Political

Details Emerge From The Africa-India Forum Summit

DOI 16 April 2008

XINHUA (BEIJING) - The two documents adopted at the recent Africa-India Forum Summit, the Africa-India Framework for Cooperation and the Delhi Declaration, cover rather broad issues like reorganization of global institutions, climate change and terrorism but underline the two sides' intention to deepen and broaden their mutual economic and security partnership. India plans to double its financial credit to Africa to $5.4 billion in the next five years.

Source: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-04/16/content_7987068.htm

(Reliability: 6)

Comment: The Africa-India Forum Summit took place on 8-9 April 2008. India and other African leaders agreed to hold the summit every three years – the next summit will be in 2011.

Culture

Dubai To Host International Literature Fest In 2009

DOI 16 April 2008

KHALEEJ TIMES (DUBAI) - The Emirates Airline International Festival of Literature (EAIFL) will take place on 25 February to 1 March , 2009.Authors who have confirmed to speak at the festival include celebrated writer Paolo Coelho, English adventurer Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Second Children’s Laureate Anne Fine, and children’s writers Lynne Truss, Jeremy Strong and Lauren Child. The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation wishes to further awareness about its ‘Oktub’ (Write) and ‘Tarjem’ (Translate) programs, which seek to increase intellectual output in the Arab World. TheFoundation attended the London Book Fair (2008) hoping to promote its programs.

Source: http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2008/April/theuae_April524.xml&section=theuae&col=

(Reliability: 6.5)

Military/WMD

Indonesia Sends Personnel To Join UN Peace Mission Exercise In Bangladesh

DOI 11 April 2008

THE EMBASSY OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA: HELSINKI, FINLAND (JAKARTA) - Indonesia on 6 April 2008 sent 40 military personnel to join a UN peacekeeping force exercise in Bangladesh. Bangladeshi Air Force Chief of Staff vice Marshal Zia Rahman opened the exercise, code-named "Shanti Doot-2", at the Bangladesh Institute of Peace Support Operation Training (BIPSOT) an institute responsible for handling peace missions, the Indonesian Military (TNI) Headquarters said in a press statement on 7 April 2008. The activity, which involved 16 Asia-Pacific countries was aimed at improving the skills of each participating country's security personnel in maintaining peace, that statement said. Indonesia is slated to host such an exercise in 2009.

Source: http://www.indonesian-embassy.fi/in/index.php?&p=News__Publications/1&tr=1207924556_963

(Reliability: 9)

Celestial

Russia Says No More Space Tourists

DOI 14 April 2008

FOX (MOSCOW) - President Vladimir Putin ordered his government Friday to speed up construction of a new cosmodrome and development of a booster rocket in a bid to revive the nation's space glory. Russia's space agency chief, meanwhile, said the country may stop selling seats on its spacecraft to "tourists" starting in 2010 because of the planned expansion of the international space station's crew from the current three to six or even nine in 2010. The development came a day before the 47th anniversary of cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin's becoming the first man in space. The Soviets also launched the first satellite — Sputnik — and the first woman in space, and carried out the first spacewalk.

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,350792,00.html

(Reliability: 8.5)

LE/Infrastructure

Nigeria: Henry Okah To Have Secret Trial, MEND Vows Retaliation

15 April 2008

IRIN (ABUJA)— In response to the Nigerian government’s decision to hold a secret trial for Henry Okah, Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) leaders have said that they will escalate armed conflict. "We have pulled out of any peace talks, we have not disarmed so there really is no progress since Henry's arrest," the spokesman for the MEND, who goes by the name of Jomo Gbomo, wrote in an e-mail to IRIN on 13 April 2008. Gbomo also wrote that militants would target oil installations even if the oil companies repair pipelines. “It only takes a few minutes to destroy what took years to build." Okah’s defense team will challenge the decision of a closed hearing on 22 April. The government’s prosecutor argues that a public trial would be a threat to security.

Source: http://allafrica.com/stories/200804150906.html

(Reliability: 8)

Economic/Political

Musharraf Meets With Chinese Leaders

DOI 13 April 2008

XINHUA (BEIJING) - During a meeting with visiting Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said China will actively participate in the infrastructure construction in Pakistan and encourage Chinese business to invest in the country in order to realize the sustainable development of cooperation. Musharraf noted that Pakistan will continue to maintain close high-level exchanges, advance bilateral free trade, so as to realize the bilateral trade volume amounting to 15 billion U.S. dollars by 2011. In addition to meeting with Wen, Musharraf also met Jia Qinglin, chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee – the primary, and only legal, outlet for minority groups in China.

Source: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-04/13/content_7969694.htm

(Reliability: 8)

Analysis: Musharraf visit likely had three objectives. First, meeting with CPPCC chairman Jia indicates the importance of this body. The CCPPCC functions as a political outlet for minority groups within China. Musharraf’s visit with Jia likely indicates Pakistan’s concern over recent Tibetan protests. Second, Musharraf visit is likely an attempt to reach out to China, in order to counterbalance pressure from Washington over the recent violence in Pakistan. Third, Musharraf likely is attempting to discuss the violence in Karachi and how is impacts the importation of China’s energy.

(Analytic Confidence: 8)

Political

Egypt Jails 25 Muslim Brotherhood Members

DOI 15 April 2008

AFP (CAIRO) - An Egyptian military court jailed 25 members of the opposition Muslim Brotherhood for up to 10 years for financing a banned organization and acquitted 15 others. Khayrat al-Shater and fellow leader Hassan Malek received seven years while seven other received 10 years in absentia. Egyptian authorities accuse the Muslim Brotherhood, which controls a fifth of the seats in parliament, of seeking to revive its underground military wing and of eventually trying to topple the regime.

Source: http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iiXhvQe6KVab9TMQCZzadIXE_08A

(Reliability: 8.5)

Comment: This is not the first sentencing issued from a military tribunal. The Egyptian government prefers using military tribunals due to their higher rate of conviction and uses them regularly.