Ames, Iowa, GOP Debate: Paul Schools Santorum, Bachmann on Iran, War

by Thomas R. Eddlem
Friday, 12 August 2011

Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) schooled former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Penn.) and Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) on foreign policy issues in the August 11 GOP presidential debate in Ames, Iowa.

Asked by Fox News channel anchor Chris Wallace why Paul was "soft" on Iran in his opposition to economic sanctions against the country, Paul told the debate audience that the threat from Iran was small when looked at through the lens of history: "Just think of what we went through in the Cold War when I was in the Air Force, after I was drafted into the Air Force, all through the Sixties. We were standing up against the Soviets. They had like 30,000 nuclear weapons with intercontinental missiles. Just think of the agitation and the worry about a country that might get a nuclear weapon some day."

Paul concluded of sanctions: "That makes it much worse. Why would that be so strange if the Soviets and the Chinese had nuclear weapons, we tolerated the Soviets. We didn't attack them. And they were a much greater danger. They were the greatest danger to us in our whole history. But you don't go to war with them."

Paul also asked the audience to consider the nuclear issue from the perspective of the Iranian people:

Just think of how many nuclear weapons surround Iran. The Chinese are there. The Indians are there. The Pakistanis are there. The Israelis are there. The United States is there. All these countries ... why wouldn't it be natural if they might want a weapon? Internationally, they might be given more respect. Why should we write people off? In the Fifties, we at least talked to them. At least our leaders and Reagan talked to the Soviets. What's so terribly bad about this? And countries you put sanctions on you are more likely to fight them. I say a policy of peace is free trade, stay out of their internal business, don't get involved in these wars and just bring our troops home.

Paul's statements did not sit well with neo-conservatives at the debate podium. Rick Santorum, who had authored a sanctions bill against Iran as a Senator, took particular umbrage at Paul's analysis:

Iran is not Iceland, Ron. Iran is a country that has been at war with us since 1979. Iran is a country that has killed more American men and women in uniform in Iraq and Afghanistan than the Iraqis and the Afghans have. The Iranians are the existential threat to the state of Israel.

While Santorum's claim about more Americans being killed by Iranians in Iraq and Afghanistan than by the natives of those countries is patently false, Paul responded with a deeper historical analysis, noting:

The senator is wrong on his history. We've been at war in Iran for a lot longer than '79. We started it in 1953 when we sent in a coup, installed the Shah, and the reaction — the blowback — came in 1979. It's been going on and on because we just don't mind our own business. That's our problem.

Santorum defended the U.S. government's use of the CIA in the 1950s to install the brutal dictatorship of the Shah in Iran, which ended in an anti-American revolution in 1979. Santorum even called the Shah's reign freedom for the Iranian people:

He sees it exactly as Barack Obama sees it. That we have to go around and apologize for the fact that we've gone out and exerted our influence to create freedom around the world. I don't apologize for that. I don't apologize for the Iranian people being free for a long time, and now they're under a malocracy [sic] that tramples the rights of women, tramples the rights of gays, tramples the rights of people all throughout their society and is the greatest supporter of terrorism in the Middle East and around the world — and — is setting up training camps and is working with Venezuela and other countries south of our border to threaten us.

Representative Michele Bachmann agreed with Santorum, stating,

Regarding Iran, Iran is the central issue in the Middle East and their capacity to become a nuclear power. They are one of the four state sponsors of terror in the world. I sit on the House Select Committee on Intelligence. I can't reveal classified information, but I can say this: As President of the United States, I will do everything to make sure that Iran does not become a nuclear power.

Paul concluded,

You've heard the war propaganda that is liable to lead us into the sixth war and I worry about that position. Iran is a threat because they have some militants there, but believe me, they're all around the world and they're not a whole lot different than others. Iran does not have an air force that can come here. They can't even make enough gasoline for themselves.

Paul said that the propaganda about Iran matched the propaganda drumming up support for war against Iraq in 2002 — all of the claims of which ended up being exaggerated or patently false. "They're building up this case just like we did with Iraq. Build up the war propaganda. There was no al Qaeda in Iraq." He noted that war propagandists claimed "they had nuclear weapons and we had to go in," and then, referring to Santorum, added: I'm sure you supported that war as well." (Santorum nodded that he did support the Iraq war from the beginning.) Paul concluded: "It's time we quit this. It's trillions of dollars we are spending on these wars."

Paul campaign staffer Jack Hunter blogged on the Paul presidential campaign website,

Paul is the only candidate tonight that hasn’t unilaterally declared war on Iran, (or if you’re Rick Santorum, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, Syria) for the same vague and likely unfounded reasons as the last war. Most importantly — and this is key — Paul is the only candidate who has mentioned that we can no longer afford trillions of dollars to fight wars that don’t make sense.

Source: The News American.
Link: http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/foreign-policy/8572-ames-iowa-gop-debate-paul-schools-santorum-bachmann-on-iran-war.

UN says cholera epidemic in Somalia

August 12, 2011 — GENEVA (AP) — World Health Organization officials said Friday that famine-hit Somalia faces a cholera epidemic as dirty water and poor sanitation are leading to an increase in outbreaks of the disease.

Officials say cases of acute watery diarrhea — an important indicator of the risk of cholera — are now at 4,272 in Somalia — an 11 percent rise on last week's WHO reported figure of 3,839. WHO public health adviser Dr. Michel Yao told reporters in Geneva on Friday that the number of cholera cases has also risen sharply this year, with officials confirming 18 cases in the 30 lab samples taken in recent days from people living in the capital, Mogadishu.

Yao said the 60 percent infection rate confirms there is a "high risk" of the disease spreading quickly — "so we can say we have an epidemic." The random samples, which were tested in a lab in the capital, were drawn from among 4,272 samples from people who have suffered the diarrhea, he said. So far, he said, there have been 181 acute watery diarrhea-related deaths.

WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib said last week that a few cases of cholera have been confirmed in Somalia and the diarrhea is also on the rise. She said of the 3,839 reported cases, 77 percent afflicted children younger than 5-years old in Mogadishu.

The World Health Organization has said it is very concerned about disease outbreaks in drought-hit East Africa, due to a lack of clean water for drinking and bathing, overcrowding in camps and the low tolerance to disease of starving young children.

The United States estimates drought and famine in Somalia have killed more than 29,000 children under the age of 5. Millions face the risk of starvation amid Somalia's worst drought in 60 years. UNICEF spokeswoman Marixie Mercado said Friday that tens of thousands of children have died and countless more are particularly at risk of cholera and other diseases because of drought and violence in East Africa.

Bollywood film on caste stirs controversy in India Bollywood film on caste stirs controversy in India

August 12, 2011 — NEW DELHI (AP) — A star-filled Bollywood film on India's caste system churned up passionate debate as it opened Friday, with angry lower caste groups trying to torpedo its release, saying it reinforces social prejudices against them.

The furor makes clear that caste — the millennia-old Hindu custom that divides people in a strict social hierarchy based on their family's traditional livelihood and ethnicity — remains a deeply sensitive subject in modern India, despite government programs to erase such distinctions.

At least three big states have banned the film "Aarakshan" from opening on schedule Friday over fears it could stir up caste tensions. Its director, Prakash Jha, filed an urgent appeal to the Supreme Court seeking to overturn the bans.

The film's stars were given police bodyguards, and police also guarded theaters that did show the film, searching moviegoers and barring them from bringing bags inside, authorities said. The movie's title means "reservation," a reference to affirmative action quotas for India's untouchables, also known as dalits, in jobs and education.

Dalits, who form nearly a fourth of India's billion-plus population, say the film belittles them and shows them in a negative light. Jha disputed their interpretation of his movie, but he agreed to edit out parts they may find offensive. The edited version, however, was not available as it opened across the country over this lucrative Independence Day three-day weekend.

The film's star, famed actor Amitabh Bachchan, sounded anguished on his Twitter account Friday, accusing people of condemning the film without even watching it. "Have cried at our helplessness in not making people understand that this art needs to be seen not banned!" he tweeted.

On his blog, Bachchan quoted his character in the film, the principal of a college: "Two Indias reside in this country ... and in truth, if we have to see any progress in our society, then the distance between these two Indias must be erased."

Caste discrimination runs deep in India despite government efforts since independence in 1947 to use affirmative action to wipe it out. India's economic boom has further sharpened the divide, with much of its dividends accruing to the upper castes.

Nevertheless, large sections of India's upper castes are incensed over the quota policy, which ensures lower castes get spaces in the country's highly sought-after medical and engineering schools, universities and jobs.

"Aarakshan" had created a buzz, with the films lead actors — also including action hero Saif Ali Khan and Bollywood starlet Deepika Padukone — traveling the country to promote its release. In the film, Bachchan plays the idealistic head of a college who ends up being pushed out amid tensions between dalit and upper caste students over the quota system.

Another objection raised by some lower caste groups is that the Dalit protagtonist, is played by Khan, who belongs to an erstwhile royal family in India. "This objection is unfair. By this logic, are they saying a Dalit cannot play the role of a king in a film?" asks Jha.

With dalit groups saying the film is biased against the quota system, the government of Uttar Pradesh, India's biggest state, banned the film Wednesday. A day later, the governments of Punjab and Andhra Pradesh followed suit.

The ban could cost the film more than 150 million rupees ($3.5 million) in earnings, as filmgoers were expected to crowd theaters over the long weekend, trade analysts said. A government panel for the welfare of lower castes also has asked the country's film authorities to review the clearance given to the film.

"We have written to the Censor Board to review the film and remove at least five objectionable dialogues from the movie," said P. L. Punia, who heads the panel. "These changes can be made without affecting the narrative of the film."

Another objection raised by some lower caste groups is the casting of Khan, who belongs to one of the royal families that previously ruled parts of India, as the Dalit protagonist. "This objection is unfair. By this logic, are they saying a Dalit cannot play the role of a king in a film?" asks Jha.

Meanwhile, the Mumbai film fraternity is closing ranks in support of the movie. "There is nothing objectionable in the film. When people see it, they will realize that there is nothing controversial," said Ajay Devgn, a leading Bollywood action star.

Muslim Brotherhood party leaders meet with Russian diplomat

Thursday 11 Aug 2011

Leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party met with the acting Russian ambassador to Cairo Ivan Molotocov in the party’s headquarters Wednesday morning.

In a phone call with the Moscow News Agency, party officials confirmed the news, adding that the party’s chairman, Mohamed Morsi, and the party’s general secretary, Saad El-Katanany, attended the meeting.

The meeting comes a few weeks after a US diplomat announced that Washington will resume its contacts with the Brotherhood. The group's leaders said that any communication with the international realm is welcomed by them.

The Russian diplomat stated that the reason behind that visit was to know the vision of the party regarding the future of Egypt through direct contact with the party and its leaders.

Morsi, for his part, underlined the importance of Egyptian-Russian relations, saying there was a similarity between Egypt and Russia in regards to democratic transition.

The Brotherhood-affiliated party officials answered questions from the acting Russian ambassador regarding the party's policies, particularly if it favors a religious state, something party officials strongly deny.

Source: Ahram.
Link: http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/18635.aspx.

Germany to forgive $340 million in Egyptian debt

August 12, 2011 — BERLIN (AP) — Germany is pledging to cancel debts of up to €240 million ($340 million) owed by Egypt and invest the money in supporting the country's democratic reform process.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle and Egyptian counterpart Mohammed Amr on Friday issued a joint statement that called for debt forgiveness over the next four years. Westerwelle said the money would go to "jointly agreed reform measures." He said Germany separately is giving Egypt €150 million to help build democratic institutions.

Friday's statement says that Germany will support the setting-up of an Egyptian forensic lab among other measures. Westerwelle has long stressed the importance of backing up democratic change in Egypt by ensuring that the economy gets back on its feet.

Japan calls for China to explain aircraft carrier

Tokyo (AFP)
Aug 12, 2011

Japan's defense minister called on China Friday to explain why it needs an aircraft carrier, after Beijing sparked increased concerns over its military expansion by starting sea trials for the vessel.

"As an aircraft carrier, it is of a highly maneuverable and offensive nature. We want China to explain the reasons why it needs it," Toshimi Kitazawa told reporters.

"There is no doubt that it will have a big impact on the region," he added.

China put the revamped Soviet-built aircraft carrier Varyag to sea on Wednesday, prompting the United States to call for an explanation.

Beijing has sought to play down the vessel's capability, saying it will mainly be used for training and "research".

In its annual defense report last week, Japan expressed concern over China's growing assertiveness and widening naval reach in nearby waters and the Pacific and over what it called the "opaqueness" of Beijing's military budget.

China criticized the report as "irresponsible", insisting its drive to modernize its forces was entirely defensive.

Source: Space War.
Link: http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Japan_calls_for_China_to_explain_aircraft_carrier_999.html.

US urges China, Russia, India action on Syria

Washington (AFP)
Aug 11, 2011

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday urged China, India and Russia to step up pressure on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to curtail his government's brutal crackdown on protests.

In an interview with CBS News, Clinton suggested that China and India impose energy sanctions on Syria while she urged Russia to stop selling arms to Damascus, which has been a customer for decades from Moscow.

"What we really need to do to put the pressure on Assad is to sanction the oil and gas industry. And we want to see Europe take more steps in that direction," Clinton said.

"And we want to China take steps with us. We want to see India, because India and China have large energy investments inside of Syria. We want to see Russia cease selling arms to the Assad regime," the chief US diplomat said.

Clinton's spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters earlier that she did not know when Russia last made an arms delivery to Russia.

But when asked if Washington had asked Russia to stop arms sales, Nuland replied: "We have repeatedly, yes, and over many, many years and more than one administration."

Clinton meanwhile welcomed the fact that China and Russia, after refusing to condemn Syria, backed a UN Security Council statement last week denouncing the Syrian regime...

Source: Space War.
Link: http://www.spacewar.com/reports/US_urges_China_Russia_India_action_on_Syria_999.html.

Scandals, Cover-Ups Plague Forbidden City

By Helena Zhu
August 12, 2011

Chinese officials embarrassed under public scrutiny.

From an embarrassing theft by a lone burglar to an awkward attempt at concealing a broken antique, Beijing’s 600-year-old Forbidden City has been plagued with a slew of scandals recently, putting the nation’s most esteemed cultural icon under a harsh public spotlight.

It all began with what seemed like an isolated, but nevertheless shocking incident when a 27-year-old out-of-towner, on the night of May 8, slipped into the heart of the Forbidden City, known as the Palace Museum, despite the supposedly impenetrable alarm and camera systems. He snatched jewelry boxes and purses worth millions of dollars, climbed over a 33-foot-high wall, and escaped a security guard.

The museum’s embarrassed government-appointed officials were put in a difficult position: they had to explain to the Chinese public that the 1,600 antitheft alarms and 3,700 closed-circuit television cameras had apparently failed to prevent the straightforward theft. Further, they had to explain that the stolen objects were not even fully insured, since the museum had never believed it was possible for a thief to break in.

Dissatisfied netizens and bloggers, followed by the official press, responded by uncovering a string of other management blunders; these were met with more temporizing.

Perhaps the most serious allegations were sparked from a July 30 microblog post claiming that a precious Song Dynasty porcelain plate broke into six pieces on July 4, when a laboratory researcher crushed it while examining it with a device. Even though the Palace Museum confirmed the news the next day, the Chinese public was outraged by how museum officials had kept the news from the public for nearly a month.

With all the scrutiny the museum was under, it was no surprise when a China Youth Daily article dug up records of an illegal auctioning of five pieces of the museum’s ancient calligraphy six years ago; yet another allegation denied by museum officials.

While museums are strictly prohibited from selling any of their collections under China’s cultural protection laws, the Palace Museum got around it by saying that it had never bought the calligraphy works because the funds used were not offered and approved by superior departments, according to the Global Times, an English language tabloid under the Communist Party’s official mouthpiece, People’s Daily.

But the denial did little to save the museum from its image crisis; the Chinese business magazine Caixin followed up with reports about the museum’s utter failure to control pests, and its ticketing scams.

The magazine said that termites initially found feasting in parts of the palace’s nearly 1,000 buildings in 2006 were rediscovered recently, prompting some experts to conclude that not only did the museum’s five years of pest controls fail, but the insects could eat the Forbidden City to the ground if they are not checked soon.

Caixin also reported that the museum paid 100,000 yuan (US$15,520) to a blackmailer to cover up a scandal in which security guards and tour guides were said to have embezzled the museum’s entrance ticket income, an incident also earnestly denied by officials.

Museum guards allowed visitors to enter the museum without buying tickets, while tour guides would later collect the ticket money from the visitors; they’d then split the lucre with the guards instead of turning it to the Ministry of Finance.

The scam was said to be widespread, but it is unknown how much money was embezzled, the magazine said, citing an insider.

Museums in China function as units of the sprawling national bureaucracy, Chen Youhong, an assistant professor of public management at People’s University, told Caixin. Each curator is answerable only to the government official above him or her, instead of museum patrons or the general public.

Source: The Epoch Times.
Link: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/china-news/scandals-cover-ups-plague-forbidden-city-60306.html.

Nordic Holdouts: Sweden and Finland Mull Joining NATO

By Aron Lamm
August 11, 2011

The simmering NATO membership debate in the supposedly neutral Nordic strongholds of Finland and Sweden have come to the fore lately.

In Sweden, a NATO assessment of the Swedish military led to questions about whether the Swedish conservative government is trying to sneak the country into NATO. In neighboring Finland, the minister for defense recently stated that Finland should consider joining NATO for financial reasons.

Officially speaking, neither country has plans to join NATO, but both are members of the Partnership for Peace program. They also both participate in NATO operations in Kosovo and Afghanistan, and Sweden is also participating in the Libya effort. Every now and then, voices in both countries are raised for full membership.

While this would mean the possibility to actually influence the operations in which they participate, as well as guaranteed protection in the case of war, it would also mean that they would lose their status as neutral peace brokers on the international stage.

Some say that this status is in fact already in jeopardy due to the countries’ current close collaboration with NATO. Sweden’s Defense Ministry recently announced that the armed forces have been reviewed by the NATO Planning and Review Process.

In an article in Swedish newspaper DN recently, former Swedish minister for defense, Thage G. Peterson, and a former Swedish United Nations Ambassador Anders Ferm, accused the government of trying to sneak Sweden into NATO.

"Sweden is in a gray area where we can neither reap the full benefits of a NATO membership, nor claim to be unaligned. The rest of the world sees Sweden as a NATO appendage—but only one Swede in five thinks we should join," the article says.

In a direct reply, former commander-in-chief of the Swedish armed forces says that the reality is Sweden has been a silent member of NATO since the end of World War II.

Meanwhile, Finnish Defense Minister Stefan Wallin, told newspaper Salon Seudun Sanomat this week that the recent cutbacks on military spending raises the question if Finland would be able to defend itself effectively if needed, or if NATO membership would be prudent.

His fellow cabinet member, Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja, quickly dismissed this idea, however. He told TV station YLE on Wednesday that NATO membership was "not on the table under the current administration."

The official stance in Sweden is similar, with only one party in the Swedish Parliament and less than one Swede in five supporting a NATO membership, according to a 2010 survey by SOM, an organization affiliated with the University of Gothenburg.

Yet, the door to NATO seems wide open for the day the Swedes change their minds.

NATO’s Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said in response to a question during his visit at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs in March that Sweden already fulfills all criteria for a full NATO membership.

Rasmussen said, "Our door remains open for all democracies in Europe that fulfill the necessary criteria," a category that would most likely include Finland as well, but he added that he did not wish to interfere with a nation’s domestic policy.

Source: The Epoch Times.
Link: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/world/nordic-holdouts-sweden-and-finland-mull-joining-nato-60297.html.

Libya bans unauthorized Thurayas, to treat users as spies

By REUTERS
Aug 11, 2011

RABAT, Morocco: Libya warned on Thursday that any of its citizens found using a Thuraya satellite phone without a permit would be treated as a spy for NATO.

The official JANA news agency said people using Thurayas, one of the most easily available portable satellite telephones, without a permit would be charged with collaborating with the enemy, and may face the death penalty.

“Any citizen who owns a device of the Thuraya brand must carry a permit allowing its use according to the laws and regulations in force,” JANA said.

“Spies among the traitors and the agents of ... NATO use the Thuraya telephones to give crusaders the coordinates of some locations to be bombed, which has caused the deaths of a large number of civilians,” it said.

Thuraya Satellite Telecommunications Co. is based in the Gulf emirate of Abu Dhabi, which Libya says is helping fund the rebel movement trying to topple leader Muammar Qaddafi, along with Qatar.

Thuraya telephones are also widely used by foreign media in situations where normal telephone communications are cut or subject to interruption and state control.

Emirates Telecommunications Corp. (Etisalat) is a major shareholder in Thuraya.

Source: Arab News.
Link: http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article487122.ece.

Iran names street after US activist

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Aug 12, 2011

TEHRAN: Tehran’s municipal council has named a street after an American activist who was crushed to death by an Israeli military bulldozer in the Gaza Strip in 2003, local newspaper reported on Thursday.

The report in Hamshahri, a daily affiliated with Tehran municipality, said the council decided to name the street Rachel Aliene Corrie. It said the street would be in central Tehran, but did not specify when the sign bearing the new name would be hung.

Corrie, a pro-Palestinian activist from Washington state, was trying to prevent what she and other activists believed was an Israeli military push to demolish nearby Palestinian homes. She was 23 at the time of her death.

Iran does not recognize Israel and supports the Palestinians.

The decision marked the first time that an Iranian street has been named after a US national since 1979 Islamic revolution.

Before the revolution, at least three main Tehran streets were named after former US presidents; Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy and Franklin Roosevelt.

Iran and the United States have not had diplomatic ties since militant students overran the US Embassy in Tehran, holding US diplomats hostage for 444 days.

Currently there are a few streets in Tehran named after Western nationals, including Bobby Sands, a member of Irish Republican Army who died on hunger strike in a British prison in 1981 and Edward Brown, a British orientalist known for his work on Iranian history.

Source: Arab News.
Link: http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article487248.ece.

Cairo starts process to scrap emergency law

By YASMINE SALEH | REUTERS
Aug 12, 2011

CAIRO: Egypt has begun procedures to end the country’s three-decade old state of emergency, the government said on Thursday, a key demand of the protesters who ousted President Hosni Mubarak in February.

The Cabinet said it would abide by a pledge to end emergency rule, which gave Mubarak’s hated police sweeping powers to crush dissent, before parliamentary elections expected in November.

“The government has decided to start the procedures needed to end the state of emergency, in coordination with the military council,” cabinet spokesman Mohamed Hegazy said.

Rights campaigners say the continued emergency powers are an anachronism in post-Mubarak Egypt that saps the credibility of the interim government as a force for democratic change.

Days of street protests broke out in July, fueled partly by perceptions that the security forces had not been brought to account for the brutal treatment of protesters during the 18-day uprising against Mubarak and that abuses were continuing.

“The government confirms that since it has taken up its responsibilities, it has not taken any of the exceptional measures allowed under the state of emergency ... and has abided by normal legal procedures,” a cabinet statement said.

Some Egyptians say the police are trying to change their high-handed ways and have at least become more polite to the public. Others say that, inside police stations, intimidation, bullying and disregard for human rights are as common as ever.

The emergency law, introduced in 1981 after the assassination of President Anwar Sadat by Islamist militants, allowed the police to hold people for months without charge.

Scrapping it will force the police to respect due procedure and the presumption of innocence — in theory.

“This is empty talk,” said human rights activist Negad Al-Borai. “The situation in Egypt is horrible and I no longer care if the government says it will remove or keep the emergency law. The issue is to what extent the government is willing to respect human rights.”

Amnesty International in April urged Egypt to scrap the law in an 80-page report called “Time for Justice: Egypt’s corrosive system of detention.”

It listed brutal treatment of detainees that included beatings, electric shocks, suspension by the wrists and ankles for long periods, sleep deprivation and death threats.

Mubarak-era officials brushed off concerns about human rights abuses as unproven allegations or isolated incidents that did not prove any pattern of abuse.

Mubarak, his sons and former Interior Minister Habib el-Adli are now on trial on charges of graft and ordering the killing of protesters during the uprising. They deny the accusations.

Under Mubarak, police would pounce on even small protests, shove demonstrators into vans and cart them away for detention.

Today the authorities can no longer ignore the power of the street. Liberals, Islamists and those with little political allegiance often turn out by the thousand to press for fair elections, access to services and an end to police brutality.

But disputes over the founding principles of post-Mubarak Egypt — especially the role of the army and religion — offer a challenge for the ruling generals trying to reconcile the aspirations of opposing, and often hostile, political groups.

The army has vowed to hand power to civilians. Secularists and some government officials fear Islamists, freed to take part in formal politics after Mubarak’s ouster, would turn Egypt into a theocracy if they win power.

The main Islamic political groups say they want a civil state with an Islamic reference but have no hidden agenda.

Islamists reacted with indignation on Thursday after a top minister said the government might lay down the basic tenets of a constitution before a new elected parliament gets a chance to debate and vote on the document.

Deputy Prime Minister Ali Al-Silimi said the government was drafting a document of constitutional principles that could be implemented before the elections if agreed upon by different political groups and public opinion, newspapers reported.

“A constitutional decree could be issued before the coming parliamentary elections which could be won by one party or more,” Al-Masry Al-Youm quoted Silimi as saying on Thursday.

In a statement, the cabinet said its planned “new constitutional decree will guarantee that the new constitution will represent all people, ensures a democratic system and ... a civilian state.”

The Muslim Brotherhood’s political wing, Freedom and Justice, which plans to contest half the seats in parliament, said the transition that was already agreed — elections, then a new constitution — should proceed as planned.

“We see the constitution as a document made by the people and no one has the right to censor the people’s will,” the party’s secretary-general Mohamed Saed Elkatatny told Reuters.

Tareq Al-Zumur, spokesman for the more radical Al-Gama’a Al-Islamiya, said the idea of issuing constitutional principles before the elections was “legally wrong.”

“This will mean ignoring the people’s will. The authorities have to call for elections to come first,” he said.

Al-Gama’a Al-Islamiya was involved in the assassination of former President Anwar Al-Sadat in 1981 and was the country’s biggest Islamist militant group in the 1990s, but has since renounced violence.

Having constitutional principles approved by the different political forces ahead of the elections “is the right answer to the fears of many in case we end up with a parliament controlled by Islamists,” said political scientist Mustapha Al-Sayyid.

Source: Arab News.
Link: http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article487244.ece.

Syrian protesters demand expulsion of ambassador

By Raed Omari

AMMAN - Dozens of Syrians gathered outside their embassy in Amman on Thursday, chanting slogans against the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad and calling for the expulsion of the Syrian ambassador in the Kingdom.

Meanwhile, another, smaller group of Syrians held a counter-protest, raising banners saying: "NATO will not intervene in Syria," and chanting slogans condemning the "US interference and the Zionist conspiracy" against their country.

During the protest, the embassy broadcast Syrian national ballads at loud volume - a move interpreted by protesters as "part of the regime's attempts to silence calls for freedom".

An anti-regime protester, who preferred to be referred to as "Al Homsi", told The Jordan Times that the Syrian ambassador in Amman provoked Syrians residing in Jordan and committed a "sin" when he ordered the broadcast while a group of Syrians was performing Eid Al Adha prayers in front of the embassy on the first day of Eid Al Adha on Sunday.

"That move was nothing short of an act of tyranny and subjugation… a desperate attempt to silence mouths calling for freedom," he said.

Marching arm-in-arm, the anti-regime protesters chanted slogans denouncing the regime and condemning the "massacres" committed by Syrian security forces in the cities of Daraa, Homs, Baniyas and Latakia.

"We wanted to show a sign of solidarity with our brothers back home who are facing difficult times and to emphasize our irreversible demand for freedom," said another protester, who identified herself as "Um Abdullah".

Among the slogans chanted by anti-regime protesters were: "The Syrians want a transitional council," "People want the downfall of the Baath regime" and "Syrians want to expel the ambassador."

Meanwhile, the pro-regime protesters carried pictures of Assad and the Syrian flag, chanting slogans rejecting what they described as a "conspiracy of the imperial powers" to destabilize Syria and end its resistance of US and Israeli "colonial plans".

A minor scuffle broke out between the two groups of protesters and security personnel intervened and separated them.

11 November 2011

Source: The Jordan Times.
Link: http://archive.jordantimes.com/index.php?news=43186.

Syria crisis 'worries' Morocco

2011-08-11

Morocco on Wednesday (August 10th) spoke out for the first time against the "escalating violence" and civilian casualties in Syria, MAP reported.

"The kingdom of Morocco, which has traditionally refrained from interfering in the internal affairs of other countries, expresses today its strong worry and deep concern over the sad events that shake Syria," the foreign ministry said Wednesday.

The ministry statement called for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime to open a "thorough and inclusive dialogue" that meets protestors' "legitimate aspirations for democracy".

Source: Magharebia.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2011/08/11/newsbrief-01.

Ecological disaster mars Morocco's Moulouya River

A rare bird species is disappearing as organic pollutants foul the mouth of the river.

By Mawassi Lahcen for Magharebia in Casablanca – 11/08/11

The scenic mouth of the Moulouya River, one of the most important nature reserves in Morocco and an attraction for tourists and swimmers alike, has turned desolate as the scent of decaying fish fills the air. For almost a month the last 50km of the nearly 600km-long river has been lined by thousands of dead fish.

Environmental activists in the region have blamed the sugar factory, SUCRAFOR, in the town of Zaio.

"The scale of the disaster is limited, as it starts where the Subra River coming from Zaio pours into the Moulouya River. It is known that drainage channels emerging from the sugar factory in Zaio flow into the Subra River. Likewise, the operating period of the sugar factory starts in June with the beet harvest in the area of Berkan," president of the Humans and the Environment association Najib Bachiri told Magharebia.

However, Nahid Saleh, director of the sugar factory, denied any relationship between the activity of the plant and the ecological disaster. In a meeting with heads of regional environmental organizations he reviewed investments and efforts made to minimize the negative impacts of the company on its natural surroundings. Saleh pointed out that the sugar factory installed new technology for the disposal of liquid waste by converting it into solid waste instead of having it flow into drainage channels.

Meanwhile, some local residents attributed the disaster to fuel smugglers, who dispose of smuggled fuel by dumping it into the river in order to evade border guards.

Some environmental experts maintain that the cause of the disaster is still unknown.

"We are almost certain that the death of fish resulted from the large and rapid shortage of oxygen in the river water," said Dafir Jamal Eddine, a court-certified environmental expert participating in an investigation of the disaster.

Dafir ruled out fuel as the cause, explaining that fuel has a distinctive smell, floats on water and evaporates quickly. It is thus easy to identify, and it could not cause a disaster of this size due to its rapid evaporation.

"We believe this shortage is due to the influx of large quantities of organic matter into the river, and that its oxidation led to the absorption of oxygen available in the waters of the river," he told Magharebia.

He added that analysis of samples taken from the water of the river and the dead fish is still not finished, and the results would make it possible to determine the type and origin of the organic materials and would likewise reveal whether there are other chemicals that contributed to the disaster.

The region's population is in a state of panic and fear. Some began talking about threats to cattle, sheep and crops that were watered with the contaminated river water during the first days of the disaster.

"In recent days, a cow died in my village. One cannot say for sure that it is due to contamination of the river, but I noticed that the behavior of cattle and sheep is unusual. And many fear the death of crops due to contamination of the water," said Elhadaoui Moustafa, a farmer in the Karpasha area traversed by the river.

Elhadaoui also said that some farmers have resorted to buying water instead of using river water for their crops and livestock.

Source: Magharebia.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2011/08/11/feature-03.

Morocco may expand parliament

A controversial bill expands the lower house of the Moroccan parliament while attempting to achieve equal representation between men and women.

By Imrane Binoual for Magharebia in Casablanca – 11/08/11

The Moroccan political scene is abuzz this Ramadan as parties study proposed laws governing the upcoming legislative election.

The most important bill being discussed, and the one that has caused the most disagreement, is the draft law on the Chamber of Representatives. One of the points of disagreement concerns the number of parliamentarians in the lower house.

The bill produced by the interior ministry proposes that the number of MPs in the chamber rise from 325 to 395. The same bill provides for the national list to grow from 30 to 90. That list would be devoted to women and young candidates.

Legal experts were critical of the measures, which they said should be discussed in the light of the new constitution passed July 1st. Ben Youness Elmarzouki, a research lecturer at the University of Oujda, said that increasing the number of MPs was "not appropriate under the current circumstances".

"It gives the impression to the casual observer that people are trying to keep all actors in society happy, including the new actors they are trying to involve in Parliament," Elmarzouki said. "I'm opposed to this increase, especially as the number of people being added is completely disproportionate. They're talking about adding 70 new seats to the assembly."

Increasing the number of MPs has been a constant issue in Morocco since the first legislative elections back in 1963, explained Mohamed Manar, a doctor of law and election expert who just published a book on recent votes.

The number of representatives has steadily increased over time. Manar said this was linked to the nature of the political system, namely the choice between having two chambers or a single chamber in Parliament.

"Today, whilst continuing to have two chambers, they are proposing increasing the number of MPs in the Chamber of Representatives. However, you must also bear in mind that the new constitution has decided to reduce the number of MPs in the second chamber, which cannot go above 120 councilors," Manar said.

The expert questioned whether the lower house needed as many representatives as proposed given that democratic countries with larger populations had fewer legislators. "The other question is whether this proposal to increase the number has come about as a response to a perceived need arising from research, or whether it is driven by other considerations," he added.

Answering his own question, he suggested that the proposal was made in the hopes that it would encourage a larger number of people to come forward as candidates, boosting turnout.

Meanwhile, Elmarzouki brought up further negative points about the national list. He said a national list could discriminate as compared to a local list of candidates. He explained that the national list hoped to achieve parity between sexes but the draft law calls for young men under 35. He suggested that it should only include women as "a positive discrimination measure".

"You are not allowed to talk about young people in such a list, because young people cannot be favored as a category. You cannot be happy to have young people represented only by men. In that way, you tend to exclude young women," Elmarzouki said.

In addition, the principle of parity demands that the idea of achieving equality by alternating men and women also be adopted in the local lists, he said. His feeling was that any problem with the representation of young people should be resolved outside of the national list.

Source: Magharebia.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2011/08/11/feature-02.

Tunisia looks forward to historic election

As the date of Tunisia's Constituent Assembly election draws near, different political parties are looking at ways to make sure the vote goes off without a hitch.

By Monia Ghanmi for Magharebia in Tunis – 11/08/11

A recent Tunis forum explored ways to make the country's upcoming Constituent Assembly elections a success.

Civil society groups, political parties and independent election officials discussed ways to guarantee the democratic transition the Tunisian people are waiting for. The Saturday (August 6th) seminar was organized by the Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy (CSID) in conjunction with El Jahedh Forum.

Speakers at the conference called for enhancing dialogue between the varying political factions, creating a national consensus on the goals and for avoiding narrow personal interests. They also stressed the need to distance religious discourse from political and electoral conflicts.

"The electoral process must take place with sufficient neutrality," said Kamel Jendoubi, head of the Independent High Electoral Commission (ISIE). He noted that this could only be realized by creating the necessary legal frameworks and establishing a culture of dialogue among all parties.

Tunisia's lack of experience in holding democratic elections makes it necessary to invite international observers, according to CSID President Radwan Masmoudi.

"During the election, there will be about 700 ballot boxes," Masmoudi said. "Therefore, the number of international observers must range between 1,000 and 2,000 so that the monitoring process may take place in good circumstances and so that we may ensure a credible, fair and transparent election."

Getting the constituent assembly election to safety requires the dedication of all parties to make this political landmark a success, said Salaheddine Jourchi, director of El Jahedh Forum.

After reviewing the most prominent risks to the election, Jourchi warned of a return of rigging and of the prevalence of financial corruption. He noted that these dangers could only be combated by observing the law and compliance on the part of political parties with regards to their sources of finance. Jourchi also called for avoiding narrow political visions and confronting the phenomenon of regionalism.

The election won't succeed without addressing social problems, especially poverty and unemployment, according to Moncef Yaàkoubi, assistant secretary-general of the Tunisian General Labor Union (UGTT) and a member of the Commission for the Realization of Revolution Goals.

Yaàkoubi said that because voter registration was low, he expected turnout for unemployed young people and limited-income families to be low because of the lack of trust between them and the political parties. He said parties focused largely on political and legal issues and avoided social problems.

The responsibility for ensuring the success of the election lies with the government rather than political parties, according to Hamma Hammami, secretary-general of the Communist Labor Party.

"No democratic election can be held while there is security chaos and ambiguous government discourse about the violent acts that take place from time to time in Tunisian cities," he said.

However, Mouldi Riahi, representative of the Democratic Forum for Labor and Liberties (FDTL), was more optimistic, stressing the need to dispel fear and show a sense of hope in order to reassure voters.

Source: Magharebia.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2011/08/11/feature-01.

Opportunity Reaches Endeavor Crater

Pasadena CA (JPL)
Aug 12, 2011

Opportunity has arrived at Endeavor crater after a 1000-sol, 13.36 mile (21.5 kilometer) odyssey across the plains of Meridiani.

On Sol 2681(Aug. 9, 2011), Opportunity drove 203 feet (62 meters), crossing the contact that delineates the geology of Cape York on the rim of the giant Endeavor crater.

Now begins the next chapter in the surface exploration of Mars, the exploration of clay minerals, minerals that may hold the clues to an ancient, habitable environment in the early, wet Noachian epoch of Mars.

The rover previously drove this week on Sol 2678 (Aug. 6, 2011), with a 246-foot (75-meter) drive in the run up to Endeavor.

As of Sol 2681 (Aug. 9, 2011), solar array energy production was 374 watt-hours with an atmospheric opacity (Tau) of 1.12 and a solar array dust factor of 0.542.

Total odometry is 20.81 miles (33,485.80 meters, or 33.49 kilometers).

Source: Mars Daily.
Link: http://www.marsdaily.com/reports/Opportunity_Reaches_Endeavour_Crater_999.html.

Alien World is Blacker than Coal

Cambridge, MA (SPX)
Aug 12, 2011

Astronomers have discovered the darkest known exoplanet - a distant, Jupiter-sized gas giant known as TrES-2b. Their measurements show that TrES-2b reflects less than one percent of the sunlight falling on it, making it blacker than coal or any planet or moon in our solar system.

"TrES-2b is considerably less reflective than black acrylic paint, so it's truly an alien world," said astronomer David Kipping of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA), lead author on the paper reporting the research.

In our solar system, Jupiter is swathed in bright clouds of ammonia that reflect more than a third of the sunlight reaching it. In contrast, TrES-2b (which was discovered in 2006 by the Trans-Atlantic Exoplanet Survey, or TrES) lacks reflective clouds due to its high temperature.

TrES-2b orbits its star at a distance of only three million miles. The star's intense light heats TrES-2b to a temperature of more than 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit - much too hot for ammonia clouds. Instead, its exotic atmosphere contains light-absorbing chemicals like vaporized sodium and potassium, or gaseous titanium oxide. Yet none of these chemicals fully explain the extreme blackness of TrES-2b.

"It's not clear what is responsible for making this planet so extraordinarily dark," stated co-author David Spiegel of Princeton University. "However, it's not completely pitch black. It's so hot that it emits a faint red glow, much like a burning ember or the coils on an electric stove."

Kipping and Spiegel determined the reflectivity of TrES-2b using data from NASA's Kepler spacecraft. Kepler is designed to measure the brightnesses of distant stars with extreme precision.

The team monitored the brightness of the TrES-2 system as the planet orbited its star. They detected a subtle dimming and brightening due to the planet's changing phase.

TrES-2b is believed to be tidally locked like our moon, so one side of the planet always faces the star. And like our moon, the planet shows changing phases as it orbits its star. This causes the total brightness of the star plus planet to vary slightly.

"By combining the impressive precision from Kepler with observations of over 50 orbits, we detected the smallest-ever change in brightness from an exoplanet: just 6 parts per million," said Kipping. "In other words, Kepler was able to directly detect visible light coming from the planet itself."

The extremely small fluctuations proved that TrES-2b is incredibly dark. A more reflective world would have shown larger brightness variations as its phase changed.

Kepler has located more than 1,200 planetary candidates in its field of view. Additional analysis will reveal whether any other unusually dark planets lurk in that data.

TrES-2b orbits the star GSC 03549-02811, which is located about 750 light-years away in the direction of the constellation Draco. (One light-year is about 6 trillion miles.)

Source: Space Daily.
Link: http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Alien_World_is_Blacker_than_Coal_999.html.

Russia to build new space center in Far East

Moscow (XNA)
Aug 12, 2011

Russia is planning to build a 250 billion ruble (8.5 billion U.S. dollar) space center in its Far East, head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos told a local newspaper Thursday.

In an interview with the Kommersant daily, Roscosmos chief Vladimir Popovkin said the design process was underway, including ground infrastructure and technical and launch complexes, for the new center, to be located at Vostochny.

He said construction was scheduled to begin this year and end in 2016, with the first rocket launch to take place in 2015 and the first manned flight due in 2018.

Earlier, the Russian government dubbed construction of the Vostochny center as "a new stage in the development of Russian cosmonautics."

Currently, Russia launches spacecraft from two launch sites: Baikonur in Kazakhstan, which has been leased since the end of the Soviet Union, and Plesetsk in northwest Russia.

Source: Space Daily.
Link: http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Russia_to_build_new_space_center_in_Far_East_999.html.

No basis to Hezbollah claims in Syria?

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Aug. 10 (UPI) -- A U.N. agency dismissed allegations it had claimed Hezbollah was involved in the Syrian unrest after the Shiite resistance cried foul.

Al-Arabiya, citing Radio France, claimed the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees was set to release a report accusing Syrian ally Hezbollah of killing Syrian army defectors.

Hezbollah denied the allegations, saying the report was part of an effort to discredit the group.

Hezbollah had called on the U.N. agency to be "credible."

Lebanese media, which picked up the al-Arabiya report, had said the Iranian military was likely involved in the Syrian unrest as well.

The UNHCR, Lebanon's Daily Star newspaper reported, said the allegations it was making claims on Hezbollah were baseless.

"The UNHCR has categorically denied the information published on the Web site of Al-Arabiya news channel on Aug. 5 quoting French sources and attributing inaccurate statements to UNHCR," a statement read.

Hezbollah was quoted by the Lebanese newspaper as saying it has issued "many statements" denying it played a role in the Syrian crackdown.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2011/08/10/No-basis-to-Hezbollah-claims-in-Syria/UPI-98231312985896/.