Iraqi Prisoners Say Treatment Harsher After Mass Breakout

By Rawa Haidar
October 01, 2013

BAGHDAD/BAQUBA -- Prisoners in two Iraqi prisons that saw mass breakouts earlier this year say they are victims of much harsher treatment as a result.

In exclusive interviews with RFE/RL's Radio Free Iraq, three prisoners in Abu Ghraib and Al-Taji prisons said guards have stepped up abuse since hundreds of prisoners escaped from the institutions in July.

"The food is very limited in quantity and of very poor quality to the point of being inedible even by animals," said one inmate at Abu Ghraib, on the outskirts of Baghdad.

"The treatment is very bad, and sectarian. Every other day they come and beat us with hoses and cables. The sick or injured do not receive any treatment. We were not allowed any visits; whoever came to ask about us was turned away. This is how it is ever since the assault on the prison."

The prisoner's identity has been kept confidential for his own protection.

On July 22, hundreds of convicts, including senior members of Al-Qaeda, broke out of Abu Ghraib jail when militants launched a synchronized military-style assault on it and Al-Taji prison, north of the capital.

More than 50 people, including 26 guards and Iraqi soldiers, are known to have died in the nighttime attack by teams of heavily armed gunmen and suicide bombers. The Al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant claimed responsibility for the operation.

Those prisoners who did not escape say that they are now paying the price for the ones who did.

'Commonplace' Torture, Murder

Another Abu Ghraib inmate told RFE/RL that previous privileges, such as receiving food provided by families, have been revoked and that that punishments are administered randomly.

"Inside the prison of Abu Ghraib, the counterterrorism special forces beat us and this causes bruises on our bodies but the correctional officers do not beat us unless there are disputes," the inmate said.

"The special forces beat us randomly, on any part of our bodies that they chose. Every week they come to beat us, and then they leave. Our beatings last from early morning until about 2 p.m. We can say nothing. We can't ask why."

Another prisoner at Al-Taji prison, who also asked not to be identified, described torture and murder at the jail as commonplace. "We are subjected to abnormal torture; they call the prisoners names, then execute them or spray them with acid while handcuffed," he said. "Yesterday, they executed four who were in solitary confinement. Also they once tossed grenades in two cells and killed everyone there."

This inmate also said that, after the July assault on the prison, the number of guards was increased. But the new guards, who are particularly brutal, wear masks so that the prisoners are unable to identify them.

All of the inmates' testimony is impossible to independently confirm. But the common allegation in their accounts is that the Iraq government has cracked down on prisoners remaining in the two institutions as if they were part of the breakout conspiracy.

After the July breakout, some officials have alleged it was an inside job. At the same time, opposition politicians charged that the scale of the attack showed that the government had lost any semblance of control over security, which has been steadily deteriorating across the country since late last year.

Sectarian, Political Influences

Iraqi officials asked by Radio Free Iraq to comment on the prisoners' allegations say there is no organized program to introduce a harsher regime in the two prisons.

"There are many infringements and violations but they are all carried out by individuals and not by the government; they are not part of an official policy, and we have never denied their existence," said Kamil Amin, a spokesman for the Human Rights Ministry.

"They are a source of concern; we are talking about one-and-a-quarter million personnel in the armed forces and the police, and it is to be expected that a significant number of them will abuse their authority as a result of sectarian, geographic, or political influences."

Abuses within the prison system are regularly brought to the attention of the Iraqi parliament's Human Rights Committee. But the chairman of the committee, Salim al-Juburi, said the complaints about abuse were sometimes exaggerated.

"We have received many complaints, some of which are supported by photos and video clips, depicting inhumane practices against prison inmates," he said.  We do not consider this information as being totally accurate, but we do assign committees to investigate them further in order to establish the facts. Regrettably, some of the complaints are true."

Juburi added that any reports of brutality were worrisome because there should be no abuse in the prison system at all. "Even if abuse is resorted to during investigation and interrogation, such abuse should not be used on prisoners who have been duly tried and convicted," he said.

The human rights organization Amnesty International routinely gives Iraq abysmal marks for its treatment of prisoners. A report in March said that "torture is rife and committed with impunity by government security forces, particularly against detainees arrested under antiterrorism legislation."

Source: Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty.
Link: http://www.rferl.org/content/iraq-abu-ghraib-al-taji-harsh-treatment/25123600.html.

Iraq tries novel ways to curb rising violence

September 11, 2013

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi authorities are resorting to desperate measures to quell rising violence, ordering huge numbers of cars off the roads, bulldozing soccer fields and even building a medieval-style moat around one city in an effort to keep car bombs out.

Many Iraqis question the security benefits of the heavy-handed efforts, lampooning them online and complaining that they only add to the daily struggle of living in a country weathering its worst bout of bloodshed in half a decade.

Over the weekend, authorities began banning several hundred thousand vehicles from Baghdad streets each day in a bid to stop the increasing number of car bombings. Cars with license plates ending in odd numbers are allowed on the streets one day, followed by cars with even-numbered plates the next. Government cars, taxis, trucks and a few other categories of vehicles are exempted from the policy.

"Easing the traffic load on checkpoints will make it easier for security forces to search vehicles without causing long lines," an Interior Ministry official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media. Big backlogs of cars, he said, "put pressure on the security forces to do hasty searches."

Deadly violence, much of it caused by car bombs, has spiked in recent months as insurgents capitalize on rising sectarian and ethnic tensions. The scale of the bloodshed has reached levels not seen since 2008. More than 4,000 people have been killed over the past five months alone, according to U.N. figures.

Still, many Iraqis think the license plate policy is a step too far. "Our genius security officials have turned license plates into the sole solution for all of Baghdad's security problems," said Haider Muhsin, a government employee and father of three. He fears he'll lose out on a good chunk of the $400 in cash he earned on the side each month by shuttling colleagues to work, and won't be able to take his children to school on certain days.

Another Baghdad resident, Qais Issa, is now spending much more on taxis on days he can't drive. "Once again, the leaders of this country are failing. They keep coming up with primitive and useless solutions that add more problems to our life," he said.

The new policy has become a big topic among Iraqis on social media sites like Facebook. Many posts ridiculed the decision, with some joking that the government will next allow people to go out only according to the first letter in their names. Underneath a photo showing Britain's Queen Elizabeth II getting off a bus, someone quipped that her plate number must end in an even number on an odd-number day.

The al-Sharqiya television channel, which known for its anti-government stance, has launched what it's calling the "Pedal It" initiative, offering more than 2,000 bicycles to Baghdad residents hurt by the license plate limits. It started handing out the first batch of bikes this week.

In June, authorities in Baghdad temporarily banned all cars with temporary black license plates. Those cars made up a large percentage of older vehicles on the roads, but their ownership history is difficult to trace, and authorities feared they were more likely to be used in car bombings. Now only black-plated cars from outside Baghdad are banned.

Earlier this year, authorities ordered the closure of Iraq's border crossing with Jordan, plugging up one of the country's most vital economic lifelines. Officials cited unspecified security concerns, but many residents in the western, Sunni-dominated Anbar province where the crossing is located saw the move as collective punishment for anti-government protests. It was eventually reopened.

In the volatile province of Diyala, northeast of Baghdad, the local government recently launched a campaign to bulldoze several soccer fields after a series of deadly bombings during games killed or wounded dozens of spectators.

The head of the local soccer federation, Salah Kamal, said more than 20 soccer fields have been razed, causing the cancellation of several matches and angering young people who have few options for leisure activities.

"The solution should have been providing better security at the fields instead of punishing the youth," he said. Police turned down earlier requests for extra protection, he added. Authorities in the province have also urged residents to avoid holding large funerals after a series of deadly attacks on mourners.

And north of the capital, authorities have completed more than 70 percent of a medieval-style dry moat around much of the city of Kirkuk, home to an ethnic mix of Arabs, Kurds and Turkomen who all have competing claims to the oil-rich area.

The 57 kilometer (35 mile) -long trench will surround much of the city, according to Rakan al-Jubouri, the deputy Kirkuk governor. Al-Jubouri said the project will be finished by the end of the year at a cost of $2.7 million, and will significantly improve the security of the city by keeping many car bombs out.

But many Arab and Turkomen residents fear the real goal is to tie Kirkuk more closely to Kurdish regions to the north. The Kurds want to incorporate Kirkuk into their self-rule northern region. The city is hit frequently by attacks on mosques, commercial streets and security forces.

Iranian exiles report deaths in Iraq camp

September 01, 2013

BAGHDAD (AP) — Deadly violence erupted at a contentious Iranian exile camp inside Iraq early Sunday, leaving international observers scrambling to determine the cause of the bloodshed and the number of casualties.

The dissidents alleged that more than 50 were killed and accused the Iraqi government. Baghdad said an internal dispute was to blame. And the United Nations mission to Iraq, which has been closely involved in trying to find a viable long-term solution for the dissidents, acknowledges it does not have a clear picture what happened.

"The only thing we can confirm is there are a lot of casualties," said Eliana Nabaa, the spokeswoman for the U.N. mission to Iraq. "How, why, when? It's difficult to assess." If the exiles' claims of the number of casualties are proved true, it would mark a stunning blow for the remaining core of Mujahedeen-e-Khalq members still living at Camp Ashraf. The Saddam Hussein-era community northeast of Baghdad had been home to only about 100 members of the MEK before Sunday's events.

The MEK opposes Iran's clerical regime and until last year was labeled a terrorist group by the United States. Thousands of other MEK members who had been living in Camp Ashraf agreed to move to a Baghdad-area camp last year. They remain stuck in a country that does not want them as a process to resettle them abroad slowly drags on.

A statement issued by the U.N. in New York said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon deplores events at Camp Ashraf that "reportedly left 47 killed," though the U.N. cautioned that figure had not been confirmed.

A spokesman for the MEK's parent organization, the Paris-based National Council of Resistance of Iran, alleged that those killed died in a raid launched by Iraqi security forces early Sunday. The spokesman, Shahin Gobadi, said some of those killed were found with hands cuffed behind their backs.

Gobadi said that 52 people inside the camp were killed, and he provided photos allegedly from the scene that showed several people that appeared to have been killed with gunshots. It was not possible to independently verify the authenticity of the photos.

Iraqi officials offered conflicting accounts of what happened. Ali al-Moussawi, a spokesman for Iraq's prime minister, said a preliminary investigation suggests several camp residents died as a result of infighting inside the facility. He denied that Iraqi forces were involved in the violence, and said authorities are still trying to determine the number of casualties.

Gobadi dismissed the government spokesman's claim as "preposterous" and "absolute lies." Maj. Gen. Jamil al-Shimari, a provincial police chief in Diyala who oversees the external protection of the camp, reported at least 24 people killed. He said Iraqi forces stationed outside heard gunshots coming from inside the camp, and said there appeared to be "some kind of struggle among the residents." He denied involvement and said his forces at no point entered the camp itself.

An intelligence official involved in helping secure the perimeter of the camp reported 19 killed, and said the clashes involving Iraqi forces broke out when camp residents tried to attack them. A police official in Diyala province, where Camp Ashraf is located, offered a similar casualty figure. They agreed to speak only on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information.

The United Nations and the United States both condemned the violence, though neither ascribed blame. "The priority for the Iraqi government is to provide immediate medical assistance to the injured and to ensure their security and safety against any violence from any side," said Gyorgy Busztin, the acting U.N. envoy to Iraq.

Busztin said that the U.N. mission "is using all possible means to conduct its own assessment of the situation." The U.S. condemned the attack and voiced support for the U.N.'s fact-finding efforts, demanding that those found responsible be held accountable and urging Baghdad to aid camp residents.

"We further call on Iraqi authorities to act with urgency to immediately ensure medical assistance to the wounded and to secure the camp against any further violence or harm to the residents," the State Department said in a statement.

The MEK fought alongside Iraqi forces in the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war, and several thousand of its members were granted sanctuary inside Iraq by Saddam. The group renounced violence in 2001 and was taken off the U.S. terrorism list last September.

Iraq's current Shiite-led government, which has strengthened ties with neighboring Shiite powerhouse Iran, considers the MEK's presence in Iraq illegal and wants its followers out of the country. It has been working with the U.N. to resettle MEK members, but the process has been slow.

Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard welcomed news of the MEK members' deaths, which it called "divine revenge." In its statement, carried by the official IRNA news agency, the Guard noted the MEK's alliance with Saddam and expressed hope that their deaths would please the relatives of their past victims.

Iranian state television took note of the attack too, reporting at one point that 23 MEK members were killed by "the Iraqi people and mujahedeen." It gave no sources for the information and didn't air any footage.

Previous Iraqi raids on the camp, including one in April 2011, claimed dozens of lives. Camp Ashraf was once home to more than 3,000 MEK followers, but most moved to a former U.S. military base on the outskirts of Baghdad last year while the U.N. works to resettle them abroad.

The Baghdad-area camp, known as Camp Liberty, has since been targeted by militants in rocket attacks that have killed 10 people and injured many more, according to the MEK. The MEK last month accused the Iraqi authorities of deliberately cutting off water and electricity to Camp Ashraf, a charged denied by Georges Bakoos, who oversees the MEK issue for the Iraqi government.

He said in an interview last week that authorities would be moving ahead with court proceedings to evict the last Camp Ashraf holdouts, possibly as soon as in the next few weeks. Bakoos could not be reached for comment Sunday.

A total of 162 MEK members have been resettled abroad so far, mostly in Albania.

Associated Press writer Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad and Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran, contributed reporting.

Indonesia's poor donate $15 million to build a hospital in Gaza

Thursday, 09 January 2014

An Indonesian non-governmental organization has collected nearly $15 million from Indonesia's poor and rich alike to build the first Indonesian hospital in the Gaza Strip. The hospital, which will serve those Palestinians living in northern Gaza, is nearly finished and awaiting some equipment before it starts receiving patients. It is due for completion in May.

Southeast Asian countries are known for their strong support for Palestine, especially the Muslim communities who spend many efforts to visit and support Gaza. Fikri Fikri, a 24 year-old young man from Sumatra, is a volunteer at Indonesia's Medical Emergency Rescue Committee, known as MER-C. He and 28 other Indonesians have been in Gaza for nearly four months to finalize building the hospital.

Fekri told Quds.net that: "We are nearly 30 people between workers, engineers, doctors and technicians. Many of us have already returned home because the work here is almost completed." Fekri described how "Indonesian civil society groups in Jakarta collected donations from people who were happy to support Gaza, even though many of them suffered uneasy financial situations."

When asked if they face any problems in Gaza, Fekri responded that: "The people like us here. We have only encountered a small problem with the local Ministry of Health because the organization wanted to have an office near the hospital but the ministry refused to allow this. But we will solve it."

Fekri, who studies sharia at the Islamic University of Gaza, explained how: "We have taken risks to complete the hospital. It's a nice feeling to help the wounded in Gaza who suffer from Israeli aggression. We have come here and we know that it's not easy, but we are happy. I have learned Arabic in an acceptable way. However, I'm not married so I miss my home and my country."

Abu Mohammed, a 42 year-old Indonesian engineer who joined the mission, said: "I feel sad sometimes because I have been here for so long. I feel lonely, but because I work for Palestine and Gaza, I am proud of what I do. We are nearly done. There are a few Indonesian workers here who take a symbolic wage. They all came to work for Palestine. We should finish our work and transfer the hospital's administration to the Local Ministry of Health in May 2014. We work near the borders and it is unsafe. I do not know how to describe my feeling when I hear the explosions and Israeli airstrikes; however, I am ready to die for Palestine and for the weak and the just. I am going to be very happy when the hospital is completed and ready to serve the people of Gaza and when I return safely to my family in Jakarta."

The Health Ministry of the Hamas-led government in Gaza and Indonesia's MER-C signed a memorandum of understanding on 21 November 2011 stipulating the financing of the hospital.

Shadi Abu Herbein, the deputy director of the hospital, explained that the hospital is established on an area that is 3000 square meters and has 100 beds, eight of which are for the intensive care unit, ten for the reception, and four rooms for surgeries.

Source: Middle East Monitor.
Link: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/48-asia/9146-indonesias-poor-donate-15-million-to-build-a-hospital-in-gaza.

Islamist Pro-Mursi Alliance Calls for Week-Long Rally

9 January 2014

The National Coalition for Supporting Legitimacy has called on its supporters to rally every day during the next week to fail the referendum.

Voting on the newly-drafted constitution is expected to take place on 14 and 15 January inside Egypt.

"In the lives of nations, there are decisive days ... so march forward with your revolution as you hang on to peaceful, innovative resistance," the alliance said.

In a statement released today, the Islamist coalition, which backs former President Mohamed Mursi, urged the masses to rally all week long "in order to push the coup to the edge, the edge of the abyss beyond which there is no rise".

The voting process for Egyptian expatriates has already begun on Wednesday in various Egyptian consulates and embassies abroad.

Source: allAfrica.
Link: http://allafrica.com/stories/201401100941.html.

Palestinians cheer death of Sharon, a bitter foe

January 11, 2014

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Ariel Sharon's death Saturday elicited a wide range of responses from Palestinians, but sadness wasn't one: Some cheered and distributed sweets while others prayed for divine punishment for the former Israeli leader or recalled his central role in some of the bloodiest episodes of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Palestinians widely loathed Sharon as the mastermind of crushing military offensives against them in Lebanon, the West Bank and Gaza and as the architect of Israel's biggest settlement campaign on lands they want for a state.

The intensity of those feelings appears to have faded a bit because Sharon left the public stage eight year ago, when he suffered a debilitating stroke and slipped into a coma. Sharon died Saturday afternoon at a Tel Aviv hospital.

The news traveled quickly in the Sabra and Chatilla refugee camps in Lebanon's capital of Beirut, where Israeli-allied forces systematically slaughtered hundreds of Palestinians in September 1982, three months after Sharon engineered the invasion of Israel's northern neighbor.

Sharon was later fired as defense minister over the massacre, with Israeli investigators rejecting his contention at the time that he didn't know the attack was coming. "Sharon is dead!" a 63-year-old Palestinian woman in Sabra said, pointing to a text message from her daughter. "May God torture him," said the woman who only gave her first name, Samia. "We should celebrate. We should be firing in the air."

In the Gaza refugee camp of Khan Younis, a few dozen supporters of two militant groups, Islamic Jihad and the Popular Resistance Committees, gathered in the main street, chanting: "Sharon, go to hell." Some burned Sharon pictures or stepped on them, while others distributed sweets to motorists and passers-by.

Throughout his life, Sharon was at the center of the most contentious episodes of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, starting as a young soldier fighting in the 1948 war over Israel's creation. In the 1950s, he led a commando unit that carried out reprisals for Arab attacks. In 1953, after the slaying of an Israeli woman and her two children, Sharon's troops blew up more than 40 houses in Qibya, a West Bank village then ruled by Jordan, killing 69 Arabs, most or all of them civilians.

He fought in the Israeli-Arab wars of 1956, 1967 and 1973. He launched the 1982 invasion of Lebanon as Israel's defense minister. After his dismissal as defense minister, he gradually rehabilitated himself politically. By the early 1990s, as housing minister in a right-wing government, he oversaw a massive settlement drive in the West Bank.

As opposition leader in September 2000, Sharon visited a contested Jewish-Muslim holy site in Jerusalem, setting off Palestinian protests that quickly escalated into an armed uprising. Less than a year later, he was elected prime minister. In 2002, after a string of Palestinian shooting and bombing attacks, he reoccupied the West Bank towns that had been handed to Palestinian self-rule in previous interim peace deals.

Sharon also placed his longtime nemesis, then-Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, under virtual house arrest in the West Bank town of Ramallah. A close Arafat aide at the time, then-intelligence chief Tawfik Tirawi, said Saturday that Sharon's death was proof that the Palestinians will prevail.

Sharon "wanted to erase the Palestinian people from the map," Tirawi said. "He wanted to kill us, but at the end of the day, Sharon is dead and the Palestinian people are alive." Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas refrained from commenting on the death of Sharon, whose decision in 2005 to withdraw from Gaza helped bring the Islamic militant group Hamas to power two years later.

Sharon pulled out of Gaza without consulting with Abbas, a step believed to have contributed to the rise of the Hamas forces that eventually defeated troops loyal to Abbas in Gaza. Khalil al-Haya of Hamas said Sharon had caused suffering to generations of Palestinians. "After eight years, he is going in the same direction as other tyrants and criminals whose hands were covered with Palestinian blood," he said.

Some Palestinians expressed disappointment that Sharon hadn't been put on trial or had suffered a violent death. "I always wished he would be killed by a Palestinian child or a woman, like he killed children and women," said Mohammed el-Srour, a Sabra resident who lost his father and five siblings in the massacre.

In Qibya, the village Sharon's forces raided in 1953, residents stage a memorial march each year. Village resident Hamed Ghethan, 65, said earlier this week that he was sorry to see Sharon and the others involved in the attack escape punishment. "We were hoping the world would hear our voice and try them," he said.

The international group Human Rights Watch expressed a similar sentiment, saying in a statement: "It's a shame that Sharon has gone to his grave without facing justice for his role in Sabra and Chatilla and other abuses."

__ Hadid reported from Beirut. Associated Press writers Hatem Moussa in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, and Dalia Nammari in Qibya, West Bank, contributed to this report.

Jordan considers importing extra water from Israel

Friday, 10 January 2014

The chairman of Jordan's Joint Water Committee, Saad Abu Hammour, told Anadolu News Agency on Thursday that his country is considering importing additional water from Israel. The kingdom already purchases water from the Israelis under the terms of the Wadi Araba peace treaty.

Concluded in 1994, the treaty stipulates that Israel will provide Jordan with certain quantities of water and any additional quantities the Kingdom might need. Abu Hammour explained that thousands of Syrian refugees now in Jordan's northern governorates, mainly Irbid, Ajloun, Jerash and Mafraq, will require the government to purchase between 10 and 15 million cubic meters of water extra in order to supply these areas. According to an agreement signed in 2010, said Abu Hammour, the cost will be 37.5 US cents per cubic meter. The water will be taken from Lake Tiberias and the Dajana water line. He denied Israeli media claims that the order has already been placed. "It is simply under consideration," he insisted.

Jordan hosts nearly one million Syrians, almost half of whom are registered as refugees. Around 130,000 live in designated camps, according to official statistics. This makes Jordan the main host country for Syrian refugees who have fled their country since the violence erupted in 2011. They live mainly in four major refugee camps: Zaatari is the largest; Mrejeib Al-Fhood; the park camp in Ramtha; and the Cyber City refugee camp which also houses Palestinian "double" refugees who used to live in Syria.

Source: Middle East Monitor.
Link: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/9163-jordan-considers-importing-extra-water-from-israel.

Ukraine: Opposition leader injured in clashes

January 11, 2014

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine's ex-interior minister turned opposition leader was injured in a scuffle Saturday between police and anti-government activists, reflecting the high level of tensions after weeks of anti-government protests in the nation's capital.

Yuri Lutsenko, a top organizer of the mass protests that have gripped Kiev, was injured when he tried to intervene in a confrontation between riot police and opposition activists in the early hours. The clashes erupted outside a court after it set six-year prison terms for three ultra-nationalist activists convicted of planning to blow up a statue in 2011.

Ukraine's top human rights official said 11 people were hospitalized after the clashes. The Prosecutor General's office said it had launched a probe into allegations of abuse of authority by riot police officers.

The Interior Ministry said the scuffle erupted when demonstrators upset over the verdict tried to block the passage of a prison truck carrying the convicts. About 20 police officers were injured in the clashes, the ministry said.

The incident is likely to further fuel anger against President Viktor Yanukovych, who has faced protests over his decision to freeze ties with the West and move closer to Russia. Many of the protesters are Ukrainian nationalists angry about the president's tilt toward the country's powerful neighbor.

The protests on Kiev's main square, which were further fueled by a violent police crackdown on demonstrators, peaked at hundreds of thousands last month.

Czechs to have new PM on Jan 17

January 10, 2014

PRAGUE (AP) — Czech President Milos Zeman said Friday he will appoint the Social Democratic party's leader as the country's new prime minister next week, but set a condition for appointing his government.

Zeman said Bohuslav Sobotka will be sworn in Jan 17, but added he wouldn't appoint Sobotka's government until Parliament at least initially approves a law on public servants that the Czech Republic has previously lacked.

"That's my condition," Zeman said. Parliament is expected to discuss the law Jan. 21 and Zeman said the government might be in place by the end of January. Its formation will end a political crisis triggered by the previous government's spectacular collapse in a whirlwind of corruption allegations and marital infidelity in June.

Following their victory in October's parliamentary election, the left-wing Social Democrats have signed a deal with two other parties — the centrist ANO (Yes) movement led by billionaire businessman Andrej Babis and the centrist Christian Democrats — to form a center-left coalition government.

Babis campaigned on an anti-corruption ticket and attracted a surprisingly high number of voters who were disgusted by corruption scandals and didn't care about reports — denied by Babis — that he collaborated with the communist-era secret police.

He is proposed to be the new finance minister. According to some legal views — shared by Zeman but denied by Babis — Babis' past currently makes it impossible for him to take over the minister's post.

The public servants law will clarify the vetting rules, paving the way for Babis' appointment, Zeman said. The law is also needed for the country to keep receiving money from EU funds. The Slovak born Babis has been trying to clear his name and is currently suing Slovakia's Institute of the Nation's Memory that has parts of his secret-police file.

Zeman also expressed reservations about some other proposed ministers but didn't say he would refuse to appoint them. According the Czech Constitution, the president appoints the government at the prime minister's request.

South Sudan retakes oil town from rebels

January 10, 2014

JUBA, South Sudan (AP) — South Sudanese troops on Friday retook the capital of an oil-producing state from rebels loyal to the country's former vice president, a military spokesman said.

Government troops retook Bentiu, the capital of Unity state, after a 2 ½-hour battle, Col. Philip Aguer said. Aguer said the forces loyal to the former vice president, Riek Machar, had "destroyed" the town. Rebels looted the bank, stole food and set the market on fire, Aguer said.

Doctors Without Borders, which is also known as MSF, said its facilities in Bentiu were also looted. "It is unacceptable that one of the only humanitarian organizations still providing assistance to the population in Bentiu has been looted," MSF General Director Arjan Hehenkamp said.

The loss of Bentiu weakens Machar at the negotiating table in Ethiopia, where mediators are trying to defuse a political conflict that broke out Dec. 15 and descended into ethnic attacks and military battles.

Hundreds of thousands of South Sudanese have been displaced in the nearly monthlong conflict. The U.N. has said only that more than 1,000 people are believed to have been killed. But Casie Copeland, South Sudan analyst for the International Crisis Group, said Friday she believes nearly 10,000 have died.

Most of those killed, she said, are combatants who died in major battles: in the capital, Juba, and in Bor, the capital of Jonglei state. In all, fighting has been seen in 30 locations, said Copeland, who said her estimate is a compilation of figures from the U.N., aid workers, the internally displaced, government officials and combatants.

Aguer said troops will soon retake Bor, which rebels still control. Talks in Ethiopia haven't made much progress. Machar's side insists that 11 political prisoners held by the government of President Salva Kiir must be released. The U.S. has also called for the release of those prisoners so they can take part in the negotiations.

On Friday, the U.N. Security Council released a statement calling for Kiir's government to release the political detainees to promote the talks, and for both sides — "Mr. Machar in particular" — to declare a cease-fire and begin broader peace negotiations.

The Security Council also "strongly discouraged external intervention that would exacerbate the military and political tensions." Uganda is an ally of Kiir's government and has sent in hundreds of troops and provided Sudanese government forces with military hardware and threatened deeper intervention if militants move on the capital, Juba.

Associated Press writer Peter James Spielmann contributed to this story from the United Nations.

Ex-C. African Republic leader seeks exile in Benin

January 11, 2014

COTONOU, Benin (AP) — The man who ruled Central African Republic as the country disintegrated into near-anarchy sought exile Saturday in the tiny nation of Benin, as violence overnight in the capital of Bangui left at least four people dead, officials and residents said.

Michel Djotodia, a rebel leader who hails from his country's north, had seized power of Central African Republic in March with the help of thousands of armed fighters, ousting the president of a decade. On Friday, he agreed to step aside along with his prime minister at a regional summit in Chad following mounting international pressure.

More than 1,000 people were killed in December alone as bloodshed erupted along religious fault lines, prompting nearly 1 million people to flee their homes. Djotodia's fighters were predominantly Muslim and their attacks on the majority Christian civilian population during their rule had led to Christian militias attacking mosques and killing Muslim civilians accused of supporting Djotodia and his rebel movement that was known as Seleka.

Babacar Gaye, the U.N. special representative to Central African Republic, urged people and the leaders "to maintain calm and show maturity following the resignations of the head of state and the prime minister of the transition."

Djotodia arrived Saturday afternoon in Benin, the tiny nation in West Africa where his wife is from, aboard a plane lent by the president of Chad. The former leader was greeted upon arrival by Benin's foreign affairs minister, Nassirou Bako.

"Accepting the former president here is Benin's contribution to re-establishing peace in Central African Republic," Bako told reporters. Djotodia's departure after nearly 10 months in power was initially met with celebrations in the tumultuous capital of Bangui, although sporadic violence and looting occurred overnight in several predominantly Muslim neighborhoods.

At least four people were killed in Bangui's third district, where scores of homes also were burned down in reprisal attacks on Muslims accused of conspiring with Djotodia and his now-defunct government.

The political crisis has led to violence with increasingly sectarian undertones in a country where Christians and Muslims had lived among one another peacefully for generations. While religious leaders have called for tolerance, angry mobs have targeted and killed civilians in the streets despite the presence of some 1,600 French troops and several thousand other African peacekeepers who were sent to help stabilize the country.

An estimated 27,000 migrants from other African countries have fled Bangui in recent weeks with the help of their home governments as attacks on Muslim civilians have escalated. On Saturday, nearly 800 Chadians were being airlifted back home, the International Organization for Migration said.

Larson reported from Dakar, Senegal. Associated Press writer Hippolyte Marboua in Bangui, Central African Republic, contributed to this report.

C. African Republic president, PM stepping down

January 10, 2014

N'DJAMENA, Chad (AP) — Michel Djotodia, the rebel leader who seized control of Central African Republic only to see the desperately poor country tumble toward anarchy and sectarian bloodshed that left more than 1,000 people dead, agreed to resign Friday along with his prime minister, regional officials announced.

On the streets of Bangui, the capital of Central African Republic, there was jubilation about the possibility that the terrible security situation might change. "Finally we are free! We are going to return home at last," said Carine Gbegbe, 28, who has been living in a displacement camp on the southern outskirts of the capital.

There has been growing pressure for Djotodia to step aside as the fighting between Christians and Muslims has escalated. His resignation should help placate the armed Christian militias known as the anti-balaka who have used to violence to seek his ouster. However, his departure could also create an even greater power vacuum in a land that has long known coups and dictatorship.

Djotodia's exit was "inevitable" after he was heavily criticized by French President Francois Hollande and other key players in the international community, said Thibaud Lesueur, an analyst with International Crisis Group.

"Having new transitional authorities doesn't automatically equal the end of the violence in CAR but the resignation of Djotodia was a key claim of the anti-balaka fighters and of the population as a whole," he said.

In Washington, a State Department spokeswoman said the U.S. hoped the resignations Friday would allow Central African Republic to move forward. "We urge CAR's National Transition Council to now conduct a transparent, inclusive process as they deliberate on the selection of the new transitional president," U.S. spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters, adding that a new election should be held no later than February 2015.

Djotodia wielded little control over the armed rebels who brought him to power — some of whom may not be eager now to return to the hinterlands of the north. It also remains to be seen whether the foreign fighters from neighboring Sudan and Chad who backed Djotodia will now leave the country.

Nearly 1 million Central Africans have been displaced in the upheaval. Gunfire from suspected ex-Seleka rang out in several neighborhoods across Bangui on Friday afternoon, residents said. "The door to peace has now been opened," said Appolinaire Donoboy, who works at the airport where some 100,000 people have sought protection in the past month and have set up a sprawling and crowded encampment. "We are very happy about Djotodia's departure but there are still too many weapons in Bangui."

Joanne Mariner, Amnesty International's senior crisis response adviser, warned that the situation is tenuous and called for more peacekeepers. "Today's resignation by Djotodia could easily trigger revenge attacks by the anti-balaka Christian militias against the Muslim community," she said. "The Muslim ex-Seleka forces are also heavily armed, creating a real risk of the violence escalating even further. The safety and protection of civilians have to be paramount."

France has sent some 1,600 troops in an effort to stabilize the country and an African peacekeeping force has provided thousands of additional soldiers. Ahmat Allami, the secretary-general of the Economic Community of Central African States, made the announcement of Djotodia's departure at the conclusion of a summit in neighboring Chad on the crisis. Legislators from Central African Republic also were flown to the Chadian capital of N'Djamena on Thursday to take part in the discussions.

Djotodia's departure leaves the country in the hands of a weak transitional government. Prime Minister Nicolas Tiangaye, a longtime opposition leader prior to the March 2013 coup, is also stepping aside, Allami said. Under its charter, the national transitional council led by Alexandre Ferdinand Nguendet now has 15 days to choose another interim president to replace Djotodia.

Central African Republic has long been one of the world's most unstable countries. The March 2013 coup brought heavily armed rebels to power who then proceeded to carry out atrocities against civilians, tying people together and throwing them off bridges to drown. The rebels are mostly from the minority Muslim population and hail from the country's long-marginalized north, and the resentment toward their abuses transformed the conflict into one with religious undertones.

In early December, a Christian militia backed by loyalists of ousted President Francois Bozize attacked the capital. In the violent aftermath, more than 1,000 people were killed and nearly 1 million fled their homes in fear. An estimated 100,000 people alone have sought shelter at the airport being guarded by French troops.

Larson reported from Dakar, Senegal. Associated Press writer Hippolyte Marboua in Bangui, Central African Republic and Deb Riechmann from Washington contributed to this report.

Africa sees violent, deadly start to 2014

January 12, 2014

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The death tolls are huge and the individual incidents gruesome. One estimate says nearly 10,000 people have been killed in South Sudan in a month of warfare, while in neighboring Central African Republic combatants in Muslim-vs.-Christian battles have beheaded children.

Sub-Saharan Africa has seen a very violent start to 2014, with raging conflicts in South Sudan and Central African Republic, as well as continued violence in Congo, and attacks in Somalia and Kenya. Compared to decades past, Africa and its people are suffering from fewer conflicts today, but several recent outbreaks of violence are cause for concern, said J. Peter Pham, director of the Washington-based think tank Africa Center at the Atlantic Council. The conflicts also lack strong international peacekeeping, he said.

"Peacekeeping in Africa, whether under the formal auspices of the United Nations or those of the African Union, suffers today from the same two limitations which they have been burdened with since the very first U.N. peacekeeping mission, the 1960-1964 operation in the Congo (ONUC), namely lack of political will resulting in a weak mandate and lack of adequate forces," he wrote by email.

The conflict that broke out in South Sudan on Dec. 15 saw violence radiate across the country as ethnic groups targeted each other. Shortly afterward Uganda dispatched troops and military equipment to aid South Sudan's central government from breakaway units of that country's military.

Casie Copeland, South Sudan analyst for the International Crisis Group, said violence in Africa tends to involve other countries and noted a "long history of regional involvement in African conflicts."

The U.N. Security Council on Friday, however, "strongly discouraged external intervention that would exacerbate the military and political tensions." The U.N. has said more than 1,000 people have died in the South Sudan conflict. But Copeland, after speaking to U.N. workers, aid actors, government officials and combatants, estimates nearly 10,000 have died.

Civilians in the Central African Republic — a country where violence pits Muslims against Christians — have suffered terribly since armed rebels overthrew the president in March 2013. The mostly Muslim fighters were blamed for scores of atrocities after taking power, and inter-communal violence exploded last month leaving more than 1,000 dead in a matter of days.

The U.N. children's agency UNICEF says that two children have been beheaded, and that "unprecedented levels of violence" are being carried out on children. An estimated 935,000 people have been uprooted throughout the country. Thousands of French troops and regional African peacekeepers are trying to temper the mob violence.

The country's president, Michel Djotodia, the rebel leader who seized control of the country, agreed to resign Friday along with his prime minister. The resignations could create an even greater power vacuum in a land with a history of coups and dictatorship. Djotodia had solidified his power with the help of mercenary fighters from Chad and Sudan.

John Prendergast, co-founder of the D.C.-based activist group the Enough Project, told a panel this past week at the Brookings Institution discussing Africa's greatest challenges in 2014 that international and regional conflict management systems must stop addressing conflicts in isolation, but rather deal with them as integrated conflict systems.

That includes adopting comprehensive peace processes and understanding long-term drivers of conflict in negotiations, he said. Al-Qaida-linked militants in Somalia, long one of the continent's most violent countries, detonated two car bombs on New Year's Day, killing at least a half dozen people. Neighboring Kenya, which has forces in Somalia, was hit with a grenade attack the next day on a coastal bar and nightclub, wounding 10 people. Kenya on Friday announced a military operation in Somalia it said killed 30 militants.

Kenya has troops in Somalia, as does Uganda. But Pham argues that the continent's conflicts are not receiving enough international peacekeepers. He notes that the U.N. Security Council, before the recent South Sudan violence, had been asking if peacekeeping numbers there could be reduced.

Since the outbreak of violence in South Sudan, the Security Council reversed course and increased troop numbers from 7,000 to 12,500. "Not only is there a dearth of political will and the lack of an adequate mandate, for all the talk of 'African solutions to African problems,' the fact remains that there are inadequate investments of the right kind in the security sector in Africa so that when crises erupt, one is left to rob Peter to pay Paul," Pham said. "Blue-helmeted forces are having to be shifted from other missions to beef up (South Sudan's U.N. mission) today, just as French and Chadian troops were moved from Mali to the CAR just last month."

Night fire destroys ancient Tibetan town in China

January 11, 2014

BEIJING (AP) — A fire that raged for nearly 10 hours Saturday razed an ancient Tibetan town in southwest China that's popular with tourists, burning down hundreds of buildings as fire engines were unable to get onto the narrow streets, state media and witnesses said.

There was no immediate report of casualties, and the cause of the fire was unclear. State media, citing local authorities, said the blaze started in a guesthouse and was ruled accidental. The fire broke out at 1:27 a.m. in the ancient Tibetan quarter of Dukezong, which dates back more than 1,000 years and is known for its preserved cobbled streets, ancient structures and Tibetan culture. It is part of scenic Shangri-La county in Deqen prefecture.

Once called Gyaitang Zong, the county in 2001 renamed itself Shangri-La, hoping to draw tourists by the reference to the mythical Himalayan land described in James Hilton's 1933 novel. Like hundreds of Chinese cities and counties, Shangri-La renovated its old neighborhood, Dukezong, turning it into a tourist attraction filled with shops and guesthouses.

Photos and video footage showed Dukezong and its labyrinth of houses engulfed in flames that turned the night sky red. The fire destroyed about 242 houses and shops in Dukezong, dislocated more than 2,600 people, and torched many historic artifacts, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

He Yu, a resident, said she woke to loud, explosion-like sounds to find the old town on fire. "The fire was huge," she said. "The wind was blowing hard, and the air was dry. I was scared because my home is a little distance away from the ancient town. It kept burning, and the firefighters were there, but there was little they could do because they could not get the fire engines onto the old town's narrow streets."

With fire engines kept out, local residents lined up to pass buckets of water to combat the fire, the Deqen prefecture government said. Most of the buildings were made of wood and the fire spread easily because of dry weather, state-run China Central Television said.

More than 2,000 firefighters, soldiers, police, local officials and volunteers responded to the blaze and brought it under control at around 11 a.m., the Shangri-La county government said.

Leaders, others react to the death of Ariel Sharon

January 11, 2014

Here is a selection of reactions from world leaders and others to the death of former Israel Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who was both admired and despised for his bold style and hard-driving tactics.

"When it was necessary to fight, he stood at the forefront of the divisions in the most sensitive and painful places, but he was a smart and realistic person and understood well that there is a limit in our ability to conduct wars." — Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Sharon's former deputy who took office after the 2006 stroke.

President Barack Obama expressed his condolences to Sharon's family and to Israelis "on the loss of a leader who dedicated his life to the state of Israel ... We join with the Israeli people in honoring his commitment to his country."

"He wanted to erase the Palestinian people from the map ... He wanted to kill us, but at the end of the day, Sharon is dead and the Palestinian people are alive." — Tawfik Tirawi, who served as Palestinian intelligence chief when Sharon was prime minister.

"After eight years, he is going in the same direction as other tyrants and criminals whose hands were covered with Palestinian blood." — Khalil al-Haya, a leader in the Islamic militant group Hamas.

"During his years in politics, it is no secret that there were times the United States had differences with him. But ... you admired the man who was determined to ensure the security and survival of the Jewish State." — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed "deep sorrow" over Sharon's passing hailing him as a "brave fighter" who continued to act for Israel as a politician and prime minister.

Sharon was "a brave soldier and a daring leader who loved his nation and his nation loved him." — President Shimon Peres, a longtime friend and rival.

"He was the most present and influential person in the country in the past two generations. — Yossi Sarid, a former opposition leader and rival of Sharon.

Sharon "realized the reality and went for a very brave move that recognizes the fact that there is no choice but to separate from the Palestinians." — Israeli opposition leader Isaac Herzog.

"Ariel Sharon is one of the most significant figures in Israeli history and as prime minister he took brave and controversial decisions in pursuit of peace ... Israel has today lost an important leader." — British Prime Minister David Cameron.

"What he did at the end of his path was extraordinary. ... He took action in a way that is crucial to the future of the state of Israel, I mean the disengagement from Gaza." — Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak, who lost a 2001 election to Sharon.

"I was honored to know this man of courage and call him friend. He was a warrior for the ages and a partner in seeking security for the Holy Land and a better, peaceful Middle East."— Former President George W. Bush, who was president while Sharon was prime minister.

"I look forward to leading the U.S. delegation to his memorial service, to pay respects to the man and to pay tribute to the unshakeable partnership between the United States and Israel." — Vice President Joe Biden

"Sharon will be remembered for his political courage and determination to carry through with the painful and historic decision to withdraw Israeli settlers and troops from the Gaza Strip." — Spokesperson for U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Before Sharon, the Likud and parties on the right would never have dreamed of land swapping. ... That is a hugely important part of his legacy as it is still valid and active now in today's negotiations." — David Landau, author of "ARIK: The life of Ariel Sharon."

Russian President Vladimir Putin "highly praised Ariel Sharon's personal qualities and his activities to protect Israel's interests." — The Kremlin.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel "is mourning with the Israeli people" for Sharon, who "took a historic step on the path to a deal with the Palestinians and a two-state solution." — Steffen Seibert, Merkel's spokesman.

"He was a man of strong conviction who had a clear idea of what the future of his country should be and who fought for it with determination." — EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.

"For those who believe in the ideal, he did a wonderful thing. ... It is difficult to have peace without war." — Gene Simmons, Israeli-born Kiss bassist.

Sharon, Israel's bulldozer in politics, dies at 85

January 12, 2014

JERUSALEM (AP) — It was vintage Ariel Sharon: His hefty body bobbing behind a wall of security men, the ex-general led a march onto a Jerusalem holy site, staking a bold claim to a shrine that has been in contention from the dawn of the Arab-Israeli conflict.

What followed was a Palestinian uprising that put Mideast peace efforts into deep-freeze. Five years later, Sharon, who died Saturday at 85, was again barreling headlong into controversy, bulldozing ahead with his plan to pull Israel out of the Gaza Strip and uproot all 8,500 Jewish settlers living there without regard to threats to his life from Jewish extremists.

His allies said the move was a revolutionary step in peacemaking; his detractors said it was a tactical sacrifice to strengthen Israel's hold on much of the West Bank. Either way, the withdrawal and the barrier he was building between Israel and the West Bank permanently changed the face of the conflict and marked the final legacy of a man who shaped Israel as much as any other leader. He was a farmer-turned-soldier, a soldier-turned-politician, a politician-turned-statesman — a hard-charging Israeli who built Jewish settlements on war-won land, but didn't shy away from destroying them when he deemed them no longer useful.

Sharon died eight years after a debilitating stroke put him into a coma. His body was to lie in state at the parliament on Sunday before he is laid to rest at his ranch in southern Israel on Monday, Israeli media reported. Vice President Joe Biden will lead the U.S. delegation.

His death was greeted with the same strong feelings he evoked in life. Israelis called him a war hero. His enemies called him a war criminal. President Barack Obama remembered Sharon as "a leader who dedicated his life to the state of Israel."

Former President George W. Bush, who was in the White House during Sharon's tenure, called him a "warrior for the ages and a partner in seeking security for the Holy Land and a better, peaceful Middle East."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a rival and harsh critic of Sharon, said: "His memory will be enshrined forever in the heart of the nation." President Shimon Peres, a longtime friend and rival, said "he was an outstanding man and an exceptional commander who moved his people and loved them and the people loved him."

The Palestinians, who loathed Sharon as their most bitter enemy, distributed candy, prayed for divine punishment and said they regretted he was never held accountable for his actions, including a massacre in the Lebanese refugee camps of Sabra and Chatilla by Christian militiamen allied with Israel during the 1982 invasion that was largely his brainchild.

"He wanted to erase the Palestinian people from the map ... He wanted to kill us, but at the end of the day, Sharon is dead and the Palestinian people are alive," said Tawfik Tirawi, who served as Palestinian intelligence chief when Sharon was prime minister.

The man Israel knew simply by his nickname "Arik" fought in most of Israel's wars, gained a reputation as an adroit soldier and was the godfather of Israel's massive settlement campaign in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. He detested Yasser Arafat, his lifelong adversary, as an "obstacle to peace" and was in turn detested in the Arab world.

His career spanned the Middle East conflict from its early skirmishes through five wars, one of which left him hailed as his nation's savior, and another reviled as its disgrace. He was a lifelong opponent of concessions to the Arabs who ended up giving away land and offering the Palestinians a state of their own.

His was a life of surprises, none bigger than his election as prime minister in his twilight years, when he spent his first term crushing a Palestinian uprising and his second withdrawing from Gaza. The pullout in 2005 freed 1.3 million Palestinians from Israeli military rule and left his successors the vague outline of his proposal for a final peace settlement with Israel's Arab foes.

After the Gaza withdrawal, Sharon shattered Israel's long-standing political divisions by leaving Likud, the hard-line party he had helped found three decades earlier. He created a new centrist party, called Kadima, or Forward, to support his efforts to reach a deal with the Palestinians and draw Israel's permanent borders. The party was cruising toward victory in upcoming elections when Sharon suffered his stroke.

The stroke and extended coma set off one of the strangest periods in Israel's political history. While his deputy, Ehud Olmert, quickly assumed office and led Kadima to victory in a subsequent, Sharon remained a visible presence.

Over the years, every development in his medical condition became front-page news. His sons tried to revive him by showing him family photos or bringing Sharon, who often joked about his huge size, his favorite foods. At one point, doctors moved him back to his family farm, only to return him to the hospital several days later. His son Gilad later said that his father could wiggle his fingers and move his eyes.

Marina Lifshitz, a nurse who treated Sharon, said that when she showed Sharon a photo of his late wife, Lily, she saw a tear in his eye. "It is very difficult to forget that," she said Saturday. Over the past week and a half, doctors reported a sharp decline in his condition as various bodily organs, including his kidneys, failed. On Saturday, Dr. Shlomo Noy of the Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv said "his heart weakened and he peacefully departed" with relatives by his bedside.

"That's it. He has gone. He went when he decided to go," Gilad Sharon said afterward. As a soldier, Sharon was known for daring tactics and occasional refusal to obey orders. As a politician, he was known as "the bulldozer," contemptuous of his critics, the man who could get things done.

This go-it-alone attitude also shaped his second term as prime minister. Expressing impatience with stalled peace efforts, Sharon opted for separating Israel from the Palestinians, whose birthrate was outpacing that of his own country. He gave up Gaza, with its 21 Jewish settlements, and four West Bank settlements, the first such Israeli pullback since it captured the territories in the 1967 Mideast war.

He also began building a snaking barrier of fences, walls, razor wire and trenches to separate Israel from the West Bank, a project he initially rejected out of fear it would be seen as a tacit renunciation of Israel's claim to the West Bank.

Sharon sold the pullout as a security move. The withdrawal and the barrier, which left large West Bank settlement blocs on Israel's side, led many to suspect his real intention was to sidestep negotiations with the Palestinians and make it easier to hold onto what really mattered to him — chunks of the West Bank, with its biblical Jewish resonance and value as a buffer against attack from the east.

Sharon embodied the farmer-soldier image cherished by the pugnacious Jewish state that arose from the ashes of the Holocaust. Sharon was born to Russian immigrant parents on Feb. 26, 1928, in the farming community of Kfar Malal, 10 miles (15 kilometers) north of Tel Aviv. He commanded an infantry platoon during the 1948 Mideast war over the creation of the state of Israel.

Leading a ragtag band of soldiers, some Holocaust survivors, Sharon took part in the unsuccessful May 1948 assault on the Jordanian Arab Legion stronghold at Latroun, a key spot on the road to Jerusalem whose Jewish district was blockaded by Arab forces. He was badly wounded in the leg and belly, and bled for hours while surrounded by enemy soldiers.

"I know it's a terrible thing. Because people will read it and they will say, 'Look, he drinks also blood,'" he said, laughing his trademark deep, hearty chuckle. In 1953, he commanded Unit 101, a force formed to carry out reprisals for Arab attacks. After the slaying of an Israeli woman and her two children, his troops blew up more than 40 houses in Qibya, a West Bank village then ruled by Jordan, killing 69 Arabs. Sharon later said he thought the houses were empty.

After Israel's 1956 invasion of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, Sharon was rebuked for engaging in what commanders regarded as an unnecessary battle with Egyptian forces. Some 30 Israeli soldiers died. The accolades mounted as well. Sharon received praise for his command of an armored division during the 1967 Mideast War, in which Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Sinai Peninsula.

His finest hour in uniform, as he described it, came in the 1973 Mideast war. Yanked out of retirement by an army desperate for leadership, he commanded 27,000 Israelis in a daring drive across Egypt's Suez Canal that helped turn the tide of the war. A picture of a boyish-faced, 45-year-old Sharon, bloody bandage wrapped around his head, remains one of the most enduring images of the war.

Out of uniform, he used sheer force of personality to coerce a quarrelsome array of hawkish factions into forming the Likud, which four years later would be elected to power, ending 29 years of rule by the moderate Labor Party.

Sharon became a minister in Menachem Begin's government, and clung to his hawkish views. When Begin negotiated the historic 1979 Camp David peace treaty with Egypt, Israel's first peace agreement with an Arab country, Sharon voted against it.

By the time Israel withdrew from the Sinai Peninsula under the accord, Sharon was Begin's defense minister. Begin quipped that he was reluctant to give Sharon the job lest he "encircle the prime minister's office with tanks."

But when it fell to Sharon to remove the Jewish settlements Israel had built in Sinai, he obediently ordered the protesting settlers to be dragged away and their homes bulldozed to rubble. Then came one of the most controversial chapters of his tumultuous life.

In 1982 he engineered the invasion of Lebanon. It was portrayed as a quick, limited strike to drive Palestinian fighters from Israel's northern border. Later it emerged that Sharon had a larger plan: to install a pro-Israel regime in Lebanon — a design that typified boldness to his friends and dangerous megalomania to his critics. The conflict quickly escalated, and Israel remained in Lebanon for the next 18 years.

That September, the Israeli military, controlling parts of Beirut, allowed members of the Phalanges, a Lebanese Christian militia allied with Israel, to enter the Palestinian refugee camps of Sabra and Chatilla in Beirut to root out "terrorists." The militiamen systematically slaughtered hundreds of civilians, including women and children. The massacres sparked mass protests in Israel and abroad. An Israeli commission rejected Sharon's contention that he didn't know what was coming, saying: "It is impossible to justify the minister of defense's disregard of the danger of a massacre."

He was fired as defense minister. In his autobiography, Sharon said he was outraged by the findings. "It was a stigmatization I rejected utterly," he wrote. Sharon stayed in the government as a minister without portfolio and pledged to remain in public life. "When I saw the weakness of the leadership, the hypocrisy, the hatred within Israel among Jews, when I saw the developments throughout the Middle East, I thought that I simply had to stay," he wrote.

A journalist and friend, Uri Dan, predicted — famously and, as it turned out, accurately— "Those who didn't want to see him as army chief got him as defense minister, and those who don't want him as defense minister shall get him as prime minister."

In 1983, Sharon filed a $50 million lawsuit against Time Magazine for alleging that Sharon, while defense minister, had discussed avenging the murder of Lebanese President-elect Bashir Gemayel with Lebanese Christian militia leaders. Time said the discussion was held the day before the Sabra and Chatilla massacres. A six-member jury in New York concluded that the Time report was false but acquitted the magazine of libel, saying it published the report in good faith.

Later, an Israeli court rejected a libel suit filed by Sharon against the Haaretz daily over a 1991 article that claimed he misled Begin about his military intentions in Lebanon. Israel would remain entangled in Lebanon until 2000.

Sharon gradually rehabilitated himself, serving in parliament and using various Cabinet posts to build dozens of settlements in the West Bank and Gaza despite international protests. As foreign minister in 1998, Sharon called on Jewish settlers to grab as much land as possible before a permanent territorial agreement was reached with the Palestinians.

"Everyone there should move, should run, should grab more hills, expand the territory. Everything that's grabbed will be in our hands, everything that we don't grab will be in their hands," he said. He also played a leading role in the absorption of hundreds of thousands of immigrants from the former Soviet Union.

Sharon's demonstrative visit to the Temple Mount, or Haram as-Sharif, soon followed. Palestinian riots escalated into a full-fledged uprising that would claim more than 3,000 Palestinian and 1,000 Israeli lives.

In February 2001, with the fighting continuing and last-ditch peace talks collapsing, Israelis grew deeply disillusioned and inclined to lay all the blame on Arafat. Yearning for a strong leader, they elected Sharon prime minister in a landslide.

Fighting continued throughout Sharon's first term in office and he was re-elected in 2003 to a second term. Later that year, with Israeli towns suffering a wave of suicide bombings originating in the nearby West Bank, the bulldozers once again went into action as Sharon began building a barrier of walls and fences.

In late 2003, he unveiled his "unilateral disengagement" plan — withdrawing from territory he no longer deemed essential to Israel's security — without an agreement with the Palestinians. He also confined Arafat to his West Bank headquarters in his final years before allowing the longtime Palestinian leader to fly to France in late 2004 shortly before his death. Arafat's death gave him a new, more moderate Palestinian leadership with which to deal.

In an earlier speech he dropped what for Israelis was a bombshell. For the first time he called Israel's presence in the West Bank and Gaza an "occupation" and conceded that an independent Palestinian state was inevitable.

"Occupation is bad," he said in front of cameras to his shocked Likud lawmakers. Still, the Gaza pullback fell far short of anything offered by his predecessor or acceptable to even moderate Palestinians. While supporters say Israel is better off without involvement in Gaza, the withdrawal is widely seen as a failure in Israel because the territory was subsequently overrun by Hamas militants who went on to launch rockets at Israel.

Speaking Saturday, Olmert said Sharon's legacy was far more complicated than critics say. "Arik was not a warmonger. When it was necessary to fight, he stood at the forefront of the divisions in the most sensitive and painful places, but he was a smart and realistic person and understood well that there is a limit in our ability to conduct wars," he said.

Domestically, Sharon became the latest in a long line of Israeli prime ministers whose terms were marred by corruption probes. He was accused of improper fundraising and accepting bribes, allegedly paid to one of his sons, from a prominent real-estate developer, but never charged. His oldest son, Omri, however, later served seven months in prison for fraud connected to campaign fundraising for his father.

Behind his gruff public demeanor lurked a dry wit, Old-World charm and a fondness for fine dining and classical music. Sharon was widowed twice — he married the sister of his first wife after she died in an auto accident — and had two sons, Gilad and Omri. A third son died in 1967 in a firearms accident.

David Landau, author of a new biography titled "Arik: The Life of Ariel Sharon," said Sharon's greatest legacy was turning the tide of the 1973 war and especially exiting Gaza — a momentous event that broke down key taboos for Israel's hard-line right wing.

He said Sharon's recognition of Israel's "occupation" of the Palestinians, and his willingness to cede occupied territory, set the stage for U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's current peace efforts in the region.

"That is a hugely important part of his legacy as it is still valid and active now in today's negotiations and it harks back to Sharon," Landau said.

Associated Press writers Ian Deitch in Jerusalem and Ibrahim Barzak in Gaza City, Gaza Strip, contributed to this report.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Sharon dies at 85

January 11, 2014

JERUSALEM (AP) — The son of former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon says his father has died.

The 85-year-old Sharon had been in a coma since a debilitating stroke eight years ago. The Sheba Medical Center that has been treating Sharon said last week that his health has been declining. Sharon had been suffered from failure vital organs including his kidneys shortly before his death.

His son Gilad Sharon said: "He has gone. He went when he decided to go."

Earthly politicians seek roadmap for space exploration

Washington (AFP)
Jan 09, 2014

Seeking to boldly go where few politicians have gone before, more than 30 space-faring nations gathered Thursday to map out ways to pool mankind's efforts to explore the stars.

The US State Department hosted the talks, bringing together high-level envoys both from American allies and from countries traditionally seen as rivals in the race to conquer space.

"We all share a deep stake in extending humanity's reach further into the solar system, advancing innovation further and faster and extending the benefits of discovery to more people in more places," Deputy Secretary of State Bill Burns said.

"The question facing us today is whether we can muster the courage and political will to advance space exploration and ensure that cooperation continues to trump competition."

Countries such as Brazil, China, Japan, India and Russia have all sent delegations to the first ever such ministerial-level meeting focusing on space exploration -- with participants listening to simultaneous translations through headsets (though no Klingon language was offered).

During the Cold War, Russia and the United States aggressively competed to be the first to launch a manned rocket into space and to put man on the moon.

In 1969 Neil Armstrong seared his name into the history books when he made his "giant leap for mankind," becoming the first man to walk on the moon, and marking a pinnacle of US technological achievement.

But in recent decades the US has scaled back public funding for the space program, dropping plans to return to the moon and relying more on private companies.

Instead President Barack Obama called on NASA to focus on new, deep-space capabilities to carry people to an asteroid by 2025 and Mars by 2030.

Powerhouses China, Japan and India are now also making a bid for supremacy in space. Last year, China made the first lunar landing in over four decades when its Jade Rabbit rover vehicle drove onto the moon's surface.

And in November India successfully lifted into orbit a spacecraft bound for Mars as it bids to become the first Asian nation to reach the Red Planet.

While many countries already work together on space projects -- including the $100-billion International Space Station (ISS) -- the aim of Thursday's talks was to begin to set out guidelines for global cooperation for future efforts to explore deep into our solar system, and maybe even beyond.

"As the number of space faring nations increases, as states' monopoly on knowledge and technology erodes, and as commercial interest in space exploration grows, international cooperation will prove more important than ever," Burns said.

More countries should be encouraged to take part in the ISS, and private efforts "vital to the next era of space exploration" should be boosted.

And there could also be greater collaboration in defending the planet from space debris and near Earth objects, Burns said.

Heavy demands on over-stretched national budgets mean that "ambitious space exploration programs are beyond the individual capabilities of most countries," said Paul Weissenberg, director general for Enterprise and Industry at the European Commission.

"Investing in space today is investing in employment, growth, innovation for tomorrow."

Such investments should not be considered a "luxury," but would reap dividends for research, new technologies, medical breakthroughs and job creation, he added.

"These are investments for the future of mankind," agreed Enrico Saggese, president of the Italian space agency, highlighting the "the responsibility as open-minded explorers" to build up an "international space cooperation platform for peaceful purposes."

Although NASA on Wednesday said the orbiting space laboratory the ISS would now operate for four more years, until 2024, the International Space Exploration Forum is already looking well into the future.

"Space exploration, through its broadening of the realms of human potential, is of common value to mankind," said Japan's minister for science and technology, Hakubun Shimomura.

But any international cooperation had to be "politically and financially sustainable," and he called for a "clear roadmap for the continuation of space exploration beyond the ISS."

Source: Space-Travel.
Link: http://www.space-travel.com/reports/Earthly_politicians_seek_roadmap_for_space_exploration_999.html.

SpaceShipTwo soars to 71,000 feet above Earth during test

Mojave, Calif. (UPI)
Jan 10, 2014

Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo soared above Earth for a test flight Friday in the California desert, the corporation said.

About 50 minutes after it was attached beneath the WhiteKnightTwo carrier plane, SpaceShipTwo ignited its hybrid rocket engine for a 20-second burn and hit a maximum speed of Mach 1.4 as it rose to 71,000 feet, NBC News reported.

On its return, the pilot temporarily angled SpaceShipTwo's wings to slow its descent. The craft ended its flight with a glide back to the Mojave Air and Space Port, NBC News said WhiteKnightTwo landed a short time later.

Virgin Galactic, owned by British-born billionaire Richard Branson, said it could debut as the world's first space passenger service this year.

SpaceShipTwo is designed carry two pilots and up to six paying passengers on suborbital space rides. The current cost of a ticket is $250,000, and more than 600 customers have already signed up.

SpaceShipTwo is the successor to SpaceShipOne, which was piloted into space three times in 2004.

While the test program is being conducted in California, Virgin Galactic's operations are expected to move to Spaceport America in New Mexico for passenger service, NBC News said. Branson has said the first commercial flight could take place sometime in 2014, and he has vowed to be on that flight.

Source: Space-Travel.
Link: http://www.space-travel.com/reports/SpaceShipTwo_soars_to_71000_feet_above_Earth_during_test_999.html.

Orbital's cargo ship aims to dock at space station

Washington (AFP)
Jan 12, 2014

Orbital Sciences Corporation's unmanned Cygnus spaceship is on track to berth with the International Space Station early Sunday, marking its second trip to the research outpost, the company said.

Once Cygnus approaches 30 feet (nine meters) from the orbiting lab, the space station's robotic arm will reach out and grab the incoming cargo carrier.

The rendezvous is scheduled for 6:02 am (1102 GMT), Orbital and NASA said on their websites Saturday.

Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata and his US colleague Mike Hopkins will be operating the space lab's 57-foot Canadian-made mechanical arm, known as the Canadarm.

"The crew then will use the robotic arm to guide Cygnus to its berthing port on the Earth-facing side of the Harmony node for installation beginning around 7:20 am (1220 GMT)," NASA said.

The mission is the first official resupply trip for Orbital's cargo ship, coming on the heels of the company's successful demonstration flight and berthing at the ISS in September.

Cygnus is delivering 2,780 pounds (1,260 kilograms) of supplies to the space station, including hardware, food and science experiments.

The spacecraft will be unloaded soon after arrival, then packed with disposable items. It will remain at the station until mid-February.

After Cygnus detaches, it will burn up on re-entry to Earth's atmosphere and will disintegrate over the Pacific Ocean.

SpaceX is due to send its Dragon capsule to the ISS shortly afterward, for yet another cargo mission.

Both Orbital and SpaceX have contracts with NASA worth more than a billion dollars each to supply the space station over multiple trips, restoring US access to the ISS after the retirement of the space shuttle program in 2011.

California-based SpaceX, owned by Internet entrepreneur Elon Musk, became the first private company to reach the space station with its Dragon capsule in 2012.

Cygnus's berthing at the ISS on Sunday marks the fifth mooring of a private vessel at the space station in two years.

NASA has announced that the life of the $100 billion International Space Station would be extended by an additional four years, or until 2024.

The space lab serves a global science collaborative and was launched in 1998. It had been expected to stay in operation until 2020.

Partnering agencies are NASA, the Russian federal space agency Roscosmos, the Canadian Space Agency, the European Space Agency and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

Source: Space-Travel.
Link: http://www.space-travel.com/reports/Orbitals_cargo_ship_aims_to_dock_at_space_station_999.html.

Australia's small-scale green energy installations reach 2 million

Canberra, Australia (UPI)
Jan 9, 2013

Australia now has 2 million small-scale renewable energy installations, says the Clean Energy Regulator, the government agency that oversees Australia's renewable energy targets.

The regulator says the 2 million small-scale installations, most of which are solar -- including 1.1 million solar photovoltaic rooftop appliances and 842,000 solar systems used to generate hot water -- have a capacity to generate or displace approximately 6,882 gigawatt hours of electricity annually. That's equal to the electricity needed to power about 1.04 million Australian homes for a year, it says.

The regulator attributed the 2 million-milestone to the falling cost of solar panel systems and the country's renewable energy target.

"Assisted by falling system costs coupled with financial incentives derived from the Renewable Energy Target, small-scale systems have become more and more affordable for everyday Australians," the regulator said in a statement Thursday.

Australia's Renewable Energy Target scheme, enacted in 2009, requires energy retailers and large customers to source a proportion of their energy from renewable sources. It calls for 20 percent of the country's power generation to come from renewable sources by 2020.

Some members of the Coalition government have called for scaling back or dismantling the renewable energy target, saying it adds to energy costs.

Australian Prime Minster Tony Abbott indicated last month the scheme, which he said was causing "pretty significant price pressures" on electricity -- would be evaluated as part of a review of the country's energy policy.

"We are going to have a good, long, hard look at this with the fundamental objective of doing what we can to get power prices down," Abbott said in an interview with Sydney radio station 2GB Thursday. "Australia should be ... the affordable energy capital of the world. We have a superabundance of coal," the prime minister said.

Australia accounts for about 1.5 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions, but ranks at the top of developed nations on a per-capita basis because of its heavy reliance on coal for the production of electricity.

Australia's biggest wind power supplier, Infigen Energy, which is also involved in solar projects in the country, predicts a slow start for the sector this year because of uncertainty regarding the renewable energy target.

"I wouldn't expect very many, if any, large scale renewable energy projects to be committed to construction before the review is finalized because there is uncertainty about what's going to happen to the scheme and the trajectory," Jonathon Upson, Infigen's government affairs manager told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.

Source: Solar Daily.
Link: http://www.solardaily.com/reports/Australias_small-scale_green_energy_installations_reach_2_million_999.html.