links for 2009-09-29

• Kefaya threatens to take Gamal Mubarak to court – Daily News Egypt – Full Article
  "[Kefaya] has taken serious measures to launch a legal battle against Gamal Mubarak, inquiring about the source of his wealth and accusing him of taking up political roles that they claim are unconstitutional.
  [..]
  The movement will call on Mubarak, who is currently the general secretary of the policies committee of the ruling National Democratic Party, to submit his personal financial statements, added Qandil. The movement claims that his fortune amounts to about $750 million.
  “On the political front, Mubarak has unlawfully posed for political roles that are not outlined in either the constitution or any Egyptian law,” said Qandil
  “Heading ministerial meetings, meeting with the governors, drafting laws, making political and administrative decisions are the duties of the president. By law, no one has the right to take these decisions other than the president,” Qandil said, adding that even Mubarak’s current position in the NDP does not allow him to take up such roles. "
  (tags: egypt kefaya gamalmubarak mubarak politics law constitution)
• Proof of CIA kidnapping 'indisputable': Italian prosecutor – Daily News Egypt – Full Article
  "A top Italian prosecutor Wednesday made his case against 26 US secret agents accused of snatching a terror suspect from a Milan street and sending him home to Egypt where he claims he was tortured.
  "No one could seriously argue that they were in Italy for other reasons" than to abduct Milan imam Abu Omar and transfer him to Cairo via two US military bases, said Amando Spataro, citing detailed aviation, cell phone, rental car and hotel records.
  [..]
  Interpol has issued international arrest warrants for all 26, but successive Italian governments have declined to seek their extradition from the United States, while government lawyers sought to have the case thrown out as a threat to national security.

  The issue went before Italy's Constitutional Court, which agreed that part of the investigation had violated state secrecy provisions but said the prosecution could use evidence obtained correctly"

  (tags: cia egypt italy rendition torture united-states)
• World's poorest countries discuss WTO accession – Yahoo! News
  "Trade representatives from 12 of the least developed countries in Asia and Africa met officials from the WTO, World Bank, the European Commission and United Nations agencies in Phnom Penh to discuss accession to the organisation.

  Cambodian Commerce Minister Cham Prasidh said his country wanted the meeting to help prepare other impoverished nations for the risks involved in negotiations with the global body.

  "We want to share our own experience in negotiating to join the WTO…(and) now we are trying to push for more LDCs (Least Developed Countries) to join," Cham Prasidh told reporters.

  "What we do is we try to, a little bit, lower their negotiation conditions so that those remaining LDCs can join without having to pay a very high ticket price," he said.

  Fellow WTO members Cape Verde and Nepal joined Cambodia providing advice to officials from Afghanistan, Bhutan, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Laos, Sudan, Vanuatu, Yemen, Comoros, Liberia, Samoa and Sao Tome and Principe."

  (tags: development worldbank finance economics economy poverty LDC)
• Prime Minister of Canada: Backgrounder: Canada’s Capital Investment in the African Development Bank
  Canada’s initiative to temporarily make available USD$2.6 billion [CAD$2.8 billion] to the African Development Bank (AfDB) represents a 200 percent increase in its level of shares in the Bank, and is a further demonstration of Canada’s commitment to Africa. This initiative will allow the AfDB to increase lending by 75 percent compared to its original planned lending for 2010.
  (tags: canada international development africa finance economic-crisis economy)
• Iran test-fires long-range Shahab missile – Yahoo! News
  "Iran on Monday test-fired its long-range Shahab-3 missile which it says could hit targets in arch-foe Israel, as the Revolutionary Guards staged missile war games for the second straight day.
  [..]
  Iran says the weapon has a range of 1,300-2,000 kilometres (800-1,240 miles), which would put Israel, most Arab states and parts of Europe including much of Turkey within its range."
  (tags: iran military nuclear)
• Mideast Youth – Thinking Ahead
  (tags: MiddleEast youth blog politics activism blogs culture news)