blogolob

Today marks the 18th anniversary of the 1989 military coup that brought the Sudanese dictatorship to power. Since that time a horrific genocide and ethnic cleansing has taken place, with hundreds of thousands murdered, many more raped and millions displaced at the hands of the Janjaweed militia supported by the Sudanese government.

Continue Reading »

Further to my piece here about the absurdity of the UN Human Rights Council, the US House of Representatives has voted to cut off funding for the Council. The US, which is the biggest contributor to the UN budget, accuses it of obsessing about Israel while failing to address human rights breaches in countries such as Myanmar, Zimbabwe, North Korea, Belarus and Cuba.

Apparently, Ve are not amused. (ed: VW, surely?) They say that this is not a genuine VW advert and they are searching for the perpetrator with a view to possible legal proceedings. He’s probably driving a Ford. They’ll never catch him.

Azarmehr comments:

So after years of not investing money in oil refineries and instead the Islamic Republic pouring Iran’s petro-dollars into terrorist organisations and efforts to destabilise the region, the petrol chicken has come home to roost.

After watching Iranian State television, he describes the seriousness of the petrol riots

It seemed like the country was at war. Patriotic songs were played, as they usually are in times of crisis for the clerics, the state radio suddenly remembered our pre-Islamic and national heroes.

and says that the regime fears this crisis more than other protests it has faced because it is affecting all of Iran at once, rather than just an isolated incident of an urban riot in one area where it can be crushed easily.

What should the opposition do? In my view the most important thing is to explain to people what a sensible secular regime, which is not bound by a fanatical Islamic ideology, will do to resolve the problem. We know why this mess has happened and we know who is responsible for it, but how would a secular alternative to the Islamic regime solve the problem? Thats what Iranian people want to know, thats what will give them the confidence to continue to challenge the regime.

Read the whole piece

Meanwhile, the US, sensing a weak point in the Iranian regime, and increasingly concerned about the nuclear threat, acted to try to reduce Tehran’s import of gasoline.

“This is becoming the critical weakness of the Iranian government, meaning its dependence on gasoline,” Kirk [Republican congressman] said in a telephone interview. “The riots show the gasoline shortage is a growing danger to the Iranian regime and a diplomatic opportunity for Western countries to force Iran to adhere to international nuclear rules.”

The world of football can breathe again now that Burnley have won their work permit appeal to sign Besart Berisha on a three-year deal. Berisha, who mesmerised the England defence and scored a goal in the recent ‘B’ international against Albania, will now complete his £340,000 transfer from German Bundesliga outfit Hamburg SV. The signing is the latest step in the return of the Clarets to greatness and follows the quiet revolution that has

been taking place in the Burnley boardroom following the appointment to the board of businessman and lifetime Clarets fan, Brendan Flood. The Burnley dream team of Flood, chairman Barry Kilby and manager Steve Cotterill are said to be delighted by the news, which must strike fear into the hearts of Burnley’s Championship rivals.

Promotion to the Premiership at the end of next season would now seem more likely than not for the Lancashire team.

At least 12 gas stations were torched in Tehran and other cities throughout Iran in protest against fuel rationing. There were also unconfirmed reports that 2 or 3 people were killed in the ensuing chaotic scenes.

According to Gholam-Ali Haddad Adel, the Majlis Speaker and chairman of the Iranian parliament:

“What happened last night, though should not have taken place in the first place, but was the least that could occur.” He added “such incidents are normal to take place after big decisions are implemented in major cities.”

I hope that Gordon Brown is listening.

Update

The BBC reports that Iran’s government has now banned the reporting of ‘negative’ stories about the fuel riots. This follows further torchings which brought the total to around 19 petrol stations. The authorities switched off the mobile text messaging system overnight to prevent motorists from organising more of the protests. Motorists have thrown stones and shouted slogans against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Advertisement

Casa Felicidad - holiday apartment to let in beautiful Fuerteventura. Visit website.

You’ll need it!

Continue Reading »

Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas has asked Israel for permission to bring the Jordanian based Badr Brigade to the West Bank to help Fatah maintain control over Hamas. (Reuters)

Continue Reading »