Cholera outbreak in Uzbekistan

Cholera bacteria

Cholera outbreak in Uzbekistan. Is it for real or it's just another rumor?
The government denyes the Cholera epidemy. But may that cost the health of their nation?


Uznews - Through its media service, Jahon, the Uzbek foreign ministry appears to be denying claims that Uzbekistan is experiencing an outbreak of cholera. The ministry of health in Uzbekistan and the state epidemiological surveillance unit are also refuting reports of a cholera outbreak and are doing nothing to prevent the spread of the disease.


“If we announce a cholera diagnosis, then we immediately have to organise quarantine, and nobody wants that” said one doctor in the Tinchlik village hospital in Yangiyul district, Tashkent. "Quarantine", he says, "means that villages and towns where cholera has been identified have to be ‘shut down’, and clean drinking water has to be supplied, which is an extremely costly operation for the district authorities, especially in villages like Tinchlik."


Hardly surprising to find cholera.


“We haven’t had clean water for 20 years. The old water pipes have crumbled but nobody has ever replaced them” said Akramkhodzh Mukhiddinov, member of the Human Rights Alliance of Uzbekistan (PAU) and also a resident of Tinchlik. 


Mukhiddinov claims that many people who have their own transport bring drinking water from Yangiyul or Tashkent, but most people take water from waterways running through the area.


“People take water from the irrigation channels, then boil it and drink it. There is no alternative when there is no clean mains water” says Mukhiddinov. He claims that people most at risk of contracting cholera are those who take water from the Boz-Su river. “A 45-year-old man, who drank water from this river, died recently in our village” Mukhiddinov says.


The human rights campaigner believes that, given the living conditions in Tinchlik and its neighbouring settlements, it would be amazing if an outbreak of cholera did not happen here.


Health ministry denies the outbreak.


Meanwhile, Uzbekistan’s health ministry and foreign affairs ministry are categorically denying reports of a cholera outbreak.


“When you present them with concrete facts about people dying from an illness, the symptoms of which are extremely similar to those of cholera, ministry of health civil servants don’t respond, claiming that they have heard of no such instances.” One Tashkent journalist remarked.


Uzbekistan’s state epidemiological service also denies the outbreak of cholera.


“We are currently running a campaign to vaccinate children against measles and German measles, but have heard nothing about cholera. If there were cases, we would have made statements about this” said one employee of the state epidemiological surveillance service in Chilanzar district, Tashkent.


“The symptoms of cholera – vomiting and diarrhoea – are similar to those of other intestinal illnesses, and it is possible that people are mistaken about what is actually wrong” an employee of the epidemiological surveillance unit speculated. When asked about cholera, the source asked us not to use his name.

Uzbekistan flag

So, what is really happening in Uzbekistan?


Despite official denials, many doctors are saying confidentially that there are cases of cholera now in Uzbekistan. They do not hide the fact that people have died from an intestinal illness, the name of which doctors will not spell out to their relatives.


“I am convinced my husband died of cholera after he swam in the Boz-Su river” says Mukhabbat, a 30-year-old Tashkent resident.


The outbreak of cholera would appear to be confirmed, at least, by events in Yangiyul district and in Yangiyul hospital, where, in mid-August, dozens of people arrived each day with symptoms of this disease – not only vomiting and diarrhoea but also severe dehydration. Previously, the Almazarsk district of Tashkent had experienced cholera-like illness, also linked to water from the Boz-Su river.


“It is very easy to explain why information about a cholera outbreak is being hushed up, and you can see this in the text of the foreign ministry’s statement” said one Tashkent doctor, who also asked to not to be named.


“As a member of the World Health Organisation, Uzbekistan has to update the European regional office of this body round-the-clock, but if it did inform WHO about these circumstances, WHO would send out a special commission which would see for itself the terrible living conditions of those people who have contracted cholera” he said.


“Will our government allow that to happen?” an Uznews source asks, adding that as winter approaches, the cholera bacteria will become less active, and the cover-up may therefore outlast the outbreak.

14 Killed From Suicide Bombing in Pakistan

Map of Pakistan

A suicide bombing in southwestern Pakistan left 14 people dead and 20 others injured Wednesday, police said.


Wednesday's blast took place in the city of Quetta, a militant hotspot close to the Afghan border.


Abdullah Afridi, a senior police official in the city of Quetta, said a suicide bomber tried to enter in the residence of a senior official of the Frontier Corps - a paramilitary force - and blew himself up when the soldiers fired at him.


Police officer Hamid Shakil says the target was a group of Frontier Corps soldiers standing outside a government building in the city. City commissioner Quetta Nasim Lehri says there were soldiers among the 14 people killed.


Quetta is the capital of Balochistan province, which has been a hotbed for militancy.


Recently, Pakistan's military announced it apprehended three al-Qaeda leaders from the suburbs of Quetta with the help of paramilitary forces.


The military said the Frontier Corps helped nab the three al-Qaeda leaders.


Islamist militants are waging war against the Western-allied Pakistani state. Several thousand people have been killed since 2007.

Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Katy Perry, Britney Spears and BSB banned in China

Katy Perry, Britney Spears, Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Britney Spears, Beyonce, Backstreet Boys and others pose a threat to China, that country’s ministry of culture has determined.


China's Ministry of Culture has a blacklist, where you can find the names of some of the most famous music artist and their most loved songs.
Over 100 songs have been banned, for being in “poor taste” and “vulgar”.


Apparently, in China, the Ministry of Culture put out a list of songs that are illegal to distribute because they supposedly threaten the country's "national cultural security". 

Backstreet Boys

Six Lady Gaga songs made the list and Katy Perry, Owl City, Christina Aguilera, Simple Plan, Eminem, Beyonce, Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys also garnered song bans. Other song also disallowed is "Jingle Bells". Oddly enough, the Batman remix of the popular Christmas tune is nowhere to be found.


Lady Gaga tracks, including “The Edge of Glory” and “Judas”, are cited, as well as Katy Perry’s “Last Friday Night” and Britney Spear's “Burning Up”.


“Run the World (Girls)” from Beyonce is also prohibited from online distribution, along with “I Want It That Way” - a Backstreet Boys hit from 12 years ago.


A notice from the ministry said the songs had not been submitted for approval. A 2009 directive designed to tackle "poor taste and vulgar content" as well as copyright violations said all hosted tracks had to be cleared by officials.


The new announcement appears to apply to legal streaming and download services as well as illicit ones. It warned that unauthorised tracks – as well as unregistered sites – disturbed the online market for music and harmed national cultural security, adding that sites should carry out "self-inspection and self-correction".


Sites which do not remove the content before 15 September will be prosecuted, unless the songs are submitted for approval. Only their owners can do that.


How the officials picked out the 100 titles on the list remains a mystery. Although some are recent releases, the Backstreet Boys track is already 12 years old. Katy Perry's "Last Friday Night" has lyrics about streaking in a park, drinking shots and a menage a trois, and Beyonce's "Run the World (Girls)" includes the implied profanity of the line: "We run this mutha". But other choices – such as the Backstreet Boys' hit or Britney Spear's "Burning Up" – are hardly racy. Most of the condemned songs are from Taiwan or Hong Kong – such as Yu Wenle's superbly titled "You Say I'm Too Handsome" – but Lady Gaga leads the field with no fewer than six banned tracks: "The Edge of Glory", "Hair", "Marry the Night", "Americano", "Judas" and "Bloody Mary".


Other outlawed titles by western artists include four by Canadian rockers Simple Plan, three by US electronic act Owl City and three by American singer-songwriter Natalie Walker.


Music sites cannot submit the songs for approval as only the owners of the material can do so. The ministry of culture did not respond to queries about the list.


This is the third year China has released a list of banned songs.


There is no published criteria for how a track gets listed, but the Chinese government insists that the content has to be cleared with them before music sites can post it.


Tracks by Eminem, Christina Aguilera and Kylie Minogue fell foul of a sweep by the ministry earlier this year. In April, officials said they would punish 14 sites that had provided illegal downloads. The ministry also controls events such as concerts. In 2006 it reportedly banned the Rolling Stones from singing such risque numbers as "Let's Spend the Night Together" and "Honky Tonk Women" when they played in China – though apparently "Start Me Up" slipped past the censors.

Norway Terror Attack Suspect Faces Second Interrogation

The suspect - Anders Behring Breivik

CNN - Police are preparing to interview Anders Behring Breivik, the suspect in last week's terrorist attacks in Norway, for a second time on Friday.


Anders Behring Breivik is the suspect for the twin terror attacks in Norway. He's suspected of detonating a bomb outside governments buildings and opening fire at summer camp. Breivik appeared in court on Monday.


Breivik, who is being kept in solitary confinement at Ila Prison, near Oslo, was last interviewed Saturday, a day after a bomb blast outside government buildings in the Norwegian capital and a mass shooting on the island of Utoya claimed at least 76 lives. The prison held Nazi prisoners during World War II. "We are giving him pillow, sheet and shelter for a few weeks," the prison governor said.


Police attorney Pal-Frederick Hjort Kraby said police had since gained a considerable amount of new information and were ready to question Breivik again at police headquarters. He is likely to face more interrogations in the coming weeks.


Meanwhile, the search for more victims of Friday's shooting rampage on Utoya island has ended, Police Chief Johan Fredriksen said Thursday. However, later in the day, the police website said the search in the water around the island was ongoing. More than 50 investigators remained on the island and will likely remain there for several more weeks, officials said.


A key question is whether Breivik acted alone. "At this moment in time we don't think there are more people involved in this action, and we don't know whether there are more bombs," said Janne Kristiansen, director of the Norwegian intelligence police. But she downplayed the possibility of further carnage. "We think, more than likely, he has been on his own and nothing is going to happen here," she said. "So people should go on living their lives."


Technicians and explosives experts were still trying to figure out how big the bomb was that rocked a government building in downtown Oslo, killing eight people. Authorities had not yet determined whether the building could be restored or would need to be rebuilt, Kristiansen said.


She said Breivik acted lawfully during his preparations, registering his weapons and using his farm as a front to collect the fertilizer that powered the bomb. His meticulousness extended to his communications with others, even in his Internet messages, which were "very moderate," she said. 
"He has been what we call a lone wolf," she added. "With a lone wolf, they always operate alone, having no accomplices anywhere, and this is, obviously, what he has done."
But, she added, "We believe that he might have had contacts in the rest of the world and we're investigating this."


His primary goal: "The focus from the world press, which he now has," Kristiansen said. "He's totally evil, and he's using us, and he's using you -- especially the media -- to bring forward his voice."


Sixty-eight people are confirmed dead in the attack on the island, where a summer camp for the Labour Party's youth movement was taking place. As of Thursday, authorities had released the identities of 41 of the dead.


Breivik has admitted carrying out the bombing in Oslo, in which eight people died, and the shootings on Utoya, his lawyer and a judge have said. He has also pleaded not guilty.


He currently has contact only with his lawyer and the prison staff who take him food, Kraby said. The investigation is complex and it will likely be months before Breivik comes to trial, the lawyer added.


The suspect had spent a lot of time and money preparing for the attacks, the lawyer said, so it was important to be careful.


A government spokesman on the Justice Committee, Jan Bohler, predicted Breivik would receive an unconditional sentence, meaning one that would extend well beyond the theoretical maximum of 21 years set by Norwegian law, thereby ensuring he does not ever get out of prison. Norway does not have the death penalty.

The Suspect for the Terror Attacks in Norway to Appear in Court

Anders Behring Breivik - the Norway terror attacks suspect

CNN - A man who authorities say confessed to Norway's terror attacks is expected to make his first court appearance Monday, where he says he wants to "explain himself," according to his attorney.


The court appearance comes the same day the Norwegian government called for a national moment of silence, ordering trains halted as part of a nationwide observance to remember the victims of Friday's bombing in downtown Oslo and shooting at a political youth retreat on Utoya island.


Police identified the suspect Monday as Anders Behring Breivik, just hours before he was to appear in court.


Attorney Geir Lippestad, who said he represented Breivik, told Norwegian TV2 that the suspect feels the terrorist attacks were "horrible," but "in his head (they) were necessary."


Police will ask the court to close the hearing because investigators have not ruled out that others were involved. There is a concern the suspect could try to send messages to others..


More than 60,000 people joined a Facebook page, titled "Shut the courtroom doors on Monday," urging the court to close the hearing.


Whether the suspect will be allowed to address the Norwegian court and under what, if any, circumstances are not immediately known.


Anders Behring Breivik has been charged with two acts of terror, one for the bombing and one for the mass shooting, Holtaas said.


Breivik, the 32-year-old Norwegian, has told investigators he acted alone and was not aided in the planning, acting National Police Chief Sveinung Sponheim told reporters Sunday. But authorities have not ruled out that others may have been involved or helped him along the way, he said.


Sponheim said there has been "no progress" in ascertaining what the suspect's motive might have been. But he said that investigators were studying a 1,500-page manifesto that authorities believe was published online the day of the attack.


The suspect told investigators during interviews that he belonged to an international order, The Knights Templar, according to Norwegian newspaper VG, which cited unnamed sources. He described this order as an armed, Christian, order, fighting to rid the West of Islamic suppression, the newspaper said. He also told investigators he had been in contact with like-minded individuals and said he counts himself as a representative of this order, it said.


In the manifesto, there are photographs of Breivik wearing what appears to be a military uniform that features an altered U.S. Marine Corps dress jacket with Knights Templar medals. The manifesto rants against Muslims and their growing presence in Europe and calls for a European civil war to overthrow governments, end multiculturalism and execute "cultural Marxists."


Authorities allege that Breivik killed seven people Friday by setting off a car bomb in downtown Oslo that targeted government buildings, then traveled 20 miles to Utoya island and killed at least 86 teens and young adults in an ambush at a political youth retreat.


The suspect was carrying a considerable amount of ammunition when he surrendered to authorities, Sponheim told reporters.


Police said Sunday that the area around the blast site would remain cordoned off, but members of the public in the area were not at risk.

Double Terror Attacks Kill 91 in Norway

Norway after the terror attacks

FT.com - At least 91 people were killed in an apparent twin terrorist attack on Norway, after a large bomb was detonated outside government buildings in Oslo and a gunman opened fire at a summer camp attended by hundreds of young people.

Police said at least seven people were killed on Friday by the suspected car bomb. A Reuters report citing Norwegian police also said at least 84 were killed at the youth camp, organised by Norway’s ruling Labour party, on an island near Utoya, 40km north-west of Oslo.

Motivation for the devastating attacks – the most serious terrorist assault in Europe since 52 people were killed on the London transport system in 2005 by Islamist extremists – was unclear.

Police detained the suspect, a 32-year old, white “ethnic” Norwegian who was named by local media as Anders Behring Breivik, and charged him for the island killing spree and the Oslo bomb blast.

Roger Andresen, deputy police chief, would not speculate on the man’s motives but told a news conference: “He describes himself as a Christian, leaning toward right-wing Christianity, on his Facebook page.”

Jens Stoltenberg, Norwegian prime minister, told a press conference on Saturday: “What happened at Utoya is a national tragedy. Not since the second world war has our country seen a greater crime. Compared with other countries I wouldn’t say we have a big problem with right-wing extremists in Norway. But we have had some groups, we have followed them before, and our police is aware that there are some right-wing groups”.

Earlier, Mr Stoltenberg said the country had been “shaken by evil” but would not be cowed by terrorism.

“I have a message for whoever attacked us and those behind it. It’s a message from all of Norway: You will not destroy us. You will not destroy our democracy or our ideals for a better world.”

Hanne Skartveit, political editor at newspaper Verdens Gang, whose offices are across the street from the site of the Oslo bomb, said: “Norway’s lost its innocence. From today, this will be a different Norway. Both with respect to internal security, in an open and democratic country, and how we look at the world. It is a heavy day.”

US president Barack Obama led international condemnation of the attack. “It’s a reminder that the entire international community holds a stake in preventing this kind of terror from occurring,” he said.

TV2 said police raided a house where the detained suspect lived. The street was cordoned off because of fears of explosives at the property.

Thomas Hegghammer, terrorism expert at the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment, a think-tank linked to Norway’s armed forces, said questions would now be raised as to whether the police had neglected the dangers of rightwing extremism, if the suspect proved to be part of such a network.

In an annual threat assessment published in January, the Norwegian security service said “far-right and far-left extremist communities will not pose a serious threat to Norwegian society in 2011”. However it said there had been an increased level of activity within some of these groups during 2010 and predicted this could rise further.

The Oslo blast, which was heard by people at least 7km away, caused extensive damage to a complex of government buildings housing the prime minister’s office and the ministries of finance and petroleum. Police said it was most likely a car bomb although this could not yet be confirmed.

Broken glass and other debris rained down on surrounding streets and many people could be seen afterwards receiving treatment for serious injuries.

Norway’s public broadcaster NRK quoted one of its journalists as saying: “The whole building shook. We thought it was an earthquake. There are people on the streets bleeding. There is glass everywhere. There is chaos here. The windows are blown out of all the nearby buildings.”

Another eyewitness reported seeing “a column of flames” rise as high as the fifth floor of surrounding buildings after the bomb detonated.

32 Hackers Held by Turkey

32 "Anonymous" hacker suspects held by Turkey. Nine minors were released 2 days after the arrest.


Turkey's state-run news agency says police have released nine minors out of a group of 32 suspected computer hackers who were detained for alleged links to an international activist group.

The Anatolia news agency said the youngsters were released without charges Tuesday, two days after they were detained for questioning in a sweep against hackers suspected of ties to the group "Anonymous."

"Anonymous" targeted the website of Turkey's telecommunications watchdog last week to protest plans to introduce internet filters in August. The watchdog said it was prepared and disruption was minimal.

The 23 other suspected hackers were still being questioned.

Last week, Spain arrested three alleged "Anonymous" members suspected of attacking worldwide corporate and government websites.

Libyans Vow to Protest Despite Violence From Government

CNN - Carrying coffins above their heads, a crowd of mourners gathered in the streets in Benghazi, Libya, on Sunday as protesters against longtime ruler Moammar Gadhafi showed no sign of letting up.

Protesters vowed to hit the streets again Sunday, saying a violent crackdown by security forces since demonstrations started last week has left them energized.

The reported death toll grew quickly over the weekend, passing 180.

97 people were killed in the city since Saturday, following clashes between protesters and security forces. All those confirmed dead were wearing civilian clothing and are believed to be protesters, the sources said. Medical sources at a Misratah hospital said at least three died and 70 were wounded in clashes Saturday between security forces and anti-government protesters. Three of those injured were in critical condition, the sources said.

On Friday, Human Rights Watch said 84 people had been killed by government security forces. The group cited interviews with hospital staff and witnesses. Meanwhile, a doctor in Benghazi said her facility is taking on trauma patients because a trauma hospital in the city is inundated by those injured. "All of them have been injured by bullets," said the doctor, whose identity is not being released for security reasons. She said most suffered gunshot wounds to the head, chest or neck.

Benghazi, the North African nation's second-largest city and hub of its eastern province, was home to some of the bloodiest clashes Saturday. Still, an anti-government demonstrator there said that despite having been barraged for days by tear gas and bullets, many of his colleagues slept outside the city's courthouse and planned another rally for Sunday afternoon. "There are a lot of people getting killed for their freedom," the man, who was not identified for safety reasons, told CNN Sunday. "Our goal is simple: We want Gadhafi to leave. We want freedom. ... We want democracy."

The man, a technology expert who has set up cameras airing live online video streams around Benghazi, estimated that the numbers of anti-government demonstrators in the city has grown by 20% since the protests began Tuesday.

A report from Libya's state-run JANA news agency blames "acts of sabotage and burning" on outsiders aiming to undermine the nation's stability, security and unity. The report claims that the unrest has been fomented in Libya as well as Tunisia, Morocco, Sudan, Egypt, Lebanon and Iran by an Israeli-led network of covert operatives. Since Wednesday, authorities have arrested "dozens of foreign members of this network who were trained on starting clashes," the JANA story said, adding that the outsiders were of Tunisian, Egyptian, Sudanese, Turkish, Palestinian and Syrian descent.

Lt. Col. Mohammed al-Majbari, who helped lead Libyan military forces in Benghazi before deciding early this week to join the opposition, claimed that government forces -- aided by mercenaries from other African countries -- "caused a massacre." "It is time for freedom," al-Majbari said. "(Gadhafi) is not a human being. A Libyan would never do this to his people. He is a dictator." 

A Libyan woman supportive of the protesters, who was not identified to protect her safety, told CNN that army soldiers on Saturday initially claimed solidarity with the demonstrators, only to reverse their tack and open fire on the crowd. "The soldiers ... said, 'We are with you.' We believed them," she said. "After that, they started shooting the people. Why? Why did they lie?"

Others in Libya reported similar protests in the cities of al-Baida, Ajdabiya and significantly in Misratah -- an indication that the demonstrations centered in the east were spreading west.
A protester identified only as Moftah told CNN that Libyans, inspired by the toppling of dictators in neighboring Egypt and Tunisia, had simply had enough of Gadhafi. "He will tell you that his secret police are everywhere," Moftah said. "It's time to break this fear barrier. We reach a point that we don't care anymore."

The official Jamahiriya News Agency reported that Gadhafi had spoken in recent days with fellow leaders from Guinea, Liberia and Yemen.

The government also sent out, via text, a tacit warning against "the inappropriate use of telecommunications services (that) contradict our religion ... our customs ... and our traditions." Internet service in Libya shut down Friday evening, though it was more available by Sunday. 
The government's firm grip on power heightened the concerns of a woman from Benghazi, who urged U.S. President Barack Obama and other world leaders to help the Libyan people in the face of the government crackdown. "We have no freedom here," she said. "I speak to all the world, to America, to Mr. Obama: Please help us. We (did) nothing. We want to live a good life." 

The female doctor at the Benghazi hospital said Sunday she worries more violence will ensue. "I think -- and I hope not -- it's going to be (a) more disastrous situation than yesterday because yesterday was more of a disaster than the two days before," she said. "I'm so scared."

After 42 years, Libya's Controversial Leader Faces New Threats

CNN - Moammar Gadhafi's first grab at power occurred 42 years ago in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi, when he led a crew of fellow military officers in taking over key government institutions on his way to usurping the nation's monarchy.

Ever since, he's referred to himself as the Leader of the Revolution -- though politically, at least, Libya has appeared to be largely stable, with few threats to Gadhafi's power. But that all changed this past week, with reports that tens of thousands took to the streets calling for an end to Gadhafi's rule. And, once again, that change began in Benghazi.

Phone interviews with witnesses and others on the ground suggest that some of Gadhafi's strongest opposition has been in Benghazi, where protests began and have escalated. Since then, there have been indications that the opposition movement has spread westward toward the capital Tripoli.

Why Gadhafi suddenly came under fire after decades of a strong-handed, seemingly stable rule remains a question.

One obvious factor is that Libya borders Tunisia, where popular unrest last month helped unseat authoritarian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali after more than two decades in power. Weeks later, a similar movement contributed to the end of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule.

Gadhafi is far from alone now. Anti-government protests have popped up all around the Arab world, with pressure growing on powerful leaders in places like Bahrain, Yemen and Algeria.

 Gadhafi was a captain in Libya's army when, on September 1, 1969 -- which is referred to as Revolution Day in Libya -- he and others launched the coup by assuming control of key institutions in Benghazi. The overthrow was completed in two hours, according to GlobalSecurity.org, an independent provider of security information. At the time, the United States had military aircraft at Wheelus Air Base in Libya. And Washington did not initially oppose the coup, a 2008 Congressional Research Service report noted.

Gadhafi soon established himself as one of America's most vocal, and flamboyant, enemies.
By 1972, Gadhafi urged Muslims to fight the United States and Great Britain and vowed support for black revolutionaries in America. The next year, he launched a program "to destroy imported ideologies, whether they are Eastern or Western," a U.S. State Department timeline noted. In 1979, the U.S. designated Libya as a state sponsor of terrorism. The relationship only worsened in the 1980s, when U.S. military aircraft shot down two Libyan fighter jets. Libya's alleged attacks in Sudan, support for Nicaragua's Sandanista government and role in the bombing of a West Berlin nightclub only further stoked the ire of the administration of U.S. President Ronald Reagan, who called Gadhafi a "mad dog."

Libya's standing took a turn with the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 270 people. World pressure intensified on Tripoli after Libyan intelligence agents were implicated.

By 1993, Gadhafi told the International Herald Tribune that he was taking a more conciliatory approach to world affairs. He called U.S. President Bill Clinton "the savior of the new world," and decried Islamic militants as "mad dogs" and "terrorists." Clinton continued to keep pressure on Libya, signing a law imposing sanctions on companies that invested more than $40 million in that nation's petroleum industry. By 1999, Libya finally agreed to transfer the Pan Am 103 suspects for a trial in the Netherlands, leading to their conviction two years later. While still known for sometimes unconventional comments, Gadhafi appeared to evolve into more of a statesman -- at least internationally. In 2009, he was elected by member states as head of the African Union. That year, he also addressed the United Nations' General Assembly for the first time. Still, he proved to be more a firebrand than an even-keeled diplomat, delivering a blistering, wide-ranging 96-minute rant.

His topics ranged from the U.N. Security Council to the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy to a one-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians: Isratine. Gadhafi blamed the U.N. for failing to prevent 65 wars since its founding in 1945. But he also had kind words for U.S. President Barack Obama: "We are content and happy if Obama can stay forever as the president of America," Gadhafi said. Even as the U.N., the United States and other nations gradually began to soften their stance on Libya, reports suggested that freedom and basic rights remained widely restricted under Gadhafi. "He hasn't changed," said Fouad Ajami, a professor at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. "This is a monster. And the Libyan people are suffering from this."

The government maintained a tight control over its communications, clamping down on news accounts critical of Gadhafi and his colleagues. It also restricted outside media access, including denying repeated requests from CNN to enter the country this month.

On Friday night, Libyan authorities shut down the nation's access to the internet, the U.S.-based tech firm Arbor Networks reported. While there have been indications of spotty Web coverage since, Libya sent out a text message warning about the "inappropriate use of telecommunications services." Internal political dissent was largely and often violently squashed. Moftah, an anti-government protester who did not give his full name for security reasons, said Gadhafi "always plays on fear" -- relying on a broad network of intelligence agents, secret police and others. "He makes you afraid of your family, of your friends," Moftah told CNN. "He will tell you that his secret police are everywhere."

And yet, despite the odds, people have still risen up this month against Gadhafi.

For years, Libya profited greatly from its vast oil reserves. One of Gadhafi's first orders of business after taking over was to assume control of properties and other interests of international petroleum companies. Still, even the great wealth of oil couldn't change the fact that Libya has suffered in the recent global economic downturn. As in much of the Arab world, youth unemployment is high in Libya -- and most of the population has never known a leader other than Gadhafi. And the fact it began in Benghazi, despite the Libyan leader's early history, is not a surprise, said Dirk Vandewalle, an associate professor at Dartmouth and author of "A History of Modern Libya." He noted that the coastal city has traditionally been seen as somewhat disloyal to Gadhafi's regime.

Whether the Libyan demonstrators can follow the leads of their Arab colleagues in Tunisia and Egypt remains to be seen. If they do, they will have to overcome a cult of personality -- much like prevailed in those countries -- without having any fallback as far as political institutions or legislation to build off should they succeed.

Unlike Egypt, Libya has no constitution, established institutions or any kind of mechanisms in place to support a new nation. The nation and its leader are one. "In Libya," Vandewalle said, "there is nothing beyond Gadhafi and his close circle."

Malaysia Against Saint Valentine's Day

The Government warned that celebrations are "a trap", which can lead to indecent behavior.

The Musulmans in Malaysia are thinking of forbidding the Saint Valentine's Day celebrations.
No matter that there is no law forbidding candle lights and roses, the Government have already started a campaign against it.
They think that these romantic moments can lead to premature and antenuptial sex.

The Prime Minister Muhidin Yasin said that the Government is tying to proove that Sait Valentine's Day is "not compatible" with Islam.

White House Criticizes Egyptian Government And Vice President

CNN : President Barack Obama's spokesman criticized the Egyptian government on Tuesday for arresting and harassing journalists and rights activists, and called comments by Vice President Omar Suleiman that Egypt is not ready for democracy "particularly unhelpful."

The remarks by White House press secretary Robert Gibbs reflected a growing U.S. dissatisfaction with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Suleiman, the intelligence officer Mubarak chose as his deputy to bring about reforms demanded by protesters who have convulsed Cairo and the Egyptian economy for more than two weeks.
In another sign of U.S. frustration with the pace of reform in Egypt, Vice President Joe Biden, in a phone call Tuesday with Suleiman, pushed for more progress, according to a White House statement.
Biden urged "that the transition produce immediate, irreversible progress that responds to the aspirations of the Egyptian people," according to the White House statement.
It said the two vice presidents discussed "restraining the Ministry of Interior's conduct by immediately ending the arrests, harassment, beating and detention of journalists, and political and civil society activists, and by allowing freedom of assembly and expression; immediately rescinding the emergency law; broadening participation in the national dialogue to include a wide range of opposition members; and inviting the opposition as a partner in jointly developing a road map and timetable for transition."

So far, the Obama administration has been careful to call for democratic reforms in Egypt while also trying to maintain stability in a key Middle Eastern ally that is a vital Arab partner to Israel through the Camp David Accords of 1978.
With detentions, beatings and harassment of journalists and rights activists continuing, and the weekend comments by Suleiman that signaled a shaky commitment to the reforms offered by Mubarak, Gibbs made a point of directly criticizing both the vice president and the Egyptian government in a briefing with White House reporters.
"The government has got to stop arresting protesters and journalists, harassment, beatings, detentions of reporters, of activists, of those involved in civil society," Gibbs said. Previously, he and other U.S. officials, including Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, called for a halt to the crackdown on journalists and activists without directly saying that the Egyptian government was responsible.

Asked about Suleiman's comment, made in an interview with ABC, that Egypt lacks the necessary "culture of democracy" for the changes demanded by protesters, such as freedom of speech and the right to organize opposition parties, Gibbs said the words went against what was happening on the streets of Cairo and elsewhere in Egypt.

Suleiman met Sunday with some Egyptian opposition figures in preliminary talks that symbolized concession on both sides.
Some opposition figures had rejected any discussions until Mubarak stepped down, while a government statement issued on state TV after Sunday's meeting outlined future steps resulting from the meeting.
In a brief informal exchange with reporters on Monday, Obama said: "Obviously Egypt has to negotiate a path and I think they are making progress."

3 Dead After Thousands Protest in Rare Egypt Outpouring

Thousands of protesters spilled into the streets of Egypt on Tuesday, an unprecedented display of anti-government rage inspired in part by the tumult in the nearby North African nation of Tunisia.

Three people died in the clashes between protesters and police, according to Egypt's official MENA news agency. Two demonstrators died in the eastern city of Suez, and one policeman was killed in Cairo, it said. MENA reported that at least 49 people have been injured.

Earlier, Egypt's Interior Ministry said that 36 police officers had been hurt during the protests.
Throngs in the sprawling capital city marched from the huge Tahrir Square toward the parliament building.
Demonstrators threw rocks at police, and police hurled rocks back. Tear-gas canisters were shot at demonstrators, and the protesters threw them back.

Protest organizers said they hope to capture the regional momentum for political change set by Tunisians, who 10 days ago forced the collapse of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's 23-year rule.
The grievances were foreshadowed by several Egyptians who set themselves or tried to set themselves on fire this month, mirroring the self-immolation of a Tunisian man whose action spurred the uprising there.
The Tunisian uprising was the most successful revolt in the region since 1979, but it is anybody's guess whether uprisings will spread to other Arabic-speaking lands.

The United States and other governments are monitoring the demonstrations in Cairo and elsewhere closely. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged all people to "exercise restraint" and supported "the fundamental right of expression and assembly for all people."

To highlight the role of police corruption, the protest organizers in Egypt picked January 25 -- Police Day and a national holiday -- to hold protests.
The protests started off small, but they grew as people came to the center of the city from bridges over the Nile.
Police were restrained and at times were seemingly outnumbered by the protesters, who sang the national anthem and inched forward to express their ire toward the government.

Protesters had been expressing their anger over the rising cost of living, failed economic policies and corruption, but all those concerns were distilled into one overriding demand : the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak, in power for three decades.

The outpouring included young and old, Christians and Muslims, students, workers and businesspeople.