An estimated 4,000 protesters called on Prime Minister Julia Gilliard to abandon her carbon tax plan and allow an immediate election after she had ruled out a carbon tax during her re-election campaign.

“I don’t rule out the possibility of legislating a Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, a market-based mechanism [during the next parliament]. I rule out a carbon tax,” Gilliard told The Australian newspaper during last year’s re-election campaign, after which she won a second term as prime minister.

However, in February, Gilliard announced a plan to implement a fixed price to be imposed on carbon pollution from July 2012. The carbon tax would be placed for three to five years before a complete trading scheme on carbon emissions is implemented and some key issues are further discussed and negotiated.

Tuesday’s rally was organized by the Consumers and Taxpayers Association to mark the first anniversary of Gilliard’s pledge that she would not introduce a carbon tax. The government has meanwhile blamed Tony Abbot, the leader of the Opposition in the Australian House of Representatives, for calling for a “people’s revolt” against the carbon tax.

Abbot was very careful to tell the protesters that, while he supported their opposition to the carbon tax and their call for a fresh election, he did not agree with every sign he saw or all of their opinions. This comes after some signs were considered disrespectful for insulting PM Gilliard in a similar demonstration earlier this year.

Other Members of Parliament also attended the rally and encouraged the protesters to keep up the fight, local media reported. But despite Tuesday’s protest, the carbon tax looks set to pass Parliament in September with the support of the Australian Greens and the three lower house independents.

Next week, truck drivers from all over the country will converge on the capital in an attempt to close down roads around Parliament, in protest against the controversial carbon tax.

David Kravets / Threat Level:

San Francisco Subway Shuts Cell Service to Foil Protest; Legal Debate Ignites  —  BART workers remove a man atop a train during a protest at the Civic Center station in San Francisco last month.  Authorities closed the station where demonstrators condemned the fatal shooting of a man by transit police the week before.

Prime Minister Khanal decided to not resign after a meeting with the ruling parties and the parties supporting the present government. He would instead be making an address to the Legislature-Parliament about the issue of resignation and a political way out on August 15, according to the Himalayan Times.

A statement released by Prime Minister’s Press Advisor, Surya Thapa, said Khanal will discuss at the meeting the issue of reaching a political consensus to form a unity government.

Earlier on Saturday, Prime Minister Khanal made some serious proposals before the meeting of the top leaders of the three major parties for the formation of a government of consensus. However, no agreement was reached.

Khanal announced on August 1 that he would step down if the government failed to conclude major tasks of the peace process and forge consensus by August 13. The prime minister conceded that the parties had failed to implement a number of agreements signed in the last four years and urged his coalition partner, the Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist, and the main opposition, the Nepali Congress, to take his appeal seriously.

Khanal was elected in February after months of political stalemate and was tasked with speeding up the drafting of the new constitution. The parliament met 17 times before choosing the new leader.

A new constitution was a condition of a 2006 peace agreement that the Maoists signed with the government, ending a decade-long civil war.

Hazare wrote to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh ahead of his fast and slammed the conditions imposed by Delhi Police on him for giving permission to fast. He questioned the rule under which restrictions are being imposed on him by police and said that no democracy has such restrictions for a peaceful protest.

The 73-year-old plans to start fasting on August 16 and to continue until the government passes an anti-corruption bill. However, Delhi police only gave him permission to fast for no more than three days. Hazare has refused to sign an undertaking that the fast will end within that period of time.

Earlier this month, supporters of Hazare burned copies of the government’s version of the Lokpal bill and slammed the legislation for exempting the prime minister, the judiciary and lawmakers. They called it the “anti-poor” law for excluding the office of the Prime Minister from the purview of a new ombudsman.

Hazare threatened to continue protesting the exclusion of some recommendations made by civil society representatives from the bill until August 16. The Gandhian social activist went on hunger strike in April to force the government to form a joint panel of ministers and activists to draft the Lokpa bill.

The bill follows a series of corruption scandals involving government officials. Transparency International ranked India, one of few yet to ratify the United Nations convention against corruption, at 78, placing it below neighboring rival China.

The reported cholera epidemic is affecting a highly vulnerable population which has already escaped drought, famine and conflict in their hometowns. At least 181 people have so far died from suspected cholera cases in a single hospital in Mogadishu alone this year and there have been a number of confirmed cholera outbreaks across the country.

“Most [outbreaks] have been declared under control, but alarming rates of confirmed cholera cases among internally displaced people have been reported in Mogadishu,” World Health Organization (WHO) spokesperson Tarek Jasarevic told a news conference in Geneva on Friday.

An estimated 100,000 Somalis have fled to Mogadishu over the past two months in search of food, water, shelter and protection. In addition, the country’s capital was already accommodating more than 370,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) who were forced to leave their homes before the current wave of displacement.

The health of the IDPs in Mogadishu is already vulnerable and the threat of diseases like cholera is particularly high among the malnourished and those living in overcrowded camps for the displaced, the UN warned.

“The key concern is the root cause of cholera, which is related to water and sanitation,” said Michel Yao of the WHO. “Right now with IDPs and population movement, this increases the risk of further spread of the disease because we cannot control population movement.”

“The issue is to make sure that we have an integrated intervention with our water and sanitation partners so that we provide services to minimize the risk of spread,” added Yao.

Somalia has also seen an increase in cases of acute watery diarrhea, which has led to the deaths of at least 11 people, including four children, in Mogadishu, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

To prevent and mitigate the risk of cholera, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is sending cholera kits to areas with rising numbers of acute watery diarrhea. It is also massively scaling up access to water, sanitation and hygiene for those areas of Mogadishu with a high concentration of newly arrived refugees.

Meanwhile, UNHCR stated that the second of three humanitarian flights landed at Mogadishu airport on Thursday, bringing a 32-ton consignment of shelter and other aid items.

The UN agency has been shipping relief supplies to Mogadishu by sea and land, but due to the increasing number of people in need of help, it decided to airlift supplies to save time.

Some 3.7 million people, nearly half the Somali population, are directly at risk of famine and tens of thousands have already perished.
An estimated 12.4 million people in the drought-hit Horn of Africa, which includes Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, are facing severe food shortages and are in need of international assistance.

According to the UN, the drought which is causing the famine in the Eastern Horn of Africa is expected to continue until early 2012, and the number of people in acute livelihood crisis is expected to increase from 8.8 million in the coming months.

Over 3,500 officials have been deployed to count the elephants at 1,500 waterholes and lakes. The census will be conducted over the next two days during which the parks will be closed for visitors.

H.D. Ratnayake, director of the Wildlife Department, said that they are looking for the assistance of Indian and American specialists in order to get accurate figures.

Conservationists boycotted the census after Agrarian Services and Wildlife Minister Chandrasena said that, under a presidential directive, baby elephants that could carry caskets in religious pageants would be identified during the census. The animal welfare groups fear that the census will be used to capture elephants and hand them over to temples for parades and ceremonies.

Sri Lanka’s wild elephant population, which has been reduced in recent years to about 5,000 – 6,000 elephants, is under threat as their habitats are increasingly encroached by the human population.

The final decision to create the new agency will be made on Monday, the Kyodo news agency reported on Saturday, adding that the new entity would be formally set up in April 2012. Last week, the Japanese government had announced its plan, but it was still considering setting up the agency under either the Environment Ministry or the Cabinet Office.

The decision was made as the government has faced strong criticism due to the country’s handling of the nuclear disaster that began since the March 11 earthquake and ensuing tsunami. Kan has been pushing for separation of Japan’s Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency from the industry ministry as it promotes the use of nuclear energy.

Following the agreement, the government will now be setting up a preliminary panel as early as this month in order to submit related legislation during January’s ordinary parliamentary session, Kyodo reported.

Japan’s nuclear crisis began when the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was severely damaged on March 11 when a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and a subsequent tsunami devastated the country. The disaster disabled the cooling systems of the plant and radioactive elements leaked into the sea and were later found in water, air and food products in some parts of Japan. Subsequent power shortages throughout the country have further complicated recovery efforts.

At least 23,482 people were killed while 8,069 people remain missing as a result of the earthquake and tsunami. There are still more than 88,000 people who are staying in shelters in 21 prefectures around Japan.

Wang Lihong was arrested on March 21 on charges of “assembling a crowd to block traffic or undermine traffic order” amid a government crackdown on dissent which is likely to stem from fears among China’s leaders that the country could empathize with democracy protests carried out recently in the Middle East and North Africa.

The 56-year old activist pleaded not guilty to the charges which relate to her participation in a peaceful protest in April 2010 in support of three internet activists from Fujian province who were charged with defamation for posting questions online about an alleged police cover-up in the death of a young woman.

Wang Lihong’s lawyers said they had limited access to her case documents, in violation of legal provisions on lawyers’ rights, and that during the trial, which only lasted a few hours, they did not have enough time to present a proper defense as they were interrupted by the judge repeatedly.

The court verdict is expected within a month but if convicted, Wang Lihong could face up to five years in prison. “Wang Lihong is one of many Chinese activists locked up in recent months on spurious charges, simply for exercising their right to peaceful freedom of expression,” said Catherine Baber, Asia-Pacific Deputy Director at Amnesty International. “Her trial is a farce and she should be released immediately.”

Amnesty International also warned about Lihong’s health condition which has deteriorated after several months in detention. “The Chinese authorities must ensure Wang Lihong has access to the legal representation of her choice, and that she is not tortured or ill-treated in custody,” Catherine Baber said.

Wang Lihong is a widely known human rights activist who has often provided help and support to fellow activists and their families. Many activists across the country have been campaigning for Wang Lihong’s release and, on Friday, they gathered outside the court room in Beijing to express their support.

“It is with deep regret that, once again, I received information of the publicly stated intention of the Israeli government to continue settlement expansion in East Jerusalem,” said Ashton, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the Commission.

Ashton underlined that the EU has repeatedly called on Israel to end all settlement activity, including natural growth, and to dismantle outposts erected since March 2001.

However, on Wednesday night, Israel’s Interior Minister Eli Yishai approved the construction of 1,600 new apartments in the Ramat Shlomo haredi neighborhood, located in northeastern Jerusalem. Furthermore, the ministry is expected to approve two more construction projects in eastern Jerusalem next week of more than 2,500 new housing units.

“Settlement activity threatens the viability of an agreed two-state solution and undermines ongoing efforts to resume negotiations,” Ashton added.

On Thursday, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Robert Serry noted that the Quartet – the diplomatic group comprising the UN, the European Union, Russia and the United States that seeks a peace based on two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side – already condemned the plan when its initial planning stage was announced last year.

“If confirmed, this provocative action undermines ongoing efforts by the international community to bring the parties back to negotiations,” Serry stated.

In 1967, East Jerusalem was captured by Israel during the Six-Day War, when it also occupied the West Bank and Gaza, which the Palestinians seek as constituent parts of their State. Palestinians, meanwhile, have expressed their desire of making East Jerusalem the capital of their future State.

Last week, Israel also announced that a separate housing project was approved in which 900 additional units would be built in another settlement in East Jerusalem.

Israel’s refusal last September to extend a 10-month freeze on settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territory prompted the Palestinians to withdraw from direct talks with the Israelis. Despite repeated calls by the international community to resume negotiations, the peace process has been in a deadlock since then.

Robert Serry, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, expressed alarm at Israel’s plans and noted that the Quartet – the diplomatic grouping of the UN, the European Union, Russia and the United States – condemned it when its initial planning stage was announced last year.

“If confirmed, this provocative action undermines ongoing efforts by the international community to bring the parties back to negotiations,” Serry said.

Israel on Thursday announced plans to develop new units in East Jerusalem, which the Palestinians want as capital of their future State, including 1,600 units in Ramat Shlomo. The announcement comes after Israel lifted last September a 10-month freeze on settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territory.

Israeli-Palestinian peace talks have been stalled since Israel refused to extend the freeze. Palestine demanded a stop to settlement construction in the East Jerusalem and West Bank area as a key element for continuing peace talks, aimed at reaching a two-state solution based in the 1967 Green Line.

Serry said that the announcement comes only one week after a separate decision by the Israeli government to build 900 additional housing units in another settlement in East Jerusalem, which was criticized by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. He added that he would take up the latest issue with the Quartet, which is seeking peace based on two states, Israel and Palestine.

East Jerusalem was captured by Israel during the Six-Day War in 1967, when it also occupied the West Bank and Gaza, which the Palestinians seek as constituent parts of their State.

Ali Aujali, the U.S. envoy for Libya’s National Transitional Council (TNC), was formally accredited on Thursday as the head of the Libyan mission in Washington. Aujali previously served as the Libyan Ambassador to the United States, under the regime of Muammar Gaddafi, but resigned in February and has since represented the opposition in the U.S. capital.

“This is a message that Gaddafi can no more rule Libya,” Aujali said in a phone interview with CNN. “The recognition of this embassy under the leadership of the TNC is a clear message to the regime the U.S. recognizes the council and they recognize the new Libya.”

Aujali spoke with U.S. State Department officials on Thursday about the Obama administration’s efforts to help the TNC gain access to some $ 30 billion in frozen Libyan assets, CNN reported. The re-opening of the embassy will also allow Aujali to regain control of the embassy’s frozen bank account, worth about $ 13 million.

The U.S. State Department in March ordered the Libyan Embassy closed and expelled diplomats loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. On July 15, the United States recognized the rebel movement based in Benghazi as Libya’s rightful government.

The latest move comes after TNC Chairman Mustafa Abdel Jalil dismissed the rebels’ 14-member executive board following the death of a rebel government’s military commander on July 28. Concerns about the mysterious assassination have created internal strife between feuding rebel groups.

On Tuesday, the Libyan embassy in London re-opened under the authority of the TNC. The UK Embassy is being headed by the TNC Charge d’Affairs Mahmud Nacua.

Libya is currently in the midst of a civil war which has so far claimed at least 2,000 lives since the unrest began in February. Other estimates put the death toll from all sides, including civilians, at up to 10,000. An estimated 630,000 people have fled the country so far, with more than 10,000 evacuated from the troubled city of Misrata.

Libyan forces have been accused of violently cracking down on anti-government protesters. NATO took control of foreign military operations in Libya on March 31 under UN Security Council Resolution 1973, which authorizes member states to take ‘all necessary measures’ to protect civilians.

“The decision on clemency was taken following the requests from these persons, taking into account the fact that they recognized the illegality of their actions, pleaded guilty and repented sincerely,” the statement said.

More than 600 citizens of Belarus were detained after the December 19 demonstration in central Minsk following the reelection of President Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled the country for more than 15 years. The United States and the European Union imposed sanctions on Belarus over the post-election crackdown.

Most of the detainees were charged with administrative offenses, but dozens of criminal cases were initiated over the protests, including several against former presidential candidates.

In addition, hundreds of people were arrested throughout Belarus last month for taking part in street protests against Lukashenko’s government and its economic policies. The former Soviet republic has been gripped by a severe financial crisis and was forced to devalue its currency by 36 percent in May.

“The decision on clemency was taken following the requests from these persons, taking into account the fact that they recognized the illegality of their actions, pleaded guilty and repented sincerely,” the statement said.

More than 600 citizens of Belarus were detained after the December 19 demonstration in central Minsk following the reelection of President Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled the country for more than 15 years. The United States and the European Union imposed sanctions on Belarus over the post-election crackdown.

Most of the detainees were charged with administrative offenses, but dozens of criminal cases were initiated over the protests, including several against former presidential candidates.

In addition, hundreds of people were arrested throughout Belarus last month for taking part in street protests against Lukashenko’s government and its economic policies. The former Soviet republic has been gripped by a severe financial crisis and was forced to devalue its currency by 36 percent in May.

Yutthasak told reporters that his Cambodian counterpart had called him to request the meeting of the General Border Committee (GBC). He said he will move ahead on the request once the new Thai government delivers its policy statement to Parliament, which is due within 15 days.

“[Cambodian Defense Minister] Tea Banh told me that Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen wanted the two countries’ defense ministries to hold border talks first,” Yutthasak said, adding that he believed after the meeting the situation will gradually improve and he would pave the way for a summit between Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and her counterpart.

“The border talks will focus on reducing troops at the border, allowing both Thais and Cambodians living along the border area to lead a normal life. That will be a win-win situation for us both,” he said.

Both Cambodia and Thailand claim the 4.6 square kilometer (1.7 square miles) area near the ancient Preah Vihear temple on their shared border, which has never been formally established. Cambodia requested Indonesian observers to mediate in the conflict but Thailand denied.

Tensions first escalated between the two countries in July 2008 following the build-up of military forces near the 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple. The United Nations Security Council urged both sides to establish a permanent ceasefire after at least 10 people were killed.

Clashes resumed earlier this year as both nations claim the lands surrounding the ancient Hindu Temple, which has been damaged due to the conflict. The Preah Vihear temple dates back to the 11th century and is located on the Cambodian side of the border.

In 2008, the temple was inscribed on the World Heritage List in recognition of its outstanding universal value. It is considered an outstanding example of Khmer architecture and consists of a complex of sanctuaries linked by pavements and staircases on an 800-meter-long axis.

UN Special Representative to Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Margot Wallström, said in a statement on Thursday that she is concerned over reports that women and girls fleeing famine in Somalia were being raped or abducted and forced into marriage by bandits and other armed groups as they tried to reach refugee camps in Kenya.

“Once they cross the Somalia-Kenya border or reach Dadaab – the world’s largest refugee settlement – their hopes of finding a safe haven are often overshadowed by new dangers and hardships, including the risk of rape,” said Wallström.

Wallström said that the UN office has also received alarming information about alleged rapes by Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government (TFG) forces and allied militias in south-central Somalia. In addition, her office has heard that Al-Shabaab militants, who are fighting to overthrow the government of Somalia, were abducting girls for forced marriage to fighters.

“I call on all parties to the conflict to immediately cease these gross violations of human rights,” Wallström stressed. She commended the Kenyan authorities for the efforts to respond to the influx of tens of thousands of Somali refugees and urged the donor community to increase support to the Kenyan Government, UN agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) responding to the crisis.

“There is an urgent need for services to be provided to survivors of sexual violence and for effective camp management to minimize the risks facing women and girls. We should also improve monitoring and reporting on sexual violence to better inform our actions,” pledged Wallström.

According to humanitarian agencies, an estimated 3.7 million people, nearly half of them from Somalia, are directly at risk of famine and tens of thousands have already perished, with 13 children out of every 10,000 under the age of five dying every day from malnutrition and famine-related diseases.

According to the UN, the drought which is causing the famine in the Eastern Horn of Africa is expected to continue until early 2012, and the number of people in acute livelihood crisis is expected to increase from 8.8 million in the coming months.

Guillaume Ngefa, the acting human rights chief in the UN Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI), told a news conference that despite these violent incidents, the security situation in Ivory Coast’s main city of Abidjan is improving.

Abidjan was a focal point of months of deadly violence when former president Laurent Gbagbo refused to step down after losing last year’s UN-certified election to Alassane Ouattara, who was finally installed as president in April.

Ngefa explained to a news conference in Abidjan the human rights abuses which have been perpetrated in both north and south of the country. “Violations committed include proven cases of summary, extrajudicial executions, illegal arrests and detention, the freeing of people in return for cash, extortion, and criminal rackets against numerous drivers,” Ngefa said of the abuses perpetrated in the southern region.

Ngefa voiced concern at violent clashes between the army and young villagers in several areas, denouncing “acts of intimidation, extortion and numerous obstacles to free movement committed by army elements.” The UNOCI chief said cruel and inhuman treatment and violation of property rights have also been perpetrated against ethnic groups such as the Bété, Bakwé, Attié and Ebrié.

In the North, Ngefa cited routine rights abuses such as criminal rackets and arbitrary arrests as State functions like tax collection, mining and customs still remain in the hands of army elements who justifies “this kind of ransom” by claiming it is their sole source of revenue and they do not intend to end it.

Despite these human rights abuses, former president Gbabgo, his wife, and other regime members who are being held in detention centers in the North, did not complain of any torture, Nefgha said after visiting them.

He also observed improvement in the hygienic and physical conditions at the detention centers where the walls leak during the rains.

In another development, as part of its effort to disarm the warring factions outside the regular army, UNOCI collected on Wednesday the weapons and munitions of nearly 90 members of the Ouermi Amadé group some 540 kilometers (335 miles) northwest of Abidjan.

An armed rebellion in 2002 split the country into a Government-controlled south and a rebel-held north. The UN certified election won by Ouattara in 2010 reunited the country again. However, before Ouattara could be sworn in as legitimate president, violent tensions shook the country for five months as former president Gbadbo refused to step down. The fighting killed more than 1,000 people and left up to one million Ivoirians displaced.

Karzai has been in power for nearly a decade since the Taliban regime was removed in late 2001 as a result of the U.S.-led invasion. He was initially chosen to serve as Chairman of the Interim Administration and, in December 2004, elected to serve a five-year term as president.

His second tenure began in November 2009 after he was re-elected in late August with 49.67 percent of the vote, although these results have been criticized in both Afghanistan and abroad as being marred by widespread fraud.

“The constitution of Afghanistan does not allow the president to run for a third time,” Karzai said in a press statement. He said he does not intend to find a way to run for a third time because it would not be in the best interest of the country.

The statement was issued in response to allegations from Afghan lawmakers who claimed Karzai would abuse his authority to enable himself to run for a third time. But Karzai said he would personally see it as a major success if someone else is elected who is acceptable to all Afghans.

Karzai’s second term ends in late 2014.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon lamented the lack of progress in efforts to resolve Libya’s ongoing conflict and called for a political solution. In a conversation with Libyan Prime Minister Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi, Ban said he was “very troubled” that there had been an absolute lack of progress in the efforts to find a politically negotiated solution to the crisis, despite the efforts of his Special Envoy, Abdel-Elah Al-Khatib.

In addition, Ban said all sides must commit to a political process and urged al-Mahmoudi to respond constructively to the Special Envoy’s ideas. He also expressed concern regarding the loss of innocent civilian lives as a result of the fighting and the lack of medical supplies and fuel, which added greater urgency to the need to address the humanitarian needs of the Libyan people.

Libya has been engulfed in fighting since a pro-democracy movement opposed to the regime of Muammar Gaddafi emerged in February following similar protests in Tunisia, Egypt and other countries across North Africa and the Middle East.

UN officials have repeatedly stated that a ceasefire tied to transitional arrangements which address the aspirations of the Libyan people is the only sustainable political solution to the crisis. However, the parties remain divided on how to reach a political solution to the conflict, which has caused an estimated 630,000 people to flee Libya since February and displaced another 200,000 within the country.

Contrary to Libyan media reports, however, the Secretary-General, who is currently on an official visit to North Korea, did not say he would invite the Security Council to convene a special session, the UN said.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said that despite the euphoria following Nazaruddin’s arrest, the timing of his return is not yet known. “The plan is that on August 10, at 5 p.m. local time, Nazaruddin will be handed over by Colombian prosecutors to Colombian immigration. From there, immigration will hand him over to the Indonesian government,” Marty said at the State Palace.

In a press conference, Colombian police officials said they had been awaiting a formal diplomatic extradition request from Jakarta. Colombia and Indonesia do not have an extradition treaty but relations between the two countries are strong, according to the newspaper.

Marty however said the Indonesian government has already submitted all the documents requested by Colombia for Nazaruddin’s extradition. He added that a team has already arrived in the Colombian capital of Bogota to handle to deportation.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono previously ordered all measures to be taken to ensure Nazaruddin’s swift return to the country, given that some felt “uncomfortable” with his arrest.

Nazaruddin, former treasurer of the governing Democratic Party, was officially named a suspect late June in a bribery case involving an athletes’ village project in Jakabaring, Palembang. Nazaruddin allegedly accepted bribes worth almost $ 3 million from a company which won a contract for athlete housing at the South East Asian Games, which will be held in Indonesia in November.

Indonesia’s Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) officials previously requested a travel ban on Nazaruddin, but he fled to Singapore on May 23, a day before the directorate general of immigration at the Law and Human Rights Ministry issued the ban.

In July, the Interpol listed him in its Red Notice list to seek his arrest or provisional arrest with a view to extradition. Nazaruddin was arrested on Sunday by Interpol Agents at Rafael Nunez International Airport in the resort city of Cartagena as he was trying to board a plane bound for Bogota, supposedly with the intention of watching a match in the FIFA Under-20 football tournament.

Colombia police said Nazaruddin had entered the country on a charter flight from Washington, D.C., while Indonesian authorities had earlier asserted that he had come via Madrid and Dominica, an island nation in the Caribbean Sea.

Michel Gbagbo, who has both French and Ivorian nationalities, was charged along with other close allies of his father, including former prime minister and head of Gbagbo’s Ivorian Popular Front (PFI), Pascal Affi N’Guessan.

All the key figures arrested along with Gbagbo in April have now been charged, except for the former president himself and his wife Simone. The 12 Gbagbo allies have been charged with taking part in an armed insurrection and attempting to undermine the state.

The group is being held in separate towns in the north, which is a stronghold of current President Alassane Ouattara. Officials have said they could also face an investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

But Gbagbo’s lawyer, Herve Gouamane, condemned the charges saying the lawyers were not informed. “At the same time they talk about reconciliation they go after those who were close to Gbagbo and they’re attacked simply for being linked to Gbagbo,” Gouamane told the BBC.

26 other allies of Gbagbo had already been charged while international arrest warrants have been issued for those who have fled overseas. These include militant youth leader Charles Ble Goude and Kone Malachie, a self-proclaimed prophet who told the former president he was God’s appointed ruler of Ivory Coast.

President Ouattara has always insisted that those on both sides of the political divide should face justice if they committed crimes during the five-month post-election dispute. But so far, none of his supporters have been arrested or charged, even though human rights groups have accused some of them of killing people suspected of backing Gbagbo.

An armed rebellion in 2002 split the country into a Government-controlled south and a rebel-held north. Since then, peace deals have alternated with renewed violence as the country has slowly edged its way towards a political resolution of the conflict.

However, the presidential elections in late 2010 led the country to a new crisis when Alassane Ouattara won the UN certified poll and incumbent leader Laurent Gbagbo refused to accept defeat. The five-month fighting killed as many as 3,000 people and left up to 1 million Ivoirians displaced.

The impasse ended in April when forces loyal to Ouattara entered Abidjan and captured Gbagbo with the backing of UN and French troops. Ouattara was sworn in as the country’s legitimate president in May 2011.

Willem van der Bijl, 59, who is the owner of a post stamp collection shop in the Dutch city of Utrecht, traveled to the Asian country in early July to buy North Korean stamps and paintings. He was scheduled to fly back to the Netherlands on July 30 but never took the flight.

A report from the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on July 25 said Van der Bijl had visited a polling station on July 24 when North Koreans voted in local elections. “Wim van der Bijl from [the] Netherlands noted his visit to the polling station helped him know better about the reality of the DPRK,” KCNA reported.

But a posting on the website of the state-run Pyongyang Times on Wednesday showed a small photo of Van der Bijl along with a brief personal message about the elections. He said it is his 24th visit to the country, which is officially known as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).

“Looking round the poll, I have been greatly impressed by the free and democratic elections and I have had a better understanding of the DPRK’s reality,” Van der Bijl said, according to the newspaper. “In the DPRK every citizen is eligible to vote and to be elected. Those who have worked a lot for the people are elected as deputies.”

Van der Bijl, who is a known admirer of North Korea and its propaganda paintings, described the election system in the country as ‘really excellent.’ “What I’d like to say more is that whenever I visit the country I can see more and more modern structures rising here and there. And I realize the developing reality of the country,” he added.

It is unknown if Van der Bijl is the actual writer of the opinion piece as he has not contacted his family since July 18, which is unusual. The article said Van der Bijl will return to North Korea in 2012 to commemorate the 100th birthday of the late President Kim Il Sung. His family has confirmed that Van der Bijl was planning to return to North Korea next year.

A spokesperson for the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs previously confirmed that Van der Bijl had been reported missing by his family. “It is very difficult to request the government in North Korea to search the man. The nearest embassy is in Switzerland’s Bern,” the spokesperson said. “It is a difficult country, but we are working hard on this. But it is a worrying case.”

During the local elections in North Korea last month, all voters approved the candidates who ran unopposed. Residents in the Asian country are legally required to vote during elections unless they have left the country with approval or if they work at sea. And although voters can vote against the candidate by picking up a red pen, doing so would result in immediate arrest and severe sentences.

Tsunami warning focal points of 31 countries in the region were involved in the test of the system, which was initiated under the direction of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) in 2005.

A test message was set via e-mail, fax and the Global Telecommunications System from the Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute (KOERI) in Turkey to the 31 focal points. Early results show the messages were well received within a few minutes of being sent.

“The purpose of the test was to ensure the effective communication between potential regional and national tsunami warning focal points,” said Ocal Necmioglu, co-chair of the Tsunami Early Warning and Mitigation System for the North-eastern Atlantic, the Mediterranean and connected seas (NEAMTWS) and lead scientist for Wednesday’s exercise.

The success of this first test paves the way for the establishment of regional tsunami warning centers. The first two, Turkey’s KOERI and the Atomic Energy Center in France, should be operational in 2012 when a more exhaustive test will be conducted. Others are planned for Greece, Italy and Portugal at a later date.

“This past decade alone has shown us the terrible destructive power of earthquakes and tsunami on several occasions,” said UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova. “Today’s test represents a significant step towards improving security for the lives of tens of millions of people in the North-eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean, and meeting UNESCO’s ambition of establishing early warning systems globally.”

The NEAMTWS is one of four regional systems which are coordinated by the IOC globally. Similar systems already exist for the Pacific and Indian oceans and for the Caribbean.

Rodion Kireyev, a judge at the Pechersky District Court who is presiding the case, rejected a petition by Tymoshenko’s lawyer to release her from custody. Kireyev had already rejected three petitions on changing the measure of restraint against the former premier.

Tymoshenko was arrested on August 5 during a court hearing over charges of abuse of power in connection with a 2009 gas deal with Russia. She says the charges against her are politically motivated.

The arrest came after prosecutor Lilia Frolova asked the court to keep Tymoshenko, who had only faced travel restrictions, in custody, saying that she had obstructed the investigation into the case.

The former prime minister is accused of illegally forcing state energy company Naftogaz to sign a gas supply contract with Russian gas company Gazprom in 2009, which the state says required approval of the Cabinet of Ministers. The agreement ended a three-week standoff between Russia and Ukraine over the price of natural gas.

Tymoshenko, the country’s top opposition leader, has criticized her trial as an attempt by President Viktor Yanukovych, who narrowly beat her in the presidential election in February 2010, to bar her from future elections.

Professor Pham Minh Hoang, a math lecturer, was accused of writing articles which “blackened the image of the country” during a trial in Ho Chi Minh City. Hoang, however, told the court that his writings were not aimed at overthrowing anyone.

Hoang, who is a member of the banned U.S.-based opposition group Viet Tan, had joined other activists in criticizing a Chinese-backed bauxite mine in Vietnam’s Central Highlands, which they believe has caused environmental degradation in the area.



”To imprison a blogger for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression is outrageous. The authorities should immediately release Professor Hoang, and stop their harsh crackdown on peaceful government critics and activists,” said Donna Guest, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for the Asia-Pacific. 



“Tuesday’s sentence, and the continuing arrests of activists and bloggers paint an increasingly bleak picture of freedom of expression and association in Vietnam,” Hoang added.

Pham Minh Hoang’s family has said he will appeal against the sentence.

Deputy Interior Minister Rodrigo Ubilla said a total of 396 people were arrested across the country on Tuesday after hundreds of thousands of people protested against the government of President Sebastian Piñera. At least 55 police officers and 23 civilians were also injured during the demonstrations, the La Tercera newspaper reported.

Students, teachers and other education workers have participated in massive demonstrations in the last several weeks, demanding more government funding and a fundamental change in the educational system. After Tuesday’s protest, which was considered one of the largest demonstrations in the country’s political history since the end of the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990), Ubilla reiterated his call for the organizers of the protests to establish a dialogue to reach an agreement on education.

At least 874 people were arrested last week during similar protests across the country. Chilean students have been protesting to demand an end to privatized education in the country and ask for a government that can guarantee full access, quality and funding of public education at all its levels.