Samal cave hosts record bat colony

By Jeffrey M. Tupas
Philippine Daily Inquirer

DAVAO CITY—THE WORLD’S largest colony of Geoffrey’s Rousette Fruit Bat (Rousetteus amplexicaudatus), one of the most hated and misunderstood creatures in the Philippines, is found in the Island Garden City of Samal, according to the Guinness World Records.

Conservationists say the recognition highlighted efforts to save the bat species.

The Texas-based Bat Conservation International (BCI) described the Monfort Cave bat sanctuary in Samal as among the few known to scientists. “If the wonder of nature still exists, then the bats at Monfort Cave are one of the very few left on Earth, particularly in the Philippines,” the BCI said in a report released in 2006.

Mariamarta Ruano-Graham, head of the records management team of Guinness, said in a letter to Norma Monfort, head of the Monfort Bat Cave and Conservation Foundation Inc., that the group took notice of the BCI estimate of 1.8 million bats living in the cave, which is inside the 24-hectare property owned by Monfort in Barangay Tambo in Samal.

New record

“You have set a new Guinness World Records … and a certificate to commemorate this is included,” Graham said in her letter dated Feb. 1.

“Although the certificate does not automatically guarantee an entry in our world-famous annual record, we do consider all new records for inclusion in future Guinness World Records publication and products.”

Monfort said the recognition gave importance to the bats and highlighted their role in protecting biodiversity.

“The role of bats in the environment and the ecosystem has been so understudied and undervalued, that you will be amazed to know that the diversity of many exotic fruits coming from the Davao region, such as the durian, has been scientifically attributed to bats as major pollinators,” she said.

“These creatures are friendly and are beneficial to the survival of the environment and the people,” Monfort said.

Urgency

She said the BCI’s assessment of the bat sanctuary in 2006 bolstered the validity of the urgent need to protect the mammals.

The BCI study, according to Monfort, showed an alarming decline in the population of the bats because of destructive human activities, including hunting them for food or just for fun.

Monfort said that in some areas of Samal, bats were still being eaten by humans.

The BCI team, she said, even found that some sanctuaries on the island had already been deserted by the bats.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer.
Link: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/regions/view/20100212-252886/Samal-cave-hosts-record-bat-colony.

Mitsubishi and Chevron Win Bid to Develop Venezuela's Oil Belt

by Tamara Pearson

Merida, February 12th, 2010 (Venezuelanalysis.com) – In the largest oil investment decision since Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez was elected, the government announced on Wednesday that private companies from Japan, India, Malaysia, Spain, the United States, and Venezuela, making up two consortiums, won the bid to explore and exploit the Carabobo block of Venezuela’s Orinoco oil belt.

After reminding listeners that before his government, the petroleum industry had been in private hands without benefiting his people Chavez stressed, “We’ve formed joint companies [combined government-private companies] as the law demands, and [state owned oil company] PDVSA has majority stocks and control of at least 60% in all these companies...”

The bidding process began on 30 October last year, and PDVSA president Rafael Ramirez said that 21 international companies had participated and offered various amounts for the three blocks of the Carabobo section.

The Orinoco oil belt, the largest reserve of liquid hydrocarbons in the world with a total area of 55,314km2 and located in the Venezuela states of Guarico, Anzoategui and Monagas, is divided into four areas, which from west to east are, Boyaca, Junin, Ayacucho, and Carabobo, and is also partitioned into 29 blocks of around 500km2 each.

A consortium consisting of Chevron (U.S), Mitsubishi and Impex (Japan) and Suelopetrol (Venezuela) won Carabobo block 3, a section which will have the capacity to produce 450,000 barrels daily.

The second consortium which won Carabobo block 1, consisted of Repsol (Spain), Petronas (Malaysia) and three Indian companies. The estimated production capacity of this block is 480,000 barrels daily.

Block 2 has yet to be assigned, and it won’t be until March this year that the National Assembly official approves the constitution of the joint companies.

The winning bidders will pay a total of US$5.73 billion for the right to exploit the belt, an amount which includes a signing bonus, financing for the development of PDVSA and the construction of heavy crude upgraders to convert the petroleum to a lower density of 22 degrees API, Ramirez said, further explaining that the companies could note their share of the oil on their books, but could not use it as guarantees for debts and must also show a commitment to the social development of the Orinoco region.

Ramirez pointed out that such payment structures are distinct to the “handover model of the past.”

For example, the Chevron led consortium made a bid to pay US$ 500 million as a signing bonus to have access to the area, will pay another US$ 1 billion to PDVSA for financing, and has undertaken to build an upgrader in the area of Soledad on the Orinoco River.

Chavez said the government hoped to receive investments totaling $80 billion by 2016 from these companies and other companies investing in the Junin section, an investment which should at least double current production to 2 million barrels daily by 2016.

He said it was a historical move, “now that we have recovered our independence, we’ve made the Orinoco oil belt available to the world.”

He also said it refuted opposition claims that there was a lack of investor confidence in Venezuela.

“International participation is necessary for Venezuela, but you have to see it in another way, not like it was seen before. What motivated this move was that this investment by the transnational companies was philanthropic, as if they did us a favor,” Chavez said, adding that there was a “mutual interest… we are equals”.

He emphasized that Venezuela’s oil wealth is for the development of the country, and from there they could, “develop relations of cooperation, friendship and interchange of all kinds…with a range of countries and companies.”

According to the latest report conducted by the US Geological Service, Venezuela has over 500 billion barrels of petroleum reserves, which means it could be extracting it for 200 more years, Chavez said. Pointing out that the US is the main buyer of Venezuelan petroleum, he said he hoped its president Barack Obama would “rectify his policy towards us”.

“We offer our hand to the government and people of the United States, and hopefully we can rescue some hope of good relations,” he said.

Since he came to government, Chavez has raised foreign oil companies' corporate income tax to 50 percent from 30 percent and increased royalties payable to the government from as low as 1 percent to 33 percent. He also gave oil companies the choice of being expelled or forming joint ventures with PDVSA holding the majority.

Source: Venezuela Analysis.
Link: http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news/5134.

Ghaza: Four fishermen arrested by Egypt Offshore

GHAZA - Four Palestinian fishermen were arrested by the Egyptian Navy off Ghaza, according to Palestinian security services and witnesses Saturday.

The four men were at sea when they were arrested Friday evening by Egyptian naval forces off the town of Rafah in the southern Palestinian territory, the sources said.

Witnesses said the fishermen had entered Egyptian territorial waters.

The Ministry of Agriculture of Hamas confirmed the arrest of four fishermen who were in the process of "exercising their profession" and called on Egyptian authorities to end of "oppressing" the Palestinian fishermen, in a statement.

Egypt has recently strengthened under U.S. and Israeli pressure, the device against smuggling land and sea with the Ghaza Strip to prevent trafficking of weapons to Hamas.

The Ghaza Strip is under an Israeli blockade, including shipping, since the summer of 2006, strengthened after its takeover by the Islamist movement in June 2007.

Israel, which controls access by sea and air to the territory, reduced the fishing area, which was 20 miles (about 37 km) under the Oslo accords of 1993 to 3 miles (about 5.5 km) today.

Before the embargo, about 3,500 fishermen exercise fishing along 40 kilometers of coastline of the Ghaza Strip.

Source: Ennahar Online.
Link: http://www.ennaharonline.com/en/international/3131.html.

Hatch opens to Tranquility and its picture window on space station

Washington - Astronauts late Friday opened the hatch to the space station's newest room - the Italian-built Tranquility node that will eventually offer a six-sided picture window on space. NASA television showed the space station and Endeavor shuttle astronauts moving around the opened hatch, through which they installed an airflow system and exercise equipment into the new room. They were also taking dust samples from Tranquility.

International Space Station commander Jeff Williams opened the hatch into Tranquility at 0217 GMT Saturday, entering it for the first time with Endeavor shuttle commander George Zamka and astronaut Stephen Robinson.

The hatch into the cupola was scheduled to be opened at 0344 GMT.

Endeavor could extend its stay at the station by a day, to February 22, to help install the station's second treadmill in Tranquility and perform other tasks, a NASA TV commentator said.

Tranquility, which was attached to the outside of the station during a six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk that ended early Friday morning, provides yet another room for the newly expanded six-member team resident at the station at any one time.

Its addition symbolizes the pending end of the shuttle program later this year, with the heavy-lifting, aging US spacecraft having nearly completed their task of finishing construction of the station.

Tranquility was carried up by the Endeavor shuttle in Monday's launch. Its six-windowed bubble will allow astronauts to operate robotic controls and get a 360-degree view, like a crane operator sitting in a cabin.

It is the largest window ever flown into space and is made of specially equipped glass that protects the crew from solar radiation. The view will allow scientific observations and provide long-term astronauts with a much-need glimpse of home.

Two later spacewalks will complete Tranquility's hook-up with the station and get it fully functional, with the next set for 0209 GMT Sunday. Spacewalkers Robert Behnken and Nicholas Patrick were preparing a new spacesuit for Patrick for the Sunday morning spacewalk, after his cooling fan did not function properly in the first spacewalk, NASA said.

Since arriving Wednesday at the ISS, the Endeavor crew has done further repair work on a faulty piece of equipment designed to turn urine into drinkable water.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/309016,hatch-opens-to-tranquility-and-its-picture-window-on-space-station.html.

Singapore prime minister calls on couples to have more babies

Singapore - Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Saturday called on couples to have more children as the city-state's birth rate slipped to its lowest level ever in 2009. "Despite all our efforts, we are producing far too few babies," Lee said in a message marking Sunday's start of the lunar Year of the Tiger.

"Last year, we were short of at least 10,000 babies just to replace ourselves," he added.

Lee especially urged ethnic Chinese to dismiss their superstitions against children born in a Year of the Tiger.

The total fertility rate of Singapore, which has a population of 4.9 million people, dropped from 1.28 children per woman in 2008 to 1.23 last year, said Lee, a number far below the replacement level of 2.1.

For Singapore's Chinese majority the birth rate had been even lower as it fell to 1.09 last year, he added.

Lee warned that some Chinese couples preferred not to have children during a Year of the Tiger, which is regarded as holding risks and uncertainties.

"It is one thing to encourage ourselves with the traditional attributes of the zodiac animals," said Lee.

"But it is another to cling to superstitions against children born in the Year of the Tiger, who are really no different from children born under other animal signs," he added.

In its efforts to counter the demographic challenges of low fertility and an aging population, Singapore's government has launched several campaigns and offered incentives to provide a more pro-family environment for its citizens.

In his New Year message, Lee stressed that Singapore had to raise its productivity to sustain economic growth of 3 to 5 per cent over the next decade.

"This means a significant shift in our strategy, from merely expanding to upgrading the economy," said Lee.

Lee supported a recent recommendation of the Economic Strategies Committee, saying that Singapore had to moderate the inflow of foreign workers, who currently represent one third of the city-state's workforce.

"We are at a turning point in our economic development," said Lee, "We cannot continue importing foreign workers as liberally as before, because we will run up against space constraints."

Although economies worldwide had largely stabilized, there were still risks in the Year of the Tiger, warned Lee, citing the financial crisis in Greece as one example.

"Such events far away can hurt Singapore, because we are so open and globalized," he said.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/309018,singapore-prime-minister-calls-on-couples-to-have-more-babies.html.

Lebanese mark Hariri anniversary with dim hopes for truth - Feature

Beirut - Lebanon will commemorate the fifth anniversary of the assassination of former prime minister Rafik Hariri on Sunday, amid fears that the UN Tribunal set to try his killers will be stalled or politicized. "We want to know the truth behind Hariri's assassination, this is what we have been waiting for all these years," said Lama Barghout, a Hariri supporter.

Hariri was targeted in Beirut on February 14, 2005, in a massive bomb blast that killed him and 20 others.

Hariri followers and allies have blamed Syria and their Lebanese allies of being behind his assassination, a charge that Damascus has so far vehemently denied.

Current Prime Minister Saad Hariri, the son and political heir of the slain billionaire politician, expressed confidence that the truth behind the assassination of his father would be revealed through a UN special tribunal, set up a year ago in The Hague, after about four years of investigation.

"February 14th is the day when some terrorists decided to assassinate Rafik Hariri, and the international tribunal will uncover those who assassinated my father and they will be punished," Hariri told reporters.

For Hariri followers, who gather every year on February 14th near his tomb on Martyrs' Square in downtown Beirut, the UN tribunal is a key hope for uncovering the truth behind the assassination of the popular Sunni Muslim leader.

"All I want before I die is to see Hariri's killers behind bars or being hanged," said 70-year Abu Ahmed, who sells coffee along Beirut's promenade where Hariri was killed in 2005.

"For me, a simple man from a poor family, Hariri was a great leader who worked hard to unite Lebanon after the end of the civil war in 1990. He was a man who wanted to see Lebanon regain its position as the jewel of the Middle East," Abu Ahmed said.

Hariri, who maintained strong relations with Western countries and regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia, was a controversial figure. For some, he was the main drive behind Lebanon's post-civil war rebuilding, for others he was a spendthrift who left the country with a huge debt.

"Numerous assassinations took place in Lebanon since the beginning of the civil war in 1975, and no one was punished. Hariri's killers thought they would also get away with killing such a man, but to their bad luck our (Lebanese) outcry on the day of the killing led to the tribunal," said Christian Samia Aker.

Lebanese Christians and Muslims took the streets following Hariri's assassination in massive anti-Syrian demonstrations that lasted months. The popular outcry prompted Syria to withdraw its troops from Lebanon after 29 years of military occupation.

Experts note that although the Syrian army has pulled out its troops from Lebanon, Damascus still exerts considerable political influence over its smaller neighbor.

Since Hariri was assassinated, several factions have been accused, first Syria, then Shiite Movement Hezbollah, and lastly Israel.

"What scares us is that whoever decided to kill Hariri will have enough political clout to prevent them from being prosecuted," Aker said.

The UN Tribunal has witnessed a series of setbacks, particularly following the resignation of a number of high-ranking court officials.

Tribunal registrar David Tolbert and chief prosecutor Nick Khaldas announced within the last month that they were leaving the tribunal, while the court has said no indictments were immediately likely.

UN Tribunal President Antonio Cassese, during a visit to Lebanon last week, assured the Lebanese and their leaders that the tribunal "is functioning well."

But Cassesse stressed that there were "no deadlines" in issuing indictments in the case, calling it highly complex...

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/309034,lebanese-mark-hariri-anniversary-with-dim-hopes-for-truth--feature.html.

Malaysian voted chairman of IAEA Board of Governors

The Malaysian ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Muhammad Shahrul Ikram Yaakob, has been elected as the new chairman of the body's 35-member Board of Governors.

Yaakob was elected after his fellow countryman, Mohd Arshad bin Manzoor Hussain — who had originally been voted to chair the board in the current period but was eventually recalled by Kuala Lumpur in December 2009.

Over the past few months, reports have been circulating that Arshad had been in fact sacked for supporting Iran's nuclear program in an IAEA vote.

The allegations, however, have been dismissed out of hand by the Malaysian Foreign Ministry.

"The ambassador's term is up in March and so it will not be renewed and we are hoping to replace him with another Malaysian envoy," AFP quoted the country's Foreign Minister Anifah Aman as saying on Saturday.

"Mohammad Arshad's contract was extended upon his retirement and that extension is ending in March so he should bow out gracefully to let younger diplomats have a chance to serve the country in international organizations," he added.

The Board of Governors is one of the two policy making bodies of the IAEA. The board consists of 13 members designated by the outgoing board and 22 members elected by the General Conference — which is the highest policymaking body of the IAEA.

The chairmanship of the IAEA Board of Governors routinely rotates between different geographical regions.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=118534§ionid=351020406.

'Iran showed others how to resist US hegemony'

Wed, 27 Jan 2010

Iran's former deputy chief nuclear negotiator says Tehran's persistence in pursuing its peaceful nuclear program has defied US hegemony.

"At the end of [President] Bush's tenure, the US had lost its identity as a hegemonic power because it did not gain any achievements in solving major international issues, including Iran's nuclear case," said Javad Vaeedi, the former deputy secretary of the Supreme National Security Council.

"So Iran's persistence in its nuclear program showed others how to resist hegemony," Vaeedi added.

He made the remarks at a forum about US President Barack Obama's policies held at Tehran University on Tuesday.

The US believes that it should bring Iran's nuclear program under its control so that it can save face as a hegemonic power, Vaeedi stated.

He noted that Obama is trying to create a "global consensus" against Iran as part of his policy to increase the international pressure on Iran.

But Obama has failed to fulfill his "change" motto, and the situation is developing in a way that is just the opposite of what he had promised during his presidential campaign, Vaeedi observed.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=117141§ionid=351020101.

Iran arrests element behind murder of prosecutor

Wed, 27 Jan 2010

Iranian forces have arrested one of the elements behind the assassination of a prosecutor in the northwestern province of West Azarbaijan, an official announced on Tuesday.

West Azarbaijan Governor-General Vahid Jalalzadeh said that the element was arrested in an operation against the PJAK terrorist group in a border area of the province on Monday night.

Vali Haji-Qolizadeh, the prosecutor of the city of Khoy, was shot twice in front of his home on January 18.

Jalalzadeh stated that some PJAK members were also killed in the operation.

PJAK is regarded as an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

The PKK is recognized as a terrorist group by a number of countries and organizations, including Turkey, Iran, Iraq, the United States, the European Union, and the United Nations.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=117142§ionid=351020101.

Nasrallah backs Syria's anti-Israeli stance

Fri, 05 Feb 2010

The Leader of the Lebanese Hezbollah movement Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah has expressed his support for Syria's anti-Israeli stance.

According to Nasrallah, Syria's stance against Israel is of great significance in the current situation of the region.

The comments came after Israeli officials threatened Syria with war.

On Thursday, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman threatened to topple Syrian President Bashar Assad.

"When there is another war, you will not just lose it, but you and your family will lose power," Lieberman said. "There must be a correlation, because unfortunately, until now a military defeat did not mean a loss of power," he added.

The remarks came three days after Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Syria should clinch a peace deal with Israel or it would find itself in a “full-fledged war” with Tel Aviv.

Nasrallah also pointed out that Washington and Tel Aviv had a hand in Wednesday's major blast in Karbala.

A bomb planted on a parked motorcycle exploded on the outskirts of the holy city of Karbala, killing at least 23 Shia pilgrims and leaving more than 147 others wounded amid tight security before a huge religious procession on Friday.

The bomb exploded at about 11 a.m. (0800 GMT) in an area known as Ibrahimia, near the east entrance into Karbala, about 80 km (50 miles) south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

In another incident on Monday, at least 41 people were killed in northeast Baghdad when a bomb was detonated in a crowd of pilgrims heading to Karbala.

They were among hundreds of thousands of pilgrims who are walking to Karbala this week to observe the 40th day after the anniversary of Imam Hossein's (PBUH) martyrdom.

For the commemoration, the pilgrims will converge on the city where Imam Hossein is buried after being slain over thirteen centuries ago.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=117912§ionid=351020203.

Iran sealing eastern borders to stem drug flow

(WARNING): Article contains propaganda!

* * * * *

Iran's Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar says his ministry has allocated a large budget to close off Iran's eastern borders against drug trafficking.

“A budget, totaling 1,060 trillion rials (nearly $108 million), is earmarked to prevent drug trafficking,” Mohammad-Najjar said in Zahedan.

"Border posts have been constructed in the southeast of the country; new crossings have also been established; and wide, deep canals, concrete walls and embankments have been created to seal off eastern boundaries," he said explaining about the ongoing project.

Iran lies on the narcotics transit corridor from Afghanistan — where militants, criminal organizations, and corrupt officials exploit narcotics as a reliable source of revenue — to drug kingpins across Europe.

Iran's US-occupied easterly neighbor, Afghanistan, accounts for roughly 79 percent of the world's opium and heroin trade, according to the United Nations Drug Control Program.

Since the triumph of Islamic Revolution in 1979, the country has lost more than 3,300 of its security forces in its relentless counter-narcotics campaign.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=118529§ionid=3510212.

Hamas to stand firm until the very end, says Meshaal

Fri, 22 Jan 2010

On the anniversary of the end of Israel's war on Gaza, Head of Hamas political bureau Khaled Meshaal says Palestinians will never back down from resisting the Israeli occupation.

On Friday, Meshaal highlighted national unity, solidarity among the Muslim community and faith in God as key to what brought about victory for Gazans.

Speaking to a large crowd of supporters in the Syrian capital, Damascus, Meshaal saluted the over 1,400 Palestinians who lost their lives during the three-week long Israeli onslaught and the tens of thousands of others who were wounded and displaced.

Meshaal acknowledged the Israeli upper hand in military prowess, but assured that Tel Aviv would never be able to defeat the Palestinian nation and its resistance, vowing to fight a fierce battle and defeat Israel, in the event of another war against the Gaza Strip.

Meshaal ruled out dependence on anyone other than the Palestinian nation, saying collaboration with Israel is a "humiliating" act doomed to failure.

The political chief of Hamas highlighted the need for reconstruction of Gaza and lifting the crippling Israeli-imposed siege on the impoverished population of the coastal sliver. He called on the upcoming Arab League summit, scheduled for March in Libya, to put the issue high on the agenda.

The senior Hamas member vowed that the Islamic Palestinian movement would never back down from resistance against the Israeli occupation.

He said Hamas would never abandon the rights of the Palestinian people and would not back down from its principles in the face of the enemy's efforts to isolate the movement.

"We will not change until we have achieved the rights of our refugees outside Palestine and liberation of occupied territories… and we will never recognize the Zionist entity," he stressed.

Meshaal accused Israel of disrupting prisoner exchange talks and assured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit would not be released until Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons are released.

He further warned against Israeli excavations near Al-Aqsa Mosque in the occupied Jerusalem Al-Quds, saying the sanctuary — the third-holiest site for the Muslim world — could collapse any minute and catch the Muslim world by surprise.

The Palestinian leader called for solidarity among Palestinians to liberate the West Bank from the Israeli occupation and warned Western-backed diplomatic channels would only benefit Israel and its allies in the United States and US President Barack Obama's administration.

He recalled recent expressions of frustration by Obama and his special envoy to the Middle East with the stalled peace process in the region, asking, "How could a frustrated person bring us liberation and victory?"

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=116796§ionid=351020202.

Pakistan govt. urged to explain Blackwater presence

Sat, 23 Jan 2010

Pakistani lawmakers say the government must come clean about the presence of the notorious American security firm Blackwater (now known as Xe Services LLC) in the country.

The lawmakers, both pro-government and opposition parties, during a heated debate on Friday, urged Islamabad to break its silence and own up as there are strong evidences of the presence of Xe Services LLC in Pakistan.

The call came after US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates admitted that Xe Services and DynCorp have been operating in Pakistan.

The lawmakers demanded that the issue should be brought to the parliament and solved as soon as possible, so that the facts could be shared with the Pakistani people, a Press TV correspondent reported late Friday.

Responding to the questions, State Minister for Interior Tasneem Qureshi as well as federal Minister for Information Qamar Zaman Kiara said they were unaware that Gates had confirmed that Xe Services LLC and DynCorp have been operating in Pakistan.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Sharif Senator Zafar Ali Shah, citing Gates' confirmation on Thursday, demanded Interior Minister Rehman Malik step down over the issue.

Malik had earlier stated that he would tender his resignation if anyone proved Blackwater's presence in the country.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=116819§ionid=351020401.

Over 110,000 confirmed dead in Haiti quake

Sat, 23 Jan 2010

More than 110,000 people were confirmed dead in the magnitude-7.0 earthquake that hit Haiti last week, the Interior Ministry says.

On Thursday, Haitian Interior Minister Paul Antoine Bien-Aime put the toll from the disastrous January 12 quake at 111,499.

On Monday, Haiti announced that it had buried 70,000 bodies in mass graves as search and rescue personnel were continuing their efforts to find more survivors or dead trapped under the debris.

However, earlier Bien-Aime had predicted that the death toll from the devastating earthquake could reach 200,000.

On Sunday, UN chief Ban Ki-moon has described the catastrophe in the Central American nation as the "most serious humanitarian crisis" faced by the United Nations in decades.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=116817§ionid=351020706.

Afghans protest NATO raid for second day

Sat, 23 Jan 2010

Afghans, for the second consecutive day, staged an anti-NATO rally to protest the killing of civilians by foreign troops in the country.

The protesters in the district of Qarabagh in Ghazni Province on Friday vented their anger against what they said was the killing of four innocent civilians, including two children, in Qarabagh on Wednesday and also against the threatening behavior of NATO-led forces.

One protester, Mullah Shoaib, claimed that the Afghan homes are searched by the troops and that the civilians are threatened with dogs.

"These people, these foreigners who attacked this house, showed how wild and cruel they are," said Hashim Nasiri, another protester.

NATO in defense said the raid in the Qarabagh district had targeted a Taliban commander, and that the four killed were suspected militants — one of whom was a 15-year-old boy.

The civilian death toll of the Afghan war, stretching into its ninth year, has sparked a public outcry.

The United Nations says 2009 was the deadliest for Afghan civilians since the US-led invasion, with nearly 2,500 civilians killed.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=116816§ionid=351020403.

Latin American leaders say US occupying Haiti

Fri, 22 Jan 2010

Venezuela, Bolivia and Nicaragua say the US is using the international relief operation in Haiti as a cover-up for a military takeover.

Bolivian President Evo Morales said that he will request an emergency UN meeting to reject what he calls the US military occupation of Haiti.

"It's not right that the United States should use this natural disaster to invade and militarily occupy Haiti," Morales told a press conference on Wednesday.

"If you have all these problems with the injured and the dead from the earthquake, you have to go there to save lives, and you don't do that from a military standpoint," he added.

An outspoken critic of US policies, Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez also had accused Washington of occupying Haiti "under the guise of the natural disaster."

Nicaragua also has taken a similar stance toward US with respect to the situation in Haiti.

The United States is deploying up to 20,000 troops to Haiti. US servicemen have taken control of the country's international airport.

The Pentagon has sent one of its biggest aircraft carriers to Haiti, along with other navy and coast guard vessels.

On Friday, Arturo Valenzuela, the US assistant secretary of state for Western hemisphere affairs, rejected that the US was occupying Haiti.

"Haiti is a sovereign country, everybody respects Haiti's sovereign country, the United States respects Haiti's sovereignty," said Arturo Valenzuela.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=116809§ionid=351020706.

EX-pentagon official who spied for China gets 3 years

Fri, 22 Jan 2010

A former US Defense Department official has been sentenced to three years in prison on charges of spying for China and lying to investigators.

James Fondren Jr., 62, was accused of providing classified Pentagon documents to a naturalized US citizen from Taiwan, Tai Shen Kuo, who had close contacts with an unnamed Chinese government official.

The defendant was also in email contact with the Chinese official and met him during a visit to China in 1999.

Fondren provided classified information to Kuo between 2004 and 2008, while he served as the deputy director of the Washington liaison office of US Pacific Command. The Justice Department did not describe the type of documents that were transferred.

He also allegedly lied to the FBI, telling investigators that everything he wrote and provided to Kuo was based on information in the media and his own experiences.

The former Defense Department official was convicted of the charges in September and was sentenced on Friday to three years in prison and two years of probation.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=116803§ionid=3510203.

'Iran among top 10 aerospace forerunners'

Iran owes its aerospace achievements entirely to the 1979 Islamic Revolution, says Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi, only a week after the country placed its third satellite carrier into orbit.

"Today Iran has emerged as one of the top ten forerunners in the field of space research and technology," said Vahidi in a Thursday address to a rally commemorating the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.

"Our stellar progress in space science is only one of the many benefits derived from the victory of the Islamic Revolution more than thirty years ago," he added.

According to Vahidi, the Islamic Revolution has also helped Iran become a strategic power in the region — an event which has troubled Western superpowers.

Iran's aerospace industry has made great strides in the past couple of years. The country marked a breakthrough on February 2 after launching the Kavoshgar 3 (Explorer 3) satellite carrier into space with living organisms — a rat, two turtles and worms — onboard.

Kavoshgar 3, which carries an experimental capsule, has the ability to transfer telemetric information, live pictures as well as flight and environmental analysis data.

Iran went down in history, in February 2009, for placing its domestically-made satellite into orbit and thus joining a small group of countries that have the ability of both producing satellites and sending them into space using domestic launchers.

The Omid data-processing satellite was designed to circle the Earth 15 times every 24 hours and to transmit data via two frequency bands and eight antennas to an Iranian space station.

The country is currently studying preliminary plans to send its very first astronaut into orbit in near future.

Iran's space-related accomplishments have come as a surprise for European powers and the US, mainly because the country has been under Western sanctions for nearly 30 years.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=118450§ionid=351020101.

Al-Shabab declares all-out war in Somalia

Sat Feb 13, 2010

Al-Shabab fighters have declared an all-out war against the fragile transition Somali government and African Union peacekeeping forces in Mogadishu.

Al-Shabab's declaration of war on Friday comes amid heightened tensions over a possible government campaign against the militia's fighters.

A senior al-Shabab official, Sheikh Mukhtar Robow Abu Mansur, said his group has prepared its fighters for a holy war against the UN-backed government and its supporters.

"Our fighters are prepared to take part in this war that we are declaring against the enemy of Allah. We must take part in this war because it is our responsibility as Muslims to defend the religion and eliminate the enemy from our country," he told a congregation at Nasrul-din Mosque in southern Mogadishu.

You are aware of the recent "indiscriminate shelling of the enemy against our people. This war is a religious obligation for all of us to join and fight them," Robow told the crowd after prayers.

He added that his group was aware of plans by neighboring countries to deploy newly trained recruits to fight them in some regions in the war-torn country.

"We are aware that Kenya and Ethiopia are discussing on how they can send in Somali militia trained for the western puppet (government), but we are telling them that we are ready," Robow stated.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://edition.presstv.ir/detail/118524.html.

Texas Republican questions US role in 9/11 attacks

A Republican's campaign for governor of Texas has tumbled after she raised questions over the alleged involvement of the US government in the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Debra Medina, a pistol-packing nurse and home-schooler with close ties to congressman Ron Paul, told the Glenn Beck Show that there were "some very good arguments" that the federal government was involved in bringing down the World Trade Center on September 11.

"I don't have all of the evidence there, Glenn," Medina said, when asked about the attacks. "I think some very good questions have been raised. In that regard there's some very good arguments and I think the American people have not seen all the evidence there."

She stopped short of stating directly that the government was involved in any way, and said, "I am not going to take a position where I think that questions have been raised and they are not answered."

Led by Osama Bin Laden, al-Qaeda is believed to have carried out the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York. Fifteen of the 19 plotters of terror attacks were Saudi nationals.

Osama was raised in an elite royal family in Saudi Arabia, who disowned "the black sheep" al-Qaeda ringleader in 1994. The Bin Laden family also shared a long history with the Bush family, but it culminated in the tragic events of September 11.

The 9/11 terror attacks paved the ground for former president George W. Bush to dispatch the army to Afghanistan and Iraq and initiate two unpopular, costly wars that continue to the day.

Medina's remarks created a storm of fury in Texas with her opponents, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison and Governor Rick Perry, quickly criticizing her and questioning the legality of her campaign, The Dallas News reported.

The former head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency under George W. Bush, Joe Allbaugh, also reacted to the remarks and released a statement saying: "Ms. Medina — this is nuts!"

The reactions forced her to release a statement, in which she announced her official stance on the attacks.

"There is no doubt in my mind that Muslim terrorists flew planes into those buildings on 9/11," she said. "I have not seen any evidence nor have I ever believed that our government was involved or directed those individuals in any way."

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=118479§ionid=3510203.

Salehi: Iran will produce fuel plates soon

Iran's nuclear point man Ali-Akbar Salehi says that much to the West's surprise, Tehran will produce nuclear fuel plates within the next few months.

Iran on Tuesday announced that it started enriching uranium to a level of 20 percent after potential suppliers failed to provide fuel for Tehran's research reactor which produces medical isotopes for cancer patients.

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said Iran could not wait for Western countries to "waste time" because the Tehran research reactor will soon run out of fuel.

Two days after that, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Thursday that Iran had successfully produced the first stock of the 20-percent enriched uranium.

Western countries reacted with cynicism to Iran's declaration, with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner describing the plan as a political bluff.

Kouchner claimed that Iran does not have the ability to enrich uranium to 20 percent and accused Tehran of "blackmail."

Salehi, Head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, dismissed Kouchner's remarks and assured him that Iran would produce the plates within the next few months.

He wondered why Western countries were concerned over Iran's declaration while they claimed that Tehran lacked the ability to enrich uranium to higher levels.

According to Salehi, Iran had the potential to enrich uranium to higher levels but preferred to buy the required fuel considering certain "economic and political reasons."

Iran's willingness to purchase the fuel, however, was misinterpreted as lack of Iran's expertise in nuclear technology, he said.

Iran's top nuclear official asserted that Iran could surely enrich uranium to higher levels, saying that the country was a nuclear forerunner among Muslim countries.

White House Spokesman Robert Gibbs Thursday cast doubt on the announcement that Iran produced the first batch of 20 percent uranium.

"The Iranian nuclear program has undergone a series of problems throughout the year," Gibbs said. "We do not believe they have the capability to enrich to the degree to which they now say they are enriching."

Iran says it is still open to talks on a fuel swap with the West. Iran has, however, reiterated that its "conditions", mainly revolving around guarantee issues, have to be taken into account if the West is interested on a fuel exchange with Iran.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=118523§ionid=351020104.

US Muslim scholars object to full-body scans

A group of American Muslim scholars has publicly objected to the use of full body scanners at airports due to the violation of Islamic law.

The Fiqh Council of North America, in a recent statement, blasted the introduction of ultrasound body-scanners at US airports.

"It is a violation of clear Islamic teachings that men and women be seen by other men and women. We are deeply concerned about the use of nude body scanners and recommend instead software that should be designed only to show the outlines of the body," said the statement, according to a Press TV correspondent.

The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) has also joined voices with the Muslim scholars in calling for a warning to Muslim travelers should they be required to enter scanning chambers.

CAIR says that other religious groups including conservative Christians and Jews have issued similar statements demanding privacy and protection of their religious edicts against see-through devices.

US security authorities have so far pushed ahead with plans to install full-body scanners regardless of objections to the privacy breach.

American Muslim groups say the intended application of the scanners could also leave room for abuse.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=118522§ionid=3510203.

Israel arrests 20 protesters in Jerusalem Al-Quds

Fri, 22 Jan 2010

Hundreds of people, mostly Israeli activists, held a demonstration against Israeli settlement activities in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem Al-Quds on Friday.

The crowd estimated that as many as 600 people marched from the city center to the outskirts of Sheikh Jarrah to protest the "Jewish takeover" of several Palestinian homes by settler groups armed with court orders, The Jerusalem Post reported.

Scuffles broke out as "police used riot dispersal means" to disperse the crowd, saying organizers had failed to get a permit for the gathering.

The Israeli forces arrested 20 people during the demonstration.

The neighborhood became the site of near-weekly demonstrations after several Palestinian families were evicted from their homes in recent months by settlers claiming Jewish ownership of the land.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem Al-Quds in the 1967 Six Day War and annexed it shortly afterward in a move not recognized by the international community.

The Israeli regime claims the holy city as its "eternal, indivisible" capital, while the Palestinian Authority wants at least the implementation of the UN resolutions, which assign the control of the eastern part of the city to them.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=116802§ionid=351020202.

Swiss antagonist of minarets embraces Islam

January 30, 2010

RENOWNED Swiss politician Daniel Streich, who rose to fame for his campaign against minarets of mosques, has embraced Islam.

A member of the Swiss People’s Party (SVP) and a well-known politician, Daniel Streich was the first man who had launched a drive for imposition of ban on mosques minarets, and to lock the mosques in Switzerland. The proclamation of Streich’s conversion to Islam has created furore in Swiss politics, besides causing a tremor for those who supported ban on construction of mosques minarets.

Streich propagated his anti-Islamic movement far and wide in the country, sowed seeds of indignation and scorn for Islam among the people, and paved way for public opinion against pulpits and minarets of mosques.

But now Streich has become a soldier of Islam. His anti-Islam thoughts finally brought him so close to this religion that he embraced Islam. He is ashamed of his doings now and desires to construct the most beautiful mosque of Europe in Switzerland.

The most interesting thing in this regard is that at present there are four mosques in Switzerland and Streich wants to lay the foundation for the fifth one. He wishes to seek absolution of his sin of proliferating venom against Islam. He is thinking of a movement contrary to his previous one to promote religious tolerance and peaceful cooperative living, in spite of the fact that ban on mosques minarets has gained a legal status.

This is the greatest quality of Islam that it comes up with even greater vigour, when it is faced with confrontation.

Abdul Majeed Aldai, the president of OPI, an NGO, working for the welfare of Muslims, says that Europeans have a great desire to know about Islam. Some of them want to know about the relationship between Islam and terrorism; same was the case with Streich.

During his confrontation, Streich studied the Holy Quran and started understanding Islam.

He wished to be hard to Islam, but the outcome was otherwise. Aldai further says.
Recently the question of ban on minarets was put to voting in Switzerland, wherein the Swiss nationals gave the issue a legal status.

Source: The Nation.
Link: http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/International/30-Jan-2010/Swiss-antagonist-of-minarets-embraces-Islam.

Muslims rally in Norway against Prophet's cartoon in daily

About 3,000 people have marched through downtown Oslo in protest of the printing of a caricature of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) by a Norwegian newspaper.

Protesters called on Friday that they wanted to show the Norwegian media how hurtful such images are to Muslims. Islamic tradition has always opposed any depiction of the prophet, even favorable ones.

The demonstrators chanted slogans such as "God is greater" in Arabic and waved placards calling for a boycott of the daily newspaper.

"We have done nothing to anybody. We want to live here in peace. Norway is our home. Our children live here. Why should they (Norwegian media) hurt us like this?" said Naradim Muhammad, a 43-year-old school teacher who helped organize the demonstration.

On February 3, the newspaper published a photograph showing a man in front of a computer screen with a depiction of the holy prophet as a pig.

The picture accompanied an article about the posting of offensive materials about Muslims and Jews on the Facebook page of Norway's security police.

The Acting editor-in-chief of the daily Dagbladet, Lars Helle, was quoted by AP as saying that he doesn't regret printing the image and that he welcomed Friday's protest.

"It was a test for Norwegian society, whether this would be a peaceful protest or not," Helle said.

He said Dagbladet has not received any direct threats since it published the caricature.

A hacker attack originating from Turkey brought down the newspaper's website for two hours Wednesday evening, though Helle said it was 'unclear' whether it was connected to the caricature's publication.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=118519§ionid=351020605.

US forces face resistance in clash with Taliban

(WARNING): Article contains propaganda!

* * * * *

US-led NATO forces have launched a major operation in the southern Afghan town of Marjah where they are facing resistance from Taliban insurgents.

The assault started before dawn on Saturday with airborne attacks involved 4,500 US Marines, 1,500 Afghan troops and 300 US soldiers.

"At 0230 this morning (2200 GMT Friday), helicopters inserted combined forces into Marjah town," said Lieutenant Josh Diddams, spokesman for the US Marines at Taskforce Leatherneck in Helmand.

An Afghan army commander announced that five Taliban militants were killed in the first hours of the assault codenamed "Mushtarak" in the town of Marjah, a major Taliban stronghold.

The operation, the first since US President Barack Obama ordered 30,000 extra troops to Afghanistan in December, is a major test of Obama's strategy to end the eight-year war against the Taliban.

"Marjah is a place of fear, panic and terrorism," Brig. Gen. Mahayoodin Ghoori, the Afghan battlefield commander, said before the offensive. "The people are tired of the people controlling Marjah. We are returning the people to their normal life."

Earlier a local Taliban commander, Qari Fazluddin, had told Reuters that about 2,000 militants were ready to fight in Marjah, a town considered to be the Taliban's last big stronghold in Afghanistan.

The group says it has already started launching mortars, killing at least 25 foreign troops in fresh attacks.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=118517§ionid=351020403.

Lebanon voices concern over Israeli air violations

Lebanese Defense Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Elias Murr has expressed concerns over continuous, near-daily Israeli aerospace violations over Lebanon.

The Lebanese official made the remark in a private meeting with the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, Press TV correspondent Afaf Konja reported on Friday.

"Israeli violations have reached 6,500 incidents," Murr said during a press conference at the UN following the meeting.

"You can not ask from Lebanon if it has two, five or six incidents. According to the UN, the Israeli side commits 6,500 violations and there is no accountability in this issue?" he added.

"This is unacceptable and should be stopped so that the UN Resolution 1701 would be implemented from our side in a better way," he further explained.

UN Security Council Resolution 1701 ended the 33-day Israeli war against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon in the summer of 2006.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=118512§ionid=351020203.

Iran president: Era of nuclear weapons over

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called for a world free of nuclear arms saying that the era of such weapons is over.

"We believe that not only the Middle East but also the whole world should be free of nuclear weapons because we see such weapons as inhumane," Ahmadinejad said in an interview with Russia's NTV channel.

"Today, no one can use a nuclear weapon and we believe that the US is taking a wrong move by stockpiling nuclear weapons," Ahmadinejad stated.

He stressed that the nuclear weapons no longer have efficiency, noting the US that possesses nuclear weapons will never achieve victory in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"Those who claim that they are against nuclear weapons should dismantle their nuclear weapons first to prove that they are honest," the Iranian president said.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=118490§ionid=351020101.

Ethnic clashes leave 24 dead in south Sudan

Fri, 22 Jan 2010

The ethnic clashes that broke out last week in south Sudan's troubled Jonglei state have killed at least 24 people, a military spokesman said.

Fighting erupted on Monday between rival tribes after a quarrel between two men in the Nuer settlement of Koul-Anyang in the state of Jonglei escalated, killing nine people, Major General Kuol Diem Kuol said Friday.

Kuol, a General with the southern Sudan Peoples' Liberation Army (SPLA), added that the fighting climaxed on Thursday, "and this time it was more bloody."

While the clashes were originally between people from the Nuer ethnic group, the fighting later drew in the Dinka into action. Kuol said the information he has received indicates clashes on Thursday left 15 Nuer Dead, 16 wounded and five others missing.

The death toll, however, is expected to rise further, the SPLA General said.

Ethnic clashes are frequent in southern Sudan. They are often sparked by cattle rustling and disputes over natural resources.

However, a string of recent raids, especially attacks on women and children, is threatening stability in the region ahead of general elections due in April.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://edition.presstv.ir/detail/116801.html.

Prosecutor looks at Bosnia Wahhabi group's financing - Feature

Sarajevo - The police raid on a radical Islamic stronghold in Bosnia and the arrest of seven suspected extremists was a "success," but the question of who finances the group remains open, a state prosecutor said in an interview published Friday. "The first and basic question is who finances those people, because nobody works there," Bosnia's chief prosecutor, Milorad Barasanin, told the weekly magazine Dani. "In the fight against crime, all you have to do is to follow the money flow."

Until the question of financing can be answered, it will remain unclear what the motives are of those who support the promotion of fundamentalist Islam in the largely secular Bosnian Muslim community.

Asked about reports that Islamic fundamentalists, living in a deeply isolated village in north-eastern Bosnia, were financed by the Wahhabis seated in the Vienna mosque Al-Tawhid, he said that he "will not answer now, but will also not deny it.

Hundreds of Bosnian police on February 2 raided the Gornja Maoca village, 120 kilometers north-east of Sarajevo, arresting seven people and seizing 17 handguns, a dozen hunting rifles and some computers.

Suspicions that terrorism-related threats were developing in the village, home to some 30 fundamentalist Islamic families, had spurred the operation, the prosecutor's office said at the time.

Media reports said that villagers, members of the radical Wahhabi branch of Islam, applied Sharia laws were hostile to outsiders, turning away reporters.

Prosecutors got an extended 30-day detention for the suspects, saying they needed the time to study evidence collected in the raid. Now they have until early March to indict or release the seven.

Though Bosnian authorities denied speculation that the raid was a result of Western pressure, it did occur shortly before the scheduled visit of European Union security experts and may have been intended to influence Brussels' decision on whether to scrap the strict visa regime that is applied toward Bosnia.

There are long-standing concerns that terrorists have burrowed into Bosnia's Islamic community during and since the bloody ethnic fighting in the 1990s.

During the 1992-95 Bosnian war, some 1,500 Muslims, mostly from Arab nations, joined the Bosnian Muslims in the fight against the Christian Orthodox Serbs.

Though a clause in the US-brokered peace deal at the end of 1995 said all foreign fighters had to leave Bosnia within a month, most of the foreigners swiftly got citizenship and were allowed to remain.

Concerns about the foreigners were renewed after September 11, 2001, and Bosnia, acting under strong US pressure, began reviewing its adopted nationals from Arab countries.

According to figures from a commission in charge of vetting these new citizens, of the 1,255 people who received Bosnian citizenship, 661 were stripped of it by 2007. But a strong Wahhabi presence, with one of their strongholds in Gornja Maoca, was already in place by then.

The Wahhabi community developed thanks to with funds from Arab nations, mostly Saudi Arabia. According to Radio Free Europe, Saudi Arabia provided some 600 million dollars in "support for Islamic activities" in Bosnia between 1992 and 2002.

With the large chunk of that money going to the mainstream Muslim community, the Islamic leadership in Sarajevo has apparently been reluctant to criticize Riyadh for also helping the Wahhabis.

The Bosnian Muslim community leader, Mustafa Ceric, in an interview three years ago, described the Wahhabis as a "phenomenon that sometimes makes our head hurt."

He also said at that time that the Wahhabis were financed from Austria: "The root...is not in Bosnia, but in Vienna, where a center operates in ways incompatible with the Bosnian tradition."

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/308937,prosecutor-looks-at-bosnia-wahhabi-groups-financing--feature.html.

Election campaign starts in Iraq amid fears of fraud - Summary

Baghdad - Over 6,000 candidates Friday launched their campaigns for Iraq's parliamentary elections set for March 7, amid fears of fraud and bribery by candidates who want to buy people's votes. Campaign posters and banners were seen across the different provinces from the early hours of Friday, while hundreds of people spread out on the streets to distribute campaign literature for the candidates.

A total of 6,172 candidates are vying for the 325 seats up for election in parliament.

Media outlets affiliated to major parties started advertising their party's electoral programs and displaying pictures of candidates, while newspapers were expected to publish detailed articles on the progress of the election campaign.

A Shiite Iraqi cleric called on candidates and blocs to comply with the rules of the electoral propaganda and not to try to affect voters through dishonest means.

"Candidates and political entities must adopt a realistic and feasible programs, which would make people vote for them," Sheikh Abdel Mahdi al-Karbalai told worshipers during the Friday sermon in Imam Hussein mosque in Karbala.

"They should stay away of unrealistic promises that lack credibility as well defamation because it is unacceptable and immoral," added al-Karbalai, who is a confidant of Iraq's most senior Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.

In Mosul, Mai Nour al-Din, principal of al-Watan secondary school, said that the school received huge amounts boxes full of bags or notebooks. "Each box carried the name of party that sent this trying to buy the votes of the people," she added.

Abdel-Khaliq al-Dabagh, the chief of the electoral commission's office in the northern city of Mosul said that there is a committee that is investigating the complaints received concerning candidates bribing voters.

"The commission has severe penalties on political entities that tries to bribe voters anywhere in Mosul," he added.

Campaigning will continue until March 5, in one of the shortest election campaigns since the fall of Saddam Hussein in the US-led invasion in 2003.

"The time remaining is enough for election campaigns," said Rashid al-Azzawi, parliament member representing the Iraqi Accord Front.

"The electoral process will be difficult, and citizens should not leave the boxes empty and give the chance for others to fill it themselves," said al-Azzawi, adding that forgery is possible in even the most democratic countries all over the world.

The start of the campaigning was postponed about a week by the electoral commission to allow for more time to settle the question of whether a group of candidates who had been barred from the election should be allowed to run.

Last month, the Accountability and Justice Commission blocked some 500 candidates from participating because of their alleged connections to the former ruling Baath Party.

"The Baath Party is a party of conspiracy and an underground party," alleged Ahmed al-Jalabi, Chairman of the Accountability and Justice Commission, an independent body which replaced the de-Baathification Committee.

"Article 7 of the constitution states that it is not allowed to take part in the political process or public life under any name," he added in remarks to the German Press Agency dpa.

"The presence of Baathists in the elections could lead to more negative atmosphere during the elections... the majority of the Iraqi public opinion is against the Baath and its participation in power," said.

The judicial electoral commission canceled the ban and described it as "illegal and unconstitutional." At first, the appeals court said that the 511 candidates should be allowed to stand for election in the meantime, because reviewing their files would take some time.

Yet under political pressure, it was announced that all reviews would be finished before the campaigning began.

While many candidates were allowed to run, the appeals of others were rejected, including two prominent Sunni members of parliament, Saleh al-Mutlaq and Dhafir al-Ani. That decision was expected to fuel tensions between the Shiite-led government and Sunnis.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/308939,election-campaign-starts-in-iraq-amid-fears-of-fraud--summary.html.

Lebanon confirms 45 bodies retrieved from Ethiopian jet crash

Beirut - Lebanese Health Minister Mohammed Jawad Khalife said Friday that 45 bodies had been retrieved and identified to date as passengers of the Ethiopian Airlines plane that crashed off the coast of Lebanon on January 25. "We have so far, through DNA tests identified, 45 bodies, Lebanese and Ethiopians, including the pilot of the plane," Khalifeh said.

The Boeing 737-800 which was bound for Addis Ababa with 83 passengers and seven crew on board, crashed four minutes after take off from Beirut international airport. No survivors were found.

Boeing official Fakher Daghestani told the pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat that "official results of the investigation into the cause of the plane crash haven't been announced yet."

Black box data show sabotage could not be blamed for the crash, Lebanese Transport Minister Ghazi Aridi said Thursday.

The data "showed that all the aircraft's instruments functioned well until it crashed, which rejects the hypothesis of an act (of sabotage) involving an explosion," Aridi told a news conference at Beirut airport.

Ethiopian Airlines had said Wednesday said it could not rule out "sabotage" as the cause of the crash of Ethiopian Flight 409.

"Ethiopian Airlines does not rule out all possible causes including the possibility of sabotage until the final outcome of the investigation is known," the company said in a statement.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/308946,lebanon-confirms-45-bodies-retrieved-from-ethiopian-jet-crash.html.

German customs seize military equipment destined for Iran

Frankfurt - Customs officials at Frankfurt airport have seized a consignment of military-related equipment destined for Iran, prosecutors said Friday. The batch of 218 switchboxes designed for use in ventilation systems was on its way from Moscow to the Iranian capital Tehran when customs officers swooped at the end of last year.

Media reports said the switchboxes were steel-clad, well insulated and vibration-proof - a type generally used in the construction of military bunkers.

They consignment was declared as civilian goods intended for a bank in Iran.

Prosecutors said they were investigating whether the equipment violated German export control laws.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/308947,german-customs-seize-military-equipment-destined-for-iran.html.

Nobel winner Ebadi pleads for human rights in Iran

Geneva - Iranian Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Shirin Ebadi issued a plea Friday for the protection of human rights in her homeland saying the situation in the country was "deteriorating rapidly." "Every year we have taken a step backward rather than forward," Ebadi said in Geneva.

The 62-year-old lawyer, who won the Nobel in 2003, was in Geneva ahead of a periodic review of Iran's rights record at the United Nations Human Rights Council next week.

"Tomorrow we will be facing a tragedy in Iran," she warned, issuing an impassioned plea for international assistance.

"Please help us, please help us to restore calm," Ebadi said, asking rhetorically: "for how long can you ask our young people to stay calm and not resort to violence?"

She accused Russia and China of helping Iran circumvent sanctions and also said some publicly traded companies were involved in providing services to Tehran which were used to monitor communications and suppress human rights activists.

Ebadi singled out a communications system sold to Tehran by Nokia, the Finnish mobile phone maker, and Siemens, the German engineering firm.

Nokia did not return requests for a response...

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/308951,nobel-winner-ebadi-pleads-for-human-rights-in-iran.html.

Hezbollah: We will avenge Mughniyah's death

Beirut- Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah said Friday that it would avenge the 2008 assassination of its former military commander Imad Mughniyah at the "appropriate" time. The Deputy Secretary General of the group, Sheikh Naim Kassem told the affiliated al-Intiqad website that "We won't define the time and place, but we consider that our responsibility is to fulfill the pledge by the appropriate means and at the appropriate timing."

Hezbollah accuses Israel of being behind the car bombing that killed Mughniyah in Damascus on February 12, 2008.

Mughniyeh had been on the US' most-wanted list since the 1980s. He was blamed for the kidnapping of western hostages in Beirut in the 1980s and the 1983 bombing that killed 240 US Marines.

"It is a matter of circumstances and timing, and God willing, they will take place at the right moment," Kassem said.

Referring to the recent war of words between Israel, Lebanon, and Syria, Kassem ruled out an imminent war with Israel, but reiterated his movement's readiness "even if the war starts tomorrow."

"Hezbollah will be in a defensive position and will not be the one to wage an attack or start a war, and the same thing applies to others: Iran, Syria, and Hamas."

Kassem added that "Israel alone decides whether there will be a war in the region or not."

Lebanon's Prime Minister said on February 10th that his government would Hezbollah if a conflict flared with Israel.

In 2006, Israel and Hezbollah fought a 33-day war.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/308963,hezbollah-we-will-avenge-mughniyahs-death.html.

Gul: Turkey-Bangladesh trade could hit 1 billion dollars a year

Dhaka - Turkish President Abdullah Gul, in Bangladesh on a two-day visit, said Friday that trade between the two countries could rise from its current level to over 1 billion dollars per year. "It is very pleasing to see that trade ... has grown to almost $600 million in a short period of time," Gul told reporters after a meeting with his Bangladeshi counterpart.

Gul said that Dhaka and Ankara should support each other and extend cooperation in military and cultural spheres.

Bangladesh enjoys a trade surplus with Turkey, with 2009 exports reaching 523 million US dollars and imports worth 134 million US dollars.

Turkey imports mainly cotton, thread and leather used in textile industry while exports iron-steel, textiles and machinery to Bangladesh.

Bangladeshi President Zillur Rahman sought Turkey's cooperation in the areas of river dredging, energy and IT.

Gul is leading a 180-member delegation, including cabinet members and businessmen, and is scheduled to meet Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed and opposition leader Khaleda Zia before his departure Saturday.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/308971,gul-turkey-bangladesh-trade-could-hit-1-billion-dollars-a-year.html.

Obama telephones Mandela, 20 years after prison release

Washington (Earth Times) - US President Barack Obama telephoned Nelson Mandela on Friday to commemorate 20 years since the iconic South African leader was released from prison, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said. "Obama expressed the American people's great admiration for president Mandela, who was very appreciative of the call," Gibbs told reporters in Washington.

Thousands of South Africans on Thursday celebrated the 20th anniversary of Mandela's release after spending 27 years behind bars. The historic moment paved the way for the dismantling of apartheid rule and South Africa's first democratic elections four years later.

Day of national mourning in Haiti one month after earthquake - Summary

Washington - Tens of thousands of survivors gathered in the Haitian capital Friday to pray on a national day of mourning, one month after an earthquake killed an estimated 230,000 people. The massive memorial took place in front of the shattered National Palace, the area around which has become a camp for thousands of Haitians who lost everything in the magnitude-7 earthquake on January 12.

A prayer service was led by Roman Catholic and Protestant clerics, who were joined by voodoo priests, outside the palace. Mourners looked up to the sky, waved their arms in the air, cried, sang, prayed and even danced, CNN reported.

Many of them were unable to give their family and friends dignified burials, as several thousand bodies were dumped in mass graves shortly after the earthquake. Haiti President Rene Preval has said that 170,000 victims were buried in common graves, the Washington Post reported.

"As the people of Haiti observe a national day of mourning to remember those lost in the catastrophic earthquake one month ago, the United States continues to stand with our Haitian friends as they recover and rebuild," the White House said in a statement.

"Amidst unimaginable suffering, the people of Haiti have inspired the world with their faith, strength of spirit and determination to rebuild," it said.

While bottlenecks slowing the delivery of relief supplies are decreasing, aid agencies have expressed concerns about the health of the estimated 1 million homeless forced to live in precarious shelters, with almost no sanitation and few sources of uncontaminated water.

Humanitarian aid agency Oxfam said Friday there was "still a mountain to climb" in Haiti to prevent a deterioration of public health. "We now need a surge in effort to improve sanitation facilities for people in Haiti," said the group's chief in Haiti, Marcel Stoessel.

"Let us not kid ourselves that this is going to be easy, it requires a Herculean humanitarian effort from all quarters."

The White House also warned that the situation in Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, remains dire. The infrastructure that was destroyed in the 35 seconds that the earthquake lasted, will take years to rebuild.

"The United States will support our Haitian partners as they transition from emergency assistance to recovery and long-term reconstruction," the statement said.

The United Nations has said that the impending rainy season will compound Haiti's problems, adding that relief efforts should be intensified to help more of the estimated 3 million people in need of assistance.

While the rainy season doesn't begin until April, a downpour on Thursday demonstrated the troubles that lay ahead. Most of the survivors live in shelters made of worn-out strips of cloth, scraps of wood, cardboard and a few plastic sheets, leaving them exposed to the elements.

Oxfam said there was an urgent need to dig more ditches around these shelters to facilitate drainage during the rains, which could also trigger land slides.

"The rainy season has started. There is more and more misery," said Dr Louise Ivers, clinical director of Partners in Health (PIH), which has been working in Haiti for more than two decades. PIH said the early start of the rainy season brings new urgency to efforts to get more tents and temporary housing structures into Haiti.

Meanwhile, a high-level UN meeting on Haitian food security Friday heard of an "alarming" lack of international donor response to help the Caribbean nation's agricultural production.

Convened by Haitian Agriculture Minister Joanas Gue, the meeting in Rome was hosted by the World Food Program (WFP).

"At a time when Haiti is facing a major food crisis we are alarmed at the lack of support to the agricultural component of the United Nation's flash appeal," Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Director-General Jacques Diouf said.

The 575-million-dollar appeal called for 23 million dollars for Haiti's immediate agricultural needs. The situation has been exacerbated by the influx to rural areas of tens of thousands of refugees who fled Port-au-Prince and other urban areas in the aftermath of the earthquake.

"But only 8 per cent of this sum has so far been financed," Diouf said.

"Right now, the immediate priority is to support the spring farm (planting) season which starts in March and represents more than 60 per cent of national food production," Diouf added.

The food situation in Haiti was already fragile before the earthquake, with the country highly dependent on food imports.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/308979,day-of-national-mourning-in-haiti-one-month-after-earthquake.html.

Turkish Armenian newspaper site hacked

ISTANBUL, Turkey, Feb. 12 (UPI) -- Hackers overtook the Web site of Turkey's leading Armenian newspaper Friday and threatened "Turkey will be cleansed," media in Istanbul reported.

The Agos site was corrupted with an image of the alleged killer of the newspaper's editor-in-chief and said there would be more of the same "if you do not fix your reporting in the way we see fit," Hurriyet reported.

"Just as the traitors who have given up their Turkishness will one day be expelled from the borders of this country, Turkey will be cleansed thanks to the current powers in Turkey and all slander campaigns will be unsuccessful and inconclusive from now on," the hackers wrote.

Turkey and Armenia signed protocols last year agreeing to normalize relations although Armenia refuses to back down on its claim that the 1915-17 killings of Armenians was genocide.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/International/2010/02/12/Turkish-Armenian-newspaper-site-hacked/UPI-82061265983543/.

The Harvest of the military operation of the East Turkestan Islamic Party for the Year 2009

Dar Al Murabiteen Publications
Presents

English translation

The Harvest of the military operation of the East Turkestan Islamic Party for the Year 2009

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

“Fight them; Allah will punish them by your hands and will disgrace them and give you victory over them and satisfy the breasts of a believing people (Surah At Tawbah 14)”

Peace and blessings of Allah on the Prophet of Allah,
To proceed

The Harvest of the military operation of the East Turkestan Islamic Party against the Communist Chinese for the Year 2009-


After the Mujahideen of the East Turkestan Islamic Party performed successful Jihadi operations against the Beijing Olympics 2009 inside China and East Turkestan, and Allah guided some of the brothers to perform some Jihadi operations in 2009 against the communist Chinese that claims “We have (setup) a snare in the sky and on land a trap” and as its security maneuvers have reached their limit and as a result of these military operations, the Mujahideen have gained confidence and experience and have developed a suitable climate to perform operations in the future.

The security politics of China that is called “Severe torture against the terrorists” has increased the alertness and attention of the Mujahideen and has incited them to search and seek the most efficient, new and innovative ways to perform military operations against China… and the continuation of the Chinese atrocities on the oppressed Muslim people has been the reason for the increase in hatred of the Mujahideen for them and the determination to go on on the way of Jihad until they die, and especially the massacre of the communist Chinese on 5th of July 2009 was the reason for the Mujahideen to perform unique and special operations in a vengeful manner which caused the Chinese some political, economical and moral losses.

And I remind you of some of the military operations of the Mujahideen in the year 2009 inside China and East Turkestan -

1- On the 5th of July the Mujahideen defended their brothers who did not have a single scrap of metal in their hands when they faced an apparent massacre at the hands of the Chinese who were armed with swords, sticks and iron rods.

2- On the 12th of July the Mujahideen exploded bombs in the oil company of Lashgua in the Urumgi city.

3- On 15th of July the Mujahideen exploded bombs in a chemical workshop in the city of Yanshi in Hineen district.

4- On 12 of August the Mujahideen exploded bombs in the residential building of the Chinese in Qarmai city.

5- On September the Mujahideen exploded bombs in the chemical workshop of the city of Lini in the district of Shandonagh.

6- On 15th of September the Mujahideen attacked a company in a city of the Sajon district causing huge losses in it.

7- On 28th September the Mujahideen exploded bombs in the restaurant by the name of Uyghur in Beijing.

8- The Mujahideen continued their special and successful operations causing unrest amongst the Chinese especially in the internal Mongolia and in the city of Tiyon Shanshi and in Unin and in Urumgi.

And in the end, aiding the Muslims of East Turkestan and the liberation of their land is an obligation on every Muslim especially the Muslims of East Turkestan.

We pray to Allah to protect and grant victory to our Mujahideen brothers who are steadfast on operations against the Chinese in order to fulfill their duty and to spare them the evil of the enemies.

O the Muslims of Turkestan know that these Mujahideen are the ones who sacrifice for the Muslims of East Turkestan and its heroes.

So O the heroes of the Muslim East Turkestan stand up and perform vexing operations against the Chinese to free the oppressed people of Turkestan.

We pray to Allah to reveal guided victory on all our brothers at all times Ameen
And Allah is capable over his affairs but most people know not.

Military commander- Shaikh Saifullah (May Allah preserve him).
Muharram 1431

Sawt Al Islam

Translated by
Dar Al Murabiteen Publications

Source: Al-Tawbah Blog.
Link: http://al-tawbah.blogspot.com/2010/02/dar-al-murabiteen-publications-harvest.html.

Spain breaks up Voodoo prostitution ring

AAP

Police have arrested nine people accused of forcing Nigerian girls to work as prostitutes on the streets of Barcelona after telling them they had cast Voodoo spells on them.

The regional police in the Catalonia region say the girls were smuggled into this country after being lured with bogus job offers and then forced to work off debts of up to 50,000 euros ($A76,810) in the space of six months.

A police statement released on Friday says the nine detainees are all Nigerian and were arrested on Tuesday after an investigation that began nine months ago.
It says the gang cast spells on girls who believed in Voodoo, making them think terrible things would happen to them or their families if they did not keep silent about the smuggling ring and remain loyal to it.

Algeria eyed by US companies

2010-02-12

Some 24 large American companies, including Boeing, Motorola and Harley Davidson, will visit Algeria on February 17th to explore new business opportunities, Tout sur l'Algerie reported on Friday (February 12th). US firms operating in the construction, telecommunications, electric, defense, health and other sectors are reportedly eager to market their products to Algeria, which will spend billions on large-scale investment projects over the next five years.

Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://magharebia.com/en_GB/articles/awi/newsbriefs/general/2010/02/12/newsbrief-05.

Educated Algerians target of al-Qaeda recruitment effort

2010-02-12

In a newly-released document titled "Letter to Youth", al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb called on Algerian university students, chemists, physicists, doctors and IT specialists to join the terrorist group, AKI reported on Thursday (February 11th). The AQIM statement posted last week-end on jihadist websites was signed by Abu Muslim al-Jazairi ("the Algerian").

In related news, an Algiers court on Thursday sentenced four terrorists to prison terms ranging from 20 years to life for abducting 32 German and other European tourists in the Algerian desert. Their leader, the notorious Algerian terrorist known as "El Para", is already serving a life sentence for the kidnappings. Last May, the former paratrooper and one-time top militant in the Sahara region renounced terrorism, saying that by indiscriminately killing civilians, al-Qaeda had chosen a path far removed from religion.

Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://magharebia.com/en_GB/articles/awi/newsbriefs/general/2010/02/12/newsbrief-02.

Western Sahara talks end in Morocco, Polisario impasse

2010-02-12

Two days of informal discussions between Morocco and the Polisario ended Thursday (February 11th) with no resolution on the Western Sahara dispute, local and international press reported. "The proposals of the two parties were again presented and discussed. By the end of the meeting, neither party had accepted the proposal of the other as the sole basis of future negotiations," UN Western Sahara Envoy Christopher Ross said after the meeting, which was held near New York. Neighboring Algeria and Mauritania also attended the talks as observers.

Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://magharebia.com/en_GB/articles/awi/newsbriefs/general/2010/02/12/newsbrief-01.

Jailed Mauritanian Salafists declare 'repentance'

The repentant prisoners include three al-Qaeda linked suspected murderers of a tourist family near Aleg in 2007.

By Mohamed Yahya Ould Abdel Wedoud for Magharebia in Nouakchott — 12/02/10

The Mauritanian government is reporting positive results from a "spiritual dialogue" between moderate religious scholars and imprisoned Salafists, with nearly all the inmates involved declaring their "repentance".

To initiate the dialogue, Sheikh Mohamed El Hacen Ould Deddew led a panel of scholars that debated with 68 Salafists in a two-day event that began on January 18th. An earlier Nouakchott conference on tolerance set the stage for the debate, which challenged inmates to take more moderate stances.

In an interview with Al Jazeera on Wednesday, Ould Deddew said that most of the prisoners had vowed they would quit Al-Qaeda.

The prisoners included three men who declared their repentance for the 2007 killing near Aleg of a French family of tourists. "In addition, they pledged not to return to [these activities], and not to carry arms in Mauritania against either Muslims or infidels," Ould Deddew added.

Mauritania would "continue to rid its soil of Al-Qaeda and acts of violence," he said, adding that authorities have to "accelerate the arrangement of positive steps based on that dialogue".

A spokesperson for the scholars, Mohamed El Mokhtar Ould Mbale, said in a press conference on February 4th that the dialogue tackled topics including allegiance, baraa (disavowal), governance, democracy, positive laws, isteaman (pledge of security) and aggression. The scholars presented Sharia rules, "and the young men dealt so positively with them that some of them asked God for repentance and said they had previously had a confused understanding of these concepts".

"The dialogue is not just an occasion that starts and then ends; rather, it's an option and approach adopted by the state in dealing with all issues on the table in the country," added Ould Mbale. "It will be renewed on an as-needed basis."

Ould Mbale declined to comment on when or how the prisoners would be released now that they have signed declarations of regret for resorting to arms and violence as the means of achieving their goals.

"We have advised the president of the dialogue's results, which have been good," the rapporteur of the scholars committee, Abdellahi Ould Aminou, told the state media on February 3rd. "We can say that it had a 90% success rate, and that the goals set will have a good effect, not just on those who were the target of the dialogue, but also on those who may embrace these ideas, the public arena, and on all the Mauritanian people who were impatiently waiting for this dialogue".

Ould Aminou said that 90% of the Salafists involved in the dialogue had declared their "repentance".

During a February 3rd meeting with members of the scholars committee, President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz promised to continue the dialogue with the Salafists in order to resolve outstanding issues.

According to Ould Deddew, the dialogue aims to show that Islam has "nothing to do with devious ideas, such as takfir, aggression, and carrying of arms in Muslim countries". He said other goals included "eliminating injustice towards the oppressed and alleviating the suffering of those prisoners" and "helping the country avoid security problems".

Ordinary Mauritanians who spoke to Magharebia on Wednesday expressed relief at how the dialogue had been conducted. Saleck Ould Mohamed, 53, who sells clothes in the capital, said: "I've followed most of the dialogue sessions in the state media and through the statements issued from time to time by some Salafists inside the prison. I was happy to see the scholars listening to the prisoners and responding to arguments with counter-arguments in a beautiful, brotherly atmosphere."

"I prefer the ideological solution that took place to the security solution," Ould Mohamed added. "Mauritania is a peaceful country, and its people have never known violence and extremism."

At the same time, Teghy Ould Moussa, a man in his 20s who works in the fishing sector in Nouadhibou, said that "in principle, dialogue with the Salafists is a good thing. But the government should focus on the root causes of extremism and terrorism, which are poverty, unemployment, deprivation and loss of hope. Terrorism is a consequence, not a cause."

Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2010/02/12/feature-02.

Algerian inter-faith leaders call for more religious freedom

After a January attack on a Protestant church, Algerian religious dignitaries and ministries met to discuss how religious freedom can be best protected.

By Walid Ramzi for Magharebia in Algiers – 12/02/10

Algeria is a religiously tolerant nation that will never encroach on the rights of non-Muslims to worship, Religious Affairs Minister Bouabdellah Ghlamallah told participants at an Algiers seminar on Wednesday (February 10th).

Under the banner of "Religious Worship: A Right Ensured by Religion and by the Law", the February 10th-11th conference convened representatives of several religions and government officials to ease relations after a Christian church was attacked and desecrated in Tizi-Ouzou in December 2009.

Emphasizing Algeria's long history of religious acceptance, Ghlamallah declared that the country is "receptive to all religions" and pointed to a February 2006 law that protects the right of Christians and Jews to practice their faith.

Algeria has "never closed down a single church", the minister told participants. "Rather, Christians were ensured the right to practice their religious rights freely and peacefully in the designated places, and in accordance with the act regulating the practice of religious rites issued in 2006."

The defiled Protestant church had defied orders by the government to shut down, as it was not registered properly.

Christians, both Catholic and Protestant, account for less than 1% of the Algerian population, according to recent statistics. The Ministry of Religious Affairs officially recognized Judaism in July 2009, and allowed 25 synagogues to open their doors.

Catholic Archbishop Dr. Ghaleb Bader, also at the symposium, affirmed that religious tolerance does exist in Algeria, but urged Algerian legislators to revisit the details of the February 2006 Act on religious freedom.

"It is difficult to provide a minister or an archbishop in every place," Dr. Bader told seminar participants, as he pointed out the problems in current legislation requiring registration for every religious community and barring religious meetings in halls and houses.

"Therefore, it's not easy for Christians to find places of worship in Algeria that meet the conditions stipulated by the Algerian government in the act."

He urged the Algerian community to recognize churches as a "neutral place" that "will never be a spot for opposing Algerian interests". He added: "The act regarding non-Muslim worship practices is a constriction on the Church in Algeria."

Catholic Archbishop Emeritus of Algiers Henri Teissier implored religious leaders at the conference to embrace inter-faith dialogue. "Establishing peace in the world hinges on representatives of the religious sects, be they Christians, Muslims or Jews."

Teissier also joined other Catholic bishops last month in denouncing the attack on the Tizi-Ouzou church and urging Algerians to follow the principles of "coexistence" and "respect".

A December 26th statement from Catholic bishops denounced the attack, while calling attention to "the obstacles hindering the practice of Christian worship" in Algeria.

In the statement, the bishops said they were "appalled by the desecration of the Christian icons, just as much as they are when they hear that Muslim icons are desecrated in any part of the world".

Other religious dignitaries also highlighted the need for religious understanding. "Islam calls for the co-existence among religions," said Emir Abdelkader University scholar Abdellah Boukhelkhal.

Reverend Claude Baty, who heads the French federation of Protestant churches, extolled the efforts to reach across religions.

"Dialogue between religions will only prosper with mutual admiration, friendship and exchange, and I am not opposed to the supervision of this dialogue by laws," he said.

Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2010/02/12/feature-01.

Despite luge death, opening ceremony goes on

By DAVID CRARY, AP National Writer

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – The show went on — with grief and a closing glitch.

The Olympics' opening ceremonies unfolded in a mostly jubilant atmosphere, with an upbeat crowd filling BC Place Stadium only hours after a luger from the country of Georgia, Nodar Kumaritashvili, was killed in a horrific training-run crash at Whistler.

After several somber pauses during the show to pay respects to him, the much-awaited surprise ending went awry. One huge piece of the set failed to rise from the stadium floor, and left one of the four final torchbearers, speedskater Catriona LeMay Doan, unable to use her torch.

The ceremonies were dedicated to Kumaritashvili, and a moment of silence was observed in his memory. The seven remaining members of the Georgian team, who decided to stay and compete, wore black armbands as they marched behind a black-trimmed flag. Most of the crowd rose to give respectful applause.

International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge and the top Vancouver organizer, John Furlong, urged the athletes to compete in Kumaritashvili's honor.

"May you carry his Olympic dream on your shoulders and compete with his spirit in your heart," Furlong said.

More than 60,000 people packed into the stadium for the evening extravaganza, the first Olympic opening or closing ceremony ever held indoors. The loudest ovation came midway through, when the red-clad Canadian team — aiming for a first-place finish — entered the stadium as the last contingent of the parade of nations.

The climax called for the cauldron to be lit jointly by four Canadian sports heroes — all-time hockey great Wayne Gretzky, skier Nancy Greene, basketball All-Star Steve Nash and LeMay Doan. But the former speedskating medalist was left to stand by awkwardly when one of the four pillars holding the Olympic cauldron failed to rise.

A second, far larger cauldron was lit by Gretzky in a plaza along the downtown waterfront — giving Vancouver a visible symbol for the rest of the games that the indoor stadium could not provide.

Rain was forecast through the weekend in Vancouver, with high temperatures near 50 degrees, prompting some to dub these the Spring Olympics. Rain also has disrupted Alpine skiing events at Whistler.

About 2,500 athletes from a record 82 countries are participating in the games, vying for medals in 86 events — including the newly added ski-cross competition. First-time Winter Olympic participants include the Cayman Islands, Columbia, Ghana, Montenegro, Pakistan, Peru and Serbia.

The overall favorites include Germany and the United States — which finished first and second four years ago in Turin — and also Canada, a best-ever third in 2006 and now brashly proclaiming its intention to finish atop the medals table on its home turf.

"We're still going to be nice, but we're going to be nice in winning," said Michael Chambers, president of the Canadian Olympic Committee.

The Canadian team marched exultantly behind flagbearer Clara Hughes, defending gold medalist in the 5,000-meter speedskating race. Prime Minister Stephen Harper was among the thousands in the stadium rising to applaud.

Just ahead in the parade were the Americans. Their flagbearer is Mark Grimmette, 39, of Muskegon, Mich., competing in his fifth Olympics as a doubles luge competitor. Kumaritashvili would have been one of his Olympic rivals.

The cultural segment of ceremony featured many of Canada's best-known musical stars — including Bryan Adams, Nelly Furtado, Sarah McLachlan and k.d. lang.

It also highlighted performers and traditions from Canada's aboriginal communities. And the highest-ranking official delegation at the ceremony — amid dignitaries from around the world — included the four chiefs of the First Nations whose traditional native territory overlaps the Olympic region.

Special effects included a giant, sparkling polar bear rising from the stadium floor and hovering over some performers on a simulated ice flow. Later, Celtic fiddlers performed under a stadium-wide cascade of autumn leaves, and an acrobat on wires performed an aerial ballet to the strains of Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now."

Several well-known Canadians received the honor of carrying the Olympic flag at a high-profile moment near the end of the ceremony. Among them were hockey Hall of Famer Bobby Orr, singer Anne Murray, race car driver Jacques Villeneuve and Betty Fox, mother of national hero Terry Fox.

Terry Fox lost a leg to bone cancer as a youngster, then set off in 1980 on a fundraising trek across Canada. He had to give up after covering more than 3,000 miles, and died in 1981 at age 22, but remains revered by his compatriots as a symbol of courage and perseverance.

The flame reached the stadium after a 106-day torch relay across Canada, passing through more than 1,000 communities in every province and territory.

The relay was the occasional target for protesters, and Friday was no exception.

Activists espousing a variety of causes prompted the relay to change course twice as it passed near Vancouver's skid-row neighborhood, the Downtown Eastside.

Later, several thousand protesters marched to the stadium, where hundreds of police were waiting for them. A standoff lasted more than two hours — with some sticks and water bottles thrown toward the officers.