Shiite leader released as part of hostage exchange
BAGHDAD: The Iraqi Government has freed a leading Shiite Muslim militant as part of an exchange that saw a British hostage freed last week. The Government refused to confirm the release of Qais Khazali, a former aide and now rival of influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Two of Khazali’s followers discussed the release on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. A spokesman for the Iraqi Interior Ministry, Alaa Taii, said Khazali had been freed. Khazali’s release on Tuesday had been billed as a key step before his militant group, the League of the Righteous, would hand over the last of five British hostages, whom the Shiite leader’s supporters had abducted from the Iraqi Finance Ministry in May 2007. Khazali was delivered to his followers on Tuesday morning after police escorted him out of Baghdad’s Green Zone government enclave, the two followers said.
The Sydney Morning Herald | 2010-01-07 | Australia | Page: 6 |
Rood l i cht voor EU-bezoek
Het bezoek van een elf koppige delegatie van het Europees Parlement aan Ira n is op het l a at s t e moment ge b l o k ke e r d door de Ira a n s e a mbas s a d e in Br u s s e l . Dat liet het hoofd van de delegatie, Barbara L ochbihler, weten. De vijfdaagse trip zou donderdag van star t gaan, maar in het weekeinde besloot de Iraanse ambassade d at het bezoek niet ko n doorgaan. De delegatie zou ook ontmoetingen hebben met leden van de herv o r mings ge z i nde o p p o s i t i e . Vo l - ge n s L o c h b i h l e r wij s t de beslissing erop dat ‘de Iraanse autoriteiten weigeren om elke serieuze discussie aan te gaan’ over de onrust in het land. Ruim een week geleden kwamen zeker acht mensen om het le ven in Iran.
De Standaard | 2010-01-05 | Belgium | Page: 15 |
Elf politieagenten gedood bij aanvaring drugskoeriers
Elf Iraanse politieagenten zijn gedood bij een confrontatie met drugskoeriers in het oosten van Iran. Dat meldde een lokale politiebron aan het Iraanse persagentschap IRNA. De schermutselingen vonden vrijdag plaats in een woestijngebied, op een van de belangrijkste smokkelroutes voor drugs vanuit buurlanden Afghanistan en Pakistan. "Zeven politieagenten zijn gedood bij het conflict tussen de veiligheidsdiensten en de drugsbende. Vier zwaargewonde agenten zijn later aan hun verwondingen bezweken", verklaarde kolonel Kazem Hashemabadi. Volgens schattingen van de Verenigde Naties komt 40 procent van de geproduceerde drugs in Afghanistan terecht in Iran.
De Morgen | 2010-01-04 | Belgium | Page: 15
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BELGEN BOUWDEN HOOGSTE TOREN
Als een reusachtige naald lijkt de glimmende wolkenkrabber van glas en staal de hemel boven Dubai te doorprikken. Met zijn 818 m hoogte verpulvert de Burj Dubai alle records. Dat is twee keer het Empire State Building. Of hoger dan de vorige recordhouder, de 509 m hoge Tapei 101 in Taiwan, én de Eiffeltoren samen. De toren is het symbool bij uitstek van het ongebreidelde geldgewin in Dubai. De economie van het Arabische golfstaatje mag intussen dan wel als een zeepbel uiteengespat zijn, de trotse toren stáát er wel. Voor het Belgische Besix, dat zopas zijn 100ste verjaardag vierde, kan het geluk niet op. «Deze toren is een echt huzarenstukje», zegt de Vlaamse ingenieur Jozef De Hauwere, die al van bij de aanbesteding voor Besix bij het project betrokken was. «Toen we de aanbesteding wonnen, zouden we een toren van 705 m bouwen. Toen we het contract ondertekenden, was er al 20 m bijgekomen. Het kon niet op. Elke keer moest er iets bij. Hoger en hoger.
Het Laatste Nieuws | 2010-01-04 | Belgium | Page: 9 |
Eerst in het zeespoor van de Inca’s, dan van de Egyptenaren: de avonturen van Thor Heyerdahl illustreren dat het begin van de ontdekkingsreizen samenvalt met het begin van de beschaving
ren naar het verre Land van Poent, om daar mirre in te ruilen voor aan het Egyptische hof tot dan onbekende kostbaarheden. Poent bevond zich in Zuid-Soedan of Eritrea. Alleen was er in de oudheid weinig continuïteit tussen de verschillende beschavingen. De lijn van de Egyptische farao’s stopte toen eerst de Perzen en kort nadien Alexander De Grote het land veroverden. Die Alexander was trouwens ook een ontdekkingsreiziger, zij het van de gewelddadige soort. Met zijn kleine leger vocht hij zich een rijk bij elkaar dat véél verder ging dan de klassieke Grieken voor mogelijk hadden gehouden. Zelfs naar normen van latere veldheren en veroveraars was het een verbluffende tocht: vanuit dat boerse Macedonië veroverde hij niet alleen het huidige Griekenland, Turkije en Egypte, maar ook de Levant, het Midden-Oosten, het zuiden van Rusland, Pakistan, Irak, Iran, een stukje Indië, veroverde hij land tot aan de Himalaya, en nog verder, zelfs voorbij Afghanistan, tot in Tadzjikistan, nabij de Chinese grens.
De Morgen | 2009-12-31 | Belgium | Page: 12
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Oppositieleiders naar Noord-Iran ‘gevlucht’
TEHERAN In Iran zijn honderdduizenden regeringsaanhangers de straat opgetrokken om tegen de oppositie te betogen. Oppositieleiders Mousavi en Karoebi zouden niet meer in de hoofdstad zijn omdat ‘de bevolking zich tegen hen keert’. Er waren manifestaties in de hoofdstad Teheran, maar ook in andere steden, berichtte de door de overheid gecontroleerde televisie. Drie dagen na het bloedige geweld tussen tegenstanders van de regering en de veiligheidsdiensten, waarbij acht doden vielen, kwamen alleen al in Teheran tienduizenden regeringsaanhangers samen. Volgens berichten wilden ze voor een kantoor van oppositieleider Mir Hossein Moussavi in Teheran in zitstaking gaan tot de politicus opgepakt werd. Bij de manifestaties riepen de betogers ‘Dood aan Moussavi’. Ook werd ‘Weg met de VS, Israël en Groot-Brittannië’ gescandeerd. De regeringsaanhangers eisten dat justitie hen zou toelaten om zich te wreken op aanhangers van de oppositie.
De Morgen | 2009-12-31 | Belgium | Page: 18
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STANDPUNT Adieu
Nog even en 2009 is voorbij. Het was bepaald geen jaar om in te lijsten. 2009 was een moeilijk en diffuus jaar. Af en toe een lichtpuntje, maar het is zoals het er staat: als een verkleinwoord. Het goede? Obama vervangt Bush, al dateert dat jubelnieuws al van de verkiezingen van 2008. En de G-7 is definitief de G-20. Zelfs al nemen twintig G’s foute beslissingen, het is goed dat niet alleen de klassieke G’s het monopolie hebben op vergissingen. En verder gaat het niet goed met het klimaat, maar neemt de zorg erover wel toe. Behalve dat Kopenhagen niet lukte, maar ook weer geen complete mislukking was. De internationale spanningen namen toe noch af. Het Midden-Oosten kende geen nieuw Gaza, maar het blijft fout gaan in Irak, in Iran, in Afghanistan, in Jemen, zelfs in Dubai. Europa? Herman van Rompuy is de eerste permanente voorzitter van de Raad, maar is dat een goede zaak voor het Europese elan? Wat denkt nietBelgisch Europa daarvan, denkt u? Het meest optimistische antwoord is: héél genuanceerd.
De Morgen | 2009-12-31 | Belgium | Page: 2
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Archief schetst ontluisterend beeld van Margaret Thatcher
LONDEN Dat de IJzeren Dame haar bijnaam niet ten onrechte kreeg was allang geweten, maar een paar pittige details bezorgen de Britse media een heus eindejaarsfeest. Men was op de hoogte van haar kolerieke aard en de soms kwetsende manier waarop ze met medewerkers en diplomaten omsprong, maar nu weet men ook dat ze niets van VS-president Carter moest hebben en wilde weten of de Duitse kanselier Schmidt wel zin voor humor had. De archiefstukken over een reis naar Frankrijk in juni 1979, waar Thatcher president Valéry Giscard d’Estaing ontmoette, tonen hoe leden van de ambassade de Iron Lady geld moesten voorschieten voor belastingvrije goederen. Nadien moesten ze het geld herhaaldelijk terugvragen aan Downing Street. Een factuur, op haar naam en op die van een hoge functionaris van Downing Street, toont de kleine pleziertjes waar ze zich toen op trakteerde. Het gaat om een fles Teacher’s whisky, haar lievelingsdrank, een fles gin, wat haar man Denis graag dronk, en tweehonderd Benson&Hedges-sigaretten.
De Morgen | 2009-12-31 | Belgium | Page: 19
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Een vierde meer journalisten omgekomen in 2009
BRUSSEL In 2009 zijn wereldwijd 76 journalisten omgekomen in het kader van de uitoefening van de persvrijheid. Dat is 26 procent meer dan vorig jaar. Dat zegt Reporters sans Frontières (RSF) in zijn pasverschenen jaarbalans. “Het jaar 2009 zal gebrandmerkt blijven door twee dramatische gebeurtenissen,” zegt RSF. “De grootste slachtpartij die ooit in één dag tegen journalisten is begaan, toen de privémilitie van een Zuid-Filippijnse gouverneur 33 mediaprofessionals ombracht, en de nooit geziene golf aan arrestaties en veroordelingen van journalisten en bloggers in Iran, na de herverkiezing van president Mahmoed Ahmedinejad.” Volgens RSF werden ook 160 journalisten gedwongen om in ballingschap te gaan. “Oorlogen en verkiezingen zijn in 2009 de belangrijkste bedreigingen gebleken voor journalisten.
De Morgen | 2009-12-31 | Belgium | Page: 9 |
Hard tegen hard in Iran
Pro-Khamenei-betogers trokken gisteren door de straten van Teheran. Formele afspraken Dat de situatie in Iran niet alleen in hoofdstad Teheran uit de hand loopt bewijst een filmpje uit de zuidelijke stad Sirjan. Daarin is te zien hoe tientallen medestanders zich in een ultieme poging naar de galg spoeden om Esmail Fathi-Zadeh en Mohammad Esfandiarpoor, twee veroordeelde bankovervallers, van de dood te redden. Ze slagen erin om de twee stroppen door te knippen, waarna de mannen halfdood op de grond vallen. Even is er euforie, maar de politie maakt daar al snel een einde aan. Ze openen lukraak het vuur en doden vijf burgers. Er vallen ook 25 gewonden. De twee veroordeelden kunnen niet ontsnappen en moeten voor de tweede keer aan de strop. Ondertussen blijft het geweld in het hele land escaleren. Politicoloog Marc Botenga, die studeerde in Isfahan en zijn doctoraat wijdde aan het politieke staatsbestel in Iran, kan ook niet voorspellen hoe de onrusten zullen evolueren.
Het Nieuwsblad | 2009-12-31 | Belgium | Page: 12
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New fears NZ ‘firms’ laundering terror cash
Potentially dangerous gaps in New Zealand’s company registration system have been revealed as investigations continue into the North Korean arms seized from a plane hired by an Auckland company. International agencies are concerned that shell companies, with no apparent trading purpose, are being used to launder money and finance terrorism. Would-be Seychelles actor, Stella Port-Louis, is a director of 338 New Zealand companies, all based at level five, 369 Queen St. The address, the Salvation Army’s headquarters building, is described as a virtual office. The companies are all owned by New Zealand-registered company Vicam, which also owns SP Trading, the company which chartered the plane seized in Thailand with the weapons. The OECD’s Financial Action Task Force (FATF) warned the Government in an October report that ‘‘a number of essential gaps’’ existed in New Zealand, particularly in knowing whether real people were behind companies. Duty minister Judith Collins was guarded yesterday.
The Press | 2010-01-07 | New Zealand | Page: 5
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Man ontglipt controle: luchthaven New York plat
Reizigers uit veertien landen – dertien moslimlanden plus Cuba – worden sinds gisteren aan extra controles onderworpen op Amerikaanse luchthavens. Net voor die strengere veiligheidsmaatregelen ingingen, werd de luchthaven van Newark nog urenlang lamgelegd nadat een man door de beveiliging glipte. Een onbekende man legde zondagavond al dan niet gewild de luchthaven van Newark, twintig kilometer ten westen van New York, zes uur lam. De man kwam langs een verkeerde route terminalhal C van de luchthaven binnen en ontsnapte zo aan de controles. De security sloeg alarm, de terminal ging dicht en met man en macht werd gezocht naar de mysterieuze reiziger. Alle passagiers die al in een vliegtuig zaten, moesten uitstappen en werden opnieuw gecontroleerd. Zo’n 3.000 reizigers konden pas na zes uur wachten opstijgen. De man die de chaos veroorzaakte, werd niet gevonden. Het incident vond plaats net op de dag dat de Amerikaanse autoriteiten extra veiligheidsmaatregelen aankondigden voor vluchten uit ‘risicolanden’.
Het Nieuwsblad | 2010-01-05 | Belgium | Page: 17
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Plots rood licht voor EU-bezoek
Het bezoek van een elfkoppige delegatie van het Europees Parlement aan Iran is op het laatste moment geblokkeerd door de Iraanse ambassade in Brussel. De vijfdaagse trip zou donderdag van start gaan, maar in het weekend besloot de Iraanse ambassade dat het bezoek niet kon doorgaan. De delegatie zou ook ontmoetingen hebben met leden van de hervormingsgezinde oppositie. Volgens hoofd van de delegatie Lochbihler wijst de beslissing erop dat ‘de Iraanse autoriteiten weigeren om elke serieuze discussie aan te gaan’ over de onrust in het land. Vorige week kwamen zeker acht mensen om het leven in Iran. (AP)
Het Nieuwsblad | 2010-01-05 | Belgium | Page: 18
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Seychelles model listed as director of 338 NZ companies
POTENTIALLY dangerous gaps in New Zealand’s company registration system have been revealed as an investigation continues into the North Korean arms seized from a plane hired by an Auckland company. International agencies are concerned that shell companies, with no apparent trading purpose, are being used to launder money and finance terrorism. Would-be Seychelles actor and model Stella Port-Louis is a director of 338 New Zealand companies, all based at level five, 369 Queen St, Auckland. The address, in the Salvation Army’s headquarters building, is what is known as a virtual office. The companies are all owned by New Zealand registered company Vicam, which also owns SP Trading Ltd, which chartered the plane that was seized with the weapons. The OECD’s Financial Action Task Force warned the Government in an October report that ‘‘a number of essential gaps’’ existed here, particularly in knowing whether real people were behind companies. Duty minister Judith Collins was guarded in her response yesterday.
The Dominion Post | 2010-01-07 | New Zealand | Page: 1
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Air passengers’ safety comes first
TRAVELLING to the United States, for people who feel they must, has just got harder, at least for those from countries about which the US State Department harbours grave suspicions. Since new security measures went into place on Monday, people from 14 nations – including Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia – are being subjected to more extensive screening when they want to enter America. Kiwis, too, can expect to be affected, at least periodically, because the changes ordered by President Barack Obama mean passengers from other countries will be checked at random. The latest security measures follow the arrest of Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab on Christmas Day after he allegedly tried to detonate a device on a flight to Detroit from Amsterdam. Now in custody, he faces court late tomorrow.
The Dominion Post | 2010-01-07 | New Zealand | Page: 20
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Expect delays
Transport Canada has adopted the following additional security measures for Canadians flying to the United States: No carry-on bags, with some exceptions. Passengers may carry limited personal items, including one or more of the following: small purses; laptops; cameras; coats; medication or medical devices; baby-care items; crutches; canes; walkers; life-sustaining items; special-needs items; musical instruments and diplomatic bags. Travellers may face additional security screening, both of themselves and their exempt carry-on items. Airports in several Canadian cities will soon use scanners that can see through people’s clothes. In addition, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration has instituted pat-downs and other enhanced screening for people travelling to the U.S. from or through 14 countries deemed “state sponsors of terrorism or other countries of interest,” namely: Afghanistan, Algeria, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
The Globe and Mail Metro (Ontario Edition) | 2010-01-06 | Canada | Page: 9
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Iranian leader to help open new Turkmenistan gas link
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad yesterday hailed the launch of a gas pipeline link to Iran from its neighbour Turkmenistan, while on a visit to the Central Asian state. Mr. Ahmadinejad and his Turkmenian counterpart Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov are set to inaugurate the new pipeline, which will more than double gas trade between their two states, in a ceremony today. The 30.5-km pipeline from the southwest Dovletabad field will supply Iran’s Khangiran gas refinery initially with 6.0 billion cubic metres of gas per year, according to the Turkmenian energy ministry.
The Globe and Mail Metro (Ontario Edition) | 2010-01-06 | Canada | Page: 24
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Iran shields nuclear ambitions in tunnel mazes
Last September, when Iran’s uranium enrichment plant buried inside a mountain near the holy city of Qum was revealed, the episode cast light on a wider pattern: Over the past decade, Iran has quietly hidden an increasingly large part of its atomic complex in networks of tunnels and bunkers across the country. In doing so, private and U.S. government experts say, Iran has achieved a double purpose. Not only has it shielded its infrastructure from military attack in warrens of dense rock, but it has further obscured the scale and nature of its notoriously opaque nuclear effort. The discovery of the Qum plant only heightened fears about other undeclared sites. Now, with the passing of President Barack Obama’s year-end deadline for diplomatic progress, that cloak of invisibility has emerged as something of a stealth weapon, complicating the West’s military and geopolitical calculus.
The Globe and Mail Metro (Ontario Edition) | 2010-01-06 | Canada | Page: 14
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War on terror has innocents in its sights
IWAS lucky enough, early one morning at the end of 2007, to be let through the army checkpoint on the main road west out of Sanaa, the capital of Yemen, for a long day’s ride into the highlands. On the other side of the road a procession of American and British passport-holders were being sent on a disconsolate journey back to town. The soldiers studied my New Zealand passport with interest. I smiled and lay low, leaving the talking to my driver and my guide. Twenty minutes later, we were through the checkpoint and sailing merrily along. “So, who did they want to protect the others against?” I said. The two men shrugged — al-Qaeda was certainly not on their minds. We were travelling into an area of tribal rivalry and tension, long predating the West’s interest in the ‘‘war against terror’’, which now, it seems, is about to spread to Yemen. That this is a new and terrible element in Yemeni life is undeniable.
The Age | 2010-01-07 | Australia | Page: 11
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Irak gunt olievelden aan multinationals
Rotterdam, 6 jan. Het Iraakse kabinet gaat akkoord met de ontginning van vier olievelden door buitenlandse energieconcerns. Daaronder bevindt zich het reusachtige olieveld Majnoon in het zuiden van Irak, dat ontgonnen zal worden door het Brits-Nederlandse Shell en het Maleisische Petronas. Met deze goedkeuring komt Irak een stap dichterbij het doel om uit te groeien tot een van de grootste olieproducenten ter wereld. Irak heeft na Saoedi-Arabië en Iran de grootste oliereserves ter wereld, maar de olieproductie in het land ligt nu op een betrekkelijk laag peil door een gebrek aan moderne technologie en aan miljardeninvesteringen die nodig zijn om de productie verder op te voeren. Het Iraakse ministerie van Olie heeft vorig jaar twee veilingen opgezet, in juli en in december. Daarbij konden buitenlandse energieconcerns bieden op olie-en gasvelden. Er werden contracten toegekend aan in totaal acht consortia.
NRC Handelsblad | 2010-01-06 | Netherlands | Page: 15
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Shady dealings and the enemies within
INthe vast American embassy in the hills outside the Jordanian capital of Amman, a senior United States Special Forces officer runs an equally special office. He buys information from JordanianArmy and intelligence officers— for cash, of course— but he also helps to train Afghan and Iraqi policemen and soldiers. The information he seeks is not just about al Qaeda, but about Jordanians themselves, about the Army’s loyalty to King Abdullah II as well as about the anti-American insurgents who live in Jordan, primarily Iraqi but also Iraqi al Qaeda contacts with Afghanistan. It’s easy to buyArmyofficers in the Middle East. The Americans spent much of 2001 and 2002 buying up the warlords of Afghanistan. They paid for Jordanian troops to join their own occupationArmy in Iraq— which was why the Jordanian embassy in Baghdad was ruthlessly bombed by Washington’s enemies. What the CIA’s double agentHumam Khalil Abu-Mulal alBalawi did— like so many al Qaeda followers, he was a doctor— was routine.
The New Zealand Herald | 2010-01-07 | New Zealand | Page: 17
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Wedded to tradition despite the social problems
WEARINGleopard skins and carrying a Zulu shield, South Africa’s President, Jacob Zuma, 67, has just married his fifth wife in a traditional ceremony at his remote homestead in KwaZulu-Natal. His first wife, whomhe married in 1973, was there to see him wed awoman 30 years his junior. His second wife stayed home to prepare the reception. He had two other wives but divorced one in 1998 and another committed suicide in 2000. And he has not finished. The other day he paid the traditional dowry for his sixth fiancee. What has been the reaction to his latest marriage? Critics say polygamy does not fit the image of a modern society. It sends the wrong message in a country with the world’s highest rates of HIV/Aids. And they wonder how he can afford 19 children on a state salary. But Zuma’s respect for tradition is endearing to many rural South Africans. They say it is more honest than hiding his mistresses and illegitimate children like Western politicians.
The New Zealand Herald | 2010-01-07 | New Zealand | Page: 13
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Expect delays
Transport Canada has adopted the following additional security measures for Canadians flying to the United States: No carry-on bags, with some exceptions. Passengers may carry limited personal items, including one or more of the following: small purses; laptops; cameras; coats; medication or medical devices; baby-care items; crutches; canes; walkers; life-sustaining items; special-needs items; musical instruments and diplomatic bags. Travellers may face additional security screening, both of themselves and their exempt carry-on items. Airports in several Canadian cities will soon use scanners that can see through people’s clothes. In addition, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration has instituted pat-downs and other enhanced screening for people travelling to the U.S. from or through 14 countries deemed “state sponsors of terrorism or other countries of interest,” namely: Afghanistan, Algeria, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
The Globe and Mail (BC Edition) | 2010-01-06 | Canada | Page: 9
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Iranian leader to help open new Turkmenistan gas link
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad yesterday hailed the launch of a gas pipeline link to Iran from its neighbour Turkmenistan, while on a visit to the Central Asian state. Mr. Ahmadinejad and his Turkmenian counterpart Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov are set to inaugurate the new pipeline, which will more than double gas trade between their two states, in a ceremony today. The 30.5-km pipeline from the southwest Dovletabad field will supply Iran’s Khangiran gas refinery initially with 6.0 billion cubic metres of gas per year, according to the Turkmenian energy ministry. AFP
The Globe and Mail (BC Edition) | 2010-01-06 | Canada | Page: 22
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Iran shields nuclear ambitions in tunnel mazes
Last September, when Iran’s uranium enrichment plant buried inside a mountain near the holy city of Qum was revealed, the episode cast light on a wider pattern: Over the past decade, Iran has quietly hidden an increasingly large part of its atomic complex in networks of tunnels and bunkers across the country. In doing so, private and U.S. government experts say, Iran has achieved a double purpose. Not only has it shielded its infrastructure from military attack in warrens of dense rock, but it has further obscured the scale and nature of its notoriously opaque nuclear effort. The discovery of the Qum plant only heightened fears about other undeclared sites. Now, with the passing of President Barack Obama’s year-end deadline for diplomatic progress, that cloak of invisibility has emerged as something of a stealth weapon, complicating the West’s military and geopolitical calculus.
The Globe and Mail (BC Edition) | 2010-01-06 | Canada | Page: 12
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PM: World must pressure PA to return to talks
The international community has to stop “coddling” the Palestinians and tell them unequivocally that they need to return to the negotiating table, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told a visiting US congressional delegation on Tuesday. Netanyahu told the delegation, led by Congressman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), that the refusal of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to enter negotiations is bad for the PA, pushes peace further away, and only strengthens Hamas. According to his assessment, the Palestinians are not used to such pressure from the international community, but that the message had to be delivered unequivocally from the world, and not only from the US. Government officials said that there is currently very broad support among major players in the world for the need to return to the negotiating table. “Everyone wants the current impasse to break, and no one sees a continuation of the current situation desirable,” one senior official said
Jerusalem Post | 2010-01-06 | Israel | Page: 2
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Iraqi police seize artifacts slated to be smuggled abroad
BAGHDAD (AP) – Iraqi police on Tuesday seized a small cache of ancient statues and other artifacts in the south of the country, officials said, after authorities feared the items would be smuggled abroad. A police official said the 29 artifacts were discovered hidden near a shrine outside the southern city of Nasiriyah. They included statues and shards with writing on them, dating back to the ancient Sumerian civilization, which is more than 4,000 years old. He said a tip-off led police to believe the pieces were going to be smuggled to Iran. A government official who works with the archeology department confirmed the seizure. Iraqi law says all artifacts over 200 years old have to be handed over to the Iraqi government for inspection. The country is dotted with ancient archeological sites that have little or no protection. The US military was heavily criticized for not protecting the National Museum’s treasure of relics and art following Baghdad’s fall in 2003.
Jerusalem Post | 2010-01-06 | Israel | Page: 8
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Jailed Azerbaijani editor faces new charge
BAKU ( AP) –A jailed Azerbaijani newspaper editor faces a new criminal charge, following a decision by Europe’s human rights court to hear his previous case, his lawyer said Tuesday. Eynulla Fatullayev has been charged with drug possession after heroin – which he claims was planted – was found during a search of his cell, lawyer Isakhan Ashurov said. The Penitentiary Service said the drugs were found December 29 in the lining of Fatullayev’s jacket and under the insole of his shoe. Fatullayev, the founder and editor of the Russian-language weekly Real Azerbaijan and the Azeri-language daily Everyday Azerbaijan, is serving an 8 1/ 2-year sentence after writing an article saying the former Soviet republic could support a US attack on neighboring Iran. Fatullayev, who had been under government pressure for years, called the October 2007 conviction politically driven. He was found guilty of making a terrorist threat, inciting ethnic conflict and tax evasion.
Jerusalem Post | 2010-01-06 | Israel | Page: 8
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Iran welcomes Clinton non-deadline on nuclear talks
TEHERAN (AP) – Iran said Tuesday it welcomes Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s comments that there is no hard-and-fast deadline for starting nuclear dialogue. On Monday, Clinton said the Obama administration remained open to negotiating with Iran over its nuclear program, though it will move toward tougher sanctions if Iran does not respond positively. She stressed there was no hardand-fast deadline for Iran. Responding Tuesday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry welcomed the comments. “We share the same idea with her. Deadlines are meaningless. We hope other countries return to their natural path, too,” said Ramin Mehmanparast, a Foreign Ministry spokesman. Israeli officials, however, said it was necessary to look at the entirety of Clinton’s comments. Clinton, at a press conference with visiting Qatari Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al-Thani in Washington, said that US policy would proceed on two tracks : the engagement track and the pressure track.
Jerusalem Post | 2010-01-06 | Israel | Page: 8
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Funny... but I’m a real family guy at heart
A RISING star of the UK comedy circuit is taking his childhood growing up in Stokesley to the stage of the Royal Albert Hall. Irish-Iranian Patrick Monahan has come up with the idea of stand-up comedy for kids and is basing his stories around his own life here. Patrick, who has performed at seven Edinburgh Festival fringes, including five solos, is a regular TV and studio warm-up on shows such as Friday Night with Jonathan Ross as well as a regular MC at selected venues on the comedy circuit. His fast-paced routine reflects on his experiences on life in Stokesley and having an Irish-born dad and Iranian mum. He has been tipped by a national newspaper as one of their top 10 acts not to miss in 2010. His success has taken him by surprise but his family are his biggest fans. His parents Eugene and Elham, who run Elham’s Market Garden in Stokesley, met in Iran when his dad was working in construction and his mum in a local bank. Patrick was born in Ahvaz in Iran.
Evening Gazette | 2010-01-06 | UK | Page: 3
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US overhauls terror watch lists US overhauls watch lists
WASHINGTON: The United States revamped its terror watch lists as President Barack Obama readied for talks with his intelligence chiefs on the security situation after a foiled attack on a US-bound jet. Tougher screening procedures for all US-bound air travellers also swung into effect in airports around the world, prompting complaints by some countries that they were unfair. Obama, who has denounced “systemic” intelligence failures in the Christmas Day bombing attempt, was yesterday scheduled to meet with US intelligence chiefs on findings of two reviews into a Nigerian man’s attempt to bring down the jetliner. The president planned to speak to reporters after the meetings, the White House said. White House spokesman Bill Burton said “safety and security measures are moving forward even as the review goes on” in a bid to plug security gaps. “There’s already been a rescrubbing of all the different lists,” he told reporters
Star (Malaysia) | 2010-01-06 | Malaysia | Page: 30
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Crucial stage
SINGAPORE: World Cup qualifiers Japan and Australia plan to secure their places at the 2011 Asian Cup Finals today as the scrap to make the grade enters a crucial phase. Japan will make it through if they pick up a point against Yemen in Sana’a, a match that was under threat of being called off following the attempted bombing on Christmas Day of a US-bound airliner. Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the group’s Yemen-based arm, claimed responsibility for the attack. Japan decided to go ahead with the game and coach Takashi Okada has included 13 uncapped players in his 19-man squad. “I don’t feel any particular danger at the moment. “I wish nothing happens as our stay is short. “We will focus on football,” Okada told reporters after a training session in front of machine gun-toting police. “The players are highly motivated and they are working out in fine condition.” Bahrain are likely to join them in the Finals in Qatar from Group A
Star (Malaysia) | 2010-01-06 | Malaysia | Page: 52 |
Inside the Bin Ladens
With a book written by one of Osama bin Laden’s sons, and with news of a daughter sheltering in the Saudi Embassy in Iran, some of the blanks are being filled in on the life of the AlQaida leader’s large family, including details of his demanding parenting style. Twoweeksago, theson, Omar bin Laden, revealed thatmanyof the childrenwho had been with their father in Afghanistan escaped to Iran after the 2001U.S.led invasion and were still together in a walled compound under Iranian guard. Confirmation came with the news that a daughter, Eman bin Laden, had taken refuge in the Saudi Embassy in Tehran. Saudi officials are negotiating with the Iranians toallowEmantoreturn to Saudi Arabia, where she was born, and Omar bin Laden said Tuesday in Riyadh that he, his wife and mother all had applied for visas to go toTehran to help speed Eman’s case. Omar later said by e-mail that another Bin Laden son, 16-year-old Bakr, had been allowed to leave Iran on Dec. 25.
Star Tribune | 2010-01-06 | USA | Page: 5 |
Speeding tourists risking death
TOURISTS have been caught speeding at more than 140kmh on southern roads this summer and police are worried it’s only a matter of time before someone is killed or seriously injured. Southland Highway Patrol supervisor Sergeant Geoff Sutherland yesterday contacted The Southland Times asking it to help warn tourists to slow down. Mr Sutherland’s plea follows police issuing more than 548 tickets to drivers between Boxing Day and Monday. Most were for speeding offences and issued to tourists travelling on State Highway 6 and State Highway 94 – between Invercargill, Queenstown, Te Anau and Milford. One officer had caught three tourists in a four-hour period yesterday morning all travelling at more than 139kmh, he said. ‘‘Two were travelling at 140kmh and one at 150kmh. The unfortunate thing is since the 26th of December, speeds from 127kmh to 141kmh have not been uncommon . . . With the traffic travelling at those speeds it’s only a matter of time before we are dealing with quite a serious incident.’’
The Southland Times | 2010-01-07 | New Zealand | Page: 1 |
NEW US SCREENING RULES ILL-CONSIDERED: EXPERT
New US rules tightening security checks on air travellers from 14 nations are “ill-considered” and unlikely to prove effective against future threats, a security expert said yesterday. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said the new measures would include random “enhanced” checks on all international passengers flying into US airports, as well as compulsory stricter checks on those coming from or via 14 nations. The countries targeted include four nations that are US-designated state sponsors of terror, as well as a number of majority-Muslim or Arab countries. Edward Alden, a security expert with the Council on Foreign Relations denounced the measures as “crude”. “I think that this is an ill-considered response that will do more harm to the United States than it does good."
The Nation | 2010-01-06 | Thailand | Page: 10
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Iran bans contact with 60 groups
Iran’s intelligence ministry has banned Iranians’ contact with 60 national and international organisations, including news groups, state television reported yesterday. The ministry alleged that these organisations had been involved in a “soft war” with the ultimate goal of toppling the Islamic establishment. – DPA
The Nation | 2010-01-06 | Thailand | Page: 10
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Newspaper Page
THAILAND’S English coach Bryan Robson leads his team in training at Rajamangala Stadium yesterday. Fixtures Group A: At Sannaa: Yemen v Japan At Manama: Bahrain v Hong Kong Group B: At Kuwait City: Kuwait v Australia At Jakarta: Indonesia v Oman Group C: At Dubai: UAE v Malaysia Group D: At Beirut: Lebanon v Vietnam At Zheijang: China v Syria Group E: At Bangkok: Thailand v Jordan At Singapore: Singapore v Iran
The Nation | 2010-01-06 | Thailand | Page: 31
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‘JORDAN GAME IS THAILAND’S FA CUP FINAL’
Bryan Robson is putting Thailand’s record against Jordan firmly behind him as the two nations prepare to meet this evening in the Asian Cup qualifier at the Rajamangala National Stadium. The goalless draw in the away tie a year ago was Thailand’s best result so far against the Gulf state, but Robson is adamant that his side has what it takes to turn the tide. Jordan hold a 31 record from the four meetings between the two sides. “The record doesn’t hold any significance for the game [tonight]. The good fortune could easily flow towards the Thai side in this fifth meeting,” said Robson, who prepared last month with a trip to China to watch Jordan play a friendly. “Everybody has been working hard over the past couple of weeks for this game. I studied the match between Jordan and China and I have a game plan,” said Robson. Despite recent dismal results at home, the national coach is bullish that his players can restore faith among increasingly sceptical supporters. “ The game with Jordan is really important.
The Nation | 2010-01-06 | Thailand | Page: 31 |
Carta a los Reyes Magos de un republicano iracundo
Ala carta que les envié el año pasado no me le hicieron el más mínimo caso. Es inexplicable porque me comporté como un bendito. Defendí la democracia de un modo feroz. Protegí la hegemonía norteamericana en el planeta abogando por que Washington rechazara un multilateralismo que representa debilidad, falta de fe e inseguridad en nuestro poderío militar, y permitiendo que países indigentes que nos lo deben todo, nos humillen desobedeciendo nuestras órdenes. Hice lo imposible por evitar la entrada de indocumentados y no les di tregua a los que estaban en el país.
El Nuevo Herald | 2010-01-06 | USA | Page: 12 |
Países de la UE divergen sobre el uso de escáneres en los aeropuertos
países europeos abogan por multiplicar los escáneres corporales en los aeropuertos tras el reciente atentado fallido en un vuelo transatlántico, pero esta tecnología indiscreta no reúne consenso en el seno de la Unión Europea (UE), que el jueves debatirá la cuestión. La reunión de la comisión de seguridad aérea, el jueves en Bruselas, permitirá a los europeos presentar sus estrategias nacionales y estudiar las adoptadas por Estados Unidos, anunció el martes la Comisión Europea. Diez días después de que un joven nigeriano tratara de hacer estallar con un explosivo escondido en su pierna un avión de Northwest Airlines, que volaba entre Amsterdam y Detroit, Washington anunció que someterá aleatoriamente a los pasajeros que viajen a su territorio a medidas de control suplementarias, como cacheos físicos o revisiones exhaustivas de maletas.
El Nuevo Herald | 2010-01-06 | USA | Page: 10 |
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