Kim Jong-il The North Korean Leader Dies

Posted by Jeff in Politics

Kim Jong-il, the North Korean Leader has died aged 69.

The official North Korean news agency called KCNA announced the news that Kim Jong-il had died from ‘over work’ today.

Later they elaborated that he had died of severe myocardial infarction and a heart attack at 08:30 local time on Saturday 17th December while on his official train.

Kim Jong-ils death leaves his son, Kim Jong-un, in charge of the isolated state after he was named by Kim Jong-il as his successor last year. Not much is known about him but it is thought that he is in his 20′s and may struggle to unite the military behind him.

North Korea and South Korea are still technically at war and tensions are now running very high as the unexpected news filtered through the Asian region and beyond.

North Korea has in the past been known to use provocation to divert attention away from news events that it doesn’t want covered and South Korea has been put on high alert.

Kim Jong-un inherits a communist country which is isolated from the rest of the world and suffering severe food shortages. Its only real ally is the other communist country China.

Deliberately cut off from the outside world the leadership maintains a vice like grip over the population who have very little contact, knowledge or experience of the world outside their own borders.

Every aspect of the country is state controlled and their pursuit of nuclear armament has put them at the top of the worlds problem list.

Meanwhile the population suffers from daily food shortages, power cuts and a severely lacking infrastructure.

Although many countries around the world are worried about the sudden change in leadership leading to instability in North Korea, perhaps this is a watershed moment where the new leadership decides to start engaging with the outside world again.

We can always hope.

Photo: yeowatzup

Saudi Arabia Rules Women Can Vote & Run For Election

Posted by Tracy in Politics

Saudi Arabia has announced that women will, for the first time, be allowed to vote and put themselves forward for elections.

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia announced the changes in his speech commemorating the opening of a new term of his advisory body, the Shura Council. The King said,

“Because we refuse to marginalise women in society in all roles that comply with Sharia, we have decided, after deliberation with our senior clerics and others, to involve women in the Shura Council as members starting from next term. Women will be able to run as candidates to the municipal election and will even have a right to vote.”

The landmark announcement is a victory for those in Saudi Arabia who have been arguing against traditionalist views.

Many have spent the last 20 years in Saudi Arabia campaigning for womens rights but reform has been slow.

Saudi Arabia runs a strict version of Islamic law with clerics holding much of the power in the country. The recent developments in other Arab countries may have helped to push things forward.

Women in Saudi Arabia have many restrictions on their lives. For example, they are not allowed to drive a car. They also need to obtain permission from their male guardian (usually a relative) to work, travel, marry or study.

The new pledge by the Saudi Arabian King means that women will be able to stand and vote in municipal councils, even though in practice, the power of these councils are limited.

Women in Saudi Arabia will also be allowed to be involved in the Kings Shura Council from next term, a much more influential group and where the change could really be felt.

Even though Saudi Arabia lags behind most countries in the world when it comes to giving women the right to vote, it should be remembered that many so called advanced countries were facing the same issues relatively recently.

Womens Right to Vote

United States

1920 saw the ’19th Amendment’ to the constitution expressly stating the rights of citizens to vote regardless of race, color or previous condition of servitude.

United Kingdom

1928 saw the People Act giving women equal voting rights with men.

Canada

1918 full voting rights for women in federal elections. 1982 Charter guarantees right to vote for all adult citizens.

New Zealand

1893 marks the first country to give women equal voting rights.

Australia

1902 women allowed to vote in federal elections.

India

1935 women gain vote via the British Raj. 1950 marked the women’s voting rights in independent India.

Source: Wikipedia

Photo: Retlaw Snellac

US Jobs Slump as Job Losses Cancel Out Job Gains

Posted by Clive in Politics

US jobs slump as the Department of Labor reported that there were no new jobs (net) created last month.

The US jobs news is alot worse than had been predicted by commentators although the official unemployment rate remained at 9.1%.

It is the first time that this has happened since 1945 and occurred because private sector jobs were cancelled out by public sector losses.

The news has brought more fears that the US is about to succumb to a double dip recession with growth still very fragile.

The Department of Labor also revised their numbers for US jobs created in June and July in a downwards direction.

Stock markets around the world fell on the news of the US jobs figures and all eyes are now on President Obama and his speech next week.

He will spell out a new strategy for job creation and economic recovery although most people are not too hopeful about what that might be.

With the economy in the shape it’s in, there are no easy fixes or shortcuts. More help for the economy from the Fed is looking even more likely.

The US jobs news comes at the same time that the US regulator announced plans to sue various banks including Goldmans Sachs, Bank of America and Deutsche Bank.

They say that the banks misrepresented the quality of the mortgage packages that they sold, a fundamental cause of the financial crisis.

The result were losses of $30 billion for Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac leading to a bail out by the taxpayer to the tune of something like $140 billion.

The banks are currently discussing a deal that would free them from any future litigation and expense.

Libya News: Gaddafi Loyalists Given Ultimatum

Posted by Clive in Politics

Pro-Gaddafi fighters have been given an ultimatum by Libya’s new interim council to surrender.. or face the consequences.

Gaddafi’s fighters have until Saturday to surrender or the new National Transitional Council (NTC) will start to attack. Vicious street fighting is something that they want to avoid if at all possible but they say time is running out.

The ultimatum is mainly aimed at Gaddafi’s home town of Sirte where he still has strong support and is one of a few possible hiding places for him.

Algeria Shelters Gaddafi Family

The NTC also called the actions of neighbouring Algeria an “act of aggression” after the country took in Gaddafi’s wife and 3 of his children.

Algeria defended their actions saying that it was their highest responsibility to offer shelter to anyone who needed it in the desert. It is thought that Gaddafi’s daughter, Aisha Gaddafi, gave birth to a daughter shortly after arriving in the country.

Tripoli Victory

The ultimatum comes on the back of a quick, and relatively easy victory for the anti-Gaddafi forces in the Libyan capital of Tripoli. I say easy, but it is still war. Bloody, terrorising, morally ambiguous, painful for anyone involved and many who aren’t.

Small pockets of resistance still exist in Tripoli and there are problems with infrastructure, supplies and perhaps most important for a new Libya, a local power vacuum.

But the collapse of Tripoli was almost immediate after forces entered the city. A combination of NATO air power, pre-negotiated ceasefires, the arming of underground groups and good tactics (all areas that were in all likelihood, heavily assisted by western special forces) seems to have worked well for the anti-Gaddafi troops.

Libya & NATO

It would be a surprise if the Gaddafi stronghold of Sirte fell quite so quickly though. One also wonders about the role of NATO.

If the anti-Gaddafi forces start pounding the city, cutting it’s supplies and starting an assault, do NATO jets support them or attack them in their UN backed mandate to protect civilians in Libya?

Perhaps it should be the second if you interpret the UN resolution literally but of course, this is international politics.

Many countries, including Russia, have long argued that western countries and NATO have used the UN mandate and corrupted it, pushing a different agenda entirely and it is hard not to sympathise with this view.

However, no one is complaining too hard. Gaddafi doesn’t seem to have any friends left, even staunch ally Zimbabwe expelled his ambassador this week. The South American country Venezuela and some sympathetic African countries are perhaps his only allies now.

Libya, Gaddafi & Mass Graves

The recent uncovering of mass graves has highlighted what kind of regime Gaddafi ran, so far 4 mass graves have been discovered in various parts of Libya.  One was found behind the barracks of the army brigade run by Gaddafi’s son, Khamis.

Survivors say that the bodies found there were mainly civilians, although some were Gaddafi solders presumably put there for not following orders. All were massacred in cold blood during the dying days of the Tripoli government.

The NTC estimates that up to 60,000 people were arrested by Gaddafi’s regime since the uprising began, around 16% of that number have been accounted for. The question that keeps coming up is, where are the rest?

It seems even when the fighting stops the wounds of a country torn will be deep.

Photo: ssoosay

Libya News: Tripoli Under Attack from Rebels

Posted by Jeff in Politics

Libya has reached a turning point in it’s campaign to oust Colonel Gaddafi as rebel fighters enter the capital Tripoli.

It seems that the end game for Colonel Gaddafi‘s reign over Libya is playing out tonight as rebel forces enter Tripoli and engage fighters loyal to the Libyan leader.

The rebels have captured key towns close to Tripoli in recent days, backed by NATO airstrikes and have continued their march towards the capital.

It appears that they have made a significant attempt to enter the Libyan capital today with rebel soldiers entering from the East and West to attack the city.

It is reported that they have taken over a base used by the Khamis Brigade, commanded by one of Colonel Gaddafi’s sons. They have captured a significant amount of weapons in the compound.

As always in areas of conflict a clear picture of what is, and what isn’t happening is very difficult to build up. What is clear however, is that the Libyan leadership is in severe trouble and that the game cannot be far from being over.

There a numerous reports of defections from those previously loyal to Gaddafi. The rebels are calling this the ‘zero hour’.

The war has been raging on for about 6 months now after uprisings in other Arab countries spurred those in Libya to take up the call to freedom in their own country.

NATO airstrikes, authorised by the UN to protect the citizens of Libya from coming under attack, have been pounding those troops loyal to Gaddafi.

In some quarters NATO has been criticised for going beyond the UN resolution but this has been denied by NATO command.

Libya After Gaddafi

The question occupying many minds tonight will not be if the government falls but what happens when they do.

Like many countries in the area, Libya is historically a tribal country with many different factions with different loyalties and interests.

Bringing these sometimes opposing sections of society together when there is a common enemy such as Gaddafi, is alot easier than when there is no such focal point.

However, in Libya, most people would be thankful for the chance todo exactly that.

Photo: OpenDemocracy

Syria Pressure Mounts as World Leaders Call for Assad to go

Posted by Jeff in Politics

Syria is facing more calls today from leaders of Western nations for President Assad to step down.

The calls mark another increase in pressure on Syria since the Government started a brutal crackdown on it’s own people. They had been protesting in the streets following the Arab risings in other countries.

President Obama has called for Assad to step aside saying in a statement that “The future of Syria must be determined by it’s people, but President Bashar al-Assad is standing in their way. His calls for dialogue and reform have rung hollow while he is imprisoning, torturing, and slaughtering his own people.”

This is the first time that Obama has specifically called for Assad to step down.

He added that the US would be tightening it’s sanctions against Syria’s Government specifically targeting it’s finances. US citizens are now banned from dealing with operating, investing or dealing with Syria.

Members of the EU also issued statements at the same time with Catherine Ashton, the head of EU foreign policy, saying “The EU notes the complete loss of Bashar al-Assad’s legitimacy in the eyes of the Syrian people and the necessity for him to step aside.”

A joint statement from Germany, UK and France said that Assad should “Leave power in the greater interest of Syria and the unity of his people.”

It all comes after a UN investigation into the recent events in Syria concluded that the use of violence may amount to crimes against humanity. It recommended that the UN Security Council should consider referring Syria to the International Criminal Court.

Syria’s security forces have used tanks, helicopters, snipers and other artillery against protesters since the uprisings began. Human rights groups estimate over 2,000 people have been killed although these estimates are often under estimated.

Syria Controlled By Assad Family

The Assad family have now been running Syria for 40 years with Bashar al-Assad taking control 11 years ago. The family are part of the minority Alawite sect whereas most of the Syrian population are Sunni.

Assad still has the support of some sections of society such as minority sects and business leaders (he has done much to open up the economy over the last decade), but the overall majority want change.

Photo: watchsmart

Prime Minister Cameron Threatens Crackdown on Social Media

Posted by Tracy in Politics

The UK’s Prime Minister, David Cameron, has said that there will be a review into whether to turn off access to social media & phone texting during times of civil unrest.

After days of rioting, looting and violence on the streets of Britain, the Government declared that they will be meeting executives from Facebook, Twitter and RIM (who make the Blackberry) to discuss their ‘obligations’.

David Cameron said that he was “struck by how they [the rioters] were organised via social media”.

He said that the Government would be taking advice from the police, intelligence services and industry figures whether it was “right and possible” to cut off social media being used to “spread disorder”.

It is a rapid turnaround for a Government who, only months earlier, had been singing the praises of social media sites when they were heavily utilized to organise the Arab uprisings.

Back then Government officials were chastising political leaders from other countries for attempting to switch off the internet and suppress the flow of information. It appears that when it is in your own back yard, it may be a different story.

Not that any of the rioting or violence should be excused of course, but a knee-jerk reaction that yet again attacks civil liberties and internet freedom appears to be in full effect.

In a moment of mild ironic comedy during the rioting, over in Libya, a spokesman for Colonel Gadaffi chastised Cameron for trying to suppress the uprising of the people who wish to overthrow him.

Back in London, now the rioting has died down after massive police numbers were drafted in, there have been mass clean-ups organised via facebook, twitter and other parts of the web. In some areas people were being turned away because of the numbers.

The speed of the cleanup has meant that some parts of London were remarked to be cleaner than they have been for decades, and shows the other side of social media’s powerful effect.

An appeal has also been setup for Malaysian student Asyraf Haziq. He was filmed apparently being helped after being hit, but was actually having his rucksack lifted of all it’s possessions. The video has been see all around the world after it was posted on Youtube.

Asyraf has had to have surgery on his jaw and police today arrested a man in connection with the robbery.

In a press conference today Asyraf said that his mother was worried about him and wanted him to go home, but he was determined to stay in London and finish his studies. He added,

“Britain is great. Before I came here I was very eager and I haven’t got any ill-feeling about what happened. I feel very sorry for the people who did this. It was really sad because among them were children.”

Londoners have been keen to show that the actions of the few do not represent a whole community.

Over £12,000 has so far been raised in just 48 hours for Asyraf Haziq and his stolen equipment has been replaced via donations. If you would like to donate then go to the site http://somethingniceforashraf.tumblr.com/

Photo: Alan Stanton

Rumsfeld Can Be Sued by US Detainees

Posted by Jeff in Politics

Rumsfeld could be sued in 2 separate cases involving US citizens detained in Iraq.

Two separate courts ruling over two separate cases have said that the former US Secretary of Defence, Donald Rumsfeld, doesn’t have immunity and can be sued by US security contractors held by US forces in Iraq.

Last week a Washington Judge ruled that a former US contractor in Iraq could sue Rumsfeld for alleged torture. He was held on suspicion of passing information to the enemy but was never charged.

This week a court ruled that two US security contractors could sue Rumsfeld for his role in developing and authorizing techniques allegedly used when they were held for months by US forces in Iraq.

The court said that their was sufficient argument that Rumsfeld had “personally established the relevant policies that caused the alleged violations of their constitutional rights during detention”.

Donald Vance and Nathan Ertel said that they were detained after they attempted to reveal illegal activities by their employer.

The two men were eventually released without charge after allegedly suffering physical and psychological torture in Camp Cropper, Baghdad.

Rumsfeld and the Government have been trying to have the cases dismissed, arguing that Rumsfeld had immunity while working as the Defence Secretary, that US citizens cannot sue for rights violations that occur in war zones and the courts cannot interfere with US military policy.

The court made clear however, that although the case brought against Rumsfeld had sufficiently alleged he had a personal role in authorising the harsh treatment, it did not mean that he did.

Rumsfeld Vs. The Courts

The next step will more than likely a move to push the decision to appeal at the Supreme Court to try to get the judgements overturned.

Ironically, Rumsfeld was awarded the ‘Defender of the Constitution’ award in Washington earlier this year.

Photo: Gage Skidmore

US Special Forces Helicopter Downed in Afghanistan

Posted by Jeff in Politics

A US special forces helicopter has been downed in Afghanistan with up to 30 US troopers and around 8 Afghans on board.

It is thought that the US special forces were from the same unit which stormed Osama Bin Laden’s complex and killed him. It is unlikely that they were exactly the same personnel however.

The Afghan’s on board were likely to be interpreters and commandos.

The loss of the the Chinook helicopter, just west of Kabul, is the biggest single loss of life for the US in the Afghanistan campaign.

It’s not known if the Taliban claims of shooting down the Chinook are true or not, they often claim shootdowns that later turn out to have been caused by mechanical failure or something else.

However this time it looks more likely. The Taliban say that they shot down the helicopter with a rocket after troops attacked a house in Wardak where a meeting was taking place.

Troop carrying helicopters in hostile territory are a soft target with minimal protection from ground to air missiles. They fact that they carry large amounts of personnel and equipment also makes them a prime target.

The troops were obviously out on a mission but as with every special forces operation, official details are hard to come by. It is not known for instance, just how many personnel are in the special forces team, thought to be Navy Seal Team Six.

A NATO operation has been mounted to recover the helicopter and determine the cause of the crash.

President Obama made a statement paying tribute to the Americans who died in the crash. He said the incident was,

“A reminder of the extraordinary sacrifices made by the men and women of our military and their families, including all who have served in Afghanistan. We will draw inspiration from their lives and continue the work of securing our country and standing up for the values that they embodied.”

He also mentioned the Afghans who also lost their lives,

“We also mourn the Afghans who died alongside our troops in pursuit of a more peaceful and hopeful future for their country.”

It comes over the weekend when President Obama is having to deal with the US dropping down the S&P credit score scale and it’s subsequent political and economical fallout.

Photo: David Forster