Sudanese head of Arab mission to Syria resigns

February 12, 2012 — CAIRO (AP) — An Arab League official says the Sudanese head of the League's observer mission to Syria has resigned.

The official said Gen. Mohammed Ahmed Al-Dabi stepped down on Sunday. Al-Dabi's resignation comes on the same day that foreign ministers from the 22-member group are to consider a proposal to send a new mission to Syria with Arab League and U.N. observers.

The official said League chief Nabil Elaraby will nominate former Jordanian Foreign Minister Abdul-Illah al-Khatib as the new envoy to Syria. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject.

The League suspended its observer mission last month amid a surge in violence as President Bashar Assad's regime battles an uprising that began 11 months ago. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.


CAIRO (AP) — The Arab League was to consider a proposal Sunday to revive its suspended observer mission in Syria by expanding it to include monitors from non-Arab, Muslim nations and the United Nations, officials from the 22-member group said.

The proposal was to be discussed in a meeting in Cairo by a "Syria Group" made up of seven member states led by Qatar, according to the officials. The group would make recommendations to an Arab League foreign ministers' meeting scheduled for later Sunday in the Egyptian capital.

Last month, the League pulled out its observer mission to Syria after it came under heavy criticism for failing to stop the bloodshed engulfing the country. The Syrians would be unlikely to accept a new observer team.

President Bashar Assad's regime has pursued a harsh crackdown against the uprising since it began 11 months ago. The U.N. estimates that 5,400 people have been killed since March, but that figure is from January, when the world body stopped counting because the chaos in Syria has made it all but impossible to check the figures. Hundreds are reported to have been killed since.

The League officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because the proposals had not yet been adopted, said the Syria Group would also call on Syrian opposition groups to close ranks and unite under one umbrella, a move that they said would place more pressure on the Assad regime.

The Syria Group meeting would be preceded by talks in Cairo by the foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council, a regional grouping that brings together Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman and Bahrain. The six nations, particularly Saudi Arabia and Qatar, have been campaigning for a tougher stand against Assad's regime and may in their Cairo meeting offer formal recognition of Syria's National Syrian Council, the largest of Syria's opposition groups.

Syria's turmoil began with peaceful protests against Assad's rule, sparking the fierce regime crackdown. But the revolt has grown increasingly militarized as army defectors and armed protesters have taken up arms against the government.

Russia and China last weekend vetoed a Western and Arab resolution at the U.N. that would have pressured Assad to step down. The draft resolution demands that Assad halt the crackdown and implement an Arab League peace plan that calls for him to hand over power to his vice president and allow creation of a unity government to clear the way for elections.

The veto prompted Western and Arab countries to consider forming a coalition to help Syria's opposition, though so far there is no sign they intend to give direct aid to the Free Syrian Army. Damascus allowed in Arab League observers in December, but the mission was halted amid the accelerating bloodshed. The Syrians would be unlikely to accept a new observer team.

Turkmenistan holds presidential elections

Sun Feb 12, 2012

In Turkmenistan, people have gone to the polls to cast their ballots in the Central Asian country’s presidential elections.

Eight candidates are running against the country’s President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, who is expected to win a landslide victory.

Berdymukhamedov, 54, won almost 90 percent of the vote in the 2007 presidential election.

With another eight hours left to vote, nearly 48 percent of the electorate had cast their ballots. Turkmenistan has less than three million eligible voters.

The election is the country’s third since its post-Soviet era.

Some analysts say the election is an attempt by the government to present an image of democracy in Turkmenistan.

Berdymukhamedov came to power after the death of Saparmurat Niyazov in 2006.

In 1992, Niyazov, being the only candidate, was elected as the country’s first president. Later in 1999, the parliament declared him president for life.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/226315.html.

Egyptians call for military rulers to hand over power

Sat Feb 11, 2012

In Egypt, people have staged a day of civil disobedience in protest against the ruling military council, marking the anniversary of the ouster of former dictator Hosni Mubarak last February, Press TV reports.

The protesters gathered at Cairo’s iconic Liberation Square, calling on the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) to hand over power to a civilian authority.

“Our aim is to remove SCAF from power. Our aim is to remove the concept of the security apparatus that controls the power,” Egyptian activist, Mahmoud Salem said.

The SCAF, which seized control after the ouster of Mubarak’s regime last February, has failed to meet a deadline it has announced to hand over power after a president is elected later this year.

The ruling military has deployed extra troops and tanks in cities across the country in response to the call for a day of disobedience, saying that it refuses to bow to any pressure.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/226190.html.

Iran has opened an educational center in Mogadishu

Sat Feb 11, 2012

Iran’s Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation has opened a new educational institution in the capital city of Mogadishu in Somalia, Press TV reports.

The institute, located in Mogadishu’s Hamar Wayne district, has been equipped with computers and is designed to accommodate more than seventy students.

“As you see today, the educational workshops consist of tailoring, hand skills and computers. These projects are for the orphans and the poor people,” Abdulzahar Alsaidi of the Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation told Press TV.

The students are also provided with sewing machines and will receive certificates and diplomas at the end of the training course.

“The course will last four months and the participants will get certificates when they have completed it,” Alsaidi added.

The Foundation also sponsors Quran learning centers in Mogadishu in a bid to foster the knowledge of Islam to the Somali youth who have been forced to endure civil war for more than two decades now.

Several Somali lawmakers attended the opening ceremony of the institute on Thursday and expressed their gratitude to Iran for its generous aid to the Somali people.

“It is not only the fact that they are opening a project like this in here. Already they have implemented various projects in different places in Mogadishu,” Mohamed Omar Dalha a Somali MP told Press TV.

“They have also distributed much food and health care to Somali people in different camps in the city,” the Somali lawmaker added.

Somalia has not had a functioning government since 1991, when warlords overthrew former dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.

Strategically located in the Horn of Africa, Somalia is one of the countries generating the highest number of refugees and internally displaced people in the world.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/226176.html.

Protesters in Morocco demand release of political prisoners

Sun Feb 12, 2012

People in Morocco have once again taken to streets to protest against government policies, calling for the immediate release of all political prisoners.

The demonstrators held the rally in Casablanca, the North African country’s largest city, and demanded that the government stop arresting rights activists on false pretexts.

The Moroccan government has charged the detainees with "sabotage."

Activists say hundreds of their colleagues have been arrested since early last year as part of a crackdown on the organizers of anti-government protests.

The pro-reform and anti-corruption demonstrations in Morocco have continued since February 2011 despite the introduction of a number of reforms by King Mohammed VI and approved in a referendum in July, 2011. Moroccans say the reforms are not sufficient since the king still retains key powers and remains the head of the military.

The protest rallies exerted growing pressure on the US-backed ruler to amend the constitution and give more powers to the country's parliament and the prime minister.

The protesters also say the November 25 parliamentary elections failed to display true democratic reforms and that the US-backed ruling monarchy is not committed to real change.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/226267.html.

Death of youth triggers mass protests in Indian-controlled Kashmir

Sun Feb 12, 2012

Massive protest demonstrations have broken out in the Indian-administered Kashmir over the death of a young man allegedly killed by Indian army soldiers.

Protesters on Saturday blocked the main highway to Baramullah district, situated 75 kilometers (46 miles) northwest of Srinagar, the main city of Indian-administered Kashmir, and said they will not bury the body of the slain individual -- identified as 22-year-old Ashiq Hussain Rather -- until the soldiers involved in his killing were arrested.

Police resorted to baton charges and used teargas to try to disperse the protesters.

Hussain was killed on Friday outside his home in the Lasser village of Baramulla district.

“The (Indian) troopers shot Ashiq without any provocation," said Muddasir Ahhamd, a relative of Rather's, adding that, "After the incident, they tried to keep us indoors but ultimately they ran away when we raised hue and cry.”

Meanwhile, normal life was paralyzed in the Muslim-dominated areas of Indian-administered Kashmir on Saturday after a pro-freedom group called for a shutdown. The strike call was issued by the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) on the 28th execution anniversary of its founder, Mohammed Maqbool Bhat.

Hundreds of paramilitary troopers and policemen were deployed to Srinagar to impose restrictions and prevent protest rallies.

Both India and Pakistan claim Kashmir in full and have fought two wars over the region since 1947. New Delhi has been repeatedly criticized for resorting to force rather than finding a diplomatic solution to the dispute.

In 2010, the Kashmir Valley was rocked by a series of protests in which at least 110 people were reported killed. The protest rallies were sparked when Indian forces shot dead a student in June of that year.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/226257.html.

Sudan and South Sudan sign pact

KHARTOUM, Sudan, Feb. 11 (UPI) -- Thabo Mbeki, ex-president of South Africa, says Sudan and South Sudan have signed a non-aggression pact.

Mbeki, who has acted as the chief mediator between the two sides, told the BBC Friday both sides have pledged to "refrain from launching any attack, including bombardment."

Relations between Sudan and South Sudan began to deteriorate last July, when South Sudan initially became independent. Border clashes, as well as disputes over oil production and revenue sharing, strained relations between the two.

Oil negotiations were expected to resume Saturday, the British network said. South Sudan halted oil production after accusing Sudan of stealing $815 million worth of oil. The shutdown has already shown its ill effects on the economies of both countries.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2012/02/11/Sudan-and-South-Sudan-sign-pact/UPI-34531328980243/.

Top 10 most bizarre phobias

realbuzz – Thu, Feb 9, 2012

A phobia refers to an intense and irrational fear of a specific situation, object, person or activity. While we are generally familiar with common phobias such as acrophobia (fear of heights) and claustrophobia (fear of small spaces), some phobias are less well known. Here are 10 of the most bizarre phobias.

Optophobia: Fear of opening one’s eyes

If ever an award was given for Most Inconvenient Phobia, it would have to go to optophobia – the fear of opening one’s eyes! Although the act of opening our eyes is something that few of us ever give thought to, for optophobics this simple, daily act can be a nightmare. Luckily, if you are reading this list, you most likely aren’t suffering from this condition!

Chorophobia: Fear of dancing

If nightclubs, weddings and small children in tutus fill you with an overwhelming sense of dread, you could be suffering from chorophobia – the fear of dancing. Regardless of dance ability and whether or not you are required to hit the dancefloor, any situation or event that relates to dancing can be a source of fear for chorophobics.

Geliophobia: Fear of laughter

Many studies suggest that laughter is great for our health; helping to build social bonds, improve mental health and look after the heart. However, for those suffering from geliophobia, the act of laughing, or being around those who laugh, can actually cause overwhelming fear and anxiety. Suggested reasons for geliophobia are anxiety about laughing in inappropriate situations or of being laughed at by others.

Arachibutyrophobia: Fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth

It may not be a debilitating or life-altering condition, yet no list of bizarre phobias would be complete without the inclusion of arachibutyrephobia – the inexplicable fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth. While peanut butter is clearly not obligatory for a healthy and satisfactory life, arachibutyrophobics could miss out on the speculated health benefits of peanut butter, including its abilities to lower cholesterol and help ward off heart disease.

Heliphobia: Fear of sunlight

A rare but unfortunate condition, heliphobia refers to the fear of sunlight. Not only does going out in the sun instigate severe feelings of anxiety and panic in sufferers, but heliophobics may also experience fear of bright lights. Most often the condition is associated with an anxiety about the perceived dangers of the sun; however, unless you happen to be a vampire, avoiding the sun entirely is likely to be an impossible and unnecessary task. It can also be dangerous for your wellbeing, as sunlight is good for regulating the mood and protecting bone health.

Deipnophobia: Fear of dinner conversations

While many people suffer from a general form of social anxiety, deipnophobia takes a rather more specific twist and is restricted to a fear of carrying on a conversation while eating. Although this can cause discomfort and awkwardness for dinner party guests, it seems that deipnophics could be on to something, as remaining silent while eating can actually help benefit digestion.

Neophobia: Fear of new things

While many people are wary of change, neophobia refers to an intense and irrational fear of all new things and experiences. Neophobia can impact on happiness and wellbeing as sufferers miss out on many life-enhancing experiences. When applied to the diet it can also mean that sufferers miss out on various healthy foods and nutrients. Research has also shown that the stress of neophobia can shorten life expectancy.

Syngenesphobia: Fear of relatives

Many of us experience embarrassment or irritation with our families at times. However, those with syngenesphobia suffer from an excessive fear of their relatives. Unless there is a specific, explicable reason for these fears, it is worth seeking help to alleviate this phobia and help you bond with relatives as research shows that forming strong family ties can help to increase life span.

Ablutophobia: Fear of washing and bathing

Although many children are resistant to being washed, this condition is much less common in adults. However, for a rare few the thought of stepping under a shower is quite literally terrifying! The good news for ablutophobics is that skipping the occasional shower can help to preserve natural oils and good bacteria that protect your skin and help to prevent disease. However, making it a regular habit is unlikely to benefit either your health or social life.

Geniophobia: Fear of chins

Geniophobia is an overwhelming fear of chins. Yes, that innocuous body part attached to the lower part of your face! Further phobias of seemingly innocent body parts include genuphobia (fear of knees), chirophobia (fear of hands) and ishicascadiggaphobia (fear of elbows). As these phobias can make normal social interaction extremely difficult, treatment through therapy is highly recommended.