Politics

Dear Friends, I write to let you know that I have decided not to attend the 12th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates on 23rd-25th April, 2012, in Chicago, USA – writes Mairead Maguire of Peace People, Northern Ireland, rejecting the US State Department, NATO and the Chicago Agenda. “I do not agree with many of the policies of the US State Department.”

Provisional results from 16 April 2012 elections gave former armed forces chief 60 per cent of the ballots counted. Thus, Taur Matan Ruak looks set to replace Jose Ramos-Horta as East Timor’s president. Provisional results give runoff election rival Francisco “Lu Olo” Guterres only a slim chance of winning the largely ceremonial post for his Fretilin Party.

On the anniversary of the nation’s founder’s birth, Kim Jong-un gave his first public speech since taking office. Thousands of military and civilians attended the ceremony in Pyongyang to mark the country’s centenary. This was the North Korean’s new leader first major public speech and he called for a push to “final victory”.

Of all the myths obstructing the honest portrayal of events in Syria this past year, none has been more fiercely guarded by regime-change advocates than this one stark falsehood:
Myth – the Syrian regime has only been shooting unarmed, peaceful protestors until very recently when opposition groups finally decided to arm themselves in self-defense.

…”And while she will have little power, the mere fact that she is there means there will be a lot more international attention on parliament itself and the decisions that it makes,” reports Al Jazeera’s Wayne Hay from Yangon on the election results portending success of the National League for Democracy after twenty years on the political backburner.

Yangon – As millions of Burmese go to the polls on 1 April, expectations are high for real change. Across this Southeast Asian nation and abroad there is an unprecedented sense of hope not seen in decades following a wave of political reforms now described by Myanmar’s own government as “irreversible”.

The Global March to Jerusalem to take place on March 30 has been proposed as a peaceful demonstration in many countries around the world to support the Palestinians’ cause in Israel. It is time for all humanists, for all those who aspire to a world of diversity, human rights and equal opportunities to concentrate hearts and minds to achieve a truly nonviolent day of action.

Here we publish the complete text of it.

Stephen Collis: What has your involvement with Occupy Wall Street been, and what is your
background?

Sara Burke: My involvement with OWS began before OWS began. My answer to your question might make more sense if I tell you a little bit first about my
background and then my activism with OWS.

The government of Damascus accepted the plan for a resolution to the crisis proposed by the Arab League and United Nations special envoy for Syria, Kofi Annan. According to the spokesperson for the former UN chief, Annan already responded to President al Bashir, urging the prompt application of the proposals.

There is something quite unique about the Middle East’s “Resistance Axis” which includes Iran, Hezbollah, Syria, Hamas and a smattering of smaller groups opposed to western imperialism and zionism. It is the only major grouping or alliance in the region that includes 1) Arab and Iranian, 2) Sunni and Shia, 3) Islamist and Secularist.