Politics

Women began protesting in large groups of women in late March However, because women were not seen street-protesting in the first few electrifying days of massive protests especially in Dara March 18-24, the Syrian revolution was early typified by the viewer reaction, “Where are the women?” This characterization of women’s absence deserves to be overturned, however.

The European financial crisis continues to worsen as fears grow that Italy may become the latest nation in need of a massive bailout. The European Commission admitted that the entire eurozone could be plunged into a recession in 2012. While Greece, Ireland and Portugal have already received international bailouts, the debt situation in Italy is considered far more dangerous.

The Jewish New Year has just ended and taking that opportunity to reach out to anyone who would listen, but particularly the Jewish world community, Rabbi Brant Rosen of the USA asks: “Is the Jewish establishment really able to listen to the next generation of Jews? He brings people’s attention back to what took place almost one year ago in New Orleans.

Police send warning letters to students arrested (but not necessarily convicted) during previous demonstrations, announce publicly “pre-approved” use of baton rounds and rubber bullets, warn teachers not to allow schoolchildren to leave the classroom to attend the demo and turn up in huge numbers to the November 9th students demonstration in Central London.

We reproduce here some background information about the campaign to prevent a Naval Base (considered to be part of the US “Star Wars” antibalistic misile system) to be constructed in Jeju Island. In the last few hours a group of the most central activists have been arrested. Some are facing very significant jail terms as they are already on probation.

The original number of 20 Dutch police trainers was recently cut by half. The higher ranking officers would be given an eight-week follow-up course to basic training is also being suggested that Afghan police trainers could shadow their Dutch and German counterparts. Final decisions, will not be taken until after the Afghanistan Conference at the beginning of December.

Chile is facing new social mobilizations starting on Sunday to protest against the country´s institutionalism, inherited from the Pinochet military dictatorship.
A family march is announced for Sunday afternoon, starting in the Alameda of Santiago, to demand free and public education and a law-abiding plebiscite as an exercise of the will to face the country’s problems.

Among countries that have moved from the periphery to the core, China has acquired a place of pride in a world that is no longer steered by the industrialized states of yesteryear. President Hu Jintao surfaced from the G20 summit in Cannes, as sagacious leader of a country whose ascent to the status of a new superpower was speeded up after the financial crisis in 2008.

As the Canadian and the Irish two ships approach and are too close to reach the Gaza’s Harbor, Israel has begun a massive propaganda-offensive against the new “flotilla” which set sail from Turkey on last Wednesday, carrying medical supplies, medicines and humanitarian support for the impoverished people from Gaza Strip.

Israel navy boarded two Gaza-bound boats that were trying to break the blockade of the impoverished Gaza Strip.
The Irish Saoirse and the Canadian Tahrir boats were carrying 27 activists from 9 countries and a symbolic cargo of $30,000 in medication. They
have been intercepted and boarded about 35 kilometers north of the Gaza Strip, as activists announced Friday afternoon.