health: Lincoln Tribune

الأحد، 6 نوفمبر 2011

Lincoln Tribune

Libya: Belarusian President Lukashenko says NATO ‘did worse than the Nazis’
Evacuation begins of more than 2,500 people stranded near Mount Everest
Syria frees more than 500 people arrested during uprising
21 North Koreans defect to South after crossing sea border
UN: Boat which capsized off Indonesia was carrying up to 100 asylum-seekers

Libya: Belarusian President Lukashenko says NATO ‘did worse than the Nazis’

Posted: 06 Nov 2011 12:58 AM PDT

MINSK (BNO NEWS) -- Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who is often called the last dictator of Europe, has described the NATO-led operation in Libya as 'vandalism' and said the multinational alliance did 'worse than the Nazis.'

NATO carried out hundreds of airstrikes during this year's civil war in Libya after the United Nations (UN) Security Council authorized its member states to impose a no-fly zone over the North African country and take 'all necessary measures' to protect civilians, who were being targeted by forces loyal to then-Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

When asked what he thought about the situation in Libya, Lukashenko told reporters that he saw NATO's operation as an 'act of 21st century vandalism.' "How can we view this? Extremely negative. How can we regard the actions of NATO forces in Libya? As a violation of the mandate of the UN Security Council."

Lukashenko, who described the UN Security Council as 'stupid' and 'brainless', accused the UN and NATO of helping 'aggressors' in Libya. "During the aggression, the country's leadership has been murdered, not only Muammar Gaddafi," he said. "Besides, he was killed by NATO special forces. They mocked him, tortured him, raped the injured man, broke his arms and then killed him. They did worse than the Nazis in their time."

Gaddafi was captured on October 20 by fighters supporting Libya's transitional government as he tried to flee his hometown Sirte. He was eventually shot dead but it remains unclear whether he was executed by his captors or if he was killed during fighting between pro-Gaddafi and anti-Gaddafi forces.

Lukashenko was apparently also referring to video which was released a day after Gaddafi's death. It showed how an unidentified man sodomized Gaddafi with an object before he was eventually killed.

As for the future, Lukashenko said the situation in Libya will be 'much worse' than in Tunisia and Egypt, where revolutions also took place this year and resulted in radical Islamist parties gaining more support. "The situation in Libya will be even worse because there are huge reserves of natural resources," he said. "Everyone has rushed to get there."

He added: "Besides, the United States, Italy, France and Germany have up to $150 billion of Libyan money now. They are very interested to grab this wealth."

But the Belarusian leader claimed the West is not happy with the change of power in Libya, Egypt and Tunisia. "They cannot control this. It is an act of vandalism of the 21st century, which should not happen. But such actions show the face of our so-called teachers of democracy. Do you need this kind of democracy?"

"God forbid that this policy and these actions will prevail across the globe," Lukashenko told reporters.

NATO officials did not want to respond directly to Lukashenko's critical remarks but said the alliance took every precaution to avoid civilian casualties in Libya. "Operation Unified Protector was conducted with unprecedented precision and unprecedented care," one NATO official said.

The official added: "NATO took every precaution to avoid civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure. The Libyan people and the National Transitional Council (NTC) are aware of this and have repeatedly thanked NATO for our efforts."

And although NATO conducted numerous airstrikes during its operation, the official denied claims that troops were on the ground. "There were no NATO troops on the ground at any stage in the campaign. And no individuals were targeted by the operation at any point," the official added.

The NTC declared the full liberation of the country last month and appointed Abdurrahim El-Keib as interim Prime Minister on Monday. It is estimated more than 25,000 people were killed during the eight-month-long conflict.

Evacuation begins of more than 2,500 people stranded near Mount Everest

Posted: 05 Nov 2011 08:50 PM PDT

LUKLA, NEPAL (BNO NEWS) -- Efforts have begun to airlift more than 2,500 people, most of them tourists, from a small airport in eastern Nepal where they have been stranded for days with all commercial flights grounded due to bad weather, local media reported on Saturday.

The problems began on Monday when heavy fog forced airport officials to close down Tenzing-Hillary Airport in Lukla, a small town in the Khumbu region of eastern Nepal where most people visiting Mount Everest start and end their journey. It is located about 2,860 meters (9,380 feet) high.

On Friday, helicopters of commercial airliners airlifted some 100 people from a landing strip located a 1.5 hour trek downhill from Lukla. Meanwhile, a Nepal Army (NA) helicopter began to rescue stranded tourists from Lukla airport itself, Republica reported on its website.

The Himalayan Rescue Association (HRA) said that by Friday, there were more than 2,000 foreigners and 500 Nepalis stranded in the village of Lukla. They have been stranded since late October when only limited flights were being operated due to bad weather, and no flight has been carried out since Monday.

HRA's Bikram Neupane, who is coordinating the committee formed for rescue operation, said it would take at least several days to rescue all the stranded people if the NA chopper continues to operate. He said the number of tourists was increasing by 500 to 700 daily as tourists who were on trekking trails are returning, Republica said.

Shyam Thapa, chief of Himalayan Expedition in Lukla, said the increasing number of tourists is making it very difficult for tourism entrepreneurs to accommodate them. "There is shortage of bread, cheese, meat and vegetable," he said, adding that all hotels in the town are already full.

Syria frees more than 500 people arrested during uprising

Posted: 05 Nov 2011 07:50 PM PDT

DAMASCUS (BNO NEWS) -- The Syrian government on Saturday announced it has released more than 500 detainees on the occasion of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported.

The 553 detainees were all said to have been arrested during the ongoing, seven-month-long uprising against the government of President Bashar al-Assad. SANA said the detainees had "no blood on their hands."

The Syrian government also claimed it previously released another 119 detainees, but gave no other details about them or when exactly they were released. It was not possible to independently verify the reports due to reporting restrictions.

The release of the detainees comes after at least 17 Syrian civilians were killed on Friday when forces loyal to the regime of President Bashar al-Assad allegedly carried out a series of attacks, activists said. The attacks happened two days after the government accepted an Arab League plan to end the country's social unrest.

The government agreed to pull its army off the streets, release people jailed since the protests began in March and allow international journalists and Arab League observers to monitor the moves. However, Syria has made previous pledges to withdraw armed forces from civilian areas but it was often for only a brief period.

Also on Friday, the Interior Ministry called upon citizens who were involved in carrying, selling, distributing, transferring or financing the purchase of weapons but had not killed anyone to turn themselves in. Officials said those who turn themselves in will be released under a general amnesty.

Pro-democracy demonstrations have spread across the country since mid-March, resulting in a fierce government crackdown which has left more than 3,000 people killed. The Syrian government has claimed violent acts against protesters have been carried out by 'terrorists dressed as soldiers,' although international observers have rejected these claims.

21 North Koreans defect to South after crossing sea border

Posted: 05 Nov 2011 07:35 PM PDT

SEOUL (BNO NEWS) -- A small boat carrying 21 North Koreans was found drifting off South Korea's western coast this week, officials who requested anonymity told the Yonhap news agency on Saturday.

The five-ton (10,000 pounds) wooden boat was drifting in waters some 38 kilometers (23 miles) south of the disputed Yellow Sea border when it was spotted by a South Korean Navy vessel earlier this week. The boat was surrounded by Chinese fishing boats, indicating the defectors intended to hide from North Korean authorities.

The refugees, including children, told officers from the Korea Coast Guard that they wished to defect. They were transferred to a patrol ship to be taken ashore in Incheon, west of Seoul, for questioning by South Korean officials, the news agency reported.

It is the fourth time this year that North Korean defectors have arrived in the South by crossing the Yellow Sea border.

More than 22,000 North Koreans have defected to the South to avoid chronic hunger and political oppression since the 1950-53 Korean War ended. The Northern Limit Line, as the maritime border is known, was drawn up at the end of the war, which ended in a truce rather than a peace treaty.

Both countries are officially still at war.

UN: Boat which capsized off Indonesia was carrying up to 100 asylum-seekers

Posted: 05 Nov 2011 07:24 PM PDT

NEW YORK (BNO NEWS) -- The United Nations (UN) on Saturday said a boat which capsized off the coast of Indonesia on Tuesday was carrying up to 100 asylum-seekers who were trying to reach Australia.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spokesperson Andrej Mahecic called on the international community to cooperate more closely to deal with irregular migration after the incident, which left at least nine people killed.

According to Mahecic, there were an estimated 60 to 100 people aboard the overloaded vessel, which sank in bad weather and rough seas off the coast of western Java. Indonesian naval forces have rescued 47 people so far, but an unknown number remains missing.

"The incident underlines once again the desperate steps that people are willing to take in their search for protection or a better future," said Mahecic. The boat was bound for the Indonesian province of Nusa Tenggara Timur and then Australia, and the passengers included Iranian, Afghan and Pakistani nationals.

Mahecic continued by underlining the urgency of UNHCR's calls to the international community to cooperate more closely in addressing irregular migration and providing protection and solutions to refugees, thus "averting the need for individuals to undertake such perilous journeys by boat."

Last Sunday, authorities arrested eleven Afghan and Turkish illegal immigrants traveling in a vehicle in Ponorogo, East Java. Ponorogo police chief Adjunct Senior Commissioner Yudha Gustawan said they were also suspected of trying to reach Australia, but they were arrested since they lacked proper immigration documents.

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الأحد، 6 نوفمبر 2011

Lincoln Tribune

Lincoln Tribune

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