Russian president set for first meeting with Pope Benedict

Moscow - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is to meet Pope Benedict XVI for the first time next week while on his political visit to Italy, the Kremlin disclosed Thursday. The presidential office said Medvedev would meet the pope in the Vatican on December 3, Interfax reported. There were no details give about their possible topics of discussion.

Former president Vladimir Putin met Benedict in the Vatican in March 2007.

Relations between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church have been tense for some time. Moscow as a result has yet to permit a pope to visit Russia, arguing among other reasons that it was feared the pontiff could try to lure faithful away from the Russian church.

Three ministers to join Czech interim government

Prague - Czech Prime Minister Jan Fischer on Thursday announced the names of three ministers joining his caretaker cabinet expected to lead the Czech Republic until spring 2010. Ambassador to Australia, Juraj Chmiel, 49, is set to take over as European affairs minister from Stefan Fuele, who is the country's candidate for a post at the European Commission.

Lawyer Pavel Zarecky, 69, is to head the cabinet's legislative council, which has been held by Justice Minister Daniela Kovarova.

Their appointments are part of the European Commission nomination deal between the two leading Czech political parties, Mirek Topolanek's centre-right Civic Democrats and the rival Social Democrats of Jiri Paroubek.

Jan Dusik, 34, a deputy environment minister, is to replace Ladislav Miko at the helm of the Environment Ministry, as the outgoing minister plans to return to his job with the European Commission in Brussels.

Fischer's cabinet took over on May 8 with the aim of taking the country to a now-canceled early election in October. Due to the election's cancellation, the government's term has been expanded until the regular election that must take place before June 2010.

President Vaclav Klaus is expected to appoint the new ministers on Monday.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/296495,three-ministers-to-join-czech-interim-government.html.

India commemorates Mumbai attacks - Summary

New Delhi - Prayers and memorial services were held across India on Thursday to mark the first anniversary of the terrorist attacks on Mumbai which led to the collapse of peace talks with Pakistan and forced a revamp of India's security. In the capital New Delhi, parliament began with two minutes' silence to remember the victims, before passing a resolution to wage a united war against terrorism.

The three days of attacks which began on November 26, 2008 targeted 10 key locations across Mumbai, including the main railway station and sites popular with tourists and business people, including two luxury hotels.

At least 175 people, including 26 foreign nationals and nine attackers from the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba group, were killed by the time Indian forces ended the terrorist siege.

Thousands participated in the memorial events in Mumbai as the country's financial center kept up its usual busy pace, sending a signal that it would not be deterred by terrorism.

Memorial services were held at the targeted Taj and Trident hotels and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Railway station.

The station was worst hit in the attacks, with more than 50 reported casualties. Thousands of commuters en route to their offices halted Thursday to pay homage and joined prayers with porters and railway workers.

Chabad House, the Mumbai headquarters of the Jewish Chabad- Lubavitch movement, where a rabbi, his wife and four others were killed by gunmen, reopened with a multi-faith prayer.

A small memorial comprising a wall pock-marked by bullets has been set up by residents.

"We shall never forget what happened on 26/11. We have established the memorial to make Mumbaikers more aware and alert to the dangers of terrorism," Koresh Zorawar, a local, said.

Earlier Thursday, Mumbai police held a parade, showcasing their new equipment, including automatic weapons and patrol boats.

Commandos from the city's newly created anti-terrorism force also participated. India has embarked on a multi-million dollar security upgrade for its forces after the attack.

Locals lighted candles in front of the Leopold cafe and other targets of the attack to show solidarity with the victims of the attack.

Hundreds lined up at a function to honor the memory of the victims at the Gateway of India monument which many of their family members attended.

Viju Chavan, a worker who was shot in the stomach, told the IANS news agency, "I was pregnant at the time of the attack. After that incident, people told me to name my daughter Goli (Hindi for bullet)".

"Even today, my daughter is referred to as Goli, not by her real name," she said.

Concerts, seminars and other events were also organized in cities across India such as Delhi, Bangalore and Kolkata to commemorate the attack.

In one of the largest such events in Delhi, around 700 young men and women from India and abroad participated in the "Indian Model United Nations" and lit candles in memory of the victims.

The youth from Sri Lanka, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Egypt and other countries joined Indian students to salute the victims.

Later on Thursday, Federal Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram unveiled a memorial at Mumbai's Police Gymkhana for 18 policemen who lost their lives during the terrorist attack.

"Each one of the targets was chosen carefully in order to create the maximum impact on the conscience of Indians. It was a challenge which we had not faced before," Chidambaram said.

"Yet the city rose as one man. The police force rose as one force to defend the city and defend the honor and integrity of India".

The devastating attacks led New Delhi to halt five-year-old peace talks with Pakistan.

India has reiterated that it will not restart talks until Mumbai attack suspects were brought to justice. The lone surviving attacker, Pakistani Ajmal Kasab, is currently facing trial in Mumbai.

On Wednesday, a court in Pakistan charged seven people in connection with the attacks, including alleged mastermind LeT head, Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi.

But on the eve of the attacks, Indian Premier Manmohan Singh, currently on a US visit, said India "will not rest" until the perpetrators of the attack were punished.

"We have taken up the matter with all the force at our command with the government of Pakistan," Singh was quoted by the PTI news agency as saying.

"We expect the masterminds of the attack and their supporters to be tried and punished. The infrastructure of terrorism and all safe havens have to be dismantled," he said.

Iranians secular dissident sentenced to six-year jail term

Tehran - A renowned Iranian secular dissident was sentenced to a six-year jail term for his alleged role in the unrest following last June's disputed presidential election, reformist websites reported Thursday. Behzad Nabavi, a former industry minister and deputy parliament speaker, was sentenced by the revolutionary court to a six-year jail term on charges of having acted against the Islamic establishment.

Nabavi was however released on bail until the start of his appeal court, it was reported.

Nabavi was one of the few former officials who did not confess to court charges of planning to overthrow the Islamic system and constantly insisted on not having made anything illegal.

In line with the country's opposition, also Nabavi had accused the government of fraud in the June 12 presidential election and not acknowledged President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election.

The post-vote protests have so far led to the deaths of dozens of demonstrators, the arrest of thousands, hundreds of whom remain jailed for alleged efforts to overthrow the Islamic establishment.

Also Mohammad-Ali Abtahi, deputy of former president Mohammad Khatami from 1997 to 2005, was sentenced last week to a six-year jail term charges of national security offenses and propaganda against the Islamic establishment.

Khatami said in a meeting Wednesday with a group of physicians that when someone was critical of some of the government's policies, "then it should be no crime expressing this criticism."

Khatami blamed the government to destroy the reputation of former officials who used to be "an undeniable part of the country's political capital."

Anti-Islamic Dutch politician cancels Prague visit - Summary

Prague - Anti-Islamic Dutch politician Geert Wilders canceled his planned visit to Prague after his hosts had problems booking a venue for his speech, organizers said Thursday. Wilders was invited to give a speech Monday and show his film Fitna by Eurosceptic Czech senator Jiri Oberfalzer and a Prague-based website critical of the purported Islamization of Europe, eurabia.cz.

Oberfalzer initially invited the 46-year-old Dutch lawmaker to give his talk at the Czech Senate, but the upper house banned the planned lecture.

The hosts then unsuccessfully attempted to secure a private venue. Wilders dropped the Prague talk after owners of two locations canceled reservations at the last minute, Oberfalzer said.

A Muslim group based in Brno, the Czech Republic's second largest city, offered to provide a place but the visit's organizers did not accept it.

The senator said that the hosts managed to book yet another place but Wilders "did not want to risk the fourth cancellation" and preferred to set a new date for his visit.

Wilders, leader of the far-right Party for Freedom, is known for his anti-Islamic views. His controversial film Fitna portrays the Koran as a book inciting violence against non-Muslims.

Earlier this week, a spokesman for the Turkish Foreign Ministry said the lawmaker, who planned to take part in a Dutch parliamentary delegation to Turkey, was unwelcome in the largely Muslim country wishing to join the European Union.

In February, authorities barred Wilders from entering Britain, where he was to show his film. But he visited London on October 16 after a court overturned the ban.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/296508,anti-islamic-dutch-politician-cancels-prague-visit--summary.html.

Irish report condemns 'cover-up' of child abuse by Catholic church

Dublin - The Irish government Thursday vowed to bring pedophile priests to justice after a new report revealed that the Roman Catholic Church had covered up the "systematic abuse" of children while the state turned a blind eye. The report by a long-running commission published at the end of a three-year probe concluded that "hundreds of crimes" were committed against defenseless children in the diocese of Dublin between 1975 and 2004.

It said the Catholic Church hierarchy in Ireland was "granted immunity to cover up child sex abuse" while the authorities enjoyed a "cosy relationship with the church."

Justice Minister Dermot Ahern, who offered a government apology for what happened, said that the offenders would be brought to court regardless of the time that has passed.

"The persons who committed these dreadful crimes - no matter when they happened - will continue to be pursued. They must come to know that there is no hiding place. That justice - even where it may have been delayed - will not be denied," said Ahern.

The inquiry, which examined a total of 100,000 files, was based on a sample of complaints involving 320 children and 46 priests, of whom 11 have already been convicted.

It revealed that four former archbishops did not pass on the information they were given on the abuse cases to the authorities and alleged that the police treated the clergy "as though they were above the law."

The state authorities had facilitated the cover-up by failing to ensure that the law was applied equally to all and by permitting the church institutions to be "beyond the reach of the normal law enforcement process."

The report found that children were beaten, humiliated and raped. It listed one priest as having abused more than 100 children and said another had admitted abuse on a fortnightly basis during his 25-year ministry.

In May, a separate report detailed decades of abuse in schools, borstals and reformatories run by religious orders, affecting thousands of children.

"There is no escaping the cruel irony that the Church, partly motivated by a desire to avoid scandal, in fact created a scandal on an astonishing scale," said Ahern.

"In many cases, the welfare of children counted for nothing and abusers were left free to abuse - to visit evil on the innocent," he added.

Saudi Arabia and Iran Face Off in Yemen

Frida Ghitis

November 26, 2009

Relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran have ranged over the years from coolly cordial to openly hostile. After all, the two countries see themselves as rivals in the quest for regional influence and for leadership of the Muslim world. They have very different histories and conflicting political ideologies, and they stand on opposing sides of the Shiite-Sunni divide. In recent months, strains in the relationship have greatly intensified. Today, the differences between Tehran and Riyadh have brought the neighbors dangerously close to open confrontation.

How serious is the crisis? Consider the recent headline in the respected pan-Arab newspaper Alsharq al-Awsat: "So: It is no longer a war of ideas!"

The writer, Osama Khawaji, was speaking about the war raging in neighboring Yemen, which has signs of becoming a proxy war between Persians and Arabs, between Shiites and Sunnis -- or, more plainly, between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Khawaji wrote, "The story of Iran with the Arabs is no longer just a war of words, but now has a military interpretation on the ground that we have previously witnessed in Lebanon, Iraq and Gaza, and recently in Yemen."

In Lebanon, Tehran and Riyadh back rival camps in that country's turbulent political landscape. Iran gives political, financial and military support to Hezbollah, while Saudi Arabia has provided ample funding to the Sunni coalition that opposes the influence of a three-part alliance made up of Hezbollah, Syria and Iran. A similar situation appears in Gaza, where militant Hamas receives support from Iran and Syria, while Saudi Arabia backs its rival, Fatah. But it is Yemen where the face-off threatens to bring Saudis and Iranians into open confrontation.

The small country of Yemen, which borders Saudi Arabia to the south, is experiencing a civil war that pits government forces against northern Houthi rebels. Yemen accuses Iran of backing the Houthis, who belong to the Zaidi sect of Shiism. Tehran denies it, but many in the Arab world doubt Iran's denials.

The Houthis are based near the Saudi border, and fighting has extended into Saudi territory. When the war recently spilled inside Saudi Arabia, Riyadh responded sharply. Officials in Riyadh said Houthi shelling had killed several Saudi civilians, causing the Saudis to fire back. The rebels accused Saudi forces of moving inside Yemen. The Saudis insisted they were only defending their country, and that King Abdullah had specifically ordered his military chiefs to expel Yemeni rebels from Saudi land without crossing the border.

Despite Iran's claim that it has nothing to do with Houthi rebels, the Iranian media is providing the most comprehensive outlet to Houthi rebels, in a way that sounds very much like it is taunting the Saudis.

A recent dispatch on Iran's Press TV portrays a David and Goliath battle, with brave Houthi rebels successfully taking on a much larger and better-armed Saudi force. Press TV relates that, "After suffering a 'humiliating' defeat in their last assault, Saudi forces have launched another major ground and aerial attack along the Yemeni border in the north, Houthi fighters say. The Saudis are using 'all types of ground and air weapons,' including tanks, artillery, rocket launchers, Apache helicopters and jet fighters."

The conflict is inflaming passions on both sides. Ali Larijani, president of Iran's Parliament, charged Riyadh with bombing rebels in Yemen and accused Washington of supporting Saudi Arabia's "unacceptable" actions. Iran's Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mouttaki issued a veiled threat, warning countries in the region not to intervene in Yemen.

On the Saudi side, indignation is spreading throughout the country and threatens to inflame anti-Iranian sentiment throughout the Sunni world. The grand mufti of Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah Al-Sheikh, issued a statement in the daily al-Watan charging that Tehran's support of Yemen's Houthis made it complicit in sin and aggression. He even issued a call to Iranians to protect their own Sunni minority from aggression. He offered strong support for Saudi military action against the Houthis, openly linking the Yemen rebels to Tehran and telling imams and preachers to back Saudi military action during their sermons. "We are right and they are wrong," he said. "It is clear they must be fought."

For decades, Iran and Saudi Arabia have stood on opposing sides of many conflicts in the Middle East. Most of the time, however, they have confronted each other through proxies and cash contributions in support of their desired outcomes. Most recently, Saudi Arabia, like many other Arab countries, has expressed great concern about Iran's regional designs and the potential threat by its controversial nuclear program.

The conflict in Yemen now threatens to bring all those simmering disputes to the surface. Neither Saudi Arabia nor Iran wants to enter into open confrontation. But armed clashes and popular passions always risk taking on a life of their own, escalating beyond the calculated wishes of political leaders.

Source: Uruknet.
Link: http://www.uruknet.de/?s1=1&p=60495&s2=27.