Lincoln Tribune

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• Africa Policy Watchers Lose Hope in President Obama
• Strong earthquake hits the South Pacific Ocean, no tsunami warning
• Arab League suspends observer mission in Syria
• Report: US Military to Send ‘Mothership’ to Middle East
• Divers find 17th body on wrecked cruise ship off Italy

Africa Policy Watchers Lose Hope in President Obama Posted: 28 Jan 2012 01:06 PM PST While President Barack Obama spends the last year of his current term in office with many pressing issues, including trying to get re-elected, African analysts and advocates say policy toward sub-Saharan Africa ranks as a very low priority.  This has come as a disappointment to some as Obama's father was from Kenya. While walking onto the House floor to deliver his recent 2012 State of the Union speech, President Obama told U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta "great job tonight." It was later explained the comment referred to a late night U.S. military raid into Somalia to free two hostages including an American aid worker. But Obama's actual speech made no mention of sub-Saharan Africa whatsoever. <!--AV--> Kwaku Nuamah, a Ghanaian professor at American University in Washington, is not surprised. "Africa is not big in Washington, there is no constituency that cares about Africa that much," said Nuamah.  "I did not think the traditional contours of American foreign policy were going to change because there was somebody in the White House with ties to Africa, but of course a lot of people expected that." Since making a speech in Ghana in 2009 about how the United States would hold African leaders accountable to good governance and respecting democratic institutions, President Obama has not returned to the continent. Emira Woods from Washington-based Foreign Policy in Focus says actual change though is more important than visits and speeches. "Wonderful words, but very much unfulfilled," said Woods.  "Those words have to be lived in terms of U.S. foreign policy and we are still waiting for them to be realized." Woods says she feels too much attention is placed on U.S. military aid in resource rich countries, without regard to a government's record or how elections are conducted. This includes help for Nigeria's embattled government to eliminate Islamic extremists, and assistance in autocratic-run east and central African countries to squash the roving Lord's Resistance Army. Patrick Mubobo, a Congolese American recently protesting in front of the White House, is one of those bitterly disappointed, after the U.S. government did little following flawed 2011 elections in his native mineral-rich and heavily U.S.-assisted Democratic Republic of Congo. "We want to tell him it is over if he does not do the right thing for Congo, for children who are crying and dying if he does not do the right thing for democracy, he can count that he has not only lost my vote, but he has lost a lot of votes," said Mubobo. Congolese Americans at this recent protest said they had campaigned vigorously for Obama in 2008 and even rallied for his health care legislation, but that now they felt disillusioned with the way the U.S. government was dealing with Africa and Africans. U.S. officials point to recent successes in Africa, such as helping diplomatically as South Sudan became a new country last year, giving assistance to millions of victims to overcome drought in the Horn of Africa, and pursuing major health initiatives to fight AIDS and other diseases.

Strong earthquake hits the South Pacific Ocean, no tsunami warning Posted: 28 Jan 2012 10:25 AM PST RAOUL ISLAND (BNO NEWS) -- A strong earthquake struck off the Kermadec Islands in the South Pacific Ocean on early Sunday morning, seismologists said, but no tsunami warnings were issued. Damage or casualties were not expected. The 6.2-magnitude earthquake at 5:42 a.m. local time (1742 GMT Saturday) was centered about 47 kilometers (29 miles) east of Raoul Island, the largest and northernmost of the main Kermadec Islands. It struck about 28 kilometers (17.4 miles) deep, making it a shallow earthquake, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Damage or casualties were not expected as nearby islands are mostly uninhabited. Neither the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center nor the Australian and New Zealand governments issued a tsunami alert as earthquakes below magnitude 7 due usually not generate tsunamis. The Kermadec Islands and the surrounding region are part of the so-called 'Pacific Ring of Fire', an arc of fault lines circling the Pacific Basin that is prone to frequent and large earthquakes. Volcanic eruptions also occur frequently in the region. In October 2011, a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck about 169 kilometers (105 miles) east of Raoul Island, generating a small tsunami but causing no damage. The largest tsunami wave, approximately 0.17 meter (0.6 feet) above normal sea levels, was recorded at Fishing Rock on Raoul Island. Three months earlier, in July 2011, a 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck about 163 kilometers (101 miles) east of Raoul Island. The powerful earthquake generated a 1-meter (3.2 feet) tsunami which hit the island, but no damage or casualties were reported. (Copyright 2012 by BNO News B.V. All rights reserved. Info: sales@bnonews.com.)

Arab League suspends observer mission in Syria Posted: 28 Jan 2012 09:57 AM PST DAMASCUS (BNO NEWS) -- Arab League Secretary-General Nabil el-Araby on Saturday decided to suspend its observer mission in Syria due to an escalation of violence which has left hundreds of people killed this week alone, officials said. "Given the serious deterioration of the situation in Syria and the continued use of violence, including shelling and the exchange of gunfire which has left innocent citizens killed, [..] it has been decided to immediately discontinue the work of the Arab League's mission in Syria," el-Araby said. He also asked the head of the mission to ensure the safety and security of the mission's personnel. The 100 observers arrived in Syria late last month to verify whether the regime has taken measures to protect civilians, but many of the observers refused to leave their hotels in Damascus on Friday and Saturday amid reports of increasing violence. The UK-based opposition group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claimed at least 130 people had been killed by the military on Friday alone. In response to Saturday's announcement, the Syrian government said it was 'surprised' and said it regrets the decision. However, the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) claimed the decision reflects the 'persistence of some [Arab League] member countries in supporting terrorist groups.' Syria has been part of the wider Arab Spring movement which began in early 2011 and has been riddled by violence ever since. Pro-democracy demonstrations have spread across the country since mid-March, resulting in a fierce government crackdown which has left at least 5,400 people killed. UNICEF has said at least 384 children are among those killed. Unrest has also spread to Damascus which was the scene of three deadly suicide bombings in recent weeks. At least 26 people were killed and more than 60 others were injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up near a school in the al-Midan neighborhood of Damascus on January 6. It followed two suicide bombings which targeted Syrian government buildings on December 23, killing 44 people and injuring 166. Earlier this month, the ruling Emir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al Thani, said he would be in favor of Arab troops being sent into Syria in order to stop the bloodshed. "For such a situation to stop the killing ... some troops should go to stop the killing," he told CBS News in an interview. The Syrian government said it rejects any plans to send Arab troops into the country, saying it would only 'aggravate' the situation and 'open the door' for foreign interference. The Syrian government has repeatedly claimed that violent acts against protesters have been carried out by 'terrorists dressed as soldiers,' although international observers have rejected these claims. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad previously admitted that mistakes were made, but claimed protesters were no longer being targeted. (Copyright 2012 by BNO News B.V. All rights reserved. Info: sales@bnonews.com.)

Report: US Military to Send ‘Mothership’ to Middle East Posted: 28 Jan 2012 09:17 AM PST A media report says the U.S. military plans to send a floating base for commando teams to the Middle East, where relations with Iran are tense and other nations are in the midst of political upheaval. The Washington Post newspaper on Saturday cited unspecified U.S. Navy documents saying the service plans to convert an aging warship into a staging base for the commandos, calling it a "mothership." A Navy spokesman declined to provide details on the plans or to say where in the Middle East the mothership would be deployed. The report says documents indicate the vessel could be positioned in the Persian Gulf, where Iran has threatened to block the critical oil-shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz. Other Navy officials told the Post that the Pentagon hopes to complete the conversion and send the ship to the region later this year. The newspaper report says the base is expected to accommodate smaller high-speed boats and helicopters often used by Navy SEALS for special operations. On Thursday U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced plans for Pentagon budget cuts that would reduce ground forces and depend more on Special Forces operations in upcoming years. The plan also involves shifting focus from Europe to the Middle East and Asia Pacific regions. Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Divers find 17th body on wrecked cruise ship off Italy Posted: 28 Jan 2012 09:02 AM PST GIGLIO, ITALY (BNO NEWS) -- Divers searching the wreck of the Costa Concordia, which ran aground and partially capsized off the Italian coast earlier this month, have found the body of a woman, officials said on Saturday. More than a dozen people remain missing. A spokesperson for the Civil Protection Department said the woman's body was found in a submerged part on the sixth deck of the vessel, although an operation to recover the body is still ongoing. "From the information received, the woman who was found this morning is a crew member because she was wearing a service uniform," the spokesperson said. The Costa Concordia ran aground and partially capsized off Isola del Giglio, a small island off the coast of Tuscany, on January 13 while it was carrying more than 4,200 people. The body found on Saturday raises the number of fatalities to 17 while at least 15 others remain missing and are believed to have drowned. The news comes a day after Costa Cruises, the owner of the wrecked cruise ship, announced a compensation package for guests who survived the accident. The company said it will offer all surviving guests €11,000 ($14,500) in addition to reimbursement for other costs such travel expenses and medical costs. (Copyright 2012 by BNO News B.V. All rights reserved. Info: sales@bnonews.com.)

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