Saturday, November 19, 2011

Egypt protest: Reports of state TV condemning protesters, security forces throwing stones in Tahrir Square


Egypt Live Blog

Al Jazeera staff and correspondents update you on important developments in Cairo, as protesters take to the streets in the Egyptian capital to voice their dissatisfaction with the pace of reform following an uprising several months ago.
Al Jazeera is not responsible for content derived from external sites.
The el-Fagr website has posted a live feed that appears to be from the new January 25 channel, which is airing a live camera from above Tahrir Square.
Nour Ayman, the son of former presidential candidate and opposition figure Ayman Nour, posted this image of a tear gas canister used in Tahrir Square today:
File 52866
Egypt's Health Minsitry has reported 213 injuries from clashes today between protesters and Central Security forces, according to Hani Shukrallah, the managing editor of al-Ahram, Egypt's largest newspaper, 
Daily News Egypt, a local English-language newspaper, has posted raw video of the fighting from earlier today:
Protesters in Tahrir Square are attempting to erect barricades, effectively employed during the revolution to keep attacking crowds out, Lina Atallah says. Meanwhile, organised bands of football fans are chanting against the Interior Ministry, which oversees the Central Security forces involved in today's clashes.
Should protesters move toward the ministry, more violence could result. Security forces and army troops have proven willing to use lethal violence to defend the building. 
Ahmed Fatah, a videojournalist for the local al-Masry al-Youm who was shot in the eye today, will undergo surgery tonight, his colleague Nora Younis reports. She posted an image of Ahmed in hospital with a bandage:
File 52841
Mostafa Sheshtawy describes one among many violent encounters between protesters and Central Security forces today in Tahrir Square:

msheshtawy
msheshtawy
Lilian Wagdy posted this picture of a shotgun shell she said was used by Central Security forces to fire birdshot in Tahrir Square today:
File 52821
Hundreds of protesters have reportedly returned to Tahrir after witnesses said Central Security forces were "chased" out of the vicinity, possibly by bands of "ultras," or organised football fans.

sabrykhaled
Several witnesses have reported seeing protesters today suffering from head wounds believed to be caused by police birdshot or rubber bullets. Activists Malek Mostafa has reportedly lost an eye from such a wound, and Ahmed Fatah, a journalist for the local al-Masry al-Youm newspaper, was also reportedly hit in the eye.
Fatah's colleague, journalist Nora Younis, described the injury on Twitter. "Kartoush" refers to a shotgun round of some kind.

NoraYounis



Sat, 19 Nov 2011, 16:02 GMT+3 - Egypt


Security forces have retaken most of Tahrir Square from protesters after a day of heavy clashes involving tear gas and rubber bullets, according to witnesses. Protesters are now scattered along the streets and bridges leading into the square.

In this tweet, Mosa'ab Elshamy compared today's violence to January 28, the "Day of Rage," when most of the casualties occurred during the revolution:

mosaaberizing :  Police occupying Tahrir, protesters on Asr El Nil bridge retreating then pushing forward. Jan28 all over again. Sat Nov 19 16:02:43





#Libyan TV broadcasts picture which it claims shows #Saif al-Islam #Gaddafi (left) on plane heading to Zintan


 
Tahrir now with security forces having cleared the protesters

Friday, November 11, 2011

Washington Nationals Pitcher, Wilson Ramos, was abducted over 36 hours ago in Venezuela - Still no contact from kidnappers

Wilson Ramos was signing an autograph when kidnappers forced him into vehicle

FIRST POST, 8:00 a.m. More than 36 hours after four gunmen abducted Wilson Ramos, the kidnappers have still made no contact with the Ramos family,which remains grasping for any information and for any hope it can muster.


“Another long night waiting,” family friend and spokeswoman Marfa Mata wrote this morning on Twitter. “Not a message or call about Wilson. Keep praying.”

The story has gripped Venezuela, with people having gathered to pray outside Ramos’s modest home in the Santa Ines region of Valencia. On the cover of the newspaper Diario, there is an enormous photograph of Ramos in his catching gear and Nationals uniform under the headline, “Venezulea requests the freedom of major leaguer Wilson Ramos.”

Supporters in Washington have organized a candlelight vigil outside Nationals Park tonight at 6 p.m. One fan created a Web site,FreeWilsonRamos.com.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Sarkozy tells Obama that Netanyahu is a "liar", Obama says, 'I have to deal with him' - Caught on Microphone

 France's President Nicolas Sarkozy gestures towards President Obama during the G20 Summit of major world economies in Cannes, November 3, 2011. REUTERS/Chris Ratcliffe/Pool 


French President Nicolas Sarkozy branded Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "a liar" in a private conversation with U.S. President Barack Obama that was accidentally broadcast to journalists during last week's G20 summit in Cannes.

"I cannot bear Netanyahu, he's a liar," Sarkozy told Obama, unaware that the microphones in their meeting room had been switched on, enabling reporters in a separate location to listen in to a simultaneous translation.

"You're fed up with him, but I have to deal with him even more often than you," Obama replied, according to the French interpreter.

The technical gaffe is likely to cause great embarrassment to all three leaders as they look to work together to intensify international pressure onIran over its nuclear ambitions.

The conversation was not initially reported by the small group of journalists who overheard it because it was considered private and off-the-record. But the comments have since emerged on French websites and can be confirmed by Reuters.

White House press secretary Jay Carney declined to comment on the conversation when asked by reporters traveling with Obama to an event in Philadelphia.

Obama's apparent failure to defend Netanyahu is likely to be leapt on by his Republican foes, who are looking to unseat him in next year's presidential election and have portrayed him as hostile to Israel, Washington's closest ally in the region.

Pushing Netanyahu risks alienating Israel's strong base of support among the U.S. public and in Congress.

Netanyahu's office declined to comment, but one of his deputies, Vice Premier Silvan Shalom, played down the episode.

"Everyone talks about everyone. Sometimes even good friends say things about each other, certainly in such competitive professions," Shalom, a former foreign minister and rival of Netanyahu in the rightist Likud party, told Israel's Army Radio.

"So you have to consider the main things. Is Obama a friend of Israel? Is Sarkozy a friend of Israel? Is their policy a consistent policy of support for Israel? The answer to all of these questions is affirmative and, as far as I'm concerned, that is what's important."

Iran has been working to produce a Nuclear Bomb since 2003, According to IAEA report



Report by UN nuclear agency says Tehran continously worked toward a nuclear weapon since 2003; diplomatic source in Vienna tells Haaretz: 'This is the most damning report ever published by the IAEA.'Report by UN nuclear agency says Tehran continously worked toward a nuclear weapon since 2003; diplomatic source in Vienna tells Haaretz: 'This is the most damning report ever published by the IAEA.'

Iran has been working toward building a nuclear weapon since 2003, according to a report released by the International Atomic Energy Agency on Tuesday.

A diplomatic source in Vienna told Haaretz that this is "the most damning report ever published by the IAEA and the conclusion arising from it is one: Iran is working to acquire a nuclear weapon."

The report contains an appendix which details Iran's nuclear work which points to "military dimensions" in Iran's nuclear program.

The International Atomic Energy Agency document, which has been preceded by Israeli media speculation of military strikes against Iranian nuclear sites, detailed new evidence suggesting efforts to develop a nuclear arms capability.

Some of the activities may still be going on, it said.

The United States and its allies are expected to seize on the keenly-awaited IAEA report to press for more sanctions on the major oil producer. Tehran has dismissed the allegations as fabricated and baseless.


FULL IAEA Report is below. Or Click Here

Board of Governors
GOV/2011/65
Date: 8 November 2011
Restricted Distribution
Original: English
For official use only

Item 5(c) of the provisional agenda
(GOV/2011/63)

Implementation of the NPT Safeguards
Agreement and relevant provisions of
Security Council resolutions in the
Islamic Republic of Iran

Report by the Director General

A. Introduction
1. This report of the Director General to the Board of Governors and, in parallel, to the Security Council, is on the implementation of the NPT Safeguards Agreement1 and relevant provisions of Security Council resolutions in the Islamic Republic of Iran (Iran).

2. The Security Council has affirmed that the steps required by the Board of Governors in its resolutions2 are binding on Iran.3 The relevant provisions of the aforementioned Security Council resolutions were adopted under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, and are mandatory, in accordance with the terms of those resolutions.4

__________________________________________________________________________________

1 The Agreement between Iran and the Agency for the Application of Safeguards in Connection with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (INFCIRC/214), which entered into force on 15 May 1974.

2 The Board of Governors has adopted ten resolutions in connection with the implementation of safeguards in Iran: GOV/2003/69 (12 September 2003); GOV/2003/81 (26 November 2003); GOV/2004/21 (13 March 2004); GOV/2004/49 (18 June 2004); GOV/2004/79 (18 September 2004); GOV/2004/90 (29 November 2004); GOV/2005/64 (11 August 2005); GOV/2005/77 (24 September 2005); GOV/2006/14 (4 February 2006); and GOV/2009/82 (27 November 2009).

3 In resolution 1929 (2010), the Security Council: affirmed, inter alia, that Iran shall, without further delay, take the steps required by the Board in GOV/2006/14 and GOV/2009/82; reaffirmed Iran’s obligation to cooperate fully with the IAEA on all outstanding issues, particularly those which give rise to concerns about the possible military dimensions of the Iranian nuclear programme; decided that Iran shall, without delay, comply fully and without qualification with its Safeguards Agreement, including through the application of modified Code 3.1 of the Subsidiary Arrangements; and called upon Iran to act strictly in accordance with the provisions of its Additional Protocol and to ratify it promptly (operative paras 1–6).

4 The United Nations Security Council has adopted the following resolutions on Iran: 1696 (2006); 1737 (2006); 1747 (2007); 1803 (2008); 1835 (2008); and 1929 (2010).

Atoms for Peace
GOV/2011/65

Page 2

3. By virtue of its Relationship Agreement with the United Nations,5 the Agency is required to cooperate with the Security Council in the exercise of the Council’s responsibility for the maintenance or restoration of international peace and security. All Members of the United Nations agree to accept and carry out the decisions of the Security Council,6 and in this respect, to take actions which are consistent with their obligations under the United Nations Charter.

4. In a letter dated 26 May 2011, H.E. Dr Fereydoun Abbasi, Vice President of Iran and Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), informed the Director General that Iran would be prepared to receive relevant questions from the Agency on its nuclear activities after a declaration by the Agency that the work plan (INFCIRC/711) had been fully implemented and that the Agency would thereafter implement safeguards in Iran in a routine manner. In his reply of 3 June 2011, the Director General informed Dr Abbasi that the Agency was neither in a position to make such a declaration, nor to conduct safeguards in Iran in a routine manner, in light of concerns about the existence in Iran of possible military dimensions to Iran’s nuclear programme. On 19 September 2011, the Director General met Dr Abbasi in Vienna, and discussed issues related to the implementation of Iran’s Safeguards Agreement and other relevant obligations. In a letter dated 30 September 2011, the Agency reiterated its invitation to Iran to reengage with the Agency on the outstanding issues related to possible military dimensions to Iran’s nuclear programme and the actions required of Iran to resolve those issues. In a letter dated 30 October 2011, Dr Abbasi referred to his previous discussions with the Director General and expressed the will of Iran “to remove ambiguities, if any”, suggesting that the Deputy Director General for Safeguards (DDG-SG), should visit Iran for discussions. In his reply, dated 2 November 2011, the Director General indicated his preparedness to send the DDG-SG to “discuss the issues identified” in his forthcoming report to the Board of Governors.

To read More, CLICK HERE

Death Toll reaches 42 in Colombian Mudslide

 

SEARCHERS have recovered the bodies of three more people from the debris of a massive mudslide in Colombia, raising the death toll to 42.


The mudslide in Manizales, a city of 350,000 about 290 kilometres west of Bogota, swept through the Cervantes neighbourhood early Saturday, demolishing as many as 14 houses.

"Late Monday we recovered three more bodies, bringing the total number retrieved to 42," said Sandra Calvo, a spokeswoman for Colombia's Risk Management Office.

Scores of Colombians were still awaiting news of loved ones buried since Saturday, as the likelihood of finding more survivors diminished by the hour.

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Local Philadelphia Band Going Big, Fast!

Rivers Monroe
 

Rivers Monroe, a band based just out of Philadelphia, around the King of Prussia, PA area has been rising up in the world, and quickly. After appearing on the NBC10! Show and raising their Facebook Likes every day, they have also been on an East Coast College Campus Tour Sponsored by Coca-Cola, performed many local concerts, donated a concert to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network's 2011 Relay for Life, donating 20% of their merchandise, and now recently they have performed Live on Major Radio.

Remember that scene in 'That Thing You Do' where they are in the store and hear their song on the radio for the first time? It was a moment just like that for Rivers Monroe. A well-known Philadelphia Rock station, Radio 104.5 FM, Chose Rivers Monroe to perform Live on their "Live @ 5" Show, November 4th, 2011. The Live @ 5 Show is every Friday at 5pm. Below is Rivers Monroe performing Live at Radio 104.5...






Links:

http://www.riversmonroe.com 

http://www.radio1045.com

http://www.facebook.com/RiversMonroe - 'Like' them to reach 2,000 by the end of this year!

http://www.itunes.com/RiversMonroe