Orchestrated attack: Egypt’s Bassem Youssef mocks Qatari backing of MB

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Playing maestro, Youssef – who is already facing charges of insulting the Egyptian president and Islam – orchestrated a song on the Friday night episode of his comedy show. (Photo: YouTube screenshot)

Clearly, law-suits, threats and political pressure isn't enough to stop Egypt's leading satirist, Bassem Youssef.

Renowned for mocking the Muslim Brotherhood-backed President, Mohammed Mursi; it seems Youssef now is widening his horizons to target backers of the Islamist group.

This time, he chose to pinpoint Qatar – a known financial backer of the Brotherhood - as a target of one of his political satire sketches.

Playing maestro, Youssef – who is already facing charges of insulting the Egyptian president and Islam – orchestrated a song on the Friday night episode of his comedy show designed to mock the Muslim Brotherhood's relations with Qatar.

Sang as a parody of the 1960s Egyptian Pan-Arabism opera anthem "My beloved Arab Homeland," Youssef poked fun at Qatari aid to Egypt.

The lyrics included: "Qatari, how your money fills my land…Qatari, give me more and I'll be satisfied."

"Sell your Suez Canal, and take from their [Qatar's] grace … Sell the pyramids and build another two," the lyrics went, referring to rumors earlier this year that the Brotherhood had been mulling over whether they should rent Egypt's historical sites to Qatar.

In a press conference following the Doha summit last month, Qatari Prime Minister Hamad Bin Jasim, denied the allegations that his country was "purchasing" the pyramids and the Suez Canal.

"People say we were looking to rent out the pyramids for $200bn, what kind of value for money is this, maybe we'd consider it if it were $2bn" he joked, before saying "how many baseless accusations are made against us?…like the Suez Canal, we have never even considered buying the Suez Canal," as quoted by comment website Open Democracy.

Youssef's sketch also pointed out a couple of Qatar's recent investments and purchases of popular brands, shops and football clubs around the world.

After the sketch, Youssef said that Egyptians "have no problem with the Qatari people," saying that he respects them, but he is being critical of the Egyptian government that he said considers "selling or renting such crucial sites to foreigners."

Twitter reactions

Youssef is renowned for regularly grilling the country's ruling Islamists on his wildly popular weekly program, Albernameg (The Show), which is modeled on Jon Stewart's U.S. satirical The Daily Show.

Reactions to the sketch, which has already gone viral since Friday night's episode, included many Arab Twitter users highly criticizing the oil-rich country, while others supported Qatar and slammed the sketch itself.

Egyptian sports critic Alaa Sadek tweeted saying: "They hate Qatar because they hate Egypt and want Egypt's destruction," in reference to Youssef's show.

"I think Qatar is a rich country and something for Arabs to be proud of and after a few years it will host the World cup and has no time to turn to a comedian," another Twitter user said.

"Last night's episode from al-Baranmeg represents all Arab countries. Qatar's interferences result in the misery of people," said @deemaah_ksa on Twitter.
 

06 Apr, 2013

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Source: http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/04/06/Orchestrated-attack-Egypt-s-Bassem-Youssef-mocks-Qatari-backing-of-Brotherhood-.html
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Tammam Salam named new Lebanon prime minister after big backing

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Salam, 67, won endorsements from across the political spectrum, including the powerful Shiite movement Hezbollah. (Al Arabiya)

Tammam Salam of the Western-backed opposition was named Lebanon's prime minister Saturday, two weeks after Najib Mikati resigned and effectively brought down his Hezbollah-dominated government.

Salam, 67, won endorsements from across the political spectrum, including the powerful Shiite movement Hezbollah, the March 14 opposition grouping and veteran kingmaker Walid Jumblatt.

Consultations initiated by President Michel Sleiman ran into a second day on Saturday among political movements over Salam's appointment. A day earlier, at least 86 MPs of 128 members of parliament backed his candidacy.

Though Lebanon's main political currents have backed Salam, he still faces the challenge of creating a new government in a country deeply divided between those that support and oppose the regime in neighbouring war-torn Syria.

The Damascus regime dominated Lebanon politically and militarily for 30 years until 2005.

Ever since, the eastern Mediterranean country has suffered multiple political conflicts and crises, which have been exacerbated by the civil war that has been raging in Syria for more than two years.

While there was consensus on Salam's candidacy, one key issue remains unresolved. Hezbollah and its allies say he should form a national unity government, but it is unclear whether March 14 would accept.

Hanging over the process is the question of whether elections will go ahead as scheduled in June, amid broad opposition to the electoral law currently on the books.

Salam, a Sunni Muslim as tradition dictates for Lebanon's prime ministers, is the son of Saib Salam, who served six terms as premier between 1952 and 1973.

He was first elected a Beirut MP in 1996, and re-elected in 2009. A graduate of economics and management in England and married with three children, he was culture minister between 2008 and 2009.
 

06 Apr, 2013

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Source: http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/04/06/Tammam-Salam-named-new-Lebanon-prime-minister.html
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Four Italian journalists abducted in north Syria by ‘rebel group’

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Syrian rebels take position inside a building to observe the movement of regime forces. (AFP)

Four Italian journalists have been kidnapped in the north of Syria, on the border with Turkey, the Italian Foreign Ministry confirmed late Friday.

The war-torn country is being described as the world's most dangerous place for journalists.

The foreign ministry confirmed the report "indicating that it has followed the developments from the very beginning," according to the ANSA news agency. It also called for "maximum discretion," stressing that "the physical safety of the hostages remains the absolute priority."

The Italian authorities said they had been monitoring the case from the start but called for "maximum discretion", insisting that "the physical safety of the hostages remains the absolute priority", the ANSA report said.

The La Repubblica website said the abducted were three freelance journalists and one reporter working for the Italian public broadcaster RAI.

The newspaper said the journalists were kidnapped "by a rebel group" while out filming.

The website of the La Stampa daily added that the four were taken overnight Thursday to Friday.

Their families have already been informed, the foreign ministry said.

In February, an Italian citizen and two Russians kidnapped on December 12 in the west of Syria were freed as part of an exchange for militants.

Last month, a Ukrainian journalist escaped from her kidnappers in Syria and was heading to the capital Damascus, according to her nephew Monday.

"She escaped this morning. We spoke by telephone with her for a couple of minutes. She said people were taking her to Damascus," her nephew, Dmitry Astafurov, was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying.

The Ukrainian foreign ministry confirmed Ankhar Kochneva was free after several months in captivity but said it had no further information on the matter.

Abductions for religious, political or purely financial reasons are becoming increasingly frequent in war-torn Syria.

Syria's government on Tuesday offered kidnappers an amnesty deal, giving them 15 days to hand over victims or face sentences ranging from life with hard labor to execution, if their victims were murdered or sexually abused.

06 Apr, 2013

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Source: http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/04/06/Four-Italian-journalists-abducted-in-north-Syria-by-rebel-group-.html
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Assad deploys foreign fighters in capital to protect Shiite shrines

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Shiite fighters from neighboring countries are flocking to Damascus to defend their religious sites and defend Bashar al-Assad against advancing Sunni-dominated opposition forces. Many of these foreign guerrillas fight under the umbrella group of Abu al Fadl al-Abbas brigade. They come from Iraq, Lebanon, Iran and Pakistan.

In Damascus, they are no strangers; they roam the streets and often clash with the members of the Free Syrian Army.

Their brigade is based in Sayeda Zeinab district and its 12 battalions are deployed in al-Hajar al-Aswad and Qaboun.

Leaked footage shows the deployment of brigade members under the flag of the Syrian regime army in al-Jobar.

The brigade was formed a few months ago amid the escalation of clashes around the capital, and is now fighting its main battles around the shrine of Sayeda Zeinab, south of Damascus.

The growing phenomenon of foreign fighters in the regime's army follows the public calls by State Mufti, Ahmad Hassoun, who believes it is every Muslim's duty to defend the regime. His call has apparently been heard and reinforced by Damascus' sectarian dimension.
 

05 Apr, 2013

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Source: http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/04/05/Assad-deploys-foreign-fighters-in-capital-to-protect-Shiite-shrines.html
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7.1-magnitude quake rocks Indonesia’s Papua: USGS

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A destroyed house in central Indonesia after a 6.3 magnitude earthquake in August 2012. (AFP)

A major 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck the eastern Indonesian province of Papua on Saturday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, sending panicked crowds running into the streets.

There were no immediate reports of damage and no tsunami warning was issued after the quake struck on land at 1:42 pm (0442 GMT) at a depth of 75 kilometers (46 miles), 272 kilometers west-southwest of provincial capital Jayapura, the USGS said.

Local seismologists had measured the quake at 7.2 magnitude.

People in the area told AFP they felt the quake strongly and hundreds went running into the streets, witnesses told AFP.

Narsi Bay said she was in a meeting on the first floor of a hotel in Jayapura when she felt "strong shaking".

"I went downstairs to go outside as quickly as I could as I was afraid that the building would collapse," she told AFP.

"The quake happened on land, there is no tsunami threat," an official from the country's meteorology, climatology and geophysics agency told AFP. "We haven't received any reports of damage."

Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where continental plates collide, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity.
 

06 Apr, 2013

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Source: http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/asia/2013/04/06/7-1-magnitude-quake-rocks-Indonesia-s-Papua-USGS-.html
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Egypt’s April 6 bloc marks 5th anniversary with anti-Mursi protests

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Anti-Mursi demonstrators shout slogans during a protest near the high court as Bassem Youssef (not in picture), the country's best-known satirist, makes his way to the court to appear at the prosecutor's office in Cairo, March 31, 2013. (Reuters)

Egypt's April 6 Youth Movement has planned mass rallies on Saturday to mark its fifth anniversary and protest against President Mohammed Mursi, Egyptian media has reported.

Despite supporting Mursi during elections last June, the group said Saturday's protests, dubbed the "Day of Rage," are to express "dissent" against the president's latest moves rather than celebrating, reported Ahram Online.

"We supported President Mursi when he ran for presidency. Now, after he issued his constitutional declaration, rammed through a new constitution and failed to meet the goals of the revolution we have joined the ranks of the opposition," said Ahmed Maher, co-founder of the April 6 Youth Movement, as quoted by the website.

Maher said in a conference last week the opposition will continue its efforts to overthrow the regime, which he believes "has not fallen on 25 January 2011," the website said.

Maher added that the interior ministry under Mursi's reign is "more brutal" when compared to ousted the period of president Hosni Mubarak, Ahram Online reported.

The group said on its Facebook page that Saturday's protest will call for the "release of its detained members, removal of the country's prosecutor-general, dignity for citizens, and downfall of the regime," as quoted by Ahram Online.

Four major marches are scheduled to kick off at 4pm local time from Cairo's Mohandeseen, Shubra, Imbaba districts and Sayyeda Zeinab mosque central Cairo, the website reported. Other rallies are also expected in Alexandria, Port Said, Mahalla and Minya governorates.

The April 6 movement was established following a strike by textile workers on April 6, 2008 in Al-Mahalla Al-Kubra, a large industrial and agricultural city in Egypt. The group is considered to be among the first youth movements who stood against Mubarak, the website said.

Founders of the group were among the main callers for the Mahalla strike, which later turned into nationwide protests. The strike is considered the first mass public uproar against Mubarak and a step towards the uprising that toppled him in 2011.
 

06 Apr, 2013

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Source: http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/04/06/Egypt-April-6-.html
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World powers, Iran seek to break nuclear talks deadlock

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Signaling growing frustration at the lack of progress in his agency's investigation, Yukiya Amano recently told the 35-nation board that negotiations with Iran must "proceed with a sense of urgency." (AFP)

Iran and world powers met Saturday for the second and final day of new talks aimed at breaking a decade-old deadlock over Tehran's nuclear drive, with the clock again ticking down again on efforts to find a solution.

The two sides held an indecisive first day of negotiations in the Kazakh city of Almaty on Friday that ended with only an agreement to meet again and Western officials admitting the positions were still far apart.

They most notably failed to resolve the main issue on the table -- whether Iran will accept some demands concerning its nuclear program in return for relief on the sanctions that have hurt the Islamic republic's economy in the past two years.

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton started the day Saturday by meeting chief Iranian negotiator Saeed Jalili.

"During Ms. Ashton and Dr. Saeed Jalili's meeting this morning the latest situation of the negotiations and different aspects of each side's stances were discussed in detail," said an Iranian official.

"The sides also exchanged views on ways to progress along the path of negotiations," said the official.

The Iranian delegation also met separately with French and Chinese diplomats before all sides went into a full plenary session that is expected to conclude the Almaty talks.

Iran resolutely insists on international recognition of its right to enrich uranium and wants that condition be a part of any deal.

The world powers on the other hand say the onus is on Iran to take the first step. They insist on it ending enrichment to high levels and shuttering the Fordo mountain bunker where such activity takes place before any recognition for Iran's nuclear rights are granted.

The talks concluded on Friday after two plenary sessions lasting a combined six hours with Iran answering a series of questions about its list of demands.

A Western official said the two sides still had strongly differing visions of ways to solve the dispute.

"We had a long and substantial discussion on the issues, but we remain a long way apart on the substance," the Western official said after Friday's talks.

"We are now evaluating the situation and will meet again tomorrow (Saturday)."

Russian negotiator Sergei Ryabkov summed up the day by saying that the difficulty at the talks proved their seriousness.

"The answers prompted more questions," Russian news agencies quoted Ryabkov as saying. "But this proves that these talks are serious."

And US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland also sought to sound upbeat.

"They were talking about the real issues at hand, which, as you know, has not always been the case," she told reporters in Washington.

"But that's a different matter than whether they actually made progress that we can report yet."

Iran in particular wants to see an end to the biting sanctions imposed by the European Union and the United States that limit the Islamic republic's banking activities that cut the amount of cash it can get for the oil it still manages to sell abroad.

The powers -- comprised of the five permanent U.N. Security Council members and Germany and known collectively as the P5+1 -- argue that such a sweeping gesture does not correspond with their persistent concerns over the possible military dimensions of Iran's work.

The P5+1 grouping is particularly worried about Iran's enrichment to levels of up to 20 percent and want Iran to ship out its existing stockpile of 20-percent enriched material.

Iran denies it is developing the atomic bomb and argues that it needs its nuclear program for peaceful medical and energy needs.

Iran has reportedly been offered the right to deal in some precious metals and perform small financial transactions now prohibited by international sanctions. Tehran says it is being asked too much for too little in return.
 

06 Apr, 2013

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Source: http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2013/04/06/World-powers-Iran-seek-to-break-nuclear-talks-deadlock-.html
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Al-Qaeda denies Saharan leader killed by France: SITE

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The death of Abdelhamid Abou Zeid in February was confirmed by Paris "with certainty" on March 23. (AFP)

Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, the movement's North African arm, said French statements that its forces had killed the group's leader in the Sahara were "blatant fallacy", a monitoring website said on Saturday.

AQIM, as the group is known, did not name the leader but it appeared to be referring to Abdelhamid Abou Zeid, whose death in Mali in February was confirmed by Paris "with certainty" on March 23.

The militant group, which attacked a gas plant in Algeria in January, denied the death in a statement published on Friday on Islamist internet forums, SITE, a U.S.-based intelligence monitoring website, reported.

The statement threatened "dark days" for France in north and West Africa.

French forces launched a ground and air campaign in Mali on Jan. 11 against Islamist forces who carved out an enclave in the country's northern mountains, saying they posed an international threat.

Paris said in a statement last month: "The president of the French Republic confirms with certainty the death of Abdelhamid Abou Zeid after an offensive by the French army."

However, AQIM said the French statement was motivated by the government's low poll ratings.

"This is a blatant fallacy by the French President Hollande, who has low popularity and whose party is mired in financial and moral scandals, in order to delude the French and global public about the achievement of a field victory that restores to them their lost confidence, domestically and abroad," it said.

The fate of Abou Zeid and another al-Qaeda commander, Mokhtar Belmokhtar, presumed mastermind of the Algerian attack in which more than 60 people were killed, has been murky since Chad, which is fighting alongside France in Mali, reported their deaths in March.

Algerian Ennahar TV, which is well connected with Algeria's security services, said late last month a new commander, Djamel Okacha, had been named to replace Abou Zeid.

An Algerian security source said Okacha, also known as Yahia Abu El Hamam, joined AQIM in northern Mali in 2004.

However, the AQIM statement monitored by SITE said Hamam had not been installed to replace Abou Zeid, but had in fact replaced another leader, Nabil Abu Alqamah, who it said died in a traffic accident last year.

It said he had been installed "eight months ago, and nearly five months before the French invasion of northern Mali", according to the monitoring.

06 Apr, 2013

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Source: http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2013/04/06/Al-Qaeda-denies-Saharan-leader-killed-by-France-SITE.html
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Abbas may be ‘leaning toward’ dismissal of PM Fayyad: report

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Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas "is leaning towards dismissing Fayyad from the head of the government." (AFP)

Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad may be soon dismissed by President Mahmoud Abbas, a Fatah member told AFP news agency on Friday, as the party officially criticized the premier's government for the first time.

Abbas "is leaning towards dismissing Fayyad from the head of the government and forming a new one," a member of Fatah's Revolutionary Council said on condition of anonymity.

He said the key factor was a disagreement over the resignation of the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority's finance minister, which Abbas refused to accept but Fayyad consented to.

"Abbas informed Fayyad that if Nabil Qasis did not return to the finance ministry... Abbas would dismiss his government and form a new one," the official said.

Fatah's Revolutionary Council -- one of the party's governing bodies -- also officially criticized Fayyad's government for the first time on Friday.

"The policies of the current Palestinian government are improvised and confused in many issues of finance and the economy," it said in a statement.

Abbas appears to be stepping up his diplomatic moves this week.

On Friday, Abbas demanded that Israel's prime minister present a map for a future Palestinian state before any peace talks can resume, an aide said on Friday.

Abbas "wants to know, through a map to be presented by Benjamin Netanyahu to [U.S. Secretary of State John] Kerry, what the prime minister's view of a two-state solution would be, especially the borders," political adviser Nimr Hammad told AFP.

The remarks came just days ahead of a visit by Kerry, who will hold fortnightly meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, local media say, as he tries to revive the stalled peace process.

"Any return to negotiations requires Netanyahu to agree on 1967 borders," Hammad said.

Abbas has insisted that participation in new talks be conditioned on using the lines that existed before the 1967 Six-Day War as the basis for negotiating future borders.

Abbas also repeated to Barack Obama, on his first visit to the region as U.S. president in March, that a halt to Israeli construction in Judea, Samaria, and eastern Jerusalem was a precondition for any peace negotiations.

Expectations are growing that the U.S. administration is ready to resume some kind of shuttle diplomacy to rekindle the peace process, which has stalled since 2010.

Kerry accompanied U.S. President Barack Obama on his first official visit to the region several weeks ago and, after Obama left the region,

Kerry stayed behind and met PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas in Amman. He then traveled to Jerusalem for talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
 

06 Apr, 2013

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Source: http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/04/06/Abbas-may-be-leaning-toward-dismissal-of-PM-Fayyad-report.html
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A comedy of errors? Undeterred Egyptian satirist mocks Mursi yet again

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Egyptian satirist Bassem Youssef ridiculed the pro-Mursi media and the prosecutor involved in the case against him. (Photo: Youtube screenshot)

Despite facing legal questioning, Egypt's top satirist is not letting up.

Bassem Youssef poked fun yet again at Egyptian president Mohammed Mursi on the Saturday night episode of his political satire program.

He's was at it again, chewing over his time spent being interrogated at the prosecutor's office earlier this week, when he faced charges of insulting Mursi and Islam. He is currently out on $2,200 bail after the interrogation on Sunday that lasted nearly five hours.

"I would love to know how you make your decisions," Youssef said of Mursi, comparing him to a magician drawing his ideas out of a hat.

He also ridiculed the pro-Mursi media and the prosecutor involved in the case against him.

"It's not fear... but after my visit to the prosecutor, I decided not to talk any more about Mursi. So I'm going to talk about the prosecutor, especially his problems!" he joked.

The television audience, which included one of Egypt's most prominent opposition figures, Hamdeen Sabahi, erupted in applause and laughter.

Then Youssef spent a good part of his show ridiculing both the attorney general and the president.

Youssef regularly skewers the country's ruling Islamists on his wildly popular weekly program, Albernameg (The Show), which is modeled on Jon Stewart's U.S. satirical The Daily Show.

He was questioned on accusations of offending Islam through "making fun of the prayer ritual" and of insulting Mursi by "making fun of his international standing".

He is also subject to a new investigation for "threatening public security."

The charges against the Egyptian satirist have raised international concerns and Mursi himself on Wednesday stressed Egypt's commitment to freedom of expression, insisting that citizens' complaints, not his office, were behind the probe against Youssef.

However, the soaring number of legal complaints against journalists has cast doubt on Mursi's commitment to freedom of expression -- a key demand of the popular uprising that toppled his predecessor Hosni Mubarak in 2011.

Youssef's high profile case prompted the United States to express "real concerns" about the direction being taken by the Egyptian government.

06 Apr, 2013

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Source: http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/04/06/A-comedy-of-errors-Undeterred-Egypt-top-satirist-mocks-Mursi-again.html
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Iran, world powers fail to make progress in nuclear talks

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Iran's Chief Negotiator Saeed Jalili (R) and European Union Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton walk away after posing for a photograph before talks in Almaty April 5, 2013. (Reuters)

Iran and world powers on Friday failed to reach a breakthrough in the Iranian nuclear crisis during talks that saw Tehran being criticized for failing to give a clear response to a proposal aimed at breaking the deadlock.

The powers are seeking answers about a nuclear program that Iran insists is peaceful but world powers fear may hide some military dimensions.

The onus is now on Iran to accept a series of demands that include curbing enrichment activities in exchange for concessions which would ease U.N. sanctions that have choked the Iranian economy and seen its currency's value plummet.

Iran said its chief negotiator Saeed Jalili opened the negotiations in the Kazakh city of Almaty with goodwill by presenting a three-point outline of its own vision for how the dispute may be resolved.

"At this morning's meeting, his excellency Dr. Jalili presented specific plans and proposals for starting a new round of cooperation between Iran" and the world powers, his deputy Ali Bagheri told reporters after the first plenary session wound down after three hours.

But Western officials said the plan was just a rehash of old ideas that had already been cast aside at a meeting last year in Moscow.

"There has not yet been a clear and concrete response to the E3+3 Almaty I proposal" that the powers made at the last nuclear negotiations at the same venue in February, a Western official said in a statement to AFP also backed by a second source.

"Their presentation was pretty much a repetition of what they put forward in Moscow. There were some not fully explained general comments on our ideas," said the official on condition of anonymity.

The day's second plenary session ended after nearly three hours with the two sides at least agreeing to meet for another plenary session on Saturday.

Iran's Bagheri said Jalili presented "detailed" answers to a list of questions from the world powers.

"The answers prompted more questions," Russian news agencies quoted chief Russian negotiator Sergei Ryabkov as saying.

"But this proves that these talks are serious," he added.

The last meeting at the same venue in February ended with unusual expressions of cautious optimism from both sides. Iran described those negotiations as "positive" while the world powers more coolly called them "useful."

But Jalili defiantly indicated going into Friday's session that Tehran had no intention of giving ground on the most important concession demanded by the West.

He told the six powers -- comprised of the five permanent U.N. Security Council members and Germany and known collectively as the P5+1 -- that Iran demanded an immediate recognition of his country's right to enrich uranium.

"We think that they can open up tomorrow's (Friday's) talks with one phrase -- and that is to accept Iran's right, particularly its right to enrich," Jalili said in a speech Thursday at an Almaty university.

The demand is inherently objectionable to the powers because Iran is prohibited from enriching uranium by the United Nations and is heavily sanctioned for its secretive work.

Jalili also appeared to downplay the chances of his one-on-one meeting with chief U.S. negotiator Wendy Sherman -- talks Washington has been seeking for years.

An EU spokesman said decisions about bilateral meetings would be made as the talks progressed and refused to speculate about the reported possibility of dinner talks Friday between Jalili and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.

Failure to strike a compromise could prove costly to both sides. A possible war would likely see a global spike in oil prices and draw in other regional powers at an already unstable time in the Middle East.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for one warned this week that "we cannot allow" the talks to drag on indefinitely while Iran continues to pursue enrichment.

The P5+1 grouping is particularly concerned about Iran's enrichment to levels of up to 20 percent and the Fordo fortified bunker where such activity is conducted.

They also want Iran to ship out its existing stockpile of 20-percent enriched material.

06 Apr, 2013

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Source: http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/04/05/Iran-world-powers-fail-to-make-progress-in-nuclear-talks-.html
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U.S. ‘would not be surprised’ by N. Korea missile launch

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U.S. 'would not be surprised' by N. Korea missile launch

Army reservists salute the flag during a Foundation Day ceremony of the local reserve forces in Seoul April 5, 2013, in this picture provided by Yonhap. (Reuters)

The White House said Friday it "would not be surprised" if North Korean carries out another missile test, after reports that Pyongyang had moved two mid-range rockets to its eastern coast.

"We've obviously seen the reports that North Korea may be making preparations to launch a missile, and we're monitoring this situation closely," White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters.

"We would not be surprised to see them take such an action. We have seen them launch missiles in the past ... And it would fit their current pattern of bellicose, unhelpful and unconstructive rhetoric and actions," he said.

"We urge them to stop with the provocations and to focus instead on meeting their international obligations and feeding their own people. They are only making themselves more and more isolated from the rest of the world."

The Pentagon declined to confirm reports about the missiles from South Korea's Yonhap news agency, but warned North Korea that "further provocative action would be regrettable."

"Missile tests outside their international obligations would be a provocative act. They need to follow international norms and abide by their commitments," Pentagon spokesman George Little told reporters.

Several U.N. Security Council resolutions require North Korea to abstain from all nuclear and ballistic missile activities.

Yonhap reported that two intermediate Musudan missiles had been transported by train earlier in the week and loaded on vehicles equipped with launch pads.

The Musudan has never been tested, but is believed to have a range of around 3,000 kilometers (1,860 miles), which could theoretically be pushed to 4,000 if they were to be given a light payload.

That would cover any target in South Korea and Japan, and possibly even reach U.S. military bases located on the Pacific island of Guam.

The Pentagon has said it will send missile-interceptor batteries to protect its bases on Guam, a U.S. territory some 3,380 kilometers (2,100 miles) southeast of North Korea and home to 6,000 American military personnel.

Most experts think the North is not yet capable of mounting a nuclear device on a ballistic missile which could strike U.S. bases or territory.

Tensions have soared on the Korean peninsula since December, when the North test-launched a long-range rocket. In February, it conducted its third nuclear test and drew fresh U.N. sanctions.

The North also warned this week it would reopen its mothballed Yongbyon reactor -- its source of weapons-grade plutonium that was closed in 2007 under an aid-for-disarmament accord.

Little defended a current South Korean-U.S. military drill, which has infuriated Pyongyang, saying "we have been responsible and prudent in how we (have) conducted these exercises," which run through April 30.

"The North Koreans on their side need to ratchet the rhetoric down, which has been bellicose, overheated and unproductive," he said.

N.Korea says unable to protect embassies

Meanwhile, North Korea on Friday warned foreign embassies in Pyongyang it was unable to guarantee their safety in the event of conflict and that they should consider evacuating missions by next week amid soaring nuclear tensions.

European countries with embassies in Pyongyang, such as Britain and Russia, reported receiving the warning as an increasingly bellicose North Korea moved two mid-range missiles to its east coast.

"They invited the embassies and organizations present at the meeting to inform them by 10 April what assistance they would require from the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) should they wish to be evacuated from DPRK or to be relocated elsewhere," Britain's Foreign Office said in a statement.

The statement added that there were no immediate plans to withdraw diplomats.
 

06 Apr, 2013

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Source: http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2013/04/05/U-S-would-not-be-surprised-by-N-Korea-missile-launch-.html
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Who's that girl? Madonna visits children ward in Malawi

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Madonna visits with students at Mkoko primary school in Chorwe, in Kasungu Province in Malawi (Reuters)

Pop diva Madonna, spending her fourth day in the southern African country of Malawi on Thursday, picked up ailing children and joked with them when she visited an overcrowded children's ward in Blantyre, the country's largest city.

"Muli bwanji? (How are you?)" she greeted them in Malawi's main language, Chichewa.

Madonna, with her son, Rocco, went to Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, which she has been supporting for five years through its chief pediatrician, Dr. Eric Borgstein.

"Eric Borgstein is a hero of mine" said Madonna. "He is doing a wonderful job."

The ward performs at least 500 surgeries per year on poor children, said Borgstein.

Madonna is the largest individual donor to the hospital and funds programs run by Borgstein that include treating children with cancer, said Trevor Neilson, president of the Global Philanthropy Group that is managing Madonna's projects in Malawi.

Born and raised in Malawi, Borgstein said he studied medicine at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands before to returning to his home country. Borgstein said he has been working in children's health for 15 years, treating up to 40 patients daily. Malawi has only three pediatric surgeons, said Borgstein.

He is currently a partner of Raising Malawi, the non-profit organization Madonna co-founded with Michael Berg in 2006 to help Malawian children.

On Friday, Madonna is scheduled to visit Consol Homes Orphan Care Centre, 50 kilometers (31 miles) outside the capital, Lilongwe.

06 Apr, 2013

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Source: http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2013/04/06/Madonna-takes-a-bow-for-children-in-Malawi.html
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Syrian president warns of fallout if regime falls

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Syrian President Bashar al-Assad warns the fall of his regime will unleash a wave of instability that will shake the Middle East. (AFP)

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has warned that the fall of his regime or the breakup of Syria will unleash a wave of instability that will shake the Middle East for years to come.

Assad told the Turkish TV station Ulusal Kanal that "we are surrounded by countries that help terrorists and allow them to enter Syria."

He accused Turkey of knowingly supporting rebels but said it is not clear whether Jordan is intentionally backing his opponents.

Assad's interview was aired Friday evening, three days after it was shot in Syria.

He warned that if his government falls or if Syria is divided, it "will have a domino effect" across the region and create "a period of instability for long years and maybe decades."

Meanwhile, Assad's close ally, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the civil war in Syria has become "a massacre" that must be stopped through peace talks between the government and the opposition, and repeated Russia's firm rejection of calls for the Syrian leader's ouster.

Speaking to the German ARD television in remarks released by the Kremlin on Friday, he rejected the Western criticism of Russia for continuing to supply weapons to Assad's regime.

Putin said that such shipments don't violate international law, and he criticized those who send weapons to the Syrian opposition fighting a "legitimate government."

Late March, Russia called the Arab League's decision to award Syria's seat at the organization to the anti-regime Syrian National Coalition "illegal and indefensible".

The move also sparked a furious reaction from Damascus.
 

06 Apr, 2013

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Source: http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/04/05/Syrian-president-warns-of-fallout-if-regime-falls.html
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Egyptian military stands firmly against toppling army chief: report

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Head of Egypt's Armed Force, Abdulfatah Al-Sisi, speaks of Egypt's President Mohammed Mursi at theat the presidential palace in Cairo. (Photo courtesy Egyptian presidency)

A tension that has been building up between the Egyptian army and the Muslim Brotherhood has reached a new level, local media reports show.

The Muslim Brotherhood intends to topple the head of Egypt's Armed Forces, General Abdulfatah Al-Sisi, anonymous sources told daily Egyptian independent newspaper, Al-Masry Al-Youm.

The Brotherhood intends to taint the army's reputation by spreading several rumors online, the sources said.

Last February, rumors circulated online that there are attempts to topple Sisi as well as other high-profile generals in a scenario similar to the ouster of Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi as a face representative of the old regime.

The sources added that the military establishment will not allow the repetition of what had happened with Tantawi, and that Sisi enjoys wide support of military officers and the public.

The military establishment is resisting the Muslim Brotherhood pressures to recruit more of its members, which is why the army is currently undergoing this negative campaign at the hands of the Islamist group.

Spreading these rumors also aims to prevent Egyptians - especially from the opposition - to garner support from the army, they added.

Sisi, who is also the defense minister, expressed his support to the Egyptian people since last year when he said the army is with the Egyptian people and against violence.

In March, he reiterated his stance when he said that there is mutual confidence between the Armed Forces and the Egyptian people.

The sources also revealed alarming information, saying that the ongoing investigation regarding the killing of 16 Egyptian soldiers by militants at the Rafah crossing near Gaza was halted after pressures from higher-authorities.

To show severed relations between the Muslim Brotherhood and the army, Sisi was pressured to accompany President Mohammed Mursi's during his visit to Pakistan and India last month.

"Sisi was pressured to accompany Mursi to give the impression to the outside world that he is close to the current regime," the newspaper said.

The sources sounded the alarm over Egypt is entering the group of countries dubbed as "the axis of evil," such as Iran, North Korea and Iraq during Saddam Hussein rule.

Observers believe that the Muslim Brotherhood is increasingly trying to reach out to Tehran, a move that has angered some Egyptians including Salafists.

Meanwhile, another independent newspaper, Al-Mesryoon, reported that during an anti-Mursi rally in the northern Domyat governorate on Friday, protesters shouted slogans that included "long live the Egyptian army," and "No to humiliation to the best of all armies."

The protesters expressed their anger against the Muslim Brotherhood's domination in power.

06 Apr, 2013

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Source: http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/04/06/Egypt-newspapers-show-simmering-tension-between-army-and-the-Brotherhood.html
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