classonecolfixctr,key,keys us,keysaustin,disney http://www.keysaustin.com/article KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - – Malaysia's minister in charge of Muslim affairs has said the government will appeal a court ruling allowing a Catholic paper the right to use the word "Allah". Malaysia's high court ruled last week the Herald weekly had the right to use the word "Allah" after a long-running dispute between the government and the newspaper in the Muslim-majority nation. The paper has been using the word as a translation for "God" in its Malay-language section, but the government argued the word should be used only by Muslims. Jamil Khir Johari said the country's national fatwa council had ruled in May 2008 that "Allah" could only be used by Muslims in Malaysia, state news agency Bernama reported late Saturday. "It is important for Muslims here to guard the use of the word and if there is any attempt to insult or misuse the word we must take all legal action as allowed under the federal constitution," he was quoted as saying by Bernama. Premier Najib Razak urged people to remain calm, saying he was concerned about reactions to the court decision. "The issue is very sensitive and touches on the feelings of Muslims, we need to be calm now and let the matter be resolved through the courts," he was quoted as saying by Bernama Sunday. Meanwhile the Herald's website was hacked at the weekend, causing the site to shut down, editor Father Lawrence Andrew told AFP. "Our website was attacked by hackers and was shut down and we suspect it was done by those unhappy with the present situation," he said, while declining to comment on the government's plan to appeal. The court ruled on Thursday the Catholic paper had the "constitutional right" to use the word "Allah", declaring the government's ban on the word "illegal, null and void". Muslim groups have said they plan to protest the ruling. Universiti Teknologi MARA political analyst Shahruddin Badaruddin said the main issue among Muslims was the fear that the use of the word by non-Muslims would inflame religious tensions. "It is all about the fear that allowing use of the word will make it easier for Christians to convert the local population," he told AFP. Former premier Mahathir Mohamad said the use of the term had to be governed strictly but that Muslims would still be angry over the ruling, according to the New Straits Times. The Herald is printed in four languages, with a circulation of 14,000 a week in a country with about 850,000 Catholics. The court case was one of a string of religious disputes that have erupted in recent years, straining relations between Muslim Malays and minority ethnic Chinese and Indians who fear the country is being "Islamised". http://www.keysaustin.com/article/article/Malaysian_govt_to_appeal_Allah_ruling_minister.htm 5th Jan,2010 SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said enhancing the country’s homeland security is an ongoing effort — with the maritime, aviation and public transport security measures constantly reviewed and strengthened. Singapore Police have stepped—up security measures at the airport, following an attempt by a Nigerian to blow up a US jetliner on Christmas Day. This is in line with measures imposed by the US Transportation Security Administration. MHA said all passengers flying direct to US will be subject to pat—down searches and their hand—carries manually checked before boarding. The ministry added police is monitoring the situation closely and will adjust the measures to commensurate with the threat situation. It said since the 911—incident, the government has taken a series of measures to enhance the safety and security of Singapore. These include stepped—up checks at border checkpoints and measures to protect Singapore’s key installations. MHA said the recent attempted air—borne attack has shown that the responsibility of security not only lies with the Police but the public as well. — CNA/sc http://www.keysaustin.com/article/article/MHA_monitoring_security_threat_following_attempted_US_air_borne_attack.htm 28th Dec,2009 THE HAGUE (AFP) - – Dutch authorities said Thursday a patient infected by a mutant strain of the swine flu virus had died, but added that this was not the cause of death. Harald Wychgel, spokesman for the Dutch Institute for Health and the Environment, told AFP that there had been a "minor change in the virus to make it resistant to Tamiflu," a key treatment for influenza. "He died not because the virus was resistant but because he was seriously ill and caught the Mexican (swine) flu," Wychgel said. The man, whose age had not been given, died Sunday in the northern city of Groningen, local health official Hans Coenraads said. "We have carried out tests on the patient's associates to see if the mutation had spread but we found no such indications", he said. Reports said that two more patients in the Netherlands had shown resistance to Tamiflu. It is the fifth fatal case of mutated A(H1N1) flu in Europe, after two in France and two in Norway. The World Health Organisation said last month that mutations had been observed in Brazil, China, Japan, Mexico, where the swine flu pandemic began, Ukraine, and the United States, as early as April. Italy also reported a non-fatal case on Monday. "The mutations appear to occur sporadically and spontaneously. To date, no links between the small number of patients infected with the mutated virus have been found and the mutation does not appear to spread," a WHO statement said on November 20. The WHO also underlined that there was no evidence of more infections or more deaths as a result, while the mutated virus detected up to that point remained sensitive to antiviral drugs used to treat severe flu, oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza). Scientists fear that mutations in flu viruses could cause more virulent and deadly pandemic flu. The global health watchdog reiterated a call for close monitoring. "Although further investigation is under way, no evidence currently suggests that these mutations are leading to an unusual increase in the number of H1N1 infections or a greater number of severe or fatal cases," it added. http://www.keysaustin.com/article/article/Netherlands_reports_mutant_swine_flu_death.htm 4th Dec,2009 BRUSSELS (AFP) - – NATO and Russia agreed Thursday to strengthen cooperation, on the eve of the highest-level meeting between them since Moscow sent troops into Georgia last year, diplomats said. "We agreed today on three documents, one on the reform of NATO-Russia Council, on the work plan for 2010 and on a joint review of threats and challenges in the 21st century," one diplomat said. The documents are to be endorsed on Friday when foreign ministers meet in the NATO-Russia Council (NRC) forum. "The reform will hopefully make NRC structures more adaptable," the diplomat said, adding that the changes "would include new areas of cooperation". "Even if it certainly does not solve the old differences, it should allow us to reinvigorate and make NRC a more effective tool for practical cooperation and political dialogue," he said. The agreement was passed after no country raised objections to the plan, a second diplomat confirmed, on condition of anonymity. NATO froze official talks within the forum last year after Russia sent troops into Georgia, and subsequently recognised the independence of two breakaway Georgian regions, to international condemnation. Ties have recently begun to thaw, despite lingering differences over US and NATO missile shield plans, a series of weapons treaties and the recognition of Kosovo, which broke away from Serbia last year. On Tuesday, Russia pressured NATO to discuss President Dmitry Medvedev's new European security plan during the talks, but the alliance has reacted coolly to the idea. At Friday's meeting, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is expected to raise the plan with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and their NATO counterparts. But diplomats say NATO nations will not respond, as they believe the only real forum for such discussion is the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). "The OSCE is the primary forum for these sorts of discussions, not here," another diplomat said. Medvedev unveiled his draft European security treaty on Sunday, saying it would end Cold War mentalities. He began pushing the treaty in 2008 and intensified efforts after the Russia-Georgia war, but most Western countries have paid little attention to the idea, saying that it has lacked detail. Many at NATO say it is an attempt to do away with the transatlantic alliance. http://www.keysaustin.com/article/article/NATO_Russia_agree_new_plan_for_cooperation_diplomats.htm 4th Dec,2009 THE HAGUE (AFP) - – Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen described as "positive" Thursday a report on Serbia's cooperation with a UN war crimes tribunal, a key issue in Belgrade's bid for closer ties with the EU. "The Brammertz report is positive," he said in a statement, after chief UN war crimes prosecutor Serge Brammertz handed down his cooperation report to the United Nations. "I will discuss next week with my European colleagues what this means for taking decisions concerning Serbia's integration process" into the EU, he said. The Netherlands, which hosts the war crimes court, has insisted on the arrest of former Bosnian Serb army chief Ratko Mladic on genocide charges, and has blocked an agreement Serbia signed with the EU in April. The accord -- a Stabilisation and Association Agreement -- is seen as the first step for Balkan nations towards membership of the 27-nation EU. "The Netherlands wants the European Union to support as much as possible the work of the prosecutor and to encourage Serbia to cooperate with the tribunal," the statement said. "For that to happen, pressure must be maintained so that the two last fugitives, including Mladic, are found and handed over." On Tuesday, a foreign ministry spokesman said that if Serbia was cooperating fully with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), "this would have consequences for the Netherlands' position." At the United Nations, Brammertz said: "Serbia's cooperation with my office has continued to progress. Prosecution requests to access documents and archives are being dealt with more expeditiously and effectively." Presenting his report to the UN Security Council, Brammertz said it was essential for the cooperation to be maintained as they move towards trials in his tribunal. "The most critical aspect of Serbia's cooperation is the need to apprehend the fugitives. This remains one of my office's highest priorities," he added. News reports from Belgrade Thursday said Serbian security agents had searched apartments belonging to suspected accomplices of top war crimes fugitives Mladic and Goran Hadzic, seizing documents. Mladic is wanted for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role in the massacre of some 8,000 Muslim men and boys in the UN protected enclave of Srebrenica in the 1990s. Dutch UN peacekeepers were blamed for failing to stop the carnage. http://www.keysaustin.com/article/article/Netherlands_says_UN_prosecutor_s_report_on_Serbia_positive.htm 4th Dec,2009 ROME (AFP) - – Russia and the Vatican have agreed to establish full diplomatic relations, ending long-standing tensions, the Kremlin announced Thursday after President Dmitry Medvedev met Pope Benedict XVI. "President Medvedev told Pope Benedict XVI that he had signed a decree concerning the establishment of full diplomatic relations with the Vatican," Russian presidential spokeswoman Natalia Timakova said. "He asked the foreign ministry to lead discussions to establish the relations and raise the level of representation to apostolic nuncio and embassy," she added. Since 1990, the two sides have maintained representation below the rank of ambassador. The Vatican confirmed in its own statement: "It was decided to establish full diplomatic relations." It welcomed the "cordial ties" between the two. Relations between the Vatican and the Russian Orthodox Church have been tense for centuries, and were again strained in recent years by Orthodox accusations of Catholic proselytising in post-Soviet Russia. During their meeting, the Russian president presented the Pope with a box decorated with an image of Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow which was pulled down after the Russian Revolution but rebuilt at the end of Soviet rule. He also offered him 22 new volumes of an Orthodox encyclopedia. Medvedev's predecessor, Vladimir Putin, had presented the Pope with the first volumes at their meeting in 2007. "I will not be able to read all that," the pope quipped. "We will help you," replied the Russian president. The head of the Roman Catholic Church in turn presented gifts including a lithograph of St Peter's Cathedral, and a Russian translation of his encyclical called. The meeting lasted half an hour "and showed the highest level of dialogue between Russia and the Holy See and the Russian Orthodox Church", Timakova said. Frosty ties between the two churches have thawed since the new leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, patriarch Kirill, assumed his position in February. He was previously the Russian Orthodox Church's official in foreign relations and met Pope Benedict XVI several times before he became patriarch. "Moscow's movements are closely linked to the level of relations between the Vatican and the Orthodox Church," Vatican watcher Marco Tosatti told AFP. "The Russian government cannot offend the patriach in Moscow, they cannot do anything that could displease him." Putin was received three times at the Vatican -- by Pope Benedict XVI in March 2007 and Pope John Paul II in 2000 and 2003. Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev met John Paul II 20 years ago on the eve of the fall of the Berlin Wall. http://www.keysaustin.com/article/article/f8347t711a.htm 4th Dec,2009 THE HAGUE (AFP) - – Two Nigerians accused of using voodoo curses to force about 140 Nigerian girls into prostitution in Europe were sentenced to jail terms of four and and four-and-a-half years. Four other defendants received terms of one or two years while three were found not guilty by a court in Zwolle in the central Netherlands Thursday. Prosecutors had asked for eight years in jail for the two main accused and up to four years for the others. The trial, on charges of human trafficking and membership of a criminal organisation, opened in March. Prosecutors said about 140 Nigerian girls brought by the gang into the Netherlands as asylum seekers had disappeared from asylum centres in 2006 and 2007. About a dozen of the girls were traced, while the rest were thought to have been forced into prostitution in Italy, Spain and France. Most were minors at the time, their ages ranging from 16 to 23. The Netherlands allegedly served as a transit point for the girls, sent by the suspects from Nigeria with false identity papers and instructions for an asylum application. "The suspects used voodoo to influence the girls," said a prosecution statement. "They had to give blood, nails or a piece of clothing and make a promise to a voodoo priest to repay the 'debts' incurred for their travel to Europe" -- between 30,000 euros (44,400 dollars) and 60,000 euros each. "That means that they would have had to have forced sex about 3,000 times and give up the proceeds. In a foreign country, far from home, with no way out -- living with the fear of going crazy or dying if they disobey their handlers," said the statement. The suspects were arrested in the Netherlands in October 2007 after an investigation by Dutch police in collaboration with Nigerian and some European counterparts. http://www.keysaustin.com/article/article/Nigerians_jailed_in_Dutch_voodoo_curse_trial.htm 4th Dec,2009 MOGADISHU (AFP) - – A suicide bomber killed 19 people including three Somali government ministers and injured scores more at a graduation ceremony for medical students in Mogadishu Thursday, officials said. The blast which ripped through a hotel is the most serious attack on the transitional federal government (TFG) since the launch of an Al-Qaeda inspired Islamist insurgency that has brought new strife to the Horn of Africa nation. "A suicide bomber detonated an explosion inside Hotel Shamo ... during the graduation ceremony of medical students of the Banadir University resulting in the deaths of, so far, 19 civilians and injuries to several others," the African Union force in Somalia AMISOM said. More than 60 people were injured in the blast, some of them seriously. Several ministers from the UN-backed government were attending the ceremony when the explosion went off. Most of the victims were students. Somali president Sharif Sheik Ahmed accused the Al-Qaeda inspired insurgents of being behind the attack and called for urgent international help. "We denounce in the strongest terms the blast which was carried out by the armed rebels fighting the government," Sharif told a press conference at his palace. "We cannot tackle those violent elements alone and we call on the international community to rush to help us fight them," he said. A hotel security official said the suicide bomber was probably among the students. The head of an NGO operating in Mogadishu said the bomber was dressed as a woman. Higher Education Minister Ibrahim Hassan Addow and Health Minister Qamar Aden were killed on the spot and Education Minister Mohamed Abdullahi Waayel died shortly after the blast, a senior government official said. Sports Minister Suleyman Olad Roble was among the injured. Two journalists, one from Shabele Radio and another from Al Arabiya television, and a doctor were also killed, a source at the hotel said. An AFP photographer sustained slight injuries. "We were waiting outside the conference room when there was a huge explosion. I found myself on the ground in the middle of the smoke and screaming," he said. "I went to get my camera, and that's when I saw the bodies of the three ministers." Abdiweli Mohamed, whose brother was among the dead, said: "Today everybody in the university is crying, no one expected that such tragedy would follow the graduation ceremony." A joint statement from the European Union, the InterGovernmental Authority on Development, a regional body, the League of Arab States, the UN and the United States condemned the attack as "cowardly acts of terrorism". "The horrific attack is another demonstration of the extremists' complete disregard for human life. The fact this bombing targeted graduating medical students - the future doctors of Somalia - is particularly egregious," the statement said. The Somali insurgents launched a fresh offensive against the transitional government on May 7 and clashes since then have left more than 250 dead while an estimated 120,000 people have fled the capital. The Shebab militia have vowed to bring down the government and force all African Union peacekeepers out of the country. Somalia has had no effective government since President Mohamed Siad Barre was forced out of power in the early 1990s. Thousands have been killed in Mogadishu in recent years as Islamists battle for control of the capital. The Islamists control large swathes of Mogadishu as well as much of the centre and south of the country. The transitional government only exists with the backing of the 5,000 AU peacekeepers from Burundi and Uganda. At least 60 peacekeepers have been killed since they were deployed in March 2007 to protect strategic sites in the seaside city. http://www.keysaustin.com/article/article/Three_Somali_ministers_among_19_dead_in_suicide_blast.htm 4th Dec,2009 MOGADISHU, Somalia – Somalia's most powerful Islamic militant group says it had nothing to do with a suicide bomb attack on a university graduation ceremony that killed 22 people. Sheik Ali Mohamud Rage, a spokesman for the militant group al-Shabab, said Friday that his group is "very sad" about the attack. The Thursday bombing ripped through a university graduate ceremony at an upscale hotel in Mogadishu, killing 22 people, including doctors, medical students and three government ministers. Al-Shabab has claimed responsibility for past suicide attacks in Somalia. African troops protecting the government wage near daily battles with Islamic militants who hold much of central and southern Somalia. http://www.keysaustin.com/article/article/Somali_militant_group_denies_role_in_suicide_bomb.htm 4th Dec,2009 CONAKRY (AFP) - – Guinea junta chief Moussa Dadis Camara was shot and injured on Thursday by one of his aides, military sources said, after witnesses reported gunfire at a military base. A government official said on state radio that the aide had been arrested. "Captain Dadis Camara was lightly injured in a shooting by his aide de camp, Aboubacar Toumba Diakite," a member of the junta leader's protocol office told AFP on condition of anonymity. "(Camara) has just left Camp Samory Toure" in Conakry's administrative centre, the source said. A soldier at the camp told AFP that "Toumba shot at the president." A camp resident said he "saw a 4x4 vehicle enter the camp. Somebody said, 'The president's inside. He's injured in the head,' and it was allowed to enter immediately so he could be cared for immediately." http://www.keysaustin.com/article/article/Guinea_junta_chief_shot_injured_by_aide_military_sources.htm 4th Dec,2009 DAKAR (AFP) - – Guinea's junta chief Moussa Dadis Camara was targeted in a murder attempt by one of his aides but was "doing well," his spokesman Idrissa Cherif told AFP by phone on Thursday. "His ex-aide de camp, Toumba Diakite, made an attempt on the life of the head of state, but thanks to God, the president is doing well," Cherif said. Camara was now at the Alpha Yaya Diallo military camp, which is the headquarters of the junta, he said. "We are in the process of drawing conclusions from tonight," the spokesman said. The murder attempt occurred at Camp Koundara in Conakry's administrative centre, he said. Diakite "has been located, meaning arrested," Cherif said. "When you attack a head of state, you attack state security," he said. "Those who wanted to make an attempt on the life of President Dadis will face a punishment in accordance with the gravity of the act that they wanted to carry out." http://www.keysaustin.com/article/article/Guinea_junta_chief_doing_well_after_murder_bid_spokesman.htm 4th Dec,2009 CONAKRY, Guinea – A government spokesman in Guinea says the president was slightly wounded by a military aide who opened fire on him. President Moussa "Dadis" Camara's life was not in danger, according to a statement read out by the spokesman on state TV. Earlier, the president's spokesman had said that the military aide had tried to kill Camara following an altercation. Thursday's shooting came amid rumors of deep divisions within the army nearly three months after a military-led massacre of protesters at a peaceful rally in the African country. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below. CONAKRY, Guinea (AP) _ A renegade faction of Guinea's presidential guard opened fire Thursday on the African country's leader, amid rumors of deep divisions within the army nearly three months after a military-led massacre of protesters at a peaceful rally. President Moussa "Dadis" Camara was shot at by his military aide who heads the presidential guard, Communications Minister Idrissa Cherif said. He refused to say whether the 45-year-old president was wounded. "The president of the republic is still the president of the republic and he is in good health," Cherif said as military helicopters and sporadic shooting could be heard in downtown Conakry. Cherif said Camara had left the country's main military barracks from where he has been running the country since seizing power in a military-led coup 11 months ago. He headed downtown to a military camp housing hundreds of men under the control of Abubakar "Toumba" Diakite, the president's aide-de-camp, Cherif said. The shooting occurred inside the camp. The incident underscores the deep rifts inside the military clique that grabbed control of the nation of 10 million on Africa's western coast just 11 months ago. Camara had initially promised to quickly organize elections, but then reversed course and began hinting that he planned to run for office, prompting a massive protest Sept. 28. Toumba is accused of having led the presidential guard that opened fire on the peaceful protesters that had gathered inside the capital's national stadium. At least 157 people were killed and dozens of women were raped by soldiers in broad daylight. Many were kidnapped and driven away in military trucks to private villas where they were drugged and gang raped over the course of several days, according to three survivors as well as several human rights groups. The massacre led the European Union and the African Union to impose sanctions on Guinea, including on top members of the junta, who are now the subject of a travel ban. Sources inside the military say that it deeply aggravated divisions that were already present and has led to the clique fracturing further. Members of the junta, including Toumba, are believed to lead private armies that are faithful only to them. A U.N. mission was in Conakry this week investigating the massacre and interviewed top military commanders in order to try to understand how the orders were given. Toumba, as well as Camara and several others, may face charges of crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court. The government has denied all wrongdoing and blamed opposition leaders for going ahead with the banned protest. Cherif said that it was clear that Toumba's intention was to kill the leader. "When you pull a gun on someone, is it your intention to scare him? No. Your intention is to kill him," he said. He declined to say whether the shot grazed or wounded Camara, or whether anyone else in his entourage was hurt. He repeated that he is "doing well" and that "the situation is under control." In the early evening, residents and tourists near Camp Koundara said they heard repeated volleys of shots. The camp is also close to the prime minister's office, who was out at the time but received a call from his aide telling him to avoid returning. "I was told to go home," said Prime Minister Kabine Komara, who was reached on his cell phone. "I am trying to reach the head of the army to find out what is going on," he said. The shooting came a day before the U.N. mission is due to depart Conakry. Guineans have been shocked that not a single soldier has so far been arrested and charged. Country experts have argued that Camara, who is not believed to have been at the stadium during the massacre, did not have the power to arrest Toumba, as it could have prompted him to lead a countercoup. In a recently released report, U.S.-based Human Rights Watch said that Toumba was clearly aware of the rapes being committed by men under his control and yet did nothing to stop them. They cite an opposition leader who described how he was led away by Toumba and passed women in agony. http://www.keysaustin.com/article/article/Official_Guinea_s_president_wounded_in_attack.htm 4th Dec,2009 CONAKRY (AFP) - – Guinea's junta chief was shot and wounded in a murder bid by an aide, officials said, amid uncertainty over his condition and high tension after a recent massacre of opposition supporters. One government official said on state radio that Captain Moussa Dadis Camara had been "lightly injured" in the incident, while another announced that the aide had been arrested. Camara's spokesman said the junta leader was "doing well," but a Senegalese official said his country had sent a medical plane to evacuate Camara to Dakar. "Senegal has sent a medical plane to Conakry to bring Dadis to Dakar," the official said on condition of anonymity. "He is injured. We don't know the degree and the nature of his injury." Witnesses had earlier reported hearing gunfire in the capital of the West African country and seeing soldiers deploying in the streets. The incident occurred with tensions having mounted in Guinea following a massacre of opposition supporters at a stadium rally in September. Idrissa Cherif, the spokesman for Camara, did not give further details on his condition, but warned the aide responsible would face a heavy penalty. "His ex-aide de camp, Toumba Diakite, made an attempt on the life of the head of state, but thanks to God, the president is doing well," Cherif told AFP by phone. Camara was now located at the Alpha Yaya Diallo military camp, which is the headquarters for the junta, along with other military leaders, he said. "We are in the process of drawing conclusions from tonight," the spokesman said. The murder attempt occurred at Camp Koundara in Conakry's administrative centre, he said. Witnesses had earlier reported hearing the sounds of gunfire coming from the camp. Diakite "has been located, meaning arrested," Cherif said. "When you attack a head of state, you attack state security," he said. "Those who wanted to make an attempt on the life of President Dadis will face a punishment in accordance with the gravity of the act that they wanted to carry out." Asked what the motive was for the murder attempt, Cherif made reference to the stadium massacre. "The president called for transparency with the international commission of inquiry to find out what happened at the stadium," he said. "I am not saying that it is for that reason ... but know that the president has always wanted complete transparency". The aide, who had previously been in charge of personal security for the junta chief, has been accused by witnesses of being one of the leaders of the massacre. Asked about dissension within the military, Cherif said "the head of state is today with all the armed forces chiefs of staff. That has nothing to do with a small number of individuals who wanted to make an attempt on (his) life." Government official Keletigui Faro gave few details of the incident on state radio. "An unfortunate incident has occurred this afternoon at Camp Koundara provoked by Lieutenant Aboubacar Sidiki Diakite, alias Toumba, during which Captain Moussa Dadis Camara was lightly injured," he said. Military sources had also confirmed the shooting, and Secretary of State Moussa Tiegboro Camara announced the aide's arrest on state radio. Soldiers had been deployed into the streets of Guinea's capital and helicopters patrolled overhead after gunshots were heard in the city, witnesses said. "The town is plunged in darkness, filled with soldiers. Everything is closed, the service stations, the shops, everything," one resident told AFP. Guinea's junta seized power under Camara a year ago following the death of longtime president Lansana Conte. Junta troops killed scores of people when they opened fire at an opposition rally in September. The military junta said 56 people were killed and 934 were injured in the September massacre. Human Rights Watch put the death toll at 157. The United Nations believes 150 were killed. A UN panel arrived in Guinea at the end of November to investigate what happened at the Conakry stadium where the army opened fire on the rally, which was called to urge Camara not to stand in a presidential election in January. One soldier who is a member of a guard close to the aide said the shooting occurred after Camara told him he wanted to denounce him as the ringleader of the stadium massacre. But a high-ranking police official, speaking on condition of anonymity, provided a different explanation, saying the government had recently moved to arrest suspects close to the aide as part of anti-drug operations. http://www.keysaustin.com/article/article/Guinea_junta_chief_wounded_in_attack_blamed_on_aide.htm 4th Dec,2009 JOHANNESBURG – The government of Equatorial Guinea says the African country's ruler of 30 years has been re-elected with 95.37 percent of votes, while opponents and international human rights groups denounced the electoral process in Africa's No. 3 oil producer as fraudulent. A statement Friday on the government's Web site said President Teodoro Obiang Nguema won 260,462 votes in Nov. 29 elections. Four opponents shared the other votes. The government refused to publish a voters' roll. The statement said Obiang would continue health, education and human rights reforms. U.N. reports show infant mortality has increased and education enrollment decreased since oil was discovered in 1994. Rights activists accuse Obiang of becoming fabulously wealthy while his people are more impoverished. http://www.keysaustin.com/article/article/Eq_Guinea_s_ruler_wins_95_percent_in_elections.htm 4th Dec,2009 By Ossian Shine SINGAPORE, Dec 3 - Elite athletes at this weekend's Singapore Marathon will not be left out of pocket or chasing appearance fees and bonus payments, the city-state's Sports Council promised on Thursday. A financial spat between the SCC and the Singapore Athletics Association had threatened to leave runners chasing their money for up to a week after Sunday's race -- resulting in fears some big names would pull out. But the SCC relented late on Thursday night, telling Reuters it would in fact disburse money on the day of the race and would liaise directly with the athletes or their managers in order to do so. "The SSC will reimburse the Singapore Athletics Association for authorised third party expenses subject to appropriate documentation," director of corporate communications Alvin Hang told Reuters. "The money that is due to the athletes will be disbursed on the day of the race or earlier if appropriate. If necessary, SSC will liaise directly with the athletes or their agents/managers." Earlier on Thursday the SSC said it was planning to withhold payment to the athletics body under a policy of "exercising greater financial prudence" given that the SAA is undergoing a routine financial audit. However the SAA and athletes' representatives -- including the manager of last year's winner and 2007 world champion Luke Kibet -- warned that a failure to pay athletes immediately after the race would tarnish the event and may deplete the field. "The punctual payment straight after the race is one of the reasons the stars come," Kibet's manager Volker Wagner told local media. "If the money isn't paid, the runners may choose another competition in future." Athletes would have had to wait up to a week to collect their money before the SSC made a swift u-turn late on Thursday night. The financial spat had threatened to knock the wind out of the marathon which snakes through Singapore's hi-tech and historic architecture. The race has grown from 6,000 runners to 50,000 in seven years. (Editing by Miles Evans. To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com) ((ossian.shine@thomsonreuters.com; +65 68703833; Reuters Messaging: ossian.shine.reuters.com@reuters.net. For the Reuters sports blog Left Field go to: http://blogs.reuters.com/sport/)) http://www.keysaustin.com/article/article/Athletics-Marathon_runners_promised_Singapore_cash_on_time.htm 4th Dec,2009 TRIPOLI, Libya – Two Swiss businessmen sentenced to 16 months in jail and a fine for violating residency and labor laws will now face trial for illegal economic activities later this month, a Libyan official said Wednesday. The Foreign Ministry official said the two face charges of conducting commercial activities in Libya without a license. The trial is scheduled for Dec. 15, he said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the case with the media. The businessmen _ identified as Max Goeldi and Rachid Hamdani _ were detained in July 2008 on alleged visa violations _ days after Swiss police arrested Hannibal Gadhafi, the son of Libya's leader, and his wife for allegedly beating up their servants in a Geneva hotel. The businessmen's sentence from their first conviction, which included a $1,500 fine, comes amid furor in the Muslim world over a referendum to outlaw the construction of minarets in mosques in Switzerland. Tuesday's speedy trial was held with no foreign diplomats or reporters in the court. The two men were also not present in court, according to their lawyer. The Libyan official said the two men have a week to appeal their first sentence. But the trials are set to strain relations between the two countries further. Swiss lawmakers protested the conviction, some calling for breaking off diplomatic relations with Libya, while others hoped for a Libyan presidential pardon. Socialist parliamentarian Mario Fehr said more time should be given to diplomacy, but his nationalist colleague Christoph Moergeli offered a harder course of action. "We must now protest in every way against the decision," Moergeli said, adding that Switzerland should apply more pressure on Libya. The Alpine country should also consider breaking off diplomatic relations with Libya, he said. Christian Democrat lawmaker Eugen David said that Goeldi and Hamdani should not be handed over from the Swiss embassy in Tripoli, which enjoys protection under international law. The men were handed over to the Swiss embassy in Tripoli earlier in November, triggering expectations they would be released and allowed to return home. The two spent 20 days behind bars which will be subtracted from their 16 month sentence. Hannibal Gadhafi was held for two days in Geneva before being allowed to return home. The complaint was eventually dropped after the two servants received compensation from an undisclosed source. Switzerland apologized for the manner of the arrest and opened itself to possible compensation claims as part of the August agreement reached in Tripoli, but later suspended the deal after repeated attempts to secure the release of Goeldi and Hamdani failed. Libya has called on Switzerland not to make any links between the case and the issue of the "aggression" on the son of the Libyan leader. The saga has badly damaged relations between the two countries and prompted calls in Switzerland for the resignation of Swiss President Hans-Rudolf Merz, who staked his credibility on the men's release. In addition to detaining the men, Libya recalled some of its diplomats from Switzerland, suspended visas for Swiss citizens, withdrew funds from Swiss banks, stopped crude oil shipments and reduced flights to the Alpine country. Tuesday's speedy trial come two days after 57.5 percent of the Swiss population approved the ban on the minarets. Although The Swiss government opposed the initiative, the move has sparked an outcry across the Muslim world. _____ AP Writer Balz Bruppacher contributed to this report from Bern. http://www.keysaustin.com/article/article/Libya_to_hold_2nd_trial_for_Swiss_businessmen.htm 3rd Dec,2009 NAIROBI, Kenya – A Greek shipping company says an oil supertanker Somali pirates hijacked four days ago has reached the coast of Somalia. Maran Tankers Management Inc. says in a Wednesday statement the tanker is near the Somali coastal of Hobyo. The town is a haven for pirates. The company says that ship's crew of 28 are well. The Maran Centaurus was hijacked on Sunday about 800 miles (1,300 kilometers) off the coast of Somalia. The tanker is carrying around 275,000 metric tons of crude oil. Somali pirates have increased attacks on vessels off East Africa for the millions of dollars of ransom that can be had. But Somalia does not have a coast guard or navy to stop them because it has not had an effective central government for 18 years. http://www.keysaustin.com/article/article/Hijacked_Greek_tanker_reaches_Somali_coast.htm 3rd Dec,2009 ABUJA (AFP) - – Nigeria's government on Wednesday flatly rejected calls by dozens of public figures for ailing President Umaru Yar'Adua to resign. More than 50 Nigerian public figures had called on 58-year-old Yar'Adua, being treated for a heart condition in Saudi Arabia, to step down as leader of one of the world's top oil producers on the grounds that ill health had impaired his judgement. Information Minister Dora Akunyili said in a statement issued after a cabinet meeting that the government had "unanimously resolved that there is no basis for the invocation of the provisions of... the constitution, for the reason that the president has not been found incapable of discharging his functions." "Council wishes to inform all Nigerians that all organs of government are functioning and that government will continue to deliver," Akunyili said. Among prominent signatories to a statement carried in Nigerian newspapers Wednesday are Aminu Bello Masari, a former speaker of the parliament's lower house, ex-state governors, rights activists and opposition politicians. The statement called on Yar'Adua, who was elected in 2007, to "immediately and unconditionally hand over to Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan to complete the current term of office." Jonathan urged Nigerians last Friday to disregard rumours about Yar'Adua, including that he was in a coma or had died. His ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) said on Monday he is "improving steadily". Yar'Adua flew to Jeddah on Monday last week and is being treated at the city's King Faisal hospital for acute pericarditis -- inflammation of the membrane covering the heart, officials said. He is widely believed to have a history of kidney-related disease for which he has previously received treatment in both Germany and Saudi Arabia. Yar'Adua was dogged by ill-health even during the election campaign that brought him to power. Nigeria's constitution provides that by a two-third majority, the cabinet can launch a process to verify whether the head of state is capable of performing his functions. If the leader is found incapable, the process would eventually result in the president's removal from office. "But we have not got to that stage because there is no evidence to even start the process," Justice Minister Michael Aondoakaa, told reporters Wednesday after the routine weekly cabinet meeting chaired by Jonathan. "We have looked at the facts on ground and there is no basis to even contemplate to start the process," he said "The constitution did not make provision for creation of a super human being as a president. And this means that somebody can fall sick and somebody can go to the hospital and still remain in office." The media has been awash with articles over the past 10 days explaining constitutional provisions and speculating on possible post-Yar'Adua scenarios. Secretary to the federal government, Yayale Ahmed, said cabinet would "not be intimidated into doing things which are uncalled for." http://www.keysaustin.com/article/article/Nigerian_cabinet_rejects_calls_for_president_to_step_down.htm 3rd Dec,2009 BRUSSELS (AFP) - – Almost a third of Christmas lights on sale across Europe are a fire hazard, the European Commission warned on Wednesday. Thirty percent of 196 random samples in five European Union states failed to meet safety standards, according to a report presented by EU consumer affairs commissioner Meglena Kuneva. Christmas lights "present an obvious and direct risk of fire and electric shocks," going by those checked in Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, Slovakia and Slovenia, where "many lighting chains failed multiple tests." "If we are going to 'keep the lights on' at Christmas, consumers need to be confident that there are no compromises on safety," said Kuneva, who described the report as a "wake-up call." "National authorities and industry will redouble efforts to crack down on the gaps and loopholes that can let shoddy goods into shops and our homes," she added. A quarter of lighting chains failed safety tests because wires could come loose too easily, leading to a high risk of electric shock. Poor insulation in 28 percent of lights sets did likewise. Another 23 percent had wiring that was too thin, raising the risk of overheating and fire. Tania Vandenberghe of consumer group ANEC said a lot of unsafe Christmas lights came from Asia and that European supervision needs to be improved. http://www.keysaustin.com/article/article/Three_out_of_10_Christmas_lights_unsafe_EU.htm 3rd Dec,2009 MUNICH, Germany (AFP) - – John Demjanjuk, 89, accused by Holocaust survivors of playing up his illness in his war crimes trial, has an infection and thus no hearing will take place on Wednesday, the court said. "At the start of the hearing, the presiding judge announced that according to doctors the defendant cannot be moved because of an infection, meaning no hearing can take place today," the Munich court said in a statement. Wednesday's hearing was in any case scheduled to be the final day until the trial resums on December 21. The court confirmed that it now will start again on that date. Ukrainian-born Demjanjuk went on trial on Monday accused of helping to murder 27,900 people while a guard at the Sobibor extermination camp in German-occupied Poland between March and September 1943. On the first two days this week, Demjanjuk appeared very ill, moaning as he was rolled into the courtroom in a wheelchair and later on a stretcher, keeping his eyes closed for most of the time and apparently oblivious to proceedings. The family of Demjanjuk, who denies ever being at Sobibor, says he suffers from leukaemia and other illnesses and that he will probably not survive the trial. Many survivors of Sobibor and other Nazi death camps who came to Munich to appear as co-plaintiffs or witnesses in the trial were angered by his behaviour, saying he was exaggerating his health problems. "I am sure he is faking his condition," said Thomas Blatt, an 82-year-old Sobibor survivor, originally from Germany, now living in Los Angeles. Medical experts again told the court on Monday he was well enough to be tried and that he did not have leukaemia. Proceedings are already limited to two 90-minute sessions per day. His poor health was one of the main arguments put forward in the months-long battle to prevent his deportation in May from the United States, where he moved to after the war, changing his name from Ivan and working in the car industry. Demjanjuk admits that he was taken prisoner by the Germans as a Red Army soldier but he denies accusations that he was one of thousands on non-Germans who then volunteered to work for the Nazis. While not admitting his client was ever in Trawniki, Demjanjuk's lawyer Ulrich Busch tried to turn the tables by portraying Soviet PoWs forced to work for the Nazis as "victims just like the Jews." Busch argued that the case is a farce because German SS members at Sobibor were acquitted in earlier trials. Offered to chance to speak, his lawyer said Demjanjuk would exercise his right to remain silent. The prosecution say they have Demjanjuk's SS identity card proving he was at the SS Trawniki training camp for guards and that he was transferred to Sobibor. His lawyers say the card is fake. http://www.keysaustin.com/article/article/German_Nazi_guard_trial_postponed_by_illness_court.htm 3rd Dec,2009 MOSCOW (AFP) - – A militant Islamist group claimed responsibility Wednesday for last weekend's deadly Russian train bombing, as investigators said the well-planned attack resembled tactics used by Chechen rebels. The so-called "Caucasus Emirate," an umbrella group uniting various Islamist factions, said in a statement posted on a Chechen rebel website that it was behind the attack that killed 26 people and injured around 100 others. "This operation was prepared and executed along with other acts of sabotage, planned from the start of this year and successfully carried out against a set of strategically important sites in Russia, on the orders of Caucasus Emir Dokku Umarov," the statement said. There was no immediate way of verifying the claim. The statement was posted on KavkazCenter.com, a website that has been used as a mouthpiece by Chechen rebels. Umarov is the self-proclaimed leader of the Caucasus Emirate, which has sought to establish Islamic Sharia rule in Russia's largely Muslim North Caucasus region. Friday's bombing struck the Nevsky Express, an upscale passenger train running from Moscow to Saint Petersburg popular with well-off Russians and foreign tourists. Prosecutors have opened a terrorism investigation into the blast, which was the first major attack to hit Russia's heartland, outside the North Caucasus, since a spate of suicide bombings in Moscow in 2003 and 2004. The statement on KavkazCenter.com said the train "was mainly used by the ruling bureaucrats of Russia." At least two government officials were killed on the train, and the chief of Russia's Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, was injured by a remote-controlled bomb blast when he arrived at the scene the next day. Bastrykin -- whom officials say was not seriously injured -- said in a newspaper interview that the bomb that injured him resembled explosive booby-traps laid by Chechen rebels in earlier attacks. "The second blast at the site of the train disaster could have been targeted directly at the investigative group. Such a tactic has been used by terrorists in the North Caucasus," he told the official state newspaper Rossiiskaya Gazeta. Meanwhile, media reports said police were looking for four suspects of non-Slavic appearance, said to be of a Caucasus ethnicity. The Kommersant newspaper and the Interfax news agency, citing unnamed police sources, said the four had rented a room in Lykoshino, a village two kilometres (1.2 miles) from the disaster scene, in the days before the bombing. Officials were tight-lipped about the Caucasus Emirate's claim of responsibility. "We do not comment on such information," an unnamed security official told the ITAR-TASS state news agency. Chechen rebels have previously issued bogus claims of responsibility, such as one for a deadly August disaster at a Siberian hydro-electric plant that later turned out to have been caused by a technical fault. Shortly after the train bombing, an obscure Russian ultra-nationalist group calling itself Combat 18 claimed responsibility, but both officials and other nationalists said the claim was not credible. Investigators have said that Islamists were behind a previous bombing of the Nevsky Express, in August 2007, which injured 60 people. Also on Wednesday, thousands of people gathered to denounce the attack and mourn the victims at rallies backed by the ruling United Russia party. Some 4,000 people gathered near a World War II memorial complex in Moscow, while around 1,500 people attended a similar rally in Saint Petersburg. "I am afraid for the life of our country," said Natalya Petrenko, 45, who attended the rally in Saint Petersburg. "I don't know what to do now or who can help us. This wasn't the first terrorist attack, and I don't see the government doing anything about it." http://www.keysaustin.com/article/article/Islamists_claim_Russian_train_bombing.htm 3rd Dec,2009 TBILISI (AFP) - – Georgia's rebel South Ossetia region freed two detained Georgian teenagers but jailed two others Wednesday after Tbilisi handed over a group of South Ossetian prisoners following European mediation. The four teenage boys were detained last month after allegedly crossing into South Ossetian-controlled territory with explosives. Their detentions sparked an outcry in Georgia and calls from Tbilisi and the European Union for their release. South Ossetia's rebel government said in a statement that a court had found the four teens guilty of illegally crossing the de facto border and of carrying explosives. The two youngest, both aged 14, were given conditional sentences and released immediately while the two others, aged 16 and 17, were sentenced to a year in prison each, the statement said. Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner Thomas Hammarberg, who was in South Ossetia on Wednesday mediating the release, said he expected the other two boys to also be released soon. "The decision is that the two teenagers will be released and the other two boys sentenced to one year in prison. But I was promised that these two will be released as well, in 10 days," he said in remarks shown on Georgian television. A spokesman for Georgia's interior ministry, Shota Utiashvili, said the two teens had not yet been handed over to Georgian authorities. Hammarberg had earlier accompanied five South Ossetian prisoners across the de facto border to be handed over to rebel authorities, the separatists said in a statement. Georgian officials refused to confirm the release of South Ossetian prisoners and Utiashvili insisted there had been "no exchange" of detainees. Georgian media have recently speculated that authorities on both sides were preparing for a prisoner swap involving the detained teens. Frequent detentions of Georgian citizens near South Ossetia in recent weeks have raised concerns over increasing tensions around the rebel region, which was the focus of a war between Georgia and Russia in August 2008. Last year's five-day conflict saw Russian troops and tanks pour into Georgia to repel an attempt to retake control of South Ossetia, which had received extensive Russian backing for years. Days after the conflict, Russia recognised South Ossetia and another rebel Georgian region, Abkhazia, as independent, a move that has so far been followed by only Nicaragua and Venezuela. http://www.keysaustin.com/article/article/Rebel_S_Ossetia_frees_two_Georgian_teens_jails_two_others.htm 3rd Dec,2009 BRUSSELS (AFP) - – Europe took a first major step on Wednesday toward insulating the continent from future financial crises despite British reservations that nonetheless secured an emergency "veto." Finance ministers from the 27 countries that make up the European Union agreed, after months of foot-dragging, to create four new pan-European watchdogs. Seeking to avoid a repeat of last year's devastating crisis, which triggered the deepest recession since World War II, they granted oversight powers for Brussels covering banks, insurers and securities markets. An over-arching body offering an early warning system for shocks with the potential to spread market mayhem caused little disagreement. But the three sector watchdogs will have to tread carefully on national sensitivities -- especially in the City of London. As a challenger to New York and Hong Kong in financial services, London was desperate to avoid the EU dictating what banks and other firms in trouble should do, which it said could affect its government budget and penalise taxpayers. In the end, it secured safeguards allowing it to appeal decisions it dislikes all the way through to a de facto veto whenever the leaders of member states gather in Brussels to sign off legislation under consensus. But however painful their birth -- and the European Parliament will now have its say on these bodies' shape, remits and dispute resolution mechanisms over the coming weeks and months -- a new era of cross-border regulation and supervision looks to have dawned. Both Britain and France, the issue's longstanding chief protagonists, pronounced themselves "satisfied." The City of London is home to the vast majority of Europe's finance industry, while a Frenchman -- Michel Barnier -- has been named the European Commission's financial services overlord, although the commission was stripped of the right to declare contentious crisis circumstances. "The task for us now is to work together to ensure that we can rebuild the financial services industry on a much stronger and more secure basis in the future," said Britain's Chancellor Alistair Darling. "We look forward to working with Monsieur Barnier," Darling added after French President Nicolas Sarkozy gloated in a weekend interview that Paris had beaten London to the plum post. "I have today invited him to come to London to meet me and, I hope, to meet other people in the industry, in the City," Darling added, although Barnier had yet to respond. Darling stressed that the money business employs more than one million people in Britain, terming the City of London "an asset, not just to the United Kingdom, but also to Europe." Describing the deal as a "mechanism for dealing with cross-border issues," he said "the primary responsibilities for regulation rest fairly and squarely with national regulators. "The directive here says unambiguously that these authorities have to ensure that no decision they adopt impinges in any way on the fiscal responsibilities of member states," he underlined. He said the appeals procedures, wrung out of five hours of negotiations, are "effectively a veto." French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde said it had been a "laborious process." She said that "not everyone was on the same wavelength" but stressed that "today, the European Union has made real progress in the banking and economic sphere." "Everyone rolled up their sleeves and got down to work," she added. The heads of the four biggest political groups in the European Parliament immediately issued a joint statement saying the deal was "going in the wrong direction." They warned that lawmakers -- who have acquired beefed-up powers under the Lisbon Treaty which entered into force on Tuesday -- "will play its full role" in scrutinising the deal. But Barnier's predecessor, Charlie McCreevy, said the parliament had to recognise that the "political" nature of the accord and that it "will be difficult to change the broad balance without jeopardising the agreement." http://www.keysaustin.com/article/article/EU_in_bank_supervision_deal_despite_British_veto.htm 3rd Dec,2009 BRUSSELS (AFP) - – New EU foreign policy supremo Catherine Ashton endured a grilling from the European parliament on Wednesday, declaring herself the right person for the job, though admitting she was surprised to get it. "I have no doubts about my own ability," the British peer told members of the parliament's foreign affairs committee, amid some firm questioning on her lack of foreign policy experience and low-profile internationally. "I imagine that my appointment may have come as somewhat of a surprise to many of you, perhaps to all of you. It was quite a surprise for me too," admitted the woman who was EU trade commissioner last week. Asked whether she could "stop the traffic" when she visits foreign capitals, Ashton, 53, replied that she had no intention of doing so. "I want to keep the traffic moving,"she told them. "What really matters to us is that we, in many different ways, make it clear what the EU stands for, the values that we hold and that we play our part in making things work better." This was a pre-hearing in the parliament ahead of a full sitting next month in the chamber which must approve Ashton in her job, as it also comes with the position of vice-president of the European Commission. German MEP Elmer Brok, a senior figure in the conservative European People's party, called this first hearing "disappointing," adding that a final verdict on her would have to wait for the hearing in January. Ashton's job as high representative for foreign affairs and security was created by the EU's reforming Lisbon Treaty, which came into force on Tuesday. Former Belgian prime minister Herman Van Rompuy became the EU's first president under the treaty but is keeping a low profile until the end of the Swedish EU presidency on December 31. There have been some criticism in Brussels and national capitals of the choice of such a low-key pairing to lead the EU into what Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt described Tuesday as "a new era". Recalling that she was chosen by the 27 European heads of state and government, rather than the European parliament, Ashton said that though she "may not be your choice," she was theirs. She gave few clues on her foreign policy ideas or agenda, often reminding the parliament that this was just her second day in the job or that the chamber's strict time rules did not allow a detailed exposition. She said she intended to launch a review of the EU's external policy in key areas such as the Middle East, Iran, the Balkans, Afghanistan and Africa, because "I need to increase my understanding of what we need to do and how to do it." "It could be an advantage to you that I come to this with a blank sheet of paper," she assured the assembled Euro MPs. Not everyone agreed: "I'm very concerned that you haven't been able to answer many questions," one MEP huffed. Greens MEP Franziska Brantner said Ashton had showed she was quick-witted and willing to listen but had not displayed the "capacity for leadership and her vision for the EU on the world stage." Ashton was keen to assure the Euro MPs that she "won't be an extension of the British government," which is sometimes deemed in Brussels to take a more transatlantic view of world affairs. "I am known to be pro-European in my own country and I am very proud to be known as that," she said. The former Labour minister was also questioned on her role as treasurer of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament in the early 1980s and accusations that the anti-nuclear group accepted funds from the Soviet bloc. While stating that "I did not take any direct money from any communist country," she added that much of the group's money was collected in the form of coins and notes in buckets during protests and marches. "If I can't tell you where all the money in the buckets came from, I don't think you will be surprised," she said. http://www.keysaustin.com/article/article/New_EU_foreign_policy_chief_faces_MEP_critics.htm 3rd Dec,2009 ASUNCION, Paraguay – Paraguay named an undocumented U.S. immigrant to run its consulate in New York, discovering his illegal status only when the man returned home to get his diplomatic papers and was denied a U.S. visa. Paraguay's foreign ministry acknowledged Wednesday that it was a mistake to name Augusto Noguera as the consulate's "first official," but said President Fernando Lugo annulled the decision as soon as he was informed of the U.S. Embassy's visa denial. Vice Foreign Minister Manuel Maria Caceres told The Associated Press that the decision to name Noguera as a diplomat Sept. 21 was made in good faith since the ministry didn't know of his legal status in New York. Despite the visa denial, Noguera tried to return to his wife and three U.S.-born children, ages 10, 9 and 3, by crossing into the U.S. near Tijuana, Mexico, was detained by U.S. officials and is being held in Chula Vista, California, Caceres said. Paraguay's Los Angeles consul, Ruben Benitez, is arranging legal assistance for Noguera and making sure his family has what it needs. "We are watching closely so that Noguera has a fair process," Caceres said. Noguera had been in the U.S. for about 17 years, working in construction and becoming a pillar of New York's 20,000-strong Paraguayan community, said Rep. Elvis Balbuena of the Authentic Radical Liberal Party, who had lobbied for Lugo to name Noguera to the post. Noguera has been active in the party's committee in New York as well as the Centro Paraguayo, a community center in the city's Flushing district. Paraguayans who promised to support Lugo during his presidential campaign wanted Noguera to run the consulate, Baluena told the AP. Balbuena has called for Lugo to expel the U.S. consular official who denied the visa. Miguel Acosta, publisher of El Mirador Paraguayo, a monthly newspaper for Paraguayan immigrants in New York, described Noguera as a community and party activist but questioned his qualifications to work in diplomacy. Acosta said the Lugo administration should have done a better job assessing Noguera's fitness for the job. "The government promised that diplomats would be selected for their abilities," he said. Dionisio Recalde, a fellow party member in New York, said Noguera's absence from the community would be felt. "Augusto Noguera was always active in the Paraguayan community, in the Liberal Party and the Centro Paraguayo. Everyone knew him as a community activist," Recalde said. ___ Associated Press Writer Cristian Salazar in New York contributed to this report. (This version CORRECTS name to Centro Paraguayo, sted Casa Paraguaya) http://www.keysaustin.com/article/article/Paraguay_named_illegal_immigrant_to_consular_post.htm 3rd Dec,2009