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Saturday, September 26, 2009

St. Petersburg awards Iranian short film

Iranian filmmaker Houshmand Varaei's film has been awarded at the 2009 edition of the Open St. Petersburg Film Festival Beginning.

The 15-minute Whistling Under Water was granted the diploma 'in memory of Sergey Dobrotvorsky' for the fruitful search of sources of the impossible.

The festival's Grand Prix ECHO went to polish director Magnus von Horn's Echo while Ann Holmgren's Chambermaid (Norway), Matej Bobrik's Where The Sun Doesn't Rush (Poland) and Rishat Gilmetdinov's Law of Life (Russia) won the Best Fiction Film, the Best Documentary Film and the Best Animation Film awards respectively.

A production of Iran Film School, Varaei's short film participated in the Competition Program Fiction Films of the festival, which was held from Sep. 18 to 23 in Russia.

Varaei had also received the diploma for reverent attitude to a sound partition for his Kites Know No Chastity at the same festival last year.

Andrey Zvyagintsev, Irina Evteeva, Dmitry Dolinin, Nina Dvorko and Ludmila Nazaruk served on the festival's jury, selecting the best fiction, documentary and animation films.

UK says 'no sane person' thinks about attacking Iran

As revelations about Iran's new under-construction nuclear enrichment facility surface, Britain reaffirms commitment to finding a diplomatic solution to the nuclear row.

In an interview with the BBC, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said "no sane person" would look to attack Iran over its nuclear program "without real concern."

Britain is "100 percent committed" to finding a diplomatic solution, Miliband said.

According to the UN nuclear watchdog, the Iranian government in a letter on September 21 informed the agency that it is building a second uranium enrichment plant, allegedly near the central city of Qom.

Iran told the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that the new plant will produce enriched uranium up to 5 percent, consistent with its nuclear energy program.

The UN nuclear watchdog in its previous reports had confirmed that Iran -- in its first enrichment facility in Natanz -- only managed to enrich uranium-235 to a level "less than 5 percent."

Uranium, the fuel for a nuclear power plant, can be used for military purposes only if enriched to high levels of above 90 percent.

The developments came as Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council -- China, Russia, Britain, France and the US -- plus Germany (P5+1) are to hold talks in Geneva on October 1.

Miliband referred to Britain's "dual track strategy" of diplomacy and pressure on Iran and said this policy would depend on the outcome of the meeting.

"I think it's very important we stick to that because the diplomatic track of engagement on the one hand and pressure on the other is only now really being tried with the engagement of America," he said.

When asked whether military action was "inconceivable", he said, "I always say to people look at what I do say, not at what I don't say and what I do say is that we are 100% focused on a diplomatic resolution of this question."

Amid revelations about Iran's newly disclosed nuclear facility, the leaders of the United States, France and Britain on Friday accused the country of deception in its pursuit of nuclear energy.

However, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad rejected the western accusations, saying the plant was perfectly legal and not in breach of the IAEA rules.

"According to the IAEA rules, countries must inform the agency 6 months ahead of the gas injection in their uranium enrichment plants. We have done it 18 months ahead and this should be appreciated not condemned," the president said.

Longtime Kennedy friend takes Senate seat

Paul Kirk takes the oath into the US Senate seat held by the late Edward M. Kennedy, giving the Democrats an absolute majority heading toward a health care debate.

The ceremony on Friday was not attended by many of his colleagues since it preceded a religious holiday.

Kirk, 71, a lifelong friend and former aide to Ted Kennedy, will fill the vacancy until Massachusetts voters elect a permanent replacement on January 19 for the late senator, who passed away from a severe brain cancer.

"The honor of being designated as one who will be the voice for Senator Kennedy's constituents and the one from his state who will vote for his causes -- combine that with the kind of love and friendship we had for one another -- it is almost overwhelming," Kirk said.

Kirk, who became the second person to hold the Senate seat in half a century, took the oath after a judge rejected a Republican effort to stop the appointment.

The New York Times reported that Kirk had a very emotional experience followed by anticipation and "the profound absence of a friend."

Senator Kirk will now bring the Democratic majority to a minimum of 60, the magic number needed to overcome procedural objections and advanced measures.

4 People Who Faced Disaster—And How They Made it Out Alive

Some disasters are simply not survivable. But most are, and research on human behavior suggests that the difference between life and death often comes down to the simple—yet surprisingly difficult—task of recognizing threats before they overwhelm you, then working through them as discrete challenges. The people who survive disasters tend to be better prepared and more capable of making smart decisions under pressure. Not everyone is born with these traits, but almost anyone can learn them. Here’s how to wire your brain for survival.

By John Galvin

Rule 1:
Prepare for the Worst
It was early, 9:00AM, and eerily dark in Poway, Calif., as 75-mph winds drove chaparral embers through the air and shook the bones of Frank Vaplon’s house. One ember lodged in his woodpile and set it ablaze. Most of his neighbors had evacuated, but Vaplon had decided to stay and fight the wildfire that was closing in on his property.

Geared up in a mail-order firefighter’s outfit—helmet, bunker coat, respirator, the whole thing—Vaplon began his assault by shooting a high-pressure stream of water at the flames, but it just blew back against him in a hot mist. “It was like pissing into the wind,” Vaplon says. “So I turned around and started spraying down the house.”

The Witch Creek fire was the fourth largest on record in California. A reported 1800 firefighters battled the blaze and several others nearby; more than 250,000 people in San Diego County were evacuated. Conventional wisdom says that when a wildfire is burning down your neighborhood, you shouldn’t stick around. And, for most homeowners, evacuation was certainly the smartest option. But Vaplon stayed and fought back against the fire. What did he know that everyone who followed the conventional wisdom didn’t?

“The last thing I want from my story is for people to risk their lives,” Vaplon says. “But I’d thought about protecting my home, and I felt comfortable with my decision to stay.” The day before the fire swept through his 2.5-acre spread, he woke up early to the distant smell of smoke. He immediately broke out 500 feet of fire hose and attached it to a standpipe hooked up to a 10,000-gallon water tank. “I started watering down everything that I could,” Vaplon says. “The roof, my lawn, everything.”

The former Hewlett-Packard engineer didn’t stop there. He raked up all the loose debris around his house, and then boarded up the attic vents where embers might get in. He checked the fuel for his three backup generators. And he put important papers in a steel box, which he loaded into his RV. He parked the vehicle facing out just in case he needed to bolt. “I had a plan to go if I had to go,” he says. “If for one minute I started to get scared, I would have left.”

The gear and setup were just part of Vaplon’s extensive preparation. Whether deliberately or not, he had organized his brain to deal with disaster by planning a detailed fire strategy.

“The brain is an engineering system,” says John Leach, a former Royal Air Force combat survival instructor who now works with the Norwegian military on survival training and research. “Like any engineering system, it has limits in terms of what it can process and how fast it can do so. We cope by taking in information about our environment, and then building a model of that environment. We don’t respond to our environment, but to the model of our environment.” If there’s no model, the brain tries to create one, but there’s not enough time for that during an emergency. Operating on an inadequate mental model, disaster victims often fail to take the actions needed to save their own lives.

Not Vaplon. As the firestorm approached, he stayed calm and clearheaded. He had done so much advance work that he had created a model for his brain to act on when disaster came. All his equipment would have been useless if he hadn’t thought through how to use it.

The Witch Creek blaze swept past in less than 2 minutes. Vaplon quickly put out the small fires on his property, then doused his neighbors’ fires. He saved one house, but another burned after embers set the garage on fire. “There was nothing I could do about that one,” he says. “When I got back to my house I heard these two loud thumps. Those were the gas tanks exploding.”

Rule 2:
Keep Cool in a Crisis
The tornado siren sounded at the Little Sioux Scout Ranch in western Iowa just before the power went out on June 11, 2008. Scout Leader Fred Ullrich, an IT manager at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, opened the door of the building where he and 65 Boy Scouts had taken shelter. “I was looking for lightning and listening for that freight train sound you’re supposed to hear with tornadoes, but there was nothing like that,” Ullrich says. “But something told me we were in deep trouble—I don’t know what it was. I yelled for the boys to get under the tables.” As the scouts dove for cover, the wind came up. Ullrich leaned into the door from the outside, trying to push it shut, but instead he was picked up and thrown from the building. Then the 150-mph wind simply blew the Boy Scout shelter apart. “I can only describe my actions in that moment as being totally futile,” Ullrich says. “There was absolutely nothing I could do.”

Once the tornado passed, Ullrich noticed he couldn’t hear out of one ear. He felt around and fished out a stone. All around him was chaos. Some scouts were pinned under a collapsed brick chimney; others were trapped by the debris of the wrecked structure. For a brief moment Ullrich was dazed. Then he went into autopilot rescue mode. “I don’t know how to describe it,” he says. “It was like my brain went away, and I went to a very businesslike place.” He circled what was left of the disintegrated shelter, directing the able-bodied to take care of the injured. And the scouts did just that—applying pressure to wounds, turning T-shirts into bandages and elevating the legs of those who were in shock. Ullrich used a 6-foot iron bar to pry up a wooden board and bricks that had fallen on one boy.

In a disaster roughly 10 percent of people panic, while 80 percent essentially do nothing. Unable to come to terms with what’s happening, they freeze. The remaining 10 percent jump into action. Ullrich was trained in CPR and first aid, skills that doubtless helped the scouts that day, but before any of that formal training would even matter, Ullrich needed a separate and equally important skill: to get hold of himself and get people organized.

According to Chris Hart, a former Navy psychologist and now professor at Texas Woman’s University, being able to set aside fear is what separates people like Ullrich from others. “Fear is a good thing,” Hart says. “You want to have it because it can motivate you to action. But if you become overwhelmed by it, then it’s debilitating.”

What’s worse, research shows that the greater the number of people who are involved in an emergency situation, the less likely it is that anyone will intervene—a phenomenon known as the Bystander Effect. Ervin Staub, professor emeritus of psychology at the University of Massachusetts, who has done extensive research on the subject, says that in group situations, there is a diffusion of responsibility; people look for cues from others before deciding how to act. “Just being aware of this tendency and saying ‘I am responsible’ can make a difference. People who believe that they are responsible for other people’s welfare help more.”

Ullrich didn’t know what he and his scouts were in for that day, but mental preparedness and responsibility are central to the Boy Scout philosophy. The night before the tornado, Ullrich had put the boys through a first-aid drill. When emergency responders arrived after the tornado, what they saw was devastating—four scouts were dead or mortally wounded. Scores were suffering from broken pelvises, dislocated shoulders, lacerations and punctured lungs. Yet, amazingly, the rescue crew also saw that Ullrich and the uninjured scouts were putting their training to work. They had organized an on-the-spot triage center, helping to prepare the most seriously injured for their journey to the hospital.

By teaching his scouts to leap into action, Ullrich skewed the 10-80-10 math of disaster. He saw the drill as part of his responsibility to care for the troop. “The point of it is to get these scouts to be the people who don’t sit around when something bad happens,” he says, “but to be the type of people who do something.”

Rule 3:
Hang in There
On Saturday, Nov. 18, 2007, Daryl Jané left his cottage on Bainbridge Island in Washington State to head for an overnight sky-watching event 190 miles southeast at Trout Lake. He had planned to be back the next day to watch a Seattle Seahawks game. Jané never made it to Trout Lake. Instead he became the prisoner of a tremendous late autumn snowstorm. Jané was driving on a widely used—at least in good conditions—forest service road as the snow began to pile up. He became stuck 35 miles from his destination when the tires of his ’93 Jeep Cherokee sank into deep snow.

In the car, Jané had a near-full gallon of water, some food for the evening, a Wal-Mart sleeping bag and a Seahawks jacket with a fleece liner. He was certain he’d be rescued the next day, but no one came. He knew he shouldn’t leave the shelter of his vehicle to look for help, so he stayed with the Jeep and, as the days passed, settled into a survival routine. He slept in fits and starts so he could keep brushing the snow off his door and the roof in case a search helicopter came looking for him. (In fact, the local sheriff had called off the search after the fifth day, convinced Jané was not in the area.)

After eight days, Jané was seriously dehydrated. He was literally buried in frozen water, but he knew that it would do him more harm than good. “I had read somewhere not to eat snow if you were stuck,” he says. He was correct: It lowers the core temperature of the body, which then must expend precious energy to keep warm. Yet his head ached, his teeth felt fuzzy, and his tongue and lips were cracked— he had to find water or die. Eventually, he wrote a goodbye note to his family and friends and set out with his empty gallon jug to search for water.

Jané struggled through the 5-foot-deep snow until he noticed a depression. He dug through it with a cup, and discovered water. He drank an entire gallon. “It was the greatest feeling,” he says, still recalling the first sip vividly. “I could feel that water going through my body. It was like I was the Tin Man being oiled.” Once he got back to his Jeep he put away his pen and goodbye note. The water he found kept him alive and gave him hope as the snow continued to fall day after day.

In the end, Jané was stuck for 14 days before a local snowmobile club found him. He had lost 10 pounds but had suffered from neither frostbite nor hypothermia.

Jané’s survival story is, of course, amazing. But is it miraculous? According to John Leach, the former RAF instructor turned survival psychologist, it shouldn’t be. “Unfortunately, people in his situation die all the time, but they don’t have to,” Leach says. “He didn’t have food, but that’s not a problem for two weeks—you can live without it. Fluid is the issue, but he found water.” What really saved Jané, Leach says, is that he adapted to his environment; he understood that he was in trouble and changed his behavior. “Being aware of your surroundings and recognizing the threats means your brain is working on solutions,” Leach says, “and that gives you an edge.” That awareness starts your brain modeling a plan to keep yourself alive and help in your own rescue, instead of remaining in denial about the problem or simply panicking.

Steve Leslie, a 20-year veteran of Washington State–based Olympic Mountain Rescue, has seen countless people get lost or stranded in the woods. He sees longterm wilderness survival as a challenge of maintenance. “Basically it’s housekeeping— your chances of survival go way up if you maintain a good shelter, find water and, if you have any food, parcel it out.”

Jané created a survival routine and stuck to it: He avoided desperate actions and stayed with his vehicle, kept the roof clear to increase the odds of being found and, most important, never gave up. By facing reality—he was stuck and might be there a long time—and adapting to it, Jané set himself up for the slow, disciplined work of long-term survival.

Rule 4:
Outlast the Aftermath
Last September, a 600-milewide hurricane named Ike carved through the Caribbean with wind speeds of up to 145 mph before slamming into Texas near Houston. As a direct result of the storm, 48 people in Texas died.

But, according to a report by the National Hurricane Center, the aftermath proved to be deadlier than the storm itself. As many as 64 post-storm deaths occurred in Texas because of factors such as carbon monoxide poisoning and electrocution. More than 1 million Texans were left without power. Municipal water systems were overwhelmed, and clean water was the next to go. Enormous lines formed at FEMA food centers, grocery stores and gas stations—which had no electricity to pump what little gas was left. That first weekend after Ike, some 37,000 Texans were holed up in shelters that ran short of food and water within 24 hours. The next few weeks brought countless scores of injuries from clearing debris.

While many in the area were awaiting assistance, Mark Vorderbruggen and several of his neighbors in the Houston suburb of Spring were already busy cleaning up their neighborhood. The crew had organized before the storm by gathering all the two-way Family Radio Service walkie-talkies they could find and then distributing them among 14 occupied houses. They had already taken a quick inventory of residents with generators, chain saws and first-aid skills (one neighbor was a retired Army medic). The day before Ike hit, Vorderbruggen went door to door with four or five guys from the neighborhood, serving as an impromptu pickup crew, clearing yards of furniture, tools and anything else that might turn into a deadly missile in hurricane-force winds.

Thanks to his preparations, Vorderbruggen’s house survived largely intact. But there was still plenty of debris to clean up in the neighborhood. “Almost every leaf and every pine needle on every tree was stripped off,” he says. “There was an incredible amount of raking to be done.” He and his neighbors all pitched in to clean up every yard and sidewalk.

In times of danger, many people can retreat into a defensive crouch, but “every man for himself” is a terrible strategy for post-disaster situations. Psychologists use the term “reciprocal altruism” to describe what happens when people overcome their tendency toward selfishness and work together. “We tend to extend help to others,” says psychologist Andrew Shatté, one of the world’s leading experts on the psychology of resilience, “on the understanding that some ‘other’ will expend a few resources to save us.” By working together, groups reduce the danger and stress to individuals. “Once their basic survival needs are met,” says Shatté, “people like Vorderbruggen instinctively reach out to help the community. They are more resilient and happier with their lives for doing so.”

In fact, for Vorderbruggen and his neighbors, the aftermath of Ike was less like a disaster and more like a barbecue. The area was without power for five days, but the neighbors conserved resources by eating meals together at a different house each night to ensure that no food was spoiled. “We cooked on the grill, and I ran a small light off a battery-powered electric inverter,” Vorderbruggen says. “I got to walk around in Hawaiian shirts and swim shorts for nearly a week. Cooking outside, clearing debris. It was actually kind of fun—for me.”

Saudi-Syrian Talks Bode Well for Beirut

By Patrick Vibert
September 25th, 2009

The visit of Syrian President Bashar Assad to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for the opening of Saudi King Abdullah’s new state-of-the-art, mixed gender university is expected to have a positive influence on Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s effort to form a cabinet.

Both Syria and Saudi Arabia hold significant influence in Lebanon and their cooperation is seen as vital to the cabinet formation process. Saad Hariri, like his father Rafik before him, is very close with the regime in Riyadh, and Damascus maintains close ties with Hizballah and Amal.

According to Druze MP Walid Jumblatt, “There is no doubt that the meeting between King Abdullah and President Assad is a major political event that would restore contact between the two countries, although it has never been broken.”

The frosty relations between the two nations’ are considered by many to be the leading factor in the political gridlock that has gripped Lebanon for the last five years.

In 2005, Rafik Hariri, a man very close with the Saudi Arabia, as well as being a leading politician in Lebanon, was assassinated by car bomb in a plot widely credited to Syria. Syria has steadfastly denied any involvement, but its relationship with Saudi Arabia has suffered ever since.

In addition to Assad traveling to Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah is reportedly expected to visit Damascus in the coming days.

Saad Hariri has been trying to form a government ever since he was appointed prime minister in June, but as yet has been unsuccessful.

The political landscape in Lebanon is difficult to navigate for even the most seasoned politician, and Hariri is no exception. There are many complex relationships and alliances, both internally and externally, that must be considered in such negotiations. And even if Hizballah and Amal fall in line, that is no guarantee that the other obstacles, such a Free Patriotic Movement leader Michael Aoun will as well. However, closing the rift between Riyadh and Damascus could go a long way towards finally forming a cabinet to govern Lebanon.

Source: Foreign Policy Association.
Link: http://lebanon.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2009/09/25/saudi-syrian-talks-bode-well-for-beirut/.

Endangered Ugandan gorillas join Facebook, MySpace

By GODFREY OLUKYA, Associated Press Writer

KAMPALA, Uganda – He's hairy, his table manners are atrocious, and he wants to be your friend on Facebook.

No, it's not the ex-boyfriend. It's Muhozi, an endangered Ugandan mountain gorilla, who's appearing online as part of a fundraising program the Ugandan Wildlife Authority launched Saturday to help save the species.

Around 340 mountain gorillas — nearly half of the 740 remaining worldwide — live in Uganda's lush Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and 40 more live in another Ugandan reserve. The rest live in the Virunga mountain range, which stretches from Uganda into Rwanda and the war-ravaged Congo.

Despite their size — a male silverback can reach over 7 feet (2.1 meters) and weigh 400 pounds (180 kilogram) — the gorillas are threatened by poachers who kill them for meat, farmers and charcoal-burners who encroach on their habitat, and the indiscriminate bullets of rebels on the run. They must be protected by rangers with automatic rifles.

The Wildlife Authority is hoping that fans will befriend a gorilla on Facebook or MySpace or follow it on Twitter in return for a minimum donation of $1. The money will be used to hire extra rangers to protect the gorillas and safeguard their habitat.

In return, gorilla friends will receive regular updates about their chosen gorilla, have their gorilla's picture on their home page and receive gorilla trivia — like the fact that the name is derived from a Greek word, gorillai, meaning "hairy women."

Wildlife Authority spokeswoman Lilian Nsubuga said she hoped the program would give people who could not afford to travel to Uganda themselves the chance to feel closer to the animals.

About 10,500 tourists visit Uganda each year to see the gorillas. An entry permit for the park is $500 per person. Last year Uganda earned $600 million through tourism and more than 90 percent of the money was from gorilla tourism.

"Why visit Rome to see ruins or Egypt to see mere piles of stones called pyramids, yet you can go to Bwindi and see your next of kin?" asked Uganda's Minister of Tourism, Kahinda Otafiire, pointing out that gorillas share more than 95 percent of their DNA with humans.

Thomas Slater, the director of the gorilla Web site, said Internet users would be able to befriend any individual from one of seven groups habituated to human contacts.

"You will be able to learn more concerning the particular gorilla, its character, family and relationships," he said.

Al Maliki Announces Break With Iraqi National Alliance

By Rahma al-Salim

September 25, 2009

Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat - Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki ended speculation surrounding his return to the Shia Iraqi National Alliance coalition by announcing that he will form his own 'State of Law’ coalition soon. Al Maliki announced that he will contest the forthcoming Iraqi parliamentary elections [to be held in January 2010] by way of this coalition, and ruled out joining any other political coalitions.

The Iraqi National Alliance is a Shia-majority electoral coalition previously known as the United Iraqi Alliance. Al Maliki’s Islamic Dawa party was previously a member of the United Iraqi Alliance and Nouri al Maliki came to power in the December 2005 elections under its banner.

During a question and answer session conducted with journalists through the National Media Center website, Iraqi Prime Minister al Maliki said that the process of forming his own State of Law coalition is ongoing, and stressed that "the door is open with regards to reaching agreements with other coalitions in order to reach an understanding, whether this is prior to- or following- the elections, but this does not mean [we will be] joining other coalitions."

Al Maliki clarified, "If a coalition wants to join the State of Law [coalition] then we will welcome it, so long as it takes up the standards and principles that we have adopted." Al Maliki also confirmed that he is in the process of forming a large [political] bloc "in order to protect the political process and activate the executive and legislative role in order to prevent the state of weakness that characterizes the current phase."

The Iraqi Prime Minister also told journalists that he intends to focus on "the principles of the National Project that has been adopted by the State of Law coalition to eliminate the obstacles that have accompanied the political process over the previous period."

Iraqi MP Sami al Askari, who has close ties to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki also revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat that "the day the new Iraqi National Alliance was announced was like [the declaration of ] the end of genuine dialogue between the Dawa party and the Iraqi National Alliance." He added, "We stressed that if anybody rushed to announce the [formation of] the new alliance, that person would not be considered a founding member [of the coalition when it is officially established]."

Al Askari also told Asharq Al-Awsat that "the course of the dialogue between the State of Law coalition and the [Iraqi National] Alliance involved the latter putting pressure on al Maliki to convince him to catch up with it on a number of issues, as well as [attempting] to intimidate him by saying that he would lose the elections, and that his contesting of the elections individually would result in dividing the Shia vote. Other people [attempted] to intimidate al Maliki through Shia marjas [religious authorities] who do not believe the State of Law coalition to be [religiously] acceptable."

For his part, Fadhila party MP Bassem Sharif, who is also a member of the Iraqi National Alliance, said, "The Iraqi National Alliance desired and hoped that al Maliki would join [the coalition], because if they competed in the elections as part of one large list then they would achieve greater results. As for entering [the elections] with two coalitions, this will increase the electoral competition, which is something that could lead to political and security problems."

Sharif added, "The progress indicators with regards to negotiations between the two parties suggested that al Maliki would not join the Iraqi National Alliance unless he was forced to do so by political circumstances, especially considering the continuous calls to delay announcing the [formation of] the Iraqi National Alliance."

Source: Uruknet.
Link: http://www.uruknet.de/?s1=1&p=58303&s2=26.

Hundreds of Israeli settlers desecrate Ishaq's tomb in the Ibrahimi Mosque

Palestinian Information Center

September 25, 2009

AL-KHALIL, (PIC)-- Close to 150 fanatic Israeli settlers have stormed Friday the Muslim sacred Ibrahimi Mosque in Al-Khalil city, south of the West Bank, and desecrated the tomb of Prophet Ishaq peace be upon him, local Palestinian sources confirmed.

According to the sources, the Israeli settlers stormed the sacred Muslim place under the protection of tens of fully-geared Israeli soldiers who watched the settlers performing Talmudic rites in the holy place without preventing them.

The directorate of the Islamic Awkaf in the city confirmed that the incident was the first time the settlers savagely stormed the Muslim holy place since the massacre in the Ibrahimi Mosque in 1994 when fanatic Israeli settler Barouch Goldstein murdered tens of pious Muslims while praying in the Mosque.

The Awkaf also added that the incident comes few days after the Israeli occupation authority (IOA) prohibited Athan (call for prayer) in the Mosque, alleging it was disturbing the settlers.

The Awkaf described the incident as "extremely serious", and warned it could entail adverse repercussions if not halted, urging an Arab and international intervention to protect the Mosque and to prevent the recurrence of another massacre inside it.

The IOA frequently closes the Mosque before Muslim worshipers, and allows fanatic Jews to go inside and desecrate it.

Traumatized women and children try to cope with displacement in Yemen

By Laure Chedrawi

HARADH, Yemen, September 24 (UNHCR) – Elham roams aimlessly around the settlement of tents that is now her home. She claps her hands, mutters incomprehensibly and, from time to time, screams hysterically to nobody in particular.

The six-year-old suffers from deep trauma, one of the many young victims of the fighting in northern Yemen between government troops and Al Houthi forces that has forced thousands of people to leave their homes in and around the city of Sa'ada since the beginning of August. Vulnerable women have also been traumatized and, like the children, need help.

Elham is one of about 5,500 people who have fled to Al Mazraq Camp in the district of Haradh, which is located south-west of Sa'ada governorate. The UN refugee agency has been setting up tents and distributing non-food aid items, but people like Elham need specialist counseling that is difficult to provide in the deep field.

But, as field officer Mai Barazi explained here, "UNHCR, in coordination with the [Al Islah] Charitable Community for Social Welfare, is identifying people with special needs, including those in need of psycho-social support, for referral to health and children's programmes available through WHO [World Health Organization] and UNICEF [the UN Children's Fund]."

Meanwhile, UNHCR staff on the ground have been trying to help Elham, but it is hard. "She cannot hear you," her father told the concerned aid workers. "She lost her hearing during the bombing in Sa'ada. She lost her memory and her ability to talk." But she can still feel pain, and her tortured shrieks affect everyone.

However, her outlook is good. "Children have strong resilience capacities. They are faster than adults in recovering from trauma. Elham has high chances for recovery because in her case we do know the cause of trauma and we can intervene appropriately," said Kamel Ben Abdallah, a doctor working for UNICEF in Yemen.

Elham and her family lived in Sa'ada, where sporadic fighting since 2004 has left an estimated 150,000 people displaced. During the latest wave of violence, which began in August, Elham was playing outside when her family heard a huge explosion, followed by screaming. They rushed outside and found the little girl lying on the ground unconscious.

When she came to after three hours, Elham could not recognize anyone. She also seemed to be both mute and deaf. But a few days later, she blurted out, "Mummy, mummy," and then started clapping – the last thing she had been doing before being knocked out by the blast.

The family fled Sa'ada about three weeks ago, traveling for a large part of the journey by foot before getting a lift in a vehicle. "I cannot afford a doctor for her," said her middle-aged father, Hussein, trying to hold back his tears. "She is my only daughter, with five sons. She is the dearest to me. I hope she can be a child again, and can play and laugh again."

Her mother, who is also suffering from shock, said she had to tether Elham with a piece of rope, "so that we don't lose her, especially at night. We might get up one day and not find her. I could not stand losing her."

Many of the other children arriving in Al Mazraq suffer from trauma. Adults, especially women, are also suffering from conflict-linked mental problems. Breastfeeding her 10-month-old baby inside a UNHCR tent, Fatima gazes vacantly into the distance, refusing to speak to UNHCR visitors.

"The day we fled [from Malaheet in Sa'ada], armed men broke into the house while we were preparing food; they took over the roof. We thought that they will use it as a military base. So we left right away," her sister explained. The trauma of leaving home and traveling for days with a baby was all too much for Fatima.

Meanwhile, donors have started responding to a UNHCR appeal for US$5 million to fund its operation in northern Yemen. The refugee agency, through local partners, has been distributing aid to displaced people in Sa'ada and surrounding governorates. It has also called on the rival sides to open up aid corridors so that UNHCR and other humanitarian organizations can help the needy.

The magnitude of displacement in Yemen is beyond the local resources of host communities as most of the displaced remain with their relatives, friends or neighbors, straining their meagre reserves and poor infrastructure. Urgent support from the international community is needed to alleviate the desperate situation.

By Laure Chedrawi in Haradh, Yemen

Germany bans flights over Oktoberfest following terror threats

German authorities have banned flights over the annual Oktoberfest beer festival in Munich after a series of terror threats aimed at Germany.

The Interior Ministry in the state of Bavaria said today that the ban was ordered by the state's interior minister, Joachim Herrmann, and will run until the end of Oktoberfest on October 4.

Terror groups have directed threatening videos and audio messages at Germany in the past two weeks as citizens prepare to vote on Sunday in national elections.

Two were released on Friday, one by Osama bin Laden with German subtitles and another with the Taliban threatening attacks on Germany in revenge for its military presence in Afghanistan.

Italy: World won't support Israel attack on Iran

Italy's foreign minister Franco Frattini says the global community will not support an Israeli attack on Iran, describing such a move as 'catastrophic'.

"If Israel launches an attack on Iran the international community will not support it because such attack would be catastrophic," the Italian news agency ANSA quoted Frattini as saying, according to IRNA.

Tel Aviv has never ruled out the possibility of a military strike against Iran, which is accused by the US, Israel and some European countries of aiming to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of its civilian nuclear program.

While categorically denying the allegations, Iran says it has the capability to ward off any attack on the country and has stressed that an Israeli strike would meet a 'decisive' response from Tehran.

The UN nuclear watchdog in its previous reports has also confirmed that Iran enriches uranium-235 to a level "less than 5 percent."

Uranium, the fuel for a nuclear power plant, can be used for military purposes only if enriched to high levels of above 90 percent.

Frattini noted that Israel is doubtful about success of the nuclear talks between Iran and the major powers but "the international community believes another chance should be given to Iran.”

Some Western countries are mulling over tougher sanctions against Iran if an agreement is not reached.

On September 23, Frattini also said that the G-8 countries would support a US policy of giving Iran a chance to negotiate over its nuclear program.

"What has emerged ... is that G8 partners believe that we are to support the policy of the United States President Obama to give Iran a chance ... (but) on the substance, we want to reaffirm that time is running out," Reuters quoted the top Italian diplomat as saying.

Israel lobbies for normalizing ties with Arab states

As part of Tel Aviv's efforts to normalize relations with Arab states, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has reportedly held talks with his Moroccan counterpart.

According to Israeli media sources, Lieberman had a secret meeting with Taieb Fassi Fihri on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Thursday.

No details of the meeting have yet emerged.

There are also reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has held talks with representatives from Bahrain and Qatar, whose countries cut their limited trade ties with Tel Aviv over its military offensive in the Gaza Strip.

Arab countries have repeatedly said they would establish diplomatic ties with Israel only after a full freeze on construction of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem (al-Quds), which are illegal under international law.

The Israeli Prime Minister has thus far refused to heed the US-backed international demand to stop the illegal work.

Currently only two Arab states --Egypt and Jordan-- have diplomatic relations with Israel.

Yemeni president says army ready to fight rebels for years

Sana'a, Yemen - Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh said on Saturday the national army would press on its offensive against the Shiite rebels in north-western the country even if takes six years to defeat them. "We will not backtrack even if the battle continues for five or six years, we will not backtrack or stop," Saleh said in a speech marking the 42nd anniversary of a republican revolution that toppled royal rule in northern Yemen.

"If they abide by the reason, we don't want the war, but if they continue their defiance, we will continue the war (against them)," the Yemeni leader said to an applause.

Government troops have been battling thousands of armed rebels in rugged mountains overlooking the borders with Saudi Arabia since August 11, in the latest flare-up in the fighting that has raged on and off since mid-2004.

Two truces designated for allowing humanitarian aid have since collapsed.

Hundreds of insurgents, troops and civilians have been killed and around 150,000 people were forced to leave their villages during the past five weeks, according to unofficial estimates.

Authorities accuse the Shiite group of seeking to restore the rule of the Zaydi royal family, which was toppled by a republican revolution in 1962.

The Houthis say they are in revolt against government corruption and the Yemeni alliance with the United States.

Pandits in Kashmir to celebrate Dusshera after 20 years

Srinagar, Sep 26 : The minority Pandit families living in the Kashmir valley have decided to celebrate the Dusshera festival in the city for the first time after more than two decades.

The festival was being organized by Kashmiri Pandit Sangarsh Samiti (KPSS).

According to the General Secretary of the KPSS Rattan Chaku the function would be organized at Tourist Reception Centre (TRC) ground here on September 28 at 1730 hrs.

Inviting everyone to attend the celebration, Mr Chaku said Dusshera marks the success of good over evil.

Prior to eruption of militancy in Kashmir in 1990, the festival was celebrated at Hazori Bagh, now Iqbal Park, adjacent to Bakshi stadium on Srinagar-Airport road.

Workers from Uttar Pradesh (UP), mostly Muslims, were engaged in preparing the effigies of Ravana and others after hard work of several weeks.

Thousands of people, not only Kashmiri pandits and Hindus, but even Muslims used to witness the burning of Ravana in effigy.

However, after the migration of Pandits from the valley no celebrations were organized here.

Now after a gap of more than two decades, the Kashmiri pandits, who did not migrate and remained with their Muslim brethren, facing all odds together, have decided to celebrate the festival together.

For the past six years, a change was being witnessed in the Kashmir valley, where more than a dozen temples were reopened with the help of locals, even in some far flung and remote villages.

The number of devotees visiting Khir Bhawani temple at Tulmulla has also increased.

INTERVIEW - Don't repeat Iraq errors with Iran - OIC

By Claudia Parsons

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The head of the Organization of the Islamic Conference warned the world on Friday not to repeat mistakes made with Iraq in dealing with Iran's nuclear program.

U.S. President Barack Obama and other Western leaders accused Iran on Friday of building a secret nuclear fuel plant and demanded Tehran immediately halt what they called a direct challenge to the international community.

Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, a Turk who heads the 57-member body, said Iran had stated its nuclear program was entirely peaceful and "until today, we have not seen any evidence to the contrary."

"World public opinion should be careful not to make the same mistake that was done with Iraq, because that was the beginning of the same catastrophe that we are seeing today," he told Reuters in an interview.

Ihsanoglu recalled charges that the late Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was developing nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and a dramatic Security Council meeting in 2003 at which the United States presented evidence of what it said were banned weapons.

Shortly after that, the United States invaded Iraq.

"Everybody remembers what has happened in the Security Council when the whole world was told that Iraq had nuclear weapons (and) weapons of mass destruction, but it proved to be not the case and no evidence whatsoever was found after the invasion of Iraq," Ihsanoglu said.

Ihsanoglu said he did not know the details of a second uranium enrichment plant Iran informed the International Atomic Energy Agency about this week.

"We have to see what are the IAEA reports and evidence," Ihsanoglu said.

Koreans separated for more than 50 years reunite

By KWANG-TAE KIM, Associated Press Writer

SEOUL, South Korea – Hundreds of Korean families separated for more than half a century by the division of the Korean peninsula were reunited Saturday amid signs of renewed reconciliation between the two Koreas.

Kim Ki-sung, an 82-year-old South Korean, met his son and daughter whom he left behind in North Korea in 1951 when U.S.-led U.N. troops retreated during the Korean War.

"I am sorry for not taking you when I fled," Kim told his children in the emotional reunion, according to reports in local media. No foreign journalists were invited to the reunions at the Diamond Mountain resort on North Korea's east coast.

His son, Kim Jung-hyun, brought five medals he received from North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, the reports said. His sister said he received the medals "because he worked hard since he grew up without a father."

Kim Ki-sung was among more than 120 South Koreans, most in their 70s or 80s, who traveled by bus to the scenic resort for the three-day reunion.

Millions of families remain separated following the Korean peninsula's division in 1945 and the ensuing Korean War, which ended with an armistice in 1953, not a peace treaty.

There are no mail, telephone or e-mail exchanges between ordinary citizens from the two Koreas. They are unable to travel to the other half of the peninsula without government approval.

Family reunions began in 2000 following a landmark inter-Korean summit, but were halted by North Korea after conservative South Korean President Lee Myung-bak took office last year with a get-tough policy of holding the North accountable to its nuclear disarmament pledges.

The last reunions were held in October 2007.

North Korea agreed last month to resume the reunions as part of moves to reach out to South Korea and the United States after months of tension over its nuclear and missile programs.

So far, more than 16,200 Koreans have held temporary face-to-face reunions with relatives. About 3,740 others have seen relatives in video reunions.

A second group of reunions will begin Tuesday. It is unclear when they may be held again.

The reunions come amid growing international pressure on North Korea's communist government to return to stalled nuclear disarmament talks.

North Korea quit the six-nation talks in April to protest world criticism of a rocket launch. But leader Kim Jong Il recently reportedly expressed a willingness to hold "bilateral and multilateral talks," indicating the North could rejoin the nuclear negotiations, which involve the two Koreas, the U.S., China, Japan and Russia.

President Barack Obama told a U.N. General Assembly session Wednesday that North Korea "must be held accountable" if it continues to put its pursuit of nuclear weapons ahead of international security.

The reunions are a highly emotional issue for Koreans. Most of those applying for the chance to see their long-lost loved ones are elderly and are eager for a reunion before they die.

Of 127,400 South Koreans who have applied since 1988, nearly 40,000 have already died, according to South Korea's Red Cross.

South Korea wants to stage more family reunions on a regular basis and allow divided families to confirm whether their relatives are still alive, but the North has balked at the request.

Britain's top officer 'secretly visited alleged Israeli war criminal'

The Chief of the General Staff of Britain's armed forces is reported to have visited Israel quietly last week at the invitation of his Israeli counterpart.

General Sir David Richards met Israel's General Gabi Ashkenazi on September 22 and 23, according to a report by the Israeli daily Haaretz on September 25.

The report claimed that Britain's top commander visited Israeli units making use of “advanced military equipment and briefed senior members of the Israeli staff on British action in Pakistan and Afghanistan.”

The two sides were also said to have exchanged intelligence on the Middle East situation.

According to the report, during Richard's visit, Ashkenazi expressed interest in returning the visit by meeting the British general on UK soil. However, this is an impossibility at present since the Israeli commander fears arrest for crimes against humanity and war crimes if he sets foot on European soil.

The report said that Ashkenazi's visit to the UK would be contingent upon “legal relief” being put in place in Britain and the rest of Europe.

Like many other Israeli officers, Ashkenazi could be facing arrest for war crimes, including the targeting of civilians during the 22-day onslaught against the 1.5 million Palestinian inhabitants of the blockaded Gaza Strip from last December to January.

In September 10, 2005, the former head of the Israeli army's Southern Command from 2000-2003, Major-General Doron Almog was nearly arrested by the British police as his aircraft landed in London's Heathrow Airport.

However, he was tipped off about his impending arrest for war crimes committed by Israel in previous attacks against Palestinian civilians and refused to disembark and returned to Israel on the same El-Al flight.

If arrested, alleged war criminals face being surrendered to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, the Netherlands for trial.

Syria: New UN nuclear resolution impractical

The head of Syria's UN mission has described the Security Council's recent resolution on nuclear proliferation as "ambiguous and impractical".

In an interview with Press TV on Saturday from the Syrian capital Damascus, George Jabour said that the timing and venue the US, France and Britain chose to adopt Resolution1887, which commits the UN to strive for a 'nuke-free' world, was "inappropriate".

Jabour said that US President Barack Obama has called for a world free of nuclear arms, while his country possesses the world's largest atomic arsenal. According to the Syrian official, in order to achieve its objective, Washington should first set the example by scrapping its own nuclear stockpile and then go to work on persuading the rest of the world to do likewise.

The head of Syria's UN mission --a non-governmental organization-- also criticized Obama for failing to mention Israel's nuclear arsenal at the UN Security Council's meeting on Wednesday.

Israel, the sole possessor of nuclear weapons in the Middle East, is believed to have up to 200 nuclear warheads in its arsenal. It has so far rejected to sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Brazil VP wants his country to acquire A bomb

By calling for the development of an atomic bomb, Brazil's vice-president proves that the reluctance of the nuclear weapons states to dismantle their arsenals continues to provide an impetus for nuclear proliferation.

In a recent interview, José Alencar, who has also served as the Brazilian defense minister from 2004-2006, said that his country does not have a nuclear weapons program, but that it should start one.

"A nuclear weapon used as dissuasive instrument is of great significance for a country that has 15,000 kilometers (9,300 miles) of borders in the west and has a territorial sea and, now, there's this pre-salt sea with an area of 4 million square kilometers (1.54 million square miles)," said Alencar, according to a September 25 report in the journal Brazzil Magazine.

Pointing to the recent oil discoveries in the resource-rich South American state, he said "This stirs international greed. Now everything is all right, but we don't know what tomorrow will bring. It costs a lot, but readiness is costly."

He recalled that India and Pakistan, despite being in a state of conflict, do not start wars against each other and prefer negotiated settlements because they both possess nuclear weapons.

Alencar, who is also the acting president while the country's president Lula is visiting the United States on official duties, including participation in the Pittsburg G20 summit, was speaking to Brazilian reporters, did point out, however, that his comments were personal opinions and not a position of the government.

Nevertehless, he noted “"We, Brazilian, sometimes are too laid-back. We master the nuclear energy technology, but nobody here has the drive to advance in this field. We have to go forward in this matter.”

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a spokesman for President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva
also said that Alencar's "comments do not reflect the position of the government." The vice-president is not a member of the ruling party.

Although Alencar was not officially speaking on behalf of the Brazilian government, his comments startled many as they were made on the very same day that the UN Security Council passed a measure aimed at eliminating nuclear weapons.

While years have passed since most nuclear-armed states signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), none of them have fully dismantled their atomic arsenal, despite their treaty obligations to do so.

The United States still maintains a stockpile of around 9,960 active nuclear warheads. Russia retains 13,000, while the United Kingdom France and China continue to store 185, 300, and 349 respectively.

This is while non-NPT states such as Israel, India, Pakistan are known to possess dozens of nuclear weapons each, with North Korea a recent member of the nuclear weapons club with a smaller arsenal.

"We should have Israel, they can have Texas or Uganda or Sinai"

Interview With A Tel Rumeida Settler
"We should have Israel, they can have Texas or Uganda or Sinai"
Palestine Monitor

September 25, 2009

Hebron remains the hub of tension and violence in the West Bank. Much of this comes from the settlers of Tel Rumeida, a community of 800 international Zionists living in the heart of the city, notorious for frequent, unprovoked attacks on their Muslim neighbors. We spoke with New Jersey-born David Wilder, a community leader, to explain their continued presence in Hebron and his hopes for a solution.

What are the hopes and aims of the Tel Rumeida settlers?

We aim to live normally in Hebron, not to worry about threats to kill or wound you, or expel you from your home. We want to live normally as individuals and as a community, to be able to buy new property and to build.

How difficult is for settlers to live with the threats you’re talking about?

There are daily threats and it’s not just Hebron, everyone, anywhere in Israeli is marked. In Hebron, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, anywhere In Israel you’re marked by the people that don’t want us here. To them the ends justify the means. In Hebron there’s good security and a lot of help from above, which prevents most of the attacks. There are strong measures which make sure people are safe, the military in Hebron has many purposes; to make sure inhabitants and visitors are safe, to make sure terrorists can’t get out of the other parts of Hebron, plan attacks or perpetrate them.

When Israel left Hebron in 1997, there became a vacuum in that part of the city, the PA did nothing about and often supported the terrorist attacks which came from there. A large part of Hebron turned into a terrorists nest. The army now try to get the terrorists before these attacks and arrest them; They do a lot of good work on that side of the city. It happened in Jenin too, terrorist nests spring up anywhere we turn over to the PA.

Do you trust the Israeli government?

In January 1997, Netanyahu was elected without much support; he got in by half a percentage point. He came into power on the platform of the Israeli right. We then had a war with the Arabs and as a result of that he signed and implemented the Hebron accords which gave them 80% of Hebron. This was after he had come out against it. If that’s not betrayal I don’t know what is. This gave the Arabs the ability to attack us. When the 2nd intifada started exactly nine years ago, the night before Rosh Hashanah, the Arabs had control of the hills we gave them to shoot us. There’s no betrayal higher than that.

Might they give up the Tel Rumeida settlement?

We thought Gush Kativ would never happen, so never say never. It’s difficult to envision an Israeli government throwing Jews out of their homes again but they could do it. The trauma of destroying Hebron is unthinkable and would stay in people’s memories.

What do you think of Fayyad’s offer of citizenship?

Brief studies of Islam show that the ends always justify the means. it’s permissible to lie, you can say whatever you want as long you don’t believe it in your heart so you can say whatever. If using that deception will bring you victory in the name of Allah then you can do it. In 1993, when Rabin signed Oslo, giving all Arab cities to Arafat, if since then there had been no more terror, they had built up factories and education instead I might have believed it. But they did not stick to their obligations. Since Oslo, almost 2,000 Jews have been killed in terror attacks in cold blood. So when they say something, how can we believe it? Suppose Fayyad means what he says and is a good guy, how long would he last? They slap our hands the first time and the second, we just keep putting out our hands and they kill us. We gave them Gush Kativ, destroyed 10,000 lives and they used that land to shoot 5000 missiles at us. Fayyad is talking about citizenship so that the army leaves and they can massacre us again.

Do you believe Muslims have a disposition towards aggression and violence?

You have to understand what’s permissible in Islam. The problem is the situation here is not a political conflict, it’s a religious conflict and the Arabs say that. You’ve seen what they did in London, in America, they had a plan to blow up the largest building in the world in Dubai too. They have a goal, which is to take over the world and they say it themselves. Hebron is not their goal, Jerusalem isn’t their goal, (neither of these are mentioned in the Quran) and even Israel isn’t their goal. Even moderates in the PA believe the whole of Israel belongs to them. Tel Aviv is Tel Araba, its Palestine. Israel is a stepping stone, the mayor of London made a statement that London should fast for Ramadan, there are swimming pools in London that demand Islamic dress code. Sharia is starting to overtake civil law all over the world. They come out and say it, this is our goal; we want the white house to have an Islamic flag.

Is there too much tolerance of this threat from politicians? Do you welcome international involvement?

King Hussein is pulling the strings in Washington. Obama’s father is Muslim, which by their laws makes him Islamic. What he said in Cairo was preposterous; anyone with any knowledge of the situation knows you cannot kowtow to Arabs. I don’t know why he did it and I don’t welcome his involvement at all. Were still dealing with existential threats to Israel and we’re the ones who have to deal with that threat. 60 years ago (the holocaust) nobody gave a damn, the Americans and French knew what was happening and they did nothing about it. In Obama’s eyes maybe the only threat is to Israel and they don’t care whether we exist or not, so they can play games and say first we’re going to negotiate, then have sanctions and more sanctions. But he’s wrong because the threat is against everyone, the Iranians are finalizing nuclear weapons and while we’re negotiating they will finish their nuclear bomb and it will be too late. The nuclear threat is against the western world, he could hit Paris or London or Stockholm, the same as he’d hit Tel Aviv.

How do you feel about a two state solution?

I’m all for it; We should have Israel, they can have Texas or Uganda or Sinai. People refuse to comprehend what threats our state is facing. From the north you have Hezbollah, with thousands of missiles that could hit Tel Aviv. Down south you have Hamas, which can also hit Tel Aviv. Syria, Jordan, Iran and Saudi Arabia would all love to feed on the carcass of Israel. So that’s the neighborhood we’re living in. Now you want to take a big chunk of the little bit we have and turn it into an enemy state of people who want to destroy us and say that all the time. They don’t acknowledge a Jewish state, the PLO charter still says they need to destroy us, they keep saying they’ll revert back to violence and have another intifada and we’re giving them a state? Then we say they have moderates and extremists, so they need two states; Gaza and the West Bank. Fatah are the 'good guys’, but they only exist because Israel is propping them up otherwise Hamas would have taken over.

In Gaza they took all the Fatah people and threw them off the roof. A Palestinian state is just another entity that wants to destroy the state of Israel. Netanyahu says were going to give them a state but make sure they’re not a threat to us. It’s a contradiction in terms. What about when they start to feed missiles in from Jordan, the same way Hamas does. They already have more than they had during the last war. Once you have a PA state, its 10km from Jewish cities. From those hills you can see the whole Israeli coast, you have a clear view of Ben Gurion airport. Today they have these stingray missiles that they put on their shoulders, they will shoot down a commercial plane and then who in their right mind will ever come to Israel? You know what they’ll say? 'Those were extremists, we don’t agree with that’. You have to be blind not to understand. The world says there has to be a Palestinian state, they’re saying we have to commit suicide.

Can the two societies coexist? Are you calling for expulsion of Muslims?

They certainly have places to go. If anyone wants to leave that’s fine but we don’t insist. Israel can live with anyone as long as they accept the sovereignty and rule of Israel. They have to know if they’re going to fight with us we’ll fight back. I have never called for expulsion but if its racist to talk about moving Jews for the sake of peace then it’s a two way street. 95% the ball is in their court because they refuse to accept our presence. Is it possible to coexist? Is it possible for Christians to lose England or America to Muslims? I believe the way to stop this cancer is stop it here; it’s in the interests of international community to say it’s forbidden for Israel to acquiesce to this terror because otherwise it’s going to hit us too.

When the Arabs see they can use terror to achieve their goals here and receive the backing of the western world then they’re going to say they can do it everywhere. They will use the same tactics in the USA and Europe, they will turn 9/11 into a kindergarten game, they have the ability to do that today, chemical weapons, nuclear bombs and when the time comes they will use they’ll be able to wipe out millions in hours, the world hasn’t picked that up yet and if they want to stop it then they can’t support that terror against us here. It’s dangerous for the entire western world. They still haven’t worked out the Muslim psyche, where they’re coming from and where they’re going to, it’s very scary.

What steps can be taken towards a solution?

We’ve already lost Europe, it’s already gone and the US has almost gone too. The Arabs have to accept our right to be here, the Israeli people have to accept it too because many are not sure we should be here, Arab propaganda is so good that they think we stole Palestine and we don’t have a right to be here. So they have to learn a little history. There is no such thing as Palestine, Palestine was a name invented by the Romans for Israel after destroying the Jews here 2000 years ago, calling it 'Palestina’ meaning philistines.

Mass immigration to Israel is needed, the Jews are finally going to come over here from USA, South Africa, Australia and Britain and instead of 5.5 million Jews were going to have 10 million Jews in Israel. They’re going to spread everywhere and that’s going to change things. It’s going to happen, just a matter of time.

Do you endorse the actions of violent groups like the Kach party?

Kach has never used violent methods, no Jewish group ever has. Kach was outlawed because of international outcry about Baruch Goldstein, who was one person acting by himself. Less than five Jews have ever used means like that, how many Arabs have been killed and how many Jews? How many acts of terror from each side? Terror doesn’t exist from our side.

Are there two Israels? How do you feel about internal opposition to settlers?

No secret that Israel is politically divided; the last elections over 10-20 years have been almost 50/50. I think that amongst Jews there’s a much stronger leaning toward the centre right but a lot of people are very confused.

International groups like Breaking the Silence have been inciting against us for years, using Israeli soldiers who flipped out and started attacking their own army. In any other country they would have been tried for treason, but instead it set off a trend of Israelis criticising the Jews in Hebron. The campaign against us, supported by the British embassy, the EU and left wing Jews caused tremendous damage but no one cared. To have immoral people like that, treasonous acts, people with any sense of psychology understand it will grow and spread, all of a sudden these same people say the Israeli army acted unethically in Gaza, using human shields. You’re dealing with anti Semitism, most from outside Israel, turning our own people against us.

What does the future hold for Tel Rumeida?

God didn’t bring us back to throw us out. We live here and will continue to live here. There are difficulties, but they will be overcome. Hebron is a living miracle, when they shot us from the hills for two and a half years we should all have been wiped out, I saw people bend over and have bullets go over their heads, I’ve seen bullets skim people and bounce off. When they shot into my apartment twice, the bullets missed my kids by a couple of inches, literally a couple of inches. I don’t know if God moved the bullets but it happened and I’ve watched it day by day. If you live that you have to prove your dedication, so that’s what we’re doing. In the end we will be victorious, of that I have no doubt.

Israeli drive to prevent Jewish girls dating Arabs

Jonathan Cook, Foreign Correspondent

September 25, 2009 - The National

NAZARETH // A local authority in Israel has announced that it is establishing a special team of youth counselors and psychologists whose job it will be to identify young Jewish women who are dating Arab men and "rescue" them.

The move by the municipality of Petah Tikva, a city close to Tel Aviv, is the latest in a series of separate – and little discussed – initiatives from official bodies, rabbis, private organizations and groups of Israeli residents to try to prevent interracial dating and marriage.

In a related development, the Israeli media reported this month that residents of Pisgat Zeev, a large Jewish settlement in the midst of Palestinian neighborhoods in East Jerusalem, had formed a vigilante-style patrol to stop Arab men from mixing with local Jewish girls.

Hostility to intimate relationships developing across Israel’s ethnic divide is shared by many Israeli Jews, who regard such behavior as a threat to the state’s Jewishness. One of the few polls on the subject, in 2007, found that more than half of Israeli Jews believed intermarriage should be equated with "national treason".

Since the state’s founding in 1948, analysts have noted, a series of legal and administrative measures have been taken by Israel to limit the possibilities of close links developing between Jewish and Arab citizens, the latter comprising a fifth of the population.

Largely segregated communities and separate education systems mean that there are few opportunities for young Arabs and Jews to become familiarized with each other. Even in the handful of "mixed cities", Arab residents are usually confined to separate neighborhoods.

In addition, civil marriage is banned in Israel, meaning that in the small number of cases where Jews and Arabs want to wed, they can do so only by leaving the country for a ceremony abroad. The marriage is recognized on the couple’s return.

Dr Yuval Yonay, a sociologist at Haifa University, said the number of interracial marriages was "too small to be studied". "Separation between Jews and Arabs is so ingrained in Israeli society, it is surprising that anyone manages to escape these central controls."

The team in Petah Tikva, a Jewish city of 200,000 residents, was created in direct response to news that two Jewish girls, aged 17 and 19, were accompanying a group of young Arab men when they allegedly beat a Jewish man, Leonard Karp, to death last month on a Tel Aviv beach. The older girl was from Petah Tikva.

The girls’ involvement with the Arab youths has revived general concern that a once-firm taboo against interracial dating is beginning to erode among some young people.

In sentiments widely shared, Mr Hakak, a spokesman for Petah Tikva municipality, said "Russian girls", young Jewish women whose parents arrived in Israel over the past two decades, since the former Soviet Union collapsed, were particularly vulnerable to the attention of Arab men.

Dr Yonay said Russian women were less closed to the idea of relationships with Arab men because they "did not undergo the religious and Zionist education" to which more established Israeli Jews were subject.

Mr Hakak said the municipality had created a hotline that parents and friends of the Jewish women could use to inform on them.

"We can’t tell the girls what to do but we can send a psychologist to their home to offer them and their parents advice," he said.

Motti Zaft, the deputy mayor, told the Ynet website that the municipality was also cracking down on city homeowners who illegally subdivide apartments to rent them cheaply to single Arab men looking for work in the Tel Aviv area. He estimated that several hundred Arab men had moved into the city as a result.

Petah Tikva’s hostility to Arab men mixing with local Jewish women is shared by other communities.

In Pisgat Zeev, a settlement of 40,000 Jews, some 35 Jewish men are reported to belong to a patrol known as "Fire for Judaism" that tries to stop interracial dating.

Unusually for a settlement, Pisgat Zeev has attracted a tiny but growing population of Arab families, both from East Jerusalem and from inside Israel. Because Pisgat Zeev sits within Jerusalem’s municipal borders, Arabs with Israeli residency rights can live there as long as Jewish settlers are willing to rent to them.

One member, who identified himself as Moshe to the Jerusalem Post newspaper, said: "Our goal is to be in contact with these girls and try to explain to them the dangers of what they’re getting themselves into. In the last 10 years, 60 girls from Pisgat Zeev have gone into [Palestinian] villages [in the West Bank]. And most of them aren’t heard from after that."

He denied that violence or threats were used against Arab men.
Last year, the municipality of Kiryat Gat, a town of 50,000 Jews in southern Israel, launched a programme in schools to warn Jewish girls of the dangers of dating local Bedouin men. The girls were shown a video titled Sleeping with the Enemy, which describes mixed couples as an "unnatural phenomenon".

Haim Shalom, head of the municipality’s welfare department, is filmed saying: "The girls, in their innocence, go with the exploitative Arab."

In 2004, posters sprang up all over the northern town of Safed warning Jewish women that dating Arab men would lead to "beatings, hard drugs, prostitution and crime".
Safed’s chief rabbi, Shmuel Eliyahu, told a local newspaper that the "seducing" of Jewish girls was "another form of war" by Arab men.

Both Kiryat Gat and Safed’s campaigns were supported by a religious organization called Yad L’achim, which runs an anti-assimilation team publicly dedicated to "saving" Jewish women.

According to its website, the organization receives more than 100 calls a month about Jewish women living with Arab men, both in Israel and the West Bank. It launches "military-like rescues [of the women] from hostile Arab villages" in co-ordination with the police and army.

"The Jewish soul is a precious, all-too-rare resource, and we are not prepared to give up on even a single one," says the website.

Iran to Switch from Dollar to Euro

Written by Adam Gonn

Iran will switch its foreign currency reserve from the U.S. dollar to the Euro.

Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has ordered that the country change the dollar with the euro in its foreign exchange accounts.

The Iranian Central Bank is estimated to cut its interest rates for the foreign exchange reserve from 12% to 5% making it cheaper for the Bank to acquire foreign currency.

"They have been talking about switching their foreign currency reserve from the dollar to the euro for a while now" Dr Ali Ansari, Director of the Iranian Studies Centre at the School of International Relations at St Andrews University in Scotland, told The Media Line, "but it makes them more dependent on the euro and the European Union." He said.

The decision follows an earlier call from Ahmadinejad for the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to abandon the dollar as the standard currency for oil related transaction.

Though the world’s major oil producing capabilities are located outside the U.S. mainly in the countries that surround the Gulf, the price of a barrel of oil is set in dollars.

Despite a recent decrease in the value of the dollar, it still remains the most used currency for international trade.

Many countries in the Gulf region hold substantial amounts of dollar in foreign reserve, while Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates even have their currencies pegged to the dollar.

Analysts have suggested that by exchanging the dollar to the euro, Iran might be hoping to become less effected by the economic sanctions issued by the U.S.

American economic sanctions against Iran have been in force since the 1979 Islamic revolution in which the U.S backed Shah was overthrown and replaced with an Islamic republic.

According to the U.S. treasury, sanctions include "prohibiting U.S. involvement with petroleum development in Iran" and "virtually all trade and investment activities with Iran by U.S. persons, wherever located, are prohibited"

In 2000, some of the sanctions were softened allowing "U.S. persons to purchase and import carpets and food products such as dried fruits, nuts, and caviar from Iran."

Lately there have been media reports suggesting that President Barack Obama is considering increasing sanctions if Iran does not abort its nuclear program.

While Iran argues its program is strictly for the peaceful purpose of power production, the U.S. and many other western countries suspect Iran of nuclear weapons production.

Qatar Airways Continues to Shine

Written by Adam Gonn

Qatar Airways is once again the only airline in the Middle East to be awarded five stars from Skytrax.

Qatar Airways has retained its status as the only five star airline in the Middle East.

The British based airline advisory firm Skytrax Research, confirmed that Qatar Airways, the national carrier of Qatar, will receive five stars in the companies listing for 2009-2010.

"Qatar Airways is the only airline in the Middle East region to have gained this 5-Star Airline certification, and one of just six airlines worldwide that currently meet the exacting and rigorous quality criteria set for this ultimate ranking," Skytrax said in a statement.

According to Skytrax, the five star airline status recognizes airlines at the forefront of product and service delivery achievement, and generally refers to the airlines that set trends to be followed by other carriers in due course.

In addition to receiving the award from Skytrax Research, a Skytrax passenger survey, which polled 16 million travelers, voted Qatar Airways as having the best economy class, an award considered by some analysts as more significant.

"I think Skytrax is probably the leading rater the airline business looks at. As for the general public, I reckon they are far more likely to look at 'public perception' (user) rating sites" David J Bentley, Aviation Analyst with Big Pond Aviation, told The Media Line.

"In other words, public perception is everything" Bentley said.

Qatar Airways, in its current form, was established in 1997, and marked the start of a growth period for other Gulf based airlines. The carrier’s home hub is in Doha International Airport located just outside the capital.

The current Doha International Airport is currently undergoing a $1 billion upgrade of its facilities. In comparison, The New Doha International Airport scheduled to open by 2012 with an initial capacity of 24 million passengers, has a budget of $14.5 billion. That number is expected to grow to $50 million in the future.

Qatar Airways is the largest Middle East based customer of the European plane maker Airbus, and so far the company has ordered five A380s with a delivery schedule beginning in 2012.

The A380 is Airbus’s crown jewel double-decker with a capacity of up to 555 passengers depending on configuration. In order to be able to handle the new plane many airports have followed New Doha International Airport’s lead and expanded their current buildings.

In contrast to many other Gulf based airlines such as Emirates Airlines from Dubai, or Etihad Airways from Abu Dhabi, which are fully government owned, Qatar Airways is partially owned by private investors.

Source: The Media Line.
Link: http://www.themedialine.org/news/news_detail.asp?NewsID=26568.

Iran Cuts Three Zeros from the Rial

Written by Adam Gonn

In order to fight a double-digit inflation Iran has decided to cut three zeros off the rial.

A plan by the Iranian Central Bank to contract the nominal size of the currency has been approved by parliament.

The Governor of the Iranian Central Bank Mahmoud Bahmani announced that a group working on fighting the double digit inflation has decided to cut three zeros from the national currency, the rial.

"From an economic perspective, the important thing is to cut the inflation rate from a 20% annual increase to a reasonable rate" Emad Honarparvar, an Iranian businessman, told The Media Line.

Bahmani declined to give a date when the plan would be implemented, but noted that the country’s economists had studied it and that these experts, as well as his predecessors at the Bank, had agreed to diminish the size of the national currency.

"For the last 80 years, Iranians have been using an unofficial currency called toman instead of rial, which is 10 times bigger than the rial," Honarparvar said.

"Beside this, price increases from decades of inflation, especially during the Iran – Iraq war, have led to most prices being marked in toman," he said

"When someone says 10 toman, it’s possible he means 100,000 rials. So the new currency can make confusions and complexities. Maybe it would have been more practical to cut four zeros," he said.

The inflation rate in September was reported to be 20.2% down from nearly 29% in September 2008.

Some observers say that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s expensive economic policy during his previous term in office is behind the current crisis. The policy included lowering interest rates on loans to encourage more circulation of cash in the market, as well as huge spending on public infrastructure projects.

The Iranian economy revolves around the oil and gas sector which is the nation’s prime source of income but also one of its largest expenses. While Iran has some of the world’s largest oil and gas reserves in the world, there is a severe lack of refining capabilities.

Oil is therefore exported to other countries in the Gulf for refinement before being re-imported, in addition to the expense, the process also makes Iran dependent on foreign countries.

According to some estimations, due to the high market price, refined oil is heavily subsidized at the annual cost of some $50 billion, once back in Iran.

Other factors that are suspected of pushing up inflation include; increasing salaries for government employees; a rigid economic structure controlled heavily by government; and a private sector limited to small scale workshops, farming and services.

The United States is considering targeting Iran’s dependence on foreign refinement, as possible sanctions against Iran’s disputed nuclear program.

While Iran argues the program is strictly for energy production, the U.S. suspects Iran of developing nuclear weapons. The U.S. imposed economic sanctions against Iran during the Islamic revolution in 1979 but lately there have been suggestions President Obama might be considering increasing sanctions if Iran does not abort its nuclear program.

BP to Start Drilling in Libya in 2010

Written by Adam Gonn

The British oil company BP hopes to start drilling for oil in Libya in 2010.

BP is currently in the final stages of finalizing its preparations for drilling on its site on the coast of Libya.

The British oil and gas company BP is in the final stages of its seismic underground investigations in the huge Sirte basin west of the city of Bengazi in north Libya.

"We are coming to the end of the offshore seismic work, and then there is more ongoing seismic work on shore," Robert Wine, a spokesperson for BP, told The Media Line.

"We will then analyze the seismic [result] and work out the prospects for the first well to be drilled, that will be sometime next year," Wine said.

"The agreement we signed back in 2007 was an exploration commitment of $900 million, although we said at the time that it would probably be slightly more around $1.2 billion," he said.

While oil drilling can have some unforeseeable factors, Wine expressed hope that the endeavor would be profitable for the company.

"With the best seismic readings in the world, you never know until you drill a well and see what’s actually down there. If the acreages we get is as good as we hope then in the long term we could be looking at an investment of about $20bn over a couple of decades," Wine said.

When the deal was signed, BP’s group chief executive Tony Hayward described it as "BP's single biggest exploration commitment" and it marked a return of the company to the country after a 30-year absence.

BP in addition committed to spend $50 million on education and training projects for Libyan professionals during the exploration and appraisal period and upon success a further $50 million from commencement of production.

While there are some 40 other oil and gas companies active in the Libya at the moment, including Italian Eni SpA and American giant Exxon Mobil Corporation, the BP deal is considered by some to be the most controversial.

In August 2009, the Scottish government released the terminally ill Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al-Megrahi, a former Libyan intelligence officer who was serving a life sentence for his involvement in the Pan Am flight 103 bombing, over Scotland’s Lockerbie in 1988 that killed 271 people.

The decision to release Al-Megrahi on compassionate grounds was based on a diagnosis of terminal prostate cancer in which he’d been given less than 3 months to live.

Following the release, British Justice Secretary Jack Straw told his Scottish counterpart that the decision to release Al-Megrahi was made in order to facilitate "wider negotiations" and the "overwhelming interests of the United Kingdom", according to the London based newspaper The Sunday Times.

Of the victims, 190 were American and the U.S. State Department tried to convince the Scottish government not to release Al-Megrahi.

Muslims gather at Capitol Hill, condemn prejudice

Thousands of Muslim men and women have gathered outside Capitol Hill to hold a prayer meeting and demonstrate against prejudice against Islam.

On Friday, the crowd prayed on lawns outside the building in an event organized by the Dar-ul-Islam Elisabeth mosque, in northeastern New Jersey.

"In addition to being a historic event I think it's just a matter of all the Muslims coming together in one location to perform what is our obligation for the Friday prayer," said one of the participants Lonnie Shabazz.

"The message was clear. I think the message basically was to let the American public know that all the stigmas that are attached to Muslims are not true."

On their website, the organizers, who had been hoping to attract some 5,000 people, said that they wanted "to manifest Islam's majestic spiritual principals as revealed by Allah to our beloved Prophet."

Police arrest would-be suicide bomber in N Afghanistan

Afghan police arrested a would-be suicide bomber in the northern Balkh province, a local newspaper reported Saturday.

"The rebel was driving an explosive-laden car when police identified and detained him on Friday," daily 8Subh quoted police spokesman in the province Shir Durani as saying.

However, it did not identify the nationality of the suspected suicide bomber.

Police in the relatively peaceful northern Balkh province have detained eight suspected terrorists over the past one week.

Palestinian fighters retaliate Israeli air raid

Palestinian fighters in northern Gaza have fired a rocket into Israel in response to an Israeli airstrike on the coastal strip.

The rocket landed harmlessly in an uninhabited area of Eshkol Regional Council.

The attack came hours after an Israeli missile struck a Palestinian car on Friday as it was traveling near the Jabaliya refugee camp, killing at least three people and wounding three others.

All the victims were reportedly members of the Islamic Jihad. One of the dead was identified as Kamal al-Dahtur-- the son of an Islamic Jihad commander who was killed in an Israeli raid two years ago.

A spokesman for the movement had vowed revenge on "the criminal raid", saying the "Zionist enemy will suffer a serious retaliation."

Afghan vote result to be announced in 10 days

The final result of last month's presidential election in Afghanistan will be announced within the next 10 days, the country's top electoral officer is quoted as saying.

"The fate of the presidential election -- whether it goes for the second round -- will be cleared within the next 10 days," Afghan daily 8 Subh quoted the country's chief electoral officer as saying Saturday, according to Xinhua news agency.

"If there is need for a runoff, it will be held within one month," Daud Ali Najafi added.

Afghan election officials gave incumbent President Hamid Karzai 54.6 per cent of the vote on Wednesday.

That surpasses the 50 percent mark he needs to avoid having to run in a second round against his main challenger, Abdullah Abdullah, who has gained 27.7 percent of the vote.

This is while Grant Kippen, the current chairman of Afghanistan's Electoral Complaints Commission, has said the numbers mean nothing until he has finished investigating allegations of widespread voting fraud.

The ECC said earlier it had found "clear and convincing evidence of fraud" and ordered a recount from some polling stations.

Abdullah has condemned the election as rigged.

Karzai acknowledges that some fraud took place but says it was exaggerated by international observers and the Western media.

Iran helps Venezuela explore uranium

PORLAMAR, Venezuela, Sept 26 — Washington’s foes Venezuela and Iran are working together to find uranium in the South American nation, a new sign of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s support for Tehran’s nuclear program.

Venezuelan Mining Minister Rodolfo Sanz said on Friday that Iranian experts have carried out geophysical testing and aerial surveys to calculate the size Venezuela’s uranium deposits.

The United States, which believes Iran is trying to build an atomic bomb, is worried about the leftist Chavez’s increasingly close ties with the Middle Eastern nation.

“Our geophysical probes indicate we could have important uranium reserves,” Sanz said, speaking in Venezuela’s Margarita Island before the start of a two-day Africa-South America presidential summit.

Venezuela has for years known of its uranium deposits but has not studied them extensively and is not a uranium producer. The new research indicates the OPEC nation has large deposits in its mineral-rich Bolivar and Tachira states, Sanz said.

Chavez says Iran has a right to develop nuclear power for peaceful purposes and has vowed to help his ally sidestep threatened fuel sanctions over the program.

Sanz said it would take three years to certify the size of the uranium reserves, if Chavez decided to do so. The reserves would need to be at least partially certified before production could begin.

Venezuela, one of the United States’ main oil suppliers, has taken the first steps toward developing its own nuclear energy program with the help of Russia. Chavez said he opposes weapons of mass destruction.

The announcement followed accusations on Friday by US President Barack Obama and the leaders of Britain and France that Iran is building a secret nuclear fuel plant in violation of international rules.

Iran supplies Venezuela with tractors and consumer goods, including bicycles and dairy products.

Chavez this month agreed to supply Iran with 20,000 barrels per day of gasoline. The fuel supplies could be targeted by international sanctions against Iran if diplomacy fails to deter Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

Large deposits of uranium are found in many countries in the world, including the United States and Australia.

Chechen president sues activist

A leading Russian rights activist has appeared in court to defend himself against a defamation case brought by Chechnya's president.

Oleg Orlov, chairman of human rights group Memorial, had blamed Ramzan Kadyrov for the abduction and murder of award-winning activist Natalya Estemirova.

Kadyrov, who denied the allegation, filed court action against Orlov at a Moscow court on Friday.

Orlov, speaking outside the courtroom, said: "There is no doubt of the political guilt of Ramzan Kadyrov in the murder of ... Estemirova."

Estemirova, a 50-year-old single mother, was found dead in the city of Nazran in Ingushetia, which neighbors Chechnya in Russia' volatile Caucasus region, on July 15.

'Destabilizing Chechnya'

Her body, which was found with two shot wounds to the head, was discovered just hours after she was seized from her home in Grozny, the Chechen capital.

Orlov, in a posting on Memorial's website after her body was found, had said: "I know, I am sure of it, who is guilty for the murder of Natalya ... His name is Ramzan Kadyrov".

But Kadyrov denied any involvement, and said he would oversee the investigation into her killing.

The Chechen president did not appear in court on Friday, but Andrei Krasnenkov, his lawyer, said Orlov's comments were destabilizing Chechnya.

Chechnya and other parts of the Russian Caucasus remain the site of a deadly insurgency led by Muslim fighters against the pro-Kremlin local authorities, who in turn have been accused of human rights abuses.

Security forces are being killed in clashes with fighters on an almost daily basis.

Ongoing attacks against human rights activists has led Memorial and other human rights organizations to suspend their operations in Chechnya.

Russia talks about 'other methods' for Iran N case

Hardening support for new sanctions against Tehran, the Russian President Dmitry Medvedev says if Iran does not cooperate at an Oct. 1 meeting with world powers, then "other methods" should be used to deal with the case.

"I have said we should create a system of incentives for Iran," Medvedev made the comment in answering a question about whether a new round of UN sanctions might be in order after the disclosure of the second nuclear site in Iran, adding that "If they do not work, cooperation does not work, other mechanisms of which I spoke should be used."

Medvedev elaborated that the new revelations (about Iran's second under-construction nuclear facility) has been a "cause of concern" to all Group of 20 members, including Russia.

"The Oct. 1 meeting (where six major powers plus Iran will meet) gives Iran a chance to demonstrate that it is also committed to talks to solve this issue," Medvedev noted, expressing hope that "Iran will provide convincing proof of its commitment to develop a nuclear energy sector exclusively for peaceful purposes."

The news comes after Iran informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that it is constructing a plant for uranium enrichment near Qom, south of Tehran.

Iran's announcement of the new plant has been seized upon by a number of Western leaders slamming the country of "deception" in its nuclear program.

However, Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told reporters in New York that the facility was legal and open for inspection by the IAEA, the UN nuclear watchdog.

Iran's nuclear Chief Ali-Akbar Salehi, also confirmed that the newly-announced uranium enrichment facility would be in full compliance with the country's treaty obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Somali president: Insecurity fuels piracy

Sat Sep 26, 2009

Somalia's president says he is ready to sit down at the negotiating table with anti-government groups to end the violence in his war-torn country.

Sheikh Sharif Ahmed addressing the 64th session of the UN General Assembly on Friday said that his UN-backed government would continue political dialogue with all Somali parties and groups, including armed rebels.

He added that continued violence, infighting and insurgency have paralyzed the interim government's attempts to restore central rule while militants are controlling large parts of the country. He also emphasized that instability in the country has increased kidnappings and piracy.

The Somali president said it was difficult to eradicate piracy in waters off Somalia without first dealing with the security situation in the country.

"This means piracy will continue in one form or another as long as security in Somalia continues as is.”

Somalia is in dire need of urgent humanitarian aid from the international community for 3.76 million people including refugees, Ahmed added.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://edition.presstv.ir/detail/107125.html.

Obama: No 'perfect answers' in Afghanistan

The US President Barack Obama has warned that there are no "perfect answers" in Afghanistan, as he conducts a wide range review of strategy in the war-torn country.

After the G20 summit in Pittsburgh, on a day when NATO announced the death of five more US soldiers in Afghanistan, Obama said he understood that Americans and others were becoming discouraged by the war.

"This is not easy, and I would expect that the public would ask some very tough questions," said Obama, whose task in selling the war to Americans has been complicated by the disputed Afghan presidential election.

"That's exactly what I'm doing, is asking some very tough questions, and you know, we're not going to arrive at perfect answers."

Obama repeatedly said the US mission was to disrupt and dismantle the al-Qaeda, in the kind of language, which some observers see as a possible sign of a narrowing of the broad counter-insurgency fight against the Taliban.

Obama's statement on Afghanistan comes as two US soldiers were killed outright and three died later of their injuries in a trio of separate incidents on Thursday.

Bachmann, Paul talk freedom vs. out of control government at U rally

By Joseph Lindberg

Reps. Ron Paul and Michele Bachmann fired up a crowd of 2,000 at Northrop Auditorium Friday night with a forum running the gamut from foreign policy and healthcare to the Federal Reserve and education.

The two Republican members of Congress shared a theme: federal spending is running out of control.

"You are the generation that will inherit increasing debt from out of control spending," Bachmann said, addressing the crowd filled with students. "At the rate your government is spending, your future is already spoken for."

Paul, the keynote speaker, echoed the concern, advising the audience to be wary of government spending. The libertarian also touched on the threat of expanding government.

"Government is increasing its role in all our lives, from healthcare to welfare," said Paul, who represents a Texas district in Congress. "Personal liberty is under attack, and I say the patriot sticks with the people and questions the government."

Paul also aggressively pushed his bill to audit the Fed, a bill he says will finally hold the Fed accountable for the incredible power it has in printing money — and devaluing the currency.

"The Federal Reserve is a private entity that has a monopoly on printing money — and we deserve to know what is really going on."

Bachmann praised the bill, pointing out that no audit has taken place since its creation in 1913.

"The Federal Reserve has never had the curtain pulled back," she said. "(The Federal Reserve) needs a bright light and transparency, not more secrecy."

Paul also wants to end the drug war and bring troops home from overseas.

"We're broke, we just don't have the money," he said. "The burden of debt falls on us and the next generation, and there is no proof that this kind of foreign policy is helping us."

The two also were critical of the handling of the economy, saying billions of dollars had been shelled out to companies in recent bailouts with little or no public transparency.

Supporters were ecstatic to hear Paul speak on big issues.

"He just makes sense," said Ryan Branyan, a student at the University of Minnesota. "He is speaking sensible in a time when not many people are."

Not everyone was sold on Paul or Bachmann's ideas.

"I've never seen more hypocrisy in the same room before," said Andy Pederson, another U student. "They talk about the deficit as if they aren't part of the problem."

Paul told the crowd he draws strength from the young people he meets on campuses.

"I'm optimistic when I talk to the young people, the universities ... something is stirring in the youth all over the country."