Libyan Revolution Day 75

[joshcryer]

Links to sites with updates: http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-may-3">AJE Live Blog May 3 (today) http://blogs.aljazeera.net/twitter-dashboard">AJE Twitter Dashboard http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/libya">The Guardian http://uk.reuters.com/places/libya">Reuters http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/">Telegraph http://feb17.info/">feb17.info http://www.livestream.com/libya17feb?utm_source=lsplayer&utm_medium=embed&utm_campaign=footerlinks">Libya Alhurra (live video webcast from Benghazi) http://libya-alhurra.tumblr.com/">Libya Alhurra archives and updates http://www.ustream.tv/channel/benghaziradio">Benghazi Free Radio, in Arabic (may have translators present at times) http://www.libyafeb17.com/">libyafeb17.com

Twitter links: http://twitter.com/#!/aymanm">Ayman Mohyeldin, with AJE http://twitter.com/#!/bencnn">Ben Wedeman, with CNN http://twitter.com/#!/tripolitanian">tripolitanian, a Libyan from Tripoli http://twitter.com/#!/BaghdadBrian">Brian Conley, reporter in Libya http://twitter.com/#!/freelibyanyouth">FreeLibyanYouth, Libyan advocate http://twitter.com/#!/LibyaFeb17_com">LibyaFeb17.com twitter account http://twitter.com/#!/ChangeInLibya">ChangeInLibya, Libyan advocate

Useful links: http://audioboo.fm/feb17voices">feb17voices http://www.google.com/search?q=time+in+libya">Current time in Libya http://www.islamicfinder.org/cityPrayerNew.php?country=libya">Prayer times in Libya

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x1001774">Day 74 here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixwx_B38678">Marching On in Libya, for the revolutionaries!

Neighbors looked on Sunday at damage done to the Sbikhee family's home in Misurata, Libya, by a shell on Saturday night.

Photograph: Bryan Denton for The New York Times

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/05/02/uk-libya-warcrimes-idUKTRE7417W320110502">Strong proof of Libya crimes against humanity - ICC
(Reuters) - International Criminal Court investigators have proof that Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's forces committed crimes against humanity, and the court's chief prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, said on Monday he would soon ask for up to five arrest warrants.

The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously in February to refer Gaddafi's violent crackdown against anti-government demonstrators to The Hague-based ICC and Moreno-Ocampo said his first recommendations for indictments should reach ICC judges within weeks.

"We have strong evidence on the beginning of the conflict, the shooting of civilians," he told Reuters in an interview, noting that killing unarmed civilians would qualify as a crime against humanity.

"Also, we have strong evidence of the crime of persecution," he said. This includes "massive arrests and torture of people, and some forced disappearances ... (for) talking to journalists or going to demonstrations."

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/05/02/uk-libya-idUKLDE71Q0MP20110502">Fighting rages in Libya's Western Mountains
(Reuters) - Forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi stepped up their onslaught on rebel areas of Libya's Western Mountains late on Monday, rebels said, and refugees said towns in the isolated region were on the brink of starvation.

At least 10 Grad rockets landed on the town of Zintan, rebel spokesman Abdulrahman told Reuters by telephone. "They were fired by Gaddafi forces positioned north of Zintan," he said.

Berber towns in the remote Western Mountains, close to the border with Tunisia, have been pounded by government forces after joining the rebellion against Gaddafi that erupted two months ago.

"If I had stayed there my two little daughters would have been among the dead," Fatma Douri, 35, who has fled the besieged town of Yafran, said in a refugee camp in the Tunisian border town of Dehiba.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/02/libya-rebels-gaddafi-bombard-misrata">Libya rebels ask Nato for help as Gaddafi forces bombard Misrata
Muammar Gaddafi's forces have bombarded Misrata with missiles and tank fire, preventing ships carrying humanitarian aid from entering the port for a fourth straight day.

The sustained attacks on the port are causing deep concern in the city, which has been surrounded by Gaddafi's troops on land for more than two months. Food, medical supplies and other aid can only be delivered through the harbour, while migrant workers and casualties can only be evacuated by boat.

...

"We know the only way to keep Misrata alive is to keep the harbour open," said Hafed Makhlouf, the controller and ship pilot of the port. "Gaddafi realises this too, and knows that the only way to extinguish the revolution is by starving the people."

On Sunday, just hours after Makhlouf had pleaded for Nato to stop the attack on the port, it was pounded again by dozens of missiles that struck the land as well as the sea around the harbour mouth. A checkpoint on the road to the port was also destroyed, killing two guards.

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/middle-east/2011/05/02/measure-anger-libya-war">A measure of anger in the Libya war
Unlike even recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Western intervention in Libya lacked three vital factors that usually drive wars: anger, fear and hatred.

In Afghanistan those three elements were at play. The September 11 attacks rocked America with fear in its own usually secure cradle. The anger and hatred generated by those attacks were enough fuel for a sustained war if not a series of wars.

In fact, Iraq was part of the aftermath of that situation. But Iraq was more about fear than anger. Behind the scenes Israel was afraid of a potentially powerful Iraq. On the forefront the US was afraid Saddam might become too militarily powerful to control.

But in the case of Libya none of those factors was at play when the intervention began. Gaddafi was at his best level of friendship with the West.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/saif-alarab-a-playboy-known-for-his-hardliving-ways-2277677.html">Saif al-Arab: A playboy known for his hard-living ways
Saif al-Arab (whose name meant Sword of the Arabs) was one of the least known and least political of the Libyan leader's eight children.

During the weeks of Nato airstrikes, Saif al-Arab was conspicuous by his absence as his siblings were wheeled out for propaganda purposes and to attack the policies of the West. It was perhaps unsurprising considering his colourful track record. In US diplomatic cables detailing the excesses of the regime and its fractious first family, there are few mentions of the 29-year-old – other than for his hard-living ways – with the focus instead on the struggle for succession between his more ambitious brothers.

One cable, written by the US ambassador to Tripoli, Gene Cretz, in March 2009 and published by the WikiLeaks website, describes him as the least publicly known of the Gaddafi children. "He lives in Munich, where he pursues ill-defined business interests and spends much time partying."

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/02/25/world/middleeast/map-of-how-the-protests-unfolded-in-libya.html">Click here for updated map

Video of the convoy sent to take Benghazi, taken from a dead soliders cell phone (shows how massive the operation was): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwWwOeZqz6M

Sky News went with Gaddafi minders to find a "civilian town bombed" only they were never shown any such thing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-O5KJavfiQo

TNC presser talking about various details of the revolution (thanks to Waiting for Everyone): http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=730234&mesg_id=731532

Topic on the women of the revolution, dispels myths that they are treated poorly: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x594751

Videos to bring the Libyan Revolution into context:

The Battle of Benghazi: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0vChMDuNd0

BBC Panorama on Libya Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyaPnMnpCAA

BBC Panorama on Libya Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMzwQvcx62s

Tea of Freedom Song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WD5tu5bJWKc

Latest indiscriminate shelling in Misurata: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wop3C4zrPXI

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x677397">Text of the resolution.

How will a no fly zone work? AJE reports: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWEwehTtK2k

Canada: http://winnipeg.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110317/cf-libya-canada/20110317/?hub=WinnipegHome">Canada to send six CF-18s for Libya 'no-fly' mission Norway: http://af.reuters.com/article/libyaNews/idAFOSN00509220110318">Norway to join military intervention in Libya Belgium: http://www.lesoir.be/actualite/monde/2011-03-18/la-belgique-prete-a-une-operation-militaire-en-libye-828970.php">Belgium ready for a military operation in Libya Qatar and the UAE: http://www.defpro.com/daily/details/776/?SID=e80884adc09a37d26904578a9b5978cb">Run-up for Western world’s next military commitment ... with unusual support Denmark: http://www.cphpost.dk/news/international/89-international/51229-denmark-ready-for-action-against-gaddafi.html">Denmark ready for action against Gaddafi France: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/19/world/africa/19libya.html?src=twrhp">Following U.N. Vote, France Vows Libya Action ‘Soon’ Italy: http://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFLDE72G2HE20110317">Italy to make bases available for Libya no-fly zone-source United Kingdom: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-12770467">Libya: UK forces prepare after UN no-fly zone vote United States: http://www.newsday.com/news/nation/nations-draw-up-plans-for-no-fly-zone-over-libya-1.2765122">Nations draw up plans for no-fly zone over Libya Jordan: http://www.smh.com.au/world/military-strikes-on-libya-within-hours-20110318-1bzii.html?from=smh_sb">Military strikes on Libya 'within hours' Spain: http://english.cri.cn/6966/2011/03/19/2801s627320.htm">Spain Expected to Join NATO No-fly Zone Enforcement over Libya

"One month ago (Western countries) were sooo nice, so nice like pussycats," Saif says in a contemptuous sing-song tone."Now they want to be really aggressive like tigers. (But) soon they will come back, and cut oil deals, contracts. We know this game." - http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2058389,00.html">Saif Gaddafi

(Yeah, Saif, as if you weren't "cutting oil deals, contracts" with western states. Who are the 'tigers' now? Bombing your own people.)

http://english.libya.tv/2011/04/25/eastern-libyans-believe-in-national-unity-distrust-au-and-turkish-mediation-survey-reveals/">The first free public opinion poll ever conducted in Libya reveals clues to Eastern Libyan sentiments
* 98 percent of the respondents do not support the division of Libya as a part of the political solution for the current conflict with the Gaddafi regime. Around 95 percent also don’t see any role for Gaddafi or his sons in a transitional period, and think it is impossible to implement any political reform in Libya if Gaddafi or one of his sons stays in power

* Around 96 percent of those polled, believe that the 17th of February revolution can consolidate the national unity of Libya and support the model of a democratic Libya based on a constitution which respects human rights

* Al-Qaeda has not played any role in the 17th of February revolution, say 94 percent of the Eastern Libyans, and 91 percent thinks it’s impossible for Al-Qaeda to play any political role in the new Libya

* The National Transitional Council is seen by 92 percent of those surveyed as “expressing the views and wishes of Libyans for change”

This is equivalent to 17% the entire population of Libya, doing the numbers very conservatively.

http://jenkinsear.com/2011/03/19/a-legal-war-the-united-nations-participation-act-and-libya/">A Legal War: The United Nations Participation Act and Libya
The above link is to an overview of why Obama's implementation of the NFZ and R2P is perfectly legal under the law. I will not post it entirely here, however, all objections come down to the misinformed position that Obama, by using forces in Libya, was invoking Article 43 of the United Nations. This is wrong. Obama invoked Article 42, which does not require congressional approval to implement. Proof of this is that Article 43 has http://www.un.org/en/sc/repertoire/actions.shtml#rel5">never been used.

It goes like this: The US law (Title 22, Chap. 7, Subchap. XIV § 287d) grants the President the right to invoke UN Article 42 http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/uscode22/usc_sec_22_00000287---d000-.html">without authorization, the War Powers Act (Title 50, Chap. 33 § 1541) grants the President permission to act without authorization under http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/50/1541–1548.html">"specific statutory authorization" which, by definition, is what 287d does. § 1543 of the War Powers Act requires the President to report to Congress, http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/obama_explains_libya_mission_to_congress/2011/03/03/ABU9377_blog.html">which he did. One can argue all day and night about the legality of the War Powers Act, doesn't change the fact that under the law as it is written, the President acted within the law.

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-march-10-0">March 10 7:28pm Saif al Islam Gaddafi says "the time has come for full-scale military action" against Libyan rebels. He goes on to say that Libyan forces loyal to his family "will never surrender, even if western powers intervene".

http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/2011/03/2011328194855872276.html">Libyan Karzai? Chalabi? Forget it
Fortunately, the Council wasn't made-in-the-USA or manufactured by another foreign power. Rather it came into existence, a month ago, at Libyans' own initiative, soon after the winds of revolutionary change blew Libya's way, and after its people rose to the occasion with pride and courage.

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/03/31/getting_libyas_rebels_wrong">Getting Libya's Rebels Wrong
Don't buy Qaddafi's line: The rebels aren't al Qaeda.

http://www.newyorker.com/talk/comment/2011/04/04/110404taco_talk_anderson#ixzz1HvS7iW22">Who Are the Rebels?
During weeks of reporting in Benghazi and along the chaotic, shifting front line, I’ve spent a great deal of time with these volunteers. The hard core of the fighters has been the shabab—the young people whose protests in mid-February sparked the uprising. They range from street toughs to university students (many in computer science, engineering, or medicine), and have been joined by unemployed hipsters and middle-aged mechanics, merchants, and storekeepers. There is a contingent of workers for foreign companies: oil and maritime engineers, construction supervisors, translators. There are former soldiers, their gunstocks painted red, green, and black—the suddenly ubiquitous colors of the pre-Qaddafi Libyan flag.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/mar/29/vision-democratic-libya-interim-national-council">A vision of a democratic Libya
The interim national council, formed by opposition groups in Libya, has said it will hold free and fair elections and draft a national constitution. Here is its eight-point plan in full.

http://www.workersliberty.org/story/2011/04/20/left-slipping-towards-qaddafi">The left: slipping towards Qaddafi?
When the revolt against Qaddafi started in Libya, hardly anyone on the left — however broadly defined — could say anything in defence of Qaddafi.

With the start of the "no-fly zone", many on the left started to sideline the issues within Libya and focus their efforts on denouncing NATO.

Now the denunciation of NATO, in turn, is acting as a lever to introduce defence of Qaddafi and denunciation of the rebels into broad-left discourse.

...

Everything is done by insinuation and sarcasm, just as old-style Stalinists used to deflect criticism of the USSR by studied wondering whether the regime was quite as bad as extreme Western right-wingers used to say, or whether the right-wingers' motives for criticism might be suspect.

http://louisproyect.wordpress.com/2011/04/21/is-qaddafi-an-anti-racist/">Is Qaddafi an anti-racist?

...

One of the signs that you are dealing with a cruder form of propaganda is if the author does not bother to address evidence that contradicts his or her own. To be taken seriously on the question of Qaddafi’s commitment to pan-African values, you have to take a close look at his overall record, something that does not interest Forte who is so anxious to tilt the scales in favor of Qaddafi that he does not bother to conceal the fact that his hand rests upon the scale.

...

Mohammed Nabbous, killed by Gaddafi's forces while trying to report on the massacre in Benghazi

"I'm not afraid to die, I'm afraid to lose the battle" -Mohammed Nabbous, a month ago when all this began

I'm struggling to come up with something to say about this man. I was not aware of the Libyan uprising until I saw Mo's first report, begging for help, posted here on DU. I was stricken. Here was a man giving everything he had to explain a situation that clearly terrified him, I would not call him a coward in that moment, but you could see the fear in his eyes, and desperation in his voice. For 30 days Nabbous would spend many hours covering the uprising in Benghazi. For many nights I would go to sleep with the webcast of Benghazi live on my computer screen, looking to it occasionally to be sure it was still 'there.' Mo treated the chat room as if we were his friends, and in some way, we were. I never signed up to LiveStream to thank him for all his work and it seems somewhat shallow to do so now, given that I was a lurker for so long. Ever since I took over posting these threads "Libya Alhurra" has been linked as a source of information. It wasn't until last night, when I posted, and twitter posted on Mo's adventures out into Benghazi to try to determine the truth of the situation, that Mo's webchannel became a hit, over 2000 people were watching him stream live. This was curious to him because he'd done many reports like this in the past but he appeared somewhat bemused that the view count exploded as it did. Last night Mo became a star. This is a man who first started out with a webcast replete with fear and desperation finally overcoming that aspect of himself and losing that fear, to become someone who was a fighter for the resistance just as much as those who held the guns. Reporting on the front lines of Benghazi became his final act, and for that he should never, ever be forgotten. I'm so sorry Mo that I never got to know you better.

Mo's first report, which many of you may remember, begging for help: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38EXALI60hg

Mo's last report, a fallen hero trying to spread the word to the world: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ecu_iWLn-rg

Mo leaves behind a wife who is with child, she had http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/03/23/a_bright_voice_from_libyas_darkness">this to say about the No Fly Zone and R2P UN resolution:

We started this in a pure way, but he turned it bloody. Thousands of our men, women, and children have died. We just wanted our freedom, that's all we wanted, we didn't want power. Before, we could not do a single thing if it was not the way he wanted it. All we wanted was freedom. All we wanted was to be free. We have paid with our blood, with our families, with our men, and we're not going to give up. We are still going to do that no matter what it takes, but we need help. We want to do this ourselves, but we don't have the weapons, the technology, the things we need. I don't want anyone to say that Libya got liberated by anybody else. If NATO didn't start moving when they did, I assure you, I assure you, half of Benghazi if not more would have been killed. If they stop helping us, we are going to be all killed because he has no mercy anymore.

[joshcryer]

1. Current time in Libya, 4:02am Tuesday, May 3

Three Sbikhee children were lightly injured.

Bryan Denton for The New York Times

(Family home destroyed in OP.)

[pinboy3niner]

2. K&R

:hi:

[pinboy3niner]

3. Fighting rages in Libya's Western Mountains

Source: Reuters

By Lin Noueihed
Mon May 2, 2011 10:05pm EDT


TRIPOLI - Forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi stepped up their onslaught on rebel areas of Libya's Western Mountains late on Monday, rebels said, and refugees said towns in the isolated region were on the brink of starvation.

...


Like anti-Gaddafi groups in other parts of Libya, rebels in the Western Mountains want more help from Western warplanes. Asked if NATO air strikes on pro-Gaddafi forces around Zintan had been effective, Abdulrahman said:

"No. They are better than no strikes at all but they could do much better. The targets are clear. If rebel fighters can see them, surely NATO aircraft are able to spot and destroy them."

...


The rebel interim National Council's senior spokesman Abdel Hafiz Ghoga urged NATO to step up air strikes on Gaddafi forces near Misrata, saying they were trying to destroy the port.

"We would like to see heavier and more intensive bombardment of Gaddafi forces, particularly now that they're building up forces in areas 50 or 60 km outside Misrata," he said. "They're building up forces in preparation for attack."

...


http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/03/us-libya-idUSTRE7270JP20110503

[Yosarian71]

6. Gates

Gates is obviously against U.S. involvement. We can all guess at his motivations, but his intention is clear. He would rather the United States had no role in this conflict. I have been concerned for a while that Gates is quietly undermining the NATO effort behind the scenes.

This is the most ineffective air campaign I can remember. Gadhafi's troops are in the open desert without any protection. Yet NATO flies a sortie and they might blow up a truck. There has been virtually no attacks on the artillery bombarding Misrata almost continually. The rebels are baffled by this and frankly, so am I. In past air campaigns, whether Iraq, Serbia or Afghanistan, NATO was much, much more effective. Maybe Gadhafi is just that much smarter than the prior opponents.

[joshcryer]

4. Live call from Misrata, May 3 0:30 am (Tim and Chris recollection interview)

http://libya-alhurra.tumblr.com/post/5145621637/live-call-from-misrata-may-3-0-30-am">Live call from Misrata, May 3 0:30 am
M: We came together on the ship from benghazi, we had other people whom I knew, and on that day, we arrived in Misrata, we then went out, to the frontlines, Tripoli Street, just before bridge, it was calm, we arrived next to the stores, a big store, then we reached the bridge

Those who went with me were Tim, Chris, Michael, Niego and Kate, Guy, three French journalists, I don’t know them, I met them here in Misrata I began photographing, once we reached next to the bridge, we began all photographing, then attacks began with bullet 14.5 and 23, this is heavy a little, then we drew away, towards the wall, seeking refuge there.

I turned around to my right, about 10 meters away from me, then I saw the six, Kate, Chris, Niego, Michael, and Guy, I told them to come and stay close to me, not to go far. They said ok.

Then I turned away, and continued photographing for about 4mins, then i heard the fall of mortar attack, i know the sound, I ran, until I reached the light pole, I turned, thinking that they were crouching in the store, then another mortar, fell, I was surprised that noone had yet appeared.

Then 1-2mins later, then a black Ford 4x4, appeared, then I heard Kate was screaming, “Help! Help!” in the car. So I said “Oh My God”, I then got into the car and I went to the hospital quickly, I turned on the video upon entry then i entered the Emergency Room. I saw Tim, which shocked me.

I saw them trying to resuscitate Chris and Tim. That with Tim they were trying to resuscitate him. His bleeding was on his lower leg. Chris, was on cervical region, in the back of head. Michael, his injury wasn’t as critical. Guy was injured in stomach region, a little more critical. All these I recorded with video , all documented, with me

[pinboy3niner]

5. PHOTO: The Chronicle of a Family at the Moment of its Destruction

One of the bloody hand prints left by Soad Warayeth, mother of seven, as she staggered away from her bedroom in Misurata after its exterior wall was hit by a high-explosive artillery shell late Saturday night. Photo by C.J. Chivers, New York Times


NYT story here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/02/world/africa/02misurata.html?hpw


C.J. Chivers' website:
http://cjchivers.com/

[Yosarian71]

7. More twitter about Brega

TheyCallMeSof: @ChangeInLibya yup, their supply lines were cut off, #Gaddafi has troops floating around Adjabiya/Brega that R essentially abandoned :)

The twitter world and this board has prematurely predicted the demise of Gadhafi's eastern army before. Let's hope it is true this time.

[tabatha]

10. Actually, a retweet

Rat_des_champs‎ RT @ChangeInLibya: Brega: "500 #Gaddafi soldiers surrendered in Brega after running out of supplies and were transported to Benghazi" via ThawraLibya #libya

[tabatha]

8. Libya’s unshackled youth find voice in media

03-May-11, 10:19 AM | Agence France-Presse

BENGHAZI — Newspapers and magazines are mushrooming in Libya’s rebel capital Benghazi where a new generation of media entrepreneurs, unshackled from government censorship, is thriving.

The son of Fathi al-Jahmy, a prominent pro-democracy Libyan dissident who died after going into a coma while in solitary confinement, is chipping into Panorama, a multi-lingual weekly newspaper, as its political reporter.

“My father had many principles that I hope to advance,” said Ahmed al-Jahmy.

Jahmy, a young man in jeans and black T-shirt, looked around nervously during an interview, unconvinced that the prized new-found freedom is a given or that the regime’s spooks were truly gone. “Don’t speak so loudly, you just don’t know” he reprimanded his colleague Ziad who had launched into an analysis on whether there was a real risk of fundamentalism gaining ground in a practising but moderate Muslim society.

http://thelibyanwar.com/libyas-unshackled-youth-find-voice-in-media/

[tabatha]

9. Turkey Latest to Close Its Embassy in Libya

By KAREEM FAHIM and C. J. CHIVERS
Published: May 2, 2011

BENGHAZI, Libya — Turkey closed its embassy in Tripoli, Libya, on Monday, apparently worried about the angry crowds that had attacked the missions of NATO countries after the airstrike that the Libyan government said killed a son of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi and three of his grandchildren.

Since the bombing raid on Saturday night, Col. Qaddafi’s supporters have vandalized or set fire to the Italian, British and American Embassies, which were already closed, and ransacked United Nations buildings, forcing the diplomats to flee.

“In light of recent changes in the security conditions in Libya and emergence of the potential security risks, we took an important decision last night to temporarily evacuate our embassy in Tripoli,” Ahmet Davutoglu, the Turkish foreign minister, told reporters in a live broadcast from Ankara, Turkey.

“Of course, this does not mean Turkey will cease its activity in this country,” he said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/03/world/africa/03istanbul.html

[pinboy3niner]

11. Libyan refugees tell of border fight, fear revenge

Source: Reuters

Mon May 2, 2011 11:20am GMT
By Tarek Amara


DEHIBA, Tunisia -

...


Artillery shells fell on and around the town of Dehiba on the Tunisian side of the border, residents told Reuters, the site of an incursion on Friday by forces loyal to Gaddafi that provoked fury in Libya's western neighbour.

...


"I HOPE THIS WILL END"


The spokesman, called Abdulrahman, told Reuters by telephone that NATO aircraft had bombed positions held by government forces, saying he heard aircraft overhead, followed by two explosions, one of which destroyed a tank near the town.

"The military has been trying to enter the town from three sides: the east, southeast and northeast. The revolutionaries managed to repel an attack from the east," he said.

Saleh Aouni, a Libyan from the town of Yafran, which has been under siege by pro-Gaddafi forces for weeks told Reuters after he crossed into Tunisia: "We can no longer live there ... Not an hour goes by without shelling."

In tears, he said: "I hope this will end and I can return to a Libya without Gaddafi."

...


http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE74103S20110502?sp=true

[pinboy3niner]

12. Strong proof of Libya crimes against humanity: ICC

Source: Reuters

By Louis Charbonneau
NEW YORK | Mon May 2, 2011 6:56pm EDT


NEW YORK (Reuters) - International Criminal Court investigators have proof that Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's forces committed crimes against humanity, and the court's chief prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, said on Monday he would soon ask for up to five arrest warrants.

...


"We have strong evidence on the beginning of the conflict, the shooting of civilians," he told Reuters in an interview, noting that killing unarmed civilians would qualify as a crime against humanity.


"Also, we have strong evidence of the crime of persecution," he said. This includes "massive arrests and torture of people, and some forced disappearances ... (for) talking to journalists or going to demonstrations."


Without giving precise details of his proof, Moreno-Ocampo said "for these two crimes we have a lot of evidence." He plans to brief the Security Council on his probe on Wednesday.

...


http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/02/us-libya-warcrimes-idUSTRE7417VU20110502

[joshcryer]

13. 19 year old raises more than $178,000 for humanitarian aid in Libya.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7546105.html">UH student raises aid for Libya
She closely watched the events unfold during the recent Egyptian revolution, hoping the tide of protests would spread to Libya. She demonstrated outside the Egyptian consulate alongside Egyptians, knowing they would do the same when the time came for the Libyan people to break free.

And when it did, the 19-year-old American-Libyan University of Houston freshman started planning weekly demonstrations to stand in solidarity with the Libyan revolution. Hadeel Bunkheila along with two friends, Yasmeen Esaklul and Nadeen Mustafa, founded the local group Libyans for Liberty to raise awareness and organize events in support of the Libyan revolution.

The self-made activist spends most of her time providing updates on the uprising in Libya through her and the Libyans for Liberty Facebook pages.

When her father and brother-in-law went to Libya through Egypt to provide humanitarian and medical aid, she felt she had to do more to help relieve the crisis in her parents' homeland. Bunkheila has not been able to contact her extended family in Libya for about two months. Communication with her father when he went to Libya was also seldom.

Filthy daughter of an expat raising blood money to burn Gaddafi's babies. :sarcasm:

[tabatha]

14. Just predictable

liberatelibya‎ RT @FromJoanne: #Tripoli Bishop Martinelli Top Catholic clergy said was shown bodies in hospital #Sund but so disfigured he couldNot +id @HalaJaber #Libya

Hope there is a news article about this (am assuming it is about the Gaddafis).

[joshcryer]

15. There was, but I didn't see the "disfigured" part reported.

The Catholic Church has been strongly behind Gaddafi the whole time.

[tabatha]

17. Well with that, the Catholic Church

has lost any legitimacy. They supported abusive priests; they are now supporting a murderous thug?

[pinboy3niner]

26. That was in Al Jazeera's report:

Bishop Giovanni Martinelli, the top Catholic clergyman in Tripoli, said he was shown the bodies in the hospital on Sunday. He said he was told that one was that of Saif al-Arab, but it was so badly disfigured that he could not make a positive identification.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/05/20115213422723796.html

[tabatha]

16. Wide alert to repel any aggression on the city

awaited 02/05/2011

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQg-HOUqF-g&feature=channel_video_title

[joshcryer]

18. Ibn Thabit - Western Mountains of Libya - music video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfeixCk2XLo

Nice sound to it.

[joshcryer]

19. Freedom in the air for Libyan returnee

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5g40E5cE0qIMPcFejiHN7mnOZ69Wg?docId=CNG.0be3263c614dd937a24797e887eb3c51.91">Freedom in the air for Libyan returnee
DEHIBA, Tunisia — Bechir does not even glance at the Tunisian customs official who stamps his US passport. His eyes are drawn to the left, to Libya, to the country he has not seen in 35 years.

Returning at last to his native land, Bechir Habba arrived at Dehiba on the Tunisian-Libyan border a few days ago.

Rebels battling forces loyal to Moamer Kadhafi recently took control of the frontier post, tearing down the national flag and replacing it with the tricolour of the monarchy, the adopted symbol of the uprising.

As thousands of citizens eager to escape the fighting make their way out of Libya, Bechir makes the journey in reverse, his heart beating.

Another dirty expat come to coopt the revolution. :hi:

[joshcryer]

20. Libya rebels try to turn youthful zeal into military might

http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidANA20110503T073820ZJXW27">Libya rebels try to turn youthful zeal into military might
BENGHAZI, May 03, 2011 (AFP) - Don't worry about nuclear bombs but watch out for hallucinatory gas, joked the military instructor to much laughter from the Libyan wannabe rebel fighters sitting in the shade of a tree.

The young men then turned serious as the instructor moved on to the military tactics that might save their lives and defeat the enemy if they ever get to fight the forces of strongman Moamer Kadhafi.

Hundreds of youths are turning up every morning at this army base on the edge of Benghazi, the capital of the rebel-held east, to try and transform their enthusiasm into military expertise and face off an enemy whose territory begins 160 kilometres (100 miles) south of here.

"It's like trying to turn chaos into order. It's quite a challenge," said a European military official in Benghazi, who asked not to be named.

[joshcryer]

21. Egypt says no foreign forces will attack Libya from its territory

http://www.afriquejet.com/news/africa-news/egypt-says-no-foreign-forces-will-attack-libya-from-its-territory-2011050310530.html">Egypt says no foreign forces will attack Libya from its territory
Tripoli, Libya - Egyptian Prime Minister's envoy to Libya, Hani Khalaf, has said that Cairo is carefully monitoring the situation along its borders with Libya, pledging that the Egyptian administration will not allow forces from foreign countries march on Libya through the borders. Libya is under intense bombing campaign by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and foreigners, living in Libyan, are fleeing the crisis there through the border with Egypt and Tunisia. According to the the Libyan News Agency (JANA), Khalaf, who made his remarks during his meeting on Monday in Tripoli with the Secretary of the Libyan General People's Committee, Dr. Baghdadi Mahmoudi, also stressed the commitment of Egypt to respect the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of Arab countries.

The Egyptian envoy said his government wished to reaffirm the historical antecedents linking the two peoples of Egypt and Libya at this critical moment of the NATO campaign.

Responding, the Libyan official thanked the Egyptian government its continued support for Libya and its people and for its willingness to ensure Libyan stability, unity and territorial integrity.

Mahmoudi emphasized the willingness of Libya to strengthen bilateral relations with Egypt and to continue to cooperate on how to handle events facing Libya and the Arab nation.

[joshcryer]

22. Libyan refugees tell of border fight, fear revenge

http://www.defenceweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=15121:libyan-refugees-tell-of-border-fight-fear-revenge&catid=3:Civil+Security&Itemid=113">Libyan refugees tell of border fight, fear revenge
Refugees and artillery fire spilled into Tunisia from Libya and witnesses spoke of more intense fighting over a key supply route for rebels trying to oust Muammar Gaddafi.

One Libyan man said he feared retaliation by pro-Gaddafi forces to avenge a NATO airstrike on Saturday that authorities said killed the Libyan leader's youngest son in the capital Tripoli.

"It's calm in (rebel-held) Nalut but we came to Tunisia because we are sure that Gaddafi is going to bombard it (the town) once more after the death of his son," said the man.

"He is crazy and is capable of anything."

[joshcryer]

23. NATO Operational Media Update May 2

http://www.nato.int/nato_static/assets/pdf/pdf_2011_05/20110503_110503-oup-update.pdf">NATO Operational Media Update May 2 (PDF)
Air Operations
Since the beginning of the NATO operation (31 March 2011, 08.00GMT) a total of 4886 sorties, including
1980 strike sorties* have been conducted.
Sorties conducted 02 May: 158
Strike sorties conducted 02 May: 56
*Strike sorties are intended to identify and engage appropriate targets, but do not necessarily deploy munitions each
time.

Key Targets and Engagements**
02 May: In the vicinity of Misurata: 12 Ammunition Storages, 3 Self-Propelled Artillery Pieces. In the vicinity of Sirte: 2 Armoured Personnel Carriers. In the vicinity of Ras Lanuf: 1 Multiple Rocket Launcher. In the vicinity of Brega: 1 Truck-Mounted Gun, 3 Multiple Rocket Launchers. In the vicinity of Zintan: 1 Ammunition Storage.

**Key Engagements are not intended to give a complete account of all targets which were engaged.
Arms Embargo

[joshcryer]

24. A picture of the freedom flag pigeons in Tripoli (driving Gaddafi crazy) #libya #feb17

http://twitpic.com/4sqjg4

The quiet dissidents in Tripoli have been doing this for awhile now.

[pinboy3niner]

25. Somebody must be putting something in those pigeons' Nescafe...

"Door-to-door, alley-to-alley, roost-to-roost! Zenga-Zenga!"

"There will be a river of blood in the coops!"

:evilgrin:

[joshcryer]

30. Hah! You are never letting that pic go!

And I'm glad. Need to print it on tshirts. :hi:

[pinboy3niner]

35. And you guys are never going to stop handing me the setup :)

OBL's death kind of makes it obsolete now, except as a 'blast from the past' for those who've followed all of this. And I don't think putting a red 'X' over the image, like the TIME cover, would help. :(


:hi:

[pinboy3niner]

27. Libyan rebels seek $2-3 billion in foreign loans

BENGHAZI | Tue May 3, 2011 5:55am EDT

BENGHAZI (Reuters) - Libya's rebel leadership expects foreign powers to lend it $2-3 billion secured against frozen Libyan state assets held abroad, a rebel finance official said on Tuesday.

Ali Tarhouni, who heads the rebel national council's finance committee, said he expects France, Italy and the United States to extend the lines of credit and the money should arrive within a week to ten days.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/03/us-libya-rebels-funds-idUSTRE7417NM20110503

[Iterate]

28. Bulgaria's Libya Embassy Evacuated to Tunisian Resort

Bulgaria's Libya Embassy Evacuated to Tunisian Resort
May 3, 2011, Tuesday

Bulgaria's diplomatic mission in Tripoli has been successfully evacuated to the Tunisian island of Djerba.

The Bulgarian diplomats arrived at the island, which is a popular tourist destination, in the early hours of Tuesday, Vesela Cherneva, spokesperson for the country's Foreign Ministry, told the BGNES agency.

As of Monday, the Bulgarian Embassy in Libya is not functioning. The Bulgarian citizens who have stayed in the North African country may contact the country's diplomatic missions in Cairo or Tunisia.

...

At the beginning of April, the Bulgarian Embassy in Tripoli remained the only functioning embassy of an EU member state in the Libyan capital.

http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=127878

[Turborama]

29. Turkish prime minister calls on Gaddafi to step down

Developing story in LBN: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4836839

BTW the AJE Blog link in the OP takes one to a really old blog: http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-may-3

Weird.

[joshcryer]

32. It goes to where May 3 should be, but they have yet to create a May 3 live blog.

No doubt the Bin Laden thing threw a wrench into things. News was really hard to find last night. But it's all good. :hi:

[pinboy3niner]

39. AP: Turkey increases pressure on Libyan leader, urges him to immediately step down

Source: AP

Updated: Tuesday, May 3, 4:16 AM


ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey’s prime minister says Moammar Gadhafi must “immediately step down,” a major escalation of Turkish pressure on the Libyan leader with whom Turkey once maintained cordial relations.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Gadhafi has ignored calls for change from the Libyan people and instead preferred “blood, tears and pressure” against his own people.

Erdogan told a news conference in Istanbul Tuesday that Gadhafi must take a historic step and withdraw, for the future of Libya, its peace and prosperity.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/turkey-increases-pressure-on-libyan-leader-urges-him-to-immediately-step-down/2011/05/03/AF7NqIfF_story.html

:hi:







_______________________________________________________________

[pinboy3niner]

42. Turkish PM urges Gaddafi to leave Libya "without causing more bloodshed, tears and destruction"

Source: Al Jazeera

Erdogan calls for end to bloodshed, a day after mourners buried what was said to be Gaddafi's youngest son.

Last Modified: 03 May 2011 11:59



Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish prime minister, has urged Muammar Gaddafi to "immediately" cede power and leave the country, ramping up international pressure on the embattled Libyan leader.


"We wish that the Libyan leader pulls out from Libya and cedes power immediately - for himself and for the future of his country - without causing more bloodshed, tears and destruction," Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul on Tuesday.


"Taking this step has become inevitable to prevent further suffering," he said.


Erdogan said Gaddafi had ignored calls for change from the Libyan people and instead preferred "blood, tears and pressure'' against his own people.

...


http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/05/201153111054808308.html

[joshcryer]

31. No escape in Misrata for the dying

http://blogs.channel4.com/world-news-blog/no-escape-from-misrata-for-the-dying/16037">No escape in Misrata for the dying
Time is running out. Time has already run out for at least one casualty due to escape Misrata on the rescue ship Red Star. He died yesterday at the town’s overcrowded hospital.

One doctor there, Dimitrios Mognia of the International Medical Corps, is almost in tears: “We have seven ICU beds and eleven cases. What is NATO doing? What is the world doing? If any more people come here they will die. They will die. It’s unbelievable – look – there’s another one.”

And there is: another young man patched up in bandages and tubes, his entire face covered in makeshift field hospital bandages stained with dark arterial blood and the grey mucus of the human brain.

You don’t have to be a doctor to know this man needs ICU. Now. But there is no chance. Not until the Red Star ferry can somehow dock and relieve the pressure on this extraordinary hospital.

Tragic article.

[pinboy3niner]

38. At last report, the port remains closed while NATO works to locate and clear the last Gaddafi mine

The aid ships also will not come in while Gaddafi forces are shelling the port.

[joshcryer]

33. IOM urges NATO, Libya to let ship dock in Misrata

http://af.reuters.com/article/libyaNews/idAFLDE7420QR20110503">IOM urges NATO, Libya to let ship dock in Misrata
"We are appealing to NATO and Libyan authorities to allow the ship to dock so we can evacuate these people who are around the port," IOM spokesman Jumbe Omari Jumbe told a news briefing.

"We had communication with the port master at Misrata and he is trying to ask NATO to allow us to dock at Misrata. But NATO, for reasons they know, maybe because they are not sure about security ... hasn't given permission yet," he said. (Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay)

NATO isn't allowing it because it's unsafe, Libya isn't allowing it because they are enjoying raining arty down on the port. GTG...

[pinboy3niner]

44. UPDATE 1-IOM urges NATO, Libya to let ship dock in Misrata

Source: Reuters

Tue May 3, 2011 12:11pm GMT


* 1,000 African migrants and dozens of wounded await rescue

* IOM needs NATO green light to dock, unload and evacuate

(adds details throughout)

By Stephanie Nebehay

GENEVA, May 3 (Reuters) - The International Organisation for Migration called on NATO and Libyan authorities on Tuesday to allow its rescue ship to dock in Misrata port to evacuate 1,000 mainly African migrants and dozens of wounded Libyan civilians.

The Red Star One, its chartered vessel, has been waiting offshore from the besieged western city since Saturday. Two severely wounded people are reported to have died in hospital during that time while awaiting evacuation, the agency said.

Misrata port is a lifeline for the besieged city and has been under heavy bombardment by Muammar Gaddafi's forces. NATO minesweepers searched the approaches of the harbour on Monday for a drifting mine, blocking aid supplies.

...


At least 23 journalists have requested evacuation as well as some 36 wounded people in Misrata, where intensive care units have run out of beds and supplies, according to the Geneva-based agency.

...


http://af.reuters.com/article/libyaNews/idAFLDE74216Z20110503?sp=true

[pinboy3niner]

34. Activist: Syrian regime arrests 1,000 in new sweep (and many others 'missing')

Source: AP

– 1 hr 40 mins ago


BEIRUT – A leading human rights activist says Syrian authorities have arrested more than 1,000 people in their latest security sweep.

Ammar Qurabi is the head of the National Organization for Human Rights in Syria.

He says his group has documented around 1,000 names of people who were detained across Syrian provinces in door-to-door raids since Saturday. Qurabi said on Tuesday that many other people have been reported missing.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110503/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_syria

[Iterate]

36. Libya rebels: no plans to resume oil exports

First Published: 2011-05-03

BENGHAZI - The Libyan rebels controlling the east of the country said Tuesday they had no plans to resume significant oil exports as their current priority was to ensure oil installations were made secure.

"I'm waiting for an assessment on all of the oil installations (in rebel-held territory)," said Ali Tarhoni, who holds the economy and oil portfolio in the rebel administration.

"The top priority is to protect the installations, not to produce," he told reporters in the rebel capital Benghazi.

more...
http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=45916

[joshcryer]

37. Cuban TV: Bin Laden's death meant to distract from Libya bombings

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/americas/news/article_1636600.php/Cuban-TV-Bin-Laden-s-death-meant-to-distract-from-Libya-bombings">Cuban TV: Bin Laden's death meant to distract from Libya bombings
Havana - Cuban state media said Monday that the death of al- Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is meant to 'distract attention' from the international military intervention in Libya.

'It catches the eye that the death of the world's most-wanted terrorist should be announced at a time when NATO is indiscriminately bombing Libya and when one of its air raids on Tripoli caused the death of a son of the Libyan leader, Colonel (Moamer) Gaddafi, and of three of his grandchildren,' Cuba's midday news said.

Calling bin Laden a 'former CIA aide,' an apparent reference to his fight with the US-aided Afghan rebels against the Soviet occupation in the 1980s, the Cuban broadcaster called the US attack on bin Laden 'a way to distract the world's media attention.'

'In the meantime, millions of people wonder whether this announcement will mean the end of the war on terrorism,' the news programme said.

[pinboy3niner]

40. And Cuba has a highly reliable intel source to back up its claim:

? As I see it, yes
? It is certain
? It is decidedly so
? Most likely
? Outlook good
? Signs point to yes
? Without a doubt
? Yes
? Yes – definitely
? You may rely on it
? Reply hazy, try again
? Ask again later
? Better not tell you now
? Cannot predict now
? Concentrate and ask again
? Don't count on it
? My reply is no
? My sources say no
? Outlook not so good
? Very doubtful


:evilgrin:

[joshcryer]

41. Haha

Well played, sir. Now I really have to go to work, hah, geez. Stupid DU...

[pinboy3niner]

43. Libyan rebels: Regime forces shelling supply route

(AP) – 15 minutes ago

TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — Rebels say forces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi have been shelling a supply route used to ferry supplies from across the Tunisian border to their hideouts in mountains in western Libya.

Rebels based in the mountains and reached by telephone said Tuesday that loyalist forces have been firing dozens of rockets at the road to disrupt supplies coming from the Dhuheiba crossing. Shelling has caused the road to intermittently close.

...


http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jCB2-4kN7dI4KHXrvhMntlRRWGzQ?docId=279228bea55647119dbe891c7d7151c2

[pinboy3niner]

45. 38 heads of state and warlords sow terror among journalists--Gaddafi a 'predator'

Source: Reporters without Borders

Published on Tuesday 3 May 2011.


Middle East: predators of press freedom start to topple


The kingpins of repressive machinery, political leaders of regimes hostile to civil liberties and direct organizers of campaigns of violence against journalists – they are the predators of press freedom. They prey on the media.

There are 38 predators this year. Pride of place goes to North Africa and the Middle East, where dramatic and sometimes tragic events have taken place in recent months. It is the Arab world that has seen the most important changes in the 2011 Predators list. Heads have fallen. The first to go was Tunisia’s President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, who was forced to step down on 14 January, thereby giving his people the chance to explore the entire range of democratic possibilities.

Other predators such as Yemen’s Ali Abdallah Saleh, who has been overwhelmed by the wave of protests sweeping his country, or Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, who is responding with terror to his people’s democratic aspirations, could also fall. And what of Muammar Gaddafi, the Guide of the Revolution, now the guide of violence against his people, a violence that is deaf to reason? And Bahrain’s King Ben Aissa Al-Khalifa, who should one day have to answer for the deaths of four activists in detention, including the only opposition newspaper’s founder, and the vast repressive operation against pro-democracy protesters?

...


Attempts to manipulate foreign reporters, arbitrary arrests and detention, deportation, denial of access, intimidation and threats – the list of abuses against the media during the Arab Spring is staggering. Those determined to obstruct the media did not stop at murder in four countries – Syria, Libya, Bahrain and Yemen. The fatalities included Mohamed Al-Nabous, shot by snipers on the government’s payroll in the Libyan city of Benghazi on 19 March, and two journalists directly targeted by the security forces in Yemen on 18 March.

There have been more than 30 cases of arbitrary detention in Libya and a similar number of foreign correspondents have been deported. Similar methods have been used in Syria, Bahrain and Yemen, where the authorities make every possible effort to keep the media at a distance so that they cannot broadcast video footage of the repression.

...


http://en.rsf.org/maghreb-et-moyen-orient-thirty-eight-heads-of-state-and-03-05-2011,40204.html


See all the predators:
http://en.rsf.org/predator-bashar-al-assad,37213.html

[pinboy3niner]

46. Predators: Muammar Gaddafi, Head of State and Guide of the Revolution, Libya

Before the 2011 uprising in eastern Libya, nearly all the country’s media outlets were state-controlled or tied to Muammar Gaddafi. Small signs of opening-up appeared in 2007 and 2008, when privately-owned media outlets were allowed (controlled by Al-Ghad, a company owned by Gaddafi’s son Seif al-Islam) and three foreign news agencies were permitted to open offices in Tripoli. But in 2010, Al-Ghad was nationalised and opposition websites began to be censored.


Since the uprising in February 2011, attacks on journalists by the government and Gaddafi loyalists have increased. The “Guide of the Revolution” has expressed his hatred of foreign media (“stray dogs”) and accused them of causing chaos. His regime said it would treat journalists who entered the country illegally as Al-Qaeda agents and warned they could be arrested at any time. Gaddafi loyalists arrested more than 20 foreign journalists entering the country from Tunisia and Egypt, legally or not, and at least six Libyan journalists are thought to have been arrested since the uprising started. Besides, four journalists have been killed.


Foreign journalists invited to Libya by Gaddafi have not been allowed to work freely, have been forced to go where the regime says, and been routinely threatened and insulted. Gaddafi decides which of them can stay in Tripoli and in early April ordered 26 media to leave the country.

http://en.rsf.org/spip.php?page=predateur&id_article=37212

[Iterate]

52. One link leads to another...

and you never know whats down the trail. Bad news is that I can't really follow up the stories today or tomorrow, so I'll just pass on the links.

First was the pic of brother leader smoking. Didn't know that, but don't bring it up in GD.

The other was the story about idiot son of brother leader in regards to his deal to create the media company Al-Ghad (which could only be done with the permission of brother leader Sr. and had no competition other than State TV).

It was nationalized of course when some unapproved things were said. After all, Article 178 of the penal code orders life imprisonment for the dissemination of information considered to "tarnish (the country's) reputation or undermine confidence in it abroad, and one must maintain rule of law. Thanks pa, compensation please?

There was so much happening when these stories broke that either some of us may not have seen them, or we may have been only dimly aware of the detail(here, I'm dimly aware).

STATE MEDIA PULLS THE PLUG ON SAIF AL-ISLAM'S SATELLITE CHANNEL, ARRESTS MANAGER
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wikileaks-files/libya-wikileaks/8294550/STATE-MEDIA-PULLS-THE-PLUG-ON-SAIF-AL-ISLAMS-SATELLITE-CHANNEL-ARRESTS-MANAGER.html

Unknotting Father’s Reins in Hope of ‘Reinventing’ Libya
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/01/world/middleeast/01libya.html?ref=seifalislamelqaddafi

Libyan authorities arrest news agency journalists
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-11709408

And that's just the slightest part of how you run a nation as a for profit family business.

[Iterate]

47. Algeria govt approves big hike in public spending

Algeria govt approves big hike in public spending
Tue May 3, 2011 6:45am GMT

ALGIERS (Reuters) - Algeria announced a sharp increase in budget spending and waived duties on staple foods on Monday in a move designed to stop public discontent spilling over into the kind of revolts rocking other Arab states.

Algeria, one of the European Union's biggest suppliers of natural gas, has been trying to head off an Egypt-style uprising by using its cash reserves to placate grievances and by offering cautious political reforms.

At a cabinet meeting chaired by President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the government approved amendments to the 2011 budget which would increase public spending by 25 percent, according to a government communique.

The extra spending would be concentrated on pay increases for public sector workers, higher state subsidies on flour, milk, cooking oil and sugar, creating work for young unemployed people and building new houses.

more...
http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE74201S20110503?sp=true

[pinboy3niner]

48. Tunisia fears Libya conflict spillover

Source: Magharebia

2011-05-02

Pro-Kadhafi forces' incursion into Tunisia sent shockwaves through the population and the country is up in arms to defend its sovereignty.

By Monia Ghanmi for Magharebia in Tunis – 02/05/11


The security situation on the Tunisia-Libya border has deteriorated significantly in recent days due to the hit-and-run war between Libyan rebels and forces loyal to Moamer Kadhafi, especially near the Dhiba border crossing.

...


Pro-Kadhafi troops last week chased rebels across the border, sending at least a dozen shells onto Tunisian soil. Fifteen vehicles belonging to Kadhafi's battalions entered the country, firing in the direction of Dhiba. The Tunisian military halted their advance and captured their weapons.


Three Tunisians, including a young girl, were injured. Journalist Habib Missaoui confirmed on Thursday (April 28th) that an army soldier and a security officer were wounded as well.

...


"We are afraid that the missiles will be targeted at us as innocent civilians," resident Mabrouka Haddaoui told Magharebia. "Thanks to God, in the previous two bombings we were not hurt, but in the future this conflict could be a threat to our safety."

...


"It is really scary, we cannot take it anymore," said Zouhaeir Tlili. "Our children have suffered terror and panic and are afraid to go to school. The Tunisian government must take a firm and clear position towards what is happening."

...


http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2011/05/02/feature-01

[pinboy3niner]

49. UN Security Council: Support ICC Probe on Libya

Source: Human Rights Watch

Prosecutor to Brief Council on Libya


May 3, 2011


(New York) - The United Nations Security Council should declare its support for the International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation into serious crimes committed in Libya when the ICC prosecutor briefs the council on May 4, 2011, Human Rights Watch said today. When the Security Council referred Libya to the ICC, it invited the court's prosecutor to address its members within two months.


"After setting the wheels of justice in motion, the council should back the court in ensuring accountability for any grave abuses in Libya," said Richard Dicker, director of the International Justice Program at Human Rights Watch. "The Security Council must stand by the strong action it took in February and reaffirm the court's role in the fight against impunity."

...


The prosecutor's briefing takes place amidst an increase in diplomatic and military activity around Libya. Recently, several members of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's immediate family were allegedly killed by a NATO air strike in Tripoli. There have also been media accounts that some governments had been seeking an exit strategy for Gaddafi that would offer him a safe haven abroad, possibly shielding him from prosecution.


However, Human Rights Watch research demonstrates that justice should not be abandoned as other objectives are pursued.


"As news of potential serious crimes in Libya continues to emerge, any talk of political settlement needs to take the ICC's unique judicial role into account," said Dicker. "Justice cannot be turned on and off depending on the needs of the moment. The Security Council's unanimous referral of Libya to the ICC sent a clear message that impunity is no longer an option."


http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2011/05/03/un-security-council-support-icc-probe-libya

[pinboy3niner]

50. Number of civilians to flee Libya's Western Mountains nears 40,000

Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees

3 May 2011


DEHIBA, Tunisia, May 3 (UNHCR) – Thousands of ethnic Berbers from Libya have fled into Tunisia after a brief hiatus in their exodus last week because of fighting between Libyan government troops and opposition forces for control of a border crossing point.

"This past weekend, more than 8,000 people, most of them ethnic Berbers, arrived in Dehiba in southern Tunisia. Most are women and children," a UNHCR spokesperson said on Tuesday.

The latest arrivals bring the number of people to have fled fighting in Libya's Western Mountains region to almost 40,000 in the past month.

UNHCR staff in Dehiba said the situation of the refugees was being made worse by a violent sandstorm that has battered the area. UNHCR and its partners are struggling to maintain nearby camps. The storm has destroyed hundreds of tents and two huge portable warehouses.

Control of the Dehiba border crossing has changed hands over the past week as the fighting between Libya's rival sides spilled onto Tunisian territory. Currently, the crossing is under opposition control.

Residents of Dehiba town told UNHCR staff they were worried about military activity across the border and feared further skirmishes. UNHCR will give tents to the local authorities should they need to relocate some families away from the border.


http://www.unhcr.org/4dc00da26.html

[pinboy3niner]

51. NATO says patience needed in Libya campaign

Source: Reuters

Tue May 3, 2011 3:49pm GMT

* NATO says steadily achieving goals in Libya

* Effort complicated as Gaddafi forces have split up


By David Brunnstrom


BRUSSELS, May 3 (Reuters) - A senior commander of NATO's Libya mission on Tuesday rejected suggestions the war was in a stalemate and said the alliance was steadily achieving its goals.

Italian Vice Admiral Rinaldo Veri, commander of the naval element of the operation, said the NATO mission would continue as long as it took for Muammar Gaddafi's forces to return to barracks and stop threatening civilians.

"I personally don't think there is a real stalemate -- let's say we are going slowly but steadily," he said by video conference from the NATO mission headquarters in Naples.

Veri said that after destroying Gaddafi's frontline forces, NATO was targeting his supply lines, ammunition depots, logistics and lines of communication.

...


http://af.reuters.com/article/libyaNews/idAFLDE7421OQ20110503?sp=true

[Yosarian71]

60. twilight zone

The artillery bombardment raining down on Misurata and the Nafusa mountains sure seems like it is coming from frontline forces.

[Iterate]

53. Colonel Gaddafi - Smoking! (2009)

Tim Marshall
September 01, 2009 1:00 PM

The Colonel has a Green Book full of his wisdom, he has a flag coloured green, green is the colour of his revolution'
so of course, of course he wants the smoke used by the Italian airforce at tonights party to be green

Obvious innit? Not to the Italian pilots who had kindly agreed to perform at the 40th anniversary of Colonel Gaddafi seizing power, but no-one told them about green smoke, until this week. Italy's version of the Red Arrows is not called 'Frecce Tricolori' without reason. The three colours are red, white and green. Like the Italian flag. Not just green, like the Libyan flag, or the Colonels book. Or broccoli.

A senior officer said only red and green and white smoke would be coming out of the back of his team's nine jets. Or as La Repubblica puts it in its lead story today - 'no al fumo verde' Result? The rehearsal for the fly past
was cancelled.

Some in Italy think the 'Frecce Tricolori' should never have been allowed to go to Tripoli as they give Italy's
stamp of approval to the celebrations at a time when the world has been reminded of the dictators behaviour due to the return home of the Lockerbie bomber.

more...
http://blogs.news.sky.com/foreignmatters/Post:31c08fc2-2d05-48b1-b423-dc2501686346

[Iterate]

54. Try not to insult the dictator, OK?

Try not to insult the dictator, OK?

Michael Hedges
July 20, 2009

That all governments seek to control all media is the first rule of media politics. More authoritarian governments use extreme measures, to the complaints of media watchers. Dictators pay no attention.
The six countries of North Africa have a less than impressive record for viable, independent media. Broadcasting is mostly State controlled. The internet is policed. The few independent newspapers are discouraged from publishing anything other than happy news favorable to the rulers. Laws are written – and sometimes mysteriously re-written – to prevent any hint of dissent.

Libya is North Africa’s worst example of media repression. Enriched by oil exports and fueled by its leverage, Libya’s ruler Colonel Muammar Gaddafi has kept a tight lid on the country’s media – and everything else – for four decades.

Eyes were opened, albeit squinting, three years ago (August 2006) when Col. Gaddafi’s eldest son, Saif al-Islam, called for more press freedom in Libya. “We have no free press,” he said in a televised speech – State TV, obviously. “Journalism means nothing when it’s controlled and written by a limited number of people.” Shortly thereafter the Al Ghad Company, a company controlled by Saif al-Islam, was granted authorization to open a television channel, two radio stations and two newspapers.

The television channel – Al Libia – was considered a bit of a breath of fresh air in the midst of stifling government controlled media. It was short lived. In April the Libyan media regulator Jamihiriya Radio General Authority took control of Al Libia, its managing director ‘detained’. Radio stations Al Libiya and Eman and newspapers Quryna and Oea were also nationalized. All are now owned and operated by the State broadcaster National Media Services Center. Al Libia is reportedly ‘relocating’ to London to operate as a satellite TV channel.

more...
http://www.moroccoboard.com/viewpoint/64-author/590-try-not-to-insult-the-dictator-ok

[pinboy3niner]

55. CURRENT TIME IN LIBYA = 7 PM TUESDAY, MAY 3

Libya time = EDT +6 hours, PDT +9 hours, GMT +2 hours

[tabatha]

56. Berber Music

TUAREG (IMUHAR) ImTUAREG (IMUHAR) Imazighen N Libya

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2CG6tYjPb4&feature=youtu.be

The Tuaregs (called Imuhagh إيموهاغ in the Amazigh / Berber language or "Imazighen") are a Berber - Amazigh nomadic pastoral people. Tuaregs are a branch of the Berber people and are the native inhabitants of the Saharan desert(s) of North Africa (Libya, Algeria, Niger, Mali). Originally located in the region now called Fezzan (South West of Libya), Tuaregs descend directly from ancient Saharan peoples described by Greek historian Herodotus who mentions them as the "GARAMANTES" and the "GETULIANS."

Among most notable archaeological evidence the ruins of GERMA located in Libya, rock paintings in Akakus, Aïr, Tassili, and Adar n Ifoghas moutains, and drawings on the walls grave of Pharaoh Ramses II in Egypt depicting Libyans warriors and Berber kings living westward of the Nile river, thousands years ago. While majority of Berber tribes migrated westward, Tuaregs expanded southward from the Fezzan region into the Sahel, up to the region today called Burkina Faso. There is also evidence that at one point of time, the Garamantes reached the DOGON (Black) Empire in West Africa and inter-connect with Senufu kingdoms (North of current Ivory Coast) and Peuls African empire. For 10,000 years, Tuaregs/Amazigh have been operating the trans-Saharan caravan trade connecting great cities of the Sahara via five desert trade routes to the northern Mediterranean coast of Africa (of which AWJILA and SIWA are worth mentioning).

Following the independence of African countries in the 50 and 60, Tuaregs' territory has been divided into separate nations: Niger, Mali, Algeria, Libya, Morocco, and Burkina Faso. Since then, Imazighen Tuaregs have been suffering oppression and discrimination from both ARAB nationalist regimes and BLACK African corrupted governments. This short musical video is made of pictures from Libya (Ghat and Akakus region) dedicated to our brothers (Aytma in AMazigh language) of Mali, Niger, and Algeria. Soundtrack is "Imuhar" Album "Agamgam" (2004).

(Bias - really like this music)

[tabatha]

57. Libyan rebel says Osama bin Laden's death won't stop jihadist flow

By Scott Peterson, Staff writer / May 3, 2011
Nalut, Libya

Thousands of miles away from where Osama bin Laden was killed, on a remote chain of Libyan mountains that crown the Sahara Desert, there comes a warning: the ideology of Al Qaeda is certain to outlast the group’s most famous leader.

“I am happy that Osama bin Laden is dead, because he represents the wrong face of Islam and the root of destruction,” says Mazen Naluti, a Muslim believer in the Libyan opposition city of Nalut, 20 miles from the Tunisian border. “But I am sad because died without recanting this ideology.”

This believer, a Libyan rebel whose real name could not be used for security reasons, repudiates extremism. But he fears that the persistence of the reasons that first gave rise to Al Qaeda’s worldview mean that in Libya and beyond the ideology will not be stopped. Already, says Mr. Naluti, the NATO-led conflict against Col. Muammar Qaddafi – begun six weeks ago and with no end in sight – is opening the door to foreign jihadists. The longer it lasts, the greater problem it becomes.

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2011/0503/Libyan-rebel-says-Osama-bin-Laden-s-death-won-t-stop-jihadist-flow

[Iterate]

58. GICDF Facilitates the Return of Libyan Expats

Outstanding. I had no idea Seif al-Islam Gaddafi's website would still be online, but it is:

GICDF Facilitates the Return of Libyan Expats
Sunday, 02 May 2010 06:57

The Gaddafi International Charity and Development Foundation (GICDF) obtained guarantees to facilitate the return of the following Libyan expatriates residing abroad:

1 - Fawzi Taher Mansour Bousifi
2 - Mohammed Hamed Ibrahim Ashwihdi
3 - Mohamed Awad Abdullah Awad Al-haboni Al-Jazwi

This comes within the Foundation’s efforts which aim to facilitate the return of Libyan nationals residing abroad to the homeland

http://www.gicdf.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=377%3Agicdf-facilitates-the-return-of-libyan-expats&catid=1%3Alatest-news&Itemid=55

FYI, it does log your IP, as all sites do. “The People’s Committees are Everywhere.”

In case that doesn't quickly ring any bells, the Gaddafi International Charity and Development Foundation was one of the PR inspired covers that was going to get 3rd most evil son of brother leader legitimacy on the diplomatic cocktail circuit. It's a shame they haven't updated lately.

Homepage:
http://gicdf.org/

Inside you'll find such favorites as this:

Seif al-Islam Gaddafi Wins the Champion of Cultural Inclusion Award

The Islamic Friendship Association of Australia announced that it has granted the Champion of Cultural Inclusion Award for the year 2010-2011 to Mr. Seif al-Islam Gaddafi, Chairman of the Gaddafi International Charity and Development Foundation, for his success in resolving many contentious issues through dialogue. The award has been granted based on a nomination by the Federation of Australian Afro-Arab Associations, which considered that Seif al-Islam has scored a number of successes.

The Chairman of the Federation of Australian Afro-Arab Associations said that "Seif al-Islam has succeeded in solving many issues at the local and international levels”, noting that such success was based on the use of “the language of the powerful; that is the language of dialogue."

"The dialogue he called for helped to resolve humanitarian, ideological and intellectual issues that were too difficult to resolve or even to discuss”, he added, “asserting that the Award Committee agreed unanimously to grant its award to Mr. Seif Al-Islam.

It should be noted that the Champion of Cultural Inclusion Award is offered within the framework of choosing a civilized way to assimilate and accommodate different and conflicting ideas. The letter sent by the Federation of Australian Afro-Arab Associations to Mr. Seif al-Islam mentioned that his nomination was the result of his success in resolving various issues such as the Lockerbie Affair, the hostages in the Philippines, the Arab-Afghan families, the Bulgarian medics, as well as the file of the Muslim Brotherhood and other violent groups.

more...
http://gicdf.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=378:seif-al-islam-gaddafi-wins-the-champion-of-cultural-inclusion-award-&catid=1:latest-news

FYI, it does log your IP, and I was the only one online. Now excuse me while I get my old copy of WinHTTrack cranked up and clone that site.

But before I do, you can still send them a message on their "Contact Us" page. Cool.

GICDF
The Administration

Address:
Hay Elandalus - Jian St
City: Tripoli
P.o.Box: 1101
Country: Libya

E-mail: [e-mail]
Telephone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

Information: Additional information and more details please contact us .

Be sure though to include your email address so that you can have a copy of the message you sent. Or not. A screenshot will do.

[tabatha]

59. TIMELINE-Libya's uprising against Muammar Gaddafi

Feb 15/16, 2011 - A riot in Benghazi is triggered by the arrest of human rights activist Fethi Tarbel, who has worked to free political prisoners, Quryna newspaper says.

Feb. 17 - Activists designate this day as a day of rage. It is the anniversary of clashes in 2006 in Benghazi when security forces killed protesters attacking the city's Italian consulate.

Feb 21 - Diplomats at Libya's mission to the United Nations side with the revolt against their country's leader and call on the Libyan army to help overthrow "the tyrant Muammar Gaddafi".

Feb. 22 - A defiant Gaddafi vows to die "a martyr" in Libya and says he will crush a revolt which has seen eastern regions break free from four decades of his rule.

Feb. 24 - Anti-Libyan government militias take control of Misrata after evicting forces loyal to Gaddafi.


http://af.reuters.com/article/libyaNews/idAFLDE7421TV20110503?feedType=RSS&feedName=libyaNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FAfricaLibyaNews+%28News+%2F+Africa+%2F+Libya+News%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher&sp=true

[Iterate]

61. The Great Libyan Video Archive: Over 150 Videos & 700MB!

The Great Libyan Video Archive: Over 150 Videos & 700MB!
Posted on February 19, 2011 by admin

ArabRevolution have done a phenomenal job of organising over 150 videos (700mb of footage) and published it on their blog! Please download and share the links with media outlets and news blogs.
http://www.libyafeb17.com/2011/02/the-great-libyan-video-archive-over-150-videos-700mb/

http://arabrevolution.posterous.com/the-great-libyan-archive-over-150-videos-700

[tabatha]

62. Very good. This should help the ICC.

[Iterate]

63. It's an incredible *beginning* of an archive.

I can't believe what's here already, and I'm sure much more will be added. I'm not sure what the deniers of the future will come up with, but the historians (and as you say, the ICC) have plenty handed to them.

I listened to a podcast a few weeks ago from Steve Rosenbaum about his new book "Curation Nation: Why the Future of Content is Context". His contention is that, even just two years ago, the big argument among IT professionals was creation vs. aggregation. The creationists (that was fun to say) hammered the aggregators as "ripping off content". This year at the same conference the buzz was all about "what content are you curating?" Even the word aggregator has been passed by, so I guess that makes us curators as well as occasional creators of content.

Besides an observation, there was some hope in his words -he was also wondering how the web could be structured so that curators could be paid as well as the creators. I'll go for that, especially as my client for tomorrow canceled and I know I'll be digging into this archive instead.

[tabatha]

64. The Symantec Web has hardly gotten off the ground

- but it is precisely to handle some of this info and make it accessible to all on the internet.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semantic_Web

The main purpose of the Semantic Web is driving the evolution of the current Web by allowing users to use it to its full potential, thus allowing them to find, share, and combine information more easily. Humans are capable of using the Web to carry out tasks such as finding the Irish word for "folder," reserving a library book, and searching for a low price for a DVD. However, machines cannot accomplish all of these tasks without human direction, because web pages are designed to be read by people, not machines. The semantic web is a vision of information that can be interpreted by machines, so machines can perform more of the tedious work involved in finding, combining, and acting upon information on the web.

On edit:
Data.gov Present and Future - Semantic Web, Linked Data and Social Media - Part 1

Data.gov is deploying Semantic Web technologies and embracing Social media. Combining the collaborative power of the Social Web with the transparency of the Linked (Open Government) Data platform will enhance data quality and linking across Government information domains, considering metadata creation and data curation as 'social objects' we network around. Come to this session to listen and learn about the present and future technologies being leveraged and ideas being explored by the data.gov PMO.

[Iterate]

66. He addressed that indirectly by giving up on it

and suggested that with web content doubling every "72 hours" (his number not mine), and with Google search incapable of evaluating audio, twitter, or video content, the web will increasingly be organized and filtered by trusted human volunteers who are passionate about the topic and give consistent value to the selection. He was suggesting that "search" is about over and the notion of surfing the web almost archaic.

This was during one of my "mental health timeouts", but I couldn't help but think that, without planning it in any fashion whatsoever, that's what we're trying to do here. At that moment I dumped the headphones and got back in the game. He was also talking about people working on different software tools to do that, something that I took to be more social than wikipedia, but more open and rigorous than facebook.

[joshcryer]

83. Nice comments here all.

:hi: :hug:

[tabatha]

65. Bahrain charges doctors with murder

The government in Bahrain is planning to charge some of the country's doctors with the deaths of two demonstrators, in what human rights groups say is actually part of a broad crackdown on the opposition.The government in Bahrain is planning to charge some of the country's doctors with the deaths of two demonstrators, in what human rights groups say is actually part of a broad crackdown on the opposition.

...

During protests in March, the government of Bahrain brought in troops from Gulf Arab neighbours in a brutal crackdown that took the lives of at least 13 demonstrators.

Khalid bin Ali al-Khalifa, the Justice Minister of Bahrain, said that 47 of the country's medical staff in total would face prosecution.

http://www.hc2d.co.uk/content.php?contentId=18356

(Unbelievable)

[Iterate]

67. Car explodes in rebel stronghold Benghazi

Car explodes in rebel stronghold Benghazi
Tue May 3, 2011 8:16pm GMT

BENGHAZI, Libya May 3 (Reuters) - A car blew up in the eastern rebel stronghold of Benghazi on Tuesday, residents said.

The explosion took place near the courthouse, where supporters of the rebel movement often congregate.

Reuters correspondents at the scene saw the wreckage of a car but no further details were immediately available.

(Reporting by Deepa Babington)

http://af.reuters.com/article/libyaNews/idAFLDE7422AE20110503

[Yosarian71]

78. Reuters gleefully reporting bad news for rebels

Most twitter reports are this was nothing major.

[joshcryer]

81. AJE for May 4 has them dancing on the car:

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/libya-live-blog-may-4

My bet it was some kids being stupid.

[Iterate]

68. Foreign Affairs Ministry Summons Libyan Ambassador

Foreign Affairs Ministry Summons Libyan Ambassador
Posted on Tuesday, May 03 @ 00:05:00 UTC by admin
By: Mohamed Abdallah

Khartoum – The Sudan Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Libya Ambassador in Khartoum to question him over the evacuation of Sudanese Consulate in Kofra; Foreign Ministry spokesperson Khalid Musa told reporters yesterday.

The Ministry summoned the Libyan Ambassador to question him and to discuss the reasons behind the evacuation.

Musa said they informed him to evacuate the Consulate within 48 hours. "We will take decisions after the answer of the Libyan authority to know if the step taken by the Libyan leadership is just orders from the military commander in Kofra.

In the same context, the diplomatic team in Kofra arrived Khartoum yesterday. Khalid explained that the staff of the Consulate is composed of 12 members all of them in good health, but he said they were subjected to health checks in the Ministry Hospital.

more...
http://www.sudanvisiondaily.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=73965

[Iterate]

69. Arab revolts bring hope for media freedom - RSF

Arab revolts bring hope for media freedom - RSF
Tue May 3, 2011 7:22pm GMT

PARIS, May 3 (Reuters) - The toppling of two of the world's worst offenders against media freedom during a wave of Arab revolts has proved that oppressors are not invincible, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said on Tuesday.

The Paris-based rights group has removed former Tunisian president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali and Egypt's Hosni Mubarak from its "Media Predators" list after they were ousted in popular uprisings that have triggered protests across the region.

The 2011 list, published on World Press Freedom Day, and showing the 38 world leaders RSF deems most hostile to civil liberties and press freedom, includes the leaders of Libya, Syria, Yemen and Bahrain.

RSF Secretary General Jean-Francois Julliard told Reuters: "The predators we have been condemning for years are no longer untouchable. No-one expected Ben Ali and Mubarak to go the way they did, but it happened, and there's now a chance that freedom of speech can be restored in other oppressed countries."

more...
http://af.reuters.com/article/libyaNews/idAFLDE7420VT20110503?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0&sp=true

[Iterate]

70. Gaddafi forces bombard rebel-held Zintan

Gaddafi forces bombard rebel-held Zintan - rebels
Tue May 3, 2011 9:30pm GMT

TUNIS May 3 (Reuters) - Forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi bombarded the rebel-held town of Zintan in the Western Mountains with over 40 Grad rockets late on Tuesday, a rebel spokesman said.

"They were fired in two salvoes," the spokesman, named Abdulrahman, said by telephone. "The last salvo landed moments ago. We can hear NATO aircraft overhead now."

A Libyan ambulance driver from Zintan who crossed into Tunisia on Tuesday told Reuters the town had come under intense shelling by pro-Gaddafi forces.

(Reporting by Joseph Nasr in Berlin and Tarek Amara in DEHIBA, Tunisia; Writing by Matt Robinson)

http://af.reuters.com/article/libyaNews/idAFLDE74222E20110503


15:25 Al Manara Media report via Nalut Media Centre that Gaddafi forces are trying to enter the city of Nalut from the southern area of Dar Abu Labu with 20 4×4 vehicles.
http://www.libyafeb17.com/2011/05/may-3rd-updates/

[Iterate]

71. Tunisia Remada camp during sandstorm

4Adam Adam
05/02/2011#Tunisia Remada camp during sandstorm #Libyanrefuees #Libya #feb17 (cont) http://tl.gd/a86uc3
vor 7 Minuten

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=224423914237661&oid=173343356043878

[Iterate]

72. Mark Stone SkyNews :tweets Rixos Press conference

Stone_SkyNews Mark Stone
So - Turkish PM turns his back on #Gaddafi & it has a knock-on at my Tripoli hotel: most of the staff have bolted! yfrog.com/h48t7adj
vor 5 Stunden

Stone_SkyNews Mark Stone
Press conference called at the Rixos Hotel. We were frisked on entry to the room which is unusual. Not sure what it's all about. #Libya
vor 4 Stunden

Stone_SkyNews Mark Stone
Still waiting for the #Libya Rixos press conference to start. Rumours about who might be coming, but no confirmation...
vor 4 Stunden

Stone_SkyNews Mark Stone
This is interesting... An hr waiting for a press conference to start. Now all journos told that instead we'll be going on a bus trip!
vor 3 Stunden

Stone_SkyNews Mark Stone
Confusion at the Tripoli Rixos Hotel. No idea what the bus trip is, when it will go or what on earth is going on! #Libya yfrog.com/gz4tawkj
vor 3 Stunden

Stone_SkyNews Mark Stone
We have not gone on the bus tour. Decided to stay put and see who might turn up here. Most others have done the same..... #Libya
vor 2 Stunden

Stone_SkyNews Mark Stone
Update from Rixos Tripoli: I have absolutely no idea what happened tonight. Bus trip was nothing. Lots of confusion. Not tense though.
vor 1 Stunde

Stone_SkyNews Mark Stone
Back up, back in the press conference room, and now listening to Khalid Kiam, Dep Foreign Minister of #Libya. Will tweet any lines.
vor 45 Minuten

Stone_SkyNews Mark Stone
Kaim says the cash frozen by the Swiss is not #Gaddafi money. It belongs to Libyan companies.
vor 41 Minuten

Stone_SkyNews Mark Stone
Kaim says that 400 rebel fighters have laid down their arms in #Misratah in past few days. Tribes now helping people to go home. #Libya
vor 39 Minuten

Stone_SkyNews Mark Stone
Kaim comments on #OBL killing, reminding us Libya was the first country to issue an arrest warrant for him. (Will retweet my piece on this)
vor 36 Minuten

Stone_SkyNews Mark Stone
OBL and Gaddafi: twitter.com/stone_skynews/… #Libya
vor 27 Minuten

Stone_SkyNews Mark Stone
Kaim: #Gaddafi is very well. Not at all harmed by bombing which killed son. Had meetings today and phone calls with international leaders.
vor 26 Minuten

Stone_SkyNews Mark Stone
Kaim: #Gaddafi had condolence calls from some world leaders but would not say which ones. #Libya
vor 24 Minuten

ETA:
Stone_SkyNews Mark Stone
BREAKING: Single loud blast heard in Tripoli. No idea of target at this stage. #Libya
vor 1 Minute

[tabatha]

73. ICC may issue arrest warrants against Qaddafi, as Turkey asks him to exit Libya

By DINA AL-SHIBEEB AND AMMAR BENAZIZ
Al Arabiya

International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo will likely issue arrest warrants for Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi and his son Saif al-Islam, and several Libyan officials within the next weeks, according to a report that Mr. Ocampo plans to present before the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday.

Al Arabiya has seen that report. Mr. Ocampo will offer the Security Council an update on his investigation into Colonel Qaddafi’s attacks on Libyan citizens in their rebellion against his autocratic rule. According to the report, Mr. Ocampo has had investigative help from several organizations familiar with the situation in Libya.

Meanwhile on Tuesday, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey said that Mr. Qaddafi must go. The New York Times reported that the statement by Turkey was its first public call on the embattled Libyan leader.

The Times said that Mr. Erdogan’s tone is considered to be the harshest to date on the situation in Libya. It characterized the prime minister as a regional power broker.
According to Mr. Erdogan, Colonel Qaddafi had chosen “blood, tears, oppression” and that he must secede power and “immediately step down.”

http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/05/03/147738.html


ICC Chief Prosecutor May Request Arrest Warrant For Qaddafi Within Monthsb
The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, said he suspects Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi and some of his sons of crimes against humanity during the turmoil in the country and may request arrest warrants within months.

The prosecutor will investigate between 10 and 20 people including Qaddafi, members of his family, the foreign minister and the heads of security and military intelligence, Qaddafi’s personal security and Libya’s external security organization.

“Civilians were shot during demonstrations and allegations are that security forces were doing that,” Moreno-Ocampo said in an interview in his office in The Hague yesterday after concluding a preliminary investigation. “We’re focusing on six or seven incidents that are most serious” and expect to request warrants from the court’s judges in a few months, he said.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-04/icc-chief-prosecutor-may-request-arrest-warrant-for-qaddafi-within-months.html


Libyan leaders may face UN arrest warrants for war crimes
Senior Libyan officials face international arrest warrants for crimes against humanity, the United Nations security council will be told today.

Luis Moreno-Ocampo, chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, is to brief the council about crimes committed by Muammar Gaddafi's forces since the Libyan uprising began in mid-February.

Western diplomats say the move is intended to ratchet up international pressure on Tripoli. Ocampo revealed that up to five warrants are likely to be issued in the next few weeks with the approval of the ICC's pre-trial chamber.

No names have been disclosed. But Al-Arabiya TV reported that the warrants could include Gaddafi himself and his son, the discredited reformist Saif al-Islam, who has strong UK links. It said others being targeted include Libya's former foreign minister, Moussa Koussa, who defected to the UK, and Abu Zeyd Omar Dorda, director general of the Libyan External Security Organisation.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/04/libya-war-crimes-icc-un

[atreides1]

74. When the ICC issues arrest warrants for ...

Yemen, Egypt, Syria and Bahrain...
“Civilians were shot during demonstrations and allegations are that security forces were doing that,”

This is just total BULLSHIT!!!!!

[tabatha]

75. Their time will come.

You do know that people in Egypt have been arrested?

[Iterate]

76. Why not wait to see the charges first?

Then you can see the evidence; you can follow the proceedings and the trial.

It's a new court by the standards of international law, but give it some time and support. This kind of repression is a problem that has plagued civilization since the first kingdoms, and now there's a chance to build a structure that will limit the power of rulers, declare that there is no sovereign right to repression, and define a responsibility to protect the citizenry.

Holding them accountable is the necessary next step. If you can't enforce it in this case, there's little chance for the others.

[joshcryer]

82. ICC has yet to try anyone. Have to start somewhere. Gaddafi will be easy.

[tabatha]

77. Nalut: 1 hour ago

Nalut: 1 hour ago revolutionaries defeated Gaddafi forces at Dar AbuLabu area, no casualties reported – Almanara Media
http://liveword.ca/libya/2011/05/03/5655/

IbnOmar2005‎ someone i know just escaped #tripoli. said all the youth in the city are being rounded up to do military service to fight revols. #libya

ChangeInLibya‎ TRIPOLI BREAKING: TURKISH embassy has been set on fire today by Gaddafi's thugs, as a response to Erdogan's condemnation of Gaddafi #libya

[tabatha]

79. UN Asks West for Help with Libyan Refugee Crisis

http://media.voanews.com/images/480*309/ap_libya_refugees_tunsia_480_15Mar11.jpg

What inevitably follows the breakout of war is the movement of masses of people across international borders. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reports that hundreds of thousands of refugees are moving out of Libya, mainly into Tunisia and Egypt, countries fresh with the instability of their own revolutions.

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres on Tuesday called on Western nations to help.

Clashes between opposition forces and those supporting embattled Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi have killed thousands in Libya. NATO forces aim to protect civilians threatened by government troops.

But people whose lives were disrupted are on the move, traveling by car and foot, mainly into neighboring Egypt and Tunisia, and also to Niger, Algeria and Chad.

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/UN-Asks-West-for-Help-with-Libyan-Refugee-Crisis-121193444.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

[joshcryer]

80. Day 76 here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x1028983