- Hello 2014! The world celebrates a new yearNew Year's parties are already in full swing in many parts of the globe. Check out some amazing fireworks & more joyful traditions around the world.
- New Year's Eve in photos | Alternatives to a midnight kiss
- 1 million gather for Times Square celebration
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Hello 2014! The world celebrates a new year
New Year's in Times Square is endurance contest
NEW YORK — Crowds jammed New York's Times Square on Tuesday to ring in 2014, braving bone-chilling cold and ultra-tight security for the chance to see Miley Cyrus, a final countdown from a U.S. Supreme Court justice and the drop of the shimmering crystal ball.
The sea of horn-tooting, hat-wearing humanity that filled the Crossroads of the World was part celebration, part endurance sport because post-9/11 security measures force spectators into pens at least 12 hours in advance, with no food, no warmth and no place to go to the bathroom.
"We've got adult diapers. We're wearing them right now," said 14-year-old Amber Woods, who came with friends from the New York City's suburbs to experience the event for the first time. They entered their corral at 10 a.m. For nourishment, they brought lollipops and popcorn. For the cold, they did a lot of jumping in place.
"Every time I say, it's the last. But then I come back," said Yasmina Merrir, a 42-year-old Washington, D.C., resident attending her fourth Times Square ball drop. In 2009, the cold was so bad, she got hypothermia. Her legs swelled up like balloons.
She was also fasting and not drinking anything to deal with the lack of restrooms. As for the cold, she recommends vigorous dancing for as long as you can stand on your feet.
"At a point," she said, "your brain is not working anymore."
New York's midnight celebration came as millions welcomed the new year in cities around the world, including jubilant events in London, where the fireworks came packed with edible confetti, and Dubai, which attempted to stage the world's largest fireworks display.
Brianna Becerril, a 21-year-old singer and songwriter from Chino, Calif., persuaded her grandparents to join her at Times Square. As evening fell, they huddled together for warmth under big, furry hats, dined on cold chicken nuggets and drank nothing so they wouldn't have to leave to find a toilet.
"It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience!" Becerril said.
"Once in a lifetime for me, for sure. I mean, if I even survive. I can't wait to get out of here," said her smiling grandfather, Jerry Bender. But, he said, he was enjoying getting to know their neighbors in the pen, many of whom hailed from distant countries.
Even when she lived in Algeria in North Africa, Merrir said, she knew that Times Square was the place the world celebrated best on New Year's Eve.
"It's Times Square! It's the ball!" she said. "The fireworks may be better in Dubai, or in London, but this is extra special."
On the other side of the Atlantic, Britain welcomed 2014 with a mixture of futuristic fireworks and torch-lit tradition. For those in London, the event offered the opportunity to taste the fireworks.
The city's mayor — in conjunction with telecommunications company Vodafone — said this year's explosive display came packed with peach-flavored snow, edible banana confetti and orange-scented bubbles. The evening also included scratch-and-sniff programs, LED wristbands and fruit-flavored sweets.
In Dubai, a Persian Gulf city known for glitz, glamour and over-the-top achievements like the world's tallest skyscraper, officials sought to break another record by creating the largest fireworks show.
The Dubai skyline was a canvas for a dazzling 30-minute show. The display capped off with six minutes of fireworks that engulfed the city's man-made, palm-shaped island, with its fronds and trunk shimmering in thousands of lights.
Organizers had promised that the fireworks would form a flying falcon, a sunrise and the United Arab Emirates flag. It was not immediately clear if the promised designs or world record had been achieved.
The effort attempted to surpass the current world record held by another Gulf Arab state in just the first 60 seconds. Kuwait has held the record since last year, when it fired more than 77,000 fireworks in a display lasting more than an hour.
Guinness World Record officials were on hand to measure the scale of Dubai's event, which needed to be longer than five minutes to qualify.
More than 260 people were injured by firecracker blasts and celebratory gunfire in the Philippines, a nation marking the end of a year of tragic disasters, including a Nov. 8 typhoon that left more than 6,100 dead and nearly 1,800 missing.
"Many here are welcoming the new year after losing their mothers, fathers, siblings and children so you can imagine how it feels," said village chief Maria Rosario Bactol of Anibong community in Tacloban, the city worst hit by Typhoon Haiyan. "I tell them to face the reality, to move on and stand up, but I know it will never be easy."
Back in New York, outgoing Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who hobnobbed with celebrities during past Times Square celebrations, was sitting out this year's festivities to spend time with family and friends. Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio was to be sworn in at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday at his Brooklyn home.
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, a New York City native, will lead the final 60-second countdown and push the ceremonial button to drop the ball.
Russia Bombings Raise Specter of Olympics Terrorist Attacks (2)
Russia Bombings Raise Specter of Olympics Terrorist Attacks (2)
Firefighters and security personnel inspect the destroyed trolleybus in Volgograd on Dec. 30, 2013. Source: AFP/Getty Images
Two bomb attacks in southern Russia before the country hosts the Winter Olympics are raising concerns that militants active in the region will target the games to gain international attention.
The main threat is attacks by Muslim separatist groups in the North Caucasus that are at war with the Russian government, according to four U.S. and European counterterrorism officials. They have carried out attacks similar to the suicide bombings at Volgograd’s main train station two days ago and on a trolleybus in the city yesterday that killed more than 30 people.
The presence of athletes from the U.S., Israel, the U.K., Russia and China may attract a broader range of extremists and tempt groups such as al-Qaeda to demonstrate they remain powerful after Osama Bin Laden’s death, the officials said. Speaking on condition of anonymity because they have access to classified intelligence, the officials emphasized they’ve seen no hard evidence of plots to attack the games.
“You can’t lock down everything at once” in a country Russia’s size, Jeffrey Mankoff, deputy director of the Russia and Eurasia program at the Center for Strategic & International Studies in Washington, said in a Bloomberg Television interview.
President Vladimir Putin vowed to pursue the fight against terrorism in a “tough and consistent” manner in a New Year’s address broadcast first at midnight local time in the far eastern city of Khabarovsk, seven hours ahead of Moscow, state news service RIA Novosti reported.
‘Inhuman’ Attacks
Putin, who was on an unannounced visit to Khabarovsk, said the “inhuman terrorist acts” in Volgograd and flooding in the Far East were among the most “serious challenges” faced by Russia in 2013, according to RIA.
Putin’s government, which will seal off Sochi, a city of 345,000 people, had planned to beef up security starting Jan. 7, a month before the games start, according to RIA. Russia is spending at least $48 billion to stage the Olympics, making them the most expensive winter games.
The counterterrorism officials said the security threat to the games rises when sites are announced more than six years in advance. That gives terrorists and other potential criminals time to plan, infiltrate the venue or perhaps even attract local recruits, they said.
Exhaustive Measures
“We’re taking exhaustive security measures to ensure safety during the Olympics, Ilya Djous, a spokesman for Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak, the country’s top Olympics official, said by phone.
The possible threats to the games extend beyond the Black Sea city of Sochi, 700 kilometers (435 miles) southwest of Volgograd, and include the routes athletes, journalists and spectators will travel to reach the site. There are a limited number of air gateways to the city, including Moscow, Prague, Frankfurt, Dusseldorf and Stockholm.
‘‘It’s quite likely that you’re going to see an uptick in attacks in places like Volgograd, in Moscow, elsewhere in the country, as the insurgents try to get their message out, even though the site of the games themselves is probably going to be too hard of a target,” Mankoff said.
While Russian authorities are deploying 30,000 police officers and soldiers in and around Sochi, the Volgograd attacks emphasize the vulnerability of targets farther away from the host city.
Not Deterred
The Australian Olympic Committee said today that it’s telling athletes to use caution in Russia because of the threat of terrorist activity. Athletes will travel straight to and from Sochi by air, with no trips through other parts of the country, according to the AOC’s statement.
The Swiss Ski Federation said in e-mailed comments that the Olympic zones “ will be the safest place on earth during the games.” No athletes have expressed concerns or sought to withdraw, according to the federation.
Sochi lies to the west of the Caucasus Mountains, which stretch about 1,200 kilometers through one of the most economically distressed regions of the country across Chechnya to Dagestan on the Caspian Sea. Toward the east, Russian forces battle almost daily attacks by Muslim extremists after two separatist wars since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Airport Attack
In July, Chechen rebel leader Doku Umarov, who has said he was behind at least three of Russia’s deadliest terror attacks, called on militants to target the Sochi games. Umarov claimed responsibility for organizing the January 2011 suicide bombing at Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport that killed 37 people.
The self-styled emir of a pan-North Caucasus Islamic state also said he planned the attacks on the capital’s subway system by female suicide bombers in March 2010 that killed 40 people and the November 2009 bombing of the Nevsky Express train between Moscow and St. Petersburg that killed 28.
Utah asks Supreme Court to block gay marriage
SALT LAKE CITY— Utah took its fight against gay marriage to the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday, asking the high court to suspend same-sex unions that became legal when a judge struck down the state's voter-approved ban.
The heavily Mormon state wants the marriages to stop while it appeals a judge's decision, which said banning gay couples from marrying violates their right to equal treatment under the law.
In papers filed Tuesday, the state asked Justice Sonia Sotomayor to overturn a decision that has led to more than 900 gay marriages in Utah. Sotomayor handles emergency requests from Utah and other Rocky Mountain states.
Sotomayor responded with a request for legal briefs from same-sex couples by Friday at noon. She can act by herself or get the rest of the court involved.
"Numerous same-sex marriages are now occurring every day in Utah," Utah lawyers complain in the filing. "Each one is an affront not only to the interests of the state and its citizens in being able to define marriage through ordinary democratic channels, but also to this court's unique role as final arbiter."
Utah repeatedly stressed that states have the authority to define marriage as between a man and woman. "That states have a powerful interest in controlling the definition of marriage within their borders is indisputable," Utah said in the filing.
U.S. District Judge Robert Shelby's decision on Dec. 20 came as a shock to many in the state, which approved the ban on same-sex marriage in 2004.
Shelby and the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals have already refused to halt weddings while the state appeals.
"Without a stay pending appeal, the district court's decision and order created a rush to marry," state lawyers wrote.
Shelby's decision came late on a Friday afternoon and sent people rushing to a county clerk's office in Salt Lake City — about 3 miles from the headquarters of the Mormon church — for marriage licenses. The following Monday, 353 more gay and lesbian couples grabbed a license, some camping out overnight to get in line early the next morning.
After the 10th Circuit Court refused to halt the ruling, the few county clerks who had refused to issue licenses changed course. Officials say things have slowed down after a run on marriage licenses that started hours after Shelby's decision.
Since then, Gov. Gary Herbert has directed state agencies to comply with Shelby's order, meaning gay couples are eligible for food stamps and welfare, among other benefits. The state Tax Commission said it was looking at changing tax returns to allow same-sex couples to file jointly, although it didn't immediately give assurances that will happen.
Nearly two-thirds of Utah's 2.8 million residents are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Mormons dominate the state's legal and political circles. The Mormon church was one of the leading forces behind California's short-lived ban on same-sex marriage, Proposition 8.
The church says it stands by its support for "traditional marriage" and hopes a higher court validates its belief that marriage is between a man and woman.
In the papers filed Tuesday, Utah argues that children are best raised by a mother and father in a good relationship.
"On average children navigate developmental stages more easily, perform better academically, have fewer emotional disorders and become better functioning adults when reared in that environment," the pleading say
Diplomat Back in Iran After Exile in the U.S.
Diplomat Back in Iran After Exile in the U.S.
TEHRAN — One of Iran’s most prominent former diplomats, an ally of President Hassan Rouhani, has returned to the country, ending his unofficial exile in the United States, state news media reported on Tuesday.
H
The former diplomat, Seyed Hossein Mousavian, who for many years was the spokesman of Iran’s nuclear negotiation team, left Tehran for Princeton University in 2009 after hard-liners accused him of espionage during earlier rounds of nuclear talks with European powers.
“I have returned to Iran to stay,” he was quoted as saying by the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency, during a commemorative event for the death of the mother of Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.
It was unclear from the news accounts of Mr. Mousavian’s return what role, if any, he might play in the current nuclear negotiations or in other government affairs. But the publicity given to his homecoming suggested that Iran’s top leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, remained confident in Mr. Rouhani’s handling of the nuclear negotiations, which have resulted in a six-month partial freeze of Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for the relaxation of some Western sanctions on the country.
The six-month deal, reached on Nov. 24, was intended to give negotiators in Geneva more time to reach a more comprehensive agreement that could end the decade-long dispute over the Iranian nuclear program, which Iran contends is for peaceful purposes but the West and Israel contend is a cover for developing the ability to create weapons.
Iranian negotiators and their counterparts from the United States, Russia, France, China, Britain and Germany, the so-called P5-plus-1 countries, ended a 23-hour meeting aimed at completing the technical details of the six-month deal, which is to be carried out in late January.
One of Iran’s negotiators, Hamid Baeidinejad, was quoted by the Iranian Student News Agency as saying that a mutual understanding on the procedure to carry out the accord had been reached but that all parties now needed formal agreements from their governments.
At Princeton, where Mr. Mousavian was a research scholar in the Program on Science and Global Security, he also acted as an unofficial Iranian government representative, answering queries or commenting for international news media about the nuclear program and the prospects for improved relations between Iran and the United States. It is unclear whether he also met with representatives of the United States government.
Mr. Mousavian was a member of the 2003-5 nuclear negotiation team led by Mr. Rouhani, who was then the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. Mr. Mousavian’s future turned uncertain in 2007 when he was arrested after the president at the time, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, accused him of having leaked information to his European counterparts.
He was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment for “endangering national security” but was allowed to travel to the United States. Two of his former close associates, sentenced to 10-year terms under similar charges, remain in Evin Prison in Tehran.
Analysts expect Mr. Mousavian, who held several important posts, including that of ambassador to Germany, to remain an Iranian voice in its public diplomacy.
“He has been wanting to return since June, since the election of President Rouhani,” said one acquaintance of Mr. Mousavian, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because Mr. Mousavian still has hard-line adversaries and the matter remains delicate. “The fact that he is back in Tehran now shows the political environment is perhaps more receptive to him.”
Hamas rejects Egypt branding of Brotherhood as 'terrorist'
Hamas rejects Egypt
branding of Brotherhood as 'terrorist'
(Palestinian Territories): Gaza's Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniya rejected on Tuesday Egypt's branding of the
MuslimBrotherhood a
"terrorist" organisation, saying his Islamist movement would not
abandon its links with the Brotherhood.
"No one can push Hamas to reject its ideology or its history," he told a news conference, stressing he "rejects the description of the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorists".
"We don't expect a country like Egypt, which is a safe place for the Palestinian people and resistance, to abandon its (principles) and rank Hamas as a terrorist organisation," he said.
Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, is the Palestinian affiliate of the Muslim Brotherhood. Egyptian prosecutors and police accuse the Brotherhood of having links with Hamas and Sinai militants.
Egypt's military-installed rulers gave the "terrorist" designation tothe Brotherhood on Wednesday, a day after a deadly police station bombing north of Cairo claimed by an Al-Qaeda-inspired group with no known link to the movement.
The move caps a dramatic fall for the Brotherhood, which was Egypt's best-organised opposition group during decades of dictatorship and won a string of polls after the 2011 overthrow ofHosni Mubarak, culminating in Mohamed Morsi's election as president in 2012.
The military forced Morsi from power on July 3 amid massive demonstrations demanding his resignation, and he now stands accused of incitement to kill protesters and colluding with militants to carry out attacks.
"No one can push Hamas to reject its ideology or its history," he told a news conference, stressing he "rejects the description of the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorists".
"We don't expect a country like Egypt, which is a safe place for the Palestinian people and resistance, to abandon its (principles) and rank Hamas as a terrorist organisation," he said.
Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, is the Palestinian affiliate of the Muslim Brotherhood. Egyptian prosecutors and police accuse the Brotherhood of having links with Hamas and Sinai militants.
Egypt's military-installed rulers gave the "terrorist" designation tothe Brotherhood on Wednesday, a day after a deadly police station bombing north of Cairo claimed by an Al-Qaeda-inspired group with no known link to the movement.
The move caps a dramatic fall for the Brotherhood, which was Egypt's best-organised opposition group during decades of dictatorship and won a string of polls after the 2011 overthrow ofHosni Mubarak, culminating in Mohamed Morsi's election as president in 2012.
The military forced Morsi from power on July 3 amid massive demonstrations demanding his resignation, and he now stands accused of incitement to kill protesters and colluding with militants to carry out attacks.
New Year's Eve: Dubai blasts old record in fireworks blitz
New Year's Eve: Dubai blasts old record in fireworks blitz
Yes, it's New Year's Eve again, time to bust out the champagne and make resolutions you probably won't keep.
But this year's different. Cities around the world will host some of the most amazing celebrations ever. Edible confetti raining over London? Check. How about 400,000 pyrotechnics exploding over Dubai? Got that, too.
And let's not forget that the new year also means bizarre new laws.
Here's what to look out for in the coming hours:
Why have a fireworks show that only looks good? Revelers in London can stick out their tongues during tonight's extravaganza and enjoy banana-flavored confetti that's choreographed to the fireworks. They'll also see floating oranges drifting through the night sky -- pop them to enjoy a citrusy scent!
Food artists Harry Parr and Sam Bompas have been working on the show for an entire year. They've even made sure their edible treats are kosher, vegan and hypoallergenic.
"We developed a special confetti that's actually biodegradable, and in the rain it will magically dissolve," Parr said. "Even better, it tastes amazing."
2. Dubai goes big -- really big
In Dubai -- a city obsessed with superlatives -- organizers pulled off a world record for the biggest fireworks display near the world's tallest building.
The spectacular show featured 400,000 pyrotechnics over 400 parts of the Dubai shoreline. That's 100 kilometers (62 miles) of waterfront lighting up.
The Guinness World Records staff later labeled it the largest ever. The show blew Kuwait's world record out of the water when last year it set off 77,000 fireworks over 64 minutes.
3. Have a ball - an 'odd' ball
Sure, New York has a massive sparkly ball they've been dropping for the past century or so. But what other objects can you relinquish to gravity to mark the new year?
In some U.S. cities, it's a fruit. In Honolulu, it's a colossal glowing pineapple. In Atlanta, it's a giant peach.
The North Carolina mountain town of Brasstown prefers a possum -- slowly lowered and then set free.
But Key West, Florida, takes the cake with its drag queen drop.
For years, female impersonator Gary "Sushi" Marion has been lowered from the Bourbon St. Pub in Key West while riding in a massive high-heel shoe.
"It was inspired by 'Priscilla Queen of the Desert' when it first came out, with the whole high heel on top of the bus," said Joey Schroeder, owner of Bourbon St. Pub. "I wanted to take that idea and do something fun on New Year's Eve."
4. 25 hours of celebrations
Samoa and American Samoa are virtually neighbors, with just 101 miles between them. But they're also 25 hours apart.
So one was among the first to ring in the new year; the other will be among the last.
How can this happen? Let's just say the international date line isn't even close to a straight line.
And because the date line isn't fixed by any international law or agreement, it can zig and zag to accommodate government and business interests. It's as close to a time machine as we'll probably get.
5. Yes to placentas, no to shark fins
More than 40,000 new laws will take effect in the U.S. on New Year's Day. While Colorado's legalization of marijuana has racked up plenty of headlines, here are some of the more peculiar ones:
In Oregon, mothers will be allowed to take their placentas home from the hospital. Some say placenta capsules can help with postpartum depression, CNN affiliate KGW reported, though there's not a lot of medical research backing that up.
Delaware will join a growing number of states where you can't own, sell or distribute shark fins, which is considered a delicacy in some East Asian cuisine.
And thousands of companies will have to provide calorie counts for products sold in vending machines.
Because if you're going to a vending machine, clearly you care the most about calories, right?
Depends on what day of the resolution you're on.
US flies three final Chinese ethnic Uighurs from Guantanamo to Slovakia
US flies three final Chinese ethnic Uighurs from Guantanamo to Slovakia
The ethnic Uighurs Muslim detainees were flown to Bratislava from the US military prison on the island of Cuba, according to an announcement made by Pentagon and State department officials on Tuesday. Yusef Abbas, Saidullah Khalik, and Hajiakbar Abdul Ghuper volunteered to resettle in Slovakia. The country accepted three former inmates in 2010. Three Chinese Gitmo detainees have been transferred to Slovakia in what the US termed a milestone in the mission to finally close down Guantanamo bay prison. One hundred and fifty five prisoners, however, still remain at the prison.
Twenty-two Chinese Uighurs had been imprisoned at Guantanamo after being captured by US forces in Afghanistan, according to a Wikileaks-published prisoner list. Six have already been sent to Palau, a pacific island, and 11 others have been dispersed between Bermuda, Albania and Switzerland.
While none of the detainees were deemed terror suspects, the US was unable to repatriate the Uighurs as the Chinese government has a history of mistreating the group as the central Asian border region of Xinjiang has been home to some ethnic unrest. Some were believed to have had weapons training at an Afghan camp, according to the US.
A judge ordered the release of the remaining three in 2008, they were held at the prison camp because of problems in finding somewhere that would actually take them. The US government expressed its gratitude to Slovakia for its ‘humanitarian gesture’, Rear Adm. John Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary, told the New York Times.
Nine detainees have left Guantanamo in December, and 11 since last summer. In April US President Barack Obama expressed his wish to renew efforts to close the prison, which has held prisoners since 2001, starting out with some 750.
In February, many of the men being held at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility launched a hunger strike against camp conditions. It was sparked by disrespectful treatment of the Quran. One month into the strike, attorneys for the men, many housed at the facilities infamous Camp 6, said the number refusing food had reached 100.
Following intense efforts to break detainees’ spirits, the number of strikers dwindled to 15 by December. That month, the US military announced it would no longer disclose information about the hunger strikes, saying its release “serves no operational purpose”.
Sebelius: No more ObamaCare delays
Sebelius: No more ObamaCare delays
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, on the eve of the ObamaCare launch, told Fox News she doesn't anticipate any more delays for the health care law.
The secretary voiced confidence in the law as her department announced what it claimed was a "surge" in enrollment. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said Tuesday that more than 2.1 million people have enrolled through the federal- and state-run marketplaces.
"I'm thrilled that we're going to have millions of people for the first time that have health security, and it should be a great New Year for lots of families across America," Sebelius told Fox News in an exclusive interview, as she left a downtown D.C. restaurant Tuesday afternoon.
Sebelius acknowledged there could continue to be hiccups going into 2014. "There always are," she said. "People change plans every year."
But she predicted a relatively smooth transition and said she doesn't see more delays in the future.
The administration, though, has announced a string of delays and exemptions over the last several weeks. Among the changes, the administration recently announced it would let people whose health care policies were canceled under ObamaCare buy bare-bones "catastrophic coverage" plans which would have otherwise been unavailable.
The requirement on mid-sized and large employers to provide insurance was also delayed by a year. Given all the changes being punched in the law, one Republican lawmaker has likened it to a "Jenga game."
A big part of the problem was the difficulty individuals had signing up through the slow, error-prone federal website.
But the secretary's remarks Tuesday marked a significant change in tone from just a few weeks ago when, during testimony on Capitol Hill, she agreed with a Republican congresswoman who called the launch of HealthCare.gov a "debacle."
The administration has scrambled to fix the technical problems with the site, though several states are still grappling with technical difficulties.
CMS announced Tuesday that December enrollment is "nearly 6 times that of October and November combined."
"We expect these numbers to continue to grow through the end of March when open enrollment ends," the agency said.
Republicans have signaled they're not impressed by the growth in enrollment.
Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., said Sunday that the surge is nothing to "celebrate."
"It was a failed [website] launch, a flawed law and it needs real change," he said.
With coverage beginning Jan. 1, the administration is hoping a total of 7 million sign up through the exchanges by March 31. That's when the federal government will begin to assess a penalty on those who do not buy health insurance, as required under the law.
Uganda Issues a Warning Over Fighting in South Sudan
Uganda Issues a Warning Over Fighting in South Sudan
Enlarge This ImageJUBA, South Sudan — As the South Sudanese military warned that a rebel column of armed youths had advanced toward the city of Bor on Monday, the president of neighboring Uganda threatened to intervene if the rebels kept fighting, introducing the possibility of a broader regional conflict.
Col. Philip Aguer, a South Sudanese military spokesman, said rebel forces known as the White Army were 18 miles from Bor on Monday afternoon and had fought skirmishes with government troops on Sunday. He said the advance of the rebel forces had sent civilians fleeing across the White Nile by the hundreds as fighters burned homes in their path.
In the battles that have gripped this young nation this month, Bor was briefly captured by rebels and then quickly retaken by the military, known as the Sudan People’s Liberation Army. “The S.P.L.A. is ready to defend the town and protect themselves,” Colonel Aguer said.
With troops marching on Bor, last week’s effort by East African leaders to push for a negotiated cease-fire to the conflict seemed to have failed, at least for the time being. President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda on Monday called on regional nations to intervene to “defeat” the rebel forces if they did not agree to a cease-fire.
Fighting began on Dec. 15 with clashes between soldiers from the Republican Guard. President Salva Kiir accused his former deputy, Riek Machar, of trying to mount a coup. Mr. Machar fled into hiding and has been demanding Mr. Kiir’s resignation. More than 1,000 people have been killed in the ensuing clashes, including large numbers of civilians, and close to 180,000 people have been displaced over the two weeks of conflict.
“We gave Riek Machar four days to respond, and if he doesn’t we shall have to go for him, all of us — that is what we agreed in Nairobi,” Mr. Museveni told reporters, referring to a meeting of East African leaders in the Kenyan capital last week.
That raised the prospect of an escalation or even cross-border spillover, adding to a worrying picture for a region already suffering from bloodshed in the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Mr. Museveni and Mr. Kiir have been close for years, and the Uganda People’s Defense Force provided significant support to the Sudan People’s Liberation Army during the civil war against the Sudanese government in Khartoum, analysts said.
“The U.P.D.F. has always been a very good friend of the S.P.L.A.,” said Mareike Schomerus, a researcher on South Sudan at the London School of Economics. “Some would say without U.P.D.F. the S.P.L.A. would never have been able to fight the war in that way.”
Mr. Machar has said Ugandan aircraft have bombed rebel positions, an assertion Uganda has denied.
“That remains speculative, and I have no idea that we’ve engaged in such an action at all,” said Lt. Col. Paddy Ankunda, a spokesman for the Ugandan military. “But our briefing is very clear. Should we be attacked, our soldiers have a right to defend themselves.”
There have been conflicting reports about the advance of the White Army, called that because of the white ash that fighters rub onto their skin. South Sudan’s information minister said last week that 25,000 Nuer youths had gathered; others have put the number at a few thousand, saying that elders from their community had persuaded many to turn back.
The United Nations confirmed through a helicopter surveillance flight Sunday that a group was marching toward Bor, saying in a statement that it was “extremely concerned” about the reports. Many of the fleeing civilians have crossed the river into a neighboring state. The Nuer fighters were carrying AK-47s and had several heavy machine guns and 30 vehicles and trucks, Colonel Aguer said.
South Sudanese officials said Mr. Machar controlled the White Army, which he has denied. “This is a group of loyalists to Riek Machar,” Colonel Aguer said. He added that Malakal, the capital of Upper Nile State, where the two sides have clashed in recent days, was calm and under the control of the military. Bentiu, the capital of Unity State, was also peaceful but under rebel control, he said.
The question is what kind of casualties might occur if the South Sudanese Army, alone or with assistance, tried to retake places like Bentiu that lie in rebel hands.
“Regional armies need to assure that their use of force stays firmly within international law, and that civilians are under no circumstances targeted,” Ms. Schomerus said. “It is right now unclear which actors are committing what kind of atrocities — but what is already clear is that civilians are not being sufficiently protected by anybody, and quite possibly even targeted.”
JERUSALEM,-- Israel started the release of 26 Palestinian prisoners on Monday evening, as it released eight of them heading to the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem from the Ofer prison in the West Bank, as part of the on-going peace talks.
Three of the eight prisoners are making their ways to the Hamas- ruled Gaza Strip via the Erez Crossing, while the other five are returning to their homes in east Jerusalem, spokesperson of Israeli Prison Service Sivan Weizmann confirmed to Xinhua.
The remaining 18 prisoners would be released to nearby Ramallah via the Ofer Camp Crossing at approximately midnight.
This is the third release out of four batches involving 104 Palestinians that will be freed from Israeli jails before the April deadline the United States set for Israel and Palestine to conclude their peace talks.
Earlier in the day, more than 100 Israeli families whose loved ones were killed in the militant attacks carried out by the Palestinian prisoners staged protests at the entrance to Jerusalem and the prime minister's office to try to prevent the release of the 26 Palestinian prisoners.
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A lot worse without NAFTA' The 20-year-old deal is a success, but critics say it limits industries
A lot worse without NAFTA'
The 20-year-old deal is a success, but critics say it limits industries
Readmore:http://www.vancouversun.com/business/worse+without+NAFTA/9337145/story.html#ixzz2p35VJqW5
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