Monday, September 12, 2011

Libya's revolutionary leader calls for civil state

Libyan revolutionary supporters react as Libyan Transitional National Council chairman Mustafa Abdel Jalil delivers his speech on the former Green Square renamed as Martyr's Square inTripoli, Libya, Monday, Sept. 12, 2011. The chief of Libya's former rebels arrived in Tripoli on Saturday, greeted by a boisterous red carpet ceremony meant to show he's taking charge of the interim government replacing the ousted regime of Moammar Gadhafi. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)

Libyan revolutionary supporters react as Libyan Transitional National Council chairman Mustafa Abdel Jalil delivers his speech on the former Green Square renamed as Martyr's Square inTripoli, Libya, Monday, Sept. 12, 2011. The chief of Libya's former rebels arrived in Tripoli on Saturday, greeted by a boisterous red carpet ceremony meant to show he's taking charge of the interim government replacing the ousted regime of Moammar Gadhafi. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)

(AP) ? The chief of Libya's revolutionary movement told thousands of cheering Libyans in Tripoli Monday to strive for a civil, democratic state, while loyalists of the hunted dictator Moammar Gadhafi killed at least 15 opposition fighters in an attack on a key oil town in Libya's east.

From hiding, Gadhafi urged his remaining followers to keep up the fight, a sign that Libya's six-month civil is not over even though revolutionary forces now control most of the country and have begun setting up a new government in the capital.

Mustafa Abdul-Jalil addressed a rowdy crowd of thousands in Martyr's Square in central Tripoli, a site that until recently was famous for pro-Gadhafi rallies. Flanked by a few dozen revolutionary leaders in their largest public gathering since rebel forces stormed into the capital on Aug. 21, he called on Libyans to build a state based on the rule of law.

"No retribution, no taking matters into your own hands and no oppression. I hope that the revolution will not stumble because of any of these things," he said.

As he spoke, thousands waved flags, cheered and chanted, "Hold your head high, you're a free Libyan!" Some wept openly as fireworks exploded overhead.

Abdul-Jalil heads the National Transitional Council, founded in the eastern city of Benghazi early in the six-month civil war to guide the rebel movement. Its leaders have been arriving in the capital since it fell into rebel hands last month to start building a new government.

Abdul-Jalil, who served as Gadhafi's justice minister before joining the rebels at the uprising's start, defined the government he says the NTC hopes to create.

"We strive for a state of the law, for a state of prosperity, for a state that will have Islamic sharia law the basis of legislation," he said.

He also thanked NATO, the United States and a number of Arab and European countries for their aid to the rebels during the war. NATO bombed Gadhafi's military under a U.N. mandate to protect civilians, giving rebel forces an edge on Gadhafi's better armed and trained soldiers.

Abdul-Jalil said the new Libya would focus on youth and women, adding that some ministries and embassies would be headed by women. Some have criticized the rebel movement for not putting women in leadership roles, and none stood on stage with the movement's leaders.

This didn't bother some in the crowd.

"God willing, all he said will come true," said Sabriya Mohammed, 50, who came to the rally with her two adult daughters. "He mentioned women specifically and said we'd have our place. He's a man who knows the importance of the law."

Libya's new leaders face the huge challenge of building a new government in a country with no recent history of democracy or independent civil institutions. They also have yet to extend their control over all of Libya.

From hiding, Gadhafi called on his remaining followers Monday to keep fighting.

"We will not be ruled after we were the masters," said the brief statement attributed to Gadhafi that was read on Syria's Al-Rai TV by its owner Mishan al-Jabouri, a former Iraqi lawmaker and Gadhafi supporter.

The message described Libya's new leaders as "traitors" who are willing to turn over the country's oil riches to foreign interests.

"We will not hand Libya to colonialism, once again, as the traitors want," said the statement, which pledged to fight against the "coup."

Gadhafi's whereabouts are unknown, but his followers claim he is still in Libya. Some of his family members have fled to neighboring Algeria and others to Niger, most recently his son al-Saadi.

Showing that his loyalists still pose a threat to opposition control, suspected loyalists staged deadly attacks on the Ras Lanouf oil terminal in Libya's east that began with saboteurs setting fires and then shifted to a convoy of gunmen riding in from the desert.

Col. Hamid al-Hasi, the commander for anti-Gadhafi forces in eastern Libya, said a group of 15 employees set fire to the facility, located on the Mediterranean coast about 380 miles (615 kilometers) southeast of Tripoli.

In a possibly coordinated attack, the port was then targeted by a convoy of armed men apparently based in a refugee camp about 18 miles (30 kilometers) south of Ras Lanouf.

The supervisor of the Ras Lanouf hospital, Dr. Ahmad El-Gnashi, said 15 guards were killed and two injured.

Revolutionary forces are still struggling to seize control of at least three other towns.

Opposition pickup trucks mounted with machine guns converged outside the loyalist-held town of Bani Walid for a possible intensified assault after several failed attempts to drive out pro-Gadhafi forces. One opposition commander claimed Gadhafi's son Seif al-Islam is leading loyalist forces massed in the town, about 90 miles (140 kilometers) southeast of Tripoli.

It's unlikely that pro-Gadhafi fighters can withstand a sustained siege on the town. But it's unclear whether the showdowns in the last loyalist strongholds ? including Gadhafi's hometown of Sirte ? will mark a crippling end or open a new phase of an underground insurgency and hit-and-run attacks against Libya's new leadership.

Dozens of cars loaded with Libyan families and personal belongings streamed out of the town in anticipation of a fresh assault.

Khairiyah al-Mahdi, a 40-year-old housewife, was fleeing the town along with her husband, six daughters and two sons.

She said her house was among the first to fly the revolution's tricolor flag when Libyan fighters pushed into Bani Walid over the weekend. But deteriorating living conditions, threats from Gadhafi supporters and heavy clashes in the town prompted her family to flee.

"We left Bani Walid because Gadhafi loyalists in control of the local radio announced through airwaves that anyone helping the rebels or part of them will be killed," she said. "A lot of people are scared and now leaving."

NATO, which has played a key role in crippling Gadhafi's military forces since intervening in Libya's civil war in late March, has kept up its attacks on remaining pro-Gadhafi sites. The military alliance said its warplanes hit targets Sunday in Gadhafi's hometown of Sirte, including a military logistics facility and three surface-to-air missile systems.

The Misrata Military Council said clashes inside Sirte between Gadhafi loyalists and opposition backers has left at least three people dead.

___

Al-Shalchi reported from Wadi Dinar, Libya.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2011-09-12-ML-Libya/id-474a667069b04a75ad4c694f9c55a2c3

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Call on PM Lee to act wisely

I call on PM Lee to appoint the elected MPs to be the adviser to the grassroots organisations. My reasons are stated in this Facebook posting.

Obama Finally Approves Disaster Aid for Texas (ContributorNetwork)

COMMENTARY | Fortunately for the residents of Texas suffering through a rash of wildfires, not only are firefighters making some progress, but President Barack Obama has also finally issued a major disaster declaration for the area. But why did he wait? Was he making a point? Are human lives and homes destroyed less important than party politics? It seems so, to this native-born Texan.

With all of the man's flaws as a presidential candidate, last April, Texas Gov. Rick Perry did the one intelligent thing he could, and sent President Obama a letter requesting a disaster designation. Obama denied his request May 3. Why? Was it because candidate Rick Perry decries federal spending? Were the people of Texas denied the help they needed over a spat between two politicians? This goes far beyond the usual ridiculous posturing, mud-slinging and antics of elected officials. Real people's lives and homes were on the line here.

Between the time of President Obama's May 3 denial of assistance to Texas, and his eventual approval of the same aid on Sept. 10, our Commander-in-Chief took another vacation, which was only cut short due to the upcoming Hurricane Irene. The hurricane turned out being nowhere near as big of a deal as the main-stream media predicted, yet those wildfires in Texas were still going the whole time. Were it not for the compassion and courage of other every day Americans -- along with a bit of luck in the weather -- there's no telling what damage would have happened from the fires.

While I certainly do not support Perry as a viable (or even competent) presidential candidate, the delay for assistance to the people of Texas dealing first with a major drought, and then the massive property destruction from wildfires, leads me to believe he may just be biased in which Americans he considers worthy of government assistance. How indescribably terrible of a sitting American president to let people suffer and fight for their lives, in an effort to make a political opponent look bad.

This one move alone should speak volumes to voters on the next Election Day. I'm not honestly able to say I want the Republican Party back in the White House, but after seeing how easy it was for President Obama to vacation comfortably while Texas burns, I will say any other candidate would be a better selection for the next four years.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20110911/us_ac/9111191_obama_finally_approves_disaster_aid_for_texas

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Apple wins German court ruling on Samsung tablets (Reuters)

DUESSELDORF, Germany (Reuters) ? Apple Inc scored a symbolic legal victory in efforts to keep its lead spot in the tablet computer market when a German court upheld a ban barring Samsung's local unit from selling its Galaxy 10.1 tablets in Europe's biggest economy.

Samsung, which said it will appeal the decision, and Apple have been locked in a global battle over smartphone and tablet patents since April.

Samsung's Galaxy devices are seen as among the biggest challengers to Apple's mobile products, which have achieved runaway success.

Samsung said it was disappointed by the ruling and that it believed the ruling restricts design innovation and progress in the industry.

It said it would explore all legal options, including continuing to aggressively pursue Apple for what Samsung said are a violation of its wireless technology patents around the world.

Craig Cartier, analyst at consultancy firm Frost & Sullivan, said that while Friday's ruling would not greatly affect Samsung it could set a precedent for other courts and have repercussions for patent battles worldwide.

"There has been an arms race in the patent world which has led to a high valuation of patent portfolios, including Nortel's $4.5 billion patent auction," Cartier said.

"Companies may start to question if patent values are simply another bubble waiting to burst."

STILL FOR SALE

The temporary injunction upheld by the court on Friday bars Samsung Germany from selling the Galaxy 10.1 tablet in Germany.

But retailers such as consumer electronics chain Media Markt will still be able to sell the device by selling off existing stock or getting new supplies from the South Korean group's parent Samsung International.

Media Markt said it was too early to say what the verdict would mean for its business.

Patent expert Florian Mueller said in his blog www.fosspatents.com that the sales ban in Europe for Samsung Germany has no practical consequences.

The German subsidiary is also barred from selling the tablets in Europe, excluding the Netherlands where Apple requested a separate injunction.

Giving the ruling, Judge Johanna Brueckner-Hofmann said in court in Duesseldorf that the overall impression of the tablet was too similar to the design of Apple's iPad.

"It (the tablet) is distinguished by its smooth, simple areas," Brueckner-Hofmann said.

By contrast, a Dutch court ruled last month that it found no infringement for Samsung's tablets.

Apple repeated its usual statement saying that: "This kind of blatant copying is wrong, and we need to protect Apple's intellectual property when companies steal our ideas."

In a global intellectual property battle, Apple has claimed the Galaxy line of mobile phones and tablets "slavishly" copied the iPhone and iPad and has sued the Korean company in the United States, Australia, Japan and Korea as well as in Europe.

Samsung, whose tablets are based on Google Inc's Android software, has counter-sued Apple.

On Thursday, Apple also filed a suit against Samsung in Japan, seeking to ban sales of some of its gadgets there.

That same day, smartphone maker HTC said that it extended its lawsuit against Apple to include more patents the Taiwanese company acquired from Google as legal battles become increasingly common in the hi-tech industry.

(Additional reporting by Harro ten Wolde; Editing by David Holmes, David Cowell and David Hulmes)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/applecomputer/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110909/bs_nm/us_apple_samsung

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