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."