850 Mostly Blind, Pale Creatures Discovered Underground

Charles Q. Choi
Special to LiveScience

Down under in Australia, down underground, scientists have found 850 previously unknown species living in subterranean water, caves and micro-caverns.

These insects, crustaceans, spiders and worms are likely only about one-fifth of the number of undiscovered species the researchers think exist underground amid the harsh conditions of the Australian outback. Two species of blind fish and two of blind eels were also uncovered.

"What we've found is that you don't have to go searching in the depths of the ocean to discover new species of invertebrate animals - you just have to look in your own backyard," said researcher Andy Austin, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Adelaide in Australia. [Scientists say only a fraction of the species of plants and animals on the planet have been discovered.]

Only half of the species discovered have so far been named, the scientists announced today. Generically, the animals found in underground water are known as "stygofauna" and those from caves and micro-caverns are known as "troglofauna."

When it came to the water-dwelling stygofauna, small crustaceans dominated at about three-quarters percent of all species, then insects, all beetles, at roughly one-sixth, with other kinds of creatures making up the rest. For the cave-dwelling troglofauna, arachnids dominated at about one-half of all species, with insects at about one-quarter and crustaceans and others finishing the list.

"Virtually all are blind and completely lack eyes, and lack pigment, so they are pale or white in color," Austin told LiveScience. Often the species are quite delicate, he added, "and the insects in caves often have long legs and antennae - most sense vibration and use chemical senses, as they cannot see in the pitch black."

The scientists found these species during a comprehensive four-year survey of underground water and caves across arid and semi-arid Australia.

Austin and his colleagues suggest these species hid underground long ago due to past climate change.

"Central and southern Australia was a much wetter place 15 million years ago when there was a flourishing diversity of invertebrate fauna living on the surface," Austin explained. "But the continent became drier, a process that last until about 1 to 2 million years ago, resulting in our current arid environment. Species took refuge in isolated favorable habitats, such as in underground waters and micro-caverns, where they survived and evolved in isolation from each other."

So far the surveys have examined only 10 percent of the areas that likely have stygo- and troglofauna, Austin said. They now want to drastically expand their geographical coverage, as well as perform more genetic work to dissect when these creatures diverged from their brethren and see how this matches up with climate change and other geological events.

Although this new discovery is exciting scientifically, it also poses a number of challenges for the conservation of these species, as many of them are located in very remote areas of Australia, where there is significant ranching and mining that could potentially impact their survival.

"This said, it has been environmental monitoring by and support from mining companies that has helped with these discoveries," Austin noted.

The scientists detailed its findings at a scientific conference on evolution and biodiversity in Darwin, Australia, which celebrated the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin and finished Sept. 28.

Iran, China sign a major oilfield deal

China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) has signed a contract with National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) for the development of Iran's South Azadegan oilfield.

The Chinese company will buy a 70 percent share of the whole project, according to an agreement signed Sunday in Lausanne, Switzerland between CNPC and NIOC's overseas investment subsidiary, Naftiran Intertrade Company (NICO) that covers a 90 percent stake in the project.

CNPC, which won a bid in January to develop the North Azadegan oilfield, now holds a 70 percent share of the project with NICO holding 20 percent, and Inpex of Japan having the remaining 10 percent.

The South Azadegan project is slated to produce 260,000 barrels of crude oil per day, and its development will cost around $2.5 billion.

The field, along the Iraqi border, holds reserves estimated at approximately 42 billion barrels of oil, one of the world's largest finds in the last 30 years.

Iran provides 14 percent of China's demand for oil.

The deal is couched in buy-back terms, in which CNPC will hand over the operation of the field to NIOC after development and will receive payments from the oil production for a few years to cover its investment.

China's investment in Iran's energy sector has increased as some western countries, led by the US, have sanctioned Iran over its peaceful nuclear program.

Iran opens ammunition production lines

Iran's Defense Ministry has inaugurated three major projects that will go a long way towards raising the self-sufficiency of the Islamic Republic's defense industries.

"Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi launched the three projects at the Defense Industries Organization early this morning," the ministry said in a statement on Monday.

The projects were ammunition production lines for micronized aluminum powder, double-base smokeless powders and high-density nitroguanidine.

While inaugurating the projects, Brig. Gen. Vahidi said that the projects would help provide Iran's defense industries with primary materials, reduce reliance on foreign imports and create new export opportunities for the country.

The minister then went on to give some additional details about each one of the projects.

"The ball powder factory, which has an annual production capacity of 1,200 tons, will help add to Iran's air defense capabilities as well as it deterrence force in defenses against an unbalanced line," he said.

"Other than its uses in manufacturing solid fuel missiles, warheads, detonators and emulates… the micronized aluminum powder will also have its civilian applications in mining and construction.

"The high-density nitroguanidine production line will provide the primary material for the triple-base powder factories," the general said. "This chemical compound will also be put to use for non-military purposes such as production of medicine and airbag gases."

The Iranian defense minister also said the successful inauguration of the three production lines proves that foreign sanctions have not impeded the country's development.

Reelected Merkel seeks speedy coalition

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is seeking a speedy coalition with the business-oriented Free Democrats (FDP) after a major win in Sunday's election.

Merkel was set on Monday to meet with FDP leader, Guido Westerwelle, and set outline plans for “swift and thorough” negotiation for a new government that would not be any less subtle for its speedy formation.

"Of course quality comes before speed, but I think Germany is entitled to have a new government quickly. We have many tasks ahead of us," she said in Berlin ahead of the meeting.

Merkel added her center-right bloc was still committed to forming a government with the FDP, her party's choice coalition partner, with the aim of taking on the country's challenges, including its worst recession since the Second World War.

Challenges faced by the new government include leaving behind the recession, which has left its mark on Europe's biggest economy despite signs of recovery and growth, and rising unemployment and budget deficit.

The chancellor noted that she was looking forward to taking office by November 9, when Germany marks the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Seek peaceful solution to Kashmir issue: China tells India, Pak

BEIJING: China on Monday asked India and Pakistan to seek a solution to the Kashmir issue through peaceful and friendly consultations and offered to play a "constructive role" in resolving the "bilateral issue".

As a friendly country, China would also be happy to see progress in the peace process between India and Pakistan, said Hu Zhengyue, Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs, in charge of the Asian region.

"Kashmir is an issue that has been longstanding left from history. This issue touches the bilateral relations between the relevant countries," he told a group of visiting foreign journalists here.

As China is a friendly neighbor of both countries, it hopes to see that the two sides "will seek a solution through peaceful and friendly consultations", Hu said when asked by a Pakistani journalist if China was prepared to play some role in the resolution of the issue.

While he stressed that Kashmir was a bilateral issue, he stopped short of ruling out the possibility of mediation.

"As a friend China will be happy to see such progress (in the peace process) and we will be happy if we can play a constructive role in the resolving of the issue (Kashmir), but after all it is a bilateral issue," he said.

He said that China hoped the peace process between India and Pakistan "will continue to go smoothly".

Pakistan to keep supporting Kashmir: Zardari

NEW YORK: President Asif Ali Zardari and Chairman Hurriyat Conference Mirwaiz Umar Farooq held a meeting here on Monday and discussed various issues including affairs relating mutual interest and Kashmir.

The meeting, which lasted for at least 30 minutes was attended by Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir, Pak envoy in India Shahid Malik and Pak envoy in US Hussian Haqani.

Zardari assured Mirwaiz that his government will keep on supporting Kashmir politically and morally.

On this occasion, Mirwaiz apprised the President Zardari of the situation in the held Kashmir.

S.Korea parliament endorses new prime minister

SEOUL (AFP) – South Korea's parliament on Monday endorsed the appointment of economics professor Chung Un-Chan as prime minister despite strong objections by opposition parties.

Parliamentary officials said Chung, 63, was approved 164 to nine in a vote boycotted by opposition legislators.

President Lee Myung-Bak named Chung, who has a doctorate from Princeton and has taught economics at Seoul National University for more than 20 years, as his prime minister on September 3.

But opposition parties have refused to endorse Chung, partly because of his lukewarm comments about plans to relocate some ministries and administrative bodies to a new city known as Sejong City in the centre of the country.

In a confirmation hearing in parliament last week, Chung described the project as inefficient and suggested the government seek alternative plans.

The new city project was pushed by Lee's predecessor as president, Roh Moo-Hyun.

The ruling Grand National Party holds a majority of 167 seats in the 299-member National Assembly, while the main opposition Democratic Party has 83.

Crash scene overwhelmed by bees in Turkey

By SUZAN FRASER, Associated Press Writer

ANKARA, Turkey – A van carrying beehives crashed into a truck on Monday, and huge swarms of bees broke free and stung the injured and rescue workers at the scene.

In the end, about 20 people were taken to hospitals, six of them injured in the crash and the rest rescue workers who were stung by the bees, said the state-run Anatolia news agency.

One of the crash victims later died, but it was not immediately known if he had been killed by the impact of the accident or the insect attacks, said local Gov. Ahmet Altinparmak.

The rescue workers — including local beekeepers summoned to the scene — used hoses, blankets and rags to try to ward off the bees. But it took about an hour for them to remove the crash victims from the chaotic scene, Anatolia said.

The van hit the stationary truck on a road near the Mediterranean resort of Marmaris in southwestern Turkey, injuring four people in the van and two in the truck, Anatolia said. The impact burst open the bee hives in the van.

The bees swarmed over the injured and police, medics and firefighters who responded to the accident, forcing authorities to seek the help of about 50 beekeepers in the area.

As the crash victims waited for help, bees swarmed over them, Anatolia said.

The news agency's video footage showed men in beekeeping clothing placing an injured man — also in protective gear — onto a stretcher in a swarm of bees and broken beehives, and carrying him down a hillside.

Another person was seen hosing down the area to keep the bees away.

Anatolia showed rescuers in orange-colored overalls inside a vehicle, trying to kill the bees by squashing them against windows, using a blanket and rags.

Gov. Atlinparmak said some of the injured were in serious condition.

In a similar accident in 2006, bees repeatedly stung the two drivers of a truck that carried beehives and overturned on a road in central Turkey. Police, firefighters and journalists who rushed to the scene also were attacked.

NKorean media says Chinese premier to visit NKorea

By HYUNG-JIN KIM, Associated Press Writer

SEOUL, South Korea – Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao will travel to North Korea next week, Beijing's Foreign Ministry and Pyongyang's state media said Monday, amid a flurry of international efforts to convince the reclusive regime to return to stalled nuclear disarmament talks.

Wen will meet with North Korean leaders during the Oct. 4-6 visit to discuss bilateral ties and "issues of common concern," China's Foreign Ministry said in a statement. He will also attend celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, it said.

Pyongyang's Korean Central News Agency said in a brief dispatch earlier Monday that Wen will pay an "official goodwill" visit at the North Korean government's invitation.

Wen's trip comes after the North has taken a series of conciliatory gestures toward South Korea and the United States after months of tension over its nuclear and missile programs.

China, which is North Korea's biggest source of economic aid and diplomatic support, could be key in pushing for the resumption of the disarmament talks. The North pulled out of the talks with the U.S., South Korea, China, Russia and Japan in April to protest international criticism of a rocket launch.

Earlier Monday, Yonhap news agency reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong Il could announce some concrete denuclearization measures during Wen's visit.

Yonhap, citing unidentified diplomatic sources in Beijing, reported that Wen was expected to promise free food and fuel aid to the impoverished North in return for Kim's disarmament measures.

Washington's No. 2 diplomat expressed optimism that China would send a clear message to the North on international unity in calling for the North to return to the nuclear talks and disarm.

"The United States and all countries in the region are very clear that we do not intend to accept the idea of North Korea as a nuclear power and that there are clear consequences associated with the steps that they have taken," Deputy Secretary of State James B. Steinberg told reporters in Kuala Lumpur.

Steinberg, who started his regional tour with a visit to Vietnam this weekend, is to travel on to Beijing, Seoul and Tokyo. In Beijing, he was to meet Vice President Xi Jinping and State Councilor Dai Bingguo on Tuesday. In his remarks Monday, he did not specifically refer to Wen's trip.

The North has been insisting on one-on-one talks with the U.S. instead of the six-party nuclear talks. Washington, which had demanded the North first return to the six-nation negotiations, is now considering direct talks as part of its efforts to restart the six-party process.

Last month, Kim reportedly expressed willingness to engage in "bilateral and multilateral talks" during a meeting with Dai, who was dispatched as a presidential envoy to Pyongyang. That appeared to indicate the country could rejoin the six-party negotiations.

Wen is to meet South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama in a trilateral meeting on Oct. 10 in Beijing, which is expected to focus on North Korea's nuclear program and regional cooperation.

The foreign ministers of China, South Korea and China met in Shanghai, China, on Monday, to set the agenda for the summit and consider how to respond to North Korea's recent conciliatory gestures.

Philippine storm toll rises to 140 dead

By TERESA CEROJANO, Associated Press Writer

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines appealed for international help Monday after a tropical storm killed 140 people in the country's north and warned a new storm could strike this week, with tens of thousands of citizens still displaced from their homes.

At least 32 people were reported missing, and authorities were still trying to verify scores of unconfirmed deaths, including in the hard-hit capital Manila and nearby Rizal province, where there were reports that about 99 more people had died, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro said Teodoro said.

Tens of thousands of residents, meanwhile, began a massive cleanup of the carnage left by Tropical Storm Ketsana, which struck Saturday, bringing the region's worst flooding in 42 years and triggering deadly landslides.

The extent of devastation became clearer Monday with mud-covered communities, cars upended on city streets and huge numbers of villagers without drinking water, food and power.

In Manila's suburban Marikina city, a sofa hung from electric wires.

Resident Jeff Aquino said floodwaters rose to his home's third floor at the height of the storm, when it dumped more than a month's worth of rain in just 12 hours.

Aquino, his wife, three young children and two nephews spent that night on their roof without food and water, mixing infant formula for his 2-year-old twins with the falling rain.

"We thought it was the end for us," Aquino said.

Among those stranded by the floodwaters was young actress Christine Reyes, who was rescued by movie and TV heartthrob Richard Gutierrez from the rooftop of her home near Manila after she made a frantic call for help to a local TV network with her mobile phone.

"If the rains do not stop, the water will reach the roof. We do not know what to do. My mother doesn't know how to swim," she said, weeping.

Gutierrez, a close friend and Reyes' co-star in an upcoming movie, heard of her plight, borrowed an army speedboat and ferried Reyes, her mother and two young children to safety.

Since the storm struck, the government has declared a "state of calamity" in metropolitan Manila and 25 storm-hit provinces, allowing officials to use emergency funds for relief and rescue.

The homes of more than 450,000 people were inundated. Some 115,000 of them were brought to about 200 schools, churches and other evacuation shelters, officials said. Troops, police and volunteers have been able to rescue more than 7,900 people so far, Teodoro said.

He told a news conference that help from foreign governments will ensure that the Philippine government can continue its relief work. Government welfare officials have begun focusing on providing food, medicine and other necessities to those in emergency shelters.

Teodoro said government forecasters have monitored a low pressure area over the Pacific that could develop into a storm and possibly hit the country later this week, he said.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has said Ketsana and the flooding were "an extreme event" that "strained our response capabilities to the limit but ultimately did not break us."

The United States has donated $100,000 and deployed a military helicopter and five rubber boats manned by about 20 American soldiers from the country's south, where they have been providing counterterrorism training. The United Nations Children's Fund has also provided food and other aid.

Officials expected the death toll to rise as rescuers penetrate villages blocked off by floating cars and debris.

The 16.7 inches (42.4 centimeters) of rain that swamped metropolitan Manila in just 12 hours on Saturday exceeded the 15.4-inch (39.2-centimeter) average for all of September, chief government weather forecaster Nathaniel Cruz said.

Government forecasters tracked Ketsana moving toward Vietnam on Monday at about 372 miles (600 kilometers) west of the northern Philippines.

Muslims Repulse Jewish Attempt to Storm Aqsa

By Khalid Amayreh, IOL Correspondent

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM -- Dozens of Palestinians were hurt, two seriously, on Sunday, September 27, when crack Israeli policemen attacked worshipers who had just repulsed an attempt by Jewish extremists to hold Talmudic rituals at al-Haram al-Sharif.

“When the zealots were repulsed rather peacefully, the police became very outraged,” Mahmoud Abu Atta, an eyewitness, told IslamOnline.net.

“As many as 70 policemen attacked us indiscriminately, young and old, with full force, using rubber-coated bullets, truncheons, tear gas and even poisonous gas.”

An elderly man, identified as 73-year-old Muhammed Joulani, was hit with a rubber-coated bullet in the eye and his condition was described as “very serious.”

A young Palestinian, 22, was badly hurt in the head.

Dozens others suffered from tear gas inhalation as well as brutal beating by police which, eyewitnesses said, employed “exaggerated force.”

Eyewitnesses said tension began when dozens of Jewish religious zealots, disguised as tourists, stealthily entered Aqsa esplanade through its western gate, known as Bab el-Majles.

The intruders soon began, under police protection, performing Talmudic rites and making slogans calling for the destruction of the Islamic holy shrine.

Muslim guards as well as ordinary worshipers chased the Jewish zealots out.

“The police chased worshipers inside Aqsa Mosque, where the soldiers fired heavily into the holy place, causing many people to suffocate as a result of gas inhalation,” said Atta.

“I saw the police gang up on young people, beating them mercilessly. The police were not out to maintain law and order. They just wanted to retaliate and punish us for repulsing the fanatical settlers.”

Atta said the worshipers sought desperately to defend themselves against police brutality, using little stones, shoes and chairs.

Efforts by Jewish zealots to storm the Aqsa Mosque esplanade coincide with Yom Kippur holiday or Day of Atonement, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.

It coincides with then opposition leader Ariel Sharon’s provocative visit to al-Aqsa esplanade nine years ago which sparked off the al-Aqsa Intifada.

Muslim Duty

“Hence it is the responsibility of the entire Umma to protect and safeguard this holy place from Zionist plots and evil designs,” Sheikh Sabri told IOL.

Muslim officials in Al-Quds (occupied East Jerusalem) had earlier called on Muslims throughout the city to go to al-Haram al-Sharif to protect it from Jewish fanatics trying to gain a foot-hold.

“We constantly urge Muslims here to maintain a permanent and uninterrupted presence at the Aqsa Mosque,” Dr. Sheikh Ikrma Sabri, the imam of Aqsa Mosque, told IOL.

Hundreds of Jerusalemites and other Muslims from across the Green Line (Israel) arrived at the Mosque to repulse the zealots.

Confrontations broke out near Bab el-Majles when Israeli police prevented hundreds of Muslims, including leaders of the Islamic movement, from entering the Haram compound.

Many were detained and taken away to nearby police lockups.

Police also assaulted Abdul Azim Salhab, Head of the Supreme Muslim Council, as he was trying to enter al-Haram al-Sharif through the northern Gate, known as Bab el Asbat.

They also prevented a number of prominent Muslim religious and civic figures from entering the Aqsa esplanade, including Dr. Sheikh Sabri.

Hatem Abdul Qader, a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, was also barred from entering the Haram.

“The preservation of Aqsa Mosque is not the sole responsibility of Muslims in Palestine, because the holy sanctuary belongs to the entire Muslim Umma,” insisted Sheikh Sabri.

“Hence it is the responsibility of the entire Umma to protect and safeguard this holy place from Zionist plots and evil designs.”

Al-Aqsa is the Muslims’ first Qiblah [direction Muslims take during prayers] and it is the third holiest shrine after Al Ka`bah in Makkah and Prophet Muhammad's Mosque in Madinah, Saudi Arabia.

Its significance has been reinforced by the incident of Al Isra'a and Al Mi'raj — the night journey from Makkah to Al-Quds and the ascent to the Heavens by Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings be Upon Him).

The Supreme Muslim Council of Al-Quds earlier issued a call on Muslims around the world urging them to stand firm in the face of Israel’s criminal conspiracies against Aqsa Mosque.

Israeli religious leaders, including Knesset members, are making no secret of their schemes regarding Al-Aqsa.

The Temple Mount Faithful, an extremist fanatical group, is dedicated to the demolition of Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock.

The Temple Mount Institute, another extremist Jewish society, had prepared detailed plans for the rebuilding of the so-called Solomon Temple on the rubble of Al-Aqsa.

It has a large prototype of the temple, special clothes for its rabbis, special places for sacrificial offerings, incense chalice, copper vessels for meal offerings, silver vessel for wine libation and other offering implements.

Manila ask for help as storm death toll rises

The Philippine government has appealed for urgent aid for the damage from the Saturday's tropical storm which lashed the Philippines.

"We are concentrating on massive relief operations, but the system is overwhelmed, local government units are overwhelmed," Anthony Golez, the deputy administrator of the National Disaster Co-ordinating Council (NDCC), told reporters on Monday.

The floods have been described as the worst flooding in the northern Philippines in more than four decades.

The National Disaster Coordinating Council announced Monday that at least 100 people have been reported dead and 32 others missing as a result of the storm, which inundated the densely-populated capital, Manila, displacing nearly half a million.

The government declared a "state of emergency" in Manila and 25 storm-hit provinces, allowing officials to use emergency funds for relief and rescue.

Military forces, along with the police and civilian volunteers plucked dead bodies from muddy flood waters and rescued drenched survivors from rooftops.

More than 451,000 people were affected by the storm, including some 115,000 people who were brought to 200 different schools, churches and other evacuation shelters, officials said.

Troops, police and volunteers have so far been able to rescue more than 7,900 people, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro said on Monday.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=107314§ionid=351020406.

Tehran Vocal Ensemble wins gold in Spain

The Tehran Vocal Ensemble has won a gold medal in Mixed Choir Section of the 11th edition of Spain's International Folksong Choir Festival in Barcelona.

Conducted by Milad Omranlou, the 16-member group performed five folkloric pieces. The auspicious performances gained 93 scores for the ensemble to oust the competition and secure the Mixed Choir Section's gold medal.

According to Omranlou, the ensemble's closing performance in the Barcelona's Church S. Maria del Pi - Barrio Gotico was indeed well received by audience and jury.

The ensemble, which was awarded two medals at the 2009 World Choir Championship in Gyeognam, South Korea, had serious rivals from Croatia, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Italy and Norway.

A group of four musicians and choir directors including Germany's Michael Rinscheid, Estonia's Kai Toe Ellermaa, Italy's Felix Resch and Czech Republic's Miroslav Kosler judged the performances.

Riyadh 'offers airspace' for Israel attack on Iran

Mon Sep 28, 2009

Israeli fighter jets have been allowed to use Saudi airspace to launch go-it-alone air strikes on Iranian nuclear installations, says a recent report.

The issue has been discussed in a closed-door meeting in London, where British Intelligence Chief Sir John Scarlett his Israeli counterpart, Meir Dagan, and Saudi official have been present Daily Express.

According to the report Scarlett has been told that Saudi airspace would be at Israel's disposal should Tel Aviv decide to move forward with his military plans against Iran.

The British daily added the likelihood of an Israeli attack against Iran has increased significantly after the country announced plans to launch its second enrichment facility in the central city of Qom.

In line with its policy of nuclear transparency, Iran announced the construction of a second enrichment plant in a letter to the UN nuclear watchdog on September 21. The new plant is due to produce enriched uranium up to 5 percent.

The letter was sent 12 months before the agency's regulations oblige its members states to inform of new developments.

With eyes firmly fixed on Iran's nuclear progressions, the right-wing government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly threatened to bomb the country's enrichment facilities out of existence.

Tel Aviv accuses Tehran of nuclear weapons development - a charge rejected by both Iran and the UN nuclear watchdog, which has so far made "21 unannounced inspections" of the country's nuclear facilities.

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

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

Details of the controversial Israeli plans to attack Iran emerged after John Bolton, the former US ambassador to the United Nations, recently told a group of intelligence analysts that “Riyadh certainly approves” of Israel's use of Saudi airspace in the event of war with Iran.

Bolton, had previously said he had discussed the possibility with Saudi officials in closed-door meetings. “None of them would say anything about it publicly but they would certainly acquiesce in an overflight if the Israelis didn't trumpet it as a big success.”

The recent revelations follow a flurry of media reports in July, which suggested the Saudi government had approved the use of its airspace for an attack.

While Saudi officials deny having diplomatic ties with Tel Aviv, an Israeli defense source has confirmed that the Mossad spy agency maintained “working relations” with the kingdom.

According to a study published by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a military exchange between Iran and Israel could result in the death of as many as 6 million people.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://edition.presstv.ir/detail/107317.html.

Syria agrees to end violations to Yarmouk water sharing deal

AMMAN (JT) - Jordan and Syria agreed Sunday to install devices at the Yarmouk River to measure the quantity of water in the river to ensure that previous deals on water sharing are respected.

At the conclusion of the meetings on Sunday of the Jordanian-Syrian Committee of the Yarmouk River Basin, the two sides also agreed to give priority to saving water from the river in the Wihdeh Dam, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The dam is a joint project between the two countries.

Minister of Water and Irrigation Raed Abu Saud was quoted by Petra as saying it was also agreed to remove agricultural development projects on the Syrian side of the river, which weaken water flow into the dam, to slow the depletion of the river.

Under agreements signed between the two countries, Syria's share of water from the Wihdeh Dam is six million cubic metres (mcm) for agricultural purposes, provided that the dam reaches its full capacity of 110mcm. The quota decreases proportionately in accordance with the volume of storage.

But for the first time since its construction three years ago, the dam held only 18mcm by April, and thus Syria's share declined to 1mcm. The neighboring country, however, has been pumping more than its allocated share to water vegetables planted all the way from downstream of Wihdeh Dam to Al Raqqad Valley on the banks of the Yarmouk River.

Technical committees from both sides will conduct field visits to the river to check on the implementation of the agreement, according to the minister.

The two sides, he said, are also due to conduct a comprehensive study on the Yarmouk Basin to preserve its water and stop its depletion, adding that the study will not contradict the agreement the two countries signed in 1987.

The Yarmouk River is a tributary of the Jordan River, originating in the southeastern slopes of Mount Hermon and forming a boundary between Syria and Jordan for almost 40 kilometres before becoming the border between the Kingdom and Israel.

Also Sunday, Prime Minister Nader Dahabi instructed Minister of Industry and Trade Amer Hadidi and Minister of Transport Sahel Majali to pay a visit to the home of Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Naji Otri's house to check on his health, Petra reported.

The two ministers were in Damascus to participate in the preparatory meetings of the Joint Jordanian-Syrian Higher Committee.

The two sides agreed to postpone the higher committee meetings for a second time Thursday during a phone call between Dahabi and Otri, who is recovering from a "successful surgery".

During the meetings, Jordan and Syria will look into signing 13 agreements and memoranda of understanding in various fields.

Jordan to go solo with Red Sea to Dead Sea pipeline

AMMAN, Sep 27, 2009 (AFP) - Jordan has decided to go it alone and build a two-billion-dollar pipeline from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea without help from proposed partners Israel and the Palestinian Authority, an official told AFP.

"Jordan is thirsty and cannot wait any longer," said Fayez Batayneh, the country's chief representative in the mega-project to provide drinking water and begin refilling the Dead Sea, which is on course to dry out by 2050.

"Israel and the Palestinians have raised no objection to Jordan starting on the first phase by itself," Batayneh said.

"The first stage, at an estimated cost of two billion dollars, will begin in 2010 and should be completed in 2014 on a BOT (build, operate, transfer) basis," he said.

The plan is for the pipeline to draw off 310 million cubic metres (10.5 billion cubic feet) of water each year, of which 240 million will be fed into the desalination plant at the Jordanian Red Sea port of Aqaba, enabling an annual production of 120 million cubic metres of drinking water.

Batayneh said the remaining 190 million cubic metres will be channeled towards the Dead Sea, the saltiest natural lake on the planet and the lowest point on the earth's surface.

Jordan, where the population of six million people is expanding by 3.5 percent a year, is recognized as one of the 10 driest countries in the world, with desert covering 92 percent of its territory.

The kingdom relies mainly on winter rain for its water needs, which are projected to reach 1.6 billion cubic metres in 2015.

Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Jordan agreed in 2005 on the outlines of a project to channel two billion cubic metres of water a year via a 200-hilometre (120-mile) canal in order to restore the level of the Dead Sea, produce fresh water and generate electricity.

The total cost of the scheme has been estimated at 11 billion dollars.

Hijaz Railway begins operating daily Zarqa-Amman service

AMMAN - A train ferrying passengers between Amman and Zarqa began operating a daily service on Sunday, according to the Jordan Hijaz Railway (JHR).

The train departs from Zarqa at 6:45am and returns at 4:30pm, according to JHR Director General Mahmoud Khazaaleh.

The fare for a one-way journey, which takes about 45 minutes, is 250 fils.

If the need arises, the JHR can operate two trains per trip, each with a maximum capacity of 400 passengers, according to the railway.

"We decided to operate a daily service after we found there was a good turnout for the service we introduced during Ramadan to transport passengers between Amman and Zarqa," Khazaaleh told The Jordan Times in a phone interview on Sunday.

According to Khazaaleh, the train, which runs on the original Hijaz rail tracks, ferried over 7,000 passengers during the fasting month.

In addition, the JHR will operate a train for tourists from Amman to Al Jizah as of next Friday, he said, noting that the fare will be JD2 for adults and JD1 for children.

"We want to activate the train and encourage people to use it as it has not carried passengers for a long time," he said.

The Hijaz Railway was built a century ago at an estimated cost of five million Ottoman gold liras.

In September 1900, Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid called on Muslims across the world to collect donations for establishing a rail track between Damascus and the holy sites in Saudi Arabia to facilitate the transport of pilgrims.

Construction started the same year with a telegraph line alongside the track connecting Damascus with Medina via Amman.

The 1,303km-long track reached Medina in 1908, but never made it to Mecca because work was eventually interrupted by the outbreak of World War I.

Its first trip to Saudi Arabia set off on August 20 of that year, carrying a large number of Arab pilgrims for the Hajj - a 60-hour trip.

By Mohammad Ghazal

Iran deplores Germany's support for terrorists

As Iran and the major world powers prepare to hold talks about leading global issues, a top Iranian nuclear official has slammed Germany's support for terrorists.

"We believe that common concerns of the international community about terrorism can be a topic for [bilateral] cooperation," Der Spiegel quoted Saeed Jalili Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council as saying.

"Firstly, we must reach a common definition about terrorism. Following this, areas which are threatened by terrorism will be determined," he added.

Referring to the continued violence which is claiming the lives of civilians in war-ravaged Afghanistan for m ore than eight years, Jalili stressed the importance of adopting a new and different approach and bring welfare and peace to the Afghan people.

“If NATO sends tractors to Afghanistan instead of tanks, the Afghans will benefit more."

Jalili went on to criticize wrong policies by certain Western countries in Iraq adding that the fight against terrorism in the country is also among other issues for joint cooperation.

“ The fight against terrorism in Iraq is an example for mutual cooperation. But there are terrorists in Iraq who are supported by the German government," Jalili said.

The Iranian official expressed regret that not only "the Germans did not cooperate" in the fight against terrorists, but "provided more support for them".

He said he had asked the German government to cooperate in the anti-terrorism move when he served as Iran's deputy foreign minister. "After three years, they did nothing."

Asked whether Iran would discuss all issues, but its nuclear program during Thursday talks, he said, "We believe that the West has concerns about all topics, but the nuclear issue"

"The West takes no action on disarmament while countries that possess nuclear weapons threaten the world. According to Article VI of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, all the nuclear-weapon-states should draw up a roadmap toward fulfilling their disarmament obligations," Jalili said.

He deplored dual approaches of certain Western states and Germany in particular and said, "If disarmament is a matter of concern, it should be addressed in all aspects."

"However, we witnessed contradictory attitudes. During last week's session of the International Atomic Energy Agency and its Board of Governors, a resolution was ratified on supervision of nuclear activities in the Zionist regime [Israel], but many Western states including Germany opposed it."

After Iran presented its new package of proposals to the five permanent members of the UN Security Council -- Russia, China, Britain, France and the US -- plus Germany (P5+1), Tehran and the six major powers agreed to hold wide-ranging discussions on global issues as well as Iran's rifts with some Western countries on October 1 in Geneva.

"We believe that all countries should have nuclear energy for peaceful means and no country should possess nuclear weapons," Jalili said.

"We speak about an international disarmament. The United States and Europe should also move in this direction instead of turning into nuclear arsenals," he added.

"The West is concerned about thousands of centrifuges in Iran, but does it feel concerned about the existence of the many arsenals inside its own territory?"

The top nuclear negotiator stressed that nuclear weapons are not legitimate in Iran.

"We believe that nuclear weapons will not bring security to any country. We are resolute to move in line with international disarmament," Jalili concluded.

Iran faces pressure to halt its nuclear enrichment activities, as some Western countries, under pressure from the US and Israel, claim that its program is aimed at building a nuclear bomb.

Tehran, however, has consistently denied seeking nuclear weapons and has called for the dismantling of all weapons of mass destruction across the globe.

Iran says that major powers particularly the US, Britain and France have and continue to deceive the world nations by violating the Non-Proliferation Treaty articles of the last 40 years.

Western countries have a "long-term strategy" and a "hidden agenda" to "destroy and jeopardize the spirit of cooperation between Iran and the IAEA in order to find an excuse and pretext for sanctions and other measures," Iran's Ambassador to the agency Ali-Asghar Soltaniyeh told Press TV.

Iran conducts third round of missile tests

By ALI AKBAR DAREINI, Associated Press Writer

TEHRAN, Iran – Iran said it successfully test-fired the longest-range missiles in its arsenal on Monday, weapons capable of carrying a warhead and striking Israel, U.S. military bases in the Middle East, and parts of Europe.

State television said the powerful Revolutionary Guard, which controls Iran's missile program, successfully tested the medium-range Shahab-3 and Sajjil missiles with can fly up to 1,200 miles (2,000 kilometers). It was the third round of missile tests in two days of drills by the Guard.

The Sajjil-2 missile is Iran's most advanced two-stage surface-to-surface missile and is powered entirely by solid-fuel while the older Shahab-3 uses a combination of solid and liquid fuel in its most advanced form.

Solid fuel is seen as a technological breakthrough for any missile program as solid fuel increases the accuracy of missiles in reaching targets.

The war games come at a time when Iran is under intense international pressure to fully disclose its nuclear activities. They began Sunday, two days after the U.S. and its allies disclosed that Iran had been secretly developing an underground uranium enrichment facility and warned the country it must open the site to international inspection or face harsher international sanctions.

Gen. Hossein Salami, head of the Revolutionary Guard Air Force, said Sunday the drills were meant to show Tehran is prepared to crush any military threat from another country.

The revelation of Iran's previously secret nuclear site has given greater urgency to a key meeting on Thursday in Geneva between Iran and six major powers trying to stop its suspected nuclear weapons program.

Alex Vatanka, a senior Middle East analyst at IHS Jane's, said Tehran was conducting missile tests now "to show some muscle, show some strength, and say the game is not over for Iran yet." He noted the upcoming meeting in Geneva.

"They felt going into these meetings ... that they needed to have something else to bolster their position, and I think that Iran's Revolutionary Guard showing a bit of military muscle here is part of that," he said.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she doesn't believe Iran can convince the U.S. and other world powers at the upcoming meeting that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, as Tehran has long claimed. That puts Tehran on a course for tougher economic penalties beyond the current "leaky sanctions," she said.

The nuclear site was revealed in the arid mountains near the holy city of Qom and is believed to be inside a heavily guarded, underground facility belonging to the Revolutionary Guard, according to a document sent by President Barack Obama's administration to lawmakers.

After the strong condemnations from the U.S. and its allies, Iran said Saturday it will allow U.N. nuclear inspectors to examine the site.

Israel has trumpeted the latest discoveries as proof of its long-held assertion that Iran is seeking nuclear weapons.

By U.S. estimates, Iran is one to five years away from having nuclear weapons capability, although U.S. intelligence also believes that Iranian leaders have not yet made the decision to build a weapon.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Hasan Qashqavi identified the newly revealed site as Fordo, a village located 180 kilometers south of the capital Tehran. The site is 100 kilometers away from Natanz, Iran's known industrial-scale uranium enrichment plant.

Qashqavi, however, said the missile tests had nothing to do with the tension over the site, saying it was part of routine, long-planned military exercises.

Iran also is developing ballistic missiles that could carry a nuclear warhead, but the administration said last week that it believes that effort has been slowed. That assessment paved the way for Obama's decision to shelve the Bush administration's plan for a missile shield in Europe, which was aimed at defending against Iranian ballistic missiles.

State media reported tests overnight of the Shahab-1 and Shahab-2 missiles, with ranges of 185 miles (300 kilometers) and 435 miles (700 kilometers) respectively.

That followed tests early Sunday of the short range Fateh and Tondar missiles, which have a range of 120 miles (193 kilometers) and 93 miles (150 kilometers) respectively.

Iran's last known missile tests were in May when it fired its longest-range solid-fuel missile, Sajjil-2. Tehran said the two-stage surface-to-surface missile has a range of about 1,200 miles (1,900 kilometers) — capable of striking Israel, U.S. Mideast bases and southeastern Europe.

UN asks Dhaka to detail Rohingya refugee issue

Anisur Rahman

Dhaka, Sep 28 (PTI) A top UN agency has sought details from Bangladesh about Myanmar's Rohingya refugees who took shelter in the country to evade persecution in the military ruled neighboring nation.

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has asked Dhaka to provide precise details about Myanmar's Rohingya refugees to be included in the 'upcoming Washington- Yangon talks' as an agenda, reports said here today.

The state-run BSS news agency and New Age newspaper reported that UNHCR representative Saber Azam sought the details as he met law minister Shafique Ahmed yesterday.

"The UNHCR has sought a 'correct statistics' for Rohingya refugees so that the issue can be included in the negotiations between United States and Myanmar, preparations for which are under way," Ahmed said after the meeting.

Erdogan: Focus on Israeli nukes not Iran N energy program

The Turkish president has condemned Western countries' focus on Iran's nuclear program, stressing that the world should deal with Israel's nuclear weapons instead.

Turkey's "Radikal" newspaper on Sunday reported that Recep Tayyip Erdogan's strong comments against Israel's nuclear program was similar to his "one minute" stance in Davos in January when he walked out of a televised debate with his Israeli counterpart Shimon Peres.

Erdogan told reporters in New York that Iran's nuclear program is not aimed at "military ends".

The Turkish president noted that Israel has "nuclear weapons" and has used "phosphorous bombs" against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

"Why these are not on the agenda? It is always Iran…" Erdogan told reporters in New York.

"If only Iran is put on the world agenda, then we may neglect other issues such as the Gaza [conflict] that should be addressed," he said.

Erdogan, upon his arrival to Istanbul from New York, said that during his meetings in the UN General Assembly and the G20 leaders' summit in Pittsburg, no military option against Iran has been on agenda.

Iran's northwestern neighbor has also urged caution over imposing any new sanctions on Tehran, saying they will not be useful.

The Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is due to visit Tehran next month to discuss Iran's nuclear program with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Erdogan ruled out any attempts to impose sanctions on Tehran's gas industry, saying sanctions would be especially problematic for its neighbor Turkey.

The Turkish president has plans to visit Iran next month to help resolve the dispute over Tehran's nuclear program.

"I will make a trip to Iran towards the end of October... We will discuss regional problems, including this (nuclear) one," Turkey's Anatolia news agency quoted Erdogan as saying.

Israel, which is the only possessor of nuclear weapons in the Middle East and has imposed seveal wars on the region, accuses Iran of trying to develop a military nuclear program and has repeatedly voiced its determination to halt the Islamic Republic's nuclear program through military options.

Unlike Israel, Iran is a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and has been pushing for a the removal of all weapons of mass destruction across the globe.

Tehran says its nuclear program is being pursued within the framework of the IAEA and international regulations.

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

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

Palestinian factions warn of new Intifada

Several Palestinian factions, including the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) and the Hamas resistance movement have warned of a new Intifada, or uprising.

The warning by the Palestinian groups came after Israeli police beat up Palestinian Muslim worshipers in al-Quds on Sunday. The Israeli police had accompanied a radical Jewish group.

The Jewish group tried to break into the yard of the al-Haram al-Sharif, where the Muslims first Shrine, the al-Aqsa mosque is, in the eastern part of al-Quds.

PNA's minister of religious affairs, Mahmoud al-Habbash told Xinhua that the continuation of such attacks on the Muslim holy site "would lead to another new Intifada in the region".

Palestinian witnesses said Israeli police forces, which accompanied the Jewish worshipers, fired tear gas and sonic blasters at the Palestinians and beat them with sticks, wounding at least ten people.

Ismail Radwam, a Hamas member, was quoted by Xinhua as saying that Hamas had called for popular rallies and processions later on Sunday in support for the prayers at the al-Aqsa Mosque.

Jordan summons Israeli envoy over al-Aqsa

Jordan's foreign ministry has summoned the Israeli envoy to Amman to protest violation of the al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli soldiers.

The Jordanian foreign ministry handed a strongly-worded protest to the Israeli charge d'affaires on Sunday, condemning the breaking into Jerusalem's (Al-Quds) al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli soldiers, the official Petra news agency reported.

"The Israeli envoy was asked to convey to his government Jordan's strong protest over the breaking into al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli troops as well as its astonishment over this flagrant aggression," Petra said.

"Jordan also demanded an immediate halt to such provocative Israeli actions that threaten security in the region and derail peace efforts," it added.

Earlier Sunday, clashes erupted between Palestinians in eastern Al-Quds and the Israeli police as a group of Jewish extremists broke into the compound of al-Aqsa mosque, the third holiest shrine in Islam. About 16 Palestinians were injured in the clashes.

The Jordanian Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communication, Nabil Sharif, said that his government "rejects any attempt by Israeli soldiers to violate the sanctity of the Islamic shrine, which is guaranteed by international law and conventions."

"We are surprised over this incitement of violence which takes place as international efforts focus on the resumption of negotiations for finding a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict."

He vowed that his government would "do its utmost through all means to ensure the protection of holy places in al-Aqsa."

Under a peace treaty which Jordan and Israel signed in 1994, Amman has the right to look after both Islamic and Christian shrines in Al-Quds, which the UN still deems occupied territory.

A declaration of independents in 2010

Alex Isenstadt

Independent candidates are poised to run serious campaigns for governor in at least a half-dozen states, a development that threatens Democratic fortunes in some of the bluest and most progressive-minded states in the nation.

In New Jersey, where Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine is seeking a second term in November, polls suggest an independent candidate is carving a sizable portion of voters out of his hide.

In two other reliably Democratic states, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, well-known politicians running as independents could significantly undermine Democratic chances in 2010, if not flat-out win. Credible third-party candidates are also mulling over bids in a handful of other states that have open seat governor’s races next year — including Minnesota and Maine, both of which have a recent history of electing third-party governors.

November will provide the first test of whether these candidates are getting traction. That’s when New Jersey voters will go to the polls to choose among Corzine, Republican Chris Christie and independent Chris Daggett, a moderate former Republican who once worked as deputy chief of staff to Gov. Tom Kean.

According to a Public Policy Polling survey released last week, Daggett is trailing in third place with 13 percent of the vote — well behind the two major party nominees but a significant portion for a non-major party candidate.

More important, the survey found that Daggett is capturing 15 percent of the Democratic vote, compared with just 7 percent of the GOP vote, in a race where the embattled Corzine can’t afford to lose much Democratic support.

“It’s Democrats who are disgusted with Corzine but who can’t quite bring themselves to vote for Christie,” noted Tom Jensen of Public Policy Polling.

Daggett attributes his showing at least in part to frustration with both the Democratic and Republican parties.

“The level of distrust of both parties is very high,” Daggett told POLITICO. “You’ve got an opportunity for an independent candidate to run a different kind of campaign.”

The volatile political environment, some strategists say, is fertile ground for nontraditional candidacies.

“My guess is when there is a pox on all of your houses, people in some states are more willing to vote for an independent,” said one top Democratic strategist who is a veteran of governors’ races. “It’s a piss-poor environment, and a number of people are looking for someone new.”

The unique contour of the current election landscape is another reason for the spate of viable third-party candidacies. Vermont GOP Gov. Jim Douglas’s recent decision not to seek a fifth term in 2010 means that more than half of the 39 governorships up for election this year and next will be open-seat races with no incumbent running.

For Democrats, who must defend 21 of their 28 governorships, the problem is especially concentrated. They are defending more governorships than Republicans, against the backdrop of a midterm election — and midterms are historically more hostile to the party in power.

Tim Penny, a former Democratic congressman from Minnesota who failed in a 2002 Independence Party bid for governor, said that independent candidates have special appeal in left-leaning states that are unhappy with their Democratic choices but unwilling to vote for a Republican.

“It seems that there is some disaffection among people who would normally think of themselves as Democrats,” said Penny, who compared the situation this election cycle with 1992, when independent Ross Perot siphoned off Republican voters in the presidential race, enabling Democrat Bill Clinton to defeat incumbent George H.W. Bush. “I think you’re going to see independent candidates being a threat to Democratic incumbents.”

For Democrats in Rhode Island, where the party has been shut out of the governor’s office for 14 years, the independent candidacy of former Sen. Lincoln Chafee is viewed as a serious blow to their chances of winning the open governor’s seat.

Chafee, a former Republican senator running in a state Barack Obama won in a landslide, has been critical of both parties — even going so far as to take a shot at President Obama, whom he endorsed in the 2008 presidential race, for not reaching out to congressional Republicans.

Since entering the race earlier this year, Chafee, a persistent thorn in the side of the GOP since he bolted in 2007, has aggressively portrayed himself as a candidate who offers a fresh “third way” approach to politics.

“There’s real opportunity for a new way,” Chafee told POLITICO.

Emily DeRose, a spokeswoman for the Democratic Governors Association, dismissed Daggett and Chafee as little more than Republicans masquerading as something different and said they would have little ability to draw Democratic votes on Election Day.

“These GOP candidates are disguising themselves as independents because the Republican brand is still so toxic,” said DeRose. “They can’t hide their records, though.”

In strongly Democratic Massachusetts, Gov. Deval Patrick, a Democrat facing a tough reelection battle, the serious third-party challenge comes in the shape of a former party colleague — state Treasurer Tim Cahill.

Cahill, who switched to become an independent earlier this year, hasn’t been shy about singling out Patrick for blame over the state’s dire fiscal situation.

“I’ve been sounding the alarm for 18 months about revenues,” Cahill told a group of business leaders in Boston earlier this month. “Unfortunately, the message has not been heard on Beacon Hill or by the executive branch.”

While Cahill ran second to Patrick in a recent poll and could conceivably defeat him in a general election, it’s also possible that his centrist positioning could end up inadvertently assisting the governor by providing a way station for disaffected Democrats who might otherwise have voted Republican.

Cahill’s odds of winning are long — no independent candidate has ever been elected governor of Massachusetts. But the same cannot be said of three other states, where independent and third-party candidates have had a recent record of success.

In Maine, Minnesota and Vermont, all with wide-open governor’s races, insiders expect viable third-party candidates to make bids.

In Minnesota, where Dean Barkley served as the chairman of Jesse Ventura’s successful 1998 Reform Party campaign for governor, there is talk of a Barkley candidacy in 2010. In the 2008 Senate race, Barkley won 15 percent while running on the Independence Party line.

In Maine, where independent Angus King won two terms as governor in 1994 and 1998, Peter Vigue, a prominent construction company executive, is talking up a prospective independent bid. Nearby Vermont could see a repeat bid by Anthony Pollina, running on the Progressive ticket. Pollina won 22 percent in his 2008 run for governor — and captured more votes than the Democratic nominee.

The last time heavily Democratic Vermont had an open governor’s race in 2002, an independent candidate played a significant role in the outcome — a GOP victory — by winning 10 percent of the vote.

“I think all states are unique to a certain degree, but some states are more unique than others,” said Bill Hillsman, a strategist for Daggett who also worked on Ventura’s successful campaign in Minnesota.

Second ASA Summit ends as Venezuelan president announces final declaration

September 28, 2009

The second Africa-South America (ASA) Summit ended Sunday as Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez announced that the final declaration was approved.

"The Margarita Declaration and Action Plan have been approved," he told the plenary session in Porlamar, Margarita Island of Venezuela.

Some 20 leaders from African and South American countries attended the summit to discuss issues concerning education, health, energy and global economic crisis.

The declaration covers issues concerning climate change and building alternative financial mechanism to counter the current economic crisis and stave off possible future crises.

The declaration also urges signatories to seek social justice, social inclusion, equality and mutual respect, and to fight human trafficking and transnational crimes.

"The key thing is to assume the responsibility and maintain the willingness for independent decision-making," Libyan leader Muammar Ghaddafi told the closing session of the meeting.

Food security was a major topic at the summit, as Venezuela signed an agreement with the Food and Agriculture Organization to help build irrigation infrastructure, donate certified seeds and train staff in African nations, and provide grants for African students in Venezuela.

On the sidelines of the summit, Venezuela signed agreements with Sierra Leone to form a joint mining company. It also signed an oil agreement with South Africa.

Earlier on Sunday, Ecuador's President Rafael Correa urged African and South American countries to work together and redress the asymmetry in economic development.

Also on Sunday, Nigerien President Mamadou Tandja said the alliance between South America and Africa would help boost the sustainable development of both regions.

"The South-South alliance will give our countries the opportunity to break the vicious cycle of poverty," Tandja said.

Meanwhile, President of Comoros Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi proposed that the two continents work together in developing education and building agricultural infrastructure.

The first ASA Summit was held in Abuja, Nigeria in November 2006, which ended with the "Abuja Declaration" and "Plan of Action" aimed at enhancing cooperation between the two regions.

The next ASA Summit will be held in Libya in September 2010.

Source: People's Daily.
Link: http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90852/6771365.html.

Zuma: Chavez is 'interesting character'

President Jacob Zuma has described his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chavez as an "interesting character", while attending an Africa-South America summit in Venezuela's Margarita Island.

"I've known him for quite a while, he is quite an energetic man, quite talkative," Zuma told SABC radio on Monday, in reply to a question on whether Chavez was seeking South African backing in his "campaign against the United States".

"[He] is full of ideas, I think he's very genuine about the people, he believes in the people, that he should deliver to the people.

"He wants to speak ideas all the time and as he finds an opportunity, he makes the point. I think he's an interesting character," said Zuma.

Zuma and a delegation of government ministers are in Venezuela for bilateral talks aimed at strengthening relations between African and Latin-American countries.

Zuma was scheduled to meet Chavez and Chilean president Michele Bachelet and Uruguay president Tabare Vazquest in the two-day summit in Venezuela's Margarita Island.

"These engagements are aimed at strengthening South-South co-operation as well as bilateral relations between South Africa and her Latin American counterparts," the presidency said earlier.

Chavez has accused former US President George Bush of trying to topple him and more recently said he was certain the US government was still trying to remove him from office.

He has also repeatedly criticized US plans to begin operating out of military bases in neighbouring Colombia.

'Chandrayaan-2 will try to get details about water on moon'

G Madhavan Nair, chairperson of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), has played a key role in the design and development of the four-stage Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), the workhorse of ISRO. The PSLV launched the Indian mooncraft, Chandrayaan-1 on its journey to the moon. The mission has won worldwide acclaim after one of its foreign payloads, NASA's Moon Mineralogy Mapper, discovered water molecules. Nair spoke to Srinivas Laxman:

What's the impact of the discovery on our space programme?

The discovery of water has really reinforced India's position as a growing space power. Its status has considerably gone up and this is evident from the several congratulatory messages which we have received from different parts of the world and the various space agencies. We will be getting more and more significant data.

What's the next step?

In the mooncraft there are a number of supporting instruments. These will be used for further confirmation of the presence of water molecules. This whole process is expected to take three to six months. In addition, we are also eagerly awaiting the results from NASA's LCROSS (Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite) spacecraft that will crashland at Cabeus, a crater near the moon's south pole, on October 9. This mission is also expected to search for water ice.

On Friday, you said it was ISRO's Moon Impact Probe (MIP) which crashlanded near the Shackleton Crater in the lunar south pole on November 14, 2008, that first detected signs of water. Why was this important fact not publicized earlier?

The MIP first detected signals of water while it was descending towards the lunar surface on November 14. Since it was a short duration flight we could not make any positive announcement that it had detected signals of water until we got firm proof and confirmation. This took about 10 months and now that we have concrete evidence about the presence of water we decided to announce the discovery by MIP.

In which part of the moon was water found?

In the polar regions.

What is the status of the second Indian moon mission, Chandrayaan-2?

We expect to launch it in 2013. It is a joint Indo-Russian mission that, apart from the orbiter, will have a lander and two rovers. This mission will also attempt to obtain more details about water.

Has ISRO started receiving scientific proposals for this moon flight?

Yes, suggestions have started coming in and the process of evaluating them will start soon.

Which is ISRO's next mission?

We are preparing for the launch of the Geo Synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle towards the end of December that will have an indigenous cryogenic engine. The rocket will carry the GSat-4 communication satellite.

Germany's Merkel preparing for new government

By KIRSTEN GRIESHABER, Associated Press Writer

BERLIN – Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday set about laying the groundwork for her new, center-right coalition with the pro-business Free Democrats after German voters returned her to office for a second term.

Merkel was to hold meetings Monday with leaders of her Christian Democratic Party, to prepare for upcoming coalition talks with the pro-business Free Democrats, whose leader Guido Westerwelle is widely expected to be tapped as her deputy and foreign minister.

Merkel's CDU and its Bavaria-only sister, the Christian Social Union, won 33.8 percent of the vote and the Free Democrats captured 14.6 percent — together enough to ensure a majority in parliament. Merkel's former partner in the uneasy "grand coalition", the Social Democrats, took 23 percent. The Left Party had 11.9 percent and the Greens 10.7 percent.

"We have managed to achieve our election aim of a stable majority in Germany for a new government," Merkel told supporters, beaming despite her party's worst showing since 1953.

The result gave the conservatives 239 seats and the Free Democrats 93 in the lower house — for a comfortable center-right majority of 332 seats to 290. The Social Democrats won 146, the Left Party 76 and the Greens 68.

Merkel, 55, had said she would hold "swift and decisive" coalition talks with Westerwelle. The new center-right government is expected to lower taxes in an effort to spur growth and create jobs.

Germany's economy — Europe's largest — has been badly hit by the downturn. Though it returned to modest growth in the second quarter and business confidence is rising, gross domestic product is still expected to shrink by 5 percent or more this year — easily the worst performance since World War II.

That is expected to create hurdles for the next government because a rising budget deficit bloated by stimulus spending during the crisis will make it harder to deliver the promised tax cuts.

"We are ready to take on this responsibility," Westerwelle, 47, told his supporters at the party's election night celebration in Berlin.

Free Democrat deputy leader Andreas Pinkwart told WDR television his party would remain steadfast in its push for tax relief, "above all for families with children."

"Among the leading industrial nations, there is hardly one with such a high tax burden for families as in Germany," Pinkwart said.

Among the thorniest issues that face the new government is its participation in the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan. In the weeks ahead of the election, extremists from al-Qaida and the Taliban both issued messages aimed at Germany, including threats of retaliation if they did not withdraw their 4,200 troops.

UN chief urges ASEAN to help in Myanmar issue

United Nations, Sep 27 : UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has stressed the important role of South-East Asian nations in encouraging Myanmar to do what is in the best interests of its people and of the wider region.

Addressing a gathering here of the foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Mr Ban said yesterday that Myanmar has an opportunity to demonstrate to its people and to the international community its clear commitment to an inclusive political transition.

''It is an opportunity Myanmar should not miss,'' Mr Ban said, adding that ASEAN countries have an important role to play in this effort - first and foremost to ensure the well-being of the people of Myanmar, but also in the wider interest of peace and security in the region.

In a report released this week, Mr Ban voiced disappointment and concern that meaningful steps have yet to be taken by the Myanmar Government following the recent visit by his Special Adviser Ibrahim Gambari, and called the house arrest of opposition leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi ''a serious setback to the prospects of genuine national reconciliation, democratic transition and the rule of law.'' He told the ASEAN leaders that it was important that Myanmar responds to the concerns of the international community in a timely and concrete manner.

''The recent release of a number of political prisoners as part of the larger amnesty announced last week, while a step in the right direction, falls short of expectations,'' he stated.

''Our collective interest is to find ways to encourage Myanmar to free Aung San Suu Kyi and all other political prisoners, start a genuine political dialogue and create conditions conducive to credible elections.'' In addition, he stated that next year’s election '' the first in two decades '' must be held in an inclusive and credible manner if they are to advance stability, democracy, reconciliation, national development and respect for human rights.

''The international community must send a strong, unified message,'' he stated.

Mr Ban made a similar call earlier in the week when he convened a meeting of the Group of Friends on Myanmar, comprising 14 countries and the European Union.

Participants in yesterday’s meeting had a ''productive, frank and wide ranging exchange of views'' on a range of issues of common concern, according to a joint press statement issued after the gathering.

''The meeting stressed the importance of nurturing an effective partnership between ASEAN and the United Nations that will help both organizations address effectively the challenges affecting Southeast Asia and the world,'' it said.

Ethiopia: Somalia looks like a lost cause

By PETER JAMES SPIELMANN
Associated Press Writer

UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Somalia is being hijacked by al-Qaida-linked terrorists who are better organized and more highly motivated than the ineffectual government in Mogadishu, and Sudan could be the next nation to fall under their influence, Ethiopia warned Saturday.

"It is time that we abandon the fiction that this is a war just among Somalis. It is not," Ethiopian Foreign Minister Ato Seyoum Mesfin said in a pessimistic speech before the General Assembly.

"Somalia is being hijacked by foreign fighters who have no inhibition in proclaiming that their agenda has nothing to do with Somalia. Theirs is an ambition that goes well beyond Somalia, and they say it out loud and clear," said Mesfin.

"Today in Somalia, there is greater coordination and cooperation among those who assist the extremists than among those who profess support for the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia," Mesfin said.

Last week, two stolen U.N. vehicles packed with explosives blew up at an African Union peacekeeping base in Somalia, killing 21 people, including 17 Burundian and Ugandan peacekeepers. Markings on the cars meant they were not subject to the usual security checks.

Al-Shabab, a local Islamic militia with foreign fighters in its ranks, said the Sept. 17 bombing was in retaliation for a U.S. commando raid on Sept. 14 that killed al-Qaida operative Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan in southern Somalia. It has released a video pledging allegiance to al-Qaida and showing foreign trainers moving among its fighters.

"As the latest horrific suicide attack ... has shown, those destroying Somalia are being emboldened, and their supporters rewarded," Mesfin said.

On the other hand, "The international community is being stingy even with symbolic steps to show resolve against extremists and spoilers in Somalia," he said.

"It is critical that the international community wakes up before the hijacking of Somalia by extremism is fully consummated," Mesfin said, lamenting that "it appears, the Council does not consider Somalia is a priority."

"What is missing is the political will. No one who knows Somalia well believes that Al-Shabab is popular in Somalia. Whatever gains they have made is a function of their brutality and the support they have from without."

Mesfin warned Sudan could be the next domino.

"The Horn of Africa cannot afford the consequence of failure in the Sudan peace process. We are very close to both parties in the Sudan an asset which we want to use wisely," Mesfin said.

US nuclear weapons in Europe must be taken away: Hans Blix

Hans Blix, General Director of the IAEA and former UN weapons inspector in Iraq and Alexander Gabelic, chairman of the Swedish UN Association have written an article titled US Nuclear Weapons in Europe Must Be Taken Away, which was published in the Svenska Dagbladet recently.

The article says that since the collapse of the Berlin Wall, arms reduction process had made great progress. But after the 9/11 terror attack, the role of nuclear weapons was stressed in some doctrines and statements.

But this year, there appear some new rays on the issue as some American leaders proposed to the US foreign policy to take measures to reduce nuclear weapons since there is no cold war any more.
The Global Zero, an organization which proposed zero nuclear weapons demands the elimination of all nuclear weapons.

Swedish Anna Lindh's initiative has given 60 concrete suggestions for the process.

The article says that US president Obama has promised during the election campaign that the US should take initiative to reduce nuclear weapons and he has kept his promise in his diplomatic visits to Prague, Cairo and London.

Russia and the US are negotiating on a new agreement on the maximum number of nuclear heads they should have. The US has said that it will not install the anti-ballistic missile system in eastern European countries. Russia supports this decision. If Russia and China both support such idea and even ratify the agreement on fully ban on new nuclear test, it will be easier for Obama to get it ratified in the Senate.
The article says one issue should be solved soon. That is the nuclear weapons in western European countries and those in western regions of Russia.

The article demands that the US should take those nuclear weapons in the European countries back to America and Russia should move its nuclear further to inland area. The US can and should begin the process by stopping cooperation with Germany and Belgium in installing nuclear warheads in their fighting planes.

The article finally says that today there is a new chance for arms reduction and Obama's initiative should get global support. Sweden has signed the Global Zero initiative.

"With a total of 1.4 trillion US dollars of global military spending annually, the money, instead, to large part, should have been used in improving the living standards of the people on this planet," concludes the article.

By Xuefei Chen, People's Daily Online, Stockholm.