UN Condemns Bahrain Crackdown On Protests, Calls For Reform

Secretary General Ban Ki Moon says reports of a violent crackdown against demonstrators in Bahrain are “deeply troubling”, and urged Bahraini officials to bring those responsible for the attacks to justice. 

“The United Nations has been urging the leaders in the region, as elsewhere around the world, to listen attentively to the people and to respond to their legitimate aspirations” said the Secretary General “I will be reaching out again in the days ahead to leaders in the region to reiterate that message. I will say it once again: The situation calls for bold reforms, not repression.” 

According media reports from Bahrain’s capital Manama, several people were killed and hundreds more injured early this morning when security forces tried to clear out Pearl Square, where several thousand people had been gathering since the start of the week to demand political reforms from King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. 

Ban said governments in the Middle East and North Africa have obligations to respect the human rights of peaceful protesters.  

“Across the region, people are standing up to voice their legitimate aspirations” said Ban “Each country is unique, each situation is different but there are common challenges in the region and important principles to  uphold.”

Ban said he believed the protests in Bahrain and through out the Arab world  had been fueled by a lack of economic opportunities and basic freedoms.

“Freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and freedom of communication should be fully guaranteed. Those have been largely neglected in the region. That is the lesson which leaders should learn and try to change as soon as possible, reflecting such strong voices from their own people”

Protesters March From Philadelphia To Protest Chinese Occupation Of Tibet

By Rob Sanna-Talk Radio News

On Tuesday, a collection of American and Tibetan congregated in front of the Chinese embassy in Washington D.C. to make a statement about China’s occupation of Tibet. A handful of those present marched from Philadelphia in a 10 day trip that spanned nearly 140 miles.

One activist who made the cross-state march commented that the response has thus far been positive.

“Mostly Americans have been really supportive,” he said. “It has been an honor and a pleasure to walk with these Tibetans.”

Larry Gerstein, President of the International Tibet Independence Movement, said the organization sent a letter the to embassy asking China to remove all military and political figures, release all political prisoners.

Tibet has been under Chinese control since the 1950s. 

Before Senate, McChrystal Cautiously Confident On Afghanistan

By Laura Smith - University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

U.S. Army General Stanley McChrystal said Tuesday that the mission in Afghanistan is difficult, and that success will require steadfast commitment and may come at a significant cost.

Gen. McChrystal, Commander of the NATO Internation Security Assistance Force, and U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Afghanistan on ways to protect the country from threats, such as al-Qaeda.

“To pursue our core goal of defeating al-Qaeda and preventing their return to Afghanistan, we must disrupt and degrade the Taliban’s capacity, deny their access to the Afghan population and strengthen the Afghan Security forces,” McChrystal said.

"Rolling back the Taliban is a pre-requisite to the ultimate defeat of al-Qaeda,” the General added.

However, McChrystal cited a bevy of reasons for optimism.

“My confidence derives first from the Afghans' resolve, since it is their actions that will ultimately matter most in ending this conflict, with their interests secured...Second, we do not confront a popular insurgency...Third, where our strategy is applied we’ve begun to show that we can help the Afghans establish more effective security and more credible governance. Finally, Afghans do not regard us as occupiers,” he said.

McChrystal also said that the American military faces many challenges in Afghanistan, but asserted that "our efforts are sustained by one unassailable reality: neither the Afghan people nor the international community want Afghanistan to remain a sanctuary for terror and violence.”

Before the committee hearing began, protesters expressed their opposition to the war, holding up signs that read, “Surge Big Mistake,” and “Jobs Not Bombs."