Al-Darb Diya

Ancient wild horses help unlock past

2012-02-02T19:22:00.002+02:00

York, UK (SPX)
Aug 25, 2011

An international team of researchers has used ancient DNA to produce compelling evidence that the lack of genetic diversity in modern stallions is the result of the domestication process.

The team, which was led by Professor Michi Hofreiter from the University of York, UK, has carried out the first study on Y chromosomal DNA sequences from extinct ancient wild horses and found an abundance of diversity.

The results, which are published in Nature Communications, suggest the almost complete absence of genetic diversity in modern male horses is not based on properties intrinsic to wild horses, but on the domestication process itself.

Professor Hofreiter said: "Unlike modern female domestic horses where there is plenty of diversity, genetic diversity in male horses is practically zero.

"One hypothesis to explain this suggests modern horses have little Y chromosome diversity because the wild horses from which they were domesticated were also not diverse, due in part to the harem mating system in horses, implying skewed reproductive success of males.

Our results reject this hypothesis as the Y chromosome diversity in ancient wild horses is high. Instead our results suggest that the lack of genetic diversity in modern horses is a direct consequence of the domestication process itself."

The Y chromosome is a valuable tool in population genetics, providing a means of directly assessing evolutionary processes that only affect the paternal lineage. So far mitochondrial DNA studies have failed to discover the origin of domestic horses. However, these new Y chromosomal markers now open the possibility of solving this issue in detail.

As part of the study, researchers sequenced Y chromosomal DNA from eight ancient wild horses dating back from around 15,000 to more than 47,000 years and a 2,800-year-old domesticated horse. The results were compared to DNA sequences from Przewalski horses - the only surviving wild horse population - and 52 domestic horses, representing 15 modern breeds, which had been sequenced previously.

Domestication of horses dates back approximately 5,500 years. DNA from the skeletal remains of a 2,800-year-old domesticated stallion from Siberia showed that in contrast to modern horses, Y chromosomal diversity still existed several thousand years after the initial domestication event for horses.

Professor Hofreiter said: "This suggests some level of Y chromosomal diversity still existed in domestic horses several thousand years after domestication, although the lineage identified was closely related to the modern domestic lineage."

The study was carried out in Germany by Sebastian Lippold, from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany. The results were then independently replicated at the Center for GeoGenetics at Copenhagen University, Denmark.

Sebastian Lippold said: "Working on ancient Y chromosomal DNA was especially challenging but the only opportunity to investigate Y chromosomal diversity in wild horses. For now we have a first idea of ancestral diversity and therefore a better impression of how much diversity has been lost. Basically this was an important first step and points to the potential the Y chromosomal marker could have in order to further investigate domestication history in horses."

Beth Shapiro, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at the Pennsylvania State University, USA, carried out the analysis and interpretation.

She said: "Most ancient DNA research until now has focused on a different part of the genome - the mitochondrion - which is much more abundant in cells and therefore much easier to work with when the DNA is degraded.

This has been a serious limitation in ancient DNA research, because we generally only have a good idea what happened along the maternal line. Here, we've been able to look at what happened along the paternal lineage, and, probably unsurprisingly, we see something different going on in males than in females.

"This is exciting stuff, and means we can start getting a much better picture of how events like domestication and climate change have shaped the diversity of organisms alive today."

Researchers had found that Przewalski's horse displays DNA haplotypes not present in modern domestic horses, suggesting they are not ancestral to modern domestic horses. However, while the Y chromosome data supported historic isolation, it also suggests a close evolutionary relationship between the domestic horse and the Przewalski's horse, since the Przewalski Y chromosomal haplotype is more similar to the two domestic ones than any of the ancient wild horse haplotypes.

Source: Terra Daily.
Link: http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Ancient_wild_horses_help_unlock_past_999.html.

NASA spots chilled-out stars cooler than the human body

2012-02-02T19:21:00.003+02:00

By Mike Wehner, Tecca | Today in Tech
Wed, Aug 24, 2011

When you think of stars, you probably imagine massive, burning balls of fire much like our sun, but there are stars out there in space which you could actually stand on and not be burnt to a crisp. NASA has known of these celestial bodies — called brown Y dwarf stars — for a great long time. But now, a satellite has spotted a particularly chill Y dwarf that holds the new record for the coolest star at just 80 degree Fahrenheit.

Prior to the discovery, the coolest Y dwarfs on record wouldn't instantly incinerate a human explorer, but that unlucky individual would be uncomfortably warm. The new cold star record holder put out just enough infrared light to be spotted by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) satellite, and is an order of magnitude cooler than any before it. WISE also spotted roughly 100 other brown dwarfs — a handful of which are considerably closer than NASA had thought.

Brown dwarf stars of sometimes referred to as "failed stars" because their comparatively low mass keeps them from being able to fuse atoms like our own sun. The lack of bright visible light makes these cool stars difficult to spot, even with the assistance of telescopes, and infrared sensors are sometimes the only way to learn of their existence. Researchers were surprised to learn that several were within 40 light years of our own solar system, just a stone's throw in terms of our galaxy.

Rat poison may be killing raptors

2012-02-02T19:21:00.000+02:00

EDINBURGH, Scotland, Aug. 25 (UPI) -- Rat poison appears to have gotten into the food chain in parts of Scotland and is killing birds of prey and other unintended targets, scientists said Wednesday.

Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture said it found traces of rat poison in the livers of 32 buzzards, 17 red kites and 10 sparrowhawks last year, The Guardian reported. The organization said buzzards and kites are especially vulnerable because they are scavengers and likely to eat dead rats.

Rat poisons have been blamed for the deaths of six red kite chicks and for killing two dogs and a cat.

Alex Hogg, head of the Scottish Gamekeepers Association, said the poisonings are almost certainly caused by ignorance and carelessness, not by deliberate use against wild birds. He said deliberate killing of raptors, usually done by shooting, has dropped recently.

Hogg and Bob Carruth of the Farmers Union of Scotland said they are trying to educate their members about the safe use of rodenticides. At least one of the poisons found in testing is licensed for use indoors only.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2011/08/25/Rat-poison-may-be-killing-raptors/UPI-73801314249953/.

Egypt's Brotherhood declares war on the bikini

2012-02-02T19:20:00.002+02:00

By DAVID E. MILLER / THE MEDIA LINE
08/28/2011

"Freedom and Justice" party leader: "We must place regulations on tourists wishing to visit Egypt."

Sunbathing in Alexandria may soon be a thing of the past, at least if some Egyptian Islamist politicians have their way.

Egypt's tourism industry has suffered a severe blow since the outburst of anti-regime demonstrations in January. But that did not stop the Freedom and Justice Party, the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, from demanding stricter regulations over what tourists can do and wear while visiting the country. The party is urging officials to ban skimpy swimwear and the consumption of alcohol on Egyptian streets.

"Beach tourism must take the values and norms of our society into account," Muhammad Saad Al-Katatny, secretary-general of Freedom and Justice, told Egyptian tourism officials on Monday. "We must place regulations on tourists wishing to visit Egypt, which we will announce in advance."

The call for new strictures on tourists comes as Egypt debates the role of Islam in the post-Mubarak era. Freedom and Justice is competing in elections scheduled for this autumn for parliament and opinion polls show a majority of Egyptians favor a greater use of Islamic law and mores. But a vocal minority worries that Egypt risks becoming an Islamic republic.

"This is how things began in Iran," Hani Henry, a psychology professor at the American University in Cairo, told The Media Line. "The moderate youth wanted to implement changes, but the Mullah's hijacked the revolution. The same thing is now happening here in Egypt with the Muslim Brotherhood. It makes me sick to my stomach."

Along with Suez Canal tolls and energy exports, tourism is a major source of foreign exchange for Egypt. But with protests, strikes, and continued violence in the cities and Sinai Peninsula months after President Husni Mubarak was forced to step down, foreigners have hesitated to visit the country, which offers some of the world’s most spectacular antiquities as well as beaches and scuba diving.

Finance Minister Hazem Al-Beblawi told the Reuters news agency earlier this month that revenue from tourism would likely total $10 billion in the financial year that started on July 1, compared with $11.6 billion in 2009/10.

Al-Katatny told Al-Masry Al-Youm daily that his party had already set up a subcommittee to investigate the issue of incoming tourism to Egypt and planned to amend legislation following the upcoming parliamentary elections.

"Some slight changes will be made in public beaches, to make the situation better than it was before," Ali Khafagy, youth director of Freedom and Justice in Giza, told The Media Line. "Bathing suits and mixing on the beach are things that go against our tradition. It's not just a matter of religion. When I go to the beach I don't want to see nudity."

He said modest bathing gear or separate beaches for men and women are possible alternatives to the current situation.

Khafagy stressed that tourists would be free to do as they please in specially designated areas, adding that his party supported incoming tourism to the country. But that did not satisfy the heads of Egypt's tourism industry, who met with the party’s secretary-general Al-Katatny for a heated debate on Monday.

"Without alcohol and bathing suits, no tourists will come and we will loose $13 billion a year," Hussam A-Shaer, head of the tourist company association, told Al-Masry al-Youm.

But bathing suits are not the only worry of Egypt’s Islamists. Abd Al-Munim A-Shahhat, a spokesman for the Salafi group Dawa, has said that Egypt's world-renowned pharaonic archeology – its pyramids, Sphinx and other monuments covered with un-Islamic imagery – should also be hidden from the public eye.

"The pharaonic culture is a rotten culture," A-Shahhat told the London-based Arabic daily A-Sharq Al-Awsat on Wednesday, saying the faces of ancient statues "should be covered with wax, since they are religiously forbidden." He likened the Egyptian relics to the idols which circled the walls of Mecca in pre-Islamic times.

The Islamist challenges to the tourism industry in post-revolutionary Egypt have led to the establishment of the Coalition to Support Tourism, whose members also met with Al-Katatny on Monday. The coalition, which includes a broad array of travel industry organizations and figures, argued that the real problem isn’t modesty but the absence of any strategy on the part of Egypt's new parties to protect the country's faltering tourism industry.

"Some parties want to ban tourism, or allow it while banning alcohol, certain foods and certain clothes. [A couple] renting a room will require documents proving they are married," wrote the coalition administrator on the group's Facebook page. "These proposals don’t bode well, as many of you know."

Henry of the American University said two classes of beaches already exist in Egypt, with modestly dressed, generally poor Egyptians occupying some and foreign tourists occupying others, mostly in the resorts of the Sinai Peninsula. He said he considered imposition of sharia law in Egypt "an act of aggression" that he would not tolerate.

Islamists have never been enamored of foreign tourism and before they were crushed by the Mubarak regime foreign visitors were often targeted for killings. Close to 60 Western tourists were killed by Islamist terrorists in the southern city of Luxor in 1997. Tourists were also attacked in bombings in the Sinai resorts of Taba, Sharm Al-Sheikh and Dahab in 2004, 2005 and 2006.

But Al-Katatny said that the Muslim Brotherhood regards Egypt's archeology as belonging to all of humanity, and should therefore be safeguarded.

"This heritage belongs to everyone, and one can't simply remove something he doesn't like," he told Al-Ahram daily.

Source: The Jerusalem Post.
Link: http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=235687.

Turkey, Iran Bump Heads Over Syria

2012-02-02T19:19:00.000+02:00

August 25, 2011

When the call came in from Iran on Sunday, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan ordered his convoy to pull off onto the shoulders of a busy highway for a conversation that last some 40 minutes.

What the Turkish leader and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad spoke about hasn’t been revealed in any detail. The Turkish media said virtually nothing, while Iran’s press reported that their country’s leader urged Erdogan to help mediate between region’s beleaguered despots and the opposition. Almost certainly the conversation was tense.

Just a few months ago the two countries were friends – joined together by growing trade ties, worries about their restive Kurdish populations and by shared Muslim sentiment. But the turmoil of the Arab Spring has quickly found the two countries in opposing camps, especially over Syria and its president, Bashar Al-Asad.

“There’s no doubt that Syria is becoming a battleground,” said Fadi Hakura, Turkey expert at London’s Chatham House. “Turkey has expressed deep dissatisfaction with the approach of the Syrian regime and has called on Al-Asad to implement radical reforms and meaningful dialogue with the opposition, which will inevitably dilute the strategic relationship between Syria and Iran. Iran views the existence of the current regime as an existential issue.”

Ahmadinejad and other Iranian leaders have framed the fighting in Syria as a battle by Al-Asad to stop U.S. from meddling in the country’s affairs while Turkey’s Erdogan has focused on the bloodletting and the regime’s failure to meet demands for democratic reforms. He has stopped short of calling for Al-Asad to step down.

But the fight is more than a war of words. Although Tehran denies it, Iran is believed to be proving material support to the Al-Asad regime. Newspaper reports cite stories of Iranian snipers firing on protestors, technicians helping to block social networking and others providing advice on containing unrest gleaned from Iran’s experience putting down street protests following the disputed 2009 presidential elections.

Turkey’s role in aiding the Syrian opposition has been more upfront but just as crucial. It has allowed about seven thousand Syrian refugees to cross into its territory and provide eyewitness accounts to the world media, thereby serving as an outlet for news of the Al-Asad regime’s repression. Istanbul has also hosted meetings of opposition groups. Some analysts say Ankara – together with the U.S. – is working to bring cohesion and organization to the disparate groups.

On Tuesday, Syrian activists gathered in Turkey declared a national council to coordinate protests and bring about Al-Asad’s ouster.

In spite of the deep interests at stake, Iran had been hesitant to criticize Turkey until relatively recently, Alex Vatanka, a scholar of Iran at the Middle East Institute in Washington DC, told The Media Line.

“The Iranians deeply appreciated improving relations with one of their most important neighbors, which has helped them in the nuclear issue in terms of economics and trade they didn’t want an issue like Syria to bring it all to an end,” Vatanka said. “But in end of the day, they reached a decision.”

Syria is not the first Arab Spring hotspot where Turkey and Iran have found themselves on opposite sides. Turkey backed Saudi Arabia when it helped crush a Shiite-led revolt in Bahrain, angering Iran’s Shiite regime. Iran praised Turkey’s initial opposition to NATO’s helping Libyan rebels, but Ankara eventually came around to supporting the bombing campaign. But Syria – whose president has since March struggled to contain a revolt seeking to topple him – is the place where the two powers have the most at stake.

Al-Asad’s regime is Iran’s only ally in the Arab world, sharing a strong antipathy to Israel and Western intervention in the Middle East and acting as a conduit to arms and supplies to militant groups like Hizbullah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Belonging to the Alawi sect, an offshoot of Islam, Al-Asad has fewer problems with Iranian Shiism than the Arab world’s Sunni leaders do.

Under Erdogan, Turkey had worked assiduously in recent years to cultivate ties. Turkey shares a long border with Syria and the two countries both have large Kurdish populations they worry about. In recent years, the two countries signed a free-trade agreement and abolished visa requirements, enabling trade to double in the five years to 2010 and tourism to boom.

Warming relations with Syria were part of efforts by the prime minister – who leads the moderate Islamist Justice and Development Party (AKP) – to reorient Turkey away from the West and towards the Muslim Middle East. Turkey even viewed itself as a bridge between Sunni and Shiite Islam.

But, Hakura told The Media Line, the Arab Spring has put Turkey firmly in the Sunni “camp,” which not only includes Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the Gulf emirates and Jordan but, by virtue of their Western orientation, the U.S. and Europe. The shift in Turkey’s policy hasn’t been dramatic – it remained a NATO member and never abandoned its aspirations to join the European Union ¬ – but it made Tehran’s rulers livid.

Reflecting the views heard frequently in Tehran these days, Iran’s hardline Qods daily scored Turkish leaders for surrendering to U.S. pressure. “If Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government does not change its political behavior toward Syria, Turkey will be the main loser of the Syrian events if Damascus gets out of the current crisis,” it wrote in a recent editorial.

Neither Turkey nor Iran can afford to let their conflict ratchet up too much. Turkey gets 20% of the natural gas its needs for its booming economy from Iran, Hakura said. Facing United Nations sanctions, Iran can’t afford to lose a good customer.

Vatanka said that among top Iranian leaders, Ahmadinejad is probably the least inclined to sacrifice the relationship with Turkey to help save Al-Asad because of the damage fraying ties with Turkey would do to the economy.

“The president is looking at his own position in Iran and says ‘I’m someone who needs to reach out to the masses and get as much grassroots support as I can,” explained Vatanka. “So, one of the issues he has to worry about is bread and butter issues that ordinary Iranians care about the most.”

Source: Rise of the Iranian People.
Link: http://riseoftheiranianpeople.com/2011/08/25/turkey-iran-bump-heads-over-syria/.

Rebels, looters target Gadhafi family homes

2012-02-02T19:18:00.002+02:00

By KARIN LAUB - Associated Press | AP
Thu, Aug 25, 2011

TRIPOLI, Libya — Moammar Gadhafi's son al-Saadi liked fast cars, yachts and soccer, and his beachfront villa was stocked with his expensive toys. His sister Aisha lived in a two-story mansion with an indoor pool and sauna.

As rebels took control of the Libyan capital over the weekend, the luxurious homes — symbols of the Gadhafi family's excesses — were among their first targets. After driving out the guards, rebels trashed and looted the villas and neighbors wandered through the wreckage Wednesday expressing their anger at the Gadhafi family's wealth and ostentatious tastes.

"I can't even believe what I am seeing," said Muftah Shubri, a resident of Tripoli's western Nofleen neighborhood, as he walked across Aisha's lawn to the large covered pool where a ball and a small rubber boat still floated in the water.

Gadhafi's 42-year rule over Libya had increasingly become a family business, with the dictator divvying up key spheres of interest, from oil to security, among his six sons.

In recent years, the Gadhafi offspring had been involved in a series of scandals: Hannibal got arrested in 2008 in Switzerland for mistreating his servants in a Geneva luxury hotel and Muatassim reportedly paid $1 million for a private New Year's concert by Beyonce.

Al-Saadi, a 38-year-old soccer aficionado, was described in a 2009 WikiLeaks cable from the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli as having a troubled past, including run-ins with police in Europe, drug and alcohol abuse and excessive partying.

On Monday, a day after thousands of rebels rode into Tripoli, about 200 people stormed al-Saadi's home on the Mediterranean, said Seifallah Gneidi, a 23-year-old Tripoli rebel who participated in the looting.

Gneidi said he took a large bottle of gin, a toothbrush with a gilded handle and a pair of Diesel jeans. "We wanted to have the stuff that he had," Gneidi said, a Kalashnikov slung over his shoulder. He said rebels are not condoning looting of private property, and only allow the wrecking of symbols of the Gadhafi family's abuse of power.

Gneidi said al-Saadi had four cars — a BMW, an Audi, a white Lamborghini and a Toyota — that were all driven off during the ransacking. His claim about the fate of the cars could not be verified. A large painting of a yellow Lamborghini decorated the back wall of his covered parking area.

In an office area in the villa, reporters saw large piles of catalogues for yachts and cars. A catalog by the firm Benetti had a yellow handwritten post-it note attached listing the price for a 30-meter-long yacht as 7 million euros. A DVD with gay porn entitled "Boyz Tracks" slipped out of the stack of documents.

Business cards were scattered on the floor for a firm called "Natural Selection" that listed al-Saadi as partner and executive producer with an address on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles. The looters left behind a black cloth, apparently the back of a "director's chair," that read, in green: "Executive Producer al-Saadi Gadhafi."

Al-Saadi must have been concerned about his safety. A long underground passage with thick concrete walls led from a second villa he was building to the street.

The complex also had a grass soccer pitch. Al-Saadi, who was seen as a poor soccer player was involved in one of Libya's soccer teams, Al-Ahly. Al-Saadi also headed Libya's Football Federation.

Next to the field stood a barbecue pit and two tents, including one that housed guards and was filled with ammunition, said Gneidi. Al-Saadi also kept dogs and had his own kennel with four cages, one decorated with pictures of Dobermans.

If al-Saadi had the reputation of a reckless troublemaker, the 35-year-old Aisha cultivated the image of caring about ordinary Libyans.

However, her neighbors said that several years ago, a small neighborhood clinic was razed to make room for her home.

"You feel that this is not supposed to happen," Sharif Ben Suleiman, a 56-year-old university professor, said as he and other local leaders inspected the house. "It's a place that is serving the community and then it is serving no one."

The presence of small children was felt everywhere in the house. A large play room was strewn with toys, party hats and streamers were in a pile in an entrance hall, and her library contained a number of children's books.

Among Aisha's DVDs were action and mystery films, but also one on getting back in shape after childbirth.

Like others in the Gadhafi family, she had expensive tastes — Bohemian crystal glasses and a brown Dolce & Gabana leather jacket for one of her children were among the items not carted off by the looters.

Asked how the community felt about the presence of the Gadhafi daughter, Ben Suleiman, the neighbor, said it's enough to look out the second-floor window. Beyond the walls of Aisha's spacious compound, houses — some of them barely shacks — were pressed tightly against one another.

Algeria to open relations with Libya transitional council

2012-02-02T19:17:00.002+02:00

Despite earlier accusations of support for the Kadhafi regime during the conflict, Algeria moves toward relations with Libya's rebel government.

By Walid Ramzi for Magharebia in Algiers – 24/08/11

As Libyan rebels reclaim Tripoli and the Kadhafi regime ends, Algeria is working to establish formal relations with the Libya's Transitional National Council (TNC).

In a response issued Tuesday (August 23rd), Algeria's foreign ministry said the country had opened channels of communication with the TNC. Algeria's highest priorities in Libya, according to the statement, are general security, enduring stability, unity and political reform.

The Algerian government said it would move quickly towards normalized relations with the TNC if it issued an apology for earlier charges against the Algerian regime.

The ministry repeated Algeria's denial of assisting Kadhafi's regime during the conflict: "Since the outbreak of protests in Benghazi in mid February, Algeria didn't support, whether militarily or politically or in any other form, Kadhafi's regime," it reads.

Amid reports of theft and vandalism at the Algerian embassy in Tripoli, Algerian Foreign Minister Mourad Medelci sent an urgent message to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to take the necessary actions to ensure the safety of Algerian diplomats.

With the military situation in flux, Algeria on Sunday placed ground forces posted along the Libyan border on high alert and increased aerial surveillance after groups of armed four-wheel drive vehicles were spotted in the area.

Algerian political parties reacted to the Libyan rebel victories. The Socialist Forces Front (FFS) described the imminent fall of Moamar Kadhafi's regime as "good news for all strugglers for freedom and democracy in the entire world".

The party called on the Libyan people "to quickly unite around a truly representative national leadership that can build a sovereign state of rights and democracy". However, the party expressed its fears that this democratic transition "may face greater difficulties in its implementation".

The Movement of Society for Peace (MSP) issued a congratulatory statement on Tuesday, saying: "The road is still long and difficult to re-build a state commensurate with the size of sacrifices that the steadfast Libyan people have offered… Libya's future today is in your hands."

Analysts warn of the regional impact regime change may have on security.

Dr. Mhend Berkouk, professor of international relations at the University of Algiers and director of the Center for Security and Political Studies, said that Kadhafi's fall could lead to an increase in refugees, cross-border organized crime and terrorist threats in the Sahel and North Africa.

As to the effects of Libyan turmoil on Algeria's energy sector, former Sonatrach executive Abdelmadjid Attar said there was no real threat to investments in the Ghadames basin. Sonatrach's operations in Libya will continue, he said.

Source: Magharebia.
link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2011/08/24/feature-02.

ارتفاع عدد اللاجئين السوريين بالأردن إلى 2700

2012-02-02T19:16:00.002+02:00

2011-08-25

خبرني- أحصت جمعية المركز الاسلامي من خلال مراكزها الموجودة في مختلف المحافظات الاردنية عدد السوريين الذين فروا إلى المملكة من سوريا بـ2700 مواطن سوري.

ووفقا لاحصائيات حديثة نشرت الخميس بلغ عدد الاسر السورية التي تم حصرها 120 اسرة من بينها 13 اسرة في العاصمة عمان فيما تمركز العدد الاكبر منها في محافظة المفرق (47) اسرة ومن ثم محافظة الرمثا (45) اسرة واربد (15) اسرة.

واشار نشطاء يقومون على تقديم المعونة للعائلات السورية الى ان نحو 20 سوريا فروا الى المملكة بطريقة غير شرعية حيث تم وضعهم تحت الحراسة .

وقدمت غالبية الاسر السورية من درعا وريف دمشق، فيما بدأت عائلات تاتي من حماة وحمص وتبليسة وفقا للنشطاء.

وتقدم الجمعات الخيرية الانسانية العاملة في المحافظات التي يوجد فيها مواطنون سوريون مساعدات عينية لها لتمكينها من قضاء احتياجاتها المعيشية، بالاضافة الى تامينها بالسكن المناسب في ظل ارتفاع اجرة السكن في المفرق والرمثا، حيث يتم تامين اكثر من عائلة في شقة واحدة.

المصدر: خبرني.
الرابط: http://www.khaberni.com/more.php?newsid=60674.

Bangladesh must end extrajudicial killings, rights group says

2012-02-02T19:15:00.002+02:00

LONDON (BNO NEWS) — Rights group Amnesty International on Wednesday urged Bangladesh authorities to honor their pledge to stop extrajudicial executions by its special police force, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB).

Amnesty International said in a new report that the RAB has been implicated in the killings of at least 700 people since its inception in 2004. But the force has consistently denied responsibility and justifies the killings as accidental or as a result of officers acting in self-defense, according to the report.

“Hardly a week goes by in Bangladesh without someone being shot by RAB with the authorities saying they were killed or injured in ‘crossfire’ or a ‘gun-fight’. However the authorities choose to describe such incidents, the fact remains that they are suspected unlawful killings,” said Abbas Faiz, Amnesty International’s Bangladesh Researcher.

  ”It is appalling that virtually all alleged instances of illegal RAB killings have gone unchallenged or unpunished. There can be no justice if the force is the chief investigator of its own wrong-doings,” Faiz said.

  The London-based group said at least 200 alleged RAB killings have occurred since January 2009 when the current Awami League government came to power, despite the Prime Minister’s pledge to end extrajudicial executions. In addition, at least 30 people have been killed in other police operations since early 2010.   

The report added that Bangladesh’s police and RAB continue to receive a wide range of military and police equipment from overseas, including from Austria, Belgium, China, Czech Republic, Italy, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Turkey and the United States. The rights group called upon these countries to refrain from supplying arms to Bangladesh since they can be used to commit extrajudicial executions.

Wednesday, August 24th, 2011

Source: WireUpdate.
Link: http://wireupdate.com/wires/19662/bangladesh-must-end-extrajudicial-killings-rights-group-says/.

Chile in 2-day national strike as labor unions join student protests

2012-02-02T19:14:00.002+02:00

SANTIAGO (BNO NEWS) — The Workers United Center of Chile (CUT) has organized a 48-hour nationwide strike in support of student education protests among other social and economic issues, local newspapers reported on Wednesday.

The national strike started on Tuesday night with a demonstration in which saucepans were banged as a sign of protest. The strike was continued on Wednesday and will also take place on Thursday.

During the first hours of the general strike, the government reported that 35 people had been arrested and 11 were injured as a result of clashes between police officers and demonstrators.

Deputy Interior Minister Rodrigo Ubilla described the strike as a “great failure” since it said only 5.3 percent of public employees have joined the strike, according to government figures.

Meanwhile, the CUT informed through a press statement that 82 social and labor union organizations have joined the strike. The CUT further stated that they had received reports of closed avenues and streets, barricades, protests and labor strikes in several cities across the country.

In Puente Alto, an estimated 3,000 people engaged in a demonstration and around 1,000 participated in a similar event in Maipú while the National Airport stopped its operations for an hour, according to the CUT.

In the southern port city of Puerto Montt, 20,000 people participated in a massive march which was accompanied by an unprecedented demonstration of 70 vessels, El Ciudadano newspaper reported.

Despite government’s efforts to downgrade the figures of the national strike, images of several places in the capital city of Santiago indicate that a great percentage of Chileans are participating, whether they are demonstrating in the streets or staying in their houses, absent from their jobs, El Ciudadano newspaper reported.

According to Arturo Martínez, president of the labor union CUT, the general strike is being held to express the demands from various social sectors, to demand respect for social and citizen rights and to reiterate the need to have a country with a new economic model, a new constitution and a new work code. The rally’s resolution also calls for an immediate referendum on education.

Government spokesperson Andrés Chadwick condemned the strike but said the series of demands issued by the CUT were already being analyzed by the government.

Chilean students, along with teachers and other education workers, have been protesting for the past several weeks for a fundamental change in the educational system, demanding an end to privatized education and asking for a government which can guarantee full access, quality and funding of public education at all its levels.

Wednesday, August 24th, 2011

Source: WireUpdate.
Link: http://wireupdate.com/wires/19656/chile-in-2-day-national-strike-as-labor-unions-join-student-protests/.

Rights group warns Syrian journalists may face torture and ill-treatment

2012-02-02T19:13:00.003+02:00

DAMASCUS (BNO NEWS) — Syrian journalists and activists who have passed on information about the country’s unrest to regional and international media may risk torture and other ill-treatment, rights group Amnesty International reported on Wednesday.

The rights group warning comes as journalist Adel Walid Kharsa faces his second week in solitary confinement after being arrested by security forces in his hometown of Hama on August 18. Kharsa was seemingly detained for his news reports on the protests and the government’s violent crackdown despite being cautious by making his reports anonymously by phone.

“If this is the case then he is a prisoner of conscience and should be released immediately and unconditionally,” said Philip Luther, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

“He, like many detained during the regime’s crackdown, is now at risk of acts of brutality while in the hands of the authorities,” said Luther while recommending that Kharsa should be protected from torture and other ill-treatment, allowed immediate contact with his family and a lawyer, as well as given any necessary medical attention.

Amnesty International said it has information indicating that other detainees have been tortured to find out whether they have given news about events in Syria to regional and international media.

One such case is 28-year-old “Wael”, who was detained in May and held for three weeks accused of filming demonstrations with his cell phone in his hometown of Tell Kalakh, south of the western city of Homs.

“I was taken to an interrogator… He accused me of being a correspondent for Al Jazeera, the BBC and [Gulf-based] Wesal channels. It was true that I filmed events with my cell phone but I did not send them to any channel,” Wael, which is not his real name, told Amnesty International.

Wael said he was forced into a stress position known as the shabah (ghost) by being tied by the wrists to a bar high enough off the ground that he was forced to stand on tiptoes for six hours. He said he was also splashed with water and electrocuted.

At least 2,200 people have been killed and tens of thousands have been arrested since pro-democracy demonstrations began in Syria in mid-March as part of a broader uprising across North Africa and the Middle East that has led to the toppling of entrenched regimes in Tunisia and Egypt and conflict in Libya.

Syrian security forces have been carrying out widespread arrests targeting people perceived to have organized or openly supported protests, whether in public gatherings, in the media or on the internet.

The Syrian government has repeatedly claimed that the violent acts have been instigated by terrorists who use military uniforms and weaponry to pose as soldiers while attacking citizens, but these claims have been rejected by residents, human rights groups, and the international community.

Wednesday, August 24th, 2011

Source: WireUpdate.
Link: http://wireupdate.com/wires/19660/rights-group-warns-syrian-journalists-may-face-torture-and-ill-treatment/.

Indonesia's Mount Lokon erupts three more times

2012-02-02T19:13:00.000+02:00

MANADO, INDONESIA (BNO NEWS) — Indonesia’s Mount Lokon, which is located on the northern tip of the island of Sulawesi, erupted three more times on Wednesday, local authorities said.

Farid Ruskanda Bina, Mount Lokon’s monitoring post chief in Tomohon, North Sulawesi, said Mount Lokon spewed out ash as high as 250 meters (820 feet) which was heading north, the Antara news agency reported, adding that the eruptions also triggered several tremors, three of them shallow.

Over the past few days, Mount Lokon has been showing increasing activity and constant tremors. Initial tremors had an amplitude of 2 to 10 millimeters (0.07 to 0.39 inches), but on Tuesday seismic records documented tremors with an amplitude of up to 18 millimeters (0.70 inches).

The Volcanic and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center has not raised Mount Lokon’s alert status to level IV despite the ongoing eruptions, instead keeping it at level III.

Farid underlined the importance of local residents staying alert, as a minimum distance of 2.5 kilometers (1.5 mile) from Mount Lokon’s crater must be kept at all times.

On August 17, Mount Lokon began to spew volcanic ash which fell as far away as the Kinilow I village and the Tinoor areas in North Tomohon sub district, which is a short distance from Lokon’s crater.

Since June, Mount Lokon has shown constant volcanic activity, prompting authorities to raise its status to alert on June 27 and watch on July 10. A series of eruptions in mid July forced at least 5,269 locals from the villages of Kinilow, Kelurahan Kinilow I and Kakaskasen 1 to evacuate the area.

While most residents returned to their homes later that month, some 222 people remain at temporary refugee camps because their homes are in Mound Lokon’s red zone – 3 kilometers (1.86 miles) from its crater. After July’s activity, Mount Lokon’s alert level was lowered from watch to alert, and has remained at this level since.

Dozens of active volcanoes in Indonesia are part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, known for frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Next to Mount Lokon is its volcanic twin, Mount Empung, just 2.2 kilometers (1.3 miles) away.

One of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes is Mount Merapi, which is located on the island of Java near Jogjakarta, the country’s second-most visited area after Bali. Last year, more than 300 people were killed in a series of eruptions between October and November which also displaced over 300,000 people.

Wednesday, August 24th, 2011

Source: WireUpdate.
Link: http://wireupdate.com/wires/19666/indonesias-mount-lokon-erupts-three-more-times/.

Astronomers find black hole destroying a star

2012-02-02T19:12:00.002+02:00

WASHINGTON, D.C. (BNO NEWS) — Astronomers have been able to spot a previously dormant black hole from a distant galaxy as it shredded and consumed a star, NASA said on Wednesday.

The incident has been streaming X-rays toward Earth since late March, and NASA’s Swift satellite, which launched in November 2004 and is managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, first alerted astronomers to intense and unusual high-energy flares from the new source in the constellation Draco.

David Burrows, professor of astronomy at Penn State University and lead scientist for the mission’s X-Ray Telescope instrument, said that the source, known as Swift J1644+57, could produce bright X-rays enough for Swift to observe into next year. The galaxy in which the black hole is located, however, is so far away it took the light from the event approximately 3.9 billion years to reach Earth.

Burrows’ study, which included scientists from NASA, highlights the X- and gamma-ray observations from Swift and other detectors, including the Japan-led Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image (MAXI) instrument aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

In a second study, Ashley Zauderer, a post-doctoral fellow at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts, examines the unprecedented outburst through observations from numerous ground-based radio observatories, including the National Radio Astronomy Observatory’s Expanded Very Large Array (EVLA) near Socorro, New Mexico.

A central supersized black hole weighing millions of times the sun’s mass is usually present in most galaxies, including the Milky Way. According to both studies, the black hole in the galaxy hosting Swift J1644+57 may be twice the mass of the four-million-solar-mass black hole in the center of the Milky Way galaxy.

As a star falls toward a black hole, it is ripped apart by intense tides. The gas is corralled into a disk that swirls around the black hole and becomes rapidly heated to temperatures of millions of degrees.

On March 28, flares were first detected, but they were initially assumed to signal a gamma-ray burst, one of the nearly daily short blasts of high-energy radiation often associated with the death of a massive star and the birth of a black hole in the distant universe.

However, as the emission continued to brighten and flare, astronomers realized that the most plausible explanation was the tidal disruption of a sun-like star seen as beamed emission.

EVLA observations by Zauderer’s team showed a brightening radio source centered on a faint galaxy near Swift’s position for the X-ray flares just two days later. These data provided the first conclusive evidence that the galaxy, the radio source and the Swift event were linked.

“Our observations show that the radio-emitting region is still expanding at more than half the speed of light,” said Edo Berger, an associate professor of astrophysics at Harvard and a coauthor of the radio paper. “By tracking this expansion backward in time, we can confirm that the outflow formed at the same time as the Swift X-ray source.”

Wednesday, August 24th, 2011

Source: WireUpdate.
Link: http://wireupdate.com/wires/19663/astronomers-find-black-hole-destroying-a-star/.

Health requirements for Mecca pilgrimage

2012-02-02T19:11:00.000+02:00

AMMAN, Jordan, Aug. 25 (UPI) -- The Saudi Ministry of Health published its health requirements for travelers to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the pilgrimage to Mecca -- Hajj.

The ministry says the annual pilgrimage, which occurs during a five-day period during "Dhul-Hijjah," the final month of the Islamic calendar, is the world's largest annual mass gathering, attracting 2 million to 3 million pilgrims every year.

Travelers are urged to read the guidelines in their entirety in the Journal of Infection and Public Health, which include:

-- All travelers arriving from countries or areas at risk of yellow fever must present a valid yellow fever vaccination certificate showing that the person was vaccinated at least 10 days previously and not more than 10 years before arrival at the border.

-- Visitors arriving for the purpose of Umra or pilgrimage or for seasonal work are required to produce a certificate of vaccination with the quadrivalent (ACYW135) vaccine against meningitis issued not more than 3 years previously and not less than 10 days before arrival in to Saudi Arabia.

-- All travelers arriving from polio-endemic countries and re-established transmission countries should receive one dose of the oral polio vaccine.

-- International pilgrims should be vaccinated against seasonal influenza before arrival in Saudi Arabia, with World Health Organization approved strains specific to the northern or southern hemispheres.

-- Hajj and Umra performers are not allowed to bring fresh food in to Saudi Arabia, only properly canned or sealed food or food stored in containers with easy access for inspection.

-- Updating immunization against vaccine-preventable diseases is strongly recommended.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2011/08/25/Health-requirements-for-Mecca-pilgrimage/UPI-68201314252183/.

Lebanese tribunal examining more cases

2012-02-02T17:12:00.003+02:00

LEIDSCHENDAM, Netherlands, Aug. 23 (UPI) -- A tribunal investigating the 2005 slaying of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri said it was looking into a series of other attacks on Lebanese leaders.

The U.N.-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon recently released detailed information about four suspects with Hezbollah allegedly tied to the 2005 assassination of Hariri in a massive bombing in Beirut.

The tribunal's pre-trial judge announced attacks on three other individuals fell under its jurisdiction. The tribunal said it was investigating the attempted assassinations of former Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh in 2004, and former Deputy Prime Minister Elias el-Murr and Community Party leader George Hawi in 2005.

The tribunal in a Tuesday statement said the investigations marked a "new chapter" in the tribunal's work.

"The Lebanese judicial authorities retain jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute the other attacks not yet found to be connected with the Hariri case and not yet deferred to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon," it added.

The tribunal's decision stems from its statute giving it the authority to investigate cases of similar nature to the Hariri slaying.

Hezbollah complains the tribunal is part of an Israeli plot to discredit the Shiite movement, pointing to Israeli involvement in Lebanese telecommunications sector to back its claims.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2011/08/23/Lebanese-tribunal-examining-more-cases/UPI-77751314114213/.

March planned on Israeli Embassy in Cairo

2012-02-02T17:12:00.000+02:00

CAIRO, Aug. 24 (UPI) -- Egyptian activists said they are calling for a million-man march in the Israeli Embassy in Cairo to call on authorities to kick the Israeli envoy out.

Six Egyptian soldiers were killed last week during an Israeli raid that was carried out in response to attacks allegedly from militants who crossed into Israel from Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.

The attackers were allegedly wearing Egyptian uniforms when they stormed Israeli targets, killing eight people in the border town of Eilat.

The attack was allegedly carried out in coordination with a group calling itself al-Qaida in the Egyptian Sinai, though it was unclear if the group has working ties with al-Qaida central or Hamas.

Demonstrators at the Israeli Embassy in Cairo say they are calling for a million-man march Friday to oust the Israeli envoy, Egyptian newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm reports.

Cairo denied that gunmen were using its territory to launch attacks on Israel, adding it wanted to discuss a joint investigation into last week's raid with the Israelis.

The Arab League in its statement said Israeli bears "full responsibility" for what it said were crimes committed against Egypt.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2011/08/24/March-planned-on-Israeli-Embassy-in-Cairo/UPI-33491314207398/.

Hezbollah urges Libya opp. to find Sadr

2012-02-02T17:11:00.000+02:00

Tue Aug 23, 2011

Lebanon's resistance movement Hezbollah has called on Libyan fighters to help find missing Lebanese Shia leader Imam Moussa al-Sadr and two of his companions believed to have been kidnapped in Libya in 1978.

“We are full of hope that they will be freed by your (Libyan fighters') hands and returned to their families,” Hezbollah said in a statement late Monday, the Associated Press reported.

It is widely believed in Lebanon that Imam Moussa al-Sadr, the founder of Lebanon's Amal movement, was kidnapped on the orders of senior Libyan officials while on an official trip to the North African country in August 1978.

Accompanied by two of his companions, Mohammed Yaqoub and Abbas Badreddin, Sadr was scheduled to meet with officials from the government of the embattled Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

In 2008, Beirut issued an arrest warrant for Gaddafi over Sadr's disappearance.

Sadr's family also addressed the Libyan opposition fighters in a statement on Monday saying, “We appeal to those who will take over in Libya after the collapse of the tyrant to give special attention to this case.”

Libya has been the scene of intense fighting between regime troops and fighters since a revolution seeking to topple Gaddafi began in mid-February.

The Libyan fighters swept into the heart of the capital Tripoli early Monday, and seized control of much of the city without facing significant resistance from regime forces.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.com/detail/195371.html.

Iraq recognizes Libyan opposition govt.

2012-02-02T17:10:00.002+02:00

Tue Aug 23, 2011

Iraq's foreign ministry has announced that Baghdad recognizes the Libyan Transitional National Council (TNC) as a legitimate representative of Libya.

“The cabinet decided today, 23 August 2011, to recognize the Libyan National Transitional Council as the only and legitimate representative of the Libyan people,” Iraq's ministry of foreign affairs said in a statement on Tuesday, Reuters reported.

Meanwhile, Russia and China have also issued statements saying they are ready to accept what the Libyan people decide.

More than 30 other countries have formally recognized the TNC as the "sole representative" of the North African country.

The developments come as Libyan fighters swept into the heart of Libya's capital city early on Monday, and seized the control of much of Tripoli without facing significant resistance from regime forces.

Libya has been the scene of intense fighting between regime troops and fighters since a revolution seeking to topple Gaddafi began in mid-February. Revolutionary forces want an end to Gaddafi's decades-long rule.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.com/detail/195380.html.

Lebanon eyes TNC help on Imam Sadr

2012-02-02T17:09:00.002+02:00

Tue Aug 23, 2011

Lebanon has recognized Libya's Transitional National Council (TNC), saying it would work with "emerging authorities" in the North African country to uncover the fate of a missing cleric.

"The Lebanese government has decided to recognize the National Transitional Council in Libya," read a statement released after a cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

"Foreign Minister Adnan Mansur has also been delegated to submit plans for cooperation between Lebanese authorities and all relevant and emerging Libyan authorities to uncover the fate of Imam Moussa Sadr and his companions," it added.

Lebanon has never stopped searching for Sadr and his comrades and now there is a real and present opportunity to discover what became of them, Mansur added.

Imam Moussa Sadr was a greatly popular and highly venerated Lebanese Shia cleric of an Iranian descent, who disappeared on Aug. 31, 1978 in a visit to Libya.

Lebanon's resistance movement Hezbollah on Monday called on Libyan fighters to help find Imam Moussa al-Sadr and two of his companions.

“We are full of hope that they will be freed by your (Libyan fighters') hands and returned to their families,” Hezbollah said in a statement.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.com/detail/195425.html.

UAE builds schools, clinics and mosques in Afghanistan

2012-02-02T13:40:00.000+02:00

By Shehab A. Makahleh
August 24, 2011

Abu Dhabi: The UAE has had a presence in Afghanistan for eight years, and six UAE-funded medical clinics and a hospital have been built there.

Some of these are staffed by female Emirati doctors who attend to Afghan women and children.

The UAE continues to make a significant humanitarian contribution in Afghanistan, and has done so since 2003. In 2009, the UAE committed more than Dh1.26 billion in aid to Afghanistan, representing 14 per cent of the UAE's total foreign aid during 2009.

Although a number of UAE donors were active in Afghanistan, almost 73 per cent of assistance (Dh918.3 million) was in the form of grants administered by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development. Most of the funds (Dh863.2 million) were allocated to construction. Some Dh26.8 million went towards infrastructure and services.

Through organizations such as the Red Crescent Authority, the generous donations made by UAE citizens and volunteers have contributed to the construction of 11 schools educating 300 pupils per day, six medical clinics which have treated 35,000 Afghan patients, a major hospital with an annual capacity of 7,000 patients, 38 mosques each providing a prayer service for over 300 people, a general public library, accommodation in Zayed City for 200 displaced families and 160 wells.

The UAE people have contributed $22 million for food, medicine and basic relief projects providing housing and shelter in Afghanistan.

In addition, the UAE Red Crescent Authority has invested $19 million in local projects, and the UAE government has dedicated $30 million to international reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan.

Source: Gulf News.
Link: http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/general/uae-builds-schools-clinics-and-mosques-in-afghanistan-1.856241.

Interstellar Crashes Could Toss Out Habitable Planets

2012-02-02T13:39:00.003+02:00

Moffett Field CA (SPX)
Aug 24, 2011

Our solar system, where planets have a range of sizes and move in near-circular paths, may be rather unusual, according to a German-British team led by Professor Pavel Kroupa of the University of Bonn.

The astronomers, who publish their model in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, find that forming planetary systems may be knocked around by crashes with nearby clumps of material, leading to systems where planets have highly inclined orbits and where the smaller (and potentially habitable) worlds are thrown out completely.

The planets in our solar system, including the Earth, orbit in the same direction around the Sun as the Sun spins, mostly move in paths not so different from circles and are also more or less lined up into a plane not tilted very far with respect to the solar equator.

But planetary systems around other stars can be very different, with some worlds moving in the opposite direction to the spin of their stars and with highly tilted orbits. For the first time the team of astronomers think they have a convincing model that explains these radically different systems.

Both the shape of and direction of travel of planets in our solar system were thought to result entirely from the formation of the Sun and planets more than 4,600 million years ago.

Our local planetary system is believed to have formed as a cloud of gas and dust (a nebula) that collapsed into a rotating disk under the influence of gravity. The planets then grew from clumps of material within this so-called protoplanetary disk.

The new work suggests that oddly shaped orbits may result from a rather less smooth process. The team think that if the protoplanetary disk enters another cloud of material, it can draw off up to about 30 times the mass of Jupiter from the cloud.

Adding this extra gas and dust tilts the disk and hence the angle of the final orbits. Most planetary systems are thought to form in clusters of stars, where the member stars are fairly close together, so these encounters may be very common.

Team member Dr. Ingo Thies, also of the University of Bonn, has carried out computer simulations to test the new idea. He finds that as well as tilting over, loading the protoplanetary disk with material can even reverse its spin, so that it turns in a ''retrograde" sense, where it rotates in the opposite sense to its parent star. At the same time, the encounter compresses the inner region of the disk, possibly speeding up the planetary formation process.

In those circumstances, the simulation suggests that any planets that form will then be in highly inclined or even retrograde orbits. In some cases the orbits may even be tilted with respect to each other, leading to a highly unstable system. One by one, the least massive planets will be ejected completely, leaving behind a small number of 'hot Jupiters', massive worlds that move in orbits extremely close to their star.

In less extreme cases, the disk may only collect a small amount of additional gas and dust and change its tilt by a small amount. This may be what happened in our own solar system, where the weighted average tilt of planetary orbits to the Sun's equator is about 7 degrees.

Dr. Thies believes the Sun and planets are amongst the more orderly systems. "Like most stars, the Sun formed in a cluster, so probably did encounter another cloud of gas and dust soon after it formed. Fortunately for us, this was a gentle collision, so the effect on the disk that eventually became the planets was relatively benign. If things had been different, an unstable planetary system may have formed around the Sun, the Earth might have been ejected from the Solar System and none of us would be here to talk about it."

Professor Kroupa sees the model as a big step forward. "We may be on the cusp of solving the mystery of why some planetary systems are tilted so much and lack places where life could thrive. The model helps to explain why our solar system looks the way it does, with the Earth in a stable orbit and larger planets further out. Our work should help other scientists refine their search for life elsewhere in the Universe."

Source: Space Daily.
Link: http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Interstellar_Crashes_Could_Toss_Out_Habitable_Planets_999.html.

Pakistan extends influence in gulf states

2012-02-02T13:39:00.000+02:00

Manama, Bahrain (UPI)
Aug 22, 2011

The tiny Persian Gulf kingdom of Bahrain has reported to have recruited 3,000 Pakistanis to serve in its security forces to quell protesters from the Shiite majority the government says are backed by Iran.

Pakistan has also rushed to the defense of Saudi Arabia in the current political upheaval roiling the Arab world, underlining how the embattled Asian state, the only Muslim nuclear power, is becoming increasingly influential in the Middle East.

Pakistan is now the eye of the storm in the conflict between the United States and al-Qaida, and day by day it's intruding into the political maelstrom of the Middle East.

It has become a frontline state for Sunni Islam and is being positioned by its leaders, particularly in the powerful military and intelligence establishments, as a bulwark against Shiite Iran and its proxies, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Increasingly, Pakistan is supporting Saudi Arabia, with which it has a long had discreet security links.

It is reported to have put two army divisions on standby for deployment to Saudi Arabia if the kingdom is threatened by Iran or the pro-democracy uprisings sweeping the Arab world.

It's even reported to be prepared to provide Saudi Arabia with nuclear weapons if threatened by Iran. In return, it has been promised Saudi Arabian oil and treasure.

The reported military deployment followed a visit to Islamabad by Prince Bandar bin Sultan of Saudi Arabia, a former long-serving ambassador to the United States and since October 2005 secretary-general of the kingdom's National Security Council.

Pakistani mercenaries have long bolstered the armed forces of the Persian Gulf Arab states, whose pampered young men have shown little inclination to join the military.

Contract pilots from Pakistan have been the backbone of the Saudi air force and others in the gulf, for 30 years.

So it's no surprise that the Arab Spring has brought a new surge in recruitment as the gulf monarchies scramble to keep the democratic virus at arm's length.

Pakistanis have been recruited in sizable numbers to stiffen Bahrain's armed services to bolster its security efforts to suppress protests by the tiny Sunni kingdom's Shiite majority.

Pakistan's Fauji Foundation, a body closely linked to Pakistan's military establishment, recently announced the recruitment of more than 1,000 former army personnel to serve with Bahrain's National Guard.

The recruits are reportedly paid 100,000 Pakistani rupees -- $1,174 -- per month and are provided with free healthcare and accommodation.

Pakistan is thus looming large in Middle Eastern affairs to an unprecedented degree.

Islamabad wants to counteract the growing relationship between India, its archrival, and Israel, especially in the military and intelligence fields.

The Saudis, in particular, have portrayed the swelling rivalry with Iran as a new, menacing chapter of the 1,300-year-old struggle between Sunni and Shiite, a rallying cry to which the Sunni-dominated Persian Gulf states have responded.

Where Pakistan, as the only nuclear-armed Muslim state, stands in this will be crucial.

It is the epicenter of al-Qaida's war and with Islamabad's arsenal of nuclear weapons, poses a global and regional danger that Afghanistan's Taliban never did.

"The stakes are enormous," says Bruce Reidel, a former counter-terrorism specialist with the CIA.

"Pakistan has the fastest growing nuclear arsenal in the world. It will soon surpass the United Kingdom as the fifth-largest nuclear arsenal. It is the sixth-largest country in the world in terms of population.

"It will soon surpass Indonesia as the country with the largest Muslim population," the 30-year CIA veteran observed.

"Bin Laden understood all of that very well, which is why he focused so much on building alliances with other terrorist groups in Pakistan to undermine the country's stability."

"Ties between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are long-standing, but for the most part have not stood in the turbulent affairs of the region," observed U.S. political and military analyst Brian M. Downing.

"However increased tensions with Iran, the Arab Spring, and growing disenchantment with the United States are making the relationship more expansive, more prominent, and more dangerous.

"The Saudis are supporting the Pakistani army's militant client-groups, hiring its soldiers, and seeking to benefit from the country's nuclear weaponry," Downing noted.

"This is bringing increased tensions with both Iran and the United States -- no mean feat today given their adversarial positions."

Source: Space War.
Link: http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Pakistan_extends_influence_in_gulf_states_999.html.

Somalia drought victims receive aid from Algeria

2012-02-02T10:41:00.003+02:00

2011-08-23

Algeria is participating in international efforts to tackle the food crisis in Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya, Eritrea and Somalia. The first planeload of emergency humanitarian aid for Horn of Africa countries delivered 54 tonnes of food, tents and medicines to Somalia last week.

The operation is "a token of the solidarity that Algeria is showing to the nations of the Horn of Africa", Minister of African and Maghreb Affairs Abdelkader Messahel said August 18th. "Somalia and the other countries in the Horn of Africa are in a tragic situation," he said.

The first of the two-stage relief operation will deliver 600 tonnes of food and medicine to the Dadaab camp on the Kenyan border. The place is home to more than 400,000 refugees. The second stage will be implemented over the next few weeks, with aid being sent to Uganda, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Eritrea. The ports of Mombasa and Djibouti will receive 10,000 tonnes of food and medicine.

Source: Magharebia.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2011/08/23/newsbrief-06.

Morocco recognizes TNC; Fassi Fihri to visit Benghazi

2012-02-02T10:41:00.000+02:00

2011-08-23

Morocco on Monday (August 22nd) officially recognized the Transitional National Council (TNC) as the sole legitimate representative of the Libyan people, MAP reported. The TNC was "responsible for [Libya's] aspirations for a better future based on equality, justice, democracy and the rule of law", Moroccan Foreign Minister Taieb Fassi Fihri said on public television. Morocco hopes that the TNC will lead the reconciliation of different parts of Libyan society to assure peace, security and reconstruction, the minister added.

Morocco's top diplomat is scheduled to travel Tuesday to the Libyan rebel stronghold of Benghazi to bring a message from King Mohammed VI, AFP reported.

Source: Magharebia.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2011/08/23/newsbrief-03.

Amazigh activists launch pan-Maghreb body

2012-02-02T10:40:00.002+02:00

A new Amazigh cultural association hopes to foster economic and political development across North Africa.

Interview by Imrane Binoual for Magharebia in Casablanca – 22/08/11

Amazigh campaigners from across the Maghreb gathered in Tangier last month to celebrate their ancestral heritage. Activists also used the opportunity to launch a new association designed to promote Amazigh rights, language and culture. The Union of North African Peoples (UNAP) was formed by joint declaration of representatives from Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Egypt and the Canary Islands. Magharebia sat down with Morocco representative and group vice-president, Ahmed Arrehmouch, to hear how the new association plans to promote Amazigh heritage and Maghreb unity.

Magharebia: How did you come up with the idea for creating a Union of North African Peoples?

Ahmed Arrehmouch: The groundwork was laid before the Tangier Appeal and the announcement about the creation of the Union of North African Peoples (UNAP). Preparatory meetings were held in February in Paris and another was held in the Lebanon. There were discussions about the strategic aims of the Amazigh movement in North Africa. Above all, we felt that the movement and the structure within which we were operating, the World Amazigh Congress, was somewhat weak. This spurred us to think about alternatives taking different forms, with new tools and a new strategic vision. So we agreed to hold an emergency meeting. The events that the region has witnessed accelerated the process of creating a regional framework that could play political, rather than civic, roles and a political role in dealings with governments and international NGOs working to promote democracy and development for the peoples in the region.

Magharebia: Why did you announce the new group during the Touiza festival?

Arrehmouch: We had planned to hold a meeting in June to create the body, but since the organizers of the Touiza festival decided to hold their seventh Mediterranean Festival of Amazigh Culture at around the same time, we seized the opportunity and they said they were willing to host our meeting. So, representatives of Amazigh movements across North Africa came to Morocco for the meeting to create the union, and this culminated in the Tangier Appeal.

Magharebia: Moroccan Amazighs recently won recognition of their language in the new constitution while Tunisian and Libyan Amazighs are seeing freedom for the first time. Did the situation in the region contribute to the creation of your new organization?

Arrehmouch: We felt that the situation across the region made it a very opportune moment, especially because the Amazigh movement played an important role in the February 20 movement in Morocco. In Algeria, too, the RCD (Rally for Culture and Democracy) was the driving force behind the protests in Algiers. We saw the emergence of lively youth and academic movements in Tunisia after the revolution there. They have begun to express themselves freely and have underlined their willingness to include Amazigh organizations. In Egypt, too, people have spoken up and another political movement has emerged in Libya and is represented on the Transitional Council there.

This is the geographical environment in which Amazigh voices expressing a political vision have been heard. The process was sped up by the weakness of the World Amazigh Congress (WAC) in North Africa.

Magharebia: So are you presenting yourselves as an alternative to the WAC?

Arrehmouch: The World Amazigh Congress must now be re-energized, pick itself up and be as dynamic as it used to be. If it can do that, we could work in tandem. However, if its leaders do not do their job, this new organization could become an alternative to it.

Magharebia: What are the first steps that you plan to take?

Arrehmouch: The first step will be to go through the legal process of declaring the UNAP to the relevant authorities. This will be done both in Morocco and abroad. The next step will be to hold a meeting from 25-26 August in Tunisia to put together an action plan for the union. We also intend to organize an international forum to be attended by certain UN agencies that are working to support efforts to promote democracy and human rights. We anticipate that it will be held in the Canary Islands by the end of this year.

Magharebia: Have there been requests to join the new body?

Arrehmouch: We haven't yet opened the door for organizations to become affiliated with this body. In terms of policy, however, the Tangier Appeal stated that the body is open to all Amazigh forces and all NGOs helping people who are subjugated and impoverished in North Africa. For the organization to begin operating, first of all we need to adopt bylaws and the procedure for membership applications. We're still at the stage of hammering out these issues, which will be on the agenda for the meeting that will take place in Tunisia from 25-26 August.

Source: Magharebia.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2011/08/22/feature-02.

UN reports at least 600 killed in South Sudan tribal clashes

2012-02-02T10:39:00.000+02:00

UNITED NATIONS (BNO NEWS) — At least 600 people have reportedly been killed as a result of ongoing tribal clashes in South Sudan’s Jonglei state, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) reported on Monday.

UNMISS has called for an immediate end to the violence which erupted in the state of Jonglei last week where hundreds of people have been killed and unconfirmed reports indicate more than 750 others have been wounded.

The clashes originated between the Murle and Lou Nuer communities following large-scale cattle raids by members of the two groups, leading to the theft of between 26,000 and 30,000 cattle. Cattle raids are a persistent problem in South Sudan.

According to the UNMISS, many homes were also destroyed during the fighting in recent days and local authorities reported that nearly 200 people may have been abducted while thousands have been displaced. Clashes were still continuing on Monday.

Hilde Johnson, the head of UNMISS and the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for South Sudan, voiced deep concern about the attacks and urged all ethnic communities to exercise restraint. “This cycle of violence must stop,” she said. “That so many people have been killed and injured again in such wanton destruction is unacceptable.”

Johnson said reconciliation efforts are urgently needed and pledged the mission’s willingness to support such a process. A UNMISS team has already visited the affected areas in an attempt to facilitate reconciliation efforts.

“The security of all South Sudanese people must come first,” Johnson stressed, adding her condemnation of the looting and destruction of humanitarian facilities in Jonglei.

South Sudan became the world’s newest country when it broke away from Sudan on July 9 as a culmination of a six-year peace process which began in January 2005 with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) between the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM).

More than two million people, most of them civilians who died due to starvation and drought, were killed during the 20-year civil war in Sudan. Although there were hopes that South Sudan secession would lead to peace, violence has continued both on a local level in South Sudan as well as with the Sudanese forces.

The UN Mission in Sudan ended its mandated operations the same day South Sudan declared independence following a CPA-provided referendum in which an overwhelming majority of 98.83 percent of the voters favored secession.

In support of the new nation, the UN Security Council then established a successor mission, the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), for an initial period of one year, with the intention to renew for further periods as required.

Monday, August 22nd, 2011

Source: WireUpdate.
Link: http://wireupdate.com/wires/19612/un-reports-at-least-600-killed-in-south-sudan-tribal-clashes/.

Astronomers Find Ice and Possibly Methane On Snow White, a Distant Dwarf Planet

2012-02-02T10:37:00.002+02:00

ScienceDaily (Aug. 22, 2011) — Astronomers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have discovered that the dwarf planet 2007 OR10 -- nicknamed Snow White -- is an icy world, with about half its surface covered in water ice that once flowed from ancient, slush-spewing volcanoes. The new findings also suggest that the red-tinged dwarf planet may be covered in a thin layer of methane, the remnants of an atmosphere that's slowly being lost into space.

"You get to see this nice picture of what once was an active little world with water volcanoes and an atmosphere, and it's now just frozen, dead, with an atmosphere that's slowly slipping away," says Mike Brown, the Richard and Barbara Rosenberg Professor and professor of planetary astronomy, who is the lead author on a paper to be published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters describing the findings. The paper is now in press.

Snow White -- which was discovered in 2007 as part of the PhD thesis of Brown's former graduate student Meg Schwamb -- orbits the sun at the edge of the solar system and is about half the size of Pluto, making it the fifth largest dwarf planet. At the time, Brown had guessed incorrectly that it was an icy body that had broken off from another dwarf planet named Haumea; he nicknamed it Snow White for its presumed white color.

Soon, however, follow-up observations revealed that Snow White is actually one of the reddest objects in the solar system. A few other dwarf planets at the edge of the solar system are also red. These distant dwarf planets are themselves part of a larger group of icy bodies called Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs). As far as the researchers could tell, Snow White, though relatively large, was unremarkable -- just one out of more than 400 potential dwarf planets that are among hundreds of thousands of KBOs.

"With all of the dwarf planets that are this big, there's something interesting about them -- they always tell us something," Brown says. "This one frustrated us for years because we didn't know what it was telling us." At that time, the Near Infrared Camera (NIRC) at the Keck Observatory -- which Caltech professor of physics Tom Soifer and chief instrument scientist Keith Matthews helped design in the 1990s -- was the best instrument astronomers had to study KBOs, according to Brown. But NIRC had just been retired, so no one could observe 2007 OR10 in detail. "It kind of languished," he says.

Meanwhile, Adam Burgasser, a former graduate student of Brown's and now a professor at UC San Diego, was helping to design a new instrument called the Folded-port Infrared Echellette (FIRE). Last fall, Brown, Burgasser, and postdoctoral scholar Wesley Fraser used this instrument with the 6.5-meter Magellan Baade Telescope in Chile to take a closer look at 2007 OR10.

As expected, Snow White was red. But to their surprise, the spectrum revealed that the surface was covered in water ice. "That was a big shock," Brown says. "Water ice is not red." Although ice is common in the outer solar system, it's almost always white.

There is, however, one other dwarf planet that's both red and covered with water ice: Quaoar, which Brown helped discover in 2002. Slightly smaller than Snow White, Quaoar is still big enough to have had an atmosphere and a surface covered with volcanoes that spewed an icy slush, which then froze solid as it flowed over the surface.

But because Quaoar isn't as big as dwarf planets like Pluto or Eris, it could not hold onto volatile compounds like methane, carbon monoxide, or nitrogen as long. A couple of billion years after Quaoar formed, it began to lose its atmosphere to space; now, all that remains is some methane. Over time, exposure to the radiation from space turned that methane -- which consists of a carbon atom bonded to four hydrogen atoms -- into long hydrocarbon chains, which look red. Like the frost that covers a lawn on a cold morning, the irradiated methane sits on Quaoar's icy surface, giving it a rosy hue.

The spectrum of 2007 OR10 looks similar to Quaoar's, suggesting that what happened on Quaoar also happened on 2007 OR10. "That combination -- red and water -- says to me, 'methane,'" Brown explains. "We're basically looking at the last gasp of Snow White. For four and a half billion years, Snow White has been sitting out there, slowly losing its atmosphere, and now there's just a little bit left."

Although Snow White's spectrum clearly shows the presence of water ice, Brown says, the evidence for methane is not yet definitive. To find out, the astronomers will have to use a big telescope like the one at the Keck Observatory. If it turns out that Snow White does indeed have methane, it will join Quaoar as one of only two dwarf planets that straddle the border between the handful of objects large enough to hold onto volatile compounds, and the smaller bodies that make up the vast majority of KBOs.

Another task, Brown says, is to give the dwarf planet an official name, since "Snow White" was just a nickname he and his colleagues used. Besides, the moniker no longer makes sense for describing this very red object. Before the discovery of water ice and the possibility of methane, "2007 OR10" might have sufficed for the astronomy community, since it didn't seem noteworthy enough to warrant an official name. "We didn't know Snow White was interesting," Brown says. "Now we know it's worth studying."

Source: Science Daily.
Link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110822124955.htm.

Vietnam boosts naval power with new frigate

2012-02-02T10:36:00.002+02:00

Hanoi (AFP)
Aug 22, 2011

Vietnam on Monday received the second of two Russian-made guided missile frigates, local media reported, boosting its naval firepower amid maritime tensions with China.

The Gepard class frigate -- which an analyst called Vietnam's most modern warship -- arrived at Cam Ranh port on the country's south-central coast, reports said.

The first frigate reached Vietnam in March, state-controlled Tuoi Tre newspaper said.

"It alters the naval game," said Carl Thayer, a veteran Australia-based analyst of Vietnam. "A boat of that kind provides muscle for Vietnam."

The frigates were ordered several years ago as part of a naval upgrade by Hanoi, which is also buying six Russian submarines and foreign-built maritime patrol aircraft.

Beijing and Hanoi have a long-standing territorial dispute over the Paracel and Spratly archipelagos, which are potentially rich in oil and gas deposits and straddle vital commercial shipping lanes.

Relations reached their lowest point in years when Vietnam in May accused Chinese marine surveillance vessels of cutting the exploration cables of an oil survey ship inside the country's exclusive economic zone.

Vietnamese fishermen working in disputed waters have reported numerous seizures of their catch and equipment in recent years.

Thayer said the new helicopter-capable frigates will back up the fishermen with a more powerful vessel than the lightly-armed civilian-run Chinese surveillance ships.

Other nations in the region have also accused China in recent months of becoming more aggressive in enforcing its claims to essentially all of the South China Sea.

The Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have also staked claims to the Spratlys.

Source: Space War.
Link: http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Vietnam_boosts_naval_power_with_new_frigate_999.html.

Britain orders 14 Boeing Chinooks in £1bn deal

2012-02-02T10:35:00.002+02:00

London (AFP)
Aug 22, 2011

Britain announced Monday it has ordered 14 new Chinook helicopters from US aerospace and defense giant Boeing at a cost of £1.0 billion ($1.65 billion, 1.1 billion euros).

Considered as the Royal Air Force's workhorse, the transport choppers have served in theaters such as the Falklands War, Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan.

The versatile heavy lift aircraft can transport up to 40 men or 10 tonnes of cargo.

Britain already has the largest Chinook fleet in Europe and the order will take it to 60 aircraft. All of the 14 new helicopters should be fully operational by 2017.

The Labor government of former prime minister Gordon Brown was dogged by criticism that British forces in Afghanistan did not have sufficient equipment, particularly troop-carrying helicopters that would avoid soldiers having to travel by bomb-laden roads.

Current Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition claims it was left a £38 billion "black hole" of unfunded defense spending commitments when it took office.

The government has cut the defense budget by eight percent in a bid to curb Britain's huge deficit.

"We have brought reality to the defense budget and can start signing contracts that will deliver real equipment," Defense Secretary Liam Fox said.

"The previous government promised more Chinooks, but never ordered them and never had the money for them. It was just an aspiration.

"These additional helicopters will significantly enhance our existing heavy lift helicopter capability.

"This fleet will support our frontline troops in current and future operations for decades to come."

The new Mark 6 Chinooks will feature a digital flight control system making them easier to operate in tough conditions, such as the hot and dusty environments encountered in Afghanistan where Britain has 9,500 troops stationed.

The RAF should receive the first aircraft for initial trials and testing in 2013 and it should enter service the following year.

Delivery of all 14 helicopters should be complete before 2016. Three should be ready for operational deployment in early 2015 and all 14 should be fully operational by early 2017.

The Boeing deal includes development, manufacture and the first five years of support to the helicopters.

Source: Space War.
Link: http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Britain_orders_14_Boeing_Chinooks_in_1bn_deal_999.html.

Ron Paul as an Anti-communist Cold Warrior

2012-01-30T18:38:00.003+02:00

by Christian Gomez
Monday, 22 August 2011

Republican presidential hopeful Ron Paul is most distinguishable, on the debate stage alongside fellow GOP contenders, for his opposition to the U.S. wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and now Libya. The Texas Congressman advocates the withdraw of U.S. troops from not only Afghanistan and Iraq, but also elsewhere in the world, such as Germany, Japan, and South Korea.

Rep. Paul has also distinguished himself from other candidates in his consistent statements and beliefs. Unlike most other candidates, he has not flip-flopped — saying now what he has been saying for decades.

Once considered as one of 12 potential leaders of the conservative movement after the age of Reagan, according to the March 1983 issue of Conservative Digest magazine, Ron Paul is now regarded as the Godfather of the Tea Party movement. Still, despite his popularity on the right, and among libertarians, independents, as well as disenfranchised Democrats, Paul is attacked by many due to his foreign policy stance.

The attacks come not from the Left, but rather from fellow Republicans. The insinuation is that he is weak on defense because he supposedly supports Iran’s quest to build a nuclear weapon. Congressman Alan West (R-Fla.) recently came out against Paul, saying:

Let me be very honest. When I was listening to the debate Thursday night and a certain candidate for president stood there and said he didn’t see any problem with Iran getting a nuclear device because everybody else has one — I have to tell you, that’s not the kind of guy you need to be sitting at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Websites from RedState.com to TrevorLoudon.com create an image that Paul is “Al Qaeda’s Favorite Member of Congress” or that he is the pro-Russia/Communist candidate. When he is not being ignored by the media his detractors take potshots at him, attempting to create a distorted image of Paul as a supporter of totalitarianism and Communism.

More recently a small series of articles have been posted online insinuating that Ron Paul is being backed by Russia and that his election is what Russia and the communists want. Those reading such articles might well come to the same conclusions if they have not dug deeper into Paul's record.

First elected to Congress in 1976, serving a partial term until 1977, and again from 1979 to 1985, Ron Paul represented the then-22nd Congressional District of Texas. At the time, the United States was faced by the Cold War threat of Communism and the Soviet Union — a totalitarian state that represented the complete opposite of Paul's libertarian beliefs. Paul was no friend of communism or the USSR — and his record during his tenure in office at the time vindicates his credentials as an anti-communist.

Before Ron Paul’s days as a Cold Warrior are examined, it is first necessary to define and distinguish the ideology of communism versus the ideology of liberty, as advocated by Paul.

What is Communism?
Communism is an inherently collectivist ideology which centers on the breakdown of capitalism and the breakup of society into two main collective classes of people — described as the working class and the capitalist class (i.e. the proletariat and bourgeoisie).

Ignoring human nature’s desire to better oneself and aspire for a better standard and wage of living, communism calls for the creation of a “classless” or “equal” society by which the natural human condition is suppressed by the state as it controls the total means of production (i.e. farms and factories). The state ownership of the means of production is also commonly referred to as socialism.

Although some communists claim their aim is the eventual "withering away of the state," as Karl Marx wrote in his Communist Manifesto (1848), its application first requires that the state be used as the primary tool to control all aspects of human interaction (i.e., life and economics) in order to remove any remnants of “social injustice” or inequality — essentially eradicating those things that distinguish individuals from one another and make people unique. This is to be done by force, resulting in a compulsory state of apparent equality.

Once total or absolute equality, or “social justice,” is achieved, the state can then begin to deconstruct itself and cease to be, theoretically leaving behind a society of equal people living In a “people’s paradise” or “utopia.”

The major fallacy of this belief is that it relies on the state changing human nature, which in reality and in historical application can only be attempted by coercion, repression, and tyranny.

Tyrants, once in absolute power, never cede away their power (this too is human nature). In communism’s state of “transition” from capitalism to anarchy, when the state accumulates total power, there still exist two classes — the masses and the ruling elites (i.e. the ruling Communist Party Politburo). No mechanism exists to check or coerce the equality of this new ruling oligarchy. This is why, no matter how well intentioned the agitators of communist revolution maybe (and in most cases, the "well-intentioned" communists are in the lower ranks, dominated by an elite clique of malintentioned conspirators), their system of government has always led to, continues to lead to, and will always lead to total tyranny by the state – i.e. statism. Hence, actually communism is statism – the total control by the state.

Ron Paul’s Ideology
Communism is the antithesis of individual liberty, the latter of which Ron Paul has championed his entire career in public office. In his book The Revolution: A Manifesto (2008), he elaborates his belief on personal freedom:

Freedom means not only that our economic activity ought to be free and voluntary, but that government should stay out of personal affairs as well. In fact, freedom means that we understand liberty as an indivisible whole. Economic freedom and personal liberty are not divisible.

Whereas modern "liberals" advocate government intervention in the market, modern "conservatives" advocate government intervention in social matters, and communists advocate government intervention in or control of both. Ron Paul, on the other hand, advocates that there be no government intervention in either the economy or personal affairs.

Paul is by no means an anarchist; he is rather a constitutionalist — believing in the basic rule of law where government exists primarily to protect one’s rights, which are inherent and derived from our Creator. He believes that we are entitled only to that which we are born with — our life, liberty, and the pursuit to happiness.

Government’s role is not to grant rights or to collect from one to disperse to another, but rather to protect one’s God-given rights to his or her own personhood and property. Government does this by creating laws that protect one’s life and private property from other violators.

These laws are administrated by elected federal and state representatives (i.e., a republic) and enforced by local law enforcement, closest to the people, and also a national military to protect the land from foreign aggression. This is why Article I Section 8 of the Constitution, which delegates specific powers to the Congress, pertains mostly to military or national defense affairs.

Governments are not instructed to protect people from themselves but rather from others that would violate their individual personhood or property. This is the ideology of Ron Paul. By the very nature of these Lockean beliefs, Paul is an ideological anti-statist, anti-collectivist, and henceforth anti-communist candidate, rare qualities among GOP presidential candidates.

Ron Paul on Communism
In regard to communism, Ron Paul stated the following in his book Liberty Defined: 50 Essential Issues That Affect Our Freedom (2011):

Communism was based on the belief that only the party established the truth, and it was not rigid; it changed according to political priorities. Without a belief that truth exists apart from what government says it is, peace, prosperity, and progress are impossible.

Considering these anti-collectivist/ anti-communist tendencies and considering also that Ron Paul served in Congress from 1976-77 and 1979 to 1985, it is worth exploring how he handled the menace of the Soviet Union and international communism during the Cold War. We can begin by examining Paul’s position on foreign aid to the Soviet Union.

Ron Paul on Foreign Aid to the Soviet Union
Ron Paul has always maintained a consistent opposition to all foreign aid, but especially to the communist states such as the Soviet Union. At a time when the American people were told by the government that the Soviet Union and Communism represented the greatest threat to the world and free people, that same government (the U.S. government) was propping up that very same threat of communism via the Export-Import Bank.

In a 1980 issue of “The Ron Paul Report,” Congressman Paul gives the example of the “largest truck plant in world, on the Kama River in the U.S.S.R.,” which, as he stated, “produced many of the trucks and armored vehicles used in the [Soviet] invasion of Afghanistan…”

Paul went on to explain that the plant was “built at the expense of the American people.” According to Paul, “The Nixon Administration ruled the project to be in our national interest, and the government’s Export Import Bank loaned the Soviets $154 million at an average interest rate of 6.5%, with the first payment not due for 10 years.”

“The rest of the $342 million financing, loaned at market rates by a syndicate headed by the Chase Manhattan Bank,” Paul elaborated, “was insured by the taxpayer through another government agency, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation.”

This Paul opposed, as it benefited the Soviets at the expense of the American taxpayer. “The Export-Import Bank’s funds come from the U.S. Treasury, and the outlays cause our taxes and inflation rates to go up,” Paul said, adding, “The Soviets get the goods. The big banks and companies get the profits. And the taxpayer gets the bill.”

Paul summed up this policy as “simply a transfer payment from the average American to the well-to-do, with a bonus for our enemies.”

Ron Paul on SALT II (Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty)
In addition to criticizing the policies of President Nixon, Paul also censured the administration of President Jimmy Carter for its support of the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty, also known as SALT II.

In the October 1979 issue of his “Freedom Report,” Paul criticized U.S. arms reduction agreements with the Soviets:

Over the past twelve years — years of almost constant disarmament negotiations — the Soviet Union has outspent us on military offense and defense by 35% to 40%. This, the greatest military build-up in the history of the world, has led to rough equivalency between the USSR and the USA at best, and, at worst, clear inferiority for America.

Paul condemned the SALT II agreement, saying of it that “this would probably lead to permanent US weakness and the make the Soviet Union the undisputed military superpower in the world.” He continued, “It would be profoundly destabilizing; and far from promoting peace, it would endanger it.”

Paul’s report explained that “President Carter said we would agree to build no heavy ICBMs if the Soviets would only construct 150. The Soviets said no, they wanted 308 to our zero. We 'compromised' at 308, under the leadership of Paul Warnke, head SALT negotiator and George McGovern’s 1972 defense advisor.”

These 308 heavy ICMBs (intercontinental ballistic missiles) were referred to the Soviets as SS-18 missiles, each of which, according to Paul, “is six to seven times as powerful as our best missile.”

Paul also outlined the danger of SALT II and why he opposed it in Congress:

Under SALT, our missiles are allowed three Multiple Independently Targeted Re-Entry Vehicles (MIRVs). This means each missile can carry three nuclear warheads capable of hitting separate targets. SALT gives the Soviets permission to have 10 MIRVs on each SS-18. (SS-18s have been tested with 14 warheads, and many of our military experts believe they are capable of carrying 16.) Under the terms of the treaty, this one aspect of the Soviet warmaking machine can deliver 3,080 giant nuclear warheads, each with the destructive power of one million tons of TNT. These MIRVs equal 181,000 Hiroshima-size bombs.

Unlike many on the Left, and those both sympathetic and apologetic to the aggressions committed by the Soviet Union and international Communism, Ron Paul was a clear opponent of arms reduction agreements that benefited the Soviet Union and the communist world. He challenged the establishment, whether it was the President of his own party, Richard Nixon, or President Jimmy Carter of the Democratic Party, every time they sought to make treaties to bolster the Soviet war-machine and industry at the expense of American taxpayer dollars and national security.

Ron Paul on Nuclear Freeze and the Soviet Union
In addition to standing against SALT, Ron Paul was equally opposed to the nuclear freeze initiative.

During the height of the Cold War socialist radicals, anarchists, and other leftist extremists heavily promoted the idea that the United States and its Western allies should adopt a nuclear freeze initiative that would have placed a halt on the production and deployment of U.S. strategic nuclear forces.

In a reply letter, dated June 20, 1983, to a Mrs. Elizabeth Hey, a constituent of his 22nd Congressional District, Paul stated: “I voted against the nuclear freeze resolution when it was approved by the House of Representatives on Wednesday, May 4 [1983].”

Paul went on to briefly outline his opposition to the nuclear freeze bill, stating: “The resolution calls for an immediate, mutual, and verifiable freeze. The Soviets, however, have not stated their willingness to freeze nuclear stockpiles.” He continued,

My primary objection to a nuclear freeze treaty with the Soviet Union is that I am unwilling to trust the freedom and independence of the United States to the promises of the Soviet ruling elite. The Soviets have broken almost every treaty they have ever signed, once it was no longer to their advantage to abide by its terms.

Paul also made public his opposition to the freeze two months before, in the April 1983 issue of his “Freedom Report,” in which he stated:

The argument for a nuclear freeze is based on a misconception about the Soviet Union. This view holds that the leaders of the Soviet Union are motivated by the same values as we — the desire for peace. … In reality, the Soviet Union is a totalitarian country ruled by a ruthless elite. The value of individual human life is nothing to the Soviet leaders.

“The American people want peace and freedom; the Soviets desire world conquest,” Paul stated as he went on to further criticize the Soviet Union for its numerous treaty violations:

The Soviet rulers are willing to sign treaties only when they advance their plans for conquest. The Soviets have violated SALT I and other treaties at least 27 times. The use of chemical weapons in Afghanistan is only the latest in the long series of treaty violations. I am unwilling to trust the security of the U.S. to the promises of the Soviet Union. [Emphasis added.]

Although Paul has never been an advocate of increasing the U.S. nuclear stockpile, he did rightfully oppose attempts, such as the “nuclear freeze” initiative,” to formally sign an agreement with the Soviet Union that would have legally bound and prohibited the United States from building such weapons if the need should arise.

Committed then to a sound fiscal policy in the defense budget, as he still advocates today, Paul finished by making a call for less needless weaponry but rather shifting the focus of defense spending to what is, or was, actually needed to defend the U.S. homeland.

“The time has come to stop building more tanks and more nuclear bombs, to stop insisting that our reluctant allies take them, and to start building a defense against a missile attack,” Paul concluded.

Ron Paul on Missile Defense
Recognizing the nuclear missile threat posed by the Soviet Union, Ron Paul, as did also his friend and fellow anti-Communist colleague Rep. Larry McDonald (D-Ga.), supported President Ronald Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), or “star wars” missile defense.

The purpose of SDI, as Reagan stated in his famous televised speech from the Oval Office on March 23, 1983, was “rendering these nuclear weapons impotent and obsolete.”

In an article entitled “Space Warfare” in the December 1, 1983 issue of Congressman Ron Paul Reports, Paul addressed those opposed to SDI; Paul wrote:

Earlier this year, when President Reagan announced plans to develop a space defense system, critics said he was opening a new horrifying era in the arms race: the militarization of space. Such a system, they said, would be “provocative,” forcing the Soviets to build their own “Star Wars” weaponry.

Paul went on to state that, “Nothing could be more misleading,” noting the hypocrisy of the Soviet Union:

Despite the barrage of propaganda from the Kremlin — propaganda that has been scandalously effective at influencing public opinion in the West — space has already been “militarized.” And it is the Soviets that have been the “militarizers.”

Paul concluded his article by paraphrasing and giving the last word to General Daniel O. Graham, “father of the High Frontier space defense concept and former head of the Defense Intelligence Agency….” Paul wrote:

In the event of a nuclear attack by the Soviets, General Graham reminds his critics, you’d better believe there will be weapons in space. They’ll be flying right at us. And it is this that those who seek a real defense capability are trying to prevent.

Ron Paul continued to maintain his support for SDI as far late as 1988, when during a televised interview, while running as the Libertarian Party presidential candidate, he was asked, “What about Star Wars/SDI?” Paul replied:

I think that it’s worth doing research on SDI, but I would take the money out of the money we spend overseas. Seventy percent of our military money is spent overseas subsidizing rich allies that should be spent on the defense of this country, such as SDI.

Ron Paul observed that a space-based missile defense such as SDI likely would be a far more effective way of deterring a Soviet missile attack than having to be the policeman of the world with U.S. troops and bases in over 150 countries.

Rather than having to maintain an empire overseas, the United States could still protect and even deter the possibility of Soviet nuclear aggression by the development and deployment of a U.S. missile defense system in space — and this was the position held by Ron Paul.

The Soviet Union was not the only world power seeking to impose Communism on the rest of the world. In addition to the Soviet menace, Ron Paul stood his ground against other communist states such as those in East Asia.

Ron Paul on Communist China
In 1982, Paul strongly condemned the Reagan administration when it decided to extend credit to the People’s Republic of China, via the Export-Import Bank, estimated at $68,425,000. “It is outrageous that the American taxpayers are being forced to subsidize Communist China while domestic programs like Social Security are in jeopardy,” stated Paul at the time.

The following year, in a letter from the Paul's congressional office dated March 11, 1983, he expressed his strong opposition to one of the Reagan administration’s foreign aid bills — S.637, introduced by Senator Charles H. Percy (R-Ill.) — which would have amended the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961. Paul quoted the following provision of S.637, which stated:

The FAA is amended to remove the People’s Republic of China and Tibet (which is administered as part of China) from the category of countries to which assistance is prohibited. As a result of this amendment, the People’s Republic of China would not be considered a "communist-bloc" country…

Paul blasted this proposal in the letter: “The contention that the People’s Republic of China is no longer Communist is ludicrous. There has been no fundamental change in the government in Communist China. It is still a totalitarian, repressive, and collectivist regime.”

“The determination that the People’s Republic of China is non-communist should be an affront to freedom-loving Americans,” Paul added.

Consistent with his free-market principles and opposition to foreign aid, Paul criticized the Reagan administration’s State Department for its aid to Communist China:

Communist China has already received over $125 million in loans and credit since 1981. This includes a $68 million credit through the Export-Import Bank to be used to buy steel making equipment. The Administration claimed that this credit was “in the national interest.” It was certainly in someone’s national interest, but I doubt that it was ours. It is indefensible to be pouring $68 million into the Chinese steel industry when the U.S. steel industry is in such terrible economic straits.

Paul went on to asses the threat of Communist China, identifying China’s ties with the Soviet Union and its territorial ambitions for conquering Taiwan. Paul concluded the letter with the following statement:

There is a saying among Communists that goes something like this: If the Communists were going to hang capitalists, the capitalists would sell them the rope. This is only a half-truth. Nowadays, we’d just give them the rope, “in the national interest.”

Ron Paul and Barry Goldwater on Korea
In a 1980 issue of The Ron Paul Report, Paul quotes Senator Barry Goldwater (R-Ariz.), who said of South Korea that we should “reassess our military presence” there. Paul continued:

If North Korea decided to take advantage of the domestic turmoil [in South Korea], and invaded, said Senator Goldwater, our 41,000 troops would take the brunt of the attack. Our men are well-armed and well-trained, said the Senator, but they would not be able to stand off a probable North Korean-Red Chinese human flood.

Paul went on to criticize foreign aid, believing in the sovereignty of the South Korean people and military to deal with any threat to their security:

… South Korea’s 620,000-man army, and well-equipped air force and navy, ought to be able to defend the country. We have sent them many billions in military and economic aid.

Ron Paul’s reassessment and eventual call for withdraw of U.S. forces from South Korea was consistent with the views of Senator Goldwater, whose anti-Communist credentials were well known at the time. Paul, like Goldwater, recognized the risk and danger to U.S. national defense by maintaining a permanent presence in South Korea.

Even today, when South Korea is a wealthier and freer country than it was in 1980 — maintaining one of the world’s most advanced military forces, more than capable of taking on the outdated Soviet-era military arsenal of North Korea — it still does not require a U.S. military presence there, which is why Paul continues to advocate the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the peninsula.

Conclusion
Despite the distortions and false imagery presented in certain web outlets, the record of Ron Paul is clear as to where he stood on Communism and the Soviet menace of the Cold War. Assertions to the contrary represent inaccurate history and distort the record of the Texas Congressman, who has always unwaveringly championed the cause of individual liberty — since his early days in office as both defender of the Constitution and cold warrior.

Source: The New American.
Link: http://www.thenewamerican.com/history/american/8677-ron-paul-as-an-anti-communist-cold-warrior.

شغب في المفرق لليوم الثالث على التوالي

2012-01-30T18:38:00.000+02:00

2011-08-21

خبرني - اسلام الحوامده
اندلعت أعمال شغب مجددا في مدينة المفرق شمالي شرق المفرق ليلة الأحد الاثنين لليوم الثالث على التوالي احتجاجا على عدم القبض على فارضي الخاوات في المدينة.
وأقدمت مجموعة من عشائر المدينة على إشعال النيران في المحلات التجارية ومبنى المحافظة، وسط حضور أمني كثيف اضطر فيه الأمن لاستخدام العنف والغاز المدمع لتفريق المتظاهرين.
ميدانيا، تشهد المدينة توترا شديدا اعتبر الأعلى في المدينة خلال الليالي الثلاث الأخيرة، فيما لم يتم يتسن لـ "خبرني" تحديد عدد المصابين نظراً لمحاصرة قوات الأمن لمستشفى المفرق الحكومي، لكن دوي عيارات نارية سمع في سماء المدينة.
وتحاصر قوات الأمن والدرك منزل محافظ المفرق سليم الرواحنة خشية وصول المتظاهرين إليه.
إلى ذلك، تشهد المدينة اعتداءات من المتظاهرين على عدد من منازل تعود لمواطنين يؤكدون أنهم ليسوا أطرافاً في المشاجرات التي أدت إلى أعمال الشغب.

المصدر: خبرني.
الرابط: http://www.khaberni.com/more.php?newsid=60473.

إسلاميو الاردن يدعون الطغاة للاعتبار من سقوط القذافي

2012-01-30T18:37:00.002+02:00

2011-08-22

خبرني- هنأ المراقب العام لجماعة الإخوان المسلمين الدكتور همام سعيد "الأمة العربية والإسلامية بسقوط طاغية ليبيا معمر القذافي "،لافتاً الى ان "الشعوب ستنتصر مهما طال الزمن".

وقال في تصريح له الاثنين :"تهنئ جماعة الإخوان المسلمين الشعب الليبي العظيم والامة العربية والاسلامية بهذا النصر المؤزر الذي وافق ليلية الثاني والعشرين من شهر رمضان المبارك ليضاف الى قائمة الفتوحات العظيمة التي أظلها الشهر الكريم ،وينضم بذلك ان شاء الله الى معركة بدر وفتح مكة".

واشار المراقب العام الى ان "هذا النصر جاء بعد عشرات الألوف من الشهداء والجرحى وكانت تكاليفه كبيرة مما يعطيه طعماً خاصاً ويجعله انجازاً شارك فيه جميع أبناء ليبيا رجالا ونساءً شيباً وشباناً وقد خرج الشعب الليبي اصلب عودا واشد شكيمة وهو يأخذ اليوم مكانه في طليعة الأمة".

ودعا بشار الاسد وعلي عبدالله صالح الى "الاعتبار من هذا النموذج الصارخ في الطغيان"،لافتاً الى اختلاف تجارب الشعب التونسي مع الطاغية بن علي ،والمصري مع الطاغية مبارك ،والليبي مع القذافي ،واتفاقها في النتيجة .وتابع:" هذه التجارب ضمن فئة الطغاة الذين يستخدمون القوة العسكرية مع شعوبهم وفي ذلك عبرة ".

ونبه سعيد بالقول:"لا اظن ان طاغية كان بشدة هذا ودمويته،وبالرغم من ذلك فقد شاء الله تعالى ان يقلعه من جذوره وان يخرج كأن لم يكن له اي حضور على الساحة الليبية واصبح عبرة لجميع الطغاة".

ولفت سعيد الى ان "مثل هذه التجربة الجهادية لا بد ان تؤدي دورها الكبير في قضايا الامة كقضية فلسطين والوحدة والتحرر من جميع انواع الاستبداد والاستعمار والتبعية"،وتابع:"الحمد لله حمدا كثيرا طيبا على نعمة النصر ورحم الله شهداء ليبيا وشافي جرحاهم ونفع الامة بهلاك الظالمين وجمع الكلمة على الخير والهدى ".

المصدر: خبرني.
الرابط: http://www.khaberni.com/more.php?newsid=60488.

أردني ينجح بتصميم شبكة إنذار منزلي عبر الموبايل

2012-01-30T18:36:00.002+02:00

2011-08-22

خبرني- اثبت البروفسور الاردني الدكتور خالد عايد بقاعين قدرته على الابداع والانجاز بتسجيله براءة اختراع جهاز انذار عن طريق الهاتف النقال ( الموبايل ) يقوم بتأمين الحماية الامنية في المنازل والمكاتب .

ويجعل هذا الاختراع جهاز الخلوي وفقا لما يقوله بقاعين للصحفية سهير جرادات في وكالة الانباء الاردنية (بترا ) اكثر من هاتف اذ يمكن ربطه بنظام الامن في المنزل او المكتب عن طريق تصميم نظام حماية يتم تحميله في الجهاز الخاص بالشخص ويقوم بالتنبيه عن أي شخص غير مرغوب به يدخل الى المنزل ، اما عبر مكالمة هاتفية صوتية او صورية.

ويضيف ان هذا النظام يحتاج الى تركيب كاميرا في المكان المراد حمايته ، ولا يحتاج الى جهاز حاسوب أو انترنت ، مشيرا الى انه تم تطوير النظام في جامعة ( جلامورجن ) في مقاطعة ويلز البريطانية بعد تسجيله دوليا .

ويلفت الى انه نجح بتصميم النظام وتصنيعه عبر تأسيس شركة منبثقة عن الجامعة تقوم بتسويقه في مختلف دول العالم حيث بدأ الان في بريطانيا ومن ثم سينتقل الى الهند وبعدها الى الاردن ليكون متاحا امام المواطنين واصحاب الشركات .

ويقول انه يمكن من خلال جهاز الموبايل ان تراقب الام صغارها الذين تتركهم في المنزل عند العاملات ، ومتابعة امورهم عن بعد .

ويأمل بقاعين ان ينتشر هذا النظام ليصل الى الاطباء بحيث يمكنهم من متابعة المرضى في منازلهم وخاصة مرضى الضغط والقلب والسكري ليعطي مؤشرا على ارتفاع الضغط ومتابعة الاشخاص الذين يعيشون لوحدهم .

وكانت رحلة البقاعين بدأت من جامعة مؤته عندما كان رئيسا لقسم الحاسوب ، وحاول فيها ان يثبت قدرته على العمل لتكون اول جامعة اردنية يتم ربطها في شبكة الانترنت في العام 1993 بالتعاون مع مركز المعلومات الوطني الا ان مشروعه لم يتم بسبب الروتين وتوقف لينجح فيما بعد بتأسيس مركز التميز للتطبيقات التكنولوجية في مقاطعة ويلز في بريطانيا .

ويسعى الدكتور بقاعين الى تصميم نظام يساعد المصابين في ضعف البصر لتعريفهم على الطرقات واي اماكن يرتادونها عن طريق ربطهم بجهاز هاتف مع الاقمار الصناعية ليتعرفوا على الاتجاهات في الطرق ومعرفة اوقات انطلاق الحافلات، ويكشف عن نيته تصميم نظام يمكن الشخص عن طريق الموبايل من معرفة مواقع ومواعيد انطلاق الباصات خلال السنوات الخمس المقبلة .

ويعكف على انشاء مركز تميز اردني لتطبيقات الحاسوب في المملكة يرعى الإبداع والمبدعين يكون مشابها لمركز التميز الذي يرأسه حاليا في ويلز ويعد من اكبر مراكز الأبحاث في أوروبا في مجال تطبيقات وخدمات الانظمه الخلوية الذكية . ويوضح ان المركز الاردني سيسهم في توسيع نطاق الأبحاث المتميزة وتقديم خدمات الاستشارات وتطوير الانظمة والبرمجيات الخلوية إلى الشركات المحلية والدولية الأمر الذي سيزيد من القدرة التنافسية لهذه الشركات في عالم يتوقع أن يزيد فيه الانفاق على التطبيقات الذكية عن خمسين بليون دولار في عام 2015.

ويبين انه يعمل حالياً على بناء شبكة من العلاقات والإتصالات كمحاولة لنقل بعض من هذه النشاطات العلمية من بحثية أو تطويرية إلى المملكة مشيرا الى انه نظم مؤتمراً دولياً في عمان بالتعاون مع مركز المعلومات الوطني في الجمعية العلمية الملكية في شهر تموز الماضي. يشار الى ان مركز التميز في ويلز تصل موازنته الى 5 ملايين جنيه إسترليني جاءت في أغلبها من تمويل اوروبي ومن الحكومة المحلية في ويلز بالاضأفة إلى مساهمة العديد من الشركات الكبرى في مجال الاتصالات والتطبيقات الخلوية.

يذكر ان الدكتور البقاعين بالإضافة إلى منصبه كبروفسور في الجامعة ومديراً لمركز الأبحاث والتطوير فيها فإنه يشغل العديد من المناصب الدولية كونه رئيساً للاتحاد الأوروبي لجمعيات المحاكاة وتمثيل الأنظمة ورئيساً لما يزيد عن خمسة عشر مؤتمراً دولياً في مجال الإتصالات والتطبيقات الخلوية الى جانب الاشراف على العديد من رسائل الدكتوراه لطلبة اردنيين ً.

المصدر: خبرني.
الرابط: http://www.khaberni.com/more.php?newsid=60496.

Gator in your tank: Alligator fat as a new source of biodiesel fuel

2012-01-30T18:35:00.002+02:00

Washington DC (SPX)
Aug 22, 2011

Amid growing concern that using soybeans and other food crops to produce biodiesel fuel will raise the price of food, scientists have identified a new and unlikely raw material for the fuel: Alligator fat.

Their report documenting gator fat's suitability for biofuel production appears in ACS' journal Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research.

Rakesh Bajpai and colleagues note that most of the 700 million gallons of biodiesel produced in the United States (2008 data) came from soybean oil.

The search for non-food sources of biodiesel already has identified a number of unlikely candidates, including spent oil from deep fryers in fast-food restaurants and sewage.

The scientists realized that alligator fat could join that list. Each year, the alligator meat industry disposes of about 15 million pounds of alligator fat in landfills.

They showed in laboratory experiments that extracted oil from alligator fat can easily be converted into biodiesel. The oil actually was more suitable for biodiesel production than oil from some other animal fats.

The gator biodiesel was similar in composition to biodiesel from soybeans, and met nearly all of the official standards for high quality biodiesel.

Source: Bio-fuel Daily.
Link: http://www.biofueldaily.com/reports/Gator_in_your_tank_Alligator_fat_as_a_new_source_of_biodiesel_fuel_999.html.

Jordan urges "peaceful" transition of power in Libya

2012-01-30T18:34:00.000+02:00

Aug 22, 2011

Amman - The Jordanian government on Monday called for a 'peaceful and speedy' transition of power in Libya after the downfall of Moamer Gaddafi's regime.

'Jordan is closely watching the rapid developments in Libya and hopes the country will see a speedy and peaceful transition of power,' Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh said in a statement carried by the official Petra news agency.

Judeh also urged 'a compromise among all political and social forces on a roadmap that permits the setting up of a democratic system of government which enables Libya to play its due role in the Arab world and preserves the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity.'

He said that the Transitional National Council has an 'important' role to play in the process of the transition of power.

Jordan was one of the first Arab countries to recognize the opposition council and establish diplomatic ties with the Libyan rebels.

Meanwhile, the Muslim Brotherhood movement, Jordan's main opposition group, congratulated the Libyan people for toppling Gaddafi and his regime.

'We congratulate the great people of Libya and both the Arab and Islamic nations for this brilliant victory,' the Brotherhood's leader Hammam Saeed said in a statement.

Saeed in particular advised Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Yemeni leader Ali Abdullah Saleh 'to take a lesson from this outstanding example of despotism.'

Thousands of people have taken part in anti-government protests in Syria and Yemen this year.

Source: Monsters and Critics.
Link: http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/news/article_1658361.php/Jordan-urges-peaceful-transition-of-power-in-Libya.

Reforestation and Lions in Greece

2012-01-30T18:33:00.002+02:00

London, UK (SPX)
Aug 22, 2011

As the Greek economy maintains its slide towards default and the global climate continues to change for the worse, one organization, writing in Biotropica, has come up with some novel answers to both problems.

Reforest the country to offset historic deforestation and reintroduce long extinct animals such as lions, boosting the economy through eco-tourism.

The Coalition of Financially Challenged Countries With Lots of Trees (CoFCCLoT) also count the introduction of wild gorillas to Spain and the return of forests in G8 nations back to pre-industrial levels, among its suggestions for global sustainability.

CoFCCLoT of course does not exist. However, argue Erik Meijaard and Douglas Sheil, from the University of Queensland and the Institute of Tropical Forest Conservation respectively, this fictitious organization's demands are an example of the effective use of satire to bridge seemingly impassable gaps in the understanding of politically contentious issues.

"Mockery is seldom part of the scientific approach, but it is effective when it comes to sustainability and the environment," said Meijaard.

"Scientists tend to approach problems using objective logic and data, ignoring the emotional content and subjective values. Conservation science is especially vulnerable as it is about values as much as facts."

The use of satire to cut to the heart of a crisis has a noble history stretching back to 1729 and Jonathan Swifts Modest Proposal to consider cannibalism as an answer to the economic plight of the improvised Irish community.

It is this tradition, Meijaard and Sheil argue, which should be embraced by climate and conservation communicators today.

In their Biotropica paper Meijaard and Sheil consider a range of issues to compare the demands 'the West' makes of the developing world and how this contrasts hypocritically with how western consumers and politicians view their own actions.

For example it's perceived that 'the West' lambasts developing economies for focusing on cash crops, while remaining firmly attached to the resulting morning cup of coffee.

"An effective use of satire and humor can clarify the social, political or ethical obstacles to which conservation science is often blind," concluded Sheil.

"These obstacles play a major role in the political impasse to combating problems such as climate change. Using satire to force a reader to consider an issue from a surprising new angle, even if that angle is ridiculous, can help bridge the gap in perspectives."

Source: Terra Daily.
Link: http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Reforestation_and_Lions_in_Greece_999.html.

Wildlife responds increasingly rapidly to climate change

2012-01-30T18:32:00.002+02:00

York UK (SPX)
Aug 22, 2011

New research by scientists in the Department of Biology at the University of York shows that species have responded to climate change up to three times faster than previously appreciated. These results are published in the latest issue of the leading scientific journal Science.

Faster distribution changes. Species have moved towards the poles (further north in the northern hemisphere, to locations where conditions are cooler) at three times the rate previously accepted in the scientific literature, and they have moved to cooler, higher altitudes at twice the rate previously realized.

Analyzing data for over 2000 responses by animal and plant species, the research team estimated that, on average, species have moved to higher elevations at 12.2 meters per decade and, more dramatically, to higher latitudes at 17.6 kilometers per decade.

Project leader Chris Thomas, Professor of Conservation Biology at York, said: "These changes are equivalent to animals and plants shifting away from the Equator at around 20 cm per hour, for every hour of the day, for every day of the year. This has been going on for the last 40 years and is set to continue for at least the rest of this century. "

This study for the first time showed that species have moved furthest in regions where the climate has warmed the most, unambiguously linking the changes in where species survive to climate warming over the last 40 years.

First author Dr I-Ching Chen, previously a PhD student at York and now a researcher at the Academia Sinica in Taiwan, said: "This research shows that it is global warming that is causing species to move towards the poles and to higher elevations.

"We have for the first time shown that the amount by which the distributions of species have changed is correlated with the amount the climate has changed in that region."

Co-author Dr Ralf Ohlemuller, from Durham University, said: "We were able to calculate how far species might have been expected to move so that the temperatures they experience today are the same as the ones they used to experience, before global warming kicked in. Remarkably, species have on average moved towards the poles as rapidly as expected."

A diversity of changes. These conclusions hold for the average responses of species, but individual species showed much greater variation. Some species have moved much more slowly than expected, others have not moved, and some have even retreated where they are expected to expand.

In contrast, other species have raced ahead, perhaps because they are sensitive to a particular component of climate change (rather than to average warming), or because other changes to the environment have also been driving their responses.

Co-author Dr David Roy, from the Center for Ecology and Hydrology, illustrates this variation among species: "In Britain, the high brown fritillary butterfly might have been expected to expand northwards into Scotland if climate warming was the only thing affecting it, but it has in fact declined because its habitats have been lost. Meanwhile, the comma butterfly has moved 220 kilometers northwards from central England to Edinburgh, in only two decades."

Similar variation has taken place in other animal groups. Cetti's warbler, a small brown bird with a loud voice, moved northwards in Britain by 150 kilometers during the same period when the Cirl bunting retreated southward by 120 kilometers, the latter experiencing a major decline associated with the intensification of agriculture.

How they did the research. The researchers brought together all of the known studies of how species have changed their distributions, and analyzed them together in a "meta-analysis".

The changes that were studied include species retreating where conditions are getting too hot (at low altitudes and latitudes), species expanding where conditions are no longer too cold (at high altitude and latitudes), and species staying where they are but with numbers declining in hotter parts and increasing in cooler parts of the range.

They considered studies of latitudinal and elevational range shifts from throughout the world, but most of the available data were from Europe and North America.

Birds, mammals, reptiles, insects, spiders, other invertebrates, and plants featured in the evidence. For example, I-Ching Chen and her colleagues discovered that moths had on average moved 67 meters uphill on Mount Kinabalu in Borneo.

Co-author Jane Hill, Professor of Ecology at York, said: "We have taken the published literature and analyzed it to detect what the overall pattern of change is, something that is not possible from an individual study. It's a summary of the state of world knowledge about how the ranges of species are responding to climate change. Our analysis shows that rates of response to climate change are two or three times faster than previously realized."

Implications. The current research does not explicitly consider the risks posed to species from climate change, but previous studies suggest that climate change represents a serious extinction risk to at least 10 per cent of the world's species.

Professor Thomas says: "Realization of how fast species are moving because of climate change indicates that many species may indeed be heading rapidly towards extinction, where climatic conditions are deteriorating. On the other hand, other species are moving to new areas where the climate has become suitable; so there will be some winners as well as many losers."

Source: Terra Daily.
Link: http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Wildlife_responds_increasingly_rapidly_to_climate_change_999.html.

Eldest Gaddafi son Muhammad gives in

2012-01-30T18:07:00.005+02:00

Sun Aug 21, 2011

Libyan opposition forces say the country's dictator Muammar Gaddafi's eldest son Muhammad has surrendered himself to the fighters.

He gave himself up to the revolutionaries in the early hours of Monday after they seized control of Tajura, an eastern suburb of the capital, Tripoli, the Doha-based news channel of Al-Jazeera reported on the Tweeter.

Muhammad Gaddafi was in charge of the main internet provider service for Libya and cut the country loose from the cyber world immediately after the beginning of a revolution against Gaddafi's regime in February.

There are also reports that the dictator's security guards have joined the forces.

Libya has been the scene of intense fighting between government troops and opposition forces since a revolution seeking to topple Gaddafi began in mid-February.

Libya's former Prime Minister Abdessalam Jalloud, who defected from Gaddafi's regime on Friday, has said that it was too late for the authoritarian ruler to strike a deal to quit power and that he would probably be killed.

"I think it would be difficult for Gaddafi to give himself up...I don't think the evolution of the situation in Tripoli will allow him to survive," he said.

The regime would fall in less than 10 days, said the former official, who was among the officers, who helped Gaddafi wrest power in a coup in 1969, but fell out of favor with the ruler in the nineties.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/195095.html.

US preparing for unrest, martial law: Ron Paul

2012-01-30T18:07:00.002+02:00

Sun Aug 21, 2011

U.S. Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul says that the federal government is preparing for civil unrest and martial law in the United States.

Ron Paul has recently said that H.R. 645 (The National Emergency Centers Establishment Act) could lead to Americans being incarcerated in detention camps during a time of martial law, Infowars reported on August 20.

“Yeah, that's their goal, they're setting up the stage for violence in this country, no doubt about it,” responded Paul.

The National Emergency Centers Act or HR 645, first introduced in January 2009, mandates the establishment of “national emergency centers” to be located on military installations for the purpose of providing “temporary housing, medical, and humanitarian assistance to individuals and families dislocated due to an emergency or major disaster,” according to the bill.

The legislation also states that the camps will be used to “provide centralized locations to improve the coordination of preparedness, response, and recovery efforts of government, private, and not-for-profit entities and faith-based organizations.”

The bill also states that the camps can be used to “meet other appropriate needs, as determined by the Secretary of Homeland Security,” an open ended mandate which many fear could mean the forced detention of American citizens in the event of widespread rioting after a national emergency or total economic collapse.

The legislation was referred to committee and did not proceed any further, but it was not rejected in a vote and can be re-introduced at any time in a new session of Congress.

In the aftermath of the UK riots, police departments in the United States are being trained to deal with rioting and civil unrest.

Back in 2008, U.S. troops returning from Iraq were earmarked for “homeland patrols” with one of their roles including helping with “civil unrest and crowd control.”

In December 2008, the Washington Post reported on plans to station 20,000 more U.S. troops inside America for purposes of “domestic security” from September 2011 onwards, an expansion of the militarization of the country in preparation for potential civil unrest following a total economic collapse or a mass terror attack.

The United States has continuity of government plans in place should martial law be declared by the President. However, the details of those plans have been so tightly guarded that even Congressman and Homeland Security Committee member Peter DeFazio (D - OR), who has the necessary security clearance, was denied access to view the material when he requested to do so back in July 2007.

“I just can't believe they're going to deny a member of Congress the right of reviewing how they plan to conduct the government of the United States after a significant terrorist attack,” DeFazio told the Oregonian at the time, adding, “Maybe the people who think there's a conspiracy out there are right.”

Congressman Paul has warned about preparations for martial law before, telling the Alex Jones Show, “They're putting their back up against the wall and saying, if need be we're going to have martial law.” Infowars.com.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://edition.presstv.ir/detail/195046.html.

Spain encourages Palestinian state

2012-01-30T18:06:00.002+02:00

Sun Aug 21, 2011

Spain's Minister of Foreign Affairs hopes that the European Union foreign ministers meeting in early September will bring progress along the road toward the recognition of a Palestinian state.

"There's the feeling that now is the time to do something, to give the Palestinians the hope that a state could become [a] reality," Trinidad Jimenez said, Reuters reported.

"We have to give them some signal, because if we don't it could generate great frustration for the Palestinian people," she added.

The meeting of EU foreign ministers in Sopot, Poland comes ahead of a United Nations General Assembly meeting later in September.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will attend a United Nations General Assembly meeting to upgrade the Palestinian status and gain full UN membership for his country.

Washington and Tel Aviv remain opposed to the move.

Palestinians have been campaigning to win UN recognition for a state that encompasses the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and illegally annexed East al-Quds (Jerusalem) -- the territories Israel captured in the Six-Day War of 1967.

Over 100 countries have endorsed the Palestinian 1988 declaration of independent statehood.

UN membership requires a recommendation from the Security Council and approval by two-thirds of the General Assembly, or 128 countries.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/195075.html.

Turkey prepares to impose 'Plan B' against 'Israel'

2012-01-30T18:02:00.002+02:00

20 August 2011

On August 23 will be released an UN report about the attack by the Zionist forces on the humanitarian ship Mavi Marmara, which killed Turkish citizens.

According to TV channel HaberTurk, Turkey wants "Israel" before or after the report to apologize, pay compensation to the victims of Jewish terror attack and remove the blockade of Gaza.

However, recent statements by «Israeli» side reduce the likelihood of this. If the requirements are not met Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the coming days will reveal the "Plan B". Turkish media circulated details of "Plan B":

1) Temporary diplomatic mission will be withdrawn called off. Diplomatic relations will be cut

After closing its embassy Turkey has in "Israel" in Tel Aviv a temporary diplomatic mission of Turkey. There is a question of calling off a representative Tolga Uncu. If "Israel" does not apologize Uncu will be called off and no one will be appointed to replace him. Diplomatic relations will be reduced to zero.

2) "Israeli" ambassador will not be granted a visa to Turkey

In September expires term of office of "Israel" ambassador in Turkey Gabby Levin. Turkey will not issue to the new ambassador of "Israel" a visa.

3) Erdogan will visit Gaza

If there is no apology comes, Erdogan will visit the Gaza Strip in September.

4) Support will be granted those who are going to sue "Israel"

Victims of Mavi Marmara will sue the Zionist regime. Turkish Foreign Ministry will legally support this step. "Israel" will be weakened financially and morally.

5) Palestine will be given full support

Turkey will lobby membership of Palestine in the UN. And "Israel" will remain isolated at all international platforms.

6) Military cooperation will end

Turkey annually invited "Israel" to military exercises. After that Turkey will not invite "Israel" to any doctrines, military cooperation will end. Joint projects in the defense industry will not be carried out.

7) Trade sanctions

Turkey will limit economic relations with "Israel", reduce investment in "Israel." Cultural and social ties would be kept to a minimum.

Department of Monitoring
Kavkaz Center

Source: Kavkaz Center.
Link: http://kavkazcenter.com/eng/content/2011/08/20/15001.shtml.

Labor union members protest in Tunis

2012-01-30T18:01:00.003+02:00

2011-08-21

The General Confederation of Tunisian Labor (CGTT) on Saturday (August 20th) organized a protest in front of the Ministry of Social Affairs to denounce its exclusion from social negotiations, TAP reported. Protestors also demanded trade union pluralism in Tunisia and proportional representation in all national structures.

Source: Magharebia.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2011/08/21/newsbrief-06.

Tunisia recognizes TNC; Libyan refuges celebrate in Tunis

2012-01-30T18:01:00.000+02:00

2011-08-21

Tunisia on Saturday (August 20th) changed its official position of neutrality on Libya and recognized the Transitional National Council (TNC) as the sole legitimate representative of the Libyan people, AFP reported. On Saturday night, Libyan refugees gathered outside the Libyan embassy in Tunis to celebrate the rebels' advance on Tripoli, unfurling a huge rebel flag across the facade of the building.

In other news Saturday, Major Abdessalam Jalloud, a former member of Libya's Revolutionary Command Council, flew from Djerba airport to Italy, TAP reported. The former Kadhafi deputy fled to Tunisia on Friday.

Source: Magharebia.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2011/08/21/newsbrief-02.

12 militants killed after clashes in Indian-administered Kashmir

2012-01-30T18:00:00.000+02:00

SRINAGAR, KASHMIR (BNO NEWS) — The Indian Army on Saturday foiled a major infiltration bid in the Kashmir valley, killing 12 intruders as they were trying to cross over from Pakistani-controlled Kashmir, the local daily the Hindustan Times reported.

According to Defense spokesman Lieutenant Colonel J. S. Brar, the clashes occurred on Saturday morning at around 1 a.m. local time when Indian troops deployed on the Line of Control near Baktoor village in Gurez Sector of Bandipora district in north Kashmir intercepted a group of militants trying to cross the Kishanganga River in a pneumatic boat.

“This [use of boats] is certainly a new development. The terrorists were also carrying an inflatable dinghy,” the spokesman told the newspaper. In the ensuing gun battle between the parts, 12 militants and an Indian army officer were killed. Two Indian soldiers were injured.

The deceased Army officer was identified as Lieutenant Navdeep Singh who was commissioned in March into the Army Ordnance Corps and was serving in the 15th Battalion of the Maratha Light Infantry.

According to the Defense spokesman, five AK rifles, one pistol, two boats, 50 assorted grenades, two radio sets, two compasses and one Global Positioning System (GPS) besides a large quantity of war-like stores were seized during the operation.

“This is the eighth infiltration attempt this month and the biggest so far this year,” Brar added.

In May, General Officer Commanding 15 Corps Lieutenant General Syed Ata Hasnain expressed his fears that infiltration attempts would increase in the coming months from across the Line of Control in Kashmir after the killing of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

“After the killing of al-Qaeda chief there are fears that Pakistan might try to infiltrate more militants. There are a large number of militants waiting to infiltrate from across the border,” General Hasnain said, as quoted by The Times of India newspaper.

A guerrilla war has been going on between militants and the Indian troops stationed in Muslim-majority Kashmir, which is divided into parts administered by India and Pakistan. Militant groups are usually blamed for attacks, while soldiers have been accused of rights abuses.

The government says more than 45,000 people – including civilians, militants and troops – have died in the region over the past two decades.

Sunday, August 21st, 2011

Source: WireUpdate.
Link: http://wireupdate.com/wires/19592/12-militants-killed-after-clashes-in-indian-administered-kashmir/.

Iran sentences American citizens to 8 years in prison for espionage, illegal entry

2012-01-30T17:59:00.002+02:00

TEHRAN (BNO NEWS) — Iran has sentenced two American citizens to eight years in prison after they were convicted of espionage and illegal entry, prosecutors said on Sunday.

Several non-official Iranian media outlets had already reported on Saturday that the two American citizens were sentenced to prison, but the news was not confirmed until Sunday by Tehran Prosecutor-General Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi.

Dolatabadi said Shane Bauer and Joshua Fattal were sentenced to eight years in prison after being found guilty, but added that they still have 20 days to appeal the verdict. The news shattered earlier hopes in the United States that Iran would release the two as sentencing took place during the Holy month of Ramadan, which is also a time of forgiveness.

Bauer and Fattal were arrested in July 2009 along with Sarah Shourd when they crossed the border in Iraq’s Kurdistan region into Iran. Iranian prosecutors charged them with entering the country illegally and having links to U.S. intelligence, a claim which the defendants and their families have repeatedly denied.

According to the detained Americans, they were hiking in Iraq when they unknowingly crossed the unmarked border into Iran where they were arrested by border guards. Iranian prosecutors have rejected those claims, saying there is ‘compelling evidence’ that they are spies.

Shourd was released on September 14, 2010, after 14 months of imprisonment. She was released on a $500,000 bail on ‘medical concerns,’ although no details were provided. Shourd has since returned home to the United States and does not plan to return to Iran to face trial.

In response to Sunday’s news, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the United States is “deeply disappointed” by the sentencing. “We continue to call and work for their immediate release – it is time for them to return home and be reunited with their families,” she said.

It was not immediately clear if Bauer and Fattal would receive credit for time already served.

Sunday, August 21st, 2011

Source: WireUpdate.
Link: http://wireupdate.com/wires/19597/iran-sentences-american-citizens-to-8-years-in-prison-for-espionage-illegal-entry/.

Police Arrest Activists Heading to Biden's University Speech

2012-01-30T17:58:00.002+02:00

By Helena Zhu
August 21, 2011

When U.S. Vice President Joe Biden stood at the podium and spoke about human rights at one of China’s best universities on Sunday, he probably had no idea how relevant and timely his remarks were.

The American Embassy in China had told the Chinese public that everyone was welcome to “get up close” with Biden—but Chinese police arrested and disappeared residents in Chengdu with different political views who were trying to attend, and erected a phalanx of restrictions to stop everybody else.

Li Zhaoxiu, for example, came under the authorities’ watch when she complained about a government-forced eviction. She wanted to make a short trip with a few friends from nearby Shuangliu County to Sichuan University on Friday, where Biden was speaking, but was blocked on the way by a dozen regime personnel, and then stuffed into a police car and driven away, according to a friend interviewed by Sound of Hope Radio Network.

It was a bitter example of what Biden told an audience of around 400, including about 100 Peace Corps volunteers: that “the “biggest difference” between the United States and China is “what we refer to as human rights.”

Other human rights activists in Chengdu, including Wang Binru, Liu Qiong, and Ren Hengquan, were also planning to attend Biden’s speech, but were arrested at a tea house on Friday. They were slapped with the creative charge of “collective gambling” and will spend two weeks in detention.

Huang Qi, who runs the Tianwang Human Rights Center from his Chengdu home, said in a typed interview on Skype with The Epoch Times that he and his staff members have been receiving hundreds of calls a day recently, most of them regarding Biden’s Chengdu visit.

“It was quite a disaster for rights activists and petitioners who merely wanted to go to Sichuan University to listen to Mr. Biden and Mr. Xi Jinping discuss human rights, democracy, and legal issues,” said Huang, who himself is not long out of jail on political charges.

“But instead of learning democracy, they learned the opposite, which is tyrannical autocracy. Petitioners were imprisoned, relocated, or just disappeared. As for the ordinary residents, they had to deal with a lot of hassle. Many residents couldn’t stay in town, walk in the streets as usual, even the traffic was quite a problem,” he said.

An elderly woman surnamed Feng, who graduated from Sichuan University and has lived there in a residence hall for more than five decades, said that even though Biden was just speaking in a nearby lecture hall, she did not even bother to go.

“Even if I went, I wouldn’t be able to get in,” Feng said in a phone interview. “There were many regulations over who could attend and who couldn’t. The security was very tight.”

In a speech on China-U.S. relations that lasted nearly an hour, Biden told his Chinese hosts, including the next anointed leader of the Chinese Communist Party, Xi Jinping, that they should ease trade restrictions, continue to invest in U.S. Treasury bonds, and respect human rights.

“In the long run, greater openness is a source of stability and a sign of strength, that prosperity peaks when governments foster both free enterprise and free exchange of ideas, that liberty unlocks a people’s full potential, and in its absence, unrest festers,” Biden said.

Source: The Epoch Times.
Link: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/china-news/police-arrest-activists-heading-to-bidens-university-speech-60620.html.

Another World Under the Microscope

2012-01-30T17:57:00.002+02:00

By Christy Su
August 20, 2011

Envision a tiny grain of sand, so small one would dismiss it without a second thought. Saying that there is another depth of beauty in something so small is unheard of before. However, Dr. Gary Greenberg of the University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy dares to explore the unimaginable.

Combining science and art into one, Greenberg unveils never-seen microscopic views of objects like grains of sand, flowers, and food. Dedicated to his work, not only does he invent 3D microscopes and produce photos, but he also holds lectures, writes books, and opens exhibits for viewers to indulge in his wonderful passion. We were able to get an on-line interview with Greenberg and learn more about his work.

The Epoch Times: How did you first decide to incorporate art and science?

Greenberg: At the age of 13, my dad brought me a beautiful stereo microscope, and at the same time, my grandfather bought me a two-volume copy of the complete notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci. Those two events changed my life, and it was clear to me that art and science should be combined because both are ways to explore nature and human condition.

The Epoch Times: What is your current project right now?

Greenberg: I am currently building a new generation of 3D digital microscopes. These microscopes will be available for sale in 2012 under the trademark Edge-3D. My current research is to study moon sand in 3D from all the Apollo Mission landings.

The Epoch Times: What are the reactions of audiences when they see your work?

Greenberg : Almost everyone who sees my work is taken by the beauty of the natural world. I am able to show them things they would never be able to even imagine. People tell me that seeing images makes them more aware of the hidden aspects of life. The secrets of life are everywhere, but they are hidden until they are discovered. I am happy I am able to help people discover the magnificence of our world.

The Epoch Times: Where does your project inspiration come from?

Greenberg: For me, Nature is endlessly praiseworthy. I am continually inspired by the desire to discover new things and show them to others.

The Epoch Times: What is the highest magnification you have used? And which art piece did you use it on?

Greenberg: The magnification limit of my microscopes is about 1,500 times actual size; however, most of my images of sand, flowers, and food range from 100 times to 300 times. However, when I investigate cells from the body, such are brains cells or cells of the immune system, then I use magnifications of 400 times to 1,000 times.

The Epoch Times: Which art piece do you value the most and why?

Greenberg: That is too difficult a decision to make.

The Epoch Times: Can you describe the process and work involved in creating one piece of art?

I invented and built the 3D microscopes that I use. My company, Edge-3D, has been developing and building high-definition 3D microscopes since 1990. There are many factors that go into making a compelling photograph through the microscope. The quality of the lens, the lighting, the camera, and the type of microscope all make a big difference. Microscopic photographs of three-dimensional objects are difficult to produce because light microscopes have very shallow depth of focus. In other words, the camera can only see a thin section of the object in-focus, with the foreground and background being out-of-focus. I overcome this limitation by photographing a series of images taken at different focus levels.

To produce a fully-focused image, a computer program analyzes each image in the series, selecting the in-focus portions, and discarding the out-of-focus portions of each image in the series. All of the in-focus portions are then seamlessly combined into a single image that is sharply focused from foreground to background. The result of all this technology is a dramatic, more three-dimensional representation of the object

The Epoch Times: What magnification do you use to see the sand particles?

Greenberg: Most of my images of sand are about 150 times actual size. If you go closer than that, then you lose the feeling that it is a grain of sand that you are looking at.

The Epoch Times: So after viewing these different items at higher magnification and seeing them at smaller sizes, do you think there is a limit to how small you can see? Take a grain of sand for example. If you break the sand particle smaller and smaller while increasing the magnification, do you think there is a limit to the different forms of it you can see if technology was not a limit?

Greenberg: Modern microscopes are so powerful, they can zoom into a single atom. These types of microscopes can magnify objects about a hundred million times actual size. As you might imagine, a single grain of sand could look very different, depending on the magnification and the type of microscope used to see it.

Source: The Epoch Times.
Link: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/science/another-world-under-the-microscope-60587-all.html.

Norway Holds National Memorial for Victims

2012-01-30T17:56:00.003+02:00

By Alex Johnston
August 21, 2011

Norway on Sunday held a national memorial for the 77 victims who died in the double terrorist attack last month, ending a month-long period of mourning.

Nearly 7,000 people including the Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, King Harald, and the presidents of Finland and Iceland as well as other political luminaries, attended the memorial at the Spektrum concert hall in Oslo, according to media reports.

Stoltenberg called on Norwegians to support the families of victims killed during the shooting on Utoya Island and the bombing in Oslo’s government district, which were allegedly carried out by Norwegian Anders Behring Breivik, a right-wing extremist.

“We must invite in those who have gone astray. We must oppose those who want to use violence," Stoltenberg said, according to a translation of his speech posted on the government’s website. “We must meet them with all the arms of democracy.”

Stoltenberg was widely praised for his handling of the aftermath of the incident, which is considered the worst non-wartime attacks in the country’s history. In his speech, the prime minister said that Norway needs to be alert to signs of extremism and create a culture of safety and kindness to prevent it.

Norway will “make an unbreakable chain of solidarity, democracy, safety and security,” he concluded. “That is our protection against violence.”

Source: The Epoch Times.
Link: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/world/norway-holds-national-memorial-for-victims-60614.html.

Clashes near Gadhafi compound in Libyan capital

2012-01-30T17:56:00.000+02:00

By BEN HUBBARD - Associated Press | AP
Mon, Aug 22, 2011

TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — Tanks opened fire at rebels trying to storm Moammar Gadhafi's main compound in Tripoli on Monday, although the whereabouts of the longtime Libyan leader remained unknown a day after a lightning advance by opposition fighters who poured into Tripoli capital with surprising ease.

The international community meanwhile called on the longtime leader to step down as euphoric residents celebrated in the Green Square, the symbolic heart of the Gadhafi regime. NATO promised to continue airstrikes until all pro-Gadhafi forces surrender or return to barracks.

Rebel spokesman Mohammed Abdel-Rahman, who was in Tripoli, cautioned that pockets of resistance remained and that as long as Gadhafi remains on the run the "danger is still there."

The clashes broke out early Monday at Gadhafi's longtime command center known as Bab al-Aziziya early Monday when government tanks emerged from the complex and opened fire at rebels trying to get in, according to Abdel-Rahman and a neighbor. An AP reporter at the nearby Rixos Hotel where foreign journalists stay could hear gunfire and loud explosions from the direction of the complex.

Tripoli resident Moammar al-Warfali, whose family home is next to the compound, said there appeared to be only a few tanks belonging to the remaining Gadhafi forces that have not fled or surrendered.

"When I climb the stairs and look at it from the roof, I see nothing at Bab al-Aziziya," he said. "NATO has demolished it all and nothing remains."

The Rixos also remained under the control of Gadhafi forces, with two trucks loaded with anti-aircraft machine guns and pro-regime fighters and snipers posted behind trees. Rebels and Tripoli residents set up checkpoints elsewhere in the city.

The rebels' top diplomat in London, Mahmud Nacua, said clashes were continuing in Tripoli, but opposition forces controlled 95 percent of the city. He vowed Gadhafi would be found, saying "the fighters will turn over every stone to find him" and make sure he faced justice.

State TV broadcast bitter audio pleas by Gadhafi for Libyans to defend his regime. Opposition fighters captured his son and one-time heir apparent, Seif al-Islam, who along with his father faces charges of crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands. Another son was under house arrest.

"It's over, frizz-head," chanted hundreds of jubilant men and women massed in Green Square late Sunday, using a mocking nickname of the curly-haired Gadhafi. The revelers fired shots in the air, clapped and waved the rebels' tricolor flag. Some set fire to the green flag of Gadhafi's regime and shot holes in a poster with the leader's image.

But Gadhafi's defiance in a series of angry audio messages raised the possibility of a last-ditch fight over the capital, home to 2 million people. Gadhafi, who was not shown in the messages, called on his supporters to march in the streets of the capital and "purify it" of "the rats."

Government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim also claimed the regime has "thousands and thousands of fighters" and vowed: "We will fight. We have whole cities on our sides. They are coming en masse to protect Tripoli to join the fight."

Gadhafi's former right-hand man, who defected last week to Italy, said the longtime leader would not go easily.

"I think it's impossible that he'll surrender," Abdel-Salam Jalloud said in an interview broadcast on Italian RAI state radio, adding that "He doesn't have the courage, like Hitler, to kill himself."

Jalloud, who was Gadhafi's closest aide for decades before falling out with the leader in the 1990s, fled Tripoli on Friday, according to rebels.

The startling rebel breakthrough, after a long deadlock in Libya's 6-month-old civil war, was the culmination of a closely coordinated plan by rebels, NATO and anti-Gadhafi residents inside Tripoli, rebel leaders said. Rebel fighters from the west swept over 20 miles (30 kilometers) in a matter of hours Sunday, taking town after town and overwhelming a major military base as residents poured out to cheer them. At the same time, Tripoli residents secretly armed by rebels rose up.

When rebels reached the gates of Tripoli, the special battalion entrusted by Gadhafi with guarding the capital promptly surrendered. The reason: Its commander, whose brother had been executed by Gadhafi years ago, was secretly loyal to the rebellion, a senior rebel official, Fathi al-Baja, told The Associated Press.

President Barack Obama said Libya is "slipping from the grasp of a tyrant" and urged Gadhafi to relinquish power to prevent more bloodshed.

"The future of Libya is now in the hands of the Libyan people," Obama said in a statement from Martha's Vineyard, where he's vacationing. He promised to work closely with rebels.

South Africa, which led failed African Union efforts to mediate between the rebels and Gadhafi, refused to offer support to the rebels on Monday, saying it wants to see a unity government put in place as a transitional authority. But speaking to reporters, Foreign Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane said she did not envision a role for Gadhafi on such a transitional body, saying he had told AU mediators four months ago he was ready to give up leadership.

Nkoana-Mashabane also said repeatedly that South Africa has sent no planes to Libya to evacuate Gadhafi, has received no request from him for asylum and is involved in no efforts to extricate him.

Nkoana-Mashabane also said, "We don't know his (Gadhafi's) whereabouts. We assume he is still in Libya."

The uprising against Gadhafi broke out in mid-February, inspired by successful revolts in Egypt and Tunisia. A brutal regime crackdown quickly transformed the protests into an armed rebellion. Rebels seized Libya's east, setting up an internationally recognized transitional government there, and two pockets in the west, the port city of Misrata and the Nafusa mountain range.

Gadhafi clung to the remaining territory, and for months neither side had been able to break the other.

In early August, however, rebels launched an offensive from the Nafusa Mountains, then fought their way down to the Mediterranean coastal plain, backed by NATO airstrikes, and captured the strategic city of Zawiya.

The rebels' leadership council, based in the eastern city of Benghazi, sent out mobile text messages to Tripoli residents, proclaiming, "Long live Free Libya" and urging them to protect public property. Internet service returned to the capital for the first time in six months.

Gadhafi is the Arab world's longest-ruling, most erratic, most grimly fascinating leader — presiding over this North African desert nation with vast oil reserves and just 6 million people. For years, he was an international pariah blamed for the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am jumbo jet over Lockerbie, Scotland, that killed 270 people. After years of denial, Gadhafi's Libya acknowledged responsibility, agreed to pay up to $10 million to relatives of each victim, and the Libyan ruler declared he would dismantle his weapons of mass destruction program. That eased him back into the international community.

Aden supports National Council

2012-01-28T18:45:00.002+02:00

Sun Aug 21, 2011

Yemenis have poured into the streets of the port city of Aden in a show of support for the country's newly formed National Council.

On Saturday, the demonstrators chanted slogans against Saudi Arabia and condemned what they called Riyadh's meddling in Yemen's internal affairs, a Press TV correspondent reported.

They also expressed strong opposition to the return of Ali Abdullah Saleh from Saudi Arabia.

Yemen's National Council was unveiled on Wednesday, a day after Saleh said he would return to Yemen soon.

Saleh is currently receiving treatment in Saudi Arabia for injuries he sustained during an attack on his palace in early June.

Popular protests against Saleh broke out earlier this year, encouraged by uprisings that toppled the dictators of Tunisia and Egypt in January and February.

Hundreds of protesters have been killed and many more injured in the regime's crackdown on Yemen's popular uprising.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/194932.html.

Muslim Turks rap Quran courses age ban

2012-01-28T18:44:00.005+02:00

Sun Aug 21, 2011

A group of Turkish Muslims have demonstrated in the capital city of Ankara in protest over the age restriction that prevents children under 12 from attending Qur'an courses.

The protesters gathered in Kocatepe Mosque on Saturday, calling for an end to the age restriction law, IRNA reported.

Chanting slogans in support of Quran courses for children, the demonstrators urged Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to live up to his commitments.

A spokesman for the protesters said the restriction on teaching Islam's holy book to children was against civil liberties and a violation of human rights.

Turkey's Freedom Association (Ozgur Der), which organized the Saturday protest, has announced plans to hold similar rallies in 20 more provinces across the country.

In July, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said, “We will do what is necessary for Turkey to get rid of such a shame that prevents children learning the book of their own religion. We will change this sloppy law this legislative term and solve the problem.”

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/194986.html.

Jordanians urge Israel envoy expulsion

2012-01-28T18:44:00.002+02:00

Sun Aug 21, 2011

Hundreds of Jordanians have rallied near Israel's embassy in the capital city of Amman, demanding the expulsion of Tel Aviv's ambassador to Jordan.

Late on Saturday, the protesters condemned Israel's airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, calling for the closure of the Israeli embassy.

Raising the flags of Jordan, Egypt and Palestine, the demonstrators also demanded the abrogation of Amman's 1994 peace treaty with Tel Aviv, DPA reported.

Israel claims it launched its latest attacks on the Gaza Strip on Thursday in response to assaults that targeted two buses and a military vehicle near Eilat in southern Israel, in which eight Israelis were killed.

The Israeli offensive claimed the lives of at least 16 Palestinians and injured more than 45 others, including children.

Israeli Minister for Military Affairs Ehud Barak quickly accused resistance groups in Gaza for the attacks and vowed a “full response.”

The democratically elected government of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas in Gaza, however, strongly dismissed the allegations and warned against any act of aggression on the enclave.

Israel imposed a blockade on Gaza since the Hamas government took control of the territory in 2007.

The blockade has had a disastrous impact on the humanitarian and economic situation in the impoverished territory.

Some 1.5 million people are being denied their basic rights, including the freedom of movement and their rights to appropriate living conditions, work, health and education.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/194953.html.

Pakistan to send more troops to Bahrain

2012-01-28T18:43:00.002+02:00

Sun Aug 21, 2011

Pakistan has agreed to dispatch more mercenaries to Bahrain to help Al Khalifa regime's crackdown on anti-government protesters in the Persian Gulf state.

The agreement was reached when Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari met King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa during his one-day visit to Bahrain on Wednesday, IRNA reported Saturday.

Manama has been recruiting former soldiers and policemen from Pakistan at a steady rate to strengthen the government's forces.

In many demonstrations Bahraini protesters shouted slogans against Pakistani security forces in Urdu.

Pakistani and Saudi forces have played a major rule in suppressing anti-government protests in Bahrain since the beginning of unrest in the Persian Gulf country.

President of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) Nabeel Rajab said Friday that the Pakistani recruits have behaved with a heavy hand toward demonstrators.

"They're told they are going to go to a holy war in Bahrain to kill some non-Muslims or kafir [infidel] or Shias. They are paid well, maybe," Rajab noted.

Tens of thousands of Bahraini protesters have been holding peaceful anti-government rallies throughout the Middle Eastern country since February, demanding an end to the rule of the Al Khalifa family.

Scores of people have been killed and many more arrested and tortured in prisons in a government-sanctioned crackdown on protests since the beginning of the demonstrations.

According to the BCHR, there are currently over 1,000 political detainees inside the country.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/194995.html.

Jordan-GCC talks in Sept

2012-01-28T18:42:00.002+02:00

Sunday 21/8/2011

The first round of talks for Jordan’s admission to the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) will be held between September 10 and 15, Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh said yesterday.

Judeh is to meet his GCC counterparts in Saudi Arabia to outline a road map for Jordan’s admission to the bloc, he told a private sector panel set up to follow the issue.

In May, GCC leaders decided at a meeting in Riyadh to accept Jordan as a new member. The council comprises Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Oman.

Both Jordan and the GCC countries “stand to benefit” from Amman’s admission to the group, Judeh said.

Source: Gulf Times.
Link: http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=453936&version=1&template_id=37&parent_id=17.

A Marine Discovers Islam in Iraq

2012-01-28T18:41:00.002+02:00

8/19/11
Eliana Lopez

Before Ibrahim Abdel-Wahed Mohamed left Sea Cliff for a tour of duty with the Marines in Iraq, he was Anthony Grant Vance, the son of American and Panamanian parents who had raised him as a Catholic.

Despite his Christian upbringing, though, he had been curious about Islam since his childhood in Kansas, where he had two Afghani friends. He thought about pursuing anthropology studies to further learn about religion and different cultures, but instead ended up joining the military.

Mohamed felt the pull toward the faith strengthen in Iraq -- "the heart of the Islamic world," as he says -- and he reached out to the Muslim contractors on his base and started learning about the precepts of the Quran.

Convinced that he was being called to Islam, he officially became a Muslim while still serving in Iraq. There he underwent Shahada, a profession of faith where a person testifies in front of others that "there is no god but God and Mohammad is the messenger of God," as the Sunni declaration reads.

His transformation may seem dramatic, but it's not entirely unique. The number of Latinos in the U.S. converting to Islam is growing, and Long Island is no exception.

In 1997, the American Muslim Council counted approximately 40,000 Hispanic Muslims nationwide, but that number could nowadays be closer to 75,000, according to Latino American Dawah Association (LADO), an organization committed to promoting Islam among the Latino community within the United States.

Juan Galvan, a member of LADO, affirms that Latino converts to Islam are increasing. "Many Muslim organizations have stated that the Latino Muslim community tripled or quadrupled after 9/11," he says.

He explains that after the attacks, people wanted to know more about the religion. "Many people came to learn about Islam for the first time. Some people came to hate Islam, and some people came to love Islam."

Mohamed firmly stands with the latter, as one of a small percentage of soldiers who fought in Iraq and returned with a new faith.

In some ways, his roots may have predisposed him to theological experimentation.

Born in Panama to an American Marine father and Panamanian mother, he was baptized and raised as a Catholic. His parents divorced when he was an adolescent, and his father became a Jehovah's Witness. The conversion led his father to retire from the military after 13 years of service, telling Mohamed that once you decide to follow God, "you don't pledge allegiance to a country, but you pledge allegiance to God."

Still, Mohamed followed in his father's footsteps and joined the Marine Corps after he finished high school. As a Marine, traveled around the country, living in California, Virginia, North Carolina and New York, where he finally settled down.

It was working at the military base in Garden City when Mohamed first saw the Islamic Center of Long Island in Westbury, a place that always intrigued him. "We passed by the mosque a couple times and I had the curiosity" he recalls. After several years on Long Island, he was sent to Iraq in 2008.

Two years have passed since Mohamed converted to Islam. Now he lives in Westbury, attends the Islamic Center of Long Island and is pursuing a major in education at CW Post.

He still maintains an open mind when it comes to other religions.

"I'm not here to put anyone else down for their beliefs," he says. "I still believe that there are many lessons to be learned from other faiths."

Source: Huffington Post.
Link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eliana-lopez/a-marine-discovers-islam-_b_929468.html.

Libyan rebels say they are attacking Tripoli

2012-01-28T18:40:00.002+02:00

By DARIO LOPEZ - Associated Press AP
Sun, Aug 21, 2011

TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — Libyan rebels said they launched their first attack on Tripoli in coordination with NATO late Saturday, and Associated Press reporters heard unusually heavy gunfire and explosions in the capital. The fighting erupted just hours after opposition fighters captured the key city of Zawiya nearby.

Gunbattles and mortar rounds were heard clearly at the hotel where foreign correspondents stay in Tripoli. NATO aircraft made heavy bombing runs after nightfall, with loud explosions booming across the city.

"We planned this operation with NATO, our Arab associates and our rebel fighters in Tripoli with commanders in Benghazi," Mustafa Abdel-Jalil, the head of the rebel leadership council, told the Arab satellite channel Al-Jazeera. Benghazi, hundreds of miles east of Tripoli, is the rebels' de facto capital.

Abdel-Jalil they said chose to start the attack on Tripoli on the 20th day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which fell on Saturday. The date marks the ancient Islamic Battle of Badr, when Muslims first fought for the holy city of Mecca in A.D. 624.

A couple hours after the rebels said they had attacked Tripoli, state television ran what appeared to be a live audio message by Gadhafi. He did not appear on television but sounded like he was calling the message in on a poor phone line which crackled at times. He announced the time and date twice to prove that he was speaking live.

Gadhafi condemned the rebels as traitors and "vermin" who are tearing Libya apart and said they were being chased from city to city — a mirror image of reality.

"Libyans wanted to enjoy a peaceful Ramadan," he said. "Instead they have been made into refugees. What are we? Palestinians?"

Government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim appeared on Libyan television to deny there was an uprising in Tripoli. But he acknowledged that there was some kind of unusual activity.

"Sure there were some armed militants who escaped into some neighborhoods and there were some scuffles, but we dealt with it within a half hour and it is now calm," he said.

The claims from both sides could not immediately be independently verified.

If the rebel did indeed attack Tripoli, it would be the first time in the 6-month-old uprising. The rebels made early gains in the revolt, capturing most of the east of the country and rising up in a few other major cities such as Zawiya and Misrata. But Gadhafi's forces fought back and until a week ago, the civil war had been mired in a stalemate.

Last weekend, rebels from the western mountains near the border with Tunisia made a dramatic advance into Zawiya, just 30 miles west of Tripoli, and captured parts of the city.

Gadhafi appeared increasingly isolated as the fighters advanced closer to Tripoli, a metropolis of 2 million people, from the west, south and east and gained control of major supply roads into the capital.

After hard-fought battles for a week in Zawiya, the rebels finally wrested the city's oil refinery, central square and hospital from Gadhafi's forces and drove them out in a major victory on Saturday that clearly swung momentum in their favor.

Hours later, the attack on Tripoli was claimed.

Col. Fadlallah Haroun, a military commander in Benghazi, said the battles marked the beginning of Operation Mermaid — a nickname for Tripoli. He also said the assault was coordinated with NATO. Haroun told the AP that weapons were assembled and sent by tugboats to Tripoli on Friday night.

"The fighters in Tripoli are rising up in two places at the moment — some are in the Tajoura neighborhood and the other is near the Matiga (international) airport," he told the Arabic satellite channel Al-Jazeera. Tajoura has been known since the beginning of the uprising in February as the Tripoli neighborhood most strongly opposed to Gadhafi's regime.

Earlier Saturday, the government organized a trip for reporters to the airport to show them it was still in government hands.

A representative for Tripoli on the rebel leadership council told the AP that rebels were surrounding almost every neighborhood in the capital, and there was especially heavy fighting in Fashloum, Tajoura and Souq al-Jomaa.

Those three neighborhoods have been bubbling with discontent ever since the beginning of the Libya uprising. They paid the highest price in deaths when protesters took the streets in anti-Gadhafi protests, only to be met with live ammunition by government militiamen.

"We don't have exact numbers yet, but we are hearing that many fighters have fallen — very likely over 100," said Mohammed al-Harizi.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Jeffrey Feltman visited Benghazi on Saturday.

"Gadhafi's days are numbered," he said. "The best case scenario is for Gadhafi to step down now ... that's the best protection for civilians."

In Benghazi, there were thousands celebrating in the main city square, shooting fireworks and guns into the air, and waving the rebel tricolor flag.

They got support from Abdel-Salam Jalloud, a close Gadhafi associate who defected Friday. Speaking on Al-Jazeera TV from Italy, he told the people of Tripoli, "You must rise up all together, at once," and called on Gadhafi's forces to joint the opposition. "The decisive moment is approaching," he said. "You are protecting a clinically dead regime."

The taking of Zawiya, a city of 200,000, cleared the last major hurdle to a rebel march on Tripoli from the west. Rebels said Gadhafi's troops put up little resistance before fleeing their posts in Zawiya's hospital and multistory buildings around the main square — another sign suggesting that the Libyan dictator's 42-year-old regime is crumbling.

Trucks and cars packed with rebels as well as civilians drove around Zawiya's central square, honking horns, flashing V-for-victory signs and yelling "Allahu akbar" or "God is great!" An ambulance crew posed for photos on the sidewalk while a rebel called through a loudspeaker on his truck, "Zawiya is liberated!"

Still, regime troops kept firing rockets and mortars at the city from positions in the east even after rebels said they drove them out, and thunderous booms echoed across the city. The central hospital was hit by mortar rounds early Saturday, several hours after it was taken by rebels. The attack badly damaged the operating rooms, punching a hole into one of the outer walls. Metal slats from the ceiling were strewn across the floor, and soot-covered the operating tables.

Rebels also claimed that they captured the city of Zlitan, 90 miles (140 kilometers) southeast of Tripoli, after more than two months of fighting.

"Zlitan is now completely liberated after a severe fight, and for the first time I can say we have control over it," Bani told reporters Saturday.

In Zawiya, fighters were bogged down around the central square for much of the week, held back by mortar, rocket and anti-aircraft fire from Gadhafi's troops. However, on Friday afternoon, rebel reinforcements arrived and pushed toward the square and the hospital, driving out regime forces before nightfall, said 21-year-old rebel fighter Mohammed Abu Daya.

The rebels said Saturday that they were now driving Gadhafi's forces even farther east, toward the village of Jedaim on the outskirts of Zawiya.

Gadhafi's forces fired rockets and mortars at the city, killing a doctor his wife and their 9-month-old baby when a mortar hit their home, medics said.

Zawiya's main square was covered with traces of the recent fighting. Nearly every window in the surrounding hotel, banks and government office buildings was shattered, and bullet and shrapnel holes marred every wall. Shelling had collapsed two floors of one of the five buildings near the square that had been used as Gadhafi sniper positions.

The dead bodies of two government fighters lay in the square's central plaza, covered by blankets. Rebels held their breath as they passed the bodies, which some said had been there for days.

Zawiya native Faiz Ibrahim, 42, took great pleasure in walking safely through his hometown's central square. Ibrahim, trained as an engineer, had taken up arms to defend the city early in the uprising, but went underground when Gadhafi's forces retook the town. He came out of hiding as soon as rebels from the south entered the city.

"We praise God that we can come here now that we have liberated the square," he said, his Kalashnikov rifle over his shoulder. "We have to see all the destruction that it took to get them out."

___

Associated Press writers Rami al-Shaheibi in Benghazi and Hadeel Al-Shalchi in Cairo contributed to this report

In Morocco, students see more than money in summer jobs

2012-01-28T17:10:00.005+02:00

Summer jobs enable many young people to find fulfillment while also helping them make ends meet.

By Siham Ali for Magharebia in Rabat – 19/08/11

While groups of young unemployed graduates continue their protests demanding jobs in the public service, there are many still in school who work during the summer holidays.

Taking jobs during breaks from school in Morocco has long been thought of as something working class students did. Now, middle class students and their parents are coming to see the social value of working for your money.

Working during breaks is an opportunity for students to earn income, but also to train for the future by building character traits that lead to success in the job market. For some, it is a deliberate choice. For others, working is necessary to make ends meet during the school year.

Samira Kassimi, a sociologist, explained that summer jobs for young people are nothing new in Morocco for the working class, but are rarely taken by members of the middle class. She said middle class parents who are anxious to build character in their children are beginning to send them to work on their breaks.

Samira Z. is barely 17 but has been working during the holidays for more than five years to buy school supplies for herself and her two younger brothers. When people sympathize with her situation, she simply explains that her work experience will only help her achieve her goal of becoming an investigative journalist.

"Ambition is what sustains you in life," 21-year-old Zakaria Merouane told Magharebia. "I know lots of young people who have plenty of family around them but don't have the experience you need to get by in life." After he gains a degree in business management next year, he plans to take out a young entrepreneur loan and start up his own business.

Summer jobs help young people to boost their confidence by making them feel useful, according to psychologist Selma Chennaoui. "This has positive effects, because they learn about themselves and overcome their fear of the job market and any preconceptions they may have. This makes them more able to thrive," she explained.

"I was shy and I didn't know the value of money. When I worked for just one month, my personality changed," Ahmed Bachiri, 20, said. When Bachiri was 15 years old, his father, who is an engineer, encouraged him to work for a month during the summer holidays. He said he did not understand his father's intentions at first, but is now immensely grateful.

"My friends don't understand. They think it's shameful for a student to work during the holidays. This culture has to change," he added.

Source: Magharebia.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2011/08/19/feature-04.

Morocco sets legislative elections date

2012-01-28T17:10:00.002+02:00

The long-awaited announcement of the early vote date has generated vivid debates in Morocco.

By Siham Ali for Magharebia in Rabat – 19/08/11

After weeks-long talks with political parties, Morocco has finalized early parliamentary elections date. Voters will head to polls on November 25th, Interior Minister Taieb Cherkaoui announced on Tuesday (August 16th).

Consultations with parties will continue to examine all aspects of the preparations for the elections, the interior ministry said in a statement.

The kingdom was kept in suspense for some time after the July 1st constitutional referendum, with rumors circulating about possible election dates.

The election date coincides with the arrival of winter weather, which can prove very harsh in rural areas, particularly in mountainous regions, Justice and Development Party Secretary-General Lahcen Daoudi pointed out. This could have a negative impact, he said, on voter turnout among rural citizens who usually turn out in large numbers.

Others feel that the much-anticipated announcement could solve the wait-and-see attitude among political parties. The Moroccan political scene has been marked by instability and vagueness, according to Mohamed Ansari, who chairs the Istiqlal Party group in the Chamber of Councillors.

"The announcement has breathed new life into political actors, who had been rather unsettled," he told Magharebia.

Parties, human rights groups and the civil society need to work to encourage citizens to vote, since reform can only take place after the elections, Ansari argued.

Abdellatif Oummou, of the Party for Progress and Socialism (PPS), stressed the need to build confidence. Following the results of the referendum, it is clear that the process of reconciliation between the Moroccan people and politics has started, he said, but it will take time to work through. Will this trend continue?

For some politicians, there is not much reason for optimism. The turnout in 2007 was low and will be even lower in the next vote in light of the February 20th Movement protests, predicted Unified Socialist Party (PSU) Secretary-General Mohamed Moujahid.

He called for a genuine dialogue about real problems to prevent political activities from being pushed to the margins of society.

Opinions are divided on the street. While some youths call on people to have faith in the government's desire for change, others are openly skeptical.

"We mustn’t rush things," said Oussama El Mouerd, a 25-year-old trader. "I hope a new elite will emerge out of the forthcoming elections who can respond to the expectations of young people in particular, whether political or social, and deal especially with the issues of unemployment and freedom."

Mehdi Chihabi, a 29-year-old trader who took part in all youth protests, struck a different chord. The elections will not bring the long-awaited answers to a number of questions, including the fight against corruption and deprivation, he said.

"You’re allowed to be hopeful, even if there isn’t much evidence to inspire confidence," he added.

Sociologist Ali Chaâbani argued that despite young people’s lack of trust, "hope is still there". "They have already expressed their aspirations through the February 20th Movement, preaching liberty, equality, improved living standards and the building of a better future," he told Magharebia. "Of course, the constitution has brought something new. But the changes they want cannot be made overnight."

Holding early elections is the first response to the young people's political aspirations, said political analyst Nadir El Moumni. A number of factors will be decisive, he warned, particularly the opportunities offered to them through electoral list quotas.

Source: Magharebia.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2011/08/19/feature-02.

UN-backed trust fund launched to protect African elephants

2012-01-28T17:09:00.002+02:00

UNITED NATIONS (BNO NEWS) — A United Nations backed meeting on wildlife conservation and international trade has decided on the launching of a trust fund to ensure the long-term survival of the African elephant population, among other measures to protect various endangered species, the UN reported on Friday.

The 61st meeting of the Standing Committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) concluded on Friday with important decisions to ensure the survival of a number of endangered species, including elephants, rhinoceros and snakes.

The meeting was attended by some 300 participants from all over the world, including observers from the CITES member countries, intergovernmental bodies, business community and non-governmental organizations specialized in wildlife conservation and international trade.

Several countries such as the Netherlands, Germany and France have already contributed to the multi-donor technical trust for the implementation of the African Elephant Action Plan, and more were encouraged to do so during the meeting.

“We expect that donors will hear the urgent needs of Africa and support the implementation of the African Elephant Action Plan,” said John E. Scanlon, Secretary-General of CITES, whose secretariat is administered by the UN Environment Program (UNEP).

“The target is to raise $100 million over the next three years to enhance law enforcement capacity and secure the long-term survival of African elephant populations,” Scanlon added.

The committee based its conclusions considering alarming reports on elephant and rhino poaching in several parts of Asia and Africa, including illegal trade in rhino horns and elephant ivory.

Elephant conservation and new financial mechanisms were among several issues on the agenda of the CITES meeting, in addition to measures to reduce current levels of poaching of rhinos, tigers and other big cats, illegal trade in mahogany and other timber species, the fate of sturgeon and caviar trade, and the sourcing of reptile skins used in the leather industry.

CITES is an international agreement between governments which entered into force in July 1975 and aims to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants do not threaten their survival. So far, 175 States have joined the conservation agreement.

Friday, August 19th, 2011

Source: WireUpdate.
Link: http://wireupdate.com/wires/19568/un-backed-trust-fund-launched-to-protect-african-elephants/.

Plan set to evacuate thousands of migrants in Tripoli

2012-01-28T17:08:00.002+02:00

TRIPOLI (BNO NEWS) — The International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Friday said it is working to evacuate thousands of migrants who are in need of help in the Libyan capital of Tripoli.

The Organization has said that thousands of Egyptian migrants, living in Tripoli and in western Libya, have now registered with their Embassy and are ready for evacuation.

In addition, a large number of other foreign nationals are still present in the Libyan capital and they have requested to leave as their situation becomes increasingly vulnerable. The exact number of the total migrant population in the capital area is unknown.

The IOM has already assisted thousands of migrants elsewhere in Libya but the evacuation from Tripoli poses major obstacles.

Earlier, the Organization evacuated more than 10,000 migrants by road from Tripoli to the Tunisian border point at Ras Adjir. However, that evacuation route had to be abandoned due to increased fighting between rebel and government forces.

As the Organization prepares its Tripoli evacuation plan, taking into account the logistical, political and security challenges, it will soon be in need of significant new funds to carry out the operation.

“A rapid response on this is critical to ensuring that in the small window of opportunity we have to get people out of Tripoli, we are not constrained by funding issues,” said Pasquale Lupoli, IOM Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

On Friday, an IOM-chartered ship left the eastern Libyan town of Benghazi for Misrata on the 15th mission to evacuate migrants, mainly from northern Africa.

More than 8,300 migrants and wounded civilians have so far been assisted by IOM on its Misrata operations with funding from the European Commission’s Humanitarian and Civil Aid department (ECHO) and the Australian, British, German, Irish, Japanese and U.S. governments.

Libya has been engulfed in fighting since a pro-democracy movement opposed to the regime of Muammar Gaddafi emerged in February following similar protests in Tunisia, Egypt and other countries across North Africa and the Middle East.

United Nations officials have repeatedly stated that a ceasefire tied to transitional arrangements which address the aspirations of the Libyan people is the only sustainable political solution to the crisis. However, the parties remain divided on how to reach a political solution to the conflict, which has caused an estimated 630,000 people to flee Libya since February and displaced another 200,000 within the country.

Friday, August 19th, 2011

Source: WireUpdate.
Link: http://wireupdate.com/wires/19572/plan-set-to-evacuate-thousands-of-migrants-in-tripoli/.

Famine worries linger in Horn of Africa

2012-01-28T17:07:00.002+02:00

NEW YORK, Aug. 18 (UPI) -- With more than 3 million people on the verge of starvation in Somalia, the United Nations said more help is needed to stem the humanitarian crisis.

A drought plaguing much of the Horn of Africa is creating widespread famine. U.N. humanitarian officials said 3.2 million people in Somalia are at risk of starvation while another 12.4 million in the region are facing a humanitarian emergency brought on by the drought.

Valerie Amos, U.N. under secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, said following a visit to the region that aid groups on the ground were making progress.

"But we're faced with a still spreading famine in Somalia and with such a scale of suffering that every effort needs to be made and sustained in the months ahead," she said.

Around 500,000 people in the region were getting clean water and vaccinations campaigns were under way, however, the famine in Somalia has killed tens of thousands of people and the crisis is spreading.

"We need to get more food and nutritional supplies, water, sanitation and hygiene equipment and medical care to those who are in desperate need," Amos said.

The regional drought is expected to last for the rest of the year.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Energy-Resources/2011/08/18/Famine-worries-linger-in-Horn-of-Africa/UPI-72651313670447/.

Group calls for mass Egyptian protests

2012-01-28T15:09:00.002+02:00

CAIRO, Aug. 19 (UPI) -- A pro-revolution group in Egypt called for mass protests Sept. 9 to express frustration with the lack of political reform in the country.

A group calling itself the Second Anger Revolution Youth, in a statement posted on the group's listing on Facebook, accused the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces of "hindering the revolution," Egyptian daily newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm reports.

Criticism against the ruling military council is mounting as frustration grows over the slow pace of reform in post-revolution Egypt. Some of the elections promised by the military council were postponed to 2012 while trials for former regime officials, including deposed President Hosni Mubarak, are barely under way.

The revolutionary group said it was frustrated that the military council was still holding civilians on trial. They claim this violates pledges "that military trials are only for thugs and not for the revolutionary youth."

Thousands of protesters flocked to Cairo's central square earlier this year, forcing regime change through peaceful means. Mubarak and members of his inner circle are charged with murder in connection to the deaths of unarmed protesters.

The revolution group said the time for military rule in Egypt has ended.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2011/08/19/Group-calls-for-mass-Egyptian-protests/UPI-33031313764832/.

Algeria sends aid to Horn of Africa

2012-01-28T15:08:00.003+02:00

2011-08-18

Algeria on Wednesday (August 17th) dispatched its first planeload of emergency humanitarian aid to Horn of Africa countries hit by famine, APS reported. The flight from Blida carried 54 tonnes of food, drugs and tents and medication to Somalia.

In what the foreign ministry called an "expression of solidarity", Algeria has pledged $10 million in assistance to drought victims in Somalia, Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya and Eritrea.

Source: Magharebia.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2011/08/18/newsbrief-06.

US army to develop next-generation combat vehicle

2012-01-28T15:08:00.000+02:00

Washington (AFP)
Aug 18, 2011

The US Army said Thursday it had awarded nearly $900 million in contracts to British arms manufacturer BAE Systems and US firm General Dynamics to develop its next-generation ground combat vehicle.

The Pentagon said it had given $450 million to BAE and $440 million to General Dynamics to develop "competitive, affordable and executable designs for a new Army Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV)" over the next two years.

The vehicle, which is expected to be able to transport nine infantrymen, is due to be operational by 2018, replacing the aging Bradleys and Strykers, it said in a statement.

The Pentagon, whose budget has doubled since the September 11, 2001 attacks, is bracing for drastic cuts in the coming years as the United States attempts to rein in the spiraling deficit.

The launch of the Ground Combat Vehicle (GCV) program before the severity of the cuts is known allows the Army to ensure it will not die on the chopping block.

"Given the economic environment the nation currently faces, the Army recognizes that it is imperative to continually address requirements as we build a versatile, yet affordable, next-generation infantry fighting vehicle," Secretary of the Army John McHugh said, according to the statement.

"This is an important milestone in our Army's modernization program," said Army Chief of Staff Gen. Martin E. Dempsey.

"GCV is the first combat vehicle designed from inception for an IED (improvised explosive device) environment. It will provide armor protection and the capability to maneuver cross-country with the nine-man infantry squad."

Source: Space War.
Link: http://www.spacewar.com/reports/US_army_to_develop_next-generation_combat_vehicle_999.html.

'Bullet-Proof Skin', Made With Spider Silk And Goat's Milk, Created By Scientists

2012-01-28T15:07:00.002+02:00

8/18/11
Amanda Chan

Imagine having a gun fired at you, the bullet whizzing toward you at a super-fast speed. But instead of the bullet piercing your skin and traveling deep inside your body, what if it instead repelled off your skin?

What sounds like a scenario straight out of a superhero movie or a sci-fi novel could eventually become reality. Scientists have created a skin made with goat's milk packed with spider-silk proteins, according to news reports. Their hope is that they can eventually replace the keratin in human skin -- which makes it tough -- with the spider-silk proteins.

To make the bullet-proof material, Dutch scientists first engineered goats to produce milk that contains proteins from extra-strong spider silk. Then, using the milk from the goats, they spun a bullet-proof material; a layer of real human skin is then grown around that skin, a process that takes five weeks, the Daily Mail reported.

"Science-fiction? Maybe, but we can get a feeling of what this transhumanistic idea would be like by letting a bulletproof matrix of spidersilk merge with an in vitro human skin," researcher Jalila Essaidi told the Daily Mail.

Does it work? Well, the skin is only able to stop bullets fired at reduced speeds, TechNewsDaily reported. It was not able to stop a bullet from a .22 caliber rifle shot at a normal speed, which is the required standard for today's bulletproof vests.

The skin is currently on display at the National Natural History Museum Naturalis in Leiden, Netherlands, until Jan. 8, 2012, TechNewsDaily reported.

More research must be done before this bullet-proof "super skin" can actually be possible to engineer into humans.

Source: Huffington Post.
Link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/18/bullet-proof-skin-spider-silk_n_930389.html.

Former Ivorian President Gbagbo charged with economic crimes

2012-01-28T15:06:00.000+02:00

ABIDJAN, IVORY COAST (BNO NEWS) — Former Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo and his wife Simone Gbagbo have been charged with economic crimes including looting, armed robbery and embezzlement, the BBC reported on Thursday.

Gbagbo and his wife have been under house arrest in separate locations in the north of the country since they were arrested in April. Public prosecutor Simplice Kouadio Koffi said Simone Gbagbo was charged on Tuesday and taken into custody, while her husband was charged on Thursday.

According to the BBC correspondent in Abidjan, John James, the charges against the former president relate to the post-election period when Gbagbo used state funds, including hundreds of millions of dollars from the central bank, in his attempt to stay in power.

The BBC correspondent also said that by charging the couple only with economic crimes, the prosecutor is leaving the way open for the International Criminal Court (ICC) to start an investigation into the post-election violence.

The Ivorian government has requested the ICC’s involvement, saying it is not competent to judge the more serious allegations of violent crimes.

All key figures arrested along with Gbagbo in April had already been charged, except for the former president himself and his wife Simone. Human rights groups had criticized the Ivorian government for holding the pair for four months without charge.

An armed rebellion in 2002 split the country into a Government-controlled south and a rebel-held north. The UN certified election won by Alassane Ouattara in 2010 reunited the country again.

However, before Ouattara could be sworn in as legitimate president, violent tensions shook the country for five months as former president Gbagbo refused to step down. The fighting killed as many as 3,000 people and left up to 1 million Ivoirians displaced.

Thursday, August 18th, 2011

Source: WireUpdate.
Link: http://wireupdate.com/wires/19543/former-ivorian-president-gbagbo-charged-with-economic-crimes/.

Police clashes with anti-Pope protesters in Madrid

2012-01-28T15:05:00.002+02:00

MADRID (BNO NEWS) — More than 150 people protesting against the financial cost of Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to the Spanish capital of Madrid were again removed by police on Thursday night, police said on Friday morning.

Thursday’s protest followed a similar protest on Wednesday evening when eight people were arrested and eleven were injured after police attempted to break up the demonstration.

Police said they initially did not plan to break up the protest but decided to do so to avoid a violent encounter between protesters and Catholic pilgrims. Opponents are protesting against the financial cost of the pontiff’s stay amid one of Spain’s worst economic crisis in decades.

Pope Benedict XVI arrived in the Spanish capital on Thursday for a four-day visit to celebrate World Youth Day. At least a million pilgrims from across the world have come for the Catholic youth festival which started on Tuesday.

Earlier this week, Spanish police arrested a Mexican chemistry student for allegedly plotting to gas the anti-Pope rallies. A Spanish Judge has since released him under probation.

Thursday, August 18th, 2011

Source: WireUpdate.
Link: http://wireupdate.com/wires/19548/police-clashes-with-anti-pope-protesters-in-madrid/.

Why Africa is leaving Europe behind

2012-01-28T15:04:00.003+02:00

August 18, 2011

By William Wallis

Africans are relishing something of a reversal in roles. The former colonial powers in Europe are wrestling with debt crises, austerity budgets, rising unemployment and social turmoil. By contrast much of sub-Saharan Africa can point to robust growth, better balanced books and rising capital inflows. There is an opportunity in this novel scenario: for Africa to assert itself on the global stage, and for European countries to take advantage of their historic footprint in Africa by stimulating commercial expansion to their south. But it is far from clear either side will grasp it.

The problems faced by western governments are all too familiar to African countries. They too found their public services hollowed out in the 1980s and 1990s under the strict conditions of World Bank and International Monetary Fund bail-outs. In the worst instances, state authority was fatally weakened as discontent boiled over on the streets.

Today, by contrast they can point to improved economic figures, a reviving middle class and arguably, in places, more effective social control. Even Lagos – much rougher, larger, poorer and unequal than London – has never witnessed looting on the scale that took place in the former capital of empire last week, although inhabitants of the Nigerian mega-city have certainly competed when it comes to arson.

Africa has been enjoying this reversal of roles. As rioting spread from London to other cities, South Africa’s foreign ministry took the unusual step of issuing a travel advisory warning its citizens against visiting the UK. There was also retaliation for past jibes about their country’s capacity to organize the 2010 football World Cup, by questioning whether London can be trusted to host a safe Olympics.

The response from Westminster’s politicians also failed to serve as much of a model. As one veteran Nigerian diplomat wryly put it to me, Prime Minister David Cameron seemed to echo Libya’s Colonel Gaddafi – who blames “terrorists” for the insurgency on his doorstep – when he blamed the worst violence on the UK mainland in generations simplistically to “criminals.”

If British society is sick, and the European project is flailing, there are of course patients in Africa in far worse shape. It only took the improbable appearance this week of Andrew Mitchell, Britain’s development secretary, in Mogadishu – a city no UK minister has visited since 1992 – to serve a reminder.

Mr Mitchell’s visit would have been bolder if it had taken place last year, when the seeds of the current famine were already sown and the absence of a functioning state was blighting the region with piracy and Islamist extremism. But it did serve as a contrast to the abnegation of responsibility in the crisis in the Horn of Africa by regional leaders.

It is Western governments and charities, along with the UN, that have stepped into the African breach, providing the finances and expertise to manage a crisis has already claimed thousands of lives and may have repercussions in the region for years to come. For all Africa’s failures, however, the west must not draw the wrong conclusions. It is tempting to see only a familiar picture of African weakness. But in some ways the famine is a chapter that ill befits the times.

In the decade and more since China began sketching out the terms of its new engagement with Africa, the continent has undergone a transformational shift in its relations with the outside world. A stage once dominated by cautious western donors and jaded former colonial powers now hosts Brazilians, Indians, Russians, Turks and others queuing up to seize the opportunities of African resources and markets. The relative decline of western influence and commercial dominance forms part of the same narrative.

The contours of this new order are still being defined. Yet neither European nor African governments appear to have seized the opportunity presented: for African governments to stake out a more independent role and greater say in world affairs, and for Europeans to unshackle themselves from the unhealthy paternalism of the past and compete on more equitable terms for the business opportunities provided by rapid economic expansion to their south.

Mr Cameron appeared to have at least half understood this on his recent trip to South Africa and Nigeria. He dropped the habitually hectoring tone in favor of an upbeat assessment of Africa’s trading potential. But in comparison with the relentless pursuit of African attentions by Chinese and other emerging power officials, his visit was a barely perceptible blip in between domestic crises.

Many of his western peers still appear unaware of how grating it is for Africans to be lectured on poverty reduction, corruption and financial probity in the light of recent governance failures on their own turf. Africans can, after all, legitimately ask what if not a failure of governance caused the global financial crisis in 2008, among the many other problems that best western governments.

Europe has surrendered moral high ground as well as commercial dominance in Africa. But it is not too late to reverse that. On the former, at least, Europeans and Americans have remained by far the biggest donors during the famine, where African and emerging nation voices have been absent. On the latter, Africa’s economic recovery has only just begun.

Source: Financial Times.
Link: http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/3de29606-c834-11e0-9852-00144feabdc0.html.

Protests in Madrid ahead of papal visit

2012-01-28T15:04:00.000+02:00

August 18, 2011

By Victor Mallet and Pascale Davies in Madrid

Seven people were arrested and 11 injured in overnight clashes between Spanish police and thousands of demonstrators protesting in Madrid against the visit on Thursday of Pope Benedict XVI, according to police and emergency services.

An estimated 20,000 protesters demanding a fully secular Spanish state and an end to privileges for the Roman Catholic church marched into Sol, the square in the center of the capital. There they confronted thousands of young pilgrims who have come to Spain to see the Pope and celebrate World Youth Day, held every three years in a different city.

The stand-off between the two sides – despite faint echoes of the hatred between Francoist Catholics and anti-religious republicans during the 1936-39 Spanish civil war - were mostly peaceful and verbal. Police later broke up the anti-Pope demonstration and made the arrests.

“Abortion yes, pederasty no!” was a favorite cry of the anti-papal marchers, recalling the church’s opposition to abortion and several scandals in which priests have molested children in their charge.

They also chanted, “Less religion, more education!” and “Not with my taxes!”, a reference to complaints that the pope’s visit will cost Spain money, despite denials form the organizers, and to the fact that citizens can opt on their income tax forms to give 0.7 per cent of the tax to the church.

Groups of pilgrims, waving national flags from around the world, responded with cries of “More religion and more education!” and in some cases by praying on the pavement. One elderly Spanish man on the anti-Pope march, seeing a prayer group, shouted: “Not for me! I don’t believe in anything.”

The Catholic church expects more than 1m people, many from as far afield as the Philippines and Brazil, to welcome the Pope during his visit to Spain.

Among Spaniards, 71.7 per cent describe themselves as Catholics, about 10 percentage points lower than a decade ago, according to a survey published this month by the Sociological Research Center. Of these, some 13 per cent go to mass on most Sundays of the year, down from 19 per cent.

The proportion of atheists and non-believers has risen to 24.3 per cent of Spaniards from 14.6 per cent in 2001.

But the anti-papal demonstrators hold a wide range of views. Some are atheists, some are liberal Catholics who support a secular state, and many are drawn from the ranks of the “indignados” (the indignant ones) who staged the anti-establishment protests across Spain that began in May.

Source: Financial Times.
Link: http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/a2f7c152-c97d-11e0-9eb8-00144feabdc0.html.

U.S., Egypt scrap joint military drills

2012-01-28T15:03:00.002+02:00

WASHINGTON, Aug. 18 (UPI) -- The United States and Egypt agreed to scrap military exercises planned for the region because of the political events in Egypt, the U.S. State Department said.

The U.S. Central Command takes part in the biennial, multilateral military Exercise Bright Star. The drills involve forces from the United States, Egypt and European and Arab allies.

The State Department announced that both sides decided to scrap the 2011 drills and focus on planning for 2013 joint military exercises.

"The Egyptian government and the United States mutually agreed to postpone the 2011 exercise in light of ongoing transition events," the State Department said.

Egyptian military leaders who have been leading the country after the revolution are facing public criticism they're moving too slowly on political reforms.

Ousted President Hosni Mubarak, meanwhile, is on trial, along with his sons and former interior minister, for the deaths of unarmed demonstrators during the country's revolution.

The Wall Street Journal reported last week that anti-American sentiment in post-revolution Egypt was at a high. The report points to a cover of a July edition of a state-run news magazine depicting U.S. Ambassador to Egypt Anne Patterson lighting dynamite with a burning wad of U.S. dollar bills. The title of the edition reads in Arabic "Ambassador From Hell Is Setting Tahrir on Fire."

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2011/08/18/US-Egypt-scrap-joint-military-drills/UPI-29471313684191/.

AP Interview: Filipino rebel forms splinter group

2012-01-28T15:02:00.002+02:00

August 19, 2011 — MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A radical guerrilla commander said he has split from the Philippines' largest Muslim rebel group and formed his own with hundreds of fighters to wage a war for a separate homeland.

Ameril Umbra Kato told The Associated Press in a cellphone interview Thursday from his jungle hide-out in southern Maguindanao province that he would not return to the mainstream Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which has opened peace talks with the government and threatened to expel him after he led a mutiny in December.

Kato denied allegations by Philippine security officials that he has links with al-Qaida-affiliated militants in the country's volatile south and was involved in deadly bombings and terrorist attacks.

He said his new group would be known as the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Front. Its guerrilla wing, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, was organized in January, a month after he broke off from the main Muslim guerrilla force over differences with insurgent leaders.

"This is the true jihad, the true revolution," Kato said. Kato, who has about 200 to 300 fighters according to his former comrades, did not give details about his combat force or say what steps he would take next.

Kato, who is in his late 60s, said he left because his former group chose to "waste time" by deciding to negotiate with the government for expanded autonomy instead of waging a battle for an independent Muslim homeland that would liberate minority Muslims from crushing poverty and neglect.

"We've been going around and around wasting money and look where the peace talks have brought us," Kato said. "The roots of the conflict have not been solved." Rebel spokesman Von Al Haq from the main Moro group expressed relief that Kato finally has clearly indicated he wants to lead his own organization but warned "he will be accountable for his actions, which will no longer have any bearing on the MILF."

"It's a process of elimination," Al Haq said. "At the end of the day, all those who couldn't hold firm on our basic principles fall on the wayside." The infighting within the main 11,000-strong rebel force underscores the complexity of the Muslim unrest that has claimed more than 120,000 lives and stunted growth in the impoverished but resource-rich south of the predominantly Roman Catholic Philippines.

The main guerrilla force currently led by Murad Ebrahim split in 1978 from the Moro National Liberation Front, which dropped its secessionist bid for autonomy and signed a landmark peace accord with Manila in 1996. Murad's group dropped its bid for independence last year but demanded a more powerful type of autonomy with greater control over wider territory.

Murad's group said Kato, who used to head one of its largest and most battle-tested commands, resigned in December, citing his age and poor health. But Kato then formed a breakaway group and accused Murad's group of betraying the Muslim cause by seeking autonomy instead of independence.

"They did that without consulting the Muslims. They cheated," Kato said. Philippine officials have expressed concern over the infighting, which they say casts doubts about the main rebel group's ability to enforce any future accord in peace talks brokered by Malaysia.

Security officials have accused Kato in the past of providing refuge to members of the Southeast Asian militant network Jemaah Islamiyah, the small but brutal Abu Sayyaf group and Filipino militants. They include Usman Basit, who has been sought by U.S. and Philippine authorities in connection with deadly bomb attacks.

Kato said he and his men lead honorable lives and were ready to die for their convictions if they come under attack. He condemned groups like the Abu Sayyaf, which he described as bandits "who exist for money and engage in forbidden business."

"They have stained my names with all these allegations of bombing malls and bus terminals," Kato said. "These are all big sins and un-Islamic. I have no contact with al-Qaida." "Who are the real terrorists?" he asked. "They are government troops who drop bombs anywhere even if there are civilians."

Abbas hoists Palestinian flag in Beirut

2012-01-24T17:34:00.002+02:00

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Aug. 18 (UPI) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas hoisted the Palestinian flag atop the new Palestinian embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, officials said.

"In these days it delights us as Palestinians to see the Palestinian flag flying in the heart of Lebanon, in the heart of the Lebanese people, and in the heart of every Lebanese who loves Palestine," the Lebanese Web site Naharnet.com quoted Abbas saying at Wednesday's ceremony.

The inauguration of the embassy came after the Lebanese cabinet officially recognized the state of Palestine and raised the level of diplomatic ties, the Web site said.

Abbas, accompanied by Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Miqati unveiled a plaque at the entrance to the building.

"We will go with Lebanon to the United Nations to seek a full membership for the state of Palestine at this international forum," Abbas said adding he hoped "to see the day when the Lebanese flag will be hoisted in Jerusalem."

"The Lebanese government will exert utmost efforts within its available resources to improve the living conditions of our Palestinian brothers residing in Lebanon," Miqati said.

Abbas, on a two-day visit to Beirut to garner Lebanon's support ahead of the Palestinian statehood bid at the United Nations in September, said so far, 122 of the 193 member countries support the Palestinians.

Lebanon takes over temporary presidency of the U.N. Security Council in September.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2011/08/18/Abbas-hoists-Palestinian-flag-in-Beirut/UPI-25591313671963/.

Dagestan: Martyrdom of Emir Daud confirmed

2012-01-24T17:33:00.003+02:00

15 August 2011

The news about the martyrdom of Emir Daud, one of the most experienced commanders of the Mujahideen of the Caucasus, has been confirmed, reports Dagestani news website Guraba.

Since the first war, his dream was to fight hand in hand with his brothers against the Russian invaders and to become a martyr in Allah's path. Since 1999, he was doing Jihad for Allah, and was close to many of Emirs of the Mujahideen of the Caucasus.

In his long struggle, Daud received numerous injuries, but he never left the land of Jihad. Every time he was treated, rose again and continued his Jihad. Daud was hard against the enemies of Islam and gentle with his brothers.

Infidels and apostates greatly feared him since because of him, they repeatedly suffered heavy losses, especially in the battles in the plains of Dagestan and Ichkeria and therefore they made attempts on him on several occasions. But by the will of Allah, Daud survived each time, rose to his feet and continued to fight. Insha'Allah, Allah strengthens the Islamic Ummah by such personalities, in these difficult times.

In order to kill Daud, the infidels and their apostates henchmen created a special "commission", and detained and tortured many brothers and sisters whom they suspected could be associated with him.

By the will of Allah, the infidels were able to assassinate Mujahideen, and Allah in His mercy, has granted Martyrdom (Insha'Allah) to 6 Mujahideen, among whom there is Emir Daud. What the believer feels when someone from the people he knew or heard about, departs by the death of Allah's soldiers?

Yes, there is the bitterness of loss. But is this accompanied by sadness? [No] It's tears of joy for the brethren. They, Insha'Allah, have achieved everything that could be taken from this life. And this worldly life they squeezed with fist, as if they rejected and despised it. [...] They purified their hearts of all that can possibly detract them from attaining the eternal life. And Allah the Almighty fulfilled his promise to anyone who is ready to sell his worldly life for eternal life.

Between us, the veil of worldly life - they easily got rid of it, while we have not yet. They went to settle in the hearts of paradise birds. And while we can not break free from the fetter of this dunya, their souls are probably already flying under the throne of Allah.

The brothers, who only yesterday trampled down this worldly life in forest puddles and in cold tents, stepped into eternity, and disappeared from us. Gaping wreckage of homes, where they fought their last battle against the infidels, they are no longer in this worldly life cursed by Allah. But the curse of Allah will not touch the remembrance and glorification of Him, and that is precisely what the brothers took with them.

Brothers depart and hearts brim with unavoidable sorrow. And tears run of happiness for them and of pure envy for their lot.

May Allah accept their Martyrdom and welcome them into the Gardens of Jannah!

"That was not a difficult loss for us, this entire Jihad, this entire struggle, continues only because Allah strengthens and sustains us, no more and no less... Even if we become Martyrs, Allah will bring better people, better people than we are, to liberate these lands from disbelief so that the law of Allah will triumph in this territory."
(Sayeed Abu Saad on the Martyrdom of the Emir of Province of Ghalghaycho, Abd al-Aziz)

In the end, we want to say to the enemies that since the beginning of Jihad in the Caucasus, the Mujahideen lost great sons... And the infidels screamed every time that the Mujahideen were 'finished'.

On television, they slander the Mujahideen, trying in every way to weaken the morale of the Mujahideen and the people. But during all this time they have failed Alhamdulillah! Yes, there are losses in Jihad and every time we grieve over the loss of Mujahideen but this Jihad is not for any Emirs and commanders, this Jihad is for the sake of the Word of Allah.

Insha'Allah, Allah will give the Jihad in the Caucasus new Mujahideen, similar to the heroic Emir Daud, who will rush to the aid of their brothers. Living heroes never die. Their names are inscribed in blood, into the history of the revival of Jihad in the Caucasus Emirate.

Abu Sayfullah

***

Department of Monitoring
Kavkaz Center

Source: Kavkaz Center.
Link: http://kavkazcenter.com/eng/content/2011/08/15/14974.shtml.

Thousands Fast in India to Fight Corruption

2012-01-24T17:33:00.000+02:00

By Shannon Liao
August 17, 2011

Government accuses movement of being undemocratic.

Thousands of protesters in major Indian cities began a fast on Wednesday evening, not sated by the Indian prime minister’s explanation of why leading anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare had been arrested the day before.

Hazare, 74, and six of his followers had been arrested on Tuesday, on the basis that their plan to maintain a hunger strike until a key piece of anti-corruption legislation passed Parliament was illegal. They were released on Wednesday after the government reached a compromise with Hazare.

The original plan of “fast unto death” was deemed illegal by the police because Hazare’s team had refused six preconditions, including one that limited the fast to three days, explained Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in a speech to Parliament.

“Delhi Police came to the conclusion that Shri Anna Hazare and his supporters would commit a cognizable offense and there [could be] a breach of peace,” said the prime minister.

In a negotiated concession, the new fast started Wednesday night and will last 15 days.

The drastic protest is over the so-called Jan Lokpal Bill that is designed to stop corruption, arbitrate grievances, and protect whistle-blowers. Different versions of the bill have appeared before Parliament since 1968, but none have passed. Corruption is rife in India in all levels of government and society.

Anti-corruption watchdog organization Transparency International (TI) said that the Indian government has not been able to stop rising corruption and is instead trying to silence those who speak out against the problem, according to a statement by TI India’s Executive Director Anupama Jha.

While Hazare has proven himself a charismatic leader, the protest is not for his personality, said Partha Turaga, a representative in New Jersey of the India Against Corruption movement that is organizing the protests.

“It’s not just out of emotion. We trust him emotionally, but we also read all the drafts. We’ve seen and understood what this is all about,” said Turaga.

In his speech, Singh blamed Hazare for not approaching things in a democratic manner. “There will be opportunities for Shri Anna Hazare and others to present their views,” said the prime minister, adding that Hazare’s current path “is totally misconceived and fraught with grave consequences for our Parliamentary democracy.”

Singh acknowledged the issue of government corruption, and both the government and the protesters share a desire to see the bill passed quickly.

But they differ on the content of the bill. The version of the bill supported by protesters was drafted with input from civil society and has stronger punitive measures. The government amended that draft into another version.

One of key differences between the two is the independence of the judiciary body. In the protesters’ bill, a new anti-corruption body, called Lokpal, would monitor the judiciary. In the government’s version, the judiciary would be accountable under the Judicial Accountability Bill.

Turaga said that the protesters didn’t concern themselves with whether success was in sight but focused on whether they could make even the slightest impact.

“You’ve got to try your best; you’ve got to do the best you can, and that applies to all of us,” Turaga added.

Source: The Epoch Times.
Link: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/world/thousands-fast-in-india-to-fight-corruption-60503.html.

Railway strike halts train transportation in Egypt's Delta

2012-01-24T17:32:00.000+02:00

Wednesday 17 Aug 2011

Railway workers block the railroads, halting train movement in Cairo, Ismailiya, Assiut, Sohag and Aswan to demand for better bonuses.

A strike by train employees has brought all train movement in Egypt's delta region to a grinding halt since early this morning.

According to the head of the National Railways Authority, Hany Hegab, employees of the Cairo, Alexandria, Zaqaziq and Tanta stations have been sitting on the train tracks, blocking all movement since 10 am Wednesday.

The employees demand better incentives and, according to Hegab, the authority is now in negotiations with the workers to end the strike.

Tuesday railway workers in the governorate of Tanta also held a two-hour protest on the train tracks, demanding better incentives. The protest was dispersed after the railway authority agreed to consider their demands.

Strikes by railway workers are not new to Egypt, with various strikes and protests being held by train conductors and maintenance crews in recent months.

On 23 July train conductors stood on the rail tracks in the Ramses Station in central Cairo after one of their colleagues died when his train crashed into a truck. The drivers also called for an increase in their bonuses.

On 15 June railway employees blocked the tracks in Cairo, Ismailiya, Assiut, Sohag and Aswan because they were not happy with their bonuses.

It’s not always railway employees who block the trains, with protesters in the town of Bani Kora in Assiut, blocking the tracks last April over a spat concerning the delivery of subsidized bread to the town. Also last April, protesters in Qena blocked the governorate’s railway crossing after Prime Minister Essam Sharaf appointed a governor they didn't approve of.

Source: Ahram.
Link: http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/19105.aspx.

Tribes in South Sinai cut road after two members killed

2012-01-24T17:31:00.002+02:00

Wednesday 17 Aug 2011

Two young men were shot dead by a security official after failing to stop their car when asked.

South Sinai tribes have cut the road between Cairo and the city of Abu Dreis in South Sinai because two members of the El Sawalha tribe died, after being shot with live ammunition as they headed home.

Moussa Hussein Saleh Abu Gaber, 18 and Salem Saleh Hussein, 22, members of the tribe in Abu Dreis, were heading home in their private car when a security official shot them.

The official had signaled to them to stop the car, but when they did not respond, he fired shots at them, leading to their immediate death.

Only minutes after the shooting, families from the El Sawalha tribe, and others in South Sinai headed to the site of the incident, and cut the road between Abu Dreis and Cairo.

This led to heavy traffic congestion, as cars attempting to leave and enter South Sinai were unable to move.

The families threaten that they will not unblock the roads until the security official that murdered Abu Gaber and Hussein is brought to justice.

The families stress that the two murdered young men were not criminals, were not suspected of any crime and did not have any illegal items in the car.

The families argue that that the two young men probably did not stop the car because they did not hear the calls of the security official asking them to halt.

Source: Ahram.
Link: http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/19073.aspx.

Egypt Military council cancels poll for presidential candidates after reported rigging

2012-01-24T17:30:00.002+02:00

Wednesday 17 Aug 2011

The SCAF Facebook poll, running since 19 June, has been removed due to rumors surrounding its legitimacy.

The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) has removed the online poll for presidential candidates, being conducted on its Facebook page, in the wake of reports claiming that it had been rigged by anonymous people.

Mohamed ElBaradei, former director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), topped the list for a while by quite a margin.

Recently, however, Omar Suleiman, the ex-intelligence chief who served as vice president in the last days of Mubarak’s regime, took the lead even though he was only fifth on the list nearly two months ago.

According to El-Masry El-Youm, electronic militias paid a host of Facebook users to vote for Suleiman, who had previously announced that he would not run for presidency.

The poll was launched on 19 June and included 15 presidential hopefuls. Among them were: Mohamed Selim El-Awa, Ahmed Shafiq, Kamal El-Ganzouri, Hamdeen Sabahi and Hesham El-Bastawisi.

Source: Ahram.
Link: http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/19109.aspx.

Egypt's Islamic and liberal powers agree on general principles for the constitution

2012-01-24T17:29:00.002+02:00

Wednesday 17 Aug 2011

The statement, containing five principles, is considered by many to end the debate about the upcoming constitution.

Representatives of liberal and Islamist parties reached an agreement on a statement of general principles for the upcoming constitution, after a meeting on Tuesday night at the Al-Wasat Party.

Abul Ela Mady, chairman of the Al-Wasat Party, told Ahram Online on Wednesday that the different parties' representatives have primarily agreed on the proposed statement and that they still need time to discuss it with their parties. Mady added that there would be another meeting early next month.

The statement contains five principles, all of which are related to the identity of the country and citizenship rights and liberties.

According to Mady, all who signed the agreement see the principles as obligatory. Mady claims that the statement was made to calm those who are concerned with the leadership of the upcoming parliament, and the provisional committee who will implement the constitution. The statement according to Mady is consistent with the results of the referendum.

The parties and groups that participated in the meeting were: the April 6 Youth Movement, El-Asala Salafist Party, the Civilization Party, Al-Jamaat Al-Islamiya and the Salafist Front.

Al-Wasat Party hopes to attract more political parties to sign the statement.

Egypt’s Minister of Health, Amr Helmy, attended the meeting as well.

The meeting, organized by Al-Wasat Party is considered by other political parties and institutions such as Al-Azhar, to end the debate about the upcoming constitution.

Source: Ahram.
Link: http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/19107.aspx.

Gaza students prevented from leaving for studies abroad

2012-01-24T17:28:00.000+02:00

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Aug 18, 2011

JERUSALEM: A Palestinian human rights group is condemning Gaza’s Hamas rulers for preventing teenage students with scholarships to study in the US from leaving the territory.

The Palestinian Center for Human Rights said in a statement Wednesday that Hamas is refusing to allow eight students leave Gaza. It said the students were granted AMIDEAST scholarships, a program that educates talented teenagers from the Middle East and North Africa for a year in the US

The ban comes a day after rights groups criticized orders by Hamas forcing aid workers and employees of nongovernment organizations to register with them before they travel.

Hamas also recently began auditing aid group accounts.

Hamas overran Gaza from the secular Palestinian Fatah party in bloody street battles in 2007.

Source: Arab News.
Link: http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article490043.ece.

Eastern Mediterranean olive oil producers seek markets in Far East

2012-01-24T17:27:00.002+02:00

August 17, 2011

There’s a revolution taking place in the eastern Mediterranean and it’s all about oil… olive oil.

A decade after planting tens of millions of trees, Turkey expects next year to become the world’s second largest producer of olive oil, surpassing Italy, Greece, Tunisia and Syria, and cater to the growing market in the Far East.

“We have increased the number of trees in past 10 years from 90 million to about double that and so we are expecting an increase in production and in the very near future to be the number one producer of table olives and number two producer of olive oil in the world,” Metin Olken, deputy chairman of the Turkish Olive and Olive Oil Publicity Committee, told The Media Line.

According to Olken, Turkey produced 160,000 tons of olive oil in 2010 and expects a crop of 200,000 tons this year. Within two years it expects to surpass the half-million mark and by 2015, 700,000 tons. While becoming the prince of olive production, Turkey still falls well behind the king – Spain -- which makes 1.2 million tons, or over half of the world’s olive oil.

“We will take over from Greece, Italy, Tunisia and Syria,” Olken said.

According to the International Olive Oil Council (IOOC), Italy produced 480,000 tons, Greece 336,000, Syria 193,000 and Tunisia 120,000 last year. About 95 percent of the world’s olive trees are in the Mediterranean region. Olive oil is so well liked here that according to the UNCTAD, Mediterranean basin countries also account for 77 percent of the world’s consumption.

Italy and Spain have long ago branded themselves as supreme olive oil producers and have virtually cornered the market in North America and Europe. Olken told The Media Line that Italy and Spain supplement their brand by repackaging oil from Turkey, Greece and Tunisia.

Olive oil consumption has dramatically risen over the past decade – largely due to the popularity of the “Mediterranean diet.” World olive oil consumption will reach 2.98 million tons, with a 3.65 percent increase from 2009. New markets have also opened up as the world became aware of the health benefits of the one of nature’s oldest commodities.

Turkey made the strategic move into higher olive oil production during the height of negotiations to enter the European Union as a way to gain European Union agriculture subsidies. Those talks have floundered, but the trees have matured, needing at least seven years to begin producing marketable quantities of fruit. Olken said the government helped boost production of olives by offering financial incentives and subsidies to help cover the cost of planting and cultivation in initial years. Hundreds of thousands of people earn their livelihood from the olive oil industry.

EU members such as Spain, Italy and Greece have a virtual monopoly in the lucrative European market since they not only subsidize their farmers, but also impose heavy duties on imports.

“In the United States or Canada we would have to try and take a share from the Italians and Spanish, but if we go to China and India, these countries are only now starting to know what olive oil is and we don’t have strong competition from the Italians or Spanish yet,” Olken said.

This is one of the main reasons that Jordan, the world’s eighth largest olive oil producer, has decided to reach out to the Far East as well. They are pushing for quality branding over quantity.

“There is no way we can compete with the Italian and Spanish oils. Even the Turks have huge tracts of land and much water. The olive oil production in Jordan is very expensive due to the high cost of water. But our oil is very good,” Ruba Dagmish, the director of the Jordan Olive Products Exporters Association (JOPEA), told The Media Line.

Dagmish said they saw opportunities in Japan because they are willing to pay higher prices for quality olive oil and Indonesia because as a Muslim country they are able to get Hallal certification (religious approval of foods deemed “fit” by Islamic law).

Jordan produced some 24,000 tons of olive oil last year. Only about 30 percent of its olive oil is exported, with the bulk kept for local consumption. Despite the lack of water, olive trees cover around 75 percent of agricultural land in the kingdom.

“We are packaging it in fancy bottles and going for branding Jordanian oil as high quality extra virgin oil. We also export to the Gulf countries,” Dagmish said. “|But it is hard to compete in the Arab countries because they are bringing in cheaper Italian and Spanish oils.”

Source: All Headline News (AHN).
Link: http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/90057399.

Palestinian factions reconsider relations with Assad

2012-01-24T17:26:00.000+02:00

By DAVID E. MILLER / THE MEDIA LINE
08/18/2011

Leadership must decide loyalties as Syrian attacks on refugees lead to turning point in once circumspect policy.

A fierce attack by the Syrians on a Palestinian refugee camp has led Palestinian factions, both Islamist and staunchly secular, to relook at their traditionally close ties with Damascus.

Headquartered in the Syrian capital as the Bashar Assad regime falters, Palestinians were cautious not to badmouth the Syrian president personally as they condemned Sunday’s naval bombardment of the Raml Palestinian refugee camp.

Navy gunships struck at the camp located in the port city of Latakia, killing an unknown number of residents and sparking 10,000 refugees to flee. Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) official Yasser Abed Rabbo condemned the attack as "a crime against humanity," while the United Nation's Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) demanded access to the camp, to survey the scope of damage.

Before the attack on Raml, the Palestinian leadership had been circumspect in speaking out against Assad's regime, which has fiercely oppressed a domestic mass protest movement since March. But the most recent surge of violence, directed for the first time against the country's Palestinian population, may be a turning point in Palestinian policy.

"The PLO does not intervene in the internal politics of countries," Taisir Khaled, head of expatriate department of the PLO, told The Media Line. "But the safety of Palestinians in refugee camps must be safeguarded; regardless of the country they live in."

Khaled is a senior member of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), a Marxist-Leninist Palestinian party, whose leader Nayef Hawatmeh sits in Damascus. He was careful not to blame Assad personally.

"We want political reform in Syria," Khaled added. "It should be a democratic civil state which grants freedom to all its citizens. We hope that a political solution prevails over any other."

The political leadership of the Palestinian Islamic movement Hamas is also situated in Damascus, explaining perhaps its minimal media coverage of the Syrian attack on Latakia.

In April, the London-based Arab daily Al-Hayat reported that Hamas' political leadership was ordered to leave Syria following its neutral stance towards the country's popular unrest. According to the report, Qatar agreed to host political bureau chief Khaled Mashal, who has operated in Damascus since 1999. At the time, Hamas denied the report, and its leadership remained in the country.

A Hamas spokesman refused the Media Line's request on Wednesday to comment on matters concerning Syria. But Basem Ezbidi, a political scientist at Bir Zeit University in Ramallah, said Hamas was facing the greatest dilemma of all Palestinian groups.

"On the one hand, Hamas does not want the Syrian regime to disappear," Ezbidi told The Media Line. "But on the other hand, how can it justify its strategic alliance with a state that kills Palestinians? Hamas has always regarded itself as a resistance movement which represents the Palestinian people, and that's the bottom line." He said Hamas will find it extremely difficult to reconcile the two conflicting interests.

Ezbidi added, however, that some Palestinian factions will never criticize the Syrian regime, as they are fully funded and protected by it.

"Smaller groups, like Ahmad Jibril's Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command (PFLP-GC) will forever remain loyal to Syria, which supports it financially, logistically and politically," he said. "Other movements will certainly reexamine their ties with Syria, because what it has done is inexcusable."

Ayman Shaheen, a political scientist at Gaza's Al-Azhar University, said that the Palestinian Islamic Jihad organization, also led from Damascus, maintained stronger links with Iran than with Syria, making it relatively independent of Al-Assad's regime. However, Hamas, he said, likely would show flexibility in adapting to the new political reality in the region.

"Hamas is wise. It will create a new set of alliances to replace the Teheran-Damascus-Gaza axis," Shaheen told The Media Line. "Qatar is always open to Hamas and there is rapprochement with Egypt as well."

But Taisir Khaled of DFLP said most Syria-based Palestinian movements, including his own, were not considering relocation.

"We will remain in Syria as long as Palestinians reside there," he told The Media Line, noting that between 350-400,000 Palestinians currently live in Syria. "We are not there because of the regime but because of our ties with the Syrian people."

Source: The Jerusalem Post.
Link: http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=234254.

Yemen opposition forms national council

2012-01-24T17:25:00.002+02:00

Wed Aug 17, 2011

The Yemeni opposition has formed a broad coalition tasked with leading the country's popular revolution towards the removal of Ali Abdullah Saleh's regime from power.

The 800 representatives of different opposition groups elected the 143-member National Council for the Forces of the Peaceful Revolution on Wednesday, AFP reported.

The move marked a notable blow to the unpopular 33-year-old government, which has been facing countrywide protests since January.

The development comes only one day after Saleh vowed to return to Yemen soon. He is currently being treated for injuries he received in a June 3 RPG attack on the presidential palace in Saudi Arabia.

"The National Council will lead the forces of the revolution, determined to stand strong until Ali Abdullah Saleh's departure," said a key opposition leader, Sultan al-Atwani.

The council includes members of the parliamentary opposition umbrella of the Common Forum, the young protesters, and the north-based Shia minority, which has for long been repressed by the government and Saudi Arabia.

The members will now vote for a 20-member executive committee.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.com/detail/194379.html.

'US, Israel plan civil war in Lebanon'

2012-01-24T17:24:00.002+02:00

Wed Aug 17, 2011

Hezbollah Secretary General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah says the US and Israel are trying to cause a civil war in Lebanon by destroying people's coexistence.

In his speech on Wednesday, Nasrallah said Washington and Tel Aviv are laying the foundation for sectarian strife in a bid to ruin the social fabric in Lebanon.

The Hezbollah leader also rejected the US-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) probing the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, saying its indictments lack credibility.

The former Lebanese premier and over 20 other people were killed on February 14, 2005 in massive explosions in downtown Beirut.

The STL, which was authorized by a US-sponsored Security Council resolution in 2007, was set up to look into the deadly incident.

The tribunal issued indictments and arrest warrants in June 2011 for four men identified by Lebanese officials as Hezbollah members.

Nasrallah said on Wednesday that the tribunal has refused to consider other scenarios such as Israel's involvement in the murder.

He also accused media outlets and figures associated with the March 14th movement of jumping to conclusions, adding that they make accusations against Hezbollah without any basis.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.com/detail/194411.html.

'Protesters attacked in Saudi Arabia'

2012-01-24T17:23:00.000+02:00

Thu Aug 18, 2011

Government forces have attacked Saudi Arabian peaceful demonstrators in the east of the oil-rich kingdom.

Protesters took to the streets of Awamiyah town in the Eastern Province late on Wednesday, witnesses said.

During the protest, people demanded respect for human rights and the release of political prisoners in the country.

At least two demonstrators were arrested after breaking up the rally, according to reports.

The Eastern Province has been the scene of anti-government protests in recent months.

Saudi Arabia, a key US ally in the Middle East, is an absolute monarchy that does not tolerate any form of dissent.

Protest rallies and any public displays of dissent are considered illegal.

The government has become increasingly nervous about the protests that have taken the Arab world by storm, toppling the Egyptian and Tunisian leaders, and which reached Bahrain, Yemen and Libya.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.com/detail/194431.html.

Ramadan Curbs Follow Violence

2012-01-24T17:22:00.002+02:00

2011-08-04

China curtails religious practices in Xinjiang during a Muslim holy month.

China is placing restrictions on its Muslim Uyghur population during the fasting month of Ramadan, following a string of violent attacks in its northwestern region of Xinjiang.

Dilxat Raxit, spokesman for the Munich-based World Uyghur Congress, said Ramadan, which runs roughly from Aug. 1-30 this year, has brought a fresh clampdown on Muslims in the wake of violent attacks in the Silk Road cities of Kashgar and Hotan.

The group has said that more than 100 Uyghurs were detained in the wake of an attack on a market in Kashgar last weekend. Most of those detained as suspects were committed Muslims who attended mosque and whose wives wore veils, residents say.

Raxit said the chief restriction lies in a ban on mosques from advertising Ramadan-linked events or in encouraging people to observe the month-long fast.

"If any religious figure discusses Ramadan during the course of religious activities, or encourages people to take part, then they will lose their license to practice," Raxit said.

"The more serious cases will result in arrests for incitement to engage in illegal religious activity," he said.

Ramadan restrictions

During Ramadan, Muslims who are able should take no food, water, or cigarettes during daylight hours. Restaurants in Muslim countries close during the day, re-opening to break the fast after sunset.

However, government campaigns in previous years have forced restaurants to stay open, and required Uyghur government cadres throughout Xinjiang to sign “letters of responsibility” promising to avoid fasting, evening prayers, or other religious activities.

Officials have also targeted Muslim schoolchildren, providing them with free lunches during the fasting period.

Raxit said similar restrictions were in place for government cadres, who risk losing pensions and other benefits. Private companies are offering lunches to Uyghur Muslims, and any who refuse to eat could lose their annual bonus, or even their job, he added.

According to the Beijing-based Uyghur Online website, the government of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) has announced a ban on any religious activities during the Muslim holy month.

The restrictions were being imposed "to preserve social stability," the website reported.

An employee who answered the phone at a local government neighborhood committee office in the regional capital Urumqi, which saw deadly ethnic rioting in July 2009, confirmed the restrictions.

"Fasting during Ramadan is a traditional ethnic custom, and they are allowed to do that," she said. "But they aren't allowed to hold any religious activities during Ramadan."

And she added: "Party members are not allowed to fast for Ramadan, and neither are civil servants."

Mosque guidelines

An employee who answered the phone at a mosque in Urumqi said people from out of town are banned from attending mosques in Urumqi for prayers during August.

Everyone attending prayers has to register with their national identity card, he added.

"They have to register," he said. "[After prayers] they aren't allowed to [congregate and] talk to each other."

Foreigners have been barred from entering mosques in the region, mosque officials said.

A Uyghur resident of Beijing said students under 18 are forbidden from fasting during Ramadan.

And an employee who answered the phone at a Muslim restaurant in Urumqi said it would remain open all month.

Kashgar prefecture Communist Party chief Cheng Zhenshan vowed to fight "separatists," "religious extremists," and "terrorists" with "iron fists," following the weekend violence in the Silk Road city that left at least 14 people dead and 40 others injured.

The attacks in Kashgar and those in the nearby city of Hotan two weeks ago in which 20 people were killed are the bloodiest violence in a year in Xinjiang, where Muslim Uyghurs chafe under Chinese rule.

Deadly riots in Xinjiang's regional capital of Urumqi left at least 200 dead in July 2009 following clashes between Han Chinese and Uyghurs.

Chinese commentators say the slew of recent attacks in Xinjiang show that Beijing's policy on ethnic minorities has gone badly wrong.

Source: Radio Free Asia (RFA).
Link: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/ramadan-08042011113617.html.

Checkpoints Circle Urumqi

2012-01-24T17:21:00.002+02:00

2011-08-16

Chinese security forces increase patrols in Xinjiang's capital following a series of deadly attacks.

Authorities in the troubled northwestern region of Xinjiang have announced a fresh "strike hard" campaign targeting "terrorism" and "Islamic extremism" following a wave of violent attacks.

Security forces will set up a total of 39 checkpoints encircling the regional capital Urumqi, where nearly 200 people died in ethnic clashes between Muslim Uyghurs and Han Chinese in 2009, according to a statement on the Xinjiang government website.

A resident of Urumqi surnamed Li said there had been an increase in police patrols on the city's streets in the wake of three deadly attacks in Hotan and Kashgar in recent weeks.

"There were patrols before but they are closer together now, and there are more people than before," Li said.

"They don't really stop cars for checks so much in the daytime. They mostly do it at night."

The campaign, announced on the regional government website on Tuesday, will run from Aug. 11 to Oct. 15, and will increase police focus on potential trouble spots.

It would also include spot checks of identity and searches of people and vehicles, the statement said.

More police manpower would be directed to investigations, and the courts would speed up trials to process the larger number of suspects.

Penalties from theft to endangering state security would be harsher during the campaign, it said.

Kashgar targeted

Residents of Kashgar said they had also seen an increased security presence in recent days.

“All of Kashgar city is experiencing a stepped-up investigation into suspicious activities," said one woman from Kashgar.

"Public security units at all level across the city have been strengthened and security forces are patrolling around the clock in the main Uyghur residential area," she said.

The woman said that police had established checkpoints to check the IDs of residents in the streets.

"Police are conducting searches of the people and their vehicles. They are detaining people without IDs. It's creating fear. Government security personnel have forced women to remove their veils while out walking. If they don’t comply, they will be detained.”

A student in Kashgar told RFA that local authorities had increased ideological education on campuses, instructed students not to gather in groups anywhere in the city, and to carry their IDs at all times.

He added that many of the restrictions were meant to prevent the mostly-Muslim Uyghurs from observing the holy month of Ramadan, which runs from Aug. 1-30 this year.

"People aged 18 and under are not allowed to go to the mosque to pray ... School authorities have been distributing snacks to students to make sure they aren't fasting and preventing students from leaving campus until Friday’s prayers are over,” he said.

Underlying problems

However, an exile Uyghur group said the "strike hard" campaigns have not addressed the root cause of recent violence, which left three dozen people dead across the region.

Dilxat Raxit, spokesman for the Munich-based World Uyghur Congress, said the real aim of the campaigns is gradually to strip Uyghurs of their legitimate rights and demands, as part of a system-wide oppression of the Uyghur people.

"Striking hard will only lead to an even stronger backlash," Raxit said of the latest campaign. "I think that the Chinese are provoking and inciting local people."

"If they don't change [their policies], and desist from the 'strike hard' approach, then there will be a fresh wave of unrest in the region," he warned.

Uyghurs say they have long suffered ethnic discrimination, oppressive religious controls, and continued poverty and joblessness despite China's ambitious plans to develop its vast northwestern frontier.

Some Chinese commentators say the slew of recent attacks in Xinjiang show that Beijing's policy on ethnic minorities has gone badly wrong.

This year's Ramadan has brought a fresh clampdown on Muslims in the wake of a July 31 attack in the Silk Road city of Kashgar that left at least 14 people dead and 40 others injured.

The attacks in Kashgar and in the nearby city of Hotan two weeks earlier, in which 20 people were killed, mark the bloodiest violence in a year in Xinjiang, where Muslim Uyghurs chafe under Chinese rule.

Riots in Xinjiang's regional capital of Urumqi left at least 200 dead in July 2009 following clashes between Han Chinese and Uyghurs.

Source: Radio Free Asia (RFA).
Link: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/urumqi-08162011120352.html.

Farmers Sent to Reeducation Camp

2012-01-24T17:07:00.002+02:00

2011-08-15

Uyghurs who protested farm policies were detained in Beijing.

Seven Uyghurs from China’s restive Xinjiang province who went missing after petitioning the central government last year over what they called unfair farm policies have been sent to reeducation camps, according to relatives of the men.

The seven were part of a larger group of 25 who had traveled to Beijing in November last year by train from Guma county in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region’s Hoten prefecture.

They were detained after they attempted to hold a demonstration in Tiananmen Square, demanding a meeting with Premier Wen Jiabao to complain about a policy that required them to sell their produce to the local government in Xinjiang for below-market prices.

The father of one of the detainees, 46-year-old Sirajidin Eziz, said that since that time, the whereabouts of the seven men had been unknown.

It wasn’t until April that he and the other relatives received a notice from the Department of Reeducation of the 14th Division Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC), which governs their village of Karataghiz, that the men were being held in a detention center in Sachengzi in Xinjiang’s western Aksu prefecture.

“We only came to know his whereabouts exactly five months after he was taken by police,” Eziz’s father said.

Reeducation camp

The notice, which was read to RFA by Eziz’s son, said that the seven had been detained in the camp since Dec. 4 and were undergoing reeducation through labor because they had created "public disorder" by gathering illegally.

The group had been sentenced to terms of 16-24 months, the notice said, and included Nurabla Nurmemet, 43, Abla Ablikim, 34, Sirajidin Eziz, 45, Eli Hapiz, 43, Ahmet Osman, 51, Ablet Abdurehim, 41, and Omer Salih, 50.

“I’m 94 years old now. I don’t know whether or not I will see him again because he was given two years of reeducation through labor,” Eziz’s father said.

Eziz’s father said the men had never received a court hearing.

“I don’t understand how it can be crime when all you are trying to do is to meet with your prime minister to address your problem,” he said.

Local politics

Ablet Kasim, a Uyghur from Guma county, said that farmers have been losing money for years and are willing to risk punishment to reverse the policy that forces them to sell their produce to state-owned buyers at prices 50-70 percent lower than those on the open market.

They had been forced to sell at a discount for produce such as red dates and cotton.

A brother of one of the detainees said that the local police chief, angered that the farmers had sought assistance from the central government, might have pushed to have the seven sent to the labor camp.

He said that the police chief had warned the 25 Uyghurs when they boarded the train to Beijing last year that they would be punished upon their return.

“’You can go if you want,’ the police chief told them, ‘but you had better know that when you finally come back, I will send you to jail in the first week of your return,’” the brother said.

“Well, he finally did what he said—he showed us his power … I’m surprised he hid this information from us for so long. Maybe he wanted to force us to beg him or he was trying to punish the families.”

Repeated petitions

The farmers originally numbered more than 100 when they first took their complaints to higher authorities in July 2010.

Up until their visit to Beijing, the group filed protests four times to division officials and three times to provincial officials in the Xinjiang capital Urumqi.

In an interview from Beijing last November, Abla Ablikim, one of the seven Uyghurs in the labor camp, said police from Karataghiz village had tried to block the group from boarding the train to the capital at the Urumqi train station in addition to threatening them with imprisonment upon their return.

Eventually, Abla Abilkim said, Uyghur merchants at the station protected the farmers from the police and allowed them to board the train.

Abla Abilikim said authorities at both the local and provincial levels told him they could do nothing to help the farmers because the XPCC has the right to implement a planned economy instead of a market economy.

“Some of them said, ‘The state is building roads, schools, and hospitals for you, so you must support the state companies,’” he said.

Uyghurs say they have long suffered ethnic discrimination, oppressive religious controls, and continued poverty and joblessness despite China's ambitious plans to develop its vast northwestern frontier.

Source: Radio Free Asia (RFA).
Link: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/farmers-08152011181847.html.

Pakistan Deports Uyghurs

2012-01-24T17:06:00.003+02:00

2011-08-10

Five Uyghurs have been sent back to China, where they face punishment.

Pakistani authorities have deported five ethnic Uyghurs to China’s northwestern Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region where they may face persecution on their return, according to the head of a Uyghur exile group.

“According to the information we received, all five were Uyghurs,” said Omer Khan, the founder of the Omer Uyghur Foundation in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad.

They were believed to have been forcibly repatriated this week to Xinjiang, where Uyghurs say they have long suffered ethnic discrimination, oppressive religious controls, and continued poverty and joblessness.

“The deportation of Uyghurs is happening a lot these days [in Pakistan], but this is one of the rare cases which has been exposed to the media,” Omer Khan said.

On Tuesday, the Pakistani newspaper Dawn reported that five “Chinese citizens” had been arrested in different parts of the country and deported on Monday.

The report claimed that the group, which included two children and a woman, was brought to Benazir Bhutto International Airport where they boarded flight CZ6008 operated by China’s Southern Airline to Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang.

Dawn quoted an unnamed source who said that another “Chinese national,” Abduxur Ablmit, was to accompany “his compatriots,” but was offloaded because the flight captain refused to accept him for “unspecified reasons.”

“Ablmit, blindfolded and handcuffed like the other five, had been allotted a seat on the flight,” the newspaper reported.

Dawn also identified one of the five as Manzokra Mamad, who it said was accompanied by a young girl and boy.

The report said that the reason for the deportation was unclear, but noted that Pakistani security agencies had extradited “Xinjiang separatists” before on at least three occasions—14 in 1997, seven in 2002, and nine in 2009.

Pakistani authorities could not be reached for comment on the deportation or the identities of those involved.

“We have been able to confirm the names of two people—Abdushukur Ablimit and Menzire Memet,” Omer Khan said.

Exile reaction

The Munich-based World Uyghur Congress (WUC) issued a statement Wednesday condemning “in the strongest possible terms” Pakistan’s decision to extradite the five Uyghurs, saying the group “will face harsh punishment.”

“Uyghurs who have been extradited to China in the past, were detained, imprisoned, sentenced, tortured, executed, or disappeared after their return to China,” the exile group said.

The WUC said that following a series of violent attacks by Uyghurs on Chinese security personnel in Xinjiang over the last month, Pakistan immediately affirmed that it would extend its full support to China over the Uyghur issue.

“The WUC believes Pakistani authorities acted on request of the Chinese government in order to underline the positive relations between the two countries,” the group said.

It said that by extraditing the Uyghurs to China, Pakistan violated the U.N. Convention Against Torture (CAT) which prohibits parties from returning anyone to a state "where there are substantial grounds for believing that he would be in danger of being subjected to torture."

Group detained

Omer Uyghur said that he believed the five deportees may have been part of a larger group of 12 Uyghurs who were captured by police in western Pakistan last year as they made their way to Turkey to seek asylum. He said he was unsure what had become of the remaining seven.

He added that another Uyghur, named Omer Muhter, 33, has been missing from Rawalpindi in Pakistan since last January and may have been deported to China as well.

The group of 12 came from various parts of Xinjiang and had been living in Central Asian countries working as traders since the beginning of 2000, but after participating in activities sponsored by local Uyghur exiles, found themselves placed on a wanted list by police back home.

They gathered in Pakistan and decided to make their way through Iran to Turkey where they would apply for asylum, but were detained by authorities in the restive Pakistani province of Balochistan because they lacked the requisite travel documents. The next day, they were transferred to a jail in Islamabad.

While in detention in the capital, they met a Turkish citizen named Mujahid Elwerdi and asked him to pass on information about their case to the outside world.

Elwerdi mentioned the situation of the Uyghurs in a phone call to his father, Saleh Elwerdi, who then passed the information on to the East Turkestan Foundation in Turkey.

“The situation of these 12 Uyghurs is severe,” Mujahid Elwerdi told his father. “Their passports are fake and they have no money and one of their kids is sick. If they are deported back to China, they could face execution. You need to inform relevant groups of what is happening to them.”

In a telephone conversation last year in August, a staff member of the Turkish embassy in Islamabad named Ali Beg, confirmed that the group of Uyghurs were being held by Pakistani authorities.

However, Beg said that because the Uyghurs were not Turkish citizens, the embassy could not help them.

Threat of deportation

China has used its economic influence in the region to detain and repatriate a number of Uyghurs who have fled the country after being accused of carrying out “separatist” activities against the state.

Another Uyghur, Nur Muhemmed, was arrested by Thai authorities Saturday for illegally entering the country, and exile groups have expressed concern that he could be deported to China and face punishment.

Cambodia deported the majority of 22 Uyghurs who sought refuge status through the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Phnom Penh shortly after they fled China in the aftermath of deadly ethnic violence that gripped Urumqi in July 2009.

China also used its influence in May to convince Kazakh authorities to deport another Uyghur, Ershidin Israil, a former geography teacher, who was initially given refugee status by the UNHCR and accepted for resettlement by Sweden.

Source: Radio Free Asia (RFA).
Link: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/pakistan-08102011175506.html.

Uyghur Held in Thailand

2012-01-24T17:06:00.000+02:00

2011-08-08

Thailand arrests a Uyghur for illegally entering the country.

Authorities in Thailand have arrested a Uyghur fleeing China’s restive northwestern Xinjiang region, according to reports Monday as Uyghur exile groups expressed concern he could be deported home and be severely punished like many of his compatriots.

Nur Muhemmed was arrested by Thai authorities Saturday for illegally entering the country, Japanese newspapers reported over the weekend, quoting Thai sources.

The reports said he may have had fled Urumqi after Chinese authorities accused him of involvement in deadly ethnic unrest in the capital of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in July 2009.

He was allegedly part of a group of Uyghurs that took flight from China in the aftermath of the violence and sought refuge with the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Cambodia after traveling through Vietnam, according to the reports.

Twenty-two members of that group eventually made it to Cambodia, though most were deported to China and prosecuted.

Muhemmed was believed to have escaped from Cambodia, and moved to Burma and then entered Thailand illegally via the border town of Mae Sai nearly two years ago, according to Thai officials quoted in the reports.

The Thai Foreign Ministry and the Chinese embassy in Bangkok could not be reached for comment.

Concern for fate

Uyghur groups disputed the circumstances under which Muhemmed landed in Thailand, but expressed concern about his fate as they feared that Bangkok would also repatriate him.

Dolkun Isa, general secretary of the Munich-based World Uyghur Congress (WUC), said Thailand should not bow to pressure from the Chinese to repatriate Muhemmed, where Isa said he could face torture and even death upon his return.

“No matter who he is or how he got there, the reality is that Uyghurs inside and outside of China face various tragedies because of China’s long and strong reach,” he said, calling on members of the international community to prod Thailand to respect Muhemmed’s right as a refugee.

Thailand has repatriated a number of ethnic minorities in the past several years, including the Hmong to Laos and the Rohingya to Burma, where they may face persecution and mistreatment.

“It is no secret how dangerous the current situation in East Turkestan [Xinjiang] is after the Hotan and Kashgar incidents,” Isa said, referring to deadly attacks in the two Silk Road cities by Uyghur groups against Chinese security personnel over the past month.

“It is easy to imagine what the fate of a Uyghur refugee might be in the case of a deportation at this time,” he said.

Isa said Muhemmed may have been one of two men who fled China in March and went missing.

“In March of this year, two Uyghur men seeking help called us from Yunnan province as they prepared to cross the China-Burma border.

They asked for information related to the refugee process in Southeast Asian countries,” Isa said.

“Just two days after the call, when we tried to reach them, we failed. Since then they have been silent and I’m assuming that maybe the person who is facing deportation in Thailand now was one of them.”

Missing in Vietnam

Ilshat Hasan, vice president of the exile group the Uyghur American Association, believed Muhemmed was among two Uyghurs who may have tried to enter Cambodia while fleeing China but ended up in Vietnam.

“It is possible that he was one of the two Uyghurs missing in Vietnam in October 2009,” Hasan said.

Those men later tried to cross into Cambodia on their own, but ended up in Laos where one was apprehended. The whereabouts of the other man were unknown.

“I guess that the one who failed to escape has already been returned to China or is in jail in Vietnam,” Hasan said.

“The other one who escaped probably had hidden in Thailand. Maybe disaster has finally caught up with him this time.”

In addition to the repatriation of the group of Uyghurs from Cambodia, China also used its influence in May to convince Kazakh authorities to deport another Uyghur, Ershidin Israil, a former geography teacher, who was initially given refugee status by the UNHCR and accepted for resettlement by Sweden.

Source: Radio Free Asia (RFA).
Link: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/deportation-08082011175204.html.

Russia's stealth fighter performs first demonstration flight

2012-01-24T17:00:00.003+02:00

MOSCOW (BNO NEWS) — Russia’s Sukhoi T-50 5th generation fighter performed its first demonstration flight at the 10th International Aviation and Space Salon MAKS 2011 on Wednesday, Russian agencies reported.

The flight was observed by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and other dignitaries who attended the MAKS show to address the participants and guests as well as to get familiarized with the exposition of Russian and foreign aerospace equipment, Itar-Tass news agency reported.

However, the pilots did not perform any aerobatic stunts aboard the new T-50 stealth fighter because the plane is still going through a series of test flights.

The T-50 aircraft, developed under the program Future Aviation System for Tactical Air Force (PAK-FA) at the Sukhoi OKB, is Russia’s first new major combat aircraft designed since the fall of the Soviet Union. Since the 1980s, the Russian Air Force has relied on aircraft which are now obsolete.

An operational fighter based on the T-50 will be put into service possibly as soon as 2015, becoming the Russian Air Force’s first stealth fighter which features low-observable technology that makes it almost impossible to detect with radar.

Like its U.S. counterpart, the F-22 Raptor, the T-50 will be able to cruise at supersonic speeds and be capable of pulling high-G maneuvers that older aircraft cannot match thanks to thrust-vectoring exhaust nozzles and a hi-tech flight control system.

The T-50 made its first flight at the Komsomolsk-on-Amur factory airfield in Siberia in January, and since then two prototypes have been undergoing flight tests at the Zhukovsky flight test center near Moscow.

MAKS is an international air show held since 1992 on Zhukovskiy Lll air field near the Russian capital of Moscow. It is one of the world’s largest air forums which its main goal is to demonstrate the latest achievement of Russian and world aviation industry.

Although it started as an entertainment event, MAKS is also important for establishing business contacts and development of industrial cooperation between Russia and foreign aerospace manufacturers.

Wednesday, August 17th, 2011

Source: WireUpdate.
Link: http://wireupdate.com/wires/19524/russias-stealth-fighter-performs-first-demonstration-flight/.

Nigeria successfully launches two satellites

2012-01-24T17:00:00.000+02:00

ABUJA, NIGERIA (BNO NEWS) — Nigeria on Wednesday successfully launched two satellites into orbit on a Russian rocket, Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) said.

The two satellites – the NigeriaSat-2 and NigeriaSat-X – were launched on a Russian Dnepr rocket from Yasny, which is located in southern Russia. The spacecrafts were built at SSTL in Guildford, United Kingdom, but under the Nigerian National Space Research Development Agency (NASRDA). 26 Nigerian engineers worked at the SSTL, assembling NigeriaSat-X, which weighs around 100 kilograms (220 pounds).

SSTL stated that the satellites would provide Nigeria with the ability to enhance food security through monthly crop monitoring, assist with burgeoning urban planning demands and, through the development of engineering skills, would advance the growth of new technologies in Nigeria.

Director of the National Center for Remote Sensing (NCRS) Gajere Nduke noted that the high resolution of the satellites would not only allow further development for Nigeria, but for the West African Sub-region and all of Africa. He said the NCRS would create a 1:25,000 scale map of Nigeria with the use of the satellites.

In addition, Director-General of the NASRDA, Dr. Seidu Mohammed, said key data will be made available through the satellites, supporting different sectors such as national food security as well as environmental monitoring and evaluation by making data available to the Disaster Monitoring Constellation. NASRDA engineers will control both satellites from their ground station in Abuja.

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan congratulated the successful launching of the two satellites, stating that the event was a milestone which could solve different national issues through space technology.

“We will continue to emphasize investment in science and technology as a tool to drive the transformation agenda of this administration,” Jonathan stated, congratulating the “resourceful Nigerians who made this history possible.”

In 2003, Nigeria launched NigeriaSat-1, and while it has surpassed its five-year lifespan, the two new satellites are expected to replace NigeriaSat-1 to ensure data continuity.

Wednesday, August 17th, 2011

Source: WireUpdate.
Link: http://wireupdate.com/wires/19525/nigeria-successfully-launches-two-satellites/.

President Chavez plans to nationalize Venezuela's gold industry

2012-01-24T16:59:00.002+02:00

CARACAS (BNO NEWS) — Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez announced on Wednesday that he will approve a new law to nationalize the country’s gold industry, the El Nacional newspaper reported.

“Soon I will propose a law to start taking the gold zone and I count with you, because there’s anarchy, mafia and smuggling in that zone,” Chavez said.

Chavez further stated that he has the laws which allow him to nationalize the gold industry in Venezuela, which includes exploration and exploitation of the metal as well as other related activities.

The president urged the minister of Planning and Finance, Jorge Giordani, and the president of the Venezuelan Central Bank (BCV), Nelson Merentes, to speed up the process of transferring the Venezuelan gold reserves.

Giordani explained that the government’s decision to nationalize the gold reserves seeks to diversify the resources and enable them for the national economy’s development. “We are going to nationalize the gold and we are going to turn it into an international reserve, because its value keeps increasing,” he said.

Venezuela has around $12 billion in gold reserves, Chavez said. “We cannot allow them to keep taking it away.”

Chavez returned to Venezuela on Saturday after having completed a second round of chemotherapy in the Cuban capital of Havana. The left wing president has been in office since 1999 and plans to run for re-election in late 2012 despite his disease.

Wednesday, August 17th, 2011

Source: WireUpdate.
Link: http://wireupdate.com/wires/19527/president-chavez-plans-to-nationalize-venezuelas-gold-industry/.

Pressure rises in Morocco after self-immolation

2012-01-24T16:52:00.005+02:00

Suicide as a form of protest has grabbed the attention of citizens and officials alike.

By Siham Ali for Magharebia in Rabat – 17/08/11

The suicide of a young Moroccan bread vendor is raising fresh concerns about freedom and reform ahead of the November 25th parliamentary elections.

Hamid Kanouni, 27, set himself on fire outside a police station in Berkane on Sunday (August 7th), stirring up a fresh debate in Morocco and evoking memories of how the suicide of another young man, Tunisia's Mohamed Bouazizi, launched the Arab Spring.

"Hamid wouldn't have set fire to himself if he didn't have good reasons for doing such a thing. It's a real sign that the supposed change hasn't happened," February 20th Movement member Zohra Meliani said. She added that people's grievances have yet to receive a practical answer, and that nothing has been done about scorn and corruption and respect for personal liberties.

But according to student Fadoua Gertouli, young people must not let their despair push them to the point of suicide.

"I can understand the fact that Hamid, after being so badly treated, felt that no-one could vindicate him, given the way that people are going unpunished. But we have to campaign and be patient in the midst of our troubles," she said.

Hmida Taji, a teacher of Islamic education, said that the suicide was a reprehensible act banned by Islam. He called on young people to be aware of this reality and not to believe that anyone using self-immolation as a form of protest can be a martyr.

The February 20th Movement is helping to transport the body from Casablanca to Fez and organize a number of protest marches, particularly in Berkane, where the incident took place. Young people are calling for people to rise up against hogra (scorn).

There were different accounts of the incident given by police and onlookers. According to eyewitnesses, the police beat and insulted the victim, seizing his bread cart following a complaint from the owner of the bakery outside which he was selling his goods.

On Tuesday (August 9th) police denied the accusations of abuse in the Hamid Kanouni incident.

The police claimed that that the man had been overwhelmed when, on leaving the police station, he discovered that his merchandise had been destroyed by an unknown party. This drove him to douse his clothes with petrol and set fire to them.

The government has not yet issued a reaction to the event. Government spokesman Khalid Naciri avoided answering questions about Kanouni at a press briefing on August 10th. Instead, he simply indicated that justice would take its course.

Self-immolation is becoming increasingly commonplace amongst marginalized youth and unemployed graduates, according to Sociologist Samira Kassimi.

"It's a form of political protest against injustice. These young people prefer to draw attention to themselves rather than remain in the shadows," she said.

Source: Magharebia.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2011/08/17/feature-01.

Moon younger than previously thought

2012-01-24T16:52:00.002+02:00

Copenhagen, Denmark (SPX)
Aug 18, 2011

Analysis of a piece of lunar rock brought back to Earth by the Apollo 16 mission in 1972 has shown that the Moon may be much younger than previously believed.

This is concluded in new research conducted by an international team of scientists that includes James Connelly from the Center for Star and Planet Formation, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen. Their work has just been published in Nature.

The prevailing theory of our Moon's origin is that it was created by a giant impact between a large planet-like object and the proto-Earth very early in the evolution of our solar system. The energy of this impact was sufficiently high that the Moon formed from melted material that began with a deep liquid magma ocean.

As the Moon cooled, this magma ocean solidified into different mineral components, the lightest of which floated upwards to form the oldest crust. Analysis of a lunar rock sample of this presumed ancient crust has given scientists new insights into the formation of the Moon.

Luna rock from Apollo 16
"We have analyzed a piece of lunar rock that was brought back to Earth by the Apollo 16 mission in 1972. Although the samples have been carefully stored at NASA Johnson Space Center since their return to Earth, we had to extensively pre-clean the samples using a new method to remove terrestrial lead contamination.

Once we removed the contamination, we found that this sample is almost 100 million years younger than we expected," says researcher James Connelly of the Center for Star and Planet Formation.

According to the existing theory for lunar formation, a rock type called ferroan anorthosite, also known as FAN, is the oldest of the Moon's crustal rocks, but scientists have had difficulty dating samples of this crust.

Newly-refined techniques help determine age of sample
The research team, which includes scientists from the Natural History Museum of Denmark, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Carnegie Institute's Department of Terrestrial Magnetism and Universite Blaise Pascal, used newly-refined techniques to determine the age of the sample of a FAN that was returned by the Apollo 16 mission and has been stored at the lunar rock collection at the NASA Johnson Space Center.

The team analyzed the isotopes of the elements lead and neodymium to place the age of a sample of a FAN at 4.36 billion years. This figure is significantly younger than earlier estimates of the Moon's age that range to nearly as old as the age of the solar system itself at 4.567 billion years.

The new, younger age obtained for the oldest lunar crust is similar to ages obtained for the oldest terrestrial minerals - zircons from Western Australia - suggesting that the oldest crust on both Earth and the Moon formed at approximately the same time.

This study is the first in which a single sample of FAN yielded consistent ages from multiple isotope dating techniques. This result strongly suggests that these ages pinpoint the time at which this sample crystallized.

The extraordinarily young age of this lunar sample either means that the Moon solidified significantly later than previous estimates - and therefore the moon itself is much younger than previously believed - or that this sample does not represent a crystallization product of the original magma ocean. Either scenario requires major revision to previous models for the formation of the Moon.

Source: Moon Daily.
Link: http://www.moondaily.com/reports/Moon_younger_than_previously_thought_999.html.