Source: AFP
LAGOS (AFP) - Nigerian police have raided a home allegedly being used to force teenage girls to have babies that were then offered for sale for trafficking or other purposes, authorities said on Wednesday.
"We stormed the premises of the Cross Foundation in Aba three days ago following a report that pregnant girls aged between 15 and 17 are being made to make babies for the proprietor," said Bala Hassan, police commissioner for Abia state in the country's southeast.
"We rescued 32 pregnant girls and arrested the proprietor who is undergoing interrogation over allegations that he normally sells the babies to people who may use them for rituals or other purposes."
Some of the girls told police they had been offered to sell their babies for between 25,000 and 30,000 naira (192 dollars) depending on the sex of the baby.
The babies would then be sold to buyers for anything from 300,000 naira to one million naira (1,920 and 6,400 dollars) each, according to a state agency fighting human trafficking in Nigeria, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).
The girls were expected to be transferred to the regional NAPTIP offices in Enugu on Wednesday, the regional head Ijeoma Okoronkwo told AFP.
Hassan said the owner of the "illegal baby factory" is likely to face child abuse and human trafficking charges. Buying or selling of babies is illegal in Nigeria and can carry a 14-year jail term.
"We have so many cases going on in court right now," said Okoronkwo.
In 2008, police raids revealed an alleged network of such clinics, dubbed baby "farms" or "factories" in the local press.
Cases of child abuse and people trafficking are common in West Africa. Some children are bought from their families to for use as labour in plantations, mines, factories or as domestic help.
Others are sold into prostitution while a few are either killed or tortured in black magic rituals. NAPTIP says it has also seen a trend of illegal adoption.
"There is a problem of illict adoption and people not knowing the right way to adopt children," said Okoronkwo.
Human trafficking is ranked the third most common crime after economic fraud and drug trafficking in the country, according to UNESCO.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Kudos, Cuban Doctors
Source: - Daily Graphic
For quite some time now health workers, especially doctors from Cuba, have been working tirelessly to extend healthcare services to the doorstep of Ghanaians.
Cuban doctors have accepted posting to all parts of the country, particularly the three northern regions and the most deprived districts, so that our people in need of critical care can have access to health care.
The level of care and love shown by the Cuban doctors is quite amazing because our own kinsmen who were trained with the taxpayers’ money sometimes turn their backs on requests to serve in rural communities.
It is no secret that the doctor/patient ratio in the country does not measure up to the world's standards and the situation is further aggravated by the refusal of some health workers to work in areas where their services are badly needed.
One critical mandate or charge imposed on doctors when they take the Hippocratic Oath is to try as much as possible to save lives, no matter the circumstance, because life is an inviolable right.
The activities of health workers, including doctors, sometimes leave a sour taste in the mouths of ordinary people who suffer most when medical practitioners desert the health facilities in protest against poor conditions of service.
It is said that no army marches on an empty stomach. The same holds true for health workers who have to maintain themselves and their families and, therefore, need to be adequately rewarded by their employers to maintain their keep.
Indeed, doctors and their colleagues in the health profession are held in high esteem by members of society because of their critical role in ensuring that the people stay healthy at all times.
This high regard for the medical profession can be reciprocated by health professionals pledging not to go on strike, no matter the provocation.
Strikes by health workers in the past caused so much pain and anguish to some members of the public who lost relations and friends as a result, although our laws prohibit strikes by all essential services, including health services.
Society is, however, obliged to take good care of these critical professionals, so that they will not join the brain drain but stay in the country to contribute their quota to nation-building.
The Daily Graphic believes that Cuban doctors who travel from their country to serve our people in remote areas can serve as role models, particularly for young doctors.
The decision by the government to include health workers in the National service Scheme will go a long way to address the shortfall of doctors in the rural areas.
During his interaction with Cuban doctors at the Castle in Accra last Friday, President J.E.A. Mills commended them for their dedication and commitment to duty in Ghana.
'I have been around for some time and what amazes me is your dedication to work. Without your support, we will have difficulty in our health services,' the President said.
The Executive endorsement of the contribution of the Cuban doctors to our healthcare delivery system should be a challenge to Ghanaian doctors to be more nationalistic in their outlook.
Never again should they refuse posting to the rural areas and thereby expose our hardworking farmers and others in the rural setting to poor healthcare services.
The Daily Graphic hopes to witness more collaboration between Ghana and Cuba in the years ahead, especially as more Cuban doctors help address the health needs of our people.
For quite some time now health workers, especially doctors from Cuba, have been working tirelessly to extend healthcare services to the doorstep of Ghanaians.
Cuban doctors have accepted posting to all parts of the country, particularly the three northern regions and the most deprived districts, so that our people in need of critical care can have access to health care.
The level of care and love shown by the Cuban doctors is quite amazing because our own kinsmen who were trained with the taxpayers’ money sometimes turn their backs on requests to serve in rural communities.
It is no secret that the doctor/patient ratio in the country does not measure up to the world's standards and the situation is further aggravated by the refusal of some health workers to work in areas where their services are badly needed.
One critical mandate or charge imposed on doctors when they take the Hippocratic Oath is to try as much as possible to save lives, no matter the circumstance, because life is an inviolable right.
The activities of health workers, including doctors, sometimes leave a sour taste in the mouths of ordinary people who suffer most when medical practitioners desert the health facilities in protest against poor conditions of service.
It is said that no army marches on an empty stomach. The same holds true for health workers who have to maintain themselves and their families and, therefore, need to be adequately rewarded by their employers to maintain their keep.
Indeed, doctors and their colleagues in the health profession are held in high esteem by members of society because of their critical role in ensuring that the people stay healthy at all times.
This high regard for the medical profession can be reciprocated by health professionals pledging not to go on strike, no matter the provocation.
Strikes by health workers in the past caused so much pain and anguish to some members of the public who lost relations and friends as a result, although our laws prohibit strikes by all essential services, including health services.
Society is, however, obliged to take good care of these critical professionals, so that they will not join the brain drain but stay in the country to contribute their quota to nation-building.
The Daily Graphic believes that Cuban doctors who travel from their country to serve our people in remote areas can serve as role models, particularly for young doctors.
The decision by the government to include health workers in the National service Scheme will go a long way to address the shortfall of doctors in the rural areas.
During his interaction with Cuban doctors at the Castle in Accra last Friday, President J.E.A. Mills commended them for their dedication and commitment to duty in Ghana.
'I have been around for some time and what amazes me is your dedication to work. Without your support, we will have difficulty in our health services,' the President said.
The Executive endorsement of the contribution of the Cuban doctors to our healthcare delivery system should be a challenge to Ghanaian doctors to be more nationalistic in their outlook.
Never again should they refuse posting to the rural areas and thereby expose our hardworking farmers and others in the rural setting to poor healthcare services.
The Daily Graphic hopes to witness more collaboration between Ghana and Cuba in the years ahead, especially as more Cuban doctors help address the health needs of our people.
Libyan troops fire rockets into Tunisia
TUNIS (Reuters) – Libyan troops fired Grad rockets from positions controlled by Muammar Gaddafi over the border into Tunisia on Tuesday, witnesses said, in an assault likely to raise already high tensions between the two countries.
The explosions caused no damage or injuries.
The last time Libyan forces fired rockets into Tunisia, on May 17, the Tunisian government threatened to report Libya to the U.N. Security Council for committing "enemy actions."
"At least five rockets fell on Tunisian soil today in the Mrabeh. It was a heavy bombardment from Gaddafi's side of the mountains," said resident Mohammed Nagez, a local trader.
Anti-Gaddafi rebels control the border with Tunisia along Libya's Western Mountains region.
Another local trader, who could only be identified by his first name, Morad, said there had been a "heavy bombardment that started last night and still hasn't stopped."
A local police officer, who could not be named, said Tunisian security forces feared the rockets might hit the main border crossing at Wazen, where thousands of people are often gathered at any one time.
The explosions caused no damage or injuries.
The last time Libyan forces fired rockets into Tunisia, on May 17, the Tunisian government threatened to report Libya to the U.N. Security Council for committing "enemy actions."
"At least five rockets fell on Tunisian soil today in the Mrabeh. It was a heavy bombardment from Gaddafi's side of the mountains," said resident Mohammed Nagez, a local trader.
Anti-Gaddafi rebels control the border with Tunisia along Libya's Western Mountains region.
Another local trader, who could only be identified by his first name, Morad, said there had been a "heavy bombardment that started last night and still hasn't stopped."
A local police officer, who could not be named, said Tunisian security forces feared the rockets might hit the main border crossing at Wazen, where thousands of people are often gathered at any one time.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Kadhafi ordered sex drugs for Libya rapes: prosecutor
UNITED NATIONS (AFP) – Investigators have evidence that Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi ordered mass rapes and bought containers of sex drugs to encourage troops to attack women, the chief ICC prosecutor said Wednesday.
Luis Moreno-Ocampo said he may ask for a new charge of mass rape to be made against Kadhafi following the new evidence.
The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor is expecting a decision from judges within days on his request for charges of crimes against humanity to be laid against the Libyan leader, one of his sons and his intelligence chief.
"Now we are getting some information that Kadhafi himself decided to rape and this is new," Moreno-Ocampo told reporters.
He said there were reports of hundreds of women attacked in some areas of Libya, which is in the grip of a months-long internal rebellion.
There was evidence the Libyan authorities bought "Viagra-type" medicines and gave them to troops as part of the official rape policy, Moreno-Ocampo said.
"They were buying containers to enhance the possibility to rape women," he said.
"It was never the pattern he used to control the population. The rape is a new aspect of the repression. That is why we had doubts at the beginning, but now we are more convinced that he decided to punish using rape," the prosecutor said.
"It was very bad -- beyond the limits, I would say."
Kadhafi's regime had not previously been known for using rape as a weapon against political opponents and Moreno-Ocampo said he had to find evidence that the Libyan leader had given the order.
In March, a Libyan woman made international headlines when she entered a Tripoli hotel and said she had been raped by Kadhafi troops.
Iman al-Obeidi was detained but managed to escape from Libya. She ended up in Qatar but was deported back from there to rebel-held Libya. She is now resting at a refugee centre in Romania.
Moreno-Ocampo issued arrest warrants last month against Kadhafi, his son Seif al-Islam and intelligence chief Abdullah al-Sanussi. ICC judges are to announce in days whether they agree to the charges.
The Libyan government does not recognize the international court's jurisdiction.
Luis Moreno-Ocampo said he may ask for a new charge of mass rape to be made against Kadhafi following the new evidence.
The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor is expecting a decision from judges within days on his request for charges of crimes against humanity to be laid against the Libyan leader, one of his sons and his intelligence chief.
"Now we are getting some information that Kadhafi himself decided to rape and this is new," Moreno-Ocampo told reporters.
He said there were reports of hundreds of women attacked in some areas of Libya, which is in the grip of a months-long internal rebellion.
There was evidence the Libyan authorities bought "Viagra-type" medicines and gave them to troops as part of the official rape policy, Moreno-Ocampo said.
"They were buying containers to enhance the possibility to rape women," he said.
"It was never the pattern he used to control the population. The rape is a new aspect of the repression. That is why we had doubts at the beginning, but now we are more convinced that he decided to punish using rape," the prosecutor said.
"It was very bad -- beyond the limits, I would say."
Kadhafi's regime had not previously been known for using rape as a weapon against political opponents and Moreno-Ocampo said he had to find evidence that the Libyan leader had given the order.
In March, a Libyan woman made international headlines when she entered a Tripoli hotel and said she had been raped by Kadhafi troops.
Iman al-Obeidi was detained but managed to escape from Libya. She ended up in Qatar but was deported back from there to rebel-held Libya. She is now resting at a refugee centre in Romania.
Moreno-Ocampo issued arrest warrants last month against Kadhafi, his son Seif al-Islam and intelligence chief Abdullah al-Sanussi. ICC judges are to announce in days whether they agree to the charges.
The Libyan government does not recognize the international court's jurisdiction.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Qaeda's Zawahri says U.S. facing Muslim rebellion
CAIRO (Reuters) – Al-Qaeda's second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahri said the United States faced a Muslim rebellion following the death of Osama bin Laden, according to a video recording posted on YouTube and monitored on Wednesday.
The Egyptian-born Zawahri devoted much of his 28-minute recording to mourning bin Laden, who was killed in a raid by U.S. special forces on his home in Pakistan in May after a nearly 10-year worldwide hunt.
"The sheikh has departed, may God have mercy on him, to his God as a martyr and we must continue on his path of jihad to expel the invaders from the land of Muslims and to purify it from injustice," Zawahri said.
"Today, and thanks be to God, America is not facing an individual or a group ... but a rebelling nation which has awoken from its sleep in a jihadist renaissance."
Zawahri has long been seen as the brains and potential successor to bin Laden, founder of al Qaeda, which carried out the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.
But Al Jazeera television has said that another Egyptian militant called Saif al-Adl has been named as temporary leader of the group following bin Laden's death.
The Egyptian-born Zawahri devoted much of his 28-minute recording to mourning bin Laden, who was killed in a raid by U.S. special forces on his home in Pakistan in May after a nearly 10-year worldwide hunt.
"The sheikh has departed, may God have mercy on him, to his God as a martyr and we must continue on his path of jihad to expel the invaders from the land of Muslims and to purify it from injustice," Zawahri said.
"Today, and thanks be to God, America is not facing an individual or a group ... but a rebelling nation which has awoken from its sleep in a jihadist renaissance."
Zawahri has long been seen as the brains and potential successor to bin Laden, founder of al Qaeda, which carried out the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.
But Al Jazeera television has said that another Egyptian militant called Saif al-Adl has been named as temporary leader of the group following bin Laden's death.
Syrians flee town as troops approach
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Turkey called on Syria on Wednesday to rein in violence against civilians and promised not to turn away refugees as some residents of a Syrian border town headed for the Turkish frontier in fear of a military assault.
"Syria should change its attitude toward civilians and should take its attitude to a more tolerant level as soon as possible," said Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, who has had warm relations with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Assad's government has accused armed bands of killing scores of its security men in Jisr al-Shughour and has vowed to send in the army to carry out their "national duty to restore security."
Accounts of the violence that began in the hilly town of Jisr al-Shughour Friday vary, with officials saying gunmen ambushed troops and residents reporting an army mutiny.
The bloodshed has triggered international alarm that Syria may be entering an even more violent phase after three months of popular unrest that has cost more than 1,000 lives.
France and Britain, allies in the war against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, will put forward a U.N. Security Council resolution Wednesday condemning Assad's crackdown on protesters, British Prime Minister David Cameron said.
"And if anyone votes against that resolution or tries to veto it, that should be on their conscience," Cameron said.
The draft resolution condemns the repression and demands humanitarian access, Cameron said in London. But it was unclear how Russia, which holds a veto, would vote. Citing NATO's inconclusive bombing of Tripoli, Moscow says it will not back intervention against Syria in the Security Council.
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe, at U.N. headquarters in New York, said it was "a question of days, maybe hours" before the Council voted on a resolution condemning Syria. A draft circulated last month does not propose military intervention.
At Jisr al-Shughour, home to tens of thousands of people, residents said they were taking cover and bracing for attacks. Some 120 men, women and children fled into Turkey overnight to seek refuge, the Anatolian news agency said.
Erdogan, who has distanced himself from Assad since the Syrian uprising began, said Turkey would not "close its doors" to refugees fleeing Syria.
Rami Abdulrahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said troops had deployed in villages around Jisr al-Shughour, including Ariha to the east and on the main Latakia highway to the southwest.
Residents said about 40 tanks and armored vehicles were about 7 km (4 miles) from Jisr al-Shughour, which was now mostly empty, save for youth protesters.
Ali Haj Abrahim said his son Bilal, who had volunteered to help the wounded at the weekend, was shot by security forces on Sunday on the outskirts of Jisr al-Shoughour.
"Two machinegun rounds tore through his chest and his left shoulder. He was 26 with a geography degree, married four months ago. His wife is pregnant," Haj Ibrahim said.
"We are not taking condolences. We consider his martyrdom a wedding for the defense of freedom," he told Reuters.
Abdulrahman said there were protests against Assad on Tuesday in suburbs of Damascus, including Harasta and Douma, and in Deir Al-Zor and Qamishli in the northeast. Pro-Assad rallies were also held in some of the capital's suburbs.
The government has expelled independent journalists, making it hard to determine clearly what is happening in the country.
Despite enthusiasm for pro-democracy movements that have unseated presidents in Tunisia and Egypt, few Western leaders -- let alone their autocratic Arab partners -- have shown a willingness to intervene in Syria, an Iranian ally whose volatile mix of ethnic and religious groups sits astride a web of regional conflicts.
FOREIGN PRESSURE
Assad's family and supporters from the minority Alawite sect have dominated Syria since his late father seized power 41 years ago. He has responded with promises of reform, and a crackdown on protesters in towns across the country. His officials accuse radical Islamists of fomenting a violent, armed revolt.
Neighboring countries, including Israel and Turkey, worry that a collapse into chaos in Syria could set off sectarian conflict and the emergence of violent, radical Islamists, as happened in neighboring Iraq after the U.S. invasion of 2003.
But Western powers are keeping up the pressure on Assad, with U.S. President Barack Obama urging him to lead a transition to democracy or "get out of the way."
British Foreign Secretary William Hague, in some of London's strongest language yet against the 45-year-old leader, on Tuesday told parliament: "President Assad is losing legitimacy and should reform or step aside." He said European governments were looking at further sanctions.
Russia appears opposed to a general condemnation of Assad, let alone authorizing military action against him.
"The prospect of a U.N. Security Council resolution that's along the same lines as Resolution 1973 on Libya will not be supported by my country ... The use of force, as Libya shows, does not provide answers," said Russia's envoy to the European Union, Vladimir Chizhov.
Syria's ambassador to France Lamia Chakkour denied a report Tuesday that she had resigned in protest at the government's repression of protests, saying it was part of a campaign of disinformation against Damascus
"Syria should change its attitude toward civilians and should take its attitude to a more tolerant level as soon as possible," said Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, who has had warm relations with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Assad's government has accused armed bands of killing scores of its security men in Jisr al-Shughour and has vowed to send in the army to carry out their "national duty to restore security."
Accounts of the violence that began in the hilly town of Jisr al-Shughour Friday vary, with officials saying gunmen ambushed troops and residents reporting an army mutiny.
The bloodshed has triggered international alarm that Syria may be entering an even more violent phase after three months of popular unrest that has cost more than 1,000 lives.
France and Britain, allies in the war against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, will put forward a U.N. Security Council resolution Wednesday condemning Assad's crackdown on protesters, British Prime Minister David Cameron said.
"And if anyone votes against that resolution or tries to veto it, that should be on their conscience," Cameron said.
The draft resolution condemns the repression and demands humanitarian access, Cameron said in London. But it was unclear how Russia, which holds a veto, would vote. Citing NATO's inconclusive bombing of Tripoli, Moscow says it will not back intervention against Syria in the Security Council.
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe, at U.N. headquarters in New York, said it was "a question of days, maybe hours" before the Council voted on a resolution condemning Syria. A draft circulated last month does not propose military intervention.
At Jisr al-Shughour, home to tens of thousands of people, residents said they were taking cover and bracing for attacks. Some 120 men, women and children fled into Turkey overnight to seek refuge, the Anatolian news agency said.
Erdogan, who has distanced himself from Assad since the Syrian uprising began, said Turkey would not "close its doors" to refugees fleeing Syria.
Rami Abdulrahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said troops had deployed in villages around Jisr al-Shughour, including Ariha to the east and on the main Latakia highway to the southwest.
Residents said about 40 tanks and armored vehicles were about 7 km (4 miles) from Jisr al-Shughour, which was now mostly empty, save for youth protesters.
Ali Haj Abrahim said his son Bilal, who had volunteered to help the wounded at the weekend, was shot by security forces on Sunday on the outskirts of Jisr al-Shoughour.
"Two machinegun rounds tore through his chest and his left shoulder. He was 26 with a geography degree, married four months ago. His wife is pregnant," Haj Ibrahim said.
"We are not taking condolences. We consider his martyrdom a wedding for the defense of freedom," he told Reuters.
Abdulrahman said there were protests against Assad on Tuesday in suburbs of Damascus, including Harasta and Douma, and in Deir Al-Zor and Qamishli in the northeast. Pro-Assad rallies were also held in some of the capital's suburbs.
The government has expelled independent journalists, making it hard to determine clearly what is happening in the country.
Despite enthusiasm for pro-democracy movements that have unseated presidents in Tunisia and Egypt, few Western leaders -- let alone their autocratic Arab partners -- have shown a willingness to intervene in Syria, an Iranian ally whose volatile mix of ethnic and religious groups sits astride a web of regional conflicts.
FOREIGN PRESSURE
Assad's family and supporters from the minority Alawite sect have dominated Syria since his late father seized power 41 years ago. He has responded with promises of reform, and a crackdown on protesters in towns across the country. His officials accuse radical Islamists of fomenting a violent, armed revolt.
Neighboring countries, including Israel and Turkey, worry that a collapse into chaos in Syria could set off sectarian conflict and the emergence of violent, radical Islamists, as happened in neighboring Iraq after the U.S. invasion of 2003.
But Western powers are keeping up the pressure on Assad, with U.S. President Barack Obama urging him to lead a transition to democracy or "get out of the way."
British Foreign Secretary William Hague, in some of London's strongest language yet against the 45-year-old leader, on Tuesday told parliament: "President Assad is losing legitimacy and should reform or step aside." He said European governments were looking at further sanctions.
Russia appears opposed to a general condemnation of Assad, let alone authorizing military action against him.
"The prospect of a U.N. Security Council resolution that's along the same lines as Resolution 1973 on Libya will not be supported by my country ... The use of force, as Libya shows, does not provide answers," said Russia's envoy to the European Union, Vladimir Chizhov.
Syria's ambassador to France Lamia Chakkour denied a report Tuesday that she had resigned in protest at the government's repression of protests, saying it was part of a campaign of disinformation against Damascus
Syrians flee town as troops approach
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Turkey called on Syria on Wednesday to rein in violence against civilians and promised not to turn away refugees as some residents of a Syrian border town headed for the Turkish frontier in fear of a military assault.
"Syria should change its attitude toward civilians and should take its attitude to a more tolerant level as soon as possible," said Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, who has had warm relations with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Assad's government has accused armed bands of killing scores of its security men in Jisr al-Shughour and has vowed to send in the army to carry out their "national duty to restore security."
Accounts of the violence that began in the hilly town of Jisr al-Shughour Friday vary, with officials saying gunmen ambushed troops and residents reporting an army mutiny.
The bloodshed has triggered international alarm that Syria may be entering an even more violent phase after three months of popular unrest that has cost more than 1,000 lives.
France and Britain, allies in the war against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, will put forward a U.N. Security Council resolution Wednesday condemning Assad's crackdown on protesters, British Prime Minister David Cameron said.
"And if anyone votes against that resolution or tries to veto it, that should be on their conscience," Cameron said.
The draft resolution condemns the repression and demands humanitarian access, Cameron said in London. But it was unclear how Russia, which holds a veto, would vote. Citing NATO's inconclusive bombing of Tripoli, Moscow says it will not back intervention against Syria in the Security Council.
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe, at U.N. headquarters in New York, said it was "a question of days, maybe hours" before the Council voted on a resolution condemning Syria. A draft circulated last month does not propose military intervention.
At Jisr al-Shughour, home to tens of thousands of people, residents said they were taking cover and bracing for attacks. Some 120 men, women and children fled into Turkey overnight to seek refuge, the Anatolian news agency said.
Erdogan, who has distanced himself from Assad since the Syrian uprising began, said Turkey would not "close its doors" to refugees fleeing Syria.
Rami Abdulrahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said troops had deployed in villages around Jisr al-Shughour, including Ariha to the east and on the main Latakia highway to the southwest.
Residents said about 40 tanks and armored vehicles were about 7 km (4 miles) from Jisr al-Shughour, which was now mostly empty, save for youth protesters.
Ali Haj Abrahim said his son Bilal, who had volunteered to help the wounded at the weekend, was shot by security forces on Sunday on the outskirts of Jisr al-Shoughour.
"Two machinegun rounds tore through his chest and his left shoulder. He was 26 with a geography degree, married four months ago. His wife is pregnant," Haj Ibrahim said.
"We are not taking condolences. We consider his martyrdom a wedding for the defense of freedom," he told Reuters.
Abdulrahman said there were protests against Assad on Tuesday in suburbs of Damascus, including Harasta and Douma, and in Deir Al-Zor and Qamishli in the northeast. Pro-Assad rallies were also held in some of the capital's suburbs.
The government has expelled independent journalists, making it hard to determine clearly what is happening in the country.
Despite enthusiasm for pro-democracy movements that have unseated presidents in Tunisia and Egypt, few Western leaders -- let alone their autocratic Arab partners -- have shown a willingness to intervene in Syria, an Iranian ally whose volatile mix of ethnic and religious groups sits astride a web of regional conflicts.
FOREIGN PRESSURE
Assad's family and supporters from the minority Alawite sect have dominated Syria since his late father seized power 41 years ago. He has responded with promises of reform, and a crackdown on protesters in towns across the country. His officials accuse radical Islamists of fomenting a violent, armed revolt.
Neighboring countries, including Israel and Turkey, worry that a collapse into chaos in Syria could set off sectarian conflict and the emergence of violent, radical Islamists, as happened in neighboring Iraq after the U.S. invasion of 2003.
But Western powers are keeping up the pressure on Assad, with U.S. President Barack Obama urging him to lead a transition to democracy or "get out of the way."
British Foreign Secretary William Hague, in some of London's strongest language yet against the 45-year-old leader, on Tuesday told parliament: "President Assad is losing legitimacy and should reform or step aside." He said European governments were looking at further sanctions.
Russia appears opposed to a general condemnation of Assad, let alone authorizing military action against him.
"The prospect of a U.N. Security Council resolution that's along the same lines as Resolution 1973 on Libya will not be supported by my country ... The use of force, as Libya shows, does not provide answers," said Russia's envoy to the European Union, Vladimir Chizhov.
Syria's ambassador to France Lamia Chakkour denied a report Tuesday that she had resigned in protest at the government's repression of protests, saying it was part of a campaign of disinformation against Damascus.
"Syria should change its attitude toward civilians and should take its attitude to a more tolerant level as soon as possible," said Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, who has had warm relations with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Assad's government has accused armed bands of killing scores of its security men in Jisr al-Shughour and has vowed to send in the army to carry out their "national duty to restore security."
Accounts of the violence that began in the hilly town of Jisr al-Shughour Friday vary, with officials saying gunmen ambushed troops and residents reporting an army mutiny.
The bloodshed has triggered international alarm that Syria may be entering an even more violent phase after three months of popular unrest that has cost more than 1,000 lives.
France and Britain, allies in the war against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, will put forward a U.N. Security Council resolution Wednesday condemning Assad's crackdown on protesters, British Prime Minister David Cameron said.
"And if anyone votes against that resolution or tries to veto it, that should be on their conscience," Cameron said.
The draft resolution condemns the repression and demands humanitarian access, Cameron said in London. But it was unclear how Russia, which holds a veto, would vote. Citing NATO's inconclusive bombing of Tripoli, Moscow says it will not back intervention against Syria in the Security Council.
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe, at U.N. headquarters in New York, said it was "a question of days, maybe hours" before the Council voted on a resolution condemning Syria. A draft circulated last month does not propose military intervention.
At Jisr al-Shughour, home to tens of thousands of people, residents said they were taking cover and bracing for attacks. Some 120 men, women and children fled into Turkey overnight to seek refuge, the Anatolian news agency said.
Erdogan, who has distanced himself from Assad since the Syrian uprising began, said Turkey would not "close its doors" to refugees fleeing Syria.
Rami Abdulrahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said troops had deployed in villages around Jisr al-Shughour, including Ariha to the east and on the main Latakia highway to the southwest.
Residents said about 40 tanks and armored vehicles were about 7 km (4 miles) from Jisr al-Shughour, which was now mostly empty, save for youth protesters.
Ali Haj Abrahim said his son Bilal, who had volunteered to help the wounded at the weekend, was shot by security forces on Sunday on the outskirts of Jisr al-Shoughour.
"Two machinegun rounds tore through his chest and his left shoulder. He was 26 with a geography degree, married four months ago. His wife is pregnant," Haj Ibrahim said.
"We are not taking condolences. We consider his martyrdom a wedding for the defense of freedom," he told Reuters.
Abdulrahman said there were protests against Assad on Tuesday in suburbs of Damascus, including Harasta and Douma, and in Deir Al-Zor and Qamishli in the northeast. Pro-Assad rallies were also held in some of the capital's suburbs.
The government has expelled independent journalists, making it hard to determine clearly what is happening in the country.
Despite enthusiasm for pro-democracy movements that have unseated presidents in Tunisia and Egypt, few Western leaders -- let alone their autocratic Arab partners -- have shown a willingness to intervene in Syria, an Iranian ally whose volatile mix of ethnic and religious groups sits astride a web of regional conflicts.
FOREIGN PRESSURE
Assad's family and supporters from the minority Alawite sect have dominated Syria since his late father seized power 41 years ago. He has responded with promises of reform, and a crackdown on protesters in towns across the country. His officials accuse radical Islamists of fomenting a violent, armed revolt.
Neighboring countries, including Israel and Turkey, worry that a collapse into chaos in Syria could set off sectarian conflict and the emergence of violent, radical Islamists, as happened in neighboring Iraq after the U.S. invasion of 2003.
But Western powers are keeping up the pressure on Assad, with U.S. President Barack Obama urging him to lead a transition to democracy or "get out of the way."
British Foreign Secretary William Hague, in some of London's strongest language yet against the 45-year-old leader, on Tuesday told parliament: "President Assad is losing legitimacy and should reform or step aside." He said European governments were looking at further sanctions.
Russia appears opposed to a general condemnation of Assad, let alone authorizing military action against him.
"The prospect of a U.N. Security Council resolution that's along the same lines as Resolution 1973 on Libya will not be supported by my country ... The use of force, as Libya shows, does not provide answers," said Russia's envoy to the European Union, Vladimir Chizhov.
Syria's ambassador to France Lamia Chakkour denied a report Tuesday that she had resigned in protest at the government's repression of protests, saying it was part of a campaign of disinformation against Damascus.
China warns U.S. debt-default idea is "playing with fire"
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Republican lawmakers are "playing with fire" by contemplating even a brief debt default as a means to force deeper government spending cuts, an adviser to China's central bank said on Wednesday.
The idea of a technical default -- essentially delaying interest payments for a few days -- has gained backing from a growing number of mainstream Republicans who see it as a price worth paying if it forces the White House to slash spending, Reuters reported on Tuesday.
But any form of default could destabilize the global economy and sour already tense relations with big U.S. creditors such as China, government officials and investors warn.
Li Daokui, an adviser to the People's Bank of China, said a default could undermine the U.S. dollar, and Beijing needed to dissuade Washington from pursuing this course of action.
"I think there is a risk that the U.S. debt default may happen," Li told reporters on the sidelines of a forum in Beijing. "The result will be very serious and I really hope that they would stop playing with fire."
[ For complete coverage of politics and policy, go to Yahoo! Politics ]
China is the largest foreign creditor to the United States, holding more than $1 trillion in Treasury debt as of March, U.S. data shows, so its concerns carry considerable weight in Washington.
"I really worry about the risks of a U.S. debt default, which I think may lead to a decline in the dollar's value," Li said.
Congress has balked at increasing a statutory limit on government spending as lawmakers argue over how to curb a deficit which is projected to reach $1.4 trillion this fiscal year. The U.S. Treasury Department has said it will run out of borrowing room by August 2.
If the United States cannot make interest payments on its debt, the Obama administration has warned of "catastrophic" consequences that could push the still-fragile economy back into recession.
"It has dire implications for the economy at a time when the macro data is softening," said Ben Westmore, a commodities economist at National Australia Bank.
"It's just a horrible idea," he said.
Financial markets are following the U.S. debate but see little risk of a default.
U.S. Treasury prices were firm in Europe on Wednesday, supported by a flight to their perceived safety on the back of the Greek debt crisis and worries about a slowdown in U.S. economic growth.
Marc Ostwald, a strategist with Monument Securities in London, said markets were working on the assumption that the U.S. debt story "will go away." But nervousness would grow if a resolution was not reached in the next five to six weeks.
'WOULDN'T HAPPEN'
The Republicans' theory is that bondholders would accept a brief delay in interest payments if it meant Washington finally addressed its long-term fiscal problems, putting the country in a stronger position to meet its debt obligations later on.
But interviews with government officials and investors show they consider a default such a grim -- and remote -- possibility that it was nearly impossible to imagine.
"How can the U.S. be allowed to default?" said an official at India's central bank. "We don't think this is a possibility because this could then create huge panic globally."
Indian officials say they have little choice but to buy U.S. Treasury debt because it is still among the world's safest and most liquid investments. It held $39.8 billion in U.S. Treasuries as of March, U.S. data shows.
The officials declined to be identified because they are not authorized to speak to the media.
Oman is concerned about the impact of a default on the currency reserves of the sultanate and its Gulf neighbors.
"Our economies are substantially tied up with the U.S. financial developments," said a senior central bank official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
"It just wouldn't happen," said Barry Evans, who oversees $83 billion in fixed income assets at Manulife Asset Management. "They would pay their Treasury bills first instead of other bills. It's as simple as that."
Monument's Ostwald called the default scenario "frightening" and said bondholders' patience would wear thin if lawmakers persisted in pitching this strategy in the coming weeks.
"This isn't a debate, this is like a Mexican standoff and that is where the problem lies," he said.
Yuan Gangming, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, a government think tank, smelled some political wrangling behind the U.S. debt debate as the 2012 presidential election draws nearer and said Republicans "want to make things difficult for Obama."
But with time running short before the U.S. Treasury exhausts its borrowing room, Yuan said default was a real risk.
"The possibility is quite high to see a default of the U.S. debt, which would harm many countries in the world, and China in particular," he said.
The idea of a technical default -- essentially delaying interest payments for a few days -- has gained backing from a growing number of mainstream Republicans who see it as a price worth paying if it forces the White House to slash spending, Reuters reported on Tuesday.
But any form of default could destabilize the global economy and sour already tense relations with big U.S. creditors such as China, government officials and investors warn.
Li Daokui, an adviser to the People's Bank of China, said a default could undermine the U.S. dollar, and Beijing needed to dissuade Washington from pursuing this course of action.
"I think there is a risk that the U.S. debt default may happen," Li told reporters on the sidelines of a forum in Beijing. "The result will be very serious and I really hope that they would stop playing with fire."
[ For complete coverage of politics and policy, go to Yahoo! Politics ]
China is the largest foreign creditor to the United States, holding more than $1 trillion in Treasury debt as of March, U.S. data shows, so its concerns carry considerable weight in Washington.
"I really worry about the risks of a U.S. debt default, which I think may lead to a decline in the dollar's value," Li said.
Congress has balked at increasing a statutory limit on government spending as lawmakers argue over how to curb a deficit which is projected to reach $1.4 trillion this fiscal year. The U.S. Treasury Department has said it will run out of borrowing room by August 2.
If the United States cannot make interest payments on its debt, the Obama administration has warned of "catastrophic" consequences that could push the still-fragile economy back into recession.
"It has dire implications for the economy at a time when the macro data is softening," said Ben Westmore, a commodities economist at National Australia Bank.
"It's just a horrible idea," he said.
Financial markets are following the U.S. debate but see little risk of a default.
U.S. Treasury prices were firm in Europe on Wednesday, supported by a flight to their perceived safety on the back of the Greek debt crisis and worries about a slowdown in U.S. economic growth.
Marc Ostwald, a strategist with Monument Securities in London, said markets were working on the assumption that the U.S. debt story "will go away." But nervousness would grow if a resolution was not reached in the next five to six weeks.
'WOULDN'T HAPPEN'
The Republicans' theory is that bondholders would accept a brief delay in interest payments if it meant Washington finally addressed its long-term fiscal problems, putting the country in a stronger position to meet its debt obligations later on.
But interviews with government officials and investors show they consider a default such a grim -- and remote -- possibility that it was nearly impossible to imagine.
"How can the U.S. be allowed to default?" said an official at India's central bank. "We don't think this is a possibility because this could then create huge panic globally."
Indian officials say they have little choice but to buy U.S. Treasury debt because it is still among the world's safest and most liquid investments. It held $39.8 billion in U.S. Treasuries as of March, U.S. data shows.
The officials declined to be identified because they are not authorized to speak to the media.
Oman is concerned about the impact of a default on the currency reserves of the sultanate and its Gulf neighbors.
"Our economies are substantially tied up with the U.S. financial developments," said a senior central bank official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
"It just wouldn't happen," said Barry Evans, who oversees $83 billion in fixed income assets at Manulife Asset Management. "They would pay their Treasury bills first instead of other bills. It's as simple as that."
Monument's Ostwald called the default scenario "frightening" and said bondholders' patience would wear thin if lawmakers persisted in pitching this strategy in the coming weeks.
"This isn't a debate, this is like a Mexican standoff and that is where the problem lies," he said.
Yuan Gangming, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, a government think tank, smelled some political wrangling behind the U.S. debt debate as the 2012 presidential election draws nearer and said Republicans "want to make things difficult for Obama."
But with time running short before the U.S. Treasury exhausts its borrowing room, Yuan said default was a real risk.
"The possibility is quite high to see a default of the U.S. debt, which would harm many countries in the world, and China in particular," he said.
German minister pushes 7-year Greek debt rollover
BERLIN (AFP) – Germany, facing pressure from lawmakers within its ruling coalition, has laid out its conditions for new aid for Greece: private banks must forego collecting Greek public debts for seven years.
In a letter sent to eurozone partners and made public on Wednesday, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said an agreement could be reached "through a bond swap leading to a prolongation of the outstanding Greek sovereign bonds by seven years."
Schaeuble has insisted for weeks that a second aid package being negotiated for Greece must include contributions by private investors, though without detailing what would be expected of them.
A rollover, or renewal of credits to Greece would allow for "a fair sharing of the burden between taxpayers and investors," finance ministry spokesman Martin Kreienbaum said Wednesday.
Chancellor Angela Merkel has just returned from the United States and was to speak with deputies from liberal and conservative parliamentary groups to calm heated passions and convince them to back more aid for Athens.
She is expected to assure the lawmakers that, as Schaeuble said in his letter, Germany will agree to nothing that did not include "a quantified and substantial contribution of bondholders to the support effort" for Greece.
Taxpayers in several European countries such as Austria, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands and Slovakia are firmly opposed to more aid for Greece, which is being crushed by some 350 billion euros ($500 billion) in debt.
While the German proviso may go some way towards appeasing them, it will probably not go down well in other parts of Europe.
The French position is "a refusal to restructure Greek debt," government spokesman Francois Baroin said Wednesday, something the German proposal could be seen as.
The European Central Bank in Frankfurt is also unlikely to appreciate Schaeuble's letter.
ECB president Jean-Claude Trichet said Monday he would only accept a voluntary gesture on the part of banks to reinvest money they earned on Greek bonds into more credit for the country.
Schaeuble's idea goes much further however by establishing a period long enough to fully implement necessary reforms and regain market confidence.
He specifically called for a commitment by holders of Greek bonds that goes beyond the approach summed up as the Vienna Initiative.
That was a model created during the global financial crisis that saw banks roll over credits to Hungary, Latvia and Romania, and has support from the European Commission and French authorities.
"Someone will have to give ground," Commerzbank analyst Christoph Rieger concluded.
He supposed that it would be Germany that would probably ease its demands at some point.
Berlin has already stressed the "voluntary" aspect to decisions by investors.
"We assume that private creditors are aware of their responsibilities," finance ministry spokesman Kreienbaum said.
Andreas Schmitz, head of the German federation of private banks, allowed that "an extension of the maturity of Greek bonds might be a solution."
Banks might not have a choice in any event, since the alternative could be getting hit with severe losses.
Schaeuble warned in his letter that "I see the need to agree on a new program for Greece in order to close the financing gap and prevent default," which could spell disaster for the 17-nation eurozone
In a letter sent to eurozone partners and made public on Wednesday, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said an agreement could be reached "through a bond swap leading to a prolongation of the outstanding Greek sovereign bonds by seven years."
Schaeuble has insisted for weeks that a second aid package being negotiated for Greece must include contributions by private investors, though without detailing what would be expected of them.
A rollover, or renewal of credits to Greece would allow for "a fair sharing of the burden between taxpayers and investors," finance ministry spokesman Martin Kreienbaum said Wednesday.
Chancellor Angela Merkel has just returned from the United States and was to speak with deputies from liberal and conservative parliamentary groups to calm heated passions and convince them to back more aid for Athens.
She is expected to assure the lawmakers that, as Schaeuble said in his letter, Germany will agree to nothing that did not include "a quantified and substantial contribution of bondholders to the support effort" for Greece.
Taxpayers in several European countries such as Austria, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands and Slovakia are firmly opposed to more aid for Greece, which is being crushed by some 350 billion euros ($500 billion) in debt.
While the German proviso may go some way towards appeasing them, it will probably not go down well in other parts of Europe.
The French position is "a refusal to restructure Greek debt," government spokesman Francois Baroin said Wednesday, something the German proposal could be seen as.
The European Central Bank in Frankfurt is also unlikely to appreciate Schaeuble's letter.
ECB president Jean-Claude Trichet said Monday he would only accept a voluntary gesture on the part of banks to reinvest money they earned on Greek bonds into more credit for the country.
Schaeuble's idea goes much further however by establishing a period long enough to fully implement necessary reforms and regain market confidence.
He specifically called for a commitment by holders of Greek bonds that goes beyond the approach summed up as the Vienna Initiative.
That was a model created during the global financial crisis that saw banks roll over credits to Hungary, Latvia and Romania, and has support from the European Commission and French authorities.
"Someone will have to give ground," Commerzbank analyst Christoph Rieger concluded.
He supposed that it would be Germany that would probably ease its demands at some point.
Berlin has already stressed the "voluntary" aspect to decisions by investors.
"We assume that private creditors are aware of their responsibilities," finance ministry spokesman Kreienbaum said.
Andreas Schmitz, head of the German federation of private banks, allowed that "an extension of the maturity of Greek bonds might be a solution."
Banks might not have a choice in any event, since the alternative could be getting hit with severe losses.
Schaeuble warned in his letter that "I see the need to agree on a new program for Greece in order to close the financing gap and prevent default," which could spell disaster for the 17-nation eurozone
11 die in sect attacks in Nigeria's northeast
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria – At least 11 people have been killed in multiple blasts and targeted attacks orchestrated by a feared radical Muslim sect in Nigeria's restive northeast, police said Tuesday.
Borno State police chief Mohammed Abubakar said members of the radical sect locally known as Boko Haram detonated bombs at two police stations and at St. Patrick's Church Tuesday afternoon in the city of Maiduguri. Ten people died in the attacks including three suspected sect members and a soldier, he said.
The multiple blasts come a day after motorcycle-mounted gunmen shot dead Sheik Ibrahim Birkuti, a cleric from a rival sect. The police also blame Boko Haram for killing the cleric Monday at his home in the town of Biu, south of Maiduguri.
Birkuti had been critical of Boko Haram's violence and belonged to the Wahabbi group, a splinter faction of Sunni Muslims. Boko Haram is also a splinter group of Sunni Muslims who have pushed for the implementation of Shariah law in Borno State. However, Wahabbi has done so through peaceful means, while Boko Haram has vowed to keep killing people believed to support the establishment until Shariah law is adopted alongside other demands.
Nigeria, a nation of 150 million people, is divided between the Christian-dominated south and the Muslim north. A dozen states across Nigeria's north already have Shariah law in place, though the area remains under the control of secular state governments.
Boko Haram is responsible for a rash of killings which have targeted police officers, soldiers, politicians and clerics in Nigeria's north over the last year. They have also attacked churches and engineered a massive prison break. However, authorities say attacks intensified after April 26 gubernatorial elections kept the same political party in power.
Governor-elect Kashim Shettima promptly reached out to the sect members to calm tensions by offering an amnesty, but a man claiming to speak for Boko Haram told the BBC last month that the group was rejecting the offer.
In a separate and more recent interview with the BBC's Hausa language service, a man claiming to speak for Boko Haram claimed responsibility for three blasts that rocked two cities in Nigeria's north and a town close to the capital hours after the inauguration of Nigeria's president, Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian from the southern part of the country. The National Emergency Management Agency said that 18 people died in the May 29 attacks.
Boko Haram was thought to be vanquished in 2009 after Nigeria's military crushed its mosque into concrete shards, and its leader was arrested and died in police custody. But now, Maiduguri and surrounding villages in Borno state again live in fear.
Routine attacks mean that residents are subjected to searches at dozens of checkpoints. Drivers have to come out of their vehicles, along with their passengers, and walk with their arms raised to prove weapons aren't hidden in their clothing several times a day.
Borno State police chief Mohammed Abubakar said members of the radical sect locally known as Boko Haram detonated bombs at two police stations and at St. Patrick's Church Tuesday afternoon in the city of Maiduguri. Ten people died in the attacks including three suspected sect members and a soldier, he said.
The multiple blasts come a day after motorcycle-mounted gunmen shot dead Sheik Ibrahim Birkuti, a cleric from a rival sect. The police also blame Boko Haram for killing the cleric Monday at his home in the town of Biu, south of Maiduguri.
Birkuti had been critical of Boko Haram's violence and belonged to the Wahabbi group, a splinter faction of Sunni Muslims. Boko Haram is also a splinter group of Sunni Muslims who have pushed for the implementation of Shariah law in Borno State. However, Wahabbi has done so through peaceful means, while Boko Haram has vowed to keep killing people believed to support the establishment until Shariah law is adopted alongside other demands.
Nigeria, a nation of 150 million people, is divided between the Christian-dominated south and the Muslim north. A dozen states across Nigeria's north already have Shariah law in place, though the area remains under the control of secular state governments.
Boko Haram is responsible for a rash of killings which have targeted police officers, soldiers, politicians and clerics in Nigeria's north over the last year. They have also attacked churches and engineered a massive prison break. However, authorities say attacks intensified after April 26 gubernatorial elections kept the same political party in power.
Governor-elect Kashim Shettima promptly reached out to the sect members to calm tensions by offering an amnesty, but a man claiming to speak for Boko Haram told the BBC last month that the group was rejecting the offer.
In a separate and more recent interview with the BBC's Hausa language service, a man claiming to speak for Boko Haram claimed responsibility for three blasts that rocked two cities in Nigeria's north and a town close to the capital hours after the inauguration of Nigeria's president, Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian from the southern part of the country. The National Emergency Management Agency said that 18 people died in the May 29 attacks.
Boko Haram was thought to be vanquished in 2009 after Nigeria's military crushed its mosque into concrete shards, and its leader was arrested and died in police custody. But now, Maiduguri and surrounding villages in Borno state again live in fear.
Routine attacks mean that residents are subjected to searches at dozens of checkpoints. Drivers have to come out of their vehicles, along with their passengers, and walk with their arms raised to prove weapons aren't hidden in their clothing several times a day.
Gaddafi's forces advance on Libya's Misrata: rebels
TRIPOLI (Reuters) – Thousands of troops loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi advanced on the rebel-held western city of Misrata on Wednesday, shelling it from three sides in attacks that killed at least 12 rebels, a rebel spokesman said.
There was no immediate comment from Gaddafi's government.
"Misrata is under heavy shelling ... Gaddafi forces are shelling Misrata from three sides: east, west and south," rebel spokesman Hassan al-Misrati told Reuters from inside the town.
"He has sent thousands of troops from all sides and they are trying to enter the city. They are still outside, though."
He added that 12 rebels had been killed and 26 wounded.
The offensive followed a lull in NATO bombing of Tripoli on Wednesday, after 24 hours of some of the heaviest bombardments of the Libyan capital since air strikes began in March.
NATO defense ministers met in Brussels on Wednesday, but there were few signs of willingness to intensify their Libya mission, which has so far failed to oust Gaddafi.
The alliance says the bombing aims to protect civilians from the Libyan leader's military, which crushed popular protests against his rule in February, leaving many dead.
But with officials like British Foreign Secretary William Hague talking explicitly of Gaddafi being forced out, critics say NATO has gone beyond its U.N. mandate to protect civilians.
Western powers are lining up behind the rebels. Spain on Wednesday said it had recognized their National Transitional Council as the country's only representative.
"I'm here today to confirm that the National Transitional Council is the only legitimate representative of the Libyan people," Spanish Foreign Minister Trinidad Jimenez told reporters in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi on Wednesday.
Rebel spokesman Abdulrahman said from Zintan that Gaddafi's forces had also shelled the western town on Wednesday morning, after massing large numbers of troops toward it.
"They are now using anti-aircraft weapons," he said.
Gaddafi's troops and the rebels have been deadlocked for weeks, with neither side able to hold territory on a road between Ajdabiyah in the east, which Gaddafi's forces shelled on Monday, and the Gaddafi-held oil town of Brega further west.
Rebels control the east of Libya, the western city of Misrata and the range of western mountains near the border with Tunisia. They have been unable to advance on the capital against Gaddafi's better-equipped forces.
NATO SEEKS MORE SUPPORT
NATO sought broader support for the Western bombing campaign in Libya on Wednesday, given that the alliance's air power has been stretched by the latest strikes on Tripoli.
"We want to see increased urgency in some quarters in terms of Libya," NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said.
But some NATO allies that have not taken part in the bombing said they would not alter their stance, and Sweden, a non-NATO participant, said it would scale down its role.
Of the 28 NATO allies, only eight, led by Britain and France, have been conducting air strikes on Gaddafi's forces, and a senior U.S. official warned this week that fatigue was beginning to set in among the aircrews already committed.
NATO allies agree Gaddafi must go, but not all view military intervention as the best way to achieve this.
Germany, which opposed the Libyan intervention, said it understood the pressures on Britain and France but would not change its position. Spain said it would not join the mission, despite now recognizing the rebels as Libya's representatives.
"Germany sticks to its position -- no military engagement," German Deputy Defense Minister Christian Schmidt told reporters.
GADDAFI DIGS IN
As bombs fell late on Tuesday, Gaddafi vowed to fight to the end, after strikes on his Bab al-Aziziya compound.
"We only have one choice: we will stay in our land dead or alive," he said in a fiery audio address on state television.
Gaddafi says the rebels are a minority of Islamist militants and the NATO campaign is an attempt to grab Libya's oil.
U.S. President Barack Obama said on Tuesday it was "just a matter of time before Gaddafi goes."
Diplomatic overtures are being made to the rebels by world powers, even Russia and China, despite their misgivings about interference in Libya's sovereign affairs.
A Russian special envoy for Africa said in the rebel capital of Benghazi on Tuesday that Gaddafi could no longer represent Libya and that Russia was ready to help in any way possible.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said an Egypt-based Chinese diplomat had visited Benghazi to talk with the rebels.
There was no immediate comment from Gaddafi's government.
"Misrata is under heavy shelling ... Gaddafi forces are shelling Misrata from three sides: east, west and south," rebel spokesman Hassan al-Misrati told Reuters from inside the town.
"He has sent thousands of troops from all sides and they are trying to enter the city. They are still outside, though."
He added that 12 rebels had been killed and 26 wounded.
The offensive followed a lull in NATO bombing of Tripoli on Wednesday, after 24 hours of some of the heaviest bombardments of the Libyan capital since air strikes began in March.
NATO defense ministers met in Brussels on Wednesday, but there were few signs of willingness to intensify their Libya mission, which has so far failed to oust Gaddafi.
The alliance says the bombing aims to protect civilians from the Libyan leader's military, which crushed popular protests against his rule in February, leaving many dead.
But with officials like British Foreign Secretary William Hague talking explicitly of Gaddafi being forced out, critics say NATO has gone beyond its U.N. mandate to protect civilians.
Western powers are lining up behind the rebels. Spain on Wednesday said it had recognized their National Transitional Council as the country's only representative.
"I'm here today to confirm that the National Transitional Council is the only legitimate representative of the Libyan people," Spanish Foreign Minister Trinidad Jimenez told reporters in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi on Wednesday.
Rebel spokesman Abdulrahman said from Zintan that Gaddafi's forces had also shelled the western town on Wednesday morning, after massing large numbers of troops toward it.
"They are now using anti-aircraft weapons," he said.
Gaddafi's troops and the rebels have been deadlocked for weeks, with neither side able to hold territory on a road between Ajdabiyah in the east, which Gaddafi's forces shelled on Monday, and the Gaddafi-held oil town of Brega further west.
Rebels control the east of Libya, the western city of Misrata and the range of western mountains near the border with Tunisia. They have been unable to advance on the capital against Gaddafi's better-equipped forces.
NATO SEEKS MORE SUPPORT
NATO sought broader support for the Western bombing campaign in Libya on Wednesday, given that the alliance's air power has been stretched by the latest strikes on Tripoli.
"We want to see increased urgency in some quarters in terms of Libya," NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said.
But some NATO allies that have not taken part in the bombing said they would not alter their stance, and Sweden, a non-NATO participant, said it would scale down its role.
Of the 28 NATO allies, only eight, led by Britain and France, have been conducting air strikes on Gaddafi's forces, and a senior U.S. official warned this week that fatigue was beginning to set in among the aircrews already committed.
NATO allies agree Gaddafi must go, but not all view military intervention as the best way to achieve this.
Germany, which opposed the Libyan intervention, said it understood the pressures on Britain and France but would not change its position. Spain said it would not join the mission, despite now recognizing the rebels as Libya's representatives.
"Germany sticks to its position -- no military engagement," German Deputy Defense Minister Christian Schmidt told reporters.
GADDAFI DIGS IN
As bombs fell late on Tuesday, Gaddafi vowed to fight to the end, after strikes on his Bab al-Aziziya compound.
"We only have one choice: we will stay in our land dead or alive," he said in a fiery audio address on state television.
Gaddafi says the rebels are a minority of Islamist militants and the NATO campaign is an attempt to grab Libya's oil.
U.S. President Barack Obama said on Tuesday it was "just a matter of time before Gaddafi goes."
Diplomatic overtures are being made to the rebels by world powers, even Russia and China, despite their misgivings about interference in Libya's sovereign affairs.
A Russian special envoy for Africa said in the rebel capital of Benghazi on Tuesday that Gaddafi could no longer represent Libya and that Russia was ready to help in any way possible.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said an Egypt-based Chinese diplomat had visited Benghazi to talk with the rebels.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Ghana national security men (BNI) seizes "Atta Mortuary Man" movies
A movie producer has expressed utter disgust at the seizure of Video CDs of two of his yet-to-be-released movies “Atta Mortuary Man” and “Oh Uncle Atta,” by persons said to be armed national security men.
Kofi Asamoah claimed the men besieged the premises of his distributor on Saturday and seized 13,000 copies of the CDs which they took to the offices of the BNI.
The Distributor, George Walker Darko, who was arrested but later released Saturday evening confirmed the story to host of Joy FM’s Super Morning Show Kojo Oppong Nkrumah on Monday.
According to Mr Darko, no reasons were given for the seizure except the unequivocal instruction by one of the muscled men that the movies could not be released to the public.
He could not fathom how and why his two comedy movies which have no political inclination or content, except the titles - both of which could manifestly be linked to the President John Atta Mills - would be seized.
He explained that efforts by his distributor to convince the men that the movies had no political coloration fell on deaf ears as the men sang the chorus that they were operating with an order from above.
According to him the two movies have been given a clean bill of health by the Ghana Cinematography Control Board which has the statutory mandate to evaluate contents of movies before they are aired to the public.
He said despite the Board’s decision, the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation prior to the seizure refused, for no justifiable reasons, to promote the movies even though he was ready to pay for it.
Explaining the synopsis of the movies, Kofi Asamoah said “Atta Mortuary Man” is purely a comedy in which the lead actor-Agya Koo, playing the role as Atta, is a susu collector who after fraudulently embezzling the amounts he had collected from the residents decided to ran away from the vicinity. Finding himself in a new locality, he had to pursue other jobs for a living and settled on being a mortuary man.
He noted that similarly, the “Oh Uncle Atta” has no political connotation.
For now the 13,000 CDs are still with the BNI, he said, adding the movies were supposed to be released this week.
He expressed deep frustration at what he described as needless impediments being put on his way by national security over harmless movies that are purely for comedic purposes.
He also lamented the huge financial costs that went into the production.
The National Security is yet to react to the allegations.
Meanwhile, Deputy Information Minister Baba Jamal has said in an interview with Peace FM Monday that the 13,000 copies of the movie were seized because the producer did not complete censorship procedures.
He further explained that though the movie itself had been censored and approved by the Cinematography board, its posters and adverts had not yet been scrutinised since the producer did not make them available at the time the movie was under scrutiny.
Mr Jamal said until the adverts and posters have been properly censored, the movie should not be sold. He added that the national security had to intervene and seize the copies to ensure that laws governing film production were strictly adhered to.
Story by Nathan Gadugah and Dorcas Efe Mensah/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana
Kofi Asamoah claimed the men besieged the premises of his distributor on Saturday and seized 13,000 copies of the CDs which they took to the offices of the BNI.
The Distributor, George Walker Darko, who was arrested but later released Saturday evening confirmed the story to host of Joy FM’s Super Morning Show Kojo Oppong Nkrumah on Monday.
According to Mr Darko, no reasons were given for the seizure except the unequivocal instruction by one of the muscled men that the movies could not be released to the public.
He could not fathom how and why his two comedy movies which have no political inclination or content, except the titles - both of which could manifestly be linked to the President John Atta Mills - would be seized.
He explained that efforts by his distributor to convince the men that the movies had no political coloration fell on deaf ears as the men sang the chorus that they were operating with an order from above.
According to him the two movies have been given a clean bill of health by the Ghana Cinematography Control Board which has the statutory mandate to evaluate contents of movies before they are aired to the public.
He said despite the Board’s decision, the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation prior to the seizure refused, for no justifiable reasons, to promote the movies even though he was ready to pay for it.
Explaining the synopsis of the movies, Kofi Asamoah said “Atta Mortuary Man” is purely a comedy in which the lead actor-Agya Koo, playing the role as Atta, is a susu collector who after fraudulently embezzling the amounts he had collected from the residents decided to ran away from the vicinity. Finding himself in a new locality, he had to pursue other jobs for a living and settled on being a mortuary man.
He noted that similarly, the “Oh Uncle Atta” has no political connotation.
For now the 13,000 CDs are still with the BNI, he said, adding the movies were supposed to be released this week.
He expressed deep frustration at what he described as needless impediments being put on his way by national security over harmless movies that are purely for comedic purposes.
He also lamented the huge financial costs that went into the production.
The National Security is yet to react to the allegations.
Meanwhile, Deputy Information Minister Baba Jamal has said in an interview with Peace FM Monday that the 13,000 copies of the movie were seized because the producer did not complete censorship procedures.
He further explained that though the movie itself had been censored and approved by the Cinematography board, its posters and adverts had not yet been scrutinised since the producer did not make them available at the time the movie was under scrutiny.
Mr Jamal said until the adverts and posters have been properly censored, the movie should not be sold. He added that the national security had to intervene and seize the copies to ensure that laws governing film production were strictly adhered to.
Story by Nathan Gadugah and Dorcas Efe Mensah/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana
STX In Danger
Source: Daily Guide - Daily Guide
The controversial STX Housing project, which sparked intense debate before the deal was approved by Parliament, appears to be stalling as the Ghanaian and Korean partners are virtually trading punches.
The partners are battling it out in court over the sourcing of funds for the project, while the government panics, with the dream of building the supposed 30,000 houses for the country's security agencies fizzling out.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) government reached an agreement with STX Engineering & Construction Limited, Korea, through its subsidiary in Ghana for the construction of 200,000 houses in Ghana within a period of five years, estimated at $10billion; and in August 2010, Parliament approved an initial off-take agreement for 30,000 housing units for the security agencies at a proportionate cost of $1.5 billion.
However, sources of funding for the project as well as the alleged attempt by STX Korea to remove the Ghanaian directors from the company has cast serious doubts on the take-off of the project, five months after the ground-breaking by President Atta Mills amidst fanfare.
STX had promised to bring the money from Korea as captured in the agreement, but that has not happened, compelling the government and local partners to look elsewhere for cash.
According to DAILY GUIDE sources, the sovereign guarantee issued by the Ghana government to STX to enable it to raise a loan has allegedly been given to B.K. Asamoah, the man who facilitated the deal to source for funding in the financial market without reference to the Koreans.
This side-stepping is what has infuriated the Koreans, prompting them to go to court to dismiss the Ghanaian directors.
The government is trying feverishly to make things appear as if all is well with the project, as Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Alban Bagbin says the parties have been spoken to.
When Mr Bagbin was asked by Joy FM about additional sources of funding for the project he simply said, 'The money is available so it is not an issue of funding. I won't disclose the source of additional funding but the money is coming into our account at the bank of Ghana.'
He continued: 'There is no difficulty in sourcing funds. Funds have been sourced and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning can confirm that money is available.'
Mr. Bagbin said since the Bank of Ghana issued sovereign guarantee to cover the project, there is mad rush by banks to provide financial support for the project.
He also alleged that the government is committed to the project, saying, 'It is government's project and not STX project. Government definitely has a plan B to continue with the works. The parties are in court we can deal with the technical team.'
He said the problem between the directors was as a result of a breakdown in communication and that government has another strategy to ensure that the project still continues even if the standoff is not resolved on time.
B.K. Asamoah is credited largely for bringing about the STX Korean deal, which the Mills administration is hoping would provide accommodation for many Ghanaians; but sensing that the Koreans are planning to remove him from the company through an emergency board meeting, he went to court in Accra to stop the move.
In the motion, Mr. Asamoah wants the court to declare as illegal and wrongful, notices of an impending extraordinary meeting where he and another director, J. B. Asafo Boakye would be dismissed.
Recently for instance, Danquah Institute (DI), a policy analysts group, raised red flags over the implementation of the project because of what it calls 'the government's ambiguity, changes and re-arrangements with sources of funding of the project'.
A fellow at IMANI Ghana, Kofi Bentil, has also challenged Bagbin's claim that there is funding for the project and stated that evidence available clearly showed that there is no funding for the project.
He further challenged the Minister on Joy FM to come out with the details of the names of organizations which have provided the money and the amounts involved.
He said such details should not be concealed and treated as though it was a national security matter.
He reiterated his belief that the STX project is a misplaced priority which government should have avoided.
According to him, money for the project will be of better use if channeled towards solving the perennial water problems the nation faces.
By William Yaw Owusu
The controversial STX Housing project, which sparked intense debate before the deal was approved by Parliament, appears to be stalling as the Ghanaian and Korean partners are virtually trading punches.
The partners are battling it out in court over the sourcing of funds for the project, while the government panics, with the dream of building the supposed 30,000 houses for the country's security agencies fizzling out.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) government reached an agreement with STX Engineering & Construction Limited, Korea, through its subsidiary in Ghana for the construction of 200,000 houses in Ghana within a period of five years, estimated at $10billion; and in August 2010, Parliament approved an initial off-take agreement for 30,000 housing units for the security agencies at a proportionate cost of $1.5 billion.
However, sources of funding for the project as well as the alleged attempt by STX Korea to remove the Ghanaian directors from the company has cast serious doubts on the take-off of the project, five months after the ground-breaking by President Atta Mills amidst fanfare.
STX had promised to bring the money from Korea as captured in the agreement, but that has not happened, compelling the government and local partners to look elsewhere for cash.
According to DAILY GUIDE sources, the sovereign guarantee issued by the Ghana government to STX to enable it to raise a loan has allegedly been given to B.K. Asamoah, the man who facilitated the deal to source for funding in the financial market without reference to the Koreans.
This side-stepping is what has infuriated the Koreans, prompting them to go to court to dismiss the Ghanaian directors.
The government is trying feverishly to make things appear as if all is well with the project, as Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Alban Bagbin says the parties have been spoken to.
When Mr Bagbin was asked by Joy FM about additional sources of funding for the project he simply said, 'The money is available so it is not an issue of funding. I won't disclose the source of additional funding but the money is coming into our account at the bank of Ghana.'
He continued: 'There is no difficulty in sourcing funds. Funds have been sourced and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning can confirm that money is available.'
Mr. Bagbin said since the Bank of Ghana issued sovereign guarantee to cover the project, there is mad rush by banks to provide financial support for the project.
He also alleged that the government is committed to the project, saying, 'It is government's project and not STX project. Government definitely has a plan B to continue with the works. The parties are in court we can deal with the technical team.'
He said the problem between the directors was as a result of a breakdown in communication and that government has another strategy to ensure that the project still continues even if the standoff is not resolved on time.
B.K. Asamoah is credited largely for bringing about the STX Korean deal, which the Mills administration is hoping would provide accommodation for many Ghanaians; but sensing that the Koreans are planning to remove him from the company through an emergency board meeting, he went to court in Accra to stop the move.
In the motion, Mr. Asamoah wants the court to declare as illegal and wrongful, notices of an impending extraordinary meeting where he and another director, J. B. Asafo Boakye would be dismissed.
Recently for instance, Danquah Institute (DI), a policy analysts group, raised red flags over the implementation of the project because of what it calls 'the government's ambiguity, changes and re-arrangements with sources of funding of the project'.
A fellow at IMANI Ghana, Kofi Bentil, has also challenged Bagbin's claim that there is funding for the project and stated that evidence available clearly showed that there is no funding for the project.
He further challenged the Minister on Joy FM to come out with the details of the names of organizations which have provided the money and the amounts involved.
He said such details should not be concealed and treated as though it was a national security matter.
He reiterated his belief that the STX project is a misplaced priority which government should have avoided.
According to him, money for the project will be of better use if channeled towards solving the perennial water problems the nation faces.
By William Yaw Owusu
Ghana Minister admits building 20-room mansion on waterway
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Deputy Minister for Agriculture, in-charge of Animal Husbandry, Alfred Sugri Tia, Wednesday admitted ownership of a five-acre waterlog land, located at the Tema Golf City Estates, on which he is putting up a 20-room mansion.
Though the building project, according to neighbours started recently, the Deputy Minister, in a curious submission, told Citi FM and Joy FM Wednesday that he was constructing the housing project for his former poultry farm workers who were laid off when the farm was shut down in 2007.
“The Minister is only playing politics. He is struggling to show that he started the project before his appointment. But we live here with the floods and we know when he started. How come his men are working day and night, four years after he shut down the poultry if indeed this mansion is to provide accommodation for them?” commented a Golf City Estates resident yesterday.
Even though a building consultant puts the housing project at GHC2.5 million (25 billion old cedis), the Minister, who is also the Member of Parliament for Nalerigu/Gambaga, insists the 20-room mansion will not cost more than GH¢100,000.
The NDC has been putting up a basic 6-unit classroom block at GH¢220,000 in Tema.
Speaking on Accra based Joy FM, Dr Tia stunned his listeners when he said he was not sure of the number of rooms in the building, even though he had earlier said on Citi FM that the building contained 15 rooms.
“The rooms are about 18 thereabout; it could be 20; I am not too certain,” he told listeners Joy FM.
Neighbours of Dr Tia say they live in danger of having their homes and belongings drowned in floods because of the decision by the Minister to put up the massive 20-room building on a water way in the area.
They blame the unusual flooding of the area in recent times on the fact that the Minister’s building has eaten into a part of a bridge, blocking the free flow of water.
Over 30 detached houses in the area suffer from severe floods whenever there is a heavy downpour, a situation which the residents say is getting worse and damaging their property.
“We never used to face this problem before the Minster and his wife started their building project,” lamented a neighbour who refused to be named for fear of reprisals.
When the New Statesman visited the area, workers were busily at work and neighbours were busily complaining. Work on the site goes on nonstop, day and night, seven times a week, according to residents.
Most obviously affected by the waterway blockade is the Delawen Poultry Farm, located right opposite the Minister’s building. The animal husbandry lost over 10,000 birds and hundreds of sheep at an estimated cost of GHc70, 000. This loss, according to sources at the farm, occurred during the recent rains.
Some resident say the Minister has ignored all their complaints. “He’s serious about showing us where power lies and we are seriously reeling from it,” one resident cried.
After several complaints, including clear warnings from the Tema Development Corporation and the Tema Municipal Assembly, construction on the waterway stopped. But, this was only for a short period before work resumed full steam.
Our checks at both the TMA and TDC suggest that the authorities have been impressed upon “to allow the Minister to break the law”, said a TDC source, and “to get away with murder,” added a TMA insider.
Yaw Kudjorji, a resident, shared his frustration with our reporter. He said the residents were tired of making official complaints to both the TDC and TMA because “nothing happens.”
His fear was that things could get worse as the raining season kicks in and the flooding could cause more havoc than so far endured.
Another resident could not hide her anger and exasperation. “We are afraid that any rainfall can flood all our houses due to one man’s negligence and power as a Minister,” said Madam Florence Donkor.
2 Ghanaians Fighting while airborne Boeing 767 ?
Before things got out of hand, it was a typical annoyance that happens once a flight gets airborne: A passenger hit the recline button and sent his seat intimately close to the lap of the guy sitting behind him.
What followed wasn’t typical at all: a smack to the head, peacemakers diving about the cabin to intervene and a pair of Air Force F-16 fighter jets scrambling into the night skies over Washington.
It happened late Sunday, just after a United Airlines Boeing 767 bound for Ghana with 144 passengers took off from Dulles International Airport.
Not long after the 10:44 p.m. departure for the overnight flight, the offending seat was lowered into the offended lap, and a fight ensued. A flight attendant and another passenger jumped in between, said sources familiar with the incident who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to provide details.
The pilot has complete authority over the aircraft, a United spokesman said, and he decided to return to Dulles to sort things out rather than continue the transatlantic flight to Ghana when he was unsure of the scope of the problem.
[ For complete coverage of politics and policy, go to Yahoo! Politics ]
Airline and Homeland Security Department officials said they had no other details on the incident.
Since Sept. 11, 2001, pilots have learned to be wary. In recent years, disturbances have revealed terrorist attempts to ignite explosives hidden in shoes and underwear. Air Force fighter jets stand ready to respond to situations such as this one, in which passengers, who might be terrorists, cause trouble in flight.
(LISTEN: The audio between the pilot and the control tower)
A 767 can take off with 16,700 gallons of fuel, and for the more-than-5,000-mile flight to Accra, Ghana, it probably would have needed all of it. The full load of fuel weighs more than 57 tons, and, although a 767 can get that weight airborne, it can’t land with it.
As the plane turned back to Dulles, an air traffic controller directed the United pilot to fly around for about 25 minutes, shadowed by the fighter jets, to burn off an undetermined amount of fuel.
(RESPOND: What would you have done if you were on the plane)
Audio transmissions indicate that the two Air Force fighters scrambled from Andrews Air Force Base at 11:03 p.m, just as the plane reentered Washington airspace.
Five minutes later, the fighter escorts took up position 1,000 feet above the jetliner as it headed toward Dulles, sources said.
At 11:10 p.m., the controller asked about the passenger who slapped his neighbor, and a voice from the cockpit replied: “The passenger is not secured at this time; the passenger has settled down, though, but an assault has taken place, but at this time he is not secured.”
Members of the Dulles police force met the flight at the gate, said Rob Yingling, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. Officers determined that the incident didn’t warrant pressing charges, Yingling said.
It was probably expensive, however.
In addition to the fuel cost — jet fuel averaged $3.03 a gallon last month — the flight was delayed until Monday. Given that no arrests were made, there was no official record of the incident, and the identities of the men involved were not known. It was unclear whether they were on the flight when it left Monday morning or, if so, where they sat, United spokesman Mike Trevino said.
What followed wasn’t typical at all: a smack to the head, peacemakers diving about the cabin to intervene and a pair of Air Force F-16 fighter jets scrambling into the night skies over Washington.
It happened late Sunday, just after a United Airlines Boeing 767 bound for Ghana with 144 passengers took off from Dulles International Airport.
Not long after the 10:44 p.m. departure for the overnight flight, the offending seat was lowered into the offended lap, and a fight ensued. A flight attendant and another passenger jumped in between, said sources familiar with the incident who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to provide details.
The pilot has complete authority over the aircraft, a United spokesman said, and he decided to return to Dulles to sort things out rather than continue the transatlantic flight to Ghana when he was unsure of the scope of the problem.
[ For complete coverage of politics and policy, go to Yahoo! Politics ]
Airline and Homeland Security Department officials said they had no other details on the incident.
Since Sept. 11, 2001, pilots have learned to be wary. In recent years, disturbances have revealed terrorist attempts to ignite explosives hidden in shoes and underwear. Air Force fighter jets stand ready to respond to situations such as this one, in which passengers, who might be terrorists, cause trouble in flight.
(LISTEN: The audio between the pilot and the control tower)
A 767 can take off with 16,700 gallons of fuel, and for the more-than-5,000-mile flight to Accra, Ghana, it probably would have needed all of it. The full load of fuel weighs more than 57 tons, and, although a 767 can get that weight airborne, it can’t land with it.
As the plane turned back to Dulles, an air traffic controller directed the United pilot to fly around for about 25 minutes, shadowed by the fighter jets, to burn off an undetermined amount of fuel.
(RESPOND: What would you have done if you were on the plane)
Audio transmissions indicate that the two Air Force fighters scrambled from Andrews Air Force Base at 11:03 p.m, just as the plane reentered Washington airspace.
Five minutes later, the fighter escorts took up position 1,000 feet above the jetliner as it headed toward Dulles, sources said.
At 11:10 p.m., the controller asked about the passenger who slapped his neighbor, and a voice from the cockpit replied: “The passenger is not secured at this time; the passenger has settled down, though, but an assault has taken place, but at this time he is not secured.”
Members of the Dulles police force met the flight at the gate, said Rob Yingling, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. Officers determined that the incident didn’t warrant pressing charges, Yingling said.
It was probably expensive, however.
In addition to the fuel cost — jet fuel averaged $3.03 a gallon last month — the flight was delayed until Monday. Given that no arrests were made, there was no official record of the incident, and the identities of the men involved were not known. It was unclear whether they were on the flight when it left Monday morning or, if so, where they sat, United spokesman Mike Trevino said.
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