Darfur rebels clash with Sudan army(25/12/2010)
JEM rebels for the first time fight shoulder to shoulder with other Darfur rebel groups against government troops. Darfur rebels clashed with Sudanese government troops, three days after announcing they had resumed ceasefire negotiations, rebel sources told Al Jazeera. Thursday's fighting was the latest setback for international mediators who have struggled to secure any lasting accord in more than seven years of fighting. A JEM spokesman in Doha, Qatar confirmed the fighting reports and said they captured "many" government soldiers and seized vehicles during the clashes. The rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) said government forces attacked them and fighters from other rebel forces near Dar al Salaam, 56km south of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, which is also used as a headquarters by international peacekeepers. Ahmed Tugo, the Justice and Equality Movement's chief negotiator who is involved in peace talks with Sudan in Doha, told Al Jazeera that the Sudanese army started the new clashes. "What happened is that the government of Sudan moved troops into the area in order to kill more people and destroy more houses. On that basis we decided to move in and to stop what is going on. And on that basis we managed to defeat the government." No one from Sudan's army was immediately available for comment. JEM released a statement quoting one of its commanders, Ali Alwafi, saying the rebels had entered Dar al Salaam during the fighting. JEM fighters said government forces attacked the group near Dar al Salaam, 56km south of El Fasher "For the first time, JEM troops fought shoulder to shoulder with forces belonging to Minni Minawi, Abdel Wahed Nur and others," the statement said. The statement refers to two factions of the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement (SLA), loyal to Minni Arcua Minnawi and Abdel Wahed Mohamed al-Nur. Talk of new alliance Al Jazeera's Mohamed Val, reporting from Khartoum, said it was the first time since 2004 that three major factions in Darfur fought side by side against the Sudanese army. "It is a very important development. The question is, if they are also ready to sit around the same table for talks with the government - are they also going to co-ordinate their diplomacy?" Nur, who has spent many years exiled in Paris, has boycotted all peace negotiations. One of Nur's senior aides, Ibrahim al-Helwu, confirmed the fighting and said the factions were considering forming an alliance. Minnawi was the only rebel leader to sign a 2006 peace deal with Khartoum. Sudan's army declared him a military target earlier this month, accusing him of breaking a ceasefire and plotting to join other rebels. UNAMID said Sudan's army attacked Minnawi's forces several times over the past two weeks. JEM announced it restarted ceasefire talks with Sudan's government on Monday seven months after it walked out of the region's tortuous peace process, hosted by Qatar in Doha. Peace talks have coincided with a surge of fighting in the past in Darfur, as both sides try to demonstrate their strength and maximise territorial gains ahead of settlements. JEM and the SLM launched the rebellion in 2003, accusing Khartoum of neglecting the arid region.
Pakistan bomb attack kills dozens At least 42 people killed and dozens injured after(25/12/2010)
The bomber, dressed in a traditional women's burqa, first lobbed two hand grenades into the crowd [AFP] At least 42 people have been killed and some 60 others injured after a suspected suicide bomber attacked a crowd of people receiving food aid in northwest Pakistan. Al Jazeera's Kamal Hyder, reporting from Islamabad, said that the incident took place on Saturday morning at a World Food Programme (WFP) distribution centre in the area of Bajaur. "A lone suicide bomber penetrated into the crowd and then detonated his device and according to reports from the area there are high casualties." Fazal-e-Rabbi, a local police official, said that the bomber, dressed in a traditional women's burqa, first lobbed two hand grenades into the crowd. Rabbi said that the attacker, believed to be a woman, then detonated an explosive vest. No group has yet claimed responsibility for this attack. Our correspondent said that Bajaur is not equipped to deal with such incidents even in the best of times and hospitals are struggling to cope. "It is a public holiday, both being Christmas and also the birthday of the founder of Pakistan, so doctors were called back to the hospital on loud speakers." Series of attacks Amjad Jamal, spokesman for the WFP in Pakistan, told Al Jazeera that none of the UN agency's staff were injured in this attack. "The suicide attack was not within the distribution site; it was at a security checkpoint some 250 to 300 metres away from our site," Jamal said. "People were coming to get their food rations from the WFP site. Once they get themselves screened, then they come to the site, so there was a big number of people waiting in that area. "For the time being this particular point will be closed because the security authorities have cordoned off the area, but all other WFP operations within the country remain open and our relief operations will continue." Officials and witnesses said the death toll could be much higher. The attack in the Bajaur region on the Afghan border came a day after a big clash between Pakistani Taliban fighters and security forces in the neighbouring Mohmand region left 11 soldiers and 24 fighters dead. Meanwhile, Pakistan army helicopter gunships and artillery killed 40 more fighters on Saturday in the second day of large-scale fighting near the border with Afghanistan, said Amjad Ali Khan, a government official in Mohmand region. A Taliban spokesman confirmed the clashes but disputed the official death toll, saying only two of their fighters were killed. Regular confrontations Earlier this month dozens of people were killed in a string of similar attacks. Pakistan's volatile ethnic Pashtun tribal lands on the Afghan border have seen regular confrontations between fighters and the army. Hundreds of fighters have been killed and many of their strongholds have been captured, but they have retaliated and killed hundreds of people in a campaign of bomb attacks across the country. A senior military official said in October that it would take at least six months to clear fighters from Bajaur and Mohmand areas. Around 4,000 people have died in suicide and bomb attacks across Pakistan since government forces raided the Red mosque in Islamabad in 2007. The attacks have been blamed on networks linked to the Taliban and al-Qaeda.
NKorea makes nuke threat in standoff(24/12/2010)
South Korean sailors work on their ships next to South Korean Navy's floating base near Yeonpyeong Island, South Korea, December 22. Photo: AP Reuters, Seoul North Korea warned on Thursday of a "holy war" against the South using its nuclear deterrent as South Korean President Lee Myung-bak vowed a "merciless counterattack" if its territory is attacked again. Both sides were raising the rhetoric on a day South Korea launched major land and sea military exercises, prompting North Korea to denounce its richer neighbour as a warmonger. "To counter the enemy's intentional drive to push the situation to the brink of war, our revolutionary forces are making preparations to begin a holy war at any moment necessary based on nuclear deterrent," North Korea's KCNA news agency quoted Minister of Armed Forces Kim Yong-chun telling a rally in Pyongyang. North Korea regularly threatens to destroy the South and its major ally, the United States, and has wielded the threat of its nuclear deterrent before, despite analysts saying it has no way to launch a nuclear device. Lee said on a tour of a South Korean forward army base overlooking North Korean territory that the South would not relax its readiness to counter any aggression by the North. "We had believed patience would ensure peace on this land, but that was not the case," Lee, criticized for perceived earlier weakness to North Korean attacks, told troops. South Korea held a major land drill in the Pocheon region, between Seoul and the heavily armed demilitarized zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas. It also continued naval live-fire exercises 100 km (60 miles) south of the maritime border with North Korea. The drill involves a larger scale of firepower and personnel than usual for an exercise at the army training ground, a further indication that Lee wants to show the public his government can stand up to the North. A large contingent of mechanized units operating tanks, three dozen self-propelled artillery, fighter jets and multiple rocket launchers, took part in the live-fire drill just miles from the border. It lasted just under an hour. Lee has replaced his top defense officials with more hawkish military men, a response to criticism of his response to hostile acts from the North, including an attack on a ship in March and the shelling of Yeonpyeong island last month. "(South Korea) is trying to hide the provocative nature toward the North of the war exercises," the North's KCNA said earlier in a comment, calling the drills "madcap" and "offensive" and referring to the South Korean military as "puppet warmongers," an insult it frequently deploys. The South Korean army is making no secret that the drill is aimed at displaying its firepower to its neighbor. "We are facing a crisis because of North Korea, so I came to see this air and ground operation. I want to feel and see the level of South Korea's armed forces," said Kim Tae-dong, a 70-year-old internet businessman, in Pocheon. "Another North Korean provocation will happen. We should prepare our military perfectly for that." Seoul's financial markets closed flat, with investors shrugging off the tension. Pyongyang's threatening remarks have in the past failed to have a lasting effect. DISPUTED WATERS Analysts say the North is unlikely, in the near-term at least, to launch a further attack against the South. For now, the North is likely to wait and see if its latest actions, including an offer to readmit international nuclear inspectors, yield results, such as a return to international talks on its nuclear programme. China, the impoverished North's only major ally, has urged dialogue to resolve the crisis and has been reluctant lay to blame, frustrating Washington and its allies which want Beijing to do more to rein in Pyongyang. Barack Obama is expected to press this point when Chinese President Hu Jintao visits the United States on January 19. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu, when asked about the drills, repeated Beijing's call for a resumption of the so-called six-party talks. "The current situation on the Korean peninsula remains highly complex," she told a regular news briefing. "We urge parties concerned to exercise calm and restraint." Pyongyang will probably strike again when the conditions are right, Andrei Lankov, at Kookmin University in Seoul, said. "The North Korean leaders did not duck the fight this time because they were afraid," he wrote in the Financial Times this week referring to the Monday's drills. "Rather, they did what a cold-minded tactician should do: they avoided an engagement under unfavorable conditions chosen by the opponent, in order to strike the opponent at the time and place of their own choice, suddenly and forcefully."
US to deploy new intelligence drone in Afghanistan(03/01/2011)
AFP, Washington The US military plans to deploy a new intelligence drone in Afghanistan, which military experts say will allow US troops to monitor much larger operational theaters than before, The Washington Post reported Sunday. The newspaper said the airborne surveillance system is called Gorgon Stare and will be able to transmit live video images of physical movement across an entire town. In 2010, a total of 711 international troops were killed in Afghanistan, according to independent website iCasualties-the highest annual death toll since the war began in 2001. The system consists of nine video cameras mounted on a remotely piloted aircraft, which can can transmit up to 65 live images to soldiers on the ground or to analysts tracking enemy movements, the paper said. By contrast, current Air Force drones today shoot video from a single camera over a narrow area the size of a building or two, The Post noted. "Gorgon Stare will be looking at a whole city, so there will be no way for the adversary to know what we're looking at, and we can see everything," the paper quoted Major General James Poss, the Air Force's assistant deputy chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, as saying. There are around 140,000 international troops fighting the Taliban-led insurgency in Afghanistan, around two-thirds of them from the United States.
Swedish site urges people to talk about sex(23/12/2010)
"I'm very happy it happened. It's obvious many have waited for this kind of reaction. Hundreds have followed her and continue to speak about something we don't usually speak about," Sandra Dahlén, an expert on sexuality and gender, told The Local on Thursday. In addition to addressing rape, the site also encourages participants, including men, to speak out about boundaries and grey areas. "In Swedish society, we do talk about about rape, but rape is considered something so violent and obscure, that no one really has any experience of it," said Dahlén. "The everyday situations that women go through, where there is no consent, no one says anything, isn't considered rape. The thought of rape is something very violent that happens in a dark alley when someone attacks you. We must speak more about other situations that come up," she added. In addition to many situations that arise that are not considered rape by law, Dahlén pointed out that women may not consider certain incidents rape. "The law calls it a rape, but they don't consider it a rape. Women believe they can't be raped by a boyfriend, friend, or husband, that it must a stranger attacking her outside for it to be considered a rape," she explained. The site is attracting global response in light of conflicting reports and a backlash against what is perceived as Sweden's open-ended and overtly feminist rape laws. Among the more vocal criticisms was a blog post from controversial American film director Michael Moore last Thursday. Moore, one of Assange's most outspoken supporters who has put up bail money for Assange, called Sweden a safe haven for thousands of Swedish rapists. Dr. Anu Koivunen, associate professor in the department of cinema studies at Stockholm University, sees parallels in the way social media was used in the creation of the site. "In some sense, it is a reaction against harassment against the two women who filed a complaint against Julian Assange, using the same media and force of social media to participate in the discussion," she said. "The talk of sexuality and intimacy brings it scandal value, while the names give it authenticity where one could ask, 'Could I be involved in a similar negative sexual experience?'" she told The Local. Although the attention on the Assange case triggered the response, Koivunen believed that the discussion managed to distance itself from the WikiLeaks founder right away. "Last Tuesday, when it started on Twitter, it moved away from Julian Assange right away. The whole phenomenon has parallel tracks, one track ties it in with him, another track is not interested in Julian Assange at all," she said. "It is about the ethics of sexual citizenship, what kind of responsibilities one has. Discussing sexuality is a complex issue. There is a genuine desire to talk about it outside of Julian Assange," she added. Koivunen pointed that there is a certain amount of space in the Swedish public sphere for public debate about negative and troublesome sexual experiences "There is a need to talk about it for real. Julian Assange is not dependent on it. He couldn't account for this big urge for revelatory confessions in the public sphere. talkaboutit opens up a space to discuss sex in a manner that is different from the discourse invited by Sex and the City or 'sex as commodity,'" she said. "It is interesting to see how people are discussing this, feminists, anti-feminists, straight, queer. It's a real mix who finds this talk about sex and consent important," she added.
Swedish scientists study ice man bacteria samples(23/12/2010)
A team of scientists are currently examining specimens of stomach bacteria from Ötzi the Iceman, who lived about 5,300 years ago, at Stockholm's Karolinska Institute Ötzi was discovered by two Germans tourists in September 1991 in the Ötztal Alps, near Hauslabjoch in Italy close to the Austria border. His body is usually kept frozen, but he has been thawed recently to allow experts to examine him, among them Swedish infectious disease control professor Lars Engstrand at KI. Engstrand hopes that the samples will reveal whether Ötzi had gastric ulcer and resistant bacteria. "We are performing DNA extraction to map the gastric and intestinal microflora from 5,000 years ago and to try out to find if he had any signs of ulcer-causing bacteria. We will probably be finished in a couple of months, that's my gut feeling," Engstrand told The Local on Wednesday. Engstrand and his team received faecal samples, as well as a 1 square centimetre section of Ötzi's stomach, on November 8th and will disclose their findings through scientific journals. Engstrand is working with other scientists in Germany and Bordeaux to find any possible resistant genes that Ötzi may have possessed before the antibiotic era. "We are quite convinced that we will find something. They have been found in soil bacteria. It will be interesting to see how these genes looked like then compared with today," explained Engstrand. "This is a scientific study for public health, antibiotic resistance and virulence as these genes may have evolved over the years," he added. Engstrand has never worked with such dated material, but pointed out that the material was long dead when they received it and as such, there are no viable organisms, so they are only working with DNA. "This part of the body has not been exposed to other contaminating bacteria. He has been frozen for so many years, the DNA quality is crucial to our success," said Engstrand. He added that the team will resume the research after Christmas and they expect to learn shortly thereafter if the DNA quality is viable for the study. Ötzi is Europe's oldest natural human mummy. His body and belongings are displayed in the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano, northern Italy. Initially, Ötzi was believed to be a modern corpse, similar to others found in the region. The crude methods used to remove him by Austrian authorities from a glacier resulted in damage to the hip of the body. At the time of his death, Ötzi was about 1.65 metres tall, weighed about 50 kilograms and was about 45 years old. When his body was found, it weighed 38 kilograms. Because the body was covered in ice shortly after his death, it had only partially deteriorated.
Harvard study reveals hacker power(24/12/2010)
After WikiLeaks supporters disrupted websites like Mastercard, a new Harvard report examines DDoS attacks. Recent cyberattacks by WikiLeaks supporters targeted at companies like Visa and Mastercard have brought distributed denial of service (DDoS) - an attack in which multiple systems flood the bandwidth or resources of a targeted system in an attempt to make it unavailable - into the public consciousness, stirring up a debate as to whether or not DDoS is an acceptable tactic for civil disobedience. In fact, denial of service (DoS) attacks emerged as a political tool in 1998, introduced by Ricardo Dominguez, co-founder of Electronic Disturbance Theatre, who built FloodNet, a tool that allowed activists to crash a variety of websites. DDoS emerged two years later when web giants Yahoo!, Buy.com, CNN, Amazon, and others were taken down in a series of attacks so large, they had to have had multiple points of origin. Those attacks were eventually traced to Michael Calce, a 15-year-old in Montreal, Canada, who was caught after bragging about his prowess in a chat room. Unfortunately, DDoS has become a fairly common form of attack against human rights and independent media sites, and one which shows no signs of slowing. A recent report from the Berkman Center for Internet & Society reveals that the technique has been applied to a wide range of targets worldwide, and appears to have no strong ties to any particular set of political principles. Diverse targets The Berkman Center's study comprised of a survey of independent media and human rights-related sites, as well as a review of media reports of DDoS and other cyberattacks over the past twelve years. In 2010 alone, over one hundred DDoS attacks made headlines, with targets as diverse as an Israeli human rights group to an independent news site in Malawi. In a DDoS attack, a network of computers are utilized to flood traffic on a target system, causing the site to load slowly or become disabled entirely. Often, a botnet - a network of compromised computers that can be controlled remotely - is utilised to maximize effectiveness of the attack. Though DDoS is often propagated along with other forms of attack, it can be debilitating for small site operators. Attacks often don't require much bandwidth to adversely affect sites; rather, there is evidence that very small attacks focused on vulnerabilities in technical architectures can render some sites inoperative. In some cases, even a single attacker can be effective in disabling a site, without the assistance of botnets or other volunteers. No 'silver bullet'
PDF | Print | Obama calls for ‘shared responsibility’ in 2011(03/01/2011)
AFP, Washington President Barack Obama Saturday vowed to keep the US economy growing in 2011 and reminded Republicans taking control of the House of Representatives that they have a "shared responsibility to move this country forward." "As President, that?s my commitment to you: to do everything I can to make sure our economy is growing, creating jobs, and strengthening our middle class. That?s my resolution for the coming year," Obama said in his Saturday radio address. Despite recent economic news "that suggests our recovery is gaining traction," Obama cautioned, "we?re still just emerging from a once-in-a-lifetime recession." "It?s time to make some serious decisions about how to keep our economy strong, growing, and competitive in the long run," he said, appealing to America's tradition of overcoming obstacles through hard work, imagination and a spirit of compromise. "In a few days, a new Congress will form, with one house controlled by Democrats, and one house controlled by Republicans-who now have a shared responsibility to move this country forward," said Obama, whose party lost the House in November 2 elections. "And here?s what I want you to know," he added, throwing down the gauntlet to recalcitrant Republican lawmakers: "I?m willing to work with anyone of either party who?s got a good idea and the commitment to see it through." He called on American voters "to hold us accountable for our progress or our failure to deliver." Remarking on the closing decade full of unexpected "threats and new trials," Obama rallied Americans around their most cherished credo to face the future challenges. "If we just remember what America is capable of, and live up to that legacy, then I?m confident that we are poised for a period of progress-one in which our economy is growing, our standing in the world is rising, and we do what it takes to make sure America remains in the 21st century what it was in the 20th: the greatest country in the world." AP report adds: President Barack Obama says Democrats and Republicans must work together in the new year and share responsibility for moving the country forward. In his weekly radio and Internet address, Obama said Saturday that lawmakers must return to Washington next week prepared to make serious decisions about how to grow the economy in the short run and stay competitive in the future. "I'm willing to work with anyone of either party who's got a good idea and the commitment to see it through," Obama said. "And we should all expect you to hold us accountable for our progress or our failure to deliver." Obama said his New Year's resolution is to do everything he can to grow the economy, create jobs and strengthen the middle class, though he warned that the economic recovery is still fragile as the calendar turns to 2011. The president taped his weekly address from Hawaii, where he is spending the holidays with his family. Senator-elect Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire delivered the Republican weekly address, and said the next Congress marks a new chapter for the country and the GOP. "We're keenly aware that the American people are relying on us to change business-as-usual in Washington, and we're well-positioned to do just that," Ayotte said. The newly elected senator said Republicans will focus in the new year on reducing the size of government, cutting wasteful spending and creating conditions to allow businesses to grow and hire. Ayotte also said the U.S. must remain vigilant in the face of continuing threats from terrorists.
Ivory Coast clashes kill 173, says UN(25/12/2010)
Post-election violence has claimed 173 lives in Ivory Coast, the UN says, as international pressure mounts for Laurent Gbagbo to quit the presidency. The US says it is exploring ways to strengthen the UN presence in Ivory Coast, where Mr Gbagbo's forces are in a tense stand-off with supporters of his rival, Alassane Ouattara. Liberian mercenaries are helping Mr Gbagbo's troops, the UN has confirmed. The UN and world powers have recognised Mr Ouattara as the new president. The UN Human Rights Commission is meeting in Geneva to discuss the crisis. It says 173 people have been killed in the past week and nearly 500 arrested in Ivory Coast. The BBC's Thomas Fessy in the main city, Abidjan, says there are many reports of night raids on neighbourhoods loyal to Mr Ouattara, but Mr Gbagbo's forces are blocking access to those areas and the killings are hard to verify. Mr Ouattara's supporters have called on the International Criminal Court to prosecute any crimes committed by Mr Gbagbo's associates. Mr Ouattara and his supporters are holed up in the Golf Hotel in Abidjan, protected by 800 UN peacekeepers. Divided country A senior US government specialist on Africa told the BBC's World Today programme that various options for defusing the crisis were being considered, and "we're really trying to avoid violence if at all possible". US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State William Fitzgerald said the fact that African countries had called for the special UN human rights meeting was "pretty telling about how unified the Africans are and the pressure that this will continue to put on President Gbagbo - or former President Gbagbo, I should say". Mr Gbagbo says the vote on 28 November, meant to unify a country split by war in 2002, was rigged in rebel areas that backed Mr Ouattara. The country's Independent Electoral Commission ruled that Mr Ouattara had won, a decision later certified by the UN. The country's Constitutional Council said Mr Gbagbo had been elected, citing vote-rigging in some areas. France, the former colonial power in Abidjan, says its 15,000 nationals should leave the country as a "precaution". Neighbours alarmed The UN has a 9,000-strong peacekeeping force in Ivory Coast called (Unoci) and its mandate has been extended for another six months. The West African regional grouping Ecowas will hold a special summit in Nigeria's capital Abuja on Friday to consider how to remove Mr Gbagbo from power, Mr Fitzgerald said. Ecowas sent Nigerian-led forces to help bring peace to Liberia and Sierra Leone in the 1990s. The Ivorian election, delayed for five years, was supposed to reunite the world's largest cocoa producer, which was split between the government-controlled south and rebel-controlled north in the 2002 conflict.
Russian passenger jet explodes; 3 dead, 43 injured(03/01/2011)
Russian passenger jet explodes; 3 dead, 43 injured AP, Moscow A Russian passenger jet carrying 124 people caught fire as it taxied down a snowy runway in Siberia and then exploded Saturday, killing three people and injuring 43, including six who were badly burned, officials said. Most of the passengers and crew were evacuated before the explosion, though people on board described a chaotic scene as the burning plane filled with thick, black smoke and panicked passengers climbed over one another to rush through flames to escape. Emergency services spokesman Vadim Grebennikov said the fire, which began in one of the engines as the plane taxied for takeoff, caused a powerful blast that destroyed the Tu-154 aircraft and spread flames across 1,000 square meters (11,000 square feet). Russian television showed video taken with a mobile telephone of the burning plane, its center a giant fireball. All that remained afterward was the tail section and part of a wing. Grebennikov said 10 people were seriously injured, including six who were badly burned and four who suffered broken bones or other trauma. Most of the other injured passengers sought treatment for poisoning after inhaling toxic fumes. The plane, which belonged to the regional Kogalymavia airline, was to fly from the western Siberian town of Surgut to Moscow. Among the passengers were members of the Russian pop group Na-Na, who described the panic on board the plane. "First we heard a clap and then there were flames in the back of the plane and people immediately panicked," group member Yury Rymarev said on NTV television. He said flight attendants tried to calm the passengers, but the flames began to spread, especially after one of the passengers opened an emergency exit and air rushed in. The plane quickly filled up with smoke that was black and acrid from burning plastic, Rymarev said. Another group member, Sergei Grigoryev, who was sitting in the back of plane, described how passengers clambered over the heads of those in front of them as they rushed to get out. "My whole life flashed before my eyes and I'm still upset," he wrote on the website of Na-Na, a group that was popular in Russia in the 1990s. A third member of the group, Vladimir Politov, said some people were so desperate to get out that they ran right through the flames, the RIA Novosti news agency reported.
US MILITARY PHOTO(20/12/2010)
Statistics and soldiers' testimonies reveal a harrowing epidemic of sexual assault in the US military. Sexual assault within the ranks of the military is not a new problem. It is a systemic problem that has necessitated that the military conduct its own annual reporting on the crisis. A 2003 Air Force Academy sexual assault scandal prompted the department of defense to include a provision in the 2004 National Defense Authorization Act that required investigations and reports of sexual harassment and assaults within US military academies to be filed. The personal toll is, nevertheless, devastating. Military sexual trauma (MST) survivor Susan Avila-Smith is director of the veteran’s advocacy group Women Organizing Women. She has been serving female and scores of male clients in various stages of recovery from MST for 15 years and knows of its devastating effects up close. “People cannot conceive how badly wounded these people are,” she told Al Jazeera, “Of the 3,000 I’ve worked with, only one is employed. Combat trauma is bad enough, but with MST it’s not the enemy, it’s our guys who are doing it. You’re fighting your friends, your peers, people you’ve been told have your back. That betrayal, then the betrayal from the command is, they say, worse than the sexual assault itself.” On December 13, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other groups filed a federal lawsuit seeking Pentagon records in order to get the real facts about the incidence of sexual assault in the ranks. The Pentagon has consistently refused to release records that fully document the problem and how it is handled. Sexual assaults on women in the US military have claimed some degree of visibility, but about male victims there is absolute silence. Pack Parachute, a non-profit in Seattle, assists veterans who are sexual assault survivors. Its founder Kira Mountjoy-Pepka, was raped as a cadet at the Air Force Academy. In July 2003 she was member of a team of female cadets handpicked by Donald Rumsfeld, at the time the secretary of defense, to tell their stories of having been sexually assaulted. The ensuing media coverage and a Pentagon investigation forced the academy to make the aforementioned major policy changes. Report reveals alarming statistics Mountjoy-Pepka often works with male survivors of MST. She stated in a telephone interview that four per cent of men in the military experience MST. “Most choose not to talk about it until after their discharge from the military, largely because the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in over 60 percent of MST cases is too overwhelming,” she informed Al Jazeera. Last week the Pentagon released its “annual report on sexual harassment and violence at the military service academies”. At its three academies, the number of reports of sexual assault and harassment has risen a staggering 64 percent from last year. The report attributes the huge increase to better reporting of incidents due to increased training and education about sexual assault and harassment. Veteran’s Administration (VA) statistics show that more than 50 percent of the veterans who screen positive for MST are men. According to the US Census Bureau, there are roughly 22 million male veterans compared to less than two million female vets. In Congressional testimony in the summer of 2008, Lt. Gen. Rochelle, the army chief of personnel, reported the little known statistic that 12 percent (approximately 260) of the 2,200 reported rapes in the military in 2007 were reported by military male victims. Due to their sheer numbers in the military, more men (at a rough estimate one in twenty), have experienced MST than women. Shamed into silence Billy Capshaw was 17 when he joined the Army in 1977. After being trained as a medic he was transferred to Baumholder, Germany. His roommate, Jeffrey Dahmer, by virtue of his seniority ensured that Capshaw had no formal assignment, no mail, and no pay. Having completely isolated the young medic, Dahmer regularly sexually assaulted, raped, and tortured him. Dahmer went on to become the infamous serial killer and sex offender who murdered 17 boys and men before being beaten to death by an inmate at Columbia Correction Institution in 1994. Capshaw reflects back, “At that young age I didn’t know how to deal with it. My commander did not believe me. Nobody helped me, even though I begged and begged and begged.” The debilitating lifelong struggle Capshaw has had to face is common among survivors of military sexual assault. Later during therapy he needed to go public. Since then he says, “I’ve talked to a lot of men, many of them soldiers, who are raped but who won’t go public with their story. The shame alone is overwhelming.” In 1985 Michael Warren enlisted in the navy and for three years worked as a submarine machinist mate on a nuclear submarine. One day he awoke to find another soldier performing fellatio on him. He recollects with horror, “I was paralyzed with fear. I was in disbelief... shame. When I reported it to the commander he said it was better for me to deal with it after being discharged. Nobody helped me, not even the chaplain. The commander at the processing centre wouldn’t look me in the face. When I filled out my claim later they didn’t believe me. It’s so frustrating.” Armando Javier was an active duty Marine from 1990 to 1994. He was a Lance Corporal at Camp Lejeune in 1993 when he was raped. Five Marines jumped Javier and beat him until he was nearly unconscious, before taking turns raping him. His sexual victimization narrative reads, “One of them, a corporal, pulled down my shorts and instructed the others to ‘Get the grease’. Another corporal instructed someone to bring the stick. They began to insert the stick inside my anus. The people present during this sadistic and ritual-like ceremony started to cajole, cheer, and laugh, saying “stick em’ – stick-em’.” Extreme shame and trauma compelled him not to disclose the crime to anyone except a friend in his unit. He wrote in his account, “My experience left me torn apart physically, mentally, and spiritually. I was dehumanized and treated with ultimate cruelty, by my perpetrators… I was embarrassed and ashamed and didn’t know what to do. I was young at that time. And being part of an elite organization that values brotherhood, integrity and faithfulness made it hard to come forward and reveal what happened.” The reality of being less equal Women in America were first allowed into the military during the Revolutionary War in 1775 and their travails are as old. Drill instructors indoctrinate new recruits into it at the outset by routinely referring to them as “girl,” “pussy,” “bitch,” and “dyke.” A Command Sergeant Major told Catherine Jayne West of the Mississippi National Guard, “There aren’t but two places for women - in the kitchen or in the bedroom. Women have no place in the military.” She was raped by fellow soldier Private First Class Kevin Lemeiux, at the sprawling Camp Anaconda, north of Baghdad. The defense lawyer in court merely wanted to know why, as a member of the army, she had not fought back. The morning after the rape, an army doctor gave her a thorough examination. The army’s criminal investigation team concluded her story was true. Moreover, Lemeiux had bragged about the incident to his buddies and they had turned him in. It seemed like a closed case, but in court the defense claimed that the fact that West had not fought back during the rape was what incriminated her. In addition, her commanding officer and 1st Sergeant declared, in court, that she was a “promiscuous female.” In contrast, Lemeiux, after the third court hearing of the trial, was promoted to a Specialist. Meanwhile his lawyer entered a plea of insanity. He was later found guilty of kidnapping but not rape, despite his own admission of the crime. He was given three years for kidnapping, half of which was knocked off. The long term affects of MST Jasmine Black, a human resources specialist in the Army National Guard from June 2006 to September 2008 was raped by another soldier in her battalion when she was stationed in Fort Jackson, South Carolina. She reported it to her Sexual Assault Response Coordinator (SARC) and the Military Police, but the culprit was not brought to book. After an early discharge due to MST and treatment at a PTSD Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program (PRRTP) facility, she was raped again by a higher-ranking member of the air force in February 2009. Administrator for a combat engineering instruction unit in Knoxville, Tennessee, Tracey Harmon has no illusions. “For women in the military, you are either a bitch, a dyke, or a whore. If you sleep with one person in your unit you are a whore. If you are a lesbian you are a dyke, and if you don’t sleep with other soldiers you are a bitch.” Maricela Guzman served in the navy from 1998 to 2002 as a computer technician on the island of Diego Garcia. She was raped while in boot camp, but fear of consequences kept her from talking about it for the rest of her time in the military. “I survived by becoming a workaholic and was much awarded as a soldier for my work ethic.” On witnessing the way it treated the native population in Diego Garcia, she chose to dissociate from the military. Post discharge, her life became unmanageable. She underwent a divorce, survived a failed suicide attempt and became homeless before deciding to move in with her parents. A chance encounter with a female veteran at a political event in Los Angeles prompted her to contact the VA for help. Her therapist there diagnosed her with PTSD from her rape. The VA denied her claim nevertheless, “Because they said I couldn’t prove it … since I had not brought it up when it happened and also because I had not shown any deviant behavior while in the service. I was outraged and felt compelled to talk about what happened.” While it will go to any length to maintain public silence over the issue, the military machine has no such qualms within its own corridors. Guzman discloses, “Through the gossip mill we would hear of women who had reported being raped. No confidentiality was maintained nor any protection given to victims. The boys’ club culture is strong and the competition exclusive. That forces many not to report rape, because it is a blemish and can ruin your career.” The department of defence reported that in fiscal year 2009, there were 3,230 reports of sexual assault, an increase of 11 percent over the prior year. However, as high as the military’s own figures are of rape and sexual assault, victims and advocates Al Jazeera spoke with believe the real figures are sure to be higher. Veteran April Fitzsimmons, another victim of sexual assault, knows what an uphill battle it is for women to take on the military system. “When victims come forward, they are ostracized and isolated from their communities. Many of the perpetrators are officers who use their ranks to coerce women to sleep with them. It’s a closely interwoven community, so they are safe and move fearlessly amongst their victims.” Her advice to women considering joining the US military? “The crisis is so severe that I’m telling women to simply not join the military because it’s completely unsafe and puts them at risk. Until something changes at the top, no woman should join the military.” This is the first in a two part series on sexual harassment in the US military. The second part in the series will be published in the coming week. Research support was provided by the Investigative Fund at The Nation Institute.
Clashes follow Egypt church bombing(02/01/2011)
Police and Christian men face off after attack in northern city of Alexandria kills at least 21 people. Violent protests by Christians against the church bombing underlined Egypt's simmering religious tensions [Reuters] Clashes have flared in the northern Egyptian city of Alexandria, following a car bombing blamed outside a Coptic Christian church that killed at least 21 people. Police and Christian men faced off late on Saturday afternoon, with reports of rubber-coated bullets and tear gas being fired at crowds of young men. Enraged Christians emerging from the Qiddissine (The Saints) Church fought with police and stormed a nearby mosque, prompting fights and volleys of stone throwing with Muslims. Authorities blamed the incident on a suicide bomber but provided no evidence to back up their claim. Reporting for Al Jazeera, Nadia Abou El-Meg, a journalist in Alexandria, said: "This scene [of clashes] has been [witnessed] several times today. The protesters started gathering and throwing stones ... the police responded with tear gas. "Tension is running very high and people are very angry ... We saw a lot of people weeping and screaming and asking why are they being attacked. "The church has issued a statement which was also very angry, demanding justice, and criticising the performance of the government. "More and more people are gathering as the night is falling. Many people are not buying this idea of the suicide bomber." The Copts are the biggest Christian community in the Middle East and account for up to 10 per cent of Egypt's 80m population. No bombing claim There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Saturday's bombing, which came as nearly 1,000 faithful left the Qiddissine Church, located in Alexandria's Sidi Bechr district. According to the Egyptian interior ministry, the car that exploded was parked in front of the church. Al Jazeera's Ayman Mohyeldin, reporting from the Egyptian capital Cairo, said that the car bomb probably involved sophisticated remote-control timer technology. "Churches in Egypt are heavily guarded, so undoubtedly questions will arise about how a car was parked so close to the church and who was able to detonate it from a distance," he said. While it was not known who was responsible for the blast, a group calling itself al-Qaeda in Iraq had threatened the country's Coptic Christian community. Adel Labib, Alexandria's governor, has linked the attack to al-Qaida, but our correspondent says the government has not made clear who they were blaming for the bombing. Plea for protection The attack in Egypt prompted Pope Benedict XVI in the Vatican to call for Christians throughout the Middle East to be protected. The bombing comes almost two months to the day after an October 31 attack by Muslim fighters on Our Lady of Salvation church in central Baghdad, which left 44 worshippers, two priests and seven security forces members dead. Al-Qaeda's Iraqi affiliate claimed responsibility for that attack and made new threats against Christians. The group threatened to attack Egyptian Copts if their church did not free two Christians it said had been "imprisoned in their monasteries" for having converted to Islam. The two women were Camilia Chehata and Wafa Constantine, the wives of Coptic priests whose claimed conversion caused a stir in Egypt. Protection around Copt places of worship was discreetly stepped up after the threats, as Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, said he was committed to protecting the Christians "faced with the forces of terrorism and extremism". Egypt's Coptic Christians often complain of discrimination and have been the target of religious violence. Repeated clashes In 2006 a man attacked worshippers in three churches in Alexandria, killing one person and wounding others. Authorities said at the time he had "psychiatric problems" but this was rejected by the Coptic community. Clashes broke out between Copts and Muslims the following day at the funeral of the victim, with one person killed and several wounded. In November clashes took place in a southwestern neighbourhood of Cairo between Coptic demonstrators and police after local authorities refused to allow a community centre to be transformed into a church. Two Christians died and dozens were wounded.
Jet catches fire in Siberia airport(02/01/2011)
Three people reported dead and dozens of others injured as explosion hits Russian aircraft before take-off. A similar Russian Tu-154 aircraft made an emergency landing near Moscow on December 4, 2010 [Reuters] Emergency ministry officials say three people have died and another 43 have been injured when a Russian passenger jet exploded after an engine caught fire while it was taxiing for take-off at the western Siberian airport of Surgut. Vadim Grebennikov, an emergency services spokesman, said 124 passengers and crew were evacuated before the explosion, which destroyed the aircraft and caused flames to spread across an area of 1,000sq m. Grebinnikov said 10 people had been seriously injured, including six who were badly burned and four who suffered broken bones or other trauma. Most of the other injured passengers sought treatment for poisoning after inhaling toxic fumes that filled the cabin after the plane caught fire. The plane started to burn while taxiing on the runway at Surgut before takeoff, an investigative committee of prosecutors said in a statement. They said that a criminal probe had been opened to look into the possibility of violations of air transport security rules. Igor Levitin, the Russian transport minister, said that it was not clear what had caused the fire. "The specialists do not understand what sparked the fire," he said. 'Panic' on board Among the passengers on board were members of the Russian music group Na-Na, who described the panic on board the jet. "When the engines were started up, something went wrong and the outer covering of the plane caught fire,'' Vladimir Politov, a group member, said by telephone, the RIA Novosti news agency reported. "We had trouble opening the emergency exits and people began to really panic, with some of them running right through the flames." "There was a thick, black smoke and people started to panic. They were literally stepping on each other's heads," said Sergei Grigoriyev, a singer with the group. "I saw my life flash before me," he said according to the ITAR-TASS news agency. RIA reported the jet as being operated by the regional Kogalymavia airline, with the flight bound for Moscow. Last month, two people were killed and 83 injured in an accident involving an engine failure on another Tu-154 aircraft in Russia. In that incident, two of the aircraft's three engines failed shortly after takeoff, with the third failing as the plane made an emergency landing.
Pakistan drone raids 'claim lives'(02/01/2011)
Intelligence officials report 18 deaths in North Waziristan - in the latest of a flurry of suspected US missile attacks Pakistani intelligence officials say three US missile attacks spaced just hours apart have killed at least 18 people in the country's northwest. At least nine people were killed in the first attack, when missiles struck a vehicle and compound in the Mandi Khel area of the North Waziristan tribal region, officials said. Two hours later, drones struck the same site again, killing at least five people who had gathered to retrieve the bodies. The men killed in the first two attacks are thought to have been connected to Taliban commander Hafiz Gul Bahadur, officials in Peshawar and Miranshah told the AFP news agency. A third raid on Saturday targeted a moving vehicle, killing four people in the Mohammed Khel area of North Waziristan, the intelligence officials said. The identities and nationalities of the people killed were not immediately known, officials said. "We have received such reports that four foreigners were also killed in these fresh attacks but their identities are still not known, and we are collecting more information," an official said. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they are not authorised to speak to the press. The attacks came a day after four missiles struck a convoy, killing eight suspected fighters belonging to the Haqqani group. Up to 35 people were believed to have been killed in similar attacks on Monday and Tuesday. The US does not confirm drone attacks but its military and the CIA operating in Afghanistan are the only forces that deploy the unmanned aircraft in the region.
War and peace in Quran and Bible(02/01/2011)
We examine what role the Bible and the Quran played in inciting violence through the ages. One of the widest perceptions in the Western world, especially after the attacks of September 11, is that Islam's holy book, the Quran, promotes conflict, violence and bloodshed. Muslims argue that many of the verses of the Quran – such as the one asking the Prophet Muhammad and his followers to "slay them [unbelievers] wherever ye find them, and drive them out of the places whence they drove you out" – are taken out of context. Muslim scholars say that the scriptures have been intentionally misused by Muslims and non-Muslims alike to advance political agendas. Critics say that the texts promote extremism, and that Islam has left a trail of blood across world history. Recently, Philip Jenkins, one of the world's leading religion scholars, conducted a study comparing the texts of the Quran and the Bible, and found that "the Bible contains far more verses praising or urging bloodshed than does the Quran." Riz speaks with Philip Jenkins and Shaker Elsayed, the imam of Dar al-Hijrah Islamic Centre in the US and former secretary general of the Muslim American Society.
Egypt's Copts clash with police (03/01/2011)
Clashes on Sunday come as authorities question seven suspects over New Year blasts that killed 21 people.Scenes of grief and anger marked the Sunday Mass al-Qiddissine church, struck by a car bomb the previous day [AFP] Angry Coptic Christians have clashed with police as they demanded more protection for Egypt's Christians following a New Year's Day church bombing that killed 21 of their brethren. Hundreds of members of Egypt's large Christian minority protested in Cairo and Alexandria, the northern city where the presumed suicide bomber detonated a device outside a church during a midnight service. At Saint Mark's Cathedral, the Cairo base of Orthodox Pope Shenouda, several hundred young Copts fought police on Sunday as they tried to leave the cathedral grounds and take to the streets to demand more protection for Christians. Their protest continued into the night, the crowd held back by a cordon of riot police nine men deep. A church official approached the crowd briefly to try to calm them down, without success. Egypt is holding seven people for questioning over the New Year's Day bombing. Sunday's announcement came as congregants were back praying in al-Qiddissine [The Saints] church, targeted the day before by a car bomb that also wounded 97 people. Reuters news agency, citing security sources, reported later that 10 of the 17 originally held were released, with the remaining seven being detained for questioning. Earlier, protestors in Cairo had heckled government officials who visited the cathedral compound to offer condolences. Extra police Some protesters pelted a minister's car with stones when he left, witnesses said. Some visiting Christian officials had cars shaken by angry demonstrators, while other protesters scuffled with police outside the compound. Extra police officers were posted outside several churches in Cairo and Alexandria on Sunday, preventing cars from parking next to the buildings, witnesses said Dozens of worshippers attended Sunday Mass at the church, located in the Sidi Bechr district of the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria, while riot police backed by armoured vehicles were deployed outside. The service was marked by the grief and anger felt by a congregation devastated by the attack, which took place on Saturday outside the church's door about 30 minutes into the New Year. Many wept while others cried hysterically, screamed in anger or slapped themselves. "We spend every feast in grief," Sohair Fawzy, who lost two sisters and a niece in the attack, said. Grim reminders of the attack remained in the church a day after the bombing. Its ground floor was stained with the blood of victims brought inside immediately after the attack. Two statues of Christ and the Virgin Mary were toppled and the benches were scattered by the impact of the blast. A "2011" sign hung on the inside of the church's door was torn apart. The attack was the worst violence against Egypt's Christian minority in a decade. It sparked clashes between riot police and Christians who say the government hasn't done enough to protect them. The Copts are the biggest Christian community in the Middle East and account for up to 10 per cent of Egypt's 80 million population. No bombing claim There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing, which came as nearly 1,000 faithful left al-Qiddissine church. According to the Egyptian interior ministry, the car that exploded was parked in front of the church. After the blast, enraged Christians emerging from the church fought with police and stormed a nearby mosque. Al Jazeera's Ayman Mohyeldin, reporting from the Egyptian capital Cairo, said that the car bomb probably involved sophisticated remote-control timer technology. "Churches in Egypt are heavily guarded, so undoubtedly questions will arise about how a car was parked so close to the church and who was able to detonate it from a distance," he said. While it was not known who was responsible for the blast, a group calling itself "al-Qaeda in Iraq" had threatened the country's Coptic Christian community. IN PICTURES Egyptian Christians mourn Day of anger in Alexandria Egyptian police said on Sunday they are focusing their investigation on an Alexandria-based group inspired by al-Qaeda, but not under foreign command. Security officials said that they were also examining lists of air passengers who arrived in Egypt recently from Iraq, in response to the threats from the Al-Qaeda in Iraq group. They said they were looking for any evidence of an al-Qaeda financier or organiser who may have visited Egypt to recruit the bomber and his support team from the local population. Investigators were also examining two heads found at the site of the attack, on the suspicion that one of them belonged to the bomber, state news agency MENA reported. The crime lab investigation found the explosives used were locally made and were filled with nails and ball bearings to maximise the number of casualties. Pope's appeal The attack in Egypt prompted Pope Benedict XVI in the Vatican to call for Christians to remain strong in the face of intolerance and violence in a New Year's appeal on Sunday. It echoed comments last month in which he called a lack of religious freedom a threat to world security. "In the light of this strategy of violence which is targeting Christians but has consequences on the whole population, I pray for the victims and for their families and I encourage the ecclesiastic communities to persevere in faith and in the testimony of non-violence which comes from the Gospels," he said. The bombing comes almost two months to the day after an October 31 attack by fighters on Our Lady of Salvation church in central Baghdad, which left 44 worshippers, two priests and seven security forces members dead. Al-Qaeda's Iraqi affiliate claimed responsibility for that attack and made new threats against Christians. The group threatened to attack Egyptian Copts if their church did not free two Christians it said had been "imprisoned in their monasteries" for having converted to Islam. The two women were Camilia Chehata and Wafa Constantine, the wives of Coptic priests whose claimed conversion caused a stir in Egypt. Protection around Copt places of worship was discreetly stepped up after the threats, as Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, said he was committed to protecting the Christians "faced with the forces of terrorism and extremism".
Seoul ready for inter-Koreas talks (03/01/2011)
South Korean president says he is ready for dialogue with his opposite number in Pyongyang.South Korea warns of a strong stern and stern response to any form of military aggression from the North [AFP] Lee Myung-bak, the South Korean president, has said he was open to dialogue with the North but warned Pyongyang that any military aggression would be meet with a strong and stern response. Lee said in a nationally televised New Year address on Monday that it was up to the North to show it was serious about dialogue, and added that Seoul was willing to offer economic aid. The comments came two days after the North called for an end to confrontation with the South, urging dialogue after one of the most violent years on the divided peninsula since the 1950-53 Korean War. "I remind the North that the path to peace is still open. The door for dialogue is still open," Lee said, soon after warning that Seoul would not "let North Korea covet even an inch of our territory". Tension remains Tension between the rival Koreas has risen sharply after the North shelled an island in the South near their disputed sea border in November, killing four including two civilians. In March, the South blamed Pyongyang for torpedoing one of its navy ships, killing 46 sailors. The North denies the charge. South Korea had previously brushed aside the North's overtures for dialogue, saying it must be preceded by actions that show it was serious about abandoning aggression and sitting down for discussions. North Korea has said it is willing to return to six-way nuclear disarmament talks, which had been stalled for more than two years after Pyongyang rejected inspections of its atomic facilities. The US envoy responsible for policy toward North Korea, Stephen Bosworth, will visit Seoul on Tuesday to discuss the next steps on the Korean peninsula, the State Department said. He will then visit China and Japan this week for further consultations on North Korean issues. The US envoy for nuclear talks with North Korea, Sung Kim, will accompany Bosworth to Seoul and Beijing.
Cote d'Ivoire set for crisis talks (03/01/2011)
African leaders launch fresh push for diplomatic solution to political crisis in the West African country. Gbagbo refuses to step down despite growing international threats to use force against him [EPA] African powers have launched a fresh diplomatic push for a peaceful solution to Cote d'Ivoire's crisis by piling pressure on defiant leader Laurent Gbagbo to quit and avoid an armed intervention. Raila Odinga, the Kenyan prime minister, named by the African Union to try to broker an end to the stand-off between Gbagbo and the man the world says beat him to the presidency, Alassane Ouattara, flew to Nigeria on Sunday en route for Abidjan. Odinga, who has previously called for Gbagbo's removal by force, met with with Goodluck Jonathan, the Nigerian president, who also heads the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). "We have just finished our dinner together at his house during which we discussed the Ivorian issue," Odinga told AFP by telephone from Abuja. "I will travel to Abidjan tomorrow (Monday) to meet presidents (Laurent) Gbagbo and Alassane Quattara and return in the evening to Abuja to brief President Jonathan on my mission," he said. Ahead of the talks, Odinga said he would keep an open mind on finding a solution for Cote D'Ivoire. "We don't want to pre-empt anything. We just want to talk to him (Gbagbo) and we will see what happens," Odinga told the AFP news agency after he arrived in Nigeria. "It depends on how Gbagbo wants to handle it." Odinga will meet the Cote d'Ivoire strongman alongside three regional presidents returning to Abidjan on Monday on behalf of ECOWAS, a source close to the African Union told AFP. Benin's Boni Yayi, Sierra Leone's Ernest Koroma and Cape Verde's Pedro Pires have so far failed to convince Gbagbo to step down despite ECOWAS brandishing the threat of military intervention to oust him if mediation fails. Civil conflict Jonathan said ECOWAS will decide by Tuesday how to handle the impasse, which threatens to erupt into civil conflict. West African regional military chiefs met in Abuja last week and set in motion plans to oust Gbagbo if negotiations fail, according to a Nigerian defence spokesman. A follow-up meeting to fine-tune the "last-resort" plan is scheduled for Mali on January 17 and 18. Tensions have risen steadily in the deadly standoff since Gbagbo and Ouattara both claimed victory in a November 28 presidential run-off vote that it was hoped would end a decade of crisis in Ivory Coast. Gbagbo and Ouattara have fired off a series of deadlines at each other since then, with Ouattara's latest call for Gbagbo to quit expiring unheeded at midnight on New Year's Eve. In return, Charles Ble Goude, Gbagbo's minister for youth, urged Ivorian youths to rise up after the New Year to seize control of Ouattara's besieged headquarters in the waterfront Golf Hotel resort. But on Sunday, Ble Goude called off his threat, saying he wanted to give a chance to diplomatic efforts, for now. Ble Goude told state television that several parties had asked "us to postpone our plan" to attack the hotel and "we have decided to give a chance to the negotiations that are underway." "But we warn those occupying the Golf Hotel that we are not prepared to accept any declaration whatsoever threatening to attack Ivorians, in which case - I make myself clear - we will come and get them, dislodge them, bare handed, from this hotel, whatever army is protecting them," Ble Goude said. Ouattara's once-plush hotel is protected by a small contingent of lightly armed former rebel fighters known as the New Forces and 800 United Nations troops equipped with armoured vehicles and re-supplied by helicopter. It is surrounded by Gbagbo's well-armed regulars, the Cote D'Ivoire Defence and Security Forces (FDS), but there are fears of a repeat of 2004 violence if Ble Goude makes good on his threat to send unarmed youths to storm the hotel. Post-election violence Against the background of building diplomatic momentum, calls have grown for alleged massive human rights violations to be investigated, including reports of mass graves of Gbagbo's opponents. The UN says that at least 179 people have been killed in post-election violence but that it has been unable to fully investigate because of attacks on its personnel. Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary general, on Saturday reaffirmed the world body's "unwavering" support for Ouattara and said he was "alarmed by the reports of egregious human rights violations". The UN mission has "been instructed to do everything possible to gain access to the affected areas both for prevention and to investigate and record the violations so that those responsible will be held accountable". Gbagbo on Saturday accused the 9,000-strong UN peacekeeping mission ONUCI of firing on civilians, a charge denied by the UN. The embattled leader has accused the UN force and France's 900-strong Licorne mission of backing his rival Ouattara.
Carter to lead Sudan poll observers (03/01/2011)
The former US president will be a prominent observer during the week-long referendum process set to begin on January 9.Observers from the EU and Carter Center were also deployed earlier to assess the voter registration phase [AFP] Hundreds of foreign poll observers will be in southern Sudan in the next few days for the week-long referendum process set to begin on January 9. Prominent among them will be Jimmy Carter, former US president, Kofi Annan, the former UN Secretary General, and Joseph Warioba, the former Tanzanian prime minister. "The referendum is a critical step in the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement," Carter said in a statement. "We hope this process will help the people of Sudan work for a peaceful future, regardless of the outcome." The Carter Center field officer in Juba has told Al Jazeera that their observers will be in Khartoum on Thursday as part of the organisation’s delegation. He also said that they would make their way to southern Sudan in time for the referendum. The European Union had earlier said that it will deploy a 110-strong team of observers. Veronique de Keyser, head of the EU observation mission, said that the team comprised of members from 27 European countries as well as Switzerland, Norway and Canada. Russia too will be sending its observers. Security focus Sergei Lavrov, its foreign minister, has said that Russian observers will take part in the monitoring process. Lavrov said Russia will relocate four helicopters from Chad to Sudan to help the UN ensure security during the referendum. The UN has also appointed a three-member panel to monitor the referendum. It will be led by Benjamin Mkapa, another former Tanzanian president. This is in addition to observers from the African Union. Small advance groups of observers from the EU and the Carter Center have been deployed earlier to assess the voter registration phase of the referendum process that started on November 14. John Hardman, the Carter Center president, said his organisation will deploy more than 100 observers across Sudan and the overseas voting locations to assess the process and observe polling, counting, and tabulation. The Center has maintained an election mission in Sudan since 2008, and organised a long-term observation mission for Sudan’s April 2010 general elections. The organisation is also supporting non-partisan domestic observation in Sudan, including the training and deployment of an estimated 3,000 observers for the referendum.
Strong earthquake hits Chile(03/01/2011)
A powerful 7.1 earthquake strikes central Chile without causing injuries or damage. A powerful 7.1 earthquake strikes central Chile without causing injuries or damage A strong 7.1 magnitude earthquake has hit central Chile, driving tens of thousands panicked residents from their homes due to fears of a tsunami but causing no injuries or damage, officials said. There were no immediate reports of deaths or damage, and Vicente Nunez, head of the National Emergency Office, said no tsunami alert was issued. Sunday's quake struck the town of Tirua almost 70 km northwest of Temuco at 5:21 pm local time (2021 GMT), the director of the country's Onemi emergency office said. It struck at a depth of about 17km, according to the US Geological Survey, and there was at least one aftershock of 5.0-magnitude. "Up until now we don't have any reports of injuries, there's no damage, just overloaded telephone lines and some partial power cuts. We're continuing to monitor the situation," Onemi chief Vicente Nunez said. He said the possibility of a tsunami along the Pacific coastline had been ruled out and urged coastal residents who rushed to higher ground to return to their homes. "We've told people to go back to their houses because there's no tsunami alert," he said, noting that the larger quake had been followed by a 5.0 magnitude aftershock. Voluntary evacuation In the communities of La Araucania, Puerto Saavedra, Tolten and Teodoro Smith, an estimated 50,000 people voluntarily evacuated to higher ground, according to Nunez. The US Geological Survey reported the quake as 7.1-magnitude, slightly stronger than the 6.9 magnitude recorded by the seismology service at the University of Chile. Last February, an 8.8-magnitude earthquake caused tsunami waves that devastated coastal towns in the same area of the South American country, killing more than 500 people and damaging infrastructure across much of south-central Chile. Chile, the world's top copper producer, has seen its economy surge on heavy spending to rebuild cities ravaged by last February's quake and record prices for its main export. Operations were normal at the Andean division of Chilean copper miner Codelco after the latest tremor, a spokeswoman said. State energy company ENAP said operations were also running as usual at the nation's top Bio Bio oil refinery, which was badly damaged by last year's major quake.
ICC Cricket World Cup-2011 Tickets sale begins (03/01/2011)
Heavy rush for buying tickets of ICC Cricket World Cup-2011 in front of Islampur branch of City Bank on Sunday. NN Photo Sports Reporter The sale of tickets of ICC Cricket World Cup (CWC) 2011 began on Sunday in ten city branches of City Bank and one city branch of Agrani Bank amid huge chaos. Hundreds of ticket buyers gathered in the bank branches of to avail chance for buying tickets. The Money Gram city branches of City Bank are : Bangabandhu Avenue, Mouchak, Dhanmondi, Banani, Islampur Road, Karwan Bazar, Mirpur, New Market, Uttara and Imamganj. The lone Money Gram city branch of Agrani Bank is at Amin Court Corporate Branch (Motijheel ). Enthusiastic ticket buyers, mostly youths, joined the queue since midnight on Saturday, long before the opening of the bank counters. They brought with them warm clothes, food and drinks. Some of them were found playing cricket on the open roads in front of the banks. Many of the buyers waited in the queue for more than 16 hours to get a ticket The opening day of the ticket sales for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 kicked off with chaos, with long queues. The queues were at least one kilometer long in some of the outlets of the City Bank. Md Omar, who came from Luxmibazar to buy ticket from Mouchak branch of City Bank told this reporter that he came there at 7.00 PM on Saturday. He added that he was staying at least 100 yards from the branch for three hours. He also added that he saw that a total of seventeen lucky persons got tickets from that branch. Imon Saha, who is an inhabitant of Malibagh told that he came Mouchak on Saturday morning but still he could not enter the branch. Md Hamidul Islam, who came at the Bangabandhu Avenue Branch of City Bank told this newsman that he came there Saturday morning. He added that he had no hope to get ticket. Rubel Ahmed complained some guys illegally entered the Bank and bought ten to fifteen tickets. Conflicts over standing in queue for tickets had turned violent in Dhanmondi and Mirpur areas of Dhaka. Several vehicles were reportedly vandalized in Mirpur around 12.30 PM on Sunday while a journalist of Kaler Kantha was injured as the angry mob threw brickbats at each other at one point of such conflicts in Dhanmondi area. Later, police came and lathicharged the angry mob and then, the situation came to under control. Meanwhile, Chairman of the Media Committee of Bangladesh Cricket Board Jalal Younus said that they had the arrangement for providing tickets to the government and non-government dignitaries. Jalal added that cricket was now number one game in Bangladesh. Jalal also added that So such a mad rush of fans for ticket was not unexpected. It may be mentioned that Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka are going to stage the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. A total of eight matches including two quarter-finals and the gala opening will be taken place in co-host Bangladesh.
Iran 'downs two western spy drones' (03/01/2011)
Iran's revolutionary Guards claim shooting down two drones in the Gulf for violations against the Islamic republic soil.Iran's Revolutionary Guards have shot down two "Western spy" drones in the Gulf, the Fars news agency has said. "Westerners have a series of capabilities which cannot be ignored, especially satellites, or for example they have spy planes which can take pictures in some places," Amir Ali Hajizadeh, head of the air force wing of the Guards told the news agency on Sunday. He said that the drones were mainly being used in Iraq and Afghanistan but "some violations against our soil" have also occurred. "And we have so far downed many of their advanced spy planes. In the Persian Gulf, we have downed two of their (spy) planes and this is the first time that we are saying it," Hajizadeh said without specifying when exactly the drones were shot down. He also boasted that all "enemy" bases in the region were within range of Iranian missiles, referring to arch-foe the United States. He said that even the aircraft carriers deployed in the region were no longer a threat to Iran. "There was a time when an aircraft carrier was something to rely on and when they told a country that this warship was moving towards your shore, the government of that country would be toppled," Hajizadeh said. "But now this has become a threat for them. We have full control of our enemies. We notice whatever changes taking place on our shores. When they go on alert in the warships or when they put on life jackets to launch boats in the sea, we are aware of that." Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, target of a series of US sanctions, was set up as a force to defend the 1979 Islamic revolution from internal and external threats. Sanctions Washington imposed fresh sanctions against the Guards last month in a bid to ramp up pressure on Tehran over a controversial nuclear programme that Iran says is entirely peaceful, but world powers suspect is aimed at building an atomic bomb. The US placed sanctions on entities linked to the Guards which included former energy minister and guards member Parviz Fattah. The Treasury Department also sanctioned Liner Transport Kish, for "providing material support, including weapons to Lebanese Hezbollah" on behalf of the Guards. Guards' commanders have repeatedly boasted of the their force's capabilities and delivered warnings to regional foe Israel, which like the United States, has not ruled out a military strike to prevent Iran acquiring a nuclear weapons capability. The US navy's Fifth Fleet is based in Bahrain, just across the Gulf from Iran. Iranian commanders have repeatedly threatened to block navigation through the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which links the Gulf to the Indian Ocean, if it comes under attack. Sixty percent of the world's oil supplies pass through the Strait of Hormuz. The US military and Central Intelligence Agency regularly use drones to launch missile strikes in Afghanistan and in Pakistan's lawless tribal belt, but do not generally confirm attacks. The drone strikes are deeply unpopular among the Pakistani public but the United States says the strikes have killed a number of high-value targets.