Although the facts are far from clear, most reports now seem to confirm that Muammar Gaddafi was killed after his convoy was attacked by NATO planes, including aircraft from the US and France, and after he was captured alive. If these facts are correct, they point to yet another serious violation of international law involving the US.
The willful killing or summary execution of a prisoner of war who is no longer participating in an armed conflict is a grave breach of the Third Geneva Convention on Prisoners of War of 1949, to which both France and the US are parties. It makes no difference how much one dislikes the particular prisoner of war. The resulting obligation for all parties to this treaty is that they investigate arrest and punish the perpetrators of such crimes.
Of course, the Third Geneva Convention applies mainly during international armed conflicts. The armed conflict in Libya, however, had undoubtedly become international once NATO intervened. It makes no difference in this classification that the intervention was based on a UN Security Council resolution. Indeed, international humanitarian law applies to any international armed conflict, even an illegal one.
If one of the domestic parties to a non-international armed conflict becomes an ally of a foreign power and commences fighting against its own people as NATO-led rebels, these rebels could be under enough control from foreign powers so as to make the foreign powers responsible for their acts.
There is evidence that this was the case when Gaddafi was killed. More would have to be known, but the mere fact that Gaddafi's convoy was first attacked by foreign air power and then by ground forces that, according to some reports, included foreign troops is quite telling evidence. Moreover, if as it looks, Gaddafi was fleeing Sirte, it would appear that he was attacked not as a threat to any civilians in Libya, the remit of the use of force provided by the UN Security Council resolution, but either as part of an indiscriminate attack or one aimed at killing people fleeing from an armed conflict.
In either case, it would be a use of force against the political independence and territorial integrity of Libya, especially given the fact that the NATO-led rebels had expressly stated they do not form a new government of Libya. Such an attack, as had been going on for months, constitutes the crime of aggression. Such an attack, outside the remit of the mandate of the UN Security Council, which itself is bound by international law, also constitutes a serious violation of one of the most fundamental principles of international law prohibiting the use of force.
International human rights law applies as well. This law applies during wartime or peacetime. It imposes a higher standard than in an armed conflict, limiting lawful force to what is absolutely necessary to achieve a lawful goal. In this case, the use of air power and then anti-aircraft guns on land-based persons — a trademark of the NATO-led rebels throughout the armed conflict — would very likely constitute excessive force in violation of the right to life. In any event, the summary execution of a prisoner would clearly violate the right to life.
If the rule of international law were respected, the offending states would be required to return the situation to that which existed before their violation began, which is impossible now that Gaddafi has been killed. In killing Gaddafi, the US may have won short term bragging rights as victor in a minor battle against yet another disabled foe, but in the long term the US may have further damaged its global relationships and influence.
Under international law, other states may seek to use the US or another NATO country's international law violations as justification for their internationally wrongful acts. While international law does put limits on the unlawful acts that other states may take in response to the US violation of international law, there are no limits on lawful action that may be taken, such as steps to devalue the US currency, boycotting American products or merely starting to treat Americans as untrustworthy partners in the international community, any of which could have lasting negative consequences for Americans.
Months of acts of aggression culminating in an extrajudicial execution sends a message to other countries, and even non-state actors, who find the US or any of its NATO allies to be a foe is that one must kill or be killed. This is the rule of the jungle, not of international law. Perhaps by his death, Muammar Gaddafi will ultimately haunt his foes longer than he ever could in life. His foes will only have themselves to blame.
Curtis Doebbler is an international lawyer with an office in Washington DC, a professor at Webster University and the Geneva School of Diplomacy and International Relations, both located in Geneva, Switzerland, and the representative of Nord-Sud XXI at the UN in New York and Geneva. Source: Modernghana.com
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Latin Americans grade Obama high, Castro low
SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Latin Americans give U.S. President Barack Obama the highest approval rating for any leader in the region.
Obama is rated 6.3 on a scale of one to 10 in the survey conducted by the Chile-based Latinobarometro polling organization. He is closely followed by Brazilian President Dilma Rouseff at 6.
Latinobarometro polled 20,000 people in 18 Latin American countries. The leader with the worst mark is former Cuban President Fidel Castro at 4.1. Next lowest are Venezuela's Hugo Chavez and Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega, who tied at 4.4.
Bolivian President Evo Morales has 4.9 and Chilean leader Sebastian Pinera got 5.1.
Obama is rated 6.3 on a scale of one to 10 in the survey conducted by the Chile-based Latinobarometro polling organization. He is closely followed by Brazilian President Dilma Rouseff at 6.
Latinobarometro polled 20,000 people in 18 Latin American countries. The leader with the worst mark is former Cuban President Fidel Castro at 4.1. Next lowest are Venezuela's Hugo Chavez and Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega, who tied at 4.4.
Bolivian President Evo Morales has 4.9 and Chilean leader Sebastian Pinera got 5.1.
21 people die in series of shootouts in Mexico
MORELIA, Mexico (AP) — Mexican authorities say at least 21 people were killed Friday in three shootouts between soldiers and gunmen and a fight between rival drug gangs.
At least 15 deaths occurred in three gunbattles in the western state of Michoacan, said the spokesman for state prosecutors, Jonathan Arredondo.
He said 10 gunmen were killed in a shootout with an army patrol that was attacked in the township of Patzcuaro, an area of Michoacan popular with tourists. Five other people died in two smaller confrontations in Michoacan, and one federal police officer was wounded.
Michoacan is the state where President Felipe Calderon launched his armed offensive against organized crime in 2006. The state holds gubernatorial elections Nov. 13. Much of the state's violence has been attributed to a pseudo-religious drug cartel known as La Familia and more recently to an offshoot gang, The Knights Templar.
In the northern state of Sinaloa, six people were killed Friday during a shootout between two groups of armed men on a highway in the town of Guamuchil, assistant state prosecutor Martin Robles said.
All six dead were taken to a funeral home, and gunmen later burst into the facility and carried away three bodies. The other three victims were apparently passers-by caught in the crossfire, Robles said.
Sinaloa is considered the home of the drug cartel of the same name.
At least 15 deaths occurred in three gunbattles in the western state of Michoacan, said the spokesman for state prosecutors, Jonathan Arredondo.
He said 10 gunmen were killed in a shootout with an army patrol that was attacked in the township of Patzcuaro, an area of Michoacan popular with tourists. Five other people died in two smaller confrontations in Michoacan, and one federal police officer was wounded.
Michoacan is the state where President Felipe Calderon launched his armed offensive against organized crime in 2006. The state holds gubernatorial elections Nov. 13. Much of the state's violence has been attributed to a pseudo-religious drug cartel known as La Familia and more recently to an offshoot gang, The Knights Templar.
In the northern state of Sinaloa, six people were killed Friday during a shootout between two groups of armed men on a highway in the town of Guamuchil, assistant state prosecutor Martin Robles said.
All six dead were taken to a funeral home, and gunmen later burst into the facility and carried away three bodies. The other three victims were apparently passers-by caught in the crossfire, Robles said.
Sinaloa is considered the home of the drug cartel of the same name.
Kenya to stay in Somalia until 'threat' is gone
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenyan troops will stay in southern Somalia until Kenyans feel safe again, the chief of Kenya's armed forces said Saturday, raising questions about whether Kenya risks becoming bogged down in an open-ended occupation of its war-ravaged neighbor.
That problem eventually forced both U.N. and Ethiopian forces to withdraw from Somalia, though Gen. Julius Karangi told reporters that Kenya does not have a timeframe for leaving. Kenyan sent troops into Somalia earlier this month to fight al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab militants.
"When the Kenya government and the people of this country feel that they are safe enough from the al-Shabab menace, we shall pull back," Karangi said. "Key success factors or indicators will be in the form of a highly degraded al-Shabab capacity."
But Karangi says Kenya has no interest in permanently occupying Somalia and is working alongside the weak U.N.-backed Somali government, which only holds the capital with the help of 9,000 African Union soldiers. The Somali president has criticized the Kenyan intervention but Kenyan officials said they expected "clarification" from a high-level Somali delegation on Monday.
Kenya sent troops into Somalia following a string of cross-border attacks and kidnappings blamed on Somali gunmen. Kenya also hosts around 600,000 Somali refugees who have fled the fighting and famine in their homeland. The government is deeply worried about the rapidly swelling refugee camps in the north, which it considers a severe security problem.
So far Kenya has suffered one fatality due to al-Shabab fire, Karangi said, although five people were killed when their helicopter crashed. He said hundreds of al-Shabab were believed to be killed although he had no way of confirming that directly.
Karangi says that although Kenya has bilateral military agreements with countries like the United States and Britain, those allies are not directly militarily involved in the incursion into Somalia.
"There has been a lot of talk about other friends of ours participating militarily in what we are engaged in, and the answer is no," he said. "I think the American ambassador yesterday made it very clear ... that they are not militarily involved in the campaign with us."
AU troops have been in Somalia since 2007 and now control almost all the capital. But they still suffer almost daily attacks. Several gunmen tried to storm one of their bases in the capital on Saturday, a spokesman said.
The gunmen were stopped by AU troops when they tried to enter the base, said Lt. Col. Paddy Ankunda. A reporter for The Associated Press near the scene said the gunfight was still going on as he spoke with Ankunda and that casualties were unclear.
Resident Mohammed Abdi says he heard several large explosions near the base but it was not clear what caused them.
Somalia has not had a functioning government since warlords overthrew a socialist dictator in 1991.
That problem eventually forced both U.N. and Ethiopian forces to withdraw from Somalia, though Gen. Julius Karangi told reporters that Kenya does not have a timeframe for leaving. Kenyan sent troops into Somalia earlier this month to fight al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab militants.
"When the Kenya government and the people of this country feel that they are safe enough from the al-Shabab menace, we shall pull back," Karangi said. "Key success factors or indicators will be in the form of a highly degraded al-Shabab capacity."
But Karangi says Kenya has no interest in permanently occupying Somalia and is working alongside the weak U.N.-backed Somali government, which only holds the capital with the help of 9,000 African Union soldiers. The Somali president has criticized the Kenyan intervention but Kenyan officials said they expected "clarification" from a high-level Somali delegation on Monday.
Kenya sent troops into Somalia following a string of cross-border attacks and kidnappings blamed on Somali gunmen. Kenya also hosts around 600,000 Somali refugees who have fled the fighting and famine in their homeland. The government is deeply worried about the rapidly swelling refugee camps in the north, which it considers a severe security problem.
So far Kenya has suffered one fatality due to al-Shabab fire, Karangi said, although five people were killed when their helicopter crashed. He said hundreds of al-Shabab were believed to be killed although he had no way of confirming that directly.
Karangi says that although Kenya has bilateral military agreements with countries like the United States and Britain, those allies are not directly militarily involved in the incursion into Somalia.
"There has been a lot of talk about other friends of ours participating militarily in what we are engaged in, and the answer is no," he said. "I think the American ambassador yesterday made it very clear ... that they are not militarily involved in the campaign with us."
AU troops have been in Somalia since 2007 and now control almost all the capital. But they still suffer almost daily attacks. Several gunmen tried to storm one of their bases in the capital on Saturday, a spokesman said.
The gunmen were stopped by AU troops when they tried to enter the base, said Lt. Col. Paddy Ankunda. A reporter for The Associated Press near the scene said the gunfight was still going on as he spoke with Ankunda and that casualties were unclear.
Resident Mohammed Abdi says he heard several large explosions near the base but it was not clear what caused them.
Somalia has not had a functioning government since warlords overthrew a socialist dictator in 1991.
Chinese military may have hacked US satellites
In 2007 and 2008, hackers waged an attack on two US government satellites, according to a report from a congressional committee that’s due to be released next month. Bloomberg Businessweek reports that the perpetrators of the attack may have ties to the Chinese military.
The two satellites, named Landsat-7 and Terra AM-1, are reportedly used for climate and terrain monitoring, and are managed by NASA.
In both October 2007 and July 2008, the Landsat-7 satellite experienced 12 minutes of interference. The Terra AM-1 experienced two minutes of interference in July 2008, and nine minutes in October 2008, according to the report.
“Such interference poses numerous potential threats, particularly if achieved against satellites with more sensitive functions,” says a draft of the report obtained by Bloomberg Businessweek. “Access to a satellite‘s controls could allow an attacker to damage or destroy the satellite. An attacker could also deny or degrade as well as forge or otherwise manipulate the satellite’s transmission.”
While the report does not explicitly implicate the Chinese government in the attacks on the satellites, it does say that the attacks are in line with Chinese government writings that support military action against enemy space systems, including “ground-based infrastructure, such as satellite control facilities.”
The report also says that the Chinese “conducted and supported a range of malicious cyber activities.”
Wang Baodong, a spokesman at the Chinese Embassy in Washington D.C., says the commission has been spreading “unproved stories to serve its purpose of vilifying China’s international image over the years. He added that China “never does anything that endangers other countries’ security interests.”
The report goes on to say that, in the event of a military conflict between the US and China, the Chinese would attempt to “compromise, disrupt, deny, degrade, deceive or destroy” US computer systems, including satellite systems.
This is, of course, far from the first time the Chinese government has been accused of hacking. Last March, for example, Google accused the Chinese government of hacking its Gmail service in an attempt to suppress anti-government activists in that country.
[Image via Paul Fleet/Shutterstock]
This article was originally posted on Digital Trends
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The two satellites, named Landsat-7 and Terra AM-1, are reportedly used for climate and terrain monitoring, and are managed by NASA.
In both October 2007 and July 2008, the Landsat-7 satellite experienced 12 minutes of interference. The Terra AM-1 experienced two minutes of interference in July 2008, and nine minutes in October 2008, according to the report.
“Such interference poses numerous potential threats, particularly if achieved against satellites with more sensitive functions,” says a draft of the report obtained by Bloomberg Businessweek. “Access to a satellite‘s controls could allow an attacker to damage or destroy the satellite. An attacker could also deny or degrade as well as forge or otherwise manipulate the satellite’s transmission.”
While the report does not explicitly implicate the Chinese government in the attacks on the satellites, it does say that the attacks are in line with Chinese government writings that support military action against enemy space systems, including “ground-based infrastructure, such as satellite control facilities.”
The report also says that the Chinese “conducted and supported a range of malicious cyber activities.”
Wang Baodong, a spokesman at the Chinese Embassy in Washington D.C., says the commission has been spreading “unproved stories to serve its purpose of vilifying China’s international image over the years. He added that China “never does anything that endangers other countries’ security interests.”
The report goes on to say that, in the event of a military conflict between the US and China, the Chinese would attempt to “compromise, disrupt, deny, degrade, deceive or destroy” US computer systems, including satellite systems.
This is, of course, far from the first time the Chinese government has been accused of hacking. Last March, for example, Google accused the Chinese government of hacking its Gmail service in an attempt to suppress anti-government activists in that country.
[Image via Paul Fleet/Shutterstock]
This article was originally posted on Digital Trends
More from Digital Trends
LulzSec returns – hacks website of Murdoch’s Sun newspaperChina ‘systematically attacking’ US computer systems, says Richard ClarkeAnonymous leaks 10,000 ‘top secret’ Iranian gov’t emailsWhite House officials among those targeted by Gmail
Kenyan jailed for life over twin grenade attacks
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A Kenyan court has sentenced a man to life imprisonment after he plead guilty to taking part in twin grenade attacks and said he was a member of the al-Qaida-linked Somali militant group al-Shabab.
Two other men plead not guilty.
Principal Magistrate Grace Macharia said Friday she hoped the sentence she gave to Elgiva Bwire Oliacha, also known as Mohammed Seif, would help deter other would-be attackers. The 28-year-old Oliacha looked calm and relaxed after sentencing, smiling and posing for photographs with his manacled hands in front of him. He says he will not appeal.
Oliacha was found with six guns, 13 grenades and hundreds of bullets in his house. He is not ethnic Somali.
Monday's twin blasts came about a week after hundreds of Kenyan forces moved into neighboring Somalia to attack al-Shabab militants.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Commonwealth approves royal succession rule changes
Commonwealth nations on Friday approved changes to the rules of succession to allow first-born daughters to inherit the British throne, Prime Minister David Cameron announced.
The changes would also allow heirs who marry Roman Catholics to inherit the throne.
"We will end the male primogeniture rule so that in future the order of succession should be determined simply by the order of birth," Cameron said after talks with the 15 other realms with the queen as head of state.
"We have agreed to scrap the rule which says that no one that marries a Roman Catholic can become monarch," Cameron added at a press conference.
Cameron has the political support to make the changes in Britain but required the agreement of the 15 other Commonwealth realms, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand and smaller nations in the Caribbean and the Pacific.
There has been a reluctance to press the issue in the past due to the legal complexities and concern that tinkering with the rules may encourage republican movements.
But the debate was intensified by the April wedding of William, the second in line to the throne, while the celebrations for Queen Elizabeth's 60 years as monarch next year may also be a chance to rally support
The changes would also allow heirs who marry Roman Catholics to inherit the throne.
"We will end the male primogeniture rule so that in future the order of succession should be determined simply by the order of birth," Cameron said after talks with the 15 other realms with the queen as head of state.
"We have agreed to scrap the rule which says that no one that marries a Roman Catholic can become monarch," Cameron added at a press conference.
Cameron has the political support to make the changes in Britain but required the agreement of the 15 other Commonwealth realms, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand and smaller nations in the Caribbean and the Pacific.
There has been a reluctance to press the issue in the past due to the legal complexities and concern that tinkering with the rules may encourage republican movements.
But the debate was intensified by the April wedding of William, the second in line to the throne, while the celebrations for Queen Elizabeth's 60 years as monarch next year may also be a chance to rally support
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Ghana's Nana Addo lauds doctors for suspending strike
The flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party, (NPP) Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo has commended the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) for calling off their strike.
In a released press statement, the doctors stated Tuesday's floods as well as passionate appeals from the general public as reasons for the suspension of the strike.
Nana Addo, who is currently in Germany, in an interview with Citi FM said news of the strike postponement was welcoming as against the loss of lives and property caused by the floods on Tuesday.
“At this time, their value to society is such that they ought to be seen standing up and taking up their responsibility. I believe that we should all breathe a sigh of relief and congratulate the doctors on their decision. ”
On the controversial Single Spine Pay Scheme, the flag bearer urged the government to be upfront with the state workers on the grading of the policy, in order to avoid a similar situation in the future.
Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party
“Tell the Ghanaian people the truth. That is the responsibility of the people in office. From the start if there is just basket of money available, let them know. We can’t tell the people you are going to do this and then when the moment arrives, we get all kinds of trivializations. We cannot afford that. ” He added.
Nana Addo also described as unfortunate the severity of the backlashing and criticism against the striking doctors. He encouraged all the relevant stakeholders to exercise civility during future discourse.
The GMA is presently in talks with the National Labour Commission (NLC) on grounds of compulsory arbitration, after the doctors and Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) failed to come to a resolution.
In a released press statement, the doctors stated Tuesday's floods as well as passionate appeals from the general public as reasons for the suspension of the strike.
Nana Addo, who is currently in Germany, in an interview with Citi FM said news of the strike postponement was welcoming as against the loss of lives and property caused by the floods on Tuesday.
“At this time, their value to society is such that they ought to be seen standing up and taking up their responsibility. I believe that we should all breathe a sigh of relief and congratulate the doctors on their decision. ”
On the controversial Single Spine Pay Scheme, the flag bearer urged the government to be upfront with the state workers on the grading of the policy, in order to avoid a similar situation in the future.
Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party
“Tell the Ghanaian people the truth. That is the responsibility of the people in office. From the start if there is just basket of money available, let them know. We can’t tell the people you are going to do this and then when the moment arrives, we get all kinds of trivializations. We cannot afford that. ” He added.
Nana Addo also described as unfortunate the severity of the backlashing and criticism against the striking doctors. He encouraged all the relevant stakeholders to exercise civility during future discourse.
The GMA is presently in talks with the National Labour Commission (NLC) on grounds of compulsory arbitration, after the doctors and Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) failed to come to a resolution.
Feds pressure African dictator's son to surrender Ferrari, Michael Jackson's glove
The U.S. government may soon own one of Michael Jackson's white gloves, a $530,000 Ferrari and a $30 million Malibu estate if it succeeds in seizing them from the son of a corrupt African dictator.
In a case kept hidden from public view until last week, the U.S. Department of Justice says it's pursuing more than $32 million in assets from Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, whose father Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo has ruled over oil-rich Equatorial Guinea for 32 years -- and has been accused by authorities around the world of illicitly siphoning hundreds of millions of dollars for himself and his family.
A 2010 U.S. Senate report detailed how Obiang the younger, known as Teodorin, had moved $110 million into the United States through shell companies and anonymous transactions, propping up a hard-partying lifestyle that included spending $30 million on one of Malibu's largest mansions and a $38.5 million Gulfstream V jet. Obiang was also known to collect supercars like they were Hot Wheels, with at least 32 cars and motorcycles at one point, including eight Ferraris, two Bugatti Veyrons and a $2 million Maserati.
While the U.S. Department of Justice has said a probe into Obiang had been ongoing since 2004, the first signs of legal trouble for Obiang came from France, where authorities seized 11 of his cars last month, including the $2 million Maserati MC-12. While the Justice Department had sought seven cars from Obiang in California, its latest request mentions only one -- a 2011 Ferrari 599 GTO.
The documents unsealed last week in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles offer the first glimpse of the case built by the Justice against Obiang, accusing him of spending more than $100 million garnered from extortion and embezzlement in Equatorial Guinea. The feds also revealed how Obiang bought $3.2 million worth of memorabilia from Michael Jackson's estate earlier this year, including the white crystal-studded glove Jackson wore on the "Bad" tour, the MTV Music Video Award for "We Are The World" and several of the life-size figurines Jackson used to keep at his Neverland Ranch.
So far, no representatives of Obiang's has officially responded to the government's bid, and the Justice Department has not yet responded to a request for comment from Yahoo! Autos. Human Rights Watch, an advocacy group long critical of inaction against the Obiang family, has called on the United States and other countries to move against the clan despite their control over a key oil supply.
“The move to freeze TeodorÃn’s assets in the U.S. is overdue,” said Arvind Ganesan, business and human rights director at Human Rights Watch, in a statement. “But the real test will be if the U.S. government vigorously pursues the inquiry to its conclusion without letting diplomatic or business ties stand in the way.”
Feds pressure African dictator's son to surrender Ferrari, Michael Jackson's glove
The U.S. government may soon own one of Michael Jackson's white gloves, a $530,000 Ferrari and a $30 million Malibu estate if it succeeds in seizing them from the son of a corrupt African dictator.
In a case kept hidden from public view until last week, the U.S. Department of Justice says it's pursuing more than $32 million in assets from Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, whose father Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo has ruled over oil-rich Equatorial Guinea for 32 years -- and has been accused by authorities around the world of illicitly siphoning hundreds of millions of dollars for himself and his family.
A 2010 U.S. Senate report detailed how Obiang the younger, known as Teodorin, had moved $110 million into the United States through shell companies and anonymous transactions, propping up a hard-partying lifestyle that included spending $30 million on one of Malibu's largest mansions and a $38.5 million Gulfstream V jet. Obiang was also known to collect supercars like they were Hot Wheels, with at least 32 cars and motorcycles at one point, including eight Ferraris, two Bugatti Veyrons and a $2 million Maserati.
While the U.S. Department of Justice has said a probe into Obiang had been ongoing since 2004, the first signs of legal trouble for Obiang came from France, where authorities seized 11 of his cars last month, including the $2 million Maserati MC-12. While the Justice Department had sought seven cars from Obiang in California, its latest request mentions only one -- a 2011 Ferrari 599 GTO.
The documents unsealed last week in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles offer the first glimpse of the case built by the Justice against Obiang, accusing him of spending more than $100 million garnered from extortion and embezzlement in Equatorial Guinea. The feds also revealed how Obiang bought $3.2 million worth of memorabilia from Michael Jackson's estate earlier this year, including the white crystal-studded glove Jackson wore on the "Bad" tour, the MTV Music Video Award for "We Are The World" and several of the life-size figurines Jackson used to keep at his Neverland Ranch.
So far, no representatives of Obiang's has officially responded to the government's bid, and the Justice Department has not yet responded to a request for comment from Yahoo! Autos. Human Rights Watch, an advocacy group long critical of inaction against the Obiang family, has called on the United States and other countries to move against the clan despite their control over a key oil supply.
“The move to freeze TeodorÃn’s assets in the U.S. is overdue,” said Arvind Ganesan, business and human rights director at Human Rights Watch, in a statement. “But the real test will be if the U.S. government vigorously pursues the inquiry to its conclusion without letting diplomatic or business ties stand in the way.”
In a case kept hidden from public view until last week, the U.S. Department of Justice says it's pursuing more than $32 million in assets from Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, whose father Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo has ruled over oil-rich Equatorial Guinea for 32 years -- and has been accused by authorities around the world of illicitly siphoning hundreds of millions of dollars for himself and his family.
A 2010 U.S. Senate report detailed how Obiang the younger, known as Teodorin, had moved $110 million into the United States through shell companies and anonymous transactions, propping up a hard-partying lifestyle that included spending $30 million on one of Malibu's largest mansions and a $38.5 million Gulfstream V jet. Obiang was also known to collect supercars like they were Hot Wheels, with at least 32 cars and motorcycles at one point, including eight Ferraris, two Bugatti Veyrons and a $2 million Maserati.
While the U.S. Department of Justice has said a probe into Obiang had been ongoing since 2004, the first signs of legal trouble for Obiang came from France, where authorities seized 11 of his cars last month, including the $2 million Maserati MC-12. While the Justice Department had sought seven cars from Obiang in California, its latest request mentions only one -- a 2011 Ferrari 599 GTO.
The documents unsealed last week in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles offer the first glimpse of the case built by the Justice against Obiang, accusing him of spending more than $100 million garnered from extortion and embezzlement in Equatorial Guinea. The feds also revealed how Obiang bought $3.2 million worth of memorabilia from Michael Jackson's estate earlier this year, including the white crystal-studded glove Jackson wore on the "Bad" tour, the MTV Music Video Award for "We Are The World" and several of the life-size figurines Jackson used to keep at his Neverland Ranch.
So far, no representatives of Obiang's has officially responded to the government's bid, and the Justice Department has not yet responded to a request for comment from Yahoo! Autos. Human Rights Watch, an advocacy group long critical of inaction against the Obiang family, has called on the United States and other countries to move against the clan despite their control over a key oil supply.
“The move to freeze TeodorÃn’s assets in the U.S. is overdue,” said Arvind Ganesan, business and human rights director at Human Rights Watch, in a statement. “But the real test will be if the U.S. government vigorously pursues the inquiry to its conclusion without letting diplomatic or business ties stand in the way.”
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Ghana Doctors call-off strike
Medical Doctors have called off their almost three-week old strike with immediate effect.
Assistant General Secretary of the GMA Dr. Frank Siribuor confirmed the decision in an interview with Nana Bobie Ansah, host of Asempa FM's political talk programme Ekosii Sen.
He said the decision was informed by the countless appeals by well meaning groups including the Ghana Peace Council, Christian and Moslem groups, civil society groups across the country.
He said considering the many appeals, it was not worth it continuing with the strike and urged all doctors to return to duty as leaders continue negotiations with the Fair Wages and Salary Commission.
He said they also had to return to duty to demystify the notion that they are mass murderers.
Whilst returning to work, he was hopeful their grievances would be met.
Dr. Siribuor however lamented what he said were unjustified criticisms against them.
Critics most of whom were government spokesperson, condemned the strike by the doctors with some calling the leaders of the GMA as mass murderers.
Dr Siribuor said those criticism were misplaced.
He also confirmed that the GMA met president John mills on Sunday over the same matter.
He was however not ready to divulge the full details of the meeting, except to say that President Mills had counseled them to follow the due process of the law.
Assistant General Secretary of the GMA Dr. Frank Siribuor confirmed the decision in an interview with Nana Bobie Ansah, host of Asempa FM's political talk programme Ekosii Sen.
He said the decision was informed by the countless appeals by well meaning groups including the Ghana Peace Council, Christian and Moslem groups, civil society groups across the country.
He said considering the many appeals, it was not worth it continuing with the strike and urged all doctors to return to duty as leaders continue negotiations with the Fair Wages and Salary Commission.
He said they also had to return to duty to demystify the notion that they are mass murderers.
Whilst returning to work, he was hopeful their grievances would be met.
Dr. Siribuor however lamented what he said were unjustified criticisms against them.
Critics most of whom were government spokesperson, condemned the strike by the doctors with some calling the leaders of the GMA as mass murderers.
Dr Siribuor said those criticism were misplaced.
He also confirmed that the GMA met president John mills on Sunday over the same matter.
He was however not ready to divulge the full details of the meeting, except to say that President Mills had counseled them to follow the due process of the law.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Up to 20 million tons of debris from Japan’s tsunami moving toward Hawaii
Some 5 to 20 million tons of debris--furniture, fishing boats, refrigerators--sucked into the Pacific Ocean in the wake of Japan's March 11 earthquake and tsunami are moving rapidly across the Pacific. Researchers from the University of Hawaii tracking the wreckage estimate it could approach the U.S. West Coast in the next three years, the UK Daily Mail reports.
"We have a rough estimate of 5 to 20 million tons of debris coming from Japan," University of Hawaii researcher Jan Hafner told Hawaii's ABC affiliate KITV.
Crew members from the Russian training ship the STS Pallada "spotted the debris 2,000 miles from Japan," last month after passing the Midway islands, the Mail wrote. "They saw some pieces of furniture, some appliances, anything that can float, and they picked up a fishing boat," said Hafner. The boat was 20-feet long, and was painted with the word "Fukushima." "That's actually our first confirmed report of tsunami debris," Hafner told KITV.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
In Nigeria, corruption roots in local governments
LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Trumpets and car horns sound first, then local gang members rush by screaming and chugging cheap liquor as a convoy of campaign vehicles push through the crowded streets of Nigeria's main city carrying local candidates asking to represent the people in a system rife with corruption.
Races to run Nigeria's 774 local governments represent politics at its rotten core in the oil-rich nation, where crude sales prop up politicians and the neighborhood councils become their personal fiefdoms. Those living in the megacity of Lagos voted Saturday for their local representatives, but the results appeared to be a foregone conclusion as political fortunes are made and lost based on personality and muscle in Africa's most populous nation.
"I know they will change, (but) there's nothing we can do if they don't change," said B.G. Said, a 62-year-old voter who waited at a polling place that opened two-and-a-half hours late Saturday.
Nigeria inherited local governments from British colonialists and kept the system in place after gaining independence in 1960. Little changed under Nigeria's military dictatorships and when democracy took hold in 1999. The governments, run by council members and overseen by a chairman, remain responsible for road maintenance, sewage systems and markets, as well as assisting in health care and education in their areas.
Yet even on Ikoyi Island in Lagos, which once housed the nation's federal government, potholed roads with little asphalt run past some of the most expensive real estate in all of Africa. Public schools remain dilapidated and overcrowded. Passers-by relieve themselves in open drains.
Area chairman Wale Adeniji, running for re-election under Lagos' ruling Action Congress of Nigeria, said his administration worked hard in its last three-year term. However, when interviewed this week by The Associated Press, Adeniji struggled to offer any specific improvements completed by his administration. He also repeatedly declined to say how much money his area received from the state as part of the federal funds allocated to local governments.
Still, as he campaigned and met with the public, no one asked him specific questions. Many surrounded him chanting the party's acronym ACN, and youths offered shouts of "Well done, sir!"
Adeniji is one of the "Big Men," the "oga" in the local language, smiling amid the squalor and broken streets, asking once again to represent a people who long ago gave up on the government.
At a crowded local market near an army barracks, Adeniji made no promises of improving services when speaking to elders there. His entourage passed out gift bags filled with notebooks and unmarked boxes. Others received shirts and caps bearing his image.
"We will vote for ACN this Saturday," market leader Jokotade Logun Tairat promised after hearing Adeniji describe the voting process in her sweltering, dark office.
But she hinted at the tit-for-tat politics of the country: "We are like Oliver Twist: we keep asking for more. Please don't forget us."
Such exchanges, whether monetary or for favors later, remain common in local politics, said Foluso Idumu, the program coordinator for the Orderly Society Trust, which advocates for better governance in Nigeria.
State-level officials put trusted lieutenants or lackeys into local governments, who tailor their opinions and operations to suit their political "godfathers," Idumu said. Those who don't obey lose out on unmonitored government money, while those who follow orders end up with SUVs, she said.
Idumu's organization had to abandon a grant-funded effort to honor innovative local government leaders when a survey of more than 70 areas found no one worthy of the award.
"It's a national malaise, really," Idumu said. "We really still don't have democratic principles being adhered to and followed duly."
Opposition candidates, even for the nationally dominant People's Democratic Party, rarely campaign for office in ACN-dominated Lagos. On Ikoyi Island, the national party's candidate Ibrahim Babajide Obanikoro bucked the trend, campaigning one day with a host of buses, cars and motorcycles following him.
At one stop, many young, unemployed men known as "area boy" gang members drank from bottles of local liquor and jostled in close enough to touch the candidate.
"As you can see, I'm a man of the people," Obanikoro told the AP. "They have access to me and all the time they have my back."
Some of those men in the crowd attended Adeniji's campaign the day before.
On Saturday, voters waited on one rubbish strewn dirt road in Lagos Island, the commercial hub of the city, waiting to vote amid water-filled potholes. Nearly all said they voted for ACN and seemed content with the party.
"ACN is doing this democracy well well," said Risikat Jinadu, 63. "They are trying."
Many support the party for its most prominent politician, Lagos state Gov. Babatunde Raji Fashola, who they say is responsible for many of the improvements seen in the once crime-ridden city. Yet Fashola himself cast his ballot Saturday in front of a worn grammar school in his Surulere neighborhood, where daylight peeked through holes in the ceiling and worn wooden benches sat among litter on the cement floors.
Asked about local leaders being unable to even say how much government money they receive, Fashola told the AP: "That's no reason to make the conclusion he has 'chopped' the money, if he couldn't tell you why."
Still, the run-up to Saturday's election remains likely the only contact many in the Lagos public will have with their local leaders. Surveys by the Orderly Society Trust suggest more than half of the nation can name at the most one or two of those leaders, if any at all.
Races to run Nigeria's 774 local governments represent politics at its rotten core in the oil-rich nation, where crude sales prop up politicians and the neighborhood councils become their personal fiefdoms. Those living in the megacity of Lagos voted Saturday for their local representatives, but the results appeared to be a foregone conclusion as political fortunes are made and lost based on personality and muscle in Africa's most populous nation.
"I know they will change, (but) there's nothing we can do if they don't change," said B.G. Said, a 62-year-old voter who waited at a polling place that opened two-and-a-half hours late Saturday.
Nigeria inherited local governments from British colonialists and kept the system in place after gaining independence in 1960. Little changed under Nigeria's military dictatorships and when democracy took hold in 1999. The governments, run by council members and overseen by a chairman, remain responsible for road maintenance, sewage systems and markets, as well as assisting in health care and education in their areas.
Yet even on Ikoyi Island in Lagos, which once housed the nation's federal government, potholed roads with little asphalt run past some of the most expensive real estate in all of Africa. Public schools remain dilapidated and overcrowded. Passers-by relieve themselves in open drains.
Area chairman Wale Adeniji, running for re-election under Lagos' ruling Action Congress of Nigeria, said his administration worked hard in its last three-year term. However, when interviewed this week by The Associated Press, Adeniji struggled to offer any specific improvements completed by his administration. He also repeatedly declined to say how much money his area received from the state as part of the federal funds allocated to local governments.
Still, as he campaigned and met with the public, no one asked him specific questions. Many surrounded him chanting the party's acronym ACN, and youths offered shouts of "Well done, sir!"
Adeniji is one of the "Big Men," the "oga" in the local language, smiling amid the squalor and broken streets, asking once again to represent a people who long ago gave up on the government.
At a crowded local market near an army barracks, Adeniji made no promises of improving services when speaking to elders there. His entourage passed out gift bags filled with notebooks and unmarked boxes. Others received shirts and caps bearing his image.
"We will vote for ACN this Saturday," market leader Jokotade Logun Tairat promised after hearing Adeniji describe the voting process in her sweltering, dark office.
But she hinted at the tit-for-tat politics of the country: "We are like Oliver Twist: we keep asking for more. Please don't forget us."
Such exchanges, whether monetary or for favors later, remain common in local politics, said Foluso Idumu, the program coordinator for the Orderly Society Trust, which advocates for better governance in Nigeria.
State-level officials put trusted lieutenants or lackeys into local governments, who tailor their opinions and operations to suit their political "godfathers," Idumu said. Those who don't obey lose out on unmonitored government money, while those who follow orders end up with SUVs, she said.
Idumu's organization had to abandon a grant-funded effort to honor innovative local government leaders when a survey of more than 70 areas found no one worthy of the award.
"It's a national malaise, really," Idumu said. "We really still don't have democratic principles being adhered to and followed duly."
Opposition candidates, even for the nationally dominant People's Democratic Party, rarely campaign for office in ACN-dominated Lagos. On Ikoyi Island, the national party's candidate Ibrahim Babajide Obanikoro bucked the trend, campaigning one day with a host of buses, cars and motorcycles following him.
At one stop, many young, unemployed men known as "area boy" gang members drank from bottles of local liquor and jostled in close enough to touch the candidate.
"As you can see, I'm a man of the people," Obanikoro told the AP. "They have access to me and all the time they have my back."
Some of those men in the crowd attended Adeniji's campaign the day before.
On Saturday, voters waited on one rubbish strewn dirt road in Lagos Island, the commercial hub of the city, waiting to vote amid water-filled potholes. Nearly all said they voted for ACN and seemed content with the party.
"ACN is doing this democracy well well," said Risikat Jinadu, 63. "They are trying."
Many support the party for its most prominent politician, Lagos state Gov. Babatunde Raji Fashola, who they say is responsible for many of the improvements seen in the once crime-ridden city. Yet Fashola himself cast his ballot Saturday in front of a worn grammar school in his Surulere neighborhood, where daylight peeked through holes in the ceiling and worn wooden benches sat among litter on the cement floors.
Asked about local leaders being unable to even say how much government money they receive, Fashola told the AP: "That's no reason to make the conclusion he has 'chopped' the money, if he couldn't tell you why."
Still, the run-up to Saturday's election remains likely the only contact many in the Lagos public will have with their local leaders. Surveys by the Orderly Society Trust suggest more than half of the nation can name at the most one or two of those leaders, if any at all.
Up to 5,000 tyres found in Menai Bridge illegal dump
BBC
Between 3,000 and 5,000 tyres have been discovered being stored illegally on Anglesey.
The Environment Agency raided the dump in Menai Bridge and also executed a search warrant at an address in Llangefni.
Officials said the tyres were being stored and sorted at Menai Bridge before being exported to Ghana.
The agency said an enforcement notice would order the tyres removal.
It said North Wales Police were also involved in the raids and it was liaising with the council planning enforcement team.
Disposal cost
The agency's Environmental Crime Team leader Jason Westerberg-Liptrot said illegal sites were a hazard.
"Operators who run sites illegally put the environment and human health at risk and undermine legitimate businesses," he said.
"The cost of disposal of a car tyre is in the region of £1.44 per tyre and if anyone offers to take waste tyres away for less they should be treated with suspicion," he continued.
The agency said landlords and agents should always check with its officials before letting out property to companies who deal in waste.
Between 3,000 and 5,000 tyres have been discovered being stored illegally on Anglesey.
The Environment Agency raided the dump in Menai Bridge and also executed a search warrant at an address in Llangefni.
Officials said the tyres were being stored and sorted at Menai Bridge before being exported to Ghana.
The agency said an enforcement notice would order the tyres removal.
It said North Wales Police were also involved in the raids and it was liaising with the council planning enforcement team.
Disposal cost
The agency's Environmental Crime Team leader Jason Westerberg-Liptrot said illegal sites were a hazard.
"Operators who run sites illegally put the environment and human health at risk and undermine legitimate businesses," he said.
"The cost of disposal of a car tyre is in the region of £1.44 per tyre and if anyone offers to take waste tyres away for less they should be treated with suspicion," he continued.
The agency said landlords and agents should always check with its officials before letting out property to companies who deal in waste.
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