Lebanese website hacked following publication of explosive WikiLeaks cables

Ahmed Zaki Osman

Thu, 09/12/2010 - 21:03

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Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar’s website was hacked on Thursday by unknown perpetrators in the latest cyber-battle over classified US diplomatic cables leaked by online whistleblower WikiLeaks, according to one of the paper’s editors.

“Our website has been down all day, and we think it has something to do with our coverage of the WikiLeaks documents," Al-Akhbar Managing Editor Khalid Saghieh told Al-Masry Al-Youm in a phone interview on Thursday.

Saghieh added that the website had been down intermittently ever since the leaked documents were published.

Last week, the pro-Hezbollah newspaper began publishing secret US diplomatic cables related to Lebanon. It reportedly received the cables from WikiLeaks days after WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said his outfit planned to collaborate with certain Arab media organizations.

Besides Al-Masry Al-Youm, the Lebanese daily is the only Arabic-language newspaper to have obtained exclusive documents from WikiLeaks.

The Lebanon-related documents detail backstage negotiations regarding the UN investigation into the 2005 murder of Lebanese premier Rafiq Hariri. The documents reveal UN frustrations with both Syria and France over their respective levels of cooperation with the international tribunal.

On Monday, the daily published a leaked document quoting Lebanese PM Saad Hariri--son of the slain premier--predicting that Hezbollah would not be easily destroyed.

It also published a document revealing that Daniel Bellemare, prosecutor for the UN tribunal, had told then US ambassador to Lebanon Michele Sison last year that Syria was treating his investigators like "school kids in short pants."

Most explosively, one cable revealed that Lebanese Defense Minister Elias Murr had offered advice on how Israel could defeat Hezbollah if a new war erupted on Israel's northern border.

"Israel cannot bomb bridges and infrastructure in the Christian areas," Murr was quoted as saying in the cable, allegedly sent by an American diplomat to the US State Department. "The Christians were supporting Israel in 2006 until they started bombing their bridges."

The Lebanon cables, part of a trove of 4,000 secret documents, also proved embarrassing for Saudi Arabia. One document stated that the western-backed oil-rich gulf country had proposed Arab military intervention in Lebanon in 2008 to destroy the Shia resistance movement.

According to that document, Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal presented a senior US diplomat with plans for a force backed up by US and NATO air and sea power.

Current US ambassador to Lebanon Maura Connelly on Monday condemned the latest batch of WikiLeaks releases, describing the revelations as "illegal and irresponsible."

After releasing thousands of classified messages from US envoys around the world, both WikiLeaks and its founder have come under heavy fire from several national governments.

A number of organizations that had been associated with WikiLeaks have since distanced themselves from it.Web services provider Amazon has stopped hosting its servers, while domain provider EveryDNS has cancelled its service.

E-payment platform PayPal, meanwhile, has permanently restricted WikiLeaks’ account "due to a violation of the PayPal Acceptable Use Policy.”Shortly afterward, PayPal itself was hit with a denial-of-service (DOS) attack by “Operation Payback,”a group of Internet activists that targetinstitutions opposed to WikiLeaks.

DoS attacks are illegal in several countries, including the UK

Egypt to receive bids for nuclear power station this month

Mansour Kamel

Fri, 10/12/2010 - 11:44

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Cabinet speaker Magdy Radi this week quoted Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif as saying that Egypt would receive bids for the construction of the country’s first nuclear power station--to be built in the coastal Al-Dabaa region--before the end of December.

He added that the Ministry of Electricity was currently in the process of finalizing technical specifications for the bids in collaboration with the consulting firm that is managing the project.

Radi also said that the prime minister had discussed the projected cost of the station, as well as possible sources of alternative funding.

Electricity Minister Hassan Younis, for his part, said that construction of the station would take up to seven years.

Translated from the Arabic Edition.

Egyptian political parties collaborate with opposition movements to organize protest

EE staff

Fri, 10/12/2010 - 13:49

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Egypt's Nasserist and Wafd parties will participate in a sit-in downtown Sunday to protest parliamentary elections fraud, according to George Ishaq, former general coordinator for the Egyptian Movement for Change (Kefaya).

This demonstration will mark the first time that Egypt's opposition movements collaborate with traditional political parties since the opposition groups began to appear on the political scene six years ago.

Ishaq said the Kefaya movement, the National Association for Change led by Mohamed ElBaradei, the Labor Party, the Karama party and the 6 April movement will join the Nasserist and Wafd parties in the demonstration, which will call for the dissolution of parliament.

The ruling National Democratic Party won more than 90 percent of available People's Assembly seats in the elections, which have drawn widespread accusations of fraud.

Egypt closes Rafah border crossing Friday and Saturday

DPA

Fri, 10/12/2010 - 14:03

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Egyptian authorities closed the Rafah border crossing into the Gaza Strip on Friday, following a new schedule previously announced by government officials.

The crossing will be closed Saturday and reopen Sunday morning.

The new instructions stipulate the crossing will be closed on weekends as well as national and religious holidays to give border crossing workers time off, according to an Egyptian security source.

The schedule was changed to align it with that of other government jobs, which do not require employees to work Friday or Saturday, the source said.

Egypt opened the Rafah border crossing for unspecified reasons in June 2010, shortly after Israeli attacks on the Mavi Marmara, a Turkish ship which sailed to Gaza as part of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla.

Sharm el-Sheikh shark attacks ‘so unique’, says US expert

Mohamed Elmeshad

Ahmed Ragab

Fri, 10/12/2010 - 14:07

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Sharm el-Sheikh--George Burgess, the leading US expert investigating recent shark attacks in the Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh said that reaching a definitive conclusion on the cause of the attacks may take years.

The attacks claimed the life of a German tourist last week.

In an exclusive phone interview with Al-Masry Al-Youm, Burgess, director of the Florida Program for Shark Research and director of the International Shark File, said the recent attacks are the most unique he’s seen in more than three decades.

Al-Masry Al-Youm: How long have you been here and what have you been doing?

George Burgess: We got here Sunday and have been working on the investigation regarding these shark attacks since. At this point we are gathering data and looking at the circumstances under which they had happened.

Al-Masry: How has the investigative process been going so far? Have you found it easy dealing with the governorate of South Sinai?

Burgess: So far we have been given everything we asked for and they have done it quickly. It seems like they are eager to reach a resolution with this topic. The only thing I would say regarding the date that could have been done better has to do with some of the medical records. The photographs of the bite marks on some of the victims were maybe taken from angles and in ways that were not the best for me.

Al-Masry: How abnormal is the case of these Sharm attacks in your opinion?

Burgess: It is a highly abnormal situation. I’ve been involved in studying sharks and shark attacks for a long time and in 30 plus years of experience I must say this is the most unique situation I have seen. For so many attacks to happen in such a short period of time, I don’t think I’ve seen it.

Al-Masry: What were your initial thoughts or suspicions regarding the cause of these attacks?

Burgess: Look, science is not black and white. It is not like other situations in life, where you can trace problems to their root with one process and be finished. There are so many factors regarding human behavior, animal behavior, and environmental circumstances. There are a lot of things that came to mind, but it will be a while before we reach any conclusions.

Al-Masry: How long will it take?

Burgess: It could take a long time to actually figure out what happened. The governor [of South Sinai], however, gave us a small period of time because he understandably wants to begin taking measures to protect the people in his governorate. The most similar situation I’ve been involved in was in Brazil a while back, and it took us ten years to figure out something conclusive. Brazil was similar in scope and we also had the same problem with the lack of prior research.

Al-Masry: Do you think that the anomaly seen with these attacks is an indication of a natural or human glitch elsewhere?

Burgess: When you have this many attacks in this short period of time, there is no questioning that something must have happened to incite this. Like I said, this is a highly unusual case, and it is extremely unusual behavior for sharks.

Al-Masry: What are some of the factors that you think might have incited these attacks?

Burgess: From a natural perspective, Sharm has had an unusually warm summer and that might have affected the behavior and movement of sharks. It could also have had an adverse effect on marine life and water salinity. But the event that stands out for me at this point is the company that dumped all those sheep carcasses overboard a couple of months ago. That was sure to have altered the behavior of sharks, and given them a source for food that they weren’t used to on the surface of the water. That probably fed some sharks for a while and altered their feeding habits.

Al-Masry: What has been your main drawback in conducting your investigations so far?

Burgess: There is very little biological information currently available about shark movement in the Red Sea. Not enough research has been conducted on the topic, and it’s difficult when you don’t know what an animal’s patterns are in the area you’re studying. I certainly hope that after this situation is over we will be able to tag some sharks and get some more research done in the area.

Al-Masry: Have you been working with Egyptian experts and scientists?

Burgess: Yes, I have been working closely with a few Egyptian scientists who have been more than generous in knowledge and hospitality. I hope to continue working with them in the future.

Al-Masry: Do you think then, that after handing in your report on Saturday that you will continue conducting your research until you reach something conclusive?

Burgess: I certainly hope so.

Gamal’s lack of military background might undermine his presidential bid, say US cables

AFP

EE staff

Fri, 10/12/2010 - 15:05

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Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak, in power since 1981, is likely to seek re-election next year and serve for the rest of his life, according to US diplomatic cables leaked on Thursday.

The document released by the whistleblower website WikiLeaks and posted online by British daily The Guardian also suggests Egypt's 2011 presidential election "will not be free or fair."

"The next presidential elections are scheduled for 2011, and if Mubarak is still alive it is likely he will run again, and, inevitably, win," said the cable from the US embassy in Cairo dated May 2009 and signed by ambassador Margaret Scobey.

"Despite incessant whispered discussions, no one in Egypt has any certainty about who will eventually succeed Mubarak nor under what circumstances," it said.

However, in a more recent cable, written in February 2010 and leaked to Al-Masry Al-Youm, US diplomats showed less certainty about Mubarak's possible bid for a sixth term.

“Presidential elections will be held in 2011. It is still unclear whether President [Hosni] Mubarak, in power for over 25 years, will decide to run again. Some believe that he is grooming his son, Gamal Mubarak, to succeed him as President,” says the more recent cable, sent just weeks before Mubarak went for gallbladder surgery in Heidelberg, Germany.

The operation led many observers to speculate about the 82-year-old president's deteriorating health.

Mubarak has not yet confirmed whether or not he will run in the 2011 presidential election.

Safwat al-Sherif, secretary-general of the National Democratic Party, said in November that Mubarak remains the NDP’s nominee for the upcoming presidential elections “unless he chooses otherwise.”

The May 2009 cable named Mubarak's son Gamal, 47,--a banker who has risen through the ranks of his father's party--as a "likely contender" along with intelligence boss Omar Suleiman and Arab League chief and Egypt's former Foreign Minister, Amr Moussa.

But the cable was quick to express some doubts about Gamal's chances of assuming a presidency that, for the past 60 years, has been reserved exclusively for members of the military.

"Mubarak's ideal of a strong but fair leader would seem to discount Gamal Mubarak to some degree, given Gamal's lack of military experience, and may explain Mubarak's hands off approach to the succession question," said the cable.

"Indeed, he seems to be trusting to God and the ubiquitous military and civilian security services to ensure an orderly transition."

Many local and international analysts has been wondering about the possible role of the military establishment in deciding who will be Egypt’s next president. All of Egypt’s four presidents since 1952 came from the army. However, some experts believe that the role of the army has been gradually confined to the realm of defense since the 1970s.

During the last few years, several officials from the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) have said that Egypt is prepared to have a “civilian president.”

The release of the cable follows the 28 November and 5 December parliamentary election in which Mubarak's ruling NDP clinched 474 of 508 seats, bolstering its grip ahead of the presidential vote.

The opposition garnered only 14 seats after most of them boycotted the polls, which monitors said were marked by widespread fraud.

The United States and European Union both expressed their concern over irregularities and violence during the election process.

Cairo has dismissed the fraud charges and called criticism of the election from its US ally as amounting to "unacceptable interference" in Egypt's domestic affairs.

The 2009 embassy cable describes Mubarak as "a tried and true realist, innately cautious and conservative, and has little time for idealistic goals."

"Mubarak has no single confidante or adviser who can truly speak for him, and he has prevented any of his main advisers from operating outside their strictly circumscribed spheres of power," it said.

Gamal Mubarak and a handful of economic ministers have input on economic and trade matters, but Mubarak will likely resist further economic reform if he views it as potentially harmful to public order and stability.

It also said Mubarak was "a classic Egyptian secularist who hates religious extremism and interference in politics" for whom the opposition Muslim Brotherhood "represent the worst."

The Brotherhood won a fifth of parliament's seats at the last election in 2005, but failed to garner any in the latest polls.

Egypt: Reports of hundreds of Eritrean hostages in Sinai ‘unconfirmed’

Fri, 10/12/2010 - 16:05

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The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said Friday that reports that more than 250 Eritrean immigrants are being held hostage by gangs of human traffickers in the Sinai peninsula are still "unconfirmed."

International and local rights organizations reported that gangs of smugglers have been holding the migrants hostage for nearly ten days and demanding that captives pay a ransom of US$8,000 per person.

According to these reports, the hostages contracted traffickers to help smuggle them into Israel, but upon arrival in Sinai, the traffickers demanded more money and refused to release the migrants.

"Despite intensified efforts that security forces have undertaken, they have not yet confirmed the capture or death of the aforementioned Eritreans," said Mohamed Abdel Hakam, the Assistant Foreign Minister for Consular Affairs, Egyptians Abroad, Migration and Refugees.

Abdel Hakam said information circulating in the media about the situation is “imprecise and inaccurate.”

"Security agencies are continuing efforts around the clock to determine the veracity of reports," he said.

Egypt announced Wednesday that security forces arrested 83 Africans illegally attempting to cross into Israel through Sinai. The migrants included 20 Eritreans and 63 Ethiopians, of which 12 were women and 51 were men.

Egyptian authorities say increasing numbers of Africans are attempting to immigrate illegally to Israel through Egypt's borders with the help of gangs of Bedouin traffickers.

Israel says approximately 10,000 African migrants have illegally entered its territories through the Egyptian border in recent years.