by Willow Murton, Assistant Producer, Jungles/Oceans team

My journey as a “soundie” began in the hot, Sahara desert of Algeria. (For those of you who may be wondering a “soundie”  is the job of a sound recordist – on this shoot Willow – who is our assistant producer on Oceans and Jungles stepped in to help the Deserts team who on this occasion were not able to take a professional recordist on location – from Dale Templar – Series Producer) In a melting frustration of entangled cables, dying batteries and conflicting noises, I remembered the words of a soundman from another trip some years ago.  Pete was, he admitted, on a perpetual quest for silence.  I understand now as I had not before.  Pete, I have joined you on your quest for silence: pure, empty silence. Even the quietest moments in the Sahara have been full of sound.

I have had to learn quickly on this journey. Firstly, as you might expect, the world of sound has nothing to do with the look of things – I am all about the noise. So there I stand, like some style-less parody of a desert cowboy with my cable lassoes, gun mic on hip, dark rim of a fading sun hat and the closest thing to a trusty steed being a stubborn donkey.  He looks at me with discernible mirth, flicks his long ears and lets out a bellow.  I re-set my levels.

The other lessons follow: that the boldest person on screen may not speak with the most confident or eloquent voice; the quietest voice may give the most melodious song and the softest whisper can echo noisily.  I learnt the hard way that children can scream very loud on a football pitch when a goal is scored -  my mixer and I are still recovering.  I wouldn’t say I’ve come to love my cables but I appreciate velcro and cable ties more than I would ever have thought.  I’ve developed sympathy for the soundman’s plight of always being in the wrong place at the wrong time as I dodge my own shadow, the cameraman, my trailing cables and the football back on that pitch. The look is still not a good one but I have rediscovered headscarves – headphones bulge under that hat and I hold my boom at jaunty angles. I redefine myself – at times I am On Speed and dynamic and at the flip of a switch, I transform to Off Speed and phantom powered.

My soundie guise lends me a proximity and a pass into another world with the tune of water flowing freely from wells and the rasping breath of the wind on sand.  At times, you wish for greater distance. Roads many miles away rumble into uninhabited landscapes and people’s voices appear over an empty horizon.  There is also definitely something rather uncomfortable in the intimate sound of a stranger heavily breathing into your ears.

There may be times when I wish for silence but with my headphones on, I have discovered a secret world of unimaginable sound – the orchestra of the garden with its palm percussion and insect chatter, the varying pitches of a simple stringed instrument, waterfalls of pouring tea and the subtleties of the dawn song.

And by the way, whoever burped during morning prayers, you know who you are and so do I.

Today, the tenth day of Dhul-Hidja, Muslims all around the world celebrate Eid El Ad’ha or the festival of the sacrifice.

I take this opportunity to wish a happy Eid to my fellow Algerian people and to all the Muslims around the world. A special thought goes to our brethren in Palestine, Iraq, Somalia, Darfur, Chechnya, China and everywhere Muslims endure war conditions. I also think of those who are away from their families, those in prison, those who are ill and those who are poor. May God help us all and give us the strength and energy to overcome these adversities. Also may He guide us to the right path.

What happened recently between Egypt and Algeria showed the limits of the pan-Arabism policies as depicted by the Arab regimes. It also showed the limits of the Islamic Nation concept as imagined and promoted by most of the “Islamist” project sympathisers. Nationalism, patriotism and chauvinism being against any supra-national ideal.

The events however shouldn’t mislead us. Algerians, Egyptians and the rest of the Arabs feel they are closer to each other. Exactly like Algerians, Egyptians and the rest of the Muslims feel closer to each other. Both groups have a shared past, culture, future and even a similar role to play in this world. You only have to watch the images of the Muslim pilgrims in Mecca to get a grasp of the ties uniting them (us).

So the Arab and Islamic belonging feelings do exist at the people’s level. No-one can deny it. The only nuance  to add here is that these feelings coexist with other equally important feelings (nationalism for e.g.). It is perhaps time to give a new meaning to the Arab and Muslim Nations which matches better the Arabs and Muslims feelings without trying to dissolve their group or individual  identities,  erase their specificities or simply deny their national belongings. Once done, everybody will be able to join forces to improve our global situation, be active and become a positive asset to this world.

The picture below is a caricature, so our Egyptian friends… and brothers shouldn’t have any hard feelings. It was just a football game after all and the people reactions should have never reached those unbelievable levels. Then let’s celebrate together and laugh at Amr Adeeb’s stupid behaviour.

Eid Mubarak to all

Alger / Algérie

Photographie Ashraf Kessaissia

For the Pan-Arabists, I am just about 100 percent sure that the events following the Algeria-Egypt playoff in Khartoum, Sudan is just pure embarrassment. In the below picture obtained from AlJazeera, the sign this very intelligent woman is holding says: we ask for the Algerian Ambassador to leave and every Algerian in Egypt Out of Egypt.

Egypt has qualified for the World Cup only twice: in 1934 and 1990. There have been pictures of Egyptians burning Algerian flags (see here also) as the protests continue. In no way can we judge an entire population for the actions of these few individuals.

As a football spectator, I was undoubtedly excited by the guarantee that at least one Arab team was to make the trip to South Africa. There was the possibility of Bahrain as well, yet that dream ended by one measly goal to New Zealand.

The very idea of having this nationalist rivalry between two Arab States is absurd, as reflected in this article by As’ad AbuKhalil.

After the playoff in Khartoum, Hosni Mobarak summoned his ambassador in Algiers so that Egypt could “protect the welfare of its citizens.” Algeria responded to the protests at Algerian embassies and media campaign by pulling its own ambassador from Cairo. It was reported that Bouteflika called his counterpart twice to discuss the crisis.

Yes, because the post-match “violence” is the only important issue going on in the Arab World right now (with the exception of Western Sahara, Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, etc, etc, etc…). Maybe Mubarak is just one hell of a football fanatic and a sore loser.

US foreign policy in Africa IS military policy. The US State Department is starved for money. The Pentagon’s gargantuan budget is still largely unquestioned and treated politically as free money. Major portions of the State Department budget are allocated for military activity and support instead of traditional diplomacy. This picture illustrates the institutional problem US policy has created, and that it faces.

BAMAKO, Mali - U.S. Army Master Sergeant Robert Price stands with Malian soldiers he helped train as he is congratulated by Malian Minister of Defense Natie Pleah during a Counter Terrorism Train and Equip (CTTE) transfer of equipment ceremony in Bamako, October 20, 2009. Price, a logistics NCO with Special Operations Command Africa's Joint Special Operations Task Force-Trans Sahara, supervised maintenance and supply accountability training provided to Malian soldiers for tactical vehicles and communications equipment transferred to Malian units. Under the U.S. State Department's Trans-Sahara Counter Terrorism Program (TSCTP), U.S. Africa Command's Operation Enduring Freedom-Trans Sahara (OEF-TS) Counter Terrorism Train and Equip initiative provided 37 brand-new Toyota Land Cruiser pickup trucks and high-tech communications equipment that will allow Malian military units to move, transport and communicate across vast expanses of open desert in the northern region of the country. In addition, replacement parts, clothing, individual equipment and other supplies will be provided in the next few weeks as part of a U.S. government capacity-building equipment transfer totaling more than $5 million. The CTTE program is designed to develop stronger military-to-military relationships while underscoring U.S. support for partner nation sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity. (Photo by Max R. Blumenfeld, JSOTF-TS PAO)

State Department money and contracts are paying for the equipment and the training described in this picture. The only significant budget the State Department has, particularly regarding African affairs is money that is spent on military supplies and activities, and therefore supplements the Pentagon’s already bloated military budget. In these circumstances the only possible product of US foreign policy is increased militarism.

Vijay Prashad recently published an article at Pambazuka that describes the ongoing effect of US policy on Mali:
Counterterrorism’s blindness: Mali and the US

Describing the military expenditure pictured above:

[T]he US government will provide US$5 million in trucks and military equipment to Mali. The aim of this donation is to help the Malian military fight the group known as al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). Last December, AQIM kidnapped two Canadian diplomats, who were released after four months. This is what they do these days: kidnap, extort, run guns and drugs. Islam is a veneer.
…
The association with al-Qaeda is a propaganda coup … AQIM is a small shop with a large sign, paying its franchise dues without increasing its own business. But since AQIM operates on the border between Algeria and Mali, and does some of its business in Mali, the US government decided to help fortify Mali’s military. US$5 million is not much money for the US, but for a country with total revenues of US1.5 billion, with a military budget of about US$70 million per year, this small disbursement is considerable. And it is set to increase – keep an eye on that.

…

Through the TSCTP, the US government wanted not only to fight the Islamists on the battlefield, but also take on their extremist ideology. To this end, USAID got some funds to help revise textbooks, pay for schools that teach a ‘tolerant ideology’ and run rural radio stations ‘by broadcasting moderate views and providing information on government services’. The money for these non-military functions was available in 2005 and 2007, but not in 2006. Because of this fluctuation, according to the General Accounting Office of the US government, ‘the mission suspended its peace-building program in northern Mali‘.

All attention was focused on the military aspect, although even here there is some uneasiness. The US Embassy in Bamako was quick to point out that the US$5 million for trucks and other military hardware comes not from the US military, but from the US State Department.

The fact that this money comes from the State Department is not a mitigating factor. It only makes the situation worse. The principal US institution that should be working for peace and democracy, that should be working to strengthen civilian institutions, becomes just another tool to subsidize military activity and war.

Although, the State Department is not the only one involved; from April to June this year, 300 US Special Forces ‘advisers’ trained the Malian military at three of its bases. These Sahelian initiatives are now run through AFRICOM, the US African Command, set up in October 2007. It operates a programme called ‘Joint Task Force Aztec Silence’. … The ’silence’ after Aztec is chilling.

The insurgents in northern Mali are various. The longest tension is between the Malian government and the ‘Tuareg rebels’.

Prashad goes on to describe the tensions between Mali’s government and the Tuareg over the years. And as Keenan points out, quoted below, in 2006 US Special Forces worked with the Tuareg and the Algerians to destabilize Mali. Now in 2009 the US is backing Mali’s current government.

Prashad provides a summary history of Mali since independence. It came out of colonial rule almost completely dependent on cotton.

… a popular government led by the charismatic Modibo Kéita came to power. But the country was dependent on one crop (cotton) for more than half its GDP (gross domestic product), it had little processing and industry and almost no sources of energy. … Further, the cotton subsidy regime in both Europe and the United States strikes at the heart of Mali’s attempt to grow its already dismal economy.

Prashad recounts the changes in Mali’s leadership, and that immediately following Kéita, Mali came under military government:

Traoré had none of Kéita’s imagination, and none of the socialist movement’s patience with the devolution of power. When things turned bad, he went to Washington. The World Bank welcomed him in 1981, and Mali became the test case for its ’structural adjustment’ policies.

…

In 1995, Howard French reported from Bamako for The New York Times, ‘Diplomats also speak of this large landlocked country as a bulwark against the spread of Islamic militancy from its northern neighbor, Algeria. Already Mali faces a destabilizing conflict involving Tuareg tribesmen in the north, but any settlement has been thwarted by a lack of resources. At the same time, Mali’s debt burden, contracted under years of dictatorship, consumes so much of the country’s revenues that there is little left for development needs.’ The point was clearly made. No one listened.

…

Washington’s counterterrorism spectacles see only al-Qaeda. The debt burden and the impossibility of governance are not on the agenda. Whether the State Department or the Defense Department give arms to the Malian military says more about anxiety in the US than about the dynamic in Mali. Once more the US will strengthen the military against civil society, and once more we might see Mali fall the way of Guinea and others in the region that were set up to become dictatorships.

I have quoted from Demystifying Africa’s Security by Jeremy Keenan before, but he makes a number of points that are particularly relevant to Mali:

Beginning in early 2003, the US, in collusion with Algeria, its key regional ally in the GWOT, fabricated a string of false flag ‘terrorism’ incidents in the Algerian Sahara and across much of the Sahel (Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Chad) in order to justify the launch of a new or ‘second’ African front in the GWOT.

…

US presence sought to resolve conflicts in Africa by brute military intervention. Post-2006 interventions by US troops in the Sahara-Sahel have been widely documented(Keenan, 2006d, 2008b, 2009b). In May 2006, for example, US Special Forces, flown secretly from Stuttgart to Tamanrasset, accompanied Algeria’s secret military services into northern Mali to give support to the Algerian-orchestrated Tuareg rebellion designed to destabilise northern Mali. In February 2008, US Special Forces (possibly contractors – PMCs) accompanied Malian troops on a vindictive raid on a desert town in the same area, at the same time as AFRICOM’s commander, General William ‘Kip’ Ward and US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for African Affairs, Theresa Whelan, were promoting AFRICOM at a RUSI meeting in London and at which Ms Whelan denied the presence of US ‘troops’ in northern Mali.

…

Since 2005-6, justification for the US’s militarisation of the continent has shifted from the GWOT and straightforward counterterrorism to the more humanitarian security-development discourse. The fundamental question with regard to AFRICOM is whether its website news headlines and its ‘peace and development’ oriented mission statements really do reflect a paradigm shift in US military thinking, or whether they are merely good PR, a further twist in Washington’s ‘information war’: a deceptive mystification process that enables AFRICOM to be portrayed as more benign than it really is. The answer is found on the ground – in Africa. Whether couched in the language of the GWOT or the security-development discourse, local-regional outbreaks of civil unrest and rebellion (‘incursions’) by minority-cum-opposition groups, frequently provoked by local US supported politico-military elites, continue to help legitimise the US military presence in Africa and are being dealt with by military means. Far from bringing ‘peace and security’ to Africa, AFRICOM is directly instrumental in creating conflict and insecurity.

…

Does AFRICOM have any prospect of bringing peace, security and development to Africa? While AFRICOM’s commanders have been preaching ‘security and development’, their operations on the ground have so far created insecurity and undermined democratic expressions of civil society.

…

… many [African regimes] are now using the pretext of the GWOT to repress legitimate opposition by linking it with ‘terrorism’

In case you are thinking of purchasing the new global version of Amazon’s Kindle for Christmas, be aware that there are still quite a few places that the global version will NOT work.  I was disappointed to find that the new version still will not work in my country.

Apparently the new global version will only work in SOME countries.   I thought it would be helpful to most expats to have a complete list of which countries it will, or will not work in (below).

It’s also interesting to note the PATTERN of groups of countries where the Kindle doesn’t work–some countries probably lack satellite coverage or delivery systems, while others probably don’t WANT readers to be able to download whatever they want by satellite.

STARRED (*) countries marked below indicate that Kindle needs to be ordered from a SPECIAL PAGE on the Amazon site.

The Global Kindle version DOES work in (as of Dec. 2009):

Aland Islands, Albania, American Samoa, Andorra, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Aruba, Australia*, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Boznia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burundi, Cambodia, Canada, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Finland, France, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Gabon, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guatemala, Guernsey, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Holy See, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jersey, Kenya, Kiribati, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Liberia, Leichtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malta, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mexico, Moldovia, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Mozembique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Norway, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Réunion, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Serbia, Seychelles, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka,  Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Virgin Islands – British, Virgin Islands – U.S.,  Wallis and Futuna, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

The Global Kindle version does NOT work in (as of Dec. 2009) the following countries:

Afghanistan, Algeria, Antarctica, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bouvet Island, British Indian Ocean Territory, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chile, Chad, China, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Cuba, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, French Southern Territories, Gambia, Guinea, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Isle of Man, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Korea – Democratic People’s Republic of, Korea – Republic of, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco (including the Western Sahara), New Zealand, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestinian Territories, Pitcairn, Qatar, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Helena, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Somalia, South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands, Sudan, Svalbard and Jan Mayan, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tokelau, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, United States Minor Outlying Islands, Uzbekistan,  Yemen.

Nature and Animal Conservation

 

     Preserving species and their habitats is important for ecosystems to self-sustain themselves. Yet, the pressures to destroy habitat for logging, illegal hunting, and other challenges are making conservation a struggle.

Visit : http://www.globalissues.org/article/1…

 What is Biodiversity ?

 

    The variety of life on Earth, its biological diversity is commonly referred to as biodiversity. The number of species of plants, animals, and microorganisms, the enormous diversity of genes in these species, the different ecosystems on the planet, such as deserts, rainforests and coral reefs are all part of a biologically diverse Earth.

   

    Appropriate conservation and sustainable development strategies attempt to recognize this as being integral to any approach. Almost all cultures have in some way or form recognized the importance that nature, and its biological diversity has had upon them and the need to maintain it. Yet, power, greed and politics have affected the precarious balance.

Does it really matter if there arent so many species?

Biodiversity boosts ecosystem productivity where each species, no matter how small, all have an important role to play.

For example, a larger number of plant species means a greater variety of crops; greater species diversity ensures natural sustainability for all life forms; and healthy ecosystems can better withstand and recover from a variety of disasters.

And so, while we dominate this planet, we still need to preserve the diversity in wildlife.

Who Cares?

  Biodiversity boosts ecosystem productivity where each species, no matter how small, all have an important role to play. For example, a larger number of plant species means a greater variety of crops; greater species diversity ensures natural sustainability for all life forms; and healthy ecosystems can better withstand and recover from a variety of disasters.

And so, while we dominate this planet, we still need to preserve the diversity in wildlife.

Loss of Biodiversity and Extinctions

It is feared that human activity is causing massive extinctions. From various animal species, forests and the ecosystems that forests support, marine life. The costs associated with deteriorating or vanishing ecosystems will be high. However, sustainable development and consumption would help avert ecological problems.

 

  

Lebanese environmental activists carry a banner calling on Arab countries to take action against climate change, as Arab participants enter the venue of the annual conference of the Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED) in BEIRUT, November 19, 2009. The forum highlights the impact of climate change on Arab countries. REUTERS/ Mohamed Azakir

When Arab leaders arrived last week  in Beirut to discuss how to avert climate change, they did so – without exception – in elaborately large cars.

Attendees at the Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED) conference in Sin El Fil came with a swashbuckling desire to adapt to the proliferating damage being wrought by global warming. They came with high rhetoric and ambitious plans.

They also came with an hypocrisy which extended way beyond their deeply inappropriate transport.

Dr Rashed Bin Fahed, UAE environment and water minister, summed up the general mood of martyred victimhood which permeated every discussion at the entire conference.

“There is no doubt climate change today is a fact. It’s true that our region is not contributing to this. However, the threats of climate change to our region may be very dangerous,” he said.

What is true is that the MENA region contributes less than five percent of total global carbon emissions. Since we are on facts, however, it is also true that the Gulf alone exports more than 15 million barrels of oil every day to developed and developing countries alike.

To say that the Arab world is absolved from blame after providing carbon-guzzling countries with swaths of non-renewable energy - for stratospheric profits –  is preposterous. In the same way as you are responsible if you feed a morbidly obese person until their liver finally collapses, so the Arab region cannot claim total innocence on climate change.

It’s true that our region is not contributing to this.

The Arab world is especially vulnerable to climate change; a mere one degree increase in global temperatures – an absolute certainty, by all measurements – will affect 41,500 square miles of MENA land. Up to 15 percent of Qatar could disappear and global warming, if undinted, will wipe more than 12 percent off Egypt’s GDP due to desecration of the Nile Delta.

Hearing AFED’s recommendations today – which are to be taken to Copenhagen as part of the Hariri-headed Lebanese delegation – was encouraging. They called on Arab countries to start shouldering responsibility, rather than sit back and claim that since climate change isn’t their fault, they shouldn’t have to do anything to avert it.

What Copenhagen may or may not achieve shouldn’t prevent Arab countries from implementing cuts in emissions or considering global warming as a key part of future development policy. MENA countries should still seek to alter their ways, starting with a switch to greener forms of transport as is currently being trialled in Jordan.

This would demonstrate genuine willingness to fight climate change, to say nothing of eliminating ironic entrances to future environmental forums.

But

I just discovered this delightfully-entertaining, half-hour episode comedy series about a diverse group of Muslims, set in a small Canadian town on on the prairie.  The 20-minute video above is the first episode.

The diverse group of Muslims in the town have the same disagreements among themselves that different groups of Muslims have in their own home countries, or even that different Muslim countries have with each other (between conservative and liberal views of Islam)–but all in an entertaining way.  Of course everyone in the town misunderstands things, in the same ways people misunderstand in real life.

Try this first video.  It’s a very cleverly done Canadian sitcom, filmed in Toronto, Ontario, and Indian Head, Saskatchewan.   The first episode (above) was filmed in Regina.  Little Mosque is the most popular sitcom in Canada and has been syndicated in France, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, Finland, Turkey, Israel, the West Bank, and African countries.  It is light-hearted, and family-oriented.  Expats who have lived in Muslim countries will especially enjoy this humorous series!

Links to all Little Mosque on the Prairie episodes (Seasons 1 – 4) can be viewed HERE (scroll down the page).   The links are free.

C’è chi evoca la definitiva morte del panarabismo (Azzurra Meringolo su Limes),  arrivando qualche decina di anni in ritardo rispetto al reale influenza che questa dottrina – e le istituzioni che ne sono derivate – ha esercitato sul mondo a partire dalla guerra dei sei giorni (1967).

C’è chi invece, più realisticamente, invoca una fratellanza storica e chi – i promotori di algypt.com – firmano una dichiarazione di civiltà e riconoscimento reciproco.

La diffidenza-rivalità oriente-occidente (maghreb-mashreq) nel mondo arabo è un fatto assodato. Così come la rivalità sportiva. Non dovremmo scomodare le Grandi Teorie, i Grandi Conflitti ogni volta che guardiamo in quella direzione. Specialmente noi italiani che abbiamo in atto una o due rivalità storiche per chilometro quadrato, un derby ogni 2 settimane, un numero infinito di contrade e campanili.

Perché poi questa dinamica sfoci crisi diplomatiche è tutta un altra domanda. E’ senz’altro a questa che bisogna cercare di dare una risposta.

E visto che in comune con gli arabi abbiamo anche l’esercizio della dietrologia, consiglio la lettura di un articolo apparso su Egyptian Chronicles intitolato “Plot of Algiers” in cui l’autore elenca ben 8 possibili complotti orchestrati attorno a Algeria-Egitto.

Ultima nota. Qualcuno soffia sui nazionalismi? Osservate bene questa foto apparsa appunto su Limes online:

Io vedo la Vodafone che sponsorizza la nazionale egiziana. Il calciatore dice, più o meno: “egiziani, pregate con noi”.

As the game progressed the Egyptians looked more sullen and spoke even less.

I poked my Canadian coworker.

This is strange. It’s like the Egyptians are bottling their anger and disappointment.

Though no sports fan, I enjoy sitting back and socializing over games with enthusiastic friends, sharing their excitement and learning a thing or two about the complicated world of sports so many swear by. (It’s similar to my fascination with religion…)

Yet, this game,the outcome of which would determine whether Egypt or Algeria would compete in the World Cup in South Africa, was different. No one talked, snacked or drank and tension filled the air. Though all day Egyptians had laughed, dawned flags and face-paint, now few looked like they were actually enjoying the action.

When Algeria scored the single goal toward the beginning of the match, there was complete silence. Did that really, happen? I squinted at the new “1” marking Algeria’s score, the replays and those around me. Though I was at an extremely crowded outdoor cafe, with tons more surrounding, there were no boos, or any other insults yelled at the offending goal.

Maybe they’re collectively not optimists? I wondered. During the previous game, which led them to this tie breaker, they scored in the first moment and last. They had needed to win by at least two points to advance and they had done it. After such a victory, the lack of optimism throughout the entire game surprised me. Rather than being a fun, social experience, the game seemed intensely personal to the Egyptian viewers.

The game ended and spectators rose and dispersed. The loudest noise was employers at the cafe forcefully stacking the cheap plastic chairs. We hurried out of their way.

Leaving the game my Egyptian friend confided he was relieved Egypt had lost.

The people can’t handle it, he explained. They’d go crazy. There’d be riots.

He also thought it would lead to less opposition toward Mubarak because as the primary supporters of the football team, Egyptians would environ the regime with their nationalistic aspirations for the team. Driving away from the cafe, our cab driver shared his views.

The next evening, another Egyptian friend and I sat in traffic in Zamalek. A natural occurrence in Cairo, we didn’t think much of it until we encountered riot police blocking entire streets and gangs of screaming boys dawning Egypt flags and loud words.

In the past days, what seemed like it was going to be a losing M3lesh (whoops) for Egypt, quickly blocked from memory, has turned into a national and international attention steeling  debacle. Though security concerns were present from the beginning, (BBC reported 15,000 security forces were at attention at the game in Sudan) because of pre-game violence, including Egypt attacking and injuring Algerian players in their bus and Algerians ransacking Egyptian businesses in Algeria, the level has quickly escalated and gained international attention.

Last week both nations recalled their ambassadors, leading the debate to switch from football to Arab unity and the secretary general of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, used the opening of the World Economic Forum to call for peace between the two Arab nations. BBC has also reported that Amr Moussa asked Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi to mediate. So practical…

Verdict of the moment? Seems like Egypt might as have well won the match for all the trouble and politics being squeezed out of the plays.

Some links I referred to–though I’m in no way saying they’re all reliable news sources–part of the fun is the rumors. Part of the interest is the unverified facts and motives of the reports.

http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSGEE5AL0EV

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8366739.stm

http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2009/11/24/feature-02

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8377211.stm

http://www.echoroukonline.com/eng/index.php?news=8489

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20091120/wl_africa_afp/egyptalgeriaunrest

Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak ratcheted up the diplomatic tension with Algeria yesterday as football-related violence continued to spread across both countries. In a statement to parliament, he told cheering MPs that “Egypt will not be lax with those who harm the dignity of its sons”.

It is the president’s first public intervention in a row that has seen thousands of protesters flood the streets of Cairo and Algiers and a wave of attacks against Egyptian targets in Algeria and vice versa. The trouble started when Egypt won a World Cup qualifier against Algeria in Cairo, setting up a play-off between the two sides in Sudan to decide which country would progress to the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa.

Last week Egypt recalled its envoy from Algeria after expressing its “outrage” at the treatment faced by Egyptian fans in Khartoum, where Algeria won 1-0. Despite appeals for calm by the general secretary of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, rioting has spread to both capitals. In Algiers the offices of Egypt’s national airline were destroyed, while in Cairo security forces battled with protesters trying to reach the Algerian embassy, which was reportedly hit by firebombs. Parts of the city are under police lockdown.

Mubarak’s speech did nothing to calm the frenzy, as he swore to protect the rights of Egyptians. “The welfare of our citizens abroad is the responsibility of the country,” he said.

However, there were signs last night that a public backlash against the government’s handling of the football storm was gaining strength. “Hosni Mubarak’s thugs have beaten and killed more Egyptians than any hooligans,” said Hossam el-Hamalawy, a journalist and opposition activist.[Source Guardian | Nov. 22 2009]

There might be many reasons for a footballer not to join another club and some of them might be quite harsh as well so most footballer keep their reasons for themselves. But not all footballers are intelligent enough to do so, which has been proven by the Egyptian football player Amr Zaki yesterday. Zaki, who played for the English team Wigan Athletic before, was offered a contract by Premier League club Portsmouth but Zaki refused the offer. There is nothing spectacular about this but Zaki  revealed the reasons for his refusal on his website and leave no other possibility than to condemn him in the strongest possible terms.

Zaki said: ‘I refused their offer before, but now joining Portsmouth is no longer an option for me. After Portsmouth signed an Israeli player and also hired an Israeli football director (Avram Grant), a possible move was ruled out. On top of that, no way could I play at Portsmouth with an Algerian within their ranks. After the match between Egypt and Algeria, and what happened on the pitch with Algerian players, it would be a dishonour to play alongside any Algerian.’

First of all the first part of his statement is obviously without a doubt racist and should not be tolerated by the FIFA. Nowadays, football players have to serve as a model and racist footballers is the last thing society needs. It is bad enough that supporters are sometimes racist but there is an ongoing fight against racism in sport. If a politican would make a similar statement, he would probably be dismissed immediately and today footballers have a similar influence on people as so many supporters follow the sport and adopt attitudes of the sports men.

The second part of his statement which is related to the World Cup playoff match between Egypt and Algeria is just as reprehensible. There is bad blood between Egyptians and Algerians following last week’s controversial World Cup clashes between the two countries, when Egyptian fans attacked the Algeria team bus in Cairo and further trouble forced the authorities to switch their sudden-death play-off three days later to Sudan. In the aftermath of the game, houses of Algerians in Egypt were robbed and many Algerians injured. There is absolutely no debate that Zaki’s remarks do not help to improve the difficulties between the two countries.It is understandable that he might be upset because of the result of the game but there is absolutely no reasons for making his feelings public in such a racist way.

The FIFA clearly has to draw their conclusions and ban Zaki. Of course this does not change the remarks he made but an example has to be set. If a European footballer had made such a statement the discussion would have an unimaginable extent. Just one thing is for certain: Amr Zaki has no future in European football, every club who signs him, acts unjustifiable.

said bouteflika

Saïd Bouteflika the Planner of the egyption fans massacre in Sudan

Saïd Bouteflika the Planner of the egyption fans massacre in Sudan

先日18日に行われた2010年ワールドカップ（Ｗ杯）の欧州予選プレーオフ、フランス対アイルランドの第2戦で、フランスが延長戦の末、ティエリ・アンリのハンドで得たゴールで1−1の引き分け、ワールドカップ行きのチケットを手に入れた件で、「正義感の強い」イギリスメディアは連日大騒ぎだ。スポーツ欄だけではなく、ニュース欄でも大きく取り上げている。このハンドはビデオで見ても明らかにハンドなのに、レフェリーが見逃した。アイルランドサッカー協会（IFA）は国際サッカー連盟（FIFA）に抗議、再試合を申請したが、FIFAは却下、フランスサッカー連盟（FFF）も拒否した。全て予想された結果だ。アイルランドも勝ち目なしと、早々に諦めたようだ。試合の後、インタビューを受けたフランス人ジャーナリストは、ワールドカップでは大きなお金が動くし経済効果も大きいので、FFFは絶対再試合を受け入れないと断言していた。その通りだった。これが逆の立場だったら、どうなっていただろうと思う。

当のアンリはハンドは認めてるけど、審判の責任だからと謝ってないし、「再試合がフェア」と言ってるけど、それもFIFAが再試合拒否の裁定を出してからだ。代表辞退も考えたらしいけど、結局辞めないし。自分のイメージ挽回のために、口先だけで適当に言い逃れて、ほとぼりが冷めるのを待ってるんだろう。

八百長とまでは言わないけれど、都合のいい結果を正そうとしないその後のFIFAの対応が、やはりスポーツも所詮ビジネス、影響力のあるサッカー強国に有利な世界なのねと思わせる一件だ。The Sunday TImesで、興味深い「陰謀説」記事を見つけた。元フランス代表のミシェル・プラティニ欧州サッカー連盟の会長の手引きによって、今回のプレーオフは、強国に有利になるように、くじ引きではなく、世界ランキングの高い国と弱い国が当たるシード方式を採用したと言われている。強国に有利になるようにしているのには、高額のテレビ契約料やスポンサーの思惑も絡んでいるのかもしれない。また、プラティニ会長もFIFAのジョセフ・ゼップ・ブラッター会長も、ビデオ判定導入には何故か消極的だ。確かに、偶然にしては、なんだかうさんくさい。

フランスとイギリスのメディアの論調の違いも面白い。フランスは自国チームのふがいなさを酷評しつつも、FIFAやFFFの決定には異議はないようだ。かたやイギリスメディアは、「Cheat（いかさま）」「Fallen Idol（堕ちたアイドル）」等と手厳しい。これはアングロサクソンとラテンの価値観の違いか。ルールや公正さを重視するアングロサクソンに比べ、ラテン人は自分が良ければ全て良し、「運も実力のうち」「神様の思し召し」「ラッキー♪」って感じだろう。

またイングランド人には、この1件が、1986年ワールドカップ準々決勝で、マラドーナの「神の手」ゴールで、イングランドがアルゼンチンに敗れた悪夢を思い起こさせる。自国のことでないのに今回の大騒ぎは、このことも多いに関係してるのだと思う。

フランスは、対戦相手が多少なりとも自制心のあるアイルランドで良かったと胸を撫で下ろしてるだろう。これがエジプトやアルジェリアが相手だと大変なことになっていたかもしれない。サッカーの世界での権力のなさでワールドカップ行きを逃した、アイルランドチームが本当に気の毒だ。

There has been a huge media frenzy in UK about the Thierry Henry’s ‘Hand Of God’ during Ireland vs France World Cup 2010 play-off on November 18th and it’s aftermath: since France won a ticket to South Africa with 1-1, thanks to Henry’s ‘cheating’ act. UK media with “strong sense of mission to pursue justice” have been putting up big articles about  this incident, not only in sports sections but also in general sections, everyday since then. You can see clearly that it was handball, but the referee missed to see this crucial foul or chance to correct the mistake. Irish Football Association (IFA) demanded a rematch, but FIFA and the French Football Federation (FFF) said ‘NO’ – but it is all expected. IFA seems to give up already because they know that it is a fight they will never win. After the game, a French journalist who was interviewed by BBC said that FFF would never accept a replay, because big money and industries involved and economic effect would be enormous. He was right. But what it would happen, if France lost with Irish footballer’s  handball – would FIFA give the same judgement?

Henry admitted his handball but never say sorry. He said that replay would be fair for Ireland but AFTER FIFA and FFF refused a rematch. It was reported that he considered quitting “Les Bleus” but he decided to stay anyway – all talks doesn’t convince me if he is truly remorseful, but I believe he is saying whatever to repair his image and just waiting for everyone to forget about his ‘mistake’

I don’t call it setup, but FIFA and FFF’s reluctance  to correct their convenient result is truly disappointing, and now I strengthen my belief that soccer is just another business, and always a stronger with bigger political power wins – fair play is a mere myth for important games like this. I read an interesting article by the Sunday Times “Conspiracy or coque up?” The play-offs were seeded on the basis of world rankings in favour of the bigger nations, and it was reported that the proposal to introduce seeding had come from UEFA (president is former French player Michel Platini). Why? Could it be related to the advance long-term television contracts, or the influence by one of a big sponsor which will possibly gain huge profit if France win? For some reason, Platini and FIFA president Sepp Blatter are said to be reluctant to introduce video technology, which can bring fairer judgement – why? Maybe a coincidence, but all these things sound pretty dubious.

Also it is very interesting to see the different stances between British and French media. Though French media criticizes their team done terrible in the game but they don’t attack the FIFA and the FFF of their judgement. On the other hand, British media is harsh on Henry as ‘cheat’ or “fallen idol,’ as well as on the FIFA. Probably this is due to the difference in Anglo-Saxons and Latins mentality: in compare to Anglo-Saxons’ values in fairness and justice, Latins would just think, “luck is also a part of his ability” “miracle” “godsend” – they would never criticize someone who give them a jackpot, even though from a devil.

In addition, for English, this incident reminds them of the nightmarish Hand of God goal, scored by footballer Diego Maradona during the 1986 FIFA World Cup quarter final Argentina vs England – probably it explains why British media is so obsessed with this incident which is not related to their own team.

French must be happy that the opponent was Ireland – if it was Egypt or Algeria, it would be a huge riot!

I am extremely sorry for Ireland who lost a chance to go to World Cup, due to a lack of political power in football world, rather than their lack of ability. Shame on Henry, shame on France, and shame on FIFA!

A Newsweek piece on terrorism in the Sahel by Scott Johnson provoked a strong response from Kal, who writes that while Johnson makes some fair points his article lacks vital historical, geographical, and political context. I have to confess that the piece does not evoke a strong feeling from me. Nonetheless, the debate Johnson has occasioned is more interesting than the piece itself, and both Kal and commenter Tommy Miles have given me a lot to think about.

Specifically, the debate raises the question of how seriously we should take AQIM. Kal does not advocate the “overreach and aggressiveness” of 2003, but he argues that Johnson dismisses AQIM too quickly:

Simply because the region has yet to be broadly receptive to extremist ideology does not mean that it cannot be [...]

The ability of AQIM militants to break out of prison in 2008, to carry out a suicide bombing not far from the presidential palace this year, and to carry on with recruiting young men even now speaks to the fact that the radicalizing mechanism does exist. The Salafist presence in the Sahel is growing, its social and political views are shaped more by the internationalizing trends in Islamism elsewhere than in local traditions. One can observe this in both Mauritania and Mali. Fifteen years ago, the influence of Salafism or politicized religious people either country was not readily apparent. Changes are happening, quickly. “My Friend Who Disappeared,” a film in which a young Mauritanian explores the fate of a childhood friend who disappeared after joining AQIM, won first place at the Nouakchott Film Festival this year. Clearly, the Mauritanians see the group as a threat, both at the official level where it is a political tool and at the popular level where it is a genuine cause of concern for public stability.

The bigger point is that it does not take broad social approval to launch a destabilizing campaign in a place like the Sahel. What Johnson leaves out, curiously, is the fragility of local governments and the importance of tribalism in the area. In no fewer than three Sahel countries, Mauritania, Niger and Guinea, there have been important and disappointing disruptions of constitutional government in the last ten years. Mauritania has seen two coups, the second resulting in a political process of dubious legitimacy tolerated by international actors and many in the political establishment, causing growing popular disillusionment with western wisecracks about supporting democratic government in the region. In Niger, President Tandja shoved through an extension of his presidential term, amid widespread opposition. In Guinea a military coup, led by an artless and shameless captain, recently mowed down protesters, deeply impacting the way many in the region see the fate of resistance. Recent floods have shown that the national infrastructure in the region is especially vulnerable in urban areas. As the political processes in the region turns sour, closing off peaceful outlets for political expression, closing off peaceful outlets for political expression, the likelihood that political order may be put in jeopardy increases.

Contrast this point – and I am not trying to start a flame-war between two people I respect, but rather to advance an important debate – made by Tommy Miles here. Tommy writes that AQIM militants don’t have an

ice cube’s chance in hell of being successful amongst the communities to the south of the Sahara [...]

The fact is, AQIM militants are hiding out in Mali cause the area is not policed, is near areas they have actual political interest in, provides them with a great money making business, and because they likely have family connections to some communities of Arab speakers who make up really miniscule percentages of the population of Mali and Niger.

Sure, Niger is poor (as an aside, this poverty is mostly rural/seasonal, not a disappointed class of urban shanty town dwellers), and several ethnic groups are “restive.” But why in god’s name would that make them embrace Saudi (or even Algerian) conceptions of radicalism in any great numbers? [...]

People in Kita, Kayes, Tillaberi or Tahoua have their own ways to be “restive”, and they really are unlikely to copy wholesale some imported ideology, especially from a culture with which they have comparatively little contact. How many young Malians look to some Egyptian or Algerian cleric for ideological guidance? I see no evidence that these groups are any stronger in Niamey and Bamako than they were in the early 1990s. In fact, my guess is that they are weaker. Saudi mosque/school construction campaigns are now viewed with more skeptical eyes, as are their versions on Islam. Maybe in the 1980s young men in Bamako might have been surprised to learn the land of the prophet had a very different religious culture from the local marabouts, and been dazzled by their oil wealth. But folks in Bamako get the same satellite TV as other places, and they are well aware that the “purity” of the Islamist ideology is neither more pure than their own traditions, or has brought them a much better life. Do disaffected educated young men in these cities really look to Algeria or Afghanistan and say “that’s our way forward”?

Of course, Kal’s and Tommy’s points are not irreconcilable. AQIM could certainly pose a growing challenge to the regime in Mauritania, but I would also be surprised to read of a suicide bombing in Bamako. If much of AQIM’s core group of fighters and political impetus still comes out of the fallout from the Algerian civil war, it is plausible that their political appeal diminishes the further from Algeria one gets – unless they can tap into strong local political grievances as perhaps they have in Mauritania. That still leaves us with the question of AQIM’s significance (Is it a threat in some parts of the Sahel, but not others? Are political clampdowns inviting greater militancy?), but at least now we’re getting into a discussion that has some of the context Kal has called for.

[UPDATE: I wrote this last night, and Kal has since responded to Tommy here. Kal's suggestion that "that AQIM and other disruptive Islamist tendencies are significantly weaker outside the Arabophone areas of the region" is actually the hypothesis that I was considering earlier this morning.]

Turning to the political import of Johnson’s piece, I think Kal is right to caution us that the desire to intervene massively in the Sahel is not widespread in the US government. On the other hand, I do get concerned by occasional (and generally vague) calls by elites for the US to “do something” in Somalia or elsewhere in Africa. To the extent that Johnson can convince any elites silently hoping for a massive US military presence in West Africa that this is neither necessary nor desirable, I think his piece can play a positive role in the debate.

* اجراء مقابلة الذهاب بين المنتخبين الجزائري والمصري في البليدة بالجزائر يوم 7-6-2009 في اطار تصفيات الامم الإفريقية المؤهلة لكأس العالم، و اتهام مصر للجزائر بتسميم بعض أعضاء الطاقم الفني للفريق، لكن تم التفنيد من الجانب الجزائري مفسرين ذلك بإفراط البعض في الأكلة الشعبية المسماة بالكسكس. هذه القضية لم يكن لها شأن كبير في الإعلام.

* حوار وجدال لا ينتهي بين الشباب ومستخدمي الفيسبوك ومواقع الدردشة والمنتديات في كلا البلدين الذي يصل أحيانا إلى حد الشتم والتجريح.

* قبل أكثر من شهر من موعد مقابلة الاياب بالقاهرة التي ستقام يوم 14-11-2009 تبدأ حملة تصعيد إعلامي بين البلدين، ونقل ما يقال على المنتديات إلى المنابر الإعلامية (القنوات الفضائية من الجانب المصري والصحف المكتوبة والالكترونية من الجانب الجزائري). هذا التهويل للقضية و التعصب أدى إلى حساسية مفرطة وتهييج للجماهير من الطرفين قبل المباراة.

* وصول المنتخب الجزائري واعضاء الطاقم الفني إلى مطار القاهرة يوم 12-11-2009 وحدوث الشرارة الأولى في الطريق بين المطار وفندق الإقامة، حيث تم رشق الحافلة المقلة لأعضاء الفريق الجزائري بالحجارة من طرف الجمهور المصري مما أدى إلى تكسير نوافذ الباص و إصابة بعض اللاعبين بإصابات متفاوتة.

* شهادة مندوب الفيفا عن الحادثة، واصدار قرار يفرض على مصر تقديم تعهد كتابي لحماية اعضاء الفريق الجزائري في مصر إلى حين مغادرة القاهرة، لكن بالمقابل تكذيب مصري ورد التهمة على الطرف الجزائري والقول بأن أعضاء الفريق الجزائري هم من قاموا بالفعل والتمثيل.

* إجراء المباراة في موعدها يوم السبت 14-11-2009 في جو مشحون بحضور 80000 مصري و 2500 جزائري، وانتهاء المقابلة بفوز مصر بهدفين للا شيء ما يجمع الفريقين في مقابلة ثالثة في الخرطوم يوم 18-11-2009.

* مغادرة اعضاء الفريق و المشجعين الجزائريين القاهرة وحديث عن تعرض مناصرين جزائريين لاعتداءات من طرف الجمهور المصري.

* بداية وصول الجزائريين إلى الجزائر، وحديث عن تعرضهم للإهانة في مصر، ونشر أخبار عن قتلى في الصحف اليومية استنادا إلى شهود عيان.

* خروج الجزائريين إلى الشوارع منادين بالثأر وطلب مساعدة الدولة في توفير النقل إلى السودان، و حدوث انتهاكات في حق الجالية والشركات المصرية في الجزائر.

* استجابة السلطات الجزائرية للمناصرين بدعم التذاكر وتخصيص عدد من طائرات الخطوط الجوية الجزائرية لنقلهم و الاستعانة بطائرات النقل العسكري إذا اقتدت الضرورة.

* جسر جوي بين القاهرة والخرطوم لنقل المشجعين المصريين وعدد كبير من الفنانين والبرلمانيين ومنتسبي الحزب الوطني، إضافة إلى ولدي الرئيس مبارك جمال وعلاء.

* لقاء بين مسؤولي الرياضة في البلدين بحضور الرئيس السوداني عمر البشير، وحدوث أزمة بين رئيس اتحاد الكرة المصري زاهر و الجزائري راوراوة. تفاصيل الحادثة هي عندما تقدم زاهر لمصافحة راوراوة ابتعد عنه هذا الأخير تعبيرا عما حدث للجزائريين في القاهرة على حد قوله.

* أنباء من الخرطوم تتحدث عن تقصير مصري وتفوق جزائري في التنظيم وتوزيع عشرات الآلاف من الأعلام ومحاولة استمالة وكسب تأييد السودانيين، وحديث عن وعيد من المشجعين الجزائريين للمصريين.

* إنطلاق المقابلة يوم 18-11-2009 في جو هادئ، أو كما يبدو على الأقل، مع تفوق واضح للجمهور الجزائري على المصري و السيطرة على الجو العام للتشجيع في ملعب أم درمان طيلة المقابلة.

* أنتهاء المباراة بفوز الجزائر على مصر بهدف وحيد، ما يسمح لها بالتأهل لنهائيات كأس العالم و تمثيل العرب في المونديال بجنوب إفريقيا.

* بداية عودة الجماهير المصرية بعد المباراة مباشرة، وأخبار عن وقوع انتهاكات للمصريين من طرف الجزائريين، خاصة على لسان الفنانين و الوجهاء.

* تكذيب سوداني لهذه الأحداث واقتصار ذلك على اعتداءات على ثلاثة باصات مصرية اخطأت مسارها بالمرور على الطريق المخصصة للجزائريين، والخروج بإصابات طفيفة.

* تهويل إعلامي مصري غير مسبوق باتهام السودان بالتقصير في حماية المصريين رغم شهادة المراسلين المحايدين بغير ذلك.

* في اليوم الموالي للمباراة، ندب وغضب شديدين في الشارع المصري و هستيريا إعلامية كلها تجريح وشتم للشعب الجزائري. أما في المقابل احتفالات ضخمة في الشارع الجزائري تسببت في عدد من القتلى في حوادث السير.

* ازدياد وتيرة الشحن الاعلامي للجماهير المصرية ضد الجزائر بأقوال وتصريحات محاولة إثبات نظرية المؤامرة الجزائرية المدبرة على مصر، و نداءات بالتدخل و إعادة كرامة المصريين، لكن العالم الخارجي ووكالات الانباء العالمية تجاهلت الإعلام المصري.

* بروز أزمة حقيقية بين مصر والجزائر، وفي سابقة خطيرة، عرض الإسرائيليون التوسط بين الطرفين. و الآن نحن ننتظر تدخل العقلاء وأصحاب الرأي للتهدئة وإعادة المياه إلى مجاريها، والله الموفق.

مواضيع متعلقة

- الإعلام المصري وصورته الجديدة بعد مباراة أم درمان

- أكبر حدث تاريخي في مصر بعد حرب 73

Daily International News
November 23, 2009

DPRK
N. Korea says naval skirmish demonstrates need for peace treaty with U.S. [Yonhap]
North Korea urged the United States on Monday to replace their armistice agreement with a peace treaty, citing a recent skirmish between the two Koreas’ navies as “proof” that such a treaty is necessary for peace on the peninsula

China and North Korea defence ministers pledge ties [BBC]
Chinese and North Korean defence chiefs have pledged to strengthen their long-standing military alliance

China/Taiwan
Taiwan concedes territorial waters near China [Reuters]
Taiwan retains control over the tiny island chains of Kinmen and Matsu but does not claim the ocean around them, the Taiwan government said in a notice stating its position for the first time

China families protest mine disaster; toll hits 104 [Reuters]
Relatives of miners killed by a gas blast at a coal pit in northeast China scuffled with police and demanded answers

China activist who spoke out on quake gets 3 years [AP]
A veteran dissident was sentenced Monday to three years in prison after casting a spotlight on poorly built schools that collapsed during China’s massive earthquake last year

Philippines
Philippine kidnappers kill 21 in ‘political massacre’ [AFP]
Supporters of a prominent local politician in Maguindanao province and local journalists were among those murdered

Central/South Asia
Afghan security plans ‘a tall order’ [AFP]
Afghan government plans to boost army and police numbers massively have been greeted with scepticism by diplomats and military experts who say the figures are too ambitious

India tests nuclear-capable missile after sunset [Reuters]
India’s army tested a nuclear-capable Agni missile after sunset on Monday for the first time to demonstrate it could be fired whenever required

Middle East
Israel, Hamas near swap of prisoners for soldier [AP]
Israel and Hamas are close to a deal to swap 1,000 Palestinian prisoners for an Israeli soldier held for more than three years

Iraq parliament passes new vote law [Reuters]
Iraq’s fractious parliament on Monday approved an amended version of a law needed to hold a general election next year

Iran stages war games, sits on West’s nuclear offer [WP]
Military issues warning to Israel, tries to show defensive capacity

Europe
Germany attacks Israel settlement plan before visit [Reuters]
Germany on Monday criticized Israeli plans to expand settlements in the occupied West Bank, in unusually explicit terms a week before the two countries’ leaders meet in Berlin

From Sunday>> N.Ireland on edge after huge car bomb found [AFP]
Northern Ireland was on edge Monday after a huge car bomb only just failed to cause devastation

Russia says new blast at arms depot kills 8 [Reuters]
Eight soldiers were killed and two injured Monday when munitions exploded at a Russian navy arms depot

Africa

Sudan announces slight delay to upcoming elections [Sudan Tribune]
The Sudanese NEC announced a six day delay to the elections in order to allow more time for voters to register

From Sunday>>Algeria acquits two former Guantanamo Bay detainees [BBC]
Two Algerian men held at Guantanamo Bay for seven years on terror charges have been acquitted at a trial on being returned home

Americas
Brazil: World should engage, not isolate Iran [AP]
Engaging, not isolating Iran is the way to push for peace and stability in the Middle East, said Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva