Iran: Nukes greatest threat to world

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says nuclear weapons have posed "the single greatest threat" to the world for more than sixty years.

Before embarking on his trip to New York early on Sunday, Ahmadinejad told reporters that the possession of an atomic bomb has become "an instrument to serve the hegemonic and expansionist interests of a select few."

"Under the pretext of nuclear non-proliferation, certain countries exert political pressure on those merely seeking to pursue peaceful enrichment activities," said the Iranian president.

Ahmadinejad added that Iran has some practical proposals with regards to reviewing the 40-year-old Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) which should be considered by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

He went on to say that the IAEA has failed to fulfill its main obligations over the past four decades. One of the obligations the IAEA has failed to meet, Ahmadinejad said, was the disarmament of all nuclear-armed states.

"The UN nuclear agency has fallen short of its commitments over the past 40 years. During this period we have witnessed no progress in the disarmament process as certain countries continue to develop nuclear weapons and test atomic bombs," he explained.

Ahmadinejad, who is scheduled to attend the 2010 NPT Review Conference at the United Nations headquarters, left for New York at the head of a high-ranking delegation.

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, senior Presidential Adviser Mojtaba Samareh Hashemi, Chief of Staff Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaei, and the Head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization Ali Akbar Salehi will accompany Ahmadinejad during the visit.

The conference, which will run from May 3 to May 28, aims to monitor the global progress in fulfilling disarmament obligations set out in the NPT.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=125183§ionid=351020101.

No US visas for Iran press

An Iranian press delegation slated to accompany President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during his upcoming visit to New York have been denied US visas.

The US government has refused to issue visas for the Iranian press delegation that was scheduled to cover the president's trip to New York and his participation in a nuclear conference, Mehr News Agency reported on Sunday.

Ahmadinejad, who is to attend the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference at the United Nations headquarters, left for New York on Sunday as the head of Iran's high-ranking delegation.

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, Senior Presidential Advisor Mojtaba Samareh Hashemi, Chief of staff Esfandyar Rahim-Mashae, and the Head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization Ali Akbar Salehi will accompany Ahmadinejad during the visit.

Ahmadinejad is scheduled to be the third speaker on Friday, coming after the opening statement by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and a representative from the Non-Aligned Movement.

The twice-a-decade conference aims to monitor the global progress in fulfilling disarmament obligations set out in the 40-year old treaty.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=125154§ionid=351020101.

S Korea vows retaliation for 'Cheonan'

South Korea vows retaliation for the sinking of a navy ship which was broken in half after an unexplained blast hit it near the maritime border with North Korea.

On a KBS television program broadcast nationwide Sunday, South Korean defense minister Kim Tae-Young stated that "those responsible for killing our soldiers must pay the price."

Last month's incident, in which 46 sailors were killed, occurred near the disputed maritime border between North and South Korean territorial waters.

"Retaliation — in whatever form it is — must be done," he added.

The defense minister said that tiny "slivers of aluminum" collected from where the ship went down were being examined to see if they came from possible weapons.

He had formerly declared that a heavy torpedo most likely caused the sinking of the Cheonan, a 1,200-tonne corvette, in the Yellow Sea on March 26.

Investigations are underway for any other clues that could confirm whether or not the Cheonan was attacked.

President Lee Myung-Bak will also hold a meeting with key military commanders Tuesday to discuss the sinking of the Cheonan.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=125161§ionid=351020405.

Another bust stolen in Tehran

Serial thieves have stolen another bronze statue of a historic Iranian intellectual in the capital of Tehran, bringing the number of the city's lost busts to nine.

The bronze statue of the prominent Iranian scholar of Persian literature and Iranology, Mohammad Mo'in, also known as 'Ostad Mo'in', has been stolen only a month after being unveiled to the public in the city of Tehran.

Tehran Municipality's Statue Office Director Mojtaba Mousavi told Fars news agency on Saturday that the thieves are still managing to steal public art works despite efforts to capture them.

Mousavi further pointed out that district municipalities are responsible for protecting the statues but added that it is impossible to employ guards for them.

Since the start of the Persian New Year's holidays, a total of nine bronze busts of historic Iranian luminaries have been stolen in the capital.

The Iranian official had previously said that the thieves generally smash the statues into smaller pieces or melt them for easy sale.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=125160§ionid=351020105.

Iran develops new air defense system

Iran's defense minister says the country has developed a new artillery system that can fire 4,000 shells per minute, allowing it to target cruise missiles.

Brig. Gen. Ahmad Vahidi told Fars news agency on Sunday that Iran's defense ministry experts are working on different defensive projects to produce short-range, mid-range and long-range air defense systems.

The minister further explained that the new system can also confront other threats that fly at low altitudes.

"The system will be officially unveiled in the near future," he added.

Last month, Vahidi declared that Iran plans to produce missile defense systems similar to Russia's S-300 system.

Asked if Iran has plans to produce an S-300 defense system, the Iranian defense minister said, "We don't need to produce the S-300 system, but we have plans to produce similar weapons."

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=125163§ionid=351020101.

Hamas slams US, AL over ME talks

Hamas has condemned the US and AL for the resumption of peace talks, saying the talks will only provide Israel with more opportunities to continue its aggression.

Hamas spokesman, Fawzi Barhoum, slammed the guarantees of the United States for the resumption of indirect peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, saying that the Arab support for the “fruitless talks with the Zionist entity only reflects the Arab state of despair, weakness and the weakness of the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah."

The spokesperson further added that the resumption of talks will only enable further Israeli violations and that Israel will continue its settlement activities on Palestinian land and continues its attacks against the Palestinians.

“The resumption of talks gives Israel further chances to continue the Judaization of Palestine”, Barhoum said, adding that it “obstructs the legal attempts to prosecute Israel's crimes in international courts.”

The Damascus-based leadership of the Palestinian movement Hamas also slammed Sunday the Arab League's backing of the indirect peace talks.

"The endorsement and support of the Arab Committee to resume negotiations again even after the occupation continues with its policies and settlement is considered acceptance of the situation as it is, and a new umbrella for it (Israel) to commit more crimes and violations against the Palestinian people," Hamas said in a statement on Sunday.

The Arab League backed a resumption of the Palestinian-Israeli indirect peace negotiations on Saturday, after receiving encouragement from the mediator, the United States.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=125174§ionid=351020202.

'Unlike Europe, Iran never hurt Jews'

(WARNING): Article contains propaganda!

* * * * *

An Iranian lawmaker representing the country's Jewish minority says Iran has never harmed its Jewish community, condemning Western propaganda against Iran.

"While Jews were hurt by European churches during the Middle Ages, no case of a crackdown against Jews by Muslims has been reported in historical records," Siamak Morsadegh said in a conference on religious minorities that was held in Paris on Saturday.

Iran's embassy in France had organized the conference that brought together a number of French intellectuals and scholars.

"Jews have been in Iran for the past 3,000 years, they consider themselves Iranian and they were martyred during the war" the Iranian lawmaker said, pointing to the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war.

He also condemned Western propaganda against Iran calling it "baseless", IRNA reported.

The Jewish lawmaker objected Israel's ongoing crackdown on Palestinians and stressed that the "Zionist school of thought" does not represent Judaism in any way, just as al-Qaeda does not represent Islam.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=125136§ionid=351020101.

US accused of alien cover-up

A group of American citizens have accused the US government of covering up documents that prove the existence of extraterrestrial life on other planets.

Jeff Peckman, a member of the Denver Extraterrestrial Affairs Commission, claims Washington has calculatedly covered up the existence of aliens, alien abductions and extraterrestrial cures for cancer, The Herald Sun reported on Saturday.

A commission will be formed, provided it gets enough votes in August, to investigate the issue, the morning tabloid based in Melbourne said.

Their efforts may be foiled by a political action committee: “the Mission for Inhibiting Bureaucracy (MIB),” which has argued that the Extraterrestrial Affairs Commission's goal of posting its findings on Denver's website would cost the city $24,800 a year.

According to MIB, the election itself will cost $US100,000 because a ballot must be mailed to every registered voter.

"Until we have a city website ready to welcome the second coming of Jesus, or welcoming fairies, anything based in belief, not (scientifically proven) fact, this is just not a correct way to use a city government website," MIB member Matthew Baxter said.

The prospect of discovering extraterrestrial life has provoked the curiosity and interest of influential individuals and entities, including the Vatican.

Over the past fifty years, scientists have been scanning the airwaves for radio broadcasts that may signal the existence of intelligent life on other planets, but have only heard static so far.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=125138§ionid=3510212.

May Day turns violent in Berlin

May Day demonstrations have turned violent after police battle rioters in two German cities, using water cannons to drive back crowds of protesters.

In the capital Berlin, police tried to disperse hundreds of left-wing protesters in the west of the German capital late Saturday, as they set cars on fire and demolished police vehicles.

The eastern side of the city also saw clashes between anti-Nazi demonstrators and right-wingers.

In the port city of Hamburg, some 1,500 leftist radicals held a parade that continued into the early hours of Sunday. Police said the protesters vandalized banks, overturned parked cars and set them on fire.

It has become a ritual for leftists and rightists to engage in violent clashes with police and storm banks and shops on the May Day for more than a decade in Berlin and Hamburg.

Some 7,000 riot police were deployed to keep the two groups apart. Nearly 20 people were injured in those clashes. Police said they have made more than 250 arrests.

Last year's May Day in Berlin was the most violent in a decade with hundreds of arrests and dozens of police officers injured. More than 400 cars were set ablaze in Berlin and Hamburg.

May Days have traditionally been an opportunity for workers and the left in general, to let off steam.

In many countries, it is synonymous with International Workers' Day or Labor Day, a day of political demonstrations and celebrations organized by unions and other groups.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=125146§ionid=351020604.

Beirut: Hezbollah arms national power

Fri, 30 Apr 2010

Lebanese President Michel Sleiman has referred to Hezbollah's arms as part of the country's firepower and tied to a national defense strategy.

"The national defense strategy means unification of national capabilities in order to implement its policy to defend the nation," Lebanese portal Naharnet quoted Sleiman as saying on Friday.

The president underscored that "the resistance arms are a positive capability" and not a negative one.

The comments come amid continued US and Israeli claims that Syria is supplying the Lebanese resistance movement with Russian-made Scud missiles.

Damascus, Beirut and the resistance movement itself have rejected the claims. Standing by the allegation, however, Washington and Tel Aviv have issued warning messages against Damascus.

The Lebanese president said that the claims were meant to create division in Lebanon. "I can reassure everyone that the Lebanese will not be divided."

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri earlier likened the arms transfer claim to US allegations about Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction, which Washington used as a pretext to invade the country in 2003.

"These are weapons that they did not find and they are still searching for," he said, accusing Washington and Tel Aviv of effort "to repeat the same scenario with Lebanon."

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=124966§ionid=351020203.

Sarkozy blasted for focus on burqa

A former French presidential candidate has blasted President Nicolas Sarkozy for his focus on banning the Islamic veil in public instead of paying attention to farmers' issues.

Socialist Segolene Royal urged the French leader to concentrate his efforts on 'real problems' rather than the Muslim veil, known as the "burqa."

Thousands of grain farmers had gathered in Paris on Tuesday to protest the sharp fall in grain prices and the steep decline in their income.

Royal noted that more than 800 farmers committed suicide last year.

Sarkozy's government plans to push ahead with a ban on wearing a full-face veil in public, despite warnings from state legal experts that such a law is unconstitutional.

France is home to the largest Muslim population among the 27 European Union member states. Nearly 10 percent of the country's 62 million citizens are Muslim.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=125141§ionid=351020603.

Iran, Azerbaijan to sign security protocol

Iran and its northeastern neighbor, Azerbaijan, are to sign a protocol to further enhance their bilateral security cooperation, a senior Iranian official says.

Mehdi Mohammadifard, a deputy of the Iranian Interior Minister, Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar, said that the Iranian official will arrive in the Azerbaijani capital Baku on Monday to sign the protocol.

Mohammad-Najjar, during his two-day official visit to Azerbaijan will hold talks with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and five of the country's ministers.

"The protocol includes such diverse subjects as border security, the war on drugs, organized crime and human trafficking, and the extradition of criminals," Mehr news agency quoted Mohammadifard as saying on Sunday.

The deputy minister noted that the protocol has been adopted based on a memorandum of understanding that has been in effect between the two countries for the past five years.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=125145§ionid=351020101.

Syria rejects Arab peace initiative cmte backing of indirect talks

CAIRO, May 1 (KUNA) -- Syrian and Lebanon reject the Arab peace initiative follow-up committee's statement over Israeli-Palestinian indirect talks launch, Syria's representative to the Arab League Yousif Ahmad said Saturday, stressing that the US did not provide any assurances which would give the negotiations more credentials.

Ahmad, speaking after the committee said in a statement it backed the indirect talks' launch, said that they did not perceive any of these assurances by the US to the Palestinian side, particularly since "the US administration proved that it is incapable when it comes to promises made for the Arabic side." The Syrian official added that "a number of Arab countries expressed different views on the committee statement, however the Syrian and Lebanese views were identical on such issue," noting that Damascus and Beirut are major countries in the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Ahmad added if Arab countries took a clear stance based on Arab basic needs for the Arab world, they could have received better assurances upon which the Palestinian authority would have negotiated for.

Source: Kuwait News Agency (KUNA).
Link: http://www.kuna.net.kw/NewsAgenciesPublicSite/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2079984&Language=en.

Palestinian minister calls for increasing investments in West Bank

GAZA, May 2 (KUNA) -- A Palestinian minister called on Sunday the Palestinian private sector to increase investments in the production of local goods to provide new job opportunities in the Palestinian territories.

Labor Minister Ahmad Majdalani told Voice of Palestine radio station that Palestinians used to buy goods manufactured in Israeli settlements with the value of USD 600 million every year before those products were banned from entering Palestinian territories.

Israeli strongly criticized last week the decision of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on banning the sale of products made in Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories.

Israel's Vice Prime Minister Silvan Shalom said Sunday to Israel Radio that he considers the decision a scandal, accusing Abbas and Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayadh of competing in showing extremism against Israel.

Majdalani said that it was important that the Palestinian private sector increases production and investment to provide Palestinian products that substitute for products that were imported from Israeli settlements.

That would provide about 50,000 new job opportunities, he pointed out.

He said that two industrial areas were being established in Bethlehem and Jenin, adding that the Palestinian authority was planning to launch several housing projects in the West Bank.

Karama national fund will be established to provide small amounts of money to people to enable them to start projects.

About 30,000 Palestinians work in Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

Israeli established ten settlement industrial areas in the West Bank and ten other industrial areas in settlements controlled by Jewish extremists.

Israeli media reported that many Israeli owners of factories in settlements were fearing the Palestinian boycott and that some called for banning the entrance of Palestinian traders to Israel to market their products.

Source: Kuwait News Agency (KUNA).
Link: http://www.kuna.net.kw/NewsAgenciesPublicSite/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2080004&Language=en.

Palestinian parties oppose return to talks, say it deepens divide

GAZA, May 2 (KUNA) -- Palestinian parties expressed on Sunday opposition to a return to the talks with Israel and rejection of the Arab Follow Up Committee's support to such return after a meeting in Cairo yesterday.

Hamas for one said this regrettable development came while Israel still ignored past agreements and continued with both settlement expansion and attempt to Judaize Al-Quds.

"The support of the committee of a return to talks, even amid its continued settlement expansion and Judaization would in fact be a success of Israel's policy of forcing a status quo." The movement added, "A return to talks and placing bets on 'phantom' US guarantees is useless, in view of failure of the negotiation approach and in view of clear and total bias on the part of Washington." "Such a stance," it stressed, "would only give Israel the opportunity and sanction to commit more crimes and violations against the Palestinian people."

Eight Palestinian parties based in Damascus also expressed opposition to this development.

A statement representing Hamas as well as main players Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and Palestinian Liberation Organization, went further to stress this return would "further and deepen Palestinian divide."

The coalition of parties urged all parties concerned with the Middle East peace process not to trust promises made by Middle East Peace Envoy George Mitchell, and stressed reuniting Palestinians was the lone option to stand up to Israel and its policies.

The Arab Follow Up Committee in a meeting yesterday supported the return to indirect talks despite Israel's violation of an earlier agreement to halt settlement activity for the duration of a four-month round of talks.

Israel had closely followed the said agreement with a project to construct 1,600 settlement units in an extreme Jewish concentration area of Eastern Jerusalem.

The announcement of the said project was made as US Vice President Joe Biden landed in Jerusalem for an official visit to Israel.

Source: Kuwait News Agency (KUNA).
Link: http://www.kuna.net.kw/NewsAgenciesPublicSite/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2080028&Language=en.

Iran seat on UN panel irks Canada

Iran's election to the UN Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW), an influential panel that promotes women's rights, has irked Canada.

In a Saturday statement, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said there were "serious concerns" with Iran's election to the UNCSWat the United Nations Economic and Social Council.

On Thursday, the UN announced that Iran, along with 10 other countries, had been elected to the high-profile UNCSW for the term beginning in 2011.

The UNCSW seeks to ensure women's rights by investigating nations that violate women's rights, monitoring their efforts in improving women's equality and detailing their shortcomings.

“It is the Government of Canada's understanding that Iran was acclaimed as a member of the UN Commission on the Status of Women as part of an uncontested slate endorsed by the Asian regional group, of which Canada is not a member,” he said.

“We deplore this development but will use Iran's membership on this body to take the Iranian authorities to task for their systemic human rights violations,” he added.

Rejecting allegations of human rights violations, Iran blames Western countries for most of the abuses and rights violations that happen around the world.

"Those who claim to be the top advocates of human rights start wars and kill millions of people," President Ahmadinejad has said.

Canada's government is currently struggling with the parliament over documents that could implicate Canada in torture of Afghan detainees while in American custody.

Ahmadinejad has also says that freedom of expression and freedom of religion were integral parts of Iranian culture.

Iran's civilization and culture dates back to 2500 years ago, when "Cyrus the Great put an end to slavery," he has said, drawing a comparison with the US, where slavery has only been abolished for 180 years.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=125123§ionid=351020101.

Iran wins seats on 4 UN commissions

Iran wins seats on four UN commissions, a considerable achievement for the Islamic Republic as two of the organizations deal with global human rights issues.

The commissions include the high profile UN commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW) and the world body's Human Settlements Program, also known as UN-HABITAT.

The two others are the Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD) and the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII).

Among the US commissions, the UNCSW is of noticeable significance to Iran as the subsidiary UN body sets global standards and policies to protect and promote gender equality.

Iran will start its four-year term in 2011 along with 10 other countries including Belgium, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Estonia, Georgia, Jamaica, Liberia, the Netherlands, Spain, Thailand and Zimbabwe.

The significant win comes despite Western powers' allegations that accuse Iran of violating women's rights.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=125114§ionid=351020101.

Six Somali children killed in a building collapse in Jeddah

Riyadh - Six Somali children were killed and five people injured when a three-storey building collapsed in Jeddah, Civil Defense spokesman Abdullah Al-Amri said on Saturday.

Al-Amri told reporters that rescue teams expect to find more bodies buried in the rubble of the building in al-Sahifah district that collapsed the previous evening.

Arab News daily said that at least three Somali families lived in the building, and that each family had at least six children. Few people were rescued Friday evening, the paper added.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/321525,six-somali-children-killed-in-a-building-collapse-in-jeddah.html.

Foreign workers demonstrate in Lebanon on May Day for rights

Beirut - Dozens of foreign workers demonstrated in Beirut Saturdayto protest against their abuse and lack of labor rights while working in Lebanon.

There are an estimated 200,000 foreign workers, many employed as home helps, in Lebanon who mainly hail from the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Ethiopia.

"We are protesting today to show the Lebanese and the world that we lack the minimum labor rights while working in Lebanon," a Filipino house maid told the German News Agency, dpa.

Carrying placards that read "We are entitled to a day off," the demonstrators marched silently through Beirut.

A report for Human Rights Watch (HRW) this year highlighted the poor treatment of foreign domestic workers in Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Jordan, where they face "exploitation and abuse by employers, including excessive work hours, non-payment of wages and restrictions on their liberty."

"When we come to Lebanon our employer takes away our passport and we become his slave ... no day off once a week, bad treatment, abuse and whatever you can think of," Chandra a house maid from Sri Lanka told dpa.

Nadim Houry, HRW senior researcher in Beirut, estimated that the treatment of domestic workers in Lebanon has led some to commit suicide.

"One domestic worker commits suicide in Lebanon every week," Houry told dpa.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/321526,foreign-workers-demonstrate-in-lebanon-on-may-day-for-rights.html.

200 000 Turks attend first Taksim Square demonstration in 30 years

Istanbul - Over 200,000 people on Saturday took part in the first officially approved May Day demonstrations in Istanbul's central Taksim Square in 30 years.

May Day gatherings had been banned from the square since 1977, when 36 people were killed in clashes. Unknown assailants fired shots into the crowd and in the resulting panic many people were trampled to death.

By Saturday afternoon only a few minor incidents of stone-throwing had taken place, officials said.

Demonstrators demanded more secure employment and better working conditions.

Over 20,000 police officers were out on the streets to control the crowds.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/321527,200-000-turks-attend-first-taksim-square-demonstration-in-30-years.html.

Thousands of French turn out to demonstrate against Sarkozy

Paris - Tens of thousands of people on Saturday took part in May Day protests in Paris and other large French cities against the policies of President Nicholas Sarkozy.

Unions had called for demonstrations and protest marches across the country, planning around 280 events.

Demonstrators this year directed their protests against the planned reforms of the pension system. Many French fear that the current retirement age of 60 may be significantly increased.

According to a survey by leftist daily L'Humanite, 70 per cent of the population sympathize with the protesters.

The unions also believe that Sarkozy's government is not doing enough to keep jobs and increase consumption.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/321538,thousands-of-french-turn-out-to-demonstrate-against-sarkozy.html.

Albanian opposition stages hunger strike, demands vote recount

Tirana - Around 200 opposition Socialist lawmakers and supporters began a hunger strike in the Albanian capital Tirana on Saturday, demanding the government allow a partial recount of the votes in areas where alleged vote rigging occurred.

Prime Minister Sali Berisha's conservatives won a narrow majority of 75 seats in a 140 seat parliament in last year's June elections. But the opposition says the elections were illegal and are boycotting parliament.

Tens of thousands of people protested in Tirana on Friday. Led by the city's mayor Edi Rama, they demanded a recount of the votes.

On Saturday, 22 Socialists lawmakers and 180 supporters began a hunger strike, supported by thousands of protesters including over a hundred coal miners.

Hundreds of police vehicles could be seen along Tirana's main boulevard, separating protesters from government supporters who gathered for a May Day concert, local media reported.

Edi Rama said that the protest could go on indefinitely, while the government said the opposition's demand was illegal.

The political deadlock means the country's hopes of European Union membership are seriously hampered.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/321540,albanian-opposition-stages-hunger-strike-demands-vote-recount.html.

Qatari premier meets Hezbollah leader in Lebanon - Summary

Beirut - Visiting Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassm al-Thani met for talks with Hezbollah chief Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon on Saturday, the radical Shiite movement said in a statement.

The two discussed the latest domestic and regional developments, including Israel's recent accusation that Syria supplied Hezbollah with Scud missiles and "Arab responsibilities" towards the Palestinian cause, according to Hezbollah.

"The Israeli and US remarks about transferring Scud missiles to Hezbollah aim at pressuring the resistance forces (Hezbollah) and the defiance nations (Israel and Syria)," Nasrallah said in a separate statement.

"There is no eruption of war in the region in the current period because there are no political objectives to be achieved (by Israel) through war," he said.

Hezbollah and Israel fought a bloody 33-day war in 2006. Syria and Iran are main backers of the Lebanese Shiite movement which is considered a terrorist organization by the US and European Union.

The Qatari premier has met with several Lebanese officials since his arrival in Beirut on Wednesday. He and his Lebanese counterpart, Saad Hariri, signed 13 economic, media, security and agriculture agreements with his counterpart Saad Hariri.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/321542,qatari-premier-meets-hezbollah-leader-in-lebanon--summary.html.

Son of ousted Kyrgyz president investigated for corruption

Bishkek/Moscow - The son of Kyrgyzstan's ousted president Kurmanbek Bakiyev has been implicated in a corruption scandal which involved fuel delivery to the US airbase in the country, local media reported Saturday.

According to investigators, the two airbase suppliers bought fuel from six Kyrgyz companies, who in turn bought fuel from Russia.

The Kyrgyz companies had belonged to Maxim Bakiyev, the state prosecutors office said. Maxim's father had relaxed import duties for his companies.

Numerous investigations have been launched into the activities of Kurmanbek Bakiyev's government, which has been accused of money laundering and abuse of office.

The interim government estimates that as much as 33 million euros (44 million dollars) could have been misappropriated by Bakiyev's inner circle alone.

Maxim Bakiyev, 33, former head of the state investment authority, has been accused of various corrupt activities. Like his father, he fled abroad when the government was overthrown in April.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/321544,son-of-ousted-kyrgyz-president-investigated-for-corruption.html.

Bahrain unions urge government to protect financial workers

Manama - The secretary general of Bahrain Trade Unions (GFBTU) on Saturday urged the government to protect the jobs of financial sector workers, comparing their layoff to the loss of a "national treasure."

Salman al-Mahfood's comments came as hundreds of union workers marched through the Gulf island's capital Manama - a financial hub for the region - to mark International Workers Day.

He also criticized the government for not involving GFBTU or the Bankers Union in its efforts to support the financial industry.

"While other Gulf states and countries assisted institutions that were exposed to losses to preserve jobs, the government stood by watching as these companies reported losses which cannot be confirmed and workers were being laid off," said al-Mahfood.

The Central Bank of Bahrain reported in March that employment in the financial services industry had grown by 1.5 per cent in 2009. Around 14,000 people were employed in the sector.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/321545,bahrain-unions-urge-government-to-protect-financial-workers.html.

Bolivia nationalizes three private electricity companies

La Paz - The Bolivian government on Saturday ordered the nationalization of three private electricity companies, including two with British and French stakeholders.

The offices of electricity firms Corani and Guaracachi were occupied by police following the decree, local media reported.

Corani is 50 per cent owned by Inversiones Econergy Bolivia SA, a subsidiary of GDF SUEZ, whilst Guaracachi is 50 per cent owned by the British firm Rurelec PLC.

The government's announcement coincided with celebrations being held for International Workers Day, also known as May Day.

Morales said the government aimed to take complete control of the sector.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/321551,bolivia-nationalizes-three-private-electricity-companies.html.

Arab League continues to support Palestinian-Israeli talks - Summary

Cairo - The Arab League said Saturday that it would continue to support the Palestinian-Israeli indirect peace talks, after receiving encouragement from the mediator, the United States.

Qatari Prime Minister Hamad bin Jasim bin Jabir al-Thani, whose country heads the Arab Peace Initiative committee, told reporters that "we communicated with the US mediator and found positive signs."

"We trust the mediators, and believe they are doing their best to bridge the gap between the Palestinians and Israeli," Sheikh Hamad said after a meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Cairo to discuss the prospects of indirect Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

The meeting came one day after US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced that indirect peace talks would start next week and that the US envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell, would return to the region.

In March, Arab states said they would give the US four months to start the indirect peace talks. With only two months left, Sheikh Hamad said that the four-month period would not be extended.

But this could change if there were signs of progress. "If there is hope we can extend the period. The Palestinian cause is 60 years old, a few more months are acceptable," he said.

Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa said that consultations would continue within the agreed time frame.

"We also agreed that there will not be an automatic transmission from indirect to direct talks except after we discuss whether the situation in Palestine allows it or not," Moussa told a joint press briefing, with Sheikh Hamad and chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat.

Shortly after the Arab League announced it backed a US proposal to start "proximity talks" between the Israelis and Palestinians as a precursor for direct talks between the two sides, the decision was rescinded over an Israeli plan to build housing in contested East Jerusalem.

Erekat said that Israel should choose either "settlements or peace". "They cannot have both," Erekat added.

Earlier on Saturday, Syria-based Palestinian factions called on the Arab League committee not to support "the resumption of negotiations with the Israeli enemy."

The ten factions, headed by Hamas, warned of the implications of either direct or indirect negotiations.

"We consider any Palestinian or Arab decision to resume talks is to hide crimes committed by the occupation," they said in a statement.

In a letter to the Arab League before the meeting, Yemeni Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al-Qirbi had urged his counterparts to raise the Arab-Israeli conflict with the United Nations Security Council, sources close to the meeting said.

"Israeli measures form a serious threat to world stability and security, making it necessary for the Security Council to take responsibility and force Israel to stop its violations, lift the siege on Gaza and accept the two-state solution in accordance with international resolutions."

"Israeli practices continue at an accelerated pace, proving, beyond any doubt, that Israel is imposing its unilateral solutions that aim at, from our point of view, terminating the Palestinian cause, which requires a strong and effective Arab stand," al-Qirbi said.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas needs Arab backing to ward off internal Palestinian criticism over entering into talks with a hardline Israeli government, without having first had his preconditions met, notably a full freeze of Israeli construction in both the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Israeli-Palestinian talks have been on hold since late 2008.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/321563,arab-league-continues-to-support-palestinian-israeli-talks--summary.html.

Palestinians hold May Day jobs protest in Gaza

EREZ CROSSING, Gaza Strip — More than 2,000 Palestinians held May Day demonstrations on Saturday near the Erez crossing with Israel and the Rafah border with Egypt to protest at the lockdown of Gaza.

"We call on the world to stop the siege of Gaza and to come to the defense of Palestinian workers in all Palestinian territories," said Ramzi Rabah, a protest organizer with the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

About 2,000 demonstrators waving red and Palestinian flags gathered near the Erez border crossing with Israel in northern Gaza in response to a call from the DFLP and other leftist factions.

Hundreds of other demonstrators, meanwhile, took part in a sit-in against the blockade -- which causes high unemployment in the impoverished territory -- at Rafah on the border with Egypt, witnesses said.

The Islamist movement Hamas which has ruled Gaza since 2007 issued a statement vowing support for workers in the impoverished coastal strip and urging Egypt to open up its border with the territory.

"Hamas supports all workers, especially those suffering until the end of the siege and the reopening of the crossings," the statement said.

Hamas urged Arab and Islamic nations to pressure Egypt to reopen the Rafah crossing and stop targeting smuggling tunnels that lead into Gaza.

"We ask the Egyptian leadership to stop killing our workers by gas that is illegal under international law," the statement said, referring to an incident Thursday when four Palestinians working in tunnels were killed.

Hamas said Egyptian security forces pumped poisonous gas into a cross-border smuggling tunnel, a claim Cairo denied.

A strict Israeli and Egyptian blockade in force since Hamas seized control of Gaza in June 2007 has severely curtailed the ability of tens of thousands of Gazans to go abroad or to Israel for jobs.

Most Gaza workers have been barred from working in Israel since the outbreak of the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, in 2000.

The territory has an unemployment rate of almost 40 percent, according to the International Monetary Fund.

Copyright © 2010 AFP. All rights reserved.