Tibet, China officials to meet for first time in 15 months - Update

Tue, 26 Jan 2010

Beijing/Washington - Envoys of the Dalai Lama traveled to China Tuesday for a meeting with Chinese government officials, the first since a November 2008 round of talks ended in mutual recrimination. The precise venue for the talks, scheduled to last several days, was still undecided Tuesday. The arrival of the Tibetan spiritual leader's representatives was picked up by international news agencies but not mentioned in Chinese state media.

Previous talks ended when Beijing rejected a memorandum compiled by Tibetan delegates Lodi Gyari and Kelsang Gyaltsen spelling out a comprehensive concept for wide-ranging autonomy. That proposal had been requested by Beijing in a previous round of talks in 2008.

The US government welcomed the talks and said it "hopes this meeting will produce positive results and provide a foundation for future discussions to resolve outstanding issues," the State Department said.

Tibet activists regarded the talks as a sign that both sides valued continuing their dialogue.

"Given the context of the continuing repression in Tibet and an overall backsliding from the Chinese government on human rights, we hope that this time, there will be an indication that the Chinese side is interested in engaging in a results-based dialogue," said Mary Beth Markey of the International Campaign for Tibet.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/305817,tibet-china-officials-to-meet-for-first-time-in-15.html.

Several killed in bombing of African Union peacekeepers in Somalia

Tue, 26 Jan 2010

Nairobi/Mogadishu (Earth Times) - Somalia's Islamist al-Shabaab militia on Tuesday claimed responsibility for the previous night's bombing of the headquarters of African Union peacekeepers in the capital Mogadishu. "Three soldiers sustained minor injuries while several other Somalis were killed and wounded," African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) spokesman Major Barigye Bahuko told the German Press Agency.

The exact number of casualties was not clear but civilians were believed to be among the dead from the heavy explosion that reportedly occurred at a clinic in the troop compound, he said.

Hours before the bombing, the United Nations' Special Envoy to Somalia, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, and the AU's representative to Somalia, Boubacar Diarra held talks with Somali leaders in Mogadishu.

"We killed some of the senior medical officers in the mercenary base ... it is part of our retaliation attack against the occupiers," al-Shabaab spokesman Sheikh Ali Mahomoud Rage was quoted in reports as having announced after the bombing.

Al-Shabaab targeted the AU headquarters last year in a suicide bombing that claimed several lives, including that of the mission's deputy commander.

Somalia has had no functioning government since 1991. The transitional government of Sheikh Sharif Ahmed does not have full control of the country - even in Mogadishu, where insurgents hold sway.

The AU peacekeeping force, comprised of around 5,000 troops from Uganda and Burundi, are tasked with securing the government quarter and the airport.

US envoy Mitchell brought nothing new to region, Palestinians say

Tue, 26 Jan 2010

Ramallah - US Middle East peace envoy George Mitchell did not deliver "anything new" in his meetings in the region last week aimed at bringing Israelis and Palestinians back to the negotiating table, senior Palestinian officials said Tuesday. Nabil Shaath, an adviser to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said in a statement that the US has exerted pressure on the Palestinian Authority (PA) to resume negotiations with Israel without a halt to settlement construction.

Shaath also accused Washington and Mitchell of pressuring Abbas to resume peace talks without meeting any of the Palestinian demands for resumption of negotiations.

Israel-Palestinian peace talks were suspended in late 2008 as Israel began an election campaign.

The talks have not been resumed since Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu took office at the end of March 2009, and Abbas says they will not restart unless and until Israel suspends all settlement construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

A 10-month partial freeze announced by Netanyahu in November, which did not include East Jerusalem, was rejected in Ramallah as insufficient.

Mitchell, who wrapped up his most recent trip to Israel and the Palestinian areas on Sunday, has made frequent visits to the region, shuttling between the sides in a so-far unsuccessful attempt to bridge the gaps between them.

"US pressure on the PA not to waste what they consider is an opportunity will not force us to return to negotiations with Israel as long as settlements continue in the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem," Shaath said.

"We believe that a return to the negotiating table will be useless and will serve as a cover to Israeli settlements," said Shaath, a former PA foreign minister.

Another senior Palestinian official denied press reports that Mitchell carried with him a new initiative to revive stalled peace talks.

Yaser Abed Rabbo, also a close adviser to Abbas, dismissed the reports as "rumors" in an interview with Voice of Palestine radio.

"There are many reports and rumors," he said, adding that "I have not heard of any such American proposal."

He said there was nothing new in the discussions held so far, explaining that there will not be any negotiations before making these thoughts clear.

Nimr Hammad, another adviser to Abbas, had told Palestinian media that Mitchell had proposed confidence building measures including expanding the West Bank area under full PA control, removing Israeli checkpoints and release of prisoners as well as holding talks at the ministerial level in order to kick-start summit meetings between the Palestinian and Israeli leaderships.

Abbas told Mitchell that these ideas were good but that they should not be a condition to resume negotiations, stressing total halt to settlement activities, including in East Jerusalem, before returning to the negotiating table with Israel, Hammad said.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/305835,us-envoy-mitchell-brought-nothing-new-to-region-palestinians-say.html.

North-west China struggles under strongest snowfalls in 60 years

Tue, 26 Jan 2010

Beijing - China's government promised "effective measures" as record snowfalls and cold temperatures in the north-western region of Xingjiang caused several deaths and severe damage to the local economy. At least 13 people have died in the cold snap, and 1.42 million people have been affected as more than 7,000 houses collapsed and many more were damaged as temperatures dropped below minus 26 degrees Celsius amid heavy snowfalls, state media reported.

Prime Minister Wen Jiabao visited the affected region on the weekend and promised government help.

"The Spring Festival [China's Lunar New Year holiday] is drawing near. We must implement well relief measures and make sure that people in blizzard-hit regions will have a peaceful and happy festival," Wen was quoted as saying by the Xinhua news agency.

Wen promised further government aid in addition to the 65.4 million yuan (9.6 million dollars) in emergency aid pledged by local authorities. Finance Minister Xie Xuren promised 14 million yuan to support farmers.

Last week, Beijing pledged 124 million yuan in emergency aid for Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/305834,north-west-china-struggles-under-strongest-snowfalls-in-60-years.html.

Merkel: Germany to send 850 extra troops to Afghanistan - Update

Tue, 26 Jan 2010

Berlin - Germany is to send up to 850 extra soldiers to Afghanistan, Chancellor Angela Merkel confirmed Tuesday. Around 500 of those troops are to be sent directly to join the circa 4,500-strong contingent already there - mostly in the north of the country where Germany holds the regional command of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

Speaking in Berlin, Merkel confirmed that a further 350 troops would be kept as a "flexible reserve", to be used to provide extra security in events such as the parliamentary election scheduled for the autumn.

A major NATO conference on Afghanistan strategy will take place in London on Thursday. Pressure has been growing on Germany from NATO allies to sent extra troops for the ISAF mission.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/305839,merkel-germany-to-send-850-extra-troops-to-afghanistan--update.html.

H1N1 shots halted after fetus deaths

Vaccination of pregnant women against A(H1N1) was ordered halted in Satun province after two fetuses died in the wombs of vaccinated women, provincial governor Sumeth Lertchaivanichkul said on Thursday.

Mr Sumeth said the order stopping the vaccination of pregnant women was sent to all hospitals in the province. The two deaths were being investigated.

New reports quoting villagers of Thungwa district spread on Wednesday that the foetuses of two women died two days after they were vaccinated at Thungwa Hospital.

Mr Sumeth said Satun public health chief Samruam Danprachankul had reported that his office received about 7,000 doses of H1N1 vaccine which was distributed to all hospitals in the province.

Thungwa Hospital received 400 doses, which it began administering to people in high-risk groups, including the two women - one eight-months pregnant and the other 27-weeks pregnant.

Two days later the two women felt something unusual and returned to Thungwa Hospital for a checkup. Doctors found that both fetuses had died. The exact cause of the deaths was not known.

The dead babies were sent to the hospital at Prince of Songkla University in Hat Yai for examination, the governor said.

Mr Sumeth said on receiving the report he ordered the suspension of the vaccination of pregnant women, pending the result of the examination.

He also verbally reported the details to interior permanent secretary Manit Wattanasen.

The vaccination of high-risk groups against A(H1N1) flu began early this month after the Public Health Ministry received two million doses of the vaccine, purchased overseas at a cost of 600 million baht.

The ministry wants people in five high-risk groups to be vaccinated first -- doctors, nurses, frontline healthcare workers, women more than three months pregnant, and people aged between six months and 64 years with chronic health problems.

Source: Bangkok Post.
Link: http://www.bangkokpost.com/breakingnews/166750/h1n1-vaccination-halted-after-deaths-of-foetuses.

Tunisian TV mogul held in South Africa on Interpol warrant

2010-01-27

The Tunisian head of Britain’s most popular Muslim television station, the Islam Channel, was freed by a South African court on Tuesday (January 26th) after being detained since last week-end on a nearly two-decade-old Interpol arrest warrant, international press reported on Tuesday (January 26th). Mohamed Ali Harrath, 46, now a UK resident, also works as a Scotland Yard adviser against Islamic extremism. As a young man, he co-founded the Tunisian Islamic Front (FIT). He was sentenced in absentia on terrorism charges by a Tunisian court before being granted political asylum in the UK. Interpol placed a "red alert" on Harrath in 1992.

Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://magharebia.com/en_GB/articles/awi/newsbriefs/general/2010/01/27/newsbrief-05.

Algeria, US discuss joint air force strategy against terrorism

2010-01-27

Senior Algerian Air Force officials and the commander of US Air Forces in Africa met in Algiers on Tuesday (January 26th) to discuss co-operation in the fight against terrorism in the Maghreb and Sahel regions, Tout sur l'Algerie reported. The US is "prepared to work together with Algeria to guarantee stability and to deal with these threats," Major General Ronald Ladnier was quoted as saying. According to APS, his trip aims to develop a joint strategy by the Algerian and American air forces.

Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://magharebia.com/en_GB/articles/awi/newsbriefs/general/2010/01/27/newsbrief-03.

Spanish PM seeks meeting with Mauritania

2010-01-27

Spanish Prime Minster José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero wants to meet with presidents Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz of Mauritania and Amadou Toumani Touré of Mali next week-end in Addis Ababa to discuss the three Spanish hostages held by al-Qaeda, Spanish daily El Pais reported on Wednesday (January 27th). Zapatero, who will be in Ethiopia to attend the African Union summit, reportedly considers the roles of Touré and Abdel Aziz as crucial in freeing the humanitarian aid workers, since they were kidnapped in Mauritania and are now thought to be held by al-Qaeda in Mali.

Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://magharebia.com/en_GB/articles/awi/newsbriefs/general/2010/01/27/newsbrief-02.

Maghreb region rallies behind Algeria squad

2010-01-27

Celebrations erupted across the Maghreb as football fans celebrated neighbor Algeria's advancement to the CAN semi-finals

By Naoufel Cherkaoui in Rabat, Mohamed Foily in Nouakchott and Mona Yahia in Tunis

Cheers and jubilations were heard all across the Maghreb on Sunday (January 24th) when Algeria, the sole Maghreb team left standing in the African Cup of Nations, defeated the Cote d'Ivoire Elephants 3-2 to advance to the tournament semi-finals.

Sports fans in Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia waved Algerian flags as they gathered in homes and cafes to catch the latest African action on the pitch. Despite disappointment over their national teams' ousters, fans took pleasure in Algeria's victory and voiced their hopes that the next CAN champion would come from the Maghreb.

"Congratulations to the Algerian team and to our fellow brothers for their achievement," said Salim, watching the game in Rabat. "I raise my hat to the players who faced all obstacles. I truly wish they will make it to the end of the contest, play against the Egyptians and crush them, and silence all those who doubt that the Maghrebis are the leaders of soccer."

Moroccan followers were happier with the Greens' performance during the second half. Down 2-1 against Cote d'Ivoire, many Moroccans had given up all hope until Fennecs defender Madjid Bougherra knocked in the equalizer. Bougherra's second goal in extra time, which put Algeria on top, was met with considerable relief by Moroccan fans.

"Algeria played a historic game against one of Africa's toughest teams," said Moroccan fan Adel. "The players did a great job during the second half time, though they wasted many chances."

In Tunisia, fans overcame the Carthage Eagles' heartbreaking exit from CAN to root for their neighbors. Filling cafes at a late hour to watch the game, Tunisians roared with excitement when Algeria came away with a victory.

"They are the real heroes," Mohamed, a newspaper vendor, told Magharebia on Sunday.

"Why couldn't the Tunisians show such a level of performance since they had all the necessary resources made available to them?" lamented Hasiba, who watched the match from Tunis.

"I was really impressed by the performance of the Algerian national team," said civil servant Nizar Daou. "It reminded me of the glory of that team twenty years ago when it used to be among the toughest African national teams."

In a strange twist of fate, Mauritania turned out to be the only country in the Maghreb with home access to the Al Jazeera football broadcasts. Though Mauritanian football fans are split between Algeria, Mali and Cote d'Ivoire, many Mauritanians were thrilled with the Greens' domination over Cote d'Ivoire.

"I told you so," Nouakchott university student Mohamed Ali told his friends.

Another fan sported a scarf with Algeria colors. "We've formed an Algeria fan club and we're watching the matches together," he told Magharebia.

"They're doing the Arab Maghreb proud."

Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/articles/2010/01/27/feature-03.

North Korea resumes firing artillery amid tension

By HYUNG-JIN KIM, Associated Press Writer

SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea fired more artillery near its disputed western sea border with South Korea on Thursday, a day after it lobbed dozens of shells during military exercises that prompted the South to respond with warning shots.

North Korea fired several artillery shells early Thursday that are believed to have landed in its waters, an official at Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity citing department policy, said South Korea did not respond but was closely watching the North's maneuvers.

The poorly marked sea border — drawn by the American-led U.N. Command at the end of the Korean War — is a constant source of tension between the two Koreas. Their navies fought a skirmish in November that left one North Korean sailor dead and three others wounded, and engaged in bloodier battles in the area in 1999 and 2002.

It was the first exchange of fire between the two Koreas since November's skirmish, and could be aimed at raising tensions to emphasize that the peninsula remains a war zone and push for a treaty formally ending the 1950-53 Korean War.

South Korea and the United States have insisted that North Korea return to nuclear disarmament talks before any treaty can be concluded.

The North previously had announced two no-sail zones in the area, including some South Korean-held waters, through March 29.

On Wednesday morning, North Korea fired about 30 artillery rounds into the sea from its western coast and South Korea quickly responded with 100 warning shots from a nearby marine base, Seoul's Defense Ministry and Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

The North fired more shells later Wednesday and issued a statement saying it was part of an annual drill and that it would continue. No casualties or damage were reported.

In Washington, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley criticized the North on Wednesday for raising tension, saying the no-sail zone designation and the firing were "provocative actions and, as such, are not helpful."

Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell also urged the North to rejoin the six-nation nuclear talks to achieve security and international respect.

"Provocative actions such as those that we saw yesterday are clearly not part of that path," he said.

North Korea argues that it was compelled to develop nuclear weapons to cope with a military threat from the U.S.

The U.S. and North Korea have never had diplomatic relations because the Korean War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty, leaving the peninsula technically at war. North Korea, the United Nations Command and China signed the cease-fire, but South Korea never did.

North Korea is said to believe a peace treaty with the U.S. would provide security and status, help ensure the survival of its government and give it a stronger hand against rival South Korea. A treaty could also raise the question of whether the U.S. needs to maintain about 28,500 troops in the South — a legacy of the war.

"It's again confirmed that the North Korean regime is a warlike group that easily disrupts peace with an armed provocation though it often talks about a peace treaty," South Korea's mass-circulation Dong-a Ilbo newspaper said in an editorial Thursday. It said South Korea should bolster its defenses against North Korean aggression.

President Barack Obama, in his State of the Union address Wednesday night, mentioned North Korea as an example of U.S. diplomatic efforts to clamp down on states pursuing nuclear weapons.

"That is why North Korea now faces increased isolation and stronger sanctions — sanctions that are being vigorously enforced," he said.

Separately, North Korea announced Thursday it is holding an American who crossed into its territory from China, the second detention of a U.S. citizen it has reported in the past several weeks.

The man was detained Monday and is under investigation, the North's official Korean Central News Agency said. It did not identify him by name or provide further details.

North Korea said late last month that it was holding another U.S. citizen for illegally entering the country. The man is widely believed to be Robert Park, an American missionary who reportedly crossed over a frozen river into North Korea to raise the issue of human rights.

Stunning recovery: Haitian girl pulled from debris

By BEN FOX and GREGORY BULL, Associated Press Writers

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – French rescuers pulled a teenage girl — very dehydrated, with a broken left leg and moments from death — from the rubble of a home near the destroyed St. Gerard University on Wednesday, a stunning recovery 15 days after an earthquake devastated the city.

Darlene Etienne was rushed to a French military field hospital and then to the French military hospital ship Sirroco, groaning through an oxygen mask with her eyes open in a lost stare.

"She's alive!" said paramedic Paul Francois-Valette, who accompanied her into the hospital.

Authorities say it is rare for anyone to survive more than 72 hours without water, little alone more than two weeks. But Etienne may have had some access to water from a bathroom of the collapsed home, and rescuers said she mumbled something about having a little Coca-Cola with her in the rubble.

Her family said Etienne, 17, had just started studying when the disaster struck, trapping dozens of students and staff in the rubble of school buildings, hostels and nearby homes.

"We thought she was dead," her cousin, Jocelyn A. St. Jules, said in a telephone call with The Associated Press.

Then — half a month after the earthquake — neighbors on Wednesday heard a voice weakly calling from the rubble of a private home down the road from the collapsed university. They called authorities, who brought in the French civil response team.

Rescuer Claude Fuilla then walked along the dangerously crumbled roof, heard her voice and saw a little bit of dust-covered black hair in the rubble. Clearing away some debris, he managed to reach the young woman and see she was alive — barely.

"She couldn't really talk to us or say how long she'd been there but I think she'd been there since the earthquake. I don't think she could have survived even a few more hours," Fuilla said.

Digging out a hole big enough to give her oxygen and water, they found she had a very weak pulse. Within 45 minutes they managed to remove her, covered in dust. Fuilla said she was rescued from what appeared to be the porch area of the house, but a neighbor said he believed it was the shower room, where she might have had access to water.

"It's exceptional. She spoke to us in a very little voice, she was extremely weak," Fuilla said. "Before we stabilized her she was extremely dehydrated and weak she had a very low blood pressure."

Another rescuer, French Lt. Col. Christophe Renou, said he had no idea how she had managed to cling to life for so long: "Definitely she's been here for 15 days. She wasn't hurt but she was very, very weak."

Renou said his team would probably return Thursday with radar equipment to look for any other possible survivors.

French Ambassador Didier le Bret praised the persistence of the French rescue team, which has kept looking for survivors for days after the Haitian government officially called off the search.

"They are so stubborn because they should not have been working anymore because, officially, the rescue phase is over. But they felt that some lives still are to be saved, so we did not say that they should leave the country," he told Associated Press Television News.

"To be honest we thought that the last miracle we had a couple of days ago ... would be the last miracle because the chances are so very, very slight. But it seems that beyond the miracle, there was another miracle."

The last previous confirmed rescue of someone trapped by the initial quake occurred Saturday, 11 days later, when French rescuers extricated a man from the ruins of a hotel grocery store. A man pulled Tuesday from the rubble of a downtown store later and treated by the U.S. military for severe dehydration and a broken leg said he had been trapped during an aftershock.

At least 135 people have been unearthed by rescue teams since the Jan. 12 quake, and many more by relatives and neighbors. But most of these rescues were in the immediate aftermath and authorities say it is rare for anyone to survive more than 72 hours without water.

'No security concerns for Egypt, Algeria clash'

Jan 27 2010

Africa Cup of Nations' organizers insisted on Tuesday they do not expect a repeat of the violent clashes sparked by November's World Cup play-off between Egypt and Algeria when the bitter rivals face off again in Thursday's semifinal.

Unconfirmed reports suggest Algeria will have upwards of 1 000 fans in Benguela while Egypt are expecting around 400 but the high costs of travel to Angola as well as stringent entry visa requirements may lead to far fewer fans turning up.

Those numbers are but a fraction of the crowds that attended November's play-off in Kartoum and the final World Cup qualifier before that in Cairo, which both prompted violent incidents that sparked a diplomatic row between the two countries.

Egypt and Algeria's foreign ministers, speaking by phone on Tuesday, agreed on the importance for both sides of approaching the match in Benguela "wisely", an Egyptian ministry spokesman said.

The Arab League also called for the two countries to overcome their differences and "prove that the friendship and historic ties between Egypt and Algeria are too strong to be affected by a temporary crisis".

Fifa security officer in charge of the Benguela match venue, Abel Mbengue, refused to volunteer any information as regards to any special measures being put in place to ensure a trouble-free Nations Cup semifinal between the fierce North African rivals.

"It's against protocol to publicly discuss the security for this match," he told AFP at the Terminus Hotel in Lobito.

A Confederation of African Football (CAF) official, who wished to remain anonymous, said they do not expect any problems on Thursday and that adequate arrangements had been put in place to prevent any injuries at the headline game.

"We do not envisage any problems as has been the case since the competition started at our center.

"There was a security meeting on Tuesday morning and if need be, we would tighten security but there is nothing to suggest that right now," he said.

Benguela has hosted six first round matches as well as Monday's quarterfinal between champions Egypt and Cameroon. And for each of these games, over 1 000 security personnel were deployed.

The brand-new Ombaka Stadium was filled to its 35 000 capacity on the opening day of action in Group C, which featured Egypt, Nigeria, Benin and Mozambique.

But attendance has slipped for subsequent matches.

"There have not be any major security breaches here, bar the arrests of some people who sneak in unauthorized cameras into the arena," added the CAF official.

"We will of course separate both sets of fans inside the stadium to guard against any problems."

Egypt international striker Mohamed Zidan has already stoked the fire of this perennial rivalry between his country and Algeria, describing the game as "war" and saying The Pharaohs had to win it to confirm they deserve to be at the World Cup, and not Algeria.

"It will be a matter of life and death in that game. For both sides it will be like a war," said the Borussia Dortmund star.

"For us, it is a chance to show the world that we deserve to go to the World Cup and if we beat them, we will be able to watch the World Cup with pride."

Egyptian officials though have tried to downplay the animosity between the two teams, insisting that this is only a sport and nothing more.

Their Algerian counterparts, on the other hand, flew into Benguela on Tuesday afternoon on a chartered flight but refused to discuss the match with reporters and preferred instead to head straight to their hotel in Lobito, about 35 kilometers outside Benguela.

Algeria coach Rabah Saadane has sought to play down fears of any repetition of the stormy and violent scenes that were triggered by their last three encounters against Egypt.

"In our three games against Egypt everything passed off smoothly on the pitch. You have to stop talking about that [the animosity between the two countries]," he insisted.

Source: Mail & Guardian Online.
Link: http://www.mg.co.za/article/2010-01-27-no-security-concerns-for-egypt-algeria-clash.