Inside the Free Syrian Army. Arab League ApprovesSyrian Sanctions. Reuters Protesters in Deir Balaba, left, supported Homs, a restive Syrian city. The tough measures, aimed at stopping Syria’s bloody crackdown on dissidents, constitute another blow to the Syrian economy, already reeling from sanctions imposed by the European Union and the United States. They were a psychological jab as much as an economic one, further eroding Syria’s longstanding claim to be the heart of Arabism, a claim already battered by the country’s suspension from the league two weeks ago. For the Arab League, an organization long ridiculed as toothless, it was the second time since the Arab Spring protests began that it had acted against a member country to protect a threatened populace.
The action capped a momentous week in a region that has been pummeled by a year of historic change. The stated aim of the sanctions was not regime change, but to press Syria to comply with the peace plan it had ostensibly accepted. Turkey also threw its support behind the sanctions. Internal conflict in Burma. The internal conflict in Burma is one of the world's longest-running civil wars and began shortly after the country's attainment of independence from the United Kingdom (U.K.) in 1948;[14] successive central governments of Burma (or Myanmar) have fought a myriad of ethnic and political rebellions.
Some of the earliest insurgencies were instigated by Burmese-dominated "multi-colored" left-wing groups and the Karen National Union (KNU); the KNU fought to create an independent Karen state from a large section of Lower Burma (or Outer Myanmar). Other ethnic rebellions started in the early 1960s after the central government refused to consider a federal government structure. By the early 1980s, politically oriented armed insurgencies had largely withered away, while ethnic-based insurgencies continued. [citation needed] As of 2007, around 25 different ethnic groups have signed ceasefire agreements with the military government.[15] Background[edit] Main fronts[edit] Kachin State[edit]
Myitsone Dam. The Myitsone Dam (Burmese: မြစ်ဆုံ တာတမံ [mjɪʔsʰòʊɴ tàtəmàɴ]; lit. the Confluence Dam) is a large dam and hydroelectric power development project on the Irawaddy River (Ayeyawady River) in Burma (Myanmar). If completed as planned in 2017, it will be the fifteenth largest hydroelectric power station in the world. The dam, planned to be 1,310 m (4,297.9 ft) long and 139.6 m (458.0 ft) high, is being built by Burmese government contractors (Asia World)[2] and the China Power Investment Corporation (CPI). It is expected to provide between 3,600 to 6,000 megawatts of electricity primarily for Yunnan, China.[3] The dam project has been controversial in Burma due to its enormous flooding area, environmental impacts, location on the Sagaing fault line and uneven share of electricity output between the two countries.
On 30 September 2011, amid of democratic reforms in the country, President Thein Sein announced that the Myitsone dam project was to be suspended during his tenure. Location[edit] Clinton visit presents opportunity in Myanmar. Myanmar's democracy icon, Aung San Suu Kyi, speaks at the National League for Democracy's party headquarters in the capital of Naypyidaw on November 20.
Hillary Clinton's trip to Myanmar could be a breakthrough, says Suzanne DiMaggioDiMaggio: U.S. should actively test the new government's credibility and push for changeRe-engagement could clarify the Burmese military's nuclear ambitions, she saysThis moment is a chance to help move Myanmar away from authoritarian rule, says DiMaggio Editor's note: Suzanne DiMaggio is vice president of Global Policy Programs at the Asia Society and the director of the Society's Task Force on U.S.
Policy toward Burma. Follow her on Twitter. (CNN) -- Hillary Clinton's trip to Myanmar -- the first visit by a U.S. Secretary of State in half a century -- is poised to produce a breakthrough moment in U.S. -Burma relations. Some worry that such a high-level visit is premature. Suzanne DiMaggio U.S., Myanmar relations on the mend Hillary Clinton to visit Myanmar U.S. Muammar Al Qaddafi - The Green Book. Egypt protesters resume occupation of Tahrir Square.
21 November 2011Last updated at 00:25 The BBC's Helena Merriman says police were beating protesters - "about 20 or 30 of them I saw, covered in blood" Thousands of Egyptian protesters remain in Cairo's Tahrir Square after two days of clashes in which at least 13 people were killed and hundreds injured. On Sunday, police and troops made a violent attempt to evict the demonstrators, firing tear gas and beating them with truncheons. However, the protesters returned less than an hour later, chanting slogans against Egypt's military rulers. The European Union said it condemned the violence "in the strongest terms". There were also clashes in other cities including Alexandria, Suez and Aswan. A total of 11 people were reportedly killed on Sunday and two on Saturday, according to medical sources. The demonstrators, some wearing gas masks, say they fear Egypt's interim military rulers are trying to retain their grip on power.
Armoured vehicles Continue reading the main story At the scene. Egypt set to vote in first post-Mubarak elections. 28 November 2011Last updated at 20:07 Lyse Doucet visited a Cairo polling station to see why voting is so complicated Large numbers of Egyptians have turned out to vote in the first elections since former President Hosni Mubarak was overthrown in February. Voting was extended to cope with the high turnout and few security problems were reported. There had been fears the vote might be delayed after deadly protests against the interim military rulers who replaced Mr Mubarak. Protesters occupying Cairo's Tahrir Square have boycotted the vote. The protesters fear the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces led by Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, which is overseeing the transition to democracy after decades of authoritarian rule, is trying to retain power.
At least 41 demonstrators have been killed and more than 2,000 wounded in the past 10 days, as tensions have flared in the Arab world's most populous state. Voters 'energised' Continue reading the main story At the scene Lyse DoucetBBC News, Cairo.