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Tuesday, April 20, 2010

EU urged to help resolve Kashmir dispute

Srinagar, April 20 (KMS): In occupied Kashmir, the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front-R and Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society have stressed the European Union to put pressure on India to stop human rights violations in the occupied territory and to help resolve the 63 years old Kashmir dispute in accordance with the Kashmiris’ aspirations.

These views were expressed by Senior Vice Chairman of Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front-R, Javed Ahmad Mir while talking to a delegation of European countries, which called on him in Srinagar.

He appealed the members of the delegation to inform the people of their respective countries about the massive human rights violations in occupied Kashmir by Indian troops and play due role in the amicable settlement of the decades old dispute. He also asked them to visit the jails and remote areas of the occupied territory to take stock of the ground situation.

On the other hand, a delegation of Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS) comprising Pervez Imroz and Khurram Pervez, met the European delegation and apprised it of the stepped up Indian state terrorism in the territory. The JKCCS members deplored that the European Union had passed a resolution in July 2008 demanding impartial and transparent probe into the unnamed graves discover in occupied Kashmir but the Indian government was yet to start the probe.

They said that the activists of the Joint Association of Kashmiri Affected Families held protest sit-in for several times to know whereabouts of their relatives disappeared in custody but the occupation authorities neither provided information about the disappeared persons nor interrogations were conducted about the unnamed graves.

The European delegation included Lisa Valjento, Aslak Brun, Danny Anan and Andress Sjoberg.

Source: Kashmir Media Service.
Link: http://www.kmsnews.org/news/eu-urged-help-resolve-kashmir-dispute.

Hamas warns of capturing more Israelis

Hamas political leader Khalid Meshaal has warned that as long as Tel Aviv refuses to release Palestinian prisoners, more Israeli soldiers would be captured by the movement.

"Leaders of the Zionist entity will be responsible for any future capture of their soldiers," Meshaal said during a speech in Damascus.

Meshaal held the Tel Aviv regime responsible for the failure of a German-mediated prisoner swap deal aimed at releasing the captured Israeli soldier Giald Shalit in exchange of Palestinian captives, insisting that the regime obstructed attempts to free him.

"I say to Noam Shalit and the fathers of new prisoners, Inshallah (God willing): Complain only to your leaders, for they are the ones who foiled the last exchange deal," he added.

Shalit was captured by Palestinian fighters in a cross border operation in June 2006.

A deal brokered by Egypt and Germany for his release had reached a deadlock after Israel balked at allowing "some of the heavyweight (Palestinian) prisoners" to return to their homes in the West Bank, insisting that they instead go to the Gaza Strip or a third country.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=123879&sectionid=351020202.

Iran air force 'improved' F-14 aircraft

The Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) says it currently owns a new generation of F-14 fighter aircraft with domestically-built radars and improved engines.

The Iranian fleet of Grumman F-14 Tomcat aircraft was purchased from the United States during the reign of the deposed Shah of Iran.

Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the US has placed an arms embargo on Iran, which includes the sale of new F-14 aircraft to the country.

Aziz Nasirzadeh, a top IRIAF official, described the current Iranian fleet of F-14 as “completely overhauled” aircraft.

He also said the aircraft have been improved so that they now own a new generation of bombers which could not be installed before.

The US announced in January 2007 that sales of spare parts for F-14s would be suspended due to concerns that they could end up in Iran.

Nasirzadeh said Iran was now capable of producing radars for the F-14s and improving the aircraft's engine without dependence on imports.

He added that Iran was now moving on the road to “independence” in producing aircraft parts as the country does not expect foreign countries to provide it with supplies.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=123874§ionid=351020101.

Lebanon mocks Israel's Scud claim

Lebanon's premier has likened Israeli allegations on Hezbollah's weaponry to US claims about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction (WMD), used as a pretext to invade the country.

Prime Minister Saad Hariri rejected Israel's allegations that Hezbollah had obtained Scud missiles from Syria, describing it as false as American accusations on Iraq's possession of WMD's ahead of the 2003 US-led invasion of the country, AP reported Tuesday.

"Threats that Lebanon now has huge missiles are similar to what they used to say about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq," Hariri said during a meeting with members of the Lebanese community in Italy late Monday.

"These are weapons that they did not find and they are still searching for," he added.

The allegations that former dictator Saddam Hussein had possessed weapons of mass destruction turned out to be false after none were located following a massive search by US and international inspectors after the country was occupied by US and other foreign forces.

"They are trying to repeat the same scenario with Lebanon," said the premier.

Last week, Israel's President Shimon Peres accused Syria of providing Hezbollah with Scud missiles capable of reaching targets anywhere in Israel.

Damascus, however, denied the allegations and described it as "an attempt by Israel to raise tensions in the region."

Hezbollah also denied Israel's charges and insisted that the movement's weaponry is none of Tel Aviv's business.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=123870§ionid=351020203.

Airports in Scotland, Northern England re-open

The first flights from Edinburgh and Glasgow both headed for Stornaway after 7:00 a.m. local time (0600 GMT) after airports in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen in Scotland and Newcastle in Northern England reopened.

The first international flight from Glasgow was due to depart at midday going to Reykjavik, Iceland, but was canceled.

A flight from Aberdeen to Newcastle is set to depart at 8:30 local time (0730 GMT). Flights from Newcastle are expected to head to Aberdeen and the Isle of Man.

Belfast airport said it expected no flights during the morning except those heading for the Isle of Man.

In a statement, the National Air Traffic Control Service said that passengers could face further setbacks after warnings that a "new ash cloud" was heading to Britain from an Icelandic volcano. "The volcano eruption in Iceland has strengthened and a new ash cloud is spreading south and east towards the UK."

"This demonstrates the dynamic and rapidly changing conditions in which we are working," the statement said.

Other airspace over England is expected to open from 13:00 local time (1200 GMT), but not including the main London airports.

British Airways has canceled all of its short-haul flights scheduled for Tuesday. But the airlines said it hoped to run long-haul flights scheduled to depart after 16:00 local time (1500 GMT), depending on a "full and permanent" opening of airspace.

Schedules are constantly changing and passengers were advised not to travel to the airports until they had checked with their airline or tour operator.

Source: People's Daily.
Link: http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90853/6957527.html.

U.S. troops to end main Haiti mission

The U.S. military will end its main mission by early June in Haiti after a devastating earthquake in January, the Pentagon said Monday.

Army Lt. Gen. Ken Keen, who served as commander of Joint Task Force Haiti until Sunday, said he expects U.S. military presence in Haiti to decrease from the 2,200-strong now to about 500 by June 1.

"I expect us to -- on or about 1 June -- to be able to stand down the Joint Task Force," Keen said. "We will be able to do that, because of the capability that's being built up and has [been] built up by civilian organizations ... the need for our military diminishes."

Haiti has been the focus of an expansive international relief effort in the wake of what is considered one of the greatest humanitarian emergencies in the history of the Americas. A devastating Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti killed an estimated 250, 000 people and displaced more than one million.

At the height of the U.S. military effort there, some 22,000 forces were in or around Haiti, including 7,000 land-based troops, with the remainder operating aboard 58 aircraft and 15 nearby vessels, according to American Forces Press Service.

Source: People's Daily.
Link: http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90852/6956324.html.

Car blast kills 2 in SW Iran

At least 2 people have been killed and 8 others wounded in a car explosion in Iran's southwestern province of Ilam, the country's Red Crescent officials say.

The Tuesday incident occurred at noon when a car exploded in the city of Ilam.

"The blast left two civilians dead and 8 others injured," Mohammad-Baqer Mohammadi, head of the Red Crescent Society in Ilam Province said.

"Primary investigations showed no signs that the car was running on a CNG engine. Security officials, however, have to take necessary measures to discover the main cause of the blast," Mohammadi said.

Apartments and private residences in close proximity to the incident were also damaged by the blast.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=123862§ionid=3510212.

Egypt summit to pressure nuclear Israel

Tue Apr 20, 2010

Egypt is to open an international front to push Israel into signing the Non-Proliferation Treaty as pressure mounts on Tel Aviv to account for its atomic plans.

Cairo advocates holding a regional conference on an "internationally and effectively verifiable treaty for the establishment of a nuclear-weapons-free zone in the Middle East," a draft paper addressed to the NPT said Tuesday.

It added that Egypt will invite all Mideast states to the planned meeting.

According to Reuters, three permanent UN Security Council members -- the United States, Britain and France have already announced their willingness to support such a summit, although not with a negotiating mandate.

The heat may also be turned up on Tel Aviv next month, when the 189 NPT signatories will gather for a review on May 3 at the UN headquarters in New York.

The appeal follows a resolution passed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which in September 2009, urged Israel to open its entire nuclear program to the watchdog and join the NPT.

At the time, the decision was fiercely opposed by the US and its Western allies and Israel announced that it would not cooperate with the resolution.

Since 1958, when it began building its Dimona plutonium and uranium processing facility, Israel has reportedly manufactured over 200 nuclear warheads, earning the reputation of being the sole owner of atomic weapons in the Middle East.

Former US president Jimmy Carter, aerial footage and decades of recurrent reporting have attested to the existence of the armaments.

The IAEA resolution had likewise warned of 'Israeli nuclear capabilities.'

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://edition.presstv.ir/detail/123859.html.

China plans mourning day as quake toll tops 2,000 - Update

Beijing - China on Tuesday announced plans for a day of mourning for victims of last week's earthquake in a mainly Tibetan area in the north-western province of Qinghai, where the death toll has risen to more than 2,000.

The government said it would hold a national day of mourning on Wednesday with national flags flown at half-staff in Qinghai and a three-minute silence from 10 am (0200 GMT).

Mourning ceremonies were planned in Yushu's county town of Jiegu, the closest large settlement to the epicenter of the quake, and several other locations, the official Xinhua news agency quoted a government notice as saying.

All public entertainment would be suspended in the region Wednesday, the agency said.

Rescue officials said the death toll had risen to 2,046 with 193 people still missing after Wednesday's magnitude-6.9 quake razed 85 per cent of the buildings in Jiegu.

The quake left 12,135 injured, including 1,434 in serious condition, the officials said.

Rescuers pulled out a 68-year-old Tibetan woman and her 4-year-old granddaughter Monday after they had been buried in rubble for more than five days in a village 3 kilometers from the nearest road, the official China Daily newspaper reported.

The newspaper said rescue teams were working in villages further away from Jiegu, where most buildings were destroyed.

More than 11,000 soldiers had joined about 1,500 professional rescue workers and 2,800 firefighters and police specialists in the search for more survivors, said Miao Chonggang, deputy head of the China Earthquake Administration's emergency relief team.

The rescue teams found 6,870 people alive under collapsed buildings by Sunday, and 6,110 had survived, Xinhua quoted Miao as saying.

The earthquake killed 40,879 head of livestock, or about 8 per cent of the area's total, officials said.

The rescue headquarters issued an emergency order Sunday to restrict the entry of people and vehicles into Yushu county after concerns over too many volunteers and individuals trying to transport relief goods.

Snow and near-freezing temperatures were expected to add to the problems faced by survivors this week with the high altitude, electricity shortages and damage to roads already hampering rescue operations.

The government said 25,000 tents and more than 50,000 quilts had arrived by Sunday in Yushu for the up to 100,000 people left homeless after the quake.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/319601,china-plans-mourning-day-as-quake-toll-tops-2000--update.html.

Two convicted rapists hanged in central Iran

Tehran - Two convicted rapists were hanged in central Iran, Iranian media reported Tuesday.

The two were executed Monday in the city of Isfahan after their initial verdicts were confirmed by the Supreme Court.

Murder, rape, armed robbery and drug trafficking of quantities in excess of 5 kilograms are among the crimes punishable by death in Iran.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/319609,two-convicted-rapists-hanged-in-central-iran.html.

US, Israel share 'unbreakable bond'

The US has reiterated its "unbreakable bond" with Israel, expressing confidence that Washington-Tel Aviv relations will strengthen further in the future.

"Israel remains our important partner and key strategic ally in the Middle East," President Barack Obama said Monday, on the occasion of the anniversary of the formation of the Israeli regime.

"We continue to share a strong, unbreakable bond of friendship between our two nations, anchored by the United States' enduring commitment to Israel's security," he said in a statement released by the White House.

"I am confident that our special relationship will only be strengthened in the months and years to come," he added, hailing Israel's "deep and abiding friendship with the American people."

On Sunday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she and Obama both shared "a deep personal commitment to Israel," and vowed that the US would not waver in "protecting Israel's security and promoting Israel's future."

"The United States will continue to stand with you, sharing your risks and helping shoulder your burdens, as we face the future together," she said in a statement.

Clinton also noted that in 1948 it took President Harry Truman just 11 minutes to recognize Israel. "And ever since, the United States has stood with you in solidarity," she recalled.

The remarks come amid media reports indicating the bilateral ties between Israel and its traditional guardian have been strained over the Middle East peace process.

In March, Israel announced plans to build 1,600 settlements in annexed East Jerusalem (al-Quds), while US Vice President Joe Biden was visiting Israel to facilitate the Washington-sponsored "proximity talks" with the Palestinians.

The US Secretary of State later called the Israeli move "insulting."

US officials, however, rejected any tensions between Washington and Tel Aviv, and underscored the "unbreakable bond" between the long-time allies.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=123849§ionid=351020202.

Germany mulls using tanks in Afghanistan

Two weeks after Germany's Defense Ministry said the country's unpopular mission in Afghanistan would remain in "war," the troops' gear has caused debate.

Military officials say the hardware used by the armed forces (Bundeswehr), including ammunition, tanks and helicopters are "inadequate" for missions in Afghanistan.

The recent death of seven German soldiers in less than two weeks — all of whom had been sent to the war-torn country as part of the former “reconstruction and development” mission — has prompted critics to raise questions over the training of the deployed troops.

This is while Canadian and Danish troops based in the country are equipped with the latest German-made Leopard tanks.

Parliamentary commissioner for the armed forces, Liberal Democrat Helmut Koenigshaus, triggered the debate recently when he claimed that “anyone who faces the barrel of a Leopard 2 tank thinks twice about whether it is wise to attack this German patrol.”

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle has also expressed alarm, calling the situation in Afghanistan as “very serious and dangerous” in an interview with the Bild daily.

German Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg has rejected Helmut Koenigshaus request to equip soldiers in northern Afghan city of Konduz with the German tank, saying that it would not “make sense.”

Zu Guttenberg has stressed that the tanks would make German soldiers resemble “occupiers,” adding that the local bridges could not bear the weight of these tanks.

Notably, Konduz is the same city near which a controversial German-ordered airstrike killed dozens of civilians last September, reigniting public opposition to the presence in the country.

Earlier in the year, however, the United States requested Germany's active cooperation in military operations during the London conference on Afghanistan, Westerwelle says.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=123693§ionid=351020403.

Iran actress Hamideh Kheirabadi dies

Iran's celebrated actress, Hamideh Kheirabadi, has died of complications brought about by old age at her home in Tehran, leaving a gap in Iranian cinema.

Kheirabadi was born in December 20, 1924 in Rasht. The veteran artist entered world of theater at the age of 23. She then went to Iranian cinema where she became one of the industry's top stars, playing in over 40 movies and series throughout her long and illustrious career.

Her modesty and humility convinced directors to give her the role of a mother in their films.

On the night of April 19, 2010, she died peacefully at her home in Tehran. She was 86 yars old.

The actress was laid to rest with a private funeral at Behesht-e Zahra cemetery in Tehran.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=123847§ionid=351020105.

China to mourn Yushu quake victims

China is going to hold a national day of mourning as the death toll from a devastating earthquake in northwestern Qinghai Province climbs to 2,039.

According to Xinhua news agency, flags will be flown at half-mast Wednesday throughout the country and at its embassies and consulates around the world. Public entertainment will also be suspended that day.

The temblor, which struck the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Yushu in April, was registered with a magnitude of 7.1 on the Richter scale. At least 12,135 people sustained injuries from which 1,434 remain in serious condition.

Another 256 people are still listed as missing.

Meanwhile, three survivors have been recovered from the rubble in two separate rescue operations a week after the quake the province.

An elderly Tibetan woman and her granddaughter were pulled out alive from the debris on Monday in Xinzhai village. They had been trapped for nearly 130 hours before their miraculous rescue.

The 68-year-old grandmother and the four -year-old Tibetan girl were transferred to the People's Hospital in Yushu County. The child had no injuries and has returned home. The grandmother, however, remains at the medical center recovering from her injuries. Her condition has been reported as 'stable'.

A woman in her 30s was also rescued in Xihang village, a suburb of the devastated town of Gyegu. She has been sent to hospital for examination and treatment.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=123845§ionid=351020404.

US to launch secret 'space warplane'

The United States Air Force has announced that it will launch a secret space plane that has sparked speculation about the militarization of space.

The Pentagon has set April 21 as the date for the launch of the robotic space plane known as the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV), which is a reusable unmanned plane capable of long outer space missions at low orbits.

Since the nature of the project is shrouded in mystery, defense analysts allege that the US military is building the first generation of US 'space Predator drones' that will build up the United States' space armada, the Christian Science Monitor wrote in a recent article.

Military experts argue that the US Department of Defense would not have saved NASA's costly X-37B project, which had been scrapped, if it did not have a military application.

They say the US wants to maintain a leading role in space via the development of the new 'space weapon' at a time when other countries like China are expanding their space programs.

However, US military officials maintain that the X-37B will only be used for transporting payloads and facilitating space experiments.

The OTV is capable of supporting a range of tests, the Air Force spokesperson for the project said earlier at the 26th National Space Symposium.

"The first mission will emphasize proving technologies necessary for long duration reusable space vehicles with autonomous reentry and landing capabilities," Angie Blair added.

She went on to say that the "specific details of the OTV capabilities, limitations and vulnerabilities" remain classified.

The X-37B can stay at an orbit between 200 and 800 kilometers for around 270 days before landing automatically at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, reports say.

The location of the mission control center for the Boeing-made space vehicle is also a classified secret, but Blair says that Air Force Space Command's 3rd Space Experimentation Squadron (AFSPC) will run the operation.

Military space specialist Professor Roger Handberg, who is the chair of the Department of Political Science at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, told Space.com that the X-37B project may signify continued U.S. Air Force interest in a rapid response vehicle along the lines of the long-proposed space maneuver vehicle.

He added that the project could be viewed "as the logical extension of the push into unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) where vehicles used for observation have moved into weapon carriers and various other missions, many classified."

"From the perspective of international observers, especially in space-aspiring states such as China, the X-37B program just reinforces their view that the U.S. is pushing to gain first mover advantage in rapid response, including possible weaponization of space using this vehicle or a derivative," Handberg noted.

Political analysts say that the X-37B project could be interpreted as a violation of the Outer Space Treaty of 1967 if the space plane is used for military purposes.

The Outer Space Treaty of 1967, officially known as the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, states that the exploration and use of outer space shall be carried out for the benefit and in the interests of all countries and shall be the province of all mankind; states shall not place nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction in orbit or on celestial bodies or station them in outer space in any other manner; the Moon and other celestial bodies shall be used exclusively for peaceful purposes; astronauts shall be regarded as the envoys of mankind; states shall be liable for damage caused by their space objects; and states shall avoid harmful contamination of space and celestial bodies.

Article IX of the Outer Space Treaty states: "A State Party to the Treaty which has reason to believe that an activity or experiment planned by another State Party in outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, would cause potentially harmful interference with activities in the peaceful exploration and use of outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, may request consultation concerning the activity or experiment."

In addition, a proposal has been put forward for a Space Preservation Treaty that would ban all space weapons, but no country has signed the treaty so far.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=123813§ionid=3510203.

Iran expects showdown at NPT summit

An Iranian lawmaker says the upcoming conference in New York will force a showdown between nuclear-armed states and those who seek nuclear energy.

The parties to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) will attend the five-yearly review conference in New York in May. The UN-hosted summit will come after Iran, a signatory to the NPT, held an international disarmament conference in Tehran.

Senior Iranian lawmaker Kazem Jalali said Monday the Tehran conference has laid the foundation for the NPT gathering to successfully steer the treaty toward its objective of global disarmament.

"It is a good introduction for states with no atomic bombs to attend the NPT review," he was quoted as saying by Mehr News Agency.

"Two fronts will battle out in New York: a US-led one will seek to limit non-nuclear states which are hoping to develop peaceful nuclear technology; the second front will consist of countries with no nuclear bombs that seek global nuclear disarmament."

Jalali added that the non-proliferation regime had failed to achieve its objectives due to the policies of nuclear-armed countries.

"The onus of this failure is on the signatories to the NPT that currently possess around 20,000 atomic bombs," he said.

The lawmaker expressed hope that non-nuclear states would stand united against nuclear-armed countries at the summit.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=123792§ionid=351020104.

Turkish FM in Tehran for talks

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has arrived in Tehran for high level talks with Iranian officials on a range of bilateral, regional and global issues.

Davutoglu arrived in Tehran late Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast told Fars news agency.

Relations with Tehran are important for Ankara, because Iran is a major exporter of natural gas. Iran also plays an important role in the region.

The Turkish official is expected to take part in a joint press conference with his Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki on Saturday morning.

With regards to Tehran's nuclear program, Ankara has so far opposed US attempts to impose international sanctions on Iran at the UN Security Council, where Turkey currently holds a non-permanent seat.

Last week, in a news conference, Davutoglu said Ankara does not want to see sanctions imposed on Iran.

“It will affect us. It will affect the region," Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told reporters.

"We still think there is a possibility of a diplomatic solution," he added, signifying that the US will probably fail to win Turkey's vote at the Security Council for more embargoes against Iran.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=123835§ionid=351020101.

Hardliner win confirmed in Turkish Cyprus elections

Istanbul - The final tally of votes from Sunday's presidential elections in Northern Cyprus show that Dervis Eroglu, a hardliner who has expressed his skepticism about the divided island's ongoing peace talks, has won.

According to results posted on the Turkish Cypriot High Electoral Board's web site, Eroglu won 50.3 percent of the vote, compared to just under 43 percent for the incumbent, Mehmet Ali Talat.

A run-off would have been required if no candidate received over 50 percent.

Eroglu, leader of the National Unity Party (UBP), has stated that, if elected, he would revisit the ongoing reunification talks being conducted by Talat.

Talat, leader of the left-leaning Republican Turkish Party (CTP), supports reunification of the island, which has been split into Greek and Turkish sides since 1974. Eroglu has said he would like to see a two-state confederation.

Turkey's troubled EU-membership drive is inextricably tied up in the Cyprus problem.

The Greek-speaking south of the island joined the bloc in 2004, and has since used its position in Brussels to frequently stymie Ankara's EU bid.

Turkey, meanwhile, is using its NATO membership to strike back, blocking enhanced cooperation between the EU and the defense alliance in protest of what it sees as Brussels' being held captive to the Cypriot agenda.

EU officials are also pressuring Turkey to open up its ports to Greek Cypriot vessels, something Ankara has so far resisted doing.

Some 164,000 Turkish Cypriots were eligible to vote. Observers say much of Eroglu's popularity can be attributed to Turkish Cypriots' sense of being betrayed by the international community after they voted in favor of a 2004 United Nations plan to reunite the island. The Greek Cypriots rejected the plan.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/319407,hardliner-win-confirmed-in-turkish-cyprus-elections.html.

EXTRA: Spain offers its airports as hub for transatlantic flights

Madrid - Spain has offered its airports as a hub for transatlantic flights while the volcanic ash cloud from Iceland continues hampering air traffic, Infrastructure Minister Jose Blanco confirmed Monday.

The Spanish European Union presidency will discuss the matter with EU transport ministers when they meet by teleconference in the afternoon, Blanco told the radio stations RNE and Cadena Ser.

Blanco denied reports that half of European flights could pass through Spain on Monday. "I doubt that we could be talking about such an important volume," the minister said.

Spain could act as a hub, especially for transatlantic flights, Blanco said, explaining that efforts were being made so that 70,000 people could fly from North America to Britain via Spain.

The EU would take a "coordinated decision," Blanco said.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/319405,extra-spain-offers-its-airports-as-hub-for-transatlantic-flights.html.

Remembering an Algerian freedom-fighter in Paris

By Rooksana Hossenally

Twenty-three years after the assassination of Algerian socialist leader and key freedom fighter, Ali André Mécili, a commemoration in his honor took place at the Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris on Sunday, 11th April. Friends, family and supporters of a socialist democratic regime in Algeria were present to pay their respects, as it has been the practice every year since Mécili’s assassination on 7th April 1987.

Last Sunday, Paris’ Père Lachaise cemetery welcomed Mécili’s wife, daughter, close friends and supporters as well as the only remaining living leader of the Algerian opposition, Hocine Aït Ahmed in commemoration of Mécili’s assassination.

Mécili, an influential member of the Algerian Liberation Front (FLN) was arrested before Algeria gained independence from France in 1964. Upon release he emigrated to the south of France in 1967 where he joined the Algerian FFS (the Front of Socialist Forces) founded by Hocine Aït Ahmed, the only surviving member of the original Democratic Party today. The FFS fought in favor of pluralist politics in opposition to the dictatorship that has existed ever since to install a democratic regime. He then studied to become a lawyer and settled in Paris in 1979 where he continued his fight for a democratic Algeria. In 1985 he succeeded in uniting the MDA (Algerian Democratic Movement) and the FSS to form a united front against Algerian power and founded the newspaper, Libre Algérie (Free Algeria).

The assassination of one of the leading members of the socialist party in Algeria has lead to great controversy over the years in France and Algeria. As Mécili was shot dead on French territory, on Paris’ Boulevard Saint Michel, an investigation was lead into Mécili’s murder but was never really followed through. The French authorities arrested Abdelmalek Amellou, a member of Algeria’s secret service, who was immediately sent back to Algeria. Speculation still surrounds the reasons why the authorities did not proceed to trial in Paris. After much prompting from the media as well as Mécili’s friends and family, the investigation continued in France. In August 2008, Mohamed Ziane Hasseni, protocol director of the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, suspected of having organized the assassination, was arrested, which has caused fresh speculation into the French and Algerian collusion within the case.

Throughout his later life, Mécili was aware of the risks he ran and of the developing threat against his life as his political influence grew. In 1987, he was shot dead outside his apartment block in Paris. A letter he had written in case he should be murdered was found in his apartment: “I die killed by Algerian bullets for having loved it…”

Source: Scoop.
Link: http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL1004/S00136.htm.

Discovery due for landing after ISS mission - Update

Washington - The space shuttle Discovery is slated to land Monday at Kennedy Space Center on Cape Canaveral, Florida, completing a mission that saw three spacewalks at the International Space Station (ISS).

The US space agency NASA expects the orbiter to land at 10:27 am (1427 GMT), after bad weather pushed back the originally scheduled 8:48 am landing time.

Discovery undocked Saturday from the ISS after installing a new ammonia tank and delivering experiments and other gear.

Last week, NASA extended Discovery's mission by one day to allow the crew to inspect the shuttle's heat shield while still docked at the ISS. The inspection raised no concerns for safety on reentry.

The US space agency is scheduled to retire the aging space shuttle fleet later this year after three remaining missions.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/319453,discovery-due-for-landing-after-iss-mission--update.html.

South Korea to attempt new satellite launch

Seoul - South Korea is planning a new satellite launch in June after their first failed last year, the Ministry of Science said Monday in Seoul.

The KSLV-1 rocket is due to blast off June 9 from the Naro space center in the south of the country.

If the weather or unforeseen technical problems stop the lift-off, then the launch window is due to remain open until June 19.

The two-stage rocket, which was built with Russian help, is due to take a research satellite into Earth's orbit.

In August, the satellite on board the first South Korean rocket was lost shortly after launch because of technical problems and probably burned up in Earth's atmosphere.

South Korea would become the 10th country to send an artificial satellite from its own territory into orbit if the launch is successful.

The East Asian country said it plans to independently build a rocket by 2018 and send a probe to the moon by 2025.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/319454,south-korea-to-attempt-new-satellite-launch.html.

Iraqi court orders manual recount of votes in Baghdad

Baghdad - An Iraqi court ruled Monday in favor of a manual recount of the March Parliamentary election votes in Baghdad, a member of State of Law Coalition told reporters.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's coalition had asked a court to order a manual recount of ballots cast, saying it had proof of fraud, as results showed it narrowly lost the vote.

"Judges issued a decision today ordering a manual recount of all ballot boxes in Baghdad," Hassan al-Sanid told reporters.

There were more than 332 appeals to the court from different political bodies to challenge the results of the elections.

Results of the elections showed former prime minister Ayad Allawi's Iraqiya List winning 91 seats in the 325-member parliament, followed by al-Maliki's coalition with 89 seats. The National Iraqi Alliance followed with 70 seats.

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

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/319461,iraqi-court-orders-manual-recount-of-votes-in-baghdad.html.

Lebanese ex premier: Middle East peace prospects at a 'dead end'

Madrid - Former Lebanese prime minister and military commander Michel Aoun said Monday he did not expect Israelis and Palestinians to achieve peace "in the short or middle term."

"We are in a dead end, because Israel does not listen," Aoun said ahead of a meeting with Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos, whose country holds the rotating European Union presidency, during a visit to Madrid.

Aoun nevertheless described the attitude of US President Barack Obama as "apparently favorable" to reviving the peace process.

Aoun said he did not know whether Syria had supplied the Shiite militant group Hezbollah with Scud missiles, but added that the group had the right to acquire such weapons.

Hezbollah could not disarm while Israel continued its "policy of aggression," Aoun charged.

Aoun was due to discuss the Middle East situation with Moratinos, who is a former European envoy to the region.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/319463,lebanese-ex-premier-middle-east-peace-prospects-at-a-dead-end.html.

Spanish bishops pledge to act against child abuse

Madrid - Spanish bishops will take "more care" and adopt "adequate means" to prevent child abuse by priests, the president of the Spanish bishops' conference said Monday.

"Even one single case of abusing a single child is too much," said Cardinal Antonio Maria Rouco Varela, who has come under criticism for his earlier silence on pedophilia cases within the Catholic Church.

Church representatives committing such offenses were responsible to God and to "human justice," Rouco told a plenary session of the bishops' conference in Madrid.

The cardinal also expressed support for Pope Benedict XVI, saying there had been attempts to "tarnish" him by "making people believe that abuse has been common" without the Vatican taking "determined action" against it.

Rouco defended the celibacy of Catholic priests, saying the experience of the church had confirmed that it was an "excellent means" to promote the holiness of life.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/319469,spanish-bishops-pledge-to-act-against-child-abuse.html.

Fresh unrest breaks out in Kyrgyzstan

Bishkek/Moscow - Fresh unrest has broken out in Kyrgyzstan, just days after authoritarian president Kurmanbek Bakiyev stepped down, Kyrgyz media reported Monday.

On Thursday, Bakiyev flew to neighboring Kazakhstan and resigned there in an internationally brokered agreement designed to restore calm. Since then the situation had reportedly stabilized in his home country.

But on Monday street battles broke out in the suburbs of the capital Bishkek as armed gangs tried to gain control of particular areas. Several people were injured, local media reported.

Some police units had threatened not to act against plunderers until the interior ministry was placed under "professional leadership."

Bakiyev's supporters in southern Kyrgyzstan also demanded his reinstatement as president. Reports from his home town of Zhalal- Abad claimed the town's administration had been taken over and that the former president had appointed one of his supporters as governor by telephone.

The developments have put the country's interim government, led by social democrat Roza Otunbayeva, under renewed pressure. The government had previously said the situation was under control.

Bakiyev's current whereabouts are uncertain. The Kazakh foreign ministry said the former president had left Kazakhstan, but could not say where he had gone.

Belarus' authoritarian president, Aleksander Lukashenko, had offered Bakiyev exile.

Bakiyev's supporters have also claimed that he would soon return to Kyrgyzstan to reclaim the presidency.

However, Bakiyev faces arrest should he attempt to return. He and his family have been blamed for the more than 80 deaths and 1,600 injured during the uprising against him in April.

The international community has also recognized the new government.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/319472,fresh-unrest-breaks-out-in-kyrgyzstan.html.

Palestinian leader meets Mubarak for talks in Egypt

Cairo (Earth Times) - Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday met with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to discuss the political situation between Israel and the Palestinian territories.

Abbas said in a press conference that he had stressed Palestinian demands that Israel stop building settlements in order to facilitate a return to the negotiating table.

"Palestine's position is the same as that of the international community and the United States," he said.

Abbas said the Palestinian Authority had begun to act against a recent Israeli military order which allows the expulsion of any Palestinian without a residency permit from the West Bank.

"Our basic agreement with Israel is that Gaza and the West Bank are one geographic entity under the Palestinian Authority, and so this decision was meant to anger Palestinians," Abbas said.

Abbas said that if other options were exhausted and Palestinian-Israeli negotiations had not resumed, the Palestinian Authority would consider taking the case to the UN Security Council.