Netanyahu begging money to ward off Islam

23-10-2010

Al Qassam website- Extremist Isareli PM Benjamine Netanyahu has declared on Friday October 22nd that world Jews should pay their money to ward off Islam and whole challanges faced by what he called the state of Israel.

Netanyahu's speech in front of World Jewish leaders in occupied Jerusalem discussed certain issues related to Israel's brutal policy that refuted the idea that Israel is a democratic power.

Netanyahu addressed world Jewish leaders at the Israel Museum in occupied Jerusalem as part of the Jewish People Policy Institute's conference on the future of the Jewish people.

In the same context, Netanyahu has attacked the Islamic Republic of Iran for its support for the Palestinian people, Lebanon and Afghanistan.

"I don't think the Jewish people have a future without the State of Israel, but this future depends on Jews' level of commitment to Israel across the world. We were too optimistic thinking that the establishment of the Jewish state would help reduce anti-Semitism. The truth is that the Jews' return to the Land of Israel and the State's establishment did not make any difference in terms of anti-Semitism, but turned the hatred for Jews into a hatred for the State of Israel," Netanyahu ruled.

According to Netanyahu, "Israel must do all in its power to ward off the goals of Islam".

Source: Ezzedeen AL-Qassam Brigades - Information Office.
Link: http://www.qassam.ps/news-3647-Netanyahu_begging_money_to_ward_off_Islam.html.

Arrival of Lifeline 5 is a historic moment

23-10-2010

Al Qassam website-Gaza, Palestinian premier Ismail Haneyya hailed the participants in the fifth aid convoy Lifeline for the risks they endured in order to arrive in the besieged Gaza Strip and described their arrival as a historic moment.

"This is a historic moment, and it will be recorded in the history that the [Palestinian] cause is strongly returning to the (Islamic) nation, and that the nation is strongly going back to the cause," Haneyya said in a ceremony held on Friday evening to honor participants of the convoy.

He stressed that the goal is not only to break the blockade but also to end the Israeli occupation because the essence of the Palestinian cause is to eliminate the occupation from Palestine.

The premier highlighted that such convoys are an extension to Al-Furqan victory which was achieved by the Palestinian resistance during the Israeli war on Gaza.

"In the name of the Palestinian people, the government and the resistance factions, we salute you, dear brothers and sisters in the fifth convoy Lifeline, and we express our great appreciation, thanks and pride to you as you continue this blessed march for the sake of Gaza, Jerusalem and Palestine," the premier said.

Earlier on the same day, premier Haneyya warned in a Friday Khutba (sermon) attended by Lifeline activists in Gaza of attempts to dwarf the Palestinian cause and taking it away from its Arab and Islamic depth.

The premier also reiterated his rejection to recognize Israel as a Jewish state, saying such recognition would eliminate the right of return and displace the Palestinians in the 1948 occupied lands.

He pointed, in another context, to the international conference on the issue of Palestinian prisoners to be held soon in Gaza and called for actively participating in it.

For his part, Dr. Ahmed Bahar, the first deputy speaker of the Palestinian legislative council (PLC), received yesterday Lifeline activists at the PLC headquarters in Gaza.

He hailed the efforts they made to break the political siege imposed on Gaza, and said their arrival reflected the Arab and Islamic depth of the Palestinian cause.

Source: Ezzedeen AL-Qassam Brigades - Information Office.
Link: http://www.qassam.ps/news-3648-Arrival_of_Lifeline_5_is_a_historic_moment.html.

Abbas should be stripped of powers

24-10-2010

Al Qassam website - Palestinian institutions in Europe said Palestinian de facto president Mahmoud Abbas should be stripped of his powers over statements he made on Israeli television announcing plans to back down on the historical rights of the Palestinians in return for a state based on 1967 borders.

A statement undersigned by 29 Palestinian foundations in the European continent said: “The surrender of any Palestinian figure to the aims of the Israeli occupation, in word or deed, calls for the stripping of all involved in such unprecedented positions of the positions and powers they occupy, and [such figures] should be held accountable without delay for continued infringements on the Palestinian people's inalienable rights.”

“Mahmoud Abbas and those with him forgot that no one is authorized to waive or can interfere with the rights of the Palestinian people. They are the legal rights over which our people have sacrificed for nearly a century,” the statement read.

The organizations also strongly denounced statements by senior PLO official Yasser Abedrabbo announcing the PA’s willingness to recognize Israel as a Jewish state, saying: “We condemn in the strongest terms irresponsible statements expressing names that have no legitimacy in the Palestinian arena, like what Yasser Abedrabbo recently said about serving the strategic goals of the Israeli occupation relating to what is termed the ‘Jewish state’ and prospects for a political solution.”

“It is a shame that such weak, irresponsible positions of political bankruptcy come while the Israeli occupation government steps up preparations aimed at perpetuating a new framework for an even more racist stage against the Palestinian people.”

“[Israel’s terms of recognition as a Jewish state] is an attempt to legitimatize the racist character of the occupation [force] and its country and a desperate effort to cut the road to the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their land and homes.”

“[Abbas’s positions] also aim to threaten our people inside 1948-occupied Palestine against their existence and stability, especially since they come in line with the package of new racist laws formulated by the extremist Israeli government, such as the oath to loyalty to a Jewish state law and the ban on all references to the Nakba (catastrophe).”

The groups stressed that the recent developments “form a situation to which the world today cannot turn a blind eye or respond with silence, as well as clearer expression of Israeli logic which deals with the so-called peace process as a framework to perpetuate the prolonged occupation and undermine or circumvent the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people.” Source:PIC

Source: Ezzedeen AL-Qassam Brigades - Information Office.
Link: http://www.qassam.ps/news-3650-Abbas_should_be_stripped_of_powers.html.

Singh: Strategic ties between India, Japan brings stability in Asia

Sun, 24 Oct 2010

New Delhi - The growing strategic partnership between India and Japan is a factor of peace, prosperity and stability in Asia and the world, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Sunday.

Singh, before embarking on a three-nation tour which includes Malaysia and Vietnam, said India's trade and economic partnership with Tokyo was set to enter a new phase.

"Japan is a major economic partner of India. We have embarked upon mega infrastructure projects with Japanese assistance which have the potential of transforming our economy," Singh said.

The prime minister also said that he expected his trip to Malaysia to lead to greater integration of the two economies and cooperation in infrastructure development, railways, knowledge industries, energy and defense.

In Vietnam, Singh is scheduled to attend the India-ASEAN summit and the East Asia summit. The Indian premier said he would hold bilateral meetings on the margin of these summits with leaders of China, Australia, South Korea, Singapore and Vietnam.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/350108,japan-brings-stability-asia.html.

First spaceport runway opens in US

Space tourism moves closer to reality with completion of facility for world's first commercial passenger spacecraft.

24 Oct 2010

A new runway has been completed at the world's first spaceport in a remote region in the US state of New Mexico, pushing space tourism closer to becoming a reality.

Richard Branson, the British tycoon, opened the 3.2km-long main runway at Spaceport America near the town of Las Cruces on Friday.

Branson marked the event, which was attended by Bill Richardson, the New Mexico governor, saying it was "the beginning of the second space age".

"We are proud to have been supporters of this part of the story. From here we will see, perhaps daily flights into space, but also scientists, explorers of new opportunities beyond our planet," Branson said.

Buzz Aldrin, the second man to set foot on the moon, told the AFP news agency: "I am very happy that civilians will be able to reach space. I'd like to be one of the passengers on these flights, of course."

SpaceShipTwo, a six-seat craft scheduled to carry paying customers into sub-orbital space by early 2012, made its maiden flight above the Californian desert in March.

The aircraft - renamed the VSS Enterprise - flew high above the new 60-metre wide runway in tandem with its mothership, WhiteKightTwo or Eve.

The spaceship is 18 meters long and its cabin is similar in size to a Falcon 900 executive jet, "allowing maximum room for the astronauts to float in zero gravity", according to Virgin Galactic.

Space tourists

When it takes off, WhiteKnightTwo will carry SpaceShipTwo to an altitude of around 15km before dropping the smaller spaceship and allowing it to fire up its rocket motor to blast up to the brink of space.

Once it has reached sub-orbital space, SpaceShipTwo passengers will be able to view the Earth from portholes next to their seats, or unbuckle their seatbelts and float in zero gravity.

Guests for Friday's ceremony included people who have already paid deposits to go into space.

Branson said the company started taking deposits from people wanting to become astronauts in 2005, and has now collected $50m in deposits from more than 380 people willing to pay the $200,000 ticket price.

"Two hundred thousand dollars is a lot of money, but I think it's a fair price for this life experience," Devek Handley, 32, a New Zealand entrepreneur, said.

Igor Kutsenko, 36, a Russian advertising company boss, said he plans to go into space with his 57-year-old mother and 59-year-old father.

"We will travel together as soon as Virgin Galactic makes space travel a reality. This has been the dream of my life," Kutsenko said.

He said he had paid a deposit of $150,000 each.

Source: Al-Jazeera.
Link: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2010/10/2010102444613231313.html.

Haneyya: Prisoners issue must be made international

23/10/2010

GAZA, (PIC)-- Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haneyya announced he will assume all expenses of an Arab-international tour by a delegation from the families of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli detention aimed at publicizing their cause to the world.

Speaking at the international Palestinian POW conference held by the “Innovation” foundation for consulting and training in part with the Palestinian prisoners ministry Saturday morning in Gaza, Haneyya called on Arabs to turn the prisoners issue from a Palestinian issue into an Arab, Islamic, and international issue.

Liberation is the goal

“All of the Palestinian factions work for one goal, which is to free the war prisoners in Israeli jails, and this conference comes in this context: to serve the cause and discuss all of the means to achieve this goal,” Haneyya said.

“It is true that we are looking for a decent life for prisoners and their families, but this is a secondary goal, and the major objective is to achieve freedom and liberation for these heroes,” he added.

“We cannot feel full freedom and dignity unless these heroes are freed,” he went on to say.

Political arrests in the West Bank

The Prime Minister said it is shameful that there are Palestinians imprisoned over politics, and resistance.

Haneyya called on the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to free political prisoners detained in their jurisdiction over politics or for affiliation with Palestinian resistance groups.

“It is a shame to talk about war prisoners in Israeli jails, while there are hundreds of them in the [Palestinian] Authority jails, among them women,” the Palestinian PM said.

“There must not remain any Palestinian person in any prison over his work for the sake of Palestinian liberation, especially since our security is part of Arab security, and we do not have any thought of meddling with Arab security.”

Internationalization of the issue

“Every delegation from Western countries who comes to Gaza talks about Shalit to resistance factions. In contrast, who speaks about the 8,000 Palestinian prisoners?”

“How can one captured soldier be given worldwide attention, and the issue of 8,000 prisoners be ignored?”

Haneyya said it his government’s responsibility to turn their issue into an issue of international concern.

He announced the government will assist travel of this delegation to other countries to clarify the war prisoners’ cause.

Release of prisoners

The Palestinian Prime Minister decided today to free a group of detainees in Gaza in honor of the Lifeline 5 humanitarian aid convoy that came to break the Gaza siege and take part in the international conference for war prisoners.

Palestinian Interior Ministry spokesman Ihab Al Ghusein told the PIC by phone that the Palestinian government in Gaza decided to free 20 prisoners in Gaza in honor of the convoy.

Ghusein said the government will hold a press conference at 3:00pm Saturday to implement the Prime Minister’s decision to the prisoners who served two-thirds of their full sentences.

“The government’s objective is only to detain people as much as would give them guidance and direction,” the interior spokesman said, expressing hope that the detainees have benefited from the time they served.

He assured that there are no political prisoners in Gaza jails, and that the prisoners who were released were detained for legal violations.

Source: The Palestinian Information Center.
Link: http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s7Yu%2fab2VuxLUDrPRIhdUPg2ZRD8kvuNjFI%2f3V7%2fmS6QbTfs3mrrzkujXg5LSZ6mMe2pA6C4HIvrJ7dOEs%2bD4emipo7eEVv8yqYtQygKO5ylI%3d.

Suspected Indian rebels kill 6 police; security tightened in Bihar

Sat, 23 Oct 2010

New Delhi - Security was tightened across the eastern Indian state of Bihar Saturday after six policemen died in a blast triggered by suspected Maoist rebels, news reports said.

A hidden mine targeted a police vehicle over a small bridge in Bihar's Sheohar district, the IANS news agency reported.

The blast came two days after a six-phase, monthlong electoral process to choose the state legislative assembly began.

The second phase was due to be held Sunday, and security was increased across the state after the explosion, police said.

"Combing operations were intensified," Bihar's additional director general of police PK Thakur was quoted as saying. "Security has been tightened to give a sense of confidence among people a day ahead of polls following the Maoist strike."

More than one-third of India's 626 administrative districts are affected by the insurgency, which has left more than 990 people dead since January.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/350021,police-security-tightened-bihar.html.

Abundant Global's Bet on Indonesia B2B Business from Oil & Gas, Coal & Minerals to Agricultures

Sat, 23 Oct 2010
PRWeb

Indonesia infrastructure investment company ambitious expansion into e-commerce business.

Hong Kong, China / Jakarta, Indonesia (PRWEB) October 23, 2010 -- Abundant Global is scheduled to launch the improved trading system to go online by the end of the year, which will focus on oil & gas industry eco-system, such as tanker, vessels, storage, services and others. Inovisi Infracom recent acquisition of oil & gas e-commerce company (Abundant Global) has raised speculation that the company may extend the infrastructure business from telecommunication to other key industries in Indonesia such as oil & gas, coal & minerals as well as agricultures. "We will only focus on recent 2 corporate action at the moment. However if there is good opportunity arises, we may consider taking on new partners in the future." commented Inovisi's spokes person. The company did not denies that there are other potential B2B e-commerce business partners eager to ride on Inovisi's infrastructure including coal mine operators. "On the Internet world, extending the business to hundreds of different industries is just by nature of basic demand and supply and it's easy and fast. If there is right partner, we will consider", added Inovisi.

The global commodities such as oil & gas, coal & minerals where mostly traded through conventional business method such as phone, fax, email, face to face or basic networking. Major B2B e-commerce portal such as Alibaba.com, a Hong Kong listed US$12 billion company, and NASDAQ listed Globalsources.com, are among the conventional channels to match between buyers and sellers. Inovisi Infracom among the global players in B2B e-commerce market place has recently attracted both coal mine operators and traders speculation to provide e-commerce services for the industry, especially in Indonesia.

Coal production in Indonesia is expected to decrease 20 percent this year from earlier projection of 254 million ton due to heavy rain fall. The first half of 2010 have seen coal production surpass 115 million ton. However, market traders believe that the commodity market especially coal or "batu bara" is still bullish. "Indonesia commodity will be bullish until next year," according to President Director PT Ciptadana Securities, Ferry Budiman Tanja, in Jakarta, 6 October 2010. The optimism will still attract new business to coal industry, as it will encourage both coal mine owners and producers in Indonesia to raise more fund from capital market. Some of the recent IPO includes PT Berau Coal Energy Tbk and PT Harum Energy Tbk, both raised estimated US$140 million and US$110 million respectively.

Inovisi's B2B e-commerce initiative is targeting local importers and exporters, traders and concession owners and operators especially in geographically challenged country such as Indonesia. Business persons relied on dinosaurs technologies such as phone, fax and face-to-face networkings to conduct business.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/press/-minerals-agricultures,1514226.html.

Turkey rebuffs U.S. pressure to slash trade with Iran

Saturday, October 23, 2010

A top Turkish official says in the U.S. that Turkish firms are 'free to make their own decisions' about complying with sanctions aimed at cutting off trade with Iran over its nuclear program. Turkey has rebuffed a U.S. effort to persuade it to scale back its trade ties with Iran despite a persistent U.S. lobbying campaign this week in Washington and Ankara. Ali Babacan, a Turkish deputy prime minister, told reporters in Washington on Wednesday that Turkish companies remained ""free to make their own decisions"" about whether to comply with U.S. and European sanctions aimed at cutting off trade with Iran. The sanctions, the latest round of which was adopted in June, were designed to build enough economic pressure on Iran to limit its disputed nuclear program. Turkey is a major trading partner with its neighbor to the east, and its failure to comply with the sanctions is a threat to their success. Turkey's prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said last month that his country wanted to triple its trade with Iran. The Obama administration this week mounted a major effort to bring Turkey in line. The Treasury Department's point man on Iran sanctions, Stuart Levey, visited Ankara, the Turkish capital, on Wednesday to urge Turkish officials to cooperate in the sanctions effort, even as American officials in Washington offered to broaden U.S.-Turkish trade ties. Yet Babacan, a founding member of Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party, said Turkish businesses would be unwise to break off ties to Iranian firms when many European, Chinese and Russian companies ""are still doing quite a big business with Iran and finding open doors."" Turkey receives about a third of its energy from Iran, and their two-way trade, valued at more than $10 billion, is especially important to impoverished areas of Turkey along the border with Iran. Despite the government's attitude, U.S. and European sanctions may have some bite, including for Turkish banks, which risk losing access to the U.S. market if they do business with companies that trade with Iran. Zafer Caglayan, Turkey's minister of state for foreign trade, complained this month about U.S. pressure on the banks. (Source: Los Angeles Times)

Source: Tehran Times.
Link: http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=229092.

Chavez, Gaddafi meet in Libya to build power among global 'south'

Sat, 23 Oct 2010

Tripoli - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez continued his visit Saturday to Libya, preparing to receive an honorary degree from Tripoli's Academy of Higher Education.

Chavez met with Libyan leader Moamer Gaddafi late on Friday to discuss "integration between the African and Latin American states and promoting the South-South front," according to Libya's state-run news agency JANA.

Libya is the latest stop on a busy international tour for the Venezuelan leader involving seven countries in 10 days. Previously he had visited Russia, Ukraine, Iran and Syria and the tour will wind up with stops in Algeria and European Union member Portugal.

"We are in a position to vanquish Western imperialism and create a more balanced world," he asserted in Damascus, just before arriving in Libya.

Chavez' meeting with Gaddafi falls in line with his regional tour of cozying up to states that are not on the best of terms with the United States, which Chavez has labeled an "imperialist nation" on several occasions.

He discussed with Gaddafi preparations for the third Africa-South America Summit to be held in Libya next year, according to JANA, which was held last year in Venezuela.

In September 2009, Chavez was the guest of honor at a Libyan military parade celebrating 40 years of Gaddafi in power. Six months beforehand, a football stadium in Libya was named after the Venezuelan president.

The two leaders, both known for controversial statements and tense relations with the United States, have been strengthening ties between their countries for several years.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/350063,build-power-global-south.html.

Hamas scatters ashes of Gaza-bound flotilla dead on graves

Sat, 23 Oct 2010

Gaza - Members of the Islamic Hamas movement Saturday scattered ashes from the nine Turkish activists killed by Israeli naval forces during the interception of their Gaza-bound flotilla on the graves of Hamas militants killed in Gaza.

The dust of the Turkish activists was brought to Gaza by campaigners form the aid convoy Lifeline 5 - which arrived in the coastal enclave on Thursday, Hamas officials said.

Mahmoud Zahar, a senior Hamas leader who scattered the ashes on Hamas militants' graves, told reporters that "this action reiterates the strong ties between the Turkish people and the Palestinians in confronting Israel."

He added "those campaigners of the freedom flotilla, had sacrificed themselves and their blood for breaking the siege imposed on Gaza. Today the dusts are mixed upon the request of the families of the Turkish victims."

"The dust of Palestinian martyrs will be sent to Turkey to be mixed with the dust of the Turkish martyrs," Zahar said.

Israel has imposed a sea blockade on the Gaza Strip since the Hamas movement seized control of the enclave by force in 2007.

The list of prohibited items was relaxed slightly in the wake of the deadly interception.

This week the former British parliamentarian George Galloway had managed to send five convoys of vehicles and aid to the Gaza Strip via Egypt. The last Gaza Lifeline convoy included around 140 vehicles and aid that worth five million dollars.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/350066,gaza-bound-flotilla-dead-graves.html.

Leftist opposition wins majority in Czech Senate

Sat, 23 Oct 2010

Prague - The opposition Social Democrats won a majority in the Czech Republic's Senate, which allows them to complicate government's austerity plans, final results showed Saturday.

The party triumphed in 12 of the 27 races for the 81-member upper house, now giving them a majority of 41 seats in the chamber.

The result enables the Social Democrats to delay introduction of spending cuts and public finance reforms planned by Prime Minister Petr Necas' three-party center-right government.

"Our goal is to correct the (planned) reforms," said Social Democratic interim leader, Bohuslav Sobotka. "If they are unjust the Social Democrats will stand up to them in the Senate."

He added that voters showed that they are unhappy with the cabinet's policies.

The government vowed to cut the country's budget deficit under the European Union-required 3 per cent of gross domestic product by 2013, a plan that involves unpopular spending cuts as well as an overhaul of pensions and the health care system.

In September, tens of thousands of Czech government employees protested in the streets of Prague against the planned 10-per-cent cut in public servants' salaries.

Analysts said that the poll's outcome signaled that voters feared the belt-tightening measures.

"It is the first warning for the cabinet. People need to hear the arguments for the savings," said political scientist Jan Kubacek, who lectures at Prague's Charles University.

But the Social Democratic Senate would not steer the country away from Necas' austerity track, analysts said, as the chamber could only drag out adoption of the related legislation.

The premier conceded that the rivals' victory was unpleasant, but would not have a devastating effect.

"This is a reality with which we can live," Necas said. "We have to openly say that it will prolong and complicate the legislative process."

In addition, the leftist majority in the Senate could block constitutional and election laws and military missions abroad, including the cabinet's plan to boost troop numbers in Afghanistan.

Senators also elect Czech presidents, with the next vote planned for 2013, or one year after another election for one-third of Czech senators.

Necas' center-right Civic Democrats, who were defending 18 seats, won eight races, "a standard result" according to the premier, while their coalition partners failed to repeat the stellar results from the May general election.

The new conservative party TOP 09, led by Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg, earned only two seats, while the populist Public Affairs, led by Interior Minister Radek John, did not win a single mandate.

Among the losers was also former Czech Social Democratic premier and European commissioner Vladimir Spidla, who lost to a Civic Democratic incumbent in the country's south.

The turnout in the poll's run-off was 24.64 per cent, down from 44.59 per cent in the first round a week ago, the results released by the Czech Statistics Office showed.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/350080,wins-majority-czech-senate.html.

Egyptian court tells state security to leave university campuses

Sat, 23 Oct 2010

Cairo - Egypt's Supreme Court ruled on Saturday that state security be replaced with a civilian security force in public universities, as thousands of students prepare to rally on campuses ahead of the country's parliamentary elections.

"The presence of Interior Ministry police forces within the university is an obstacle towards the independence guaranteed to the university by the constitution and the law," the court said.

The ruling came on a suit brought to court by the Egyptian Cabinet, the Ministry of Higher Education and the Ministry of Interior, which were seeking a state security presence on university campuses.

To Abdul-Jalil Mustafa, a professor and one of the founders of the March 9 movement that calls for the independence of universities, the ruling is nothing short of historic.

"The verdict is an important step towards defending the independence of universities and respecting academic freedom to purify the campus from these outsiders," Mustafa told the German Press Agency dpa.

Saturday's Supreme Court ruling, while final, simply upheld an earlier court ruling that universities be independent of state security forces.

Despite the earlier court's ruling, the Ministry of Interior's forces remained on under the guise of the country's nearly 30-year- long Emergency Laws, controlling protests on campuses and who enters and exits through university doors.

Therefore, it is not guaranteed that the Supreme Court's decision to replace state security with a civilian force will be upheld or how quickly it might be implemented.

The Supreme Court ruling comes as Egypt prepares for the November 28 elections. Public universities are often hot-beds of political activism, with thousands of students over 18 years old eligible to vote, for the first time in their lives, in the upcoming poll.

According to the banned, but tolerated Muslim Brotherhood, 30 students who were supporting the group's efforts to win seats in parliament were arrested in the government's recent sweep against the group.

Moreover, the group claimed this month that some 218 Muslim Brotherhood students in three universities were banned from running in student union elections.

However, hundreds more of the group's supporters have been allowed to run in the student union elections.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/350082,security-leave-university-campuses.html.

Trial of two policemen accused in beating death resumes in Egypt

Sat, 23 Oct 2010

Alexandria, Egypt - The trial of two police officers charged with allegedly beating a young man to death in the city of Alexandria resumed on Saturday.

The death of Khaled Said sparked outrage and large demonstrations against what many people argue has been an attempted police cover-up by security forces.

The trial, which resumed for nearly six hours Saturday and was then adjourned until November 27, resumed with testimonies from the prosecution and the defense.

According to Egyptian daily al-Masry al-Youm, one of the defense witnesses was in the courtroom listening to the statements of another defense witness before he took the stand, which is against the law.

The court disqualified the witness for violation of due process, according to the al-Masry al-Youm.

Said died after being questioned by police on June 7 on a street outside an internet cafe in the coastal city of Alexandria.

According to witnesses, the 28-year-old Said was taken from an internet cafe by two policemen who beat him to death and smashed his head against the pavement.

But a government-ordered autopsy claimed that Said died of asphyxiation when he tried to swallow a bag of marijuana and that the injuries sustained during his arrest had not caused his death.

The Egyptian court system rarely sees security forces brought to trial, yet Mahmoud Salah and Awad Suleiman are under arrest and have been charged with the use of excessive force, among other things.

Rights groups have called on the court to add murder to the list of charges the two policemen face.

Photos posted on the internet showed Said's severely disfigured and crushed head, leading thousands of Egyptians to call for an end to police abuse, a problem they say is endemic in Egypt.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/350084,beating-death-resumes-egypt.html.

Canada to Resettle More Iraqi Refugees

Sat, 23 Oct 2010
Citizenship and Immigration Canada

OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- 10/23/10 -- Canada will extend its measures for Iraqi refugees for at least two additional years, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney announced today. As a result of today's announcement, Canada will resettle an additional 8,600 refugees.

In 2009, in response to ongoing conditions in Iraq and requests from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Canada more than doubled the number of resettled refugees it would welcome through its mission in Damascus, where most Iraqi refugees apply. Canada committed to resettling approximately 2,500 refugees a year under its private sponsorship program between 2009 and 2011. In 2010, Canada also increased the number of refugees from Damascus it plans to resettle through the UN program as government-assisted refugees, from 1,400 to 1,800 per year.

"These refugees choose to wait for the chance to come to Canada legally, rather than pay human smugglers to help them jump the queue. The Government of Canada appreciates their respect for our laws, and we look forward to welcoming them to Canada," said Minister Kenney. "It is unfair to those seeking to come to Canada through legitimate, legal means such as the measure I am announcing today, when others pay human smugglers to help jump our immigration queue. When this happens, Canada's immigration system becomes less fair, and less balanced."

With today's announcement, this commitment has been extended by least two additional years to 2013. "Canada already has a generous resettlement program. And now, up to 8,600 more refugees will find protection in Canada," said Minister Kenney. "At a time when many other countries are scaling back their refugee programs, we are actually expanding ours."

As part of the Balanced Refugee Reform Act, which was passed into law earlier this summer, the Government of Canada will increase the number of resettled refugees received each year by 20 percent. This includes 2,000 more spots in the Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program and 500 more government-assisted refugees. This means that Canada will welcome as many as 14,500 refugees a year through its resettlement programs. Canada already resettles one out of every 10 refugees or 10 percent of the refugees resettled globally through its refugee programs.

These increases come as Minister Kenney is encouraging more groups to come forward and sponsor a refugee. "Canada has a long humanitarian tradition of helping those most in need. Over the last few years, we have resettled more than 3,900 Karen from Thailand and we are in the process of resettling up to 5,000 Bhutanese refugees from Nepal."

Canada is a global leader in resettlement. In fact, thirty years ago, thanks to the outpouring of support from Canadians, the Private Sponsorship of Refugees program came into being as we welcomed more than 60,000 refugees from Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. More recently, Canada welcomed the remaining Vietnamese who had been living in the Philippines without status since the late 1970s.

In total, through the PSR Program, Canada has welcomed more than 200,000 refugees from all over the world, over and above the number of refugees resettled through the government assisted program.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/press/more-iraqi-refugees,1514242.html.