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| Decision to revoke visa for Venezuela's ambassador to Washington follows rejection of US choice for Caracas. Last Modified: 30 Dec 2010 03:15 GMT | ||
The US has revoked the visa for Venezuela's ambassador to Washington in what it called a "reciprocal" action for Caracas turning down the US choice for its own representative in the Venezuelan capital. Mark Toner, a US state department spokesman, confirmed on Wednesday that the visa of ambassador Bernardo Alvarez Herrera, who is reportedly not currently in the US, had been revoked. Toner said: "We said there would be consequences when the Venezuelan government rescinded agreement regarding our nominee, Larry Palmer. "We have taken appropriate, proportional and reciprocal action". Speaking on state television on Tuesday, Hugo Chavez, the Venezuelan preisdent, had dared the US to cut off diplomatic relations. "If the [US] government wants to expel our ambassador there, let them! If they cut off diplomatic relations, let them," he said. Chavez had announced in August that he would not accept Palmer's appointment to be the next US ambassador to Venezuela because of comments Palmer made during his confirmation hearing in the senate. Palmer said that he believed Venezuela was allowing leftists FARC fighters to find safe haven in the country and that Venezuela's military was under Cuban influence and suffering from low morale. Relations between Washington and Caracas have been rocky since Chavez came to power in 1999. Both sides withdrew their ambassadors between September 2008 and June 2009 after a spat over US military bases in Colombia. Despite their political differences, the US continues to buy around one million barrels of crude oil from Venezuela every day. | ||
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| Source: Agencies | ||
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Thursday, 30 December 2010
US withdraws Venezuela envoy's visa
Ivorian refugees flee to Liberia
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| Tens of thousands of refugees from Cote d’Ivoire flee to neighbouring country in post-election crisis. Last Modified: 30 Dec 2010 09:27 GMT | ||
Tens of thousands of refugees from Cote d’Ivoire have fled over the border into neighbouring Liberia amid rising tension following last month’s disputed presidential elections. The fresh wave of Ivorian refugees comes on top of the 14,000 people who already registered with the UNHCR in eastern Liberia last week. "With their numbers growing, the humanitarian needs are increasing for the mostly women and children refugees as well as for the villagers hosting them," the UN agency said, adding that it was preparing for more than 30,000 refugees. Charles Ble Goude was greeted by a cheering crowd of about 2,000 supporters when he arrived in Abidjan's district of Yopougon. 'Peaceful solution' Shortly after his arrival, he said the government was seeking a peaceful solution to the current crisis. "Nobody wished for this to happen but this post electoral crisis which today blocks Ivory Coast is challenging Africa to try and find a political solution to this political crisis," Ble Goude said. The runoff vote that pitted Gbagbo against his rival Alassane Ouattara was meant to reunite Cote d’Ivoire, the world's top cocoa grower, after the 2002-03 civil war. However, a dispute over the results has provoked clashes that have killed more than 200 people. Provisional election commission results showed Ouattara with an eight percentage-point victory but the figures were quickly overturned by the country's top court, run by a Gbagbo ally, over allegations of fraud. West African leaders have threatened to remove Gbagbo by force if he refuses to go quietly, but are likely to rely on persuasion rather than arms to get their way. "The military road is the road to suicide for all Africa. We don't wish that. I hope that wisdom will win in all camps and that aside from the emotions we will be able to see the interests of all of Africa," Ble Goude said at the rally. "We want to find a solution for this crisis but as we've been saying since 2002 it's not a military solution. There's only the negotiations way. That's what we wish for." The French government, which has a military base in the country, dismissed the allegations as groundless. Evacuation plans The US has started planning for the possible evacuation of its embassy in Cote d’Ivoire, the state department said. Mark Toner, a spokesman, said a team of eight Pentagon officials is now in Abidjan to weigh the US options, including evacuating embassy personnel. "They are looking at contingencies,” he said, adding that in the event of widespread unrest, evacuations "would be normal and prudent". He also repeated US calls for Gbagbo to step down and said he should control his supporters. Lanny Davis, in a letter obtained by The Associated Press new agency, cited the refusal "to allow president Barack Obama's call to be put through to Mr. Gbagbo, despite my repeated objections to that decision". Davis said he has not been able to reach Gbagbo directly to offer him this advice, despite repeated requests. 'On the brink' Youssoufou Bamba, the country's new UN ambassador appointed by Ouattara, said that Cote d'Ivoire is "on the brink of genocide". Bamba made the remarks after presenting his credentials to Ban Ki-Moon, the UN secretary-general, on Wednesday, making him the first Ouattara government envoy to assume a diplomatic post since last month's poll. "The situation is very serious," Bamba, 60, told journalists after meeting with Ban in New York. "Houses have been marked according to your tribe. What will be next? Something should be done." A spokesman for Gbagbo said that the government would cut off diplomatic ties with countries that recognise ambassadors named by Ouattara. "The government would like to make it known that in the light of such decisions, it reserves the right to apply reciprocity in ending the missions of their ambassadors in Ivory Coast," the government's spokesman said in a statement on national television. The EU has said that it will tighten sanctions next month against Gbagbo, expanding a list of his supporters to be targeted, diplomats said on Wednesday. Representatives of the 27 EU governments meeting in Brussels agreed to impose additional measures and to expand the number of Gbagbo supporters targeted by travel restrictions and asset freezes from 19 to 61. 'No military action' Efforts to settle the dispute in Cote d'Ivoire diplomatically continued on Wednesday, with Jorge Borges, the Cape Verde foreign affairs secretary, saying that the option of a military intervention by ECOWAS was off the table for the moment. His statement came after the presidents of Benin, Sierra Leone and Cape Verde briefed Goodluck Jonathan, the Nigerian president and current ECOWAS chairman, on their talks with Gbagbo on Tuesday. The presidential delegation had delivered an ultimatum to Gbagbo to step down as leader or face removal by force. Gbagbo has until January 3, the date of the next meeting, to respond. | ||
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| Source: Agencies |
lsrael ex-president guilty of rape
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| Moshe Katsav is found guilty of rape and other sexual offences by Israel's highest court. Last Modified: 30 Dec 2010 08:59 GMT | ||
An Israeli court found Moshe Katsav, the country’s former president, guilty of rape and other sexual offenses in a conviction of unprecedented gravity for a former head of state. "Katsav's testimony was riddled with lies," the three-judge panel said in its ruling. "When a woman says no, she means no." Katsav, president from 2000 to 2007, had denied the charges of rape, molestation or harassment lodged by three ex-aides. He may now try to contest the Tel Aviv District Court's verdict, and what could be a lengthy jail sentence, in the Supreme Court. Though the scandal had forced Katsav's early retirement in disgrace, it had little impact on Israeli government functions, as the presidency is largely ceremonial. But the allegations against the leader, whose rise from the slums once considered a shining example for disadvantaged Jewish immigrants from the Middle East and North Indeed, Katsav had cast himself as the victim of extortion and an ethnically motivated "witch-hunt", and had vowed to clear his name. Katsav immigrated with his family to Israel in 1951. At age 24 he became the country's youngest mayor and went on to hold a number of cabinet posts as a member of the rightist Likud party. The parliament elected him president in 2000 in an upset victory over Shimon Peres, who later succeeded Katsav as president. Katsav's prosecution was welcomed by women's groups that have long complained that Israeli authorities shrug off sexual harassment in workplaces. Out of concern for the complainants' privacy, much of the trial had taken place behind closed doors. Some commentators predicted that Katsav, should he appeal, will argue that the Tel Aviv District Court proceedings had not been transparent enough. "It's not pleasant to see a former president tried for serious crimes like this," Moshe Negbi, legal analyst for Israel Radio, said. "But on the other hand, I think every citizen should be proud that we live in a society where no citizen is above the law." The rape conviction carries a maximum prison sentence of 16 years, Negbi said. Any sentences handed down for lesser charges would likely be served concurrently, he added. | ||
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| Source: Agencies |
Obama names envoy to Syria, bypassing Congress
U.S. President Barack Obama took the rare step on Wednesday of temporarily appointing U.S. ambassadors to Syria, Turkey and Azerbaijan, restoring a top U.S. envoy to Damascus after an absence of nearly six years.
All three countries are seen as vital to U.S. interests -- Azerbaijan for its gas reserves, Turkey as a NATO ally and frontline state in effort to contains Iran, and Syria, which Obama has sought to engage despite conflicts over its role in Lebanon, for its ties to Iran and its support for Hamas.
The White House announced Obama would make "recess appointments" of Robert Stephen Ford as ambassador to Syria, Francis "Frank" Ricciardone as ambassador to Turkey and Matthew Bryza as ambassador to Azerbaijan.
All three are career diplomats whose nominations would ordinarily be expected to move through the U.S. Senate -- which under the Constitution has the right to reject the president's nominations -- without controversy.
But in the case of Ford representing the United States in Syria, his nomination appears to have foundered amid concerns that Syria may have sought to transfer Scud missiles to Lebanon's Hezbollah.
The United States withdrew its ambassador to Damascus after Lebanon's former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri was killed in February 2005 in a bombing blamed on Syria.
Obama announced his desire to put a new ambassador in Syria in 2009 and named Ford in February this year, advancing his policy of reaching out even to adversaries of the United States.
The administration sees Syria as a crucial link in diplomatic efforts to negotiate peace in the Middle East and has hoped to step up intelligence cooperation with Syria.
But Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Republican who will head the House Foreign Affairs Committee next month after her party swept mid-term elections, accused Obama of offering concessions to a country that is "destabilizing" Lebanon where it backs the Islamic militant movement Hezbollah.
I think we're better off with many difficult countries when we're in their face, not when we ignore them 
"Making underserved concessions to Syria tells the regime in Damascus that it can continue to pursue its dangerous agenda and not face any consequences from the U.S.," the Florida lawmaker said.
"That is the wrong message to be sending to a regime which continues to harm and threaten U.S. interests and those of such critical allies as Israel," she said.
But Jon Alterman, director of the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Ford can make clear to Syria "that there are consequences for their actions, good and bad."
"I think we're better off with many difficult countries when we're in their face, not when we ignore them," he said.
Mohamad Bazzi, an adjunct senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, said: "If the United States only sent its envoys to friendly or compliant countries, there would be far fewer U.S. embassies in the world."
While criticizing the appointment, Republicans have not questioned the qualifications of Ford, a veteran diplomat in the Arab world who has served as ambassador to Algeria and held senior posts in the U.S. embassy in Baghdad.
Obama also rammed through the appointments of U.S. ambassadors to Turkey, Azerbaijan and the Czech Republic and two other administration officials.
Republicans had opposed the nomination of Francis Ricciardone to be ambassador to Turkey, saying he was too soft on promoting democratic rights during a previous stint as ambassador to Egypt.
On the domestic front, Obama appointed James Cole to be deputy attorney general. The Justice Department's number two position has been vacant for nearly half a year as Republicans prevented a vote.
Republicans have grilled Cole over his views on treatment of terrorism suspects as well as his role as an independent consultant to AIG before the insurance company collapsed and received a government bailout.
The Obama administration official said that the six nominees had waited on average 114 days for a vote in the Senate.
Obama had 79 nominees pending when Congress adjourned last week and has now made 28 recess appointments, according to the official.
At the same time in his tenure, former president George W. Bush had made 23 recess appointments and had six nominees awaiting a vote, the official said.
Under controversial rules, individual senators can hold up nominations at will to show dissatisfaction.
Skype adding Wi-Fi, 3G video calling to iPhone app
A new version of the free iPhone app for Skype SA will let users make and receive video calls.
Users of the Internet calling and messaging service will be able to use both Wi-Fi and AT&T Inc.'s 3G cellular network. FaceTime software, which comes with iPhones, works only with Wi-Fi.
The app, which is being released Thursday through Apple Inc.'s iTunes Store, will let iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS users make free video calls to other Skype users who are using the app or have access to the feature using Skype on their computer or other video phone.
Those with the latest iPod Touch will be able to make video calls over Wi-Fi. The app allows the iPad and previous-generation iPod Touch to receive video calls, too, Skype said.
Skype's software offers free services such as voice or video calls to other Skype users.
Users pay to do things such as make calls from a PC to a landline or cell phone.
In the first half of 2010, video calls made up 40 percent of all minutes spent using Skype's free calling services, the company said.
The iPhone 4, which was released in June, was the first iPhone to include a front-facing camera for video chat. It includes FaceTime, which enables users to make video calls to others who have the iPhone 4, the latest iPod Touch or a Mac computer. So far, however, FaceTime doesn't work over the cellular network and doesn't allow calls to Windows-based computers.
Skype, which is based in Luxembourg, is not the first third-party app for the iPhone to allow free video calling over AT&T's cellular network. Apps such as Fring and Tango offer the capability as well, although neither has as many users as Skype.
The updated app comes about a week after Skype suffered a major service outage that lasted 24 hours and cut off service for millions of users. On average, 124 million people use Skype each month, though the total number of registered users is more than four times that.
In a Wednesday post on the company's blog, Skype's chief information officer, Lars Rabbe, said the problem was caused by a bug in a version of Skype's software for computers running Microsoft Corp.'s Windows operating system.
Emirate's prince offers help for sextuplet family
Thursday, 30 December 2010
DUBAI (AlArabiya.net)
The crown prince of the UAE emirate of Ajman has offered accommodation, financial and medical support for the impoverished parents of new born sextuplets, who are three boys and three girls.
The pledge by Sheik Ammar Bin Humaid Al Nuaimi from the Ajman emirate is part of an outpouring of support for the Egyptian couple living in Abu Dhabi after they said they cannot afford to care for the infants.
Dubai's Gulf News reports Thursday that the Ajman crown prince has offered housing and medical help for the three boys (Mohammad, Ahmad, Khalifa) and three girls (Israa, Sara, Donia) born prematurely in October. Ajman is one of the seven emirates in the UAE.
Egyptian couple Sayed Mohammad and Soraya Foully also received 15,000 diapers from a diaper manufacturing company, Gulf news reported. In addition, UAE's national health insurance company (Daman) said it contacted the family to offer health insurance coverage.
A UAE bank that wished not to be named has reportedly also offered financial support for the family.
The family's plight was featured in local media this week after the father said his monthly income of about $550 as a taxi driver was not enough to care for the children.
Wednesday, 29 December 2010
Israel rabbis wives warn against intermarriage with Arabs
27 Israeli rabbis' wives call on Jewish women to avoid working alongside Arab men. | |||||
| Middle East Online | |||||
JERUSALEM - At least 27 Israeli rabbis' wives have signed a letter calling on Jewish women to avoid intermarriage with Arabs and even avoid working alongside Arab men, Israeli media reported on Wednesday. The letter also warns Jewish women they risk falling under the sway of Arab men if they serve alongside them in Israel's national service. "For your sake, for the sake of future generations, and so you don't undergo horrible suffering, we turn to you with a request, a plea, a prayer," said the text of the letter as quoted in media reports. "Don't date non-Jews, don't work at places that non-Jews frequent, and don't do national service with non-Jews." The letter accuses Arab men of using Jewish names to deceive unsuspecting women, and warns a life of "curses, beatings and humiliations" awaits them if they date or marry an Arab. "There are quite a few Arab workers who use Hebrew names. Yusuf becomes Yossi, Samir becomes Sami and Abed becomes Ami," the letter was quoted as saying. "They ask to be close to you, try to find favour with you, and give you all the attention in the world... but their behaviour is only temporary. The moment you are in their hands, in their village, under their control, everything changes. "Your life will never go back to the way it was, and the attention you so desired will turn into curses, beatings, and humiliations," the letter warns. Among the signatories to the letter are the wives and daughters of senior rabbis, including the daughter of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, the spiritual head of the ultra-Orthodox party Shas, which is part of Israel's coalition government. The letter is reportedly being distributed by a group called Lehava (Flames), an organisation that seeks to prevent Jewish assimilation and says it draws inspiration from the legacy of anti-Arab rabbi Meir Kahana. Kahana, who was assassinated in New York in 1990, led the Kach movement, which promoted an extreme right-wing racism against Arabs that led to it being banned in Israel in 1994. The letter comes as rights groups warn of a rising tide of anti-Arab sentiment in Israeli society. In recent weeks, about 300 rabbis have signed a letter calling on Jews to avoid renting or selling property to non-Jews, and right-wing groups have staged demonstrations warning Jews against fraternising with Arabs. The rabbis' letter drew widespread condemnation, including from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but a poll published on Tuesday showed Israelis are evenly divided on the issue. The survey, which had a margin of error of 4.5 percent, found 44 percent of Israeli Jews supported the rabbis' calls, while 48 percent were opposed. |
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