Israeli cabinet reshuffle after coalition partner split

Tue, 18 Jan 2011

Jerusalem - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected Tuesday to reshuffle his cabinet, in the wake of the sudden break-up of one of his largest coalition partners.

Media reports said the new break-away faction of Defense Minister Ehud Barak would receive four ministerial portfolios.

Barak announced unexpectedly on Monday that he was leaving the left-to-center Labor Party, along with another minister, two deputies and a lawmaker, to form a new centrist party called Atsma'ut (Independence).

Israel Radio reported Tuesday that Netanyahu's ruling, nationalist Likud party and Atsam'ut had already drafted a coalition agreement, which they want to present to the Knesset, or parliament, as early as Wednesday.

Under the deal, Barak would remain defense minister, current Agriculture Minister Shalom Simhon, also of Labor and now has joined Barak, would receive the trade and industry portfolio, while current Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai would become a minister without portfolio. He would become in charge of the home-front within the Defense Ministry. Lawmaker Orit Noked would become agriculture minister.

Three Labor Party ministers opposed to Barak's move resigned after his announcement.

Four of the eight lawmakers left in the Labor Party, were expected to announce whether they would remain in what is left of the faction, or also form a new one of their own.

The Labor Party, before the split, had 13 mandates in the 120-seat Knesset. It was once one of Israel's most powerful and established parties, but has in recent elections gradually lost ground, scoring its lowest results in February 2009.

Labor, and first and foremost Barak, has taken flack for serving as a fig-leaf in an otherwise right-wing and ultra-right coalition, without having been able to move Netanyahu to steps - not least an additional settlement freeze - that would enable the revival of the peace process.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/362827,reshuffle-coalition-partner-split.html.

Medvedev begins 'historic' West Bank visit

Tue, 18 Jan 2011

Ramallah - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev starts Tuesday what Palestinians have described as a "historic" visit to the Palestinian territory.

Medvedev, on his first official visit to the area, will arrive in West Bank city of Jericho from Jordan in the early afternoon. He had been slated to arrive in Israel first, but canceled his visit following a strike by Israeli foreign ministry employees.

The president is scheduled to hold official talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Jericho and sign cooperation agreements before returning to Jordan in the evening in the second leg of his visit to the region.

Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat described Medvedev's visit as "historic and very important."

He told the official Voice of Palestine radio that the visit has "a message of support for the wise policies of President Mahmoud Abbas regarding the peace process and the building of state institutions."

Russia, he said, has supported efforts to build state institutions, particularly its role in training security forces.

Erekat also said Russia supported Palestinian efforts to get a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlement policy in the West Bank.

The resolution is expected to be submitted to the Security Council on Wednesday for discussion but voting is not expected to take place for few more days.

Erekat said the United States has informed the Palestinians that it was opposed to this resolution expressing but he expressed the hope Washington will not veto it when it comes up for voting.

Russia was one of the first countries to have recognized a Palestinian state within the June 1967 borders when it was first declared in 1988 and has allowed the Palestinians to open a full fledged embassy in Moscow.

Medvedev is expected to inaugurate the Russian Museum, recently built in Jericho on land owned by the Russian church, as part of the city's 10,000 years celebration. He will also witness signature of three bilateral cooperation agreements in agriculture, information and sports.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/362837,historic-west-bank-visit.html.

Spain detains 11 suspected ETA supporters - Summary

Tue, 18 Jan 2011

Pamplona, Spain - Spanish police detained at least 11 suspected supporters of the armed Basque separatist group ETA overnight, police sources said Tuesday.

The operation was the first large-scale one against ETA's entourage since the group consolidated its four-month ceasefire, making it permanent, verifiable and general on January 10.

Two of the detainees were held in the Basque region and nine in neighboring Navarre. Police seized computer materials.

Most of the suspects were linked with radical organizations such as Ekin, which is believed to transmit ETA's instructions to related groups, Askatasuna, which defends jailed ETA activists, or ETA's political wing Batasuna.

Charges against the suspects included maintaining a pro-ETA website and participating in acts of street violence.

The Spanish government finds ETA's ceasefire insufficient and insists on an unconditional military surrender by the group, which has killed about 850 people since 1968 in its campaign for a sovereign Basque state.

Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's government vowed to maintain a hard line on ETA. Tuesday's swoop followed the arrest of two ETA suspects in Spain and France on January 11.

ETA is listed as a terrorist organization by the European Union and the United States.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/362829,eta-supporters-summary.html.

Taiwan holds missile drill, but nearly one-third miss target

Tue, 18 Jan 2011

Taipei - Taiwan on Tuesday held a live-fire missile test to show its self-defense capabilities, but nearly one-third of the missiles missed their target.

The drill comes as Chinese President Hu Jintao's starts his visit to the United States one week after China unveiled its first stealth fighter.

The military fired 19 missiles at the Chiupeng Base in the island's south but six missed.

President Ma Ying-jeou, who watched the drill, said he was "not very satisfied."

"Whatever the reason is ... there is still room for improvement. I have always instructed the troops to beef up training and keep our war-preparedness at a high level," he said.

Air Force Lieutenant General Pan Kung-hsiao said the six missiles failed due to propulsion problems, and Taiwan would contact their manufacturers to solve the problems.

The weapons were supplied by several manufacturers in France, the US and Taiwan. It was not clear which missiles missed the target or malfunctioned.

Taiwan, split from China since the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949, has been increasingly worried over China modernizing its armed forces as Beijing regards the island as a breakaway province.

The US remains Taiwan's main arms supplier, but Taipei fears the US might sacrifice Taiwan's interests while trying to improve ties with China.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/362830,nearly-one-third-miss-target.html.

Thai Air Force chief vows to test fly new Swedish Gripen jets

Tue, 18 Jan 2011

Bangkok - Thailand's air force commander Tuesday vowed to test fly six Swedish-made Gripen jet fighters in person once they are safely delivered next month, media reports said.

Air Chief Marshal Itthaporn Subbawong said the six jets were due for delivery on February 23.

"As a fighter pilot I want to make test flights of the fighters," he told the Bangkok Post online news service.

The air force has decided to purchase 12 Gripen fighters at a cost of almost 40 billion baht (1.3 billion dollars).

Itthaporn was promoted to air force commander in the annual military reshuffle in September.

The military has gone on a buying spree since its September 2006 coup, purchasing a variety of new items including British-made GT-200 bomb detectors that proved less effective than sniffer dogs and a helium balloon that has yet to get off the ground.

Besides the Swedish jets, the army is expecting 10 Ukrainian-made armored personnel carriers, or APCs, later this month.

Military expenditure jumped from 2.3 billion dollars in 2006 to about 4.4 billion dollars last year, according to Thai media estimates.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/362831,new-swedish-gripen-jets.html.

Ahmadinejad vows no compromise at nuclear talks

Tue, 18 Jan 2011

Tehran - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Tuesday reiterated Iran would not compromise over its nuclear program at multilateral talks scheduled later this week in Istanbul.

"Today we are making progress in the nuclear field and they can say and do whatever they want," Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying by the official news agency IRNA.

The president said that United Nations Security Council resolutions and sanctions would not stop the Iranian nuclear drive.

"They can even issue 100,000 resolutions," he said, "like we care."

Iran is scheduled to resume the nuclear talks with Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States on Friday and Saturday in Istanbul.

The six countries will be represented in Istanbul by European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, and the Iranian side by chief nuclear negotiator Saedi Jalili.

So far Iran has not only rejected the main demand by the six powers, suspension of uranium enrichment, but has objected to even including the nuclear dispute in the agenda for the meeting.

Tehran has said that if the other nations acknowledge Iran's right to pursue a civil nuclear program, then the Islamic state would be ready "to discuss the framework for future cooperation on the basis of mutual interest."

Tehran says that its nuclear ambitions are peaceful and transparent and it is not pursuing a secret military program as suspected by many Western countries.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/362842,no-compromise-nuclear-talks.html.

Spanish police bust cocaine lab near Madrid, detain 25 suspects

Tue, 18 Jan 2011

Madrid - Spanish police have dismantled what they believe to be the biggest cocaine laboratory discovered in Europe so far and detained 25 people, police said Tuesday.

The laboratory was located on a property near Madrid. Police confiscated 300 kilograms of drugs ready for distribution, 33 tons of chemical products, 2 million euros (2.6 million dollars) in cash, weapons, luxury vehicles and more than 470 mobile phones.

Police also seized property and assets worth 50 million euros.

The detainees included Colombian and Spanish nationals. Some of them belonged to a Madrid law firm which apparently helped to launder the suspects' earnings, the daily El Pais reported.

The ring used bodyguards, as well as a string of flats for its criminal activities. The arrests followed two years of investigation.

Meanwhile in the northern city of Zaragoza, police dismantled a smaller cocaine ring, detaining 15 people and seizing 1.5 kilograms of the drug. The suspects were of Colombian, Dominican, Dutch and Spanish origin.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/362843,madrid-detain-25-suspects.html.

Tunisia's prime minister says new government is 'clean'

Tue, 18 Jan 2011

Tunis/Paris - Tunisian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi on Tuesday defended the country's day-old interim unity government, insisting that the six ministers retained from ousted president Zine el-Abidine ben Ali's party had "clean hands."

"All of them have clean hands and plenty of competence," Ghannouchi told France's Europe 1 radio in an interview.

The ministers, who were reappointed to their posts Monday after having served the autocratic Ben Ali, had "kept their portfolios because we need them in this phase (of building a democracy)," Ghannouchi said.

The prime minister, who also kept his job, was defending the government from accusations by some opposition members that it is tainted by association with Ben Ali's regime - even though it includes three opposition leaders.

The foreign, defense, interior and finance ministers are all members of Ben Ali's hegemonic RCD (Constitutional Democratic Rally) party. But the health, higher education and regional development ministries went to the opposition.

Critics of the new government, who are calling for a complete break with the old order, demonstrated for a second day Tuesday in Tunis.

Ben Ali fled Tunisia last week after 23 years as leader.

He was overthrown by month of deadly demonstrations that began over unemployment and rising prices and swelled into a popular revolt.

The main task of the new government will be to organize parliamentary and presidential elections within six months.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/362851,new-government-is-clean.html.

Ex-banker says he's giving Wikileaks files on rich

By RAPHAEL G. SATTER, Associated Press – Mon Jan 17

LONDON – A former Swiss banker on Monday supplied documents to WikiLeaks that he alleges detail attempts by wealthy business leaders and lawmakers to evade tax payments.

Rudolf Elmer, an ex-employee of Swiss-based Bank Julius Baer, said there were 2,000 account holders named in the documents, but refused to give details of the companies or individuals involved.

He has previously offered files to WikiLeaks on financial activities in the Cayman Islands and faces a court hearing in Zurich on Wednesday to answer charges of coercion and violating Switzerland's strict banking secrecy laws.

"I do think as a banker I have the right to stand up if something is wrong," said Elmer, who addressed reporters at London's Frontline Club alongside WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

"I am against the system. I know how the system works and I know the day-to-day business. From that point of view, I wanted to let society know what I know. It is damaging our society," Elmer said.

Assange praised the ex-banker's attempts to expose alleged shady practices in the financial industry. He was making a rare public appearance since he was released on bail on Dec. 16 following his arrest on a Swedish extradition warrant.

Elmer claims his previous disclosures showed evidence of major tax avoidance in the Caribbean.

However, Assange said that with WikiLeaks focussed on other issues — such as the publication of its cache of about 250,000 diplomatic cables, it could be several weeks before Elmer's latest files are reviewed and posted on the organization's website.

The organization has so far posted about 2,444 cables to the Internet since it began publishing the documents in November.

Assange said that, as with other WikiLeaks releases, media organizations — he named the Financial Times and Bloomberg as possible candidates — could be given the information ahead of time.

He said that the files, or parts of the files, may also be provided to British government fraud investigators to examine for any evidence of criminal wrongdoing.

"We will treat this information like all other information we get," Assange said. "There will be a full revelation."

The Julius Baer bank said it was aware of Elmer's decision to pass a new set of files to WikiLeaks.

"He didn't attack us at this press conference, he explicitly targeted not us but 'the system,'" the bank's spokesman Jan Vonder Muehll said.

Britain's tax authority declined to comment when asked about Assange's plan to supply details of alleged wrongdoing.

Under the terms of his release on bail, Assange must live at the mansion home of Vaughan Smith, the owner of the Frontline Club. He has compared the regime to "high-tech house arrest," but has recently promised that the flow of leaked documents published by his organization would increase.
___

Frank Jordans in Geneva contributed to this report.

معارض يمني: التغيير قادم

17/1/2011 م

عبده عايش-صنعاء

اعتبر قيادي معارض في اليمن أن ثورة الشعب التونسي ستشكل نقطة فاصلة في تاريخ العالم العربي، كما ستعطي أملا للشعوب بأن المستبدين والطغاة هم أضعف من أن يستمروا في قهر الأمة ويسلبوا ثرواتها ويحكموا شعوبهم بالحديد والنار.

وقال القيادي في أحزاب اللقاء المشترك المعارضة، والناطق باسم اللجنة التحضيرية للحوار الوطني، محمد الصبري، في حديث خاص للجزيرة نت إن "التغيير في اليمن قادم لا محالة، وما جرى في تونس يعزز مسار التغيير في اليمن".

وأضاف "أن هناك غضبا شعبيا متزايدا، والشعب اليمني يستعد لكي ينتزع حقوقه المسلوبة، ويحافظ على وحدته وكيانه الوطني ونسيجه الاجتماعي".

وبشأن هبة الغضب الشعبية التي كانت المعارضة قد دعت لها مؤخرا، أوضح أنه قد يكون هناك نوع من البطء لدى أحزاب المعارضة اليمنية، وربما هو بسبب محاذير كثيرة، فالشعب اليمني مسلح وعدد سكانه ثلاثون مليون نسمة، وهبة الشعب اليمني لن تكون سهلة على الإطلاق".

العمل على مسارين

وقال الصبري إن المعارضة اليمنية تعمل وفق مسارين، الأول النضال السلمي الشعبي الذي يجمع الكل تحت فعالية شعبية وطنية من أجل اليمن كله، وتحريض الناس على الثورة، وتوعيتهم بالعمل السلمي وقيمته وأهميته.

والمسار الثاني -يقول الصبري- هو جمع كل أطراف الأزمة في البلد للدخول في حوار وطني نتجنب من خلاله مغبات التغيير المفاجئ أو السقوط، بمعنى أن تعمل على بناء سفينة نوح جاهزة لتحمل اليمنيين حين يحدث الطوفان.

وتمنى المعارض اليمني أن يعود العقل إلى السلطة والحزب الحاكم، وأن يكونوا مع شعبهم، وقال "إن التغيير الذي يطالب به الشعب اليمني هو مطلب الأغلبية من اليمنيين، وسنظل ندعو السلطة والحزب الحاكم لان يكونوا في ركاب التغيير، لأن التغيير سيكون آمنا وبأقل الخسائر".

من جانبه ناشد النائب الإصلاحي علي العنسي في حديث للجزيرة نت، النظام في اليمن أن يتعظ بما حدث في تونس، وطالب أن يلتقي اليمنيون على كلمة سواء، وأن تنفذ السلطة والمعارضة كل الاتفاقات الموقعة بينهما.

الشعب مسلح

وحذر من مضي الرئيس علي عبد الله صالح في إجراء التعديلات الدستورية التي تتيح فترات رئاسة أخرى، وكذا السير في الانتخابات بشكل انفرادي.

وبشأن ما يقال عن وجود هوة بين الشارع اليمني وأحزاب المعارضة، قال العنسي إن الأحزاب المؤسسية تعمل للحركة في الشارع ألف حساب، وربما حاجز الخوف يكون مسيطرا بشأن تداعيات النزول إلى الشارع، وهذا الأمر لا يكون موجودا عند الحركة العفوية لجماهير الشعب.

وبشأن ما إن كانت ثمة خشية من أن تكون لأي حركة شعبية مخاطر كارثية، قال: اليمن على فوهة بركان بدأت الأدخنة بالصعود منه، ولم يبق إلا الانفجار، فالشعب اليمني مسلح، ويعاني من وضع اقتصادي متدهور.

وأردف أن الشعب "تتجاذبه حركات تعتمد العنف مثل القاعدة والحوثيين والحراك، وفي وسط ذلك أحزاب معارضة تحاول لملمة الوضع، لكن عند مضي الحاكم في التعديلات والانتخابات، أعتقد أن ما سيحدث في اليمن سيكون أخطر مما حدث في تونس".

المصدر: الجزيرة.
الرابط: http://www.aljazeera.net/NR/EXERES/AEBBF208-BCC6-44C9-9BE7-A6A1A9A12559.htm.

انطلاق فعاليات ملتقى إعمار غزة

17/1/2011 م

أحمد فياض-غزة

افتتحت وزارة الأشغال العامة والإسكان في الحكومة المقالة بمدينة غزة الأحد "الملتقى الدولي لإعمار غزة" الذي يعتبر الأول من نوعه منذ أن وضعت الحرب أوزارها مطلع العام 2009، في خطوة على صعيد تحريك عجلة إعادة إعمار ودعم صمود أهل القطاع المحاصرين، بمشاركة محلية وعربية ودولية.

وأكد رئيس الحكومة بغزة إسماعيل هنية أن حكومته والمؤسسات التي تُشرف على إعادة إعمار قطاع غزة لم تتلق دولارا واحدا من الأموال والمخصصات العربية والدولية التي رصدت لإعادة إعمار ما دمره الاحتلال خلال عدوانه على غزة.

مشروع جديد

وكشف رئيس الوزراء الفلسطيني خلال كلمته أمام الملتقى عن انطلاق مشروع جديد لإعادة إعمار كافة المنازل التي دمرها الاحتلال، مؤكدا أن الحكومة ستضع حجر الأساس لإنجاز المرحلة الأولى من المشروع خلال 48 ساعة.

وذكر أن المشروع سينفذ بدعم حكومي مباشر، وبتنفيذ من القطاع الأهلي والمؤسسات المتصلة بالبناء على مستوى قطاع غزة، مشيرا إلى أن كافة الأموال والدعم اللوجستي اللازمة لتنفيذ المشروع متوفرة.

وقال هنية "منذ انتهاء الحرب على غزة طرحنا صيغا عديدة لتسهيل عملية الإعمار، وأبدينا استعدادنا لأن تشرف أي هيئة فلسطينية مستقلة أو الجامعة العربية أو الأمم المتحدة على إعادة الإعمار بالتنسيق الكامل مع الوزارات المختصة، أو أن تشكل لجنة مختصة من رام الله وغزة رسميا للإشراف على إعادة الإعمار".

وأضاف رئيس الحكومة "للأسف هذه التوجهات لم تقابل بالإيجابية المطلوبة، وتم تسييس عملية الإعمار، ووضعه موضع الابتزاز لتحقيق مكاسب سياسية".

بدوره أوضح رئيس اللجنة التحضيرية للمؤتمر الدولي لإعمار غزة أن إقامة هذا الملتقى جاءت لتحريك وإعادة طرح عملية إعادة الإعمار المتوقفة منذ ما يقارب العامين بعد عقد العديد من الجهات مؤتمرات ولقاءات ورصدت الأموال، لكن جميع هذه الجهود فشلت في تقديم شيء فعلي للشعب الفلسطيني.

وأضاف ياسر الشنطي أن الملتقى يهدف أيضا إلى إطلاع العالم على الوضع الكارثي والمأساوي الذي يعيشه سكان قطاع غزة جراء الحرب والحصار.

وأوضح أن الملتقى يسعى إلى جمع وتنظيم جهود المانحين والمؤسسات الدولية والمحلية للمساهمة في عملية إعادة إعمار ما دمره الاحتلال خلال حربه الأخيرة على القطاع، والضغط على إسرائيل لرفع الحصار وفتح المعابر لإدخال كافة مستلزمات علمية الإعمار.

محاور الملتقى

وذكر الشنطي أن الملتقى سيناقش 36 ورقة عمل بحثية جديدة متنوعة محلية وخارجية عبر أربعة محاور رئيسية تتناول أولويات عملية الإعمار، بما فيها حصر وتصنيف الأضرار وتطوير صناعة التشييد وتطوير قدرات المقاولين والكوادر الفنية وخطط ومشروعات الإعمار.

وأضاف أن الملتقى سيضم محورا عن الحصار لمناقشة الآثار النفسية والاجتماعية والإنسانية للحصار وكذلك دور مؤسسات المجتمع المدني والمحلي في كسر الحصار وفق القانون الدولي الإنساني، علاوة على محور تمويل مشاريع الإعمار ودور البنوك وصناديق الإقراض والقطاع الخاص ومؤسسات المجتمع المدني في دعم مشاريع الإعمار.

وأشار الشنطي في حديثه للجزيرة نت إلى وجود ثماني ورقات عمل خارجية من مصر ولبنان والسعودية وليبيا والسودان والأردن وماليزيا ونيوزيلندا ستشارك ضمت فعاليات الملتقى عبر جهاز الربط التلفزيوني "الفيديو كونفرنس" جراء عدم تمكنهم من الوصول إلى قطاع غزة بسبب الحصار وإغلاق معبر رفح البري.

تنفيذ مشاريع

وسيساعد الملتقى -وفق الشنطي- في تحريك عملية إعادة الإعمار المتوقفة، وترتيب أولويات إعمار غزة من خلال تضافر الجهود وتقديم المقترحات العملية للإعمار، والخروج بخطة تنفيذية وفق آليات محددة في ظل وجود العديد من الوعود من قبل الجهات المانحة لتمويل مشاريع عديدة لإعمار القطاع المدمر.

وأشار رئيس اللجنة التحضيرية للمؤتمر الدولي لإعمار غزة إلى أن القطاع بحاجة إلى كميات هائلة من المستلزمات ومواد البناء المستخدمة في عملية إعادة الإعمار، مشيرا إلى أنه لو تم فتح المعابر مع قطاع غزة لمدة عام وبشكل متواصل فلن يستطيع تغطية كافة المواد التي تحتاجها عملية إعادة الإعمار.

يُذكر أنه افتتح على هامش الملتقى الذي تستمر فعالياته يومين معرض الصناعات الإنشائية الفلسطينية الأول بمشاركة عدد من الشركات الإنشائية والمصانع، إضافة إلى معرض يجسد صور الدمار وجهود الإعمار التي تبذلها الحكومة بالتعاون مع المؤسسات المحلية والدولية.

المصدر: الجزيرة.
الرابط: http://www.aljazeera.net/NR/EXERES/639651FC-746B-4C81-8102-E3B594B1394C.htm.

Islamists applaud popular uprising in Tunisia

16/01/2011

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Hamas and Islamic Jihad on Saturday expressed their respect for the Tunisian people, whose uprising led to the ouster of President Zine El Abidine Ban Ali.

Ben Ali fled Tunisia on Friday with members of his family and his inner circle to escape deadly protests against his 23 years of authoritarian rule.

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri applauded the Tunisian people's expression of their right to choose their leadership democratically without foreign intervention.

Meanwhile, Islamic Jihad congratulated the Tunisians on gaining their freedom "through blood, sacrifices and the expression of free will."

The Tunisian uprising was a message to hegemonic powers that a nation could restore its freedom, the Islamist movement said.

"It is also a message to Arab and Islamic countries to pay attention to the aspirations of their people that are rejecting hegemony and tyranny before it is too late."

Arab governments reacted cautiously to the news of Ben Ali's dramatic ouster.

The Arab League, based in Cairo, urged "all political forces, and representatives of Tunisian society and officials, to be united for the good of the Tunisian people and to achieve civil peace."

It called on all concerned to "work together for the return of calm and security and stability," and to reach "a national consensus to bring the country out of this crisis while guaranteeing the respect of the will of the Tunisian people."

Qatar, which enjoyed close diplomatic relations with Tunisia, said it "respects the will and choice of the Tunisian people," a foreign ministry spokesperson said.

Egypt was equally prudent, saying it "affirms its respect for the choices of the Tunisian people, and is confident that the wisdom of the Tunisian brothers will lead to restraint and will avoid descending the country into chaos."

Sudan welcomed what its foreign ministry called the "choice of the people" as an opportunity to achieve national liberty and prosperity."

But the street had a different tone.

Egyptians rushed to the Tunisian embassy in Cairo on Friday, joining a group of Tunisians to celebrate Ben Ali's departure, and urging their compatriots to follow the example.

"Listen to the Tunisians. It's your turn Egyptians," chanted demonstrators, surrounded by heavy security.

In Jordan, where the grumble of discontent poured onto the streets with thousands demonstrating against soaring commodity prices, about 50 trade unionists held a sit-in outside the Tunisian embassy in Amman chanting "The Tunisian Revolution will spread."

Iraqi MP Talal Zobaie, who leads the moderate faction of Iyad Allawi's Iraqiya bloc, stressed that recent events constituted "a very clear warning to all the dictators and totalitarian regimes of the region, who have neglected their people and ignored their fundamental democratic rights."

In Kuwait, only the opposition Islamist MPs reacted, saluting "the courage of the Tunisian people."

Gulf power-house Saudi Arabia officially announced that it was hosting Ben Ali "out of concern for the exceptional circumstances facing the brotherly Tunisian people."

Meanwhile, Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi is due to address the Tunisian people later on Saturday, the official JANA news agency said, adding that he had spoken to Ben Ali by telephone during the day.

In Algeria, where riots have also rocked the country, the daily El Watan said the "popular revolution in Tunisia was a beacon for the Arab world."

Lebanon's Al-Akhbar headlined on "the gift from Tunisia to Arabs: the end of a dictator."

AFP contributed to this report

Source: Ma'an News Agency.
Link: http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=351354.

Jordan coach looking to go further

Mon, 17 Jan 2011

Doha - Jordan's participation at the Asian Cup in Qatar is just the second time that they have managed to qualify for the showpiece of Asian football.

A 2-1 victory in their Group B game against Syria on Monday saw them - just as they did in 2004 when they qualified - advance to the quarter-finals of the tournament and their coach Adnan Hamad is now hoping they can go further than they did then.

In 2004 they lost a penalty shoot-out to Japan, who then went on to win the tournament, this time around they will be facing Uzbekistan, who won Group A.

"We have got to face a very strong team in the next round. The Uzbekistan coach said he wished to face us in the final.

"Their players are strong and fast, so it will not be easy for us to go through to the semi-final."

"This is the second time we have qualified for this stage. Hopefully we will do better than earlier, we are hoping to go further," the Iraqi-born coach said.

Hamad, who saw his team come back from going down to an early goal said that they had done well against Syria. "We played well and we focused and concentrated."

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/362767,coach-looking-go-further.html.

اليابان والأردن لربع نهائي آسيا

17/1/2011 م

تأهل منتخبا اليابان والأردن إلى الدور ربع النهائي بكأس آسيا لكرة القدم بعد فوزهما على السعودية وسوريا 5- صفر و2-1 على التوالي في الجولة الثالثة والأخيرة لمنافسات المجموعة الثانية للمسابقة اليوم الاثنين.

ففي المباراة الأولى سحق المنتخب الياباني نظيره السعودي بخماسية نظيفة أحرز منها شينجي أوكازاكي ثلاثة أهداف في الدقائق 8 و13 و80، وريويتشي مايدا هدفين في الدقيقتين 19 و51.

وارتفع رصيد منتخب اليابان بعد هذا الفوز إلى سبع نقاط في صدارة المجموعة الثانية، وسيلعب مع منتخب قطر صاحب الأرض (ثاني المجموعة الأولى) في الدور ربع النهائي يوم الجمعة المقبل.

وهذه الهزيمة الثالثة على التوالي لمنتخب السعودية الذي أقال مدربه البرتغالي جوزيه بيسيرو بعد الجولة الأولى، وعين المدرب الوطني ناصر الجوهر بدلا منه.

تأهل الأردن

عدي الصيفي (يسار) يحتفل بعد تسجيله هدف الفوز للأردن بمرمى سوريا (رويترز)
وفي المباراة الثانية ضمن المجموعة ذاتها، تأهل المنتخب الأردني للدور ربع النهائي بعد فوزه على سوريا 2-1.

تقدم محمد زينو لسوريا في الدقيقة 15، وأدرك علي دياب مدافع سوريا التعادل للأردن بطريق الخطأ في مرماه في الدقيقة 30، قبل أن يسجل عدي الصيفي هدف الفوز للأردن في الدقيقة 59.

وارتفع رصيد الأردن إلى سبع نقاط في المركز الثاني متأخرا بفارق الأهداف عن منتخب اليابان المتصدر، بينما تأتي سوريا في المركز الثالث برصيد ثلاث نقاط.

وسيلعب منتخب الأردن في الدور ربع النهائي مع منتخب أوزبكستان متصدر المجموعة الأولى يوم الجمعة المقبل.

المصدر: الجزيرة.
الرابط: http://www.aljazeera.net/NR/EXERES/06605055-5567-41C4-9680-FEE9EC0E3B5C.htm.

المقدسي يمثل أمام محكمة أردنية

17/1/2011 م

محمد النجار-عمان

مثل منظر التيار السلفي الجهادي عصام العتيبي الملقب (أبو محمد المقدسي) أمام محكمة أمن الدولة الأردنية اليوم في قضية اتهامه بدعم حركة طالبان الأفغانية وتجنيد شبان للالتحاق بساحات القتال في كل من العراق وأفغانستان.

ونفى المقدسي ومعه الأستاذ الجامعي الدكتور إياد القنيبي وأيمن أبو الرب أن يكونوا مذنبين بالتهم المنسوبة لهم، فيما قررت المحكمة تأجيل النظر في القضية إلى 30/1/2011 بناء على طلب الدفاع.

وقبل بدء الجلسة ألقى المقدسي خطابا انتقد فيه محكمة أمن الدولة واعتبارها الدعم الموجه لحركة طالبان "جريمة".

ووجهت نيابة محكمة أمن الدولة للمقدسي تهمتي القيام بأعمال لم تجزها الحكومة من شأنها أن تعرض المملكة لخطر أعمال عدائية، وتعكير علاقتها بدولة أجنبية لكافة المتهمين، إضافة إلى تهم تجنيد أشخاص داخل المملكة بقصد الالتحاق بتنظيمات إرهابية، والشروع بمغادرة البلاد بقصد الالتحاق بتنظيمات إرهابية، وجمع أموال لمنظمة إرهابية لغايات استخدامها بأعمال إرهابية.

ويحاكم في القضية أيضا بهاء الدين علان الذي تعتبره المحكمة "فارا من وجه العدالة".

وقال المحامي ماجد اللفتاوي، وكيل الدفاع عن المقدسي إن جلسة اليوم كانت افتتاحية لتلاوة التهم التي أجاب عليها المتهمون الثلاثة بأنهم غير مذنبين، فيما أشار المحامي حكمت الرواشدة وكيل الدفاع عن القنيبي إلى أنه طلب من المحكمة إمهاله لتقديم مذكرة تفيد بعدم اختصاصها بالنظر بالتهم المسندة لموكله.

تبرع بسيط

ولفت الرواشدة إلى أن وكيله الدكتور القنيبي متهم بحسب لائحة الاتهام بتقديم تبرع بمبلغ بسيط (850 دينارا) لصالح حركة طالبان الأفغانية عن طريق المقدسي وأن ذلك لا يشكل جرما يعاقب عليه القانون.

واستغرب توجيه تهمة جمع الأموال لموكله الذي تقول اللائحة نفسها إنه تبرع لطالبان من ماله الخاص، واصفا التهم الموجهة للقنيبي بغير الحقيقية، وقال "على فرض صحتها فالمحاكم النظامية هي المخولة للنظر فيها".

وكانت المخابرات الأردنية اعتقلت المقدسي والقنيبي وأبو الرب في 15 و23 سبتمبر/أيلول الماضي قبل أن تحيلهم لمحكمة أمن الدولة الشهر الماضي.

أحكام واعتقالات

وهذه المرة الخامسة التي يمثل فيها المقدسي أمام محكمة أمن الدولة منذ عام 1993، حيث حكم عليه بالسجن 15 عاما مع (أبو مصعب الزرقاوي) عام 1994 فيما عرف بقضية "بيعة الإمام" قبل أن يفرج عنهما عام 1999 في عفو عام أصدره ملك الأردن عبد الله الثاني بداية عهده بحكم المملكة بعد وفاة والده الحسين بن طلال.

وعاد المقدسي للمثول أمام المحكمة عام 2000 في قضية "تفجيرات الألفية" ليخرج منها بعد عام من المحاكمة حيث نال حكما بالبراءة، لكنه اعتقل بعد أشهر وحوكم فيما عرف بقضية "المفرق" التي اتهم فيها شبان بالتخطيط لاستهداف معسكرات للقوات الأميركية بالأردن، وخرج منها أيضا بقرار بتبرئته.

وفي عام 2005 وبعد الإفراج عنه بأيام اعتقلت المخابرات الأردنية المقدسي بسبب مقابلة أجراها مع قناة الجزيرة، وظل معتقلا حتى عام 2009 حيث أفرج عنه وظل ممنوعا من التصريح لوسائل الإعلام حتى اعتقاله مجددا في سبتمبر/أيلول الماضي.

وقال المقدسي قبل اعتقاله بفترة وجيزة للجزيرة نت إنه يعيش فترة "إقامة جبرية" في بيته حيث تراقبه دوريات أمنية في كل تحركاته، وأنه قضى شهر رمضان الماضي في منزله بناء على طلب من أجهزة الأمن.

المصدر: الجزيرة.
الرابط: http://www.aljazeera.net/NR/EXERES/820C944D-7B43-48FE-BF80-9F662E1F2BBE.htm.

Anti-government protests in Jordan continue

Sun, 16 Jan 2011

Amman - Hundreds of Jordanians demonstrated Sunday in front of the parliament demanding improved living conditions and calling on the government to resign.

The protesters, who mainly belonged to the Islamic-led opposition parties and trade unions, raised placards and chanted slogans calling on the government of Prime Minister Samir Rifai to step down.

Several parliamentarians joined the demonstrators, witnesses said.

The protesters also urged amendments to election law, which they said produced a lower house that did not properly represent the people after parliamentary elections on November 9.

They praised the Tunisian uprising that forced President Zine Al Abidine ben Ali to flee the country last week.

In a parallel move, at least 11 parliamentarians signed a petition urging the government to resign, accusing it of failing to address worsening economic conditions, including rising prices of staple goods and fuel, parliamentary sources said.

"It has become clear that, after about a year since taking up its duties, this government is unable to carry on properly and that it should leave before conditions deteriorate further," the lawmakers said.

Thousand of Jordanians took part in demonstrations across Jordan on Friday to protest against worsening living conditions and call on Rifai to step down.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/362593,anto-government-protests-jordan-continue.html.

Jordan Islamists urge 'renaissance' in Arab world

AMMAN, Jan 16, 2011 (AFP) - Jordan's Islamist opposition urged Arab regimes on Sunday to carry out genuine reforms leading to "renaissance," after Tunisia's strongman Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's ouster in a popular revolt.

"We share the joy of our Tunisian brother after getting rid of the dictator (Ben Ali)," the Islamic Action Front (IAF), the powerful political arm of the country's Muslim Brotherhood, said in a statement on its website.

The group also called "on Arab regimes to review their policies, give people their rights and start genuine reforms, leading to a comprehensive renaissance."

Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia on Friday after a popular uprising sparked by the suicide of a university graduate prevented by police from selling fruit and vegetables to make a living.

The IAF said main the problem in the Arab region is "tyranny."

"Tyranny is the mother of all evil in the Arab world. This explains the state of retardation in the Arab world, despite all elements of success and progress the Arabs have," it added.

In Jordan, where the grumble of discontent poured onto the streets with thousands demonstrating against soaring commodity prices on Friday, about 50 trade unionists have held a sit-in outside the Tunisian embassy in Amman chanting "The Tunisian Revolution will spread."

The foreign ministry has said the kingdom "respects the choice of the Tunisian people."

"The government is closely following developments in Tunis and calls on all Tunisians to work together for the good of their country," it said in statement on Saturday.

Source: Zawya.
Link: http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidANA20110116T113932ZMXV10.

Opposition, activists take seats in new Tunisian government - Summary

Mon, 17 Jan 2011

Tunis - A new Tunisian government, featuring some returning faces - but also giving members of opposition groups and civil society a significant say - was unveiled Monday as Tunisia began to rebuild after the ouster of its president last week.

Six members of Zine el-Abidine ben Ali's government were reappointed to their posts, including Foreign Minister Kamel Morjane, Defence Minister Ridha Grira and Interior Minister Ahmed Friaa.

Neither Ghannouchi or the reappointed ministers were seen as particularly close to Ben Ali, the autocratic leader of 23 years, who fled to Saudi Arabia Friday after a month-long uprising that cost 78 lives and left 94 injured.

Meanwhile, three opposition leaders - Ahmed Nejib Chebbi, Ahmed Brahim and Mustapha Ben Jaafar - were brought into government.

Chebbi, leader of the Progressive Democratic Party, the biggest of the legalized opposition parties, was named minister for regional development.

Brahim, who heads the Ettajdid Movement, a leftist party that grew out of the Communist Party, was appointed minister for higher education and scientific research.

And Ben Jaafar, leader of the Union of Freedom and Labor, another left-wing party, and a medical doctor, became health minister.

Among those representing civil society was Slim Amamou, an activist and blogger, who was appointed secretary of state for youth and sport.

The government consists of 24 ministers and 15 deputy ministers in total.

Ghannouchi also announced several measures aimed at restoring political and other basic freedoms.

From now, the state would be independent of political parties, he said, and all political prisoners would be freed.

The communication ministry set up by Ben Ali in 2005 as a propaganda tool would also be scrapped and the bans on several political parties and organizations would be reviewed, he announced.

The new government's main task will be to organize parliamentary and presidential elections within two months, as called for by the constitution when the presidency is vacated. Former parliament speaker Foued Mabazaa was named interim president on Saturday.

It was not yet clear whether the new line-up would satisfy Tunisians' hunger for a clean break with the corrupt old order.

Hundreds of people had staged a march earlier Monday in Tunis to demand that Ben Ali's Constitutional Democratic Rally (RCD) party be kept out of power.

Moncef Marzouki, the former head of the country's human rights league and current leader of the Congress for the Republic party, denounced the new government as a "masquerade," French public radio reported.

Marzouki earlier announced he would run for president in the upcoming elections, which will be the first free polls in the country for decades.

The European Union on Monday vowed to provide "immediate assistance" in helping organize the elections.

Tunisia's neighbors in North Africa and Europe are keeping a wary eye on developments, which prompted the evacuation of thousands of French and German tourists.

By Monday, the looting, arson and anarchy that erupted after Ben Ali's exit had begun to ease, but the situation was still tense.

The army blames Ben Ali's presidential guard for trying to stoke unrest and arrested Ben Ali's security chief.

Elsewhere, France's Le Monde daily reported that Ben Ali's wife, Leila, collected 1.5 tons of gold, worth some 60 million dollars, from the central bank before leaving Tunisia last week.

The president's wife is a member of the powerful Trabelsi clan, which controls much of Tunisia's wealth and became a symbol of the kleptocracy that riddled the country of 10 million.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/362770,tunisian-government-summary.html.

Preliminary EU analysis on Hungarian media law is negative

Mon, 17 Jan 2011

Strasbourg, France - Hungary's controversial media law does not appear "at first sight" to respect European Union standards, a top official from the bloc's executive warned on Monday.

Hungary's conservative government has been facing a barrage of criticism since approving, on the eve of assuming the EU presidency on January 1, a law introducing stricter monitoring of the media, policed by a new authority staffed by pro-government officials.

Speaking to the European Parliament's committee for civil liberties, EU Commissioner for Digital Affairs Neelie Kroes, said she already contacted authorities "to raise specific points on which the Media Law does not appear at first sight to be satisfactory."

The bill was officially transmitted to Brussels only on Friday, but officials from the European Commission - the EU's executive - have already started studying the version published earlier on the Hungarian official journal, Kroes said.

Echoing remarks made last week, the commissioner said she was worried about "the lack of limiting criteria" on the obligations forcing all media, including bloggers and internet forums, to be officially registered and to provide "balanced information."

The commission is also "continuing to look at the difficult issue of criteria for media authority independence," Kroes indicated.

In addition, she pointed out that the application of the Hungarian law to foreign-based media "would seem to raise a problem" with the EU's Audiovisual Media Services (AVMS) Directive, which stipulates that media firms should be regulated in their country of origin.

However, Kroes said she was "fully confident" that Hungary would "ensure full respect of the European values on media freedom and relevant EU legislation, as well as the European Convention on Human Rights."

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban - who is due to face fresh criticism from lawmakers when he takes the EU parliament floor on Wednesday to present his EU presidency - has already said Hungary would correct the law if the commission's legal analysis revealed flaws in it.

But he also said that, in that case, the commission would have to target media laws in other EU countries, which, according to Orban, contain provisions similar to the Hungarian legislation.

Kroes vowed to make the still-to-be-delivered final assessment on the legality of the media law "in full objectivity."

In a further sop to Hungarian sensitivities, she said the commission was looking at how the AVMS directive was being implemented in other EU countries, and promised to "raise similar concerns where they are justified."

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/362776,media-law-is-negative.html.

Observers call Southern Sudan independence referendum credible

Mon, 17 Jan 2011

Nairobi/Juba, Sudan - International election observers on Monday called a landmark referendum on independence for Southern Sudan credible and said a vote in favor of secession looked almost certain.

"The European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) assesses the voting process of the Southern Sudan Referendum as credible and well organized, in a mostly peaceful environment," the European Union mission said in a statement.

The EU's chief observer, Veronique de Keyser, told a press conference in Khartoum it was clear that voters had come out in huge numbers, surpassing the 60-per-cent threshold needed to make the referendum valid.

An observer mission sent by former United States president Jimmy Carter said the referendum was "broadly consistent with international standards."

"Based on early reports from vote-counting centers, it appears virtually certain that the results will be in favor of separation," the Carter Center said in a statement.

Preliminary results are due by the end of January, with final results to follow after a maximum of two weeks. Early results point toward an overwhelming vote in favor of independence for the autonomous region.

The week-long referendum, which wrapped up Saturday, is the centerpiece of a 2005 peace deal that ended decades of civil war between the mainly Muslim north and the Christian and Animist south.

More than 2 million southerners died and 4 million were displaced in Sudan's second north-south civil war.

The referendum process had raised fears of a return to north-south conflict, but these concerns have been calmed by Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir and his party committing to accepting the result of the vote.

However, many issues remain to be resolved post-referendum, including the final demarcation of the north-south border, which bisects Sudan's oilfields and leaves most of the precious commodity in the south. There is also the status of the border region Abyei to be decided.

Fighting in Abyei between northern and southern tribes claimed over 70 lives as the referendum got underway. A separate vote on whether the region goes with north or south has been delayed.

Should all go as planned, Southern Sudan is expected to be independent by July.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/362774,sudan-independence-referendum-credible.html.

Brazil: Death toll surpasses 650 in flooding disaster

Mon, 17 Jan 2011

Rio de Janeiro - The number of dead in flooding and mudslides in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro reached 652 Monday.

The disaster has affected the mountainous area of the state, and worst hit are the cities Nova Friburgo, with 302 dead, and Teresopolis with 272 dead. In the historic city of Petropolis, home to luxury vacation villas, there were 57 dead, with a further 19 killed in Sumidouro and two more in Sao Jose do Vale do Rio Preto.

The Red Cross complained Monday that municipal officials in Teresopolis were hindering its efforts to rescue survivors.

"It's an embarrassing situation," Red Cross doctor Martius de Oliveira was quoted as saying in the online edition of the daily O Globo.

City officials denied the allegations and said they are cooperating with Red Cross officials to palliate the effects of the rain that has devastated the area for six days.

Brazilian media complained that poor coordination and other aspects of a chaotic response are preventing aid from being distributed to those who need it.

According to the daily Folha de Sao Paulo, at least 170 tonnes of aid, including food, water, medicine and clothes, cannot be distributed for these reasons.

The daily O Estado de Sao Paulo said that similarly poor coordination is affecting the departures of helicopters intended to rescue entire families who have been isolated by the mudslides and flooding with little food and water and no electricity.

Beyond coordination problems, the destruction of infrastructure including bridges and mudslides that block roads, make the task of taking aid to the worst affected areas of Teresopolis, Nova Friburgo and Petropolis particularly tough.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/362778,surpasses-650-flooding-disaster.html.

Clinton: Sudan vote 'significant achievement'

Mon, 17 Jan 2011

Washington - US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton praised Sudan Monday for the peaceful, orderly referendum on independence for Southern Sudan, calling it "a significant achievement for the Sudanese people."

"The United States commends the millions of Southern Sudanese people who participated in this historic process, and applauds both northern and southern leaders for creating conditions that allowed voters to cast their ballots freely and without fear, intimidation, or coercion," she said in a statement.

International election observers earlier Monday had called the landmark referendum on independence for Southern Sudan credible and said a vote in favor of secession looked almost certain.

Preliminary results are due by the end of January, with final results to follow after a maximum of two weeks. Early results point toward an overwhelming vote in favor of independence for the autonomous region.

The week-long referendum, which wrapped up Saturday, is the centerpiece of a 2005 peace deal that ended decades of civil war between the mainly Muslim north and the Christian and Animist south.

Clinton vowed US support as Sudan continues to work to fully implement the 2005 peace agreement.

"The parties have an opportunity to forge a durable peace between the North and the South, and to build positive relationships with the international community," she said. "We hope they will seize this moment, and the United States supports their efforts to ensure a peaceful, more prosperous future for all Sudanese."

More than 2 million southerners died and 4 million were displaced in Sudan's second north-south civil war.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/362783,sudan-vote-significant-achievement.html.

6.5-magnitude earthquake strikes off Indonesia's Sumatra

Mon, 17 Jan 2011

Jakarta - An earthquake measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale struck off the western coast of Indonesia's Sumatra island early Tuesday, but there were no immediate reports of injury or damage, meteorologists said.

The quake took place at a depth of 10 kilometers, located about 115 kilometers south-west of Bintuhan, the district town of Bengkulu province in southern Sumatra, or about 494 kilometers north-west of Jakarta. It occurred at 2:20 am (1920 GMT Monday), the Indonesian Meteorology, Geophysics and Climatology Agency (BMKG) said.

The agency said in a statement that the quake did not trigger a tsunami, and there were no immediate reports of injury or structural damage.

It was the latest of a series earthquake to jolt Indonesia in recent weeks.

Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago nation, sits atop the Pacific Ocean's Ring of Fire, where the meeting of continental plates causes high volcanic and seismic activity.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/362782,earthquake-strikes-indonesias-sumatra.html.

Kuwait interior minister asked to stay in post 'to clean ministry'

Mon, 17 Jan 2011

Cairo/Kuwait City - Kuwait's premier has asked Minister of Interior Sheikh Jaber al-Khaled al-Sabah to remain in his post after he handed in his resignation following the death of a Kuwaiti man in police custody, reports said Monday.

The Kuwait Times reported that Sheikh Jaber was told he would be given "full powers" to "clean the ministry" by taking legal action against those behind the death of Mohammad Ghazzai Hulayel al- Mutairi.

The newspaper also reported that there could be a cabinet reshuffle sometime next month which would affect the Ministry of Interior, among five others.

The Kuwait cabinet, a day earlier, rejected the interior minister's resignation and vowed that whoever was behind the death "must be severely punished for their deeds," according to the Kuwait News Agency KUNA.

There is currently a parliamentary investigation committee tasked with looking into allegations that al-Mutairi died in a police station due to excessive torture while he was being interrogated.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/362666,post-to-clean-ministry.html.

Arab League pushes for more Palestinian economic development

Mon, 17 Jan 2011

Sharm el-Sharm, Egypt - The secretary general of the Arab League Monday urged Arab trade and economic ministers to focus on economic development in the Palestinian territories, among other inter-Arab projects.

Ministers from about 15 Arab countries gathered in Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh resort to discuss joint infrastructure and development projects two days ahead of an economic summit.

"I received a letter from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas asking for a special proposal to support Jerusalem through economic cooperation and development projects," Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa said at the opening session.

Ministers will follow up on projects launched at the first economic, development and social summit held in Kuwait in 2009, which centered on the situation in the Gaza Strip following a 22-day Israeli offensive.

Moussa urged transport ministers to focus on the implementation of marine, railway and land linkage projects, as well as connecting internet networks in the countries.

Providing better services "will push development rapidly" in several fields, including trade and media, Moussa added.

Political developments in Tunisia, Sudan and Lebanon are expected to dominate discussions during the ministerial meetings, as well as Wednesday's summit.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/362670,pushes-palestinian-economic-development.html.

Turkey is no 'docile supplicant' for EU accession, Erdogan warns

Mon, 17 Jan 2011

Brussels/Ankara - Turkey is not prepared to beg an increasingly hostile European Union to be let in into the club, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Monday.

Turkey has been negotiating EU membership with Brussels since 2004, but talks have ground almost to a halt due to Turkey's involvement in the Cyprus dispute and to entrenched Franco-German opposition to its EU application.

"Our European friends should realize that Turkey-EU relations are fast approaching a turning point ... we are no more a country that would wait at the EU's door like a docile supplicant," Erdogan wrote in an opinion piece on the United States magazine Newsweek.

Describing their labor markets and welfare systems as "comatose," their economies as "stagnant" and their societies as "near geriatric," Erdogan argued that EU countries needed Turkey's economic and demographic dynamism to get out of their current mess.

He added that the EU would benefit from Turkey's new-found activism in foreign affairs, which Erdogan maintained has "yielded fruit in Iraq and Afghanistan, in the Balkans, and also in regard to the Iranian nuclear program."

The Turkish leader also boasted about his country's "political stability," glossing over the simmering conflict between his moderate Islamic Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the traditionally secular military.

"Some claim that Turkey has no real alternative to Europe ... however, the opposite is just as valid. Europe has no real alternative to Turkey," Erdogan concluded.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/362679,eu-accession-erdogan-warns.html.

Lebanon postpones discussions on naming of new premier

Mon, 17 Jan 2011

Beirut - Lebanese President Michel Suleiman on Monday postponed parliamentary negotiations on the naming of a new premier to allow time for Arab efforts to solve the political turmoil in the country.

"The consultations were postponed until January 24 and 25 after all factions agreed on it," a statement from the presidential palace said.

The militant Shiite movement Hezbollah withdrew from the unity government on Wednesday amid tensions over an international investigation into the 2005 assassination of former premier Rafik Hariri.

Reports have suggested that the United Nations-backed tribunal plans to indict members of Hezbollah in connection with the murder.

Suleiman had been scheduled to begin discussions with the various parliamentary blocs on Monday with the aim of naming a new premier, who will be tasked with forming a government.

Monday's postponement was to allow time for negotiations in Syria between Syrian President Bashar al Assad, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Qatar's Emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al- Thani, a government source said.

They hope to find a way of bringing rival Lebanese rival factions to agree on a solution that will end the political impasse and spare Lebanon from street violence similar to that which occurred in 2008.

In May 2008, Hezbollah and their allies clashed with followers of then premier Saad Hariri, a Sunni Muslim, over a government decision to dismantle Hezbollah's private telecommunications network. More than 80 people were killed in the violence.

A deal brokered in Qatar was reached eight days later, ending the bloody clashes.

Lebanese Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar on Monday announced that a draft indictment from the tribunal investigating Rafik Hariri's murder was due in the coming hours.

"There is no exact time, but they will be handed to the tribunal's pre-trial judge (Daniel) Fransen on Monday," Najjar said.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/362683,discussions-naming-new-premier.html.

Yemeni students demonstrate to show support for Tunisians

Sun, 16 Jan 2011

Sana'a, Yemen - Hundreds of university students took to the streets of the Yemeni capital Sana'a on Sunday to show support for the Tunisian people in the aftermath of turmoil which culminated in the ouster of long-time president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali.

Around 700 students marched through the streets carrying banners showing solidarity with Tunisia and calling on Arab leaders to step down.

"Leave before you are forced to leave," read one banner.

Others read: "Long live Tunisia...A free nation and a great people" and "Peaceful and democratic change is our choice to build the new Yemen."

Police were seen blocking traffic to secure the demonstrators' march route of some 8 kilometers from the Sana'a University campus to the Tunisian embassy.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/362575,demonstrate-show-support-tunisians.html.

Obama: Sudan elections 'an inspiration to the world'

Sun, 16 Jan 2011

Washington - US President Barack Obama on Sunday lauded the referendum held in Southern Sudan on its independence as "an inspiration to the world."

The peaceful polling process and the high turnout were "a tribute to the determination of the people and leaders of south Sudan to forge a better future," the president said in a statement.

Independent observers had "been extremely encouraged by the credibility of the process to date," he continued.

Polls closed on Saturday in a referendum that is widely expected to see the Christian and Animist south vote in favor of splitting from the mainly Muslim north.

Preliminary results are expected to be released by February 2, according to the Southern Sudan Referendum Commission.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/362599,elections-an-inspiration-world.html.

Nasrallah says opposition will not support Hariri as premier

Sun, 16 Jan 2011


Beirut - The Hezbollah-led Lebanese political opposition will not support the naming of caretaker premier Saad Hariri to form a new government, the Shiite movement's leader Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah said late Sunday.

"The opposition has unanimously agreed not to name Saad Hariri as prime minister of the new government," Nasrallah said during a televised speech on the Hezbollah-run al-Manar television.

"The opposition will exercise its own national convictions and will not be intimidated by the world's reaction on the government collapse," Nasrallah said.

On Wednesday, the opposition Hezbollah bloc withdrew from the unity government amid tensions over the investigation into the 2005 assassination of former premier Rafik Hariri. Tensions have been high in Lebanon amid reports that the United Nations-backed tribunal plans to indict members of Hezbollah, a militant Shiite group.

Nasrallah stressed that the opposition "will not remain silent on any cabinet that neglects the demands of the people."

Lebanese President Michel Suleiman will start consultations Monday with the various parliamentary blocs to name a new premier, who will be able to form a government and end the political impasse in the country.

"The main reason for the government resignation is its inability to face the repercussions of indictments while insisting on financing a tribunal which is conspiring against the Resistance (Hezbollah)," Nasrallah said.

Nasrallah confirmed that Lebanese officials were informed that indictments in the Hariri case will be submitted Monday to the pre- trial judge Daniel Fransen.

The Lebanese MTV television station on Sunday quoted Special Tribunal for Lebanon Chief of Public Affairs Crispin Thorold as saying that General Prosecutor Danielle Bellemare would hand over the indictment to Fransen before Wednesday.

" I would like to be very clear and honest. In the coming days, there will be two tracks: The first is the parliamentary consultations to name a new PM, and the second is that of the upcoming indictment," Nasrallah said.

The expected indictment had divided the government, after reports indicated that Hezbollah members would be named in connection with Hariri's assassination.

Hezbollah has rejected any possible charges and described the work of the tribunal as a "US-Israeli project."

The tribunal was created by a 2007 UN Security Council resolution to try the people who plotted the attack which killed Hariri.

The former premier was assassinated in a car bomb attack on the Beirut seafront on February 14, 2005, which also killed 22 other people.

The political turmoil has prompted the leaders of Turkey, Qatar and Syria to attend a mini-summit in Damascus Monday to try to find a solution to the political crisis, in the wake of the collapse of the unity government.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/362604,not-support-hariri-premier.html.

Poll says majority of Thais willing to sell their votes

Sun, 16 Jan 2011

Bangkok - A majority of Thai voters say they are willing to accept money from election candidates who want to buy their votes, according to a poll published on Sunday.

The poll by Bangkok's Assumption University of 2,604 eligible voters in Bangkok and 17 other provinces found that 53.2 per cent would be willing to sell their votes, 40.2 per cent would not and 6.6 per cent were undecided.

Vote-buying is against the law in Thailand but widespread, particularly in the north-east, the country's poorest region.

According to the poll, the north-east showed the highest proportion of people willing to sell their votes, at 69.6 per cent, followed by Bangkok.

The poll found that 79.5 per cent of those surveyed admitted vote-buying took place in their communities, while 20.5 per cent denied it.

Asked about their political affiliation, 61.1 per cent said they were not yet committed while 27.2 per cent supported the government and 11.7 per cent were opposed to it.

National parliamentary elections are expected to be held later this year.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/362544,thais-willing-sell-votes.html.