Interior Minister vows to apprehend 3 officers for killing protesters

Omar Al-Sheih

Wed, 02/03/2011 - 15:33

Protesters clash wih riot police, Cairo, 25 January, 2011. Tens of thousands of Egyptians staged a nationwide anti-government protest called Day of Anger, Egypt, 25 January, 2011. Protests were planned to coincide with Police Day against deteriorated situations on different levels like torture, poverty, corruption and unemployment.

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Photographed by Hossam Fadl

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Beni Suef Governor Samir Saif al-Yazal says Interior Minister Mahmoud Wagdi promised he would turn in three police officers accused of killing ten protesters during the revolution.

The governor said Wagdi made the pledge during a phone call with him on Wednesday.

Attorney General Abdel Meguid Mahmoud had ordered the apprehension of Major Mohamed Dabash, the head of Beba's investigation services in Beni Suef, who currently works at the Fayoum security department, as well as captains Hazem Hammad and Mohamed Hisham Darwhish, also from Beba. The men are accused of killing ten protesters and injuring 22 others on 29 January.

The deaths were part of violence during wide-scale, pro-democracy protests that led to the resignation of former President Hosni Mubarak on 11 February after three decades in office.

Saif al-Yazal said Wagdi informed him that the officers would be apprehended within hours and would be referred for prosecution in Beni Suef.

He added that he had sent a letter to the armed forces urging the military to arrest the officers as Beba’s citizens staged demonstrations in front of the governorate’s office, demanding their immediate arrest.

In related news, Saif al-Yazal also said he decided to change the name of the province’s largest square from al-Nasr to “the 25 January Martyrs”.

Egyptian expats to form political party

Staff

Wed, 02/03/2011 - 16:07

Egyptians and supporters celebrate the resignation of Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak outside the country's embassy in London February 11, 2011. Hosni Mubarak stepped down as president of Egypt on Friday after 30 years of rule, handing power to the army and bowing to relentless pressure from a popular uprising after his military support evaporated.

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Photographed by Reuters

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Egyptians abroad are contemplating a political party that can support their demands and the needs of expats returning to Egypt. The calls came from Egyptian communities in Germany, Spain, France, England, Belgium, Italy, the United States, Switzerland, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Uzbekistan, and Central Asia.

Mohamed Rayan, deputy chairman of the Union of Egyptian Expatriates, told Al-Masry Al-Youm that a founding committee for the Party for Egyptian Expatriates will meet in Cairo soon and that committee members will arrive in Cairo within the next few days.

Among the party's primary goals is to support Egyptian expats' demands, including the right to run for and vote in the presidential and parliamentary elections in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution and the Emigration and Sponsoring Egyptians Abroad Law, no. 111 of 1983.

The new constitutional amendments should allow Egyptians abroad the right to run for the presidency and dual citizenship should not hinder their political rights, Rayan said.

Rayan added that the Union of Egyptian Expatriates called on nearly 7 million of its members and the heads of its communities, associations and clubs in 78 countries worldwide to help lift Egypt out of its current crisis.

Rayan called on the members to transfer a minimum of US$1000 to their personal bank accounts or to the accounts of their relatives in Cairo to ensure bank liquidity, to help reverse the decline of the Egyptian pound against the dollar, and to increase foreign exchange reserves in the country.

Ukraine protest over NZ 'win a wife' competition prize

2 March 2011 Last updated at 11:18 GMT

The 'win a wife' competition has angered feminists in Ukraine

Ukrainian women's rights activists have held a protest over a New Zealand radio station's competition for listeners to 'win' a Ukrainian wife.

Nine women protested topless outside Kiev's marriage registration office, holding banners with slogans such as "Ukraine is not a brothel".

The Rock FM announced the prize winner on Monday as a winemaker named Greg.

The competition has caused controversy in New Zealand too, but the station said it was just "a bit of a laugh".

"At the end of the day, it's up to both people if they decide to get married and return to New Zealand. We're not actually marrying anyone or bringing women back to New Zealand," Rock FM programme director, Brad King, was quoted as saying when the competition was first announced.

But the information about the competition on the website suggests the radio station had anticipated a reaction.

"It's actually going to happen. And oh boy are there going to be some people with their panties in a twist over this one," the website entry reads.

The competition winner is due to fly into the coal mining town of Donetsk on 23 March, before travelling to Zaporizhia, as part of a 12-night holiday in Ukraine.

As part of the prize terms and conditions, the winner chooses a woman from the Endless Love dating agency in advance.

The agency then arranges the holiday to Ukraine and brings the two together. The prize also includes such things as the use of a translator and a river cruise.

The website points out: "The prize does not include visa application or travel for the Ukraine woman to come to New Zealand, this is the responsibility of the winner and can be arranged through Endless Love Agency at an additional cost and will only happen with full consent from both parties."

The women who staged the protest in Kiev were members of the group, Femen, which campaigns against the targeting of Ukrainian women by international agencies that organise sex tours.

"Ukrainian women are not a commodity," the group's leader Anna Hutsol says.

"Femen warns the 'lucky' winner of the New Zealand competition that he can expect an unhappy ending in Ukraine," said activist Olexandra Shevchenko, in a statement on the group's blog.

Frankfurt Airport shooting: Two dead and two injured

2 March 2011 Last updated at 16:37 GMT

Police say the shooting took place on board the bus

Two people have died after a gunman opened fire on a bus carrying American soldiers at Frankfurt Airport, police say.

The driver of the bus and a US soldier were reportedly killed, while two others were seriously injured.

A 21-year-old suspect from Kosovo is said to have been arrested after the shooting in front of Terminal 2 at Europe's second-biggest airport.

Police have told German media it is not clear if it was a terrorist attack.

"Everything happened on board the bus," police spokesman Jurgen Linker told AFP news agency. "The suspected gunman has been arrested. There are two dead and two seriously injured."

US Army Europe has not yet issued a comment, except to say it was looking into the incident.

The BBC's Stephen Evans in Berlin says the airport is not far from Ramstein Air Base, the US Air Force's headquarters in Europe.

Four Islamists were convicted in March last year in Germany for plotting to bomb targets including Ramstein Air Base.

Last month the German parliament extended by one year the military mission in Afghanistan.

Germany has 4,860 troops there, despite domestic polls suggesting the mission's unpopularity.

Pakistan minorities minister killed

Pakistani Taliban claim responsibility for the shooting attack that killed Shahbaz Bhatti, the only Christian minister. Last Modified: 02 Mar 2011 07:56 GMT

Bhatti, seen in this file photo with family members of Asia Bibi, sentenced to death under the blasphemy law [EPA] Pakistan's minister for minorities has been shot dead by armed men in Islamabad. An official at the Pakistani capital's Shifa Hospital said Shahbaz Bhatti arrived dead after Wednesday's attack, in which his driver also got wounded. Police said they were still confirming whether Bhatti, the only Christian in the Pakistani cabinet, was the intended target. He had been threatened by Muslim religious groups in the past because he had spoken out against the country's controversial blasphemy law. The politician had just pulled out of the driveway of his parents' house when three men standing nearby opened fire, said Gulam Rahim, a witness. "The initial reports are that there were three men who attacked him. He was probably shot using a Kalashnikov, but we are trying to ascertain what exactly happened," said Wajid Durrani, Islamabad police chief. "They asked the driver to get out of the vehicle and then peppered the minister with bullets," Al Jazeera's Pakistan correspondent, Kamal Hyder, reported from Islamabad. "He was on his way to a cabinet meeting," Hyder added. Bhatti's vehicle was left shattered with bullet holes [EPA] Bhatti had earlier requested extra security after he received threats and shots were fired at his house in Islamabad by unknown assailants. Durrani insisted that Bhatti had been provided with proper security, but said the minister was not accompanied by his security detail when the attack happened. Our correspondent said that, "there are big question marks over security here in Pakistan". 'Death threats' The anti-blasphemy law has been in the spotlight since November when a court sentenced Asia Bibi, a Christian mother of four, to death. On January 4, Salman Taseer, the governor of the most populous province of Punjab, who had strongly opposed the law and sought presidential pardon for Bibi, was gunned down by one of his bodyguards. "During this Bibi case I constantly received death threats. Since the assassination of Salman Taseer... these messages are coming to me even publicly," Bhatti said after the governor was shot dead. But he had insisted that he would work as usual. "I'm not talking about special security arrangements. We need to stand against these forces of terrorism because they're terrorising the country," Bhatti told AFP news agency at the time. "I cannot trust on security.... I believe that protection can come only from heaven, so these bodyguards can't save you." Al Jazeera's Hyder said it is most likely that Bhatti was assassinated "because of his involvement in the recommendation to amendments to the blasphemy law. "It shows that nobody is secure in this country, although Bhatti had received many death threats, due to the blasphemy law row". The Pakistani Taliban have claimed responsibility for the attack. Earlier, private Pakistani TV channels showed pamphlets at the scene of the killing that were attributed to the Pakistani Taliban warning of the same fate for anyone opposing the blasphemy laws. Pakistan's Dawn newspaper reported on its website that government leaders had condemned the killing. "This is concerted campaign to slaughter every liberal, progressive and humanist voice in Pakistan," Farahnaz Ispahani, an aide to Asif Ali Zardari, Pakistan's president, said. "The time has come for the federal government and provincial governments to speak out and to take a strong stand against these murderers to save the very essence of Pakistan."

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

Dozens dead in South Sudan fighting

Renewed clashes between rebel group and military come three weeks after 240 people were killed in same region. Last Modified: 02 Mar 2011 15:20 GMT

The clashes have exposed deep internal rifts within the oil-roch state that will declare independence in July [EPA] Fresh fighting in a tense area of Southern Sudan has killed dozens of people, officials say. George Athor, a rebel leader, said his forces fought with the southern military in the Jonglei state. Philip Aguer, a spokesman for the Sudan Peoples' Liberation Army, confirmed that the fighting took place. The death tolls provided by the two men on Wednesday varied widely. Athor said 110 people died in the fighting, mostly southern soldiers. Aguer said around 40 were killed. He didn't specify if they were soldiers or civilians, but he called Athor's toll an exaggeration. "I don't know why he should be proud of killing. The (southern army) is trying to protect against what General Athor did on the 9th and 10th of February in Fangak," Aguer said, referring to the fighting in the same region three weeks ago that killed at least 240 people. Athor said his men fought southern army troops in three locations in Fangak County on Sunday. He said his forces captured 90 weapons. The fighting has stopped, he said. Deep internal rifts Government leaders in Southern Sudan accused Athor, a former deputy chief of staff in the southern army, of committing a "massacre," but Athor said the army had attacked his forces first as they were gathering in "assembly points" outlined in a January 5 cease-fire agreement between his forces and the army. The cease-fire was signed on the eve of the south's January independence referendum, which passed overwhelmingly and will see Southern Sudan become the world's newest nation in July. The agreement was brokered with support from the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Sudan. Hua Jiang, the mission's spokesman, said on Tuesday that the UN is "trying to assist in their negotiations." Athor is considered the most powerful of the several southern rebels who launched rebellions against the Juba government after disputed elections last year. The south's ruling Sudan People's Liberation Movement has accused the Khartoum government of backing the rebels. Regardless of who is backing these rebellions, they have exposed deep internal rifts within the oil-rich south which could continue to destabilise the region after it declares independence on July 9.

Source: Agencies

Tunisian migrants land in Italy

Hundreds more reach Lampedusa amid Italian concern over a new wave of migration from North African countries. Last Modified: 02 Mar 2011 16:06 GMT

Thousands of migrants have landed on the Italian island of Lampedusa in recent weeks [Reuters] Around 350 migrants from Tunisia have arrived by boat overnight on an Italian island where authorities have declared a humanitarian emergency. Thousands fleeing turmoil in North Africa, mostly from Tunisia, had already reached Lampedusa in the Mediterranean Sea before bad weather interrupted the flow last week. Local authorities said the new arrivals were transferred to a reception centre and are in good condition. "Overnight, we escorted a boat with 347 people on board, including four women," said the island's coast guard, the Associated Press reported. Last month the Italian government said it planned to deploy security forces on Tunisian soil to stop illegal immigration. Bernardino De Rubeis, Lampedusa's mayor, has called the situation "out of control". Italy has asked other European countries to help, with the influx of migrants to its shores expected to swell as thousands more seek to escape unrest in Libya amid an uprising against Muammar Gaddafi's regime. "We believe there are about 1.5 million illegal immigrants in Libya, some estimate even 2.5 million," Roberto Maroni, the Italian interior ministry, told a parliamentary committee on Wednesday. In an interview with Al Jazeera, Franco Frattini, Italy's foreign minister, said his country was "bearing the burden of people that violate international and European law". He added: "One simple fact is very clear: Italy is by far the country that has been saving lives and rescuing the hugest number of migrants in need on the Mediterranean. We saved thousands and thousands of human lives and we are very proud of it."

Source: Al Jazeera and Agencies