Current Affairs

Egypt unrest: Fourth trial called for Mohammed Morsi

noreply@blogger.com (Adil Ali) — Sun, 19 Jan 2014 19:54:00 +0000

The ousted president of Egypt, Mohammed Morsi, faces a fourth trial, on charges of insulting the judiciary.

The Islamist leader and 24 other politicians, media personalities, activists and lawyers will be tried on the new charges, judicial sources said.

Mr Morsi was removed from power in July and his Muslim Brotherhood declared a terrorist organisation.

His first trial to date was adjourned earlier this month.

Correspondents say the new trial is a sign that the military have no intention of easing their crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood.

The move followed a referendum in which 98% of voters approved a new constitution, according to electoral officials.

The vote was seen as a vote on the legitimacy of the military's removal of Mr Morsi.

Turnout was less than 40% amid a boycott by Morsi supporters, who dismissed it as a "farce".

A constitutional referendum held in 2012 while Mohammed Morsi was in power but boycotted by secularists saw a turnout of 33%, with 64% of voters approving the document.

Four cases

The new trial dates back to Mr Morsi's time in office, when he named a judge in a public speech and accused him of overseeing fraud in previous elections, the Associated Press reports.

On 11 January, he had been due to appear in court in Cairo over the killing of protesters outside a presidential palace in 2012.

But proceedings were adjourned after bad weather reportedly stopped his helicopter from taking off from Alexandria, where is in prison.

At the opening of the trial on 4 November, he had insisted he was still Egypt's legitimate leader and refused to wear the uniform given to defendants.

Neither of his two other trials, for organising prison breaks during the 2011 uprising and conspiring with foreign militant groups to destabilise Egypt, have opened yet.

Although Mr Morsi won the presidency in a democratic election, replacing ousted long-term leader Hosni Mubarak, he fell out with key institutions during his 13 months in power.

Since his removal, at least 1,000 people have been killed in clashes with security forces.

Mr Morsi's supporters say he and other senior Brotherhood leaders are the victims of politically motivated prosecutions.

Courtesy: BBC

Iraq fighting: UN warns of humanitarian crisis in Anbar

noreply@blogger.com (Adil Ali) — Thu, 09 Jan 2014 10:03:00 +0000

The UN's envoy to Iraq has warned of a "critical humanitarian situation" in Anbar province, as troops prepare to launch a major assault against al-Qaeda-linked militants in Fallujah.

Nickolay Mladenov said more than 5,000 families had fled the city as food, water and medicine began to run out.

An Iraqi Red Crescent official put the figure far higher - at 13,000 families.

Earlier, Iraq's prime minister urged the militants who have seized control of Fallujah to give up their struggle.

Nouri Maliki appeared to hold out the offer of a pardon if they did so.

Markets reopen

Sunni militants

allied to the al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), as well as armed tribesmen angry with the government, overran Fallujah last week after clashes triggered by a raid on protest camps in the city and in the provincial capital, Ramadi.

On Wednesday morning, security officials and tribal leaders said Mr Maliki had agreed to delay any assault to give people in Fallujah time to persuade or force ISIS out.

"We've done our part of the deal. Now they should do theirs. If not, a quick offensive is coming," a special forces officer told the Reuters news agency.

On Wednesday the Associated Press reported that calls had been broadcast on mosque loudspeakers calling on militants to leave the city and on fleeing families to come back. Markets had also reopened, and civilian vehicles and traffic policemen had returned to the streets, it added.

But the UN's special representative to Iraq warned that food and water supplies were beginning to run out and that the humanitarian situation was "likely to worsen as operations continue".

"The UN agencies are working to identify the needs of the population and prepare medical supplies, food and non-food items for distribution if safe passage can be ensured. This remains a primary challenge," Mr Mladenov said in a statement.

According to a preliminary UN assessment, more than 5,000 families have sought refuge in the neighbouring provinces of Karbala, Salahuddin and Baghdad, but Iraqi Red Crescent official Mohammed al-Khuzaie said as many as 13,000 families had fled, and that it had provided humanitarian assistance to more than 8,000.

Fighting continued on the outskirts of Ramadi on Wednesday, although security forces backed by pro-government tribesmen largely regained control of the city two days ago.

'Sacred war'

In his weekly televised address on Wednesday, Mr Maliki vowed to continue the "sacred war" against ISIS and regain full control of Fallujah and Ramadi.

"The war that is being fought by the Iraqi security forces, tribes and all segments of Iraqi society against al-Qaeda and its affiliates is a sacred war," he said. "I call on those who were lured to be part of the terrorism machine led by al-Qaeda to return to reason."

In return, the prime minister promised to "open a new page to settle their cases so that they won't be fuel for the war that is led by al-Qaeda".

Islamist militants have capitalised on deep-seated grievances among Iraq's minority Sunni Arab community, which has complained for years that it is being marginalised by Mr Maliki's Shia-led government and unfairly targeted by the security forces.

Correspondents say the prime minister's drive to restore control of the two predominantly Sunni cities of Fallujah and Ramadi is being seen by many Sunnis as an attempt at domination and oppression, and is taking Iraq back to the brink of a sectarian civil war.

Courtesy: BBC

North America's deep freeze set to ease

noreply@blogger.com (Adil Ali) — Thu, 09 Jan 2014 09:59:00 +0000

The deep freeze that has left people in North America shivering for days, shattering century-old temperature records, is loosening its icy grip.

The mercury is rising in the US Midwest and East, which has borne the brunt of the so-called polar vortex, but was still below freezing in many areas.

At least 21 people have died since Sunday as a result of the weather, and more than 11,000 flights were grounded.

US natural gas usage hit an all-time record in the US to meet heat demands.

Forecasters predicted weather would return to normal across much of the US in the coming days, after 50 US cities set new record low temperatures on Tuesday.

'Dramatically warmer'

Dogs found with frozen paws were rescued in Ohio, as ABC's Linzie Janis reports

The US National Weather Service predicted "a much-anticipated warm up" for much of the eastern US on Wednesday.

The US Midwest - which experienced -37C (-35F) in recent days - also warmed slightly, but still faced temperatures 15 to 25 degrees below average.

Atlanta, Georgia, returned to a more temperate 5C (42F) on Wednesday following a record low of -14C (6F) a day earlier.

New York City topped -5C (22F) on Wednesday, after shattering a 118-year-old low temperature record with -15C (4F) on Tuesday.

Temperatures in parts of North America plunged so low this week that they eclipsed readings recently recorded on the Red Planet by the Mars Rover.

Even Alabama's top official was not immune to the extreme cold.

Governor Robert Bentley faced an estimated $50,000 (£30,397) in damage after a water pipe froze and burst in the attic of his home in Tuscaloosa.

In Canada, meanwhile, a 70-year-old Ontario man is recovering in hospital after being buried in a snowdrift in his vehicle for nearly 24 hours.

Guy Walton, a meteorologist at The Weather Channel, told US media that the worst of the Arctic outbreak is over.

"It will be getting dramatically warmer from today," he said on Wednesday.

"By Thursday temperatures will be almost back to normal."

Scientists also posited a silver lining to the cold snap, saying it could kill some of the pests that have ravaged northern forests.

The low temperatures may also slow the migration of invasive species and prevent erosion of wetlands, they say.

Courtesy: BBC

Floods from storm Alexa force Gazans to leave homes

noreply@blogger.com (Adil Ali) — Sun, 15 Dec 2013 16:46:00 +0000

More than 5,000 people in Gaza have been evacuated from their homes because of severe floods caused by torrential rain, Palestinian officials say.

Rescuers have had to use rowing boats to reach residents trapped by rising floodwaters.

United Nations officials have described parts of the northern Gaza Strip as a disaster area.

The winter storm, called Alexa, has covered parts of the West Bank and Israel with heavy snow.

Unusually harsh winter weather is causing disruption across the region.

'Massive lake'

A spokesman for the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNWRA) for Palestine Refugees said that large swathes of Gaza had "water as far as the eye can see".

"Areas around Jabaliya have become a massive lake with 2m-high waters engulfing homes and stranding thousands," the spokesman added.

Gaza's Hamas government says thousands of people have been moved to schools and other temporary shelters after the heavy rain over the past four days.

The CA's Middle East correspondent, Yolande Knell, says many homes in Gaza are poorly built and the territory lacks basic infrastructure.

It is suffering fuel shortages which are causing power cuts.

Areas in the West Bank and Israel have seen the heaviest snow for decades.

Roads into Jerusalem are closed to private cars.

Officials say around 30,000 homes are without electricity in Israel.

Courtesy: BBC

Nelson Mandela buried at Qunu ancestral home

noreply@blogger.com (Adil Ali) — Sun, 15 Dec 2013 16:41:00 +0000

Nelson Mandela's body has been laid to rest in a family plot, after political and religious leaders paid tribute to South Africa's first black president at a state funeral service.

His widow, Graca Machel, and President Jacob Zuma were present for the private, traditional Xhosa burial at Mr Mandela's ancestral home in Qunu.

Mr Zuma had earlier told the larger funeral service that South Africans had to take his legacy forward.

Mr Mandela died on 5 December aged 95.

The last of 10 days of commemorations for Mr Mandela began with his coffin being taken on a gun carriage from his home to a giant marquee where his portrait hung behind 95 candles - each representing a year of his life.

The coffin, draped in the South African flag, was placed beneath a lectern where speakers paid their tributes.

Some guests sang and danced to celebrate Mr Mandela's life as the service began.

After the national anthem, the service heard from a family spokesman, Chief Ngangomhlaba Matanzima, who thanked the army medical team that had treated Mr Mandela before he died.

"A great tree has fallen, he is now going home to rest with his forefathers. We thank them for lending us such an icon."

Close friend Ahmed Kathrada, told mourners he had lost an "elder brother" who was with him for many years in prison on Robben island.

Mr Kathrada's voice filled with emotion as he spoke of the difficulty of recent months and of how he had held his friend's hand the last time he saw him in hospital.

"Farewell my dear brother, my mentor, my leader," he said.

Two grandchildren then addressed the congregation. Ndaba who read an obituary, and Nandi, who spoke fondly of her grandfather as a disciplinarian.

"We shall miss you... your stern voice when you are not pleased with our behaviour. We shall miss your laughter," said Nandi.

Listening to the tributes were Graca Machel and Mr Mandela's second wife, Winnie-Madikizela Mandela. They sat either side of President Jacob Zuma.

Both women were praised for their love and tolerance, in an address by Malawi's President Joyce Banda.

African National Congress members, veterans of the fight against apartheid and foreign dignitaries - including several African presidents and the Prince of Wales - were among the guests.

Courtesy: BBC

Iran nuclear: 'Shift in Tehran tone' hailed at UN

noreply@blogger.com (Adil Ali) — Fri, 27 Sep 2013 09:28:00 +0000

US and European allies have welcomed what they called a "significant shift" in Iran's attitude to its nuclear programme, after high-level UN talks.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said after meeting Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif he was struck by the "very different tone".

But Mr Kerry said Iran still had questions to answer.

Substantive talks with Iran on its nuclear programme are due to take place in Geneva from 15 October.

They will involve the five permanent members of the UN Security Council - the US, Russia, Britain, France and China - along with Germany, known as the P5+1.

The US-Iran meeting in New York represented the highest-level direct contact between the countries in six years. Diplomats from the P5+1 were also present.

Mr Kerry said he was pleased that Mr Zarif "put possibilities on the table", but said a lot of work remained to be done and that Iran would have to answer questions about its nuclear programme.

"One meeting and a change in tone, which was welcome, doesn't answer those questions yet," he said.

'Nothing but peaceful'

Mr Zarif called the talks "constructive" and said the diplomats had made progress on resolving international issues in a manner that respected the rights of the Iranian people.

"I am satisfied with this first step," he said. "Now we have to see whether we can match our positive words with serious deeds so we can move forward."

Mr Zarif insisted Iran's nuclear programme was "nothing but peaceful" and pledged to prove it to the international community.

The Iranian foreign minister called sanctions against Iran "counterproductive" and added he hoped all bilateral, unilateral and multilateral sanctions would be lifted in the near future.

Likewise, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said afterwards the tone and spirit of the meeting were "extremely good".

European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said there was an agreement to "go forward with an ambitious timeframe".

However, Iran's new envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Reza Najafi, expressed caution on Friday, saying: "This is the first meeting, so nobody I guess should expect that in just one day we can solve our problems."

New Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has said he wants to reach a deal on the nuclear dispute in three to six months.

But the Americans have said there will be no major concessions on sanctions until the Iranians take concrete steps to reassure the world they are not seeking nuclear weapons.

Iran reaches out

Earlier, President Rouhani told the UN General Assembly that no country should possess nuclear arms.

Iran has been negotiating over the nuclear issue since 2006 with the P5+1.

Since Mr Rouhani's election in June, Iranian officials have reached out to the West, saying they want to address concerns over Iran's nuclear programme.

On Tuesday, Mr Rouhani told the General Assembly that he was prepared to engage in "time-bound and results-oriented" talks.

On Thursday, he called for stricter controls on nuclear weapons as part of a global effort to eventually rid the world of them.

"No nation should possess nuclear weapons, since there are no right hands for these wrong weapons," he said, speaking on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement at the General Assembly.

The P5+1 have asked Iran to halt production and stockpiling of uranium enriched to 20% - a step away from achieving a nuclear weapons capability.

They also demanded Iran shut down the Fordo underground enrichment facility.

In return, they offered to ease the sanctions that have severely affected Iran's economy.

US President Barack Obama has welcomed the new Iranian president's more "moderate course".

He told the UN on Tuesday that the US wanted to resolve the nuclear issue peacefully, but was determined to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.

Mr Rouhani has said he is fully empowered by Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei to negotiate on the issue.

The BBC's Bridget Kendall, who is at the UN, says President Rouhani has signalled a sharp departure from the foreign policy and the tone of his predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose bombastic pronouncements at the UN in the past resulted in walk-outs.

Courtesy: BBC

Pakistan appeals to militants over earthquake

noreply@blogger.com (Adil Ali) — Fri, 27 Sep 2013 09:26:00 +0000

Officials in Pakistan have made an appeal to separatist militant groups in the south-western province affected by the deadly earthquake to halt attacks.

A spokesman for the Balochistan regional government said insurgent attacks were hampering rescue and relief efforts in some districts.

At least 348 people died and hundreds were injured when a 7.7-magnitude quake hit the region on Tuesday.

Rescue teams are still trying to reach affected areas.

The government said that official rescue teams have not been able to reach many affected areas because of poor road networks, says the BBC's Shahzeb Jillani, in Quetta.

Officials estimate that about 300,000 people in six districts have been affected by the earthquake. Survivors need more provisions like food and water and there is also a lack of doctors and medical supplies.

Pakistan's official paramilitary force, the Frontier Corps, has been leading rescue and relief operations.

It already had thousands of soldiers deployed in the area because it is fighting a long-running separatist insurgency by Baloch nationalist rebels.

On Thursday an army helicopter carrying the head of Pakistan's national disaster agency, Maj Gen Alam Saeed, escaped a rocket attack, reports say.

Later, members of the Frontier Corps also came under fire in Awaran, the district worst affected by the quake.

The force stands accused of enforced disappearances and rights abuses in the impoverished and lawless province.

Western aid workers and international charity groups have long been discouraged from working in Balochistan - Pakistan's largest but least populated province.

The quake occurred at a depth of 20km (13 miles) north-east of Awaran, the US Geological Survey said. Many houses were flattened, forcing thousands of people to spend nights in the open.

Awaran is considered a hotbed of the separatist movement and is also the home of a leading separatist militant, correspondents say.

Tuesday's quake was so powerful it was felt as far away as India's capital, Delhi, and Dubai.

Courtesy: BBC

Syria chemical weapons: UN discusses draft resolution

noreply@blogger.com (Adil Ali) — Fri, 27 Sep 2013 09:23:00 +0000

The UN Security Council has discussed a draft resolution on ridding Syria of chemical weapons after the US and Russia agreed the text.

A vote in the 15-member Council could now take place later on Friday, diplomats at the UN in New York said.

The agreement breaks a two-and-a-half year deadlock in the UN over Syria.

It is seen as a key step in a US-Russia brokered plan earlier this month under which Syria agreed to disclose its arsenal and eliminate it by mid-2014.

Russia and China have three times blocked Western-backed resolutions in the Security Council against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

'Binding and enforceable'

The council discussed the draft resolution on Thursday evening at the UN headquarters.

Moscow and Washington had earlier disagreed over the wording of the draft.

The US - backed by France and the UK - had pushed for a resolution carrying the threat of military action. Russia had opposed this. The five nations are permanent veto-wielding members of the council.

But a deal was struck on Thursday.

The US Ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power, tweeted: "Agreement reached w/Russia on UNSC [UN Security Council] Resolution legally obligating #Syria to give up CW [chemical weapons] they used on their people. Going to full UNSC tonight."

She added that the draft "establishes that Syria's use of CW is threat to international peace & security & creates a new norm against the use of CW".

British envoy Sir Mark Lyall Grant also described the document as "binding and enforceable".

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov confirmed that an agreement had been reached.

Although the draft refers to Chapter VII of the UN Charter, which allows the use of military force, a second resolution authorising such a move would be needed.

This is something that Russia would almost certainly veto, the BBC's Nick Bryant in New York reports.

The proposed resolution also says that those responsible for the use of chemical weapons in Syria "should be held accountable".

But there is no mention that they should be tried at the International Criminal Court - a significant weakening from previous drafts, our correspondent adds.

Nevertheless, one senior official at the US state department described the agreement as a "breakthrough", saying the document "makes absolutely clear that failure of the Assad regime to comply will have consequences".

US and Russian officials later said a vote on the proposed resolution could take place as early as Friday evening.

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) still has to signal that it has accepted the US-Russian plan agreed earlier this month.

Then chemical experts can start taking practical steps towards inspecting and securing Syria's stockpiles.

'Serious grounds'

Washington had threatened the Syrian government with military action over a chemical weapons attack in the Ghouta area of Damascus on 21 August.

A UN report on the attack published later confirmed that the nerve agent sarin had been used in a rocket attack there, although it did not apportion blame.

France, the UK and US insist the report clearly backs their stance that only the government forces were capable of carrying out the attack.

Russia rejects this argument. Mr Lavrov has said that Moscow has "serious grounds" to believe the attack had been a provocation by rebel forces.

President Assad also says the opposition forces were to blame.

More than 100,000 people have died since the uprising began in 2011.

Millions of Syrians have fled the country, mostly to neighbouring nations. Millions more have been internally displaced.

Courtesy: BBC

Syria crisis: Obama wins backing for military strike

noreply@blogger.com (Adil Ali) — Tue, 03 Sep 2013 21:00:00 +0000

President Barack Obama has won backing from key US political figures on his plans for a military strike on Syria.

Mr Obama said a "limited" strike was needed to degrade President Bashar al-Assad's capabilities in response to an alleged chemical weapons attack.

Key Republican leaders John Boehner and Eric Cantor both signalled their support for military action. Congress is expected to vote next week.

The UN earlier confirmed that more than two million Syrians were now refugees.

More than 100,000 people are thought to have died since the uprising against President Assad began in March 2011.

'Broader strategy'

President Obama and Vice-President Joe Biden met House Speaker John Boehner, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and the chairmen and ranking members from the national security committees in Washington on Tuesday.

Mr Boehner signalled his support for Mr Obama's call for action, saying that only the US had the capacity to stop President Assad. Mr Boehner urged his colleagues in Congress to follow suit.

Mr Cantor, the House of Representatives majority leader, said he also backed Mr Obama.

The Virginia Republican said: "Assad's Syria, a state sponsor of terrorism, is the epitome of a rogue state, and it has long posed a direct threat to American interests and to our partners."

Ms Pelosi said she did not believe Congress would reject a resolution calling for force.

Mr Obama said that Mr Assad had to be held accountable for the chemical attack and that he was confident Congress would back him.

He said he was proposing military action that would degrade President Assad's capacity to use chemical weapons "now and in the future".

"What we are envisioning is something limited. It is something proportional," the president said.

"At the same time we have a broader strategy that will allow us to upgrade the capabilities of the opposition."

Secretary of State John Kerry, Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel and the top US military officer, Gen Martin Dempsey, are appearing before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.

Mr Kerry told the panel that US allies such as Israel and Jordan were "one stiff breeze" away from potentially being hurt by any fresh chemical weapons attacks, and that US inaction would only embolden the Syrian president.

"This is not the time for armchair isolationism," Mr Kerry said. "This is not the time to be spectators to slaughter. Neither our country nor out conscience can afford the cost of silence.

"We have spoken up against unspeakable horror many times in the past. Now we must stand up and act."

But Mr Kerry said again that there would be no American boots on the ground in Syria and that President Obama was "not asking America to go to war".

Mr Hagel said that "the word of the United States must mean something" and echoed Mr Kerry when adding: "A refusal to act would undermine the credibility of America's other security commitments, including the president's commitment to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon."

There will also be a classified briefing for all members of Congress.

Mr Obama will head to Sweden late on Tuesday for a G20 meeting sure to be dominated by Syria.

France has strongly backed the US plan for military action.

President Francois Hollande said on Tuesday: "When a chemical massacre takes place, when the world is informed of it, when the evidence is delivered, when the guilty parties are known, then there must be an answer."

He called for Europe to unite on the issue, but said he would wait for the Congress vote.

If Congress did not support military action France "would not act alone", he said.

UK Prime Minister David Cameron had also backed Mr Obama, but Parliament rejected a resolution on military action.

On Tuesday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said that the organisation's charter permitted military action only in self defence or with the agreement of the Security Council.

Mr Ban said a US military response could create more turmoil, but that if chemical weapons had been used in Syria then the Security Council should unite and take action against what would be "an outrageous war crime".

The US has put the death toll from the attack on the outskirts of Damascus on 21 August at 1,429, including 426 children, though other countries and organisations have given lower figures.

The Syrian government denies any involvement.

In an interview with French newspaper Le Figaro on Monday, President Assad said such an action would have been "illogical".

He warned that foreign military action could ignite a wider regional conflict.

As tensions rose on Tuesday, a senior Israeli defence official confirmed to the BBC that a missile had been fired to test its defence systems.

The BBC's Richard Galpin in Jerusalem says it is a sign that Israel is taking very seriously the possibility that any US air strikes could lead to retaliatory attacks on Israel - either by Syria itself or by its ally, the Shia militia Hezbollah in Lebanon.

'Overwhelming burden'

Earlier, the UN refugee agency said that more than two million Syrians were now registered as refugees, after the total went up by a million in the past six months.

It said in a statement: "Syria is haemorrhaging women, children and men who cross borders often with little more than the clothes on their backs."

Around half of those forced to leave are children, UN agencies estimate, with about three-quarters of them under 11.

As well as those who have left the country, a further 4.25 million have been displaced within Syria, the UNHCR says, meaning that more people from Syria are now forcibly displaced than from other country.

Pointing out that more than 97% of Syria's refugees are being hosted by countries in the surrounding region, the UNHCR said the influx was "placing an overwhelming burden on their infrastructures, economies and societies".

It appealed again for "massive international support".

On Tuesday, Sweden announced it would become the first European country to grant asylum to all Syrian refugees who apply. They will get permanent resident status.

Sweden has taken in 14,700 asylum seekers from Syria since 2012.

The UN says this is the worst refugee crisis for 20 years, with numbers not seen since the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.

Courtesy: BBC

UK 'to lead world' on aid for Syrian refugees

noreply@blogger.com (Adil Ali) — Tue, 03 Sep 2013 20:56:00 +0000

The UK will "lead the world" in getting humanitarian aid to refugees in Syria, David Cameron has vowed.

The prime minister repeated his assurance that there will not be another vote in Parliament on military action after MPs rejected it last week.

But he said the Commons defeat does not mean he can "do nothing" to help those affected by the two-year civil war.

London Mayor Boris Johnson has said MPs should reconsider military action if the US opts to launch strikes.

But Mr Cameron appeared to rule out such an option, saying: "I think Parliament spoke very clearly and it's important to respect the view of Parliament, so I am not planning to return to Parliament to ask again about British military action."

'Vital aid'

He added: "Now, that does not mean we do nothing on Syria. We are already the second largest aid donor in delivering the humanitarian aid that is so needed, both in Syria and in the neighbouring countries like Jordan and Turkey.

"We'll go on doing that. We will help lead the world in that effort and make further efforts at the G20 to make sure that vital aid gets through."

Mr Cameron, who spoke during a school visit in Birmingham, said he would use the G20 meeting of world leaders in Russia later this week to press for help for the refugees as well as progress on diplomatic efforts to secure a stalled peace conference.

The United Nations has warned that one-third of Syria's population have been forced from their homes by the conflict, with another 4.25 million displaced within the country.

Britain's £348m commitment to help those affected by the Syrian conflict had saved "tens of thousands of lives", said Mr Cameron, adding: "It is difficult to get some of the aid into Syria itself but we must continue to try to crack these problems.

"Britain, as ever, is a world leader in helping those who need help and the people of Syria are right up there at the front of that right now."

Foreign Secretary William Hague earlier told MPs Britain "will do more" to help the relief effort.

'Mutual consent'

US President Barack Obama is expected to use the G20 meeting in St Petersburg to rally other world leaders in support of US action, although his efforts are unlikely to sway G20 host host Vladimir Putin, a long-term backer of President Assad.

Mr Obama has indicated that he is "confident" of getting approval from Congress for a US military response to chemical weapons attacks on a rebel-held suburb of Damascus on 21 August.

Syria is not on the formal agenda for the G20 summit, but Downing Street made clear that Mr Cameron expects to take part in intensive discussions during the gathering.

Shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander, for Labour, said the UK government should have pushed for Syria to be part of the G20's formal agenda, rather than being discussed "on the margins".

But Foreign Secretary William Hague said the venue for discussions was not the issue, but how "we bring about a transitional government in Syria, formed from government and opposition by mutual consent".

He also told MPs Britain was prepared to talk to Iran about Syria, but cautioned MPs about the possibility of success, given that country's previous record on the issue.

"The test for Iran is whether it is prepared to play a constructive role, because Iran has, from all the evidence presented, been actively supporting the Syrian regime, including in the killing of so many innocent people in Syria. It hasn't played a constructive role so far but we are prepared to talk to it."

In other developments on Tuesday Israel carried out a joint missile test with the US in the Mediterranean, as Congress prepared for its first public hearings on whether the US should launch military action.

London Mayor Boris Johnson says he believed Congress would back President Obama in next week's vote and the British Parliament should "think again" about UK involvement in military action in Syria.

'Retribution'

Asked what could be achieved by bombing Syria, Mr Johnson said: "It will show that in the end, when a tyrant decides to use unlawful weapons, gas, to murder innocent civilians, we will not stand idly by."

He told London radio station LBC 97.3: "I have been very hostile and sceptical about British involvement in Syria - we all remember what happened in Iraq. But if you see someone gassing innocent civilians, that is a chilling, chilling memory for people in Europe of what happened in the 1930s and 1940s and of the cost of doing nothing."

Mr Johnson added: "What I have said is if it can be proved that it really was the Assad regime that was responsible, and there's more proof, there's more evidence coming in, and if the Americans - who after all are the only real power that has the men and the material to deliver any retribution - can come up with a plan that is coherent, that is limited, that is punitive in some way but does not actually engage the West in some long-term commitment in a Syrian conflict, then I think there is a case for Britain looking again at whether or not we should participate."

If President Obama secured the backing of US politicians, Mr Johnson said "in those circumstances I think it would be appropriate for us to look at what new evidence there is, look at what the Americans are actually proposing, see whether it's coherent, see whether it's limited, see whether it's commensurate with what has happened, see whether it will deliver a plausible outcome".

He added: "I think it would be reasonable in those circumstances for Parliament to think again."

Courtesy: BBC

Iraq unrest: US condemns Eid attacks

noreply@blogger.com (Adil Ali) — Sun, 11 Aug 2013 14:40:00 +0000

The US has condemned Saturday's bombings and shootings in Iraq in which more than 60 people were killed.

It said those carrying out the attacks during celebrations marking the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan were enemies of Iraq and the international community.

The state department said the attacks bore the hallmarks of Al-Qaeda in Iraq.

This Ramadan in Iraq is thought to have been one of the deadliest in years, with more than 670 people killed.

In a statement, the state department said: "The terrorists who committed these acts are enemies of Islam and a shared enemy of the United States, Iraq, and the international community."
It reiterated its offer of a $10m (£6.5m) reward for information leading to the death or capture of the group's leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi."He has taken personal credit for a series of terrorist attacks in Iraq since 2011, and most recently claimed credit for the operations against the Abu Ghraib prison outside Baghdad, the suicide bombing assault on the ministry of justice, among other attacks against Iraqi security forces and Iraqi citizens," the statement said.
Most of the casualties were in the capital, Baghdad, which was hit by apparently co-ordinated car bombings near markets, cafes and restaurants.
Most of the violence in the past six months has involved Sunni Islamist militant groups targeting Shia Muslim districts, although both Shia and Sunni areas were hit on Saturday.
More than 4,000 people have died in such attacks this year. A further 9,865 have been injured, with Baghdad province the worst hit.
Last week, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki vowed to continue operations against militants, saying: "We will not leave our children to these murderers and those standing behind them and supporting both inside and outside."

Many Sunnis accuse Mr Maliki's Shia-led government of marginalising them.The spike in violence in Iraq has raised fears of a return to the levels of sectarian killing seen following the US invasion 10 years ago, and has led commentators to discuss once again the prospect of partition along community lines.
The Iraqi government has also faced widespread criticism over corruption and the provision of basic services.
The conflict in neighbouring Syria, itself increasingly taking the form of a Sunni-Shia sectarian conflict, is further straining community relations in Iraq.

Courtesy: BBC

Loose rail connector 'caused France train crash'

noreply@blogger.com (Adil Ali) — Sat, 13 Jul 2013 13:06:00 +0000

The train crash south of Paris which left six people dead was caused by a fault in the rail tracks, says the state rail company.

SNCF said a metal bar connecting two rails had become detached close to Bretigny-sur-Orge station.

Earlier, Transport Minister Frederic Cuvillier ruled out human error and praised the train driver for averting a worse accident.

Thirty people were injured in the accident, eight of them seriously.

The train had just left Paris on Friday afternoon and was heading for Limoges when it derailed at Bretigny-sur-Orge.

Giving its initial findings, SNCF management told reporters the connector had worked its way loose and become detached at points 200m from Bretigny station causing the train to derail.

The inquiry is now expected to focus on how the piece of metal had become detached, and checks on these components are to be carried out on the whole of the network.

Courtesy: BBC

Canada train blast: More bodies found in Lac-Megantic

noreply@blogger.com (Adil Ali) — Sat, 13 Jul 2013 13:05:00 +0000

Canadian police say 28 bodies have now been found following the train disaster in the Quebec town of Lac-Megantic.

Another 22 people are missing and presumed dead after a train carrying oil derailed and exploded in the town.

Meanwhile, a candlelight vigil scheduled for Friday evening was cancelled due to police concerns over large crowds.

Investigations are continuing into the cause of blast, which saw some 2,000 residents forced to flee their homes.

The town centre - where large areas have been wiped out - is being treated as a crime scene.

Saturday will mark one week since the disaster.

'Emergency situation'

The train, carrying 72 cars of crude oil, was parked shortly before midnight on Friday in the town of Nantes about seven miles (11km) away.

It later rolled downhill, gathering speed until it derailed in Lac-Megantic and exploded.

Police say they have identified eight of the recovered bodies.

Officers working in the disaster zone have had "a great deal of difficulty" because of strong petrol fumes, Quebec provincial police spokesman Michel Forget said.

One has been named as 93-year-old Elianne Parenteau.

Mourners laid flowers and tributes in memory of those killed at a church near the crash site on Friday.

The town's mayor cancelled the first vigil planned, saying it would overwhelm the town.

"Our capacity to welcome visitors is really saturated," Mayor Colette Roy-Laroche said.

"We are still in an emergency situation."

Other vigils are being held across Quebec, including in Montreal, Gatineau and Trois-Rivieres.

'Extreme anger'

Quebec Premier Pauline Marois visited Lac-Magentic on Thursday, and criticised the rail company's response to the crash.

She said Rail World chief executive Edward Burkhart's attitude was "unacceptable" and "deplorable".

She also announced a C$60m (£38m; $57m) fund to help victims and rebuild the town.

Mr Burkhardt revealed on Wednesday that an engineer who was in charge of driving the train had been suspended without pay, after being accused of failing to set a series of hand brakes.

"I understand the extreme anger," he said. "We owe an abject apology to the people in this town."

Authorities have asked the relatives of those still missing to provide DNA samples.

Officials have also warned that some of the bodies may have been burnt to ashes in the explosion.

Courtesy: BBC

International concern over Egypt clashes

noreply@blogger.com (Adil Ali) — Sat, 06 Jul 2013 14:50:00 +0000

The United States and United Nations have expressed concern about Friday's violence in Egypt following the overthrow of President Mohammed Morsi, in which more than 30 people died.

The US state department urged Egypt's leaders to put a stop to the violence. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called for demonstrators to be protected.

The army removed Mr Morsi on Wednesday following protests by millions.

Pro-Morsi protesters were gathering on Saturday in Cairo's Nasr City area.

The ousted Islamist president's opponents have called for demonstrations against the Muslim Brotherhood, to which he belongs, on Sunday.

He is in detention, along with some senior Brotherhood figures.

Early on Saturday, state media reported the Brotherhood's deputy leader Khairat el-Shater had been arrested at his Cairo home on suspicion of incitement to violence.

Meanwhile the army issued a statement on its Facebook page denying that some of its field commanders were putting pressure on the commander-in-chief to reinstate President Morsi.

"These rumours... come within the context of the continued attempts to spread rumours and lies as one of the methods of the systematic information warfare being waged against the armed forces with the aim of dividing its ranks and striking at its strong cohesion...," the statement said.

In a separate development, former president Hosni Mubarak appeared in court on charges of corruption and involvement in the deaths of protesters during the 2011 revolution that ousted him and ultimately brought Mr Morsi to power.

The trial was adjourned until 17 August.

'Horrifying reports'

Some 36 people died and more than 1,000 were hurt in Friday's clashes, which have been condemned by the US.

"We call on all Egyptian leaders to condemn the use of force and to prevent further violence among their supporters," said state department spokeswoman Jen Psaki.

Mr Ban's spokesman Farhan Haq said that it was for the people of Egypt to determine the way forward - and all people, including women, needed to be part of that process.

He referred to "horrifying reports of sexual violence".

"The Secretary-General believes strongly that this is a critical juncture in which it is imperative for Egyptians to work together to chart a peaceful return to civilian control, constitutional order, and democratic governance," Mr Haq said.

"Egypt's political leaders have a responsibility to signal, by their words and their actions, their commitment to a peaceful and democratic dialogue which includes all of Egypt's constituencies, including women."

The comments came as at least 12 people died and 200 were injured in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, mostly from gunshot wounds. Eight died in two separate clashes in the capital Cairo.

Four of those were killed after troops opened fire on crowds as they advanced on the headquarters of the Republican Guard, where Mr Morsi is believed to be held.

In the evening, another four died when Brotherhood supporters surged across the 6th October Bridge over the Nile river, towards Tahrir Square where anti-Morsi protesters were gathered, before tanks arrived to separate the protesters and the violence died down.

'No arbitrary measures'

There were clashes in other parts of Egypt on Friday.

Islamist attacks on the Sinai peninsula left five police and one soldier dead, security officials said, while unidentified gunmen reportedly shot dead a Coptic priest in northern Sinai on Saturday.

The Health Ministry said one protester was killed in the central city of Assiut, and one in Suez. Another three people died in the Suez Canal city of Ismailiya.

The army command had said it would not take "arbitrary measures against any faction or political current" and would guarantee the right to protest, as long as demonstrations did not threaten national security.

On Thursday the head of Egypt's constitutional court, Adly Mahmud Mansour, was sworn in as interim head of state, and he promised to hold elections soon.

The next day Mr Mansour dissolved the upper house - or Shura Council - which had been dominated by Morsi supporters and had served as the sole legislative body after the lower house was dissolved last year.

The Tamarod [Rebel] movement - which organised recent anti-Morsi protests - had accused the ousted president of pursuing an Islamist agenda against the wishes of most Egyptians, and of failing to tackle economic problems.

Courtesy: BBC

'Dozens dead' in school attack in Nigeria's Yobe state

noreply@blogger.com (Adil Ali) — Sat, 06 Jul 2013 14:47:00 +0000

At least 29 pupils and a teacher have been killed in a pre-dawn attack by suspected Islamists on a school in northeastern Nigeria, reports say.

Eyewitnesses said some of the victims were burned alive in the attack, in Mamudo town, Yobe state.

Dozens of schools have been burned in attacks by Islamists since 2010.

Yobe is one of three states where President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in May, sending thousands of troops to the area.

A reporter from the Associated Press found chaotic scenes at the hospital in nearby Potiskum, where traumatised parents struggled to identify their children among the charred bodies and gunshot victims.

Survivors said suspected militants arrived with containers full of fuel and set fire to the school.

Some pupils were burned alive, others were shot as they tried to flee.

The BBC's Will Ross, in Lagos, says this area has frequently been attacked by the Boko Haram militant group.

More than 600 people were believed to have been killed in 2012 by the group, which is fighting to overthrow the government and create an Islamic state in Nigeria's predominantly Muslim north.

US NSA 'probed fewer than 300 phone calls'

noreply@blogger.com (Adil Ali) — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 17:52:00 +0000

The US government searched for detailed information on fewer than 300 phone numbers last year, according to a government paper.

They were among millions of phone and email records collected by the National Security Agency (NSA) in 2012, it says.

The paper adds that such searches led to two men who were plotting to attack New York's subway system in 2009.

The newly declassified paper has been circulated within the government by US intelligence agencies.

It was made public by the Senate Intelligence Committee on Sunday.

The document appears to be an attempt to counter accusations that the government went too far in investigating potential militant plots.

The administration insists that even though the NSA collects massive amounts of data on message traffic from US-based telephone and internet companies, such data collection is legal, subject to tight controls and does not intrude on the privacy of ordinary Americans - and that gathered data is destroyed every five years.

The paper repeats assertions by administration spokesmen that NSA email and telephone data-collection programmes helped disrupt "dozens of potential terrorist plots here in the homeland and in more than 20 countries around the world".

No details about the plots or the countries involved are revealed.

The paper's release follows a testing week for US intelligence officials who testified in Congress, defending programmes that were unknown to the public - and some lawmakers - until they were revealed by a series of stories in the Guardian and the Washington Post newspapers.

These were based on information leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, who is in hiding in Hong Kong.

Cameron: UK and Russia 'can overcome Syria differences'

noreply@blogger.com (Adil Ali) — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 17:50:00 +0000

David Cameron and President Putin can overcome differences on Syria to bring new momentum to efforts to stop the killing in Syria, the PM has said.

Mr Cameron said it was no secret he and the Russian president had disagreements over Syria, but they shared a common aim - to end the conflict.

Both wanted to keep Syria intact and get a transitional government in place, he said.

Mr Putin was at No 10 for talks ahead of the G8 summit in Northern Ireland.

Speaking after the meeting, Mr Cameron said they had discussed three issues - the "rules of the game for the world economy", particularly on tax and company ownership; working together more closely on issues like science and space, trade and investment; and the situation in Syria.

'Common ground'

He said it was "no secret" that the two leaders had disagreements over Syria.

But he added: "What I take from our conversation today is that we can overcome these differences if we recognise that we share some fundamental aims: to end the conflict, to stop Syria breaking apart, to let the Syrian people decide who governs them and to take the fight to the extremists and defeat them."

He added: "We will use the opportunity of having G8 leaders together to try and build on this common ground."

President Putin said he did not agree that efforts to secure peace talks had been "thwarted". The conflict could only "be resolved by political and diplomatic means", he said.

Along with the US, Moscow has been leading efforts to organise peace talks in Geneva next month but the Syrian opposition has not said whether it will attend.

On Friday, the US announced it would supply some rebels with direct military aid after seeing evidence of chemical weapons use by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

Moscow is unconvinced about the evidence on chemical weapons and has said it will supply President Assad with advanced anti-aircraft missiles.

Mr Cameron said earlier that no decision had been taken on whether the UK would follow the US's lead but told the Murnaghan programme it was "right to send a very clear message to Assad that he shouldn't think he can just win this conflict in a military way".

He said there were "very dangerous" elements within the Syrian opposition, who he would like to see "driven out of Syria", but there were also moderate elements who supported a "free" and "pluralistic" system.

"If we don't work with those elements of the Syrian opposition, then we can't be surprised if the only elements of the Syrian opposition that are... actually making any progress in Syria, are the ones that we don't approve of," he said.

'Act of folly'

Earlier his Lib Dem deputy, Nick Clegg, told the BBC's Andrew Marr programme: "We clearly don't think it [arming the rebels] is the right thing to do now otherwise we would have decided to do it."

Lib Dem Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander said the case was "not proven yet" that arming the rebels would make a difference and former Lib Dem leader Lord Ashdown said it would be "an act of very considerable folly" to do so.

Mr Cameron has also been under pressure from his own backbenchers to hold a vote in Parliament on the issue. He told Sky: "I never want to stand in the way of Parliament having a say one way or another... [but] we are not there yet, we have not made that decision."

Julian Lewis, Conservative MP for New Forest East, told BBC Radio 4's the World This Weekend it would be "very unwise" to arm the rebels "behind Parliament's back".

He also said arming the Syrian opposition, when it includes extremist elements, would be "suicidal" as it could mean chemical weapons being used by the regime falling into the hands of al-Qaeda.

MPs 'unease'

On the same programme, Conservative Business Minister Michael Fallon rejected suggestions Mr Cameron was "keen" to arm the rebels: "I don't think anyone's keen to do anything in the Syria situation."

He added: "It's got to be done, as far as possible, in negotiation. If there's any further action to be taken it's got to be done internationally, if it's to have any chance of success and yes, the House of Commons should certainly have a say if there's to be any new British action."

Shadow Foreign Secretary Douglas Alexander said there was "unease" across Westminster about arming the rebels and questioned how the government could stop weapons falling into the wrong hands.

"The G8 is a key window of opportunity for David Cameron to exert pressure on President Putin and it is vital that he uses the coming hours to do so," he said.

Two years of civil war in Syria has left an estimated 93,000 people dead.

The G8 summit - a meeting of eight global leaders to address international issues - takes place in Lough Erne, County Fermanagh on Monday and Tuesday.

Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the US and the UK will be represented.

Mr Cameron will also meet President Obama ahead of the summit.

Courtesy: BBC

12 people shot at New Orleans Mother’s Day parade

noreply@blogger.com (Adil Ali) — Sun, 12 May 2013 22:33:00 +0000

"12 people shot at New Orleans Mother’s Day parade"

Atleast 12 people have been shot during a Mother’s Day parade in the US city of New Orleans, BBC reported.

Police Superintendent Ronal Serpas told reporters that 3 to 4 people required surgery but no deaths are reported.

He added that the victims included a 10-year-old girl who suffered a minor wound.

It is uncertain what sparked the shooting, which happened on Sunday afternoon in the city’s 7th Ward. Two or three suspects were seen fleeing the area.

WWL-TV station said 9 of those injured were taken to the city’s University Hospital, of whom 8 had gunshot wounds and one was injured while escaping the shooting.

Superintendent Serpas said about 200 people were in the area at the time of the incident at a second-line parade; a loose procession where people follow a brass band and dance down the street.

Source : BBC

UK to host Somalia conference

noreply@blogger.com (Adil Ali) — Tue, 07 May 2013 08:31:00 +0000

UK Prime Minister David Cameron is to host an international conference in London to help Somalia end more than two decades of conflict.

The conference will focus on rebuilding its security forces and tackling rape - a largely taboo subject in Somalia.

Somalia is widely regarded as a failed state, hit by an Islamist insurgency, piracy and a famine from 2010 to 2012.

At least seven people were killed in a car bomb attack in the capital, Mogadishu, on Sunday.

Al-Shabab, which is part of al-Qaeda, said it carried out the attack.

Tuesday's meeting - which Mr Cameron will co-host with Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud - follows similar conferences in London and the Turkish city of Istanbul last year, amid growing international concern that Somalia has turned into a haven for al-Qaeda-linked militants.

'Dramatic change'

"I hope we can all get behind a long-term security plan - one that ends the Shabab's reign of terror forever," Mr Cameron said.

"I also hope we can improve transparency and accountability so people know where resources are going. We also need to continue the process of rebuilding the Somali state, with all the regions of Somalia around the table and the neighbouring countries too."

BBC Somalia analyst Mary Harper says there has been a dramatic change in the country in the past year.

There is a new government - the first one in more than two decades to be recognised by the United States, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other key players, she says.

Al-Shabab has lost control of the major towns, pirate attacks off the Somali coast have fallen dramatically and the famine, which the United Nations estimates claimed nearly 260,000 lives, is over, she adds.

However, massive challenges remain, as al-Shabab still has the capacity to carry out attacks and the government depends on about 18,000 African Union (AU) troops for its security, our correspondent says.

Somalia is also divided into a patchwork of self-governing regions, many of them hostile to the central government.

The breakaway state of Somaliland and the semi-autonomous region of Puntland say they will boycott the conference.

The conference will address an issue that was until recently completely taboo in Somalia - rape, especially of women living in camps for displaced people, our correspondent says.

Somali aid worker Halima Ali Adan told the BBC the decision to tackle the issue at the conference was a big step forward.

"Sexual violence is something that was not ever spoken about in Somalia," she said.

"The international community themselves have seen the importance of this issue to be addressed as soon as possible because it is actually overwhelming."

Delegates from more than 50 countries and organisations are expected to attend the meeting.

On Monday, Qatar said Sunday's suicide attack in Mogadishu had targeted its officials, Qatar's official QNA news agency reported.

The four officials were travelling in armoured vehicles belonging to the Somali government when the convoy was attacked, it said.

None of the Qatari nationals were injured, QNA reported.

However, 10 other people were wounded in the attack, according to a BBC correspondent in Mogadishu.

Dutch Queen Beatrix abdicates in favour of son

noreply@blogger.com (Adil Ali) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 10:47:00 +0000

Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands has handed the throne to her son Prince Willem-Alexander.

The 75-year-old monarch signed the instrument of abdication in Amsterdam after 33 years on the throne.

Willem-Alexander has now become the country's first king since 1890.

Huge crowds of orange-clad partygoers are in Amsterdam to pay tribute to the popular queen, who has maintained a recent Dutch tradition in handing over to a new generation.

'Heart-warming affection'

Queen Beatrix announced her intention to stand down in January, saying her son was ready to reign and that it was time for the throne to be held by "a new generation".

She formally relinquished the throne at a short ceremony in the Royal Palace on Tuesday, signing a statement which read: "I now withdraw from my office of Queen of the Netherlands, and the monarchy will now be transferred to my eldest son, Willem-Alexander."

About a million visitors were expected in Amsterdam, and street parties are taking place across the nation.

There were huge cheers from the crowds outside, watching on giant screens in Dam Square, as she and the prince and his wife Maxima - a 41-year-old Argentine-born investment banker - signed the abdication deed.

The visibly emotional queen, now Princess Beatrix, told the crowds: "I am happy and grateful to introduce to you your new king, Willem-Alexander."

King Willem-Alexander thanked mother for "33 moving and interesting years", saying he and the Dutch public and people in Dutch overseas territories were "intensely grateful" to her.

The three then held hands on the balcony as the national anthem was played, before the new king and queen's three young daughters were brought out to wave at the crowds.

Their eldest daughter, nine-year-old Catharina-Amalia, has become Princess of Orange and is now first in line to the throne.

Willem-Alexander will later be officially sworn at the Nieuwe Kerk, before a joint session of the Dutch parliament.

In the evening, the royal family will take part in a water pageant.

The ceremonies will be attended by other invited royals and high-ranking dignitaries, including Britain's Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia of Spain and Denmark's Crown Prince Frederik and his wife.

On Monday, Queen Beatrix thanked the nation, saying the people's devotion had given her the strength to carry on during her 33-year reign.

"Without your heart-warming and encouraging displays of affection, the burdens, which certainly have existed, would have weighed heavily," she said.

Paying tribute to her late husband Prince Claus, who died in 2002, she said he had helped modernise the House of Orange.

"Perhaps history will bear out that the choice of my partner was my best decision," said the monarch, who is known affectionately as Queen Bea.

She said hereditary authority of itself did not give substance to a contemporary monarchy; rather this was earned through "the will to serve the country".

Willem-Alexander is well-prepared for the task ahead of him and will stand above party and group interests, she said.

Willem-Alexander has already said he wants to "be a king that can bring society together, representative and encouraging in the 21st Century".

"People can address me as they wish because then they can feel comfortable."

Abdication 'tradition'

Queen Beatrix is the sixth monarch from the House of Orange-Nassau, which has ruled the Netherlands since the early 19th Century.

Correspondents say she is extremely popular with most Dutch people, but her abdication was widely expected and will not provoke a constitutional crisis.

Under Dutch law, the monarch has few powers and the role is considered ceremonial.

He or she is expected to be politically impartial, co-sign acts of parliament, help with the formation of new governments and to both undertake and host state visits

King Willem-Alexander has become not only the monarch of the Netherlands but also the Dutch Caribbean territories of Curacao, Aruba and Saint Maarten.

In recent decades it has become the tradition for the monarch to abdicate.

Queen Beatrix's mother Juliana resigned the throne in 1980 on her 71st birthday, and her grandmother Wilhelmina abdicated in 1948 at the age of 68.

Queen Beatrix has remained active in recent years, but her reign has also seen traumatic events.

In 2009 a would-be attacker killed eight people when he drove his car into crowds watching the queen and other members of the royal family in a national holiday parade.

In February last year her second son, Prince Friso, was struck by an avalanche in Austria and remains in a coma.

Courtesy: bbc

UAE president to meet Queen on UK state visit

noreply@blogger.com (Adil Ali) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 10:44:00 +0000

The president of the United Arab Emirates is on a two-day state visit to Britain amid claims that three Britons were tortured in Dubai before being jailed on drug charges.

Sheikh Khalifa Al-Nahyan will be hosted by the Queen at Windsor Castle. He will meet David Cameron on Wednesday.

Mr Cameron has said he will raise the case of the imprisoned Britons, who were jailed for four years each.

The UAE is Britain's largest export market in the Middle East.

The two countries have a growing partnership in defence and security.

President Al-Nahyan's state visit follows one made by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh to the UAE in 2010 and a visit there by Mr Cameron last November.

The president's late father, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan paid a state visit to the United Kingdom in 1989.

Annual bilateral trade between the UK and the UAE now exceeds £10bn. More than a million Britons visit the UAE each year.

A squadron of RAF Tornado jets is based at Al-Minhad, a discreet and well-guarded airbase south of Dubai, which is one of the seven emirates which make up the UAE.

The BBC's security correspondent, Frank Gardner, says millions of pounds have been spent by the UAE upgrading the base, which will soon serve as a vital staging post for the withdrawal of British combat forces and their equipment from Afghanistan.

Torture claims

On Monday, east Londoners Suneet Jeerh, 25, Grant Cameron, 25, and Karl Williams, 26, were found guilty of possessing synthetic cannabis in Dubai.

The men say they were subjected to torture by police, including electric shocks and beatings.

Police in Dubai have denied any wrongdoing and say an internal investigation into the torture allegations found no evidence to support the claims.

Legal rights charity Reprieve has taken on their case and, in an earlier letter to the campaign group, the prime minister wrote: "We continue to press for evidence for a full, impartial and independent investigation into the allegations.

"The absence of an independent medical examination remains a concern.

"During the state visit of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed there will be opportunities to raise a wide range of issues including concerns about this and other consular cases."

Greek parliament approves 15,000 civil service job cuts

noreply@blogger.com (Adil Ali) — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 21:41:00 +0000

The Greek parliament has passed a bill which will see 15,000 state employees lose their jobs by the end of next year.

The bill is part of continuing moves by the centre-right government to cut costs and ensure more bailout money from international creditors.

The law is a condition for Greece to receive its next tranche of loans worth 8.8bn euros (£7.4bn; $11.4bn).

Hundreds of people protested against the bill outside parliament.

The new law will overturn what had been a constitutional guarantee for civil servants of a job for life, says the BBC's Mark Lowen in Athens.

The sector has been seen as notoriously bloated since it expanded in the 1970s and 1980s as successive administrations employed their own people, our correspondent adds.

Some 2,000 civil servants will lose their jobs by the end of June, reports Kathimerini newspaper.

State workers who have broken rules will be targeted for dismissal, but many are expected to be replaced by younger employees in key sectors such as health.

So the law would not slim down the public sector, our correspondent says. That would be achieved by a parallel plan that would see 150,000 state jobs go by the end of 2015, by replacing only some of those who retire.

Divisions

As MPs debated the measures inside parliament, several hundred demonstrators outside took part in a protest called by Adedy, the civil service trade confederation, and the private sector GSEE union.

They were demonstrating against what the unions called "those politicians who are dismantling the public service and destroying the welfare state".

Critics say the law, which is part of a larger package of measures, will only add to Greece's record unemployment rate of 27%.

The conservative coalition, led by Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, has 167 seats in the 300-seat parliament so the measure was expected to pass.

However, there are reports of divisions within his government on some issues and there is speculation he could reshuffle his ministerial team soon.

Eurozone finance ministers are expected to decide on the next instalment of aid for debt-ridden Greece at a meeting on 16 May.

Since 2010, the European Union and the IMF have promised more than 200bn euros in lending for Greece, the first country to be hit by the eurozone crisis.

The government has imposed tough austerity measures in return for aid, including cuts in pay and pensions leading to numerous general strikes.

Courtesy: bbc

Italy gunman 'targeted politicians' in Rome shooting

noreply@blogger.com (Adil Ali) — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 21:40:00 +0000

A gunman who shot and seriously injured two policemen outside the Italian PM's office in Rome was acting out of anger at politicians, prosecutors allege.

A suspect named as 49-year-old Luigi Preiti was arrested at the scene.

Rome prosecutor, Pierfilippo Laviani, said the gunman had hoped to target politicians but as he was unable to, he shot the police officers instead.

The attack came as a new government was sworn in across the city at the Quirinale Palace.

Democratic Party Deputy Leader (PD), Enrico Letta, 46, becomes prime minister at the head of a "grand coalition" including Silvio Berlusconi's People of Freedom party (PDL).

'Isolated act'

Mr Preiti was reported to be an unemployed man from the southern region of Calabria with no criminal record.

The Ansa news agency said the gunman, dressed in a dark business suit, fired several shots outside the Chigi palace, about a kilometre (mile) away from the Quirinale and had acted alone.

There had been earlier reports that the gunman may have suffered mental problems.

Ansa quoted Mr Preiti's brother as saying that Mr Preiti suffered no such disorders and that the family was shocked at what had happened.

The agency reported that Mr Preiti had separated from his wife, with whom he has a son.

Prosecutor Pierfilippo Laviani said Mr Preiti had "lost his job, he had lost everything".

"He has confessed everything. He doesn't seem to be a deranged individual," Mr Laviani said.

The new Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said it appeared the shooting was an "isolated act" and that there were no concerns for "the general situation of public order in the country".

The most seriously hurt police officer was named as Giuseppe Giangrande, who suffered neck or spinal injuries and is being treated at the Policlinico Umberto.

The second officer was also seriously hurt, with a leg wound, while a pregnant woman who was passing by was slightly injured.

Mr Preiti was being treated at a separate hospital.

Rome Mayor Gianni Alemanno said shortly after the shooting: "It's not an act of terrorism but certainly the [political] climate of the past few months has not helped."

Italy had been in political deadlock since February's general election. A new government was agreed on Saturday.

Correspondents say the new "grand coalition" between Italy's current main right- and left-wing parties is unprecedented, and will probably prove an uneasy alliance.

Mr Berlusconi will not be a minister but Mr Alfano, the PDL secretary and one of Mr Berlusconi's closest political allies, is the deputy PM as well as interior minister.

Bank of Italy director general Fabrizio Saccomanni heads the powerful economy ministry and Emma Bonino is foreign minister.

The third strongest force to emerge from the Italian election, the Five Star movement led by former comedian, Beppe Grillo, has refused to take part in a coalition.

The country is still plagued by economic woes after becoming one of the first eurozone victims of the global financial crisis of 2008.

US soldier admits 2009 killings in Iraq

noreply@blogger.com (Adil Ali) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 11:33:00 +0000

LOS ANGELES: A US soldier pleaded guilty to killing five of his colleagues in Iraq four years ago, in a plea deal to escape a death sentence, a military spokesman said.

Army Sergeant John Russell was accused of the May 2009 murders at a clinic for soldiers suffering from war-related stress at Camp Liberty, the largest US base in Iraq.

Russell, who has previously denied responsibility, “said ‘I killed these people,’ he acknowledged that,” said Gary Dangerfield, a spokesman for the Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM), south of Seattle.

After pleading guilty, Russell gave an account of the killings for the first time, the Los Angeles Times reported. The victims were three soldiers receiving care at the clinic and two medical officers. “I just did it out of rage, sir,” he told the military judge, Colonel David Conn, describing how he walked from room to room firing at mental health workers and patients.

“I was upset. I do not remember being angry, but I know that everyone who witnessed me outside the combat stress clinic said I looked angry,” the LA Times quoted him as saying.

“What I remember most was I just wanted to kill myself. One hundred percent, I had decided to kill myself.” The JBLM spokesman added that Russell has not admitted premeditated murder, which prosecutors have been trying to prove. “He’s just saying he murdered them. He didn’t say it was premeditated, based upon his mental condition,” Dangerfield told AFP.

“What we’ve agreed upon is the death penalty will be taken off the table, so that ... the maximum he will face is life in prison without parole,” he said, adding the sentence will be decided at a court martial. Relatives of two of the victims listened in the courtroom at the JBLM in the northwestern US state of Washington.

The mother of one of them, Michael Yates Jr., broke down as he described chasing her son and fatally shooting him, after a gun which Yates had grabbed turned out to be unloaded, the LA Times reported.

UK government borrowing sees slight dip

noreply@blogger.com (Adil Ali) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 16:36:00 +0000

The UK government borrowed £120.6bn in the financial year to April 2013, slightly lower than the amount it borrowed the previous year.

The amount -was just £0.3bn lower than the previous year's total of £120.9bn.

The government wants to eliminate the budget deficit by 2017-2018.

Treasury Chief Secretary Danny Alexander said the government would continue with its plan to cut borrowing, but Labour said the pace was "catastrophically off course".

Borrowing in March fell to £15.1bn from £16.7bn a year earlier, excluding interventions such as bank bailouts, said the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Meanwhile, public sector net debt - the amount that the government has borrowed over successive deficits - is now £1.2 trillion, or about 75.4% of GDP. The figures are preliminary and may be subject to change, it said.

Below forecast

The annual borrowing figure of £120.6bn excludes the effects of both the transfer of the Royal Mail pension scheme to the government and gains from the Bank of England's asset purchases for quantitative easing (QE).

Proceeds from the 4G mobile licences auction and another payment from the central bank in February boosted government coffers, said the ONS.

Interest that the Bank of England earns on holding government debt as a result of its so-called quantitative easing programme is transferred back to the Treasury.

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) had forecast that the deficit for the 2012-13 financial year would be £120.9bn, unchanged from the previous year.

Mr Osborne has pushed for spending cuts as part of a wider plan to reduce the deficit in order to protect the government's creditworthiness on international markets.

Danny Alexander admitted that the government's deficit reduction strategy was slower than expected, but said that it must continue.

"There is a collective agreement around the Cabinet table that we have to deal with the deficit, that we have to continue the action necessary to get the nation's finances back on the right track," he told BBC Radio 4's The World at One.

"Yes, it is tough, yes, the road is harder and longer than we first forecast. The commitment is unwavering to that. We are going to stick to the plan that we set out because it is the right thing for this country."

But shadow treasury minister Chris Leslie said: "At this rate of deficit reduction, at less than a quarter of 1% a year, it would take 400 years to balance the books.

"Now remember," he added, referring to the government's earlier target, "George Osborne promised and David Cameron promised that they'd balance the books, totally - no more deficit - in two years' time by 2015. You can't be more catastrophically off course than that."

Bigger picture

Last week, Fitch became the second ratings agency to downgrade the UK's rating from the top notch level of AAA. Moody's had downgraded the UK's rating in February.

Also last week, the IMF cut its growth forecast for the UK, and its chief economist, Olivier Blanchard, urged the UK to rethink its austerity policy in the face of continuing weakness in the economy.

Rowena Crawford, senior research economist at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, said: "Whether borrowing is slightly lower or slightly higher in cash terms from one year to the next is not of any direct economic importance. What is important is the bigger picture."

While the deficit on the whole has fallen in cash terms by almost 25% between 2009-10 and 2011-12, the poor economic performance and subsequently weak government tax receipts mean that the deficit was largely unchanged from its 2011-2012 level, she said.

David Tinsley, chief UK economist at BNP Paribas, said: "There's a small crumb to be had from the fact that borrowing is less than last year, but really that's a political point not an economic one.

"The substantive point is that tax revenues are very weak because the economy - nominal GDP growth - has been very weak.

"The spending side looks better, the government seems to be delivering on spending reductions but failing on getting growth and therefore revenues, and that's why the fiscal position isn't improving. It's flatlining," he added.