China, 18 others to skip Nobel Peace prize party

By BJOERN H. AMLAND and ANITA CHANG, Associated Press – Tue Dec 7

OSLO, Norway – China and 18 other countries have declined to attend this year's Nobel Peace Prize ceremony honoring imprisoned Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, Nobel officials said Tuesday as China unleashed a new barrage deriding the decision.

Chinese officials in Beijing called Liu's backers "clowns" in an anti-Chinese farce — comments that came only three days before the Dec. 10 Nobel peace prize ceremony in Oslo.

Beijing considers Liu's recognition an attack on China's political and legal system, and says the country's policies will not be swayed by outside forces in what it calls "flagrant interference in China's sovereignty."

Liu, 54, is serving an 11-year sentence on subversion charges brought after he co-authored a bold call for sweeping changes to China's one-party communist political system known as Charter 08.

Countries that have turned down an invitation to Friday's ceremony include Chinese allies Pakistan, Venezuela and Cuba, Chinese neighbors such as Russia, the Philippines and Kazakhstan, and Chinese business partners such as Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Other countries not appearing at the Oslo City Hall ceremony include Ukraine, Colombia, Egypt, Sudan, Tunisia, Iraq, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Serbia and Morocco.

But at least 44 of the 65 embassies that were invited have accepted the invitation, the prize committee said.

In Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu accused the Nobel committee of "orchestrating an anti-China farce by themselves."

"We are not changing because of interference by a few clowns and we will not change our path," she said.

The tough talk came even as authorities were placing Liu's supporters, including his wife Liu Xia, under house arrest and stopping many others such as lawyers, academics and activists from leaving the country — apparently to prevent them from traveling to Oslo for the ceremony.

So far, only one of about 140 Chinese activists invited by Liu's wife to attend the ceremony has said he'll be able to make it, according to organizers — and he was not living in China.

Nobel committee secretary Geir Lundestad said countries gave various reasons for not attending but "some of them are obviously affected by China." He said the committee was pleased that two-thirds of embassies had resisted Chinese pressure and accepted the invitation.

"We are especially happy that important countries like India, Indonesia, Brazil and South Africa are coming," Lundestad said.

Nobel officials said the peace prize will not be handed out Friday because none of Liu's family members will be able to attend. The prestigious $1.4 million award can be collected only by the laureate or close family members.

China is not the first nation to be rankled by a Nobel Peace Prize — but its clampdown means the Nobel medal and diploma won't be handed out for the first time since 1936, when Adolf Hitler prevented German pacifist Carl von Ossietzky from accepting the prize.

Even Cold War dissidents Russian Andrei Sakharov and Lech Walesa of Poland were able to have their wives collect the prizes for them. Myanmar democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi's award was accepted by her 18-year-old son in 1991.

Jiang's comments on Tuesday were the latest in a series of furious attacks against Liu, the Nobel committee and other supporters. Beijing was enraged by the awarding of the prize to the democracy campaigner and literary critic and has sought to dissuade foreign diplomats from attending the award ceremony.

Jiang maintained there were more than 100 countries and international organizations opposed to awarding the prize to Liu, but refused to provide a list to reporters.

China has also put ties with Norway on ice in retaliation for the prize, with Jiang saying Norway should take "total responsibility." A senior Chinese official has said Beijing believes Washington orchestrated the award, ostensibly to humiliate China.

Lundestad declined comment on the Chinese criticism but described this year's prize as "big and important" — like previous awards in which laureates were prevented from coming.

"It reflects on the regimes," he said.

An empty chair will symbolize that both Liu and his family have been prevented by the Chinese regime from receiving the prize. "The empty chair will be the strongest argument for this year's prize," Lundestad said.

It is not unusual for some countries to skip the ceremony for various reasons. In 2008, when former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari was awarded the peace prize, 10 embassies did not attend.

____

Chang reported from Beijing.

Iran agrees to 2011 talks in Turkey

By GEORGE JAHN and ALI AKBAR DAREINI, Associated Press – Tue Dec 7

GENEVA – Iran and six world powers concluded talks Tuesday with an agreement to reconvene early next year, indicating Tehran may be willing to address concerns about its nuclear program. But Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warned that unless they lift U.N. sanctions the six face failure in the next round.

Diplomats from delegations at the table with Iran said Tehran made no commitments to talking about U.N. Security Council demands that Tehran freeze uranium enrichment — which has both civilian and military uses.

"We didn't get anywhere on substance," said one of the officials. "It was an exchange of views."

A senior U.S. administration official, in a similarly sober assessment, said: "Our expectations for these talks were low, and they were never exceeded."

Iran's chief negotiator, Saed Jalili, also sought to dampen expectations.

"I am telling you clearly and openly that halting uranium enrichment will not be discussed at the Istanbul meeting," he told reporters.

But the diplomats said Jalili did not object when the six powers, the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany, brought up concern over enrichment during two days of talks that ended at midday Tuesday. The fact that the Iranians did not dismiss such international worries led to the decision to agree to a second round, said the three officials, who asked for anonymity because the information was confidential.

"As expected the talks were not a breakthrough but a beginning was achieved," German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said in Berlin.

The senior U.S. administration official said "an increasing amount of international isolation" might be contributing to possible Iranian willingness to engage. He also asked not to be named in exchange for talking about the closed meeting.

Ahmadinejad set the bar high for the success of the Istanbul talks, saying it hinged on whether the U.N. Security Council agreed to lift five resolutions and four sets of sanctions against his country, imposed over its refusal to freeze enrichment. That is something the five permanent Security Council members are unlikely to even consider, suggesting his comments were meant for domestic consumption.

"If you come to talks with sincerity, loyalty to the law, friendship and respect ... and cancel resolutions, sanctions and some restrictions that you imposed, it will definitely be helpful," state TV's website quoted Ahmadinejad as saying.

"But if you again come with deception and animosity, not respecting the rights of the Iranian nation ... the response of the Iranian nation will be the same as you've received until today. This response will be very regretful."

He also scoffed at the suggestion that United States with its huge nuclear arsenal and its allies were afraid that Iran could develop nuclear arms, saying "this claim is a lie and deception," in comments quoted by state TV.

But comments by a former Iranian diplomat who defected to the West added to concerns.

Mohammad Reza Heydari, who resigned in January from his post as Iranian consul in Norway said that during his contacts with Iran's revolutionary guards "it was clearly said that Iran was concentrating on two objectives ... the first was to build the range of surface-to-surface missiles, the second was to get a nuclear weapon with North Korea's help."

The comments at a Paris think tank conference come amid rising international concerns that North Korea, which has already staged atomic tests, is cooperating with Iran on its nuclear program.

Heydari said that from 2002 to 2007, when he headed the Iranian Foreign Ministry's office for airports, he saw many technicians from North Korea travel to Iran.

"I witnessed repeated round-trips of North Korean specialists and technicians — given that I was right there at the border — who came to collaborate on the Iranian nuclear program," he said through a translator.

Based on information from "friends and contacts" still in the know about the visits by North Korean technicians, Heydari said he is "100 percent certain" they are continuing.

A U.S. intelligence assessment — published among the flood of classified State Department memos obtained by WikiLeaks — concluded that Iran received advanced North Korean missiles capable of targeting Western European capitals and giving Iran's arsenal a significantly farther reach than previously disclosed.

In Geneva, Jalili denied reports of cooperation between Iran and North Korea, telling reporters they were "totally fabricated.".

In separate comments to journalists, the European's Union's foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, said agreement on a new meeting was reached after "substantive talks."

"We and Iran agree to a continuation of these talks in late January in Istanbul," said Ashton, speaking on behalf of six.

Ashton had previously rejected Tehran's preference for a meeting in Istanbul, where Iran would have Turkish allies on the sidelines, and agreement on that venue appeared to be a concession to the Islamic Republic.

She declined to go into details saying only: "We recognize Iran's rights but insist it fulfills its obligations." While the six powers accept Iran's right to develop nuclear power they insist that Tehran meet U.N. Security Council demands.

At the Istanbul meeting "we plan to discuss practical ideas and ways of cooperating toward the resolution of our full concerns about the nuclear issue," Ashton told reporters shortly after the second day of talks ended around noon.

Jalili confirmed the timing and venue of the planned talks, while serving notice that his country would not deviate from its insistence that it has a right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes.

"We reject the idea of talks under pressure," he told reporters.

While avoiding the mention of international concerns over Iran's nuclear program he said his country was ready to "sit down and talk about common concerns over important international issues, security concerns, economic concerns and so forth."

International worries are great because Tehran developed its enrichment program clandestinely and because it refuses to cooperate with an IAEA probe meant to follow up on suspicions that it experimented with components of a nuclear weapons program — something Iran denies.

Officials from the six powers said Jalili declined to address their worries on enrichment and related issues, focusing instead on generalities and perceived mistakes made by the West in its treatment of Iran over the nuclear issue.

Still, "the vast majority of the talks was about the nuclear issue," said one of the officials.

"Jalili gave sense he understands international concerns," he said. "It's clear he's heard our concerns."

___

Dareini reported from Tehran. Associated Press writers John Heilprin and Frank Jordans in Geneva and Jamey Keaten in Paris contributed to this report.

Operation Payback: WikiLeaks Avenged by Hacktivists

Dec 7, 2010

By Tony Bradley, PCWorld

WikiLeaks has been experiencing some issues lately ranging from having its Web hosting services shutdown to having its accounts frozen and the flow of money cut off. Some cheer those actions, while others see them as an attack on liberty and free speech and are coming to WikiLeaks' defense.

WikiLeaks is no stranger to controversy. Exposing confidential government documents and communications evokes a passionate response--either for or against the activity. The WikiLeaks site has been the target of DDoS (distributed denial of service) attacks--either by government agencies that don't want sensitive information exposed, or by activist groups that believe WikiLeaks is a threat to international diplomacy and national security.

However, there are also hacktivists--a mashup of hackers and activists--who are willing to cross some lines to defend WikiLeaks as well. The Swiss bank that froze WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's assets, and PayPal--which cut off the WikiLeaks account used for collecting donations to fund the site--have both been targeted by DDoS attacks of their own.

Noa Bar Yossef, senior security strategist for Imperva, commented via e-mail to say, "Operation Payback's goal is not hacking for profit. In the classical external hacker case we see hackers grab information from wherever they can and monetize on it. In this case though, the hackers' goal is to cripple a service, disrupt services, protest their cause and cause humiliation. In fact, what we see here is a very focused attack - knocking the servers offline due to so-called 'hacker injustice'."

Botnets and DDoS attacks are not new. Botnets are exceedingly common. Typically, PCs of unwitting users are compromised in stealth and sit idly waiting for instructions from the attackers. A botnet can harness thousands, tens of thousands, or possibly hundreds of thousands of compromised PCs at one time to mount massive spam distribution or denial of service attacks.

The WikiLeaks defense is a different story, though. Noa Bar Yossef explains, "In this case however, the Operation Payback is recruiting people from within their own network. They are actually asking supporters to download the piece of code, the DDoSing malware itself, that upon wake-up call the computer engages in the DoS. There is no victimized machine as the participants knowingly engage in what they call an act of defiance."

In other words, rather than simply harnessing the combined power of infected machines without the PC owner's knowledge or consent, the Operation Payback hacktivist botnet is actively seeking volunteers to willingly join the botnet and assist in the effort to make organizations pay for trying to silence WikiLeaks.

WikiLeaks walks a very thin line between paragon of freedom of speech and threat to national security. Even if you have strong opinions one way or the other about Wikileaks, I don't recommend volunteering to compromise your PC in support of any hacktivist efforts. You can't be sure that is all the malware is doing, and you might not be able to control or remove the botnet code once your hacktivism days are over.

Source: PC World.
Link: http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/212701/operation_payback_wikileaks_avenged_by_hacktivists.html.

WikiLeaks founder denied bail in UK

Julian Assange is remanded in custody after appearing in a London court on an extradition warrant.

07 Dec 2010

A London court has denied bail to Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, and ordered that he remain in custody for a week, after he was arrested on an extradition warrant.

The 39-year-old Australian, who handed himself into authorities in the British capital on Tuesday, is wanted in Sweden on allegations of sex crimes.

Howard Riddle, the presiding judge at the City of Westminster Magistrate's Court, refused bail for Assange on the grounds that there was a risk he would fail to surrender.

Gemma Lindfield, representing the Swedish authorities, had told the court Assange should not be granted bail because of his "nomadic" lifestyle, his Australian citizenship and reports that he intended to seek asylum in Switzerland.

"This is someone for whom, simply put, there is no condition, even the most stringent that would ensure he would surrender to the jurisdiction of this court," the Press Association quoted her as saying.

Assange was ordered to appear at the court for an extradition hearing on December 14.

A number of well known personalities including Jemima Khan, film director Ken Loach and veteran journalist John Pilger all offered to stand as surety for Assange.

In a statement, police said Assange was "accused by the Swedish authorities of one count of unlawful coercion, two counts of sexual molestation and one count of rape, all alleged to have been committed in August 2010".

Fears of manipulation

Mark Stephens, Assange's lawyer, said outside the court that his client was likely to appeal Tuesday's decision, saying they were entitled to take the case to a higher court.

"The British judicial system is robust enough to deal with this kind of thing and I'm sure that justice will out," he told reporters.

Earlier he told Al Jazeera that Sweden appeared to have been manipulated by the US, which has been angered by WikiLeaks' latest release of classified documents.

"The question is, are the Swedes being manipulated by a third party actor or is there any improper interference?" he said.

He added that the Swedish prosecutor had not told Assange what the nature of the allegations are or what the evidence against him is.

However, Marianne Ny, the Swedish director of prosecution, said that the sexual misconduct case against Assange is a personal matter and not connected with his work.

"We have nothing which indicates that this is a plot," Ny was quoted by newspaper Aftonbladet as saying at a news conference in the western city of Gothenburg on Tuesday.

Ny told Swedish media last week that Assange's lawyers had been given all the information that is appropriate to share at the current stage of the investigation.

Assange is accused of rape and sexual molestation in Sweden, and the case could lead to his extradition. He has denied the accusations, which Stephens, his attorney, said stem from a "dispute over consensual but unprotected sex".

According to media reports, Assange slept with two women during a visit to Sweden in August. One of them has been quoted by a Swedish newspaper as saying that the sex was consensual to begin with, but ended with abuse.

In an interview with Aftonbladet, one of the women dismissed claims that the allegations had been orchestrated by the Pentagon.

Jennifer Robinson, Assange's London-based lawyer, said her client would likely resist being returned to Sweden for fear he could be turned over to the US where outrage is growing over the leak of documents.

"I think he will get a fair hearing here in Britain but I think...his prospects if he were ever to be returned to the US, which is a real threat, of a fair trial, is, in my view, nigh on impossible," she told Australian broadcaster the ABC.

'Grossly irresponsible'

On Tuesday, Julia Gillard, Australia's prime minister, said that posting the US diplomatic correspondence on the web was "grossly irresponsible" and that the publication would not have been possible "if there had not been an illegal act undertaken" in the United States.

Gillard had previously said that publishing the documents was an illegal act, without saying why.

She said police were still investigating whether Assange had broken any Australian laws.

In an opinion piece published in The Australian newspaper on Tuesday, Assange attacked Gillard, saying her government was trying to "shoot the messenger because it doesn't want the truth revealed".

"Has there been any response from the Australian government to the numerous public threats of violence against me and other WikiLeaks personnel?" he wrote.

"One might have thought an Australian prime minister would be defending her citizens against such things, but there have only been wholly unsubstantiated claims of illegality".

WikiLeaks has been under intense international scrutiny over its disclosure of a mountain of classified US cables that have embarrassed Washington and other governments.

US officials have been putting pressure on WikiLeaks and those who help it, and are investigating whether Assange can be prosecuted under American espionage laws.

The pressure on WikiLeaks has increased as the Swiss authorities closed Assange's bank account,depriving him of a key fundraising tool.

WikiLeaks has struggled to stay online amid an increase in hacker attacks and resistance from world governments, receiving help from computer-savvy advocates who have set up hundreds of "mirrors", or carbon-copy websites around the world.

In what Assange described as a last-ditch deterrent, WikiLeaks has warned that it has distributed a heavily encrypted version of some of its most important documents and that the information could be instantly made public if the staff were arrested.

Source: al-Jazeera.
Link: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2010/12/2010127151439124591.html.

Iran refuses enrichment halt

There will be no discussion on uranium enrichment at the next meeting on Iran's nuclear program, negotiator says.

07 Dec 2010

Iran will refuse to talk about stopping its enrichment of uranium at the next meeting in January on its nuclear program with six major powers, the country's chief nuclear negotiator says.

"I am announcing openly and clearly that Iran will not discuss a uranium enrichment halt in the next meeting in Istanbul with major powers," Saeed Jalili said on Tuesday, after two days of talks with the six powers in Geneva.

Any discussions between world powers and Iran on Tehran's disputed nuclear program must be based on co-operation, he said, and not pressure.

"A dual strategy is not helpful - it will not help talks to reach fruition," the Iranian official added.

Diplomats from delegations at the table with Iran confirmed that Tehran didn't agree to freeze its uranium enrichment program, as demanded by the UN Security Council.

"We didn't get anywhere on substance,'' said one of the officials. ``It was an exchange of views.''

A senior U.S. administration official, in a similarly sober assessment, said: ``Our expectations for these talks were low, and they were never exceeded.''

The negotiations over its controversial nuclear program in the Swiss city took place 14 months after a previous round of negotiations were broken off.

But the two sides agreed to reconvene early next year, indicating that Tehran may be willing to address concerns about its nuclear program. But Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warned that unless they lift U.N. sanctions the six face failure in the next round.

High tension

The talks were spearheaded by Catherine Ashton, the European Union's top diplomat, who is representing the five UN Security Council members - Britain, France, the US, Russia and China - plus Germany.

Officials from each of the countries were present for the talks, including William Burns, the US undersecretary of state.

Tensions rose ahead of the talks when Tehran announced on Sunday that it had mined and enriched its first domestic uranium yellowcake, the raw material needed to produce highly-enriched uranium.

The talks have also been overshadowed by the death last week in Tehran of a senior Iranian nuclear scientist, who was killed in a bomb attack on his car.

The attack left another scientist wounded and Iranian officials have blamed the blast on the West.

Cooperation with N Korea

Concern that North Korea could be actively engaged with Iran in exporting weapons systems and possible nuclear expertise also rose on Tuesday, after a former Iranian diplomat who defected to the West this year says he saw North Korean technicians "repeatedly" travel to Iran.

Mohammad Reza Heydari, who resigned in January from his post as Iranian consul in Norway, said he's "certain" the cooperation is continuing between his home country and North Korea.

Heydari spoke Tuesday at a conference in Paris, where he was promoting his efforts to unite international opposition against Iran.

Source: al-Jazeera.
Link: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2010/12/201012714242512594.html.

Sudan armies to safeguard oil flow

North and south armies sign pact to secure flow of crude oil from southern oil fields, regardless of referendum outcome.

07 Dec 2010

The Sudan Armed Forces (SAF), the Khartoum-based government's army, and its former enemy, the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) of south Sudan, have signed an agreement to secure the flow of crude oil from Sudanese oil fields, irrespective of the outcome of the upcoming referendum on south Sudan self-determination.

Al Jazeera's Mohamed al-Baggali, reporting from Sudan on Tuesday, said the agreement coincided with growing fears among oil companies over the post-referendum violence in Sudan.

The January 9 independence referendum in southern Sudan is a key element of the 2005 peace deal which ended a two-decade-long civil war between the north and south that killed around two million people.

Under the deal, known as the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, the south formed its own government, which has limited autonomy and in which the north has a small representation. South Sudan is nominally represented in the government of national unity, which is led by the Khartoum-based National Congress Party.

The oil treaty calls for joint military units between the SAF and the SPLA to safeguard the oil fields in the south up to July 2011. This will be based on a political arrangement to be reached after announcing the referendum results.

Mass resignations

The uncertainty that shrouds the future of the southern district has triggered mass resignations by oil workers as a precaution against possible violence related to the vote.

"We reaffirm to those working in those companies, as cited by the content of this agreement, the full commitment of the Sudanese federal government and the government of south Sudan to provide security and safety to them and to their activities", Ali Osman Taha, the Sudanese vice-president, said.

Sudan produces around 500,000 barrels of crude oil a day, by which the south Sudan government is sustained, while north Sudan gets more than half of its annual revenue.

Garang Deng, the south Sudan oil minister, said: "We hope that crude oil will keep flowing in case of unity or secession. This is because by benefiting from oil, we have improved the living conditions of the Sudanese people up to a certain level, both in north and south Sudan."

"In case the oil flow was interrupted, the living conditions of the people will begin to deteriorate," Garang added.

Uganda 'destabilizing'

Meanwhile, the government of Sudan has accused neighboring Uganda of supporting rebel groups in the Darfur region.

On Monday, Abdul Raheem Mohamed Hussein, the Sudanese defense minister, told Al Jazeera that Uganda's role in Sudan is "destabilizing" and will have negatives consequences throughout east Africa.

"There is Ugandan intentional intervention against the security and stability of Sudan. This will have a large effect on the security and stability of the whole region," the defense minister said.

The accusations were triggered by leaks to the local Sudanese media and have created diplomatic tension between the two countries.

In November, Betty Akech Okullu, Uganda's ambassador to Sudan, was twice summoned by the Sudanese foreign minister over allegations that Yoweri Museveni, the Ugandan president, promised support to a Darfur rebel group, the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM).

Source: al-Jazeera.
Link: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2010/12/201012795245162985.html.

MasterCard, Visa shut down electronic donations to WikiLeaks

By Stephen C. Webster
Tuesday, December 7th, 2010

EXCLUSIVE UPDATE: Mobile payments firm Xipwire, Inc. steps up to aid WikiLeaks

The Philadelphia, PA-based mobile payments firm Xipwire, Inc. said Tuesday that it would act as an intermediary for WikiLeaks after the world's largest credit card providers halted all electronic donations to the non-profit media outlet.

"We do think people should be able to make their own decisions as to who they donate to," Xipwire co-founder Sibyl Lindsay told Raw Story during a Tuesday afternoon telephone interview. "The fact that people can't donate to where they'd like to and make that decision for themselves does bother us."

The company has set up a page where WikiLeaks supporters can donate, saying it will waive all related fees.

"Our motivation is really simple," Xipline founder Sharif Aleandre explained in an email. "While people may or may not agree with WikiLeaks and the documents it has released, we feel that PayPal's recent decision to refuse to process donations on their behalf effectively silences voices in this democracy. In fact, it was the Citizens United case that basically equated donations with free speech and if the Supreme Court decided that our government doesn't have the power to regulate that speech then it's our opinion that corporations certainly shouldn't have that power either."

Lindsay added that WikiLeaks supporters would be able to donate either via their website, or via text message if they have a Xipline account. Current Xipline users can text WL to 56624 to make a $10 pledge. Non-account holders who contact the number will receive a link to a page where donations can be made.

An earlier report follows...

Greenwald: 'What's really going on here is a war over control of the Internet'

No government on the planet has declared the actions of media website WikiLeaks "illegal," but one of the largest credit card companies in the world now has.

MasterCard Worldwide said Monday afternoon that it would block any further electronic donations to WikiLeaks, claiming they are engaged in "illegal activities" that violate the company's terms of service.

"MasterCard rules prohibit customers from directly or indirectly engaging in or facilitating any action that is illegal," company spokesman Chris Monteiro told C-Net late Monday.

On Tuesday morning, Visa Europe also said it would suspend payments to WikiLeaks, but did not pass judgment on the group's legality. A Visa spokeswoman told the BBC that the firm had launched an investigation into their business with WikiLeaks and that not all payments could be stopped right away.

Thanks to the credit card carriers' decisions, traditional postal mail now stands as WikiLeaks' only remaining financial lifeline.

A request for comment lodged with MasterCard's corporate public relations office, seeking elaboration on what it considers "illegal" about WikiLeaks' actions, went unanswered.

Both credit card providers will still allow electronic donations to controversial and hate-based groups like the Ku Klux Klan, according to The Guardian.

Approximately 1 percent of the 250,000+ US State Department cables have been published online and the vast majority have been released by professional news organizations.

MasterCard has not taken similar actions against papers like The Guardian or The New York Times, which have released and described many more secret diplomatic cables than WikiLeaks.

MasterCard is only the latest corporate actor to join the fight against WikiLeaks: earlier in the week, Swiss bank PostFinance suspended an account dedicated to the legal defense of the site's co-founder, Julian Assange. Their move followed online payments bank PayPal, owned by California-based eBay, Inc., which froze the WikiLeaks donations account and over $61,000 along with it.

After PostFinance's revelation that they'd terminated their relationship with Assange, a group of hackers calling themselves "Operation Payback" succeeded in taking the bank's website offline. They threatened to "fire" on any other corporate entity that attempts to censor WikiLeaks.

Similarly, Daniel Ellsberg, the man behind the so-called "Pentagon Papers" -- which was the largest disclosure of secret US government information until WikiLeaks began publishing documents from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars -- called for free speech advocates to launch a boycott of Amazon for censoring the site.

The site also recently saw its electronic home on the Amazon.com cloud servers shut down after the online retailer was contacted by staff for Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT). Assange suggested that if Amazon was "uncomfortable" with free speech, they should stop selling books. WikiLeaks was also temporarily taken down by ostensibly state-sponsored denial of service attacks on its .org domain, but within days its online supporters responded by mirroring WikiLeaks on nearly 750 different domains.

Assange, the 39-year-old former hacker who founded the WikiLeaks media organization, was arrested in London on Tuesday on a warrant stemming from a Swedish rape investigation. Assange and his attorney have maintained that he's innocent of wrongdoing .

In spite of Assange's arrest, WikiLeaks said it would continue working with media partners around the world to ensure to documents continue receiving international exposure.

"Whatever you think of WikiLeaks, they’ve never been charged with a crime, let alone indicted or convicted... They’ve been essentially removed from the internet... Their funds have been frozen... Leading politicians and media figures have called for their assassination, their murder, to be labeled a terrorist organization," attorney Glenn Greenwald told Democracy Now on Tuesday.

"What’s really going on here is a war over control of the internet and whether or not the internet can actually serve what a lot of people hoped its ultimate purpose was, which was to allow citizens to band together and democratize the checks on the world’s most powerful factions."

Source: The Raw Story.
Link: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/12/mastercard-shuts-donations-wikileaks-calling-site-illegal/.

North Korea: 'U.S. invading countries to achieve world domination'

Tuesday, December 7th, 2010

PYONGYANG (BNO NEWS) — The United States is using the “War on Terror” as an excuse to invade other countries in order to achieve ‘world domination’, North Korea alleged on Monday.

North Korea, through its state-controlled Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), said America’s anti-terror operations are aimed to put major areas rich in natural resources and strategic strongholds under its ‘military domination.’

“It is widely known that the U.S. established its control over Afghanistan and Iraq, strategic strongholds and major areas abundant in resources, through its wars there,” the article in state media said, which is seen as a representation of official government policy.

North Korea also said that the United States is intensifying its ‘undisguised interference’ in the internal affairs of Pakistan and military activities, likely referring to the increased number of U.S. drone attacks against suspected terror targets inside Pakistan.

“Nowadays, the U.S. is leaving no means untried to secure a pretext for launching a military invasion of Iran,” the report said. “Its ulterior motive is to ‘engage’ Pakistan which borders on Iran and lay a military siege to the latter in a bid to pressurize it and achieve a sinister aim. This goes to clearly prove that not only [the Middle East] but the rest of the world can never be in peace as long as the above-said U.S. strategy persists.”

This U.S. strategy, North Korea believes, is to ‘contain its rivals and anti-imperialist independent countries’ and turn the world into a ‘unipolar one under its domination.’ “Can the leopard change its spots?,” state media asked. “The same can be said of the aggressive and predatory nature of the U.S., the boss of imperialism.”

North Korea further said the United States is planning to invade and ‘dominate’ North Korea. “By pursuing its ‘anti-terror’ strategy, the U.S. seeks to invade, dominate and control this country today and do the same against [an]other country tomorrow in a bid to expand the sphere of its domination worldwide,” it concluded.

The so-called “War on Terror” was launched in response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. On that date, two hijacked airliners crashed into both towers of the World Trade Center in New York. Another airliner crashed into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., while a fourth crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Nearly 3,000 people were killed.

Source: WirePolitics.
Link: http://wirepolitics.com/2010/12/north-korea-u-s-invading-countries-to-achieve-world-domination/.

EU warns Israel over al-Quds policies

Tue Dec 7, 2010

The European Union has warned that current Israeli policies would not let the occupied East al-Quds (Jerusalem) to be the future capital of a Palestinian state.

"If current trends are not stopped as a matter of urgency, the prospect of east Jerusalem as the future capital of a Palestinian state becomes increasingly unlikely and unworkable," said an annual EU report seen by AFP on Tuesday.

"This in turn seriously endangers the chances of sustainable peace on the basis of two states, with Jerusalem as their future capital," the report added.

Beside settlement projects, Israel's restrictive planning policies and the continuing demolitions and evictions have "serious humanitarian consequences," the EU said.

Such policies cause East al-Quds to be increasingly isolated from the rest of the occupied West Bank, the report warned.

Refusing to extend partial settlement freeze, Israel has approved the construction of more settler units in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East al-Quds.

The settlement issue stalled direct talks between Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu and acting Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas, which began early September.

Abbas has clarified that he would not return to the US-sponsored negotiations unless Tel Aviv extends its 10-month freeze, which expired late September.

On Monday, Israel's Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman insisted that Tel Aviv has no plan to extend the partial moratorium on the settlement activities.

Israel occupied and annexed East al-Quds in 1967 and later annexed it in a move never recognized by the international community and the United Nations.

"Jerusalem is not a settlement -- Jerusalem is the capital of… Israel," said Netanyahu's office, adding that Israel had never stopped settlement construction in the occupied city since the 1967 war.

Palestinians argue that the settlement projects, which contravene UN Security Council Resolutions 446, 452, and 465, are aimed at preventing the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East al-Quds as its capital.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/154397.html.

Erdogan urges Israel to lift Gaza siege

Tue Dec 7, 2010

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has once again criticized Israel for imposing a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip, urging Tel Aviv to lift the siege.

"The embargoes… must be lifted," he said during a speech in Turkey's parliament on Tuesday.

Erdogan also insisted that Israel should apologize for its deadly attack on a Gaza-bound aid convoy in international waters, which left nine Turkish activists dead.

"If anyone wants to turn a new page, they must first admit their crime... apologize and pay compensation," AFP quoted him as saying.

The brutal attack in May sparked a global outrage across the world as the aid convoy was trying to deliver humanitarian supplies to the 1.5 million impoverished people of Gaza.

Turkey cut its relations with Israel over the incident and asked its ambassador to leave Tel Aviv.

"If we see these steps being taken, then we will evaluate the situation... We are not acting with feelings of grudge and hatred," he added.

Earlier on Monday, Erdogan met with acting Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas and discussed various issues, including bilateral relations, the latest situation in the Palestinian territories and the stalled Middle East talks.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/154358.html.

Netanyahu opposes probe into wildfire

Tue Dec 7, 2010

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has opposed an inquiry into the handling of a massive bushfire that blazed through the northern forests, killing 42 people.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Netanyahu ruled out setting up an inquiry panel to investigate poor preparedness for the wildfire in the Carmel forests near the northern city of Haifa, the Israeli daily Ha'aretz reported on its website.

Netanyahu insisted a report by Tel Aviv's comptroller on the state of the fire service and findings by other committees that had monitored the issue over the years would suffice.

"We don't need more conclusions, we need implementation," the Israeli premier said.

In a letter to Netanyahu, Minister for Minority Affairs Avishay Braverman drew an analogy between the significance of decision-making on civilian issues and that of deciding on military issues during the war against Lebanon, calling for a "fearless and unobstructed investigation."

Improvement of Government Services Minister Michael Eitan also called for an exhaustive investigation of the circumstances of the blaze. He was joined by Social Affairs Minister Isaac Herzog and Culture and Sports Minister Limor Livnat, who have also voiced support for setting up a state commission of inquiry.

On Monday, Netanyahu said he was determined to make changes rather than deal with recriminations, but did not fall short of accusing his previous predecessors of neglecting the fire service.

Sources in the comptroller's office have said the findings in his report on the Carmel fire, which is due to be released on Wednesday, will be grave.

Meanwhile, a 14-year-old boy has admitted to having caused the conflagration by throwing a coal from a water pipe onto open ground where the fire began and quickly spread. He told investigators that he was frightened by the flames and ran off without telling anyone about the rapidly growing inferno.

The fire that broke out about midday (1000 GMT) on December 2 and ravaged the forest for three days, engulfed a bus near Haifa as it was carrying at least 40 guards from a nearby prison.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/154307.html.

Rabbis ban selling homes to Arabs

Tue Dec 7, 2010

Dozens of Israeli rabbis have ruled that Jewish people are not allowed to sell or rent their homes to Arabs in the occupied Palestinian territories, a report says.

The religious ruling says that "a Halachic (Jews religious law) prohibition applies to the renting out of apartments to Arabs," Israel Army radio reported on Tuesday.

Neighbors and acquaintances of whoever sells or rents an apartment to non-Jews in areas where Jews live must warn him, keep their distance from him and refrain from business with him, the rabbis said.

"After someone sells or rents just one flat, the value of all the neighboring flats drops... He who sells or rents causes his neighbors a big loss and his sin is great," the ruling says.

Shlomo Aviner, the head rabbi of the Jewish settlement of Beit El near the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, was among the 50 rabbis who signed the ruling.

The rabbis join some 18 rabbis from the town of Safed, who issued a similar ruling in September.

The ruling comes after a new poll showed there was growing racism and intolerance among Israeli Jews, with one-third of them saying Tel Aviv should place Palestinians in internment camps.

The survey conducted by the Israel Democracy Institute found that 33 percent of Israeli Jews support the idea of putting Palestinians in internment camps if a war breaks out.

According to the poll, 53 percent of Israeli Jews believe Tel Aviv has the right to deport Arab citizens, and some 55 percent say Tel Aviv should direct more funds to Jewish communities than to Palestinian communities.

The poll also revealed that almost half of Jewish Israelis would be bothered by having a Palestinian neighbor.

Israel occupied and then annexed the West Bank and East al-Quds (Jerusalem) in the 1967 Six-Day War in a move not recognized by the international community.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/154378.html.

Tax police official killed in Dagestan

Tue Dec 7, 2010

An unidentified armed man has murdered a tax police official in the Republic of Dagestan as violence continues unabated in Russia's volatile North Caucasus region.

The gunman walked into a café in Khasavyurt city, situated 1531 kilometers (951 miles) southeast of Moscow, late on Sunday and opened fire on the police official, the RIA Novosti news agency reported on Monday.

The unnamed tax police official later succumbed to his injuries as he was being transported to a local hospital for treatment.

The attacker escaped the scene in a vehicle and his whereabouts are unknown. Police have launched an investigation to establish the motive behind the incident.

Sporadic attacks and militant clashes are common in Russia's North Caucasus republics, especially Chechnya, Dagestan, and Ingushetia.

Russia has been fighting militants in the North Caucasus since the mid 1990s.

Violence first broke out in Chechnya in 1994, when 250,000 people were forced to flee to neighboring territories because of a war between Chechen separatists and the Russian army.

After a short-lived and unstable peace from 1996 to 1999, war resumed following actions blamed on Chechen militant groups. An estimated 100,000 people have been killed in the conflict and many more displaced.

Widespread unemployment, especially among young adults, is a major problem that has given a boost to the separatist militants' recruitment efforts.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/154276.html.

Iran self-sufficient in torpedo production

Tue Dec 7, 2010

A senior Iranian commander says Iran's Navy has become self-sufficient in the production of torpedoes and other shore-to-sea and sea-to-sea missiles.

Iran's Navy “employs domestically manufactured weapons in its missions,” IRIB quoted the commander of the Iranian Navy, Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari, as saying on its website on Monday.

He also said that the Islamic Republic's Navy has been upgrading its military equipment since the end of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war.

Commenting on the Navy's vigilant efforts to deter maritime threats against the Islamic Republic, Sayyari said Iran is ready to cooperate with its neighbors to provide security for the region's strategic waterways.

He added that the country's naval force has expanded its missions further seaward in the face of increasing piracy in the Gulf of Aden and the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait around the Horn of Africa.

He also said Iranian submarines, Jamaran destroyers, and Sina class frigates are actively involved in the naval missions.

Earlier in 2010, the Iranian Defense Ministry announced plans for the mass-production of coast-to-sea and sea-to-sea cruise missiles, drones, and electronic warfare systems.

The Iranian Navy has so far successfully test-fired an assortment of naval missiles using laser technology during drills in the Persian Gulf.

The missiles include the Nasr, Nour, Saeqeh, Fajr III, and Fajr V, which have high precision and a range of 45 kilometers (28 miles) to 300 kilometers (186 miles).

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/154277.html.

'Muslim unity will increase prosperity'

Tue Dec 7, 2010

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says independent and Muslim countries will achieve prosperity and security through increased collaboration and mutual support.

The Iranian president made the remarks during a meeting with visiting Djiboutian Prime Minister Dileita Mohamed Dileita in Tehran on Monday, IRNA reported.

“The two countries have common cultures, sets of beliefs, and goals that lay the foundation for increased bilateral and international cooperation,” President Ahmadinejad added.

He also expressed hope that the talks between Iranian officials and the Djiboutian delegation would help efforts to expand ties between the two countries.

The prime minister of Djibouti praised the relations between the two allies and said the latest discussions have been fruitful.

Dileita also called for serious efforts to expand the two countries' bilateral relations.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/154278.html.

Israeli drones buzz over Lebanon skies

Three Israeli reconnaissance planes have penetrated Lebanese airspace and flown over parts of the country in flagrant violation of a UN Security Council resolution.

An unmanned Israeli aircraft crossed into Lebanese airspace at 4:45 a.m. local time (0145 GMT) on Monday and conducted several unwarranted flights above the al-Fakiha area in Baalbek, located 86 km (53 miles) northeast of the capital Beirut, according to a statement released by the Lebanese military.

The spy aircraft left Lebanese airspace hours later while flying over southern Lebanon.

On Sunday, an Israeli drone was observed at 7:40 a.m. (0440 GMT) patrolling the skies above several areas in southern Lebanon, including the village of al-Naqoura, located 91 km (57 miles) south of Beirut, Riak, which is close to the Syrian border, and Baalbek.

The remote-controlled drone left Lebanese airspace at 7:50 p.m. local time (1650 GMT) while flying over Alma al-Shaab, a town in southern Lebanon.

Later in the day, an unmanned Israeli aerial vehicle violated Lebanon's airspace and flew over several areas in southern Lebanon, including the border town of Alma al-Shaab at 9:20 p.m. local time (1820 GMT). The spy aircraft left at 1:50 a.m. on Monday (2250 GMT on Sunday) while flying over the southern border village of Rmeish.

Israel violates Lebanon's airspace on an almost daily basis, claiming the flights serve surveillance purposes.

Lebanon's government, the Hezbollah resistance movement, and the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, have repeatedly cited Israel's air surveillance flights over Lebanon as clear violations of UN resolution 1701 and the country's sovereignty.

UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which brokered a ceasefire in the war of aggression Israel launched against Lebanon in 2006, calls on Israel to respect Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

In 2009, Beirut complained to the United Nations about Israeli aircraft violating the airspace over the south of the country.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/154275.html.

Israel fears growing Palestine support

Tue Dec 7, 2010

Israel has criticized the recent recognition of a Palestinian state by several South American nations, saying the move is against the spirit of the Mideast talks.

“Recognition of a Palestinian state is a violation of the interim agreement signed by Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) in 1995, which established that the status of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip will be discussed and solved through negotiations,” the Jerusalem Post quoted Israel's foreign ministry as saying in a statement late Monday.

The statement, which said that recognition of a Palestinian state also contradicted the road map, called it a regrettable move that would not help change the situation between Israel and the Palestinians.

“All attempts to bypass negotiations and to unilaterally determine issues in dispute will only harm the trust of the sides and their commitment to agreed frameworks for negotiations,” the statement read.

Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay have all sent letters to acting PA Chief Mahmoud Abbas during the past week, declaring the recognition of a free and independent Palestinian state within the 1967 borders.

The letters come amid US efforts to devise an economic-military package to 'bribe' Israel to renew a partial settlement freeze, which expired on September 26.

Tel Aviv's refusal to extend the 10-month moratorium enraged the PA negotiators who walked out of the US-sponsored direct talks launched three weeks earlier in Washington.

Israel has called on the countries which have recognized a Palestinian State to instead force Ramallah into returning to the negotiating table, what Palestinians fear could cost them more concessions in favor of Israel given Washington's influence on the PA and the talks.

A United Nations resolution demands the return of Palestinian territories which were occupied by Tel Aviv during the Six-Day War in 1967.

Over 100 countries have endorsed the Palestinians' 1988 unilateral declaration of independent statehood.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/154283.html.

Algerian firm to build $7b aluminum plant

Tuesday 7 December 2010
Kingsley Kobo, AfricaNews reporter in Abidjan, Ivory Coast

Algeria's largest private company Cevital is set to build a $7 billion aluminum plant with annual capacity of 1.5 million tonnes, Reuters said on Monday.

According to Cevital CEO Issad Rebrab, the project will be part of the firm's expansion strategy in Algeria which is trying to develop domestic industry and reduce its reliance on oil and gas exports.

Rebrab added that his company had submitted details of the project to the authorities, and awaiting authorization from the government.

Cevital has investments in sectors ranging from sugar refining and car imports to vegetable oil and hypermarkets. Rebrab said the firm also has plans to build a $3.8 billion steel complex and to double its sugar exports to 1 million tonnes.

Metals companies are looking to Algeria because of its good infrastructure, abundant energy resources and proximity to European markets but some investors say its business climate is challenging.

Source: AfricaNews.
Link: http://www.africanews.com/site/list_message/32192.

UN to move staff out of Ivory Coast

Tuesday 7 December 2010
AfricaNews Monitoring Team with additional files from BBC

The United Nations is moving non-essential staff out of the West African country, Ivory Coast, following the state's disputed presidential election. Some 460 staff would continue to carry out their duties from the Gambia, UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said.

Earlier, Botswana's President Khama Ian Khama urged African heads of state to strongly condemn what was happening. He also told the BBC that President Laurent Gbagbo should step down, saying it was clear a majority of people had voted for his rival, Alassane Ouattara.

The World Bank and African Development Bank meanwhile said Ivory Coast had to resolve its political crisis or face having its aid frozen.

"We wish to continue working with the people of Ivory Coast in the fight against poverty but it is difficult to do so effectively in an environment of prolonged uncertainty and tension," said a joint statement.

"We will continue to closely monitor developments and reassess the usefulness and effectiveness of our programs given the breakdown in governance."

Source: AfricaNews.
Link: http://www.africanews.com/site/UN_to_move_staff_out_of_Ivory_Coast/list_messages/36475.

Hackers take down website of bank that froze WikiLeaks funds

By Daniel Tencer
Monday, December 6th, 2010

A group of Internet activists calling themselves Operation Payback have taken credit for shutting down the website of a bank that earlier Monday froze funds belonging to WikiLeaks.

Announcing its successful hack on a Twitter account, the group declared, "We will fire at anyone that tries to censor WikiLeaks."

Earlier in the day, Swiss bank PostFinance issued a statement announcing that it had frozen 31,000 euro ($41,000 US) in an account set up as a legal defense fund for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

The bank said it had frozen the account because, in opening it, Assange had claimed residency in Geneva.

"Assange cannot provide proof of residence in Switzerland and thus does not meet the criteria for a customer relationship with PostFinance," the bank said.

As of Monday evening, the PostFinance website was unavailable.

Operation Payback also promised a hack attack on PayPal, the online payment service that last week cut off WikiLeaks, denying the group a major tool for collecting donations from supporters.

With the financial noose tightening around WikiLeaks even as a legal one tightens around its founder's neck, Operation Payback has effectively declared war on the organizations working to hobble WikiLeaks.

"In these modern times, Internet access is fast becoming a basic human right," the group says in a video posted to YouTube. "Just like any other basic human right, we believe it is wrong to infringe upon it."

The video continues: "To move to censor content on the Internet based on your own prejudice is, at best, laughably impossible. The unjust restrictions you impose on us will meet with disaster, and only strengthen our resolve to disobey and rebel against your tyranny."

WikiLeaks has in recent days been under a deluge of cyber-attacks that led to its DNS registration for its .org URL being taken down, but by mid-Monday the site had reappeared on more than 500 different domains.

News sources in Britain reported late Monday that Assange has arranged to meet with British police on Tuesday, and will likely face a court hearing over an international warrant issued by Sweden in connection with accusations of sexual assault. The criminal probe does not allege non-consensual sex, only that Assange had sex with two women without a condom.

Supporters of the secret-spilling organization argue that the controversies surrounding WikiLeaks -- from the unusual criminal probe against Assange, to banks freezing their funds -- are part of a global campaign to shut down a website that has embarrassed world leaders on numerous occasions.

Source: The Raw Story.
Link: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/12/hackers-website-bank-froze-wikileaks-funds/.

Mauritanian budget targets poverty reduction

2010-12-06

Mauritanian legislators approved the 2011 Finance Law, which includes a draft budget that is 70% higher than last year, PANA reported on Sunday (December 5th). According to a government statement published Sunday, the proposed budget aims to "significantly reduce poverty incidences, accelerate the achievement of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and reinforce the execution of public investment programs".

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2010/12/06/newsbrief-06.

Bio-energy plantation to power Tunisian cement

2010-12-06

A Tunisian cement company and London-based "Clean Development Projects" signed a contract to build a 500,000-hectare bio-energy facility in Tunisia, African Manager reported on Saturday (December 4th). The plantation will power cement plants in Tunisia while reducing carbon emissions by more than 2 million tonnes per year over the next 40 years.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2010/12/06/newsbrief-05.

Rachida Dati attends UPM meeting in Algiers

2010-12-06

Algiers on Saturday (December 4th) hosted a conference on the future of the Union for the Mediterranean (UPM). Speaking to the press after the debate, former French Justice Minister and current European Parliament deputy Rachida Dati said she was hopeful that the parties would move past the current stalemate to realize a successful economic, cultural and social partnership. She also noted that she was "saddened" by the state of relations between Algeria and Morocco over the Western Sahara issue. Dati, who has a Moroccan father and Algerian mother, said she could not imagine any conflict between Algeria and Morocco.

Source: Magharebia.com.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2010/12/06/newsbrief-03.

Mauritania opens new police stations

2010-12-06

Mauritanian police have "all the human and material resources" necessary for protecting the safety of citizens, Mauritanian Interior Minister Mohamed Ould Boilil said in Nouakchott on Sunday (December 5th), ANI reported. Speaking during the inauguration of new police stations in the neighborhoods of Sebkha, Toujounine, Teyarett and Elmina, Ould Boilil noted that the capital city now has 18 fully-equipped police facilities. New police stations will soon be built in Nouadhibou and other cities, the minister said.

The government recently set up a special security force to fight terrorism, drug trafficking and illegal immigration. On November 27th, President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz affirmed that Mauritanian security forces were "ready to defend the sovereignty and integrity of our territory and ensure the safety of all our citizens and nationals of friendly countries".

Source: Magharebia.com.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2010/12/06/newsbrief-02.

Morocco adopts tourism promotion plan

A 10-year plan to boost Morocco's tourism industry focuses on regional distinctions.

By Mawassi Lahcen in Marrakech and Siham Ali in Rabat for Magharebia – 06/12/10

A new tourism development plan in Morocco aims to invest 177 billion dirhams (15.8 billion euros) to double the number of tourists, increase tourism revenue and to create 147,000 new jobs in the sector by 2020.

"We want to create a really strong regional product, tailored to each region's specific characteristics, and providing the necessary resources," said Hamid Addou, Director of the Moroccan National Office for Tourism.

The Moroccan government, which prepared the plan and presented it to King Mohammed VI on November 30th in the national debate on tourism in Marrakech, drew up the plans, set the goals, and prepared a capital investment fund of 100 million dirhams to pay for the initiative. The program calls for increasing tourism revenues from the current 60 billion dirhams (5.4 billion euros) to 150 billion (13.4 billion euros) over the next decade.

Tourism Minister Yassir Znagui said that the government received pledges from several Arab sovereign wealth funds and financial institutions. Znagui and Finance Minister Salaheddine Mezouar signed agreements with Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company, Qatar Investment Authority, the Moroccan-Kuwaiti Development Company, and al-Maabar Investments of the UAE.

The tourism minister also noted that the Moroccan government would contribute to the capital fund with an initial payment of 15 billion dirhams, and would then open the door to Moroccan and international investors.

In the meantime, seven Moroccan banks, including three branches of European banks, signed an agreement with the government in the presence of the King to fund the new plan. Among the projects are 13 new facilities for beach tourism. The seven banks promised to provide 24 billion dirhams over the next five years to finance these projects through loans covering 60% of the project costs.

Znagui said that the new plan would enhance the role of tourism as an engine for development, growth and employment, and would also enhance Morocco's openness to the world through tourism and cultural exchange. He added that the plan was prepared based on a series of consultations with local governments and that it took into consideration the abilities and qualifications of each province in Morocco and drew up provincial plans for the promotion of tourism.

The minister also pointed out that the management of the plan would be given to eight provincial agencies, in addition to a central authority that will be the contact point for matters related to tourism investments.

Meanwhile, Taleb Rifai, secretary-general of the World Tourism Organization, lauded the Moroccan tourism promotion and the country's adoption of ambitious plans that provide the necessary clarity for investors and are based on partnership between the private and public sector, respect for the environment and realization of sustainable development. Rifai said that the 2020 plan represented an extension and continuation of the 2010 plan which allowed Morocco to increase the number of tourists from 4.4 million in 2001 to 9.2 million in 2010.

Economic actors have expressed their commitment to the strategy. Mohamed Horani, chairman of the Moroccan Business Confederation, has pointed out that the country is currently one of the top 25 tourist destinations in the world. He says that the sector is proving to be of huge importance to the country, given that it is the second largest contributor to GDP and the second largest employer.

"The idea now is to improve Morocco's positioning as a favored destination for investment," Horani said.

Othmane Cherif Alami, chairman of the National Tourism Federation, said that the public-private partnership is a successful approach, which proved its worth in the 2010 vision program, and it is sensible therefore to continue along the same route until 2020. The 2020 vision also has the objective of promoting internal and family-based tourism, which will be one of the priorities.

Economist Mohamed Jouadri told Magharebia that officials will try over the next ten years to overcome the obstacles which emerged during the 2010 vision program, such as the over-ambitious scale of some projects, and the lack of investment, which restricted what was available in the various resorts.

"But it seems that Morocco is hoping to overcome these obstacles to make its new vision a reality," he said.

Source: Magharebia.com.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2010/12/06/feature-02.

Morocco eyes gender equality in media

Recently released statistics revealed a deep gender gap in Moroccan journalism.

By Maria Tahiri for Magharebia in Casablanca – 06/12/10

Moroccan women are acutely underrepresented in the media sector, according to a recent report. National Moroccan Press Syndicate (SNPM) data show that women constitute just 26% of journalists in the country.

The SNPM revealed in its November 23rd study that 1,755 men hold a professional journalist card from the Ministry of Communication, as opposed to 632 women.

Although the number of accredited female journalists rose by 3% during the period from 2005 to 2010, the country still lags behind other North African states in terms of women's involvement in the media. In Egypt, women constitute 35% of journalists, while Tunisia boasts a 46% representation.

In an effort to narrow the gender gap, the SNPM launched a battle to increase women's engagement in the media.

"We decided to organize an awareness campaign to shed light on the importance of women's presence, not only as journalists, but also as officials who have the right to assume decision-making positions in their media institutions," SNPM chief Younes Moujahid said, noting the importance of female journalists' intensive involvement in unions to defend their rights.

Moujahid pointed out that the number of female students in Moroccan communication and media institutes was increasing year after year. But their chances to land a job in the press are still slim, given that media institutions prefer male journalists over females.

Furthermore, women experience discrimination in salaries, according to SNPM executive board member Mounia Belafia.

"It's between 18-19% less," she said. "This is in addition to other problems that female journalists endure when they face certain circumstances, such as pregnancy or sexual or moral harassment, without having the ability to report such acts in an official way." She highlighted that women face difficulties in achieving promotion to better positions in the industry.

Some women attending the report presentation said that female journalists have to struggle to prove their abilities and professional merit. In this context, Bahia Amrani, editor-in-chief of Le Reporter, said that a gender balance in media institutions was needed, adding that the difference in salaries should be based on good work and professional competency.

Meanwhile, Nora Samihi, a student at a Casablanca communications institute, told Magharebia: "Today, I don't feel there is any difference between me and my male colleagues when we go out together to the field to train in reportage, for example. However, I have no idea about professional practices inside a media institution. All I hope is that I won't face a different reality that disappoints me in this profession which I chose out of love and conviction," she said, adding that the number of female students in journalism institutes is greater than that of males.

The SNPM, however, has 1,819 male journalists among its members, compared to 459 females.

The report also said that women's presence was particularly weak in certain aspects of the Moroccan press, including caricature. Women represent only 5% of photographers and 17% of technicians.

To achieve its goal of enhancing women's participation in the media, the SNPM set up a council for gender and media. It aims to achieve gender equality by improving women's image in the industry, encourage the media to contribute to changing the prevailing images and stereotypes about women and their roles and support women's presence in different aspects of journalism. The institution also seeks to support female journalists' involvement in the decision-making process based on professional efficiency and equal opportunity.

Source: Magharebia.com.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2010/12/06/feature-01.

China Builds Theme Park In Spaceport

by Staff Writers
Wenchang, China (XNA) Dec 07, 2010

China is building a science theme park in the middle of its newest spaceport to promote space science among the country's younger generation.

The theme park, covering an area of 1,800 mu (120 hectares) in Wenchang City, southern Hainan Province, is located at the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center.

The project is estimated to cost 3 billion yuan (455 million U.S. dollars) and is expected to be finished in 2013, the theme park's designers said.

Wenchang Satellite Launch Center, whose construction began in 2007, is planned as the launch pad for China's lunar probe rocket in 2013.

At the same time, the theme park will have four exhibition sections, featuring the earth, moon, Mars and the sun. Visitors can even enter parts of the launch station and watch the actual rocket launch, theme park construction officials said.

The theme park is being built by China Aerospace International Holdings Limited, a Hong Kong listed arm of the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

There are currently three space launch sites in China, the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center and the Xichang Satellite Launch Center.

Source: Space Daily.
Link: http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/China_Builds_Theme_Park_In_Spaceport_999.html.

Tiangong Space Station Plans Progessing

by Morris Jones
Sydney, Australia (SPX) Dec 7, 2010

In 2012, China will launch her first manned space mission since 2008. The gap between missions has been long, and it will be interesting to see the program continue. Despite the anticipation, we still know little about who will fly on the mission of Shenzhou 9, which is expected to dock with China's first space laboratory, Tiangong 1.

China has a pool of fully trained but unflown astronauts from its first group of flight candidates, which produced China's first manned space mission in 2003. Recently, China announced the selection of a second batch of astronauts, which includes five men and two women. Their identities remain officially concealed, despite the speculation of space analysts on some of their identities.

Who will actually fly on Shenzhou 9? At the moment, it's possible that the Chinese themselves haven't confirmed the crew. We don't even know for sure how many astronauts will be on board the spacecraft. This leaves ample room for speculation.

China has made vague statements about crews of two or three astronauts for the missions of Shenzhou 9 and 10, both of which are expected to dock with Tiangong. This suggests that there could be some experimentation in crew numbers, while the performance of both crew sizes is explored.

If China takes the cautious path, Shenzhou 9 will probably fly with a crew of only two. This could make it easier to manage events in an emergency. It also reduces the strain on logistics such as food and oxygen. Managing consumables aboard the Shenzhou spacecraft and the rather small space laboratory will be a critical issue on both missions.

China plans to test docking operations with Tiangong using the unmanned Shenzhou 8 mission, which should fly in late 2011. Nevertheless, the first manned docking and habitation of a space laboratory will be a big step to take, and will be challenging. For this reason, there is a strong possibility that the commander of Shenzhou 9 will be an experienced astronaut, flown on a previous mission. China has launched six astronauts on three flights.

Yang Liwei, who became China's first astronaut, can probably be ruled out for any future missions. He's too historically important to risk, and has certainly gained enough kudos from his flight.

This leaves five potential commanders. Zhai Zhigang, who made China's first spacewalk, could also be off the list, due to his own place in history. The list shrinks to four. But again, it must be stressed that all of this is an educated guess.

Another astronaut from China's original batch will probably join him. All of the first group of astronauts are approaching their "use by" date as suitable flight candidates, due to China's highly strict criteria for astronaut selection. It makes sense to fly more of these men while they are still eligible.

China has indicated that some members of the original astronaut group will probably retire without a mission. This statement reinforces the idea that at least one of the next two manned Shenzhou missions will contain non-rookies from the first group, and/or members of the second group. Getting more members of the first batch into space is another factor that could push the crew size of Shenzhou 9 to three.

Alternatively, the third seat could go to a more recent recruit. China has indicated that members of the second group of astronauts could fly to the Tiangong laboratory. By 2012, it seems reasonable to assume that they will be fully trained for flight. There's a lot of interest in the possibility of flying a female astronaut on Shenzhou 9.

If there is a third astronaut on Shenzhou 9, it could certainly be a member of the second batch, but this author speculates that the astronaut will probably be a man. China will be keen to fly a woman fairly soon, and it's surprising that women were not integrated into the astronaut program at an earlier stage.

But there will be far more impact if this happens on Shenzhou 10. Shenzhou 9 will grab attention and headlines for being the first manned Chinese space docking and space laboratory crew. Shenzhou 10 will repeat these achievements, but with less novelty. Placing a woman on this second crew to Tiangong 1 would allow the mission to achieve more distinction.

So, who will fly on Shenzhou 10? Based on the aforementioned reasoning, one of the two women selected in the second batch of astronauts seems most likely.

If the previous crew was capped at two, then this flight will probably carry three astronauts. There could be another astronaut from the first batch, probably unflown previously.

The third seat could be taken by an astronaut from the first or second batch. Alternatively, this could be a mission with just two astronauts.

China has typically divided its astronauts into separate crew groups, and trained them in parallel for the same mission. There will probably be two independent groups training for Shenzhou 10, with one of the female astronauts in each group. One of the groups will eventually be selected as the prime crew, with the other serving as backup.

All of this is guesswork, but there's not much solid evidence on the record. China has not been very revealing with details of its new astronauts or its crew plans. As usual, it's fun to speculate.

Source: Space Daily.
Link: http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Tiangong_Space_Station_Plans_Progessing_999.html.

Warring Greeks Find Peace In Ancient Egypt

Monday, 6 December 2010

TAU researcher uncovers origins of Greek trade city in Egypt's Nile delta region

Naukrtis, a Greek trade emporium on Egyptian soil, has long captured the imagination of archaeologists and historians. Not only is the presence of a Greek trading settlement in Egypt during the 7th and 6th century B.C.E. surprising, but the Greeks that lived there in harmony hailed from several Greek states which traditionally warred amongst themselves.

Dr. Alexander Fantalkin of Tel Aviv University's Department of Archaeology is delving deeper into this unique piece of ancient history to come up with a new explanation for how Naukrtis developed, and how its inhabitants managed to operate on foreign soil and create a new sense of common identity.

The Greeks that inhabited Naukrtis, explains Dr. Fantalkin, may have come from warring city states at home, but they formed a trade settlement in Egypt under the protection of powerful Eastern empires. This link not only brought them together as a culture, but explains how they were allowed to operate in the midst of Egyptian territory. Dr. Fantalkin's theory was recently presented at the Cultural Contexts in Antiquity conference in Innsbruck, Austria, and will soon be published in the proceedings of the conference.

Making the best of oppression

Naukrtis is remarkable for two main reasons, Dr. Fantalkin says. First, the Egyptian empire allowed Greeks to operate a lucrative trade emporium at the delta of the Nile, complete with special privileges. Second, the Greeks who lived there, though from different tribes, lived and worshiped together, pointing to the emergence of a national Greek identity. The city also acted as a symbiotic nexus for the interchange of Greek and Egyptian art and culture.

How this arrangement came to be has always puzzled researchers, Dr. Fantalkin notes, explaining his new theory about Naukrtis. In Eastern Greece, the Greeks were plagued by powerful Eastern empires such as Lydia, which was located in the central and western parts of current day Turkey. The Greeks were forced to operate under the Lydian regime, paying tribute to their overlords.

Despite this situation, the so-called Eastern Greeks continued to lead advances in material culture and intellectual achievements. They were also politically savvy, Dr. Fantalkin says, when it came to economics. At the time Naukrtis was created, Lydia had a formal alliance with the Egyptian empire. A select group of Greek businessmen used this connection to set up a trade emporium — they paid tribute to their Lydian benefactors and were guaranteed rights and freedoms as Greek representatives of the Lydian empire. Thus, they made the best of an oppressive regime.

The land of the free?

Previous theories suggested that the Greek traders settled in Naukratis of their own free will, creating a brotherhood of merchants in the process, indifferent to interstate rivalries at home and bound firmly by a common interest in trade. In reality, Prof. Fantalkin speculates, they operated as formal representatives of the Lydian power.

"On one hand," he continues, "the Greeks were given new opportunities for trade. On the other, they owed taxes to the empire that ruled over them. This was not a free settlement of Greek merchants as was previously thought, but an organized move on behalf of a more formidable empire."

Naukratis, in his opinion, should be considered a unique and particularly important instance of "contact zones" in antiquity, in which Greek trade, although controlled by the Egyptians and mediated to a certain extent by the Lydians, both contributed to and profited from the imperial ambitions of others.

Source: redOrbit.
Link: http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1961357/warring_greeks_find_peace_in_ancient_egypt/index.html.

Dozens evacuated after heavy flooding in Spain

Tue, 07 Dec 2010

Seville, Spain - Heavy rains Tuesday sparked flooding in southern Spain, forcing the evacuation of dozens of people from their homes near Seville, local officials said.

The local hospital was also evacuated.

More than 150 firefighters, soldiers and volunteers were mobilized in Ecija, a town of 40,000, after the river Genil and its tributary Argamasilla overflowed their banks.

Floodwater inundated homes and garages, but the flooding caused no injuries, Ecija mayor Juan Wic said.

Flooding was also reported in other parts of the southern region of Andalusia, where road and rail traffic suffered interruptions.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/356948,dozens-evacuated-after-heavy-flooding-in-spain.html.

Israel's 'regrets' Argentinian recognition of Palestine - Summary

Tue, 07 Dec 2010

Tel Aviv/Ramallah - Israel Tuesday condemned as "highly regrettable" Argentina's announcement that it recognized Palestine as "a free and independent state" within its borders prior to the 1967 Six-Day War - but the Palestinians welcomed the move.

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner wrote to Palestinian President Abbas Monday to inform him of her government's decision to recognize Palestine.

Israel's foreign ministry described the decision as highly "damaging," because Argentina was "in fact shattering the foundation of the peace process."

The recognition while peace negotiations are ongoing and no final peace deal has yet been reached "is contrary to the existing legal framework of the peace process," spokesman Yigal Palmor said.

That legal framework states that a permanent and definitive solution to the conflict, including the establishment of a Palestinian state, can only be the outcome of negotiations and mutually agreed solutions, he argued.

He said the Argentinian declaration did not affect the situation on the ground, nor did it help the Palestinians because it did nothing to promote Israeli-Palestinian reconciliation.

"We have embassies and we have made our opinions known to the local authorities through our diplomats," the Foreign Ministry official told the German Press-Agency dpa.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki welcomed Argentina's decision, which came only days after its Mercosur partner Brazil made the same move.

He said he expected the third Mercosur partner, Uruguay, would soon follow suit, as would the rest of Latin America.

Malki said Europe is also gradually upgrading the level of Palestinian representation in its countries, with the Palestinian diplomats in France and Spain upgrading their status from representative to ambassador.

On Monday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, on a visit to Turkey, welcomed the steps by Brazil and Argentina. He said that he has asked Turkey's help in getting world governments that had not yet recognized Palestine to do so as soon as possible.

Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, from Brussels, described Argentina's move as "an important turning point."

He said he expected many countries to soon follow suit.

Monday's announcement by the Argentine government followed Brazil's Friday declaration of recognition.

The move came in response to a request for recognition by Abbas in late November. Abbas visited both Brazil and Argentina last year.

Uruguay reportedly shares the policy line of its two larger neighbors, although it has not made a statement on the issue so far.

Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations have been halted over Palestinian demands that Israel freeze all its construction in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, before direct talks can resume.

The Palestinians are suspicious of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-oriented government, and fear it is more interested in holding negotiations to avoid international isolation, than in achieving actual, viable results.

Netanyahu, of the nationalist Likud party, for his part argues that the Palestinian leadership is not interested in negotiating with him, and is raising unprecedented preconditions to avoid this.

The Palestinians have warned that in the absence of progress in serious peace negotiatings by next summer, they will turn to the United Nations Security Council for a resolution recognizing a Palestinian state in the borders of before the 1967 Six-Day War, during which Israel captured the West Bank from Jordan and the Gaza Strip from Egypt.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/356949,recognition-palestine-summary.html.

Iran calls on world powers to lift sanctions

Tue, 07 Dec 2010

Tehran - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called on the international community Tuesday to lift sanctions against his country as the first condition for fruitful results at nuclear talks in Geneva.

Ahmadinejad made the remarks in a speech in the central city of Arak as Iran, Britain, China, France Germany, Russia and the United States were holding talks in Switzerland about Iran's nuclear programs, which its critics feared might be used for military purposes.

The United Nations has issued four sanction resolutions against Iran, which have harmed the Iranian economy and decreased foreign investment in the Islamic state.

The Iranian president has several times stressed that Iran would not surrender its nuclear rights, including uranium enrichment. Enriched uranium may be used in nuclear power reactors or nuclear weapons.

Ahmadinejad also noted that Iran would be ready to agree on a swap and exchange low-enriched uranium for nuclear fuel to be used in a Tehran medical reactor.

The nuclear talks in Geneva wrapped up Tuesday.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/356952,world-powers-lift-sanctions.html.

Monitors want new parliament dissolved amid fraud charges - Summary

Mon, 06 Dec 2010

Cairo - A coalition of Egyptian non-governmental organizations on Monday called on President Hosny Mubarak to dissolve the newly-elected parliament because of alleged election fraud.

The second and final round of voting for the lower house of parliament ended on Sunday. The ruling National Democratic Party swept the first round, and it is expected to have made similar gains in the run-off, with results due to come in later this week.

The Independent Coalition for Elections' Observation, comprised of three groups, put together video-footage, presented at a press conference in Cairo, showing an alleged range of abuses.

The footage, which could not be independently verified, depicted acts of bribery taking place, ballot cards being forged and violence at different polling stations across the country.

One video purports to show a 12-year-old boy casting a ballot, while another shows a five-year-old who allegedly received a gun shot injury to his foot, during a dispute at a polling station in southern Egypt.

"I think such political and moral disaster, which the whole world has seen despite restrictions on media, will make the president seriously consider the situation," said Bahi Eddin Hassan, director of the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, one of the three groups behind the observation project.

The coalition said the violations were due to the absence of judicial supervision during the elections. Local observers said they had trouble keeping tabs on the voting, while foreign monitors were totally banned in the most populous Arab country.

Egypt's High Administrative Court criticized the election process last week, after the official elections commission ignored the court's ruling to halt voting in areas where opposition candidates were told they could not run.

The judges said ignoring their decision nullified the results and raises suspicion about the validity of the People's Assembly, the 518 member lower house.

The NGO coalition concurred said that "not respecting these rulings means that these elections are null."

According to Magdy Abdel-Hamid, of the Association For Community Participation Enhancement - another member of the NGO group - the new parliament will put "the legitimacy of next year's presidential election into question."

Mubarak, 82, who has been in power for nearly 30 years, has yet to name a vice-president, successor or confirm if he will seek another six-year term in 2011.

Preliminary results indicate that the NDP received around 90 per cent of the vote in the recent election, while the opposition managed only a handful of seats in the lower house of parliament.

The Muslim Brotherhood, a major opposition group, and several other parties refused to take part in the run-off after making a poor showing in the first round and accused the NDP of fraud.

The Brotherhood, which has 88 seats in the outgoing parliament, failed to win a single seat in the first round.

One member of the Brotherhood, Magdy Ashour, won a seat in the run-off, while four members each from the small al-Wafd and the al- Tagammu parties are reported to have also made it into parliament.

Ahead of Sunday's run-off, the Brotherhood was accused of kidnapping Ashour after a heated argument with the group's leaders because he refused to join the boycott.

On Monday, the Independent Coalition for Elections' Observation said that security had forced Ashour to take part in the run-off.

The government's High Elections Commission said there were only limited irregularities.

Eight people were arrested for stuffing ballot boxes in a voting center, while another station was destroyed after supporters of one candidate accused the competitor's supporters of forging ballots.

However, the integrity of the electoral process as a whole was not impacted, the commission said. In total, 508 seats were up for grabs in the election.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/356844,fraud-charges-summary.html.

Gulf Cooperation Council opens its 31st summit in UAE - Summary

Mon, 06 Dec 2010

Abu Dhabi, UAE - The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) opened its annual summit in Abu Dhabi Monday evening, with member states expected to focus on security concerns over Iran and a move towards a unified currency.

The two-day meeting is to specifically address the issue of Tehran's nuclear program and the long-standing territorial dispute between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Iran over three islands in the Gulf.

In his opening statements to the summit, the Kuwaiti emir, Sheikh Sabah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, called on Iran to "solve the crisis surrounding its nuclear issue through dialogue and peaceful methods" in order to maintain the security of the region.

The GCC comprises the UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, and Oman.

The meeting comes a day after the UAE announced it would upgrade its missile defense system.

"The threat of attack of long-range ballistic missiles is real," the deputy chief of the UAE armed forces, Major General Mohamed Suhaih al-Kaabi, said Sunday.

Classified documents released by online whistleblower WikiLeaks last week revealed that Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah encouraged Washington to attack Iran's nuclear facilities, which lie in close proximity to the GCC members.

Summit delegates are expected to pick up on the question of the need for unified currency, which was agreed a year ago, but without much progress since.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/356864,summit-uae-summary.html.

Egypt's ruling party wins clear majority in Parliament

Mon, 06 Dec 2010

Cairo - Egypt's ruling party won a clear majority in parliamentary elections, as monitors called on President Hosny Mubarak to dissolve the new Parliament due to reports of fraud.

The National Democratic Party (NDP) won 419 of the 508 seats contested during the elections, which began last week. The second and final round of voting for the People's Assembly ended Sunday.

In 2005, the NDP secured 311 out of 454 seats in Parliament, including 166 independents who joined the party after being elected.

Opposition groups, most of which boycotted the second round, won a total of 15 seats, while Independents won 70 seats.

Egypt's largest opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood, which had 88 seats in the outgoing Parliament, did not win a single seat.

The Brotherhood and several other parties refused to take part in the runoff after making a poor showing in the first round. Opposition groups and several human rights and civil society organizations accused NDP of fraud during the polls.

The government's High Elections Commission said there were only limited irregularities, where a few people were arrested for stuffing ballot boxes.

"Despite these irregularities, the committee expresses its satisfaction with the whole process, and affirms that it fulfilled its duty and calls on all people to put national interest above all," commission chief Sayyed Abdel Aziz Omar said after results were announced.

Turnout in the runoff is estimated at 27 per cent, the commission said, a little less than the 35 per cent voter participation in the first round.

On Monday, the Independent Coalition for Elections' Observation, comprised of three Egyptian non-governmental groups, called on Mubarak to dissolve the newly elected Parliament because of alleged election fraud.

They put together video clips, presented at a press conference in Cairo, showing an alleged range of abuses.

The video, which could not be independently verified, depicted acts of bribery taking place, ballot cards being forged and violence at various polling stations across the country.

One video purports to show a 12-year-old boy casting a ballot, while another shows a 5-year-old bystander who allegedly suffered a gunshot wound to his foot during a dispute at a polling station in southern Egypt.

"I think such political and moral disaster, which the whole world has seen despite restrictions on media, will make the president seriously consider the situation," said Bahi Eddin Hassan, director of the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, one of the three groups behind the observation project.

The coalition said the violations were due to the absence of judicial supervision during the elections. Local observers said they had trouble keeping tabs on the voting, while foreign monitors were totally banned in the most populous Arab country.

According to Magdy Abdel-Hamid of the Association For Community Participation Enhancement - another member of the NGO coalition - the new Parliament will put "the legitimacy of next year's presidential election into question."

Mubarak, 82, who has been in power for nearly 30 years, has yet to name a vice-president or successor, or to confirm if he will seek another six-year term in 2011.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/356867,wins-clear-majority-parliament.html.