World News Post: Mar 3, 2011

Thursday, March 3, 2011

PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES - Israel plans to demolish some illegal settlements

On 28 February, the Israeli government announced its willingness to dismantle virtually all the settlements that were illegally built on private Palestinian land, reports the Daily Tel-Aviv. The immediate three sites and hundreds of families would be affected. At the same time should be legalized settlements built on public land.

On 28 February, clashes have pitted police and settlers in the settlements of Havat Gilad (northern West Bank).

Israel (geolocation) Israel (wikipedia)

Spain blocks Gaddafi development projects in the province of Malaga

Madrid. .- The government has blocked plans which Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi planned in the town of Benahavis Malaga, where he owns an estate in which planned to build about 2,000 homes, a golf course and a conference center. The government has taken this decision in compliance with UN sanctions on Libya and the EU last week to establish the freezing of assets and accounts have reported to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

New Zealand abandons the search for survivors under the rubble

New Zealand authorities have shifted the rescue to the location of bodies after exclude any survivors under the rubble of buildings demolished by the earthquake that struck the city of Christchurch, on 22 February. "Unfortunately, given the time elapsed, it is time to focus efforts on the recovery of bodies," said the head of Civil Protection, John Hamilton, told a news conference.

The police, in turn, revealed the identity of the first foreigners killed by the earthquake: two young Israeli nationality. According to the Foreign Minister, Murray McCully, the earthquake of 6.3 magnitude on the Richter scale, took the lives of nearly a hundred people from twenty different nationalities.

LIBYA - The U.S. increases pressure on Gaddafi

"Gaddafi has lost the legitimacy to govern, and it is time for him to leave without delay and without further violence." February 28, when she was speaking in Geneva before the Council of Human Rights of the UN, the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called for the immediate departure of the Libyan leader.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon announced plans to "reposition" some air and naval forces near Libya. On the ground, the opposition continued to grow, including taking control of Libyan oil fields. But Gaddafi insists: February 28, its special forces and troops still in its orders have attacked the rebels, "in an escalation of violence that has brought Libya back into the civil war," says the Daily New York.

Gadhafi began its offensive to retake rebel cities in the east

Algiers .- Muanmar Colonel Qaddafi is unwilling to relinquish power, but quite the opposite: to remain in Libya has always repeated and now has ordered its military forces loyal to start the counterattack of the towns taken by rebels. Thus, at least four people were killed and ten others injured in the bombing of the Libyan city of Brig, over 200 km west of Benghazi, according to the Qatari television network Al Jazeera.

An NGO figure of 6,000 dead in the Libyan revolt

Violence linked to the suppression of the revolt has left 6,000 dead Libyan, half of them in the capital. This was said Wednesday in Paris, a spokesman for the Libyan League for Human Rights (LLHR), Ali Zeidan. "The number of victims around the country is 6,000, including 3,000 in Tripoli, Benghazi 2,000 in [the second largest city, located in the east] and thousands in other cities" as Zauiya or Zenten, has said the spokesman during a press conference at the headquarters of the International Federation of Human Rights Leagues (FIDH) in Paris.

YEMEN - New "day of anger"

The opposition has called for a new "day of anger" on 1 March: Events will be held across the country to denounce the repression ordered by the regime from the beginning to mobilize against President Saleh. According to the information site of Sanaa, 20 people were killed, a good share of them in the port city of Aden (south).

In power for thirty-two years, Ali Abdullah Saleh warned on February 28 against a possible partition of the country if the opposition would succeed in its purpose.

UN calls for a mass evacuation to control the human exodus

Washington / New York .- The UN has called for a massive humanitarian evacuation of Libya's "thousands of Egyptians and people of other nationalities" seeking to leave the country. Thousands of Vietnamese, Indian, Turkish, Tunisian, Chinese and Thai workers are locked in the Tunisian border in a border situation that has already been described as "critical." The Secretary General of the OU, Ban Ki-moon, said that thousands of lives are at stake.

The Arab League could impose a no-fly zone

The Arab League announced on Wednesday that would impose an air exclusion zone over Libya, in coordination with the African Union. "The Arab League will not stand with their hands tied while spilling the blood of the brotherly Libyan people," said Amr Moussa, secretary general of the body. Until now, the League had shown against the imposition of a zone of "no fly" when considering that it would harm Egypt, which has many citizens living in the neighboring country and those who could not evacuate if necessary.

Spain - How Palomares survived the Bomb

Victim of accidental fall of a U.S. nuclear device in 1966, the town is trying to turn the page again and hang around by opening a museum. Remains a question, writes Público: what to do with the irradiated earth?

Bombe (wikipedia)

British elite troops, ready to capture the Libyan mustard gas and sarin

London .- The British Army special forces are prepared to take over the deposits of mustard gas and other chemical weapons that the government of Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi may have hidden in the Libyan desert. According to The Daily Telegraph, citing U.S. sources, is likely to be used by Special Air Service (SAS), the main strength of the British Army for such operations in order to gain control of up to 10 tons of mustard gas and sarin gas that is believed stored in three locations inside Libya.

Two U.S. soldiers killed in a shooting at Frankfurt Airport

Two people died and at least one other was seriously injured today in an attack on American soldiers in the Frankfurt International Airport, the largest in Germany, police in the country. "Two drivers were killed and two wounded," Brigadier-General confirmed the U.S. Air Forces in Europe. A 21 year old man from Kosovo entered the U.S.

army bus in two of the huge airport terminal and shot and killed the driver and one of the soldiers. At least one other person was injured but so far failed to find its identity. According to police spokesmen, it's probably a soldier. The attack took place around 15:20 local time on the bus lane from the public area of Terminal 2 of aerepuerto.

EUROPEAN UNION - The defeat of EADS cache can be a victory

U.S. manufacturer Boeing has won the contract to $ 30 billion and provide aircraft refueling tankers to the U.S. Air Force. "Boeing is pleased to have won against EADS, says the Financial Times Deutschland (FTD), but this triumph over the medium term could have a boomerang effect." Main reason: the development of the 767 model yet exists only on paper and could lead to cost overruns and delays.

Opponents believe a military council to meet Gaddafi

Jorge Fuentelsaz. Benghazi (Libya) .- The Libyan Revolutionary Coalition appears to have closed the door to dialogue open tried Muammar Gaddafi yesterday and announced today the formation of a military council in charge of defending the people and territory across Libya. The member of the rebel coalition Bugaighis Salwa said to Reuters today that "Gaddafi has already spoken on the streets" in reference to the brutal suppression of protests.

Benedict XVI waived the Jews of being responsible for the death of Jesus

Pope Benedict XVI waived the Jews of being guilty of Jesus was sentenced to death in the second part of his book "Jesus of Nazareth", which goes on sale next March 10. In the book, the Vatican today advanced some chapters, the pontiff said that when the Gospel of Matthew speaks of "all people" called for the crucifixion of the Christ "is not expressed an historical event." "How could all the people (Jews) to be present at that time to ask for the death of Jesus?" Asks the pope, who acknowledges that this erroneous interpretation has been "fatal" consequences, referring to the charges of deicide Jews for centuries, which led to his persecution.

RUSSIA - The Kabardino-Balkaria in the eye of the storm

"It takes a real war in the North Caucasus," the Moscow daily Gazeta Nezavissmaïa. The republic of Kabardino-Balkaria, once relatively calm compared to North Ossetia, Ingushetia or Karachay-Cherkessia, its neighbors, "became, literally two weeks, the republic's most troubled south of Russia ". On 25 February 2011, the capital Nalchik was the scene of a quadruple attack Islamist fighters.

The system of anti-terrorist operation (KTO), which entered into force 20 February 2011 on a portion of that territory has been extended. Arsen Kanonov, the leader of the Kabardino-Balkaria, said that "the situation was under control." But everybody does not seem to agree. According to Nezavisimaya Gazeta, the Black Hawks, a "self-defense militia antiwahhabite" would be formed to protect civilians.

The world is divided over whether to use military force in Libya

The international community is divided over the possibility of initiating a war against their own country Gadhafi in Libya. Member countries of the Security Council of the UN and NATO have shown their division when deciding to intervene with military force or expect the Security Council resolution from the UN.

The U.S. has sent warships off the Libyan coast to increase the pressure on the Libyan dictator in an act of show of force, but have decided to wait to send troops on Libyan soil. France, in the words of his new foreign minister Alain Juppe, not approve any military action without first producing a resolution of the Security Council of the UN.

Iran detained 79 people in the protests, according to the opposition

At least 79 people were arrested during the protest that took place on Tuesday in various parts of Iran, today reported several web pages related to opposition groups. The mobilization had been called by the reformist opposition movement calling for the release of its two main leaders, Mir Hussein Mousavi and Mehdi Karubi, whose fate is unclear.

The family claims that have been taken from their homes, where they remained locked in solitary confinement since the first week of February and taken to prison while the Iranian judiciary said they are still isolated in their homes, with their wives. The web Sahamnews, near Karroubi, said today that since the two were detained, more than 1,500 people have been arrested by security forces.

ENVIRONMENT - Rising sea levels in the Mediterranean

The water level rises sharply in the Mediterranean for ten years, says the Spanish daily El Pais. If, in the twentieth century, its level rose 20 cm, the twenty-first century, is forecast by 35 cm. This "sudden" rise of water, 3 mm per year at present, twice more than 10 years ago, accompanied by an increase in temperature (0.8 ° over the last century) and more high salinity as a result of climate change.

Méditerranée (geolocation) Méditerranée (wikipedia)

Kill the Christian minister who opposed Pakistan's blasphemy laws

Islamabad .- The Pakistani Minister of Minorities, the Christian Shahbaz Bhatti, critical of blasphemy laws, was killed today in Islamabad by a group of armed men, his collaborators reported the TV channel "Geo." The attack in Pakistan comes nearly two months after the governor of the eastern province of Punjab, Salman Tasir liberal, was also killed in the heart of Islamabad.

The minister had helped killed a Christian woman in Pakistan sentenced to death for his sentence was commuted to a prison term.

Pakistan (geolocation) Pakistan (homepage) Pakistan (wikipedia)

Belgium mediator appointed to seventh out of political crisis

The Flemish Christian Democrats, defeated in elections in June 2010, agreed on Wednesday to conduct negotiations in view of forming a government, a mission that has to be very long view, taking into account the precedents and the seemingly insurmountable gap between Flemish and French. King Albert II, head of state, instructed the president of the Christian Democrats, Wouter Beke, 36, "a negotiating mission to prepare an agreement on reform of the state," noted the Royal Palace said in a statement.

TUNISIA - Waiting for a roadmap

It's birth, February 11, the National Council for the Protection of the Revolution (CNPV) has given new political impetus to reach a popular protest in recent weeks by social demands long stifled. The meeting in the same instance of the Tunisian political spectrum, parties, Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT) and associations outside the three opposition parties joined the government organizations and their relatives, changed the gives the transition.

Haiti mourns the death of 4,625 people for cholera outbreak

Port au Prince (Haiti) .- The death toll from cholera outbreak in Haiti has risen to 4,625, bringing the death rate at 1.9 percent, while that of patients has increased to 245,183, as revealed the latest report released by the Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP). By department, the most affected is the Artibonite with 868, followed by Grande Anse with 824, North 623, Port au Prince to 553, with 357 Centre, West of 309, with 257 Northeast, Northwest, with 238, with 228 South and Southeast each and Nippes with 140.

Cameron announced an airlift to get to 6,000 Egyptian Tunisian

David Cameron has been accused of reacting to the Libyan crisis in slow motion. A complaint that has led to the British premier to overact in the last hours. First advocating the creation of an air exclusion zone and now announcing an airlift of refugees out of the trap in Egypt which has become the border between Tunisia and Libya.

The deployment was announced by surprise Cameron in the Commons and aims to repatriate some 6,000 refugees Egyptians in the coming days. The British Government sent three aircraft to the Tunisian city of Djerba and from there the aircraft made several flights to Cairo. The first plane will leave this afternoon from Stansted Airport and another will do so from East Midlands.

FRANCE - The 300 short minutes of Sarkozy in Ankara

Nicolas Sarkozy made a visit on February 25 unofficially in Ankara, which lasted in all and all for 300 minutes. The aim was, as chairman of the G20, to exchange views on global economic conditions. It should be recalled that in 2009, Sarkozy had worked hard to exclude six countries, including Turkey, the Summits of Heads of State and Government of the G20, but these attempts were unsuccessful summit in Pittsburgh.

Libya: warplanes attack once in oil port Brega

Gaddafi's troops attacked the soldiers of Libyan fighter jets on Thursday held by rebels have Brega oil port in the east of the country attacked. The eyewitnesses. It should not have been possible to identify the specific target of attack. Most likely, if it were a runway, which forms part of a massive oil facility.

On Wednesday, the supporters of the protest movement an attack by troops of the Libyan leader Muammar al Gaddafi in the region Brega Adschdabija had beaten back. The fighting dragged on for several hours, an employee of a morgue in the nearby town Adschdabija said the number of people killed here on Thursday has risen to 14.

U.S. Libya sent two warships with 2,000 Marines

EFE. (Washington) .- The U.S. government has sent to Libya two warships with some 2,000 soldiers, today entered the Mediterranean with a mission to assist in humanitarian and rescue operations, according to the Pentagon. "I sent two naval ships to the Mediterranean Sea, arriving in the coming hours to strengthen the capacity of evacuation and humanitarian response," said Defense Secretary Robert Gates at a press conference in which he stressed that the Government is considering possible military action.

Gaddafi investigate Hague for crimes against humanity

The International Criminal Court in The Hague today announced the opening of an investigation against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and his circle of political colleagues for an alleged crime of "crimes against humanity", said the high court prosecutor, Luis Moreno Ocampo. "After a preliminary analysis of available information, the prosecutor has concluded that an investigation is necessary," said Moreno Ocampo as a statement.

UGANDA - Towards an extension of presidential term

February 18, outgoing President Yoweri Museveni, in power since 1986, was reelected without surprise for the fourth time at the head of Uganda. To enable him to retain power even longer, a group of deputies of the majority intends to file a revision of the Constitution to extend the presidential term from five to seven years.

"The introduction of a seven-year term would allow Museveni to stay fourteen more to lead the country from 2016, when the end of the current mandate," reports the New Vision newspaper in Kampala. One of the strongest supporters of Museveni, James Kakooza, the origin of this proposal, believes that with a term of five years, the country is in permanent campaign.

More than 300 people have died in eastern Libya

Tripoli .- More than 300 people have died in major cities in eastern Libya in the past two weeks due to the suppression of the security forces against demonstrators protesting against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. According to medical sources, the death toll in this part of Libya, now in the hands of the rebels between 15 and 28 February between the 317 and 347.

Doctors in three hospitals in Benghazi during a press conference stated that only in that locality, the second in the country, died between 220 and 250 people and injured 1,932 others. Dr. Yabril Haweidi, Yala hospital in Benghazi, said that in addition to the dead and wounded in Benghazi, Al Baida 64 people died in Derna 26, Tobruk Ajdabiya four and three.

Barefoot rebels with machetes recover a pro-Gaddafi city

A Libyan rebels afternoon, barefoot and armed with little more than some machetes, have succeeded in freeing the oil city of Brega, located about 750 kilometers from the Libyan capital. Although the city awoke on Wednesday plunged into chaos, occupied by the forces of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi that, far from surrendering, had launched an offensive to try to recover the oil enclave, the rebels succeeded in driving the loyalist troops and are currently pursuing, Lanouf bound Ras.

ECONOMY - The chaos threatens the Libyan African companies

Violent revolution sweeping Libya in recent days may tip the economic balance of many African businesses. Are particularly concerned, telecommunications companies in which the Libyans have invested heavily and which survive only through subsidies. The likely consequences of the fall of the regime of Muammar Gaddafi may be disastrous for Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Zambia, South Sudan, Sierra Leone, Côte d'Ivoire, Niger, Guinea Conakry and Benin, said the online magazine of Nairobi The East African.

The cost of living rises in the stock Libyan Western

Within days the United States and Europe have shifted from passive waiting to preparations for military intervention in Libya, with fleets deployed, penalties and announcements on that line. The war drums are heard in Berlin, where Chancellor Merkel has dismissed discreetly Qaddafi of "despot" and newspapers and wonder why medicine does not apply humanitarian bombing Yugoslav him.

The military operation "Narfurah" in the German special forces airborne evacuated on Sunday to 22 people at a remote Libyan desert oil field, could be the appetizer. However, under international law, military intervention would only be legitimate if the Security Council considers that the UN world peace is in danger in Libya.

NATO admits killing nine civilians in eastern Afghanistan

The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), NATO's mission in Afghanistan, admitted Wednesday to have killed "accidentally" yesterday to nine civilians in the east-central Asia, and said that responsibilities be refined by an "action appropriate "against those responsible. In a statement, the military agency said that according to a preliminary investigation the incident occurred on Tuesday after receiving an insurgent attack troops with rockets at the base of Blessing, located in the district of Darah-Ye Pech in the eastern province of Kunar.

RUSSIA - Three mascot for Sochi Olympics

The Olympic Winter Games in Sochi in 2014, will not have a mascot, but three. This was decided by the Russian Olympic Organizing Committee after the popular vote held on February 26 on the first live national TV. Eleven characters were still in contention then. Leopard with his skateboard has received a majority of votes (28%), followed by the Polar Bear (18%) and rabbits (16%).

But "there are more symbols, plus the marketing potential is high," said committee chair. The Leopard is designed for young children to the Rabbit and the Bear, reminiscent of the Olympics in 1980, receives more sympathy of the adult population, "Vedomosti reported. The Moscow business daily supute the public stance in favor of Vladimir Putin's Leopard has had its effect.

Netherlands: Government missed a majority in the House of Lords

Wilder scored with the requirement to reduce immigration from Islamic countries clearly supported the enemies of Islam Geert Wilder's center-right government of the Netherlands in the provincial elections, a majority in the upper house of Parliament apparently just missed. After counting some 98 percent of the vote came, the ruling right-wing liberals (VVD) and Christian Democrats (CDA) and the associated with them Freedom Party (PVV) by Wilders to 37 of the 75 senator seats in the First Chamber of Parliament.

Cascade of resignations increased fears of a coup in Tunisia

Tunisia .- The cascade of resignations that have occurred in the last 24 hours in the Tunisian transitional government increases the fear of military intervention in political life, as expressed today one of the ministers resigned, Ahmed Najib Chebbi. Chebbi, who until now held the Regional Development Ministry, said at a news conference his concern about the possibility of the occurrence in Tunisia a power vacuum if the executive transition and the opposition forces can not reach a minimum agreement laying the foundations on which the erection of the new political process.

The UN fears that Peru has become the leading producer of coca

Peru can be moved this year to Colombia as the world's most coca plantations if the trend of recent years continues, warned on Wednesday the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB). "The Board is concerned that the possibility of current trends in the period 2010-2011 Peru moves to Colombia as a major illicit producer of coca bush in the world, a place that had occupied that country for the last time in 1996," indicated in the World Drug Report of the INCB released in Vienna.

COTE D'IVOIRE - Eight publications continue to appear

"The group of newspapers to defend the achievements of 28 November 2010", namely the election of Alassane Ouattara as President of the Republic has decided to suspend its publications after March 1 and until further notice. This decision follows the police and judicial harassment faced by journalists from these periodic opposed to incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo.

Regularly summoned by the police, some are in danger of death. The essays, which are subject to heavy fines, are regularly threatened with attacks and vandalism reports the Weekly Landmark will now appear in everyday life. The newspaper, once order has been bailed to compensate for the absence of New Alarm, The Patriot, The Day more, Mandate, L'intelligent d'Abidjan, Democrat, L'Expression and North-South.

Qaddafi on TV: "Italy was forced to apologize"

Muammar Gaddafi is back on television at the 34th anniversary of Jamahiria. "Since 1977 I have given power to the people and since then I have no more power in the country or type of political or administrative nature," says Gaddafi speaking to his supporters in Tripoli. "I greet and I wish you the Libyan people for this event - he said - from 3 March 1977 we had the power to the people and I want to remind the world that I have since given the power to the people.

Libya: International Criminal Court established

Gaddafi heads the Libyan state television on Thursday, the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague proceedings against Libya because of possible crimes against humanity. In a statement on Wednesday it was said chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo had decided after preliminary analysis previously compiled information.

Libyan dictator Muammar al troops of the Gaddafi on Wednesday launched an offensive against the insurgents. This also air strikes were flown. In the center of the fighting was among other things, the city ostlibysche Al Brega, where there are plants of different oil companies and an oil port.

From Mali and Niger to Libya: Gaddafi mercenaries recruited among the Tuareg

Fighters of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) in Darfur, the Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi apparently recruited mercenaries in a big way in its southern neighboring countries, especially among the Tuareg in Mali and Niger. According to Mali's regional representatives from the northern Malian town of Kidal, a traditional settlement area of the Tuareg, are already hundreds of men have set out to Libya.