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Showing posts from May 12, 2013

Labor’s Attention Turns Back to the Peace Process

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It seems as though in recent weeks, Israel’s Labor Party has returned its attention to the peace process. This is a good thing, because Shelly Yachimovich has an opportunity to push the issue and throw Labor’s weight behind real progress. Yachimovich has urged Benjamin Netanyahu to respond positively to the revised Arab Peace Initiative and, even more interesting, has met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to discuss how to move forward. What’s more, she did so without consulting her party, indicating she wants to both keep control over party ideas and to claim the spotlight on the issue. Israeli Labour party leader Shelly Yachimovich attends a press conference in the Knesset. (Lior Mizrahi / Getty Images) Although the Labor Party has long been identified as the political representative of the peace camp, these recent developments are noteworthy because Yachimovich made the decision to all but ignore the Palestinians, the settlements, and

Report: Canada could see indigenous uprising

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Canada has recently seen a wave of indigenous protest through the Idle No More Movement [Reuters] Former military official says poverty and anger in indigenous communities mean conditions for an "insurgency" are ripe. Living standards for indigenous people on par with "third world" countries, buttressed by a large population of unemployed young men in a "warrior cohort", and easy-to-target economic infrastructure, all mean Canada has conditions for a potential indigenous "insurgency". That's according to a new report penned by a former Canadian military officer for the MacDonald Laurier Institute, a think-tank supported by corporate executives. "For many Aboriginal people in Canada, but especially for First Nations women and children, life on-reserve is dreary, dark and dangerous," wrote Douglas Bland in the report, Canada and the first Nations: Cooperation or C

Somaliland waits for worldwide recognition

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Citizens and leaders in the autonomous region of Somalia say they are historically and politically a separate country. The Horn of Africa has been ravaged by war and famine for decades, and now one of Somalia's regions, hopes to become an independent state. Somaliland sits on the Gulf of Aden and is officially regarded as an autonomous region of Somalia. The two were, however, separate until 1960. During the civil war in the 1980s, 40,000 people from Somaliland were killed, and nearly half a million fled. The region then declared independence in 1991. Since then, it has held four peaceful elections.  Ahmed Mahamoud Silany, the president, told Al Jazeera that Somaliland would like to retain its independence, despite Somalia's calls to be united with region. "I think I have been very clear too, that we are going to retain our independence," he said. "We would like to remain friends with Somalia, we would like to cooperate with the

Kurdish peace process: The latest phase of de-securitisation politics

The reshuffling of Turkey's domestic and foreign policy over the last decade has finally led to a solution for Kurds. Conceiving of the Kurdish issue in political terms - rather than security ones - represents the third and final phase of de-securitisation politics in Turkey, which is an indication of the growing normalisation of the country. Since the beginning of 2013, Turkey's political agenda has been dominated by the Kurdish peace process initiated through negotiations between the Kurdistan Workers' Party's (PKK) incarcerated leader, Abdullah Ocalan, and the chief of Turkey's National Intelligence Organisation (MIT), Hakan Fidan. So far, the process has progressed smoothly. Some important milestones have been reached. First, a ceasefire has effectively been in place since the start of negotiations. Second, on March 21  -  a symbolic day, Newroz, celebrated to mark the beginning of spring in Mesopotamia and Central Asia - a letter written by

Azerbaijani, Armenian FMs discuss peace process of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

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17 May 2013 The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Ambassadors Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Jacques Faure of France, and Ian Kelly of the United States of America) met on May 17 with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian. The Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, also participated in the meetings, the OSCE said today. The Co-Chairs and the Foreign Ministers discussed possible ways to advance the peace process of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The Ministers exchanged views on the current situation and reaffirmed their commitment to promoting peace in the region. The Co-Chairs reiterated the need to avoid actions or rhetoric that could raise tensions or damage the peace process, and discussed with the Ministers a number of confidence building measures to help create an atmosphere conducive to reconciliation. The

Gunshots fired at Cannes film festival

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French police gather on May 17, 2013 at the site of an assault on the set of a show on French tv Canal +, on the sidelines of the 66th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes.AFP A man was arrested at the Cannes film festival on Friday after firing a starting pistol during a live TV broadcast on the palm-lined waterfront, sending actors Christoph Waltz and Daniel Auteuil running for cover. French TV station Canal+ was interviewing Austria’s Oscar-winning Waltz and French actor Auteuil live on its nightly news show from a beach-front set before a crowd of spectators when a man fired two shots into the air. “The bodyguards jumped over the barriers into the crowd and pulled him to the ground. The police arrived and told everyone to run because there was a grenade in his hand,” witness Arthur Laiguesse told Reuters. Police arrested the man at the scene and found he was carrying a dummy grenade and a knife, authorities said. “It really appears to be a c

‘Peace process with India likely to gain pace under Sharif govt’

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan expects that the peace process with India will gain pace after the installation of new government. “We hope that the dialogue process would pick up momentum in all areas,” Foreign Office spokesman Aizaz Chaudhry said at the weekly media briefing. The peace process has been on a virtual hold since the violations of the Line of Control in Kashmir at the start of this year. Tensions resurfaced when an Indian prisoner, Sarabjit Singh, died after an attack by inmates in a Lahore jail and a Pakistani, Sanaullah, was fatally beaten in Jammu jail. Another Pakistani, Abdul Jabbar, was injured in an attack in Tihar prison. Aizaz said Pakistan had always emphasised continuity of the peace talks so that outstanding issues could be resolved. The peace process has remained accident-prone and there have been numerous starts and stops, which impeded progress towards normalisation of ties between the two countries. Indian Prime Minister Manmoh

Unlawful Association Law Hindering Peace Process: Shan’s RCSS

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The Shan State Army-South (SSA-South), left, and Burmese government meet for peace talks in Kengtung, eastern Shan State, on May 16, 2012. (Photo: The Irrawaddy) The Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) is urging the government to rescind a provision of a law related to unlawful association so that ethnic groups in the area can more effectively carry out a political dialogue. RCSS spokesman Maj Sai Lao Hseng said RCSS and Shan State Army-South (SSA-South) representatives raised the issue of Section 17/1 of the Unlawful Association Act, which allows for the arrest of anyone deemed a participant or linked to “unlawful groups,” during a meeting with Myanmar Peace Center chief Aung Min earlier this week. Section 17/1’s removal was among a list of points first brought up at a meeting between government peace negotiators and the SSA-South in May of last year in Kengtung Township. That meeting saw the signing of an ostensible ceasefire agreement. “For political talk

Erdogan: Palestinian unity is imperative for peace process

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Turkish PM to meet with Hamas leaders, Abbas in visit next month. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US President Obama in a joint press conference. Photo: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque A reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas is imperative to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday, AFP reported. "The process of unity between Fatah and Hamas, this has to be achieved. If this reconciliation is not achieved, then I don't believe that a solution or result will come out of the Israeli-Palestinian discussions," said the Turkish prime minister, who is currently visiting the US. On Thursday , Erdogan said he intends to go ahead with plans to visit the Gaza Strip and the West Bank in June, where he will meet with both Hamas rulers and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. "I place a lot of significance on this vi

Can Germany show Brazil how to cope with past?

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Brazil's efforts to shed light on human rights violations committed during decades of military rule are moving sluggishly. The National Truth Commission hopes for support from Germany's visiting President Joachim Gauck. During Brazil's military rule from 1964 to 1985, Rosa Maria Cardoso defended political prisoners. Today, the 67-year-old lawyer coordinates the country's National Truth Commission (NTC). It means a lot to her that German President Joachim Gauck made time to meet with members of the commission before wrapping up his three-day visit to Brazil on Friday. "I hope Gauck will be an inspiration to us in our efforts toward democracy and enlightenment," she told DW, adding she also hopes the former East German pastor and the federal commissioner for the Stasi archives will show the Brazilian commission avenues for a "step-by-step renunciation of authoritarianism." Established one year ago, the National Truth Commission in Brazil began

Neo-Nazi trial: Woman ‘part of kill squad’

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German courth charges Defendant Zschaepe over ‘part of kill squad.’ REUTERS photo German prosecutors May 14 charged that a woman at the center of a landmark trial over a neo-Nazi group’s murder spree was an integral part of a “unified killing squad” that shot dead 10 people, most of them Turkish migrants. The second day of the eagerly awaited trial was mostly taken up with legal arguments and a reading of the charges against Zschaepe, whose two presumed male accomplices, Uwe Boehnhardt and Uwe Mundlos, both committed suicide in 2011. “The NSU members considered themselves a murder squad, committing killings with racist and anti-state motives,” federal public prosecutor Herbert Diemer said. “Zschaepe had the critical role of creating an air of normality and legality for the terrorist group. This included giving innocuous reasons to neighbors and friends to explain the long absences of Boehnhardt and Mundlos, who were seeking possible targets and planning the deeds.” Zschaepe is

Bulgarian 'Ataka' Party Follows Neo-Nazi Global Trends

Bulgarian 'Ataka' party follows neo-Nazi tides, gaining sizable portion of popular vote in country's parliamentary elections. The Ataka party, meaning “Attack” in Bulgarian currently holds a key position  to dictate terms for the formation of Bulgaria’s next ruling coalition, after the winning GERB party did not gain enough seats in the Parliament to form a government on its own. Ataka’s  success  is attributed largely to the vote of the poor and disenfranchised, who are frustrated with the country’s weak economy. “Espousing a mix of populist and fiery nationalistic policies, Ataka has branded foreign companies operating in Bulgaria ‘robbers’, called for the re-nationalization of some sectors of the economy and has vilified Bulgaria’s sizeable Romany community,” reported  Scotsman.com. According to  reports , Ataka party members wear shirts with swastikas and make Nazi salutes at rallies. Ataka’s success follows the rise of the Golden Dawn neo-Nazi party in ne

Nigerian forces bombard Islamist militant camps from the air

(Reuters) - Nigerian forces used jets and attack helicopters to bombard Islamist militant camps in the northeast on Friday, killing a number of insurgents, the defense headquarters spokesman said. Brigadier-General Chris Olukolade told Reuters by telephone several camps had been attacked, including in the Sambisa game reserve in Borno state, but did not have further details. "A number of insurgents have been killed. It is not just Sambisa, every camp is under attack. But we have not done the mopping up operations on the ground to determine the numbers killed," Olukolade said. Nigerian forces are trying to regain territory controlled by increasingly well-armed Boko Haram Islamist insurgents in their northeastern stronghold states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, which were put under a state of emergency by President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday. Boko Haram, other Islamist militant groups such as al-Qaeda linked Ansaru and associated criminal gangs have become the bigges

Review: The Reluctant Fundamentalist is Mira Nair's most engaging work

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Movie Review: Reluctant Fundamentalist Cast : Riz Ahmed, Kate Hudson, Liev Schreiber, Kiefer Sutherland, Om Puri, Shabana Azmi Director : Mira Nair The Indian Express rating : *** Is being a person of colour a cardinal sin in the West, still? There is a moment in the film when the protagonist looks at a TV screen showing one of the most devastating moments of this century, and his instant reaction is horror mixed with, yes, stunned admiration. The response is involuntary. What audacity, he thinks, and the voice over lets us into his thoughts. The image is that of the twin towers under attack in Manhattan, those planes crashing, that leaping fire: the film takes us elsewhere after this, but those of us who saw those same images on the screen in real time, have an indelible spot in our eyes, and how the world changed, post 9/11. This mixed reaction and the voicing of it is the central triumph of Mira Nair's The Reluctant Fundamentalist, based on the novel of the same name by Mo

Neo-Nazi probe: Indian-origin German MP slams authorities

Berlin: Indian-origin MP Sebastian Edathy, who chairs a German parliamentary inquiry commission, has sharply criticised the country's security authorities for their "total failure" in probing a string of 10 racially motivated murders allegedly by a neo-Nazi gang.  Edathy, interior affairs spokesman for the opposition Social Democratic Party (SPD), spoke of "multiple" and "historically unparalleled" failures by the police and intelligence services, which investigated the crimes.  They were insensitive to the fact that nine victims were Turkish and Greek migrants and carried out their probe "with blinkers on and loaded with prejudices," Edathy said.  Their conduct was "disgraceful for a constitutional state and it should not happen again," he said.  For many years, investigations focused on organised crime within the Turkish communities and right extremists were never suspected as perpetrators of the crimes.  There have been allegati