Smoking, leading cause of blindness

Smoking not only places individuals at an increased risk of various health conditions but also increases the pace of age-related macular degeneration.

Macular degeneration, also known as age-related macular degeneration is a chronic eye disease and the leading cause of blindness among the elderly.

The condition is characterized by the deterioration of the macula — a part in the eye responsible for central vision — which leads to progressive vision loss.

According to a study published in the American Journal of Ophthalmology, smokers are 11 percent more prone to AMD.

Smokers aged more than 80 are also 5.5 times more likely to develop the disease, the study found.

Researchers therefore urged individuals to quit smoking in order to save their visual sight, stressing that it is never too late.

"We found that even older people's eyes will benefit from kicking the habit," said lead researcher Anne Coleman.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=115186§ionid=3510210.

Reports of bin Laden girl return rejected

Reports that the daughter of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has left Iran for Saudi Arabia has been rejected.

Zaina Bin Laden, the wife of bin Laden's fourth son, Omar, contacted Press TV on Saturday and said that Iman, Omar's sister, has not returned to Saudi Arabia.

The revelation came after the Dubai-based Saudi-run Al-Arabia network reported that Omar had thanked Iran's foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, for preparing the ground for Iman's return.

Iranian officials have announced that as soon as the identity of the woman staying at the Saudi Embassy in Tehran is confirmed, she could be allowed to leave the country.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=115183§ionid=351020101.

Houthis propose talks with government

Yemen's Houthi fighters have offered to hold talks with the government on the condition that it halts its attacks on the Shias.

A statement on the Houthis' website publicized the intention for dialogue on Friday. A spokesman for the fighters said the proposal had come after President Ali Abdullah Saleh urged the Houthis to accept the government's conditions for peace.

The central government has demonstrated five years of hostilities against the Houthis, which it accuses of violating the terms of earlier peace deals by taking foreign visitors hostage.

The government stepped up its offensives earlier in the year.

Saudi Arabia reinforced the armed campaign in November reportedly venturing beyond the Houthis positions into the areas resided by Shia civilians and using banned weaponry including flesh-eating phosphorus bombs.

Riyadh, for its part, blamed the fighters for a cross-border attack on the Saudi territory.

Yemen's Shia minority, accuse Riyadh and Sana'a of waging a campaign of social, economic, and religious marginalization of Shia communities and of funding al-Qaeda and Wahhabi extremists to help quell the Shia resistance.

The offensives have claimed the lives of hundreds of people, causing the displacement of more than 200,000 civilians.

The Houthis, however, have also offered to hold peace talks with the Saudis, should the Kingdom abort the anti-Shia operations. Riyadh, the fighters say, is to prove that it is after peace and stability in Yemen, and that it respects the rights of the Yemeni nationals.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=115180§ionid=351020206.

Congolese forces plan new offensive against rebels

A new offensive dubbed 'Amani Leo' has been planned by the Congolese army against the Hutu rebels in eastern Congo with the help of UN forces, an army officer says.

Amani Leo, or Peace Now in Swahili, is aimed at completing an operation which was launched in February 2009. the operation has already killed hundreds of civilians in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, said Army Major Sylvain Ekenge, AFP reported.

Ekenge, a spokesman for the Congolese military in Nord-Kivu province, said the aim was to "completely eradicate" the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) in a three-month campaign beginning in January.

He claimed that in the previous offensive, government troops destroyed all FDLR bases in Nord-Kivu and Sud-Kivu provinces, killing 1,472 of the rebels. A further 2,029 surrendered or were captured and sent back to Rwanda by the UN mission in DR Congo, he added.

Ekenge said the Mission of the United Nations Organization in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC), which gave logistical support to the Congolese army last year, would be fighting alongside it in the upcoming offensive.

In particular, MONUC would be deploying combat helicopters against the rebels, he said.

MONUC'S military spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Jean-Paul Dietrich, refused to comment Friday on Ekenge's statement.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=115172&sectionid=351020506.

Ayatollah Sanei no longer qualified: Clerical body

A top clerical body in the holy city of Qom declares that Grand Ayatollah Yousuf Sanei no longer qualifies to be a marja al-taqlid, or a source of emulation — the highest clerical rank in Shia Islam.

The Qom Theological Lecturers Association, Jame-e-Modarressin said on Saturday that it had launched a yearlong investigation into the qualifications of Grand Ayatollah Sanei in response to repetitive inquiries on the issue, Fars news reported.

In a statement bearing the signature of Ayatollah Mohammad Yazdi, the former head of Iran's judiciary, the body announced that the result of the investigation indicate that Grand Ayatollah Sanei is not eligible to be a marja.

Grand Ayatollah Sanei, 72, has come under fire for its anti-government stance. He has also been criticized by millions of Iranians who took part in the demonstration on Wednesday.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=115179§ionid=351020101.

Fatah vows to step up struggle against occupation

Secular Palestinian movement renews its vow to continue struggle establishment of independent state.

RAMALLAH - The secular Fatah movement led by Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on Thursday vowed to step up its struggle against the Israeli occupation with demonstrations and diplomacy.

"Our program emphasizes the importance of a two-track approach, with the first being the escalation of the popular struggle to resist occupation," the movement said in a statement.

The group said it would model the struggle on the weekly demonstrations in two West Bank towns, Bilin and Nilin, where residents hurl rocks and protest against the expansion of Israel's controversial separation barrier.

Fatah, which marks it 45th anniversary on Friday, also vowed to "increase movement on the international level to pursue Israel, to isolate it and to force it to answer to international law."

"We renew our vow to continue the struggle until the end of the occupation and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, with east Jerusalem as its capital, and a solution to the refugee issue," it said.

Fatah went on to say that it "would not spare any effort in restoring Palestinian national unity and returning the Gaza Strip from the hands of those who have taken it hostage," referring to its Hamas rivals.

The two main Palestinian movements have been divided into geographically separated hostile camps since the Islamist Hamas seized power in Gaza in 2007.

The secular Fatah was founded by the late iconic leader Yasser Arafat in the 1950s and formally launched its armed struggle against Israel on January 1, 1964.

Arafat entered into peace negotiations with Israel when he signed the 1993 Oslo autonomy accords, but during the 2000 Palestinian uprising Fatah's armed wing, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, carried out scores of deadly attacks.

When Abbas became president following Arafat's death in 2004 he brought the armed struggle to a halt, but the movement has never given up its "right to resistance" against the Israeli occupation of lands seized in 1967.

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=36460.

2009 in review: A year of FDA censorship, Big Pharma crimes and celebrity drug deaths

(NaturalNews) 2009 has been a crazy year for health and medicine. It was the year that Congress rammed through a mandatory health "reform" bill that violates the U.S. Constitution in forcing all Americans to buy government-mandated products and services from greedy corporations. Although it hasn't been signed into law yet, the very fact that it has been passed by both the House and the Senate is alarming: America is just one signature away from becoming a medical dictatorship.

But that's not the only big health news that happened in 2009. In all, 2009 was a year of corruption, scientific fraud and health freedom oppression. Here are some of the highlights:

The FDA
The FDA was hit hard in 2009 was accusations of corruption and criminal behavior. In January, the FDA's own scientists accused management of committing crimes. And in August, the FDA abandoned even the appearance of standing up for safety by declaring that mercury fillings are safe for everyone.

In order to protect its authority and boost Big Pharma's sales, the FDA also went after numerous natural health companies in 2009. Stephen Heuer was arrested by the FDA in January, and by June, the FDA had threatened to seize all natural products that boost immune health and protect against the swine flu.

The FTC also joined the tyranny bandwagon, engaged in a war of threatening tactics against a ministry selling anti-cancer herbs and ultimately ordering them to lie to their customers about their products. The FTC even went after Dr. Weil, threatening him with arrest and imprisonment for daring to accurately describe the immune boosting effects of the astragalus herb.

Topping off the year of tyranny and oppression, in December the FDA staged an illegal kidnapping of herbal formulator Greg Caton who was threatening the cancer industry with his anti-cancer salve products made from Ecuadorian herbs.

Big Pharma corruption
2009 was also a bad year for Big Pharma. All kinds of new findings came out that show the dangers of pharmaceuticals. For example, did you know that HRT drugs shrink women's brains?

Source: NaturalNews.
Link: http://www.naturalnews.com/027851_health_news_Big_Pharma.html.

Glowing wallpaper to spell the end for light bulbs

A company based in Wales is developing the first glowing wallpaper that will replace the regular incandescent light bulbs.

The new technology involves applying a special chemical coating to wallpaper and adding a small electrical current to produce light evenly throughout a room.

Officials at Lomox Limited say the breakthrough is more than twice as efficient as Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs) and 90 percent more efficient than regular incandescent lamps, theoretically reducing a building's energy consumption by as much as 10 percent. Dimmer switches can be installed to control brightness.

Also the lighting quality is much higher, approximating glare-free ambient daylight, which will create additional gains in productivity and reduced costs for electrical fixtures and wiring.

Company officials say the revolutionary light emitting wallpaper would be available as soon as 2012, and could help cut Britain's carbon emissions by 34% by 2020 with the elimination of light bulbs.

The work is being funded with a £454,000 grant from the Carbon Trust -- a UK government funded organization working with companies to reduce carbon emissions.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=115167§ionid=3510212.

In Somalia, dozens killed over town capture

Several people have been killed due to fighting between various different armed Somali groups each trying to take control of the central Somali town of Dhusamareb.

Dhusamareb is the capital city of Galgadud region, which is located 500 kilometers north of the Somali capital city, Mogadishu.

According to eyewitnesses, the violence erupted after forces loyal to the al-Shabab fighters launched attacks on the town before dawn, a Press TV correspondent reported.

A Spokesman for the Ahlu-Sunnah group said the town is still under their control.

"Dhusamareb town is still under control and we are chasing al-Shabab in the outskirts of town," Sheikh Abdullahi Abdirahman Abu Yussuf said.

This is while earlier reports indicated that the local fighters had fled the town after they were overpowered by al-Shabab fighters.

The Al-Shabab and Ahlu-Sunnah groups have been engaged in a deadly power struggle in the central Somali regions before.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=115164&sectionid=351020501.

Iran plans to provide Afghans with gasoline

Iran plans to set up a gas station in its border with Afghanistan to provide Afghans with gasoline, an Iranian official says.

Ali-Mohammad Azad, the governor general of Iran's Sistan-Baluchestan Province, says the move is aimed at tackling the problem of fuel smuggling into Afghanistan.

Preparing the ground for delivering fuel in the joint border in a legal way would ward off many problems, he said.

Azad noted that gasoline will be sold to Afghans in "free prices" in Gorgori border region near Hirmand town.

Fuel smuggling into neighboring countries has become a lucrative business for smugglers in Iran due to low prices of gasoline and gas oil (diesel) in the country.

While the Iranian government is spending billions of dollars on imported fuel, a large portion of it is being smuggled out of the country every day.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=115160§ionid=351020103.

Bin Laden son hails safe return of sister

The son of al-Qaeda kingpin Osama Bin Laden thanks Iran, Saudi Arabia and Syria for securing the return of his 17-year-old sister to the Arab peninsula.

Omar bin Laden, who reportedly broke with his father before the September 11 attacks on the United States in 2001, said Friday that he is relieved and glad to have his sister, Iman, back in Saudi Arabia where she belongs.

"I would like to express my deepest gratitude to all those who helped my sister return to her country, particularly the Iranian Foreign Ministry and Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abd Al-Aziz," he told Al-Arabia.

Omar Bin Laden also thanked the government of Syria for making diplomatic efforts to resolve the issue.

"It goes without saying that we are going through quite an ordeal. There is a lot of malicious rumor and accusations regarding the Bin Laden family which is more than we can bear," he noted.

"But eventually, we hope and look forward to returning to our country [Saudi Arabia]," he added.

A flurry of media reports suggested late December that Iman Bin Laden, the daughter of the notorious Al-Qaeda ringleader, has taken refuge in the Saudi embassy in Tehran.

According to her brother Omar, Iman made her way to the Saudi Embassy about a month ago in a bid to be reunited with her mother, who lives in Syria.

The Saudi embassy in Tehran had confirmed the identity of Bin Laden's daughter, but said she had entered Iran illegally through the eastern borders of the country without proper documentation.

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said the woman would be free to leave the country once her identity bears out.

"A while ago, the Saudi Embassy said that one of Bin Laden's daughters was at the Embassy. [So] the Foreign Ministry told the Saudi Embassy that under [international] conventions, if her identity is confirmed the person could leave Iran with travel documents," Mottaki had said.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=115158§ionid=351020101.

Iran's FM blames Britain for disturbances

Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki says British efforts to disrupt calm in Iran are futile attempts of a "frightened" enemy.

"Enemies are afraid of the anti-oppression movement Iran has started in the world. So, they are constantly scheming to stop it from spreading in the Muslim world and elsewhere," Mottaki said in Iran's northeastern Province of Gorgan on Friday.

"Vain enemy support for these scattered incidents that have recently occurred in the country on an insignificant scale, will lead to nothing," he added.

He then made a direct reference to the UK and said that Britain was famous for her role in Fitnas (anarchist movements) targeting other countries.

He said, however, that British schemes would not bear fruit, as they are not based on a correct understanding of the Iranian people.

"The enemies defended the former Shah during his reign, but the people prevailed. Their support for Saddam's regime also ended with the victory of the people," he said, implying that the British can not learn from their past mistakes.

The Iranian foreign minister was referring to clashes that broke out between security forces and anti-government protesters in Tehran on Sunday during the Shia Muslim ceremonies of Ashura.

According to police reports, Sunday's disturbances left seven people dead and led to the arrest of a number of others.

In reaction to Sunday's events, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband hailed what he called the “great courage” of those who took part in the illegal protests.

In response to the desecration of Ashura during Sunday riots, millions of Iranians across the country took to the streets in a show of strength and unity against anti-government protesters on Wednesday.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=115168§ionid=351020101.

Afghan parliament starts voting on new cabinet

The Wolesi Jirga, the Lower House of the Afghan parliament, has started the voting process to show or deny confidence in minister-designates proposed by President Hamid Karzai.

During the process, which began on Saturday morning and would last several hours, the Afghan MPs would approve or reject 24 ministerial nominees introduced in late December by President Karzai.

The proposed cabinet keeps many key ministers unchanged but leaves the post of foreign minister unfilled.

The introduced new cabinet keeps US favorites in several posts critical to the war and reconstruction in the country, while two ministers accused of corruption by the West have, surprisingly, lost their jobs according to the list.

Meanwhile, Karzai has retained former warlord Ismail Khan, accused of human rights abuses, as minister of water and energy.

The interior, finance and defense ministries from the current cabinet remain unchanged but acting Foreign Minister Rangeen Dadfar Spanta, would keep his post until January.

Karzai's proposed government line-up does not include any figures from the opposition.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=115157§ionid=351020403.

NASA Focuses Next Mission on Venus, Asteroid or the Moon

NASA has narrowed the choices for its next unmanned space mission down to three potential expeditions: one aimed at Venus and the others promising to return samples of an asteroid or the moon.

NASA has narrowed the choices for its next unmanned space mission down to three potential expeditions: one aimed at Venus and the others promising to return samples of an asteroid or the moon.

But only one of those contenders will get the green light for $650 million in funding (which excludes rocket costs) and a launch sometime before Dec. 30, 2018. The competition is part of NASA's New Frontiers program to develop medium-class missions to explore the solar system.

"These are projects that inspire and excite young scientists, engineers and the public," said Ed Weiler, NASA's associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate, in a statement.

NASA has set aside $3.3 million in seed money for each of the three potential missions in 2010 to flesh out their project concepts, feasibility, costs and management plans. The proposals were submitted in July 2009 and a final selection will be made in mid-2011.

"These three proposals provide the best science value among eight submitted to NASA this year," Weiler said.

Here's a look at the top contenders vying for NASA's next New Frontiers mission slot:

Target: Venus — The Surface and Atmosphere Geochemical Explorer (SAGE) mission to Venus would send a probe plunging through the planet's atmosphere to land on its harsh surface. The spacecraft would perform extensive measurements of the Venusian atmosphere and weather on the way down, and then dig into the ground to study surface composition and mineralogy.

Researchers hope the mission will help understand the origins of Venus and why it is so different from Earth. Larry Esposito of the University of Colorado in Boulder is the project's principal investigator.

Target: Asteroid — The proposed Origins Spectral Interpretation Resource Identification Security Regolith Explorer (Osiris-Rex) spacecraft would send a probe to orbit and rendezvous with an asteroid. It would collect more than 2 ounces of samples from the space rock's surface.

The samples would be returned to Earth to help scientists understand the composition of asteroids and shed light on how the solar system formed, as well as trace the origin of complex molecules required for life. Michael Drake, of the University of Arizona in Tucson, is the project's principal investigator.

Target: Moon — The MoonRise: Lunar South Pole-Aitken Basin Sample Return Mission is a proposal aimed at landing a spacecraft in a broad basin near the moon's south pole to collect up to 2 pounds of rock samples for return to Earth.

Researchers believe the rocks on the basin floor were excavated from the moon's mantle and hope the samples collected would fine-tune their understanding of the early history of the Earth-moon system. Bradley Jolliff, of Washington University in St. Louis, is the project's principal investigator.

NASA's New Frontiers program has already launched one mission into deep space with a second in development. The first mission — New Horizons — blasted off in 2006 and is headed to the dwarf planet Pluto for a planned July 2015 flyby. The second mission will send the Juno spacecraft to Jupiter in August 2011 to conduct an in-depth study of the gas giant planet's atmosphere and interior.

Source: FOXNews.
Link: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/01/01/nasa-focuses-mission-venus-asteroid-moon/.

Abbas threatens to scale back security ties with Israel

Acting Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas has said he may scale back security ties with Israel following the December 26 Israeli raid in Nablus.

According to Abbas, Israeli provocations and incursions have recently increased.

"The provocations and assaults have multiplied recently. We find ourselves at a point in which it is time to reassess our activities," Abbas said in an interview with Palestinian television on Friday.

"If security cooperation cannot lower the level of provocations, we will reassess the situation," he added.

He made the comments after Israeli soldiers shot dead three Palestinians who were supposed to be arrested.

Earlier Friday, Israeli officials acknowledged that they had ordered soldiers to arrest Adnan Subuh, Raad Sarkaji and Ghassan Abu Sheikh in Nablus last week.

According to eyewitnesses, the Palestinian trio was summarily executed.

The victims were members of the Fatah Movement, led by acting Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=115151§ionid=351020202.

7,500 Palestinians kept in Israeli prisons

More than 7,500 Palestinians are being held in Israeli prisons, a report by the Palestinian Authority's ministry of prisoners' affairs has said.

The ministry published the number of the Palestinian detainees at the end of 2009.

According to the ministry, the Palestinian detainees include 310 children.

The ministry further added that over 300 others have also been jailed without trial.

Several Palestinian parliamentarians and political leaders, mostly from the Hamas movement, are among the prisoners.

According to the ministry, about 200 Palestinians have so far lost their lives in Israeli custody since 1967.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=115153§ionid=351020202.

Iraq will seek appeal over Blackwater case dismissal - Summary

Baghdad - Iraq will ask the US government to appeal a judge's decision to dismiss charges against five guards from the private company Blackwater, Iraqi officials said Friday. "Iraq regrets the decision of a federal judge in the United States to drop charges against the guards," government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh told reporters Friday.

The Iraqi government will seek to "prosecute the perpetrators ... and to uphold the rights of Iraqi citizens, the victims, their families and all those affected by this crime," he said.

US District Judge Ricardo Urbina on Thursday dismissed manslaughter and weapons charges against five private military contractors employed by Blackwater in connection with a shooting in central Baghdad that left at least 14 Iraqis dead and led to a political firestorm in Iraq.

Urbina said US prosecutors had relied on statements given under the promise of immunity.

"This matter will be appealed in the American court and if not resolved correctly, this will definitely add another strain on the relationship between Iraq and the United States," Saad al-Muttalibi, an adviser to the Iraqi cabinet, told al-Jazeera television.

"The legality or the procedures of the court case should not stop the criminals from facing justice and receiving a just sentence," al-Muttalibi said.

"This is very bad ... for the overall image of the United States outside its borders," he said. "It's very important for the Americans to realize that this will work against their interests in Iraq and other places."

Donald Ball, Dustin Heard, Evan Liberty, Nick Slatten and Paul Slough had faced 30-year prison terms for their roll in the incident.

"Investigations by the competent Iraqi authorities unequivocally confirmed that the Blackwater guards committed the crime of murder and broke the rules covering the use of arms, without the existence of any threat calling for the use of force," al-Dabbagh said.

Blackwater has since changed its name to Xe Services.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/301735,iraq-will-seek-appeal-over-blackwater-case-dismissal--summary.html.

More than 1,700 people died in 2009 in Somalia fighting

Nairobi/Mogadishu Earth Times - dpa) - More than 1,700 people were killed in violence in crisis-hit Somalia in 2009, a Somali human rights organization reported Friday. Most of the victims of the conflict between troops of the transitional government and radical Islamist militias have been civilians, Radio Garowe reported, citing the Elman Peace and Human Rights Center.

Around 5,000 people in 2009 were wounded by grenade fragments and bullets.

The number of victims however lies substantially lower than the 8,000 killed in 2008.

Somalia has not had a functioning government since the 1991 overthrow of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.

The radical Islamist al-Shabaab militia, considered a terrorist organization by the United States, controls large sections of the country including the capital Mogadishu.

A spokesman for the militia speaking on Friday to Radio Shabelle said hundreds of new fighters were being trained to fight the transitional government and African Union peacekeeping troops.

Kazakhstan takes over OSCE chair despite criticism - Summary

Moscow- Kazakhstan on Friday became the first former Soviet republic to hold the chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), even as skeptics questioned its fitness to head a group dedicated to democracy and human rights. Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, upon taking over the OSCE reins from Greece, spoke of an "historic mission" during a speech in the Kazakh capital of Astana. He also said being granted the position indicated international recognition for Kazakhstan's position in the world.

But groups like Human Rights Watch immediately faulted the country for its commitment to OSCE principles, specifically due to the continuing imprisonment of government critic Yevgeni Shovtis.

Shovtis received a four-year jail sentence in September after a traffic accident that left one dead. The OSCE criticized the proceedings for lack of transparency and for what it called an excessive sentence.

Kazakhstan has routinely ignored such criticisms, as well as concerns raised about its human rights policies, internet censorship and pressure on opposition media.

But Western countries have routinely reached out to Kazakhstan because of its proximity to Afghanistan, since its abundance in natural resources makes some think it can serve as a stabilizing force in the region. Those resources have also made it an attractive trading partner to many.

Kazakhstan has promised to make some changes, specifically to its policy of one-party rule, but has so far not budged.

Kazakhstan wants to devote its year-long chairmanship in 2010 to pressing for a European security treaty, Foreign Minister Kanat Saudabayev said in Astana, according to the Interfax news agency.

Saudabayev said Kazakhstan would also focus on ecological problems, including the drying out of the Aral Sea along the border with Uzbekistan. It also hopes to host the first OSCE summit since 1999.

According to a diplomat from the OSCE, the globally respected organization with 56 member states was split over the awarding of the chairmanship to Astana because of the authoritarian policies of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev.

"However, one must not forget that at the time of its founding in 1975, the OSCE was all but an association of flawless democracies," the diplomat told the German Press Agency in Moscow.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/301747,kazakhstan-takes-over-osce-chair-despite-criticism--summary.html.

Brown calls international conference on Yemen security situation

London - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Friday announced a high-level international meeting in London later this month to discuss the threat of extremism in Yemen in the wake of the foiled attempt to bomb a US airliner. The meeting, scheduled for January 28, would coincide with an international conference on Afghanistan being hosted by Britain, according to the Downing Street website. Brown has the backing of Washington and the European Union, his office said.

"The international community must not deny Yemen the support it needs to tackle extremism," Brown was quoted as saying on his official website.

On Christmas Day, a 23-year-old Nigerian man attempted to detonate explosives onboard a Northwest Airlines plane carrying 278 passengers from Amsterdam to Detroit. He was subdued by other passengers.

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab later reportedly claimed the Yemen branch of the al-Qaeda terrorist network set him up with the mission. The Yemen-based al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has since claimed credit for the attack.

Abdulmutallab, a former University College London student, claimed the Yemen branch of the al-Qaeda terrorist network set him up with the mission and supplied him with the explosives.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/301755,brown-calls-international-conference-on-yemen-security-situation.html.

Turkish FM, OIC chief discuss Afghanistan, Somalia

(Anniversary note): Today a year has passed since I first started Al-Darb Diya. Al-Darb Diya has evolved to some degree since then. I would like to thank everyone for checking Al-Darb Diya out, and even crediting some of their own articles back to the article from Al-Darb Diya. I would like to thank all those that commented on the articles I took from other sources, including ones I rejected. Insha' Allah this year would better than its first year...

* * * * *

Turkish FM Davutoglu met with the secretary general of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu met Friday with Ekmeleddin Ihsanolgu, secretary general of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Davutoglu and Ihsanoglu discussed ways to boost cooperation between Turkey and the OIC, latest developments in Afghanistan and Somalia as well as details about a prospective conference, which is set to be held to extend aid to Darfur.

The Turkish foreign minister is paying an official visit to Saudi Arabia as the guest of his counterpart Saud al-Faysal bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud.

Davutoglu is set to proceed to Riyadh on Saturday and meet with Saud al-Faysal. He is also scheduled be received by Saudi King Abdallah bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud on Sunday.

Davutoglu will depart from Riyadh Sunday evening.

Source: World Bulletin.
Link: http://www.worldbulletin.net/news_detail.php?id=52075.