Egypt foreign minister becomes Arab League chief

May 15, 2011

Nabil Al Arabi to take over from Mousa who led the Arab League for 10 years.

Cairo: Egypt's foreign minister was confirmed as the Arab League's next chief on Sunday after becoming the only candidate in last-minute diplomacy and will lead the organization amid unprecedented turmoil in the region.

Nabil Al Arabi, nominated shortly before foreign ministers were due to meet on Sunday, will take over from Amr Mousa, another former Egyptian foreign minister who led the 22-nation Cairo-based body for 10 years.

Earlier, Qatar has withdrawn its candidate to head the League, Al Arabiya television reported Sunday, leaving Al Arabi, as the sole candidate to head the Cairo-based organization.

Egypt nominated its Foreign Minister Nabeel Al Arabi to head the Arab League, after withdrawing another candidate just moments before voting was due to start, an Arab diplomat told AFP.

“Egypt has withdrawn the candidacy of Mustafa Al Fikki and nominated Nabeel Al Arabi instead," the diplomat said.

Al Fikki, a diplomat under the regime of Egypt's ousted president Hosni Mubarak, had faced strong opposition both on the Egyptian street and from within the 22-member Arab League, sources said.

Source: Gulf News.
Link: http://gulfnews.com/news/region/egypt/egpyt-foreign-minister-becomes-arab-league-chief-1.808265.

Nakba Day events a 'turning point' in conflict

16-05-2011

Al Qassam website - A spokesman for Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Sami Abu Zuhri, addressed the events of Nakba Day, calling Sunday "a turning point in the Israeli-Arab conflict" that proved the Palestinian people and Arabs were committed to ending Israeli occupation.

Israeli gunfire killed 12 people and wounded hundreds on May 15, as Palestinians marched on Palestinian borders with Lebanon, Syria and Gaza to mark the 63rd anniversary of Nakba, the Arabic word for catastrophe.

Yesterday, the Israeli Forces troops on Sunday opened fire on masses trying to breach Palestinian's northern border with Syria, as Nakba Day demonstrations erupted across the region.

At least four people were reportedly killed as scores of Palestinian refugees spilled into the town of Majdal Shams, which straddles over the border of occupied Palestine with Syria.

The number of citizens was not yet clear, but some Majdal Shams residents said 400-500 Palestinian refugees had crossed the border; others said nearly 1,000 people had managed to enter, while some reported seeing only dozens cross over.

In Lebanon, Israeli Forces troops also opened fire on masses of trying to breach the border of occupied Palestine with Lebanon, the Lebanese medical crews confirmed two Palestinians were killed in the deadly attack and more than 15 Palestinian citizens were injured.

Source: Ezzedeen al-Qassam Brigades - Information Office.
Link: http://qassam.ps/news-4530-Nakba_Day_events_a_turning_point_in_conflict.html.

Israel forces Malaysia aid ship from Gaza coast

Monday 16/05/2011

JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israeli naval forces fired warning shots at a Malaysian aid ship as it approached the Gaza Strip on Monday, forcing the vessel to retreat to Egypt, organizers and the Israeli military said.

"The MV Finch, carrying sewage pipes to Gaza, had warning shots fired at it by Israeli forces in the Palestinian security zone this morning at 6:54 am (0354 GMT)," said Shamsul Azhar from the Perdana Global Peace Foundation.

"The vessel was in the Palestinian security zone, about 400 meters from the Gaza shoreline, when they were intercepted by Israeli naval forces," he told AFP, adding it was now anchored 30 nautical miles away in Egyptian territory.

An Israeli army spokeswoman confirmed that the vessel, flying a Moldovan flag, had been intercepted as it sailed from Egypt's El-Arish port, where it had been docked for several days.

"A navy patrol boat contacted the vessel, which claimed to be heading for the Gaza shores. Once it crossed into Israeli naval territory and didn't answer calls to turn back, warning shots were fired in the air and it returned to El-Arish," she said.

The Perdana Foundation is helmed by former Malaysian premier Mahathir Mohamad, an 85-year-old firebrand who was a strident critic of the West and Israel over the treatment of Palestinians during his two decades in power.

The organization was also involved in the first "Freedom Flotilla", a May 2010 attempt to break the Israeli blockade on Gaza, which ended in disaster when naval commandos raided the aid ships, killing nine Turks on board one of the vessels.

Perdana Foundation officials said the MV Finch left Greece on May 11, carrying plastic pipes to help restore the "devastated" sewage system in Gaza.

Alang Bendahara, a Malaysian journalist on board, told AFP that Israeli naval ships fired a volley of gunfire to stop the vessel as it approached the shore.

"The Israeli naval vessel fired a warning shot at us upon approaching and asked us to leave the waters but the ship's captain refused and the Israelis fired again, circling the MV Finch before firing twice more," he said.

"At that point they threatened the ship's captain that they would board the vessel and we were forced to turn back. It was lucky that no one was injured.

Bendahara said Egyptian officials monitoring the boat had escorted it back to Egyptian waters and then boarded it to inspect its cargo.

He said there were 12 people on board the vessel -- seven Malaysians, two Irish nationals, two Indians and a Canadian -- including anti-war activists and journalists.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman condemned Israel for preventing the ship from reaching Gaza.

"Malaysia strongly condemns the attack by the Israeli naval forces on the humanitarian aid ship," he said, calling on Israel "not to take any further drastic and violent military action on the unarmed passengers."

"Malaysia also calls on Israel to ensure a safe passage for the vessel to Gaza to deliver the humanitarian cargo," he added.

Israel has maintained a blockade on the Gaza Strip since 2006, after militants there snatched Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who is still being held.

It was tightened a year later when the Islamist Hamas movement seized control of the territory, ousting forces loyal to the Western-backed Palestinian Authority.

Israel agreed to relax some of the restrictions in July 2010, following a wave of international pressure after the botched raid on the Freedom Flotilla.

The incident sparked heavy criticism of Israel and led to a sharp deterioration in ties between Turkey and Israel.

Source: Ma'an News Agency.
Link: http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=388054.

25 injured in clashes

AMMAN (Agencies) - Clashes between participants in a rally marking the 63rd anniversary of Nakbeh and Southern Shuneh residents on Sunday left 25 injured, according to the police.

In a statement issued on Sunday evening, the Public Security Department (PSD) said the injured included 11 police officers, and 14 demonstrators and residents.

The PSD said around 800 people converged in the Jordan Valley town of Karameh yesterday.

A group of the protesters attempted to cross the Jordanian-Israeli border and clashed with the Jordan Armed Forces personnel in the area, as a result PSD and Gendarme personnel used tear gas to disperse the protesters, the statement said.

Later, the Gendarme Force intervened to end clashes between 150 demonstrators and Southern Shuneh residents, according to the statement, which added that 11 people who attempted to cross the King Hussein Bridge into Israel were apprehended by security forces and are currently being questioned.

Vehicles and equipment of news teams from satellite channels covering the rally were damaged in the clashes, which took place in the Jordan Valley town of Karameh near the Unknown Soldier Monument, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Police barred the protesters from marching on Israel’s border, including 200 students, intercepting them a few kilometers from the King Hussein Bridge crossing on the Jordan River, Agence France-Presse reported.

“The people want to liberate Palestine. We are ready to die for Jerusalem. The right of return is sacred,” the students chanted earlier outside Al Kaluti Mosque near the Israeli embassy in Amman, according to AFP.

Waving Jordanian and Palestinian flags, the students sang national songs and carried banners reading: “Palestine is Arab. Together we will return”.

On Friday, around 5,000 people from across the Kingdom, including refugee camps, villages and cities gathered in Karameh to mark the anniversary of the Nakbeh (catastrophe) in 1948 when the state of Israel was created on Palestinian lands.

The rally, organized by the professional associations in coordination with sports and social clubs, was held in the town that witnessed a major battle fought by Palestinian fighters and the Jordanian army against advancing Israeli forces.

16 May 2011

Source: The Jordan Times.
Link: http://www.jordantimes.com/?news=37523.

Jordanians mourn State of Israel's creation

May 16, 2011

AMMAN: Jordanian police fired tear gas Sunday to disperse hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists who had gathered at a border village with Israel to mourn the creation of the state of Israel, witnesses said.

The incident occurred hours after Israeli forces opened fire at border locations in Syria and Lebanon to prevent crowds of demonstrators from crossing Israeli frontier lines, in the deadliest such confrontation in years.

At least six people were injured as Jordanian police barred 500 people from marching on Israel’s border, an AFP reporter said.

The demonstrators, including some 200 students, were intercepted a few kilometers from the King Hussein crossing, or Allenby Bridge, on the Jordan River that defines the frontier with Israel, less than an hour’s drive from Amman.

They headed to the nearby town of Karameh, where they held a demonstration and clashed with riot police, who cordoned off the protesters and prevented them reaching the border.

“The people want to liberate Palestine. We are ready to die for Jerusalem. The right of return is sacred,” the students chanted earlier outside Al-Kaluti Mosque near the Israeli Embassy in Amman.

Waving Jordanian and Palestinian flags, the students sang national songs and carried banners reading “Palestine is Arab. Together we will return.”

Police Saturday prevented a group of students calling themselves “the May 15 Youths” from marching on the border with Israel.

About 10,000 people gathered in the Jordan Valley town of Karameh Friday to mark the “Nakba,” or “catastrophe” of Israel’s creation in Arabic, while 700 marched chanting “Palestine, Palestine, the refugees promise to return to you!”

Jordan, where nearly half the 6.3 million population is of Palestinian origin, signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994.

Source: The Daily Star.
Link: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2011/May-16/Jordanians-mourn-State-of-Israels-creation.ashx.

Tunis tribunal begins Ben Ali probe

2011-05-15

A Tunis military tribunal officially took over the cases of ousted President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, former Interior Minister Rafik Belhaj Kacem and other persons accused of criminal activity under the previous government, a military justice source told TAP on Saturday (May 14th). The investigating judge also issued warrants for police intervention unit official Jalel Boudriga, former Public Security Director Lotfi Zouaoui and former Special Services Director Rachid Ben Abid.

Tunisia's interim government last month filed 44 legal cases against Ben Ali, members of his family and some of his ministers. The ex-president faces 18 different charges, including murder, conspiracy against the security of the state, trafficking and the use of drugs.

Source: Magharebia.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2011/05/15/newsbrief-03.

Seven Algerian soldiers die in Jijel attack

WARNING: Article contains propaganda!

* * * * *

2011-05-15

At least seven Algerian soldiers died Friday (May 13th) in a Jijel terror attack. The ANP troops were sleeping when armed terrorists assaulted their barracks in Tizrarane, Ennahar reported. Three terrorists were also killed during the gunfight. Another soldier was reported missing on Saturday. The attack comes a week after a roadside bomb blast killed five ANP troops in El Kennar, Jijel province.

Source: Magharebia.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2011/05/15/newsbrief-01.

Strikes threaten school year, Morocco warns

Morocco is extending the school year to make up for time lost due to striking workers.

By Siham Ali for Magharebia in Rabat – 15/05/11

Morocco's school year will be extended by one week and mock exams will be canceled in some regions hit hard by striking teachers, Education Minister Ahmed Akhchichine told Channel 1 on Thursday (May 12th).

The announcement came after weeks of demonstrations by education workers demanding better pay and benefits. While catch-up lessons are set to be offered, the minister warned that some regions, including Souss-Massa Daraa and parts of the south, could face a wasted year because of the strikes.

The issue has been the focus of debate since May 3rd, when the minister first mentioned the possible lost year to Parliament.

"Pupils are paying a high price for the constant strikes that began during the last school year. Some schools have seen more than 48 days of industrial action," Akhchichine said. "We therefore need a law governing the right to go on strike and a law about the organization of trade unions. We must tackle the anarchy that currently prevails."

To allay tensions and respond to the teachers' demands, a draft agreement between the government and the unions is being prepared. It includes a provision for promotion without competition from public-sector workers who have degrees or doctorates. The proposal would also guarantee equal access for all public-sector teachers to higher positions.

But as strikes continue, parents grow anxious.

"I'm concerned about my children's education,” said Sellami Marouane, a father of two from Kenitra. “I can't understand how teachers can jeopardize the future of pupils to serve their own interests. There are other ways of protesting. What's more, many are not offering support classes to make up for the lost time," he said.

Teachers must rally to avoid the risk of a wasted year, Marouane added.

Mina Charfi, who lives in Beni Mellal and has three children enrolled in school, echoed his concerns, appealing for teachers and officials to find common ground.

"If I had the money, I would have sent my kids to a private school because with the way things are going in state schools, children are falling way behind," Charfi said.

But trade unionists said talk of a wasted year was an exaggeration. Abdesselam El Maati, the general secretary of the National Union of Education Workers which is affiliated with the National Labor Union of Morocco, said that teachers are the first to look out for pupils' interests and are ready to offer catch-up lessons to make up the lost ground.

"It's the ministry of education that deserves the blame first and foremost, because it has failed to deal with the problems in the sector by choosing not to address the grievances," El Maati said.

Source: Magharebia.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2011/05/15/feature-01.

US astronomers launch search for alien life on 86 planets

Washington (AFP) May 13, 2011

A massive radio telescope in rural West Virginia has begun listening for signs of alien life on 86 possible Earth-like planets, US astronomers said Friday.

The giant dish began this week pointing toward each of the 86 planets -- culled from a list of 1,235 possible planets identified by NASA's Kepler space telescope -- and will gather 24 hours of data on each one.

"It's not absolutely certain that all of these stars have habitable planetary systems, but they're very good places to look for ET," said University of California at Berkeley graduate student Andrew Siemion.

The mission is part of the SETI project, which stands for Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence, launched in the mid 1980s.

Last month the SETI Institute announced it was shuttering a major part of its efforts -- a 50 million dollar project with 42 telescope dishes known as the Allen Telescope Array (ATA) -- due to a five million dollar budget shortfall.

ATA began in 2007 and was operated in partnership by the UC Berkeley Radio Astronomy Lab, which has hosted several generations of such experiments. It was funded by the SETI Institute and the National Science Foundation (NSF).

With ATA's dishes in hibernation for now, astronomers hope the powerful Green Bank Telescope, a previous incarnation of which was felled in a windstorm in 1988, will provide targeted information about potential life-supporting planets.

"Our search employs the largest fully steerable radio telescope on the planet, and the most sensitive radio telescope in the world capable of undertaking a SETI search of this kind," Siemion told AFP.

"We will be looking at a much wider range of frequencies and signal types than has ever been possible before," he added, describing the instrumentation as "at the very cutting edge of radio astronomy technology."

The surface of the telescope is 100 by 110 meters and it can record nearly one gigabyte of data per second, Siemion said.

The 17 million pound (7.7 million kilogram) telescope became operational in 2000 and is a project of the NSF's National Radio Astronomy Observatory.

"We've picked out the planets with nice temperatures -- between zero and 100 degrees Celsius -- because they are a lot more likely to harbor life," said physicist Dan Werthimer.

Werthimer heads a three-decade long SETI project in Puerto Rico, home of the world's largest radio telescope, Arecibo. However that project could not observe the same area of the northern sky as the Green Bank telescope, he said.

"With Arecibo, we focus on stars like our Sun, hoping that they have planets around them that emit intelligent signals," Werthimer said in a statement.

"But we've never had a list of planets like this before."

The Green Bank Telescope can scan 300 times the range of frequencies that Arecibo could, meaning that it can collect the same amount of data in one day that Arecibo could in one year.

The project will likely take about a year to complete, and will be helped by a team of one million at-home astronomers, known as SETI@home users, who will help process the data on personal computers.

Source: Space Daily.
Link: http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/US_astronomers_launch_search_for_alien_life_on_86_planets_999.html.

Endeavor poised for next-to-last US shuttle flight

Cape Canaveral, Florida (AFP) May 15, 2011

NASA Sunday readied the space shuttle Endeavor for its final mission with liftoff set for 8:56 am (1256 GMT) Monday on the next-to-last flight for the American shuttle program.

Engineers were optimistic that the repaired shuttle would be able to fly on its 16-day mission to the International Space Station, after a technical glitch postponed its attempt last month.

"The updated forecast Sunday for Monday's launch of the shuttle Endeavor remains unchanged with a 70 percent chance of good weather," NASA spokesman Allard Beutel told AFP.

The initial April 29 launch attempt was scrubbed hours before liftoff when technicians discovered a power failure in a heating line that served to prevent fuel from freezing in orbit.

The six-member crew of astronauts including five Americans and one Italian, Roberto Vittori, will deliver a potent physics experiment to probe the origins of the universe during the mission, which will include four spacewalks.

The final rollback of the massive service structure around the shuttle was completed at 12:24 pm Sunday, marking the last major movement on launchpad 39A before the spacecraft is loaded with crew for take off.

The astronauts were to begin their sleeping shift at 4:00 pm before awakening at midnight to do final medical checks, eat a meal and board the shuttle.

A meeting of NASA managers will take place at 11:00 pm (0300 GMT Monday) to decide whether to give a "go" to the fueling operations, which would then start at 11:36 pm Sunday night (0336 GMT Monday) in anticipation of the early morning launch.

The key mission of Endeavor's trip to the orbiting research lab is to deliver a massive physics experiment, the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2, which will be left behind to scour the universe for hints of dark matter and antimatter.

US Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona, the wife of shuttle commander Mark Kelly, arrived safely in Florida after traveling there with family of another astronaut and will watch the launch from Kennedy Space Center, her office said.

"Thanks to NASA for great fly by of launch pad," said a status update on her Facebook page.

Giffords, who was allowed a break by her rehabilitation doctors in Houston to watch the planned April 29 launch, was shot in the head in January during a meeting with local voters.

The 30-year US space shuttle program formally ends later this year after the last flight of Atlantis, leaving Russia's space capsules as the sole option for world astronauts heading to and from the orbiting research lab.

Endeavor's delay has pushed back Atlantis's planned liftoff from June 28 to mid-July, but no final date has been set.

After the final shuttle missions, the three spacecraft in the flying fleet and the prototype Enterprise will be sent to different museums across the country.

Discovery, the oldest in the group, was the first shuttle to retire after its last journey to the ISS ended in March. Endeavor is the youngest, and flew its first space mission in 1991.

With US shuttle program closing, the world's astronauts will rely on Russia's space capsules for transit to the ISS at a cost of 51 million dollars per seat until a new American spacecraft can be built by private enterprise, possibly by 2015.

Source: Space-Travel.
Link: http://www.space-travel.com/reports/Endeavour_poised_for_next-to-last_US_shuttle_flight_999.html.

Revenge killings unsettle Benghazi

BENGHAZI, Libya, May 15 (UPI) -- Killings of former Gadhafi regime operatives in Benghazi, Libya, are raising fears of revenge and secret death squads, residents say.

In recent weeks, two former interrogators for the dictator's internal security, Nasser al-Sirmany and Hussein Ghaith, were found shot dead outside the rebel capital in eastern Libya, The New York Times reported last week. Their families said they had joined the revolution.

Rebel authorities in Benghazi are trying to round up Gadhafi loyalists and agents, but say their security forces are not responsible for the killings and they are committed to the rule of law.

"It's our responsibility to protect people," said Jamal Benour, a rebel justice official. "It's important the killers are punished. The law is most important."

Dr. Omar Khalid, a forensic pathologist, said Jalaa Hospital has received at least a dozen bodies of executed men, though it was not known if they had worked for the government. District Attorney Ali Wanis said he is investigating the executions of Gadhafi soldiers.

"This is a war of rumors," said Col. Fawzi Omami. "People are very edgy."

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2011/05/15/Revenge-killings-unsettle-Benghazi/UPI-68481305475950/.

Tantawi attends police academy graduation ceremony

Yousry el Badry
Dalia Othman
Sun, 15/05/2011

Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, president of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, attended the passing out ceremony for 1500 new graduates at the police academy, the first to graduate since President Hosni Mubarak stepped down on 11 February.

Families of the graduates were not invited to the ceremony, nor was former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly for the first time in 14 years, as he is serving a 12-year prison sentence for crimes of illicit gains.

This class of police recruits graduated three months early so as to offset the shortage in security that the country has been witnessing since the starts of 25 January Revolution. It will be tasked with restoring order to the Egyptian street.

Source: al-Masry al-Youm.
Link: http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/node/438161.

Arab League elects Nabil al-Araby as new secretary general

Sun, 15/05/2011

The Arab League has elected Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil al-Araby as the body's new secretary general, replacing Amr Moussa in the post, according to reports on Egyptian state television.

The body’s Council of Foreign Ministers elected al-Araby into the post by a unanimous vote, after the withdrawal of the two other contenders for the role, Mostafa al-Fiqqi and Abdul Rahman al-Attiyah.

The way was opened for Araby when the Egyptian government’s first choice, Fiqqi, who was a former member of the dissolved National Democratic Party, managed to gain the support of only 12 member nations, against the nine secured by Attiyah, who had been put forward by Qatar.

According to the Arab League Charter, a candidate needs the support of at least 15 nations in order to assume the post.

The vote is seen as a victory for Egypt’s revolutionary forces, who supported Araby in assuming the role of foreign minister in Essam Sharaf’s cabinet in March. Araby enjoys a good reputation in Egypt, as well as on the Arab and international stages.

The vote also comes as a blow to supporters of Fiqqi, who was generally seen as representing forces loyal to the ousted Mubarak regime. He served as information secretary for the deposed Egyptian president from 1985 until 1992, and as chairman of the dissolved Shura Council’s Arab Affairs Committee.

He was accused of rigging the 2005 parliamentary elections in his favor against the Muslim Brotherhood’s candidate.

Although not mentioned in the charter, Egyptians have traditionally occupied this post since the founding of the league in 1945, except for a period when it was moved to Tunisia after Egypt signed a peace agreement with Israel in 1979.

Source: al-Masry al-Youm.
Link: http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/node/437989.

Algeria to free jailed militants: Islamist leaders

Sun May 15, 2011

By Lamine Chikhi

ALGIERS (Reuters) - Algerian president Abdelaziz Bouteflika will soon release several thousand Islamists from prison to help draw a line under a conflict that killed an estimated 200,000 people, two prominent Islamists told Reuters.

Bouteflika is trying to stop revolts in other Arab countries from spreading to Algeria, and needs to ensure the backing of Islamists, who represent an influential social force.

Most of the thousands jailed during Algeria's nearly two-decade conflict between Islamist insurgents and government forces have already been freed under an amnesty but a hard core did not qualify for release.

Two Islamist leaders who have campaigned for the release said sources in the presidential administration had told them Bouteflika would sign an order freeing the prisoners, who they say number about 7,000.

"We consider the decision that president Abdelaziz Bouteflika and the high military hierarchy will take very shortly by granting a general amnesty to prisoners of the national tragedy a good and courageous decision," the two Islamists said in a letter to Bouteflika, a copy of which was obtained by Reuters.

The letter was signed by Sheikh Abdelfateh Zeraoui, a well-known Salafist preacher, and Sheikh Hachemi Sahnouni, one of the founders of the banned Islamic Salvation Front (FIS), a radical Islamist party.

A senior government official, contacted by Reuters, said he did not want to comment on any prisoner release.

The majority of former Islamist militants in Algeria have renounced violence, though a rump of about 1,000 fighters affiliated to al Qaeda is still active.

"END TO TRAGEDY"

Farouk Ksentini, a lawyer and a chairman of a human rights body sponsored by the government said: "If true, this is great news which I welcome because it will help put an end to Algeria's tragedy."

Algeria was plunged into chaos after the military-backed government scrapped the 1992 legislative elections, which the FIS was poised to win.

For the next two decades, the country witnessed a conflict between government forces and Islamist insurgents.

There are still sporadic ambushes and kidnappings by militants, who now operate as al Qaeda's north African wing, but the violence has subsided significantly.

As part of a program of national reconciliation, Bouteflika a decade ago offered a partial amnesty to insurgents, provided they were not involved in massacres, rapes or explosions in public places.

Several thousand accepted the amnesty and surrendered to authorities.

Bouteflika has resisted pressure so far to extend the amnesty to cover all militants because, observers say, it could provoke an angry backlash from the families of people killed by the insurgents.

Radical Islamists do not take part in Algeria's politics but they have considerable influence over the country's social, economic and religious life.

The Salafist movement, an ultra-conservative branch of Islamic thought with links to Saudi Arabia, has hundreds of thousands of followers who control most of the vast underground economy, observers say.

When Bouteflika's opponents, inspired by uprisings in other Arab countries, launched a wave of protests, the Islamists stayed on the sidelines and the demonstrations lost momentum after a few weeks.

(Editing by Andrew Roche)

Source: Reuters.
Link: http://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFTRE74E2HO20110515?sp=true.

Blackwater forms spy group in US

Fri May 13, 2011

The notorious military contractor formerly known as Blackwater along with intelligence operations program Able Danger has formed a new spy firm called Jellyfish Intelligence.

Xe Services LLC and Able Danger claim the Jellyfish Intelligence is a “law-abiding” firm, which aims to sell intelligence to wealthy corporations, a Press TV correspondent reported.

“We realize that this is an extremely transitory time. Nothing is predictable. What we have set out to do is to make the key intelligence available to companies who just like battlefield commanders, have to maintain successful operations,” Chief Legal Officer of Jellyfish Intelligence, Kathleen Robertson said during a press conference held on discussing the new agency's mission.

Blackwater changed its name to Xe after the contractor's reputation was tarnished following a series of scandals, most notably the 2007 murder of dozens of Iraqi civilians in an unprovoked shooting spree.

“Because of the backgrounds of some of the individuals, someone might want to make it into a controversy, but we have no interest in the business of guns, gates, and guards,” Jellyfish Intelligence CEO, Keith Mahoney told Press TV.

Some intelligence analysts have stressed their opposition to such privatizations, arguing that it would endanger the country's national security, as top-security information will become more accessible.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://edition.presstv.ir/detail/179686.html.

Blackwater to form secret army in UAE

Sun May 15, 2011

The founder of the notorious security company Blackwater is reportedly hired by the crown prince of Abu Dhabi to form a secret mercenary army in the UAE.

The billionaire Erik Prince, who relocated to the UAE in 2010 in the wake of mounting legal problems in the United States, received over USD 500 million to organize an 800-member battalion of foreign troops in the Persian Gulf state, the New York Times reported on Saturday.

Posing as construction workers, dozens of Colombian men entered the UAE last November and were stationed in an Emirati base called Zayed Military City.

The Colombians, along with South African and other foreign troops, are recruited and trained by retired American soldiers and veterans of the German and British special operations units and the French Foreign Legion, the daily said.

Documents show the force is intended to conduct special operations missions inside and outside the country, defend oil pipelines and skyscrapers from terrorist attacks, and quell possible uprisings across the state, it added.

The UAE is a close ally of the US and officials in the Obama administration said that Washington was informed about the program.

"The [Persian] Gulf countries and the UAE in particular, don't have a lot of military experience. It would make sense if they looked outside their borders for help," said one Obama administration official.

"They might want to show that they are not to be messed with.”

However, legal experts doubt that the project has the US official blessing as the company is already enmeshed with a series of scandals related to operations in Iraq, Afghanistan.

Blackwater, which was later renamed Xe Services, came to spotlight after its forces killed over a dozen civilians and injured many more in Iraq's capital Baghdad in 2007.

Blackwater mercenaries were hated by the Iraqis as they were able to kill many civilians with impunity.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/180004.html.

Several injured in Jordan Nakba protest

Mon May 16, 2011

A number of people have been reportedly injured as Jordanian police clashed with demonstrators trying to approach Jordan's border with the West Bank.

Police used batons and fired tear gas to disperse the protesters, some of whom tried to pick up the canisters and hurl them back towards the police. In the ensuing clashes, a number of people were injured, AP reported.

The protests were held on Sunday in solidarity with the Palestinians to mark the anniversary of the 1948 occupation of Palestine by Israeli forces.

Palestinians refer to May 15, 1948, as the “Nakba” or catastrophe in British-mandate Palestine.

More than 700,000 Palestinians were expelled from their homeland to the West Bank and Gaza Strip and other countries in the world.

Thousands of Jordanian protesters rallied to show support for Palestinian refugees' right to return to their homes forcefully taken by Israeli occupying regime back in 1948.

Waving Palestinian flags, protesters gathered at the Al-Karameh border crossing, a few hundred meters from the border, and chanted slogans in favor of the Palestinians.

However, they were barred from reaching the crossing point on the Jordan River for a second day in a row.

Meanwhile, Israeli troops clashed with Arab protesters along three border crossings on Sunday leaving at least 15 people dead and dozens more wounded, reports say.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/180107.html.

Anti-Israel Arab protests turning point in Mideast conflict: analysts

by Emad Drimly, Saud Abu Ramadan

GAZA, May 15 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian politicians and analysts said on Sunday that the Palestinian and Arab protests, rallies and demonstrations against Israel, which marked 63 years for the Nakba Day, or Catastrophe, might be a turning point in the history of the Israeli-Arab conflict.

Saeb Erekat, former chief negotiator and a member of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) told Xinhua that the Palestinians and the Arabs "reiterated in one united voice that there are no concessions over the stable legitimate rights despite the various Israeli crimes and brutal practices."

"Israel insisted today on its policy that it only deals with the Palestinian cause by gunfire and bullets," said Erekat, adding "the Palestinian cause has to be supported by the peaceful movement inside and outside Palestine in order to achieve the goals of this cause."

He also condemned what he termed as "the barbarian Israeli policy practiced against the Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and inside Israel as well as on the Syrian and Lebanese borders." These movements were made to mark 63th anniversary for Nakba.

Meanwhile, Islamic Hamas movement said that today's events in the Palestinian territories and at the borders with Israel which coincided with marking the Nakba Day "a turning point in the history of the conflict between Israel and the Arabs."

"Today's demonstrations an evidence that the Palestinian people want to end the occupation and achieve their return back home. This right is a stable right that will never be dropped whatever the price is," said Sami Abu Zuhri, Hamas spokesman in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas held Israel responsible for killing dozens of Arabs and Palestinians. Abu Zuhri called for organizing the largest campaign of condemnation to the Israeli crimes "which were committed against innocent civilians during peaceful protests."

"The Nakba anniversary is bringing for us significant positive changes in the Palestinian territories and in the Arab region," said Abu Zuhri, adding that "the international isolation of the Zionist entity is growing and we have to invest all the factors of powers to achieve our goals and dreams."

Taher al-Nouno, spokesman of Hamas administration in the Gaza Strip said in a press statement that the massive protests and demonstrations "are evidence that the Allah's (God) promise of victory and return to our holy sites and to our homes are imminent."

"As we condemn the Zionist attacks on armless demonstrators, we consider the new Israeli crimes evidence that Israel is confused and concerned over any popular movement carried out by our people, " said al-Nouno, adding "Israel is really unable to confront such huge protests."

Meanwhile, Hani al-Masri, a Ramallah-based political activist told Xinhua that today's protests, mainly on the borders between Israel and the Arab countries "have strategic dimensions in the conflict between Israel and the Arabs because it coincided with the new Arab revolutions."

"Today's events are just an introduction in the popular movements that aim at pressuring on Israel in the nearest future in case a peaceful settlement is not achieved in the region with Israel," said al-Masri, adding "today's events are extension to the revolutions in the Arab countries."

The Israeli-Palestinian direct peace talks had stopped in October last year, just four months after it was launched in Washington. The talks were suspended after Israel refused to extend a moratorium over freezing settlement construction in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.

The Israeli government headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ignores the principle of establishing an independent Palestinian state beside the state of Israel. Netanyahu gives priority to the expansion of settlement on the expense of reaching any peaceful solution with the Palestinians.

A Palestinian was killed and more than 80 wounded on Sunday in the Gaza Strip by Israeli troops' fire during protests and rallies the Palestinians organized all over the Palestinian territories to mark 63 years for the Nakba, or the day Israel was created in the United Nations.

Since the creation of the state of Israel, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who were forced to flee their homes in their towns and villages, have been living in 52 refugee camps in the Palestinian territories, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon.

Source: Xinhua.
Link: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/indepth/2011-05/16/c_13876029.htm.