CINA

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FRANCE: Today's General strike/mass protests against Sarkozy's pension "reforms"

    Burning Barricades, Mass Demonstrations, Tear Gas against Students...
 

Related stuff:

☞ [10.19] French strikes and protests: live updates (The Guardian, UK)

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Germany 2010:

Far-right Radicalism, Xenophobia and Anti-semitism...

One in 10 Germans want 'new Fuehrer to lead the country with iron fist'; every third German believes foreign immigrants should be expelled; 17% of Germans believe Jews have 'too much influence'...

Sixty-five years have passed since the end of the Second World War(i.e. the military destruction of the Fascist Germany by the Allied Forces), but even today it would seem that many Germans still cling to the prejudice and racism which the Nazi party identified with.

A new poll conducted by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation for Political Education(a part of the German Social Democratic party) has found that one in 10 Germans wants "a new Fuehrer to lead the country with an iron fist", and that every third German thinks all foreign immigrants should be expelled from Germany if unemployment becomes a problem. The poll consisted of 2,500 people of different ages. The results were announced last Wednesday(10.13).

 
Some 25% of all respondents expressed racist opinions, and 15.9% said they somewhat understood why a Fuehrer needed to be appointed; 58% of the participants claimed that Germany needed to curb the traditional Muslim lifestyle. As for anti-Semitism, 17.2% of the survey's participants supported the statement that "Jews have too much influence in the world today"...

And the study has revealed that far-right attitudes are deeply rooted in the mainstream German society as you can see here:

☞ Right-wing extremism in Germany (Interactive Survey Results)  

Related articles:

☞ Right-Wing Attitudes On the Rise in Germany (Spiegel, 10.13)

☞ German multiculturalism dead (Yedioth Ahronot, 10.16)

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“We will use whatever is necessary to prevent any possibilities of protests”
(Yu Jeong-kwon, head of security of the 'Presidential Committee for the G20 Summit', 10.01)
 

10.04: S. Korean riot cops show how to disperse "violent" protesters with water cannons...

Last Friday's (bourgeois) Korea Herald reported the following:

Police alert over anti-G20 rallies

A series of local interest and civic groups are planning to stage rallies during the Group of 20 summit, slated for Nov. 11-12 in Seoul, in an apparent move to use media attention on the global economic forum to publicize matters of their concern.

The planned rallies have put the police on alert, who said they would muster up tens of thousands of police staff during the summit to ensure security along commuting routes, accommodation and the main conference venue.

Almost all groups opposing capitalism, including KCTU, will stage demonstrations during the summit...

In addition to the rallies, which civic groups plan to hold to oppose the principles and goals of the G20, including the globalization of financial systems, a variety of groups have already registered or expressed their intention to hold their own rallies.

Residents of a shantytown in southern Seoul have reported to the police that some 500 people will join a rally on Nov. 4 near the COEX, the summit venue, to show their opposition to the municipal government’s development scheme.
 

By law, those wanting to hold rallies are required to obtain prior permission from the police authorities. Police fear that there may be some illegal rallies during the summit, and that some of the approved ones could turn violent.
 

An association of bereaved families of the victims of World War II plans to hold peaceful gatherings, which are intended to call on U.S. and Japanese leaders to help establish a special law for the compensation of victims...

 
An association for the physically challenged also said that it would launch a protest during the summit period...

The association also plans to host a massive rally, where some 10,000 people are expected to participate, to mark a special day for people with physical disabilities, which falls on Nov. 11.

Police have been asking (^^) the civic groups to refrain from holding rallies or protests during the G20 summit.

“They appear to believe that they can effectively deliver their messages to the people with their rallies to take place during the summit,” an official at the National Police Agency said. “We will mobilize all equipment and sternly deal with illegal protests.”

A special security unit at the presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae plans to safeguard world leaders with three levels of security at the security zones, including the meeting venue, major airports and hotels.
 

A total of 40,000 policemen and military forces will be mobilized for security against terrorist threats, while another 20,000 will be dispatched to restrict street rallies...

 
A total of 12.5 billion won ($11.2 million) has been allotted for the budget for the G20 security force...

http://www.koreaherald.com/national/Detail.jsp?newsMLId=20101015000608

Related article:

☞ Groups seek permits for rallies during G-20 (JoongAng Ilbo, 10.16)

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No, that's not just a sick joke... but a perfect way to f*ck the int'l labor movement!!

Yesterday's KCNA 'reported' the following:

President Kim Il Sung was presented with a gift by the Left Bloc of the Austrian Trade Union Federation on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the Workers' Party of Korea. The gift was conveyed to an official concerned on Tuesday by Federal Secretary of the Bloc Oliver Jonischkeit on a visit to the DPRK.

Related KCNA 'report'(2009.5.09):

The Left Bloc of the Austrian Trade Union Federation sent a solidarity letter to the Central Committee of the General Federation of Trade Unions of Korea on the occasion of May Day. The letter said that the Songun politics pursued by General Secretary Kim Jong Il is of decisive significance in the struggle of the workers and other people in the DPRK for consolidating and developing socialism in the DPRK and opening the gate to a thriving nation till 2012, in particular. The letter noted that the above-mentioned organization is confident that they will further develop the socialist cause by frustrating ceaseless provocations of the U.S. imperialists and its followers.
The DPRK's present development serves as a shining symbol of the superiority of socialism to capitalism, the letter held...

For more 'info' please check out:

☞ Oliver Jonischkeit
☞ Gewerkschaftlicher Linksblock
☞ Austrian Trade Union Federation

 

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First of all: it seems that the planned "Sound Cannon Terror" is off the cards (at least for now!??), as yesterday's Hankyoreh wrote:

Sound cannons will not appear at G-20

 
The Lee Myung-bak government held an extended officials meeting Sunday at the Office of the Prime Minister to decide to put off the adoption of long-range acoustic devices (LRAD), also called sound cannons. Korean National Police Agency (KNPA) Commissioner had pushed for the adoption ofthe devices.
“The administration agreed on the GNP’s argument that the adoption of sound cannons should be postponed until there is a consensus by the peoplethat it is safe,” said an official from the Office of the Prime Minister.
The move signals an effective abandonment of the KNPA plan to introduce and employ sound cannons prior to the G-20 summit in November...

Korea Times(10.10) reported the following:

Security tightened at G20 summit venue

The 14-lane Yeongdong Boulevard and 12-lane Teheran-ro will be partially blocked during the G20 Seoul Summit slated for Nov. 11-12 to better protect Coex, the summit venue in southern Seoul, the Presidential Committee for G20 Seoul Summit said Friday.

Public transport operating around the area will be free on Nov. 12 while ordinary citizens will be prohibited from visiting the nation’s largest underground shopping mall and convention complex.

“The G20 summit will be the largest event ever held in Korea and we will be 120 percent sure about the safety and security of the summit venue. The store owners of the Coex have gratefully decided to endure losses for possibly two days,” said Kim In-jong, head of the Presidential Security Service and the G20 security team.

The security team instead will encourage media crew, delegations and others at the convention hall to use the restaurants and shops to make up for their losses. The Hyundai Department Store on Teheran-ro near the convention center, however, will be open without restrictions.

A total of 40,000 people will be guarding the main convention hall as well as the hotels and other places that the heads of the states, governments or international organizations might visit. The security team will form a triple guard line — the red zone will be right around the Coex center, where 2.2 meter-walls will be installed. The second line will be within 600 meters from the building with special fences and the third line will be within 2 to 3 kilometers around Coex.

The team will be on alert around the clock on the land and in the air. Nearby high-rise buildings will be prioritized for marking and pedestrians and drivers visiting nearby areas will have to undergo tight security checks.

Any protests or rallies against the summit will be prohibited near Coex. The organizers have designated Olympic Park, far from the Coex, as an official protest zone. Any rallies taking place outside the zone will be “severely” suppressed, Kim In-jong said.

The government also plans to refuse entrance of “professional protesters” on a global black list but still expects about 500 to come to Korea to oppose the international event.

“Looking into the details of the Pittsburgh and Toronto summits, the demonstrators are highly likely to turn violent. The military as well as fire fighters will join the security in case of an emergency,” Kim said.

The National Assembly has allotted 24 billion won for security during the G20 summit.

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2010/10/113_74298.html

Related articles/reports:

☞ S. Korea to ban all rallies close to G-20 summit venue (Yonhap, 10.11)
☞ G20 sparks debate on nighttime rallies (K. Herald, 10.11)
☞ Seoul enhances security ahead of G20 (PressTV, 10.05)
☞ Unbelievable Martial Arts G20 Security Force (public intelligence, 10.04)
☞ 민주노총, 11월전국노동자대회·G20규탄투쟁 결의 (노동과세계, 10.12)


 

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Y'day in Pyongyang:

Some more 'impressive' pics you can see here!

Related articles and TV reports:
☞ WPK events used to glorify Kim Jong-un (Hankyoreh, 10.11)

☞ Kim Jong-il's son attends N. Korean military parade (Guardian Video report, 10.10)

☞ North Korea's leader, presumptive heir attend lavish parade (CNN, 10.10)

☞ Likely N Korea heir Kim Jong-un appears with father (BBC, 10.10)

☞ N.K. leader and heir review military parade (K.Herald, 10.10)

☞ N. Korea leader appears with son (al-Jazeera, 10.10)

☞ N. Korea's charm offensive marks the handover to its new leader (Observer, 10.10)

☞ N Korea opens up to foreign media (al-Jazeera TV, 10.10)

And ultimately here you can watch two more video reports about yesterday's events in P'yang!

 

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The following is a summary of the joint communique issued last Friday(10.8) by South Korean 'Defense' Minister Kim Tae-young and U.S. 'Defense' Secretary Robert Gates after the 42nd Security Consultative Meeting in Washington:

 
The South Korean Defense Minister Kim Tae-young and U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates...

...reaffirmed the commitment of the U.S. and ROK presidents to build a comprehensive strategic alliance of bilateral, regional and global scope, based on common values and mutual trust, as set forth in the June 2009 Joint Vision for the Alliance of the ROK and the U.S.

...reaffirmed their shared view expressed at the ROK-U.S. Foreign and Defense Ministers' Meeting in July that both sides acknowledged the close bilateral cooperation regarding the North Korean nuclear issue, and urged North Korea to carry out the complete and verifiable abandonment of all its nuclear programs and pursuit of nuclear weapons and demonstrate through concrete actions its genuine will to denuclearize.

 
...reaffirmed that North Korean aggression and provocation are not to be tolerated and that the U.S. and ROK intend to work shoulder-to-shoulder to demonstrate their combined resolve. They also reaffirmed their shared view that the ROK ship Cheonan was sunk by a North Korean attack.

 
...reaffirmed the two nations' mutual commitment to the fundamental mission of the alliance to defend the Republic of Korea through a robust combined defense posture, as well as to the enhancement of mutual security based on the Mutual Defense Treaty.

 
...agreed to institutionalize an Extended Deterrence Policy Committee, which will serve as a cooperation mechanism to enhance the effectiveness of extended deterrence.

 
...received a report on the results of the U.S.-ROK Military Committee Meeting from the commander of the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command, General Walter L. Sharp, which highlighted that the combined defense posture is capable and ready to "fight tonight," and that it is prepared to effectively respond to any provocation, instability or aggression.

 
...confirmed a comprehensive strategy to strengthen the alliance in years to come, including achieving the transition of wartime operational control to the ROK Joint Chiefs of Staff in 2015.

...affirmed and signed the Guidelines for U.S.-ROK Defense Cooperation, a document that seeks to embody the future vision of the U.S.-ROK alliance, as agreed through the Joint Vision Statement last year.

 
...affirmed and signed the Strategic Planning Guidance, which provides the U.S.-ROK Military Committee with the strategic guidance and authorization necessary to direct the development of operational planning.

  
Related articles:
☞ S.K., U.S. to organize... extending nuclear deterrence (Hankyoreh, 10.9)

☞ Korea, U.S. form group to deter North’s nukes (JoongAng Ilbo, 10.9)

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Please enjoy (MUST-SEE!!) our 'Weekend Movie Show'...

"NORTH KOREAN FILM MADNESS"

Source: VBS.TV (Apr. 2010)