Aug
15
2013
Uprising’s Thursday guest expert Arun Gupta, Independent journalist and regular contributor to The Guardian, In These Times, The Progressive, and Truthout, and co-founder of the Occupied Wall Street Journal and The Indypendent, analyzes today’s news headlines:
More than 500 people have been killed in Egypt by the ruling military government. Two sit-ins of protesters supporting ousted President Mohammad Morsi had been warned by the government earlier this week to disperse. In a violent crackdown on the protest camps in Cairo the Army used tear gas and live ammunition killing hundreds and wounding thousands. Interim Vice President Mohammad El Baradei resigned over the violence and US President Barack Obama is giving an address on the unfolding situation today. The New York Times featuring headlines such as “Region finds peace is harder than revolution,” and “Is the Arab Spring Over?”
Army Private Bradley Manning finally took to the stand during the sentencing phase of his long-drawn out court martial. He surprised many by admitting regret over his decision to leak classified government documents to Wikileaks and said “I am sorry for unintended consequence of my actions. When I made these decisions, I believed I was going to help people, not hurt people.” Manning supporters meanwhile delivered a petition with over 100,000 signatures to the Nobel committee urging them to award him the Nobel peace prize.
The world’s biggest copper mine, located in Chile, is seeing a major strike by miners. Over 2,500 workers at the Escondida mine announced a one-day strike over low pay but are now considering extending it. Chile produces about one-third of the world’s copper. The broader context of this story is the political climate in Chile, where students have been organizing historic protests and President Michelle Bachelet faces re-election this Fall.
