Syrian Kurds shift alliance to Damascus, Assads troops on their way to the north

 Qamishli (Photo Wikipedia)

Syria's Kurds said Syrian government forces agreed Sunday to help them fend off Turkey's invasion — a major shift in alliances that came after President Donald Trump ordered all U.S. troops withdrawn from the northern border area amid the rapidly deepening chaos.

The Syrian government troops will deploy along the border with Turkey to help Kurdish fighters fend off Ankara's military offensive in northern Syria, the Kurdish-led administration in the region said. 

The move, announced on Sunday, represents a major shift in alliance for Syria's Kurds and came hours after the United States said it was withdrawing its troops from the area to avoid getting caught in the middle of the fast-escalating conflict.

The Kurdish-led administration in a statement on Facebook said it had brokered the agreement with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government to counter Turkey's ongoing push, which has drawn widespread condemnation. 

At least 105 killed in nationwide protests in Iraq

Updated October 8:  More than  hundred people have been killed so far in the protests in several Iraqi cities. The number of 105 was cited by the Iraqi Humna Rights Observatory. The army has admitted that it used ''excessive force;''. The Iraqi president, Barham Salih, condemned the attacks on portesteres (and the media) and urged the security forces to respect the rights of the protesters.
In Iraq the internet is still cut off. Prime minister Abdul Mahdi has ordered the military forces to be replaced by federal police units. Also he ordered the intelligence service to open an inquiry. (End of Update)
An indefinite curfew has been imposed October 2 in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, and southern cities after two days of anti-government protests descended into violence and left at least 13 people dead and hundreds more injured. On Thursday morning, riot police fired in the air to disperse hundreds of protesters angry at high unemployment gathered at Tahrir Square in central Baghdad in defiance of the curfew.
"We slept here so the police don't take the place," one demonstrator told AFP news agency before being pushed back by the police.
Since erupting in Baghdad on Tuesday, the protests have spread to other cities in the country's south, posing a challenge to Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi's one-year-old government. Curfews were also imposed in the holy city of Najaf and in Nassiriyah on Wednesday after security forces fired on protesters who demand end to rampant power cuts, water shortages and state corruption.

Trump gives Turkey green light to attack Kurds in Northern Syria

 (Photo Wikipedia)
 The White House has given the green light to a Turkish offensive into northern Syria, moving US forces out of the area in an abrupt foreign policy change that will in effect abandon the Kurds, Washington’s longtime military partner.
Kurdish forces have spearheaded the campaign against Islamic State in the region, but the policy swerve, after a phone conversation between Donald Trump and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Sunday, means Turkey would take custody of captured Isis fighters, the White House said.
It has also raised fears of fresh fighting between Turkey and Kurdish forces in Syria’s complex war now the US no longer acts as a buffer between the two sides.
Trump defended his decision, saying the Kurds were “paid massive amounts of money and equipment” to fight and that he was leaving the fight against Isis to others for the time being.
“We are 7,000 miles away,” he tweeted, while vowing to crush the extremist movement “if they come anywhere near us”.

Attacks on two Saudi oil refineries: what followed

Tensions in the Middle East have surged following attacks on two major oil facilities in Saudi Arabia. The pre-dawn attacks on September 14 knocked out more than half of the top global exporter's output - five percent of the global oil supply - or about 5.7 million barrels per day.

Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed responsibility but US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo swiftly accused Iran, which rejected the allegations. Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, promised to "confront and deal with this terrorist agggression", while US President Donald Trump hinted at possible military action.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed Ankara would continue to purchase oil and natural gas from Iran despite US sanctions.
Saudi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Assaf, called on the UN and the world to apply "utmost pressure with every tool available" to end what he said was Iran's aggressive conduct. At UNGA on Thursday, the foreign minister again blamed Iran for the September 14 missile and drone attack on Saudi Arabia's oil facilities and said the best way to control Tehran was by cutting off its financial resources.
Al Jazeera's Rosiland Jordan noted that when a country was looking for international support after such an attack it would normally call for an emergency meeting of the Security Council. "There's been no such request from the Saudi government,'' he said.

Iran activates advanced centrifuges in third upgrade of atomic program

Anti-aircfat gun guarding Natanz (Photo Wikipedia)

Iran has begun injecting gas into advanced centrifuges to increase its stockpile of enriched uranium, an official has announced, warning that time is running out for other signatories to save a multilateral 2015 nuclear deal.

In the meantime negotiations are still underway between France and Iran about a loan of some $ 15 billion, in order to truy to svae the nuclear deal (see below)

Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesman for Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation, said on Saturday the agency had started up advanced centrifuges at Iran's enrichment facility in Natanz as the third step by Tehran in scaling back its commitments under the crumbling pact following the United States' unilateral withdrawal last year.

"We have started lifting limitations on our research and development imposed by the deal ... it will include development of more rapid and advanced centrifuges," Kamalvandi said.

"The capacity of these machines is many times more than the previous machines. This started as of yesterday (Friday)," he continued, adding that "all these steps are reversible if the other side fulfils its promises".
In two separate moves already, Iran reduced its commitments outlined in the crumbling deal and vowed further measures unless the European signatories of the pact did more to shield Tehran's economy.

Sudanese sign deal between military and opposition

The agreement is signed (via Twitter)

Sudan's main opposition coalition and the ruling military council have formally signed a final power-sharing deal, paving the way for a transition to a civilian-led government.

The landmark agreement signed on Saturday in the capital Khartoum came after a long period of negotiations following the overthrow of longtime leader President Omar al-Bashir in the wake of mass protests.

The deal was inked between Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, deputy chief of the Transitional Military Council (TMC), and Ahmed al-Rabie, who represented the Alliance for Freedom and Change umbrella group. The ceremony was attended by heads of states, prime ministers and dignitaries from several countries, including Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and South Sudanese President Salva Kiir.
The power-sharing deal creates a joint military and civilian sovereign council to rule for a little over three years until elections can be held.
Under the agreement, a military leader would head the 11-member council for the first 21 months, followed by a civilian leader for the next 18. It would also establish a cabinet appointed by the activists and a legislative body.

Takeover of Aden by separatists weakens the front against the Houthis

Separatists celebrate the takeover of Aden 

A Southern Yemeni organisation that seeks the secession (or autonomy) of South Yemen, the Southern Transitional Council (STC) on after four days of fighting on Saturday took effective control of various parts of Aden. With vehicles donated by the United Arab Emirates and without meeting too much resistance as it seems, they took over military camps, the home of the interior minister and the almost-empty presidential palace where guards agreed to leave without a fight. Forty people were killed in the fighting and 260 were wounded.
STC leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi on Sunday said in a televised appearance the council was committed to a ceasefire called by Saudi Arabia, and said the separatists were willing to attend a meeting called by Riyadh a day earlier. He added they were also willing to work with the Saudi-UAE-led military coalition battling Yemen's Houthi rebels. On the surface the front against the Houthis seems to remains intact in this way, but the real significance of the take over lies in the fact that a serious split between the two main components of the anti-Houthi-front came into the open in this way: the Saudis who back the officially recognized Yemeni governement of Abed Rabbou Mansour Hadi at the one hand and the United Arab Emirates who support the STC at the other.
The two countries have been fighting the Houthis the last five years with the backing by the US and Great Britain among others in a war that has cost ttrens of thousands of lives and had brought hunger and destruction. It hasn t brought them nearer a victory however. The Sauedis mainly bombed fro the air, the UAE had his troups in the South, but recentl;u announced that it is going to withdraw them. That gae the STC the opportunity to take over Aden.

Trump increases the tension with new sanctions on Iran

Pompeo, Trump and Bolton (Photo State Department/Public Domain)

US President Trump on Monday signed an order for new sanctions aggainst Iran that target the supreme leader ayatollah Ali Khamenei and commanders of several military units. The order came af the downing by Iran of an American drone, that according to the US was in international airspace, but according to Iran flew above Iranian territory. The American measures are not only a way of retaliation, they also want to force Iran to hold talks about its nuclear policy and missile program, after America nullified the JCPOA, the nuclear agreement that five world powers in 2015 concluded with  Iran.
Secretary Mnuchin of the Treasur Department said that apart from Khamenei senior commanders of eight Navy, Aerospace, and Ground Forces of the Revolutionaru Guards Corps were hit by the sanctions. He also said that Foreign Minister Javad Sharif would be targeted next week. The accounts of Khameni and the commaners have been blocked and they cannot make use of American financial nsystesm anymore. According to Mnuchin's Treasury ''these commanders sit atop bureaucracy that supervices malicious reguional activities, including its provocative ballistic missile program, harassment and sabotage of commercial vessels in in ternational waters and its destabilizing presence in Syria''.

For second time Erdogan's AKP looses the election for mayor of Istanbul

(Photo The Pessoptimist)

The candidate of the Republican People's Party (CHP) on Sunday won the second ballot during the election of the mayor of Istanbul.   After 95% of the votes had been counted, the candidate of the governing AK Party of  Recep Tayip Erdogan conceded he lost. ''According to the result as of now, my competitor Ekrem Imamoglu is leading the race. I congratulate him and wish him good luck," Binali Yildirim said. The CHP had more than 53% of the vote at that moment, while the AKP candidate reached 534,4 percent.
De win of the CHP in Istanbul election ends the 17 year rule by the AK Party in Turkey's largest city and commercial hub. The Istanbul mayoral election was first held on March 31. At that vtime Imamoglu won with 48.8 percent of the vote, while the AK Party's Yildirim got 48.55 percent, so that Imamoglu became mayor with a very small margin. But at the instigation of president Erdogan the AKP contested the results, which had the consequence that the Supreme Electoral Council (YSK) annulled the results on dispututede grounds and scheduled a rerun.

U.S. almost attacked Iranian targets after downing of American drone

Iranian media showed the trajectory of the drone according to Tehran, after it took off from the United Arab Emirates.


U.S. President Donald Trump approved military strikes against Iran in retaliation for the downing of an unmanned surveillance drone, but pulled back from launching attacks, US media reports said on Friday. Citing senior White House officials.
 The New York Times reported an operation sanctioned by Trump to launch attacks on a "handful of Iranian targets" - including radar and missile batteries - was "in its early stages" on Thursday evening when the US leader changed tack and called it off.
Planes and ships were already underway when the order to stand down came, the Times cited one unidentified administration official as saying. The Washington Post and ABC News also reported the developments, citing unnamed White House officials and other sources said to be familiar with the matter. The White House declined to comment on the reports.
On Friday, Iran's foreign ministry said Tehran had "indisputable" evidence that the aircraft violated its airspace. Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Swiss Ambassador Markus Leitner, whose country represents US interests in Iran, of the evidence on Thursday night, the ministry said in a statement. "Even some parts of the drone's wreckage has been retrieved from Iran's territorial waters," Araghchi said. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif gave the exact coordinates where he said the drone was shot down.

Hundreds of Jewish scholars protest resignation director Jewish Museum Berlin

A group of 45 academic Talmud scholars has signed a letter in support of Peter Schäfer, the former director of the Berlin Jewish Museum who resigned last week amid criticism of a tweet linking to a pro-Israel boycott story.

Prof. Peter Schäfer

Such a letter is unprecedented among the Talmudist community, which  tends to shy away from commenting on current affairs, said Ishay Rosen Zvi, a Talmud professor at Tel Aviv University who co-organized the letter with a Princeton University Talmud professor, Moulie Vidas.

A separate letter signed by a broader group of Jewish studies scholars protested “that the reputation of a scholar devoted to Judaism would be smeared in public.” That letter has 300 signatures.

The Talmudists’ letter states that all its signatories, who hold a range of views on Israel and the movement to boycott it, are “united in our profound admiration for Prof. Schäfer.” It calls him “one of the main pillars in the field” of Talmudic studies.

Former Egyptian president Morsi most probably died because of neglect

This is a picture of Mohamed Morsi, the tragic, democratically elected former president of Egypt, who died two days ago in a Cairo courtroom. The way he died give room to the suspicion that his death was de cause of medical nneglect. During his uninterrupted stay in prison since his demise, he has been in solitary confinement and has seen his family only a few times. The former president suffered from diabetes, hypertension, and liver disease and human rights organizations (and British parliamentarians among others), complained several times that he did not get medical attention and that because of that his life was in danger.
On top of that he British newspapaer The Independent, reveals that it took at least 20 minutes after other detainees alarmed the guards that Morsi had collapsed, before he was taken out of the cage in the court house, and another half hour before an ambulance took him to a hospital.
Morsi has been buried yesterday in the Cairo suburb of Nasr City, against the wishes of his family, who wanted him to be buried in the family grave in the governorate of Sharqiyya. Only ten people were allowed to attend. The newsmedia in Egypt did not even mention that he has been the president.

Egypt adopts constitutional amendments that allow al-Sisi to stay on till 2030

Al-Sisi

As expected the referendum about the changes to the Egyptian constitution of 2014 turned out to be a yes-vote. On Tuesdat the final results after three days of voting showed that the proposed amendments to the country’s 2014 constitution received a support of 88.8 per cent. Only 11.1 per cent, or 2,9 million voters, voted no to the amendments. The turn out was rather low, only 27.2 million participated in the poll, a turn out of 44.3 per cent of the 61.5 million eligible voters, even though there had been stories that poor voters had been lured to the voting boots with food packages and other presents.
The major significance of the “yes” vote is that the amendments will extend Egypt’s sitting president, Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi's term by two years, from 2022 to 2024.President al-Sisi will also be allowed in 2024 to run for another — and final — six-year term. Others who wish to compete in 2024 also will have the chance to run two times. Abdel-Hadi Al-Qasabi, leader of the parliamentary majority, the Support Egypt coalition, explained that the “Members of Parliament decided to give Al-Sisi a chance to run for another six-year term beyond 2024 in appreciation of his role in helping the Egyptian people in 2013 get rid of the Muslim Brotherhood regime and restore stability.”

Saudi Arabia executes 37 men on one day

Saudi Arabia executed 37 people on Tuesday after they had been sentenced to death for terrorism-related crimes.The executions were announced in a statement on the state-run news agency, which said the men had been put to death for “their adoption of extremist, terrorist ideology and forming terrorist cells to corrupt and disturb security, spread chaos and cause sectarian discord.”

Some of the men had been involved in bomb attacks on security headquarters that had killed officers, the agency said.

It listed the 37 men by name but provided little information about what crimes they had committed or when. They include 11 men who were convicted of spying for Iran and sentenced to death after a grossly unfair trial. At least 14 others  were convicted of violent offences related to their participation in anti-government demonstrations in Saudi Arabia’s Shi’a majority Eastern Province between 2011 and 2012.The 14 men were subjected to prolonged pre-trial detention and told the court that they were tortured or otherwise ill-treated during their interrogation in order to have ‘confessions’ extracted from them. One of  them was only 16 when he was arrested, said Amnesty International.

Most executions in Saudi Arabia are done by beheading in a public square.

Sudan struggles with disunity in the military and division between the military and civilians

Nasserist Party Member Satei al-Hajj, flanked by a communist and a Baathist, at a press conference., Saturday afternoon by the Sudanese opposition parties.(Photo Mada Masr)

Mada Masr, the leftist internet newssite, has some interesting background about the change of power in Sudan. Based on information from Sudanese military and opposition sources, plus Egyptian anonymous authorities, it reports about the fast demise of Awad Ibn Auf, the minister of Defence,  and his deputy Kamal Abdel Marouf after they had taken over command from Sudan's leader for about 30 years, Omar al-Bashir. Also the head of the National Intelligence and Security Services,Salah Gosh, another figure closely tied to Bashir’s regime, resigned Saturday evening.
All three stepped down within 24 hours after Ibn Auf had taken power. And although the Defense minister did not indicate why he was stepping down, two military sources in Khartoum told Mada Masr that his removal was the result of broad disagreements within the senior ranks of the Armed Forces, that also led to direct confrontations between armed groups. Many changes and conspiracies emerged within the army in the past few days, according to Mada Masr, leading to clashes between the Armed Forces and security units, which have left large numbers of dead on both sides. Mada Masr's source source added that the conflicts were on several fronts: first divisions between the Islamist militias and the armed forces and second the junior officers in one camp and senior army officers in another.

Army seizes power in Sudan, Omar al-Bashir imprisoned

Omar al-Bashir

Sudan's armed forces have overthrown and arrested President Omar al-Bashir after months of protests against his nearly 30-year rule. In a statement on Thursday, General Awad Ibn Auf said al-Bashir was taken to a "safe place". He also announced the formation of a military-led transitional government, which will rule for two years.

"The armed forces will take power, '' said  Ibn Auf, the country's vice president and defence minister.He declared a three-month state of emergency and the suspension of the 2005 Constitution, as well the closure of Sudan's airspace for 24 hours and of border crossings until further notice.

All of Sudan's government's institutions, including the National Assembly and national council of ministers, have been dissolved, Ibn Auf added, assuring that Sudan would soon prepare for "free and fair" elections.
Ibn Auf's announcement came against the backdrop of a sixth successive day of anti-government protests outside Sudan's headquarters in the capital, Khartoum. Demonstrators have staged a mass sit-inoutside the complex to call for the army to support their bid to see al-Bashir peacefully removed from power.

Trump places Iranian Pasdaran on list of 'terrorist organisations'

President Donald Trump announced on Monday that the United States is designating Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also called Pasdaran, a foreign "terrorist organisation", marking the first time Washington has formally labelled another country's military a "terrorist group".

Responding to the move, Iran immediately declared the US as "state sponsor of terrorism" and US forces in the region "terrorist groups", state media reported. 

Iran also condemned the US decision as an illegal act prompted by Tehran's regional influence and "success in fighting against Islamic State," Iranian state TV said, referring to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS).

The US has already blacklisted dozens of entities and people for affiliations with the IRGC, but not the organisation as a whole.

High prison sentences of Rif protesters upheld by court of appeal

Nasser Zafzafi (Wikipedia)

Dozens of activists linked to the Hirak protest movement that rocked northern Morocco in 2016 and 2017 had prison sentences of up to 20 years upheld by a court of appeal on Friday.
The ruling against the 42 protesters in the western city of Casablanca was met with cries of "corrupt state" from relatives.  The Al-Hirak al-Shaabi, or "Popular Movement", protests took hold in the country's marginalised Rif region in October 2016.The social unrest was sparked by the death of a fisherman who was crsuihed to death in a garbage truck and escalated into a wave of demonstrations demanding more development in the neglected region and railing against corruption and unemployment.
Authorities accused the activists of having separatist aims.
The sentences were first handed down in June last year, prompting further demonstrations calling for the group's release, backed by human rights organisation such as Amnesty and Human Rights Watch.

Algerians not satisfied with departure of Bouteflika, demand overhaul of the system

Also in other cities than Algiers people demonstrated. This is a picture from Sétif (Le Matin d'Algérie)

The Algerians are not satisfied with the demise of president Bouteflika who tendered his resignation onTuesday. It was not a suprsie that they once again took to the streets in big numbers this Friday to demand an overhaul of the political system after the president of 20 years had left office.

Tens of thousands of people massed in the capital, Algiers, and marched towards the central post office, a symbol of the peaceful widespread protests that began on February 22 in response to 82-year-old Bouteflika's bid to seek a fifth term in now-cancelled elections.

Security was higher than usual, with roadblocks preventing buses of protesters from entering the city. One group of demonstrators from the Kabylie region east of Algiers walked 20km after its bus was stopped at a roadblock.

It was the seventh straight Friday of protests against a leadership the demonstrators perceive as corrupt and repressive but the first since the ailing Bouteflika resigned on Tuesday.The demonstrators now want the departure of key allies of Bouteflika, including the men who head Algeria's three branches of power: the prime minister, chief of the upper house of parliament and the president of the constitutional court. "The people want them all to leave," protesters chanted. Some brandished signs calling for the exit of "the three Bs"- Prime Minister Noureddine Bedoui, Constitutional Council President Tayeb Belaiz, and upper house of parliament President Abdelkader Bensalah.

Erdogan's AKP loses big cities in election

Erdogan (Wikipedia)

The Justice and Development Party (AKP), the party of president Erdogan has won Sunday's elections in Turkey, although it lost votes compared to the last elections. Nationwide it scored, together with its coalition partner,  more than 50 percent. But the ruling party lost in the capital, Ankara, and in also in Istanbul.

The party made known however that it is objecting to the resultas. Bayram Senocak, the AK Party's top official in Istanbul, said on Tuesday he has submitted objections to results in all 39 of the city's districts, seeking a recount to fix alleged irregularities and a reassessment of invalid votes.

The same happend in Ankara. There Hakan Han Ozcan, AK Party's chairman, told reporters they were also filing an appeal in 25 districts of the city.

Bouteflika steps down

(Wikipedia)

Algeria’s President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has submitted his resignation, state news agency APS said on Tuesday, following weeks of mass protests against his rule.The ailing, 82-year-old leader stood down shortly after the army chief of staff demanded immediate action to remove him from office.
 ''There is no more room to waste time,” state news agency APS quoted Lieutenant General Ahmed Gaed Salah as saying.
On Monday, Bouteflika, who was in power for 20 years, had said he would quit before the end of his term on April 28.
It remaisn to be seen what the opposition now is going to do. Opposition parties rejected his abdication as insufficient,. They asked for democratiziation and a change of the system. It was one of the demands during the many demonstrations of the past weeeks against Bouteflika's reelection.
Bouteflika was bound to a wheelchair and underwent many medical treatements outside Algeria. He has rarely been seen in the open since he was affected by a stroke in 2013. 

UN willi nvestigate mass murders in Mali

Burnt house in the village Ogassogu. (Picture Malian government)

The United Nations has sent a team of investigators to Mali's restive Mopti region, where more than 150 people were killed this weekend, a spokeswoman said on Tuesday. The raid took place on Saturday in the village of Ogossagou, home to the Fulani herding community, near the town of Mopti in central Mali.

Local officials and security sources told AFP news agency that the death toll had climbed to 160, while the UN rights office said at least 153 people were killed and 73 were wounded.

The "horrific attacks" marked a "significant" surge in "violence across communal lines and by so-called 'self-defence groups' apparently attempting to root out violent extremist groups", said Ravina Shamdasani, spokeswoman for the UN rights office. 

In the Mopti region alone, attacks had led to "some 600 deaths of women, children and men, as well as thousands of displaced persons" since March 2018, she told reporters.

In Algeria new leaders emerge at the helm of the protests against Bouteflika

Thousands of students, university professors and health workers rallied in Algiers on Tuesday calling for President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to quit. Bouteflika, who has ruled for 20 years, bowed to the protesters last week by announcing he would not stand for another term. But he stopped short of stepping down immediately and said he would stay in office until a national conference had been convened and a new constitution would be adopted. The demonstraters perceived this move as a masquerade and a way to stay on for a fifth term without having been elected.

The protests have now been going on for about a month. Last Friday an enormous amount of people took part in a demonstration of really hitherto unknown proportions. In the meantime a new group of leaders has emerged, emboldened by the huge protests. The new leaders late on Monday issued a statement titled “Platform of Change”, demanding that Bouteflika step down before the end of his term on April 28 and the government resign immediately.
The Algerian authorities have long quite able to manipulate the opposition. But now the mass demonstrations emboldened well-known figures to lead the reform drive. Prominent members of the new group include lawyer and activist Mustapha Bouchachi, opposition leader Karim Tabou and former treasury minister Ali Benouari, as well as Mourad Dhina and Kamel Guemazi, who belong to an outlawed Islamist party. Zoubida Assoul, leader of a small political party, is the only woman in the group.

Dutch 'Christians for Israel' protest against GreenLeft party that assured BDS is legitimate

Some dozens of people on Tuesday morning assembled in front of the bureau of the political party GroenLinks (GreenLeft) in Utrecht in the Netherlands to protest against a motion that the party adopted at its last convention, whereby it said that BDS (Boycott, Desinvestment and  Sanctions) is a legitimate weapon in the struggle for Palestinian rights. The protestors, members of ''Christian for Israel'', the biggest fan club of Israel in the Netherlands, carried slogans like 'GreenLeft has the wrong friends'', "Shame on GreenLeft'' and ''BDS strives to anihilate the Jewish State''.
What seems to have escaped the attention of the Christians was that GreenLeft did not adopt the goals or methods of the boycott, but  only spoke about BDS as legal and in line with the freedom of expression. In fact GreenLeft even rejected BDS itself. That, however, was lost on this bunch of Isarel loving people, who use to cheer at the establisment of any new colony in occupied territory, or any new breach of international law by the Israeli occupation.
Christians for Israel seems to have more than 100.000 members who are all enthousiastic supporters of the rightist Israeli government, the colonization of the West Bank and the suppression of the Palestinians. They frequently turn criticism of Israel into ''anti-semitism''. It is one of the main organizations in Holland that can be held responsible for the constant denial of basisc facts that is a characteristic of Dutch Middle East policy.      

Millions take part in third mass protest against re-election of Algerian president Bouteflika

Milions of Algerians have defied large contingents of riot police and resumed mass demonstrations against ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's bid to extend his 20-year rule. Acesing to the lefrtist newspaper Le Matin (d' Algérie) five million people alone marched in the capital Algiers.

The rally was slowed to a near-crawl by the huge numbers taking part, with participation swelled by women marking International Women's Day. Train and metro services were suspended without explanation.

While the rallies were mostly calm, police used tear gas in several areas of the city, including to block the road to the presidential palace, news agencies reported. Later on Friday, state TV said security forces had detained 195 protesters, citing offences such as looting as grounds for the arrests.

Anti-Bouteflika protests were also staged in several other cities, including easterly Oran and westerly Constantine, according to Algeria's TSA news website.
The demonstrations marked the third consecutive Friday on which Algerians have taken to the streets in a bid to press the 82-year-old president to step down

Last year in Yemen: About 100 civilian victims every week

Almost 100 civilians were either killed or wounded every week in Yemen in 2018, with children accounting for a fifth of all casualties, the United Nations has said. According to figures released by the world body's refugee agency on Thursday, more than 4,800 civilian deaths and injuries were reported over the course of 2018,

Children accounted for 410 deaths and 542 injuries, the UNHCR said.

Relying on open source data for its findings, the agency noted that nearly half of all the casualties - 48 percent - were reported in the western city of Hodeidah, whose strategic port has been the scene of fierce fighting between Houthi rebels and Saudi-UAE-backed fighters supporting Yemen's government.
The UN figures also showed that a staggering 30 percent of the civilians were either killed and wounded inside their homes, with non-combatants also targeted when travelling on roads, working on farms and at other civilian sites.

Al-Beshir announces state of emergency in Sudan

Al-Beshir (foto Wikipedia)

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has declared a year-long state of emergency, dissolving his cabinet and local governments throughout the country.In a televised address on Friday,;Bashir also called on Sudan's parliament to ;postpone constitutional amendments that would allow him to run for another term in a presidential election in 2020.
Acknowledging the popular protests that have rocked his administration in recent months, the 75-year-old said the "demands of our people for better living conditions are lawful". "I will not stop calling for all parties to sit at the dialogue table," Bashir said, adding he would remain on the "side of the youth who represent the future of Sudan.
Hours after the announcement, Bashir issued two decrees which set up a caretaker administration comprising a senior official from each ministry and kept the defence, foreign and justice ministers in place. He also appointed 16 army officers and two security officers as new governors for the country's 18 provinces.

Protest in Algeria against candidature Bouteflika

Bouteflika (Foto Wikipedia)

Hundreds of demonstrators, in defiance of a ban on protests, rallied in the Algerian capital against a bid by ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika for a fifth term in office. The protesters chanted pro-democracy slogans at a rally on Friday in Algier's May 1 Square amid a heavy police presence, witnesses said.  Security forces cordoned off the square and prevented other protesters from entering it, the witnesses added.

"No fifth mandate," chanted the mostly young demonstrators, many waving Algerian flags, as they started to march through central Algiers.
Earlier this month, Bouteflika, who has ruled the North African country since 1999, announced his intention to seek a new five-year term in the elections scheduled for April 18, despite concerns over his health. The 81-year-old head of state uses a wheelchair and has rarely been seen in public since suffering a stroke in 2013.

Sisi wil probably be Egypt's president for another 12 years

Egypt's parliament has overwhelmingly voted to approve draft constitutional changes that could extend President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi's time in office by another 12 years. Sisi (64) at present is due to stand down in 2022 when his second four-year term ends. But 485 of the country's 596 lawmakers which overwhelmely are supporters of the president, voted on Thursday to lengthen the presidential terms to six years and let Mr al-Sisi serve another two of these terms.
Several Egyptian human rights groups have spoken out against the decision.
The changes, first proposed earlier this month, will now be drafted into legislation and put to another parliamentary vote. If approved again, Egypt will then hold a referendum.
Article 140 of Egypt's constitution, approved in a referendum in 2014, currently states that the president serves four-year terms and may only be re-elected once. But under proposed changes, the  leader would be allowed to stay in power until 2034.

Yemen: agreement on gradual withdrawal from Hodeida

The two sides at war in Yemen have agreed on the first phase of a pullback of forces from the city of Hodeidah. The United Nations described the agreement as "important progress".

Hodeidah, on Yemen's western coast,  provides access to the Bab al-Mandeb Strait - the fourth busiest waterway in the world. It has been in possession of the Houthi's since these in 2014 started to take over large parts of Yemen.

The move prompted the military intervention of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and allies the following year on behalf of the so called 'official' government. It was the begin of  one of the world' worst humanitarian crises.

The deal about the pullback was concluded after two days of talks. The government and Houthis concluded a deal on the first phase of the pullback and agreed in principle on the second phase, a UN statement said on Sunday.
"After lengthy but constructive discussions facilitated by the RCC Chair, the parties reached an agreement on Phase 1 of the mutual redeployment of forces," the UN statement said.

Israel confirms it attacked Iranians in Syria

A missile over Damascus (Youssef Badawi/EPA)

The Israeli military carried out overnight attacks on Iranian targets in Syria, while Syrian state media reported the country's air defences shot down "hostile targets".

Russia's defence control centre was quoted by Interfax news agency as saying Syrian military air defences destroyed more than 30 Israeli cruise missiles and guided bombs during the raids.

An attack targeting an airport in southeastern Damascus killed four Syrian soldiers and wounded six, the military centre was quoted by RIA news agency as saying on Monday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitor, said the toll of the raids was 11 people
."We have started striking Iranian Quds targets in Syrian territory. We warn the Syrian Armed Forces against attempting to harm Israeli forces or territory," Israel's military said in a statement in the early hours of Monday. The Israeli military's confirmation that it was striking targets inside Syria as the operation was ongoing was "highly unusual".