Bethlehem's nativity museum to reopen

08/12/2010

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- The International Nativity Museum of Bethlehem is finally reopening, eight years after it closed amid the second intifada. The museum hosts 200 nativity sets from around the world.

The museum will host a reopening ceremony under the auspices of the Bethlehem City Council, the Ministry of Tourism and UNESCO Ramallah later this month, the museum director said.

Source: Ma'an News Agency.
Link: http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=339563.

تزايد دارسي العربية في أميركا

8/12/2010 م

أظهرت دراسة أميركية أن العربية هي أسرع اللغات الأجنبية انتشارا بين الدارسين بالولايات المتحدة العام الماضي.

وذكرت الدراسة التي نشرت اليوم الأربعاء أن عدد المسجلين لدراسة العربية تزايد بنسبة 46% مقارنة بالمسجلين لدراستها عام 2006.

وأوضحت أن عدد المسجلين لدراسة العربية تزايد من 5500 عام 1998 –الذي شهد إعلان تنظيم القاعدة المسؤولية عن تفجيري نيروبي ودار السلام- إلى نحو 11 ألفا عام 2002، لكن العدد قفز إلى 35 ألفا العام الحالي.

وطبقا للدراسة التي تجريها رابطة اللغات الحديثة منذ عام 1958، والتي أجرتها 22 مرة منذ ذلك التاريخ، فقد هبطت اللاتينية والروسية إلى المرتبة الثامنة في قائمة اللغات التي يتم الإقبال على دراستها بالجامعات الأميركية.

وبالنسبة للغات الأخرى، تزايد عدد دارسي الكورية بنسبة 19%، والصينية 18.6%، ولغة الإشارة الأميركية 16.4%، والبرتغالية 11%.

أما الإسبانية فظلت تتصدر المرتبة الثانية بعد الإنجليزية بالنسبة للدارسين بجامعات الولايات المتحدة، وبلغ عدد دارسيها 865 ألف شخص بزيادة 5% عن عام 2006.

وبعد ذلك جاءت الفرنسية (216 ألف دارس) والألمانية (96 ألفا) بنسبة زيادة 4% للفرنسية و2% للألمانية مقارنة بعدد الدارسين للغتين عام 2006.

وأظهرت الدراسة أن دارسي الإنجليزية بلغوا 388 ألف دارس عام 1968وهو العام الذي شهد إضرابات مدنية وأعمال شغب واسعة هزت البلاد، لكن هذا العدد تراجع إلى 248 دارسا عام 1980.

وبالنسبة لعدد دارسي الروسية فقد تزايد من 24 ألفا عام 1980 إلى 45 ألفا عام 1990 الذي شهد تفكك الاتحاد السوفياتي، لكن هذا العدد تراجع في السنوات الخمس الماضية إلى 25 ألفا.

وذكرت الدراسة أن هذه الإحصائيات تأتي من سجلات الطلبة المسجلين، مشيرة إلى أن الطالب المتخصص بدراسة لغة قد يكون مسجلا أيضا لدراسة لغة أو لغات أخرى.

كما أفادت أنها أعدت تلك الإحصائيات من واقع بيانات الطلاب المسجلين للدراسة بـ2514 جامعة وكلية أميركية 99% منهم في التعليم العالي.

المصدر: الجزيرة.
الرابط: http://www.aljazeera.net/NR/EXERES/308D0436-28D1-4216-A38C-631E55A2D6C0.htm.

انطلاق مهرجان غزة للأفلام الوثائقية

8/12/2010 م

أحمد فياض-غزة

بإشراف الحكومة الفلسطينية المقالة، انطلقت مساء الثلاثاء فعاليات مهرجان غزة الدولي الثاني للأفلام الوثائقية بحضور مخرجين فلسطينيين وإعلاميين ومثقفين. وبسبب إغلاق معبر رفح البري مع مصر تعذر وصول المشاركين من الدول العربية والأجنبية للمشاركة، إضافة إلى لجنة التحكيم الدولية.

وقال وزير الثقافة أسامة العيسوي بحفل الافتتاح إن المهرجان يهدف لنشر الوقائع التي تفضح ممارسات الاحتلال اليومية ضد الفلسطينيين ونقلها إلى العالم أجمع.

ويركز المهرجان الذي يحمل شعار "حرية الأرض والإنسان" على تعزيز سبل تحويل الصور الخبرية المتداولة بالإعلام إلى أعمال سينمائية وثائقية قادرة على نقل معاناة الشعوب التي تسعي للتحرر وفضح الانتهاكات التي ترتكب بحق أبنائها.

وافتتح المهرجان بفيلم "دموع غزة" للمخرجة الهولندية فيبكي لوكبيرغ، وتدور أحداثه حول تفاصيل العدوان الإسرائيلي الأخير على قطاع غزة، فعرض الفيلم مشاهد حية وصورا مؤثرة للشهداء والجرحى والدمار والآلام الذي لحقت بالمدنيين وبخاصة النساء والأطفال الأبرياء الذين عاشوا لحظات الخوف والموت الحقيقي على مدار 22 يوما نهاية 2008 وبداية 2009.

ويعرض في المهرجان 76 فيلما، منها 16 من دول عربية وأجنبية على مدار ثلاثة أيام متتالية ابتداء من يوم السابع من الشهر الجاري في ثماني صالات عرض مغلقة خصصت لهذا الغرض بعدد من الجامعات الفلسطينية والمراكز الثقافية بمدينة غزة، لتمكن فئة كبيرة من الجمهور الاطلاع على عليها.

ومن الأفلام العربية والأجنبية المشاركة سلسلة توثق للنكبة الفلسطينية بعنوان "سيرة لاجيء" للمخرج الأميركي أدم شبابيرو، وفيلم "قمر 14" للمخرجة الأردنية ساندرا ماضي.

سعي ونهوض

أما من الأفلام المحلية فيشارك "حوراء بغداد" للمخرج الفلسطيني رشيد مشهراوي ويحكي قصه طفلة عراقية تعيش تحت المعاناة اليومية في ظل الاحتلال الأميركي، وكذلك فيلم قدمته المخرجة الفلسطينية حنين كلاب بعنوان "بعيونهم" ويتحدث عن التجربة الإعلامية للصحفيات الفلسطينيات خلال الحرب الأخيرة على غزة.

وشدد المدير التنفيذي للمهرجان الدولي الثاني للأفلام الوثائقية، مفيد أبو شمالة، أن المهرجان يسعى أيضا إلى النهوض بالحالة الثقافية الفلسطينية في مجال صناعة الأفلام التسجيلية في غزة.

ووفق أبو شمالة فإن الأفلام المشاركة في المهرجان -الذي تنفذه شركة سكرين للإنتاج الإعلامي- تتناول قضايا تتعلق بالأطفال والأسرى ومعاناة السكان الفلسطينيين في مخيمات اللجوء وقضايا أخرى تتعلق بالتحرر الوطني على المستويين الفلسطيني والعربي.

وروعي في اختيار الأفلام المشاركة وفق ما أكد أبو شمالة للجزيرة نت، حداثتها، وألا تكون قد سبق عرضها على أي فضائية، وتتناول موضوعات لها علاقة بقضايا التحرر الوطني.

وخصصت الجهة المشرفة على المهرجان ثلاث جوائز رئسية للأفلام الوثائقية الطويلة، وثلاث جوائز للأفلام الوثائقية القصيرة، وجائزة لأفلام الرسوم المتحركة وأربع جوائز إبداع لأحسن إخراج وأحسن تصوير وأحسن مونتاج وسيناريو، تبلغ قيمتها 25 ألف دولار أميركي.

حالة إبداعية

من جانبه اعتبر المخرج الفلسطيني سعيد البيطار أن هذه المهرجانات تمثل حالة إبداعية أكثر نضوجاً كونها إنتاجا متقدما يعرض للانتهاكات الإسرائيلية بحق الشعب الفلسطيني، مشيراً إلى أن ملامح التميز في الأفلام الوثائقية بدأت تنمو يوماً بعد يوم، وانعكس ذلك على انتعاش الحركة الثقافية والمسرحية بالقطاع والتي تعتبر حافزاً للعطاء والمنافسة.

وقال في حديث للجزيرة نت "المهرجان لهذا العام تميز بتناول قضايا التحرر الفلسطينية والعربية ولم يقتصر على نقل معاناة الفلسطينيين فقط، واستطاع أن يحقق انتشاراً واسعاً عبر مشاركة وتفاعل عدد من المخرجين بالوطن العربي وأوروبا مع فكرته ودعمه رغم ظروف الحصار وتعقيداته".

ويرى المخرج الفلسطيني أن المهرجان سيساهم بشكل مباشر في نقل معاناة الشعب الفلسطيني للخارج والمساعدة في وضع قطاع غزة المعزول عن العالم في صورة حضارية مشرقة.

المصدر: الجزيرة.
الرابط: http://www.aljazeera.net/NR/EXERES/FBE62529-C605-480D-8CB2-454C14706EA8.htm.

ارتفاع معدلات العنوسة بالأردن

8/12/2010 م

محمد النجار-عمان

كشفت دراسة علمية اجتماعية عن تضاعف عدد العوانس في الأردن 15 مرة خلال العقود الأربعة الأخيرة مما تسبب بتراجع معدلات الزواج بشكل يثير القلق على التعداد السكاني.

فقد تحدثت دراسة بعنوان (مؤشرات الزواج والطلاق في الأردن لعام 2009) عن وجود أكثر من 98 ألف فتاة أردنية تجاوزت سن الثلاثين لم يسبق لها الزواج، فيما حذر مختصون من انخفاض معدلات الزيادة الطبيعية للسكان خلال السنوات الثلاثين الماضية.

وبحسب الدراسة التي أصدرتها جمعية العفاف الخيرية الأحد، بلغت نسبة النساء غير المتزوجات -ممن تبلغ أعمارهن 18 سنة فأكثر- 29% مقابل 39% من الذكور.

الزواج الأول

وأشارت إلى أن متوسط العمرعند الزواج الأول للذكور بلغ 29.6 سنة مقابل 26 سنة عند الإناث، بعد أن كان هذا العمر عشرين سنة للذكور و17.6 للإناث عام 1961، منبهة بذلك إلى أن هذه الأرقام تدل على أن "متوسط عمر الزواج آخذ بالتزايد لكلا الجنسين مما يدل على وجود عنوسة حادة في المجتمع الأردني".

وتضيف الدراسة أن مقارنة هذا المؤشر بدول أخرى -من بينها دول متقدمة- يظهر أن المعدل في الأردن يتجاوز نظيره بهذه الدول استنادا إلى تسارع في متوسط عمر الزواج الأول في الأردن بين عامي 1961 و2009، في الوقت الذي كان هذا المؤشر في الدول الأوروبية أقل من ذلك.

بالتوازي تحدثت الدراسة عن انخفاض معدل زواج الشباب من 9.8% للذكور عام 1953 إلى 3% عام 2009، وللإناث من 15% إلى 7.2% خلال نفس الفترة.

انخفاض المواليد

بيد أن أبرز ما أشارت له الدراسة هو انخفاض الزيادة الطبيعية للسكان من 4% سنويا عام 1979 إلى 2.1% في 2009.

وقالت الدراسة إنه وبافتراض استمرار هذا التراجع بشكل تدريجي فإنه سيصل إلى 1.8% سنة 2020 وهو ما يعني تناقص عدد سكان الأردن بنحو 125 ألف نسمة في السنوات العشر القادمة، وإذا استمر على نفس الوتيرة فإن سكان الأردن سيتناقصون بما يزيد عن 250 ألف نسمة مع حلول 2030.

وبخلاف الحديث الرسمي المستمر عن أن معدلات الإنجاب في الأردن من أعلى المعدلات في العالم، قالت الدراسة إن الأردن جاء في المرتبة 52 على مستوى العالم في معدل الزيادة الطبيعية للسكان.

ويلفت الخبير الأردني المتخصص بتنمية الموارد البشرية والقضايا الاجتماعية عادل بدارنة إلى أن معدل الزيادة الطبيعية للسكان تراجع خلال السنوات الثلاثين الماضية من 4% إلى 2%.

متوسط الإنجاب

وقال للجزيرة نت إن سبب هذا الانخفاض يعود لانخفاض متوسط إنجاب المرأة الأردنية من 7.7 مولود عام 1976 إلى 3.5 مولود العام الماضي، وارتفاع نسبة النساء المتزوجات ممن هن في سن الإنجاب واللواتي يستعملن وسائل منع الحمل من 23% إلى 57% خلال ذات الفترة.

ويحذر بدارنة من تأثيرات هذا الانخفاض على مستقبل صناديق التقاعد والضمان الاجتماعي في الأردن، ويطالب المسؤولين بالالتفات للأزمة التي تعيشها دول أوروبية -ومنها فرنسا- مما دفعها لرفع سن التقاعد من ستين إلى 62 عاما بسبب عوامل من بينها انخفاض الزيادة الطبيعية للسكان.

وتابع أن صناديق التقاعد والضمان الاجتماعي ستتناقص مدخراتها وتزداد نفقاتها وقد تواجه الانهيار إذا لم تلجأ إلى إجراءات شتى لزيادة استثماراتها وتقليص العجز المالي المتوقع.

وتحدث عن أن عدد الداخلين الجدد إلى سوق العمل سيتراجع بشكل قد يؤثر على زيادة معدلات الأجور وعلى معدلات الطلب على بعض الخدمات ولا سيما المدارس وخدمات رعاية الأطفال في حين ستزداد نفقات الرعاية الصحية لكبار السن، ويتقلص الطلب على بعض السلع والخدمات ويتجه الطلب على سلع وخدمات أخرى.

المصدر: الجزيرة.
الرابط: http://www.aljazeera.net/NR/EXERES/AE95E896-6C9C-44E8-8B43-A570E807DB57.htm.

Leaks: US spy planes over Algeria since January

US embassy in Algiers: no partner is more important than Algeria in fight against Al-Qaeda.

PARIS - Algeria agreed in January to allow the United States to fly spy planes over its territory to hunt for Al-Qaeda bases in the Sahara, according to a leaked diplomatic cable published Tuesday.

The French daily Le Monde uncovered the secret note in the trove of secret US State Department correspondence released by the WikiLeaks website.

"No partner is more important than Algeria in the fight against Al-Qaeda," the US embassy in Algiers said, according to Le Monde's French translation of the memo. "Algeria wants to be strategic partner, not a rival."

The memo said that the planes would usually operate from the US naval airbase in Rota, in southern Spain.

A previous memo, dated December 30 last year and published on WikiLeaks' wesbite, described the negotiations between US officials and senior Algerian foreign ministry official Sabri Boukadoum that led to the deal.

The planes, Lockheed Martin EP-3 spy planes operated by the US Navy, intercept radio and other electronic communications and will be tasked to overfly Algeria to patrol the skies over Mali and Mauritania, it said.

Al-Qaeda's north African subsidiary -- Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb -- has bases in the Mauritanian desert and regularly carries out kidnappings of Western civilians. It is holding five French and two African hostages.

The December memo said the United States has asked other governments in the region permission to make the flights and was awaiting their response.

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=42928.

TAJIKISTAN. Mujahideen ambush Rahmon's puppets in Khatlon: 3 destroyed

6 December 2010

As reported by our sources in Tajikistan, 3 Rahmon's puppets were eliminated a result of an attack by the Mujahideen in Baldzhuva district of Khatlon region on the evening of December 1.

A deputy gang leader of "Baldzhuvan police", Idibek Sharipov, a member of the "local branch national security committee" gang, Nizomiddin Saifiddinov, and a driver of the "Temurmalik district hospital", Abaydullo Safolov, are reportedly among the eliminated terrorists.

According to the source, the terrorists were killed in the village Dulonamydon Baldzhuvan, where they arrived to check "information about unknown armed persons" (the Mujahideen).

The terrorists were ambushed upon arrival and shot by the Mujahideen. Sharipov, Saifiddinov and Safolov were killed on the spot. The group of the Mujahideen consisted of 8 to 10 fighters. They did not suffer any casualties.

Kavkaz Center

Source: Kavkaz Center.
Link: http://kavkazcenter.com/eng/content/2010/12/06/13100.shtml.

New Thai-based Rohingya rights group formed

Monday, 06 December 2010

Chittagong, Bangadesh: A new organization aimed to serve the needs of the Rohingya community in Thailand has been formed, according to the group’s newly named president.

The group, named the Arakanese Rohingya Community in Thailand (ARCT), was formed in the Ramkhanhan area on December 3 during a meeting of Rohingya community members.

“We named the organization according to the decision of community members,” said Jahangir, president of the organization.

He added that the group consisted of 17 central executive members under the leadership of the president and Nur Hakhim, who serves as general secretary.

At the meeting, more than 50 Rohingyas joined together to participate and to support working for social and humanitarian progress under the banner of the group.

Abdul Mabud, a patron board member, delivered the opening speech in the meeting, while concluding remarks were made by Jahangir.

The organization aims to promote greater understanding of Rohingya culture and their situation in Burma, especially in northern Arakan State to Thai people and Thai authorities, according to General Secretary Nur Hakhim, and to create educational programs for the younger generation of Rohingyas and foster reconciliation between Rohingya and Rakhine communities.

“In this critical and crucial time, many Rohingya activists, well-wishers, elders, sympathizers and philanthropists are thinking that it is very essential to form a social welfare association,” said a statement issued by the new ARCT group.

“So attendees of the first meeting agreed to work for Rohingya equality under Thai law as well as with other human rights organizations from Burma and Thailand.”

The statement added: “We, the Thailand-based Rohingyas, solemnly take an oath to work voluntarily with our hearts and souls on behalf of the vulnerable Rohingyas living in Thailand and in other parts of the world, under the banner of the Arakanese Rohingya Community in Thailand. We also will work to keep a reliable network with our elders and Rohingya communities living in other countries.”

Source: Kaladan Press Network.
Link: http://www.kaladanpress.org/v3/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2937:new-thai-based-rohingya-rights-group-formed.

17 Rohingya pushed back to Burma

Tuesday, 07 December 2010

Teknaf, Bangladesh: Officers from the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) arrested and forcibly repatriated 17 Rohingya men, women and children yesterday, according to a resident in Shapuri Dip.

The group was arrested yesterday morning while trying to enter Bangladesh through an illegal border crossing in Shapuri Dip.

Former Rohingya deportees have told Kaladan Press that many people try to cross over to Bangladesh from Burma to see relatives in the refugee camps or to seek medical treatments.

BDR Company Commander Kamorul Islam said that all 17 Rohingyas were returned across the border by about 11am of the same day of their arrival.

On December 4, BDR officers raided homes in Shapuri Dip where local people had provided shelter to illegal Rohingyas, but no one was ultimately arrested, said a local trader who refused to be named.

Source: Kaladan Press Network.
Link: http://www.kaladanpress.org/v3/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2938:17-rohingya-pushed-back-to-burma.

Court banishes Hamas MP from Jerusalem

08/12/2010

JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- Israel's Supreme Court ordered Palestinian lawmaker Muhammad Abu Tir to be removed from Jerusalem to the outer West Bank Wednesday.

His attorney, Osama Saadi, said the court was satisfied with Abu Tir's four-month detention, and that the official would be banished to the West Bank at the Beituniya checkpoint near Ramallah.

Abu Tir, a Hamas member elected to the Palestinian Legislative Council in 2006, was arrested in June soon after being released from another Israeli prison after a three-year term. He was charged with residing illegally in Jerusalem.

Abu Tir is from the village of Umm Tuba, in area Israel considers annexed territory but the international community regards as occupied.

Source: Ma'an News Agency.
Link: http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=340040.

Indian troops committing gross HR abuses in Kashmir: MKM

Srinagar, December 08 (KMS): In occupied Kashmir, the Muslim Khawateen Markaz Jammu and Kashmir, a constituent of the All Parties Hurriyet Conference, has said that Indian troops have been committing gross human rights violations in the territory for the past last several decades.

The MKM spokesperson in a statement issued in Srinagar, in connection with World Human Rights Day to be observed on Friday, deplored the silence of the world human rights organizations on the rights abuses in the territory. She said that on December 10, 1947, the Untied Nations had unanimously passed a resolution, which maintained that the basic rights including right to self-determination of every individual would be protected. She said that India was yet to implement the resolution despite the passage of 63 years.

She said that continued Indian state terrorism in the occupied territory was a challenge for the peace-loving counties and organizations. She said that the troops were brutally killing and torturing peaceful demonstrators including teenagers, which was unjust.

The spokesperson said that the people of Kashmir had rendered unprecedented sacrifices for the Kashmir cause and their blood would not be allowed to go waste. She added that the liberation struggle would be taken to its logical conclusion, despite all odds.

Source: Kashmir Media Service.
Link: http://www.kmsnews.org/news/indian-troops-committing-gross-hr-abuses-kashmir-mkm.

Rehmani appeals UN to implement its resolution on Kashmir

Islamabad, December 08 (KMS): The Chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Freedom League (JKPFL), Muhammad Farooq Rehmani on the start of the new Hijrah year has emphasized upon greater solidarity and cooperation between Muslim peoples of the globe against foreign occupation, political and economic exploitation, illiteracy and impoverishment of the common man in the streets and slums of Muslim and non Muslim regions of the world.

Muhammad Farooq Rehmani in a statement issued in Islamabad said that the new Islamic year reminded the Muslim states of their responsibilities vis-à-vis occupied Muslim lands, subjugated people and suffering humanity of this planet.

He said that it was the first and foremost duty of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) to fight for the rights of the Muslims and initiate necessary measures to force the United Nations Organization for resolving all peace-threatening disputes in line with the international human rights law and aspirations of the enslaved people. Otherwise, he warned, both the UNO and the OIC would lose their importance to the disadvantage of the world peace.

The JKPFL Chairman said that today when Kashmir had become a burning topic of the world, and the Kashmiris were offering unparalleled sacrifices for their promised birth right, the right of self-determination amid India’s oppression, it was up to the UN to implement its resolutions on Kashmir and resolve the dispute amicably in the interest of the future generations. He said that India and its laws had lost their force in Kashmir as the prevailing laws were against basic human rights and heinous crimes were being perpetrated against peaceful inhabitants only to perpetuate the illegal colonial rule over Kashmir.

Source: Kashmir Media Service.
Link: http://www.kmsnews.org/news/rehmani-appeals-un-implement-its-resolution-kashmir.

Dry spell likely to affect agriculture, health in IHK

Srinagar, December 08 (KMS): In occupied Kashmir, the prevalent dry spell is likely to affect the agriculture, health and the routine life of the people across the Kashmir Valley.

An official of the Jammu and Kashmir Metrological department in a media interview predicted that the days and nights ahead would be chilly and temperature would dip further. “The Kashmir Valley is witnessing freezing cold conditions with the night temperature dipping to minus 3 degrees Celsius. There has been no development of Western Disturbance, a phenomenon that brings rain in the region, for sometime now and it is preventing any kind of precipitation,” he added.

The Chief Engineer of Jammu and Kashmir Public Health Engineering (PHE), Ghulam Rasool Zargar, said that the continued dry weather could result in water shortage in the valley. He said that since there had been little rains for the past few months, the water level was depleting fast in streams, Nullahs and springs which acted as major water supply resources to Srinagar and other area of the Valley.

The Director of Jammu and Kashmir Agriculture Department, Mian Abdul Majeed, said that the continuation of dry spell might delay the germination of crops like peas and wheat. A fruit grower, Ghulam Muhammad Dar, said, “If there is no rain or snowfall for coming week or so the fruit bearing trees will catch disease which will ultimately affect the crop production next season.”

Health experts warned that cold-related diseases and acute viral infection would be common among people especially children if no rains occurred in coming month. “There are chances of bacterial infections due to dry weather which can turn chronic,” said a doctor at Srinagar Medical College.

Advising the people, he said, “It is better to remain indoor during early morning and late evening times when temperature dips.”

Source: Kashmir Media Service.
Link: http://www.kmsnews.org/news/dry-spell-likely-affect-agriculture-health-ihk.

Kashmiri family bears brunt of continued state terrorism

Srinagar, December 08 (KMS): In occupied Kashmir, a family of Arampora, Sopore, have borne the brunt of continued Indian state terrorism.

The misfortunes of the family started in 2008, when during the Muzaffarabad Chalo march, Fatima and her son Arif were hit by the bullets of Indian troops. This year another tragedy struck the family when Fatima’s 19-year-old son, Wasim lost his eyesight due to the pellets fired by the troops.

“It was on November 6 when Wasim returned from work, freshened up and dressed up in clean clothes. He asked me for a cup of tea and then left to collect some debt,” recalled Wasim’s sister, Zahida, sitting beside her injured brother at a ward of Soura Institute of Medical Sciences.

“Clashes had broken out between protesters and the cops. The cops resorted to baton charge, lobbed teargas canisters to disperse the protesters, and then fired pellets. My brother was hit in the right eye,” she added. “We brought him here. After the surgery, doctors said that my brother has lost eyesight,” said the distraught sister.

Just two years ago, during the Muzaffarbad Chalo march, Wasim’s mother, Fatima was hit by a bullet in her right leg. On the same day her son Arif was also hit by bullets in both legs. Fatima recuperated and could walk again but Arif couldn’t. He walks with the aid of crutches.

Wasim is the youngest of the eight siblings. After his father’s untimely death after prolonged illness ten years ago, he left studies to lend a helping hand to his elder brothers and started working as a laborer.

Wasim doesn’t know that he has lost his eyesight. “What would I do if I lose my eye? I don’t want to be dependent,” he recently told his elder brother, Ashiq. Ashiq said that to console him, Wasim said, ‘Don’t worry. I will be alright.”

Source: Kashmir Media Service.
Link: http://www.kmsnews.org/news/kashmiri-family-bears-brunt-continued-state-terrorism.

Gilani urges world bodies to help stop HR violations in IHK

Srinagar, December 08 (KMS): Veteran Kashmiri Hurriyet leader, Syed Ali Gilani, has urged the Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and other international human rights organizations to help stop rights violations being committed by Indian troops in occupied Kashmir.

Syed Ali Gilani in a statement issued in Srinagar said that the rights abuses in the occupied territory had become a test case for the world human rights organizations and if they continued to ignore the issue the suppressed people and nations would lose their faith in such bodies.

Meanwhile, the forum patronized by the veteran Hurriyet leader has announced to hold a seminar, “Resolution of the Kashmir Dispute - Only Guarantee for Peace” in Srinagar on December 12. The seminar would be organized in connection with the International Human Rights Day being observed across the world on December 10. Besides Syed Ali Gilani, prominent human rights activists will address the seminar.

“While as the whole world would be celebrating the human rights day, it is important for us to remind the international community that Kashmir is the most militarized region in the world, where Indian forces have been subjecting Kashmiris to the worst kind of human rights violations and Indian Army generals are responsible for war crimes in Kashmir,” Syed Ali Gilani said.

He pointed out that this year alone over 150 Kashmiris, most of them teenagers and youth, were killed by the Indian forces, but none of the perpetrators was prosecuted or punished.

Source: Kashmir Media Service.
Link: http://www.kmsnews.org/news/gilani-urges-world-bodies-help-stop-hr-violations-ihk.

Indian army captain killed, trooper commits suicide in IHK

Srinagar, December 08 (KMS): In occupied Kashmir, an Indian Army officer, who was injured in an attack in Sopore town succumbed to his injuries.

The officer identified as Captain Abhimanyu was critically injured on Tuesday evening in an attack at Model Town Sopore succumbed at Army’s Badami Bagh hospital in Srinagar. Later, the personnel of Rashtriya Rifles, CRPF and Special Operations Group launched siege and search operations in the town, which continued till last reports came in.

On the other hand, a trooper of 35-Rashtriya Rifles, Kishore Kumar committed suicide by shooting himself with his service rifle inside army camp at Beerwah in Budgam. This raised the number of such deaths amongst Indian troops and police personnel to 201 since January 2007.

Meanwhile, thousands of men, women and children staged demonstrations in Baramulla town against the killing of a youth, Zahoor Ahmed Dar. He was injured during the use of brute force by Indian troops against protesters three months ago and succumbed to his injuries at a hospital in Srinagar on Tuesday.

Source: Kashmir Media Service.
Link: http://www.kmsnews.org/news/indian-army-captain-killed-trooper-commits-suicide-ihk.

Japanese spacecraft misses orbit, overshoots Venus

Wed, 08 Dec 2010

Tokyo - A Japanese space probe failed to enter orbit around Venus Wednesday and passed the planet, Japan's space agency said.

"I'm sorry that we failed to meet the expectations of the public," Masato Nakamura, a project manager of the probe's two-year mission, told a news conference at a Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) facility near Tokyo.If the probe, named Akatsuki, which means "dawn," had succeeded in entering orbit, it would have been the first that Japan had placed into orbit around another planet.

An earlier Japanese mission between 1998 and 2003 to put a probe into orbit around Mars also ended in failure.

Communication with Akatsuki broke down early Tuesday, shortly after the probe started to slow down to go into orbit around Venus.

The engine probably stalled two to three minutes after it went into reverse thrust, Kyodo News reported, citing JAXA.

When communications were restored, the probe had failed to slow down enough to be caught by Venus' gravity, and had continued on its own solar orbit.

The failure was "extremely regrettable, as it comes at a time when the public has started to show greater support for the country's space development programs after the success of (the asteroid explorer) Hayabusa," Junjiro Onoda, head of the JAXA institute, was quoted by Kyodo as saying.

But Akatsuki will have another chance in six years' time, when it is set to cross paths with Venus again, the agency said.

"Hopefully speaking, I think the likelihood (of success in six years) is high," Nakamura said.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/357149,misses-orbit-overshoots-venus.html.

Aung San Suu Kyi gives robes to monks, nuns in Buddhist rite

Wed, 08 Dec 2010

Yangon - Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Wednesday took part in public religious services for the first time since her release from house arrest.

Suu Kyi offered donations of robes to about 700 Buddhist monks and 200 nuns gathered in front of the headquarters of her National League for Democracy (NLD).

"We (usually) make this activity every Tuesday, but we moved it to Wednesday this week because Daw Suu (Aunt Suu) was not free on Tuesday because she was sending her son off to the airport," an NLD member said.

Suu Kyi's youngest son Kim Aris, 33, returned to Bangkok on Tuesday after a two-week visit to his mother in Yangon.

Aris, who lives in Britain, was allowed to visit his mother for the first time in a decade following her release from house arrest on November 13.

"I saw an old monk dropping tears from his eyes when she offered a robe to him. Then the monk gave back jasmine flowers to her," a witness told German Press Agency dpa after Wednesday's rite.

Suu Kyi, 65, enjoys wide support among the Myanmar population although she has been kept from public view under house arrest for 15 of the past 21 years.

Since her release, she has kept up a busy schedule of meetings with supporters, friends and family.

She spent Monday with Malaysian-born Hollywood actress Michelle Yeoh, who portraying her in a French film, Dans La Lumiere (Into the Light), due for release next year.

On Tuesday, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Joseph Yon met with political party and non-government organization leaders.

He was the first high-ranking US official to visit Myanmar since the country's first elections in two decades on November 7, which the ruling junta won amid accusations of restricting the opposition's participation.

Yon was scheduled to meet with junta's officials in the administrative capital Naypyitaw later Wednesday and was due to meet Suu Kyi on Friday before departing.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/357113,monks-nuns-buddhist-rite.html.

Kenya endangering lives of Somali refugees, say rights groups

Wed, 08 Dec 2010

Nairobi - Human rights watchdog Amnesty International on Wednesday accused Kenya of endangering the lives of thousands of Somali refugees deported back to their war-torn country in violation of international law.

Kenya hosts almost 300,000 Somalis in its Dadaab refugee complex, near the Kenya-Somalia border, which is at bursting point as thousands continue to flee a bloody Islamist insurgency.

However, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said many thousands of those who make into Kenya are being returned to south and Central Somalia.

"Continued fighting and horrendous abuses in Somalia pose a very real threat to the lives of tens of thousands of children, women and men," said Michelle Kagari, Africa program deputy director at Amnesty International. "No Somali should be forcibly returned to southern and central Somalia."

Amnesty International said Kenyan authorities last month forcibly returned 8,000 refugees who had fled fighting, while HRW cited cases of hundreds of Somalis being driven back to the border in pickup trucks.

"Kenyan officials are flagrantly violating Somalis' right not to be returned to a place where their lives are at grave risk," said Gerry Simpson, senior refugee researcher for HRW. "The Kenyan government needs to send a clear message to provincial and local authorities that Somalis must not be deported to their war-torn country."

Discussions have been ongoing between Kenya and the United Nations refugee agency UNCHR for years over the allocation of more land at the Dadaab complex, but no deal has been struck.

Kenya feels it is bearing the brunt of the exodus from its neighbor, a point acknowledged by Amnesty International.

"Kenya disproportionately shoulders the responsibility for massive refugee flows from Somalia and needs more support from the international community, including EU countries to provide durable solutions for these people," said Kagaria.

Somalia has been embroiled in chaos since the 1991 ouster of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.

The latest insurgency, which pits al-Qaeda-linked group al-Shabaab against the weak Western-backed government, kicked off in early 2007. Tens of thousands have been killed in fighting, while over 1 million people have fled their homes.

China chooses Taiwan politician for rival 'peace prize'

Wed, 08 Dec 2010

Beijing - A group of Chinese scholars on Wednesday said they had chosen veteran Taiwanese politician Lien Chan for the first Confucius Peace Prize, a rapidly organized award that some have touted as a potential rival to the Nobel Peace Prize.

Lien, the honorary chairman of Taiwan's Kuomintang (KMT), or Nationalist Party, was chosen for the prize because he had "built a bridge of peace between the mainland and Taiwan," the group said.

It said Lien was selected from eight candidates, including Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas; Microsoft founder Bill Gates; former South African President Nelson Mandela; former US President Jimmy Carter; and Yuan Longping, an agricultural scientist known in China as the "father of hybrid rice."

The award of the Confucius Peace Prize would be announced formally in Beijing on Thursday, Tan Changliu, the head of the organizing committee, told the German Press Agency dpa.

An award ceremony for the Nobel Peace Prize to Chinese dissident writer Liu Xiaobo, who is serving an 11-year prison sentence for subversion, is scheduled for Friday in Oslo.

China's ruling Communist Party was angered by the award to Liu, who co-organized the Charter '08 for democratic reform.

It has lobbied other nations to boycott Friday's ceremony in Oslo and placed dozens of prominent rights activists under house arrest or close surveillance.

But Tan denied the Confucius award had any links to the government or that it was intended to rival the Nobel prize.

"We are not rivals to anyone. We are just developing peace through peace. We are not willing to counter or criticize," he said.

Tan, 49, is a writer and editor of philosophy books, while at least three of the other members of the Confucius prize committee are professors at Beijing universities.

The committee said it agreed to award the prize to Lien on Sunday after a "very long discussion."

It said the Confucius prize was designed to give China "a greater voice on the issue of world peace."

The idea of creating the prize was apparently first mentioned publicly in an opinion piece in the state-run Global Times newspaper on November 15, five weeks after the announcement of Liu as the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.

"The Nobel Peace Prize Committee won Liu Xiaobo while losing the trust of 1.3 billion Chinese people," Liu Zhiqin, the chief representative in Beijing for Switzerland's Zurich Bank, said in the commentary.

Setting up a Confucius Peace Prize would be "the best opportunity for the Chinese to declare China's view of peace and human rights to the world," Liu said.

Lien is a former vice-president of Taiwan and former chairman of the KMT, which has ruled Taiwan under President Ma Ying-jeou since May 2008.

The Communist Party sees Taiwan as a breakaway province that must be "reunified" with mainland China, by force if necessary.

Lien is credited with building ties with the Communist Party while the KMT was in opposition.

He has held several high-profile meetings with President Hu Jintao and other Communist Party leaders since a landmark visit to China in 2005.

Taiwan and China have been rivals since the KMT fled to the island at the end of a civil war in 1949, after which the Communist Party founded the People's Republic of China.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/357144,politician-rival-peace-prize.html.

Much more to Yemen than what we see in the news

by Alice Hackman
07 December 2010

London - The British media’s focus on a young British Muslim woman who stabbed a British Member of Parliament last month once again shines a gloomy spotlight on Yemen. According to The Guardian, Roshonara Choudhry, a 21-year-old student who stabbed the politician for supporting the war in Iraq, told the police: "I've been listening to lectures by Anwar al-Awlaki.... He's an Islamic scholar. He lives in Yemen."

As the media concentrates on al-Awlaki’s online sermons, his role in the launch of Al Qaeda’s new magazine, and the Yemeni government’s ongoing battle against Al Qaeda, the real Yemen has been drowned out. Yet it is this narrative – that of the vast majority of the population, not of a few hundred militants – that holds the key to better understanding, breaking stereotypes and perhaps ultimately less extremism.

Inside a coffee shop, near King’s Cross station in central London, British-born Yemeni Abubakr al-Shamahi, 21, sips his hot chocolate and talks passionately about his home country. Not once does he talk about extremism. Instead, he talks of corruption and his fear that donors’ money is not properly spent on long-term development, he laughs at Yemeni parents’ matchmaking, and he raves about the beauty of the old city of Sana’a. No one he knows has been influenced at all by the radical sermons of al-Awlaki.

This is the real Yemen. It is not al-Awlaki’s falsified narrative of a West-hating, militant-training Yemen. It is a country of over 22 million people – over 70 per cent of whom are under the age of 25 – struggling for development and the privilege to join the World Trade Organization. On Facebook, this is what the English-speaking youth in Yemen are telling the world. A Yemeni-Canadian, Issmat Alakhali, 32, attracted over 4,500 users to his page, “I know someone in Yemen and he/she is not a terrorist!” which he launched in January. More recently, Atiaf A., another young Yemeni, started a video project called “I’m Yemeni, I’m not a terrorist”.

And yet, in an interview last May, Al-Awlaki said that he enjoyed free movement among the tribes of Yemen because “the people of Yemen hate Americans.” This is not true. Most young Yemenis learn English because, apart from it being the international language of business, they also dream of emigrating to the United States or Europe to study or to work.

For the average young Yemeni, daily grievances are far more important than politics. Graduates hope to find a job. Young men struggle to accumulate enough jobs to be able to get married. New couples battle with price hikes. Nearly half of the population lives on less than two dollars a day and social development indicators – such as child malnutrition, maternal mortality and educational attainment – remain extremely poor, according to the UN’s World Food Program.

In the north of the country, hundreds of thousands of Yemenis have been displaced by six rounds of war between the government and the Houthi rebels. In the south, a growing secessionist movement threatens the unity of the country, while each month thousands of refugees, asylum seekers and economic migrants arrive on the coast from the Horn of Africa. Nationwide, the next generation will struggle for water to drink as the country’s population continues to increase and its already depleted aquifers rapidly run dry.

Instead of focusing always on Al Qaeda, the international media should highlight the efforts of youth-led initiatives such as Resonate! Yemen, Me for My country, Ayoon Shabah (Arabic for “youth’s eyes”) and the Yemeni Children’s Parliament to tackle some of the country’s other issues. They should profile social entrepreneurs like Hayat al-Hibshi who set up the Assada Women’s Association to help girls from marginalized poor communities go to school.

The media should also highlight positive exchanges between the Muslim communities of Britain and Yemen, such as the British-Somali charity that helped to set up a day care center for young refugee mothers in Sana’a earlier this year.

More media focus on positive community-led change in Yemen, instead of terrorism, would counter negative stereotypes of both Yemenis and Muslims in the West. The effect would be more respect for Muslims in the West, less feelings of alienation or anger among their children and, perhaps, less reason to listen to a radical preacher in the first place.

Source: Common Ground News.
Link: http://www.commongroundnews.org/article.php?id=28918&lan=en.

Algerian troops to receive US counter-terrorism training

2010-12-07

Algerian counter-terror units will participate in a training program conducted by US military experts, El Watan quoted US Army Africa Commander Major General David R. Hogg as saying Monday (December 6th) in Algiers. The months-long program, set to get under way next year, includes stints in the US and Vicenza, Italy. Speaking at a press conference after his two-day visit to Algeria, Hogg said the purpose of US Africa Command (AFRICOM) was "not to intervene but rather to develop partnerships and training programs with countries in the continent".

"Algeria plays a leading role in the fight against terrorism in this region," Hogg said, noting Algeria's role in setting up the Tamanrasset joint military command and joint Sahel-Saharan intelligence center in Algiers. "With the leadership of the Algerian armed forces and the work that they are doing down there for co-ordination, progress is being made," Hogg said.

Last year in Algiers, President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and AFRICOM Commander General William Ward discussed training opportunities and security co-operation between the ANP and US military.

Source: Magharebia.com.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2010/12/07/newsbrief-03.

Bouteflika visits Germany

2010-12-07

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika begins a state visit to Germany on Tuesday (December 7th). Bouteflika and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will "review the state of bilateral relations and explore ways and means to boost them so as to meet potentialities of the two economies", Bouteflika's office said. Merkel and Bouteflika will also discuss global and Euro-Mediterranean security issues.

Source: Magharebia.com.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2010/12/07/newsbrief-02.

Moroccan-Spanish relations face crisis after Laâyoune clashes

After the Spain criticized the Kingdom for its actions at the Gdeim Izik protest camp, Moroccan politicians questioned the solidity of bilateral relations.

By Naoufel Cherkaoui for Magharebia in Rabat – 07/12/10

A day after the Spanish Parliament condemned Moroccan security services for recent clashes in Laâyoune, Moroccan MPs responded by demanding a review of the two nations' relations.

A statement from the Moroccan Parliament on Friday (December 3rd) said that the Spanish resolution was "biased and hostile to the Kingdom of Morocco in its sovereign, historical and legitimate rights to our restored southern provinces. The resolution also substantially contradicts Morocco's supreme interests and grossly affects our national cause and the feelings of all categories of the Moroccan people."

Moroccan Communications Minister Khalid Naciri echoed Parliament's concerns.

"Considering that the Spanish Parliament's resolution is hostile to Morocco and implicitly takes sides with our country's enemies, while at the same time keeps silent about Algeria although it was mainly responsible for the extreme tension that the region suffers, the Moroccan government considers the positions of the relevant Spanish political parties, which stem from an old complex towards Morocco, to be completely unacceptable."

For its part, the Spanish government tried to contain the situation. Spanish Interior Minister Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba said December 3rd that "relations between Spain and Morocco are strategic and very important, and will remain so forever".

"I'm sure that this base of confidence will allow the two countries to get past any event or circumstance," Rubalcaba added. "My country will proceed with its policy that aims to enhance the bilateral relations which are very important for the two sides."

For his part, Polisario leader Mohamed Abdelaziz said in a letter addressed to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon that "the Moroccan government is still proceeding, with a stepped up pace, in a dangerous policy, which amounts to ethnic cleansing, targeting the Sahrawi people, especially since its treacherous, brutal attack on al-Karama camp in the Gdeim Izik area, east of Laâyoune, and the ensuing oppression, repressions, crackdowns and destruction, and the resulting deaths, wounds and missing detainees among the unarmed Sahrawi population."

However, Morocco denies that there were any deaths among civilians. Speaking before the European Parliament, Moroccan Foreign Minister Taieb Fassi Fihri said the legislative body relied on faulty data in issuing its resolution condemning Moroccan security services, adding that "the truth has been distorted".

Ana Gomes, a Spanish representative in the European Parliament, alleged that European intelligence agencies report "between 500 and 600 people disappeared" in the Laâyoune events.

Fassi Fihri said that such figures were completely unfounded and that the real deaths were among the Moroccan security forces, which sustained 11 fatalities. The minister added that the Polisario itself didn't talk about these imaginary figures, but only talked about two deaths among civilians, who he claimed were later found out to still be alive.

Many Moroccans condemned the European Parliament's resolution and blamed the Spanish People's Party for issuing it. Tensions were further strained when some Spanish media outlets, including the country's largest paper, El País, used images of victims from Gaza in their coverage of the Laâyoune clashes.

Abdelillah Benkirane, Secretary-General of Morocco's Justice and Development Party (PJD), said that the European Parliament's resolution was issued with incitement from the Spanish People's Party which "behaves as if Spain and Morocco are two hostile countries, while the two countries try to maintain their relations".

Moroccan Finance Minister Salaheddine Mezouar, who also heads the National Rally of Independents (RNI), denounced the "hysterical behavior demonstrated by the Spanish People's Party to influence the European Parliament's resolution on Laâyoune events", adding that the Moroccan people would never relinquish an inch of their soil.

Nabil Benabdallah, Secretary-General of Party of Progress and Socialism, said that the European Parliament's resolution featured a distortion of facts and didn't point out to what's going on in the Tindouf camps.

In his turn, Thami El Khyari, Secretary-General of the National Democratic Forces Front, said that the European Parliament's resolution was not appropriate and was issued under the influence of some political circles and institutions of the Spanish People's Party.

He noted that the European Parliament's resolution didn't take into account all the data confirmed by international human rights organizations, and just walked in the footsteps of people who oppose the Kingdom's territorial integrity.

Source: Magharebia.com.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2010/12/07/feature-01.

Algeria to create state mining group: minister

Tue Dec 7, 2010

ALGIERS (Reuters) - Algeria said on Monday it would set up a mining group to consolidate state-owned assets in the sector.

The announcement, made by Energy and Mines Minister Youcef Yousfi, appeared to be part of a government policy of giving a greater role to domestic firms and creating state-run national champions in strategic sectors of the economy.

"We will create a mines group. There is a huge development program for this sector," Yousfi told a conference in the Algerian capital.

Gold miner GMA Resources and zinc miner Terramin Australia are the biggest foreign investors in Algerian mining since the government opened the sector to foreign investment in 2001.

GMA has been operating the Amesmessa-Tirek mine, Algeria's main gold mine, while Terramin has started exploiting a zinc and lead mine.

OPEC member Algeria is a major exporter of oil and gas but its mining sector is under developed. It is potentially attractive to investors because of its close proximity to European markets. The country mines mostly gold, zinc and iron.

The government has over the past years launched several licensing rounds allowing foreign firms, including many from China, to acquire mining concessions in partnership with local firms.

Under Algerian law, the stake a foreign company can hold in any investment is limited at 49 percent.

Foreign investors have been operating in Algeria in partnership with several small, state-owned mining companies overseen by National Agency of Mining Patrimony, a department at the energy and mines ministry.

Source: Reuters.
Link: http://af.reuters.com/article/investingNews/idAFJOE6B605620101207.

Cote d'Ivoire expelled from Ecowas

West Africa's 15-member bloc recognizes opposition leader Quattara as winner and calls on incumbent president to quit.

07 Dec 2010

Cote d'Ivoire has been suspended from a regional body representing 15 West African countries after its incumbent president and the leader of the opposition both claimed victory in the country's runoff poll.

The suspension was announced on Tuesday by Goodluck Jonathan, the Nigerian president and chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), as President Laurent Gbagbo continued to ignore calls and pressure to step down following an election the UN says he lost.

Gbagbo's swearing-in on Sunday was quickly followed by that of Alassane Ouattara, the opposition leader, setting the stage for both men to lay claim to the highest office in the world's leading cocoa grower and fueling fears of renewed civil war.

"The heads of state and government recognized Mr Alassane Dramane Ouattara as president-elect of Ivory Coast," a communique announcing the suspension said.

"The summit called on Mr Laurent Gbagbo to abide by the results of the second round of the presidential elections as certified by UNOCI [the UN mission in Cote d'Ivoire] and to yield power without delay."

The European Union threatened on Monday to slap targeted sanctions against individuals in Cote d'Ivoire if the country fails to quickly resolve the political crisis.

Sanctions looming

Catherine Ashton, EU foreign policy chief, stressed that UN resolutions provide for sanctions "against those who obstruct the peaceful transition and the election," said a European Commission spokeswoman.

"Catherine Ashton is ready to follow procedures which would envisage sanctions if there is no quick resolution to this crisis," Angela Filote told a news briefing.

In Paris, the French foreign ministry called on Cote d'Ivoire to find "an orderly, calm and dignified transition".

Earlier on Tuesday, Thabo Mbeki, the former South African president, ended his mediation mission after failing to reach a settlement between Ouattara and Gbagbo.

Mbeki had aimed in two days of talks to defuse the power struggle, but on Monday he said only that he planned to file a report to the African Union and made a plea for a peaceful solution.

"The African Union is very keen that peace can be sustained and every effort should be made to ensure this transition to democracy succeeds," he said.

"Cote d'Ivoire needs peace and needs democracy ... We indeed hope that the leadership of this country will do all that it can to ensure peace is maintained."

The November 28 election was meant to reunite the country after a 2002-03 civil war, but the poll ended in crisis when the Constitutional Council, run by a staunch ally of Gbagbo, scrapped hundreds of thousands of votes from Ouattara strongholds.

Obama steps in

The AP news agency reported on Monday that Ouattara's spokesman said they were asking for the UN to use force and physically remove Gbagbo if he continues to cling to the office.

"President Barack Obama called to congratulate Ouattara. President Sarkozy congratulated Ouattara. Germany sent it by fax. So did England,'' Joel N'Guessan said.

"These are countries that are on the Security Council. If they cannot make this man respect the results of an election certified by the UN, then we might as well stop talking about democracy in Africa.''

At least 10 people have been killed in clashes between supporters of the rival factions over the past two weeks.

Farhan Haq, a UN spokesman, said: "Given the security situation in [Ivory Coast] and in accordance with standard UN procedures, non-essential staff members will be temporarily relocated to the Gambia."

Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, is reportedly "deeply concerned'' about the situation and the International Criminal Court's prosecutor urged Cote d'Ivoire on Monday to act now to prevent possible war crimes or crimes against humanity.

"Ivory Coast today is announcing the possible commission of future crimes,'' Luis Moreno Ocampo said, referring to Gbagbo's decision to stay in power.

"So in terms of prevention, the time to act by the state is now."

'Troops on alert'

While Gbagbo has the support of the nation's top legal body and the military, Ouattara has international backing and can count on the support of the New Forces fighters in the country's north.

"We've put our troops on alert," Seydou Ouattara, a New Forces spokesman, was quoted by the Reuters news agency as saying.

"If we are attacked we will defend our zones and we will take the rest of the Ivorian territory," he said, insisting that he hoped diplomacy would help avoid a "bloodbath".

The crisis has also spooked Cote d'Ivoire's donors, with the World Bank and the African Development Bank saying that they would reassess aid to the country "given the breakdown in governance".

In the latest political maneuvering, Ouattara offered government positions to members of his rival's cabinet if Gbagbo backs down.

Source: al-Jazeera.
Link: http://english.aljazeera.net//news/africa/2010/12/20101272090983941.html.

Two teenage girls latest honor crime victims in Jordan

Tue, 07 Dec 2010

Amman - Two teenage girls were killed in two different incidents in Jordan this week in what the security authorities described as "crimes of honor," a media report said Tuesday.

The new fatalities bring to 14 the number of girls who were killed by their relatives in Jordan in 2010 under pretexts of cleansing the honor of their respective families - a term usually referring to adultery, according to local newspapers.

One of the victims, Ayesha, 16, was killed by her father who shot her as she was getting ready for school at Naour, 15 kilometers west of Amman.

"Initial investigations indicated that the suspect murdered his daughter to cleanse his family's honor because he was suspicious of her behavior," papers quoted officials as saying.

Prosecutors are questioning the suspect and are expected to charge the father with premeditated murder, the sources said.

Meanwhile, pathologists are conducting an autopsy on an 18-year-divorced woman, only identified as Walaa, whose body was exhumed on Sunday two days after her burial in Maan, 200 kilometers south of Amman.

Police have received a tip that the woman, whose relatives claimed had died of natural causes, may have been murdered by her family.

Walaa was reportedly forced to marry a man who divorced her only two months after their wedding.

After returning to her family's home, one of her brothers strangled her as she was sleeping at night, papers quoted security sources as saying.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/357000,missile-defence-plan-moscow-honour-crime-victims-jordan.html.

N Korea begins drills amid Koreans talks

Wed Dec 8, 2010

North Korea has staged artillery exercises near the disputed western sea border as South Korea conducts major drills in the area amid growing tension.

Pyongyang launched its firing exercises on Wednesday as the US and South Korean top military officials held talks in Seoul over the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen has reassured South Korea that Washington is committed to defending it.

US President Barack Obama has already promised what he called "unshakeable support" for Seoul.

Meanwhile, the US and South Korean top officers said on Wednesday that the two agree to stage more joint military exercises.

South Korea's firing exercises were launched on Monday by warships or land artillery units in 29 locations, including one of five frontline islands near the disputed sea border, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said. The drills are scheduled to take place off all three coasts of the Korean Peninsula until Friday.

In recent months, the United States and South Korea have conducted several massive joint sea and air drills in waters east of the peninsula.

All these developments, the drills and the meeting, come as tensions are still high in the region after last month's deadly clash between South and North Korean forces along the Koreas' disputed sea borders.

The fighting left four South Koreans, including two civilians, dead. Each side blames the other for initiating the clash.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/154466.html.

France 'will recognize' Palestinian state

Wed Dec 8, 2010

France has declared that it will recognize a free and independent Palestinian state based on borders before the 1967 war, becoming the first European nation to do so.

Bernard Valero, a spokesman for the French Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that Paris agrees with the formation of a Palestinian state based on the exchange of land between Israel and the Palestinians.

Valero also expressed hope that peace talks between the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Israel will resume.

During the past week, Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay have all sent letters to acting Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas, declaring that they recognize a free and independent Palestinian state within the 1967 borders.

Human rights activists and international bodies are meanwhile vying for the United Nations membership for the Palestinian state.

The activists believe that Palestine already meets the required criteria for joining the world body.

Israel has protested the recent recognitions, claiming that the move is against the spirit of the Mideast talks.

Tel Aviv accuses the Latin American nations of ignoring the 2003 Middle East roadmap for peace, which said that a Palestinian state could be established through dialogue, but not through unilateral measures.

This is while the international community widely backs Palestinian demands for a state in most of the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and East al-Quds (Jerusalem), all territories occupied by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War.

The recent developments come only weeks after Tel Aviv announced that it would not halt its plan for constructing over 1,300 new settler units in East al-Quds and a further 800 units in the northern occupied West Bank.

Israel's decision has been condemned by the PA, the European Union, the United States and Russia.

In clear defiance to international criticism, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also stated that it considers al-Quds its capital.

The resumption of the illegal construction work has put a halt to direct talks between Israel and the PA, which began in early September after a 20-month break.

The Palestinians say that the settlement activities are being carried out to prevent the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East al-Quds as its future capital.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/154468.html.

Aid aircraft to fly to Gaza: Galloway

Wed Dec 8, 2010

Former British lawmaker George Galloway has says that an aircraft is to take humanitarian aid to the Israeli-blockaded Gaza Strip, rallying support for the relief effort.

The pro-Palestinian activist, who has headed several Gaza-bound aid missions, asserted on Monday that humanitarian campaigners would in the future attempt to reach the impoverished coastal sliver by land, sea and air, the Palestinian-run International Middle East Media Center reported.

Galloway, last time, headed Lifeline 5, the fifth Gaza-bound convoy, organized by the UK-based charity Viva Palestina, which tried to break the siege.

The all-out Tel Aviv-imposed land, aerial and naval restrictions have been depriving Gaza's 1.5-million-strong population of food, fuel and other necessities since mid-June 2007.

Galloway regretted, what he called, the Arab nations' "negative position and weak commitment" to pro-Palestinian causes and urged them to contribute to the planned relief effort.

There are fears that the mission be fiercely confronted by Israel's military which killed nine Turkish activists aboard the Ankara-backed humanitarian convoy, Freedom Flotilla, on May 31. Tel Aviv further deported the activists and diverted the supplies to the Israeli port of Ashdod in the south of Tel Aviv.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/154444.html.

Baby killed, 20 hurt in blast in temple city of Varanasi - Summary

Tue, 07 Dec 2010

New Delhi - A baby girl was killed and at least 20 people were injured in a bomb explosion Tuesday in northern India's temple city of Varanasi, officials and news reports said.

The blast took place during evening prayers at the Shitla Ghat bathing area on the banks of the Ganges river near the Vishwanath temple.

Home Secretary GK Pillai told reporters four or five people were injured in the "low-intensity blast" and another 15 to 20 people were hurt in the stampede in the commotion that followed.

A one-and-a-half year old girl succumbed to injuries at a hospital later, the NDTV network reported quoting police sources.

Four foreign nationals including an Italian and French citizen were among the injured.

Police said the blast appeared to be a terrorist attack and the explosive was planted in a milk container kept near the stone staircase that leads to the river.

Meanwhile, in an email sent to local media outlets, a group claiming to be Indian Mujahideen - an outfit behind similar bombings across Indian cities in the past - owned responsibility and warned of more attacks.

India's Home Ministry was cautious about the claim and said the authenticity of the email was being verified.

"It is an attempt to weaken our resolve to fight the evil forces of terrorism. In this, the terrorists will not succeed," Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said in New Delhi.

Singh expressed concern and appealed to the religious communities to maintain calm and peace.

Varanasi, considered to be Hinduism's holiest city, is located in northern state of Uttar Pradesh and has witnessed religious violence and terrorist attacks in the past.

In March 2006, at least 15 people were killed in three blasts in the city which Indian police blamed on Muslim militants.

The explosion came a day after the anniversary of the 1992 destruction of the Babri mosque in the Ayodhya town of the same state by Hindu radicals.

At least four of the wounded taken to hospitals were in a "serious condition" and doctors said the death toll could rise.

Witnesses said the explosion was powerful and shook nearby buildings and damaged iron railings.

"There was a loud blast followed by chaos. Scores who had gathered on the banks ran helter skelter," a witness, Rajiv Prajapati said.

Soon after the blast, hundreds of police were patrolling the sensitive towns and cities in Uttar Pradesh.

The home ministry placed security agencies on high alert across Indian states as well as the main cities of New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad.

New Delhi has upgraded its police forces following the Mumbai attacks in November 2008 which killed 166 people and derailed a peace process between India and Pakistan.

The last major terrorist strike in India was a bombing in February in the south-western city of Pune that killed 17 people including four foreign nationals.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/357039,city-varanasi-summary.html.

Pakistani prime minister addresses Turkish parliament - Summary

Tue, 07 Dec 2010

Istanbul - Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani gave a speech to the Turkish parliament on Tuesday that focused on strengthening already good relations between the two Muslim nations and applauded Turkey's democratic efforts as a model for Pakistan.

Gilani, who arrived in Ankara on Monday for a three-day official visit to Turkey, is the first prime minister of Pakistan to address the Turkish parliament.

The Pakistani leader commended Turkey on the constitutional referendum that was passed by voters in August, saying the reforms will strengthen democracy in Turkey. He described Turkey's constitutional reform process as a source of inspiration for Pakistan.

"We are greatly impressed by your success. My administration in Pakistan has begun a constitutional reform process that aims to be a turning point in the same way. We are continuing our commitment to the ideals of democracy and protecting freedom of speech."

The Pakistani premier thanked Turkey for its assistance during the devastating flooding that Pakistan suffered this past summer. The Turkish government sent 10 million dollars' worth of humanitarian aid to Pakistan, while Turkish business organizations and private individuals also contributed financially to the effort.

Gilani also stressed the importance of increasing trade between the two countries, saying he hoped their trade volume would reach two billion dollars in 2012.

The Pakistani prime minister was scheduled to co-chair, with his Turkish counterpart, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the inaugural meeting of a High Level Cooperation Council between Turkey and Pakistan on Tuesday evening. The council is conceived of as a strategic platform to guide relations between the two countries.

In a ceremony earlier Tuesday, Turkish President Abdullah Gul presented Gilani with a state medal of honor. The Pakistani leader also visited the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, modern Turkey's secularizing founder, in Ankara.

Gilani's trip comes during a week marked so far by violence in Pakistan, where on Monday two suicide bombers blew themselves up at a government building in the tribal district of Mohmand, killing 43 people. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the carnage.

On Tuesday, a suicide bombing on a convoy transporting the chief minister of the south-western province of Baluchistan injured nine people, though the minister was unhurt.

Gilani and his Turkish hosts are expected to discuss security issues in Pakistan and Afghanistan during the visit, which concludes Wednesday with a meeting with business leaders and a ceremony at Marmara University in which he will receive an honorary doctorate.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/357040,turkish-parliament-summary.html.

أسطول الحرية يستعد للعودة

8/12/2010 م

وسيمة بن صالح-إسطنبول

أكد ذوو ضحايا أسطول الحرية أن كسر الحصار عن غزة هو الثمن الوحيد الذي يمكنهم قبوله مقابل دماء شهدائهم، بينما قال رئيس المؤسسة التي نظمت رحلة أسطول الحرية إلى غزة عن بدء الاستعدادات لتسيير أسطول جديد.

جاء ذلك بمؤتمر صحفي عقده ذوو ضحايا أسطول قافلة الحرية بإسطنبول الثلاثاء حيث جدد أحمد دوغان -والد الشهيد فرقان- موقفه الرافض لأي تعويض واعتذار شكلي، مشددا على ضرورة اعتراف إسرائيل علنا بارتكابها جريمة قتل وحشية في المياه الدولية بحق مدنيين أبرياء عزل.

وأضاف دوغان قائلا "الثمن الوحيد الذي يجعلنا نحس أن دماء شهدائنا لم تذهب سدى هو رفع الحصار عن غزة، لأنه الهدف الذي انطلق ابني من أجله مع أسطول الحرية، وقد فقد حياته وهو يدافع عنه" وأكد عزمه التوجه إلى الولايات المتحدة لإقامة دعوى على قاتلي ابنه الذي كان يحمل الجنسية الأميركية أيضا.

حريق الكرمل

من جهتها، تساءلت داريا كيليتشار-زوجة الصحفي التركي الشهيد جودت كيليتشلار- عن سبب عدم إرسال طائرات لنجدة ركاب السفينة مرمرة والأسطول عنما كانوا تحت مرمى النيران، في إشارة إلى قيام الحكومة التركية بإرسال طائرات لمساعدة إسرائيل في إخماد الحرائق التي اندلعت مؤخرا في غابات جبل الكرمل قرب مدينة حيفا.

وتابعت كيليتشار كلامها "أنا ممتنة لوزير الخارجية ورئيس الوزراء لما قاما به، لقد أظهرا مواقف إنسانية نشكرهما عليها، لكن هذا ليس كافيا مع الأسف، يجب أن يتم رفع الحصار عن غزة، وهذا وحده كفيل بإخماد النيران المستعرة داخلنا".

واختلفت تشيدام طوبشو أوغلو مع زميلتها في المصاب كيلتشار بالإشارة إلى حرائق الكرمل عندما قالت إن الحكومة التركية أرسلت الطائرات لإنقاذ فلسطين وليس إسرائيل لأن الأراضي والأشجار فلسطينية، لكنها ضمت صوتها إلى الباقين لتأكيد أن كسر الحصار عن غزة هو البديل الوحيد عن دماء الشهداء الأتراك الذين قتلوا في رحلة أسطول الحرية.

أسطول جديد

وفي نفس المؤتمر وجه رئيس مؤسسة الإغاثة والحقوق الإنسانية بولنت يلدرم تساؤلات إلى الحكومة التركية عن سبب عدم رفع دعوى ضد مرتكبي جريمة أسطول الحرية.

واستغرب يلدرم عن عدم الحصول على تقارير الطب الشرعي والشرطة الجنائية، مع دعوته إلى تفهم موقف الحكومة في حال كانت تنتظر تقرير لجنة التحقيق التي شكلتها الأمم المتحدة فقط وليس لأي سبب آخر، مشيرا إلى أن بعض الإسرائيليين أعلنوا صراحة أن النظام الصهيوني قاتل.

كما وجه أسئلة مشابهة للدول العربية التي لا تقوم برفع دعوى على إسرائيل أو حتى عن سبب وراء عدم قيام قادتها باتخاذ قرارات حازمة ضد الدولة العبرية.

كما أعلن عن التحضير لأسطول جديد سينطلق بتاريخ 31 مايو/ أيار المقبل بذكرى مجزرة المياه الدولية التي راح ضحيتها تسعة متضامنين أتراك على يد قوات البحرية الخاصة الإسرائيلية مضيفا أن المياه الأقليمية كانت وتبقى ملكا لفلسطين وشعبها.

وفي هذا السياق تلقت الجزيرة نت نسخة من بيان رسمي أصدرته مؤسسة الإغاثة والحقوق الإنسانية أمس الثلاثاء أعلنت فيه عن إقامة حفل استقبال للسفينة مرمرة بعد إعادة ترميمها بإسطنبول في السادس والعشرين من الشهر الجاري في نفس المرفأ الذي انطلقت منه للمشاركة بأسطول الحرية.

المصدر: الجزيرة.
الرابط: http://www.aljazeera.net/NR/EXERES/F68EE655-8464-4883-8777-BF5CEAC829A3.htm.