Gaza faced with growing health crisis

Mon Dec 27, 2010

Authorities in the Gaza Strip have warned that the health problems of impoverished Gazans have been intensified due to a crippling four-year-old siege by Israel.

The Gaza Strip's Ministry of Health said on Monday the crisis would continue unless Israel allowed in vital material and basic necessities, a Press TV correspondent reported.

The ministry added that local hospitals were in need of chemicals required to produce oxygen as well as spare parts for x-ray machines.

Gazans, in particular cancer patients in the region, are also suffering from lack of necessary medicines as a result of the Israeli blockade on the coastal area since June 2007.

The warning comes as Palestinians mark the second anniversary of Israel's devastating war on the Gaza Strip in December 2008.

Tel Aviv staged an all-out war on the densely-populated coastal sliver three days before the start of 2009. The strikes left more than 1,400 Palestinians -- including at least 300 children -- dead and nearly 5,000 more injured.

The offensive also demolished some 4,000 houses in the blockaded territory and devastated a large portion of the region's infrastructure. The war-hit strip also saw UN-run schools and centers targeted by Israeli army forces.

More than 50,000 people were displaced as a result of the three-week war.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/157400.html.

Germany summons Iranian envoy

Mon Dec 27, 2010

The German Foreign Ministry has summoned Tehran's Ambassador to Berlin Ali-Reza Sheikh-Attar over the fate of the two German nationals arrested in Iran.

Posing as reporters, the Germans interviewed the son of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, a woman who has been convicted of complicity in the murder of her husband as well as adultery.

The two German nationals were arrested after a person close to the family alerted Iranian authorities of their suspicious behavior.

Iran says the two have admitted to breaking the law.

On Friday, two family members of the German nationals, who were accompanied by German Ambassador to Tehran Brand Erbel, traveled to Iran but were unable to meet the two.

Germany's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Stefan Bredohl said Berlin had been under the impression that the journalists would be able to meet their family members and the German ambassador.

German officials "expressed their displeasure" over the matter, DPA quoted Bredohl as saying on Monday.

Iran has cited political motives behind the Western propaganda campaign regarding the legal ruling against Mohammadi Ashtiani.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in late September the West is deliberately hyping the case of the convicted Iranian woman, while ignoring the fact that 53 women are on death row in the United States and awaiting execution.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/157389.html.

Turkish workers may lose jobs in Israel

Mon Dec 27, 2010

Hundreds of Turkish employees may lose their jobs in Israel after Tel Aviv's deadly attack on a Gaza-bound aid convoy sparked tensions between the two sides.

Turkey's construction company Yilmazlar Holdings said on Sunday that 800 employees may return to Turkey at the end of this year, Israeli website Ynetnews reported.

In 2003, Turkey and Israel signed an agreement by which Tel Aviv Aerospace Industries (IAI) will sell security and industrial equipment to Ankara and in exchange allow Yilmazlar to keep employees in Israel.

The deal is usually renewed on January 1 each year, but the rising tension has caused the Turkish government to delay its answer this year and it has not yet renewed the deal.

"We are still working on projects we have already begun here, worth hundreds of millions of shekels, but we haven't signed anything new. The employees are really scared, they keep asking what will happen if they are deported?" Yilmazlar's director in Israel Ahmet Arik argued.

On May 31, Israeli commandos attacked a Gaza-bound aid convoy in international waters, killing nine Turkish peace activists and injuring dozens of others.

The fleet was carrying approximately 750 human rights activists and around 10,000 tons of construction material, medical equipment and school supplies for the impoverished people of Gaza.

Turkey has repeatedly called on Israel to apologize over the incident and compensate the families of the victims.

On Sunday, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman reiterated that Tel Aviv would never make an apology to Ankara over the attack.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/157376.html.

PA slams Israeli FM's remarks

Mon Dec 27, 2010

The chief Palestinian Authority (PA) negotiator says the Israeli foreign minister is continuing to provoke Palestinians and acting PA chief Mahmoud Abbas.

Israeli provocation "is part of a plan to continue with settlement expansion in the West Bank," Saeb Erekat said after Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman described the PA as "illegitimate."

Erekat said that it is Israel that does not seek peace, adding that continuing the illegal settlement construction in the occupied West Bank and East al-Quds (Jerusalem), along with the blockade against Gaza, "indicate that Israel rejects the negotiations," Xinhua reported.

Lieberman also said on Sunday evening that reaching an imminent peace deal with the Palestinians was "impossible" and Israel should not even try to pursue one.

But Israeli prime minister's office later issued a statement saying Lieberman's position did not represent Israel.

Lieberman's comments represent his personal political positions, just as ministers in the government have different positions from each other, the statement said.

Israel's position is solely the one that the prime minister expresses, it read.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/157317.html.

Yemen accepts monitors for April poll

Mon Dec 27, 2010

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has agreed to hold the country's parliamentary elections in the presence of international monitors.

"We accept foreign observers, and also reiterate our call to our brothers in the parties of the 'Common Front' to take an active part in the poll and not to quibble over trivia," AFP quoted Saleh as saying in a speech in the southern port of Aden on Sunday.

The Yemeni president was quoted as "unreservedly" inviting non-government groups "from Yemen and brotherly and friendly countries to monitor the elections.”

The parliamentary elections will be held on April 27, 2011 even if the opposition parties boycott them over an amendment to the electoral law, Saleh went on to say.

He urged the opposition, the Joint Meeting Parties (JMPs), to participate in the elections. He also called on all political sides “to stay away from political plots and obstinacy."

The Dec. 11 amendment sparked an opposition sit-in and charged that the General People's Conference (GPC), the president's ruling party, had violated a 2009 accord to open dialogue on political reforms.

The electoral law stipulated that the high electoral commission be composed of judges rather than delegates from parties represented in parliament, as was previously the case.

The opposition JMPs vowed on Dec. 13 to boycott Yemen's upcoming parliamentary elections, and called for protest against the ruling party.

On Feb. 23, 2009, the GPC and JMPs had inked an agreement to delay the parliament elections previously scheduled for April 2009 to April 2011. However, both sides have accused each other of shrinking in implementing the agreement, which caused a long political crisis.

Saleh has been Yemen's president since 1990.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/157326.html.

Turkish parl. approves austerity budget

Mon Dec 27, 2010

The Turkish parliament has approved an austerity budget for 2011, which aims at fiscal belt-tightening while encouraging growth, the country's finance minister says.

Mehmet Simsek said on Sunday that the budget stands at 312.5 billion Turkish liras (almost 153.7 billion euros).

The budget provides for a deficit of about 16.5 billion euros. Revenues were pegged at 104 billion euros, Turkish daily Hurriyet reported.

Turkey, with a population of 77 million, is ranked 17th in the world in terms of economic power and boasts one of the highest global growth rates.

While the main opposition Republican People's Party, or CHP, has been attempting to draw attention to the social deficiencies it sees in the 2011 proposals, the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, argued that the budget would not be sufficient to fulfill the pledges made by opposition party leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu.

Turkey was the quickest country to have emerged from the global economic crisis and "its growth is exemplary," the finance minister said before parliament voted on Turkey's fiscal year that begins in January.

Economic success is vital for Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan ahead of general elections next year, in which his AKP will seek a third straight term in power.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/157315.html.

Israel says 'never' apologizes to Turkey

Sun Dec 26, 2010

Israel's foreign minister says Tel Aviv will never apologize to Turkey over its deadly attack on an Ankara-backed aid convoy, which was sailing for Gaza in May.

It was “a cheek” for Ankara to request an apology before normalizing ties with Tel Aviv, Avigdor Lieberman said in al-Quds (Jerusalem) on Sunday. "There will be no apology" from Israel, he asserted.

While Israel is known to provide assistance to Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants, who launch terror attacks on Turkish soil, Lieberman accused Turkey of supporting terrorism. "The ones who have to apologize are the government of Turkey for supporting terror."

PKK launches its attacks from Iraq's Qandil Mountains in the areas under the control of Massoud Barzani, the president of Kurdistan Regional Government, which rules the Iraqi Kurdistan.

The Qandil mountain range is also where Israeli firms reportedly operate. The terrorists have vowed allegiance to Tel Aviv, referring to Ankara as a "common enemy."

The head of an Iraqi clerical association and the country's most influential Sunni cleric, Harith al-Dhari has also said that companies affiliated with the Israeli Spy Agency Mossad are freely operating all over Iraq. He said Israeli companies are particularly concentrated in the countries in northern Kurdistan region.

"The companies are directly working with Zionist spy agencies," he said and noted that "Israeli companies infiltrating Iraq work under Arabic, English and Turkish names."

On May 31, Israeli commandos violently attacked the aid-laden relief mission, known as Freedom Flotilla, which had set sail for the Gaza Strip, killing nine Turkish activists and injuring around 50 others.

On Saturday, Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu repeated Ankara's demands of apology and compensation over the attack, saying that “nothing can cover up” the deadly act of aggression, the Associated Press reported.

Thousands in Turkey welcomed the return of the lead vessel of the fleet, Mavi Marmara at the port of Sarayburnu in Istanbul in northwestern Turkey on Sunday.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/157279.html.

Israeli forces arrest 9 French activists

Sun Dec 26, 2010

Israeli forces have arrested several protesters, including nine French activists, at one of the largest Israeli military checkpoints in Qalandia in the occupied West Bank.

The protesters were rallying on Sunday against the illegal apartheid wall that Israel is building across the occupied West Bank, organizers told AFP.

Israel is building a 400-mile system of fences and concrete walls in and around the occupied West Bank.

Israeli police claim the arrests were made after protesters tried to cross the Qalandia checkpoint north of East al-Quds (Jerusalem).

A spokesman for the French EuroPalestine activist group said nine French citizens were arrested at the demonstration, adding that one Palestinian detained at the protest was later released.

Earlier on Saturday, French activist Layli Ben Saffi was detained by the Israeli military during a protest against Israeli settler activity in the West Bank city of al-Khalil (Hebron).

In another incident in the West Bank city of Nablus on Sunday, Israeli soldiers detained three Palestinians.

One of them was transferred to the Megiddo prison in the occupied West Bank, but the other two were later released.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/157309.html.

'Jealous enemy wants Iran, UAE divided'

Mon Dec 27, 2010

Iran's ambassador to the UAE has said some states are seeking to sow seeds of discord between the Islamic Republic and the Persian Gulf state out of jealousy.

“The commonalities and bonds among Iran, the United Arab Emirates and other regional countries are abundant, but some [states] intend to create rift among the [Muslim] brothers out of jealousy,” Mohammad-Reza Fayyaz said in a meeting with Emir of Ras al-Khaimah Mohammad bin Saud al-Qasimi in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.

Fayyaz urged expansion of Iran-UAE relations, saying Iranian officials are seeking to consolidate deep and brotherly relations with the UAE.

Pointing to Iran's capabilities in the industrial, gas, petrochemical and nuclear sectors, Fayyaz voiced Iran's readiness to share its experience with the Persian Gulf state, particularly the Ras al-Khaimah Emirate.

The emir for his part, highlighted the deep bonds between the Islamic Republic and the UAE, calling for strengthening cooperation with Tehran.

Iran enjoys large oil and gas reservoirs and is the biggest market in the region and “we are keen to expand cooperation with Iran,” the Ras al-Khaimah Emir reiterated.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/157374.html.

Solar-powered plane chops world record

Mon Dec 27, 2010

A solar-powered aircraft breaks the world record for the longest time spent in the air after flying aloft for fourteen days.

A solar-powered pilotless plane which was built in the UK has been recognized as having smashed the world record for the longest time spent in the air by an unmanned autonomous vehicle (UAV) after staying aloft for two weeks, reported The Independent on its website.

The record-breaking flight took place in July over the US and has now been ratified by the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI), which governs air sports records.

The 50kg craft remained airborne for 14 days, 22 minutes and 8 seconds -- 11 times longer than the previous record.

Potential uses for the aircraft, which is built by defense technology company Qinetiq, include the long-distance tracking of hijacked ships and aerial monitoring of forest fires.

Chris Kelleher, chief designer, said: "This aircraft can help track pirates off the Horn of Africa and also ensure that soldiers' communications remain unaffected when fighting in mountainous or hilly terrain."

Solar panels power the aircraft and charge lithium batteries which keep it flying at night.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/157372.html.

Ivory Coast's Ouattara calls for strike

Mon Dec 27, 2010

Ivory Coast presidential claimant Alassane Ouattara has called for a general strike to put pressure on the incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo to step down.

The announcement was made on Sunday shortly after Gbagbo issued a warning that any attempts to oust him would lead to a civil war.

"I can confirm that we have called for a general strike across the nation from tomorrow," Ouattara's spokesman Patrick Achi was quoted as saying by Reuters.

The international community has recognized Ouattara as the winner of last month's presidential election, warning that Gbagbo's refusal to step down could plunge Ivory Coast into civil war.

Also on Sunday, the official aircraft of Gbagbo was blocked at the Basel-Mulhouse airport that is jointly administered by French and Swiss authorities. Swiss officials confirmed that the presidential plane was on the airfield, but provided no further details.

Earlier on Saturday, leaders from the Economic Community of West African States threatened that the community would be "left with no alternative but to take other measures, including the use of legitimate force," should the president refuse to step down.

Gbagbo said in an interview with French newspaper Le Figaro that any military measure against his government would be a dangerous precedent.

"All threats must be taken seriously. But in Africa, it would be the first time African countries would be ready to go to war because an election went badly," Gbagbo said.

He has frequently stated that the current pressure on him is an international conspiracy against his government led by France and the United States.

At least 14,000 Ivorian people have fled the violence and political chaos in the country, seeking a safe haven in neighboring Liberia in case a civil war breaks out, the UN refugee agency said.

Post-election violence, which triggered after the disputed run-off election, has left at least 173 people dead.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/157314.html.

Ivorian presidential plane confiscated

Sun Dec 26, 2010

Authorities in a Swiss airport have confiscated an aircraft belonging to Ivory Coast's incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo, reports say.

The official aircraft of Gbagbo was blocked at the Basel-Mulhouse airport, jointly administered by French and Swiss authorities, a French foreign ministry spokesman told AFP on Sunday.

The aircraft's return to Ivory Coast was block at the request of France and Gbagbo's rival, Alassane Ouattara, reports say.

French Foreign Ministry spokesman, Bernard Valero, said the plane was grounded in response to a request by the rival Ivorian government set up by Ouattara.

"The legitimate authorities [of Ivory Coast] asked us to ground the plane and that's exactly what we have done in response to their request," Valero said.

Swiss official confirmed only that the presidential plane was on the airfield, but provided no further details.

France along with the rest of the international community keeps calling on the president to step down as they see Ouattara as the rightful winner of last month's presidential polls in the West African country.

Despite threats from West African leaders to use "legitimate force" to overthrow Gbagbo, he refuses to hand over power.

Earlier in the day, he warned that Ivory Coast could face another civil war, should Western African countries attempt to overthrow him by force.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/157297.html.

Violence in Tunisia spreads to capital

Mon Dec 27, 2010

In the wake of angry protests and clashes between Tunisian security forces and residents of the town of Sidi Bouzid, the violence spreads to the country's capital, Tunis.

The social unrest, triggered by the North African state's ailing economy and poor working conditions, intensified after Tunisian police opened fire on a teenager in Bouziane, 240km south of Tunis, on Friday.

The Tunisian government was seeking to address the issue through dialogue with the organizers of the protests at labor unions, but the protesters refused to enter negotiations, accusing the government of prolonging the talks, an IRIB correspondent reported on Monday.

The protesters say the unrest stemmed mainly from the government's failure to provide the Tunisian people with jobs and social welfare.

Tunisian Minister of Development and international cooperation Mohammad Nouri Jouini says the government is sparing no efforts in its attempts to rescue the economy, but the people's objections to their dire situation and poor working conditions are also right and understandable.

Clashes erupted in the town of Sidi Bouzid on December 17 after a man committed suicide in protest against unemployment. Five days later, on 22 December, another young man climbed up an electricity pylon and electrocuted himself, saying he was fed up with being unemployed.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/157363.html.

Palestinians mark 2nd Gaza war anniv.

Mon Dec 27, 2010

Palestinians mark the second anniversary of a devastating war Israel launched on the Gaza Strip in December 2008, which claimed the lives of hundreds of Gazans.

Tel Aviv staged an all-out war on the densely populated coastal sliver three days before the turn of 2009. Twenty-two days of land, sea and air strikes left more than 1,400 Palestinians, including at least 300 children, dead and nearly 5,000 more injured.

The offensive leveled 4,000 houses in the blockaded territory and devastated a large portion of infrastructure. The war also saw targeting of UN-run schools and centers by Israeli army forces.

More than 50,000 people were displaced as a result of the three-week war.

A fact-finding commission mandated by the UN Human Rights Council to probe the deadly offensive found the Israeli army guilty of numerous war crimes.

A report from the committee led by former South African judge Richard Goldstone highlighted above all the premeditated bombardment of centers known to hold civilians and deliberate targeting of civilians on the run.

The 575-page document also charged Israeli forces of using Palestinian civilians, among them children, as human shields upon entering buildings suspected to be used by anti-Israeli resistance fighters.

Tel Aviv also used internationally banned weapons, including white phosphorus bombs, against the Gazans during the three-week war.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/157357.html.

Woman nabbed for resisting pat-down

Authorities at the main airport in the US state of Texas have arrested a woman for refusing to go through an enhanced pat-down.

Claire Hirschkind, 56, says she refused to be frisked at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport because she had a pacemaker-type device implanted in her chest, reported Huffington Post on its website.

She says she never broke any laws, but the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) disagrees.

Hirschkind was hoping to spend Christmas with friends in California, but she never made it past the security checkpoint.

"I can't go through because I have the equivalent of a pacemaker in me," she said.
Hirschkind said because of the device in her body, she was led to a female TSA employee and three Austin police officers.

She says she was told she was going to be patted down.

"I turned to the police officer and said, 'I have given no due cause to give up my constitutional rights. You can wand me,'" and they said, 'No, you have to do this,'" she said.

Hirschkind agreed to the pat down, but on one condition.

"I told them, 'No, I'm not going to have my breasts felt,' and she said, 'Yes, you are,'" said Hirschkind.

When Hirschkind refused, she says that "the police actually pushed me to the floor, (and) handcuffed me. I was crying by then. They dragged me 25 yards across the floor in front of the whole security."

Meanwhile, US Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has said invasive pat-downs and full-body scannings will continue at airports around the country.

She said there will be no change in the policy in the foreseeable future.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/157353.html.

Drought claims 5 lives in central Somalia

Sun Dec 26, 2010

At least five people have died due to the drought in Somalia as thousands of people face a serious shortage of food, severe drought, and insufficient rain.

"The people died of the drought that has affected livestock and people in Hiiran region, in particular the Bula Burde district," the commissioner of Bula Burde district, Abdullahi Abdi, said on Saturday, Mareeq reported.

He also expressed serious concern over the humanitarian crisis in the region, adding that the residents are in dire need of food supplies.

The regions worst affected by the drought conditions in central Somalia are those bordering northeastern Kenya and southeastern Ethiopia, such as the Towfiq, Eil Dhanane, Dhinowda, and Afbarwaqo areas.

The dry weather associated with insufficient precipitation has forced some families to migrate in search of food.

At least 5,000 families in 13 villages northeast and southeast of the regional capital Galkayo, located 700km (435 miles) north of Mogadishu, are desperate for food.

"I have seen with my own eyes goats and sheep and cattle dying; what livestock is left is so weak they cannot travel anywhere for water," Somali elder Abdullahi Mahamud Nur said. "They cannot be sold and they are useless for milk or meat."

The UN's food agency, the World Food Program, is appealing for donors to provide tons of food in order to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe and to encourage people not to leave their homes in the hardest-hit areas.

An estimated two million Somalis need humanitarian assistance, according to the United Nations.

Somalia has not had a functioning government since 1991, when warlords overthrew former dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/157162.html.

South Korean leader advises no fear, heavy hand with North

Mon, 27 Dec 2010

Seoul - South Korean President Lee Myung Bak urged national unity as he called for a tough stance against future provocations from North Korea.

Lee called his country's neighbor "the most belligerent regime on earth" and said his countrymen must stand firm against it during his final radio address of 2010, the year in which South Korea blamed its neighbor for the sinking of one of its warships and the artillery bombardment of one of its islands, which together caused the deaths of 50 people.

"Fear of war is never helpful in preventing war," he said.

The president also warned a month after the artillery attack on Yeonpyeong island in the Yellow Sea that North Korea would try to divide South Korean citizens with its provocations.

"For this reason, we need to achieve national unity before taking strong military countermeasures," the conservative politician said.

Lee's government and the military were accused of reacting too slowly and laxly to the November 23 attack on the island near the two Koreas' disputed maritime border.

Relations between the two countries have been strained since Lee was sworn into office in 2008 and took a harder line toward Pyongyang than his liberal predecessors.

Ties dived further in the wake of the March sinking of the South Korean corvette, also near the sea border, killing 46 sailors. The two government have further ratcheted up their threats and counter-warnings since the island attack.

Last week, Kim Young Chun, minister of the North Korean People's Armed Forces, threatened the South with a "sacred war" with nuclear weapons.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/359762,fear-heavy-hand-north.html.

100-car accident in China fog leaves seven dead, 15 injured

Mon, 27 Dec 2010

Beijing - At least seven people died and 15 were injured Monday in a pile-up involving about 100 vehicles on a fog-bound expressway in south-western China's Guizhou province.

The pile-up started when a truck crashed into a petrol station in Zunyi county about 8 am (0000 GMT), the official Xinhua news agency reported from Zunyi.

After the initial collision, at least 100 other vehicles crashed into each other, causing a 20-kilometer tailback, the agency quoted firefighters as saying.

Heavy fog still limited visibility to about 50 meters by mid-morning, it said.

China records an average of about 200 deaths per day in road accidents, but the World Health Organization has previously estimated the daily total of Chinese pedestrians, drivers, cyclists and others killed at more than twice the official figure.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/359763,seven-dead-15-injured.html.

UN chief condemns deadly Muslim-Christian violence in Nigeria

Mon, 27 Dec 2010

New York - UN chief Ban Ki-moon condemned Christmas Eve attacks on Christian communities that the African Union said left 38 people dead in central Nigeria.

Several bombs exploded in and around the city of Jos, and dozens of raiders attacked a church in the town of Maiduguri in a region that has sees repeated flare-ups of violence between Muslim and Christian communities.

"The secretary general is appalled by the violence that caused the loss of so many innocent lives in the Plateau and Borno states of the Federal Republic of Nigeria," a UN spokesman said Sunday.

"He condemns these deplorable acts of violence, especially at a time when millions of Nigerians are celebrating religious holidays, and supports efforts by the Nigerian authorities to bring those responsible to justice," he said.

Jean Ping, chairwoman of the African Union commission, called the attacks "cowardly" and said the union was committed to fighting terrorism.

The bombings sparked clashes in Jos, which continued Sunday as buildings were set on fire.

Jos and surrounding towns and villages have been the scene of brutal violence over the past few years. Around 700 people were killed in the first few months of 2010.

The violence appeared to be sectarian, but some observers said its real roots lie in the battle for resources between the indigenous Christians and settler Hausa-Fulani Muslim communities from the north.

The renewed unrest occurred as President Goodluck Jonathan aims to secure the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) nomination to run in upcoming elections.

Jonathan, a Christian southerner, came to power this year after the death of Umaru Yar'Adua, a Muslim from the north.

His ascension to power upset a PDP agreement stipulating that the party candidacy should be rotated between the mainly Muslim north and Christian south every two terms.

US Navy officer jumps to death after cocaine arrest in Manila

Mon, 27 Dec 2010

Manila - A 35-year-old US Navy officer jumped to his death on Monday in the Philippines after he was arrested at an airport for allegedly carrying cocaine, police said.

Lieutenant Commander Scintar Mejia was about to board a flight to Los Angeles from Manila on Sunday when a pack of cocaine was found in his luggage.

Mejia became unruly after the discovery and even accused officials at Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport of a frame-up, according to police Senior Superintendent Manuel Pintado.

Pintado, deputy director of the airport police, said the suspect was detained overnight at the airport and committed suicide after seeking permission to go to the bathroom on Monday morning.

"On the way to the toilet, he suddenly ran from his escorts and jumped head first into a 10-feet stairway," Pintado said. "He died while being treated in a nearby hospital."

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/359772,death-cocaine-arrest-manila.html.

Malaysian rescuers find body of fourth victim of capsized boat

Mon, 27 Dec 2010

Kuala Lumpur - Malaysian rescuers found the body of a fourth Singaporean tourist from a passenger boat that capsized off a resort island in the southern Johor state, police said Monday.

Police said the boatman likely lost control of the overloaded wooden boat, which was made for 12 passengers but was carrying 29, due to strong winds and choppy waves.

The boat was carrying 19 Singaporean nationals, nine Malaysians and one Chinese tourist, officials said.

The tourists were returning from the nearby Sibu Island when the boat capsized just some 200 meters from the mainland jetty, district police chief Mohamad Nor Rashid said.

He said none of the passengers were wearing life jackets.

Rescuers retrieved the bodies of three Singaporean nationals on Sunday, and discovered the fourth early Monday. Rescue efforts were continuing for one more missing passenger.

"One minute we were enjoying the holiday and the next we were struggling for our lives when the boat capsized," a survivor named Lim Tai Wee was quoted as saying by the Star newspaper.

"It was very windy and the waves were hitting the boat hard," said Lim, whose two cousins perished in the accident.

Police detained the boat's Malaysian skipper for questioning.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/359780,fourth-victim-capsized-boat.html.

Row after Lieberman's remarks on Palestinians and Turkey

Mon, 27 Dec 2010

Jerusalem - Israel's outspoken Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman sparked a political row Monday following his blunt remarks on the Palestinians and the Turks.

Lieberman, of the ultra-nationalist Israel Beiteinu party - the largest coalition partner of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's nationalist Likud - has defended his weekend remarks, saying they they expressed his own positions and those of his party, not of the government.

On Sunday he had told Israeli ambassadors and consul-generals gathering in Jerusalem that even if Israel offered the Palestinians Tel Aviv, "they would still find a reason not to sign a deal with us."

He called the Palestinian autonomous government in Ramallah, which has not been ratified because of an internal power struggle between the Fatah and Hamas movements of President Mahmoud Abbas and de-facto Gaza premier Ismail Haniya, "illegitimate."

The minister called Turkey's demands that Israel apologize for killing nine Turkish activists aboard a Gaza-bound vessel in May an "audacity."

If anything, Ankara should apologize to Israel for cooperating with anti-Israel extremists, he stated.

And Lieberman reacted angrily to an alleged remark by Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu that it was questionable whether Israel would have helped Turkey the way Ankara had, when it sent two planes to help put out Israel's worst ever forest fire in early December.

"I am not prepared to tolerate lies," said the 52-year-old, Soviet-born politician, whose outspoken style has caused uproar in the past.

"I would remind him (Davutoglu) of the 1999 earthquake, when we sent a team of 240 people from the (Israel Defense Forces') Home Front Command to set up field hospitals and to rescue both the living and the dead," said Lieberman.

Lieberman's remarks prompted Netanyahu's office to issue a statement overnight, clarifying the remarks did not reflect government policy.

"The foreign minister's remarks represent his personal assessment and position, just as other ministers in the government maintain their own opinions," said the statement. "The Israeli government's position is only that which is stated by Prime Minister Netanyahu."

Israel's largest opposition party, the centrist Kadima, said Monday Lieberman's remarks were damaging to the country's foreign relations and demanded Netanyahu sack the minister.

Kadima lawmaker Israel Hasson, speaking on Israel Radio, called Lieberman a "pyromaniac," willing to "to fan every flame he only could" for the sake of his own personal, popular standing.

"What can we do, I have a different world view from the prime minister. That's why we are not in the same party. Neither his nor my opinions are a secret," Lieberman said Monday, defending himself on Israel Radio.

Among Lieberman's controversial remarks features one which enraged Hosny Mubarak, when in October 2008 he said that since Israel and Egypt had a peace treaty, the Egyptian president should either come to Israel or "go to hell."

While critics call Lieberman an extremist populist, others say he dares to say out loud out what many in Israel think.

Although he denies this, saying his proposals for a "loyalty oath" apply to all Israelis - Jews, Muslims and Christians alike - he has been widely accused of racism, because his election campaign singled out Israel's Arab citizens and what he terms the radicalization amongst them.

Lieberman's party has 15 mandates and is the third largest in the 120-seat Knesset, Israel's parliament.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/359787,liebermans-remarks-palestinians-turkey.html.

Killer elephant taken to Cambodian zoo

Mon, 27 Dec 2010

Phnom Penh - An elephant that terrorized residents of a village in southern Cambodia has been transported to his new home at a zoo, local media reported.

The bull elephant named Sambo killed his owner and escaped from captivity this month, trampling crops and harassing residents who retaliated with sticks, knives and fireworks. Officials from the Cambodian Forestry Administration eventually tranquilized him and transported him Saturday to Phnom Tamao Zoo outside Phnom Penh, the Phnom Penh Post newspaper reported.

Jack Highwood, the head of a wildlife conservation group who assisted in Sambo's capture, said the pachyderm's transportation was an ordeal as it became a local spectacle.

"We had to deal with people who wanted to get close [to] him, ride him, catch him and drive him - and especially deal with drunken people who wanted to take him home with them," Highwood told the Post.

The elephant, which weighed in at roughly 5 tons when captured, has reportedly lost more than 500 kilograms since being put on a starvation diet to ease his aggression. Conservation groups said the beast has likely been in a little-understood hormonal state called musth, which causes intense aggression in bull elephants.

Despite the destruction wrought by Sambo, some residents in Mon village of Kampong Speu province were sad to see him go.

"What are we going to look at now that the elephant is gone?" one villager reportedly asked Highwood. "Rice? Cows?"

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/359788,elephant-taken-cambodian-zoo.html.

Ecuador recognizes state of Palestine

Sat Dec 25, 2010

Ecuador has become the fifth South American country to formally recognize an independent Palestinian state.

President Rafael Correa on Friday signed "the Ecuadoran government's official recognition of Palestine as a free and independent state with 1967 borders," Ecuador's Foreign Ministry said in a statement, according to AFP.

The statement said Ecuador's decision to recognize a Palestinian state "vindicates the valid and legitimate desire of the Palestinian people for a free and independent state" and will be a contributing factor to a peaceful coexistence in the Middle East.

The border mention refers to the boundaries that existed before Israel captured East al-Quds (Jerusalem), the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Six-Day War.

Earlier this month, Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia and Uruguay recognized Palestine as an independent state.

Their move drew harsh condemnation from Israel and was opposed by the US House of Representatives as well.

The House on December 15 unanimously approved a resolution opposing unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state.

The resolution urged the White House to "deny recognition to any unilaterally declared Palestinian state and veto any resolution by the United Nations Security Council to establish or recognize a Palestinian state outside of an agreement negotiated by the two parties.”

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/157006.html.

'No Israeli troops near future Palestine'

Sat Dec 25, 2010

The acting Palestinian Authority (PA) chief strictly objects to any Israeli military presence close to the frontiers of the future Palestinian state.

On Friday, Mahmoud Abbas said "there will be no Israeli presence" along such a state's borders, Israeli website Ynetnews reported.

Neither would the troopers be allowed to enlist with foreign contingents, which could be deployed there.

Assigned to numerous checkpoints in the occupied West Bank and East al-Quds (Jerusalem), the military imposes serious impediments to the Palestinians' freedom of movement.

The forces also strongly confront the Palestinians, who hold anti-occupation protests, reportedly using rubber bullets and banned tear gas canisters.

“When a Palestinian state is established it will be empty of any Israeli presence," said Abbas.

The remarks follow a groundswell of international support for the Palestinians, in which several countries, including Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia and Ecuador have recognized a Palestinian state and reports have pointed to Uruguay's intention to take the measure in the future.

The recognition is based on the Palestinian borders prior to the 1967 Six-Day War, when Tel Aviv captured the West Bank, East al-Quds and the Gaza Strip alongside expanses of other Arab territories.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/157106.html.

Gaza aid convoy heads for final stop

Sat Dec 25, 2010

The first Asian humanitarian convoy, which aims to break the Israeli-imposed siege of the Gaza Strip, has departed for its final stop before the coastal sliver.

Laden with relief supplies, Asia to Gaza Solidarity Caravan of Asia 1 has left the Syrian capital of Damascus for the port city of Latakia in the northwest of the country.

The convoy, which currently has activists from 15 different nationalities onboard, began its journey from the Indian capital, New Delhi and traveled through Pakistan, Iran, Turkey and Lebanon.

The activists say they want to display solidarity with the Palestinian people in their resistance against Israel.

Tel Aviv has been enforcing an all-out land, aerial and naval blockade on the 1.5 million Palestinians in the enclave since mid-June 2007.

The mission has been welcomed by Khaled Meshaal, the political leader of the Palestinian resistance movement of Hamas, as well as Ramadan Abdullah, the leader of the Palestinian group of Islamic Jihad. "We really appreciate your effort to keep this momentum and to follow up your work," Abdullah said.

A seven-member delegation of Iranian lawmakers joined the mission while it was in the Syrian capital, Damascus.

The convoy plans to enter Gaza later in December, which marks the anniversary of the launch of the three-week-long Israeli war on the enclave. The onslaught killed more than 1,400 Palestinians.

There are fears that the mission might be fiercely confronted by Israel's military, which killed nine Turkish activists aboard Freedom Flotilla, an Ankara-backed humanitarian convoy, on May 31.

In this regard, an Indian activist on the mission told Press TV, “We are completely non-violent. We do not have weapons.”

In case of an attack, “We will face it with non-violence. We'll face it with a prayer in our hearts,” he added.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/157088.html.

Egypt building watchtowers near Gaza

Sun Dec 26, 2010

Egypt is building surveillance towers along the border with the Gaza Strip as part of its measures to step up restrictions on the besieged coastal enclave.

Egyptian security officials said on Saturday that the first of the steel and concrete towers, measuring almost 100 feet (30.5 meters) in height, near the Rafah Crossing, is almost completed, the Israeli daily Ha'aretz reported.

The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the structures were being built to improve the monitoring of movements along the border.

Cairo is also constructing an underground steel wall to disrupt a network of tunnels under the Gaza-Egypt border, which the Palestinians use to import basic food items and other supplies into the blockaded territory.

Egyptian authorities regularly fill the tunnels with gas or flood them with water and the underground lifelines are frequently bombed by Israeli fighter jets.

The construction of the steel wall and observation towers has caused tension between Egypt and other countries in the region.

In 2009, Hezbollah Secretary General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah criticized Egypt over the construction of the underground steel wall, saying it would "terminate the thin veins, which are giving some life and some hope to Gaza."

Israel has imposed a crippling land and sea siege on the Gaza Strip for over three years, pushing the densely-populated coastal sliver, which is home to 1.5 million Palestinians, to the verge of starvation.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/157161.html.

Egypt to be 'active' participant in Iraqi Arab League meet - Summary

Sun, 26 Dec 2010

Baghdad - Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul-Gheit said on Sunday that his country will take part in the Arab League annual meeting scheduled to be held in Iraq next March, despite concerns over the conflict-ridden country's ability to play host.

"Egypt shall have an active participation in the Arab summit," Aboul-Gheit said at a joint press conference in Baghdad with his Iraqi counterpart, Hoshyar Zebari.

Iraq is trying to bolster its international relations, though analysts have said that Baghdad might not be able to host the Arab summit, which the government sees as a key step towards its diplomatic future.

The current security situation remains tense and Iraq has yet to restore good ties with all of its neighbors, including some Arab states.

"There are a lot of residues that had passively affected our relations with the neighboring states and the whole world, due to the aggressive policies of the former regime," Zebari said, blaming ousted dictator Saddam Hussein for Iraq's diplomatic complications.

There were for instance signs of strife between Baghdad and Riyadh during the formation of the new Iraqi government led by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, is a major player in Middle East politics.

But Zebari noted on Sunday that Iraq has an embassy in Riyadh and a consulate in Jeddah.

"Relations between Iraq and the kingdom of Saudi Arabia are not cold, and we shall strive to build and boost them," he told reporters.

Aboul-Gheit's visit is the first by a foreign minister to Iraq since the formation of the new government this month after nine months of political deadlock.

Aboul-Gheit traveled to Iraq to mark the opening of Egypt's first consulate outside of the capital, in the northern city of Arbil.

He pledged that Cairo would ramp up its diplomatic activity in the country and Egyptian companies would invest further in Iraq, especially in the oil and gas sectors.

His visit also featured a meeting with al-Maliki, whom he congratulated on forming "a government of national partnership." The Egyptian top diplomat additionally met with the president of the autonomous Kurdish north of Iraq, Massoud Barzani.

A day before his trip to Iraq, Aboul-Gheit had said that Cairo would like to see Iraq free of United States troops. Egypt was opposed to the US-led invasion in 2003.

"We want all of them to leave and we want them to leave Iraq as soon as possible," he said, referring to the 50,000 US soldiers that remain in the country.

The troop presence is expected to be further wound down in 2011.

In 2005, Egypt's ambassador had been kidnapped and killed in Baghdad. Aboul-Gheit's last trip to Iraq in late 2008 marked the first visit by an Egyptian foreign minister to the nation since 1990, when Saddam led his country into a war with Kuwait.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/359729,league-meet-summary.html.

Five Somali terror suspects to be released in Netherlands - Summary

Sun, 26 Dec 2010

The Hague/Rotterdam - Dutch prosecutors on Sunday announced that they would shortly release five of the 12 Somali men arrested on Christmas Eve for allegedly planning a terrorist attack, after their interrogations invalidated the suspicions against them.

Their release was expected to still take place on Sunday.

Earlier in the day, relatives of the 12 detainees had protested their innocence to the media.

The men had "nothing to do with terrorism," the brother of one of the men told the daily De Telegraaf.

The arrests took place in the port city of Rotterdam after the Dutch secret service, AIVD, said it had concrete evidence of planned attacks.

It had proof that a "number of Somalis were planning to carry out an attack in the Netherlands in the near future," the AIVD said according to the public prosecutor disclosure on Saturday.

The public prosecutor was expected to announce on Monday what would next happen to the men, all aged between 19 and 48.

Police searched an internet cafe, four flats and two hotel rooms in Friday's raids, confiscating 11 computers - but failed to find any explosives or weapons. The target of the planned attacks also remained unclear, prosecutors said.

"We are normal, hard-working people. It must be a big misunderstanding," a man named Nuur told reporters in Rotterdam.

According to De Telegraaf, his brother Osman M F is among those arrested. He is reportedly the owner of the internet cafe.

Nuur, who has lived legally in the Netherlands for 12 years, said his brother arrived in the country from Germany six years ago. He had German citizenship, he said.

Dutch authorities did not confirm the report.

Several of the Somali suspects had acquired Dutch citizenship, a police spokesman said Saturday. Six of them had lived in Rotterdam, five had no fixed address and one had traveled to the Netherlands from Denmark.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/359739,released-netherlands-summary.html.

Moscow hit by freezing rain; airport operations shut down

Sun, 26 Dec 2010

Moscow - A freezing rain Sunday struck Moscow, turning streets into dangerous icy paths and forcing operations to shut down at one of the city's airports, the Interfax agency reported.

Within minutes, Moscow's pavements were coated in ice, causing hazardous road conditions. Railroad services in the entire Moscow region were disrupted as ice formed on the overhead electricity wires.

At the Domodedovo airport south-east of Moscow, authorities stopped all operations with no planes allowed to land or take off after the ice storm.

Beforehand, electricity at the airport had been cut off when a major cable connecting the electric power stations snapped.

Meanwhile Russia's top medical official, Chief Sanitary Inspector Gennadiy Onishchenko, advised Muscovites simply to stay home in order to avoid possible injury.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/359709,airport-operations-shut-down.html.

Germany demands that reporters held in Iran see family members

Sun, 26 Dec 2010

Berlin/Tehran - German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle on Sunday demanded that two German journalists being held in Iran should be allowed to meet with family members.

"I want to express my expectation that a meeting with family members can take place over Christmas," Westerwelle told German Bild am Sonntag newspaper.

The journalists - a reporter and a photographer for Bild am Sonntag - were arrested on October 10 when they sought to interview the son and lawyer of Sakineh Mohammadi-Ashtiani, a woman jailed for adultery and allegedly helping to murder her husband. The journalists had entered Iran on tourist visas.

The newspaper reported that the mother of the photographer and the reporter's sister had traveled to Tehran to visit the men.

Iranian sources said a meeting had been scheduled for Saturday, but was canceled because the journalists had not yet been moved to Tehran from the north-western city of Tabriz where they were arrested.

The Iranian authorities said they had assured German diplomats that they were doing everything to ensure the relatives would be able to meet on Sunday.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/359715,iran-see-family-members.html.

Family of Somalis arrested in Netherlands protest innocence

Sun, 26 Dec 2010

The Hague/Rotterdam - Relatives of 12 Somali men arrested in the Netherlands on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack protested their innocence to the media on Sunday.

The men had "nothing to do with terrorism" the brother of one of the men told the daily De Telegraaf.

The arrests took place on Christmas Eve in the port city of Rotterdam after the Dutch secret service, AIVD, said it had concrete evidence of planned attacks.

It had proof that a "number of Somalis were planning to carry out an attack in the Netherlands in the near future," the AIVD said according to the public prosecutor disclosure on Saturday.

The public prosecutor is due to announce on Monday what next happens to the men, all aged between 19 and 48.

Police searched an internet cafe, four flats and two hotel rooms in Friday's raids, confiscating 11 computers - but failed to find any explosives or weapons. The target of the planned attacks also remained unclear, prosecutors said.

"We are normal, hard-working people. It must be a big misunderstanding," a man named Nuur told reporters in Rotterdam. According to De Telegraaf his brother Osman M F is among those arrested. He is reportedly the owner of the internet cafe.

According to Nuur, who has lived legally in the Netherlands for 12 years, his brother arrived in the country from Germany six years ago. He had German citizenship, he said.

Dutch authorities did not confirm the report.

Several of the Somali suspects had acquired Dutch citizenship, a police spokesman said Saturday. Six of them had lived in Rotterdam, five had no fixed address and one had traveled to the Netherlands from Denmark.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/359716,arrested-netherlands-protest-innocence.html.

Execution of Iranian Kurdish student postponed, says lawyer

Sun, 26 Dec 2010

Tehran - The execution of an Iranian Kurdish student, which was supposed to be carried out on Sunday, has been postponed, the student's lawyer told ISNA news agency.

"My client was scheduled to be executed this morning but it was not carried out in order to allocate more time to further investigate the case," his lawyer Nemat Ahmadi told ISNA.

Habib Latifi, an active member of the banned Iranian-Kurdish rebel group Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK), was sentenced to death in 2008. An appeal court upheld the verdict in 2009.

Just before the scheduled execution, Ahmadi had once again written a letter to the head of the judiciary, Sadeq Larijani, asking for the sentence to be revised.

The execution was eventually postponed and Latifi allowed to meet his family members, the lawyer added.

At least 12 Kurds, all reportedly members of PJAK, are on death row after being found guilty of armed confrontation with Iranian forces.

Iranian Kurds, who are estimated to number around 7 million, mainly live in the north-western and western provinces of West Azerbaijan, Kermanshah and Kurdistan which border Turkey and northern Iraq.

Kurds in Iran have been at odds with the government in Tehran for decades as a result of their attempts to gain autonomy in Kurdish- populated provinces and form an alliance with Kurds in Turkey, Iraq and Syria.

Their efforts have led to bloody clashes in all four countries, but in Iran the Kurds are relatively integrated into Iranian society. They have some cultural autonomy but are, for example, obliged to learn Persian at school.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/359718,kurdish-student-postponed-lawyer.html.

Hamas warns Israel off military action, claims stronger than before

Sat, 25 Dec 2010

Gaza - Hamas' armed wing said Saturday it was "stronger than before" and warned Israel against launching any new military action in the Gaza Strip, where it said Israel was attempting to escalate the situation.

"If the occupation [Israel] wants to examine our reaction, it will be met with a harsh response," al-Qassam Brigades Spokesman Abu Obeida told a news conference in Gaza. "We therefore advise the enemy not to commit this stupidity."

His comments came two years after Israel launched a devastating three-week offensive on Gaza, which it said was aimed at preventing the Islamist organization from launching rockets at Israeli towns and villages.

Around 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed in what became known as the Gaza War.

Rocket attacks on Israel from Gaza have increased recently, as have Israeli airstrikes on the Strip, leading to fears that another round of fighting in Gaza is in the offing.

"We are now stronger than before and during the war, and our silence over the past two years was only for evaluating the situation," Abu Obeida said. "We won't face the current attempts of the enemy to escalate the situation with silence."

Hamas seized full control of the coastal enclave in June 2007, after routing security forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his Fatah party.

Israel considers the enclave a "hostile entity" and imposes a tight blockade on the territory.

Abu Obeida said that the news conference was being held to mark the second anniversary of the war, which began on December 27, 2008, and the 23rd anniversary of the founding of Hamas.

"Over the past 23 years, 1,808 Hamas militants have been killed, and we carried out 1,115 military attacks against the Zionist occupation. 58 per cent of the martyrs were killed after Hamas triumphed in the legislative elections in 2006," he said.

He said that the group first began its military operations with stones and empty bottles, then knives, before going on to make use of (suicide) bombers and rockets.

"We now have an arsenal of missiles and rockets. We began manufacturing our own arms and we developed our abilities in extremely difficult and complicated conditions," he said.

Over the past decade Hamas has fired 3,506 rockets and 7,475 mortars at Israeli targets, according to Abu Obeida.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/359674,action-claims-stronger-before.html.

Indian satellite rocket explodes after launch

Sat, 25 Dec 2010

New Delhi - India's ambitious space program suffered a setback on Saturday when its rocket carrying an advanced communications satellite exploded moments after launch.

The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) rocket deviated from its flight-path and burst into a fireball about a minute after launch from the Sriharikota spaceport, 90 kilometers north of the southern city of Chennai, live TV footage showed.

K Radhakrishnan, chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) which conducted the launch, said the spaceport lost control of the rocket 47 seconds after lift-off.

A technical snag in the first-stage of the rocket had caused the accident and the debris fell into the Bay of Bengal, ISRO scientists said.

This was the second GSLV rocket launch to have failed within a year - a GSLV rocket lost altitude and splashed into the Bay of Bengal in April this year. But another Indian rocket successfully put five satellites into orbit three months later in July.

The GSLV rocket is key to India's manned mission - planned for 2016 - as well as capturing a share of the commercial space launch market.

The GSLV rocket was carrying India's heaviest communications satellite with 36 transponders which was meant to replace a satellite in service for over a decade.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/359679,satellite-rocket-explodes-launch.html.

Iraqi Christians mark a muted Christmas - Summary

Sat, 25 Dec 2010

Baghdad - Iraqi Christians celebrated Christmas under tight security on Saturday as concerns over sectarian attacks led to a muted holiday, while the Vatican offered a message of comfort and a special prayer for their plight.

Most Christians headed to churches near their homes and businesses to attend services held on Saturday morning - in the safer daylight - instead of the traditional Christmas Eve mass.

Church leaders were urging the faithful to adopt additional security measures and have officially canceled most public events connected to the holiday. However, some churches were able to celebrate more openly in the autonomous Kurdish regions of northern Iraq, where many Christians have fled seeking refuge.

"My thoughts turn in a special way to the beloved country of Iraq," Pope Benedict XVI said in his Urbi et Orbi message to the city and the world from Rome.

"May the comforting message of the coming of Emmanuel ease the pain and bring consolation amid their trials to the beloved Christian communities in Iraq and throughout the Middle East," the pontiff said, adding that he wished it would "bring them comfort and hope."

The pope also called for global solidarity with Christians in the Middle East.

The vulnerability of Iraqi Christians had been highlighted in October, when an attack by Islamists on a Baghdad church - just as Sunday mass ended - left more than 60 people dead.

In a local show of support for the minority group, Ammar al-Hakim, a leader of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, on Saturday attended a mass held in the Virgin Mary Church in Baghdad's al-Mansur district.

President Jalal Talabani, meanwhile, congratulated Christians and appealed to "God to reign his blessings of love, fraternity and peace, making the New Year, a year of goodness, blessing and security for all."

In Mosul, some 400 kilometers north of the capital, many of Christianity's most ancient sects nevertheless feel threatened. The minority group's population has dwindled to a fraction of its size before the 2003 United States-led invasion, unofficial estimates say.

"Al-Qaeda has divided us and forced Christians to leave Mosul," said El-Hajj Abu-Abdullah, a Muslim school teacher.

He recalled happier days, when families of different faiths would offer each other blessings during holidays.

"I was always the first to congratulate Abu-Marie and his family for Christmas and New Year's," Abu-Abdullah said, using a pseudonym for a neighbor who fled the city this year.

Army and police forces were deployed around every church in Baghdad on Saturday. The Our Lady of Salvation church, the scene of the October attack, was also surrounded by newly erected cement blocks as extra security forces patrolled in the vicinity.

An Iraqi group affiliated with al-Qaeda has claimed responsibility for the church massacre and earlier this week renewed a threat against Christians, having already announced that the minority group was a legitimate target for more violence.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/359685,muted-christmas-summary.html.

Palestinian fundamentalist leader killed in Lebanon

Sat, 25 Dec 2010

Beirut - A senior official with the Palestinian extremist group Jund al-Sham has been killed in southern Lebanon, a Fatah commander confirmed on Saturday.

The circumstances of Ghandy al-Sahmarani's death are still being investigated. Palestinian sources said he was found with his hands tied with wires and a gunshot wound to the mouth.

Munir Makdah, the commander of the Fatah movement in the southern Palestinian refugee camp of Ain al-Hilweh, said that Sahmarani was likely killed in the Taamir region, an area outside the camp near the southern Lebanese port city of Sidon.

The sources said Sahmarani was forbidden from entering Ain al- Hilweh itself because he was wanted by security forces inside the camp, especially those affiliated with Fatah.

Clashes have broken out in the camp between Fatah and Jund al-Sham in the past. Sahmarani had escaped an assassination attempt in the camp in 2008.

Jund al-Sham, or Soldiers of the Levant, is a terrorist group believed to have first appeared in Afghanistan in 1999. It was established by Syrian, Palestinian and Lebanese nationals with links to al-Qaeda leader Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi.

Zarqawi, believed to be the mastermind behind hundreds of bombings, kidnappings and beheadings in Iraq, was killed north of Baghdad in June 2006 by a United States airstrike.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/359687,fundamentalist-leader-killed-lebanon.html.

Egyptian president: National security is top priority - Summary

Sat, 25 Dec 2010

Cairo - Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak said the country's top priority is national security during a speech at his party's annual conference on Saturday evening.

"Nothing comes ahead of Egypt's national security," he said during his 30-minute address.

Mubarak, who began his career in the Air Force, allocates billions of dollars each year to the country's security apparatus and is said to be one of the most tightly guarded presidents in the world.

The 82-year-old leader, who has ruled over Egypt for nearly 30 years, spoke before the country's ministers and an auditorium filled with hundreds of National Democratic Party (NDP) members - with key party leaders in the front row, including his son Gamal Mubarak.

The younger Mubarak, who chairs the party's policies committee, is rumored to be a possible candidate for the presidency.

The ailing and elder Mubarak has not said whether he intends to seek another six-year term in next year's election, although he has previously said he would serve until his last breath.

During his speech, Mubarak broadly outlined his party's goals following an election sweep in the lower house of parliament last month, in which the NDP won more than 80 per cent of seats.

"We will take clear and mindful steps in the next five years that will affect citizens," Mubarak said.

Around 20 minutes into the speech, party members interrupted the president with applause, leading Mubarak to joke, "So then, why haven't you clapped until now?"

Party members interrupted him twice more to yell out praises and wish him a long life.

Opposition groups held a parallel gathering in another part of Cairo on Saturday to discuss accusations of fraud in the recent parliamentary elections, after they lost most of their seats to the NDP in the 518-seat People's Assembly.

The grouping, led by the opposition April 6 Movement, began its meeting with discussions on a proposal to establish a "shadow parliament" in light of the electoral fraud allegations.

Leading opposition figures attended the meeting, with former United Nations nuclear watchdog chief and opposition figure Mohamed ElBaradei expected to take part.

The NDP's three-day conference was held under tight security. Some leading media outlets, including the satellite network al-Jazeera, were denied permits for the conference with no specific reason given.

Most conference sessions were also closed to the public, with the notable exception of a policy speech by Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul- Gheit, which broke little new ground.

"We cannot have a nuclear armed Iran and a nuclear armed Israel with Arabs in the middle taking cover," Aboul-Gheit said, restating a long-held Egyptian position on a nuclear-free Middle East.

The foreign minister also touched on the upcoming referendum on secession in southern Sudan and the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/359688,top-priority-summary.html.