China's tallest building nears finish in Shanghai

August 03, 2013

SHANGHAI (AP) — A topping-out ceremony was held Saturday for China's tallest building in the financial hub of Shanghai when the final beam was hoisted to the top of the skyscraper and installed in a flag-waving ritual.

At 632 meters (2,073 feet), the Shanghai Tower in the city's Pudong district is the world's second-tallest building, surpassed only by Dubai's Burj Khalifa, which soars 829.8 meters (2,722 feet). After the ceremony, workers will move onto the building's interior construction. Once it is completed next year, the Shanghai Tower will have retail and office space, a luxury hotel and likely a museum.

"I'm very proud," Wu Weiming, who helped installed the last beam, told reporters. Designed by U.S. architectural firm Gensler, the glass-and-steel, 121-story building takes on a transparent and spiral form.

China's booming economy has fueled a building frenzy, including some of the world's tallest buildings. The Shanghai Tower replaces the Shanghai World Financial Center — completed in 2008 — as the country's highest building.

The Shanghai Tower is the last piece in a group of super-tall skyscrapers in Shanghai's Lujiazui Finance and Trade Zone, which includes the Shanghai World Financial Center and Jin Mao Tower, both among the tallest in the world.

And in the south-central city of Changsha, developers are in the midst of building Sky City, an 838-meter (2,749-foot) structure that would overtake Burj Khalifa. This summer, China also unveiled the world's largest building in terms of floor space in the western city of Chengdu. The New Century Global Center edged out the previous record-holder, the Dubai airport.

Egyptian forces to cordon off protest sites

August 03, 2013

CAIRO (AP) — Authorities outlined plans Friday to break up two sit-ins by supporters of deposed President Mohammed Morsi, saying they would set up a cordon around the protest sites, and riot police used tear gas to disperse demonstrators threatening a TV complex.

Morsi backers also showed their defiance by briefly setting up a third camp near the airport, but later folded their tents and left. The military-backed interim government seeks to end a political stalemate that has paralyzed Egypt and deeply divided the country. Supporters of Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood say they will not disperse until he is returned to power.

The second-ranking U.S. diplomat arrived in the Egyptian capital for talks on the political crisis, as Secretary of State John Kerry warned both sides that "the last thing we want is more violence." Also Friday, Amnesty International reported cases of alleged killings and torture at the hands of Morsi supporters inside the protest camps, saying that one man had his throat cut and another was stabbed to death.

In southwestern Cairo, police fired tear gas at Morsi supporters who rallied in front of Media City, a site housing most of Egypt's private TV stations, a security official said. A second official told the state news agency that protesters tried to "obstruct traffic in an attempt to affect work at the complex."

The rally was "a desperate attempt by rioters from the (Islamist) current," Maj. Gen. Abdel-Fattah Othman, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry, told the private TV station Mehwer. "There was reinforcement from police and army that will not allow any reckless person to get close to the Media City or storm it."

He described the protesters as "brainwashed" to attack broadcasters perceived as secular opponents of the Islamists. Last year, Morsi supporters held a sit-in near Media City, often harassing TV personalities and forcing many of them to sneak into the studios from other entrances.

Demonstrators said they gathered there to protest the lack of local media coverage of their activities, and insisted their gathering was peaceful. Health ministry official Khaled el-Khateeb said 23 people were injured in the clashes; and security officials said two conscripts were also wounded, including one with birdshot.

The security officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to address the media, said 31 rioters were detained following the clashes. Footage of the detainees sitting on the ground outside the media city was aired on private channels.

The new unrest came as state-controlled TV reported that security forces will establish a cordon within 48 hours around the two main protest sites in Cairo where thousands have been camped out since before Morsi was ousted by the military on July 3.

The government offered protection and "safe passage" to those willing to leave the two main camps — a large one outside the Rabaah al-Adawiya Mosque in eastern Cairo and a smaller one near Cairo University's main campus in Giza. The leadership had earlier given orders to police to end what it described as "threat to national security" and sources of "citizens' terrorism."

Authorities will let people leave without checking their identities or arresting them, but they will not allow anyone into the protest camps, the report said. It did not elaborate on the next steps, but the government earlier said it will use water cannons and tear gas in dispersing the crowds.

The Morsi supporters are also planning rallies late Friday outside security headquarters near one sit-in site, including the Republican Guard club, where they had staged a protest that turned bloody last month, and another army building.

The security cordon around the protest camps raises the possibility of new violence, which has killed more than 130 Morsi supporters and injured hundreds since the military coup. The ouster followed mass demonstrations calling for Morsi to step down after a year in office, saying his policies had failed and he had put power in the hands of his Islamist group.

Facing domestic and international pressure to avoid bloodshed, authorities have taken the unusual step of going into details of its security plans. Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim told a newspaper that police have finalized plans for breaking up the sit-ins, and were awaiting orders from prosecutors to start the second phase of its operation.

Police have given authorities information about weapons in the protest camps and the "dangers emanating" from there, and that the next phase of the plan, which includes surrounding the sites, would begin within hours, he was quoted as saying.

"The forces have established their presence in various areas with the aim of protecting security and stability," Ibrahim said, adding that the ministry was awaiting legal action from the prosecutors. He said a prosecution team will accompany the security forces to monitor how they deal with the protesters.

Ibrahim told the newspaper that he was awaiting approval from the National Defense Council on measures relating to the final phase of the operation, which would be the use of force while trying not to injure anyone.

The Amnesty International report quoted a survivor of an attack by Morsi supporters near the Cairo University sit-in as saying that he saw one bloodied man have his throat cut and another stabbed to death.

The report also cited accounts from survivors that Morsi backers also abducted and tortured their political opponents with beatings and electric shocks at or near the protest sites. The Interior Ministry last weekend had said 11 bodies were found near one of the protest sites, with some showing signs of torture, apparently by members of the sit-ins who believed the victims were spies.

Near the Rabaah protest camp, people armed with sticks and makeshift body armor stood guard behind walls of sandbags, tires and bricks. One speaker defiantly told the crowd that the military leader, Gen. Abdel-Fatah el-Sissi, appeared reluctant to carry out his promise to break up the sit-ins.

"This man is about to fall now in the face of all these retractions," the speaker said to thousands of people who gathered for a meal to break their daytime fast for the holy month of Ramadan. Ahmed Madani, 26, was installing a new tent at one of the camp entrances, saying the facilities will have a kitchen and toilets.

"We are here to show them that we are determined to stay and we won't give up," he said. "Even if I have to die, I will not leave. We are thousands ready to die for our cause." The pro-Morsi camps have disrupted daily life in Cairo, blocking traffic and antagonizing some residents already suffering under Egypt's economic woes.

"A peaceful sit-in does not block roads, it doesn't terrorize people, it does not kill people and it does not attack people," said Wahid Idris, an opponent of the Muslim Brotherhood. "I want them to use any means to put an end to that sit-in."

In addition to the smaller sit-in across town, a new vigil sprung up briefly near Cairo's international airport, on the outskirts of the suburb of Heliopolis, in a neighborhood known as "The Thousand Houses."

An Associated Press reporter saw thousands of protesters, many of them are families and women in conservative Muslim dress, occupying a square and laying prayer rugs on the asphalt. They raised banners with Morsi's portrait saying, "Down with military rule," waved Egyptian flags and chanted, "Go away Sissi! Morsi is my president."

About six hours later, however, the camp was dismantled because organizers believed it to be insecure, said Adel Hassan, a protester who folded his tent. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns arrived in Cairo, and an Egyptian Foreign Ministry official said he would meet with interim leadership officials and representatives from the Muslim Brotherhood and its allies Saturday.

Amr Darag, one of the Brotherhood negotiators who will meet with Burns, told the AP that the group and its allies are looking for "confidence-building measures" in order for them to sit at the table with their rivals.

Such measures include releasing detained Brotherhood leaders, unfreezing the group's assets, lifting the ban on its TV stations and ending violence against its protests. Darag said the group can't order its protesters to go home because they are fighting for their rights and the reinstatement of Morsi as president.

It was unclear if Burns would see Morsi during his second visit to Cairo since the coup. On Monday, top European Union diplomat Catherine Ashton saw Morsi for two hours at the facility where he is being held by the military. An African Union delegation also briefly met the ousted president a day later.

In London, Kerry sought to clarify controversial remarks he made Thursday about the crisis when he told Geo TV in Pakistan that the Egyptian military was "restoring democracy." The comment was seen by some as a signal the U.S. was siding with the military, even though the State Department has repeatedly said the U.S. is not taking sides.

Kerry said Friday that all parties — the military as well as the Morsi supporters — should be inclusive and work toward a peaceful resolution of the crisis. "The last thing that we want is more violence," he said. "The temporary government has a responsibility with respect to demonstrators to give them the space to be able to demonstrate in peace. But at the same time, the demonstrators have a responsibility not to stop everything from proceeding in Egypt."

A spokesman of Egypt's Mulim Brotherhood, Gehad el-Haddad, denounced Kerry's remarks, asking if Kerry would similarly approve of Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel deposing President Barack Obama if large protests took place in the United States.

Rights groups have warned against using force to end the protests. The New York-based Human Rights Watch urged the interim leadership to take all measures to avert bloodshed. "To avoid another bloodbath, Egypt's civilian rulers need to ensure the ongoing right of protesters to assemble peacefully, and seek alternatives to a forcible dispersal of the crowds," said Nadim Houry, deputy director of the Middle East and North Africa division of Human Rights Watch.

The Muslim Brotherhood has opposed all measures taken by the military since the coup, including the appointment of an interim president, the suspension the constitution and the disbanding of the Islamist-dominated legislative council.

Associated Press writer Tony G. Gabriel contributed to this report.

Iranian news agency says it misquoted Rouhani

August 02, 2013

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran's semiofficial ISNA news agency says it misquoted the country's president-elect Hasan Rouhani.

ISNA reported Friday that Rouhani said "the Zionist regime has been a wound on the body of the Islamic world for years and the wound should be removed" in remarks ahead of his inauguration. The remarks, made during an annual pro-Palestinian rally, echoed longstanding views of other Iranian leaders and threatened to tarnish his image in the West as a voice of moderation in Iranian affairs.

But after an outcry, ISNA corrected the quote, saying Rouhani actually said "in our region and under occupation of Palestine and dear al-Quds (Jerusalem), there has been a wound on the body of the Islamic world."

Greek protesters take campaign to Acropolis

August 02, 2013

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek civil servants protesting mass staff cuts took their campaign to the gates of the ancient Acropolis on Friday, after the government announced that 500 workers at the culture ministry would be suspended next month.

State archaeologists gathered in front of the ancient site, but did not block the entrance. Several museums around the country, including the popular Archaeological Museum on the island of Santorini, were closed in protest.

Elsewhere, civil servants continued a second day of work stoppages and held a protest rally in central Athens. The government has promised its international rescue lenders it will suspend 25,000 public sector workers by the end of the year, with about a third of them likely to be fired.

Despina Koutsoumba, head of the Association of Greek Archaeologists at the ministry, said employees were preparing to step up protests, and were to hold a meeting Monday to decide on strikes. "As things stand, we don't have enough people to function properly. We have to cover 19,000 archaeological sites and 210 museums nationwide, as well as several hundred archaeological excavations in progress all over the country," Koutsoumba told the AP, as colleagues held up a Styrofoam cut of a temple, with "for sale" signs stuck on it.

"We have 6,600 staff at the Ministry of Culture and Sport, and they will dismiss 500. But they will just have to hire that number back again — of course on part-time contracts and for less money." Civil servants have seen their salaries repeatedly cut since the start of the crisis in late 2009, but had been largely spared dismissals, while unemployment ravaged the private sector as debts and austerity measures squeezed credit and led to multiple tax hikes.

But Greece is now under growing pressure from its bailout lenders — the other eurozone countries and the International Monetary Fund — to fire workers on the state payroll. Parliament late Thursday approved legislation to speed up the closure of state-run companies and departments, and the government on Friday published a list of criteria that will be used to assess staff placed in the eight-month suspension scheme.

Whether an employee is fired or submitted to involuntary transfer within the public sector will depend on criteria such as work experience, language skills, level of higher education, and family disabilities, among others.

Some think the plan may lead to more cuts than currently estimated. Critics note that the government has during the crisis repeatedly changed its austerity plans to meet new targets. "We don't believe they really have a plan," Koutsoumba said. "This is a head count. And now we have got to the point where they are chopping off those heads."

African missions cautiously approve Zimbabwe vote

August 02, 2013

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Zimbabwe's elections received cautious approval Friday from two African observer missions despite allegations by the main challenger to President Robert Mugabe and a local monitoring group that the vote was heavily rigged.

Olusegun Obasanjo, head of the African Union mission, said his monitors noted some apparent irregularities but that they did not constitute evidence of systematic tampering. Mugabe's supporters have rejected allegations of rigging and claimed victory. Wednesday's contentious vote has created fresh uncertainty in a country long afflicted by division and economic turmoil.

"Yes, the election is free," Obasanjo said. He described the vote as credible unless any evidence to the contrary emerges, and asked election authorities to investigate reports that tens of thousands of eligible voters were turned away. Another poll monitoring group in Zimbabwe said as many as 1 million of the more than 6 million eligible voters were prevented from casting ballots.

"If 25 percent were not allowed, then, yes, the election is fatally flawed," said Obasanjo, a former Nigerian president. His mission has 70 observers. The head of the observer mission for the Southern African Development Community, a regional body, described the election as "very free" and "very peaceful," but noted that there were some violations and a full analysis was still underway.

"The question of fairness is broad and you cannot answer it within one day," said Bernard Membe, who is also Tanzania's foreign minister. "And so be sure that within 30 days, through our main report, the question of fairness may come."

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, Mugabe's main opponent in the presidential vote, has declared the election "null and void." Official results announced by the election commission by Friday morning showed Mugabe's ZANU-PF capturing 54 of the 210 parliament seats and Tsvangirai's party winning 19 seats so far.

Full results on the presidential and parliament votes have been promised by Monday. Obasanjo said voting itself was peaceful but the observers noted "incidences that could have been avoided and even tended to have breached the law."

Independent election monitors have alleged many people were unable to vote because of disorganized voters' lists and a chaotic program to register electors on those lists in the run-up to polling day.

Obasanjo said some apparent irregularities were made in error largely after funding for the vote was late in coming from the nation's depleted state coffers. "I have never seen an election that is perfect," he said. "The process continues and we have to limit our comments."

Aisha Abdullahi, the African Union's commissioner for political affairs, said observers reported that Zimbabwe had made improvements in the conduct of elections since the last violent and disputed elections in 2008 that led regional leaders to forge a shaky coalition between Mugabe and Tsvangirai, the former opposition leader.

But she said voters' lists this time were not made available in time for inspection and verification by voters, contesting parties and candidates. Public scrutiny of the voters' roll was vital, she said.

She said the electoral commission printed 8.7 million ballot papers for 6.4 million voters, or 35 percent above the number of registered voters against the international standard of 5 to 10 percent. Observers said a significant number of ballot booklets had missing ballot papers and papers without serial numbers.

The late publicity on the location of voting stations just 48 hours before stations opened contributed also to the high number of voters who were turned away because they were not at correct polling sites.

Abdullahi said observers reported a high number of disabled, elderly or other "assisted voters" being helped to cast their ballots by polling officers who may have influenced them against their free will. In some outlying stations, one-quarter of voters were helped this way.

She said some AU observers are to remain in Zimbabwe until Aug. 14.

Germany nixes surveillance pact with US, Britain

August 02, 2013

BERLIN (AP) — Germany canceled a Cold War-era surveillance pact with the United States and Britain on Friday in response to revelations by National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden about those countries' alleged electronic eavesdropping operations.

Chancellor Angela Merkel had raised the issue of alleged National Security Agency spying with President Barack Obama when he visited Berlin in June. But with weeks to go before national elections, opposition parties had demanded clarity about the extent to which her government knew of the intelligence gathering operations directed at Germany and German citizens.

Government officials have insisted that U.S. and British intelligence were never given permission to break Germany's strict privacy laws. But they conceded that an agreement dating back to the late 1960s gave the U.S., Britain and France the right to request German authorities to conduct surveillance operations within Germany to protect their troops stationed there.

"The cancellation of the administrative agreements, which we have pushed for in recent weeks, is a necessary and proper consequence of the recent debate about protecting personal privacy," Germany's Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said in a statement.

A German official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the cancellation would have no practical consequences. He said the move was largely symbolic since the agreement had not been invoked since the end of the Cold War and would have no impact on current intelligence cooperation between Germany and its NATO allies. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to publicly discuss the issue, said Germany was currently in talks with France to cancel its part of the agreement as well.

In March 2011, two U.S. Air Force members were killed and two others wounded when a gunman from Kosovo fired on a military bus at Frankfurt International Airport. The gunman told police he was motivated by anger over the U.S.-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

A spokeswoman for the U.S. embassy in Berlin, Ruth Bennett, confirmed that the agreement had been canceled but declined to comment further on the issue. Officials at the United Kingdom's embassy in Berlin couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

Mali presidential race goes to runoff

August 02, 2013

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — A career politician, known for ruling with a firm hand, took the lead in Mali's first presidential election since last year's coup, according to provisional results announced Friday, a sign that Malians are looking for decisive leadership after months of turmoil.

Mali will still face a runoff later this month, however, since none of the 28 candidates received a majority of the vote. Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, a former prime minister and speaker of the country's parliament, received about 39.2 percent of the 3.1 million votes that were cast. He will face off against second-place finisher, former Finance Minister Soumaila Cisse, who received half as many votes with 19.4 percent, according to the results announced by the Minister of Territorial Administration Moussa Sinko Coulibaly.

Known to everyone by his initials "IBK," Keita is known for his tough demeanor, blunt message delivery and his uncompromising stance once he takes a position. These qualities have cost him support in the past, but they were cited as the very reason why people voted for him during an election that comes just months after French soldiers intervened in a military campaign to free Mali's northern half from the grips of al-Qaida's army in the region.

"I voted for IBK and so did all the soldiers that are under me because we know that we need a strong leader to deal with the problems in the north," said Lt. Mohamed Lamine Ag Klita, who is stationed in the northernmost province of Kidal, a city at the epicenter of the most recent rebellion which remains largely under rebel rule. "Mali needs a dictator."

Keita, 68, is in many ways a foil of ex-President Amadou Toumani Toure, or "ATT," who was overthrown in last year's March coup. Toure tried to rule the country by consensus and making concessions. It was a strategy that allowed Mali to emerge from the first three Tuareg-led rebellions in the 1960s, 1990s and in 2007, conflicts that ended with the signing of accords promising the north greater resources and influence.

Voters who said they cast ballots for Keita in the July 28 poll said that Toure's strategy may have won peace in the short term, but it laid the seeds for the most recent rebellion which broke out in January of 2012, led by veterans of past insurgencies who learned they could win concessions through the gun. Their campaign was fueled by an influx of weapons and well-trained fighters from neighboring Libya following the collapse of Moammar Gadhafi's regime, as well as by al-Qaida's army in the region, which joined forces with the separatists, helping them seize Mali's northern half.

As town after town fell to the rebels last year, soldiers in the capital mutinied, overthrowing Toure, which created the security vacuum needed for the insurgents to advance. Rebels succeeded in seizing and controlling an Afghanistan-sized stretch of land, before France intervened in a military campaign earlier this year, flushing out the fighters and pushing Mali to hold the election to restore constitutional rule.

During Keita's time as prime minister and head of parliament, he was also uncompromising in his dealings with the Tuareg separatists. When he tried to make a campaign stop last month in Kidal, Tuareg separatists drove pickup trucks onto the runway to try to stop his plane from landing. They later pelted the parked jet with stones.

"IBK is the man of the moment. We don't need a technocrat. We don't need some big intellectual. We need a guy who can right the country," said Mahamane Toure, a 48-year-old waiter. "He's a fighter," he said, punching his fist into his hand. "He hits things with his head. When he says 'no,' it's 'no.'"

Keita will face Cisse in the runoff on Aug. 11. Cisse most recently headed the West African Monetary Union. In the days before the election results were announced, he accused the election body of massive fraud, pointing out that Coulibaly, the minister of territorial administration, is known to be close to Mali's junta, which overthrew the nation's democratically elected leader last year. Many believe that the junta is backing Keita, and the candidate's chief bodyguard and aide-de-camp showed the Associated Press recent photos of himself posing with junta leader Capt. Amadou Haya Sanogo.

By contrast, Cisse, a diminutive man, was among the political figures targeted by the junta after their March 2012 coup. His hand still bears the scars from when he threw himself over his home's chain link fence, crushing two vertebrae after soldiers allied with the junta broke down his front door a few weeks after the coup. He spent months in rehab in France before returning to Mali.

Earlier this week, Coulibaly had announced that early results indicated that Keita would likely win on the first round, giving rise to speculation that the junta would try to gerrymander the results to assure a first-round win for Keita. "I don't have any palpable proof," said Cisse in an interview with reporters. "But that is the sentiment that it leaves you with."

Associated Press writer Baba Ahmed contributed to this report.

William, Kate register birth of Prince George

August 02, 2013

LONDON (AP) — It's official.

Royal officials say Prince William and his wife, Kate, have formally registered the birth of their son — and put to rest any doubts about their occupations as royals. Kensington Palace said William signed the birth registry Friday for Prince George, third in line to the throne, who was born July 22 at St. Mary's hospital in London.

The register entry gives the date, place of birth and full name of His Royal Highness Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge. William and Kate's full names were also given, with occupations listed as Prince of the United Kingdom and Princess of the United Kingdom.

The couple's "usual address" is given as Kensington Palace, in London.

Snowden walks free in Russia to US anger

August 02, 2013

MOSCOW (AP) — Defying the United States, Russia granted Edward Snowden temporary asylum on Thursday, allowing the National Security Agency leaker to slip out of the Moscow airport where he has been holed up for weeks in hopes of evading espionage charges back home.

The 30-year-old former NSA contractor now has plenty of room to roam throughout the sprawling country and continue the bizarre journey that has already stretched across half the planet — from Hawaii to Hong Kong to the Russian capital.

The move infuriated the U.S. administration, which said it was "extremely disappointed" and warned that the decision could derail an upcoming summit between President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The asylum offer places a significant new strain on already-corroded relations with Washington amid differences over Syria, U.S. criticism of Russia's human rights record and other disputes. But Russia appears to have reckoned that ending Snowden's airport limbo was worth intensifying the political standoff. The decision gives Russia cover to depict itself as a defender of human rights, pointing a finger to deflect criticism of its own poor record and tough crackdown on dissent.

Snowden himself made that argument. In a statement issued by WikiLeaks, which has been assisting him, Snowden was quoted as saying that "over the past eight weeks we have seen the Obama administration show no respect for international or domestic law, but in the end the law is winning."

"I thank the Russian Federation for granting me asylum in accordance with its laws and international obligations," he said. Snowden's attorney, Anatoly Kucherena, was shown on Russian television holding a passport-like document issued to Snowden by Russia's Federal Migration Service and valid for one year.

He refused to disclose the former NSA contractor's whereabouts, telling reporters at the airport: "He now is one of the most sought-after men in the world. The issue of security is very important for him."

In its statement, WikiLeaks said only that Snowden was headed to a "secure, confidential place" after departing Sheremetyevo Airport in a taxi accompanied by the group's legal adviser, Sarah Harrison. It said Harrison had been with him throughout his 39 days in the airport transit zone.

Despite the phalanx of photographers and reporters camped out at the airport, no one apparently saw the former NSA contractor leaving, except for someone who snapped a photo of Kucherena talking to blurry figures whom the attorney later said were Snowden and Harrison.

Snowden departed his home in Hawaii for Hong Kong about three weeks before revealing himself as the source of reports in The Guardian newspaper of a vast surveillance program by the National Security Agency.

As Washington put pressure on Hong Kong to extradite him, Snowden boarded a flight to Moscow on June 23. He was booked on another flight from Moscow to Cuba, presumably en route to seeking asylum in a Latin American country.

But he never got on that flight. The United States had cancelled his passport, so he lacked documents to board the plane or enter Russia — leaving Snowden stranded in an airport no man's land. The U.S. has demanded that Russia send Snowden home to face prosecution on espionage charges. Putin dismissed the request and made clear with the granting of asylum he has no intention of changing his mind.

"We are extremely disappointed that the Russian government would take this step despite our very clear and lawful requests in public and private that Mr. Snowden be expelled and returned to the United States," said White House spokesman Jay Carney.

"Mr. Snowden is not a whistleblower" or a dissident, Carney said. "He is accused of leaking classified information. He should be returned to the United States as soon as possible." U.S. lawmakers also reacted angrily, insisting there be serious repercussions for Putin's decision to snub the Obama administration and that the U.S. must re-evaluate its approach to Moscow. Even before Russia's move Thursday, some lawmakers were calling for the U.S. to boycott next year's Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

"Russia's action today is a disgrace and a deliberate effort to embarrass the United States. It is a slap in the face of all Americans," said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. "Now is the time to fundamentally rethink our relationship with Putin's Russia."

Snowden initially applied for Russian asylum, but Putin said it wouldn't be considered unless he promised to stop leaking information, an indication he was sensitive to offending Washington. Snowden withdrew the request, but later made the promise and reapplied — effectively forcing Russia's hand.

The one-year asylum Snowden was granted can be extended indefinitely, and he also has the right to seek Russian citizenship. There was no clue about where Snowden will live in Russia, or what he will do. Whether Snowden, an advocate of openness and human rights, will adapt well to a country widely criticized for stifling dissent and stepping on human rights is guesswork.

Kucherena would say only that his client has American friends assisting him. Snowden reportedly earned high pay as an NSA contractor, but how much money he has on hand in a notoriously expensive city is unknown.

Still, he now has the right to work in Russia, and late Thursday, the founder of Russia's Facebook-like social network site VKontakte, made what sounded like a job offer. "We will be happy if he decides to supplement the team of star programmers at VKontakte," Durov wrote on his page.

Venezuela, Nicaragua and Bolivia had offered Snowden asylum and in mid-July he told a meeting with human rights figures that he wanted to visit all those countries. But Kucherena said Thursday that "he doesn't have such plans, for now."

Russian law says Snowden would forfeit his asylum if he left Russia for "a place of residence." Although the asylum document does not appear to give him the right to travel abroad, the Geneva Convention on Refugees, of which Russia is a member, says refugees must be provided documents allowing them to travel outside the country. A spokeswoman for the Federal Migration Service said she could not immediately clarify whether Snowden could leave Russia.

Snowden's father said on Russian television Thursday that he was grateful for the asylum given his son and that he plans to come to Russia to visit him. Lyudmila Alexeyeva, a veteran of Russia's human rights movement and head of the respected Moscow Helsinki Group, welcomed the news on asylum for Snowden, but added that his quest for freedom of information has landed him in a country that has little respect for that and other freedoms.

"Having fought for the freedom and rights, Snowden has ended up in a country that cracks down on them," Alexeyeva told the Interfax news agency.

Vladimir Isachenkov and Laura Mills contributed to this report.

Kazakh dissident banker held in southern France

August 01, 2013

PARIS (AP) — He was a favorite of Kazakhstan's longtime leader as the energy-rich nation emerged from decades of Soviet rule, but he turned against his mentor and used his vast wealth to bankroll a nascent opposition. He was granted asylum in Britain, then became a fugitive from the government that had promised to protect him.

Wanted by Britain, Kazakhstan, Russia and Ukraine, Mukhtar Ablyazov carried a diplomatic passport from the Central African Republic when he was arrested on suspicion of embezzlement at a rented villa in the south of France.

French police special forces had asked for backup from aircraft and armored vehicles, fearing a rumored private militia. There was none. Dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, the former banker who became one of Kazakhstan's most prominent dissidents went quietly.

Ablyazov, a former Kazakh energy minister and head of the pre-nationalized BTA Bank, was transferred to a temporary holding facility Thursday after appearing before judicial authorities in southeast France.

Ablyazov is wanted by Kazakhstan authorities on charges of siphoning off at least $5 billion from Kazakhstan's BTA Bank. In Russia, he's being sought in connection with embezzlement charges involving BTA and a Russian company. Ukraine is seeking Ablyazov on charges linked to alleged embezzlement of funds from a local BTA branch.

He and many in the Kazakh opposition community say the charges are clearly politically motivated. Kazakh prosecutors have described Ablyazov as the head of an extremist, criminal conspiracy bent on "seizing power by inciting civil strife and hatred." The prosecutor in Astana, the Kazakh capital, said Interpol had informed the government of the arrest, which was carried out at the request of Ukraine.

He was wanted under an Interpol red notice — the equivalent of an international arrest warrant — on allegations of "fraud in a large scale infliction of damage on property by deceit or breach of trust, money laundering, abuse of authority, document forgery," the international police body's website says.

The arrest comes after Italy's shaky coalition government came under fire but survived a no-confidence vote over its handling of the deportation of his wife and daughter from their Rome home to Kazakhstan in May — under pressure from Kazakh diplomats.

In a statement on their father's website, Ablyazov's son and older daughter said they feared what would happen if their father were deported to Kazakhstan. "We beg the French authorities not to grant Kazakhstan our father. He is a man of honor who has been fighting all his life and sacrificed so much for freedom and democracy in Kazakhstan," wrote Madina and Madiyar Ablyazov. "We are afraid for his life."

After the Soviet collapse, Ablyazov became a close ally of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev before gradually emerging as a prominent opponent. The flurry of action in Ablyazov's case is testament to his continued influence in the opposition and the government's unease as Nazarbayev ages, said Yevgeniy A. Zhovtis, chairman of the Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law.

Ablyazov, he said, was once one of the country's wealthiest and best-connected businessmen in the wild days after the fall of Communism. Like some Russian oligarchs, he grew disillusioned with what he saw as an autocratic rule and used his money — riches the government says were obtained illegally — to try to jumpstart democracy.

He landed in prison in 2002 and spent a year there until promising to stay out of politics in exchange for a pardon from Nazarbayev. Instead, his influence in the opposition grew and he eventually fled to London, where Kazakh acolytes traveled to seek his guidance, Zhovtis said.

He had dropped out of sight just before he was sentenced in Britain in February last year for contempt of court during a financial fraud trial related to BTA. Solange Legras, chief state prosecutor for international cases at an appeals court in the southeastern French town of Aix-en-Provence, held a hearing with Ablyazov on Thursday. She told The Associated Press that special police forces, backed by an airplane and armored vehicles, swept into a rental home in the town of Mouans Sartoux on Wednesday to detain him.

The police used "powerful means" because Ablyazov was known to have a "private militia" at his disposal, said Legras. No shots were fired or any physical damage caused in the operation. She said Ablyazov has been sought through Interpol since 2009, and was likely to remain in French custody for weeks — at the very least.

Picked up "in shorts and a T-shirt, "Ablyazov had in his possession a diplomatic passport from Central African Republic that was "probably false," Legras said. Police were only authorized to detain him, not search the site.

Ablyazov's lawyer countered that the diplomatic passport was valid and said his client clearly had no militia at his disposal. The lawyer, Bruno Rebstock, said Kazakhstan's authoritarian government was behind the international effort to track him down.

"It's becoming a real political and personal vengeance against the family and against their supporters," Rebstock said. "If he weren't a significant member of the opposition he wouldn't be pursued so diligently."

During their hearing, which lasted no more than a half-hour and took place with three lawyers present, Ablyazov insisted he had political refugee status in Britain and said he was the victim of a smear campaign, Legras said. She said her role was to explain the possible extradition process, not delve into the case. Afterward, Ablyazov was taken to a detention center in the neighboring town of Luynes.

Rebstock said he would appeal the detention: Ablyazov is "combative, forthcoming and prepared to defend himself against the charges." Zhovtis said he did not believe the French would send him to Ukraine or Kazakhstan, saying western European governments rightly lack confidence that either country will give him a free trial. Both are known to prosecute members of the political opposition, and the European Court on Human Rights has come down strongly against Ukraine for its treatment of a former prime minister jailed on similar charges.

Legras, the prosecutor, said French judicial authorities only know of extradition requests from Kazakhstan, Russia, and Ukraine. For now, Legras said she was focusing on the extradition request from Ukraine because France has no bilateral extradition accord with Kazakhstan.

Under the extradition process, the requesting country has 40 days to send its legal dossier to French authorities. Once that is received, French prosecutors will have five days to present Ablyazov to investigating magistrates. As a result, Legras said she expected that Ablyazov would remain in French custody at least through the end of August.

Vladimir Isachenkov contributed to this report from Moscow.

Morsi supporters defy police warnings to disperse

August 02, 2013

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's military-backed government offered protection Thursday to supporters of deposed President Mohammed Morsi who end their two sit-ins — widely seen as a first step toward dispersing the vigils on opposite sides of Cairo.

But the protesters responded defiantly: "Over our dead bodies!" The standoff underscored the ongoing political crisis since the armed forces toppled Egypt's first democratically elected leader on July 3: thousands in the streets demanding Morsi's reinstatement, a government unable to exert its authority, and recurrent violence that has killed more than 260 people.

Rights groups, activists and politicians from rival camps, fearful of more bloodshed, tried to ward off any use of force, including a suggestion of putting a human chain around the protest sites. International pressure grew for the interim government to release Morsi and create a process that includes his Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's largest political faction, which refuses to deal with the new authorities.

Despite a government warning that it would disperse the vigils, the Brotherhood and its supporters announced plans to organize new mass marches Friday, dubbed "Egypt Against the Coup." Organizers of the sit-ins outside the Rabaah al-Adawiya Mosque in eastern Cairo and a smaller one near Cairo University's main campus in Giza say the protests are signs of the enduring support for the once-dominant Muslim Brotherhood...

... U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry picked up that theme, telling Geo TV in Pakistan that the military was "restoring democracy." He added that millions of people had asked the army to intervene because they were afraid Egypt would descend into violence.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague spoke to interim Vice President Mohammed ElBaradei, calling for a peaceful resolution to the crisis. "I also called for the release of all political detainees, including Dr. Morsi, unless there are criminal charges to be made against them," he said.

There was no sign of a break in the stalemate. Security officials, pro-military media and some residents near the sit-in sites increasingly view the encampments as a menace, with authorities accusing protesters of stockpiling arms, torturing and killing suspected intruders, and scuffling with locals who voice complaints.

While the protesters insist their gatherings are peaceful, the sit-ins have taken on increasingly fatalistic religious overtones, and many of Morsi's supporters have expressed readiness to die for their cause — defending him and Islam.

The only sign of security activity before sunset Thursday was an army helicopter that flew low over the protesters. "The Interior Ministry ... calls on those in the squares of Rabaah al-Adawiya and Nahda to listen to the sound of reason, side with the national interest, and quickly leave," Interior Ministry spokesman Hany Abdel-Latif said in a televised address.

"Whoever responds to this call will have safe passage and protection," he added. The declaration followed a Cabinet decision Wednesday to charge the Interior Ministry, which controls the police, to disperse the sit-ins, arguing they posed a threat to national security and terrorized citizens.

But the protesters said they won't back down from their continued opposition to the military coup. They "will continue in spite of threats, and will not be made to back down from their right to peaceful protests and sit-ins, regardless of the strength of their opposition," a statement said.

From the podium outside the Rabaah al-Adawiya Mosque, one speaker shouted, "Did you see that the criminal army wants to break up the sit-in? Over our dead bodies!" The crowd shouted in agreement: "The coup is terrorism!"

The demonstrators also chanted "Execute el-Sissi!" Loudspeakers blared songs supporting Morsi. The protesters fortified the site, piling up sandbags at its six entrances and adding new guards who stood on alert with their helmets and sticks, sometimes climbing over the gates to check for movement. At one entrance, a second wall of concrete blocks, sandbags and tires was erected.

Medhat Ali, a teacher guarding the gates, said lines of men near the fences will be the first to warn of an impending attack. "If they see military or police, they will alert us, and in no time the masses inside will pour in to sleep on the asphalt under their vehicles and troops," he said proudly. "We have nothing but some stones and our bare chests. We all have bid our families farewell. We will die here — or Morsi returns."

Another protester, Magdi Shalash, dismissed the Interior Ministry warning, calling it an attempt to scare away supporters. "This warning is like nothing. It is like air. We don't even listen to it," said Shalash, a university professor. "We will only leave as dead bodies."

Rally speakers and leading members of the Brotherhood urged more people to join the protest. In a video posted on the Brotherhood's Facebook page, Mohammed El-Beltagi urged those at home to "join us and get the honor of martyrdom."

An influential ultraconservative cleric gave an emotional appeal to authorities to avoid violence, which he said will only lead to a cycle of bloodshed. "It is foolish to believe that the problem will end in one night and the conflict resolved in one battle," Mohammed Hasaan, said in a 17-minute recording made in a mosque and aired on Al-Jazeera Mubasher Misr, a pro-Brotherhood broadcaster.

"Beware of blood. It will be a curse on those who shed it. The military entering a conflict with Islamists is a loss for it and a real win for the Jews," he said, a reference to Israel. A military spokesman said its troops are not taking part in the moves against the sit-ins.

Egyptian police have a track record of deadly crackdowns on street protests, and Wednesday's Cabinet move effectively gave security forces the mandate to act as they see fit. The Interior Ministry had said earlier it would not clamp down on the protesters but will take gradual measures, including warnings and the use of water cannons and tear gas to minimize casualties.

The U.S. Embassy said it will be closed Sunday — a normal working day. The U.S. State Department said it was shuttering its embassies and consulates throughout the Muslim world Sunday after receiving an unspecified threat. State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf cited information indicating a threat to U.S. facilities overseas and said some diplomatic offices may stay closed for more than a day.

Members of rights groups, joined by activists, organized a visit to the sit-in in eastern Cairo to inspect the place, but it ended abruptly when it descended into a political argument. In a Facebook post, Seif Abdel-Fattah, a former Morsi adviser, called on all national groups and rights organizations to "go down and encircle (the two sit-ins) with human chains to stop the flood of blood."

Meanwhile, a leading member of Tamarod, or Rebel — the campaign that spearheaded the petition for Morsi to step down — said it suggested that law enforcement officials inspect the squares to ensure there are no weapons. But Mahmoud Badr said his proposal was rejected by the pro-Morsi groups.

Late Thursday, a high-level African Union delegation visited the sit-in in eastern Cairo. The delegation had met on Tuesday with Morsi in a secret military facility where he has been detained since his ouster on July 3.

Privately, the Rabaah protesters acknowledge that their sit-in is their last bargaining chip against the military and loyal media that label the encampment as a launching pad for terrorists. Islamic militants also have been stepping up attacks against security forces in lawless areas in the Sinai Peninsula, raising fears that extremists could exploit the anger over Morsi's removal to spread insurgency.

The Brotherhood has long been one of the most powerful political forces in Egypt, even during its decades in the opposition to autocratic leader Hosni Mubarak, himself ousted in a popular uprising in 2011. But after a series of election wins, including Morsi's narrow victory last year, the group has fallen from favor.

Zimbabwe: Disputed poll poses fresh divisions

August 01, 2013

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Allegations of vote-rigging flowed in Zimbabwe on Thursday, with reports of fake registration cards, voters turned away from the polls and people appearing on voters' lists four times with different IDs. Even before results were announced, the main opposition camp said longtime President Robert Mugabe stole the election, which his supporters denied.

Either way, the country faces fresh political uncertainty. Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, the main challenger to Mugabe, said the elections on Wednesday were "null and void" due to violations in the voting process, and a poll monitoring group that is not affiliated with the state said the poll was compromised by a campaign to stop voters from casting ballots.

In the first official results announced by the state election commission late Thursday, Mugabe's party captured 28 of the 210 parliamentary seats, compared to three won by Tsvangirai's party. Most of those results came from Mugabe's rural strongholds.

The state election commission has promised a full tally of results by Monday. The elections had posed one of the biggest challenges to Mugabe's 33-year grip on power on this former British colony, but claims by his opponents that the election was tainted and declarations of victory by the president's supporters suggested his political career was far from over.

Mugabe's party said Thursday it has withdrawn an unauthorized message on its Twitter feed claiming a resounding victory. The ZANU-PF party said it is awaiting the release of results by the state election commission, the only body allowed under the law to announce the outcome.

Tsvangirai boycotted a presidential run-off vote in 2008 to protest violence against supporters but said in the run-up this year he was confident Zimbabweans would vote for change, even in the most difficult conditions.

"The shoddy manner in which it has been conducted and the consequent illegitimacy of the result will plunge this country into a serious crisis," Tsvangirai said of the election Wednesday. Tendai Biti, a top official in Tsvangirai's party, said even rural residents were told to pretend they were illiterate, and therefore had to be assisted in casting their ballots by officials loyal to Mugabe.

Rugare Gumbo, a spokesman for Mugabe's ZANU-PF party, said accusations of vote-rigging were false. "We dismiss these allegations with the contempt they deserve because there was absolutely no way of manipulating the system. There was no way of rigging the election," he said.

Zimbabweans braced for tense days ahead. Tsvangirai's party urged supporters not to take to the streets or gather at an open field nicknamed "Freedom Square," its main Harare rallying point, compared by many to Cairo's Tahrir Square, the focal point of Egyptian demonstrations since the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak in 2011.

The conditions in Zimbabwe are different, though. Mugabe has a strong support base, security forces have traditionally been quick to clamp down on overt dissent and after the 2008 election, Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change joined Mugabe's ZANU-PF party in an uneasy coalition that was regionally brokered.

The coalition ended with the election on Wednesday. The MDC said in a statement that it received "radical" calls from supporters reflecting "the frustration, hopelessness and anger in every one of us" to actively fight Mugabe's party.

"We understand the tears in everyone's eyes but we certainly do not believe in violence to resolve this," it said. Tsvangirai's last campaign rally in the open field, opposite the main courthouse in downtown Harare, drew some 50,000 jubilant followers on Monday, in sharp contrast to Mugabe's austere, muted campaign gatherings.

Thabani Nyoni, a civic activist and top researcher at the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, an alliance of 70 rights and pro-democracy groups, predicted that protests against election irregularities would likely emerge once official election results have been confirmed.

Voter Matthew Pfuri, a Harare car salesman, said he was shocked by early results coming from polling stations where, under electoral law, summaries are posted outside when initial vote-counting is complete. Mugabe supporters have claimed early, unconfirmed results show them with a decisive lead.

"Maybe it's a good outcome for Tsvangirai. People now know what they are up against and say this blatant abuse can't last much longer," Pfuri said. Extra police, some in riot gear, were deployed in Harare. One truck of riot police was parked down the street from Tsvangirai's party headquarters.

"If Mugabe's party is celebrating a clean sweep in the elections, why are they sending out trucks of riot police?" asked Jonah Matanga, a nearby street vendor. Solomon Zwana, head of the Zimbabwe Election Support Network, said it found a "wide range of problems" in the election and that the poll was compromised by a campaign to stop voters from casting ballots. The monitoring group says as many as 1 million out of more than 6 million eligible voters were not on voters' lists.

Protesters invade Rio de Janeiro city building

August 01, 2013

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Anti-government demonstrators briefly invaded the city council building in Rio de Janeiro in the latest in a wave of protests that have hit Brazil.

Police say they repelled about 50 protesters who gained access to the council building in central Rio via a side door. The clash came toward the end of an anti-government march Wednesday night that united about 700 protesters who focused their anger on Rio state Gov. Sergio Cabral. He's become the focus of demonstrators' anger. They accuse him of corruption and demand his impeachment.

TV images showed protesters scattering outside the building after police used tear gas and pepper spray. Nationwide anti-government protests started in Brazil in June. Complaints target poor public services in the face of citizen's heavy tax burden.

Egypt orders police to clear protest camps

July 31, 2013

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's military-backed government on Wednesday ordered the police to clear two Cairo protest camps packed with supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi, saying they posed a threat to national security and were "terrorizing" citizens.

The move signaled an imminent crackdown against the heavily barricaded sit-ins — one outside a mosque in eastern Cairo and another on the other side of the city near the main Cairo University campus. It also raised the specter of more violence after deadly clashes between police and the Islamist protesters on July 8 and last weekend left more than 130 killed.

A spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood, Gehad el-Haddad, said the Cabinet's announcement reflected the rule of a "conspiratorial gang" that has no respect for the law. He also dismissed as unfounded claims that the sit-ins posed a threat to security.

Asked if the Brotherhood would voluntarily break up the protest or send women and children home, he told The Associated Press: "This is an open sit-in. We don't have control over the people. We don't have control over them. It is a free choice."

More than 260 people have been killed since Morsi was ousted by the military on July 3, leaving the country divided between those calling for his reinstatement and millions who marched against him and his Muslim Brotherhood in a show of support for the new political order.

Police have been instructed to end the protests "within the law and the constitution," Information Minister Dorreya Sharaf el-Din said in a televised statement, although she did not specify a timeframe.

Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim, who is in charge of the police, said the disbanding of the sit-ins will be carried out in gradual steps according to orders from prosecutors. "I hope they (Morsi supporters) resort to reason" and leave without authorities having to move in, he told the AP in a telephone interview.

An Interior Ministry statement later said that it will study the "appropriate steps" to be taken in the light of available intelligence on the kind of weapons available to the protesters and whether foreigners are in their midst.

The gradual steps, the ministry said, would be a warning to leave the area, use of tear gas if protesters don't leave and finally "legitimate self-defense." It did not elaborate. Police consistently deny allegations that they use live ammunition against protesters.

In a parallel move, prosecutors also referred three top Brotherhood leaders, including its fugitive spiritual leader Mohammed Badie, to trial for allegedly inciting the killing of anti-Morsi protesters last month.

The other two, who already are in detention, are Badie's powerful deputy Khairat el-Shater and senior Brotherhood leader Rashad Bayoumi. They are accused of inciting the killing of at least eight protesters outside the Cairo headquarters of the Brotherhood on the night of June 30 and early the next day. No date has been set for the trial, which will be held before a criminal court.

El-Shater and Bayoumi are in detention along with at least six other Brotherhood leaders and Islamist allies, including the group's former spiritual leader Mahdi Akef and Saad el-Katatni, leader of the Brotherhood's political arm, the Freedom and Justice party.

Arrest warrants have been issued for Badie and several other Brotherhood leaders, including stalwarts Mohammed el-Beltagy and Essam el-Erian. The two have been making fiery comments against el-Sissi to the foreign media and at the eastern Cairo sit-in.

Morsi was overthrown after just one year in office after mass rallies in which millions of Egyptians calling for his ouster took to the streets. Last week, millions of Egyptians rallied on the street again to give military chief Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi a mandate to deal with violence and "potential terrorism."

Ibrahim, the Interior Minister, last weekend depicted the two protest encampments as a danger to the public, pointing to nine bodies police have said were found nearby in recent days. Some had been tortured to death, police have said, apparently by members of the sit-ins who believed they were spies.

Interim Vice-President Mohamed ElBaradei on Tuesday implicitly condoned using force against the protesters as a last resort, but cautioned that any such use must be "within a legal framework." The Nobel Peace Laureate and former head of the U.N.'s nuclear agency had been known to oppose the use of force against Morsi's supporters.

Associated Press writers Maggie Michael and Sarah El Deeb contributed to this report.

Pakistani prison attacked by Taliban lacked guards

July 31, 2013

DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan (AP) — Only a handful of badly armed guards were posted at a Pakistani prison assaulted by Taliban militants earlier this week even though the government had intelligence indicating the facility was under threat, the prison chief said Wednesday in an admission likely to feed accusations of negligence over the deadly jailbreak.

The 35 guards, only 10 of whom had weapons, faced 150 attackers. Some were so scared during the assault late Monday night that they hid in sewer pipes, and others opened up one of the prison's main gates after the militants threatened them, said a senior government official.

These details are likely to spark further criticism of the government, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where the prison was located. The militants freed over 250 prisoners during the attack and killed more than a dozen people.

"Increasingly, the militant network appears an organized, emboldened and well-armed force running rings around a sluggish, even inept, security network," said an editorial in Pakistan's leading English language newspaper, Dawn.

The Taliban have smuggled over two dozen militants they broke out of the prison in the town of Dera Ismail Khan to one of the group's stronghold in the country's tribal region, two commanders said. The deadly raid was codenamed "Freedom from Death," cost 11.5 million rupees ($115,000) and took six months to plan, said the commanders, speaking to The Associated Press by telephone on condition of anonymity for fear of being targeted by security forces.

It's unclear how so many heavily-armed militants were able to travel unhindered in vehicles and motorcycles to the walls of the prison, especially given the intelligence indicating a possible attack. Only 10 of the 35 guards at the prison were armed, and some of their AK-47 assault rifles were not even in good shape, said the head of the prison, Ghulam Rabbani. He said the armed guards fought valiantly until they ran out of bullets. But the militants were armed with bombs and grenades, as well as guns.

"The 10 of my men did their best," said Rabbani. "They fought bravely." But a senior official in the provincial government, Ali Amin Gandapur, criticized the guards, saying some of them were found hiding in sewer pipes and drains and others opened a main gate for the militants after they were threatened.

"This is such a shame," said Gandapur, minister of revenue. "I promise they all have to lose their uniforms." Rabbani defended his men, saying unarmed guards had a right to hide since they were tasked with controlling the prisoners, not protecting the jail from attack. He held a meeting with city administrators the day of the attack to discuss the threat to the prison, but they were not prepared when the raid happened, he said.

The Taliban carried out a similar attack on a prison elsewhere in the northwest less than 18 months ago. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has suspended 27 police and prison officials in the wake of the attack, including 22 members of an anti-terrorist squad who were supposed act as a quick response force, but failed to do so, provincial officials said.

Authorities have managed to capture 41 of the 252 prisoners who escaped from the prison, said police official Salahuddin Kundi. There were 482 inmates in the prison at the time of the attack. A curfew is still in place in Dera Ismail Khan as authorities search for more of the fugitives.

Militants managed to smuggle 25 of their colleagues to the South Waziristan tribal area, located very close to Dera Ismail Khan, and plan to transport them to North Waziristan, Pakistan's main sanctuary for Taliban and al-Qaida fighters, the Taliban commanders said.

It's unclear whether there are more escaped militants making their way to the tribal region. Dera Ismail Khan's commissioner, Mushtaq Jadoon, said Tuesday that 25 "dangerous terrorists" had escaped. A civilian adviser to the prison department in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Malik Mohammad Qasim, said at least 38 of those who escaped were either convicted of or on trial for terrorism.

The Taliban commanders said 18 of the 150 militants who took part in the attack on the prison received special commando training. The operation was the brainchild of Adnan Rasheed, a militant who was freed in an attack on a prison in the town of Bannu in April 2012. It was led by a commander named Khitab Mehsud, who was a close aide to slain Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud.

The militants had orders to complete the operation in an hour and not to spend more than 20 minutes in the prison, but the raid ended up taking two hours to complete, the commanders said. Earlier reports indicated the operation went on for over four hours.

The militants killed six policemen, six Shiite Muslim prisoners — one of whom was beheaded — and two civilians, said Jadoon, the commissioner. Many hard-line Sunni extremists consider minority Shiites to be heretics.

The militants didn't meet any resistance when they retreated back to South Waziristan, said the commanders.

Associated Press writer Riaz Khan contributed to this report from Peshawar.

Malians flock to vote in bid to rebuild broken nation

By David Lewis and Adama Diarra
Reuters – Sun, 28 Jul, 2013

BAMAKO (Reuters) - Ballot counting began in Mali after voters turned out in large numbers on Sunday for a presidential election they hope will provide a fresh start for the West African nation after more than a year of turmoil, war and an army coup.

Polling ended at 12.00 p.m. ET and, as night fell, officials started tallying results. Election officials at a school in Bamako used electric lamps to check ballot papers for thumbprints and witnesses sat at wooden students' desks jotting down results using mobile phones for light.

Observers said they had not yet received reports of major incidents, a positive sign that Mali is moving toward recovery after a March 2012 coup followed by the occupation of the desert north by separatist Tuareg rebels and al Qaeda-linked fighters.

Months ago the Islamists were marching south, until French troops arrived in January and defeated them, scattering them into the deserts and mountains. Post-coup politics had paralyzed a nation once touted as a model democracy.

"People are motivated this time as we have been in this crisis for too long," said Lamissa Coulibaly, a secondary school teacher in the lush, bustling riverside capital, Bamako.

"They were told that whoever their candidate was, they had to get out and vote. People are starting to understand that elections are about more than t-shirts and free sugar," he said.

After some initial delays, Malians crammed into courtyards of schools turned into polling stations for the day. Across the country, polling stations were protected by Malian, French and U.N. troops.

"I have worked in eight elections and I have never seen this level of turnout," said Mahamar Maiga, an election worker.

The high participation rate could breathe life into Mali's 20-year-old democracy, whose frailties were exposed by the coup last year.

The APEM network of 2,100 Malian election observers said most of the country's 21,000 polling stations had opened on time and turnout was "high", but voting was extended in some locations after delays.

Most polling stations visited by Reuters journalists in Bamako recorded participation between 55 and 65 percent. Turnout in Timbuktu town was over 50 percent in the centers visited.

Turnout for a presidential election in Mali has never topped 40 percent. Just 25 percent of the capital's registered voters took part in the last presidential race in 2007.

PROUD TO VOTE

In Timbuktu, seized by al Qaeda-linked rebels last year, Malian soldiers manned roadblocks. People voted in large numbers in defiance of a threat from an Islamist group to attack polling stations. No incidents were reported during the day.

"We are still scared, but we are proud of being Malian and risking our security to come and vote," said Maty Balkissa Toure, a 25-year-old Timbuktu resident.

Residents reported high security around voting in Kidal, where just 30,000 votes are at stake but the stand-off with Tuareg MNLA rebels has not yet been resolved.

Chief EU observer Louis Michel, who traveled to the town, said he had witnessed low early turnout but said voting had remained relatively calm. Some MNLA supporters in front of polling stations tried to convince people not to vote, he added.

A U.N. source said there were reports of MNLA rebels preventing people from voting around Menaka, in Gao region, though it was not immediately clear how many were affected.

Elsewhere in the country, some voters struggled to find the right polling station or complained their names were not on lists even though they were carrying the correct ID cards.

But Michel said: "I have not been told of any serious incidents so far that have dented my confidence in the vote."

Mali's 6.8 million registered voters chose from 26 men and one woman. The field included two former prime ministers - Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, known universally as IBK, and Modibo Sidibe. The two are expected to be among the top finishers.

Soumaila Cisse, a respected economist, former finance minister and native of the region of Timbuktu, is also among the leading candidates. Relative political newcomer Dramane Dembele, chosen as the candidate of Mali's largest party, ADEMA, could appeal to young voters.

Provisional results are expected from the interior ministry on Tuesday. A second round is due to take place on August 11 if no candidate wins more than 50 percent of the vote.

"LAW OF MAJORITY"

World powers, led by France, have been pushing for the vote to be held to replace the weak interim administration that has led the country since April 2012. Some experts had warned that a rushed election might lead to challenges and further crises.

But those concerns were largely assuaged on election day.

Mali's interim President Dioncounda Traore said the vote had been the best the country had organized since independence in 1960.

"Democracy is the law of the majority. I ask that all candidates accept the result of the ballot boxes," he said.

Before last year's collapse, Mali, a poor nation straddling the south of the Sahara, had built up a reputation for stability and become Africa's No. 3 gold producer. Donors who slashed aid after the coup have promised more than 3 billion euros in reconstruction assistance after the election.

The new president will have to oversee peace talks with Tuareg rebels who agreed to allow the vote to take place in areas they operate in but have not yet disarmed.

A successful vote will also allow France to scale down its military presence in Mali from around 3,000 troops. A 12,600-strong U.N. mission is rolling out.

Donors are hoping that by voting in large numbers Malians will revive a democracy that, although it may have been touted abroad as a model of stability, failed to mobilize enthusiasm at home, fostering a corrupt, weak system that lacked checks and balances.

"This rebellion and the coup may have taught us a lesson that we need to build a proper democracy," said Gossy Dramera, a member of parliament on his way to vote.

(Additional reporting by Tiemoko Diallo and Joe Penney; Writing by David Lewis and Joe Bavier; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)

Treasure Hunters Ruining Jordan's Ancient Artifacts

by Adam Nicky
Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Artifacts readily discovered by farmers and builders

AMMAN, Jordan – Under the cover of nightfall, Emad Jarur drives his black van to an ancient site near here, to dig, drill or even use explosives to reach a suspected treasure of gold and ancient artifacts.

His determined look as he flips through pages showing ancient maps reflects years of an arduous search across the kingdom's vast plains to find treasures buried by Ottomans, Romans, Byzantines, Jews or others who once lived here.

Jarur, 42, uses advanced technology, along with less conventional means like archaeology students and even sorcerers, he says.

"Treasure hunters like me try every possible means to uncover, to find these treasures, from science to magic," he told The Media Line from his home in east Amman, a working class neighborhood.

Janus taught himself about the Ottoman treasures, the most common and sought after troves, said to be pure gold coins and easy to sell on the black market.  He's read every book he could find on the subject, learning the significance of the tiniest signs and illustrations on maps or rocks that could lead him to the precious metal.

Yet, there are considerations one is not likely to foresee.

"Some sites are protected by supernatural powers like genies. These are the most dangerous sites," said Abu Salem, a colleague of Jarur.  He swore that he saw a man killed in front of his eyes by a powerful genie near the King Hussein Dam.

"The genie warned my friend and told him not to return to the site, but when he returned anyway the next day, my friend died of a sudden heart attack while digging," he said, shock and disbelief still visible.

Jarur explains that to fight off genies, exorcists read verses from the Quran, while other treasure hunters use expensive Moroccan incense to keep them away.

The gold fever that has swept across Jordan with great intensity since the kingdom's economic nosedive in the early 1990s, however, is resulting in the destruction of priceless relics by the treasure hunters, say local archaeologists.

The Hijaz railway, a train line built over a century ago that once linked Amman and Damascus, has become the focal point of the gold frenzy. The Ottoman Turks built the railway in the early 1900s to supply their army in the region. Treasure hunters have since dug hundreds if not thousands of holes along the 300 mile railway.

The Ottomans ruled Jordan from 1516 to 1918, building fortresses to protect pilgrims. Legend has it that after conceding defeat in World War I, the wealthy Ottomans who ruled the area could not carry their gold home.

Instead, they chose to hastily bury their valuable possessions just beneath the ground before fleeing. The Ottomans engraved signs in nearby rocks pointing to the valuables' exact spot.

"We can find Ottoman treasures less that one meter below the surface. They did not have time to dig deeper as they hurried to escape British forces," explained Jarur.

Earlier this month, police were deployed to guard a construction site in the posh neighborhood of Abdoun, where a local contractor unearthed an ancient Roman burial site. Eyewitnesses said several treasure hunters tried to break into the site hoping to find gold.

Department of Antiquities Excavation and Survey Director Mohammad Najar said the dream of finding hidden gold has gripped Jordanians' imaginations for years.

"Some stories about treasures found could be true but most of them are false," he told The Media Line. "We are more concerned that diggers will ruin ancient treasures," he added.

Such destruction is most evident in the Jordan Valley and north, where fertile land covers most of the region. Away from curious eyes, farmers practice illegal excavation in search for the yellow metal or any ancient artifact that can be sold to tourists. Ancient coins start at $15 and can cost hundreds of dollars.

In the past, Jordan was at the crossroads of history, witnessing the rise and fall of several civilizations as far back as the Bronze and Iron Ages.

From the west, Egypt extended its power and culture, while Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian, Greek, Nabatean, Roman, Byzatine, Islamic and Ottoman civilizations have all been pieces of the country's mosaic of archaeological heritage.

Official figures indicate that there are more than 10,000 known sites waiting to be excavated. Unknown sites are estimated to be triple that number.

Archaeology department officials admit that treasure hunters contribute to the country's archaeological plight, but add that they are not responsible for all of it.

When farmers plow their fields or contractors dig foundations for their building sites, ancient ruins often appear.

As he races against time to sow his field before the winter arrives, finding an ancient ruin could be a nightmare for a farmer who barely makes ends meet. By law, he must inform the authorities of his findings, meaning that archaeologists immediately seal off the area and begin the exhaustive process of evaluating the land's archaeological value.

As far as the farmer is concerned, time is a luxury he cannot afford. Archaeologists say that many farmers choose to bury their findings and continue planting, but not without first taking a look at their find.  Precious relics from the ancient past are often ruined in the process, according to Jordanian archaeology officials say.

Driving through the night, Jarur says he is determined to continue his search, insisting that members of the royal family are also involved in the search.

"Prince Hassan (uncle of King Abdullah II) is known to have a large vault of ancient treasures," says Jarur. "He spent decades hunting treasures throughout the kingdom."

Copyright © 2013 The Media Line. All Rights Reserved.

Russian cargo ship docks with space station

July 28, 2013

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia's space agency says that its cargo ship has docked successfully with the International Space Station.

Roscosmos says the unmanned Progress M-20M spacecraft moored at the station Sunday about six hours after its launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The docking was performed in automatic mode.

The agency says the ship has delivered about 2.4 metric tons of supplies to the space outpost, including fuel, food, water and scientific equipment. The 2011 retirement of the U.S. shuttle fleet has left Russia's Soyuz spacecraft as the sole means to ferry crews to and from the space outpost. The unmanned cargo version of the Soyuz, the Progress, delivers the bulk of station supplies.

Morsi backers defiant in face of Egypt govt threat

CAIRO (AP) — Escalating the confrontation after clashes that left 83 supporters of Egypt's ousted Islamist president dead, the interim government moved Sunday toward dismantling two pro-Mohammed Morsi sit-in camps, accusing protesters of "terrorism" and vowing to deal with them decisively.

Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood denounced Saturday's bloodshed as evidence of the brutality of the military-backed regime. But many accused the group's leaders of trying to capitalize on the loss of life to win sympathy after millions took to the streets in a show of support for the military chief who ousted Morsi in a coup.

Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi said he would take the popular support as a mandate to deal with violence and "potential terrorism" — a thinly veiled reference to a widely expected crackdown on Morsi supporters in the sit-in camps in Cairo and against radical Islamists in the Sinai peninsula who have been waging deadly attacks against security forces since Morsi was ousted in a July 3 military coup.

The coup followed days of mass protests by millions of Egyptians demanding that Morsi step down after a year in office as Egypt's first elected president. The monthlong sit-ins have been the launch pad of street protests that often ended violently when Morsi's supporters clashed with opponents or security forces.

Islamists led by the Brotherhood staunchly reject the new post-Morsi leadership and insist the only possible solution to the crisis is to reinstate him. Meanwhile, the interim leadership is pushing ahead with a fast-track transition plan to return to a democratically elected government by early next year.

The Brotherhood, accused by critics of trying to monopolize power during Morsi's year in office, routinely claims its supporters are killed in cold blood by army troops, police or thugs sponsored by the Interior Ministry, which is in charge of police. However, witnesses and videos posted on social networking sites show that Morsi's supporters consistently use rocks, firebombs and firearms against opponents, who behave similarly.

The Brotherhood's tactic is clearly designed to win sympathy at home and abroad by portraying itself as a victimized party pitted against an army and a police force armed to the teeth. "We urge the United Nations, the international human community ... to come down and rescue the hundreds of thousands from the massacre by the live ammunition in the hands of the criminals," senior Brotherhood leader Mohammed el-Beltagi shouted from the stage at the larger of the two Cairo sit-ins.

"We want intervention by the international organizations ... to rescue the people. We urge the Egyptian people to come to our rescue. ... The people are slaughtered like sheep",'' declared el-Beltagi, who has an arrest warrant issued against him for inciting violence.

Mohammed Badie, the Brotherhood's supreme leader, launched a stinging attack on el-Sissi over the latest violence, saying the military chief was leading a "bloody regime" and urging his followers to stand fast.

"Don't be sad and don't despair," he said in a message that heavily quoted from the Quran, Islam's holy book. Posted on the Brotherhood's website, Badie said those killed in the latest violence were martyrs who will be rewarded with a place in heaven.

Underlining the tension, the military's chief spokesman posted on his Facebook page late on Sunday a statement warning pro-Morsi supporters from staging a protest outside the military intelligence headquarters in Cairo.

"The military urges protesters not to approach its installations, particularly the military intelligence building. These are secure installations that have vital importance. Individuals coming close to them or trying to harass those tasked with protecting them can be in danger," said the statement by Col. Ahmed Ali.

The warning, he said, was triggered by information that the pro-Morsi protesters were planning to march on the military intelligence headquarters late Sunday. The international community, meanwhile, urged restraint.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry issued a strongly worded statement telling Egyptian authorities it was "essential" they respect the right to peaceful protest and calling on all sides to enter a "meaningful political dialogue.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also asked security forces to "act with full respect for human rights" and demonstrators to "exercise restraint." Catherine Ashton, the EU's foreign policy chief, arrived in Cairo on Sunday for her second visit to Egypt this month, a sign of the alarm felt in the West over the continuing bloodshed. She was to meet Egyptian leaders on Monday.

The U.N.'s human rights chief, Navi Pillay, also condemned the violence and called for a "credible, independent investigation" into the killings. "I fear for the future of Egypt if the military and other security forces, as well as some demonstrators, continue to take such a confrontational and aggressive approach. Supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood have the right to protest peacefully like anyone else," Pillay said.

The violence continued Sunday, when deadly clashes during funerals for two of the slain Morsi supporters left two men dead and scores injured in two cities north of Cairo, Port Said and Kafr el-Zayat.

Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim warned security forces would deal decisively with any attempts to destabilize the country. Ibrahim accused the pro-Morsi side of provoking bloodshed to win sympathy and suggested authorities would move against the two pro-Morsi protest camps outside the Rabaah al-Adawiya mosque in eastern Cairo and in Nahda Square, near the main campus of Cairo University.

"I assure the glorious people of Egypt that the police are determined and capable to maintain security and safety to their nation with the support of the sincere sons of the country," Ibrahim said during a graduation ceremony at the national police academy. "We will very strongly and decisively deal with anyone who attempts to undermine stability."

He depicted the two encampments as a danger to the public, pointing to nine bodies found nearby in recent days. Some had been tortured to death, police said, apparently by sit-in participants who believed they were spies. "Soon we will deal with both sit-ins," he said.

Setting the stage for more confrontation, the military-installed interim president gave the prime minister the power to grant the military the right to arrest civilians in what government officials suggested was a prelude to a major crackdown on Morsi's supporters or Islamic militants who have stepped up attacks against security forces in the Sinai Peninsula.

At least 20 members of the security forces have been killed in Sinai by suspected militants and nearly 250 in the rest of the country, including the 83 killed in Cairo on Saturday. Late Sunday, a member of the army's elite Saaqa commandos was killed in a mortar and rocket attack by suspected militants that wounded four others in northern Sinai, a stronghold of radical Islamists.

"The more bloodshed there, the more it is impossible to reach a compromise or middle ground," said Kamal Habib, a prominent scholar in Islamic movements and a former Islamist himself. The two sides, he said, were gearing toward more confrontations.

A senior aide to interim President Adly Masnour, meanwhile, sought to prepare the public for possible action to dismantle the sit-in camps, telling reporters that Morsi's supporters were armed, terrorizing residents in the area.

"It has now become inevitable for the state to take measures necessary to protect society," he said. The nation's highest security body — the National Defense Council — issued a statement saying the pro-Morsi sit-in camps violated Egypt's national security and warning that "decisive and firm" action would be taken. It also urged the protesters to renounce violence and stop "violence and terrorism and verbal and physical assaults on citizens."

The council, chaired by the interim president and including the prime minister, defense and foreign ministers, said it deeply regretted the loss of life, but did not blame any party for it. Saturday's clashes — the deadliest since more than 50 Morsi supporters were killed by troops on July 8 — took place before dawn when police and armed men in civilian clothes opened fire on supporters of the former president as they tried to expand their sit-in camp outside Rabaah al-Adawiya by moving onto a nearby main boulevard.

Civilians, sometimes with weapons, frequently join police in Cairo demonstrations. In some cases, they appear to be plainclothes police, in others residents who back the security forces. Videos posted Sunday on social networking sites showed the Morsi supporters approaching a police line backed by armored vehicles at the entrance of the ramp to a key bridge that runs across the heart of the city. They also showed police and men in civilian clothes pointing their rifles at the protesters, many of whom wore industrial helmets and homemade body armor and stood behind makeshift barricades.

Mohamed Wasfi, a children's book publicist who videotaped the clashes from his apartment balcony, said the protesters attempted to spill oil on the street to stop cars from approaching the bridge, a tactic used by Morsi supporters last week on an overpass that leads to Cairo's international airport. Shortly afterward, another group of protesters approached the police line and tore down metal barricades, prompting police to fire tear gas, he told The Associated Press.

He said some protesters fired birdshot at the police, who responded with birdshot and tear gas. Another video, posted by the Interior Ministry, showed protesters hurling stones and firebombs at the security forces from behind their barricades. One masked man was shown shooting at the police with what appeared to be a large silver-plated pistol. The authenticity of the videos could not be independently verified, but they generally conformed with AP reporting.

No army troops were on the scene, but the international community and human rights groups expressed concern the military had allowed the carnage to occur. Human Rights Watch said many of those killed were shot in the head or chest and the killings took place over several hours. The New York-based group said it spoke to witnesses and reviewed extensive video footage of the events. It said medical staff said some of the deaths appeared to be targeted killings because the position of the shots would likely result in death.

Associated Press reporters Aya Batrawy in Cairo and Frank Jordans in Berlin, Germany, contributed to this report.

Thousands protest government at Tunisia funeral

July 27, 2013

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Thousands of protesters chanting anti-government slogans joined a funeral march to lay to rest an assassinated Tunisian opposition politician on Saturday, a display of the anger threatening the survival of a government once seen as a model in the region for the transition to democracy.

Adding to the tension, a bomb exploded in the early morning underneath a car at the port in Tunis outside a police station. Though there were no injuries, the rare attack helped deepen the sense of unease in this North African country, where two opposition politicians have been shot dead in the last six months, apparently with the same gun.

Mohammed Brahmi's coffin was carried by soldiers to Jellaz cemetery and buried next to Chokri Belaid, a fellow politician who was killed in February. Brahmi's widow and five children accompanied the coffin on its route through the capital.

"Down with the party of the Brotherhood," chanted mourners, referring to the ruling Ennahda Party's affiliation with the regional Muslim Brotherhood religious group. "The people demand the fall of the regime."

The latest assassination Thursday has exacerbated the distrust between the ruling coalition led by moderate Islamists and the opposition, which has demanded the dissolution of the government because of its failures to rein in Islamic extremists, turn around the economy and manage the transition to democracy.

Speaking next to the grave, activist lawyer Nacer Laouini called on army chief of staff Gen. Mohamed Salah Hamdi to protect the people from the Islamists — a clear reference to the recent events in Egypt, where the military ousted the elected Islamist president.

"The head of the army is here. We ask the army to be on the side of the people as it always has been and protect Tunisians against Ennahda," he said. Tunisia's army, however, has shown little inclination to involve itself in politics up until now, unlike its Egyptian counterpart.

The crowd sang the national anthem several times and with much emotion. But their numbers were nowhere near the hundreds of thousands that came out for Belaid's funeral in February. Temperatures in Tunis at midday were a blazing 35 degrees (95F), and the funeral took place during the fasting month of Ramadan, when most Tunisians don't eat or drink during daylight hours.

Following the funeral, hundreds demonstrated in front of the constituent assembly, calling for its dissolution and were met by volleys of tear gas by police who chased demonstrators through the streets.

Opposition politician Mongi Rahoui was also beaten by police, according to local news media. Brahmi's assassination has spawned protests and further hardened opposition sentiments holding the moderate Islamists elected in 2011 responsible for the lack of security in the country.

Late Friday, a 48-year-old political activist with the same leftist coalition as the assassinated Brahmi died after being hit in the head by a tear gas canister during a demonstration outside a police station in the southern mining town of Gafsa.

The head of the assembly, Mustapha Ben Jaafar, called for calm and urged the 54 members of the elected body who have withdrawn in protest to reconsider their decision so that the work on writing a new constitution could be finished by the end of August.

"It is impossible to dissolve the assembly now and let all our efforts of the last two years go up in smoke," he said Saturday evening. The Interior Ministry, citing physical evidence and witnesses, said Friday that Brahmi's assassin was Boubakr Hakim, a known militant and weapons smuggler who was part of the same al-Qaida linked cell alleged to have murdered Belaid back in February.

Hakim is alleged to have shot Brahmi 14 times outside his home Thursday in full view of his family with the same 9 mm semi-automatic handgun used to kill Belaid. He then sped away on the back of a moped.

The Saturday morning bomb blast caused no injuries and only blew out windows in the area but it represents a dangerous escalation for a country that has yet to experience serious terrorist incidents like its neighbors Algeria and Libya.

"As we were leaving the station for a routine patrol, we saw a suspicious package under the car," police officer Mourad Mliki told The Associated Press. "We went back to the station to tell our superiors and there was a huge explosion — it was set off remotely."

Mohammed Ali Aroui, the police spokesman, told the state news agency that the remains of the explosive device were being examined by a special team. "The explosion was so strong it was like an earthquake," said Walid Khammar, a fish seller living near the police station whose car was damaged by the blast.

Tunisians overthrew a longtime secular dictator in January 2011, inspiring the pro-democracy uprisings of the Arab Spring across the region. The long-repressed Ennahda party dominated subsequent elections and now rules in coalition with two secular parties.

With two political assassinations and a faltering economy, the opposition says the leadership has lost its legitimacy and is demanding a new government. The opposition accuses Ennahda of turning a blind eye to the rise of ultraconservative Muslims known as Salafis, many of whom are willing to use violence to push their views.

The government had said it did not want to replicate the repressive anti-Islamist policies of overthrown dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, but when thousands of Salafis attacked the U.S. Embassy in September over an anti-Islamic film produced in the U.S., the government cracked down on the movement.

In April, soldiers patrolling in a mountainous region near Algeria tripped a roadside bomb causing severe injuries and sparking a search of the region that revealed the remains of training camps and more hidden explosives.

Schemm reported from Rabat.