Somali pirate gets more than 33 years in prison

NEW YORK – A Somali pirate who kidnapped and brutalized the captain of a U.S.-flagged merchant ship off the coast of Africa in 2009 was sentenced to more than 33 years in prison Wednesday by an emotional judge who told him he deserved a stiff punishment for leading a crew of armed bandits who "appeared to relish their most depraved acts."

U.S. District Judge Loretta A. Preska choked up as she read at length from letters written by Capt. Richard Phillips and traumatized sailors who were aboard the cargo vessel commandeered by Abdiwali Abdiqadir Muse.

The recent spate of piracy on the Indian Ocean and elsewhere "is not a Disneyland-esque problem," she quoted Phillips, of Underhill, Vt., as saying. "These are not Johnny Depps. They threaten seamen's lives, repeatedly. ... They deprive us of the rights that they themselves complain about."

Another officer from the ship, Colin Wright, appeared in person to urge the judge to impose a lengthy term. He recalled being shot at and held at gunpoint by Muse and three other pirates.

"What happened to us was terrible," said Wright, 44, of Galveston, Texas. "I'm not the same person I was and I never will be."

Muse pleaded guilty last year to hijacking, kidnapping and hostage-taking charges. Before he was sentenced, he apologized to the victims, claiming he was a desperate, small-time player in a Somali piracy syndicate that has collected millions of dollars in ransoms.

"I'm very sorry for what I did," he said through an interpreter. "I got my hands into something that was more powerful than me."

Preska imposed the maximum prison sentence of 33 years, nine months. She noted that prosecutors had described the pirates as experienced, coordinated and sadistic — even playing Russian roulette with their hostages — during the five-day siege of the Maersk Alabama.

"They appeared to relish even their most depraved acts of physical and psychological violence," she said.

Muse, wearing a green crew-neck shirt and khaki pants, stared straight ahead and showed no emotion as the sentence was announced.

The federal prosecution in Manhattan was part of a stepped-up effort to stem a wave of 21st century piracy by seeking justice in U.S. courts, at times using 19th century maritime laws.

Late last year, a Virginia jury found five other Somali men guilty of exchanging gunfire with a U.S. Navy ship off the coast of Africa. Scholars called it the first piracy case to go to trial since the Civil War, when a New York jury deadlocked on charges against 13 Southern privateers.

Aside from the novelty of his case, Muse became a curiosity because he defied swashbuckler stereotypes: The boyish, 5-foot-2 defendant has often looked bewildered in court and sometimes wept. Following his capture, his lawyers insisted he was 15 and should be tried as a juvenile; prosecutors convinced a judge he was at least 18.

The Maersk Alabama was boarded by the pirates as it transported humanitarian supplies about 280 miles off the coast of Somalia, an impoverished East African nation of about 10 million people.

Muse was the first to board the 500-foot ship, firing his AK-47 assault rifle at the captain, prosecutors said. He ordered Phillips to halt the vessel and then held him hostage on a sweltering, enclosed lifeboat that was soon shadowed by three U.S. warships and a helicopter.

The pirate beat and taunted Phillips by holding a gun to his head, pulling the trigger and laughing when it didn't go off, court papers said. He also threatened to "bury him in a shallow area of the ocean" and by telling his captive he "liked having hijacked an American ship and wanted to kill Americans," the papers added.

The siege ended when Navy sharpshooters on the USS Bainbridge picked off the three pirates in a stunning nighttime operation, leaving Phillips untouched.

Somalis captured by international naval forces have been brought to several countries in Europe and Asia to face piracy charges. Criminal cases for piracy are under way in Germany, the Netherlands, India, South Korea and Malaysia.

Wright, the Maersk Alabama officer, said Wednesday that cargo ships need to adopt more serious safety measures.

"We had pocket knives and knives and fire hoses to combat pirates," he said.

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He also repeated claims that by the crew that Capt. Phillips ignored many warnings to keep the ship 600 miles off the Somali coast, saying, "The captain for his reasons put us in a very bad situation," he said.

Phillips has called such accusations "spurious."

Official: Gaza hospital changes name to 'Tahrir'

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – A Gaza health official says the local "Mubarak Children's Hospital" is now known as "Tahrir Children's Hospital," in honor of the Egyptian uprising.

Health official Yousef Mudalal says it's a way of recognizing hundreds of thousands of protesters who massed in Tahrir (Liberation) Square in Cairo over 18 days and forced the resignation of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

Mudalal said Tuesday that residents requested the name change.

Gaza's Hamas rulers have praised Mubarak's exit. Hamas is a Gaza branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, a pan-Arab group whose Egyptian offshoot constitutes the largest opposition group there.

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The Gaza hospital was built in the 1990s by Egyptian business people.

Israel says Iran warships to transit Suez for Syria

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Two Iranian warships planned to sail through the Suez canal en route to Syria on Wednesday, Israel said, calling it a "provocation" by the Islamic Republic.

The Iranian naval contingent described by Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman would pose no significant military threat to Israel but could spell the closest-ever encounter by the forces of the two old foes, who are geographically distant.

Oil prices surged on the news. Brent crude rose to 29-month highs, helped by Middle East jitters over clashes in Iran, Yemen and Bahrain that raised concern about disruption to oil flows.

Brent crude rose $2.40 to $104.04 at 1708 GMT,

Syria is one of Israel's neighboring enemies. It has an alliance with Iran which has deepened along with Tehran's isolation from the West over its disputed nuclear ambitions.

"Tonight, two Iranian warships are meant to pass through the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean Sea and reach Syria, something that has not happened in many years," Lieberman said in a closed-door speech to Jewish leaders.

"To my regret, the international community is not showing readiness to deal with the recurring Iranian provocations. The international community must understand that Israel cannot forever ignore these provocations."

Lieberman, a far-right partner in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's conservative coalition, called for world powers "to act soon and ... put the Iranians in their place."

Signaling reluctance to deal with the Iranian warships alone, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Israel had alerted "friendly nations in the region" over its concerns.

The Obama administration, trying to ride a wave of political upheaval in the Middle East, said it was aware of the Iranian warships but made no further comment.

RIGHT OF PASSAGE

The Suez Canal is a vital commercial and strategic waterway between Europe and the Middle East and Asia.

"The Suez Canal does not (stop) any commercial ships from passing as long as we are not in a state of war," said Ahmed El Manakhly, a member of Egypt's Suez Canal board.

He said warships of any country need approval to pass from Egypt's defense and foreign ministries. Neither ministry had sent word as yet of an Iranian request.

Iran's semi-official Fars news agency reported on January 26 that Iranian navy cadets were going on a year-long training mission into the Red Sea and through Suez to the Mediterranean.

They were training to defend "the country's cargo ships and oil tankers" against the threat of Somali pirates, it said.

Israel's Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper described the Iranian ships as a MK-5 frigate and a supply vessel. It said no Iranian naval vessels had passed through Suez since the Islamic Republic was established in 1979, poisoning Tehran-Cairo relations.

The ships "dock at a Syrian port for a year," a senior official told the daily, adding that there was no justification for Iran to deploy warships in the Mediterranean.

A Syrian berth would put them near Lebanon, whose Hezbollah movement, an Iran ally, fought a war with Israel in 2006.

"As long as they (Iranians) are not conducting some sort of belligerent operation I think they would have a right to go through the canal like any other country," said James Kraska, professor of international law at the U.S. Naval War College.

Middle East analyst Neil Partrick said he presumed Iran planned the mission before Egypt's popular uprising overthrew President Hosni Mubarak last week, but "the decision not to cancel the journey, once the turmoil in the region had begun, could be a sign that Iran is prepared to risk tensions."

"This might be a provocative move at a time when Egypt is moving into a period of uncertainty," he said.

Christian Le Miere of the International Institute for Strategic Studies said Iranian commercial ships regularly used Suez but he was not aware of the Iranian navy ever doing so.

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"That said, it's hard to see this as a credible threat to anyone. Two warships don't make a flotilla," Le Miere said.

GTB receives equipment to enhance service delivery

Takoradi, — Ricerca E Cooperazione, an Italian International non-governmental organization, on Tuesday, presented office equipment, worth over 10,000 Euros to the Ghana Tourist Board, to enhance its service delivery in the implementation of the West Coast Destination Management Development project
The items comprise computers, modem, projectors, mouse pad, pen drives, starker chairs, swivel chairs, PABX installation, colt browser, binding machines and printers.
Presenting the items, Mr Agbo Korshi Steven, a Senior Assistant Programme Officer of the NGO, charged the Board to put in place effective mechanisms for maintenance of the equipment.

He said the NGO would organize capacity building workshops and training in Information Technology, for the staff at the secretariat of the West Coast Destination Management Development, to enhance its services and activities.
Receiving the items on behalf of the Board, the Regional Chief Resource Officer, Mr Michael Kpingbi, thanked the NGO and pledged to ensure maximum use of the equipment.
Ricerca E Cooperazione is implementing the "Ghana West Coast Destination Management Area Development" project, in collaboration with the Ghana Tourist Board and the Netherlands Development Organization, Mr Kpingbi said.
"The project is a 15 months pro-poor and sustainable tourism intervention, taking place in the coastal areas in the Region, and its being funded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the United Nations World Tourism Organization," he noted.
Mr Kpingbi said the Region has a huge coastline as well as a lot of potential sites that can be explored to help eliminate poverty, adding that, "with the remarkable tourism attractions and potentials such as historical, archeological and ecological sites, beautiful beaches, unique biodiversity, sights and landscapes, it could be a source of revenue for the country to boost the economy".

GNA

Anti-government protests spread across Yemen

SANAA (Reuters) – Protests against the rule of President Ali Abdullah Saleh spread across Yemen on Wednesday with hundreds of people taking to the streets of Sanaa, Aden and Taiz.

In the capital Sanaa, at least 800 protesters marched through the streets near Sanaa University despite police efforts to break up the demonstration.

"We're no weaker than Tunisians and Egyptians, and our situation is worse than theirs," said Rafea Abdullah, a Sanaa University student, referring to the "people power" revolts that ousted the presidents of Egypt and Tunisia over the last month.

Saleh, a U.S. ally against al Qaeda, has ruled the poor and fractious Arabian Peninsula State for more than 30 years.

The threat of turmoil in Yemen, struggling to quash a resurgent wing of al Qaeda and keep rebellions at bay in its north and south, pushed Saleh to say he would step down in 2013 and call for a national dialogue, that the opposition accepted.

But anti-government protests have continued for the past six days, despite often violent clashes with government loyalists.

Police in Sanaa had earlier on Wednesday been unable to block hundreds of government loyalists wielding batons and daggers from beating and chasing off protesters and journalists at the university, which has become a launchpad for protests. A Reuters journalist saw four people wounded in the melee.

After locking student protesters inside the campus, police fired shots in the air to break up the loyalist groups, who were picked up by luxury cars which sped away, a Reuters reporter said. Students later left the campus to join hundreds of anti-government protesters in the streets.

At least 500 people rallied in the agro-industrial city Taiz, south of Sanaa, and 500 or more protesters had gathered in the southern port town of Aden.

"No more marginalization of the people of Aden! No more corruption and oppression," chanted protesters there. Most demonstrators were from among the unemployed youth in Yemen, where the jobless rate is at least 35 percent.

Of the 23 million people in Yemen, which is teetering on the brink of collapse into a failed state, 40 percent live on less than $2 a day and a third suffer chronic hunger. Jobs are scarce, corruption is rife, and the population is expanding rapidly as oil and water resources are drying up.

TIPPING POINT

Protests over the past week have been smaller than in preceding weeks, when tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets, but demonstrators have become more strident in calling for Saleh's resignation.

Analysts say protests could reach a tipping point because they are more spontaneous and youth-led, instead of run by the opposition, which works within the existing political framework and has called for reform, not for Saleh's resignation.

Yemen's opposition has agreed to negotiate with Saleh, but many young student protesters are becoming frustrated.

"We'll keep protesting until the regime leaves," said Murad Mohammed. "We have no future under current conditions."

Analysts say any uprising in Yemen -- which neighbors Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter -- could unfold more slowly than in Egypt and Tunisia and with more bloodshed in a country where one in two people own guns.

"It's an escalation, but this country is armed to the teeth. When people get fed up enough that they escalate it to sticks, the next step is probably Molotov cocktails, then weapons," said Theodore Karasik, a security analyst at the Dubai-based INEGMA group. "We're getting close to a tipping point."

Elsewhere in Sanaa, dozens of journalists rallied outside the journalist union, protesting against what they said were targeted attacks against them for covering the demonstrations.

In southern Aden, thousands of workers at different companies protested against what they said were poor working conditions and low pay. Scattered protests led by the unemployed were also breaking out in Aden, a Reuters correspondent said.

"Protest, protest until the regime falls!" they shouted.

Saleh on Sunday canceled a trip to Washington planned for later this month, which the state news agency said was due to regional conditions.

On Tuesday, Saba news reported Saleh would open his office to Yemenis who wanted to air their grievances.

But in another sign dissent may grow, the leader of a northern Shi'ite rebel group Abdel Malek al-Houthi issued a statement encouraging protesters.

"Yemenis should take advantage of this opportunity and create serious mobilization ... which will be responsible for changing the reality and removing this criminal government."

Star US reporter sexually assaulted in Egypt

NEW YORK (AFP) – Top CBS News foreign correspondent Lara Logan suffered a brutal sexual assault at the hands of a mob in Egypt while covering the downfall of president Hosni Mubarak, the network said on Tuesday.

Logan was in Cairo's central Tahrir Square on Friday, the day Mubarak stepped down, and was separated from her crew in the crowd, the US television network said in a statement.

"She and her team and their security were surrounded by a dangerous element amidst the celebration. It was a mob of more than 200 people whipped into a frenzy," CBS said. "In the crush of the mob, she was separated from her crew."

Logan "was surrounded and suffered a brutal and sustained sexual assault and beating before being saved by a group of women and an estimated 20 Egyptian soldiers."

She was flown to the United States the next day and "is currently in the hospital recovering," the statement said.

The separation and assault lasted between 20 and 30 minutes, according to the Wall Street Journal, which cited a person familiar with the matter. The source added that it was "not a rape."

The CBS statement said "there will be no further comment from CBS News and correspondent Logan and her family respectfully request privacy at this time."

South African-born Logan, 39, has covered the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, becoming one of the US media's most recognizable war correspondents. She became CBS News chief foreign correspondent in 2006.

At least 140 reporters since January 30 have been injured or killed while covering the Egypt protests, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said.

On February 2 Logan reported from Alexandria that soldiers and plainclothes agents prevented her and her crew from filming in the street, and marched them at gunpoint to their hotel.

"We were accused of being more than journalists," Logan reported. "Very frightening suggestions were being made, suggestions that could be very dangerous for us."

The following day soldiers detained her and her crew in Cairo and interrogated them overnight, then told to leave Egypt.

"We were detained by the Egyptian army," Logan told The Politics blog of Esquire magazine. "Arrested, detained, and interrogated. Blindfolded, handcuffed, taken at gunpoint, our driver beaten. It's the regime that arrested us."

"They kept us in stress positions -- they wouldn't let me put my head down. It was all through the night. We were pretty exhausted," Logan said.

"We were accused of being Israeli spies. We were accused of being agents. We were accused of everything," she told Esquire, as she was boarding a plane to return to Egypt to cover Mubarak's downfall.

The CPJ said it was "alarmed" by the news of the assault on Logan.

"We have seen Lara's compassion at work while helping journalists who have faced brutal aggression while doing their jobs," CPJ Chairman Paul Steiger said. "She is a brilliant, courageous, and committed reporter."

Logan is a CPJ member that oversees an aid program supporting journalists around the world who have been victims of violence and repression.

Stuxnet rattled Iran but atom work goes on: report

VIENNA (Reuters) – The Stuxnet computer worm caused relatively limited damage to Iran's nuclear program and failed to stop the Islamic republic stockpiling enriched uranium, a U.S.-based think-tank said in a report.

Stuxnet is believed to have knocked out in late 2009 or early 2010 about 1,000 centrifuges -- machines used to refine uranium -- out of the 9,000 used at Iran's Natanz enrichment plant, the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) said.

Security experts say Stuxnet may have been an attempt by Iran's enemies to sabotage the nuclear program, which Western nations fear is intended to produce weapons despite Tehran's denials. The worm, which has been described as a guided cyber missile, possibly originated in Israel or the United States.

"Although Stuxnet appears to be designed to destroy centrifuges at the Natanz facility, destruction was by no means total," ISIS experts David Albright, Paul Brannan and Christina Walrond wrote in the analysis dated February 15.

"Assuming Iran exercises caution, Stuxnet is unlikely to destroy more centrifuges at the Natanz plant. Iran likely cleaned the malware from its control systems."

Enriched uranium can be used to fuel nuclear power plants, which is Iran's stated aim, or provide material for bombs if processed much further. Western powers accuse Iran, a major oil producer, of seeking to develop nuclear weapons capability.

Any setbacks in Iran's enrichment campaign could buy more time for efforts to find a diplomatic solution to its stand-off with world powers, even though talks in Geneva in December and Istanbul last month failed to bridge the gap.

STEADY ENRICHMENT

Israel and the United States have not ruled out military action if diplomacy fails to resolve the dispute.

ISIS said cyber attacks such as Stuxnet were likely to continue in the absence of a negotiated settlement. "They provide an alternative to military strikes against Iran's known nuclear sites, a tactic that most see as likely to be ineffectual or counterproductive," the report said.

The cyber attack that is believed to have destroyed centrifuges at Natanz about a year ago "rattled the Iranians."

But Iran took steps that probably reduced further damage by Stuxnet and shut down many centrifuges -- finely calibrated cylindrical devices that spin at supersonic speed to increase the fissile element in uranium -- for months, ISIS added.

"While it has delayed the Iranian centrifuge program at the Natanz plant in 2010 and contributed to slowing its expansion, it did not stop it or even delay the continued buildup of LEU (low-enriched uranium)," the report said.

Stuxnet did not lower Iran's output of refined uranium last year, even though it could help to explain why quantities did not increase significantly. "The relatively limited damage implies that destroying centrifuges through a cyber attack may be more difficult to do than commonly perceived," it added.

Iran's atomic activities have also been suffering from design-related technical problems and increasingly tough sanctions which make it more difficult for Tehran to acquire the equipment and other materials it needs for its enrichment work.

Despite such problems, diplomats and experts say Iran has resumed steady enrichment after a brief halt and that it has now has amassed enough LEU for one or two bombs if refined much further.

China limits smoking in films, TV shows

BEIJING – China is ordering makers of films and TV shows to limit the amount of smoking depicted on-screen, the latest effort to curb rampant tobacco use in the country with the largest number of smokers in the world.

The order from the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television viewed Tuesday on its website orders producers to minimize plot lines and scenes involving tobacco and show smoking only when necessary for artistic purposes or character development.

Minors under age 18 cannot be shown smoking or buying cigarettes, and characters may not smoke in public buildings or other places where smoking is banned.

Where possible, actors and directors are encouraged to leave smoking out of their productions, the circular said, adding images of smoking in movies and television shows were out of sync with government efforts to control tobacco use.

The order does not mention entertainment imported from other nations. Hollywood blockbusters have had success in the Chinese market despite revenue quotas that effectively limit how many foreign productions are released in China.

China has been tightening up restrictions on smoking over the past decade, banning tobacco advertising and sponsorships of major sporting events

That's part of a slow realization of the massive toll heavy tobacco use is taking on an aging, increasingly urbanized population. Tobacco use is linked to the deaths of at least 1 million people every year in China, where 300 million people, or nearly 30 percent of adults, smoke.

While numbers of smokers have remained flat for the past decade, mortality rates among them are rising fast. If trends continue, by 2030 an estimated 3.5 million Chinese will die from smoking each year, according to a report issued last month by a group of prominent Chinese public health experts and economists.

The report cited China's failure to take basic measures such as passing a national law to ban smoking in indoor public places and raising the price of cigarettes

Bahrain protesters urge more pressure on rulers

MANAMA, Bahrain – Protesters demanding sweeping political reforms from Bahrain's rulers held their ground Wednesday in an Egypt-style occupation of the capital's landmark square, staging a third day of demonstrations that have brought unprecedented pressure in one of Washington's most strategic allies in the Gulf.

Security forces have pulled back sharply — apparently on orders to ease tensions — after clashes that left at least two people dead and dozens injured. Police helicopters, however, flew low over a major funeral procession for one of the victims in which mourners called him a "martyr" and pledged more protests in the island nation — home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet.

Thousands of people spent the night in a makeshift tent camp in Manama's Pearl Square, which was swarmed by demonstrators a day earlier. One demonstrator used a bullhorn to urge protesters to remain until their demands are met, as the Arab wave for change takes hold in the Gulf.

The protests began Monday as a cry for the country's Sunni monarchy to loosen its grip, including hand-picking most top government posts, and open more opportunities for the country's majority Shiites, who have long complained of being blocked from decision-making roles.

But the uprising's demands have steadily reached further. Many protesters are calling for the government to provide more jobs and better housing and free all political detainees. Increasingly, protesters are also chanting slogans to wipe away the entire ruling dynasty that has led Bahrain for more than 200 years.

Social networking websites were abuzz with calls to press ahead with the protests as well as insults from presumed government backers calling the demonstrators traitors and agents of Shiite powerhouse Iran.

The head of the largest Shiite political bloc, Sheik Ali Salman, said there are no demands for an Islamic role in politics.

"We are not looking for a religious government like Iran's, but we demand a civil government" that represents Shiites and Sunnis, he told a news conference.

The group, Al Wefaq, has 18 seats in the 40-member parliament, but it boycotting the chamber to protest the violence against demonstrators.

Bahrain's state TV gave limited reports on the protests.

The pan-Arab broadcaster Al-Jazeera, founded by the emir in nearby Qatar, also gave sporadic coverage. That compares with nearly round-the-clock attention to Egypt's turmoil, suggesting worry by Qatar's Sunni rulers about the unrest coming to their doorstep.

Britain's minister for Middle East and North Africa, Alistair Burt, said he "concerned by the reports of excessive use of force by police" in Bahrain.

"I call on all sides to exercise restraint and refrain from violence," said Burt.

U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said Tuesday the Obama administration is "very concerned" about violence against protesters.

"The United States welcomes the government of Bahrain's statements that it will investigate these deaths, and that it will take legal action against any unjustified use of force by Bahraini security forces," Crowley said. "We urge that it follow through on these statements as quickly as possible."

Bahrain is a linchpin to the U.S. military framework in the Gulf. The 5th Fleet base is considered one of the Pentagon's major counterweights against Iran's growing military reach in the region.

Although Bahrain is sandwiched between two of OPEC's heavyweights, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, it has limited oil resources and depends heavily on its role as a regional financial hub and playground for Saudis, who can drive over a causeway to enjoy Bahrain's Western-style bars, hotels and beaches.

On Tuesday, Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa made a rare nationwide TV address to offer condolences for the deaths, pledge an investigation into the killings and promise to push ahead with reforms that include loosening state controls on the media and Internet.

But the funeral procession Wednesday for a 31-year-old man, Fadhel al-Matrook, quickly turned political. Mourners chanted for the immediate resignation of Prime Minister Sheik Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa.

Al-Matrook was killed Tuesday as police tried to disperse people gathered for the funeral march of the first victim to die in the unrest. Both were Shiites, feeding the resentment in a community that represents 70 percent of Bahrain's 500,000 citizens but has long alleged systematic discrimination.

A wave of arrests last year against Shiite activists touched off riots and protest marches. But authorities are moving ahead with a highly sensitive trial of 25 Shiites accused of plotting against the ruling system. The next court session is scheduled for Feb. 24.

In the past week, Bahrain's rulers have tried to defuse calls for reform by promising nearly $2,700 for each family and pledging to loosen state controls on the media.

Similar concessions have been made by leaders in the Gulf to try to pre-empt protests.

In Oman, the ruling Sultan Qaboos Bin Said announced Wednesday an increase in the minimum monthly salary for private sector workers from 140 rials ($365) to 200 rials ($520). Last month, the sultan met with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to discuss the growing political unrest in the Arab world.

Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague visited Bahrain for talks last week.

US admiral: Carrier killer won't stop US Navy

YOKOSUKA, Japan – A new "carrier killer" missile that has become a symbol of China's rising military might will not force the U.S. Navy to change the way it operates in the Pacific, a senior Navy commander told The Associated Press.

Defense analysts say the Dong Feng 21D missile could upend the balance of power in Asia, where U.S. aircraft carrier battle groups have ruled the waves since the end of World War II.

However, Vice Adm. Scott van Buskirk, commander of the U.S. 7th Fleet, told the AP in an interview that the Navy does not see the much-feared weapon as creating any insurmountable vulnerability for the U.S. carriers — the Navy's crown jewels.

"It's not the Achilles heel of our aircraft carriers or our Navy — it is one weapons system, one technology that is out there," Van Buskirk said in an interview this week on the bridge of the USS George Washington, the only carrier that is home-based in the western Pacific.

The DF 21D is unique in that it is believed capable of hitting a powerfully defended moving target — like the USS George Washington — with pinpoint precision. That objective is so complex that the Soviets gave up on a similar project.

The missile would penetrate defenses because its speed from launch would not allow enough time for carriers or other large ships to complete countermeasures.

That could seriously weaken Washington's ability to intervene in any potential conflict over Taiwan or North Korea, as well as deny U.S. ships safe access to international waters near China's 11,200-mile (18,000-kilometer) -long coastline.

Van Buskirk, whose fleet is responsible for most of the Pacific and Indian oceans, with 60-70 ships and 40,000 sailors and Marines under its command, said the capabilities of the Chinese missile are as yet unproven. But he acknowledged it does raise special concerns.

"Any new capability is something that we try to monitor," he said.

"If there wasn't this to point to as a game changer, there would be something else," he said. "That term has been bandied about for many things. I think it really depends in how you define the game, whether it really changes it or not. It's a very specific scenario for a very specific capability — some things can be very impactful."

The development of the missile comes as China is increasingly venturing further out to sea and is becoming more assertive around its coastline and in disputes over territory.

Late last year, China and Japan were locked in a heated diplomatic row over several islands both claim in the East China Sea, an area regularly patrolled by U.S. Navy vessels. A flotilla of 10 Chinese warships, including advanced submarines and destroyers, passed through the Miyako Strait last April in the biggest transit of its kind to date.

Experts saw it as an attempt by China to test Japan and the United States and demonstrate its open water capabilities.

China has also expressed strong displeasure with U.S. carrier operations off the Korean Peninsula, saying that they posed a security risk to its capital.

Still, van Buskirk said the Navy has no intention of altering its mission because of the new threat and will continue to operate in the seas around Japan, Korea, the Philippines and anywhere else it deems necessary.

"We won't change these operations because of this specific technology that might be out there," he told The AP while the USS George Washington was in its home port just south of Tokyo for repairs last week. "But we will carefully monitor and adapt to it."

The faster-than-expected development of the missile has set off alarm bells in Washington. Further, China is developing a stealth fighter jet that could be used to support its navy in a potential conflict and hopes to deploy its first aircraft carriers over the next decade.

Before visiting Beijing last month, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he has been concerned about the anti-ship missile since he took office.

In December, Adm. Robert Willard, the head of the U.S. Pacific Command, told Japan's Asahi Shimbun newspaper he believed the missile program had achieved "initial operational capability," meaning a workable design had been settled on and was being further developed.

The missile is considered a key component of China's strategy of denying U.S. planes and ships access to waters off its coast. The strategy includes overlapping layers of air defense systems, naval assets such as submarines, and advanced ballistic missile systems — all woven together with a network of satellites.

At its most capable, the DF 21D could be launched from land with enough accuracy to penetrate the defenses of even the most advanced moving aircraft carrier at a distance of more than 900 miles (1,500 kilometers).

To allay regional security fears, van Buskirk said, China needs to be more forthcoming about its intentions.

"It goes back to transparency," he said. "Using the United States as an example, we are very clear about our intent when conducting routine and normal operations in international waters ... That is what you might expect from other nations that might operate in this region.

Yemeni police block protesters' march on palace

SANAA (Reuters) – Hundreds of anti-government protesters, inspired by the mass uprising in Egypt, clashed with police blocking them from marching to Yemen's presidential palace in Sanaa on Sunday, witnesses said.

The clashes occurred while President Ali Abdullah Saleh and the main opposition group were preparing for talks that the government hoped would help avert an Egypt-style revolt in the Arabian Peninsula state, a vital U.S. ally against al Qaeda.

Saleh postponed a visit to the United States planned for later this month "due to the current circumstances in the region," the state news agency Saba said, without elaborating.

About 1,000 people attended the demonstration shouting "the Yemeni people want the fall of the regime" and "a Yemeni revolution after the Egyptian revolution," before dozens broke off to march to the palace.

Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak was forced to resign on Friday after 30 years in power under pressure from mass popular protests, just one month after Tunisia's longtime President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali was similarly ousted.

In the harshest response yet to a wave of protests in the capital, police prevented the smaller group from reaching the palace, hitting them with batons, while protesters threw rocks at the police, witnesses said. Four people were injured.

Anti-government protests have gained momentum in Yemen in recent weeks and prompted Saleh to offer significant concessions to calm tensions, including a pledge to step down in 2013.

Many of the Sanaa protests, including a "Day of Rage" on February 3 attended by tens of thousands of opposition and pro-government demonstrators, ended peacefully.

Although pro- and anti-government protesters have clashed in recent days, police have generally stayed out of the fray in Sanaa. They have clamped down more firmly outside the capital.

Opposition officials said 10 protesters were briefly detained in Sanaa on Sunday and 120 more were taken into custody overnight in the the city of Taiz after protests on Saturday.

Instability in Yemen would present serious political and security risks for Gulf states. The United States relies heavily on Saleh to help combat al Qaeda's Yemen-based arm, which also carries out attacks in neighboring Saudi Arabia.

In the south, where the government faces al Qaeda militants and rising secessionist sentiment, some 1,500 anti-government protesters marched in Aden and hundreds demonstrated in two of the port city's suburbs. Police used batons to disperse the marchers, arresting about eight people, residents said.

A court in the south sentenced six men to death for kidnappings and armed attacks on police, Saba said.

RIGHTS CRITICISM

U.S.-based Human Rights Watch criticized Yemen for allowing government supporters to assault, intimidate and sometimes clash with protesters calling on Saleh to quit.

"The Yemeni authorities have a duty to permit and protect peaceful demonstrations," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch. "Instead, the security forces and armed thugs appear to be working together."

There was no immediate response from Yemeni officials.

Saleh, in power for more than three decades and concerned about unrest in some parts of the Arab world, said more than a week ago he would step down when his term ends in 2013 and pledged his son would not take over the reins of government.

U.S. President Barack Obama has urged Saleh to follow up his pledges of reform with concrete action.

The offer, which included an invitation to dialogue, was Saleh's boldest gambit yet to avoid a showdown with protesters in the poverty-stricken country, where some 40 percent live on less than $2 a day, while a third suffer from chronic hunger.

"The opposition does not reject what came in the invitation by the president and is ready to sign an agreement in no more than a week," said former Foreign Minister Mohammed Basindwa, now an opposition politician.

Another opposition official said the talks should start within days. Yemen's opposition, which wants the talks to take place under Western or Gulf auspices, has said it is seeking assurances reforms would be implemented.

Saleh, a shrewd political survivor, has backed out of previous promises to step aside. Analysts say his concessions could be a genuine way to exit gracefully but he may hope to wait out regional unrest and reassert his dominance another day.

Ghana To Get Free Gas

Ghana is to receive more than 200 billion cubic feet of natural gas free of charge from the Jubilee partners under phase one of the Jubilee project.

The value of the as at the current market price is about $900 million and it will be received on behalf of the country by the Ghana National petroleum Corporation (GNPC) for its onshore plant.

The gas will be processed and sold to independent power producers to feed petrochemical industries that have expressed strong interest in the Western Region.

It will be an extra income to the state, aside from its share in the Jubilee operations, as well as revenue and other forms of tax that will accrue from the offshore operations.

The Officer in charge of the Jubilee Gas Project at the GNPC, Mr. Victor Sunu-Atta, who disclosed this to the Daily Graphic, said work on the gas processing plant in the Jomoro District was progressing steadily.

He said a new appraisal had confirmed thick gas reserves offshore, giving signals to investors that it was worth investing in the Western Region with a continuous supply of gas for the production of fertilizer, ammonia, urea, methanol and other products.

Mr. Sunu-Atta said the country’s hope of exploiting its natural gas potential had been boosted with the announcement that the Tweneboa-3 appraisal well in the Deepwater Tano licence offshore had successfully encountered gas condensate in excellent quality sandstone reservoirs.

That, he said, was heart-warming news for the many companies from the Caribbean and other parts of the world which had expressed interest in investing in the country’s natural gas, according to members of the Gas Commercialization Task Force set up by the government.

Announcing the additional gas discovery, the Exploration Director of Tullow Ghana, Mr. Augus McCoss, said Tweneboa-3, which was a bold appraisal step-out in a vast stratigraphic trap, confirmed produceable gas condensate in excellent quality reservoirs.

“We can now move forward confidently to assess the development options for the Tweneboa and Enyenra (Owo) fields in the Greater Tweneboa Area,” he said.

In a related development, work has commenced on the laying of the gas flow lines form the Jubilee Field to the processing plant in the Jomoro District of the Western Region

Clashes in Algeria as opposition plans new protest

ALGIERS (AFP) – Hundreds of stone-throwing demonstrators clashed with police in the eastern Algerian city of Annaba on Sunday, as the opposition announced another major anti-government rally next weekend.

The next anti-government rally will be held February 19, said Mustepha Bouchahi of National Coordination for Change and Democracy (CNCD), an umbrella group of opposition parties, civil society movements and unofficial unions.

The announcement came a day after 2,000 protesters in Algiers braved 30,000 riot police as authorities scrambled to stop a wave of popular opposition inspired by events in Egypt and neighbouring Tunisia.

Demonstrations also took place in cities across the country, galvanising hopes of the opposition for change but also drawing European criticism of the government's heavy-handed response.

"These people braved the ban to demonstrate peacefully," Bouchahi said, following a meeting by the umbrella group, which "denounced and condemned the brutal behaviour of the security forces."

The crackdown did not appear to stop another demonstration in Annaba Sunday, where four police officers were slightly injured during clashes with young protesters outside the local government headquarters.

For their part, the media offered a mixed review of Saturday's rallies, with the pro-reform daily Liberte topping its coverage with the headline: "Change is on its way".

The Government daily El Moudjahid also reported on the Algiers rally on its front page, but dismissed it as only a "weak echo" of events in Egypt and Tunisia.

Public demonstrations have been banned in Algeria under a state of emergency put in place in 1992 but are allowed on a case-by-case basis outside the capital.

For its part, the national union of journalists condemned what it said was a violent crackdown on journalists covering Saturday's demonstrations and said several were "violently attacked by police."

The head of the Algerian League for the Defence of Human Rights (LADDH), Mustapha Bouchachi, said 300 people had been arrested Saturday in Algiers, the western city of Oran and the eastern city of Annaba. But both the opposition and authorities later said all those arrested were subsequently freed.

From Brussels, European Parliament head Jerzy Buzek demanded that Algerian authorities "shun violence and respect their citizens' right to peaceful demonstration."

He also slammed Algeria's state of emergency as "unjustifiable."

The CNCD is demanding the immediate end of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's regime, citing the same problems of high unemployment, housing and soaring costs that inspired uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt.

The grievances triggered riots in early January that left five dead and more than 800 injured.

A protest called by the RCD in Algiers on January 22 left many injured as police blocked a march on parliament.

Like their counterparts in Tunisia and Egypt, the protesters have used Facebook and text messages to spread their call for change.

Bouteflika, in power since 1999, has acted to curb price rises and promised political concessions, including pledging to lift a two-decade state of emergency, which the opposition says do not go far enough.

The 74-year-old leader was re-elected in 2004 and again in 2009 after revising the constitution to allow for an indefinite number of terms.

Death toll in Nigerian stampede rises to 12

PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria (AFP) – President Goodluck Jonathan on Sunday cancelled planned campaign rallies in two northern states after a stampede killed 12 people at an election meeting he addressed the day before.

Police said Sunday that a 12th victim had died in hospital following the stampede at a sports stadium in the southern oil hub of Port Harcourt.

Jonathan's office said he had cancelled rallies in the northern states of Borno and Yobe, which had been scheduled for Monday, "to honour the victims".

It also said there would be no rally on Tuesday to mark the birthday of Prophet Muhammad.

"One person died in the hospital today. This brings to 12 the number of casualities from yesterday's incident," Rivers State police spokeswoman Rita Abbey told AFP.

Abbey said investigations were ongoing Sunday to determine "the actual cause of the tragedy."

The stampede happened shortly after Johathan addressed a surging crowd of party supporters in the stadium.

A witness said a police officer shot into the air as crowd members surged out of the 20,000-seat stadium.

But the gunshots, apparently aimed at controlling the crowd, created panic, with the main gate appearing locked and rally-goers attempting to leave through a narrow passageway.

A number of people were trampled in the rush, some witnesses said, and others said exits to the stadium appeared locked.

Local media said the death toll could be as high as 20.

Saturday's rally was something of a homecoming for Jonathan, who is from neighbouring Bayelsa state.

He is the strong favourite in the election, with the PDP having won every presidential vote since Nigeria returned to civilian rule in 1999.

The president said he had ordered an investigation into the cause of the frenzied rush "that led to the unfortunate loss of some lives."

Jonathan, who is the first president from the Niger Delta region in the country's south, said in a statement issued after the tragedy that he was "sad, and heavily weighed down by this incident," which he added was "unfortunate and regrettable".

Chris Amadi, a ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) member from Rivers State, of which Port Harcourt is the capital, said he saw more than 10 people trampled on Saturday.

"I personally saw many people ran over by the crowd. In fact, I saw the bodies of three women being carried into an open pick-up van by the... (emergency management agency) officials," he said.

Jonathan kicked off his campaign on Monday ahead of the April 9 election and set off on a cross-country tour. Heavy security has been in place, with Nigeria hit by a surge of violence in recent weeks.

He emerged as the PDP candidate last month, upsetting an internal party arrangement that sees power rotated between the north and south every two terms.

The violence has included bomb attacks in the central city of Jos and the capital Abuja. There have also been attacks at political rallies in recent months, though none has occurred at Jonathan's campaign gatherings.

However, he faces pressure to hold a credible vote after a series of violent and badly flawed elections in Africa's most populous nation.

The April 9 presidential election will be followed by elections for state governors, on April 16.

Military rulers dissolve Egypt's parliament

CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt's new military rulers said on Sunday they had dissolved parliament and suspended the constitution and would govern only for six months or until elections took place, following the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak.

Troops, some wielding sticks, earlier took control of Tahrir (Liberation) Square, the fulcrum of the 18 days of protests that swept Mubarak from power. That let traffic flow through central Cairo as the army struggled to return life to normal.

The Higher Military Council, which took over after a revolt that changed modern Egyptian history and ended Mubarak's 30-year rule, promised a referendum on constitutional amendments.

The initial response from opposition figures and protest leaders was overwhelmingly positive. "Victory, victory," chanted pro-democracy activists in Tahrir Square. "More is needed, more is needed," others yelled.

"It is a victory for the revolution," said Ayman Nour, who challenged Mubarak for the presidency in 2005 and was later jailed. "I think this will satisfy the protesters."

Egypt's constitution was written with built-in guarantees to keep Mubarak in power, elections were rigged in favor of his ruling party and opposition groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood were sometimes harassed, sometimes tolerated.

As the momentous events in Egypt continued to ripple across the Middle East, demonstrators in Yemen, inspired by protests in Tunisia and Egypt, clashed with police blocking them from marching on Ali Abdullah Saleh's presidential palace.

Egypt's government now reports to the military as it did to Mubarak. The former air force commander was despised by many for ruling like a pharaoh, though he was once a hero for his role in the 1973 war with Israel and who steadied Egypt after the 1981 assassination of his predecessor Anwar Sadat.

Protest organizers were forming a Council of Trustees to defend the revolution and urge swift reform from a military intent on restoring law and order during the transition.

Mahmoud Nassar, a youth movement leader, said: "The army has moved far along to meet the people's demands and we urge it to release all political prisoners who were taken before and after January 25 revolution. Only then will we call off the protests."

Protesters argued heatedly in Tahrir Square over whether to stay or comply with army orders to leave. "The people want the square cleared," one group chanted. "We will not leave, we will not leave," replied another.

Police officers, emboldened by Mubarak's downfall, gathered outside the Interior Ministry to demand higher pay. Warning shots were fired in the air. No one was hurt.

Workers from the health and culture ministries staged demonstrations as Egyptians began venting pent-up frustrations.

Thousands of workers have staged strikes, sit-ins and protests over pay and conditions at firms and government agencies in fields such as steel, textiles, telecoms, railways, post offices, banks and oil and pharmaceutical companies.

Egypt declared Monday a bank holiday after workers disrupted operations at the country's main state banks.

The military is expected on Monday to ban meetings by labor unions or professional syndicates, effectively forbidding strikes, and to tell all Egyptians to get back to work.

There will also be a warning from the military against those who create "chaos and disorder," an army source said, adding the army would, however, acknowledge the right to protest. The cabinet met and, for the first time, the portrait of Mubarak did not gaze over its proceedings as Egyptians quietly removed once ubiquitous images of the 82-year-old former leader.

"VICTORY MARCH"

Protesters have demanded the release of political prisoners, the lifting of a state of emergency, the abolition of military courts, fair elections and a swift handover to civilian rule.

The army has said it would lift emergency law, used to stifle dissent under Mubarak, when "current circumstances end." But it has not specified a timetable.

Despite Mubarak's resignation, some protesters have said they plan to stay in Tahrir Square to ensure the military keeps its promises on transition. They have urged Egyptians to turn out in their millions for a "victory march" on Friday.

The military's strategy has been to calm the nation and the world about its intentions and, in the short term, to try to enforce the law after the disgraced police melted away, having failed to crush protesters with teargas and batons.

On Saturday, the army said it would uphold Egypt's international obligations. These include a peace treaty with Israel, whose defense minister has been in touch with his Egyptian counterpart, who heads the military council.

How to handle policing has become a pressing issue.

Interior Minister Mahmoud Wagdy has said Egypt needs "the speedy return of the police to duty," saying 13,000 inmates who escaped from prison early in the uprising were still on the run.

Some traffic police were back on Cairo streets beside soldiers and tanks guarding intersections and key buildings. But the minister said the police force was only back at 35 percent of its pre-crisis strength, without giving numbers.

BUSINESS AS USUAL...

Apparently seeking to reassure Egyptians that everything was under control, Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq said government affairs were being presented to the Higher Military Council, "as they were presented to the president of the republic."

"There is no change in the form, method or process of work. Matters are completely stable," he told a news conference.

The head of the military council is Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, Mubarak's long-time defense minister.

Shafiq was appointed by Mubarak when he sacked his former cabinet on January 29 in a vain effort to quell the uprising. His remarks were likely to anger Egyptians hoping Mubarak's ruling system would be dismantled immediately in the new era.

Shafiq said the military would decide the role of Omar Suleiman, who was appointed vice president by Mubarak last month. Suleiman's position has been in doubt since Mubarak resigned on Friday, handing power to the armed forces.

Mohamed ElBaradei, a retired U.N. diplomat who has been put forward as a reformist spokesman, urged the army to bring in civilians to take part in the transitional process:

"We need heavy participation by the civilians," he told CNN. "It cannot be the army running the show."

Shafiq said he believed Mubarak was in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, and that the cabinet had not made any request to freeze the deposed president's assets abroad. The cabinet spokesman added that "if there is a need, they will do it."

A British minister said there should be an international approach to dealing with Mubarak's overseas assets.

As more detail emerged about the tumult, a top Egyptologist said that treasures missing from the world-renowned Egyptian Museum on Tahrir Square included a statue of King Tutankhamun.

"PEACEFULLY, PEACEFULLY"

The military was clear in its instructions for Tahrir.

"We do not want any protesters to sit in the square after today," Mohamed Ibrahim Moustafa Ali, head of military police, said as soldiers removed protesters' tents from the square.

People chanted "peacefully, peacefully" as soldiers and military police in red berets moved in to disperse them. Scuffles broke out and some soldiers lashed out with sticks. Protesters said soldiers detained about 50 people.

The most committed protesters vowed to remain.

Jihad Laban, an accountant, said much work remained to make sure the revolution did not squander what it had gained.

"The goal was never just to get rid of Mubarak. The system is totally corrupt and we won't go until we see some real reforms. I am going to be buried in Tahrir. I am here for my children. Egypt is too precious to walk away now."

The Egyptian pound was little changed on its first day of trade since Mubarak fell.