Key political risks to watch in Congo, Posted by Meosha Eaton

By Jonny Hogg

KINSHASA, April 1 (Reuters) - Democratic Republic of Congo is seeking political stability, battling economic woes and rebel insurgencies as it gears up for elections this year.

The polls for the presidency and parliament, due to start in November 2011, will be the second since the official end to the 1998-2003 war, which drew in six foreign armies and resulted in the deaths of 5 million people.

Here are some factors to watch:

POLITICS

President Joseph Kabila came to power when his father was assassinated in 2001, winning presidential elections in 2006. But he still relies other parties such as PALU, a longstanding opposition party, for a parliamentary majority.

Rather than pushing through steps towards decentralisation set out in the constitution, analysts say Kabila's rule has seen a concentration of power and rising political oppression.

On Jan. 15, parliament backed constitutional changes reducing the presidential vote to a single round -- scrapping the possibility of a run-off between the two leading candidates if neither has an absolute majority. The change means the winner can claim the presidency with less than 50 percent popular support and is seen boosting Kabila's chances.

What to watch:

-- Can Congo's fractured opposition unite around a single candidate for the first round? There is talk of a possible triumvirate, with veteran opposition figure Etienne Tshisekedi linking up with Vital Kamerhe, a former campaign manager of Kabila's, and Jean-Pierre Bemba's MLC party.

-- Bemba's trial. The former vice president and leader of opposition MLC party is being tried before the International Criminal Court in The Hague accused of war crimes in the Central African Republic. Many in Congo say he would be a strong presidential contender were he acquitted in time, and any verdict could be incendiary on the streets of Kinshasa.

-- Electoral planning. With voter registration completed in only 2 of 11 provinces and questions remaining over financing, there are fears about the country's readiness to hold credible polls in November.

-- Political crackdown. There are already allegations from opposition politicians that their supporters are facing intimidation at the hands of the authorities.

THE ECONOMY

Despite concerns over governance, Congo secured debt relief from most lenders last year, including $7.53 billion from the Paris Club in November, leaving a total stock of $2.9 billion. It has taken measures to stabilise its economy and keep in step with conditions for a three-year $550 million IMF loan.

Interest rates have come down to 22 percent, from 42 percent in mid-2011. Congo's inflation is running at an annualised rate of 8.35 percent, down from 69 percent last January and beating a 15 percent target. The Congolese franc has stabilised, hovering at 920 to the dollar.

Sustained economic growth is vital to a country where 80 percent of a population of 67 million live on less than $2 a day and the country struggles with a budget of $5.69 billion. Congo is aiming for growth of 5.4 percent in 2010 and 6.83 percent in 2011, while the IMF forecasts 5.4 percent and 7 percent.

What to watch:

-- Impact of debt relief. Congo says from 2011, $520 million a year intended for debt service will be freed up as a result, but the IMF warns against taking on more expensive debt.

-- Macroeconomic policy. A looming election year may prompt a hike in spending over the next 12 months, although the 2011 budget was praised by the IMF for maintaining fiscal discipline.

INVESTMENT CLIMATE

Congo moved up four places in the World Bank's 2011 doing business rankings to 175 of 183 countries, short of a 20-place hike targeted by the president. Investors still complain of high risks and several are pursuing international arbitration.

Model contracts in accordance with the new mining and oil codes have been drafted, but not yet decreed by government.

What to watch:

-- First Quantum case. The Canadian firm is seeking international arbitration after its $750 million KMT project was closed and rights handed to mining group ENRC, after the Kazakh company said it would pay $175 million for five Congo projects acquired through listed and offshore entities.

-- US traceability laws. New industry standards to tackle `conflict minerals' come into force in April. The government says traceability programmes are being launched but some fear a virtual embargo on Congolese minerals, particularly in the troubled east of the country.

-- Congo's nascent oil sector. Following a tussle with the government over two oil blocks, London-listed Tullow Oil has said it's pulling out of Congo. There is also growing friction between British oil company Soco International and conservationists over plans to prospect for oil within Virunga National Park.

French Oil giant Total has taken a percent in another eastern oil block near Virunga. After buying into a block in the west, Italian major Eni would also like oil blocks in the east.

SIMMERING CONFLICTS

Intervention by Rwanda in 2009 helped end fighting by Rwandan Tutsi-led CNDP rebels, whose leader Laurent Nkunda was arrested and is awaiting trial in Kigali.

CNDP have since officially been integrated into the army, but rights groups and the United Nations say they maintain control of swathes of land, extract taxes and mine cassiterite and coltan.

Congo's army continues to try to oust Rwandan Hutu FDLR rebels, whose numbers are down to 2,500 according to the U.N., and several other rebel groups, including the former pro-government Mai Mai militia, LRA and Islamic ADF-NALU fighters.

The UN's head of mission in Congo has struck a positive note about the situation in the east, saying security is getting better, although localised violence remains a serious problem.

Mass rapes of civilians are continuing, underlining Congo's precarious security and raising questions over the effectiveness of Congolese and U.N. forces. The jailing in February of nine soldiers found guilty of a New Year's Day mass rape was seen as an important step towards ending impunity but attacks continue.

What to watch:

-- The fall-out from an attack on one of the residences of Kabila by dozens of armed men on Feb. 27. DRC has recalled its ambassador from neighbouring Congo-Brazzaville over alleged involvement in the plot.

-- U.N. peacekeepers. The United Nations acquiesced to Congolese demands and withdrew 1,494 troops last June, leaving 17,625 in country. It says further withdrawals will depend on the security threat, but Kabila's calls for a full withdrawal could become stronger if he is re-elected.

-- Crackdown on the army. Pressure on the army is rising as more human rights abuses and illegal mining come to light, and Congo may seek to launch investigations into criminal networks.

-- CNDP ex-rebels. Current leader General Bosco Ntaganda is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes, but says he is second-in-command of U.N.-backed army operations, and the fragile alliance with the army is under strain.

-- Land and ethnicity. These two issues remain at the heart of Congo 's simmering conflicts, especially in the east.

-- LRA threat. Attacks by the Ugandan rebel LRA in north-eastern Congo have risen sharply this year, with Ugandan and Congolese officials sayingits leader, Joesph Kony, is back in the country.

-- Intervention from neighbours. Relations with neighbouring Uganda and Rwanda have warmed but remain fragile. Meanwhile analysts say latent tensions with Angola over offshore oil in the west could destabilise the country if they worsen. (Editing by David Lewis)

Something Must be Done to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac-------Senator McCain, Posted by Meosha Eaton

By Williams Ekanem

Republican Senator John McCain on Thursday said that something has to be done about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

That is why, according to him, he is co-sponsoring the bill to end bailout of the companies. The bill is being re-introduced for the third time according to Congressman Jeb Hensarling R-Texas, to put the companies on a path towards privatization because the failures of the two government-sponsored enterprises have directly cost tax payers more than $150 billion.

Also speaking, Financial Services Committee Chairman, Spencer Bachus said, “reforming Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is a top priority for commerce. The bill vice chairman, Hensarling has proposed a fulfillment of the commitment Republicans made when we urged Democrats to include reform in their bill to restructure financial services regulation. Republicans will continue to offer solutions that wind down the operations of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in order to protect the taxpayers from another bailout and to reform the entire housing finance system.”

“The very essence of the American dream is to leave your children with more freedom, greater opportunity and a higher standard of living than you enjoyed. Part of that dream is to own a home, Hensarling said. “Our goal is to help home-buyers stay home-owners, and free taxpayers of the burden that comes when homes get sold to buyers who simply cant afford them.”

Hensarling’s GSE reform legislation was originally introduced in 2008. Similar legislation was included in the Republican financial reform legislation H.R 3310, the Consumer Protection and Regulatory Enhancement Act. It was reintroduced in march 2010 and was later offered as an amendment to the Democrat’s financial regulatory reform bill now known as Dodd-Frank. Senator McCain offered an amendment to the financial regulation bill that was modeled after Hensarling’s legislation.

Intelligence on Libya rebels shows hints of Qaeda, Posted by Meosha Eaton

* Coalition still compiling picture of Libya opposition

* Rebels struggling against Gaddafi's loyalist troops (Adds Gaddafi on al Qaeda, paragraph 11; Levin on arming Libyan rebels, paragraphs 14-15)

By Missy Ryan and Susan Cornwell

WASHINGTON, March 29 (Reuters) - Intelligence on the rebel forces battling Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has shown "flickers" of al Qaeda or Hezbollah presence but there is still no detailed picture of the emerging opposition, NATO's top operations commander said on Tuesday.

"We are examining very closely the content, composition, the personalities, who are the leaders of these opposition forces," Admiral James Stavridis, NATO's supreme allied commander for Europe and also commander of U.S. European Command, said during testimony at the U.S. Senate.

Gaddafi's troops on Tuesday reversed the westward charge of rebel forces as world powers met in London more than a week after the United States and other nations launched a military campaign aimed at protecting Libyan civilians.

While Stavridis said the opposition's leadership appeared to be "responsible men and women" fighting Gaddafi, he said that "we have seen flickers in the intelligence of potential al Qaeda, Hezbollah. We've seen different things."

"But at this point I don't have detail sufficient to say there is a significant al Qaeda presence or any other terrorist presence," he said.

The Pentagon says it is not communicating officially with the Libyan rebels.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice disagreed that al Qaeda was involved in the rebel movement.

"I would like to think I'm reading much of the same stuff and no," Rice told Fox News when asked whether she had seen any evidence to support Stavridis' assessment.

"I think we can't rule out the possibility that extremist elements could filter into any segment of Libyan society and it's something clearly we will watch carefully for," she added.

The United States has appointed veteran diplomat Chris Stevens as envoy to the Libyan rebels in Benghazi and expect him to go there soon to get a "clearer picture" of the rebel leadership, U.S. officials said. France has also dispatched an envoy to Benghazi, a diplomatic source said.

Gaddafi has said that al Qaeda sleeper cells were behind the uprising, that those opposed to his rule had been brainwashed by Osama bin Laden and that their milk and coffee had been spiked with hallucinogenic drugs.

'MORE CLARITY' NEEDED FOR EXIT PLAN

Stavridis' comments came a day after President Barack Obama made his case for action in Libya in a televised address to Americans, who are wary of another war with U.S. troops already in Afghanistan and Iraq.

While Obama has said Gaddafi should leave power, he stressed the military mission endorsed by the United Nations was limited to protecting civilians and enforcing a no-fly zone over Libya.

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin said he believed the Obama administration was considering the pluses and minuses of arming the Libyan rebels. Levin said consensus with U.S. allies would be needed on the matter since NATO had agreed to take charge of the military mission in Libya.

"I believe he (Obama) will continue to weigh carefully the pros and cons of providing offensive arms such as heavy vehicles and artillery to the opposition," Levin said at the hearing where Stavridis was testifying.

Even as the rebels struggle against Gaddafi's better-armed, better-organized troops, Stavridis said the long-time Libyan leader was likely to go if the coalition brought a range of military power to bear against him.

"If we work all the elements of power, we have a more than reasonable chance of Gaddafi leaving, because the entire international community is arrayed against him," he said.

Senators' questions about the make-up of the Libyan opposition reflect skepticism in Congress about U.S. preparedness for the campaign. It also underscores worries about who might take over in Libya if Gaddafi does go.

"It's premature to say what is our exit strategy until we have a little more clarity moving forward," Stavridis said.

The Libya campaign has also intensified fears in Congress about the high cost of military activities overseas.

The war in Afghanistan costs the United States around $9 billion a month. Stavridis said the Libya mission had cost "hundreds of millions of dollars" so far. (Writing by Missy Ryan; Editing by John O'Callaghan, Deborah Charles and Eric Walsh)

Presidency Opposes House Stand on Home Modification Program, Posted by Meosha Eaton

By Williams Ekanem, Capitol Hill Correspondent for MACTV News

The Executive Office of the President says it strongly oppose the House of Representative passage of H.R 839-HAMP Termination act which would eliminate the Department of Treasury’s Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP).

According to the statement of administration policy the program offers eligible homeowners an opportunity to lower their mortgage payments, helping individuals avoid foreclosure and leading to the protection of home values and the preservation of homeownership.

A statement dated March 29, 2011 made available to My Africa Channel Television stated that the Administration is committed to helping struggling American homeowners stay in their homes, and has taken many steps over the last two years to stabilize what was a rapidly-declining housing market.

“As tens of thousands of responsible American homeowners struggling with their mortgages receive permanent assistance each month from HAMP, the Administration believes that continuation of HAMP is important to the Nation’s sustained economic recovery.”
Accordingly, the statement indicated that , “if the President is presented with H.R. 839, his senior advisors would recommend that he veto the bill.”

Representative McHenry, R-NC sponsored the bill and is supported by eight cosponsors.

BACK OFF SOCIAL SECURITY! Posted by Meosha Eaton, Capitol Hill Correspondent

ECONOMIST, Posted by Meosha Eaton

WELCOME TO MACTV VIDEO/LIVESTREAMING FEED

I Consulted with Congress Leadership before Taking Action---Obama Says on Libya, Posted by Meosha Eaton

By Williams Ekanem for MACTV News

Against the growing criticism that United States President, Barack Obama took a unilateral decision to attack Libya, the President said yesterday that he consulted with bipartisan leadership at the Congress before taking action.

In an address to the nation at the National Defense University, Obama said, “after consulting the bipartisan leadership of Congress, I authorized military action to stop the killing and enforce UN Security Council Resolution 1973.

Giving justification for leading the initial attack, the United States President said that “in the face of the world’s condemnation, Gaddafi chose to escalate his attacks, launching a military campaign against the Libyan people.

Innocent people were targeted for killing. Hospitals and ambulances were attacked. Journalists were arrested, sexually assaulted, and killed. Supplies of food and fuel were choked off. The water for hundreds of thousands of people in Misratah was shut off. Cities and towns were shelled, mosques destroyed, and apartment buildings reduced to rubble.

Military jets and helicopter gunships were unleashed upon people who had no means to defend themselves against assault from the air.”

According to Obama, “ confronted by this brutal repression and a looming humanitarian crisis, I ordered warships into the Mediterranean. European allies declared their willingness to commit resources to stop the killing. The Libyan opposition, and the Arab League, appealed to the world to save lives in Libya.

At my direction, America led an effort with our allies at the United Nations Security Council to pass an historic Resolution that authorized a No Fly Zone to stop the regime’s attacks from the air, and further authorized all necessary measures to protect the Libyan people.”

In assessing the effect of the action so far, Obama said that, “we hit Gaddafi’s troops in neighboring Ajdabiya, allowing the opposition to drive them out. We hit his air defenses, which paved the way for a No Fly Zone.

We targeted tanks and military assets that had been choking off towns and cities and we cut off much of their source of supply. And tonight, I can report that we have stopped Gaddafi’s deadly advance.”

On the next steps forward, he indicated that Secretary of States, Hillary Clinton is to meet with representatives of the opposition in London on Tuesday where she will meet with the Libyan opposition and consult with more than thirty nations.

These discussions, he stated, will focus on what kind of political effort is necessary to pressure Gaddafi, while also supporting a transition to the future that the Libyan people deserve. This is because while the military mission is narrowly focused on saving lives, the United States will continue to pursue the broader goal of a Libya that belongs not to a dictator, but to its people.

“Going forward, the lead in enforcing the No Fly Zone and protecting civilians on the ground will transition to our allies and partners, and I am fully confident that our coalition will keep the pressure on Gaddafi’s remaining forces.

In that effort, the United States will play a supporting role – including intelligence, logistical support, search and rescue assistance, and capabilities to jam regime communications.

Because of this transition to a broader, NATO-based coalition, the risk and cost of this operation – to our military, and to American taxpayers – will be reduced significantly,” the President added.
Substantiating his resolve to attack Libya, Obama insisted that, “to brush aside America’s responsibility as a leader and – more profoundly – our responsibilities to our fellow human beings under such circumstances would have been a betrayal of who we are.

Some nations may be able to turn a blind eye to atrocities in other countries. The United States of America is different. And as President, I refused to wait for the images of slaughter and mass graves before taking action.”

AMERICA’S FIRST BLACK PRESIDENT INVADES AFRICA, Posted by Meosha Eaton

By William Reed, for Business Exchange

Saying that "It's time for Gadhafi to go," President Barack Obama joined a coalition of colonialist countries to invade Africa. Ignoring protests from leaders of the African Union, Obama partnered with NATO’s (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) league of neo-colonialists to “get Gadhafi”.

Black Americans would do well not to drink from the same cup of Kool Aid as has Obama. We should be aware that Western media’s characterizations of Gadhafi as “crazy” and “a brutal dictator” deserve due scrutiny. Mainstream media in NATO countries have played a major role in demonization of Gadhafi to get the acceptance across the world these imperialists’ intervention in a civil matter.

Black Americans would do well to not to drink from the same cup of Kool Aid as Obama; who ignoring the call of the African Union, joined with old colonialist powers to "get Gadhafi”. The West’s mainstream media is enjoined in telling the same ole story: that Gadhafi “is crazy”, “a brutal dictator”, that “this is not about oil” and that “we will be in and out quickly”. The corporate media has played a superb role piling on in the demonization of Gadhafi toward getting the world’s outright acceptance of the imperialists’ intervention in an internal and civil matter.

Cleveland Congressman Dennis Kucinich said Obama has committed “an impeachable offense”. Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan said Obama should have a meeting with Gadhafi and that “you can’t order him to step down and get out, who the hell you think you are?”

Obama failed to notice the African Union’s caution that “Libya’s territorial integrity should be respected” and that “outsiders have armed Libya’s rebels to get access to the country’s oil”. Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe called Libya “an African issue that should get its solutions from Africans and not from Europe and America” Mugabe was joined by South African President Jacob Zuma in saying that “the arming of the rebels in Libya by the Americans and other foreign western powers is a direct attack on African sovereignty and a clear demonstration of foreign interference”.


Where Libya’s revolts fuelled by economic issues as the media would have us believe? Black Americans are as foolish as Obama if they try to perceive what is happening in Libya within a Eurocentric perspective. Libya's system and the battle now taking place are outside of Westerners’ imagination. Libya’s young people are well dressed, fed and educated. Libyans earn more per capita than the British. Libya's wealth has been fairly spread throughout society. Every Libyan gets free, and often excellent, education, medical and health services. New colleges and hospitals are impressive by any international standard. All Libyans have a house or a flat, a car and most have televisions, video recorders and telephones.

Gadhafi has been target of aggression from the West since the 1980s. News coverage by Western media is oversimplified, misleading and stacked toward getting rid of Gadhafi. An array of anti-Gadhafi spokespersons, most living outside Libya, has been paraded in front of us. The media and their selected commentators have done their best to manufacture an opinion that Gadhafi is just another tyrant amassing large sums of money in Swiss bank accounts. In contrast to Western depictions, Libya utilized revenue from its oil to develop the country and its people. Instead of letting people know that Libya has one of the world’s highest standards of living, Western media and Obama will lead you to believe “we need to go save them”.

Before they endorse this move by Obama “to save the world” through military might, Blacks should ask themselves: “Which country has the bloodiest history of genocide, slavery, invasions, coups, installing and backing brutal regimes, bombings, massacres and mass destruction, including the use of nuclear weapons? Which government imprisons its own people, in particular its minorities, at the highest rate in the world? Do we want to continue these practices? America’s first Black President is proving himself “one of the boys” when it comes to participating in, and being a part of, imperialists’ interventions.

(William Reed is available for speaking/seminar projects via BaileyGroup.org)

UAE art shows coloured by Mideast upheaval, Posted by Meosha Eaton

Libya rebels advance, Russia criticises airstrikes, POSTED BY MEOSHA EATON

REBELS RATHER SEE GADDAFI DEAD.....,


* Gaddafi's birthplace Sirte is rebels' next target

* Russia says intervening on rebel side breaches U.N. terms

* Qatar recognises rebels as representatives of Libya

(Updates situation in Sirte)

By Angus MacSwan

BIN JAWAD, Libya, March 28 (Reuters) - Rebels advanced towards the birthplace of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi on Monday, streaming west along the the main coastal road in pick-up trucks mounted with machineguns.

Russia criticised the Western-led air strikes that have turned the tide of Libya's conflict, saying these amounted to taking sides in a civil war and breached the terms of a United Nations Security Council resolution.

Qatar became the first Arab country to recognise the rebels -- now in the sixth week of their uprising against Gaddafi's 41-year rule -- as the sole legitimate representative of the Libyan people.

Al Jazeera said the rebels had seized the town of Nawfaliyah from forces loyal to Gaddafi, extending their advance westwards towards his hometown of Sirte, about 120 km (75 miles) away.

Emboldened by the Western-led air strikes against Gaddafi's forces, the rebels have quickly reversed earlier losses and regained control of all the main oil terminals in the east of the OPEC member country.

"We want to go to Sirte today. I don't know if it will happen," said 25-year-old rebel fighter Marjai Agouri as he waited with 100 others outside Bin Jawad with three multiple rocket launchers, six anti-aircraft guns and around a dozen pick-up trucks with machineguns mounted on them.

A Reuters correspondent who was about 15 km (10 miles) west of Bin Jawad on the road to Nawfaliyah heard a sustained bombardment on the road ahead.

"This is the frontline. The army has stopped over there, we are stopping here," Mohammed al-Turki, 21, a fighter at a rebel checkpoint, told Reuters, pointing to the road ahead where the sounds of blasts were coming from.

Western-led air strikes began on March 19, two days after the U.N. Security Council authorised "all necessary measures" to protect civilians from Gaddafi's forces. But since the outset, the mission has faced questions from critics about its scope and aims, including the extent to which it will actively back the rebel side and whether it might target Gaddafi himself.

Russia, which abstained in the U.N. vote, said Western attacks on Gaddafi's forces amounted to taking sides with the rebels.

"We consider that intervention by the coalition in what is essentially an internal civil war is not sanctioned by the U.N. Security Council resolution," Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told a news conference.

Russian oil company Tatneft is expected to book $100 million of losses on capital expenditure in Libya as a result of the conflict, a company source told Reuters.

NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen told the BBC: "We are there to protect civilians -- no more, no less."

Contradicting a rebel claim to have captured Sirte, Reuters correspondent Michael Georgy reported from the city that the situation was normal. He had seen some police and military, but no signs of any fighting.

Soldiers were manning checkpoints and green Libyan flags flapped in the wind. Militiamen fired AK-47 rifles defiantly into the air. "If they come to Sirte, we will defend our city," said Osama bin Nafaa, 32, a policeman.

As Gaddafi's hometown and an important military base, Sirte -- about half-way along the coast from the rebel stronghold of Benghazi to Tripoli -- has great symbolic and strategic value.. If it fell, the rebels would gain a psychological boost and the road towards the capital would lie open.

As the rebels pressed forward in the east, they reported attacks by Gaddafi's forces in the west. One rebel spokesman told Al Jazeera that loyalist forces bombarded the rebel-held city of Misrata again on Monday, and snipers were on rooftops. Another told Al Arabiya television that eight people had been killed and more than 24 injured in clashes.

A rebel spokesman in another western town, Zintan, said forces loyal to Gaddafi bombarded the town with rockets early on Monday, Al Jazeera reported.

Libya's state news agency Jana said Western forces bombed the southern city of Sabha at dawn on Monday, leading to several casualties.

TRIPOLI BLASTS

At least six blasts resonated in Tripoli on Sunday night, followed by long bursts of anti-aircraft fire by Libyan forces. Libyan television said there had been air strikes on the "civilian and military areas" in the capital.

Libyan state TV broadcast what it said was live footage of Gaddafi in a car in his Tripoli compound where hundreds of supporters waved green flags and chanted slogans. Gaddafi could not be seen in the white car but the TV said he was in it.

On Sunday, NATO agreed to take full command of military operations in Libya after a week of heated negotiations, officials said. The United States, which led the initial phase, had sought to scale back its role in another Muslim country after the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Western air strikes had "eliminated" Gaddafi's ability to move his heavy weapons.

Gates also raised the possibility that Gaddafi's government could splinter and said an international conference in London on Tuesday would discuss political strategies to help bring an end to Gaddafi's rule.

Libya accused NATO of "terrorising" and killing its people as part of a global plot to humiliate and weaken the North African country.

The government says Western-led air attacks have killed more than 100 civilians, a charge denied by the coalition which says it is protecting civilians from Gaddafi's forces and targeting only military sites to enforce the no-fly zone.

"The terror people live in, the fear, the tension is everywhere. And these are civilians who are being terrorised every day," said Mussa Ibrahim, a Libyan government spokesman.

"We believe the unnecessary continuation of the air strikes is a plan to put the Libyan government in a weak negotiating position. NATO is prepared to kill people, destroy army training camps and army checkpoints and other locations."

Britain's Guardian newspaper quoted Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan as saying his country was ready to act as mediator and broker an early ceasefire.

Erdogan said if the parties to the conflict requested Turkey to mediate, "we will take steps to do that" within the framework of NATO, the Arab League and the African Union. (Additional reporting by Alexander Dziadosz, Edmund Blair, Maria Golovnina, Michael Georgy, Ibon Villelabeitia, Tom Pfeiffer, Lamine Chikhi, Mariam Karouny, Joseph Nasr, Marie-Louise Gumuchian, David Brunnstrom and Arshad Mohammed; Writing by Mark Trevelyan; Editing by Giles Elgood)

French planes make first strikes in Libya operation, Posted by Meosha Eaton

* Jets destroy several tanks, armoured vehicles

* Sarkozy: North America, Europe, Arab partners back action

* Sarkozy says intervention will stop if Gaddafi ceases fire

* NATO, EU role in operation still unclear

(Updates, adds details, quotes)

By John Irish and Elizabeth Pineau

PARIS, March 19 (Reuters) - French warplanes destroyed tanks and armoured vehicles of Muammar Gaddafi's forces near the rebel stronghold of Benghazi on Saturday as Western powers backed by Arab states began U.N.-mandated action to protect civilians.

President Nicolas Sarkozy said an operation supported by France, Britain, the United States and Canada, and backed by Arab nations, was halting air attacks by Gaddafi's forces and would continue until the Libyan leader's forces ceased fire.

About 20 French aircraft -- including Rafale multirole war planes, Mirage 2000 fighter jets, refuelling planes and an AWACS surveillance aircraft -- were involved, French Armed Forces spokesman Colonel Thierry Burkhard told reporters.

The planes will counter attacks by Gaddafi's planes on Benghazi, enforcing a no-fly zone, and are ready to intervene against armoured vehicles threatening civilians, Burkhard said after Sarkozy led international talks to coordinate military action authorised by the U.N. Security Council on Thursday.

"It's a grave decision we've had to take," Sarkozy said after talks with British Prime Minister David Cameron, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Arab leaders, European Union representatives and European heads of state.

"Along with our Arab, European and North American partners, France has decided to play its part before history," he said.

The first planes left France in the morning and headed for an area 62 by 93 miles (100 km by 150 km) around Benghazi and the operation was still underway in the late afternoon.

"We have set up this afternoon a no-fly zone which means that around Benghazi airforce planes are preventing all flights in accordance with the U.N. resolution," said Defence Ministry Spokesman Laurent Teisseire.

A second group of planes were also in the air to monitor movements on the ground and a defence ministry official said some Libyan targets on had been destroyed. "Yes, we have destroyed a number of tanks and armoured vehicles," he said, although he could not immediately confirm the exact number.

Aircraft from bases in eastern France at Saint-Dizier and Nancy as well as south of Paris in Dijon and Corsica were used in the operation and the ministry said aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle would leave for Libya around midday on Sunday.

The carrier is able to transport twenty aircraft and will be accompanied by a submarine and several frigates.


FRANCE, BRITAIN AT FOREFRONT

It was unclear whether NATO and the EU were taking a role in coordinating the mainly French operation, although Italy offered the use of a NATO base near Naples.

Sarkozy has been at the forefront of a push to intervene in Libya in recent days as Gaddafi escalated his attacks on opposition rebels which France and others support.

Cameron told reporters that Gaddafi's breaking of a ceasefire pledged on Friday made swift action essential.

"Colonel Gaddafi has made this happen. He has lied to the international community. He has promised a ceasefire. He has broken that ceasefire," he said.

"He continues to brutalise his own people and so the time for action has come," he added. "It is better to take this action than to risk the consequences of inaction, which is the further slaughter of civilians by this dictator."

Germany is not participating in the joint operation, but Berlusconi did not rule out Italian planes being used.

"For the time being we are making the bases available, but if they request it, even military intervention (is possible)," Berlusconi told reporters.

Before Sarkozy spoke, reconnaissance planes were flying over Libya as Gaddafi's troops advanced into the edge of Benghazi.

"We are doing it to protect the civilian population from the murderous madness of a regime that in killing its own people has lost all legitimacy," Sarkozy said.

"There is still time for Colonel Gaddafi to avoid the worst, by acting without delay and without reservations in accordance with all the demands of the international community. The door of international diplomacy will open again the moment attacks end."


DIPLOMATIC CLOUT

Sources close to the talks said only France, Britain and Canada were likely to take part in initial strikes, with any participation by the United States or Arab nations coming later.

Canada said its fighter jets had only just reached the region and would need two days to prepare for any operation.

Iraq's foreign minister was at the talks, as was the Qatari prime minister and United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Determined to prove its diplomatic clout after its clumsy handling of the revolt in Tunisia, Paris has sought to lead a world response to the crisis in Libya, where Gaddafi's troops outgun rag-tag and poorly armed rebel forces.

Sarkozy was the first foreign leader to recognize the opposition and drop support for Gaddafi.

NATO ambassadors met in Brussels on Saturday to discuss involvement by the 28-member military alliance in enforcing a no-fly zone, but no decision was taken. A NATO diplomat said Britain, the United States and Canada wanted NATO to take a lead in the operation but Paris was lukewarm on the idea.

"France seems to have some problem with it being a NATO operation, given NATO's reputation in the Arab world as a result of Afghanistan and given that NATO is seen as an alliance dominated by the United States," he said. (Additional reporting by Andrew Quinn, Keith Weir, Daniel Flynn and Vicky Buffery in Paris and David Brunnstrom in Brussels; Writing by Catherine Bremer; Editing by Sophie Hares)

France says G8 will seek agreement on Libya action, Posted by Meosha Eaton

March 14 (Reuters) - Group of Eight foreign ministers will try to agree in Paris on what action should be taken in Libya, to speed up a U.N. Security Council decision on whether to impose a no-fly zone, France said on Monday.  The current G8 president, France said Libya would be a priority during talks on Monday and Tuesday between U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the foreign ministers of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Russia. 

With violence worsening, "no option could be ruled out", foreign ministry spokesman Bernard Valero told an electronic press briefing as Muammar Gaddafi's troops battled rebel fighters for control of the oil town of Brega.  "The conclusions from the March 11 European summit and the Arab League's March 12 resolution clearly demonstrate the international community's firm commitment to protecting Libyan civilians," Valero said.  "This issue will be discussed as a priority at the foreign minister's meeting with his G8 counterparts with the aim of reaching an agreement that will enable the Security Council, which has received an official request from the Arab League, to move forward as fast as possible." 

The Arab League's weekend call for a U.N. no-fly zone seemed to satisfy one of three conditions set by NATO for it to police Libyan air space, that of regional support. The other two are proof its help is needed and a U.N. Security Council resolution.

(Reporting by Vicky Buffery; editing by Mark Heinrich)

U.S. Not Likely to Suspend Nuclear Energy Plans, Posted by Meosha Eaton

By Williams Ekanem

Although the twin explosions at nuclear power plants in Japan have created a somewhat freeze on prospecting for nuclear power by various countries, the United States may not necessarily  tow the same line of putting on hold its nuclear energy plans.

Indications to this emerged on Tuesday at the Capitol Hill when leading Senators signified their lack of support for further suspension of work on development of nuclear energy.

Republican Senator John  Barrasso told congressional Reporters while responding to question on the issue that he does not subscribe to the United States to continue waiting on the development of nuclear energy, having been doing that for about fifteen years now.

In the same manner, Senate majority Leader, Harry Reid, D-Nev  said on Tuesday that the United States should not eliminate nuclear energy right away but understudy what is going on in other parts of the world.

Talks on the possibility of a nuclear freeze resurfaced on the front burner  when in only three days, Japan  has experienced two hydrogen explosion nuclear reactor.

Reports say the cascading troubles at the Fukushina Dai-Chi complex were set in motion when last Friday’s quake and tsunami in Japan’s northeast knocked out power, crippling the cooling systems needed to keep nuclear fuel from going into full meltdown weeks after a reactor shuts down.

Consequent upon the above, some countries in the midst of development of nuclear power are considering put a freeze on their nuclear energy plans.

Associated Press reports that Switzerland has ordered a freeze on new plants or replacements. The report quoted the country’s energy minister Doris Leuthard as saying that this necessary, Until safety standards have been carefully reviewed and if necessary adapted.”

The decision put on hold the construction of nuclear power stations at three sites approved by Swiss regulatory authorities. Switzerland now has five nuclear power reactors that produce about 40 percent of the country’s energy needs; it also has nuclear research reactors.

In Germany, thed government said it is suspending for three months a decision to extend the life of its nuclear power plants.  That also means that two older nuclear power plants will be taken off the grid shortly=at least for now- pending a full safety investigation, Chancellor Angela Merkel was reported to have told reporters.

A previous government decided to shut all 17 German nuclear plants, but Merkel’s administration last year moved to extend their lives by an average of 12 years.

In Turkey, opposition in one voice renounce government’s nuclear expansion plans. And anti-nuclear groups staged rallies around France, the world’s most nuclear-dependent country as the government sought to reassure the public that the risks remain minimal.

The governments of Russia, China, Poland and even earthquake-prone Chile say they are sticking to their plans to build more reactors. Bulgaria may freeze its Belene nuclear project and instead install a Russian reactor it has already ordered at its Kozloduy plant to reduce safety risks, Economy and Energy Minister Traicho Traikov said on Tuesday.

UN News: Nawaf Salam (Lebanon) on Libya, Security Council Media Stakeout , Posted by Menelik Zeleke

14 March 2011

Informal comments to the media by H.E. Mr. Nawaf Salam, Permanent Representative of Lebanon to the United Nations, on the situation in Libya and other matters.

UN News: Daily Press Briefing , Posted by Menelik Zeleke

14 March 2011

By the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.

UN News: Earthquake and tsunami in Japan - Ban Ki-moon Media Stakeout , Posted by Menelik Zeleke

11 March 2011
Informal comments to the media by H.E. Mr. Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations on the earthquake and tsunami in Japan

MACTV News: France says G8 will seek agreement on Libya action, Posted by Menelik Zeleke

March 14, 2011 1:02:12 PM

PARIS, March 14 (Reuters) - Group of Eight foreign ministers will try to agree in Paris on what action should be taken in Libya, to speed up a U.N. Security Council decision on whether to impose a no-fly zone, France said on Monday.

The current G8 president, France said Libya would be a priority during talks on Monday and Tuesday between U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the foreign ministers of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Russia.

With violence worsening, "no option could be ruled out", foreign ministry spokesman Bernard Valero told an electronic press briefing as Muammar Gaddafi's troops battled rebel fighters for control of the oil town of Brega.

"The conclusions from the March 11 European summit and the Arab League's March 12 resolution clearly demonstrate the international community's firm commitment to protecting Libyan civilians," Valero said.
"This issue will be discussed as a priority at the foreign minister's meeting with his G8 counterparts with the aim of reaching an agreement that will enable the Security Council, which has received an official request from the Arab League, to move forward as fast as possible."

The Arab League's weekend call for a U.N. no-fly zone seemed to satisfy one of three conditions set by NATO for it to police Libyan air space, that of regional support. The other two are proof its help is needed and a U.N. Security Council resolution. (Reporting by Vicky Buffery; editing by Mark Heinrich)

Food and water shortage at earthquake shelter in Sendai, Japan, Posted by Meosha Eaton

More than 3,000 residents in Sendai, Japan took shelter at a suburban high school of the city after the 9-magnitude earthquake devastated their homes. Due to the current shortage of food and water supply, only children and seniors at and above 75 years old are provided with food at the emergency shelter.

Each of the people taking shelter here has a ration of only two bottles of water every day. As the access to the disaster area is cut off, the shipment of good, especially food and drinking water, to Sendai is also blocked.

Food supply to the shelter dwellers has come to a halt as of today. Still people have to live here, as their own homes are no longer in existence or safe after the catastrophic earthquake. Given the constant aftershocks at present, the shelter is the best place they could find for the time being.

"I moved here yesterday," said a young woman. "How is your own home?" asked the reporter. "Its appearance looks ok, but inside it's all a mess," said the young woman.

"My home is gone completely, with the TV set and other things rocked down everywhere, and it's dangerous to go back there," said a woman.

"Have you got a food ration?" asked the reporter.
"No, only children and seniors at and above 75 years old are entitled to a food ration," answered the woman.

For any questions please call +86-10-63969499, or email newscontent@cctv.com. If you want to learn more, please go to the CCTV website at http://newscontent.cctv.com.

Amman protest calls for release of political prisoners, Posted by Meosha Eaton

AMMAN, JORDAN (MARCH 13, 2011) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)
1. VARIOUS OF DEMONSTRATORS NEAR PRIME MINISTRY BUILDING
2. DEMONSTRATORS HOLDING BANNERS
3. YOUNG BOYS HOLDING BANNERS CALLING FOR RELEASE OF PRISONERS
4. BANNER WRITTEN IN ARABIC, READING: "WE CALL FOR THE RELEASE OF PRISONERS"
5. PROTESTERS
6. BOY HOLDING BANNER READING: "RELEASE SHEIKH ABU MOHAMMAD AL-MAQDISI"
7. MAN ADDRESSING CROWD
8. PEOPLE LISTENING

9. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) RELATIVE OF PRISONER, MOHAMMAD, SAYING:
"They are political prisoners and there is actually no reason for their detainment, particularly during such difficult times. If the king, Abu Hussein, releases these people, he would put an end to a crisis and it would be a great service for the Jordanian people."

10. YOUNG BOYS HOLDING BANNERS

11. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) FATHER OF TWO POLITICAL PRISONERS, MOHAMMAD HIJAZI, SAYING:
"The government promotes itself as a moderate state with the enemy, the zionist entity, therefore I call on them to use a moderate approach with the prisoners, the ones they refer to as Islamist group prisoners. The killer zionists are not better than my sons and the sons of other Islamist prisoners. I demand the government release them immediately."

12. WOMEN HOLDING BANNERS DURING PROTEST
13. WOMAN HOLDING GIRL DURING PROTEST
14. WOMAN HOLDING BANNER WRITTEN IN ARABIC, READING: "UNTIL WHEN WILL ABU SAYAF AND THE PEOPLE OF MA'AN REMAIN IN PRISON?"
15. BOY HOLDING MASKS WITH ARABIC WRITING, READING: "JWEIDEH PRISON, GENERAL INTELLIGENCE DEPARTMENT PRISON"

 Hundreds of family members demonstrated near the prime minster's office in the Jordanian capital, Amman, on Sunday (March 13) to demand the immediate release of their relatives arrested over alleged ties to banned Islamist groups.

Protesters came from as far as Ma'an, a town located 250 kilometres south of Amman where many political prisoners are being held on terrorism-related charges.

Protesters called on King Abdullah to use his power to grant freedom for detainees, many of whom were tried in military courts.

Hundreds of Salafis, an ultra conservative branch of Islam that strictly follows the teachings of the Prophet Mohammad, are held in prisons across Jordan after being tried in military courts on terrorism related charges.

"They are political prisoners and there is actually no reason for their detainment, particularly during such difficult times," said Mohammad, a relative of one prisoner.
"If the king, Abu Hussein, releases these people, he would put an end to a crisis and it would be a great service for the Jordanian people," Mohammad added.

Many Salafi scholars promote violence, but others have renounced it since the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States.

But some militant groups still claim Salafism as their ideology, despite an iron fisted policy by pro-western authorities in Jordan.

Observers said Jordanian authorities stepped up their anti-Salafi campaign as part of a global war against al-Qaeda and in response to U.S. pressure to quell fundamentalist Islamists.

"The government promotes itself as a moderate state with the enemy, the zionist entity, therefore I call on them to use a moderate approach with the prisoners, the ones they refer to as Islamist group prisoners," said Mohammad Hijazi, who has two sons held in a maximum security prison on terrorism related charges.

"The killer zionists are not better than my sons and the sons of other Islamist prisoners. I demand the government release them immediately," Hijazi added.
Authorities in Jordan have been accused by international human rights groups of discriminating against Islamist detainees.