Hamas Meets in Cairo to Discuss Prisoner Exchange With Israel

By Gwen Ackerman and Saud Abu Ramadan

Nov. 23 (Bloomberg) -- Senior Hamas officials from the Gaza Strip and Syria met in Cairo to discuss a prisoner exchange deal that would free Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier who has been held by the Palestinian group for three years, an official said.

“The delegations will discuss the progress which was achieved in the indirect talks to free Shalit in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners,” Ayman Taha, a Gaza-based Hamas spokesman, said at a press conference today.

Taha said “great progress” had been made and anticipated the deal’s conclusion on the eve of Eid al Adha, a Muslim holiday beginning on Nov. 27.

Israeli President Shimon Peres, who visited Cairo yesterday, also noted movement in German- and Egyptian-mediated talks to free Shalit, Peres spokeswoman Ayelet Frish said in a phone interview.

The Hamas delegation from Gaza is led by senior leader Mahmoud al-Zahar, the Gaza-based Safa Palestinian Press Agency said. Some other officials, including Hamas political bureau chief Khalid Mashaal, are based in Syria.

Also on the agenda in Cairo is an Egyptian proposal for reconciliation between Hamas and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah faction. Hamas ousted Fatah from Gaza in June 2007 and ended a partnership government with it.

Palestinian Elections

The 25-page proposal calls for an end to the feud and for general elections on June 28, 2010, delayed from the originally planned Jan. 23 ballot, Taha said. Fatah has accepted the document, while Hamas said outstanding points still had to be negotiated.

Hamas demanded that Israel free hundreds of prisoners in exchange for Shalit, whom Palestinian militants captured in a 2006 raid on the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel.

Israel and Hamas have disagreed about 70 of the Palestinian prisoners on the list to be freed, Fox News said on its Web site yesterday. Hamas recently sent Israel new names, which Israeli officials said met their criteria for release, Fox said.

Some Palestinian prisoners have informed their families they will be released soon, the Ynet news site reported today, without saying where it got the information.

Iraqi Parliament approves amended electoral law

The Iraqi Parliament has endorsed an amendment to the electoral law which had cast doubt over the fate of the country's general election scheduled to be held in January 2010.

The lawmakers attended a Monday session of Parliament, discussing how to resolve the dispute erupted on Wednesday, when Vice President Tareq al-Hashimi used his veto power to demand a greater say for minorities and Iraqi nationals who fled the country after the 2003 US invasion.

However, the lawmakers eventually voted in favor of an amendment that does not address the vice president's veto, a Press TV correspondent reported.

At least 190 lawmakers in the 275-seat parliament were attending the parliamentary session, but three parliamentary blocs walked out to display their opposition to the motion.

The revised electoral law allows expatriated Iraqis to vote based on the cities and towns, where they used to live before leaving the country. This would increase the number of eligible voters by 2.8 percent.

Iraq's electoral commission has repeatedly warned that continued delays over the voting law threaten to leave too little time to complete preparations by the scheduled polling date.

The law is supposed to be in place 90 days before voting, which is scheduled for mid-January.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=111979§ionid=351020201.

PA wants direct Israeli answer to settlement question

The Palestinian Authority's caretaker Prime Minister Salam Feyadh has urged Israel to stop "equivocating" on the settlements issue.

"You know, this (the settlement issue) is not really something that is going to go away. And Israeli leaders are well advised to stop, you know, equivocating on the issue if this issue is to be resolved," Reuters quoted Feyadh as saying on Sunday.

His comments came on Sunday as Israeli President Shimon Peres, in a meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, downplayed the construction of settlements in the occupied Palestinian land as a "marginal" issue blocking the resumption of peace talks.

"What's required is absolutely clear. The time has come for there to be a complete recognition of the need for ... a comprehensive settlement freeze in all of the occupied Palestinian territory — including, especially, in Jerusalem [Al-Quds] and around Jerusalem [Al-Quds]," Fayyad added.

Last week, Tel Aviv approved a plan to build 900 new homes in a Jewish settlement near Jerusalem Al-Quds.

Furthermore, Arab Knesset member Ahmad Tibi said on Friday that the Israeli municipality of the annexed city is preparing to build 15,000 new housing units, mainly in areas beyond the Green Line in the occupied West Bank.

US President Barack Obama, who has been making efforts to re-launch the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, termed Tel Aviv's decision as a "very dangerous" move that could fuel Palestinian anger.

4 US soldiers killed in 24 hours in Afghanistan

Mon Nov 23, 2009

The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) says that four American soldiers have been killed in the past 24 hours in Afghanistan.

The military said on Monday that the soldiers were killed in separate attacks in the war-ravaged country.

Two US soldiers were killed in a homemade bomb blast in the south, where another soldier was killed in a militant attack on Sunday, ISAF said in a statement.

The fourth soldier died in another roadside bomb blast in the country's eastern region on Monday, the statement added.

Meanwhile, the Afghan Defense Ministry said in a statement that three Afghan soldiers were killed in a series of roadside bomb attacks in the southern Helmand province.

Two other Afghan soldiers were injured in a roadside bomb blast in Musa Qala district of Helmand.

Despite the presence of 100,000 international troops in Afghanistan, there has been no sign of stability in the war-torn country.

Thousands of civilians and Afghan security forces have lost their lives in Afghanistan since the US-led invasion of the country in 2001.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://edition.presstv.ir/detail/111968.html.

Four terrorists die in clashes in Iran

In an exchange of gunfire, Iranian security forces kill at least four members of a terrorist group planning to cross the southeastern borders of the country.

"A group of ten terrorists were trying to enter the country via the frontier town of Mirjaveh when they were spotted by security personals," said local police commander Hossein Zolfaghari on Monday .

"Seeing that their cover is blown, the terrorists opened fire on the security officials," he added. "But eventually four of them died in the clashes while six fled to neighboring countries."

Mirjaveh which is 75 kilometer southeastern of Zahedan city is close to the Afghan and Pakistani borders.

Zolfaghari said that the incident is being thoroughly investigated.

Son of Iranian war hero found brutally killed

Iran reacts with shock and awe to the brutal murder of Ruhollah Hashemi, the son of a prominent war hero, at his home in Western Tehran.

Ruhollah, whose father Mojtaba Hashemi was a well-known commander of the asymmetrical warfare during the Iraq-imposed war (1980-1988), was found in a ghastly state on Monday.

"Officials have found Ruhollah Hashemi, his wife while they were viciously decapitated," IRNA news agency reported.

Security forces have launched a comprehensive investigation into the incident.

"Police officials are scanning the crime scene for clues to find the culprit behind the incident," added the report.

Iran questions Russian credibility over Bushehr plant

A top Iranian official has questioned Russia's credibility for the completion of the Bushehr nuclear plant, saying the existing conditions have left Iran with no choice but to allow Russians to develop the plant.

“The problems regarding the Bushehr plant has a technical as well as a political aspect. The Russians… want to launch the plant under certain conditions, but we will not surrender to them,” Iran's deputy foreign minister Manouchehr Mohammadi said in a Monday speech at an Iranian university.

The Bushehr plant was originally scheduled to be completed in 1999 but its completion has repeatedly been delayed. Russia has recently announced the nuclear plant would not become operational, as promised, by the end of 2009.

Iran was left with no choice but to sign a deal with Russia to develop the Bushehr plant as Western countries had pulled out of the project, Mohammadi said.

After the originally German-built reactor was left unfinished by Berlin following the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, Russia was granted the contract to complete the nuclear power plant in Bushehr in 1995.

However, hindrance on the part of the Russian contractor, Atomstroiexport, has so far prevented the launch of Iran's first nuclear power plant.

Russia has cited 'technical' issues as the reason for the delays, ruling out that the decision is politically-motivated.

On Iran-US relations, Mohammadi said the issue can be considered from three aspects, namely negotiations, diplomatic relations and the resolution of differences.

However, the US has not taken practical steps in any of these aspects after the Islamic Revolution, he said.

Mohammadi said the Israeli lobby was acting against Washington's own interests by preventing the US from resuming relations with Iran.

“Despite [US President Barack] Obama's change in tone, there is still a double standard in the US policy towards Iran which has led to Washington's failure in this regard.”

Obama has repeatedly talked of a change in US policy toward Iran since he came to office in January.

However, Tehran says Washington has taken no practical steps to resume diplomatic relations with Iran.

The Obama administration continues to pressure American firms as well as foreign countries to stop investing in Iran's energy sector in a bid to bring Iran's nuclear program to a halt.

Meanwhile, Iranian assets in the US remain blocked and Obama has extended the unilateral US sanctions against Iran for another year.

Israel-Turkey tensions grow

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Recently, World Youth Chess Championship was held in Turkey. An Israeli girl became Under 14 Girls tournament winner. Yet, Hatikvah, the Israeli national anthem was not played at the award ceremony. Head of Israel's Chess Association has already filed an official protest to World Chess Association.

The tournament organizers decided that only hymns of the teams should be played, what constitutes a protocol violation.

Last night, Industry and Trade Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer arrived at Turkey, aiming to attempt at normalizing bilateral relations, which aggravated after Ankara’s screaming TV series on “Zionist occupants’ atrocities” in Gaza strip.

Turkey refuses to acknowledge Jerusalem as Israeli capital, addressing official letters to Tel Aviv. Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced he’d meet with Sudan president, charged of crimes against humanity, rather than with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Kursor reported.

Zionist Propaganda Body Seeks Volunteers to Distort Wikipedia Input on ME

Occupied Jerusalem, 21 November 2009

A Zionist hasbara (propaganda) body based in North America is trying to recruit "volunteers" whose main job is to distort the input of the internet’s most visited websites in Israel’s favor.

Propaganda efforts are reportedly focused on popular sites such as Wikipedia, the huge on-line encyclopedia which can be edited by anyone

CAMERA, which calls itself a "committee for accuracy in Middle East reporting in America," already has a team of dozens of paid Jewish propagandists who regularly and often scandalously distort basic data pertaining to such themes as Israeli apartheid, Zionism and its ideological similarity to Nazism, Israeli state terror and ill-treatment of Palestinians as well as other issues related to the Israeli Palestinian conflict.

Recently CAMERA sent a circular to potential Zionist propagandists, asking them to help ensure a pro-Israeli bias in the internet.

"The idea behind Wikipedia is that if thousands of well-meaning and informed volunteers collaborate on an online encyclopedia, the result would be more accurate, up-to-date and inclusive than any print encyclopedia could possibly be."

The circular went on: "CAMERA seeks 10 volunteers to help us keep Israel-related entries on Wikipedia from becoming tainted by anti-Israel editors. All it takes to be an effective volunteer is a basic comfort level with computers. Call or email me, and I will train you on how to become a volunteer Wikipedia editor."

Reputed for its notoriously mendacious and inaccurate input, CAMERA has consistently sought to exonerate the Israeli occupation forces of war crimes committed against innocent civilians especially in the Gaza Strip.

Acting as a propaganda mouthpiece for the Israeli occupation army, the group, relying on questionable and often concocted statements by Israeli army spokespersons, argued on many occasions that the widespread killing of Palestinian civilians by the Israeli army occurred by mistake and that measures were often taken to minimize civilian casualties.

Earlier this year, the Israeli army carried out a virtually genocidal onslaught against the nearly totally unprotected Gaza Strip, killing and maiming thousands of innocent civilians, including hundreds of children.

Moreover, a sustained aerial bombing by the Israeli air force destroyed more than six thousand Palestinian homes and hundreds of public buildings including more than a hundred mosques.

CAMERA, whose staff includes former Israeli Shine Beth’ officials, attacked the recently-published Goldstone report, accusing the former South African Judge, who is Jewish, of reporting "inaccurate information."

The Goldstone report, based on meticulously authenticated data obtained first-hand testimonies from victims, accused the Israeli forces of knowingly and deliberately committing war crimes and crimes against humanity during the 21-day onslaught.

The data contained in the Goldstone report were corroborated by testimonies made by Israeli soldiers who took part in the winter onslaught.Israel, apparently fearing international condemnation, had refused to cooperate with the Goldstone commission.

Kashmir witnesses cold nights, Banihal coldest in Jammu

Srinagar, Nov 23 (PTI) Kashmir valley, observing a dry spell continued to witness cold nights, as mercury showed downward trend for the past week.

The hill resort of Pahalgam in south Kashmir was the coldest place in the state with minimum temperature dipping to minus 4.7 degrees Celsius, met office said.

Srinagar recorded a low of minus 2.2 degree Celsius, while Kupwara in witnessed minus 3.7 degree Celsius. Qazigund and Kokernag had a minimum temperature of minus 3.0 and minus 1.6 degree Celsius.

However, day temperature was near normal in the valley with Srinagar and Qazigund reading 13.5 degree Celsius.

Pahalgam and Kokernag recorded 10.3 and 11.6 degree Celsius respectively, while Kupwara touched a high of 15.2 degree Celsius.

In Jammu region, the lowest temperature of minus 0.4 degree Celsius was recorded at Banihal, followed by 1.2 degrees was recorded in Bhaderwah.

Jammu city recorded a high of 25.

Source: Press Times of India.
Link: http://www.ptinews.com/news/390429_Kashmir-witnesses-cold-nights--Banihal-coldest-in-Jammu.

21 Filipinos killed on way to file election papers

By JIM GOMEZ, Associated Press Writer

MANILA, Philippines – Dozens of gunmen abducted and fatally shot at least 21 people in the southern Philippines on Monday — a massacre that appeared related to local politics.

There was no claim of responsibility for the bloodshed in the predominantly Muslim region wracked by political tensions between rival clans ahead of elections. It was the worst such mass killing in the area in years.

A convoy of vans carrying about 40 people was hijacked in Maguindanao province, about 560 miles (900 kilometers) south of Manila, and army troops later found the bullet-riddled bodies of 13 women and eight men, regional military commander Maj. Gen. Alfredo Cayton said.

It was unclear if there were any survivors. An army and police search was under way for the other hostages, which included the wife and relatives of a politician seeking to become provincial governor and local journalists.

The identities of the gunmen were unknown but victims' relatives blamed political rivals in national elections slated for May 2010.

Philippine elections are particularly violent in the south because of the presence of armed groups, including Muslim rebels fighting for self-rule in the predominantly Roman Catholic nation, and political warlords who maintain private armies.

The decades-long Muslim insurgency has killed about 120,000 people since the 1970s. But a presidential adviser, Jesus Dureza, said Monday's massacre was "unequaled in recent history."

"There must be a total stop to this senseless violence," he said, recommending a state of emergency be imposed in the area to disarm all gunmen. "Anything else will not work."

About 100 gunmen had stopped the convoy, military spokesman Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner said.

The group comprised the wife of Buluan township Vice Mayor Ismael Mangudadatu, along with his two sisters, followers and several local journalists. They were traveling to nearby Shariff Aguak township to file Mangudadatu's nomination papers for the position of governor of Maguindanao province, Brawner said.

Mangudadatu, who was not in the convoy, said his wife and relatives were among the dead. He accused his political rivals belonging to a prominent clan for the massacre. Representatives of that family did not comment on the allegations.

Mangudadatu said his wife, Genalyn, called him by mobile phone shortly before she and her entourage were abducted.

"She said ... they were stopped by 100 uniformed armed men ... then her line got cut off," he said.

Maguindanao is part of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, which was created as part of a 1996 peace agreement with a large Muslim rebel group.

Army troops went on full alert in Maguindanao to prevent retaliatory killings, Cayton said.

Spain in quandary over Western Sahara activist

Madrid (Earth Times - dpa) - Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos on Monday rejected criticism over the government's handling of the case of Western Sahara activist Aminatou Haidar, who went into her eighth day of a hunger strike at the airport of the Canary Island of Lanzarote. There was no other solution than Haidar accepting Spanish refugee status or a new Moroccan passport, Moratinos told a parliamentary commission.

Haidar, who has won several human rights awards, defends the independence of Western Sahara, which Morocco annexed after 1975.

The current situation with Haidar began on November 13, when she flew to the Western Saharan capital Laayoun from the Canary Islands.

Morocco barred her entry, because she declared her nationality as Saharan instead of Moroccan. The Moroccan authorities confiscated her passport and put her on a plane to Lanzarote.

The Spanish authorities said she could not travel back to Laayoun, because she had no passport.

The hunger strike of the activist drew support from Spanish film directors, actors and Portuguese Nobel literature laureate Jose Saramago.

Haidar reiterated on Monday that she rejected Spain's offer to resolve the situation by granting her refugee status in order to allow her to travel.

Haidar also rejected the possibility of getting a new Moroccan passport.

The Moroccan ambassador to Spain said earlier that Haidar might get her passport back if she admitted to being a Moroccan national.

Omar Azziman accused Haidar of being an "agent" of the Western Saharan independence movement Polisario Front.

Moratinos has discussed the case with his Moroccan counterpart Tayeb Fassi Fihri.

Morocco is offering autonomy to Western Sahara instead of the referendum on independence proposed by the United Nations in 1991.

Morocco is seen by many observers as stepping up pressure on Saharan separatists, with King Mohammed VI warning that those who were not "patriots" were "traitors."

Government to help obese woman in Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur, Nov 23 : Malaysia's Penang state government will send a dietitian and counselor to visit obese Nurhaniza Ahmad, weighing 170 kg, to offer her help.

Penang State Health, Welfare, Caring Society and Environment Committee chairman Phee Boon Poh said the dietitian would help Nurhaniza follow a healthy diet plan.

"The dietitian can guide her to lose weight in a safe and healthy manner without having to take medication or undergo surgery.

"If she is unable to go to hospital, we will try to bring the dietitian and counselor to her," he was quoted by The Star newspaper Monday as saying.

Nurhaniza, who has been housebound for the past two years because of her weight, said last week that she was dependent on Nurbayti Mihammed Dali, 11, her only daughter, to bathe and cook for the family.

She has to drag herself around the house because her knees fail her when she tries to stand up.

Nurhaniza was divorced seven years ago and two years later, she married Abu Bakar Hashim, 50, who had lost a leg in a motorcycle accident when he was 16.

The report comes after efforts by the Terrengganu state government offering tips to couples to spice up their sex lives to stem the rising divorce rate.

Earlier this month, Terengganu state, backed by its Muslim clergy, took upon itself the task of spicing up sex lives of couples by advising bathing together, avoid body odor and replace "boring pajamas" with sexy lingerie for women.

The state government came up with innovative ways to improve sexual relations, especially among newly-weds.

It also plans to invite cosmetic firms to introduce exotic and sensuous fragrances that can arouse sexual desire.

State Religious and Information Committee deputy chairman Muhammad Ramli Nuh has supported these efforts saying that they can curb the divorce rates among young couples.

Source: New Kerala.
Link: http://www.newkerala.com/nkfullnews-1-155896.html.

Jordan, Egypt to boost ties, joint investment

(MENAFN - Jordan Times) Jordan and Egypt will hold an investment forum during the first quarter of next year to provide a larger pool of information on investment opportunities available in the two countries.

The decision was made during the meetings of the Joint Jordanian-Egyptian Higher Committee, which commenced on Sunday and were co-chaired by Prime Minister Nader Dahabi and his Egyptian counterpart, Ahmad Nazif, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

Jordan and Egypt are scheduled to sign several agreements and memoranda of understanding today as well as minutes of the two-day meetings. The agreements will cover several areas, including trade, agriculture, energy, education, scientific research, media and tourism.

In his address, Nazif was quoted as underlining the great strides made in investment cooperation between the two countries over the past few years. At the end of September, Jordanian investments in Egypt totaled around $303.5 million, he indicated.

These are distributed among 986 companies operating in the fields of industry, services, agriculture, construction, information technology and telecommunications as well as finance, he added.

Nazif also said Egyptian investments in Jordan totaled more than $800 million at the end of August 2008, distributed among several industrial, agricultural, transport, water, gas and oil distribution companies.

Dahabi said around $300 million of Egyptian investments have so far benefited from the Investment Promotion Law. Foremost of these is the Jordanian-Egyptian Al Fajr for Gas Transmission and Distribution Company, he said.

Highlighting the importance of the joint panel meetings, Dahabi said the 2008 meetings helped expand commercial exchange between the Kingdom and Egypt as the two sides eliminated impediments that hindered the flow of goods between them.

As a result, the volume of trade exchange reached $828 million in 2008 and $634 million during the first three quarters of this year, the premier said, adding that the two sides have a joint responsibility to maintain and improve these figures.

The premier said the committee has greatly contributed to enhancing and developing economic and commercial agreements between the two countries, underlining the two nations' joint commitment to holding these meetings regularly.

Last year, Jordan and Egypt signed several agreements and executive programs to boost cooperation between them in various areas.

Yesterday, the two sides underlined the need to adopt a follow-up mechanism for Jordanian-Egyptian agreements.

They agreed to draw up a timetable for the implementation of bilateral agreements and ensure the execution of each decision or recommendation issued by the higher committee. Accordingly, the two sides will be able to set dates of the sub-committees' meetings.

They also highlighted the need to finalize setting up the Jordanian-Egyptian Customs Federation to lead towards the establishment of the planned Arab Customs Union.

Mobile users in Jordan grow unexpectedly to 101% during Q3

(MENAFN - Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) The number of mobile subscribers in Jordan recorded an unexpected growth during the third quarter of 2009, reaching 101 percent of the country's total six million population amid earlier 95 percent expectations, official statistics mentioned on Saturday.

Chief Executive at the state Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (TRC) Ahmad Hiyasat attributed the sudden surge of users after the third quarter of the year to lucrative packages, competitive prices and mobile conferencing services introduced by mobile providers in the kingdom.

The country's three mobile providers include Kuwaiti-owned Zain Jordan, Orange Jordan and Umniah (an affiliate of Bahrain's Batelco).

On internet services, the official said that statistics registered a 28-percent prevalence among residents.

He also said he expects this number to rise by the year 2012, to reach 50 percent in accordance with government's plans to develop the telecommunications and information technology sector in the country.

Joint Jordanian-French air show takes off

22 November 2009

Amman - Jordanian and French pilots joined in an aerobatics show held at an air base in the north of the kingdom on Sunday as part of celebrations marking the 10th anniversary of His Majesty King Abdullah II's assumption of his constitutional powers.

Deputizing for the King, His Royal Highness Prince Faisal Bin Al-Hussein watched as the pilots from the Jordanian Royal Falcons Club and a French aerobatics team flew in Concorde and made stunt, looping and daredevil performances exhibiting a high degree of excellence and professionalism that excited spectators.

Among those attending were ministers, ambassadors, military attaches, Jordan's air force commander and other high-ranking military officials.

Somalia: Al-Shabab takes control of Afmadow town

Sheikh Hassan Yakub Ali the spokesman of Al-Shabab in the Jubbah region in southern Somalia, giving an interview to Al-Andulus radio in Kismayo on Sunday morning has said that the warriors of Al-Shabab have taken control of Afmadow town which was a stronghold for their rivals Hizbul-Islam.

“The fighters of Hizbul-Islam got the information that our fighting are coming towards the town, and having heard this they have immediately vacated the town, and went towards the direction of the Kenyan Somali boarder town of Dobley” Said Sheikh Hassan Yakub.

The spokesman has urged the inhabitants of Afmadow to be cool, and pledged that they will take the responsibility of the ordinary civilians the most accurate manner.

It is not known the main reason as to why the fighters of Hizbul-Islam have left the town, before action occurred, it I not also known whether this is a military tactics.

There is no any other independent body which has confirmed the conquering of Afmadow town, apart from the officer from Al-Shabab.

Thousands of strange creatures found deep in ocean

By CAIN BURDEAU, Associated Press Writer

NEW ORLEANS – The creatures living in the depths of the ocean are as weird and outlandish as the creations in a Dr. Seuss book: tentacled transparent sea cucumbers, primitive "dumbos" that flap ear-like fins, and tubeworms that feed on oil deposits.

A report released Sunday recorded 17,650 species living below 656 feet, the point where sunlight ceases. The findings were the latest update on a 10-year census of marine life.

"Parts of the deep sea that we assumed were homogenous are actually quite complex," said Robert S. Carney, an oceanographer at Louisiana State University and a lead researcher on the deep seas.

Thousands of marine species eke out an existence in the ocean's pitch-black depths by feeding on the snowlike decaying matter that cascades down — even sunken whale bones. Oil and methane also are an energy source for the bottom-dwellers, the report said.

The researchers have found about 5,600 new species on top of the 230,000 known. They hope to add several thousand more by October 2010, when the census will be done.

The scientists say they could announce that a million or more species remain unknown. On land, biologists have cataloged about 1.5 million plants and animals.

They say they've found 5,722 species living in the extreme ocean depths, waters deeper than 3,280 feet.

"The deep sea was considered a desert until not so long ago; it's quite amazing to have documented close to 20,000 forms of life in a zone that was thought to be barren," said Jesse Ausubel with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, a sponsor of the census. "The deep sea is the least explored environment on earth."

More than 40 new species of coral were documented on deep-sea mountains, along with cities of brittlestars and anemone gardens. Nearly 500 new species ranging from single-celled creatures to large squid were charted in the abyssal plains and basins.

Also of importance were the 170 new species that get their energy from chemicals spewing from ocean-bottom vents and seeps. Among them was a family of "yeti crabs," which have silky, hairlike filaments on the legs.

In the mid-Atlantic, researchers found 40 new species and 1,000 in all, said Odd Aksel Bergstad, an oceanographer with the University of Bergen in Norway who was reached by telephone in the Azores islands.

"It was a surprise to me to find such rich communities in the middle of the ocean," he said. "There were not even good maps for the area. Our understanding of the biodiversity there was very weak."

More than 2,000 scientists from 80 countries are working to catalog the oceans' species.

Researching the abyss has been costly and difficult because it involved deep-towed cameras, sonar and remotely operated vehicles that cost $50,000 a day to operate, Carney said.

Once the census is complete, the plan is to publish three books: a popular survey of sea life, a second book with chapters for each working group and a third focusing on biodiversity.

Lebanon celebrates 66th Independence Day

Beirut - Lebanon celebrated its 66th Independence Day on Sunday amid calls to enhance national unity and bring about economic and political reforms. On November 22, 1943, Lebanon was liberated from a French mandate that lasted 23 years after the fall of Ottoman rule.

A military parade was held in the capital Beirut, with Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, as well as foreign and Arab officials present.

President Michel Suleiman, in a speech on the eve of the Independence Day said, "We need to build state institutions according to a political platform based on openness and the preservation of civil rights."

He also called for abandoning political sectarianism, which had acted as a major obstacle to the formation of a new national unity cabinet made up of rival political factions earlier this month.

Qatar minister hopeful for Darfur peace

Doha - Qatar, which hosts talks between the government of Sudan and rebels from its western Darfur region, has expressed hope that a peace deal can be reached soon between the warring sides, media reports said Sunday. Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ahmed bin Abdullah al- Mahmoud was quoted by Qatar's news agency as saying a recent round of talks with non-governmental groups helped create a roadmap for a process leading to a negotiated settlement.

"What we heard from them about peace, makes us optimistic about the future," he said, adding that if the government and rebels tried, a deal was possible next year.

Qatar has taken a leading role in negotiations, along with the African Union and the United Nations.

Over 300,000 people have been killed and around 2 million displaced in fighting in Darfur since 2003, according to the UN.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/295743,qatar-minister-hopeful-for-darfur-peace.html.

Mubarak to Peres: Israel must stop building settlements - Summary

Cairo (Earth Times - dpa) - Israeli President Shimon Peres met Sunday in Cairo with his Egyptian counterpart Hosny Mubarak who said that the peace process in the region required the Jewish (Zionist) State to cease settlement construction in the West Bank. "We need first to stop settlements in the occupied territories including east Jerusalem," Mubarak said at a joint press conference with Peres, after a closed door meeting between the two leaders.

Mubarak said talks between Israel and the Palestinians should pick up where they last left off so that an agreement could be reached "that ends the Palestinians' suffering" and allows them to establish a state based on the borders of 1967.

Peres said his country was seeking a solution that would satisfy both sides to the decades-old conflict.

The trip by the Israeli leader to the most populous Arab state was expected to last only several hours, and came a day after Mubarak lashed out at the Jewish (Zionist) state, saying it was blocking the Middle East peace process.

"Israel is destroying the opportunity for peace," Mubarak told parliament on Saturday.

"I call on the leaders of Israel - stop your actions in the West Bank and remove the blockade on the (Gaza) Strip. Enough with your stubbornness and manipulations - accept the calls for peace."

Peres' office said the closed door meeting between the two would focus the regional peace process as well as bilateral relations. The trip had been planned prior to Mubarak's speech.

Egypt became the first Arab country to develop full diplomatic relations with Israel in 1979, though ties between the neighbors have been tense at times.

Egyptian court orders release of Muslim Brotherhood figures

Cairo (Earth Times - dpa) - The Cairo Criminal Court ordered the release Sunday of several people who were being held on allegations that they were members of the Muslim Brotherhood. Gamal Heshmat, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood's leadership, the Shura Council, was to be set free, the court said, along with members of the group's administrative office, Al Masry Al Youm newspaper said on its Website.

Security forces also released Ashraf Abdel Ghaffar, a member of local medical syndicate, along with businessmen Khalid el-Beltagi and Ahmed Ali Abbas. They had been arrested by the Egyptian authorities for alleged involvement in the Muslim Brotherhood's international wing.

Egypt's largest opposition group, the brotherhood achieved a historic victory in the 2005 legislative elections, winning around 20 per cent of the seats in the People's Assembly, with their candidates running as independents.

The group has been banned in Egypt since 1954, and its members are routinely detained.

Jordan's central bank to continue dinar-dollar peg

Amman - The Governor of the Jordan Central Bank (CBJ) on Sunday defended tying the Jordanian national currency, the dinar, to the US dollar, saying the policy proved helpful for national exports. He said that the dinar-dollar peg, which was adopted in 1995, was instrumental in "boosting confidence in the national currency as an attractive tool for deposits."

"The policy has shored up the competitiveness of the Jordanian exports and helped to attract foreign investments into the country," he said in an interview with the official Petra news agency.

Touqan also defended the policy of credit squeezing the CBJ has adopted to deal with the spillovers of the financial crisis that hit the world economy in the fourth quarter of 2008.

He reported a 25-per-cent decline in the profits of commercial banks operating in Jordan in the first half of 2009, but said that the retreat could have been larger in the absence of the strict monetary policy pursued by the CBJ over the past 12 months.

"The CBJ adherence to international supervision and audit criteria has helped Jordanian banks to face the repercussions of the global financial crisis with the minimum negative effects," Touqan said.

He said that toxic loans as a ratio of total loans extended by Jordanian commercial banks increased to 6.4 per cent in 2009, from 4.2 per cent in 2008, due to the world financial crisis.

Touqan said that the CBJ would continue in 2010 to adopt policies that focus on "the stability of the dinar and the banking system".

He expected the Jordanian economy to grow at a rate of 4.5 per cent in 2010.

Kashmir's borders won't be redrawn, says Manmohan

Monday, November 23, 2009

Indian prime minister says Pakistan’s objectives in Afghanistan not in harmony with United States.

LAHORE/NEW DELHI: India is not ready to redraw the borders of Kashmir, Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh said on Sunday.

According to a private TV channel, the Indian prime minister said both India and Pakistan should ensure peace while maintaining the current boundaries.

Singh said Pakistan’s objectives in Afghanistan are not necessarily in line with those of the United States.

“Pakistan’s objectives in Afghanistan are not necessarily in harmony with American objectives. Having said that, who am I to judge whether the Pakistan government and the Pakistan Army is moving to remove the Afghan Taliban?” the Indian prime minister said.

He said it was not clear if President Asif Ali Zardari was in control of the army, adding that he was worried about Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal falling into the wrong hands and said he was disturbed that Islamabad had not brought to justice the perpetrators of last year’s Mumbai attacks.

“It is not clear if the president (Asif Ali Zardari) is in charge of the army,” Singh told CNN in an interview broadcast to coincide with his visit to the US. “Pakistan has not done enough with regard to pursuing the perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attacks,” Singh said, adding New Delhi had sent enough evidence without any response.

The Indian prime minister also called for US pressure on Pakistan to rein in extremists, AFP reported.

Source: Daily Times.
Link: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009\11\23\story_23-11-2009_pg7_3.

China Considers Kashmir a Separate Entity

Kashmir Watch, Nov 23

By Dr.manwar

Kashmir is a disputed territory representing core political conflict between India and Pakistan. The people of Kashmir are suffering in the hands of Indian illegal occupation and their oppressive rule. Pakistan keeps on voicing her concerns to persuade India to resolve the Kashmir issue as per the will of the Kashmiri people and in accordance with the UN resolutions on the issue. Unfortunately India has never been comfortable to Pakistani suggestions and has always jealously attempted to show Kashmir as its integral part.

China as a regional power has taken a different position on Kashmir based on principles and philosophy of ethical diplomacy. China considers Kashmir as a separate entity and is ready to extend all sorts of help and moral support to Kashmiri people to improve upon their present state of affairs. Chinese Embassy has been issuing visas to some Kashmiris on a separate sheet of paper instead of passports, like in the case of those hailing from Arunachal Pradesh on which Beijing lays its claim. The visas are stamped on separate papers which are stapled to the passport. The practice of issuing such visas on separate papers has been there for years. India has recently lodged a protest against such a Chinese visa issuing practice. On the other hand China maintained that they have issued valid visas to the people of Indian held Kashmir and that the problem laid with Indian immigration authorities who do not wish to allow Kashmiris to proceed abroad for higher education.

Reportedly, Mr. Shakil A Romshoo an associate professor of university in Indian occupied Kashmir (IOK) has been stopped from flying to China by Indian immigration authorities in New Delhi after the Chinese visa was granted to him on a separate document and not on his passport. This prompted the Indian government to protest against the Chinese practice. China has disregarded Indian protest stressing that the visas issued to IOK citizens are correct and valid. They further contented that this was not a new practice and has been done even in the past.

More recently, China’s foreign office reiterated its stance on 4th November 2009 that it would continue issuing stapled visas to Kashmiris without bringing any change in policy adding that due to its historical nature, the Kashmir dispute could not be put into cold storage and it should be settled through dialogue.

According to media reports, majority of the affected of this new development are students and academician. Irrespective of Chinese intentions to help students and academicians by extending the facility to get visas for study tours in China, India has seen the issue in a very myopic fashion. Indian oblique angle vision has construed that China is issuing visas to Kashmiris, on behest of Pakistan. They have failed to see the personal benefits which the students and knowledge seekers can get by studying in China at comparatively low cost. Indian government has tried to politicize a non issue to score points against China.

Indian decision to stop Professor Shakil A Romshoo to visit China has sent distressing signals to Kashmiri students desiring to study in China. It has simply infused discontentment amongst Kashmiri sufferers who can expect nothing good from Indian authorities. The issue has also added to the already existing tension between India and China. There have been Indian media reports about Chinese maps for tourist visiting Tibet and sale of globes in India depicting Kashmir as separate entity. India must realize that Kashmir is a disputed territory deserving resolution at all costs.

Source: Kashmir Watch.
Link: http://www.kashmirwatch.com/showexclusives.php?subaction=showfull&id=1258979669&archive=&start_from=&ucat=15&var1news=value1news.