TEHRAN (Reuters) – Two Iranian warships have docked in Syria, a military commander said on Thursday, dismissing Israeli condemnations of the maneuver as a "provocation."
Coinciding with political turmoil in Egypt and elsewhere in the Arab world, Iran's decision to send warships close to Israeli territory has rattled politicians in the Jewish state.
The ships arrived on Wednesday night after passing through the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean, the first Iranian navy vessels to do so since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Iran's Navy commander told reporters that the warships were not performing any military exercises but were "on a routine and friendly visit and carry the message of peace and friendship to world countries."
"The Zionist regime had been exaggerating this issue because it wants to create tension among the brotherly relations between countries in the region," Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari told state TV.
"We made a decision based on international norms aimed at fostering friendly relations with the regional states and Muslim countries by carrying the message of peace and friendship to those countries." The website of Iran's Press TV said the Alvand, a 1,500-tonne patrol frigate, armed with torpedoes and anti-ship missiles, and the 33,000-tonne supply vessel Khark were docked at Syria's main port, Latakia.
Egypt's decision to allow the ships through its canal was made under an interim government after the fall of President Hosni Mubarak.
Iran is hoping to restore ties -- cut for decades -- with Cairo, an U.S. ally which has a peace treaty with Israel.
Analysts say Iran sees itself benefiting from the upheaval across the Middle East as leaders sympathetic to the United States are unseated or weakened.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Gadhafi forces strike back at Libya rebels - Libya's leader blames Osama bin Laden for the uprising as violence continues
BENGHAZI, Libya – Army units and militiamen loyal to Moammar Gadhafi struck back against rebellious Libyans who have risen up in cities close to the capital Thursday, attacking a mosque where many were holding an anti-government sit-in and battling with others who had seized control of an airport. A doctor at the mosque said 10 people were killed.
Gadhafi accused al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden of being behind the uprising in Libya, in a rambling phone call to state TV. The Libyan leader said the more than week-long revolt has been carried out by young men hopped up on hallucinogenic pills given to them "in their coffee with milk, like Nescafe."
"Shame on you, people of Zawiya, control your children," he said, addressing residents of the city outside Tripoli where the mosque attack took place. "They are loyal to bin Laden," he said of those involved in the uprising. What do you have to do with bin Laden, people of Zawiya? They are exploiting young people ... I insist it is bin Laden."
The attacks Thursday aimed to push back a revolt that has moved closer to Gadhafi's bastion in the capital, Tripoli. Most of the eastern half of Libya has already broken away, and parts of Gadhafi's regime have frayed.
In the latest blow to the Libyan leader, a cousin who is one of his closest aides, Ahmed Gadhaf al-Dam, announced that he has defected to Egypt in protest against the regime's bloody crackdown against the uprising, denouncing what he called "grave violations to human rights and human and international laws."
In Zawiya, 30 miles (50 kilometers) west of Tripoli, an army unit attacked the city' Souq Mosque, where regime opponents had been camped for days in a protest calling for Gadhafi's ouster, a witness said. The soldiers opened fire with automatic weapons and hit the mosque's minaret with fire from an anti-aircraft gun, he said. Some of the young men among the protesters, who were inside the mosque and in a nearby lot, had hunting rifles for protection.
A doctor at a field clinic set up at the mosque said he saw the bodies of 10 dead, shot in the head and chest, as well as arond 150 wounded.
The witness said that a day earlier an envoy from Gadhafi had come to the city and warned protesters, "Either leave or you will see a massacre." Zawiya is a key city near an oil port and refineries.
After Thursday's assault, thousands massed in Zawiya's main Martyrs Square by the mosque, shouting "leave, leave," in reference to Gadhafi, the witness said. "People came to send a clear message: We are not afraid of death or your bullets," he said.
The other attack came at a small airport outside Misrata, Libya's third largest city, where rebel residents claimed control Wednesday. Militiamen with rocket-propelled grenades and mortars barraged a line of them who were guarding the airport, some armed with automatic rifles and hunting rifles, said one of the rebels who was involved in the battle.
During the fighting, the airport's defenders seized an anti-aircraft gun used by the militias and turned it against them, he said.
A medical official at a military air base by the airport said two people were killed in the fighting — one from each side — and five were wounded. He said personnel at the base had sided with the Misrata uprising and had disabled fighter jets there to prevent them being used against rebellious populaces.
"Now Misrata is totally under control of the people, but we are worried because we squeezed between Sirte and Tripoli, which are strongholds of Gadhafi," he said. Sirte, a center for Gadhafi's tribes, lies to the southeast of Misrata.
The militias pulled back in the late morning. In Misrata, the local radio — controlled by the opposition like the rest of the city — called on residents to march to the airport to reinforce it, said a woman who lives in downtown Misrata.
In the afternoon, it appeared fighting erupted again, she said, reporting heavy booms from the direction of the airport on the edge of the city, located about 120 miles (200 kilometers) east of Tripoli.
The witnesses around Libya spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
Gadhafi's crackdown has so far helped him maintain control of Tripoli, a city that holds about a third of Libya's 6 million population. But the uprising has divided the country and threatened to push it toward civil war: In cities across the east, residents rose up and overwhelmed government buildings and army bases, joined in many cases by local army units that defected. In those cities, tribal leaders, residents and military officers have formed local administrations, passing out weapons looted from the security forces' arsenals.
The leader's cousin, Gadhaf al-Dam, is one of the most high level defections to hit the regime so far, after many ambassadors around the world, the justice minister and the interior minister all sided with the protesters.
Gadhaf al-Dam belonged to Gadhafi's inner circle, officially his liaison with Egypt, but he also served as Gadhafi's envoy to other world leaders and frequently appeared by his side.
In a statement issued in Cairo on Thursday, Gadhaf al-Dam said he had left Libya for Egypt "in protest and to show disagreement" with the crackdown.
Gadhafi's control now has been reduced to the northwest corner around Tripoli, the southwest deserts and parts of the center. The uprisings in Misrata, Zawiya and several small towns between the capital and Tunisian border have further whittled away at that bastion.
The Zawiya resident said that until Thursday's attack, Gadhafi opponents held total sway in the city after police fled days earlier. Residents had organized local watchgroups to protect government buildings and homes.
The capital, Tripoli, saw an outbreak of major protests against Gadhafi's rule earlier this week, met with attacks by militiamen that reportedly left dozens dead.
Pro-Gadhafi militiamen — a mix of Libyans and foreign mercenaries — have clamped down on the city since the Libyan leader went on state TV Tuesday night and called on his supporters to take back the streets. Residents say militiamen roam Tripoli's main avenues, firing the air, while neighborhood watch groups have barricaded side streets trying to keep the fighters out and protesters lay low.
At the same time, regular security forces have launched raids on homes around the city. A resident in the Ben Ashour neighborhood said a number of SUVs full of armed men swept into his district Wednesday night, broke into his neighbor's home and dragged out a family friend as women in the house screamed. He said other similar raids had taken place on Thursday in other districts.
"Now is the time of secret terror and secret arrests. They are going to go home to home and liquidate opponents that way, and impose his (Gadhafi's) control on Tripoli," said the witness.
Another Tripoli resident said armed militiamen had entered a hospital, searching for protesters among the injured. He said a friend's relative being treated there escaped only because doctors hid him.
International momentum has been building for action to punish Gadhafi's regime for the bloodshed.
President Barack Obama said the suffering in Libya "is outrageous and it is unacceptable," and he directed his administration to prepare a full range of options, including possible sanctions that could freeze the assets and ban travel to the U.S. by Libyan officials.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy raised the possibility of the European Union cutting off economic ties.
Another proposal gaining some traction was for the United Nations to declare a no-fly zone over Libya to prevent it using warplanes to hit protesters. U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said that if reports of such strikes are confirmed, "there's an immediate need for that level of protection."
Italy's Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said estimates of some 1,000 people killed in the violence in Libya were "credible," although he stressed information about casualties was incomplete. The New York-based Human Rights Watch has put the death toll at nearly 300, according to a partial count.
Gadhafi's son Seif al-Islam claimed Thursday that the reported death tolls have been exaggerated, although he didn't provide his own figure. In a press conference aired on state TV, he said the number killed by police and the army had been limited and "talking about hundreds and thousands (killed) is a joke."
He also said a committee had been formed to investigate alleged foreign involvement in the protests.
Earlier Thursday, Libyan TV showed Egyptian passports, CDs and cell phones purportedly belonging to detainees who had allegedly confessed to plotting "terrorist" operations against the Libyan people. Other footage showed a dozen men lying on the ground, with their faces down, blindfolded and handcuffed. Rifles and guns were laid out next to them.
Gadhafi accused al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden of being behind the uprising in Libya, in a rambling phone call to state TV. The Libyan leader said the more than week-long revolt has been carried out by young men hopped up on hallucinogenic pills given to them "in their coffee with milk, like Nescafe."
"Shame on you, people of Zawiya, control your children," he said, addressing residents of the city outside Tripoli where the mosque attack took place. "They are loyal to bin Laden," he said of those involved in the uprising. What do you have to do with bin Laden, people of Zawiya? They are exploiting young people ... I insist it is bin Laden."
The attacks Thursday aimed to push back a revolt that has moved closer to Gadhafi's bastion in the capital, Tripoli. Most of the eastern half of Libya has already broken away, and parts of Gadhafi's regime have frayed.
In the latest blow to the Libyan leader, a cousin who is one of his closest aides, Ahmed Gadhaf al-Dam, announced that he has defected to Egypt in protest against the regime's bloody crackdown against the uprising, denouncing what he called "grave violations to human rights and human and international laws."
In Zawiya, 30 miles (50 kilometers) west of Tripoli, an army unit attacked the city' Souq Mosque, where regime opponents had been camped for days in a protest calling for Gadhafi's ouster, a witness said. The soldiers opened fire with automatic weapons and hit the mosque's minaret with fire from an anti-aircraft gun, he said. Some of the young men among the protesters, who were inside the mosque and in a nearby lot, had hunting rifles for protection.
A doctor at a field clinic set up at the mosque said he saw the bodies of 10 dead, shot in the head and chest, as well as arond 150 wounded.
The witness said that a day earlier an envoy from Gadhafi had come to the city and warned protesters, "Either leave or you will see a massacre." Zawiya is a key city near an oil port and refineries.
After Thursday's assault, thousands massed in Zawiya's main Martyrs Square by the mosque, shouting "leave, leave," in reference to Gadhafi, the witness said. "People came to send a clear message: We are not afraid of death or your bullets," he said.
The other attack came at a small airport outside Misrata, Libya's third largest city, where rebel residents claimed control Wednesday. Militiamen with rocket-propelled grenades and mortars barraged a line of them who were guarding the airport, some armed with automatic rifles and hunting rifles, said one of the rebels who was involved in the battle.
During the fighting, the airport's defenders seized an anti-aircraft gun used by the militias and turned it against them, he said.
A medical official at a military air base by the airport said two people were killed in the fighting — one from each side — and five were wounded. He said personnel at the base had sided with the Misrata uprising and had disabled fighter jets there to prevent them being used against rebellious populaces.
"Now Misrata is totally under control of the people, but we are worried because we squeezed between Sirte and Tripoli, which are strongholds of Gadhafi," he said. Sirte, a center for Gadhafi's tribes, lies to the southeast of Misrata.
The militias pulled back in the late morning. In Misrata, the local radio — controlled by the opposition like the rest of the city — called on residents to march to the airport to reinforce it, said a woman who lives in downtown Misrata.
In the afternoon, it appeared fighting erupted again, she said, reporting heavy booms from the direction of the airport on the edge of the city, located about 120 miles (200 kilometers) east of Tripoli.
The witnesses around Libya spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
Gadhafi's crackdown has so far helped him maintain control of Tripoli, a city that holds about a third of Libya's 6 million population. But the uprising has divided the country and threatened to push it toward civil war: In cities across the east, residents rose up and overwhelmed government buildings and army bases, joined in many cases by local army units that defected. In those cities, tribal leaders, residents and military officers have formed local administrations, passing out weapons looted from the security forces' arsenals.
The leader's cousin, Gadhaf al-Dam, is one of the most high level defections to hit the regime so far, after many ambassadors around the world, the justice minister and the interior minister all sided with the protesters.
Gadhaf al-Dam belonged to Gadhafi's inner circle, officially his liaison with Egypt, but he also served as Gadhafi's envoy to other world leaders and frequently appeared by his side.
In a statement issued in Cairo on Thursday, Gadhaf al-Dam said he had left Libya for Egypt "in protest and to show disagreement" with the crackdown.
Gadhafi's control now has been reduced to the northwest corner around Tripoli, the southwest deserts and parts of the center. The uprisings in Misrata, Zawiya and several small towns between the capital and Tunisian border have further whittled away at that bastion.
The Zawiya resident said that until Thursday's attack, Gadhafi opponents held total sway in the city after police fled days earlier. Residents had organized local watchgroups to protect government buildings and homes.
The capital, Tripoli, saw an outbreak of major protests against Gadhafi's rule earlier this week, met with attacks by militiamen that reportedly left dozens dead.
Pro-Gadhafi militiamen — a mix of Libyans and foreign mercenaries — have clamped down on the city since the Libyan leader went on state TV Tuesday night and called on his supporters to take back the streets. Residents say militiamen roam Tripoli's main avenues, firing the air, while neighborhood watch groups have barricaded side streets trying to keep the fighters out and protesters lay low.
At the same time, regular security forces have launched raids on homes around the city. A resident in the Ben Ashour neighborhood said a number of SUVs full of armed men swept into his district Wednesday night, broke into his neighbor's home and dragged out a family friend as women in the house screamed. He said other similar raids had taken place on Thursday in other districts.
"Now is the time of secret terror and secret arrests. They are going to go home to home and liquidate opponents that way, and impose his (Gadhafi's) control on Tripoli," said the witness.
Another Tripoli resident said armed militiamen had entered a hospital, searching for protesters among the injured. He said a friend's relative being treated there escaped only because doctors hid him.
International momentum has been building for action to punish Gadhafi's regime for the bloodshed.
President Barack Obama said the suffering in Libya "is outrageous and it is unacceptable," and he directed his administration to prepare a full range of options, including possible sanctions that could freeze the assets and ban travel to the U.S. by Libyan officials.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy raised the possibility of the European Union cutting off economic ties.
Another proposal gaining some traction was for the United Nations to declare a no-fly zone over Libya to prevent it using warplanes to hit protesters. U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said that if reports of such strikes are confirmed, "there's an immediate need for that level of protection."
Italy's Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said estimates of some 1,000 people killed in the violence in Libya were "credible," although he stressed information about casualties was incomplete. The New York-based Human Rights Watch has put the death toll at nearly 300, according to a partial count.
Gadhafi's son Seif al-Islam claimed Thursday that the reported death tolls have been exaggerated, although he didn't provide his own figure. In a press conference aired on state TV, he said the number killed by police and the army had been limited and "talking about hundreds and thousands (killed) is a joke."
He also said a committee had been formed to investigate alleged foreign involvement in the protests.
Earlier Thursday, Libyan TV showed Egyptian passports, CDs and cell phones purportedly belonging to detainees who had allegedly confessed to plotting "terrorist" operations against the Libyan people. Other footage showed a dozen men lying on the ground, with their faces down, blindfolded and handcuffed. Rifles and guns were laid out next to them.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Ghana Moves Up In Computer Application Systems
Ghana has joined the ranks of privileged few countries that apply artificial intelligence (AI), a branch of computer science that aims to create the intelligence in machines and computers to mimic human behaviour.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a computer application system by which machines are empowered to mimic the actions and behaviour of human beings. This enables machines to perform tasks more efficiently and reliably.
AI applications can be used to determine patterns in huge volumes of data obtained from educational institutions, hospitals, banks, insurance companies and are capable of predicting trends that are useful for planning and forecasting.
The field was founded on the assumption that a central property of humans— intelligence—can be so precisely described that it can be simulated by a machine.
The Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT (AITI-KACE), in partnership with the PASCAL Network of Excellence and Stefan Josef Institute in Europe, has started an eight-day boot camp on artificial intelligence (AI) for researchers and lecturers from some of leading universities in Ghana and Nigeria.
The boot camp is to prepare the grounds for the establishment of an AI laboratory for Ghana to support academic and research work in this area.
As part of the partnership with AITI-KACE, the European institutes have presented an AI research software, CYC, to the centre of excellence to help researchers and lecturers to deepen their knowledge in AI, which helps humans to accomplish tasks more efficiently as the machines are trained to mimic the behaviour of humans with a high level of accuracy and precision.
One of the Course Facilitators, Dr Micheal J. Witbrock of the European Cycorp Incorporated, told the Daily Graphic that AI could be applied in many areas of the Ghanaian society and economy to solve challenges, no matter how difficult and novel.
He explained that with AI, the programmes, software and the machines were fed with so much facts about a subject, with the machines empowered to make inferences and conclusions with precision which could help solve problems that humans had hitherto found difficult.
For example, in the fight against malaria, an AI application could help medical practitioners diagnose, with ease and precision, the type and intensity of the ailment and make super accurate prescriptions, giving answers to how the prescriptions could be obtained.
Interestingly, the software, CYC, could go further to help translate the work into different natural languages (languages spoken in the local area), breaking the literacy and communications barriers to any form of research or medical treatment.
Areas of applied AI includes robotics; perceptive systems, which has to do with human sensing; and expert systems, a complete attempt to make machines replace human characteristics.
Currently, AI technology does a lot of things, including the recognition of voices and performs real time translation in other languages, with the expectation that in five years computers would have been developed that could answer any type of question fed into it.
Besides its use in the medical field, AI applications can be helpful in the fight against corruption as it could be deployed to track the quality of expenditure, monitor their transmission, check fraud and ensure the efficient use of resources.
Dr Witbrock said the boot camp was to stimulate the interest in AI in Ghana as a hub to West Africa, as well as get contributions from Ghanaian course participants.
The Director of the AITI-KACE, Ms Dorothy K. Gordon, said AI would help people enrich their work, while creating avenues for retraining people to do other work.
She said the boot camp was to enable Ghana to benefit from a transfer of knowledge in the area from Europe, adding that a foundation would be established to support the development of AI in Ghana.
While thanking the partners for the software licence made available for research, Ms Gordon said the PASCAL Network had also presented cameras, books and other logistics to facilitate the deepening of AI in Ghana.
The boot camp is to transfer and share technical knowledge on Artificial learning to participants from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), the University of Ghana, the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Ashesi University and Regent University.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a computer application system by which machines are empowered to mimic the actions and behaviour of human beings. This enables machines to perform tasks more efficiently and reliably.
AI applications can be used to determine patterns in huge volumes of data obtained from educational institutions, hospitals, banks, insurance companies and are capable of predicting trends that are useful for planning and forecasting.
The field was founded on the assumption that a central property of humans— intelligence—can be so precisely described that it can be simulated by a machine.
The Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT (AITI-KACE), in partnership with the PASCAL Network of Excellence and Stefan Josef Institute in Europe, has started an eight-day boot camp on artificial intelligence (AI) for researchers and lecturers from some of leading universities in Ghana and Nigeria.
The boot camp is to prepare the grounds for the establishment of an AI laboratory for Ghana to support academic and research work in this area.
As part of the partnership with AITI-KACE, the European institutes have presented an AI research software, CYC, to the centre of excellence to help researchers and lecturers to deepen their knowledge in AI, which helps humans to accomplish tasks more efficiently as the machines are trained to mimic the behaviour of humans with a high level of accuracy and precision.
One of the Course Facilitators, Dr Micheal J. Witbrock of the European Cycorp Incorporated, told the Daily Graphic that AI could be applied in many areas of the Ghanaian society and economy to solve challenges, no matter how difficult and novel.
He explained that with AI, the programmes, software and the machines were fed with so much facts about a subject, with the machines empowered to make inferences and conclusions with precision which could help solve problems that humans had hitherto found difficult.
For example, in the fight against malaria, an AI application could help medical practitioners diagnose, with ease and precision, the type and intensity of the ailment and make super accurate prescriptions, giving answers to how the prescriptions could be obtained.
Interestingly, the software, CYC, could go further to help translate the work into different natural languages (languages spoken in the local area), breaking the literacy and communications barriers to any form of research or medical treatment.
Areas of applied AI includes robotics; perceptive systems, which has to do with human sensing; and expert systems, a complete attempt to make machines replace human characteristics.
Currently, AI technology does a lot of things, including the recognition of voices and performs real time translation in other languages, with the expectation that in five years computers would have been developed that could answer any type of question fed into it.
Besides its use in the medical field, AI applications can be helpful in the fight against corruption as it could be deployed to track the quality of expenditure, monitor their transmission, check fraud and ensure the efficient use of resources.
Dr Witbrock said the boot camp was to stimulate the interest in AI in Ghana as a hub to West Africa, as well as get contributions from Ghanaian course participants.
The Director of the AITI-KACE, Ms Dorothy K. Gordon, said AI would help people enrich their work, while creating avenues for retraining people to do other work.
She said the boot camp was to enable Ghana to benefit from a transfer of knowledge in the area from Europe, adding that a foundation would be established to support the development of AI in Ghana.
While thanking the partners for the software licence made available for research, Ms Gordon said the PASCAL Network had also presented cameras, books and other logistics to facilitate the deepening of AI in Ghana.
The boot camp is to transfer and share technical knowledge on Artificial learning to participants from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), the University of Ghana, the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Ashesi University and Regent University.
Gaddafi's Next Move: Sabotage Oil and Sow Chaos?
Time Magazine
There's been virtually no reliable information coming out of Tripoli, but a source close to the Gaddafi regime I did manage to get hold of told me the already terrible situation in Libya will get much worse. Among other things, Gaddafi has ordered security services to start sabotaging oil facilities. They will start by blowing up several oil pipelines, cutting off flow to Mediterranean ports. The sabotage, according to the insider, is meant to serve as a message to Libya's rebellious tribes: It's either me or chaos.
Two weeks ago this same man had told me the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt would never touch Libya. Gaddafi, he said, had a tight lock on all of the major tribes, the same ones that have kept him in power for the past 41 years. The man of course turned out to be wrong, and everything he now has to say about Gaddafi's intentions needs to be taken in that context.
The source went on and told me that Gaddafi's desperation has a lot to with the fact that he now can only count on the loyalty of his tribe, the Qadhadhfa. And as for the army, as of Monday he only has the loyalty of approximately 5,000 troops. They are his elite forces, the officers all handpicked. Among them is the unit commanded by his second youngest son Khamis, the 32nd Brigade. (The total strength of the regular Libyan army is 45,000.)
My Libyan source said that Gaddafi has told people around him that he knows he cannot retake Libya with the forces he has. But what he can do is make the rebellious tribes and army officers regret their disloyalty, turning Libya into another Somalia. "I have the money and arms to fight for a long time," Gaddafi reportedly said.
As part of the same plan to turn the tables, Gaddafi ordered the release from prison of the country's Islamic militant prisoners, hoping they will act on their own to sow chaos across Libya. Gaddafi envisages them attacking foreigners and rebellious tribes. Couple that with a shortage of food supplies, and any chance for the rebels to replace Gaddafi will be remote.
My Libyan source said that in order to understand Gaddafi's state of mind we need to understand that he feels deeply betrayed by the media, which he blames for sparking the revolt. In particular, he blames the Qatari TV station al-Jazeera, and is convinced it targeted him for purely political motivations. He also feels betrayed by the West because it has only encouraged the revolt. Over the weekend, he warned several European embassies that if he falls, the consequence will be a flood of African immigration that will "swamp" Europe.
(Comment on this story.)
Pressed, my Libyan source acknowledged Gaddafi is a desperate, irrational man, and his threats to turn Libya into another Somalia at this point may be mostly bluffing. On the other hand, if Gaddafi in fact enjoys the loyalty of troops he thinks he has, he very well could take Libya to the brink of civil war, if not over.
Muammar Gaddafi's Delusions of African Grandeur
In 2008, Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi invited 200 kings and traditional rulers from sub-Saharan, mainly non-Arab Africa to witness his crowning of as the continent's "King of Kings." Currently, however, his links to sub-Saharan Africa are more violently mercenary than wackily ceremonial as consistent reports emerge that he is using fighters from that region to quell the nationwide uprising against his regime.
Videos and photographs have surfaced on YouTube and other websites of columns of uniformed black African soldiers driving in jeeps through Tripoli and patrolling the streets of the Libyan capital. Other videos show the bodies of several dead, black African men killed by the protestors, including the corpses of two men being paraded on the hood of a car and driven through a crowd of demonstrators in al-Baida. Another video shows a black African man, who has been caught by the demonstrators, being hit and punched. A protestor asks: "Who is giving you orders?" The man replies: "They come from up high. I swear, I swear...orders, orders." The protestor asks: "They told you to fire at us"? The man replies: "Yes, yes." (Watch TIME's 2009 interview with Libya's Muammar Gaddafi.)
The Libyan deputy ambassador to the United Nations, Ibrahim Dabbashi, who broke with the regime, warned in a statement that Gaddafi was employing "African mercenaries" to protect the regime. The nationalities of the soldiers are not known, though some unconfirmed reports indicate some soldiers may be French-speaking. The numbers of soldiers is also unknown, although witnesses in Libya claim to have seen several planes land at different airports across the country and disgorge hundreds of fighters - an intervention of sufficient size to suggest a foreign government's complicity in their departure for Libya, if not actual support. "You have to ask: with which militant governments and armed groups did Libya have contacts?" says Petrus de Kock, a senior researcher at the Pretoria-based South Africa Institute of International Affairs. "And the answer is: almost all of them."
The fall of Gaddafi would remove at a stroke an eccentric but sometimes disruptive and decisive influence in Africa. More than any other Arab leader, Gaddafi has looked south of the Sahara. Sometimes his influence has been benign. Libya has donated money for humanitarian causes across the continent and also allowed Africans to travel to the country to find work. Gaddafi was also instrumental in the foundation of the African Union as an attempt to institutionalize pan-Africanism and African self-sufficiency. And in recent years, Gaddafi's regime, particularly his son Saif, has emerged as the key mediator in negotiations over Western hostages kidnapped in Mali and Niger by Tuareg rebels or West African Islamists. (See if Gaddafi's next move is to sabotage oil and sow chaos.)
But self-interest has always underscored Gaddafi's curiosity in Africa. Gaddafi developed an interest in pan-Africanism when pan-Arabism let him down: his fellow Arabs failed to support him in the face of international isolation in the 1980s and 1990s, while some African countries did. Gaddafi has also backed scores of rebel movements across the continent, particularly in Chad, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Liberia and - during the years of apartheid in South Africa - Nelson Mandela and the armed wing of the African National Congress. Like the Irish Republican Army (IRA), Palestinian militants and the forces of former Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, many of these groups underwent guerrilla training in camps in Libya. Once the rebels won power, that support continued, most notoriously in the close relations enjoyed by Gaddafi with his Zimbabwean counterpart, Robert Mugabe.
In the last decade, Gaddafi's vision for Africa crystallized in a proposal for a United States of Africa, complete with a single currency, a united military and one common passport. That call for African unity was also the theme of his time as chair of the African Union in 2009, and has found some support - notably from Senegal and Zimbabwe - while the African Union itself has set itself the task of building a "united and integrated" Africa by 2025. But continental powerhouses like South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria oppose the idea, which they regard as an extension of Gaddafi's idiosyncrasy. Gaddafi's calls for unity and stability are at odds with his track record of backing rebellions. Libyans too looked askance at his doling out of billions in their country's oil revenue to foreigners. Says Tawfik al-Shaiby, "He supports all sides, but not our people. I think he said he would send $9 billion to Africa. He sent it. But his people don't have the same rights." (See pictures from the rule of Libya's Colonel Gaddafi.)
As a result, though Gadaffi's fall would resonate more than the demise of other Arab regimes, its effect would be limited. "I don't think an African autocrat can not be concerned if autocracies of 30 or 40 years are being toppled so quickly by people spontaneously organizing," says Adekeye Adebajo, director of the Center for Conflict Resolution in Cape Town. On the other hand, he adds, "He was able to buy influence, but there's not many African countries that actively support him. Even though Gaddafi has long portrayed himself as an African, the support was always opportunistic and never that deep." (Comment on this story.)
Likewise, there are real differences between northern and southern Africa that limit the spread of rebellion. There have been copycat protests in northern Sudan, where President Omar al-Bashir - technically sub-Saharan African, but ethnically Arab - has announced that after 22 years in power he will not stand for re-election. But there have been few demonstrations elsewhere. Southern Africans have inequality and widespread government corruption in common with northerners. But with far less internet access, they do not have the same ability to organize and publicize instantly on the internet. The young, educated middle class - the Facebook generation which led the northern African revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt - is generally smaller; and, crucially, in Africa, the army is often inseparable from the regime.
Americans, Turks among the thousands fleeing Libya
ANKARA, Turkey – Foreigners fled the chaos in Libya by the thousands Wednesday, with Americans and Turks climbing aboard ships, Europeans boarding evacuation flights and North Africans racing to border crossings in overcrowded vans.
Two Turkish ships whisked 3,000 citizens away from the unrest engulfing Libya as Turkey cranked up its largest-ever evacuation, seeking to protect its estimated 25,000 workers in Libya. More than 200 Turkish companies are involved in construction projects in Libya worth over $15 billion, and some construction sites have come under attack by protesters.
The safety of U.S. citizens was a prime concern after failed attempts earlier this week to get them out by plane. But hundreds of Americans safely boarded a 600-passenger ferry at Tripoli's As-shahab port on Wednesday afternoon for the five-hour journey to Malta, a Mediterranean island south of Italy.
Over a dozen countries — including Russia, China, Germany and Ukraine — sent planes in to help their citizens escape an increasingly unstable situation. Tripoli airport was overflowing with stranded passengers, and one said thousands more were sitting in the sun outside the airport, surrounded by luggage and children and blocked by security from entering.
"The airport was mobbed, you wouldn't believe the number of people," said Kathleen Burnett, of Baltimore, Ohio, as she stepped off a flight from Tripoli to Vienna. "It was total chaos."
Irina Kuneva of Bulgaria said tensions in Tripoli were rising sharply after strongman Moammar Gadhafi's defiant speech hinting at civil war with protesters in eastern Libya.
"He said people should either do what he tells them or there will be a civil war," she told reporters Wednesday as she arrived in Sofia on an evacuation flight. "People are very scared because there are many released prisoners walking drunk on the streets."
Two Turkish ships left the eastern Libyan port of Benghazi on Wednesday escorted by a navy frigate. They were heading to Turkey's Mediterranean port of Marmaris, where a soup kitchen and a field hospital were set up and buses were brought in to transfer evacuees. Turkey also sent two more ships to Libya and flew 250 more Turkish citizens back home.
Turkey has now evacuated over 5,300 citizens from Libya in the last three days.
"We are carrying out the largest evacuation operation in our history," Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said, adding that 21 countries other countries have asked Turkey to evacuate their citizens too.
Migrants also poured across Libya's land borders with Egypt and Tunisia on Wednesday, with vans piled high with luggage and furniture lining up at the Salloum border crossing with Egypt. Jemini Pandya, a spokeswoman for the U.N. migration agency, said thousands of migrants were fleeing Libya.
China was also gearing up for a massive evacuation of the 30,000 or more Chinese workers in Libya building railways, infrastructure and providing oilfield services. Greece was tapped to help evacuate around 13,000 Chinese workers to Crete by ship and China's first chartered evacuation flight left Wednesday for Libya.
Libyan leader Gadhafi has urged his supporters to strike back against Libyan pro-democracy protesters, escalating a crackdown that has led to widespread shooting in the streets. Nearly 300 people have been killed in the nationwide wave of anti-government protests — and possibly many more.
Libya is one of the world's biggest oil producers — responsible for nearly 2 percent of the world's oil — and many oil companies were evacuating their expatriate workers and families.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague said about 170 British oil workers and colleagues from other nations were stranded in desert camps and unable to reach the evacuation flights.
"These camps are remote, they're isolated, they are scattered over a large distance, they're dependent for food or water on supplies from Libyan cities that have been severely disrupted by the violence and unrest," he said. "They are in a perilous and frightening situation."
Britain was sending two Boeing 757s to Tripoli to evacuate U.K. nationals, and will send a third Thursday if necessary. The royal navy frigate HMS Cumberland was arriving in international waters off Libya on Wednesday night, ready to assist evacuations if the violence escalates, Hague said.
Evacuation planes from Libya spread out across Europe.
The first planeload of evacuated Russians landed in Moscow, bringing 118 people, and three more planes were expected. A ship was also setting sail for Ras Lanuf, the site of Libya's largest refinery and port, to evacuate up to 1,000 Russians, Turks, Serbs and Montenegrins there.
Two French military planes evacuated nearly 400 foreigners to Paris from Libya, and a third plane was en route from France. Two Bulgarian planes returned Wednesday from Tripoli with nearly 200 passengers and Dutch citizens flew home on a military plane.
Hundreds of Italians took Alitalia flights from Tripoli home, and an Italian air force plane landed Wednesday to evacuate others. Two Italian naval vessels headed to eastern Libyan ports to rescue citizens from Benghazi, Misurata, and other cities where airports had been damaged.
Arriving at Madrid's Barajas airport on a nearly empty Libyan Airlines plane, Venezuelan oil engineer Cesar Orta said he had never witnessed violence but had heard it.
"You could hear gunshots or fireworks and hear people shouting. I wasn't afraid, but I never left my house at night," he said, adding that Tripoli was generally pro-Gadhafi.
Orta said the worst inconvenience was the intermittent Internet service and no working telephones, as well as not being able to understand Arabic-language television to know what was going on.
Carlos Dominguez, another passenger, said conditions were chaotic at Tripoli's airport, where people could not buy tickets online and Libyan Airlines was accepting only cash.
"The doors are locked and you can only get in if you have a ticket," he said.
Swarms of Egyptians who had lived in Libya were locked outside the airport, he said, "lying on the sidewalks with blankets and children" and all their belongings, even television sets.
"The army treats them very badly," he added.
Orta said the Libyans he had talked to think the unrest will die down in a week or so.
"They say things will be OK and that Gadhafi will sort things out," Orta said.
Dominguez, who worked as an architectural consultant in Tripoli, said the Libyans he knows were furious with the international community for its hands-off approach.
"People are very angry with the international attitude," he said.
Two Turkish ships whisked 3,000 citizens away from the unrest engulfing Libya as Turkey cranked up its largest-ever evacuation, seeking to protect its estimated 25,000 workers in Libya. More than 200 Turkish companies are involved in construction projects in Libya worth over $15 billion, and some construction sites have come under attack by protesters.
The safety of U.S. citizens was a prime concern after failed attempts earlier this week to get them out by plane. But hundreds of Americans safely boarded a 600-passenger ferry at Tripoli's As-shahab port on Wednesday afternoon for the five-hour journey to Malta, a Mediterranean island south of Italy.
Over a dozen countries — including Russia, China, Germany and Ukraine — sent planes in to help their citizens escape an increasingly unstable situation. Tripoli airport was overflowing with stranded passengers, and one said thousands more were sitting in the sun outside the airport, surrounded by luggage and children and blocked by security from entering.
"The airport was mobbed, you wouldn't believe the number of people," said Kathleen Burnett, of Baltimore, Ohio, as she stepped off a flight from Tripoli to Vienna. "It was total chaos."
Irina Kuneva of Bulgaria said tensions in Tripoli were rising sharply after strongman Moammar Gadhafi's defiant speech hinting at civil war with protesters in eastern Libya.
"He said people should either do what he tells them or there will be a civil war," she told reporters Wednesday as she arrived in Sofia on an evacuation flight. "People are very scared because there are many released prisoners walking drunk on the streets."
Two Turkish ships left the eastern Libyan port of Benghazi on Wednesday escorted by a navy frigate. They were heading to Turkey's Mediterranean port of Marmaris, where a soup kitchen and a field hospital were set up and buses were brought in to transfer evacuees. Turkey also sent two more ships to Libya and flew 250 more Turkish citizens back home.
Turkey has now evacuated over 5,300 citizens from Libya in the last three days.
"We are carrying out the largest evacuation operation in our history," Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said, adding that 21 countries other countries have asked Turkey to evacuate their citizens too.
Migrants also poured across Libya's land borders with Egypt and Tunisia on Wednesday, with vans piled high with luggage and furniture lining up at the Salloum border crossing with Egypt. Jemini Pandya, a spokeswoman for the U.N. migration agency, said thousands of migrants were fleeing Libya.
China was also gearing up for a massive evacuation of the 30,000 or more Chinese workers in Libya building railways, infrastructure and providing oilfield services. Greece was tapped to help evacuate around 13,000 Chinese workers to Crete by ship and China's first chartered evacuation flight left Wednesday for Libya.
Libyan leader Gadhafi has urged his supporters to strike back against Libyan pro-democracy protesters, escalating a crackdown that has led to widespread shooting in the streets. Nearly 300 people have been killed in the nationwide wave of anti-government protests — and possibly many more.
Libya is one of the world's biggest oil producers — responsible for nearly 2 percent of the world's oil — and many oil companies were evacuating their expatriate workers and families.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague said about 170 British oil workers and colleagues from other nations were stranded in desert camps and unable to reach the evacuation flights.
"These camps are remote, they're isolated, they are scattered over a large distance, they're dependent for food or water on supplies from Libyan cities that have been severely disrupted by the violence and unrest," he said. "They are in a perilous and frightening situation."
Britain was sending two Boeing 757s to Tripoli to evacuate U.K. nationals, and will send a third Thursday if necessary. The royal navy frigate HMS Cumberland was arriving in international waters off Libya on Wednesday night, ready to assist evacuations if the violence escalates, Hague said.
Evacuation planes from Libya spread out across Europe.
The first planeload of evacuated Russians landed in Moscow, bringing 118 people, and three more planes were expected. A ship was also setting sail for Ras Lanuf, the site of Libya's largest refinery and port, to evacuate up to 1,000 Russians, Turks, Serbs and Montenegrins there.
Two French military planes evacuated nearly 400 foreigners to Paris from Libya, and a third plane was en route from France. Two Bulgarian planes returned Wednesday from Tripoli with nearly 200 passengers and Dutch citizens flew home on a military plane.
Hundreds of Italians took Alitalia flights from Tripoli home, and an Italian air force plane landed Wednesday to evacuate others. Two Italian naval vessels headed to eastern Libyan ports to rescue citizens from Benghazi, Misurata, and other cities where airports had been damaged.
Arriving at Madrid's Barajas airport on a nearly empty Libyan Airlines plane, Venezuelan oil engineer Cesar Orta said he had never witnessed violence but had heard it.
"You could hear gunshots or fireworks and hear people shouting. I wasn't afraid, but I never left my house at night," he said, adding that Tripoli was generally pro-Gadhafi.
Orta said the worst inconvenience was the intermittent Internet service and no working telephones, as well as not being able to understand Arabic-language television to know what was going on.
Carlos Dominguez, another passenger, said conditions were chaotic at Tripoli's airport, where people could not buy tickets online and Libyan Airlines was accepting only cash.
"The doors are locked and you can only get in if you have a ticket," he said.
Swarms of Egyptians who had lived in Libya were locked outside the airport, he said, "lying on the sidewalks with blankets and children" and all their belongings, even television sets.
"The army treats them very badly," he added.
Orta said the Libyans he had talked to think the unrest will die down in a week or so.
"They say things will be OK and that Gadhafi will sort things out," Orta said.
Dominguez, who worked as an architectural consultant in Tripoli, said the Libyans he knows were furious with the international community for its hands-off approach.
"People are very angry with the international attitude," he said.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Extreme tides flood Marshalls capital
MAJURO (AFP) – Extreme high tides have flooded parts of the low-lying Marshall Islands capital Majuro with a warning Sunday of worse to come because of rising sea levels.
Several areas of the city were flooded Saturday and forecasters predicted more to come on Sunday evening before the current high tide levels ease.
Flooding of the Marshall Islands atolls, many of which rise less than a metre (three feet) above sea level, will increase in "frequency and magnitude" in the coming years, University of Hawaii marine researcher Murray Ford said.
Ford, who is studying rising sea levels in the Marshall islands, said the weekend's extreme tides of 1.67 metres were exacerbated by La Nina, a weather phenomenon that has caused the base sea level to rise by 15 centimetres (six inches) in recent months.
"As the sea level is temporarily higher as a result of La Nina and overlies long-term sea level rise, the impacts are magnified," Ford said.
"While these events happen only a handful of times a year at present they will continue to increase in both frequency and magnitude."
Ford said a gauge measuring long-term sea level changes at Majuro indicated the "average sea level is more than six inches above predicted" levels.
The Marshall Islands, a collection of coral atolls and islands, announced plans late last year to build a wall to hold back rising sea levels around Majuro which is home to nearly half of the country's 55,000 population.
Overcrowding in the urban centre have forced people to build homes within a couple of metres of the shore, increasing their exposure to flooding during peak tide periods.
Several areas of the city were flooded Saturday and forecasters predicted more to come on Sunday evening before the current high tide levels ease.
Flooding of the Marshall Islands atolls, many of which rise less than a metre (three feet) above sea level, will increase in "frequency and magnitude" in the coming years, University of Hawaii marine researcher Murray Ford said.
Ford, who is studying rising sea levels in the Marshall islands, said the weekend's extreme tides of 1.67 metres were exacerbated by La Nina, a weather phenomenon that has caused the base sea level to rise by 15 centimetres (six inches) in recent months.
"As the sea level is temporarily higher as a result of La Nina and overlies long-term sea level rise, the impacts are magnified," Ford said.
"While these events happen only a handful of times a year at present they will continue to increase in both frequency and magnitude."
Ford said a gauge measuring long-term sea level changes at Majuro indicated the "average sea level is more than six inches above predicted" levels.
The Marshall Islands, a collection of coral atolls and islands, announced plans late last year to build a wall to hold back rising sea levels around Majuro which is home to nearly half of the country's 55,000 population.
Overcrowding in the urban centre have forced people to build homes within a couple of metres of the shore, increasing their exposure to flooding during peak tide periods.
12 taxi drivers, fares killed in Mexican resort
ACAPULCO, Mexico – A spate of attacks on taxis in the Mexican resort city of Acapulco has left 12 taxi drivers or passengers dead, police said Sunday, just hours before the Mexican Open tennis tournament is scheduled to start.
Acapulco has been the scene of bloody drug cartel turf wars, and taxi drivers have often been targeted for extortion or recruited by the gangs to act as lookouts or transport drugs.
The organizers of the largest tennis tournament in Latin America said in a statement Sunday that the Mexican government has assured them that appropriate security measures have been taken for the event that starts Monday.
Police in Guerrero state, where Acapulco is located, said that four suspects had been detained in relation with some of the attacks. The suspects had guns, a grenade and a machete that police say may have been used to decapitate some of the victims.
The attacks began Friday, when five taxi drivers were found dead in or near their vehicles.
The slaughter continued Saturday, when a driver was found bound and shot to death near his taxi, and two others were found dead of bullet wounds inside their vehicles. One of the drivers had been beheaded.
Gunmen opened fire on yet another taxi, killing the driver and three passengers.
On Sunday, the violence came closer to the city's tourist zone, where the tennis matches are held. Five cars were set afire and a man's body was found hacked to pieces outside an apartment building.
Dozens of cars have been set ablaze in Acapulco in recent days, for reasons that are not entirely clear.
Tournament organizers at the Association of Tennis Professionals, in a statement sent to The Associated Press, said the group had received assurances from all levels of the Mexican government.
"Following an independent security assessment and discussions with tournament organizers, we are satisfied that responsible measures are being taken, and that the event has the full support of the authorities of Acapulco, the state of Guerrero, and the Mexican federal government," the statement said.
Players have received e-mails from the ATP about the situation, cautioning them about going out and suggesting they stay near their hotel. It has also been suggested they arrive as late as possible and leave once eliminated.
Tournament organizers have played down the security concerns, pointing out that the International Olympic Committee and President Jacques Rogge held their executive board meeting in the coastal resort in October.
Argentine player David Nalbandian said Saturday that he was thinking about withdrawing since he already has a groin injury and could use the rest before Argentina's Davis Cup match against Romania March 4-6.
"It's a great and enjoyable tournament to play," said Nalbandian, who was beaten on Saturday by Tommy Robredo in the quarterfinals of the Copa Claro in Buenos Aires.
"But for right now it's a little more difficult because of the security situation. We (players) are a bit scared about this and we're trying to decide what to do."
Tournament director Raul Zurutuza later confirmed Nalbandian's withdrawal. He said the danger was being exaggerated and complained about communications from the ATP and the WTA, which will also play a Mexico tournament.
"It is being blown out of proportion — what is going on, that we are concerned about the violence," Zurutuza said. "We are. But in the context of tennis being played, I believe a great week awaits us."
Spanish player David Ferrer, winner of the last Acapulco tournament, downplayed the danger.
"I think things are being greatly exaggerated," Ferrer said. "We tennis players have all the guarantees" for personal safety.
Acapulco has been the scene of bloody drug cartel turf wars, and taxi drivers have often been targeted for extortion or recruited by the gangs to act as lookouts or transport drugs.
The organizers of the largest tennis tournament in Latin America said in a statement Sunday that the Mexican government has assured them that appropriate security measures have been taken for the event that starts Monday.
Police in Guerrero state, where Acapulco is located, said that four suspects had been detained in relation with some of the attacks. The suspects had guns, a grenade and a machete that police say may have been used to decapitate some of the victims.
The attacks began Friday, when five taxi drivers were found dead in or near their vehicles.
The slaughter continued Saturday, when a driver was found bound and shot to death near his taxi, and two others were found dead of bullet wounds inside their vehicles. One of the drivers had been beheaded.
Gunmen opened fire on yet another taxi, killing the driver and three passengers.
On Sunday, the violence came closer to the city's tourist zone, where the tennis matches are held. Five cars were set afire and a man's body was found hacked to pieces outside an apartment building.
Dozens of cars have been set ablaze in Acapulco in recent days, for reasons that are not entirely clear.
Tournament organizers at the Association of Tennis Professionals, in a statement sent to The Associated Press, said the group had received assurances from all levels of the Mexican government.
"Following an independent security assessment and discussions with tournament organizers, we are satisfied that responsible measures are being taken, and that the event has the full support of the authorities of Acapulco, the state of Guerrero, and the Mexican federal government," the statement said.
Players have received e-mails from the ATP about the situation, cautioning them about going out and suggesting they stay near their hotel. It has also been suggested they arrive as late as possible and leave once eliminated.
Tournament organizers have played down the security concerns, pointing out that the International Olympic Committee and President Jacques Rogge held their executive board meeting in the coastal resort in October.
Argentine player David Nalbandian said Saturday that he was thinking about withdrawing since he already has a groin injury and could use the rest before Argentina's Davis Cup match against Romania March 4-6.
"It's a great and enjoyable tournament to play," said Nalbandian, who was beaten on Saturday by Tommy Robredo in the quarterfinals of the Copa Claro in Buenos Aires.
"But for right now it's a little more difficult because of the security situation. We (players) are a bit scared about this and we're trying to decide what to do."
Tournament director Raul Zurutuza later confirmed Nalbandian's withdrawal. He said the danger was being exaggerated and complained about communications from the ATP and the WTA, which will also play a Mexico tournament.
"It is being blown out of proportion — what is going on, that we are concerned about the violence," Zurutuza said. "We are. But in the context of tennis being played, I believe a great week awaits us."
Spanish player David Ferrer, winner of the last Acapulco tournament, downplayed the danger.
"I think things are being greatly exaggerated," Ferrer said. "We tennis players have all the guarantees" for personal safety.
7 soldiers shot dead in Azerbaijan
BAKU, Azerjbaijan – Officials in Azerbaijan say seven teenage soldiers have been killed at a military base in the west of the country, with local media saying a soldier went on a rampage before turning the gun on himself.
Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry and prosecutors said in a joint statement on Monday that the killings occurred on Sunday in the republic's Goygol district and that a murder inquiry had been opened. The victims were aged 18 and 19, the statement said, without elaborating.
Local media say the shooting occurred at a military post where eight soldiers were on patrol. They said one of the soldiers survived the shooting by hiding under the bodies.
In Azerbaijan — an oil-rich former Soviet nation in the southern Caucasus region — young men are obliged to do 18 months' military service unless entering higher education.
Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry and prosecutors said in a joint statement on Monday that the killings occurred on Sunday in the republic's Goygol district and that a murder inquiry had been opened. The victims were aged 18 and 19, the statement said, without elaborating.
Local media say the shooting occurred at a military post where eight soldiers were on patrol. They said one of the soldiers survived the shooting by hiding under the bodies.
In Azerbaijan — an oil-rich former Soviet nation in the southern Caucasus region — young men are obliged to do 18 months' military service unless entering higher education.
Oil majors stall Libya drilling, withdraw staff
LONDON (Reuters) – European oil and gas companies have evacuated staff and suspended drilling preparations in Libya as violence spreads across the north African country.
Norway's Statoil, Austria's OMV and Royal Dutch Shell have moved some staff as scores of anti-government protesters were killed in the country's second-biggest city, Benghazi, and unrest spread to the capital Tripoli over the weekend.
Production at the Murzaq oil field run by Spain's Repsol
has been unaffected so far, as has output from Eni's operations.
But UK oil major BP, which does not produce oil or gas in Libya but has been readying an onshore rig to start drilling for it in the west of the country, has suspended operations because of the escalating violence.
"We are looking at evacuating some people from Libya, so those preparations are being suspended but we haven't started drilling and we are years away from any production," a BP spokesman said, adding BP has about 40 staff in the country.
Royal Dutch Shell, whose operations in Libya are also limited to exploration, has temporarily relocated the dependents of expatriate staff outside the country, a spokesman for the Anglo-Dutch energy giant said, declining to comment further on operations.
Austrian oil and gas group OMV said none of its operations in Libya have been affected but that it was withdrawing expatriate staff.
Statoil, which participates in land-based oil production and exploration activities in the Mabruk field and in the Murzuk basin with Spain's Repsol, has closed its office in Tripoli and "a handful" of its foreign workers are leaving the country, a Statoil spokesman said.
Oil production from the isolated Murzuq oil field in the desert in the south of the country continues as normal, a spokesman for operator Repsol said on Monday.
Al Jazeera television reported on Monday that production from the Arabian Gulf Oil Company Nafoora oilfield had stopped because workers are striking, as violent unrest spread across the country which produces over one million barrels of oil a day.
Norway's Statoil, Austria's OMV and Royal Dutch Shell have moved some staff as scores of anti-government protesters were killed in the country's second-biggest city, Benghazi, and unrest spread to the capital Tripoli over the weekend.
Production at the Murzaq oil field run by Spain's Repsol
has been unaffected so far, as has output from Eni's operations.
But UK oil major BP, which does not produce oil or gas in Libya but has been readying an onshore rig to start drilling for it in the west of the country, has suspended operations because of the escalating violence.
"We are looking at evacuating some people from Libya, so those preparations are being suspended but we haven't started drilling and we are years away from any production," a BP spokesman said, adding BP has about 40 staff in the country.
Royal Dutch Shell, whose operations in Libya are also limited to exploration, has temporarily relocated the dependents of expatriate staff outside the country, a spokesman for the Anglo-Dutch energy giant said, declining to comment further on operations.
Austrian oil and gas group OMV said none of its operations in Libya have been affected but that it was withdrawing expatriate staff.
Statoil, which participates in land-based oil production and exploration activities in the Mabruk field and in the Murzuk basin with Spain's Repsol, has closed its office in Tripoli and "a handful" of its foreign workers are leaving the country, a Statoil spokesman said.
Oil production from the isolated Murzuq oil field in the desert in the south of the country continues as normal, a spokesman for operator Repsol said on Monday.
Al Jazeera television reported on Monday that production from the Arabian Gulf Oil Company Nafoora oilfield had stopped because workers are striking, as violent unrest spread across the country which produces over one million barrels of oil a day.
Thousands demand change in Morocco
RABAT (AFP) – Thousands staged rallies in Moroccan cities demanding political reform and limits on the powers of King Mohammed VI, the latest protests demanding change that have rocked the region.
Between 3,000 and 4,000 people took to the streets of the capital Rabat, shouting: "The people want change, denouncing corruption and calling for a democratic constitution to be adopted.
In Casablanca, the North African nation's biggest city, more than 4,000 people came out demanding: "Freedom, dignity, justice," an AFP reporter said.
Demonstrations were held in other Moroccan cities, including Marrakesh and the port of Tangier.
The protests were largely peaceful though there were reports of some minor unrest after they ended.
Thousands of young Moroccans have joined the "February 20" movement on the social networking site Facebook, calling for peaceful demonstrations demanding a new constitution limiting the king's powers and more social justice.
The call has similar origins to the so-called "Facebook revolutions" that toppled decades-old regimes in Tunisia and Egypt and sparked deadly protests in Bahrain, Yemen and Algeria.
In Rabat, protesters carried banners that read: "The king must reign not govern" and "The people want a new constitution."
"The prime minister must have broader powers and be accountable to the people," said 52-year-old teacher Brahim Abu Dahal.
"I want a Morocco that's more fair and with less corruption," said a student demonstrator in Casablanca who asked not to be named.
"We've got nothing against the king, but we want more justice and work," said another student who gave his name as Brahim.
After the protests, witnesses said groups of several dozen people looted some shops, lit cars on fire and threw stones at public buildings in several cities including tourist-hub Marrakesh and the northern port of Larache.
In Marrakesh, 150-200 people attacked and looted shops including a branch of restaurant chain McDonalds, a witness said.
Similar incidents took place in Larache, several witnesses said, with young people attacking some public buildings, including a police post and a customs office. In both cases security forces did not intervene, the sources said.
However police used tear gas against villagers of Al Hoceima after they lit fire to five cars and threw stones at a police station, witnesses said.
Ahead of the protests, Morocco promised to inject 1.4 billion euros in subsidies to soften price hikes for staples -- a key factor among others including rampant unemployment behind the spreading unrest in the Arab world.
That came despite comments by analysts that Morocco was unlikely to see Tunisia or Egypt-style unrest due to ongoing reforms by the king, who has ruled the country for more than a decade.
Observers say that despite widespread inequalities in Moroccan society the existence of some political pluralism and a relatively free press mean that the country has as yet been spared the mass protests sweeping other Middle Eastern and North African nations.
But calls have been growing for the king to have less say in government. The current system is a constitutional monarchy granting the king sweeping powers including naming the prime minister.
King Mohammed's cousin, Prince Moulay Hicham el-Alaoui, an academic at the US' Stanford University known as the "rebel prince" for his outspoken criticism of his country's political system, voiced his support for the demonstrations.
"I'm for any initiative that calls for democratising our political system, provided it is done peacefully and with tolerance. It appears that this movement fulfils these conditions and so I support it," he told France 24 television.
The prince, third in line to the throne, said that people wanted to see "progress and political reform in a monarchical context" and that he would welcome the monarchy evolving along the lines of that of Spain or Britain.
Between 3,000 and 4,000 people took to the streets of the capital Rabat, shouting: "The people want change, denouncing corruption and calling for a democratic constitution to be adopted.
In Casablanca, the North African nation's biggest city, more than 4,000 people came out demanding: "Freedom, dignity, justice," an AFP reporter said.
Demonstrations were held in other Moroccan cities, including Marrakesh and the port of Tangier.
The protests were largely peaceful though there were reports of some minor unrest after they ended.
Thousands of young Moroccans have joined the "February 20" movement on the social networking site Facebook, calling for peaceful demonstrations demanding a new constitution limiting the king's powers and more social justice.
The call has similar origins to the so-called "Facebook revolutions" that toppled decades-old regimes in Tunisia and Egypt and sparked deadly protests in Bahrain, Yemen and Algeria.
In Rabat, protesters carried banners that read: "The king must reign not govern" and "The people want a new constitution."
"The prime minister must have broader powers and be accountable to the people," said 52-year-old teacher Brahim Abu Dahal.
"I want a Morocco that's more fair and with less corruption," said a student demonstrator in Casablanca who asked not to be named.
"We've got nothing against the king, but we want more justice and work," said another student who gave his name as Brahim.
After the protests, witnesses said groups of several dozen people looted some shops, lit cars on fire and threw stones at public buildings in several cities including tourist-hub Marrakesh and the northern port of Larache.
In Marrakesh, 150-200 people attacked and looted shops including a branch of restaurant chain McDonalds, a witness said.
Similar incidents took place in Larache, several witnesses said, with young people attacking some public buildings, including a police post and a customs office. In both cases security forces did not intervene, the sources said.
However police used tear gas against villagers of Al Hoceima after they lit fire to five cars and threw stones at a police station, witnesses said.
Ahead of the protests, Morocco promised to inject 1.4 billion euros in subsidies to soften price hikes for staples -- a key factor among others including rampant unemployment behind the spreading unrest in the Arab world.
That came despite comments by analysts that Morocco was unlikely to see Tunisia or Egypt-style unrest due to ongoing reforms by the king, who has ruled the country for more than a decade.
Observers say that despite widespread inequalities in Moroccan society the existence of some political pluralism and a relatively free press mean that the country has as yet been spared the mass protests sweeping other Middle Eastern and North African nations.
But calls have been growing for the king to have less say in government. The current system is a constitutional monarchy granting the king sweeping powers including naming the prime minister.
King Mohammed's cousin, Prince Moulay Hicham el-Alaoui, an academic at the US' Stanford University known as the "rebel prince" for his outspoken criticism of his country's political system, voiced his support for the demonstrations.
"I'm for any initiative that calls for democratising our political system, provided it is done peacefully and with tolerance. It appears that this movement fulfils these conditions and so I support it," he told France 24 television.
The prince, third in line to the throne, said that people wanted to see "progress and political reform in a monarchical context" and that he would welcome the monarchy evolving along the lines of that of Spain or Britain.
Sudan's Bashir not standing for re-election: party
KHARTOUM (Reuters) – Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir will not stand at the next election as part of a package of reforms aimed at democratizing the country, a senior official of the ruling party said on Monday.
Bashir took power in a bloodless coup in 1989. In April 2010 he won presidential elections which many opposition parties boycotted, citing fraud.
"(Bashir) announced that he will not enter the coming elections to compete for the presidency," Rabie Abdelati, a senior National Congress Party official, told Reuters.
The next presidential elections are due in four years.
Bashir is the only sitting head of state to be indicted by the International Criminal Court, for war crimes and genocide in the war-torn Darfur region. He denies the charges.
Last week Bashir hinted to youth members of his party that he would retire if the NCP adopted a retirement age of 60 for political posts.
The opposition belittled the move, saying the NCP was trying to head off mass protests and feared contagion from popular uprisings which have ousted the Tunisian and Egyptian presidents.
Abdelati said Bashir had also offered to step down as head of the NCP, a move he said was part of a wider strategy to democratize the country.
"This is an NCP strategy to let different generations fill different positions within the party and government," he said, adding that the NCP was also planning to allow freedom of expression for other political parties.
"This will create a democratic environment for the whole of society."
Sudanese security forces have used force to break up dozens of small protests throughout the north since January as an economic crisis began to bite and the oil-producing south voted to secede and become independent in July.
Protests throughout the Arab world have led to offers of political reform by long-term, often autocratic rulers. Sudan's opposition has so far refused to enter talks with the NCP on such reforms.
Zimbabwe police arrest 46 at Egypt lecture session
HARARE, Zimbabwe – Zimbabwean police detained 46 people, including a former lawmaker, for attending a lecture and discussion group on mass uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, an independent lawyers group said Monday
Police confirmed the arrests at a meeting convened Saturday by the Zimbabwe branch of the militant International Socialist Organization where videos were shown and an agenda item allegedly asked: "What lessons can be learnt by the working class in Zimbabwe and Africa?"
Police spokesman James Sabau told state radio that authorities would clamp down on any alleged plotters of "destabilization" against the government.
The independent Lawyers for Human Rights group said those detained in Harare and expected to appear in court on Monday were holding an "academic discussion" on North Africa and deny any wrongdoing.
The group said police were drafting charges Monday against former opposition lawmaker Munyaradi Gwisai, an official of the International Socialist Organization, and labor and student activists arrested with him.
Police say attendees called for solidarity with Egyptian and Tunisian workers and intended to incite Zimbabweans to hold demonstrations against three decades of authoritarian rule by President Robert Mugabe.
Mugabe, who marks his 87th birthday on Monday, returned home on Sunday from a weeklong trip to Singapore where he underwent medical checks after a cataract operation on a previous visit in January, his office said.
State radio said Mugabe will mark his birthday on Saturday in celebrations with children and youth leaders, an annual tradition, the radio said, that encourages young people to follow his example as a statesman.
Among birthday greetings in the state media controlled by Mugabe loyalists, Mugabe is wished "many more years of good health" and is described as a visionary who dedicated himself to serving Zimbabwe and the whole of Africa.
Mugabe arrived quietly Sunday and broke with his tradition by not addressing his supporters who had gathered at the main Harare airport to greet him.
Mugabe's party has denied reports he underwent cancer-related surgery during an extended vacation in Asia in January.
But the party of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, the former opposition leader in a shaky two-year-old coalition government, says Mugabe's absences have disrupted routine government business since December
Police confirmed the arrests at a meeting convened Saturday by the Zimbabwe branch of the militant International Socialist Organization where videos were shown and an agenda item allegedly asked: "What lessons can be learnt by the working class in Zimbabwe and Africa?"
Police spokesman James Sabau told state radio that authorities would clamp down on any alleged plotters of "destabilization" against the government.
The independent Lawyers for Human Rights group said those detained in Harare and expected to appear in court on Monday were holding an "academic discussion" on North Africa and deny any wrongdoing.
The group said police were drafting charges Monday against former opposition lawmaker Munyaradi Gwisai, an official of the International Socialist Organization, and labor and student activists arrested with him.
Police say attendees called for solidarity with Egyptian and Tunisian workers and intended to incite Zimbabweans to hold demonstrations against three decades of authoritarian rule by President Robert Mugabe.
Mugabe, who marks his 87th birthday on Monday, returned home on Sunday from a weeklong trip to Singapore where he underwent medical checks after a cataract operation on a previous visit in January, his office said.
State radio said Mugabe will mark his birthday on Saturday in celebrations with children and youth leaders, an annual tradition, the radio said, that encourages young people to follow his example as a statesman.
Among birthday greetings in the state media controlled by Mugabe loyalists, Mugabe is wished "many more years of good health" and is described as a visionary who dedicated himself to serving Zimbabwe and the whole of Africa.
Mugabe arrived quietly Sunday and broke with his tradition by not addressing his supporters who had gathered at the main Harare airport to greet him.
Mugabe's party has denied reports he underwent cancer-related surgery during an extended vacation in Asia in January.
But the party of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, the former opposition leader in a shaky two-year-old coalition government, says Mugabe's absences have disrupted routine government business since December
UK summons Libyan ambassador to protest crackdown
BRUSSELS – The UK government on Monday summoned the Libyan ambassador to London to protest over a deadly crackdown blamed for hundreds of demonstrators' deaths, Foreign Secretary William Hague said.
"We have summoned the Libyan ambassador in London to the Foreign Office today to register our absolute condemnation of the use of lethal force against demonstrators," Hague told reporters on arrival for talks among EU counterparts in Brussels.
Hague also said he "called Saif al-Islam, Colonel Kadhafi's son, yesterday to express our strong disapproval."
"We have summoned the Libyan ambassador in London to the Foreign Office today to register our absolute condemnation of the use of lethal force against demonstrators," Hague told reporters on arrival for talks among EU counterparts in Brussels.
Hague also said he "called Saif al-Islam, Colonel Kadhafi's son, yesterday to express our strong disapproval."
Pirates: Warship shadowing hijacked American yacht
MOGADISHU, Somalia – A warship is shadowing a yacht with four Americans on board that was hijacked by Somali pirates, a pirate said Sunday, as the vessel was reported to be moving closer to the Somali coast.
The yacht Quest was hijacked on Friday off the coast of Oman, but is now in the waters between Yemen and northern Somalia, two pirates and a Somali government official told The Associated Press.
One pirate who gave his name only as Hassan said a warship with a helicopter on its deck is near the Quest.
The pirate's claim could not be independently verified, and U.S. officials on Sunday did not release any information about the yacht. A U.S. Embassy spokesman on Saturday said officials were assessing options and "possible responses."
Hassan told the AP he is speaking directly with the pirates aboard the hijacked yacht. A second pirate who gave his name as Bile Hussein and a Somali official in Puntland who asked not to be named both said the Quest is in between Yemen and Somalia and heading closer to Puntland, a haven for pirates on Somalia's northern tip.
In New York, the first secretary of Somalia's U.N. Mission, Omar Jamal, said he had received reports from Somalia that the boat was expected to make landfall late Sunday.
Pirates have increased attacks on ships off the coast of East Africa, but Americans have rarely been targeted. The last attack against a U.S. crew — in 2009 — ended with Navy sharpshooters killing two pirates and rescuing the ship's captain.
If the Quest reaches Somalia's shores the four American hostages would likely be taken inland, where a fast resolution is much less likely. A British sailing couple who were released in November spent 388 days in pirate captivity.
The organizers of an international yacht race called the Blue Water Rally said the Quest had been taking part in the race but left it Feb. 15 to chart an independent course from India to Oman.
The Quest is owned by Scott and Jean Adam, a couple from California. The Blue Water organizers also identified the other two Americans onboard as Phyllis Mackay and Bob Riggle. The NBC TV station in Seattle, Washington spelled the name as Phyllis Macay and said she and Riggle are from Seattle.
"We feel desperately sorry for our four friends onboard and our thoughts are with them and their friends and family. All the yachts still on the rally are fine and well," the Blue Water website said.
The Adams have been sailing the world with a yacht full of Bibles since 2004. The hijacking of their yacht came two days after a Somali pirate was sentenced to 33 years in prison by a New York court for the 2009 hijacking of the Maersk Alabama. That case ended when Navy sharpshooters killed two pirates holding the ship's captain.
Pirates have increased attacks off the coast of East Africa in recent years despite an international flotilla of warships dedicated to protecting vessels and stopping the pirate assaults. Multimillion dollar ransoms are fueling the trade, and the prices for releasing a ship and hostages have risen sharply.
Pirates currently hold 30 ships and more than 660 hostages, not counting the attack against the Quest.
The best-known case of Westerners being held hostage in Somalia was that of Paul and Rachel Chandler, a British couple held for 388 days. The two, who were captured while sailing in their private yacht, were released in November.
The Adams — who are members of the Marina del Rey Yacht Club in Marina del Rey, California — run a Bible ministry, according to their website, and have been distributing Bibles to schools and churches in remote villages in areas including the Fiji Islands, Alaska, New Zealand, Central America and French Polynesia.
The pirates from Puntland in northern Somalia are not hardline Islamists and the fact the Adams carry Bibles is not likely to be a problem. Pirates in Puntland are known to spend their ransom spoils on alcohol, drugs and prostitutes.
The yacht Quest was hijacked on Friday off the coast of Oman, but is now in the waters between Yemen and northern Somalia, two pirates and a Somali government official told The Associated Press.
One pirate who gave his name only as Hassan said a warship with a helicopter on its deck is near the Quest.
The pirate's claim could not be independently verified, and U.S. officials on Sunday did not release any information about the yacht. A U.S. Embassy spokesman on Saturday said officials were assessing options and "possible responses."
Hassan told the AP he is speaking directly with the pirates aboard the hijacked yacht. A second pirate who gave his name as Bile Hussein and a Somali official in Puntland who asked not to be named both said the Quest is in between Yemen and Somalia and heading closer to Puntland, a haven for pirates on Somalia's northern tip.
In New York, the first secretary of Somalia's U.N. Mission, Omar Jamal, said he had received reports from Somalia that the boat was expected to make landfall late Sunday.
Pirates have increased attacks on ships off the coast of East Africa, but Americans have rarely been targeted. The last attack against a U.S. crew — in 2009 — ended with Navy sharpshooters killing two pirates and rescuing the ship's captain.
If the Quest reaches Somalia's shores the four American hostages would likely be taken inland, where a fast resolution is much less likely. A British sailing couple who were released in November spent 388 days in pirate captivity.
The organizers of an international yacht race called the Blue Water Rally said the Quest had been taking part in the race but left it Feb. 15 to chart an independent course from India to Oman.
The Quest is owned by Scott and Jean Adam, a couple from California. The Blue Water organizers also identified the other two Americans onboard as Phyllis Mackay and Bob Riggle. The NBC TV station in Seattle, Washington spelled the name as Phyllis Macay and said she and Riggle are from Seattle.
"We feel desperately sorry for our four friends onboard and our thoughts are with them and their friends and family. All the yachts still on the rally are fine and well," the Blue Water website said.
The Adams have been sailing the world with a yacht full of Bibles since 2004. The hijacking of their yacht came two days after a Somali pirate was sentenced to 33 years in prison by a New York court for the 2009 hijacking of the Maersk Alabama. That case ended when Navy sharpshooters killed two pirates holding the ship's captain.
Pirates have increased attacks off the coast of East Africa in recent years despite an international flotilla of warships dedicated to protecting vessels and stopping the pirate assaults. Multimillion dollar ransoms are fueling the trade, and the prices for releasing a ship and hostages have risen sharply.
Pirates currently hold 30 ships and more than 660 hostages, not counting the attack against the Quest.
The best-known case of Westerners being held hostage in Somalia was that of Paul and Rachel Chandler, a British couple held for 388 days. The two, who were captured while sailing in their private yacht, were released in November.
The Adams — who are members of the Marina del Rey Yacht Club in Marina del Rey, California — run a Bible ministry, according to their website, and have been distributing Bibles to schools and churches in remote villages in areas including the Fiji Islands, Alaska, New Zealand, Central America and French Polynesia.
The pirates from Puntland in northern Somalia are not hardline Islamists and the fact the Adams carry Bibles is not likely to be a problem. Pirates in Puntland are known to spend their ransom spoils on alcohol, drugs and prostitutes.
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