Ivory Coast's Gbagbo turns forces on UN

Inhabitants of the Abobo district in Abidjan flee the area following fresh clashes between forces loyal to rival claimants for the presidency on February 27. Forces loyal to Ivory Coast strongman Laurent Gbagbo have opened fire on UN sanctions experts who tried to check on a suspected breach of an international arms embargo of the country, a UN source has said.

Animated graphic on Ivory Coast as fighting flares again between supporters of rival claimants to the presidency.

Inhabitants of the Abobo district in Abidjan flee the area following fresh clashes between forces loyal to rival claimants for the presidency on February 27. Tensions have risen significantly in the west African nation in recent days, with increasing clashes between supporters of Gbagbo and Ouattara.

AFP - Forces loyal to Ivory Coast strongman Laurent Gbagbo have opened fire on UN sanctions experts who tried to check on a suspected breach of the international arms embargo of the country, a UN source has said.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon accused Belarus of breaking the embargo by sending three attack helicopters and other equipment to Gbagbo, who refuses to hand over power to internationally-recognized president Alassane Ouattara. Belarus denied the charges.

Tensions were further heightened when Gbagbo supporters briefly kidnapped two Ukrainian UN workers, the UN said.

The UN leader, who has expressed fears that Ivory Coast could be sliding back into civil war, and US President Barack Obama expressed concern about Ivory Coast at a meeting in Washington.

Ban called on the UN Security Council to meet to discuss the reported arms deliveries. The council's panel of experts on Ivory Coast sanctions met in New York and asked the UN mission for more information to confirm the reported deliveries.

Experts from the UN Ivory Coast sanctions committee and an officer from the UN peacekeeping mission went to Yamoussoukro airport to check on the helicopters, a UN source told AFP.

The group "were forced to withdraw when fired upon" by Gbagbo followers, the source added, speaking on condition of anonymity. No injuries were reported.

The UN secretary-general said one Belarus helicopter reportedly arrived in Ivory Coast on Sunday night and two more were expected Monday.

At about the same time, Gbagbo youth loyalists kidnapped two Ukrainians who work for the UN mission in the country but freed them several hours later, UN officials said.

The two employees were abducted by young Gbagbo supporters near Abidjan's Port Bouet district. The youth group handed them over to Gbagbo's official security forces who released them to the UN, officials said.

Tensions have risen significantly in the west African nation in recent days, with increasing clashes between supporters of Gbagbo and Ouattara.

"This is a serious violation of the embargo against Ivory Coast, which has been in place since 2004," Ban said a statement released by UN spokesman Martin Nesirky.

Ban warned Belarus and Gbagbo that "appropriate action will be taken in response to the violation."

Belarus denied any knowledge of the helicopters. Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Savinykh told AFP: "Belarus has never violated Security Council sanctions" and has an "efficient system to control weapons exports."

Gbagbo's administration rejected the UN weapons claims as a "a lie to justify an attack against the government of president Laurent Gbagbo," spokesman Ahoua Don Mello said.

More than 10,500 UN peacekeepers now operate in Ivory Coast, some protecting Ouattara's headquarters, and the head of the UN mission has said the troops face growing hostility from Gbagbo forces. The strongman's followers shot and wounded three peacekeepers at the weekend.

Ouattara was declared winner of a November 28 presidential election but Gbagbo refused to recognize the result.

A high-level African Union mediation panel is due to give its verdict on the deadlock soon.

China says media must 'cooperate' after clampdown

China said Tuesday that journalists must "cooperate" and respect the country's laws, after several foreign reporters were roughed up as they tried to work at a designated protest site in Beijing.

Beijing has launched a massive security clampdown in response to the calls inspired by the "Jasmine revolution" in Tunisia which sparked a wave of unrest against authoritarian regimes in the Arab world.

AFP - China on Tuesday told journalists they must "cooperate" with police and respect the country's laws, after several foreign reporters were roughed up in a crackdown on calls for anti-government protests.

Beijing has launched a massive security clampdown in response to the calls inspired by the "Jasmine revolution" in Tunisia which sparked a wave of unrest against authoritarian regimes in the Arab world.

US and EU diplomats in China as well as media groups have condemned the tough police handling of some journalists on Sunday in a Beijing shopping district where organisers of an online anti-government campaign urged people to gather.

"The police provided reasonable guidance, and the journalists should understand and cooperate," foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told a news conference.

"If both sides take this attitude, we can minimise the occurrence of such incidents," she said.

"Foreign journalists should respect and abide by China's laws and regulations... Beijing is a very big city with a large population. It is important to maintain normal order," Jiang added.

Hundreds of uniformed and plainclothes police had blanketed the Wangfujing area in the city centre on Sunday for the second week running, aggressively pushing away foreign reporters with cameras and briefly detaining several.

Bloomberg News said one of its correspondents was kicked and punched by at least five men in plainclothes -- apparently security personnel. He required medical treatment.

A similarly tight security presence was seen at the Shanghai protest site near the city's People's Square. No protests were witnessed in Beijing but several unidentified Chinese were seen taken away in police vans in Shanghai.

Jiang said police "should use the means within their authority" to handle such incidents.

US ambassador Jon Huntsman issued a strong statement about Sunday's events, saying: "This type of harassment and intimidation is unacceptable and deeply disturbing."

Huntsman called on China to "hold the perpetrators accountable for harassing and assaulting innocent individuals" and "respect internationally recognised conventions that guarantee freedom of the press and freedom of expression".

The European Union delegation in China also registered its discontent, as did the foreign correspondents' clubs in China and Hong Kong.

"All journalists, domestic and foreign, should be free to cover news in China without fear of extrajudicial beatings or detention by law enforcement," the Hong Kong group said.

Media watchdog Reporters without Borders condemned the "thuggish attitude" of the police, adding: "The Communist Party needs to understand that free expression is not a crime."

Citizens have been urged to gather for subtle "strolling" demonstrations -- but take no overt protest action -- each Sunday afternoon at designated locations in cities across China to highlight public anger with the government.

The anonymous campaigners behind the so-called "Jasmine rallies" -- a reference to the "Jasmine revolution" in Tunisia -- have said their movement has support in dozens of cities.

Reporters in Beijing have been told they will need to appear in person at least three days in advance to apply to conduct interviews in Wangfujing, the Xidan shopping district and the area near Tiananmen Square.

Massive anti-regime protest in Yemen capital

Vast numbers of protesters poured into the centre of Yemen's capital Sanaa on Tuesday for a massive anti-regime rally called by the opposition, an AFP correspondent said.

AFP - Vast numbers of protesters poured into the centre of Yemen's capital Sanaa on Tuesday for a massive anti-regime rally called by the opposition, an AFP correspondent said.

Protesters crowded three streets leading to a square near Sanaa University, where students and pro-democracy demonstrators have been camped for more than a week.

"The people want the departure of Ali Abdullah Saleh," they chanted. "The people want to overthrow the regime."

The protest got under way as Saleh called a press conference in Sanaa at which he accused Israel and the United States of fomenting anti-regime revolts rattling the Arab world.

Amazing photography of China through the lens

Xinhua English

Nature and cities photography of China by the professional photographers from Houston Bernardo and Tomas Medina. Bernardo and Tomas Medina are father-son photography team. (Xinhua Photo)

Nature and cities photography of China by the professional photographers from Houston Bernardo and Tomas Medina. Bernardo and Tomas Medina are father-son photography team.

Iran calls London 2012 logo 'racist': report

2011-03-01 03:33:57 GMT2011-03-01 11:33:57(Beijing Time) SINA.com

The logo for the London 2012 Olympics and Para-olympics is pictured on a screen during the launch of the brand for the Games at the Roundhouse in London, 04 June 2007. Iran have protested against the already controversial logo, saying the emblem is racist and spells the word "Zion," the ILNA news agency reported. (AFP/File/Shaun Curry)

TEHRAN - Iran said on Monday it might boycott the 2012 London Olympics because of the event's "racist" logo which resembles the word Zion, the official Irna news agency reported.

The secretary general of the National Olympic Committee said Iran had made the complaint in a letter to the International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge and was waiting for a response.

The London logo shows the numbers 2012 in four jagged multi-coloured figures and was launched in 2007. Zion is a term that refers to the city of Jerusalem and Iran does not recognise Israel.

"Certainly other countries, including Islamic nations, will react to this racist logo and this would jeopardise the goals of the Olympic games in the world," Bahram Afsharzadeh told Irna.

He warned the International Olympic Committee that "negligence of the issue from your side might affect the presence of some countries, especially Iran", Irna reported.

(Agencies)

Google tries to resolve email service problem

2011-03-01 03:49:55 GMT2011-03-01 11:49:55(Beijing Time) Xinhua English

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Google said on Monday that it is continuing to investigate a problem with its Gmail service, which reportedly caused some users' emails being all erased.

The issue popped up over the weekend as users reported on online forums that they had lost emails and other information within their Gmail accounts.

Google confirmed the problem Sunday on the company's website that provides status reports of its Apps services, initially saying that the issue affected less than 0.29 percent of Gmail users.

It then twice revised downward estimates of the number of users affected to 0.08 percent and then to 0.02 percent.

"Access has been restored for one third of the affected users," Google said in a latest notice Monday morning, adding that the remaining accounts are being restored on an ongoing basis.

"We expect the issue to be resolved for everyone within 12 hours," Google said.

The Gmail failure reinforces danger of becoming too dependent on the so-called "cloud", or storing and processing information through the Internet, a post on technology blog TechCrunch on Monday noted.

"It's just another example of why moving your entire life to the cloud may not always be the best idea," the post said.

Firemen extinguish forest fire in SW China

2011-03-01 01:43:23 GMT2011-03-01 09:43:23(Beijing Time) Xinhua English

Firemen try to extinguish a forest fire in Huangshan township of Lijiang City, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Feb. 28, 2011. A wildfire broke out here in dawn on Monday. (Xinhua/Li Rongzong)

Firemen try to extinguish a forest fire in Huangshan township of Lijiang City, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Feb. 28, 2011. A wildfire broke out here in dawn on Monday. (Xinhua/Li Rongzong)

Firemen try to extinguish a forest fire in Huangshan township of Lijiang City, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Feb. 28, 2011. A wildfire broke out here in dawn on Monday. (Xinhua/Li Rongzong)

Firemen climb up to a forest fire spot in Huangshan township of Lijiang City, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Feb. 28, 2011. A wildfire broke out here in dawn on Monday. (Xinhua/Li Rongzong)

Firemen try to extinguish a forest fire in Huangshan township of Lijiang City, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Feb. 28, 2011. A wildfire broke out here in dawn on Monday. (Xinhua/Li Rongzong)

Firemen tried to extinguish a forest fire in Huangshan township of Lijiang City, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Feb. 28, 2011. A wildfire broke out here in dawn on Monday.

Gold clings to $1,410; ETF holdings to 9-month low

By Rujun Shen

SINGAPORE | Mon Feb 28, 2011 11:00pm EST

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Spot gold steadied around $1,410 on Tuesday as escalating unrest in Libya and the Middle East supported safe-haven demand, though holdings in the biggest gold-backed exchange-traded fund fell to the lowest level in more than nine months.

Forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi were massed near the Tunisian border on Tuesday, as the United States said it was moving warships and aircrafts closer to Libya, heightening tension in the volatile region.

Spot gold was nearly flat at $1,411 an ounce by 0339 GMT. It had been moving in a narrow range of less than $4.

The most active U.S. gold futures contract edged up 0.1 percent at $1,411.90.

"There has been some scrap selling and liquidation above $1,405," said Peter Fung, head of dealing department at Wing Fung Precious Metals in Hong Kong.

"We'll probably see a price range between $1,405 and $1,415."

But even as the political turmoil in the Middle East and North Africa continued to support safe-haven demand, improved economic prospects could weigh on gold prices, traders said.

Gold prices could drop 20 percent later this year and in 2012 as the global economy picks up, as speculators exit the market, said the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES).

Holdings in the SPDR Gold Trust dipped to the lowest since mid-May last year in a sign that investors may be switching to stocks and other assets, a dealer said.

"The money from gold ETF may have gone to the stock market, which has outperformed gold recently," said a Hong Kong-based dealer.

Spot gold inched down half a percent so far this year, compared to a 5.6 percent climb in the Dow Jones industrial average .DJI.

On the macroeconomic front, Chinese manufacturing growth slowed in February to a six-month low, according to an official survey, as the government's sustained campaign to tame inflation weighed on industrial activity.

Australia's central bank decided to keep its main cash rates steady at 4.75 percent as widely expected, said it expects the global economy continue to expand.

Brent crude held steady near $112 a barrel on Tuesday as investors remained cautious about Middle East supplies even as Saudi Arabia ramped up production to cover a drop in Libyan exports.

A sustained period of higher oil prices would significantly affect developing economies but is unlikely to derail their strong recovery since the global financial crisis, a senior World bank economist said.

Exclusive: China banks warned against "extreme" lending

Liu Mingkang, the chairman of the China Banking Regulatory Commission, attends the Asian Financial Forum in Hong Kong January 20, 2010.

Credit: Reuters/Bobby Yip

BEIJING | Mon Feb 28, 2011 10:56pm EST

BEIJING (Reuters) - Lending by Chinese banks during the past two years has been excessively fast, topping the "extreme upper limit" set by regulators, the country's banking chief said at an internal meeting, a source told Reuters on Tuesday.

The unusually sharp warning by Liu Mingkang, head of the China Banking Regulatory Commission, highlighted deepening official unease about the threat that rampant credit growth poses to the Chinese financial sector and the broader economy.

Liu said that "irrational factors" in the Chinese real estate market had increased and that credit risks were accumulating, according to the source who attended a CBRC internal meeting.

Liu also warned banks that they could not extend or roll over loans this year to local government financing vehicles when they expire, the source said. China has been trying to clean up local governments' books after they incurred piles of debt in the course of stimulating the economy to recover from the global financial crisis.

(Reporting by Reuters China; Editing by Ken Wills)

Jordan king pledges reform following protests

Jordan's premier vows to bring 'true and gradual' reforms as opposition threatens more pressure.

Middle East Online

'The regime must understand that it must reform to survive' AMMAN - Jordan's King Abdullah II on Sunday discussed his kingdom's reform plans with visiting Swedish and Portuguese foreign ministers, saying they are key to the country's future. The king talked about "efforts and plans to enhance Jordan's reform drive, noting that political and economic reforms are important to the future of the kingdom and the region," the state-run Petra news agency reported. The top diplomats of Sweden and Portugal, Carl Bildt and Luis Amado, also held talks with their Jordanian counterpart Nasser Judeh and Prime Minister Maaruf Bakhit, Petra said. Jordan's opposition threatened on Saturday to increase the pressure on the government, accusing it of not taking reforms seriously, a day after several thousand people demonstrated in Amman in a "Day of Anger" to call for political reforms. Jordanians have been protesting against the rising cost of living, but their numbers and demands escalated after the ouster of former Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali on January 14 to include political reforms and the fall of the government. Jordan's premier pledged on Sunday to bring "true and gradual" reforms, a day after the opposition threatened more pressure on the government, accusing it of not taking the process seriously. "The government is not practicing a policy of containment. It is implementing a methodology of true and gradual reforms to achieve national objectives," Prime Minister Maaruf Bakhit told MPs in his policy statement. "We will continue our drive for political reforms, rationally review socio-economic policies and tackle errors and failures," the state-run Petra news agency quoted him as saying in parliament. King Abdullah II sacked the government of Samir Rifai on February 1, and named Bakhit as the head of a cabinet tasked with introducing general reforms. "The government will review laws which form the foundation of democracy and political life, including the electoral law," said Bakhit, who is seeking a parliamentary vote of confidence in his leadership. "The government will comprehensively evaluate and review press and freedom of expression laws and take effective measures to address past errors because it realises the need for a free press." The powerful Islamic Action Front (IAF), the largest opposition party, said on Saturday the regime needs to introduce reforms in order to survive. "The regime must understand that it must reform to survive, and that the longer it delays, the louder the calls for change will become," Zaki Bani Rsheid, a member of IAF, said.

Djibouti president criticises 'violent' opposition

Guellah vows to defend hi good record of development, accuses opposition of choosing path of violence.

Middle East Online

Guelleh has been in power since 1999 DJIBOUTI - Djibouti's President Ismael Omar Guelleh, who is seeking a third term in April elections, accused the opposition Monday of choosing the path of violence. "The opposition in Djibouti has no vision for the country and is resorting to violence which has caused bloodshed and loss of property," the tiny Horn of African nation's leader said. "If they had a national agenda, I would look at it and see if there can be any constructive dialogue and ideas for me to adopt," he said. Guelleh has been in power since 1999 and last year had the constitution amended to allow him to seek another six-year term in office in presidential elections slated for April 8. The opposition has slammed the move as illegal but Guelleh and his regime insist they are legitimate. On February 18, opposition protestors, most of them students, staged unprecedented demonstrations demanding regime change and echoing the wave of discontent sweeping the Arab world and its long-standing leaders. The protest spiralled into clashes between demonstrators and police which saw at least two people killed, buildings reduced to ashes and the country's top opposition leaders briefly detained. "The opposition is authorised to demonstrate freely, as stipulated by our laws, but they are not allowed to sow destruction and mayhem," Guelleh said. "I have a good record of bringing development to Djibouti and I will defend those achievements. The armed forces of Djibouti will not tolerate any damage to the property of those who live in Djibouti."

Oman protesters clash anew with police

Protesters continue to man roadblocks around Sohar despite announcement by authorities of new benefits for jobless, more powers for elected advisory council.

Middle East Online

By Karim Sahib - SOHAR

Fresh clashes erupted between Omani police and protesters on Monday, a day after police killed at least one as the turmoil rocking the Arab world reached the normally calm Gulf sultanate. Hundreds of demonstrators stormed a police station in the key industrial area of Sohar, northwest of the capital Muscat, and police responded by firing tear gas. There were no immediate reports of casualties in the clashes that broke out near Earth Roundabout, a key intersection on the main road to the capital, where deadly violence erupted on Sunday, an AFP correspondent reported. The protesters, who are demanding jobs and political reform, continued to man roadblocks around Sohar despite the announcement by the authorities of new benefits for the jobless and more powers for an elected advisory council. The protesters have been keeping a vigil at Earth Roundabout for three straight days, defying police efforts to remove them. Some 700 protesters also blocked access to the town's port -- Oman's second biggest -- on Monday, preventing the movement of vehicles in or out, an AFP correspondent reported. They seized several trucks with which they blocked the entrance. The protesters called for "the trial of all ministers" and "the abolition of all taxes," including taxes on health care and on lands offered by the state. There were conflicting reports on the death toll from Sunday's clashes. A security official had said on Sunday that police killed two people and wounded about five others when they fired rubber bullets and tear gas at demonstrators attacking a police station near the roundabout. The protesters gave a higher toll. "I saw five killed at the police station yesterday," said one of them, 25-year-old Abdullah al-Meqbali. A government spokesman cited by the state ONA news agency said on Monday that only one person was killed, and Health Minister Ahmed al-Saeedi gave the same figure in an interview with the Al-Jazeera satellite channel. He said a second person had survived despite suffering a bullet wound to the stomach. ONA news agency said rioting had begun at dawn on Saturday and continued on Sunday. It said several government and privately owned cars had been torched. The protesters also set fire to the governor's house in Sohar, more than 200 kilometres (125 miles) from the capital, and an AFP correspondent said a shopping mall had been torched. Oman is the latest country to be hit by a wave of protests in the Arab world that has already swept the veteran leaders of Tunisia and Egypt from power. Mass demonstrations also threaten the regimes of Bahrain, Libya and Yemen. The Omani protesters insist they are not challenging the rule of Sultan Qaboos, who has been in power since 1970, but are merely calling for jobs and reform. Mohammed Mohammed, who said his brother Abdullah Mohammed, 36, was killed by police on Sunday, said the family would not bury him until the killers are put on trial. "We will not take the body (from the mortuary). We want to know the killer, and the reasons behind the killing... and we want him to be punished according to law," he said. Mohammed said his brother was killed by live fire and not rubber bullets as officials had stated. In a move towards addressing the grievances of the protesters, Qaboos announced 50,000 new jobs would be created for Omani citizens and benefits provided for the unemployed. A royal decree carried by ONA on Sunday said a monthly allowance of 150 riyals (390 dollars) would be given to each registered job seeker. Qaboos also ordered the formation of a ministerial committee, headed by palace affairs minister Sayed Ali bin Hmud al-Busaidi, to put together proposals to meet calls for more powers for Oman's elected consultative council. Amid the tensions in Sohar, Oman's stock market index slumped by 7.8 percent on Monday to its lowest level in more than a year. The sultanate lies on the strategic Strait of Hormuz and adjoining Gulf of Oman, through which much of the world's oil supplies pass, and is a key Western ally in the region.

Thousands protest in Bahrain as MPs resign

Bahrain opposition says 'government needs to resign first' not 'change a few ministers' as US backs 'national dialogue'.

Middle East Online

'The People Want to Topple the Regime' MANAMA - Thousands of Bahrainis marched in Manama on Sunday calling for the fall of the ruling Sunni dynasty, as 18 opposition MPs submitted their letter of resignation to protest the killing of demonstrators. The throng of protesters set out from Pearl Square, which has become the epicentre of anti-government protests that began on February 14, marching onto a major highway. Demonstrators carrying a large banner that read "The People Want to Topple the Regime" led the marching protesters, who chanted the same refrain. The large flag-waving crowd wound its way down the highway to the Diplomatic Area, marching past the Kuwaiti and Saudi embassies and the Bahraini central bank. The crowd stopped in front of the Ministry of Justice, roaring "Down, down Hamad!" -- a reference to the Gulf state's king. The demonstrators then marched on past the public prosecution office and the compound where the foreign ministry is located. They then continued down the street, back toward Pearl Square, as employees from banks and other businesses along the route, many of them filming with mobile phones, looked on. Thousands of demonstrators had marched from Pearl Square to the foreign ministry and back on Saturday, after tens of thousands of protesters marched to the square and rallied there the day before. Meanwhile, lawmakers said 18 MPs from Al-Wefaq Shiite opposition bloc officially submitted their letter of resignation on Sunday to protest the deaths of anti-regime demonstrators, seven of whom have been killed by security forces since the protests began. "We are no longer affiliated with this council, which did not lift a finger in front of these massacres," read the letter signed by the 18 MPs. The 18 MPs of Al-Wefaq, or the Islamic National Accord Association, make up the largest single bloc in the parliament, and had last week announced they were quitting the assembly. "Officially, we submitted the resignation letter today," Khalil al-Marzouk, one of the 18 MPs, said. Two other Al-Wefaq MPs, Ali al-Aswad and Mattar Mattar confirmed the announcement. Mattar said the head of parliament would now compile a report on the resignations and submit it to parliament, which must accept them or reject them. If parliament accepts the resignations, after two months "there will be partial elections, just for the constituencies which became empty," said Mattar. If it does not, "the parliament continues its work with those numbers, with the 22 (remaining) members." Mattar added parliament may not accept the resignations, but that "our view is that the parliament will lose its legitimacy after we resign." The letter from the 18 MPs did not mention King Hamad's reshuffle of the cabinet Saturday in a bid to placate anti-government protesters, but lawmakers said the changes did not meet their demands for reforms. Mattar described the move as a "negative indicator for the willingness in the government to go for political reform." "The changes in the government were very minor, and didn't reach the ministers who were responsible for the blood," he said, in reference to the people killed in the protests. And Aswad said that "one of the most important preconditions (for dialogue)... is that the government needs to resign first -- not to change a few ministers." Official Bahraini opposition groups, led by Al-Wefaq, have stopped short of demanding outright regime change, instead calling for major reforms including an elected prime minister and the creation of a "real" constitutional monarchy. Demonstrators on Sunday continued to keep vigil in hundreds of tents in Manama's Pearl Square, where they have said they will stay until their demands are met. Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama extended US support Sunday for a "national dialogue" in Bahrain, and said it should be "inclusive, non-sectarian and responsive" to the people of the Gulf kingdom. "The United States supports the national dialogue initiative led by Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa, and encourages a process that is meaningful, inclusive, non-sectarian, and responsive to the people of Bahrain," he said. Bahrain, a tiny, oil-rich kingdom which has Sunni rulers governing over a restive Shiite majority, houses the headquarters of the US Navy's Fifth Fleet. Washington has sought to walk a fine line between supporting its strategic ally and backing the democratic aspirations of Bahrainis, who were inspired by uprisings and regime changes in Tunisia and Egypt. "The dialogue," Obama continued, "offers an opportunity for meaningful reform and for all Bahrainis to forge a more just future together. "As a longstanding partner of Bahrain, the United States continues to believe that Bahrain's stability will be enhanced by respecting the universal rights of the people of Bahrain and reforms that meet the aspirations of all Bahrainis," Obama said. Earlier, the White House dispatched Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to Bahrain. He visited Friday and reaffirmed Washington's commitment to embattled King Hamad. Mullen accused Iran of fomenting instability, but said Tehran was not behind the popular protests in several regional countries. Analysts say a spread of the Shiite protests in Bahrain into the rest of the energy-rich Gulf states could be a major strategic victory for neighboring Iran.

Replacement of Tunisia PM fails to end protests

Protesters camped outside government offices in Tunis are still not satisfied, demand more change.

Middle East Online

By Taieb Mahjoub - TUNIS

Not satisfied yet Tunisia's replacement of its prime minister after weeks of protests failed to quell criticism of the interim government as the opposition Monday pressed on with demands for more change. Mohammed Ghannouchi quit Sunday after clashes between security forces and protesters left five people dead at the weekend in demonstrations against his government, set up after the fall of president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Protesters camped outside government offices in Tunis for 10 days, for whom Ghannouchi's departure had been a key demand because of his links with Ben Ali's regime, said they were still not satisfied. "We will continue our sit-in until the formation of a constituent assembly and the recognition of the Council for the Protection of the Revolution," said protest coordinator Mohamed Fadhel. Demonstrators are wary the weeks-long uprising that ended Ben Ali's 23 years in power, and triggered revolts elsewhere in the Arab world, could be hijacked by members of the old regime still in positions of authority. They have also demanded the establishment of a parliamentary system. The interim government has meanwhile pledged elections by mid-July. The influential Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT), which played a key part in the toppling of the previous regime, criticised the rapid appointment of Beji Caed Essebsi, 84, as new prime minister without consultation. "It was a surprise," union deputy secretary general Ali Ben Romdhane told AFP. "How can we secure the agreements that are wished for to bring Tunisia out of a difficult situation when the president does not give at least 24 hours for consultations about the designation of a prime minister," he asked. Leading opposition figure Rached Ghannouchi, president of the influential Islamist movement Ennahdha, said: "The government of Ben Ali has gone, it must be replaced by one of the people." "The next government must include the Council for the Protection of the Revolution," he said. The city centre was still tense Monday after violence erupted on Friday and continued through the weekend, when security forces fired warning shots and tear gas to disperse rampaging protesters. The interior ministry said five people were killed in the clashes. Security forces tried to push back a group of young people armed with knives and stones who tried to storm the interior ministry headquarters, it said Sunday. Sixteen security officers were also wounded when stones and other objects were hurled at them, it said in a statement. Military reinforcements were deployed close to the interior ministry Monday as shops and pavement cafes in the centre of the capital remained closed in the morning. Witnesses said that shops in the main commercial centre were looted and a supermarket set on fire at the weekend. About 2,000 people demonstrated Sunday to show support for the outgoing prime minister, participants said. Ghannouchi "finishes his run with a gesture of clarity that honours him by recognising that he is not the man for the situation," the government's La Presse newspaper said Monday. But the independent Tunis-hebdo warned that "the way things are going, there is a big risk of the transition being compromised, put in danger by the blatant slowness and clumsiness of a government anchored in old reflexes and by a cabal of unreliable politicians who are riding the hobby horse of the revolution less to serve than to serve themselves."

Iraq may be safest Arab country: Maliki

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, pictured on February 27, said on Monday that Iraq may be the safest country in the Arab world, as protests and violence rage across much of the region.

AFP - Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said on Monday that Iraq may be the safest country in the Arab world, as protests and violence rage across much of the region.

Maliki's remarks came as he reiterated his optimism that an Arab League summit set to be held in Baghdad on March 29 would go ahead as scheduled, despite the upheaval.

"Iraq could be the safest country (in the Arab world) at this stage," Maliki told a news conference in the capital's heavily fortified Green Zone.

Though violence is much lower than its peak in 2006 and 2007 across Iraq, attacks still occur regularly, and the number of people killed in January, 259, was the highest in four months.

On the Arab League summit, Maliki said: "We are still optimistic about holding the summit in Baghdad, and the Arab League still wants it."

He added Iraq was willing to postpone the summit by one or two months, if necessary.

Several countries in the region have been roiled by massive demonstrations and unrest in recent weeks, starting with the fall of Tunisian strongman Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, followed by the ouster of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, and now with violence in Libya against the rule of Moamer Kadhafi.

Google backs climate-change weather insurance startup

1 March 2011 - 00H32

A rainbow is formed as irrigation trucks spray water over plants in an effort to keep them from freezing in Homestead, Florida, in 2010. Google on Monday was among investors pumping $42 million into a climate change inspired technology startup that calculates the chances of crops being ruined by weather.

AFP - Google on Monday was among investors pumping $42 million into a climate change inspired technology startup that calculates the chances of crops being ruined by weather.

WeatherBill launched Total Weather Insurance in 2010 as a way for US farmers protect themselves against being devastated by weather, which the US Department of Agriculture blamed for 90 percent of crop losses last year.

"The flip flop of weather from one year to the next is the biggest challenge farmers face," said Steve Wolters, a farmer who grows corn, soybean and wheat in the US state of Ohio.

"It makes sense to me to take advantage of WeatherBill's automated weather insurance programs that pinpoint the weather conditions expected to affect my land and pay me if they happen."

WeatherBill continuously aggregates weather data and runs large-scale weather simulations on its computers.

The automated system lets farmers or others customize insurance policies to the amount of rain or seasonal temperatures they need for fields to flourish.

Those taking part in the startup's second round of funding with Google Ventures included Khosla Ventures, First Round Capital, Index Ventures, and Allen & Company. Total investment in the company was just shy of $60 million.

"WeatherBill is one of those rare companies that has the leadership and vision to apply new technology to an ancient and daunting problem -- weather's impact on agriculture," said Vinod Khosla, founder of Khosla Ventures.

"Now WeatherBill can help farmers globally deal with the increasingly extreme weather brought on by climate change."

WeatherBill plans to use the money to hire engineers in its San Francisco headquarters and to expand its offerings globally. WeatherBill has about 30 employees.

"It is a technology company doing some work in insurance," Bill Maris of Google Ventures said of WeatherBill.

"This is going to have a real world impact on agriculture," he continued. "Helping farmers protect their financial futures and protecting the global food supply is something we can all be excited with."

SocialEyes lets Facebook friends video chat

1 March 2011 - 01H20

Startup SocialEyes on Monday introduced a service that lets people have one-on-one or group video chats with friends from hot online community Facebook.

AFP - Startup SocialEyes on Monday introduced a service that lets people have one-on-one or group video chats with friends from hot online community Facebook.

A test version of SocialEyes made its debut in California at a DEMO conference for technology startups and was made available online at socialeyes.com or apps.facebook.com/socialeyes.

SocialEyes was described by some as a more civilized version of Chatroulette, which randomly connected users in vidchats in a service that became known as a stage for bawdy antics by strangers.

SocialEyes users sign on with Facebook IDs and can connect with known friends or other members of the online community with shared interests.

"SocialEyes takes the social networking experience to the next level by enabling people to connect with their networks and meet interesting people who share common interests through face-to-face communication or via video messages," said startup co-founder Rob Williams.

The San Francisco-based SocialEyes founded by Williams and Rob Glaser has raised $5.1 million in capital, with $600,000 coming from independent "angel" investment and the rest from a round of funding led by Ignition Partners.

"The Internet has brought us all closer, but SocialEyes takes social networking to a whole new level by connecting you face-to-face with people, not usernames," said DEMO executive producer Matt Marshall.

"It completely changes the way we communicate with and meet new people."

President Itno's party wins absolute majority in February elections

Chad's President Idriss Deby Itno's party and its allies won a resounding victory in the country’ general election on February 13 taking an absolute majority of national assembly seats, according to provisional results released Monday.

By News Wires (text)

AFP - The party of Chad's President Idriss Deby Itno and its allies won an absolute majority of national assembly seats in the February 13 general election, provisional results showed Monday.

Yaya Mahamat Liguita, chairman of the National Independent Electoral Commission, said the results showing the Patriotic Salvation Movement (MPS) and aligned parties with 133 of the 188 seats had yet to be confirmed by the constitutional council.

The oil-rich African country's 4.8 million voters faced a choice between Deby's MPS and a fragmented and under-funded opposition of more than 100 tiny parties.

The National Union for Democracy and Renewal headed by Saleh Kebzabo emerged as the biggest opposition grouping with 11 seats.

Turnout was 56.6 percent, Liguita said, and 16 of the parties won at least one seat in the election that tested the opposition's strength against strongman Deby for the first time in nearly a decade.

The MPS won nearly three-quarters of seats in the previous poll in 2002, the results of which were disputed by opposition parties and civil organisations.

Opposition parties including the main Federation Action for the Republic (FAR) boycotted a presidential election in 2006 that re-elected Deby, who seized power in a 1990 coup.

During its absence from the political landscape, the opposition in 2007 signed an agreement under the auspices of the European Union that officially paved the way for a democratic process.

Sandwiched between volatile neighbours Niger and Sudan, Chad is one of Africa's poorest countries, suffering from poverty and internal conflict despite abundant resources of uranium and gold.

It also became an oil producer in 2003 following the completion of a four-billion-dollar pipeline linking its oilfields to depots on the Atlantic coast.

Iran opposition says leaders held

01 March 2011 - 04H23

File photo shows Iranian opposition demonstrators carrying a large green flag during a demonstration in Tehran. Iranian authorities had put opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi and their wives under "complete" house arrest after their supporters staged anti-government protests on February 14, their websites had said.

A combo of two file pictures shows Mehdi Karroubi (L) and Mir Hossein Mousavi. Mousavi and Karroubi and their wives have been arrested and put in a Tehran jail, their websites said Monday in reports swiftly denied by a judicial official.

AFP - Iranian opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi and their wives have been arrested and put in a Tehran jail, their websites said Monday in reports swiftly denied by a judicial official.

The two had been under house arrest after judiciary chief Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani said earlier this month they had committed "treason" and MPs demanded they be hanged.

"Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, and their wives, have been arrested and were transferred to the Heshmatiyeh prison of Tehran," Mousavi's website Kaleme.com reported.

"According to credible sources, the arrest and the transfer to jail is sure but the date when it occurred is still uncertain," Kaleme.com said.

An Iranian judiciary official quickly denied the report, the Fars news agency said.

"A judiciary source has denied the arrest of the chiefs of sedition Mousavi and Karroubi," Fars said, adding that the pair were at home and not in prison.

"They are currently in their homes and are faced only with restrictions to contact suspect elements," Fars said.

Iranian authorities had put Karroubi and Mousavi and their wives under "complete" house arrest after their supporters staged anti-government protests on February 14, their websites had said in previous reports.

Confusion over whether the pair had been arrested or not came after prosecutor general Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejeie in statements earlier Monday warned the opposition movement against plans to hold protests on Tuesday.

"Anyone who acts against the law will be dealt with," the prosecutor general was quoted as saying on the website of state television in reference to a call for protests aimed at demanding Mousavi and Karroubi's release from house arrest.

Mousavi and Karroubi, who lost to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the June 2009 election, maintain that he was fraudulently re-elected and since then have opposed his presidency.

They have led a string of protests in Iran after Ahmadinejad's re-election and their opposition to the president has shaken the Islamic regime and divided the nation's elite Shiite clergy.

On Saturday, their websites posted calls for new protests to take place on Tuesday in Tehran and other provincial cities to press for their release from house arrest.

The call was issued by the Coordination Council of the Green Path of Hope, an umbrella group backing the two leaders who steadfastly oppose Ahmadinejad's government.

The group, which called previous protests on February 14 and February 20, said that more demonstrations would be held on March 15 if Mousavi and Karroubi remained under house arrest beyond March 1.

Officials have branded anyone who supports the two men as "anti-revolutionary."

On Monday the prosecutor general said the opposition movement had now transformed itself from "sedition to anti-revolution."

Tens of thousands of regime loyalists demanded earlier this month that Mousavi and Karroubi be hanged for their rebellion, at a rally organised after Friday prayers in Tehran.

Two days later, Karroubi's website Sahamnews.org quoted him as saying that he had asked to be put on trial in public to defend the rights of the Iranian people in a letter to judiciary chief, Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani.

Organisers of the February 18 rally demanded in a declaration the "harshest punishment to the heads of sedition" and labelled Mousavi and Karroubi as "corrupt on earth" -- a crime punishable by death under Iran's penal code.

The two leaders have regularly managed to issue statements which have freshly fuelled unrest in Tehran.

Earlier this month judiciary chief Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani issued a stern warning to the two men whom he said had committed "treason", saying they had "rebelled against the religious government" and steps were being taken to block their communication networks.

Iranian Admiral: Warship off Syria coast a message of peace

03-01-2011 09:02 BJT

Iranian Admiral, Habi-bollah Sa-yari, says that his country's two navy ships anchored off the coast of Syria was a message of peace, and not an act of aggression within the middle east.

Admiral Habi-bollah Sa-yari, Iranian Naval Commander, said, "I would like to point out that Iran is sending a message of peace and security in the region and, in fact, we are stressing on this message. We stress, as well, that the strategy of the Iranian Islamic Republic is to reinforce our capabilities in order to defend ourselves and we do not have any aggressive intention towards other countries."

The two Iranian warships arrived in Syria on Thursday after they received permission to pass through the Suez Canal. According to an Egyptian News website, authorities agreed on the canal transit after they got an Iranian reassurance that the ships were not carrying any nuclear or chemical materials.

China's National Museum ready to reopen on April 1

03-01-2011 08:54 BJT

After three-and-a-half years, the expansion project of the National Museum of China is winding down. The museum plans to reopen on the first of April and for its first exhibition after reopening, plans to join hands with three major German museums.

The outward appearance of the National Museum hasn't changed much. Three facades of the museum were kept as they originally looked when it was founded in 1959 to mark the tenth anniversary of the founding of the PRC.

The museum nearly triples in size from 65,000 square meters to almost 200,000 square meters. The number of exhibition rooms increased to nearly 50, including an Asia room, Africa room, Europe room and America rooms for international exhibitions.

Photo dated Feb. 16, 2011 shows a bright hall in the National Museum of China. The museum will reopen to the public on the first day of April after more than three years of renovation. [Xinhua]

History will be brought to life through new and multimedia presentations. The Museum has a 3D cinema, a TV studio and a theatre dedicated to performances of intangible cultural heritage.

Photo dated Feb. 16, 2011 shows a bright hall in the National Museum of China. The museum will reopen to the public on the first day of April after more than three years of renovation. [Xinhua]

The multi-functional new facility, which reopens on Tiananmen Square near the Forbidden City, is expected to be a popular hangout for visitors from far and wide.

Discovery astronauts carry out first spacewalk

03-01-2011 09:56 BJT

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Two NASA astronauts from the space shuttle Discovery, have carried out the first of two planned spacewalks.

The spacewalk intends to support maintenance of the International Space Station. It is scheduled to last six-and-a-half hours. Discovery reached the space station on Saturday, for its final mission at the 100-billion US-dollar orbital outpost. The shuttle is scheduled to spend a week at the station, though NASA is considering adding an extra day. NASA is ending its 30-year shuttle program in about six months.

Sister ships Endeavour and Atlantis .. are expected to make their final flights this spring and summer. The US is retiring the program due to high operating costs, and to develop spaceships that can travel to the moon, asteroids, and other destinations beyond the station's orbit.

Two NASA astronauts from the space shuttle Discovery, have carried out the first of two planned spacewalks.

Facebook Like button takes over Share button

By Vadim Lavrusik, Mashable February 28, 2011 -- Updated 1449 GMT (2249 HKT) | Filed under: Social Media

Facebook has released an update to its Like button that changes the button's functionality to that of a Share button.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• After hitting Like, a full story, headline, blurb and thumbnail will be posted to your profile
  
• Facebook has released an update that changes the Like button's functionality
  
• Facebook has slowly stopped developing the Share Button

RELATED TOPICS

• Facebook Inc.
• Internet
• Personal Computers

(Mashable) -- Say goodbye to the Share button because the Like button is taking over.

After months of updates to its Like button, Facebook has released an update that fundamentally changes the button's functionality to that of a Share button. Now after hitting the Like button, a full story with a headline, blurb and thumbnail will be posted to your profile wall. You'll also be given an option to comment on the story link. Previously, only a link to the story would appear in the recent activity, often going unnoticed by users.

Though users may now think twice about hitting the button, given how prominently it will appear on their walls and in their networks' newsfeeds, it should ultimately increase traffic to publishers' websites.

Facebook has slowly been rolling out updates to its Like button and has stopped developing the Share Button. Facebook Spokeswoman Malorie Lucich told us that while the company will continue to support the Share button, Like is the "recommended solution moving forward."

However, Lucich today called it a test, saying "We're always testing new products that incorporate developer feedback as we work to improve the Platform experience, and have no details to share at this time." It's unlikely that the change is just a test, however. Typically such tests from Facebook only affect a small number of users, whereas this change affects all Like buttons.

Perhaps the change was necessary. Because it was never made clear to users that the Like button would function differently than the Share button, many never understood what it meant to click Like on a piece of content. Making the result the same as the Share button could build stronger user expectations, ultimately fashioning a better user experience.

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