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Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Security force extracts 700,000 kyat from woman who sought medical treatment

Monday, 03 January 2011

Maungdaw, Arakan State: On December 29, Burma’s Border Security Force (Nasaka) extracted 700,000 kyat from a patient who went to Bangladesh for medical treatment with permission, but returned from Bangladesh after the agreed upon time, said a local businessman on condition of anonymity.

The patient was identified as Ms. Khotiza Begum (50), the wife of ex-school teacher Abul Abas, from Kyauk Hlagaar Village of Maungdaw Township.

Ms. Begum went to Bangladesh on November 10, 2010 for medical treatment for her diabetic condition. She took with her the necessary documents from the concerned authorities, but only received permission for a seven-day stay in Bangladesh.

After arrival at Bangladesh, the patient visited a diabetic specialist doctor in Chittagong and received treatment from him. However, the patient’s condition was very serious, and she was not able to return home by the end of the seven days, said a local elder.

Later, on December 28, 2010, the patient returned to her home, where she had to report to the concerned Nasaka camp. Major Kyaw Maung,the Nasaka commander of Nasaka Area No. 6 of Maungdaw Township charged her 700,000 kyat as a penalty for her late return.

At present, Rohingya villagers requiring medical attention are allowed to go to Sittwe (Akyab), the capital of Arakan State, only after paying large fees to the concerned authorities. However, many patients are not able to pay the amount required to legally travel to Sittwe. As a result, many Rohingya people suffer from ailments and are unable to receive proper medical treatment in northern Arakan State, where there is a scarcity of doctors and medicine for treatment.

A local elder said, “This is a great discrimination against the victim Khotiza Begum. The Nasaka know she has relatives abroad, so they asked her to pay a very big amount.”

Source: Kaladan Press Network.
Link: http://www.kaladanpress.org/v3/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2972:security-force-extracts-700000-kyat-from-woman-who-sought-medical-treatment.

RRC's long march to Cox's Bazaar

Monday, 03 January 2011

Teknaf, Bangladesh: A group of fifteen Rohingya Resistance Committee (RRC) members started out on a long march from Teknaf to Cox’s Bazaar, nearly 84-kilometers away, on December 30 to raise awareness of Rohingya issues among the government and local people, said the chairman of the RRC - Teknaf Branch.

The Rohingya Resistance Committee (RRC) was formed at Ukiya in Cox’s Bazaar district. Its main aim is to send Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh back to Burma as early as possible.

There are also RRC branches in Teknaf and Cox’s Bazaar. The group has held meetings in Teknaf, Ukiya, and Cox’s Bazaar to call for the immediate repatriation of Rohingya refugees. They have also collected lists of Rohingyas living in Cox’s Bazaar district, said a local elder from Teknaf who asked not to be named.

The RRC has a plan to submit a proposal to the prime minister through the Cox’s Bazaar Deputy Commissioner (DC), along with their seven-point list of demands after arriving at Cox’s Bazaar from Teknaf.

The group’s demands for the Bangladeshi government are: to maintain a list of Rohingyas living in Bangladesh illegally, to seize lands that the Rohingya have occupied, to ban marriage between Rohingyas and locals, to exclude Rohingyas from voter lists, to stop the validity of documents allowing Rohingyas to buy land, to ban Rohingyas from participating in the wage market, and to take stringent steps to stop Rohingyas from entering the country illegally, said one of the Cox’s Bazaar RCC members.

Jabed Iqbal Chowdory, the Chairman of RRC - Teknaf Branch, is proclaiming the demands while the group marches to Cox’s Bazaar from Teknaf, a town on the Bangladesh-Burma border.

The RRC members’ two slogans are, ‘We achieved Bangladesh by giving our blood’, and ‘Rohingyas have been destroying our Bangladesh!’

“If our demands are not met by January 15, we will compel the government through a mass movement in Cox’s Bazaar,” said Chairman Muzzamel Haque of RCC - Cox’s Bazaar branch.

Some local sympathizers said they fear the Rohingya will meet with trouble in the near future as local Bangladeshis seek their repatriation to Burma. The Rohingyas do not wish to return to their home until the situation in Arakan State is more favorable for them.

Some locals said that some of the RCC members participate in anti-Rohingya activities because they want lands where Rohingyas’ have built homes, as the price of land is very high in Bangladesh.

Rohingya people living in border areas, especially in Cox’s Bazaar and Bandar Ban district, are passing their days in a panic-stricken situation, said a Rohingya elder on condition of anonymity.

Source: Kaladan Press Network.
Link: http://www.kaladanpress.org/v3/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2971:rrcs-long-march-to-coxs-bazaar.

Maungdaw residents face increasing harassment from Border Security Force

Saturday, 01 January 2011

Maungdaw, Arakan State: The residents of Maungdaw are facing an increase in harassment and extortion by agents of the Border Security Force (Nasaka), reports a local businessman on condition of anonymity, while a politician from Maungdaw pointed out that the Rohingya community is facing the most severe forms of intimidation.

For instance, on December 30, Mohammed Baser, 35, who hails from Maung Nama South Village, was arrested and then severely tortured by Nasaka personnel from Aung Mingala Nasaka outpost camp over the allegation that he was the friend of a local youth who was sentenced to jail three years ago for having an affair with a local girl.

The arrestee was released after paying 125,000 kyat to the Nasaka authorities later that day. The money was taken by Captain Zaw Myint, the assistant of Nasaka Director Lt. Col Aung Gyi at Kyikanpyin (Kawar Bill). Although the victim was arrested by officers from the Aung Mingala Nasaka outpost camp, Captain Zaw Myint likely received the money as he has power over the Nasaka outpost camp.

A relative of the victim said, “The youth who had the love affair with the girl has already been in jail for three years. It is not a crime to have been a friend of his. This was a deliberate action against a member of the Rohingya community to remind the Rohingya people that they [the Nasaka] have the might to do anything against the people. They want the Rohingya people to be demoralized.”

In another instance, two brothers from Maung Nama Gyi village named Ismail and Idris, the sons of Mohabad Ali, were arrested by the same Nasaka officers on December 29 over the allegation that they had married without receiving permission from the concerned authorities. The brothers married their respective wives several years ago after getting the required permission. During the arrest, the two told the officers that they did in fact have permission. They presented their documents, but the Nasaka did not accept the papers and accused them of having been married illegally.

The brothers were released from custody on 30 December after paying the authorities 200,000 kyat.

A local schoolteacher asked, “Can you imagine the kind of crimes the Nasaka commit against the Rohingya community? They treat Rohingyas as if they are not even human beings.”

In yet another recent case, two brothers, Mohamed Rofique (20) and Hassan (12), from Nari Bill Village of Maungdaw Township, were arrested by Nasaka officers from the Naribill Nasaka outpost camp on 30 December while they were on their way home with a log they had purchased from Amina Bazaar Market. Following the arrest, they were brought to the Nasaka camp and detained with their legs in a wooden box. The younger brother was severely beaten by the officers, said a local trader said who declined to be named.

“Why did they choose to harm a minor boy who is only 12 years old?”, asked a relative of the victim. The two brothers were released on December 31 after family members paid 20,000 kyat to the Nasaka.

Another local elder said, “It is not illegal to buy a log from the market. If the Nasaka wants to arrest the person who has committed the crime, they should have arrested the seller of the log. But the Nasaka feel they can do anything against the Rohingya community. They are above the law.”

“The out-going year of 2010 saw Rohingyas face an increase in abuse from the authorities across northern Arakan State. We hope that the harassments against the Rohingya community will be reduced in the new year,” said a local elder who asked not to be named.

Source: Kaladan Press Network.
Link: http://www.kaladanpress.org/v3/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2970:maungdaw-residents-face-increasing-harassment-from-border-security-force.

Authorities prohibit repair of religious buildings

Wednesday, 29 December 2010

Maungdaw, Arakan State: The military junta again barred the repair of religious buildings in Maungdaw on December 15, according to a local who requested anonymity.

The order was issued by Bo Than, the head of the District Religious Council of Maungdaw, but originated from the Maungdaw District Peace and Development Council and other related authorities, the local added.

The order instructed the Maungdaw Juma Masjid Committee to halt repairs to the Juma masjid (mosque) which have been ongoing since November 2010, said a member of Masjid Committee.

“When the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) candidates came to organize the local Rohingya community in Maungdaw for the election, the repairing order was brought by the USDP candidate, U Aung Zaw Win, to show his party’s ability and its interest in religious affairs,” the committee member added.

The USDP’s treasury unit for Maungdaw, accompanied by other local USDP members, carried out extensive renovations to the mosque where the members worked on finishing the walls and building an extension beside the mosque.

“The USDP members were working some part of the mosque and the extension is just undergoing to construct. The devotees have less space for prayer as the USDP members are working in the mosque.”

The newly-elected USDP MP U Aung Zaw Win told the Masjid Committee to wait until the return of U Phone Swe from India to discuss the ordered stoppage of the Mosque renovation. U Phone Swe is expected to arrive back within two days.

“Rohingya in Arakan state continue to experience the severest forms of legal, economic, educational, and social discrimination,” according to the US International Religious Freedom Report 2010.

“It remained extremely difficult for Rohingya to acquire permission to build new, or repair existing, mosques, although internal renovations were allowed in some cases. Historic mosques in Akyab, Arakan State, as well as other areas, continued to deteriorate because authorities would not allow routine maintenance. A number of restrictions were in place on the construction or renovation of mosques and religious schools in northern Arakan State. In some parts of Arakan State, authorities cordoned off mosques and forbade Rohingya to worship in them. Border security forces, Nasaka, continued to conduct arbitrary "inspections" of mosques in northern Arakan State, demanding that mosque officials show permits to operate the mosques.”

Source: Kaladan Press Network.
Link: http://www.kaladanpress.org/v3/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2969:authorities-prohibit-repair-of-religious-buildings.

Troops launch siege and search operation in Ramban

Jammu, January 04 (KMS): In occupied Kashmir, Indian army personnel have launched a massive search operation in Ramban and adjoining areas in Jammu and are forcing the people to spend the coldest nights outside their houses.

A joint team of Rashtriya Rifles and police is conducting search operation in Kheori Kund, Bhatpora, Bhimdasa and Gool areas and innocent people are taken out of their houses for identification parades.

Residents of these areas told media men that the troopers barge into residential houses and loot the valuables besides harassing women and children.

The operation has been launched after two Indian troops were killed in an attack at Bhimdasa on January 01 but the Indian troops are targeting innocent people in the name of search operation.

Source: Kashmir Media Service (KMS).
Link: http://www.kmsnews.org/news/troops-launch-siege-and-search-operation-ramban.

Demo in Srinagar against arrest of Kashmiri youth in Bhopal

Srinagar, January 04 (KMS): In occupied Kashmir, the family members and relatives of two Kashmiri youth hailing from Hajin who were arrested in Indian city of Bhopal held a protest demonstration at Press Colony in Srinagar.

The protesters demanded immediate release of the arrested youth, Showkat Ahmad Hakeem and Mihrajuddin. On the occasion, father of Showkat Ahmad Hakeem told media representatives that both the youth had gone to Bhopal to participate in a tableeghi congregation but police arrested them in a false case.

He termed their arrest as illegal and unjustified describing it as interference in religious affairs. The other relatives of the arrested youth saying that both of them were businessmen demanded their immediate release.

Source: Kashmir Media Service (KMS).
Link: http://www.kmsnews.org/news/demo-srinagar-against-arrest-kashmiri-youth-bhopal.

Police illegally detain an Imam in Handwara

Srinagar January 04 (KMS): In occupied Kashmir, Indian police have illegally arrested Imam of a local Masjid in Kolungam area of Handwara and shifted him to an undisclosed destination.

The police arrested the Imam, Bashir Ahmed Chohan when he was about to leave for Sapernaghama for some work. The family members of the arrested Imam talking to media men expressed serious concern about his safety. They said that he was arrested without any rhyme and reason.

Source: Kashmir Media Service (KMS).
Link: http://www.kmsnews.org/news/police-illegally-detain-imam-handwara.

Kashmiris to observe self-determination day tomorrow

UN urged to press India for plebiscite in Kashmir

Srinagar, January 04 (KMS): Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control and the world over will observe the Right of Self-determination Day, tomorrow, to remind the world that the UN resolutions on Kashmir remained unimplemented even after the passage of more than six decades.

It was on this day in 1949, that the United Nations adopted a resolution, acknowledging right of self-determination of Kashmiris and giving them the right to decide their future by themselves.

Speakers at a seminar in Srinagar, today, maintained that the unparalleled sacrifices of the Kashmiris to secure this inalienable right would not be allowed to go waste. The seminar was organized by the All Parties Hurriyet Conference and the speakers included Hurriyet Chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Nayeem Ahmed Khan, Muhammad Abdullah Tari, Mukhtar Ahmed Waza and Dr Javed Iqbal. A resolution passed on the occasion said that the Kashmiris were the masters of their destiny and they would continue their struggle that was totally indigenous.

Veteran Kashmiri Hurriyet leader, Syed Ali Gilani, in a letter to the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon urged him to call an immediate session of the Security Council and pass an additional resolution to press India to hold plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir.

On the other hand, Indian police continuing their crackdown against the leaders of the forum patronized by Syed Ali Gilani arrested three more of them from different areas of the territory. The police also detained an Imam in Kolungam area of Handwara shifting him to an undisclosed destination.

The family members and relatives of two Kashmiri youth who were recently arrested in Indian city of Bhopal held a protest demonstration at Press Colony in Srinagar demanding their immediate release.

Source: Kashmir Media Service (KMS).
Link: http://www.kmsnews.org/news/kashmiris-observe-self-determination-day-tomorrow.

Crackdown on leaders of Gilani's forum continues

Srinagar, January 04 (KMS): In occupied Kashmir, the forum patronized by veteran Kashmiri Hurriyet leader, Syed Ali Gilani has said that Indian police has launched a massive crackdown against its leaders.

The forum spokesman in a statement issued in Srinagar strongly denounced the arrest of three more leaders of the forum Muhammad Yasin Attai, Ghulam Nabi Malik and Irshad Ahmad Khan from different areas of the occupied territory.

He said that the condition of illegally detained Hurriyet leaders and activists including Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai, Peer Saifullah and Muhammad Ayub Dar had deteriorated alarmingly and the authorities had taken no steps to provide them medical treatment.

Source: Kashmir Media Service (KMS).
Link: http://www.kmsnews.org/news/crackdown-leaders-gilani%E2%80%99s-forum-continues.

Shabbir asks UN to play its role in Kashmir settlement

Srinagar January 04 (KMS): In occupied Kashmir, senior leader of All Parties Hurriyet Conference (APHC), Shabbir Ahmad Shah, has urged the United Nations to play its role in resolving the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the Kashmiris’ aspirations.

Shabbir Ahmed Shah in a statement in Srinagar said that the UN had passed its first resolution on Kashmir on January 5, 1949, which promised to give the people of Jammu and Kashmir their inalienable right to self-determination. He deplored that despite the passage of several decades, the world body had failed to implement its resolutions.

The senior APHC leader maintained that Kashmir was not a border dispute between India and Pakistan or any other administrative or economic conflict but a political problem and must be resolved politically. “The dispute is pending due to the rigid and unrealistic approach of the India,” he added.

Source: Kashmir Media Service (KMS).
Link: http://www.kmsnews.org/news/shabbir-asks-un-play-its-role-kashmir-settlement.

UN will look into cases of HR abuse in IHK: Ban

United Nations, January 04 (KMS): The UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon has said that the World Body will look into the use of force and abuses of human rights by Indian troops in occupied Kashmir.

The UN Secretary General said this at his annual year-end press conference here. Ban's remarks came after he was asked about the human rights violations in Kashmir as revealed by WikiLeaks.

He said that India and Pakistan should enter into negotiations to resolve the Kashmir dispute. “I understand that there have been discussions between India and Pakistan on all matters, including this Kashmir issue,” he added.

Source: Kashmir Media Service.
Link: http://www.kmsnews.org/news/un-will-look-cases-hr-abuse-ihk-ban.

Gilani urges UN to implement its resolutions on Kashmir

Srinagar, January 04 (KMS): Veteran Kashmiri Hurriyet leader, Syed Ali Gilani has urged the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon to call an immediate session of the Security Council and pass an additional resolution to press India to hold referendum in disputed Jammu and Kashmir.

Syed Ali Gilani in a letter to the UN Secretary General reminded the World Body of its moral and legal commitment of holding a plebiscite in Kashmir to give the Kashmiris an opportunity to exercise their right to self-determination.

“In view of the resolutions passed by it, the UN is morally and legally responsible for making sure that Kashmiris get their right to self-determination,” he said in a statement. The veteran Hurriyet leader said that Kashmir was a threat to international peace and the dream of a stable and peaceful South Asia could not be realized until the 63-year-old dispute was resolved. “Already India and Pakistan have fought three wars over Kashmir, and role of the UN Secretary General towards resolving the dispute becomes more imperative in view of the nuclear-capability of both the countries. India should not be allowed to put world peace at risk,” he added.

Syed Ali Gilani asked Ban Ki-Moon to take cogniance of India’s reluctance to allow Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, International Red Cross and other international rights bodies to visit Kashmir while dismissing their reports regarding human rights violations committed by Indian troops in the occupied territory. He said that the troops had already killed lacs of Kashmiris and subjected more than ten thousand people to custodial disappearance and they were still continuing to use brute force against peaceful demonstrations.

Meanwhile, a spokesman of the forum patronized by Syed Ali Gilani in a statement said that the veteran Hurriyet leader would preside over a seminar, “UN resolutions and Sacrifices of Oppressed People” at the forum’s Hyderpora office on Wednesday, January 5, to remind the UN of its resolutions passed in favor of Kashmiris’ right to self-determination on the day in 1949. “Gilani would also address a seminar in Jamia Masjid Sopore on Thursday, January 6, in memory of 45 innocent people who were killed by the Indian Border Security Force personnel on that day in 1993,” the spokesman said, adding that complete shutdown would be observed in Sopore on the day.

Source: Kashmir Media Service.
Link: http://www.kmsnews.org/news/gilani-urges-un-implement-its-resolutions-kashmir.

HR bodies asked to help in Kashmiri detainees' release

India urged to take steps for Kashmir settlement

Srinagar, January 03 (KMS): In occupied Kashmir, veteran Kashmiri Hurriyet leader, Syed Ali Gilani has appealed to the Amnesty International and other human rights organizations to help in release of illegally detained Kashmiri Hurriyet leaders and activists.

Syed Ali Gilani in a statement issued in Srinagar strongly denounced the arrest of two activists of his forum from Indian city of Bhopal.

He pointed out that Indian police was arresting the people who had taken part in the massive protests in 2010 and deplored that India had been suppressing the Kashmiris’ voice with gun for the last 63 years.

The Jamaat-e-Islami of occupied Kashmir in a statement in Srinagar urged India to resolve the Kashmir dispute by implementing the relevant UN resolutions to ensure permanent peace in South Asia.

On the other hand, a trooper of Indian Central Reserve Police Force was found dead under mysterious circumstances at a camp in Bandipora. At least 35 shops and five houses were gutted in a major fire incident at Khadim market in Bandipore town, today.

Extreme cold wave conditions continued to prevail in occupied Kashmir, today, with minimum temperature in Srinagar dipping to minus 5.2 degrees Celsius and Leh freezing under a minimum of minus 23 degrees Celsius.

Source: Kashmir Media Service (KMS).
Link: http://www.kmsnews.org/news/hr-bodies-asked-help-kashmiri-detainees%E2%80%99-release.

35 shops, 5 houses gutted in Bandipora

Srinagar, January 3 (KMS): Devastated fire destroyed around 25 shops and 5 houses in the main market of Bandipore, caused billions Rupees of loss.

The fire started near the Gulshan Chowk and it spread to the entire Khadim Market. By the time the shopkeepers managed to inform the fire department, the flames engulfed about 35 shops and five houses.

“The fire melted the shutters of shops and the roofs of all shops have collapsed. I had four shops in the market selling utensils, hardware and other material. There were goods worth over one crore rupees in the shops,” said Bashir Ahmed, a local shopkeeper

Two fire service personnel and two policemen including SHO Bandipora Abdul Khalid were injured in the operation. Locals blamed administration for negligence. People blamed Irrigation department for negligence in maintaining the channel which passes through the market. Angry shopkeepers also attacked Deputy Commissioner by hurling firepots (Kangris) at him following which the officer was moved to safe place by police.

The Khadim Market had mainly hardware, hosiery and general material shops. “It was difficult to bring the fire under control. The items stacked in shops were highly inflammable. Although the fire has been brought under control, it is still smoldering,” said station officer of the fire department.

Source: Kashmir Media Service (KMS).
Link: http://www.kmsnews.org/news/35-shops-5-houses-gutted-bandipora.

Bashir in 'historic visit' to Juba

The Sudanese president is to deliver final remarks before secession referendum "to set the scene for amicable divorce".

04 Jan 2011

Omar al-Bashir, the Sudanese president, has arrived in the southern regional capital of Juba to deliver what could be his final address in the region. He will also meet with local ministers ahead of his country's upcoming vote on secession.

With polls indicating that southerners favor breaking away from the north, Tuesday's remarks could be Bashir's final speech to a south that remains undivided from the north.

Bashir, who has insisted on unity in the past, is expected to strike a conciliatory tone, said Al Jazeera's Lauren Taylor, reporting from Juba.

Bashir has recently said he will be the first to congratulate the south on its independence if it secedes, and the southern government has ordered ministers out onto the street to greet the president.

The friendly gestures from both sides indicates their "prickly interdependence," our correspondent said: Most of Sudan's oil is located in the south, but the means of production lie in the north.

Bashir's speech, Taylor said, will attempt to "set the scene for an amicable divorce".

But on Tuesday, Bashir also called on south Sudan not to assist fighters from the western Darfur region whose rebellion against Bashir's government set off the country's civil war in 2003.

Any cooperation with the former rebels would be a "violation," he said.

Source: al-Jazeera.
Link: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/01/2011146021176942.html.

Tribe warns of war over Sudan vote

Leader of Misseriya in Abyei region says his people will not accept joining the south following referendum.

03 Jan 2011

A tribal leader in Sudan's flashpoint region of Abyei has given a war warning, six days before south Sudan votes on whether to split from the north.

Bishtina Mohammed El Salam of the Misseriya, one of two dominant tribes in Abyei, said his people will not accept joining the south following the January 9 referendum.

His tribe shares the region with the Dinka, who say they want to join the south.

"If the Dinka take this decision - to annex Abyei to the south - there will be an immediate war without any excuse," El Salam told Al Jazeera.

"We think they should be reasonable and think about it. They should know that those who are pushing them to take that decision will not give them any back-up."

Under a 2005 peace agreement, a separate referendum is to be held for Abyei's people to opt to join the north or the south.

But issues over borders and residency rights have delayed that vote, which was due on January 9th.

Mutual fear

Al Jazeera's Mohamed Vall, reporting from Abyei, said there is a situation of mutual fear between the two tribes in the region.

"The Dinka have been talking about a local referendum they are going to organize on their own outside the framework of the peace agreement between the north and the south," he said.

"That has stoked fears among the Misseriya that the Dinka are about to annex Abyei to the south. So the Misseriya are doing this in anticipation, to send a serious warning to the Dinka and prevent them from such action."

Abyei sits on the country's ill-defined internal border and is claimed by both sides. Both north and south jointly govern the region under a special administrative status.

The south holds a symbolic attachment to the region, as many of its leading figures come from there, including Salva Kiir, the leader of South Sudan's semi-autonomous government.

But the Misseriya nomads from the north claim the right to use its pastures for grazing.

Source: al-Jazeera.
Link: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/01/201113143152881650.html.

Taiwan set to lift ban on solo Chinese tourists

by Staff Writers
Taipei (AFP) Jan 2, 2011

Taiwan is expected to lift its decades-old ban on visits by individual Chinese tourists from April in yet another sign of the island's fast-warming ties with China, officials and local media said Sunday.

Currently Chinese are only allowed to travel to the island in groups as Taiwan's authorities are concerned they might otherwise over-stay their visas and work illegally.

"We're ready for the further opening measures," an official at Taiwan's China policy decision-making body Mainland Affairs Council said on condition of anonymity.

She would not provide details, but the Taipei-based China Times said that up to 500 residents from Shanghai and Beijing would be permitted to travel to the island each day on a trial basis.

"The two sides have reached a consensus on the long-anticipated policy, with the measures starting around the Tomb Sweeping Day" which falls on April 5, the Times said, without identifying its source.

Solo Chinese tourists would be allowed to stay in Taiwan for up to 15 days, it said.

When asked to comment on the report, Chen Chiung-wen, an official at Taiwan's Tourism Bureau, said she expected the new measures to be realized soon "as they meet the targets of the two sides".

She said "tourists from China for the first time will be given the chance of making in-depth tours of Taiwan," adding that further discussion would be needed.

The daily quota of Chinese visitors was increased from 3,000 to 4,000 from Saturday, according to an agreement reached in Taipei last month.

Beijing still considers self-ruled Taiwan part of its territory awaiting reunification, by force if necessary even though the island has ruled itself since 1949 at the end of a civil war.

But the former bitter rivals have taken a series of measures to boost tourism since Taiwan's Beijing-friendly President Ma Ying-jeou took office in 2008.

Chinese tourists made 1.6 million visits to Taiwan last year and authorities on the island expect the figure to rise to up to 2.0 million this year.

Source: Sino Daily.
Link: http://www.sinodaily.com/reports/Taiwan_set_to_lift_ban_on_solo_Chinese_tourists_999.html.

US to deploy new intelligence drone in Afghanistan: report

by Staff Writers
Washington (AFP) Jan 2, 2011

The US military plans to to deploy a new intelligence drone in Afghanistan, which military experts say will allow US troops to monitor much larger operational theaters than before, The Washington Post reported Sunday.

The newspaper said the airborne surveillance system is called Gorgon Stare and will be able to transmit live video images of physical movement across an entire town.

In 2010, a total of 711 international troops were killed in Afghanistan, according to independent website iCasualties -- the highest annual death toll since the war began in 2001.

The system consists of nine video cameras mounted on a remotely piloted aircraft, which can can transmit up to 65 live images to soldiers on the ground or to analysts tracking enemy movements, the paper said.

By contrast, current Air Force drones today shoot video from a single camera over a narrow area the size of a building or two, The Post noted.

"Gorgon Stare will be looking at a whole city, so there will be no way for the adversary to know what we're looking at, and we can see everything," the paper quoted Major General James Poss, the Air Force's assistant deputy chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, as saying.

There are around 140,000 international troops fighting the Taliban-led insurgency in Afghanistan, around two-thirds of them from the United States.

Source: Space War.
Link: http://www.spacewar.com/reports/US_to_deploy_new_intelligence_drone_in_Afghanistan_report_999.html.

First British soldier of 2011 killed in Afghanistan

by Staff Writers
London (AFP) Jan 2, 2011

The first British soldier to die in Afghanistan this year was killed in an explosion on New Year's Day, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) said Sunday.

A total of 103 British soldiers were killed in operations last year, the second bloodiest on record for British troops following the 108 killed in 2009 -- more than double the 2008 toll.

The rate of British troops being killed has dropped since September 2010 when they handed over to US forces in the flashpoint market town of Sangin in the restive southern Helmand province.

The soldier killed Saturday was from The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland.

He was caught in an explosion while on an operation to interdict enemy fighters in the Nahr-e Saraj area of Helmand, the MoD said.

"He was part of an operation aiming to bring peace and prosperity to the people of a former insurgent haven, and has made the ultimate sacrifice in seeking a better life for others," said Task Force Helmand spokesman Lieutenant Colonel David Eastman.

The death brings to 349 the number of British troops killed since operations in Afghanistan began in October 2001. Of these, at least 308 were killed through hostile action.

Britain has around 9,500 troops in Afghanistan, largely battling Taliban militants in Helmand.

Source: Space War.
Link: http://www.spacewar.com/reports/First_British_soldier_of_2011_killed_in_Afghanistan_999.html.

Organic farming blooms in Serbia

by Staff Writers
Belgrade (AFP) Jan 3, 2011

Standing in her greenhouse in gumboots, Zorana Gajic jokes how she used to think "food grew in supermarkets" but now experiments on how to mix crops to ensure optimum use of her "organic" soil.

A path next to the greenhouse leads to an orchard with plum and cherry trees, melon patches in between and a flock of sheep grazing peacefully throughout.

"I came to this via my husband otherwise I would still think food was grown in supermarkets," Zorana, a lawyer who works for the World Bank and the Serbian government, told AFP.

Her husband, engineer Miodrag Radivojevic, a retired engineer, had inherited a 5.5-hectare (13.5-acre) family farm where the couple enjoyed growing some of their own vegetables. Then two years ago Zorana started having allergic reactions to tomatoes she bought in the supermarket, due to pesticides.

That's when they decided to jump into organic farming.

"We started out of our love for nature but we were also aware of the potential market out there," she said.

The unique circumstances in Serbia allowed them to get quick certification as an organic farm: almost a decade of international sanctions had crippled the economy, meaning farmers simply had not had money to buy chemical fertilizers and insecticides.

In general, experts say, agricultural land must be free of chemicals for three years to qualify for organic farming. In parts of Serbia, however, the process has been cut to two years -- whereas in some European Union countries where chemical use was heavy, it can take up to five or six years.

"For almost 20 years farmers did not have the means to buy manure and herbicides. That's why the land is really clean compared to other countries in Europe," explained Branko Cicic of the Organic Serbia Fund, which runs a special organic food stall in Belgrade's famed Kalenic market.

At the moment only 0.3 percent of Serbian agriculture land is used for organic farming but demand is growing, Igor Novakovic of Serbia's export promotion agency SIEPA told AFP.

-- Young people want healthy food --

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"There is a rise in organic production driven by domestic demand from young people who want to eat healthy food," Novakovic said.

In the Kalenic market, prices at the organic stand are significantly higher than at surrounding stalls. Its clients are mainly young urban upper middle class professionals with families.

"It is mothers who want to feed their children the best," Cicic said.

The trend has also attracted industrial producers like the Belgrade-based Royal Eco Food, which makes organic versions of traditional Serb preserves like plum chutney and ajvar, a sweet pepper relish.

Their ajvar has won a "superior taste" award from the Brussels-based International Taste and Quality Institute of independent chefs and sommeliers.

Though the firm is only five years old, sales boomed so fast it had to cut short a venture into the Russian market because its local producers could not keep up with the demand.

"Whatever we exported, sold out," Tanja Stojanovic of Royal Eco Food told AFP.

The growth has not been without obstacles. "If you are a pioneer in any field, by default you are faced with difficulties," said Stojanovic.

"In the beginning we had to import (organic) tomatoes from Italy as we did not have enough suppliers here," she said.

It was also hard to get farmers willing to start the transition to organic production.

Now "we offer long-term contracts with guarantees given in advance that the production will be bought," Stojanovic said. "This was necessary to get the farmers involved in the process as the organic production is also more expensive and more risky."

Royal Eco Food would not comment on its turnover other than to say that production is sustainable.

For now, it is focusing on the local market but still eying expansion into the European Union as Serbia's relations with Brussels improve.

And the potential for boosting production is vast.

Figures from the agriculture ministry estimate that around 75 percent of Serbia's agricultural land, some 650,000 hectares, can be used for organic food production within three years.

"Because of the UN sanctions," SIEPA's Novakovic told AFP, "you can find fields here of 20 hectares that people haven't put chemicals on in 20 years."

He said Serbia was hoping to attract European investors to set up organic farms here, listing another national asset.

"You can also find highly skilled and cheap labor (and) in organic farming you need a lot of manual labor as you cannot use machines," said Novakovic.

Source: Seed Daily.
Link: http://www.seeddaily.com/reports/Organic_farming_blooms_in_Serbia_999.html.

Japan to step up mineral exploration in Pacific: report

by Staff Writers
Tokyo (AFP) Jan 3, 2011

Japan is to step up its search for undersea mineral reserves in the Pacific, according to a media report on Monday, setting up a likely exploration race with China and South Korea.

The Japanese government plans to begin fully fledged surveys near Minamitorishima, the nation's south-easternmost territory, during the 12 months from April, the Nikkei business daily said.

Rare earth metals and minerals such as manganese, cobalt, nickel, platinum, neodymium are believed to lie beneath the seabed near the island, located some 2,000 kilometers (1,250 miles) southeast of Tokyo, the daily said.

The Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corp. has been conducting basic surveys in the waters but the government has decided to take direct control of the project, it said.

The government plans to spend part of a budget of 6.8 billion yen (84 million dollars) set aside for promoting undersea mineral deposit development and related activities for the next fiscal year, it said.

China, South Korea and other neighboring countries have also shown interest in exploring natural resources in the waters just outside Japan's exclusive economic zone around Minamitorishima, Nikkei said.

Japan is trying to secure a reliable source of rare earth minerals, used in the manufacture of high-tech goods, after China stopped shipments of the commodity to Japan late last year over a territorial row.

Source: Terra Daily.
Link: http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Japan_to_step_up_mineral_exploration_in_Pacific_report_999.html.

Earthquake shakes Chile, no injuries reported

by Staff Writers
Santiago (AFP) Jan 2, 2011

A strong earthquake shook coastal Chile Sunday, disrupting power and communications services but caused no injuries or significant damage, authorities said, as tsunami fears led residents to seek higher ground.

The US Geological Survey said the 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck at 2020 GMT 69 kilometers (45 miles) northwest of Temuco, Chile, at a depth of 16 kilometers (10 miles).

Chile's National Emergency Office said the quake was "medium intensity" and struck Biobio, Maule and O'Higgins, a region in south-central Chile that was devastated by a 8.8 magnitude quake and tsunami in February 2010.

"Fortunately we have no accidents to lament, nor loss of life, nor major damage," said President Sebastian Pinera.

"All the services functioned normally. There were some partial power outages, there were some moments when telephone lines were saturated, but all the systems functioned normally except for these bottlenecks."

The emergency response agency's director Vicente Nunez told reporters that power outages and interruptions in telephone service were common in these cases.

The earthquake set off panicky reactions, however, with people fleeing to higher ground in Puerto Saavedra and Tirua out of fear of tsunamis, according to Chilean television.

Television images showed shoppers scrambling to get out of supermarkets and shopping centers when the quake hit.

But Pinera said people displayed calm in evacuating the coastal area near the quake's epicenter.

"They reacted swiftly and in keeping with what is required in these situations," he said.

The Chilean Navy's Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service discounted the threat of a tsunami, saying the epicenter was on land and not at sea.

An initial report by the USGS said the quake occurred offshore, but it later revised its findings. US authorities also ruled out the threat of a Pacific-wide tsunami.

"Based on all available data, a destructive Pacific-wide tsunami is not expected," the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said in a bulletin.

"However, earthquakes of this size sometimes generate local tsunamis that can be destructive along coasts located within a hundred kilometers (62 miles) of the earthquake epicenter," it said.

The National Emergency Office said Sunday's temblor was followed nearly two hours later by a moderate aftershock.

The earthquake was also felt in Argentina's Patagonia region, near the border with Chile, especially in San Martin de los Andes, where dozens of people ran out of the customs building fearing it might collapse, the Bariloche News Agency said.

No injuries or damage from the quake were reported in Argentina.

Chile lies on the Pacific rim of fire and is prone to violent earthquakes. Last February's massive earthquake unleashed a tsunami that swept away entire villages.

The disaster left around 520 people dead, and caused an estimated 30 billion dollars in damage.

There were differing opinions Sunday over whether the latest quake and last year's disaster were related.

"This Sunday's quake was in keeping with the country's tectonic behavior, and has no relation to the quake on February 27," said Nunez of the National Emergency Office.

But Sergio Barrientos, director of the Seismological Service at the University of Chile, told Chilean television, "An 8.8 magnitude quake will generate aftershocks for several years."

Source: Terra Daily.
Link: http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Earthquake_shakes_Chile_no_injuries_reported_999.html.

Beijing traffic rules turn car showrooms into ghost towns

by Staff Writers
Beijing (AFP) Jan 2, 2011

For the past year, car showrooms in Beijing have been heaving with people keen to buy their slice of the country's new middle-class dream. But now they are deserted.

Last month, Beijing said it would slash the number of new registrations for 2011 to ease chronic gridlock and thick pollution in the capital -- good news for frustrated drivers but terrible news for car dealers and would-be buyers.

Li Hao, a sales manager for Chinese automaker Chery, told AFP he had not sold a car since December 24, when the tough restrictions took effect.

"We definitely won't make money this year," Li told AFP, as he sat in the showroom, which was nearly empty except for a few bored-looking sales assistants and a handful of customers finalizing earlier purchases.

"Our income and sales will definitely drop and I'm worried about my own income and job. Every car salesperson is thinking about this problem."

In an attempt to ease severe traffic congestion, Beijing will allow 240,000 cars to hit the roads this year through a license plate lottery system -- about one-third of the number of new cars registered in 2010.

Expectations about the new car curbs sparked a surge in December sales, with about 20,000 sold in the first week of the month alone, state media said -- more than double the 9,000 cars sold in the same period in 2009.

China's decision to scrap tax cuts for small cars from January 1 also boosted sales.

Li said his dealership had been packed with customers wanting to buy a set of wheels before the new rules took effect.

One of those people was Tian Mao, a 33-year-old wine salesman who wanted a car to make his lengthy commute more palatable.

As soon as he heard reports about the new restrictions, he went to the Chery showroom and paid 70,000 yuan (10,600 dollars) for a car.

"I'm very happy. I bought the car a week before the new rules were introduced. It was quite cheap," Tian told AFP as he finished his ownership paperwork.

As well as easing bottlenecks -- deemed the world's worst in an IBM survey conducted in mid-2010 -- authorities hope the new rules will help clean up the notoriously dirty air in the city of 19 million people.

Air quality has been getting worse amid high demand for private vehicles from the city's increasingly affluent residents -- and has been blamed for deterring people from riding their bicycles instead of driving cars.

But environmental activists said the rules would have little impact on pollution levels in the capital.

"This is a policy that really came too late," Yang Ailun, climate and energy campaign manager for Greenpeace China, told AFP.

"It came at a time when the traffic and the local pollution problem in Beijing are already out of control."

Other cities around China, which overtook the United States as the world's biggest car market in 2009 and which this year is expected to see total sales of 20 million units, are introducing measures to relieve congestion.

Shanghai, which has about one-third the number of registered vehicles as Beijing, even though the populations of the two cities are about the same, has restricted new number plates for many years.

In the southern city of Guangzhou, authorities are trying to reduce traffic by ordering cars off the roads based on the last digit of the license plate.

A similar system is also in place in Beijing but is widely ignored -- and blamed in part for the exploding number of cars clogging the streets, as some residents have simply bought another car to stay behind the wheel.

Analysts nevertheless believe Beijing's new rules will only put a small dent in car sales this year.

"The overall impact on the auto industry is not going to be very big -- about 200,000-300,000 units per year," said John Zeng, an analyst with IHS Global Insight in Shanghai.

Zeng estimated sales would be boosted by people buying new cars to replace their old ones, while others will register their cars in neighboring provinces to get around the restrictions.

The real victims of the measures will be small dealerships, said Zeng, who believes 20-30 percent will be forced to close.

Other predictions are more dire. The National Passenger Car Information Exchange Association forecasts 50 percent of car dealers will be driven out of the market, the China Daily said.

As he looked across the empty showroom, Li said he expected monthly sales to plunge to 45 units this year from 200 units in 2010. Apart from reducing staff salaries, Li doesn't know how he will make up the shortfall.

"I haven't come up with a very good idea so far to increase sales or income," he said.

"We can only wait and see what happens."

Source: Space Mart.
Link: http://www.spacemart.com/reports/Beijing_traffic_rules_turn_car_showrooms_into_ghost_towns_999.html.

Mauritania launches 11 solar platforms

2011-01-02

Mauritania last week inaugurated 11 solar multi-functional platforms, Pana reported on Friday (December 31st). The initiative in the Hodh region, 1,000km east of Nouakchott, will "alleviate the workload of women and make for their participation in economic and social development action", the United Nations Development Program said. The project aims at involving rural residents in community-based development and the conservation of natural resources.

Source: Magharebia.com.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2011/01/02/newsbrief-04.

Fifty Algerian harragas rescued near Spain

2011-01-02

Spanish marine rescue services on Friday (December 31st) intercepted four boats near Murcia carrying 50 Algerian illegal immigrants, Tout sur l'Algerie reported. The harragas, including several children, will reportedly be repatriated to Algeria after receiving medical evaluations.

Source: Magharebia.com.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2011/01/02/newsbrief-03.

Arab co-operation can shield children from violence, ministers say

Maghreb officials attending the Arab ministerial conference in Marrakech touted their progress in protecting children. According to experts, however, much work remains.

By Siham Ali for Magharebia in Marrakech – 02/01/11

Arab states need to take joint action to protect children from violence and terrorism, the 4th Arab Ministers' Congress on the Rights of the Child Rights recently concluded in Marrakech.

There is a "need to adopt resolutions condemning terrorism, of which children are the primary victims, and tending to limit violence within families, at schools and in society by promoting the precepts of tolerant Islam, which condemns all forms of terrorism and violence", attendees said at the December 19th-21st meeting, held under the theme: "Strengthening the Arab Partnership".

"Across Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia in particular, the situation for children is very similar," sociologist Samira Kassimi told Magharebia. "These countries have made progress in this area. But big issues remain, and they necessitate a closer partnership between decision-makers, civil society and experts so that joint strategies can be formulated."

Maghreb ministers expressed their willingness to share experiences in order to tackle persistent hurdles.

"Morocco has taken a number of measures and adopted strategies to bring its laws into line with international agreements, including the Family Code (Moudawana), the Nationality Code and the ambitious ten-year program entitled 'A Morocco Worthy of its Children'. Several awareness campaigns have focused on the prevention of violence against children and servant labor," Moroccan Social Development Minister Nouzha Skalli said.

Skalli also highlighted the urgent need to implement programs aimed at preventing violence against children, to break down the wall of silence regarding the issues they face and to involve all stakeholders in this process. She expressed satisfaction with what Morocco has achieved, and asserted that it has made an irrevocable commitment to human development and children's rights, in particular through the adoption of an integrated approach.

In terms of children's rights, Morocco's experience can be held up as an example, just like that of Tunisia and the Lebanon, according to Rabab El Hussieny, a senior lecturer at the Egyptian Center for Sociological and Criminological Research.

Algeria has made important strides thanks to "compulsory free schooling for boys and girls, free healthcare and the creation of an extensive mother-and-child health network aimed in particular at achieving universal immunization coverage for children," Algerian Maghreb Affairs Minister Abdelkader Messahel said.

"Forty per cent of the budget for the 2010-2014 public investment program has been allocated to the education and healthcare sectors, the aim being to resolve certain weaknesses that are still in evidence," the minister added. He also underlined that 99% of births are now reported to register offices and that Algerian citizenship may be passed on by both fathers and mothers.

Meanwhile, Tunisia is establishing a national children's festival, which will be held on January 11th each year to supplement the 1995 Child Protection Code, former Tunisian Youth and Sports Minister Samir Laabidi said. Laabidi was named Communications Minister as part of the December 29th Tunisian cabinet reshuffle.

The minister said that Tunisia's goals include children's right to compulsory education and pointed out that the school enrollment rate for children aged six was 99.2% in 2009.

Mauritania has made considerable efforts with regard to children on the institutional and organizational fronts in partnership with civil society and international organizations, Mauritanian Social Affairs Minister Moulaty Mint El Moctar said.

However, Samira Kassimi says that more needs to be done in Maghreb countries to combat child labor, the phenomenon of street children, violence against children and other problems. This makes it essential to adopt sound strategies to enable children to thrive and safeguard their social and economic rights, she said.

Source: Magharebia.com.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2011/01/02/feature-01.

From Kuwait to Oman - Gulf Railway to be Completed by 2017

Ayman Khalil
Tuesday, 07 December 2010

GCC Secretary General Abdulrahman Al-Attiyah said the railway linking the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) would be completed in 2017, with the railway stretching from Kuwait to Oman.

Answering a KUNA question after the conclusion of the 31st GCC summit, Al-Attiyah said next year's summit would witness economic feasibility studies and research about the "vital and important project." The multi-billion-dollar 2,117-kilometer-long railway project, to carry passengers and cargo, would pass through all six GCC countries in a drive to facilitate movement of citizens and goods with least possible cost.

Al-Attiyah had attended his last summit that was held in Abu Dhabi. He will be replaced by Dr. Abdullatif Al-Zayyani of Bahrain as of next April.

Source: Global Arab Network.
Link: http://www.english.globalarabnetwork.com/201012078324/Industry/from-kuwait-to-oman-gulf-railway-to-be-completed-by-2017.html.

Iraq and Jordan agree on building oil pipeline

BAGHDAD | Mon Jan 3, 2011

(Reuters) - Iraq and Jordan have agreed in principle on building a pipeline to supply Jordan with crude oil for the coming decades, officials of the neighboring countries said on Monday during a visit by Jordan's prime minister.

Ali al-Dabbagh, spokesman for the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, said at a news conference with Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister Ayman al-Safadi that Iraq's current supply of 10,000 barrels per day to Jordan by truck did not meet its needs.

"Iraq and Jordan agreed in principle to establish an oil pipeline to transport crude oil to al-Zarqa refinery in Jordan," Ali al-Dabbagh told reporters.

Neither official provided any further information or cited a cost for the project.

The two countries also discussed jointly developing a cross-border gas field, Dabbagh said, as Jordan Prime Minister Samir al-Rifai visited Baghdad on Monday to discuss various issues of common interest.

Iraq agreed in 2008 to a three-year deal to supply Jordan with 10,000 bpd of crude under preferential terms. The amount covers 10 percent of Jordan's energy needs of around 100,000 bpd.

Maliki, a Shi'ite, has sought to improve relations with Iraq's mainly Sunni-led Arab neighbors. Many Arab states have watched the rise of Iraq's Shi'ite majority to political power in the wake of the 2003 U.S.-led invasion with suspicion, concerned about Shi'ite Iran's growing influence.

Maliki last month won parliamentary approval for his second government, which includes a Sunni-backed alliance that won the most votes in an election last March.

"Iraq is interested in this project, and it's considered a strategic project for Jordan and will ensure Jordan is supplied with crude for decades," Dabbagh told reporters.

Iraq's total crude exports amount to around 2 million barrels per day.

Source: Reuters.
Link: http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE7022EE20110103.

Opposition, trade unions blast Israeli official's visit to Jordan

Mon, 03 Jan 2011

Amman - A coalition of Jordanian opposition parties and trade unions on Monday rebuked the government for secretly receiving the Israeli national security chief Uzi Arad in Amman last week, and urged the rupture of ties with the Jewish state.

The protest follows Israeli reports that Arad paid a secret visit to Jordan on December 27 and met with Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh.

"We are surprised over Arad's visit which coincides with the enemy's culminating intransigence and rejection of the two-state solution and pressures at the Knesset to resolve the Palestinian question at the expense of Jordan," the statement issued by the panel representing over 20 opposition parties and trade unions said.

It urged the government to "stop all contacts with the enemy in the run-up for severing ties and abrogating the peace pact" which Jordan concluded with Israel in 1994.

Jordan has so far declined either to confirm or deny Arad's visit.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/360536,israeli-officials-visit-jordan.html.

Islamists open internal debate on municipal elections

By Mohammad Ben Hussein

AMMAN - The Islamist movement on Sunday started deliberations over their participation in the next municipal elections.

In a meeting yesterday, members of the Islamic Action Front (IAF) shura council and executive office as well as senior Muslim Brotherhood leaders exchanged views on the importance of the polls to political reform in the country.

The meeting was held to hear all views on the party’s participation in the next municipal polls before presenting the issue to members, according to Hamzah Mansour, secretary general of the IAF, the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Islamist leaders said their participation in the polls, expected to be held this year, hinges on two major factors: a decision by the Muslim Brotherhood shura council and opinion polls across the party’s 24 branches, Mansour told The Jordan Times yesterday.

The closed-door meeting recommended further study of the Municipal Elections Law. However, Islamist sources said the movement would prefer to have assurances from the government over the elections before making a final decision, expected within a few weeks.

The Islamist movement boycotted the recent parliamentary elections in protest over the one-person, one-vote electoral system in the temporary Elections Law, which political parties claim favors tribal-affiliated candidates.

Islamist leaders said that although they did not officially field any candidates in the parliamentary polls, they will push to take part in the municipal elections.

"Our boycott was based on sound reasoning that the government was not serious in its drive for reform, therefore we sent a message that the elections were not the right way to reform without proper legislation," said Tayseer Fitayani, chief of the IAF court, which placed several IAF members on trial for running in the elections in violation of the ban.

Municipal elections are expected to be held across the Kingdom sometime this year as part of a decentralization policy designed to empower local communities. The government is yet to announce when the polls will be held.

The Islamist movement pulled out of the 2007 municipal elections on the day of the polls, citing what it claimed were irregularities, allegations the government rejected as “baseless”.

3 January 2011

Source: The Jordan Times.
Link: http://www.jordantimes.com/?news=33125.

Russian opposition leader jailed

Mon Jan 3, 2011

Russian opposition leader and former first deputy Prime Minister Boris Nemtsov has been sentenced to 15 days in prison for participating in an opposition rally on New Year's Day in Moscow.

Nemtsov was convicted in a Moscow court on Sunday for failing to follow police instruction during the demonstration at a central Moscow square, AFP reported.

Russian police arrested Nemtsov along with nearly 130 others during an opposition rally on Friday. At least 300 protesters participated in the demonstration, chanting anti-government slogans, AFP reported.

The protesters were calling for freedom of speech, broader political freedoms and the release of former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky whose jail term was extended by six years last week.

Police also arrested opposition writer and leader of the radical National Bolshevik Party Eduard Limonov and leader of the youth wing of the liberal Yabloko group Ilya Yashin.

Shortly after Limonov's arrest, a court sentenced him to 15 days in jail for insulting police during his detention, said a court spokesman, Pyotr Chenik.

There are no reports of violence during Friday's demonstrations.

Opposition leaders call regular demonstrations on the last day of the month to assert the right of freedom of assembly.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/158443.html.

Heavy snow threatens Moscow airport

Mon Jan 3, 2011

Winter in Russia has caused power blackouts in capital Moscow, threatening the city's busiest airport, Domodedovo, with flight cancellations.

Last week, hundreds of flights were canceled and 8,000 people stranded at two of Moscow's international airports, Domodedovo and Sheremetyevo, when freezing rain showers brought down trees and power lines.

On Sunday, the airport was forced to rely on backup electricity substation, but authorities say they doubt the problem will be repeated.

"The airport has and is continuing to operate according to schedule," a spokeswoman was quoted by Interfax news agency as saying on Monday.

Also, heavy snow in the Tver region northwest of Moscow has left over 5,000 people without power.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/158486.html.

Israel eyes Korean jet trainer

Tue Jan 4, 2011

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) has reportedly issued a request for information on a Korean warplane, which Tel Aviv might rent for training its pilots.

The request for the aircraft, T-50 Golden Eagle fighter jet trainer, coincides with an underway examination by the military branch of M-346, an Italian transonic trainer aircraft, The Media Line, an outlet reporting on the Middle East, reported on Monday.

Should the IAF make use of the aircraft, it would mark a rare attempt by Tel Aviv to enlist the service of allies other than the United States, from whom it annually receives $3 billion in military aid.

The T-50 is mainly used to prepare military cadets to fly next-generation fighter planes like F-35 and F-16I.

Both foreign aircraft are capable of carrying weapons.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/158528.html.

Lebanon indicts general over espionage

Mon Jan 3, 2011

A Lebanese military judge has issued an indictment, urging the death penalty for a retired Lebanese army general for allegedly spying on his country.

Judge Riad Abu Ghida called for the death sentence on Monday against Colonel Antoine Abu Jawudeh, who was charged with spying for "the Israeli enemy," Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA) reported.

General Abu Jawudeh, who was arrested last August, is accused of having spied for Israel since 2006.

The colonel is also accused of having met with agents of Israel's intelligence agency Mossad to supply information on Lebanon's Hezbollah movement and the army in exchange for money.

Last month, a military judge issued arrest warrants for five Lebanese citizens for providing Israel with information on Hezbollah.

More than 100 people in Lebanon have been arrested on suspicion of espionage for Israel since April 2009, including army personnel and telecoms employees.

Five people have so far been condemned to death for espionage but none of the sentences has been carried out.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/158500.html.

Israeli walkout cancels Medvedev visit

Mon Jan 3, 2011

A walkout staged by Israeli foreign ministry workers has forced Tel Aviv to cancel an official planned visit by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

The visit, which had been scheduled for mid-January, was postponed because Israeli workers, who are demanding improved salary conditions, are on strike, Ha'aretz reported on Monday.

Employees of the ministry said on Sunday that they would ruin the visit by not participating in preparations.

The Russian president was expected to be accompanied by a delegation of 500 members, including 300 businessmen, ministers and senior officials.

The cancellation comes after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov urged Israel last week to stop constructing illegal settler units in the occupied Palestinian territories.

"It is absolutely necessary to halt all unilateral actions that might influence the outcome of the talks, above all, the settlement activity Israel has been pursuing in breach of the UN Security Council resolutions," he said.

The ongoing Israeli settlement construction stalled the direct talks between Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu and acting Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas.

The two sides began US-sponsored talks in early September, but the expiry of partial settlement freeze in late September put an end to the process.

Abbas has stressed that he would not return to the talks unless Israel stops its illegal construction activities.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/158461.html.

White House picks secret ops chief

Tue Jan 4, 2011

Former US counterterrorism ambassador Michael Sheehan has reportedly been offered the top Pentagon job overseeing Washington's secret operations.

According to the Associated Press, two senior US officials have reported that Sheehan will help coordinate America's campaign of clandestine operations and drone strikes from Pakistan to Afghanistan to Yemen.

The White House has not announced the selection yet.

If Sheehan accepts, he will become assistant secretary of defense for special operations -- one of the most important civilian jobs in America's covert war.

The post is currently held by CIA veteran Michael Vickers, who has been nominated for the Pentagon's top intelligence job.

Sheehan, who has had several overseas assignments in Panama, El Salvador, South Korea, Somalia and Haiti, is seen as the best candidate for the controversial post.

Veteran US diplomat Richard Holbrooke had recommended Sheehan as "the person I would most want at my side when trying to stop terrorists," before his death last month.

Shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks, former US President George W. Bush issued a classified order authorizing the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to kill or capture so-called al-Qaeda terrorists around the globe.

The measure soon grew into the largest CIA covert action program since the height of the Cold War.

Since then, the CIA has exercised its authority frequently, carrying out covert military operations in countries such as Yemen, Somalia and Pakistan.

These clandestine tactics have been strongly condemned both at the United States and abroad.

However, despite the local and international outcry President Barack Obama's administration has expanded Washington's covert war across the globe.

Covert operations may include sabotage, assassinations and support for coup d'état.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/158547.html.

Babylon to restore ruins by US-led war

Tue Jan 4, 2011

Archaeologists have begun restoring parts of Iraq's ancient city-state of Babylon following trails of destructions caused by the US-led invasion of the country.

The conservation undertaking is a joint effort by the World Monuments Fund and Iraq's State Board of Antiquities and Heritage to stop any further deterioration of Babylon's mud-brick ruins, The New York Times reported on Sunday.

The efforts are meant to prepare the monumental site and other ruins for visits by scientists, scholars and tourists and thereby contribute to Iraq's economic revival.

“This is one of the great projects we have, and it is the first,” said Qais Hussein Rashid, the director of the State Board of Antiquities and Heritage, quoted by the US daily. “We want to have it as a model for all the other sites.”

The city-state of ancient Mesopotamia, the remains of which are found in present-day city of Al Hillah from the Babil Province south of Baghdad, was seriously damaged during the US-led invasion of Iraq, which did not even spare other archeological sites in the country.

In 2005, it was reported that the coalition forces had caused irreparable damage to Babylon and that the 2,600-year-old paving stones of the Processional Way of Babylon had been crushed by tanks.

Issued in 2009, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said the foreign forces had extensively damaged Babylon and carried out “a grave encroachment on this internationally known archaeological site.”

The report added that the military forces and the contractors they hired had “directly caused major damage to the city by digging, cutting, scraping, and leveling….”

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/158543.html.

'Iran to unveil national OS soon'

Tue Jan 4, 2011

Iranian Communications and Information Technology Minister Reza Taqipour says a national open source operating system is on the way.

“The operating system will be primarily installed for industrial centers and organizations and then home users could utilize it if they are willing,” Mehr news agency quoted Taqipour as saying on Monday.

He said that the efforts to develop the new project have been accelerated as the existing operating systems in the country are susceptible to becoming infected with malwares and other malicious software programs finding their way into the systems via networks.

Taqipour also pointed out that an open source operating system would help pinpoint penetrable portholes in systems and said, “Many countries are turning to the open source [OS] as a solution to this problem.

The Iranian minister noted that the project is aimed at preventing other systems from breaking into local networks to steal data from the systems in the country.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/158534.html.

US may nominate new Venezuela envoy

Tue Jan 4, 2011

US President Barack Obama's administration has raised the possibility of naming another ambassador to Venezuela in a move to defuse Washington's diplomatic row with Caracas.

State Department spokesman Philip Crowley told reporters on Monday that the United States regrets that Venezuela withdrew its approval from the nomination of Larry Palmer. He insisted that the career diplomat would have been an "excellent interlocutor" in trying to improve the tense relations between the United States and Venezuela.

Crowley added that Washington will have to once again name a candidate for the position. He did not specify whether the government of Barack Obama will be adamant that Palmer be appointed or if it will back down, accept Caracas' stance and name somebody else.

The comments by the State Department came after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton chatted briefly with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez at the inauguration of Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff on Saturday.

In June 2010, Obama named Palmer to replace Patrick Duddy. However Chavez withdrew his approval of Palmer in August.

Palmer had told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that Venezuela harbored Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and National Liberation Army guerrilla groups.

He had also said that the Venezuelan military was under Cuban influence and low in morale.

Chavez finally withdrew diplomatic approval for Palmer late last year.

The State Department in return revoked the visa of the Venezuelan ambassador to Washington Bernardo Alvarez.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/158530.html.

'Iran has shot down two spy planes'

A senior Iranian commander says Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) has so far shot down two Western spy planes in the Persian Gulf.

"Westerners have a series of capabilities from long ago which cannot be ignored… for example they have spy drones which can take pictures in some places," IRGC Air Force Commander Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh said on Sunday.

"But they (Westerners) use these [drones] mostly in countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan and they do not dare using these [planes] in our country," Fars News Agency quoted Hajizadeh as saying.

The Iranian commander added that few aggressions have happened against Iran and IRGC has so far downed many of their advanced spy planes.

"For example we shot down two of their planes in the Persian Gulf and this is the first time this incident is [publicly] announced," Hajizadeh said.

He said that the country has reversed engineered the drones it has shot down.

Regarding country's peaceful programs, Hajizadeh said regional countries know that Iran's capabilities or drills are merely deterrent measures.

Iran has staged several military drills in 2010 to demonstrate the country's military capabilities.

Several surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles, compatible with destroyers and upgraded hovercrafts were test-fired in the Velyat 89 drills staged by the Army and the Air Force in May.

In August, Iran unveiled its first domestically-manufactured long-range Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) named Karrar (Frequent Attacker). The drone is capable of flying long distances at a very high speed.

Iran also inaugurated the production line of two other domestically-built UAVs with bombing and reconnaissance capabilities last month.

The two hi-tech drones named 'Ra'd' (Thunder) and 'Nazir' (Harbinger) are capable of performing long-range reconnaissance, patrolling, assault and bombing missions with high precision.

Iran has launched a campaign for self-sufficiency in the country's defense industry, inaugurating numerous military equipment projects, including aerial and sea-borne military vehicles such as submarines, combat frigates, and various types of missiles.

“We believe that regional countries are able to provide security for the region… and to achieve this end we are ready to provide them with instruction and equipment.”

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/158319.html.

'Iran ready to export air defense system'

Sun Jan 2, 2011

The commander of a major Iranian air defense base says the facility is mass producing anti-aircraft systems and is ready to export such systems.

“We can meet all our needs in the air defense sector by relying on domestic resources,” Ahmad Miqani, the commander of Khatam al-Anbiya Air Defense Base, told Fars News Agency on Sunday.

“When we [design and] develop weapons, they will be mass produced, and we can export the surplus to other countries if deemed appropriate,” Cmdr. Miqani said.

He further described US threats against Iran as a “31-year-old war of nerves and propaganda campaign.”

“Over the past few years, we have seen that the United States imposing wars on the regional nations on a smaller scale, leaving hundreds of thousands of people killed in Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon and [occupied] Palestine,” he said.

“Should the enemy decide to launch an aggression on Iranian soil, it will face our all-out, crushing response, and we will not leave them until they are annihilated,” he underlined.

“So, they will not take such a risk, and their threats are just psychological warfare,” the commander said.

Iran has achieved numerous breakthroughs in the defense sector and reached self-sufficiency in producing various types of military equipment and systems.

In the meantime, Iran has announced time and again that its military might poses no threat, whatsoever, to other countries as Tehran's defense doctrine is based on deterrence only.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/158305.html.

Iranian MPs vote for new ministry

Sun Jan 2, 2011

Iran's Parliament (Majlis) has voted for the establishment of a new government ministry bringing to 22 the number of ministers in President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's administration.

According to the ratified proposal, the new Ministry of Youth and Sports will be formed by merging the National Youth Organization and Physical Education Organization.

During the Sunday session of the Majlis, 157 lawmakers voted in favor of the plan while 44 voted against it and 11 abstained from voting.

The new legislation also requires the approval of Iran's Guardian Council to take effect as law.

The Majlis vote came nearly a week after President Ahmadinejad replaced the head of the National Youth Organization.

Many officials and experts in Iran's athletic departments have voiced concerns about the convergence of the two organizations as counterproductive, sharing the position of President Ahmadinejad's administration.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/158265.html.

Iran agrees to train jobless Afghans

Sun Jan 2, 2011

Iran and Afghanistan have reached an agreement that allows Tehran to hold technical training courses in the war-torn country to help unemployed Afghans fight drug trafficking and addiction.

Iranian Minister of Labor Abdul Reza Sheikholeslami and Afghan Minister of Counternarcotics Ahmad Moqbel Zarar discussed the details of the agreement during a meeting in the Iranian capital Tehran on Saturday, IRNA reported.

Sheikholeslami pointed out that the high unemployment rate is one of the main reasons contributing to the youth resorting to drug addiction and trafficking.

The Iranian official noted that the two neighboring nations could fight the addiction epidemic and narcotics trafficking by creating more jobs.

Sheikholeslami further expressed Iran's readiness to help the Afghan government hold professional training courses in order to train unemployed Afghans.

Zarar, for his part, said that Afghanistan needs the Islamic Republic's support in rehabilitating its addicts and assisting them with finding employment and kicking the habit.

The two officials stressed the necessity of expanding collaborations in the anti-drug campaign.

Last month, the two governments also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the improvement and consolidation of Tehran-Kabul cooperation in the field of labor and social affairs.

Iranian technicians constructed Afghanistan's first rehabilitation center with a $1 million dollar investment within a 30-month period, Sheikholeslami said.

The rehabilitation center has the capacity to provide services to more than 100 people per day.

In the center, Afghan people can receive services of audiometry, hydrotherapy, orthopedics, optometry, general medicine, medical consultation, community-based rehabilitation, speech therapy and occupational therapy.

In reference to Iran's initiative to legalize the presence of Afghan immigrants in Iran, the Iranian minister reiterated that the “legalization of the presence of almost three million Afghan immigrants in Iran is in the interest of both Iranian and Afghan governments and nations.”

He further argued that the move would enable the Afghan government to better plan for the country's reconstruction.

Afghanistan accounts for 90 percent of the world's opium and heroin production, the UN drug monitoring body said in its 2010 report.

Drug production has jumped 40 folds in Afghanistan since the US-led occupation of the country began in 200, leading to the presence of 150,000 foreign troops in the war-torn nation.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/158258.html.

UN forces threatened in Ivory Coast

Mon Jan 3, 2011

The UN peacekeepers operating in Ivory Coast have come under new threats, which indicate the escalating tension in the West African country following the disputed November 28 run-off presidential election.

"UN out!" people yelled honking their horns as the Jordanian UN peacekeepers passed by in their armored vehicle in Abidjan, the Associated Press reported on Sunday.

According to the report, peacekeepers patrolling the streets in Abidjan, the largest city in the country, are coming under increasing threats.

Both incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo and opposition candidate Alassane Ouattara have claimed victory in the November 28 run-off presidential election.

Ivory Coast's electoral commission declared Outtara as winner of the vote, while the Constitutional Court announced Gbagbo as the president-elect.

However, most of the international community, major powers, and the African Union have recognized Ouattara as the winner.

Likewise, the UN declared Ouattara the winner of Ivory Coast's long-delayed presidential vote. Gbagbo accuses the world body of failing to remain neutral.

In another act of violence against the UN forces in Abidjan, a soldier was injured with a knife this week when a crowd in a pro-Gbagbo neighborhood attacked a convoy and set the UN vehicle on fire.

The next day, a UN patrol was fired upon from a nearby building as an angry crowd surrounded them. They were forced to fire into the air to disperse the crowd, a UN statement said.

"It is not the role of UN forces to shoot people, nor is it their role to fight a war," Gbagbo said on state-run RTI television a day later, demanding the forces leave the country.

According to the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, about 20,000 Ivorians have fled to neighboring Liberia, fearing the political deadlock in the country might lead to a civil war.

Ouattara has taken refuge in Abidjan's Golf Hotel since the vote. The hotel is currently protected by an 800-strong force of UN peacekeepers.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/158397.html.

2011 to usher in first solar eclipse

Mon Jan 3, 2011

The first eclipse of the Sun in 2011 is due to occur on January 4 as the Moon prepares to partially veil the star in the solar system.

The peak of this year's first partial solar eclipse will be observable in parts of Europe and Africa on Tuesday when between two-thirds and three-quarters of the Sun will be darkened.

According to US space agency NASA, the penumbral eclipse will first touch earth's surface in northern Algeria.

Most of northern Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia also lie in the lunar shadow's path, NASA says.

Citizens of Iran, Egypt, Turkey, and Lebanon will witness a large fraction of the Sun's diameter obscured by the Moon.

As the lunar shadow moves eastward, a smaller eclipse will be visible at sunset from central Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and northwest China.

No total or annular eclipses occur during 2011, but there will be four partial solar eclipses.

The solar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Moon and Earth are aligned.

The Sun is 400 times wider than the moon, but it is also 400 times farther away. The symmetry means the lunar shadow, or umbra, is just wide enough to cover the face of the Sun as seen from the earth.

The last total solar eclipse was on July 11, 2010, crossing the Southern Pacific.

The next will be on November 13, 2012.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/158399.html.

Yemen's Saleh aims for life presidency

Sun Jan 2, 2011

Yemen's parliament has preliminary agreed to a controversial constitutional amendment that would allow President Ali Abdullah Saleh to rule for life.

The measure was adopted with an overwhelming majority on Saturday, with only two parliament members opposing the vote.

The parliament -- dominated by Saleh's General People's Congress (GPC) party -- is expected to hold a formal vote on the issue in March.

The constitutional amendment will then be submitted for a referendum, which will be held simultaneously with parliamentary polls on April 27.

If the Yemeni parliament votes in favor of the measure, leading to the cancellation of presidential term limits, Saleh could become the life-long president of the Arabian Peninsula nation.

Saturday's parliamentary ruling has sparked an opposition protest outside the parliament, where thousands of Yemenis, among them opposition and independent MPs, staged a sit-in.

They warned that adopting the amendments would "destroy what remains of the foundations of democracy" in Yemen.

They also emphasized that the action would "pave the way for hereditary succession."

Opponents accuse the 68-year-old president of grooming his eldest son Ahmed, who heads an elite unit of the army called the Republican Guard, to succeed him.

Some analysts say Saturday's voting could also heighten already simmering tensions in Yemen, where the government is facing a growing Al-Qaeda threat, a Shia Houthi uprising in the north and growing calls for secession in the south.

Yemen's Saleh has been in power for more than 32 years.

He previously served as president of the Yemen Arab Republic (North Yemen) from 1978 until 1990. After the unification of the country, he resumed his post as president.

Saleh was elected for the first time in 1999 for a term of seven years. His second term, which began in 2006, expires in 2013.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/158256.html.

Russia calls for ban on Tu-154B flights

Mon Jan 3, 2011

Russian officials have urged the country's airlines to ground all Tu-154B passenger jets after an engine fire incident at a Siberian airport killed three people.

Russia's Federal Transport Overseeing Service suggested the suspension until the investigations into the cause of the fatal explosion on board of the aircraft of the same type are concluded, RIA Novosti reported on Sunday.

The agency announced in a statement that it "has prepared an instruction, which recommends air companies suspend flight operations carried out by Tu-154B aircraft, until the causes of the plane accident in the Airport of Surgut are not established and measures to abate the risks coming from using this kind of aircraft are not taken."

On Saturday, Tupolev Tu-154 airliner, which was carrying 116 people, burst into flames after one of its engines caught fire and then exploded before taking off at Surgut airport in western Siberia.

According to Russian officials, the fire broke out in one of the plane's three engines and ignited the fuel tanks.

The incident left at least three people dead and some 43 others injured.

Meanwhile, Russian aviation investigators said on Sunday that they have found data and voice recorders from the Tu-154 at the accident site.

The Tu-154 is described as having an average safety record considering its length of service and heavy use.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/158380.html.

Asian aid convoy reaches Gaza Strip

Mon Jan 3, 2011

An aid convoy carrying food and medical supplies for the besieged Palestinians, as part of an Asian aid mission, has arrived in the Gaza Strip.

The Asia to Gaza Solidarity Caravan, (Asia 1) entered the coastal strip through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt on Monday.

Some 105 human rights activists gathered at the crossing. Most of them flew to Egypt from Syria. And eight activists arrived at the Egyptian port of El Arish onboard a ship.

Egyptian authorities had prevented Iranian activists with the convoy from entering Egypt.

The convoy had traveled 7,000 kilometers, but was stuck in Latikia, in the northwest of Syria, for more than a week awaiting Egypt's permission.

The aid convoy started its journey in the Indian capital, New Delhi. It had passed through Iran, Turkey, Lebanon and Syria to reach Egypt and finally the Gaza Strip.

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 embargo persists while Gaza is far from recovering from the December 2008-January 2009 Israeli war that claimed the lives of over 1,400 Palestinians, inflicting a damage of above $1.6 billion on the enclave's economy.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/158381.html.

Germany joins UN Security Council; Afghanistan major interest

Mon, 03 Jan 2011

New York - Germany, one of the five new UN Security Council members in 2011, pledged to be "reliable, responsible and a committed partner" in the body that holds major decisions on world peace and security.

But the 15-nation council, despite its important political responsibilities, has been known also as an unyielding machine when it comes to effecting reforms. It has remained mostly unchanged since its establishment in 1945 - dominated by the five permanent members.

It still considers Germany and Japan as enemies - on paper only - to the Free World that won against Nazi Germany and Japan and ended World War II in 1945. The UN Charter still mentions those two countries as state enemies and efforts to change that status have bogged down in world bureaucracies and procrastination.

Germany and Japan, former German Axis partners in the World War, are today's major contributors to peace and security. Japan had just exited the council last month, after a two-year term.

Germany, Colombia, Portugal, South Africa and India assumed their two-year terms on January 1. For Germany, it is the fifth time that it will be serving as an elected member while pushing for permanent membership on the panel.

Of the five new members in 2011, India and South Africa also want to become permanent members, a status currently held by the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France - the five World War II victors.

The other five elected members whose terms will expire end of 2011 are Bosnia-Herzegovina, Brazil, Gabon, Lebanon and Nigeria.

Germany was the only new member to have issued a statement upon assuming the council membership on Sunday. The UN Security Council and UN were still on New Year holiday on Monday.

"We embark on this new task well prepared and with clear ideas about what we want to achieve," German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said in the statement. "In the Security Council, Germany will be a reliable, responsible and committed partner."

"One thing must be clear here: Germany will live up to its international responsibilities - but it also stands for a culture of military restraint," it said.

Germany has contributed sizable numbers of troops to UN operations, particularly in Afghanistan.

Germany said Afghanistan is an important issue in 2011 because the international community will launch the process to hand security responsibility over to the Kabul government under President Hamid Karzai.

"Our aim already this year is to make significant headway on the handover of responsibility and by the end of 2011 for the first time to reduce the size of our Bundeswehr contingent there," it said, referring to the German army.

"We will therefore strongly support the efforts under way to bring about a political solution."

The council's rotating presidency in January is assumed by Bosnia-Herzegovina, which faces some major political issues on its agenda, including the unresolved dispute over the presidency in Ivory Coast, the two popular votes for self-determination in Sudan and other thorny issues like the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and nuclear activities in Iran and North Korea.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/360567,council-afghanistan-major-interest.html.