A regularly updated column of news briefs from around the region.
Palestinian 'beaten to death' by Israeli border police
BETHLEHEM, West Bank - A Palestinian from a village near Jerusalem died on December 16 after being beaten by Israeli border police, his family said. Israel, however, denied any involvement in his death, saying that he had been thrown off his mule. Mahmoud Ali Shawawreh, 44, was working his field south of Jerusalem when a border police patrol asked him to follow them to a unnamed location, his family said. Shawawreh was found unconscious, covered with bruises and his head bleeding. Border police claim that he tied himself to his mule, but that the animal went crazy, threw him off then dragged him along the ground. The family's lawyer Labib Habib described the police version of events as "absurd" and vowed to take the matter to court.
Pamuk trial halted pending Turkish government authorization
ISTANBUL - A Turkish court on December 16 suspended the trial of author Orhan Pamuk on charges of insulting the nation pending government authorization to proceed, amid intense international criticism of the case. The ruling to suspend hearings until February 7 pending an instruction from the justice ministry to proceed came in a brief but tense hearing marred by far-right demonstrators assaulting and booing Pamuk as he made his way into and out of the cramped courtroom. The 53-year-old Pamuk is accused of "denigrating the Turkish national identity" in remarks published in a Swiss magazine in February concerning the Armenian massacres of World War I.
Amnesty says CIA secret flights used UK
WASHINGTON - Amnesty International on December 15 said that CIA flights carrying prisoners to possible torture had used British airfields, despite official denials. The organization said that it had documented evidence of two flights in late 2001 and one in early 2002, in which planes that had taken detainees to Jordan and Egypt landed immediately afterward at Prestwick airport in Glasgow in Scotland for refueling before heading back to the United States. It said that the same planes had made 75 other stopovers at British airports since 2001 on flights with as-yet unknown purposes. "Here we go again - more proof that the United States is 'disappearing' people into secret facilities and outsourcing torture," said Amnesty International USA executive director William Schulz.
Bouteflika 'likely' has stomach cancer
PARIS - Algerian President Abdel Aziz Bouteflika, who has been hospitalized in Paris for over a fortnight, "likely" has stomach cancer, a leading French doctor said on December 15 based on a description of his symptoms. "It is very hard to make a diagnosis. If it is true that he first suffered gastrointestinal blood loss, then it is likely to be stomach cancer," said Bernard Debre, head of the urology department at Paris' Cochin hospital. "I say likely, because I cannot see what else it could be," the doctor, who did not personally examine Bouteflika, told France Inter radio.
Donkey used to attack German aid group in Afghanistan
KABUL - Explosives strapped to a donkey were detonated near a German aid agency's vehicle in northern Afghanistan but the blast caused no human casualties, police said on December 15. The explosives, stuffed into a pressure cooker strapped to the donkey's back, detonated near the car belonging to the aid group in Faizabad, capital of northeastern Badakhshan province, police commander Shah Jahan Noori said. He blamed the attack, which took place on December 14, on "terrorist organizations who do not want Afghanistan's stability". The car of the aid group, GTZ, was slightly damaged in the explosion.
Lebanon to lodge complaint with UN over Israeli overflights
BEIRUT - The Lebanese government on December 15 accused Israel of "organized terrorism" against the country and told the foreign minister to lodge a formal complaint with the United Nations over Israel. "We hold Israel responsible for organized terrorism on Lebanon by way of sea, land and air," information minister Ghazi Aridi told reporters. Israeli aircraft regularly overfly south Lebanon despite protests from Beirut and UN calls for the Jewish state to respect the country's sovereignty. "The government instructs the foreign minister to lodge an urgent complaint with the UN Security Council to take the necessary measures to stop the persistent aggression against Lebanon," Aridi said.
US court orders Iran to pay $126mn to Beirut bombing victims
WASHINGTON - A US federal judge has ordered Iran to pay victims of a 1983 suicide bombing of the US embassy in Beirut $126 million, lawyers for the victims said on December 15. Judge John Bates of the US District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that Iran supported Hizbullah militants in the April 1983 bombing, the first suicide attack ever against a US embassy. "We are pleased that the court has again recognized Iran to be at the center of this heinous act of terrorism and that Iran will be called to account for its actions," said Michael Martinez, a lawyer representing the victims.
Wife of missing TV cameraman calls for openness from Britain
BRUSSELS - The wife of a French television cameraman, believed to have been killed in Iraq, called on Britain on December 15 to show more "transparency" over his death to help find his body. Fred Nerac, 43, disappeared in March 2003 while working in Iraq for Britain's Independent Television News. The French government said in October that it believed that he was killed in a firefight between Iraqis and US troops. Nerac's wife Fabienne called on British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw to be more open to aid the search for her husband's body. "The aim is to strengthen the family's request that the search for my husband goes on," she said.
Al Jazeera denies responsibility over 'defaming' Sistani
DOHA - The Al Jazeera news channel refused on December 15 to be held responsible for the allegedly defamatory remarks aimed at Grand Ayatollah Ali Al Sistani that instigated angry demonstrations in Iraq. "What guests say [during programs] does not necessarily represent the position of the channel," Al Jazeera general director Wadah Khanfar said. In a debate aired on December 13 on Al Jazeera, the London-based Iraqi writer Fadel Al Rubaye said that Shia religious leaders had "favored the entry of American troops in Iraq" and had urged Iraqis not to resist the occupation. "Al Jazeera's aggression against the Iraqi people reached its climax yesterday with insults against Sayed Sistani," the Shia Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) said in a statement.
US ignoring Egypt's offer to train Iraqis
WASHINGTON - The United States is ignoring Egypt's offer to train Iraqi troops, UPI has reported Egyptian Ambassador to Washington Nabil Fahmy as saying. "We have the capacity to train about 3,000 Iraqi troops in Egypt every three months," he told journalists in Washington on December 15. While thousands of Iraqis were sent to train in Germany and Jordan, only "146 or 147 Iraqi troops have trained in Egypt so far", laments the ambassador, adding that he has "stopped begging".
Plan to create dry areas worries Turks
ANKARA - A plan to make the centers of some Turkish cities alcohol-free, banishing drinking to the suburbs, worries many business owners and irritates secularists. Opponents of the creation of dry areas fear that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan plans to impose Muslim law on the country, the British newspaper The Independent reported. A group of lawyers has sued, claiming that municipalities do not have the power to ban alcohol.
Belly dancer banned from Egypt TV
CAIRO - The Egyptian Television Network has banned belly dancer Fifi Abdo from the air, Al Bawaba has reported. Network censors were apparently angered by Abdo's roles in two films aired during the holy month of Ramadan on Arab satellite channels. The dancer and actress said that the ban has forced her to reevaluate the direction of career. She reportedly said that she would focus on theater productions and not accept any Arab TV roles until the Egyptian ban is lifted, the Al Bawaba said on its Website.
US deports director of Muslim charity
WASHINGTON - The United States has deported a Saudi man who was director of the Muslim World League after his conviction for conspiring to commit immigration fraud. Abdullah Alnoshan of Falls Church, VA, was returned to Saudi Arabia during the weekend after he pleaded guilty last month. A criminal complaint charged Alnoshan, 44, for using fake employment documents to enter, exit and live in the United States. The Muslim World League has denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged.
Earthquake rocks eastern Afghanistan
KABUL - An earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale rattled the mountainous eastern portion of Afghanistan on December 11. The quake could be felt in neighboring Pakistan and India as well. There were no initial reports of casualties. The tremors also reportedly rattled the Kashmir Valley, where two months ago a quake measuring 7.6 killed tens of thousands of people.
Ex-Eurovision entrant becomes Israeli MP
JERUSALEM - The parliamentary ranks of Israel's Likud party, in freefall since Prime Minister Ariel Sharon quit last month, were bolstered on December 14 by a former beauty queen who once competed in the Eurovision song contest. Pnina Rosenblum, 52, was sworn in at the Knesset in place of cabinet minister Tzahi Hanegbi who resigned his seat when he defected last week from the rightwing Likud to Sharon's Kadima party. Rosenblum, a platinum blonde who runs a successful cosmetics company, has long been a staple of Israel's tabloid press. Her Eurovision entry, "Always a Woman", was a massive hit in Israel although it bombed in the competition.
Osthoff's sister calls on public to show they care
BERLIN - The sister of Susanne Osthoff, the German woman abducted in Iraq more than two weeks ago, on December 14 launched a plea to the public to campaign for her release. "I ask the German people to show their solidarity with my sister," Anja Osthoff told a press conference. "In Italy and France, people took to the streets and my sister now also needs this public support," she added, referring to the outpouring of feeling for French and Italian hostages who were subsequently freed. She called on the public to attend a demonstration in Berlin in Osthoff's support and to sign a petition pressing for her release.
Kuwait MP slams government for allowing new churches
KUWAIT CITY - A Kuwaiti Islamist lawmaker on December 14 slammed the government for providing Christians with two plots of land to build churches, saying that this was against Islamic law. "The recent measure of allowing non-Muslims to build places of worship in Kuwait is illegal under Islamic law," Waleed Al Tabtabai said in a statement after the government provided the land. Tabtabai, a member of the hardline Sunni Salafist group, said that non-Muslims must be allowed to practice their religious rituals but without establishing places of worship. He said that Kuwait at present has about 20 churches and the number of Kuwaiti Christians is less than 100.
Barrier limits access to Jerusalem healthcare
JERUSALEM - Israel's West Bank separation barrier is preventing large numbers of Palestinians from gaining access to top-class healthcare in East Jerusalem, according to a report released on December 14. The study compiled by the rights group Physicians for Human Rights-Israel found that the number of outpatients from the Palestinian territories has more than halved and said that the situation would only worsen as construction continues. The hospitals in East Jerusalem, which was occupied and annexed by Israel in 1967, are considered far more advanced than those in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, offering care that is otherwise unavailable elsewhere.
Armed clashes erupt at Fatah offices in Gaza
GAZA CITY - Armed clashes broke out on December 14 at the Gaza City headquarters of the ruling Palestinian Fatah faction when the building was stormed by followers unhappy with the choice of candidates for parliamentary elections. Witnesses said that members of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an armed offshoot of Fatah, had forced their way into the building. Two people were wounded in the ensuing exchanges of gunfire although their condition was not immediately known. Al Aqsa followers also stormed offices of the central elections commission on December 13, prompting the organizers of the January 25 poll to suspend their activities for a day.
Explosives cache found in Saudi house
RIYADH - Saudi security forces have seized large quantities of explosives and chemical products at a villa in Riyadh, newspapers reported on December 14. Homemade bombs, weapons, chemical products, computers and leaflets inciting violence were among the items seized at the villa in eastern Riyadh on December 13, the Ash Sharq Al Awsat newspaper reported, citing an unnamed Saudi security source. There was no immediate comment from the interior ministry.
Uzbek courts try 114 people over Andijan bloodshed
TASHKENT - Closed trials began on December 14 in Uzbekistan for 78 people accused of taking part in a bloodily suppressed revolt in the city of Andijan in May and also, for the first time, 36 members of the security services, the Supreme Court said. The 78 civilian defendants are accused of "taking part in terrorist acts in Andijan", the court said in a statement. The 36 law enforcement officials include police and 19 soldiers charged with failing to prevent a series of attacks on government installations - particularly a prison and an arms depot - in the eastern city on May 13.
Egypt parliament sworn in
CAIRO - The newly elected Egyptian parliament was sworn in on December 13 during an inaugural session that also saw the reelection of veteran speaker Fathi Sorour for a 16th year. With 12 seats in the 454-strong parliament still to be decided in runoffs, 442 MPs, including 10 that President Hosni Mubarak appointed on December 12, took the oath of office. According to official results Mubarak's ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) obtained 311 seats, more than half of them party members who initially ran as independents. The party had 404 MPs in the outgoing parliament.
Netanyahu set for victory in Israel's Likud contest
JERUSALEM - Former prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu is on course for victory in the contest for the leadership of Israel's rightwing Likud party next week, opinion polls showed on December 13. Two surveys showed that while foreign minister Silvan Shalom had picked up the bulk of support from former backers of defense minister Shaul Mofaz, he has been unable to narrow the gap enough to seriously worry Netanyahu. A poll for Ma'ariv found that 45.5 percent of Likud members will support Netanyahu while only 22 percent will back Shalom. A survey for Yedioth Ahronoth also gave Netanyahu 45 percent but said that 30 percent of those certain to vote would choose Shalom.
Jordanian pleads guilty to organizing people smuggling network
WASHINGTON - A Jordanian has pleaded guilty to conspiring to smuggle Iraqis and Jordanians into the United States through Latin America, the Justice Department said on December 13. Authorities said that Thaer Omran Ismail Asaifi, 35, was caught following a sting operation by US and Peruvian police and immigration services. Asaifi pleaded guilty to taking part in the smuggling conspiracy, led by his wife Neeran Hakim Zaia, before a Washington district court late on Monday, the department said in a statement. It said that under a plea bargain, Asaifi faces a jail term of between six and eight years and then deportation.
Strong lead for Fatah over Hamas
RAMALLAH, West Bank - The ruling Fatah faction has a strong lead over the radical Hamas movement some six weeks before the Palestinian parliamentary election, according to an opinion poll published on December 12. A total of 37 percent of voters questioned by Bir Zeit university said that they would vote for Fatah, against 20 percent who opted for Hamas while a further 13 percent said that they would cast their ballots for independents or smaller parties. The remaining 30 percent, however, said that they were still undecided how they would vote on January 25 in what will be only the second elections to the Palestinian Legislative Council.
Algeria president in 'good health'
PARIS - Algeria's President Abdel Aziz Bouteflika, currently in hospital in France, is "in good health" and will resume his duties when fully recovered, Abdel Aziz Belkhadem, the head of his political party, said on December 12. Bouteflika "is in good health and will come back to the country to take up his duties at the end of his convalescence", Belkhadem told a meeting of senior officials and activists in the National Liberation Front (FLN), the APS news agency said. Speculation about the condition of the Algerian leader being very serious were "tendentious rumors", Belkhadem added, but he did not say when Bouteflika would return.
Egypt opposition head trial verdict set for December 24
CAIRO - The verdict in the trial of Egyptian opposition Ghad party leader Ayman Nour will be announced on December 24, Judge Adel Abdel Salam Gomaa said on December 12. The announcement was made after yet another session, during which the lawyers for Nour's six co-defendants delivered their closing arguments. Nour, who has been detained for a week already, was greeted at the Cairo criminal court by dozens of supporters chanting "Freedom for Nour" and beating drums. "I have been on hunger strike for 48 hours and I will continue until I die," Nour told reporters. "My detention is a form of terrorism, it's persecution."
Crowds capture Al Qaeda 'Butcher'
RAMADI, Iraq - Angry crowds in Iraq's violence-prone town of Ramadi have captured a 30-year-old man known as "The Butcher" for Al Qaeda in Iraq. Amir Khalif was cornered by a vigilante mob who beat him before he was handed over to a patrol of US Marines, Britain's Daily Mirror reported on December 12. The crowd apparently turned on Khalif after learning that he was behind atrocities committed in his hometown. His arrest has been hailed as a victory in the war against the insurgents. Khalif earned the title of "The Butcher" because he would allegedly slice victims up while they were still alive, the report said.
Abuse alleged in another jail run by Iraqi ministry
WASHINGTON - Thirteen prisoners suffered abuse serious enough to require medical treatment while at a Baghdad detention center operated by interior ministry special commandos, The Washington Post reported on December 12. In a dispatch from Baghdad, the report cited US and Iraqi officials as saying "an Iraqi official with firsthand knowledge of the search said that at least 12 of the 13 prisoners had been subjected to 'severe torture', including sessions of electric shock and episodes that left them with broken bones. Two of them showed me their nails, and they were gone," the report quoted the official, who was not named "because of security concerns".
Detained Egypt opposition leader on hunger strike
CAIRO - Egyptian opposition Ghad party leader Ayman Nour said on December 12 before entering court for the latest hearing in his trial that he was on hunger strike to protest against his detention. "I have been on hunger strike for 48 hours and I will continue until I die," Nour told reporters. "My detention is a form of terrorism, it's persecution." Nour, who was the main opponent of President Hosni Mubarak in the September presidential elections, awaits a verdict in his trial on charges of forgery, which he has always claimed were trumped up to undermine his political career.
Iran 'surprised' by furor over anti-Israeli president
TEHRAN - Iran's foreign ministry said on December 11 that it was "surprised" that hardline President Mahmud Ahmadinejad has come in for yet more international condemnation for his latest anti-Israeli outburst. "I'm surprised by the reaction to these comments. The president's statements were clear: if the Europeans have treated the Jews badly, they have to compensate at their own expense, not at the expense of the region," foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told reporters. "It wasn't anything new, we have said that before. The Europeans are trying to deviate the issue and sabotage the real message," Asefi argued.
Iran's Ahmadinejad thanks plane crash 'martyrs'
TEHRAN - Iran's outspoken President Mahmud Ahmadinejad on December 11 pledged a "serious investigation" into the crash of a decrepit military plane in central Tehran, but nevertheless thanked the 108 dead for their "martyrdom". His comments came after his defense minister, Mostafa Mohammad Najjar, was the target of an impeachment motion filed by a group of parliament deputies angered over reports the aged C-130 was ordered to fly despite warnings from its pilot. "The government will hold a serious investigation ... but what is important is that they have shown the way to martyrdom, which we must follow," Ahmadinejad said of the crash victims.
Israel to develop Jerusalem's Western Wall
JERUSALEM - Israel on December 11 announced a $15-million project to develop the Western Wall, the holiest site in Judaism that lies inside annexed East Jerusalem. The site "is part of the religious, cultural and historical heritage of the Jewish people, and these links should be strengthened under a five-year development plan to develop Jerusalem, the capital of Israel," the government said in a statement. It said that guided tours would be organized for soldiers and students, and a center built to showcase the spiritual heritage of the site. Access will be improved to the tunnels leading off from the wall and security improved.
Egypt Islamists want to combat Israel through development
CAIRO - Egypt's Muslim Brothers do not recognize Israel and want to combat it by developing their country, the movement's leader told the London-based daily Ash Sharq Al Awsat on December 11. "The Muslim Brothers do not recognize Israel ... 70 million Egyptians, 300 million citizens in the Arab world and 1.5 billion Muslims across the world do not recognize Israel," Mohammed Mehdi Akef said. "The holy land belongs to the Arabs and Muslims and nobody can violate this right," he added. "We will not combat Israel using its own means. If 70 million Egyptians reach a high level of education and wealth, Israel will be powerless and will not be able to do anything," Akef said.
West Bank barrier will increase bloodshed
ABOUD, West Bank - The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem said that Israel's West Bank separation barrier would only fuel the cycle of Middle East violence as he led a demonstration on December 11 by hundreds of Palestinians and peace activists. During the protest at the village of Aboud, near Ramallah, which has lost around 4,000 dunums (988 acres or 400 hectares) of farmland to the barrier, Michel Sabbah said that the Holy Land "needs bridges not walls. This wall just brings hatred which in turn leads to violence and bloodshed. Those who are building it are making a major mistake," he said.
Remains of 24 bodies found in Yemen mass grave
SANAA - A mass grave with the remains of at least 24 bodies that could date back to a civil war two decades ago in Yemen's former communist south has been unearthed near Aden, security officials said on December 11. The remains show that some of the men had their hands bound before "being killed execution-style", said an official at the hospital, speaking on condition of anonymity. There has been no official reaction yet to the find. The remains of the men in military uniform and covered in blankets were found during a dig northeast of the port city of Aden, Captain Ahmed Al Maarabi of the local police said.
French FM cites ethics for silence on Bouteflika's health
PARIS - Medical ethics mean that France cannot make any comment on the state of health of Algerian President Abdel Aziz Bouteflika, now in his third week in a Paris hospital, France's foreign minister said on December 11. "Medical secrecy prevents any statement on ... Bouteflika's condition," Philippe Douste-Blazy told French television. Bouteflika was admitted to a military hospital used by senior politicians and foreign leaders on November 26 but no official details on his illness or treatment have been released. Asked whether he would be leaving soon, Douste-Blazy said that he hoped so but "I cannot tell you what [he] has".
Bush 'troubled by good news'
FAYETTEVILLE, NC, USA - US President George W. Bush is reportedly "very troubled" that the US Army in Iraq is writing propaganda that the White House ordered in September 2001. Recent disclosures that a Pentagon contractor in Iraq paid newspapers to print "good news" articles written by US soldiers prompted an outcry. Bush's national security advisor Stephen Hadley said that Bush was "very troubled" about the matter, although the campaign was begun by the White House, which set up a secret panel soon after the 9/11 attacks.
Saddam judge doing 'bad job'
BAGHDAD - Iraq's top national security official has said that SADDAM HUSSEIN'S judge is letting the former dictator dominate the proceedings. "The judge is doing a very bad job," national security advisor Mowaffak Al Rubaie told The Washington Times, adding, "People are very angry at his weakness in handling Saddam." Rubaie has blamed the judge for being deferential to Saddam and allowing him to make petty complaints about his treatment in front of witnesses who lost family members while Saddam was in power.
ElBaradei accepts Nobel Peace Prize
OSLO - Mohammed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), received the Nobel Peace Prize at a ceremony on December 10 in Oslo, Norway. ElBaradei and the IAEA shared the prize. ElBaradei plans to use his half of the $1.3 million award for orphanages in Egypt, the BBC reported, while the organization's share is to be devoted to combating cancer and malnutrition in developing countries.
Israel to stop sending navy through Suez
JERUSALEM - Israel, concerned about global terrorism, will no longer send its warships through the Suez Canal, the Jerusalem Post. has reported. "We don't want to draw terror," a senior naval officer told the Post. Analysts feel that the decision does not have much strategic significance as the Israeli navy rarely used the Suez, the report said.
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