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Tuesday, January 24, 2012

HRW asks what's different post-Mubarak

NEW YORK, Aug. 17 (UPI) -- Prosecutors operating in Egypt under military authority aren't much better at permitting dissenting voices than the previous regime, Human Rights Watch said.

Human Rights Watch said there were a large number of civilians on trial in military courts for what it said were nothing more than "major" attacks on free expression.

Human Rights Watch said military authorities prosecuted youth leader Asamaa Mahfouz for insulting the military.

"The military is using her to silence potential critics, sending the message that criticizing the current military government will land them in jail," Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement.

Human Rights Watch said military authorities last week questioned Mahfouz about statements posted on her Twitter account in July complaining the military wasn't doing enough to protect civilians.

As many as 43 cases similar to Mahfouz's are ongoing in military courts, the rights group said.

At least 10,000 civilians were sentenced this year in what Human Rights Watch said were unfair proceedings. All of them should be retried, the group added.

"Egypt needs to urgently review the legal framework which (deposed President Hosni) Mubarak used for years to silence his critics," concluded Stork.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2011/08/17/HRW-asks-whats-different-post-Mubarak/UPI-27011313593303/.

Two Young Chechens Saved the Lives of 23 Teenagers in the Norway Massacre

Aug 18 2011

Two Chechens Movsar Jamaev and Rustam Daudov first met on Wednesday July 19, this year on the island Utøya. They quickly became good friends, and were going to dinner, when the first shots were fired on Friday, July 22 – says on its pages the well-known Norwegian newspaper “Dagbladet”.

With the prior permission of their parents, they told the reporters of this newspaper about the terrible hours spent on the island of Utoya.

“We heard the first shots and saw a group of teenagers standing near an armed man who was shooting them at a point-blank. Three of them were shot in front of us”, – said the young Chechens. “From there the two young men ran towards the woods, pulling a group of terrified Norwegian youth, who did not know how to save themselves.” 16-year-old Norwegian said he was so frightened that he could not move. “Therefore, Movsar took my arm and dragged me into the forest” – he said. From there Movsar called his father, who gave him instructions, how to behave in a similar situation.

“I have witnessed how people were shot earlier in my country by the Russian occupiers, when I was a kid. After talking with my father, I was able to pull myself together. My dad told me that I must possess myself and that I should think not only about themselves, but also about the other children on the island. He told me that I should tried to save as many as possible. “Attack on the offender should be done properly” said dad”- says Movsar.

“The murderer, dressed in the form of a police officer, shouted to us to come to him. At first I thought to do it, until I realized that he was going to kill us. Soon, he began to shoot the children who came to him, believing that he is a policeman. He did calmly and cooldbloodedly kill defenseless children.”- said Movsar. According to his friend, Rustam, they were armed with stones, decided to stop the offender. Rustam states, that both of them with stones in their hands began to move towards Anders Breivik.

“We were maybe a meter away from him and were going to throw stones at him, but he shot one of our friends. Then we threw stones at him and ran to save our lives and the lives of other children who were still alive – said Rustam. Movsar has no doubt that he got the murderer with a stone. He says that after this killer howled and shouted at him “f***ing nigger”.

After that, the young men decided to seek and rescue the remaining children. They found a cave in the rock, where they hid terrified children (a total of 23 people), among whom was even an eight-year boy. Movsar says that he carried him on his shoulders for nearly an hour.

Then they stood on duty at the cave entrance hoping to protect children. From there, they saw several young people drowning in the water. “I could not let them drown, and swam to help them. Three times I did it, but I was totally exhausted due to the cold water. I did not have the strength to save the boy, who was only ten feet from me. He drowned “. – Movsar said.

Source: The Ugly Truth.
Link: http://theuglytruth.wordpress.com/2011/08/18/two-young-chechens-saved-the-lives-of-23-teenagers-in-the-norway-massacre/.

Lebanon adopts law regulating smoking

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Aug. 18 (UPI) -- Lebanon's new no-smoking law bans some tobacco advertising and requires a pictorial warning about smoking hazards on cigarette packs, officials said.

The Parliament Wednesday backed a law putting an end to smoking in all enclosed public places, including bars, restaurants, offices and airplanes, The Daily Star in Beirut reported.

The law bans tobacco advertising on billboards and in magazines, and prohibits tobacco companies from sponsoring events and music concerts. It also requires tobacco companies to print a pictorial warning covering 40 percent of the area on each pack of cigarettes.

Hotels will be allowed to set aside up to 20 percent of their rooms for smokers.

Parliament said businesses will have a set period of time to prepare for the law, although no time frame was mentioned in the report.

Officials said Lebanon was obligated to pass legislation controlling tobacco products since it signed onto the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in 2005.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2011/08/18/Lebanon-adopts-law-regulating-smoking/UPI-70311313671313/.

حراك الكرك مهاجما بيان '43': النواب جزء من الفساد

2011-08-18

خبرني- هاجم الحراك الشبابي والشعبي في محافظة الكرك البيان الصادر عن 43 نائباً يصفون فيه مطلقي الهتافات خلال بعض المسيرات والاعتصامات بالخيانة وإثارة الفتنة وزعزعة الأمن والاستقرار.
وقال الحراك في بيان صادر عنه الخميس" طالعتنا الصحافة المكتوبة والمرئية والإلكترونية ببيان موقع من بعض نواب الـ (111) يعتبرون الآلاف التي اعتصمت أمام محافظة الكرك بالقلة التي لا تعبر عن إرادة الشعب وتهدف إلى زعزعة الأمن والاستقرار ".
ووصف البيان النواب بـ "جزء من متوالية الفساد والمحسوبية وأنهم نتاج سيء لقانون الصوت الواحد والدائرة الوهمية والتزوير المبرمج" .
وأكد الحراك على مطالبته بإصلاح النظام واحترام إرادة الشعب ومحاسبة الفاسدين بالقضاء المستقل كوسيلة لمنع زعزعة الأمن والاستقرار، وتابع "الاستقرار لن يكون بالعصا الغليظة ولا بالجزرة ، وإنما بإعطاء الناس حقوقهم الدستورية والسياسية ومشاركتهم بصنع القرار السياسي ورفع الوصاية عنهم كون الشعب دوماً مصدر السلطات".
ووجه الحراك تساؤلات للنواب للإجابة عليها، وهي :- هل تبرئة أصحاب الكازينو تعبيراً عن إرادة الشعب ؟
- هل تبرئة الوزراء المعروفين لشعبنا تعبيراً عن إرادتنا ؟- هل ثقة الــ (111) دامت أكثر من أربعين يوماً ؟
- هل تم فتح ملفات الفوسفات ، البوتاس ، الإتصالات ، الكهرباء، المطار … ومجموعة الكابيتال وغيرها وغيرها من اختصاص غيركم ؟؟!!!
وختم الحراك بيانه" نطمئنكم أيها النواب ان التغيير قادم لا محالة".

المصدر: خبرني.
الرابط: http://www.khaberni.com/more.php?newsid=60276.

Sadrists condemn U.S. military action

KARBALA, Iraq, Aug. 17 (UPI) -- Alleged movement of U.S. forces into Karbala last week was an act of terrorism that violates bilateral security arrangements, an Iraqi official said.

A lawmaker in the Sadrist political party, loyal to anti-American cleric Moqtada Sadr, said U.S. forces entered parts of Karbala last week. Tariq al-Khekany told the Voices of Iraq news agency that U.S. forces spent about six hours in a Sadrist stronghold in the city.

"We condemn the said 'terrorist' operation, which stood counter to the (2008) security agreement, signed between Iraq and the United States," he was quoted as saying.

U.S. combat forces withdrew to their military bases in Iraq in June 2009 under the terms of a bilateral Status of Forces Agreement with Baghdad. That agreement left Iraqi security forces in the lead of major operations.

A series of attacks and bombings Monday killed at least 89 people. Iraqi officials blamed national security forces in part for the attacks.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during comments Tuesday said that although no group had claimed responsibility for Monday's attacks, it was likely a sign that al-Qaida in Iraq was "trying to assert itself."

Iraqis are considering whether some U.S. forces would stay beyond a Dec. 31 deadline to withdraw. Sadrists blame the U.S. military presence for many of the country's problems.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2011/08/17/Sadrists-condemn-US-military-action/UPI-79211313590570/.

Belarus may get gas discount from Russia

MOSCOW, Aug. 16 (UPI) -- Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Belarus could get a discount on natural gas prices for 2012, though Gazprom stressed market conditions were tough.

Inflation in Belarus is in the double digits and the country's president in June threatened to close the borders if there were a fiscal emergency. Minsk blamed rising prices of natural gas from Russia for some of its economic woes.

A gas discount from Russia would expire this year, after which natural gas prices will be pegged to market conditions.

Putin said Minsk would start to get a better gas price formula starting next year, noting the matter was tied to Gazprom taking on the remaining 50 percent stake in Belorussian gas transportation company Beltransgaz, Russia's state-run news agency RIA Novosti reports.

Alexei Miller, the chief executive officer at Gazprom, said negotiations could begin as early as September and new contracts could be signed by the end of the year.

"Hydrocarbon market conditions are hard for consumers," he stressed. "Gas prices are high and it is tough for former USSR republics, including Belarus."

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Energy-Resources/2011/08/16/Belarus-may-get-gas-discount-from-Russia/UPI-19541313497896/.

Iran, Kurds to work to combat PJAK

TEHRAN, Aug. 16 (UPI) -- Iran and Kurdish officials in Iraq have plans to set up a joint committee to fight Kurdish rebels along their border, an Iranian official said.

Hassan Danaifar, the Iranian envoy to Baghdad, said delegates from Tehran discussed forming an action plan with authorities in the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq to combat the guerrilla campaign of the Party for Free Life of Kurdistan, or PJAK, Iran's state-funded broadcaster Press TV reports.

Danaifar added that high-ranking military officials from both sides would work to establish the committee.

Iranian officials have acknowledged sending troops to the border region and moving across the Iraqi border allegedly in pursuit of PJAK gunmen. Baghdad expressed frustration over Iranian action against PJAK, though Kurdish leaders told Iranian media recently that PJAK militancy presents a serious security concern in the region.

PJAK is considered a close affiliate of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, which was blamed for killing Turkish soldiers near the border with Iraq in July.

Reports from Turkish news agency Today's Zaman say Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a speech marking the 10th anniversary of his Justice and Development Party that Ankara's patience with the PKK was wearing thin.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2011/08/16/Iran-Kurds-to-work-to-combat-PJAK/UPI-39591313515829/.