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V anguard anguard,, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2013

BRIEFS

Egypt’s referendum holds within 30 days

Pope prays for 12 nuns abducted in Syria

OPE Francis yesterday called for prayers for 12 Orthodox nuns taken by force from their convent in Syria by opposition fighters. Religious officials in the region have said the women were being held against their will, but a Syrian opposition activist said they were merely taken away for their own safety. Francis didn’t call for their release but appealed for prayers from the crowd at the end of his general audience in St. Peter’s Square. “I invite everyone to pray for the sisters of the Greek Orthodox monastery of Santa Takla in Maaloula, Syria, who were taken by force by armed men two days ago,” he said. “Let us continue to pray and to work together for peace.” The abduction has added to fears that hardline Muslim rebels trying to overthrow President Bashar Assad were increasingly targeting Christians. Rebels previously kid-

napped two bishops and a priest. Syria’s minorities, including Christians, have mostly sided with Assad or remained neutral in Syria’s civil war, fearing for their fate if the rebels, increasingly dominated by Islamic extremists, come to power. Christians have accused radicals among the rebels of abusing residents and vandalizing churches after taking Christian towns.

Pope Francis

Mandela still strong, says daughter

OUTH Africa’s ailing first black President, Nelson Mandela, is putting up a courageous fight from his “deathbed”, his daughter Makaziwe Mandela has said. She told national broadcaster SABC that the antiapartheid icon was “still with us, strong, courageous”. “Even for a lack of a better word... on his deathbed he is teaching us lessons - lessons in patience, in love, lessons of toler-

•Mandela ance,” she added. Mr Mandela, 95, is receiving home-based medical care. He was discharged

UK introduces online payment for visa BY EMEKA AGINAM

HE Political, Press & Public Affairs Officer, British High Commission, Abuja, Rob Fitzpatrick, yesterday in Abuuja disclosed that starting from 16th December 2013, all applications for a UK visa must be completed using the commission’s online application system with visa fees also paid online in US dollars. Payment, according to him, can be made using Verve debit card, Visa or MasterCard credit or debit cards or the e-wallet, PAGA. The move for online applications and payments, according to him, would deliver a streamlined application process and is consistent with a wider global trend to online transactions and payments. “ It meets the require-

ments of the UK Government’s Digital by Default initiative and will help cut costs in management of the visa operation, which in turn helps keep visa fees down. “It will also be a safer

system for both customers and staff as it reduces risks associated with handling large amounts of cash during the visa application process,” he explained.

EU hopeful on M/East peace talks

HE EU envoy to Is rael expressed optimism about US efforts to broker an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal and insisted the West had taken a tough line on Israeli settlement construction. A steady flood of Israeli settlement announcements have threatened to derail negotiations relaunched in late July, but EU Ambassador to Israel Lars Faaborg-Andersen said there was still time for progress. “There is reason to be

more optimistic for a breakthrough this time around,” he told AFP. “We’re not at crunch time yet.” US Secretary of State John Kerry is due back

moderate President Hassan Rouhani, has promised to work to improve ties with nearby Arab countries. Iran has a strained relationship with the US-allied Gulf states, particularly regional rival Saudi Arabia.

in the region Wednesday to meet both sides in a bid to breathe life into the talks, the latest attempt in a stumbling peace process first begun more than two decades ago.

Ukraine's PM warns against ‘escalating tensions’

KRAINE’s Prime Minister Mykola Azarov has called on the opposition to stop escalating “political tensions”. He warned protesters

Iran’s Foreign Minister woos Gulf States IRAN’s top diplomat, Mohammad Javad Zarif, has traveled to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for talks with the nation’s leader in another attempt to reach out to Gulf neighbours. The Islamic Republic’s new government, led by

from hospital in September after being treated for nearly three months for a recurring lung infection Mr Mandela is widely respected for his role in fighting racism in South Africa, and for forgiving his former white captors after his release from prison in 1990. He spent 27 years in jail and was elected South Africa’s first black president in 1994. He stepped down after five years in office. “Every moment I get with him, I’m amazed,” Ms Mandela told SABC. “There are times I have to pinch myself that I come from this man who is a fighter even though you can see he is struggling, but the fighting spirit is still there with him.’’

•Javad Zarif

that anybody found guilty of violating the constitution and laws would be punished. Mr Azarov was speaking in a live broadcast from the first cabinet meeting since mass street protests began just over a week ago. The demonstrations were sparked by the government’s decision not to sign an association deal with the EU. The protests are the largest since the pro-democracy Orange Revolution in 2004.

GYPT’s interim prime minister has said the referendum on the revised constitution will be held in the next 30 days. Hazem el-Beblawi urged Egyptians to vote in what he described on Tuesday as a milestone in the country’s path towards democracy. Two secular-leaning panels spent three months rewriting Egypt’s 2012 constitution, drafted by an Islamist-led panel and suspended after the toppling of former president Mohammed Morsi in a military coup in July. The military-backed plan is a crucial test for the postcoup authorities, especially as they face continuing protests by Morsi’s supporters and disenchantment from within the cir-

cles of pro-democracy advocates and liberal allies of the interim government over heavy-handed crackdowns on dissent. “It’s a turning point,” Beblawi said of the coming vote.”The first phase passed successful and with excellence ... We have to move to the next phase.” An exact referendum date must be chosen by Adly Mansour, the interim president, who received the final draft of the country’s amended constitution earlier on Tuesday. The text was given to Mansour by former Arab League chief Amr Mussa, who headed the 50-member drafting committee which completed its work on Sunday

Libya's Assembly votes for Sharia

IBYA’s national as sembly voted on Wednesday to make sharia, Islamic law, the basis of all legislation and for state institutions in a decision that may impact banking, criminal and financial laws. Two years after the NATO-backed uprising that ousted Muammar Gaddafi, Libya is still in messy transition with no new constitution and its temporary assembly caught in deadlock between an Islamist party and political rivals. As in Tunisia and Egypt where autocratic leaders were ousted in

the Arab Spring revolts, Libya has seen fierce debate over the role of Islam in its new democracy with the rise of hardline Islamists long oppressed by Gaddafi The immediate scope of the General National Congress’s decision was not clear, but a special committee would review all existing laws to guarantee they comply with Islamic law. “Islamic law is the source of legislation in Libya,” the GNC said in a statement after the vote. “All state institutions need to comply with this.”

Recordings of Newtown shooting recalls anguish

UDIO recordings from the Connecticut school shooting that killed 20 children and six educators a year ago reveal a mixture of calm and anguish from the callers, and gunshots from the assailant are heard in the background. Officials in Newtown, Connecticut, yesterday released the 911 phone calls from the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in what may be the final official report on the tragedy that rocked the United States. Gunman Adam Lanza, 20, shot dead his mother at home on Dec 14, 2012, then went to the school, where he massacred 26 people before killing himself. “They’re shooting at the front door, something’s going on ... The front glass is

all shot out, it kept going on. It’s still happening,” a man calling himself Richard, sounding agitated and confused, told a 911 emergency operator in one of the seven phone recordings. The operator calmly told him to take cover. Town officials initially tried to prevent release of the recordings. The state Freedom of Information Commission ordered seven calls placed from inside the elementary school to be aired. Late last month, a judge ruled the town must comply with the commission’s order, and Newtown officials have since dropped their appeal. First Selectman Pat Llodra recently reversed her long-standing position, saying the tapes should be released in full in order to prevent partial leaks.