Eating blueberries helps build strong bones, suggests study

Thursday, June 30, 2011
by: Jonathan Benson, staff writer

(NaturalNews) Move over calcium, there is a new bone builder in town. Research published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research back in 2010 showed that blueberry compounds helped improve bone development in lab rats, and new research conducted by the same team of scientists is now investigating how the fruit works in humans to boost bone development.

Jin-Ran Chen and his colleagues from the Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center in Little Rock recently received funding from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to explore bone development in humans during infancy, childhood, and early adulthood. Part of this includes studying how blueberry compounds play a role in bone development.

In their first study, Chen and his colleagues observed that blueberry polyphenols, which are the pigments in the fruit that give them their bluish, purple, and red colors, are clearly associated with building strong, healthy bones. Rats fed freeze-dried blueberry powder as ten percent of their diets developed significantly more bone mass than rats not fed the powder, which spurred further research into which blueberry compounds were responsible for this amazing effect.

Blood samples taken from the blueberry-fed rats revealed high rates of phenolic acids, the antioxidant compounds believed to help improve bone development. When blood serum taken from the blueberry-fed rats was applied to lab cultures of osteoblasts, the cells responsible for forming bones, researchers noted that osteoblasts formed into mature, functional bone cells much more quickly than they otherwise would apart from exposure to the polyphenol-rich serum.

TCF and LEF, two types of human genes, promote the synthesis of beta-catenin, a type of protein. Beta-catenin is responsible for telling osteoblasts to form into fully mature bone cells, and it is blueberry polyphenols' interaction with these various human components that Chen and his team believe is responsible for improved bone synthesis.

Source: NaturalNews.
Link: http://www.naturalnews.com/032861_blueberries_strong_bones.html.

China stresses ties with Sudan

BEIJING, June 30 (UPI) -- China assured Omar al-Bashir of close bilateral ties during his state visit, even as the Sudanese president faces war crimes charges.

Al-Bashir's four-day visit, which began Tuesday after an unexplained daylong delay, was at the invitation of Chinese President Hu Jintao.

The Chinese leader said bilateral relations would remain friendly regardless of changes in the international situation or in Sudan's domestic affairs, which would soon see the country's southern region separate to become an independent nation.

Al-Bashir faces an International Criminal Court indictment over war crimes arising from fighting in the Darfur region.

"China will firmly pursue a friendly policy toward Sudan," Hu said during his meeting with al-Bashir Wednesday, China Daily reported. "No matter the changes in the international situation and Sudan's internal situation, this policy will remain unchanged."

Hu said China would continue to encourage Chinese companies to participate in the exploration and development of mining resources in Sudan. Al-Bashir has called China a model partner and said the independence of southern Sudan "will not affect the relationship."

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said this week the United States continues to "oppose invitations, facilitations, support for travel" by those indicted by the ICC. She urged other nations to do the same.

China, a major buyer of Sudanese oil, has defended al-Bashir's visit as its right and maintained it has reserved its opinion toward the International Criminal Court lawsuit against al-Bashir.

Beijing has been a major partner in both the political and economic sectors in Sudan, which has been under Western sanctions for years, China Daily said. China has also been building ties with the emerging state in southern Sudan, and several high-ranking officials have visited China.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2011/06/30/China-stresses-ties-with-Sudan/UPI-59391309407708/.

Bulgaria Reverses Position, Recognizes Libyan Rebels with Croatia

June 28, 2011, Tuesday

Bulgaria and Croatia have become the 19th and 20th sovereign nations to have recognized formally the Libyan rebels’ National Transitional Council in Benghazi as the legitimate representative of the Libyan nation in international affairs.

The recognition of the rebels who have been fighting the regime of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi since February 2011 came during a visit of Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov in Benghazi, the rebels’ capital, on Tuesday.

Bulgaria's Borisov Cabinet has thus reversed its position as of March 2011 when it refused to recognize the National Transitional Council stating that some of its members were involved in the torture and imprisonment of the 6 Bulgarian medics in the so called Libya HIV trial (1999-2007).

In addition to Bulgaria and Croatia, the Libyan rebels have already been recognized formally by France, Qatar, the Maldives, Italy, Kuwait, Gambia, Jordan, Senegal, UK, Spain, Australia, UAE, Germany, Canada, Panama, Austria, Latvia, and Denmark, while a dozen of other countries including major powers such as the USA, Russia, China, and Turkey have established informal relations with the authority in Benghazi.

“For more than three months the Libyan people have defended their right to freedom. Their legitimate demands have been met with violent attacks by the forces of Muammar Gaddafi. By brutally attacking his own people, Colonel Qaddafi has lost all legitimacy,” reads the joint statement of Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov and Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Jandrokovic.

“Bulgaria and Croatia, as NATO allies, fully backed and participated in the efforts of the international community to respond to the impending crisis. The international community responded to the calls for support by the people of Libya and the Arab League. In implementation of UN Security Council Resolutions 1970 and 1973 NATO, with the participation of other countries, launched operations to protect the civilian population in Libya, to implement a no-fly zone and a naval blockade. The assets of the regime have been frozen, and arrest warrants have been issued by the International Criminal Court for some of the top regime leadership.

“Gaddafi’s era is over, and he must go immediately. Those accused of crimes against humanity will be held to account before judges in a criminal court. The time has come for a real political process of national reconciliation and transition. The Libyan people who strive for freedom and democracy have demonstrated their will to be represented by a unified and inclusive national council,” reads the joint statement of Sofia and Zagreb.

“Bulgaria and Croatia regard the National Transitional Council (NTC) in Libya as a legitimate representative of the Libyan people. Our support stems from the understanding that the NTC is able to lead the process of building a democratic and inclusive Libya, built on the rule of law and upholding the highest international human rights standards. We welcome the 'Road to Democratic Libya' presented by the NTC and support its vision for a new Libya and stand ready to assist the NTC in developing its capacity to assume its responsibilities and uphold the rule of law. We are confident that the Council will continue to work in close cooperation with the international community represented by the Contact Group for Libya to enhance regional stability,” conclude Mladenov and Jandrokovic.

The program of Bulgarian Foreign Minister in Benghazi includes a meeting with the head of the Libyan Transitional Council Mahmoud Jibril, and some of its members, as well as representatives of the civil society, as well as a visit to a local hospital and a small medical donation.

The Bulgarian government is going to send to Benghazi a special envoy to the National Transitional Council who will be in charge of the bilateral relations.

Back in March 2011, Bulgaria's Prime Minister Boyko Borisov said his Cabinet would not recognize the government of the Libyan rebels because some of its officials took part in the torture of the Bulgarian nurses and doctor jailed by the Gaddafi regime in 1999-2007, and twice sentenced to death for allegedly infecting 400 Libyan children with AIDS before they were brought back to Bulgaria, the so called Libyan HIV trial.

Borisov had responded to France’s call for recognition of the Libyan rebels by the EU states but stating that people who tortured the Bulgarian medics and orchestrated the HIV trial, which cost Bulgaria USD 60 M, were among the members of the rebels’ transitional council.

It is not clear yet what has led the government in Sofia to change its position with respect to the authority in Benghazi.

Source: Sofia News Agency.
Link: http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=129714.

Freedom Flotilla Ready to Sail Despite Threats and Sabotage

By Bego Astigarraga

ATHENS, Jun 29, 2011 (IPS) - As the 10 ships of the Freedom Flotilla II - Stay Human make their final preparations to set sail for the Gaza Strip, purported acts of sabotage have been added to threats from Israel.

The flotilla, which will attempt to break through Israel's blockade of Gaza for the second year in a row, includes two cargo vessels carrying more than 5,000 tons of humanitarian aid, such as construction materials and medical and educational supplies.

One of the two participating French boats, the Dignity/Karama, is already in international waters, having set out from a port in Corsica on Jun. 25 to meet up with the rest of the convoy.

After the international coalition that is organizing the flotilla gave a news briefing Monday Jun. 27 in Athens to journalists from around the world to announce its plans to depart on Thursday or Friday, the passenger boat Juliano belonging to the Ship to Gaza movement was sabotaged in the southeast Greek port of Piraeus.

Divers cut the propeller shaft and destroyed the prop house, Ship to Gaza said, adding that its own divers had documented the sabotage on camera and that an initial inspection had been carried out with a view to repairing the damage before the planned departure date. "It's one thing for a foreign power to press the Greek government to delay our voyage with red tape. It is quite another thing for enemy agents to operate on Greek territory," said Ship to Gaza Sweden spokesman Mattias Gardell.

"It is high time for the international community to put their foot down and say: Enough!" he said in a statement issued by the group.

The Juliano, which is jointly owned by the Ship to Gaza organizations in Sweden, Norway and Greece, is named after Israeli actor and director Juliano Meir Khamis of the Freedom Theater in Jenin, who was murdered Apr. 4 in that West Bank city.

Israel started tightening its stranglehold on the Gaza Strip after the radical Hamas won the January 2006 Palestinian elections, and imposed a full blockade in subsequent years, especially after the Operation Cast Lead military offensive launched in late 2008.

Israel argues the blockade is necessary for security reasons, while human rights groups counter that the siege amounts to collective punishment of Gaza's 1.5 million mostly civilian residents and that it is illegal under international law.

The Free Gaza Movement, which is organizing the second flotilla, said Monday that Israel's threats will not stand in the way of the humanitarian convoy.

"We will not be frightened by Israel, and we are going to continue. Our friends from all around the world are with us, and we are all going to Gaza," said one of the flotilla organizers, Dror Feiler, an Israeli-born activist and musician from Sweden.

Greece is under pressure from Israel to keep the boats from setting sail, at a time of great vulnerability for the southern European country due to the spiraling economic and political crisis.

Vangelis Pissias, an organizer with the Greek delegation, urged the Greek government in a statement not to "become complicit in Israel's illegal actions by succumbing to this pressure."

"Israel’s best efforts to stop our boats at port, including pressure on governments, threats against insurance and communications companies, intimidation of human rights defenders, frivolous lawsuits and other underhanded tactics, have thus far failed," the Free Gaza Movement said in a communiqué.

On Monday, the Israeli security cabinet ordered the navy to stop the flotilla from reaching the Gaza Strip. However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement that forces would be ordered to do so "with minimal confrontation, as far as possible, with those on board the ships."

Israeli public radio reported that the government had reached an agreement with Egypt to allow the flotilla to unload its cargo of humanitarian aid at the port of El Arish, to later be taken by land to Gaza after undergoing security checks.

Senior Israeli officials claim to have received information that there are "extremists" participating in the flotilla who intend to "shed the blood of IDF (Israel Defense Forces) soldiers" using chemical substances, when Israeli troops attempt to board the ships.

They also say that despite earlier reports, the ships will be carrying members of the Turkish Humanitarian Aid Foundation (IHH), which organized last year's flotilla, and members of Hamas – both of which Israel considers terrorist organizations.

The Israeli government's statements came the day after Foreign Ministry officials informed the cabinet that there was no information about members of "terrorist groups" planning to take part in the flotilla.

Israel used similar arguments before and after the May 31, 2010 assault launched by IDF commandos on the Mavi Marmara, the first freedom flotilla's flagship, in international waters as it headed towards Gaza. Nine Turkish activists were killed in the military operation, and over 50 of the civilians on board were injured.

A representative of the relatives of the victims killed on the Mavi Marmara, which this year pulled out of the flotilla for "technical reasons," will travel in the Spanish boat Gernika along with 45 Spanish activists, political representatives and journalists.

"Gernika will carry the spirit of our murdered companions," Manual Tapial, coordinator of the Rumbo a Gaza initiative in Spain, told IPS. "It's a show of solidarity with those who aren't able to travel this year."

Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Trinidad Jiménez urged the Israeli authorities to act with "prudence and restraint" towards the second flotilla.

The flotilla will carry 50 journalists from around the world – including this reporter – who were warned Sunday by Israel that they would face a 10-year ban on re-entering that country, although later the government backtracked on the threat.

The countries where participating activists are from include Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.

A boat carrying participants from several Arab nations may also join from Jordan in the next few days.

Some 500 activists and civil society personalities are ready to sail. But there are worries that the Israeli forces will assault the boats using tear gas, water cannons, taser guns, stink and sound bombs and attack dogs.

Source: Inter-Press Service (IPS).
Link: http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=56274.

Driving a robot from the Space Station

Paris, France (ESA) Jun 30, 2011

Meet Justin, an android who will soon be controlled remotely by the astronauts in ESA's Columbus laboratory on the International Space Station. With this and other intriguing experiments like the Eurobot rover, ESA is paving the way for exploring the Moon and planets with tele-operated robots.

In two to three years, the experimental robot on Earth will faithfully mimic the movements of an astronaut on the Space Station.

By wearing an exoskeleton - a combination of arm and glove with electronic aids to reproduce the sensations a human hand would feel - a distant operator can work as though he were there.

To help turn robotics and telepresence into a standard tool for space missions, ESA is linking the Space Station and Earth for remotely controlling terrestrial robotic experiments from the orbital outpost.

This Meteron (Multi-purpose End-To-End Robotic Operations Network) initiative is a testbed for future missions to the Moon, Mars and other celestial bodies.

"The Space Station is the perfect orbital platform to simulate very realistic scenarios for human exploration," says Kim Nergaard, ESA's Meteron coordinator.

"First we have to set up a robust communication architecture, establish an operations system and define a protocol to allow astronauts, robots and our ESA control center to work efficiently together. This is not as easy a task as it seems."

Many ideas around
ESA called earlier this year for new ideas for the Space Station to be used as a testbed for exploration missions. Many proposals called for operating ground-based robots from a workstation on the Station.

"The multitude of submissions shows the strength of the idea," comments Philippe Schoonejans, ESA's Head of Robotics in the Human Spaceflight and Operations directorate.

"This allows ESA to take into account all suggested experiments and give opportunities to the countries, companies and institutes who have shown their interest by submitting the idea."

"Meteron is suitable for early realization because it can exploit the existing infrastructure and technologies without requiring huge investments," explains Francois Bosquillon de Frescheville, responsible for ESA future human exploration mission operations concepts studies, whose idea triggered the program.

First a rover, then an android
In the first Meteron tests, the Station astronauts will operate ESA's Eurobot prototype from a computer equipped with special screens and a joystick. This prototype is a four-wheel rover with two arms, an advanced navigation system, cameras and sensors that has been under testing since 2008 at the Agency's ESTEC space research and technology center in the Netherlands.

In the next phase, the engineers will allow astronauts to control a robot with the sense of force and 'touch'. It can be connected to robots like Justin, developed by the DLR German Aerospace Center.

"With these senses, the astronauts will have a real feeling of the forces that the arms of the robots are experiencing in their environment," explains Andre Schiele, in charge of ESA's Telerobotics and Haptics Laboratory.

"For example, when they push against a rock or do more complex tasks such as setting up hardware."

Whatever route the future exploration of Moon and Mars might follow, it will require sophisticated communications and advanced tools. Boosted by new human-machine interface technology, astronauts in orbit will almost certainly link up with robots to explore planetary surfaces.

Source: Space Daily.
Link: http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Driving_a_robot_from_Space_Station_999.html.

Israel to join U.S. Mideast missile shield

Tel Aviv, Israel (UPI) Jun 29, 2011

Israel's growing missile defenses will reportedly be integrated into the United States' planned regional defense network -- and could end up shielding Arab states that, in theory at least, are considered adversaries of the Jewish state.

Gen. Patrick O'Reilly, head of the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency, told Defense News, a Washington weekly, that the multi-tiered Israeli system would strengthen the U.S. military's ability to protect its forces in the Middle East.

Israel is the only state with operational systems capable of intercepting rockets and missiles of different calibers and range.

Merging the two networks has actually been under way for some time.

Israel and U.S. forces have conducted several biennial Juniper Cobra joint exercises between the Israeli armed forces and the U.S. European Command to develop the interoperability of their air-defense systems.

In September 2008, Eurocom deployed a powerful Raytheon AN/TPY-2 X-band radar system to the Nevatim air base in the Negev Desert of southern Israel to bolster the Jewish state's air-defense capabilities.

The long-range X-band allows Israel's Arrow-2 anti-ballistic missile interceptor system, two batteries of which are currently operational, to engage Iranian Shehab-3b missiles about halfway through their 11-minute flight.

That's about six times faster than the Green Pine radar system used by Arrow.

Israeli commentators have argued that the U.S. effort to bolster Israel's air defenses is designed to discourage the country's political leadership from launching pre-emptive strikes against Iran's nuclear infrastructure to delay development of nuclear weapons.

If that is indeed the case, O'Reilly's disclosure of the integration of the two militaries' air-defense systems coincides with reports that Iran has accelerated its efforts to develop long-range missiles capable of hitting Israel and beyond.

Those reports were given added weight by Foreign Secretary William Hague of Britain Wednesday. He told Parliament in London that Tehran had conducted secret tests of ballistic missiles recently.

His gave no timeframe. But British sources claim Iran has carried out at least three tests with medium-range ballistic weapons since October amid other reports that it's also accelerating efforts to produce nuclear warheads.

Iranian forces are currently engaged in a 10-day program of maneuvers, codenamed Great Prophet 6, during which commanders claim they have test-fired liquid-fueled Shehabs.

They made no mention of the advanced and more accurate solid-fuel Sejjil-2 missile, which is the weapon that causes the most consternation in the West.

Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' strategic missiles forces, said Iran can produce intercontinental ballistic missiles but doesn't need to since it already has weapons that can reach Israel and U.S. military bases in the Persian Gulf.

These have ranges of up to 1,250 miles, enough to reach Israel and parts of southeastern Europe.

Western and Israeli intelligence services say Iran wants to produce intercontinental missiles with a range of up to 3,750 miles.

The Revolutionary Guards also unveiled what were identified as missile silos, facilities not seen in Iran before.

With regard to the planned integration of U.S. and Israeli missile defense systems, O'Reilly acknowledged this could mean Israeli batteries would be used to protect Arab states that are allies of the United States but which do not have diplomatic relations with the Jewish state.

Egypt and Jordan both have peace treaties with Israel, so it was not clear to which Arab states O'Reilly was referring. But it was mostly likely Saudi Arabia and its partners in the Persian Gulf, which at present are vulnerable to Iranian missile attack. Several host U.S. military bases that are within range of Iranian missiles.

Israel's multi-layered missile shield is still partly under development, although the high-altitude Arrow-2 system, jointly funded by the United States, has been in place since 2000.

A more powerful Arrow-3 variant capable of intercepting Iranian missiles outside Earth's atmosphere is being developed. It would be deployed alongside the Arrow-2s.

In March, the Iron Dome interceptor system, designed to counter short-range rockets and missiles, successfully made its combat debut in shooting down eight out of nine Grad-type rockets unleashed on southern Israel.

The fourth system, David's Sling, is still being developed and isn't likely to be operational before 2013. It's designed to counter medium-range missiles.

Israel's Defense Ministry says it plans to integrate all four systems, plus U.S.-supplied Patriots, into a national command center.

Source: Space War.
Link: http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Israel_to_join_US_Mideast_missile_shield_999.html.

Pakistan tells US to leave 'drone' attack base

Islamabad (AFP) June 29, 2011

Pakistan told the United States to leave a remote desert air base reportedly used as a hub for covert CIA drone attacks, Defense Minister Ahmed Mukhtar was quoted by state media as saying Wednesday.

His remarks are the latest indication of Pakistan attempting to limit US activities since a clandestine American military raid killed Osama bin Laden on May 2. Islamabad also detained a CIA contractor wanted for murder in January.

"We have told them (US officials) to leave the air base," national news agency APP quoted Mukhtar as telling a group of journalists in his office.

Images said to be of US Predator drones at Shamsi base have been published by Google Earth in the past. The air strip is 900 kilometers (560 miles) southwest of the capital Islamabad in Baluchistan province.

A US embassy spokeswoman told AFP there were no US military personnel at Shamsi.

American drone attacks on Taliban and Al-Qaeda operatives in Pakistan's northwestern semi-autonomous tribal belt are hugely unpopular among a general public opposed to the government's alliance with Washington.

Despite condemning the drone strikes in public, US documents leaked by Internet whistleblower Wikileaks late last year showed that Pakistani civilian and militant leaders had privately consented to the drone campaign.

CNN reported in April that US military personnel had left the base, said to be a key site for American drone operations, in the fallout over public killings by a CIA contractor in Lahore and his subsequent detention.

Reports said operations at the base, which Washington has not publicly acknowledged, were conducted with tacit Pakistani military consent.

Neither does the United States officially confirm Predator drone attacks, but its military and the CIA operating in Afghanistan are the only forces in the region that deploy the armed, unmanned aircraft.

Pakistani and US officials have frequently been drawn into slanging matches, played out in the press, since the bin Laden raid humiliated the military and invited allegations of incompetence and complicity, as well as damaging trust.

"This trust deficit could be reduced by sitting together and taking joint actions," the state-sun Associated Press of Pakistan quoted Mukhtar as saying.

On Tuesday, US Vice Admiral William McRaven, who oversaw the bin Laden raid, said the US military believes Taliban supreme leader Mullah Omar is in Pakistan and had asked the Pakistani army to find him.

Asked about Omar, Mukhtar said: "If he was in Pakistan, even then, he would have left the country after the Abbottabad incident."

Mukhtar, who belongs to the ruling Pakistan People's Party, said that he supported negotiations with the Taliban to resolve the conflict in Afghanistan.

McRaven also said Pakistan showed no sign of either wanting or being able to crack down on the Al-Qaeda-linked Haqqani network operating from sanctuaries near the Afghan border, despite repeated US requests.

Pakistan angrily rejects US criticism of its record on militancy.

Thousands of troops have died fighting a homegrown Taliban insurgency in the northwest, although the military has not moved against those like the Haqqanis who confine their attacks to Afghanistan.

"Our concerns and constraints must be taken into consideration before making any statement questioning our commitment to fighting militancy," said military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas.

Around 4,500 other people have been killed in suicide and bomb attacks across the country since government troops raided Islamist extremists holed up in Islamabad mosque four years ago.

Source: Space War.
Link: http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Pakistan_tells_US_to_leave_drone_attack_base_999.html.

Jordan, US to perform joint military drill

2011-06-25

AMMONNEWS- Units and formations from the Jordan Armed Forces will conduct this month a joint military drill with the US side, the Jordan Armed Forces Moral Guidance Directorate said.

The drill will be attended by units from the land, maritime and air forces in line with Royal directives to upgrade capabilities of the armed forces and within the annual training plan of the armed forces.

Activities of the drill will also include seminar and courses in a number of fields.

Invitations were extended to 20 Arab and foreign countries to attend part of the drill as observers.

Source: Ammon News.
Link: http://en.ammonnews.net/article.aspx?articleNO=12561.

France air 'drops arms' to Libya rebels

2011-06-29

Report France’s air drops are aimed at helping Berber fighters encircle Tripoli, encourage popular revolt in capital.

PARIS - France has begun parachuting arms shipments to Berber rebels fighting Libyan leader Moamer Gathafi's forces in the highlands south of Tripoli, the French daily Le Figaro reported on Wednesday.

According to the paper, which said it had seen a secret intelligence memo and talked to well-placed officials, the air drops are designed to help rebel fighters encircle Tripoli and encourage a popular revolt in the city itself.

"If the rebels can get to the outskirts of Tripoli, the capital will take the chance to rise against Gathafi," said an official quoted in the report.

"The regime's mercenaries are no longer getting paid and are scarcely getting fed. There's a severe fuel shortage, the population has had enough."

French officials could not immediately confirm or deny the report to AFP.

According to Le Figaro the French arms shipments are dropped from planes in the Djebel Nafusa region, where Berber tribes have risen to join the revolt against Gathafi's rule and seized several provincial towns.

The crates hold assault rifles, machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades, it said, and also European-made Milan anti-tank missiles, a powerful addition to the rebel arsenal that can destroy a tank or a bunker.

France has taken a leading role in organizing international support for the uprising against Gathafi's four-decade old rule, and French and British jets are spearheading a NATO-led air campaign targeting his forces.

Rebel forces are based in Benghazi in the east of the country, and hold a besieged enclave supplied by sea in the western coastal town of Misrata, but have been unable to mount a convincing advance on the capital.

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=46981.

China rolls out red carpet for Sudan's Bashir

2011-06-29

Sudanese President insists southern independence will not affect relationship between Beijing and Khartoum.

By Susan Stumme - BEIJING

Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted on genocide charges, was given a red-carpet welcome Wednesday by Chinese President Hu Jintao, despite criticism from Washington and human rights groups.

The two presidents sat down for talks in the Great Hall of the People in the heart of Beijing after the usual pomp and circumstance of a welcoming ceremony not often afforded to Bashir, who is unwelcome in many countries.

"Mr Bashir, you are a guest who has traveled from afar, and we welcome you," Hu said in opening remarks, adding that he hoped the talks would help bolster the "traditionally friendly relations" between the two countries.

The Sudanese leader, who called Hu his "friend and brother", thanked the Chinese leader for the "warm welcome and treatment" he had received since arriving in Beijing on Tuesday.

The pair later witnessed the signing of a economic and technological cooperation agreement, as well as two loan deals including one for a bridge project in eastern Sudan. No further details were given.

Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity that occurred in Sudan's western Darfur region, where about 300,000 people have died since 2003.

China nevertheless remains an unabashed supporter of the Sudanese leader, who was the first sitting head of state to be served an ICC arrest warrant.

The two presidents were expected to discuss the ongoing north-south peace process in Sudan, the situation in war-torn Darfur -- and perhaps how Bashir's regime intends to safeguard Chinese investment in his country.

Beijing is a key military supplier to the regime in Khartoum and the biggest buyer of the country's oil, although the majority of Sudan's oil fields are located in the south, which will become independent on July 9.

In an interview with China's official Xinhua news agency ahead of the visit, Bashir insisted that southern independence "will not affect the relationship" between Beijing and Khartoum, hailing China as a model "real partner".

China and Sudan on Tuesday signed an agreement to "deepen" oil and gas cooperation in the presence of Bashir and other ministers, China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC), the country's top oil producer, said in a statement.

The company did not provide further details.

Beijing has defended its invitation to Bashir, with foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei saying Tuesday: "As a friendly country of China, the Sudanese leader's visit to China is quite reasonable."

The Sudanese leader's visit has sparked outrage among rights groups, and earned the reproach of the US State Department.

"We continue to oppose invitations, facilitation, support for travel by ICC indictees," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Monday.

ICC statutes dictate that any member country should arrest Bashir if he visits. China is not a party to those statutes, nor is the United States.

"We reserve our opinion on the ICC's prosecution against President Bashir," China's Hong said Tuesday.

Bashir -- who last visited China in 2006 -- arrived in Beijing on Tuesday, one day late after his presidential plane was turned back to Iran while flying over Turkmenistan. Hong attributed the delay to "technical reasons".

New York-based Human Rights Watch described Bashir's trip as "an affront to victims of heinous crimes committed in Darfur" and had urged Beijing to arrest Bashir on arrival.

Amnesty International said earlier this month that China risked becoming a "safe haven for alleged perpetrators of genocide" if it hosted Bashir.

Bashir and Hu may also have discussed Chinese aid to Sudan and problems in Abyei, a disputed border area claimed both by Bashir's Khartoum-based northern Sudan regime and the rival government in the south.

The United Nations Security Council voted unanimously on Monday to send a 4,200-strong Ethiopian peacekeeping force to Abyei in a bid to douse tensions.

The Sudanese leader had been due to stay in China until Thursday, but it was unclear whether his delayed arrival would now prolong his stay.

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=46982.

Arab-Israeli imam faces deportation from Britain

2011-06-29

British Home Secretary says unaware how Sheikh Raed Saleh – who was due to speak at House of Commons alongside three Labor MPs – entered UK.

LONDON - Arab-Israeli Islamist leader Sheikh Raed Saleh faced deportation from Britain on Wednesday after being arrested for entering the country despite a government ban.

Home Secretary Theresa May said arrangements had begun to remove Saleh, the leader of the northern wing of Israel's Islamic Movement, and an investigation had been launched into how he managed to enter the country.

But Saleh's lawyers said he had no idea he was subject to an exclusion order and vowed to "strongly challenge" attempts to deport him.

Saleh was arrested in London at about 11:00 pm (2200 GMT) on Tuesday after returning from a public event in the central English city of Leicester, one of several he was attending during a week-long visit, his lawyers said.

He had been due to speak at an event at the House of Commons organized by the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign (PSC) on Wednesday evening, alongside three opposition Labor lawmakers.

"I can confirm he was excluded and that he managed to enter the UK. He has now been detained and the UK Border Agency is now making arrangements to remove him," May said in a statement.

"A full investigation is now taking place into how he was able to enter."

The Home Office could not confirm when or why Saleh was placed on an exclusion list, although press reports said it happened a week ago.

One of Saleh's British lawyers, Tayab Ali, said his client had been arrested under a deportation order, which was issued "because the secretary of state considers the deportation to be conducive to the public good".

He said Saleh had had no idea that he was barred when he flew in to London Heathrow at the weekend.

"He traveled to the UK using his valid Israeli passport through perfectly normal means. He came to the United Kingdom to attend a number of lectures and give a couple of talks in a perfectly normal and lawful way," Ali said.

"We are instructed to strongly challenge the deportation order," he added, on the basis that the original exclusion order had no merit, and because the deportation interferes with Saleh's right to freedom of expression.

Sheikh Kamal Khatib, a spokesman for the Islamic Movement, blamed "the Zionist lobby in Britain" for pushing police into arresting him.

The detention was also denounced as political by another of Saleh's British lawyers, Farooq Bajwa, who has been instructed to pursue defamation proceedings against two British newspapers who accused his client of anti-Semitism.

Bajwa said: "He feels that this is a campaign by the Israeli government and people sympathetic to them to exclude him even though he's not a violent person."

Saleh has had multiple run-ins with the law in Israel, including most recently being arrested at the border with Jordan after allegedly striking an interrogator.

In 2010, he spent five months behind bars for spitting at an Israeli policeman, and he has been detained on a number of other occasions, including in connection with an alleged arson incident.

He was also held after taking part in a Gaza-bound aid flotilla that Israeli naval commandos stormed on May 31, 2010 in a botched operation that left nine Turkish activists dead.

The Islamic Movement is tolerated in Israel but is under constant surveillance due to its perceived links with Hamas, as well as with other Islamist groups worldwide.

PSC director Sarah Colborne defended inviting Saleh to their event Wednesday, admitting that he had faced "horrific allegations of anti-Semitism" in the past but had "completely refuted" them.

Israel's Arab community numbers 1.3 million, about 20 percent of the population. It is made of the Palestinians who remained after the 1948 establishment of Israel, and their descendants.

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=46999.

US Defense Secretary retires

2011-06-29

Gates, pragmatist who oversaw troubled wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, retires after four-and-a-half-year Pentagon stint.

By Dan De Luce - WASHINGTON

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who oversaw attempts to salvage troubled wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, retires Thursday after a stint that won him praise across the political spectrum.

The 67-year-old Washington insider rose through the ranks of the CIA during the Cold War to become the spy agency's director before returning to government to take over as defense chief at a fraught moment in the Iraq conflict.

Gates began his four-and-a-half-year Pentagon stint by helping to manage the troop surge credited with defusing spiraling violence in Iraq, a result he says is his most important accomplishment.

"I think, had we left here (Iraq) with our tail between our legs and with chaos, it would have been very bad for our army and for our military," the understated Kansan, known for plain speaking and pragmatism, told CBS news.

Former president George W. Bush named Gates in 2006 to the Pentagon job to succeed the combative Donald Rumsfeld, who had become a lightning rod for criticism over the controversial Iraq war and the handling of detainees.

In the aftermath of the turbulent Rumsfeld era, Gates eased tensions and repaired relations with the military brass, Congress and allies abroad.

But after more than four years as what he called "secretary of war," the weight of the job began to show. His voice would often crack with emotion when he spoke to young soldiers in the field.

When President Barack Obama called on Gates to stay on as Pentagon chief in 2009, he became the first defense secretary to be asked to remain in office by a newly elected president, a testament in part to his vaunted reputation in Congress -- where lawmakers from both parties rarely criticized him.

As a Republican who had been known as a hawk during the Cold War, Gates lent heft to Obama's national security team and to some extent shielded the younger, inexperienced president from criticism on the right.

But the bipartisan confidence Gates inspires today is a far cry from his searing experience in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when he faced a legal probe and hostile senate hearings over his role in the Iran-Contra scandal.

Upon taking the helm of the Pentagon in 2006, Gates inherited an unpopular war in Iraq that seemed on the verge of catastrophe.

He backed the last-ditch surge of US forces masterminded by General David Petraeus, helping to halt a slide towards all-out sectarian war.

While other factors contributed to the improvement in security, including the decision of Sunni tribal leaders to turn on Al-Qaeda, Gates has touted Iraq as a qualified success.

But the outcome in Afghanistan remains an open question.

Gates, who at the CIA had once funneled arms to mujahideen forces fighting the Russians in the 1980s, found himself in charge of American troops deployed in a war that has surpassed the length of the Soviet occupation.

He was influential in Obama's decision to send an additional 33,000 troops to Afghanistan, as well as the timeline announced last week for a gradual withdrawal of the reinforcements next year.

Skeptical of the ideological use of military action, Gates often expressed caution about resorting to force when vital interests are not clearly at stake.

He warned of the risks of intervention in Iran and argued -- unsuccessfully -- against the air war in Libya.

He often said his highest priority was providing for troops, and he pushed the Pentagon bureaucracy to build heavily-armored vehicles to better protect soldiers and to reduce the time for medical evacuations in Afghanistan.

Despite his soft-spoken manner, Gates held military leaders accountable and did not hesitate to fire them if he believed they had failed.

He once sacked the air force secretary and chief of staff on the same day -- a firing without precedent -- after a series of nuclear blunders.

After a career in government that has spanned eight presidents, Gates hands over the reins to Leon Panetta, the outgoing CIA director.

Gates has joked that this is his second attempt at retirement. After stepping down as CIA chief in 1993, he worked on corporate boards before becoming president of Texas A&M University in 2002.

As defense secretary, he compared his work to when he was a university president, saying in both cases he had responsibility for young people under the age of 24.

"But instead of wearing J-Crew they wear body armor. Instead of carrying book bags they are carrying assault rifles.

"And a number of them -- far too many -- will not come home to their parents."

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=46993.

Kirkuk buys electricity from Kurdish region

2011-06-29

Oil-rich Iraqi city signs contract to solve its electricity problem during summer through buying 200 megawatts from Kurdistan.

KIRKUK - Iraq's oil-rich Kirkuk province has started buying electricity from a private supplier in autonomous Kurdistan, its governor said Tuesday, after a spat with Baghdad over power shortages.

"We have a signed contract to solve the electricity problem in Kirkuk during the summer through buying 200 megawatts from a supplier in Kurdistan," said Rakan Saeed al-Juburi, the governor of Kirkuk.

Jaburi said supplies had already started this month with 100 megawatts, which would double by the end of July, adding the contract was signed with Ahmed Ismaeel, one of the biggest private power suppliers in Kurdistan.

Kirkuk, which produces more electricity than it is allocated by Baghdad, in January briefly stopped supplying power to the national network.

It resumed only after officials agreed to immediately increase Kirkuk's quota by nearly 50 percent, still leaving the province woefully short of 24-hour power.

Jaburi said the final price had still not been agreed, but authorities in Kirkuk were negotiating for $0.06 per kilowatt.

The governor said supplies would be paid for with revenues from the Petrodollar agreement, through which Kirkuk receives $1 from the central government for every barrel of oil it exports, amounting to about $1.7 million dollars a month.

Massud Barzani, the president of the autonomous Kurdistan region, said Tuesday he hoped the deal would relieve some of his people's suffering, and reiterated Kurdistan's claim over the province.

"I understand your suffering very well, in the field of electricity and other services," he said in a statement.

Supplies would continue until Baghdad honors agreements and "returns all these areas to the Kurdistan region."

"We insist that Kurdistan takes care of the beloved Kirkuk province, and insists in helping it, especially during this hot season," Barzani added.

Kirkuk's three power stations produce about 500 megawatts of electricity, with the majority of that sent to Baghdad, Salaheddin and Dohuk provinces.

Residents in Kirkuk have been contending with only about 12 hours of state-supplied electricity a day.

With the exception of Kurdistan, Iraq's power supply remains drastically short of demand, with homes and businesses nationwide suffering daily cuts and relying on generators to fill the gap, as the war-ravaged country struggles to boost capacity.

Overall national demand totals around 15,000 megawatts, compared with supply of 7,000 megawatts -- 6,000 megawatts produced locally, and 1,000 megawatts imported.

For months, angry Iraqis have staged demonstrations demanding improved basic services, especially electricity.

Iraq's infrastructure was devastated during the 2003 US-led invasion and more than a decade of sanctions that preceded it.

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=46991.

Arab activists buy $800,000 boat for Gaza flotilla

2011-06-29

Boat is expected to join aid flotilla aimed at breaking Israel's five-year blockade on Palestinian territory.

AMMAN- Arab activists have purchased a boat to join a Gaza-bound aid flotilla aimed at breaking Israel's five-year blockade on the Palestinian territory, a leading Jordanian unionist said on Wednesday.

"Arab contributors have bought in Greece a 560,000-euro ($805,000) boat that can take up to 200 passengers to join the aid flotilla to the Gaza Strip," Wael Saqqa, former head of the Jordan engineers' union, said.

"The boat has been registered under the name of Nur company, established for the purpose of purchasing the boat," said Saqqa, adding 35 Jordanian activists would join the flotilla.

The vessel was expected to set sail for Gaza on Thursday, along with other ships.

"But it might be delayed because there is a general strike in Greek ports," Saqqa said, adding the boat would carry medical aid and construction material.

Israel has repeatedly said it is determined to stop the 10-boat flotilla -- recalling a similar attempt to reach Gaza in May last year that ended in violence when Israeli troops stormed the lead vessel, killing nine Turks.

Nearly 300 pro-Palestinian activists from 22 countries including Canada, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy and Spain are set to join the flotilla, among them a good number of middle-aged as well as elderly Americans and Europeans.

They are to be joined by 35 journalists from around the world, according to organizers.

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=46996.

A night on the town, Libyan revolution style

2011-06-27

Libyans in Benghazi still game for a night out despite war with Gathafi regime, shortage of services.

By Andrew Beatty – BENGHAZI, Libya

A night out in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi is not everyone's idea of fun. There are no cinemas, no clubs, only a handful of open restaurants and alcohol is illegal.

But while the war being fought 240 kilometers (150 miles) away is on everyone's mind, Libyans are still game for a night out.

These days the place to be seen in the rebel stronghold of Benghazi is, without doubt, the freshly renamed Tahrir (Liberation) Square.

Bounded by the city on one side and the Mediterranean on the other, the square's concrete heart has been covered by a giant woven mat, converting the plaza into -- in turn -- a sit-down concert hall and an open-air mosque.

Children, families and men of all ages flock there each evening, listening to music, debating politics and finding out the latest news and rumors about the front and the fate of Moamer Gathafi.

By 9 pm the square is thronged with thousands of people in various states of recline. That is before the faithful snap into regimental lines for Isha, the final prayer of the day, and the real crowds start arriving.

Around the mat vendors sell kebabs, revolutionary branded T-shirts, key chains and, of course, the omnipresent red, black and green rebel flags.

Libya's post-revolution media are also out in force, with Libya Al-Hurra (Free Libya) television filming an endless stream of debates and projecting them live onto the wall of the courthouse.

In a sign of just how much has changed in the Islamic world this year, large US, British and French flags fly beside messages of thanks for NATO's decision to save this city's people.

Without irony, a giant portrait of Omar Mukhtar -- a hero of Libya's independence -- hangs beside the flag of Italy, the country that hanged him for insurrection.

On the corniche, which bounds the square to the northwest, there is a long string of tents sponsored by everything from football teams to military forces.

Some contain images of fighting in the city, and in Misrata, the rebel-held port city across the Gulf of Sirte which is still under fire by Gathafi's forces.

Children and adults queue up to sit in the cockpit of a nearby MiG-23, like the one downed by Gathafi's forces in the early days of the Battle for Benghazi. The only attraction with a longer waiting time may be the nearby bouncy castles.

"Sometimes we demonstrate and sometimes we play," said 13-year-old Ali Nasser as he waited his turn on one of the quad bikes racing up and down the corniche pulling wheelies.

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=46940.

Organization of Islamic Conference Changes Name: Chief

2011-06-28

Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said on Tuesday that the body has changed its name into the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

"I have the honor to inform you that senior official meeting preparatory to this esteemed council recommended for approval of the new logo and proposed name which reads 'Organization of Islamic Cooperation'," he said, addressing a meeting of the body's foreign ministers in Astana, Kazakhstan.

"This name has the advantage of preserving the organization's acronym OIC," he said in his speech, which was posted on the organization's website.

The 57-member body is largely made up of countries whose people are mainly followers of the Islamic religion.

Based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the body was established in 1969. The population of the body amounts to 650 million.

The first summit conference in Rabat, Morocco, in 1969 decided that member states would hold talks and consultations together for better and close cooperation in the economic, cultural and spiritual fields, inspired by Islamic teachings.

Source: CRIEnglish.
Link: http://english.cri.cn/6966/2011/06/28/2681s645270.htm.