CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand – The New Zealand earthquake has exposed potentially historic documents hidden inside a 19th century statue that toppled in the disaster.
Christchurch Major Bob Parker said Tuesday that a handwritten parchment in a bottle and a sealed copper cylinder believed to contain documents were discovered inside the statue of the city's founder.
The statue is in the city's main square near its historic cathedral. It fell during the Feb. 22 earthquake that killed at least 155 people.
Museum experts were examining the items. They appeared to contain a message from the city's founders expressing their vision for it.
Parker said, "It seems almost providential that they have come to light now to provide the inspiration we need in this most difficult time."
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Mexico nabs alleged head of 'Resistance' drug gang
MEXICO CITY – Mexican police have captured the alleged leader of a drug gang that calls itself "The Resistance," a group that operates in western Mexico, officials said Monday.
Victor Torres Garcia was detained in the Michoacan state city of Uruapan, along with two alleged associates, several guns and bags of drugs, federal police announced.
Torres Garcia allegedly led a gang whose members came several other cartels and who grouped together to resist the incursion of the Zetas drug gang. It also sought to fill a vacuum left by the death or capture of top members of the Beltran Leyva cartel in 2008 and 2009.
The Resistance operated in the states of Jalisco, Michoacan and Mexico City and surrounding Mexico state.
Federal police said in a statement that Torres Garcia had once worked for the Beltran Leyva cartel, and that Resistance members came from the La Familia, Gulf and Milenio cartels.
Michoacan is the home base of La Familia, which has sought to extend its influence to neighboring states. The Zetas, originally based on Mexico's Gulf coast, have spread through the country.
La Familia built its base in Michoacan in part by corrupting or intimidating local police and other officials.
On Monday, the army reported it had detained a female Michoacan state police officer who was traveling in a convoy of vehicles with eight assault rifles, ammunition and a bag of marijuana seeds. The other members of three-vehicle convoy managed to escape into the countryside.
The state police officer was on medical leave at the time she was detained, and was wearing a bulletproof vest that identified her as a municipal police officer.
And in the Pacific coast state of Sinaloa, state prosecutors reported that the bodies of five men had been found dangling from bridges over a highway in the coastal city of Mazatlan.
One of the men was hung from a pedestrian bridge, blindfolded. The other four bodies were gagged and tortured and hung from an overpass.
Some cruise ship companies are canceling stops in Mazatlan because of concerns about security.
In southern Guerrero state, gunmen killed four state police officers as they drove near the state capital of Chilpancingo, authorities said.
The officers were in a patrol car when gunmen opened fire with automatic rifles, Guerrero state prosecutors said in a statement.
Meanwhile, in the city of Ciudad Juarez, across the border from El Paso, Texas, assailants opened fire on a car Monday afternoon, killing two men, a woman and a 10-year-old boy. A 4-year-old boy and a teenager were wounded, said Chihuahua state prosecutors' spokesman Arturo Sandoval said.
The victims were all members of one family, Sandoval said. He said authorities recovered more than 40 spent bullets from the scene, he said.
More than 35,000 people have been killed in drug-related violence since Mexican President Felipe Calderon launched a military offensive against the country's drug gangs shortly after taking office in December 2006.
Victor Torres Garcia was detained in the Michoacan state city of Uruapan, along with two alleged associates, several guns and bags of drugs, federal police announced.
Torres Garcia allegedly led a gang whose members came several other cartels and who grouped together to resist the incursion of the Zetas drug gang. It also sought to fill a vacuum left by the death or capture of top members of the Beltran Leyva cartel in 2008 and 2009.
The Resistance operated in the states of Jalisco, Michoacan and Mexico City and surrounding Mexico state.
Federal police said in a statement that Torres Garcia had once worked for the Beltran Leyva cartel, and that Resistance members came from the La Familia, Gulf and Milenio cartels.
Michoacan is the home base of La Familia, which has sought to extend its influence to neighboring states. The Zetas, originally based on Mexico's Gulf coast, have spread through the country.
La Familia built its base in Michoacan in part by corrupting or intimidating local police and other officials.
On Monday, the army reported it had detained a female Michoacan state police officer who was traveling in a convoy of vehicles with eight assault rifles, ammunition and a bag of marijuana seeds. The other members of three-vehicle convoy managed to escape into the countryside.
The state police officer was on medical leave at the time she was detained, and was wearing a bulletproof vest that identified her as a municipal police officer.
And in the Pacific coast state of Sinaloa, state prosecutors reported that the bodies of five men had been found dangling from bridges over a highway in the coastal city of Mazatlan.
One of the men was hung from a pedestrian bridge, blindfolded. The other four bodies were gagged and tortured and hung from an overpass.
Some cruise ship companies are canceling stops in Mazatlan because of concerns about security.
In southern Guerrero state, gunmen killed four state police officers as they drove near the state capital of Chilpancingo, authorities said.
The officers were in a patrol car when gunmen opened fire with automatic rifles, Guerrero state prosecutors said in a statement.
Meanwhile, in the city of Ciudad Juarez, across the border from El Paso, Texas, assailants opened fire on a car Monday afternoon, killing two men, a woman and a 10-year-old boy. A 4-year-old boy and a teenager were wounded, said Chihuahua state prosecutors' spokesman Arturo Sandoval said.
The victims were all members of one family, Sandoval said. He said authorities recovered more than 40 spent bullets from the scene, he said.
More than 35,000 people have been killed in drug-related violence since Mexican President Felipe Calderon launched a military offensive against the country's drug gangs shortly after taking office in December 2006.
German unemployment edges lower in February
FRANKFURT (AFP) – The German unemployment rate eased slightly to 7.9 percent in February as the unadjusted number of people out of work declined by 33,000 to 3.3 million, the national labour office said on Tuesday.
The unadjusted rate, which is used as the basis for public debate, stood at a revised 8.0 percent in January.
When adjusted for seasonal effects, the standard used by economists for comparisons, the unemployment rate in February edged down to 7.3 percent from 7.4 percent in January.
Analysts had expected no change in this figure at 7.4 percent.
The unadjusted rate, which is used as the basis for public debate, stood at a revised 8.0 percent in January.
When adjusted for seasonal effects, the standard used by economists for comparisons, the unemployment rate in February edged down to 7.3 percent from 7.4 percent in January.
Analysts had expected no change in this figure at 7.4 percent.
UN chief blasts Libya, I.Coast leaders
WASHINGTON (AFP) – UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the leaders of Libya and Ivory Coast for waging war on their own people, as he urged the international community to stand united against them to prevent more bloodshed.
The Libyan regime has met "the winds of change" sweeping across the Middle East and North Africa with violence against its own citizens, and long-time leader Moamer Kadhafi "lost legitimacy when he declared war on his people," Ban told reporters after touring the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington.
Rights groups say at least 1,000 people have been killed in Libya in a brutal crackdown by forces loyal to Kadhafi on pro-democracy demonstrators who took to the streets nearly two weeks ago in the wake of upheavals in neighboring Egypt and Tunisia.
In Ivory Coast, violence is escalating as President Laurent Gbagbo clings to power despite the international community recognizing his rival Alassane Ouattara as the legitimate winner of an election held three months ago.
"The winner of the election in Cote d'Ivoire is Mr Ouattara and Mr Gbagbo should cede power to preserve peace and stability and the future of Cote d'Ivoire," Ban said.
"In Cote d?Ivoire, civilians are being killed as they stand for democracy. And we, nations united, stand with them."
Ban was speaking to reporters after touring the museum, which stands as a memorial to the six million Jews who died at the hands of the Nazis during World War II.
Alluding to the atrocities committed 70 years ago by Adolf Hitler's Nazis, Ban said: "Once again, we are being tested."
"'Never again' is for all people, in all places," he said, referring to the call made after World War II to never allow a repetition of the Holocaust.
"'History?s most tragic chapters are written when we fail to heed that call," the UN chief said as he outlined measures that have already been taken against Kadhafi and Gbagbo, and warned that "further action may well be necessary."
Ban had met earlier with President Barack Obama, whom he praised for his firm and decisive leadership on the crisis in the Middle East.
Washington has frozen 30 billion dollars in Libyan assets, and US naval and air forces are being moved into position near Libya, as Western countries weigh possible military intervention.
During his visit to the Holocaust Museum, Ban paused silently by the eternal flame in the Hall of Remembrance before lighting several candles under the name of the most infamous of the Nazi German death camps built on Polish soil, Auschwitz-Birkenau, where at least a million people died in purpose-built gas chambers.
The Libyan regime has met "the winds of change" sweeping across the Middle East and North Africa with violence against its own citizens, and long-time leader Moamer Kadhafi "lost legitimacy when he declared war on his people," Ban told reporters after touring the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington.
Rights groups say at least 1,000 people have been killed in Libya in a brutal crackdown by forces loyal to Kadhafi on pro-democracy demonstrators who took to the streets nearly two weeks ago in the wake of upheavals in neighboring Egypt and Tunisia.
In Ivory Coast, violence is escalating as President Laurent Gbagbo clings to power despite the international community recognizing his rival Alassane Ouattara as the legitimate winner of an election held three months ago.
"The winner of the election in Cote d'Ivoire is Mr Ouattara and Mr Gbagbo should cede power to preserve peace and stability and the future of Cote d'Ivoire," Ban said.
"In Cote d?Ivoire, civilians are being killed as they stand for democracy. And we, nations united, stand with them."
Ban was speaking to reporters after touring the museum, which stands as a memorial to the six million Jews who died at the hands of the Nazis during World War II.
Alluding to the atrocities committed 70 years ago by Adolf Hitler's Nazis, Ban said: "Once again, we are being tested."
"'Never again' is for all people, in all places," he said, referring to the call made after World War II to never allow a repetition of the Holocaust.
"'History?s most tragic chapters are written when we fail to heed that call," the UN chief said as he outlined measures that have already been taken against Kadhafi and Gbagbo, and warned that "further action may well be necessary."
Ban had met earlier with President Barack Obama, whom he praised for his firm and decisive leadership on the crisis in the Middle East.
Washington has frozen 30 billion dollars in Libyan assets, and US naval and air forces are being moved into position near Libya, as Western countries weigh possible military intervention.
During his visit to the Holocaust Museum, Ban paused silently by the eternal flame in the Hall of Remembrance before lighting several candles under the name of the most infamous of the Nazi German death camps built on Polish soil, Auschwitz-Birkenau, where at least a million people died in purpose-built gas chambers.
Zimbabwe police, military put on show of force
HARARE, Zimbabwe – Zimbabwean police and troops are putting on a show of force in the capital as calls for protests against the longtime authoritarian ruler appear to have gone unheeded.
Armored cars, trucks of riot police and Israeli-built water cannon vehicles have swept through Harare since Saturday, fanning out into townships around the city. Authorities have given no official explanation for the display of force.
Messages, many of them anonymous, posted on Zimbabwean websites called for protests Tuesday but there has been no open campaigning for demonstrators to turn out on the streets. Some 15 percent of Zimbabweans have access to the Internet and social networking sites.
President Robert Mugabe is scheduled to address a mass rally in central Harare on Wednesday.
Armored cars, trucks of riot police and Israeli-built water cannon vehicles have swept through Harare since Saturday, fanning out into townships around the city. Authorities have given no official explanation for the display of force.
Messages, many of them anonymous, posted on Zimbabwean websites called for protests Tuesday but there has been no open campaigning for demonstrators to turn out on the streets. Some 15 percent of Zimbabweans have access to the Internet and social networking sites.
President Robert Mugabe is scheduled to address a mass rally in central Harare on Wednesday.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Mubarak's wife, son prevented from boarding plane
CAIRO – Airport officials say authorities prevented the wife and son of ousted President Hosni Mubarak from flying out of the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh hours before authorities banned the Mubarak family from traveling abroad.
The officials said Monday that Mubarak's wife Suzanne and younger son Gamal tried to board a private jet Sunday at the airport in Sharm el-Sheikh, where they have been staying since Mubarak stepped down on Feb. 11.
Authorities told them they cannot leave without special permission.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
On Monday, Egypt's top prosecutor seized all the funds of Mubarak and his family and banned them from traveling abroad.
It was not clear whether the ban was issued because they tried to leave.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's top prosecutor seized all the funds of ousted leader Hosni Mubarak and his family on Monday and banned them from travel abroad, the latest humiliation for the once-powerful family.
During the 18-day pro-democracy uprising, unconfirmed reports that Mubarak and his family might have amassed billions, or even tens of billions of dollars over their three decades in power fueled protesters already enraged over massive corruption and poverty in Egypt. Mubarak, the top ruling party leaders and other cronies, and the powerful military have all profited richly from the corrupt system.
Mubarak was forced out of the president's office on Feb. 11 by the military, who have promised to meet many of the protesters' demands. He is now believed to be living in seclusion with his family in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. The attorney general had already frozen the assets of the ousted president, his wife, two sons and their wives on Feb. 20.
Nearly half the 80 million Egyptians live under or near the poverty line set by the World bank at $2 a day. Mubarak is suspected of turning a blind eye to corruption by family members and their associates, while many of the allegations of wrongdoing centered on the business activity of his two sons, Alaa and Gamal, as well as Gamal's wife and her family.
Unlike other Arab leaders, particularly those in the oil-rich Gulf nations, Mubarak was far from ostentatious. Whatever wealth he and his family may have had was rarely — if ever — flaunted.
The most prominent symbol of their presumed fortune that has surfaced was a townhouse in London's exclusive Knightsbridge district, which is listed under Gamal Mubarak's name and where he was said to have lived while working as an investment banker in the early 1990s. The townhouse has become a focal point for many in Egypt as foreign governments begin to either enact, or consider freezing the family's assets.
Gamal Mubarak was the ousted leader's one-time heir apparent, although they never confirmed the plan and remained evasive on the topic almost until the very end. The younger Mubarak rose rapidly through the ranks of his father's National Democratic Party, or NDP, over the past decade to become the country's most powerful politician after the president, who is 82.
In the NDP, Gamal Mubarak surrounded himself with mega-rich businessmen who sought political careers to promote their business interests. Between them, they introduced far-reaching economic reforms that benefited the businessmen. But any prosperity Egypt ever enjoyed never trickled to the impoverished majority.
Several of those businessmen are now in prison and subject to criminal investigations as the ruling military pushes ahead with a campaign to cleanse the country from the corruption of the ousted regime.
Alaa Mubarak's wealth has been the subject of much speculation from well before the political rise of his younger brother. There are allegations that he used the family name to muscle in on profitable enterprises, taking a cut of profits without contributing to the funds invested or work done.
Monday's edition of the state-owned Al-Ahram newspaper, for generations the traditional flagship of the state media in Egypt, splashed on its front page a complaint filed to the attorney general by a former lawmaker and harsh critic of the Mubarak regime that detailed the funds held by the Mubaraks in Egypt.
The complaint only mentioned Mubarak when it alleged that he gave his wife Suzanne control of the funds available to the Library of Alexandria, a modern version of the historic library believed to have been destroyed by a fire or an earthquake in late antiquity.
The complaint said Alaa and Gamal Mubarak had tens of millions of pounds and dollars in accounts at the National Bank of Egypt, one of four state-owned banks in Egypt.
Switzerland was the first foreign country to say it was moving to identify and freeze assets of Mubarak and his family.The European Union said last week it was considering a request from Egypt to freeze the assets of Mubarak's top aides. The EU said, however, that no such request had been submitted about the Mubaraks
The officials said Monday that Mubarak's wife Suzanne and younger son Gamal tried to board a private jet Sunday at the airport in Sharm el-Sheikh, where they have been staying since Mubarak stepped down on Feb. 11.
Authorities told them they cannot leave without special permission.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
On Monday, Egypt's top prosecutor seized all the funds of Mubarak and his family and banned them from traveling abroad.
It was not clear whether the ban was issued because they tried to leave.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's top prosecutor seized all the funds of ousted leader Hosni Mubarak and his family on Monday and banned them from travel abroad, the latest humiliation for the once-powerful family.
During the 18-day pro-democracy uprising, unconfirmed reports that Mubarak and his family might have amassed billions, or even tens of billions of dollars over their three decades in power fueled protesters already enraged over massive corruption and poverty in Egypt. Mubarak, the top ruling party leaders and other cronies, and the powerful military have all profited richly from the corrupt system.
Mubarak was forced out of the president's office on Feb. 11 by the military, who have promised to meet many of the protesters' demands. He is now believed to be living in seclusion with his family in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. The attorney general had already frozen the assets of the ousted president, his wife, two sons and their wives on Feb. 20.
Nearly half the 80 million Egyptians live under or near the poverty line set by the World bank at $2 a day. Mubarak is suspected of turning a blind eye to corruption by family members and their associates, while many of the allegations of wrongdoing centered on the business activity of his two sons, Alaa and Gamal, as well as Gamal's wife and her family.
Unlike other Arab leaders, particularly those in the oil-rich Gulf nations, Mubarak was far from ostentatious. Whatever wealth he and his family may have had was rarely — if ever — flaunted.
The most prominent symbol of their presumed fortune that has surfaced was a townhouse in London's exclusive Knightsbridge district, which is listed under Gamal Mubarak's name and where he was said to have lived while working as an investment banker in the early 1990s. The townhouse has become a focal point for many in Egypt as foreign governments begin to either enact, or consider freezing the family's assets.
Gamal Mubarak was the ousted leader's one-time heir apparent, although they never confirmed the plan and remained evasive on the topic almost until the very end. The younger Mubarak rose rapidly through the ranks of his father's National Democratic Party, or NDP, over the past decade to become the country's most powerful politician after the president, who is 82.
In the NDP, Gamal Mubarak surrounded himself with mega-rich businessmen who sought political careers to promote their business interests. Between them, they introduced far-reaching economic reforms that benefited the businessmen. But any prosperity Egypt ever enjoyed never trickled to the impoverished majority.
Several of those businessmen are now in prison and subject to criminal investigations as the ruling military pushes ahead with a campaign to cleanse the country from the corruption of the ousted regime.
Alaa Mubarak's wealth has been the subject of much speculation from well before the political rise of his younger brother. There are allegations that he used the family name to muscle in on profitable enterprises, taking a cut of profits without contributing to the funds invested or work done.
Monday's edition of the state-owned Al-Ahram newspaper, for generations the traditional flagship of the state media in Egypt, splashed on its front page a complaint filed to the attorney general by a former lawmaker and harsh critic of the Mubarak regime that detailed the funds held by the Mubaraks in Egypt.
The complaint only mentioned Mubarak when it alleged that he gave his wife Suzanne control of the funds available to the Library of Alexandria, a modern version of the historic library believed to have been destroyed by a fire or an earthquake in late antiquity.
The complaint said Alaa and Gamal Mubarak had tens of millions of pounds and dollars in accounts at the National Bank of Egypt, one of four state-owned banks in Egypt.
Switzerland was the first foreign country to say it was moving to identify and freeze assets of Mubarak and his family.The European Union said last week it was considering a request from Egypt to freeze the assets of Mubarak's top aides. The EU said, however, that no such request had been submitted about the Mubaraks
Iran opposition leaders jailed
TEHRAN, Iran – Iranian authorities have taken senior opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mahdi Karroubi to a prison in Tehran, a reformist website said Monday. A semiofficial news agency denied the report.
Kaleme.com said Mousavi, his wife Zahra Rahnavard, as well as Karroubi and his wife, Fatemeh Karroubi, were transferred to Heshmatieh prison in the Iranian capital. It was not immediately clear when they were moved.
"According to the latest information obtained from reliable sources, Mousavi and Karroubi, together with their wives ... have been arrested and transferred to Heshmatieh prison," kaleme.com said.
But the semiofficial Fars news agency, which is close to the powerful Revolutionary Guard, denied the report. Fars quoted an unnamed judiciary official as saying the men were still under house arrest and have not been allowed to leave their homes or have any outside contact.
Calls placed by The Associated Press to judiciary officials went unanswered.
The imprisonment, if confirmed, would mark a major escalation of Iran's political crisis amid defiant calls from the opposition to stand up to the ruling system.
Earlier Monday, Iran's state prosecutor, Gholam Hossein MOhseni Ejehi, said that authorities had cut all outside contact with the opposition leaders as part of a campaign to silence dissent.
The official IRNA news agency quoted Ejehi as warning that authorities would take "other measures" against Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mahdi Karroubi if necessary.
"In the first step, their contacts such as meetings and telephone conversations have been restricted," Ejehi was quoted by IRNA as saying. "Should circumstances arise, other measures will be taken."
Ejehi did not say where they were being held.
Mousavi and Karroubi were placed under house arrest after urging supporters to attend a Feb. 14 rally. Clashes between protesters and security forces during the demonstrations killed two and wounded dozens.
Karroubi's website, sahamnews.org, said Iranian security forces took the two and their wives to an "unknown location" on Thursday.
Activists and opposition members have demanded Mousavi and Karroubi be released, vowing to stage demonstrations every Tuesday until they are freed.
Ejehi said any attempt by opposition supporters to take to the streets will meet swift retribution.
Iranian officials had called Mousavi and Karroubi "leaders of sedition," but Ejehi said the two were no longer seditionists but counterrevolutionaries.
"Today, this current has passed the sedition stage. It has turned into an counter-revolution (current)," IRNA quoted him as saying.
Prominent pro-reform cleric, Grand Ayatollah Youssef Saanei, denounced the government's treatment of the two opposition leaders.
"We are witnessing anti-Islamic and antihuman attacks against political opponents," said Saanei in a statement posted on a reformist website, kaleme.com.
The men "have been deprived of their basic human rights and put under house arrest without holding any trial, even a show trial and without giving them the chance to defend themselves," said Saanei.
In a letter, the children of Mousavi and Karroubi urged other religious leaders in the holy city of Qom to break their silence and condemn the treatment of their parents.
Kaleme.com said Mousavi, his wife Zahra Rahnavard, as well as Karroubi and his wife, Fatemeh Karroubi, were transferred to Heshmatieh prison in the Iranian capital. It was not immediately clear when they were moved.
"According to the latest information obtained from reliable sources, Mousavi and Karroubi, together with their wives ... have been arrested and transferred to Heshmatieh prison," kaleme.com said.
But the semiofficial Fars news agency, which is close to the powerful Revolutionary Guard, denied the report. Fars quoted an unnamed judiciary official as saying the men were still under house arrest and have not been allowed to leave their homes or have any outside contact.
Calls placed by The Associated Press to judiciary officials went unanswered.
The imprisonment, if confirmed, would mark a major escalation of Iran's political crisis amid defiant calls from the opposition to stand up to the ruling system.
Earlier Monday, Iran's state prosecutor, Gholam Hossein MOhseni Ejehi, said that authorities had cut all outside contact with the opposition leaders as part of a campaign to silence dissent.
The official IRNA news agency quoted Ejehi as warning that authorities would take "other measures" against Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mahdi Karroubi if necessary.
"In the first step, their contacts such as meetings and telephone conversations have been restricted," Ejehi was quoted by IRNA as saying. "Should circumstances arise, other measures will be taken."
Ejehi did not say where they were being held.
Mousavi and Karroubi were placed under house arrest after urging supporters to attend a Feb. 14 rally. Clashes between protesters and security forces during the demonstrations killed two and wounded dozens.
Karroubi's website, sahamnews.org, said Iranian security forces took the two and their wives to an "unknown location" on Thursday.
Activists and opposition members have demanded Mousavi and Karroubi be released, vowing to stage demonstrations every Tuesday until they are freed.
Ejehi said any attempt by opposition supporters to take to the streets will meet swift retribution.
Iranian officials had called Mousavi and Karroubi "leaders of sedition," but Ejehi said the two were no longer seditionists but counterrevolutionaries.
"Today, this current has passed the sedition stage. It has turned into an counter-revolution (current)," IRNA quoted him as saying.
Prominent pro-reform cleric, Grand Ayatollah Youssef Saanei, denounced the government's treatment of the two opposition leaders.
"We are witnessing anti-Islamic and antihuman attacks against political opponents," said Saanei in a statement posted on a reformist website, kaleme.com.
The men "have been deprived of their basic human rights and put under house arrest without holding any trial, even a show trial and without giving them the chance to defend themselves," said Saanei.
In a letter, the children of Mousavi and Karroubi urged other religious leaders in the holy city of Qom to break their silence and condemn the treatment of their parents.
British Airways worker guilty of plane terror plot
LONDON (AFP) – A Bangladeshi Islamic militant working for British Airways was found guilty Monday of plotting to blow up a plane after conspiring with radical US-Yemeni cleric Anwar al-Awlaki.
Rajib Karim, 31, was "committed to an extreme jihadist and religious cause" and was "determined to seek martyrdom", jurors at Woolwich Crown Court in London were told.
The jury convicted Karim of four counts of preparing terror attacks.
The IT worker, who moved with his wife and son to Newcastle in 2006, had admitted being involved in the production of a terrorist group's video, fundraising and volunteering for terror abroad.
Karim, a privately educated member of a middle-class family in Dhaka, was lured into becoming a staunch supporter of a radical organisation called Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh by his younger brother, Tehzeeb.
The trial heard that Karim first planned to attack BA's computer systems, but then offered to attempt to plant a bomb on a US-bound plane. Police arrested him before an attack could be carried out.
Colin Gibbs, a counter-terrorism lawyer for the Crown Prosecution Service, described Karim's determination to plan an attack as "frightening".
"The most chilling element of this case is probably the fact that Karim tried to enroll as cabin crew and anyone can imagine how horrific the consequences of this could have been, had he succeeded," Gibbs said.
The jury found Karim guilty of plotting to blow up an aircraft, sharing information of use to Awlaki, offering to help financial or disruptive attacks on BA and gaining a job in Britain to exploit terrorist purposes.
The bearded Karim, who showed no emotion as the jury delivered their verdict, had argued that he only moved to Britain to seek treatment for his son whom he feared had bowel cancer.
He will be sentenced on March 18.
The prosecution said Karim started to communicate in late 2009 with Awlaki, who is believed to have been hiding in a remote area of Yemen since 2007.
In excerpts from coded messages released by London police, a person named "prof," who authorities believed to be Awlaki, quizzed Karim over the security situation at the airport.
"Our highest priority is the US," Karim was told by "prof" in the recorded excerpt.
"With the people you have, is it possible to get a package or a person with a package on board a flight heading to the US? If that is not possible, then what ideas do you have that could be set up for the UK?" asked "prof."
Karim is the latest in a line of young men inspired to militancy by Awlaki's endorsement of violence as a religious duty.
A top US official recently described US-born Awlaki as "probably the most significant risk" to the United States.
Michael Leiter, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, told US lawmakers on February 9 that he posed a danger because of his influence both within and outside the United States.
Awlaki is suspected of being a leader of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and of instigating a string of attacks against the United States.
Rajib Karim, 31, was "committed to an extreme jihadist and religious cause" and was "determined to seek martyrdom", jurors at Woolwich Crown Court in London were told.
The jury convicted Karim of four counts of preparing terror attacks.
The IT worker, who moved with his wife and son to Newcastle in 2006, had admitted being involved in the production of a terrorist group's video, fundraising and volunteering for terror abroad.
Karim, a privately educated member of a middle-class family in Dhaka, was lured into becoming a staunch supporter of a radical organisation called Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh by his younger brother, Tehzeeb.
The trial heard that Karim first planned to attack BA's computer systems, but then offered to attempt to plant a bomb on a US-bound plane. Police arrested him before an attack could be carried out.
Colin Gibbs, a counter-terrorism lawyer for the Crown Prosecution Service, described Karim's determination to plan an attack as "frightening".
"The most chilling element of this case is probably the fact that Karim tried to enroll as cabin crew and anyone can imagine how horrific the consequences of this could have been, had he succeeded," Gibbs said.
The jury found Karim guilty of plotting to blow up an aircraft, sharing information of use to Awlaki, offering to help financial or disruptive attacks on BA and gaining a job in Britain to exploit terrorist purposes.
The bearded Karim, who showed no emotion as the jury delivered their verdict, had argued that he only moved to Britain to seek treatment for his son whom he feared had bowel cancer.
He will be sentenced on March 18.
The prosecution said Karim started to communicate in late 2009 with Awlaki, who is believed to have been hiding in a remote area of Yemen since 2007.
In excerpts from coded messages released by London police, a person named "prof," who authorities believed to be Awlaki, quizzed Karim over the security situation at the airport.
"Our highest priority is the US," Karim was told by "prof" in the recorded excerpt.
"With the people you have, is it possible to get a package or a person with a package on board a flight heading to the US? If that is not possible, then what ideas do you have that could be set up for the UK?" asked "prof."
Karim is the latest in a line of young men inspired to militancy by Awlaki's endorsement of violence as a religious duty.
A top US official recently described US-born Awlaki as "probably the most significant risk" to the United States.
Michael Leiter, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, told US lawmakers on February 9 that he posed a danger because of his influence both within and outside the United States.
Awlaki is suspected of being a leader of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and of instigating a string of attacks against the United States.
Libyans 'ready to die for me', says Kadhafi
TRIPOLI (AFP) – Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi said Monday his followers were ready to die for him as Western nations mulled military options to prevent massacres and protect thousands fleeing violence in his country.
World powers ramped up the pressure on his regime, as the United States urged the international community at a meeting in Geneva to work together on further steps to end a brutal crackdown that has cost more than 1,000 lives.
Faced with the threat of massacres or a wave of refugees on their Mediterranean flank, senior Western officials openly weighed military options.
"We're studying all options to ensure that Colonel Kadhafi understands that he has to go. I know that people have mentioned military solutions, and these solutions are being examined by the French government," France's Prime Minister Francois Fillon said in an interview with RTL radio.
His British counterpart David Cameron said London and its allies were working on a plan for a military no-fly zone over Libya.
Cameron told parliament the talks were motivated by the threat of "further appalling steps" being taken by Kadhafi to crack down on the most serious challenge to his rule in four decades.
"We must not tolerate this regime using military force against its own people," Cameron said.
There were reports that Libyan air force planes attacked ammunition depots in two separate locations south of opposition-held second city Benghazi on Monday.
Fighter jets bombed an ammunition stores in the eastern town of Adjabiya, around 100 kilometres (62 miles) south of the city, a witness told AFP by telephone. Two planes also attacked a munitions dump at Rajma, just south of the city, a military reservist said.
The defence ministry denied the reports in a statement read out on Libyan state television.
"All my people love me. They would die to protect me," Kadhafi told British and US media in an interview in the capital Tripoli, the last major city he controls following a popular uprising that began two weeks ago.
The BBC said the veteran Libyan leader appeared relaxed for the interview conducted in a restaurant overlooking Tripoli harbour with the broadcaster, along with CBS news and The Times of London.
Kadhafi said he felt betrayed by the United States, which has led calls for him to leave.
"I'm surprised that we have an alliance with the West to fight Al-Qaeda, and now that we are fighting terrorists they have abandoned us," he said. "Perhaps they want to occupy Libya."
The White House said earlier Monday that exile was "one option" that would satisfy its demands for Kadhafi to go.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva that "it is time for Kadhafi to go -- now, without further violence or delay."
"We all need to work together on further steps to hold the Kadhafi government accountable, provide humanitarian assistance to those in need and support the Libyan people as they pursue a transition to democracy."
"We will continue to explore all possible options for action -- as we have said, nothing is off the table so long as the Libyan government continues to threaten and kill Libyan citizens," she added.
Meanwhile, the US military said it was moving naval and air forces into position around Libya.
In Brussels, the European Union agreed Monday to implement an assets freeze and travel ban on Kadhafi and 25 members of his family and inner circle, and ban any supply of arms, ammunition and related material in addition to the UN measures.
The US government has so far blocked around $30 billion in Libyan assets after imposing sanctions late last week, the largest amount ever frozen, US sanctions czar David Cohen said Monday.
Amid signs that they were reorganising economic and business life in the east of the country, Libya's opposition forces said Monday they are resuming oil exports, with the expected departure of a tanker for China.
It will be the first cargo of crude to sail from Libya since February 19, when the full extent of a crackdown by security forces on opposition protesters was beginning to be known to the outside world.
The state Arabian Gulf Oil company has been taken over by the opposition since its chairman Abdulwanis Saad resigned, according to the Wall Street Journal.
EU energy commissioner Gunther Oettinger said Monday that Kadhafi's regime no longer controlled most of Libya's oil and gas installations.
UN human rights chief Navi Pillay said that "the threat of violent reprisals against civilians still looms" in Libya.
Fearing a bloodbath after widespread reports of atrocities, more than 100,000 people have fled into neighbouring Egypt and Tunisia over the past week, the UN said Monday.
More than 61,000 have crossed into Egypt, 40,000 into Tunisia and another 1,000 into Niger on Libya's southern border, Valerie Amos, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator told reporters at the UN headquarters.
"I am very concerned about the alarming reports of continued violence," Amos said, while adding that information on the number of dead in Libya was difficult to obtain. "Estimates range from hundreds to thousands."
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said there are more than 1,000 dead.
Luis Moreno-Ocampo, chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court said Monday he was "assessing allegations of widespread or systematic attacks against the civilian population" to judge whether Libyan authorities can be tried for crimes against humanity.
World powers ramped up the pressure on his regime, as the United States urged the international community at a meeting in Geneva to work together on further steps to end a brutal crackdown that has cost more than 1,000 lives.
Faced with the threat of massacres or a wave of refugees on their Mediterranean flank, senior Western officials openly weighed military options.
"We're studying all options to ensure that Colonel Kadhafi understands that he has to go. I know that people have mentioned military solutions, and these solutions are being examined by the French government," France's Prime Minister Francois Fillon said in an interview with RTL radio.
His British counterpart David Cameron said London and its allies were working on a plan for a military no-fly zone over Libya.
Cameron told parliament the talks were motivated by the threat of "further appalling steps" being taken by Kadhafi to crack down on the most serious challenge to his rule in four decades.
"We must not tolerate this regime using military force against its own people," Cameron said.
There were reports that Libyan air force planes attacked ammunition depots in two separate locations south of opposition-held second city Benghazi on Monday.
Fighter jets bombed an ammunition stores in the eastern town of Adjabiya, around 100 kilometres (62 miles) south of the city, a witness told AFP by telephone. Two planes also attacked a munitions dump at Rajma, just south of the city, a military reservist said.
The defence ministry denied the reports in a statement read out on Libyan state television.
"All my people love me. They would die to protect me," Kadhafi told British and US media in an interview in the capital Tripoli, the last major city he controls following a popular uprising that began two weeks ago.
The BBC said the veteran Libyan leader appeared relaxed for the interview conducted in a restaurant overlooking Tripoli harbour with the broadcaster, along with CBS news and The Times of London.
Kadhafi said he felt betrayed by the United States, which has led calls for him to leave.
"I'm surprised that we have an alliance with the West to fight Al-Qaeda, and now that we are fighting terrorists they have abandoned us," he said. "Perhaps they want to occupy Libya."
The White House said earlier Monday that exile was "one option" that would satisfy its demands for Kadhafi to go.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva that "it is time for Kadhafi to go -- now, without further violence or delay."
"We all need to work together on further steps to hold the Kadhafi government accountable, provide humanitarian assistance to those in need and support the Libyan people as they pursue a transition to democracy."
"We will continue to explore all possible options for action -- as we have said, nothing is off the table so long as the Libyan government continues to threaten and kill Libyan citizens," she added.
Meanwhile, the US military said it was moving naval and air forces into position around Libya.
In Brussels, the European Union agreed Monday to implement an assets freeze and travel ban on Kadhafi and 25 members of his family and inner circle, and ban any supply of arms, ammunition and related material in addition to the UN measures.
The US government has so far blocked around $30 billion in Libyan assets after imposing sanctions late last week, the largest amount ever frozen, US sanctions czar David Cohen said Monday.
Amid signs that they were reorganising economic and business life in the east of the country, Libya's opposition forces said Monday they are resuming oil exports, with the expected departure of a tanker for China.
It will be the first cargo of crude to sail from Libya since February 19, when the full extent of a crackdown by security forces on opposition protesters was beginning to be known to the outside world.
The state Arabian Gulf Oil company has been taken over by the opposition since its chairman Abdulwanis Saad resigned, according to the Wall Street Journal.
EU energy commissioner Gunther Oettinger said Monday that Kadhafi's regime no longer controlled most of Libya's oil and gas installations.
UN human rights chief Navi Pillay said that "the threat of violent reprisals against civilians still looms" in Libya.
Fearing a bloodbath after widespread reports of atrocities, more than 100,000 people have fled into neighbouring Egypt and Tunisia over the past week, the UN said Monday.
More than 61,000 have crossed into Egypt, 40,000 into Tunisia and another 1,000 into Niger on Libya's southern border, Valerie Amos, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator told reporters at the UN headquarters.
"I am very concerned about the alarming reports of continued violence," Amos said, while adding that information on the number of dead in Libya was difficult to obtain. "Estimates range from hundreds to thousands."
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said there are more than 1,000 dead.
Luis Moreno-Ocampo, chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court said Monday he was "assessing allegations of widespread or systematic attacks against the civilian population" to judge whether Libyan authorities can be tried for crimes against humanity.
US freezes $30 bn in Libyan assets
WASHINGTON (AFP) – The US government on Monday said it had frozen at least $30 billion in Libyan assets, the largest amount ever blocked according to US sanctions czar David Cohen.
The US government targeted Moamer Kadhafi, four of his family members and Libyan government agencies on Friday after an uprising that has seen more than 1,000 people killed.
"As of today at least $30 billion in government of Libya assets under United States jurisdiction have been blocked," Cohen said.
"It is the largest blocking under any sanctions program ever."
Cohen, speaking on a conference call with reporters, said further sanctions could be on the way: "We are considering whether to add to the list of individuals."
Cohen noted that the European Union had adopted sanctions that target around 20 individuals in addition to Kadhafi and his children.
Libya and its leaders are suspected of holding billions of dollars in foreign bank accounts, cash largely gleaned from the country's vast oil wealth.
According to a 2010 message from the US embassy in Tripoli, obtained by WikiLeaks, Libya's sovereign wealth fund holds $32 billion in cash and "several American banks are each managing $300-500 million."
"We believe that... the central bank and the sovereign wealth fund, the Libyan Investment Authority, are controlled by Colonel Kadhafi and his family," said Cohen.
The Treasury Department had earlier warned banks to be vigilant about transfers linked to Libya's political leaders.
Cohen said that there was no immediate evidence that the Libyan authorities had moved to shift cash out of the United States before the sanctions hit.
Cohen said the United States believed "there are substantial Libyan state-owned assets in Europe and that these assets are controlled by Colonel Kadhafi and his children"
The US government targeted Moamer Kadhafi, four of his family members and Libyan government agencies on Friday after an uprising that has seen more than 1,000 people killed.
"As of today at least $30 billion in government of Libya assets under United States jurisdiction have been blocked," Cohen said.
"It is the largest blocking under any sanctions program ever."
Cohen, speaking on a conference call with reporters, said further sanctions could be on the way: "We are considering whether to add to the list of individuals."
Cohen noted that the European Union had adopted sanctions that target around 20 individuals in addition to Kadhafi and his children.
Libya and its leaders are suspected of holding billions of dollars in foreign bank accounts, cash largely gleaned from the country's vast oil wealth.
According to a 2010 message from the US embassy in Tripoli, obtained by WikiLeaks, Libya's sovereign wealth fund holds $32 billion in cash and "several American banks are each managing $300-500 million."
"We believe that... the central bank and the sovereign wealth fund, the Libyan Investment Authority, are controlled by Colonel Kadhafi and his family," said Cohen.
The Treasury Department had earlier warned banks to be vigilant about transfers linked to Libya's political leaders.
Cohen said that there was no immediate evidence that the Libyan authorities had moved to shift cash out of the United States before the sanctions hit.
Cohen said the United States believed "there are substantial Libyan state-owned assets in Europe and that these assets are controlled by Colonel Kadhafi and his children"
Iran arrests two opposition leaders: opposition website
TEHRAN (Reuters) – Iran arrested two leading opposition figures on Monday ahead of a planned nationwide anti-government rally, an opposition website said.
Mirhossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi had been forced to stay in their homes in the capital Tehran for more than two weeks. Mousavi's daughters said on the Kaleme website they had been prevented from approaching his house since February 14.
"Sources say that they have been arrested and transferred to the Heshmatiyeh jail in Tehran," the website said.
An unidentified judiciary official quoted by the semi-official Fars news agency denied the report.
"The reports about Mousavi's and Karoubi's arrests are false ... They are currently in their homes and some restrictions have been imposed on them to prevent their contacts with 'suspicious' elements," the official told Fars.
The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, an advocacy group which has staff in the United States and Germany, said on Sunday the two leaders had been moved secretly from their homes, where they had been under virtual house arrest for calling on supporters to protest against the government.
Mousavi and Karoubi were confined to their homes after calling for a rally on February 14, when thousands of their supporters took to the streets. Two people were killed and dozens arrested during the banned rally.
Both men, who spearheaded protests against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election in June 2009, face calls from parliament to be arrested, tried and hanged for what government supporters say is their role in stirring "sedition."
Mousavi and Karoubi deny the allegation, saying the pro-reform movement is still alive despite mounting pressure against its supporters.
Earlier this month, their supporters took to the streets for the first time since post-election protests were crushed at a rally in December 2009.
Opposition websites have called for a nationwide rally on Tuesday, Mousavi's 69th birthday, to demonstrate support for Mousavi and Karoubi. Iranian authorities have warned the opposition against holding any "illegal" gathering.
The Iran Green Voice website said another demonstration was planned on March 15 if their voice was ignored.
Several Facebook pages have called for protests every Tuesday
Mirhossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi had been forced to stay in their homes in the capital Tehran for more than two weeks. Mousavi's daughters said on the Kaleme website they had been prevented from approaching his house since February 14.
"Sources say that they have been arrested and transferred to the Heshmatiyeh jail in Tehran," the website said.
An unidentified judiciary official quoted by the semi-official Fars news agency denied the report.
"The reports about Mousavi's and Karoubi's arrests are false ... They are currently in their homes and some restrictions have been imposed on them to prevent their contacts with 'suspicious' elements," the official told Fars.
The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, an advocacy group which has staff in the United States and Germany, said on Sunday the two leaders had been moved secretly from their homes, where they had been under virtual house arrest for calling on supporters to protest against the government.
Mousavi and Karoubi were confined to their homes after calling for a rally on February 14, when thousands of their supporters took to the streets. Two people were killed and dozens arrested during the banned rally.
Both men, who spearheaded protests against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election in June 2009, face calls from parliament to be arrested, tried and hanged for what government supporters say is their role in stirring "sedition."
Mousavi and Karoubi deny the allegation, saying the pro-reform movement is still alive despite mounting pressure against its supporters.
Earlier this month, their supporters took to the streets for the first time since post-election protests were crushed at a rally in December 2009.
Opposition websites have called for a nationwide rally on Tuesday, Mousavi's 69th birthday, to demonstrate support for Mousavi and Karoubi. Iranian authorities have warned the opposition against holding any "illegal" gathering.
The Iran Green Voice website said another demonstration was planned on March 15 if their voice was ignored.
Several Facebook pages have called for protests every Tuesday
Oman protests spread, road to port blocked
SOHAR, Oman (Reuters) – Demonstrators blocked roads to a main port in northern Oman and looted a nearby supermarket on Monday, part of protests to demand more jobs and political reform that have spread to the sultanate's capital.
A doctor said six people had been killed in clashes between stone-throwing protesters and police on Sunday in the northern industrial town of Sohar. Oman's health minister said one person had been killed and 20 wounded.
Hundreds of protesters blocked access to an industrial area that includes the port, a refinery and aluminum factory. A port spokeswoman said exports of refined oil products of about 160,000 barrels per day (bpd) from the port were unaffected.
"We want to see the benefit of our oil wealth distributed evenly," one protester yelled over a loudhailer near the port. "We want to see a scale-down of expatriates in Oman so more jobs can be created for Omanis."
Peaceful protests spread to other cities, with hundreds gathering outside a state complex in the capital Muscat and elsewhere.
The unrest in Sohar, Oman's main industrial center, was a rare outbreak of discontent in the normally sleepy sultanate ruled by Sultan Qaboos bin Said for four decades, and follows a wave of pro-democracy protests across the Arab world.
The sultan, trying to calm tensions, on Sunday promised 50,000 jobs, unemployment benefits of $390 a month and to study widening the power of a quasi-parliamentary advisory council.
While hundreds of demonstrators blocked roads near the port, hundreds more were at the main Globe Roundabout, angry after police opened fire on Sunday at protesters.
Police fired tear gas as around 200 protesters near a police building, which demonstrators had set fire to a day earlier.
Graffiti scrawled on a statue said: "The people are hungry." Another message read: "No to oppression of the people."
"There are no jobs, there's no freedom of opinion. The people are tired and people want money. People want to end corruption," said Ali al-Mazroui, 30, who is unemployed.
"We want a change of constitution, an elected government, and ministers standing in the way of development to go," said Zakaria Mharmi, a doctor at Sultan Qaboos Hospital.
"We are also calling for the police not to repeat the violence they demonstrated on Sunday," said Mharmi, who was among around 250 protesters outside the Shura Council building. "Protesters must be peaceful. They are not serving our cause if they are violent."
LOOTING IN SOHAR
In Sohar, looters earlier rushed in to scavenge a smoldering supermarket set alight by protesters. Two government buildings were also set ablaze on Sunday.
One woman stacked up singed cartons of eggs, powdered milk, orange juice and cream cheese in the store, while others walked over shattered glass pushing trolleys loaded with food out of the door. The security forces were absent.
"There is no security. I want to live. It's normal," said 28-year-old Youssef, who is unemployed, as he left the market carrying 10 bottles of juice.
The unrest pushed Oman's main stock index 4.9 percent to a seven-month low, its biggest drop in over two years.
Sultan Qaboos, who exercises absolute power in a country where political parties are banned, shuffled his cabinet on Saturday, a week after a small protest in the capital Muscat gave the first hint that Arab discontent could reach Oman.
Mostly wealthy Gulf Arab countries have stepped up reforms to appease their populations following popular unrest that toppled the leaders of Tunisia and Egypt and is threatening Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's grip on power.
Oman is a non-OPEC oil exporter which pumps around 850,000 bpd, and has strong military and political ties to Washington.
Sultan Qaboos appoints the cabinet and in 1992 introduced an elected advisory Shura Council. Protesters have demanded the council be given legislative powers and on Sunday Qaboos ordered a committee to study increasing its authority.
A doctor said six people had been killed in clashes between stone-throwing protesters and police on Sunday in the northern industrial town of Sohar. Oman's health minister said one person had been killed and 20 wounded.
Hundreds of protesters blocked access to an industrial area that includes the port, a refinery and aluminum factory. A port spokeswoman said exports of refined oil products of about 160,000 barrels per day (bpd) from the port were unaffected.
"We want to see the benefit of our oil wealth distributed evenly," one protester yelled over a loudhailer near the port. "We want to see a scale-down of expatriates in Oman so more jobs can be created for Omanis."
Peaceful protests spread to other cities, with hundreds gathering outside a state complex in the capital Muscat and elsewhere.
The unrest in Sohar, Oman's main industrial center, was a rare outbreak of discontent in the normally sleepy sultanate ruled by Sultan Qaboos bin Said for four decades, and follows a wave of pro-democracy protests across the Arab world.
The sultan, trying to calm tensions, on Sunday promised 50,000 jobs, unemployment benefits of $390 a month and to study widening the power of a quasi-parliamentary advisory council.
While hundreds of demonstrators blocked roads near the port, hundreds more were at the main Globe Roundabout, angry after police opened fire on Sunday at protesters.
Police fired tear gas as around 200 protesters near a police building, which demonstrators had set fire to a day earlier.
Graffiti scrawled on a statue said: "The people are hungry." Another message read: "No to oppression of the people."
"There are no jobs, there's no freedom of opinion. The people are tired and people want money. People want to end corruption," said Ali al-Mazroui, 30, who is unemployed.
"We want a change of constitution, an elected government, and ministers standing in the way of development to go," said Zakaria Mharmi, a doctor at Sultan Qaboos Hospital.
"We are also calling for the police not to repeat the violence they demonstrated on Sunday," said Mharmi, who was among around 250 protesters outside the Shura Council building. "Protesters must be peaceful. They are not serving our cause if they are violent."
LOOTING IN SOHAR
In Sohar, looters earlier rushed in to scavenge a smoldering supermarket set alight by protesters. Two government buildings were also set ablaze on Sunday.
One woman stacked up singed cartons of eggs, powdered milk, orange juice and cream cheese in the store, while others walked over shattered glass pushing trolleys loaded with food out of the door. The security forces were absent.
"There is no security. I want to live. It's normal," said 28-year-old Youssef, who is unemployed, as he left the market carrying 10 bottles of juice.
The unrest pushed Oman's main stock index 4.9 percent to a seven-month low, its biggest drop in over two years.
Sultan Qaboos, who exercises absolute power in a country where political parties are banned, shuffled his cabinet on Saturday, a week after a small protest in the capital Muscat gave the first hint that Arab discontent could reach Oman.
Mostly wealthy Gulf Arab countries have stepped up reforms to appease their populations following popular unrest that toppled the leaders of Tunisia and Egypt and is threatening Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's grip on power.
Oman is a non-OPEC oil exporter which pumps around 850,000 bpd, and has strong military and political ties to Washington.
Sultan Qaboos appoints the cabinet and in 1992 introduced an elected advisory Shura Council. Protesters have demanded the council be given legislative powers and on Sunday Qaboos ordered a committee to study increasing its authority.
US: Libya fires anti-Gadhafi ambassador to US
WASHINGTON – The State Department says the Libyan government has fired its ambassador to the United States and replaced him with a loyalist of leader Moammar Gadhafi.
Ambassador Ali Aujali (OH-zha-lee) had announced last week he was siding with Gadhafi's opponents as protesters clamor for Gadhafi to leave.
State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley says the Gadhafi regime notified the department on Monday that it had fired Aujali.
The Obama administration closed its embassy in Tripoli on Friday after the remaining U.S. diplomats were evacuated but has not broken diplomatic relations with Libya. Last Monday, Aujali joined other Libyan diplomats in calling for Gadhafi to step down although he said he would not resign his post as ambassador
Ambassador Ali Aujali (OH-zha-lee) had announced last week he was siding with Gadhafi's opponents as protesters clamor for Gadhafi to leave.
State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley says the Gadhafi regime notified the department on Monday that it had fired Aujali.
The Obama administration closed its embassy in Tripoli on Friday after the remaining U.S. diplomats were evacuated but has not broken diplomatic relations with Libya. Last Monday, Aujali joined other Libyan diplomats in calling for Gadhafi to step down although he said he would not resign his post as ambassador
Who Owns the U.S.?
Regardless of how much closer Obama's budget brings our economy into a balance of payments not seen since 2001, we will continue to run deficits for the next decade, and the national debt will keep growing every year that happens.
While most of the country's $14 trillion debt is held by private banks in the U.S., the Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve Board estimate that, as of December, about $4.4 trillion of it was held by foreign governments that purchase our treasury securities much as an investor buys shares in a company and comes to own his or her little chunk of the organization.
Looking at the list of our top international creditors, a few overall characteristics show some interesting trends: Three of the top 10 spots are held by China and its constituent parts, and while two of our biggest creditors are fellow English-speaking democracies, a considerable share of our debt is held by oil exporters that tend to be decidedly less friendly in other areas of international relations.
Here we break down the top 10 foreign holders of U.S. debt, comparing each creditor's holdings with the equivalent chunk of the United States they "own," represented by the latest (2009) state gross domestic product data released by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Obviously, these creditors won't actually take states from us as payment on our debts, but it's fun to imagine what states and national monuments they could assert a claim to.
1. Mainland China
Amount of U.S. debt: $891.6 billion
Share of total foreign debt: 20.4%
Building on the holdings of its associated territories, China is the undisputed largest holder of U.S. foreign debt in the world. Accounting for 20.4% of the total, mainland China's $891.6 billion in U.S. treasury securities is almost equal to the combined 2009 GDP of Illinois ($630.4 billion) and Indiana ($262.6 billion) in 2009, a shade higher at a combined $893 billion. As President Obama -- who is from Chicago -- wrangles over his proposed budget with Congress he may be wise to remember that his home city may be at stake in the deal.
2. Japan
Amount of U.S. debt: $883.6 billion
Share of total foreign debt: 20.2%
The runner-up on the list of our most significant international creditors goes to Japan, which accounts for over a fifth of our foreign debt holdings with $883.6 billion in U.S. treasury securities. That astronomical number is just shy of the combined GDP of a significant chunk of the lower 48: Minnesota ($260.7 billion), Wisconsin ($244.4 billion), Iowa ($142.3 billion) and Missouri ($239.8 billion) produced a combined output of $887.2 billion in 2009.
3. United Kingdom
Amount of U.S. debt: $541.3 billion
Share of total foreign debt: 12.4%
At number three on the list is perhaps our closest ally on the world stage, the United Kingdom (which includes the British provinces of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, as well as the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man). The U.K. holds $541.3 billion in U.S. foreign debt, which is 12.4% of our total external debt. That amount is equivalent to the combined GDP of two East Coast manufacturing hubs, Delaware ($60.6 billion) and New Jersey ($483 billion) -- which was named, yes, after the island of Jersey in the English Channel. The two states' combined output in 2009 came to $543.6 billion.
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4. Oil Exporters
Amount of U.S. debt: $218 billion
Share of total foreign debt: 5%
Another grouped entry, the oil exporters form another international bloc with money to burn. The group includes 15 countries as diverse as the regions they represent: Ecuador, Venezuela, Indonesia, Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Gabon, Libya, and Nigeria. As a group they hold 5% of all American foreign debt, with a combined $218 billion of U.S. treasury securities in their own treasuries. That's roughly equivalent to the combined 2009 GDP of Nebraska ($86.4 billion) and Kansas ($124.9 billion), which seems to be an equal trade: The two states produce a bunch of grain for export, which many of the arid oil producers tend to trade for oil.
5. Brazil
Amount of U.S. debt: $180.8 billion
Share of total foreign debt: 4.1%
Rounding out the top five is the largest economy in South America, Brazil. The country known for its beaches, Carnaval and the unbridled hedonism that goes along with both has made a big investment in the U.S., buying up $180.8 billion in American debt up to December. That's almost equal to the $180.5 billion combined GDP of Idaho ($54 billion) and Nevada ($126.5 billion), a state that is no stranger to hedonism itself.
6. Caribbean Banking Centers
Amount of U.S. debt: $155.6 billion
Share of total foreign debt: 3.6%
You have to have cash on hand to buy up U.S. government debt, and offshore banking has given six countries the combined capital needed to make the Caribbean Banking Centers our sixth-largest foreign creditor. The Treasury Department counts the Bahamas, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, the Netherlands Antilles, Panama and the British Virgin Islands in this designation, which as a group holds $155.6 billion in U.S. treasury securities. That's equivalent to the GDP of landlocked Kentucky ($156.6 billion), whose residents may not actually mind if they were ever to become an extension of some Caribbean island paradise.
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7. Hong Kong
Amount of U.S. debt: $138.2 billion
Share of total foreign debt: 3.2%
At No. 7 on the list of our foreign creditors is Hong Kong, a formerly British part of China that maintains a separate government and economic ties than the communist mainland. With $138.2 billion in U.S. treasury securities, the capitalist enclave could lay claim to Yellowstone Park and our nation's capital: The combined GDP of Wyoming ($37.5 billion) and Washington D.C. ($99.1 billion) totaled $136.6 billion in 2009.
8. Canada
Amount of U.S. debt: $134.6 billion
Share of total foreign debt: 3.1%
They say that a friend in need is a friend indeed, and our neighbor to the north has proven to be a kind and generous creditor in our time of financial need. Canada holds about 3.1% of our foreign debt, or $134.6 billion. If friend were to become enemy and Canada were looking to annex some U.S. land to cover the debt though, the country would have an easy time of it. The combined GDP of Maine ($51.3 billion), New Hampshire ($59.4 billion) and Vermont ($25.4 billion) comes close to Canada's debt holdings at $136.1 billion.
Residents of the three states in our extreme northeast corner should start practicing their French: They might become Québécois one of these days.
9. Taiwan
Amount of U.S. debt: $131.9 billion
Share of total foreign debt: 3.0%
Taiwan, an island barely 100 miles off the coast of China, is claimed by the People's Republic of China, despite having its own government and economic relations with the outside world. Part of those economic relations includes the island's holding of $131.9 billion of U.S. debt, roughly equivalent to the combined GDP of West Virginia ($63.3 billion) and Hawaii ($66.4 billion), which totals $129.7 billion.
Unless we get our spending in check, we risk losing some of our most visually stunning territory (West Virginia, obviously) to our friendly neighbors on the other side of the Pacific Ocean.
10. Russia
Amount of U.S. debt: $106.2 billion
Share of total foreign debt: 2.4%
Starting off the list of our major foreign creditors is Russia, which holds about 2.4% of the U.S. debt pie that sits on the international dinner table. Its $106.2 billion in treasury securities is equivalent to the 2009 GDP of our sparsely populated North: The combined output of North Dakota ($31.9 billion), South Dakota ($38.3 billion) and Montana ($36 billion) matches up nicely with the Russian holdings, at $106.2 billion.
Let's hope Russian president Dmitry Medvedev doesn't come to collect.
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While most of the country's $14 trillion debt is held by private banks in the U.S., the Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve Board estimate that, as of December, about $4.4 trillion of it was held by foreign governments that purchase our treasury securities much as an investor buys shares in a company and comes to own his or her little chunk of the organization.
Looking at the list of our top international creditors, a few overall characteristics show some interesting trends: Three of the top 10 spots are held by China and its constituent parts, and while two of our biggest creditors are fellow English-speaking democracies, a considerable share of our debt is held by oil exporters that tend to be decidedly less friendly in other areas of international relations.
Here we break down the top 10 foreign holders of U.S. debt, comparing each creditor's holdings with the equivalent chunk of the United States they "own," represented by the latest (2009) state gross domestic product data released by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Obviously, these creditors won't actually take states from us as payment on our debts, but it's fun to imagine what states and national monuments they could assert a claim to.
1. Mainland China
Amount of U.S. debt: $891.6 billion
Share of total foreign debt: 20.4%
Building on the holdings of its associated territories, China is the undisputed largest holder of U.S. foreign debt in the world. Accounting for 20.4% of the total, mainland China's $891.6 billion in U.S. treasury securities is almost equal to the combined 2009 GDP of Illinois ($630.4 billion) and Indiana ($262.6 billion) in 2009, a shade higher at a combined $893 billion. As President Obama -- who is from Chicago -- wrangles over his proposed budget with Congress he may be wise to remember that his home city may be at stake in the deal.
2. Japan
Amount of U.S. debt: $883.6 billion
Share of total foreign debt: 20.2%
The runner-up on the list of our most significant international creditors goes to Japan, which accounts for over a fifth of our foreign debt holdings with $883.6 billion in U.S. treasury securities. That astronomical number is just shy of the combined GDP of a significant chunk of the lower 48: Minnesota ($260.7 billion), Wisconsin ($244.4 billion), Iowa ($142.3 billion) and Missouri ($239.8 billion) produced a combined output of $887.2 billion in 2009.
3. United Kingdom
Amount of U.S. debt: $541.3 billion
Share of total foreign debt: 12.4%
At number three on the list is perhaps our closest ally on the world stage, the United Kingdom (which includes the British provinces of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, as well as the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man). The U.K. holds $541.3 billion in U.S. foreign debt, which is 12.4% of our total external debt. That amount is equivalent to the combined GDP of two East Coast manufacturing hubs, Delaware ($60.6 billion) and New Jersey ($483 billion) -- which was named, yes, after the island of Jersey in the English Channel. The two states' combined output in 2009 came to $543.6 billion.
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4. Oil Exporters
Amount of U.S. debt: $218 billion
Share of total foreign debt: 5%
Another grouped entry, the oil exporters form another international bloc with money to burn. The group includes 15 countries as diverse as the regions they represent: Ecuador, Venezuela, Indonesia, Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Gabon, Libya, and Nigeria. As a group they hold 5% of all American foreign debt, with a combined $218 billion of U.S. treasury securities in their own treasuries. That's roughly equivalent to the combined 2009 GDP of Nebraska ($86.4 billion) and Kansas ($124.9 billion), which seems to be an equal trade: The two states produce a bunch of grain for export, which many of the arid oil producers tend to trade for oil.
5. Brazil
Amount of U.S. debt: $180.8 billion
Share of total foreign debt: 4.1%
Rounding out the top five is the largest economy in South America, Brazil. The country known for its beaches, Carnaval and the unbridled hedonism that goes along with both has made a big investment in the U.S., buying up $180.8 billion in American debt up to December. That's almost equal to the $180.5 billion combined GDP of Idaho ($54 billion) and Nevada ($126.5 billion), a state that is no stranger to hedonism itself.
6. Caribbean Banking Centers
Amount of U.S. debt: $155.6 billion
Share of total foreign debt: 3.6%
You have to have cash on hand to buy up U.S. government debt, and offshore banking has given six countries the combined capital needed to make the Caribbean Banking Centers our sixth-largest foreign creditor. The Treasury Department counts the Bahamas, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, the Netherlands Antilles, Panama and the British Virgin Islands in this designation, which as a group holds $155.6 billion in U.S. treasury securities. That's equivalent to the GDP of landlocked Kentucky ($156.6 billion), whose residents may not actually mind if they were ever to become an extension of some Caribbean island paradise.
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7. Hong Kong
Amount of U.S. debt: $138.2 billion
Share of total foreign debt: 3.2%
At No. 7 on the list of our foreign creditors is Hong Kong, a formerly British part of China that maintains a separate government and economic ties than the communist mainland. With $138.2 billion in U.S. treasury securities, the capitalist enclave could lay claim to Yellowstone Park and our nation's capital: The combined GDP of Wyoming ($37.5 billion) and Washington D.C. ($99.1 billion) totaled $136.6 billion in 2009.
8. Canada
Amount of U.S. debt: $134.6 billion
Share of total foreign debt: 3.1%
They say that a friend in need is a friend indeed, and our neighbor to the north has proven to be a kind and generous creditor in our time of financial need. Canada holds about 3.1% of our foreign debt, or $134.6 billion. If friend were to become enemy and Canada were looking to annex some U.S. land to cover the debt though, the country would have an easy time of it. The combined GDP of Maine ($51.3 billion), New Hampshire ($59.4 billion) and Vermont ($25.4 billion) comes close to Canada's debt holdings at $136.1 billion.
Residents of the three states in our extreme northeast corner should start practicing their French: They might become Québécois one of these days.
9. Taiwan
Amount of U.S. debt: $131.9 billion
Share of total foreign debt: 3.0%
Taiwan, an island barely 100 miles off the coast of China, is claimed by the People's Republic of China, despite having its own government and economic relations with the outside world. Part of those economic relations includes the island's holding of $131.9 billion of U.S. debt, roughly equivalent to the combined GDP of West Virginia ($63.3 billion) and Hawaii ($66.4 billion), which totals $129.7 billion.
Unless we get our spending in check, we risk losing some of our most visually stunning territory (West Virginia, obviously) to our friendly neighbors on the other side of the Pacific Ocean.
10. Russia
Amount of U.S. debt: $106.2 billion
Share of total foreign debt: 2.4%
Starting off the list of our major foreign creditors is Russia, which holds about 2.4% of the U.S. debt pie that sits on the international dinner table. Its $106.2 billion in treasury securities is equivalent to the 2009 GDP of our sparsely populated North: The combined output of North Dakota ($31.9 billion), South Dakota ($38.3 billion) and Montana ($36 billion) matches up nicely with the Russian holdings, at $106.2 billion.
Let's hope Russian president Dmitry Medvedev doesn't come to collect.
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African dictator's son orders luxury superyacht
JOHANNESBURG – The son of Equatorial Guinea's dictator of 30 years commissioned plans to build a superyacht costing $380 million, nearly three times what the country spends on health and education each year, a corruption watchdog said Monday.
The statement from Global Witness said that German company Kusch Yachts has been asked to build the yacht, housing a cinema, restaurant, bar and swimming pool, though construction has not yet started.
Global Witness has been urging Washington to institute sanctions against Teodorin Obiang, whose extravagant lifestyle currently includes a $35 million-dollar mansion in Malibu, California, a $33 million jet and a fleet of luxury cars, while earning a salary of $6,799 a month as agriculture minister.
The government press office in Equatorial Guinea confirmed that the president's son had ordered the yacht design, but said he "then dismissed the idea of buying it."
It said that if the order had gone ahead, he would have bought it with income from private business activities and not "with funds derived from sources of illegal financing or corruption."
President Teodoro Obiang, who reportedly is grooming his son to succeed him as president, took power in a bloody 1979 coup. Forbes has estimated his wealth at around $600 million.
Teodorin Obiang justified his wealth in a sworn affidavit to a South African court questioning his ownership of luxury mansions and expensive cars in Cape Town in 2006.
He stated that public officials in his country are allowed to partner with foreign companies bidding for government contracts and said this means "a Cabinet minister ends up with a sizable part of the contract price in his bank account."
The tiny West African nation may be oil rich, but U.N. statistics show that 20 percent of children in Equatorial Guinea die before reaching the age of 5, and the average citizen is unlikely to live beyond 50. The State Department report on human rights also has condemned killings by security forces and the torture of prisoners.
Meanwhile, writer Juan Tomas Avila Laurel is in the 17th day of a hunger strike demanding justice for the people of Equatorial Guinea, inspired by the popular revolutions that have ousted longtime leaders of Egypt and Tunisia and now threaten Libya's Moammar Gadhafi.
Avila Laurel, 44, left Malabo for Barcelona, Spain, amid fears for his safety the day he began his hunger strike Feb. 11. He joins one-third of the population living in voluntary or enforced exile, according to the U.S. State Department.
The government has reacted to the author's hunger strike by denouncing "the web of gossip, lies and miserable maneuvers" surrounding reports about Equatorial Guinea.
"Nonetheless, we hope this person's example also serves to silence many mouths who continuously speak of lack of freedom and respect for human rights in Equatorial Guinea since, as is more than evident, this person has acted at all times with absolute freedom," it said in a statement on its website.
The statement from Global Witness said that German company Kusch Yachts has been asked to build the yacht, housing a cinema, restaurant, bar and swimming pool, though construction has not yet started.
Global Witness has been urging Washington to institute sanctions against Teodorin Obiang, whose extravagant lifestyle currently includes a $35 million-dollar mansion in Malibu, California, a $33 million jet and a fleet of luxury cars, while earning a salary of $6,799 a month as agriculture minister.
The government press office in Equatorial Guinea confirmed that the president's son had ordered the yacht design, but said he "then dismissed the idea of buying it."
It said that if the order had gone ahead, he would have bought it with income from private business activities and not "with funds derived from sources of illegal financing or corruption."
President Teodoro Obiang, who reportedly is grooming his son to succeed him as president, took power in a bloody 1979 coup. Forbes has estimated his wealth at around $600 million.
Teodorin Obiang justified his wealth in a sworn affidavit to a South African court questioning his ownership of luxury mansions and expensive cars in Cape Town in 2006.
He stated that public officials in his country are allowed to partner with foreign companies bidding for government contracts and said this means "a Cabinet minister ends up with a sizable part of the contract price in his bank account."
The tiny West African nation may be oil rich, but U.N. statistics show that 20 percent of children in Equatorial Guinea die before reaching the age of 5, and the average citizen is unlikely to live beyond 50. The State Department report on human rights also has condemned killings by security forces and the torture of prisoners.
Meanwhile, writer Juan Tomas Avila Laurel is in the 17th day of a hunger strike demanding justice for the people of Equatorial Guinea, inspired by the popular revolutions that have ousted longtime leaders of Egypt and Tunisia and now threaten Libya's Moammar Gadhafi.
Avila Laurel, 44, left Malabo for Barcelona, Spain, amid fears for his safety the day he began his hunger strike Feb. 11. He joins one-third of the population living in voluntary or enforced exile, according to the U.S. State Department.
The government has reacted to the author's hunger strike by denouncing "the web of gossip, lies and miserable maneuvers" surrounding reports about Equatorial Guinea.
"Nonetheless, we hope this person's example also serves to silence many mouths who continuously speak of lack of freedom and respect for human rights in Equatorial Guinea since, as is more than evident, this person has acted at all times with absolute freedom," it said in a statement on its website.
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