Islamic bloc says An-Najah students, teachers detained by PA

BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- An-Najah National University's student union party affiliated with the Islamic bloc issued a statement on Thursday saying Palestinian Authority security forces had detained 40 members during the month of November.

Most of the 40 students remain in detention, the statement said, adding that the student bloc believed that the arrests were politically motivated.

"PA security hold the full responsibility of the lives of the students and teachers who are detained," the statement added.

Source: Ma'an News Agency.
Link: http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=338113.

Festival to make family libraries affordable

By Rand Dalgamouni

AMMAN - For 350 fils, families on Sunday will be able to buy books from the region and across the world for their home libraries.

The Family Library, a book festival which was first launched in 2007, will offer 50 titles this year on subjects such as history, culture, literature, arts and sciences as well as children’s books.

Secretary General of the Ministry of Culture Jeryes Samawi told reporters on Wednesday that the Family Library project aims to address some of the ministry’s core goals: fostering a culture that “loves to read” and promoting books that raise cultural and social awareness.

In a press conference yesterday, he explained that a special committee comprising representatives of various cultural institutions selected the titles and the Ministry of Culture made the necessary arrangements to secure permission to reprint the selected books.

“We pay a great deal of attention to preserving the intellectual property rights of every author,” he noted.

Under the program, the selected titles are sold in all the Kingdom’s governorates, including four centers in Amman, in addition to the main location at the National Library Department, and two each in Zarqa, Irbid, Mafraq and Balqa governorates.

Some of the titles were difficult to find, Samawi said, adding that one was taken from Minister of Culture Nabih Shuqum’s private library while other titles were found in the possession of private collectors.

The secretary general said the ministry hopes the project becomes autonomous, with a permanent committee carrying out the initiative several times throughout the same year.

The festival opens on Sunday at 10:00am and will run through Wednesday December 8. Starting Monday, books will be on sale from 9:00am to 6:00pm at the various centers.

After the festival, the remaining books will be taken to areas where sales centers were not available.

2 December 2010

Source: The Jordan Times.
Link: http://jordantimes.com/?news=32269.

Islamist party to dissolve

By Mohammad Ben Hussein

AMMAN - The political bureau of the Islamist Centrist Party (ICP) is moving forward with a recommendation to dissolve the party in light of its poor showing in last month’s parliamentary elections.

Following two days of deliberations, the political office of the ICP has urged activists to start legal procedures to disband the party, according to party leaders.

The office’s recommendation is expected to be reviewed by the party’s shura council and members across the country within the next month, said Marwan Faouri, head of the ICP’s political office.

"We want to send a message of protest against the political situation in the country following the disappointing parliamentary elections," Faouri told The Jordan Times over the phone on Wednesday.

Fauri stressed that should the party disband, members will continue to play a role in the country’s political life.

"The decision to dissolve the party is an introduction to another line that we will take, but it is premature to say what the party will do," he added.

The party fielded 11 candidates in Jerash, Zarqa, Madaba, Amman and Tafileh, but only Musa Zawahreh from Zarqa secured a seat in the Lower House.

The dismal showing for the party, which has nearly 1,500 members concentrated in urban areas, has been a cause for “political soul-searching”, said Faouri, who blamed the temporary Elections Law for their disappointing performance.

In a statement issued earlier this week, the party criticized the government for introducing the legislation, which they claimed supported "narrow tribal allegiances against political parties".

November’s parliamentary elections culminated in a poor showing for opposition parties across the country.

None of the eight candidates fielded by a coalition of opposition parties representing the Hashed, Jordan Baath, Jordan Communist and National Unity parties won a seat through direct competition.

Only Abla Abu Olbeh, secretary general of Hashed Party, won through the women’s quota after securing 10.2 per cent’s of the vote in Amman’s First District.

The Islamic Action Front, the Muslim Brotherhood’s political arm, boycotted the elections in protest against the Elections Law.

In 2007, the IAF was the only political party to reach the Lower House of Parliament, winning six seats, its worst showing since the reintroduction of political life in 1989.

2 December 2010

Source: The Jordan Times.
Link: http://jordantimes.com/?news=32265.

Secret documents by Wikileaks confirming that war in Georgia was started by Russia

29 November 2010

Wikileaks has published confidential reports made by US Embassy in Georgia in August 2008. All reports are concerning Russia's aggression against Georgia and the situation in August. These documents are backing official position of Georgia declaring that war 2008 was provocated by Russia.

REPORT SAYS:

"All the evidence available to the country team supports Saakashvili 's statement that this fight was not Georgia's original intention. Key Georgian officials who would have had responsibility for an attack on South Ossetia have been on leave, and the Georgians only began mobilizing August 7 once the attack was well underway.

As late as 2230 last night Georgian MOD and MFA officials were still hopeful that the unilateral cease-fire announced by President Saakashvili would hold. Only when the South Ossetians opened up with artillery on Georgian villages, did the offensive to take Tskhinvali begin. Post has eyes on the ground at the Ministry of Interior command post in Tbilisi and will continue to provide updates.

The Embassy held an EAC and will hold another to reassess the situation by COB. We have issued a warden message and are looking at the situation very carefully. If the Georgians are right, and the fighting is mainly over, the real unknown is what the Russian role will be and whether there is potential for the conflict to expand".

Department of Monitoring
Kavkaz Center

Source: Kavkaz Center.
Link: http://kavkazcenter.com/eng/content/2010/11/29/13011.shtml.

Russia wants to destroy WikiLeaks

1 December 2010

According to the American newspaper The Daily Beast, as U.S. officials struggle to control damage from the secret cables, Russia is planning to block a similar dump about the Kremlin. And they will be ruthless, Philip Shenon reports.

American intelligence and law-enforcement agencies, outraged by their inability to stop WikiLeaks and its release this week of hundreds of thousands of sensitive U.S. diplomatic cables, are convinced that the whistleblowing website is about to come up against an adversary that will stop at nothing to shut it down: the Russian government.

Representatives of the national security agencies say that the National Security Agency, responsible for intercepting the information already received electronic evidence that WikiLeaks is under the close supervision of Russia's domestic spy organization the FSB. The reason for such control is simple: Moscow fears that WikiLeaks is preparing to publish compromising personal information about the Kremlin's leaders.

National-security officials say that the National Security Agency, the U.S. government's eavesdropping agency, has already picked up tell-tale electronic evidence that WikiLeaks is under close surveillance by the Russian FSB, that country's domestic spy network, out of fear in Moscow that WikiLeaks is prepared to release damaging personal information about Kremlin leaders.

"We may not have been able to stop WikiLeaks so far, and it's been frustrating," a U.S. law-enforcement official tells The Daily Beast. "The Russians play by different rules." He said that if WikiLeaks and its founder, Julian Assange, follow through on threats to post highly embarrassing information about the Russian government and what is assumed to be massive corruption among its leaders, "the Russians will be ruthless in stopping WikiLeaks."

A U.S. military official said the U.S. assumed that WikiLeaks had access to sources who could supply the site with detailed, damaging information about Russian leaders; those sources would likely include wealthy Russian expatriates who have had the resources over the years to conduct far-ranging private investigations of graft among Kremlin leaders, including their movement of assets outside Russia.

Anatol Lieven, a professor at King's College in London who specializes in Russian and military affairs, said he believed the Russians would be ready to consider aggressive cyberwarfare techniques to shut down WikiLeaks and its website, as well as violence and other threats against Russians who were believed to be informants. (American officials have said they have no direct evidence to suggest that Russia was behind the cyberattack that has shut down the WikiLeaks website since Sunday.)

"I doubt that they would consider assassination against Westerners who are involved in WikiLeaks, but as for informants in Russia, they would be in very serious danger," he said.

The London-based Russian billionaire and newspaper magnate Alexander Lebedev suggested that a government raid on the Moscow headquarters of his National Reserve Bank this month may have been a response to recent contacts between his Moscow newspaper, Novaya Gazeta, and WikiLeaks.

Lebedev, who is outspoken in his criticism of government corruption in his homeland-which he has described as comparable to the "evils of apartheid" in South Africa-has acknowledged that one of his reporters recently traveled to Sweden to meet with Assange.

Assange has courted attacks from the Russian government, telling a reporter from the pro-government daily newspaper Izvestia last month that WikiLeaks had obtained damaging information "about Russia, about your government and businessmen" and "we will publish these materials soon." Another WikiLeaks spokesman was quoted as describing the Russian government as "despotic."

The trove of State Department documents made public this week by WikiLeaks includes several cables in which U.S. diplomats are critical of Russian leaders, describing President Dmitry Medvedev as "pale and hesitant," serving as "Robin" to Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's "Batman." In another, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is quoted as saying that "Russian democracy has disappeared and the government is an oligarchy run by the security services."

Lieven, a former journalist who reported extensively in the former Soviet Union, said the State Department cables had, it appeared, created no significant embarrassment for Russian leaders or for U.S.-Russian relations. "So far, what's come out has not surprised or shocked anybody," he said.

The alarm in Moscow, he said, would be over what comes next, especially if WikiLeaks has obtained bank records or other detailed evidence of corruption among Russian leaders-the sort of information that WikiLeaks and its supporters have said that the site is eager to obtain and publish.

The Russian government has so far dismissed the threat posed by WikiLeaks. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters this week that he was perplexed by the amount of interest shown in Assange-a "petty thief running around on the Internet."

Russian intelligence agencies have suggested, none too subtly, that WikiLeaks could be destroyed through cyberwarfare methods if the whistleblowing site did begin to create trouble in Moscow.

Last month, the Russian news agency Life News quoted an official from the FSB's Center for Information Security as saying that the government would be capable of organizing "the right team" to target WikiLeaks and "shut it down forever" (in other words to kill the site's founder Assange - KC)

Department of Monitoring
Kavkaz Center

Source: Kavkaz Center.
Link: http://kavkazcenter.com/eng/content/2010/12/01/13024.shtml.

Russian KGB hunts for WikiLeaks founder to eliminate him and his sources of information on Russia

1 December 2010

A renown American magazine, The National Examiner, specializing in disclosing materials, reported about a threat to the site administrator of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, from the international terrorist network FSB Russia. The website reports in an article by its journalist Bill Below:

"The latest round of Wikileaks materials has embarrassed the Obama Administration, creating a diplomatic crisis. However, their next target, Russia might not play as nicely as the US.

Access by the military to some of the United States' most sensitive diplomatic information was cut off on Tuesday cut, after Wikileaks released a torrent of information that embarrassed and outraged governments around the world.

It is believed that a former enlisted Army corporal, Bradley Manning, was behind much of the released documents. It appears that he'll never see the light of day again, facing a likely life in prison sentence.

In another Wikileak development, "National security officials say that the National Security Agency, the U.S. government's eavesdropping agency, has already picked up tell-tale electronic evidence that WikiLeaks is under close surveillance by the Russian FSB, that country's domestic spy network, out of fear in Moscow that WikiLeaks is prepared to release damaging personal information about Kremlin leaders".

Maybe Wikileaks leader Julian Assange missed this memo, the Russians play for keeps. They are very good at taking out people who say too much. Perhaps this is one reason he is on the move so much".

The National Examiner provides a link to the U.S. portal Hot Air, which first citing the following first 3 paragraphs from the American newspaper The Daily Beast, and then, starting from the 4th paragraph, is written on their own, in a message dated 30 November:

"American intelligence and law-enforcement agencies, outraged by their inability to stop WikiLeaks and its release this week of hundreds of thousands of sensitive U.S. diplomatic cables, are convinced that the whistle-blowing website is about to come up against an adversary that will stop at nothing to shut it down it (obviously to kill Assange - KC): The Russian government.

Employees of National Security said that the National Security Agency United States, National Security Agency (NSA), the American governmental structures dealing with wiretap, has already received containing hints of electronic evidence, that the Russian FSB Wikileaks is closely related to fear of Moscow, caused by the fact that Wikileaks to release information damaging personally Kremlin leaders.

National security officials say that the National Security Agency, the U.S. government's eavesdropping agency, has already picked up tell-tale electronic evidence that WikiLeaks is under close surveillance by the Russian FSB, that country's domestic spy network, out of fear in Moscow that WikiLeaks is prepared to release damaging personal information about Kremlin leaders.

"We may not have been able to stop WikiLeaks so far, and it's been frustrating," a U.S. law-enforcement official tells The Daily Beast. "The Russians play by different rules."

He said that if WikiLeaks and its founder, Julian Assange, follow through on threats to post highly embarrassing information about the Russian government and what is assumed to be massive corruption among its leaders, "the Russians will be ruthless in stopping WikiLeaks."

The Russians, under the leadership of former KGB (now FSB) officer Vladimir Putin, have not blanched at, well, much of anything. The death of Alexander Litvinenko from a slow-acting poison is widely believed to have been an assassination conducted by the FSB.

The poisoning of Ukrainian leader Viktor Yushchenko in the Orange Revolution was similarly suspicious, and dissident Boris Berezovsky survived at least one attempt on his life as well.

That problem may be more acute for the people who supplied Assange with the data rather than Assange himself. The FSB has restrained itself mainly to attacking Russian expatriates (and what about a murder of Kaczynski? - KC) rather than Westerners, but as the DB reports, Wikileaks almost certainly got whatever they have through that route, especially from the super-rich Russian industrialists that had to flee after Putin took power.

Given Assange's predilection for releasing information in its raw form, the FSB will likely have little problem finding the sources of the data and making sure that they won't give Assange anything else ever.

Russia will most likely contain itself to cyberwarfare on a massive scale to shut down Assange rather than violence. If they succeed, they may wind up doing Barack Obama a huge favor, since the continuing exposure of communications data has the White House continually on the defensive. But if someone winds up grabbing Assange, he may want to pray that it's the Americans rather than the FSB".

It is to be noted that this information by American media outlets is confirmed from an independent source, unknown by these media outlets at the time of publication. Therefore, by the standards of American journalism (Russian journalism have no rules, they are simply branches of the KGB/FSB), it is a reliable information.

We are talking about a threat to Assange from another Russian terrorist gang, the SVR. As for the Russian terrorist gang FSB, it operates in this case without drawing attention to it with new threats. Previous threats have been openly made 2 weeks ago.

Department of Monitoring
Kavkaz Center

Source: Kavkaz Center.
Link: http://kavkazcenter.com/eng/content/2010/12/01/13023.shtml.

Namibia to build nuclear enrichment plant

Thursday 2 December 2010
Mtheto Lungu, AfricaNews reporter in Lilongwe, Malawi

Namibia may soon join the nuclear enrichment countries if Mines and Energy minister, Isak Katali's views come to reality. Namibia has rich uranium resources enough to develop a nuclear power plant that would fuel economic development in the world's fourth-largest uranium producer.

“It is the expressed decision of the Namibian government to seriously consider the development of nuclear power in order to complete the national energy mix and provide sufficient energy for our development,” Katali said during the country's first-ever stakeholder meeting.

“The uranium and nuclear energy policy to be developed will cover the entire nuclear fuel cycle,” the Namibian quoted him, as the country pondered on plans for a new policy on uranium mining and nuclear energy, convened with the help of Finland's nuclear authority.

The policy document and draft legislation are expected to be finished by the middle of next year, said Mining Commissioner Erasmus Shivolo.

“Nuclear waste will have to be stored in Namibia,” Shivolo told participants at the meeting.

Finding a “convenient storage sight” would be part of the policy development process, he said.

Namibia has previously floated the idea of building a nuclear plant by 2018, but analysts say it would be difficult for the southern African country to finish a reactor by then given the long lead-time to build a plant and the massive investment required.

The Government first tabled plans for a nuclear power plant in 2007.

Shivolo presented a rough outline of the new nuclear policy that included sections on setting up a nuclear waste management fund, increasing black Namibians’ participation in the uranium sector and limiting the use of the country’s uranium to peaceful purposes.

Namibia produced 4 626 tonnes of uranium in 2009, making it the world’s fourth-largest producer, according to the World Nuclear Association. The Government put a moratorium on issuing uranium exploration licenses in 2007 because it did not have a nuclear policy in place.

Four uranium companies currently hold uranium mining licenses, two mines are operational and two new mines are under construction, including one being developed by French energy giant Areva that plans to start production next year.

Namibia’s uranium deposits have drawn growing interest from France, Russia and other countries amid reviving global enthusiasm for nuclear power.

But Namibia has no nuclear power of its own and relies on imports from neighboring South Africa for about half its electricity.

Source: AfricaNews.
Link: http://www.africanews.com/site/Namibia_to_build_nuclear_enrichment_plant/list_messages/36395.

Call for aid on latest Irish Gaza flotilla effort

By CATHY HAYES, IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Thursday, December 2, 2010

The group who are raising funds, and building awareness, for the next Irish aid ship, to travel with the flotilla to the Gaza Strip, are calling for support.

The Irish Ship to Gaza Campaign is looking for help in equipping the aid vessel which will just another 15 ships from around the world in trying to break the Gaza blockade.

Earlier this year, in March, the first Freedom Flotilla made international headlines when it was attacked by Israeli security forces. Nine human rights activists on board the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara were killed.

Michele Garrett and John Mallon, Belfast fundraisers, told Belfast Media that it was “vitally important” for people to give their support.

Mallon said “We are calling on all political parties, community groups, youth groups, student bodies, everyone, to do what they can for this aid ship…We’re aware that in the current financial times money is tight for everyone, but every donation towards the aid ship will help, from 50p to £50. Whether you want to hold a cake sale or a sponsored walk, every effort will be very welcome and vitally important to the people of Gaza.”

The plan is that 25 people including two Irish politicians and two from Northern Ireland will travel on the ship.

“We’re appealing now for people to come forward and help. Anyone with a interest in helping the people of Gaza needs to be a part of it,” said Garrett.

“1.5million people in Gaza have effectively been imprisoned by the Israeli blockade with essential medical aid and supplies being prevented from getting through to the people that need it. For example, parts to repair special Breast Cancer screening units in Gaza are being blocked from coming in.”

Visit irishshiptogaza.org for information on how to support the cause.

Source: Irish Central.
Link: http://www.irishcentral.com/news/Call-for-aid-on-latest-Irish-Gaza-flotilla-effort-111181694.html.

Gaza man released after 18 years in Israeli prison

02/12/2010

GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- The Detainees center in Gaza City said it was preparing to receive 42-year-old Walid Shaath upon his release from Israeli prison, expected to come on Thursday.

The Khan Younis native was detained on 2 May 1993, charged with affiliation to the Palestinian Liberation Organization and the armed wing of Fatah.

Widowed when he was in prison, relatives said a delegation would receive Shaath at the Erez crossing upon his release.

One day earlier, Israeli authorities released Usama Matar from the Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza after 6 years of incarceration.

Usama was affiliated to the Al-Qassam brigades and was detained in March 2005 as he returned home via the Rafah border crossing.

Source: Ma'an News Agency.
Link: http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=338063.

India fears Pakistan, says US: WikiLeaks exposes

Thursday, December 2, 2010

New Delhi, Dec 2: The new secret diplomatic cables exposed by whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks revealed that United States was not happy with India's response to Pakistan over 2001 Parliament attack.

The 3,038 cables sent from the US embassy in New Delhi to Washington have exposed that India was not willing to attack Pakistan even after 2008 Mumbai attacks.

The cables sent from US Embassy said that India commenced 'Cold Start', a military doctrine developed by Armed Forces, which involves joint operations between Army, Navy, and Air Force, after 2001 Parliament attack but the Army was not able to execute it properly.

The cables sent by US ambassador to India Timothy Roemor on Feb 16, 2010 said that, "Indian forces could have significant problems consolidating initial gains due to logistical difficulties and slow reinforcement."

US cables also expressed that India always worried about the nuclear weapons of Pakistan.

Even though India never confirmed about Cold Start doctrine, US officials described it as, "In order to avoid the Indian Army's slow and lumbering military mobilization process and preserve the element of surprise in attack, Cold Start attacks could begin within 72 hours after the attack order has been given…"

The cables leaked by WikiLeaks also added that Pakistan is not worried at all about India's Cold Start doctrine.

Source: One India.
Link: http://news.oneindia.in/2010/12/02/india-fears-pakistan-says-us-wikileaks-exposes.html.

US soldier sentenced in Afghan case

A US soldier, one of 12 facing charges, pleads guilty to shooting unarmed Afghans.

02 Dec 2010

A US army medic has been sentenced to nine months in prison after pleading guilty to shooting at unarmed Afghan farmers and agreeing to testify against other soldiers accused of terrorizing civilians.

"It's the right thing to do and I'm going to do it," said Robert Stevens on Wednesday at Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Tacoma, Washington, when asked by the presiding officer why he pleaded guilty to charges.

He will serve his nine months at a detention facility - without pay - and will be demoted to E-1 private, the lowest rank in the army. Stevens will be allowed to stay in the military.

Stevens, 25, admitted opening fire on two Afghan men for no apparent reason, saying he and other soldiers were acting on orders from a squad leader during a patrol in March in Kandahar.

Five of the 12 soldiers named in the case are accused of premeditated murder in the most serious prosecution of alleged atrocities by US military personnel since the war began in late 2001.

At least two of the five are alleged to have collected severed fingers and other human remains as war trophies in Afghanistan and taking photos with corpses.

The three other charges against Stevens were wrongfully tossing a grenade out of his vehicle during a convoy last spring, making false statements to military investigators and dereliction of duty.

The charge of aggravated assault with a dangerous weapon was the most serious of four offenses to which Stevens, an Army veteran of 7-1/2 years, pleaded guilty

Unit run amok

On Monday, A US army general ordered a court-martial for another one of the 12 infantrymen accused of terrorizing civilians and fellow soldiers as part of a rogue platoon in Afghanistan earlier this year.

David Bram faces charges ranging from conspiracy to commit assault and battery to dereliction of duty and trying to obstruct an investigation that started out as a probe into drug use among the troops.

He is among the seven soldiers accused of lesser charges, including trying to block the investigation, using hashish and severely beating a comrade who blew the whistle.

A court-martial was ordered last month for Jeremy Morlock, the first to be charged in the case and one of five men accused of killing unarmed Afghan villagers.

Under oath in September, Morlock, 22 described another soldier in his unit, Calvin Gibbs, of having "a pure hatred of all Afghanis" and that Gibbs referred to Afghans as "savages".

Meanwhile, another of the five soldiers facing the more serious charges of killing Afghans for sport and taking grisly trophies from the victims has won a temporary reprieve from murder charge legal action, his lawyer said Saturday.

Army prosecutors allege that Andrew Holmes participated in a plot to execute an Afghan man in January.

The plan, supposedly concocted by ringleader Gibbs and Morlock, involved shooting a civilian and tossing a Russian-made grenade at the man to make it appear he was an enemy combatant.

Holmes' attorney Dan Conway has slammed the probe into his client's role in the killing, claiming among other things that the army's refusal to release photos of the Afghan man's body impeded Holmes' right to a fair and open trial.

According to various news reports, the photo show naked bodies of dead Afghans and, allegedly, soldiers posing with the bodies. The military worries that releasing the images could incite an anti-American backlash.

The case began as an investigation into hashish use by members of what was then known as the 5th Stryker Brigade but grew into a probe of what prosecutors have described as a rogue infantry unit.

Source: al-Jazeera.
Link: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2010/12/201012253539228197.html.

Kuwaiti charity rebuilds 400 Palestinian houses

Thursday, 02 December

Gaza, December 2, (Pal Telegraph) – Kuwaiti delegation, part of a larger delegation from the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) now visiting Gaza Strip, launched Wednesday a construction project to rehabilitate the Palestinian homes destroyed by the Israeli war on the strip in early 2009.

The project is being sponsored by the Kuwaiti International Al-Rahma Charity.

A ceremony was held in Al-Salam town, in Jabalia refugee camp, north Gaza, to mark the delivery of 400 rebuilt houses to Palestinians.

The ceremony was attended by Waleed Al-Anjari - from the Palestinian Office of Al-Rahma Charity, Sheikh Abdullah Al-Senan - from Kuwait Committee on Palestine Charity, Director of the OIC Department of Humanitarian Affairs Fouad Al-Maznaee, Minister of Public Works and Housing of the Palestinian government in Gaza Yousef Al-Mansi, as well as other officials and hundreds of Palestinians.

Al-Anjari said, in a speech at the ceremony, that 400 houses have been repaired and handed back to their Palestinian owners.

"We have commenced the construction of other 100 houses at a cost of USD 400 million, and plan to rebuilt 1,000 houses next year," he disclosed.

Furthermore, Al-Sultan Tower in Jabalia, repaired through Al-Rahma Charity funding, has been reopened, Al-Anjari added.

He said that Al-Rahma will be establishing a cow farm and a factory for converting farm waste into fertilizers.

Source: KUNA

Source: The Palestine Telegraph.
Link: http://www.paltelegraph.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7634:Kuwaiti-charity-rebuilds-400-Palestinian-houses.

Pakistan trip lands Nepali in Indian jail as 26/11 suspect

Kathmandu, Dec 2 : A Nepali family is hoping it will see justice done to their son, being held in a prison in India's Bihar state for eight months for suspected involvement in the Mumbai terror attacks.

Mohammad Ghulam Bashir, a small-time trader in Nepal's Sunsari district along the Indian border, was arrested by Indian police in Bihar's Katihar district earlier this year.

The 35-year-old's family says Bashir's wife is an Indian from Katihar who went to her parents' place to give birth, as per Indian tradition.

Earlier this year, when Bashir went to visit his wife and in-laws, alerted by the buzz that a "foreigner" had been seen in the village, police arrived at his in-laws' place and confiscated his passport and mobile telephone for preliminary investigations.

The passport, bearing a visa for Pakistan, landed the young Nepali in trouble. He was arrested on the suspicion of being a terrorist and is now facing a case in the Patna High Court.

Bashir's parents and elder brother say the allegation is baseless. According to them, Bashir, who studied Islamic religion in India's Lucknow city, went to Pakistan to do his Master's in the subject as there were no institutions for higher studies in Nepal.

"We sent him to Pakistan to become a maulana as Islamic education is of a high standard there," Bashir's elder brother Gulab told the Naya Patrika daily. "We raised the money with great difficulty. My brother has his education certificate to prove his claim. Yet Indian police branded him as a terrorist without any proof."

Bashir's family says they have been running from pillar to post to get him released.

They first approached the chief district officer at Sunsari as well as the leading politicians, but to no avail.

They have also petitioned the foreign and home ministries and the Indian embassy in Kathmandu, the report said.

Bashir is being held in Katihar jail.

The Terai plains, from which he comes, share a unique relationship with India. Many families have wedding ties with Indians across the open border.

However, the abuse of the border and the Nepali passport for terrorist activities targeting India and crimes like smuggling drugs and fake Indian currency have caused Indian police to train the spotlight on visitors with links to Pakistan, where both the terror and counterfeit currency networks lead.

Due to the growing security concerns, Muslims in the Terai especially have a hard time.

"When my brother studied Islam in India he was not regarded as a terrorist," Gulab says. "Then how come he became a terrorist after he went to Pakistan to study?"

Bashir's family also says he returned to Nepal from Pakistan almost nine months before the multiple terror attacks in Mumbai in November 2008.

Gunmen, said to have come from Pakistan, attacked multiple targets in Mumbai, including the Taj Hotel, a Jewish community center and a train station, killing 166 people, many of them foreigners.

Source: New Kerala.
Link: http://www.newkerala.com/news/world/fullnews-96572.html.

Wikileaks: Post 26/11, Pak Army dismissed Zardari proposal to send ISI chief to India

Thu Dec 02 2010

Pakistan's powerful Army had vetoed President Asif Ali Zardari's proposal to send ISI chief Ahmed Shuja Pasha to New Delhi that came on British insistence to calm down tensions with India following the Mumbai terror attack, a secret US cable made public by WikiLeaks shows.

The confidential document shows that the then British Foreign Secretary David Miliband had called Zardari, asking him to send the ISI chief to India, to which the President readily agreed. He, however, was overruled by the Pakistani Army led by General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani.

Miliband described Major General Pasha as a welcome "new broom" and expressed UK support for ISI reform.

Zardari said the new ISI leaders were "straightforward" and their roles were proscribed by the Constitution, but it would take time for real conversions.

Robert Brinkley, the British High Commissioner to Pakistan, and Miliband pressed for Pasha to go to India, said a US cable issued by its Embassy in Islamabad on December 1, 2008.

Source: Indian Express.
Link: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/wikileaks-post-26-11-pak-army-dismissed-zardari-proposal-to-send-isi-chief-to-india/719227/.

Tunisian solar energy draws UK interest

2010-12-01

The United Kingdom is "working hard to boost commercial exchanges with Tunisia", the British Foreign Office Minister for the Middle East and North Africa, Alistair Burt, said in La Marsa on Tuesday (November 30th). Britain will focus particular attention on strategic partnerships with Tunisia in the solar energy and tourism sectors, Tunisia Online reported. Burt's visit to Tunisia is part of his first official Maghreb tour.

Source: Magharebia.com.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2010/12/01/newsbrief-05.

Moroccan cities under water

Severe rains killed dozens of people across Morocco and caused enormous damage to the country's infrastructure.

By Siham Ali for Magharebia in Rabat – 01/12/10

Flash floods triggered by torrential rains on Tuesday (November 30th) claimed at least 32 lives in different parts of Morocco, disrupted transportation, cut off electricity in entire districts and submerged a number of houses and vehicles.

After claiming six victims on Monday in Al-Hoceima, the floods washed away a bus with 24 passengers on Tuesday. All aboard were killed as it fell into the Chguig River on the road between Casablanca and Bouznika. A 13-year old child drowned in Khénifra and other people died and were injured when houses collapsed in El Hri and Sale. A girl died while trying to cross a river in Tiflet. A body was found, swept away by floods in Ouarzarte, and another person was reported missing in Mokrisset.

Heavy rains especially affected Casablanca, Morocco's business capital, which in a 24-hour period experienced an amount of precipitation equivalent to half of the average yearly rainfall. A 178-mm deluge forced the wilaya authorities to close schools, blocked roads and paralyzed train services between Rabat and Casablanca, leaving thousands of people who commute between the two cities stranded.

Samira Boulmadani, a bank clerk, is among those who were unable to go to work because of the floods. "I didn't realize how bad things were. They told me at the station. It's a whole day wasted for employers and employees alike. But it's worth pointing out that the electricity has been cut off at our bank branch since Monday, and it was very difficult to serve our customers," she said.

Royal Air Maroc announced on Tuesday that flights from Casablanca's Mohammed V airport were disrupted because the heavy rainfall prevented passengers and staff from reaching the airport.

Mohamed Mbarki had to accompany his wife to the airport but they were caught out by the bad weather. "She was supposed to be flying off to Belgium on a very important business. It came on just the wrong day. All the roads are blocked," he said.

According to MP Hakim Benchemmas, the scale of the damage is due to the lack of any effective government strategy for disaster management.

"What's happened in Casablanca, the beating heart of Morocco, is a total embarrassment. The isolation of the economic capital from the rest of the country should force all actors involved to realize the importance of preventative strategies and the state of the infrastructure which has proved to be very fragile," he said.

Istiqlal MP Mohamed Ansari, however, countered this assumption, saying that it is difficult to overcome the nature, and even developed countries have encountered similar hardships.

Abdellah Talib, public relations chief at water and power management company Lydec, said that the drainage system was unable to cope with the quantity of precipitation, which fell on the economic capital in a record period of time. He asked the public to restrict their travel in order to help his employees perform their work.

Economist Mohamed Jouadri warned that the repercussions of the adverse weather for the Casablancan economy are bound to be serious.

"Most of Morocco's economic activity takes place in this city. A single day's work lost will cost millions of dirhams, not to mention the damage to the infrastructure," he said.

According to Jouadri, over the past three years, floods in Morocco have caused great physical damage. In Tangiers, the industrial area suffered heavy losses last winter while Gharb suffered from significant damage to its agricultural activities, and faces a possible repeat of the same situation this year.

Source: Magharebia.com.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2010/12/01/feature-03.

Karzai may 'burn his bridges' with NATO over leaks: memo

by Staff Writers
Ottawa (AFP) Dec 1, 2010

A Canadian envoy warned that Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai may "burn his bridges" with NATO as a potential fallout of newly released US diplomatic cables, a Canadian paper said Wednesday.

In a diplomatic note to Ottawa obtained by the daily National Post, Canada's ambassador in Kabul William Crosbie echoed warnings by US Ambassador Karl Eikenberry.

The frank memo was written after the pair met last Saturday.

In it he says Eikenberry warned of a "potentially cataclysmic fallout" from the WikiLeaks whistleblower website's release of thousands of leaked embassy cables regarding Afghanistan.

"The main concern he (Eikenberry) has is that these leaks will reveal tactical and strategic political considerations and assessments as well as privileged relationships with members of the Karzai government and other leading figures in Afghanistan," he writes.

"Eikenberry believes these will feed Karzai's paranoia and mistrust of the US (and its allies); will put pressure on the reformers within the govt to leave and will drive Karzai evermore into a confrontational role with the US and NATO."

The Canadian government declined to comment on the Wikileaks storm.

Source: Space War.
Link: http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Karzai_may_burn_his_bridges_with_NATO_over_leaks_memo_999.html.

Belarus to eliminate highly-enriched uranium stocks

by Staff Writers
Astana (AFP) Dec 1, 2010

The ex-Soviet state of Belarus announced Wednesday it would eliminate its stocks of highly-enriched uranium by 2012, following talks with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Clinton won the pledge from Belarus Foreign Minister Sergei Martynov after talks on the sidelines of the OSCE summit in the Kazakhstan capital Astana.

"Foreign Minister Martynov announced that Belarus has decided to eliminate all of its stocks of highly enriched uranium (HEU) and intends to do so by the next nuclear security summit in 2012," said a joint statement.

"The United States intends to provide technical and financial assistance to support the completion of this effort as expeditiously as possible."

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs called the move "a significant step forward" and Clinton praised "a sign of progress in efforts to advance nuclear security and non-proliferation."

"This removal represents a significant, as I said, step for President (Barack) Obama's worldwide effort to secure nuclear material," Gibbs said.

In highly-enriched form, uranium can be used to form the warhead of a nuclear bomb and there have been fears over the security of the stocks held by ex-Soviet states such as Belarus.

Clinton said Belarus would be invited to the 2012 nuclear security summit in South Korea.

Wednesday's announcement marked a rare breakthrough in relations between Belarus and the United States, which only a few years ago slammed Lukashenko as Europe's last dictator.

Belarus strongman President Alexander Lukashenko had been quoted as saying earlier this year that the country had hundreds of kilograms of highly-enriched uranium and had no intention of eliminating it.

But the unpredictable Belarussian leader has also sought to make more positive gestures to the West in recent months and take his distance from his traditional allies in the Kremlin.

"The United States and Belarus acknowledged that enhanced respect for democracy and human rights in Belarus remains central to improving bilateral relations, and is essential to the progress of the country and its citizens," the joint statement said.

Lukashenko faces presidential elections on December 19 set to be marked by the lack of high-profile opposition candidates and sniping by Russia over his personality and policies.

"The United States hopes for substantial progress in these areas and that the December presidential elections in Belarus meet international standards," the statement said.

It praised Minsk for allowing monitors to check on the election. "In that regard, the decision by Belarus to invite a robust international monitoring presence to observe these elections is a welcome step," it added.

Source: Space Wars.
Link: http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Belarus_to_eliminate_highly-enriched_uranium_stocks_999.html.

Russia to increase missiles unless shield agreed: Putin

by Staff Writers
Moscow (AFP) Dec 1, 2010

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Moscow will build up its "striking forces" including nuclear weapons to ensure security if a joint decision on missile defense fails.

Putin's remarks came shortly after President Dmitry Medvedev warned in his annual address of a possible new round of the arms race if the sides do not agree on the European missile defense shield.

If Russia's proposals on the European system "are met with negative answers only" while additional threats appear, "Russia will have to ensure her own security," Putin said, according to previewed excerpts of an interview with CNN's Larry King released Wednesday.

"Striking forces" would include "new missile, nuclear technology," he said. "This is not our choice, we do not want that to happen," but this is what will happen "if we do not agree on a joint effort there," Putin said.

The full interview will air at 9:00 pm Eastern Time in the United States, or 0500 GMT.

Russia and NATO agreed to deepen missile defense cooperation at last month's summit in Lisbon.

Medvedev warned at the time that the positive response of Russia to a missile defense shield in Europe depended on the quality of cooperation between Moscow and the Alliance.

The Wall Street Journal reported that NATO leaders late last month rejected a proposal from Medvedev to unite Russia's missile defenses with a shield being built by the West.

A few hours before Putin's interview, the Russian defense ministry said its new RS-24 ballistic missile would allow Russia to bypass missile defense systems.

"The entry into service of the RS-24 will reinforce the strategic capacity of striking forces in the matter of bypassing anti-missile defense systems, therefore consolidating the nuclear deterrent," spokesman Igor Shevchenko was quoted as saying by Interfax news agency.

Putin's remarks also come amid uncertainty about the fate of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), signed this year by US President Barack Obama and Medvedev.

START restricts the US and Russia to a maximum of 1,550 deployed warheads, a cut of about 30 percent from a limit set in 2002.

The Russian lower house of parliament, the State Duma, has indicated it will ratify the treaty only after its ratification by the US Senate.

The agreement, a top Obama foreign policy initiative, replaces a previous accord that lapsed in December 2009 but ratification has been held up by opposition Republicans.

Source: Space War.
Link: http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Russia_to_increase_missiles_unless_shield_agreed_Putin_999.html.

Turkish PM threatens to sue US diplomats over leaked claims

Wednesday, December 1, 2010
ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News

In a harshly worded response to diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Wednesday that he would file legal action again U.S. envoys he accused of making false claims against him.

Speaking during a municipal ceremony in Ankara, Erdoğan called on the U.S. administration to take action to discipline the diplomats who “slandered” him in the leaked State Department documents.

“This is the United States’ problem, not ours... Those who have slandered us will be crushed under these claims, will be finished and will disappear,” the prime minister said in his first comprehensive comments about the WikiLeaks release.

“My friends are working [to take action] against these diplomats in terms of national and international law. We will continue this process there. Thereafter, they [the diplomats] have to think [about the consequences],” Erdoğan said. “We have discussed these issues with the U.S. administration. They have extended their apologies, but it’s not enough. They have to take all necessary measures against these diplomats.”

One leaked cable that was signed by former U.S. envoy to Ankara Eric Edelman claimed that Erdoğan had eight secret accounts in Swiss banks, a claim the American diplomat said had been made to the U.S. Embassy by two contacts. He did not give further evidence. Other documents accused Erdoğan of reaping personal gain from a billion-dollar privatization.

In addition to criticizing the U.S. administration and its envoys, Erdoğan also slammed the Turkish media and the head of the main opposition for publicizing the allegations.

Saying he does not have a single penny in Swiss banks, Erdoğan said: “Now I tell the opposition leaders that the moment they prove otherwise, I will resign. But will they still sit in their places [if they cannot prove it]?”

Calling the opposition “opportunist” for repeating slanderous remarks made by foreign diplomats, Erdoğan accused his political rivals of being dishonorable, while also lashing out at media outlets that reported the claims.

“An honorable media [outlet] or media member should first ask the person these slanders are made against [about the claims],” he said. “If the subject is the prime minister, you should ask: ‘Esteemed prime minister, is this true?’ If the prime minister tells you, ‘No, I have nothing to do with it,’ then you should not write about it. But if you write it without asking, without investigating [the validity of the claim], with the purpose of defaming, that is immorality, worthlessness.”

Accusing Edelman and other former U.S. diplomats of expressing their personal hatred against him and his government, Erdoğan repeated his statement that the opposition’s use of these claims for political purposes was shameful. He also called on the public to wait and see what the purpose was behind the leaks as the situation was still very new.

PM recalls the past

The WikiLeaks release is not the first time he has been made the subject of such slanders, Erdoğan said, noting that a journalist who claimed the prime minister had $1 billion in personal assets was now in prison as a suspect in the ongoing Ergenekon case. The journalist Erdoğan referred to is Tuncay Özkan, who has been in prison for the last two years without being convicted. Ergenekon is the name of an alleged gang accused of plotting to overthrow the government in 2003 and 2004.

“One billion dollars... That is more than the budget of the Istanbul municipality at that time,” Erdoğan said. “And now this gentleman is in [prison]. There are still media [outlets] and columnists following the same path.”

Swift reaction from Kılıçdaroğlu

The head of the main opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP, swiftly reacted to Erdoğan’s remarks, saying it was the United States, and not him, that made the allegations and that it was not right for the prime minister to direct his criticism at the opposition.

“To whom do those allegations belong? Isn’t it the United States? Why doesn’t [Erdoğan] ask his questions to them instead of asking us?” CHP chief Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu told reporters in the northwestern province of Bursa. “What did I say? I said the allegations regarding the prime minister are grave and he has to make a satisfactory explanation for them.”

Noting that other ministers had denied allegations against them via written statements, Kılıçdaroğlu said Erdoğan needed to respond in a more consistent and measured way.

“It is the United States that the prime minister should show reaction to and settle accounts with,” the CHP leader said. “If he does not have the power to do that, it is another issue. It is not right to say, ‘I can’t settle accounts with the United States, so let the target be the opposition.’”

Source: Hürriyet.
Link: http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=pm-harshly-responds-wiki-claims-says-will-sue-us-diplomats-2010-12-01.

Tulkarem cemetery yields further artifacts

BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- Officials in the northern West Bank district of Tulkarem reported their second archaeological find on Wednesday, following the discovery a day earlier of clay pots dating from the Mameluke period from the city's cemetery.

Police with the antiquities department said the find was the second registered in the day, with villagers from the Jenin-district are of Sansour cataloging underground tunnels that authorities said would be explored by archaeologists in the coming days.

Source: Ma'an News Agency.
Link: http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=338020.

Dutch government welcomes first export from Gaza

01/12/2010

JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- Following the first shipment of strawberries and carnations from Gaza under a Dutch government program to support local farmers prohibited from exporting goods under Israel's siege, officials from The Netherlands consulate said they were "pleased" and said they hoped the continued export of limited goods would continue smoothly.

Dutch Representative to the Palestinian Authority Jack Twiss Quarles van Ufford said in a statement that the successful export was “the best possible reward for the efforts invested by the farmers involved, who together with the staff of the Agricultural Development Association (PARC) are the backbone of this project."

Permission for export was arranged by Dutch officials during talks with the Israeli government, and constitute the sole export item from Gaza since 2007.

In 2007, farmers in Gaza were forced to feed carnations to livestock after export permission was denied and 2008, only one shipment of carnations was permitted out of Gaza ahead of Valentine's Day in February. In 2009, Dutch consular officials secured permission for regular exports of both strawberries and carnations.

This year, officials said that they were attempting to secure additional permission to export cherry tomatoes and sweet peppers. In late November officials said they were hopeful that permission would be granted, but the latest statement noted negotiations were ongoing.

"We are looking forward to a smooth continuation of the exports throughout the season, but we also hope the first shipments are a step towards a broadening of opportunities for Gazan businesses to export their products, so they can restore their links to the international market," Twiss Quarles van Ufford said.

Source: Ma'an News Agency.
Link: http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=337990.

Predatory Bugs Can Save Cornfields

by Don Comis
Washington DC (SPX) Dec 01, 2010

One of the worst pests of corn in the world, the corn rootworm, may owe its worldwide success partly to its larvae's nasty, sticky blood.

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) entomologist Jonathan G. Lundgren and his colleagues discovered this recently, working with CABI researchers in Delemont, Switzerland, and Hodmezovasarhely, Hungary. The discovery could lead to development of ways to overcome these defenses as part of sustainable, ecologically based pest management methods.

Lundgren works at the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) North Central Agricultural Research Laboratory in Brookings, S.D. ARS is USDA's principal intramural scientific research agency, and this research supports the USDA priority of promoting international food security. CABI is an international not-for-profit organization that researches natural ways of controlling pests, and they have been helping to lead the effort against corn rootworm's European invasion.

The experiments with CABI are the latest in Lundgren's research on corn rootworm predators. Although rootworms have been a major pest for 100 years, this is remarkably the first comprehensive research program on corn rootworm predators to be conducted.

In lab and field experiments in the United States and abroad, the rootworm larvae's sticky blood caused certain species of predators to quickly back off. The foul-tasting blood coagulated in the predators' mouths, temporarily gluing them shut. Predators repelled by the rootworm larvae's blood included ground beetles and ants.

Wolf spiders, on the other hand, had a hearty appetite for rootworms. When insects such as spiders suck fluids from prey rather than chewing their victims, they may be able to bypass the ability of the blood to stick and linger.

The experiments with CABI involved two years of lab and field experiments, begun in 2007, in the United States and Hungary. In the Brookings laboratory, Lundgren and colleagues offered hungry predators a smorgasbord of rootworm larvae and pupae. In all, they have tested 10 different predator species from Europe and North America.

The results have led Lundgren to research managing crop fields to encourage large and diverse predator populations.

Papers on this research have been published recently in Biocontrol Science and Technology, Ecological Applications, and the Journal of Applied Entomology. Also, a paper is scheduled for publication in Environmental Entomology.

Source: Seed Daily.
Link: http://www.seeddaily.com/reports/Predatory_Bugs_Can_Save_Cornfields_999.html.

Heavy snow hits airports and roads across Europe

by Staff Writers
London (AFP) Nov 30, 2010

Snow and freezing temperatures severely disrupted airports in Germany and Britain and caused chaos and deaths on roads across Europe on Tuesday.

More than 200 flights were canceled at Frankfurt airport in Germany, the continent's third busiest, while southern German states were blanketed by snow.

Large parts of Poland were covered in thick snow, causing hundreds of accidents on the roads and at least four people were killed on snowbound roads in the Czech Republic.

It was so cold in France that electricity network RTE warned of cuts in the supply as the country looked set to top record demand levels while 20 percent of high-speed train services to the hard hit southeast were canceled.

Switzerland suffered its coldest November night for 45 years as temperatures plunged below minus 30 degrees Celsius (minus 22 degrees Fahrenheit), according to national weather service Meteosuisse.

Even Spain and Portugal were shivering after snow fell in the northern half of the Iberian peninsula.

Britain has been taken by surprise by its earliest widespread snowfall since 1993, forcing hundreds of schools in Scotland and rural parts of England to close and causing treacherous conditions on roads and at smaller airports.

Scotland and northeast England had fresh snowfall and the freezing weather has started moving down England's east coast while London had its first sprinkling of snow this winter.

London City Airport, a popular departure point for business travelers, was forced at one point to suspend all flights because of snow and ice before resuming with a heavily interrupted service.

Edinburgh, Scotland's busiest airport, was disrupted for a second day, but London's Heathrow, one of the world's busiest airports, said all its flights were operating normally.

Britain's Met Office issued severe weather warnings for most regions of the country and warned snow was heading south.

A 53-year-old man was crushed to death when a recovery truck rolled into two other vehicles in snowy conditions on a motorway near Doncaster in northern England, police said.

Scotland, on St Andrew's Day, its national day, recorded the coldest temperature in Britain overnight Monday with the mercury plunging to minus 15 degrees Celsius (five degrees Fahrenheit).

Thousands of schoolchildren had to stay at home in Scotland for a second day while 42 schools were closed in picturesque Cornwall in southwest England because of snow.

But the bitter cold in London failed to deter several thousand students from taking part in the latest demonstration against the government's plans to raise university tuition fees.

In Germany, heavy snowfall blanketed the southern states of Bavaria, Baden-Wuerttemberg and Saxony and even colder weather is forecast across the country later this week.

At Frankfurt airport, even when the runways were cleared of snow, aircraft had to be de-iced, causing further delays.

By mid-morning local time, a total of 128 arrivals and 80 departures had been canceled, with many other flights experiencing significant delays, an airport spokeswoman said.

In the eastern German city of Leipzig, a playful snowball fight descended into a violent melee involving more than 500 people.

"The black-clad mob threw not only snow but also firecrackers, bottles and rocks," a police spokesman said.

Police had to intervene to break up the mob and two officers were wounded in the fray late Monday, while the driver of a passing car also fell victim as the mob smashed his windscreen with a beer bottle and injured his arm.

On a lighter note, players from German Bundesliga football team Bayer Leverkusen said they would wear ski masks for their Europa League game in Rosenberg, Norway, as they battle sub-zero conditions.

The Czech Republic experienced up to 25 centimeters (10 inches) of fresh snow in some cities, causing power cuts and travel disruption. Four people were killed and 80 were injured on the country's roads.

The Polish capital Warsaw was snarled up by huge traffic jams after 30 centimeters of snow fell since Monday.

Lorry drivers were stranded in their vehicles for 20 hours near Warsaw after a truck skidded and blocked the road.

Source: Terra Daily.
Link: http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Heavy_snow_hits_airports_and_roads_across_Europe_999.html.

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood to boycott run-off vote - Summary

Wed, 01 Dec 2010

Cairo - Egypt's main opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood, announced Wednesday it will withdraw from the country's upcoming run-off vote, after charging that the government rigged the first round of the parliamentary elections.

"The lack of our participation in this round of elections does not mean a change in our strategy or that we will not participate in all elections, but it is a position imposed by the current circumstances," said the Brotherhood in a statement explaining its decision to sit out Sunday's poll.

According to former parliamentarian Mohamed al-Beltagy - a Muslim Brotherhood member who had been slated to compete in a run-off - the decision to boycott the elections was made because "there are no guarantees of free or fair elections."

"There are no monitors, no civil society members, no judges to watch over the vote. There is instead bullying and fraud in changes of the vote," he told the German Press Agency dpa.

But the High Elections Committee, which oversees the vote, said that some 6,100 observers monitored nearly two-thirds of the polling centers.

The Brotherhood, which is officially banned and fields its candidates as "independents," lost all seats for which results have been released from this weekend's vote. It still had 27 contenders set to take part in the run-off.

In the last election, in 2005, the Brotherhood won 20 per cent of the lower house, or People's Assembly, making it the largest opposition bloc, with 88 seats.

Joining the boycott is Egypt's Wafd party, which won just four seats out of the 508 up for election. It was slated to contest eight more in the upcoming run-off.

Overall, opposition parties won just seven seats in the first- round vote, with the rest going to the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) or independent candidates, many of whom have close ties to the NDP.

As expected, the NDP swept the parliamentary elections, amassing 41 per cent of the vote in elections for the lower house, state-run media reported.

At least 207 of the 508 seats contested in Sunday's poll, went to President Hosny Mubarak's NDP, the al-Ahram daily newspaper reported. Many other seats that remain contested will be won in run-off races between two NDP candidates or an NDP candidate and an independent who has NDP links.

The NDP has the majority in parliament's upper house, or Shura Council.

The government has meanwhile hailed the outcome as a "celebration" for democracy.

The government reported that just under 2 per cent, or roughly 1,053 polling boxes, were tampered with and thus disqualified. They also said that 35 per cent of registered voters, around 14 million people, cast ballots.

Rights groups and opposition figures rejected the official claims about the turnout, saying less than half that figure voted.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/356109,run-off-vote-summary.html.

Sri Lankan president speech in London canceled over protests

Wed, 01 Dec 2010

Colombo - Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa's scheduled speech to the Oxford Union in London on Thursday has been canceled over fears of protests by Tamil minority groups demanding probes of alleged human rights violations, government officials said Wednesday.

Rajapaksa, currently in London, was invited by Oxford University to speak. But Tamil groups said they had called on the organizers to cancel the event.

In a statement, presidential secretary Lalith Weeratunga announced the cancellation for security reasons.

"This is a decision that has been made unilaterally by the Oxford Union, reportedly as a result of pressure applied by pro-LTTE (Tamil rebel) activists," the statement said.

The Oxford Union confirmed the event had been called off, saying that "due to the sheer scale of the expected protests, we do not feel that the talk can reasonably and safely go ahead as planned."

Rajapaksa's visit to London came amid fresh allegations over human rights abuses that had taken place in the final phase of the military operations against Tamil rebels before the conflict was brought to an end in May 2009.

New footage of a massacre which is said to have been carried out by the Sri Lankan military was broadcast on British tv Channel 4.

The Defense Ministry in Colombo and the Sri Lankas High Commission in London have denied the allegations.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/356122,speech-london-cancelled-protests.html.

Spain and Portugal confident they have eight votes in the bag

Wed, 01 Dec 2010

Zurich - The managing director of the joint Spanish and Portuguese bid for the 2018 World Cup finals Miguel Angel Lopez said Wednesday that he believed they had eight votes already secured.

The FIFA executive will vote on Thursday for the hosts of the 2018 and 2022 World Cup finals, with Spain/Portugal competing against Russia, England and a joint Belgium/Netherlands bid.

Lopez told the German Press Agency dpa that he was confident that their bid had eight votes, but that it would then depend on what the executive members did with their second votes, once their first choice had been eliminated.

He said that he believed that all executive members had already made their minds up. "They have been hearing about the World Cup for one and a half years.

"They meet monthly and I am sure that they spoke about it and have decided."

After the suspension of two executive members who were caught in a sting operation allegedly willing to sell their vote, the 22 remaining members will vote, with the first country achieving an absolute majority of 12 votes gaining the right to host the finals.

Should no country achieve the required 12 votes, the country with the least number of votes shall be eliminated. This will be repeated until such time as one of the bids receives 12 votes.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/356128,confident-eight-votes-bag.html.

Clinton to consult with Asian allies on North Korea

Wed, 01 Dec 2010

Washington - US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will host a meeting with her Japanese and South Korean counterparts next week to discuss the tension over North Korea, the State Department said Wednesday.

South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan and Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara will sit down with Clinton in Washington on Monday to demonstrate "the extraordinarily close coordination" between the three countries on maintaining security in the region.

The United States and South Korea completed four days of joint naval exercises off the Korean peninsula to show a willingness to respond with force to what they see as Pyonyang's provocative acts.

North Korean artillery bombarded a South Korean island near the disputed maritime border on November 23, killing two soldiers and two civilians and wounding more than a dozen others, in a move that sparked worries of renewed hostilities.

The United States, European Union as well as other countries sharply condemned North Korea for the assault, and South Korea has threatened to retaliate to any further attacks.

North Korea's dictator Kim Jong Il in late September elevated his youngest son, Kim Jong Un, to two top positions in the ruling Workers' Party, an indication that he is the chosen heir.

Meanwhile, South Korea's top intelligence official said in Seoul Wednesday that he expects more attacks from North Korea, according to the Yonhap news agency.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/356129,asian-allies-north-korea.html.

White House: call for Clinton's resignation 'ridiculous' - Summary

Wed, 01 Dec 2010

Washington - The White House dubbed as "ridiculous" the suggestion by WikiLeaks chief editor Julian Assange's that Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton resign over leaked documents that showed she instructed US diplomats to engage in espionage.

"That statement is ridiculous and absurd," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said on CNN. "I'm not entirely sure why we we care about the opinion of one guy with one website. Our foreign policy and the interests of this country are far stronger than his one website."

In an interview published earlier with Time magazine, Assange said Clinton is obligated to resign because ordering diplomats at the United Nations to spy violates international agreements.

"She should resign, if it can be shown that she was responsible for ordering US diplomatic figures to engage in espionage in the United Nations, in violation of the international covenants to which the US has signed up. Yes, she should resign over that," Assange said.

WikiLeaks has been behind the leaking of more than 250,000 secret US diplomat cables that begin hitting the internet Sunday. Among them are cables signed by Clinton instructing diplomats at the United Nations to gather information about their counterparts. One cable said that included credit card information and frequent flyer numbers, and biometric data about North Korean officials.

State Department spokesman PJ Crowley has strongly denied that US diplomats are engaged in espionage.

"Diplomats are diplomats. And their job is to interact with people, gather information, gain perspective on events around the world and report those findings in a way that helps inform our policies and form out actions. They are not intelligence assets," Crowley said.

Meanwhile, the White House announced Wednesday that it was launching a comprehensive review of the security of classified documents across all of the departments, and determining what safeguards need to be implemented.

White House senior adviser Russell Travers has been tasked with overseeing the process. The State Department has already taken steps to safeguard its documents, temporarily removing access to diplomatic cables via a secret router known as SIPRNet.

The State Department has said none of its personnel were responsible for leaking the documents to WikiLeaks.

US military authorities detained and in July transferred Army Private Bradley Manning from Iraq to the United States in connection with leaking classified documents to WikiLeaks. He was charged with unauthorized use and disclosure classified material relating to videos published by WikiLeaks.

He remained a person of interest in the WikiLeaks publication of tens of thousands of Afghan war-related documents. Authorities have not said whether he is the suspect behind the publication of nearly 400,000 Iraq war military documents, or the release of the State Department cables.

Manning was an intelligence analyst in Iraq at the time of his arrest and reportedly had access to classified material. Reports said the military had obtained evidence from his computer showing he had downloaded secret information.

Manning was reportedly able to access the documents following reforms after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, that made it easier for classified information to be shared across government agencies.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/356142,resignation-ridiculous-summary.html.

Amazon cuts off WikiLeaks

Wed, 01 Dec 2010

Washington (Earth Times - dpa) - WikiLeaks said Wednesday that it has been cut off from server space rented through the online retailer Amazon.com following the leaking of more than 250,000 secret US diplomatic cables.

"WikiLeaks servers at Amazon ousted. Free speech the land of the free--fine our (dollars) are now spent to employ people in Europe," the self-described whistleblower website said on its twitter feed.

US Senator Joe Lieberman, the chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee, said Amazon cut off WikiLeaks after inquiries from his aides, CNN reported.

"WikiLeaks' illegal, outrageous, and reckless acts have compromised our national security and put lives at risk around the world," he said. "No responsible company - whether American or foreign - should assist WikiLeaks in its efforts to disseminate these stolen materials."

Lieberman called on other companies to also deny WikiLeaks access to servers. Amazon.com, which sells books, music and a host of other goods, did not comment, according to CNN.

WikiLeaks said that if "Amazon are so uncomfortable with the first amendment, they should get out of the business of selling books," the twitter post said, referred to the clause in the US Constitution that protects freedom of speech.

Clinton, Medvedev disagree on OSCE role in Georgia

Wed, 01 Dec 2010

Astana, Kazakhstan - US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton put herself on a collision course with Russia Wednesday by calling for re-establishment of a mission in Georgia by the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

Clinton, speaking at the OSCE summit in the Kazakh capital Astana, implicitly criticized Moscow, which in 2009 vetoed the continuation of the OSCE's Georgia mission after the 2008 war with Georgia over the breakaway region of South Ossetia.

"It is regrettable that a participating state (Georgia) proposed to host a mission, and the OSCE has not been has not been allowed to respond," Clinton said. We here at this table must let this organization do its job and restore a meaningful OSCE presence in Georgia."

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, in earlier remarks, blamed Georgia for the conflict with South Ossetia, accusing it of improper use of force.

This is "absolutely unacceptable." he said. "Today we must not deviate from OSCE principles."

Clinton said she hoped a ceasefire pledge by Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili would create the ground for negotiations on the conflict.

Like Clinton, Medvedev called for updating the OSCE's mission to meet new security needs. He also urged removal of visa requirements between Russia and Europe and creation of a new security pact for Europe.

Among Washington's goals for the summit are a renewal of formal negotiations on the conflict in Moldova's Transdniestria region and an updating of OSCE principles on confidence- and security-building measures, Clinton said.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/356012,disagree-osce-role-georgia.html.

Suu Kyi urges people to be courageous on National Day

Wed, 01 Dec 2010

Yangon - Myanmar's pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi urged people to be courageous on the 90th anniversary of National Day Wednesday.

The December 1 holiday celebrates protests by Rangoon University students in 1920 which started the independence movement.

"We need to be united, to persevere and be courageous," opposition leader Suu Kyi told about 200 supporters who gathered at the National League for Democracy (NLD) party compound in Yangon.

To mark the day, military strongman and leader of the current ruling junta, Senior General Than Shwe, emphasized "sustained efforts to achieve greater development of the nation," the state-run New Light of Myanmar reported Wednesday.

Than Shwe praised the recent "free and fair elections" and urged Burmese people to "keep working with a strong sense of nationalistic spirit."

The November 7 polls where the first in Myanmar in 20 years, but most foreign observers said they were neither free or fair.

Suu Kyi, whose NLD was banned when they boycotted the polls, on Wednesday said national affairs are the concern of all people and not just "one party's agenda."

The Nobel Peace Prize laureate was released from house arrest about a week after the election.

Meanwhile, the NLD is seeking a judicial order to reinstate it as a legal political party after losing its status in May when it refused to register for the general election.

The party boycotted the election to protest a law that would have required it to drop Suu Kyi as a member if the NLD were to be put on the ballot.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/356026,be-courageous-national-day.html.

Zapatero announces new tax and spending cuts in bid to calm markets

Wed, 01 Dec 2010

Madrid - Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero on Wednesday announced new measures aimed at boosting economic growth and cutting government spending, in an attempt to calm markets concerned about the country's economic stability.

The measures included tax cuts to benefit 40,000 small and medium-sized companies, Zapatero told parliament.

The government would also slash a monthly subsidy of 426 euros (580 dollars) to jobless people who were not receiving any other unemployment benefits, Zapatero announced. That measure will take effect in February.

Other measures included placing Madrid and Barcelona airports partly under private management, privatizing 30 per cent of the national lottery agency, and favoring the creation of private employment agencies.

Spain's unemployment stands at about 20 per cent, the highest in the European Union.

The government was due to approve the measures on Friday.

Zapatero made the announcement after the yields on Spain's 10-year bonds rose to a record difference against German bonds on Tuesday.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/356034,cuts-bid-calm-markets.html.

Malaysia launches women-only buses

02 December 2010

AFP - Women-only transport has been stepped up a gear in Malaysia, it was reported Thursday, after the launch of female-only buses to help counter sexual harassment.

The buses follow ladies-only pink train carriages on the transport system to give the Muslim majority country's females the option of traveling separately from men.

Bus company RapidKL, a state-owned firm, started the special service for its female passengers on Wednesday on seven routes in the Malaysian capital during peak hours, the New Straits Times newspaper reported.

"This is based on feedback received from our customers, especially females, who shared with us their discomfort during peak-hour travels," the firm's chief operating officer Mohamed Hazland Mohamed Hussain said.

The official did not say whether the firm has received any sexual harassment complaints.

"I will feel safer, not because I do not trust men, but for someone my age, it's hard to fight for space during peak hours," Poovan Kaur, 63, told the paper.

In April, the Malaysian Railway launched pink women-only train coaches.

The northern Terengganu state has reportedly said it was aiming to establish a waterfall site exclusively for women to picnic and bathe, in a bid to attract Middle Eastern tourists to holiday there.

Another northern state, Kelantan has also enacted laws that require separate queues for men and women in shops. The rules are not strictly enforced.

More than 60 percent of Malaysia's 28 million population are Muslim Malays, and the population includes large ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities.

Source: France24.
Link: http://www.france24.com/en/20101202-malaysia-launches-women-only-buses.

WikiLeaks: Russia is 'mafia state'

Leaked memo shows Spanish prosecutor told US that Russia was "owned by organized crime".

02 Dec 2010

Russia is a virtual "mafia state" whose political parties operate "hand in hand" with organized crime, according to a US cable revealed by WikiLeaks, the whistle-blowing website.

In the memo, Jose Gonzalez, a senior Spanish prosecutor, told US officials that "he considers ... Russia to be a virtual 'mafia state'" where "one cannot differentiate between the activities of the government and organized crime groups".

Gonzalez, who has been investigating Russian organized crime in Spain for a decade, also agreed with poisoned dissident Alexander Litvinenko's thesis that Russian intelligence and security services "owned organized crime".

The memo, sent in February of this year from the US embassy in Madrid, is the latest revelation to appear since Sunday's online release of more than 250,000 US confidential and classified documents by WikiLeaks.

'Rogue security elements'

In a separate leaked cable, sent shortly after Litvinenko's death in London in 2006, Daniel Fried, US assistant secretary of state, questioned whether Vladimir Putin, Russia's prime minister, knew beforehand of the plot to kill the dissident.

In a meeting with a senior French diplomatic adviser, Fried asked "whether rogue security elements could operate ... without Putin's knowledge," given the leader's "attention to detail".

Gonzalez also alleged there were "proven ties between the Russian political parties, organized crime and arms trafficking".

The cable relayed that Gonzalez believed Russian intelligence officials were behind the 2009 case of an Arctic Sea cargo ship which was suspected of carrying weapons destined for Iran.

In addition, the leaked cable suggested that Russian authorities used the mafia to carry out operations it could not "acceptably do as a government," citing the sale of arms to Kurds in order to destabilize Turkey as an example.

The document added the authorities took "the relationship with crime leaders even further by granting them the privileges of politics, in order to grant them immunity from racketeering charges".

Any crimelords who defied the country's Federal Security Service could be "eliminated" either by killing them or "putting them behind bars to eliminate them as a competitor for influence," Gonzalez said.

Far from being a localized problem, Gonzalez said he also thought the mafia virtually ran Belarus and Chechnya and exerted "tremendous control" over vital components of the global economy, including aluminum.

Haiti leak

Among other cables released by WikiLeaks on Wednesday is a leaked memo by a former US ambassador to Haiti saying Rene Preval's, the president, "overriding goal" ahead of last weekend's election for his successor was to ensure the new president would not force him into exile.

The June 2009 memo was sent under the name of then US ambassador Janet Sanderson.

Another leaked cable showed Washington believed that Yukiya Amano, the UN nuclear watchdog chief, was "solidly in the US court".

The US mission to the International Atomic Energy Agency, in a cable written after Amano was elected but before he took office in December 2009, described him as a "DG (director general) of all states, but in agreement with us".

It said Amano had reminded the US ambassador on several occasions that he would need to make concessions to developing countries, "but that he was solidly in the US court on every key strategic decision, from high-level personnel appointments to the handling of Iran's alleged nuclear weapons program".

Clinton 'regrets'

Hillary Clinton , the US secretary of state, used a global summit in Kazakhstan on Wednesday to smooth ruffled feathers after the embarrassing revelations about world leaders that have continued to appear since Sunday.

A top US official told the AFP news agency that on the sidelines of talks at the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe summit in Astana, the Kazhak capital, Clinton "brought it up herself, if they didn't bring it up, she did".

Clinton met one-on-one with Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian prime minister, Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister and Mikheil Saakashvili, the Georgian president.

"She wasn't shy about raising it. She was very clear that we regret that this has happened," said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

"She was also clear, especially to the extent that any of them had concerns about the way it made them look in their own press."

The official said Clinton had explained that the cables came from US embassies around the world and were "not necessarily the view of the United States".

Source: al-Jazeera.
Link: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2010/12/20101223545581852.html.

Indian police arrest top north-eastern militant

Wed, 01 Dec 2010

New Delhi - Indian police have arrested a top militant leader from India's north-eastern state of Manipur, officials said Wednesday.

Rajkumar Meghen, chairman of the banned United National Liberation Front (UNLF), was arrested Tuesday in Bihar near the Nepalese border and was produced in a local court, Bihar's East Champaran district police superintendent Paras Nath said.

"Meghen is now in the custody of the National Investigation Agency, which was given a three-day transit remand by the court," Nath said, referring to the order to produce him in court within 72 hours. Nath added he had no information on where the UNLF leader was taken.

Meghen, a member of Manipur's royal family, has been on the run for 35 years.

The UNLF is one of the oldest of the estimated 50 militant groups operating in India's north-eastern states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur and Meghalaya.

It was formed in 1964 with the aim of achieving independence for Manipur from India. The group has estimated 3,000 to 5,000 fighters.

Meghen's relatives had earlier claimed he had been arrested in Bangladesh in September and was in the custody of Indian police.

His wife Ibengmungshi Devi had filed a petition in court seeking information on her husband's whereabouts and also approached the National Human Rights Commission.

The insurgencies in north-eastern India stems from the poverty and the political alienation of the largely tribal populations in the area.

Over 3,000 people have died in insurgency-related incidents in the region over the past decade, including clashes between militant groups, according to the website South Asia Terrorism Portal.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/356036,arrest-top-north-eastern-militant.html.

Ban on niqab in Swedish schools is discrimination: ombudsman

Wed, 01 Dec 2010

Stockholm - A ban against wearing veils that cover the face at schools and universities violates the Swedish discrimination act, the country's equality ombudsman ruled Wednesday.

The decision by Katri Linna was the first concerning full-face veils in Sweden.

It was sparked by a complaint made in early 2009 by a young Muslim woman who was studying to become a kindergarten teacher, who was told she could not wear the full-face niqab at her school in Stockholm.

In her decision, Linna said the right to wear religious garb did not mean that safety measures should be neglected but "schools, or employers, are obliged to seek solutions to possible obstacles."

The plaintive finished with good results, suggesting that "her niqab did not constitute an obstacle for her training," Linna said.

During class, the woman was seated so that her male co-students could not see her face and she did not have to wear her niqab.

Linna would not seek legal action against the school since the student was allowed to complete her year-long education pending the decision by the equality ombudsman agency.

Linna, who has been criticized for the slow handling of the case, said the decision did not consider if a woman wearing the niqab could work at a kindergarten.

There are no statistics on how many female students in Sweden wear the full-body burqa or the niqab. Estimates suggest there are at least 100,000 practicing Muslims among Sweden's 9.4 million inhabitants - but that number is uncertain as there are no official statistics.

The equality ombudsman was set up to ensure compliance with the discrimination act that bans discrimination due to gender, religion, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation or age.

In August, Education Minister Jan Bjorklund said he wanted leaders of Swedish schools and universities to be allowed to ban students from wearing clothes that cover their faces, including the burqa, the niqab or balaclava masks.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/356037,schools-is-discrimination-ombudsman.html.

Egypt's ruling NDP wins parliamentary poll, opposition charges fraud

Wed, 01 Dec 2010

Cairo - Egypt's ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) is to retain control over parliament after winning 41 per cent of the vote in elections for the lower house, or People's Assembly, state-run media reported Wednesday.

At least 207 of the 508 seats contested in Sunday's poll, went to President Hosny Mubarak's NDP, the al-Ahram daily newspaper reported.

The opposition Muslim Brotherhood failed to recapture any of its current 88 seats in the first round. The group is accusing the government of electoral fraud. The government has meanwhile hailed the outcome as "celebration" for democracy.

A run-off for most parliament's remaining scheduled for Sunday. The Brotherhood is fielding 27 candidates.

The NDP has the majority in parliament's upper house, or Shura Council.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/356039,poll-opposition-charges-fraud.html.

Jordanian king's grandfather dies at 95 in Amman

Wed, 01 Dec 2010

Amman - The British grandfather of Jordan's King Abdullah II died in Amman on Wednesday at 95, the Jordanian royal court announced.

The body of Walter Percy Gardiner, a retired British army colonel from Norfolk, will be buried on Thursday in Jordan in special ceremonial arrangements, a royal court statement said.

The royal court also announced a one-week mourning period throughout the country for Gardiner, father of Princess Mona al- Hussein, King Abdullah's mother.

The princess was born in Britain in 1941 as Antoinette Gardiner and was married to late King Hussein, King Abdullah's father, in 1961. They divorced in 1971.

King Abdullah has cut short a Gulf visit and returned to Amman to take part in the funeral activities.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/356120,grandfather-dies-95-amman.html.

King's grandfather passes away

AMMAN (JT) - The Royal Court on Wednesday issued a statement announcing the passing away of the maternal grandfather of His Majesty King Abdullah, Major General Walter Gardiner, in Amman at dawn yesterday.

He will be laid to rest in a special ceremony today, the statement said.

King Abdullah cut short his visit to Oman and returned home yesterday to attend the funeral, another Royal Court statement said.

The Royal Court will observe a weeklong mourning period, starting Wednesday.

It announced that people can record their sympathies in a Book of Condolences at the Royal Court on Friday from 10:00am to 5:00pm.

The Jordan Times has learned that the Royal Court advises against posting condolences in the media and urges donating the money to charities instead.

2 December 2010

Source: The Jordan Times.
Link: http://www.jordantimes.com/?news=32273.

British grandfather of Jordan king dies

AMMAN — The British grandfather of Jordan's King Abdullah II -- retired Colonel Walter Percy Gardiner -- died on Wednesday at his Amman home, a family friend said. He was 95.

"Colonel Gardiner died in his sleep in Amman, a few days before his 96th birthday which falls on December 12," the friend told AFP.

Gardiner lived in Amman with his daughter, Princess Muna, born Antoinette Gardiner, wife of the late king Hussein and King Abdullah's mother.

Originally from Norfolk in the east of England, Gardiner married Doris Sutton in 1938. She died in 1994.

"Colonel Gardiner will be buried next to his wife on Thursday in a Jordan Valley farm owned by their daughter Princess Muna," the friend said.

Their daughter Antoinette, married king Hussein in 1961 and divorced in 1972.

The couple had four children, King Abdullah, Prince Feisal and princesses Zein and Aisha.

"King Abdullah has always loved and admired his grandfather from an early age," another family friend said.

Copyright © 2010 AFP. All rights reserved.