Mauritania agrees to adopt roadmap to eradicate slavery

2014-02-28

NOUAKCHOTT - The United Nations envoy on modern-day slavery said on Thursday Mauritania had agreed to adopt a roadmap for eradicating the trade, which campaigners say remains widespread in the west African nation.

The country was the last in the world to abolish slavery, in 1981, and since 2012 its practice has been officially designated a crime, but campaigners say the government has failed in the past to acknowledge the extent of the trade, with no official data available.

Gulnara Shahinian, the UN's Special Rapporteur on contemporary slavery, announced as she ended a four-day visit that Mauritania would adopt a roadmap on March 6 which had been prepared with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

She said the plan was "an important step in eradicating slavery in the country" and would include "a number of economic projects" to help victims out of the trade.

Shahinian added she was "satisfied with the action of the government, which has taken important steps towards the eradication of slavery" since her last visit in 2009.

Forced labor is a particularly sensitive issue in Mauritania, where anti-slavery charities are very active, especially SOS Slaves and the Initiative for the Resurgence of the Struggle against Slavery (IRSS), which supports victims in court.

Shahinian told reporters she had obtained a commitment from the government to appoint lawyers specifically trained to represent slaves in the courts, however, rather than leaving the work to charities.

She praised the "political will displayed by the authorities" in introducing anti-slavery legislation but called for better enforcement of the law.

President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz is in the process of setting up a special tribunal to prosecute suspects accused of involvement in slavery and various social security programs have helped former slaves in the past.

But the beneficiaries were never recognized as such, with schemes officially targeting other disadvantaged groups.

In March last year Mauritania announced the launch of its first government agency charged explicitly with helping former slaves.

"While the train is certainly in motion, much needs to be improved, but as long as the will is there, the rest will follow in time," Shahinian said.

The envoy, a lawyer with extensive experience as an expert consultant on children's rights, migration and trafficking, was appointed as the first Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery in 2008.

Her findings and recommendations will be presented at a session of the UN Human Rights Council in September.

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=64541.

Yemen: 7 killed in attack on prison, 29 escape

February 13, 2014

SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Heavily armed militants attacked Yemen's main prison in central Sanaa on Thursday, killing seven people and helping 29 inmates escape, many of them convicts in terrorism-related charges, the country's state news agency reported.

The attack started with a car bomb explosion, then militants exchanged heavy gunfire with the guards at the Sanaa Central Prison, and a number of prisoners fled amid the chaos, according to SABA. A security official said authorities suspect it was an inside job.

Among the 29 who fled, 19 are convicted al-Qiada prisoners including those plotting the assassinations of Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi and western diplomats, the official said. He said those killed in the exchange of gunfire were mostly security forces.

Witnesses said earlier that explosions rocked the capital and smoke billowed into the sky. Security forces and army troops have been deployed to the site of the attack and sealed off the whole area. The prison, housing thousands of inmates, is on the main road leading to the airport, which was closed.

Security officials say that the attackers came in three groups and three cars, including the car bomb. One group detonated the car bomb, the second joined the first and engaged with prison guards at the front gate while the third dispersed throughout the prison, engaging with security forces outside. Other militants were firing from the rooftops of houses surrounding the prison.

Authorities suspect the attackers received help from inside the prison in order to allow the inmates to break free, one security official said. He added at least three of the prison officials and guards were detained.

They also said that authorities received information of possible attack on Interior Ministry, in charge of police, and Defense Ministry. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

The ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh's party said it fears that those who fled were involved in an attempt to assassinate him in 2011. Abdu al-Janadi, Saleh's party spokesman said, "we are warning of helping prisoners to escape. We are waiting for a transparent investigation into the incident."

Saleh was removed from power in a yearlong uprising that started in 2011 and ended after he signed a power transfer deal that gave him immunity from prosecution in return for leaving power in 2012. During the uprising, he came under attack in his presidential palace that left him with severe injuries requiring surgeries in neighboring Saudi Arabia.

Yemen has witnessed major jailbreaks in the past that have fueled militancy, including one in February 2006 when 21 al-Qaida militants dug a tunnel and fled the intelligence prison in Sanaa. Many of those who fled at that time are now the group's most wanted and dangerous men, including its military commander Qassim al-Raimi who is believed to have been behind a series of foiled attacks against Americans.

Three years earlier, 11 al-Qaida militants escaped during another prison break took place when 11 of al-Qaida militants fled, including the suspected perpetrators of the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole in Aden harbor that killed 17 American sailors.

Washington considers al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, the group's Yemeni offshoot, its most dangerous branch. It seized large swaths of lands in the south before the military launched a major offensive in the summer of 2012, driving many of them out. The group has continued to carry out ambitious and deadly attacks, including storming the Defense Ministry headquarters leaving 56 dead last month, including foreigners.

38 dead as Al Houthis push towards Yemen capital

AFP
January 30, 2014

Sana’a: Pro-government tribes battled Al Houthi rebels north of the Yemeni capital on Wednesday taking the death toll from three days of heavy clashes to 38, tribal and medical sources said.

The deadliest fighting raged in the Arhab region just 40 kilometers north of Sanaa, where tribesmen said they had recaptured high ground overlooking the international airport.

The rebels have been pushing out from their stronghold in the mountains of the far north to other areas nearer the capital, where most of the population follow the Zaidi branch of Shiite Islam, to lay a stake to their own autonomous unit in a promised federal Yemen, political sources say.

But their fighters, known as Al Houthis from the name of the rebels’ leading family, have faced stiff resistance from pro-government Zaidi tribes, as well as from Sunni hardliners from elsewhere in Yemen who have established religious schools in parts of the north.

“The men of the Arhab tribe pushed the Al Houthis back from Mount Nisr and three adjacent hills in fighting that erupted on Tuesday evening, inflicting 10 dead in Al Houthi ranks and at the cost of seven dead among our own men,” a tribal spokesman said.

A little farther north in Omran, which borders Sana’a province, fighting between the rebels and pro-government tribesmen on Wednesday left nine people dead, tribal and medical sources said.

President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi has pledged that Yemen will adopt a federal constitution to tackle the grievances of its disparate regions.

But at a ceremony on Saturday to mark the conclusion of a troubled 10-month national dialogue, he put off any decision on the thorny issue of how many component units it will have, promising that a special commission will decide.

The prospect of a federal Yemen, originally mooted as a solution to the grievances of the formerly independent south where secessionist violence has been on the increase, has spawned demands for autonomy from other discontented regions, including the rebel-held far north.

Source: Gulf News.
Link: http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/yemen/38-dead-as-al-houthis-push-towards-yemen-capital-1.1284303.

ESCWA urges Egypt and Jordan to boycott Israeli settlement products

Wednesday, 26 February 2014

The executive secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), Rima Khalaf, is urging both Egypt and Jordan to boycott Israeli settlement products. "Boycotting the settlement products will not hurt Arab countries, including the least advantaged like Egypt and Jordan," Khalaf stated on Tuesday.

Speaking at a conference in Tunis, the UN official advised the Arab states, many of which are secretly importing goods from Israel, to at least boycott the settlement products, pointing out that "many European countries are already boycotting them."

"The Israeli settlements are established on occupied Palestinian land and Israel encourages the Jewish population to settle there while depriving the original Palestinian owners of living there," Khalaf added.

ESCWA presented its "Arab integration" report in Tunis on Tuesday, which experts took two years to prepare. The report calls to revive Arab integration based on the recommendations and proposals formulated during the Arab summits, starting with reducing the tariff for transporting goods by 50 per cent and boycotting the Israeli settlement products.

According to the report, 350 million people live in the Arab region, where a quarter of its young people and one fifth of women are unemployed, and about 50 million are suffering from malnutrition.

Source: Middle East Monitor.
Link: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/americas/9977-escwa-urges-egypt-and-jordan-to-boycott-israeli-settlement-products.

Turkish security services declare wanted closest Kadyrov's assistant

5 October 2011

Turkish press reports that the country's security services declared wanted Ziyauddin Makhayev, the closest Kadyrov's assistant, who was among the group of killers who murdered the three Chechens in Istanbul on September 16, 2011.

According to the information from local sources, it was Ziyauddin Makhayev who finished off the wounded Chechens with control shots in the head, after they were fired at from a car.

Journalists found that Makhayev is well known in Turkey. He studied at Istanbul's Marmara University. The future killer graduated from the theological faculty of the university in 2005.

Makhayev first appeared in Turkey in 1994 as a supporter of the Chechen independence. However, later he was recruited by Russian secret services and was actively working for them.

During his studies and after graduating from the Marmara University, Ziyauddin Makhayev gathered information about Chechens, mostly about the Mujahideen and their supporters, on instructions of Russian intelligence.

He soon became a confidant of Kadyrov. The confidence is demonstrated by the fact that Makhayev was appointed the chief coordinator of a mosque "named after Akhmad Kadyrov" in occupied Jokhar, which was built by the Turks.

In addition, Kadyrov charged Makhayev with less sensitive tasks. For example, in the offseason Ziyauddin Makhayev personally delivered to Chechnya from Turkey watermelons and other fruits for Kadyrov and his mother.

Turkish press also reports that security services are investigating ties between the Turkish journalist Seyfullah Turksoy and the killer Makhayev. Nespaper Sabah published a photo of Kadyrov, Turksoy and the killer Makhayev, made in 2009 in occupied Jokhar.

It is to be recalled that Seyfullah Turksoy is one of the most active pro-Kadyrov's activists of Russian propaganda in Turkey.

The Turkish press also confirmed with reference to the security services that a person involved in the murder of three Chechen in Istanbul, a certain Maria M., is a member of the group of killers and entered and departed from Turkey as Ziyauddin Makhayev's fake wife.

Turkish television gave details of Kadyrov's assistant Ziyauddin Makhayev, saying that the security services of Turkey are very much interested to arrest the Kadyrov's killer. The TV report also details notorious bloody crimes of Russian secret services in other countries that took place during the Putin's presidency.

Department of Monitoring
Kavkaz Center

Source: Kavkaz Center.
Link: http://www.kavkaz.org.uk/eng/content/2011/10/05/15221.shtml.

SYRIA. Mujahideen unite their forces in battle for Aleppo. Assadites defeated in Quneitra

25 February 2014

Sources in Syria reported that units of Ahrar Sham, Islamic Front and Jabhat an-Nusrah had joined forces in the battle for Aleppo.

Meanwhile, Assad's troops continue to try to advance in Aleppo region.

Assadites bombed apartment houses with barrel bombs from Russian-made helicopters. On February 23, such bombs were dropped on north-western suburbs of Aleppo, Hreitan and Al-Ansari. Bomber jets attacked the outlying airfield of Quieres where Mujahideen keep Assadites under siege.

In the area of Damascus, on the outskirts of the town of Yabrud, there has been an increase in fighting between Shiites from Hezbollah on the one side, and Mujahideen on the other. Assadites bombed the town from the air and also used artillery for shelling. Several clashes occurred west of Yabrud near Qalamoun.

Skirmishes also took place south of Mlehi near the location of an air defense brigade of Alawite troops and Shiite militants. Aviation of Assad bombed positions of the Mujahideen in town of Khan al-Shih.

Sources in Syria report that Mujahideen continue to attack Assadites in Quneitra. During a two-day assault operation, significant success has been achieved. This operation is aimed on a complete cut-off of supply routes for Assadites between Damascus and Quneitra.

Assadites suffered heavy losses in Quneitra - dozens of their soldiers were eliminated after the Mujahideen took the town of Masirah.

Battles are ongoing in Deir ez-Zor. Assadites tried to advance in the village of Al-Omal, but were repulsed, suffering losses. Assad’s aviation struck on villages of Al-Bolil and Al-Mreyya. Many civilians-mostly women and children-have been killed.

Heavy clashes took place in the vicinity of the military airport of Deir ez-Zor. Assadites tried to dislodge Mujahideen from their positions near the airfield, but were stopped.

In Deraa, Assad's artillery has been shelling the cities of Nava and Naima. Meanwhile, Mujahideen of Jabhat an-Nusrah, Ahrar Sham, Ansar al-Sunna, Umar al-Khattab announced a new joint operation to liberate the rural province of Deraa.

Department of Monitoring
Kavkaz Center

Source: Kavkaz Center.
Link: http://www.kavkaz.org.uk/eng/content/2014/02/25/18938.shtml.

Gazans turn to solar power to face energy crisis

Wed Feb 26, 2014

Palestinians in the besieged Gaza strip have turned to solar power as the Israeli-blockaded sliver is grappling with severe fuel and electricity shortage.

"We were forced to consider relying on solar power alone after the energy crisis that events in Egypt brought about," AFP quoted Nabil al-Burqani, the director of Gaza City's children's hospital, as saying.

In recent months, fuel and electricity shortages in Gaza have worsened as the Egyptian military has blocked supply tunnels leading into the region. The tunnels were the only lifeline for Palestinians living under the Israeli siege.

"We need solar energy in order to keep up care for babies in the maternity ward," said Burqani, adding, “If there's just a minute-long cut to the electricity that runs the baby incubators, a child could die."

The humanitarian crisis facing Gaza has escalated as the only power plant in the Palestinian territory has stopped working since November 1, 2013 due to severe fuel shortage.

Gaza has been under the Israeli siege since 2007, a situation that has made the Palestinians desperately dependent on goods coming through the tunnels.

The Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations Network (PNGO), which represents more than 130 Palestinian civil society organizations, has called on the international community to end the continuous Israeli siege.

Several human rights organizations and civil groups have also criticized the Egyptian army for preventing the people in Gaza from accessing most of their basic goods like construction materials, food, and fuel.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.com/detail/352316.html.

Palestine cleared for UNESCO seat vote

Thu Oct 6, 2011

Palestinians gain a breakthrough in their efforts to win UN recognition after UNESCO's executive board has agreed to submit the Palestinian bid for full membership to member states for approval.

On Wednesday, Palestinians pressed ahead with their UNESCO membership motion before the body's executive committee, defying fierce opposition by the United States and France, AFP reported.

The board of the UN cultural agency passed the motion by 40 votes in favor to four votes against and 14 abstentions, agreeing to send the Palestinians' request to a final vote in the 193-member UNESCO general assembly on October 25.

The Palestinian delegation has held observer status at UNESCO since 1974. Two-thirds of the member states now need to approve the request to enable Palestine's full membership.

Washington's envoy to the Paris-based body, David Killion, however, said that "granting the Palestinians full membership now in a specialized agency such as UNESCO is premature."

US Republican lawmaker, Kay Granger, who chairs the key subcommittee that disburses US sums for diplomatic purposes, had also threatened to back suspension of all the UNESCO-headed funds, if the body admitted Palestine as a state.

France, which abstained on the motion, said earlier on Wednesday that "it was not the time" for Palestine to pursue UNESCO backing, calling instead on them to hold talks with Israel.

The developments came after the acting Palestinian Authority Chief, Mahmoud Abbas, presented the Palestinians' statehood request to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on September 23.

The request is likely to be voted on in the coming weeks, while Washington has already threatened to veto the motion.

The UNESCO membership would not only serve as a diplomatic achievement for the Palestinians, but would also allow them to apply to classify their monuments as World Heritage Sites.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.com/detail/203030.html.

Palestinian prisoner dies of torture

Tuesday, 25 February 2014

A Palestinian prisoner from Jerusalem who was assaulted by Israeli guards while detained at Beersheba prison died on Tuesday morning.

The Wadi Hilwa Center said that Jihad Taweel, a 47-year-old, went into coma for two weeks when Israeli guards attacked him and other inmates and brutally beat them and sprayed them with pepper gas.

Taweel was arrested for driving a vehicle without a license and sentenced to three months in Beersheba maximum security prison.

A resident of Ras Al-Amud neighborhood in Silwan, Jerusalem, Taweel has five children.

Source: Middle East Monitor.
Link: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/9966-palestinian-prisoner-dies-of-torture.

Jordanian parliament discusses annulling peace treaty with Israel

Wednesday, 26 February 2014

Some 47 ministers have called for Jordan to cancel its peace treaty with Israel in response to Israel's parliament debating sovereignty over Al-Aqsa Mosque, which they considered a breach of the treaty, a newspaper reported today.

Al-Rai newspaper reported that "47 Ministers of Parliament suggested yesterday [Tuesday] at the House of Representatives to prepare a draft law to abolish the Jordanian-Israeli peace treaty [Wadi Araba] with a proposal to give the sense of urgency."

It explained that the proposal comes, according to the signatories of the memorandum, "given the state of play of the Zionist entity and their daily assaults and disregard of Al-Aqsa Mosque."

He said that the signatories believe "what Israel is doing in clear violation of the Treaty of Wadi Araba and an assault on the guardianship of Jordan on the holy sites in Jerusalem."

Approximately one-third of the members of the House of Representatives of Jordan, which includes 150 members, signed the memorandum.

They allocated today's parliamentary session to debate the repercussions of the Knesset discussions about canceling the sovereignty of Jordan over Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The Israeli Knesset discussed the draft law suggested by the extremist member Moshe Viglin, member of Likud Party headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The discussion ended without being ratified and the Knesset agreed to resume discussion at a later date.

Earlier to this Knesset session, Netanyahu objected to such a law because it did not have enough support in Israel and it would arouse the anger of Jordan, Egypt and the Palestinians, at a time when the US is working on reaching a peace agreement in the Middle East.

Israel signed the peace agreement with Jordan in 1994 and it accepted Jordanian guardianship on the Islamic sacred and religious places in Jerusalem.

Israel has been working on a massive network of tunnels beneath the mosque's yard. The tunnels caused several holes in the yards and weakened the foundations of several of the buildings inside the parameters.

Source: Middle East Monitor.
Link: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/9988-jordanian-parliament-discusses-annulling-peace-treaty-with-israel.

Jordan MPs urge scrapping peace treaty with Israel

Wed Feb 26, 2014

Dozens of Jordanian lawmakers have called on the Amman government to revoke a 1994 peace treaty with the Israeli regime amid a Knesset debate on a plan to annex the al-Aqsa Mosque.

Late on Tuesday, as many as 47 lawmakers signed a petition, urging the Jordanian government to freeze the 20-year-old treaty with Israel.

The al-Aqsa Mosque is Islam’s third-holiest site after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia. Jordan is also the custodian of the holy site.

The lawmakers also criticized the government for failing to take a strong stand against Israel.

One of the lawmakers also called for expelling the Israeli ambassador.

The call for a freeze in the so-called peace deal came after a similar request by Jordan’s main opposition, the Islamic Action Front (IAF) on Tuesday.

“We urge the government to meet the demands of people who have repeatedly called for freezing and eventually cancelling the peace treaty,” said IAF on its website on Tuesday.

The IAF statement came after Israeli troops and police raided the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East al-Quds (Jerusalem) on Tuesday, and forcefully dispersed Palestinian worshipers and protesters.

In recent months, Israeli forces and settlers have stepped up their attacks on the mosque. This has led to violent confrontations between the two sides.

Earlier this month, clashes erupted between Palestinian worshipers and Israeli soldiers at the mosque. The clashes broke out when Israeli forces stormed the holy site during Friday prayer. At least 20 people, including children, were wounded in the violence.

The Palestinian Authority and the resistance movement of Hamas have also warned against Israeli plans to impose its “sovereignty” on the al-Aqsa Mosque.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.com/detail/352352.html.

Former Algerian minister calls for opening Morocco border

By Walid Ramzi for Magharebia in Algiers – 05/10/11

The continued closure of the Algerian-Moroccan border is a "great loss" to the Maghreb, former Algerian Foreign Minister Lakhdar Brahimi said last week. He appealed for re-opening the frontier, closed in 1994, insisting that there cannot be a united Maghreb without improved relations between the two nations.

"We hope our rulers will rectify the matter, because the Maghreb is Morocco and Algeria," he said on September 28th at an Algiers forum on Arab revolutions.

The closure has reduced "Maghreb contribution to the changes happening in the Middle East", he added. "The Middle East is in need of the Maghreb."

"The question of the Algerian-Moroccan border embarrasses me every time I go to Morocco," Brahimi said, stressing people's desire for a "return to normalization between the two 'sisterly' neighbors".

Algeria and Morocco can enact reforms and peaceful changes without popular revolutions, the former diplomat argued.

"These countries have rulers capable of leading this change and building this change without the need for demonstrations by millions or the manifestations of what is happening in Syria and neighboring Libya," he added. "The leaders of these countries have the potential to make change, and they expressed their intention to do so."

A number of businessmen, intellectuals and politicians earlier called for re-opening the border.

"There are hundreds of thousands of Algerians and Moroccans wishing to visit their relatives in both countries, but the border closure deprives these families of making such visits in a regular fashion," said international relations expert Othmane Redjimi.

Opening the border would be "in the interest of both peoples" due to "economic, political, historical and cultural considerations", he added.

"There are common factors bringing the two brotherly peoples together, and more brings them together than divides them," Redjimi said. "I acknowledge that there are some sensitive issues, such as the Western Sahara issue, however this file should in no way constitute an element of division between the two peoples so long as its resolution is left in the hands of the United Nations."

The relations between the two nations have shown some signs of improving recently. Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika in July called for mending ties with Morocco.

In a congratulatory message to King Mohammed VI on the twelfth anniversary of his accession to the throne, Bouteflika reiterated his desire to join efforts with the Moroccan sovereign in order to "construct bridges of brotherhood, co-operation and good neighborliness".

Three months before, the Algerian chief executive on his visit to Tlemcen called for intensified co-operation with Morocco, stressing that the problem of the Western Sahara is "a UN issue".

In his turn, Mohammed VI in July called for launching "a new dynamic open to the settlement of outstanding issues as a prelude to a full normalization of bilateral relations", including "the re-opening of borders".

Recently, the bilateral ties have been marked by an exchange of ministerial visits, culminating in the signing of co-operation accords in several areas, including energy and the farming sector. It was agreed to increase the quantity of Algerian gas to Morocco. In addition, the two sides inked a memorandum of understanding in the area of food security.

Business delegations also traded visits to explore opportunities for partnership projects.

The re-opening of the border "will happen one day", Algerian Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia said in May. "We need a climate of goodwill and mutual trust among neighbors," he added.

Source: Magharebia.
Link: http://magharebia.com/en_GB/articles/awi/features/2011/10/05/feature-02.

Shiite unrest spurs Saudi Arabian jitters

Oct. 5, 2011

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Oct. 5 (UPI) -- Violence in Saudi Arabia's Shiite-dominated Eastern province, center of the kingdom's oil industry, has intensified the political jitters as the monarchy frantically tries to fend off the Arab Spring, settle a thorny succession problem and confront old rival Iran.

There have been flare-ups involving disgruntled minority Shiites, who number around 2 million, in the past in the overwhelmingly Sunni kingdom.

But Monday's violence involved gunmen on motorcycles and firebombs, an unusual occurrence that could signal trouble yet to come.

The Saudis don't usually publicize such disturbances but the Interior Ministry vowed Tuesday to use "an iron fist" against any further trouble and claimed Monday's clashes were instigated by "a foreign country."

That's a clear reference to Iran, which is locked in a struggle for supremacy in the Persian Gulf region with Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil producer and the birthplace of Islam.

This rivalry swelled into outright confrontation in March when Riyadh sent tanks and troops of the Saudi-led Gulf Cooperation Council into the neighboring Sunni kingdom of Bahrain to crush protests led by the Shiite majority. These were widely deemed to have been instigated by Tehran.

Riyadh fears Bahrain's Shiite unrest will spread to the Eastern Province.

The unprecedented turmoil of the so-called Arab Spring over the last eight months hit Saudi Arabia at a bad time.

The U.S. abandonment of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, a longtime ally forced to step down Feb. 11, stirred fears among the Saudi royals that the Americans couldn't be trusted to stand by them.

King Abdallah, believed to be 86, is in poor health after being hospitalized in New York earlier this year for what was reported to be a back injury. His designated successor, Crown Prince Sultan, the longtime defense minister, is slightly younger, but he too is in bad shape. He was treated in the United States for cancer and is so infirm he rarely appears in public and isn't considered fit to rule.

The third in line, the powerful Interior Minister Prince Nayef, is believed to be 76.

The leading clans within the extended royal family -- at least 4,000 princes, though few are contenders for the throne -- are locked in a Byzantine struggle for supremacy.

But the time is clearly close when the crown will have to pass from the sons of King Abdel Aziz, founder of the modern state, who have ruled since his death in 1953 to his grandsons.

In the past, the House of Saud has been able to overcome family feuds to find a compromise when it comes to the succession. But now it's facing uncharted territory.

Other issues also divide the royal family. There's growing concern in Riyadh over the worsening violence in neighboring Yemen, where the Saudis have long called the shots.

Efforts by the Saudis, the key mediator in Yemen's crisis, to end the bloodletting that began in January with street protests demanding the ouster of President Ali Abdullah Saleh have failed.

As Yemen lurches toward all-out civil war, the Saudi leadership is increasingly split over how to deal with Saleh, who refuses to step down. Abdallah favors backing Saleh, who over the years has been the recipient of Saudi largesse, while Nayef wants Saleh gone.

This, U.S. global security consultancy Stratfor observed, "has prolonged the political stalemate in Yemen."

Nayef "has been advocating moves to undercut Saleh's support, and Prince Mayef's faction has financially supported leading opposition members and tribesmen against Saleh loyalists," Stratfor noted.

"King Abdallah's faction, however, has had a much higher tolerance for the Yemeni president and has argued for a much more moderate Saudi policy in managing the Yemeni crisis."

The Saudis are alarmed that a political vacuum in Yemen and the splintering of the country's military forces will allow the al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula to unleash a terror campaign against the monarchy as it did in 2003-06.

That failed through a ruthless Saudi counterinsurgency operation. But a new campaign amid the political turmoil of the Arab Spring and the deepening confrontation with Iran could be more successful.

If the trouble in the Eastern Province grows, encouraged and inspired by Tehran, the threat to the Saudi oil fields would be magnified, sparking an international crisis of confidence in the world's largest family business.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2011/10/05/Shiite-unrest-spurs-Saudi-Arabian-jitters/UPI-91731317833348/.

Bahraini protester dies at the hands of regime forces

Wed Feb 26, 2014

An anti-government protester in Bahrain has died at the hands of the regime forces as deadly crackdown on peaceful demonstrations continues in the tiny Persian Gulf kingdom.

Bahrain’s main opposition group, al-Wefaq, said on Wednesday that Jafar Sadiq al-Dirazi has died in jail due to torture and lack of medical treatment.

Reports say the man, from the town of Daih near the capital Manama, was suffering from anemia. He spent more than a month in prison.

Al-Wefaq earlier this week urged the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights as well as the Red Cross to look into the situation in the Dry Dock prison, located on the island of Muharraq.

Around 500 prisoners are on hunger strike in the notorious prison protesting against the mistreatment of the inmates. At least 3,000 detainees including women and children are being reportedly held in the Dry Dock prison.

The Bahraini regime’s human rights record has come under scrutiny over its handling of anti-regime protests that erupted across the country in early 2011.

Bahraini people initially demanded political reform and a constitutional monarchy, a demand that later changed to an outright call for the ouster of the ruling Al Khalifa family following its brutal crackdown on popular protests.

Manama also called in Saudi-led Arab forces from neighboring states. Scores of people have been killed and hundreds of others arrested in the clampdown.

Earlier this month, Amnesty International censured Bahrain’s “relentless repression” of anti-regime protesters, saying the regime’s security forces have “repeatedly” used “excessive force to quash anti-government protests.”

On February 14, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon also called on the Manama regime to respect its “international human rights obligations” in dealing with peaceful protests in the country.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.com/detail/352321.html.

Spain supports Palestine's statehood ambitions

Oct. 6, 2011

PARIS, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- Spain said it backed the Palestinian initiative for statehood following a nod from UNESCO, though the effort is still up against Israeli allies in Washington.

The 58-nation executive board of the U.N. Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization gave its initial approval on a 40-to-4 vote with 14 abstentions for Palestinian membership. Full membership must be approved by the 193-nation General Conference.

The Palestinian government has observer status and ambitions for full membership at the United Nations are part of a statehood initiative launched by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during the U.N. General Assembly last month.

The European Parliament, in a September resolution, said lawmakers viewed the Palestinian bid for statehood as legitimate.

The Spanish government was quoted by The Daily Telegraph newspaper in London as saying it "anticipates" that it would vote in favor of Palestinian ambitions "if the vote takes place and no common European position has been reached."

France, which abstained from the UNESCO vote, said now wasn't the time for Palestinian to embark on its own, saying two-track negotiations with Israel were favored instead. Israel, for its part, said membership at UNESCO wouldn't do the Palestinians any good.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in a statement, called the action at UNESCO "confusing." Washington spoke out strongly against Palestinian statehood.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2011/10/06/Spain-supports-Palestines-statehood-ambitions/UPI-86981317918123/.

Troops among 4,000 Chinese in PoK, says army chief

Rahul Singh, Hindustan Times
New Delhi, October 05, 2011

China has quietly but surely gained a toehold in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir despite India signalling discomfort with the Communist neighbor's expanding presence there.

Army chief General VK Singh on Wednesday said 3,000 to 4,000 Chinese, including troops, were involved in infrastructure projects in PoK — first time that an army chief put a number on a well-recognized fact.

“There are certain construction teams working there. Around 3,000 to 4,000 people are present, including certain personnel for security,” Singh said on the sidelines of an army function.

“There are some engineer troops like our own combat engineers. In some way, they are part of the People's Liberation Army.” India has repeatedly asked China to stop undertaking infrastructure projects in PoK but has met with little success.

New Delhi is suspicious of Beijing taking up road and rail projects that link Pakistan and China through PoK, as it has military implications for India if hostilities break out.

In April, Lt Gen KT Parnaik, who heads the operationally critical Udhampur-based Northern Command, warned that such connectivity would facilitate quicker deployment of Pakistani forces to complement China's military operations, outflanking India and jeopardizing its security.

Source: Hindustan Times.
Link: http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/newdelhi/troops-among-4-000-chinese-in-pok-says-army-chief/article1-753941.aspx.

Ukraine's Maidan protest unites different beliefs

February 26, 2014

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — For the past three months, tens of thousands of Ukrainians have been singing the Ukrainian national anthem on Kiev's central square, the Maidan, united in their dreams of change. The protest movement is a mixed bag of pro-Western intelligentsia and well-off businessmen, white-collar office clerks and student romantics, radical far-rightists, pop singers, poets and even priests. The one thing holding them together: anger against now fugitive President Viktor Yanukovych and his government.

Here is a look at some of the main groups driving the protests which removed Yanukovych from power last week.

ORANGE HEROINE LOYALISTS

Yulia Tymoshenko, the Orange Revolution heroine, former prime minister and Yanukovych's main rival, commands an ardent following of millions of Western-leaning Ukrainians. She was released from jail last week after spending 2 ½ years in prison on charges of abuse of office that the West condemned as politically motivated. While Tymoshenko was in jail, writing emotional letters to protesters, her ally Arseniy Yatsenyuk, a technocratic former economy minister, was a prominent leader of the protests. The party calls for pro-Western reforms and integration with the European Union. But it is also associated with the failed hopes of the 2004 Orange Revolution, which ousted Yanukovych from the presidency amid allegations of rigged elections. The new government was paralyzed by constant bickering among Orange leaders, allowing Yanukovych to return to power in 2010. The gold-braided Tymoshenko's release poses new opportunities but also new challenges for the party.

Labeled Ukraine's "Joan of Arc," she is a divisive figure, adored but also distrusted for her alleged corruption and fierce hunger for power.

PUNCHING ABOVE THE CROWD

Towering over protesters, and over fellow opposition leaders, Vitali Klitschko — a 6-foot-7-inch (2 meters) tall former world heavyweight boxing champion — is shown in many polls to be Ukraine's most popular opposition politician. He leads the Udar — or Punch — party that entered parliament following 2012 parliamentary elections, presenting itself as a new pro-Western force untainted by the failures of the Orange government. Popular because of his sports victories and free from the stain of corruption, Klitschko announced that he will run in presidential elections scheduled for May 25. Though he is an unskilled orator and not widely viewed as an intellectual, Klitschko won the protesters' support for appearing at many confrontations and trying to prevent violence between activists and police. He once even was sprayed with a fire extinguisher. Now he will have to compete with Tymoshenko for the hearts of his people.

THE NATIONALISTS

The nationalist Svoboda (Freedom) Party has played a vocal role in the protests, seizing a government building in the center of Kiev that was later turned into a protest dormitory and sending scores of protesters to Kiev's Maidan from its base in the west of the country, which is the heart of Ukrainian nationalism. The party entered parliament in 2012 and teamed up with Tymoshenko's and Klitschko's parties to oppose Yanukovych. It is highly controversial. It stands firmly for EU integration and a Western future of Ukraine, but it has been accused of anti-Semitic and xenophobic rhetoric, including staging a Christmas skit on the Maidan that used Jewish stereotypes. The group's statements have drawn criticism from Israel and some watchdogs. Despite the controversies, top Western diplomats have actively engaged with Svoboda, shaking hands and posing for photos with its leader Oleh Tyahnybok. Svoboda members have died in the violence that prompted Yanukovych to flee.

The party can be expected to seek government posts or political influence.

HARDCORE RADICALS

Yanukovych would hardly have been ousted had it not been for radical far-right groups that have been the street muscle in the demonstrations. They have donned balaclavas, armed themselves with baseball bats and thrown rocks and fire bombs at police. The radical group the Right Sector was initially condemned by the majority of moderate protesters of the Maidan. But the Right Sector soon joined the Maidan's official self-defense units, and their members were headquartered several stories above the opposition leaders' makeshift office. The radicals' violent clashes with police were at first criticized, but as Yanukvoych kept ignoring the peaceful protests, moderate activists rushed to help the Right Sector, handing them Molotov cocktails and pavement stones. While it has been key in these pro-democracy demonstrations, the Right Sector embraces a hardcore nationalist ideology. One of the symbols of Patriot of Ukraine, a group that is part of the Right Sector, bears some resemblance to a swastika...

although the group denies that it was meant to mirror the Nazi image. The Right Sector is firmly against EU integration. "We don't need the European Union. Ukraine is for Ukrainians and no one else," said Sergey, a masked man in camouflage uniform with a baseball bat, who declined to give his last name out of fear of government retribution.

AUTOMAIDAN

Automaidan, a group of angry motorists, blocked entrances to government buildings, shipped supplies to the protest camp and trailed police cars; they also chased and detained pro-government activists who were bused into the capital to provoke violence. As a result, their activists were harassed and detained, their cars burned and one of their leaders kidnapped. Held captive for more than a week, the leader was beaten and had a piece of his ear cut off. Many protesters have called the group the opposition's traffic police. The activists are also likely to seek influence in exchange for their role in the protests.

CIVIL SOCIETY

Along with the main groupings, the movement has been made lively by a plethora of colorful figures, intellectuals and civil society leaders. Ruslana, a pop star who won the Eurovision song contest, spent many nights singing and dancing on the Maidan stage to keep activists entertained and motivated, including on one dramatic night when police attempted to storm the square. Black-robed priests from all denominations prayed, called for peace and stood between protesters and police lines to prevent bloodshed. Respected journalists and intellectuals frequently spoke from the stage to inspire the protests, and university students ditched lectures to build barricades. Those activists and politicians have all formed a civic movement, also called the Maidan, which is expected to monitor how the new government is being formed and perhaps even get some posts in it.

Associated Press reporter Dusan Stojanovic contributed to this report.

Ukraine PM nominee says country's future in EU

February 27, 2014

SIMFEROPOL, Ukraine (AP) — A protest leader expected to become Ukraine's next prime minister says the country's future lies in the European Union but with friendly relations with Russia.

Arseniy Yatsenyuk said Ukraine doesn't want a fight with Russia, but insisted the country wouldn't accept the secession of the southern Crimea region, where unknown gunmen on Thursday occupied local government buildings and raised the Russian flag.

He said Crimea "has been and will be a part of Ukraine." The 39-year-old Yatsenyuk has been nominated by Ukraine's interim leaders to become prime minister. A vote was expected in Parliament later Thursday.

Yatsenyuk said tough reforms are needed to prevent Ukraine, divided in loyalties between Russia and the West, from collapsing economically and politically.

Ukraine disbands police unit accused of violence

February 26, 2014

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine's acting interior minister says he has disbanded a feared riot police force that many accuse of attacks on protesters.

Arsen Avakov wrote on his Facebook page Wednesday that he has signed a decree to disband the force known as Berkut. Anti-government protesters have blamed Berkut for violent attacks against peaceful demonstrators protesting authorities' decision to ditch closer ties with the European Union and turn to Moscow instead.

Ukraine has been consumed by a three-month political crisis. President Viktor Yanukovych and protest leaders signed an agreement last week to end the conflict that left more than 80 people dead in just a few days in Kiev. Shortly after, Yanukovych fled the capital for his powerbase in eastern Ukraine but his exact whereabouts are unknown.

Luxembourg announces boycott of 8 Israeli companies, including 5 Banks

Wednesday, 26 February 2014

Luxembourg's general pension fund (FDC) has decided to boycott five Israeli banks due to their illegal activities in West Bank settlements.

The Israeli website Walla reported that the state-affiliated pension fund of Luxembourg has decided to boycott all major banks in Israel.

The website pointed out that despite the small size of the state of Luxembourg in Europe; it constitutes a major hub in the world's investment and finance.

The FDC's website published an "exclusion list" of about 60 companies around the world describing their practices as unethical. Among these companies are eight Israeli institutions, including Israel's major banks – Israel Discount Bank, Bank Hapoalim, Bank Mizrahi-Tefahot, Bank Leumi and First International Bank of Israel.

Two companies are also on the list; Elbit Systems Ltd and Africa Israel Investments Ltd, both based in Jerusalem.

The FDC explained this boycott on the grounds that these companies "support the construction of illegal settlements in occupied territories."

The European boycott campaign against Israel has been on the rise urging Israel to look at ways to combat it. Israel has demanded European countries enact laws prohibiting the boycott of Israel in the future.

Source: Middle East Monitor.
Link: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/europe/9986-luxembourg-announces-boycott-of-8-israeli-companies-including-5-banks.

Greek riot police clash with demonstrators during nationwide strike

By BNO News

ATHENS (BNO NEWS) -- Greek riot police clashed with protesters in central Athens on Wednesday during a nationwide strike over the government's austerity measures, local media reported.

According to reports, police forces used tear gas and batons against the stone-throwing youths. Two people were injured following the clashes, the Kathimerini newspaper reported on its website.

The national strike brought air and train traffic to a halt throughout the country. In addition, tax offices were closed as state workers walked off the job, hospitals ran on emergency staff and some state schools were closed. Workers protested salary cuts prescribed by the European Union (EU) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), layoffs and tax increases.

Hundreds of thousands of people were expected to join the strike and thousands to take to the streets, while EU and IMF auditors continue to review the country's finances to see if Athens qualifies to receive another bailout.

The Greek government announced this week that it would miss 2011 deficit targets set as conditions of a bailout aimed at staving off bankruptcy, despite the austerity measures. On Monday, it announced that it will be cutting the jobs of up to 27,000 civil servant employees by the end of the year as part of its cost-cutting measures.

The country's main labor unions have staged repeated strikes since Athens asked the EU and the IMF for a bailout last year. In June, at least 100 were injured during clashes with riot police.

(Copyright 2011 by BNO News B.V. All rights reserved.)

Wednesday, October 5th, 2011

Source: WireUpdate.
Link: http://wireupdate.com/news/greek-riot-police-clash-with-demonstrators-during-nationwide-strike.html.

Eurozone unemployment in May at a record 12.1 percent

July 1, 2013

BRUSSELS, July 1 (UPI) -- Unemployment in the 17-member eurozone climbed to a record 12.1 percent in May, the region's statistical office said Monday.

The unemployment rate for April was revised from 12.2 percent to 12 percent, which is allowed May's rate to post the record high.

The unemployment rate in the overall European Union, which has 27 countries, was unchanged, holding at 10.9 percent for the third consecutive month, the data agency said.

The data office estimated that 19.222 million people in the eurozone and 26.405 million in the European Union were unemployed in May with the number of jobless increasing 67,000 in the eurozone and 16,000 in the European Union.

Compared to a year earlier, however, there are 1.344 million more unemployed workers in the eurozone and 1.324 million in the EU, the data office said.

The lowest unemployment rate in Europe in March was posted by Austria, where the rate held steady at 4.7 percent.

In the largest economy on the continent, Germany, the unemployment rate dropped from 5.4 percent to 5.3 percent in the month.

The highest rate for May was posted by Spain at 26.9 percent. The last figure posted by Greece refers to March at 26.8 percent.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Business_News/2013/07/01/Eurozone-unemployment-in-May-at-a-record-121-percent/UPI-37151372687542/.

Energy-dependent Lithuania takes EU helm with wary eye on Russia

BY LUKE BAKER
VILNIUS Fri Jul 5, 2013

(Reuters) - If an intelligence agency or foreign ministry were setting an exam to test the geopolitical analysis skills of its young recruits, Lithuania might prove a good case study.

A former Soviet Baltic republic of 3 million people wedged between Poland, Belarus, Latvia and the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, Lithuania is anxious to keep Moscow at arm's length - but remains almost entirely dependent on it for energy.

Having joined the European Union in 2004, the tiny, resource-poor country looks ardently to the west, while worrying about how to build a thicker buffer between itself and the big Russian bear observing it from 200 km (120 miles) to the east.

Should Lithuania risk trying to bring its eastern neighbors - countries in or near Russia's sphere of influence such as Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova - closer towards the EU, especially if such a move aggravates the Kremlin?

THE BEE AND THE BEAR

From the point of view of Lithuania's president, Dalia Grybauskaite, the answer is clear: Absolutely. Educated in Leningrad and Moscow in the 1980s, Grybauskaite knows what makes Russia tick and she is not about to give in to pressure now.

Lithuania, she says, should not be afraid of doing of what it thinks is right - including promoting the EU's Eastern Partnership policy - just because it might upset Russia. The bee should not be scared of bothering the bear.

"We've had 25 years of aggressive policy from Russia," she said on Thursday, as Lithuania began its six-month EU presidency.

Importantly for Lithuania, its tenure will include hosting an Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius in November, to be attended by Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia.

Lithuania hopes Ukraine will sign an EU association agreement at the summit, a move that brings improved trade ties and can be a stepping stone towards membership. That would not go down well with Russia, which prefers its neighbors to sign up to its own customs union.

"It can't get any worse," Grybauskaite said of Russian pressure, speaking in her usual clipped, firm tones. "Nothing worse can happen at this stage."

Lithuanian ministers do not disagree, but they are perhaps more cautious than the president in how they see the situation.

Energy Minister Jaroslav Neverovic, meeting a group of Brussels-based journalists visiting Vilnius, points out that Lithuania is 80 percent reliant on Russia for energy: almost 100 percent for gas and 60 percent for electricity.

RUSSIAN GAS PREMIUM

Figures from the European Commission show Lithuania pays more for its gas than any other EU state apart from Bulgaria. Neverovic says it pays 20 percent more per thousand cubic meters than Germany. Grybauskaite puts it at 25 to 30 percent.

Lithuania's long-term supply contract with Gazprom, the Russian gas export monopoly, expires at the end of 2015, meaning negotiations on a replacement, which can take months to complete, will probably have to begin next year.

At the same time, Lithuania is hoping to relieve some of its dependence on Russia by setting up a Liquefied Natural Gas terminal off its coast in a multi-million dollar investment.

It has leased an LNG ship, being built in South Korea and called "Independence", which should be in place by the end of 2014, although it has yet to sign any gas supply contracts.

That will alleviate some of the pressure, but LNG will not be able to meet all of Lithuania's gas needs. No matter what happens, it will still need Russia. What's more, LNG prices are rising and may end up exceeding the cost of Russian gas.

SECURITY RISKS

Russia has made no threats to Lithuania - such as cutting off gas supplies - but Grybauskaite accuses the country of interfering in other ways, such as cyberattacks on Lithuanian Internet portals that appear to come from Russian domains.

It recently announced plans to establish an air base in the Belorussian city of Lida, just 40 km (25 miles) from the Lithuanian border, and has held joint military exercises with Belarus designed to simulate an invasion from Poland and the Baltics.

"Russia continues to pose the largest threat to Lithuania's security interests," risk analysis group Stratfor wrote in a report this month.

While trying to balance its energy needs and diversify supplies, Lithuania is pushing ahead with planning the Eastern Partnership summit, the centerpiece of its presidency.

Yet that too comes loaded with problems. Not all member states are convinced that Ukraine - where former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko remains imprisoned in a case that the EU says smacks of political vengeance - is ready to be rewarded with closer trade and travel ties to the European Union.

Grybauskaite says associate status for Ukraine is not a given. She told reporters on Friday there must be progress on releasing Tymoshenko, on reforming the judiciary and on strengthening electoral law before the agreement can be signed.

But having made it the chief ambition of her presidency, it will be a letdown if it fails to happen.

Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius underlined the importance of the partnership summit, saying he "could not imagine Europe being whole and free without Ukraine", and that he was sure an association agreement would be signed with Kiev in November.

Not all his EU counterparts would agree, and nor would Russia, which wants Ukraine to join its customs union with Belarus and Kazakhstan. For Lithuania, balancing energy needs with geopolitical reach could prove a tough trick to pull off.

(Editing by Mark Trevelyan)

Source: Reuters.
Link: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/07/05/uk-eu-lithuania-russia-idUKBRE9640LA20130705.

U.S.: Solar Homes Offer New Hope for Renewable Energy

Amanda Wilson

WASHINGTON, Oct 4 2011 (IPS) - As a light drizzle fell Saturday, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu pointed to solar houses constructed by students on the National Mall park in Washington as evidence that the U.S can compete internationally in the renewable energy market to create jobs and win “the war against climate change”.

The energy-efficient homes were designed and constructed during the Solar Decathlon, a biennial collegiate competition sponsored by the Department of Energy (DOE) that challenges students to design and build solar-powered homes that are affordable, energy-efficient, and architecturally well-designed and then present them to the public.

The homes were on display for about one week from the end of September through Sunday, Oct. 3.

Four thousand students working on 20 teams from around the world designed the homes, and the DOE, which has sponsored the event since 2002, estimated that by Saturday more than 200,000 people had visited them.

Energy efficiency with market appeal

On Saturday, gray light filtered into the kitchen through a “living wall” of plants and herbs on shelving as crowds shuffled through a house designed and constructed by a team from Middlebury College in Vermont.

The home, inspired by New England farmhouses, featured south-facing windows, skylights, front-loading washer and dryer, Vermont White Oak decking, and student-designed furniture. In the hours before the much-anticipated award ceremony, Middlebury students were busy guiding visitors through the home they had worked on for two years.

Alison Thompson, an environmental studies major with a focus on geology, said she was proud the team from her small liberal arts school – without any engineering team members – had made it to the competition.

“This embodies the spirit of what we are trying to do (at Middlebury)”, Thompson told IPS. “The fact that we showed up here and we are a serious contender, we are thrilled,” she said.

The team, a diverse mix of students including English and political science majors, met once per week in their spare time over a period of two years to fundraise, design, and plan the house after a student’s mother suggested entering the competition.

Later at the awards ceremony, the Middlebury College team erupted in raucous shouts of joy when organizers announced Middlebury had won first place in the market appeal contest. The University of Maryland house took first place overall, while Purdue and Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand came in second and third, respectively.

Appalachian State University, located in the mountains of North Carolina, won the “people’s choice award”, gaining the most visitor votes for its “solar homestead“, a structure with a long, covered porch and a design inspired by the dwellings of rugged Appalachia.

At the Solar Decathlon awards ceremony, Chu said critics of the U.S. solar power and green energy initiatives need only to look at student-built model homes to see that U.S. innovation “is alive and well”.

“Just as there is a fierce competition here (at the Solar Decathlon), there is competition across the world,” Chu said. He said that by 2050, solar power could generate 20 percent of the world’s energy and that countries like China were investing heavily in the sector.

“Some say this is a race America can’t win,” Chu said. “They say we can’t afford to invest in clean energy. I say we can’t afford not to.”

Facts ignored in Solyndra crash

In September, the crash of Solyndra, a California-based solar cell manufacturer with 535 million dollars in federal loan guarantees, provoked widespread speculation about the future of green tech initiatives in the U.S. Critics pointed to the crash to argue that the U.S. renewable energy sector has had its day in the sun and does not merit government support.

Since the crash, reports such as this analysis from the Washington Post have highlighted how a variety of circumstances contributed to the company’s failure. And while critics argue the U.S. can’t compete with China, according to a report from ThinkProgress, the U.S actually exported more than 1.7 billion dollars worth of solar products to China in 2010 and had a net trade surplus of 247 million dollars.

Alexander Ochs, director of the energy and climate program at the WorldWatch Institute, said the solar industry was actually one of the fastest-growing industries in the U.S., with 5,000 companies employing more than 100,000 people. He said Solyndra failed because it made poor investment decisions and was buffeted by price fluctuations in the raw materials market – not because solar power industry is in trouble.

“Solyndra is now used as a scandal to set an example that solar is not working in the U.S. or that it cannot compete on the international market. It is basically used as an attempt to kill the industry as a whole,” Ochs told IPS.

In fact, Ochs said the solar industry grew at a rate of 69 percent in the last year alone, more than doubling in size, and at a rate much higher than the fossil fuel industry, which grows only in the low single digits, or nuclear, the only energy sector with a negative growth rate.

Notwithstanding those facts, Ochs said criticisms of government support for renewable energy did not take into account the comparatively large cost of fossil fuel subsidies.

A study by the Environmental Law Institute estimates that between 2002 and 2008 in the U.S., the fossil fuel energy-producing sector received 72.5 billion dollars in subsidies while, in the same six- year period, renewable energy received 29 billion, a large proportion of that going to biofuels.

According to the World Bank, globally the fossil fuel industry received 557 billion dollars in government subsidies in 2009, while the renewable and biofuel industries combined received 46 billion – just one-twelfth of what fossil fuel industry received.

Arguing that the fossil fuel industry receives subsidies that are direct, indirect, infrastructural – even subsidies in the form of externalized health and environmental costs – Ochs questioned how critics could argue that the renewable energy industry could compete without getting subsidies itself.

Ochs told IPS, “Twenty years after we started taking climate change seriously and in light of all the economic problems and health problems that result from our use of fossil fuels, we are still putting 12 times the amount of money into fossil fuels.”

Source: Inter-Press Service (IPS).
Link: http://www.ipsnews.net/2011/10/us-solar-homes-offer-new-hope-for-renewable-energy/.

ATK tests artillery guidance system

Oct. 6, 2011

MINNEAPOLIS, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- ATK and the U.S. military have completed artillery precision guidance kit testing at the Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona to verify precision fuse design.

ATK said 48 rounds were fired and the Precision Guidance Kit significantly exceeded expectations and requirements for both reliability and safety while demonstrating accuracy that exceeds the 30-yard Circle Error Probable objective requirement.

During this end of Phase 3 test, structured to challenge PGK in the harshest gun launch environments, PGK demonstrated consistent, reliable performance following tactical vibration and temperature conditioning in extreme heat and cold environments, the company said.

PGK-fused rounds were fired from both the M109 Paladin 155mm Self-propelled Howitzer and the M777A2 155mm Lightweight Towed Howitzer to ensure consistent performance across platforms.

The results prove PGK's ability to dependably guide 155mm artillery projectiles over the operational envelope tested, significantly exceeding both Phase 3 reliability requirements as well as objective accuracy requirements, ATK said.

"PGK's performance in this rigorous design verification testing surpassed expectations and demonstrates that PGK will perform as expected in combat conditions," said Bruce DeWitt, vice president and general manager for ATK Advanced Weapons division.

PGK is a low-cost, guided fuse that fits within the deep intrusion fuse well of U.S. high-explosive artillery projectiles. PGK performs in-flight course corrections that greatly reduce artillery dispersion.

The ATK design features a Global Positioning System-based, fixed-canard guidance and control approach with gun-hardened electronics and a self-generated power supply.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Security-Industry/2011/10/06/ATK-tests-artillery-guidance-system/UPI-17251317900511/.

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs has died

By BNO News

CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA (BNO NEWS) -- Apple co-founder Steve Jobs died on Wednesday, the company confirmed.

In a statement, Apple's Board of Directors announced the passing of Jobs. "Steve's brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives," the statement said. "The world is immeasurably better because of Steve."

It added: "His greatest love was for his wife, Laurene, and his family. Our hearts go out to them and to all who were touched by his extraordinary gifts."

(Copyright 2011 by BNO News B.V. All rights reserved.)

Wednesday, October 5th, 2011

Source: WireUpdate.
Link: http://wireupdate.com/news/apple-co-founder-steve-jobs-has-died.html.

The Navy and Marine Corps Select Lockheed Martin/Kaman Unmanned K-MAX for Afghanistan Deployment

Owego NY (SPX)
Oct 06, 2011

The Marine Corps will deploy the Lockheed Martin and Kaman unmanned K-MAX to Afghanistan next month.

The decision follows the successful completion of a five-day Quick Reaction Assessment for the U.S. Navy's Cargo Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) program. A formal report, released last week by Commander Operational Test and Evaluation Force, confirmed that the unmanned K-MAX exceeded the Navy and Marines' requirement to deliver 6,000 pounds of cargo per day.

"This announcement underscores K-MAX's strong performance and the strength of the Lockheed Martin/Kaman team," said Dan Spoor, vice president of Aviation Systems in Lockheed Martin's Mission Systems and Sensors. "We are fully prepared to deploy our system and augment Marine Corps ground and air logistics in Afghanistan."

K-MAX will be the Navy's first-ever cargo unmanned aircraft system to deploy in an operational environment.

The deploying team recently concluded training and flight tests at its base in Twenty-nine Palms, Calif., and is currently preparing the aircraft for shipment into theater. The team consists of active duty mission commanders, air vehicle operators and Lockheed Martin employees.

"I am very confident in both the team and the K-MAX UAS to successfully perform their missions while deployed," said Rear Admiral Bill Shannon, Program Executive Officer for Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons.

"K-MAX has the capability to quickly deliver cargo, thus getting troops off the roads and allowing them to focus on other missions."

"We are extremely honored to have been selected for deployment by the Navy," said Sal Bordonaro, division president at Kaman Helicopters. "We are committed to providing the Marine Corps with the life-saving unmanned capability of our proven airframe, reducing the risk to our forces by taking the cargo resupply mission from the ground to the air."

Since partnering in 2007, Lockheed Martin and Kaman Aerospace have successfully transformed Kaman's proven K-MAX power-lift manned helicopter into a UAS capable of autonomous or remote controlled cargo delivery.

Kaman designed the K-MAX platform, and Lockheed Martin has designed the helicopter's mission management and control systems to provide the K-MAX with exceptional flight autonomy in remote environments and over long distances.

Source: Space War.
Link: http://www.spacewar.com/reports/The_Navy_and_Marine_Corps_Select_Lockheed_Martin_Kaman_Unmanned_K_MAX_for_Afghanistan_Deployment_999.html.

U.S. 'reviewing' Uganda aid, Norway, Denmark, Netherlands halt aid

Feb. 25, 2014

KAMPALA, Uganda, Feb. 25 (UPI) -- U.S. and Canadian officials say they are reviewing relations with Uganda because of a new law they say violates human rights by cracking down on homosexuals.

The development comes one day after Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands said they would hold back millions of dollars in aid to Uganda to protest the law, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said in a statement Monday the United States is reviewing its relationship with Uganda "to ensure that all dimensions of our engagement, including assistance programs, uphold our anti-discrimination policies and principles and reflect our values."

Kerry urged repeal of the law, and said Washington is "deeply concerned about the law's potential to set back public health efforts in Uganda, including those to address HIV/AIDS, which must be conducted in a non-discriminatory manner in order to be effective."

He echoed a comment by U.S. President Barack Obama that the legislation "is not just morally wrong, it complicates a valued relationship."

The State Department said in October Washington is Uganda's largest bilateral donor, with aid "promoting good governance, human rights, multiparty democracy, and free and fair elections," and helping professionalize police and military, address health issues, family planning, agriculture and food security.

In addition, the United States provides "a small number" of military advisers to help the Ugandan government counter the Lord's Resistance Army, whose leaders have said they want to establish a theocratic government.

Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende said his country would withhold about $8 million in aid, saying the law violates "fundamental human rights," TheLocal.no reported Tuesday.

"Norway deeply regrets that Uganda's president today signed a new and stricter law against homosexuality," Brende said in a statement Monday. "It will worsen the situation of an already vulnerable group, and criminalize individuals and organizations working for the rights of sexual minorities."

The law, signed by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni Monday, strengthens existing penalties for homosexual acts, already illegal in Uganda, with the possibility of life in prison for a repeat offender. The new law makes it a criminal offense to sponsor or encourage homosexuality, and criminalizes failure to report homosexual practices.

Danish Aid Minister Mogens Jensen indicated his country would divert about $9 million in aid earmarked for Uganda, TheLocal.no said.

Dutch Foreign Trade and Aid Minister Lilianne Ploumen and Foreign Affairs Minister Frans Timmermans said the $9.6 million aid money sent annually to the Ugandan government to improve its judicial system will be stopped, DutchNews.nl reported.

Justice Ministry official Teeven said the Netherlands would be flexible on granting asylum to homosexuals from Uganda now that the "draconian" measures were in effect.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2014/02/25/US-reviewing-Uganda-aid-Norway-Denmark-Netherlands-halt-aid/UPI-44021393344691/.

Canada puts sanctions on Syrian oil

Oct. 5, 2011

OTTAWA, Oct. 5 (UPI) -- Sanctions imposed against Syria by the Canadian government prohibit economic activity related to the country's oil sector, the foreign minister said.

Syria is facing near-universal condemnation for its crackdown on the uprising against President Bashar Assad. The United Nations estimates around 3,000 people were killed during the unrest, which began in mid-March.

Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird announced sanctions on Assad's regime that put travel bans and asset freezes on members and supporters of the regime. Additional measures ban the import, purchase, acquisition, carrying or shipment of petroleum or petroleum-related products from Syria.

"The push for political change has claimed thousands of lives with no sign the violence is letting up," Baird said in a statement. "We are committed to working with our international partners to pressure President Assad to step aside."

Syria had exported crude oil to European countries. The 150,000 barrels of crude exported each day provided Damascus with around 30 percent of its revenue.

The U.N. Security Council was unable to pass a resolution against Syria because of vetoes from China and Russia. The United States said, because of the veto, it was "quite a sad day."

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Energy-Resources/2011/10/05/Canada-puts-sanctions-on-Syrian-oil/UPI-94891317812682/.

Thai protest leader places conditions on talks

February 27, 2014

BANGKOK (AP) — The leader of Thailand's anti-government protest movement said Thursday he is willing to negotiate to end the country's political crisis, if the prime minister is willing to talk with him live, one-to-one, on every national television station.

The offer by Suthep Thaugsuban came as increasing violence associated with his group's months-long protest has prompted fresh calls for negotiations. The protesters say they want Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to resign to make way for an unelected interim government to institute anti-corruption reforms.

Yingluck, who is in northern Thailand, responded that her government wants negotiations, but that the protesters must stop blocking elections and other constitutional processes. Suthep's offer was an evident ploy to offset criticism of his longstanding position that his movement would refuse negotiations, even as the government said it was open to them.

He placed several other conditions on talks. These included a refusal to discuss an amnesty for Yingluck's brother, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted by a military coup in 2006 and lives in self-imposed exile to avoid serving a two-year jail term for a 2008 corruption conviction that he says was politically motivated. Since the coup, Thaksin's supporters and opponents have taken to the streets for extended periods in a sometime violent power struggle.

"The most important thing that everyone wants is the end of the protests and for the election to carry on, or else we cannot answer the questions from the international community of how we can protect democracy," Yingluck told reporters in her hometown of Chiang Mai. She said her government was open to almost any approach, but deferred the question of whether she was willing to hold live televised talks.

The elections held earlier this month were disrupted by protesters and remain incomplete. Although the protests have failed to meet self-proclaimed deadlines for success, pressure has been increasing on Yingluck from other quarters.

Several legal challenges could force her from office, and the judiciary has a record of hostility toward her and a willingness to bend over backward to rule in support of the protesters. Thailand's anti-graft commission on Thursday summoned Yingluck to hear charges of negligence for allegedly mishandling a government subsidy program. Her supporters blocked access and chain-locked one of the gates to the agency's headquarters, so Yingluck's legal representatives met commission members elsewhere to accomplish the formalities.

Yingluck could eventually face impeachment by the Senate for criminal charges if the National Anti-Corruption Commission delivers a final ruling against her. The agency is expected to issue its decision in one to two months.

The rice subsidy program — a flagship policy of Yingluck's administration that helped win the votes of millions of farmers — has accumulated losses of at least $4.4 billion and has been dogged by corruption allegations. Payments to farmers have been delayed by many months.

Political violence has worsened recently, with shootings and grenade attacks at protest sites. Twenty-two people have died and hundreds have been hurt since November. The deaths of four children in attacks this past weekend caused widespread shock and sorrow, but seem to have only hardened the positions of both sides.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed his increasing concern and reiterated his condemnation of the escalation of violence. He urged the parties to "engage as soon as possible in meaningful and inclusive dialogue toward ending the crisis and advancing genuine reform," U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky said.

"The secretary-general expresses his readiness to assist the parties and the Thai people in any way possible," he said. Caretaker Foreign Minister Surapong Towichakchaikul said this week that he would suggest inviting Ban to visit Thailand to talk about how to resolve the political conflict.

Herschel finds first evidence of Earth-like water in a comet

Paris, France (ESA)
Oct 06, 2011

A team of astronomers using ESA's Herschel Space Observatory have discovered the first comet containing water that is similar in isotopic composition to that in Earth's oceans. This detection, in the comet 103P/Hartley 2, shows that contrary to earlier belief, comets may well have played an important role in bringing water to our planet, and that the reservoir of Earth-like water in the Solar System is far larger than suspected.

Today, over 70 per cent of the Earth's surface is covered in water. In our planet's early days, however, its surface was so hot that it caused water and other volatiles to evaporate. Researchers agree that the water currently present on Earth has been delivered at a later stage during the planet's evolution, most likely by comets and asteroids. The relative contribution of each class of object to our planet's water supply is, however, still debated.

Shedding light on the nature of the main water carriers to Earth would improve our current understanding of the Solar System's formation and dynamical evolution.

The role of comets in this context is particularly intriguing, since these bodies may have contributed to enriching our planet not only with water, but also with the carbon- and nitrogen-based compounds that are of great importance to the emergence of life.

To investigate further, astronomers seek the signature of water in the spectra of comets and asteroids. But how can they link it to the origin of this fundamental molecule on Earth? A good diagnostic to compare water found in different celestial bodies is to analyse the relative abundance of molecules made up of different isotopes.

Depending on its isotopic composition, water appears in various 'flavours', technically known as isotopologues; among these are 'ordinary' water (H216O), composed of two hydrogen (H) and one oxygen (16O) atoms, and semi-heavy water (HDO), where one of the hydrogen atoms appears in its isotopical form of deuterium (D, or 2H).

In the Earth's oceans, the deuterium-to-hydrogen ratio (D/H) has been determined to be 1.56x10-4. This value is similar to that measured in some meteorites found on Earth, which are believed to originate from the outer asteroid belt.

In contrast, all of the six comets for which this ratio had been measured so far, including the well-known Halley and Hale-Bopp comets, show a value about twice as high as that of Earth-like water. These data seemed to suggest that asteroids, rather than comets, are the primary agents that delivered water to our planet.

A new study, based on Herschel observations, has brought comets back on the scene, thus reopening the debate about the origin of water on Earth. The data demonstrate that comet 103P/Hartley 2, which was discovered in 1986, harbors water that has a D/H ratio similar to that of Earth's oceans. This comet has appeared in our skies on four more occasions since; the last time in late 2010, during which it was observed with Herschel.

"This is the first measurement of the D/H ratio of a Jupiter-Family comet," notes Paul Hartogh from the Max-Planck-Institut fur Sonnensystemforschung (MPS) in Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany.

Hartogh is the first author of a paper to appear in the journal Nature and published online on 5 October 2011. "The previous six determinations of this ratio focused exclusively on Oort-Cloud comets," he adds.

Jupiter-Family (JF) and Oort-Cloud (OC) comets differ in their orbits as well as orbital periods, and have very distinct birthplaces. JF comets, with periods of a few years and aphelia close to the orbits of Jupiter and the other giant planets, are thought to have formed in the Kuiper Belt, at the outskirts of the Solar System, and to have migrated inwards only later.

OC comets have most likely undergone the opposite process. With periods of 200 years or more, these comets are believed to have originated in the vicinity of the giant planets and to have been ejected later, via gravitational interactions, to the Oort Cloud, well beyond the outer Solar System.

Comets harbor material from the pristine cloud from which the planets formed about 4500 million years ago, making them unique tools with which to probe the early Solar System. In fact, these wandering fossils reflect the primordial composition of their respective places of origin: the Kuiper Belt in the case of JF comets, and the region where the giant planets formed, in the case of OC comets.

The recent approach of comet 103P/Hartley 2 to Earth was the closest since its discovery, offering an extraordinary opportunity to measure chemical abundances in a JF comet.

"We took advantage of such a rare chance and used Herschel to obtain exquisite spectra of this comet," says Hartogh. The astronomers were able to detect the spectral signature of two different isotopologues of water: HDO and H218O, the latter being a proxy for 'ordinary' water (H216O).

"The HDO feature is about 10 times weaker than the other one and it would have been very hard to single out had the comet not been so close to the observatory," explains Hartogh. These observations led to the first estimate of the D/H ratio in a JF comet.

"The D/H ratio of water in comets is a cosmic equivalent of forensic 'chemical fingerprinting': by measuring it and comparing it to the theoretical values we can, in principle, nail down the comet's birthplace," comments co-author Dariusz Lis from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California.

The classical theoretical picture suggests that, in the early Solar System, the D/H ratio in water was rather low in the vicinity of the Sun and increasingly larger with increasing heliocentric distance. Given that JF comets supposedly formed farther away from the Sun than their OC counterparts, astronomers expected that they would be characterized by a higher value of this ratio.

"Instead, 103P/Hartley 2 clearly exhibits a lower D/H ratio, which happens to be very similar to that of the water in Earth's oceans," explains co-author Dominique Bockelee-Morvan from the Laboratoire d'Etudes Spatiales et d'Instrumentation en Astrophysique (LESIA) of the Observatoire de Paris at Meudon, France.

The result indicates that something in the underlying models is not correct. It is possible that JF comets did not originate in the Kuiper Belt. Alternatively, the theoretical framework describing the distribution of deuterium and hydrogen in the early Solar System may be incomplete.

Theoretical implications aside, the study's foremost merit is that it legitimizes afresh the role of comets as the carriers of water to our planet. In the light of the new data, the reservoir of Earth-like water in the Solar System appears to be significantly larger than previously thought.

"The unique sensitivity and spectral resolution of the HIFI instrument flown on board Herschel enables us to observe different isotopologues of water in comets," comments Goran Pilbratt, ESA's Herschel Project Scientist. "As this result clearly demonstrates, HIFI observations are shedding new light on the possible origins of water on Earth."

Notes for editors The study presented here is based on observations performed with Herschel's Heterodyne Instrument for the Far Infrared, HIFI. The observations were carried out as part of the 'Water and related chemistry in the Solar System' Key Program.

In October and November 2010, Herschel joined in a global campaign to observe comet 103P/Hartley 2 at several wavelengths across the electromagnetic spectrum, taking advantage of the comet's closest approach to Earth since its discovery. These observations also provided support to NASA's EPOXI mission, which flew past the comet on 4 November 2011.

The D/H ratio of water in comet 103P/Hartley 2 was estimated by comparing the spectral lines of HDO at 509 GHz and H218O at 548 GHz. 'Ordinary' water (H216O) was not probed in the study because, due to its large abundance in the cometary ejecta, its spectral lines are optically thick and only account for a fraction of the total water volume.

As a proxy for H216O, astronomers used H218O, which is characterized by optically thin lines just like HDO, and employed the ratio of H218O to H216O, which is well known, to calibrate the results.

According to the Vienna Standard Mean Ocean Water (VSMOW), a standard defining the isotopic composition of water, the value of the D/H ratio in Earth-like water is 1.558 +/- 0.001 x10-4.

Herschel is ESA's infrared space observatory with science instruments provided by European-led Principal Investigator consortia and important participation from NASA.

HIFI, or the Heterodyne Instrument for the Far Infrared, has been designed and built by a consortium of institutes and university departments across Europe, Canada, and the United States under the leadership of SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research, Groningen, the Netherlands, with major contributions from Germany, France, and the US.

Source: Space Daily.
Link: http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Herschel_finds_first_evidence_of_Earth_like_water_in_a_comet_999.html.

Dawn at Vesta: Massive mountains, rough surface, and old-young dichotomy in hemispheres

Paris, France (SPX)
Oct 06, 2011

NASA's Dawn mission, which has been orbiting Vesta since mid-July, has revealed that the asteroid's southern hemisphere boasts one of the largest mountains in the Solar System. Other results show that Vesta's surface, viewed at different wavelengths, has striking diversity in its composition particularly around craters.

The surface appears to be much rougher than most asteroids in the main asteroid belt. Preliminary results from crater age dates indicate that areas in the southern hemisphere are as young as 1-2 billion years old, much younger than areas in the north. The findings were presented Wednesday at the EPSC-DPS Joint Meeting 2011 in Nantes, France.

"We are learning many amazing things about Vesta, which we call the smallest terrestrial planet," said Chris Russell, the Dawn Principal Investigator.

"Like Earth, Mars, Venus and Mercury, Vesta has ancient basaltic lava flows on the surface and a large iron core. It has tectonic features, troughs, ridges, cliffs, hills and a giant mountain. The south polar mountain is larger than the big island of Hawaii, the largest mountain on Earth, as measured from the ocean floor. It is almost as high as the highest mountain in the solar system, the shield volcano Olympus Mons on Mars."

In mid July Dawn entered orbit around Vesta and began imaging what is possibly the oldest planetary surface in the solar system. The surface of Vesta shows the ravages of time. Many more craters are seen in the northern hemisphere than the southern because an enormous impact altered the earlier cratering record in the south.

Since July the Dawn spacecraft has been moving ever closer to Vesta, moving into a polar orbit to look down on every square kilometer of the planetary surface. In mid August it entered Survey orbit at 2700 km altitude and mapped the entire sunlit surface with its framing camera and Visible and IR mapping spectrometer.

"We completed that phase at the beginning of September and since then have been moving the spacecraft to its next mapping orbit, the High Altitude Mapping Orbit at 680 km altitude, which it reached on the weekend.

Over the coming month it will return complete coverage of the sunlit surface with a resolution of 60 meters," said Carol Raymond, Dawn's Deputy Principal Investigator.

A new coordinate system has been defined for Vesta because the old coordinate system, based on low-resolution telescopic data was wrong by almost 10 degrees . Even with data from the Hubble Space Telescope it had been difficult to determine Vesta's rotation axis. After defining the coordinate system, the team has begun naming the prominent features.

"The head of the mapping spectrometer group, Angioletta Coradini, suggested that the large southern crater on Vesta be called Rheasilvia after the mother of Romulus and Remus and the mother of the Vestal virgins.

The IAU has accepted this suggestion, as well as the names of thirteen Vestal virgins for craters that define quadrangles. The team is now measuring the craters, identifying ridges, hills and lineations to have the sunlit surface totally mapped by the end of the year," said Russell.

The Dawn framing camera, built and operated by the Max-Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS), in cooperation with DLR, Berlin and the Technical University of Braunschweig, provides more information than the black and white images suggest. The framing camera is equipped with seven color filters in order to collect spectral information.

This makes it possible to highlight certain spectral features in false color maps that would not be visible to the naked eye. The surface of Vesta shows striking diversity when viewed in false colors that are ratios of light intensity at different wavelengths.

These false color variations are diagnostic of different surface materials. The spectral variations are particularly strong around craters. Where the clear filter images show bright and dark features, the color data show these are also comprised of different materials, likely excavated by the impacts.

"One of the most prominent color features on Vesta's surface is associated with a 40 km diameter crater near Vesta's equator. It shows a spectacular red ejecta blanket to the south. We believe that this eject blanket, which covers only a half-circle, has been created by an impactor hitting the surface on a trajectory of oblique incidence," said Andreas Nathues of MPS.

Dawn also carries a Visible and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIR), provided by the Italian Space Agency, and managed by Italy's National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF-IASF), in collaboration with Selex Galileo, where it was built. Data from VIR reveal the composition and nature of the materials on the surface of Vesta.

"Data from different wavelengths can be combined to investigate different types of materials. The color variations seen by VIR suggest variability in the surface mineralogy. Brightness variations seen in visible light can be compared with the thermal emission at five microns to determine the source of the variations. Measured surface temperature variations range from 240 to 270K," said Maria Cristina de Sanctis, of INAF-IASF.

The difference in the number of craters between the two hemispheres is also striking. By counting the number of craters per unit area in different terrains, the relative ages of these different terrains can be obtained. Preliminary results of these crater age dates indicate much younger ages for areas in the south versus the north, as young as 1-2 billion years old.

So far, the oldest ages, in the northern hemisphere, are younger than 4 billion years old, which is an unexpected result given that meteorites from Vesta have ages of 4 billion years. However, the crater counts will be refined with the more detailed data to be collected, and the assumptions about how the impact flux decays with time will be evaluated, so the absolute ages are preliminary.

"Vesta's surface has a surprisingly complex set of structural features, including the massive south polar mountain, steep slopes, deep troughs, and sets of curved lineations that appear in some cases to be associated with slumps, or landslides. The variation in Vesta's brightness as the sun angle changes indicates that the surface of Vesta is very rough, causing the light to scatter.

This roughness could be at the scales of surface features or at the scale of individual minerals in the rocks, or both. Vesta's roughness is larger than most asteroids in the main asteroid belt," said Raymond.

"Tragically, the leader of the VIR spectrometer team, Angioletta Coradini, passed away last month but not before she got to see this amazing alien world and to see her suggestion to name the craters of Vesta after the Vestal virgins fulfilled. We are going to miss very much this amazing woman, brilliant scientist and esteemed leader of the VIR investigation," said Russell.

Following a year at Vesta, Dawn will depart in July 2012 for Ceres, where it will arrive in 2015...

Source: Space Daily.
Link: http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Dawn_at_Vesta_Massive_mountains_rough_surface_and_old_young_dichotomy_in_hemispheres_999.html.