German opposition warns of pointless Parliament

October 22, 2013

BERLIN (AP) — Germany's opposition warned Tuesday that the country's Parliament could become redundant because a planned left-right government would have enough seats to rule almost unchallenged.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative Union bloc won 311 of the 631 seats in the lower house last month, followed by the center-left Social Democrats with 193. The two parties are currently negotiating a "grand coalition" that would give them almost 80 percent of seats in the Bundestag.

Legal experts have pointed out that such a coalition would easily be able to push through laws and even have the two-thirds majority needed to propose changes to the constitution of Europe's biggest economy.

The opposition Left Party and Greens also lack the 25 percent of votes needed to launch parliamentary investigations or have the country's highest court review legislation. Left Party leader Gregor Gysi noted that under a grand coalition the government would have the right to speak for 48 minutes out of every hour.

"If essentially it's just people patting each other on the back then we can give up on the whole thing," he told rbb-Inforadio ahead of Parliament's first meeting Tuesday. The biggest challenge during Merkel's third term could come from the upper house, or Bundesrat, where a grand coalition wouldn't have an automatic majority. It represents Germany's 16 states and can delay the passage of bills.

France joins list of allies angry over NSA spying

October 22, 2013

WASHINGTON (AP) — Joining a growing list of angry allies, France on Monday demanded an explanation from Washington of a report that the U.S. swept up 70 million French telephone records and text messages in its global surveillance net, even recording certain private conversations.

The fallout prompted a phone call from President Barack Obama to President Francois Hollande and, the White House said, an acknowledgment by Obama that the episode raises "legitimate questions for our friends and allies" about how U.S. surveillance capabilities are employed. Hollande's office issued a strongly worded statement afterward expressing "profound reprobation" over U.S. actions that it said intruded on the private lives of French citizens.

Spying among friendly countries is classic tradecraft but the sweep and scope of the National Security Agency program have surprised allies and raised indignation among those targeted — Germany, Mexico and Brazil among them.

The report in Le Monde, co-written by Glenn Greenwald, who originally revealed the surveillance program based on leaks from former NSA analyst Edward Snowden, found that when certain phone numbers were used, conversations were automatically recorded. The surveillance operation also gathered text messages based on key words, Le Monde reported.

"This sort of practice between partners that invades privacy is totally unacceptable and we have to make sure, very quickly, that this no longer happens," French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said. "We fully agree that we cooperate to fight terrorism. It is indispensable. But this does not justify that personal data of millions of our compatriots are snooped on."

Seeking to limit damage in relations with one of America's closest allies, Obama called Hollande late Monday and made clear the U.S. government is reviewing its intelligence-gathering "so that we properly balance the legitimate security concerns of our citizens and allies with the privacy concerns that all people share," a White House statement said. The statement said some recent disclosures have "distorted our activities" while others have raised genuine concerns by other countries.

Earlier, the French government summoned U.S. Ambassador Charles Rivkin for answers. A statement issued by the U.S. Embassy in Paris said Rivkin assured Alexandre Ziegler, chief of staff to Fabius, that "our ongoing bilateral consultations on allegations of information-gathering by U.S. government agencies would continue."

The level of the diplomatic consultation at the time — between the U.S. ambassador and only an aide to Fabius — suggested that France was modulating its response. Secretary of State John Kerry landed in Paris early Monday for meetings on Middle East issues and could have been contacted immediately if it appeared relations were in deeper trouble. But the matter was subsequently elevated with Obama's phone call.

Hollande's office said later that the French leader asked Obama to make available all information on NSA spying of French communications. Kerry would not confirm the newspaper account or discuss intelligence-gathering except to say: "Lots of countries are engaged in the activity of trying to protect their citizens in the world."

Le Monde reported that from Dec. 10, 2012 to Jan. 8 of this year, 70.3 million recordings of French citizens' telephone data were made by the NSA. Intercepts peaked at almost 7 million in Dec. 24 and again on Jan. 7, the paper said. The targets were people with suspected links to terrorism and people chosen because of their roles in business, politics or the French government, the report said.

Former CIA officer Bob Baer, who was stationed in Paris for three years, said the French intelligence service regularly spies on Americans — both on U.S. diplomats and business people. The spying has included rifling through possessions of a diplomat, businessman or spy in Paris hotel rooms and installing listening devices in first-class seats of the now-defunct Concord aircraft to record Americans' conversations, he said.

In another instance, a former French intelligence director stated that the spy agency compiled a detailed secret dossier of the proprietary proposals that U.S. and Soviet companies wrote to compete with a French company for a $1 billion contract to supply fighter jets to India.

But while corporate and spy- vs.-spy espionage may be common, the newspaper report indicated that French citizens were unwittingly drawn into U.S. surveillance, too. Dennis Blair, a former director of national intelligence, tried to broker a closer intelligence-sharing relationship with France, so the two would simply ask each other to explain political or economic policies directly instead of resorting to snooping.

"The U.S. is overwhelmed by cooperation by France on things like ... terrorism and organized crime," Blair said in an interview Monday. "It dwarfs the amount of time we spend on spying on each other. I'm hoping the day will come when both countries realize they have a lot more to be gained by working with each other, but we're not quite there yet."

The most recent documents cited by Le Monde, dated April 2013, indicated the NSA's interest in communications linked to Wanadoo — once part of France Telecom — and Alcatel-Lucent, the French-American telecom company. One of the documents instructed analysts to draw not only from the electronic surveillance program, but also from another initiative dubbed Upstream, which allowed surveillance on undersea communications cables.

Snowden's leaks exposing details of the U.S. global surveillance apparatus have sparked an international debate over the limits of American spying. The strongest objection has come from Brazil. Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff canceled a state visit to Washington over a dispute involving Brazil's desire to question Snowden after information he leaked indicated that the U.S. intercepted Rousseff's communications with aides, hacked the state-run oil company's computer network and snagged data on emails and telephone calls flowing through Brazil.

In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel's government canceled a Cold War-era surveillance agreement over reports that NSA snooping swept up communications in Europe. "I can understand the anger in France," said German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle. "You don't do that among partners. You don't do that among friends."

Mexico has also expressed outrage about an alleged NSA program that the German news magazine Der Spiegel said accessed a domain linked to former Mexican President Felipe Calderon and his Cabinet. Also, a document from June 2012 indicated the NSA had read current Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto's emails before he was elected.

The U.S. is thought to avoid spying on its coalition of "'Five Eye" partners — Britain, Australia, Canada and New Zealand — but considers other countries fair game. The U.S. intelligence community has discussed bringing France into the Five Eyes alliance because of its close cooperation with U.S. troops and intelligence against al-Qaida in such as Afghanistan and Mali, according to two current U.S. intelligence officials. But the trust between both countries has never reached the level needed for that, the officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the relationship publicly.

Associated Press writers Lara Jakes and Lori Hinnant in Paris, Matthew Lee and Adam Goldman in Washington and Raf Casert in Luxembourg contributed to this report.

France summons US ambassador over spying

October 21, 2013

WASHINGTON (AP) — The French government summoned U.S. Ambassador Charles Rivkin on Monday to explain a French newspaper report that the National Security Agency swept up 70.3 million French phone records in a 30-day period.

The French government called the practice "totally unacceptable" and wanted to know why the U.S. spied on one of its closest allies. Spying among allied countries is common, but the scope of the NSA surveillance, as revealed by leaker Edward Snowden, was larger than expected.

Similar U.S. spying programs have been revealed in Britain, Brazil, Mexico and Germany. "The ambassador expressed his appreciation of the importance of the exchange, and promised to convey the points made back to Washington," a statement released by the U.S. Embassy in Paris said.

Rivkin assured Alexandre Ziegler, chief of staff to Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius that "our ongoing bilateral consultations on allegations of information gathering by U.S. government agencies would continue," the embassy statement said.

The report in Le Monde, co-written by Glenn Greenwald, who originally revealed the surveillance program based on leaks from former National Security Agency contractor Snowden, found that when certain numbers were used, the conversations were automatically recorded. The surveillance operation also swept up text messages based on key words, Le Monde reported, based on records from Dec. 10 to Jan 7.

The French government, which wants the surveillance to cease, also renewed demands for talks on protection of personal data. "This sort of practice between partners that invades privacy is totally unacceptable and we have to make sure, very quickly, that this no longer happens," Fabius said during a meeting in Luxembourg with his European counterparts.

The most recent documents cited by Le Monde, dated to April 2013, also indicated the NSA's interest in email addresses linked to Wanadoo — once part of France Telecom — and Alcatel-Lucent, the French-American telecom company. One of the documents instructed analysts to draw not only from the electronic surveillance program, but also from another initiative dubbed Upstream, which allowed surveillance on undersea communications cables.

The U.S "gathers foreign intelligence of the type gathered by all nations," said Caitlin Hayden, spokeswoman for the National Security Council at the White House. "We've begun to review the way that we gather intelligence, so that we properly balance the legitimate security concerns of our citizens and allies with the privacy concerns that all people share."

Hurricane-force winds batter Britain

October 28, 2013

LONDON (AP) — A major storm with hurricane-force winds is lashing southern Britain, causing flooding and travel delays including the cancellation of roughly 130 flights at London's Heathrow Airport.

Express train services between central London and Gatwick and Stansted airports were suspended because of the storm, and the major English port of Dover was closed, leading to a cutoff in ferry service to France.

Some regional rail lines shut down Monday morning, and some roads were closed due to fallen trees and power lines. Air travelers and commuters were advised to check conditions before starting any journeys. Widespread delays were expected as major London train lines delayed their opening because of the winds and tree hazards.

British Airways said its long haul flights were expected to operate normally but domestic and European flights were operating on a reduced schedule with some cancellations expected throughout the day. It said Gatwick and City airport operations should not be affected.

Weather forecasters say it is one of the worst storms to hit Britain in years. Roughly 7,000 homes in southwest England are without power. A spokesman said the majority lost power at about midnight but that crews were working to restore the service.

Flood alerts have been issued in many parts of southern England and officials said hundreds of trees had been knocked down by wind gusts. Winds of 99 miles per hour (160 kph) were reported on the Isle of Wight in southern England. Winds in the 75 to 80 miles per hour range were reported on the mainland.

A teenage boy is feared to have died after being swept to sea while playing in the surf off the coast of East Sussex. Forecasters said the heavy winds should subside by mid-morning.

Britain braces for massive storm

October 28, 2013

LONDON (AP) — Driving rains and high winds lashed the U.K. on Sunday evening, as officials warned that the storm forecasters are calling one of the worst in years will cause widespread disruptions for early morning commuters.

Officials said a 14-year-old boy is feared dead after being swept out to sea while apparently playing in the surf in southern England. Coastguard and police rescuers searched late Sunday for the boy in high seas with poor visibility, but after several hours the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said it had turned into a search and recovery operation.

Sussex Police urged people to stay clear of the seashore until the storm — dubbed St. Jude and #Stormageddon on social networks — abates. With winds expected to pick up through the night and into the early hours of Monday, railways and airports cancelled many services pre-emptively amid warnings over treacherous road conditions and the risks of debris from falling trees and flooding.

Prime Minister David Cameron told government agencies to ensure that contingency plans were in place for transportation, schools and power supplies during the storm, which could have gusts stronger than 80 mph (128 kph) — akin to those in hurricanes.

Britain does not get hurricanes due to its geographic location. A regular National Football League game in London between the San Francisco 49ers and Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium on Sunday evening went on as planned, but elsewhere contingency planning and cancellations were put into effect.

Heathrow Airport canceled at least 60 flights ahead of the storm's arrival in full force, warning travelers to be prepared for disruptions. Rail networks canceled many trains preemptively up through Monday morning, citing the high risk of trees and other debris expected to fall on train lines.

Eurostar said it would not be able to run any cross-Channel rail services until 7 a.m. on Monday to allow for train lines to be inspected. Martin Young, the Met Office's chief forecaster, said that while the storm is "major" for the U.K., its winds are not expected to be as strong as those seen in the "Great Storm of 1987," which saw gusts of 115 mph (185 kph) and left 18 people dead.

The storm is expected to move across the country and head out over the North Sea by Monday afternoon. Once the so-called St. Jude storm — named after the patron saint of lost causes — passes through Britain, it is expected to hit parts of the Nordic countries on Monday afternoon.

The Danish Meteorological Institute issued a warning, saying winds of hurricane-strength are expected in some parts of Denmark and heightened water levels in western Jutland near the town Esbjerg. The Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute also issued a warning, saying it expects hurricane-strength winds to hit southern and western Sweden on Monday evening, potentially causing damage and travel disruptions. It said the stormy weather is expected to subside as it moves north on Tuesday and Wednesday.

-- Associated Press writer Malin Rising in Stockholm contributed to this report.

3-month-old Prince George is christened in London

October 23, 2013

LONDON (AP) — Dressed in a lace and satin gown designed in the 1840s, Britain's 3-month-old future monarch, Prince George, was christened Wednesday with water from the River Jordan at a rare gathering of four generations of the royal family.

The occasion had historic overtones: the presence of Britain's 87-year-old monarch and three future kings, Princes Charles, William and, of course, little George. Queen Elizabeth II, usually the center of attention, quietly ceded the spotlight to her rosy-cheeked great-grandson, who seemed to wave at her when he arrived — an illusion created by his father, Prince William, playfully moving the infant's arm.

The private affair at the Chapel Royal at St. James's Palace was also attended by Prince Charles, next in line to the throne, and the queen's 92-year-old husband, Prince Philip, who has shown remarkable stamina since returning to the public eye after a two-month convalescence following serious abdominal surgery.

All told, it was an exceptional day for a monarchy that seems to be basking in public affection since the 2011 wedding of William and Kate Middleton and the maturing of Prince Harry, who appears to have put his playboy days behind him.

George, who was born on July 22, wore a replica of a christening gown made with exquisite antique lace for Queen Victoria's eldest daughter, and first used in 1841. When William was christened in 1982, he wore the original gown — by then well over a century old — but the garment has become so fragile that a replica was made.

The infant, who will head the Church of England when he becomes king, was christened with water from the River Jordan by Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby. The silver baptismal font — known as the Lily Font — dates to 1840 when it was commissioned by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert for their first child's birth, and has been used for every royal christening since.

As trumpets blared, baby George arrived at the chapel in his father's arms with his mother by their side. Kate, smiling broadly on her way into the chapel, wore a cream-colored Alexander McQueen dress and hat by milliner Jane Taylor, with her long hair brushed to the side. William wore his customary dark suit and tie as he proudly carried their first child.

Kate's parents, Michael and Carole Middleton, and her sister, Pippa, and brother, James, were also at the ceremony, where Pippa Middleton read from the Gospel of St. Luke and Prince Harry from the Gospel of St. John.

The chapel has a strong connection to William's mother, the late Princess Diana, whose coffin was laid before the chapel's altar for her family to pay their last respects in private before her 1997 funeral.

William and Kate chose seven godparents, among them William's cousin, Zara Phillips, daughter of Princess Anne and a close friend of the couple. The others include Oliver Baker, a friend from William and Kate's days at St. Andrews University; Emilia Jardine-Paterson, who went to the exclusive Marlborough College high school with Kate; Hugh Grosvenor, the son of the Duke of Westminster; Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, a former private secretary to the couple; Julia Samuel, a close friend of Princess Diana, and William van Cutsem, a childhood friend of William's.

Palace officials said water from the River Jordan — where Christians believe Jesus Christ was baptized — was used for the christening. In the West Bank, hours before the ceremony in London, busloads of Russian tourists descended on Qasr el-Yahud to immerse themselves in the river. The site, five miles (eight kilometers) east of Jericho, is considered Christianity's third-holiest site, after Bethlehem and Jerusalem.

The river's waters have often been used to make the sign of the cross on the heads of royal infants. Some royal watchers camped outside the palace for more than 24 hours to obtain a good vantage point to watch the guests arrive, but the ceremony was private.

Afterward, Charles and his wife, Camilla, hosted a tea for the royal party at their Clarence House residence, where desserts included a "christening cake" with a tier taken from William and Kate's wedding cake.

The couple hired photographer Jason Bell to take official pictures, which are expected to include a historic multigenerational photograph of the queen with the three future kings — an image that will echo an 1894 picture of Queen Victoria with three future monarchs.

India reaches for Mars on prestige space mission

New Delhi (AFP)
Nov 03, 2013

India began a countdown Sunday to the launch of its most ambitious and risky space mission to date, sending a probe to Mars which was conceived in just 15 months on a tiny budget.

After a recent Chinese attempt flopped, India is seeking to make a statement of its technological prowess by becoming the first Asian power to reach the Red Planet more than 200 million kilometers (124 million miles) away.

An unmanned probe, weighing 1.35 tones and about the size of a large refrigerator, will leave earth strapped to an Indian rocket which is set to blast off from the south-east coast on Tuesday afternoon.

Wrapped in a golden film, the orbiter will carry advanced sensors to measure the Martian atmosphere, hoping to detect traces of methane which could help prove the existence of some sort of primitive life form.

"Any interplanetary probe is complex. As we can see for Mars, there were 51 missions so far around the world and there were 21 successful missions," chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), K. Radhakrishnan, told AFP last Thursday.

Undeterred by the failure rates, he laughed off any suggestion of last-minute nerves, saying: "If it is a failure, then learn. Failure is a stepping stone for success."

Success would be a source of national pride for Indians, whose 2008 unmanned mission to the moon helped prove the existence of water in another leap forward, 39 years after Neil Armstrong set foot there.

It would also bolster the reputation of India, the land of the world's cheapest car, as a leader in low-cost innovation. The project was announced in August 2012 with a budget of only 4.5 billion rupees ($73 million).

Lacking a rocket large enough to fire the satellite directly out of earth's atmosphere, ISRO has also had to rely on another famed Indian specialism of "Jugaad" -- confecting a cheap work-around solution.

Instead of flying directly, the 350-tonne rocket will orbit earth for nearly a month, building up the necessary velocity to break free from the earth's gravitational pull.

"Don't underestimate it because it is a low-cost mission that is being done for the first time," Indian science journalist Pallava Bagla, author of the book "Destination Moon", told AFP.

"Yes, there is Jugaad in it, there is innovation in it... and everyone wants to do low-cost missions nowadays."

NASA is under budget pressure and has faced cuts to proposed Mars missions in 2016 and 2018 despite having an overall objective, set by US President Barack Obama, of sending an astronaut there by 2030.

The United States is the only nation that has successfully sent robotic explorers to land on Mars, the most recent being Curiosity, a nearly one-ton vehicle which touched down in August 2012.

One of its discoveries appeared to undercut the purpose of the Indian mission after a study published in September revealed Curiosity detected only trace elements of methane in the Mars atmosphere.

NASA will help ISRO with ground monitoring from three deep-space facilities after the launch at 02:38pm (0938 GMT) on Tuesday. The American space agency will send its own probe, Maven, 13 days later.

The official countdown for blastoff of the Indian orbiter, nicknamed "Mangalyaan" in local media, began at 06:08am on Sunday, which is the Hindu festival of lights known as Diwali.

Only the US, Russia and the European Union have succeeded in reaching Mars before. China failed in 2011 with its probe aboard a Russian rocket and Japan's effort floundered in 2003.

Radhakrishnan denies that India is competing with China despite speculation that India accelerated its Mars mission to prove a point against its militarily and economically superior Asian rival.

He also defends ISRO and its 16,000-strong workforce against suggestions that New Delhi should not be spending on space when more than a third of all children are malnourished and half of Indians have no toilets.

"Space is one area right from the beginning that has been contributing to the development process of the country," he said, pointing to better weather forecasting for farmers and satellite communication networks.

Upendra Choudhury, an associate professor at Aligarh Muslim University who is an expert on India's ballistic missile program, says the spending has also boosted national security.

"India's achievements in space technology are contributing to its missile technology, including the Agni-V," he told AFP.

The Agni-V, capable of reaching Beijing and eastern Europe, was test fired for the first time in April 2012 and catapulted India into a small group of countries with such long-distance missile technology.

Source: Mars Daily.
Link: http://www.marsdaily.com/reports/India_reaches_for_Mars_on_prestige_space_mission_999.html.

Shanghai-built lunar rover set for lunar landing

Beijing (XNA)
Nov 05, 2013

A Shanghai-made lunar rover is all set to land on the moon with the Chang'e-3, China's third lunar probe that is set to be launched next month, local officials said yesterday.

The moon rover has been taken to the Xichang Satellite Launch Center with the Chang'e lunar probe on the Long March III carrier rocket. Inspections and preparatory work are going on to get the launch ready about a month later.

Equipped with four cameras, the six-wheeled rover will be able to climb onto hills and cross over obstacles on the moon surface, said Xiao Jie, a designer for the rover with the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology.

Two mechanical legs can dig and take earth samples from the moon. It also has an expandable solar power plate to absorb the sun's energy during the day and retract at night to cover the equipment to protect it from temperatures of minus 170 degrees Celsius.

"It will move really slowly," Xiao said. The rover will plan its route only after observing and detecting the surrounding environment, he said.

The rover will patrol the surface for at least three months with the 100-kilogram vehicle being controlled by scientists on Earth, said Ye Peijian, chief commander of the Chang'e-2 and Chang'e-3 missions, calling it as "the most difficult part of the mission."

A Chinese-made nuclear battery will power the moon rover after it lands on the lunar surface.

The battery, using plutonium-238, will be able to power the vehicle for more than 30 years, according to Ouyang Ziyuan, the project's chief scientist.

China has launched two lunar probes with Chang'e-1 on October 24, 2007, and Chang'e-2 on October 1, 2010.

The country will launch its fifth lunar probe, the Chang'e-5, in 2017 to bring back samples from the surface of the moon in the final step of the its unmanned lunar project, Ouyang said.

He said there is still no timetable for putting a man on the moon, but China has said it would happen shortly after the completion of the "three-step" unmanned lunar project, according to a white paper on the development of the country's space industry.

Source: Moon Daily.
Link: http://www.moondaily.com/reports/Shanghai_built_lunar_rover_set_for_lunar_landing_999.html.

Prince George to be christened; godparents named

October 23, 2013

LONDON (AP) — Prince William and his wife Kate have asked seven people to be godparents to their son, Prince George, who will be christened at a major royal family gathering Wednesday, palace officials said.

Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip plan to attend the christening Wednesday at the Chapel Royal at St. James's Palace, along with Prince Charles, his wife Camilla, Prince Harry and other royals.

Kate's parents Michael and Carole Middleton and her sister Pippa and brother James are also on the guest list. The godparents include close friends from their university days, a friend of William's late mother, Princess Diana, a childhood chum of William, and a school friend of Kate's.

They are: Oliver Baker, a friend from St. Andrews University; Emilia Jardine-Paterson, who went to the exclusive Marlborough College with Kate; Earl Grosvenor, who is the son of the Duke of Westminster; Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, a former private secretary to the couple; Julia Samuel, described as a close friend of the late Princess Diana; Zara Phillips, who is William's cousin, and William van Cutsem, a childhood friend of William.

Charles and Camilla plan to host a private tea afterward at their Clarence House residence. George, who was born July 22 and is third in line for the British throne, will be christened by Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby.

Norway town sees winter sun for 1st time

October 30, 2013

STAVANGER, Norway (AP) — Residents of the small Norwegian town of Rjukan have finally seen the light.

Tucked in between steep mountains, the town is normally shrouded in shadow for almost six months a year, with residents having to catch a cable car to the top of a nearby precipice to get a fix of midday vitamin D.

But on Wednesday faint rays from the winter sun for the first time reached the town's market square, thanks to three 183-square-foot (17-square-meter) mirrors placed on a mountain. Cheering families, some on sun loungers, drinking cocktails and waving Norwegian flags, donned shades as the sun crept from behind a cloud to hit the mirrors and reflect down onto the faces of delighted children below.

TV footage of the event showed the center of the crowded square light up a touch, but not as if hit by direct sunlight. Still, residents said the effect was noticeable. "Before when it was a fine day, you would see that the sky was blue and you knew that the sun was shining. But you couldn't quite see it. It was very frustrating," said Karin Roe, from the local tourist office. "This feels warm. When there is no time to get to the top of the mountains on weekdays, it will be lovely to come out for an hour and feel this warmth on my face."

Like much of Scandinavia, the town of Rjukan often is freezing throughout the winter, but on Wednesday it was 45 degrees Fahrenheit (7 degrees Celsius) there. The Italian town of Viganella has a similar, but smaller, sun mirror.

The plan to illuminate Rjukan was cooked up 100 years ago by the Norwegian industrialist Sam Eyde, who built the town to provide workers for a hydroelectric plant he located at the foot of a nearby waterfall.

The renowned engineer never saw his plan become reality, but his plant and the Telemark town he founded developed a special affection in the Norwegian imagination as the site of the country's most famous wartime escapade.

Occupied by the Germans during World War II, the factory was a staging post in Hitler's quest for the atomic bomb. The story of how 12 Norwegian saboteurs parachuted into the nearby tundra and survived freezing temperatures to destroy the factory's "heavy water" plant inspired a 1965 Hollywood film, "The Heroes of Telemark," and is being turned into a 10-part TV series by Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle.

In contrast to the shadow cast over Europe by Hitler's plan for an atomic weapon, the three mirrors — ironically being remotely controlled from Germany — captured the sunlight and sent it in an ellipse that illuminated about one-third of the square below.

A band encouraged a cloud that weakened the effect to move away with the song, "Let The Sunshine In." Jan-Anders Dam-Nielsen, director of the Norwegian Industrial Museum, located on the site of the famous factory, said the solar experiment would mark another chapter in the history of Rjukan.

"Soon we will celebrate 70 years since the saboteurs struck the factory," he said. "Then we will think about how we mark this. This is a really important day in the history of this town. And like the mirrors reflected the sun, we will reflect this in the museum."

Helicoptered in and installed 1,500 feet (450 meters) above the town square, the 5 million kroner ($850,000) computer-controlled mirrors, or heliostats, are more commonly used to create solar power in sundrenched regions of the Middle East. Here, the solar energy the heliostats capture is used to power their tilting trajectory as they follow the sun's brief dash across the Norwegian winter sky.

The century-old idea was revived in 2005 by Martin Andersen, an artist and resident of the town, who helped raise the sponsorship money. The lion's share has come from Norsk Hydro — the company founded by Sam Eyde.

EU Lithuanian President calls for Israel to stop building settlements

2013-10-21

VILNIUS - European Union rotating president Lithuania called Monday for Israel to stop building settlements in the occupied West Bank, saying they were impeding the peace process.

The statement followed talks between Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite and visiting Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.

Grybauskaite called on Israel "to end the expansion of settlements in the occupied territories," insisting that "the European Union does not recognize settlements as part of Israel."

"Such actions by Israel impair the progress of peace talks," she said in an official statement published on her website.

Construction starts in Jewish settlements on occupied Palestinian land rose by 70 percent year-on-year in the first half of 2013, anti-settlement group Peace Now said last week.

Grybauskaite said the Middle East peace process was a "historic opportunity" which "must continue".

"The European Union strongly supports a peaceful two-state solution, which would enable Israel and Palestine to live side-by-side in peace and security," she said.

Settlement building in the territories occupied by Israel during the 1967 Six Day War is considered illegal under international law, and the issue remains one of the most divisive in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Abbas has previously termed them "illegal" and asked the Israeli government to stop.

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://middle-east-online.com/english/?id=62078.

Voters to decide elections coast to coast Tuesday

November 05, 2013

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — From rural Iowa to urban New York, voters across America will render judgment in a slate of political contests Tuesday, including in New Jersey and Virginia where gubernatorial race outcomes could highlight the Republican Party division between pragmatists and ideologues.

Elsewhere, Colorado voters will set a tax rate for marijuana. New York City will elect a new mayor for the first time in 12 years, while Boston's mayoral race pits white collar against blue collar, and Detroit's spotlights the city's bankruptcy — just three of the many mayoral contests from coast to coast.

Republican and Democratic strategists alike say that Tuesday's contests are more defined by candidate personalities and region-specific issues than political trends likely to influence next year's larger fight for control of Congress. Turnout is expected to be low across the country, typical for elections held in years when the White House and Congress aren't up for grabs.

Candidates across the country made their last pitches to voters as local elections boards made their final preparations. "We can't take anything for granted. We are Republicans in New Jersey," incumbent Gov. Chris Christie told supporters Monday, although polls suggest he likely will cruise to a second term over his little-known Democratic opponent, state Sen. Barbara Buono. A potential presidential candidate, Christie could become the state's first Republican to exceed 50 percent of the vote in a statewide election in 25 years.

And a Republican victory in a Democratic-leaning state could stoke the notion within part of the GOP that a pragmatic approach is the answer to the party's national woes. To the south, a defeat of a conservative Republican in the swing-voting state of Virginia also could feed into that argument.

Former national Democratic Party chairman Terry McAuliffe is favored against Republican Ken Cuccinelli, who comes from the GOP's right flank and promotes his role as the first state attorney general to challenge the health care overhaul. Cuccinelli has been hurt both by the government shutdown that Republicans are bearing most of the blame for and by a political scandal involving accusations of lavish gift-giving by a political supporter to Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell and his family.

A McAuliffe victory would break a three decade-long trend: Virginia has elected a governor from the party not occupying the White House in every gubernatorial election since 1977. Neither race will offer significant clues about the state of the electorate heading into a midterm election year.

"They're a far cry from being a crystal ball for 2014," said longtime Democratic pollster John Anzalone. "These two big races are all about the individuals." The same could be said for down-ballot races across the nation.

In Coralville, Iowa, population 19,000, the national tea party ally Americans for Prosperity is saturating mailboxes and telephone lines to support conservative candidates for city council as the area struggles to control its debt.

The outside group, backed by the billionaire Koch brothers, spent $36 million last year mostly supporting Republican candidates and attacking Democrats in the presidential and U.S. Senate races. In Iowa, the group is showing that no race is too small to fight government spending.

The issues extend beyond public debt in Colorado, where voters will decide on a tax rate for marijuana, a suggested 25 percent tax to fund school construction and regulation of the newly legal drug. Also, 11 counties in northern and eastern Colorado were taking non-binding votes on secession and creating a new state.

Mayors will be elected in some of the nation's largest cities. In New York, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio is the heavy favorite to succeed outgoing Mayor Michael Boomberg, with polls suggesting that he's on the verge of being the first Democrat to be elected mayor since 1989.

De Blasio, an unabashed liberal, positioned himself as a clean break with the Bloomberg years, promoting a sweeping progressive agenda. He faces Republican rival Joe Lhota, former head of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and a one-time deputy mayor to Rudy Giuliani. Lhota has largely campaigned on continuing the policies of both his former boss and Bloomberg.

In Boston, it's a race of blue-collar Democrat against white-collar Democrat as state Rep. Martin Walsh and City Councilor John Connolly vie for the chance to succeed longtime Mayor Thomas Menino. Walsh, a union laborer before being elected to the state House, has highlighted his life story, including surviving cancer as a boy and overcoming alcoholism as a young adult. Connolly, a corporate attorney, has focused on education issues. Polls suggest the race will be close.

Detroit may feature the nation's most unusual contest. Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon and former Detroit Medical Center chief Mike Duggan are competing for a mayor's title that will have little immediate power as the debt-ridden metropolis is guided through the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history by a state-appointed emergency manager.

One of the top remaining issues for both candidates: Who can work better under the thumb of the state turnaround expert, who will continue to run the show for at least another year.

With reports from AP writers Thomas Beaumont in Iowa, Kristen Wyatt in Colorado, Corey Williams in Detroit, Jonathan Lemire in New York, Chris Grygiel in Washington State, and Mitch Weiss in North Carolina.

Argentine ruling party holds onto Congress

October 28, 2013

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — President Cristina Fernandez's governing bloc held onto control of Congress in Sunday's congressional elections, but the results buried hopes of changing the constitution to let her run for a third term and a former loyalist proved himself a political threat.

The president's former Cabinet chief, Sergio Massa, beat the candidate that Fernandez hand-picked to lead her slate for Congress, Martin Insaurralde, by a decisive 12-point margin in Buenos Aires province, where 37 percent of Argentina's voters live.

With 72 percent of the votes counted nationwide, the governing Front for Victory won 33 percent of the congressional votes overall, far short of the 54 percent that Fernandez carried in her re-election in 2011.

Cabinet Chief Juan Manuel Abal Medina predicted that when all the votes were in, the front would gain five seats in the 257-seat Chamber of Deputies and maintain a "comfortable majority" in the 72-member senate.

The Front for Victory remains the only nationwide political force and still holds more seats in Congress than any other bloc. But its losses in Argentina's most populous districts suggested growing unhappiness and a weakened presidency. And the increasing appeal of Fernandez's rivals elected Sunday could pose new threats to her all-or-nothing style of governing.

The president's opponents won more than enough seats to block any constitutional changes, ruling out a "re-re-election" in 2015. Without that threat, it might prove harder for Fernandez to keep rivals in check as Argentines begin marking the end of a government that she and her husband, the late President Nestor Kirchner, have led for a decade.

Massa, whose calls for consensus and rising popularity have already peeled away some Fernandez loyalists, will be sworn in Dec. 10 as a deputy in Congress after receiving the most votes of any politician running Sunday.

"We accept our differences, plurality, and as our Pope Francis says, harmony, which is the best way to build our society," Massa said Sunday night in calling on all Argentine politicians to "please listen to the message of the people."

For the moment at least, the results position Massa to make a presidential run in 2015. "This is an overwhelming response by the people to our times," said Dario Giustozzi, a member of Massa's Renewal Front who also won a seat in Congress. "This is the end of an era, a new space. Now the people have a place where they can be heard."

Massa, however, will no longer be the successful mayor of the wealthy Tigre municipality, where many of Argentina's rich and famous live in gated communities. Now he'll need to make his voice heard while leading the third-largest force in Congress, with about 19 seats, compared to 131 for the ruling bloc.

Before Fernandez, 60, was diagnosed with a head injury Oct. 6, she had appeared with Insaurralde at every major campaign event, sometimes doing all the talking. But since her skull surgery, she has remained in seclusion, a very unusual situation for a country accustomed to seeing her on television every day. While her doctors say her condition is improving, they ordered her to rest for a month and avoid any stress.

Her vice president, Amado Boudou, is nominally in charge while she recuperates, but even top ministers have struggled to describe how decisions are being made, contradicting each other about how much she's following the news. She was unable to vote or visit Kirchner's tomb Sunday, which was the third anniversary of his death from a heart attack.

With Boudou's political future clouded by corruption investigations, Fernandez could now spend her last two years struggling to keep rivals in line during an intense succession battle within the always fractious Peronist party, to which her center-left Front for Victory belongs.

Along with Massa, would-be presidents include the governor of Buenos Aires province, Daniel Scioli, and the mayor of the capital of Buenos Aires, Mauricio Macri. Both are seen as more business-friendly and centrist than Fernandez.

Congo army makes inroads against weakened rebels

October 30, 2013

RUMANGABO, Congo (AP) — The Congolese army colonel marched triumphantly into town, welcomed by cheering crowds waving palm leaves after his soldiers retook this base in their latest offensive to quash the M23 rebels.

"Congo for the Congolese!" Col. Mamadou Ndala proclaimed in Swahili to applause and adulation, as women threw flowers and shouted out the names of army commanders. The recapturing of Rumangabo from the M23 rebels, who are allegedly backed by neighboring Rwanda, is the army's sixth such victory since Saturday. It's a marked turnaround from a year ago when neither the army nor the U.N. peacekeepers kept the same rebels from seizing Goma, a city of 1 million people.

With more help than ever from U.N. forces, Congo's military is now taking advantage of an apparent weakening within the M23 movement that got its start in April 2012. The stepped-up offensive also comes as neighboring Rwanda faces growing pressure over the rebels. The Rwandan government denies it supports the rebels, despite evidence laid out by a U.N. group of experts.

One U.N. diplomat on Monday said the rebels have abandoned nearly all their positions except for a small triangle near the Rwandan border. John Ging, the director of U.N. humanitarian operations who just returned from Congo, told a news conference at U.N. headquarters in New York Tuesday that the country stands "at a crossroads of new opportunity" where there are hopes for a better future.

He cautioned, however, that Congo has been at crossroads in the past and "tragically, until now, each time it has gotten worse." "People are saying to us they hope that this time it will actually get better," Ging said. "They see some signs, and where the (U.N.) mission is present, they do point to positive impact."

But he stressed that everyone realizes the instability in Congo, the proliferation of armed groups which will take considerable time to disarm, and the difficult geography of the country. "If these military victories are followed up with serious regional pressure on Rwanda and on M23 to forge some kind of sustainable peace, then this could be a turning point," said Michael Deibert, author of "The Democratic Republic of Congo: Between Hope and Despair."

Deibert added that Congo's army is often accused of human rights abuses and of a lack of accountability and that these need to be addressed to prevent a reversal of fortune. The M23 rebels say they want to pursue peace talks, though they have repeated failed and stalled over such issues as amnesty. M23 spokesman Amani Kabasha accused the Congolese government of "provoking fighting with the intention of blaming civilian deaths on M23 and justifying once more the U.N. intervention brigade against our soldiers."

Several Tanzanian peacekeepers have been killed since August. This week the U.N. troops have been in armored personnel carriers and jeeps with mounted machine guns several kilometers (miles) behind the army forces.

Eastern Congo has been wracked by conflict since the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, after which Hutu extremists crossed over into Congo. M23 is only the latest rebel group to menace the mineral-rich region.

The insurgency was born out of an earlier rebel movement that had signed a 2009 peace deal with the government. The fighters said the Congolese government hadn't held up its end of the deal that called for the rebels to be integrated into the national army, among other things.

With the purported help of Rwanda, M23 quickly grew in strength and briefly held Goma in November 2012 before bowing to international pressure and retreating. In March, M23 leader Bosco Ntaganda turned himself in to face charges at the International Criminal Court, a move that experts say has seriously weakened the rebels.

"The movement is unable to control its entire territory and suffers from poor morale and scores of desertions," a U.N. group of experts said in a report in late July. Estimates now put the M23 group at 1,000 fighters. However, residents living in border regions claim that soldiers cross from Rwanda into Congo during M23 fighting which makes it difficult to estimate the group's current size.

Timo Mueller, a Goma-based researcher with the Enough Project, an advocacy group active in eastern Congo, said the M23's retreat from strategically important towns and hills in recent days is surprising.

"That would suggest that they cannot hold ground and confront a very ambitious and more professional Congolese army," he said. "I understand that they're scattering or have scattered. I wouldn't say it's necessarily the military end."

Even if the M23 is defeated, he said, the rebels would need to be disarmed and for them to give up their weapons they would need security guarantees to prevent attacks by the army or angry citizens.

Larson reported from Dakar, Senegal. Edith M. Lederer contributed to this report from the United Nations

Africa's biggest wind farm opens in Ethiopia

27 Oct 2013

The $290m Ashegoda Wind Farm is expected to generate 120MW of electricity, easing Ethiopia's dependence on hydropower.

Africa's biggest wind farm has begun production in Ethiopia, aiding efforts to diversify electricity generation from hydropower plants and help the country become a major regional exporter of energy

Africa's second most populous country - plagued by frequent blackouts - plans to boost generating capacity from 2,000 MW to 10,000 MW within the next three to five years.

Much of the increase would come from the 6,000 MW Grand Renaissance Dam under construction on the Nile.

The US $290m Ashegoda Wind Farm was built by French firm Vergnet SA with concessional loans from BNP Paribas and the French Development Agency (AFD).

The Ethiopian government covered 9 percent of the cost.

"Various studies have proved that there is potential to harness abundant wind energy resources in every region of Ethiopia. We cannot maintain growth without utilizing the energy sector," Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn said in a speech at the launch.

Experts put Ethiopia's hydropower potential at around 45,000 MW and geothermal at 5,000 MW, while its wind power potential is believed to be Africa's third-largest behind Egypt and Morocco.

Delayed completion

Groundbreaking for the Ashegoda Wind Farm was done in 2009 with completion set for 2011 but logistical constraints delayed its finish.

It is the second such project in the country after the 51 MW Adama I wind farm, which began production in 2011.

"Ethiopia might have one of the most impressive investment plans in renewable energy in Africa," Vergnet's site manager Roman Coutrot, said.

"It's not only talking, they are acting and signing contracts. The problem they might face is financing but they are not worried about that," he said.

The 84-turbine farm - straddling a sprawling field of grassland dotted by stone-brick hamlets more than 780km north of the capital Addis Ababa - is part of a plan to mitigate the impact of dry seasons on the country's dams.

At present, Ethiopia's energy resources are almost completely derived from hydropower projects.

"It compliments hydropower, which is seasonal. When you have a dry water season we have higher wind speed," said Mihret Debebe, CEO of the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation.

"There is harmony between the two sources of energy."

Last week, Ethiopia also signed a preliminary agreement with a US-Icelandic firm for a $4 billion private sector investment intended to tap its vast geothermal power resources and produce 1,000 MW from steam.

Source: al-Jazeera.
Link: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2013/10/africa-biggest-wind-farm-opens-ethiopia-2013102713165843147.html.

Tibetan denies official version of cousin's death

October 23, 2013

GANNAN PREFECTURE, China (AP) — Soon after Sangay Gyatso lit himself on fire and burned to death in one of China's ethnic Tibetan areas, police came knocking on his family's door with questions — and seemingly the answers as well.

Was the fiery suicide of the 27-year-old farmer pre-arranged? Didn't he have connections to foreign-based separatists? Didn't the family get a 3 million yuan ($500,000) reward for the self-burning protest?

A cousin of Sangay Gyatso said his family was asked these questions before the government cast the father of two as an incorrigible thief and womanizer who was goaded into setting himself on fire in an elaborate and cruel scheme to fan up ethnic hatred. He spoke on condition of anonymity because of fear of retaliation.

"It was all nonsense," the cousin, a Tibetan Buddhist monk, said during an interview conducted in his room at a Gannan prefecture community in the rolling hills along the incline toward the Tibetan Plateau. He sat near a stove used for both cooking and heat. A portrait of the Dalai Lama hung from a molding near a window.

In a rare interview conducted in this ethnic Tibetan region, the cousin told The Associated Press the man burned himself Oct. 6, 2012, at a white stupa near his Gannan village, in a personal protest over the lack of rights for Tibetans. He said Sangay Gyatso was not connected to Tibetan groups abroad.

"There are a lot of lies around Sangay Gyatso and around the people who have self-immolated," he said. Since early 2009, overseas Tibetan rights groups have reported that more than 120 Tibetans — monks and lay people, men and women, and young and elderly — have set themselves on fire. Most died. The groups say the self-immolations are homegrown protests over China's heavy-handed rule in the Himalayan regions.

They are an image problem for Beijing, which first tried to blank out news of self-immolations. After reports continued to leak out, Beijing struck back with accounts of immolators as outcasts who fall prey to the instigation of the Dalai Lama and supporters who allegedly want to split Tibet from China. The Communist Party-controlled media describe the immolators as gamblers, thieves, womanizers, or suffering from life setbacks or physical disabilities.

The Dalai Lama, the Tibetan Buddhist leader who fled to northern India in 1959, has denied any role in the suicides, deplored the loss of lives and demanded that Beijing investigate under the watch of international monitors. He also says he wants autonomous rule, not independence, for Tibet.

Independent reporting in the region is almost impossible because of Beijing's tight controls. Though foreign journalists can travel to Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, police closely followed a group of Associated Press reporters on a recent trip, preventing them from interviewing most local Tibetans.

Sangay Gyatso's full story remains elusive because his immediate family members remain hushed. His cousin and people who live nearby advised the AP against traveling to Sangay Gyatso's village, saying government informants prevent the family from speaking out.

Gannan sits on the eastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau but outside the Tibet Autonomous Region. It includes Tibetan Buddhism's holiest place outside Tibet, the Labrang Monastery in the town of Xiahe. Tibetans make up just over half Gannan's population of nearly 700,000, herding sheep and yaks against a mountain backdrop.

On a recent morning in Xiahe, prayer wheels spun and believers threw their bodies to the ground to offer prayers. Monks in maroon robes and herdsmen in fur coats mingled in the streets. Foreign and Chinese tourists browsed colorful scarfs in shops.

In some shops, Dalai Lama portraits were displayed in inconspicuous corners. An elderly shopkeeper said such displays were once strictly banned, but the rule was relaxed this year because it had irked ethnic Tibetans. Before he could say more, a civilian police employee following the AP crew told him to stop talking. Other residents looked nervous when approached and declined to speak.

Sangay Gyatso's cousin described him as "a very normal young Tibetan farmer with a very normal life." Choe Gyamtso, a monk from Sangay Gyatso's village, defended him in an interview with India-based broadcaster Voice of Tibet. He said Sangay Gyatso was a decent man and that the account of him as a thief and womanizer was a lie.

He also said the Chinese government offered a 1 million yuan reward to Sangay Gyatso's family in exchange for their saying that the man self-immolated over disputes with his wife. He said the family turned down the money.

The cousin could not confirm the government offer, but said local officials had alleged that the family had accepted 3 million yuan from India for the man's self-burning act, which he denied. Officials never made such a claim publicly.

Pressure also came down on monks at the local Dokar Monastery, where Sangay Gyatson self-immolated. Gannan police said late last year that they detained seven people, including three from the monastery, for their roles in Sangay Gyasto's death, characterized as premeditated homicide. Police said the monks knew about the suicide plan in advance, took photos of the self-immolation and sent them overseas to incite ethnic hatred. It's unclear whether anyone was tried.

For decades, Tibetans have complained of the lack of autonomous rule that was promised by the Communist Party since China's takeover of Tibet in the 1950s, and human rights activists say China has trampled on religious freedom and culture. China says Tibet has belonged to it since ancient times, and that since asserting control in the '50s it has ended serfdom and brought development to a backward region.

In 2008, discontent and ethnic hatred erupted into violent riots across Tibetan regions, including Gannan. Sangay Gyatso's cousin said local Tibetans are upset over an influx of China's majority Han people, who often get government jobs while Tibetan youth remain unemployed. "We have become a pitiable people that are nobody," he said.

The cousin recalled Sangay Gyatso becoming agitated over what he considered a lack of rights for Tibetans. "He said he was not capable of doing big things, but said as an individual he could burn himself," the cousin said.

The shocked cousin tried to talk him out of it, but Sangay Gyatso assured him at the time that he was only joking. After Sangay Gyatso died, his cousin said, "I thought of his words. Oh, he was preparing to do it. ... My heart ached, and I cried."

Israeli city divided by religion after close vote

October 31, 2013

BEIT SHEMESH, Israel (AP) — After a contentious mayoral election between secular and ultra-Orthodox rivals, this deeply divided city has become a flashpoint for a religious struggle that is threatening to tear Israel apart.

Claiming the election was stolen, secular and moderately religious residents of Beit Shemesh are arranging large demonstrations against the ultra-Orthodox mayor, demanding a new vote and even suggesting the city be split in two. But the protests go far beyond the alleged election fraud. They cut at the very nature of Israel as it tries to maintain its character as both a Jewish state and a pluralistic democracy.

"I really feel like they (the ultra-Orthodox) are trying to conquer our city. It's not 'live and let live.' They are pushing us out," said Etti Amos, 56, who has lived in Beit Shemesh since her family emigrated from Morocco when she was a child. She said her three children have left town because they saw no future.

Ultra-Orthodox Jews make up about 10 percent of Israel's population. Maintaining a strict lifestyle that revolves around prayer, most live in ultra-Orthodox dominated towns or in insular neighborhoods in larger cities like Jerusalem.

While generally keeping to themselves, they often face resentment from the general public for shirking compulsory military service while receiving taxpayer stipends to pursue religious studies. They have also caused controversy by trying to force their conservative lifestyle on others.

Beit Shemesh, a city of about 100,000 west of Jerusalem, is split almost equally between the ultra-Orthodox and the others — a vibrant mixture of secular, modern Orthodox, Russian and American immigrants and Jews of Middle Eastern descent who all coexist peacefully. Frictions have increased as neighborhoods have begun to overlap.

Residents also say that the ultra-Orthodox mayor has neglected their needs, reneging on promises to build a sports stadium, a cultural center and a library, while funneling resources and construction projects almost exclusively to his own community.

"If the current planning policies continue to be as they have, there will be no need for an election in 2018 because the ultra-Orthodox will already be a clear majority," said Daniel Goldman, a modern Orthodox religious activist. "There is a constant undercurrent of tension and the more the ultra-Orthodox grow, the more influence they wield in City Hall, the more we feel uncomfortable."

Last week's municipal election highlighted the divisions. Secular challenger Eli Cohen said the campaign should have focused on the mismanagement by incumbent Mayor Moshe Abutbul. Instead, it became about religion.

Official results show voters lined up almost entirely along religious affiliation. Ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods voted overwhelmingly for Abutbul, while other areas supported Cohen, with a little more than 900 votes separating them.

Dozens of witnesses have alleged fraud, including ballots that were damaged and disqualified, and residents with questionable identification trying to vote more than once. About 2,000 people demonstrated late Tuesday, calling for a new election.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said eight people have been charged with voter fraud after being found with 200 fake ID cards. Abutbul rejects the accusations and says he won fairly. He boasts of paving roads and building malls and restaurants that cater to secular residents and says he will continue to serve everyone equally.

"Even if they need to have a revote at one or two ballot boxes, the results will stay the same," he told The Associated Press. "The city will stay the same city. There is room for everyone. ... I build for everyone. Those who will try to distort my image will face stiff resistance."

He said those who questioned the election were "making it such that good people will not come to the city." With their high birth rates, the ultra-Orthodox are the largest growing segment of Israeli society. Many see Beit Shemesh as a battle that could signal trends in the country.

In its most extreme neighborhoods, the ultra-Orthodox have erected signs calling for the separation of sexes on the sidewalks, dispatched "modesty patrols" to enforce a chaste female appearance, and hurled stones at offenders and outsiders.

Other signs exhort women to dress in closed-necked, long-sleeved blouses and long skirts, and announce that computers and Internet connections are prohibited. In the most famous case, an 8-year-old girl was assaulted two years ago by extremists who spat on her and called her a whore for walking through their neighborhood in an "immodest" fashion.

The ultra-Orthodox say these are isolated events blown out of proportion by a secular media that seeks to defame them. Most insist they embrace fellow Jews and harbor no ill will. But at the same time, they see a future in which Beit Shemesh will become the biggest ultra-Orthodox city in Israel.

It's a sentiment that has Avi Vakhnin, a 47-year-old merchant who has lived his whole life in Beit Shemesh, saying he feels like he is in "mourning" after the election. "They've taken over and got funding from the government to build new buildings while I can't pay for my mortgage," he said. "But we are not going to give up. It's going to be a war."

Israel allows Egyptian bombers to fly over Gaza

Wednesday, 23 October 2013

For the first time in 34 years, Israel has given permission for Egyptian fighter-bombers to fly over the Gaza Strip twice within a week, Israeli TV Channel 2 has said. Egyptian F16s were allowed to fly over the border "to monitor weapons' smuggling", it was claimed. Egypt has said that the flights were part of the campaign against "terrorism" in the Sinai Peninsula.

The terms of the 1979 Camp David Treaty signed by Egypt and Israel, said El-Shaab newspaper, make it clear that the Sinai is to be an arms-free zone, apart from a small border force. Although 18 aircraft were counted flying over the border by witnesses, 48 hours later the Egyptian military denied that this had happened.

El-Shaab reminded its readers that Israel allowed Egyptian Apache attack helicopters to fly over Gaza in September in a move against what were claimed at the time to be "arms caches".

Source: Middle East Monitor.
Link: http://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/7925-israel-allows-egyptian-bombers-to-fly-over-gaza.

Count of discovered exoplanets passes the 1,000 mark

Brussels (UPI)
Oct 22, 2013

The count of exoplanets circling distant stars has passed a benchmark figure, astronomers said, as the 1,000th was added to a European database Tuesday.

For the last few weeks, astronomers have been waiting as the confirmed exoplanet count -- recorded by the Extrasolar Planets Encyclopedia website -- approached the 1,000 mark.

With the help of the Super Wide Angle Search for Planets (SuperWASP) collaboration, the number jumped from 999 to 1,010 overnight, Discovery.com reported.

All 11 of the newly confirmed exoplanets orbit stars with periods of between 8 days to less than 2 days, making them all "hot-Jupiters" and not remotely inhabitable, astronomers said.

Counting exoplanets isn't an exact process, they said, and the numbers can change with further research.

For example, some of the 1,000 exoplanets on the list -- particularly very massive ones -- are being looked at closely as they seem to exhibit stellar rather than planetary characteristics.

After further study, the astronomers said, some may be reclassified as brown dwarfs, or "failed stars," which would take them off the exoplanet count list.

Source: Space Daily.
Link: http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Count_of_discovered_exoplanets_passes_the_1000_mark_999.html.

Russia to expand Kyrgyzstan military base: official

Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan (AFP)
Oct 26, 2013

Russia will expand its airbase in Kyrgyzstan at the end of the year ahead of the shutdown of a US base in the country, a senior commander said Saturday.

The number of planes at Russia's Kant airbase in the country "will at least double by this December," Viktor Sevastyanov, a senior Russian air force commander, said at a ceremony marking the base's 10-year anniversary.

Russia will also send in more pilots, he said in televised remarks.

The Kant airbase last year was a source of disagreement between Kyrgyzstan and Russia, which is competing for influence in the region with the United States, whose lease at its Manas base expires in July.

Last year Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev complained that the Russian base was not benefiting Kyrgyzstan and instead owed Bishkek $15 million (11 million euros) in back rent.

However in September Russia and Kyrgyzstan signed an agreement allowing Moscow to continue operations at Kant until 2032 in exchange for Moscow's writing off nearly half a billion dollars in debt owed by the Central Asian country.

The base, located about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Bishkek, currently has 10 Sukhoi fighters, two Mi-8 helicopters, and about a dozen other transport and training airplanes. It is Russia's only airbase in Central Asia.

The United States is meanwhile planning to pull its flight operations from the Manas base ahead of the expiration of its lease, and use an alternative airbase in Romania as a transit point for troops leaving Afghanistan.

Source: Space War.
Link: http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Russia_to_expand_Kyrgyzstan_military_base_official_999.html.