Tomb of ancient China's "defense minister" unearthed in northwest China

The family tombs of an high-ranking general of the Han Dynasty (202 B.C.-220 A.D.) was unearthed in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, providing evidence to China's military history, archaeologists said Friday.

The tomb in Weiqu Town of suburban Xi'an, provincial capital of Shaanxi, belonged to Zhang Anshi (?-62 B.C.), a major general of Han Dynasty and he was conferred the titled of Liehou, top level of entitled officials of the dynasty, after helping Liu Xun (91 B.C.-49 B.C.) to become the emperor, said Zhang Zhongli, vice president of Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology.

The identification of the tomb owner was confirmed by the archaeologists based on the discovery of the official seals and the seal carved with the family name Zhang from the tomb, which is only six kilometers away from the emperor's tomb, Zhang Zhongli said.

The main chamber of ancient Zhang's tomb, surrounded by more than a dozen of tombs, is 35 meters long and 24.5 meters wide, and has been robbed before, Zhang Zhongli said.

The whole tomb faces the direction of the emperor's tomb, which shows the respect of the general toward his king, Zhang said.

More than 2,000 pieces of cultural relics, including exquisite bronze and ceramics decorations, bronze seals and appliances which represent the high rank of the general, had been unearthed over the past year.

However, the body of the owners had not been unearthed in terms of better protection, Zhang said, without revealing the schedule.

The structure and size of the tomb and the large amount of unearthed appliances are all significant to archeological researches, Zhang said.

The military appliances and the carriages might be the remarkable discovery of the Chinese military history, as the general was considered the "national defense minister" of the Han Dynasty, he said.

Although the tombs of Zhang Anshi's and his wife's had been robbed and burnt before being discovered by the archeologists, they had provided abundant evidence to the research of the Han Dynasty history, he said.

Source: People's Daily.
Link: http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90782/90873/6883157.html.

Uighurs returned to China 'disappear' says rights group

China must account for the whereabouts of ethnic Uighurs forcibly repatriated from Cambodia, a US-based rights group has said.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) said such groups had "disappeared into a black hole" on their return to China.

The Uighurs fled to Cambodia after mass ethnic riots in China in July. Beijing has referred to them as criminals.

In December, a group of 20 Uighurs were put on a plane to China despite opposition from the UN and US.

They said the group were likely to face persecution in China.

"Uighur asylum seekers sent back to China by Cambodia have disappeared into a black hole," said Sophie Richardson of HRW.

"There is no information about their whereabouts, no notification of any legal charges against them, and there are no guarantees they are safe from torture and ill-treatment."

HRW said a number of the group had given detailed accounts of past torture and persecution in China and that threats had been made against their families.

The organization said China has a history of executing or imposing harsh sentences of Uighurs sent back from abroad and that there were unconfirmed reports some members of a group previously returned had been sentenced to death in western Xinjiang province.

'Fair trials'

Ms Richardson said the Chinese government must say where the group are being held and under what status as well as allowing the UN and family members to see them.

"Family members have the right to know what has happened to their loved ones," she said

"The Chinese government must treat all returnees humanely, ensure fair trials, and not persecute individuals for activities and speech that are protected under international law."

There has been no immediate comment from the Chinese foreign ministry.

The Uighurs fled Xinjiang after July's violent ethnic clashes in the provincial capital Urumqi which left at least 97 people dead.

Most of those killed in the unrest were majority Han Chinese, according to officials, and Urumqi's Han population had demanded swift justice.

At least 25 people have been sentenced to death after the riots.

Tensions between the mainly-Muslim Uighurs of Xinjiang and Han have been growing in recent years. Millions of Han have moved to the region in recent decades.

Many Uighurs want more autonomy and rights for their culture and religion than is allowed by Beijing's strict rule.

Source: British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).
Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8487724.stm.

Mauritanian Salafist condemns kidnappings as breach of Islamic tradition

2010-01-29

Mauritanian Salafist activist Ahmed Ould Heinna Ould Mouloud said that kidnapping westerners is a violation of Islamic law, ANI reported on Thursday (January 28th). In an interview published Thursday in Akhbar Nouakchott, Ould Heinna criticized all acts of violence, including the recent abductions of western tourists. "Foreigners who enter Muslim countries must be safe. Under Aman, it is sacrilege to assault them or make them suffer the slightest prejudice", he said. According to Ould Heinna, the foreigners' "blood, property and honor are strictly protected and doing otherwise would breach the principle of Aman".

He also spoke out against fellow Salafist Khadim Ould Semane for wearing a tee-shirt emblazoned with al-Qaeda slogans at last week's religious debate between Islamic scholars and Salafist convicts in a Nouakchott prison. Such slogans "have nothing to do with Islam", he said, adding that the gesture was "contrary to Islamic law".

Ould Heinna was arrested in 2005 on charges of recruiting insurgents to fight in Iraq. He was acquitted in 2007. Ould Semane has been jailed since 2008 for the murder of a family of French tourists.

Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://magharebia.com/en_GB/articles/awi/newsbriefs/general/2010/01/29/newsbrief-03.

Kadhafi extends detention for jailed al-Qaeda terrorists

2010-01-29

In an effort to prevent attacks on civilians, Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi plans to keep some 300 convicted al-Qaeda terrorists in jail after they complete their sentences. "These people are heretics…They killed a number of civilians and police," Reuters quoted Kadhafi as telling legislators on Thursday (January 28th). "It is a necessity to keep them in prison. They are very dangerous as they are ready to resume killing people in our streets here or travel to Algeria or Egypt or elsewhere to stage attacks," he said.

Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://magharebia.com/en_GB/articles/awi/newsbriefs/general/2010/01/29/newsbrief-02.

Morocco awaits appointment of new Atlas Lions coach

The nationality of Morocco's future coach and the unusual recess taken by the premier league captivated players and managers this week.

By Naoufel Cherkaoui for Maghrebia in Rabat– 29/01/10

Moroccan players and politicians alike are eagerly waiting to learn who will be named new Atlas Lions coach, with speculation particularly focused on the appointee's nationality.

Chatter about the appointment, which is due to be announced in a few days, has even supplanted discussion of the premier league's unprecedented decision to take a recess before the new season's start.

For interim Morocco coach Hassan Moumen the national origin of the new top trainer is of little concern.

"What matters most is that officials need to take responsibility for their decision, which I hope will be a correct one and in the best interests of football," he said on January 21st in Rabat.

"Regardless of the nationality of the coach in charge of the national squad, we need to stand on terra firma in managing the affairs of football," said Moumen. "We shouldn't judge solely based on the results achieved by national teams, because good results may mask many problems eating away at our football."

Olympique Safi striker Mehdi Nemli agreed.

"The coach's nationality doesn't matter. What matters is his efficiency and hard work in restoring the dignity and image of the Moroccan national squad," he told Magharebia. Moreover, he said, the coach must have a complete monopoly on management decisions.

"The opinions of the new coach have to be respected by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation and by the players. He must not succumb to the intervention of any outside party in his work," Nemli added.

Others stressed the importance of hiring a local coach.

"We have to get rid of the foreign coach complex," Unified Socialist Party chief Mohamed Moujahid told Magharebia on January 21st. "We need to learn from the example of the Egyptian team, which is led by a local coach and made up of local players. I truly think we have some efficient resources that need to be given a chance."

But Moujahid acknowledged that fixing Moroccan football required more than just a coaching change.

"We have a problem ... in managing the sports sector in general", he said. "We need … a comprehensive perspective through which to correctly integrate sports in the policies of education and housing, through training students and creating enough spaces for sport in all residential neighborhoods".

Also stirring the pot among football fans is the unprecedented, three-week recess instituted by the Moroccan Premier Football League. The break began on January 11th after the championship finals, and play is set to resume today. But some players expressed dissatisfaction with the holiday from competition.

"The recess is long and will result in disrupting the rhythm of the league," Olympique Safi midfielder Ahmed Essadek told Magharebia. "A player who stays away from the league for a long time needs at least four successive games before he can pick up where he left off before the recess."

Namli, his teammate, took issue with the shortness of the break.

"I don't think it's enough for the player to rest and resume the league feeling refreshed and invigorated," he said.

Interim coach Moumen said players need rest at the middle and end of the season. But he acknowledged that the recess is "bound to have an impact on players' performance" as they ease back into competition.

Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2010/01/29/feature-02.

Dubai: Hamas leader killed by 'gang'

DAMASCUS, Syria, Jan. 29 (UPI) -- Thousands of mourners gathered Friday in Damascus, Syria, for the funeral of a Hamas leader killed in a hotel room in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Hamas blamed the death of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, 50, on Israeli agents, the BBC reported. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied the accusation.

"I say to you Zionists, do not rejoice. You killed him, but his sons will fight you," Hamas's exiled leader, Khaled Meshaal, told those attending Mabhouh's funeral. "God already took our leaders and loved ones, but resistance goes on. Palestine is a blessed land. It will not remain patient."

Mabhouh, who had been living in exile in Syria since 1989, was found dead Jan. 20, a day after he arrived in Dubai. His family said the cause of death was an electrical shock and that the body also showed evidence of strangulation.

Authorities in Dubai blamed the killing on a "professional criminal gang" mostly holding European passports.

Mabhouh is believed to be one of the founders of the al-Qassam Brigades, the military arm of Hamas, which has been branded a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union and other nations.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/International/2010/01/29/Dubai-Hamas-leader-killed-by-gang/UPI-69401264797796/.

Kashmir situation fast moving towards separatism: Joshi

(WARNING): Article contains propaganda!

* * * * *

Hardwar, Jan 29 : Senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi today said the Kashmir situation was fast moving towards separatism as it was for the first time after 18 years that the national flag was not unfurled at Lal Chowk in Srinagar.

Earlier, on January 26, 1992, the then BJP president Joshi had hoisted the National Flag at Lal Chowk, marking the end of his 46 day-long 'Ekta Yatra.' Talking to mediapersons here this evening, he said, ''It was ridiculous on the part of the government that the national flag was not hoisted on the Republic Day since it created tension.'' ''It has demoralized our security forces and boosted the morals of the separatist forces,'' he added.

He demanded that the national flag should be unfurled at the Lal Chowk everyday and ''our security forces should protect it.'' He further demanded that the central government should issue a white paper on internal security and the safety of the borders of the country to assure that the government was vigilant.

He further said that the Chinese Army intrudes in Ladakh, ''Sing a song and go back, yet we are unable to do anything.'' He alleged that the Chinese Army entered Arunachal Pradesh, saying that it was a part of China. The Central government did nothing. He said,'' we shall try to resolve the boundary disputes.'' ''The authority of the government has been eroded,'' he stated.

Dr Joshi further observed that the performance of the government on the economic front was dismal.

He said the government has failed to evolve a mechanism to control prices of essential commodities and the various departments of the central government were speaking in different voices.

He demanded that the government should adopt a scientific and well-planned policy to determine the prices of essentials.

Source: New Kerala.
Link: http://www.newkerala.com/news/fullnews-41058.html.