Kuwait emir asks outgoing PM to form new cabinet

The Gulf state's emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, issued a decree re-appointing Sheikh Nasser al-Mohammad al-Sabah -- the ruler's nephew -- to form another cabinet, KUNA said.

Kuwait's emir on Tuesday asked the outgoing prime minister to form a new government after the cabinet resgined to avoid possible questioning over the issue of unrest by Shi'ites in neighbouring Bahrain.

The old cabinet quit to avoid the grilling by parliament of three ministers, all members of the ruling Sunni al-Sabah family, amid calls for political and economic reform.

Lawmakers had asked to question the ministers in the latest of a series of challenges by an unusually assertive Arab parliament that have delayed important economic reforms.

Kuwait's parliament, the most outspoken in a region mostly dominated by autocratic rulers, has triggered numerous cabinet resignations or reshuffles through questioning.

The Gulf state's emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, issued a decree re-appointing Sheikh Nasser al-Mohammad al-Sabah -- the ruler's nephew -- to form another cabinet, KUNA said.

While tough questioning of ministers is an everyday occurrence in most parliaments, in Kuwait it is more akin to a direct challenge to the individual and an indirect challenge to the ruler, who has the last say in politics.

The news service of al-Watan newspaper, owned by a member of the ruling family, has said the foreign minister faced questioning by Shi'ite lawmaker Saleh Ashour that could "provoke sectarianism". Ashour has voiced support for Bahraini protesters.

Several hundred Kuwaitis demonstrated last month calling for a new prime minister and political freedoms, but the world's fourth-largest oil exporter has not experienced anything on the scale of the unrest in Bahrain.

Reuters

Germany halts Iran-India oil trade

India will stop paying for its Iranian oil imports via Germany, a German official said on Tuesday, after reports of pressure from the United States and Israel.

India will stop paying for its Iranian oil imports via Germany, a German official said on Tuesday, after reports of pressure from the United States and Israel.

The decision was a result of consultations between Berlin and New Delhi, and not pressure from Chancellor Angela Merkel at home or abroad to disrupt the payment scheme, the high-ranking government official said, declining to be named.

"India has told us that this route is being phased out," he said, confirming newspaper reports indicating that billions of euros of payments to a Hamburg-based bank handling international trade with Iran had been halted.

Earlier, Handelsblatt business daily reported that Merkel had intervened by instructing Germany's central bank, the Bundesbank, to stop clearing payments from India headed to the bank, known as EIH, although it is not under EU sanctions. Israel, whose Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets Merkel this week, wants Germany to shut down EIH.

The United States had pressed Germany over the matter while Berlin officials admitted the bank had not broken any EU rules, which allow payments for Iranian oil and natural gas.

The move will cost for German companies, which according to Handelsblatt now face hundreds of millions of dollars in bills outstanding for products ordered from Iran, some of which the oil money would have likely covered.

India too may now face renewed difficulties in finding a way to get payments for some 9 billion euros ($12.77 billion) in annual oil purchases to Iran.

Agencies

Record depletion of ozone recorded over Arctic: UN

An image of total ozone column profile around the North Pole on March 30, 2011 developed by Finnish Meteorological Institute using satellite and ground based data is seen in this April 5, 2011 handout.

Record loss of the ozone, the atmosphere layer that shields life from the sun's harmful rays, has been observed over the Arctic in recent months, the World Meteorological Organization said.

Record loss of the ozone, the atmosphere layer that shields life from the sun's harmful rays, has been observed over the Arctic in recent months, the World Meteorological Organization said on Tuesday.

"Depletion of the ozone...has reached an unprecedented level over the Arctic this spring because of the continuing presence of ozone-depleting substances in the atmosphere and a very cold winter in the stratosphere," the WMO said in a statement.

Observations from the ground, balloons and satellites show that the region has suffered an ozone column loss of about 40 percent from the beginning of the winter to late March, according to the United Nations agency.

The highest ozone loss previously recorded over the Arctic, about 30 percent, occured in several seasons over the past 15 years or so, according to a WMO spokeswoman.

"If the ozone depleted area moves away from the pole and towards lower latitudes one can expect increased ultraviolet (UV) radiation as compared to the normal for the season," WMO said, adding that the public should check their national UV forecasts.

But any increase in UV radiation over lower latitudes away from the Arctic -- which could affect parts of Canada, Nordic countries, Russia and Alaska in the United States -- would not be of the same intensity as one suffers in the tropics, it said.

UV-B rays have been linked to skin cancer, cataracts and damage to the human immune system. "Some crops and forms of marine life can also suffer adverse effects," the agency said.

Unlike over Antarctica, large ozone loss is not an annually recurring phenomenon in the Arctic stratosphere, where meteorological conditions vary much more each year.

The record ozone loss over the Arctic comes despite the "very successful" Montreal Protocol aimed at cutting production and consumption of ozone-destroying chemicals such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and halons, the WMO said.

The substances were once present in refrigerators, spray cans and fire extinguishers, but have been phased out.

Nevertheless, due to the long lifetimes of these compounds in the atmosphere, it will take several decades before their concentrations return to pre-1980 levels, the target laid down in the 1987 pact, it said.

Reuters

Israeli troops kill 21-year old Palestinian on Gaza border

Relatives of Palestinian man Mohammed Shalha mourn during his funeral in Beit Lahiya on the northern Gaza Strip April 5.(Reuters)

A spokesman for medical services in Gaza named the dead youth as Mohammed Shalha, 21, according to an identification document he was carrying and said no weapon had been found at the scene.

Israeli soldiers on the besieged Gaza Strip border shot and killed a resident on Tuesday afternoon, with witnesses saying two others were injured in the artillery firing.

Witnesses told Palestinian news agency, the group of men were collecting cement particles for use in construction aggregates near the Erez crossing in the northern Gaza Strip.

An Israeli military spokeswoman said soldiers had identified one man as "armed", and "fired toward him, identifying a direct hit."

The incident, which occurred at approximately 10 a.m., was confirmed by medics, who were called by witnesses in the Al-Bura area in Beit Lahiya. Ambulance crews said one dead body was retrieved.

Reuters news agency said, a spokesman for medical services in Gaza named the dead youth as Mohammed Shalha, 21, according to an identification document he was carrying and said no weapon had been found at the scene.

Agencies

Obama breaks another promise on Guantanamo

15:36, 05 April 2011 Tuesday

U.S. President Barack Obama abondoned its campaign pledge, agreeing to try a Sept. 11 suspect in a military tribunal at Guantanamo, not in a civilian court.

U.S. President Barack Obama abondoned its campaign pledge on Monday, agreeing to try a Sept. 11 suspect in a military tribunal at Guantanamo, not in a civilian court.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder blamed lawmakers for the policy reversal, saying their December decision to block funding for prosecuting the 9/11 suspects in a New York court "tied our hands" and forced the administration to resume military trials.

His announcement was an embarrassing reversal of the administration's decision in November 2009 to try Sept. 11 suspect Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four others.

The decision to abandon civilian prosecution was an admission that Obama has not been able to overcome political opposition to his effort to close the prison for suspects and so-called enemy combatants at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, a key 2008 campaign promise. It came on the day he kicked off his campaign for re-election in 2012.

Obama has called the Guantanamo Bay facility, set up by his predecessor President George W. Bush, a recruiting symbol for anti-American groups and said allegations of prisoner mistreatment there had tarnished America's reputation.

He promised to close the prison by the end of his first year in office, but that deadline passed with no action. The prison still holds 172 people, down from 245 when Obama took office in January 2009.

Holder said he still believed the 9/11 suspects would best be prosecuted in U.S. civilian courts, despite strong congressional opposition.

Captain John Murphy, the chief prosecutor of the office of military commissions, said his office would swear charges in the near future against the five suspects for their alleged roles in the 2001 attacks.

In addition to Mohammed, a suspect kidnapped from Pakistan in 2003, and bin Attash, the others are Ramzi Binalshibh, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali and Mustafa Ahmed al Hawsawi.

Agencies

Who is who in Bahrain?

15:39, 04 March 2011 Friday

The political portrait is very colorfull in Bahrain where the latest uprisings from North African countries spread to. Although it is a small country, there are many political movements and parties in Bahrain.

By Metin Ünlü, World Bulletin / News Desk

When we look at Bahrain where there are many demands and demonstrations from the regime about new reforms, we see the the view below. The country is being governed by the El-Caliph family with constitutional monarchy since 1783.

There are two councils in the country. One is legislative council which is determined with election.(Parliament) And the other one is the Shura Council which is determined by the King.

The parties in the Parliament :
　
1 - Islamic National Consensus Association:

Ali Selman who is a Shiite and observed to the sherry provissions of the Islam is the President of the party. He deals with the different problems of the country. He is for the national unity. It was established on November 7th 2001. They are for a modern government structure where the public's demands are the basis of their existence. With an Islamic perspective, they believe in liberty, justice and equality princibles. They have 18 members in the counsil which has 40 in total.
　
2 - The Islamic Society of Nobility:

It was established on May 6th 2002. They are known for their predecessor ideas. They believe that the reclamation of the government society is only possible if they return to Sunnah of Holy Quran and Prophet. Ganem Buayneyn is the President of the Administrative Council. They attandent to the parliamentary and municipal elections in 2002 and 2006. They have 3 members in the Council.
　
3 - Islamic Forum Society (Muslim Brothers):

It is a sunni Islamic party. They are accepted as the first charity in Bahrain (established in 1941) and they adopted the ideas of the Muslim Brothers. They are known as the extension of the Reclamation Community and are also known for their different assistance activities. This Community had not being interested in politics up until 2002. They have 2 members in the Parliament.

The parties outside of the Parliament:

4 - Rights Movement (Movement for Democratic Rights):

It is a reformist movement. It is also the biggest dissident movement. The General Secretary of the movement is Hasan Muşeyme. It was established in November 11th 2005. The founding father of this movement used to be members of National Islamic Consensus Association. It is an effective association but it had experienced many devisions. They demand a state structure that is established on contemporary institutions.
　
5 - National Democratic Action Society:

It was establish in September 2009. The short name of them is "Vad", in their website they express that they want a country where justice and freedom is dominated. They emphasize on the equal citizenship. It is a socialist movement.
　
6 - Forward Democracy Platform:

It was established in 2001 by the former communists.
　
7 - The Pact (MISAK)

It was established by the rich businesman. It is not powerful in the public base.

8 - The Islamic Society of Amel (Amel):

They attempted to a rebellion in 1981, influenced by the Iranian Islamic revolution. Because of their loyality for Ayetullah Muhammed Şirazi who passed away in 2001, they are named as Şirazies. All of its members were relaesed in the amnesty in 2001.