Greece arrests Gaza-bound boat captain

Sunday, July 3, 2011

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek authorities have arrested the captain of a boat that is part of a Gaza-bound flotilla trying to deliver humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territory, officials said.

The 60-year-old captain, John Klusmire, was being held at Piraeus police headquarters and will remain there until a court hearing Tuesday.

"The conditions of his detention are terrible," vessel spokeswoman Jane Hirschmann told The Associated Press on Saturday. "There is no bed. He is sitting on a bench." Police weren't immediately available for comment.

Greece's coast guard said Klusmire, captain of "The Audacity of Hope," faces charges of trying to leave port without permission and of endangering the lives of the boat's passengers. The latter charge is a felony.

The boat was carrying 36 passengers, four crew and about 10 members of the media. Its attempt to sail Friday night from the port of Perama, near Athens, was thwarted by coast guard speedboats. On the same day, Greece had announced it was banning vessels heading to Gaza from leaving Greek ports.

The "Audacity of Hope" has been moored at a Greek naval station. Its crew of four, two British and two American citizens, was forbidden to leave the boat. The British Embassy intervened and while they were then allowed to leave the boat, the crew and the passengers chose to stay on board, Hirschmann said.

"Where is the American embassy in all this?" she said, adding that U.S. authorities had not responded to passengers' calls for assistance. The U.S. Embassy wasn't immediately available for comment.

In Jerusalem, Israel has denied claims it sabotaged ships trying to breach its sea blockade of the Gaza Strip.

Activists have accused Israel of damaging two ships docked in Turkey and Greece that were part of a flotilla attempting to reach the Palestinian territory.

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor dismissed the sabotage charges as "ridiculous," calling them "sad conspiracy theories."

Selcuk Unal, a spokesman for the Turkish Foreign Ministry, said authorities had determined that there was no act of sabotage on an Irish vessel in the flotilla that docked in the Turkish port of Gocek on the Aegean Sea.

Israel says it imposed the blockade in 2007 to stop weapons reaching the Islamic militant group Hamas that rules Gaza. Activists describe the blockade as a form of incarceration for the Palestinians.

Nine activists on a Turkish boat were killed last year in an Israeli raid on a similar flotilla.

In a statement, the Middle East Quartet of Mideast mediators — the U.S., U.N., EU and Russia — said it remained concerned about the difficult conditions facing Palestinians in Gaza, but noted "a marked increase in the range and scope of goods and materials" entering Gaza over the last year.

It urged those wishing to deliver goods to Gaza to do so through "established channels," which include Israeli and Egyptian crossings.

The Quartet "urges restraint and calls on all Governments concerned to use their influence to discourage additional flotillas, which risk the safety of their participants and carry the potential for escalation," the statement said.

Christopher Torchia in Athens, Ian Deitch in Jerusalem and Selcan Hacaoglu in Ankara, Turkey, contributed to this report.

Staggering 98 percent 'yes' vote for new Morocco constitution

2011-07-02

Interior minister says voter turnout has been 72.65 percent in 94 percent of stations reporting from referendum.

RABAT - A new constitution giving the Moroccan government and parliament wider powers was approved by 98 percent of voters in a referendum Friday, with 94 percent of polling stations reporting, the interior minister said.

Interior Minister Taib Cherkaoui said voter turnout had been 72.65 percent in the 94 percent of stations reporting from the referendum, called by the king after he faced pro-democracy protests inspired by uprisings throughout the Arab world.

"The referendum went ahead in a normal atmosphere, and showed the degree of interaction between the people and the content of the constitutional project," he said.

In a clear bid to show the vote was supported by the young, Cherkaoui also noted that 30 percent of voters were under the age of 35.

Faced with protests modeled on the Arab Spring uprisings, the king announced the referendum on a new constitution last month to devolve some of his powers to the prime minister and parliament of the north African country.

Under the draft constitution, the king would remain head of state, the military, and the Islamic faith in Morocco, but the prime minister, chosen from the largest party elected to parliament, would take over as head of government.

The reforms fall short of the full constitutional monarchy many protesters were demanding and the youth-based February 20 Movement, which organized weeks of protests that brought thousands to the streets to call for more democracy, had urged its supporters to boycott Friday's vote.

Along with changes granting the prime minister more executive authority, the new constitution would reinforce the independence of the judiciary and enlarge parliament's role.

It would also remove a reference to the king as "sacred", though he would remain "Commander of the Faithful" and "inviolable".

The new constitution would also guarantee more rights to women and make Berber an official language along with Arabic -- the first time a north African country has granted official status to the region's indigenous language.

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=47037.

Jordanian protesters want PM jailed

2011-06-30

Police clash with more than 100 demonstrators demanding downfall of government, parliament outside parliament.

AMMAN - Police on Thursday clashed briefly with Jordanian demonstrators outside parliament before dispersing an anti-corruption protest, which called for the "imprisonment" of the prime minister.

"The people want the imprisonment of (premier) Maaruf Bakhit. The people want to expel Bakhit," more than 100 people, mostly youths, chanted in central Amman.

"The nation is a red line. We demand the downfall of government and parliament as well as the corrupt in the state," read one of the banners they carried.

They were protesting a lower house decision this week not to impeach Bakhit for his alleged role in a suspected graft case about a multi-million-dollar deal that his government singed with a UK-based company to build a casino, between 2005 and 2007 when he first served as premier.

The lower house has cleared Bakhit despite a parliamentary committee report which has found Bakhit partially responsible.

"The police dispersed the demonstration because they did not want to hear what we say," former MP Ali Ali Abu Sukkar, who took part in the protest, said.

The protesters wanted to hurl rotten eggs at the parliament building and MPs, but later threw them in the streets.

"We came from all parts of Jordan to protest the casino case farce by the government and MPs. We want them all out," Hisham Hees of the southern city of Theiban said.

Three MPs have resigned in protest against the lower house decision, news reports have said.

The powerful opposition Islamist movement as well as other groups plan to hold similar demonstrations in Amman and other parts of Jordan on Friday.

Since January, Jordan has faced a protest movement demanding political and economic reforms and an end to corruption.

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=47022.

Astana Celebrates 13th Year As Kazakhstan's Capital City

July 02, 2011

From Azeman Ariffin

ASTANA (Kazakhstan), July 2 (Bernama) -- Astana may be young, but the fast developing city has gained special importance as Kazakhstan is the new chairman of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

Astana, the capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan since 1997, is situated on a picturesque bank of the Ishim River. It will observe its 13th Capital Day celebrations on July 6 which is a public holiday .

The landlocked Kazakhstan, situated along the Silk Road connecting the East and West, is the world's ninth largest country with an area spanning more than 2.9 million square kilometers.

In December 1991, the Muslim-majority country regained its independence from the former Soviet Union. Six years later, Kazakhstan's capital city moved from Almaty to Astana.

Under President Nursultan Nazarbayev, the country developed dramatically with a robust market economy.

According to the Astana Times -- the only English language newspaper in the country - the highlight of celebrations during the public holiday-cum-festive week will be a gala concert, 'Astana Bayt Mekeni' at a square in front of the 'Kazakh Eli' monument.

Back to Kazakhstan history, the town of Akmolinsk acquired incorporated status in 1862. It had long been famous for its fairs, with merchants from all regions of Kazakhstan, Russia and the Central Asian countries traveling here.

As the development of virgin lands began, the town was renamed Tselinograd and typified the administrative center of an agricultural region.

Since acquiring capital status, the city's face has changed dramatically. The architects and builders working in the capital create wonderful architectural ensembles, which harmoniously combine modern design and oriental flair.

The 105-meter high Baiterek Tower has become the city's symbol and its visiting card. It has an observation deck located at 97 meters to provide a bird's eye view of the city.

Astana has become one of the largest business centers in the region. All governmental organizations, diplomatic missions of 44 countries and 113 joint ventures and foreign businesses are located here.

Every year, the city hosts various international industrial exhibitions, conferences, music contests and festivals of the Kazakhstani people.

In 1999, through a decision of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Astana was awarded the title of 'World City'. The city has an opera and ballet theater, drama theater and a variety of museums.

Astana's monuments take one back to its rich history, held in esteem by the people of Kazakhstan.

One of Astana's attractions is the ethnopark 'Map of Kazakhstan - Atameken' which represents a unique outdoor museum. The 1.7 hectare ethnopark features cities and historical memorials of Kazakhstan.

-- BERNAMA

Source: Bernama.
Link: http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsindex.php?id=598467.

Anonymous launches WikiLeaks inspired HackerLeaks site

By Jeff Hughes | Digital Trends
Fri, Jul 1, 2011

A new website launched by a sub-group of Anonymous aims to provide hackers with a central way to publicize the documents they steal. The HackerLeaks website is modeled on WikiLeaks and says it will provide a secure and anonymous way for sensitive information to receive “the maximum exposure possible in order to achieve the most profound political impact”.

The site launched June 25 and was created by a group spawned in 1985 called the People’s Liberation Front (PLF). This hacktivist group is known for attacking the government websites of countries like Tunisia, Iran, Egypt, and Bahrain alongside AnonOps. Commander X, a founding member of PLF and part of the reason HBGary was hacked, has said that the group is like a scalpel for Anonymous—fast and precise.

Now these elite hackers are hoping that HackerLeaks, along with another .tk site they launched geared towards insider whistleblowers called LocalLeaks, will encourage scoops on par with WikiLeaks. The elusive Commander X told Forbes’ Andy Greenberg that though hackers use sittes like Pastebin to publish information, Anonymous and the PLF are in a better position to expose the sensitive data because of their media connections.

Commander X, who currently acts as the editor in chief for both sites, says, “We just wanted to make our own offering, compete in the disclosure marketplace and maybe fill a unique role if we can.”

HackerLeaks’ first anonymous submission was a list of Orlando officials’ personal details on Tuesday. The list included income, home values and other data. Hackers have been hitting Orlando-based targets this week because Orlando non-profit workers were arrested for handing out food to the homeless. The data was taken to show that the the people enforcing the law against the poor were obnoxiously rich.

We’ll have to wait and see whether hackers decide this to be a useful service. “You download it, we’ll disclose it for you,” the site’s homepage reads.

Kuwait withdraws forces from Bahrain

Sat Jul 2, 2011

Kuwaiti naval forces have decided to withdraw Bahrain after a 4-month long military occupation of the country's territorial waters with aim of aiding the government to crush anti-regime protesters.

Kuwaiti naval units joined Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in March to contain the nationwide anti-regime movement.

On Saturday, however, Kuwait announced it would withdraw its naval units, AFP reported.

This comes on the same day that Bahrain announced beginning negotiations with the country's opposition leaders. The group has, however, stressed that it would withdraw from the dialogue if the people's demands are not met.

Scores of people have been killed and hundreds arrested in the Saudi-backed crackdown on the protests in Bahrain since mid-February.

Earlier in the week, Bahrain announced the partial withdrawal of Saudi forces.

Moreover, rights groups have slammed Manama and Riyadh for what they call gross violations of human rights.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/187204.html.

Jordan cabinet reshuffled amid protests

Sat Jul 2, 2011

The Jordanian Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit has reshuffled his cabinet in a bid to ease the ongoing anti-government demonstrations in the country seeking his resignation.

Eleven new ministers received a Royal Decree from King Abdullah II on Saturday, the state-run Petra news agency reported.

Bakhit's cabinet was formed in February 2011, and since then three lawmakers have resigned due to months long anti-government demonstrations.

King Abdullah II responded to the protesters' demand when he dismissed former Prime Minister Samir Rifai and replaced him with Bakhit in February.

The protesters, however, continued their demonstrations, calling for Bakhit to be replaced with a democratic government. The Jordanians want the premier ousted and the parliament dissolved.

"Reform is demanded by the public and a crucial passage for survival. The regime must meet such demands and start genuine reform measures, not only cosmetic measures. The government should stop referring to parliament legislation that is categorized as military laws in a democratic dress. The government of Bakhit has expired. We are badly in need of a national salvation government," Muslim Brotherhood leader Zai Bani said last week.

Moreover, there have been several violent clashes between security forces and anti-government protesters, who also are demanding an end to ties with Israel.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/187192.html.