Hariri case highly complex, says UN Lebanon tribunal chief

February 5, 2010

Beirut:The assassination of Lebanese former prime minister Rafiq Hariri is extremely complex and there will be no deadlines in issuing indictments on the case, Antonio Cassese of the UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon told the press.

"All acts of terrorism are much more complicated than war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide," he said.

Cassese arrived in Lebanon on Monday for a week-long visit aimed at gathering information for the ongoing investigation, but admitted in the difficulties behind investigating political assassinations.

"All acts of terrorism are much more complicated than war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide," he said.

Oman plans to open more hospitals to cope with demand

February 5, 2010

Muscat: Oman's Health Minister, Dr Ali Bin Mohammad Bin Mousa, told 84 elected Shura members that the country's health services were under pressure and the ministry plans to open more hospitals to cope with it.

Responding to the query by a member during his interaction with the Majlis Ashura members earlier this week, the health minister agreed that there was a long waiting for period for patients in some cases. "The waiting problem is a reality because the health centres and clinics have to deal with more than 3,000 cases a day," he told the elected house. He added that some of the treatments were available only at a few centres.

"We have only one centre — the cardiology centre in Royal Hospital [in Muscat] — for open heart surgery," he said in reference to the long waiting list for cardiology cases.

He revealed that the ministry has decided to set up another Royal Hospital. "We hope to complete work on the new Royal Hospital within two years," he said. Moreover, he added, the cardiology department at the Sultan Qaboos Hospital in Salalah will also be set up. Responding to a query on extending timings of the local health centre clinics, the minister said the health clinics were providing only primary health services. "There is no need to extend their (health centres) timings because there are other hospitals to deal with emergency situations," the minister said.

Dubai may seek Israel PM arrest

DUBAI - Dubai will issue an arrest warrant for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if Israel is found to be implicated in the murder of a top militant Palestinian in the emirate, The National newspaper reported on Friday.

Dubai police chief Dhahi Khalfan has said that Israel's spy agency Mossad could have been behind the January 20 killing of Mahmud al-Mabhuh, a founder of the military wing of the Palestinian movement Hamas, in a luxury hotel room.

Netanyahu "will be the first to be wanted for justice as he would have been the one who signed the decision to kill al-Mabhuh in Dubai," The National quoted Khalfan as saying.

"We will issue an arrest warrant against him," said the English-language newspaper published in Abu Dhabi.

It quoted Khalfan as saying Mabhuh was killed using a "Mossad method," but did not elaborate.

The police chief had said Mossad "has carried out operations" previously using similar methods as those used in the Mabhuh murder.

The paper quoted police sources as saying Mabhuh arrived in Dubai on January 19 at 3:15 p.m., and was dead within five hours.

His killers had been in the country less than 24 hours before the murder and left before the body was discovered at the luxury Al Bustan Rotana hotel near the airport.

Mabhuh was in charge of arms purchases for the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamist Hamas group that rules the Gaza Strip.

Over the years, several Hamas leaders have been killed in what Israel calls "targeted killings."

Morocco expels Christian missionary

RABAT - Morocco has expelled a foreign missionary for "openly converting people to Christianity," the interior ministry said Friday, a month after five Christian priests were kicked out for the same reason.

"The missionary targeted a group of 14 Moroccans," in the town of Imizmiz, 55 kilometres (35 miles) south of Marrakech, a statement said, adding that he was expelled on Thursday.

It said teaching material and a "sizeable amount of proselytisation brochures" were seized from the man. A security source said the missionary was American.

"The group of Moroccans accompanying him were freed," the source added.

Last March, four Spaniards and a German woman were similarly expelled after they held a missionary meeting with Moroccan nationals, according to a statement from the ministry of the interior.

Mandela celebrates 20 years of freedom

(AP) 5 February 2010,

JOHANNESBURG — Nelson Mandela, fellow veterans of South Africa’s anti-apartheid struggle and family have raised glasses of bubbly to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his release from prison.

Mandela was released Feb. 11, 1990 after 27 years in prison, most of it spent on Cape Town’s Robben Island. In video released from a celebration at his Johannesburg home Thursday, Cyril Ramaphosa, an ANC leader who helped organize Mandela’s welcome two decades ago, proposes a toast in which he says that Mandela remains an inspiration and that the sacrifices he made would never be forgotten.

Mandela’s former wife, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, and some of their children and grandchildren are seen joining the celebration in the video released by Zinc Media, a production company owned by Mandela’s daughter Zindzi Mandela. Zinc is preparing a documentary about the anniversary called “Conversations About That Day”.

Mandela, who turns 92 on July 18, had largely retired from public life.