Moscow subway bomber was 17, alleged rebel widow

By MANSUR MIROVALEV, Associated Press Writer

MOSCOW – A 17-year-old from Dagestan was one of two female suicide bombers who attacked Moscow's subway, Russian investigators said Friday. A leading newspaper called her the widow of a slain Islamist rebel.

President Dmitry Medvedev also urged harsher measures Friday to crack down on terrorism and the death toll from Monday's subway bombings rose to 40 as a man died in the hospital. At least 90 others were injured in the twin subway attacks.

Federal investigators identified one of the attackers as Dzhanet Abdurakhmanova, 17, of Dagestan and said they were still trying to identify the second bomber and track down the organizers of the attack.

Dagestan, one of the predominantly Muslim provinces in Russia's volatile North Caucasus region, was the site of two suicide bombings on Wednesday that killed 12 people, mostly police officers. Another explosion there Thursday killed two suspected militants.

The Kommersant newspaper published what it said was a picture of Abdurakhmanova, also known as Abdullayeva, dressed in a black Muslim headscarf and holding a pistol. A man with his arm around her, also holding a gun, is identified as Umalat Magomedov, whom the paper described as an Islamist militant leader killed by government forces in December.

The paper said the second subway bomber has been has been tentatively identified as 20-year-old Markha Ustarkhanova from Chechnya, the widow of a militant leader killed last October while he was preparing to assassinate Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov, who is backed by the Kremlin.

The subway suicide bombings — the first such attacks in Moscow since 2004 — refocused attention on the violence that for years has been confined to the North Caucasus.

A Chechen militant leader on Thursday claimed responsibility for the subway bombings. Federal Security Service director Alexander Bortnikov said some terror suspects in the subway bombings had been detained, but did not elaborate.

Female suicide bombers from the North Caucasus are referred to in Russia as "black widows" because many of them are the wives, or other relatives, of militants killed by security forces.

Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin have called for the terrorists to be unceremoniously destroyed. On Friday, Medvedev broadened the targets to include their accomplices, even those who help terrorists in tangential ways.

"In my opinion, we have to create such a model for terrorist crimes that anyone who helps them — no matter what he does, be it cook the soup or wash the clothes — has committed a crime," Medvedev said.

Russian police and security forces have long been accused of seizing people suspected of aiding militants. Some people have been tortured and many disappeared, and rights activists trying to document the abuses have also been slain, kidnapped or threatened.

Moscow unwilling to recognize the might of Emir Dokka Umarov

The security committee of the Russian state duma believes that Doku Umarov has nothing to do with the Martyr operations in Moscow subway and is just making a PR campaign by taking responsibility for them.

"A claim by Doku Umarov about his involvement in the terrorist attacks in the Moscow metro must be checked", Gennady Gudkov, deputy chairman of the security committee in the state duma, said to the Russian radio station Echo of Moscow.

"We are well aware that this may be a PR campaign. Using the incidents, he could show that he has some might, or it may be that is is really responsible. Now the terrorists and their circle are to be exposed, whether they are or not related to Umarov", said the KGB duma deputy.

Curiously, before the video statement by Doku Umarov was made available in YouTube, the Russian secret services were claiming, without any evidence for it, that Dokku Abu Usman is responsible for the bombings.

Meanwhile, the ability of sabotage units of the Mujahideen of the Caucasus Emirate to organize and carry out attacks on Russian territory is doubted not only in Moscow.

The Russian service of BBC in its reports about metro bombings and in comments to the Dokka Umarov's statement, published the following amusing passage:

"A video footage appeared in the Internet where a man identifying himself as Doku Umarov, said that the explosions in the Moscow subway had been carried out under his order. A bearded man in camouflage, who has similarities with earlier pictures of the Chechen separatist leader who calls himself "Emir of the Emirate of Caucasus", claims that "special operations against the infidels" in Moscow subway stations on March 29 were conducted in retaliation for what he called a "massacre by the Russian occupiers of the poorest people of Chechnya and Ingushetia, who were collecting wild garlic in the Ingush village of Arshty on February 11, 2010".

It is to be mentioned that "someone claiming himself Doku Umarov" (BBC) has warned that attacks on Russian territory would continue.

Local apostates also pretend not to believe the statement of Caucasus Emirate's Emir. Thus, the well-known apostate Akhmar Zavgayev asks and answers himself in an interview with the Russian State Interfax news agency - "Can we trust terrorists, the leaders of the criminal groups? I doubt it".

Another apostate, a MP from the ruling KGB United Russia party, representing puppets of Dagestan, Gadzhimet Safaraliyev, has also doubts the words of the leader of the Caucasian Mujahideen.

"I think Umarov has too high opinion about himself and his capabilities" (to carry out such operations), he said.

According to Safaraliyev, "the militants' leader has no network of operatives powerful enough to organize and carry out such attacks".

According to him, "Umarov is being used as a cover for some more powerful organization". As an example, the deputy lists secret services of the US, Saudi Arabia and several other countries.

It is to be mentioned that the ringleader of the parliamentary security council of Russia and a former Russian KGB top terrorist Patrushev found a "Georgian trace" in the Moscow metro bombings.

Curiously, Moscow is clearly reluctant to admit that the Caucasian Mujahideen are capable to carry out sabotage operations on the territory of Russia. It was the most spectacular attack after the bombing of the elite Nevsky Express train, when the FSB and all Russian government Russian commentators unanimously said - "it has no Caucasian trace".

Moscow's unwillingness to recognize the facts is especially strange that, since according to many commentators, attacks in the Moscow subway are allegedly favorable for Putin, who intends once again to become the Russian Czar.

As they say, new explosions and new blood would again force the Russian population to rally around the government and demand a stronger hand.

However, this explanation has some significant flaws.

First, the "strong hand" (it impossible to be stronger than Putin now) is ruling Russia for 11 years and never stepped back (he didn't weaken, but only became stronger). The vertical of power in Russia is so steep that there is no way to be more steeper.

Second, despite vigorous opposition's attempts to stir up the masses, the activities of anti-Putin and anti-Kremlin meetings are weak. The masses drink vodka and watch the TV, which tells them how Russia "has risen from the knees".

Third, it has been a sabotage operation on the territory of Russia proper, and it destroys the myth of the pacification of Chechnya (Caucasus) and demonstrates the omnipotence of Putin and his FSB gang. The bombings of the metro and the blast of the elite train are, in fact, the act of public desacralization of Putin's regime, and they destroy the Putin's myth.

After 11 years of victorious reports and television images of allegedly peaceful and prosperous Kadyrov's Chechnya and killed "militants", new explosions under the nose of the Kremlin do not testify in favor of Putin, since these explosions destroy the Putin's main myth - the myth of omnipotence, stability and order.

And if the Putin's Latrine Doctrine dated anno 1999 to "rub out militants in the toilet" stimulated the drunk and angry Russian mob, then the same Latrine Doctrine dated anno 2010 of "scraping bandits off the bottom of the sewers" meets only laughter.

The Russian government is not as strong as it pretended to be all these years. And the crowd does not forgive weakness. This is even more dangerous for the government against the background of deepening crisis, rising unemployment and poverty. The inhabitants on his/her own skin felt that Putin's promises were empty.

So, the effect of these attacks can be completely different than all-knowing critics of the Mujahideen and the fans of the "FSB's traces" are trying to inculcate.

Perhaps, these bombings would open the most terrible secret of the current regime - Putin's regime is simply impotent.

It stupidly swallow up petrodollars of the previous corpulent decade, and stuffed its private purse with enormous sums of money, leaving the country with a crumbling Soviet infrastructure. As it turns out, this Russian government cannot even protect ordinary citizens, even in Moscow

As far a the Kremlin's Pokemon (Medvedev) is concerned, who is trying pretend to be brave, then his bulging eyes do not cause anything more but a condescending curiosity. Watching how he carefully stretches his mouth and strains his neck is very interesting indeed.

Ruslan Sinbarigov,
Kavkaz Center

Source: Kavkaz Center.
Link: http://kavkazcenter.com/eng/content/2010/04/01/11772.shtml.

Indian troops martyr 16 more innocent Kashmiri youth

Srinagar, April 02 (KMS): In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops, in their continued acts of state terrorism martyred sixteen innocent Kashmiri youth in Rajouri district during the last three days.

The troops shot dead the youth at different places in Kalakote area of the district. The siege and search operations in the area were continuing till last reports came in.

On the other hand, forceful anti-India demonstrations were staged in Baramulla, Yaripora and Wadwan areas. Addressing the demonstrators, Hurriyet leaders reiterated the pledge to take the struggle for right to self-determination to its logical end. Complete shutdown was observed in Kupwara district against the anti-people policies of the puppet administration.

A police spokesman in a statement issued in Jammu admitted that Indian troops molested 51 women in the occupied territory during a period of six years between November 2002 and July 2008.

Meanwhile, railway track was damaged in a bomb blast at Galbug in Pulwama resulting in suspension of rail service linking South Kashmir with North Kashmir.

Source: Kashmir Media Service.
Link: http://www.kmsnews.org/news/indian-troops-martyr-16-more-innocent-kashmiri-youth.

Rich tributes paid to Kashmiri martyrs

Concern expressed over detainees’ plight

Srinagar, April 02 (KMS): In occupied Kashmir, the Chairperson of Jammu and Kashmir Dukhtaran-e-Millat, Aasiya Andrabi has paid rich tributes to the Kashmiri martyrs for rendering their lives for securing right to self-determination.

Addressing a mammoth public gathering at Rampur in Kulgam, she reiterated the pledge to continue the liberation struggle till its complete success.

On the occasion, the name of the locality was changed from Rampur to Shuhadapur and Aasiya Andrabi unveiled the plaque.

On the other hand, the Muslim Khawateen Markaz Jammu and Kashmir (MKM) has expressed serious concern over the rights violations of illegally detained Hurriyet leaders and activists by the jail authorities.

In a statement issued in Srinagar, the MKM spokesperson deplored that the jail authorities were not presenting the detainees before the courts to prolong their illegal detention.

Expressing solidarity with the relatives of the illegally detained Hurriyet leaders and activists, the spokesperson demanded the immediate release of all political detainees.

Source: Kashmir Media Service.
Link: http://www.kmsnews.org/news/rich-tributes-paid-kashmiri-martyrs.

'Indian troops molested 51 women in IHK in 6 years'

Jammu, April 02 (KMS): In occupied Kashmir, the police authorities have revealed that Indian troops molested 51 women in the occupied territory during a period of six years between November 2002 and July 2008.

A police spokesman in a statement in Jammu said that 38 cases of molestation by the troops were reported from November 2002 to October 2005. “From November 2005 to 10 July 2008, 13 rape cases by the troops were reported,” he said.

Source: Kashmir Media Service.
Link: http://www.kmsnews.org/news/%E2%80%98indian-troops-molested-51-women-ihk-6-years%E2%80%99.

Indian troops martyr 6 more innocent Kashmiri youth in IHK

Srinagar, April 1 (KMS): In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, martyred six more innocent Kashmiri youth in Rajouri district, today.

Troops during siege and search operations killed the youth in Tariyath area of the district.

Source: Kashmir Media Service.
Link: http://www.kmsnews.org/news/indian-troops-martyr-6-more-innocent-kashmiri-youth-ihk.

Indian troops martyr 14 innocent Kashmiris in Rajouri

Blasts blow up railway track in occupied Kashmir

Srinagar, April 02 (KMS): In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops, in their continued acts of state terrorism martyred 14 innocent Kashmiri youth alone in Rajouri district during the 48 hours long operations. The personnel of 54, 60 and 61 Rashtriya Rifles, 8 Mahar, 152 CRPF, and Special Operations Group killed the youth at Khabra, Dharamshal, Bhudal in Kalakote area of the district during joint siege operations.

The operations continued till last reports came in.

Meanwhile, three meters of railway track were damaged in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast at Galbug in Pulwama resulting in suspension of rail service linking South Kashmir with North Kashmir.

Source: Kashmir Media Service.
Link: http://www.kmsnews.org/news/indian-troops-martyr-14-innocent-kashmiris-rajouri.

Desert spreading like 'cancer' in Middle East

Experts warn burgeoning populations, climate change are accelerating desertification in region.

ALEXANDRIA - The desert is making a comeback in the Middle East, with fertile lands turning into barren wastes that could further destabilize the region, experts said at a water conference on Thursday.

"Desertification spreads like cancer, it can't be noticed immediately," said Wadid Erian, a soil expert with the Arab League, at a conference on Thursday in the Egyptian coastal town of Alexandria.

Its effect can be seen in Syria, where drought has displaced hundreds of thousands of people, ruining farmers and swelling cities, Erian said.

He said Darfur in western Sudan is still reeling from a devastating war exacerbated by a shortage of water and fertile land.

The United Nations Development Program's 2009 Arab Human Development Report said desertification threatened about 2.87 million square kilometers of land (1.15 million square miles) -- or a fifth of the Middle East and north Africa.

Erian said a large portion of rangeland and agricultural land was under threat, with little effort taken so far to reverse the process.

Burgeoning populations, which put further strain on the environment, and climate change are accelerating the trend, he said.

"The trend in the Arab world leans towards aridity. We are in a struggle against a natural trend, but it is the acceleration that scares us," he said.

"Most Arab countries until 2006 dealt with it as one problem among many. Then agriculture ministers described it as a danger threatening the Arab world. That is because they began to feel pain."

A 2007 UN study spoke of an "environmental crisis of global proportions" that could uproot 50 million people from their homes by 2010, mostly in Africa.

Erian said that if unchecked, the trend could emerge as a threat to international stability, a conclusion shared by the UN report.

"It will lead to more immigration and less security. It will lead to people losing hope," he said.

Fatima el-Malah, a climate change adviser for the Arab League, said despite its impact donor countries have not dealt with desertification as a priority...

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=38213.

Sadr supporters hold referendum in Iraq

Supporters of Iraqi Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr went to polls on Friday in a referendum on who should the bloc back in the race for the country's premiership.

Sadr's bloc came third in the parliamentary election held on March 7. Whoever this bloc supports will have the chance of becoming Iraq's next prime minister. The Sadr movement says the referendum is not a re-run of the March parliamentary elections.

Sadr has refused to back the top vote-getters in the elections and is asking his followers to designate a prime minister of their choosing in the referendum held on Friday and Saturday.

The referendum is organized by about 40,000 Sadr supporters. It will in no way play any official role in the ultimate outcome of who gets to govern. But, it could signal just how crucial Sadr's support is for whoever assumes power in Iraq.

The movement claims the two-day nationwide vote will give all Iraqis a chance to choose a prime minister from five candidates.

The candidates present on the ballots are: incumbent Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, former Prime Minister Iyad, Maliki's predecessor Ibrahim al-Jaafari, Vice President Adel Abdel Mahdi and Jaafar al-Sadr.

Allawi's Iraqiya Party secured 91 seats in the elections only two seats more than Maliki's Rule of Law Party. None of the parties contesting the polls are close to forming a majority on their own.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=122260§ionid=351020201.

Zardari closer to losing sweeping powers

Pakistan's parliament has received a package of constitutional reforms which will strip the president of key powers.

A dozen political groups, including the ruling People's Party, have proposed the move.

President Asif Ali Zardari, who inherited absolute powers from his predecessor the country's former military ruler Pervez Musharraf, would be the main victim of the proposed constitutional reforms as the amendments would effectively turn him into a ceremonial head of state.

Should the reforms be passed, Zardari will lose his power to dismiss the prime minister and dissolve parliament. He will also no longer be tasked with appointing the commander of the armed forces and high-ranking judges.

The bill also reportedly allows prime minister to stand for a third term in office.

The amendments fulfill a long-standing demand by the opposition, which has long criticized the president for dragging his feet on relinquishing the powers.

This comes as the Supreme Court has ordered the reopening of money-laundering charges against Zardari.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=122258§ionid=351020401.

Turkish symposium calls Uighur region "forgotten Palestine"

A major international symposium that gathered in Istanbul over the weekend to discuss the recent situation inside Uighur region called China to open East Turkestan to the world and stop all human rights abuses.

The "Free Eastern Turkistan Symposium" was organized by the Istanbul Peace Platform, and the IHH was one of the event's organizers.

The symposium opened with the speech of IHH chairman Bulent Yildirim, who explained the aim of the symposium to acknowledge the human rights violations and attacks against the Uighur Muslims for the past 60 years.

Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Konya deputy Husnu Tuna and Saadet (Felicity) Party Istanbul Provincial chairman Erol Erdogan talked about different ways to pressure China to stop human rights abuses.

"All kinds of pressure"

Prof. Dr. Alimcan Inayet said all kinds of pressure against the Uighur Turks and human rights violations continue, as to the policy of forced migration to reduce China's Uighur minority.

"The Chinese communists in the East Turkestan continues to transfer population to other regions, as well as restrictions on the Uighur language, Chinese education, bilingual education, birth ban, religious worship" he said.

Reminding that the region has rich natural resources, Prof. Dr. Alimcan Inayet said, "torture and executions continue in a systematic manner, while birth policy applied to the people of the region, despite relentless objections."

Inayet said China violates the right to education and Chinese educational practice is used to speed up the assimilation process among the Uighurs. Although according to the Chinese Constitution, every citizen has the right to have religious belief or disbelief, the Muslim Uighur civil servants are banned to prayer and fast, Inayet said.

"Forgotten Palestine"

Prof. Dr. Alaeddin Yalcinkaya used the phrase of "The Forgotten Palestine" for the East Turkistan.

China changed name of East Turkistan and named it as Xinjiang in 1955.

"The year when Israel declared 'a state' in 1948 is the time the occupation began also in East Turkestan by the communists. That is why some authors and researchers use the expression of the Forgotten Palestine for East Turkestan. Perhaps the East Turkestan will become worse than Palestine, such as 'lost al-Andalus'," Yalcinkaya said.

He continued as following:

"China has implemented all kind of policies and actions against the East Turkistan people before and after the communism, which cannot be characterized by a word no lighter than genocide. The government recently started to use the discourse of "radicalism and radicals" along with "the war against separatism and those who make propaganda for separatists." Accordingly, all scholars, students of religious sciences, teachers, imams, people who want to go to Hajj or wear the Islamic dress are seen as potential threats. Fasting, going to mosques, teaching and learning Islamic religion was forbidden. China uses all kinds of discrimination against the Uighurs."

Chairman of the Eastern Turkistan Culture and Solidarity Association and Vice President of World Uighur Congress Seyit Tumturk reacted to "the world's silence in the face of massacre happened on June 26, 2009 in Urumqi." Tumturk thanked Turkey and the Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan who "has given the most severe reaction and calling the massacre almost genocide."

The East Turkestan Symposium, which brought together a number of academics, thinkers, opinion leaders, civil society representatives and individuals and bodies called China to open East Turkestan to the world and stop all human rights violations.

The Symposium urged international bodies such as the United Nations, the European Union and the Organization of the Islamic Conference, and states "to take an active role in restoring rights of people of this region urgently and in putting a swift end to the ongoing unjust and repressive rule in East Turkistan."

Source: Islam Web
Link: http://www.islamweb.net/ver2/engblue/article.php?lang=E&id=157183.

New arms control deal to be signed in city of symbols - Feature

Katerina Zachovalova

Prague - US President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev are to sign a new nuclear arms reduction treaty in a Prague visit laden with ambiguous symbolism.

For Obama, the choice of Prague marks the first anniversary of his speech outlining an ambitious vision of a world without nuclear weapons.

But selecting the Czech capital for the signing ceremony allows him to kill a number of seemingly contrarian symbolic birds with one stone.

Obama also aims to eliminate fears in central and eastern Europe, a former Soviet backyard, from the so-called reset of relations with Russia, diplomatic sources said.

"It is not only about the full-circle symbolism and about presenting the first tangible evidence of disarmament efforts," Czech Ambassador to the United States, Petr Kolar, told the German Press Agency dpa.

"It is also about placing emphasis on our alliance and on this region," he said.

Aside from signing the fresh START agreement with Medvedev - a symbol of a new, less strained era in US-Russian relations - sources said that Obama is also to meet leaders of former Soviet satellites, who have resented his friendlier approach to Russia.

Pro-Atlanticist intellectuals and politicians in the region, including former Czech and Polish presidents Vaclav Havel and Lech Walesa, expressed those anxieties in a July open letter to the US president, in which they asked Obama not to sacrifice their countries in order to mend ties with Moscow.

The region is sensitive to nuances in symbolism, after belonging to the Soviet sphere of influence for nearly half a century.

At the end of World War II in May 1945, Prague was liberated by Soviet troops, as the victorious powers from the West had agreed with their Eastern counterparts to stop their advance short of the capital.

Moscow re-affirmed its dominance in 1968, leading a Warsaw Pact invasion of what was then Czechoslovakia to crush the country's drive to reform ailing economy and liberalize rigorous political life.

Czechs lived in the Kremlin's empire until communism collapsed in Europe in 1989.

The Czech Republic as well as other countries in the region have since joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the West's military alliance. But fears of Russia have persisted.

Unlike the majority of the public, right-wing Czech politicians thus readily embraced US plans to base a long-range missile-defense system on Czech and Polish soil for the stated reason of countering Iran's growing missile capability.

Moscow steadfastly opposed the Bush-era plans and the issue dragged US-Russian relations to their lowest point since the end of the Cold War.

Obama announced in September that he was scrapping the project to the dismay of its backers in the Czech Republic and Poland. Instead, he plans to introduce medium-range missile defenses in Eastern Europe.

For the ceremony's Czech hosts it was important that the new arms control deal, likely to be signed in Prague Castle, the seat of Czech presidents, does not represent a Russian victory and a US concession on missile defense, sources said.

The revamped shield plans served as the last point of contention before Obama and Medvedev reached agreement in a phone call on March 26, the New York Times reported.

The outcome is acceptable to Prague.

The two leaders agreed to spell out their missile shield positions in separate non-binding statements, the report said, while the treaty's preamble only vaguely states that offensive and defense elements are interrelated, Czech diplomats said.

Even the fiercest critics of Obama's move to drop the missile defense radar, the facility planned for the Czech Republic, were not angry over the upcoming US-Russia summit.

Jan Vidim, a right-wing lawmaker who called Obama's decision a betrayal, said that the meeting will promote the Czech capital. But he did have some reservations.

"Such meetings take place in neutral countries," he told dpa. "I would not like the Czech Republic to be considered a neutral country, because it is not."

Czech diplomats initially shared this view, but embraced the US request to host the event after receiving assurances to the contrary.

"We received assurances that we are not viewed as a bridge between the West and the East," Ambassador Kolar said. "We were selected as a firmly-anchored member of the alliance."

The signing ceremony may well be Prague's last chance for a while to bask in the international spotlight.

Previous attention focused on the Bush-era missile defense talks, the Czech presidency of the European Union and President Vaclav Klaus' aversion to the EU's reform treaty.

This time, said pro-radar activist Martin Kotas, Prague is to play only a supporting role. "I think it is not very important for us," he said. "The city is a mere theater set."

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/316828,new-arms-control-deal-to-be-signed-in-city-of.html.

Russians and American leave for six-month mission to space station

Moscow - A Russian spaceship took off Friday, taking one US astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts on a six-month mission to the International Space Station.

American Tracy Caldwell-Dyson, together with Russian colleagues Mikhail Korniyenko and Alexander Skvortsov, blasted off aboard the Russian Soyuz spaceship at 6:04 am (0404 GMT) from the Russian Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakstan, the Russian news agency Interfax reported.

The three were scheduled Sunday to dock with the space station, where they were to perform a number of scientific experiments before returning to Earth on September 16.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/316841,russians-and-american-leave-for-six-month-mission-to-space-station.html.

Rebels blow up rail track in India-administered Kashmir

Srinagar, Kashmir - Separatist militants have blown up a section of railway track in India-administered Kashmir, officials said Friday.

Police said there were no trains running when the militants detonated a bomb in the Pulwama district, 40 kilometers south of state capital Srinagar.

There were no casualties in the attack.

"Late Thursday night the rebels carried out the blast, blowing off up to three feet of rail track," Pulwama's senior police official Kifayat Haider told reporters.

"Train services on the route have been suspended and are expected to resume only by Friday evening after the repair work is completed," he added.

This is the first time the militants have targeted the train service since it started operations in the Kashmir valley in October 2008.

The attack came at a time when senior railway officials were due to arrive in Kashmir to review the rail network in the region.

The ongoing railway project, began over a decade ago, aims to link Kashmir to the rest of India.

Kashmir's secessionist insurgency has claimed more than 45,000 lives since the late 1980s.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/316846,rebels-blow-up-rail-track-in-india-administered-kashmir.html.

Germany's Merkel congratulates Helmut Kohl on 80th birthday

Berlin - Chancellor Angela Merkel thanked her predecessor Helmut Kohl for his role in German reunification on Friday, the eve of his 80th birthday.

"Your passionate personal commitment and your firm belief in a united, free future for Germany and Europe made you a pioneer of Germany's peaceful reunification and one of the most important motors in European integration," Merkel wrote in a letter to Kohl.

Kohl, who was chancellor from 1982-1998, turns 80 on April 3. He is remembered around the world for his role in events leading to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and German reunification the year after.

Merkel, who grew up in East Germany and rose within the Christian Democratic Party (CDU) under Kohl's watch, also extended her personal gratitude to her former mentor.

"Without your determination and steadfastness, the life of millions like me who lived in East Germany until 1990 would have run completely differently," the chancellor wrote, adding that Kohl's political convictions had opened up new possibilities for her.

"For this, I thank you personally," Merkel wrote.

A rift developed between the two leaders in the late 1990s, as Merkel was amongst the first to publicly distance herself from Kohl when it emerged that he had taken millions in undeclared donations for the CDU.

At the time, Merkel's critical stance propelled her rise within the party. She visited him at his home before last year's general election, but in recent months Merkel refused to reinstate Kohl's honorary chairmanship of the CDU.

The chancellor said in her letter that the challenges met by Kohl and his generation of politicians gave faith in confronting today's problems.

"We know that in the history of our country far bigger challenges have been dealt with," Merkel wrote. "With this awareness we can lead Germany to a good future in the 21st century too."

Due to ill health, Kohl is to spend his birthday at his home in Ludwigshafen, some 600 kilometers to the southwest of Berlin. In May, Merkel will be amongst 1,000 guests at an official birthday reception in his home town.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/316856,germanys-merkel-congratulates-helmut-kohl-on-80th-birthday.html.

Egypt opposition calls for severing ties with Israel

Mon, 22 Mar 2010

Cairo (Earth Times) - Lawmakers from the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's largest opposition group, have called on the government to withdraw its ambassador to Israel, amid heightened tensions in the region.

Israeli soldiers fatally shot four Palestinians in the West Bank over the course of Sunday and Monday, following clashes in East Jerusalem over Israeli construction there and access to the holy site known to Muslims as the al-Aqsa mosque compound and to Jews as the Temple Mount.

Palestinians and Israelis gave contradictory accounts of how the deaths occurred.

Brotherhood-affiliated lawmakers called on the Egyptian government to recall its ambassador to Israel, to eject the Israeli ambassador to Cairo and to stop exporting gas to the country, the Egyptian daily al-Shorouq reported Monday.

The Egyptian government has delivered formal diplomatic protests to Israel over its plans to continue building in East Jerusalem, which Israel has annexed but which Palestinians hope to make the capital of an independent state.

The Muslim Brotherhood is banned in Egypt, but members running as independents in 2005 won nearly a fifth of seats in the People's Assembly, making the group the largest opposition bloc in the legislature.

Brotherhood politicians also criticized the government for restoring a 19th-century synagogue on the site where Medieval Jewish philosopher Maimonides once worked and prayed "at a time when Israel is 'Judaizing' Jerusalem," al-Shorouq reported.

Egypt's Ministry of Culture earlier this month canceled an opening ceremony for the synagogue, citing the tensions in Israel and the West Bank and Israel's decision to include two West Bank tombs sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims on its list of national-heritage sites.

Moustafa al-Fiqi, head of the Egyptian parliament's Committee on Foreign Relations, on Sunday defended the synagogue's restoration as a "civilized move."

"It is an Egyptian monument, and does not belong to the Israelis or the Jews," al-Fiqi said.

The Muslim Brotherhood meanwhile launched a new campaign, called "Reformists," to improve the group's image ahead of two rounds of parliamentary elections this spring and fall, al-Shorouq reported.

The campaign would stress the group's rejection of violence and would elaborate on the group's views on women, Christians and political reform, the daily said.

Amazigh Cultural Festival celebrates tenth anniversary

Amazigh culture found an international voice at the tenth anniversary of the Amazigh Cultural Festival in Tizi-Ouzou on Saturday (March 20th).

By Kaci Racelma for Magharebia in Tizi-Ouzou – 22/03/10

The 10th annual Amazigh Cultural Festival in Tizi-Ouzou concluded on Saturday (March 20th) to acclaim and optimism for the future of Maghreb cinema.

"The festival, which is intended to re-launch Amazigh film, has been a resounding success," Tizi-Ouzou Maison de la Culture chief El Hadi Ould Ali said.

Moroccan director Mohamed Outmouloud Abbazie walked away with the Olivier d'Or for his feature film Itto Titrit. Omar Belkacemi's Dihia won best short film, and Abderrezak Larbi Cherif won best documentary for his film Kamel Hamadi, Ger Yenzizen.

Singer Lounis Ait Menguellet, playwright Slimane Ben Aissa and Ben Mohamed concluded the festival with a mixed performance: Menguellet provided music, while Aissa and Mohamed provided readings of Babor ghreq on the history of Algeria from Numidia to independence.

The Amazigh Cultural Festival also featured round tables and screenings of such films as Mourad Haimer's Le message du mur, Ahmed Djenadi's Thara Thmara, and Hocine Belhadjel's L'extra-terrestre.

Artist Ali Kellal praised the festival.

"With such ambition on the part of the authorities, it must be said that the future of culture as a whole and cinema in particular is promising in our region," he said.

Artists from around the world joined Kellal in Tizi-Ouzou, including India's Mohamed Anwar Khan and Bangladesh's Jasmin Anar Chawdhur.

"The public [in Tizi-Ouzou] are wonderful in the way that they pay attention to the cultures of other countries," Chawdhur said.

The Amazigh Cultural Festival demonstrated progress in Algeria, New Zealand singer Graeme Allwright said.

"I'm very happy to be back in Algeria, which I am visiting for the third time," he said. "My first visit was just after the country achieved independence, and the second was in 1983. I can now see that there have been major changes for the better in terms of culture and infrastructure."

France's Corine Myriam Catasiner applauded the festival's hospitality.

"I really appreciate the warm welcome we were given here and the willingness of the organizers to move forward in the field of cinema," she said.

One organizer, festival commissioner Si El Hachemi Assad, said that the festival had particular significance for the region's young people.

"We have young people who are asking for nothing more than to be listened to," he said. "We are here for them."

Amazigh culture can now stand proudly alongside others, writer Mohamed Ouaniche said.

"Viewing films in Tamazight is an excellent initiative," he said. "This leads us to believe that we can view the output of our artists alongside works that have had an influence on our culture."

Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2010/03/22/feature-02.

Morocco, Algeria pledge financial support for Darfur

2010-03-22

Morocco will contribute $500,000 to Darfur development and reconstruction, Foreign Affairs Ministry Inspector-General Mohamed Azeroual said on Sunday (March 21st) at the opening of an international donors' conference in Cairo. In addition to the fund package, Morocco offered Sudan help with implementing sustainable agriculture projects.

Algerian Deputy Minister for Maghreb and African Affairs Abdelkader Messahel also pledged his country's financial support.

Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://magharebia.com/en_GB/articles/awi/newsbriefs/general/2010/03/22/newsbrief-04.

Haitian diaspora debates how to build better Haiti after quake

Mon, 22 Mar 2010
Silvia Ayuso

Washington - More than 200 representatives of the Haitian diaspora gathered Monday in Washington for a two-day meeting to debate reconstruction in the Caribbean country in the wake of the January earthquake.

The issue at stake is how the 4 million Haitians who live outside their country can help following the devastating quake of January 12, and how they can turn the disaster into an opportunity to create a fairer, more transparent and sustainable state.

The recommendations for "a strategic plan for reconstruction and development in Haiti" that come out of this meeting sponsored by the Organization of American States (OAS) are to be forwarded to a Donors' Conference on Haiti set for on March 31 at the United Nations.

In a video message, US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said all those planning to attend the donors' conference in New York are awaiting the comments of the Haitian diaspora.

"In the months and years ahead, Haiti will need the work and determination of its people," Clinton stressed.

She noted that expatriates can help Haiti with their talent, experience and skills.

"We look forward to your ideas and participation," Clinton said.

Her husband, former US president Bill Clinton, was visiting Haiti Monday along with his successor George W Bush on Monday. It was the first joint visit by both presidents who were appointed by President Barack Obama to lead fundraising efforts in the earthquake's aftermath.

OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza stressed that the diaspora has a key role to play in the long-term reconstruction of Haiti, so that it moves ahead to become a better country than it was before the quake.

The gathering's stated objectives are to "identify the elements of and specific recommendations for the reconstruction plan," and to "develop a coordinated strategy for how the Haitian diaspora will engage in capacity and nation building and relate to other domestic and international partners in this effort."

In a passionate address that pulled the audience off their seats, Massachusetts state representative Marie St Fleur, speaking as a member of the Haitian diaspora, called upon her compatriots to work hard and commit to the construction of a "new Haiti" that is both modern and inclusive.

"One Haiti that works effectively, with transparency and accountability," she stressed. "The world is ready to help us, but we must be willing to help us to change things."

The disaster is "a unique opportunity and responsibility to shift historical paradigms," St Fleur said.

The devastation caused by the quake, she noted, was the consequence of years of "active neglect" from all, including the diaspora.

"We all must be part of the solution, we must be willing to accompany this government or any other government," St Fleur said.

She noted that the diaspora, particularly the 2 million Haitians living in the United States, send 1.6 billion dollars a year to their homeland.

"We are the largest donor to the people of Haiti," St Fleur stressed. "We have the right to demand a place."

The January 12 quake destroyed most of Haitian capital Port-au- Prince, claimed at least 220,000 lives and left an estimated 1.5 million homeless.

In a preliminary assessment, experts from the Inter-American Development Bank estimated at up to 14 billion dollars the losses caused by the quake in the Caribbean country, which was the poorest in the Americas even before the disaster.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/315313,haitian-diaspora-debates-how-to-build-better-haiti-after-quake.html.

Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo takes maiden flight

Mon, 22 Mar 2010

Los Angeles - Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo rocket plane took its maiden flight Monday passing a crucial milestone as it aims to become the first private sector vehicle to take paying customers into space.

The craft, dubbed VSS Enterprise, took to the air strapped to the wings of its WhiteKnightTwo carrier plane just three months after it was unveiled to the public at the Mojave Desert in California.

Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic has already signed up more than 300 people who have put down a total of 45 million dollars in deposits towards tour packages that will allow them to experience the weightlessness of space and see the curvature of the earth. Each ticket will cost around 200,000 dollars.

The planes stayed aloft for 2 hours 54 minutes, achieving an altitude of 13,716 meters, the company said. Virgin Galactic's business plan calls for building five SpaceShipTwo planes and two WhiteKnightTwo carriers, with options for more.

"Today was a testament to US engineering and innovation," said Branson. "The VSS Enterprise test flight program will continue though 2010 and 2011, progressing from captive carry to independent glide and then powered flight, prior to the start of commercial operations."

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/315320,virgin-galactics-spaceshiptwo-takes-maiden-flight.html.

Sonatrach, Total partner for new Algeria gas project

2010-04-01

French oil company Total will invest some $920 million to develop eight gas deposits in Algeria's Timimoun fields, APS reported on Wednesday (March 31st). Total will partner with Algerian state energy company Sonatrach for the project. Annual production of 1.6 billion cubic meters is anticipated once the project is fully operational in 2013.

Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://magharebia.com/en_GB/articles/awi/newsbriefs/general/2010/04/01/newsbrief-03.

Young Libyan expatriates visit homeland

2010-04-01

More than sixty young expatriates living in the UK will arrive in Libya on Thursday (April 1st) as part of the "Trip to My Homeland" program, PANA reported. The Libyan National Youth Council organized the 3-day trip to expose the young people to their country's historical and cultural heritage. As part of the same program, some 66 young Libyans from the US visited earlier this year.

Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://magharebia.com/en_GB/articles/awi/newsbriefs/general/2010/04/01/newsbrief-05.

Libya targets total privatization of economic sector

2010-04-01

Libya aims to want to put "100 percent of the economy under the control of private investors", Reuters quoted government official Abdelkarim Mgeg as saying on Thursday (April 1st). Speaking on the sidelines of the Libya Business and Investment Summit in Tripoli, the Privatization and Investment Board strategic projects' chief said that he expects fully half of Libya's economy to "be in the hands of the private sector within the next 10 years".

Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://magharebia.com/en_GB/articles/awi/newsbriefs/general/2010/04/01/newsbrief-02.

Mauritanian president appoints new cabinet ministers

2010-04-01

Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz on Wednesday (March 31st) conducted his first cabinet reshuffle since his election last July, local press reported. New ministers were named to lead the justice, finance, energy, employment, public service, communications, environment and African affairs departments.

Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://magharebia.com/en_GB/articles/awi/newsbriefs/general/2010/04/01/newsbrief-01.

Liberation of Islamist prisoners leads Libyan blogs

In the wake of the release of hundreds of imprisoned Islamists, Libyan bloggers are trying to foresee where the move will take the country.

By Jamel Arfaoui for Magharebia in Tunis – 01/04/10

Tripoli's release of 214 Islamist prisoners, including leaders of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG), topped Libyan blogs this week. The Arab League summit that closed in Sirte on Sunday (March 28th) was another popular subject.

"Let's just hope that things will turn out for our good," wrote blogger Mohammed Omar Hussain. "We hope that [the Islamists' ideological] revisions will be the starting point for correcting ways of thinking, changing to constructive efforts, and adjusting the steps for allowing our proud people to heave a sigh of relief, and gradually proceed to achieve more reforms that we consider necessary".

"The relief of our brothers' distress is a significant sharia and human rights motivation," he added. "It's good to allow our people to live at ease, promote their condition and fix the paths in a way that will eventually be for the good of everyone."

"In spite of the size of the wounds and grief, justness of demands and rightfulness of hopes, we consider the day of release of our imprisoned brothers an historical event, an outcome and victory of the language of reason, logic of argument, and a desired introduction for dealing in the same way with many other files and issues that need such treatment. Yet, we hope their pace will be a bit faster," the blogger added after the Islamists' release.

For his part, blogger Issa Abdul Qayum said he considered the release to be "very positive, even imperative, amid the uncertainty that surrounded the case after the statements that were made in Sirte, which suggested that it was impossible for the leaders of that group to be released from prison".

"In order for the step to become an item on the agenda of the required human rights path in Libya's case, we hope it will be followed by constitutional amendments and legislation, by raising the ceiling of national dialogue to the highest possible level, and by giving the Libyan elite a central role in establishing a culture of dialogue and tolerance, so that it may not seem to be used as an emergency exit only," he added.

Meanwhile, the Arab League caught the eye of blogger Salim Elragihe, who focused a satirical eye on the text of the closing communiqué of the Sirte summit.

"As usual, the summit of Arab garbage gave us a useless long communiqué as if they have written it on a long toilet paper roll!" he proclaimed. "The funny thing is that in the Sirte summit communiqué, every government has put whatever demands, desires and political objectives they want for local consumption and saving their face before their peoples."

"Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, for instance, has come forward with the Arab Union Project, a project which the Yemeni president tries to use to escape from his national failures and severe domestic problems to a big imaginary project outside Yemen! As for Col. Kadhafi, he has put in whatever he wanted and desired about his problem with Switzerland, and also his call for holding another summit in September in Sirte," added the blogger. "In this way, the Arab summit in Sirte came to a close by 'meeting their needs' and after watching shows of Libya's folk dancing. After that, each delegation went home in order to watch things – exactly like the rest of the Arab citizens."

Blogger Ahmed Faitouri wrote that "the only thing remaining for Arabs is their league… all projects, whether bilateral, trilateral, quadrilateral and even multilateral, have collapsed".

"There are so many causes for death, but it's just one death after all," he added. "The only thing remaining is the Arab League, which brings Arabs together in summits like no others. Yes, it may be black comedy, but the Arab League is the only bright spot remaining in this sea of conflicts and distraction. In many of its summit sessions, this league has been able to serve as a stage, allowing some people to show off their acting talents."

Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/blog/2010/04/01/feature-05.

Algerian municipal workers walk out over wages, job security

To show dissatisfaction with their pay and job security, council workers throughout Algeria launched a two-day strike.

By Fidet Mansour for Magharebia in Algiers – 01/04/10

Local council workers on Wednesday (March 31st) began a two-day strike over wages, benefits and job security, making them the latest Algerian public-sector employees to walk off the job.

Half a million workers in 1,451 communes went on strike to demand a new allowances scheme and the retention of the established retirement scheme, according to organizers from the National Autonomous Union of Public Administration Personnel (SNAPAP). Last December, the government ended an early-retirement plan that allowed workers to draw a pension after 32 years of service.

"We have not had any positive response from the government during the two days of strikes," union chairman M'Malaoui Rachid told Magharebia on Thursday, adding that the next step is a three-day strike next week that will be extended if necessary.

SNAPAP president Ali Yahia told reporters that rank-and-file support for the strike was very high in most regions, citing a 100% turnout rate in Bejaia and 70-75% compliance in the rest of the country.

However, communes in Algiers and in the south failed to elicit this high level of participation, recording only a 30% participation rate. Yahia told Magharebia on Thursday that he blamed "pressure…by the administration on employees to dissuade them from walking out", by threatening to cut their pay.

The strikers are mainly concerned with pay issues. Akram, a counter clerk, told Magharebia: "These are derisory wages, far removed from the realities of society and the cost of living."

The top salary for a commune manager is no more than 30,000 dinars. Some employees receive less than the national guaranteed minimum age of 9,000 dinars, even though they may have been on the job for more than 20 years.

Job security is also a sensitive issue for a large segment of the communes' workforce.

"Civil servants on contracts make up 20% of the total number," Yahia told Magharebia on April 1st. "The majority of them are young people, employed as part of the social action, pre-employment and other state arrangements to support employment. These people receive pay of 3,000 dinars, and have no rights as workers, since their employment is temporary."

Contract workers may be laid off at any time with no advance warning, Yahia added. Algerians looking to secure legal documentation such as birth and death certificates have been seriously inconvenienced by the walk-out.

One Bab El Oued resident, Amer, who needed a birth certificate from commune authorities had to walk away empty-handed due to the strike.

"I have to submit my job application today," he told Magharebia. "Without a birth certificate, they'll reject it. I think this is irresponsible behavior."

Slimane, a council employee, supported the right of his union to strike.

"We're on starvation wages," he told Magharebia on March 30th. "We work under deplorable conditions. Going on strike is the only way we can get our socio-professional demands heard."

Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2010/04/01/feature-02.

Bulgaria's former defense minister arrested on bribery charge

Sofia - Bulgarian police on Thursday arrested former defense minister Nikolay Tsonev on corruption charges, the Interior Ministry in Sofia said.

Tsonev is suspected of offering a 60,000-euro (80,000-dollar) bribe to an official investigating a case against him. Another former high-ranking official of the ministry and a judge were also arrested in connection with the case.

Tsonev was a member of the Socialist-led government swept from power in the July elections after a series of corruption scandals. He was under investigation in relation to murky deals, such as a fiber-optic cable project worth 60 million euros.

The new, conservative government headed by Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, has signaled its intent to crack down on corruption by opening several cases against high-ranking politicians.

Former welfare minister Emiliya Maslarova had already been indicted for corruption.

Bulgaria, which joined the European Union in 2007, lost hundreds of millions of euros in aid when Brussels suspended funds in 2008 due to widespread misuse of the money.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/316779,bulgarias-former-defence-minister-arrested-on-bribery-charge.html.

National rail strike in Britain blocked by court injunction

London - A British court Thursday blocked a national rail strike that would have paralyzed the country's rail network next week.

The High Court in London granted an injunction to employers Network Rail to prevent strike action from next Tuesday - the day Prime Minister Gordon Brown is expected to call a general election.

The planned four-day strike would have been the first to hit the national rail network in 16 years.

The court ruled that there were irregularities in the ballot held by members of the RMT rail and maritime union giving overwhelming support to strike action.

The RMT says that planned cost cutting by Network Rail would make Britain's rail system unsafe.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/316783,national-rail-strike-in-britain-blocked-by-court-injunction.html.

Germany's Angela Merkel receives top British science award - Summary

London - German Chancellor Angela Merkel Thursday received a top science award for her role in promoting "science-based policy making" on international issues such as climate change.

Merkel, 55, who was a physicist before she became a politician, was awarded the King Charles II Medal by the Royal Society, Britain's renowned science academy, during a visit to London.

She had earlier held talks on world politics, finance and the economy with Prime Minister Gordon Brown at Chequers, the country seat of British prime ministers in Buckinghamshire, north-west of London.

The meeting came just days before Brown was expected to call a general election likely to be held on May 6.

Brown said the prestigious award given to Merkel showed the esteem in which she was held in Britain and around the world.

Martin Rees, the President of the Royal Society, said that Merkel was being recognized for her "extraordinary contributions to the promotion of science and science in society" on the European and world stage, and in encouraging science based policy-making over issues such as climate change.

"As a professional scientist herself, Chancellor Merkel has an added insight into the benefits that science and science based decision-making have for the economy and the lives of people," said Rees.

Merkel is the third recipient of the prestigious medal following Emperor Akihito of Japan in 1998 and President APJ Abdul Kalam of India in 2007.

Brown said he and Merkel had discussed European affairs, world trade issues and financial reform as well as the situations in the Middle East and Iran.

Last week, Merkel openly criticized Brown for Britain's reluctance to agree to tougher European rules on the regulation of speculative hedge funds.

But Thursday, Merkel said Britain and Germany could make an "important contribution" within Europe by tackling unresolved issues "together."

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/316781,germanys-angela-merkel-receives-top-british-science-award--summary.html.

Lawyer seeks clemency for Lebanese facing execution in Saudi Arabia

Beirut - The lawyer of a Lebanese fortuneteller sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia for witchcraft made a last minute appeal on Thursday for him to be spared.

May al-Khassana told the German Press Agency dpa that she learned Ali Sibat was to be beheaded on Friday, but "up till now we don't have any official confirmation."

Sibat, a 49-year-old father of five, was arrested in May 2008, while he was on a pilgrimage to the Muslim holy city of Mecca. On November 9 the following year a Saudi court ordered his execution for practicing witchcraft.

Before his arrest, Sibat used to work for a now defunct Lebanese satellite television channel where he used to predict the future to callers from around the world.

Saudi Arabia, a devout Muslim country, frowns on witchcraft, black magic and fortunetelling, which it regards as polytheism.

Khassana said she has appealed to Lebanese President Michel Suleiman and Prime Minister Saad Hariri to intervene with Saudi authorities on behalf of Sibat.

"He is not a criminal," she said.

London-based Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch in New York have also appealed for Sibat's death sentence to be overturned.

His wife, Samira Rahmoon, also appealed to the Saudi King Abdullah and begged him "for mercy for the father of her five children."

Relatives of Sibat, who hails from the village of Al Ain in eastern Lebanon, said he was denied a lawyer during his trial.

For most of Lebanese, the decision by the Saudi court to impose the death penalty on a Lebanese national who does not reside in the kingdom or work there is "unfair."

"We do not live in the Stone Age. He is not a criminal, he should be deported from Saudi Arabia and not be beheaded," a relative of Sibat, who requested anonymity, told dpa.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/316800,lawyer-seeks-clemency-for-lebanese-facing-execution-in-saudi-arabia.html.

Iran marks Islamic Republic establishment

Iran is celebrating the 31st anniversary of the establishment of the Islamic Republic — a new Islamic system that replaced a US-backed monarchy.

On April 1, 1979, less than two months after the victory of the Islamic Revolution, millions of Iranians cast their ballots in a national referendum on a new system of government.

They were offered to vote on whether they wanted Iran to become an Islamic Republic.

An astonishing 98.2 percent of the votes endorsed the establishment of an Islamic Republic and the creation of a new constitution.

Thirty one years on, Iranians continue to mark the occasion by holding ceremonies across the country on the anniversary of the referendum.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=122192§ionid=351020101.

Israeli spy held in Algeria with false passport

Wed, 31 Mar 2010

Algerian forces have arrested an Israeli spy with a false Spanish passport amid the international outcry over use of forged passports by Mossad agents in terrorist operations.

Algerian officials say the agent who used the name of Alberto Vagilo was arrested ten days after he arrived in the North African country.

Security sources note that the agent entered south Algeria in mid-March from Barcelona in Spain.

According to the sources, he had passed himself off as a 35-year-old Spanish man.

Earlier, it was reported that an al-Qaeda-linked group had abducted a Spanish citizen only to be denied later by Algerian and Spanish authorities. That person turned out to be the alleged spy.

The new arrest was made not long after Israeli agents assassinated a high-ranking Hamas official in Dubai.

Last week, Britain expelled a senior Israeli diplomat amid a diplomatic row with Tel Aviv over the use of UK passports to plot the assassination.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://edition.presstv.ir/detail/122164.html.

Algeria backs Iran's right to peaceful nuclear technology

Thu Apr 1, 2010

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has said Iran like any other country has the right to use peaceful nuclear technology.

"All the countries, especially Iran, have the right to use nuclear power for peaceful proposes," Bouteflika said in a meeting with the Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki on Wednesday.

The Algerian president further referred to the future meeting of the G15 countries in May in the Iranian capital Tehran and said: "I hope the Tehran G15 meeting has considerable achievements."

Bouteflika also underlined the importance of the Iran-Algeria Joint Commission.

Mottaki, for his part, delivered Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's invitation for the meeting of the G15 to Bouteflika.

The G15, which brings together 19 countries mostly from Latin America, Asia and Africa, is currently headed by Iran and due to meet in Tehran in mid-May.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://edition.presstv.ir/detail/122190.html.

Kazakhstan exhibits Nowruz painting by Iranian kids

Kazakhstan's State Republican Children's Library has held an exhibition of Nowruz paintings by Iranian children in the capital city of Almaty.

The month-long event displays 50 paintings created by Iranian kids on different subjects related to the Persian New Year, Nowruz.

The works depict traditions and rituals performed before and during Nowruz such as New Year shopping, setting the Haft Seen and visiting relatives.

Meaning 'new day,' Nowruz coincides with the first day of spring, or vernal equinox and is celebrated by over 300 million people worldwide.

For Iranians, Nowruz is a celebration of renewal and change, a time to visit relatives and friends, and pay respect to senior family members.

Organizers have also set a Haft Seen in order to give visitors the chance to become more familiar with Nowruz traditions, IRNA reported.

The Haft Seen is a table containing seven items starting with the letter 'S'; Sabzeh (freshly grown greens), Samanu (sweet wheat paste), Senjed (jujube), Seeb (apple), Seer (garlic), Somagh (sumac) and Serkeh (vinegar).

The United nations General Assembly has recognized March 21st as the International Day of Nowruz.

Nowruz was also registered on the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in September 2009.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=122206§ionid=351020105.

Saudi Arabia to invest $400bn in Turkey

Saudi Arabia's Finance Minister Ibrahim Abdul Aziz al-Assaf says the kingdom will invest USD 400 billion in Turkey over the next four years.

Assaf made the remarks at a joint news conference with the Turkish Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek in Ankara on Thursday, adding that the two countries planned to organize a forum for joint investments.

He said that the governments of the two states should provide opportunities for the private sector to use great potentials in the economy and commerce spheres.

Assaf noted that Turkey and Saudi Arabia were determined to boost their bilateral trade volume up to 10 billion dollars.

For his part, Simsek said Turkey wants to draw funds from the Persian Gulf countries to finance its deficit.

"The [Persian] Gulf is a region which has current account surplus. Turkey on the other hand is a dynamic fast growing country which relatively has a savings gap. Turkey and the [Persian] Gulf region can complement each other," said Simsek.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=122233§ionid=351020204.

Jumblatt, Assad 'agree to support Hezbollah'

Lebanon's Druze leader Walid Jumblatt has emphasized on the necessity of backing Hezbollah resistance movement in his talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

After returning from a landmark visit to Damascus, Jumblatt said Lebanon's future ties with Syria begin with building confidence, Jumblatt told a press conference in Beirut on Thursday.

"We agreed on the importance of supporting the Hezbollah resistance," he added.

The Druze leader also thanked Lebanon's Hezbollah Secretary General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah for his mediation efforts to make Jumblatt's visit to Syria possible.

"We were able to overcome certain parts of the past and get straight to the subjects that will lead to the stability of Lebanon," Jumblatt said.

He had previously accused Syria of being involved in the assassination of former Lebanese premier Rafiq Hariri in February 2005, and even called for the toppling of the Syrian government.

Jumblatt, who was on his first visit to Syria since Hariri's assassination, said his talks with President Assad would not be the last between the two sides.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=122202§ionid=351020203.