PREVIEW: Shuttle Discovery to take final bow

Sun, 31 Oct 2010

Washington - After a lifetime of firsts, it's time for a last for the space shuttle Discovery: The storied craft is set to start its final flight on Wednesday.

The oldest vehicle in the operating space shuttle fleet, construction began in 1979 on Discovery, which blasted off into space for the first time in 1984. Its last flight comes as US space agency NASA retires the aging shuttles and begins to transition routine flights to commercial providers.

The scheduled Monday launch was postponed until Wednesday for repairs of helium and nitrogen leaks in one of the shuttle's engine pods, and subsequent inspections.

After Discovery's planned 11-day mission, the workhorse of the fleet will have spent nearly a year in orbit, made more flights than any other shuttle and carried more crew members.

Discovery has already made history many times.

It was the first shuttle to return to flight after both the shuttle Challenger and Columbia accidents; launched the trailblazing Hubble Space Telescope; made the first US rendezvous with the Russian Mir space station; and made the first and last shuttle trips to rotate the crew of the International Space Station (ISS).

It will now be the first shuttle to officially be retired. A previous flight by Atlantis may have been its final flight, but it remains on standby in case a rescue mission is needed, and could be used if, as NASA hopes, an additional flight is added to the shuttle schedule.

Discovery is to deliver the last major piece of the US part of the ISS along with a host of supplies, including a human-like robot, known as Robonaut 2 (R2), the first-such robot ever sent to space.

Unlike the Star Wars droid character of the same nickname, R2 has arms and a head but no legs and will be used to learn how robots perform in zero gravity with the goal of eventually using them alongside or in place of humans in complicated activities.

The new room to be installed on the US part of the ISS was built by the Italian Space Agency and has been in space before in a different capacity, as the Leonardo cargo module. NASA, which owns the module, has converted it to become a lasting part of the station, known as the Permanent Multipurpose Logistics Module. It will be delivered full of cargo, and astronauts will eventually use it as an extra room for storage or to conduct experiments.

Discovery is bringing aloft an Express Logistics Carrier, which will be attached to the outside of the station and be used to hold spare parts.

"It's pretty exciting that the Discovery is going to take up the last major US module to the station," shuttle program manager John Shannon told reporters. "We are making good on our promise that we would get the space station in the absolute best configuration before we retired the shuttle."

Two spacewalks are planned for the mission. During the first, astronauts Tim Kopra and Alvin Drew will move a failed ammonia cooling pump removed on an earlier mission and install a power extension cable and camera equipment.

On the second spacewalk, they will remove covers from the spare- parts carrier and do other repair work.

Once Discovery and its six-member crew return to Earth, NASA won't be quite done with the spacecraft. First they want to take it apart and look inside - there are pieces that haven't been examined since they were installed more than 30 years ago.

Shannon says he hopes the autopsy will provide guidance as NASA moves to create its next generation of long-distance spacecraft.

"Even after Discovery lands, we will not be done learning about the space environment," he said.

NASA has long planned to retire the aging shuttle fleet, and the last flight is currently set for February.

President Barack Obama, however, prompted criticism earlier this year when he scuttled long-term plans to return to the moon and, instead, ordered a change in focus to commercial space flight and sending NASA astronauts to an asteroid and later Mars.

His vision was approved by Congress last month but must now be backed up with money, which remains uncertain in times of tight government budgets.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/351180,discovery-take-final-bow.html.

US shuttle Discovery launch rescheduled for Wednesday

Sun, 31 Oct 2010

Washington - The planned final flight next week of the US space shuttle Discovery has been postponed until Wednesday to allow engineers ample time to test repairs made after a leak was detected in the craft, space agency NASA said late Saturday.

Discovery was first slated to launch on Monday afternoon for its last flight. The takeoff was first rescheduled for Tuesday but is now planned for 3:52 pm (1952 GMT) Wednesday at Kennedy Space Center on Cape Canaveral, Florida.

NASA technicians had discovered helium and nitrogen leaks in one of the shuttle's engine pods.

Discovery is the oldest spacecraft in the US shuttle fleet and will be the first to be officially retired after this final mission, an 11-day trip to the orbiting International Space Station with six astronauts aboard.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/351179,discovery-launch-rescheduled-wednesday.html.

Hamas 'not following in Fatah's footsteps'

31/10/2010

BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) – Senior Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahhar opted not to confirm reports published Saturday by the London-based Al-Hayat daily claiming that he described rocket launchers as “mutineers against their own factions.”

Speaking to Ma’an, Zahhar said, “First of all, I have not spoken at all to many newspapers recently. Secondly, during meetings over security arrangements, there has been reference to single cases within some factions. However, our official stance is that any Israel incursion in any area will be dealt with as an incursion whether it is in the north, the south or the center.

“So, he continued, the resistance's agenda is one of self-defense, but some media outlets, especially those affiliated to certain factions, tend to exaggerate and show that we are adopting a new strategy against resistance comparing us to other factions who abandoned resistance.”

Asked about Hamas sponsoring an agreement between factions to stop firing projectiles at Israeli targets, Zahhar said there were three agreements; one in 2003, another in 2005, and a final one in 2008, one year before Israel's military offensive on Gaza. “The ceasefire agreement in 2008 was violated by the Israeli forces by waging war on Gaza. Then after the war there was a ceasefire agreement through the Egyptians after a UN decision. Thus, we abide by agreements, and if there is any aggression, everybody has the right to respond.”

Asked if Hamas was preventing firing projectiles toward Israel while criticizing Fatah for doing the same, he answered, “Fatah wants to prove that Hamas is an exact reproduction of Fatah when they used to confiscate weapons of resistance fighters and jail using the excuse of agreements with Israel. They think Hamas will follow in their footsteps. Hamas is not a reproduction of Fatah and will not follow in their footsteps.”

He explained the difference between self-defense in case of aggression against the Palestinians as in 2003, 2005, 2008 and 2009, and between security cooperation with Israel as Fatah does.

“Fatah used to detain activists, torture them and confiscate their weapons, but Hamas never confiscated weapons, neither did Hamas prevent anybody from resistance. However, we agreed on what we called ‘economized resistance’. Thus, I warn of attempts by the Fatah-affiliated media outlets trying to show that Hamas follows in Fatah's footsteps.”

Source: Ma'an News Agency.
Link: http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=329255.

Report: Israel PM offers to trade freeze for US spy

31/10/2010

JERUSALEM (Ma’an) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has suggested to US President Barack Obama to free Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard in exchange for extending settlement freeze in the West Bank for 60 days, an Israeli news site reported Saturday.

Inian Merkazi ("Central Issues") quoted sources in Washington saying Netanyahu has already made his suggestion. Jonathan Pollard is serving a life term in an American jail after being convicted of espionage and spying for the Israeli state against its closest ally.

It is widely believed that Obama offered Israel certain guarantees in exchange for extending its partial freeze, which expired 26 September. The PLO has said it will not return to talks without a new announcement.

In an editorial, The New York Times argued Friday in an editorial that the offer, which did not mention Pollard's release, was "very generous — too generous, we believe ... It included additional security guarantees and more fighter planes, missile defense, satellites. Mr. Netanyahu still refused," the paper said.

Source: Ma'an News Agency.
Link: http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=329318.

Beijing accused of 'lawlessness' for detaining Nobel winner's wife

Sun, 31 Oct 2010

Hong Kong - A Hong Kong legislator accused China Sunday of "sheer lawlessness" for placing the wife of Nobel peace laureate Liu Xiaobo under house arrest.

Emily Lau suggested that many Chinese citizens were pleased by the Nobel committee's recognition of dissident Liu, who is serving an 11-year jail term for subversion.

"A Nobel prize carries a lot of weight in China and many people are eager to see a Chinese national getting the award," Lau said on government-run radio station RTHK.

"Apart from the news blackout, the authorities also placed Mr Liu's wife, Madam Liu Xia, under house arrest. No reason has been given for the barbaric treatment. It is sheer lawlessness."

She accused Beijing of "siege mentality," which she said was "astounding and shows an utter lack of confidence."

Lau said Chinese officials should release Liu and allow him travel to Oslo with his wife to receive the award in December, although she acknowledged that "would probably not happen."

The former British colony reverted to Chinese rule in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" arrangement that allows freedoms of expression denied to people elsewhere in China.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/351184,detaining-nobel-winners-wife.html.

World Expo closes with a focus on creating better, greener cities

Sun, 31 Oct 2010

Beijing - After six months and record attendance, the World Expo in Shanghai - the first to be held in a developing country - was set to close Sunday.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the event's theme, "Better City, Better Life" had put a focus on tackling the challenges of urbanization.

"Thanks to this Expo, millions of people learned about possibilities for making our cities healthier and safer: cities that better integrate nature and technology, cities that offer their citizens cleaner air and water, and better lives all around," Ban said told a forum in Shanghai.

He also called for closer cooperation in tackling climate change.

"Let us do more to develop renewable sources of energy, and make them affordable to all people," Ban said.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said 190 countries and 56 international organizations had participated in what was the largest event in the Expo's 159-year history.

It also saw a record of 73 million visits, with tickets priced at 160 yuan (25 dollars).

"Undeterred by the searing heat or soaking rain, they (visitors) waited patiently in long lines to witness this much-anticipated event," Wen said at the forum.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/351190,creating-better-greener-cities.html.

Ivorians go to the polls in presidential elections

Sun, 31 Oct 2010

Nairobi/Abidjan - Voting was under way in the first presidential election in the Ivory Coast in over a decade Sunday, five years after incumbent Laurent Gbagbo's term officially expired.

The decision of the West African country's 6 million eligible voters is expected to pave the way for an end to the de facto division of the country during civil war in 2002-2003.

Gbagbo and 13 other candidates are vying for the presidency. His main rivals include former president Henri Konan Bedie and former prime minister Alassane Ouattara. Bedie, who was ousted in a military coup in 1999, is trying to make a comeback. Quattara, having weathered accusations that he is a foreigner, is running for the first time.

The election in the world's largest cocoa producer, was postponed several times over several years because of problems with the registration of voters and ethnic tensions. Critics accuse Gbagbo of having "stolen" a third term.

Former rebels have been represented in the government of national unity since 2007. The north of the country is controlled by the rebels, while Gbagbo effectively controls the south. Around 500 additional United Nations peacekeepers have been deployed during the election.

Tehran: No agreement yet reached on nuclear talks' agenda - Summary

Sun, 31 Oct 2010

Tehran - Tehran said Sunday that no agreement has yet been reached on the agenda of the scheduled nuclear talks between Iran and the world powers.

"We are ready for talks but what is currently necessary is that both sides reach an agreement on the content and details of the agenda," Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said.

"A more specific framework should be found regarding the agenda for eventually gaining fruitful results from the talks," he said.

Mehmanparast said that date and venue was of secondary importance and if the agenda was clarified, Iran could even start the talks earlier than the date (November 15-17) proposed by the European Union's foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.

Observers believe that although Iran was quite eager to resume the talks but not willing to attend a meeting with an ultimatum agenda - suspension or further sanctions - which has also in the previous years constantly failed.

Also an adviser to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Sunday that Iran was concerned about the agenda of proposed nuclear talks and maintains its own conditions for resuming the negotiations with the world powers,

"The president made it quite clear that there are certain conditions and frameworks which should be on the agenda of the talks," Ali-Akbar Javanfekr told Fars news agency.

He said Tehran wants the world powers clarify their stance on Israel's policies and its nuclear weapons, and declare whether the aim of the talks is to improve relations or merely to pressure Iran.

"If these conditions were met, then we would be willing to attend the meeting, but we will not (solely) talk about the nuclear energy issue," the adviser added.

The 5+1 group - Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States - plans to resume the nuclear talks on November 15-17 in Vienna.

Ashton, who represents the 5+1 group, has informed Iran's nuclear negotiator Saedi Jalili about the date and venue. Jalili has neither confirmed nor rejected the proposal yet.

Instead, he sent Ashton a letter on Friday saying that Iran was willing to agree a time and a venue to begin talks after November 10, but did not refer to her proposal.

Javanfekr said Jalili made it clear that Iran was ready for the talks "but only if the Iranian conditions were considered and met."

The world powers want the talks to focus on the nuclear dispute and Iran's refusal to suspend uranium enrichment. But Tehran says the 5+1 group should acknowledge Iran's nuclear rights, and broaden the talks to include global issues.

Mehmanparast last week said "the agenda should have content and not just form," adding that not only date and venue but also the agenda should be clarified.

One possible alternative could allow Iran to continue uranium enrichment to 3.5 per cent under the supervision of International Atomic Energy Agency, and send the low-enriched product to a third country in exchange for fuel from one of the nuclear nations.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/351199,talks-agenda-summary.html.

Egypt's ruling party postpones annual meeting for general elections

Sun, 31 Oct 2010

Cairo - Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak postponed the annual conference of the ruling party to give candidates more time to prepare for next month's general elections, a state-owned newspaper reported Sunday.

The annual conference of the National Democratic Party (NDP), which was scheduled to take place on November 9-10, will be held on December 25-26, Al-Ahram newspaper reported.

Mubarak also ordered a meeting of top party officials on November 10 to discuss preparations for the polls, set for November 28.

The upcoming parliamentary elections are seen as a window into how next year's presidential elections will unfold. It is largely expected, that the NDP, which counts Mubarak's son Gamal as one of its top officials, will maintain its grip over parliament in elections.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/351193,annual-meeting-general-elections.html.

Saudi initiative receives cool response in Iraq

Sun, 31 Oct 2010

Baghdad - An initiative by Saudi King Abdullah to resolve the political impasse in Iraq was met with a cool response from politicians in the country Sunday.

The monarch invited leaders of the different blocs to meet in Riyadh after the Hajj pilgrimage ends late November in order to break a nearly eight-month deadlock on forming a new government.

Some groups said the offer, made on Saturday, was tantamount to foreign interference in Iraq's political process.

"We respect such invitation by the Saudi monarch, but talks are continuing between the political blocs and there is an initiative by president of the Kurdistan region," Kurdish politician Mahmoud Osman said.

"We want an internal Iraqi solution to the crisis," Osman said.

A member of caretaker Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's State of Law Coalition said "the initiative has come too late," although he welcomed it as a form of support for the Iraqi people.

"The initiative will complicate the political scene and delay the process of forming a new government," Hassan al-Saneed was quoted in press as saying.

Al-Saneed said lawmakers are now in talks to reconvene for a parliamentary session in the coming four days. Last week, Iraq's Supreme Court ordered the newly-elected parliament to reconvene.

Lawmakers have held only one session since the March 7 general elections, and that lasted just 20 minutes.

No single party won an outright majority in the election and attempts to realign parties and form new coalitions to secure a majority bloc have so far failed to produce a consensus for the top post of prime minister.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/351194,receives-cool-response-iraq.html.

Burma's Pursuit of Nuclear Weapons

By James Burke
Epoch Times Staff
Oct 30, 2010

Burma’s clandestine nuclear weapons are poorly managed but it could become a real threat if another rogue nation such as North Korea steps in to offer assistance, says a former director of the United Nation’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

In a technical briefing held at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club Thailand in Bangkok last week, American nuclear scientist Robert Kelley said he believes the secret nuclear weapons program run by the Burmese military is not well developed and is being badly managed.

“It is a poor program [from what we have seen]. … There’s poor workmanship, [and] it’s a top down management system saying you will do this, not how you will do this,” said Kelley.

“I think it is safe to say the people of Thailand are safe for the next few years because these guys don’t know what they are doing, but I wouldn’t want to give them more than a few years.”

However, Kelley said that he is also concerned about underplaying the Burmese generals' nuclear weapons program saying that it could develop into a genuine threat.

“If another country steps in and has all the knowledge, the materials, and the keys that would unlock what is plaguing them, including bad management, this program could really speed up,” said the former senior U.N. nuclear inspector.

“[Then] everything I’ve said about it being a bad program goes out the door. [Assistance] from North Korea certainly comes to mind,” he said.

Kelley wrote a report for the Democratic Voice of Burma that was released in June, which is predominantly based on the information and evidence such as documents, drawings, and photographs, provided by a defecting Burmese army major, Sai Thein Win.

“[Mr. Sai] was briefed on the nuclear program, not because he was a major, but because he was an aide to some senior officers,” said Kelley.

In his role as aide, the defector, who is also a Russian-trained mechanical engineer, attended briefings that included Burma’s top general, Than Shwe.

“In those briefs the word to the general officers [from Than Shwe] was we want a nuclear bomb, and we want to build a reactor so we can do it,” said Kelley.

“That’s what he heard—he also worked in the special machine tool factories making prototype components for missile and nuclear programs, which gave him a lot of credibility,” said Kelley.

The 34-year-old defector’s information, he added, included details about the nuclear battalion at Thabeikkyin, which has orders to build a nuclear reactor and to enrich uranium for a nuclear bomb.
Violation

Kelley said that the Burmese nuclear program is a violation of agreements the junta has signed both with the IAEA and ASEAN, and that the junta should not be allowed to get away with it.

“It’s a violation, it’s against the law. … I’ve been doing this for a long time because I’d like to catch someone early and make them stop,” said Kelley who participated in IAEA missions to South Africa and Libya.

“This program as we see it today is not a threat in terms of a nuclear mushroom cloud, but it is a threat to the whole system. I don’t think ignoring it should be an option,” he said.

“One of the things that we wanted to come out of our process and going public with this is that I worked with people for a long time who when they get the information, classify it very highly and don’t tell anybody and then nobody has to do anything. In this case, we have put enough information out there that somebody needs to do something or I think we can say that they are deficient.”

Source: The Epoch Times.
Link: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/45103/.

Afghan president condemns joint US-Russia raid on drug labs

Sat, 30 Oct 2010

Kabul - President Hamid Karzai condemned Saturday a joint US-Russia raid on drug laboratories in eastern Afghanistan, saying it was carried out without the permission of his government.

The operation was "a blatant violation of Afghanistan's sovereignty and of international laws," Karzai said in a statement. "Any repetition of such acts will prompt necessary reaction by our country," the president said.

Thursday's raid reportedly destroyed around one ton of heroin worth 250 million dollars at laboratories in the Shinwar district of the eastern province of Nangerhar.

"While Afghanistan remains committed to its joint efforts with the international community against narcotics, it also makes it clear that no organization or institution shall have the right to carry out such a military operation without prior authorization and consent of the government of Afghanistan," Karzai said.

The US and its former Cold War foe Russia have improved cooperation in Afghanistan recently. US-funded Afghan fighters forced Soviet troops to leave Afghanistan at the end of the 1980s after a decade of occupation.

But two decades after the withdrawal, the Russian government has recently agreed to allow NATO countries to transport non-lethal supplies via its territory to more than 150,000 US and NATO forces currently battling Taliban militants in Afghanistan.

The Russian officials had previously accused the US and NATO forces of not doing enough to clamp down on drug production and trafficking in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan produces more than 90 per cent of world's opium, from which heroin is derived.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/351124,us-russia-raid-drug-labs.html.

Bahrain heads to polls for second round of voting

Sat, 30 Oct 2010

Manama, Bahrain - Bahrain voted Saturday in a second round of polling for the lower house of parliament, with Sunni Islamists and liberal parties hoping to secure the remaining nine seats up for grabs.

"We continue to see strong-turn out of voters since the opening of the voting centers in the morning," Nawaf al-Maawadah, the head of the Elections Executive Committee, told the German Press Agency dpa.

Initial results are expected to be announced early Sunday and could see a woman elected from a hotly contested district. While there is one female member of parliament already, she ran unopposed.

The first round was held last weekend and saw the Islamic National Accord Association (INAA), a Shiite opposition group, win 18 seats in the 40-member lower house to become the largest party in parliament.

Sunni Islamists and businessmen, running as independents, netted collectively 10 seats. For the pro-government Sunni blocs the elections were disappointing, as they lost five seats compared to their result in the last election held 2006.

In the first round of voting, more than 318,000 people were eligible to vote for 127 candidates vying for 35 seats being contended.

Shiites are believed to make up the majority in Bahrain, but charge they suffer from discrimination from the dominant Sunni Muslim community.

And while the small Gulf country, largely dependent on its vast financial center and petroleum exports for economic output, has liberalized over the last decade, the king still maintains a firm grip.

The island's upper house of parliament has 25 members, all appointed by the king, Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. The monarch also appoints nearly all members of cabinet, which includes relatives in the extended royal family.

In 1981, an attempted coup by Shiite extremists was quashed, and relations between the two main religious groups have remained tense.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/351118,bahrain-heads-polls-voting.html.

Brazil votes for new president

With double-digit poll lead, ruling party candidate Dilma Rousseff expected to become country's first female president.

31 Oct 2010

Voting has opened in Brazil for a landmark presidential poll that opinion surveys suggest may see a female candidate being elected the country's president for the first time.

On the eve of Sunday's vote, four opinion polls showed Dilma Rousseff, the candidate of the ruling Workers' party, with a double digit lead over her rival Jose Serra.

Four opinion polls released on Saturday gave Rousseff a lead of between 10 and 13 percentage points, following a televised debate between the candidates late on Friday.

Rousseff struck a confident note on Saturday while speaking to reporters.

"I will govern for all Brazilians. There will be no discrimination of parties. I won't govern only for my coalition," she said.

Andre Vargas, communications secretary for the Workers' party, predicted a win for Rousseff with a comfortable margin.

"We should win with a minimum advantage of 10 percentage points and a maximum of 15 points," he said.

Swing state

Both Rousseff and Serra wrapped up their campaigns in the key swing state of Minas Gerais, which in political circles is often referred to as "Brazil's Ohio", referring to the US state, because it has been an accurate predictor of previous presidential elections.

Since democracy returned to Brazil in 1985 after two decades of military rule, every president has carried the state, which has the country's second-largest electorate.

It has not all been smooth sailing for Rousseff. She failed to secure the presidency in the first round of voting on October 3, forcing the election into a second round run-off against Serra.

Rousseff's strong position in the polls is a rebound from several weeks ago when her campaign was hit by corruption allegations and questions over her religious beliefs.

But by focusing on eight years of strong economic growth under Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the outgoing president, Rousseff - his former chief of staff - has been able to attract the support of crucial swing voters.

Many in Brazil say they support Rousseff because she has been endorsed by Lula, who remains popular with large sections of society.

"It was under President Lula that my children got the opportunity to study, which I never had," said Gumercinda Queiroga, 84, a supporter who greeted Rousseff before she embarked on a motorcade on the outskirts of Belo Horizonte.

"Today, I have two apartments and live with dignity," Queiroga, who promised to get up at dawn to vote for Rousseff, said.

Source: Al-Jazeera.
Link: http://english.aljazeera.net//news/americas/2010/10/201010316125163267.html.

Israeli army closes Bethlehem checkpoints

31/10/2010

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli soldiers closed down all Bethlehem checkpoints on Saturday evening, prohibiting any movement in or out of the West Bank city.

An Israeli military spokeswoman said the closure was imposed after shots were fired at an Israeli vehicle in the area. No one was injured in the incident, she said.

Source: Ma'an News Agency.
Link: http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=329206.

Suicide blast hits Istanbul

At least 15 wounded in explosion carried out by suicide bomber in heart of Turkish city, police say.

31 Oct 2010

At least 15 people have been injured in an attack carried out by a suspected suicide bomber in the Turkish city of Istanbul, police say.

There were also unconfirmed reports of at least two people being killed in the incident on Sunday.

"We think it was a suicide attack," Huseyin Capkin, the police chief, said.

He said six of the injured were civilians and nine were police. Two of the wounded were in a serious condition.

The alleged bomber was said to have blown himself up close to where the police were stationed in Taksim Square in the heart of the city's shopping district.

"One one side of the square, usually a series of police buses are parked, on guard for any kind of civil disorder. The target of this explosion appears to have been one of two buses," Al Jazeera's Anita McNaught, reporting from the scene, said.

"Eyewitnesses I've spoken to said they saw at least two bodies being carried away, so at least two people may have been killed."

She said some buildings around the square had been damaged in the blast.

Following the blast, a security cordon was thrown round the area and the nearby Istiklal street was closed off for pedestrians.

Source: Al-Jazeera.
Link: http://english.aljazeera.net//news/europe/2010/10/2010103185656175601.html.

First luxury hotel to open in Ramallah

By Joseph Krauss (AFP)

RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territories — The opening of Ramallah's first five-star hotel on Monday will mark another small step in the West Bank town's steady march towards something resembling normal life.

But its sixth-floor executive lounge looks out on a panorama of unresolved issues that cloud the economic outlook -- a built-up Israeli settlement on a nearby hilltop, a Palestinian refugee camp down below and the hazy skyline of distant Jerusalem beyond a grim separation wall.

The Movenpick Hotel Ramallah, a locally owned franchise of the Swiss-based chain, is aimed primarily at corporate clients and has been billed as yet another indication that the occupied West Bank is open for business.

"The past is the past. We believe in the future of the country and the future of this hotel. It's a beautiful investment and an opportunity for Ramallah," says general manager Daniel Roche.

The 40-million-dollar hotel includes 171 rooms and suites, an outdoor pool, fitness center and seven conference rooms. The main restaurant has an Italian chef and a downstairs cigar bar that will serve up 20-year aged whiskeys.

It will cater to the entrepreneurs, aid workers and diplomats who have flocked to Ramallah in recent years as security has improved following the 2000-2005 Palestinian uprising.

A string of chic new bars and restaurants have already turned the town into an easy-going Palestinian approximation of Tel Aviv, the transformation underpinned by technocratic reforms and a massive influx of foreign aid.

It has all happened at a time of pervasive pessimism over the peace process, which sputtered back to life in early September only to stall three weeks later with the expiry of a partial Israeli settlement moratorium.

That has Palestinian officials and investors -- many of whom have vivid memories of past periods of calm collapsing into renewed chaos -- casting a wary eye on the latest signs of prosperity.

Many point out the Movenpick was first conceived during the halcyon early years of the peace process in the 1990s but frozen by the unrest that followed.

"Without political progress, security and economic progress is not sustainable," Palestinian Authority spokesman Ghassan Khatib says.

"This is what we have learned from the 43-year history of the occupation."

The International Monetary Fund has also urged caution, warning recent double-digit economic growth has been mainly driven by the four billion dollars in foreign aid the Palestinian Authority has received since 2007.

In September it warned the West Bank's growth was shaped more by Israeli restrictions than comparative economic advantage and was "bound to decline" if Israel did not take further steps to improve movement and access.

"Let's keep it in perspective," says Maher Hamdan, CEO of the Palestine Trade Center, or Paltrade, which represents more than 320 local businesses.

"The potential for economic growth and attracting investment would be an order of magnitude of what it is today if you really had a peace process."

Sam Bahour, a Palestinian-American businessman who launched a shopping mall and supermarket chain in 2004 and now runs a consulting firm specializing in start-ups, says the appearance of normal economic life can be deceiving.

"These are investors who have taken a leap of faith with the conviction the occupation will end," he says.

"So they are willing to wait out their investment hoping that they will be well-positioned, once the occupation ends, to be the first movers on the market... They are investing in the future, and that's a high risk."

Although Israel has lifted several of the hundreds of checkpoints and roadblocks it maintains across the territory, trade remains difficult, and economic activity is heavily restricted in the more than 60 percent of the West Bank that is fully governed by the Israeli military.

"Another few cafes, another few hotels, is not going to build an economic foundation for statehood," Bahour says.

"What will is borders, water, land, and the ability of Palestinians to trade directly with the outside world."

Even high-profile projects like the Movenpick routinely encounter difficulties and delays in importing goods into the territory.

"Every single piece that had to be imported for the hotel was subject to Israeli procedures at the crossings, and these delayed work," says Talal Nasreddin, one of the owners of the Movenpick Hotel Ramallah.

That has meant, among other things, that the Movenpick will not immediately be able to offer the chain's trademark ice cream.

"We are working on that, and we will definitely one day have ice cream," Roche, the general manager, says. "It's a long process."

Copyright © 2010 AFP. All rights reserved.

Haniyeh rules out new war on Gaza

31-10-2010

Agencies-Gaza Strip-Gaza government Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said Saturday that Israeli threats to launch a new offensive on the Strip were psychological warfare, but that he did not think a new attack was approaching.

Speaking at a mass wedding for those injured in the last war on Gaza, Haniyeh said threats of war could not harm Palestinians' spirits or ability to survive. The wedding party was evidence of that, he said.

Haniyeh's comments echoed earlier remarks by Hamas leader Ismail Radwan, who said statements by senior Israeli army officials threatening a new war on Gaza were propaganda to be consumed by local media for the benefit of Israelis.

Radwan added that the resistance movement in the Strip was ready to respond if Israel did attack Gaza. Such offensives did not break the resistance of Palestinians in the past, and they would not break or intimidate Palestinians now, he said.

Hamas official Salah Al-Bardawil however said Saturday that Israel was preparing to launch a new offensive on the Strip in order to disrupt reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah. The rival factions are said to be close to ending their division, and both parties have said security remains the only issue to be resolved before Hamas signs an Egyptian-mediated unity paper, which Fatah has already ratified.

Several high-ranking Israeli officers have made statements to the media recently warning of a repeat of Israel's last war on the coastal enclave, which left 1,400 Palestinians dead and thousands more injured. One senior officer, quoted in the Israeli daily Haaretz, said if another soldier was captured Israel's response would be no less severe than the December 2008 war. In September, commander Eyal Eisenberg warned that the next war on Gaza would be a "more painful, complex, and powerful round" in an interview with the Israeli news site Ynet.

Source: Ezzedeen AL-Qassam Brigades - Information Office.
Link: http://www.qassam.ps/news-3694-Haniyeh_rules_out_new_war_on_Gaza.html.

Egyptians know the next Israeli war on Gaza

31-10-2010

Al Qassam website - Top Egyptian officials informed Palestinian authorities in Ramallah that Israel has its sights set on launching a military strike on the Gaza Strip by the end of 2010, political analyst Mustafa Al Sawaf said, adding that Cairo has placed conditions to hinder agreement between Palestinian factions on security issues.

Sawaf said on Saturday that he was informed by sources who accompanied a visit by Egyptian officials to the PA headquarters in Ramallah last Thursday that Egyptian intelligence minister Omar Sulaiman told Abbas that Netanyahu’s security consultant, who visited Cairo a few days back, informed Egypt that Israel will carry out a military strike on the Gaza Strip before the year’s end.

Quoting informed sources, Sawaf said Omar Sulaiman told Abbas that Netanyahu’s consultant said the Israeli government was not content with Hamas’s growing military strength or with humanitarian aid convoys allowed to be sent to the Gaza Strip through Egypt.

Sawaf speculated that the Egyptian government may tighten its blockade on the Gaza Strip by denying the passage of aid convoys and sympathizers and monitoring borders to stop the import of weapons to Gaza.

Sawaf said that Cairo imposed conditions on Fatah negotiators before going to meet with Hamas in Damascus to discuss security issues mainly not to accept that Hamas cadres would assume command of any security forces in the West Bank or the Gaza Strip, but the Egyptian regime did not object to Hamas members acting as elements of such security forces.

Hamas would not agree to such conditions, the political analyst asserted, which means that a reconciliation relied on by the Palestinian people would not be achieved.

“We’re not talking about this to undermine Egypt, as Egypt is too big to be undermined, but we put these matters out there now so the picture becomes clear to everyone, and to reveal the nature of the [Egyptian] regime, which works to materialize the interests of Israel and America at the expense of the interests of the Palestinian people,” the writer went on to say.

Source: Ezzedeen AL-Qassam Brigades - Information Office.
Link: http://www.qassam.ps/news-3691-Egyptians_know_the_next_Israeli_war_on_Gaza.html.

Eerie calm follows big blast at Indonesian volcano

By SLAMET RIYADI, Associated Press

MOUNT MERAPI, Indonesia – Thousands of villagers returned to their homes along the slopes of Indonesia's most volatile volcano Sunday, taking advantage of an eerie lull following its most powerful eruption in a deadly week to check on crops and livestock.

Scientists warned, however, that the notoriously unpredictable mountain could burst back to life at any minute.

On the other side of the archipelago, aid deliveries to survivors of a tsunami that barreled into the Mentawai islands one week ago, killing at least 449 people, were expected to resume Sunday, thanks to a break in stormy weather that had grounded planes and ships.

A teenage girl with an open chest wound was among those waiting for help.

The simultaneous catastrophes have severely tested the emergency response network in Indonesia, which lies in the Pacific "Ring of Fire," a cluster of fault lines prone to earthquakes and volcanic activity.

Mount Merapi, which means "Fire Mountain," unleashed a terrifying 21-minute eruption early Saturday, forcing the temporary closure of a nearby airport and claiming the life of a woman who crashed on her motorcycle during a chaotic last-minute evacuation.

Two other people hospitalized with burn injuries died overnight, said Nelis Zuliastri from the National Disaster Management Agency, bringing the death toll from the volcano's activity to 38.

A fiery red glow emanated from its peak Sunday and black clouds of ash tumbled from its cauldron, but the violent bursts and rumbling of the last 48 hours had all but stopped.

"It's still dangerous," warned Surono, chief of the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation. "Often a major eruption, like the one we saw Saturday, is followed first by a period of silence, and then by another big blast."

Government camps well away from the base were overflowing with 53,000 people who have fled the mountain's eruptions, said Zuliastri.

More than 2,000 troops have been called in to help keep villagers away during periods of high activity.

When the mountain is calm, however, they are allowed to go back for several hours between dawn and early afternoon to check on their precious livestock and crops.

"My farm has been destroyed by volcanic debris and thick dust. ... All I have left now are my cows and goats," said Subarkah, a farmer from Balerante, a village less than two miles (three kilometers) from the crater's mouth.

"I have to find grass and bring it up to them, otherwise they'll die," he said.

In the tsunami zone, meanwhile, where more than 23,000 people have been displaced, a break in weather raised hopes that boats and helicopters would be able to ferry noodles, sardines and sleeping mats to the most distant corners of the Mentawai Islands.

Relief efforts were brought to a halt Saturday by stormy weather and rough seas.

The death toll climbed to 449 on Sunday up from 413 the previous day with the discovery of more bodies in the disaster-zone, said Zuliastri. But the number of missing — once in the hundreds — dropped to 96 as more islanders returned home after fleeing to safety in the hills.

Survivors were growing increasingly desperate.

At an overwhelmed hospital in Sikakap, the main town on Pagai Utara island, doctors said they need medical supplies to help about 150 injured in the wave. The hospital's swelteringly hot rooms were filled with the moans of patients with flushed, sweat-coated faces.

"We need morphine," said Dr. Alyssa Scurrah, who flew in from Sydney, Australia. She said the hospital was desperate for a generator, antibiotics and a chest drain.

One of Scurrah's patients was a 12-year-old girl who was struggling to breathe due to an open chest wound. She clenched her teeth and cried out as a doctor applied cotton pads to the gash along her rib cage.

The doctor said the girl needs to go to Padang for surgery, but no one could get off the island Saturday because of the weather.

"If she stays here, she may not live," Scurrah said.

___

Associated Press writers Achmad Ibrahim and Kristen Gelineau in the Mentawai islands and Niniek Karmini in Jakarta contributed to this report.

French airline makes landmark flight to Baghdad

By REBECCA SANTANA, Associated Press

BAGHDAD – A French airliner landed at Baghdad International Airport Sunday, becoming one of the first passenger planes to fly into the Iraqi capital direct from western Europe since the Gulf War and opening a potential new route to stronger international business ties.

The inaugural flight by France's Aigle Azur, which touched down shortly before 6 a.m. local time, carried French officials and journalists and was largely ceremonial. The airline won't begin regularly scheduled passenger flights for another two to three months, but if successful, the flights would mark an important milestone in Iraq's economic development.

"It will also be a chance, a new chance for the development of business between France and Iraq but more globally, between Europe and Iraq," said France's top trade official, Anne-Marie Idrac, who was on board the flight.

Some carriers, such as Austrian Airlines, fly from western Europe to the Kurdish city of Irbil. Regional airlines such as the Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways, Bahrain's Gulf Air, the Beirut-based MEA airline and Turkish Airlines fly to the Iraqi capital.

But there are no direct passenger flights between Baghdad and western Europe. Stockholm-based Nordic Airways launched commercial flights to Baghdad from Copenhagen, Denmark, in January 2009 but its operating license was revoked later that month.

The lack of major European carriers flying to Baghdad shows the difficulties the country is having attracting major foreign investments in anything but the surest economic bets. Although some Western companies placed bids in the country's first round of oil licensing last year, it was only for the biggest and safest fields.

When the airline began planning the route about a year ago, they wanted to begin passenger service immediately after the inaugural flight, said the president of Aigle Azur's executive board, Francois Hersen. But there wasn't enough passenger interest, in part due to Iraq's political and security problems.

The country is in its eighth month without a new government after March 7 national elections failed to produce a clear winner. And violence, although much reduced, continues to claim lives.

Hersen said the airline is confident they'll have enough customers when flights start in earnest early next year.

Attempts by Iraq's national carrier, Iraqi Airways, to launch flights to London in April were swiftly quashed when lawyers for neighboring Kuwait tried to confiscate the inaugural plane upon landing in London to settle debts related to Iraq's 1990 invasion of Kuwait.

The Aigle Azur flight, which took off late Saturday from Paris, carried a delegation of French business leaders planning to attend the Baghdad International Fair, an annual showcase designed to attract businesses to Iraq.

When regular flights begin early next year, the French airline plans to fly into Baghdad twice a week from Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport.

A ticket for one of the 124 economy seats will be about 1,500 euros, or $2,100. The 24 business class seats on the Airbus A319 will cost around 2,500 euros, or $3,500, each, Hersen said.

Aigle Azur is a French carrier operating out of Paris's Orly and Charles de Gaulle airports that mainly flies to locations in Africa such as Algeria, Mali, Morocco and Tunisia. They also operate flights to the French cities of Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Mulhouse and Toulouse.

The German carrier Deutsche Lufthansa AG was slated to begin regular flights between Munich and Baghdad Sept. 30 but canceled them due to a lack of customer interest.

The news was a blow to Iraq's hopes to reconnect Baghdad with international capitals since most Western airlines discontinued flights to the city after the 1991 Gulf War.

Many potential investors still view Iraq with trepidation.

"We are worried about security. We would not be able to come (to Iraq) by ourselves. The cost of security is too important to us," said a businessman on the flight, Lionel Cuenca, from the French company Gindre Duchavany, which specializes in copper products.

For years, many regional and Western carriers shied away from Iraq due to safety concerns. The few airlines that did fly in and out of the airport, formerly named after Saddam Hussein, performed a tight corkscrew when landing, a spiraling maneuver designed to protect them from missile attack.

Circassian heritage on display at dance performance

By Hana Namrouqa

AMMAN - The rich symbolism of Circassian folkways took center stage this week at the Highlanders Circassian dance show.

At Wednesday night's performance at the International Academy-Amman theater, 95 young dancers performed 10 traditional dances that depicted the history of the Circassian people and told stories drawn from their literature and myths.

Inaugurated by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Khalid Karaki, deputizing for Her Majesty Queen Rania, the dance concert opened with Qafa, a fast-paced dance set against a quick, lively tune that celebrates life and liberty.

Next, a group of girls dressed in pink costumes danced gracefully on their tip-toes in Thapa Qash, a dance symbolizing the warrior women who mastered the arts of fighting and horsemanship.

In Abzakh Widg, men and women danced in circles around a man wearing a long white coat made of fur, called a Tshaquah, and holding a decorated wooden object with his right hand, called a Dah Paah, which is usually carried by the eldest man in a Circassian dance gathering. The dance is one of the oldest Circassian dances and symbolizes love and joy.

Another dance, Bjadough Yislamay, imitated the movements of birds as girls floated like swans and men surrounded them like eagles.

In the Circassian tradition, a good dancer is a good fighter. The Oshehamafa dance displayed this linkage as a group of young men combined athletic dance moves with martial arts to the energetic rhythms of the baraban (a Circassian drum).

The dance show, named after the Highlanders dance troupe, an affiliate of the International Circassian Cultural Academy (ICCA), also featured dances from Turkey's Circassian community, including the Shapsigh Thaparish: a dance of the Shapsugh tribe that mimics the rhythm of heartbeats, while young men move their legs in imitation of horses.

In the merry Hakolash dance, which belongs to the Bjadough and Abzakh tribes, men and women danced to fast-paced music and the sound of the bkhashatsh, a wooden instrument that produces soft sounds when shaken.

The performance concluded with the Highlanders dance, known to Circassians in Jordan as "Shashan".

The concert, which had a second showing Thursday evening and concludes with a final performance Friday, is the ICCA's first annual show. It aims at celebrating Circassian culture and heritage and reinforcing the integration and harmony of Circassians within the Jordanian community, according to Dalal Kabarday, the academy's public relations coordinator.

Launched in August, the new academy seeks to preserve Circassian heritage with plans to organize courses in music, traditional embroidery and handicrafts, among other skills.

Headquartered in the Jandaweel neighborhood in west Amman, the ICCA, is a not-for-profit society registered with the Ministry of Culture.

The Circassians, an indigenous people of the northwest Caucasus region, are a non-Arab, Islamic people originally from the Caucasus region of western Asia. Southward Russian expansion during the 19th century forced between 1.5 and two million Circassians to emigrate south to the Ottoman Empire following the 19th century Russian-Circassian war, according to web sources.

The first wave of Circassian immigrants, who were mainly of Shapsugh extraction, arrived in Jordan in 1878 and took refuge in Amman. They were followed by the Kabardians, the Abzakh and Bzhedugh.

Unofficial figures place the Circassian population in Jordan at between 80,000 and 100,000.

Today, only a minority live in their divided ancestral homeland, mainly in three republics of the Russian Federation: Kabardino Balkaria, Karachay-Cherkessia and Adygheya.

29 October 2010

Source: The Jordan Times.
Link: http://jordantimes.com/?news=31373.

Turkish military's needs will be met by domestic production

Turkish PM Erdogan said that half of Turkish military's needs would be met by domestic production by the end of the year.

Saturday, 30 October 2010

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that Turkey's defense industry had made a great progress in recent years and that half of Turkish military's needs would be met by domestic production by the end of the year.

In his televised address to nation, Erdogan said that Turkish defense industry could meet only 25 percent of needs of Turkish Armed Forces in 2002. However, he said, it broke through a level at 46 percent in 2009.

"Our goal is to make it 50 percent by the end of this year," Erdogan said.

In 2002, sales of national defense industry was $ 1 billion. It rose to $2.5 billion in 2009.

"I hope we will see $3 billion this year. Also, exports of our defense industry companies climbed to $832 million from $240 million. Our target for 2011 is $1 billion," he said.

Erdogan added that Turkey had designed its first national infantry rifle.

"We will start serial production of that rifle in 2011. Turkish troops will carry weapons produced by our own means. We have also started production of our own tanks with all integrated systems. Prototypes of this tank, which we named 'Altay', are being built now. Moreover, prototype production of 'Anka', our unmanned aerial vehicle, has started. Test flights of 'Atak', our first national helicopter, will be made this year as well. Turkish engineers are also working on a project to build our first intelligence satellite 'Gokturk'. We plan to launch it in 2012," Erdogan said.

Source: World Bulletin.
Link: http://www.worldbulletin.net/news_detail.php?id=65737.

Turkish army chiefs boycott ceremony over Islamic headscarf

ANKARA — Turkish army chiefs boycotted an official ceremony at the presidential palace because the president's wife wore an Islamic headscarf, the press reported Saturday.

The army's top brass were conspicuous by their absence late Friday at a banquet thrown by President Abdullah Gul to commemorate the creation of the modern, secular Turkey in 1923.

The military organized a separate reception at the same time to give the generals an excuse not to accept the president's invitation, the reports said.

The secularist main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) also declined Gul's invitation.

Turkey's First Lady has worn the hijab, which covers the head and neck, since adolescence.

The boycott was criticized by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose wife also wears the headscarf.

The army's generals, who see themselves as custodians of the Turkish republic, regard the headscarf as a threat to the state's secular traditions and are against any relaxation of the ban on wearing them in schools and government buildings.

Hayrunnisa Gul and Emine Erdogan, as well as a number of other wives of leaders of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), all wear headscarves tied tightly over bonnets which completely conceal their neck and hair.

Erdogan, who has led the Islamist-rooted conservative government since 2002 reproached the generals, saying "the armed forces should have been present" at the presidential palace.

In the past, generals have attended the banquet to celebrate the founding of the Turkish republic but this year the president extended the invitation to wives, meaning that women wearing the veil would be present.

Gul, a former AKP cadre, has been pressing for a lifting of the ban on veils since he took office.

The ban on headscarves on university campuses was recently eased by the Higher Education Board (YOK), which used to be a bastion of secularism but is now headed by an Erdogan supporter.

Copyright © 2010 AFP. All rights reserved.

Turkey's Erdogan signals another airport for Istanbul

Erdogan said that Turkey was ranked the 4th in Europe in passenger transportation, while it was at the 22nd place in global ranking.

Saturday, 30 October 2010

The Turkish prime minister said on Saturday that Turkish Airlines (THY) was an international brand and Turkey's pride.

Speaking at the delivery ceremony of Turkey's national air carrier's newest aircrafts at Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen Airport, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said THY's fleet expanded to 149 with the 5 aircrafts that joined the airline company today.

Noting that THY had the youngest fleet in Europe at the moment, Erdogan said the company would have more than 200 aircrafts by the year 2014.

Erdogan said many airports had been constructed in numerous Turkish cities lately, adding the number of domestic passengers in the country had grown by 372 percent as the number of international passengers had increased by 77 percent in the last 8 years.

Pointing the improvement in Turkish aviation sector, Erdogan said a total of 6 companies including the national flag carrier THY competed with each other currently, noting that presence of private firms brought a certain richness to the sector.

Prime Minister Erdogan also said that another airport could be opened in Istanbul soon.

"Do not be surprised if you see the third airport in Istanbul in near future. Two airports cannot meet the demands at the moment. We do not want any delays in flights," he said.

Erdogan also noted that Turkey was ranked the 4th in Europe in passenger transportation, while it was at the 22nd place in global ranking.

"THY, without making any concessions in its quality and safety principles, has become the 6th most profitable company in the world. The company, which has turned into an international brand, has become the pride of this country," the prime minister said.

Turkish Airlines’ First Boeing 777-300ER Arrived in Turkey

Turkish Airlines’ First Boeing 777-300ER, which has been ordered to Boeing Company delivered by the Turkish Airlines.

Boeing 777–300 ER is lighter plane than its closest rival and helping for disposal. It also includes General Electric GE90-11BL Jet Engine.

Wits its 365 seats it also presents also 20% less operating cost than its rivals. 777-300ER also reduces carbon dioxide oscillation nearly 22% and it has 14.685 ranges.

It also has been accepting as most successfully double engine and two aisles plane. Turkish Airlines ordered nearly 12 Boeing 777-300 ER also nearly 61 company which operating around the world also ordered nearly 1100 of them.

Source: World Bulletin.
Link: http://www.worldbulletin.net/news_detail.php?id=65770.

Egypt's Bedouins celebrate diversity in annual festival

Sat, 30 Oct 2010

Marsa Alam, Egypt - Around 350 Bedouins from 21 tribes from across Egypt took part in the third Characters of Egypt festival to discuss their culture lives as nomads, organizers said Saturday.

"The main objective of the festival is to provide an opportunity for representatives of the different tribes which were living across the Egyptian desert for many years to meet and celebrate diversity," Walid Ramadan, one of the organizers, told the German Press Agency dpa, shortly before the festival came to an end.

The two-day event, which took place in Marsa Alam, some 175 kilometers south of the Red Sea resort of Hurghada, also attracted Egyptians and tourists.

The festival allowed them to find out more about tribal law and customs, ecosystems and ecotourism and native plant medicines.

Each tribe also showed off its own local dances, poetry, food and sports.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/351145,celebrate-diversity-annual-festival.html.

Road to Hope Convoy Stalled at Egyptian Border

Oct-30-2010
Salem-News.com

“Now we find ourselves in our third day at the Libyan / Egyptian border and we remain hopeful that the land route will be opened to us in the coming days” -Ken O’Keefe

(TOBRUK) - The Road to Hope humanitarian aid convoy continues its role in the international community’s collective mission to break the illegal siege of Gaza and deliver desperately needed aid to the people of Palestine in Gaza.

The convoy comprises 30 vehicles and 101 humanitarian aid workers. Among them are 8 survivors of the Israeli attack on the Freedom Flotilla, 7 of them were aboard the Mavi Marmara, including Ken O’Keefe who was involved in disarming two Israeli commandos.

The convoy has traveled four and a half thousand miles and is currently located at the Libyan / Egyptian border. As it stands the convoy finds itself at a standstill, with direct communication with the outside world being limited, and access to the internet very difficult.

It has always been a central aspect of the Road to Hope convoy that it acts in a non-political, non-confrontational manner. To work with and cooperate with every government in every country through which it traveled.

Thus far this approach has rewarded it with exceptional receptions in every nation. All of the North African governments have been extremely accommodating and the people of each nation even more so.

We must give special praise to the Libyan government for its constant support; when the convoy have had challenges, including breakdowns of vehicles, the authorities here have provided the means to repair those vehicles and continue our mission.

Ken O’Keefe: “Now we find ourselves in our third day at the Libyan / Egyptian border and we remain hopeful that the land route will be opened to us in the coming days”. The convoy departed from London with the understanding that the land crossing through Egypt had not been closed to it.

Convoy leader, Kieran Turner: “One reason for our optimism that we will travel the land route is the fact that the Al Quds convoy, a Libyan convoy also delivering aid to Gaza, is set to travel the land route in the coming days. For several weeks we have hoped to join our convoys and travel together.” However, the convoy is awaiting permission from the Egyptian authorities to pass through Egypt in this way.

Mr. Turner understands that there is a possibility the Egyptian government will deny the convoy the land route, in which case they will have only two acceptable options —

1) To press on via the land border without permission, at which time our only chance of success will be by way of significant international pressure and a reversal of a policy which tacitly supports the illegal siege of Gaza.

2) If the land route is denied the only remaining option is to deliver our aid by sea. This option inherently requires significant increases in the cost of our mission, and importantly, to all subsequent aid missions. The end result of this policy is a reduction in the already limited resources that can be brought to bear for the people of Palestine.

The convoy leadership urge the Egyptian authorities to allow us safe passage to Gaza by land in the coming days, allow the convoy to join the Al Quds convoy, and ultimately increase the “easing” of the blockade which continues to collectively punish the people of Gaza.

Mr. Ken O’Keefe calls on all the supporters of Palestine “to support Road to Hope and the Al Quds convoys by spreading awareness of our missions and encouraging Egyptian cooperation”.

Source: Salem-News.com.
Link: http://www.salem-news.com/articles/october302010/convoy-stalled.php.

Turkey lifts YouTube ban after more than 2 years

Sat Oct 30

ISTANBUL – Turkey said Saturday that it was lifting a ban on YouTube more than two years after it blocked access to the site because of videos deemed insulting to the country's founder.

Transport Minister Binali Yildirim, who is in charge of Internet issues, said the government has been in touch with Google, which owns YouTube. There was no longer any reason to ban the video-sharing site, he said, as the offending videos had been removed.

"In the end, common sense prevailed. The reasons for the YouTube ban do not exist anymore," Yildirim said.

"The ban has been removed," Yildirim said on NTV television. "But we didn't get here easily, we have been through a lot in the process. I hope that they have also learned from this experience and the same thing will not happen again. YouTube will hopefully carry out its organization in Turkey within the limits of law in the future."

Turkey's telecommunications authority banned access to YouTube in May 2008 after users complained that some videos insulted Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who founded the country in 1923. It is a crime in Turkey to insult Ataturk. The country has implemented reforms as part of a bid to join the European Union, but still faces questions about its record on free expression.

The country began blocking access to websites in 2007, after parliament adopted a law against cyber crime in an effort to curb child porn, prevent the dissemination of terrorist propaganda and stamp out illegal gambling.

More than 6,000 sites have been banned in Turkey according to Engelli Web, a site that monitors blocked pages.