's Integrated Regional Information Network reported the impact of Operation Phantom Fury, a combined US-UK offensive, on Iraq's third city, Fallujah:
Gaddafi's Libya reminds U.S. who issued the first bin Laden arrest warrant
In an attempt to portray itself as an ally in the battle against al-Qaeda, Libya reminded the United States on Wednesday that Moammar Gaddafi's government, not anyone in Washington, was the first to issue an arrest warrant against Osama bin Laden, back in 1998.
Syrian tanks deployed; hundreds detained
Syrian tanks and armoured vehicles deployed around the town of Rastan on Wednesday, witnesses said, raising fears of another crackdown on protests challenging President Bashar al-Assad's rule.
UN Security Council Clashes Over Libya War
The United Nations Security Council today entered into contentious debate over the ongoing war in Libya. A number of the nations expressed concern that the war, which began on March 19, seems not to have progressed at all and no efforrt is being made to reach a peace deal.
UN Security Council powers dispute coalition attacks
UN Security Council powers publicly crossed swords over the Libya conflict on Wednesday with Russia and China leading criticism of international coalition air raids. Both called for greater efforts to reach a ceasefire. France reaffirmed the West's case that the international community had to intervene to defend civilians.
Libya: UN continues to send aid as Security Council debates crimes against humanity
The International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor will ask the court's judges to issue arrest warrants for three people who he said seem to bear the greatest responsibility for crimes against humanity committed in Libya since a pro-democracy movement emerged in mid-February.
The ICC arrest warrants will make Colonel Gaddafi dig in his heels
The killing of Osama bin Laden and, only days before, the killing of one of Colonel Gaddafi's son and three of his grandchildren by Nato (in an attack which apparently was targeting Gaddafi himself) raises fundamental questions. Is it ever right to execute our enemies, or should they always be tried for the crimes of which they stand accused? What if there is a possibility of striking a deal that would put an end to their crimes, but would leave past wrongs unpunished and allow the perpetrator to enjoy a comfortable retirement?
May 03, 2011
SYRIA: Who is Behind The Protest Movement? Fabricating a Pretext for a US-NATO "Humanitarian Intervention"
There is evidence of gross media manipulation and falsification from the outset of the protest movement in southern Syria on March 17th. The Western media has presented the events in Syria as part of the broader Arab pro-democracy protest movement, spreading spontaneously from Tunisia, to Egypt, and from Libya to Syria.
Libya's Gaddafi still alive, U.S. spy chief says
U.S. intelligence officials believe Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, who has not been seen in public since a NATO missile attack reportedly killed his son, is still alive, CIA Director Leon Panetta told NBC television on Tuesday.
Leave Libya or we will bring you down, allies tell Berlusconi
Italy's belated decision to join the military campaign against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi has brought fresh political woes for Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, with opposition to the bombing threatening to sink his fragile coalition.
Libyan rebels seek $2-3 bln in foreign loans
Libya's rebel leadership expects foreign powers to lend it $2 billion to $3 billion secured against frozen Libyan state assets held abroad, a rebel finance official said on Tuesday.
Bahrain doctors and nurses face trials
Several doctors and nurses who treated injured anti-government protesters during the months of unrest in Bahrain will be tried in a military court on charges of acting against the state, the justice minister said Tuesday.
Syria: detainees tell of torture amid mass arrests
Amnesty International has received first-hand reports of torture and other ill-treatment from detainees held in Syria as a wave of arrests of anti-government protesters intensified over the weekend.
May 02, 2011
Al Jazeera's War on Syria
Discussing its recent programming, it explained how compromised it's become. For example on Libya, it's been largely Western/Qatari propaganda, not legitimate news, information, and analysis. It's Syria coverage has been similar, providing its host country regime friendly reporting. Qatar is part of the Washington-led NATO anti-Gaddafi coalition. Shamelessly, Al Jazeera News channel (JNC) is on board supporting it.
Thousands flee Syrian regime's brutal tactics
Army tanks shelled the ancient centre of a city at the heart of the uprising yesterday as thousands of people fled over the border into Jordan.
Backlash at killing of Gaddafi's son
Supporters of Libyan leader set fire to British embassy in Tripoli / UN withdraws staff after its HQ is attacked by furious protesters / Nato accused of exceeding its mandate as civilians die in airstrike
Leading activist seized in Syrian roundup
Security forces on Monday rounded up hundreds of pro-democracy sympathisers, including prominent human rights campaigner Diana Jawabra for the second time during Syria's uprising, witnesses said.
Hamas leader Meshaal in Cairo to sign unity deal
Egypt-brokered agreement will end rift between two largest Palestinian factions, Fatah, who control the West Bank, and Hamas, who rule the Gaza Strip.
Gadhafi's son had survived US strike in 1986
Seif al-Arab Gadhafi escaped a U.S. airstrike targeting his father's compound in Tripoli in 1986. Twenty-five years later, the Libyan leader's second-youngest son was reportedly killed in a NATO airstrike.
Russia blasts NATO for airstrikes in Tripoli
Russia on Sunday criticized the NATO airstrikes on Tripoli, specifically the one that Libyan officials said killed a son and three grandchildren of Muammar Qaddafi.
Nato strike 'kills Gaddafi's youngest son'
Saif al-Arab Gaddafi, the youngest son of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, and three of his grandchildren have been killed in a NATO air strike, a Libyan government spokesman said. Gaddafi and his wife were in the Tripoli house of his 29-year-old son, Saif al-Arab Gaddafi, when it was hit by at least one missile fired by a NATO warplane late on Saturday, according to Libyan government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim.
Annals of a Golden Age: Peace Laureate Surpasses Reagan in Killing Gadafy Kin
O how wonderful it is to live in such an enlightened age! Just think: not long ago, the U.S. government was seen as little more than a vast war machine -- brutal, murderous, inhumane, bent on global domination. Yet now, by some marvelous, miraculous twist of fate, that same government is being led by a Nobel Peace Prize laureate! It's as if Lyndon Johnson had been turfed out of office back in the day and replaced by Martin Luther King Jr.!
Libyan ambassador expelled from UK amid Tripoli attacks
The Foreign Secretary expels the Libyan ambassador to the UK in the wake of attacks on British embassy premises in Tripoli. It comes after the apparent death of Gaddafi's son in a NATO air strike.
NATO says airstrikes not targeting Gaddafi
NATO denied targeting members of Muammar Gaddafi's family on Sunday, after a Libyan government spokesman said the leader had survived a NATO air strike in Tripoli that killed his youngest son and three grandchildren.
7 die as Syria forces seize Daraa mosque
Troops and snipers killed six civilians yesterday in the flashpoint Syrian city of Daraa, activists said, as people buried scores of people killed in a "day of rage" on Friday.
April 30, 2011
Regional armies on alert as Libya crisis deepens
Army chiefs from Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Algeria are on alert as the crisis in nearby Libya deteriorates, placing the entire region at risk, a military source said on Saturday.
Libya disabled children school hit in NATO strike
Shattered glass litters the carpet at the Libyan Down's Syndrome Society, and dust covers pictures of grinning children that adorn the hallway, thrown into darkness by a NATO strike early on Saturday.
Russian Official Tells Press NATO Going into Libya
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the Russian press on Saturday that they were aware of a ground campaign being prepared within NATO and some European nations.
Libyan opposition/NATO rejects Gaddafi truce offer
Libya's opposition has rejected leader Muammar Gaddafi's latest offer of a conditional ceasefire and negotiations upon an end to NATO attacks. The opposition joined NATO on Saturday in dismissing Gaddafi's offer, saying the time for compromise had passed.
Libya regime offers Misrata rebels amnesty
LIBYAN leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime has offered rebels controlling the port of Misrata an amnesty if they stop fighting, the government spokesman says.
6 killed as protesters shut down port city of Aden
Two servicemen and four civilians were killed yesterday and at least another 23 were wounded in south Yemen during a shutdown called by anti-government protesters, officials said.
Reports: Saleh refuses to sign exit deal
The Yemeni president has refused to sign a Gulf Arab-led agreement to give up power in exchange for legal immunity, sources say. Saturday's development was a new blow to efforts to mediate the months-old crisis between Ali Abdullah Saleh and demonstrators inspired by protests sweeping through the Arab region to demand his overthrow.
April 29, 2011
Gadhafi Forces Cross Into Tunisia as Border Clashes Continue
The battle between Gadhafi forces and rebels over a Libyan border crossing with Tunisia moved into its second day, and once again the regime's forces chased rebels across the border into neighboring Tunisia, sparking a tense standoff with Tunisian soldiers.
Syrian forces kill 62, U.S. toughens sanctions
Security forces killed more than 60 people across Syria on Friday during demonstrations demanding the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad, and the United States imposed new sanctions on key figures.
US eases oil sanctions to help fund Libyan rebel fighters
The United States has authorised Americans to buy oil from Libyan rebels, easing sanctions to open a stream of funding to opponents of the Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi.
Fighting on Libyan border crossing
Muammar Gaddafi's forces continued to battle rebels for control of the strategically important Dehiba-Wazin Crossing into the night, as Tunisia protests against intrusions into its territory.
Obama's Inconsistency Doctrine on the Arab Spring
Although Obama seemed to embrace the concept of "responsibility to protect" in intervening in Libya and calling for Muammar Gaddafi to step down from power, he has not done the same in Syria.
Tens of thousands of Syrians in new 'day of rage'
Tens of thousands of people poured into Syria's streets after Friday Muslim prayers in a "day of rage" against an increasingly lethal crackdown by President Bashar al-Assad's regime, activists said.
Syrian group says 24 killed as thousands protest
A Syrian human rights group says at least 24 people have been killed across Syria on Friday -- including 15 villagers who tried to approach the besieged southern city of Daraa.
Muslim Brotherhood Urges Protests In Syria
The banned Muslim Brotherhood has called on Syrians to take to the streets to protest against the regime ahead of Friday prayers.
April 28, 2011
Tread lightly on Syria, Russia warns UN Security Council
With the situation in Libya still undecided, a divided UN Security Council meeting on Wednesday failed to produce a statement condemning anti-government violence in Syria, while Moscow advises members to avoid any hasty actions.
Bahrain issues four death sentences
Bahrain's military court has sentenced four anti-government protesters to death, in a move to further crush the ongoing revolutionary movement in the small Persian Gulf country.
U.S. helps Libyan rebels as Gaddafi open new fronts
The United States threw a financial lifeline to rebels controlling eastern Libya while forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi harried insurgent strongholds in the west and far southeast of the country.
Gadafy forces 'seize' town of Kufra
Forces loyal to Muammar Gadafy seized control of the town of Kufra in the remote southeastern desert, state television reported today.
Libyan doctor says NATO airstrike killed 12 rebels
A NATO airstrike has killed 12 rebels in the besieged city of Misrata in the latest friendly fire incident in Libya's chaotic battlefield, a doctor in the city said Thursday.
Libya troubles impact on divided WI region
It is a sobering reflection on the state of a region supposedly committed to unity and integration that, even as the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago leads a big delegation to cultivate trade and investment links with Brazil, other countries are anxiously counting the potential cost of the close ties they have established with Moammar Gadaffi's Libya.
NATO strike kills 12 Libyan rebels in Misrata
At least one NATO warplane attacked a rebel position on the front lines of this besieged city Wednesday, a rebel commander said, killing 12 fighters and wounding five others in what he called an accident that could have been avoided.
Bahrain: We must speak out about brutality in the Gulf
One obvious lesson for the west from recent upheaval in the Middle East is that propping up authoritarian regimes on the grounds that they make stable allies is a terrible policy.
Shiites decry 'persecution in Bahrain'
Bahrain persists in persecuting members of its Shiite majority in "systematic" human rights violations, seven weeks after crushing a month-long pro-democracy protest, activists say.
Putin: Measure your success by non-fired missiles!
The Russian Prime Minister says he's alarmed by NATO's approach towards bombing Libya.
Robert Fisk: Shadow of Syrian conflict stretching into Lebanon
Every night, Syrian state television is a horror show. Naked corpses with multiple bullet wounds, backs of heads sliced off. All Syrian soldiers, it insists, murdered by "the treacherous armed criminal gangs" near Deraa.
Libya has asked Russia to convene an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council
The authorities in Libya Tuesday, April 26, appealed to Russia to convene an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the Action Coalition, which marked the Libyan side as Western aggression. Informs Reuters referring to the Libyan news agency Jana.
Caricom's watch on Libya
CARIBBEAN COMMUNITY governments whose economic development programmes are linked to some vital funding from Libya, are in deep agony as the powerful and wealthy western nations now intensify their military battle for "regime change" in Tripoli with direct bombing strikes on the office complex of President Moammar Gadaffi.
April 26, 2011
Blindness Toward War Easy for Americans
To understand the utter absurdity of America's intervention in the Libyan civil war, I recommend a visit to the Museum of Modern Art in New York to see its new exhibition of German Expressionism. It will be much more instructive than reading the media commentary about the president's opening of yet another Mideast war.
Gates hints at bombing risk to Gadhafi
WASHINGTON – Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday that Libyan military command centers "wherever we find them" are legitimate targets for U.S. and NATO air attack, suggesting that strongman Moammar Gadhafi himself is increasingly in danger.
Libya: Is NATO guilty of conspiracy to commit murder?
One thing is perfectly clear: NATO should not be in Libya for several reasons. However, now with the rumours that Predator aircraft are to be used to "take Gaddafy out" comes the threat of a clear violation of the law: in so doing, NATO and its leaders would be liable for conspiracy to commit murder.
Putin says Libyan oil main goal of NATO campaign
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Libya's oil resources were the main object of the NATO-led military campaign in the country. "Libya has the biggest oil resources in Africa and the fourth largest gas resources," Putin said during a news conference in Copenhagen. "It raises the question: isn't this the main object of interest to those operating there."
Putin states the West has no legal right to execute Gaddafi
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin declared that the Western forces taking part in the military operation in Libya are not entitled to assassinate Muammar Gaddafi, as doing so is against international law. The Russian premier noted that UN Security Council resolution 1973 allowed for enforcing a no-fly zone over the North African state. But the coalition forces are "bombing palaces" every night.
Yemeni groups to sign transition deal
The Yemeni government and opposition say they would sign an agreement for transferring power from Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh to Vice President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi.
Russia warns over new U.N. resolution on Libya
Russia said on Tuesday it will not support any United Nations Security Council resolutions on Libya which could escalate the conflict in the North African nation, local news agencies reported.
China warns against "interference" ahead of U.S. rights talks
The Chinese government warned on Tuesday against using human rights disputes as what it called a tool to meddle, ahead of talks with the United States that will focus on complaints about Beijing's crackdown on dissent.
Syria could face sanctions, says Hague
Syria's government must halt violence against the protesters and embrace sweeping political reforms or face international sanctions, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said today.
UK ready to evacuate stranded nationals from Syria
Britain is ready to evacuate hundreds of UK nationals stranded in Syria should the situation there continue to deteriorate, William Hague said today. The Foreign Secretary announced the possible evacuation as he briefed MPs on the latest news from the Middle East and warned Damascus that it faces international sanctions unless it ends its brutal crackdown on dissent.
Ex-CIA chief: Kadhafi was good partner
The former chief of the CIA on Tuesday praised Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi's past cooperation and said his downfall could complicate US interests in the short term.
Several killed in southern Syria
Several people have been killed and many more injured after armed groups clashed with Syrian security forces in the southern city of Daraa.
Three killed in Gaddafi compound raid: spokesman
Three people were killed in a NATO airstrike early on Monday on Muammar Gaddafi's Bab al-Aziziyah compound and 45 wounded, but he was unhurt and is in high spirits, the Libyan government said.
Qaddafi: NATO tried to assassinate me
NATO airstrikes targeted the center of Muammar Qaddafi's seat of power early Monday, destroying a multi-story library and office and badly damaging a reception hall for visiting dignitaries, in what a press official from Qaddafi's government said was an attempt on the Libyan leader's life.
From Russia, with dire warnings on Libya
Moscow has harshly rebuked the latest NATO attack against forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, saying that the Western military bloc has given the militant opposition "dangerous ideas," while stoking the flames of unrest elsewhere.
NATO forces have unleashed a powerful missile attack on Tripoli, the Libyan capital, in the latest sign that the coalition has ignored its UN mandate to "protect civilians" and has chosen instead to take sides in the revolt.
South Sudan militia clashes kill 160
A top militia leader has surrendered in south Sudan after clashes that killed more than 160 people, the army said on Monday, as the soon to be independent nation reels from a string of bloody battles.
Kuwait gives $180 million to Libyan rebels
Kuwait on Sunday gave 50 million dinars ($180 million) to the Libyan opposition Transitional National Council (TNC), its chief Mustafa Abdel Jalil said.
April 24, 2011
Financial Heist of the Century: Confiscating Libya's Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWF)
The objective of the war against Libya is not just its oil reserves (now estimated at 60 billion barrels), which are the greatest in Africa and whose extraction costs are among the lowest in the world, nor the natural gas reserves of which are estimated at about 1,500 billion cubic meters. In the crosshairs of "willing" of the operation "Unified Protector" there are sovereign wealth funds, capital that the Libyan state has invested abroad.
Yemen's opposition agrees to Gulf transition plan
Yemen's opposition has agreed to take part in a transitional government under a Gulf-negotiated peace plan for veteran leader Ali Abdullah Saleh to step aside, an opposition source told Reuters on Monday.
Libya Burns As The World Cheers
How was Libya doing under the rule of Gadaffi? How bad did the people have it? Were they oppressed as we now commonly accept as fact? Let us look at the facts for a moment.
Syria Arrests Opponents, Denounces Conspiracy
Security forces today arrested dozens of government opponents suspected of encouraging disturbances that authorities described as the most dangerous battle ever imposed on Syria, the cause of dozens of deaths in the last two days.
In Easter message, pope urges diplomacy in Libya
Pope Benedict XVI offered an Easter prayer Sunday for diplomacy to prevail over warfare in Libya and for citizens of the Middle East to build a new society based on respect.
Syria rounds up opponents after 120 dead
Security forces raided homes across Syria, arresting regime opponents, as funerals were held on Sunday for protesters and mourners killed in a bloody crackdown which activists said cost 120 lives.
April 23, 2011
Ease of decision-making on use of force causes concern — Putin
Russian Prime Minister Putin has said that the ease of making decisions on the use of force by the international community is raising concerns. The aerial bombing of Libya by Western forces has only resulted in a larger number of casualties. "What are we witnessing today? There are airstrikes all over the entire territory of the country," Vladimir Putin said. "How is it possible to use means that result in an increased death toll among civilians in order to protect the country's population?" the Russian Prime Minister wondered, speaking at a joint media conference with President Boris Tadic' in Serbia.
The Sniper Syndrome: Color Revolution's Mystery Gunmen
Imagine you are an embattled regime fighting against a rising tide of foreign-funded protesters. The entire world is watching, one nation is already under creeping foreign invasion for "waging war against his own people," your nation has been warned that it is next and has been on a 20 year waiting list for regime change, and your opposition is gathering to bury dead protesters from a recent clash with security forces. What do you do?
'No sign Gaddafi bombed Tripoli - NATO wages war on false claims'
In Libya, Colonel Gaddafi's troops are reportedly being withdrawn from the rebel-held city of Misrata in the face of NATO airstrikes. It follows an almost two month standoff. Meanwhile, allied aircraft carried out fresh airstrikes on the capital Tripoli overnight, with a government spokesman saying at least three people were killed in the raid. Sukant Chandan, who has just returned from a monitoring mission in Libya, believes there's no justification for NATO's actions.
Syrians bury their dead in new bloody rallies
At least 13 mourners were shot dead on Saturday as Syrians swarmed the streets to bury scores of demonstrators killed in massive protests and two MPs resigned in frustration at the bloodshed.
US Drone Strike in Libya; Deaths in Misrata
The United States has announced its first Predator drone strike in Libya, while rebels report deaths in their western stronghold, Misrata, as pro-government forces apparently retreat.
Two-Faced Arab League Losing Ground
As the Cairo-based Arab League continues to back western military intervention in support of the popular rebellion in Libya, the League's failure to back similar uprisings in other Arab countries - most notably Bahrain - has led to charges of double standards.
