Iraq's rival politicians to discuss new government face-to-face

Mon, 08 Nov 2010

Arbil/Baghdad - Leading Iraqi politicians are to meet face to face on Monday for the first time since the March 7 elections in a bid to break the deadlock on forming a new government.

No single party won an outright majority in the election and attempts to realign parties and form new coalitions to secure a majority bloc have so far failed to produce a consensus for the post of prime minister.

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and his main rival Iyad Allawi, who are vying for the post, would attend the meeting in Arbil, the capital of the autonomous northern region of Kurdistan, sources from their parties said.

Although the two men met twice during the summer, Monday's meeting marks the first time leading politicians from the four major political blocs are coming together.

"I think the political blocs took a long enough time for negotiations. Therefore, we must reach a solution and form the new government," Kurdish lawmaker Mahma Khalil told the German Press Agency dpa.

"After months of exchanging ideas and discussions, we must reach a deal in Arbil and go to the parliament session with defined candidates for the top posts so that lawmakers would vote for it," he added.

A parliamentary session, which would have been only the second time parliament had convened since March, was delayed until Thursday due to the Arbil meeting called for by Kurdish President Massoud Barzani.

Lawmakers held only one session in mid-July that lasted just 20 minutes.

Allawi insists he has the right to form a new government because his bloc won the most seats.

But al-Maliki argues that he now has the largest bloc in the parliament with 159 deputies, after forming the Shiite-dominated National Alliance with Ammar al-Hakim's Iraqi National List. That total, however, is still four seats short of a majority.

However, reports suggest that al-Maliki will head a national unity government, while the posts of president and parliament speaker will go to the Kurdish and Sunni blocs respectively.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/352461,discuss-new-government-face-to-face.html.

Malaysian opposition member quits amid party rifts

Mon, 08 Nov 2010

Kuala Lumpur - A respected leader from Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's party quit Monday after accusing the party of hypocrisy and its leaders of condoning corruption.

Zaid Ibrahim has long been admired for hewing to principles, especially after he resigned as law minister in 2008 to protest the use of a law to detain suspects without trial or charges.

After he joined Anwar's People's Justice Party in 2009, Zaid was considered a potential successor to Anwar.

On Monday, Zaid announced his resignation from all party posts and said he would not be a candidate for its deputy president.

He said party leaders had made no attempts to address allegations of manipulation in the internal election.

"I was offered to join this party under the belief that I could promote enlightened and progressive politics, nurture and develop principled political values and culture that I consider indispensable to the development of democracy and good governance in this country.

"I was mistaken," he said.

Zaid had been expected to run against another leader who is said to be a favorite of Anwar for the party's number-two post.

"I am certain that any political party with such hypocritical and false values will not be able to offer meaningful reforms to the people of this country," he said.

Anwar said Monday that the party had yet to receive Zaid's resignation letter and urged the politician to forward evidence of irregularities.

Zaid's departure adds yet another blemish to Anwar's three-party opposition alliance, which has struggled with internal divisions since making major gains during general elections in 2008.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/352476,member-quits-party-rifts.html.

Egypt put Algeria on the blacklist

07 November, 2010

The Egyptian authorities decided to classify Algeria on the blacklist at Cairo International Airport. Drastic measures are imposed on Algerians travelers who are meticulously controlled. These are monitored throughout their stay in the country.

This new measure, which has not been officially announced by the Egyptian authorities, has been unveiled by the Egyptian media, including the site of the daily "Roz El Youcef", whereby the Egyptian authorities have decided to put Algeria, Yemen, Iraq, Somalia and Mauritania on the blacklist. They are subject to special measures of control and inspection on entry into Egyptian territory.

The same source says that the case of parcel bombs sent by the organization Al Qaeda to some European countries is behind the taking of such a decision by the Egyptian authorities against the countries listed above.

Despite the security justifications for this decision by Egypt against these countries including Algeria, they resemble to those taken by western countries, especially the USA and France recently. Exaggerated control measures imposed on travelers from these countries will certainly have negative consequences on relations between these countries and Egypt.

Source: Ennahar.
Link: http://www.ennaharonline.com/en/news/5145.html.

An Algerian Hajj assaulted in medina

07 November, 2010

An Algerian pilgrim was attacked by unknown assailants last Thursday in Medina when he was returning home after performing the dawn prayer.

The attackers attempted to steal his belongings after he had been knocked down with shots causing multiple fractures.

According to corroborating sources, the Algerian Hadji, aged 68, from the province of Laghouat was found Friday in a serious condition. He suffered several fractures and injuries in foot, chest and head. The latter told his wife that unknown persons attacked him while he went to buy breakfast.

The wife said her husband is in a deplorable state and sought the intervention of the National Hajj and Umrah Office to carry him in Algeria or in a hospital in Saudi Arabia for treatment. She adds that her husband is now with the members of the Algerian delegation in Medina.

Source: Ennahar.
Link: http://www.ennaharonline.com/en/news/5147.html.

WikiLeaks: Is Russia the Next Target?

By Simon Shuster / Moscow
Monday, Nov. 01

Say what you will about Julian Assange, founder of the whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks, but his work has shown him to be pretty fearless. After his site published the biggest cache of secret files in U.S. history on Oct. 22, detailing some of the ugly truths about the war in Iraq, he continued to travel around Europe despite U.S. reprimands and warnings. He even told the global media that new leaks would expose more secrets not only about the U.S. military but about other "repressive regimes," such as Russia and China. The signals coming from Moscow, however, suggest that the Russian reaction will not be as reserved as America's. So is WikiLeaks really ready to take on the world's more callous states?

It's certainly talking the talk. In an interview published on Tuesday, Oct. 26, in Russia's leading daily newspaper, Kommersant, WikiLeaks spokesman Kristinn Hrafnsson said that "Russian readers will learn a lot about their country" after one of the site's upcoming document dumps. "We want to tell people the truth about the actions of their governments."

So far Russia has had no official response. But on Wednesday, an official at the Center for Information Security of the FSB, Russia's secret police, gave a warning to WikiLeaks that showed none of the tact of the U.S. reply to the Iraq revelations. "It's essential to remember that given the will and the relevant orders, [WikiLeaks] can be made inaccessible forever," the anonymous official told the independent Russian news website LifeNews.

When reached by TIME, the FSB, which is the main successor to the Soviet KGB, declined to elaborate on the comment or say whether it was the agency's official position. But history has shown that the FSB readily steps in to shut down Internet tattlers. In June, a Russian analog to WikiLeaks called Lubyanskaya Pravda published a series of documents it claimed to be top-secret FSB files detailing the agency's operations in the former Soviet Union and conflicts with other Russian security forces.

The site stayed online for less than three weeks — during which time no Russian newspapers published the files — and then put up a notice saying it was under construction. With the site down and the people who anonymously ran it unreachable, the leak was apparently stopped. "The FSB could have easily found the people behind it and convinced them that this was not a good idea," says Andrei Soldatov, an expert on Russian security services. "It is also possible for the FSB to take down a site like WikiLeaks. They have the capacity for all of this."

In a far more gruesome case of leak patching, former FSB agent Alexander Litvinenko, who had published damning books about the agency and Russia's leadership, was poisoned with a rare and highly radioactive polonium isotope while living in London in 2006. British police suspect former Russian security agent Andrei Lugovoi of murdering Litvinenko. But the Russian government, which vehemently denies any connection to the murder, has refused to extradite Lugovoi, and a nationalist party has since made him a member of the Russian parliament.

"If the FSB says it is capable [of taking out WikiLeaks], I believe them," says Gadi Evron, an expert on cybersecurity and counterespionage. It would not be necessary to crash the WikiLeaks site, says Evron, because "behind every Internet project, there are people." And people can be coerced — or worse.

But other observers say WikiLeaks presents a far more serious challenge to Russia's security services than the sources of previous leaks. For one thing, WikiLeaks has established a reputation for publishing authentic documents, which means the Russian press would be more likely to cover the story and republish the files. It is also a diffuse and secretive organization that is technologically prepared to deal with cyberattacks. The kinds of hacker raids that took down Georgia's government websites during its war with Russia in 2008, for example, probably wouldn't keep WikiLeaks offline for long.

So the most likely Russian reaction, at least at first, would be to undermine the authenticity of the alleged secrets. "That is the main tool — to filter it through the state-controlled mass media, which would discredit WikiLeaks and put into question the reliability of its sources," says Nikolai Zlobin, director of the Russia and Eurasia Project at the World Security Institute in Washington, D.C. "This would limit any public debate of the leak to the Russian Internet forums and news websites, which reach a tiny fraction of the population."

Zlobin says it would also take something extremely damning to rattle Russia's political elite. "Russians already believe that their leaders steal, that they have offshore bank accounts and funnel money into them," he says. "It would have to give shocking details about the country's two leading figures [Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and President Dmitri Medvedev], and even then, the complete apathy toward politics in Russian society would absorb a lot of the shock waves at home."

Russia's reputation abroad, however, could be badly hit by the release of foreign-policy secrets. As the Kremlin pushes ahead with a drive to charm the West, its security agencies will be eager to prevent that kind of embarrassment. And there's no knowing how far they'll go to save face.

Source: TIME.
Link: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2028283,00.html.

IOF used "cell phone procedure" to kill Palestinians

08-11-2010,08:00

Al Qassam website- Nazareth-Israeli media website "Walla" talking in Hebrew revealed on Sunday November 7th that Israeli occupation forces targeted every Palestinian citizen who used his personal cell phone during war on Gaza what explains the huge number of victims who were massacred and injured during the last Israeli aggression on Gaza.

The Israeli website revealed that fighters of the Israeli military unit "Givati", soldiers and officers have used what called " cell phone procedure", in which the military orders were to kidnap every Palestinian who has cell phone and in case of breaking the orders, he will be killed for suspecting of sending important field information about Israeli occupation soldiers for men of Palestinian resistance.

According to reports released after the Israeli aggression, soldiers of the unit have shot every Palestinian who talked by the cell phone, and in many cases they wounded seriously.

In addition, one of Givati officers revealed that military orders were given to soldiers to kill each and everyone who possessing a cell phone.

Israeli military sources said that the source of the military orders was unknown, but in the last few weeks number of Israeli soldiers and officers were investigated in an attempt to connect between the military orders that were given to soldiers and the huge number of the Palestinian innocents who were massacred due to "cell phone procedure".

These significant information and many others meet with no doubt with the international reports that revealed that Israeli occupation Army has committed a war crimes and crimes against humanity during war on Gaza.

International community and human rights organizations have condemned Israeli occupation army for committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza 2008-2009 and called for transparent investigation in the committed crimes to bring criminal Israeli leaders for the international justice.

In 2008-2009 Israeli occupation army committed a real massacre against Palestinian people in Gaza caused of killing and injuring more than 7000 Palestinians most were from women children and elders.

Israeli occupation is still imposing a political siege on Gaza, preventing the most simple humanitarians supplies and essential needs for the besieged people of Gaza.

Israeli occupation prohibiting the essential medical supplies for medical and health care purposes, in addition it prevents reconstruction materials from entering Gaza Strip to reconstruct the destroyed homes, hospitals schools and mosques that were devastated by the Israeli destructive machine in Gaza.

Source: Ezzedeen Al-Qassam Brigades - Information Office.
Link: http://www.qassam.ps/news-3736-IOF_used_cell_phone_procedure_to_kill_Palestinians.html.

Israel wants to thwart reconciliation

08-11-2010,08:47

Al Qassam website/Agencies - Secretary-general of Hamas's parliamentary bloc Mushir Al-Masri stated that Israel's declared refusal of any attempt to rebuild the Palestinian security apparatuses in the West Bank on a national basis confirms it is seeking to frustrate the reconciliation talks between his Movement and Fatah faction.

"The [Israeli] enemy's statements emphasized the seriousness of Fatah's security apparatuses in the West Bank, which receive the acceptance from the Zionists, the thing which entails restructuring them on national foundations," MP Masri told Al-Quds satellite channel on Saturday.

"The occupation cannot imagine that the Palestinian security apparatuses in the West Bank will be formed by a Palestinian will like their counterparts in Gaza, for it wants agencies hunting and disarming the resistance as well as protecting the security of its entity and settlers," the lawmaker added.

He called for being biased in favor of the Palestinian people and reforming the security apparatuses away from Israel's dictates.

Israel had declared that the Palestinian authority's security apparatuses would be considered hostile forces if de facto president Mahmoud Abbas accepted to rebuild them and let Hamas Movement be part of them.

In a separate incident, the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) kidnapped on Saturday two Palestinian brothers in Bethlehem city just a few hours after they were released from PA jails.

Local sources told the Palestinian information center (PIC) that the Israeli troops stormed and ransacked the home of these two brothers, Ismail and Ibrahim Al-Arouj, in the village of Arouj, east of the city, before rounding them up.

The brothers were in PA jails for two months and released last Wednesday. PA security interrogators reportedly had tortured them and confiscated their personal money.

Source: Ezzedeen Al-Qassam Brigades - Information Office.
Link: http://www.qassam.ps/news-3740-Israel_wants_to_thwart_reconciliation.html.

British MPs visit Hamas lawmakers

08-11-2010

Al Qassam website/Agencies - Two British MPs visited on Saturday two Palestinian lawmakers who are holed up in the Red Cross center in Jerusalem facing expulsion from the city by Israeli authorities.

MPs Jeremy Corbyn and Andrew Slaughter, both members of the Labour Party, met with Palestinian Legislative Council members Muhammad Totah and Ahmad Atoun in the Red Cross headquarters, along with members of the press and peace activist Lubna Masarwa.

The British officials said their visit was intended to express solidarity with the Palestinian people and rejection of Israel's violation of Palestinians' human rights.

The PLC members updated the two MPs on their situation and also condemned what they said was an "international silence" over Israel's violations of international law.

Totah and Atoun were elected to the PLC in 2006 as members of Hamas' Change and Reform list. Immediately following their election Israel ordered them to resign or have their Jerusalem residency revoked.

When they refused to step down, they were sentenced to prison terms, and upon their release, had their residency cards confiscated. Israel has ordered them to leave Jerusalem the city that has been their families' home for generations. Two other Hamas lawmakers, Muhammad Abu Tir and Khaled Abu Arafah, were also ordered to leave the city this year.

Totah and Atoun refuse to leave the city, and are remaining in the Red Cross compound in defiance. If they exit the compound they face immediate arrest and expulsion by Israeli authorities.

Asked about the MPs' visit, Fadi Adeeb, a spokesman for the British Consulate in Jerusalem said: "They [the MPs] came here own their own. They don't represent the government."

Britain, like the US, European Union, and Canada, regards Hamas as a terrorist organization and refuses official contact with the group.

Source: Ezzedeen Al-Qassam Brigades - Information Office.
Link: http://www.qassam.ps/news-3737-British_MPs_visit_Hamas_lawmakers.html.

Gov't reviews final preparations in countdown to election day

AMMAN (Petra) - Officials will thoroughly check voters’ identification cards on election day, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Nayef Qadi said on Saturday.

Concerned officials will check each voter’s national number and photo ID to ensure they match polling stations’ databases, explained Qadi, who is also head of the Elections’ Higher Committee.

“If a citizen attempts to vote for a second time, his identification card will be confiscated and he will be referred to the law,” he added.

The government will impose strict penalties on anyone who violates the Elections Law, Qadi said in comments to the press on Friday.

Penalties will be imposed on anyone found carrying firearms or sharp objects at polling stations, he added.

Meanwhile, Minister of Political Development Musa Maaytah visited the elections media center on Saturday.

The elections media committee has completed technical preparations at the center, established at the Royal Cultural Center, which is designed to ensure smooth coverage of the elections on November 9, Elections Media Spokesperson Samih Maaytah said on Saturday.

The center has been equipped with 30 computers with Internet access, printers and fax machines, he said.

Television broadcast studios have also been established at the center, Maaytah added.

On Friday, Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications Ali Ayed urged media outlets not to run any advertisements for candidates on election day.

In a circular directed to the Press and Publications Department, Audio-visual Commission and the Jordan Press Association, the minister reiterated that the election advertising period ends on November 8, in accordance with the Elections Law.

7 November 2010

Source: The Jordan Times.
Link: http://jordantimes.com/?news=31618.

Morocco postpones trial of 7 Sahrawi activists

2010-11-07

Altercations between Western Sahara activists and prosecutors forced a Casablanca court to postpone the trial of seven Sahrawis until mid-December, AFP reported on Saturday (November 6th). The defendants were arrested in October, 2009 upon their return from the Tindouf camps. Ali Salem Tamek, Brahim Dahane and Ahmed Naciri remain incarcerated. Four other activists, including a woman, were granted provisional release last May.

Source: Magharebia.com.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2010/11/07/newsbrief-03.

Mauritania to begin general census

2010-11-07

Mauritania will launch a general census on November 28th to mark the decennial anniversary of national independence, PANA reported on Saturday (November 6th). The census – the first since 1994 – will include all persons on national soil, both citizens and foreigners. The project aims to modernize driving licenses, passports, identity cards and other documents in order to enhance civil services and prevent trans-border terrorism and crime.

Source: Magharebia.com.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2010/11/07/newsbrief-05.

Tunisia, Libya agree on joint projects

In what some view as an important step towards Maghreb unity, Tunisia and Libya reached an agreement to lift restrictions on movement of travelers and goods.

By Jamel Arfaoui for Magharebia in Tunis - 07/11/10

Tunisian traders and families traveling to Libya may now breathe a sigh of relief as the two countries agreed October 30th to remove all administrative and financial obstacles that hinder the movement of goods and people.

The Tunisian-Libyan High Joint Executive Committee session headed by Tunisian Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi and his visiting Libyan counterpart, Al-Baghdadi Ali Al-Mahmoudi, also discussed the creation of a free economic zone between Ben Guerdane in Tunisia and Libya's Ras-Jedir border development area.

"This agreement came to restore the Libyan-Tunisian relations to their original condition, given that the two countries were, and still are, two inseparable outlets for each other. Each time either country suffers a crisis, the other country would be at the forefront to provide help. This agreement will also enable the southern Tunisia area to have broader opportunities for investments and to improve the purchasing power of a whole region," political analyst Ghassen Kesibi said.

The committee also decided during their 2-day meeting to create a company to supervise Libyan investment projects in Tunisia, the largest of which is a refinery in Skhira.

The two countries agreed to double the volume of investments to reach $2 billion and hold a meeting next month to discuss investment projects in greater detail.

Some travelers have already noticed that the situation looks better along the Tunisia-Libya border.

"The treatment of Libyan customs authorities was smooth, and the searches lasted for only a few minutes," said Tunisian Moufida Idoudi, who visited Libya with her parents to shop for her wedding.

"It is different now," Tunisian trader Salem Kaouache agreed. "I didn't pay 150 dinars that we were used to in the past. The way they received and searched us also differed, although the long lines at the border checkpoint of Ras-Jedir are still the same. However, the removal of tax on trucks and vehicles has compensated small traders like me for the suffering of waiting."

Last summer, protests and clashes broke out at the border area in Ras-Jedir following the measures taken by the Libyan authorities on the movement of travelers, which border area residents deemed as unjust.

The Libyan authorities required that each traveler pay 1374 Tunisian dinars or 1219 Libyan dinars to enter Libyan soil.

"Although the Tunisian-Libyan committee took historical measures that are considered strategic, as they represent a real breakthrough in the relations between the two countries, the greater attention was paid to the removal of restrictions on the movement of goods and people between the two countries and to making it without any obstacles or payment of charges," Fateh el Kefi, a specialist in Tunisian-Libyan affairs, told Magharebia.

"That attention can be understood because it concerns thousands of people who live on income from trade between Tunisia and Libya. In addition, many Tunisian families benefit from the imported Libyan goods that they purchase for very competitive prices," he added.

"The agreement is very positive because it confirms the nature of distinguished relations between Tunisia and Libya, and the keenness of the two countries to promote bilateral relations even further," Al-Watan editor Noureddine Moubarki told Magharebia.

Moubarki added, however, that movement of travelers and trade across the Tunisian-Libyan border requires real solutions.

"What took place a few months ago in the Tunisian town of Ben Guerdane is a proof of that," he said.

Source: Magharebia.com.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2010/11/07/feature-01.

US rejects Israel's call to attack Iran

Mon Nov 8, 2010

As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to ask the US to threaten Iran with a military operation to stop its civilian nuclear program, Washington rejects Tel Aviv's call.

"I would disagree that only a credible military threat (would convince) Iran to take the actions it needs to end its nuclear weapons program," US Defense Secretary Robert Gates told reporters on Monday.

According to Gates, non-military action and sanctions against the Islamic Republic are enough to pressure Iran to end its nuclear program.

He made the remarks a day after the Israeli premier told Washington that only a credible threat of military action will halt Iran's nuclear plans.

"The only way to make sure that Iran does not arm itself with nuclear weapons is to create a credible threat of a military operation against it if it does not cease the race for nuclear armament," the office of Netanyahu said on Sunday.

The statement comes while Iran has repeatedly said it does not possess nor does is seek to acquire nuclear weapons.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/150069.html.

VP Biden pledges unwavering support for Israel

By CAIN BURDEAU, Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS – After meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Vice President Joe Biden told Jewish groups on Sunday that the U.S. under the Obama administration remains a steadfast and unwavering ally to Israel.

Biden met for about an hour with Netanyahu to discuss the Mideast peace negotiations, a move seen as a possible sign of movement for the troubled diplomatic process between Israel and the Palestinians. The peace talks broke down in late September over renewed Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank.

Netanyahu was in New Orleans to speak Monday to the general assembly of the Jewish Federation of North America, which is meeting for three days.

In a speech that drew enthusiastic applause from the assembly, Biden repeatedly stressed that the Obama administration backs Israel.

He said the Obama White House "represents an unbroken chain in American leaders who have understood this critical strategic relationship" between the two countries.

"We will not yield a single inch," he said.

Biden did not detail what he and Netanyahu talked about. But he did said Netanyahu agreed that there was "no substitute for direct face-to-face negotiations leading eventually to states where two peoples are secure: A Jewish state and a viable, independent state of Palestine."

And he described past differences between the U.S. and Israel as only "tactical in nature, never fundamental."

The vice president said the Mideast's genuine threats come from Iran and he pledged to defend Israel from that country.

And although the Obama administration remains open to diplomacy with Iran, the U.S. had backed sanctions against the country and would work to keep it from acquiring nuclear weapons, Biden said.

Biden also spoke out against any effort to "delegitimize Israel." He said any effort seeking to take away Israel's right to existence would be met with "unshakable resistance from the United States."

Putin moves up a gear - as Formula 1 driver

Sun, 07 Nov 2010

Moscow - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin tried his hand driving a Formula 1 racing car on Sunday.

The 58-year-old head of government touched speeds of 240 kilometers per hour in the yellow Renault he nursed around a special track in the Leningrad region in Russia's north-west.

Before getting into the car, the premier put on a helmet with Russia's double eagle national emblem and the word Russia inscribed on it. He also wore a Formula 1 outfit bearing his initials.

A lover of fast cars, Putin last month attended a signing ceremony for an agreement that will see Russia host a Formula One Grand Prix between 2014 and 2020.

Putin has also been photographed as a bomber pilot and a leather- clad biker. His public relations strategists have also portrayed him as an environmentalist protecting the rights of tigers, polar bears and whales.

Some analysts suspect Putin is putting himself in the limelight in order to have another crack at the presidency.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/352389,gear-formula-driver.html.

Turkish general held for blast that killed soldiers

Sun, 07 Nov 2010

Istanbul - An army general has been arrested as the mastermind of a landmine explosion that killed six soldiers in south- east Turkey 18 months ago, media reports said Sunday.

Authorities initially believed the banned separatist Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) was behind the May 27, 2009 blast that wrecked a military vehicle.

In the meantime, a tape recording has been found in which General Zeki Es gave orders for the mine to be planted in the province of Hakkari, the reports said.

The general was taken into military custody after his involvement became known.

The blast occurred at a time when new efforts were under way to resolve Turkey's conflict with its Kurdish minority.

Following the explosion, the Turkish air force conducted air strikes against suspected PKK bases across the border in northern Iraq.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/352388,general-blast-killed-soldiers.html.

Pope leaves Spain, urging it to own up to Christian roots - Summary

Sun, 07 Nov 2010

Barcelona - Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday bid farewell to an increasingly secular Spain after a two-day visit, urging it to own up to its Christian heritage.

The faith had come to Spain "at the very dawn of Christianity" and "took ... deep root," the pope said in his farewell address at Barcelona airport.

"The preservation of this rich spiritual patrimony" would allow Spaniards to transmit "fundamental values" to the young generations, the 83-year-old pontiff said, expressing the wish that the Christian faith "find new vigor" in all of Europe.

The pope's second visit to Spain first took him to the pilgrimage site of Santiago de Compostela, before his arrival in Barcelona on Saturday evening.

On Sunday morning, Benedict celebrated a mass to consecrate the city'e emblematic Sagrada Familia basilica, the unfinished masterpiece of Catholic architect Antoni Gaudi (1852-1926), which is one of Spain's most popular tourist sights.

In his homily at the Sagrada Familia, the pope urged the state to protect the family based on the union of man and woman, and described the life of children as "sacred and inviolable from the moment of their conception."

He was speaking in a country where Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's Socialist government has legalized homosexual marriage, introduced fast-track divorce and made abortion available on demand in the first 14 weeks of pregnancy.

Benedict later stressed the same message, describing marriage and family as "the hope of humanity" during prayers attended by tens of thousands of people in front of the Sagrada Familia - a name meaning Holy Family.

Large crowds cheered the pope, waving Vatican, Spanish and regional flags and chanting: "Benedict, Benedict!"

A total of about 250,000 people showed up to see the pontiff during his visit to Barcelona, officials estimated. That was less than initial estimates, which put the expected number at up to half a million.

The mass at the Sagrada Familia was attended by dignitaries including King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia, as well as 8,000 people sitting inside and 36,000 sitting outside the basilica.

In the forest-like modernist building filled with plant and animal forms, Benedict praised the beauty created by the likes of Gaudi - whose canonization is being considered by the Vatican - as "revealing God."

The interior of the Sagrada Familia, which has been under construction for 128 years, had been largely finished by the time of the pope's visit.

However, the basilica, which will feature 18 spires, is not expected to be entirely finished before 2025.

After the mass, Benedict visited a Catholic center for disabled children, warning against giving an unlimited freedom to scientific medical advances.

"It it indispensable that new technological developments in the medical field never be to the detriment of respect for human life and dignity," the pontiff said.

On the plane to Spain, Benedict described Spain - a former Catholic stronghold - as the main battleground between faith and secularism, the daily El Pais reported.

Zapatero, whose social reforms are seen by the church as having accelerated secularization, did not attend either of the masses the pope celebrated during his visit.

However, he met the pontiff at Barcelona airport prior to Benedict's departure.

Homosexuals and feminists staged several demonstrations against the pope's visit, with about 100 gays kissing each other as the popemobile passed by in Barcelona.

The pope already visited Spain in 2006, and is due to return in 2011.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/352396,christian-roots-summary.html.

2ND LEAD: Medical science must respect human dignity, pope says

Sun, 07 Nov 2010

Barcelona - Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday warned against giving unlimited freedom to medical advances in the Spanish city of Barcelona - where his presence drew some 250,000 people.

"It it indispensable that new technological developments in the medical field never be to the detriment of respect for human life and dignity," the pope said, on visiting a Catholic center for disabled children.

The number of children with Down's Syndrome at the center had gone down because many such children were aborted before birth, Spanish bishops' conference spokesman Isidro Catela claimed - prior to the pope's two-day visit to Spain.

On Sunday morning, Benedict celebrated a mass to consecrate the city's Sagrada Familia basilica, the unfinished masterpiece of Catholic architect Antoni Gaudi, which is one of Spain's most iconic tourist sights.

In his homily, Benedict urged the state to protect the family based on the union of man and woman, and described the life of children as "sacred and inviolable from the moment of their conception."

Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's Socialist government has legalized homosexual marriage, introduced fast-track divorce and made abortion available on demand in the first 14 weeks of pregnancy.

The pope later stressed the same message, describing marriage and family as "the hope of humanity" during prayers attended by tens of thousands of people in front of the Sagrada Familia - a name meaning Holy Family.

Large crowds cheered the pope, waving Vatican, Spanish and regional flags and chanting "Benedict, Benedict!"

A total of about 250,000 people showed up to see the pontiff during his visit to Barcelona, officials estimated. That was less than initial estimates, which put the expected number at up to half a million.

The mass at the Sagrada Familia was attended by dignitaries including King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia, as well as some 8,000 people inside and 36,000 seated outside the basilica.

Benedict praised the beauty created by the likes of Gaudi - whose canonization is being considered by the Vatican - as "revealing God."

The interior of the Sagrada Familia, which has been under construction for 128 years, had been largely finished by the time of the pope's visit.

However, the basilica, which will feature 18 spires, is not expected to be entirely finished before 2025.

On the plane to Spain, Benedict described Spain - a former Catholic stronghold - as the main battleground between faith and secularism, the daily El Pais reported.

Zapatero, whose reforms are seen by the church as having accelerated secularization, did not attend either of the masses the pope celebrated during his visit.

However, he was scheduled to meet the pontiff at Barcelona airport prior to Benedict's departure.

Homosexuals and feminists staged several demonstrations against the pope's visit in Barcelona, with about 100 gays kissing each other as the popemobile passed by.

Benedict already visited Spain 2006, and is due to return in 2011.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/352387,human-dignity-pope-says.html.

Azerbaijan's ruling party claims win in parliamentary

Sun, 07 Nov 2010

Baku/Istanbul - The ruling New Azerbaijan Party of President Ilham Aliyev claimed victory in Sunday parliamentary elections in the oil and gas-rich nation.

"I am certain that we won. We are very satisfied with our results," the party's vice president Ali Ahmedov said in the capital Baku before official results had been released. He called the vote a step forward in the development of democracy.

No disturbances were reported during the ballot, which took place amid opposition allegations of vote-rigging by the ruling party.

Local news agency Trend reported that 50.1 per cent of the more than 4.8 million voters eligible to cast ballots participated in the elections, a slightly higher turnout than in the last vote five years ago.

Nearly 700 candidates were running for seats in the 125-member parliament, including 111 candidates from the ruling party.

Ahead of the vote there were charges by both local and international observers that the government is increasingly cracking down on political opposition and dissenting voices in the media.

"There were many irregularities," said opposition politician Isa Gambar of the opposition bloc Musavat, which put up some 35 candidates.

In the run-up to the election, the government banned the main opposition Popular Front-Musavat bloc from holding public rallies. It has also limited the bloc's ability to claim a majority in parliament by allowing it to contest only 40 seats.

Foreign observers have voiced increasing criticism of recent elections in Azerbaijan, whose energy resources could play a crucial role in Europe's effort to diversify its oil and gas supply.

There are also concern's about the country's ongoing dispute with neighbor Armenia, which has occupied the enclave of Nagorno- Karabakh, also claimed by Azerbaijan.

Aliyev became president in 2003, succeeding his father Geidar, a former official with the Russian secret service who went on to dominate political life in Azerbaijan after the fall of the Soviet Union.

In a recent report, Human Rights Watch accused the Azerbaijani government of harassing members of the country's small opposition press.

"There's been just a steady deterioration in media freedoms, a steady closing of the space," said Rachel Denber, deputy director of the Europe and Central Asia division at HRW. "Journalists see their colleagues getting thrown in prison and it has a chilling effect."

Several Azerbaijani journalists and bloggers who have criticized the Aliyev government have been imprisoned in recent years.

Some 1,000 foreign election observers were in the country for the vote and planned to give a report Monday.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/352409,party-claims-win-parliamentary.html.