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Friday, April 16, 2010

Vote counting underway in Sudan

Addis Ababa (Earth Times) - Electoral officials in Sudan on Friday began counting votes cast during a five-day election marred by huge logistical problems and allegations of vote-rigging.

The first multi-party elections since 1986 are supposed to usher in a new era of democracy in Sudan, which is recovering from a decades-long civil war between the north and south, as well as conflict in the western province of Darfur.

However, major opposition parties boycotted the presidential, parliamentary and municipal elections, and massive logistical problems prevented many people from voting.

Sudan's ruling party, in an apparent attempt to appease the opposition parties, said late Wednesday it would invite opposition parties into a coalition government.

The elections, which began Sunday, had to be extended by two days through Thursday due to problems with ballot deliveries and voter registration.

Results are due on Tuesday.

The candidates of the Umma party and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) - the main party in the autonomous Southern Sudan - have pulled out of the presidential poll, although the SPLM contested elections in the south.

The opposition alleged that the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) were planning to rig the poll and said they were worried about security in Darfur.

Khartoum is keen to legitimize President al-Bashir, who seized power in a bloodless 1989 coup and is wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity in Darfur, analysts say.

Despite the problems, the African Union and United Nations said there were no major problems and praised the generally peaceful nature of the vote.

The only trouble came Thursday, when the NCP claimed that five of its members had been shot dead by men dressed in military uniforms in Southern Sudan's Western Bahr El Ghazel State.

Foreign election observers are due to release their reports on the credibility of the elections in the coming days.

The aftermath of the election could impact on a January 2011 referendum on independence for Southern Sudan, which was agreed upon in the 2005 peace deal that ended the north-south war.

Al-Bashir threatened to cancel the referendum should the SPLM boycott the elections. Analysts and SPLM officials have warned that even a delay could lead to violence.

Turkey PM says not to open border with Armenia unless Nagorno- Karabakh conflict solved

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday the border between Turkey and Armenia would remain closed unless a solution was reached in the conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported.

Turkey is ready to open the border as soon as Armenia ends " occupation of Azerbaijan's territory," Erdogan was quoted as telling reporters upon his arrival in Turkey from the Nuclear Security Summit held in the United States from April 12 to 13.

Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 to support Azerbaijan, which had a territorial conflict with Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Ankara has said the border could be opened only after the withdrawal of Armenian troops from the disputed land.

Turkey and Armenia have no diplomatic or economic ties. The two neighbors signed protocols to normalize relations and open long- sealed borders last October but the move has stalled since then.

The reconciliation process suffered a further blow after a U.S. congressional panel and the Swedish parliament last month passed resolutions that recognize killings of Armenians under Ottoman rule during the World War I as "genocide."

Erdogan said Turkey stood behind its commitments in the protocols signed with Armenia last October to normalize relations, while noting that "no one has the right to impose one's own memories on Turkey" when referring to Armenia's "genocide" claim.

Turkey strongly denies the "genocide" claim and has argued the Armenians were victims of widespread chaos and governmental breakdown as the Ottoman Empire collapsed before modern Turkey was founded in 1923.

Erdogan also reiterated his support for a "democratic and diplomatic solution" of Iran's nuclear issue and Turkey's readiness to help find a settlement of problems in Kyrgyzstan.

Last week, Kyrgyz opposition parties claimed to form an interim coalition government, while President Kurmanbek Bakiyev refused to step down and fled the capital to southern Kyrgyzstan after a day of bloody unrest.

Bakiyev had not made any demand to Turkey for asylum, said Erdogan.

Source: People's Daily.
Link: http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90853/6951719.html.

Seven killed in Saudi flash floods

Six members of a family have lost their lives in flash floods that hit southwestern Saudi Arabia as heavy rains continue to plague the kingdom.

A man, his wife and their four children were killed on Thursday when flash floods swept their car away in a valley in the Assir region, near the Red Sea, Saudi media reported on Friday.

A young man was killed and another injured in the same place when they were hit by a lightning bolt, while two others were reported missing.

Civil defense workers responded to 300 calls for aid in the region, many of which from people trapped in their vehicles by flash floods, al-Watan daily quoted Civil Defense Chief Gen. Abdelwahed Thoubaiti as saying.

A highway running from the southwestern town of Najran to Taef, near the holy city of Mecca, was cut at one point by floodwaters reaching five meters (16 feet), the general said.

Heavy rains also inflicted serious property damage in the eastern region of Dahran; however, there were no reports of casualties.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=123495§ionid=351020205.

China casts glare over 750 million mobile phone users - Feature

Mon, 12 Apr 2010
Bill Smith

Beijing - Yao Lifa was halfway through a recent lunch with his wife, two friends and a journalist when four men walked into the private room at a restaurant in China's Hubei province.

The men stood stood near the circular table, listening to the sporadic conversation about the food, and refused to leave despite Yao's protests.

As a rights activist for more than a decade, Yao is well used to such invasions of privacy. He had invited the journalist to the lunch via text messages.

In a similar case, Beijing police summoned church leader Chen Tianshi in February after he received a text message from a European Union diplomat who wanted to meet him.

The growing monitoring of mobile phones reflects "increasing repression" of Chinese rights activists in recent years, Lucie Morillon, head of the Internet Freedom Desk for Paris-based Reporters Without Borders, told the German Press Agency dpa.

"Clearly it's one more way for the Chinese authorities to monitor these human rights activists," Morillon said. And it shows one more way that industrious officials can use new technology to keep an eye on citizens.

Despite the threat of arrest, in a country where heavy controls remain on all forms of political dissent, activists continue to use mobile phones to organize opposition to China's local and national governments.

Text messages are also one of the few media that allow Chinese people to poke fun at the ruling Communist Party and top state leaders.

Yao, like many activists, removes the battery from his mobile phone if he wants to avoid police attention. Some activists use only word of mouth to arrange sensitive meetings, while others use unregistered SIM-cards or public telephones.

After Iranian activists used text messaging and social networking applications such as Twitter to organize anti-government protests last year, China is "worried about this kind of mobilization," Morillon said.

In a parallel with Iran, the Chinese government suspended all mobile phone and internet services for some 20 million residents of its far western region of Xinjiang for five months last year, following the death of some 200 people in ethnic violence.

Nur Bekri, chairman of the regional government, said the services were suspended "because they were believed to be the vital tools used by ringleaders to instigate violence."

High charges and bureaucratic delays over the installation of fixed telephone lines helped China's mobile phone market to grow rapidly in the 1990s.

Mobile phone subscriptions have doubled again in the last five years to some 750 million, more than twice the estimated number of internet users.

With greater use of multimedia mobile phone messages sent via the internet, and rising mobile internet access, surveillance of mobile phones increasingly overlaps with internet controls.

At the end of last year, 233 million, or 61 per cent, of China's estimated 384 million internet users accessed the internet through mobile phones, according to the China Internet Network Information Center.

China Telecom - which has some 500 million mobile phone subscribers - and another of the country's main service providers recently announced a system of draconian fines and suspension of service for users who send "pornographic" or otherwise "unhealthy" messages.

The government has discussed banning anonymous pre-paid subscriptions, which reportedly make up about half of all mobile phone accounts, and requiring all subscribers to register.

The state-run telecom firms cooperate "very closely" with the police and other authorities, Morillon said. "They are working together, basically," she said.

Surveillance tools include keyword filters and close monitoring of all activity on phone numbers used by known activists. The "unhealthy" category encompasses messages with political content.

In theory, anyone who sends a political message or even a joke to a few friends could be banned from the service.

One Beijing-based writer said his text messaging service was suspended without notice in January after he sent friends a message in support of dissident Liu Xiaobo, who is serving 11 years in prison for subversion.

Large-scale monitoring of mobile phones dates back to the late 1990s, when the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement used text messages to organize meetings and oppose the sometimes brutal government crackdown on the group.

The spreading of rumors and the maintenance of "social stability" remain the government's main justifications for controlling text- messaging.

"Spreading rumors by mobile phones is a hot topic," said Zhang Qingyuan, a legal researcher at the Guangdong Academy of Social Sciences.

"The rumors sent by mobile phones lead to social panic, and cause huge danger to society, and may bring difficulty to an industry," Zhang said, highlighting recent text messages carrying apparently exaggerated warnings over poisonous bananas and water pollution in a major lake.

In 2004, Reporters Without Borders said China had 2,800 dedicated centers to monitor text messages, using a system supplied by Chinese digital security firm Venus Info Tech.

These centers are now part of a "localization of censorship," Morillon said, in which local officials sometimes also censor material that is more personally than politically sensitive.

Several local governments have imposed laws and regulations on text-messaging, which are "suspected of running counter to the country's constitution," Zhang said.

Some activists have tried to challenge the authorities' right to censor text messages and internet content, and state media have aired some public discussion of related privacy issues.

But any new privacy law would be "unlikely to make a difference," Morillon said, because political concerns always take precedence for the Communist Party.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/318188,china-casts-glare-over-750-million-mobile-phone-users--feature.html.

Iran: Oil sector immune from sanctions

Iran's Oil Minister says US-led sanctions against Iran have failed as the country has managed to become self-sufficient in oil production and products.

"International sanctions are not a new issue and we have no problem in dealing with them," Masoud Mirkazemi told reporters on Wednesday after a cabinet session.

He added that Iran has been confronting hostile sanctions for more than 30 years.

Meanwhile, Mirkazemi denied news reports suggesting that China has cut imports of Iranian oil.

"We have good relations with China and the volume of oil transactions between the two countries is as much as before," he said.

Iran is the third largest crude oil supplier to China. For the whole of 2009, China imported some 460,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude from the OPEC member, about 15 percent more than contracted supplies.

In 2010, Zhuhai Zhenrong Corp, the world's largest single purchaser of Iranian crude, has agreed to purchase 240,000 bpd from Iran. The volumes were similar to the 2009 supply deal.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=123401§ionid=351020103.

Iran-Africa ties no threat to others

Thu Apr 15, 2010

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki has stressed that the Islamic Republic's relations with African countries are not in opposition to any other country.

He made the remarks during a Thursday press conference with Central African Republic's Foreign Minister Antoine Gambi in Tehran.

"Our relations with the Central African Republic are not against any third party but at the same time we will not allow anyone to affect or interfere in our good relations with the country," Mottaki said in response to Press TV correspondent's question about US concern over Iran's rising ties with African countries.

The Iranian foreign minister noted that Tehran's relations with other states "are based on mutual respect and interests.”

On Israel, the top Iranian diplomat said the regime is the root of most problems in the Middle East as it resorts to military methods against the countries in the region, whenever it feels.

Mottaki, however, pointed out that after its defeat in Lebanon in 2006 and in the Gaza Strip in 2009, Israel is losing now.

On Iran's nuclear issue, he said the country is committed to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and that all nuclear weapons should be scrapped and all countries should be NPT members.

"We essentially believe that all nuclear weapons in the world should be removed; in fact, pulling out the roots of the threat creates security," Mottaki said.

Gambi is in Tehran to take part at the two-day denuclearization conference dubbed "Nuclear energy for all, Nuclear weapons for none.”

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://edition.presstv.ir/detail/123433.html.

Kyrgyzstan says will keep US airbase

Kyrgyzstan's interim government says that it will extend by another year its accord with Washington over a US airbase despite earlier disagreements.

The interim government's deputy chief Omurbek Tekebayev announced on Friday that Bishkek "is extending by one year the validity of the agreement with the United States over the Manas transit center."

The Manas base is central to the US-led war in Afghanistan as about 50,000 international troops passed through the base last month alone.

Kyrgyzstan has made a U-turn after the interim leader Roza Otunbayeva, who opposed the agreement, spoke to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the phone last weekend.

Clinton spoke about "the important role Kyrgyzstan plays in hosting the Transit Center at the Manas Airport," US spokesman P.J. Crowley said.

The Central Asian country has been in a political turmoil after the opposition took power on April 7. More than 80 people were killed and hundreds more were wounded during the chaos.

Meanwhile, Kyrgyzstan's ousted President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, who fled the capital, formally resigned on Friday, according to the interim government.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=123487§ionid=351020406.

Volcanic ash diverts Iranian flights

Iran Air flights to London from Tehran have made emergency landing at Frankfurt Airport due to ash of cloud covering London's Heathrow Airport airspace.

Iran Air passengers might travel to London tomorrow morning if the weather conditions improve.

A Mahan Air flight had also to make an emergency landing at Dusseldorf Airport. A Mahan Air official in England (Birmingham) said that the Iranian passengers were transferred to Birmingham on buses.

The passengers of Iranian airlines to Europe have been asked to receive information about the status of their flights before going to the airport.

More than 500,000 passengers a day fly in and out of the UK on around 5,300 daily flights. Experts say the chaos, which is already spreading across Europe, could last for days.

Weather forecasters predicted that the ash, high in the sky and difficult to detect, could spread to southern Europe after crossing the UK.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=123484§ionid=3510212.

China starts second trunk railway to Xinjiang

Construction has begun on a second railway linking China's northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region with inland cities, the railway company in Xinjiang announced Thursday.

The new line, stretching 1,776 kilometers from Lanzhou, capital of the northwestern Gansu Province, to Xinjiang's capital, Urumqi, will run parallel to the existing Lanxin Railway linking Xinjiang with the northwestern provinces of Gansu and Qinghai.

The new line will be used exclusively for passenger services while the old Lanxin Railway will be reserved for freight trains, said a spokesman with the Xinjiang branch of Lanxin Railway Company.

The 143.5 billion-yuan (US$21 billion) railway is expected to become operational in 2013.

"By then, trains will be traveling at 250 kilometers, cutting the journey from Lanzhou to Urumqi to 10 hours from the current 20," said Jin Di, an official in charge of railway construction in Xinjiang's Hami Prefecture.

Meanwhile, a journey from Urumqi to Beijing would take about 12 hours compared with the current 40.

Construction of the 567-km Xinjiang section, which will include 202 bridges, 14 tunnels and 12 stations, began Thursday.

Construction of the Qinghai and Gansu sections began in March.

Xinjiang, a vast region in China's far west, boasts rich oil, coal and other resources and is the country's major cotton producer. Lanxin is the only railway linking Xinjiang and other parts of China.

About 30 million tonnes of coal would be transported from Xinjiang to the eastern regions this year, said Wu Jiachun, deputy chief of the regional coal industry bureau. "The volume will hit 50 million tons in 2012."

Railway officials said the new rail line would break the bottleneck of transport for Xinjiang in its economic development, ease the pressure on the Euro-Asian continental bridge and facilitate exchanges between China and its central Asian neighbors.

Source: People's Daily.
Link: http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90782/90872/6952996.html.

Gaza Cargo Ship Arrived in Istanbul

The ship that will transport the humanitarian aid cargo to Gaza has been purchased. The cargo ship, named Gaza, will be carrying medical supplies, medicines, cement and iron. The ship, anchored in Haydarpasa at the moment, has a cargo capacity of 3150 tons (3.150.000 kgs) of aid.

Following the ship with a 1080 passenger capacity named “Mavi Marmara” (Blue Marmara), IHH (The Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief) has purchased another cargo ship which will carry humanitarian aid to Gaza Strip. The dry cargo vessel named “Gaza”, will transport medicines, medical items, cement and iron. Anchored in Haydarpasa Harbor in Istanbul, has a cargo capacity of 3150 tons.

Turkish-flagged ship, made in 1981, is 82 meters long and weighs a total of 1999 gross tons. The ship, purchased for 850.000 USD, will embark on its journey to Gaza through the Mediterranean together with other ships. It is expected that together with ships joining from Europe, 15 ships will join the flotilla. The activists who previously broke the embargo through the land with a convoy of 200 vehicles, are now preparing to break it by the sea.

“Palestine our route, humanitarian aid our load” campaign is run by activists participating from all over the world such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Greece, France, Germany, Indonesia, Malaysia and Venezuela. 42 countries so far are supporting the project.

IHH’s General President Bulent Yildirim, said that they preferred the seaway with the aim of delivering more aid to the people of Gaza. Yildirim also mentioned that they would transport tons of aid to Palestinian people by those ships. Yildirim pointing out that in Gaza, 1.500.000 million people are struggling to survive with only very little help that is carried through the tunnels and said, “Where on earth, in which country in the world, does there exist such a practice? It is just like restricting a man to breathe only through a tube while he can breathe naturally. Only limited amounts and types of aid materials are let through these tunnels. Besides, these items cost a lot more than they normally should. So many children are losing their lives due to a lack of medicines and medical supplies. Who is going to be held responsible for all this? This embargo has a place neither in the heart and the conscience of the mankind nor in terms of international justice. Now, we are acting against it. I hope, God willing, the governments will act against the embargo as well. If Israel is left alone, isolated, this will quicken the end of the embargo.”

Source: Lifeline4Gaza.
Link: http://www.lifeline4gaza.org/2010/04/16/gaza-cargo-ship-arrived-in-istanbul/.

Malaysian NGOs And Representative of IHH Launch Lifeline 4 Gaza

KUALA LUMPUR, Tuesday, Apr 13 — NON-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) from Malaysia are participating in efforts to form an international convoy aimed at dismantling the Zionist Israel regime’s blockade of Gaza and to deliver basic living necessities to her citizens who have been continually denied of such aids in the past.

Several domestic NGOs have committed to join hands and cooperate by organizing meaningful programs aimed at collecting donations from Malaysians sympathetic toward the humanitarian crisis through a project named “Lifeline4Gaza – Break The Siege”. Amongst these NGOs are the Coalition of Graduates of Higher Institutions of Malaysia (HALUAN), Malaysian Muslim Youth Movement (ABIM), Jemaah Islah Malaysia (JIM), Palestinian Center of Excellence (PACE), Aqsa Syarif, Dewan Pemuda Masjid Malaysia (Dewan Pemuda), Pertubuhan Mawaddah Malaysia, and Viva Palestina Malaysia (VPM). So as to have a successful mission in delivering the goods into Gaza, they will be joining an international convoy headed by a Turkish-based NGO called the Foundation for Human Rights & Freedom & Humanitarian Relief (Insan Hak ve Hurriyetleri – or better known as I.H.H.) alongside other international NGOs such as the Free Gaza Movement and the European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza (ECESG.)

At a press conference which was also attended by a representative of the IHH overseeing the assistance from Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam along with leaders of NGOs in Kuala Lumpur this morning, HALUAN President, Dr Abdullah Sudin Abd Rahman aspires that the cooperation and support from all quarters in Malaysia will expose to the public the crimes which is being inflicted by the Zionist Israel regime and its allies upon the citizens of Gaza and the Palestinian Nation as a whole. With close networking, these Malaysian NGOs will be able to harness their strengths, experience and commitment towards ending the siege on Gaza and to assist her people to rebuild their lives.

In addition to the embargo and Wall of Death, the Zionists attacked Gaza on the 27th of December 2008 for 23 days. The brutal attack saw the Israeli regime unleashing phosphorous bombs, uranium missiles and other deadly weapons not deployed elsewhere. It dropped a total of 1.5 million kilograms of bombs from all directions; land, sea and aerial.

Almost all main infrastructure of Gaza city were destroyed in the despicable attack. Many important buildings such as government complexes, hospitals, universities, mosques, churches, schools, electric power stations, reservoirs and others were destroyed by the Zionist regime’s attack which was clearly aimed at crippling the citizen’s needs.

Now after over a year after the tragedy, the people of Gaza have yet to re-build their homes and other basic facilities such as schools, mosques and hospitals. They still take shelter under makeshift tents because construction materials and machinery are strictly not allowed to be taken in. There are citizens who resorted to living under the ruins of their former homes. There were many patients who have had to endure prolonged chronic diseases leading to their death due to the lack of medical facilities and the fact that none are allowed to leave Gaza for treatment in hospitals beyond its borders.

The year 2006 witnessed many attempts made to liberate Palestine, including Gaza, from the clutches of the despicable Zionists. Non-Governmental Associations (NGOs) from all over the world made numerous attempts to enter and assist the Gazans. Over 10 attempts were made but only a handful were successful in overcoming the blockade.

The latest attempt was a convoy on 5th December, 2009 championed by Viva Palestina which is based in Europe. The attempt successfully attracted over 320 volunteers who formed a convoy of over 3,000km from the U.K. via Turkey, Syria, Jordan leading to El-A’rish in Rafah, Egypt before finally entering Gaza on the 6th of January, 2010. A total of 12 Malaysians, including two from HALUAN Malaysia, were in the convoy.

Even though the 3rd Viva Palestina convoy successfully entered Gaza city, it failed to lift the embargo against her citizens.

Now, IHH which has full backing of the Turkish Government and international NGOs from over 17 countries have mooted efforts to launch the fourth Lifeline for Gaza, dubbed the LL4G. A massive effort is underway where a convoy of ships will set sail across the Mediterranean Sea from Istanbul, heading to Cyprus and finally beach heading in Gaza via the seas. This convoy will consist of some 20 ships and boats.

This campaign will be spearheaded by the Turkish Prime Minister himself, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The humanitarian convoy will haul basic living necessities such as construction materials for hospitals, medical supplies and food items. The flotilla will also be accompanied by prominent worldwide politicians and humanitarian leaders who hold great sympathy over the fate of Gaza and her people.

The aid will be directly delivered to Gaza using diplomatic channels of Turkey which has an ongoing Security Agreement with the Israel regime ever since World War II. The treaty stipulates that Israel cannot disrupt ships from Turkey.

This particular convoy is important because if it succeeds, the ships will be used to deliver all future humanitarian aids to Gaza from time to time. It effectively means that Israel’s embargo against Gaza will be lifted even though the Wall of Death still stands.

With regards to this convoy, the IHH has appointed HALUAN as Coordinator for all aids from Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam. As such, HALUAN along with the fraternity of NGOs present today appeal for all institutions, organizations, corporations, companies and individuals who sympathize with this humanitarian crisis to give their undivided support and assistance to save the Palestinians by organizing events to demonstrate their solidarity such as holding special prayers, exhibitions, seminars and talks on Palestine awareness, fund-raising for the Palestine Humanitarian Fund, as well as speeches, dialogues, discussions and forums to expand the topic of the atrocities meted out against the Palestinians. We are ever ready to cooperate with any party who wants to jointly organize such events leading to greater awareness of the Palestine issue.

Donations in aid of the Lifeline4Gaza project can be made directly to the account below:

Account name : “TABUNG PALESTIN HALUAN”
Account number : 5644 9020 8528
Bank : Maybank Berhad

It is endeavored that efforts such as this will give birth to a new generation of Malaysians who are sensitive and caring about humanitarian issues, and most importantly to cherish the freedom of independence that we have enjoyed thus far.

Source: Lifeline4Gaza.
Link: http://www.lifeline4gaza.org/2010/04/13/malaysian-ngos-and-representative-of-ihh-launch-lifeline-4-gaza-project/.

A Letter from Romania

Tuesday, 30 March 2010
Mikha'el Salah'al Din

There are many countries in the world where Islam springs to mind when they are mentioned, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and Morocco are just a few. There are many other lands Islam reached that many from amongst the Ummah may not be aware of, such as Western China, Greece, Southern Italy, Hungary and maybe even Austria. Romania is also one such land that many may not be aware lived under Islamic rule for 800 years. Many may not even know where Romania is, it is only 275 miles from Turkey.

In Europe Romania is infamous for Transylvania - home of Count Dracula. Whilst this character has assumed a position archetypal vampire in popular Western culture; the character is based upon Prince of Wallachia. Vlad III, who came to be known as the impaler. Historically, Vlad Dracula became infamous for his resistance against the Uthmani Khilafah and for the cruel punishments he inflicted upon his enemies.

Vlad Dracula was sent in 1475 with an army of Hungarian and Serbian soldiers to recapture Bosnia from the Uthmani Khilafah. Whilst the Uthmani Khilafah lost this initial battle, the Uthmani's entered Wallachia in 1476 under the command of Mehmed II to recapture the lost lands. During the war, Vlad was killed and, according to some sources, his head was sent to Constantinople to discourage the other rebellions.

According to most sources in Romania, Islam first emerged when the Sufi leader Sari Saltik came to the region during the Byzantine epoch. The Islamic presence in Northern Dobruja was expanded by Uthmani Khilafah who oversaw successive immigration. In Wallachia and Moldavia, the two Danubian Principalities, the era of Uthmani's did not accompany growth in the number of Muslims, whose presence there remained small. Also the battles between the Uthmani's and Habsburg Empire led to many Muslim to move to the Islamic heatlands.

Romania emerged in 1859 as a union of the principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia. Northern Dobruja became part of Romania following the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878. However during the the communist regime, Romanian Muslims were subject to a number of harsh measures, especially supervision by the state. The Ummah in Romania managed to hold on to the deen and were able after the Romanian Revolution of 1989 to begin the open dawah to Islam.

Islam in Romania is followed by only 0.3 percent of population, this equates to around 60,000 people, but has more than 800 years of tradition in Northern Dobruja, a region on the Black Sea coast which was part of the Uthmani Khilafah for almost five centuries (ca. 1420-1878). In present-day Romania, most adherents to Islam belong to the Tatar and Turkish ethnic communities.

The vast majority of Romanians are Sunnis who adhere to the Hanafi madhab.

97% of Romanian Muslims are residents of the two counties forming Northern Dobruja: eighty-five percent live in Constanţa County, and twelve percent in Tulcea County. The rest mainly inhabit urban centers such as Bucharest, Brăila, Călăraşi, Galaţi, Giurgiu, and Drobeta-Turnu Severin.

In all, Romania has as many as eighty mosques, or, according to records kept by the Romanian Ministry of Culture and Religious Affairs, seventy-seven. The city of Constanţa, with its Carol I Mosque and the location of the Muftiyat, is the center of Romanian Islam; Mangalia, near Constanţa, is the site of a monumental mosque, built in 1525. The two mosques are state-recognized historical monuments, as are the ones in Hârşova, Amzacea, Babadag and Tulcea. There are also 108 Islamic cemeteries in Romania.

After the Romanian Revolution in 1989, when Romania left the Eastern Communist camp native Romanians had the chance to discover Islam and taste its fruits. Today as many as 3,000 Muslim are converts to Islam and the number is growing day by day. Being converts they faced the particular problem in a society, in that society was not prepared to accept them. Most groups in Romania show little will to support Muslims generally. For these reasons the Ummah in Romania were forced to create an organization capable of defending and maintaining the needs of the Ummah in Romania. The Alliance of Romanian Muslim was set up in order to protect and defend the Ummah and Islam in Romania.

When Islam came to Europe the continent was living in the dark ages. Eastern Europe was steeped in superstition, magic and sorcery. Islam came and brought a new rational belief that took the region from its misery and gave their lives purpose. Whilst in mainland Europe the challenge is to defend the deen, in Romania and many parts of Eastern Europe once again the people need liberation from capitalism and nationalism and it is here the Muslim of Romania are at the forefront carrying on the work the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم started and the Uthmani Khilafah expanded. Whilst the Ummah face the same issues globally, the Ummah from Romania stand shoulder to shoulder with the Ummah all over the world and await the day Allah sends his blessings.

Your brothers and Sister from Romania

Source: Khilafah.com
Link: http://www.khilafah.com/index.php/letters/9109-a-letter-from-romania.

A United Muslim World

Sunday, 07 February 2010
Amar Khan

When one thinks of the Muslim world, it conjures up images of poverty, corruption and war. Many negative connotations exist about the state of the Muslim world which continues to occupy news space and newspapers. The global media tends to neglect the achievements of the Muslim world and the contributions it made to humanity. The Muslim world has a rich history of development and discovery, the results of which are being reaped today.

Over the last decade, the call for a united Islamic world i.e. the Khilafah has gained momentum and this momentum continues to grow. The possibility of a united Muslim world behind one ruler (Khaleefah) is something that the Muslim Ummah can achieve as this was achieved in the past and even western historians have testified to this fact. The Muslim lands currently posses:

• The Largest population in the world, 1.6 billion
• Largest army in the world
• Control of half of the world's oil and many other natural resources
• Control key strategic naval straits (A third of the world's oil travels through the straits of Hormuz which is between Iran and UAE) and airspace
• Largest land mass
• Nuclear weapons

The golden period of the Ummah saw many technological developments. Muslims utilized technology which Europe at that time could not even dream of. For example, some of the technology we take for granted today would not have existed if mathematical concepts such as algebra did not develop during the golden period of Islam. Computers which are used today would not have been possible if mathematical concepts such as algorithms did not exist. Many scholars such as Donald Routledge Hill express the view that Islam was the driving force behind the Muslim achievements while Robert Briffault even sees Islamic science as the foundation of modern science.

Oliver Joseph Lodge wrote in the Pioneers of Science: "The only effective link between the old and the new science is afforded by the Arabs (Muslims). The dark ages come as an utter gap in the scientific history of Europe, and for more than a thousand years there was not a scientific man of note except in Arabia"

Through the application of Islam, the Ummah was bound by the Islamic systems, this allowed Muslims and non-Muslims to live in peace and security. The Muslim Ummah has to return to its previous position, the one of leadership and honor as this is the only position that will save the Muslim Ummah from the crisis it is currently facing.

If the Khilafah existed today, it would embrace technology, develop an economy that distributes wealth efficiently and establish law and order. The key to a successful state is to have a government that actually takes care of its citizens, as this will allow the Ummah to make advances since their basic needs are being taken care of. Islam makes it an obligation upon the ruler to fulfill the rights of its citizens and this is the reason why the Khilafah was successful in the past. The Khilafah will make use of its resources so that the needs of its citizens are met. Whereas today, the Ummah with its great reserves of mineral resources labors in poverty. No individual or company will have a monopoly over basic utilities that are essential to the Khilafah such as the water sources and oil wells because the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم said in a hadith narrated by Abu Dawud:

"The people are partners in three things: water, green pastures and fire (energy)."

The Muslim lands have no shortage of energy resources; however most of the Muslim lands suffer from load shedding and crumbling infrastructure. The majority of the Muslim world faces an energy crisis. The root problem of the energy crisis within the Muslim world is the attempts by many governments in privatizing such resources. Privatization has lead to increased prices of such basic commodities which ensures the masses labor in poverty. The Khilafah brings its assets together and develops the necessary infrastructure so that the citizens of the Khilafah can benefit from them. The large oil reserves (56% of world oil reserves are in the Middle East, Source: EIA) which exist in the Middle East will be used to fulfill the basic energy requirements of the citizens of the Khilafah as energy commodities will be transferred to all parts of the state. This energy policy is one example of what the Khilafah can do to develop

A number of Muslim countries such as Pakistan, Indonesia and Turkey have developed aspects of their industry that has allowed them to make technological advancements, especially in their military industries.

Pakistan has been successful in developing defense hardware such as cruise missiles which are capable of carrying nuclear warheads, aircrafts and the famous Al - Khalid tank (ranked 7th amongst tanks). If the Muslim armies were to unite under one leader, this army would be the largest army in the world with a force of over 3 million personnel.

The Muslim lands have many strengths and advantages. One key advantage that a united Muslim world has, is control over strategic international airspace and naval straits. During the time of Sultan Muhammad Al Fatih, the Muslims had control over the straits of Bosphorus and ships of other nations could only pass through the Bosphorus if the Islamic state gave permission. In the same way the Khilafah will have control over key strategic straits such as the Bosphorus and Hormuz and control over the airspace that comes under the lands it controls; hence the Khilafah will decide which nation can travel through its straits and fly over its airspace. As a result countries such as the US will find it hard to launch attacks on the Muslim world as the Khilafah will restrict American maneuverability.

If the US was not allowed to pass through the straits of Hormuz and use the airspace of Turkey, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states, it would have been very difficult for the US to attack Iraq and Afghanistan. Fighter Jets cannot fly non-stop from the US to Iraq or Afghanistan, hence the US requires local air bases and aircraft carriers for its operations.

The Khilafah will face many challenges on its emergence and this cannot be underestimated. Due to this, achieving technological development and improving the current situation of the Muslim world will take time, however the key issue is that a united Muslim world has the potential to become a super power. In the current climate the Muslim world has achieved certain milestones and if a sincere Islamic leadership arises, this leadership will guide the Muslim world to new heights and the Khilafah will become the beacon of light for the whole of mankind InshAllah.

The Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم said, "Indeed Allah gathered up the earth for me so that I saw its eastern and western parts, and indeed the dominion of my Ummah will reach what was gathered up for me from it." [Sahih Muslim]

Source: Khilafah.com
Link: http://www.khilafah.com/index.php/comment/8751-a-united-muslim-world.

New report exposes British Government's plan to change Islam

Sunday, 04 April 2010
Saqib Bukhari

The British government has been exposed, in what was well known amongst the Ummah in the UK, that it has been targeting the Muslim community and actively attempting to create another form of Islam.

The British government has for long presented itself as one of the most tolerant nations in Europe when it comes to dealing with the Muslim community within its shores. Visiting the Home Office website, ones attention is immediately focused on the statement written in bold which proudly presents the UK as having one of the most comprehensive and wide-ranging approaches to tackling terrorism anywhere in the world. However, such confidence has now received a severe blow as a recent report exposed Britain's real intentions behind its counter terrorism strategy of being primarily a spying operation.

The government initially published a strategy in 2003 called CONTEST, which aimed to reduce the risk to the UK and its interests overseas from international terrorism. Its principles were based around the 4 Ps:

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Pursue : to stop terrorist attacks
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Prevent : to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting violent extremism
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Protect: to strengthen our protection against terrorist attack
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Prepare: where an attack cannot be stopped, to mitigate its impact

As the ‘Protect' and ‘Prepare' principles are fairly self-explanatory, what requires particular attention are the ‘Pursue' and ‘Prevent' agendas.

The "Pursue" strand of the strategy is said to be about foiling terrorist networks and plans. In theory this seems perfectly viable but a cursory glance on how this was being achieved raises a few eye brows. This is because it was essentially stop and search, arbitrary arrest and prosecutions, control orders to detain suspects indefinitely without trial, financial sanctions, deprivation of citizenship, monitoring communications, covert surveillance and co-operation with other states e.g. Pakistan. Of particular relevance was the case of nine Pakistani students who were arrested in April 2009 as means of thwarting ‘a very big plot' according to Gordon Brown. They were subsequently released without charge or apology and were deported back to Pakistan, not even being allowed to complete their studies. Essentially, the media sensationalism was convenient as it reiterated the notion of violent extremists in Britain but secondly, the connection with Pakistan strengthened the case for the country being a crucible for terrorism, thereby giving ammunition for Britain's foreign policy in the region.

As for the ‘Prevent' strand, this is the short-hand for preventing violent extremism or PVE and was published in April 2007. The program was established to allow the government to work with certain Muslim groups who would toe the government line. Such a maneuver revolves around 4 key approaches: promoting shared values (an alias for Western secular values), supporting local solutions, building civic capacity and leadership and strengthening the role of institutions such as mosques and madrassahs.

It is the above 4 points that have received a somewhat negative reception from the Muslim community .The communities and local government committee that published the recent report on the ‘Prevent strategy' has explicitly stated that the government should not intervene in theological discussions within Islam but should pay more heed to the issues of foreign policy as being a main factor for radicalisation. It went on further to highlight "many Muslims suspected they were being spied upon by Prevent projects and that the government had also sought to engineer a "moderate" Islam by promoting some groups over others." This is a noteworthy point because the government for years tried to create a ‘moderate Islam' that it can do business with, however, in the process it has alienated Muslims it wished to work with.

Further to this and as a damning indictment to the government's agenda when it comes to Islam is the leaked report that was received by the Guardian in February 2009 referred to as CONTEST 2 which seemed to explicitly address the ideological basis of Islam and received deep concern because it essentially widened the definition of an ‘extremist'. According to the strategy, Muslims would be considered extremists if:

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They advocate a caliphate, a pan-Islamic state encompassing many countries
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They promote Shari'a law
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They believe in jihad, or armed resistance, anywhere in the world. This would include armed resistance by Palestinians against the Israeli military
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They argue that Islam bans homosexuality and that it is a sin against Allah
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They fail to condemn the killing of British soldiers in Iraq or Afghanistan

However, as the Muslims reacted with outrage to the details of CONTEST 2 (many stating that it essentially criminalized ideas) the government revoked the plan and is still implementing the PVE agenda.

Therefore, the evidence against the government is more than conclusive in relation to what it wishes to do with Islam and the reformation it wishes to instigate. It is quite possible that over the coming years, we may see a slow incremental progression towards the draconian objectives of CONTEST 2.

Furthermore, a look into history offers great insights that solidify the aforementioned argument as this is not the first attempt undertaken by Britain to change Islam. In 1857 the British East India Company faced uprisings in India which mobilized the masses and threatened to end British rule in India. Jihad had been officially declared on the British by the Ulema of Hind and faced with the prospect of defeat attempts to pacify Muslim opposition led the British Empire to turn to Mirza Gulam Ahmed who was leader of a small group of people who denied jihad.

Gulam said: "Behold! I have come to you people with a directive that henceforth jihad with the sword has come to an end but jihad for the purification of your souls still remains. This injunction is not from me but rather it is the will of God."

He forbade fighting the Empire due to his favor for British rule and support, in a letter to queen Victoria he said:

"...For the sake of the British government, I have published fifty thousand books, magazines and posters and distributed them in this and other Islamic countries. It is as the result of my endeavors that thousands of people have given up thoughts of Jihad which had been propounded by ill-witted mullahs and embedded in the minds of the people. I can rightly feel proud of this that no other Muslim in British India can equal me in this respect..."

This attempt led to the British inventing a new faith and creating a new prophet, such a vain attempt gained no currency with the Muslim masses, instead hardening opposition to British colonialism.

The British government has used its counter terrorist strategy as a front to malign Islam and deal with the wider threat of a politicized community who continues to stand shoulder to shoulder with its brothers and sisters across the world. The ‘Prevent' agenda was always a front to create a reformation in Islam. The majority of the strategy aimed at Muslims in the UK, is to dictate to the Muslim community, establish a new leadership, make Muslims reject Islam's political ideas, and ultimately to secularize Muslims. It is the assimilation agenda - to prevent the spread of Islamic values - what they call ‘extremism' - and promote ‘shared,' Western liberal values.

So, be not fooled, Oh Muslims! We are living in times where our ideas and ‘aqeedah are viewed with disdain and suspicion. Cartoons depicting the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم as a terrorist, the banning of minarets in Switzerland and the recent attacks on the niqab are all signs of what the western governments want of Islam - passive, quiet and apolitical. We must abide by our noble values which Allah سبحانه وتعالى has bestowed us with and be not duped by the masterly trickery of those governments that want to see Islam as just a ritualistic religion.

Allah سبحانه وتعالى says:

يُرِيدُونَ أَن يُطْفِؤُواْ نُورَ اللّهِ بِأَفْوَاهِهِمْ وَيَأْبَى اللّهُ إِلاَّ أَن يُتِمَّ نُورَهُ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْكَافِرُونَ

"They seek to extinguish the light of Allah with their mouths; but Allah refuses but to perfect His light, though the disbelievers may resent it." [At-Tawba, 9:32]

Source: Khilafah.com
Link: http://www.khilafah.com/index.php/analysis/europe/9143-new-report-exposes-british-governments-plan-to-change-islam.

Morocco lures investors to high-tech industries

Trade Minister Ahmed Reda Chami is encouraging foreign firms to invest in the technical know-how of the Moroccan workforce.

By Sarah Touahri for Magharebia in Rabat – 12/04/10

Morocco is working to attract investors in four technical fields in order to spur employment among youth.

Investors in the off-shoring, car manufacturing, aeronautical engineering and electronics industries will be recruited to boost Morocco's economy and create thousands of work opportunities, Trade Minister Ahmed Reda Chami announced on Wednesday (April 7th) at the first conference held for such industries.

"A number of promotional activities have been undertaken by the new Moroccan Agency for Investment Development in the target countries," Chami said at the Casablanca event.

The government is offering incentives packages to corporations that set up shop in Morocco, he said. The benefits on offer include rebates of some profit taxes and a five-year exemption from corporate taxes. Chami also highlighted Morocco's high-performance infrastructure and competitively priced labor.

Mourad Laâouni, a young aircraft engineer who has been working for an aeronautical maintenance company for the past year, welcomed the news.

"I've chosen training, which will guarantee me work in a growth sector where there's a lack of human resources," he told Magharebia. "It's only recently that the state has started showing an interest in training."

New graduates are also taking notice of the shift in the economy.

Fatima recently graduated university with a political science degree, but is concerned about getting her foot in the workplace. This summer, she may enroll in a six-month off-shoring course offered by the Office for Vocational Training and Promotion of Employment.

"With my degree, it's difficult to break into the job market. But that doesn't mean you can just sit back and do nothing," Fatima said.

"I'm only 22, and my plan is to get into this training course, which will help me find work."

The Trade Ministry expects strong job growth in the four technical sectors. The ministry projects that by 2015, 70,000 jobs will be created in the off-shoring and automobile sectors, 15,000 in the aeronautics field and 9,000 in electronics.

Morocco has seen tremendous economic success in these targeted sectors, said Moroccan General Business Confederation chairman Mohamed Horani.

The off-shoring sector now accounts for 30,000 jobs and generated 4.5 billion dirhams in revenue in 2009, Horani said. In the automotive sector, Morocco joined the ranks of car producers with a major new assembly plant that can turn out 400,000 vehicles. As for the aeronautical and space industry, Morocco now boasts over 60 companies which support a workforce of 7,000 and generated 6 billion dirhams in revenue.

Another business leader predicted that Morocco's economy will flourish in the next five years.

"Thanks to Morocco's global trade, improved competitiveness among SMEs and greater human capital resources, Morocco's economy will have emerged by 2015 as a regional platform for production and export to Europe, Asia, the Americas and sub-Saharan Africa," said Moroccan Professional Banking Group chairman Othman Bejelloun.

Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2010/04/12/feature-01.

Mauritania aims to boost cereal harvest

2010-04-12

Mauritania wants to produce 240,000 tonnes of grain during the crop year 2010-2011, compared to 190,000 tonnes during the previous harvest, PANA quoted a government statement as saying on Friday (April 9th). In order to achieve this objective, the government will reportedly subsidize fertilizers and herbicides, provide quality seeds and ease credit procedures.

Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2010/04/12/newsbrief-04.

Kosovo signs deal with US-Turkish consortium for highway

Mon, 12 Apr 2010

Pristina - Kosovo on Monday officially signed a 700-million- euro (951.5 million-dollar) deal with US-Turkish consortium Bechtel- Enka to build a motorway linking the country with Albania and Serbia.

"This is a historical moment for our country," Kosovan Prime Minister Hashim Thaci said after the signing ceremony.

The project would "create new opportunities" and "generate thousands of new jobs," he said.

The 141-kilometer, four-lane highway leading from Kosovo's eastern border, with Serbia, to the south and Albania, was to be completed in three years, Kosovo's Transport Minister Fatmir Limaj said. Work should start this month, he added.

The new highway should give Kosovo access to the Adriatic Sea, through Albania. Bechtel-Enka has already built a segment of the highway in Albania.

The president of the Bechtel-Enka Consortium Michael Adams welcomed the deal. "This will be an important project for the development of Kosovo and the development of the economy of Kosovo," he said.

The Kosovan government announced the awarding of the deal to Bechtel-Enka in January. The company won the bid over competing offers from Austria, Italy, Greece and Turkey.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/318330,kosovo-signs-deal-with-us-turkish-consortium-for-highway.html.

Historians mystified by bricked-up shoes: charm against evil?

Mon, 12 Apr 2010

Korschenbroich, Germany - Eight shoes bricked up inside the thick stone walls of a medieval castle are baffling historians in Germany, who suspect they are part of some forgotten custom to ward off evil.

Kristin Dohmen, a historian, said Monday the find at Schloss Liedberg, a privately owned castle near Cologne, was the latest of about 1,000 cases found all over Europe. The worn-out shoes are poked inside holes in the walls, then sealed up with stone.

"You always find them near windows and chimneys," she said. "It could be intended to stop the Devil from coming in the window."

There is no documentary record of the custom. Repair masons who found the moldy shoes at Liedberg had never heard of the charm either.

Dohmen said one shoe had machine stitching, proving the custom was still alive in the 19th century. She said the oldest find on record was a 600-year-old shoe from a wall of Winchester Cathedral in England.

The owner of the German castle has asked for the men's, women's and children's shoes to go back into the wall after being studied by scientists. He has also donated one of his own shoes to be bricked up with them. Just in case it does bring luck.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/318332,historians-mystified-by-bricked-up-shoes-charm-against-evil.html.

Algeria hosts National Book Fair

2010-04-15

Algeria's 7th National Book Fair opened Thursday (April 15th). Some 75 public and private publishers will present 5,000 titles at the 10-day event, held under the slogan, "A book in every reader's hands".

Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2010/04/15/newsbrief-07.

'New' Roman theater to open in Algeria's Thamugadi

2010-04-15

Construction on the 5,000-seat open air theater in the ancient Roman city of Thamugadi will be ready in time for the 32nd Timgad International Festival next summer, APS reported on Wednesday (April 14th). The new facility aims to replicate the wide stage and majestic columns of the classic Roman theater.

Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2010/04/15/newsbrief-06.

Swiss children raise money for Mauritanian schools

2010-04-15

Some 10,000 children in Switzerland raised 500,000 Swiss francs to benefit their peers in Mauritania, ANI reported on Wednesday (April 14th). The money will be used to buy school supplies for 25,900 children in 154 Mauritanian schools, program organizer UNICEF announced. The Swiss children responsible for the most innovative fund-raising strategies will be honored in Zurich on April 24th.

Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2010/04/15/newsbrief-05.

Algeria, Vietnam ink partnership accords

2010-04-15

Algeria and Vietnam on Wednesday (April 14th) signed eight co-operation accords and MoUs related to sports, agriculture, fishing and judicial partnerships, APS reported. During the official visit of Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet to Algiers this week, officials from both countries also agreed to convene the Algerian-Vietnamese Co-operation Commission by the end of the year.

Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2010/04/15/newsbrief-03.

Iran Pres. calls for Mideast 'brotherhood'

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called for "full brotherhood" to be established in the Middle East in order to foil enemy plots.

He made the comment during a meeting with the Kuwaiti emir's especial envoy Mohammad Abdullah Abu Al-Hassan in Tehran on Thursday.

"Iran and Kuwait are two brother countries that have cultural ties and share common interests," IRNA quoted Ahmadinejad as saying on Thursday.

"Today, the capacity and the will for further expansion of ties between Iran and Kuwait exist," Ahmadinejad emphasized.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran and Kuwait have always had brotherly ties and today these ties could be a model for [countries of] the region," he said.

Ahmadinejad added that the atmosphere of the region should move towards full brotherhood, stability and security, since insecurity benefits no country and it will only allow enemies to put distance between brothers

The Kuwaiti envoy presented a written message from the Kuwaiti emir to Ahmadinejad and called for further expansion of ties between the two countries.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=123468§ionid=351020101.

Brazil, India, S Africa urge talks on Iran

Fri Apr 16, 2010

Brazil, India and South Africa have called for a diplomatic solution to Iran's nuclear issue, adding that the country's nuclear rights should be respected.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and South African President Jacob Zuma in a trilateral summit in Brasilia on Thursday "recognized the right of Iran to develop nuclear programs for peaceful purposes in keeping with its international obligations."

The leaders, in a joint statement, underlined "the need for a peaceful and diplomatic solution of the issue," AFP reported.

This is while Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim on Thursday declared that his country feels "great affinity" with China over Iran's nuclear issue.

Russia and China, two veto-wielding nations of the UN Security Council, have repeatedly voiced their opposition to new sanctions against Iran, saying that such sanctions will not help to solve the Islamic Republic's nuclear issue.

"Our impression... is that the effectiveness of sanctions is debatable," Amorim said.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://edition.presstv.ir/detail/123464.html.

Brazil feels 'affinity' with China over Iran

Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim says his country feels "great affinity" towards China in its dealings with Iran's nuclear issue.

Amorim said on Thursday that Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva had outlined Brazil's defense of Iran to Chinese President Hu Jintao during a summit of so-called BRIC nations of emerging economies in Brasilia, which includes Brazil, Russia, India and China.

"Our impression... is that the effectiveness of sanctions is debatable," Amorim said.

He noted that Lula set out the same position in talks with visiting Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

"President Lula gave an explanation, to provide better transparency, on what we've done in relation with Iran. And we see great affinity with the points of view of each country," AFP quoted Amorim as saying.

Brazil, a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, has repeatedly called for a diplomatic solution to Iran's nuclear issue, along with other countries such as Turkey and Lebanon.

Russia and China, two veto-wielding members of the UN Security Council, have also urged diplomacy on Iran.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=123458§ionid=351020101.

UN slams NATO for civilian killings

The UN's envoy to Afghanistan slams US-led NATO forces for killing civilians, calling on them to do their "utmost to minimize harm" to ordinary Afghans.

The United Nations secretary general's special representative to Afghanistan, Staffan de Mistura, said on Thursday that he was "deeply saddened and seriously concerned" about the loss of civilian lives in Afghanistan.

The statement came days after four civilians were killed and 8 others injured by NATO forces in the southern province of Kandahar.

"I am deeply saddened and seriously concerned by this loss of civilian life and once again call on all parties to the conflict to do their utmost to minimize harm to ordinary Afghans," de Mistura said in the statement referring to Monday's incident.

De Mistura also called on NATO forces to launch an investigation into the incident.

According to UN figures, more than 2,400 civilians were killed in 2009 alone. In February 2010, foreign forces killed five people including three women during a night raid on a family compound outside Gardez in Paktia Province.

The issue of civilian casualties has on occasions provoked tension between the United Nations and US-led foreign troops. In one of the tensest confrontations, the UN condemned the US for conducting an airstrike, which resulted in the loss of 90 civilian lives.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=123456§ionid=351020403.

Ousted leader leaves Kyrgyzstan

Kurmanbek Bakiyev, the ousted president of Kyrgyzstan, has left the country for neighboring Kazakhstan, following a week-long political standoff with opponents, while the interim government has said that he has submitted a request to resign.

Bakiyev arrived in the southern Kazakh city of Taraz on Thursday from where he will continue settlement talks with opponents who have seized power from him, his aide said.

"The president of Kyrgyzstan has flown to Kazakhstan, where he will conduct negotiations on the settlement of the crisis," Ravshan Dzhamgyrchiyevm, one of Bakiyev's aides, told the Reuters news agency.

Local media sources said that the deposed president departed on a cargo aircraft at 1320 GMT from the airport in the southern Jalal'abad region.

His brother, Zhanybek, accompanied him, according to Russia's ITAR-TASS state news agency.

Other Russian news agencies reported that he would have talks with Nursultan Nazarbayev, the Kazakh president.

Prevent civil war

The interim government called his departure a "deportation" in a statement. It said that Bakiyev had submitted a request to resign and reports added that Baktybek Kaliyev, a former defense minister and a key Bakiyev ally, had been arrested. These claims were not confirmed by Bakiyev's side.

The interim government also said it would later seek Bakiyev's transfer to a Kyrgyz or international court for trial.

Since being ousted, Bakiyev had been holed up in Jalal'abad where he maintains support.

Kazakhstan, which chairs the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, confirmed Bakiyev had left the country and said it was an important step towards preventing civil war.

It said that joint efforts between themselves and Dmitry Medvedev and Barack Obama, the Russian and US presidents respectively, had allowed for the agreement for Bakiyev to leave the country.

Kazakhstan also said that the move would help to bring stability and the rule of law to Kyrgyzstan.

Al Jazeera's Robin Forestier-Walker, in southern Kyrgyzstan, said: "It is a happy outcome for those who were looking for a diplomatic solution to the problem."

Earlier in the day bodyguards of Bakiyev fired shots into the air in an attempt to disperse opposition protesters who gathered to disrupt a rally he was holding in the southern city of Osh.

The shots were fired shortly after Bakiyev took to the podium to address around 2,000 supporters.

Creating destabilization

"This was a result of Bakiyev venturing out further afield to Kyrgyzstan's second city of Osh," Forestier-Walker said.

"When he went there he was hoping to be greeted by hundreds of thousands of supporters, but instead he was heckled and felt threatened ... he was forced to beat a hasty retreat.

"It was an indication that he was beginning to realize that his continued insistence on holding on to the presidency was creating more destabilization in the country."

The interim government has called for Bakiyev to surrender, saying he should face trial for "spilling blood" during the unrest last Wednesday that left at least 80 people dead.

Bakiyev fled to Jala'abad during the anti-government protests and has said he will only step down if the interim government guarantees his and his family's security.

No arrest warrant has been issued for the president, but one is in effect for Zhanybek, the former head of the state guard service.

Bakiyev has denied ordering troops to fire on the protesters in the capital.

Forestier-Walker said that the Russian and US governments have pledged funding to the interim government within the last 48 hours or so.

"It is certainly being treated as a government, it is being given that legitimacy. Because it is trying to put the country back on its feet," he said.

Source: Al-Jazeera.
Link: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2010/04/2010415145148592349.html.

Visit to Iran by Iraq's biggest political party declared a success

Baghdad - Iraqi political party the Iraqiya List conducted "successful" talks with Iran during a visit to the country, the party said Thursday.

The Iraqiya List, led by former prime minister Ayad Allawi, won the most parliamentary seats in Iraq's March elections. But current Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's State of Law coalition is refusing to accept the results.

"The talks were successful and Iran would like the Iraqiya List to play a key role in building bridges with other countries in the region," Maysoon al-Damlooji, spokesperson for the Iraqiya List said.

The delegation went to Tehran to discuss "creating a balanced relationship preserving the interests and sovereignty of both countries, without interfering in each other's internal affairs," she continued.

"The Iraqiya List confirmed that it would not allow Iraq's territory or its airspace to be used to support any attack on Iran," she said.

This is not the first visit by the Iraqiya List to neighboring Iran. Other Iraqi political parties have also traveled to Tehran over the past month, following the parliamentary elections.

The results of the March 7 poll showed Iraqiya List winning 91 seats in the 325-member parliament.

The party was closely followed by the State of Law coalition, which won 89 seats. The National Iraqi Alliance came third with 70 seats.

Intense political jockeying has followed the results, as both al- Maliki and Allawi claim the right to form the new government.

Al-Maliki's coalition has asked a court to order a manual recount of ballots cast, saying they have proof of fraud.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/318946,visit-to-iran-by-iraqs-biggest-political-party-declared-a-success.html.

Berlin airports shut down as ash cloud approaches

Berlin - The two airports serving the German capital Berlin were ordered closed down Thursday evening as a safety precaution as a cloud of volcanic ash from Iceland approached.

The Tegel and Schoenefeld airports were ordered to shut down by aviation safety authorities, airport spokesman Leif Erichsen said.

The announcement came shortly after the airport of the northern city of Hamburg, about 250 kilometers west of Berlin, became the first to halt all takeoffs and landings.

The airports in Germany became the latest in a string of airport closures around Europe on Thursday due to the ash being spewed from the volcano near Eyjafjallojoekull glacier on Iceland.

Germany's Transportation Ministry in Berlin said there would be no fixed periods of closure of the country's airports, but that rather the DFS aviation safety authority had been instructed to be flexible in ordering any bans on takeoffs and landings, depending on the situation.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/318964,berlin-airports-shut-down-as-ash-cloud-approaches.html.

Obama: US will make to it Mars, moon is history - Summary

Anne K Walters

Washington - US President Barack Obama on Thursday pledged to send astronauts to Mars, as he outlined a vision for the future of US space flight that eschews earlier plans to return to the moon in favor of boosting commercial flights and reaching deep space.

Obama traveled to the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, to defend controversial budget plans for NASA that rely heavily on creating a commercial spaceflight option and which some have accused of amounting to the killing of US dominance in space.

He pledged to send astronauts into deep space by 2025 - reaching an asteroid or other distant object - after first conducting a series of test missions early in the next decade.

"A landing on Mars will follow and I expect to be around to see it," he said, vowing humans could touch the surface of the Red Planet by the mid-2030s.

He had harsh words for those who want to continue with plans to return humans to the moon. "We have been there before. Buzz (Aldrin) has been there," he said, pointing to the astronaut who along with Neil Armstrong first stepped onto the surface of the moon in 1969. "There's a lot more of space to explore and a lot more to learn when we do."

In February, Obama's administration announced it would scrap plans started under former president George W Bush for a next-generation spacecraft to return astronauts to the moon and eventually travel to Mars and beyond. That program was behind schedule and over budget, and officials argued it would never achieve its goals with current funding levels.

Instead Obama plans to transfer the transporting of US astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) to commercial providers.

That move had prompted an outcry from members of Congress and space supporters, including some prominent former astronauts, while also drawing praise from those who saw it as a chance to revamp an unsustainable program.

In an open letter to Obama earlier this week, former NASA administrator Michael Griffin and a host of prominent former astronauts, such as Apollo 13's Jim Lovell, urged the president to reconsider his budget plans that end the so-called Constellation program of next-generation spacecraft just as the space shuttle is retired.

"Too many men and women have worked too hard and sacrificed too much to achieve America's pre-eminence in space only to see that effort needlessly thrown away," they wrote, pointing to a loss of jobs and lack of vision that they contend will cede US dominance to other countries.

"We urge you to demonstrate the vision and determination necessary to keep our nation at the forefront of human space exploration with ambitious goals and the proper resources to see them through. This is not the time to abandon the promise of the space frontier for a lack of will or an unwillingness to pay the price."

But Obama defended his plans and expanded on its goals, insisting he remained "100 per cent committed to the mission of NASA and its future."

"As president, I believe that space exploration is not a luxury. It's not an afterthought in America's quest for a brighter future, it's an essential part of that quest," he said.

Obama on Thursday defended the use of commercial vehicles as freeing up the space agency to focus on long-term goals such as reaching Mars, but also revived parts of the program he had canceled for being over budget and behind schedule.

He backtracked on plans to completely kill the so-called Constellation program of spacecraft and rockets to replace the shuttle.

Instead, he announced that the capsule will be retooled as an emergency escape vehicle for the ISS, while still handing over routine transport work to the commercial firms.

His plans include development of a heavy-lift vehicle by 2015 that could carry astronauts outside of low-Earth orbit to a series of destinations such as asteroids seen as a stepping stone for a mission to Mars. Humans have not left low-Earth orbit since the moon missions of the 1970s.

The speech comes at a critical moment as NASA prepares for the retirement of the space shuttle program later this year. One shuttle is currently in orbit and just three more flights remain once it returns home. The retirement of the shuttle fleet will leave Russian Soyuz capsules as the only means to get humans into orbit.

He said the new plans would create some 2,500 jobs and pledged money for jobs training as many shuttle employees prepare for lay- offs.

The decision came after an independent review of the space program commissioned by Obama and conducted by aerospace experts and former astronauts last summer. The review found that the Bush-era plans were unsustainable under existing funding levels, prompting Obama's retooling of US efforts.

The panel did not offer specific recommendations, but rather presented several options, including traveling a series of destinations culminating in Mars.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/318977,obama-us-will-make-to-it-mars-moon-is-history.html.

EXTRA: Obama: Astronauts to deep space by 2025

Washington - US President Barack Obama on Thursday defended his plans for the future of human spaceflight, pledging to send astronauts into deep space by 2025.

"A landing on Mars will follow and I expect to be around to see it," he said in a speech at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Astronauts could reach Mars by the mid-2030s after earlier missions to other deep space destinations.

His plans include work to begin on a heavy lift vehicle that could carry astronauts outside of low-Earth orbit to a series of destinations such as asteroids seen as a stepping stones for a mission to Mars, the White House said. Humans have not left low-Earth orbit since the moon missions of the 1970s.

His speech comes at a critical moment as NASA prepares for the retirement of the space shuttle program later this year. One shuttle is currently in orbit and just three more flights remain once it returns home. The retirement of the shuttle fleet will leave Russian Soyuz capsules as the only means to get humans into orbit.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/318968,extra-obama-astronauts-to-deep-space-by-2025.html.

Lula, Singh seek to broaden trade relations

Brasilia - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh agreed Thursday to increase talks to broaden trade relations between India and Mercosur, a South American trade bloc led by Brazil.

In a meeting in Brasilia, Lula and Singh also agreed to diversify bilateral trade. Their common goal is to reach 10 billion dollars in bilateral exchanges in 2010, a considerable leap from last year's 5.6 billion dollars.

Brasilia was hosting Thursday the summits of the groups known as IBSA (India, Brazil and South Africa) and BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China).

Lula and Singh also tackled multilateral issues, particularly the need to reform international organizations.

"The two leaders shared the view on the urgent need to strengthen the participation of developing countries in the decision-making processes within the multilateral financial institutions, such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, and political bodies, such as the United Nations," they said in a joint statement.

"They reaffirmed their commitment for the reform of the United Nations, particularly of the Security Council, including through its expansion in both permanent and non-permanent membership, with a view to improving its efficiency ... and legitimacy needed to meet the challenges faced by the international community."

Singh and Lula vowed to press for a revitalization of the Doha Round of talks at the World Trade Organization (WTO), which has been stalled for years.

"The prolonged inconclusiveness of the negotiations may threaten the credibility of the rule-based multilateral trading system, which has proved its relevance in resisting protectionism during the recent global economic crisis," the statement said.

India and Brazil were to increase cooperation in the fields of science and technology, nuclear and other forms of energy, and defense, among others.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/318981,lula-singh-seek-to-broaden-trade-relations.html.

UN: Sudan's elections went well despite irregularities, boycotts

New York (Earth Times) - Sudan's general elections took place without major incidents despite reported irregularities and boycotts by opposition parties, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Thursday.

Ban welcomed Khartoum's decision to extend the polling, the first in 24 years, from three to five days in order to accommodate delays and logistical challenges. He said the extension allowed more Sudanese to cast votes.

"In the coming days and weeks, the secretary general calls on all political leaders and their supporters to refrain from actions that could jeopardize the peaceful conclusion of the electoral process," a UN statement said.

"Electoral grievances should be addressed through appropriate legal and institutional channels and reviewed in a fair and transparent manner," the statement said.

The UN said Ban welcomed efforts of the "ruling parties" to engage with opposition candidates and parties, including those who boycotted the polls.

"The secretary general encourages all political actors in Sudan to tackle issues in a spirit of dialogue, towards a peaceful electoral outcome and ongoing implementation of the comprehensive peace agreement," the statement said.

The agreement signed in 2005 ended decades of warfare between Khartoum and Southern Sudan. A referendum is scheduled next year to determine the future of that agreement.

Kyrgyz interim government confirms Bakiyev's resignation - Summary

Moscow - Ousted Kyrgyz president Kurmanbek Bakiyev has resigned, the interim government confirmed early Friday, it was reported in Moscow.

The Kyrgyz interim government led by pro-Western Roza Otunbayeva confirmed it had received a resignation letter from Bakiyev, the Interfax news agency reported.

Further details were not immediately available on a day when Bakiyev was able to leave Kyrgyzstan, for neighboring Kazakhstan, in an internationally brokered deal to calm the situation.

The deal between Bakiyev and the interim government was brokered by the presidents of the United States, Russia and Kazakhstan, according to the Vienna-based Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/318985,kyrgyz-interim-government-confirms-bakiyevs-resignation--summary.html.