A former government official told the Iraq inquiry today that he had warned against publishing the government’s “dodgy dossier” but was ignored: here.
Tony Blair once again skulked into the Chilcot inquiry in London under cover of darkness today to avoid around a hundred protesters who had gathered outside the building: here.
The Iraq inquiry may just be the start of Blair’s problems, says Felicity Arbuthnot: here.
Britain: Michael Lyons, a 24 year old Navy medic, and a conscientious objector, believes that the US and British occupation of Afghanistan is based on lies and greed: here.
This video is called ‘Baby Doc’ Duvalier Back in Haiti After Exile.
The return of Jean-Claude Duvalier to Haiti increases the chances he could be charged with atrocities committed during his dictatorship, the UN human rights office said today: here.
However, so far the bloody ex-dictator walks around as a free man in occupied Haiti … while democratically elected, but “too Leftist” for United States rulers’ tastes, President Aristide cannot return to Haiti after his abduction by US soldiers, and his political party cannot participate in elections.
After questioning him for hours, police escort former dictator Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier from his hotel: here.
Haitian authorities arrested Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier Tuesday, barely two days after the former dictator flew back to the country after a quarter of a century in exile: here. See also here. And here. And here. And here.
Ginger Thompson, The New York Times New Service: “Days after Haitians watched an exiled dictator come home, a former president issued a statement on Wednesday that fueled rumors that he, too, was angling to return. The former president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, a onetime priest of the slums who became Haiti‘s first democratically elected president, said he was prepared to return home ‘today, tomorrow and at any time.’ Mr. Aristide was ousted in 2004 in the midst of growing unrest and under intense pressure from the United States”: here.
Haiti’s government has said it is ready to issue a new passport to Jean-Bertrand Aristide, former president, to allow him to return to his country after almost seven years in exile in South Africa: here.
Ryan Stock, Truthout: “‘A fabulous Easter gift,’ commented Monsanto Director of Development Initiatives Elizabeth Vancil. Nearly 60,000 seed sacks of hybrid corn seeds and other vegetable seeds were donated to post-earthquake Haiti by Monsanto. In observance of World Environment Day, June 4, 2010, roughly 10,000 rural Haitian farmers gathered in Papaye to march seven kilometers to Hinche in celebration of this gift. Upon arrival, these rewarded farmers took their collective Easter baskets of more than 400 tons of vegetable seeds and burned them all. ‘Long live the native maize seed!’ they chanted in unison. ‘Monsanto‘s GMO [genetically modified organism] and hybrid seed violate peasant agriculture!’” See here.
Cassandra Anderson, MORPHcity: “Farmers like genetically modified (GM) crops because they can plant them, spray them with herbicide and then there is very little maintenance until harvest. Farmers who plant Monsanto’s GM crops probably don’t realize what they bargain for when they sign the Monsanto Technology Stewardship Agreement contract. One farmer reportedly ‘went crazy’ when he discovered the scope of the contract because it transfers ALL liability to the farmer or grower”: here.
Mike Ludwig, Truthout: “A coalition of farmers and environmental groups filed a lawsuit against the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) on March 18 to challenge the agency’s recent decision to fully deregulate Monsanto’s Roundup Ready alfalfa. This is the second time the USDA has been sued over its approval of Roundup Ready alfalfa, which is genetically engineered (GE) to tolerate glyphosate, a popular herbicide commonly sold under the Monsanto brand name Roundup. The latest lawsuit, filed by groups like the Center for Food Safety (CFS) and the National Family Farm Coalition, opens a new chapter in the five-year battle over the GE alfalfa seed developed by Monsanto and Forage Genetics”: here.
“Miami Rice”: The Business of Disaster in Haiti. Beverly Bell and Tory Field, Truthout: “As we file this article, Port-au-Prince is thick with gunfire and the smoke of burning tires. Towns throughout the country and the national airport are shut down due to demonstrations. Many are angry over the government’s announcement Tuesday night reporting which two presidential candidates made the run-offs: Jude Celestin, from the widely hated ruling party of President Rene Preval, and the far-right Mirlande Manigat. The announcement betrays another obvious manipulation of what had already been a brazenly fraudulent election. A democratic vote is one more thing that has been taken from the marginalized Haitian majority, compounding their many losses since the earthquake of January 12″: here.
The US deported 27 Haitian nationals last Thursday, resuming forced repatriations to the devastated country a year after the massive earthquake of January 2010: here.
USA : The return of Aristide would be “an unfortunate distraction”: here.
Washington warned former Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide on Wednesday not to return from exile ahead of next month’s presidential election: here.
Authorities Search/Copy US Journalist’s Notes, Computer/Cameras After Returning From Haiti: here.
Sweden: Police arrested 70 demonstrators outside a migration board facility near Gothenburg today after they tried to prevent the transfer of a group of Iraqi citizens who were due to be deported: here.
The fate of the 34,000 Palestinian refugees living in Iraq became extremely dangerous following the US lead invasion in 2003 which lead to another Palestinian exodus: here.
The paper say the UNHCR has written to Sahar Hbrahimgel’s lawyer stating the girl could be in serious danger if she is sent back to Afghanistan because she is too westernised. In addition, the Taliban and other extremist organisations
including in the “westernized” Karzai government
will regard her as ‘sinful’, the letter says.
The lawyer, Paul Stieger, says it is extremely rare for the UNHCR to intervene directly in an asylum case.
Groningen
The Hbrahimgel family came to the Netherlands 10 years ago and has been turned down for asylum three times. The family lives in the Groningen [sic; Friesland] village of Sint Annaparochie and the girl is in the pre-university high school stream. She wants to be a surgeon.
The family’s supporters say slow immigration service procedures are one reason the case has taken so long to process.
A last-ditch appeal by the family is currently being considered by a court in Den Bosch.
Mike Ludwig, Truthout: “Secret diplomatic cables recently released by WikiLeaks show that the Obama administration increased the United States’ military presence in Afghanistan despite warnings that the surge could make 2010 the most difficult and bloody since the 2001 invasion. US Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry issued several cables in 2009 detailing serious concerns about the Afghan government and its leader, President Hamid Karzai. Eikenberry claimed that Karzai ‘is not an adequate strategic partner’ and ‘continues to shun responsibility for any burden, whether defense, governance or development’”: here.
German soldiers are complaining that their letters from Afghanistan have been opened and censored in recent months, with a military advocate demanding an explanation from Defence Minster Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, a media report said Wednesday: here.
Abid al-Briki told Tunisian state television the decision was taken because of the continued presence of former leader Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali’s RCD party in government.
“This is in response to the demands of people on the streets,” Briki said.
The ministers, who were given junior positions in the cabinet, are Houssine Dimassi, nominated for the training and employment portfolio, and two ministers of state, Abdeljelil Bedoui and Anouar Ben Gueddour.
Tunisian Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi announced a new government on Monday that included several familiar faces from the government of the ousted president, and three opposition leaders.
The prime minister, along with the ministers for defense, foreign affairs, internal affairs and finance, are unchanged. Many are members of the ruling RCD party, Ben Ali’s power base for the 23 years of his rule.
Tunisian police used teargas earlier on Tuesday to break up a protest in the capital against the interim cabinet. Protesters carried banners saying “down with the RCD”.
Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia last week after weeks of unprecedented popular protests against poverty, corruption and political repression in the North African country of 10 million.
Four ministers representing Tunisia‘s main trade union quit the country’s day-old government today over concerns that it does not represent a break with the old regime.
Junior minister for transportation and equipment Anouar Ben Gueddour resigned along with labour minister Houssine Dimassi, and minister without portfolio Abdeljelil Bedoui. …
Health minister Mustapha Ben Jaafar of the opposition Democratic Forum for Work and Freedom also resigned.
New Tunisian Government Declares Total Information Liberty as Protesters Demand more Change: here.
France’s bosses club Medef said today that Tunisia would present rich pickings for French transnationals following the departure of Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali: here.
The Tunisian Revolution Shakes, Inspires the Middle East (Juan Cole in Truthdig): here.
Tunisia: The revolution continues? — Left and Arab voices on the insurrection: here.
USA: A capacity audience of more than 650 heard striking DSO musicians and Vanguard Voices perform selections from the music of Rodgers and Hammerstein at a concert Saturday in Detroit: here.
Australia: Grantham flood survivor threatened with arrest
18 January 2011
Queensland police threatened Grantham service station owner Martin Warburton, 41, with arrest on Thursday if he attempted to speak with Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Queensland Premier Anna Bligh about the failure of their governments to provide timely and adequate assistance to the flood-ravage community. Warburton, who is chairman of the Grantham relief committee and a former councillor, was told by the local police sergeant he could be arrested and charged for “inciting fear and anger in the community”.
Inundation is continuing to threaten towns, communities and farms in northern Victoria, as evidence emerges of government failures: here.
As the human and economic costs mount, damaging flooding is still occurring in the southern state of Victoria, and floodwaters are threatening towns and farms in parts of Queensland and New South Wales: here.
The reality on the ground in Sri Lanka’s flood-affected areas is vastly different from the sanitised view being presented in television footage: here.
If a city drowns beneath a once-in-a-hundred-years flood, that’s weather. Such things have happened in the past. But when hundred-year floods start happening every few decades, that’s no longer just weather. The dice have become loaded for different outcomes. Climate — that is, the average of weather — is changing: here.
The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has delayed its decision on the controversial new coalmine proposed for Margaret River in Western Australia: here. And here.
The National Unity Government announced by Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi is a coming together of all factions of Tunisia’s ruling elite against the working class, students and small farmers: here.
Tunisian opposition parties overlooked in the country’s new interim government have strongly criticised the decision to include members of ousted president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali’s cabinet in the transitional authority: here.
The head of Tunisia’s transitional government Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi said Tuesday that officials who used violence to quell protests that ousted Tunisia’s president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali last week will face justice: here.
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today called on the Prime Minister of Tunisia, Mohammed Ghannouchi, to release journalist Fahem Boukadous who is serving a four year jail term and suffering from severe asthma: here.
All the latest on Tunisia from our live blog: here.
“Where can I find a Tunisian flag?” The question flooded Egyptian blogs, tweeter and Facebook pages minutes after news that popular protests had forced out long-time Tunisian dictator Zine el Abidine Ben Ali: here.
Tunisia: Will the Jasmine Revolution Spread? Here.
Tunisia. Passions ignited there resonate across region with more self-immolations: here.
“Break my heart but don’t come near my bread,” goes an old Arabic proverb. Failure to observe it has often come at a high political price: here.
Virulent unrest in Northern Africa should be ringing alarm bells in Afghanistan. Widespread Afghan youth unemployment, not the Taliban, may soon become the largest of the US military’s worries as it delicately maneuvers itself out of the country: here.
US professor finds 20 new beetle species in Suriname, says country’s biodiversity preservation level rare
January 17, 2011 | Author DevSur
LAWRENCE —Entomologist Andrew Short, who in 2010 “discovered” at least 20 species of water beetles in Suriname –all new to science-, says the country has a huge opportunity.
“Suriname has an almost entirely intact forest — except for a little bit along the coast where most of the people live and a little bit of mining,” he said. “There really exists a huge opportunity for this country to preserve in wholesale its entire biodiversity. There is no loss yet, which is really rare for most developing countries.”
The 30-year-old assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology has taken part in 20 expeditions to South America, eight in the past four years to Venezuela to study aquatic insects. But his latest expedition directed him to what he describes as “a high-difficulty place to get into” — an unspoiled tropical rain forest. “Hundreds of miles from the nearest road, he canoed from camp to camp through one of the planet’s few remaining untouched tropical forests, one of a band of international scientists searching for unknown plants and animals,” the University of Kansas –which he works for- reports in a news release.
“When you’re standing in the middle of a stream and you collect a tiny brown beetle, no bigger than a pinhead, it’s really difficult to know exactly the significance,” said Short, who had already described 103 species of beetles before his last trip to Suriname. Indeed, of the 85 species of water beetles he collected, the KU researcher said that 20 were likely new to science.
Short was among 30 scientists who flew to Suriname on August 15 to search for unknown plants and animals. The expedition was part of Conservation International’s Rapid Assessment Program, which provides biological information from various countries to accelerate conservation efforts and improve biodiversity protection.
After landing in Suriname’s capital, the group traveled to Kwamalasamutu, near the Brazil border, to ask permission of the indigenous community’s chief to collect specimens on its land. The goals of the expedition included doing an inventory of the area to develop a baseline of plants and animals; determining how the information could be applied, such as promoting ecotourism; and assessing the impact the indigenous community has on the land and its animals and recommending changes, if needed.
Once permission was gained, Short, 11 other scientists, 12 Surinamese students and eight to 10 Amerindians loaded their gear into 10 large motorized canoes and headed to a camp deeper into the rain forest. The students and scientists focused on finding aquatic insects in small streams, marshes and holes in the ground where water collected, while the Amerindians helped guide the researchers, cut trails and build camps.
Short said he and the others used tea strainers and nets to gather beetles from the water and an aspirator to suck the insects out of the water and deposit them into a vial filled with ethanol. At night, they would clean the samples, write labels and keep a running list of species collected. The group collected more than 4,000 specimens during the trip. “I estimated we collected 85 species in the field,” he said, “but I think it will be more than 100.”
Short said one of his most interesting finds was an inselberg, a granite outcrop that rises from the forest. “There’s a kind of aquatic beetle and insect community that only lives on these rock outcrops. We were fortunate enough to find one, and it had a little bit of water — just enough to find a few species that are new to science and may contribute to our understanding of evolution and biogeography,” he said.
Once he returned to KU on September 12, Short and his team began mounting and labeling specimens for the university’s entomology collection. Some specimens will go into a frozen tissue collection for use as DNA samples. Short said he will study the specimens for about a year and then write a detailed report about what was found at each site, which will be compiled into a small book that provides baseline data.
Short, who also is curator of KU’s Biodiversity Institute, said he plans to go back to the rain forest in September to collect more specimens.
Two new species of ‘leaping’ beetles discovered in New Caledonia: here.
January 2011. Over the course of two scientific expeditions to the subtropical forests of Mozambique, Will Watson, Wildlife Consultant from Herefordshire, discovered a species of water beetle new to science. The 2.7 mm long diving beetle has been named Haliplus watsoni: here.
(American Journal of Botany) Do mountain tops act as sky islands for species that live at high elevations? Are plant populations on these mountain tops isolated from one another because the valleys between them act as barriers, or can pollinators act as bridges allowing genes to flow among distant populations? Here.
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