| Syrian President Says 'Saboteurs' Exploiting Legitimate Reform Posted: 20 Jun 2011 01:26 AM PDT Syrian President Bashar al-Assad says "saboteurs" are trying to exploit legitimate calls for change, and there can be no reform in his country through vandalism.
President Assad said during a televised speech to the nation Monday there can be no development in Syria without stability. The speech was his third major address since anti-government protests began in mid-March.
Before the speech, British Foreign Secretary William Hague called on Assad to either reform or step aside. Hague said he hoped Turkey would pressure neighboring Syria and tell Assad he is "losing legitimacy."
Turkey is sheltering more than 10,000 Syrian refugees in tent cities near its border with Syria.
In a speech two weeks after the protests began, Assad said foreigners had created a conspiracy to bring down his government. In mid-April, his address said the government would abolish the country's 50-year-old emergency law and that he was urging his Cabinet to consider measures to create new jobs.
Assad's speech follows reports of Syrian troops ransacking a border village that had provided help to thousands of people fleeing a military crackdown on anti-government dissent.
Refugees and activists say that soldiers in the village of Bdama set fire to crops and buildings and shut down the village's only bakery. They say troops were setting up checkpoints to prevent people from fleeing to Turkey.
On Sunday, Turkey said it also is distributing much-needed food aid to people camping on the Syrian side of the border. Food is scarce in Bdama, especially since the forced closure of its bakery.
Bdama is a short distance from the Turkish border. An activist with the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Bdama residents had been helping people who were fleeing violence in other Syrian towns as they headed to shelter in Turkey.
The Syrian government has been intensifying its crackdown in the northwestern province of Idlib.
Rights activists say that nationwide, more than 1,400 civilians have been killed and 10,000 have been detained since mid-March in the government's crackdown on protests. Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.
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| US Drone Attack Kills 6 in NW Pakistan Posted: 20 Jun 2011 02:08 AM PDT Pakistani officials say U.S. drones fired missiles Monday at a vehicle and a house in the northwest tribal district of Kurram near the Afghan border, killing at least six suspected militants.
U.S. drone strikes routinely target militants holed up in Pakistan's tribal belt, but the operations are normally concentrated on insurgent strongholds in Waziristan, rather than Kurram.
Earlier Monday, officials in northwest Pakistan said dozens of militants attacked the homes of two anti-Taliban tribal elders, killing at least four people and wounding several others.
Authorities say nearly 70 militants participated in the attack on the homes of Malik Ghazi and Malik Gula in the Mohmand tribal area near Afghanistan. Ghazi was wounded in the attack.
Close relatives of the men were killed in the assault, including the sons of both men.
In the same tribal region Saturday, about 50 Taliban militants attacked a military base, triggering clashes and airstrikes that left 25 militants and four soldiers dead and eight troops wounded.
The Pakistan military said precision airstrikes and ground operations that targeted militant bunkers and positions successfully secured a mountaintop that had been used as a militant stronghold.
Mohmand is one of several tribal areas where Taliban and al-Qaida-linked militants frequently launch attacks against police and security positions. |
| Libyan Rebel Leader to Visit China Posted: 20 Jun 2011 01:53 AM PDT NATO says an accidental strike by its forces may have killed civilians in the Libyan capital, Tripoli.
The alliance said Sunday the air strikes were launched against a military missile site, but "one weapon did not strike the intended target" because of a possible "weapons system failure." NATO said it regretted the "loss of innocent civilian lives."
Libyan officials said the NATO warplanes struck a residential neighborhood and killed nine people, including two children.
This was the second recent admission of deadly error by coalition forces. On Saturday, NATO acknowledged that aircraft under its command had accidentally hit a rebel column near the oil refinery town of Brega on the frontline between the rebel-held east and the mainly government-held west on Thursday. The number of casualties in that attack were not revealed.
China says the head of the Libyan rebel group opposing leader Moammar Gadhafi will visit China this week.
The Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement Monday that Mustafa Abdel-Jalil, head of the Transitional National Council, will make a two-day visit beginning Tuesday.
China held talks earlier this month with an envoy from Gadhafi, and Chinese diplomats have met with anti-Gadhafi rebels based in Bengazhi. China has complained that NATO air strikes against government positions in Libya go beyond a U.N. Security Council resolution allowing military action to protect citizens.
Sunday, rebels and medical officials in Libya say fighting near the rebel-held western city of Misrata has killed at least nine people and wounded more than 50 others.
The officials said forces loyal to Libyan leader Gadhafi used heavy artillery to pummel Dafniya, just west of Misrata.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters. |
| NATO: Errant Strike May Have Killed Civilians in Libya Posted: 19 Jun 2011 08:25 PM PDT NATO has admitted another accidental airstrike by its forces may have killed civilians in the Libyan capital, Tripoli.
The alliance said the air strikes were launched against a military missile site in Tripoli Sunday, but "one weapon did not strike the intended target" because of a possible "weapons system failure." NATO said it regretted the "loss of innocent civilian lives."
Libyan officials said Sunday, NATO warplanes struck a residential neighborhood and killed nine people. Two children were among the dead.
This was the second recent admission of deadly error by coalition forces. On Saturday, NATO acknowledged that aircraft under its command had accidentally hit a rebel column near the oil refinery town of Brega on the frontline between the rebel-held east and the mainly government-held west on Thursday. The number of casualties in that attack were not revealed.
Elsewhere Sunday, rebels and medical officials in Libya say fighting near the rebel-held western city of Misrata has killed at least nine people and wounded more than 50 others.
The officials said forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi used heavy artillery to pummel Dafniya, just west of Misrata.
On Saturday, the coalition called Libyan government claims that alliance airstrikes are targeting civilians "outrageous." Spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said it is Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi and his forces who have been "systematically and brutally attacking" the Libyan people.
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| Syrian Troops Ransack Northern Border Village Posted: 19 Jun 2011 11:54 AM PDT Syrian troops have reportedly ransacked a border village that had provided help to thousands of people fleeing a military crackdown on anti-government dissent.
Refugees and activists say that soldiers in the village of Bdama set fire to crops and buildings and shut down the village's only bakery. They say troops were setting up checkpoints to prevent people from fleeing to Turkey.
Turkey already is sheltering more than 10,000 Syrian refugees in tent cities near its border with Syria.
On Sunday, Turkey said it also is distributing much-needed food aid to people camping on the Syrian side of the border. Food is scarce in Bdama, especially since the forced closure of its bakery.
Bdama is a short distance from the Turkish border. An activist with the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Bdama residents had been helping people who were fleeing violence in other Syrian towns as they headed to shelter in Turkey.
On Saturday, rights activists and witnesses said Syrian forces backed by tanks stormed into Bdama and arrested at least 70 people.
The Syrian government has been intensifying its crackdown in the northwestern province of Idlib.
Rights activists say that nationwide, more than 1,400 civilians have been killed and 10,000 have been detained since mid-March in the government's crackdown on protests. Follow our Middle East reports on Twitter
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| US Legal Deadline for Libya Expires Posted: 19 Jun 2011 12:31 PM PDT The Obama administration continues to defend the legality of U.S. military engagement in Libya, as a 90-day window for securing congressional approval of the operation expires.
Sunday marked 90 days since President Barack Obama notified Congress about the use of American military power in the skies over Libya - what is now a NATO-led operation to protect civilians and, it is hoped, force leader Moammar Gadhafi from power.
Under a law enacted in 1973, U.S. presidents have 60 days to secure congressional authorization for major foreign military engagements, with an additional 30 days to withdraw if no authorization is granted and no extension of the deadline is approved.
Congress has neither authorized military action in Libya nor given President Obama additional time to comply with the War Powers Resolution. Appearing on the U.S. television program Fox News Sunday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates was asked if the administration is flouting the law. "I believe that President Obama has complied with the law consistent in a manner with virtually all of his predecessors. I do not think he is breaking any new ground here," he said.
The administration argues the United States is playing a support role in a NATO operation with no troops on the ground, and therefore no formal congressional approval of the mission is required.
Last week, House Speaker John Boehner challenged the administration's reasoning. "We are part of an effort to drop bombs on Gadhafi's compounds. It does not pass the 'straight face' test [is not a reasonable assumption], in my view, that we are not in the midst of hostilities," he said.
Some of the president's Democratic allies in Congress have joined a bipartisan legal effort to force an end to the Libya campaign. Democratic Congressman Dennis Kucinich is one of 10 legislators who filed a federal lawsuit last week. "The Constitution of the United States makes it abundantly clear that no president can go to war unilaterally without the permission of the Congress. Neither NATO nor the U.N. trumps the United States Constitution. This is about stopping a war now," he said.
But not all members of Congress believe in the War Powers Resolution, arguing it unwisely and unconstitutionally hampers the president's role as commander-in-chief.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, appearing on NBC's Meet the Press program, said, "The War Powers Act is unconstitutional, not worth the paper it is written on. I think it is an infringement on the power of the commander-in-chief."
But Graham faults President Obama for, as he sees it, failing to adequately explain to Congress and the American people why the fate of Libya merits U.S. intervention. "The president has done a lousy job of communicating and managing our involvement in Libya. If we fail against Gaddhafi, that is the end of NATO. Egypt is going to be overrun, and the mad dog of the Mideast, Gadhafi, if he survives this, you are going to have double the price of oil that you have today, because he will take the whole region and put it into chaos,' he said.
Also appearing on Meet the Press was Democratic Senator Richard Durbin of Illinois, who defended existing law. "It is true, the War Powers Act is an infringement on the president's power as commander-in-chief. So is the Constitution, which makes it clear that the American people make decisions about going to war through members of Congress," he said.
Durbin said the situation in Libya warrants U.S. intervention, but only with congressional authorization. "We are going to have a limited-duration conflict to stop Gadhafi. That was the right thing. But I think the War Powers Act and [U.S.] Constitution make it clear that hostilities by remote control are still hostilities. We are killing with drones what we would otherwise be killing with fighter planes," he said.
The United States has also used military drones over Pakistan and Yemen.
Last month, Democratic Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts and Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona introduced a bipartisan resolution expressing congressional support for U.S. military action in Libya. The measure has not been voted on, but the Obama administration has said it would welcome such a resolution.
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| Fighting Kills 29 in Northwest Pakistan Posted: 19 Jun 2011 09:43 AM PDT About 50 Taliban militants attacked a military base in Pakistan's northwest late Saturday, triggering clashes and air strikes that left 25 militants and four soldiers dead and eight troops wounded.
The military said the fighting occurred in the Mohmand tribal region along the border with Afghanistan. It said precision airstrikes and ground operations that targeted militant bunkers and positions successfully secured a mountaintop that had been used as a militant stronghold.
Mohmand is one of several tribal areas where Taliban and al-Qaida-linked militants frequently launch attacks against police and security positions.
In southwestern Baluchistan province Sunday, suspected militants attacked a supply convoy carrying fuel for coalition forces in neighboring Afghanistan, killing one driver and destroying an oil tanker.
Local officials say the attack by four armed men on motorcycles occurred in Nian Ghudai suburb of the provincial capital, Quetta.
Militants frequently attack NATO supply trucks passing through border areas in Pakistan. Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters. |
| Pakistan Ambassador Defends Questioning of Informants Posted: 19 Jun 2011 01:09 PM PDT Pakistan Ambassador to the United States Husain Haqqani is defending his country's decision to round up more than 30 people as part of an investigation into the Osama bin Laden compound. U.S. - Pakistani ties have been facing increasing challenges in the wake of Osama bin Laden's death. Last week, it was reported Pakistani authorities arrested four informants who helped U.S. intelligence find the former head of the al-Qaida terrorist network.
Ambassador Husain Haqqani says the individuals who have been rounded up in Pakistan are part of an effort to find out what happened and how, and who was involved. "We will be dealing with each one of them on the basis of what information they have. As far as the concern that there are people amongst the people that we have rounded up who were informants for the CIA, we will deal with them as we would deal with a friendly intelligence service, and we will resolve this to satisfaction of our friends, as well as to our own laws," he said.
Haqqani made his remarks on the ABC This Week news program.
He was referring to a New York Times report last week that quoted U.S. officials who said Pakistan had arrested informants, including a Pakistani army major, who fed the CIA information that led to the May 2 U.S. military raid near Islamabad that killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.
He said it was wrong to think, however, that Pakistan was punishing and detaining the people that led the United States to bin Laden. "That is an incorrect characterization for the simple reason that the people who led the Americans to the [Osama bin Laden] compound included many people from Pakistan's government. After all, the first intelligence step that enabled the U.S. to piece together the intelligence that got them there came from the Pakistani authorities," he said.
Pakistan's military have called the New York Times report "false and totally baseless," but a military spokesman told VOA last week that several people have been detained.
The spokesman refused to clarify what charges the informants faced.
Questions over U.S.- Pakistan ties have been growing in the wake of the raid, and the rounding up or arrest of informants has put additional strains on the relationship. U.S. Congress members on both sides of the aisle have expressed concerns about the relationship following The New York Times report, and earlier accounts of leaks from the Pakistani security apparatus that foiled raids on militant bomb factories along the Pakistan-Afghan border.
This, in turn, is threatening support for U.S. aid to Pakistan.
When asked whether the United States and Pakistan were close to a breach in ties on the program Fox News Sunday, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said he did not know. "I do know that we need each other and each side recognizes that. Our relationship has been a complex one for decades and the way I put it is we just have to keep working at it," he said.
Haqqani told "ABC This Week" that the capture of Ayman al-Zawihiri, the newly named head of al-Qaida is a top priority of U.S. and Pakistan intelligence and they are working together to reach that goal.
He also stressed that Pakistan wants to be America's ally, and that Islamabad is an ally of the United States. But added "sometimes things just do not go as we all want them to go." This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Sudanese Parties Deadlocked Over Abyei’s Future Posted: 19 Jun 2011 04:51 PM PDT North-South Sudanese talks on the status of the disputed Abyei border region are deadlocked nearly a week after negotiators announced they were near agreement. The parties have been stuck for two days over the wording of an agreement.
Talks on Abyei's future ground to a halt Sunday at an Addis Ababa hotel, reviving fears of a return to war less than three weeks before Southern Sudan breaks away from northern rule.
Separate talks on calling a temporary halt to fighting that is already raging in the Southern Kordofan border state also hung in the balance, with both sides said to be hardening their positions.
Hopes for a deal that would have coincided with chief mediator Thabo Mbeki's 69th birthday were dashed on Saturday when negotiators could not agree on the wording of a sentence on how Abyei would be governed after the South's July 9 independence.
Diplomats close to the talks say Mr. Mbeki waited impatiently on Sunday as a second scheduled signing date was cancelled. By the end of the day, frustrations reportedly were mounting as efforts to break the deadlock remained frozen.
With the Abyei talks in limbo and the possibility of a humanitarian ceasefire fading, negotiators pushed ahead Sunday on two other tracks. But the negotiations on oil revenue sharing and dividing the country's massive debt were dogged by knowledge that failure to agree on Abyei would mean a collapse of the entire process.
The glum atmosphere that hung over Sunday's talks contrasted with the optimism of a few days earlier, when Mr. Mbeki predicted a humanitarian ceasefire might be in place in South Kordofan within hours.
As he opened the revenue and debt sharing talks three days ago, the former South African president spoke confidently of having all major issues settled at least 10 days before the South's independence. "So we should perhaps aim that at the latest by June 30; we will have this agreement on all of the issues that remain on our agenda," he said.
The lack of an agreement on Abyei calls into question the need for a United Nations Security Council meeting on Sudan scheduled for Monday. Mr. Mbeki and U.N. special envoy Haile Menkerios are scheduled to brief the council through a videoconference hookup. Security Council members are are considering the creation of a new U.N. peacekeeping mission for Abyei.
But diplomats say such a meeting might be premature in the absence of a agreement between the Sudanese parties on the region's future.
The Addis Ababa talks began on June 12 with meetings between Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir and Southern leader Salva Kiir. Those talks resulted in what was described as an "agreement in principle" on the demilitarization of Abyei. But that early optimism subsided after the two leaders returned home and left negotiations of the details in the hands of more hardline subordinates.
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| No Agreement on Greece by Eurozone Ministers Posted: 19 Jun 2011 07:05 PM PDT Eurozone finance ministers are again telling Greece that the next vital loan installment is only payable when the Greek parliament passes economic reforms.
The ministers ended their meeting early Monday in Luxembourg with no final agreement on the next $17 billion payment of the $160 bailout from the European Union and International Monetary Fund.
The ministers did say they would welcome what they call "informal voluntary" roll-overs by Greek bond holders, meaning that those who hold Greek debt would hold off demanding payment.
Meanwhile, finance ministers from the Group of Seven held emergency telephone talks late Sunday on ways to help Greece avoid even deeper problems.
Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou is appealing to parliament to pass his package of additional spending cuts and tax hikes as demanded by the EU and IMF.
Mr. Papandreou told lawmakers Sunday Greece faces bankruptcy and debt default if it does not secure the next installment of the 2010 bailout.
Millions of Greek citizens are outraged that they are being asked to make more sacrifices, triggering weeks of nearly non-stop protests.
The leader of Greece's Conservative opposition, Antonis Samaras, reiterated his rejection of Mr. Papandreou's austerity proposals Sunday and called for early elections.
Athens also is negotiating a second bailout package to keep its economy afloat beyond September. But EU leaders have been unable to agree on the terms of such a loan, including how much of its should be funded by the private sector. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Number of Refugees and Displaced Globally Highest in 15 Years Posted: 19 Jun 2011 05:09 PM PDT A new report finds 43.7-million people worldwide were forcibly displaced by conflict by the end of 2010, the highest number in the past 15 years. The U.N. refugee agency, which has just released its annual report on Global Trends 2010, assists more than 25 million of these refugees and internally displaced people.
The numbers quoted are huge and they are all going in the wrong direction. The statistics show more people are fleeing their homes because of conflict. At the same time, fewer refugees and internally displaced people are returning home than in past years, and fewer still are finding places of resettlement in third countries.
The report notes this is a bad sign, saying it shows the search for durable solutions to long-lasting refugee problems is foundering.
UNHCR Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees, Alexander Aleinikoff, says more than seven-million refugees have been living in exile for more than five years, some for more than 30 years. The prospects of their going home in the near future, he said, are dim.
"The numbers of resettled refugees is down. Only about one percent of the world refugees or less than one percent are resettled each year. This year, it will be under 100,000 people. That is out of more than 10 million. The number of returns, of people returning home, are down. In 2010, under 200,000 people returned home, which is the lowest amount in a decade," he said.
Aleinikoff said the causes of displacement are not going away. This year, he notes, new conflicts have broken out in North Africa, in Ivory Coast, Syria and Sudan. In addition, he says millions of people around the world are homeless because of natural disasters, such as floods, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
He says there is an uneven distribution of the world's displaced. Most of the problems occur in poor countries and it is poor countries, he says, that shoulder the greatest burden of caring for these destitute millions. "Eighty percent of the world's refugees are in ... developing countries ... and sometimes, it seems the loudest objections to refugees and asylum seekers come from regions that do not shoulder the biggest burden of accepting and hosting refugees," he said.
The report notes Pakistan, Iran, and Syria have the largest refugee populations. Pakistan hosts nearly two-million refugees, while Iran and Syria host around one-million each.
The UNHCR study finds anti-refugee sentiment is rising in many industrialized nations due largely to the economic crisis and religious and cultural differences. As a consequence, worrying misperceptions abound. It says many wealthy countries fear they are being flooded by refugees and are shutting their doors to them.
Refugee officials say these fears are vastly overblown and the reverse is true. They note the data shows the number of asylum claims in 2010 actually has gone down slightly or remained stable in most countries across Europe. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| New Internet Name Rule Opens Door to Huge Changes Posted: 20 Jun 2011 12:48 AM PDT The organization that manages Internet domain names has agreed to changes that will dramatically increase the number of possible site names while opening up new branding opportunities for companies, cities and others.
The change was overwhelmingly approved Monday in Singapore in a vote of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. ICANN is expected to begin taking applications for the new names early next year.
Under the changes, site registrants will be able to invent their own suffixes in place of the handful of suffixes now available, such as dot-com, dot-org or dot-gov. Major companies are expected to create suffixes with their own names, while the German capital city has reportedly expressed interest in a dot-berlin suffix. Other suffixes could help organize the Internet by language, geography or industry.
The new suffixes are expected to sell for $185,000 plus an additional $25,000 a year, putting them out of reach of ordinary Internet users. Nevertheless, ICANN is expecting a rush of applications as entrepreneurs jostle for a marketing advantage.
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| Tunisia's Former President Denies Charges Ahead of Monday Trial Posted: 19 Jun 2011 06:59 AM PDT Former Tunisian president Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali has denied all charges against him on the eve of his trial in absentia. Mr. Ben Ali's lawyer said Sunday the former president hopes Tunisia will overcome its "chaos." Six months after massive popular protests ousted Ben Ali, the North African country is bringing him to trial - but in absentia. Many Tunisians feel the event will help bring closure to a bitter past.
Tunisian authorities say both a civilian and military court will hear the case against Ben Ali, which begins on Monday. But he, in exile in Saudi Arabia, will not be present for the trial's opening. Saudi authorities have not responded to Tunisia's extradition request.
Ben Ali faces dozens of charges, including conspiring against the state, voluntary manslaughter and drug trafficking. If found guilty, he could be sentenced to years in prison. One of Ben Ali's lawyers told the Associated Press the ex-president will plead not guilty.
The former strongman held power for 23 years before fleeing to Saudi Arabia in January, in the wake of a massive, popular uprising. Now, human rights advocates like Mokhtar Trifi, president of the Tunisian Human Rights League, lament Ben Ali's absence at the trial.
Trifi says it is too bad Ben Ali will not be present in court to face the accusations, although he welcomes the legal proceedings against the former president. He says he hopes the United States and other foreign powers will pressure Saudi Arabia to extradite him.
Many Tunisians believe Ben Ali and his extended clan improperly amassed vast fortunes. During the January uprising, protesters ransacked and set fire to dozens of their businesses and luxurious villas.
Although calm has returned to much of Tunisia, there is still unrest in parts of the country. Soldiers and the occasional tank can still be seen patrolling the capital, Tunis. The country is now preparing for October elections for a constituent assembly, tasked to write a new constitution and prepare for legislative and presidential elections.
Thirty-year-old Moiz Rezgui is happy Ben Ali will be brought to trial -- whether the ex-president is present or not. He says the fact Ben Ali will face justice for his deeds will satisfy the Tunisian public.
Noureddine Hamila, a member of Tunisia's Progressive Democratic Party, remembers being beaten and harassed during Ben Ali's era. Hamila also says he would have preferred for Ben Ali to be present at the trial. But he says the trial is part of the past - and Tunisia must now light the way to its future.
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| Rwanda Names 22 Rare Baby Gorillas Posted: 19 Jun 2011 12:48 PM PDT Made famous in the 1980s by the movie Gorillas in the Mist, Rwanda's rare gorillas are making a comeback, having increased their numbers three-fold. This year, the east African nation is celebrating the births of 22 babies in a traditional naming ceremony, the largest group since the annual event began seven years ago.
Dancers in long white headdresses and bells on their ankles stamp in unison on a raised platform at the base of a volcanic mountain range that straddles Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. The region hosts Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park, which is home to most of the 780 rare mountain gorillas on earth. Kwita Izina Rwanda is celebrating Kwita Izina, an adaptation of a traditional naming ceremony. But the guests of honor, the babies, are not here. Dressed in gorilla outfits, 22 children roll in the grass and on stage, playing the parts of the baby gorillas born since the last festival, including a rare set of twins. <!--IMAGE--> The head of Rwanda's development board, John Gara, says in the old days, nobody thought the gorillas would survive. In the 1980s, there were only about 250 mountain gorillas left.
"It is really fascinating to remember that in the 1960s conservationists had predicted that at the turn of the century, the next century, that the mountain gorillas would be extinct. Today, we have been seeing a steady, even if not very big, a steady increase in the [number of] mountain gorillas," says Gara.
In front of the stage, government officials, foreign dignitaries and Western tourists sit under a large tent or lounge on the grass, while journalists snap pictures and record the show. Behind the stage are thousands of local people, crowded on the lawn and surrounded by armed guards. Like the gorilla population, Rwanda's economy has been growing as it recovers from the 1994 genocide that left at least 800,000 people dead and the country shattered. The World Bank says Rwanda's economy doubled in the nine years before 2010. Threats remain But Rwanda, like its neighbors, remains one of the poorest countries on earth, and this is one of the poorest and most crowded parts of the region.
Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project Executive Director Dr. Mike Cranfield says for the gorilla population to survive and thrive, poverty reduction must be a part of conservation. Limited healthcare, nutrition and hygiene make people and livestock more susceptible to disease in this area, where most of the people live on about $1 a day. Gorillas, he says, are highly susceptible to human diseases.
With people in the area barely surviving, the number-one cause of death for the gorillas remains snares from poachers, looking not necessarily to catch gorillas, but something from this rich forest land.
"They are sitting on a wonderful resource and the people who are living very difficult lives look at that resource and would love to use it," says Cranfield. Economic boost Known as one of the organization's "Gorilla Doctors," Dr. Cranfield says while encroachment is a constant threat, it is currently being staved off by a government profit-sharing plan. In Rwanda, five percent of gorilla tourism revenue goes back into the surrounding communities.
Villagers say it is custom for all babies to be named publicly, and that naming the gorillas, animals that bring in 90 percent of the revenue from the tiny country's tourism industry, is worth celebrating.
Like many of the Rwandan and foreign leaders chosen to name the baby gorillas, Commonwealth Deputy Secretary Ransford Smith, who is from Jamaica, chose a name that demonstrates his hopes for the gorilla's future.
"My baby is named Indamuza, and it means greetings. It means we are wishing for this baby a long, happy and productive life," said Smith.
For local school teacher Boniza Justin the celebration is about national pride for Rwanda, and hope for the future of his community. He says droves of people come to visit the Rwandan national park yearly, helping the people build hotels, schools, roads and hospitals. And while the people remain poor, he says he hopes that, like it worked for the gorillas, conservation efforts will help this community grow stronger. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Somali Prime Minister Resigns, Reversing Pledge to Stay Posted: 19 Jun 2011 08:18 AM PDT Somalia's prime minister says he is resigning, reversing a pledge he made last week to stay in office after an outpouring of support by Somalis opposed to his departure.
Prime Minister Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed told reporters Sunday his decision to leave office was made to avert political collapse in his homeland. He said his departure is "in the interests of the Somali people." Mr. Mohamed said he will remain in Mogadishu to support a new government.
President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed immediately appointed a caretaker prime minister, who is set to serve until a permanent replacement is named within 30 days.
A United Nations-backed deal earlier this month called for Mr. Mohamed to resign within a month to clear the way for the formation of a new government.
The so-called Kampala Accord, mediated by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, was meant to break the political deadlock between the president -- a former Islamist rebel leader -- and Speaker of Parliament Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden, who covets the top job. The deal was aimed at establishing a roadmap for national elections and a new constitution.
The two Somali rivals agreed June 9 to postpone their nation's presidential elections for one year and hold the vote by August 2012. They both are expected to seek the presidency when the polls take place.
The departing Prime Minister Mohamed has held office for a little more than seven months, but has received local and international praise during that time for his straightforward approach to governance and his desire to rise above the country's clan-based politics.
Somalia has not had a functioning central government in 20 years, since warlords overthrew dictator Mohamed Siad Barre. The insurgent group al-Shabab has waged war against the current administration since 2007, and controls much of southern Somalia.
However, the government in recent months has regained control of parts of Mogadishu with the help of U.N. peacekeepers from Uganda and Burundi.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Afghan Suicide Attack Targets German Soldiers Posted: 19 Jun 2011 06:20 AM PDT Afghan officials say a suicide car bomber has hit a German military convoy, killing at least three civilians and wounding several others.
The Taliban has claimed responsibility for Sunday's attack outside Kunduz city.
A NATO spokesman, Major Tim James, said there were no coalition casualties.
The attack follows a particularly violent day for NATO service members.
NATO says eight of its service members died in Afghanistan Saturday.
The alliance said four died in separate insurgent attacks - three in the south and one in the east. The others died in southern Afghanistan from injuries not related to battle. The Associated Press says they died in a vehicle accident. |
| Clashes in South Yemen Kill 12 Militants, 2 Soldiers Posted: 19 Jun 2011 12:15 PM PDT Military officials in Yemen say clashes have killed 12 al-Qaida-linked militants and at least two Yemeni soldiers in the south, where insurgents have launched several attacks during the country's political unrest.
Authorities say Sunday's clashes occurred outside the city of Zinjibar, the capital of the al-Qaida stronghold, Abyan province.
Militants seized Zinjibar and another southern city in May. Most of Zinjibar's population has fled to the port of Aden to escape the violence.
On Thursday, Yemen's Defense Ministry said "terrorists" killed two people after firing mortar rounds in the flashpoint city.
Armed militants last week also renewed attacks against government buildings near the southern Yemeni town of Houta.
Residents said the attackers briefly took over a security headquarters and council offices in Masameer, which is close to Houta, before retreating. Follow our Middle East reports on Twitter
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| NATO to Investigate Libyan Claims of Civilian Deaths in Tripoli Air Strike Posted: 19 Jun 2011 03:32 AM PDT NATO officials say they will investigate Libyan government claims that seven civilians were killed by an alliance strike in Tripoli.
The government showed a heavily damaged house in Souq al Juma, a residential neighborhood of the capital.
Two bodies were seen being removed from the rubble. The bodies of three other people, including two children, were displayed at a Tripoli hospital. Libyan government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim spoke to foreign journalists taken to the sites.
"Basically, this is another night of murder and terror and horror in Tripoli caused by NATO," Ibrahim. "You have seen with your own eyes the terrible disaster that is taking place every day in Tripoli."
NATO acknowledges it carried out airstrikes overnight in the capital, as part of a U.N. mandate to establish a no-fly zone to protect civilians. But the alliance says it only strikes military infrastructure in the capital.
An official adds that without personnel at the scene, the account is difficult to verify. Previous Libyan government accounts of civilian casualties have also been hard to confirm, with little hard evidence to back up the accusations.
Journalists were recently taken to see a young girl said to have been wounded in a NATO strike, but a medic at the hospital passed a note to one of the reporters saying the girl had been hurt in a car accident.
But NATO strikes have gone awry before. On Saturday, it acknowledged that its forces struck a column of rebel vehicles near Brega, in the east of the country, one of three battlefronts between the government and the opposition.
The Thursday attack was the third time NATO mistakenly struck rebel positions. NATO has stepped up daytime attacks on the capital as the operation enters its fourth month.
After the latest strikes, Libya's Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim accused the alliance of deliberately targeting civilians, a claim the government has made before. NATO officials have called those charges "outrageous". This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Egypt's PM Prefers Delay in Parliamentary Vote Posted: 19 Jun 2011 04:52 AM PDT Egypt's prime minister says he would prefer a delay in parliamentary elections, scheduled for September, until a new constitution is drafted.
Essam Sharaf says despite his personal preference for a delay, the interim government will do everything it can to ensure a successful election, whenever it is scheduled.
Sharaf's remarks come amid a growing campaign by liberal and secular groups that a September vote would be unfairly advantageous to the Muslim Brotherhood.
Some fear a parliament dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood could result in a document with an Islamist slant.
The Muslim Brotherhood is one of the country's best organized political groups.
In May, the Brotherhood announced it had formed a new political entity called the Freedom and Justice Party. A spokesman said the party would contest about half of the parliamentary seats in the upcoming election.
The Muslim Brotherhood, which was legally banned for decades, ran its candidates as independents in previous parliamentary elections. The group controlled about one-fifth of Egypt's lower house after 2005 elections, but was virtually shut out of parliamentary elections last year. The political movement was declared legal earlier this month.
Egyptian authorities, under former President Hosni Mubarak, arrested hundreds of Muslim Brotherhood supporters ahead of that voting.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and AFP. Follow our Middle East reports on Twitter
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| Sudanese Talks on Abyei Hit Snag Posted: 19 Jun 2011 04:51 PM PDT North-South Sudanese talks in Addis Ababa have hit a snag just as a deal was to be signed on the future of the disputed Abyei region. A second agreement - one that would provide a humanitarian ceasefire in the northern state of South Kordofan - is also on hold.
An eighth day of negotiations ground to a halt Sunday at an Addis Ababa hotel, with the parties said to be hung up over a final few words.
A hoped for signing ceremony Saturday that would have coincided with chief mediator Thabo Mbeki's 69th birthday failed to materialize. Diplomats close to the negotiations say the former South African president was waiting impatiently Sunday as a second scheduled signing date was also cancelled.
The atmosphere surrounding the talks was glum as members of negotiating teams sat with cell phones glued to their ears, communicating information back and forth with leaders in Khartoum and the southern capital, Juba.
A second deal also hangs in the balance. That one would provide a 72-hour humanitarian ceasefire to allow delivery of desperately needed supplies to civilians trapped by an outbreak of fighting in Sudan's South Kordofan state.
Southern Kordofan will remain north of the border when the South becomes independent July 9. But it is home to approximately 40,000 troops who fought with the south in Sudan's decades-long civil war. Nearly two weeks of fighting in the border state has raised fears that the 2005 agreement that ended the war may collapse just weeks before the south secedes.
Sources close to the Addis Ababa talks said with the Abyei talks on hold, negotiators are focusing on two other tracks. One track deals with how revenue from oil produced in the south is to be divided, the other on how Sudan's $38-billion foreign debt would be shared.
The talks began a week ago with meetings between Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir and Southern leader Salva Kiir. Those talks resulted in what was described as an "agreement in principle" on the demilitarization of Abyei. But that early optimism subsided after the two leaders returned home and left negotiations on the details in the hands of more hardline subordinates.
Former South African president Mbeki is leading a mediation team that includes former Burundian President Pierre Buyoya and former Nigerian president Abdulsalami Abubakar.
The hotel where the talks are being held is just across the road from Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's office. Meles has also been active in trying to ease simmering tensions left over from the days of the civil war that killed an estimated two-million people.
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| Demonstrations Expected in Morocco Posted: 19 Jun 2011 06:53 AM PDT Demonstrations are expected in Morocco Sunday, after a pro-reform group said King Mohammed's new plan to limit his power does not go far enough.
The country's youth-based February 20 Movement called Saturday for nationwide protests, criticizing the monarch's reform proposal for not meeting "demands for a true separation of powers." The February 20 Movement - named for the date its demonstrations began - said it would "protest peacefully."
On Friday, King Mohammed promised changes that would limit his power through a series of constitutional amendments.
The king announced the proposal in a televised address. Moroccans will be able to vote next month in a referendum on the changes, which would strengthen the office of prime minister and the parliament. The king would choose the prime minister from the party that won elections and would retain exclusive control in religious and military matters.
The speech was met with cheers, honks and flag-waving from Moroccans driving through the streets of the capital, Rabat.
The king's speech comes in response to nationwide pro-reform demonstrations in recent months inspired by popular uprisings sweeping the Arab world. Protesters have been demanding improved civil rights and an end to corruption.
The proposals were crafted by a reform panel appointed by the king in March.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters. Follow our Middle East reports on Twitter
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| Thousands in Spain March to Protest Economic Crisis Posted: 19 Jun 2011 10:18 AM PDT Spaniards angered about the economic situation have been staging regular protests in Madrid since May 15.
Thousands of Spaniards have marched in Madrid to protest high unemployment and the government's handling of an economic crisis.
They converged on the Spanish capital's Neptune plaza near parliament from six locations around the city Sunday, calling themselves "indignant" about Spain's nearly two-year-long recession. There were no reports of unrest.
Spaniards angered about the economic situation have been staging regular protests in Madrid since May 15. The movement later spread to other parts of the country.
Demonstrations also were planned Sunday in the northern city of Barcelona and the eastern city of Valencia.
Many protesters blame the crisis on banks and inept politicians. Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has tried to ease the country's large debt burden by cutting government spending, raising the retirement age, and making it easier for companies to fire workers.
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| Springsteen Sax Star Clarence Clemons Dies Posted: 19 Jun 2011 08:11 AM PDT Clarence Clemons, the burly star saxophonist of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, died Saturday, six days after suffering a stroke following surgery. Clemons was 69.
His bandleader, Springsteen, announced on his website Clemons' loss was "immeasurable." Springsteen said "we are honored and thankful to have known him and had the opportunity to stand beside him for nearly 40 years."
Clemons died at his home in the southern U.S. state of Florida. His health had been fragile in recent years after the musician underwent hip and knee surgeries.
Clemons' powerful raw style was featured on many hits by Springsteen, including "Jungleland" and "Born to Run."
Clemons last appeared with Springsteen and his longtime band in December.
Clemons is the second E Street Band member to die. Longtime keyboard player Danny Federici died of cancer nearly three years ago at the age of 58.
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| Israel Launches 5-Day Civil Defense Drill Posted: 19 Jun 2011 09:42 AM PDT With the Middle East in turmoil, Israel is preparing for the possibility of a regional war.
As part of preparations for such a scenario the country has begun a five-day civil-defense drill to deal with the threat of a massive missile and rocket bombardment from several fronts: Iran, Syria, Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. Gili Shenhar is a spokesman for the Israeli army's Home Front Command, which is leading the exercise.
"We understand that in the Middle East, we have to be prepared for all kinds of scenarios. So we are going to conduct all kind of scenarios including unconventional weapons."
In one exercise, authorities will simulate the evacuation of 300,000 people from hard hit areas to safer ground.
"We are going to conduct, also, drills that will be in the field, like hospitals, like all kinds of airplanes that crash, like taking people and evacuating from several places. So this is going to be a very big drill with all local authorities in Israel."
The drill takes place against the backdrop of Iran's nuclear program and its threats to wipe Israel "off the map." Iran says the program is for peaceful purposes, but Israel and the United States believe Teheran is developing nuclear weapons.
Israel has threatened to launch a pre-emptive strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, though defense officials warn that could spark a major regional war. In a worst-case scenario, Iran would bombard Israel with missiles and be joined by its well-armed regional allies: Syria, and the Islamic militant groups Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza.
Shenhar says the Home Front Command hopes to raise public awareness through the exercise.
"The goal with the public is really to understand that we have to prepare, and if you prepare in advance, it is much better for the public and for us."
The army says that in the event of a war fought on several fronts, up to 800 missiles and rockets a day could be fired into Israel.
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| Japan to Vent Second Damaged Reactor Building Posted: 19 Jun 2011 04:51 AM PDT This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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