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Friday, March 5, 2010

Ahmadinejad: Our atomic bombs are our youths, athletes

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declares that nations that possess culture and civilization do not need to make atomic bombs.

“I have repeatedly said that our atomic bombs are our youth and athletic heroes. A nation that possesses determination, intellect, culture and civilization doesn't need to make atomic bombs,” IRNA quoted President Ahmadinejad as saying on Thursday.

“Those who suffer from inferiority complex and lack a historical background and civilization are the ones that claim they need atomic bombs,” he added.

President Ahmadinejad also asked the Head of Iran's Physical Education Organization Ali Saeedlou to remove the existing limitations for the country's athletes so that they could organize camps and enjoy the best coaches and technical staff.

The president also announced that “Iran's sports budget will increase by fivefold next year.”

“We must not only earn the Asian championships but also think about becoming world champions,” he emphasized.

“Being a champion is always hard and requires plenty of efforts,” the president concluded.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=120084§ionid=351020101.

Russia test-fires nuclear-capable ballistic missile

Russia's federal space agency has announced the successful test firing of a strategic missile from a Russian Navy submarine in the Arctic.

According to the space agency, Tula, a Delta VI-class submarine launched the liquid-propellant ballistic missile called Sineva from the Barents Sea at 0450 GMT on Thursday.

Delta IV submarines can carry up to 16 missiles, while the intercontinental missile is reported to be capable of carrying up to 10 nuclear warheads.

NATO refers to the missile as SS-N-23 Skiff. It has been in service with the Russian military since 2007.

This is while a handful of accidents were reported with the other Russian-developed submarine-launched missile, Bulava.

In December, the 12th test-launch of the Bulava from the White Sea caused a UFO frenzy in Norway when it failed for the seventh time. The failure resulted in an eerie turquoise glow seen by hundreds of Norwegians.

Moscow has announced plans for a large-scale nuclear rearmament and is seeking to update its military technology.

Observers reiterate that the continued testing and development of nuclear arms by major powers take place without any expression of concern by any international body. Such efforts come as these nuclear powers demand that other nations forgo any thought of nuclear technology, let alone the weaponry that they possess themselves.

Iran, which has been threatened with international sanctions by major nuclear powers over its enrichment efforts for its medical and industrial needs, has repeatedly called for the elimination of all nuclear arms stockpiles, development, testing and production.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=120055§ionid=351020602.

Abbas: Israel igniting religious war in ME

Acting Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas has condemned the Israeli crackdown on Palestinian demonstrators describing it as an act 'aimed at damaging the chances to resume the peace process.'

On Friday, Israeli troops surrounding the Al-Aqsa Mosque since the early morning hours raided the compound of the holy site in the occupied East Jerusalem (Al-Quds) and cordoned off the premises to push out the Palestinian worshipers who had gathered for the weekly Friday prayers.

The move triggered protests that quickly turned violent after Israeli forces fired tear gas canisters and stun grenades at demonstrators, leaving 60 Palestinians injured.

"Today's events were aimed at damaging the chances of resuming the peace process and Israel is crossing all the red lines — after the Arab League's monitoring committee recommended that the negotiations between the sides be resumed," said a statement by Abbas' office in Ramallah.

The Western-backed Fatah leader also called on Washington to "stop the adventure which may ignite a religious war in the region" and urged the international community to "take responsibility and stop the Israeli recklessness, which may have serious implications on the entire region and on peace and security in the entire world."

On Wednesday, the Arab League foreign ministers meeting in the Egyptian capital of Cairo expressed their support for a US proposal regarding indirect Palestinian-Israeli peace talks.

Members of the Arab League said they would review the results of the negotiations after four months, and insisted that direct talks could not begin until Israel completely halted all settlement constructions beyond the 1967 borders, including those in East Al-Quds.

Despite it being a Palestinian issue, Abbas had said he would adhere to any decision made by the Arab League ministerial committee.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=120120§ionid=351020203.

Iran says Bushehr plant on stream by July

Amid long delays in inauguration of Iran's first nuclear power plant in the southern city of Bushehr, an Iranian official says the plant will go into service in due time.

"The Bushehr power plant will be launched according to schedule by the end of the spring (late June). There is no problem in the process," the Iranian Labor News Agency quoted head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Ali Akbar Salehi as saying on Friday.

"This plant will be used the same way that the other nuclear plants in the world [are used]," he added.

General Director of Russia's state nuclear corporation (Rosatom) Sergei Kiriyenko said in January that Iran's first nuclear power plant would become operational by the end of 2010.

Salehi had earlier announced that the 1,000-megawatt Bushehr plant would be launched by late September.

Iran expects to generate 17.5 percent — 20,000 megawatts — of the country's electricity demand through nuclear energy over the next two decades.

On Tuesday, a team of seven senior regulators from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) verified that the plant meets safety regulations.

The team, assembled by the IAEA for an Integrated Regulatory Review Service mission, was headed by Olena Mykolaichuk and visited the plant in southern Iran.

Iran's nuclear point man criticized the head of the UN nuclear watchdog, Yukia Amano, for his biased recent report about the country's nuclear program.

"Regretfully, Amano did not observe impartiality in his report about Iran's nuclear activities," Salehi said.

"The IAEA head should not reflect demands of certain countries, it should reflect realities on technical and legal basis," he added.

The construction of the Bushehr plant started in 1975 when Germany signed a contract with Iran. Berlin, however, pulled out of the project following the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Iran then signed a deal with Russia in 1995. Under the deal, the plant was originally scheduled to be completed in 1999 but completion of the USD 1 billion project has been repeatedly delayed.

The US and its allies accuse the Islamic Republic of pursuing a military nuclear program. However, Tehran says as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, it is entitled to the peaceful application of nuclear energy.

China and Russia — both among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council with veto-wielding power — oppose stepped-up US efforts to impose tough sanctions against Iran.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=120119§ionid=351020104.

Ireland says Israeli siege on Gaza 'medieval'

Ireland blasts the Israeli siege of the Gaza Strip as "medieval," urging the European Union to pressure Tel Aviv into easing the restrictions.

"I genuinely believe that the medieval siege conditions being imposed on the people of Gaza are unacceptable," wrote Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin, in an opinion piece published in the International Herald Tribune.

The already-impoverished coastal sliver has endured almost three years of an Israeli-imposed blockade which has deprived it of its most direly-needed requirements.

The siege has pushed some 80 percent of Gaza's nearly 1.5-million population below the poverty line, leaving more than half of them jobless.

Martin, who was to the enclave last week, added that "the tragedy of Gaza is that it is fast in danger of becoming a tolerated humanitarian crisis."

The situation, he said, "is proving extremely difficult to remedy or ameliorate due to the blockade and the wider ramifications of efforts to try and achieve political progress in the Middle East."

The siege lasted during the December 2008-January 2009 Israeli bombardment of Gaza which lasted for three weeks and killed more than 1,400 Palestinians.

"The European Union and the international community simply must do more to increase the pressure for the ending of the blockade and the opening of the border crossings to normal commercial and humanitarian traffic."

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=120118§ionid=351020202.

Romania to host 3 batteries of US missiles

Romania has confirmed its intention to host three batteries of US interceptor missiles on its soil as part of Washington's revamped missile system plan for Eastern Europe.

Bucharest in October expressed readiness to take part in the US missile system plan expected to be operational by 2015.

"This is not a secret. There will be three batteries of eight missiles each," President Traian Basescu said on Friday during a presentation of the Defense Ministry in the country's capital, AFP reported.

The announcement has angered Russia, which deems the US plan an infringement of its national sovereignty and a direct threat against Moscow.

In an attempt to reassure Russia, Washington and its allies in the region say the missile system is meant to ward off threats from rogue states like 'North Korea Iran.'

"This is a defensive system and it cannot be reversed into an offensive one," Basescu reiterated.

US President Barack Obama decided last year to drop the missile plan drawn up by former President George W. Bush, which envisaged deployment of elements of the missile system in the Czech Republic and Poland.

The new plan stipulates the deployment of medium-range ballistic missile interceptors in Romania while initiating a "phased, adaptive approach" to the plan in Eastern Europe.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=120117§ionid=351020606.

Mubarak says ElBaradei can run in 2011

March 5, 2010

BERLIN, March 5 (UPI) -- Former U.N. nuclear watchdog chief Mohammed ElBaradei can run for president, though Egypt has no need for another national hero, Egypt's president said.

ElBaradei returned to Cairo in February to a hero's welcome. The return of the Egyptian Nobel Peace Prize recipient raised speculation he would challenge President Hosni Mubarak in a 2011 presidential contest.

Mubarak said during a news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel there were no restrictions to ElBaradei seeking the presidency, the Muslim Brotherhood's English-language news Web site Ikhwanweb reports.

"If he wants to join any political party as a citizen, he can do so," the 81-year-old president said. "We do not have any restrictions on this. If he wants to run as an independent, he is also welcome."

Mubarak, who was elected president first in 1981, has not indicated whether he would seek another term. It is widely alleged his is grooming his son Gamal for the position.

ElBaradei said he would consider running for president if certain constitutional reforms were enacted. He would need the backing of 250 representatives of the ruling National Democratic Party to run as an independent.

Mubarak is scheduled Friday to undergo medical tests for complications related to gall bladder pains, the report from the Muslim Brotherhood said.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2010/03/05/Mubarak-says-ElBaradei-can-run-in-2011/UPI-14571267801326/.

Assad calls for Arab economic bloc

DAMASCUS, Syria, March 5 (UPI) -- Opening an Arab economic bloc would remove obstacles inhibiting regional investments, the Syrian president said during a summit in Damascus.

Syrian President Bashar Assad welcomed a delegation to his country for the 13th Damascus Conference, the official Syrian Arab News Agency reported.

Assad during the conference "underlined the importance for the creation of an Arab economic bloc, capable of competition and facing international challenges," SANA said.

Damascus aims to reverse years of isolationist policies by reaching out to its neighbors. Damascus in 2009 reached a series of energy and transit agreements with Turkey and Iran.

Beirut and Damascus, meanwhile, exchanged ambassadors in 2009 after years of acrimony. Washington in February appointed Robert Ford as the first U.S. envoy to Damascus since U.S. President George W. Bush broke ties in 2005.

The economic talks in Damascus dealt with expanding economic cooperation among Arab countries. An emphasis was added to joint regional investment projects to support inter-Arab relations.

More than 1,000 businessmen from across the Middle East arrived in Damascus for the two-day summit that wraps up Friday.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2010/03/05/Assad-calls-for-Arab-economic-bloc/UPI-69401267801409/.

Iranian cleric condemns Rigi sponsors

An Iranian cleric on Friday criticized certain regional countries for "supporting" the leader of the Jundallah terrorist group, Abdolmalek Rigi.

"Certain Middle Eastern countries worked with hegemonic [powers] in supporting Rigi and the arrest of this criminal came as a severe blow to them," Hojjatoleslam Kazem Seddiqi, Tehran's interim Friday Prayers Leader said.

Seddiqi said Rigi received "all-out support from world intelligence services," and called his arrest a "big scandal" for the US, which he said was known to sponsor "terrorism" across the world.

Abdolmalek Rigi was captured by Iranian security forces on February 23. He was aboard a passenger jet flying to Kyrgyzstan from the UAE when his plane was grounded in the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas.

A few hours after Rigi's arrest, Iranian Intelligence Minister Heidar Moslehi said that the notorious villain was at a US base 24 hours prior to being captured by Iranian forces, adding that the Americans had issued an Afghan passport for him.

In his confessions, Rigi revealed details about his ties with some intelligence agencies such as the CIA and said that he had closely cooperated with the security services of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The US rejects any ties with the notorious terror group, which has claimed responsibility for numerous terrorist attacks in Iran.

The Jundallah terrorist group has also carried out mass murders, armed robbery, kidnappings, acts of sabotage and bombings inside the country.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=120111§ionid=351020101.

China starts building railway into 'sea of death'

URUMQI - China began Wednesday to build a railway over the Lop Nur, a former lake that is known as "the sea of death," in northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Construction workers began building a 3-km railway bridge in Nanhu town of Hami City, the starting point of the 370-km railroad, sources with China Railway Group Co. Ltd., the prime contractor, said Thursday.

The railway project was launched by Xinjiang's regional government in June 2009, but civil construction was postponed for eight months to discuss technical details and raise funds, an executive with China Railway Group said on condition of anonymity.

The rail link would have a freight capacity of 33 million tonnes a year, he said.

The 3.28-billion yuan (470 million US dollars) railway is co-sponsored by Ministry of Railways, the regional government of Xinjiang and a branch of the State Development and Investment Corporation (SDIC), a state-owned investment holding giant that has a potassium fertilizer base in the Lop Nur.

The Hami-Lop Nur railway will provide a faster route to transport Lop Nur's rich potassium salt, according to SDIC President Wang Huisheng.

The two places are linked by a highway that opened in 2006.

The railway, on completion in two years, would speed up exploitation of potassium salt, one of China's rarest resources used in fertilizer production, he said.

Lop Nur area has an estimated 500 million tonnes of reserves, valued at more than 500 billion yuan.

Without adequate exploitation of the potassium salt resources, China's total reserve is about 457 million tonnes, less than 3 percent of the world total. The country imports at least 4 million tonnes of potassium fertilizer every year.

At least 11 railways are under construction in Xinjiang. By 2020, the region's total rail mileage will top 10,000 kilometers.

The Lop Nur was the largest lake in northwestern China before it dried up in 1972 as a result of desertification and environmental degradation.

It once nurtured the civilization of Loulan (Kroraina) -- an ancient city that was one of the pivotal stops along the famous Silk Road, but mysteriously disappeared around the Third Century AD.

Due to its geology, geography and historical values, the Lop Nur has attracted the attention of scientists from home and abroad since the mid 19th century.

In 1980, Peng Jiamu, a noted Chinese scientist, went missing on his fourth expedition to the Lop Nur and was never found.

Source: China Daily.
Link: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2010-03/04/content_9539782.htm.

Iraqi expatriates cast their votes

Iraqi expatriates vote for their favorite candidates as the violence-weary nation braces for its key weekend parliamentary election scheduled for the.

An estimated 1.4 million Iraqis from the war-stricken nation's large Diaspora rushed on Friday to polling stations in 80 cities in 16 different countries.

More than 6,200 candidates from six major coalitions and several other tribal and minority groups are vying for the 325 seats in the Council of Representatives.

Friday also marked the last of a three-week campaign for the long-delayed parliamentary poll, the second since US-led troops invaded the country in 2003.

Despite the tight security measures taken by Baghdad officials to ensure a transparent election, the event is overshadowed by threats from militants who have vowed to mar the vote.

There have also been allegations of efforts to buy votes by Sunni-dominated Saudi Arabia, which Iraq has been accusing of financing extremist Wahhabi groups and terrorists in its predominantly Shia neighbor.

Further shadowing the election are fears that possible tensions on the heels of the poll could elongate the stay of thousands of US troops who are to leave the country by the end of 2011.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=120109§ionid=351020201.

Turkey calls on US to block 'genocide' bill

With tension mounting between the US and Turkey over a vote by the House committee branding the Ottoman massacre of Armenians as "genocide," Ankara is urging Washington to block the bill.

The Foreign Affairs Committee of the US House of Representatives on Thursday passed the resolution in a 23-22 vote. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu urged Washington on Friday to block the move.

"We expect the US administration to make more efficient efforts from now on" to stop the resolution from advancing to a vote at the full House of Representatives, he said, adding that Ankara was "seriously disturbed" by the vote, AFP said.

Davutoglu warned that the resolution could damage peace talks between Turkey and Armenia.

The non-binding resolution has faced opposition from US President Barack Obama's administration.

It calls on Obama to ensure that the US policy formally refers to the World War I killings as genocide.

Turkey says the 1915 killings of Armenians do not amount to genocide. But Armenia has hailed Washington's move.

Ankara also recalled its ambassador to Washington after the vote.

"We condemn this resolution accusing Turkey of a crime that it had not committed," the Turkish Prime Ministry said in a written statement.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=120107§ionid=351020204.

Iraq's religious leaders urge strong voter turnout

Final days of campaign for Sunday's national poll have been rocked by series of deadly suicide bombings.

By Ali al-Tuwaijri - BAQUBA

Religious leaders on Friday ordered Iraqis to vote in weekend parliamentary elections to safeguard the war-wracked nation's fledgling democracy and to ensure the ballot is unhindered by fraud.

The final days of the campaign for Sunday's national poll, the second since US-led troops ousted Saddam Hussein's regime in 2003, have been rocked by a series of suicide bombings that left dozens dead.

Some of the 6,200 candidates from across Iraq's complex religious and ethnic spectrum made television and radio appearances at the end of a campaign in which public meetings and street electioneering were largely absent.

Religious leaders, both Shiite and Sunni, used Friday prayers to tell their followers they must vote.

"You must go to the voting centers because it is your duty," said Sheikh Abdulrahman al-Jorani, Sunni imam of the Al-Hai mosque in the central city of Baquba, where 33 people were killed in three suicide attacks on Wednesday.

"Even if you don't want to vote, go to the voting centers to destroy your electoral papers so they cannot be forged by others fraudulently."

The appeals for strong voter turnout came as more than one million Iraqis living abroad began voting in an election where Sunnis are expected to cast ballots in large numbers, in stark contrast to their 2005 boycott of the poll.

Ahmed al-Safi, a representative of Grand Ayatollah Ali Husseini al-Sistani, the nation's top Shiite cleric, said the election was a "huge vital issue", essential to ensuring that Iraqis can "draw their own future."

"Turning away from voting, or having small participation in the elections for any reason, will give others a chance to achieve their illegal goals," said Safi at prayers in the holy city of Karbala, south of Baghdad.

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, the Shiite head of the State of Law Alliance who this week boasted he was "certain" of victory, was due to give a press conference later on Friday in a final push to win support.

An estimated 1.4 million Iraqis from the war-shattered country's diaspora began to cast their votes Friday in 80 cities in 16 different countries.

Ahmed Fuad, a 22-year-old student, said as he emerged from a polling station in Amman in neighboring Jordan that he backed Shiite ex-premier Iyad Allawi, whose secular Iraqiya list has strong support in Sunni areas.

"I hope the situation will improve there (in Iraq) so we can go back to our country. We are fed up with homesickness," said Fuad.

Thursday, a day of early voting for hundreds of thousands of soldiers and police due to work Sunday, was marred by two suicide attacks at polling centers that killed seven troops and a mortar attack that killed seven civilians.

Those attacks came despite a massive security operation that saw 200,000 police and soldiers deployed in the capital alone.

Al-Qaeda leader in Iraq Abu Omar al-Baghdadi had threatened to disrupt the election by "military means" but so far no group has claimed responsibility for this week's violence.

The US military sees Sunday's poll as a crucial precursor to a withdrawal of combat troops in August and said it would continue to provide Iraqi security forces with intelligence, logistical and air support for the election.

Sunday's vote will usher in a government tasked with tackling violence, an economy in tatters and state institutions mired in corruption.

A Shiite is almost certain to become prime minister.

Shiites were united in the 2005 polls but this time round are divided, a development hailed by some as a move away from rigid sectarian politics.

Also competing with Maliki and Allawi for the top job are former deputy premier Ahmed Chalabi, who was once favored but is now loathed by Washington, Shiite Vice President Adel Abdel Mahdi and Finance Minister Baqer Jaber Solagh.

Under Iraq's electoral system no one party will emerge with the 163 seats needed to form a government on its own and the ensuing horse-trading to form a governing coalition is likely to be protracted.

"It's hard to put an actual timeframe on it, but we are talking months, not weeks," a senior US official said in Washington on Thursday.

"We anticipate a difficult process," full of challenges and claims of fraud "because the stakes are so high," the official added, asking not to be identified.

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=37658.

Women's rights improving in Middle East

US study reveals violence against women remains widespread throughout Middle East, north Africa.

WASHINGTON - Women's rights have improved in 15 of 18 countries in the Middle East and North Africa over the past five years, although violence against women remains widespread throughout the region, a US study has found.

Democracy watchdog group Freedom House pointed to "modest" economic, educational and political progress for women, despite a continued pushback from religious and cultural elites, in a region where women suffer more inequality than anywhere else.

Women in Tunisia, which along with Jordan provides legal protections against domestic violence, topped the list with the most rights, followed by their counterparts in Morocco, Algeria and Lebanon, the group said in a study released Wednesday.

Yemen and Saudi Arabia lagged significantly behind.

The plight of women worsened only in Iraq, Yemen and the Palestinian territories, amid internal conflict and a rise in extremism.

In Kuwait, women earned the same political rights as men, and four women were elected to parliament in May for the first time in the country's history.

A 2005 reform in Algeria improved women's autonomy in the family and lifted a family code that had recognized women as guardians of kin and tradition rather than rather than autonomous individuals.

A new specialized tribunal for cases involving honor crimes was established in 2009 in Jordan, only the second country to do so in the region after Tunisia.

Yet on average, only 28 percent of women work or are "economically active," the lowest rate in the world.

"There are more women entrepreneurs, more women doctors, more women Ph.Ds, and more women in universities, than ever before," said Jennifer Windsor, executive director of Freedom House, which supports and monitors democracy and human rights.

"However, substantial roadblocks remain for women pursuing careers."

She noted that in Saudi Arabia, women can earn law degrees but are barred from appearing in court on behalf of their clients.

And in Iraq, the slaying, rape and kidnapping of women "significantly escalated" last year, although a quarter of parliamentary seats are held by female politicians.

So-called "honor crimes" involving the killing of women are usually committed by a male relative for acts perceived to have tainted a family's honor.

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=37648.

Serbia hails Pak refusal to recognize Kosovo

ISLAMABAD, Mar 05: Serbia has sought Pakistan’s help to get an observer status in the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC).

“We have applied for an observer status in the OIC where Pakistan is an influential member. We are hoping that soon we will get an observer status,” Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic said here on Thursday.

Mr Jeremic is the first Serbian foreign minister to visit Pakistan since independence of the country after break-up of Yugoslavia.

During his day-long visit, he called on Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.

The Serbian minister praised Pakistan’s refusal to recognize Kosovo as an independent state.

In an interview with Dawn, Mr Jeremic said the International Court of Justice was expected to give its ruling on Kosvo’s secession in a few months. “As a result of our diplomatic efforts, two thirds of the world’s nations, including Pakistan, have not recognized the succession.

“We are grateful for this solidarity and support and we are now making history,” he said.

He said his country had the support of Russia, China, Britain, Brazil, Egypt and other countries on the Kosovo issue. “We have a firm stance on Kosovo. We are also firm that it is peacefully seen through, not through any confrontation.”

He said Serbia expected to sign several agreements with Pakistan, especially in the fields of trade, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, hydroelectric power, construction and defense.

“We will close the discussion on a number of bilateral agreements that will facilitate economic and cultural relations between our two countries.”

He said Serbia had decided to set up a scholarship fund for students from non-aligned countries, including Pakistan.

Source: The Pakistani Newspaper.
Link: http://thepakistaninewspaper.com/news_detail.php?id=16194.

14 killed in Somalia in fighting among clans

Fri Mar 5, 2010

At least 14 people have been killed and dozens more wounded during clashes between two clans in central Somalia, witnesses say.

Hostilities over land-ownership triggered the deadly violence between the Qubeys clan and the Suleiman people, a group of the Habargidir clan, in rural areas of Amara north of the town of Haradheeere, Reuters reported on Friday.

"So far we know that 14 people died in the hostilities between the clans and more than two dozens were injured," local resident Mohamud Ali was quoted by Reuters as saying.

The two clans have a previous history of unsettled disputes over land.

"We failed to reach accord with our neighbor so this resulted in deaths and still the area is too tense. There might be further clashes as war preparations are underway in nearby villages," said Abukar Dirshe, a senior from the Qubeys.

Somalia has been suffering from almost 20 years of internal conflict and there are growing concerns over the lack of a strong central government.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://edition.presstv.ir/detail/120102.html.

Israeli forces raid Al-Aqsa Mosque compound

Fri Mar 5, 2010
Israeli forces have stormed the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the occupied East Jerusalem Al-Quds and cordoned off its premises where dozens of Palestinian protesters had gathered.

Eyewitnesses said that Israeli policemen had encircled the Al-Aqsa Mosque since the early morning hours and clashes erupted in the holy complex after the Israeli forces raided the area to push out the Palestinians.

The protesters responded to the attack by throwing stones. Several people were injured and dozens more detained in the unrest.

Muslims consider the frequent Israeli attacks on the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound as part of a Judaization campaign that targets the holy city of Jerusalem Al-Quds and a provocation of Muslim feelings.

Israel occupied Al-Quds during a 1967 aggression and later annexed it. The status of the city is among the thorniest issues of the so-called peace process with the Palestinians, underscoring the reality that any Palestinian state should include the city as its capital.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://edition.presstv.ir/detail/120101.html.

Iraqis in Jordan go to the polls

Amman - Iraqis across Jordan started voting on Friday in their country's second general election since the downfall of Saddam Hussein's regime in 2003 at the hands of a US-led invasion. Between 150,000 and 200,000 Iraqis living in Jordan are eligible to vote in the election, according to the Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) bureau in Amman.

The actual election in Iraq takes place on Sunday, but voting has started earlier for expatriates, and some voters in Iraq itself, such as prisoners and security officers.

A total of 16 election centers and over 150 polling stations have been set up in the cities of Amman, Zarqa, Irbid and Madaba for Iraqis who will have a plenty of time to cast their votes over three days starting Friday, the bureau said.

Over 1,000 Iraqis have been enlisted by the IHEC to man the polling stations, which will be open from 0400 to 1500 GMT.

The Jordanian authorities are providing external security for the electoral centers and polling stations without entering the premises.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/312594,iraqis-in-jordan-go-to-the-polls.html.

Turkey-US relations strained after Armenian 'genocide' bill passed

Istanbul - Turkey called on the US Friday to correct a "historical mistake" after a Congressional committee passed a resolution that recognizes the mass murders of Armenians during World War I as a "genocide.""We expect and hope that the US Congress will correct this historical mistake soon," Turkish media Friday quoted Turkish Speaker of Parliament Mehmet Ali Sahin as saying.

Armenians contend that up to 1.5 million of their people were systematically killed by the Ottoman Turks during World War I.

Turkey has long denied the genocide claim, saying the number of Armenians killed is much lower and that the deaths were the result of violent turbulence that also affected other groups at the time.

Ankara also recalled its ambassador to Washington after the Foreign Affairs Committee of the US House of Representatives passed the resolution in a 23-22 vote on Thursday.

"We condemn this resolution accusing Turkey of a crime that it had not committed," the Turkish Prime Ministry said in a written statement issued soon after the vote.

"Our Ambassador to Washington Namik Tan was recalled tonight to Ankara for consultations after the development,"the statement said.

Ankara had warned that the bill's passing could lead to a rupture in relations with Washington and could harm an already endangered reconciliation process between Turkey and Armenia.

"Turkish-US relations are experiencing their most successful period in history," Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday. "I hope that they will not be damaged by such initiatives."

The non-binding resolution calls on US policy and President Barack Obama to formally refer to the World War I mass killings as a "genocide." Speaker Nancy Pelosi must now decide whether the bill passed by the committee will be sent to a full vote in the House.

The US has approximately 1 million citizens of Armenian descent.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/312595,turkey-us-relations-strained-after-armenian-genocide-bill-passed.html.

Malaysian state to begin water rationing due to dry spell

Kuala Lumpur - Malaysia's central state of Negeri Sembilan announced Friday it would begin water rationing following a dip in water levels due to the current dry spell. A drastic drop in rainfall over the past few months caused a drop in river water levels at entry points to water-treatment plants throughout the state, said Negeri Sembilan's water supply company in a statement to the official Bernama news agency.

The water rationing would only involve residential water supplies at certain times of the day, the statement said.

The company said the rationing would continue indefinitely, until water levels rise to appropriate levels.

The statement also assured residents that water tanks would be deployed to affected areas to provide additional water supply if needed.

The Malaysian Meteorological Department has said the dry spell is expected to last until mid-April.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/312600,malaysian-state-to-begin-water-rationing-due-to-dry-spell.html.

Actor Michael J Fox awarded Swedish honorary doctorate

Stockholm - Actor Michael J Fox's efforts to raise funds and awareness about Parkinson's disease earned him an honorary medical doctorate in Sweden on Friday. The award was announced by Karolinska Institutet, the respected Swedish institute that awards the Nobel prize for medicine.

Fox in 2000 set up the Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research that has contributed over 175 million dollars to Parkinson's drug development research around the world, including at Karolinska Institutet.

The ceremony was to take place later Friday at the home of the Swedish honorary consul general in New York, the institute said.

"Strongly influenced by Michael's personal philosophy, his foundation operates with rare dynamism and a constant focus on speeding breakthrough treatments to the world's five million Parkinson's patients," said Associate Professor Clara H Gumpert, who represented the institute's Board of Research.

Fox was born 1961 in Canada and was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1991. He announced his condition in 1998.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/312604,actor-michael-j-fox-awarded-swedish-honorary-doctorate.html.

Fatah: US-backed talks with Israel waste of time

A Palestinian Fatah spokesman casts doubt on the benefits of resuming peace talks with Israel after reports that the US-mediated "proximity talks" could start on Sunday.

"There is no benefit from either direct or indirect negotiations with the Israeli government as it continues settlement construction and attacks the holy sites of Palestine," said spokesman for the Central Committee of the Fatah movement Muhammad Dahlan in an interview on Thursday.

He added, "If the American policy is to waste time pretending we are in negotiations as Israel continues to build settlements and claim Palestinian heritage sites, there is no point to go ahead with the talks. We have been sick of the occupation for years, and sick of negotiations since 2000."

Dahlan's comments indicate a split within Abbas' own party on the decision to resume talks with Israel.

Arab foreign ministers, gathered in the hall of the League of Arab States in central Cairo on Wednesday, backed the resumption of the US-mediated talks for another four months.

Syria, a staunch opponent of Israel, declared that the Arab League decision was not reached by a consensus and that it appeared to serve as a "political cover" for a Palestinian decision already taken.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=120100§ionid=351020202.

Russia slams Israeli violations of Lebanese airspace

Russia has expressed concern over Israel's repeated violations of the Lebanese airspace and sovereignty in violation of the UN Security Council resolutions.

In a statement on Thursday, Deputy Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexander Yakovenko said that Israel's non-abidance by the UN Resolution 1701 is manifested in its continued violation of the Lebanese airspace and the refusal to withdraw from al-Ghajar town.

He added that the Security Council will be looking into a report prepared by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon about the implementation of Resolution 1701 and the conflict in the Middle East.

Yakovenko also noted that Israel's settlement activities in Palestine are a serious obstacle to the Mideast peace process.

Israeli fighter jets invade Lebanese airspace almost on a daily basis and break sound barriers over several villages in southern parts of the country. The violations come amid heightened concern in Lebanon over recent Israeli threats and provocations against the country.

The UN considers the Israeli violation of Lebanese airspace to be against Security Council Resolution 1701, which brought an end to the Israeli offensive against Lebanon in 2006.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=120098§ionid=351020203.

Iran's airport police seize 737 kg of drugs

Iran's Airport Police Chief Brigadier General Nabiollah Heidari says 737 kilograms of various kinds of drugs have been seized this year.

“Iranian airport police has seized a total of 737 kilograms of various kinds of drugs in the country's airports this year,” IRNA quoted General Heidari as saying on Thursday.

“There has been a twelvefold increase in comparison to last year's figures which was just 63 kilograms,” he added.

According to General Heidari, the seized drugs included 472 kilograms of crystal meth, most of which was discovered at Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKIA).

“Some 4,898 people involved in drug smuggling have also been arrested at Iranian airports this year,” he went on to say.

“Airport police is to equip the country's airports with 10 body scanners which will help in uncovering drugs and nabbing smugglers,” he asserted.

Iran lies on the narcotics transit corridor from Afghanistan - where militants, criminal organizations, and corrupt officials exploit narcotics as a reliable source of revenue - to drug kingpins across Europe.

Iran's easterly neighbor, Afghanistan, occupied by US-led forces since 2001, accounts for roughly 79 percent of the world's opium and heroin trade, according to the United Nations Drug Control Program.

Since the triumph of the Islamic Revolution in 1979, the country has lost more than 3,300 of its security forces in its relentless counter-narcotics campaign.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=120091§ionid=3510212.

Southern separatist shot dead in Yemen

A separatist was shot dead yesterday by security forces in southern Yemen as he tried to remove a Yemeni flag from a state building and hoist that of the south, an official said, in a move that could fan hostilities.

Violence also flared in Yemen’s capital, where authorities arrested 11 suspected Al Qaeda members in sweeps that sparked a gunfight which killed the father of a suspected militant.

In the south, where tensions have escalated in recent weeks, secessionist demonstrators forced their way into a government building in Lahej province, and one protester was killed when security forces tried to disperse them, a local official said.

“The protester was trying to take down the flag of Yemen and raise the flag of the south ... He was shot dead,” he said, adding three others were hurt in the clashes in Al Habilayn.

Tensions between Yemeni security forces and southern secessionists protesting against the government of President Ali Abdullah Saleh have been on the rise in recent weeks, accompanied by widespread arrests and deaths on both sides.

North and South Yemen formally united in 1990 but many in the south, where most of impoverished Yemen’s oil facilities are located, complain northerners have used unification to seize resources and discriminate against them.

Adding to the southern tension, the exiled former president of South Yemen, Ali Salem al-Beidh, said yesterday that a well-known tribal leader, currently allied with secessionists, had been barred from leaving his home in Zinjibar in the south.

“For three days a large contingent from the occupying forces has laid siege to the house of Tareq al-Fadhli ... to weaken him physically and to destroy the house around those inside it,” Beidh, who lives in Germany, said in an emailed statement.

“I call on all sons of the south ... to come to the aid of Fadhli and go to Zinjibar and lift the siege,” he said.

Zinjibar is also where at least four people were killed in a gunbattle with security forces last week, including Ali al-Yafie, a separatist the government said was suspected of links to Al Qaeda. Al Jazeera TV said his wife had also died.

Two soldiers were killed when their vehicle overturned as they chased separatists with whom they had exchanged fire in the southern province of Shabwa, residents said.

In Sanaa, security forces arrested 11 suspected Al Qaeda members in raids that sparked a gunfight which killed the father of a suspected militant, state media said.

As security forces raided a number of houses in the capital on Wednesday, the father of one of the suspects opened fire, injuring one soldier, state media reported yesterday.

The father died in a shootout that followed, the Defense Ministry’s online newspaper reported.

Source: Gulf Times.
Link: http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=346718&version=1&template_id=37&parent_id=17.

Greece should sell islands to cut debt - Merkel allies

By Oana Lungescu
BBC News, Berlin

Greece should consider selling some of its uninhabited islands to cut its debt, according to political allies of German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Josef Schlarmann and Frank Schaeffler told Germany's Bild daily that the Greek state should sell stakes in all its assets to raise more cash.

Greek PM George Papandreou is due to meet Mrs Merkel in Berlin later this week for talks about the crisis.

Mr Papandreou has already announced a strict austerity program.

'Affordable' islands

"Sell your islands, you bankrupt Greeks - and the Acropolis too!" says the headline in the Bild newspaper.

It sounds like the sort of daydream induced by too much ouzo, but the idea comes from two senior politicians in Europe's biggest economy.

Mr Schlarmann is a senior member of Mrs Merkel's Christian Democrats and Mr Schaeffler is an MP for the Free Democrats - the junior partner in the center-right coalition.

Both confirmed to the BBC that they wanted to start a debate about what Greece could do to help itself and bolster the battered euro.

Those who face insolvency, Mr Schlarmann said, must sell everything they have to pay their creditors.

He advised Mrs Merkel not to promise any financial aid when she met Mr Papandreou in Berlin.

According to a poll published on Thursday, 84% of Germans think that the EU should not help Greece out of its debt crisis.

It is true that dotted in the blue waters of the Aegean are some of the country's most valuable assets - about 6,000 islands, of which only 227 are inhabited. Many of them are privately owned by the world's super-rich.

According to a specialized real-estate website, Greek islands evoke images of sunglass-sporting shipping magnates sipping champagne on enormous yachts, but cost as little as $2m (£1.3m).

Relatively affordable, the website says - unless, of course, you're a Greek.

Source: British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).
Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8549793.stm.

Algeria orders striking teachers back to work

2010-03-04

Striking Algerian teachers who do not return to work by March 7th are at risk of losing their posts, the Education Ministry warned on Wednesday (March 3rd). A court order issued on Monday required teachers to return to the classroom. CNAPEST (Autonomous Union of Secondary and Technical Teachers) and UNPEF (National Union of Education and Training Personnel) launched their latest strike on February 24th to force government implementation of agreed-upon salary and benefit hikes.

Source: Magharebia.com.
Link: http://magharebia.com/en_GB/articles/awi/newsbriefs/general/2010/03/04/newsbrief-03.

Spain-based terrorist sentenced in native Algeria

(WARNING): Article contains propaganda!

* * * * *

2010-03-04

An Algiers criminal court on Wednesday (March 3rd) sentenced Algerian Mohamed Serai to four years in prison for belonging to an al-Qaeda terrorist network in Spain, Tout sur l'Algerie reported. Serai admitted to "having financed terrorists, at their request, to facilitate their travel in countries where they wanted to wage jihad", according to the criminal indictment quoted by APS. The Spanish terror cell members reportedly fought in Iraq, Afghanistan and Chechnya.

Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://magharebia.com/en_GB/articles/awi/newsbriefs/general/2010/03/04/newsbrief-02.

Levin: Pentagon should reconsider deals with Xe

A senior Senate Democrat says that the Pentagon should reconsider awarding contracts to military contractor XE, formerly known as Blackwater.

In letters to Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Attorney General Eric Holder, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin said that the Pentagon should consider Blackwater's past "deficiencies" in deciding whether to award a new contract worth as much as $1 billion to the company to provide Afghan national police with training.

"As you know, a series of incidents in Iraq ... led many to conclude that Blackwater was not a suitable contracting partner for the US government and contributed to the company's decision to change its name," Levin wrote to Gates.

"The inadequacies in Blackwater's performance appear to have contributed to a shooting incident that has undermined our mission in Afghanistan," Levin added.

Levin also said the firm may have misappropriated government weapons and carried arms without authorization.

Levin went on to say that Blackwater may have hired unqualified personnel with backgrounds that included drug and alcohol abuse.

The Pentagon has so far ruled out any prohibitions regarding the company's ability to compete for US contracts.

Following a 2007 shooting, Blackwater guards have been accused of murdering Iraqi civilians in cold blood.

In January, two US security contractors working for Paravant LLC, a unit of Xe, which was previously known as Blackwater Worldwide, were arrested in Afghanistan on charges they murdered two Afghans in Kabul and wounded a third.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=120071§ionid=3510203.

Chile declares 3 days of mourning for quake victims

The Chilean government has declared that three days of national mourning will be observed from Sunday in honor of the victims of the country's recent earthquake.

"The president has declared a period of national mourning for three days from midnight on Sunday in memory of the Chileans who were killed," Deputy Interior Minister Patricio Rosende said on Thursday.

President Michelle Bachelet has also authorized that the national flag could be hung from each house as a sign of solidarity with the victims, she added.

Official figures have put the death toll from last weeks devastating magnitude-8.8 earthquake at 802.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=120069§ionid=351020706.

Italian ambassador summoned over arrested Iranians

Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast says the Italian ambassador to Tehran has been summoned to give explanation about detention of two Iranians in Italy.

Mehmanparast said that the detention of Hamid Masoumi-Nejad and another Iranian, who is reportedly identified as Homayoun Bakhtiyari, "indicates that another game is underway which aims at certain propagation [against Iran]."

"The Italian Ambassador, [Alberto Bradanini], was summoned to the [Iranian] Foreign Ministry to clarify [the issue] and give explanation on [different] aspects of the issue," Mehmanparast was quoted by IRNA as saying.

Masoumi-Nejad, 51, was an accredited journalist working for the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting in Rome.

A top Italian prosecutor on Wednesday declared that two Iranians and five Italians were arrested in Italy on allegations of selling arms to Iran in violation of international sanctions.

"It is an investigation of considerable importance because it concerns the entire international community," AFP quoted Armando Spataro as saying.

Both Iranians have been reportedly arrested in Turin in northwestern Italy.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=120066§ionid=351020101.

Lieberman plays down peace with Palestinians

Israel's hawkish foreign minister plays down chances of a quick deal in peace talks with Palestinians.

Avigdor Lieberman said he believes it is impossible to reach a comprehensive peace deal in the near future. His comments on Thursday came shortly after the Israeli prime minister said indirect negotiations could resume as early as next week.

Earlier, Arab League foreign ministers endorsed a US-backed plan for indirect US-mediated talks for four months to break the deadlock and revive the two-decade-old peace talks.

The talks have been suspended for more than a year over Israel's continued illegal settlement activities on occupied Palestinian land in the West Bank and East Jerusalem Al-Quds.

Meanwhile, Hamas has slammed the decision of resuming negotiations and called for the resignation of acting Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas.

Hamas official Izzat al-Rishq said Abbas lacks a national mandate to agree to the US-sponsored talks.

"Resuming these talks is selling illusions to the Palestinian people and playing with their emotions. Eighteen years of talks with Israel have achieved zero result. What is there to expect from an extra four months?"

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=120065§ionid=351020202.

Spanish ship escapes Somali pirates after firefight

London/Nairobi (Earth Times) - Somali pirates fired a rocket-propelled grenade at a Spanish fishing vessel, which responded with gunfire, during a hijack attempt in the Indian Ocean, European Union naval forces said Thursday. None of the crew of the Cadiz-registered Albacan were injured in the attack, which came as calm seas make it easier for pirates to operate in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean.

EU NAVFOR Somalia, the EU's anti-piracy mission in the region, said two pirate skiffs approached the Albacan as it fished halfway between the Seychelles and the Kenyan coast.

"One of the skiffs ... fired a rocket-propelled grenade that exploded on the deck of the fishing vessel," EU NAVFOR Somalia said in a statement on its website. "The explosion caused a small fire that has now been extinguished."

Private security guards on board the Albacan shot over the heads of the pirates, forcing them to flee.

Ship owners have turned to private guards, barbed wire and water cannons to fend off the pirates that swarm Somalia's coastal waters looking for multimillion-dollar ransoms.

More attacks are expected in the coming months due to calmer weather.

On Monday Saudi tanker Al Nisr Al Saudi and its crew of 14 was seized. Six ships and over 100 sailors are currently in the hands of pirates.

Piracy is rife off the Horn of Africa nation, which has not had a functioning central government since 1991.

Young men take to the seas despite the presence of international warships, which were dispatched to the Gulf of Aden in 2008 to combat a rise in piracy.

The pirates have expanded their operations further out into the Indian Ocean to avoid the patrols.

Syria suggests Israel might have planted suspect uranium

Vienna - Syria suggested Thursday that nuclear material might have been planted on its territory by Israel - offering a new explanation for uranium traces found by the International Atomic Energy Agency, according to participants at an IAEA meeting. Syria had claimed that a site bombed by Israel in 2007 was not a secret nuclear reactor and that the uranium traces found by IAEA inspectors stemmed from Israeli ammunition.

Addressing the IAEA Board of Governors, Syrian Ambassador Bassam Sabbagh spoke of "Israeli airplanes that have overflown that site and dropped things, and material," according to one of the participants recounting the remarks to the German Press Agency dpa.

"It's a slightly desperate charge, isn't it?" US Ambassador Glyn Davies told reporters after the meeting.

The IAEA has analyzed samples taken at the bombed al-Kibar site in the Syrian desert, also known as Dair Alzour.

It judged in its latest report in February that "there is a low probability that the source of these particles was the use of missiles" and that the presence of the material pointed to possible nuclear activities.

Syria is currently not granting the IAEA access to locations, officials and documents that may shed more light on possible clandestine nuclear activities.

At the IAEA board, the US and the EU urged the government in Damascus to cooperate with the nuclear agency.

The more the IAEA uncovers, "the more Syria has tried to actively hinder the agency's investigation," US envoy Davies said.

The board did not take any formal action, such as issuing a resolution condemning Syria, as diplomats said that the IAEA was still in the process of seeking further inspections.

Nuclear inspectors had asked to visit Syria on February 23, but were denied due to scheduling problems.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/312488,syria-suggests-israel-might-have-planted-suspect-uranium.html.

'Tomorrow the whole country' - Wilders on the rise - Feature

Amsterdam - At least the Dutch are as animal-friendly as ever: The Party for Animals (PvdD), which lobbies for humane treatment for all creatures great and small, managed to boost their number of seats in the Dutch communal elections on Wednesday to 26. "We are getting stronger," PvdD leader Marianne Thieme rejoices. Such joy cannot be said to prevail among of the Dutch Muslim Party (NMP), which seeks to promote trust and understanding between Muslims and non-Muslims. The NMP did not gain a single seat in the elections, whose clear winner is the Muslim-hater Geert Wilders.

Wilders, a 46-year-old insurance agent and qualified lawyer, declared a historic victory at the election celebrations of his Freedom Party (PVV) in the city of Almere.

It was in this city, not far from Amsterdam, that the PVV managed to emerge from scratch as the strongest party in the town council, overtaking the social-democratic Dutch Labour Party (PvdA).

And in The Hague's city council the PVV were again hot-on-the- heels of the PVdA, who have governed the city for decades, becoming the second biggest party.

Wilders can hardly wait until June 9, when the Netherlands is due to hold elections to the "Tweede Kamer," the lower house of parliament.

"This success is our springboard to victory on June 9," Wilders shouted to his supporters, who have nicknamed their blond leader Mozart, at the party in Almere.

His supporters are, however, not suspected of listening to classical music.

The political science institute at the University of Tilburg considers Wilders' party, founded in 2006, a "non-democratic, neo- right-wing extremist organisation with an authoritarian leadership."

Today, the PVV has nine of the 150 seats in the Dutch parliament. Recent surveys suggest that it might win 24 to 27 seats on June 9.

"We will be the strongest party," Wilders prophesied to the cheering crowd in Almere. "We will reconquer the Netherlands!"

Wilders' speeches have something of the tone of an earlier era of political rhetoric, which might be recognized from Nazi propaganda films. Wilders could be imagined in one of these films, shouting "Today Almere and The Hague, tomorrow the whole of the Netherlands!"

While Wilders is planning his route into parliament, the Christian Democrats and the Social Democrats are still licking their wounds after their coalition government broke down two weeks ago. They had been in government for three years until they split after a fight over the Dutch military mission in Afghanistan.

Wilders enjoys slamming the parties in power.

"The leftist elite still believes in a multicultural society, in cosying up to criminals, in development aid and in a European superstate with high taxes," he said. "But the rest of the Netherlands has a completely different opinion."

According to political scientist Meindert Fennema, who has just written a biography of Wilders called De Tovenaarsleerling, (The Sorcerer's Apprentice), lambasting the "elite" is a well-proven strategy of Wilders to attract voters.

"The PVV's strength lies in its self-representation as an uncouth, uncultivated political outcast," Fennema says.

PVV supporters are mainly "hard working people with a relatively low education," he adds.

According to Fennema, this is why Wilders successfully focused on three issues in his campaign: Railing against Muslim immigrants, exaggerating security problems and promising to prevent the raising of the retirement age from 65 to 67.

It is without doubt not just the dramatic loss of trust in the political establishment amid the economic crisis that has benefited Wilders.

It is hard to ignore the failure of the state's soft stance on Muslim immigrants who have been presented with countless integration schemes.

Public funding for mosques and Muslim schools has happily been accepted by the beneficiaries. However, advocates of a strict dissociation from western life-style often have the biggest say in such places.

Wilders' alternative proposal to current integration policy sounds like a call to civil war. Mosques should be shut down, the "fascist" Koran and headscarfs in public places banned. "Decent" citizens should form vigilante groups to fight against rampaging Muslim youths, whom Wilders calls "Moroccan street terrorists."

Since January 20, Wilders has been on trial for charges of fomenting racial hatred.

But a criminal process might be the wrong approach to tackle the populist's upsurge, critics say. And they might be right: Since the beginning of the trial, public approval of Wilders has surged.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/312490,tomorrow-the-whole-country--wilders-on-the-rise--feature.html.

Netanyahu hopes indirect talks with Palestinians start next week

Jerusalem - Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday he hoped indirect talks between Israel and the Palestinians would begin with the visit of US mediator George Mitchell next week. "We welcome the start of talks, even if they are proximity talks," he told a cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, a day after the Arab League gave the green-light for indirect Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, albeit with a four-month deadline.

The Israeli leader said Israel's goal was "to reach a peace agreement with our Palestinian neighbors via direct talks," but., he added, "we do not necessarily insist on this format."

"If this is what is necessary to start the process Israel is ready," he said.

Direct Israeli-Palestinian talks were suspended in late 2008, when Israel began an election campaign, which ultimately saw Netanyahu replace the centrist Ehud Olmert as prime minister.

The negotiations have not been resumed since Netanyahu was sworn into office at the end of March 2009. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas insists that Israel halt completely all construction in West Bank settlements and in East Jerusalem before he will return to the negotiating table.

A 10-month partial moratorium on settlement construction declared by Netanyahu at the end of November last year was deemed insufficient by the Palestinians, since it was limited in scope and did not include East Jerusalem, which Israel sees as part of its united capital.

Frequent visits to the region by Mitchell, who shuttled between Jerusalem and Ramallah, failed to break the impasse.

The envoy is slated to arrive in Israel again on Saturday night, ahead of a visit by US Vice-President Joe Biden, who arrives Monday.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/312491,netanyahu-hopes-indirect-talks-with-palestinians-start-next-week.html.