Afghan group confirms talks with Taliban faction

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) â€" Afghan President Hamid Karzais High Peace Council says it held meetings with a breakaway faction of senior Taliban leaders in the United Arab Emirates.

The Dubai meetings are the first, fresh Afghan-initiated efforts to restart peace talks aimed at bringing a negotiated end to the conflict ahead of the final withdrawal of international combat troops due at the end of this year.

The Taliban has denied links to the faction, organized by former Taliban finance minister Aga Jan Mohtism.

The High Peace Council said in a statement Saturday that the delegation it met with clearly had indicated they were ready for peace talks and that both sides agreed on the need for further dialogue â€" both inside and outside of Afghanistan.

Electricity problems will be solved for all islands by March: President

President Yameen Abdul Gayoom has said that solutions will be provided to electricity problems in all islands by March 2014.

The President made this remark while speaking at a function in Velidhoo to launch the campaign for Parliamentary Election candidates.

“We have announced that we need to purchase 80 engines, for islands where engines are broken, or for those that lack engines. We should get the engines in March, and then the electricity problems in those islands will be solved,” he said.

He noted that Velidhoo is among the islands facing electricity problems, and promised that a 350 kW generator will be provided to Velidhoo in March.

Ukraine: East-west tensions; protesters take Kiev

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) â€" Protesters took control of Ukraines capital Saturday, seizing the presidents office as parliament sought to oust him and form a new government. President Viktor Yanukovych left Kiev for his support base in the countrys Russian-speaking east, where lawmakers questioned the legitimacy of central authorities and called for volunteer militias to uphold order.

After a tumultuous week that left scores dead and Ukraines political destiny in flux, fears mounted that the country could split in two.

The countrys western regions, angered by corruption in Yanukovychs government, want to be closer to the European Union and have rejected Yanukovychs authority in many cities, citing corruption and brutality. Eastern Ukraine, which accounts for the bulk of the nations economic output, favors closer ties with Russia and has largely supported the president. The three-month protest movement was prompted by the presidents decision to abort an agreement with the EU in favor of a deal with Moscow.

"The people have risen up and achieved their goals. The authorities are crumbling. Victory is in sight," 31-year-old construction worker Sviatoslav Gordichenko said as he and thousands of other protesters surrounded an ostentatious residential compound in the Kiev suburbs believed to belong to Yanukovych.

An aide said Yanukovych had no intention of stepping down. He was in the eastern city of Kharkiv, where governors, provincial officials and legislators gathered alongside top Russian lawmakers and approved a statement calling on regional authorities to take full responsibility for constitutional order.

Some called for the formation of volunteer militias to defend against protesters from western regions, even as they urged army units to maintain neutrality and protect ammunition depots.

The congress of provincial lawmakers and officials in Kharkiv issued a statement saying that the events in Kiev have led to the "paralysis of the central government and destabilization of the situation in the country." Lawmakers accused the opposition of failing to keep its word to give up its weapons and abandon protest camps.

Outside, thousands of anti-Yanukovych protesters chanted "Ukraine is not Russia!" â€" a surprising development given that large anti-Yanukovych protests have been rare in the east.

Yanukovych aide Hanna Herman told The Associated Press that the president would meet Kharkiv residents and give a televised address.

"As much as some people want it, he has no intention to leave the country," she said.

Ukraine, a nation of 46 million, has long divided its loyalties and economy between Europe and longtime ruler Moscow, giving it huge strategic importance to Russia, Europe and the United States.

European foreign ministers helped broker an agreement on Friday between Yanukovych and opposition leaders aimed at resolving the months-old political crisis that has killed scores and injured hundreds. The agreement calls for early elections and constitutional reforms that reduce the presidents powers.

Neither side won all the points it sought in Fridays deal, and some vague conditions left room for strong disputes down the road. By Saturday, events on the ground seemed to overtake the agreement.

The protesters claimed full control of Kiev and took up positions around the presidents office and a grandiose residential compound believed to be his, though he never acknowledged it.

At the sprawling suburban Kiev compound, protesters stood guard and blocked more radical elements among them from entering the building, fearing unrest. Moderate protesters have sought to prevent their comrades from looting or taking up the weapons that have filled Kiev in recent weeks.

The compound became an emblem of the secrecy and arrogance that defines Yanukovychs presidency, painting him as a leader who basks in splendor while his countrys economy suffers and his opponents are jailed. An Associated Press journalist visiting the grounds Saturday saw manicured lawns, a pond, several luxurious houses and the big mansion itself, an elaborate confection of five stories with marble columns.

Protesters attached a Ukrainian flag to a lamppost at the compound, shouting: "Glory to Ukraine!"

A group of protesters in helmets and shields stood guard at the presidents office Saturday. No police were in sight.

Protest leader Andriy Parubiy was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying that protesters were in full control of the capital on Saturday. Police retreated from their positions in Kievs government district.

Protesters also gathered around the country, often taking out their anger at statues of Soviet founder Vladimir Lenin, using ropes and crowbars to knock Lenin statues off pedestals in several cities and towns. Statues of Lenin still stand in cities and towns across the former USSR, and they are seen as a symbol of Moscows rule.

Ukraines parliament, only a day ago controlled by Yanukovych supporters, seemed to be taking control of the countrys leadership.

It was considering whether to impeach him or force his resignation, and whether to set a quick date for new elections. It named a new interior minister after firing the previous one Friday, amid anger at police violence against protesters.

The parliament approved a measure that could free Yanukovychs arch-rival and former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who has served 2 ½ years on a conviction of abuse of office, charges that domestic and Western critics have denounced as a political vendetta.

A spokeswoman for Tymoshenko, Natasha Lysova, told The Associated Press that a decision taken by parliament Saturday means Tymoshenko must be freed immediately. Earlier Lysova had erroneously said Tymoshenko had already been freed.

Tymoshenkos reappearance on the political scene could shake things up even more.

The past week saw the worst violence in Ukraine since the breakup of the Soviet Union a quarter-century ago. At the protests epicenter on Kievs Independence Square, demonstrators clashed with police and snipers opened fire. The Health Ministry put the death toll at 77, and some opposition figures said its even higher.

At the square Saturday, protesters heaped flowers on the coffins of the dead.

Egypt: Police officers acquitted of 2011 killings

CAIRO (AP) â€" An Egyptian court acquitted six police officers Saturday on charges of killing 83 protesters during the countrys 2011 revolution, the latest in a string of trials that rights group say failed to hold the countrys security forces accountable for demonstrators deaths.

The acquittals come as ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, toppled in July by the military, faces a host of criminal charges. Morsi appeared in court Saturday in a case that charges him and 130 others over prison breaks that freed some 20,000 inmates during the 18-day revolt in 2011 that toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

The police officers case involved the killing of protesters in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria and included the former head of security and of the riot police. Prosecutors alleged that commanders armed police with live ammunition and allowed officers to shoot at protesters in front of police stations from nearby rooftops.

Lawyers for the officers denied that they were responsible for the killings. During a Jan. 19 hearing, lawyers referred to Morsis Muslim Brotherhood group as the "real killers" of the protesters, the state-run daily newspaper Al-Ahram reported.

Given the chaos surrounding the uprising, legal experts say it is difficult to hold any individual legally responsible for a specific killing. However, not one of the police officers charged with killing protesters in 2011 are behind bars, leading rights groups to accuse Egypts judiciary of protecting security forces at the expense of justice.

"The consecutive regimes did not have the political will to hold the criminals accountable, allowing them to go away with it," said rights lawyer Ahmed Ezzat, who works with the prominent Freedom of Though and Expression group. "These acquittals strengthen (Mubaraks) position. ... Now we have the interim authorities putting it all again on Morsi."

Police brutality during Mubaraks 29 years in office was a key cause of the 2011 uprising. However, the army and Morsi failed to reform the force. Since Morsis ouster July 3, thousands have been killed and injured in heavy security force crackdowns on Morsis supporters.

"Policemen who are acquitted come out of detention fiercer," Ezzat said. "They will kill more protesters."

Lawyers for the police officers charged could not immediately be reached for comment Saturday.

Morsi appeared Saturday in a Cairo courtroom with some 25 others over the jail break charges as new defendants tried earlier in absentia were arrested. Some 125 people â€" including militants from the Palestinian Hamas group and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah â€" are charged in the case, with many being tried in absentia. Morsi himself was freed in a prison break that accompanied the turmoil of Egypts 2011 revolution before becoming the nations first freely elected president a year later.

Morsi and the defendants remained locked behind a soundproof, glass cell in the courtroom, though they chanted "down with the military rule" and "the people salute the presidents steadfastness," according to a report by Egypts state news agency MENA.

The court adjourned the case to Monday after lawyers requested the case be transferred to a panel of different judges. In previous court appearances, Morsi, who faces a raft of criminal cases, has maintained his innocence and said that he remains Egypts legitimate ruler. His Muslim Brotherhood has been designated as a terrorist group by Egypts military-backed interim government and thousands of its members and its leaders have been arrested in a crackdown since Morsis overthrow.

Meanwhile Saturday, a court sentenced 15 fans of Egypts Al-Ahly soccer team to two years in prison and 50,000 Egyptian pound (nearly $7,100) fines for protesting without a permit in January. The fans, known as Ultras, were among the youth groups that joined the 2011 uprising against Mubarak and demonstrations against Morsi.

It is imperative to elect a parliament that cooperates with government: President

President Yameen Abdul Gayoom has said that it is imperative to elect a parliament that cooperates with the governments efforts to fulfil the needs and aspirations of the people.

The President made this remark while speaking at a rally in Velidhoo, to launch the campaign for the Maldives Development Alliance (MDA) candidate contesting the Parliamentary Election for Velidhoo seat.

He said that the parliament should serve the people, and changes are required in order to achieve this.

“The parliament should serve the people. It is in need of change, and it needs to gain people’s respect,” said the President.

He further said that the parliament should not try to obstruct the government’s efforts towards development.

“If the general rule that they follow is to try to stop everything that is beneficial for the people, that’s not responsible,” he said.

He said that the new government made numerous pledges to the people during the Presidential Election, and it is the parliament that puts the ‘final stamp’ on the government’s efforts to fulfil these pledges.

Egypt: Police officers acquitted of 2011 killings

CAIRO (AP) â€" An Egyptian court acquitted six police officers Saturday on charges of killing 83 protesters during the countrys 2011 revolution, the latest in a string of trials that rights group say failed to hold the countrys security forces accountable for demonstrators deaths.

The acquittals come as ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, toppled in July by the military, faces a host of criminal charges. Morsi appeared in court Saturday in a case that charges him and 130 others over prison breaks that freed some 20,000 inmates during the 18-day revolt in 2011 that toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

The police officers case involved the killing of protesters in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria and included the former head of security and of the riot police. Prosecutors alleged that commanders armed police with live ammunition and allowed officers to shoot at protesters in front of police stations from nearby rooftops.

Lawyers for the officers denied that they were responsible for the killings. During a Jan. 19 hearing, lawyers referred to Morsis Muslim Brotherhood group as the "real killers" of the protesters, the state-run daily newspaper Al-Ahram reported.

Given the chaos surrounding the uprising, legal experts say it is difficult to hold any individual legally responsible for a specific killing. However, not one of the police officers charged with killing protesters in 2011 are behind bars, leading rights groups to accuse Egypts judiciary of protecting security forces at the expense of justice.

"The consecutive regimes did not have the political will to hold the criminals accountable, allowing them to go away with it," said rights lawyer Ahmed Ezzat, who works with the prominent Freedom of Though and Expression group. "These acquittals strengthen (Mubaraks) position. ... Now we have the interim authorities putting it all again on Morsi."

Police brutality during Mubaraks 29 years in office was a key cause of the 2011 uprising. However, the army and Morsi failed to reform the force. Since Morsis ouster July 3, thousands have been killed and injured in heavy security force crackdowns on Morsis supporters.

"Policemen who are acquitted come out of detention fiercer," Ezzat said. "They will kill more protesters."

Lawyers for the police officers charged could not immediately be reached for comment Saturday.

Morsi appeared Saturday in a Cairo courtroom with some 25 others over the jail break charges as new defendants tried earlier in absentia were arrested. Some 125 people â€" including militants from the Palestinian Hamas group and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah â€" are charged in the case, with many being tried in absentia. Morsi himself was freed in a prison break that accompanied the turmoil of Egypts 2011 revolution before becoming the nations first freely elected president a year later.

Morsi and the defendants remained locked behind a soundproof, glass cell in the courtroom, though they chanted "down with the military rule" and "the people salute the presidents steadfastness," according to a report by Egypts state news agency MENA.

The court adjourned the case to Monday after lawyers requested the case be transferred to a panel of different judges. In previous court appearances, Morsi, who faces a raft of criminal cases, has maintained his innocence and said that he remains Egypts legitimate ruler. His Muslim Brotherhood has been designated as a terrorist group by Egypts military-backed interim government and thousands of its members and its leaders have been arrested in a crackdown since Morsis overthrow.

Meanwhile Saturday, a court sentenced 15 fans of Egypts Al-Ahly soccer team to two years in prison and 50,000 Egyptian pound (nearly $7,100) fines for protesting without a permit in January. The fans, known as Ultras, were among the youth groups that joined the 2011 uprising against Mubarak and demonstrations against Morsi.

It is imperative to elect a parliament that cooperates with government: President

President Yameen Abdul Gayoom has said that it is imperative to elect a parliament that cooperates with the governments efforts to fulfil the needs and aspirations of the people.

The President made this remark while speaking at a rally in Velidhoo, to launch the campaign for the Maldives Development Alliance (MDA) candidate contesting the Parliamentary Election for Velidhoo seat.

He said that the parliament should serve the people, and changes are required in order to achieve this.

“The parliament should serve the people. It is in need of change, and it needs to gain people’s respect,” said the President.

He further said that the parliament should not try to obstruct the government’s efforts towards development.

“If the general rule that they follow is to try to stop everything that is beneficial for the people, that’s not responsible,” he said.

He said that the new government made numerous pledges to the people during the Presidential Election, and it is the parliament that puts the ‘final stamp’ on the government’s efforts to fulfil these pledges.

US officials at odds over cellphone use on planes

WASHINGTON (AP) â€" It looks like the U.S. government is more conflicted about cellphones on planes than most American travelers. Even as one federal agency considers allowing the calls, another now wants to make sure that doesnt happen.

Passengers â€" particularly those who fly often â€" oppose allowing calls in flight, polls show. In line with that sentiment, the Department of Transportation signaled in a notice posted online Friday that it wants to retain the 23-year-old ban on the calls. But the notice comes just two months after the Federal Communications Commission voted to pursue lifting the ban.

The Transportation Department regulates aviation consumer issues. The FCC has responsibility over whether the use of cellphones in flight would interfere with cellular networks on the ground.

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler has said he wants to repeal the current ban, calling it restrictive and outdated. He also wants the airlines, not the government, to have final say on in-flight calling. He declined to comment Friday on the departments notice.

Echoing some travelers concerns, the Transportation Department said it believes allowing passengers to make cellphone calls "may be harmful or injurious" to other passengers.

This is because "people tend to talk louder on cellphones than when theyre having face-to-face conversations," the department said. "They are also likely to talk more and further increase the noise on a flight, as passengers would not be simply talking to the persons sitting next to them but can call whomever they like."

Some planes already have seat-back phones in place, but they are rarely used, it said.

The "concern is not about individual calls, but rather the cumulative impact of allowing in-flight calls in close quarters," the department said.

In an Associated Press-GfK poll three months ago, 48 percent of those surveyed opposed letting cellphones be used for voice calls while planes are in flight, while 19 percent were in favor and 30 percent were neutral. Among those whod flown four or more times in the previous year, the rate of opposition soared to 78 percent.

Delta Air Lines told the government last year that 64 percent of its passengers indicated that the ability to make phone calls in flight would have a negative impact on their onboard experience.

The FCC has already received more than 1,200 public comments on its proposal, almost all of them opposed to lifting the ban.

"Nobody, absolutely nobody, wants to be the involuntary audience of another passengers telephone conversation," one commenter said Friday. "It is the equivalent of torture to be forced to listen to the incessant prattling of a seatmate, compounded by the impossibility of escape."

Among the most ardent opponents of lifting the current ban are flight attendants, who worry that phone conversation will spark arguments between passengers and even acts of violence.

"Allowing passengers to use cellphones during commercial flights will add unacceptable risks to aviation security, compromise a flight attendants ability to maintain order in an emergency, increase cabin noise and tension among passengers and interfere with crewmembers in the performance of their duties as first responders in the cabin," said Corey Caldwell, a spokeswoman for the Association of Flight Attendants, responding to the departments proposal. The association represents nearly 60,000 flight attendants at 19 carriers.

Congress, inhabited by some of the nations most frequent flyers, is also getting into the act. Lawmakers are pushing legislation to require transportation regulators to implement a ban on calls.

"When it comes to cellphones on planes, tap dont talk," Rep. Bill Shuster, the Republican chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said last week as the committee gave bipartisan approval to his bill.

The current FCC ban was adopted in 1991 based on concern the calls planes might interfere with cellular networks on the ground, but technological advances have resolved those worries. In 2005, the FCC cleared the way for airlines to begin offering Wi-Fi in flight.

Last October, the Federal Aviation Administration, which regulates safety, dropped its ban on the use of personal electronic devices such as tablets, music players and smartphones to send email, to text or to surf the Internet during takeoffs and landings. The agency said it is no longer worried the devices will interfere with cockpit electronics. However, phone calls during takeoffs and landings are still prohibited.

MDP to hold mass rally before CNI report

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) National Steering Committee yesterday decided to gather party supporters from across the country for a mass rally in Male before the Commission of National Inquiry (CNI) set up to probe the events surrounding the regime change on February 7 issues its report. The resolution submitted by the former Youth Minister Hassan Latheef was passed to decide on the party’s course of action to press the enforcement of the points that would be highlighted in the CNI’s report due by the end of the month.

During the Committee meeting yesterday, it was also passed to resume the party’s ‘Direct Action’ protests which had been suspended for the last ten days of Ramadan to allow for prayer and worship.
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Standard Chartered fined $340m over Iran deals

Standard Chartered on Tuesday settled allegations that it helped Iranian clients dodge US sanctions, announcing a fine of $340 million from a New York banking watchdog. The "civil penalty" came amid allegations that the London-based bank hid 60,000 transactions with proscribed Iranian clients worth $250 billion over ten years.

The clients included the state-backed Central Bank of Iran and the National Bank of Iran, both accused by Washington of helping Tehran seek nuclear weapons and fund terrorism.

Under the terms of the settlement with New York's Department of Financial Services, Standard Chartered agreed to house a government anti-laundering monitor for two years at its New York branch.

It will also appoint in-house auditors to check compliance with US sanctions.

Standard Chartered CEO Peter Sands was in New York at the time the deal was struck.

According to the bank a detailed agreement will come soon, adding "the group continues to engage constructively with the other relevant US authorities."

The settlement is far from the worst-case scenario for the bank, which is a household name in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

New York state's Department of Financial Services had questioned whether Standard Chartered should lose its banking license, effectively cutting off access to the US market.

It should also have deep enough pockets to cover the fine without operations being dented.

In the first half of this year it reported profits of $3.95 billion.

Yet Standard Chartered remains in the sights of other US regulators and 15 percent of its share value has been lost since the allegations surfaced just over a week ago.

On Tuesday the Treasury Department told AFP the settlement would not halt its own investigation.

"Our investigation continues. Treasury will continue working with our regulatory and law enforcement partners to hold Standard Chartered accountable for any sanctionable activity that occurred," an official said.

The Department of Justice said it would also continue to "determine what actions might be appropriate."

Standard Chartered hinted that settlements may also be reached there, saying "the timing of any resolution will be communicated in due course."

The "United Against Nuclear Iran" lobby group said New York authorities had been too lenient, and federal investigators should not make the same mistake.

"Given the reports of Standard Charter's egregious actions the penalty should have been more severe," the said in a statement.

"Any financial institution that is found to be in violation of Iran sanctions should receive the financial equivalent of the death penalty and lose its license to do business in the United States."

In the last decade the United States and allies have ramped up sanctions against Iranian banks, institutions and individuals in a bid to stop Iran's weapons programs.

The question of Iran's weapons is a hot button issue heading into November's presidential elections, with some powerful voting blocs pressing President Barack Obama to take a tougher line against the regime.
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