Gold coin prices fall by 4% in Iran

The price of gold coins in Iran fell by more than four percent after the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) began to provide the market with newly minted coins.

On Saturday, the price of a standard gold coin in Iranian markets dropped to 2.69 million rials (about $269) from a record high of 2.82 million rials on Thursday.

The CBI announced on Thursday that it would inject a fraction of five million newly-minted gold coins from Saturday to reduce rising prices.

Despite their rising price the demand for gold coins increased in Iran, prompting the CBI to supply markets with more coins, Mehr News Agency quoted CBI governor Mahmoud Bahmani as saying on Sunday.

Bahmani added that the CBI would continue to inject gold coins in the market until the prices in Iran near the price of gold in international markets.

The price of gold coins in Iran has risen sharply in line with developments on international markets where gold bullion has risen 28 percent this year to a record high $1,122.85 an ounce on Thursday. It traded at $1,118.85 on Friday, Reuters reported.

A standard gold coin weighs around 8.13 grams. It is also sold in smaller denominations of half a coin and a quarter of a coin.

Experimental drug may treat lung cancer

A newly developed experimental drug has shown promising results in treating lung cancer, the leading cause of malignancy-related deaths in the world.

Small cell lung cancer tumors, a form of lung tumor with low survival rate, cannot be treated with surgery as they spread so fast in the body.

Despite their early response to chemotherapy with or without radiation, they soon become resistant to treatment and grow back rapidly.

Previous studies had reported that a growth hormone called FGF-2 is responsible for the fast proliferation of small cell lung cancer tumor cells as well as their drug resistance.

According to the study published in Cancer Research, PD173074 can not only kill small cell lung cancer tumors but also stop tumors from growing and becoming resistant to treatment.

PD173074 blocks the receptor via which FGF-2 attaches to tumoral cells, inhibiting the proliferation of the cells and making way for them to be killed with standard chemotherapy drugs.

The combination of PD173074 and the common chemotherapy agent cisplatin was reported to slow down tumor growth significantly faster than either drug on its own.

Scientists are optimistic that their findings will help the development of new medication to fight lung cancer particularly small cell lung tumors in humans.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=111365§ionid=3510210.

Electric shock treats teeth grinding

A mild electric shock can help treat patients complaining of nighttime teeth grinding, overcoming their daytime sleepiness.

Teeth grinding or bruxism is a common and usually harmless sleeping habit induced by sleep apnea, high levels of anxiety and depression.

Untreated bruxism can lead to excessive tooth wear and decay, periodontal tissue damage, jaw pain and temporomandibular joint or TMJ pain, headaches, and sleep disturbances.

Wearing a mouthguard when sleeping to prevent the top and bottom teeth from meeting and using certain painkillers along with relaxation therapies are the common ways used to treat the condition.

"The broken sleep pattern caused by grinding can exacerbate any stresses or worries already being felt by the patient, and add an extra layer of anxiety to their lives," said lead researcher David Vivian.

He added that the new device would improve not only the quality of sleep but also the psychological and physical problems associated with grinding.

Grindcare is a small electrode placed on the temple which monitors the movement of facial muscles and delivers tiny electrical impulses or biofeedback as soon as it detects the initiation of grinding.

The impulse, which helps relax the muscles, is not consciously detected by the sleeping patient. It, however, causes headaches and stiff necks.

The device has shown promising results in reducing grinding by as much as 80% within two months.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=111362§ionid=3510210.

In warning to Russia, Iran says it can build S-300

With the delivery of an advanced air defense system to Iran long overdue by Russia, Tehran says it is capable of mass-producing replicas of the controversial Russian-made missile in the near future.

Speaking to Mehr News Agency on Saturday, Head of Iran's Foreign Policy and National Security Commission in Parliament Alaeddin Boroujerdi said Tehran and Russia have a long history of military cooperation and it is crucial that Russia honors its commitments with respect to Iran.

"The Russians should meet their commitment on the delivery of the missile system, which will only be used to defend the country's territory," said the Iranian lawmaker.

He was referring to the Russian-made S-300 surface-to-air missile 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.

Boroujerdi went on to warn Russia that "Iran is not a country which would stop short of action in dealing with countries who fail to deliver on their promises."

He said that while the Islamic Republic will be able to mass produce the system in the near future, Russia's commitment to the deal could lay the ground for future cooperation.

The remarks come as Russia and Iran clinched a deal on the sale of S-300 system in December 2007. Unofficial reports claim that the Russian-Iranian contract on the sale of the S-300 missiles is worth $800 million.

The delay on the delivery of the system comes as earlier in September, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a secret trip to Moscow during which he is believed to have discussed with Russian leaders measures to hold off on providing the ultramodern anti-aircraft missiles to Iran.

After the media spilled the beans on the controversial visit, Sergei Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister, refused to deny the reports about the Israeli official's secret trip.

"I am only going to say: to verify the rumor you should go to the source of the rumor," he said. "Our co-operation with Iran is quite legitimate. We are not selling offensive weapons to Iran."

Lavrov described the S-300 system as purely defensive, adding, "As far as the trade of military elements goes, Russia has not violated [its] international obligations."

Despite the remarks by the Russian foreign minister, Russia has yet to deliver the system to Iran and military officials in Moscow are yet to give an explanation about the delay.

Meanwhile, as rumors began to circulate that Moscow had scrapped the deal, deputy director for Russia's federal service for military-technical cooperation Konstantin Biryulin said on Thursday that the matter was still under consideration despite mounting Western pressure over military dealings with Iran.

"The issue of S-300 deliveries is still under discussion," he was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti.

Reacting to the delay, a top Iranian military official urged Russia on Friday to honor its military contract with the Tehran government and deliver the promised S-300 surface-to-air missiles.

Major General Hassan Firouzabadi, the chief of staff of Iran's armed forces, said that Moscow was now six months late in delivering the S-300 missiles to Tehran.

"Don't the Russian [political and military] strategists consider the geopolitical significance of Iran in ensuring Russia's security," asked Firouzabadi.

Iran says it has opted to acquire the sophisticated S-300 defense system — which, according to Western experts, would rule out the possibility of an Israeli airstrike on Iranian nuclear sites — to protect the country in case of any such attack.

Israel has repeatedly threatened to strike Iran's nuclear facilities, including the uranium enrichment plant at Natanz or the country's first atomic power plant, which has been under construction by Russian workers in Bushehr for years, arguing that the country's nuclear activities are an existential threat to Tel Aviv's security.

This is while Tehran says its nuclear program is aimed at the civilian applications of the technology and has called for the removal of weapons of mass destruction from across the globe.

Aussies induce breast regrowth after mastectomy

In a medical breakthrough, Australian researchers have developed a medical "scaffold" designed to stimulate the re-growth of natural breast tissue following mastectomy.

According to the study presented at a plastic surgery conference in Sydney, the permanent fat found in breasts can be grown inside this contoured scaffold, leading to the re-growth of breast tissue in pigs.

In the pioneering procedure, a breast-shaped chamber inserted under the chest skin, traps fat cells in the right place, providing a suitable place for them to grow and form a new breast in eight months.

A gel made of the patient's muscle cells, existing in the cage, is reported to induce the fat tissue production in the procedure.

"At the time of implanting the cells the surgeon redirects the vasculature of the body which keeps a good blood supply to the implant. That is in itself nothing new, but combining it with a cell implant is an interesting step," said lead researcher Anthony Hollander.

Bernard O'Brien Institute of Microsurgery scientists are aiming to test the technique next year in a human trial involving six patients.

They hope the new breast reconstruction technique will be able to substitute breast reconstruction and implants in the near future.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=111361§ionid=3510210.

Israeli army rabbi urges 'no mercy' in war

The Israeli Army's chief rabbi has called on military students to 'show no mercy' when they fight a war or they will be "damned."

"In times of war, whoever doesn't fight with all his heart and soul is damned, if he keeps his sword from bloodshed, if he shows mercy toward his enemy when no mercy should be shown," The Israeli daily Haaretz quoted Brig. Gen. Avichai Rontzki as saying at the Hesder yeshiva in the occupied West Bank.

"Cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord with a slack hand, and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood," added the rabbi.

Regarding the Israeli three week war on the Gaza Strip last December, the army rabbi hailed the military's performance which led to the death of at least 1,350 people including women and children.

"Everyone fought with all their heart and soul, and that includes bravery of course, but also fighting with all the resources one has, to fight as if to truly determine the mission," he reiterated.

Rontzki, who had also sanctioned the killing of Palestinian civilians during the Gaza war, drew harsh criticism from human rights groups.

During the war, some other leading rabbis also issued rulings that gave free hands to Israeli commanders to attack the civilian population in Gaza.

UN chief to join 'hunger summit' fast

As around 60 heads of state prepare to take part in the World Summit on Food Security, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is set to join a symbolic 24-hour fast.

The Sunday announcement follows calls by, Jacques Diouf, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization director, who urged people to fast in global solidarity with the poor ahead of the hunger summit.

The World Summit on Food Security, dubbed the 'hunger summit', opens Monday in Rome.

The fast seeks to raise awareness about the plight of the hungry and to ask for global commitments on the issue of cultivating self-sufficiency in underdeveloped and poor countries.

"The secretary-general intends to join the fast over the weekend," said UN spokeswoman Marie Okabe. He will be fasting in transit, she said.

Okabe hinted that Ban's speech at the summit would seek to underscore "the human cost of the recent food, energy and economic crises," as well as discussing the effects of climate change on food supplies.

The November 16-18 meeting was called by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), with the aim of securing an international commitment worth USD 44 billion (EUR 29.7 billion) a year to help poor countries.

It has, however, failed to attract leaders from wealthy countries, with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi as the only leader from the Group of Eight industrialized countries expected to attend.

Meanwhile, the FAO is not alone in trying to resolve huger crises in poor, famine-hit, or conflict-torn countries.

The UN's World Food Program (WFP) is planning to appeal directly to people in wealthier countries this Saturday via the internet, hoping that around one million would agree to sign up for weekly donations of just one euro (1.48 dollar).

The internet campaign aims to address a significant shortfall in WFP funding.

Avicenna International Award winners announced

Iran's Avicenna Festival has announced its winners during a ceremony in the city of Hamadan, where the Persian polymath has been laid to rest.

Hungarian scholar Miklos Maroth received the international award for his studies in Avicenna philosophy.

Maroth is the director of the Avicenna Institute for Middle Eastern Studies and a member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.

Iran's Seyyed Hadi Khosrowshahi was honored for his research on Islamic luminaries, especially Seyyed Jamal al-Din Asadabadi, known for his political activities in Iran, Afghanistan, Egypt, and the Ottoman Empire during the 19th century.

Ali-Akbar Velayati, a pediatrician and the foreign policy adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, was granted an award for his medical activities.

Iranian professor of Islamic studies at George Washington University Hossein Nasr was also among the winners honored for his efforts to elevate human life through science.

Ayatollah Abdollah Javadi-Amoli was also awarded for his efforts in teaching and promoting philosophy.

Also known as Shaykh al-Ra'is (Master and Head), Avicenna wrote about 450 works, of which only 240 have survived. Some 150 of his books are on philosophy and 40 on medicine.

Avicenna is regarded as the father of modern medicine and his magnum opus Kitab al-Shifa (The Book of Healing) is an immense encyclopedic work.

Many literary and scientific figures were influenced by Avicenna, including the renowned poet Omar Khayyam and the celebrated 13-century scientist Khwaja Nasir al-Din at-Tusi.

Avicenna disciple Jorjani (Sorsanus) has documented his life story in the Life of Avicenna.

Iran to reduce monthly gasoline quota

Iran plans to reduce the monthly quota of subsidized gasoline for private motorists by 20 percent in the coming winter, a senior official says.

"The gasoline quota of private motorists has been set at 80 liters per month beginning from the month of Dey (December 22, 2009)," said Ali Rabiee, a deputy head of Iran's fuel management organization.

In the beginning of the current Iranian year (March 2009), Iran reduced the quota of private motorists from 120 liters per month to the current 100 liters.

According to Iran's budget bill, the gasoline produced domestically must be sold at the price of 1,000 rials (10 cents) per litter while imported gasoline must be offered to motorists at a price of 4,000 rials.

Iran only produces 60 percent of its domestic gasoline demand and imports the remaining 40 percent.

The new measure is expected to cut consumption as Iran is facing fresh US sanctions which ban companies selling gasoline to OPEC's second-largest oil producer.

Iran says the sanctions would be ineffective as Tehran plans to increase its gasoline production by constructing new refineries and modernizing existing ones.

Earlier this month, Iran's parliament approved a subsidy reform plan that would cut energy subsides and bring prices closer to international markets.

Under the bill, which needs approval from the legislative watchdog, the Guardian Council, subsidies on energy carriers such as gasoline, gas and electricity will be cut and a portion of the recovered revenue will be distributed among lower income citizens.

New jail to replace notorious Bagram

Sun Nov 15, 2009

The US military in Afghanistan has unveiled a refurbished detention facility at Bagram, which will replace the controversial prison at the US' largest airbase in the country.

The new 60-million-dollar Afghan prison is expected to promote openness and better conditions for detainees, Brigadier General Mark Martins, the interim commander for US detainee operations said on Sunday.

"The new facility ... provides improved detainee living conditions ... as well as vocational, technical, and other programs to assist with peaceful reintegration of released detainees," Martins told reporters at the base north of Kabul.

"This facility, and these reintegration program ... will promote transparency and legitimacy," Reuters reported.

The new detention facility that could hold 1,000 prisoners, has sparked controversy among rights activists — who maintain that despite a change in environment, there is no change in the legal status of the detainees.

There are many prisoners kept at the US detention centers, including the notorious Bagram, without even being charged.

So far none of the detainees at Bagram prison have been allowed to have a civilian lawyer.

The US military official says the 700 detainees currently held at Bagram will be gradually transferred to the new prison by the year's end.

In 2002 the old Bagram detention facility saw the death of two detainees and drew international outrage. No reporters have so far been allowed into the old prison.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://edition.presstv.ir/detail/111359.html.

Iran reopens Music Museum

The Music Museum of Iran has been reopened after more than a decade during a ceremony held in the capital city of Tehran.

A group of veteran musicians and vocalists such as Mohammad-Reza Shajarian, Hossein Alizadeh, Houshang Kamkar and Farhad Fakhreddini participated in the inauguration ceremony on Friday.

“Many people have helped refurbish the building, which was a ruined structure in 1994,” Tehran Times quoted museum curator Ali Moradkhani as saying.

“The museum has several sections and we aim to elevate it to a world-class museum,” he added.

The museum houses a variety of wind instruments, string instruments, regional instruments and national instruments as well as a library, an instrument-making workshop, and a gallery.

“The gallery also presents a collection of instruments belonging to maestros of traditional Persian music Ebrahim Qanbari-Mehr, Mohammad-Reza Shajarian and Kayhan Kalhor,” Moradkhani said.

“The instruments are on loan and we hope officials will help us purchase the items in the near future.”

Moradkhani promised a bright future for the museum asking musicians.

Syria jails three Kurds for joining banned party

DAMASCUS - A Syrian court on Sunday jailed three Kurds for three years each for being members of a banned political party, a human rights group said, adding it was the second such verdict in a week.

Mustafa Jomaa Bakr, Mohammed Saeed Hussein Omar and Saadoun Mahmoud were found guilty of being members of the banned Azadi Kurdish party and for having “fueled racial dissension,” the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The three were also accused of “having undermined the dignity of the state and having weakened national sentiment,” a statement by the London-based rights watchdog said.

The men were all convicted of being senior members of Azadi. Bakr had been arrested in January while the other two were seized in October 2008.

The verdict against them came exactly a week after another Syrian court sentenced four Kurds to six-year prison terms each for belonging to the banned Kurdish Democratic Union Party, according to the Syrian Observatory.

The Syrian authorities routinely accuse clandestine Kurdish parties of separatism even when they campaign for Kurdish cultural and linguistic rights within Syrian borders.

More than 1.5 million Kurds live in Syria, comprising nine percent of the population. They have long sought official recognition of the Kurdish language and culture.

Somali pirates free Indian, Bangladeshi sailors

Sun Nov 15, 2009

Somali pirates have released nine Indian and Bangladeshi seamen after north Somalia Puntland elites intervened to liberate the fishermen.

The seafarers were freed around the semi-autonomous Puntland capital of Garowe on Saturday, after the region's tribal leaders reportedly negotiated their release from their pirate captors.

The sailors' original vessel has not yet been identified since Somali pirates have been holding at least 13 ships and more than 230 crew hostage, Reuters reported.

The sailors "are all healthy and at a hotel here waiting for their departure," said a driver hired by the pirates, speaking with journalists.

"Their release came after joint efforts by local businessmen and clan elders," he added.

Piracy has become a thriving business in the poverty-stricken and lawless Horn of Africa nation, as local gunmen continue to search the Gulf of Aden and surrounding waters for hunting ships in order to collect ransom in lieu of their captives' liberation.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://edition.presstv.ir/detail/111343.html.

PA to seek UNSC recognition of Palestinian state

The Palestinian Authority (PA) intends to seek support from UN Security Council (UNSC) to recognize an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem Al-Quds as its capital city, a senior official says.

"We have reached a decision... to go to the UN Security Council to ask for recognition of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital and with June 1967 borders," chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat was quoted by AFP as saying on Sunday.

"We're going to seek support from EU countries and Russia and other countries for the measure," he added.

According to Erekat, the Arab League's monitoring committee on the Arab peace initiative, which met in Cairo last week, has unanimously approved the idea.

He also said acting Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas has received positive responses after he presented the idea to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and to Russia.

The status of Jerusalem Al-Quds has been among the thorny issues in the stalled peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, with the Israelis claiming the city as their "eternal, undivided capital" — a position not recognized by the international community.

Lost Iraqi girl found 22 years later in Tehran cemetery

A long-lost three-year-old girl taken to Tehran for treatment after the chemical bombing of the Kurdish town of Halabja by Saddam in the 1980s is discovered to have been buried in Tehran's largest cemetery.

The discovery was made after the girl's father Abdul Qader Hassan sought explanation over her fate, saying that he and his wife have not heard anything of their daughter, Narmin, for the past 22 years.

Abdul Qader noted that he in the company of his spouse were given treatment at Firouzabadi Hospital in southern Tehran whilst their daughter was admitted to another hospital.

The Iraqi man went on to say that he and his wife were repatriated to Iraq shortly after recovery. That deprived them of a chance to search for Narmin.

Following Abul Qader's request, the Iranian police launched a detailed investigation which revealed that the then 3-year-old Narmin had died of grave injuries on March 21, 1988 and later laid to rest in Behesht-e Zahra cemetery.

Toward the end of the Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988), Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein ordered the bombing of the Iraqi Kurdish town of Halabja with chemical bombs. The bombing, which killed about 5,000 people, was part of Saddam's Anfal campaign designed to eradicate Iraqi Kurds.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=111332§ionid=3510212.

PAKISTAN: New schools in quake-hit areas offer improved education

MUZZAFARABAD, 15 November 2009 (IRIN) - Rameesha Butt, 12, remembers being trapped in her classroom as the horror of the October 2005 earthquake that killed at least 73,000 people in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and Pakistan-administered Kashmir unfolded around her.

"Our school was very old, and many of the walls collapsed. I was not hurt badly, but it was terrifying to see bricks and mortar fall all around us. Some pupils were trapped under the rubble," Rameesha told IRIN.

According to government estimates, the quake damaged or destroyed 6,000 schools – making up around 52 percent of schools in the quake-affected area. Some 17,000 students and 900 teachers were killed in classrooms.

For years after the quake, children have studied in makeshift classrooms. Now, under an initiative by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the Earthquake Relief and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA) in conjunction with the Ministry of Education, 100 new schools have been built and handed over to provincial authorities.

The new schools are more spacious than the ones they replace, with at least one square meter of classroom space per child. Hand-washing stations have also been set up to promote good hygiene. Under the 'build back better' motto adopted after the quake, the new schools are also designed to be earthquake resistant and to offer a more child-friendly learning environment.

"Our aim is to ensure children receive the best possible education," Syed Fawad Ali Shah, emergency education officer for UNICEF Pakistan, said. He said teachers at the schools had been trained in child-friendly teaching methods and corporal punishment had been banned.

"Not scared anymore"

Pupils of Government Girls Primary School Mohajir Colony in Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, are among those who now have a brand new school. The girls, who for months after the quake had huddled in a freezing tent-school, were visibly excited about their new earthquake-resistant building.

"We are not scared anymore because this is a new building, not like our old school," Shahzia Ali Lone, a fourth grade student, said.

Parents across the area hit by the quake are also relieved that their children can go to school in safety. "For over a year after 2005, I was scared of sending our three children to school. So many children had died in classroom collapses, but now there are better schools for them and we are confident they will receive a good education," Aziz Ahmed, 40, said.

"There is no greater investment in the future of a country than an investment in the education of the children" Luc Chauvin, deputy representative for UNICEF Pakistan, said. "In partnership with ERRA, the Ministry of Education and provincial authorities, we have not just constructed schools, but have taken an important step toward ensuring that children in the areas affected by the 2005 earthquake have access to a higher quality education than ever before."

Source: Alertnet.
Link: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/8a63b7be8f0b94be4daa277324ce0f7a.htm.

Snow on upper reaches result in cold in Kashmir

Srinagar, Nov 15: Western Disturbances (WD) from Arabian sea through Afghanistan and Pakistan are active in the region which has resulted in fresh snowfall on upper reaches in Kashmir and Ladakh.

People continue to shiver due to severe cold, coupled with frequent and unscheduled power cuts in the valley, where Kupwara recorded minus 1.1 degrees minimum temperature this morning.

Official sources said fresh WD finally arrived again in the region which would result in further snowfall or rain during the next 24 hours.

The upper reaches in the Kashmir valley also witnessed fresh snowfall, resulting in cold in the plains.

Sources said Leh, Kargil, and Drass, the coldest place in the world after Siberia, also witnessed a fresh snowfall since last evening.

They said Leh witnessed minus 5 degrees minimum temperature after fresh snowfall till 0800 hrs this morning.

The hilly areas of Leh district, including those bordering with China and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK), also received heavy snowfall since last evening.

Kargil, where mercury fell to minus 5 degree this morning also received light to moderatre snowfall while upper reaches had heavy snowfall.

Source: New Kerala.
Link: http://www.newkerala.com/nkfullnews-1-151147.html.

Hurriyat leaders to go Pak after Eid-ul-Azha

New Delhi, Nov 15 (PTI) The moderate faction of Hurriyat Conference, a separatist amalgam, today said its team would visit Pakistan after Eid-ul-Azha later this month for dialogue with leaders there on the Kashmir issue.

"We want permanent peace in South Asia and find an amicable solution to the Kashmir problem," Hurriyat Chairman Mirwaiz Umer Farooq told PTI here.

He said dialogue is important as this is a forum "where we can put our thoughts and work out for solutions," and added that its team would be going to Pakistan after Eid.

The Mirwaiz today met Pakistan High Commissioner Shahid Malik here for four hours and is understood to have discussed the Kashmir issue and need for for the two countries to enter into a dialogue with each other and Kashmiris on.

Schwarzenegger to Sign Cooperation Treaty with Israel

by Gil Ronen

(IsraelNN.com) Minister of Industry, Trade and Labor Binyamin Ben-Eliezer and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will sign an document of understandings regarding industrial cooperation in the field of renewable energy. The signing will take place in the course of Schwarzenegger's visit to Israel as part of the Saban Forum.

The agreement with California will advance strategic commerce cooperation between the State of Israel and California in the renewable energy and environmental technologies fields, by creating partnerships between Israeli firms that specialize in these fields on the one hand, and California industries and municipalities on the other. Mutual investments between the countries will increase, as will research cooperation and other coordination in these fields.

The Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor's attache on the US west coast, Sigal Admoni Ravid, said that the US clean-tech market, and especially the renewable energy market, has tremendous commercial potential for Israeli companies. “President Obama's stimulus package allots billions of dollars to projects in the water and energy fields,” she noted.

Trade with the US between the months of January and September 2009 totaled about 17 billion dollars. 12 billion of these were exports, and 5 billion were imports to Israel. This is a 12% drop compared to the same period in 2008.

Sudan calls for all sides to resume Darfur talks

2009-11-15

Aide to Sudan's Beshir says no one person should have right of veto over possible peace deal.

PARIS - An aide to Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir on Saturday called for all sides to take part in talks aimed at ending the Darfur conflict, which are due to resume in Qatar.

Ghazi Salaheddine told reporters at the Sudanese embassy in Paris that no one person should have a right of veto over a possible peace deal -- a reference to a former rebel leader currently in exile in the French capital.

Abdel Wahid Mohammed Nur, the ex-leader of the Sudanese Liberation Army, is refusing to take part in discussions due to resume in Doha in a few days.

In February an agreement was struck between the Darfuri rebel Justice and Equality Movement and the Sudanese government, which opened the way to a prisoner exchange and eventual peace conference.

Salaheddine also said he had had talks with high-ranking French officials with a view to improving and strengthening relations between Sudan and France.

The question of Beshir's presence at an Africa-France summit in Egypt next year was not discussed, he said.

The Sudanese leader is the subject of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant over allegations of war crimes in Darfur.

Critics say the ICC warrant singles out weak states like Sudan, while taking a hypocritical stance towards countries like the US and Israel by ignoring worse atrocities committed by them, and by not charging American and Israeli officials with war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The Darfur conflict erupted in February 2003, when rebels took up arms against the government in Khartoum and its allies.

Over the last six years, the rebels have fractured into multiple movements, fraying rebel groups, banditry, flip-flopping militias and the war has widened into overlapping tribal conflicts.

The United Nations says up to 300,000 people have died from the combined effects of war, famine and disease and more than 2.7 million fled their homes.

Many of the rebels enjoy direct and indirect foreign support that helped fuel the conflict, with some critics pointing the finger at France, which has a military presence in neighboring Chad – also accused of arming the Sudanese rebels.

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=35692.

Ahmadinejad's Iran cabinet now complete

Iran's main opposition leader repeats his call for new 'clean' election to take place.

TEHRAN - Iran's parliament on Sunday approved President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's nominations for the final three posts in his 21-member cabinet after rejecting his initial candidates as being unqualified.

MP Hamid Reza Hajibabai, former interior minister Sadeq Mahsouli and Majid Namjou, a former deputy energy minister, were voted in to head the education, welfare and energy portfolios respectively.

On Saturday, newspapers wrongly named the proposed new energy minister as Ali Zabihi.

On September 3, parliament approved 18 members of the new Ahmadinejad cabinet, including the republic's first woman minister, a doctor who holds the health portfolio.

At the time parliament rejected the nominations for education, welfare and energy ministers on the grounds that they were unqualified.

During his first term, the president and parliament faced off more than once over proposed ministers MPs considered to be unsuitable.

Meanwhile, Iran's main opposition leader and defeated presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi has repeated his call for a new election, after unrest this month saw clashes between police and protesters, a reformist website reported on Saturday.

"The Green Path condemns violence... though we may suffer losses... we want political prisoners to be freed, we want guarantees for a clean (new) election, we seek freedom of expression and the press," he was quoted as saying.

In mid-August Mousavi said he will continue protesting against the disputed June 12 presidential election through a social movement called the "Green Path of Hope."

The pro-opposition Mowjcamp website reported that Mousavi on Friday met reformist cleric Mehdi Karroubi, another defeated presidential contender.

It said the pair discussed the events of November 4, a day on which Iran every year marks the storming in 1979 of the American embassy by students with a rally.

Since the June election, opposition supporters have staged protests at every opportunity in Tehran.

Bees provide pain relief in Israeli-besieged Gaza

As Israel restricts Palestinians from seeking medical treatment, more to turn to bee healing.

GAZA CITY - In a clinic in the Israeli-besieged Gaza Strip, Ratib Samur makes his way from one patient to the next armed with little more than a small box filled with enraged bees.

He uses the bees to sting those who have come to him for help -- and amid the territory's deepening isolation, his clinic has been transformed into a hive of activity.

Israel's siege of the Strip has limited the ability of Gazans to seek medical care abroad.

It has meant growing demand for Samur's bee venom treatment.

"The bee stings are really great," says Mohammed al-Dayya, paralyzed from the waist down because of muscular atrophy.

The 25-year-old used to be treated in Egypt, but has had to resort to the bees because of the closures. Confined to Gaza, he wheels himself into Samur's clinic each week to get stung, which he says has stabilized his condition.

"I no longer have this pain that used to keep me from sleeping," he said during a recent session. "This treatment made my condition stable and now it won't get worse before I am able to travel."

Most claims of apitherapy -- the medical use of bee venom -- are anecdotal and have not been proved to the satisfaction of scientists, although believers say it help relieve pain from multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis and certain other ailments.

Bee stings however also entail risks of serious allergic reactions, and of course the process of getting stung is not one most people would enjoy -- at Samur's clinic, patients often get four to six stings a time.

Samur admits his treatment is no substitute for advanced medical care.

"I cannot help him walk again, but my treatment basically focuses on easing the pain and preventing his condition from deteriorating further," said Samur, who studied agricultural engineering in Egypt.

When the 53-year-old opened the clinic in 2003 after testing out bee venom treatments on his family and friends, he was greeted with skepticism.

"It became more acceptable when I got brilliant results from the treatment with a number of patients, and it increased even more after the Israeli siege," he said.

Israel grants only a limited number of permits for medical treatment abroad.

The lack of medical options and the economic crisis gripping the territory has sent hundreds of men, women and children flocking to Samur's clinic, where he pricks them with bees raised in dozens of backyard hives.

A course of three injections costs just 2.50 dollars (1.60 euros).

Many of his patients suffer from wounds inflicted during Israel's assault on Gaza at the turn of the year. Some 1,400 Palestinians - mainly civilians - were killed before the fighting ended on January 18.

Ismail Matar has been receiving bee stings to treat the shock he suffered when a friend was killed before his eyes by an Israeli air strike.

"My friend was torn apart right in front of me by shrapnel from an Israeli missile," the 23-year-old said.

"I was in psychological shock. I was not strong enough to move my legs, I could barely see, and none of the drugs worked. But now, after seven months of treatment with bee stings, I am much better. I can walk again."

The natural remedy, which contains large amounts of the anti-inflammatory agent melittin, has been used in other nations to treat multiple sclerosis and arthritis, but there is little experimental evidence of its effectiveness.

"The bee venom treatment is a complement to medicine," Samur says. "I don't diagnose the illness, but rely entirely on the opinion of the doctor."

He also refuses to treat people with heart disease, diabetes or cancer.

Patients such as Nivine Ajur, a 32-year-old mother of six who suffers from rheumatoid arthritis, swear by the treatment.

"I have been suffering from rheumatoid arthritis for five years and nothing helped because there is no treatment for this disease in Gaza," she said as a bee plunged its stinger into her wrist.

"I could not climb stairs at all but now, after five months of treatment, I can climb them six times a day."

In another corner of the clinic 10-year-old Mohammed Barud does not flinch even as bees gather on his ear lobe just below his hearing aid.

"I'm used to this, and I am not afraid," he said.

"My hearing gets better every week and I will keep coming here until I can take out this hearing aid. The doctor told me I would have to wear it my whole life."

Iran's Majlis urges action on Yemen crisis

Iran's parliament has condemned Saudi interference in the conflict in Northern Yemen that has lead to the evacuation of around 240 villages in the war-ridden area.

During a Sunday session, devoted to debate the qualifications of the three remaining members of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's 21-member cabinet, 250 of the parliament's lawmakers called on Islamic states to take action against the killing of innocent Muslims in Yemen.

"How can the custodian of the two holy mosques of Islam bring himself to permit the killing of innocent Muslims in the forbidden months," Parliament speaker Ali Larijani asked referring to King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia.

Known as the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, the Saudi kings preserve the role as protector of the two holiest cities of Islam, Mecca and Medina, which had traditionally been the role of the Caliph.

Islam has forbidden its followers from waging war or fighting during the four lunar months of Shawwal, Rajab, Dhu al-Qi'dah and Dhu al-Hijjah.

Sana'a started a massive crackdown on Shia fighters known as Houthis in August after years of irregular battles against them. The Houthis have taken up arms against the Sunni-dominated central government in protest to its repression and discrimination against the Shia minority of the county.

Some 150,000 Yemenis have been forced out of their homes in the beleaguered north because of the ongoing Operation Scorched Earth which has been also joined by Saudi military forces and fighter jets.

The anti-government fighters accuse Saudi Arabia of collaborating with the Yemeni government in its military offensive on Shias and of targeting civilians in villages far from its territory.

The Saudi military assistance started on November 4 on claims that Houthis had penetrated 'Saudi territory.' The fighters say the Saudis have started shelling their villages with illegal phosphorous bombs, which are capable of inflicting severe burns.

They also charge Sana'a with employing al-Qaeda mercenaries and terrorists to help the army with its campaign against Houthis.

Veto-wielding China says 'no' to Iran sanctions

As US President Barack Obama plans to pay his first official visit to Beijing, China signals its opposition to new sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program.

The Chinese government believes that negotiation sides should make efforts to settle issues regarding Iran's nuclear case through "political and diplomatic" talks, Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang told IRNA on Saturday.

He added that a diplomatic and permanent solution to Iran's nuclear issue will help bring about peace and stability to the Middle East.

As a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Iran has the right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, said the spokesman.

Qin's remarks came one day ahead of a scheduled visit by President Obama to China, a permanent member of the UN Security Council. Obama is expected to discuss Iran's nuclear case with his Chinese counterpart.

Major world powers, spearheaded by the US and Israel, accuse Iran of efforts to develop a nuclear bomb and based on such allegations have threatened to impose more sanctions against the country.

This is while Obama, in a Thursday letter to the Congress, renewed US sanctions against Iran for another year.

Tehran, however, has denied seeking nuclear weapons and called for the removal of all weapons of mass destruction (WMD) from across the globe, including those held in the US.

Although the accusations have never been proven by any of the powers or the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) — which has been monitoring the Iranian program extensively and inspecting its facilities since 2003 — the United Nations Security Council has imposed three rounds of sanctions resolutions against Tehran.

Historic polls open in Kosovo

Voting has begun in Kosovo's municipal elections in what is a first ballot since its 2008 declaration of independence form Serbia.

Over one and a half million Kosovars are eligible to vote in Sunday's mayoral and local council elections amid tight security in the enclave.

The Serbian government in Belgrade views Kosovo as a renegade province after it claimed autonomy.

The area's minority Serbs have reportedly pledged to boycott the latest vote over fears of attacks by fellow opposition Serbs and purported unfairness in local power sharing polls.

Meanwhile, around 13,000 NATO-led peace corps have also been put on alert in order to help local security personnel run safe elections.

Kosovo has had a history of violence and thousands of its Albanian citizens are believed to have been killed and many more displaced in the wake of the 1998-1999 war with Serbian forces over the region's independence.

Around 130 countries have still not recognized Kosovo's independence.

Iran wins 6 medals at World Karate Championships

Iran's karate practitioners have won three silver medals along with three previous golds at the World Junior and Cadet Karate Championships held in Rabat.

Sajjad Ganjzadeh won the silver after he was defeated by his Italian rival 5-2 in the 76 kg category final on Saturday.

In the 57 kg class, Shahin Jafari got the second silver for the Iranian side when he lost to his Egyptian opponent 7-0 in the final.

Abolfazl Shahjerdi took the third silver for Iran after being beaten 3-2 against a karate practitioner from Venezuela.

The Iranian Karate team had already won three gold medals at the three-day event to top the standings.

In 2008, Iran snatched the title at the 9th Asian Karate Federation (AKF) Junior and Cadets Karate Championships which was held in Malaysia.

The World Junior and Cadet Karate Championships has been held in Rabat, Morocco from November 12-15.

Heavy sandstorms cripple southern Iranian town

Strong sandstorms caused by winds up to 80 km have wreaked havoc on Zabol in the Iranian province of Sistan and Balochestan on the border with both Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Many offices, businesses and education establishments were closed because of high pollution levels caused by the desert storms.

"All administrative offices are closed because of the pollution,” Zabol governor Hussein Keikha said.

Visibility has been reduced to less than a hundred meters. The elderly, children and people with heart and respiratory problems have been told to stay indoors.

Iran's Sistan and Balochestan province has long suffered periodic, blinding sandstorms due to years of drought.

Sacramento Utility Company Sues Wall Street Firms Over Alleged Bid Rigging

The Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) sued Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and 45 other financial firms Thursday in Sacramento, California, federal court for allegedly rigging bids in bond-derivatives markets and defrauding the utility.

SMUD joined at least six city and county governments in California that already have filed similar lawsuits arising from a federal investigation made public in 2006. Many other public entities around the country have joined in lawsuits seeking class-action status.

The SMUD filing is the first to name Goldman Sachs as a defendant, according to lawyers working with the utility.

The litigation deals with bond-related financial instruments often used by local and state governments and other public entities when financing projects such as power plants.

After money is raised through a bond sale, but before it is spent on a project, it is often invested in municipal derivatives to earn a return. Another type of derivative is used to help public entities hedge against shifts in interest rates on variable-rate bonds. In both cases, competitive bidding is supposed to ensure the best possible return.

SMUD's suit - like those filed elsewhere - alleges that brokers, banks and insurance companies agreed to fix bids on municipal derivative contracts so public entities received lower rates of return than they would have in a truly competitive market.

"These are very sophisticated investment vehicles, but the scheme was very simple," said Nanci Nishimura, a partner at Cotchett, Pitre and McCarthy, a Burlingame-based law firm working with SMUD on the suit.

Court documents indicate SMUD entered into municipal derivative contracts worth at least $1.16 billion from 1999 through 2008. The deals detailed in the suit were struck with three firms: Goldman Sachs, $490 million; Merrill Lynch, $357 million; and Morgan Stanley, $312 million.

The Bee contacted six of the defendants named in the suit, including Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley. All either had no comment or did not respond to a request for comment.

The suit does not specify how much the alleged bid-rigging scheme may have cost the utility. Financial experts contacted by The Bee said the case is too complex to speculate on damages incurred by any particular entity.

The nation's municipal bond market is so large - roughly $2.6 trillion - that the total sums involved in the broader case could be huge.

"Even a fairly small difference in the funding cost would be an enormous amount of money," said Craig M. McCann, an economist with the Securities Litigation and Consulting Group, based in the Washington, D.C., area.

The related lawsuits filed around the country have been transferred to federal court in the Southern District of New York. A federal judge there has been assigned to oversee pretrial matters. Each case will likely then be transferred back to the court where the suit was filed, said Nishimura. SMUD's case will likely follow a similar path and be heard in Sacramento.

Arlen Orchard, SMUD's general counsel, said it's not clear what path the litigation will take. It could drag on, he said. Or, depending on what evidence emerges, some defendants may choose to settle early.

"This is a very, very complicated litigation. … It really could be years before it's resolved," he said.

In late October, the U.S. Department of Justice indicted three current and former officials at Beverly Hills-based CDR Fiancial Products Inc., one of the defendants in the SMUD suit. The officials are charged with participating in the type of bid-rigging alleged in the SMUD suit. A statement on CDR's Web site calls the charges "completely baseless."

Bank of America, which purchased Merrill Lynch last year, announced in 2007 that it had agreed to cooperate with the ongoing federal investigation in exchange for amnesty concerning its role in the municipal derivatives markets.

Indonesian embassy in Oman next year

(MENAFN - Times of Oman) Citizens of Indonesia will soon have an embassy of their own in the Sultanate. If everything falls in place, Indonesia will have a full-fledged embassy here by next year.

A nine-member delegation from Indonesia led by Imron Kotan, secretary-general, Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, met top officials in Oman to discuss the matter.

In the GCC countries, Indonesia doesn't have embassy only in Oman and Bahrain. Oman does have a representative in Indonesia, though not a full-fledged embassy. It may be noted that over 25,000 Indonesian live in Oman.

"By next year we should have an embassy functioning here. We are in talks with the Oman government and are even looking at a site to build the embassy," said Chandra Salim, director, Middle East Affairs, Department of Foreign Affairs, to Times of Oman.

Chandra Salim is in Oman with a delegation from his country.

Until now the Indonesian embassy in Saudi Arabia was doing the required work for Indonesians in Oman. "Starting an embassy would mean a boost to the already existing excellent ties between the two countries," Salim added.

In 2008, the trade between the two countries touched $170 million.

"This was an increase considering the $100 million registered in 2007," said Salim, adding that trade between the two countries had improved substantially over the years.

Indonesia exports textiles, electronic goods, wood products, furniture, paper, cosmetics, vehicles, food, accessories and agriculture products to Oman.

From Oman, it imports oil, petrochemical products, paper pulp, synthetics, pigments of paint, paint and varnish among other things.

"If we open an embassy we can explore more avenues. Besides, both sides will have easy access to each other," he said.

Salim also informed that tourist arrival from Oman to Indonesia had increased considerably in the last two years.

"This has been possible with Indonesia providing visitor's visa on arrival," he said.

Tourism is an important component of the Indonesian economy as well as a significant source of foreign exchange. With a vast archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, the second longest shoreline in the world, over 700 languages and tropical climate, nature and culture are both major components of Indonesian tourism.

Discussions

According to him, even though trade and tourism between Oman and Indonesia have grown significantly, there is still scope for improvement. "We still don't know each other. I am sure there will be a drastic improvement in understanding between the two at all levels," Salim said. "It would lead to a drastic improvement in understanding the two countries," he added.

Though the bulk of the Indonesians living in Oman are unskilled workers, there are also skilled personnel working, especially in the hospitality sector. "We also have teachers in Sultan Qaboos University," Salim informed.

The director for Middle East affairs also hoped that cultural exchange would see an upswing. "Indonesia has programmes for culture and Indonesian language. We have offered them to many countries," he said.

Earlier, Imron Kotan met Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamoud Al Busaidi, secretary-general, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Oman and discussed a host of issues.

The delegation also met Khalil bin Abdullah Al Khonji, Chairman, OCCI, chairman of Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The meeting was held at the OCCI in the presence of a number of Omani businessmen. The chairman lauded the cordial relations between Oman and Indonesia, particularly in the economic sector.

In the meeting, they discussed a number of topics of interest to the private sector in both the countries. They also discussed the possibility of forming a council for the Omani-Indonesian businessmen.

Trade delegations comprising representatives of a number of private sector companies would visit each others' countries, it was decided.

Interaction

At the meeting Imron Kotan stressed the Indonesian government's interest in communicating and interacting with key persons in the economic and investment areas in the context of the overall effort to promote this sector.

He also said the opening of embassy of the Republic of Indonesia would enhance trade and economic relations between the two countries.

They also discussed several issues of mutual interest such as infrastructure, roads, transport, sanitation and areas of export that could be improved, including tea, rubber, palm oil, the exchange of experiences in different fields.

By Mrudu Naik

Source: Middle East North Africa Financial Times (MENAFN).
Link: http://www.menafn.com/qn_news_story_s.asp?StoryId=1093282943&src=MOEN.

Saudi Arabia- Muted response to H1N1 vaccination campaign

(MENAFN - Arab News) The H1N1 vaccination campaign across the Kingdom has been marked by a low turnout.

Thirty-two health centers in Makkah launched the campaign on Saturday. Few people, however, turned up at the centers to get the vaccination. It is thought that claims on the Internet and in the media about the vaccine having harmful side effects kept many people at bay.

Bandar Nawab, who is on Haj duty, said he took the vaccine fearing a possible swine flu outbreak during Haj. Among those taking the vaccine were children below three. Before administering the vaccine, health workers explain to the people the potential side effects, which include soreness, redness or swelling where the shot is given, fainting (mainly in adolescents), headaches, muscle aches, fever and nausea.

Last Saturday, Minister of Health Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah launched the first stage of the campaign in Riyadh. The campaign is aimed primarily at local Haj pilgrims, health officials and people working in Makkah, Madinah and the holy sites during the annual pilgrimage.

The first person to receive the vaccination in Madinah was Dr. Khaled ibn Abdul Aziz Yassin, director of Health Affairs in Madinah area. Yassin said vaccination is being administered at around 30 hospitals and health centers in the area. He said the vaccination is safe and denied it has any adverse side effects.

Health centers in Riyadh have also seen a poor turnout of people at vaccination centers. The Ministry of Health had requested pilgrims to take the vaccination at least 10 days before departing for Haj. Local pilgrims from Riyadh and Dammam are set to leave on Nov. 22 or 23, depending on when Arafat Day is according to the sighting of the moon. Moulavi Mohammed Basheer, who is leading a group of 100 pilgrims from Riyadh, said that members of the group had shown no interest in getting vaccinated. "Since the vaccination is not mandatory, we cannot force pilgrims to take it," said Basheer.

Ministry of Health spokesman Dr. Khalid Al-Mirghalani told Arab News the ministry is to receive feedback about its vaccination program on Sunday. He added that the Ministry of Health has taken all possible measures to safeguard pilgrims from the disease.

He added that only two pilgrims have so far been found to have contracted swine flu. "There is no cause for alarm since this is only a fraction of some 700,000 pilgrims who have already arrived," he said, adding that the National Scientific Committee for Infectious Diseases headed by Health Minister Al-Rabeeah has been monitoring the disease around the clock.

In Jeddah, Dr. Sami Badawood, regional director of Health Affairs, denied reports that people were not taking the vaccine. "On the contrary, designated health centers have been receiving large numbers of people wanting to be vaccinated," he said. "We are receiving many inquiries and requests from various bodies wishing to get their staff vaccinated. Those include consulates, government departments and newspapers wishing to send their staff to Makkah and the holy sites to cover the pilgrimage," he said. Badawood added that the Department of Health Affairs will soon send teams of nurses to vaccinate staff at their work places. Commenting on the availability of the vaccine in Jeddah, he said arrangements would be made with the help of the Ministry of Health to send more vaccines when 80 percent of the current quantity of 60,000 doses is used.

By Hamid Al-Sulami, with input from Muhammad Humaidan, Md Rasooldeen and Yousuf Muhammad

Source: Middle East North Africa Financial News (MENAFN).
Link: http://www.menafn.com/qn_news_story_s.asp?StoryId=1093282870&src=MOEN.

Jordan MoH to begin vaccination of high-risk patients

(MENAFN - Jordan Times) The Ministry of Health will start vaccinating today Jordanians classified as high-risk patients against H1N1 (swine) flu, a ministry source said Saturday.

The ministry last week prepared a plan detailing categories given priority for immunization.

First to be vaccinated are 30,000 women in the third trimester of their pregnancy, 3,100 patients suffering from kidney failure, children with type 1 diabetes, people with heart failure, an estimated 109 AIDS patients and some 10,000 patients with severe asthma.

In addition, 5,000 vaccines have been allocated for medical staff who work directly with swine flu patients, while some civil defense and public security personnel will also be inoculated.

According to the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the vaccine will only be mandatory for medical cadres, noting that the ministry "cannot force those who are not willing to take it".

The source added that several medics and ministry officials recently took the vaccine and have not exhibited any side effects.

"We are following up with people who took the vaccine to monitor any side effects they might develop," the source told The Jordan Times.

The Health Ministry is purchasing two million vaccines from Novartis and 250,000 from Glaxo SmithKline, with the first batch of 100,000 from the former approved by the Jordan Food and Drug Administration.

According to the most recent statistics, issued last Wednesday, the number of confirmed swine flu cases in the Kingdom stands at 2,604, with 10 fatalities.

By Khetam Malkawi

Jordan- Airport road traffic to be diverted to service routes

(MENAFN - Jordan Times) The Ministry of Public Works and Housing will begin diverting traffic from the airport road to service roads starting next month, a ministry official said on Saturday.

In late December, authorities will divert traffic to a three-kilometre detour starting at the junction between the Ring Road and the airport road, in order to have all traffic using the two-lane service roads as of next summer, the ministry's secretary general, Sami Halaseh, told The Jordan Times.

The 14-metre wide service roads will become the main route between Amman to the Queen Alia International Airport until construction on the main road is completed, Halaseh, who accompanied Minister of Public Works and Housing Alaa Batayneh on a recent visit to the construction site, added.

The JD70 million project is expected to increase the capacity of the airport road and will provide alternative routes and exits, he added.

Work on the project, which started in December 2008, is well under way, he said, noting that the contractor has already finished all preparations to build the service lanes.

The contractor implementing the first phase of the project is currently working to lay asphalt on the service roads after completing infrastructure work, he added.

By Khalid Neimat

Gaza Graduates Search for Vitamin W

By Mohammed Omer

THE HAGUE, Nov 12 (IPS) - "We fast a long time," says Gaza graduate Mona Ismail, 23. "Only to break our fast on a piece of onion."

She is speaking not of Ramadan but of the whole year, and year after year. She graduated in 'academic excellence in English language' from the Islamic University in Gaza. A prestigious course, and her dream. But now, there is no work she can find in line with her studies.

"I am now considering community volunteer work with organizations that offer English classes," she says, reached on phone from The Hague.

Gaza, considered by much of the world a troubled slum, has near universal literacy, and fine centres of learning. But then, no work afterward for most.

Women are affected more than the men. Large numbers of women graduates are now searching for simple jobs in kindergartens. Many of these are not officially registered with the education ministry, and therefore offer low wages, often as little as 100 dollars a month.

An education official says the kindergartens cannot be blamed, because they can charge only very low fees, and get little support from the ministry. "We are caught between shutting down completely and putting the kids on the street, or working in half-empty classrooms on minimal budgets," says the director of a kindergarten school.

Ruba Ibrahim, who graduated from Al-Azhar University three years back is now teaching in a kindergarten after failing to get a proper job in a public school. "For that I need Vitamin W," she says. By 'W' she means "wasta", Arabic for connections.

A tradition-bound society limits female participation in work, Wedad Sourani, deputy director of The Society of Women Graduates in Gaza, which has more than 3,500 members, tells IPS. "Those who are lucky enough to find jobs are discriminated against in the salary they earn – even if the female is better qualified than the male."

The Palestinian Central Bureau recorded a 41.3 percent rate of participation in the labour force among those aged 15 and above last year. That means just four in ten people 15 and above are in paid work. Female employment was 15.2 percent, compared with 66.8 percent for males. Regionally, it was 17.1 percent females in the West Bank and 11.7 percent in the Gaza Strip.

Some women graduates say it is not just women who are affected. "If this was true, I would have married someone who is employed," says fresh graduate Abu Obeid. "But male graduates are also finding it hard to get jobs."

As a male graduate says, "What is the point of having higher education when we have certificates hanging on the wall but no career."

Some students blame Hamas. "We are entering a very dark tunnel," says 30- year-old Samah Shakfah, who graduated recently after a nine-year gap in education. The siege of Gaza and the divide between Hamas and the Fatah- dominated Palestinian Authority in the West Bank has driven Gaza into deeper isolation with each passing month, she says.

"Had I known that voting for Hamas would lead to this siege, I would have advised my family and friends to save their votes for next time."

As unemployment continues to rise, aid programmes are not always a help, says Wedad Sourani. "Some international organizations stipulate goals and conditions that are not solutions to our societal problems." Money is often wasted on small projects in Gaza while the larger problems like unemployment are ignored, she says.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNWRA) has announced new emergency programmes to double temporary job opportunities for thousands of unemployed people in the war-torn Gaza Strip.

John Ging, operations director of UNRWA, says the organization has increased the number of temporary jobs to 14,000. Of these, 3,100 will be to support the struggling private sector, which Ging notes is on the brink of collapse due to the tight blockade that has meant loss of jobs for 120,000 private employees.

The new programme, he says, aims to secure jobs "for businessmen, ordinary people and those who want to support their families." The support includes payment over six months for removing rubble and rebuilding factories, and to service buildings and infrastructure damaged during the December- January Israeli offensive.

Samah hopes new programmes will include more women. "It's not that we don't have many female professionals, because we do. But we need a long- term solution to decrease unemployment in Gaza, and give us a chance. Just like the western nations who value the professional achievements of their women and try hard to utilise them in the appropriate field."

A survey by the group Near East Consulting of 1,300 Palestinian youths between age 16-25 in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and Jerusalem shows that a quarter of Palestinian youths aspire to succeed in business, 23 percent with practical skills, 17 percent in engineering, 13 percent in medicine, and about 10 percent each in law and in nursing.

The study showed that 46 percent of Palestinian youth are living below the poverty line. A UN worker says "the youths who do get jobs are frustrated to not be working within their qualification field, and so many tend to join the military factions."

Taliban Establish Rival Government in Nuristan

After US Pullout, Taliban Appoints Officials
Jason Ditz

November 13, 2009

In a sign that the Taliban’s de facto control over the Nuristan Province is becoming more and more formal, one of the commanders of the group’s forces in the province says the Taliban is setting up a rival government.

According to Dost Mohammed, the commander in question, the group has established its own judiciary and is appointing administrative officials, and it setting about to provide basic needs to the remote province’s residents.

The US abandoned Nuristan more or less in its entirety after an early October attack against its last two outposts in the province left eight soldiers killed. Officials maintained that they were planning to abandon the outposts anyhow.

But when the US left the outposts, they also ended virtually their entire presence in the province, with only a handful of soldiers left behind to protect the provincial governor. If the Taliban’s government gains traction, the governor may quickly become irrelevant.

Source: Uruknet.
Link: http://www.uruknet.de/?s1=1&p=60013&s2=15.

Helmand, still the same as before

Afghan Resistance Statement
Helmand, still the same as before.
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan

November 13, 2009

This year, the Helmand, a province located in the south of Afghanistan, became target of gruesome attacks of the British and American invaders. American troops sent to Afghanistan as per the new strategy of Obama were deployed in this province as a part of an effort by the American rulers to bolster the sagging morale of the despondent British soldiers there.

Before launching the offensive against Mujahideen in Helmand province, American media started their own media war. They called the operation, the largest military operations ever launched by US marines after the Vietnam War and claimed that it would wipe out all Mujahideen in the area under a take, hold and build strategy. Various helicopters and fighter planes swarmed to Helmand, including military tanks, armed personnel carriers, Humvees heading to some districts like Khan shin, Nad Ali, Garam Sir, Gereshk and to surrounding areas of Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital.

According to a tactical plan worked out by Mujahideen, they (Mujahideen) retreated from certain areas to encourage the enemy forces enter these areas where they were soft targets for the Mujahideen. When the enemy soldiers scattered in the far-flung areas, they were trapped, increasing their casualties with each passing day. Simultaneously, the tempo of the Western media fanfare about this campaign tapered down because they were not ready to report the high fatality that their soldiers were suffering at the hand of the Mujahideen every day. To many, it may be still a mystery that why the western media is tightlipped about the Helmand. However, the British and American soldiers based in Helmand know the answer to this question who see their daily casualties with their own eyes.

In north of Helmand, all the districts, which were in the hands of Mujahideen before the beginning of the operations, are still in their hands. In the south where the operations were concentrated, the writ of Mujahideen has been restored in Khanshin, Marji and Garam Sir districts. The enemy was able to build a military base in a desert there but now they are not able to procure their logistics through lands routes. They have to depend solely on air transportations for logistical items. In Nad Ali, they were forced to evacuate the base, which they had formed at the start of the offensive. In Garam Sir, they are trying to beef up their former bases. No new base has been built there.

The British soldiers occupied some areas in Babaji, Pashak and the White Mosque but they were not able to retain them for long time in face of the constant attacks by the Mujahideen. So they withdrew from all these areas. The main problem of the enemy is logistical supply. When their tanks and logistical vehicles come out of their military bases for patrol and logistical supplies, they become easy targets for Mujahideen. On the other hand, the roadside bombs take a high toll of the enemy, making roads a graveyard for them. Therefore, they use transportation planes for the supply of logistics instead of using the land routes.

In short, in Helmand, the new strategy of the American top general in Afghanistan, Mc Crystal has faced a complete failure. The operations Sword and Panther’s Claw did not achieve what the invaders wanted to achieve.

The defeat of the invading foreign forces proves that the military approach chosen by the invaders as a strategy is not paying off. They will have to ponder over other options like withdrawal from Afghanistan and granting the Afghans their natural rights of independence and formation of an Islamic government of their choice. Otherwise, their economy and society will bleed like the former Soviet Union which disintegrated after occupying Afghanistan for ten years.

Source: Uruknet.
Link: http://www.uruknet.de/?s1=1&p=60029&s2=15.

Israel planning new 'aggression on Gaza'

The Palestinian Hamas resistance movement has warned that Israel is fabricating pretexts to launch a fresh military offensive on the Gaza Strip.

Israel recently accused Hamas of having test-fired a long-range missile that could reach targets in Israel.

Hamas' spokesman in Gaza, Fawzi Barhoum, said in a written statement that the Israeli claim "shows Israel's intentions to escalate aggressive actions against the Gaza Strip."

"Such threats are coming under the title of incitement and creating pretexts in order to commit more new crimes against Gaza and attempt to cover over the previous crimes that were committed during the last war," DPA quoted Barhoum as saying on Saturday.

"These claims are part of the Israeli lies to justify a new aggression on the Gaza Strip," he added.

The latest Israeli military offensive into the impoverished Palestinian sliver, dubbed Operation Cast Lead, claimed the lives of more than 1500 people and injured many others. According to UN figures a large number of the victims were civilians including women and children.

Sudan seeks progress on Darfur talks

Sun Nov 15, 2009

An aide to Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has invited a former rebel leader to take part in peace talks aimed at ending the six-year conflict in Darfur.

Ghazi Salaheddine told reporters on Saturday at the Sudanese Embassy in Paris that no one should have a right of veto over a possible peace deal.

However, Abdel Wahid Mohammed Nur, the ex-leader of the Sudanese Liberation Army currently in exile in the French capital, is refusing to take part in the discussions.

In February, Darfur's most active rebel group, the Justice and Equality Movement, signed an agreement with the Sudanese government in Qatar that paved the way for broader peace talks over the conflict in Darfur.

The deal calls for an end to attacks on the over two million people who are in refugee camps and an exchange of prisoners.

The Doha mediated talks are scheduled to resume in a few days.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://edition.presstv.ir/detail/111299.html.

Iran raises voice against VOICE

In response to a US Congressional bill that would allocate millions of dollars for anti-Iran broadcasts, the Iranian Parliament (Majlis) has passed a counter-resolution to foil what it calls "US plots".

"The Intelligence Ministry, the Foreign Ministry, and the Interior Ministry have decided to set up a three-member committee to curb the rising tide of US interference in the country's affairs," said MP Fatemeh Alia, a senior member of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee.

She added that the parliament's national security committee initially authorized a budget of $20 million for the special committee, but later raised the sum to $50 million.

"We realized that $20 million is not enough, considering the extent to which Washington conspires against Third World countries," she explained.

Alia said the bill was primarily introduced to expose Washington's numerous violations of human rights but was later extended to cover US attempts to destabilize the Iranian government.

She was mainly referring to the Victims of Iranian Censorship Act (VOICE), which was signed into law by US President Barack Obama earlier in the month.

The bill was hammered out by Senators John McCain, Joseph Lieberman, Ted Kaufman, Lindsey Graham, and Robert Casey earlier in July as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act.

According to the website of Senator Lieberman, the bill authorizes $50 million for the expansion of Persian-language broadcasting into Iran by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Radio Farda and the Voice of America's Persian News Network.

It will also allocate another $25 million for internet-based activities, the website said.

France wins World Cup playoff over Ireland

A deflected winner by Nicolas Anelka against Ireland has put France in sight of the 2010 World Cup at Croke Park Stadium in Dublin.

The Chelsea forward's 72nd-minute goal deflected off a defender and the post before finding the net on Saturday.

France will claim a spot at next year's 32-team tournament in South Africa by avoiding defeat in the return match at home on November 18.

"I preferred the second half when we were more ourselves," said French boss Raymond Domenech.

"There were lots of high balls, which isn't our game," he added. "The main point is that we didn't concede any goals and I am happy with this."

Ireland's manager Giovanni Trapattoni said that the ricochet was unfortunate for his side. He told his players to consider this match only the first half with the remaining half to be played in France.

"I said to my players, we played 90 minutes, but don't depair, this is the first half," Trapattoni said.

"We will have in Paris, the second half. All is possible in football. For example, a little deflection can turn the game around," he added.

In other matches the same day, Portugal came away with a 1-0 first-leg victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina. Russia defeated Slovenia 2-1 in another playoff, while Greece was held 0-0 at home by Ukraine.

Ahmadinejad defends his subsidy plan

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has defended his revolutionary plan to redistribute subsidies and restructure the economy at the Iranian parliament.

Ahmadinejad, who was at Iran's Parliament (Majlis) to defend is choice of ministers for education, welfare and energy, said during the past 30 years the Islamic Republic has faced two main obstacles, one of which was the subsidy system.

“We all stood together to rise above the hurdles imposed on us from outside our borders. And today, we must stand together to defeat the internal obstacle… subsidies are our main economic challenge,” he told the lawmakers on Sunday morning.

Ahmadinejad's subsidy bill, which still awaits parliamentary approval, is part of an overall plan to reshape the Iranian economy.

The bill aims to lift subsidies that the government has placed on key consumer goods such as fuel and bread and redirect the allocated funds to poorer sectors of the society.

During his Sunday address, the president also pointed to the threats made against Iran's national security as the other hurdle that the system had overcome in the past three decades and said those who once threatened Iran were now “desperate and bewildered.”

“During the past 30 years we have lived under a dark cloud of threats… but today no powers dares to threaten the Iranian nation,” said Ahmadinejad, pointing out that Iran's resistance and management in nuclear talks had opened a new pathway in countering threats from outside.

He also made an indirect reference to a recent decision by US President Barack Obama to extend US economic sanctions against Iran and said that the measure had been taken under pressure from “Israelis and certain European countries with a record of colonialism”.

Ahmadinejad said Iran's success in nuclear negotiations with the West had angered Tel Aviv.

Britons want UK soldiers out of Afghanistan in a year

An opinion poll in Britain that shows a growing majority of the country's population want British troops out of Afghanistan within 12 months.

Some 71 percent of the respondents to, The Independent on Sunday paper have backed a phased withdrawal leading to a complete end to combat operations in a year.

Moreover, 47 percent of those participating in the poll believe the continued deployment of British troops in Afghanistan has made terror attacks at home more likely.

The Government of Prime Minister Gordon Brown faces growing public anger against UK's involvement in Afghanistan.

Earlier last week, around 1,000 people demonstrated against the war as NATO's parliamentary assembly met in Edinburgh.

This is while the British civilian and military communities have also accused the government of endangering the life of soldiers serving in Afghanistan by not providing sufficient equipments including helicopters.

US blocks release of Iraq, Afghanistan torture photos

US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has blocked the release of new photographs showing prisoners in Afghanistan and Iraq being abused by their Americans captors.

Gates said that public disclosure of the photos would endanger US citizens, US armed forces, and employees of the US government deployed outside the US.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) had sued for the release of 21 color photos under the Freedom of Information Act.

The Obama administration filed a brief with the Supreme Court late Friday saying that Gates has invoked new powers blocking the release of the photos.

Federal courts had rejected the government's arguments to block their release, so Congress gave Gates new powers to keep them private under a law signed by President Barack Obama last month.

Gates' order specifically cites the 21 pictures sought by the ACLU, plus 23 additional ones cited in a ruling by the US Court of Appeals for the second Circuit.

However, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the order covers all photographs from investigations related to the treatment of individuals captured or detained in military operations outside the US between Sept. 11, 2001, and Jan. 22, 2009.

Director of the ACLU National Security Project Jameel Jaffer said the group will continue to fight for the release of the photographs, arguing that Gates' order is overly broad.

When President Barack Obama took office, he clarified he would not fight the release of these types of photographs. He reversed course in May and authorized an appeal to the high court.

Obama said he was persuaded that disclosure could further incite violence in Afghanistan and Iraq and endanger US troops there.

The photographs at issue were taken by service members and were part of criminal investigations of alleged abuse. Some pictures show "soldiers pointing pistols or rifles at the heads of hooded and handcuffed detainees," Solicitor General Elena Kagan said in the appeal to the high court.

In one, "a soldier holds a broom as if 'sticking its end into the rectum of a restrained detainee,'" Kagan said, quoting from an investigation report prepared by the Pentagon.

Colombia to free captured Venezuelan soldiers

Colombia plans to send back home four members of the Venezuelan National Guard captured on its soil as a goodwill gesture aimed at easing tensions between the two sides.

"They should carry the message that here there is affection for the brother people of Venezuela," Colombian President Alvaro Uribe said Saturday, referring to the detained Venezuelan soldiers.

The Colombian navy intercepted the soldiers on Friday in El Aceitico along the border, according to a statement by Colombia's DAS intelligence agency.

The agency added that they were traveling in a boat, inside which Venezuelan military uniforms were found.

Relations between the South American neighbors have been strained recently over a military deal between Colombia and the US that gives the US military more access to Colombian bases.

Bogota and Washington say their military pact is limited to fighting drug-runners and rebels in Colombia.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez called the agreement a threat to the whole region. Last week, he ordered his military to prepare for possible war with Colombia in case the US attempts to provoke one.

The leftist Venezuelan leader also called his Colombian counterpart a traitor who has signed over Colombian sovereignty to the imperial power of the US.

Parliament debates Ahmadinejad's remaining ministers

Iran's parliament (Majlis) has started debating the qualifications of the three remaining members of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's 21-member cabinet.

The three ministries of education, welfare and energy have been left to caretakers for more than two months, after lawmakers rejected the president's proposed candidates in an early September vote.

In his speech to the session, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad urged the Principlist dominant Majlis to approve the ministers, as they "possess all the qualifications needed to succeed in their [prospective] positions."

Current lawmaker, Hamid-Reza Haji-Babaei has been nominated for the education ministry while Majid Namjou has been nominated as the president's leading choice for the ministry of energy.

Sadegh Mahsouli, Iran's interior minster in President Ahmadinejad's first administration has been also nominated as the country's welfare minster.

President Ahmadinejad submitted his final list of 21 candidates for his cabinet on August 19. After five days of often bitter debate, the Majlis approved 18 out of 21 of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's Cabinet picks.

Lawmaker Zohre Elahiyan said the three remaining candidates are likely to be approved, as they "have good record of efficiency and can be successful in their ministries."

Journalists descend on Tehran for OANA meeting

Representatives of 41 news agencies have descended on Tehran to attend a meeting of the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA).

Iran's Mehr News Agency will host the OANA 31st Executive Board Meeting (EBM) and the 25th Editorial-Technical Experts Group (ETEG) Meeting, which will kick off on Sunday at the Enqelab Hotel in Tehran.

The meeting will feature keynote speeches by Iranian Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Mohammad Hosseini and OANA Secretary General Ahmad Mukhlis Yusuf, who is also the head of Indonesia's ANTARA news agency.

Representatives of news agencies from Russia, Japan, China, South Korea, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, and a number of other Asia-Pacific states will be attending the OANA meeting.

Somalia: Islamists denounce Puntland for Extraditing Somalis to Ethiopia

Mogadishu Saturday 14 November 2009 SMC

The Islamist administration in the southern seaport town of Kismayo has denounced the authority of the semi-autonomous state in eastern Somalia, for extraditing Somalis in their region.

The spokesman of Al-Shabab in the southern regions in Somalia Sheikh Hassan Yakub has expressed their concept towards extraditing Somalis to the Ethiopian regime.

“Where ever people are ruled in rules which are not the based in the Holy Quran, the authority of that particular place can deal with the citizens under their authority which ever way they want to do, the so called authority of Puntland has extradited number of Somali youths, and elders to the government of Abyssinia, and that act is absolutely contrary against the Islamic Sharia Law” said Sheikh Hassan Yakub the spokesman of Al-Shabab in the Jubbah regions.

The spokesman has also added in his speech that their faction is not in any way involved in the recent instability in some parts of Puntland.

“There are some people pretending to part of the wide network of Al-Shabab who are carrying out operations which have recently created instability in the some parts of Eastern Somalia, we are strongly warning these people to stop the wild acts they are carrying out in that region, and they are not intending to abstain those evil acts we shall take measures against them” added Sheikh Yakub.

This speech from the administration of Al-Shabab coincides at a time when there has been instability in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland in the past couple of weeks.

Abbas is set to destabilize

Friday, November 13, 2009
İLHAN TANIR

The Middle East Institute held its annual conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. last week. Many world-renowned scholars, current and former government officials and retired military and intelligence officers participated in the conference. The climate in the conference was grim, and one heard the word “despair” more than “hope,” and “collapse” more than “collaboration” in the conference. This pessimistic outlook was obvious during the last panel of the two-day conference as well, titled "Arab-Israel Peace and the Domestic Political Obstacles."

One discussant in this last was Khalil Shikaki, a Brandeis University professor and the director of the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research in Ramallah, which has conducted more than 100 polls among Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip since 1993. He chose to weigh in on the recent announcement of Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, not to run for reelection in 2010. After months of frustration, apparently Abbas feels that he is in an impossible position to move forward for a comprehensive peace settlement.

Obama, after his grandiose speech in Cairo, lifting the hopes of the Arab world for a few months by his bold pronouncement to prove that he indeed is serious to deliver and change the perception of his country in the region, he has now come back to square one in recent weeks. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had to backpedal in her visit to the region from the only condition the American administration put forward, which was freezing the settlements.

In such a desperate mode, maybe the most upbeat statement in the conference came from Daniel Levy, a senior fellow at the New American Foundation and veteran Israeli peace negotiator, who said that the Obama administration, at least getting involved with the Arab-Israel peace process in their first year, not the seventh or the eighth, still would have time to correct the course or their mistakes. Levy was right on in pointing out Obama's early start; however, one needs to really dig deep to find hopeful signs about what Obama’s team has done so far in order to bring some hope for the future.

Shikaki, an expert who follows the region very closely and regularly takes Palestinian people's pulse with his polling center, first gave a quick brief about what Abbas has done for the last five years. According to Shikaki, Abbas delivered an unprecedented security for Israel with an effective stability in the West Bank. Abbas has been able to do this by restructuring the Palestinian institutions with much better service than has ever been seen for the past 16 years. He said that 60 percent of Palestinians were now feeling safer, up from 25 percent a few years ago.

Shikaki added that in the West Bank, for the first time in history, the chain of command has been effectively established in security ranks, and security forces have come strictly under civilian authority. In addition, many Palestinian armed leaders or warlords have lost their authority to freely attack Israel and thereby causing retaliation by the Israeli forces. The justice system is also repaired, and for the first time again, the Palestinians have come to trust their justice system now, even though there is yet much more to be done. The corruption, once an infamous twin word for the Fatah, also has decreased rapidly.

Regarding the relationship with Hamas, Shikaki also argued that Abbas cracked down on the Fatah as well as the Hamas militants, and most of the armed Hamas militants have been put in jail, although the political wing of Hamas has been left untouched, he added, not because of Israel, but for the sake of Palestine's democracy. And the harsh treatment for Hamas was not done because the Israelis wanted it, but because 95 percent of the Fatah delegates, in a recent Fatah conference, identified Hamas as a coup-prone and violent movement.

Abbas also repaired the badly damaged U.S.-Palestine ties, which are back to where they were in the 1990s during the Clinton years. And in light of this better relationship with the United States, now most of the Palestinians consider America's role in the peace process as favorable. And Shikaki reveals that only last year Israel's former prime minister Olmert and Abbas held secret talks, and got closer than ever to a peace deal, including the exchange of maps concerning the final borders of a Palestinian state. However, with the new elections in Israel, the Netanyahu administration did not even care about these secret talks.

Abbas reformed the Fatah, Shikaki concluded, made a great transition and change in the political life of Palestine; but for what Abbas asks himself now. He realizes, after delivering many promises that many thought were undeliverable, nobody is out there to move the peace process forward. After long years of hard work, the West Bank is now a safe place, both for its people and also for Israel. Instead, Abbas felt that he was being let down, and that all he did was to make Israel happy, with nothing in return.

Therefore, in recent times, the security that is provided for Israel, Shikaki argues, is perceived by the Palestinians as a collaboration with the invading forces. Good relations with America also seem to be very costly, as Abbas took heavy flak from many of his supporters with his initial rejection of the GoldStone Report in the United Nations Human Council, under the pressure from American diplomats. Right after U.S. Secretary of State Clinton praised Netanyahu's move as “unprecedented.”

So Abbas decides, since nothing is working, the only way forward is to destabilize the region, or give it a shock therapy. Shikaki predicts that this shock therapy will have different episodes, ups and downs. For example, Abbas will start shutting down the information channels with the outside world; he will not see a reporter, will not give an interview or make statements. Then after the announcement of the resignation, the real resignation will come as well, together with the rest of his Cabinet.

The shock therapy might be the final way to put the peace talks on the right track, Shikaki believes. Maybe someone will try to put the peace track right back, once it is understood that the situation is serious. If not, Abbas will quit, with everyone else in the Palestinian Authority and that will cause the crash of the system.

According to the polls among the people of Palestine, Shikaki declares that two-thirds of the Palestinians now think that they tried every possible way for the peace process, but failed. Therefore, the time is now to visit violence, because they think this option could be the only helpful way for moving forward.

We will see how Shikaki's predictions will turn out, and if anyone will take the signals seriously, before such chaos hits the region.

Obama sends letter to Philippine Muslim rebel leader

Manila - US President Barack Obama has sent a letter to the leader of the main Muslim rebel group in the Philippines, a guerrilla official said Saturday. The letter to Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) chairman Murad Ibrahim was delivered to rebel peace negotiators by Deputy Assistant State Secretary Scot Marciel, according to Muhammad Ameen, chairman of the MILF secretariat.

Ameen said Marciel and two other US diplomats met MILF peace negotiators headed by Mohagher Iqbal on November 6.

Ameen did not disclose the contents of the letter but said it was a response to a letter Murad sent to Obama after he won the election last year.

On Friday, US State Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton urged the Philippine government and the MILF to conclude a peace deal before the end of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's term next year.

The rebel group was instrumental in the safe release on Thursday of kidnapped Columban missionary Michael Sinnott, who was held captive for over a month by gunmen in the strife-torn southern region of Mindanao.

The MILF is the largest of the Muslim rebel groups fighting for an independent Islamic state in Mindanao. It first entered into peace talks the government in 1997.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/294653,obama-sends-letter-to-philippine-muslim-rebel-leader.html.

Soccer- Egypt beat Algeria, force sudden death World Cup playoff

LONDON, Nov 14 (Reuters) - Egypt beat Algeria 2-0 in their African qualifying Group C match in Cairo on Saturday with both teams finishing the campaign with identical records.

They will now face a sudden death playoff in Sudan on Wednesday to decide who goes through to next year's finals in South Africa.