Tuesday, 18 January 2011

Tunisia overshadows Arab economic summit

18 January 2011 - 18H41

People march along a street during a demonstration in Tunis. A meeting of Arab leaders to discuss trade and development has been overshadowed by the Tunisian uprising, which has emboldened the region's dissidents and led to protesters setting themselves ablaze.
People march along a street during a demonstration in Tunis. A meeting of Arab leaders to discuss trade and development has been overshadowed by the Tunisian uprising, which has emboldened the region's dissidents and led to protesters setting themselves ablaze.
Illustrated chronology on Tunisia as a new government of national unity with Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi at the helm, is installed in an attempt to restore order after the overthrow of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
Illustrated chronology on Tunisia as a new government of national unity with Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi at the helm, is installed in an attempt to restore order after the overthrow of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
A demonstrator tries to catch a tear gas canister during a protest in Tunis. A meeting of Arab leaders to discuss trade and development has been overshadowed by the Tunisian uprising, which has emboldened the region's dissidents and led to protesters setting themselves ablaze.
A demonstrator tries to catch a tear gas canister during a protest in Tunis. A meeting of Arab leaders to discuss trade and development has been overshadowed by the Tunisian uprising, which has emboldened the region's dissidents and led to protesters setting themselves ablaze.

AFP - A meeting of Arab leaders to discuss trade and development has been overshadowed by the Tunisian uprising, which has emboldened the region's dissidents and led to protesters setting themselves ablaze.

The Wednesday summit will be the first time Arab heads of state gather since veteran Tunisian leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was forced to flee last week after days of mass protests sparked by the fiery death of a young Tunisian.

"The Arab world is witnessing today unprecedented political developments and real challenges in the sphere of Arab national security," Kuwait's Foreign Minister Mohammad al-Sabah said on Tuesday.

He told foreign ministers meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh to prepare for the summit: "Countries disintegrate, people conduct uprisings ... and the Arab citizen asks: 'Can the current Arab regime meet these challenges dynamically?'"

He questioned: "Can the regime address the humanitarian suffering of the Arab citizen?"

The uprising in Tunisia was sparked in December by the self immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi, a 26-year-old who was complaining of unemployment, one of the regional problems that the last Arab economic summit in 2009 was meant to alleviate.

Nine other people have set themselves ablaze in protests across the region.

Even as the foreign ministers were meeting on Tuesday, a man set himself ablaze outside government headquarters in Cairo, an Egyptian security official said. Another, unemployed and described as suffering mental problems, set himself on fire in the northern city of Alexandria.

The incidents follow a similar one in Cairo on Monday in which a man poured fuel on himself and lit it on a busy street in front of the People's Assembly.

He was hospitalised but expected to be released in a day or two, officials said.

A Mauritanian man who told journalists he was unhappy with his government also torched himself outside the senate, following five self immolations in a week in Algeria, which saw protests this month over rising prices.

The foreign minister of Tunisia's newly appointed transitional government, Kamel Morjane, arrived in Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday to brief his counterparts hours after he was sworn in.

On Tuesday, he said his transitional government's only ambition was to prepare for a free election and reforms.

"The Tunisian people have had their say and won in this popular uprising," he told reporters in Sharm El-Sheikh.

He said the transitional government's term was limited by law and by agreement among all parties.

"Its goal is to set up free presidential elections with integrity ... that will have foreign monitors or observers," he said, adding that those behind armed clashes would be investigated.

The removal of Ben Ali, who rigidly dominated his country for 23 years, encouraged dissidents in the region, where most leaders are either unelected or defeat their harried opponents in disputed polls.

Arab governments have downplayed any comparison with the North African country and its despised ex-president.

But many Arabs complain of poverty and restrictions on freedoms similar to the grievances of Tunisian protesters.

On Monday, Tunisian Interior Minister Ahmed Friaa said 78 people had been killed in the protests and losses to the economy amounted to 1.6 billion euros ($2.2 billion).

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How skin cancer cells evade immune system: study

18 January 2011 - 19H14

A sunbather puts on sunblock at the Renaca beach in Vina del Mar, Chile, 2009. Scientists have pinpointed a molecular mechanism in mice which helps skin cancer cells confound the animal's immune system, according to a study released Wednesday.
A sunbather puts on sunblock at the Renaca beach in Vina del Mar, Chile, 2009. Scientists have pinpointed a molecular mechanism in mice which helps skin cancer cells confound the animal's immune system, according to a study released Wednesday.
Mice peer out from a loaf of bread in suburban Tokyo 2008. Scientists have pinpointed a molecular mechanism in mice which helps skin cancer cells confound the animal's immune system, according to a study released Wednesday.
Mice peer out from a loaf of bread in suburban Tokyo 2008. Scientists have pinpointed a molecular mechanism in mice which helps skin cancer cells confound the animal's immune system, according to a study released Wednesday.

AFP - Scientists have pinpointed a molecular mechanism in mice which helps skin cancer cells confound the animal's immune system, according to a study released Wednesday.

The discovery -- if duplicated in humans -- could one day lead to drug treatments that block this mechanism, and thus the cancer's growth, the study reported.

In experiments on mice, researchers showed for the first time that a protein called interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) plays a key role in the spread of melanoma, a notoriously aggressive form of cancer resistant to standard chemotherapy.

The same kind of ultraviolet radiation that leads to sunburn caused white blood cells to infiltrate the skin of the mice, explained Glenn Merlino, a scientist at the US National Cancer Institute and the main architect of the study.

The white blood cells, in turn, "can produce IFN-gamma. We believe that IFN-gamma can promote melanoma in our model system, and perhaps in people," he said in an email.

Injecting the mice with antibodies that block IFN-gamma interrupted this signalling process, effectively reducing the risk of UV-induced skin cancer, the researchers found.

"We are trying to develop inhibitors that are more practical than antibodies, a small molecule, for example," Merlino said.

Ideally, such a treatment would mean that someone exposed to large doses of UV radiation -- long summers at the beach without protective cream, for example -- could escape the potentially lethal threat of skin cancer.

"But we would never encourage intense sunbathing, even if such a treatment were available," Merlino cautioned.

Cases of cutaneous malignant melanoma are increasing faster than any other type of cancer.

In 2000, over 200,000 cases of melanoma were diagnosed and there were 65,000 melanoma-associated deaths, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The findings, reported in the British-based science journal Nature, could upend assumptions about the relationship between interferon proteins and cancer, the study suggested.

Up to now, interferons were thought to impede the formation of cancer tumours. One in particular, interferon-alpha, has been widely used to treat melanoma, both as a first-line drug and an adjutant.

Earlier research has raised doubts as to effectiveness of the treatment, which also has serious side effects.

The highest recorded incidence was in Australia, where the annual rates are 10 and over 20 times the rates in Europe for women and men respectively.

The main risk factors are high exposure to the sun and other UV sources such as sunbeds, along with genetic factors.

The disease is far more common among people with a pale complexion, blue eyes, and red or fair hair.

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French teen sets himself on fire: officials

18 January 2011 - 19H27

High school students and journalists stand at the entrance of a catholic private school in Marseille. A 16-year-old French boy was rushed to hospital Tuesday in a critical condition after setting himself on fire at his school, officials in Marseille said.
High school students and journalists stand at the entrance of a catholic private school in Marseille. A 16-year-old French boy was rushed to hospital Tuesday in a critical condition after setting himself on fire at his school, officials in Marseille said.

AFP - A 16-year-old French boy was rushed to hospital Tuesday in a critical condition after setting himself on fire at his school, officials in Marseille said.

The boy doused himself in a flammable liquid in the toilets of his private school in the southern city and then set himself alight, rescue service officials said.

He has second and third degrees burns over 70 percent of his body, they said. Hospital officials said the boy was in a critical condition.

A schoolmate told AFP that he had heard screams and ran out to see the boy on fire running down the stairs towards the school yard and that a school worker had extinguished the flames.

Marseille prosecutor Jacques Dallest, who went to the school, said it was too early to say why the boy had set himself alight but that he may have been influenced "by what he may have seen in the media about North Africa."

Several people have set themselves on fire in the Arab world to copy a Tunisian whose self-immolation sparked a popular revolt in the north African state.

The boy managed to make it from the second floor to the school yard where he had managed to say "I'm sick of it all" before collapsing in front of schoolmates, the prosecutor said

An 18-year-old schoolboy from the southwestern town of Bordeaux has been in a coma since November 18 when he set himself on fire in his school.

I Coast's Gbagbo agrees to talks in fight for presidency

18 January 2011 - 19H31

People stand by closed stores in the pro-Ouattara popular district of Adjame's great market in Abidjan. Laurent Gbagbo gave new assurances Tuesday that he is open to talks with his rival for the Ivory Coast presidency, while regional leaders mulled military intervention to break the deadlock.
People stand by closed stores in the pro-Ouattara popular district of Adjame's great market in Abidjan. Laurent Gbagbo gave new assurances Tuesday that he is open to talks with his rival for the Ivory Coast presidency, while regional leaders mulled military intervention to break the deadlock.
People walk by closed stores in the pro-Ouattara popular district of Adjame's great market in Abidjan. Laurent Gbagbo gave new assurances Tuesday that he is open to talks with his rival for the Ivory Coast presidency, while regional leaders mulled military intervention to break the deadlock.
People walk by closed stores in the pro-Ouattara popular district of Adjame's great market in Abidjan. Laurent Gbagbo gave new assurances Tuesday that he is open to talks with his rival for the Ivory Coast presidency, while regional leaders mulled military intervention to break the deadlock.
Ivory Coast incumbent strongman Laurent Gbagbo, left, welcomes Kenyan premier and African Union envoy Raila Odinga, on January 17. Gbagbo has given new assurances that he is open to talks over the tussle for the Ivory Coast presidency, as regional leaders mull military intervention to break the deadlock.
Ivory Coast incumbent strongman Laurent Gbagbo, left, welcomes Kenyan premier and African Union envoy Raila Odinga, on January 17. Gbagbo has given new assurances that he is open to talks over the tussle for the Ivory Coast presidency, as regional leaders mull military intervention to break the deadlock.

AFP - Laurent Gbagbo gave new assurances Tuesday that he is open to talks with his rival for the Ivory Coast presidency, while regional leaders mulled military intervention to break the deadlock.

The proposal for talks was delivered Monday by Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga on a fresh round of mediation to persuade Gbagbo to step down and end a seven-week standoff that has left scores dead and raised fears of civil war.

There was "an offer of dialogue between the two camps. It was accepted... a meeting depends on the response of the (Alassane) Ouattara camp," Gbagbo government spokesman Ahoua Don Mello said.

Ouattara, recognised as winner of a November 28 election by the Ivory Coast's voting authority and the international community, did not immediately comment.

Gbagbo has said before that he is willing to talk with his rival but he has refused all offers to give up the presidency, including exile and immunity from prosecution for crimes against humanity.

The leader of the world's top cocoa-producing nation for 10 years, Gbagbo was declared the election victor by the Constitutional Council. He retains control of the presidential palace and the army.

Odinga, mediator for the African Union which has said that Gbagbo must go, was optimistic about his latest round of negotiations and awaiting replies to proposals made Monday, his spokesman Salim Lone said.

"I don't want to create the impression that a big breakthrough is about to happen but he feels more optimistic than the last time," Lone said. The Kenyan's first trip ended on January 5 with little tangible progress.

"He is waiting to see what emerges from the proposals he has made," Lone said.

Odinga met with ambassadors Tuesday but it was unclear if he would talk with the presidential rivals again, he said. The length of his stay "depends on if he can make good progress," he said.

Pro-Ouattara suburbs of Abidjan were shut down by a general strike against the Gbagbo Tuesday but elsewhere in the city it was business as usual, AFP reporters said.

"We are tired of these disruptions... We want to go about our business," complained a woman in the Abobo suburb where public transport was disrupted, and shops and schools shut.

Regional military chiefs opened two days of talks in Mali that will finalise a last-ditch plan to use force to remove Gbagbo if necessary.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) officers would work off a report drawn up in December that envisages Nigeria at the head of a possible regional intervention force, a participant told AFP.

"Our preparations are very advanced and we are ready to move into action if necessary and that must be clear," senior Nigerian officer Olusegun Petinrin said.

ECOWAS chairman, the Nigerian resident Goodluck Jonathan, said in a statement that the group wanted a peaceful resolution to the impasse but "we have not changed the position we took during our last summit," when the threat to use force was made.

Jonathan said "the votes of citizens must count after they are cast, or democracy will not take hold in the continent," the statement said.

French Foreign Minister Michele Alliot-Marie meanwhile warned: "The use of force should only be considered as a very last resort because given the balance of the armed forces there would be the risk of a high number of casualties."

More than 200 people have been killed in clashes since the contested election.

The United Nations Security Council delayed a vote due Tuesday to send 2,000 extra troops into Ivory Coast, diplomats said. It was not immediately known how long the delay would last.

The number is the maximum requested by UN commanders fearing a growing showdown with Gbagbo, who has demanded several times that UN forces leave. The new deployment would take the UN force up to about 11,500 troops.

EU probes Scania, Volvo and MAN for cartel suspicions

A truck of Swedish company Scania (L) and one of German truckmaker MAN. Europe's competition watchdog launched surprise inspections at trucking companies in Germany, Italy and Sweden on Tuesday over suspicions they may have formed an illegal cartel.
A truck of Swedish company Scania (L) and one of German truckmaker MAN. Europe's competition watchdog launched surprise inspections at trucking companies in Germany, Italy and Sweden on Tuesday over suspicions they may have formed an illegal cartel.

AFP - Europe's competition watchdog launched surprise inspections at trucking companies in Germany, Italy and Sweden on Tuesday over suspicions they may have formed an illegal cartel.

Among firms inspected were Sweden's Scania and Volvo, Germany's Daimler and MAN, and Iveco in Italy.

The commission said it had "reason to believe that the companies concerned may have violated EU antitrust rules that prohibit cartels and restrictive business practices and/or the abuse of a dominant market position".

The European Union's executive branch did not reveal the names of the companies, following standard practice.

But Swedish company Scania confirmed it was among the companies investigated by the European Commission for "inappropriate exchange of information" and vowed to cooperate fully with the probe.

Scania's head office in Soedertalje as well as the head offices of its sales firms in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg were probed, said spokesman company Hans-Ake Danielsson.

"They have visited us today around lunch to get hold of our archives and so on as they do as usual," he said. "It was not a dawn raid but rather an afternoon tea raid," he laughed.

Volvo also confirmed it was involved. Spokesman Maarten Wikforss said "they are also examining our subsidiaries." The Swedish giant owns Volvo trucks as well as Renault Trucks, Mack and UD Trucks.

German heavy truck maker and engineering group MAN said its headquarters had been searched and that it was cooperating with investigators.

"MAN has pledged its full cooperation to the European Union?s antitrust authorities in the antitrust proceedings against several European truck manufacturers," a statement said.

MAN added that it "does not tolerate any breaches of compliance" and that it "does not currently expect customers to have suffered prejudice."

Officials at rival Daimler, the world's largest maker of heavy trucks, also confirmed it had been probed as did Iveco.

In September, British watchdog the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) said it had launched a probe into alleged price-fixing by major European truckmakers, including German giants Daimler and MAN, resulting in the arrest of one person.

British offices of Mercedes-Benz, owned by German vehicle giant Daimler, were also raided and MAN as well as Scania and Volvo said they had been asked to provide the OFT with information regarding the probe.

Unannounced EU inspections are a preliminary step and do not mean that the companies are guilty of anti-competitive behaviour, the commission said in a statement.

Fines can be as high as 10 percent of turnover.

Commission officials were accompanied by their counterparts from national competition authorities in the inspections.

There is no legal deadline to complete the investigation and the duration depends on several factors, including the complexity of each case and the extent to which companies cooperate with investigators.

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Bond heads to Dubai in new novel

18 January 2011 - 21H05

Daniel Craig, shown here in 2008, is the sixth actor to play British super spy James Bond in the film series. Bond will head to the glitzy gulf emirate of Dubai, itself no stranger to real-life espionage and assassination, in a new book titled "Carte Blanche," local papers said.
Daniel Craig, shown here in 2008, is the sixth actor to play British super spy James Bond in the film series. Bond will head to the glitzy gulf emirate of Dubai, itself no stranger to real-life espionage and assassination, in a new book titled "Carte Blanche," local papers said.
British super spy James Bond, shown here in 2008 during the filming of "Quantum of Solace," willl head to the glitzy gulf emirate of Dubai, itself no stranger to real-life espionage and assassination, in a new book titled "Carte Blanche," local papers said.
British super spy James Bond, shown here in 2008 during the filming of "Quantum of Solace," willl head to the glitzy gulf emirate of Dubai, itself no stranger to real-life espionage and assassination, in a new book titled "Carte Blanche," local papers said.

AFP - British super spy James Bond will head to the glitzy Gulf emirate of Dubai, itself no stranger to real-life espionage and assassination, in a new book titled "Carte Blanche," its author said Tuesday.

"This place is... so culturally vibrant, so picturesque, so full of fascinating, multicultural individuals," Jeffery Deaver said during a talk in Dubai. "This is an exotic city that is worthy of James Bond."

While in Dubai about a year ago, "I became enamoured of the city. I walked around, I took notes, I took a lot of pictures, and I said, some day, I'm going to set something here," Deaver said.

After agreeing to write the next Bond novel, "I knew at that point, at last, I had found a story to set in Dubai," he said.

Deaver was reticent about plot details, but he did say that in "Carte Blanche," Bond is "a young agent for the British government. He was born, roughly, in the late 1970s, and the book takes place in the present day."

In the course of the book, Bond "flies here and gets involved in a lot of intrigue, very fast-paced action, races through the streets."

"He does meet some local folks who are extremely helpful to him, and by and large has some wonderful food, wonderful drink as I have done here, and then I have to say he does jet out," Deaver said.

He did not mention plans for a film version of the novel, but The National newspaper said Tuesday that the possibility of a movie adaptation "has already been raised."

Parts of the latest "Mission: Impossible" film, another spy thriller series, were filmed in Dubai.

Deaver said Sean Connery, one of the first actors to play 007 in the hit films inspired by the books, and Daniel Craig, the latest to do so, are his favourites, but that his image of Bond came from creator Ian Fleming's novels.

Deaver is the latest in a series of authors who have kept writing the Bond books since Fleming died in 1964. "Carte Blanche" is due out in May.

Dubai, best known for its man-made islands, indoor ski slope and hyper-modern skyscrapers, including the world's tallest building, has seen its share of real-life cloak and dagger intrigue.

In January last year, Mahmud al-Mabhuh, a founder of the military wing of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, was found dead in his Al-Bustan Rotana hotel room. He was wanted in Israel for the alleged murder of two Israelis.

Dubai police chief Lieutenant General Dahi Khalfan accused Israeli spy agency Mossad of being behind the killing.

The emirate's police released footage of his alleged assassins filmed by hotel closed-circuit security cameras and said that 26 passports that in many cases appeared either to have been faked or obtained illegally had been used by the 26 people believed linked to the murder.

Less than a year before the Mabhuh killing, Chechen leader Sulim Yamadayev, a bitter foe of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, was gunned down in a car parking outside his flat at Dubai's Jumeirah Beach Residence complex.

Yamadayev left Russia and moved to Dubai in 2009, fearing for his life after a brother was assassinated in September 2008, according to Russian media.

Khalfan accused Chechen Vice Prime Minister Adam Delimkhanov of ordering Yamadayev's assassination.

7.4-magnitude earthquake shakes Pakistan: USGS

18 January 2011 - 22H04

A major 7.4-magnitude earthquake hit southwest Pakistan on Wednesday, the US Geological Survey said.
A major 7.4-magnitude earthquake hit southwest Pakistan on Wednesday, the US Geological Survey said.

AFP - A major 7.4-magnitude earthquake hit southwest Pakistan on Wednesday, the US Geological Survey said.

The quake struck at around 1:20 am local time (2023 Tuesday GMT) at a depth of 10 kilometres (six miles) with its epicentre around 50 kilometres west of the town of Dalbandin, close to the border with Afghanistan.

The epicentre was around 300 kilometres (200 miles) east of the Iranian city of Zahedan, USGS said.

Pakistani-administered Kashmir, in the country's northeast, was hit by a major earthquake in 2005.

The internationalization of Egypt’s Coptic question

Tue, 18/01/2011 - 10:27

Photographed by Ahmed Hayman

As the government points the finger at “foreign hands” behind the recent Alexandria church bombing, the world is looking at Egypt, which has long been accused--both domestically and abroad--of neglecting the rights of its most prominent minority.

Copts in Egypt have long been perceived as the victims of bureaucratic and social discrimination. While world leaders have spoken on the issue before, the New Year’s Eve church bombing has forced them to take the situation more seriously.

The world acted quickly to condemn the attack--which killed 23 Coptic Christians--with prominent leaders sending their condolences to President Hosni Mubarak and the Egyptian people.

The incident has brought the issue of terrorism and Islamic fundamentalism back to the fore. Much of the world’s attention has been on the perceived plight of Christians in Egypt and the Middle East, prompting international calls to ensure both their rights and security.

“Since 9/11, the world has taken a closer look at the plight of minorities in tyrannical nations,” Yousef Sidhom, editor-in-chief of Coptic weekly Al-Watan, said. “After any tragic event, there is usually a heightened interest in the plight of Christians. It happened with last year’s Naga Hammadi incident, and it’s happening now.”

Following the attack, French President Nicolas Sarkozy asserted that Christians in the Middle East were being “targeted for religious cleansing.” In a statement to Al-Masry Al-Youm from the French embassy in Egypt, French Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Michele Alliot-Marie said: “On Eastern Christians, it’s time to move beyond emotion and specific actions to develop a real strategy and global responses.”

EU foreign ministers also collectively called for the protection of Christians worldwide in a letter sent to EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton. The letter--penned by Italian FM Franco Frattini and cosigned by his French and Hungarian counterparts--called for “concrete steps” to be taken to counter the persecution of Christians around the world. The issue is expected to come up for discussion at a scheduled meeting of EU foreign ministers on 31 January.

A result perhaps of what is described as the “historical link” between France and the region’s Christians, Alliot-Marie believes France will play a leading role in the issue. “Europeans should jointly explore how to contribute concretely with the states concerned to the safety of Christians in the countries in which they live,” she said.

But many are skeptical of the ability--or desire--of the US or EU to adopt measures aimed at forcing the Egyptian government to respond to their criticisms.

“It is a foregone conclusion that the US and EU deal with Egypt purely on the basis of their strategic relationship,” Sidhom said. “We have learned to never expect foreign help in this regard. Change must happen internally.”

Washington, for its part, has been relatively quiet on the issue, with US President Barack Obama offering condolences, condemnation, and assistance--but not much else.

Rome’s Pope Benedict reportedly praised the European call to protect the Middle East’s Christians, noting "the urgent need for the governments of the region to adopt--in spite of the difficulties and dangers--effective measures for the protection of religious minorities.” Immediately after Benedict’s statements, Egypt withdrew its ambassador to the Vatican and publicly condemned the pontiff’s statements, describing them as “unacceptable interference in the country’s internal affairs.”

According to Fredrico Lombardi, director of the Holy See’s press office, there is a level of social discrimination in Egypt that manifests itself in several ways. These, he said, include “difficulties obtaining important positions in universities or in the civil service, which apply to all Christians and not just Coptic Christians.” Lombardi also pointed to the difficulties associated with church building in Egypt, noting the inadequacy of the current number of available churches for the country’s large Christian community.

While insisting the Vatican would not push the issue on a political level, Lombardi made it clear that international advocacy on the part of the Vatican would continue.

“Rather than talking about political pressure, the Holy See seeks to remind all people of good will of the fundamental principles necessary for the common good,” he told Al-Masry Al-Youm. “The Holy Father…has asked all governments to give due protection to all their citizens, and in particular to those who do not belong to the religion of the majority.”

Alliot-Marie and Lombardi both noted that the Egyptian constitution guaranteed equality between all citizens, asserting that the main culprits in the Coptic issue were terrorism and social discrimination. But they also affirmed the need to advocate for stepped-up protection for Egypt’s Copts, along with the need to ensure Christians’ ability to build places of worship.

The Coptic community, meanwhile, has vented a great deal of anger towards the government following the Alexandria bombing and the Omraniya Church riots in early November, in which the issue of church building was a central factor.

The Egyptian government has never taken kindly to perceived foreign interference, and has historically cracked down on local entities that have sought foreign assistance. Coptic authorities, however, insist they are not looking for foreign help in resolving their longstanding grievances.

“We never asked for foreign help,” said Sidhom. “The world is not reacting specifically to threats against Copts or Christians, but rather to threats against all persecuted minorities. They intervened before to protect Chechens, Kosovars and Kurds--this is just a continuation of the trend.”

Rights watchdogs have longed claimed that Christians are subject to a degree of religious intolerance in Egypt, and have long advocated for their cause. Groups such as the UK Copts Association and the Coptic Assembly of America, meanwhile, have also pushed the issue globally.

Previous attacks--albeit smaller ones--such as the Naga Hammadi shooting, have historically incurred global responses that are seldom translated into concrete action by the international community. The Alexandria bombing has elicited the strongest reaction from the western world--at least the EU--to date.

Only time will tell if these reactions will have tangible effects--or if they will simply represent just another opportunity to criticize a regime that the West continues to support both financially and diplomatically.

Official poll: Egyptians dream of justice, stability, clean water in 2011

Tue, 18/01/2011 - 10:46
Photographed by Mohamed Abdel Ghany

Justice, political stability, lower prices, clean drinking water and comfortable means of transportation come at the top of the list of what Egyptians dream of in 2011, according to a poll conducted by the National Center for Social and Criminal Research.

The poll surveyed a sample of 2956 persons.

Questions focused on the dreams of Egyptians, how to achieve those dreams, the obstacles lying in the way, and whether or not Egyptians share a national dream.

The poll found that 77.6 percent of Egyptians do not dream of holding a senior position, and 21 percent attribute this lack of ambition to a lack of hope for change in Egypt. They said the political regime has not changed, the economy has declined, poverty has increased and so have prices.

Slightly more than three percent of the sample said they would like to become members of parliament to serve the people, and approximately 45 percent said they would like to work in the parliament to serve the country and achieve social status.

Regarding the services they hope for, 42.4 percent said they want clean drinking water, 42.2 said they want better sewage systems, and 38.9 percent said they want comfortable means of transportation.

The poll also inquired about respondents’ dreams for their country. Slightly more than 40 percent said they want a better economy, 36.8 percent said they want the problem of unemployment solved, 35.3 percent said they want lower prices, and 30 percent said they hope for political stability. Elimination of sectarian tensions featured last, with only 0.9 percent choosing it as a priority.

The US topped the list of countries Egyptians wish their country to be like--20.7 percent of respondents-- followed closely by China with 20.5 percent. The reasons given included high living standards, respect for citizens, and attention to education.

Translated from the Arabic Edition.

Tunisian actress claims her name was used to endorse ousted president

Tue, 18/01/2011 - 11:59
Photographed by other

Tunisian actress Hend Sabry said her name was fraudulently used on a petition drawn up by members of Tunisia’s elite in which they asked overthrown Tunisian President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali to run for a fifth presidential term in 2014.

In an interview with Al-Masry Al-Youm, the 31-year-old Tunisian actress, who resides in Cairo, said, "We have lived for a long time in tremendous fear and were forced to remain silent about everything."

Sabry, who is currently one of the most celebrated female stars in Egyptian cinema, added, "Tunisian people know very well what it is like to be afraid, and it is time to bid farewell to this fear."

"I was surprised to find my name on the petition endorsing the toppled president for a new presidential term without first being asked," said the actress, who is also a graduate of law school. "When I objected, the response was very impolite."

Several Tunisian artists, politicians and writers last year joined in the campaign which urged the ousted president to run again for presidency after his current term, due to end in 2014--despite popular opposition to his regime.

Sabry described Ben Ali’s regime as “one of the worst repressive regimes in the world.”

Translated from the Arabic Edition.

Second Egyptian sets himself on fire after Tunisia


Tue, 18/01/2011 - 12:39

Photographed by AFP

A second Egyptian set himself on fire near parliament on Tuesday, security sources said, the latest case echoing an act of self-immolation in Tunisia that spurred on protests and helped bring down the president.

One security source said the man was a lawyer but did not give details of the act, which follows Monday's self-immolation also near parliament.

The man on Monday was protesting against poor living conditions. A hospital source said the hospital had been informed of the imminent arrival of a victim of burns, but did not have details.

Similar cases were reported in Algeria and Mauritania. Like Tunisians, whose public protests led to the ousting of President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, Arabs in many states are frustrated by soaring prices, poverty, high unemployment and authoritarian systems of rule that give them no voice.

Third Egyptian sets himself ablaze

Tue, 18/01/2011 - 12:53

A third Egyptian man set himself on fire on Tuesday in Alexandria’s Khorshid neighborhood, security sources said.

Ahmed Hashim al-Sayed, 25, set fire to himself on the top floor of his building in Khourshid, a security source said. The source added that al-Sayed is currently unemployed and police are still investigating the reasons behind his attempt at self-immolation. A medical source told Al-Masry Al-Youm that al-Sayed has been hospitalized and suffers from third degree burns.

Two earlier attempts at self-immolation in Egypt include an Egyptian lawyer named Mohamed Farouk who set himself on fire near parliament in downtown Cairo earlier in the day on Tuesday, and a 49-year-old man who set himself ablaze near parliament on Monday after chanting anti-government slogans.

Similar cases have been reported in Algeria and Mauritania. Like the Tunisians, whose public protests led to the ousting of President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, Arabs in many states are frustrated by soaring prices, poverty, high unemployment and authoritarian systems of rule that deny them a voice.

Wind's Sawiris sees Vimpelcom deal going through

Tue, 18/01/2011 - 14:03
Photographed by فؤاد الجرنوسي
Archived

Sharm el-Sheikh--Russian operator Vimpelcom's deal to buy telecoms assets from Egyptian billionaire Naguib Sawiris has "a very big chance" of going through, Sawiris told Reuters on Tuesday.

Asked if he was worried Vimpelcom shareholder Telenor might block the deal to buy control of Orascom Telecom and Italy's Wind, Sawiris said: "No, I'm not worried."

Sudanese politician warns of South Sudan-East Africa alliance


Tue, 18/01/2011 - 13:39

Photographed by Mohamed Maarouf

Southern Sudan will establish strong ties with East African nations while disregarding interests of Arab countries if it secedes, warned Sadek al-Mahdi, head of the Sudanese Islamic centrist Umma Party.

A new southern state bolstering ties with countries like Ethiopia poses a threat to Egyptian and Arab security, said al-Mahdi in an interview with Al-Masry Al-Youm, referring to Ethiopia as an ally of Israel.

The establishment of ties between a southern Sudanese state and east African and Nile basin nations will threaten Egypt’s Nile share, especially as the basin countries demand a redistribution of Nile water shares, al-Mahdi added, advising Egypt and Arab countries to develop good relations with both the north and the south.

Al-Mahdi added that the way the central Sudanese government acts in Khartoum deepens the south’s sense of belonging to east Africa.

He proposed an agreement to be based on mutual recognition between the two countries. Al-Mahdi also called for a joint economic program and national security agreement.

Translated from the Arabic Edition.

Oil wealth likely to keep Gulf calm



Despite a rare protest in Oman and cash and food being doled out in Kuwait, experts say the region will remain quiet.
Last Modified: 18 Jan 2011 10:31 GMT

The Saudi government welcomed ousted Ben Ali, ushering him to a heavily guarded palace in Jeddah [Reuters]

About 2,000 Omanis have staged a rare protest demanding higher wages and salaries and a curb to rising prices and the high cost of living, the Associated Press news agency said. Other media outlets said the gathering was much smaller.

The demonstration on Monday, a rarity in the usually calm sultanate, was called for by the civil society groups and publicised on websites.

Protesters gathered in the district housing most government ministries under close watch by police. The demonstration ended peacefully.

One demonstrator said the march was a request to Sultan Qaboos to personally intervene against the greed of the merchants and raise government employees salaries including those in the police and the army.

Banners held by the demonstrators read "no to high prices" and "no to the merchant greed".

Free food and cash

Meanwhile, the ruler of Kuwait announced on Monday the distribution of $4bn and free food for 14 months to all citizens.


Each of the 1.12 million native citizens will get 1,000 dinars ($3,572) in cash as well as free essential food items until March 31, 2012, Kuwait's emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah was reported to have said.

The Gulf state, whose financial assets top $300bn, will next month mark the 50th anniversary of independence, 20th anniversary of liberation from Iraqi occupation and the fifth anniversary of the emir's ascendance to power.

The 2.4 million foreign residents of Kuwait, mainly workers from south Asia, are excluded from the grant and the free food.

Golden bargain

Experts say that the oil wealth of Saudi Arabia and its neighbours could prevent any poverty-driven unrest, similar to that which ousted Tunisia's Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, from spreading to the Gulf.

They say that Gulf Arab rulers have struck a golden bargain with their people to trade political quiescence for relative affluence.

"I know there is a lot of talk about the ripple effect. I think the epicentre is still very much Tunisia and in the immediate region in north Africa I would say," Salman Shaikh, director of the Brookings Doha Centre, said.

"With regard to the Gulf leaderships directly, to be fair they are focused on a vision ... which is about developing their societies," he added.

The Gulf Arab states' massive oil wealth fuelled a development boom that lifted much of the region into prosperity even as other Arab countries struggle to raise living standards.

"I think the Gulf states are a little bit more secure than some of the other states that have been mentioned such as Egypt and Jordan and Algeria. So I don't see it spreading to here," Theodore Karasik, a Dubai-based security analyst, said.

Saudi Arabia was widely criticised for inviting Ben Ali and his family after France, among other places, refused to host him.

But some say the decision to host a deposed Arab ruler in the shape of Ben Ali has been more sensitive, as it highlights the lack of democracy in the kingdom itself. Riyadh is keen to avoid any hint of political parallels with Tunisia.

Prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who is close to key Saudi princes, said: "I myself was not happy about it and I'm sure most Saudis are not happy about it.

"We would not like our country to be the destination for dictators but again we are trapped by traditions."


Source:
Agencies

US welcomes Hariri indictment



Prosecutor for UN tribunal investigating the 2005 assassination of ex-Lebanon PM submits indictment against suspects.
Last Modified: 18 Jan 2011 00:38 GMT

The indictment came less than a week after the government of prime minister Saad Hariri collapsed [AFP]

US President Barack Obama has welcomed the submission of an indictment for the 2005 murder of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq al-Hariri, saying the move was key to ending an "era of impunity" but urging calm amid rising tensions in the country.

A prosecutor for the UN tribunal investigating the 2005 assassination of the former Lebanese prime minister filed the body's first indictment against suspects in the case on Monday.

The confidential documents were handed to the registry, the tribunal said in a statement. The details of the suspected named and the charges against them were not released.

In a statement, Obama said he "welcomed" the announcement, adding that it was "a significant and emotional time for the Lebanese people, and we join the international community in calling on all leadersa and factions to preserve calm and exercise restraint".

On Monday, Ali Shami, the Lebanese foreign minister, cautioned the US to stop interfering in Lebanese affairs, summoning Maura Connelly, the American ambassador, to explain why she had met with Nicolas Fattouch, a key undecided lawmaker, on the weekend.

After the meeting, Connelly's office said the meeting was part of routine meetings with "personalities from across Lebanon's political spectrum".

Hezbollah indictments expected

Daniel Fransen, the pre-trial judge, must confirm the charges in the indictment before any arrest warrant or summons to appear can be issued.

The tribunal is widely expected to indict members of Lebanon's Hezbollah, a move many fear could rekindle violence in the country.

Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr, reporting from the Lebanese capital, Beirut, said the tribunal has been a source of tension in the country.

"It is widely believed to point the finger at Hezbollah members. Hezbollah has called it a US tool, and ... has alleged it is politicised. It has questioned the way [the tribunal] conducted investigations," she said.

"We heard the secretary-general of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, say yesterday that the group will reject any accusation and it will work to defend its reputation as well as its dignity and it will confront it.

"But he stopped short of saying exactly what kind of action the group would take."

Collapsed government

The indictment announcement came less than a week after 11 ministers allied with Hezbollah resigned from the government of Saad al-Hariri, the Lebanese prime minister, forcing it to collapse.

The lawmakers withdrew from the unity government last Wednesday over the prime minister's stance on the tribunal.

IN DEPTH


Profile: Rafiq al-Hariri
Timeline: Al-Hariri investigation
Focus: Lebanon simmers as Hezbollah braces
Focus: Split remains over Hariri tribunal
Inside Story: Hezbollah talks tough

Talks scheduled for Monday to name a new Lebanese prime minister have been postponed until next week.

Lebanese politicians said that the consultations on a new government could be delayed because of a summit in Damascus on Monday where the leaders of Syria, Qatar and Turkey met to discuss Lebanon's political crisis.

But Nasrallah said late on Sunday that his party would refuse to back al-Hariri, Lebanon's caretaker prime minister, in forming a new government.

Hezbollah, which has a political bloc in parliament as well as a powerful military wing, commands strong support in Lebanon's Shia Muslim community.

Lebanon's crisis is the result of long-simmering tensions over the UN tribunal's probe of the death of Rafiq al-Hariri, a former Lebanese prime minister and the father of Saad al-Hariri.

Hezbollah has several times denounced the Netherlands-based tribunal as a conspiracy by the US and Israel. On Monday, the group's al-Manar television said the US was behind the release of the draft indictment as part of a bid to sabotage efforts to solve Lebanon's crisis.

It also accused the US of "pushing the indictment ahead to light the fuse to blow up the bridges for a solution", adding that the "Americans control the indictments in form and content".

Hezbollah had demanded that Saad al-Hariri's government reject the court's findings even before they come out.

But though he offered some concessions, al-Hariri refused to end co-operation with the tribunal, prompting Hezbollah's walkout.


Source:
Al Jazeera and agencies

Ex-president Duvalier back in Haiti


Jean-Claude Duvalier makes surprise return from exile in midst of political vacuum left by disputed polls.
Last Modified: 18 Jan 2011 02:07 GMT



Duvalier's partner suggested their return was prompted by the devastating earthquake a year ago [Al Jazeera]

Former Haitian president Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier, has met with a string of confidantes at his Port-au-Prince hotel, as speculation continues regarding his surprise return to Haiti in the midst of a political vacuum left by disputed presidential elections.

Henri-Robert Sterlin, Duvalier's spokesman, said the former president could hold a press event on Tuesday.

Returning to his homeland after 25 years in the political wilderness, most of them spent in exile in France, Duvalier did not explain the reason for his return on Sunday, simply saying: "I've come to help".

The US has expressed its shock at the move, with PJ Crowley, the state department spokesman, saying: "We are surprised by the timing of Duvalier's visit to Haiti. It adds unpredictability at an uncertain time in Haiti's election process."

Duvalier's partner, Veronique Roy, described to the AFP news agency how he bent to his knees and kissed the ground as he set foot on home soil for the first time since his violent ouster in 1986.

Roy suggested the couple's return had been prompted by the devastating earthquake almost exactly a year ago that killed nearly a quarter of a million Haitians.

"That was the trigger," she told AFP. "It's so emotional. We were not expecting this welcome."

A delegation of former officials who had served as cabinet ministers under Duvalier awaited his arrival at the airport and a few hundred supporters were gathered outside.

Popular revolt

Duvalier was ousted by a popular revolt after his family and supporters were accused of plundering tens of millions of dollars of state funds during his 15-year reign.

Duvalier's unexpected return also came as the country wrestled with the results of a November 28 election that sparked deadly riots over allegations of vote-rigging by the current ruling party.

Jose Miguel Insulza, the head of the Organisation of American States (OAS), met with Rene Preval, the Haitian president on Monday, saying that his group's report that evaluated the election results,was not binding.

"The technical mission can only make recommendations. It did so with as much clarity as possible. It is now up to Haiti's Provisional Electoral Council to determine the electoral results," he said.

A leaked draft of that report appeared to suggest that Jude Celestin, Preval's protege, should step aside after alleged fraud in the first round of voting.

Human rights groups outraged

Duvalier had earlier told a Florida radio station he was not returning as a presidential candidate, saying: "This is not the order of the day."

In 2007, Duvalier called on Haitians to forgive him for the "mistakes" committed during his reign.

Haitian authorities have accused Duvalier of diverting more than $100m out of the desperately poor country under the guise of social work during his reign.

Human rights groups criticised his return on Monday, saying he should be arrested and prosecuted.

"Duvalier's return to Haiti should be for one purpose only: to face justice," Jose Miguel Vivanco, the Americas director of Human Rights Watch, said.

"Under the presidency of Duvalier and his Tonton Macoutes, thousands were killed and tortured, and hundreds of thousands of Haitians fled into exile. His time to be held accountable is long overdue.

"Haiti has enough troubles without Duvalier. Duvalier's presence - unless he is immediately arrested - is a slap in the face to a people which has already suffered so much."


Source:
Al Jazeera and agencies

Puntland shuns Somali government



Autonomous region says it is breaking away from the federation until 'legitimate' one is put in place.
Last Modified: 18 Jan 2011 10:07 GMT

Fighting between rebels and the federal government has forced people to flee to Puntland [EPA]

The autonomous region of Puntland in Somalia has announced that it will break with the federal government based in the embattled capital, Mogadishu.

After a special meeting of Abdirahman Mohammed Farole's presidential cabinet on Sunday, the government issued a statement saying that the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) "does not represent Puntland in international forums" and that the United Nations Political Office for Somalia should "reconsider its position and support for the TFG at the expense of other Somali stakeholders."

Puntland, unlike the breakaway region of Somaliland to the west, does not consider itself an independent country. Until now, it had supported the federal government, which is backed by the international community but has been greatly weakened by an ongoing war against rebels who are seeking its overthrow.

The statement, read by Daud Mohamed Omar, the planning and international cooperation minister, criticised the Mogadishu government for its "unwillingness to actively support federalism for Somalia in violation of the TFG charter," according to a report by Radio Garowe, a community radio station based in Garowe, the Puntland capital.

Losing Puntland is a blow to the government in Mogadishu, which is led by 45-year-old president Sharif Ahmed and exerts very little control over Somalia, relying on military support from Western governments, such as the United States, to keep rebels from the Al-Shebab movement from overrunning the capital.

Al-Shebab has declared that it is fighting to overthrow the federal government and institute sharia, Islamic law.

Miffed

In its statement on Sunday, the Puntland government complained that Ahmed had left it out of the recent UN-led Djibouti Peace Process, which laid out the terms of cooperation between the federal government and other groups within Somalia.

"Puntland shall not cooperate with the TFG until a legitimate and representative federal government is established and agreed upon by the legitimate stakeholders in Somalia," the statement said, adding that Puntland also opposed any extension in the TFG's authority, which is set to expire this year.

Puntland is regarded as one of the most stable areas inside Somalia. Many people displaced from the southern parts of the country have moved to Boosaaso, a major port on its north coast. Puntland also recently organised and hosted a national football tournament, the first of its kind in Somalia in 23 years.


Source:
Agencies