Witnesses in the Libyan capital Tripoli say many streets were deserted Wednesday, with residents afraid to leave their homes, a day after Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi urged his supporters to attack anti-government demonstrators. The witnesses told foreign news agencies that armed Gadhafi loyalists and mercenaries from other African nations were roaming the capital, threatening people who gather in groups and occasionally opening fire. In Gadhafi's first televised address since an uprising against his rule began last week, he vowed to stay in power and called on supporters to fight back against opposition protesters whom he described as "gangs" and "terrorists." He threatened death for anyone who takes up arms against Libya or engages in espionage. But, there were more signs that the Libyan leader has lost control of the eastern half of his country to protesters backed by defecting military units. Witnesses in the eastern cities of Benghazi and Tobruk say residents were in control of the streets Tuesday and celebrating their defeat of Gadhafi's forces. Benghazi residents also formed units to collect weapons and protect property. Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said there are credible reports that about 1,000 people have been killed in Libya's week-long uprising. He also confirmed that the eastern half of Libya, known as Cyrenaica, was no longer under Gadhafi's control. U.S.-based rights group Human Rights Watch says at least 62 people have been killed in Tripoli since Sunday, in addition to 233 people killed in earlier violence, mostly in the country's east. Opposition groups say the death toll is much higher. In another setback to Gadhafi Tuesday, a close associate, Interior Minister Abdel Fattah Younis, announced his defection and support for the uprising. Numerous other Libyan officials, including the justice minister, diplomats and military officers, also have turned against the Libyan leader in recent days. Gadhafi took power in a coup in 1969.
II. CANADIANPRESS - Former rebel leader Thaci elected Kosovo's prime minister; Pacolli new president
Kosovo's parliament elected former rebel [KLA] leader Hashim Thaci to a second term as prime minister Tuesday and chose businessman Behgjet Pacolli as the country's new president. Hashim Thaci was voted in 65-1 to head a coalition government facing growing social tensions and a new round of talks with Serbia aimed at resolving a score of disputes. He also faces an investigation into allegations that members of the now-disbanded Kosovo Liberation Army once sold the organs of their civilian captives. Pacolli, a self-declared multimillionaire who owns a Swiss-based construction company, received 62 votes, with 4 against. Pacolli, the country's second president since Kosovo seceded from Serbia in 2008, was elected on the third attempt, after failing to secure at least 80 votes in the first two rounds of voting as required by law. Just 67 of 120 lawmakers were present as most of the opposition had walked out in protest over his nomination. Pacolli was suspected of bribing Russian officials in 1999 to win a deal to renovate the Kremlin, and also of smuggling hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash into Russia — but the allegations against him did not reach trial stage. Russia backs Serbia's claim to Kosovo, and Pacolli has often been demonized in the Kosovo press for his links to Russian businesses. The walkout also highlighted the political rivalries that have troubled Kosovo politics for decades — differences bottled up ahead of the 2008 declaration of independence from Serbia. Since then Kosovo's leadership has been tarnished by a series of corruption scandals, including an EU-led investigation into alleged embezzlement of public funds by Kosovo's Transport Minster, Fatmir Limaj. Limaj said he would not be part of the new cabinet after International officials requested that officials being investigated be left out of the new government. Thaci's party won the most votes in Kosovo's Dec. 12 election that was marred by electoral fraud and a series of voting irregularities before results were finally certified by election authorities. He was forced to form a coalition with minority parties to rule, including that of key ally, 59-year-old Pacolli. Kosovo's independence has been recognized by 75 countries, but Serbia has pledged to revert the secession. To read more about the Kosovo Liberation Army on wikipedia, click here.
III. PLATTS - Greece: Israeli gas can be extra source for EU
Israeli natural gas discoveries can serve as an alternative source of gas for the EU in the future, Greek Deputy Minister for the Environment and Climate Change Ioannis Maniatis said Wednesday. Speaking at a renewable energy conference in Eilat, Maniatis said Greece was interested in serving as a gateway to the EU for gas from the eastern Mediterranean. Israeli gas is not likely to be exported before 2016 at the earliest. The two gas discoveries at Leviathan and Tamar have estimated reserves of nearly 25 trillion cubic feet. Maniatis is in Israel to prepare for next month's visit by Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou. Energy issues will be among the topics discussed during Papandreou's planned visit to Israel. Israel and Greece have already held initial discussions about energy cooperation in the past year. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Greece in August when the subject was first discussed. Greek Minister for Investments Harris Pamboukis said last month that Greece had begun exploratory talks with Israel about transporting natural gas from the Leviathan field to markets in Europe. However, it appears that the high cost of such a pipeline has led the partners of the Leviathan project -- Noble Energy, Delek Drilling, Avner Oil and Gas and Ratio Oil Exploration -- to focus on LNG. Delek has already had initial talks with Cyprus about the possibility of an LNG terminal for the export of gas from Leviathan and future discoveries off the coast of Cyprus. Greece currently imports 70% of its gas from Russia and the rest from Algeria and central Asia. In 2010 the country consumed 3.75 billion cubic meters of gas.
IV. EKATHIMERINI - Fuel in Greece is Europe’s second most expensive
The price of gasoline and diesel in Greece is the second highest in Europe, according to the monthly price survey conducted by the Automobile and Touring Club of Greece (ELPA) this month. The average price per liter for both kinds of fuel remained stable in Greece compared with last month, at 1.593 euros for gasoline and at 1.391 euros for diesel. The highest gasoline price in Europe was recorded in the Netherlands this month, where the average rate was 1.657 euros per liter. The lowest in Europe is in Belarus, at 0.783 euros per liter and in the European Union it is in Luxembourg, at 1.253 euros per liter. The only country to have an average price for diesel above that of Greece’s is the Republic of Ireland, at 1.399 euros per liter. The cheapest rate is to be found in Belarus again, at 0.624 euros per liter, with Andorra at 1.032 euros per liter and Luxembourg at 1.148 euros per liter. However, drivers will not be able to fill their tanks on Wednesday in Greece, as fuel station owners have called a 24-hour strike.
The Olympic flame that will travel the world before reaching the Russian resort town of Sochi for the 2014 Winter Olympics may also a pay a brief visit to space, a top official said Wednesday. An Olympic visit to the International Space Station is an "interesting" idea that requires further study, news agencies quoted the deputy head of Russia's Federal Space Agency as saying. "It is not a bad idea," Vitaly Davydov said. "It is theoretically possible." The space official admitted that open flames were not allowed on board the international space lab, which is manned by US, Russian and various other astronauts. But he said that his agency was open to ideas from Russia officials if they do decide to send the torch and flame to space. Russia has been pulling out all the stops since winning the 2014 Games, a prestige event that the Black Sea resort town won against all the odds on the back of a personal lobbying effort from former president Vladimir Putin. The Games have been estimated to cost about 31 billion dollars. The Olympic torch rally traditionally spans the world before reaching the host city. Davydov said Wednesday tradition prevented Russia from taking the novel step of lighting the torch in space from sunbeams.
VI. VANCOUVERSUN - NATO monitoring Iran warships in Mediterranean
The NATO military alliance said Wednesday it was monitoring two Iranian warships that have entered the Mediterranean Sea, a presence that has unnerved Israel. "We follow events in the region and we follow these two Iranian warships with as much interest as we do any other warships in the region," said NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu. "We are monitoring events," she told reporters, refusing to elaborate. The U.S. State Department said earlier that Washington would be "watching carefully to see where these ships go and the implications of that." The Iranian ships sailed through the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean on Tuesday at a time of upheaval in Europe's Arab neighbourhood. It was the first time Iranian vessels entered the canal since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. En route for Syria, it took them past Israeli territorial waters and Israel put its navy on high alert, saying it would respond immediately to any "provocation."
Churches in the Middle East must work together to overcome the problems facing the region in order that "peace can prevail," Archbishop Chrysostomos of Cyprus said in an address on 18 February at an extraordinary meeting in Cyprus of the Executive Committee of the Middle East Council of Churches. "We believe strongly that the time has come for all of us -- all the churches of the Middle East -- to join forces and work consciously towards a solution of the many serious problems that exist in our region, and above all so that peace can prevail in our countries and among our peoples, far from religious fanaticism and bigotry," the archbishop told the gathering. However, he noted, in order to be effective the MECC must overcome its own internal disagreements and he reiterated his proposal that the Church of Cyprus undertake the secretariat support of the council's offices. "As can be easily understood, in order for us, the Middle East Council of Churches, to be able to exercise our role and make an active and fruitful contribution to the desired objective of establishing a better and happier world in our region, without wars and bloodshed, we must focus with Christian love and in a spirit of good will and mutual understanding, on the task of examining the problems we are facing, in order to give answers and achieve solutions," he said. All four church groups -- including the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholic and Evangelical churches -- were represented by their presidents and five additional representatives from each church. One of the objectives of the meeting was to prepare for the general assembly scheduled to take place in Cyprus in August... In his address, Chrysostomos also noted that the executive committee meeting was taking place during "critical times for the region." In particular, he noted "the regrettable phenomena of the rise of religious fanaticism and the serious violation of religious freedoms." He said that in the northern part of Turkish-occupied Cyprus, Turkish security officials are preventing priests from carrying out their religious duties.