S. Korean defense minister resigns; North threatens additional attacks

South Korean Defense Minister Kim Tae-young resigned Thursday, according to the South Korean presidency, two days after North Korea shelling left four South Koreans dead.
"The president has just accepted the defense minister's resignation," according to a spokesman for the Presidential Blue House.
Kim, a former general, came under heavy criticism after the March sinking of the South Korean war ship Cheonan and again after North Korea struck the South's Yeonpyeong Island on Tuesday.
North Korea has been blamed by the South and other nations for the Cheonan incident, in which 46 sailors were killed, but has denied responsibility. North Korea has blamed South Korea and the United States for the Yeonpyeong incident, in which two South Korean marines and two civilians were killed and 15 others injured.
South Korean lawmakers from both parties alleged that South Korean forces were unprepared for the North Korean attacks, and some have insisted that South Korean aircraft should have responded to the Yeonpyeong incident immediately. Lawmakers demanded Kim's resignation earlier Thursday.
Kim actually submitted his resignation May 1, after the Cheonan incident, said the Blue House spokesman, but it was not accepted until Thursday because of the Cheonan aftermath and other military-related issues. The Cheonan sinking sparked a public uproar, with many stating that it should not have been possible for North Korea to have damaged South Korea's military, which is much more high-tech.
President Lee also drew criticism for his first statements after the Yeonpyeong artillery bombardment, in which he asked for a stern response but added that de-escalatory measures also had to be taken. Later that same day, Lee spoke to the military and urged heavy retaliation.
It was unclear who advised Lee on his first message, but on Wednesday, speaking to a lawmakers' committee, Kim said the president's first instruction was to stop the fire from spreading.
A new minister is expected to be appointed soon.
State-run North Korean broadcaster KCTV reported Thursday that South Korea had stated its plan to "fire towards our territorial waters with their Yeonpyeong-based artillery on November 22." The North said it asked "the puppet South" not to do so, but it persisted, and the North fired back in self-defense.
"If the U.S. truly wishes to ease the tension in the Chosun [Korean] peninsula, rather than protecting the puppet South, they should control the South, so the South will not hang on to maintaining the NLL [Northern Limit Line] by invading territorial waters and firing artilleries," KCTV said. "This incident shows that the acutal offender of the armistice is the puppet South and it is the U.S. which created tension in the Chosun west sea."
Earlier Thursday, state media said North Korea will launch additional attacks on South Korea if the South continues "reckless military provocation."
Pyongyang "will deal without hesitation the second and third strong physical retaliatory blow" if provoked, its KCNA news agency said.
As an example of provocation, it indirectly referred to a military drill that South Korea and the United States plan to hold in the Yellow Sea starting Sunday.
Meanwhile, South Korea said Thursday that it will strengthen and supplement its rules of engagement in the Yellow Sea, following the incident on Yeonpyeong Island.
South Korea was holding annual military exercises near North Korea when Pyongyang started shelling Tuesday. Shells from the South's exercises landed in North Korean waters, KCNA said.
KCNA on Thursday continued its verbal offensive against the South Korean-U.S. military drill.
"The U.S. and the South Korean puppet forces are foolishly contemplating an additional provocation aimed to orchestrate another farce and charade such as the 'Cheonan' case while kicking up rows and holding confabs one after another such as the declaration of a 'state of emergency' and 'a meeting of ministers in charge of security,' far from drawing due lesson from the recent shelling," KCNA said.
The aircraft carrier USS George Washington on Wednesday sailed toward the Yellow Sea for the drill, which was billed as defensive.
"It is a long-planned exercise," said Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff.
"That said, it is meant to send a very strong signal of deterrence and also work with our very close allies in South Korea," Mullen said on CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS."
"We're very focused on restraint -- not letting this thing get out of control. The South Koreans so far have responded that way. Nobody wants this thing to turn into a conflict."
On Thursday morning, Lee and his economic and security ministers met in Seoul.
The meeting began with a moment of silence for the Yeonpyeong victims. After the meeting, South Korea said it would boost its rules of engagement in the Yellow Sea.
South Korean marine forces based in five islands near North Korea and the disputed Northern Limit Line also will be reinforced, a government spokesman said.
The tense maritime border between the two Koreas has become the major military flash point on the Korean peninsula in recent years.
The Yeonpyeong attack also will lead to a plan for civilian safety on the five islands in the Yellow Sea, the government spokesman said. No details were immediately offered about the plan, but Lee on Wednesday ordered the strengthening of civilian shelters on the islands.
The islands include Yeonpyeong and Baengnyeong, off which the South Korean warship Cheonan was sunk in March, killing 46 sailors. Seoul blamed Pyongyang for the torpedo attack, which the North has denied.
The Lee administration also will continue to closely monitor capital markets and foreign exchange rates, prepared to take preventative measures as needed, the spokesman said. The Yeonpyeong shelling sent ripples through South Korea's stock market, which has rebounded.
South Korea's economic and security ministries will cooperate closely, and the administration will publicize developments in real time to address major concerns and squelch rumors, the spokesman said.

The Yeonpyeong attack was the first direct artillery assault on South Korea since the Korean War ended in 1953.

Source: CNN

North Korea's military aging but sizable

It's a bit like train-spotting but rather more serious. On October 10, Korea-watchers pored over live televised coverage of a massive military parade in Pyongyang, held to mark the 65th anniversary of North Korea's ruling party. Just like the Soviet parades of yore, it was a chance to see what military hardware the North might be showing off.
The official news agency said the parade showed "the will and might of Songun Korea to wipe out the enemy." The hardware was accompanied by slogans such as "Defeat the U.S. Military. U.S. soldiers are the Korean People's Army's enemy." And besides the incredible synchronized goose-stepping, there were tanks and new missiles.
Analysts paid special attention to the first public appearance of a road-mobile ballistic missile with a projected range of between 3,000 and 4,000 kilometers (roughly 1,900 to 2,400 miles), though reports of its existence had circulated for several years. There was also a new version of the No-dong ballistic missile, with a tri-conic nosecone, on show. That led Aviation Weekly and others to observe design similarities to Iran's Shahab missiles, suggesting further military cooperation between the two governments.
North Korea's nuclear capability and ballistic missile technology are its trump card, to make up for its aging conventional forces and as a bargaining chip in negotiations. So that's what receives the bulk of funding and expertise. But despite economic stagnation, technological limitations and international sanctions, its conventional forces can't be discounted, if only because of their size.
According to South Korean analysts, the North scraped together what little foreign exchange it had to buy $65 million of weapons from China, Russia and eastern Europe between 2002 and 2008. One example: It appears to have bought Chinese-made ZM-87 anti-personnel lasers, using one to "illuminate" two U.S. Army Apache helicopters flying along the southern side of the Demilitarized Zone in 2003. None of the crew members was injured.

China says it continues to be open to military collaboration with Pyongyang and last month welcomed a senior North Korean official to Beijing to "enhance coordination of the two militaries." China is thought to have supplied the North with multiple rocket launchers and spare parts for planes, among other equipment. Pyongyang has also turned to Iran and Egypt for military transfers.
Much of the North's hardware is locally built using Chinese and Russian templates. It has begun deploying a new tank, called the P'okpoong (Storm), which is modeled on the Russian T-62 tank but hardly a match for modern U.S. battle tanks. It's not clear how many of these are in service, but Jane's Armed Forces Editor Alexander von Rosenbach says it is thought that only a few have been delivered -- and they lack devices like thermal imaging sights.
Also on show at the October parade: a new surface-to-air missile similar to a Chinese model. Jane's concluded that it represented "a major expansion in North Korea's air defense potential," with a radar/guidance system that would be harder to jam. And although little is known about the size and scope of the North's artillery, the barrage fired this week at Yeonpyeong Island suggests that it can't be ignored.
The North Korean regime has also devoted great resources to developing its navy, not with battleships but fast-attack vessels and an array of submarines. Jane's estimates that it has more than 400 surface vessels. And it is not hesitant to use its maritime forces, as demonstrated by the sinking of the 1,200-ton South Korean corvette Cheonan by a torpedo in March. But in a confrontation, the South Korean navy is likely to come off best, as happened in a firefight in 1999.
The main weakness of the North's military is a chronic shortage of computers, modern command and control and electronic warfare assets -- in other words, much of what makes up the 21st-century battlefield. At the same time, South Korea has used its economic strength to modernize its armed forces: for example, building three $1 billion Aegis-class destroyers to counter ballistic missiles.
The same applies in the air. North Korea's air force largely comprises aging Soviet MiG fighters (though it has some MiG 29s) that would be unable to compete with South Korean F-15 jets or the F-16 fighters of the U.S. 7th Air Force, based in South Korea. In addition, the North's air force has suffered fuel shortages, and Jane's estimated that the North's fighter pilots may get as little as 25 flying hours per year. The North Koreans also have a large fleet of Russian-design biplanes that would be better suited to crop-spraying but could be used to drop special forces behind enemy lines in the event of conflict.
To compensate for obsolescence, the North deploys boots on the ground in great numbers. Jane's estimates that its standing army numbers just over 1 million personnel, with reserves estimated at more than 7 million. But North Korean soldiers are poorly fed, according to analysts and reports from defectors, and rarely train due to scarcity of fuel and ammunition
Despite the size of its armed forces, few analysts expect that the regime in the North would want to launch a general assault on the South, knowing that it would probably be repulsed and that in turn would imperil the regime. It might also ignite dissent.
"With the ongoing leadership transition in North Korea, there have been rumors of discontent within the military, and the current actions may reflect miscommunications or worse within the North's command-and-control structure," geopolitical risk analysis firm Stratfor says.
There is another practical reason why a land invasion would be difficult. South Korea has built an array of obstructions on roads from the North that would force an invader's tanks off the pavement and into rice fields. Only in the winter would those fields be hard enough to allow the tanks to cross them.
Short of a general assault, the North clearly has enough in its arsenal to cause damage and death to its adversary, as the torpedo attack in March and the barrage this week have shown. And it has thousands of artillery pieces close to the Demilitarized Zone, which is just 30 kilometers (18 miles) from Seoul. Recent events show that it is also quite ready to exploit the element of surprise.

There remains the great unanswered question about intentions. There's plenty of what one expert calls "echo chamber analysis." But as former President Carter wrote with a hint of understatement in the Washington Post on Wednesday: "No one can completely understand the motivations of the North Koreans."

Source: CNN

Christian protester killed in clashes in Egypt

Egyptian authorities have rounded up 156 people in connection with this week's deadly protests over plans to build a church near Cairo, the government announced Thursday.
Those arrested have been ordered held for 15 days while the investigation into Wednesday's clashes continues, Egypt's official Middle East News Agency reported.
Police battled about 150 demonstrators outside a government building in the Cairo suburb of Giza on Wednesday. Police turned to tear gas to break up the melee, while protesters responded with Molotov cocktails. The clashes left a Christian protester dead.
Tensions have been running high between Egypt's Muslim majority and minority Christians, who make up about 9 percent of the people. Copts, who are adherents of an Egyptian sect of Christianity, complain of discrimination, including the lack of freedom to build houses of worship. The government denies those accusations.
However, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has expressed concern that the Egyptian government and media have deliberately promoted sectarian friction ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for December.
"We've seen a clear uptick in recent weeks of incitement coming from media outlets and clerics espousing sectarian hatred and violence," said Leonard Leo, chairman of the independent, bi-partisan commission. "This kind of rhetoric goes too far and stokes the fire of extremists looking for ammunition to justify violent acts against religious minorities."

The commission said that earlier this month, ten Coptic Christian homes and several businesses were burned and looted in Qena province in southern Egypt following rumors of a romantic relationship between a Christian man and Muslim woman. Security officials imposed a curfew and arrested several Muslims, the commission said.

Source: CNN

3 teenage boys rescued after 50 days stranded at sea

Two weeks ago, family and friends gathered to mourn Edward Nasau, Samuel Perez and Filo Filo.
As natives of the Tokelau Islands -- three small atolls in the Pacific Ocean, about halfway between New Zealand and Hawaii -- the three teenage boys had spent all their young lives surrounded by the water. But by early November, authorities had determined that the sea had done them in, declaring them dead after finding no sign of them since early October.
But, in a moment, grief turned to elation.
First mate Tai Fredricsen was on watch Wednesday, as his 85-meter (279-foot) tuna boat traveled north of Fiji, between the Wallis and Futuna islands. Spying what he called a "little boat" two miles away, he was shocked as he got closer to see three teens frantically waving their arms.
The boys had spent 50 days stranded in the Pacific, drifting more than 1,200 kilometers (750 miles) and living off little more than coconuts, a seagull and seawater. After spotting them and helping bring them aboard, Fredricsen called back to the Tokelau Islands, first to inform Samuel's grandmother that the memorial services had been in vain.
"I just told her we found her kids, and it was total hysteria," Fredricsen said. "It was just amazing."
It was supposed to be a routine trip for the three boys -- Edward, 14, and Filo and Samuel, both 15 -- when they set off from the Tokelau Islands, a string of three atolls totaling 12.2 square kilometers (4.7 square miles) that rose at most 5 meters (16 feet) above sea level.
But then, they got lost, Fredricsen said.
For weeks, they ate nothing until they captured a bird around two weeks ago. About the same time they captured the bird, the memorial service -- attended by 500 people, according to the Sydney Morning Herald, in an island chain that had a total population of 1,400 -- was being held in their memory.
Two days before being spotted, the teenagers began drinking seawater to quench their thirst -- which could "have been devastating" had they continued for much longer, Fredricsen said. Drinking excess amounts of saltwater can negatively, and fatally, affect one's kidney function.
The boys were spotted in an "unusual place" -- hundreds of miles west of the Tokelaus, between western Samoa and Fiji, said Eric Barratt, the managing director for the Sanford seafood company, whose boat found the boys. The boat normally wouldn't have been there, but its commanders altered its typical course, returning to New Zealand rather than heading to the United States after filling up with tuna.
After being spotted from afar Wednesday, the teens signaled the tuna boat's crew with what Fredricsen called "an urgent wave." Those aboard the larger boat were ecstatic to have the three aboard.
"When we came across the boys, we were just ecstatic," Fredricsen said of his shipmates. "We are in very high spirits."
The tuna boat's crew quickly worked to hydrate the frail teens, and bandaged sores caused by all the sun and saltwater. Yet within hours, they were able to eat and talk by phone with their families, Barratt said.
"As you can imagine, they are more or less skin and bone," Fredricsen said. "But their mental state is very positive, very strong."
After six hours on board, the three teenage boys began to mingle with the crew. By 4:30 a.m. local time Thursday, they were transferred to a Fiji coast guard vessel, destined for a hospital in Suva on that Pacific island.
Still, while he didn't enjoy their company for long, Fredricsen said the three boys left their mark on him and his crewmates -- not only because of what they endured while lost at sea, but also their attitudes after being rescued.

"It was just an uplifting experience to meet these young men," Fredricsen said. "Just to live off what they had is very encouraging."

Source: CNN

Apple promises an iTunes day 'you'll never forget'

Apple plans a Tuesday update to iTunes that looks like it might involve making music available everywhere.
Planned for 10 a.m. ET, Apple's announcement could bring together iTunes and cloud computing, a way for users to store their music and videos on remote servers so they can access the libraries from a computer wherever they are.
Apple's teaser for the announcement was done in the Cupertino, California computing giant's typical grandiose style.
"Tomorrow is just another day. That you'll never forget," reads a teaser page on Apple's website.
The page also features images of four clocks, showing the time in California, New York, London and Tokyo, giving further rise to speculation that a "music anywhere"-style announcement is in the works.
Apple is reported to have recently finished building a new data center in North Carolina. Such data centers are used to store data "in the cloud."
Other speculation has centered on iTunes subscription plans that would let users pay monthly for access to movies and music.

"Apple currently offers season pass-pricing on television shows, but that's the closest thing you'll get to an all-you-can-eat content plan in the iTunes Store," wrote Wendy Sheehan Donnell for PCMag."C'mon Apple, please let us pay a monthly subscription fee for all the music and video we care to consume."

Source: CNN

Unbreakable: Building disaster-proof cities

When I look back on the year 2010, I will remember spending so much of the year in disaster zones. Between Haiti and Pakistan alone, I spent months on the ground seeing firsthand the aftermath of an earthquake and floods.
So much of the discussion in Haiti now is about rebuilding. Yet even 10 months later, plans seem poorly drawn out and little progress has been made. No doubt it is a monumental task, but whenever I speak to experts, they tell me it is worth evaluating the lessons learned in Kobe, Japan.
In 1995, a 6.9 magnitude earthquake hit the port city and lasted 20 seconds. In that short period, 200,000 buildings were destroyed and nearly 5,500 lives lost. Hundreds of thousands of people were displaced.
At the time Kobe was cited as an example of "urban planning focusing on convenience, efficiency and growth while neglecting safety and security." The question facing officials in Kobe at that time -- is the same one officials in Port-au-Prince are asking. Can we rebuild a city quickly that is also safer than the one that was destroyed?

I decided to travel to Kobe to see for myself. After being on the ground, the answer seems to be "yes." It took 10 years to rebuild here, which is relatively speedy by international standards. More importantly, the new buildings are "disasterproof," using techniques to isolate the building from the shaking ground during an earthquake.
The construction itself relies on metal plates and special materials to allow movement of the building and to prevent collapse. There has also been a significant investment in the ecosystem, which can provide natural buffers to mitigate floods and storm surges.
Another lesson was to decentralize critical urban functions, including hospitals, so that an entire critical response sector would not be eliminated during a natural disaster. And, throughout all of this, the survivors of the earthquake were placed at the center of reconstruction to help design the new communities on which they would be dependent.
As things stand now, half the world's population lives in cities, and that number is expected to skyrocket in the coming decades. It is called urbanization, and health organizations all over the world, including the World Health Organization, have taken notice. Because of the dense population and significant building construction, urban areas are the most vulnerable to natural disasters.

The challenge now for cities like Port-au-Prince is not to just rebuild as safely and expeditiously as possible -- but to create a city that is safer than the one before the earthquake. Here in Kobe, there is proof that it can be done.

Source: CNN

West Bank settlement freeze not a done deal, source says

As optimism flowed from U.S. leaders over the prospect of a settlement freeze in the West Bank, an Israeli government source on Monday tapped the brakes, saying that an agreement over such a freeze still had not been reached.
On Sunday, President Barack Obama had called the possible development "promising" and a "very productive step." Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also praised the possible settlement freeze.
But the Israeli government source said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is insisting that a number of conditions be met, and that only when those conditions are met will there be an agreement that the Cabinet would vote on. The source did not say what those conditions were.
Still, Clinton gave the Israelis credit for moving in that direction.
"This is a very promising development and a serious effort by Prime Minister Netanyahu," she said.
Clinton said the United States is in close touch with both sides in the conflict and is working "intensively to create the conditions for the resumption of negotiations which can lead to a two-state solution and a comprehensive peace in the region."
Netanyahu spoke to his Cabinet ministers Sunday morning, a day after he met with top officials to discuss the settlement-freeze proposal made by the United States, according to Israeli government sources.
The proposal could be a difficult sell for right-wing members of the coalition government.
Reaction was mixed among Israeli officials, several of whom were already responding negatively to the news.
Minister of Infrastructure Uzi Landau said before Sunday's meeting that he would not approve the proposal if the Cabinet voted on it.
"This is simply playing into the hands of all of the terror organizations here in the area, which will make it clear to them that terror pays off. ... Our future partners in the region learn that they simply don't have to make any concessions; they have to wait until more and more pressure will be applied on the Israeli side," said Landau, a member of the right-wing Yisrael Beiteinu party.
But Eli Yishai, leader of the right-wing religious Shas party, hinted that his party might support the proposal, noting that settlement construction could resume after 90 days in the West Bank, and continue unimpeded in Jerusalem.
"Under these conditions, this can be examined," he said, adding that the party's spiritual leader would have the final say.
And Knesset member Yohanan Plesner said his Kadima party welcomed efforts to restart peace talks.
"It is about time that an understanding would be reached so that the peace negotiations could focus on substantive issues rather than on the debilitating dispute over settlements," he said.
In return for the temporary freeze, the U.S. government would oppose international efforts to impose a political solution on Israel in the peace process or to "delegitimize" the country, said the Israeli government sources, who would not speak for attribution.
Mohammed Shtayeh, a member of the Fatah Central Committee, told CNN that the Palestinian negotiating team was "hoping for a much better deal," including a freeze on construction in "all Palestinian territories" throughout negotiations.
Shtayeh said he and other Palestinian negotiators were waiting for an official notification from Washington about the proposal. Leaders would later hold a meeting to discuss any offers on the table and release an official position, he said.
"The most important thing is that it is very unfortunate that such a deal is being conducted between Tel Aviv and Washington, without really any consultation with the Palestinians," he said.
Mustafa Barghouti, an independent Palestinian legislator, described the proposal as "nonsense."
"Why should Israel receive incentives for stopping violations of international law? And why is the freeze only for 90 days if everyone agrees that settlements are a violation of international law and are the main obstacle to peace?" he asked.
As part of the proposed deal, the White House would not ask for another extension of the settlement construction freeze beyond the 90 days, the Israeli government sources said. And, they said, Obama would ask Congress to approve the sale of 20 advanced fighter planes to Israel.
Silvan Shalom, a Cabinet minister from Netanyahu's Likud party, said he was opposed to the continuation of the building freeze, noting that such an agreement with the U.S. would be a "strategic mistake."
"The U.S is a friend of Israel, and U.S support has never been conditional before," he said.
Knesset member Uri Orbach, head of the Jewish Home right-wing national religious party, said he would push for his party to quit the coalition government if a settlement moratorium is renewed.
"We will not be partners to Netanyahu and the Likud [party]'s freezing obsession," Orbach said.
The main umbrella group of Jewish settlers in the West Bank also sharply criticizied the proposal Sunday.
"This proposed deal, if accepted, represents a fundamental collapse of our government's integrity and national resilience. The Israeli leadership should never allow its citizens to become pawns to the whims of the international community," a statement from the Yesha Council of Communities in Judea and Samaria said. "We are our own sovereign community whose very security and future should not be dictated by President Obama or Secretary Clinton."
Hagit Ofran, settlement watch project director at Peace Now, said her organization would continue to fight settlement construction.
"In order to achieve peace, Israel must halt all the construction," she said, including new units built since an earlier freeze ended September 26.
The reported American proposal does not include any limit on Israeli construction in East Jerusalem, which has also been a source of major conflict between Palestinians and Israelis
A senior U.S. administration official said Friday that while talks between Clinton and Netanyahu on Thursday were substantive, there were no breakthroughs.
Another U.S. official said that the prime minister isn't budging on settlements in a way that will satisfy Palestinians, who broke off the peace talks when Israeli resumed settlement construction in late September.
But it wasn't clear whether that meant Netanyahu was unwilling to compromise at all on settlements.
The American-brokered talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority have broken down over the issue of continued Israeli settlement-building in the West Bank.
Israel's 10-month settlement freeze in the West Bank expired September 26, effectively bringing an end to the talks. Tensions were exacerbated last week when Israel announced plans to construct 1,000 new housing units in the majority Palestinian area of East Jerusalem.
The Palestinian Authority refused to go back to the negotiating table until the Israeli government extended the settlement freeze.
As the stalemate continues, the Palestinian side has threatened to seek international recognition of a Palestinian state based on borders from 1967, a move opposed both by Israel and the United States.
Clinton met Thursday with Netanyahu about the resumption of peace talks. Their meeting was followed by a joint statement that said their discussion included "a friendly and productive exchange of views on both sides."

On Sunday, Netanyahu told Cabinet ministers that he bring a proposal to them "if and when it is complete."

Source: CNN

Couple held by pirates adapt to freedom

For the first time in more than a year, British couple Paul and Rachel Chandler were able to update their travel blog Monday with one simple word: "free."
The Chandlers were released this weekend after being held by pirates since October 2009.
Their last blog post, titled "Farewell Seychelles," was dated October 21, 2009 -- two days before they were seized from their yacht after they set sail from the Seychelles Islands for Tanzania.
The Chandlers issued a brief statement Monday, asking for privacy while they come to terms with the death of Paul Chandler's father during their time in captivity.
The couple said they planned to return to the United Kingdom soon but had no plans to give any press interviews or make any further statements until they have time to adjust to the situation.

"We have just learned that Paul's father died in late July, and we obviously need to come to terms with that," they said. "... We would appreciate it if you would give us and our families some space, and respect our privacy for the moment."
The couple landed in Kenya late Sunday afternoon, said Abdurraham Omar Osman, a Somali government spokesman. The couple's family also confirmed their arrival but would not comment on a reported ransom payment.
"Throughout the protracted discussions with the pirates it has been a difficult task for the family to get across the message that these were two retired people on a sailing trip on a small private yacht and not part of a major commercial enterprise involving tens of millions of pounds of assets," said a statement issued by the couple's family.
"Thankfully, common sense prevailed and a solution was obtained for their release in the last few days. There will be the inevitable questions of how their release was achieved," the statement said. "The family believes it would be irresponsible to discuss any aspect of the release process, as this could encourage others to capture private individuals and demand large ransom payments, something that we are sure none of us wants."
A ransom of about $750,000 was paid for their release, local elders in Somalia said. They did not want to be identified because of the sensitivity of the issue.
"They are physically and mentally doing well, and excited to be alive," said Mohamed Aden, a local elder in Adado. "Paul and Rachel Chandler are safe and doing fine.They have had a good shower and they are eating breakfast."
Aden was one of the key elders involved in helping secure their release.
The couple is "in good spirits although very tired and exhausted," the family statement said. The two will have medical checks in Nairobi and then fly back to the United Kingdom, it said.
"We cannot yet be certain how the difficulties that they have had to endure in recent months will have affected them physically and emotionally," the family statement said. It asked that the couple be allowed time to readjust as they return to their family and friends.

"Paul and Rachel Chandler's release is tremendous news," British Prime Minister David Cameron said in a statement. "Their long captivity is over at last. We will ensure that they are reunited with their family as quickly as possible. I unreservedly condemn the actions of those that held the Chandlers for so long. Kidnapping is never justified. I am grateful to all those who have worked so hard to bring the Chandlers safely out."
Last year, Paul Chandler pleaded for their life in a two-minute video broadcast on Britain's Channel 4. He was surrounded by armed men pointing weapons at him.
At the time, Chandler said the captors could kill them if a $7 million ransom were not paid.
"We are concerned that these people will lose patience and will not feed us -- and I have no doubt that they will not hesitate to kill us, perhaps within a week or so of now if there is no response," he said. "So, please somebody get in touch. Otherwise we just sleepwalk to a tragic ending."
Last year, British officials had refused to pay a ransom or negotiate with pirates. Officials have said doing so would only encourage more kidnappings.
"The government will not make substantive concessions for hostage takers, including the payments of ransom," the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office said in a statement.
Pirates have been very active off the east coast of Africa in the past several years, operating out of lawless Somalia.

It was unclear who paid the ransom, but a local elder  that the Somali diaspora in England played a key role in raising the funds.

Source: CNN

Protests over Haiti's cholera outbreak turn violent

Protesters angry over the government's handling of a cholera outbreak clashed Monday with peacekeepers in two towns in northern Haiti, where the outbreak began last month.
In Cap Haitien, schools and banks were closed, residents set fire to tires at entrances to the town and gunfire ricocheted through the streets.
Vincenzo Pugliese, a spokesman for MINUSTAH, the United Nations' stabilization mission in Haiti, said anti-riot police were coping with the demonstrations, which he said began in the morning in at least two locations and had not caused any fatalities among peacekeepers or the population. "Apparently, some people were injured by bottles or stones," he said.
"We are facing the consequences of a cholera epidemic and in two weeks the elections, so the population is scared," he said. "It's a volatile situation."
He pointed to the fact that demonstrations began in separate areas as evidence that the outbreak was not spontaneous.

"Right now, security forces ... seem to have control already of the situation," he said.
In addition, a police station was torched, the U.N. peacekeeping force said.
An employee at the office of Tortug Air  that the four daily flights typically scheduled between Port-au-Prince and Cap Haitien had been canceled due to "political tension." She declined to be named.
"It's not safe to walk in the streets," Marc George, a resident of Cap Haitien. "All the schools and banks are closed. People are fighting the soldiers of MINUSTAH."
The demonstrations began after rumors spread that a Nepalese contingent of peacekeepers may have spread the disease, he said. "So they attack them," he said. "The people were shooting."
But Imogen Wall, a U.N. spokeswoman, denied that its peacekeepers were responsible for the outbreak.
Cyrus Sibert, a journalist with Radio Souvenir FM, said he was aware of six injuries, one of them a child who was fatally shot.
"Many people from the slum area, they are burning tires, throwing rocks and bottles," he said. "And they are very mad against MINUSTAH. And there are rumors that MINUSTAH is responsible for the cholera. And the cholera killed many people in Cap Haitien. Now taxi drivers are afraid to bring people to the hospital. It is very difficult to find a taxi driver when someone is sick."
He said trash trucks were picking up the dead.
In the town of Hinche, northeast of the capital, about 400 demonstrators protested the peacekeepers, six of whom were injured, Pugliese said.
Radio RCI reporter Jean Wesley said protesters threw rocks at MINUSTAH peacekeepers who, in turn, threw them back and also opened fire, wounding a protester.
Haitian police were patrolling the town looking for the rock throwers among the protesters, some of whom had set tires afire, he said.
The cholera outbreak, which was first confirmed last month in northwest Haiti, had spread across much of the country by Monday, killing close to 1,000 people and entering the makeshift camps teeming with people who were made homeless in January's massive earthquake, officials said.
In all, 917 people were dead and 14,642 hospitalized as of Friday, the Ministry of Public Health said on its website. In the capital alone, 27 were dead and more than 600 hospitalized, officials said.
"It's a really worrying situation for us at the moment," said Stefano Zannini, head of mission for Medecins Sans Frontieres in Haiti, over the weekend. "All of the hospitals in Port-au-Prince are overflowing with patients and we're seeing seven times the total amount of cases we had three days ago."
In the slum of Cite Soleil in the northern part of the capital, hundreds of people had sought treatment for the illness, he said. "Patients are coming from everywhere, throughout the city, slums and wealthier areas."
If the numbers continue to increase at the current rate, he said, "then we're going to have to adopt some drastic measures to be able to treat people. We're going to have to use public spaces and even streets. I can easily see this situation deteriorating to the point where patients are lying in the street, waiting for treatment. At the moment, we just don't have that many options."
Zannini noted that the situation in Port-au-Prince has been dire since the January 12 earthquake hammered what was already the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, killing more than 200,000 people and shattering its already weak infrastructure.
"Since the earthquake, every available space that wasn't damaged has been filled by camps where people are living in extremely precarious conditions," he said. "Just to find an empty area in this city is a major logistical challenge, so for us to find room to treat people is very complicated."
The group, known in English as Doctors Without Borders, has more than 100 international staff and more than 400 Haitian staff working in cholera treatment centers throughout the country, with more on the way, "but it's just not enough," he said. "We are close to being overwhelmed."
A scientist with the U.S.-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said he had been in several hospitals "that I would not characterize as overflowing ... but some places are busier than others."
Still, Haiti is particularly vulnerable to such an outbreak, said Dr. Robert Quick, a medical epidemiologist with the CDC's waterborne-disease prevention branch and one of 34 CDC personnel in the country.
"It's a country that has not seen epidemic cholera for decades. "So it's an immunologically naive population, meaning that literally everyone is susceptible to infection. It's a resource-poor country where hygiene and sanitary conditions are not what they could be, so this is a combination that can result in what we're seeing now -- an outbreak with many cases."
The CDC workers were providing technical assistance, data and training to Haitian health care workers, he said.
There is some reason for optimism, said Dr. Alex Lassedue of Project Medishare, in Port-au-Prince. "Cholera is easy to treat; it's easy to prevent," he said. "There is a great possibility to contain the number of cases."
The government was undertaking one such effort -- a public awareness campaign that uses cartoons to underscore in a graphic way that residents should wash their hands after using the bathroom to prevent cholera's spread.
Such education could prove key, because this is the first such outbreak in living memory in Haiti, so public knowledge about the disease and how to avoid it is scant. "This means there are a lot of misconceptions and rumors flying around, which has caused panic in the population," Zannini said. "Some people are staying away from the cholera treatment centers or are afraid to have them in their neighborhoods because they think they help spread the disease. We've been trying to explain that the opposite is true: The closer a center is to a population, the better."
Though the disease can kill, it can also be treated successfully -- usually within two days, he noted. Anyone entering or leaving a cholera treatment center is sprayed with chlorine to prevent the further spread of the bacteria.
But completion of treatment does not necessarily mean the end of concern. Many of those treated wind up going back to the camps, which shelter 1.4 million people in and near Port-au-Prince. There, hygiene, sanitation and clean water are hard to come by -- conditions that are conducive to further spread of the illness.
If Haiti's cholera epidemic follows a pattern similar to that of the last cholera epidemic in the Americas, it could produce hundreds of thousands of additional cases over the next several years, Dr. Jon K. Andrus, deputy director of the Pan American Health Organization, told reporters last week.
"We have to prepare for a large upsurge in cases," Andrus said. "We have to be prepared with all the resources that are needed for a rapid response."
The hemisphere's last cholera epidemic began in Peru in 1991 and spread to some 16 other countries, from Argentina to Canada, he said. From 1991 to 1997, Peru alone saw more than 650,000 cases.
A similar pattern in Haiti could produce some 270,000 cases, which means public health officials likely face long-term challenges in Haiti. "The bacteria have a foothold in the rivers and the water system, so it will be there for a number of years," he said.
Still, he said, the cholera epidemic need not interfere with the Haitian general elections scheduled for November 28. "There is no reason to expect the elections to have a negative impact on the cholera epidemic," said Andrus. "And in fact, the Ministry of Health is planning to use the occasion to disseminate prevention messages to the population. It will help prevent the spread of infection."
The United Nations, which has appealed to international donors for $164 million in aid, said it anticipates as many as 200,000 people to be sickened with cholera over the next six to 12 months.
A PAHO spokeswoman acknowledged that such estimates are "guesses."
Symptoms of cholera, an acute, bacterial illness caused by drinking tainted water, can be mild or even nonexistent. But sometimes they can be severe: leg cramps, profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting, which can cause rapid loss of body fluids and lead to dehydration, shock and death.

Such an outbreak would be unlikely to occur in a developed country like the United States because it has water-treatment facilities and sewage systems, according to the CDC's Quick. "We may get imported cases, but they're not going to take hold and turn into an outbreak. It's just not as likely," he said.

Source: CNN

Death toll rises to 240 from Indonesia volcano

An Indonesian volcano has killed 240 people since it started erupting in October, officials said Saturday, a day after it spewed more hot ash and sent residents fleeing.
More than 390,000 people have been displaced, according to the nation's disaster coordination board.
At least 162 people suffered severe burns, the board said on its website.
Indonesia's Mount Merapi started erupting on October 26. On Friday, it spewed volcanic material for more than an hour.

Merapi, which looms on the horizon north of the major city of Yogyakarta, is on the island of Java.
Officials said Thursday the worst may be over, but a danger zone remains within a 20-kilometer (12.2-mile) radius of the volcano.
Government experts have kept Merapi's alert level at 4, the highest. President Obama was forced to cut short his visit to Indonesia this week because of the volcano's ash cloud.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has called the volcanic eruptions a crisis situation. Over the weekend, he and several ministers visited the area to oversee relief efforts.
The volcano has a summit elevation of almost 3,000 meters (10,000 feet). It is one of Indonesia's most active volcanoes and lies in one of the world's most densely populated areas.
About 1,300 people died when the volcano erupted in 1930.
Many people continue to live in the shadow of the volcano, raising crops and livestock.
The president has announced that residents will receive compensation for livelihoods and animals lost to the eruptions. The government will buy endangered cows on the volcano, Yudhoyono said.

Many of those who live on its slopes risked their lives by staying or returning to feed their cows during lulls in the volcanic activity.

Source: CNN

Suu Kyi's release spurs calls to free other prisoners

As news of the much-awaited release of Myanmar Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi reverberated throughout the world, activists and world leaders were seizing the opportunity to make a case for democracy and human rights in this besieged nation.
Myanmar -- formerly known as Burma -- has been ruled by a Marxist military junta since 1962. The military regime has cracked down on political dissidents, forcing thousands to flee.
In a statement released Saturday, President Barack Obama called Suu Kyi a personal "hero" and called for the military regime to "release all political prisoners, not just one."
"The United States looks forward to the day when all of Burma's people are free from fear and persecution," Obama said in Saturday's statement.
Suu Kyi: 'I'm very happy to see you again'
"Following Aung San Suu Kyi's powerful example, we recommit ourselves to remaining steadfast advocates of freedom and human rights for the Burmese people and accountability for those who continue to oppress them," he said.

The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said while Suu Kyi's release is a "positive signal," Pillay urged the military regime to also release the remaining political prisoners still detained.
"I urge the authorities of Myanmar to now release the other 2,200 political prisoners as a clear sign that the new government intends to respect human rights and forge a new future for the country," she said.
British Prime Minister David Cameron also said Suu Kyi was an "inspiration" and that the military regime must uphold its decision.
"Her detention was a travesty, designed only to silence the voice of the Burmese people," he said.
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso called for the "unconditional release" of all detained dissidents and said Suu Kyi's freedom should be unrestricted.
"This is the only way to ensure that the Myanmar elections of 7 November are the start of a real transition to democracy," Barroso said Saturday.

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton said he was "thrilled" by news of Suu Kyi's release.
"People who love freedom everywhere admire her and the long sacrifice she has made for her people," he said.
"In light of recent elections, I also hope that Aung San Suu Kyi's release will lead to the rapid inclusion of her and the Burmese citizens in governance," he said.
Former first lady Laura Bush and former President George Bush called for Suu Kyi's release to be unconditional.
"We strongly support the aspirations of the Burmese people and their demands for basic human rights: freedom of speech, worship, and assembly," said Bush.
In Asia, Australia's Prime Minister Julia Gillard called Suu Kyi's detention "completely unjustified" and said her government is lobbying for an opportunity to meet with her personally.
"Minister for Foreign Affairs Kevin Rudd said the government was seeking an early opportunity to speak with Aung San Suu Kyi, to convey Australia's support for her and her struggle for democracy in Burma," Gillard said.
"We will closely monitor her situation, including any restrictions imposed on her freedom of movement or association.
Australia continues to call on the Burmese authorities to immediately and unconditionally release the more than 2000 political prisoners still detained in Burma," she said.
China's official Xinhua news agency was less exuberant with words on Saturday. China has refrained from publicly pressuring Myanmar and has remained the Marxist regime's closest ally since the military coup 20 years ago.
India has also been criticized by the United States and others for not voicing opposition to the military junta.
When India accorded a red-carpet welcome in July to the top leader of Myanmar's military junta, there was little mention of human rights abuses allegedly taking place in Myanmar's prisons, critics claimed.
Human rights advocates and Suu Kyi followers overseas still expressed concerns not only for repercussions of her release, but the situation of the prisoners still incarcerated.
Burma Campaign UK warned that her release should not be seen as the final return of democracy in Burma and also called for the release of prisoners.
"The release of Aung San Suu Kyi is about public relations, not democratic reform," said Zoya Phan, International Coordinator at Burma Campaign UK in a statement released Saturday.
"I am thrilled to see our democracy leader free at last, but the release is not part of any political process, instead it is designed to get positive publicity for the dictatorship after the blatant rigging of elections on 7th November. We must not forget the thousands of other political prisoners still suffering in Burma's jails."
In Saturday's statement, Phan and the Burma Campaign UK recalled previous incidents in which her release was widely broadcast but did not come through.
"It is the third time Aung San Suu Kyi has been released from house arrest," the statement said.

"The last time she was released, in 2002, it was part of a U.N.-led initiative to try to persuade Burma's dictatorship to enter into dialogue leading to a transition to democracy. However, when the time came for substantive discussions the dictatorship refused to continue the dialogue. "

Source: CNN

French prime minister's resignation may bring cabinet reshuffling

French Prime Minister Francois Fillon resigned Saturday, setting the stage for an expected cabinet reshuffling.
President Nicolas Sarkozy accepted the resignation of Fillon and his government, Sarkozy's office said.
The expected move came weeks after the French parliament passed controversial pension reform, sparking protests.
Fillon's resignation gives Sarkozy the opportunity to shake up the current leadership of some ministries, said Christian Mallard, senior foreign policy analyst for France 3 television.
It's very possible Sarkozy may reappoint Fillon, as early as Sunday, Mallard told CNN. The new prime minister would form a government.
"The French like him," Mallard said of Fillon, a moderate conservative. "A lot of people think it would be a mistake for Sarkozy to fire him."
The resignation may accomplish something else.
"The future government will be downsized, maybe from 28 to 16 (ministers)," Mallard said.
Sarkozy faces re-election in about 18 months and has many issues on his plate, including the economy and unemployment.

Fillon has been a calming influence, Mallard told CNN. "He is always the guy who never loses his temper."

Source: CNN

Call for troop withdrawal in Nicaragua, Costa Rica dispute

The permanent council of the Organization of American States has approved a resolution asking troops to withdraw from the disputed border area between Costa Rica and Nicaragua.
In a resolution issued early Saturday, the council said both nations should "avoid deployments of the armed forces or security forces in the area where their presence could generate tensions."
Tensions between Nicaragua and Costa Rica have flared over Calero Island, a parcel of land on the Atlantic coast. Managua claims the area is Nicaraguan and denies its troops are in Costa Rican territory. Costa Rica claims it has been invaded.
The resolution supported a report by OAS Secretary-General Jose Miguel Insulza that said both sides should resume binational talks and not escalate the military and police presence near the disputed area.
The council's Washington meeting was contentious, however, beginning Friday afternoon and lasting until early Saturday as diplomats tried to reach consensus. Ultimately, the resolution passed with 22 votes, the organization said in a statement. Three countries abstained and two voted against it.
Denis Ronaldo Moncada, Nicaragua's ambassador to the Organization of American States, said early Saturday that officials from his country would challenge the resolution.
"In the end, an agreement was reached that is really without any value," he said.
"We are going to challenge this resolution. We are going to question it, and we are going to document our position against this resolution, which was flawed from the outset and flawed in its conclusion," he said.
Costa Rican officials claimed the vote was a "triumph of peace and law."
"Now, more than ever, the Nicaraguan authorities must know to listen to the clamor of all of the hemisphere in favor of peace and peaceful relations between neighboring nations, and withdraw their armed forces from Costa Rican territory," Costa Rica's foreign ministry said in a statement.
Costa Rica claims that in addition to the Nicaraguan troops, a dredging project in the river is dumping sediment on its side of the border, and that a Costa Rican flag in the area was replaced with a Nicaraguan flag.
Nicaragua has accused Costa Rica of breaking diplomatic relations between the countries.
Wednesday, Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla said her country would take its border dispute with Nicaragua to the
United Nations and the International Court of Justice if a resolution is not found.
Chinchilla has said her country accepted the recommendations made by Insulza, but that before there are binational talks, the Nicaraguan troops must move back into undisputed Nicaraguan territory.
If the Nicaraguan troops pull back from the disputed area, Chinchilla said she gives assurances that Costa Rican police will not move in.
In response, Nicaraguan Vice President Jaime Morales Carazo acknowledged that Costa Rica may have no standing army, but said that means little, given that members of the Costa Rican police are better armed than Nicaragua's soldiers.
In an earlier interview with CNN en Espanol, he called on Costa Rica and Nicaragua "to resolve this as brothers" and "for a ceasefire in the verbal war," but added that Nicaragua is not the aggressor.

"We cannot invade our own floor of our own house," he said. "Neither can we accept from anyone conditions or ultimatums."

Source: CNN

Bono cheers release of Suu Kyi, 'Mandela of our moment'

While Myanmar's military rulers ordered Aung San Suu Kyi detained for two decades, legendary rock band U2 gave her a voice -- in the form of the hit song "Walk On" -- on the world stage.
Bono, the Irish band's lead singer and a long-time political activist, was among those cheering the pro-democracy activist's release Saturday.
In an exclusive CNN interview, Bono said he was "feeling great" for Suu Kyi, adding that he's hopeful the action might signal real political progress in the south Asian country after decades of political strife.
"It's sort of a cautious joy, because though she's out in the world, ... she's perhaps more vulnerable," Bono told CNN. "I'm very excited, very thrilled at the possibility that this might be the beginning of some sort of rational discussion."
Bono said he'd spoken with members of Suu Kyi's family recently, but hasn't heard from them or the democracy leader since her release Saturday. Still, he said he's been eagerly following the recent developments of a woman he has deemed a "real hero" for her humility, conviction and idealism over the years.
"She is kind of the Mandela of our moment," said Bono, referring to Nelson Mandela, who spent decades in prison during South Africa's apartheid era prior to his release and political ascent. "She's a character of great grace. Her struggle has become a symbol of what's best about our humanity and worst."
U2 and Bono have long been among Suu Kyi's most high-profile advocates.
The band wrote its hit 2001 single "Walk On" about the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner. Bono wore a t-shirt emblazoned with Suu Kyi's face in the music video, while tens of thousands of concertgoers sometimes held up her picture while the song was played.
In a 2004 Time magazine article, Bono explained why U2 dedicated the song to a woman he called "a real hero in an age of phony phone-in celebrity."
"Suu Kyi, with an idea too big for any jail and a spirit too strong for any army, changes our view -- as only real heroes can -- of what we believe is possible," he wrote.
Suu Kyi's MySpace page said that Myanmar's ruling junta had banned the song, which contains the lyrics:
"And if your glass heart should crack
And for a second you turn back
Oh no, be strong --
What you got, they can't steal it
No, they can't even feel it
Walk on, walk on
Stay safe tonight."
In 2004, U2 joined forces with R.E.M., Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, Sting, Pearl Jam, Peter Gabriel and other rock stars on an album called "For the Lady," which was released in support of Suu Kyi.
Bono said his excitement at Suu Kyi's release was tempered by fears that she could be arrested again or become a target for political opponents. He said that he hoped the United Nations and other world bodies would seize the moment, and facilitate talks to create a permanent political resolution in Myanmar.
This was the third time Myanmar's regime has released Suu Kyi from house arrest. Benjamin Zawacki, Myanmar expert for Amnesty International, noted that her last release had been unconditional and then she was thrown again into house arrest.

"For this to be real, there has to be progress toward real peace," said Bono.

Source: CNN

The daughter of a hero, Suu Kyi became Myanmar's symbol of hope

She is small but only in physical stature. Aung San Suu Kyi is the very embodiment of Myanmar's long struggle for democracy.
The 65-year-old human rights activist has defied Myanmar's authoritarian military junta with her quiet demeanor and grace. For that she has endured house arrest for much of the past two decades and, perhaps, has become the world's most recognizable political prisoner.
She has lived quietly by herself at her disintegrating Inya Lake villa in Yangon (the former capital, also known as Rangoon), accompanied solely by two maids.
Before her release Saturday, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate had little outside human contact except for visits from her doctor.
Sometimes, though, she was able to speak over the wall of her compound to her supporters, never once tiring of her crusade to break down the tyranny of dictatorship in her beloved homeland of Burma, the alternate name for Myanmar.

Known as the "lady" in Myanmar, Suu Kyi has been compared to former South African President Nelson Mandela, who spent a chunk of his life in jail for fighting apartheid.
In an interview with CNN several years earlier, Suu Kyi, in fact, likened Myanmar's plight to South Africa's former brutal race-based system.
"It's a form of apartheid," she said. "In Africa, it was apartheid based on color. Here, it is apartheid based on ideas. It is as though those who want democracy are somehow of an alien inferior breed and this is not so."
The daughter of Gen. Aung San, a hero of Burmese independence, Suu Kyi spent much of her early life abroad, going to school in India and at Oxford University in England.
She never sought political office. Rather, leadership was bestowed upon her when she returned home in 1988 after her mother suffered a stroke.
During her visit, a student uprising erupted and spotlighted her as a symbol of freedom. When Suu Kyi's mother died the next year, Suu Kyi vowed that just as her parents had served the people of Burma, so, too, would she.
In her first public speech, she stood before a crowd of several hundred thousand people with her husband, Michael Aris, and her two sons and called for a democratic government.
"The present crisis is the concern of the entire nation," she said. "I could not, as my father's daughter, remain indifferent to all that was going on. This national crisis could, in fact, be called the second struggle for independence."
She won over the Burmese people.
One of them was Nyo Ohn Myint, who participated in the 1988 protests as a college professor and now serves as one of the leaders in Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy.
"She is more than her father's daughter," he told CNN on Saturday. "She has proven that she can bring together the Burmese people."
In 1989, the military regime threw her in jail. But even with Suu Kyi sitting behind bars, her party won the elections the following year by a landslide, gaining 82 percent of the seats in parliament.
The regime ignored the results of the vote and Senior Gen. Than Shwe continued to impose numerous terms of house arrest on her.

Suu Kyi, meanwhile, became the recipient of several human rights prizes and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991.
Over the years, Suu Kyi has repeatedly challenged the junta and discouraged foreign investment in Myanmar.
In one incident in 1998, soldiers prevented her from leaving Yangon. But Suu Kyi refused to turn back and was detained in her minivan for almost two weeks. The ordeal left her severely dehydrated, but was typical of her almost stubborn determination.
"She is the symbol of the hope for the people of Burma. If she is out today, the whole country will rise up, will follow her," said Khin Omar of the Network for Democracy and Development.
Myint described her as energetic but humble. And a good listener.
"That's a skill I barely see in other people," Myint said.
She has remained a devoted Buddhist who from the beginning admired the principles on non-violence and civil disobedience espoused by India's Mahatma Gandhi, Myint said.
Over the years, Suu Kyi has made clear her devotion to bringing democracy to Myanmar. She has spoken of her separation from her loved ones as the sacrifice she chose to make for the freedom of her country.
She has not seen her sons since 2000. The year before, her dying husband petitioned the Myanmar authorities to allow him to visit his wife. He had last seen her in 1995, but his request was rejected.
Instead, the junta encouraged Suu Kyi to join her family abroad. But she said she knew that if she left, she would never be allowed to return. Aris died of prostate cancer in March 1999.
Even before they were married, Suu Kyi had penned a letter to Aris professing her love of country.

"I only ask one thing," she wrote, "that should my people need me, you would help me to do my duty by them."
Myint recalled calling her to express his condolences after Aris died in 1999. Suu Kyi was calm on the phone for the four-minute conversation but Myint could tell her heart was breaking.
"Maybe we are good at politics," Suu Kyi told Myint. "But we are bad at family matters."
Suu Kyi tried to break the monotony of her life by playing her piano, another passion in her life, according to the independent Irrawaddy magazine. But in time, the piano warped and Suu Kyi turned to painting to fill the void, the magazine reported. One day, maybe, people will see her canvases.
Suu Kyi has also asked her lawyers to bring her books in English and French. Last year, Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz was allowed to present her with his book "Globalization and Its Discontent."
In 2007, people defiantly took to the streets to protest rising fuel costs. The demonstrations were seen as a direct challenge to the authority of the government.
The regime answered with a brutal crackdown. Suu Kyi's detention was extended again and again. She appeared gaunt -- and unhappy.
Even when Cyclone Nargis devastated Myanmar in May 2008, Suu Kyi was not allowed to leave her house, though trees were crashing down all around her.
The following year, Myanmar was again propelled into the headlines by a bizarre incident involving an American, John Yettaw, who improvised flippers to swim Inya Lake to Suu Kyi's compound. He said he had received a message from God to do so. Yettaw was arrested, and Suu Kyi was put on trial, charged with harboring Yettaw, and was punished with another 18 months of house arrest.
During the trial, she was able to meet with diplomats. High on her agenda was the election that was held this week. She and her party boycotted the vote, certain that it would be a sham.
"In Burma, the regime can control people but they cannot control her, they cannot shut her mouth," said analyst Win Min. "They can release other political prisoners but they are worried that if they release her she will speak out."
The junta has organized national conventions to debate their version of a new democratic Myanmar. The road map makes no mention of Suu Kyi.
Some believe that Suu Kyi's stubborn defiance has become an obstacle to progress in Myanmar. But her followers remain ardent in their admiration.
She has clung to her dream of democracy, peace and freedom for Myanmar's 50 million impoverished people, they say.

Those simple ideals have greatly complicated one woman's life.

Source: CNN

Health workers alarmed over trend in Haiti's cholera outbreak

Medical workers expressed alarm Friday over the increase in hospitalizations and deaths in Haiti's cholera outbreak as the earthquake-devastated nation's already strained health system overflowed with the sick.
On the outskirts of the capital city of Port-au-Prince in the slum of Cite Soleil, Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) saw 216 cases of cholera at Choscal Hospital on Thursday. Five days ago, that number was only 30.
Stefano Zannini, the head of mission for Medecins Sans Frontieres, said his staff was seeing seven times the cases they were seeing three days ago.
"The trend is extremely, extremely alarming," he said. "We have not reached a peak yet, but it could arrive next week."

The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs put the death toll Friday at more than 800, with more than 12,000 people hospitalized.
Epidemiologists predict the outbreak could last for months and say the entire nation of almost 10 million people is at risk because they have no immunity to cholera.
The United Nations warned that Haiti is facing one of the most severe outbreaks of the disease in the past 100 years. It appealed to international donors for $164 million in aid and said it anticipates as many as 200,000 people to be sickened with cholera over the next six to 12 months.
"A major effort has already been made, but the sheer quantity of relief items that need to be delivered in the days and weeks ahead is going to require more logistical and financial support for the government by all humanitarian agencies and donors and very close coordination," said Nigel Fisher, U.N. humanitarian coordinator in Haiti. "Without this the epidemic could well outrun our efforts."
Of grave concern are cases that originated in the tent cities of Port-au-Prince, which sprang up to shelter those left homeless by the massive earthquake that killed more than 200,000 people last January. Health officials fear that infection could spread quickly in the makeshift cities' congested, unsanitary conditions and in impoverished neighborhoods where clean drinking water is at a premium.
Symptoms of cholera, an acute, bacterial illness caused by drinking tainted water, can be mild or even non-existent. But sometimes they can be severe: profuse watery diarrhea, vomiting, and leg cramps, which can cause rapid loss of body fluids and lead to dehydration, shock and death.
Aid workers in Haiti are scrambling as the nation recovers not only from the earthquake, but from last week's hurricane.
"We are stretched thin," said Julie Schindall, a spokeswoman for the humanitarian agency Oxfam.
Zannini reminded the world that cholera is as much a logistical problem as a medical one. It's not just a matter of medical donations or more doctors on the ground, he said. Who will supply clean drinking water? Who will make sure there are proper bathroom facilities? Who will dispose of the waste? Or for that matter, the dead bodies?

"It's not just about donating money," Zannini said. "It's about concrete actions." 

Source: CNN

Allawi: 'Power-sharing is dead now'

Former Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi offered Friday a grim prediction for the future of Iraq's government a day after leading his Iraqiya bloc's walkout from parliament in a dramatic display of unhappiness with a power-sharing agreement that had been forged earlier in the week.
"We think the concept of power-sharing is dead now," the secular Shiite told CNN. "It's finished."
Asked how that might affect a future government, he said, "For Iraq, there will be tensions and violence, probably."
Asked whether Iraqiya would be a part of a government that is not a power-sharing government, he said, "Well, maybe some members, but the main bulk of Iraqiya is not going to be part, and I am definitely not going to be part of this government." He said agreements about principles of power sharing and devolution of power "are not happening."
Thursday's walkout upset a carefully prepared plan for power sharing, one that Allawi said represented "a big blow for democracy."

Asked what Iraq will look like in three or four years, the secular Shiite told CNN, "Well, I don't know, [it's] still early, but we have to see in the next two, three weeks what's going to happen." But, he added, based on what happened Thursday, "I don't think the process is looking that healthy."
If an agreement is not reached, he said, "God help us all."
"This is a new dictatorship that is happening in Iraq," he said. "It's becoming humiliating, it's becoming very dictatorial, and they don't want to respect those people who have other views than them."
Allawi and the Sunni-backed Iraqiya party he heads had said they would reject a government led by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, but they backed off on that threat when the power-sharing agreement was forged.
"We agreed to sacrifice our constitutional and democratic rights and to accept the formation of a government for the sake of the Iraqi people," he said.
The Kurdish region's president, Massoud Barzani, last week had launched an initiative to bring all political blocs together.
Heated, private meetings that lasted until 3 p.m. Thursday among Allawi, al-Maliki and Barzani had resulted in a basic agreement on the outline of a new government.
"We agreed on three things," Allawi said. The first two were "that the parliament should vote on setting this council, the National Council for Strategic Policies," and "to start a new chapter on reconciliation to give assurances to the Iraqi people that this is happening and that we are looking to the future and not the past."
The national council was a critical element to the power-sharing agreement. The idea for the council came from the United States. It was to have the power to pass binding directives and be led by a member of Iraqiya. Allawi himself was expected to lead the council, which would have served to check the powers of al-Maliki, whose critics say he has abused his power as prime minister to carry out a sectarian Shiite agenda.
In the March 7 elections, Allawi's bloc won 91 seats, the largest number for any group, and al-Maliki's list trailed with 89. But neither group could come up with the 163 seats needed for a governing coalition.
Al-Maliki's State of Law coalition eventually formed alliances with other political blocs in efforts largely brokered by Iran, and this strengthened his hand.
"The third thing we agreed upon," Allawi continued, "was a gesture of good will."
That was to have applied to the hot-button issue of de-Baathification -- the term used to describe the effort by Iraq to rid the country of Saddam Hussein's now-banned Baath Party.
Many Sunnis believe they are being unfairly targeted by some Shiites as being supporters of the Baath Party.
For example, a handful of Iraqiya members were banned by a de-Baathification government panel from participating in elections because they were suspected of glorifying the movement.
But Iraqiya wanted parliament to reconsider the politicians' status and the country's de-Baathification policy.
"I took the guarantees of the U.S. and other powers that there would be a power-sharing agreement and the real process of reconciliation," Allawi said.
He said U.S. President Barack Obama had agreed that these were critical issues that needed to be tackled and had thanked Allawi for stepping back from Iraqiya's claim to the premiership.
Everything appeared to have been agreed upon when parliament convened on Thursday, and the initial moments supported that view. Allawi and al-Maliki sat side by side, laughing. A new speaker -- Usama al-Nujaifi, from the Iraqiya list -- and his two deputies were elected.
But then the tentatively brokered power-sharing agreement started to unravel. A heated argument broke out after other members of parliament, including al-Maliki, refused to vote on the power-sharing agreement prior to voting in a president.
"The proceedings were going in the right way; then suddenly they said we are going to elect the president," Allawi recalled. "We said, 'Wait a minute here, we agreed that there are points that we agreed that are going to be announced and voted on.'"
He described himself as "extremely surprised" at the way events unfolded, since the agreement had been reached after talking to Obama and the Arab League.
Allawi and most members of his bloc then walked out.
"It's a joke, in a way," he said. "It reflects the intentions of these guys. They don't have the intention to really work on a power-sharing formula."
"We don't want to be puppets for a government that does not respect the will of the people, that does not respect power sharing. After all the compromises, I am not going to be a puppet running around being a false witness to history."
Allawi accused Iran of trying to keep his bloc from being fairly represented.
"In everything, we see Iran's hand trying to block it," he said. "We can't keep struggling every day, fighting Iran and Iran's influence in Iraq. It's an unequal fight, and we don't have sufficient strength."
Al-Nujaifi, the new speaker, briefly joined the walkout but then returned. Parliament eventually voted in President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, for a second term. Talabani then chose Maliki for a second term as prime minister and asked him to form a cabinet.
Many observers and officials had warned against forming a government that would exclude Iraqiya and its Sunni backers, warning that it could reopen Iraq's sectarian divides and lead to more violence.
"The only way to get rid of violence is to build institutions of the state based on power sharing and to have a real reconciliation program going on in Iraq," Allawi said. "Violence is already there and if they want secular Shias and Sunnis to be second-class citizens, this is unacceptable."
A big outcome from Thursday's events, he said, has been an evaporation of trust. "Even if they come to me and say, "We are going to make this in the future,' I am not going to trust them," he said.
Meanwhile, the Iraqiya list has issued a one-month deadline for various demands to be met. Allawi said he expects the list members will boycott Saturday's parliament session and that he will not accept a government role.

"I will not be a part of this theater," he said, adding that he is thinking of forming an opposition in parliament.

Source: CNN

Source: Hunt for bin Laden missed 'real opportunity'

When Osama bin Laden was being bombed at Tora Bora, Dr. August Hanning was Germany's foreign intelligence chief charged with hunting him down.
"He was watching the bombing," Hanning told CNN in an exclusive interview. "I know this," Hanning told CNN without elaborating on his source of information.
After bin Laden escaped from the mountain in December 2001 Hanning said he had agents feeding him information about the al Qaeda's chief's movements.
Frustratingly however, their information never led to actionable intelligence that would have allowed Western agencies to move against al Qaeda's leader.
"We have got information always on where he was. And that's the problem -- days, week later. But he was present there. He hadn't left the region.
Hanning says that after bin Laden escaped from Tora Bora the search for al Qaeda's leader became much harder.

"I knew there was a chance in Afghanistan I think immediately before Tora Bora and in Tora Bora ... I think there was a real opportunity to catch him and afterwards in Pakistan it became very difficult," Hanning told CNN.
It was an opportunity the international community and the United States in particular have good reason to regret. His assessment of bin Laden's ability to inspire and lead today might make him more dangerous today than back then.
"He's not operational but I think he knows the basics. He makes strategic decisions, and of course he's a symbolic figure and figures are important. "
Hanning, who was appointed State Secretary in the German Federal Interior Ministry at the end of 2005 -- one of the country's most senior counter-terrorism positions -- retired late last year.
He says he agrees with recent comments by an unnamed senior NATO official to CNN last month that bin Laden is alive and well in Pakistan.
"I think there are still a lot of hints that he is in Pakistan, and according to my estimates he is in the tribal areas in the region near Peshawar: the border region between Pakistan and Afghanistan," Hanning told CNN.
Pakistani officials consistently deny bin Laden's presence on their soil. Hanning believes rogue elements in their intelligence service, the ISI, are hiding him.
"It's hard for me to believe that they know nothing," he said, and in some ways the al Qaeda leader is useful to Pakistan. "So long [as] bin Laden is in Pakistan so Pakistan will get support from the Americans' fight against terrorism."
And Pakistan would be in a bind if bin Laden were caught, because to some Pakistanis he is a hero. "If he were caught the Pakistani government would be in a very difficult situation, because the Americans would ask the Pakistanis to extradite him."
Hanning believes bin Laden's presence in Pakistan is one of the United States' most delicate diplomatic problems and one that needs to be solved before U.S. troops can safely withdraw from Afghanistan -- because given the chance al Qaeda would return to Afghanistan.
"If they would have the opportunity to operate in Afghanistan they would use this opportunity as well," Hanning said -- because al Qaeda's assumption is that once Western troops were withdrawn it would be difficult for them to return.

It is a problem that would become more pressing if serious negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban developed. Hanning and other intelligence officials believe it would be difficult for the Taliban to abandon Osama bin Laden because of his stature as a leader of global jihad.

Source: CNN