US spies: Israel or UK forged nukes report on Iran

US intelligence sources have confirmed Iran's assertions that a document published by a British daily about Tehran's nuclear program is a fabrication.

According to a former CIA official, US intelligence agents have found that the document, which was published by the Times of London on December 14, was fabricated by Israel or Britain, the Inter Press Service (IPS) reported on Monday.

The IPS report was penned by renowned investigative journalist Gareth Porter.

Philip Giraldi, who was a CIA counterterrorism official from 1976 to 1992, told IPS that intelligence sources say the US had nothing to do with forging the document.

He added, however, that US intelligence sources mainly suspect Israel of carrying out the forgery, although, they do not rule out the possibility of the British having played a part in it.

The Times article said that Iran had been secretly experimenting on a key component of a nuclear bomb called the "neutron initiator."

Right after the article was published, Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehman-Parast dismissed the report as completely "baseless."

The Times article did not identify the source of the document, but rather quoted comments by "an Asian intelligence source," who claimed that his government believes that Tehran has been working on a neutron initiator since 2007.

"An Asian intelligence source" is a term some news media use to refer to Israeli intelligence officials.

The Times story came just before US politicians and their European allies launched a new round of verbal attacks against Iran, threatening it with tougher sanctions and the possibility of an Israeli military attack.

Porter wrote US media reports have left the impression that US intelligence analysts are confident about the document's authenticity. This is while it has been widely reported that they have now had a year to assess the issue.

Although Giraldi's intelligence sources did not reveal all the reasons that led analysts to conclude that the document had been fabricated, they did note that the source of the story itself was suspicious.

"The Rupert Murdoch chain has been used extensively to publish false intelligence from the Israelis and occasionally from the British government," Giraldi said.

Other than The Times, Murdoch's press empire includes the Sunday Times, Fox News and the New York Post, all of which are known for the strongly pro-Israeli tone they take in their reports.

Porter added that other than its source, the two-page document itself included a number of giveaways that also indicated fraud.

For example, the image of the Farsi-language original of the document, which was also published by the Times lacked any confidentiality marking, although the subject of the document logically put it into the highly classified category.

Furthermore, the document did not include information about the issuing office or the intended recipients. It vaguely referred to "the Centre," "the Institute," "the Committee," and the "neutron group."

The ambiguity was in stark contrast with the concreteness of the plans, which included detailed instructions about recruiting eight individuals for different tasks for very specific numbers of hours and for a four-year time frame.

The vagueness can be explained by reasoning that security markings and identifying information in a forged document would increase the likelihood of potential errors that could expose the fraud.

The absence of any date on the document also conflicted with the rest of the information, which came in detail. The 2007 timeline was only introduced by the Times' unnamed foreign sources.

A clear motive for suggesting the early 2007 date would be to appease the Israeli government by discrediting the US intelligence community's November 2007 National Intelligence Estimate, which concluded that Iran was not working on a nuclear bomb.

The biggest reason for discarding the document as fraudulent is its attempt to suggest past Iranian experiments on Polonium-210 for use in a neutron initiator, a claim which was ruled out by the UN nuclear watchdog in a February 2008 report.

This is not the first time that Giraldi has been tipped off by his intelligence sources on forged documents. He was the individual who identified those responsible for the two most notorious forged documents in recent US history.

In 2005, Giraldi identified Michael Ledeen, the extreme right-wing former consultant to the Pentagon, as an author of the fabricated letter, which introduced the allegation that Iraq had tried to purchase uranium from Niger.

That letter gave the administration of former US President George W. Bush the opportunity to claim that Saddam Hussein had an active nuclear weapons program, an allegation that was proven completely false following the invasion of Iraq.

Giraldi also identified officials in the "Office of Special Plans" who worked under Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Douglas Feith as those who forged a letter, allegedly written by a Saddam intelligence aide, about an operation to arrange for an unidentified shipment from Niger.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=114871§ionid=351020104.

Iran says body of Mousavi's nephew not missing

Iran on Tuesday rejected rumors circulating the media that the body of Mir-Hossein Mousavi's nephew has gone missing, saying the body of the deceased is being held for further investigations.

Media reports claimed that the body of Seyyed Ali Habibi Mousavi Khamene, the defeated presidential candidate's nephew killed on Sunday in Tehran, had been transferred from hospital to an unknown location by unidentified individuals.

According to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), the body of the 42-year-old was transferred by government officials alongside the bodies of four others killed on Sunday to conduct further inquiries into their deaths.

The Iranian police force has described Mousavi's nephew's death as "suspicious," saying that investigations into his "assassination" are underway.

The deaths came as anti-government protesters took to some central and downtown streets in Tehran on Sunday, chanting slogans against top Iranian government officials.

Iranian police forces used tear gas to disperse protesters.

Seven people were confirmed dead during the Sunday unrest.

Iran's Deputy Police Chief Ahmad-Reza Radan said earlier that the force under his command did not use violence against protesters, denying any involvement in the killings.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=114896§ionid=351020101.

Israel arrests nuclear whistleblower

Israeli police have arrested former nuclear assistant Mordechai Vanunu on charges of having contact with "a number of foreigners" at a hotel in Jerusalem Al-Quds.

"Vanunu was detained in Jerusalem last night," said Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld. "He is suspected of having had contacts with foreign agents."

A court spokesman said he would be released from jail Tuesday evening but was ordered to stay under house arrest through Thursday.

Vanunu has been detained several times for violating the terms of his parole which ban him from travel or contact with foreigners.

He served an 18-year sentence in prison after discussing his work as a technician at Israel's Dimona nuclear reactor with a British newspaper in 1986.

After his release in 2004, Israel's Supreme Court barred him from traveling abroad, alleging he has more details on the Dimona atomic reactor to divulge.

Vanunu however denies he poses a security risk but says he will pursue anti-nuclear activities and wants to live abroad.

The restrictions on him have been condemned by international human rights groups.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=114895§ionid=351020202.

Police say Mousavi nephew assassinated

Tehran's police say the nephew of former Iranian prime minister Mir-Hossein Mousavi was not involved in the Ashura unrests in Tehran and was the target of a drive-by shooting.

"Seyyed Ali Habibi Mousavi Khamene, without being present in the riots, was assassinated by assailants driving a vehicle in one of Tehran's side streets known as Shademan," a police statement read.

"The killing took place somewhere between 12 to 1 pm (local time) and the victim was pronounced dead before reaching hospital due to severe blood loss," it continued.

The statement adds that the case and the possible assassins are still under investigation.

Tehran's police had previously described the killing as “suspicious” as police officers were not carrying firearms on Sunday which was marred by clashes between anti-government protesters and security forces.

Protesters took to some central and downtown streets in Tehran on Sunday, during ceremonies commemorating the 7th century death of Prophet Muhammad's (PBUH) grandson, Imam Hussein (PBUH).

The protesters reportedly chanted slogans against top Iranian government officials. Police used tear gas to disperse protesters.

Seven people were confirmed dead during the unrest.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=114894§ionid=351020101.

Afghan soldier opens fire, kills US trooper

An Afghan army soldier on Tuesday opened fire on US-led forces, fatally shooting an American soldier and inflicting injuries on two Italian troopers.

The incident occurred in the northwestern Badghis province's Bala Murghab village, Reuters reported. The attacker was injured by retaliatory fire by NATO and Afghan forces before being arrested.

The Italian contingent said its soldiers had suffered minor injuries, adding that the shooter "is now under observation in the camp hospital."

An Afghan army official confirmed the report.

"The soldier opened fire on the two Italians and one American in a joint afghan and foreign base," General Khair Mohammad Khawari, a senior officer in western Afghanistan, told Reuters.

The motive behind the attack is unknown.

In early November, five British soldiers were killed by an Afghan policeman at a checkpoint in Helmand province. Two American soldiers were fatally shot in a similar incident in late March.

Analysts say the frequency by which the attacks have been taking place point to resentment within the Afghan soldiers at the US-led military presence.

The United States commands around 113,000 soldiers in the war-torn country. 38,000, mostly American, troops are to be dispatched there in the coming months.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=114901§ionid=351020403.

Putin says new weapons to counter US shield

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Tuesday warned that Moscow would pursue plans for new weapons to counter the US missile defense system.

The premier told reporters in the southeastern city of Vladivostok that Washington's bids for a missile defense system are the biggest obstacle in bilateral talks aimed at reaching a new deal to reduce nuclear arsenals produced during the Cold War rush.

While both sides have been optimistic that a successor to the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START I) would soon be penned, but the new comments betray more serious problems facing the deal, already delayed when the two nuclear powers failed to agree on a new outline by the treaty's expiring date, December 5.

Subsequently, START I was extended until a new draft was mutually agreed on.

"What is the problem? The problem is that our American partners are building an anti-missile shield and we are not building one."

Russia's strong objections to a US missile shield in Eastern Europe as well as questions over the system's efficiency, prompted US President Barack Obama to scrap the plans introduced under former President George W. Bush.

The decision was also in line with Washington's efforts to mend relations with Moscow, which plummeted to a Cold War-era low during the Bush administration.

The new plans envision US navy ships equipped with anti-missile weapons forming a front line of defense in the eastern Mediterranean. The plans include land-based missile interceptors placed on shore in Europe.

Moscow, however, insists it continues to view a US missile shield in any form as a ploy to undermine its security, forcing it to take action with developing new weapons.

Putin went on to add that White House policymakers would feel too comfortable behind the missile "umbrella" and could proceed to do as they pleased.

"If we are not developing an anti-missile shield, then there is a danger that our partners, by creating such 'an umbrella', will feel completely secure and thus can allow themselves to do what they want, disrupting the balance, and aggressiveness will rise immediately," he stressed.

Putin also offered to share details about Russia's deployed nuclear offensive missiles, in return for more information about the US plans.

"The problems of anti-missile defense and offensive weapons are very tightly linked to each other," he said, adding that talks on a new treaty were moving in a generally positive direction.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=114893§ionid=351020602.

Tensions rising in Korean peninsula

South Korea's plans to partly restructure the 1950s inter-Korean war have gone down badly with the North which still bears grudges against its southern neighbor.

If South Korean authorities "keep escalating the tensions and the danger of war... they will have to pay dearly for them," wrote the Rodong Sinmun daily, the official organ of the central committee of the ruling North Korean party, according to a report by AFP.

"This is an unpardonable provocation to [the Democratic People's Republic of Korea] DPRK and an intolerable criminal act of escalating the inter-Korean confrontation and tensions," the paper added.

The 1950-1953 war bore historic setbacks for the North.

The South-based commemoration next year would involve a replay of the conflict's turning points namely part of the Battle of Incheon when, notably outnumbering the North Koreans, the UN forces ended Pyongyang's winning streak at the beginning of the war.

Pyongyang has continually held the United States liable for the propulsion of the hostilities and protested at the position of the maritime border unilaterally drawn between the two countries at the conclusion of the war by the US-led United Nations' forces.

"Through these farces the South Korean rulers seek to extol the US, which ignited the Korean War," the daily said.

Seoul and Washington have likewise maintained a tough language vis-à-vis Pyongyang for its departure from the nuclear disarmament talks in 2007, running a second nuclear test in May and its re-launching of programs aimed at weaponization of nuclear materials.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=114892§ionid=351020405.

Macedonia exhibits '09 excavated artifacts

Macedonia has mounted an exhibition of artifacts discovered during archeological excavations throughout the country in 2009.

Held at the Museum of Macedonia, the event displays some 9,800 artifacts excavated at 18 archaeological sites.

"Traces left by past civilizations are the only witness of our past and an inseparable part of our existence," Artdaily quoted Macedonia Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski as saying.

Gorna Porta, Isar Marvinci, Stobi, Carevi Kuli and Heraklea are among the sites, the finds of which have been exhibited at the event.

Macedonia's Culture Minister Elizabeta Kanceska-Milevska and Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski attended the opening of the exhibition on Dec. 17, 2009.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=114908§ionid=3510212.

EU calls settlements in Jerusalem Al-Quds illegal

The European Union has said new settlements in East Jerusalem Al-Quds are illegal under international law and urged Israel to reconsider its plans.

“The presidency of the European Union is dismayed at the announcement of the Israeli government to build nearly 700 apartments in the occupied East Jerusalem Al-Quds,” said a statement issued on Monday from Sweden, which holds the EU presidency.

The Israeli Housing Ministry has sought bids for the construction of 692 new homes within Jewish settlements in annexed Arab East Jerusalem Al-Quds. Israel's continued expansion of the settlements is one of the biggest obstacles to the resumption of peace talks with the Palestinians.

The plans to build about 700 new Jewish homes in areas of the occupied West Bank has even prompted strong US criticism.

The United States has said it opposes Jewish settlement construction on occupied land and has urged Israel and the Palestinians to resume the negotiations, which have been stalled for a year.

A spokesman for Palestinian Authority acting chief Mahmoud Abbas condemned the Israeli plan, saying new construction on territory occupied by Israel since the 1967 Middle East war is illegal.

The Israeli Housing Ministry has invited contractors to bid for the construction of 198 housing units in Pisgat Zeev, 377 homes in Neve Yaakov, and 117 dwellings in Har Homa, settlements near Jerusalem Al-Quds.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=114861§ionid=351020202.

Chavez warns of US-Colombia plot

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has accused the United States and Colombia of conspiring to build a fake guerrilla camp on Venezuelan territory in order to undermine his rule.

In a televised address at Fort Mara military base in the western city of Maracaibo, Chavez referred to the 'possibility' of a US-sponsored initiative by Colombia to put bodies and weapons of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) fighters in a neglected region of Venezuela in order to 'discredit' his government.

Colombia may transport corpses of leftist FARC rebels “to a mountain in Venezuelan territory, build some huts, an improvised camp, put some rifles there… and say 'There it is, the guerrilla camp in Venezuela,'” the Associated Press quoted him as saying on Monday.

“We have evidence that the Colombian government, instructed and supported, or rather directed by the United States, is preparing a false positive,” he noted, using statistical terminology to describe the feasibility of such a scheme.

“The verbal war against Venezuela began weeks ago, saying that we have I don't know how many guerrilla chiefs hidden here… that in Venezuela there are rebel camps protected by the Venezuelan government, which is absolutely false,” the Venezuelan president told soldiers stationed near the country's second largest city.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=114865§ionid=351020704.

Obama calls for release of detained protesters

US President Barack Obama has condemned what he called “Iran's crackdown on protesters” and called for the release of the people who were detained.

“We call for the immediate release of all who have been unjustly detained within Iran,” Obama said on Monday in Hawaii, where he is on vacation.

Obama said that the US will support protesters during the “extraordinary events.”

He made the comments after at least eight people were killed in clashes between security forces and demonstrators that broke out during the protests in Tehran on Sunday.

The Tehran police headquarters said that the police forces neither used violence nor fired a single bullet on Sunday.

Iran has always condemned US officials' meddling remarks about its internal affairs.

On Monday, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband hailed the “great courage” of opposition supporters who took part in illegal protests in Tehran one day earlier, during which several people were killed and public property was damaged.

In reaction to Miliband's remarks, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said that it will summon the British ambassador to Tehran over London's reaction to the unrest in the capital.

Tehran will summon British Ambassador Simon Lawrence Gass to formally protest the “meddling” remarks made by British officials, Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehman-Parast told Press TV on Monday.

Mehman-Parast said that the British have proven that they believe they will benefit from sowing discord among Iranians.

The Foreign Ministry spokesman also advised British officials to rethink their policy toward Iran.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=114864§ionid=351020101.

Russia denies involvement in Iran's internal affairs

The Russian Foreign Ministry has voiced concern over the recent anti-government protests in Iran and said Russia is not meddling in Iran's internal affairs.

The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Monday, after protests in Iran on Sunday during the Shia Muslim ceremonies for Ashura, which is the anniversary of the martyrdom of the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), Imam Hussein (PBUH).

At least eight people were killed in clashes between security forces and demonstrators that broke out during the protests, according to the Tehran police headquarters.

The police also said that the police forces neither used violence nor fired a single bullet on Sunday.

“We believe the most important thing in such a situation is to show restraint, and seek a compromise on the basis of the law, and also to take political efforts to prevent a further escalation of the confrontation,” the Russian Foreign Ministry statement added.

The Russians rejected allegations claiming Moscow was involved “in the internal political processes in Iran.”

Commenting on the allegations, the statement said, “We are convinced that this is the work of those opposed to Russian-Iranian cooperation.”

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=114862§ionid=351020101.

Livni accuses Netanyahu of using "gutter politics"

Israel's centrist Kadima party, led by former foreign minister Tzipi Livni, has accused the prime minister of using “gutter politics” in his proposal to give the party cabinet seats.

Benjamin Netanyahu's proposal for Kadima to join the broad-based coalition “cynically uses threats,” she said, adding that the offer has not split her party.

In rejecting the proposal, Livni accused Netanyahu of using “gutter politics,” saying he had made his offer after “he failed to split Kadima despite his efforts to do so.”

“The prime minister's proposal as relayed to the Kadima chairman does not express an honest desire for such partnership,” MP Yohanan Plasner told reporters after Kadima's parliamentary faction unanimously rejected the offer.

“A unity government has many advantages, but a national unity should not be an empty expression, but a commitment for a real partnership with a joint vision and principles and an agreed way to materialize these principles,” he said.

Netanyahu met Livni twice over the past few days after inviting her to join his government and form a coalition “to face the national and international challenges facing Israel today.”

Kadima, with 28 MPs, is the largest party in the 120-member Israeli parliament.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=114860§ionid=351020202.

Iran to summon UK envoy over Miliband remarks

The Iranian Foreign Ministry says it will summon the British ambassador to Tehran over London's reaction to the unrest in the capital on Sunday.

Tehran will summon British Ambassador Simon Lawrence Gass to formally protest the “meddling” remarks made by British officials, Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehman-Parast told Press TV on Monday.

Mehman-Parast said British Foreign Secretary David Miliband's comments were hasty and undiplomatic.

On Monday, Miliband hailed the “great courage” of opposition supporters who took part in illegal protests in Tehran one day earlier, during which several people were killed and public property was damaged.

In a statement issued in London, Miliband condemned the crackdown on the protesters, saying it was “particularly disturbing” since it happened during the holiest event for Shia Muslims, Ashura, which is the anniversary of the martyrdom of the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), Imam Hussein (PBUH).

At least eight people were killed in clashes between security forces and demonstrators that broke out during the protests, according to the Tehran police headquarters.

The police also said that the police forces neither used violence nor fired a single bullet on Sunday.

However, Miliband blamed the Islamic Republic for the deaths, saying they were “yet another reminder of how the Iranian regime deals with protest.”

Mehman-Parast said that the British have proven that they believe they will benefit from sowing discord among Iranians.

The Foreign Ministry spokesman also advised British officials to rethink their policy toward Iran.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=114854§ionid=351020101.

Canadians say Afghan war unwinnable

As new troops pack their bags to go to the war in Afghanistan, a new poll shows that a majority of Canadians say the eight-year conflict is not winnable.

The Ipsos Reid survey said on Tuesday that 66 percent of Canadians disagreed that "the build-up of troops will ultimately create a military victory over the Taliban."

Only 34 percent of Canadians thought the Afghan war was winnable, the poll found.

The opinion survey of 1,038 adults was conducted on behalf of Canwest News Service and Global National.

Earlier this month, US President Barack Obama ordered an increase of 30,000 forces to the war-torn country. With the extra troops pledged by NATO allies, some 150,000 foreign troops will be stationed in Afghanistan in 2010.

Experts have warned that the new surge will lead to more battles and a higher death rate among foreign soldiers as well as Afghan civilians.

Canada currently has about 2,800 soldiers in southern Kandahar province. Since 2002, 134 Canadian soldiers have died in Afghanistan.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=114866§ionid=351020701.

Drug seizures in Malaysia almost triple that of 2008

Kuala Lumpur - Malaysian customs police have seized a total of 52.1 million ringgit (14.9 million dollars) worth of drugs this year, a whopping 195.6-per-cent increase over 2008, a news report said Tuesday. Most of the drugs were seized at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport during passenger and luggage checks, said customs director- general Ibrahim Jaapar.

Last year, 17.6 million ringgit (5 million dollars) worth of drugs were seized.

"The modus operandi for smuggling drugs has become more sophisticated," Ibrahim was quoted as saying by the Star daily.

He said smugglers would dip clothes into liquid drugs and then dry them in order to "hide" the presence of the drugs, adding that the smugglers would have to dip the fabrics into water again to recover the drugs.

Ibrahim said customs officers would tighten security at all entry points into the country, with special emphasis on passengers from the Middle East and India.

Malaysia's tough drug laws prescribes a mandatory death sentence for those guilty of smuggling or trafficking most types of drugs.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/301290,drug-seizures-in-malaysia-almost-triple-that-of-2008.html.

Malaysia considers stopping government welfare for young smokers

Kuala Lumpur - A Malaysian minister has proposed that the government stops offering welfare aid for youths and students who are smokers, a news report said Tuesday. "They say they are poor, have nothing. But if they can buy cigarettes, we say you are not qualified to receive any aid," Youth and Sports Minister Ahmad Shabery Cheek was quoted as saying by the official Bernama news agency.

The government recently announced that the price of cigarettes would be raised from January 1 by more than 30 per cent. Cigarettes would cost 32 sen (9 US cents) a piece, from the current price of 24 sen.

The move was to reduce the ability to buy cigarettes, especially among the young and low-income groups.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/301293,malaysia-considers-stopping-government-welfare-for-young-smokers.html.

Seoul pardons former Samsung chairman to boost Olympic bid

Seoul- Lee Kun Hee, the former chairman of Samsung Group, was granted a pardon from a tax evasion conviction by the South Korean government Tuesday to help boost the country's bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympics. "The nation's business and sports circles have demanded a special pardon for former chairman Lee, citing the need to boost Pyeongchang's ongoing bid for the 2018 Winter Olympics," Justice Minister Lee Kwi Nam was quoted as saying by the Yonhap news agency.

"I could not ignore the repeated pleas from business and sports communities that Lee is vital for their bid to host the Olympics. I have decided to pardon him from the perspective of national interest," KBS TV quoted President Lee Myung Bak as saying.

The sports community has sought to reinstate Lee, a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), saying that Lee's role was key to Pyeongchang's third bid to host the games.

In 2003, the city lost its bid for the 2010 Olympics to Vancouver, Canada, and in 2007, Pyeongchang was beaten by Russia's Sochi to host the 2014 games.

Lee, 67, said in 2008 that he would not act as an IOC member unless he was free from legal problems.

Civic groups opposed the pardon, criticizing it as favouritism that contradicted the principle of equality before the law.

He resigned as chairman in April 2008 over his alleged involvement in a scandal over an illegal bonds transfer in a move to give his son control of Samsung.

He was later cleared of charges of breach of trust but sentenced to a three-year suspended prison term for tax evasion.

He was also accused of involvement in the scandal surrounding the Samsung slush fund, which was allegedly used to bribe influential figures in South Korea.

Lee, the son of Samsung's founder, helped Samsung group to grow into a major producer of cellphones, digital televisions, flat screens and memory chips during his chairmanship of more than two decades.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/301303,seoul-pardons-former-samsung-chairman-to-boost-olympic-bid.html.

North Korea confirms arrest of US citizen for illegal entry

Seoul - North Korea said Tuesday it had detained a US citizen who illegally crossed the border from China, confirming earlier reports that the activist entered the Stalinist state. Activists have said that Robert Park, 28, crossed into North Korea Friday, carrying a letter for leader Kim Jong II asking him to liberate concentration camps and raise awareness of Pyongyang's human rights abuses.

"An American citizen illegally entered the country across the North Korea-China border and has been detained," the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, without confirming the man's name. He was being questioned by a "related authority," KCNA added.

According to earlier media reports, Park, who leads a coalition of advocacy groups for North Korean defectors, said he would deliver a message to Kim Jong Il to step down, and that he wanted to be arrested to pressure the US, South Korean and Japanese governments to pay attention to the plight of North Korean people.

In March, North Korean border guards seized two Asian-American journalists from San Francisco-based Current TV near the Tumen River.

Pyongyang prosecuted Laura Ling and Euna Lee on charges of committing "hostile acts" against the regime. In a widely publicized visit, former US president Bill Clinton traveled to Pyongyang in August to secure the journalists' release.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/301304,north-korea-confirms-arrest-of-us-citizen-for-illegal-entry.html.

EXTRA: Britain condemns execution of drug smuggler in China

London - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Tuesday he was "appalled and disappointed" by China's decision to execute a British citizen for drug smuggling. Akmal Shaik, 53, from London, was executed despite a last-minute plea by the British government early Tuesday. His family said he was suffering from a mental illness.

"I condemn the execution of Akmal Shaikh in the strongest terms, and am appalled and disappointed that our persistent requests for clemency have not been granted. I am particularly concerned that no mental health assessment was undertaken," Brown said in a statement released in London.

Foreign Secretary David Miliband also condemned the execution. He said Britain was "completely opposed to the use of the death penalty in all circumstances."

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/301310,extra-britain-condemns-execution-of-drug-smuggler-in-china.html.

Thai health minister resigns in stimulus scandal

Bangkok - Thai Public Health Minister Wittaya Kaewparadai resigned Tuesday after "irregularities" were exposed in the ministry's plans for an 86-billion-baht (2.6-billion-dollar) budget that was part of an economic stimulus scheme. "I will tender my letter of resignation tomorrow to confirm that some politicians can do what the people want," Wittaya told a press conference.

Wittaya, a member of the ruling Democrat Party, was one of 11 politicians and health ministry officials linked to irregularities in projects under the government's stimulus scheme, labeled "Thailand - Investing from Strength to Strength."

A committee set up to investigate loopholes in the scheme found that the health ministry had planned several dubious investments, such as the purchase of ultraviolet sanitizing fans for state hospitals for 80,000 baht (2,424 dollars), double the normal price.

The committee also found that the ministry had unfairly allocated funds to certain provinces, such as plans for new hospitals in Ratchburi province, a relatively small province which already has four hospitals while many larger provinces only have one.

Ratchburi happens to be the political base of Deputy Health Minister Manit Nop-Amornbodi, one of the other politicians fingered by the investigation.

Manit is a member of the Bhumjai Thai Party, one of the key partners in the current coalition government led by the Democrats.

The opposition Puea Thai Party plans to lodge a no-confidence motion against the government next month.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/301308,thai-health-minister-resigns-in-stimulus-scandal.html.

Two Tajiks killed by mine near border with Uzbekistan

Dushanbe - A Tajik married couple collecting wood died after stepping on a landmine near the border with Uzbekistan, officials said Monday. The mine was left over from the 1992-97 civil war in the east of the former Soviet republic.

Tajikistan announced in March that it was unable to demine all of the conflict area, as it was supposed to do under the anti-mine convention signed in Ottawa in 1997.

Some 354 people have been killed by mines in the region since 1992, according to official Tajikistan figures.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/301226,two-tajiks-killed-by-mine-near-border-with-uzbekistan.html.

Spanish police seize biggest ever airport cocaine haul

Vitoria, Spain - Spanish police on Monday intercepted a two- ton shipment of cocaine being smuggled into the Basque regional capital from Colombia, investigators said. Investigators said it was the largest illegal air-shipment of narcotics ever confiscated by Spanish police. The high-grade cocaine is worth approximately 70 million euros (100,860,000 dollars) on the black market, they said.

The cocaine, hidden amongst 47,000 roses and carnations, was discovered on an airplane which landed at the regional capital of Vitoria in northern Spain. Police arrested 13 people suspected of belonging to an international smuggling ring.

The smuggling band had recently conducted a test flight with legal goods. Police refused to identify the nationality of the suspects.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/301228,spanish-police-seize-biggest-ever-airport-cocaine-haul.html.

Families of missing Israeli soldiers in Egypt for memorial ceremony

Cairo (Earth Times - dpa) - The families of 17 Israeli soldiers who went missing during the 1973 war with Egypt landed in Cairo Monday for a memorial ceremony, a source at Cairo airport said. The families arrived in the Egyptian capital aboard two Israeli military jets and were taken directly to the Gulf of Suez, where they planned to lay wreaths of flowers for their loved ones.

Their visit came a day ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's scheduled talks with Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak in Cairo.

Egyptian officials said the families would return to Cairo airport to be taken directly back to Israel.

Turkish prosecutors carry out new search of military premises

Istanbul - Prosecutors on Tuesday carried out another search of a military directorate in connection with an alleged plot to assassinate Turkey's deputy prime minister, media reports said. The search came two days after the Turkish military Saturday reported that eight of its officers were arrested in connection with the alleged plot.

In a note posted on its website, the General Staff said that the officers from the military's Mobilization Regional Directorate in Ankara were detained during a search of their offices by public prosecutors.

An investigation was launched last week after a guard at the home of Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc noticed suspicious activity near the property.

According to Turkish press reports, two members of the military who were parked near Arinc's house were arrested on December 19 but later released.

In a statement released on its website, the military said the two were conducting surveillance "regarding a military personnel member living in the area and who is suspected to leak information."

There are concerns that the arrests could lead to increased tension between the liberal Islamic government of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the traditionally secularist military.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/301241,turkish-prosecutors-carry-out-new-search-of-military-premises.html.

Astronomer Copernicus' remains to be re-buried after 467 years

Warsaw - The remains of Renaissance astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, excavated in 2005 by archeologists in north-eastern Poland, are to be re-buried next year, a church spokesman said Monday. Copernicus's skull and leg bones were discovered during excavations by Polish archeologists four year ago at the Frombork Cathedral, in the town where Copernicus made key observations.

A DNA test confirmed the bones as belonging to the Renaissance polymath in 2008.

The church spokesman of the diocese of Warmia, where Copernicus died, said the astronomer's bones are to be buried under the altar of the Frombork Cathedral on May 22. Work on a two-tonne tombstone of black granite is set to begin in January.

The burial is to coincide with the 750th anniversary of the founding of Frombork, where Copernicus was a member of the church.

Nicolaus Copernicus is most famous for his work On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres, first printed in 1543 in Nuremburg, Germany.

In it, he offered a heliocentric view of the cosmos which challenged the geocentric model of Ptolemy - in other words, that the earth went around the sun, rather vice-versa.

The latter had been Church dogma for hundreds of years.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/301242,astronomer-copernicuss-remains-to-be-re-buried-after-467-years.html.

German foreign minister admits he felt nervous at the start

Berlin- German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle admitted in an interview placed online Monday that he had felt nervous when he started out in the new job in November and met with world leaders. As he was about to enter the French presidential palace in Paris, the thought crossed his mind, "I hope there isn't any fold in the carpet which you immediately trip over," he told the weekly magazine Stern in an interview.

Explaining why he had been so focussed on not making any embarrassing blunder, he said, "I didn't grow up in a palace, I grew up in a terraced house in the old part of the city of Bonn."

The minister, who is leader of the Free Democratic Party (FDP), also admitted that he had been upset by the mockery he had encountered in the German media in October over his skills.

The media lampooned him after he declined to answer a question in English at a Berlin news conference, just after his party won enough votes at the September 27 election to enter Chancellor Angela Merkel's government.

"In the first few days, some of them seemed surprised that I even knew how to eat with a knife and fork," he told Stern, but added that he did not perceive this as a sign of latent hostility among Germans towards homosexual men.

"I cannot believe in Germany this has anything to do with the fact that I live with another man," he said.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/301246,german-foreign-minister-admits-he-felt-nervous-at-the-start.html.

Russia warns of possible halt in oil supplies to Europe

Bratislava - Russia has warned of a possible halt in oil supplies to three European Union members via Ukraine, Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico said Monday. Russia had informed the EU that Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Slovenia could be affected by disruptions in oil supplies in the New Year, Fico told a news conference in Bratislava.

Unresolved oil transit issues between Russia and Ukraine, including pricing, are behind the looming disruptions.

"It's not about a shortage of oil," Fico said, "but about a bilateral dispute between two countries who are not EU members but who are vitally important for Slovakia and a few other EU nations when it comes to energy supplies."

The three countries affected get their oil from Russia via the Drushba (friendship) pipeline. Slovakia is virtually dependent on Russian oil.

In January 2009, a price dispute with Ukraine prompted Russia to halt gas supplies to Europe for several days, leaving some countries without heating during severe winter weather.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/301247,russia-warns-of-possible-halt-in-oil-supplies-to-europe.html.

Uzbekistan president consolidate power in parliamentary elections

Tashkent/Moscow- Political parties close to authoritarian President Islam Karimov consolidated their power in parliamentary elections held in Uzbekistan, the Interfax agency reported Monday. The electoral commission in the capital Tashkent said turnout in Sunday's poll was close to 88 per cent, or 15.1 million voters. All four major parties backed the president in their race for the 135- seat lower house.

Election observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) declared that the elections were neither free nor fair.

Karimov allows no opposition parties which do not back his rule, and the country has no free media.

In December, the OSCE complained that Tashkent had rejected reforms and violating human rights.

Karimov, 71, won re-election as president in 2007 for another seven-year term. He has been president since 1989.

Uzbekistan hosts the Termez airbase, used by western powers for operations in Afghanistan.

In 2005 the European Union lifted an arms embargo against the country.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/301248,uzbekistan-president-consolidate-power-in-parliamentary-elections.html.

Somalia: Al-Shabaab Rejects Plans for State in Southern Region

Abdulkadir Khali
28 December 2009

Mogadishu — The authority in Southern Somalia's Juba region that is controlled by al-Shabaab, the Islamist group opposing the Transitional Federal Government has rejected the possibility of pro-government groups forming a semi-autonomous state in Southern Somalia.

Sheikh Hassan Yakoub Ali, the Information Officer of al-Shabaab Administration in Juba region, spoke on the pro-Islamist Radio, Al-Andalus, in Kismayu town, 500 kilometers south of Mogadishu, telling the listeners that no other group can form a state in Southern Somalia.

Sheikh Yakoub was responding to claims by Mr Aden Mohamed Nur alias Saransour, an influential politician in southern Somalia, who announced on Saturday, that a meeting was held on the issue in Dolo town, 370 kilometers southwest of Mogadishu.

Mr Saransour had stated that the objective of the conference was to plan ways of establishing a semi-autonomous state for six regions in Southern Somalia.

The town of Dolo is at the strategic border junction between Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia.

According to Mr Saransour, 200 delegates participated in the meeting representing the inhabitants of Gedo, Bay, Bakol, Lower Juba, Middle Juba and Lower Shabelle regions, all of them lying southwest of Mogadishu, the capital. "What the 200 delegates discussed is how to liberate the south-western regions from Islamist radical groups opposing the TFG," said Mr Saransour.

Mr Saransour indicated that a technical committee was formed to work on the way forward. He also stated that pro-government officials that participated in the talks included three legislators, namely Barre Aden Shire Hirale, Abdullahi Sheikh Ismael, a former Foreign Affairs Minister, and Mohamud Sayid Aden.

If realized, the proposed state will join other states like Galmudug and Puntland that were respectively formed over the years in the central and north-eastern regions of Somalia. Somaliland in north-western Somalia, however, declared its independence from the rest of Somalia in May 1991, but remains without international recognition.

Source: allAfrica.
Link: http://allafrica.com/stories/200912281349.html.

Algeria nat'l team gets surprise visit from Zidane

By Paul Kennedy
Monday December 28, 2009

Algeria, which the U.S. will face in its third and final group game at the World Cup, began training Sunday for the 2010 African Nations Cup. The Desert Foxes had a special guest late Sunday night at their hotel in Castellet, France, when former French star Zinedine Zidane, born to Algerian parents, visited them.

"We're all touched by Zidane's gesture, which was a surprise," said Algeria coach Rabah Saadane.

Saadane is expected to name his 23-player team for the African Cup of Nations in Angola on Wednesday. He has been downplaying expectations about Algeria's chances in Angola.

"This tournament comes at a really bad time for us," he said. "We're tired from World Cup qualifying, so everyone shouldn't expect miracles."

Four players -- Hassan Yebda and Nadir Belhadj of Portsmouth, Hamuer Bouazza of Blackpool and Algerian Player of the Year Madjid Bougherra of Glasgow Rangers -- were given permission to remain with their teams through the busy holiday schedule in Britain.

Abdelmalek Ziaya of ES Setif is the only player in camp who did not take part in World Cup qualifying.

Antar Yahia, whose goal won the playoff game against Egypt, has a leg injury and his status is up in the air. The team doctor at German club Bochum, where he plays, said he would not play, but Yahia said he'd go even if it meant he'd have to play on one leg.

The Fennecs face Malawi, Mali and Angola in group play. They open Jan. 11 against Malawi.

Source: Sports Illustrated.
Link: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/soccer/12/28/algeria.zidane/.

Somalia: Ahlu-Sunnah Waljama stops vehicle laden with explosive materials

The officials of the moderate Islamists faction of Ahlu-Sunnah Waljama in Gedo region northwest of the Somali capital Mogadishu have announced that they have apprehended a vehicle loaded with explosive equipments.

“On Tuesday night our patrolling security personnel have stopped a vehicle, and ransacked and found explosive equipments which were hidden at the underneath of the vehicle they have also succeeded in catching those figures that were carrying
the explosive materials” said the spokesman of Ahlu-Sunnah Waljama at Dolow district in Gedo region speaking to Somaiweyn Website on Tuesday morning.

The spokesman has also added that they have stopped the vehicle in an area between Bula-Hawo and Dolow district, and according the statement of the spokesman of Ahlu-Sunnah Waljama the vehicle was heading towards Bay region which is a strong hold of Al-Shabab.

It was less than 3 days when the security personnel of Ahlu-Sunnah Waljama have apprehended 4 men carrying explosive things in the same district of Dolow. Somaliweyn English News Desk.

Source: Somaliweyn Media Center.
Link: http://www.somaliweyn.org/pages/news/Dec_09/29Dec12.html.