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Saturday, April 10, 2010

Sudan bustling on election eve

Sat Apr 10, 2010

On the eve of presidential, parliamentary and local elections, Sudan is facing criticism that major opposition boycotts undermine the credibility of the process.

Several main opposition parties have walked out of April 11-13 vote — billed as the African country's first multi-party elections in 24 years — after their calls for a delay over rigging concerns were denied.

The Umma Party has completely withdrawn from the race, while the main opposition party of Sudanese People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) has announced that it would only contest in the south.

The row ignited after it was revealed that the National Election Commission has contracted a government-owned company to print ballots instead of a Slovenian firm.

The boycotts leave only minor opposition groups to challenge President Umar Al-Bashir's ruling party in the north.

Al-Bashir, who is widely expected to win reelection, has promised a free and fair vote.

A landmark peace deal in 2005 that ended over two decades of north-south conflict paved the way for the elections.

Some 16 million people are eligible to vote, but due to widespread illiteracy and lack of basic transportation the United Nations has expressed concerns that many Sudanese may not be able to access polling stations.

Preparations reportedly include a security force of over 100,000 police officers over the vote period.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://edition.presstv.ir/detail/122952.html.

Israel 'home' to world's greatest mafia

Israel is a hotbed for the world's greatest mafia due to the massive inflow of criminally-obtained funds, a French actor has claimed.

"Israel has turned into a place for the gangsters and the thieves who rob the world not to mention lawyers," Dieudonné M'bala M'bala, the actor and political activist, told Press TV.

"I think that Israel has brought them together," he said. "The greatest mafia in the history of mankind has been located there."

He also cited the Wall Street investor and multi-billion-dollar Ponzi schemer, Bernard Madof, who, he said, "managed to make a lot of money, a lot of which went to Israel."

Dieudonné, who has unsuccessfully run for parliamentary and European Union elections on many occasions and for two French presidential elections, has been repeatedly convicted by French and Canadian courts for making anti-Semitic statements.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=122949§ionid=351020603.

Iranian actor Malekmotiei dies at 74

Veteran actor of Iranian stage, cinema and television Kiumars Malekmotiei has passed away at the age of 74 in the Iranian capital of Tehran.

Malekmotiei, who was admitted to Tehran's Shariati Hospital for a stomach infection, passed away from cardiac arrest on Saturday afternoon.

He began his stage acting in 1951 and landed his first cinematic role in a film directed by Mohammad Motavasselani in 1971.

Malekmotiei appeared in more than 47 movies as well as countless television series, and was loved for his memorable roles in comedies.

Long Shadow of the Wind (1979), White Death (1983), The Man Who Knew Too Much (1984), Tomorrow is Another Day (1995) and Adam's Son, Eve's Daughter (2008) are among Malekmotiei's films.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=122941§ionid=351020105.

Hamas urges trial of Israeli war criminals

As Palestinians observe the anniversary of the Deir Yassin massacre, Hamas calls on the global community to bring Israeli war criminals to justice.

In a statement, a copy of which was obtained by the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) on Saturday, Hamas has called on international, Arab and Palestinian courts and organizations to arrest and try Israeli war criminals.

According to the statement, the process of the Judaization of al-Quds (Jerusalem) and the expulsion of its Palestinian residents along with the West Bank and Gaza Strip incidents indicate that the Israeli regime is founded on "crime, slaughter and aggression."

"Israel's bloodshed will not break the determination of the Palestinian nation; quite to the contrary, it will make them more resolute in winning back their rights and land," it said.

The statement was issued on the anniversary of the 1948 massacre of Deir Yassin in which more than 250 Palestinians including women and children were killed by Israelis.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=122927§ionid=351020202.

Iran set to downgrade UK ties

In line with a recently-proposed bid by the Iranian Parliament (Majlis), the Tehran government moves to reduce diplomatic relations with London.

Rapporteur of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Kazem Jalali said Saturday that “certain measures are being taken to ensure that the Parliamentary motion will be implemented as soon as possible.”

“The Iranian Foreign Ministry, the Supreme National Security Council and the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission are making necessary preparations to lower the level of relations with the UK,” Jalali noted.

Earlier in February, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that Iran was left with no choice but to limit its relations with Britain over its unwelcome intrusion into events surrounding the June 12 presidential election.

Citing the interference of some British officials in Iran's internal affairs, Ahmadinejad said that Iranians are unwilling and have no incentive to promote ties with the United Kingdom, particularly after what they witnessed from Downing Street officials in recent months.

After the June 12 presidential election, British officials made a series of interfering comments regarding the country's internal affairs that drew sharp criticism from the Tehran government.

This has prompted the Iranian Parliament to introduce a resolution to reconsider ties with Britain. The bill has received widespread support both in the government and across the country.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=122926§ionid=351020101.

Bomb blast wounds 12 in southwest Iran

A bomb explosion targeting a detention facility in the southwestern province of Ilam has wounded at least 12 people but has claimed no lives, Iranian officials report.

“The blast occurred when unknown gunmen fired a rocket-propelled grenade at the prison's wall as they drove by in two cars,” Ilam Governor Nourallah Arjomandi told IRNA on Saturday.

“Two prison guards and 10 civilians received minor injuries while parts of the prison walls were significantly damaged,” he added.

Apartments and private residences in close proximity to the prison were also damaged as the result of the blast.

Arjomandi said the gunmen fled the scene, but police officials are taking necessary measures to discover their identities and track them down.

Security officials later reported that two of the prison inmates, who were serving time for murder, managed to escape in the turmoil.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=122920§ionid=3510212.

Iran conf seeks world without nukes

Tehran's international conference on nuclear disarmament seeks to find ways for the global implementation of disarmament treaties, an Iranian envoy says.

Iran is preparing to hold an international conference on nuclear disarmament on April 17th and 18th.

Apart from officials and representatives from more than 60 countries, representatives and authorities from various international and non-governmental entities have been invited to the two-day conference dubbed "Nuclear energy for all, Nuclear weapons for none."

The conference comes as the international community is deeply disturbed by thousands of nuclear warheads in Western countries including the United States as well as Israel's stockpile of 200 nuclear warheads.

"The Tehran conference seeks to help end discrimination in the implementation of nuclear disarmament treaties and to reach a comprehensive international treaty for real nuclear disarmament in the world," Iranian ambassador to Denmark Morteza Damanpak Jami told reporters on Friday.

One day after Iran announced that it would hold the conference, US State Department spokesman Philip Crowley cast doubt on Iran's interest in global denuclearization.

He said that Iran had better take actions to prove that its nuclear program was peaceful if it was earnest in its call for nuclear disarmament.

In response, the envoy said that Iran, a signatory to Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT), strongly opposes the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

Iran "does not consider legitimate the possession of nuclear weapons and other [forms of] weapons of mass destruction by any country," he said, adding that Tehran believed in a world free of such weapons.

The US, the first country in the world to develop nuclear weapons and the only one to have used them against another nation, accuses Iran of working toward a military nuclear program, an allegation, which Tehran categorically rejects.

The UN nuclear watchdog, the body responsible for verifying countries' nuclear programs, has, to date, found no evidence on diversion of Iran's nuclear work toward any military purposes.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=122916§ionid=351020101.

Jumblatt discusses Damascus visit with Nasrallah

Hezbollah Secretary General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah has met with Lebanon's Druze leader Walid Jumblatt as the country eyes rapprochement with neighboring Syria.

The talks between Nasrallah and Jumblatt focused on the latter's visit to Syria and assessed his March 31 meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus, said a Friday statement by Hezbollah.

The Lebanese lawmaker and the leader of Lebanon's Progressive Socialists Party (PSP) thanked Nasrallah for his mediating role in making the visit possible.

The visit came in the wake of improvements in ties between Syria and Lebanon.

Jumblatt is known as one of Syria's harshest critics, but in March he said he was ready to bury the hatchet.

During the meeting, both leaders reiterated their commitment to resistance against Israeli threats.

"They also agreed on enhancing the coordination efforts between Hezbollah and the PSP, in order to consolidate coexistence and national unity," the statement added.

Jumblatt also called for cooperation between Hezbollah and the Lebanese army.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=122881§ionid=351020203.

US to retain 90 nukes on Iran border

As Washington and Moscow sign a new arms reduction treaty, skepticism arises in Turkey as to whether those cuts will include US atomic warheads stored in the country.

US President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev signed a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) in Prague on Thursday, which requires both sides to reduce their nuclear arsenals to 1,550, or about one-third below current levels.

This is while the Obama administration has revised US policy on atomic weapons, as part of a new Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) that, among other things, is said to be aimed at reducing the US stockpile.

But silence over anticipated US plans to withdraw nuclear bombs deployed in the Incirlik Air Base in southern Anatolia, has left many speculating on whether Washington has any intentions to remove the weapons at all.

When asked about a possible US move to withdraw its nuclear weapons from five European countries, including Turkey, Turkey's Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul said that Ankara had no information about such plans.

“No information has been officially announced,” Gonul told reporters on Wednesday.

The US has positioned a total of 200 B61 thermonuclear gravity bombs in Turkey, Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Germany since the Cold War. Turkey is believed to be hosting 90 bombs at Incirlik Air Base.

On April 2, The Times reported that the United States may remove tactical nuclear weapons deployed in five NATO member European countries, including Turkey.

However, the possibility of the White House seriously considering a decision to withdraw the B61 gravity bombs seems unlikely, as it has not consulted Ankara on the issue so far.

In the latest NPR, while the Obama Administration has reduced the threat of using nuclear weapons against signatories of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), it has excluded NPT signatory Iran from threat reduction.

During the release of the current NPT today, the US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said, "the NPR has a very strong message for both Iran and North Korea, because whether it's in declaratory policy or in other elements of the NPR, we essentially carve out states like Iran and North Korea that are not in compliance with NPT."

"Basically, all options are on the table when it comes to countries in that category," he elaborated.

Washington, which accuses Iran of having the "intention" of developing nuclear weapons, is leading a push for a fourth round of sanctions against Tehran at the United Nations Security Council in a bid to hinder the nation's drive for a nuclear energy program.

Iran, as a signatory of NPT, insists that it neither believes in atomic weapons, nor, as a matter of religious principles, does it intend to acquire nuclear or other weapons of mass-destruction.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=122919§ionid=351020104.

Iran's first bus rally gets under way

Participants in Iran's first city bus rally set off from the Number 2 Sports Complex of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company with dozens of vehicles of various makes.

The rally, with 54 buses of different ages, started Friday in the Iranian capital. Each bus has two drivers — chief and assistant. They are accompanied by their wives, who act as navigators.

The rally is scheduled to take 5 days, with the pack covering some 1,500 km (932 miles) while going through the scenic provinces of Qazvin, Gilan, Ardabil, East Azerbaijan, Zanjan, before heading back through Qazvin and pulling in in Tehran on April 14.

The managing director of the municipality-owned Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company Hussein Bizhani said the event has brought together the drivers with good safety records and aims to nurture traffic safety culture among Iranian motorists. The move is a welcome effort, given the country's catastrophic rate of traffic accidents.

He added that the country's police force, plus medical teams from the Red Crescent Society and officials from the five en route provinces are participating with the organizers of the event.

He noted the bus rally will hopefully make its way into neighboring countries in near future.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=122917§ionid=3510212.

In Somalia, al-Shabab takes BBC, VOA off air

Sat Apr 10, 2010

Somali armed group al-Shabab has banned Somali language transmissions by the BBC and VOA inside the country.

In a Friday press release, al-Shabab leaders ordered the local Mogadishu radio and other news organizations transmitting the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) or the Washington-based Voice of America to immediately terminate their contracts.

The group accused the BBC and VOA of negative propaganda against Muslims while supporting the transitional government, a Press TV correspondent reported from Mogadishu late Friday.

Al-Shabab also said that the BBC had been broadcasting the agenda of crusaders and colonialists against Muslims.

In reaction to the ban, VOA issued a statement Friday afternoon, saying that "VOA regrets this decision. We believe broadcasting news and information on FM stations serves the Somali people."

The BBC, in its defense, said it was strictly impartial and spoke to all sides in the conflict.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://edition.presstv.ir/detail/122900.html.

Iranian film competes in Denmark fest

Denmark's new CPH PIX film festival will showcase an Iranian feature film among 12 other movies, which are present in the festival's main competition program.

The film to represent Iran is the 76-minute A Light in the Fog which stars Parivash Nazariyeh and is directed by Panahbarkhoda Rezaei. The 2008 movie recounts the story of a widow, Rana, who lives in a rustic house with her aging father and repairs items such as lanterns for the locals.

Rana's father suggests she consider marrying their distant neighbor Rahmat, and consider she does, as she goes about her everyday tasks of checking fishing nets, lugging coal and caring for her aging dad in the remote, fog-cloaked mountains.

Denmark's CPH PIX international feature film festival will be screened across Copenhagen's cinemas from April 15. The festival is centered at Dagmar Cinema, which will exclusively show festival films during the event, and which will host a number of exciting director Q&A sessions, parties and more.

CPH PIX will go on until April 25 and screen no less than 185 new, original, thought-provoking, funny and controversial films from all over the world. The winner will walk away with 50,000 euros ($67,500).

According to the festival's official website, the 12 films selected for the competition section are:

- 'The Artist', Mariano Cohn, Gaston Duprat, Argentina (2008)
- 'Gigantic', Matt Aselton, USA (2008)
- 'Crush and Blush', Kyoung-mi Lee, South Korea (2008)
- 'A Light in the Fog', Panahbarkhoda Rezaei, Iran (2008)
- 'Katalin Varga', Peter Strickland, Romania (2009)
- 'Be Good', Juliette Garcias, France (2008)
- 'Helen', Christine Molloy, Joe Lawlor, Ireland (2008)
- 'Moon', Duncan Jones, UK (2009)
- 'Without You I'm Nothing', Florian Eichinger, Germany (2008)
- 'Guidance', Johan Jonason, Sweden (2009)
- 'North', Rune Denstad Langlo, Norway (2009)
- 'The Blessing', Heidi Maria Faisst, Denmark (2009)

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=122915§ionid=351020105.

Ahmadinejad opens Zimbabwe trade fair

Sat Apr 10, 2010

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is reportedly to visit Zimbabwe to open the country's International Trade Fair in Bulawayo on April 23.

"This year President Ahmadinejad will open the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair on April 23," Zimbabwean Government spokesman George Charamba said on Friday.

He made the announcement after Iran's new ambassador to Harare, Mohammad Pournajaf, presented his credentials to President Robert Mugabe.

Addressing a press conference after his meeting with Mugabe, Pournajaf said: "Zimbabwe and Iran enjoy strategic co-operation partnerships — the doors and gates of Iran are always open."

"You do not need a visa to visit Iran, so we invite Zimbabweans to come to Iran," AllAfrica news website quoted him as saying.

In March, Ahmadinejad told Zimbabwean Minister of State for Presidential Affairs Didymus Mutasa in Tehran that Iran was ready to help Zimbabwe as much as possible, in view of the sanctions imposed on Harare by the West.

The Islamic Republic will stand by Zimbabwe against "illegal pressure," he added.

Ahmadinejad also called for the implementation of all agreements signed by the two states.

Iran and Zimbabwe have signed several joint cooperation treaties, especially in agriculture, irrigation development, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://edition.presstv.ir/detail/122913.html.

Polish president dies in air crash

A passenger plane carrying Polish President Lech Kaczynski has crashed on approach to Smolensk Airport in southwest Russia, killing all onboard.

Russian news agencies reported 87 people had died in the crash on Saturday, citing the Russia's Emergencies Ministry.

"The plane scraped the tree tops, crashed and caught fire," Polish Foreign Ministry spokesman Piotr Pszkowski told TVN24 channel.

"On board were the president, accompanied by his wife, the army chief of staff and Deputy Foreign Minister Andrzej Kremer," he added.

There were no survivors in the crash, the governor of the Smolensk region Sergei Antufiev said.

Kaczynski was on his way to Katyn where, together with representatives of the Katyn families, MPs and clergy he was to pay tribute to the Poles murdered by the Soviet Stalinist regime. It is estimated that some 22,000 Polish people were massacred by the Soviet People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (NKVD) in March 1940.

The agencies also said the plane was a Tupolev Tu-154 and had a capacity of up to 90 people.

The crash occurred about 1.5 km (0.9 miles) from Smolensk Airport in foggy conditions.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=122912§ionid=351020606.

Iranian firm introduces new cellphones

An Iranian company plans to introduce three new low-price mobile phones to Iran's market in the near future.

Hamid Saeedi, the managing director of Hamrah Gooya Arvand Communication Company, says the new mobile phones will be sold under the brand name GLX.

He told Mehr Mews Agency that three models — Elegance, X5 and 2680C — priced at around $50 will hit the market by May 21.

The GLX cellphones feature dual SIM cards, memory card, Bluetooth and boast a built-in VGA camera and music player.

Saeedi expects that the features and value of the range will make for a good market reception for them.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=122911§ionid=351020102.

US suspends Kyrgyzstan troop flights at Manas

The US has stopped all troop flights to Afghanistan from its controversial air base in Kyrgyzstan, a day after the country's new leadership said it would close the key military base in the country.

No reason was given for the decision taken by the US commanders at the Transit Center at Manas (formerly Manas Air Base), a crucial hub for the US-led operations in Afghanistan.

The US military in Kyrgyzstan decided late Friday "to temporarily divert military passenger transport flights," Major John Redfield, a spokesman for US Central Command said.

Decisions on continuing other military flights "will be made on a case-by-case basis," he said.

Rickardo Bodden, another spokesman for the US military base, told Reuters that "while normal flight operations at Manas had resumed on Friday, a decision was taken Friday evening to temporarily divert military passenger transport flights."

Pentagon officials say Manas is central to the war in Afghanistan as about 50,000 US-led troops passed through the base last month alone.

The developments come amid political upheaval in the strategic Central Asian state. The opposition, led by ex-foreign minister Roza Otunbayeva, has taken power and dissolved the parliament. Otunbayeva has promised a new constitution and a presidential election at some point in the next six months. She says a care-taker government will serve as both presidency and parliament for now.

On Saturday, members of Kyrgyzstan's self-proclaimed new leadership have announced their plans to shorten the Pentagon's lease on the base at Manas International Airport near the capital Bishkek.

This comes as mourners in Bishkek are to say their last farewells to some 75 people killed in the uprising in recent days.

The unrest has also left more than 1,500 wounded.

Source: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=122909§ionid=351020406.

Kyrgyzstan uprising victims mourned

Thousands of mourners have turned out in Kyrgyzstan's capital to honor the more than 70 people killed in Wednesday's violent uprising that forced the country's president flee.

The country's new self-proclaimed interim government organized funeral and memorial services on the outskirts of Bishkek, the capital, on Saturday, during a second day of mourning.

The services came as the interim government offered Kurmanbek Bakiyev, the ousted Kyrgyz president, safe passage out of the country if he agrees to officially resign his post.

Roza Otunbayeva, the leader of the interim administration, told Al Jazeera that her government had started criminal proceedings against the ousted president's allies.

She said that the interim government was "pretty much in control of the whole country", but warned that there could be more violence if Bakiyev tried to stay in office.

Kyrgyz 'heroes'

Anger bubbled over on Wednesday at Bakiyev's administration for rampant corruption and hikes in utility rates, sparking violent protests that forced him to flee the capital for the south of the country, where he retains support.

Source: Al-Jazeera.
Link: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2010/04/201041053411388376.html.

India to open 100 Kashmir peaks to foreign climbers

SRINAGAR, India (April 9, 2010): Mountaineers, rejoice: India will, for the first time, allow foreign climbers to scale more than 100 high-altitude peaks this summer in the Himalayan state of Kashmir.

Officials said the move was an effort to boost the scenic region's ailing tourism industry, hit by two decades of separatist rebellion. Officials say 60% of Kashmiris are dependent on tourism.

Kashmir was once dubbed the Switzerland of the east. It was once a mecca for climbers, skiers, honeymooners and film-makers drawn to the state's soaring peaks, fruit orchards and timber houseboats bobbing on Dal Lake in Srinagar, the summer capital.

But the number of visitors began falling after a revolt broke out in 1989 that has killed more than 47,000 people so far.

Pakistan and India have fought two wars over Muslim majority Kashmir, which is divided between the South Asian neighbors who both claim it in full. India accuses Pakistan of backing separatist militants fighting its forces. Pakistan says it only offers them political backing.

The peaks to be opened for trekking and mountaineering are situated at an altitude ranging from 3,000 meters (9,842 feet) to 7,800 meters (25,590 feet), mostly in the Eastern Karakoram mountain range of Ladakh.

"This summer 104 peaks in Ladakh region will open for trekking and expeditions which would pave the way for adventure tourism and attract foreign tourists in a big way," Nawang Rigzin Jora, Kashmir's tourism minister, told Reuters.

"The defense ministry, which had earlier expressed reservation on throwing open the peaks, has given its nod."

The mountainous Ladakh region along India's border with Pakistan and China, which has been largely free of rebel violence, is a heavily militarized zone.

"The situation is fast improving in the state and tourism is picking up, we hope a very good (tourist) season ahead," Jora added.

Officials say violence involving Indian troops and separatist militants has declined since a peace process began in 2004 between India and Pakistan.

But people are still killed in daily shootouts and occasional bomb attacks.

Many foreign governments still advise against travel to Kashmir, where six Western tourists were infamously abducted while trekking in 1995. Of the six, a Norwegian was beheaded, an American escaped and the rest are presumed dead.

Tourism operators say opening new peaks will help Kashmir tourism but they remain skeptical about a lasting peace in the region.

"Climbers will definitely find plenty to love in this remote and stunningly beautiful region, and this will help our business in a big way," Umar Tibatbakal, a tour operator said. "But Kashmir is unpredictable, violence can break out any time." -- Reuters

Source: Sun2Surf.
Link: http://www.sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=45361.

Kashmiri historian knows where 2,000-year-old Buddhist relic is

More than 2,000-year-old copper plates containing records of a major Buddhist conference held in Kashmir at the time are lying buried somewhere in the state, and renowned Kashmiri scholar and historian Mohammed Yousuf Taing claims he knows the exact spot but will reveal the site only on one condition.

Taing wants an assurance from the Indian president that the copper plates, dating back to the reign of Kushan king Kanishka (75 AD-150 AD), are not shifted out of the state.

Taing, who made a public statement earlier this week of his personal knowledge about the copper plates, told IANS: 'The 4th Buddhist conference was held in Kashmir during the reign of Kanishka.

'Buddhist scholars from all over the world including Nagarjuna, the internationally acclaimed Buddhist scholar, attended the 4th Buddhist conference which lasted for six months.

'The conference was presided over by Ashu Ghosh, a Bengali Buddhist scholar. The two sects of Buddhists came into being after this conference. In the 14th century, a Tibetan Buddhist scholar, Taranath revealed that the conference was held at a place known as Kundalwan in Kashmir,' Taing said.

'There is no such place known as Kundalwan here at present, but my 30 years of research made it possible for me to locate the exact spot where the copper plates with the deliberations of the conference were buried.

'I think I know the exact spot where the copper plates were buried so as to preserve them for posterity and also save them from possible desecration,' Taing said.

The scholar said his health was failing and he wanted to ensure that this historical and cultural treasure was discovered and preserved as part of the wonderful eclectic history of Kashmir.

'The sacred book inscribed on tamrapatras (copper plates) was buried at the end of the 4th Buddhist conference and these are not only the most sacred Buddhist scriptures but also an invaluable historical and cultural treasure of Kashmir,' he said.

Asked why he wanted an assurance from the president of the country before he revealed his secret, Taing said, 'We have had some bitter experiences in the past.'

He mentioned the Gilgit manuscripts, ancient Buddhist scriptures that were taken out of Kashmir.

'Ramchand Kak, the prime minister of Kashmir during the last Dogra Maharaja's reign, who was primarily an archaeologist, had brought the Gilgit manuscripts here. During 1947, the then prime minister of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, told Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah that the manuscripts needed to be shifted out of Kashmir for fear of the tribal invasion and that the possibility of air strikes against the invaders could result in destruction these manuscripts.

'Pandit Nehru had assured that the Gilgit scriptures would be returned after things settled down here,' Taing claimed.

'When Sheikh Sahib came to power in 1975, I brought up the subject and he told me to draft a letter seeking the return of the Gilgit manuscripts.

'The letter was sent to Madam Indira Gandhi, but nothing happened after that,' Taing said.

He said the Gilgit manuscripts are in the National Archives of India in New Delhi now and he has seen them there personally.

'Those manuscripts were taken to Delhi from the S.P. Museum in Srinagar in 1947,' he revealed.

Recounting another example, he said an invaluable archaeological treasure in the shape of a human skeleton belonging to the Neolithic period was discovered at the Burzahama excavation site in Kashmir, but that too was taken out of Kashmir and is now kept at the National Museum in Kolkata.

'There is an international archaeological convention that findings of such rare historical importance should be placed in their natural habitat,' he maintained.

Taing has authored the biography of the late Sheikh 'Aatish-e-Chinar' (Flames of the Chinar) based on the Sheikh's narrative to Taing during his lifetime.

Source: Calcutta News.
Link: http://www.calcuttanews.net/story/622020.

EGYPT: Looking Away From the Disabled

By Cam McGrath

CAIRO, Apr 7, 2010 (IPS) - Egyptians find it hard to see past Mahrousa Salem's wheelchair, so they look away.

The veiled Egyptian woman is one of more than a million Egyptians with physical or mental disabilities living in the shadows of society. They are excluded from the education system, overlooked by employers, and invisible to city planners.

"We're not beggars and we don't want people's pity," says Salem. "We just want the basic rights for which we are entitled."

A 2006 census found that nearly a million Egyptians have some form of disability, though some experts estimate that the number is closer to eight million, or 10 percent of the population. Of these, nearly half have conditions that require some sort of intervention.

One reason that accurate figures are hard to come by is that families are reluctant to disclose information about disabled members of their household.

"Many Egyptian families hide their disabled children so that even their neighbors are not aware of them," says Hanaa Helmy, regional coordinator of MOVE Middle East, a NGO that works to improve the mobility of children with severe disabilities.

Parents often worry about the impact their child's disabilities will have on the other siblings, Helmy explains. "They think, for example, that their daughter is 14 and after a few years a man will come to propose. But she might never get married if the groom's family finds out that her brother has a mental or physical disability."

There is also a prevalent belief among Egyptians that disabilities such as blindness, cerebral palsy and Down syndrome are a form of divine punishment. Folk tradition holds that malevolent jinn (spirits) inflict these maladies on sinners.

"People believe that jinn touch people to give them physical or mental disabilities, or touch pregnant women so that their children will be born with them," says Helmy.

These widespread social attitudes marginalize people who are physically or mentally different from the majority. The stigma leads to stereotypes and discrimination that prevent disabled Egyptians from participating in their community.

"When we try to integrate people with disabilities into society we find that all the doors are closed," Helmy told IPS.

The problems start early, she says. Public and private schools set admission conditions designed to exclude children with mental or physical impairments.

"Even what are essentially normal children with minor disabilities don't pass the interview or entry exam and are rejected," says Helmy. "Parents try, but eventually give up because it is too exhaustive and costly to get their child enrolled."

For disabled children fortunate enough to get in, the additional expenses for transport, tutorial and teaching aids can quickly bankrupt a family. Even state schools for special needs children may require that the parents hire a shadow teacher - a cost few families can afford.

Career pathways are further obstructed by the reluctance of employers to hire people with disabilities, as Marzouk Abdel Rady can attest. The 36-year-old academic has a degree in education and teaching certificates from several accredited institutions, yet has been unable to land a teaching position. He says the tone of a job interview changes abruptly once a potential employer sees that he walks with a leg brace and cane.

"The schools refuse to hire me even if I'm better qualified than the other candidates," he says. "They don't say it's because of my legs, but I can see it in their eyes."

The Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons Act stipulates that government institutions and public and private sector organizations with 50 or more employees must ensure that individuals with disabilities comprise at least five percent of their workforce. Weak enforcement and negligible fines - just 20 dollars per employee below quota - have resulted in low compliance.

Firms that hire disabled workers often to do so to qualify for a tax break. The companies pay the lowest possible salary, around 35 dollars a month, and order the handicapped employee to stay at home.

The practice is being fought by Wayana International Foundation for Integration and Awareness, a local NGO working to secure equitable employment for disabled men and women.

"We don't want just any job for them," says Abeer Eslam, a spokesman for the organization. "We want people with disabilities to work and feel they are participating productively in society."

Wayana's staff, mostly comprised of parents of children with disabilities, approach senior executives of private corporations to persuade them to provide suitable jobs and accessible facilities for the disabled.

"A number of companies have been willing to accept this, but it doesn't compare to the number of firms that would rather just pay the small fine for failing to make the five percent quota," Eslam says.

The social barriers that society erects are accompanied by physical obstacles to mobility. Roads, buildings and transport systems are constructed without any thought given to disabled access.

"It's difficult for normal people to use the sidewalks or public transport in Egypt, so imagine what it is like for those with physical disabilities," says Eslam.

Source: Inter-Press Service (IPS).
Link: http://www.ipsnews.net/2010/04/egypt-looking-away-from-the-disabled/.

Moroccan farmers, families to receive flood compensation

2010-04-09

Morocco will spend 167b dirhams on flood recovery, Prime Minister Abbas El Fassi announced on Thursday (April 8th). The funds will assist farmers who lost livestock and crops from the catastrophic flooding in the Gharb and Souss regions, repair flood-ravaged roads and bridges and provide financial assistance to affected households. The government also plans to build nearly two dozen dams to protect areas threatened by future flooding, Secretary of State for Water and Environment Abdelkébir Zahoud said Thursday. More than 150,000 hectares of farmland were flooded, some 2,650 homes were destroyed and at least eleven people were killed as a result of the record-setting rainfall this year.

Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2010/04/09/newsbrief-01.

Algeria's thermal spas welcome new kind of clientele

Once known as a place for old, ill or health-conscious Algerians to receive cures, spa resorts have seen a surge in family vacation traffic.

Text and photos by Nazim Fethi for Magharebia in Algiers – 09/04/10

Algeria's hot spring spas have long been popular among older citizens seeking calm, restorative cures, but word has now spread to Algerian families, changing what was once a "niche" vacation destination.

During this year's spring school break, which ended on Monday (April 6th), hordes of holiday-makers laid siege to hot spring sites and their associated resorts in the north-eastern part of the country.

Salah, a bank clerk, and his pharmacist wife Rabia have taken sick leave to take their children to the wilaya of Guelma, some 550 kilometers east of Algiers.

"We work all year round, except for one month in the summer. The children are on holiday; we can’t leave them alone in the house for the whole of the holidays, so we have to make a sacrifice," Rabia tells us.

The road between Algiers and Guelma is normally quiet on a week-end day. But on March 19th, at the start of the spring vacation, the road out of Constantine is filled with a constant stream of Guelma-bound coaches marked "excursion".

First stop of the hot spring circuit: Hammam El Maskhoutine, the oldest and best-known thermal spa in the whole region. The complex’s car park evokes that of sports stadium, with vehicles and pedestrians queued up outside the gate.

"We've received 30,000 visitors, 3,000 cars and 250 buses this Friday," says Amar Taoutaou, technical director of the complex.

At the hotel reception desk, it is pandemonium; everyone wants a room or a chalet, whilst the receptionists shout at the tops of their voices that the hotel is completely full.

Frequent visitor Bachir, a man well into his sixties, has just arrived from Constantine: "I took the first share taxi I could find to Guelma and from there I caught the bus to the Hammam," he tells Magharebia. "Now they're telling me it's full. I'll wait until midday to see if a room becomes available."

Bachir complains about the high cost of lodging. "In spring, the prices soar. But that’s the best time of the season to take a cure for my rheumatism," he says.

"I've gone round all the hammams in the area, but this one’s still the best. My pain goes when I come and bathe here," Bachir tells us as he heads off to await an available room.

Hammam El Maskhoutine offers both leisure options to tourists and families and thermal cures for the infirm and the elderly. In addition to the 44-hectare public complex, there are a number of traditional baths, some of them dating from the Roman era. But it is the green spaces and relaxation areas that most appeal to young families and children.

For the many old-timers, however, the young holiday-makers change the spa atmosphere.

Spa guest El Hadja Saliha, a 72-year-old Algiers resident who has seen many traditional hammams and resorts, is unimpressed by Hammam El Maskhoutine. "The health insurance company arranged for me to have a 21-day cure here, but if I had the money, I’d be going somewhere else," she tells Magharebia.

"And I'd have avoided the school holidays," she adds.

Fifteen kilometers away is the brand-new Ouled Ali thermal spa, which boasts two private complexes and a government-owned hammam. The car parks are full of people, the hotels and chalets are fully booked and treatment room queues begin building at 7 o’clock in the morning.

In the El Baraka facility's lobby, an elderly patient is complaining to a receptionist about noisy children playing in the hotel corridors. The receptionist points out that families are visiting for the holidays.

"But what are you doing for the patients who have come here for a cure?" the man demands. The receptionist admits there is nothing she can do.

"Look at those children dancing and singing outside reception," she tells the frustrated patron. "They've come here on a school trip. Must we ban them from coming?"

Hot spring spas have long been frequented by patients to whom health insurers recommend a thermal cure. But over the past three years, so many families have begun to flood these resorts during school holidays that the facilities have been forced to expand their premises.

It is the same everywhere: at Hammam El Maskhoutine, where a new hammam, new reception facilities and a new clinic have opened and where a new five-star hotel and play areas are under construction, or at El Baraka, where new chalets are being built, or at the superb Bouchahrine complex, where an ultramodern treatment center is nearing completion.

Along with the surge in new construction to accommodate the ever-growing demand, the rush on spa resorts has also led to a surge in rates.

Salim, in his forties, has found a solution. The Annaba accountant gets together with his neighbors and hires minibuses every day to travel the hundred kilometers to the hot springs in Guelma.

"We bring our food with us. The only thing we pay for is the entry to the hammam, which costs a hundred dinars. The hotels and bungalows? They’re for the people who have been sent by their health insurers, or rich people," he says.

Opinions differ as to what prompted the thermal spa craze. Said, a teacher from Laghouat in the Sahara, has a very simple explanation: "We have nowhere to go."

"These complexes are a combination of theme parks, children’s play areas and a way for adults to recharge their batteries, so it’s a way to bring practicality and pleasure together," he tells Magharebia.

Young people in the area around Guelma, meanwhile, see the boost in local tourism as manna from heaven.

In Ouled Ali, a village tucked away in the green mountain scenery, local resident Rabah explains that before the vacationers' recent frenzy over the hot springs, "there was nothing except agriculture and livestock-rearing".

"No-one had ever heard of us, but with the two resorts and people coming for cures, everyone's getting something out of it," he adds. "We work in the complexes, selling things that the patients want," the young local tells Magharebia.

"We're starting to feel like we actually exist."

Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/reportage/2010/04/09/reportage-01.

US regrets, but understands, Netanyahu's absence at summit

(WARNING): Article contains propaganda!

* * * * *

Washington - US President Barack Obama regrets that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu won't attend a major nuclear security summit next week but understands his reason for not participating, a senior US official said Friday.

"The Israelis did not want to be a catalyst for changing the theme of the summit," James Jones, Obama's national security adviser, told reporters during a flight back to Washington from Prague.

Obama is hosting the two-day summit that begins Monday and will include the leaders of more than 40 countries. The summit is focused on shoring up security to ensure that nuclear-related material does not end up in the hands of terrorists.

An Israeli official earlier said Netanyahu will not attend out of concern other countries in the Middle East will use the forum to divert attention away from the main issue in order to politically attack Israel.

Israel is believe to posses about 200 nuclear bombs but does not publicly acknowledge having atomic weapons and is not a member of the 1970 nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

"We have information that a number of countries intend to seize that opportunity in order to divert the attention of the summit and engage in an anti-Israel campaign during and around the discussion," an Israeli official told the German Press Agency.

Jones said Obama was happy with Israel's decision to send Deputy Prime Minister Dan Meridor in Netanyahu's place and that the Israeli delegation will still be "robust."

"We'll be sorry that the prime minister can't be there, but we're delighted that we'll have a very, very good Israeli delegation," Jones said.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/317901,us-regrets-but-understands-netanyahus-absence-at-summit.html.

South Korea urges North Korea to reverse tourism move

Seoul- South Korea urged North Korea on Friday to drop plans to suspend South Korean tourism operations and freeze some of the south's assets at a scenic mountain site in the north.

A defense ministry spokesman expressed regret at the north's decision, announced late Thursday, following a survey of South Korean business operators at Mount Kumgang.

"We see no way of salvaging the troubled tourism business at Mount Kumgang, forcing us to take other actions," a North Korean tourism spokesman was quoted as saying by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency.

The South Korean government in 2008 halted the Mount Kumgang tour program run by South Korea's Hyundai Asan, after a South Korean tourist was shot dead by a North Korean soldier.

"Since our contract with South Korean Hyundai Asan cannot be put into practice because of Seoul's government, we will resume the tourism business at Mount Kumgang with a new business partner," the North Korean spokesman said.

South Koreans had been allowed to visit Mount Kumgang since November 1998. Just under 2 million South Koreans had visited the scenic site before Seoul suspended the program in 2008.

YTN TV reported that South Korean companies own about 359-billion- won (319 million US dollars) worth of property in North Korea.

The South Korean government had spent about 60 billion won on building a family reunion house, where relatives who were divided when the border between the two countries was sealed after the 1950- 53 Korean War were able to meet again.

The suspended tourism program had "inflicted huge economic loss upon us," the North Korean spokesman said.

"If South Korean conservative leaders continue to insult our faithful efforts and take a path of confronting our spirit of Korean unity, it could lead us to reconsider (the operation of) the joint industrial park in our border city of Kaesung," the spokesman added.

South Korean companies operate clothing, textile, component and kitchenware factories in Kaesung with North Korean workers.

The South has repeatedly pushed for the North to guarantee South Korea the right to access its assets in North Korea.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/317900,south-korea-urges-north-korea-to-reverse-tourism-move.html.

Germany and S. Africa aim for permanent seat on UN council - Summary

Pretoria (Earth Times) - Germany and South Africa would support each other in their bid for permanent seats on the UN security council, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle and his counterpart Maite Nkoana- Mashbane said on Friday.

Westerwelle, who is on a tour of Africa, held talks with Nkoana- Mashbane in Pretoria. Earlier in the day he co-chaired a session of the South Africa-Germany Binational Commission with South African Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe.

Support from South Africa for Germany was an important signal in light of planned UN reforms, Westerwelle said.

Further yearly government consultations between the two countries were planned.

Against expectations, an agreement outlining cooperation in the fields of environment, research, defence and economic affairs, was not signed during the visit.

German sources said the South African side had requested further clarification on aspects of the memorandum.

German Development Aid Minister Dirk Niebel, who is accompanying Westerwelle, said German aid to South Africa would increase to 112 million euros (148 million dollars) over the next three years.

The bulk of the funds would go towards renewable energy and energy efficiency projects as well as efforts to combat AIDS.

In an address at the Chamber of Commerce in Johannesburg, Westerwelle said this summer's World Cup in South Africa would be a shot in the arm for the whole African continent.

Africa was already becoming more attractive for international investors, he said.

Around 600 German firms are active in South Africa, employing a workforce of 90,000.

Westerwelle kicked off his tour in Tanzania. From South Africa he travels to Djibouti.

Astronauts complete first spacewalk of mission - Summary

Washington - Two Discovery shuttle astronauts undertook the first spacewalk of the current mission at the International Space early Friday, checking off a list of outside chores aboard the orbiting laboratory.

The duo Clay Anderson and Rick Mastracchio began work to change out an ammonia tank that is part of the ISS' cooling system and replaced a malfunctioning gyroscope, which helps keep the station level as it orbits Earth.

The walk lasted six hours and 27 minutes, ending at 7:58 am (1158 GMT). Two more spacewalks are planned on Sunday and Tuesday before Discovery's scheduled undocking on April 16 to begin its homeward journey.

On Thursday, crew members of Discovery began unloading the Italian-built Leonardo container, which was packed full of 8 tons of cargo, including experiments, a small fitness studio for the station crew, an observation module with cameras and sensors and a ream of scientific instruments.

Discovery took off Monday from Cape Canaveral, Florida, into a stunning sunrise, providing a picturesque launch watched by many on the beach.

The planned 13-day mission is to be followed by only three more shuttle missions before the aging fleet of spacecraft is retired for good by year's end or early next year. That will leave only the Russia Soyuz craft for human transport into space.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/317913,astronauts-complete-first-spacewalk-of-mission--summary.html.

Congressman critical to US health care vote will retire

Washington - A Democratic congressman whose outspoken opposition to abortion had threatened to derail health care reform announced Friday that he will retire when his current term ends later this year.

Bart Stupak, a Michigan representative who has served 18 years in Congress, became the public voice of pro-life Democrats in the House of Representatives whose concern that government funds could be used to perform abortions became a key sticking point in passing health care legislation.

At a press conference Friday in his district, Stupak, 58, said he would not seek re-election. He stressed that health care reform had been a key part of his agenda since he first ran for Congress and he felt with its passage he could finally step aside.

"Last month, we finally accomplished what I set out to do 18 years ago," he said. "I am proud to have helped bring it across the finish line."

Stupak and other Democrats who were leery about the health care reform legislation because of abortion reached a last minute deal with the White House that ensured the bill's passage last month. Under the deal, President Barack Obama agreed to sign an executive order affirming no tax dollars would be used for abortions.

His 11th-hour decision to back the health care reform has drawn harsh criticism from the political right.

Stupak's district in northern Michigan will likely be a key target for Republicans looking to tap into populist anger over the health care reforms and other administration policies.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/317923,congressman-critical-to-us-health-care-vote-will-retire.html.

UN chief to attend Washington's nuclear summit

New York - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will attend the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington next week, which will allow him the opportunity to present his own concerns over non-proliferation issues, a spokesman said Friday.

The nuclear summit called by US President Barack Obama will be attended by 38 government leaders and officials from another nine countries.

The two-day meeting beginning on Monday follows recent developments in the field of nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, including the signing on Thursday of a new strategic nuclear reduction treaty by Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in Prague.

UN spokesman Farhan Haq said in New York that Ban is hoping that the nuclear summit will help keep momentum for the success of the UN conference to review the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in May at UN headquarters.

"When he attends next week's summit in Washington, the Secretary General will highlight the importance of coordination of global efforts at the national, regional and international level to address these challenges, including strengthening international conventions and institutions," Haq said.

"He will also discuss his initiatives, including the Action Plan on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation," he said.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/317924,un-chief-to-attend-washingtons-nuclear-summit.html.