By RT

Bitcoin, the digital ‘crypto-currency’ has passed the $1,000 mark for the first time in history, marking a growth of some 4,000% since the beginning of the year. The milestone was recorded by Tokyo-based Mt Gox bitcoin exchange on Wednesday.

The unregulated virtual currency’s popularity has been soaring in recent weeks, having doubled in just the past seven days. In just one day, November 18, the price leaped from $478 in the morning to $744 at midnight (GMT).

This was the same day that US Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee held the currency’s first Congressional hearing entitled “Beyond Silk Road: Potential Risks, Threats and Promises of Virtual Currencies” to take a close look at existing virtual currencies, including bitcoin.

Bitcoin temporarily exceeded the equivalent of $1,000 on the Chinese exchange, BTC China, on the 19th of November. However, this is the first time the $1,000 mark has been surpassed in a US dollar denominated exchange rate.

China is one of the world’s biggest Bitcoin markets, but demand for the virtual currency appears to be exploding on a global level. The University of Nicosia (UNic), one of the major English language universities in the Mediterranean, announced during the past week that it would be accepting bitcoin payments for its digital currency program next year.

This month, the Chicago Federal Reserve observed that the currency was “a remarkable conceptual and technical achievement,” noting how there are on average about 30 bitcoin transactions per minute.

The decentralized, crypto-currency is free from any government or central bank control. Currency is sold and bought at online exchanges, and those transactions can be virtually anonymous.

Since its inception in 2008 by a man using the alias ‘Satoshi Nakmoto’, bitcoin has now gone mainstream; it can be used to buy coffee, pay for online dating services, and can even be retrieved from an ATM. According to Bitcoincharts, which follows the anonymous currency, there are nearly 12 million bitcoins in circulation.

The year has witnessed bitcoin play an increasingly major role in financial transactions globally. Over $1mn in bitcoins was stolen from an Australian online bank at the beginning of November, while the first bitcoin ATM opened in Vancouver, south west Canada at the end of October. Germany is fast becoming a hotbed of exchanges, with August 16 marking its official recognition by the country under the term “Rechnungseinheiten,” which roughly translates to “units of account.”

The FBI also forced closure of illegal online drugs and weapons store Silk Road in October, which used the currency exclusively, on account of the difficulty of identifying anonymous users. However, a new ‘incarnation’ of the store was opened in November.

The article Bitcoin Value Passes $1,000 For First Time Ever appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By Eurasia Review

Reporters Without Borders deplores the lower house of the Japanese parliament’s adoption yesterday of a “special intelligence protection bill” that would pose an unprecedented threat to freedom of information, and calls on Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government to abandon the proposed law.

“How can the government respond to growing demands for transparency from a public outraged by the consequences of the Fukushima nuclear accident if it enacts a law that gives it a free hand to classify any information considered too sensitive as a ‘state secret’?” Reporters Without Borders said.

“By imposing heavy penalties on those who obtain classified information in a ‘grossly inappropriate’ manner and then publish it, parliament is making investigative journalism illegal, and is trampling on the fundamental principles of the confidentiality of journalists’ sources and ‘public interest’.”

Under the proposed law, information regarded as confidential could be classified as a state secret for a five-year period that could be extended indefinitely. Whistleblowers, including government employees and journalists, who leak classified information would face up to ten years in prison without being able to invoke ‘public interest’ as grounds for publishing.

Journalists are explicitly targeted by the proposed law, which would allow the authorities to judge the methods they use to obtained classified information.

The prime minister pointed to the “changing security environment in Asia,” including Japan’s maritime border disputes with China, and North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, as justification for the proposed law.

The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan issued a statement in early November calling on the Japanese parliament to reject the bill or at least amend it substantially in order to protect media freedom.

The bill’s approval by the lower house follows an increase in media freedom violations registered by Reporters Without Borders – especially ones affecting freelance journalists – that began after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.

Ever since the Fukushima disaster, there has been a great deal of obstruction of coverage of its consequences, with prosecutions of journalists who have tried to denounce the government’s lack of transparency.

Japan is ranked 53rd out of 179 countries in the 2013 Reporters Without Borders press freedom index, a record fall of 31 places from its position in the 2012 index.

The article Japan: Prime Minister Shinzo Abe Urged To Abandon State Secrecy bill‏ appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By Eurasia Review

Reporters Without Borders said Wednesday it condemns the harassment of journalists by street demonstrators amid growing criticism of state television’s lack of coverage, or biased coverage, of a month-old wave of anti-government protests. The criticism has focused on state-owned Channels 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11 in particular.

“The lack of impartial state TV coverage of pro- and anti-government demonstrations is clearly a major problem but this does not give demonstrators grounds for focusing their frustration with the government on the media and it certainly does not justify the physical attack that a German freelance journalist received,” Reporters Without Borders said.

“It is unacceptable that journalists should be physically targeted for their supposed ‘pro-government’ reporting. This kind of attack on a reporter who had an armband clearly identifying him as a journalist casts serious doubt on the protest movement’s legitimacy.”

The Thai Broadcast Journalists Association and the Thai Journalists Association issued a joint statement that stressed the important of impartial reporting but rejected the accusations of biased coverage. They also urged protest organizers to ensure that the demonstrations continued to be peaceful and that no marches on TV stations took place.

The demonstrations in Bangkok degenerated on 24 November when protesters surrounded vehicles owned by Channel 3 and Channel 7.

A crowd targeted German freelance journalist Nick Nostitz yesterday after one of the protest leaders, Jumpol Chumsai, identified him as a pro-government “red shirt” and urged the crowd to “chase” him away from the demonstration. Nostitz was slightly hurt but managed to escape with help from the police.

The attack was quickly condemned by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club, which called on protest leaders to publicly recognize that the rights of all national and foreign journalists should be respected.

Thailand is ranked 135th out of 179 countries in the 2013 Reporters Without Borders press freedom index.

The article Thailand: Anti-Government Protesters Target Media, Attack German Reporter‏ appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By Balkan Insight

Donald Trump is considering buying the Serbian Defence Ministry’s bombed headquarters in Belgrade, and turning them into a top-class hotel.

Workers in Serbia are busy cleaning the remains of the so-called B building of the former Serbian Army headquarters in Belgrade that NATO blasted in 1999.

“Works include clearing the collapsed remains of the reinforced concrete structure from the basement to the top,” the Defence Ministry said.

The job is due to last 70 working days.

The clean-up comes after American businessman Donald Trump met Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic last week in the US and discussed the potential for building a luxurious hotel on the spot.

Trump is sending a group of observers to view the location over the next month. Dacic said after the meeting that such an investment would be of great importance for Serbia.

“The arrival of Trump and his investment would be a call to other serious investors,” Dacic said.

The celebrity tycoon has a series of hotels in the US which are branded with his name, as well as being famous for his outspoken television appearances.

He is not the first investor to show an interest in turning the former army headquarters into a hotel. Mohammed bin Zayed, from the United Arab Emirates, has also eyed the location for a possible luxury hotel.

The former army heardquarters, which was the work of Serbian architect Nikola Dobrovic, comprises two buildings of about 50,000 square metres, built between 1956 and 1965.

It suffered extensive damage from NATO bombing on April 29 and on May 7, 1999. Six years later, the complex was placed on a list of Serbian cultural heritage sites.

It has not been repaired since the bombing for lack of money but serves mainly as a tourist attraction.

The complex is owned by the Serbian state and the Defence Ministry and Army were only its tenants.

According to Serbian law, a building listed as a protected monument can be repaired without changing its status. The building must retain its external appearance but areas behind its façade can be redeveloped.

The article Donald Trump Eyes Turning Serbian Army Ruin Into Hotel appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By Eurasia Review

or the sixth consecutive year, Eni is giving an exceptional Christmas gift to the people of Milan. With the Municipality of Milan from Vatican Museums, Eni continues the tradition of displaying a masterpiece at the Palazzo Marino, at no extra cost.

After the positive reception of the Amore e Psiche, which was the most visited exhibition in Italy in 2012, this year, it will be possible to view Raphael’s La Madonna di Foligno for the first time in Milan at the Vatican Museums. The masterpiece will be on display from November 28, 2013 to January 12, 2014.

The exhibition aims to give visitors the possibility of deepening their understanding of this extraordinary work and has been integrated with a range of educational and participation-based activities in the room, as well as through accompanying events and free online resources.

“Through bringing Raphael to Milan, Eni is reiterating the value of culture as a key element of the Company’s interaction with the area,” stated Paolo Scaroni, Eni’s CEO. “Our exhibitions have enabled these masterpieces the necessary environment for visitors to fully appreciate such works of art. The long queues of people patiently waiting in line over these five years indicate the public appreciation of these events and the cultural enrichment they provide.”

“This work is one of the apex of universal painting,” commented Antonio Paolucci, Director of the Vatican Museums. “It documents a historic moment (c.1511-13) in which Raphael meets Venetian color and you can’t get any better than this! It’s not possible to go beyond this in terms of representation of beauty as I’m sure the guests of the Palazzo Marino will understand.”

“It’s always emotional receiving works of art of such cultural value at the Palazzo Marino and being able to offer them to the city. Thanks to the collaboration with Eni and the great museums around the world, this meeting with culture is renewed for the sixth consecutive year,” commented Giuliano Pisapia, Mayor of Milan. “Citizens, tourists, scholars and young people can admire Raphael’s La Madonna di Foligno, made available by the Vatican Gallery at no extra cost. The work will remain on display in the Sala Alessi for more than a month in order to make it possible for visitors to come into contact with one of the greatest masterpieces of Raphael, one of the most celebrated painters in history.”

Masterpieces from previous editions were: La Conversione di Saulo by Caravaggio (from the Odescalchi collection), San Giovanni Battista by Leonardo da Vinci (in 2009), Tiziano’s Donna allo specchio (2010), Adorazione dei pastori and San Giuseppe falegname by Georges de La Tour (2011), and Amore e Psiche stanti by Antonio Canova and Psyché et l’Amour by François Gérard (2012) (from the Louvre).

The article Eni Brings Raphael To Milan: La Madonna Di Foligno Is Brought To Palazzo Marino From Vatican Museums appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By SAAG

By C. S. Kuppuswamy

“The Wa have proven adept, in the past, at garnering the concessions they need. Moreover, given they run what often feels like an independent borderland fief, it is logical that the Wa leadership would be the first to test a new style of decentralisation. It (Wa region) is a borderland defined by its entanglements and ambiguities, with the Chinese playing an inevitable role in what they consider as their own backyard”—Nicholas Farrelly of the Australian National University as told to AFP (Mizzima News-28 May 2013)

Introduction

The United Wa State Army (UWSA) was in the news recently because of its conspicuous absence in the meeting of the major ethnic groups of Myanmar sponsored by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and held at its HQ Laiza from 30 October to 02 November 2013.  The meeting was convened to discuss a government proposal for a Nationwide Ceasefire Conference (which will presumably not include the UWSA).  Early this year also, the local and international media had focussed on the UWSA, on reported supply of PTL 02 wheeled Tank Destroyers and armed helicopters by China to this armed group.  In many ways this non-state armed group is different from the other groups and the Myanmar Government is also adopting a different approach in dealing with this group, perhaps because of China’s influence over this group.

Historical Background

The United Wa State Army (UWSA) is the Myanmar’s largest non-state armed group with a reported strength of 20,000-30,000 troops with another 10,000 auxiliary members.  The UWSA is the military wing of the political party called the United Wa State Party (UWSP). Most reports indicate that this armed group was formed in 1989 after the Communist Party of Burma (CPB) disintegrated while some portals like the Burma News International (BNI) indicate that the UWSA was formed in 1964.

The UWSA is a well equipped and organised non-state armed group.  This armed group is deployed in two parts, reportedly with 5 divisions with along the Thai Myanmar border and three divisions along the China-Myanmar border.

Since the signing of the ceasefire agreement with the Government in 1989, the Government has recognised the territory held by this group in the northern Shan State with its headquarters at Pangshang.  However the UWSA is claiming a larger area to be carved out as an autonomous Wa State (instead of the present region) which is its ultimate goal (See map attached).

The Wa is an ethnic Chinese mountain tribe.  Their main religion is animist.  The Wa is one of the 135 officially recognised ethnic groups of Myanmar.  The Wa population is located in two parts, the North Wa part in the north-east of Myanmar near the China border where the majority live and the South Wa part near the Thai-Myanmar border. The Wa tribe is also present in China and Thailand though in lesser numbers.  The total population of ethnic Wa in Myanmar is estimated about 800,000 people of various ethnic groups.  The working language of UWSA is Chinese.  The Chinese influence in trade, industrial establishments, currency, culture, telephone network, administration as well in other fields is predominant.

The UWSA is known internationally more for its drug trade, in opium, heroin and amphetamines.  It is the main supplier of drugs to China, Thailand & NE India.  The US Government named the UWSA as a narcotic traffic organisation in May 2013.  The UWSA has also been indentified as the conduit for supply for arms from the grey market in China to the insurgent groups of North East India.

The UWSA was one of the ethnic groups that had participated in the National Convention held by the government for drafting the 2008 Constitution with high hopes only to be disappointed. However the 2008 Constitution granted them the Wa Self-administered Division consisting of six townships.

Like most of the other ethnic groups, the UWSA also refused to be transformed into Border Guards (under the control of Myanmar Army) in 2009.  However, there was a solitary media report in July 2012 to indicate that this group was toying with the idea of becoming a People’s Militia Force (commanded and run by native officers).

The UWSA has declined to join the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), an umbrella body of the ethnic groups founded in 2011.  This could not have been done without Chinese acquiescence.

Myanmar Government and the UWSA/UWSP

The Myanmar Government has dealt with this non-state armed group totally on a different footing as compared to other groups.  It is pertinent to note that there have been no major clashes with this group since the 1989 ceasefire.  In the early 90s, the Tatmadaw, in a strategic move had joined hands with this group to liquidate the Mong Tai Army, though it resulted in the expansion of the UWSA and its control over a larger area in the Shan state.

The UWSA rejected the government proposal to transform into Border Guards and the ceasefire broke in 2009.  The UWSA was one of the first few groups to sign the second ceasefire with the Thein Sein led nominal Civil Government in September 2011.  The government was also shrewd in co-opting the UWSA in its counter insurgency strategy against some other minor groups in the Shan State.

The Myanmar Government in the 2008 Constitution authorised the establishment of Wa Self-Administered Division consisting of six townships.  However, the government has not accepted the UWSA pronouncement of this region (in January 2009) as Wa State Government Special Administrative Region.

As part of the ongoing peace process, the Myanmar Government has had three rounds of peace talks with this group since October 2011.  In the last round held on 12 July 2013 at the Triangle Region Command HQ at Kengtung, both parties signed a 5-point peace agreement for further cooperation through constructive discussion and development of this region.

The Government’s current strategy in dealing with this powerful armed group has been aptly described by Stratfor in the article titled “Myanmar: The United Wa State Army’s Uncertain Future” dated 22 July 2013.

“The central government has followed a three-part strategy to contain the Wa: First, the government has attempted to sever lines of communication between Wa’s northern and southern military commands in order to cut off the Wa’s major source of financing and its supply lines to Thailand. The second part of the strategy is to divide Wa forces and their allied ethnic rebels in Shan State in order to gradually encircle the Wa. The third involves expanding the government’s territorial control — either by military or peaceful means — to advance the Tatmadaw’s presence to the eastern bank of Salween River.”

While the first part appears realistic and doable, it is doubtful whether Naypyidaw can go ahead with the other two, when the Chinese factor has to be considered.

The Chinese Connection

China has been a long time patron of the UWSA and considers the UWSA as its key ally in its relations with the Myanmar Government.  It has been supporting the UWSA both economically and militarily as a pressure tactic against the Myanmar government.

China had its first setback in August 2009 when the Kokang Militia (a close ally of the UWSA) was attacked resulting a large influx of refugees into China.  The second was the suspension of the Myitsone Dam in September 2011, which China believes, had the tacit support of the US.  More than these, the US pivot in South East Asia, the fast improving relations with US and other western nations and large scale investment by these nations in Myanmar, have made China re-orient its relations with Myanmar.  This is all the more reason that China will not loosen its grip on the Wa.

Early this year (2013), China had reportedly supplied PTL 02 wheeled Tank destroyers and armed helicopters to the UWSA.  In this connection Anthony Davis, a Thailand based analyst of James Intelligence Review in an interview to Democratic voice of Burma said

 “China is not prepared to put up with a whole string of Myitsone dam situations that could result in the cancellation of major projects and a loss of years of investments. The markers they’re using [to signal this] are very clear and subtle: they’re not supplying a group that is at war with the government, but are supporting a deterrent – the Wa are in an umbilical relationship with China, and supporting the Wa effectively reinforces the status quo and stability along the border”.

However, the Chinese Embassy described this report as “ill founded” and “misguided” noting that “The Chinese government holds a clear and consistent policy of respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Myanmar” – Burma Centre for Ethnic Studies Analysis Paper No. 7 of May 2013.

In its Myanmar policy China has introduced some additional measures, such as posting a new ambassador, strengthening their strategic partnership, visits by senior party and PLA officials and some public relations exercises in its commercial ventures.  China’s main concerns continue to be its border security and its commercial ventures especially the twin oil and gas pipelines.  For the first time China was seen taking the initiative in hosting the peace talks in its territory (Ruili in Yunnan) between the Kachins and the Myanmar Government during this year.  Chinese observers were present at the peace talks.

However, in the case of Wa, China is definitely playing a double game by arming the UWSA as more of a deterrent while professing to respect the sovereignty of Myanmar in encouraging the peace efforts of the government.

Conclusion

The Myanmar Government is most unlikely to accede to the request for establishing a separate Wa State, as some other major ethnic groups may also come up with such a demand.

The UWSA/UWSP is not planning to participate in the nationwide ceasefire, as it does not want to be bound by the present proposal, which will entail disarming and deny the prospects of a separate Wa State.  It perhaps wants to wait and watch the reactions of other armed groups.

The Myanmar Government is not also insisting on the participation of the UWSA/UWSP in the nationwide ceasefire because it does not want the other groups to be influenced by the UWSA and also because of the UWSA-China nexus.

As and when a settlement is reached with the other groups, Myanmar government will have two options.  To exercise the military option or to negotiate with the UWSA for an amicable settlement.  The former can be ruled out for the present or as long as the Chinese support continues.

China, more for its commercial interests and border security is using the UWSA as leverage and at the same time maintaining good relations with Myanmar. Myanmar does understand this position.

The article Myanmar: United Wa State Army – Analysis appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By Eurasia Review

Eni signed a Production Sharing Agreement with the Ukrainian government in Kiev on Wednesday, represented by the Minister of Energy Eduard Stavytsky, in the presence of the President of Ukraine Viktor Janukovič , for the exploration and development of an area located in Ukraine’s Black Sea.

The offshore area offers significant exploration and is located in the eastern part of the Crimean peninsula, covering approximately 1400 square kilometers. The area includes a licensefor Subbotina, where an oil discovery of the same name was made, along with licenses for Abiha, Mayachna and Kavkazka (collectively known as Pry Kerch block) where several oil and gas prospects have been identified.

Eni is the Operator (with 50% P.I.) of a Joint Venture with EDF (5% P.I.), and the State-owned companies Vody Ukrainy (35% P.I.) and Chornomornaftogaz (10%), both fully owned by NJSC Nadra Ukrainy and NJSC Naftogaz Ucraina.

Eni’s experience of exploration, development and production in analogous reservoirs and its vast knowledge of the technologies required for the development of offshore activities, together with the local expertise brought by the Ukrainian partners, will ensure the success of the project.

The PSA, which follows cooperation agreements established in 2011 with the state-owned company, will significantly strengthen Eni’s presence in Ukraine, where the company has been present since 2011 as non-operating partner in the Zagoryanska and Pokroskoe licenses located in the Dniepr-Donetz Basin. In 2012, Eni acquired a 50.01% stake and the operatorship in LLC Westgasinvest, a Company which currently holds rights to nine unconventional gas license areas in the Lviv Basin, in western Ukraine, totaling approximately 3,800 square kilometers of acreage.

The article Eni Signs Production Sharing Agreement With Ukraine Government appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By SAAG

By Dr Subhash Kapila

Introductory Observations

Tibet under brutal Chinese military occupation is in flames.

Every other day, reports trickle out on self-immolations by Tibetans in various corners of China Occupied Tibet and with the self-immolations not being confined to Tibetan monks as China would like the world to believe. The self-immolations encompass wide strata of Tibetans in China Occupied Tibet.

It is amazing that the global conscience keepers of the world like the United States and the West should be oblivious to the brutal persecutions of Tibetans when in these countries many human rights groups exist espousing Tibet’s freedom and calling for pressure to be applied on China to stop the religious and cultural genocide being inflicted in China Occupied Tibet.

The irony of the situation can best be captured in the words of Ishaan Tharoor who in a piece in the TIME magazine of February 13, 2013 under the caption “How Many Self-Immolating Tibetans Does it Take to Make a Difference” goes on to say that: “Whatever the ghastly metrics, the act has become the signature tactic in recent years voicing their frustration with Chinese rule. It carries a haunting moral cry no suicide bomber can match. When a downtrodden Tunisian set himself on alight in December 2011 the spark of his despair and anger kindled upsurge that swept across the Arab world. Yet, 100 Tibetan self-immolators—and many deaths—later, little has changed”

While I castigate the United States and the West for their indifference to Tibetan persecutions in China Occupied Tibet the same can be said of India and also the Buddhist World. Cannot the Buddhist World replicate an upsurge against Chinese relentless persecutions of Buddhists in China Occupied Tibet and the unceasing abhorrent demonization of their internationally respected spiritual leader H.H. the Dalai Lama?

Obviously political and economic expediencies of the “Silent Majority” paralyse these countries against condemnation of China for its brutal atrocities.

Relentless Persecution of Tibetans in China Occupied Tibet Reminiscent of Nazi Germany Persecution of Jews

The systematic and prolonged religious, ethnic and cultural genocide inflicted by China in over six decades of its military occupation of Tibet has been fuelled by China’s strategic imperatives. No wonder that China has asserted that Tibet is its “Core National Interest” implying that it would keep Tibet subjugated under its military control. The so-called historical claims are only a fig-leaf.

Documented widely are the multitude of brutal atrocities and persecutions indulged by China in Occupied Tibet to ensure Tibet does not slip out of China’s control. Atrocities as per published sources include rape of women, forced abductions and disappearances, disproportionate use of force against Tibetan protestors, restricting Tibetans to designated settlements from which they are not allowed to move out, religious persecution and desecration of Buddhist monasteries and in some cases bombings of monasteries too have taken place in the past.

China Occupied Tibet today perceptionaly resembles one big concentration camp and the religious, ethnic and cultural genocide on Tibetans reminiscent of Hitler’s Nazi persecution of Jews. China seems to be intent on wiping out Buddhism and the Tibetan race from China Occupied Tibet.

No amount of China’s White Papers on Tibet’s Development Activities carry conviction when placed in the context of continuing self-immolations by Tibetans against Chinese military occupation and demand for Tibet’s independence.

Tibetan human rights activist and internationally acclaimed author Ms Tsering Woeser in a recent book published in French titled “ Immolations in Tibet: The Shame of the World” highlights the gross human rights violations of Tibetans under “Harsh Military Rule” of the Chinese Occupation Army.

The former French Minister of Justice, Mr Robert Badinter on releasing the French Edition remarked: “What the flames that burn proclaim is that they can no longer withstand the assault against their people, eradicating culture and language (in a ) cultural genocide”

Such is the fear of the Chinese Government of being exposed on their Nazi-like persecution of Tibetans in China Occupied Tibet that they did not allow Ms Woeser to travel to Washington for a ceremony chaired by Mrs Obama hailing her contribution.

Annual Report of the US Congressional Executive Commission on China: China Has Failed to Address Grievances of Tibet

In a report released in October 2013 the US above-named Congressional Report has observed that “Instead of addressing the grievances, the Chinese authorities strengthened a security crackdown on the premise of “Stability Maintenance” that impinged on Tibetan’s freedom of expression, association and movement”.

Earlier the Congressional Executive Commission was hopeful in March 2013 that with a new Chinese leadership, conditions of Tibetan persecution would cease. On the contrary they now feel that the Chinese crackdown has become severe.

China’s Re-election to UN Human Rights Commission: A Blot on the Global Conscience

In what can best be described mildly as a blot on the global conscience China was re-elected to the UN Human Rights Council in October 2013. Only 16 countries voted against China whereas 176 countries ignored UN Guidelines to ease in China into this Council.

Nothing can be more shameful for these 176 countries who subverting their national conscience for political and economic expediency installed China in this august body.

It is akin to installing a murderous criminal in the Conclave of Cardinals in the Vatican

Universal Periodic Review of Human Rights Records in Geneva: Shocking Case of Pakistan and Sri Lanka

In a session in September before the October 2013 elections the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva saw twelve members, mostly Western countries condemning China for its human rights violations in Tibet, four voted against any condemnation of China. These included two from South Asia namely Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Pakistan recommended China to “Strengthen actions against criminals who intimidate or help those who commit self-immolations”.

Sri Lanka is attributed to having recommended that counter-terrorism against ethnic separatists should continue.

While the Western countries were direct in their calls, the United States assertion seemed odd which read “Protect the rights of ethnic minority groups including Tibetans, Uighurs, and Mongolians in accordance with the Chinese Constitution and International Human Rights Commission.

If the  Chinese Constitution was all that noble in intent and purpose then the ethnic and cultural genocide against Tibetans in China Occupied Tibet would not have taken place  nor the Nazi-like persecution of Tibetans.

Concluding Observations

China may be on the verge of emerging as a superpower, kind courtesy of the United States and the West, but in its actions and policies it has not measured up or promises to measure up as a responsible stakeholder of the international community.

China’s perceptionaly Nazi-like persecutions of Tibetans in China Occupied Tibet and the preceding ethnic and cultural genocide is abhorrent to contemporary human values of the global community.

While Governments both democratic and despotic would not tend to lean heavily on China to desist from its atrocities out of political expediency, international human rights and pressure groups must make their campaign against Chinese persecution of Tibetans in China Occupied Tibet that much more shriller.

The article Tibet In Flames: A Blot On Global Conscience – Analysis appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By Eurasia Review

Hindus are upset over ABC’s award-winning television series “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” for hinting at Lord Vishnu being an alien character in their Episode-8 “The Well”, which was aired on November 19 and reportedly watched by about seven million.

Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada today, said that it was inappropriate to unnecessarily drag a highly revered Hindu deity in a television episode and then create misinformation about the oldest and third largest religion among a large audience.

Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, urged ABC and makers of “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” to apologize and post information about Lord Vishnu and Hinduism on their respective websites. ABC executives and “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” makers should get some classes about the basics of major world religions, including Hinduism.

Rajan Zed stressed that inappropriate usage of Hindu deities or concepts or symbols for commercial or other agenda was not okay as it hurt the devotees. Moreover, misinformation/misrepresentation created more confusion among the general public.

Hinduism had about one billion adherents and offered a rich philosophical thought and it should not be taken lightly. Symbols of any faith, larger or smaller, should not be mishandled, Zed argued.

Rajan Zed stated that Hindus were for free speech as much as anybody else if not more. But faith was something sacred and attempts at debasing it hurt the adherents. Television and Hollywood should be more conscious while handling faith related subjects, as television and cinema were very mighty mediums and these could create stereotypes in the minds of some audiences.

Lord Vishnu is “preserver” in the Hindu triad with Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva as the aspect of the Supreme. He has ten incarnations to establish dharma (divine law). Moksh (liberation) is the ultimate goal of Hinduism. There are about three million Hindus in USA.

“Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” is Marvel’s first television series and is produced by ABC Studios and Marvel Television. ABC (American Broadcasting Company) is an American media company founded in 1943 and headquartered in New York.

The article Hindus Upset At Lord Vishnu’s Misrepresentation On ABC’s ‘Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.’‏ appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By EIA

Despite this week’s increase in the U.S. average retail price of regular gasoline to $3.29 per gallon on November 25, gasoline prices remain near the lowest level of 2013 or last year at this time.

Lower global crude oil prices, high profitability for diesel fuel that has been encouraging refiners to increase throughput, high inventories, and the switch to less-costly winter grades of gasoline (Figure 1) are among the factors currently driving gasoline prices.

Lower crude costs are one reason gasoline prices are down. Spot prices for Brent crude oil dropped $4.66 per barrel from September 3 to November 25 (Figure 2). West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude prices, which are much less significant to gasoline price formation than Brent prices, fell by $14.81 per barrel over the same period.

The decline in crude oil prices was partly driven by lower demand for crude oil due to seasonal refinery maintenance. EIA’s November Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO) forecasts Brent and WTI prices to decline further to $106 and less than $95 per barrel, respectively, in December, and down further to $101 and $93 by the end of 2014. However, heightened uncertainties surround this forecast because of global crude oil supply disruptions.

Increased global demand and higher prices for diesel fuel have increased refining margins, encouraging U.S. refineries to run at high utilization rates for most of this year. While refineries have tried to maximize diesel production to capture these margins, high refinery runs have resulted in significant coproduction of gasoline.

These supplies helped push gasoline crack spreads into negative territory for a short period of time and also resulted in large gasoline inventory builds across much of the country. Inventories of gasoline on the East Coast (PADD 1), Gulf Coast (PADD 3), and the Rocky Mountains (PADD 4) were above the five-year average leading up to refinery maintenance season (late September and early October) while the Midwest (PADD 2) and the West Coast (PADD 5) were slightly under.

As of September 27, PADD 3 gasoline inventories were 10.6 million barrels above the 5-year average. As refineries undertook maintenance, gasoline inventories were drawn down, but stock levels still remained at or above the 5-year average in some regions, putting downward pressure on gasoline prices.

Gasoline prices vary by region (Figure 3). West Coast prices typically exceed the U.S. average due to stricter gasoline specifications in California, the largest market in PADD 5, and the region’s relative isolation from other domestic markets. From September 2 to November 25, PADD 5 regular retail gasoline prices averaged 29 cents per gallon more than the U.S. average.

Excluding the California price from the West Coast average, the region’s premium over the U.S. averaged only 10 cents per gallon. Prices in PADD 5 fell 29 cents per gallon from September 2 to November 25, slightly below the 32 cent-per-gallon drop in the national average price.

Gulf Coast (PADD 3) refiners produce over 2.5 times more gasoline than is consumed within that region. This fact, combined with relatively low state and local taxes on gasoline, result in prices that are usually lower than the national average. From September 2 to November 25, PADD 3 gasoline prices fell 27 cents per gallon and averaged 23 cents per gallon less than the U.S. average. Prices in PADD 3 registered a brief dip below the $3.00 mark on November 11, for the first time since February 2011.

Prices in the Midwest have been both above and below the national average recently. On September 2, PADD 2 prices were 3 cents per gallon higher than the national average, but by November 25, prices were 10 cents per gallon below the national average. This drop happened despite an October 23 refinery fire and outage at Citgo’s 167,000-barrel-per-day refinery in Lemont, Illinois. EIA’s November STEO forecasts the U.S. average retail price of regular gasoline at $3.24 per gallon in the fourth quarter of 2013, rising early next year to average $3.33 per gallon in the first quarter of 2014.

Gasoline and diesel fuel prices both increase

The U.S. average retail price of regular gasoline increased seven cents to $3.29 per gallon as of November 25, 2013, 14 cents lower than last year at this time. Prices fell four cents in the Rocky Mountains to $3.15 per gallon and a penny on the West Coast to $3.46 per gallon, while increasing in all other regions. The Gulf Coast price was up 14 cents to $3.14 per gallon, the largest one-week increase since July 15, 2013. The East Coast price rose 10 cents to $3.39 per gallon, and the Midwest price was $3.19 per gallon, seven cents higher than last week.

The national average diesel fuel price increased two cents to $3.84 per gallon, 19 cents lower than last year at this time. Prices increased in all regions of the nation except the West Coast, where the price is unchanged from last week at $3.95 per gallon. The largest increase came in the Midwest, where the price was up four cents to $3.83 per gallon. On the East Coast, the price was $3.87 per gallon, three cents higher than last week. Increasing a penny, the Gulf Coast price was $3.75 per gallon, and the Rocky Mountain price was up less than a penny to remain at $3.84 per gallon.

Propane inventories fall

U.S. propane stocks fell by 1.4 million barrels to end at 56.9 million barrels last week, 15.9 million barrels (21.8%) lower than a year ago. Gulf Coast regional inventories dropped by 0.8 million barrels, and Midwest inventories decreased by 0.6 million barrels. East Coast inventories decreased by 0.1 million barrels, while Rocky Mountain/West Coast inventories remained unchanged from previous week. Propylene non-fuel-use inventories represented 5.1% of total propane inventories.

Heating fuel prices increase

Residential heating oil prices increased by almost 7 cents per gallon last week during the period ending November 25, 2013 to nearly $3.89 per gallon, the largest weekly increase since the start of the heating season. However, the price is still 14 cents per gallon lower than the price at the same time last year. Wholesale heating oil prices increased by almost 11 cents per gallon to $3.15 per gallon.

The average residential propane price increased by nearly 4 cents per gallon last week to $2.54 per gallon, almost 30 cents per gallon higher than the same period last year. Wholesale propane prices increased by nearly 2 cents per gallon to almost $1.43 per gallon as of November 25, 2013.

The article US Gasoline Prices This Fall Below Year-Ago Level – Analysis appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By IPCS

By Prof Chintamani Mahapatra

What does the Iran nuclear deal mean for the American policy towards Teheran and the rest of region in the Middle East?

Iran Nuclear Deal: Winners and Losers

The Geneva Agreement signalling an American-Iranian détente has created winners and losers. Currently, the Obama Administration can claim diplomatic victory in compelling Iran to negotiate an agreement that would make its nuclear installations open to intrusive verification, limit its uranium enrichment and even stop a reactor that could produce plutonium. There is little doubt that the severe and comprehensive sanctions led by the US achieved its goal. Large reduction in Iran’s energy exports, rapidly falling value of its currency, difficulty of conducting trade due to banking restrictions and high inflation accompanied by rising unemployment induced Iran to end its nuclear defiance and offer transparency in its nuclear activities.

It was a big diplomatic gain for President Obama in the backdrop of his inability to play a leadership role in handling the Syrian chemical weapons syndrome that made Russian President Vladimir Putin look like a great world statesman! However, Obama’s triumph on this issue seems to be Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu’s nightmare.

Israel left no stone unturned to prevent a Western deal with Iran. When the Obama administration appeared determined to make compromises, the Israeli lobby in Washington became hyperactive in the corridors of the US Congress. Tel Aviv sought to neutralize Obama’s initiatives by trying to cultivate Canada and France to act tough. What Israel professed was complete end to Iranian nuclear programme. What the US had realised was the fact that sanctions had not been effective in bringing Tehran unto its knees. Iran continued to build its conventional military capability, refused to refrain from supporting the Assad regime in Syria, kept funding the Hamas and Hezbollah forces and even set up front companies to manage international trade to some extent. There was no alternative to accepting Iran’s legitimate right to pursue a civilian nuclear programme.

Ironically, Saudi Arabia and other Arab regimes in the Persian Gulf were on the same page with Israel on the Iranian nuclear issue and Syrian chemical weapons issue. Riyadh, like Tel Aviv, expressed anger, disappointment and later frustration over emerging Washington-Tehran détente.
There appears to be considerable apprehension among the Israeli and Arab strategic analysts that Iran’s success in retaining its nuclear programme, returning to its normal energy trading activities and détente with the US will make Iran a powerful regional heavyweight.

Happier group of winners in this diplomatic ballgame, however, consists of countries that have energy stake in Iran, including India. While the US seems to be on its way to acquire energy independence, rest of the world would continue to need a peaceful Persian Gulf and a stable energy market.

Similarities with Indo-US Nuclear Deal?

The nuclear deal between the United States and Iran concluded in Geneva is markedly different from the Indo-US nuclear deal. First of all, the US deal with India was a solely bilateral one, while Iran had to negotiate with six countries.

Secondly, Iran has agreed to verifiably undertake a civilian nuclear programme and refrain from activities that may enable it to make nuclear weapons. India, on the other hand, managed to retain its nuclear weapons and concurrently resume nuclear trade with other countries to pursue civilian nuclear activities.

Thirdly, the US Congress overwhelmingly supported the US administration to promote civilian nuclear cooperation with India, while the Republican leadership has condemned President Obama’s overtures towards Iran. He has been criticized as the modern-day Neville Chamberlain and the Geneva agreement has been described as worse than Munich agreement—a quintessential appeasement policy.

Finally, Washington struck a deal with New Delhi years after India conducted a series of nuclear tests and became a de facto nuclear weapon power. The 123 agreement was the final culmination of the end of American nuclear sanctions against India. In the case of Iran, the nuclear deal was made to prevent Iran’s emergence as a nuclear weapon power. Unlike India, Iran yielded to the US-led sanctions regime.

However, there are certain similarities between the two nuclear deals as far as their regional implications are concerned. China and Pakistan unfavourably reacted to Indo-US nuclear deal, while Israel and Saudi Arabia have been the opponents or critics of the Iranian nuclear deal.

Secondly, as in the case of India, Iran-US relations may soon witness a paradigm shift. Once the nuclear differences are over, bilateral relations between the two countries are likely to move into an optimistic trajectory. Establishment of a “strategic partnership” between Washington and Tehran may result from a successful final agreement expected in about a year’s time.

Thirdly, expansion of US-Indian relations since the signing of the 123 agreement has altered the geopolitical map of Indo-Pacific region. Most likely, the geopolitical map of the Middle East will be redrawn after an agreement is in place that would allow Iran to generate electricity from nuclear power but verifiably prevent it from developing nuclear weapons.

Prof Chintamani Mahapatra
Chairperson, Canadian, US & Latin American Studies, JNU

The article Iran Nuclear Deal: American Re-Entry Into The Middle East? – Analysis appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By Geopolitical Monitor

By Arthur Moore

Over the past two hundred years, Australia has grappled with the concern that its geographical location places it too far from its allies in terms of their potential support. Thus, as a large continent, Australia has tended to ally itself with the dominant naval power in the Asia Pacific region – first Britain and now the United States. However, the rise of China is challenging this historical basis of Australia’s defence policy.

On the one hand, Australia could move closer to the United States, strengthen its capabilities, and make the Australia Defence Force (ADF) more interoperable with US forces. The Howard government was successful in ‘breathing new life into the old alliance’ by supporting US-led operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the current government is continuing this trend. In November 2010, the United States and Australia conducted bilateral talks. They agreed to host US troops in Australia and grant US military access to Australian bases. This has enormous significance because the last time US forces were stationed in Australia was during the Second World War. This represents a fundamental overhaul of Australia’s strategic position, as it gives the country greater strategic weight in the region, and restructures the ADF towards accommodating its new guests.

On the other hand, Alan Dupont, a renowned scholar in the field of Australian strategic studies emphasises that China is a status-quo power, and as such poses no threat to Australia’s security. Instead, the ADF should be more focused on stabilisation operations in its immediate region, such as in East Timor and the Solomon Islands. The likelihood of state conflict has reduced significantly, and other threats, namely international terrorism, or non-traditional security threats, present a much more significant challenge for Australia. ADF stabilisation operations in East Timor, Solomon Islands, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Afghanistan highlight the fact that intrastate conflict is more significant to Australia’s defence policy. The prevailing logic follows that if intrastate conflict leads to a power vacuum, it could be filled by an adversary that would significantly undermine Australia’s strategic position due to its close proximity to the Australian mainland.

Nevertheless, the rise of China does pose a challenge to US primacy in the region. In 2010, China’s actions in the South China Sea (SCS) were anything but benevolent, such as harassing fishing vessels and cutting off wires from surveillance ships. If the United States chooses to confront China in the future, this will inevitably lead to greater regional instability. In this situation, the US military would count on support from the ADF. But the question remains: What type of strategic risk does the ADF want to take on? If the ADF is required to operate in the SCS, then it will need new capabilities. The latest Australian White Paper, entitled Force 2030, emphasized the need for an expansionist maritime capability, such as more submarines and Air Warfare Destroyers, but these capabilities would only be effective in Australia’s immediate region, and they would only provide a ‘token force’ for US-led operations. Either way, the ADF will be required to fill a number of different roles as it pushes towards an expansive strategic policy for the first time since World War II. This will include conducting much larger operations.

If the United States decides to step aside and accept Chinese supremacy while encouraging other countries to play a more independent role against China – countries like Japan and India – it would fundamentally alter Australia’s strategic position and its defence policy. Australia would be living in a region that is highly contested and unstable, and it would no longer be able to rely on a powerful ally for support.

Yet if current trends persist, the United States will not want to give up Asian primacy just yet. It has moved closer to Japan and South Korea, strengthening bilateral security and diplomatic ties. Its relationships with India and Vietnam are warming as well. If anything, the US position in Asia is getting stronger.

Despite being a half a world away, these developments impact directly on the ADF. If tensions increase, the ADF might be asked to provide support. This would require expeditionary capabilities that Australia does not currently have. As mentioned previously, the acquisition of two Landing Helicopter Decks, Bay Class Amphibious Ships and Air Warfare Destroyers are not enough. Therefore, Australia’s defence policy will need to be extended to support allies in high-level contingencies.

Conducting high-level operations in comparison to stabilisation operations is a sizable demand because it requires more money and resources. This approach is orientated towards operating in tandem with US forces in high-level contingencies. But if the US stands back and accepts China’s bid for supremacy in the region, then Australia will need to be more self-sufficient and have an autonomous defence force posture. This will be difficult to achieve because of fiscal issues and public morale. Nevertheless, Australia has found itself in a position where it might not be able to rely on a great and powerful ally for support.

If current trends persist, Australia’s strategic policy will continue to expand the ADF’s operational capacity in the future. This is occurring within the context of China’s rise relative to America’s decline. One sure thing is that the Australian government prefers to maintain the status-quo with its present alliance. But that’s not to say it won’t respond to future developments in the Asian region by shifting the country’s strategic defence policy and the ADF’s corresponding orientation.

Arthur Moore is a contributor to Geopoliticalmonitor.com

The article Australia’s Response To A Rising China – OpEd appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By Trend News Agency

Iran’s nuclear boss Ali Akbar Salehi says a landmark nuclear deal Tehran recently clinched with six world powers in Geneva will take effect in late December, Press TV reported.

Salehi, who is head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), said on Wednesday that the deal will take effect on December 20.

He described the accord as a “turning point” for the Islamic Republic of Iran, noting that the deal does by no means suggest halt in Iran’s nuclear activities.

The AEOI head further noted that the details of the agreement between Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council — the United States, China, Russia, France and Britain — plus Germany in Geneva, have already been made public.

Iran and the six major world powers sealed an interim deal in Geneva on Sunday morning to pave the way for the full resolution of the West’s decade-old dispute with Iran over the country’s nuclear energy program.

In exchange for Iran agreeing to limit certain aspects of its nuclear activities, the United States and its allies have agreed to lift some of the existing sanctions and let Tehran reap as much as USD 7 billion in relief from economic sanctions over six months.

The Geneva accord would temporarily lift White House executive orders of July 2012 and June 2013 that imposed penalties on countries that trade petrochemicals with Iran.

According to the Iranian Foreign Ministry, the deal allows Iran to continue its activities at Arak, Fordow and Natanz facilities. The agreement also stipulates that no additional sanctions will be imposed on Tehran within the next six months because of its nuclear energy program.

The article Geneva Nuclear Deal Goes Into Effect On Dec. 20 – Salehi appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By Eurasia Review

Egyptian police used water cannons, teargas, and batons on November 26, 2013, to disperse several hundred activists peacefully protesting military trials of civilians, Human Rights Watch said today. The police assault came two days after Interim President Adly Mansour issued a new law restricting public assembly.

A group of about 200 activists had gathered in front of the Shura Council, where a committee is discussing draft provisions for a new constitution. The crowd chanted slogans to protest proposed provisions for military trials of civilians. Human Rights Watch staff at the scene observed that the protest was entirely peaceful. Dozens of police arrived and warned the crowd to disperse. Minutes later, police fired water cannons and then charged the crowd, beating and detaining protester after protester, according to witnesses, lawyers, and video footage reviewed by Human Rights Watch

“Tuesday’s protest against military trials provided an opportunity to see how Egyptian authorities would use the new assembly law,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “What we saw was police treating the new assembly law as a carte blanche to attack protesters, all too familiar to Egyptians after years of police impunity.”

The human rights group No Military Trials for Civilians called for the demonstration in front of the Shura Council, where the Committee of 50, the group appointed by Interim President Mansour to propose constitutional amendments, had convened to discuss the draft document. On November 24, two days before the protest, Mansour issued Law 107 of 2013 on the Right to Public Meetings, Processions, and Peaceful Demonstrations. The group had not notified the Interior Ministry three days ahead of the demonstration, as the new law requires.

The new law allows the police to forcibly disperse a demonstration if “any criminal act emanates from the participants, or if the assembly diverges from peaceful expression,” and says the chief police officer on the ground will make the decision.

Abdel Fattah Othman, assistant interior minister for media affairs, said that the police dispersed the demonstration after protesters blocked roads in violation of the law, the government-owned al-Ahram newspaper reported. In a statement on its official Facebook page, the Interior Ministry blamed protesters, saying they had not complied with the new requirement for advance notification or obtained the necessary security clearance. The statement further claims that protesters threw rocks and bricks at police officers.

But Human Rights Watch staff observing the demonstration saw no sign of protester violence, and none of the witnesses Human Rights Watch interviewed or extensive video footage Human Rights Watch reviewed indicated that protesters used force.

Police arrested at least 72 demonstrators, according to the Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights (ECESR), a rights group whose lawyers went to police stations to represent detainees. The Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression, which also had lawyers on the scene, said they documented 89 arrests. Lawyers, family members, and released detainees outside the First New Cairo police station told Human Rights Watch that at least 35 protesters were held there and 12 in the nearby Third New Cairo police station.

Detainees included well-known activists – Mona Seif, Nazly Hussein, and Salma Said; human rights lawyers – Ahmed Heshmat, Mohamed Abdelaziz, and Osama al-Mahdy; and journalists – Ahmad Ragab of al-Masry al-Youm, and Rasha Azab of al-Fagr.

By the end of the evening, police had released all detained women, journalists, and lawyers, according to ECESR, including 14 female protesters dropped off in the late evening on the side of a desert highway over 30 kilometers south of the protest site. Human Rights Watch staff visited the scene and four of the women confirmed that authorities had dropped them there and that they were waiting for friends and family to pick them up.

Aida al-Kashef, one of the women, told Human Rights Watch that a man wearing a suit and flanked by other men in civilian clothing approached her and other female detainees on the stairs of the First New Cairo police station and told them to leave with him.

When they refused, the man nodded and the other men “held us one-by-one, dragged us down the stairs, beat us, threw us inside the police truck… [and took us] until we were dumped in the desert.” Three other detained protesters Human Rights Watch interviewed corroborated this account.

Nazly Hussein tweeted immediately after her arrest that police sexually harassed her and other female protesters while detaining them. She told Human Rights Watch after her release that police officers “grabbed me, groped me, and tried to pull off my clothes.”

Twenty-four protesters remained in detention at the First New Cairo police station as of the afternoon of November 27. One of their lawyers told Human Rights Watch that they faced charges both under the new assembly law – including participating in a protest at which weapons were present, blocking traffic, and organizing a protest without permission, and under other sections of the penal code – including thuggery, forced theft, illegal public gathering, and attacking public employees. Reuters reported that prosecutors on November 27 had charged Ahmed Maher, a leader of the April 6 youth movement, and Alaa Abd al-Fattah, an activist, with organizing the demonstration in violation of the new assembly law.

A court in Alexandria on November 27 also sentenced 21 young women and girls to prison or detention for taking part in a peaceful demonstration on October 31, their lawyer told Human Rights Watch. The 14 who were between the ages of 18 and 22 were each sentenced to 11 years and 1 month in prison. Seven girls aged 15 – 18 were sentenced to a juvenile detention facility until they turn 18, at which point their cases will be re-evaluated.

Prosecutors hastily brought the case to trial, charging the women under the 1923 Public Assembly law with illegal public gathering, thuggery, use of weapons, and sabotage. Six men received 15-year sentences in absentia for instigating the protests.

A Cairo court on November 13 handed down 17-year sentences and 65,000 LE (US$9440) fines to 12 students from al-Azhar University for charges stemming from involvement in protests and clashes on the campus.

Police used teargas later in the evening of November 26 to disperse protesters who gathered around Qasr al-Nil Bridge and on Talaat Harb Street to chant against the military and the police. Sherief Gaber, a 29-year-old activist who was in Talaat Harb Square, told Human Rights Watch that police vans fired teargas, chased protesters down side streets, and occupied the square, arresting protesters before retreating. “The cycle repeated itself several times over the course of the evening,” Gaber said.

Earlier on November 26, police used similar methods to disperse a gathering in memory of Gaber Salah, an activist also known as Gika who was killed in a 2012 protest in Tahrir Square.

Since the army’s ouster of former President Mohamed Morsy on July 3, police have frequently used force to disperse demonstrations organized by supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood, sometimes using excessive lethal force.

“The violent dispersal and arrests on November 26 serve as a stark reminder of the danger of giving security forces a blank check to regulate public assembly,” Stork said. “The government should immediately release those detained solely for exercising their right to demonstrate and rescind the new protest law.”

The article Egypt: Police Violently Break Up Peaceful Protest appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By MISNA

The Dominican Republic has exported a record amount of cocoa, 68,000 tons ahead of the launch of its planned new program to support small and medium farmers aimed at doubling priduction of the bean over the next ten years.

Agriculture Minister, Luis Ramon Rodriguez, has announced investments valued at two million dollars for 2,000 producers, encouraging them to plant a variety of ever improving cocoa types. President Danilo Medina has announced a plan to promote the export of certain goods produced in a traditional way such as cocoa or ‘chayote’, a species of the Cucurbitaceae family that is widespread in Latin America.

The ‘ Confederación Nacional de Cacaocultores’ claims that a little more than 40,000 families, for the most part forced to survive on meager resources, are economically dependent on the cultivation of cocoa. With an average production of 60,000 tons per year, the Dominican Republic is one of the world’s top ten cocoa producers and exporters, including organic cocoa; some 75% of exports are destined for the U.S. market.

The article Dominican Republic: Record Breaking Cocoa Exports In 2013 appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By MISNA

Saudi Arabia has repatriated 50,000 Ethiopian migrants since the beginning of the crackdown on irregular workers that was launched at the beginning of November according to Ethiopia’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Dina Mufti , who added that the total number to be repatriated by the end of the airlift, organized to return migrants without papers to their countries of origin will be 80,000.

As part of the protests that erupted in the aftermath of the Saudi measure’s adoption – preceded by a seven-month amnesty during which about 4 million migrants have been able to legalize their presence in the Kingdom – three Ethiopian nationals were killed in clashes with the police.

The Ethiopian government has spent about 2.5 million dollars to repatriate its nationals from Saudi Arabia, most of whom are women working as domestic helpers in private homes.

“Right now we’re focusing on the work needed to bring home our fellow citizens” said Mufti to reporters, who asked whether the Riyadh’s policy would affect bilateral relations. In recent days, a government statement had described relations with the Kingdom as “brotherly”.

Every year hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians, especially women, move to the Middle East in search of work as domestic helpers. In 2012 alone, some 200,000 left Ethiopia for this purpose even though in many cases they have to endure physical and mental abuse, discrimination and degrading working conditions.

With its 91 million inhabitants, Ethiopia is the second most populous country in Africa after Nigeria but also one of the poorest, despite consistently high growth rates in the past two decades. The International Labour Organization (ILO) says that at least 27 % of women and 13% of men are unemployed.

The article 50,000 Ethiopians Repatriated From Saudi Arabia appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By Ria Novosti

The United States has been spying on alleged Islamic radicals’ viewing of online pornography as part of a plan to damage their reputation among potential adherents, according to a new report based on documents from fugitive US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden.

The US National Security Agency has used electronic surveillance to obtain embarrassing sexually explicit information about at least two alleged Islamic extremists whom it describes as engaging in “online promiscuity” that could diminish their authority among audiences for their sermons should the behavior come to light, the Huffington Post reported on its website.

The NSA cites browsing pornographic websites and “using sexually explicit persuasive language when communicating with inexperienced young girls” as behavior that can be used to undermine the authority of Muslims allegedly seeking to convert followers to radical strains of Islam, according to documents leaked by Snowden and published by the Huffington Post.

Other so-called “vulnerabilities” that can be exploited include using donations for personal expenses, charging substantial speaking fees, and using questionable sources or logic in their arguments, the agency states in the documents.

The report is the latest in a series of revelations by Snowden, a computer specialist and former NSA contractor who became the focus of international attention over the summer after he leaked classified evidence of US government surveillance programs to the media.

The leaks have sparked a global firestorm over the agency’s alleged massive collection of data on private individuals in the United States and abroad.

Snowden fled to Hong Kong and then to Moscow, where he was granted temporary asylum in Russia in August despite repeated extradition demands from the United States, where he is wanted on espionage-related charges. He is now living at an undisclosed location in Russia.

The article US Spied On Muslims’ Online Porn Habits – Report appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By CNA

By Kevin J. Jones

Pope Francis’ new document on the “joy” of evangelization is an opportunity for Catholics to re-examine how to share the gospel in today’s world, several Catholic commentators note.

“Pope Francis says the Church has to focus on what is essential and most beautiful, that everyone has to have a personal encounter with the saving grace of Christ,” Vatican media adviser Greg Burke said Nov. 26.

“It’s a wide-ranging document, one that deals with everything from better Sunday homilies to the broadening gap between rich and poor.”

The Pope’s 85-page document, “The Joy of the Gospel,” was released Nov. 26. Also known as “Evangelii Gaudium,” the apostolic exhortation follows the 2012 bishops’ synod on the new evangelization, which was held as part of the Year of Faith.

Father Mark Morozowich, dean of the Catholic University of America’s School of Theology and Religious Studies, called the work “a wonderful call for the entire Church to once again rethink what we’re doing to seed the ever-renewing Spirit and to reach out in evangelization,”

“You can really see the pastor coming through in Pope Francis,” Fr. Morozowich told CNA Nov. 26. “I think he wants that closeness of pastoral life between the bishop and his flock, between the priest and his people.”

He cited the Pope’s comment that evangelizers take on the “smell of the sheep.” The document is written, he noted, “as a pastor would speak to his parishioners” in the Pope’s “invitational style” that is “very approachable.”

Fr. Morozowich said Pope Francis is “calling parishes to renewal” and parish leaders should ask themselves questions like “What more can we do to reach out? How can we invite people? Are we an inviting place?”

Bishop David Ricken of Green Bay, chair of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis, said Pope Francis is showing “how to live the gospels and reach out to the world with what every person needs, a relationship with God.”

“He is leading the word to deeper faith, and the bishops of the United States happily receive this exhortation with faith and look forward to sharing it in our dioceses.”

Carl Anderson, Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus, said the document shows Pope Francis’ “missionary spirit” and is “an important and timely contribution to the cause of the new evangelization.”

“It highlights his belief that the gospel message and loving outreach of the Church are for everyone, that the Church must go outside itself and welcome those on the margins with love and healing in the spirit of Christ himself,” Anderson said Nov. 26.

“If this document is embraced by the Church throughout the world, it could mark a key moment for a reinvigorated new evangelization of our culture, which too often has forgotten the Good News of the Gospel, which is central to our faith.”

Burke said the document is in some ways traditional and has an emphasis on “returning to the essentials.” In other ways, it is “prophetic” as Pope Francis calls for a change to how the papacy and the Vatican work.

Burke noted the document’s treatment of the economy and its critique of “the culture of prosperity which makes people indifferent to the needs of others.”

“The document suggests major changes are on the way, with Francis noting that the Church has to get over an attitude that says ‘we’ve always done it this way,’” the Vatican media adviser said.

The article Pope Francis’ Exhortation Praised As Guide To Christian Outreach appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By UCAN

To absorb quickly the key points in what is a 47,500 word document, ucanews.com highlights some significant sections in the Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium.

This exhortation is sweeping, bold and programmatic. Its status is not that of an encyclical but an apostolic exhortation, which may be deliberate. Pope Paul Vi never wrote another encyclical after Humanae Vitae (in 1968) was widely disputed, preferring instead to write in a less authoritative way so as to invite and persuade, rather than direct and command. The encyclical pattern was resumed by Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI.

Nonetheless, this is clearly a blueprint for his pontificate.

Decentralization of Church governance is the most dramatic innovation, especially the pope’s call to give more juridical power to bishops’ conferences. This seems to overturn the earlier approach favored in the Vatican and outlined in Pope John Paul’s Apostolos Suos. Pope Francis is calling for a re-examination of customs, rules and precepts that have had significant influence in Church governance and operation.

With that as background, here is our selection of key points:

16. Countless issues involving evangelization today might be discussed here, but I have chosen not to explore these many questions which call for further reflection and study. Nor do I believe that the papal magisterium should be expected to offer a definitive or complete word on every question which affects the Church and the world. It is not advisable for the Pope to take the place of local Bishops in the discernment of every issue which arises in their territory. In this sense, I am conscious of the need to promote a sound “decentralization”.

25. I am aware that nowadays documents do not arouse the same interest as in the past and that they are quickly forgotten. Nevertheless, I want to emphasize that what I am trying to express here has a programmatic significance and important consequences. I hope that all communities will devote the necessary effort to advancing along the path of a pastoral and missionary conversion which cannot leave things as they presently are. “Mere administration” can no longer be enough.[21] Throughout the world, let us be “permanently in a state of mission”.[22]

The papacy and the central structures of the universal Church also need to hear the call to pastoral conversion. The Second Vatican Council stated that, like the ancient patriarchal Churches, episcopal conferences are in a position “to contribute in many and fruitful ways to the concrete realization of the collegial spirit”.[36] Yet this desire has not been fully realized, since a juridical status of episcopal conferences which would see them as subjects of specific attributions, including genuine doctrinal authority, has not yet been sufficiently elaborated.[37] Excessive centralization, rather than proving helpful, complicates the Church’s life and her missionary outreach.

43. In her ongoing discernment, the Church can also come to see that certain customs not directly connected to the heart of the Gospel, even some which have deep historical roots, are no longer properly understood and appreciated. Some of these customs may be beautiful, but they no longer serve as means of communicating the Gospel. We should not be afraid to re-examine them. At the same time, the Church has rules or precepts which may have been quite effective in their time, but no longer have the same usefulness for directing and shaping people’s lives. Saint Thomas Aquinas pointed out that the precepts which Christ and the apostles gave to the people of God “are very few”.[47] Citing Saint Augustine, he noted that the precepts subsequently enjoined by the Church should be insisted upon with moderation “so as not to burden the lives of the faithful” and make our religion a form of servitude, whereas “God’s mercy has willed that we should be free”.[48] This warning, issued many centuries ago, is most timely today. It ought to be one of the criteria to be taken into account in considering a the reform of the Church and her preaching which would enable it to reach everyone.

47. The Church is called to be the house of the Father, with doors always wide open. One concrete sign of such openness is that our church doors should always be open, so that if someone, moved by the Spirit, comes there looking for God, he or she will not find a closed door. There are other doors that should not be closed either. Everyone can share in some way in the life of the Church; everyone can be part of the community, nor should the doors of the sacraments be closed for simply any reason. This is especially true of the sacrament which is itself “the door”: baptism. The Eucharist, although it is the fullness of sacramental life, is not a prize for the perfect but a powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak.[51] These convictions have pastoral consequences that we are called to consider with prudence and boldness. Frequently, we act as arbiters of grace rather than its facilitators. But the Church is not a tollhouse; it is the house of the Father, where there is a place for everyone, with all their problems.

104. The reservation of the priesthood to males, as a sign of Christ the Spouse who gives himself in the Eucharist, is not a question open to discussion, but it can prove especially divisive if sacramental power is too closely identified with power in general. It must be remembered that when we speak of sacramental power “we are in the realm of function, not that of dignity or holiness”.[73] The ministerial priesthood is one means employed by Jesus for the service of his people, yet our great dignity derives from baptism, which is accessible to all. The configuration of the priest to Christ the head – namely, as the principal source of grace – does not imply an exaltation which would set him above others. In the Church, functions “do not favour the superiority of some vis-à-vis the others”.[74] Indeed, a woman, Mary, is more important than the bishops. Even when the function of ministerial priesthood is considered “hierarchical”, it must be remembered that “it is totally ordered to the holiness of Christ’s members”.[75] Its key and axis is not power understood as domination, but the power to administer the sacrament of the Eucharist; this is the origin of its authority, which is always a service to God’s people. This presents a great challenge for pastors and theologians, who are in a position to recognize more fully what this entails with regard to the possible role of women in decision-making in different areas of the Church’s life.

118. The Bishops of Oceania asked that the Church “develop an understanding and a presentation of the truth of Christ working from the traditions and cultures of the region” and invited “all missionaries to work in harmony with indigenous Christians so as to ensure that the faith and the life of the Church be expressed in legitimate forms appropriate for each culture”.[94] We cannot demand that peoples of every continent, in expressing their Christian faith, imitate modes of expression which European nations developed at a particular moment of their history, because the faith cannot be constricted to the limits of understanding and expression of any one culture.[95] It is an indisputable fact that no single culture can exhaust the mystery of our redemption in Christ.

143. The challenge of an inculturated preaching consists in proclaiming a synthesis, not ideas or detached values. Where your synthesis is, there lies your heart. The difference between enlightening people with a synthesis and doing so with detached ideas is like the difference between boredom and heartfelt fervour. The preacher has the wonderful but difficult task of joining loving hearts, the hearts of the Lord and his people. The dialogue between God and his people further strengthens the covenant between them and consolidates the bond of charity. In the course of the homily, the hearts of believers keep silence and allow God to speak. The Lord and his people speak to one another in a thousand ways directly, without intermediaries. But in the homily they want someone to serve as an instrument and to express their feelings in such a way that afterwards, each one may chose how he or she will continue the conversation. The word is essentially a mediator and requires not just the two who dialogue but also an intermediary who presents it for what it is, out of the conviction that “what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake” (2 Cor 4:5).

154. The preacher also needs to keep his ear to the people and to discover what it is that the faithful need to hear. A preacher has to contemplate the word, but he also has to contemplate his people. In this way he learns “of the aspirations, of riches and limitations, of ways of praying, of loving, of looking at life and the world, which distinguish this or that human gathering,” while paying attention “to actual people, to using their language, their signs and symbols, to answering the questions they ask”.[120] He needs to be able to link the message of a biblical text to a human situation, to an experience which cries out for the light of God’s word. This interest has nothing to do with shrewdness or calculation; it is profoundly religious and pastoral. Fundamentally it is a “spiritual sensitivity for reading God’s message in events”,[121] and this is much more than simply finding something interesting to say. What we are looking for is “what the Lord has to say in this or that particular circumstance”.[122] Preparation for preaching thus becomes an exercise in evangelical discernment, wherein we strive to recognize – in the light of the Spirit – “a call which God causes to resound in the historical situation itself. In this situation, and also through it, God calls the believer.”[123]

The article Some Key Points From Pope’s Apostolic Exhortation appeared first on Eurasia Review.

By RFA

Myanmar’s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi said Wednesday that it was critical for the country’s powerful armed forces chief to back demands for changes to the constitution, which makes her ineligible for the presidency and reserves a quarter of parliamentary seats for military representatives.

Speaking while on a trip to Australia, the 68-year-old Nobel laureate told a crowd at the Sydney Opera House that Myanmar had still not “successfully taken the path to reform” because the military-written 2008 constitution bars the country from becoming a democracy.

She said that Commander-in-Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing holds great sway on the proposed constitutional reforms considering the fact that the current charter reserves 25 percent of seats in parliament for members of the military and requires a 75 percent parliament majority for a referendum on charter changes.

“The commander-in-chief at any time can decide who represents the military in the legislature. That means, in effect, that the commander-in-chief decides whether or not the constitution can be amended,” she said.

“How can you call a constitution democratic when it can be amended or not amended in accordance with the will of one man who is in an unelected post?”

She said the procedures for making any constitutional amendments in Myanmar were among the most rigid in the world and were just one of many parts of the charter that render it “totally undemocratic.”

“This constitution is preventing our country from becoming a truly democratic nation. We cannot have genuine democracy under such a constitution.”

Aung San Suu Kyi, a longtime prodemocracy campaigner who spent years under house arrest during the former military junta regime, joined parliament last year as the country embraced a series of reforms introduced by President Thein Sein following decades of military rule.

The constitution, which bars her from becoming president on the grounds that her children are British citizens, is a major obstacle to her bid for the country’s top post in the next general elections in 2015.

Any Myanmar national whose relatives are foreign citizens or hold foreign citizenship is not qualified to serve as president or vice-president, the constitution says, in a clause some believe was written by the generals specifically to bar her from the position.

Parliamentary review

Her National League for Democracy party has called for sweeping changes to the document, which is currently under review by parliament.

Aung San Suu Kyi said that unless the country moves forward with constitutional reform, it cannot be considered to be working toward democracy.

“Those of you who think that Burma has successfully taken the path to reform are mistaken,” she said, using another name for Myanmar.

“If Burma is truly to be on the road to democracy, we have to amend this constitution.”

Myanmar ruling party officials have mostly expressed support for constitutional amendments, but with elections just two years away, some observers say the process so far has been slow.

A 109-member committee to review whether the document should be amended or redrawn was formed in June.

It is currently accepting proposals and will report on them in Januarys, a month later than originally scheduled after it extended the deadline earlier this month.

Ethnic-based political parties in Myanmar and armed ethnic rebel groups negotiating cease-fire agreements with the government after decades of military conflict have called for amendments that allow ethnic groups and states greater autonomy.

Some political analysts have said that the military regime drew up the charter with the aim of ensuring its grip on power by including provisions that protected the junta leaders from being accountable for their actions, stifling democracy, and curbing the rights of minority ethnic groups.

In September, Parliamentary Speaker Shwe Mann of the military-backed, ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party said the constitution was designed to foster a smooth transfer of power to a civilian government, dismissing suggestions the generals in fact wanted to maintain their grip on power through the charter.

Reported by RFA’s Myanmar Service. Written in English by Rachel Vandenbrink.

The article Burma: Suu Kyi Says Charter Reform For Democratic Myanmar Depends On Military Chief appeared first on Eurasia Review.