Abbas hoists Palestinian flag in Beirut

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.