Protesters waved red banners, and lobbed stones and bottles at the officers as the intensity of Saturday’s clashes escalated. Riot police made attempts to disperse the crowds, marching in solidarity with the victims of last week’s attacks. Police prevented the protesters from reaching the center of the town, where the bombs exploded by the city hall and post office. Pockets of the marchers also clamored for a change of government as many people in the town are angry at the government’s response to the attack. They also blame Turkish authorities for decision to take in Syrian refugees fleeing the conflict in their country, saying it has made them a target for attacks. Barriers were broken down, with some detained, and others suffering injuries, according to a local tweet.The parade began with more than 1,000 participants. Local reports stated that the count could have even stood at over 10,000. However, it quickly fragmented, with the number of attendees dwindling to the hundreds. The clashes calmed down after approximately an hour.Last Saturday’s fatal car bombs in Hatay province on the Turkey-Syria border also injured a further 100 when they exploded outside a community hall and a post office in the center of town of Reyhanli. A third, unconnected explosion – likely an accident – also took place in a building containing some Syrian refugees.Residents of the town harbored frustration at the government’s immediate response, also saying that the country shouldn’t be accommodating refugees from Syria.Turkey had been quick to blame Syria for the devastating attacks, with Ankara warning it would take“all retaliatory measures necessary,” raising the prospect of an escalation in the conflict.Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan came in for criticism for traveling to the United States this week, instead of visiting the town to display support in the wake of its tragedy.Immediately following the blasts, approximately 100 of the city’s residents took to the streets outside Turkey’s Foreign Ministry, calling for Erdogan’s resignation and accusing him of a failed policy towards Syria which they believe led to the assault. … Read More
EU arms embargo on Syria: Scrap it or drop ‘non-lethal’ wording, says UK
The UK has been on a crusade to start arming the Syrian opposition and has lobbied hard in Brussels to amend the arms embargo placed on Damascus. In a leaked six-page long draft proposal circulated to EU diplomats over the past week, London is suggesting two options for amending current sanctions to give weapons to the Syrian National Coalition. The paper says the situation in Syria is “deteriorating sharply” and the EU must apply more pressure on the Assad government to negotiate.The first option pushes for full exemption of the main opposition bloc from the EU arms embargo, while the second proposal is to amend the language of the sanctions to remove the word “non-lethal” thus opening the gate for weapons to flow.Such a move would, the paper says, strengthen the opposition and “head off any reliance by the moderate Syrian opposition on Islamist-backed armed groups.” The UK also argues that such an approach would place the EU in a better position to fight potential use of chemical weapons.“Crucially, it will ensure we can respond flexibly to a major escalation in the conflict, such as chemical weapon attacks,” the paper added. Another idea is to ease financial transactions by amending bank sanctions to rebel-held territory.The EU is divided on the issue whether to adopt the British proposal which is also showing strong support from the French. The fierce debate in Brussels intensified after US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel stated that Washington is rethinking its position on providing arms to the opposition, saying “arming the rebels — that’s an option.” Discussions over lifting the embargo are expected to continue until the deadline of June 1. EU foreign ministers are scheduled to discuss the matter on May 27. Last month the EU agreed to allow purchases of oil from the opposition, lifting the sanctions originally imposed in May 2011. Spain, Austria and Sweden are worried that lifting the ban on arms sales will further destabilize the situation as it could arm al-Qaeda linked terrorist cells such as the al-Nusra Front. Austria for instance says that it might be forced to recall its troops from the UN peacekeeping force in the Golan Heights, because it would challenge EU’s impartiality.Britain argues that only the Syrian National Coalition will receive the weapons and if the EU allows arms sales, it would need to monitor how any equipment was used.“We have worked over many months to build effective relations with the opposition and have gradually extended our network of contacts. We already identify the recipients of any assistance very carefully,” UK said. Germany, the diplomats say could be open for compromise on the issue, but is discussing how to alter financial restrictions to help the rebels and pressure Assad.Russia has recently warned the EU not to lift its arms embargo. In Late April, Russian foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov said if the embargo is removed, “the international obligations of the EU countries, which prohibit supplies of arms and ammunition to non-government actors, are not going anywhere.”On Tuesday, Russia and the US reiterated their commitment to bringing all sides of the Syrian conflict for talks and announced an international conference to be called by the end of May which will serve as a follow-up to the Geneva Communiqué, the current peace road-map.Although talking peace, the US at the same time is considering the possibility of arming the opposition. The future of a bill recently introduced to the US Congress depends on “the state of the evidence in respect to chemical weapons” US Secretary of State John Kerry said after meeting with Russia’s President Putin and Foreign Minister Lavrov.Meanwhile, the Syrian National Coalition, the main benefactor from a potential lifting of the arms embargo, has welcomed the US-Russian negotiations.“The National Coalition welcomes all international efforts which call for a political solution to achieve the aspirations of the Syrian people and their hope for a democratic state, so long as they begin with the departure of Bashar al-Assad and his regime.”British Prime Minister David Cameron has also welcomed the results of the negotiations and is scheduled to have discussions with President Putin in Russia on Friday. But at the same time, Cameron once again accused the Syrian forces of using chemical weapons. “There is a growing body of limited but persuasive information showing that the regime has used and continues to use chemical weapons including sarin and the room for doubt about this continues to diminish,” Cameron told parliament. This, despite recent revelations by a leading United Nations investigator, Carla del Ponte who stated that their probe found “strong, concrete suspicions but not yet incontrovertible proof” that it’s the rebels, not President Bashar Assad‘s forces, who have used chemical weapons. … Read More
Israeli jets hit missile shipment from Syria to Hezbollah
Israel’s planes pass through Lebanese airspace to strike delivery of ‘game-changing’ weapons Israeli jets have struck an alleged shipment of advanced missiles in Syria that they say was being sent to the Lebanese organisation Hezbollah, in the latest dangerous escalation of a…
Fast food walkout planned in Chicago
Demanding a hefty raise and a fair chance to form a union, workers in Chicago’s growing fast food and retail sectors plan to walk off the job Wednesday morning. The one-day walkout begins at 5:30 a.m. Central Time, and organizers expect 500 workers from a dozen chains to participate. The work stoppage follows similar strikes by New York City fast food workers and by Wal-Mart retail employees across the country, and marks the latest escalation in the struggle between an embattled labor movement and two industries that increasingly dominate and define the new economy.“At the end of the day,” Macy’s employee Krystal Maxie-Collins told Salon, “it feels like I’ve done all of this to help everyone else, to help the store, help the managers, help the customers, but it doesn’t feel like anyone is looking out for me.” Maxie-Collins, a mother of four who works part-time for the state minimum wage of $8.25 plus a commission, said she had initially been hesitant about the strike because of the risk of retaliation. But “what we are fighting for, the reason for doing it, kind of overrode the fear of doing it.” “Usually the things that are worth it,” she added, “you have to sacrifice for.”Continue Reading… … Read More
Friendships ruined by Facebook: Online rows spill into real life – survey
The survey was carried out by US corporate training company VitalSmarts, which interviewed 2,698 people.It has been revealed that hostile behavior online can ruin friendships, with 78 percent of participants reporting an escalation in rudeness on social networks.One in five users drastically reduced contact with someone they knew in real life following an online row. Further, two in five people blocked, unsubscribed or ‘unfriended’ someone over a virtual argument.”The world has changed and a significant proportion of relationships happen online but manners haven’t caught up with technology,” VitalSmarts co-chair Joseph Grenny explained to Reuters on Wednesday. “What really is surprising is that so many people disapprove of this behavior but people are still doing it.”Workplace arguments are also often tracked back to conversations in chat forums in which workers spoke negatively about another colleague.Participant Laura J. has seen the ripple effects of social media at work: A frustrated coworker posted a message about wanting to “handle coworkers like we did in the old days,” followed by descriptive and violent details, according to VitalSmarts’ press release on their survey. The atmosphere in the participant’s office has been tense ever since the post was made a year ago. Ultimately, employees unfriended their colleague and avoid her in the office “for fear she’ll come after [us].””People seem aware that these kinds of crucial conversations should not take place on social media yet there seems to be a compulsion to resolve emotions right now and via the convenience of these channels,” Joseph Grenny pointed out.He also indicated three rules that could improve conversations online: Avoiding monologues, replacing lazy and judgmental words, and cutting back on personal attacks, particularly when emotions were high.About 67 percent of US adults currently use social networks, with Facebook being the most popular, while over 50 percent of British users have a Facebook account. In Russia, the latest figures show that around 6.5 million people use Facebook, and that number is growing quite steadily. … Read More
‘World should be on its toes between April 10-15’ as N. Korea conflict escalation possible
“I think there is a real risk here of seeing some kind of military component, some kind of escalation to this conflict between April 10th and April 15th, so I think the world should certainly be on its toes,” Bowie said.He added that the North is threatening the US and South Korea “to show the world that Kim Jong-un’s regime is different than his father’s and his grandfather’s. It’s more aggressive and less predictable. I think this is ultimately a dangerous development.”RT: Is the announcement to withdraw its workers from the Kaesong industrial zone a sign North Korea is ready to step things up even further?Nile Bowie: Unfortunately so. This site was the last site for inter-Korean cooperation of any kind, and the North Koreans earned about 90 million dollars a year from this site in the impoverished border region in North Korea. A lot of workers relied on the money so this is ultimately a major negative for the North Korean people in that region. The South Korean military has pointed out that on the eastern coast of North Korea, Pyongyang has set up a missile launch site and over the next few days, I think it’s very possible that they could back up this huffing and puffing with a show of force and we should also note that on April 15, it’s the founder of North Korea’s birthday so usually around this time, they mark this event with great celebrations and the like. And they have issued the diplomatic statements to their embassies that they will no longer be able to protect them after April 10th so I think there is a real risk here of seeing some kind of military component, some kind of escalation to this conflict between April 10th and April 15th, so I think the world should certainly be on its toes.RT: What is Pyongyang trying to achieve by threatening the US and South Korea?NB: I think there are several components to this. One component is building up the tension and continuing these threats and rhetoric and once it eventually tones down the rhetoric, it thinks it will be rewarded with economic concessions or food aid. The other main component is to show the world that Kim Jong-un’s regime is different than his father’s and his grandfather’s. More aggressive and less predictable and I think this is ultimately a dangerous development.RT: Washington delayed its missile test, but is still ramping up its military presence in the region …what’s it trying to do?NB: I don’t really buy that line personally, because it canceled its intercontinental ballistic missile test – at least I think it was an ICBM – on the western coast of the US because it didn’t want to make it seem like it was provoking North Korea, but if it really had that intention, it wouldn’t have flown B2 nuclear capable bombers or sent in F22 stealth fighters into North Korea. I think these moves are ultimately very provocative, do nothing to improve the situation, they escalate hostilities, and I think ultimately it creates animosity and allows the Kim Jong-un regime to consolidate power because it legitimizes their rhetoric that the US is coaxing nuclear war on the peninsula so I think cool heads really must prevail on this situation. I think it’s high time that Russia and China put more pressure on dialogue and bringing the parties’ concerned to the table because it’s really getting to a situation where it’s going to be problematic if this continues. … Read More
‘Washington calling shots in Korean dispute’
South Korea has backtracked on claims that the North is preparing a fourth nuclear test later this week as a government minister in Seoul now says he was being inaccurate when talking about indications of activity at a North Korean test site. Meanwhile, Pyongyang has announced that it is suspending all work at two countries’ Kaesong industrial zone and is evacuating its personnel from the area. A former member of the European Parliament and an expert on Asia, Glyn Ford, believes the relations between the two Koreas have reached their nadir and war is a possibility if the situation won’t start to improve. He also sees Washington’s delay of its long-planned missile test as just a political, not a sincere, step to avoid further escalation on the Korean Peninsula.RT: We’ve heard Seoul say North Korea is planning another nuclear test, then backtrack. Does Pyongyang actually pose a serious threat, or is it just all talk?Glyn Ford: There’s clearly a potential threat of a conflict on the [Korean] Peninsula. We’ve seen a number of incidents over the last few years where there’d been clashes, particularly around the northern limit line at sea between the North and South. And in the current climate another clash like that could very easily escalate. I don’t think either side actually intends to start a military conflict. The danger is that these things can happen by accident. RT:What exactly is Pyongyang trying to achieve with this war rhetoric aimed against a country clearly superior to it in military might? GF:What we’ve got ourselves into is a dangerous escalation on both sides. It started with [North Korean supreme leader] Kim Jong-un, actually, being involved in a satellite launch back in December; than we had a nuclear test in February just before, Park Geun-hye, the new South Korean president, took office. We have a situation now where she doesn’t certainly want to be seen as weak. The same is true about Kim Jong-un.And so we’re getting this sort of escalation upwards. And neither side seems capable of actually looking at how it might deescalate from where we are now, which puts us in a dangerous position. Not because – as I said I think either side intends to use military action, but these things can very easily happened by accident. RT:The US has been boosting its military presence around the Korean Peninsula in recent weeks. Why all of a sudden delay a ballistic missile test in order to avoid escalation, like they say? GF:Frankly, I’m not very convinced. We, actually, have a situation where they are deploying more troops and deploying more ships. They have can redeploy announced theater missile defense in Guam, which is a US colony that’s comparatively close to the Korean Peninsula. So there’s a three steps one way – one step backwards. I think it difficult to convince Pyongyang that this is much of a concession. RT:And what exactly would it take from all the sides involved to finally resolve this conflict? GF:I think that the whole issue is that the North Korea is genuinely see that the US is being the key. North Korea has always been asking foe bilateral talks between the US and Pyongyang, Washington and Pyongyang rather than Seoul, because they see Washington actually calling the shots, ultimately.RT:How much worse do you see the dispute between the North and South getting, and is Pyongyang lining itself up for more international isolation? GF:I’m not sure it can get a lot worse. We’ve just heard they’re actually going to suspend work in the Kaesong industrial complex, which employs about 53,000-odd North Koreans in a joint venture with the South. That has never been suspended before, they’ve got trouble. So we’ve got to a situation we probably not seen – in terms of dangers – in several decades at least. So I don’t think it can’t get much worse – it needs to start getting better as soon as possible. … Read More
