Amazigh Film Festival honors slain writer Mouloud Feraoun

2010-03-15

Algeria's 10th National Festival of Amazigh Film (FNCFA) will begin Monday (March 15th) at the Mouloud-Mammeri Cultural Center in Tizi-Ouzou, L'Expression reported. A film about Kabylie writer Mouloud Feraoun will launch the event. Director Ali Mouzaoui's documentary was selected to mark the anniversary of Feraoun's assassination on March 15th, 1962. Festival organizer Si El Hachemi Assad said twelve movies will vie for the "Golden Olive" prize as best Algerian film in the Amazigh language. The festival, which runs through March 20th, includes workshops on film techniques, forums on Feraoun's works and several concerts.

Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://magharebia.com/en_GB/articles/awi/newsbriefs/general/2010/03/15/newsbrief-06.

AMU finance ministers meet in Algiers

2010-03-15

The finance ministers of Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Libya and Mauritania will gather in Algiers on Monday (March 15th) for the 7th Ministerial Council on Finance and Currency, El Moudjahid reported. AMU Secretary-General Lahbib Benyahia will preside over the session. The previous council meeting, held in Tunis in 2006, adopted the draft statute of the Maghreb Bank for Foreign Trade and Investment (BMIC).

Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://magharebia.com/en_GB/articles/awi/newsbriefs/general/2010/03/15/newsbrief-02.

Egypt opposition groups call for reforms

2010-03-15

Several opposition groups demand end to concentration of power in Mubarak's hands.

CAIRO - Several Egyptian opposition groups called for political reforms and more freedoms in a statement on Monday at the end of a three-day conference, the official news agency MENA reported.

The groups, which include established opposition parties such as the leftist Tagammu and the liberal Wafd, demanded an end to the concentration of power in the president's hands and reforms to laws that place restrictions on parties.

They also called for peaceful protests ahead of parliamentary polls due in October.

Egypt has been ruled since 1981 by President Hosni Mubarak.

In 2005 he allowed multi-candidate elections which he won overwhelmingly but election observers said at the time there were irregularities in the polls.

In parliamentary elections the same year, police closed down polling stations and judges who oversaw the election said some results were rigged in favor of government candidates.

Police often target members of the banned Muslim Brotherhood group, which controls a fifth of seats in parliament after it ran candidates as independents in the 2005 election.

Aside from the Muslim Brotherhood, opposition groups in the country command little power, but dissidents have been galvanized by a new reform group founded by former UN nuclear watchdog chief Mohammed ElBaradei.

Last month ElBaradei flew to Cairo to a rapturous welcome from supporters and formed the National Association for Change. He has said he is prepared to run against Mubarak in the 2011 presidential election.

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=37855.

US Predator crashes in Afghanistan

An American MQ-1 Predator drone has crashed on takeoff in southern Afghanistan, the US Air Forces Central Command confirms.

Early Monday reports said the aircraft was not gunned down by a hostile fire. It was also noted that the accident has left no casualties.

The US military said the drone was to conduct a surveillance mission in the area. Investigation is underway to find the cause of the failure.

The MQ-1 Predator Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance, commonly known as MALE, is the most famous unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), currently in American service.

It is primarily utilized for surveillance but can also be outfitted with laser-guided missiles such as the AGM-114 Hellfire for use in targeted air strikes.

The US uses UAVs to target what it calls militant hideouts; however, the number of civilian lives lost in such attacks usually exceeds that of alleged militants.

The Afghan government has repeatedly called on Washington to put an end to the imprecise drone attacks, which have resulted in anti-American sentiment in Afghanistan over the civilian casualties.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=120897§ionid=351020403.

In Iran, Majlis passes new budget bill

After long hours of debate, Iran's Majlis (parliament) has passed the budget bill for the new Persian calendar year starting March 21st.

The bill encompasses measures that give President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad the go-ahead for the first phase of his major economic reform plan.

Less than a week to the Persian New Year, lawmakers wrapped up 14 long sessions of debate and passed the much anticipated budget bill allowing the government to eliminate USD 20 billion worth of subsidies rather than the USD 40 billion that President Ahmadinejad had asked for, a Press TV correspondent reported.

This is the first phase of the Iranian president's major reform plan to make fundamental changes in Iran's economy, a topic that has sparked debates over the past year.

"Everyone agrees that the current subsidy system is wrong. The question is how to redirect the subsidies. In parliament, we believed that this should be done over a period of five years to reduce the negative effects, particularly on the inflation rate," lawmaker Mohammad Reza Khabbaz said.

The government is currently paying USD 100 billion in subsidies and President Ahmadinejad says the faster changes are made, the easier it will be for the nation to adapt.

Last Tuesday, debates continued behind closed doors, as President Ahmadinejad tried to convince the nation's representatives in Majlis.

"The president told us that the USD 40 billion would not increase the current 11.8 percent inflation, rather it would reduce it because it will not be adding to the liquidity," another lawmaker, Vali Esmaeeli said.

Esmaeeli added that if parliament disagrees, it will become difficult for the government to go through with the plan.

Only 105 lawmakers agreed, the remaining members of parliament were of the opinion that such a rapid change might trigger a 50 percent surge in inflation.

"If we were to agree with the USD 40 billion, it would definitely affect the calculations regarding the prices of fuel and food," lawmaker Mohammad Taqi Rahbar said.

"It would create a shock so we disagreed…. The government should not expect parliament to agree with everything it proposes."

The next year's budget in terms of resources and spending stands at USD 360 billion based on an oil price of USD 65 per barrel.

Now that parliament has passed next year's budget bill, Iran prepares itself for the first phase of major economic reforms which includes the redistribution of state subsidies for food and energy – something that critics believe will negatively impact the country's inflation rates.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=120896§ionid=351020102.

Italian figures condemn arrest of Iranian journalist

More than 70 of Italian personalities in a signed petition have called for the release of an Iranian journalist, detained over alleged arms smuggling.

Hamid Masouminejad, a reporter for the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), was arrested after Italian counterterrorism prosecutor Armando Spataro claimed an investigation had implicated him in arms smuggling to Iran.

The move has sparked a diplomatic row between Rome and Tehran, with the Iranian government describing the move as "politically motivated."

In their petition, a copy of which was obtained by Press TV, the signatories say that "Iran's enemies, including the US and Israel, are making attempts to deceive the global population and preparing the ground for an attack on the country."

They used slogans such as "stop attacking Iran," "free Middle East from nuclear weapons," "stop besieging the Gaza Strip and murder of the oppressed people of Palestine."

The Italian personalities who signed the petition included European Parliament representatives Gianni Vattimo and Lucio Manisco, Urbino University professor, Domenico Losurdo, and Torino University professor, Marino Badiale.

The senior correspondent has been working for IRIB's Rome Bureau for more than 15 years.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=120890§ionid=351020101.

Italy 'swiftly' reviewing case of arrested Iranians

Italy's Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said Monday that the country is "swiftly" following up on the case of the two Iranians arrested on charges of arms smuggling.

Frattini said, in a phone conversation with his Iranian counterpart, he was aware that the arrest of an accredited journalist and another Iranian had a "negative" impact on Tehran-Rome ties.

"Thus, I want to reassure you once again that we are doing our utmost to review [Hamid Masouminejad's] case swiftly," the Italian minister said.

Masouminejad is an employee of Iran's national broadcaster, IRIB. He was arrested after Italian counterterrorism prosecutor Armando Spataro claimed a nine-month investigation, including intercepted phone conversations and e-mail messages, had implicated the journalist.

The move has sparked a diplomatic row between Rome and Tehran as Iran contends the move was politically motivated.

Frattini said the Iranians arrested in Italy were fully entitled to their rights.

Manouchehr Mottaki, Iran's foreign minister, for his part, asked Frattini to quickly solve the issue at hand before it affects the relations between the two countries.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=120889§ionid=351020101.

Israel's army chief visits Turkey

Israel's Army Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi has traveled to Turkey to attend a NATO conference amid rising tensions between Tel Aviv and Ankara.

During his one day visit to Ankara, Ashkenazi will meet with his Turkish counterpart General Ilker Basbug and Turkish Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul, Ynet reported.

Ashkenazi will head to the NATO conference which focus on terrorism and international cooperation.

The visit was not revealed until Monday morning.

Relations between Israel and Turkey began to deteriorate after Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan publicly slammed Israel over its late 2008 incursion into Gaza and charged the regime with committing "barbarian" acts against the Palestinian civilians.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=120887§ionid=351020204.

Britain still doesn't get Lebanon

The UK ambassador's latest foray shows just how little Britain understands the Lebanese people's relationship with Hezbollah.

Matthew Cassel

One would think that the British government, considering its history in the Middle East of colonizing and partitioning the land and overthrowing governments and its support of undemocratic and dictatorial regimes, would be wary of sending its representatives to offer advice to Arab nations on how best to achieve their right to self-determination. But apparently the British ambassador to Lebanon didn't get the memo.

Last month Frances Guy told the Lebanese daily an-Nahar that "the [Lebanese] state cannot enjoy sovereignty if there was one group from within the state that has more weapons than the army". Of course, the group she was referring to was Hezbollah – the shia Islamic political and resistance movement in Lebanon.

While the UK ambassador's formula might work in some countries, it cannot be applied to Lebanon. The Lebanese army has never been considered capable of defending the country against an Israeli attack. Not only has it always had to struggle with a weak and divided leadership, but its aid packages and arms shipments from the US look like pennies and toy guns when compared to those received by Israel. Hence the popular support in Lebanon for a non-state resistance movement capable of facing off with Israel and protecting Lebanon's sovereignty.

When referring to Hezbollah in the context of Israel, many Lebanese – including the government – refer to it as "the resistance" (al-muqawama in Arabic), and not by name. Hezbollah is not the first organization formed in Lebanon to resist Israeli attacks on the country. It was born under Israeli occupation and filled the resistance void after its predecessors, the Palestine Liberation Organization and its Lebanese allies, were defeated in 1982 when Israel was able to invade Beirut after several years of civil war ravaged the country.

For whatever reason, Hezbollah has been the most effective resistance movement in Lebanon's history of conflict with Israel to date. In 2000, when Israel withdrew its troops from nearly all of the Lebanese territory it had occupied for 22 years, the resistance was celebrated as the victor.

In 2006, when Israel waged an all-out war on Lebanon, ostensibly in response to a Hezbollah cross-border raid during which two Israeli soldiers were captured, and retreated 34 days later, the resistance was again celebrated as the victor.

At the height of the 2006 war, a poll conducted by the Beirut Center for Research & Information found 87% of Lebanese supported "the confrontations carried out by the resistance against the Israeli aggression against Lebanon". Support for the resistance, especially during times of war and occupation, is one of the few issues that most can agree on in a politically divided country like Lebanon.

Days after the British ambassador's comments, on the eve of the Mawlid holiday when Muslims celebrate the prophet Mohammed's birthday, many in Beirut lay awake in bed, unable to sleep as Israeli warplanes flew back and forth across the skies above the Lebanese capital. These overflights – a clear violation of Lebanon's sovereignty and of UN security council resolution 1701 – are not rare occurrences.

In recent years Israeli aircraft can often be heard above southern Lebanon. Not to mention the landmines and cluster bombs that Israel generously left scattered all over the south after each of its withdrawals and which continue to threaten farmers and children playing in the fields. Yet oddly enough the UK, along with the US and other governments that have "special relationships" with Israel, have remained silent about these clear violations of Lebanese sovereignty.

The British ambassador's comments of course reflect a larger feeling of desperation among some western countries that consider Hezbollah a "terrorist" organization and have supported any and all attacks against it, whether by Israel or other Lebanese groups.

One week before Guy's comments, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said to Israel in a televised speech: "If you strike Rafiq al-Hariri International Airport in Beirut, we will strike Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv."

In 2006, after Israel bombed Beirut airport in the first hours of the war, Hezbollah did not have the ability to strike back at more significant Israeli targets. But now, all sides agree that Hezbollah is better trained and better equipped, making it an even more formidable military force than it was four years ago.

Therefore, the question that many have been asking – whether or not Israel will attack Lebanon again – is no longer relevant. How can Israel attack Lebanon again? is now the question. After being handed defeats by a weaker Hezbollah in 2000 and 2006, Israel seems to have few options left.

Another poll conducted recently shows that 84% of Lebanese "trust the resistance's capabilities facing any Israeli attack". This overwhelming confidence in Hezbollah – the resistance – indicates that the Lebanese have a good idea of how to be able to enjoy their sovereignty. But the UK, the US and Israel must also accept that the resistance is real, and abandon the language of bombs if they wish to communicate with the people of Lebanon.

Source: The Guardian.
Link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/mar/15/britain-middle-east-policy-lebanon.

India puts off nuclear bill after opposition protests

India’s government shelved for now a crucial nuclear energy bill after opposition protests on Monday.

The move is likely to delay the entry of U.S. firms into India’s $150 billion nuclear market.

The decision is the latest in a series of setbacks for the Congress party-led coalition which, despite its parliamentary majority, has sometimes also given in to opposition pressure on moves entailing painful adjustments to free markets.

The government backed off from introducing in parliament the bill to limit nuclear firms’ liability in the case of industrial accidents after it became clear the opposition would block it. While the government has a majority in the powerful lower house, it needs the support of the BJP to ratify the bill in the upper. The legislation has been cleared by the cabinet.

Opposition parties say the bill favors private players as it seeks to put a maximum liability of about $450 million on the state-run reactor operator without placing any compensation burden on private suppliers and contractors.

Ratifying the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill is imperative for private U.S. firms reluctant to do business in India without legislation that underwrites their compensation liability in the case of industrial accidents.

“The liability of the operator under the Price Anderson Act of the U.S. is $12.5 billion which is 23 times higher than the liability fixed for an Indian operator,” said Yashwant Sinha of main Hindu-nationalist opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). “Clearly, the life of an Indian is only worth a dime compared to the life of an American.”

The issue is sensitive in a country where a gas leak in a Union Carbide factory killed about 3,800 people in 1984, one of the world’s worst industrial disasters.

India has offered to tender construction of two nuclear power plants, a business opportunity worth $10 billion, to U.S.-based firms such as General Electric Co and Westinghouse Electric Co, a subsidiary of Japan’s Toshiba Corp.

But the liability issue has delayed things, putting U.S. firms at a competitive disadvantage over Russian and French firms whose accident liability is underwritten by their governments.

The Russian and French have already been awarded contracts.

A 2008 U.S. deal ended the nuclear isolation India had experienced since its 1974 atomic test and gave it access to U.S. technology and fuel, while also opening up the global nuclear market to India.

Congress said it would try to seek consensus over the bill.

“I would like to consult all the political parties informally before introducing the bill,” Prithviraj Chavan.

The South Asian nation, which relies on imported oil for some 70 percent of its energy needs, says the U.S. nuclear supply pact will help feed energy demands in its expanding economy, while helping combat global warming linked to fossil fuel emissions.

It could also help double nuclear power’s share in India’s electricity grid to 5-7 percent in the next two decades.

Source: Khaleej Times.
Link: http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/international/2010/March/international_March623.xml§ion=international.

Saudi Arabia plans aid to Syria as ties improve

DAMASCUS - Saudi Arabia is discussing extending development loans to Syria as ties between the two countries improve but there will not be direct cash assistance, the Saudi central bank governor said on Monday.

Diplomatic activity between Damascus and Riyadh picked up in the last months after they agreed to set aside their political differences and lower tension between their allies in Lebanon, which is a recipient of large Saudi cash injections.

Ties deteriorated after the 2005 assassination of Rafik al-Hariri, a Saudi-backed Lebanese member of parliament and former prime minister, resulting in the waning of Saudi investment appetite and aid to Syria.

“Syria is one of the most important Arab economies. It’s a promising market to whoever has money to invest,” Muhammad al-Jasser, head of the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency, said after attending a banking conference in the Syrian capital.

“The Saudi finance minister was in Damascus and talked about this and what the Saudi Fund for Development is doing along with other Saudi government institutions,” he added.

Syria needs billions of dollars in investment to overhaul its infrastructure, resuscitate its drought hit east, lower unemployment and deal with a 2.5 percent annual population growth.

Most of the investment has been by amongst others Syrian expatriates and from the Gulf into banking and real estate. Economic growth fell to 3 percent last year compared with 5.2 percent in 2008, according to the World Bank.

Asked whether Saudi Arabia could deposit cash directly into the Syrian central bank, as it did with Lebanon, Jasser said such a move “will not be considered”.

But he said that the Saudi Fund for Development signed a memorandum of understanding with the Syrian finance ministry last week to lend $140 million to raise output at a power station in Syria.
Investor mood

If extended, the loan will be the first since the Hariri assassination, which Saudi-backed politicians in Lebanon blame on Syria. Damascus denied any involvement.

Syria, which is under U.S. sanctions for its support of militant groups, has opened several sectors of the economy to private investment, especially banking and insurance, since President Bashar al-Assad succeeded his late father, Hafez al-Assad, in 2000.

The ruling Baath Party, which Bashar controls, nationalized large parts of the economy and enacted bans on private enterprise when it took power in 1963. It also imposed emergency law which is still in force and banned any opposition.

In a sign of changing investor mood, Saleh Kamel, a leading Saudi businessmen, addressed an investment forum in Damascus this month.

He said Syria was underperforming compared to Lebanon, its much smaller neighbor, because of what he described as antiquated laws, corruption and a lack of pro-investment culture.

Syria supports the Lebanese opposition led by the armed Shi’ite movement Hezbollah, which is also backed by Iran. Saudi Arabia is the political patron of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri, son of the late Rafik al-Hariri.

Source: Khaleej Times.
Link: http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/March/middleeast_March331.xml§ion=middleeast.

Egypt arrests Israeli journalist along the border

15 March 2010

JERUSALEM — Egyptian security officials arrested an Israeli journalist as he tried to sneak across the porous Israeli-Egyptian border with African migrants, his newspaper reported Monday.

An Egyptian security official said the Israeli had no identification papers or money but told his investigators he was reporting on African migrants sneaking into Israel from Egypt.

The Haaretz newspaper identified the man as one of its reporters, Yotam Feldman. The paper said the reporter had taken a leave of absence to work on a story for an Israeli TV station.

The Israeli military said it was trying to secure the man’s release.

A medical official in the Egyptian city of Rafah said the 30-year-old Israeli hurt his hand on the barbed wire fence as he tried to cross the border.

Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the arrest.

Smugglers help thousands of African migrants to cross into Israel every year from Egypt. Would-be border crossers travel thousands of miles and pay about $400 to Bedouin smugglers to sneak them across the border on foot, according to Israeli groups who try to help the migrants.

The crossings usually happen late at night to avoid detection by Egyptian border guards, who have been criticized by the United Nations and other international agencies for shooting at migrants as they attempt to breach the border into Israel. Around 60 have been shot dead trying to cross, according to the UN.

Over the past few years, the number of illegal migrants attempting to cross into Israel has spiked. Most come from Sudan and the horn of Africa, and many attempt to secure political asylum once they arrive. The number of African asylum-seekers in Israel is around 20,000.

The refugees pose a unique policy problem for the Jewish state, setting off debate over how Israel can fulfill its international obligation to provide sanctuary for refugees without paving the way for further waves of African migrants. Israel’s government has said that most of the migrants are not fleeing war but are rather looking for work.

Israel has taken steps to crack down on illegal entry, announcing a plan to deport all illegal immigrants within the country by 2013. In January, the government also announced plans to build two walls along the border with Egypt, partly to stem the flow of migrants.

Source: Khaleej Times.
Link: http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/March/middleeast_March327.xml&section=middleeast.

Dubai Airport Forefront of UAE's Air Traffic

T. Ramavarman
15 March 2010

ABU DHABI — Dubai International Airport continued to lead the surge in air traffic movements in the UAE in February, according to the latest monthly report released by the General Civil Aviation Authority, or GCAA.

The report said that all the airports in the UAE recorded total air traffic movements of 47,800 last month, registering an increase of almost 12.7 per cent, compared to the 42,400 figure in the same month last year.

Dubai Airport ranked first with 21,847 air traffic movements, representing almost 45.7 per cent of total UAE air traffic movements. Overflights — aircraft passing through the UAE airspace without landing in any of the airports in the country — stood next at 10,263, accounting for 21.5 per cent. Abu Dhabi was third with 7,128 flights, or 15 per cent.

The ranking was unchanged from January data, as Dubai also topped the list in with 24,338 air traffic movements, or almost 47 per cent of the UAE total. Overflights followed with 11,006 movements, and Abu Dhabi with 7,733.

Sharjah International Airport was at number four with 4,955 movements, a fraction down from 5,095 in January.

Fujairah International Airport witnessed 459 flights, an increase of 25 per cent compared to February 2009, while Al Ain Airport and Ras Al Khaimah International Airport had 161 and 86 air traffic movements, respectively. The three airports together represented 1.5 per cent of total UAE air traffic movements in last month.

The GCAA issued 179 new crew licenses, renewed 212, and issued 54 temporary permits in February. The report indicated that the GCAA led the region in the application of air safety standards. It issued and renewed 19 certificates for aircraft maintenance companies, 12 aircraft registration certificates and 34 airworthiness certificates. The GCAA also conducted six inspections and audits at the local and non-local levels.

The number of aircraft maintenance companies in the UAE stood at 179, while 10 new aircrafts were registered and eight aircraft modification transactions were conducted. As such, there were 306 air safety-related activities in February 2010, the report said.

Source: Khaleej Times.
Link: http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?section=business&xfile=data/business/2010/march/business_march344.xml.

Survivors of family killed in Afghanistan raid threaten suicide attacks

Jerome Starkey

March 14, 2010

A family whose members were killed in a botched night raid in eastern Afghanistan have rejected "blood money" from the Government and vowed to carry out suicide attacks unless the perpetrators are brought to justice.

Two pregnant women, a teenage girl, a policeman and his brother were shot dead on February 12 by unidentified gunmen. Eight men were arrested in the raid on the village of Khataba in Paktia province. They have all been released.

No one has claimed responsibility for the killings. A US official in Kabul refused to identify the force involved, citing "utmost national and strategic security interests".

The United Nations has criticized intelligence agencies in Afghanistan in the past for using paramilitary groups to carry out "extrajudicial killings". If the force was controlled by the CIA or Afghanistan’s domestic intelligence service it would be exempt from new NATO guidelines designed to limit night raids, which came into force on January 23.

Local elders delivered $2,000 (£1,300) in compensation for each of the five victims to the head of the family, Haji Sharabuddin, after protests brought Gardez, the capital of Paktia, to a halt. "I don’t want money. I want justice," he said. "All our family, we now don’t care about our lives. We will all do suicide attacks and [the whole province] will support us."

NATO had claimed that the assault force found the women’s bodies "tied up, gagged and killed". In its initial statement it also said: "Several insurgents engaged the joint force in a fire fight and were killed."

An investigation by The Times at and around the scene found both those statements to be untrue. Although the family’s claims that they did not shoot back could not be independently verified, none of the dead was an insurgent. Relatives say that the women were killed during, not before, the raid.

NATO officials continued to brief journalists in Kabul yesterday that the women were victims of an "honor" killing. However, they did not explain why the bodies would have been kept in the house overnight, against Islamic custom, nor why the family had invited 25 guests to celebrate the naming of a newborn child the same evening. NATO denies accusations of a cover-up.

An undated document seen by The Times that was presented by US forces to Commander Dawood, the dead policeman, praised him for his work and "dedication and willingness to serve the people of Afghanistan". It said he would "ensure the stability of your country for many years".

Commander Dawood’s brother, Saranwal Zahir, was a district attorney in Ahmadabad district, also in Paktia. The two married women were four and five months pregnant. The teenage girl, Gulalai, was engaged to be married this summer.

"Before, when I heard reports of raids like this and elders said [foreign troops] only came to colonize Afghanistan, I told them they are here to help us," said Sayed Mohammed Mal, the vice-chancellor of Gardez University, whose son Mansoor was Gulalai’s fiancé. "But when I witnessed this in my family’s home, I realized I was wrong. Now I accept the things those people told me. I hate [foreign forces]. I hate the Government."

Afghan officials insist that the raid was a mistake. None of the people reached by The Times said that the family had links with the Taliban.

"My father was friends with the Americans and they killed him.," said Commander Dawood’s son, Abdul Ghafar, as he held a dog-eared photograph showing the policeman with three US soldiers. One of the Americans had his arm around Mr Dawood. "They killed my father. I want to kill them. I want the killers brought to justice."

The family suspect that a spy may have deliberately misled the assault force and the relatives have appealed to President Karzai to hand him over.

"If the Government don’t give us the spy I will carry a holy Koran to the presidential palace and ask, why don’t you help us? Why do you let the Americans carry out these operations?" Mr Dawood’s mother, Bibi Sabsparie, said. Haji Sharabuddin, her husband, said that he wanted the spy shot, hanged and burnt.

"The foreigners are always talking about human rights. But they don’t care about human rights," said Gulalai’s father, Mohammed Tahir. "They teach us human rights then they kill a load of civilians. They didn’t come here to end terrorism. They are terrorists."

Mohammed Sabir, whose wife, Bibi Shirin, was killed, suggested vengeance: "If the Americans don’t give us the spy, bring us seven Americans and we will kill them."

The family count seven deaths, not five, because the two women were pregnant.

Source: Uruknet.
Link: http://www.uruknet.info/index.php?p=m64177.

Al-Aqsa Mosque still closed to Palestinians

Israel police have maintained restrictions on access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound for the fourth straight day.

Israeli police have been preventing men under 50 from entering the mosque since Friday.

The compound mosque is Islam's third holiest site. This comes as Israel extended a lockdown on the occupied West Bank on Friday.

There have been several clashes between Palestinians and Israeli troops both in Jerusalem al-Quds and the occupied West Bank in recent days.

Tensions have spiraled following Israel's announcement that it plans to construct 1,600 new homes for Jewish settlers in mostly Arab East Jerusalem al-Quds.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem Al-Quds in 1967 and annexed the area in a move not recognized internationally.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=120866&sectionid=351020202.

March 14 proposes Lebanon's defense plan

Lebanon's March 14 alliance has proposed a plan urging Lebanese and other Arab nations to defend the country at a time of regional and international turbulence.

The seven-point plan entitled “The protection of Lebanon is a national, Arab and international responsibility,” was announced by March 14 Secretariat General Coordinator Fares Soueid on Sunday.

Soueid called on the Arab League to assume its responsibilities in defending Lebanon, Lebanon's Daily Star reported.

The plan also urged the international community to defend Lebanon by implementing UN Security Council resolution 1701.

The resolution, which put an end to the 33-day Israeli aggression on Lebanon in 2006, calls for an arms-free region south of the Litani River as well as the spread of Lebanese Army and United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon in the area.

The alliance held its fifth annual meeting in Beirut on Sunday. Its first meeting took place five years ago after the death of the former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Soueid told Press TV correspondent in Beirut that the "full implementation of the UN Resolution 1701 and the Lebanese constitution" were the focal points of the plan.

He also highlighted the need for the Arab world to have the same vision concerning the conflict with Israel.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=120865§ionid=351020203.

Iran warns aggressors of destruction, collapse

Amid threats by Israel and certain powers of a military assault on Iran, a top Iranian commander has warned such countries of "destruction and collapse."

"We warn aggressive countries which have attacked our neighbors that they will face destruction should they make any mistake," Commander of the Iranian Army Major General Ataollah Salehi said on Monday.

"We will not allow aggressive powers to launch any attack on Iran while we know that our neighbors will never assault the Islamic Republic," he added.

The Army commander expressed Iran's readiness to counter aggression "not only to defend our land but to defend the ideals of all Muslims."

Salehi slammed remarks by "inexperienced" officials of Israel and "arrogant powers" against Iran, saying, "Their statements are within the prestige of their countries' diplomacy but have no military aspects at all."

Israel, reported to have the region's sole atomic arsenal, has repeatedly threatened Iran with a military attack, arguing that the country is seeking to develop nuclear weapons.

Plans for a military attack against Iran have gained momentum in Tel Aviv over the past few months.

On November 7, Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon warned Iran that Tel Aviv's persistent threats of military action were not just a bluff.

Iran, a member of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) unlike Israel, views the claims as "unfounded and baseless as the non-diversion of Iranian nuclear materials has been repeatedly verified in unannounced visits by UN inspectors.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=120861§ionid=351020101.

Ahmadinejad opens Iran's 1st 2-level highway

Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has opened the first two-level highway in the country and the Middle East in the central city of Isfahan.

Ahmadinejad opened a two-level highway and a two-level interchange in Isfahan during his visit to the city.

The Imam Khomeini Highway is among the most advanced urban structures and the first two-level highway in the country and the Middle East.

The project, which was begun in November 2008, cost Iran approximately 6 billion dollars. Hard work, round-the-clock, saw the project completed in 28 months. The highway's overpass measures five kilometers in length.

The first light rail transit is to be launched for the urban rail public transportation system of the city.

The worsening traffic situation in Isfahan has drawn the officials to build such advanced structures.

Roads, public transportation and telecommuting are not keeping pace with the increased number of kilometers people are driving, which is causing the congestion.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=120860§ionid=351020101.

Iran names defense management team

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has named the country's team tasked with minimizing the effects of damage on the country should it be attacked by foreign forces.

The occupant of the presidential palace in downtown Tehran on Monday appointed Chief-of-Staff of Iran's Joint Armed Forces Major General Hassan Firouzabadi as the head of the Permanent Passive Defense Committee.

A statement from the President's office also identified Davud Ahmadinejad as the President's special representative and the country's ministers of interior, defense and science as members of the committee.

Iran is under constant threat by the United States and its staunch ally in the region, Israel, which have time and again kept "all options" with regards to Tehran "on the table."

The Sunday Herald on Tuesday reported that the Obama administration has shipped hundreds of “bunker-buster” bombs from California to the British island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean in preparation for "a possible attack on Iran."

The cargo includes 195 smart, guided, Blu-110 bombs and 192 massive 2000lb Blu-117 bombs, the report added.

The Diego Garcia base has been used for strikes against Iraq during the 1991 and 2003 Persian Gulf wars and houses more than 3,200 US personnel.

Washington accuses Iran of developing nuclear weapons and has for years levied sanctions and threats of attack to force the Tehran government into abandoning its nuclear activities.

Iran, which has been under various US sanctions after the Islamic Revolution toppled a US-backed monarch in 1979, rejects the accusations as politically motivated.

Iran's nuclear program was launched in the 1950s with the help of the United States as part of the Atoms for Peace program. After the 1979 Revolution, Western companies working on Iran's program refused to fulfill their obligations even though they had been paid in full.

Iran is a signatory of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and, unlike some of its regional neighbors, has opened its enrichment plants to UN inspection.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=120858§ionid=351020101.

US lobby group warns against row with Israel

A major pro-Israeli lobby group in the United States has warned Washington against chilly remarks on US-Israeli ties, urging immediate action to ease apparent tensions with Tel Aviv.

Remarks by President Barack Obama's administration considering the US relationship with Israel are a matter of serious concern, said the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in a statement issued on Sunday.

The AIPAC statement further called on the administration "to take immediate steps to defuse the tension with what the group referred to as "the Jewish state."

Last week, Tel Aviv announced plans to further expand its illegal West Bank settlements by constructing 1,600 more housing units in disputed East Jerusalem (al-Quds), despite repeated condemnations by the international community.

The announcement came at a time when US Vice President Joe Biden was visiting the region in the hope of boosting indirect peace talks between the Palestinians and Israelis.

Biden, along with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and senior Obama adviser David Axelrod, slammed the new construction and the timing of the announcement as insulting and destructive to peace efforts.

The criticism alarmed AIPAC, which is considered the most influential pro-Israel pressure group in the United States with noticeable links in Congress. Senior US and Israeli political figures regularly attend its annual conference.

In their statement on Sunday, the group warned against "the escalated rhetoric" and urged Obama to instead focus on Iran's nuclear program and normalization of ties between Israel and the Arab world.

"The administration should make a conscious effort to move away from public demands and unilateral deadlines directed at Israel," AIPAC stressed, recalling the "basic, fundamental, and strategic interests" the two share.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=120852§ionid=3510203.

Leader appoints IRGC ground forces commander

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has appointed Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour as the new commander of the ground forces of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).

"Upon the proposal of the IRGC Commander (Mohammad Ali Jafari) and with regards to your track record, I hereby appoint you to the commander of the IRGC ground forces," said Ayatollah Khamenei in his decree to Pakpour on Sunday.

"It is expected that you will maintain the devoted personnel, use innovative methods and modern technology and draw up necessary plans to carry out responsibilities and boost the level of preparedness," the Leader added.

At the end of the decree, Ayatollah Khamenei wished success for all.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=120850§ionid=351020101.

Chavez mocks US 'self-righteous' attitude

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has dismissed a recent US report accusing Caracas of human rights violations and described the allegations as 'cynical.'

Chavez mocked Washington for crediting itself as a role model while it is a country that has launched atomic bombs, killed millions and assassinated presidents.

In its annual report on human rights violations, the US State Department on Thursday accused Venezuela of having increased harassment of the media and opposition.

The Venezuelan government has closed a number of television channels and websites for spreading "unfounded rumors" and "poisoning the minds of the public."

Chavez, who is an outspoken US critic, also accused the West of orchestrating a global campaign against his socialist government and Cuba.

In 2002, the Chavez administration survived a 47-hour military coup. Chavez was illegally detained, the National Assembly and the Supreme Court dissolved, and the country's 1999 Constitution declared void.

The coup, vehemently condemned by Latin American nations and international organizations, was initially recognized by the United States, who ended up condemning the move after it had been defeated.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=120849§ionid=351020704.

'Arab summit must bridge gap between Arabs'

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has expressed hope that the upcoming Arab Summit will produce an outcome that bridges the gap between Arab nations and consolidates solidarity among them.

During a meeting with visiting Libyan Foreign Minister Mousa Kousa in Damascus on Sunday, Assad stated that the next Arab Summit — which is to be held in the Libyan capital Tripoli from March 27 to 28 — must come up with resolutions that serve Arab interests, particularly the Palestinian cause, and an Arab action plan to lift the siege of the Gaza Strip, the SANA news agency reported.

Kousa delivered an invitation to the Syrian president from Libyan Leader Muammar Qadhafi, asking him to attend the summit. The Libyan foreign minister also praised Syria's efforts to make the summit in Libya a great success.

Assad promised to attend the Arab Summit and stressed the importance of preparing well for the topics to be included on the summit's agenda and working hard to implement its resolutions.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=120842§ionid=351020206.

Israeli forces open fire on Palestinian students

Israeli forces open fire on Palestinian students demonstrating near a West Bank checkpoint, injuring seven people on Monday, medics say.

According to a Palestinian security official, three of the seven were wounded by live rounds and the others were hit by rubber bullets, AFP reported.

An official at a nearby hospital confirmed that seven people were wounded, some of them with live rounds, without providing further details.

The security official said the demonstrators, mostly students from nearby Birzeit University, were protesting Israel's settlement works in annexed East Jerusalem (al-Quds).

Israel has deployed its forces in Old City in recent days to avoid the tension it caused after announcing a new plan to build 1,600 new housing units in East Jerusalem (al-Quds).

The regime has imposed a lockdown on the West Bank since Friday, and has closed the holy al-Aqsa mosque compound in Old City.

The regime seized East Jerusalem (al-Quds) along with the West Bank in the Six-Day War of 1967 and later annexed it in defiance of international law.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=120874§ionid=351020202.

Israel 'to continue' Jerusalem settlement work

Amid a rising diplomatic row between the US and Israel over Tel Aviv's announcement of a new settlement plan, the regime declared that new construction work in east Jerusalem (al-Quds) would be continued.

Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu made it clear on Monday that settlement construction on annexed east Jerusalem (al-Quds) would continue, AFP reported.

The remarks came after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reportedly urged Netanyahu in a telephone conversation to reverse the decision.

The Israeli Interior ministry announced the plan to build 1,600 new settler homes in the area last week as the US Vice President Joe Biden was in Israeli to usher indirect peace talks with the Palestinians.

The United States harshly denounced both the plan and its timing as insulting and destructive to peace efforts.

The diplomatic relations between the two sides now have hit worst crisis since 1975, according to Israel's ambassador to Washington Michael Oren.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=120875§ionid=351020202.

No prisoner swap unless demands are met, Hamas says

A leading member of the Hamas Political Bureau, Mahmoud al-Zahar, says that negotiations between the Palestinian resistance movement and Israel over a prisoner swap involving Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit and hundreds of long-serving Palestinian prisoners would be impossible unless the demands of Hamas are met.

"We look forward to seeing our people free and would like to give a chance to the Israeli family to see their loved one. The Israeli side, however, is backtracking on its promise, despite rounds of talks held," al-Zahar said at the Islamic University in Gaza city on Sunday.

Sources involved in talks aimed at securing Gilad Shalit's release say the Palestinian side has called on Tel Aviv and Washington to exclude 'heavyweight' prisoners Marwan Barghouti and Ahmed Sa'adat.

Palestinian officials now hope that Barghouti and Sa'adat, who were originally supposed to be set free in the first release stage, will now be released in the second stage.

The status of Sa'adat and Barghouti is one of the most sensitive issues in the discussions on the Shalit deal. Palestinian Authority officials would not like to see Hamas get credit for the senior prisoners' release.

Israel is likely to release 980 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who was captured by Hamas more than three years ago.

The Israeli government is likely to free the 450 prisoners that Hamas has asked for in exchange for Shalit, as well as an additional 530 prisoners, as a goodwill 'gesture' to the Palestinians.

The decision was made by the Israeli High Court of Justice, responding to a petition filed by the Israeli group Amagor and three bereaved families against the prisoner swap deal.

Gilad Shalit has been in Palestinian captivity since he was captured by Gaza Strip fighters in a cross-border raid on June 25, 2006.

According to the head of the census department at the Palestinian Ministry of Detainees, Abdul-Nasser Farawna, Israel currently holds 7300 Palestinians in its prisons. Among those detained are 33 women, 300 children, 17 legislators, and two former ministers.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=120839§ionid=351020202.

Over 80 students from south take part in Sidon Science Fair

By Mohammed Zaatari
Daily Star staff

SIDON: More than 80 students from 15 schools from south Lebanon exhibited over 30 projects aimed at providing alternative energy sources during the Fourth Lebanese Science Fair held on Saturday in the southern coastal city of Sidon.

The fair was organized by the Hariri Foundation for Sustainable Human Development and the company Intel Corporation and was held at the city’s historic site Khan al-Ifranj.

The students were tasked with finding alternative energy sources and means to use them in protecting the environment. The projects were judged by a panel of 12 Lebanese University professors.

The fair’s three winners will qualify for participation in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair to be held in California on May 9, 2010.

This year’s competition especially gave emphasis to projects and inventions that helped limit pollution, use alternative energy sources and simplify everyday tasks.

The event was also notable for the high number of participants, be it contestants or visitors. Some of the participating schools presented up to 10 projects while about 1,300 students from 30 schools in the south visited the fair.

The event was under the patronage of the head of the Parliamentary Commission for Education and Culture MP Bahia Hariri, who stressed the importance of the fair.

“I admire the enthusiasm of these students and it is obvious that we have succeeded through our program Young Scientists to stir their minds to discover new things,” she said.

However, Hariri voiced regret that the participation of private schools was double that of public schools and said that there was a need to form science clubs and encourage scientific research in the latter.

Project coordinator at Intel Akram Afara also praised the work of the students, saying the projects presented were of good quality.

“The subjects were full of energy and tackled important issues,” he added.

Source: The Daily Star.
Link: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=112740.

Protected deer killed with crossbow in Japan

Tokyo - A deer from Japan's Nara Park died after being shot with a crossbow bolt, news reports said Monday. The sika deer, one of the 1,000 who roam the 500-hectare park in the town of Nara, 300 kilometers west of Tokyo, was found on Saturday with a 52-centimeter steel bolt protruding from its abdomen.

The hind was anesthetized and operated, but succumbed to its injury, news agency Kyodo reported.

Nara's deer, once associated with the earthly visitations of the gods, were officially sacred until 1945, when their status was changed to national treasures.

The local police are treating the crime as an offense against the country's cultural heritage.

In 2003, a Nara deer was hit with an arrow, and another with a harpoon five years later.

During the time they were designated as sacred, a conviction of killing one of the Nara deer carried the death sentence, last enforced in the mid-17th century according to records.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/314090,protected-deer-killed-with-crossbow-in-japan.html.

Indian interceptor missile test fails

New Delhi - A military test of India's interceptor missile drew a blank Monday, after the target missile went off course and failed to trigger the interceptor's radar, defence sources said. "The coordinated exercise between target missile and the interceptor could not take place properly during the planned trial," the sources said.

The indigenously developed Advanced Air Defense (AAD) interceptor missile is part of the multi-layer ballistic missile defence system that India has been developing for over a decade.

The test of the missile, designed to destroy hostile ballistic missiles at low-altitude trajectories, had been postponed from Sunday due to technical problems, the sources said.

At Monday's test, the surface-to-surface ballistic missile Prithvi serving as target veered off course after the first 11 kilometers and failed to trigger the radar of the interceptor, which did not launch, the sources added.

The Prithvi was fired from a test range on the Orissa coast, while the interceptor was to have launched from an island in the Bay of Bengal about 70 kilometers away.

"The ADD missile has undergone three successful tests earlier. These things happen during development," the defence sources said.

The 7-meter interceptor is a single stage, rocket-propelled guided missile. It has a secure data link for interception, independent tracking and homing capabilities and radars, according to PTI news agency.

Nuclear-capable South Asian neighbors India and Pakistan, which have fought three wars, routinely engage in tit-for-tat missile tests. They have an agreement under which prior notice is given to the other about such tests or other defence exercises.

Pakistan test-fired naval missiles and torpedoes in the Arabian Sea on Friday.

The tests came around a month after India fired its nuclear-capable surface-to-surface Agni-III missile.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/314108,indian-interceptor-missile-test-fails.html.

Iran confirms six death sentences passed in December protests

Tehran - Iran confirmed that death sentences have been given to at least six protesters in anti-government demonstrations in December, the Fars news agency reported Monday. Fars quoted Tehran prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi as adding, however, that the six cases were going through the appellate court and the sentences had yet to be finalized.

The number of death penalties handed down to protesters involved in the demonstrations that followed June's presidential election has been unclear. According to local reports, 10 protesters were on death row for taking part in the December unrest or attending other protests last year.

Those on death row have been convicted of plotting against the establishment and committing "moharebeh" - acting against God.

Two members of monarchist groups were hanged in January for conspiring to topple Iran's Islamic establishment.

The 10 people reportedly on death row were arrested during rallies against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, held to protest the results of June's presidential election.

The opposition has held several demonstrations since June, accusing the government of rigging the vote so Ahmadinejad was re-elected.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/314110,iran-confirms-six-death-sentences-passed-in-december-protests.html.

Egypt's wall along Gaza border in 'final stage': report

Cairo (Earth Times) - The reinforced underground steel wall which Egypt is building along its border with Gaza is nearly completed, Egyptian daily al-Shorouq reported Monday. "Work on the main wall is in its fourth and final stage," the paper reported. Once that is complete, cameras and detection devices will be installed.

The process will take "a few weeks," followed by a testing period overseen by Egyptian and international experts.

The observation towers along the border are currently being replaced by new steel towers which employ bullet-proof glass.

General Sameh Seif al-Yazl, head of the Republic's Center for Security and Political Studies, said the towers had not been part of the original security plan.

"The death of soldier Ahmed Shaaban by Palestinian fire while he was in an observation tower led the authorities to look into building protective towers," he said, according to al-Shorouq.

Egypt says it is building the barrier to stop illegal arms smuggling. Smugglers have used cross-border tunnels to bring basic commodities, drugs and weapons into the Gaza Strip since the imposition of Israel's blockade of the territory in 2007, when Hamas took control of Gaza.

Smugglers have dismissed the barrier as ineffective, saying they will simply tunnel deeper, and that many of the tunnels are, in any case, already deeper than the new wall's reported depth of 20 meters.

Iran's leader calls for boycott of fire festival

Teheran - Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, urged Iranians to boycott a Persian fire festival on Tuesday, calling it un-Islamic and harmful, state media reported. Charshanbe Soori, held on the eve of the last Wednesday of the Persian calendar year which ends March 20, is rooted in the Zoroastrian religion, the belief before the Islamization of Iran in the 7th century.

"It has no basis in Islamic religious law and causes harm and corruption, and therefore has to be avoided," Khamenei said on Sunday, adding the festival was "hallowing fire and thus un-Islamic."

Seven people have been killed in the recent says while making firecrackers for the festival, ISNA news agency quoted a police source as saying. Several shops selling fireworks have reportedly been closed.

Iranians usually celebrate the festival by lighting bonfires and leaping over the flames.

Authorities are apparently concerned the opposition might use the festival for a renewed protest against the controversial reelection of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in June 2009.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/314032,irans-leader-calls-for-boycott-of-fire-festival.html.

Arab and European legislators criticize Israeli settlement policy

Amman - European and Arab parliamentarians ended a two-day meeting Sunday by urging Israel to freeze all settlement activity in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, which they said is wrecking trust with the Palestinians and "jeopardizing" a two-state solution. "The continuing expansion of settlements is destroying trust among partners, undermining the authority of the Palestinian negotiators and prejudging the outcome of the final negotiations," said a communique adopted by the sixth plenary session of the Euro-Med Parliamentary Assembly (EMPA).

The meeting was attended by 280 lawmakers, 140 from each side of the Mediterranean.

"Israel should freeze all settlement activities," the statement said. The Israeli team at the gathering, which was involved in wrangling with Arab delegations, publicly expressed reservations on the recommendations over settlement construction in East Jerusalem.

The gathering also urged Israel to undertake trust-building measures by lifting its siege of the Gaza Strip and finding a solution to the issue of "Palestinian prisoners detained outside the constraints of the Geneva Convention."

The Assembly did not reach a consensus on a Tunisian proposal to transform the Facility for Euro-Mediterranean Investment and Partnership (FEMIP) into a Mediterranean branch of the European Investment Bank (EIB).

The speaker of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, Gianfranco Fini, will hold EMPA's rotating presidency until March 2011, succeeding Abdul Hadi Majali, speaker of the outgoing Jordanian lower house of parliament, a statement said.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/314037,arab-and-european-legislators-criticize-israeli-settlement-policy.html.

Egypt cancels opening ceremony for restored Cairo synagogue

(WARNING): Article contains propaganda!

* * * *

Cairo (Earth Times) - Egypt's Ministry of Culture on Sunday canceled an opening ceremony for a restored synagogue in Cairo, citing "provocative" actions by Israelis in the West Bank and Jerusalem. Announcing the decision, Egypt's antiquities chief Zahi Hawass cited "assaults" on "Muslim holy sites" in the West Bank and Jerusalem "by occupation forces and settlers."

Hawass was referring to recent clashes at the Jerusalem compound known to Muslims as the al-Aqsa mosque and to Jews as the Temple Mount, and to Israel's decision to include two West Bank tombs sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims on its list of national-heritage sites.

Hawass also cited press reports that those who attended the temple's private dedication ceremony on March 7 had drunk alcohol and danced at the ceremony.

All these actions had "provoked the feelings of hundreds of millions of Muslims in Egypt and around the world," Hawass said in a statement.

Eleven rabbis from Israel and the United States, as well as Israeli and US diplomats, had attended a private ceremony marking the renovation of the 19th-century synagogue built on the site where 12th-Century Jewish religious and Aristotelian scholar Maimonides is thought to have taught and worked.

That ceremony was closed to the press.

Hawass and Egyptian Culture Minister Faruq Hosny had been scheduled to attend the subsequent formal opening ceremony on Sunday. The restored temple is open to the public.

He said Egyptian work to restore all Muslim, Coptic Christian and Jewish shrines in the country, as "evidence of the atmosphere of religious tolerance in Egypt, at a time when Muslim holy shrines in Jerusalem and Palestinian cities are at risk of destruction and seizure by Israel."

Egypt was once home to a thriving Jewish community, but today only a handful of Egyptian Jews remain, after tens of thousands left the country or converted following hostilities between Egypt and the newly created modern state of Israel in 1948.

Israel approves building of a fence along border with Egypt

Jerusalem (Earth Times) - The Israeli government approved Sunday a plan to build a fence along Israel's southwestern border with Egypt to stop terrorists, illegal infiltration and smuggling. "We need to protect the State of Israel and we cannot allow the current situation to continue," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

The 240-kilometer fence and other security measures included in the plan are expected to cost 1.35 billion shekels (358 million dollars). Financing will be provided by the Defense and Finance ministries.

Israeli police estimate that some 100-200 criminals, refugees and people looking for work cross illegally into Israel from Egypt each week.

The prime minister's office confirmed that the barrier will include both a fence and surveillance equipment such as radar to detect the movement of humans.

Iran ready to help Palestinians

TEHRAN - Iran is ready to help the two main rival Palestinian factions, Fatah and Hamas, to reconcile their differences, the official IRNA news agency reported an official as saying on Sunday.

“The Islamic republic of Iran is ready to help with an agreement between Fatah and Hamas,” the foreign ministry official was quoted as saying.

“The principled position of the Islamic republic is to support the unity of the Palestinian groups,” he added.

On Friday, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas lashed out at Iran, blaming it for the Islamist Hamas’ failure late last year to sign a unity deal despite months of Egyptian mediation.

“Iran doesn’t want Hamas to sign the Cairo reconciliation document,” the Fatah leader said, adding that his aim was to “pull our people out from Iranian tutelage.”

Hamas routed the secular Fatah from the Gaza Strip in 2007 after deadly fighting more than a year after winning Palestinian legislative elections.

Source: Khaleej Times.
Link: http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/March/middleeast_March315.xml§ion=middleeast&col=.

Russia Corruption 'May Force Western Firms to Quit'

Extortion by corrupt officials in Russia has got so bad that some Western multinationals are considering pulling out altogether, the head of a U.S. anti-bribery group said in an interview.

Alexandra Wrage, whose non-profit organization TRACE International advises firms on how to avoid bribery, told Reuters the "rampant endemic" corruption in Russia was much worse than in other big emerging economies.

"My recommendation is: 'Maybe you should reconsider doing business in Russia'," she said. "I am considerably more optimistic about Nigeria than I am about Russia on this issue."

Berlin-based NGO Transparency International rates Russia joint 146th out of 180 nations in its Corruption Perception Index, saying bribe-taking is worth about $300 billion a year.

"A lot of the conversations (with businesses) around Russia are: 'Can we stay there ?'" Wrage said during a visit to Moscow last week to run a workshop for over 100 mainly Western firms.

"Companies are fearful of the U.S. Department of Justice or the UK SFO (Serious Fraud Office) ... they are really scrambling to get it right, and really struggling and, in the case of more than one company, talking about pulling out."

Wrage declined to name firms considering leaving but Swedish furniture retailer IKEA said last year it was halting further expansion in Russia because of "the unpredictable character of administrative procedures in some regions".

Wrage recalled a question at her first workshop in Moscow in 2002 which underlined the unique dangers of Russian corruption:

"Somebody came up to me in the break and said, 'If I don't pay the bribes here, I am really worried that my office will be burned to the ground'".

Her reply? "Well, I have nothing to give you. I don't have any best practice tips to help with that scenario."

Corruption in emerging market economies typically involves payments to secure business but in Russia most bribes go to officials to stop them from abusing their office, Wrage said.

Questions included how to avoid getting your company shut down on a trumped-up charge if you did not pay off an official, through to corporate raiding by Russian competitors with official connivance which could mean losing the whole company.

Businesses were asking: "How do we survive here without paying bribes, because we're not sure it's possible," she added.

Wrage serves on a U.S.-Russia government commission created to strengthen ties by sharing expertise. She was skeptical about Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's repeated pledges to fight corruption, though she acknowledged they had contributed to a bigger public debate on the issue.

"There is a new and exciting anti-corruption initiative here with startling regularity," she said. "We don't need any more initiatives, we need results."

TRACE has studied other leading emerging economies. In China, it describes corruption as an "inverted pyramid", with most bribery at the top while India is the opposite, with corruption rampant at lower levels but tapering off higher up.

"Russia is a solid block. There is bribery at all levels," Wrage said. "There appears to be a sense of near-complete impunity, a sense of entitlement ... there is no sympathetic low level management, no sympathetic mid-level management, or sympathy at the top (for anti-bribery efforts)."

"Each time I leave here, I sit at the airport and send my husband an e-mail saying: 'I think I'm going to wrap up our efforts here, I don't feel like I can advance ... and then I go back and we poll our member companies and they go:

"'Can we do another workshop on Russia because we're really worried about Russia?'"

Source: The Moscow Times.
Link: http://www.themoscowtimes.com/business/article/russia-corruption-may-force-western-firms-to-quit/401672.html.

توتر بالقدس مع افتتاح معبد يهودي

يفتتح اليوم في البلدة القديمة في القدس وسط إجراءات أمنية إسرائيلية مشددة معبد هاحوربا أو ما يعرف بكنيس الخراب وهو الكنيس الذي يعتبر اليهود إعادة بنائه -وفق تصوراتهم- مؤشراً على قرب بناء معبد جبل الهيكل على أنقاض المسجد الأقصى.

وتنطوي عملية إعادة بناء الكنيس على خطورة كبيرة كونها تأتي في سياق استهداف كيان المسجد الأقصى والتهويد المستمر لمدينة القدس.

وبحسب مدير مكتب الجزيرة في رام الله وليد العمري فإن 12 منظمة يهودية مغالية في التطرف تنشط بمجالات متفاوتة بهدف نهائي لديها وهو إقامة الهيكل المزعوم مكان الحرم القدسي الشريف، فيما بدأ عشرات اليهود بالاحتفال الذي يستمر اليوم وغداً.

وبحسب الأساطير والنبوءات اليهودية فإن بناء كنيس الخراب يقربهم مما يسمونه بخلاص اليهود حيث تتحدث الجماعات اليهودية عن "نبوءة" مفادها أن حاخاما إسرائيليا عاش في العام 1750م، كتب يومها متنبئا -كما يزعمون- بأن يوم البدء في بناء الهيكل الثالث المزعوم هو اليوم الذي يلي إعادة افتتاح كنيس الخراب.

وتقول مؤسسة الأقصى للوقف والتراث إن هذا الكنيس يعتبر "أكبر وأعلى كنيس يهودي يبنى بالقرب من المسجد الأقصى، وقد أقيم على حساب المسجد العمري وأرض وقفية إسلامية في حارة الشرف، وهو حي إسلامي احتلته إسرائيل عام 1967"، ويقول اليهود إن الجيش الأردني هدم هذا الكنيس عام 1948 وإنهم قد أعادوا ترميمه.

انتشار كثيف

وتحسباً لاندلاع مواجهات أو مظاهرات كثفت الشرطة الإسرائيلية من إجراءاتها الأمنية بشكل كبير في محيط البلدة القديمة، ومنعت المصلين دون الخمسين من العمر من الوصول إلى منطقة الحرم، وأخرجت منه من كان داخله ممن أعمارهم دون الخمسين.

وقد دعت السلطة الفلسطينية وحركة فتح إلى إضراب مدة ساعتين اليوم وساعتين غداً، فيما دعت الفصائل الفلسطينية الأخرى إلى مظاهرات، كما تعقد الفصائل الفلسطينية في غزة مساء اليوم مؤتمراً وطنياً بهذا الخصوص.

وكانت شخصيات وفصائل إسلامية ووطنية دعت إلى الاعتكاف في المسجد الأقصى والرباط فيه خلال الأيام المقبلة تحسبا لأي اقتحام محتمل لجماعات يهودية لمناسبة افتتاح هذا الكنيس اليوم الاثنين وغدا الثلاثاء.

وفي الإطار ذاته أخرجت الشرطة الإسرائيلية مساء الأحد بالقوة عشرين فلسطينياً كانوا يعتكفون في المسجد الأقصى الذي اقتحمت باحاته من جهة باب المغاربة وحجزت –حسب ما ذكر مصدر فلسطيني لوكالة يونايتد برس إنترناشونال- هوياتهم الشخصية عند خروجهم من المسجد المبارك.

وكانت مؤسسة الأقصى حذرت في بيان الجمعة الماضية من أن الجماعات اليهودية المتطرفة دعت إلى اعتبار الثلاثاء -وهو اليوم الذي يلي افتتاح كنيس الخراب- يوما عالميا من أجل بناء ما يسمى الهيكل الثالث وتتخلله دعوات إلى اقتحام المسجد الأقصى.

Source: Al-Jazeera.
Link: http://www.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/9AF06B0C-9B9F-48E0-9C68-57C8D0954ACD.htm.

اتفاق لتقاسم السلطة في الصومال

توقع الحكومة الصومالية اليوم في العاصمة الإثيوبية أديس أبابا اتفاقا للتعاون وتقاسم السلطة مع حركة أهل السنة والجماعة المسلحة، وهو الاتفاق الذي كان مقررا توقيعه السبت ولكنه أرجئ إلى اليوم.

وينص مشروع الاتفاق الذي يرعاه الاتحاد الأفريقي على تحديد إستراتيجية مشتركة لمواجهة مقاتلي حركة الشباب المجاهدين المناوئة للحكومة، إضافة إلى تشكيل لجنة لعلماء الدين "لتحديد إطار يحمي ويصون العقيدة الإسلامية".

وبحسب مراسل الجزيرة في مقديشو جامع نور ستحصل حركة أهل السنة -وفقا للاتفاق- على خمس حقائب وزارية من بينها وزارة سيادية كالخارجية أو المالية أو الداخلية أو الدفاع، وحصولهم على ثلاثة سفراء وتسع قنصليات إضافة لدمج مقاتليهم ضمن الجيش الصومالي.

وأسست حركة أهل السنة والجماعة الصومالية عام 1991 لحماية التيار الإسلامي الصوفي من تأثير ما تعتبره تناميا مطردا للتيار السلفي في الصومال. لكن الحركة حملت السلاح السنة الماضية بعد أن دمر مقاتلو الشباب عددا من الأضرحة الصوفية الشهيرة.

طاولة الحوار

في هذه الأثناء دعا ساسة ومفكرون إسلاميون -في ختام مؤتمر عقد في دبي- الأطراف المتحاربة في الصومال إلى وقف القتال والمباشرة في الجلوس إلى طاولة الحوار.

ودعت هذه الشخصيات الفصائل الصومالية إلى الانضمام إلى البرلمان والحكومة الانتقاليين، وتحكيم علماء الأمة للتوسط في الأزمة في بلادهم.

ونظم المؤتمر بمبادرة من المركز العالمي للتجديد والترشيد الذي يترأسه العلامة الموريتاني عبد الله بن بيه نائب رئيس الاتحاد العالمي لعلماء المسلمين، وحضره الرئيس الصومالي شريف شيخ أحمد، والمبعوث الأممي إلى الصومال أحمد ولد عبد الله، وعبد الله عالم نائب الأمين العام لمنظمة المؤتمر الإسلامي.

في هذه الأثناء قال تقرير أعدته الأمم المتحدة إن إريتريا استمرت خلال العام 2009 في دعم جماعات مسلحة معارضة للحكومة الصومالية.

وأشار التقرير الذي أعدته لجنة متخصصة بمراقبة الوضع بالصومال إلى أن إريتريا تخالف بذلك الحظر الدولي على الأسلحة، رغم العقوبات الدولية الجديدة التي فرضت عليها.

قوات فاسدة

من جهة أخرى وصف التقرير قوات الحكومة الصومالية بأنها قوات فاسدة وغير منضبطة وغير فعالة، وبأنها عبارة عن مليشيات موالية لمسؤولين حكوميين وعسكريين يفيدون من الحرب، ويقاومون دمجهم تحت قيادة موحدة.

على صعيد آخر نفى الرئيس الصومالي شريف شيخ أحمد وجود تدخل أميركي على الأرض في الصومال. وقال شيخ أحمد في برنامج لقاء خاص الذي تبثه الجزيرة لاحقا إنه لا رغبة لديه في طلب تدخل من ذلك القبيل مستقبلا.

Source: Al-Jazeera.
Link: http://www.aljazeera.net/NR/EXERES/643564FF-475C-45D9-A76B-BC13B94F2A58.htm.

Russia Leads in Paralympic Games

By Helena Zhu
Epoch Times Staff

VANCOUVER, British Columbia—After two days of competition, the Russian Paralympic team has distinguished itself with 10 medals in total at Canada’s first Winter Paralympic Games.

The Vancouver 2010 Paralympics, which had its opening ceremony on Friday night to a sold-out crowd of 60,000 at BC Place, has brought the spirit felt during the Olympics back to the city.

From UBC Thunderbird Arena to the Vancouver Paralympic Center to Whistler, fans showed up in red and white, with Olympic red mittens and Canadian flags.

While the Olympics puts a spotlight on athletes in their teens, 20s, and 30s, the Paralympics is for disabled athletes of all ages. Takashi Hidai, Japanese wheelchair curler, is the oldest among all curlers at 75.

Aside from the age of athletes, the Paralympic events are much more wallet-friendly than the Olympics for sports fans. While some Olympic hockey games could cost you over $10,000, the Paralympic event tickets average $20.

Over the 10-day games, 1,350 athletes and training officials from 44 countries are participating in 64 events in alpine skiing, biathlon, cross-country skiing, wheelchair curling, and ice sledge hockey.

After Russia, Ukraine is in second place so far with six medals, while Austria is in third with three medals.

The host country, Canada, did not medal on Saturday. But on Sunday, Canadian athletes won three silver medals.

Colette Bourgonje was the first Canadian to win a winter Paralympic medal on home soil. The 48-year-old Saskatoon native finished second in women’s 10-km sitting cross-country skiing.

"I felt very strong today, the skis were quick. I am happy and proud to be representing Canada," said Bourgonje, who was badly injured in a 1980 car accident.

The United States now places seventh with one silver in women’s sitting slalom and one bronze medal in men’s sitting biathlon.

Source: The Epoch Times.
Link: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/31366/.

Afghanistan not safe for the Indians

March 13, 2010



Source: YouTube.
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcIoRPz5G1I.

Russia to build up to 16 nuclear reactors in India

GLEB BRYANSKI, REUTERS

Russia will build up to 16 nuclear reactors for power stations in India, Russia's deputy premier said on Friday during a visit to India with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to reaffirm decades-old ties.

Russia is competing with French and American firms for lucrative contracts to build nuclear power plants for energy hungry India because Asia's third-largest economy needs to boost its supply to help sustain rapid economic growth.

"The agreement sees construction of up to sixteen nuclear reactors in three locations," Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov told reporters.

Putin pledged on Friday to boost banking and technology co-operation with India, seeking to bolster ties with a Cold War ally that has been shifting focus towards the United States.

Russia wants to boost trade with India to $20 billion by 2015 from the current $8 billion. Together with China and Brazil, Russia and India make up the so-called BRIC group of major emerging economies, whose global influence is rising.

The two nations also seek a greater role in stabilizing the region because both share security interests emanating from Islamist militant violence and the war in Afghanistan.

"India is our strategic partner ... which is an evidence that our geopolitical interests almost fully coincide," Putin told a conference with businessmen in the Indian capital New Delhi.

Setting the tone for his one-day visit mainly aimed at keeping one of the world's biggest arms importers interested in Russian weapons, Putin offered state financial aid for the Indian telecoms unit of Russian conglomerate Sistema.

Sistema, controlled by billionaire Vladimir Yevtushenkov, is looking to deepen its investment in Sistema Shyam TeleServices, a joint venture with India's Shyam group.

"We are ready to contribute funds for your joint activity," Putin said in response to a question by a Shyam group official.

Yevtushenkov later said the Russian government would become a shareholder in Shyam.

Putin also vowed to remove hurdles in the banking sector that he said were hampering mutual trade, and signaled that the government was ready to encourage joint ventures and acquisitions in the sector.

Source: The Sudbury Star.
Link: http://sudburystar.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2490670

Kandahar operation leaves dozens of coalition and Afghan police dead

KANDAHAR, Mar. 14 - Mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate during a successful operation on Saturday, which was primarily a message to Gen. Stanley McChrystal's warning against their coming operation in Kandahar city, caused the U.S-coalition and Afghan troops deadliest losses.

According to the details, Mujahideen, having penetrated into all security barriers and checks, carried out a series of attacks and bombings on the important points in the heart of heavily secured Kandahar city.

In the first attack, Mujahideen targeted the police headquarter, conducting face-to-face fighting and detonations that inflicted the police force heavy losses of life and material, but it is still unclear how many policemen were killed and injured, followed by attacks on the police checkpoints in Sarbuzi area of Kandahar city.

Meantime, Mujahideen carried out simultaneous attacks and bombings which continued till late night hours of Saturday near governor house, provisional guesthouse and intelligence headquarter.

The last detonation which has been the most fatal and deadliest of all since the operation started on Saturday Mar. 12, targeted the U.S-led coalition patrol which encountered Mujahideen who, while leaving Kandahar city in their vehicle, have been engaged in a fierce gunfight with the coalition patrol.

Mujahideen first opened firing at coalition soldiers from the vehicle, later, as per their tactical plan, Mujahideen left the vehicle which gave the collation and
U.S soldiers a chance to approach the vehicle, at this point the Mujahideen exploded the vehicle using a remote control device that killed and wounded a large number of the U.S and the coalition soldiers but the death and the injury toll enemy troops is not determined yet.

However, the Afghan puppet and NATO officials claimed, as usual, that most of the civilians were victims of Mujahideen attacks and explosions, while some independent media outlets, observers and witnesses say, the fatalities and casualties have only been inflicted on the Afghan police force during the Mujahideen bombings and attacks on the police headquarter and police checkpoints and on the foreign coalitions during the last bomb attack in an area at the furthest point of this city, where curfew had been imposed by the enemy to prevent the civilians from going outside, as the Mujahideen were in the point of leaving Kandahar city.

Qari Yousuf Amadi, the spokesman for al-Emarah website, in telephonic conversation told al-Emarah that the Mujahideen's successful operation in the heart of Kandahar city was a message to Stanley McChrystal and a reaction to the U.S coming operation in Kandahar province which proves that the Mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate are fully prepared and ready to fight the Americans, NATO and their allies, no mater whichever part of Afghanistan they may be.

Source: Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
Link: http://124.217.251.48/~alemarah/english/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1320:kandahar-operation-leaves-dozens-of-coalition-and-afghan-police-dead.

Australia and Canada Take a Rationale Decision after Holland

After the dissolution of Dutch government following its parliament’s hot discussion over the American war in Afghanistan, now Canada and Australia have decided to respect views of their people for unconditional withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.

The Americans have been using various ploys and wiles in the last nine years to achieve their colonialist objectives, trying to show that the war in Afghanistan is the war of the West. Otherwise, they claim, the West would have to face harm as result or reap its benefits. The Americans have been able to keep a number of countries entangled in the Afghan war through play of wiles and display of ambitious goals.

But as the time went by, not only the Afghans realized the true face of America but other members of the Coalition in Afghanistan also came to know the true feature of USA as clearly as they see the broad day light. They know that America does know only its interests; it does not care about others; nor it pays any attention to other countries interests.

Western countries who are part of the Coalition in Afghanistan were thinking that they have vital interests in Afghanistan because Americans had told them so i.e. that Afghanistan was important for them geo-economically and militarily and that it was crucial for their long-term dominance over the whole region. That is why, Western countries divided all provinces and areas of Afghanistan among themselves, referring to them as areas of their influence and promised to carry out reconstruction there. As such, they simultaneously began to have confrontations with the Mujahideen. But during the past nine years, Mujahideen became more stronger with the passage of time; the Afghans sensitiveness against foreign troops growingly compounded; the material and life losses of foreign troops kept spiraling up and the American domineering attitude ominously became evident. These ground realities forced America and its allies face frustrations and convincingly came around that the achievement of their objectives was almost unfeasible and impossible. Links of the chains of their victory started breaking smithereens.

Western analysts believe that Americans are not ready to give any role to the rest of the world to play in Afghanistan nor are they allow them to win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people through positive measures. A French statesman Morg Basin says, there are many examples which indicate America overtly and covertly works against the stance of other countries because of its arrogance. They hurl hurdles in their ways. He further says whenever, French, Canada and German succeed in winning the hearts and minds of Afghans in a given area of Afghanistan through reconstruction work and other humanitarianism activities, the Americans heavily bombard that area; they torture the residents and launch night raids on their houses. Thus they intentionally create resentments and wrath among the people. This contradictory image of America and its other domineering attitudes in addition to the presence of Mujahideen in 80% of Afghanistan have given rise to a rift among the ranks of the American-led Coalition in Afghanistan. The Coalition members want to pull out of the country one after another because they know, the current war in Afghanistan is only aimed at securing interests of Americans and Britons while other countries are being used as fodder of the cannon.

After the dissolution of the Dutch government over the mission in Afghanistan, where the parliament was not ready to extend the military mission in the country, now the Australian and Canadian public have mounted pressure on their rulers to pay respect to the people’s demand for withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and notify America and NATO of their decision.

Observers believe that the Austrian and Canadian decisions to pull out of Afghanistan indicate the beginning of the fall of American empire and mastership. Their sun is about to set. They are facing defeat not only in the military field but their social system is on the verge of disintegration. If they keep traveling the way that leads to the well’s hole, they would certainly end up falling down into the pit if they do not amend their way. Only wiles, stratagems and ploys will not save them.

Source: Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
Link: http://124.217.251.48/~alemarah/english/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1319:australia-and-canada-take-a-rationale-decision-after-holland.