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Friday, November 13, 2009

Malaysian police arrest Pakistani over murder

Kuala Lumpur (Earth Times - dpa) - Malaysian police have arrested a Pakistani man believed to have been involved in the murder of a 26-year-old Hungarian flight attendant five months ago, reports said Friday. The suspect, in his 30s, was detained early Thursday at a hilltop resort in Pahang state, after the police received a tip-off from a man who recognized him, the Star daily reported.

The victim, Laszlo Bernath, was thought to have been a customer of the suspect, who was working as a sex worker in the capital Kuala Lumpur, the report said.

A member of the hotel staff who went to investigate a stench emanating from Bernath's room discovered his body on May 5.

The victim had been tied up and apparently strangled with a cable.

The hotel's closed-circuit television cameras had captured a struggle between the victim and the suspect outside the hotel room a day earlier, reports added.

Police declined to release more details, but said the suspect has been taken to the Kuala Lumpur police headquarters and would be remanded.

Case of crippling illness linked to swine flu vaccination in France

Paris - A young woman was diagnosed with a crippling illness possibly linked to the vaccine being used protect the French public against swine flu, the health ministry said late Thursday.

The woman, who was only identified as a health worker, came down with Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) six days after receiving her swine flu vaccination.

GBS is a rare crippling disease that could lead to death if severe pulmonary complications and nervous system problems are present. Every year, about 1,700 cases of the disease are diagnosed in France.

Health Minister Roselyne Bachelot said the case diagnosed was light and that the woman was recovering.

However, news of the apparently vaccine-related illness is likely to dampen enthusiasm here for getting vaccinated against swine flu.

In 1976, the United States halted a vaccination programme against swine flu because some 500 inoculated people came down with GBS, with 25 of them dying. At the time, researchers concluded that the vaccine led to one additional case of GBS per 100,000 people.

The French government began its public vaccination programme Thursday, starting with persons in contact with infants; health professionals; and high-risk individuals, notably those suffering from respiratory ailments.

A poll made in October revealed that only about 17 per cent of the French planned on being vaccinated.

Turkey relaxes Kurdish language restrictions on TV

Istanbul - The Turkish government has removed restrictions limiting the amount of time private TV channels can broadcast in languages other than Turkish, the semi-official Anatolian Agency reported Friday. The lifting of the time restrictions is being seen as another step in the government's "democratization initiative", a reform program mostly aimed at easing longstanding tensions with Turkey's large Kurdish minority.

Previously, television and radio stations could only broadcast a few hours a week of non-Turkish programs. These programs were also required to include Turkish subtitles.

A new bylaw enacted by the government does away with the time limitations and the subtitle requirement, although educational programs in languages other than Turkish are still forbidden.

Turkey's state broadcaster launched TRT Ses, a 24-hour Kurdish channel, last January. Up until now, though, time limits still applied to private broadcasters wishing to air programs in Kurdish.

The Turkish parliament is expected to debate the initiative later Friday.

Israel Mulls ‘Air Force One’ Jet for Prime Minister

Written by Arieh O’Sullivan
Published Monday, November 09, 2009

News Analysis: Plans to purchase an official aircraft for Israeli leaders are hobbled by public opinion rather than reasonable fiscal planning.

When Israel’s prime minister or president take an official overseas trip they travel in a chartered aircraft without any state symbols and end up paying what many believe are overpriced tickets.

This has led a number of Israeli politicians and pundits to call for an Israeli version of the United States President’s Air Force One, a private jet that would allow the country’s leaders to fly around the world with pride and without the current wrangling over ticket prices and airplane charters.

After recent reports of outlandishly expensive charter tickets for Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s trips abroad, the Prime Minister’s office and the Finance Ministry are now mulling over the feasibility of purchasing a new or used passenger jet to be used exclusively for official state visits. While the jet’s purpose would be much akin to the US President’s Air Force One, it would certainly not be a Boeing Jumbo 747.

Netanyahu’s September visit to the United States cost a whopping $1.4 million dollars when the government chartered a flight from El Al, the national carrier.

“On Netanyahu’s current visit to Washington, the prime minister’s office got into a bartering game between El Al and Arkia [a second Israeli airline] and ended up spending $450,000 by choosing Arkia,” aviation expert Arie Egozi told The Media Line.

“El Al was jacking up the price and they were shafting the government,” said Egozi, an aviation reporter for the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth. “They got tired of that. The reasonable solution is that the government should go ahead and purchase a jet for the Prime Minister.”

“It would not only be a sign of self respect for the government’s leaders to have an official plane, it would be safer too, since it could be outfitted with special safety measures that are barred in regular passenger jets.”

Arkia’s spokesperson Rona Davis said the deal they offered the Prime Minister was saving the taxpayer a lot of money.

“The Prime Minister was provided with a plane with 18 business class seats and two first class seats that convert into a flat bed,” Davis told The Media Line. “All of the business class seats have private TVs with 30 different movies, video games and music. There were more flight attendants than usual, free alcohol the entire time and the entire flight was given a higher level of catering, with the Prime Minister eating on ceramic plates.”

“All this was provided at a savings to taxpayers of around $1 million by choosing Arkia over El Al,” Davis said. “The only difference was a 40 minute stop on the way to refuel the plane.”

It wasn’t always like this. Until about a decade ago, Israeli prime ministers on official overseas trips could order the Air Force to make one of their Boeing 707 jets available. The current small fleet of these “vintage” aircrafts, produced in the early 1970s, are used mainly as cargo planes or refueling platforms for fighter jets.

In the past, a special pallet with passenger seats would be inserted into the plane and the prime minister and his entourage would be served by Israeli air force flight technicians instead of stewards. The fare was sparse, and served without fanfare.

The aircraft’s range was limited, however, which required refueling stops any time major trips were made to countries such as the United States or China.

This all came to a halt in 1998 when the 707 carrying the prime minister, in this case Netanyahu during his first term, suffered a shattered cockpit window over Italy and had to perform an emergency landing.

Since then, the Prime Minister has chartered his official flights abroad.

There have been some cases in which the Prime Minister would take a clandestine flight, ordering the Air Force to provide one of its Gulfstream 550 surveillance jets. However, such practices have been heavily criticized, however, as the use of a surveillance plane effectively meant halting the intelligence gathering activities of the jet while in the service of the Prime Minister.

Aviation experts said Israel would not have to spend $40 to $50 million for a new jet, but could snap up a used one and refurbish it for about $30 million.

“In this time of budgetary constraint it would look like a needless extravagance,” said one aviation official aware of the feasibility study taking place. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said that despite the excessive appearance of buying a new jet, it was actually a very reasonable decision.

“The Prime Minister and President take a lot of trips abroad,” they said. “It would pay for itself very quickly.”

The Prime Minister’s office and the Finance Ministry said they were looking into the matter and that no decision had been made.

Egozi said that had it not been for a public debate about the matter there would have been an official state jet a long time ago.

“It’s just like when they wanted to build a new prime minister’s office,” Egozi said. “The minute the public starts to weigh in, all sense of reasonable decision making gets thrown out of the window.”

Work Begins on Riyadh Metro

Written by Adam Gonn

Saudi Arabian capital, Riyadh, is the latest city in the Gulf to begin construction on a light rail system.

Work on a light rail network has begun in the Saudi Arabian capital in an effort to reduce congestion and air pollution.

The Arriyadh Development Authority, the body responsible for the development of Riyadh, initiated the construction of a light rail system to include 36 stations along a 16-mile North-South track.

There are plans to add a second 9-mile East-West track with 13 stations following its completion.

“You can’t tell for now but I think it will be useful, the city is really crowded,” Saudi Blogger Ahmed Al-Omran Aka Saudi Jeans, told The Media Line.

“6.5 million people live here and there is practically no public transportation system so it should be useful. Even if only a small part of the population start to use it, it will be good to release the streets from all the congestion,” Al-Omran said, himself a resident of Riyadh.

According to Arriyadh, some 87% of the city’s population use cars as their primary mode of transport.

The trains are expected to carry 1500 passengers an hour, but that number is expected to increase to 8000 once the system if fully functioning.

“There has been a huge revival of the fortunes of railways around the world,” David Briginshaw, Editor-in-Chief of International Rail Journal, told The Media Line regarding the current surge in metro construction.

“Transport Ministers, Governments and transport planners have realized the real benefits of investing in rail transport, in terms of its ability to solve traffic congestion problems and its very good environmental credentials,” he said. “Any city that knows its worth know that they have to have a rail system and that they can’t go on building more roads.”

Tenders for Riyadh’s light rail system were issued in 2003, but construction was delayed and comes just months after Dubai inaugurated its own system on September 9 under much fanfare.

The Dubai Metro took 49 months to build at a cost of $7 billion.

Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirate, announced that it will also construct its own metro as part of a massive $1 trillion infrastructure plan.

In October, plans for a regional network to connect all six countries that make up the Gulf Cooperation Council - Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman and the United Arab Emirates, was presented.

The initial estimated cost of $14 billion has since been raised to $25 billion, due to changing technical specifications, an issue at the heart of negotiations among regional heads.

The regional network is scheduled to be completed by 2017.

Source: The Media Line.
Link: http://www.themedialine.org/news/news_detail.asp?NewsID=27053.

Iranian movie star Jamshid Layeq passes away

Veteran Iranian actor, Jamshid Layeq, whose significant work captured the hearts of many Iranian art-lovers, has passed away.

The prominent movie star, having been hospitalized for the past month, died due to heart failure at Tehran's Heart Center Hospital on Thursday evening.

The 78-year-old Layeq performed in the Iranian theater, cinema and several TV series including Sarbedaran, Avicenna, Hezardastan and Soltan Shaban.

Jamshid Layeq was born in the Iranian capital, Tehran, in 1931.

PM chairs Arab League meeting

The Ministerial Meeting of the Arab Peace Initiative Committee (APIC) started at the Arab League Headquarters yesterday to discuss the deadlocked Middle East peace process.

The meeting is chaired by HE the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor al-Thani, representing Qatar, which chairs the 21 session of the Arab League Council at summit level.

The meeting is attended by Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa, foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Yemen, Sudan, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Syria, and Palestine along with the UAE, which requested to attend the meeting.

The committee is scheduled to discuss means of elaborating a unified Arab stance towards the peace process in light of the declining US position on the cessation of settlements activity and the Palestinian president’s decision not to seek re-election in polls scheduled for January 2010.

Turkey Suspends Nuke Tender

ANKARA [MENL] -- Turkey appears to have suspended its nuclear power project.

Officials said the Turkish State Council has agreed to block key components of the $1 billion nuclear energy project. They said the council approved the suspension of land allocation for the proposed nuclear site in Akuyu.

UNICEF: More than half of Afghan children suffer from malnutrition

November 11, 2009

New Delhi - Eight years after the start of the international campaign to end Taliban rule in Afghanistan, more than half of all children under age five suffer from malnutrition, a UNICEF official told the German Press Agency dpa Wednesday.

'Nutrition is somewhat better (now), but not much,' said Daniel Toole, UNICEF's South Asia director, as the UN agency for children released a report tracking global progress in maternal and child nutrition.

The report shows that 59 per cent of Afghanistan's children under the age of five do not get enough to eat, leading to developmental problems.

Toole said one of the main problems faced by UNICEF is getting information to mothers in the traditionally oriented country.

'Afghan women have less contact with health workers,' Toole said. 'Many health workers are men and, traditionally, women are not allowed to have contact with men who are not family.'

That's why it's important to train more women in the health care field, he said.

Another problem is the low level of development in the country, combined with a widespread lack of education after three decades of armed conflict. Health care is often inadequate.

The UNICEF report shows that most malnourished children are in South Asia, 83 million of a worldwide 200 million. Afghanistan has the highest percentage rate of malnourished children, though India has more in absolute numbers: 61 million.

Social and hygienic problems are two major issues facing Afghanistan. Many women marry young and bear children early in life. Many of those are born underweight.

Additionally, many mothers opt not to nurse, preferring water to breast milk. That becomes a problem when the water is dirty. More than 600 million of India's population of 1.1 billion have no access to sanitary facilities.

Source: Uruknet.
Link: http://www.uruknet.de/?s1=1&p=59956&s2=13.

NATO Storms Afghan Red Crescent Compound

Jason Ditz

Afghan Red Crescent Slams NATO Raid
Troops Used Explosives to Raid Aid Group's Compound, Captured Aid Workers

November 11, 2009

The Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS) is complaining publicly today over a Saturday raid on one of its offices in Qalat by NATO forces.

NATO reportedly used explosive charges to break into the offices, and captured two of the group’s aid workers. The two were never charged and were released within 24 hours, according to the manager of the group’s media division.

The raid was reported by NATO on Saturday, but under very different circumstances. At the time NATO claimed it had killed a "militant" and arrested others. NATO hasn’t commented since Saturday.

NATO faced similar complaints in September when US forces attacked a hospital being operated by a Swedish aid group. In that case they tied up the staff and smashed up the facility, but didn’t actual arrest anyone.

Source: Uruknet.
Link: http://www.uruknet.de/?s1=1&p=59962&s2=13.

Taliban expands control of Nuristan

November 11, 2009

Taliban fighters are expanding their control of Afghanistan's Nuristan province, an area they claim to have recaptured from US troops.

A video obtained exclusively by Al Jazeera purports to show Taliban fighters in the Kamdesh district.

Their leaders say they have appointed some local officials and reopened schools.

Sections of the footage also show Taliban fighters brandishing what appeared to be US weapons.

The fighters said they had seized the arms cache from two military outposts in eastern Nuristan, abandoned by US forces last month.

Angela Eggman, a NATO spokeswoman, said it was not clear from the video where or when the weapons were obtained.

"Before departing the base, the units removed all sensitive items and accounted for them," she said.

But General Mohammad Qassim Jangulbagh, Nuristan's provincial police chief, disagreed, saying: "The Americans left ammunition at the base."

Farooq Khan, a spokesman for the Afghan National Police in Nuristan, concurred, saying US forces left arms and ammunition when they moved from the area, which he said was now in fighters' hands.

The Pentagon said the closing of the outposts in Nuristan was part of plans by General Stanley McChrystal, the US and Nato commander in Afghanistan, to shut down isolated units and focus on more heavily populated areas.

Afghanistan review

The developments come as Barack Obama, the US president, is due to meet military and national security advisers to discuss sending more troops to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan.

The White House has rejected a series of leaked reports saying Obama has already made up his mind to send thousands more troops to Afghanistan. It says no decision has been made.

Meanwhile, Afghan police and NATO troops say they have seized a massive quantity of illegal fertilizer, enough to make hundreds of deadly roadside bombs, in the city of Kandahar.

A NATO spokesman said on Tuesday that raids at two sites in the southern city yielded more than 200 tonnes of ammonium nitrate - or about 10 lorry loads - and the arrest of 15 people.

Sunday's raids appeared to be one of the largest hauls of the war so far and NATO officials expressed hope that the seizure would hurt Taliban fighters, whose homemade bombs have become the biggest killer of foreign forces.

Acting on a tip, international forces and Afghan police discovered 1,000 45kg bags of ammonium nitrate fertilizer and 5,000 parts for roadside bombs in a warehouse.

An additional 4,000 45kg bags of fertilizer were found in a nearby compound soon after.

John Pike, director of the military think-tank Globalsecurity, said the seizure included enough fertilizer to make hundreds of roadside bombs.

Source: Uruknet.
Link: http://www.uruknet.de/?s1=1&p=59949&s2=13.

Israeli Jews and the one-state solution

Ali Abunimah

November 10, 2009

Anyone who rejects the two-state solution, won't bring a one-state solution. They will instead bring one war, not one state. A bloody war with no end. -- Israeli President Shimon Peres, 7 November 2009.

One of the most commonly voiced objections to a one-state solution for Palestine/Israel stems from the accurate observation that the vast majority of Israeli Jews reject it, and fear being "swamped" by a Palestinian majority. Across the political spectrum, Israeli Jews insist on maintaining a separate Jewish-majority state.

But with the total collapse of the Obama Administration's peace efforts, and relentless Israeli colonization of the occupied West Bank, the reality is dawning rapidly that the two-state solution is no more than a slogan that has no chance of being implemented or altering the reality of a de facto binational state in Palestine/Israel.

This places an obligation on all who care about the future of Palestine/Israel to seriously consider the democratic alternatives. I have long argued that the systems in post-apartheid South Africa (a unitary democratic state), and Northern Ireland (consociational democracy) -- offer hopeful, real-life models.

But does solid Israeli Jewish opposition to a one-state solution mean that a peaceful one-state outcome is so unlikely that Palestinians should not pursue it, and should instead focus only "pragmatic" solutions that would be less fiercely resisted by Israeli Jews?

The experience in South Africa suggests otherwise. In 1994, white-minority rule -- apartheid -- came to a peaceful, negotiated end, and was replaced (after a transitional period of power-sharing) with a unitary democratic state with a one person, one vote system. Before this happened, how likely did this outcome look? Was there any significant constituency of whites prepared to contemplate it, and what if the African National Congress (ANC) had only advanced political solutions that whites told pollsters they would accept?

Until close to the end of apartheid, the vast majority of whites, including many of the system's liberal critics, completely rejected a one person, one vote system, predicting that any attempt to impose it would lead to a bloodbath. As late as 1989, F.W. de Klerk, South Africa's last apartheid president, described a one person, one vote system as the "death knell" for South Africa.

A 1988 study by political scientist Pierre Hugo documented the widespread fears among South African whites that a transition to majority rule would entail not only a loss of political power and socioeconomic status, but engendered "physical dread" and fear of "violence, total collapse, expulsion and flight." Successive surveys showed that four out of five whites thought that majority rule would threaten their "physical safety." Such fears were frequently heightened by common racist tropes of inherently savage and violent Africans, but the departure of more than a million white colons from Algeria and the airlifting of 300,000 whites from Angola during decolonization set terrifying precedents ("Towards darkness and death: racial demonology in South Africa," The Journal of Modern African Studies, 26(4), 1988).

Throughout the 1980s, polls showed that even as whites increasingly understood that apartheid could not last, only a small minority ever supported majority rule and a one person, one vote system. In a March 1986 survey, for example, 47 percent of whites said they would favor some form of "mixed-race" government, but 83 percent said they would opt for continued white domination of the government if they had the choice (Peter Goodspeed, "Afrikaners cling to their all-white dream," The Toronto Star, 5 October 1986).

A 1990 nationwide survey of Afrikaner whites (native speakers of Afrikaans, as opposed to English, and who traditionally formed the backbone of the apartheid state), found just 2.2 percent were willing to accept a "universal franchise with majority rule" (Kate Manzo and Pat McGowan, "Afrikaner fears and the politics of despair: Understanding change in South Africa," International Studies Quarterly, 36, 1992).

Perhaps an enlightened white elite was able to lead the white masses to higher ground? This was not the case either. A 1988 academic survey of more than 400 white politicians, business and media leaders, top civil servants, academics and clergy found that just 4.8 percent were prepared to accept a unitary state with a universal voting franchise and two-thirds considered such an outcome "unacceptable." According to Manzo and McGowan, white elites reflected the sentiments and biases of the rest of the society and overwhelmingly considered whites inherently more civilized and culturally superior to black Africans. Just more than half of prominent whites were prepared to accept "a federal state in which power is shared between white and non-white groups and areas so that no one group dominates."

During the 1980s, the white electorate in South Africa moved to the right, as Israel's Jewish electorate is doing today. Support seeped from the National Party, which had established formal apartheid in 1948, to the even more extreme Conservative Party. Yet, "on the issue of majority rule," Hugo observed, "supporters of the National Party and the Conservative Party, as well as most white voters to the 'left' of these organizations, ha[d] little quarrel with each other."

The vast majority of whites, wracked with existential fears, were simply unable to contemplate relinquishing effective control, or at least a veto, over political decision-making in South Africa.

Yet, the African National Congress insisted firmly on a one person, one vote system with no white veto. As the township protests and strikes and international pressure mounted, The Economist observed in an extensive 1986 survey of South Africa published on 1 February of that year, that many "enlightened" whites "still fondly argue that a dramatic improvement in the quality of black life may take the revolutionary sting out of the black townships -- and persuade 'responsible' blacks, led by the emergent black middle class, to accept some power-sharing formula."

Schemes to stabilize the apartheid system abounded, and bear a strong resemblance to the current Israeli government's vision of "economic peace" in which a collaborationist Palestinian Authority leadership would manage a still-subjugated Palestinian population anesthetized by consumer goods and shopping malls.

Because of the staunch opposition of whites to a unitary democratic state, the ANC heard no shortage of advice from western liberals that it should seek a "realistic" political accommodation with the apartheid regime, and that no amount of pressure could force whites to succumb to the ANC's political demands. The ANC was warned that insistence on majority rule would force Afrikaners into the "laager" -- they would retreat into a militarized garrison state and siege economy, preferring death before surrender.

Even the late Helen Suzman, one of apartheid's fiercest liberal critics, predicted in 1987, as quoted by Hugo, "The Zimbabwe conflict took 15 years ... and cost 20,000 lives and I can assure you that the South African transfer of power will take a good deal more than that, both in time and I am afraid lives."

But as The Economist observed, the view that whites would prefer "collective suicide" was something of a caricature. The vast majority of Afrikaners were "no longer bible-thumping boers." They were "part of a spoilt, affluent suburban society, whose economic pain threshold may prove to be rather low."

The Economist concluded that if whites would only come so far voluntarily, then it was perfectly reasonable for the anti-apartheid movement to bring them the rest of the way through "coercion" in the form of sanctions and other forms of pressure. "The quicker the white tribe submits," the magazine wrote, "the better its chance of a bearable future in a black-ruled South Africa."

Ultimately, as we now know, the combination of internal resistance and international isolation did force whites to abandon political apartheid and accept majority rule. However, it is important to note that the combined strength of the anti-apartheid movement never seriously threatened the physical integrity of the white regime.

Even after the massive township uprisings of 1985-86, the South African regime was secure. "So far there is no real physical threat to white power," The Economist noted, "so far there is little threat to white lives. ... The white state is mighty, and well-equipped. It has the capacity to repress the township revolts far more bloodily. The blacks have virtually no urban or rural guerrilla capacity, practically no guns, few safe havens within South Africa or without."

This balance never changed, and a similar equation could be written today about the relative power of a massively-armed -- and much more ruthless -- Israeli state, and lightly armed Palestinian resistance factions.

What did change for South Africa, and what all the weapons in the world were not able to prevent, was the complete loss of legitimacy of the apartheid regime and its practices. Once this legitimacy was gone, whites lost the will to maintain a system that relied on repression and violence and rendered them international pariahs; they negotiated a way out and lived to tell the tale. It all happened much more quickly and with considerably less violence than even the most optimistic predictions of the time. But this outcome could not have been predicted based on what whites said they were willing to accept, and it would not have occurred had the ANC been guided by opinion polls rather than the democratic principles of the Freedom Charter.

Zionism -- as many Israelis openly worry -- is suffering a similar, terminal loss of legitimacy as Israel is ever more isolated as a result of its actions. Israel's self-image as a liberal "Jewish and democratic state" is proving impossible to maintain against the reality of a militarized, ultra-nationalist Jewish sectarian settler-colony that must carry out frequent and escalating massacres of "enemy" civilians (Lebanon and Gaza 2006, Gaza 2009) in a losing effort to check the resistance of the region's indigenous people. Zionism cannot bomb, kidnap, assassinate, expel, demolish, settle and lie its way to legitimacy and acceptance.

Already difficult to disguise, the loss of legitimacy becomes impossible to conceal once Palestinians are a demographic majority ruled by a Jewish minority. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's demand that Palestinians recognize Israel's "right to exist as a Jewish state" is in effect an acknowledgment of failure: without Palestinian consent, something which is unlikely ever to be granted, the Zionist project of a Jewish ethnocracy in Palestine has grim long-term prospects.

Similarly, South African whites typically attempted to justify their opposition to democracy, not in terms of a desire to preserve their privilege and power, but using liberal arguments about protecting distinctive cultural differences. Hendrik Verwoerd Jr., the son of assassinated Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd, apartheid's founder, expressed the problem in these terms in 1986, as reported by The Toronto Star, stating that, "These two people, the Afrikaner and the black, are not capable of becoming one nation. Our differences are unique, cultural and deep. The only way a man can be happy, can live in peace, is really when he is among his own people, when he shares cultural values."

The younger Verwoerd was on the far-right of South African politics, leading a quixotic effort to carve out a whites-only homeland in the heart of South Africa. But his reasoning sounds remarkably similar to liberal Zionist defenses of the "two-state solution" today. The Economist clarified the use of such language at the time, stating that "One of the weirder products of apartheid is the crippling of language in a maw of hypocrisy, euphemism and sociologese. You talk about the Afrikaner 'right to self-determination' -- meaning power over everybody else."

Zionism's claim for "Jewish self-determination" amidst an intermixed population, is in effect a demand to preserve and legitimize a status quo in which Israeli Jews exercise power in perpetuity. But there's little reason to expect that Israeli Jews would abandon this quest voluntarily any more than South African whites did. As in South Africa, coercion is necessary -- and the growing boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement is one of the most powerful, nonviolent, legitimate and proven tools of coercion that Palestinians possess. Israel's vulnerabilities may be different from those of apartheid South Africa, but Israel is not invulnerable to pressure.

Coercion is not enough, however; as I have long argued, and sought to do, Palestinians must also put forward a positive vision. Neither can Palestinians advocating a one-state solution simply disregard the views of Israeli Jews. We must recognize that the opposition of Israeli Jews to any solution that threatens their power and privilege stems from at least two sources. One is irrational, racist fears of black and brown hordes (in this case, Arab Muslims) stoked by decades of colonial, racist demonization. The other source -- certainly heightened by the former -- are normal human concerns about personal and family dislocation, loss of socioeconomic status and community security: change is scary.

But change will come. Without indulging Israeli racism or preserving undue privilege, the legitimate concerns of ordinary Israeli Jews can be addressed directly in any negotiated transition to ensure that the shift to democracy is orderly, and essential redistributive policies are carried out fairly. Inevitably, decolonization will cause some pain as Israeli Jews lose power and privilege, but there are few reasons to believe it cannot be a well-managed process, or that the vast majority of Israeli Jews, like white South Africans, would not be prepared to make the adjustment for the sake of a normality and legitimacy they cannot have any other way.

This is where the wealth of research and real-life experience about the successes, failures, difficulties and opportunities of managing such transitions at the level of national and local politics, neighborhoods, schools and universities, workplaces, state institutions and policing, emerging from South Africa and Northern Ireland, will be of enormous value.

Every situation has unique features, and although there are patterns in history, it never repeats itself exactly. But what we can conclude from studying the pasts and presents of others is that Palestinians and Israelis are no less capable of writing themselves a post-colonial future that gives everyone a chance at a life worth living in a single, democratic state.

When children are sold in the Iraqi markets

Rashid Shaheen

November 10, 2009

Several popular Swedish newspapers published about two weeks ago what they called an investigative report by Tracey Christensen and her colleague Thor Bjorn Andersen.

The report, clearly highly credible as it was reported from the center of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, caused a stir probably unprecedented in Iraq. According to the media, the investigation has been translated into more than 12 languages.

An article on the Arab News website on Oct. 24 about the report aired on Swedish television said that the journalist and her colleague hid inside an old car recording sounds and images from what they described as a large market where Iraqi children and adolescents are sold.

Journalist Andersen noted during the report that an an Iraqi girl no older than four was for sale for not more than $400, an amount that did not equal the value of the flowers on the desk of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani.

This is not the first report which specifically addresses the sale of children in Iraq. This phenomenon never existed in Iraq before the occupation. Several reports addressed this subject years ago and concerns were voiced about the phenomenon worsening, especially in the bad political, economic and social conditions following the U.S. occupation.

Anybody who has benefited and still benefits from the U.S. occupation in Iraq has tried to discredit the reports as lacking documentation, as in the case of the Christensen-Andersen report, or because they relied debatable numbers, according to those who deny the existence of such a phenomenon.

The occupation of Iraq not only resulted in Iraqi children for sale. About two years ago, there was another scandal in which Iraqi children with heart diseases were being sent to Israel for treatment, as if the hospitals of the racist state were the only ones in the world that could cure them. Many have denied these stories and called them rumors. They have repeated the same excuses throughout the U.S. occupation to evade their responsibilities and deflect the load of all that has happened and is still happening in Iraq onto the previous regime.

I had the opportunity over two years ago to see a report on an orphanage said to be in Baghdad on an Iraqi television channel, in which we could see the links these children had with their families, and how their health was pitiful to the extent that they resembled skeletons. The images were the same as those of starving children in Africa’s poor countries. The report noted that those responsible for the orphanage were stealing food and meals that should have been given to these children. They also denied them heating and washing, and everything else that would have made their lives easier.

The focus on children here does not mean that other age groups in Iraq are better off. Much evidence points to Iraq on many levels heading a list of countries in bad shape, with growing vice, prostitution, poverty and malnutrition. Begging, rape, robbery and all forms of crime are on the rise, as is the presence of drugs, something that never existed before the invasion.

The ill-effects of the occupation do not end here. All studies and reports indicate that Iraq has become one the most corrupt countries in the world, in addition to other phenomena previously unknown to the people of Iraq, such as the spread of illiteracy.

We have to understand opposition to a regime, but in the Iraqi case those groups pretending to be against to the regime of Saddam Hussein, after obtaining power with foreign assistance, did not provide anything for this country other than destruction and devastation. They brought death to the Iraqi people, claiming that they came to save Iraqis from the clutches of "the dictator and the overthrown regime" and help them recover from disasters and injustices.

What did this class actually achieve when it was able to govern the country, apart from commit all kinds of sins in a worse and bloodier manner than any previous regime in Iraq? They are pursuing the opposition in a manner unlike that of any previous regime, and since they have controlled the Green Zone, they have killed or assisted in killing and displacing millions of Iraqis. The number of Iraqis killed during the seven years of occupation is twice that of those killed over the 35 years of Baathist rule.

As for the degrading and inhuman sale of children in Iraq under the eyes of those responsible in the Green Zone -Americans and others who raise the slogans of freedom, democracy and human rights, it is a natural consequence of the absence of the rule of law and the predominance of gangs who claim to be political parties. The trade would not have spread if it had not been facilitated by influential leaders benefiting from it, because it would not be possible to sell children publicly without influential parties helping or even encouraging it.

In light of this growing phenomenon, all organizations concerned with human rights and children (in particular UNICEF who does not deny the existence of such an issue), people of conscience and all others who can help must demand that those involved be held accountable in order to put an end to this tragedy. Sweden opened its doors to the children of Iraq after the report’s publication, a humiliation for Arab people for, why could Arab countries not provide a safe haven for them?

Source: Uruknet.
Link: http://www.uruknet.de/?s1=1&p=59944&s2=12.

BA and Iberia agree merger deal

British Airways and Spanish airline Iberia say they have reached a preliminary agreement for a merger expected to be completed in late 2010.

The merger, which must be approved by the European Commission, would create the world's third biggest airline.

Under its terms, Iberia would take a 45% stake and BA, which last week reported a six-month pre-tax loss of £292m, a 55% stake in the company.

Iberia says it can pull out if BA fails to resolve its pension deficit problem.

'Growing dominance'

"The merger will create a strong European airline well able to compete in the 21st Century," said BA chief executive Willie Walsh.

"Both airlines will retain their brands and heritage while achieving significant synergies as a combined force."

The two airlines had been discussing the deal at separate board meetings.

It would create an airline with 419 aircraft flying to 205 separate destinations, and would save the two partners 400m euros ($594m; £358m) in costs a year, they said.

Iberia's chairman Antonio Vazquez would take the same role at the new company, while Mr Walsh would become its chief executive.

News of the deal did not go down well with Virgin Atlantic, one of BA's big competitors in the UK, which raised concerns about the new company's market share.

"The merger will increase BA's dominance at Heathrow with 44% of take-off and landing slots this winter. It is impossible for any other airline to replicate their scale," the airline said.

Big losses

Both BA and Iberia have been losing money during the downturn as businesses and individuals cut back on flying.

Mr Walsh has previously said a merger would help both firms cope with the recession.

The firms have considered a tie-up for a number of years and held talks on the issue in July 2008.

BA already owns 13.5% of Iberia and the two carriers have a code-sharing agreement under the One World grouping of airlines, which allows them to sell seats on each other's services.

If a merger is formalized, it would still require regulatory approval from the European Commission.

However, analysts say a deal is likely to be cleared, pointing to Air France's successful merger with Dutch airline KLM in 2004.

The agreement comes a week after BA said it would cut a further 1,200 jobs, as it reported a first-half loss for the first time.

It made a pre-tax loss of £292m in the six months to the end of September.

The half-year results also revealed a growing problem with its two final-salary pension schemes.

In the past six months, the surplus in one scheme fell from £860m to £27m, while the deficit in the other scheme ballooned from £1.2bn to £2.7bn.

Iberia's most recent results showed that it made a loss of 72.8m euros between April and June.

Both airlines are also negotiating with staff over strike action.

BA cabin crew are being balloted on whether to take action over the company's cost-cutting plans, while Iberia staff have already gone on strike over pay, and plan more disruptions in the run-up to Christmas.

Spain calls for pirate blockade

Spain wants a European Union naval taskforce to blockade three ports in Somalia, known to be used by pirates.

Defense minister Carme Chacon will call for the international force to change its tactics at a meeting next week, Spanish radio reported.

She also called for the international community to track ransom payments made to Somali pirates by shipping firms through intermediaries.

Somali pirates are currently holding 36 Spanish fishermen hostage on a trawler.

The pirates say they will not release any of the fishermen until Spanish authorities release two of their colleagues from custody in Spain.

'Not romantic'

The government in Madrid has refused to negotiate the pirates' release but says they could be transferred to a jail in Somalia if found guilty.

"These are not romantic pirates which some may be led to imagine," said Mrs Chacon.

"They are authentic criminal organizations which are focused on kidnappings of all types; merchant ships, fishing trawlers, ships belonging to the World Food Programme."

The pirates use "mother ships" to get far out to sea, then launch smaller attack-skiffs which home in on vessels plying the busy shipping lanes.

Pirates seized Spanish tuna trawler The Alakrana on 2 October in the Indian Ocean.

A Spanish naval frigate picked up two pirates in a short-range skiff in the same area.

Pirates have since attacked ships further away from shore then ever before.

France begins mass swine-flu vaccinations

Paris - France began Thursday vaccinating the general public against swine flu. The first wave of inoculations concerns what the French Health Ministry described as top-priority segments of the population.

This group of about 6 million people includes relatives and others in close proximity to infants six months of age and younger; health professionals; and high-risk individuals, notably those suffering from respiratory ailments.

In addition, Health Minister Roselyne Bachelot is herself being vaccinated Thursday, in an attempt to dispel widespread fears about the vaccine and to set an example for the rest of the population.

On November 25, children and adolescents below the age of 18 will be allowed to get their swine flu shots.

However, the great majority of the French do no intend to be vaccinated against swine flu, with only 17 per cent saying in an October 23-24 poll that they would do so.

That is due partly to the fact that most French adults say they are not worried about the illness, and partly because of rumors and fears that have arisen around the vaccine.

Among the rumors currently being spread on the internet is a claim that the vaccine can be used to implant electronic chips in the bodies of children.

If the poll figure holds up, it would leave the French Health Ministry with a lot of unused vaccine. France has purchased 94 million doses of swine-flu vaccine at a cost of 712 million euros (1.07 billion dollars).

According to the government's Health Protection Institute, as of November 3 some 341,000 people in France have consulted physicians because of swine flu this year, a significant increase from the previous week's total of 266,000.

On mainland France, 22 people have died this year because of swine flu, with another 27 deaths attributed to the disease in the French overseas territories.

Spanish church threatens to excommunicate abortion supporters

Madrid - Spain's Catholic Church has stepped up its campaign against the government's plans to liberalize the country's abortion law, press reports said Thursday. Bishops' Conference spokesman Juan Antonio Martinez Camino described abortion as a "mortal sin" and as a "heresy," saying Catholics who contributed to abortions could not take communion and would be automatically excommunicated.

Under a draft law, currently before parliament, abortions carried out before the end of the 14th week of pregnancy would be available upon request, without having to justify them.

Currently, more than 100,000 abortions are performed annually in Spain, usually on grounds of damage to the mother's psychological health.

The new law would also allow girls as young as 16 to have terminations without their parents' knowledge.

Hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated against abortion in October, in a rally backed by the Catholic Church.

Martinez Camino's comments were criticized by politicians from several parties.

Socialist Health Minister Trinidad Jimenez said the spokesman did not represent all Catholics, while Catalan regionalist representative Pere Macias said Martinez Camino's comments made it look like the Inquisition had come back to Spain.

PROFILE: Vaira Vike-Freiberga, Latvia's leading lady

Riga- By putting her name forward for the new position of European Council President, Vaira Vike-Freiberga is aiming to add another first to a notable pair she has already achieved. The flame-haired Latvian was her country's and Eastern Europe's first female head of state.

Born in Riga in 1937, Vike-Freiberga saw her life affected by geopolitics from the beginning. Her family fled the advancing Red Army, which robbed Latvia of its short-lived independence.

The young Vaira Vike spent time in Germany and Morocco but was raised mainly in Canada, where she met her husband, appended her name and embarked on a successful academic career working in semiotics and psycholinguistics.

After the restoration of her homeland's independence in 1991, Vike-Freiberga returned in 1998 and won a surprise victory in presidential elections just one year later, followed by a second mandate in 2003.

When she announced her retirement in 2007 she retained popular support, largely thanks to her reputation as an incorruptible and intellectual heavyweight not afraid to confront her country's powerful oligarchs.

Latvians were also impressed by Vike-Freiberga's ease on the world stage, mixing with presidents and royalty on equal terms. To her critics, this quality looked like self-importance. During a visit by British monarch Elizabeth II in 2006, many jokes centred on which of the two women was more regal.

But to her supporters, "VVF" offers a way for the EU's larger states to avoid direct clashes. Coming from a small and some might say obscure member state, Vike-Freiberga's gravitas would foster compromise solutions where possible and principled stands where necessary.

Fluent in five languages, she has impeccable European credentials, and she retains a firm belief in the European project.

"I believe that European integration is the greatest success story we have had for centuries on our continent," she told the German News Agency dpa.

She is a member of the European Council on Foreign Relations, and in December 2007 was appointed to the Reflection Group on the Future of Europe 2020-2030.

"As a result, I am familiar with all the recent debates in the European Council, but I believe I am also in touch with public opinion," she said.

A President Vike-Freiberga would provide evidence of the importance of women to the EU and might help counter what many Eastern Europeans feel is an imbalance of power in favour of Western European countries.

"I decided to step forward when it became clear that EU heads of states were looking for someone to embody the EU today in an inclusive manner. The fact that I am the only woman considered for the position is not unrelated to this decision," she told dpa.

A slick website (www.awomantoheadtheeu.eu) appeared as soon as Latvian Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis confirmed he would be putting her name forward.

"This post must therefore be given to a person with high moral requirements and who has major intellectual powers," the site says. "Mrs Vaira Vike-Freiberga is the most qualified person to undertake this task."

However, Vike-Freiberga remains an outside bet for the EU's new top job. As well as her age - she will be 72 in December - and the fact that she had retired from day-to-day politics, she may have been surprised by lukewarm domestic support.

Prime Minister Dombrovskis is a fan, but other members of his coalition government clashed with her while she was in office and are less enthusiastic about her comeback.

Latvia's dreadful economic situation and its distant hopes of adopting the euro any time soon are obstacles, but the best evidence of how slim Vike-Freiberga's chances are came at a recent conference of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in Riga.

At that forum, Estonia's president, Toomas Hendrik Ilves, and Lithuania's first female president, Dalia Grybauskaite, spoke glowingly of her abilities but stopped short of official endorsement.

If Vike-Freiberga struggles to win backing from the other Baltic states, her chances of scoring another historic first don't look good. She insists she has support from other states but said it would be "discourteous" to reveal any names.

"My track record demonstrates my ability to take on this greatly challenging job and my nomination would be a strong symbol of a new Europe," she said.

Medvedev calls for Russia's renewal in annual speech - Update

Moscow - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev called for the return of Russia to great power status through a "comprehensive modernization" in his address to the nation speech Thursday. It was time for the first ever "modernization in the history of the country based on the values and institutions of democracy," Medvedev said in his second such speech since replacing Vladimir Putin as president.

The world's largest country by geography could not rely on its achievements during the Soviet period, he said.

"Instead of an archaic society in which leaders make all the decisions and rules, a society of intelligent, free, and responsible people will emerge," Medvedev said.

Medvedev encouraged Russians to not rely on the state as they were forced to under communism, but to take control of their destinies. The youth in particular should be raised in the spirit of "intellectual freedom", he said.

In addition to a new relationship between the Russian people and the state, Medvedev called for a revamping of the Russian economy away from dependence on natural resources such as oil and gas.

Criticizing the "shamefully low" competitiveness of the Russian economy, the Russian president proclaimed a new era of technological innovation, in nuclear energy, space exploration, but also in information technology.

Medvedev also called for a more efficient use of energy resources, as well as the development of alternative energies.

The themes and tone of Medvedev's criticism were similar to those of his regular internet addresses. Critics maintain that deeds have not yet followed from his calls for reform.

Student protests spread in Germany and Austria

Berlin- Protests by university students in Germany and Austria against overcrowding and overwork spread Thursday, with one university calling police to evict demonstrators from a main lecture hall. The students are upset at pressure-cooker courses in which they are expected to race through three years of study and acquire new bachelor degrees. Formerly both nations spread the same study over four or more years before awarding students a "diploma."

German Education Minister Annette Schavan, who does not have any authority over universities, spoke in support of the students, calling on the 16 federal states to force professors to prune unnecessary topics from courses of study.

In Austria, where the student protests started three weeks ago, they spread to nine universities. In Germany, the protesters have so far occupied the principal lecture hall of universities in 20 German cities, preventing teaching.

The management of Tuebingen University in southern Germany called police, who escorted out 200 students who had held its hall for the past week. Outside an occupation at Humboldt University in Berlin, guards hired by management stopped more students joining in.

Professors have resisted reducing student workloads, contending that this would lower academic standards.

Students are also upset at the gradual introduction of tuition fees, although these are modest by international comparison.

Debating the issue in Austria's parliament, the ruling Social Democrats joining students in opposing tuition fees, which their coalition partners of the conservative People's Party want to introduce.

Denmark invites 192 state, government heads to UN climate talks

Copenhagen - Denmark has invited 192 heads of state and government to the United Nations climate-change talks it will host next month in Copenhagen, reports said Thursday. Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen had instructed Danish embassies to issue the invitations, Danish news agency Ritzau reported.

The UN summit runs December 7-18, and according to Ritzau the heads of state and government were invited for the concluding days of December 17-18.

According to the UN, some 40 heads of state and government have signaled they intended to attend the talks including British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Earlier this week, US President Barack Obama said he would attend if there were prospects for a positive outcome. The United States, along with China, is the main emitter of greenhouse gases.

Hopes for a legally binding treaty at Copenhagen have dimmed but several key countries have said there were chances of an agreement on a non-binding political framework.

Estonia's President Ilves joins list for top EU job

Tallinn - Toomas Hendrik Ilves, the incumbent president of the small Baltic state of Estonia, became the latest name Thursday to enter the race for the job of European Council President. The Baltic News Service reported that Prime Minister Andrus Ansip told a news conference in Tallinn: "I put forward... the name of Toomas Hendrik Ilves as a candidate fit for the position of both president and high representative for foreign policy. I do not think his chances are highly improbable."

However, Ansip also spoke positively about other potential candidates including the UK's Tony Blair, Luxembourg's Jean-Claude Juncker and Belgium's Herman van Rompuy.

Ilves' name was first mentioned as a possible candidate for president last month by influential Polish policymaker Jacek Saryusz-Wolski, but at the time he refused to confirm if he was interested in the role.

But now it seems he is doubling his chances by being in the running for both positions at once.

His office as unavailable for comment Thursday night, but did issue a statement on his behalf stressing his commitment to his current job.

"As far as I am concerned, in the fall of 2006 I was elected president of the republic of Estonia for five years, and I will work to fulfill those duties," he said.

"I hope that on November 19 in Brussels the European Union Council shall elect a president and foreign policy representative based on the internal coherence of the European Union and the principle of equality," he said, in a broad hint that Eastern Europe should get at least one of the positions.

Ilves becomes the second president of a former Soviet Bloc country to have his name put forward, following Latvia's former President Vaira Vike-Freiberga.

Born in Stockholm to emigre Estonian parents in 1953, he has worked as a journalist, MEP and ambassador and speaks fluent English, German and Spanish as well as Estonian.

Obama to combine best of Afghan proposals, Gates says - Summary

Washington - US President Barack Obama will try to combine the best elements of the various proposals he is reviewing to plot out a strategy for Afghanistan, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday. Obama is said to be evaluating four different options. While Gates would not discuss details of the several proposals, he said Obama wants to draw from the strengths each brings to the table with regard to any plans for sending more troops to Afghanistan, Gates said.

"I would say it was more, how can we combine some of the best features of several of the options to maximum good effect?" Gates told reporters traveling with him domestically, according to the New York Times. "So there is a little more work to do, but I think were getting toward the end of the process."

The US ambassador to Kabul, Karl Eikenberry, has voiced deep concerns about increasing troop commitments until the Afghan government shows that it can fight corruption, the Washington Post and New York Times reported Thursday.

Eikenberry, a retired general who served as the top commander in Afghanistan for two years, sent two cables in recent days questioning the request by current commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, for 40,000 more troops.

Earlier Wednesday Obama held an eighth meeting in the White House with top aides over the issue but was not expected to make a decision for the next few weeks, at least until he returns from a trip to Asia on November 19.

Eikenberry expressed concerns that more troops would discourage the Afghan government from reforming at a time of widespread allegations of corruption and from taking greater responsibility for security. The White House has expressed similar worries.

"The president believes that we need to make clear to the Afghan government that our commitment is not open-ended," a White House statement said after Wednesday's meeting. "After years of substantial investments by the American people, governance in Afghanistan must improve in a reasonable period of time."

The discussions have left four options for Obama to consider, the White House has said, without specifying the options.

Some advisers have pushed for a large increase in troops similar to the surge in Iraq to counter the growing strength of the Taliban in Afghanistan and a security environment that has sharply deteriorated in the past two years.

According to reports, the various proposals would call for expanding troops ranging from as little as 10,000 to the 40,000 sought by McChrystal. There are currently 68,000 US soldiers in Afghanistan.

NASA: One more try to free plucky Mars rover

Washington - The Spirit Mars rover may have met its match in a patch of sandy soil that has ensnared it on Mars, but NASA scientists said Thursday they will make a last effort to free the little "rover that could."Spirit is one of two rovers that have far exceeded expectations and are now in their sixth year after an expected 90-day mission, exploring the Martian surface and making important discoveries about water on the Red Planet.

It has overcome obstacles no scientist thought it would, earning it kudos as "the little rover that could" after a popular children's picture book, "The little engine that could."

But Spirit ran aground in April when it broke through a hard shell of soil and its wheels got stuck in soft soil the consistency of talcum powder. Since then scientists have been at work on the ground running models in a sandbox at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California to work out a solution.

"This lonely spot may be where Spirit ends its adventures on Mars," said Doug McCuistion, NASA's director of the Mars exploration programme.

Beginning Monday, NASA will send signals to the rover in an effort to back it out of the ground where it is stuck. Moving just centimeters at a time, NASA ground controllers will attempt to steer Spirit backwards in the direction from which it came. The task could last until at least February, when an annual review of the programme is scheduled.

"If you have ever walked in a sandbox, it's very difficult to get traction and that's the situation that Spirit is in," said Ray Arvidson, a Washington University in St Louis scientist on the Mars exploration team.

The situation is complicated by a pointy rock located underneath the rover's belly that could become snagged.

If NASA is unable to free the rover, scientists may instead chose to let it stay put and focus on conducting science at that location until it dies. The site is likely an impact crater with coarse soil containing the highest sulfate content yet found on Mars, said Arvidson.

Spirit landed on January 3, 2004 and was followed by sister rover Opportunity three weeks later. Since then, the golf cart-sized crafts have provided scientists with valuable information about the Red Planet's wet history, while sending back 250,000 images and driving more than 13 miles.

Opportunity is still in good condition and moving toward the Endeavor crater for further exploration.

Perhaps the most important discovery of the mission to date was silica in Mars' soil that was uncovered by a dragging wheel on the Spirit rover. The mineral was seen as a likely product of a damp environment produced by hot springs or steam vents.

In 2007 NASA almost lost contact with Opportunity as it battled to survive a Martian dust storm that cut off its solar power source. Spirit has also faced some difficulties from dust, and it barely survived its third Martian winter that ended last December as its solar panels became coated with dirt.

The crafts' survival is even more remarkable because nearly two- thirds of Mars missions in the past have failed, with a European craft Beagle 2 launched just before Spirit and Opportunity failing to make any contact with scientists back home.

Algerian football players slightly injured in Cairo attack

Cairo (Earth Times - dpa) - Algerian football players were hurt Thursday when their bus was attacked by Egyptian national team fans throwing stones, a source at the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) said. The bus carrying players of Algeria's national football team was attacked shortly after they arrived in Cairo for Saturday's World Cup qualifier match, the source said, adding that the players were "slightly hurt" and there was nothing to worry about.

The bus had just left the airport and was heading to the hotel when some Egyptians attacked it, breaking the windows with stones, despite heavy security at Cairo airport.

Mohammed Rouaroa, the head of the Algerian Football Association, decided to protest to FIFA, the international football governing body, against the Egyptian football fans and EFA, the source said.

EFA is waiting for the decision by FIFA officials who were meeting to decide what action to take, the source said.

However, an Egyptian security source who spoke on condition of anonymity denied the incident and said that Egyptian fans had not attacked the bus.

They accused the Algerian team of "setting this up, especially that they had filed a complaint to the FIFA before and asked for observers to come to Cairo to follow up the preparation to the game."

Egyptians and Algerians are gearing up for Saturday's match, which will determine which of the two nations qualify for the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa. Fans waged an online war against each other for more than a month.

In 1989, both countries played to qualify for World Cup. Fans protested after Egypt won 1-0. Neither team has qualified for the World Cup since.

Activists protest against 'Shimon Hitler' in Brazil

Dozens of demonstrators voice strong disapproval of the Israeli President's visit to Brazil and of Tel Aviv's crimes against humanity during weeks-long military aggression on the Gaza Strip.

"War criminal, go home" the protesters shouted at Peres as he arrived in Sao Paulo, where he was due to speak at a conference of local industrialists. The protesters waved Lebanese as well as Palestinian flags and carried banners condemning Israel.

Some placards showed Peres beside the Israeli flag with a swastika drawn on it and the president drawn with a mustache similar to that of Adolf Hitler and captioned: "Shimon Hitler". Other signs showed pictures of Palestinian children killed during 'Operation Cast Lead'.

More than 1,500 people were killed during three weeks of Israeli land, sea and air assaults in the impoverished Palestinian coastal sliver. The offensive also inflicted $ 1.6 billion damage to the Gazan economy.

"We are here to protest against the Brazilian government's hosting of the president of the state that occupies and murders children. We will come to every event where there is an Israeli representative and we will tell everyone that Israel is a state that ruthlessly kills innocent children. This is only the beginning," one of the protesters said.

There are reports that Peres' security would be reinforced during his visit to Argentina amid concerns of protests. Thousands of anti-Israel demonstrators are expected to demonstrate around the world's eighth largest country, including sites where Peres is scheduled to appear.

It now seems that fears of anti-Israel protests during Peres' visit to South America are being realized sooner than expected.

Eight more PKK rebels surrender in Turkey

Defying their leaders' orders, a second batch of outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) rebels surrender to Turkish authorities to benefit from immunity laws.

Last July, the Turkish government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan pledged to boost political rights to end Turkey's decades-old Kurdish problem.

Erdogan's so-called democratic initiative aims to expand cultural and political liberties to address decades of the Kurds grievances who say they have faced state-sanctioned discrimination and violence.

The PKK has dropped its historical demand for an independent homeland and now seeks greater political rights for Turkey's Kurds. Their demand for full amnesty has been rejected by the government which says it only applies to low-level PKK members.

A group of eight members of the PKK, based in Iraq, surrendered on Wednesday, Nov. 11, in the town of Silopi on the Turkish side of the border with Iraq and are being questioned by a prosecutor in the city of Diyarbakir, Turkey's Today's Zaman reported on Thursday.

The first group, also of eight PKK members, arrived on October 19 and received a tumultuous welcome by thousands of pro-PKK supporters.

Since 1984, the PKK conflict with the Turkish government has claimed 40,000 lives, mainly Kurdish.

The European Union, which Turkey wants to join, has praised Erdogan's efforts to end the conflict.

Russia 'humiliated' by primitive economy

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has criticized the country's raw-material based economy and urged a speedy modernization of the 'whole' system.

Medvedev scolded the Soviet era economic and governance policies and pledged to overhaul the country's political and financial institutions which, he stated, have been built on a primitive infrastructure.

The Russian leader who was delivering his annual state of the union address before the country's economic and political elite at the presidential palace at the Kremlin on Thursday, pledged to fight corruption, deal with "unprincipled" officers in law enforcement and called for a change in the country's foreign policy agenda.

He also hinted at the possibility of liberalism without resorting to chaos and instability in Russia's polity, noting, "Instead of the archaic society, in which the leaders think and make decisions for everyone, we will be a country of intelligent, free and responsible people."

In the long Thursday speech, Medvedev slammed the country's dependence on oil and natural gas revenues and branded the 'primitive' economic model of raw material exports as "humiliating" for the nation.

"The nation's prestige and welfare can't depend forever on the achievements of the past," he said, urging a swift modernization and 'disciplined democratization' of the system.

He also called for an increase in foreign investment and a complete overhaul of the socialist era military and civilian programs and said "We are interested in the flow of capital, new technologies and modern ideas."

Russia is the world's largest non-OPEC producer of oil and natural gas and has suffered from the latest global economic downturn despite its early exit from the economic recession.

Israeli forces detain 2 Palestinians, 9 internationals

Israeli forces detain two Palestinians and nine foreign nationals working on the 'Green Palestine' project near the village of Umm Salamoneh south of Beit Lahm (Bethlehem).

Ibrahim Awad, the coordinator of the Popular Committee Against the Separation Wall in the area said Israeli forces raided his land on Thursday and detained him along with a member of the village council and nine foreign nationals near the illegal Effrat settlement.

Israeli forces also detained dozens of foreigners and the employees of the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture in the Umm Salamoneh village, said Ibrahim Masha'leh, the Deputy Director of Agriculture in Beit Lahm (Bethlehem).

The 'Green Palestine' project focuses on the rehabilitation of agricultural lands, and is run by local committees in cooperation with local governments, education professionals, and local councils in order to provide a healthy living environment for Palestinian residents.

Iran's Al-Alam TV resumes service on new sat

Iran's Arabic-language Al-Alam television network has resumed broadcasting on a new satellite after it had been taken off the air by Arab satellite operators based in Egypt and Saudi Arabia, without explanation.

The Tehran-based television news channel is now putting its programs on air on Atlantic Bird 4: frequency 11355 MHz, vertical polarization.

Atlantic Bird 4 (formerly Hot Bird 4) provides high-power Ku-band coverage of regions, including Central and Eastern Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia.

The leading provider of satellite telecommunications, Eutelsat, has been operating Atlantic Bird 4 since June 2006 alongside two Nilesat satellites, also located at 7 degrees West, as well as complementing capacity on Atlantic Bird 2, located nearby at 8 degrees West.

Iran's Arabic-language Al-Alam television network had been off the air since November 3, when Saudi-based Arabsat and Cairo-based Nilesat dropped it without prior notification.

Several regional and international media and political activists slammed the move then, saying that the ban is in violation of freedom of expression.

The British Association of Journalists, Turkey's Felicity Party, The International Association for Media and Communication Research - IAMCR, Lebanon's National Information Council, Turkey's Organization of Human Rights and Solidarity with Oppressed People, The International Association of Journalists (IAJ), and Al-Manar television network were among the organizations that protested the arbitrary measure.

Lebanese resistance movement, Hezbollah, also condemned the action of the two Arab satellite companies and described the decision politically motivated and a flagrant violation of the freedom of speech.

Al-Alam extensively covered the latest developments during the 33-day Israeli war in Lebanon and the 22-day assault on Gaza.

Jewish-American charged with killing Palestinians

A Jewish-American extremist, Jack Teitel, has been charged in Jerusalem Al-Quds district court with 14 counts, including shooting two Palestinians to death.

District attorney, Sague Ofir, said it was an "extraordinary" case with regards to the extent of crimes committed and their severity in a short period using explosive devices and poison.

According to an indictment filed in the court on Thursday, Teitel, 37, who was arrested five weeks ago, began his killing rampage in 1997 when he killed two Palestinians, a taxi driver and a farmer, and stabbed and wounded an Arab in Jerusalem Al-Quds, AP reported late on Thursday.

He has also been accused of anti-gay violence and incitement as well as bombings against a peace activist and messianic Jews who believe in Jesus.

Questioned by a reporter about whether he had any regrets, Teitel said that it had been "a pleasure and an honor to serve my God."

Teitel is an ultra-Orthodox Jewish settler originally from Florida. He arrived in Israel a decade ago. For the past six years he has lived in the West Bank settlement of Shvut Rachel, north of Jerusalem Al-Quds.

Iran's top general raps Russia over S-300

A top Iranian commander has criticized Russia for its procrastination over delivery to Iran of the sophisticated anti-aircraft system known as S-300.

Chief of Staff of Iran's Joint Armed Forces Hassan Firouzabadi said Tehran was upset about Moscow's failure to supply Iran with the S-300 surface-to-air missile system.

Firouzabadi, who is also a member of the Supreme National Security Council, warned that Moscow's hesitance to deliver the system to Tehran could harm their security as Russia's security was tied to Iran's.

"Don't Russian strategists realize Iran's geopolitical importance to their security?" the top commander asked.

Firouzabadi questioned Moscow's motivation for the delay, adding that under a contract signed between the two countries, the Russian government was expected to supply Iran with the system aimed at boosting the country's defensive capabilities.

"The delivery is more than six months overdue," the top general said, urging Russia to expedite the process of delivery.

Iran's Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi said on Wednesday that Russia had a 'contractual obligation' to provide Iran with the system.

"We have made a deal with the Kremlin to buy S-300 defense missiles," he said, referring to a contract signed between Tehran and Moscow in 2007.

"We don't think Russian officials would want to be seen in the world as contract violators," he added.

In reaction to Israeli war rhetoric and to advance its defense system, Iran has been trying to obtain the sophisticated defense system.

Israel has repeatedly threatened to halt Iran's nuclear program through military means.

According to Western experts, the S-300 missile defense system would shield Iranian nuclear sites against any Israeli airstrike.

The S-300 system, which can track targets and fire at aircraft 120 km (75 miles) away, features high jamming immunity and is able to simultaneously engage up to 100 targets.

Blair faces Iraq war inquiry

Former British prime minster Tony Blair is due to present evidence to an investigative panel probing the premier's contentious war policies in Iraq.

An independent panel of inquiry is to delve into Blair's controversial decision to follow a US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, dragging a large contingent of UK troops into the Middle Eastern country, in order to overthrow the former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein on grounds of his alleged Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) threats.

The panel will look into allegations of the premier's fabrication of intelligence intended to magnify Saddam's 'menace' in the region in order to dispatch 45,000 British soldiers to Iraq.

Sir John Chilcot, the probe director, announced on Friday that the five week public questioning of a number of Blair's senior officials and military advisers would start on November 24. Yet the ex-PM's interrogation has been scheduled to take place in early 2010.

"Early in the New Year, we shall begin taking evidence from ministers (including the former prime minister) on their roles and decisions," Chilcot said.

"We will ask them to explain the main decisions and tasks, and their involvement," added the five-member investigative body chief.

"That will give us a clear understanding of how policy developed and was implemented, and what consideration was given to alternative approaches," he went on to say.

Meanwhile, families of tens of fallen British servicemen have vowed to confront Blair during the probe with which the ex-leader has pledged 'full' cooperation.

It is not clear whether the incumbent Premier, Gordon Brown, who succeeded Blair in the Labor Party would face similar grilling after he backed a private investigation of the Blair case.

Obama's Japan visit prompts protests

In Japan, thousands of people are expected to rally against the American military presence in their country as US President Barack Obama arrives in Tokyo.

Thousands of demonstrators will march through the capital, Tokyo. Over 16-thousand police have been deployed to guard key sites in Tokyo against possible threats.

Obama arrived on Air Force One at Haneda airport in Tokyo on the first leg of a nine-day tour of Asia.

Obama will hold talks with Japan's new Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama later on Friday. The US military presence in Okinawa is expected to top the agenda.

On Sunday, about 21,000 Japanese gathered in the Okinawan city of Nago to demand Obama that US military personnel find a new place to go.

Tokyo and Washington have been at loggerheads with each other over the presence of US military forces in the country after the new Japanese government took power in September.

Washington has been urging Tokyo to implement a previously signed deal to relocate American troops on the island.

Hatoyama's government wants the US to move its troops off the island, and even Japan altogether. Hatoyama has promised to set up more independent ties with the US.

US troops have been continuously stationed on the island since 1945.

Washington has about 47,000 troops based in Japan, more than half of them on Okinawa. Local residents have been angered by crimes committed by US service personnel as well as the risk of accidents.

In 1995, rape of a schoolgirl by three US servicemen infuriated residents of Okinawa. Demands to close the base on safety grounds grew when a US helicopter crashed in the grounds of a local university in 2004.

Report: Obama's top lawyer to step down

The White House legal counsel, Gregory Craig, intends to announce his resignation on Friday, according to US media outlets.

The New York Times reported that questions have circulated inside the White House about his status for months, but an official said early Friday that Craig had made the decision to resign.

Craig had been at the center of controversial decisions over whether to close the Guantanamo Bay prison as well as revising administration policies on the interrogation and detention of prisoners.

The notorious military detention center has been widely criticized around the world for its harsh interrogations.

President Obama ordered the prison closed when he took office but administration officials have run into numerous legal, political and diplomatic hurdles.

Craig would be replaced by Bob Bauer, a Democratic lawyer in Washington, who has represented Obama for years, the Times said.

Twin bombings in Pakistan's northwest kill 14

Fri Nov 13, 2009

Amid a rising wave of coordinated assaults in Pakistan, two separate bomb blasts have killed at least 14 people and wounded 40 others in the country's restive northwest.

In the early hours of Friday, a car bomb went off outside the headquarters of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Agency in the northwestern city of Peshawar

The blast killed at least 11 people and injured 35 others, according to a Press TV correspondent.

The bomb almost completely destroyed the ISI building.

The incident led officials to declare a state of emergency in the city.

Meanwhile, three policemen were killed and five others wounded when a bomb ripped through a police station in the city of Bannu.

The incidents were the latest in a series of bomb attacks on security-related buildings in Pakistan. Pro-Taliban militants in the mountainous northwestern areas say the attacks are in retaliation to a crackdown launched against them by the Pakistani army.

The bomb attacks came as the Agency has been overseeing much of the anti-terror campaign in the border regions with Afghanistan.

The Pakistani army says over 524 militants and around 54 soldiers have been killed since the crackdown began on October 17. The operation has displaced more than 250,000 people and the UN has asked Pakistan to ensure the safety of civilians during the offensive.

Since the beginning of the year, 1,780 citizen and 780 security officials have been killed in the nuclear-armed country, while the number of the terrorists claimed to have been killed in counter-terrorism operations has reached 5,972.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://edition.presstv.ir/detail/111161.html.

Somalia: UN Official - 'UN Office Will Be Reopened in Mogadishu'

12 November 2009
Hassan Osman Abdi

Abdukadir Mohamed Walayo, the spokesman of the transitional government PM has said that a United Nations office will be reopened in Mogadishu, just as the deputy representative of the UN secretary General for Somalia Charles Petrie visited the capital on Thursday.

Mr. Walayo told reporters in the capital that Charles Petrie, the deputy representative of the UN secretary General for Somalia had arrived in Mogadishu saying that he pledged that the UN office in Somalia will be reopened in the capital.

The spokesman said that the official took part the meeting of the transitional cabinet which took place in Mogadishu today and led by the Somali Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharma'arke adding that Mr. Charles Patria said he would be appointed as a high official of the UN Security Council for the Somalia.

Walayo said that the UN official also said that the international contact group for Somalia and the UN Security Council will hold meeting on Somali affairs recently to reach solution for quickening the contribution money which the international community pledged for Somalia in Brussels conference as soon as possible.

The statement of the United Nations for reopening its office in Somalia follows as the deputy UN secretary General Grey Star visited in Mogadishu recently and said that he surveyed the general security situation of Somalia.

Source: allAfrica.
Link: http://allafrica.com/stories/200911120953.html.

US seeks to seize 4 mosques, tower linked to Iran

By ADAM GOLDMAN, Associated Press Writer

NEW YORK – Federal prosecutors are seeking to seize four U.S. mosques and a New York City skyscraper owned by a nonprofit Muslim organization long suspected of being secretly controlled by the Iranian government.

In what could prove to be one of the biggest counterterrorism seizures in U.S. history, prosecutors on Thursday filed a civil complaint in federal court against the Alavi Foundation, seeking the forfeiture of more than $500 million in assets.

The assets include bank accounts; Islamic centers consisting of schools and mosques in New York, Maryland, California and Houston; more than 100 acres in Virginia; and a 36-story Manhattan office tower. Confiscating the properties would be a sharp blow against Iran, which the U.S. government has accused of bankrolling terrorism and trying to build a nuclear bomb.

A telephone call and e-mail to Iran's U.N. Mission seeking comment were not immediately answered.

John D. Winter, the Alavi Foundation's lawyer, said it intends to litigate the case and prevail. He said the foundation has been cooperating with the government's investigation for the better part of a year.

"Obviously the foundation is disappointed that the government has decided to bring this action," Winter told The Associated Press.

It is extremely rare for U.S. law enforcement authorities to seize a house of worship, a step fraught with questions about the First Amendment right to freedom of religion.

The action against the Shiite Muslim mosques is sure to inflame relations between the U.S. government and American Muslims, many of whom fear a backlash after last week's Fort Hood shooting rampage, blamed on a Muslim American major.

"Whatever the details of the government's case against the owners of the mosques, as a civil rights organization we are concerned that the seizure of American houses of worship could have a chilling effect on the religious freedom of citizens of all faiths and may send a negative message to Muslims worldwide," said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

It is unclear what will happen to the properties if the government ultimately prevails. But the government typically sells properties it seizes through forfeiture and sometimes distributes the money to crime victims.

U.S. attorney's office spokeswoman Yusill Scribner said there are no allegations of any wrongdoing on the part of the tenants or occupants of the properties, which will remain open.

Prosecutors said the Alavi Foundation managed the office tower on behalf of the Iranian government and, working with a front company known as Assa Corp., illegally funneled millions in rental income to Iran's state-owned Bank Melli. A U.S. Treasury official has accused Bank Melli of providing support for Iran's nuclear program, and it is illegal in the United States to do business with the bank.

U.S. officials have long suspected the foundation was an arm of the Iranian government. A 97-page complaint details involvement in foundation business by several top Iranian officials, including the deputy prime minister and ambassadors to the United Nations.

"For two decades, the Alavi Foundation's affairs have been directed by various Iranian officials, including Iranian ambassadors to the United Nations, in violation of a series of American laws," U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said in a statement.

There were no raids as part of the forfeiture action Thursday. The government is simply required to post notices of the civil complaint on the properties.

As prosecutors outlined their allegations against Alavi, the Islamic centers and the schools they run carried on with normal activity. The mosques' leaders had no immediate comment.

Parents lined up in their cars to pick up their children at the schools within the Islamic Education Center of Greater Houston and the Islamic Education Center in Rockville, Md. No notices of the forfeiture action were posted at either place as of late Thursday.

At the Islamic Institute of New York, a mosque and school in Queens, two U.S. marshals rang a doorbell repeatedly, taped a forfeiture notice to the window and left a large document on the ground. A group of men came out and took the document after the marshals left.

The fourth Islamic center marked for seizure is in Carmichael, Calif.

The skyscraper, known as the Piaget building, was erected in the 1970s under the shah of Iran, who was overthrown in 1979. Tenants include law and investment firms and other businesses.

The building, last valued in 2007 at $570 million to $650 million, has been an important source of income for the foundation over the past 36 years. Tax records show the foundation earned $4.5 million from rents in 2007. That money helps fund the centers and other ventures, such as sending educational literature to imprisoned Muslims in the U.S. The foundation also has invested in dozens of mosques around the country and supported Iranian academics at prominent universities.

If prosecutors seize the skyscraper, the foundation would have almost no way to continue supporting the Islamic centers, which house schools and mosques. That could leave a major void in Shiite communities, and hard feelings toward the FBI, which played a big role in the investigation.

The forfeiture action comes at a tense moment in U.S.-Iranian relations, with the two sides at odds over Iran's nuclear program and its arrest of three American hikers.

But Michael Rubin, an expert on Iran at the American Enterprise Institute, said the timing was probably coincidental and not an effort to influence Iran on those issues.

"Suspicion about the Alavi Foundation transcends three administrations," Rubin said. "It's taken ages dealing with the nuts and bolts of the investigation. It's not the type of investigation which is part of any larger strategy."

Legal scholars said they know of only a few previous cases in which law enforcement authorities have seized a house of worship. Marc Stern, a religious-liberty expert with the American Jewish Congress, called such cases extremely rare.

The Alavi Foundation is the successor organization to the Pahlavi Foundation, a nonprofit group the shah used to advance Iran's charitable interests in America. But authorities said its agenda changed after the fall of the shah.

In 2007, the United States accused Bank Melli of providing services to Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs and put the bank on its list of companies whose assets must be frozen. Washington has imposed sanctions against various other Iranian businesses.

Bomb hits Pakistan's spy agency in northwest

By RIAZ KHAN, Associated Press Writer

PESHAWAR, Pakistan – A suicide car bomb devastated Pakistan's main spy agency building in the northwest Friday, killing at least 7 people and striking at the heart of the institution overseeing much of the country's anti-terror campaign.

The blast in Peshawar was the latest in a string of bloody attacks on security forces, civilian and Western targets since the government launched an offensive in mid-October against militants in the border region of South Waziristan, where al-Qaida and Taliban leaders are believed to be hiding out.

Security forces guarding the Inter-Services Intelligence agency building opened fire on the attacking vehicle to stop it, but the bomber was able to detonate his explosives, said an intelligence official.

The early morning blast, heard across the city, destroyed much of the three-story structure and many cars on the street outside. Most of the dead were guards trying to protect the complex, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.

An Associated Press reporter on the scene within minutes saw several dead or badly wounded bodies being taken away. Seven bodies and 35 wounded people were admitted to the nearby Lady Reading Hospital, police officer Ullah Khan said.

Just over an hour later, another suicide car bomb wounded 10 people at police station in Bakakhel, a town in the semiautonomous tribal regions, intelligence officials said on condition of anonymity because of the nature of their work.

The government has vowed that the surging militant attacks will not dent the country's resolve to pursue the offensive in South Waziristan, where officials say the most deadly insurgent network in Pakistan is based. The army claims to be making good progress in that campaign.

The ISI agency has been involved in scores of covert operations in the northwest against al-Qaida targets since 2001, when many militant leaders crossed into the area following the U.S. led invasion of Afghanistan. The region is seen as a likely hiding place for Osama bin Laden.

Its offices in Peshawar are on the main road leading from the city to Afghanistan. The agency was instrumental in using CIA money to train jihadi groups to fight the Soviet Union in Afghanistan in the 1980s. Despite assisting in the fight against al-Qaida since then, some Western officials consider the agency an unreliable ally and allege it still maintains links with militants.

Taliban and al-Qaida fighters are waging a war against the Pakistani government because they deem it un-Islamic and are angry about its alliance with the United States.

The insurgency began in earnest in 2007, and attacks have spiked since the run-up to the offensive in South Waziristan.

Areas in and around Peshawar have experienced the brunt of the recent militant attacks. A car bomb exploded in a market in Peshawar at the end of October, killing at least 112 people in the deadliest attack in Pakistan in over two years.

On Oct. 10, a team of militants staged a raid on the army headquarters close to the capital, Islamabad, taking soldiers hostages in a 22-hour standoff that left nine militants and 14 others dead.

The U.S. has urged Pakistan to persevere with its South Waziristan offensive because militants have used the area as a base to attack Western troops across the border in Afghanistan.

Militants have also targeted convoys in Pakistan delivering supplies to soldiers in Afghanistan. Attackers fired rockets at a group of tankers near the southwestern city of Quetta on Friday that were delivering fuel to U.S. and NATO troops. One driver was killed and five tankers were torched, said local police chief Bedar Ali Magsi.

Around 80 percent of all nonessential supplies to Western forces in Afghanistan are trucked through Pakistan after landing at the Arabian Sea port of Karachi. NATO and U.S. officials say the attacks do not affect their operations.