World leaders pay tribute to Hugo Chavez

Source : Shanghai Daily

leaders from five continents on hand, Venezuela began a day of distinctly different ceremonies yesterday - first the formal state funeral of Hugo Chavez, then the swearing-in of his anointed interim successor, which the opposition vowed to boycott on charges it was unconstitutional.

The funeral at the military academy where Chavez has been lying in state began with Venezuela's national youth orchestra singing the national anthem, led by famed conductor Gustavo Dudamel. More than 30 political leaders, including Cuba's Raul Castro and Iranian firebrand Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, stood at attention before Chavez's flag-draped coffin.

Outside the academy, the line to see Chavez's body stretched 2 kilometers. Progress for those already waiting since the early hours was halted for the funeral.

US Representative Gregory Meeks, a New York Democrat, and former Representative William Delahunt, a Democrat from Massachusetts, represented the United States, which Chavez often portrayed as a great global evil even as he sent the country billions of dollars in oil each year.

Television cameras captured Hollywood star Sean Penn in attendance.

"It is a great pain for us because we have lost a friend," Ahmadinejad said on his arrival at the airport overnight. "I feel like I have lost myself, but I am sure that he still lives. Chavez will never die. His spirit and soul live on in each of our hearts."

On Thursday, Venezuela announced that it would embalm Chavez's body and put it on permanent display, a decision that touched off strong passions on both sides of the deeply divided country, which Chavez ruled for 14 years before succumbing to cancer on Tuesday at the age of 58.

The normally traffic-choked streets of Caracas were empty, with schools and many businesses shut. The government also prohibited sales of alcohol.

Following the funeral, National Assembly Speaker Diosdado Cabello was to swear in Vice President Nicolas Maduro as interim president, as Chavez desired, despite complaints by the opposition that Cabello is the rightful holder of that post under the constitution.

Cabello announced that the swearing-in will be held at the same military academy complex where Chavez's body is lying in state. Normally, presidents in Venezuela are sworn in at the National Assembly.

In announcing the opposition boycott, spokesman Angel Medina said that Maduro's ascension is "a violation of the constitutional order."

"Venezuelans should walk along the path of constitutionality. Today, more than ever we reject that they use the name of the president of the republic, who today is being buried, for political ends," he said.

Critics believe Venezuela's 1999 charter stipulates that the speaker of the National Assembly take power in the event of a presidential death.

The constitution says elections must be held within 30 days of Chavez's March 5 death, though the government has not set a date. Maduro has announced he will be the candidate of Chavez's ruling socialist party against likely opposition candidate Henrique Capriles, and many expect him to ride the wave of emotion following Chavez's death to victory.

Yesterday's funeral was the climax of three days of ceremony that have followed Chavez's death, and Venezuelan media were filled with commentary about the outsized place the late leader held on the world stage.

For many Chavez supporters, and the political insiders he left behind, the task ahead will be continuing the president's political movement beyond his death.

Maduro announced on Thursday that the late president's body will be embalmed and forever displayed inside a glass tomb at a military museum not far from the presidential palace from which he ruled.

Heart-broken supporters were clearly in favor of the effort.

S. Korea's Defense Ministry warns DPRK to "vanish from earth

Source :  Xinhua

SEOUL, March 8 (Xinhua) -- The government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) will"vanish from the earth" if it wages a nuclear attack on South Korea, the South Korean Defense Ministry here said Friday.

"I am telling you this as a member of the human race: If North Korea (DPRK) attacks South Korea with nuclear weapons, the Kim Jong Un regime will vanish from the earth by the will of the humanity,"ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok told reporters.

The remark came shortly after the DPRK said it would sever a military hotline with South Korea and nullify non-aggression agreements between the two countries, a response to newly expanded sanctions approved by the UN.

The toughened sanctions dictate UN member states inspect DPRK ship and air cargo suspected of carrying banned materials and tighten scrutiny of DPRK officials and institutions engaged in illicit activities.

The unanimous decision by the 15-member UN body came after the DPRK's underground nuclear test last month, a follow-up to the controversial December rocket launch largely seen as a disguised missile test.

South Korea, which expressed support for the fresh sanctions, has stepped up its border surveillance and is ready to"immediately retaliate"if attacked, according to the spokesman.

Defense minister-nominee Kim Byung-kwan, who is going through a parliamentary confirmation hearing, vowed to "substantially strengthen" deterrence against security threats.

The South Korean military, which recently announced its plans to develop long-range missiles and a missile defense system of its own, has also said it will "strike back" at the DPRK and its" command leadership" if attacked.

Israeli Spy Devices on Tartous Coast to Trace Russian Ships

Source : http://www.almanar.com.lb

A Syrian military source told Al-Manar TV that three Israeli spy devices were discovered in Al-Naml (ants) Island, an uninhabited island in the coastal area of Tartous.

The source added that the “eavesdropping devices’ job is to send information and trace Russian ships landing in Tartous coast.”

Al-Naml (ants) island is a 150 square meters island located south of Arwad Island where only fishermen visit often for rest.

North Korea Annuls Non-Aggression Deals with South - KCNA

Source :   RIA Novosti

MOSCOW, March 8 (RIA Novosti) - North Korea is annulling non-aggression deals with South Korea, the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea said in a statement, according to the state Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

The UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution on Thursday outlining new sanctions against North Korea in the wake of its recent nuclear test. Large-scale South Korean-US military exercises Key Resolve and Foal Eagle, held in March, are believed to be the direct motive for the statement.

The Committee, which plays the role of the North's state agency for relations with the South, also said a joint statement on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula would no longer be in effect, and added that the hotline between the North and the South would be cut off.

The fourth set of UN sanctions is aimed at curbing the activities of North Korean banks suspected of funneling money to the communist regime's nuclear and missile programs.

The resolution includes measures to step up the scrutiny of suspicious North Korean sea and air cargo shipments and expands previous restrictions to encompass three North Korean officials and two entities in the country's weapons industry.

The resolution also condemns the latest North Korean nuclear test "in the strongest terms" for its disregard of previous UN resolutions, bans further ballistic missile launches, nuclear tests "or any other provocation," and demands that North Korea return to the Nuclear Non- Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Russia, which currently holds the UN Security Council’s presidency, issued a statement on Thursday expressing hope that Pyongyang would take the new sanctions seriously and halt further nuclear and ballistic missile development.

North Korea warned Thursday it could launch a preemptive nuclear strike against potential aggressors as the UN Security Council prepared to impose a new set of sanctions on the “rogue” nuclear state. The United States responded by saying it is "fully capable of defending against any North Korean ballistic missile attack."

Earlier in the week, Pyongyang announced that it would annul the 1953 armistice that ended the three-year-long war over the Korean Peninsula in anticipation of the UN vote and the Key Resolve and Foal Eagle joint military exercises involving South Korea and the United States near North Korea's borders.

North Korea conducted a third nuclear test in defiance of UN resolutions and appeals from its neighbors on February 12. The secretive regime previously conducted nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009.

Venezuela stable after Chavez's death, election to be called within 30 days

Source : Shanghai Dailly

Earlier in the day, Vice President Nicolas Maduro, accompanied by key members of cabinet, announced the death of Chavez, who had battled with cancer for almost two years.

Maduro referred to the leader's death as a "historical tragedy" and called on Venezuelans to be vigilant for the peace of the country.

During a separate televised meeting of political and military leaders at the presidential palace, the vice president said that the "imperialist" conspirators, in alliance with domestic foes, had infected the president with cancer.

And a panel will be set up to determine the causes of Chavez's illness, he said.

In his speech, Defense Minister Diego Molero appealed for "unity, tranquility and understanding" among Venezuelans.

He pledged that the armed forces will defend the constitution and respect Chavez's wishes.

The Venezuelan government declared seven days of mourning. Foreign Minister Elias Jaua said Chavez's remains will lie in state at a Caracas military academy until a formal funeral ceremony on Friday.

And a presidential election will be held within 30 days, said Jaua in a televised speech. Maduro will temporarily take presidential duties until a new president takes office.

Without giving further details on the exact date of election, he said that Chavez had made arrangements as early as in December in case he died.

To mourn Chavez, the national flag was lowered at half mast in front of the military hospital, where the president has fought cancer in the last two weeks of his life.

"Don't leave, Chavez, don't leave," wailed Chavez's supporters flooding into the streets. The military hospital, Plaza Bolivar and the Presidential Palace where saddened supporters gathered, were engulfed in grief. Supporters carrying pictures of Chavez sang the national anthem and shouted "He's alive!," "Everyone is Chavez" and "We have motherland."

In areas dominated by opposition supporters, however, firecrackers were even heard.

In a statement, the opposition alliance offered condolences and voiced confidence that Venezuela will be able to overcome the difficulties at the time.

And opposition leader Henrique Capriles, a 40-year-old governor of Miranda state who was defeated by Chavez in the October 2012 election, offered condolences to Chavez's family and supporters and appealed for "unity among Venezuelans."

He also urged the government to "act strictly within its constitutional duty."

Chavez has undergone surgery, chemotherapy and radiation treatment since he was first diagnosed with a type of pelvic cancer in the summer of 2011.

A former paratroop lieutenant colonel, Chavez was jailed in 1992 after leading a coup attempt against then President Carlos Andres Perez.

In December 1998, Chavez won the presidency with 56 percent of the vote after campaigning for reform, constitutional changes and a crackdown on corruption. In October 2012, Chavez was re-elected to a third term.

Japanese PM prepares for war: Links Falklands conflict with Senkaku

Source : StratRisks

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, whose country is in conflict with China over islets in the East China Sea, cited former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s reflections on the 1982 Falkland Islands war to stress the importance of the rule of law at sea. During a speech to parliament on Thursday, Abe said Japan’s national interests “lie in making the seas, which are the foundation of our nation’s existence, completely open, free and peaceful,” the Telegraph reported.

The Japanese Prime Minister, who took office in December, quoted Thatcher’s memoirs reflecting the Falkland Islands war, in which she said Britain was defending the fundamental principle that international law should prevail over the use of force, according to Reuters.

“Looking back at the Falkland Islands conflict, former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said the following: ‘The rule of international law must triumph over exertion of force,’” the Wall Street Journal quoted Abe as saying to his fellow lawmakers.

Thatcher rallied Britain to support the 74-day armed conflict, which started when Argentine troops landed on the Falkland Islands on April 2, 1982. It drew skepticism at the time from other British leaders — and some British allies, who didn’t think the territory was worth defending after Argentina seized control, according to the Wall Street Journal. The conflict killed about 650 Argentine and 255 British troops.

(MORE: History Threatens Repeat in Renewed Pacific War)

Abe continued in his own words: “The rule of law at sea. I want to appeal to international society that in modern times changes to the status quo by the use of force will justify nothing.” Ties between Tokyo and Beijing have been shaky after the Japanese government last September bought three of the five islands in the East China Sea, known as the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyu in China. The islands are controlled by Japan but also claimed by China.

(MORE: Chinese View of Islands Conflict: ‘Make It Quick’)

An escalation in tensions in the territorial dispute has raised fears of an unintended military incident near the islands, where both countries’ militaries have each started to mobilize in the surrounding area, the Wall Street Journal pointed out. The U.S. has said the islets fall under a U.S.-Japan security pact, but “Washington is keen to avoid a clash in the economically vital region,” theTelegraph reported. Abe reiterated in his speech that the islands are Japanese territory and urged Beijing not to escalate tensions. However, he added that Sino-Japanese relations were vital for Japan and that he was always willing to a discussion.

South Korea: N. Korea Set for Major Military Drill

Source : Islamic Invitation Turkey

North Korea is preparing for a large-scale military drill in an apparent show of force against ongoing joint South Korea-US exercises, the South’s defense ministry said Monday.

The army, navy and air force drill is planned as a follow-up to the North’s nuclear test last month and a successful long-range rocket launch in December, ministry spokesman Kim Min-Seok told reporters, AFP reported.

“We are seeing more evidence of the North’s preparations for a conventional military drill to be staged on a far bigger scale than before, following the missile and nuclear tests,” Kim said.

Large numbers of US and South Korean troops are currently holding an annual joint air, ground and naval field training exercise, which North Korea has denounced as a provocative rehearsal for invasion.

A separate, largely computer-simulated joint exercise involving 3,500 US soldiers and 10,000 South Korean troops is to be held from March 11-21.

Rodong Sinmun, the North’s official party newspaper, slammed the drills on Monday, and said its nuclear weapons were “steel fists of justice” to protect against perceived threats from Seoul.

The North’s nuclear test last month was its third and most powerful to date.

Bomb targeting Shia Muslims kill 25 in Karachi

Source :   Tehran Times

KARACHI (Reuters) - A suspected suicide bomber attacked Shia Muslims as they were leaving a mosque in Pakistan's commercial capital on Sunday, killing at least 25 people and wounding 50, police said.

"It was a powerful blast on a congested Shia- dominated area," senior police official Shabir Ahmad Sheikh said of the attack, the latest signal that Sunni militant groups are stepping up pressure on the minority sect.

Extremist groups, most prominently Lashkar-e- Jhangvi (LeJ), have escalated attacks against Shias, who they believe are non-Muslims. Bombings targeting Shias have killed nearly 200 people in the city of Quetta alone since the start of the year.

While the Quetta carnage grabbed world attention, a Reuters inquiry into a lesser known spate of murders in Karachi suggests the violence is taking on a volatile new dimension as a small number of Shias fight back.

Pakistan's Western allies have traditionally been fixated on the challenge posed to the brittle, nuclear-armed state by Taliban militants battling the army in the bleakly spectacular highlands on the Afghan frontier.

But a cycle of tit-for-tat killings on the streets of Karachi points to a new type of threat: a campaign by LeJ and allied Pakistani anti-Shia groups to rip open sectarian fault-lines in the city of 18 million people.

Pakistani intelligence agents say the LeJ has become a major security threat in Pakistan that is also struggling with a fragile economy, dilapidated infrastructure and widespread poverty.

Shia frustrations are rising with each blast. Shias fired weapons in the air on Sunday night in Karachi, a bustling metropolis plagued by ethnic and political violence and crime.

"The explosion was so massive it jolted the entire area," said witness Ali Reza. "Two flats and nearby shops caught fire after the explosion and balconies of various buildings collapsed."

Another witness, Muhammad Kazim, said women and children who were shopping nearby were wounde

Afghan govt. says it will take full control of Bagram Prison

Source :   Tehran Times

The Afghan government will take full control of the U.S.-built Bagram Prison on March 9, the spokesman of the Afghan president announced on Sunday.

Aimal Faizi was quoted by Afghanistan’s Tamaddon TV as saying that the decision for the full transfer of the facility to Afghan forces was finalized during a meeting between Afghan President Hamid Karzai and U.S. Marine Corps General Joseph Dunford, who is the commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), in Kabul last week.

At the meeting, it was agreed that control of the other prisons and detention centers currently run by ISAF will also be transferred to the Afghan government in the near future.

In November 2012, Karzai accused U.S. officials of violating a bilateral agreement to fully transfer the Bagram facility to Afghanistan.

The Afghans say that the detainees held at Bagram should be transferred to their control according to an agreement signed by the two countries in March 2012.

However, tension between the two governments has risen on the detainee transfers over the past few months. At the heart of the controversy is the issue of 57 prisoners held in Bagram who have been acquitted by Afghan courts but who have been held by U.S. forces at the prison for more than a month, in defiance of release orders. Afghan officials are also concerned about the status of new detainees being captured by U.S. troops.

Bagram Prison can hold more than 3,000 detainees. The detention center, which lies within Bagram Air Base, about 60 kilometers north of Kabul in Parwan province, is surrounded by U.S. checkpoints and is heavily staffed by U.S. guards.

MS/HG

Australian troops kill two Afghan children: officials

Source :   thenews.com.pk

KANDAHAR: Australian soldiers in southern Afghanistan shot dead two children tending cattle, local officials said on Saturday as the international coalition launched an inquiry into the incident.

Civilian casualties caused by NATO-led troops have been one of the most contentious issues in the campaign against Taliban insurgents, fuelling public anger and often triggering criticism from President Hamid Karzai.

The two children, aged seven and eight, were killed on Thursday morning as Australian soldiers fought back after a Taliban attack in southern Uruzgan province, said provincial governor Amir Mohammad Akhundzada.

"The children were killed by Australian troops, it was a mistaken incident, not a deliberate one," Akhundzada told, adding that insurgents had first shot at a helicopter carrying Australian soldiers.

A spokesman for NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Kabul said he was unable to confirm details.

"We are aware of the reports and we take all such reports very seriously," he said. "An incident assessment team in Uruzgan is now there looking into it."

US and Israel slam Turkish PM Erdogan's comments equating Zionism with fascism

Source :   Fox News

The United States and Israel have rejected statements by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan who compared Zionism to fascism at a U.N. meeting aiming to promote dialogue between all faiths.

Speaking in Vienna this week, Erdogan said Islamophobia ought to be considered a crime against humanity "just like Zionism, anti- Semitism and fascism."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sharply condemned the statement late Thursday calling it "dark and mendacious."

U.S. National Security Council Spokesman Tommy Vietor said the characterization was "offensive and wrong" and said people of all religions should "denounce hateful actions and overcome ... differences."

U.S. State Secretary John Kerry is expected to raise the issue when he meets with Erdogan and other Turkish leaders in Ankara on Friday.

Erdogan's ruling party has roots in Turkey's Islamic movement.

EU report blasts Israeli zoning, urges sanctions

Source :  smh.com.au

RECOMMENDING economic sanctions against Israeli settlements, a scathing report from European Union consulates accuses Israel of illegally annexing East Jerusalem and ''systematically undermining Palestinian presence'' in the city.

It found settlement construction in East Jerusalem and the West Bank was ''the biggest single threat to the two-state solution''.

Israel was trying to drive Palestinians out of East Jerusalem with restrictive zoning and planning, demolitions and evacuations, discriminatory access to religious sites, an inequitable education policy, difficult access to healthcare and inadequate provision of resources, the report said.

The EU Heads of Mission Jerusalem Report says every effort must be made to ensure products manufactured in settlements do not receive preferential treatment or tariffs and that they are correctly labelled as settlement goods.

Israel would not provide any response to the non-binding EU report, written by consuls in Jerusalem and Ramallah. A foreign ministry spokesman said: ''They have never presented it to us, so we cannot comment.''

The report highlighted what it labelled as the ''most significant and problematic'' settlement plans in East Jerusalem, including plans to construct the settlement known as E1 - announced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in response to the United Nations vote to upgrade Palestine to a ''non-member observer state'' last November.

''The construction of these … settlements is part of a political strategy aimed at making it impossible for Jerusalem to become the capital of two states,'' the report reads.

Palestinian leaders welcomed the report, calling on the European Union and its members to ''stand up to Israel''.

Israel captured East Jerusalem during the 1967 Six-Day War and subsequently annexed it in a move that has never been recognised by the international community.

Israel to award Obama with President's Medal of Honor

Source : Axisoflogic.com

U.S. President Barack Obama will receive the Presidential Medal of Honor from his Israeli counterpart, President Shimon Peres during his visit to the Jewish State next month.

The medal – likened to the French Legion of Honor and the Order of Canada – features the North Star “to symbolize the right path,” and a menorah, and is given to individuals and organizations “that have made unique and outstanding contributions to Tikkun Olam ("repairing the world"), Israeli society and the State of Israel’s image around the world, and which constitute examples of initiative, innovation, creativity and vision,” said a statement from the president’s residence.

America's cooperation was essential in creating the Iron Dome anti-missile defense system, the statement went on to explain, "which saved the lives of many in Israel, and allowed space for political maneuvering by the Israeli government during times of crisis."

The awards committee added that Obama's presidency "is characterized by uncompromising faith and constant practices which promote equality regardless of religion, race, gender and sexual orientation, and the strengthening of the poorer classes in the United States, and the empowerment of democratic values, human rights, unity and peace in the world.

"Through his personal story and his actions as president of the United States, Barack Obama has become a symbol and model for democratic values and he reflects the spirit of equal opportunity in American society."

The President's Medal, which was awarded for the first time last year at the initiative of the Israeli president, is given to exceptional people and institutions who have made unique and extraordinary efforts to "repair the world" and who are a model of entrepreneurship, innovation, creativity and vision.

Last year, Obama awarded the Presidential Medal of Honor to Peres in a ceremony in Washington.

In remarks he made prior to handing Peres the medal, Obama described Israel as “one of our strongest allies and one of our closest friends," and said that Peres, “teaches us to never settle for the world as it is. We have a vision for the world? ?

Over 50 Militants Killed in N.Caucasus in 2013 - FSB Chief

Source :   RIA Novosti

PYATIGORSK, February 26 (RIA Novosti) - Russia’s top domestic security official said on Tuesday more than 50 militants, including 14 group leaders, had been killed in Russia’s North Caucasus since the start of the year.

“So far, more than 50 militants have been killed, including 14 militant group leaders,” FSB chief Alexander Bortnikov said at a meeting of the National Anti-Terrorism Committee in the southern Russian resort city of Pyatigorsk.

“More than 60 [armed] group members and their associates who committed no grave crimes, turned themselves in to the authorities,” he added.

A total of 66 suspected militants were also detained in that period.

Radical Islamist ideology is becoming increasingly popular in the North Caucasus against the background of the region’s social and economic problems, Bortnikov said.

“Such a trend persists not only in the North Caucasus, but also in a number of regions in the Volga, Urals and Siberian federal districts,” he said, without naming the regions.

“Based on a thorough study of the situation in Russian regions, we need to update regional anti-terrorism programs, anti-extremism measures and crime prevention,” Bortnikov said.

He also called on regional anti-terrorism commissions, law-enforcers and the local authorities to improve their propaganda and information work, especially in regions where extremist ideas enjoy widespread support.

The North Caucasus region is home to a predominantly Islamic population. It has been the scene of over two decades of separatist insurgency, with Islamist fighters involved in frequent attacks on the federal authorities.

Putin awarded the Order of Serbian Republic

Source :  Strategic Culture

Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic has awarded Russia’s President Vladimir Putin the Order of the Republic for the Russian leader's "outstanding contribution to peaceful cooperation and friendship" between the two countries.

Similar awards have been bestowed also on all other leaders of the former Soviet republics, with the notable exception of EU-members Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.

Iran calls for expansion of ties with Italy

Source :  Tehran Times

TEHRAN – President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad met with new Italian Ambassador to Tehran Luca Giansanti on Sunday and called for expansion of ties between Iran and Italy.

“Tehran does not see any limits to boost the friendly relations between the two countries,” Ahmadinejad said.

Giansanti submitted his credentials to Ahmadinejad and called for bolstering ties in economic and industrial areas with Tehran.

The Italian ambassador also said Iran can help settle tensions and conflicts around the world.

Ahmadinejad meets Sri Lankan, Sudanese envoys

New Sri Lankan Ambassador to Tehran Mohammad Faisal Razeen also met with President Ahmadinejad on Sunday and submitted his credentials to him.

During the visit, the two sides put emphasis on the necessity of increasing ties.

On Sunday, Ahmadinejad also met with Sudanese president’s special envoy and called for full implementation of all agreements signed between the two countries.

The Sudanese envoy conveyed the message of his country’s president to Ahmadinejad and called for increasing cooperation in energy and agricultural fields.

MT/PA

Euro's stability at stake as frustrated Italians cast votes

Source :   Shanghai Daily

ITALIANS voted yesterday in one of the most closely watched and unpredictable elections in years, with pent-up fury over a discredited elite adding to concern it may not produce a government strong enough to lead Italy out of an economic slump.

The election, which concludes this afternoon, is being followed closely by investors; their memories are still fresh of the potentially catastrophic debt crisis that saw Mario Monti, an economics professor and former bureaucrat, summoned to serve as prime minister in place of Silvio Berlusconi 15 months ago.

The controversial Berlusconi was the object of a protest by a group of topless women who were dragged away by police yesterday as he voted.

The protesters, from the Ukrainian women's rights group Femen, shouted "Basta (Enough) Berlusconi," as the media tycoon was voting in a polling station in a Milan school. The same words were painted on their bodies. Police quickly grabbed the women and bundled them away.

Berlusconi, a 76-year-old billionaire, is seeking his fifth term in government and is on trial for having sex with an underage prostitute during alleged orgies at his Milan villa, a charge he denies.

The election could result in a weak Italian government that could, many fear, prompt a new dip in confidence in the European Union's single currency.

Opinion polls give the center-left a narrow lead but the result has been thrown completely open by the prospect of a huge protest vote against the painful austerity measures imposed by Monti's government and deep anger over a never-ending series of corruption scandals. Berlusconi's center-right has also revived.

"I'm not confident that the government that emerges from the election will be able to solve any of our problems," said Attilio Bianchetti, a 55-year-old builder in Milan, who voted for the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement of comic and blogger Beppe Grillo.

The 64-year-old Grillo, who is heavily backed by a frustrated generation of young Italians hit by record unemployment, has been one of the biggest features of the last stage of the campaign, packing rallies in town squares up and down Italy.

Sinai groups to launch protest action over govt neglect

Source :   Maan News Agency

EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma'an) -- Egyptians in the northern Sinai peninsula will launch a campaign of civil disobedience next week to protest the government's neglect of the region, a Ma'an correspondent said.

Political and civil society groups will start a series of sit-in protests and civil disobedience tactics on Tuesday in response to what they see as neglect of the area by Egypt's central government.

Khalid Arafat, chairman of the al-Karama political party, told Ma'an tha developments projects initiated by the government have not achieve anything in Sinai, and people will protest until their demands are met.

The policy of neglecting the Sinai peninsula is still being practiced b President Mursi, Arafat added.

Two years after the revolution that toppled president Hosni Mubara Egypt's Islamist rulers are contending with a rise in militant activity in th Sinai region that borders Israel and the Gaza Strip.

Egyptian security forces have waged a security campaign in the desert Sina region to reign in militant groups, after 16 Egyptian border guards wer killed in an attack on their post in August.

Security problems such as kidnapping, murder, drug smuggling and violenc continue to affect the Sinai peninsula, where tribesman have lon complained of neglect by the state and have in the past clashed with police who they accuse of heavy-handed tactics.

Spain king’s son-in-law goes to court

Source : Islamic Invitation Turkey

The Spanish king’s son-in-law has appeared before a judge for questioning in a corruption case that has shaken the royal family.

The son in law of Spain’s King arrived at a court in Palma on the Mediterranean island of Majorca on Saturday for a second questioning in his corruption case.

Inaki Urdangarin, made his way into the building amid tense street scenes where a contingent of around 170 police kept noisy protesters away from the courthouse.

He is accused of embezzling public funds paid in contracts to a company he managed several years ago.

Urdangarin, who has the title of “Duke of Palma”, is also accused of using his royal title to steal money.

His father-in-law, King Juan Carlos, has banned him from family functions. The investigation into the alleged financial misdeeds has deeply embarrassed the monarchy in a country hard hit by a financial crisis and sky-high unemployment.

Urdangarin who is married to Princess Cristina, the second of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia’s three children, was a professional handball player. He retired from professional sport in 2000, and went on to study business administration.

Indigenous Venezuelans Hold Ritual for Chavez

Source : RIA Novosti

MOSCOW, February 23 (RIA Novosti) – Supernatural forces were evoked on Friday night in Venezuelan politics, as representatives of the country’s indigenous peoples held a ritual for their ailing president Hugo Chavez.

The ritual, held in downtown Caracas, involved lighting a “sacred fire,” mass dancing and a prayer for presidential health, Venezuelan state news agency AVN reported.

The fire was intended to collect “bad energies” which were then to be disposed of by scattering the ashes over the river, said one of ritual’s co-organizers, an indigenous “wise woman” identified as Betania.

Chavez, 58, appears to need all the help he can get as he continues his battle with cancer. He underwent extensive treatment, including four operations, over the past two years, but was nevertheless unable to attend his own presidential inauguration in January.

The president reportedly struggles with respiratory problems that render him unable to speak, though he spent five hours on Friday issuing written instructions, media reported.

Still, the Secretary General of Organization of American States, Jose Miguel Insulza, said on Friday that Chavez may resign next week.

Though Chavez is a Catholic, he was the target of indigenous American rituals before: Shamans prayed for him in Ecuador in January, and another ceremony was held in Caracas on Thursday, attended by Guatemalan Nobel Peace Prize laureate Rigoberta Menchu, who participated in her self-described capacity of a “Mayan spiritual guide,” according to Venezuelan daily Ultimas Noticias.