Jordan wants to see proof pilot alive before exchange

2015-01-29

AMMAN - Jordan said Thursday that it would not release an Iraqi female jihadist until it receives proof that a Jordanian pilot held by the Islamic State group is alive.

IS has threatened to execute the airman unless Jordan frees Sajida al-Rishawi by sunset Thursday in exchange for Japanese hostage Kenji Goto.

"Jordan is willing to exchange Sajida al-Rishawi for the Jordanian pilot. At this point we want to emphasize that we have asked for proof of life from Daesh (IS) and we have not received anything yet," Jordanian government spokesman Mohammad al-Momani said.

"Rishawi is still in Jordan and the exchange will happen once we receive the proof of life that we asked for," he told reporters.

He made no mention of Goto.

The deadline set by IS to hand over Rishawi at the Turkish border in return for Goto's life falls when the sun sets in the Iraqi city of Mosul at around 1500 GMT.

Jordan has offered to free the Iraqi woman, who was convicted for her part in triple-hotel bombings in Amman in 2005 that killed 60 people, if IS releases their airman.

While IS threatened Kassasbeh's life, it was not clear from its message if the jihadist group was ready to free the pilot as part of an exchange.

Jordan has said its priority is to see the airman return home safely.

Kassasbeh was captured on December 24 after his F-16 jet crashed while on a mission against the jihadists over northern Syria.

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=69935.

Municipality wants to turn Amman into green city by 2020

by Muath Freij
Jan 24, 2015

AMMAN — The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) on Saturday said it is working to turn the capital into a green city by 2020.

In a statement sent to The Jordan Times, Amman Mayor Aqel Biltaji said GAM will launch new projects and open public parks to expand green spaces in the city.

Emad Dabbas, the rapporteur of the “Amman is a green city” committee, said the working plan stretches over several phases.

“First, we will start collecting data from past studies related to the parks that were already built in the capital. We will also continue studies that have been completed so we can first document the projects we already have,” he told The Jordan Times over the phone on Saturday.

Dabbas, who is also an architect, noted that the committee will conduct studies targeting main and side streets and the traffic situation in preparation for the project.

“We first want to rehabilitate the gate of Amman, which is the airport road, by planting a number of trees and landscaping the highway to beautify it for our visitors,” he added.

Dabbas said GAM will start planting trees in some areas in Amman in the next five years and begin work to construct new parks.

There are a total of 145 public parks in 22 areas in Amman, according to the official.

“The private sector, including banks and big companies, will also take part in the project out of their social responsibility towards their city,” he added.

The project will be unveiled on March 21, according to Dabbas.

“The budget allocated for the project will be revealed in March after the announcement of the results but the amount of money earmarked for rehabilitating parks and green projects this year is JD4 million.”

Source: The Jordan Times.
Link: http://jordantimes.com/municipality-wants-to-turn--amman-into-green-city-by-2020.

Ennahda joins new government lineup

Marouen Achouri
February 4, 2015
Pascale el-Khoury

On Feb. 2, Habib Essid unveiled the second lineup of his government. During a press conference that was as quick as the previous one, the head of government submitted a new version of the government's composition. A political government team was established following tough negotiations. First observation: Essid’s position is already weakened!

The first lesson deduced from this new lineup is that Essid caved to partisan pressures. Indeed, his new team includes members from two parties that were not part of the first government lineup: Ennahda and Afek Tunis. Yassine Brahim and Samira Merai were respectively assigned as minister of investment and international cooperation and minister of women, family and children. Ennahda was accorded two secretaries of state as well as the minister of vocational training and employment, [whose leadership was] assumed by Zied Laadhari. Therefore, the new list of names proposed by Essid includes all four parties: Nidaa Tunis, Ennahda, Afek Tunis and the Free Patriotic Union.

This should guarantee Essid an easy vote of confidence before the Assembly of People's Representatives. This was precisely Essid’s objective for integrating these two new parties into the government's composition — to overcome the assembly vote of confidence challenge unhindered and to be able to claim that he had formed a government of national unity.

There have been changes in this government, but not in all branches. Indeed, the names of those appointed in charge of the four sovereign ministries remained unchanged despite criticism. The appointment of Mohamed Najem Gharsalli, minister of the interior, had raised questions. His supposed close ties to Ennahda during his term as governor were frequently mentioned on one hand, and his past as a judge was strongly condemned by his colleagues, such as Kalthoum Kennou, on the other. Essid refused to change his [new] government lineup, as he had managed to create a fragile balance, and it would be risky to question the lineup today. Several leaks had raised the name of Karoui Chebbi Lazher as defense minister to replace Farhat Horchani but this did not happen. But Chebbi got a consolation prize by being appointed personal representative of the president of the republic, Beji Caid Essebsi.

This sensitivity to political pressures and the obligation to share portfolios has a perverse effect: Essid will begin his mission in a weakened position. Evidence of this weakness is the changes in the government’s structure. When comparing the two cabinet compositions proposed by Essid, and notwithstanding changes regarding names, it is important to note that several ministerial portfolios or state secretariats have changed or were eliminated. For example, the secretariat of state in charge of taxation and levies no longer exists, and a state secretariat in charge of housing was created. In addition to the structure, we may note a change in terms of some names. Former Minister of Commerce Slim Shaker was appointed minister of economy and finance, Khadija Cherif is no longer the minister of women and Mohsen Hassan is no longer minister of tourism.

This change in government structures and the proposed names does not bode well, according to some observers. Indeed, the urgent programs to be undertaken by the new government under the leadership of Prime Minister Essid require a clear vision. Some believe that they saw a glimpse of this vision at the first presentation of Essid’s government lineup, at least at the level of structures. However, this did not withstand partisan pressures, so everything was put into question at the first difficulty. The delivered message is somewhat worrying, because this government will face a multitude of other difficulties.

The only objective sought by Essid is to gather maximum votes to be able to gain confidence in the assembly. Essid wishes to convey a message of national cohesion and unity through a government that obtains an almost unanimous [vote of] confidence. However, it is a heterogeneous formation that will face challenges related to employment, unemployment and the high cost of living. It is also a cabinet formation whose composition does not seem to be based on a program or a plan of action.

A political party, the Popular Front, has already expressed its disagreement with this composition and will, in fact, find itself in the opposition camp. MP Ammar Amroussia, a leader in the party, announced this Feb. 2 by associating consultations on the composition of the new government with political maneuvers and conspiracies. Mongi Rahoui said on Nessma TV that this government was based on imaginary consensuses.

Several doubts surround the new composition proposed by Essid. Analysts and observers agree that this composition is the result of political pressure aimed at involving Afek Tunis and Ennahda in the government. Between the program of this government and the necessity that the team proposed by Essid obtain confidence, sacrifices were made. Today, the repercussions of this government composition can also be seen in Nidaa Tunis and Ennahda. The two parties that fought a brutal war during the two campaigns will find themselves today side by side within the same government. The future may be full of surprises.

Source: al-Monitor.
Link: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/politics/2015/02/tunisia-government-composition-ennahda-afek-tounes.html.

Tunisia's Ennahda says reject new government before vote

25 January 2015 Sunday

Tunisia's Ennahda, which holds the second largest number of seats in parliament, said on Sunday it would reject a government proposed last week by Prime Minister designate Habib Essid.

Parliament is due to vote on the new cabinet this week.

"We decided not to approve this government because it does not represent all the political classes and it breaks with the consensual way we have worked recently," Ennahda leader Sahbi Atig, told Reuters after a party meeting.

Essid has proposed a cabinet formed from the main secular Nidaa Tounes party and smaller partners, but no posts went to the two other main blocks in the parliament, Ennahda and the leftist Popular Front.

Source: World Bulletin.
Link: http://www.worldbulletin.net/todays-news/153774/tunisias-ennahda-says-reject-new-government-before-vote.

Clashes erupt in Mauritania after jailing of anti-slavery activists

2015-01-16

NOUAKCHOTT - Police in Mauritania used tear gas to disperse protesters, after three anti-slavery activists were sentenced to two years in prison on Thursday.

Biram Ould Dah Ould Abeid, the runner-up in 2014 presidential elections and the head of an anti-slavery group, was convicted along with one of his aides Bilal Ramdane, and Djiby Sow, a civic and cultural rights campaigner.

Seven others on trial for joining anti-slavery protests in November were released.

Dozens of their supporters stormed the courthouse and surrounded the prosecutor's office while others smashed the windows of the police van carrying the three, according to private news agency Al-Akhbar.

Police responded with tear gas, leaving four injured, according to the news agency.

Amnesty International statement condemned the use of tear gas and batons force by police.

"We are going to appeal," Brahim Ould Ebetty, a defense lawyer said in response to the guilty verdict.

- Last country to abolish slavery -

The activists were charged with "belonging to an illegal organisation, leading an unauthorized rally, and violence against the police", their defense team said.

According to Amnesty, the activists were arrested while trying to educate people about land rights in the west African country where slave descendants are often forced to give up a portion of their crops to the traditional masters.

Gaetan Mootoo, Amnesty's West Africa researcher, denounced the convictions, saying: "The intensifying crackdown on anti-slavery activists in Mauritania has no legal justification and is symptomatic of the government's lack of respect for human rights."

Mauritanian authorities have accused Ould Abeid's Initiative for the Resurgence of the Abolitionist Movement (IRA) of spreading "racist propaganda"

Police have shut down IRA's headquarters in the capital Nouakchott.

The country was the last in the world to abolish slavery, in 1981, and since 2007 its practice has been officially designated a crime punishable by up to ten years in prison.

But campaigners say the government has failed in the past to acknowledge the extent of the trade.

Forced labour is a particularly sensitive issue in Mauritania, where anti-slavery charities are very active.

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=69715.

Nine killed in luxury Tripoli hotel attack

2015-01-28

By Ibrahim Hadeia
Tripoli

Gunmen stormed a hotel in Tripoli popular with diplomats and officials Tuesday in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group, killing at least nine people, including five foreigners, before blowing themselves up.

After setting off a car bomb outside the luxury Corinthia Hotel in Libya's capital, three militants rushed inside and opened fire, Issam al-Naass, a security services spokesman, said.

They made it to the 24th floor of the hotel, a major hub of diplomatic and government activity, before being surrounded by security forces and detonating explosive belts they were wearing, he said.

The dead included three security guards killed in the initial attack, five foreigners shot dead by the gunmen and a hostage who died when the attackers blew themselves up.

Naass said the foreigners killed were an American, two Filipinas, a French citizen and a South Korean. He did not give their identities.

At least five people were also wounded during the assault, including two Filipina employees hurt by broken glass from the car bomb, he said.

The nationalities of the hostage who died was not immediately known.

US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki had said earlier there was a report of an American having been killed, but that it could not be confirmed

"This attack cannot be allowed to impede the critical work that is underway to find a political solution" in Libya, she said.

The hotel's 24th floor is normally used by Qatar's mission to Libya, but no diplomats or officials were present during the assault, a security source said.

The head of Libya's self-declared government, Omar al-Hassi, was inside the hotel at the time of the attack but was evacuated safely, Naass said.

- Claim of assassination attempt -

In a statement on Twitter, the Tripoli branch of the Islamic State jihadist group claimed responsibility for the attack, the SITE Intelligence Group said.

It said the attack was in honor of Abu Anas al-Libi, an Al-Qaeda suspect who died in the United States earlier this month, days before facing a trial for bombing US embassies.

A video posted on jihadist forums showed an image of one of the alleged perpetrators.

Several militant groups in Libya have pledged allegiance to IS, the Sunni extremist organisation that has seized control of large parts of Syria and Iraq and declared an Islamic "caliphate".

Security forces loyal to Hassi's government, which is jostling for power with the internationally backed authority of Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thani, surrounded the building during the assault.

The government in Tripoli said Tuesday's attack was an assassination attempt on Hassi it blamed on "enemies of the revolution and the war criminal Khalifa Haftar", a former general who last year spearheaded an operation against Islamist militias in second city Benghazi.

Ambulances, armored vehicles and pick-up trucks with mounted artillery could be seen around the hotel during the assault.

Security forces prevented journalists from entering the hotel after the assault, saying work was needed inside to ensure the assailants had not left behind booby traps.

- 'Blow' to peace efforts -

EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini condemned the attack, calling it "another reprehensible act of terrorism which deals a blow to efforts to bring peace and stability to Libya."

She expressed "solidarity with the victims and their families" but made no mention of the nationalities of the dead.

A new round of UN-mediated peace talks between Libya's rival factions kicked off in Geneva Monday as they seek to implement a roadmap on forming a unity government.

The North African nation has been wracked by conflict since the overthrow of dictator Moamer Gathafi in a 2011 uprising, with rival governments and powerful militias now battling for control of key cities and the country's oil riches.

The Islamist-backed Fajr Libya (Libya Dawn) militia alliance took control of Tripoli last summer, forcing Thani's government to flee to the remote east.

The luxurious Corinthia was long considered a haven in a city beset by unrest, with officials, diplomats and foreign businessmen crossing paths in its lavish reception area.

In October 2013, gunmen seized then prime minister Ali Zeidan from the hotel, where he was residing. He was released after several hours.

British Prime Minister David Cameron and then French president Nicolas Sarkozy met top officials at the hotel in September 2011, when they were the first foreign leaders to visit Libya after Gathafi's ouster.

In Benghazi meanwhile, 22 people were killed and 68 wounded in fighting since Monday evening, a security source said.

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=69905.

Riyadh one of world's 50 safest cities

29 January 2015

RIYADH: ARAB NEWS

Riyadh ranked 46th in the list of the world’s 50 safest cities for 2015, with Tokyo topping the list and Jakarta trailing at the end, according to the annual report drafted by The Economist magazine.

In its evaluation of the 50 safest cities, The Economist used four indicators including the quality of digital security in the city and rate of identity theft. Riyadh came in the 43rd position with 53.26 percent in this area.

In health security which looks into the life expectancy rates of the city’s inhabitants and the rate of hospital beds in comparison with its population, Riyadh achieved 53.33 percent.

The city also achieved 61.53 percent in infrastructure safety which is concerned with the quality of roads .

As far as personal security goes, Riyadh received 60.26 percent for traditional safety measures such as police intervention and the number of crime victims.

Overall, Tokyo ranked first in the index, Abu Dhabi (25), Doha (29), Kuwait (36), Tehran (49) and Jakarta (50).

New York and Los Angeles ranked first in digital security, and Zurich topped the list in health and infrastructure safety.

Source: Arab News.
Link: http://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/news/696346.

King shakes up Cabinet; Riyadh, Makkah governors replaced

30 January 2015

RIYADH: ARAB NEWS

A huge Cabinet revamp has taken place following a royal decree issued by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman.

Prince Turki bin Abdullah has been relieved as governor of Riyadh, and so with Prince Mishaal bin Abdullah as Makkah governor.

Prince Faisal bin Bandar was replaced as Qassim governor by Prince Faisal bin Mishaal.

Health Minister Prince Faisal bin Abdulaziz was given back his former post as governor of Makkah. Ahmed Al-Khateeb is the new health minister.

Prince Khaled Bandar was removed as intelligence chief and replaced by Brig. Gen. Khaled Al-Humaidan.

Prince Bandar bin Sultan was removed as National Security Council chief.

Prince Miteb bin Abdullah remains as Minister of the National Guard.

Also left untouched were veteran Oil Minister Ali Al-Naimi, Finance Minister Ibrahim Alassaf, Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Labor Minister Adel Fakeih, Commerce and Industry Minister Tawfiq Al-Rabiah, Transport Minister Jabara Al-Seraisry, and Economy and Planning Minister Mohammed Al-Jasser.

Appointed as chief of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (Haia) was Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Sanad, erstwhile president of Madinah Islamic University.

Adil Turaifi was named minister of information, Saleh Al-Shaikh is the new minister of Islamic Affairs, Abdul Latif Al-Shaikh was made minister of municipal and rural affairs, and Mansour bin Mit'eb is the new state minister.

Dr. Azzam Al-Dakhil was named minister of the merged education and higher education ministries, now to be known as Education Ministry.

Mohammed Abdullah Al-Jadaan is the new Capital Market Authority (CMA) chief and Khaled Al-Mohaisen is new chief of the anti-corruption watchdog Nazaha.

Prince Abdul Aziz bin Salman was named deputy oil minister.

Named IT minister was Mohammed Al-Suwaiyyel, current chief of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST).

Nabeel Al-Amoudi is the new chief of Saudi Ports Authority.

Source: Arab News.
Link: http://www.arabnews.com/breaking-news/news/696656.

King of Saudi Arabia dies at age of 90, Crown Prince Salman declared new ruler

2015-01-23

RIYADH - Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz died on Friday and was replaced by Crown Prince Salman, the OPEC-kingpin's royal court said in a statement.

The late monarch's half brother Moqren was named crown prince, according to the statement.

King Abdullah, believed to be around 90 years old, was hospitalized in December suffering from pneumonia and had been breathing with the aid of a tube.

He died on Friday "at 1:00 am (2200 GMT)" and would be buried later in the day following afternoon prayers, said the statement.

In recent years, his advanced age and poor health had raised concerns about the future leadership of one of the world's key oil producers.

Abdullah's half-brother Salman, 79, was named crown prince in June 2012 following the death of Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz.

Salman had been representing the king at most recent public events because of the monarch's poor health.

In March 2014, King Abdullah named his half-brother Prince Moqren as a second crown prince, in an unprecedented move aimed at smoothing succession hurdles.

Moqren, who was born in 1945, is the youngest of Abdulaziz's sons.

Salman is a 79-year-old stalwart of the royal family credited with transforming the capital Riyadh during his half-century as governor.

Like Abdullah, Salman is seen as a moderate with a reputation for austerity, hard work and discipline, especially in his role overseeing the hundreds of young princes in the royal family.

Born on December 31, 1935, Salman is the 25th son of the desert kingdom's founder Abdulaziz bin Saud and a prominent member of a formidable bloc of brothers known as the Sudairi seven, after their mother Hassa bin Ahmed al-Sudairi.

He is the sixth son of Abdulaziz to become king of the arid, oil-rich nation.

Salman was appointed governor of Riyadh province at the age of only 20, in line with a tradition of putting royal family members in charge of key provinces.

He is considered the architect of the development of Riyadh from a desert backwater to a modern metropolis, balancing the historic power of the Red Sea city of Jeddah.

The governorship "allowed him to serve as a generally very well respected arbiter of al-Saud family affairs, as well as overseeing the city's emergence," said Eleanor Gillespie of the London-based Gulf States Newsletter.

"Salman has a reputation for probity and for being 'clean' when it comes to money," Gillespie said.

Salman only took on his first ministerial post -- as defense minister -- in 2011 following the death of his brother Prince Sultan.

He was officially named crown prince following the death of the previous heir apparent, Nayef, in June 2012 and undertook a series of visits to Western and Asian nations.

He has since developed solid ties with foreign partners and "is probably Western policy-makers' favorite choice when it comes to future kings", Gillespie said.

Said to be a hard worker who arrives in the office every day at 7:00 am sharp, Salman also has a reputation for accessibility, holding court three times a week.

"He is a man of dialogue who always preferred to solve problems amicably," said Anwar Eshki, the director of the Jeddah-based Middle East Institute for Strategic Studies.

"He prefers moderation" in internal and foreign policy and "follows in the steps of Abdullah", who was a keen reformer, said Eshki.

Salman is also in charge of the many young princes in the royal family, who "respect and fear him", Eshki said.

Salman is reputed to be ill and there had been speculation he might not claim the throne at all, according to a source close to the circle of power.

But one diplomat said: "Despite his age he is active on all fronts, especially since the king slightly stepped back."

Married three times, Prince Salman had 10 sons, two of whom have died, and a daughter.

One of his sons, Prince Abdul Aziz bin Salman, was appointed assistant petroleum minister in 2004 and is considered likely to succeed veteran Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi.

His most famous son is Prince Sultan, who became the first Saudi to go into space when he joined a 1985 mission on the US space shuttle Discovery. He is currently head of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities.

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=69828.

Spanish radical left party gets boost with huge Madrid rally

January 31, 2015

MADRID (AP) — At least 100,000 people marched through Madrid on Saturday in a show of strength by a fledgling radical leftist party, which hopes to emulate the success of Greece's Syriza party in the Spanish general election later this year.

Podemos supporters from across Spain converged around the Cibeles fountain Saturday before packing the avenue leading to Puerta del Sol square in what was the party's largest rally to date. Police said at least 100,000 people participated in the march while Podemos put the figure at 300,000.

Podemos ("We Can") aims to shatter the country's predominantly two-party system and the "March for Change" gathered crowds in the same place where sit-in protests against political and financial corruption laid the party's foundations in 2011.

The party's rise is greatly due to the charisma of its pony-tailed leader, Pablo Iglesias, a 36-year-old political science professor. Hailing from the Madrid working class neighborhood of Vallecas, Iglesias prefers jeans and rolled up shirt sleeves to a suit and tie and champions slogans such as Spain is "run by the butlers of the rich" and that the economy must serve the people.

"We want change," Iglesias told the crowd. "This is the year for change and we're going to win the elections." Speaking at a meeting in Barcelona, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said he didn't accept the bleak picture of Spain that Podemos propagated.

"They're a sad bunch, who go around saying how badly things are going," he said, giving them no chance of winning the elections. "They're not going to do it." Senior Podemos member Rita Maestre told The Associated Press that their aim was to show that the party is the instrument for change.

"We called the demonstration in the hope of lighting the torch (flame)." In roughly a year, Podemos has leap-frogged from being the dream of a handful of university professors and activists to a political party.

Opinion polls show the party could possibly take the No.1 spot in upcoming elections and thus trigger one of the biggest political shake-ups in Spain since democracy was restored in 1978 after decades of dictatorship.

"The two-party framework has suffered a change. It now really does seem like a third political force can achieve government, so yes, I think it can have a great impact," said literature student Alicia Sanchez, 20.

This year, Spain holds elections in 15 of its 17 regions followed by general elections. Podemos' first battle will be in the southern Socialist heartland of Andalusia in March, followed by regional and municipal elections in the crucial ruling Popular Party stronghold of Madrid in May.

"The political class has lost all credibility," said unemployed lathe worker Marcos Pineda, 54. "The PP that governs today had its former treasurer in jail for corruption and the banks were bailed out with 40 billion euros ($52 billion) of European money, but the government refused to call it a bailout."

Podemos has often expressed its support for some of the policies of left-wing governments in Venezuela, Bolivia and Ecuador, which makes many Spanish mainstream politicians bristle. In Europe, it openly supports Syriza, which won national elections in Greece on Jan. 25 and which has pledged to challenge the austerity measures imposed on the country by the European Union and International Monetary Fund.

While there are major political and economic differences between Spain and Greece, both countries have suffered severe economic crises, massive unemployment and austerity measures while simultaneously having to put up with myriad political corruption scandals.

This combination has given rise to a nationwide anti-establishment movement that has boosted Podemos and Syriza immensely.

Associated Press writer Ciaran Giles contributed to this report.

Chinese scars endure 70 years after Unit 731 liberation

Harbin, China (AFP)
Feb 6, 2015

It is decades since Li Fengqin's father was cut apart by Japanese doctors at a covert base used for human experiments, but she still hopes Tokyo will confront one of World War Two's most barbaric Asian chapters.

"This debt of blood must be paid," Li said, tearfully recalling his fate at Unit 731.

The world last week remembered 70 years since Soviet troops liberated Auschwitz, a site that has become a global byword for acts of inhumanity.

Eight months later the Red Army was sweeping through northern China where its forces found themselves at the gates of another camp which still conjures visions of unspeakable horror.

Unit 731 -- at first described as a lumber mill, then a water purification plant -- was built to conduct research into germ warfare, weapons capabilities and the limits of the human body, rather than for mass extermination.

But its remains echo many of the chilling hallmarks of a former Nazi death camp -- a disused railway track, ghostly buildings, and a biting winter chill.

One structure contains rows of cages that housed giant rats which Japanese doctors used to produce the bubonic plague unleashed on hundreds of thousands of Chinese.

Elsewhere, dozens of gruesome surgical instruments are laid out, including tiny weighing scales for internal organs and clamps to fix hysterical patients into position.

"Experiments were carried out without anesthetic so that the results would not be influenced," said Gao Yubao, director of the camp museum, which Chinese authorities plan to expand.

Behind him a video continually retells the story of a young Chinese woman who had her arms frozen stiff with ice, before being placed into a vat of hot water.

A reconstruction of the scene shows a Japanese doctor striking at the flesh, stripping it off and reducing her forearms to bones as her screams echo around the hall.

- 'Damage and suffering' -

Imperial Japan's bloody invasion of China remains a major source of tension between Asia's two biggest economies, and Beijing commonly calls on Tokyo to "confront history".

The sprawling Unit 731 complex is in the southern outskirts of Harbin, the biggest city of Manchukuo, the puppet state set up by Japan after it occupied northern China in 1931.

At least 3,000 people, mostly Chinese civilians along with some Russians, Mongolians and Koreans, were experimented on and died between 1939 and 1945, Chinese state media say.

Japan has repeatedly apologized for its part in the Second World War and acknowledges that it "caused tremendous damage and suffering".

But it has never officially recognized the atrocities took place at Unit 731. The number has no particular significance there and few Japanese made any link when nationalist Prime Minister Shinzo Abe posed in a fighter jet emblazoned with "731".

Abe's government denied any deliberate provocation.

Many educated Japanese know about Unit 731 and the events that took place there, although awareness among the general population is low.

Nonetheless a Tokyo court ruled in 2002 that the former imperial army researched, developed and produced biological weapons and used them in China.

Japanese troops dropped plague-carrying fleas on villages while contaminating wells and food with cholera germs, it said.

But it turned down Chinese plaintiffs' demands for compensation and a state apology, reasoning that was a government issue.

Beijing's foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said last week's Holocaust Memorial Day was "a moment for everyone to draw lessons", commending the "attitudes demonstrated by the German leaders" in comments seen as a reference to Japan.

But while China is quick to remind Japan of past wrongs, it has been far less willing to recognize the role of the ruling Communist Party in domestic disasters such as Mao Zedong's Great Leap Forward and the ensuing famine that killed several tens of millions of people.

The Cultural Revolution of 1966-76 and the 1989 Tiananmen Square killings have also never been historically scrutinized within the country.

- 'Pieces of wood' -

Some of those at Unit 731 died in experiments testing weapons such as grenades and biological bombs. Others are said to have been buried alive or drowned.

Doctors injected prisoners with animal blood or forced them to share cells -- or have sexual intercourse with -- diseased inmates to test how infectious the conditions were, historians say.

Li discovered her father's fate more than half a century after he went missing in spring 1941, when a list of Unit 731 victims was discovered in archives in 1998.

Li Pengge spoke Chinese, Russian, Korean, Japanese and English, and was detained after refusing to help Japanese Intelligence detect Soviet signals, his daughter said.

He faced his gruesome death on an operating table aged 25, before she was even born.

Now 73, she pointed to a graduation photograph of a tall, slender man.

"There's no way to describe years of hardship seeking my father and the pain of knowing he'd been killed," she said.

"The Japanese pretended it was a lumber mill, and they called the Chinese 'logs' and treated them like pieces of wood."

Source: Sino Daily.
Link: http://www.sinodaily.com/reports/Chinese_scars_endure_70_years_after_Unit_731_liberation_999.html.

Ukraine president pushes for fast cease-fire, defensive arms

February 07, 2015

MUNICH (AP) — Ukraine's president pushed for both a quick cease-fire in his country's troubled east and defensive weapons from the West, as mediators sought momentum Saturday for a deal to stem the fighting at Europe's edge.

Petro Poroshenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin are to confer with the leaders of Germany and France by phone Sunday in an effort to overcome months of setbacks and suspicion and breathe new life into a much-violated September peace plan. But even those who had scheduled the call were cautious about its prospects.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel — who along with French President Francois Hollande traveled to Kiev on Thursday and Moscow on Friday — acknowledged disillusionment over the failure of previous agreements to stick and said "there are no theoretical guarantees" that a new one would either.

Western anxiety over the conflict is growing and sanctions are taking a toll on Russia's economy. More than 5,300 people have been killed since fighting began in April, according to a U.N. tally, and the bloodshed has markedly increased over the past two weeks.

"I do not believe there will be a final solution on this situation. Putin is still not weak enough to accept that, and the West is not strong enough to insist on its terms," said Igor Sutyagin, an analyst with the Royal United Services Institute in Britain.

The resurgent fighting has prompted the U.S. to consider giving lethal weapons to Ukraine, an option opposed by European nations which fear the move would merely exacerbate the situation. "I cannot imagine any situation in which improved equipment for the Ukrainian army leads to President Putin being so impressed that he believes he will lose militarily," Merkel said at the Munich Security Conference. "I have to put it that bluntly."

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, who also attended the Munich conference, stopped short of explicitly addressing possible arms deliveries. "We will continue to provide Ukraine with security assistance not to encourage war, but to allow Ukraine to defend itself," he said.

Russia's most immediate goal is likely the lifting of some of the Western sanctions which, in concert with plunging oil prices, have driven the Russian economy into a parlous state — or at least to fend off the imposition of further sanctions. In the longer game, Russia has pushed for so-called "federalization" of Ukraine that would give broad powers to its provinces and allow them to deal directly with Moscow.

Russia also wants to keep Ukraine out of NATO. Although Ukraine dropped its nonalignment policy last year, the Western alliance would be unlikely to accept Ukraine anytime soon because of its unstable politics and endemic corruption.

France's president said a new peace deal could feature a broad demilitarized zone and greater autonomy for Ukraine's separatist eastern region. "These people have gone to war," Francois Hollande said. "It will be difficult to make them share a common life."

The aim is to draw up a possible joint document on implementing the September peace plan concluded in Minsk, Belarus. That widely disregarded agreement also featured a demilitarized zone, though the battle lines have since changed, and the government in Kiev has offered a measure of autonomy to the separatists.

While Germany and France are facilitating talks, "the important decisions must be made in Moscow and Kiev," German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said. Poroshenko told the Munich conference that Ukraine stands ready for a "comprehensive and immediate cease-fire" and Russia should be too.

He indicated he wanted no peacekeepers in eastern Ukraine, saying they wouldn't be needed if foreign fighters withdrew and the Ukraine-Russia border was sealed. Then, he said, there would be "peace and stability in Ukraine ... within a couple of weeks."

"There is no temporary solution — this conflict must be resolved, not frozen," he said, alluding to long-time conflicts involving breakaway regions in Georgia and Moldova. Later, Poroshenko suggested the Ukrainian side could be flexible on certain issues. He said he was open to discussing the size and contours of a proposed buffer zone separating the combatants, and was prepared to put the question of federalization to a referendum.

Merkel said it is uncertain whether the talks will succeed, "but it is, from my point of view and that of the French president, in any case worth making this attempt." Biden agreed that an attempt was worthwhile but said Russia must be judged by its actions, "not by the paper they signed."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also said he hoped for results. As soon as Kiev and eastern Ukrainian separatists agree on practical details of implementing the Minsk deal, "I am sure that Russia will be among those parties that will guarantee the implementation of this agreement," Lavrov told the conference. "But you can only guarantee what has already been achieved."

The United States and other Western countries contend Russia has supplied troops and equipment to the separatists in eastern Ukraine who have been fighting Ukrainian government forces since April. Russia denies the claims.

Lavrov also denounced "growing appeals in the West to ... pump Ukraine full with lethal weapons and to involve it in NATO." He said that "this position will only exacerbate the tragedy of Ukraine." Poroshenko said talk of lethal weapons had been overdone and pointed to interest in equipment such as radar and jamming stations.

Ukraine has "proven to be responsible, that we will not use the defensive equipment to the attack," he said. "The stronger our defense, the more convincing is our diplomatic voice." Meanwhile, fighting continued in eastern Ukraine. Five Ukrainian servicemen were killed and 26 wounded in fighting over the past day, Ukrainian security council spokesman Volodymyr Polyoviy said Saturday. The government website in the port city of Mariupol said one man was killed in shelling of the outlying settlement of Gnutove, which it blamed on rebels.

David Rising in Munich, Jim Heintz in Moscow and Lori Hinnant in Paris contributed to this report.

Polish presidential candidate pledges increased social care

February 07, 2015

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The presidential candidate of Poland's conservative opposition party has started his campaign, vowing to protect weaker social groups and to follow the policy of late President Lech Kaczynski who was killed in a 2010 plane crash.

Andrzej Duda, 42, of the Law and Justice party opened his campaign Saturday in a festive meeting with party leaders and backers. He vowed to lower the retirement age, and to care for the unemployed, miners and farmers, who are currently protesting the loss of jobs and falling prices for their produce.

Three other candidates have so far declared to run in the May 10 election: President Bronislaw Komorowski, who leads in the opinion polls; trans-gender lawmaker Anna Grodzka and left-wing Magdalena Ogorek, a young former TV presenter with almost no political experience.

Can Greece's new government keep its promises

February 07, 2015

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece's new prime minister came to power two weeks ago riding a wave of hope for change. But his pledge to rewrite the bailout agreement that has kept the country afloat for nearly five years doesn't depend on him alone.

Agreement by the other European countries which contributed to the 240-billion-euro ($272-billion) bailout is essential. So far, it hasn't been forthcoming. The big question is how many, if any, of his promises Alexis Tsipras can keep without risking a potentially disastrous Greek exit from Europe's multinational currency, the euro.

A crucial indication of which direction the government intends to go in comes on Sunday, when Tsipras presents his government's policy plan in parliament. A three-day debate culminates in a confidence vote late Tuesday.

"If the policy statements are as hard as the pre-election ones ... you understand that we're heading to a big clash, and I think the markets will move accordingly," said Nick Kafkas, head of research and analysis at Merit Securities.

Tsipras and his finance minister, Yanis Varoufakis, have crisscrossed Europe over the past week to drum up support for their plan to reach a new agreement with European countries. Their argument is that after nearly five years, it's obvious the current system of austerity-linked reforms is not working and the level of debt is so high it can never be repaid.

After all of the painful spending cuts, structural reforms and tax hikes, there has been some improvement and Greece posted its first primary surplus — budget balance excluding interest payments — last year. But despite billions in cheap loans and the world's largest debt write-down in 2012, Greece's economy has shrunk by a quarter and its debt stands at more than 170 percent of gross domestic product.

Tsipras and Varoufakis received a warm reception on some stops, but not in lead lender and bailout enforcer Germany. And Greece doesn't have much time. Its current bailout agreement expires at the end of February and the European Central Bank announced this week it can no longer accept junk-rated Greek bonds as collateral for loans to the country's banks after Feb. 11.

Although the banks can still access funds from an Emergency Liquidity Fund, that system can't go on for long. "Greece runs out of money in March or April, and its negotiating position with its international partners will be severely weakened when this happens," said Megan Greene, chief economist at Munulife Asset Management.

Before the Jan. 25 elections, Tsipras called for most of Greece's debt to be written off. He also promised to restore the minimum monthly wage to 751 euros, re-hire sacked public service workers, re-introduce collective wage agreements, provide subsidized electricity and food to the poorest and roll back a series of bailout commitments, including privatizations.

Greece's creditors were horrified. The pledges, they argue, would cost way more than Greece can afford and re-create some of the very conditions that led the country into its fiscal mess in the first place — an over-rigid, uncompetitive work environment and bloated public sector.

They also say relaxing Greece's conditions would be unfair to other EU countries that received bailouts: Ireland, Portugal and Cyprus. "The conditions with Greece were generous, beyond all measure," German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble told Germany's ARD television Thursday after a rather tense Berlin meeting with Varoufakis. "What would other countries say, for whom the conditions were tighter and stronger?"

In such a climate, it will be hard for the government to fulfill all its promises. "If someone asks me whether they can do everything they had announced before the elections, I'd say categorically 'no'," said Kafkas of Merit Securities. "It's unfeasible. Also, there are two dimensions: one is whether they can do them all, and one is in what timeframe. ... They can do some, over a stretch of time. And that's an issue of negotiation."

With the noose tightening around Greece's neck, the government has already softened some of the confrontational rhetoric of its first week in power, when tough talk of rolling back bailout pledges sent the Athens stock market plummeting.

Calls for debt forgiveness have been qualified with a proposal to exchange debt to bailout creditors with growth-linked bonds and interest-only "perpetual" bonds — which would have a similar effect without it being an outright debt cancellation.

During a press conference after his meeting with Schauble, Varoufakis also said that some reforms in the current program were correct. "It's not that the current reform program is to be discarded altogether. I would say that 60-70 percent of what in that list consists of moves and measures that we should want to take ourselves," Varoufakis said, but added that the structure of the bailout was wrong.

The government currently says it needs time to negotiate a mutually acceptable new agreement, and wants a "bridging program" to ensure it has enough cash to function until then. Its main creditors, however, are adamant Greece must stick to its pledges.

An emergency meeting of the eurozone's 19 finance ministers has been called for Wednesday to discuss Greece, a day before an EU summit. Greene, of Munulife Asset Management, estimated the government would "deliver a victory" on debt relief by persuading creditors to extend maturities and reduce interest payments. But that is only half the battle.

"Ultimately Greece desperately needs more money in the short term, and will have to agree to reforms to get it," Greene said, adding that there was room for agreement on issues such as institutional reforms.

"But the Greek government will not have much of a leg to stand on once it has run out of money, and will have to back down on many of its election pledges to make it happen."

Germany halts routine flights with NH90 military helicopters

February 07, 2015

BERLIN (AP) — The German military has stopped all routine flights with its NH90 multi-function helicopters because of a design flaw.

The Defense Ministry said in a statement Friday that the problem was discovered by technicians investigating the explosion of a German NH90's engine in Uzbekistan in June. Germany has some 35 NH90 helicopters, which are used to carry heavy loads or transport up to 20 troops. It was developed in the mid 1990s by NHIndustries, a consortium owned by Airbus Helicopters, AgustaWestland Fokker Aerostructures.

The NH90 was originally ordered by Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands, and is now used by about a dozen countries.

Nigeria postpones elections to March 28, cites uprising

February 08, 2015

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria is postponing presidential and legislative elections until March 28 because security forces fighting Boko Haram extremists cannot ensure voters' safety around the country, the electoral commission announced Saturday in a decision likely to infuriate the opposition.

Officials in President Goodluck Jonathan's government have been calling for weeks for the postponement, saying the commission is not ready to hold what promises to be the most tightly contested presidential vote in the history of Africa's biggest democracy.

"Many people will be very angry and annoyed," Independent National Electoral Commission Chairman Attahiru Jega told a news conference Saturday night. "I want to assure all Nigerians, no one is forcing us to make this decision, this is a very weighty decision."

He said the commission had considered holding elections outside of the four northeastern states most affected by the uprising by Boko Haram Islamic militants, but decided that the likelihood of an inconclusive presidential election would be "very, very high."

Nigerian elections traditionally are violent and several people already have died in clashes. Some 800 people were killed in protests in the predominantly Muslim north after 2011 elections when Jonathan beat former military dictator Muhammadu Buhari. Jonathan is a Christian from a minority tribe in the mainly Christian south. Buhari is a Muslim northerner.

Both men are facing off again and supporters of both are threatening violence if their candidate does not win this year's contest, one analysts say is too close to call since opposition parties for the first time formed a coalition led by Buhari.

A statement from Jonathan's party commended the postponement but blamed it on the commission, saying it is suffering "numerous logistical problems and numerous internal challenges." Buhari's coalition said it was holding an emergency meeting to discuss the implications of "this major setback for Nigerian democracy." It appealed to all Nigerians "to remain calm and desist from violence."

Jega told reporters that national security advisers and intelligence officers have said security forces need six weeks to conduct "a major operation" against Boko Haram and cannot also safeguard the elections.

He said it would be "highly irresponsible" to ignore that advice and endanger the lives and security of electoral personnel and materials, voters and observers as well as the prospects for free, fair and credible elections.

Millions could be disenfranchised if Boko Haram continues to hold a large swath of the northeast and commit mayhem that has left 1.5 million people homeless. The postponement comes amid a major offensive against the extremists joined by Chad and Nigerian warplanes and ground troops that has driven the insurgents out of a dozen towns and villages in the past 10 days. Even stronger military strikes involving more neighboring countries are planned.

African Union officials ended a three-day meeting Saturday in Yaounde, Cameroon's capital, finalizing details to deploy by next month an 8,750-strong force from Nigeria and its four neighbors to combat the growing regional threat posed by Boko Haram.

Nigeria's home-grown extremist group has responded with attacks on one town in Cameroon and two in Niger this week. Officials said more than 100 civilians were killed and 500 wounded in Cameroon. Niger said about 100 insurgents and one civilian died in attacks Friday. Several security forces from both countries were killed.

The insurgents also have launched three attacks within a week on Maiduguri, the biggest city in the northeast, which thousands of people were fleeing Saturday, overcrowding buses, trucks and cars with bodies and belongings.

"We fear the violence that could erupt during the elections more than the threats of Boko Haram," said Mojo Okechukwu, a 45-year-old vehicle spare parts dealer and Christian from the south who has lived in Maiduguri for 20 years.

International concern has increased along with the death toll: Some 10,000 killed in the uprising in the past year compared to 2,000 in the four previous years, according to the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations.

The United States had been urging Nigeria to press ahead with the voting. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry visited Nigeria two weeks ago and said that "one of the best ways to fight back against Boko Haram" was by holding credible and peaceful elections, on time.

"It's imperative that these elections happen on time as scheduled," Kerry said. The elections had been called early. Elections in 2011 were postponed until April. May 29 is the deadline for a new government to be installed.

The postponement also will give the commission a chance to deliver more voter cards: Jega said that by Friday, only 45.8 million of the 68.8 million cards needed to vote had been collected. Nigeria does not have a working postal service, though it has Africa's biggest economy.

Jonathan's party has won every election since decades of military rule ended in 1999. But the failure of the military to curb the 5-year Islamic uprising, mounting corruption and an economy hit by slumping oil prices have hurt the president of Africa's biggest oil producer and most populous nation of about 170 million.

Faul reported from Dakar, Senegal. Associated Press writer Haruna Umar contributed to this report from Maiduguri, Nigeria.

Nigeria, neighbors to send 8,750 troops to fight Boko Haram

February 07, 2015

YAOUNDE, Cameroon (AP) — Nigeria and its four bordering countries announced plans Saturday to deploy an 8,750-strong force by next month to combat the growing regional threat posed by Boko Haram.

Details of the proposed deployment were revealed at the end of a three-day meeting in Cameroon in a statement read out by officials, including Issaka Souare, African Union adviser for Mali and the Sahel.

The plans call for Chad and Nigeria to contribute 3,500 troops each, while Cameroon and Niger would contribute 750 each and Benin would contribute 250. The force would be headquartered in Chad's capital, N'Djamena.

Nigeria's conflict with Boko Haram has taken on an increasingly regional dimension in recent months, with the extremists staging attacks in Cameroon and Niger in the last week alone. Nearly 100 people were killed and some 500 wounded in an attack on the town of Fotokol in Cameroon on Wednesday and Thursday that saw Boko Haram fighters raze mosques and churches and use civilians as human shields, Cameroon officials said.

On Friday, Boko Haram attacked two towns in Niger, killing four soldiers and wounding 17. Niger's defense minister said 109 Boko Haram fighters were killed after Chad and Niger troops responded to that assault, but the figure could not be independently verified.

Earlier this month, AU heads of state announced plans for a 7,500-member force to fight Boko Haram. Officials said Saturday that the number was increased to 8,750 to allow for the inclusion of police and humanitarian officials.

Saturday's statement said $4 million was urgently needed for the deployment, though it was unclear where this and other funding would come from. Jacqueline Seck Diouf, who represented the U.N. at the talks in Cameroon, said the U.N. had promised logistical support for now but added that the AU was requesting funding. Further assistance would need to be approved by the U.N. Security Council and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, she said.

Cameroon Defense Minister Edgar Alain Mebe Ngo'o declined to discuss proposed operational details for the force.

Associated Press writer Dalatou Mamane contributed to this report from Niamey, Niger.

Nigeria postponing Feb. 14 vote amid Boko Haram violence

February 07, 2015

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Nigeria's electoral commission will postpone Feb. 14 presidential and legislative elections for six weeks to give a new multinational force time to secure northeastern areas under the sway of Boko Haram, an official close to the commission told The Associated Press on Saturday.

Millions could be disenfranchised if the voting went ahead while the Islamic extremists hold a large swath of the northeast and commit mayhem that has driven 1.5 million people from their homes. A small protest started Saturday by civil rights groups opposed to any postponement. Police prevented them from entering the electoral commission headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria's capital. Armed police began deploying to block roads leading to the building.

The Nigerian official, who is knowledgeable of the discussions, said the Independent National Electoral Commission will announce the postponement later Saturday. He spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.

A major offensive with warplanes and ground troops from Chad and Nigeria already has forced the insurgents from a dozen towns and villages in the past 10 days. Even greater military strikes by more countries are planned.

African Union officials were ending a three-day meeting Saturday in Yaounde, Cameroon's capital, to finalize details of a 7,500-strong force from Nigeria and its neighbors Chad, Cameroon, Benin and Niger. Details of funding, with the Africans wanting the United Nations and European Union to pay, may delay the mission.

Nigeria's home-grown extremist group has responded with attacks on one town in Cameroon and two in Niger this week. Officials said more than 100 civilians were killed and 500 wounded in Cameroon. Niger said about 100 insurgents and one civilian died in attacks Friday. Several security forces from both countries were killed.

International concern has increased along with the death toll: Some 10,000 killed in the uprising in the past year compared to 2,000 in the four previous years, according to the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations.

The United States has been urging Nigeria to press ahead with the voting. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry visited Nigeria two weeks ago and said that "one of the best ways to fight back against Boko Haram" was by holding credible and peaceful elections, on time.

"It's imperative that these elections happen on time as scheduled," Kerry said. The elections had been called early. Elections in 2011 were postponed until April. May 29 is the deadline for a new government to be installed.

Officials in President Goodluck Jonathan's administration have been calling for a postponement. Any delay is opposed by an opposition coalition fielding former military dictator Muhammadu Buhari, though the opposition stands to take most votes in the northeast.

Supporters of both sides are threatening violence if their candidate does not win. Some 800 people were killed in riots in the mainly Muslim north after Buhari, a Muslim, lost 2011 elections to Jonathan, a Christian from the south.

Analysts say the vote is too close to call, the most tightly contested election since decades of military dictatorship ended in 1999. Jonathan's party has won every election since then but the failure of the military to curb the 5-year Islamic uprising, growing corruption and an economy hit by halved oil prices have hurt the president of Africa's biggest oil producer and most populous nation of about 170 million.

A postponement also will give electoral officials more time to deliver some 30 million voter cards. The commission had said the non-delivery of cards to nearly half of the 68.8 million registered voters was not a good reason to delay the vote.

Kenyan lawmaker shot and killed by masked gunmen

February 07, 2015

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A masked gunman shot and killed a Kenyan lawmaker early Saturday on a street in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, a senior police official said.

The lawmaker, George Muchai, was killed alongside his two bodyguards and a driver after they stopped to buy a newspaper from a vendor on Nairobi's main street, according to Nairobi Central Police Chief Paul Wanjama.

The killings are likely to stoke insecurity fears in Kenya, which has also been dealing with occasional terrorist attacks mounted by Islamic militants seeking revenge over Kenyan military involvement in neighboring Somalia.

Police said no suspects had been arrested yet over the killing of Muchai, who was a well-known trade unionist and a member of Kenya's ruling coalition. Muchai had been attending a family gathering and was believed to be on his way home when he came under attack. The gunman stole a briefcase Muchai was carrying as well as the bodyguards' two pistols, then entered a getaway car that was being driven by another man, Wanjama said.

Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga said in a statement that Kenya "is bleeding and an atmosphere of fear and hopelessness is spreading" across the country. "Our citizens need reassurance that they can go about their daily routines without fear and that the government has the will and ability to provide protection," the statement added.

Sri Lanka approves Chinese port project

Colombo (AFP)
Feb 5, 2015

Sri Lanka's new government on Thursday gave the green light for China's $1.4-billion port-related project in the capital despite warning while in opposition that it would scrap the controversial venture.

Government spokesman Rajitha Senaratne said the cabinet had approved the Colombo Port City project, under construction alongside an existing giant Chinese-built container terminal, in what is the island nation's largest single foreign investment.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe vowed during last month's election to halt the project, branding it "haphazard" and damaging to the island's west coast where legions of tourist hotels are located.

"We have now found that the port city project had done an environment impact assessment and that says there is no harm (to the environment)," said Senaratne who is also the health minister.

The government's U-turn on the project came after Beijing sent a special envoy, Liu Jianchao, Thursday on a two-day visit for talks with Sri Lankan leaders.

The two sides will discuss Chinese-funded projects, official sources said.

They added that Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera would visit Beijing later this month and new President Maithripala Sirisena would make a state visit to China in March.

Launched under the last government during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Sri Lanka in September, the project aims to give Beijing a firmer foothold in the Indian Ocean region.

It had also been a symbol of previous leader Mahinda Rajapakse's heavy reliance on Chinese funding for infrastructure work in the island nation.

Beijing has been accused of seeking to develop facilities around the Indian Ocean in a "string of pearls" strategy to counter the rise of its Asian rival India and secure its own economic interests.

Officials said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Sri Lanka before President Sirisena travels to China.

Sirisena is also due to travel to India from February 15 - 18 marking his first foreign visit since coming to power at the January 8 elections.

China's huge investments in Sri Lanka and other South Asian nations in India's neighborhood have caused unease in New Delhi.

Indian diplomats have privately raised concerns about the port city venture, as it gives China ownership of one third of the total 233 hectares (583 acres) of reclaimed land.

Sri Lanka is a midway point on one of the world's busiest international shipping lanes that Beijing wants to secure as a maritime silk road for the 21st century.

Colombo hopes the city, which will have a Formula One track and a luxury marina, will attract another $5 billion in foreign investment for property development.

Source: Space War.
Link: http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Sri_Lanka_approves_Chinese_port_project_999.html.

Russia suspends joint space program with Ukraine

Moscow, Russia (XNA)
Feb 06, 2015

Russia has suspended cooperation with Ukraine over joint space commercial program Dnepr, federal space agency Roscosmos said Monday. "The project for the launch of Dnepr carrier rockets has been suspended. The prospects of this program will be determined later, " Tass news agency quoted Roscosmos as saying.

Roscosmos deputy chief Sergei Ponomaryov said last May that Russia and Ukraine planned to continue cooperation on Dnepr despite aggravated relations.

However, Moscow seemed to change its mind five months later. Local media said, a senior official in Russia's space industry said the country's economic, political and military interests were incompatible with the continuation of the Dnepr launch program.

Likely as a response to the possibility of Russia's withdrawal, Sergei Boita, general director of Ukraine's Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, estimated the annual loss for the bureau at around 200 million U.S. dollars.

Launches of Dnepr space rocket, which is conversed from the Voyevoda inter-continental ballistic missiles, have been carried out by the Russia-Ukraine-Kazakhstan joint venture Kosmotras.

According to Kosmotras' website, it has successfully performed 20 launches since 1999. The most recent launch was conducted on Nov. 6, 2014 at the Yasny-Dombarovsky launch site in Russia's southeastern Orenburg region.

The next commercial launch of the Dnepr space rocket has been planned for this March in the interest of a South Korean client.

Source: Space Daily.
Link: http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Russia_suspends_joint_space_program_with_Ukraine_999.html.