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Sunday, November 28, 2010

Polls open across Egypt amid violence

Sun Nov 28, 2010

Egypt has opened polling stations for the country's parliamentary elections following a campaign marred by violence and a widespread crackdown on major opposition groups.

Polling stations opened at 8:00 a.m. (0600 GMT) on Sunday under tightened security as nearly 41 million Egyptians are eligible to vote. However, the turnout is expected to be low amid fears of clashes between supporters of rival candidates.

Initial results of the parliamentary elections are expected on Monday.

The polls start as human rights groups say the elections have already been compromised due to many arrests and violent attacks on the opposition activists as well as imposed restrictions on their candidates.

Rights groups called on Egypt to prevent its security forces from intimidating and harassing candidates and voters.

More than 1,000 supporters of the country's main opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood, and other opposition groups have been arrested while campaigning or in clashes with police in the past weeks.

The Muslim Brotherhood leaders say the government's crackdown on the opposition means there will not be even a semblance of free and fair elections.

Egypt's previous parliamentary elections in 2005 were marred by violence and fraud allegations as well.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/152932.html.

Syria blames ME instability on Israel

Sat Nov 27, 2010

Syria has blamed the lack of peace in the Middle East on Israel's political behavior, pointing out the disadvantages posed by Tel Aviv's attitude.

"The absence of peace in our region due to Israel's policies... raises tensions and undermines economic development and prosperity," said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during a news conference with his visiting Indian counterpart Pratibha Patil in the capital, Damascus on Saturday.

Israel has retained a technical state of war with Syria and Lebanon by refusing to return the countries' territories it occupied in 1967.

Damascus has also blasted Tel Aviv for its recent passage of a bill that requires a referendum ahead of any Israeli withdrawal from the territories, which Tel Aviv has claimed its own through occupation.

Syria's Foreign Ministry has said that the law -- which affects Syria's Golan Heights alongside other occupied lands -- "is addressed to those who still have illusions concerning the current Israeli government and who believe that it seeks peace."

Assad also hoped that Damascus-New Delhi's ties would contribute to the international efforts that aim at helping to put "an end to the suffering of the Palestinian people." An all-out Tel Aviv-imposed siege has prevented the access of 1.5 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to food, fuel and other necessities for more than three years now.

The Syrian leader further urged the freedom of the Middle East from weapons of mass destruction in an apparent reference to Israel, which is widely known to be the only owner of nuclear arms in the region.

Assad added that Iran and all other countries have a right to nuclear energy for peaceful means.

The comments came amid Tel Aviv's continued refusal to declare the nuclear arsenal and insistence on not joining the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) to which Tehran is a signatory.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/152900.html.

Hamas condemns PA-Israel talks

Sun Nov 28, 2010

Hamas has condemned any direct negotiations between the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Israel, saying the talks will not bring Palestinians peace but humiliation.

In a press conference in the Syrian capital on Saturday, Hamas Political Bureau chief Khaled Meshaal said the US-sponsored talks would lead to a sell-off of Palestinian rights, Reuters reported.

Meshaal pointed to the huge challenges the resistance is facing, especially in the West Bank, which is controlled by the rival Fatah party, and described the resistance to Israeli occupation as the only way to keep the Palestinian cause alive.

"Our inalienable rights are threatened with extinction if the scene in the West Bank does not change by launching the resistance against the Israeli occupation and the settlements," he told reporters in Damascus.

He also insisted that the Palestinian people would never relinquish their legitimate right to their land.

"The Palestinian people will not be bribed. They will not be cowed by Dayton's forces," he said, in a reference to PA forces trained by US Lieutenant General Keith Dayton.

"We are not talking about a business deal or making a profit. Our only capital is the land, identity and dignity," Meshaal stated.

"When there is such an imbalance of power, negotiations become a process of daily humiliation," he noted.

Hamas says all the territories occupied by Israel since the 1967 Six-Day War must be returned and all Palestinian refugees must be granted the right to return to their homeland.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/152927.html.

Venezuela gets $4bn Russian arms loan

Sun Nov 28, 2010

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez says Russia has given his country a $4 billion credit to purchase arms in order to reequip the nation's defense sector.

"We were in Russia not long ago and the Russian government has now given us a $4 billion credit to help us with defense equipment," Chavez said on Saturday at the 90th anniversary of Venezuela's air force.

"We are simply doing the task of defending the fatherland from the threat of the empire and its allies," Reuters quoted the Venezuelan president as saying.

Chavez did not offer any details on the material his country plans to purchase. In April, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin had stated that Venezuela was considering a $5 billion weapons order.

Washington has expressed its concerns about Chavez's purchases of tanks, fighter jets and air defense systems in the past years.

After the US imposed an embargo against Venezuela in 2006, the country has turned to Russia and China to meets its military necessities.

Venezuela is awaiting a delivery of tanks and air defense systems from Russia. It is also in the process of buying a dozen Y-8 transport planes from China.

Venezuela has already purchased K-8 training jets and an extensive radar system to upgrade its surveillance system, which has become largely useless following the US embargo.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/152987.html.

Iran offers Hariri to help Lebanese military

28/11/2010

TEHRAN (AFP) -- Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi on Sunday told Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri that Tehran was prepared to help the Lebanese army, state television's website reported.

"We have stated on several occasions, and we say it again today, that we stand alongside the Lebanese army and are prepared to cooperate" with it, Vahidi said during a meeting with the visiting premier, the report said.

In a symbolic move, Vahidi offered Hariri an Iranian-made sub-machine gun Tondar (Thunder), used in urban warfare. Iranian television showed pictures of the gilded weapon which was placed in a wooden box.

Hariri for his part expressed optimism that his visit would enhance cooperation between Iran and Lebanon in the field of defense, according to the report.

Hariri, who arrived in Tehran on Saturday for a three-day official visit, made the statement after visiting an exhibition dedicated to the achievements of Iran's defense industry.

"The stability, security and unity of Lebanon play a very important role in resolving regional and internal issues. Therefore, I wanted to come to Iran and see your defense achievements, even though it is contrary to the position of our enemies," Hariri was quoted as saying.

Earlier this month the United States, which accuses Iran of interference in Lebanon, lifted a freeze on $100 million in US military aid to Lebanon.

The Iranian minister also criticized a UN tribunal probing the 2005 assassination of Hariri's father, former premier Rafiq Hariri, while condemning his killers as "enemies of Lebanon."

"Today, some from outside Lebanon seek to take the security of Lebanon hostage, in the form of the tribunal," Vahidi said.

The tribunal is expected to implicate high-ranking Hezbollah officials in the murder, but the party has warned against this, prompting fears of sectarian conflict between Hariri's Sunni supporters and the Shiite Hezbollah.

Iran is a staunch backer of Hezbollah.

Ahead of the visit, a Lebanese ministerial source told AFP that Hariri hoped Iran would help to reconcile the rival pro-Western camp and Hezbollah.

Hariri is meeting Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Sunday evening and the two countries are also expected to focus on mutual cooperation, following up on 17 agreements signed during Ahmadinejad's October visit to Lebanon.

Source: Ma'an News Agency.
Link: http://maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=336752.

Jordan king defends parliament at inauguration

28/11/2010

AMMAN, Jordan (AFP) -- King Abdullah II defended Jordan's new parliament on Sunday but called for amendments to the electoral law challenged by Islamists, as he inaugurated the assembly after an election this month.

Dressed in formal military attire, the monarch told members of the Chamber of Deputies and Senate that "the Legislative Authority has a pivotal constitutional role."

"We do not accept any situation in which the role of the House of Representatives is undermined. And we do not accept any distortion of its image among the people," said the 48-year-old.

The king, who succeeded his father in 1999, appealed for "reform that increases public participation in the decision-making process," according to an official English-language transcript.

He said parliament could "amend" a temporary election law "as necessary to render this central legislation more conducive to advancing our democratic reforms, and adopt it as a permanent law."

Jordan's November 9 parliamentary election was conducted under the first system, which is strongly criticized as unfair by the opposition Islamic Action Front who boycotted the poll.

Pro-government loyalists kept control of the parliament after sweeping the vote, and a government with 11 new faces in the 31-member cabinet, including three women, took the oath of office on Wednesday.

King Abdullah II dissolved the parliament in November 2009, two years before the end of its mandate, after media allegations about ineffectiveness and corruption among MPs.

On Sunday, he vowed his government will "respect the right of media institutions to work freely and independently," but added reforms were needed "to protect citizens and their rights from unprofessional practices that falsify facts and harm our country."

He reiterated Jordan's support for Palestinians, "to help them put an end to occupation, to lift the injustice, and to establish their independent state on their national soil, with east Jerusalem as its capital."

"Jordan will also spare no effort in supporting our Iraqi brethren to preserve the stability and security of their country, and to regain Iraq's pivotal role in the region and the world at large," he said.

Source: Ma'an News Agency.
Link: http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=336715.

Kashmir issue eclipsed by Afghan situation: Fazl

Sunday, November 28, 2010

* Parliamentary committee on Kashmir chairman says will endeavor to put Kashmir back as top priority foreign policy issue

LONDON: Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir Chairman Maulana Fazlur Rehman said that the situation in Afghanistan impacted the Kashmir issue. In the changed circumstances, it has become a big challenge for all stakeholders in Pakistan to highlight the issue in an effective manner at the international stage, he added.

Rehman was speaking at a reception hosted in his honor by Pakistan’s High Commissioner to the UK Wajid Shamsul Hasan at the High Commission on Friday evening.

He said that post 9/11 events had posed new challenges in projecting the Kashmir issue and due to Pakistan’s own pressing problems in relations to war on terrorism and extremism, the matter had been pushed back, adding that the Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir had been endeavoring to put Kashmir back as a top priority foreign policy issue “In this regard, special committee members had been visiting foreign capitals to highlight the problem and seek international attention.” Rehman said he was of the opinion that Kashmir must remain the focal point of Pakistan’s foreign policy because the subject was linked to both regional and global peace.

The Kashmir committee chairman informed the gathering that during the last six decades, several rounds of talks had been held between Pakistan and India on Kashmir, but all ended without any progress because of the intransigency of India. “And for the past two years, these composite dialogues have completely stalled,” he added.

He stressed that Kashmir was not a territorial problem as it was related to human rights violation, involving around 14 million Kashmiris. Rehman appealed to the international community to pressurize India to withdraw forces from the Occupied Kashmir, stop state terrorism and allow human rights organizations to visit the valley and resolve the Kashmir issue.

“The international community should monitor the Indo-Pak dialogue and compel India to be serious in making the dialogue meaningful and result oriented,” he said. He added the mass movement continuing since 2008 had exposed Indian propaganda that the upsurge in the occupied Kashmir was a terrorist movement sponsored from abroad.

British MP from Birmingham, Yasmin Qureshi, also spoke on the occasion and pledged to raise the Kashmir issue in the House of Commons.

She said that in her opinion people of Kashmir should decide their own destiny, adding that there could be no stability or tranquility in the region without first solving the issue. The newly-appointed member of the upper House of Lords, Lord Qurban Hussain said the Kashmir issue had always been dear to him since he originated from the valley.

“It will be my endeavor to get India to agree to bring an end to the human right violations (there) and release all the prisoners,” he said, adding that he would strive to serve the cause of Kashmir as long as he remained a member of British Parliament.

MNA Aamir Magsi, a member of the delegation, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir Information Minister Mahmood Riaz, also spoke on the occasion and stressed the need to create more awareness about the Kashmir issue both at home and abroad.

Source: Daily Times.
Link: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\11\28\story_28-11-2010_pg7_11.

Egypt court cancels restrictions imposed on SMS news alerts

Sat, 27 Nov 2010

Cairo - An Egyptian court overruled on Saturday a decision by the telecommunications authority to impose restrictions on media companies that send out news alerts to cell phones.

The Administrative Court said the government's action were a restriction on freedom of expression and an unjustified intrusion on the SMS alert services. It is not yet clear if the government will try to appeal the verdict.

Last month, the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (NTRA) said that some 30 media companies operating in Egypt needed to obtain a permit to continue sending out news alerts to clients.

Media companies targeted included independent newspapers and channels considered to be critical of the government.

The daily al-Masry al-Youm said that to keep SMS rights they "were expected to pay" 500,000 Egyptian pounds (87,700 dollars) for the permit and an additional 500,000 Egyptian pounds for insurance in case they were found violating the new regulations.

Rights groups described the restrictions as another way to crack down on opposition ahead of this Sunday's parliamentary elections and next year's scheduled presidential vote.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/355432,imposed-sms-news-alerts.html.

Britain's opposition leader announces fresh start for Labor party

Sat, 27 Nov 2010

London - The leader of the British opposition, Ed Miliband, on Saturday called on his Labor Party to make a fresh start after their bruising defeat in general elections earlier this year.

"We have to show again we are the people who are the idealists, we are the people who are the optimists, we are the people who can represent the hopes, the dreams, the aspirations of the British people," he told his party's national policy forum.

He said the party had "lost its way" and needed to move "beyond New Labor," the concept thought up by his predecessors Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.

Labor could not afford to be wait for the governing Conservative- Liberal Democrat coalition to "screw up" and "simply be a strong opposition" but needed "to do that hard thinking of our own," he continued.

In a two-year revamp program, a series of working groups chaired by shadow cabinet ministers were to be set up to look at policy with reports eventually forming the basis of a general election manifesto.

Miliband also called on universities, charities, think-tanks and other independent institutions to come forward with ideas.

The former minister for Wales, Peter Hain, told BBC Radio 4 that the scale of the changes needed were comparable to those made by Blair when he took over the party in 1994, "at least of that magnitude," he said.

Blair was responsible for breaking with the party's traditionally socialist policies.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/355443,fresh-start-labour-party.html.

Spain's Basque separatists to form new anti-violence party

Sat, 27 Nov 2010

Pamplona - Spain's Basque separatists on Saturday announced the formation of a new political party which they say will reject all forms of violence.

The announcement, at a meeting of 300 representatives of the so- called Patriotic Left in the northern city of Pamplona, comes six months before local elections are due.

The goal of the party, which does not yet have a name and is to be registered in the coming weeks, would remain the creation of an independent and socialist Basque state.

"Violence has no place in the strategy of this new political project," said Rufi Etxeberria, one of the leading members of the separatist party Batasuna.

Batasuna was banned in 2003 after Spanish authorities accused it of acting as a political front for ETA, the separatist paramilitary group, charges the party denied.

The most recent attempts by Batasuna supporters to take part in elections with another party foundered after they refused to reject violence.

Since then they have demanded that ETA also reject violence. Until now however, ETA has only declared a ceasefire, as of September 5.

With an eye on the upcoming elections, the government and the conservative opposition on Friday agreed to revise party law in order to make it more difficult for ETA supporters to take political office.

The amendment will allow ETA sympathizers to be relieved of their mandates even after they have been elected.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/355451,form-new-anti-violence-party.html.

Pakistani president starts four-day visit to Sri Lanka

Sat, 27 Nov 2010

Colombo - Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari began a four- day visit to Sri Lanka on Saturday, officials said.

The president is due to call on his Sri Lanka counterpart Mahinda Rajapaksa on Sunday for talks on a range of topics, including trade and defense.

"The visit is aimed at further strengthening bilateral ties between the peoples of the two countries which date back to the days of Buddhist civilization and have been marked by a shared interest in regional peace and stability and the fight against militancy," a statement from the Pakistani government said.

The Pakistani president will preside over the Sri Lanka-Pakistan Business Forum on Monday.

Foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Defense Minister Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar are among those accompanying the president.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/355452,four-day-visit-sri-lanka.html.

Thousands protest Ireland's harsh austerity plan - Summary

Sat, 27 Nov 2010

Dublin - Thousands took the streets of Dublin Saturday to protest against the government's austerity budget required for a multi-billion-euro international bailout, to be finalized Sunday.

Public service workers, students and left wing political groups were among the more than 50,000 people who marched through the Irish capital under the banner of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU).

Jack O'Connor, president of the SIPTU trade union, told the crowd the government's recovery plan and bailout is "about rescuing the people at the top of the banks in France and Germany."

German and France are participating in the European Union- International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout totaling 85 billion duros (114 3 billion dollars), which is expected to be finalized Sunday.

The austerity plan detailed 15 billion euros' (20 billion dollars) worth of cuts and tax increases, 6 billion euros of which are to be implemented in 2011.

ICTU claims the austerity measures will drive the country into poverty.

Ireland was forced to act after its banks ran up huge debts that threatened to derail the government's attempts to borrow on capital markets, posing a threat to the stability of the euro.

Protesters in the rally assembled on the south quays in Dublin city center at midday and walked to the General Post Office (GPO) in the main thoroughfare, O'Connell Street.

The GPO was chosen as its a symbol of Irish sovereignty as it is the site of the Easter Rising in 1916, the rebellion which initiated the process of obtaining Irish independence from Britain.

Irish police said the protest passed peacefully, with no arrests made during the day.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/355455,austerity-plan-summary.html.

German President Wulff arrives in Israel - Summary

WARNING: Article contains propaganda!

* * * * *

Sat, 27 Nov 2010

Berlin/Jerusalem - German President Christian Wulff arrived in Tel Aviv Saturday night for a four-day visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories.

He took along Annalena Wulff, his 17-year-old daughter, and other German teenagers to emphasize Germany's commitment to teaching its children about the evils of the Holocaust. Making amends is a focus of Germany's special relationship with Israel.

The visit, an official rather than a state one, does not include any appearance before Israel's parliament. Five years ago, Wulff's predecessor Horst Koehler made history by speaking in the Knesset main chamber.

Israeli President Shimon Peres will be the first to receive Wulff on Sunday morning in his residence. The German president is then scheduled to visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem with Annalena, his daughter from his first marriage.

At the end of the day Wulff is set to hold a meeting with the Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman.

On Monday Wulff is due to meet Israeli writer David Grossman, the leader of the opposition party Kadima, Tzipi Livni, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He will also meet German business people and Holocaust survivors during the course of the day.

The trip concludes Tuesday with a visit to the West Bank Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem and a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Wulff was appointed to Germany's mainly ceremonial role of head of state just under six months ago.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/355461,arrives-israel-summary.html.

Low turnout in Slovakian local elections - Summary

Sat, 27 Nov 2010

Bratislava - Polls closed Saturday in local Slovakian elections at 8 pm (1900 GMT), after a low turnout and some reports of vote-rigging.

Votes from members of the Roma community in particular were reported to have been bought or swapped for goods.

According to local electoral committees, voter turnout may have stood at under 47.65 per cent, recorded four years ago and the country's lowest ever level. Results are not expected until Sunday.

The elections seen as the first test for the center-right government of Prime Minister Iveta Radicova.

The four-party government has ordered a strict austerity plan for the country and ruffled feathers around Europe for its criticism of EU aid for less frugal countries. It was the only member of the European Union that refused to contribute to the EU aid package for Greece.

The mayoral race in the capital Bratislava has drawn the most attention.

The capital has traditionally been the stronghold of the more conservative parties currently in government. However, polls have shown that for the first time a leftist candidate might have a chance of winning.

The two Christian Democratic parties KDH and SDKU, which have ruled the capital since Slovakia threw off Communism, have been discredited by numerous accusations of corruption and maladministration.

Their candidate, former actress and diplomat Magdalena Vasaryova, is also inexperienced in local politics.

Her strongest opponent, Milan Ftacnik, on the other hand, has broad cross-party appeal and has enjoyed a scandal-free period of government in the largest district of Bratislava for the past few years.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/355467,local-elections-summary.html.

State cracks down on Salafi literature at Algiers book fair

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Lamine Chikhi

Reuters

ALGIERS: Algeria is cracking down on imports of books preaching the ultra-conservative Salafist branch of Islam, officials and industry insiders say, in a step aimed at reining in the growing influence of the ideology.

Salafism is a school of Islam that has its roots in Saudi Arabia and emphasizes religious purity. Its followers reject the trappings of modern life, including music, Western styles of dress and taking part in politics as conventionally defined.

Algeria has for years turned a blind eye to Salafism, but recent shows of strength by its followers – including some Salafist clerics refusing to stand for the national anthem – have focused official attention on the group.

Customs officers and officials from the Religious Affairs and Culture ministries have been given instructions to enforce more tightly an existing list of banned literature, and have been policing industry events where books are on sale.

“This year, instructions to pay attention to Salafist literature were tough,” said Mohammad Mouloudi, an anti-Salafist publisher and importer of religious books.

Hundreds of Salafists, with their trademark beards and white “khamis” (gowns) visited the annual Algiers International Book Fair earlier this month. They usually frequent the event in order to buy up religious literature in bulk for resale.

On this occasion, however, customs officers were present at the fair in large numbers, preventing the Salafist buyers from doing business as usual. Groups of uniformed officers patrolled vendors’ stands, checking the books on sale against their list of banned literature.

The officers also intercepted any buyers who had bought several large plastic bags of books. According to a Reuters reporter, 90 percent of the people stopped had beards and were wearing khamis.

“Those who resell are visible because they carry heavy bags full of books,” said a customs officer patrolling the fair, who asked not to be named. “Our job is to seize the books and give them one copy of each.”

An official from the of Culture Ministry said that 50 foreign publishers of Salafist literature who usually attend the fair – most of them from Egypt – had not been invited.

“They used to invade us with thousands of books dedicated to this category of people,” said the official, who also did not want to be identified, “and this is not what we want.”

Algeria’s authorities also try to intercept blacklisted religious books at ports and airports. Religious Affairs Ministry officials said these checks had also been tightened over the past year.

Despite the restrictions, Salafist bookshops still exist in Algeria, particularly in poor neighborhoods.

One typical title, by Saudi cleric Sheikh Abdel-Aziz Ibn Nada al-Otaibi, explains why all forms of music, including religious songs are considered “bidaa” (innovation), which is forbidden in Salafist jurisprudence.

Salafists – often associated with the Wahhabi interpretation of the Hanbali school of Sunni Islam, the official juridical school in Saudi Arabia – are a minority in Algeria, most of whose 35 million people adhere to more mainstream forms of Islamic thought.

Salafism has grown in influence over the past two decades, however, when the state was fighting an Islamist insurgency that left an estimated 200,000 dead.

Most of the Salafists were not involved in the violence, and the security services co-opted their religious leaders over the past 10 years to issue “fatwas,” or religious instructions, telling the insurgents to lay down their arms.

Salafists came under closer government scrutiny after they raised their profile this year by protesting against a plan to make women remove headscarves for passport photos, and by snubbing the national anthem.

“The government will implement the law against any attempt to introduce into our country practices or religious speeches from abroad,” said Prime Minister Ahmad Ouyahia in a speech in October, in an apparent reference to Salafism.

Made in Parliament, his remarks represent the first time in years that a high-level official had publicly expressed concern about Islamic ideas being imported into Algeria.

Algerian opponents of Salafism say it divides society, introduces values which are alien to Algeria and gives enormous power to a handful of clerics based in Saudi Arabia.

“Algerian Salafists are tools in Saudi Arabia’s hands,” said imam Sheikh Chemseddine Bouroubi, who follows a traditional Algerian school of Islam.

“Their goal is to spread Wahhabism in Algeria and elsewhere. We must stop them,” he told Reuters at the Algiers book fair.

Ibrahim Bergougui, a bearded and white-gowned Algerian Salafist, was standing nearby and listening to Chemseddine speak.

“It is not fair to say that we are a danger for our country,” he said. “Algerians must acknowledge that we have done a lot to put an end to the Islamic strife.”

“We have issued the fatwas that convinced the rebels to lay down arms.” He continued. “Chemseddine is a clown, not an imam.”

Source: The Daily Star.
Link: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=4&Article_id=121904#axzz16XCXoGOz.

Philippines bans deployment of workers to South Korea

Sat, 27 Nov 2010

Manila - The Philippines on Saturday stopped the dispatch of its workers to South Korea amid increasing tensions with North Korea, a deputy presidential spokeswoman said.

The decision was reached by a team that included officials from the foreign and labor departments who closely monitor the situation on the Korean Peninsula, Abigail Valte said.

Valte also clarified that the actual number of documented and undocumented Filipinos in South Korea is 46,000 not 60,000 as earlier reported by the Department of Foreign Affairs.

The Philippine military has placed the air force and navy on alert for the possible repatriation of thousands of Philippine workers from South Korea if the conflict escalates after North Korea on Tuesday fired artillery shells at a South Korean island near their disputed western sea border, killing two soldiers and two civilians.

Armed forces spokesman Brigadier General Jose Mabanta said the military was also ready to deploy troops to South Korea if necessary to help evacuate Filipinos working and living there if the conflict worsens.

About 10 million Filipinos work overseas, and the money they send home accounts for 10 per cent of the Philippines' gross domestic product.

The Philippines on Friday condemned Tuesday's attack and called on North Korea to abide by its obligations under international law and the UN Charter.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/355402,deployment-workers-south-korea.html.

Israeli soldiers wound 12-year-old boy in northern Gaza

Sat, 27 Nov 2010

Gaza - Israeli soldiers stationed on the border with the northern Gaza Strip shot and wounded on Saturday a 12-year-old boy, medics and witnesses said.

Adham Abu Selmeya, spokesman of the medical services in the coastal enclave ruled by Islamic Hamas movement told reporters that the boy was slightly wounded in the shooting near the town of Beit Lahia. The boy was collecting gravel when he was shot.

Witnesses said that Israeli soldiers at the border open fire at any resident who approaches a 300-meter buffer security zone on the Gaza Strip side of the border. They say this prevents farmers from reaching their fields that are close to the border area.

Abu Selmeya said that over the past several weeks, more than ten residents, most of them teenagers and children, had been wounded in the northern Gaza Strip in gunfire from the Israeli soldiers.

However, witnesses say that dozens of teens, children, men and women still venture into the area to collect rocks and gravel from the evacuated Jewish settlements and then sell them to earn some money.

The Gaza Strip has been under a tight Israeli blockade for four years. It was tightened after the Islamic movement of Hamas seized control of the enclave by force in June 2007.

The blockade has led to a shortage of construction materials for new housing in the Gaza, leading residents to search for gravel in the former settlements.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/355416,12-year-old-boy-northern-gaza.html.

UN chief of staff meets Myanmar opposition leader - Summary

Sat, 27 Nov 2010

Yangon - The chief of staff of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon met Saturday with Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi who was released from seven years of house arrest two week ago.

Vijay Nambiar arrived Saturday morning in military-ruled Myanmar to assess the post-election political climate on a three-day trip.

He met briefly with Foreign Minister Nyan Win before holding a 90-minute interview with Suu Kyi at her National League for Democracy (NLD) headquarters in Yangon.

"The conversation was very good," Suu Kyi said. "It was a valuable meeting. We heard the views of the UN secretary-general but one meeting is not enough. We need more meetings."

Nambiar, who is also Ban's special envoy on Myanmar affairs, was the first senior UN official to meet with Suu Kyi since her release November 13.

Ban and Western democracies had been demanding the release of Suu Kyi and 2,100 other political prisoners languishing in Myanmar jails for years.

Her release came a week after Myanmar held a general election for the first time in two decades.

The balloting was dominated by the pro-junta Union Solidarity and Development Party, but the military-staged exercise has been widely criticized by Western democracies as a sham.

Observers said they believe Suu Kyi's release was designed to deflect international criticism from the fraudulent electoral process and calm public outrage in Myanmar.

Suu Kyi is hoping the UN will pressure the regime to hold a dialogue with her and other opposition groups before lifting economic sanctions.

Her NLD was excluded from the election by regulations imposed by the military shortly before the vote.

Myanmar has been under military dictatorships since 1962. The previous general election of 1990 was won by the NLD, but its elected lawmakers were blocked from assuming office.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/355420,opposition-leader-summary.html.

Kenyan game wardens shoot dead two poachers

Fri, 26 Nov 2010

Nairobi - Game wardens have shot dead two poachers in Kenya's Amboseli National Park, the Kenya Wildlife Service said Friday.

Three others escaped with injuries during the incident on Thursday.

"The dead, a Kenyan and Tanzanian, were gunned down while shooting at a herd of elephants," the KWS said in a statement. "The other suspects escaped with injuries and are still being pursued."

The gang is believed to have killed two elephants in the same park three weeks before.

The ivory trade has been banned since 1989, but illegal sales have thrived with demand being fueled largely by the Far East.

Kenya's elephant population plummeted from 153,000 to 19,000 over the fifteen years prior to the ban. It has since recovered to around 35,000.

However, poaching is on the rise again. According to the KWS, 204 elephants were killed by poachers in Kenya last year, compared to 47 in 2007.

Philippine military prepares to evacuate citizens from South Korea

Fri, 26 Nov 2010

Manila - The Philippine military has placed the air force and navy on alert for the possible repatriation of thousands of Philippine workers from South Korea, a spokesman said Friday.

Brigadier General Jose Mabanta said the military was also ready to deploy troops to South Korea if necessary to help evacuate Filipinos working and living there if the conflict worsens.

"Whatever transport aircraft and ships available are being readied right now for any eventuality," he said. "We will make available all military resources."

There are about 60,000 Filipinos in South Korea, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs.

They were alerted of their possible evacuation after North Korea on Tuesday fired artillery shells at a South Korean island, killing two soldiers and two civilians and leading to a sharp escalation in military tensions.

The Philippines on Friday condemned the attack and called on North Korea to abide by its obligations under international law and the United Nations charter.

"The Philippines calls for an end to provocative actions that raise tensions and adversely affect peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula and in the Asia-Pacific region," it said.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/355286,evacuate-citizens-south-korea.html.

Tension in Macedonia after police raid opposition TV station

Fri, 26 Nov 2010

Skopje - Macedonian opposition and ruling nationalists traded accusations late Thursday in the wake of a raid on a private television channel, local reports said Friday.

Police and tax inspectors raided the television station A1 and other businesses registered at the same address. A massive police presence was visible in front of the building on Friday morning, the Makfaks news agency said.

The raid began Thursday evening, with police blocking the entrance and barring anybody from entering or leaving. Journalists complained of being identified by officers and prevented from doing their job.

A crowd of more than 1,000 opposition leaders, activists and supporters quickly gathered in the street to protest the raid.

The opposition Social Democrats (SDSM) urged support for A1, insisting that the raid had been used to put pressure on the pro- opposition station and was an "introduction to a totalitarian regime."

The ruling nationalist VMRO-DPMNE party retorted by accusing SDSM of "blocking tax inspectors" and warning that "it is not good if there is a trend to hide murky businesses behind a media."

"Media and political parties should not front for any murky dealings," a spokesman, Ilija Dimovski said late Thursday. The interior ministry was expected to make a statement on A1 later Friday.

Two decades after breaking away from former Yugoslavia, Macedonia remains plagued by poverty, corruption and tensions between the majority Slavic population and minority Albanians.

VMRO won its second consecutive parliamentary election in 2008 in elections marred by violence.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/355288,raid-opposition-tv-station.html.

Seven injured as car bomb hits tribal convoy in northern Yemen

Fri, 26 Nov 2010

Aden, Yemen - Seven people were injured after a suicide bomber struck a tribal convoy with a car bomb in north-western Yemen on Friday, tribal sources said.

The sources told the German Press Agency dpa the attacker had rammed a car packed with explosives into the convoy in Sahar district of the north-western province of Saada early Friday.

The convoy was carrying tribesmen to the funeral of Badruddin al- Houthi, the father of Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, the leader of a Shiite rebel group.

Badruddin died on Thursday, they said.

This is the second car bomb attack in the Shiite stronghold in northern Yemen this week. On Wednesday 15 people were killed in a similar attack.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/355289,seven-injured-as-car-bomb-hits-tribal-convoy-in-northern-yemen.html.

India to help rebuild Sri Lankan railways damaged in war

Fri, 26 Nov 2010

Colombo – The Indian government agreed Friday to help rebuild railway lines damaged during fighting between Sri Lankan government troops and ethnic Tamil rebels in the north of the country, officials said.

The two countries signed a credit agreement for 416 million dollars at the President's Office in Colombo for the construction of the rail lines.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa and visiting Indian External Affairs Minister SM Krishna attended the ceremony.

The project is to rebuild rail lines between Vavuniya town and Jaffna city and from Medawachchiya to Mannar that were damaged during fighting with the separatist rebels, which lasted 26 years and ended last year with the rebels' defeat.

"In most areas, the railway lines do not exist as the tracks were removed by the rebels for their bunkers," a railway official said.

The Indian government is also helping Sri Lanka to construct 50,000 houses for people displaced by the war. The first phase of the project is to be launched Saturday when Krishna tours the north.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/355312,lankan-railways-damaged-war.html.

إعمار غزة يبدأ بـ40 وحدة سكنية

27/11/2010 م

أحمد فياض-غزة

تمت في غزة أولى خطوات إعادة الإعمار ببناء أولى المباني السكنية لإيواء أصحاب البيوت المدمرة في ذات أماكن سكناهم التي دمرها الاحتلال خلال عدوانه على قطاع غزة نهاية عام 2008 ومطلع عام 2009.

فقد شرعت جمعية دار الكتاب والسنة في بناء 40 وحدة سكنية في محافظتي غزة والشمال بتمويل من جمعية التربية الإسلامية بمملكة البحرين، لتكون المملكة أول دول العالم التي تشرع في إعادة إعمار ما دمره الاحتلال.

وأكد رئيس جمعية دار الكتاب والسنة الشيخ عبد الله المصري أن العمل في إعادة البناء بدء فعليا عبر بناء 20 وحدة سكنية، حيث وصل فيها البناء إلى مراحل متقدمة بانتهاء مرحلة التأسيس وتجهيز القواعد، والعمل جار على استكمال مرحلة إقامة الأعمدة والإعداد للسقف في بعض المنازل.

لكنه أشار إلى أن مخلفات الحرب التي خلفها الاحتلال عرقلت جزئيا العمل في بعض الوحدات، غير أنهم نجحوا في التغلب عليها بالتنسيق مع الجهات المختصة في الحكومة الفلسطينية المقالة.

وأوضح الشيخ المصري للجزيرة نت أن اختيار الأسر المستفيدة من المشروع تم بالتنسيق مع الجهات المختصة في وزارة الأشغال العامة في الحكومة، علاوة على الأخذ بعين الاعتبار المستوى المعيشي للأسرة وحجم الضرر وعدد أفرادها، مؤكدا أن الجمعية ستواصل تنفيذ مزيد من المشاريع المتعلقة بإعادة الإعمار سواء على مستوى الإنشاءات الخدمية أو المباني السكينة التي يستفيد منها السكان.

تجاوز التداعيات

وشدد على أن الجمعية تحاول تجاوز تداعيات الحصار بوسائل عدة وتقديم الإعانات التي يحتاجها المحاصرون في أكثر من مجال، مشيرا إلى أن بناء 20 منزلا في البداية يمثل رسالة وفاء لأصحاب البيوت المهدمة وتحديا للاحتلال، ويعكس حرص مملكة البحرين على أن تكون سباقة لتقديم يد العون للفلسطينيين بصرف النظر عن الزيادة في تكاليف مشاريع البناء.

وعبّر المصري عن تقديره الكبير للبحرين ممثلة في ملكها وحكومتها وشعبها المعطاء، وخصوصا جمعية التربية الإسلامية التي لها سلسلة من مشاريع الخير والبذل والعطاء في شتى المجالات بقطاع غزة، داعيا كافة الدول والمؤسسات إلى أن تحذو حذو البحرين ومؤسساتها الخيرية وتتجاوز عقبة تكاليف الإنشاءات المرتفعة، لأنه لا يمكن أن ينتظر المشردون إلى الأبد، على حد وصفه.

من جانبه ذكر مدير المشاريع في الجمعية المهندس يوسف ضهير أن مشروع البناء يتوزع على مناطق عدة في مدنية غزة وشمالها، ويتوزع على الأسر الأكثر تضررا من اعتداءات الاحتلال، ويستهدف المعاقين والعاطلين عن العمل.

وبين ضهير للجزيرة نت أن ظروف الحصار عرقلت مجموعة من المشاريع الإنشائية بالجمعية، لكن صعوبة الاستمرار في الوضع الراهن دفعها إلى الشروع في عدد من المشاريع الإنشائية رغم الزيادة الكبيرة في تكاليف البناء.

المصدر: الجزيرة.
الرابط: http://www.aljazeera.net/NR/EXERES/18CD01B2-D95E-4CDD-91C7-F1801CA060CB.htm.

مصر تواصل حبس مراسل الجزيرة نت

27/11/2010 م

على ذمة التحقيق
مصر تواصل حبس مراسل الجزيرة نت

الجزيرة نت-القاهرة

قررت نيابة السادس من أكتوبر أول أمس الخميس، حبس مراسل الجزيرة نت بدر محمد بدر، 15 يومًا على ذمة التحقيق، وترحيله إلى سجن المحكوم بمنطقة طرة، وهو سجن مخصص لقضاء فترات الحبس الاحتياطي، ويعد من أسوء السجون في مصر، حسب محاميه علاء زلط.

وقال المحامي إن محضر ضباط أمن الدولة يتضمن ثلاث تهم، اعتاد أمن الدولة على توجيهها لأفراد جماعة الإخوان المسلمين، وهي الانتماء لجماعة محظورة، وترويج أفكار الجماعة، وحيازة مطبوعات ومنشورات.

وأضاف زلط أن التحقيقات مع بدر استمرت نحو أربع ساعات، انتهت في الساعة الواحدة صباح الخميس الماضي. وأكد المحامي أن بدر رد على اتهامات محضر ضباط أمن الدولة بالقول إنه يعمل في المجال الإعلامي بحكم تخصصه كصحفي منذ ثلاثين عامًا، وإنه عضو في نقابة الصحفيين المصريين.

وأضاف بدر عندما سئل لماذا يعمل مع الجزيرة، بأن العمل مع الجزيرة ليس تهمة، إلا أنه أكد لوكيل النيابة أن سبب اعتقاله يعود لإصرار زوجته على ممارسة حقها القانوني والدستوري بالترشح لعضوية مجلس الشعب، فقط لا غير، لأنه على مدار 30 عاما قضاها في العمل الإعلامي لم تكن لديه أي مشكلة مع الأمن، ولم يقبض عليه في أي قضية أو مشكلة.

يذكر أن عزة الجرف زوجة بدر كانت مرشحة الإخوان على مقعد الكوتة النسائية في دائرة 6 أكتوبر، وقد امتنعت مديرية 6 أكتوبر عن استلام أوراق ترشيحها، رغم حصولها على العديد من الأحكام القضائية التي تمكنها من تقديم الأوراق، وإدراج اسمها ضمن المرشحات.

وقال المحامي إن بدر شكا لوكيل النيابة سوء المعاملة التي لقيها من ضباط أمن الدولة، من احتجازه لأربع ساعات في سيارة الترحيلات، ومنعه من الذهاب إلى دورة المياه، وعدم وجود منفذ جيد للتهوية، على الرغم من مرضه بالسكر والكبد.

وأشار زلط إلى أن المنشورات التي تحدث عنها محضر ضباط أمن الدولة لا تخص بدر، ومع ذلك فإنها كانت لا تحمل أي أفكار ضد النظام، مثل "شروط عضوية مجلس الشعب"، و"معًا نرفض التعديلات الدستورية"، و"مصر لكل المصريين"، وكلها عبارة عن مقالات مكونة من صفحتين أو ثلاث.

المصدر: الجزيرة.
الرابط: http://www.aljazeera.net/NR/EXERES/5E93DE9E-2B7F-4660-9A75-90CA87277713.htm.

أسرى العرب منسيون بسجون إسرائيل

27/11/2010 م

محمد محسن وتد–أم الفحم

منذ انطلاق الثورة الفلسطينية عام 1965 اعتمدت المقاومة على الدعم الخارجي، حيث كانت الدوريات أساس العمل الوطني الفلسطيني المقاوم، ووقع المئات من مقاتلي الدوريات في الأسر فزج بهم في السجون الإسرائيلية إلى جانب الفلسطينيين.

وبعد خروج المقاومة الفلسطينية من بيروت تراجع نشاط الدوريات مما أدى بالتالي إلى تراجع أعداد الأسرى العرب.

جنسيات مختلفة

وبحسب منسق قضايا الأسرى في لجنة المتابعة بالداخل الفلسطيني الأسير المحرر منير منصور، فإنه يقبع خلف قضبان الاحتلال 80 أسيرا أردنيًا منهم 30 من أصل فلسطيني، وسبعة مصريين، وستة سوريين من الجولان، وأسير سعودي يدعى عبد الرحمن العطوي وقد انتهت محكوميته، إلى جانب 120 سودانيا طلبوا حق لجوء سياسي وتلقوا الأسر بدلا عنه.

وأشار إلى أن 20 أسيرا أجنبيًا من الهند وباكستان واليونان وسويسرا وفرنسا، كانوا انخرطوا في المقاومة الفلسطينية، ما زالوا أسرى عند الاحتلال.

وقال منصور إن مصطلح الدوريات يطلق على المقاتلين ممن جاؤوا عبر الحدود إلى فلسطين في عمليات فدائية، وقد يكون هذا المقاتل فلسطينيا أو عربيا أو أجنبيا.

وتابع أنه "عقب صفقة النورس عام 1985، أفرج عن 400 أسير عربي من أصل 1150 أسيرا أفرج عنهم لاحقا، ومنذ ذلك الحين حدث تراجع في أعداد أسرى الدوريات".

وأكد للجزيرة نت بقاء عشرات الأسرى الأجانب في سجون الاحتلال وعدد من المصريين والأردنيين وأسير سعودي، ومؤخرا هناك ظاهرة اعتقال السودانيين.

وأوضح منصور أن إسرائيل أفرجت عن أسرى من العراق وليبيا والكويت والإمارات والمغرب والجزائر دون صفقات، وذلك بعد إصابتهم بأمراض مزمنة، وتم إبعادهم عن طريق الصليب الأحمر.

تجاهل الحكومات

وبخصوص التواصل مع الأسرى قال إن "منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية ترعى إلى يومنا هذا جميع الأسرى العرب والأجانب الذين قاتلوا في صفوفها، وهناك تواصل غير منتظم مع من بقي من الأسرى العرب من خلال الصليب الأحمر، لكن التواصل الأهم من قبل عائلات الأسرى الفلسطينيين وتحديدا من القدس والداخل، فكل عائلة تبنت لها أسيرا عربيا وهذا يخفف من معاناتهم".

وأضاف "لا أتذكر أي دور للنظام المصري بخصوص أسراه في السجون الإسرائيلية، أما فيما يتعلق بأسرى الأردن فهناك إشكالية لأن العشرات منهم من أصل فلسطيني، وإسرائيل تعارض أي تدخل بشأنهم، ومن بقي منهم يهتم بهم النظام الأردني، ولكن ليس بالشكل المطلوب لإطلاق سراحهم".

وقال منصور "كانت لنا جلسات مع مسؤولين في السفارة الأردنية. وقام وفد السفارة بزيارات منتظمة للأسرى الأردنيين، كما أن القوى الوطنية بالأردن تكثف نشاطها وضغوطها، وأسفر ذلك عن ترحيل بعض الأسرى للأردن، لكن المطلوب هو ضغط عربي أكثر يؤدي في نهاية المطاف لإطلاق سراح جميع الأسرى العرب".

عزل عن العالم

من جانبه طالب عضو الكنيست جمال زحالقة وزير الأمن الداخلي يتسحاق أهرنوفيتش -المسؤول عن المعتقلات والسجون في الحكومة الإسرائيلية- بكشف الإحصائيات الدقيقة للأسرى العرب، ومكان وظروف اعتقالهم، وبالسماح بزيارتهم.

وقال زحالقة للجزيرة نت إن "هناك تعتيما على أسرى الدوريات في سجون الاحتلال، فعدا عن الأسرى اللبنانيين الذين أفرج عنهم في صفقات التبادل، بقي العشرات من الأسرى العرب، أما المصريون والأردنيون تحديدا فالمعلومات عنهم شحيحة، وبحسب معلوماتي لم يكن هناك أي تحرك جدي من قبل دولهم للإفراج عنهم".

وأوضح أن الأسرى العرب يعانون ظروف الأسر كالفلسطينيين، ويحرمون من أبسط الحقوق، ويقمعون نفسياً وجسدياً، ويعانون من الاضطهاد والغربة وحرمانهم من الزيارات، وعدم السماح لهم بالاتصال بذويهم للاطمئنان عليهم.

وبعث عضو الكنيست إبراهيم صرصور رسالة إلى سفراء أجانب بتل أبيب، أرفق معها وثائق حول السجناء الأمنيين العرب بالسجون الإسرائيلية، وطالبهم بإيصال الملفات إلى حكومات بلادهم، للضغط على إسرائيل وتحسين ظروف سجن الأسرى الذين يرزحون تحت ضغوط نفسية وجسدية.

المصدر: الجزيرة.
الرابط: http://www.aljazeera.net/NR/EXERES/BD2DA350-04B0-4AF1-A1C0-162D9859B03C.htm.

China lags in scientific literacy

BEIJING, Nov. 26 (UPI) -- China is 20 years behind developed countries when it comes to scientific literacy but is gaining, a survey published Sunday indicates.

The China Association for Science and Technology said only 3.27 percent of Chinese have basic scientific literacy, Xinhua reported. That is up sharply from 1.6 percent in 2005 and 2.25 percent in 2007, said Ren Fujun, director of the China Research Institute for Science Popularization, which conducted the survey.

Yang Wenzhi, a science popularization director with the association, said the low literacy level stems from the country's slow development prior to the 1980s and poor quality education in the past.

"We are focused on catching up with the developed countries, and the gap is narrowing," Yang said.

Among rural Chinese, the survey shows, scientific literacy has grown from 0.72 percent to 1.51 percent, while for urban residents the rate has increased from 2.37 percent to 4.79 percent over the same period.

The national survey queried more than 68,000 people between November 2009 and May of this year.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2010/11/26/China-lags-in-scientific-literacy/UPI-35141290752072/.

China puts satellite in orbit

XICHANG, China, Nov. 26 (UPI) -- China launched a Long March 3A carrier rocket Thursday, putting a communication satellite into orbit around the Earth, officials said.

The rocket was launched at 12:09 a.m. from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province, Xinhua reported.

The "Zhongxing-20A" satellite is expected to improve China's radio and television broadcasts, officials at the launch center said in a statement.

It was the 135th launch of a Long March series rocket since April 24, 1970, the state-run news agency said.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2010/11/26/China-puts-satellite-in-orbit/UPI-10631290751130/.

Medvedev to address Parliament in Moscow

MOSCOW, Nov. 26 (UPI) -- President Dmitry Medvedev will deliver his third annual address on the state of Russia Tuesday, the government said Friday.

Under the constitution, the president annually addresses the Federal Assembly, comprising the Federation Council and the State Duma, in the Kremlin.

Members of the government and State Council, judges of the Supreme, Constitutional and Higher Arbitration Courts, chairmen of the Audit Chamber and Central Election Commission and religious leaders will attend, RIA Novosti reported.

Medvedev's address to the Parliament last year was his longest ever at 1 hour and 40 minutes.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2010/11/26/Medvedev-to-address-Parliament-in-Moscow/UPI-25621290776615/.

Algeria to launch domestic violence hotline

2010-11-26

Algeria will set up a domestic violence hotline in 2011, ANSA reported on Thursday (November 25th). According to Family Affairs Minister Hadjira Ait Mahdi, the "1526" hotline will be operational 24/7 to "help female victims of physical violence to express themselves and report the matter, as well as to directly contact centers for counseling, aid and information''. The line will provide access to psychologists, sociologists, legal experts and doctors.

In related news, the success of Libya's new domestic violence hotline was discussed Thursday at the Tripoli Police Academy during a workshop held to mark International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Calls to Libya's "1515" domestic violence, launched last March by Wa'atassimou charity head Aisha Kadhafi, have led to 833 legal and penal cases. Some 2,900 women have used the line and received help.

Source: Magharebia.com.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2010/11/26/newsbrief-02.

Rural education faces challenges in Morocco

Under-equipped and overcrowded rural schools in Morocco cause concern among educators, parents and officials.

By Sarah Touahri for Magharebia in Rabat – 26/11/10

Moroccan rural schools are suffering from classroom congestion and lack of facilities, National Education Minister Ahmed Akhchichine admitted to the Chamber of Councilors on Tuesday (November 23rd).

MPs questioned the minister on the state of education in the Moroccan countryside, drawing particular attention to overcrowding and a severe shortage of equipment. The ruling Istiqlal party criticized the practice of placing different year pupils in the same class and teaching them at the same time.

Hamid, a fifth- and sixth-year primary school teacher, faces this problem. He has to deliver lessons to one group while the others are completing exercises and vice versa.

"My classroom is very overcrowded. Three pupils have to share tables made for two. Those who arrive late even have to sit on the floor. It’s sickening. What’s more, the room doesn’t have a door we can close, or windows," he said bitterly.

He told Magharebia that while he is determined to fulfill his duty to help these children receive a good education, the reality can be sometimes be too much for teachers, pupils and parents to handle.

Girls in particular are missing school because of a lack of toilets. Ahmed Mechtioui told Magharebia that his brother stopped his 11-year-old daughter from going to school because of this problem.

"On top of that, it was really bad for her in the winter when it rained, because the school roof was leaking," he said.

Salwa, who has been teaching in rural schools for more than six years, emphasized that the difficulties with providing equipment, packed classrooms and combined classes affect the quality of teaching.

"It’s obvious that a teacher is not going to be able to deliver lessons of the same quality to pupils from different year groups studying in the same class. Even if you make a huge effort, the situation remains tough. Sometimes, even a class with pupils from a single year group can have more than fifty students," she said.

Akhchichine admitted to MPs that the situation remains depressing due to years of underdevelopment.

"We’re dealing with a backlog which dates back several decades. It’s obvious that good teaching requires a certain number of conditions. But this isn’t just the government responsibility alone. Civil society and local authorities must work with us on this," the minister said.

Still, he underlined that considerable efforts have been made over recent years to improve conditions in rural schools.

Classes with more than 45 pupils constituted 2.1% of all classes in 2008, and dropped to 1.7% in 2009, Akhchichine noted. The ministry hopes to create some 1700 primary school classrooms in rural areas between 2009 and 2012.

The Education Ministry is keen to overhaul "the whole school infrastructure in rural areas, to overcome the problem of self-governing classes scattered around the villages", he said, promising that the difficulties will be progressively resolved over the next ten years.

Source: Magharebia.com.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2010/11/26/feature-01.

US briefs allies about next WikiLeaks release

By JILL LAWLESS, Associated Press – Fri Nov 26

LONDON – U.S. allies around the world have been briefed by American diplomats about an expected release of classified U.S. files by the WikiLeaks website that is likely to cause international embarrassment and could damage some nations' relations with the United States.

The release of hundreds of thousands of State Department cables is expected this weekend, although WikiLeaks has not been specific about the timing. The cables are thought to include private, candid assessments of foreign leaders and governments and could erode trust in the U.S. as a diplomatic partner.

In Britain, Prime Minister David Cameron's spokesman, Steve Field, said Friday that the government had been told of "the likely content of these leaks" by U.S. Ambassador Louis Susman. Field declined to say what Britain had been warned to expect.

"I don't want to speculate about precisely what is going to be leaked before it is leaked," Field said.

In Washington, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said U.S. diplomats were continuing the process of warning governments around the world about what might be in the documents. Many fear the cables will embarrass the United States and its allies, and reveal sensitive details of how the U.S. conducts relations with other countries.

"We are all bracing for what may be coming and condemn WikiLeaks for the release of classified material," he said. "It will place lives and interests at risk. It is irresponsible."

The Obama administration on Friday warned that the WikiLeaks release would endanger "lives and interests."

Italy's foreign minister, Franco Frattini, said he spoke Friday with the U.S. State Department, which told him that there would be documents regarding Italy in the leak, "but the content can't be anticipated."

"We're talking about thousands and thousands of classified documents that the U.S. will not comment on, as is their custom," Frattini said.

The governments of Canada and Norway also said they had been briefed by U.S. officials. Israel's Foreign Ministry declined to comment on a report that it, too, had been informed.

In Iraq, U.S. Ambassador James F. Jeffrey told reporters that the leaks represent a serious obstacle to international diplomacy.

"We are worried about additional documents coming out," he said. "WikiLeaks are an absolutely awful impediment to my business, which is to be able to have discussions in confidence with people. I do not understand the motivation for releasing these documents. They will not help, they will simply hurt our ability to do our work here."

In Norway, U.S. officials released a statement from the ambassador to the newspaper Dagbladet with the understanding that it would not be published until after the WikiLeaks material came out, but the newspaper published the material ahead of time.

It quoted U.S. Ambassador to Norway Barry White saying that, while he could not vouch for the authenticity of the documents, he expected them to contain U.S. officials' candid assessments of political leaders and political movements in other countries. He said diplomats had to be able to have private, honest discussions to do their jobs.

The Obama administration said earlier this week that it had alerted Congress and begun notifying foreign governments that the whistle-blowing website is preparing to release a huge cache of diplomatic cables whose publication could give a behind-the-scenes look at American diplomacy around the world.

"These revelations are harmful to the United States and our interests," U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said. "They are going to create tension in relationships between our diplomats and our friends around the world."

Diplomatic cables are internal documents that would include a range of secret communications between U.S. diplomatic outposts and State Department headquarters in Washington.

WikiLeaks has said the release will be seven times the size of its October leak of 400,000 Iraq war documents, already the biggest leak in U.S. intelligence history.

The U.S. says it has known for some time that WikiLeaks held the diplomatic cables. No one has been charged with passing them to the website, but suspicion focuses on U.S. Army Pfc. Bradley Manning, an intelligence analyst arrested in Iraq in June and charged over an earlier leak.

Frattini, the Italian foreign minister, said Friday that he had been "told that the person responsible for this leak has been arrested." The Italian Foreign Ministry later said Frattini was talking about Manning.

WikiLeaks, which also has released secret U.S. documents about the war in Afghanistan, was founded by Julian Assange.

The Australian former computer hacker is currently wanted by Sweden for questioning in a drawn-out rape probe. Assange, 39, is suspected of rape, sexual molestation and unlawful coercion. He has denied the allegations, which stem from his encounters with two women during a visit to Sweden.

Cassini Reveals Oxygen Atmosphere of Saturn's Moon Rhea

Friday, November 26, 2010

A tenuous atmosphere infused with oxygen and carbon dioxide has been discovered at Saturn's moon Rhea by the Cassini-Huygens mission -- the first time a spacecraft has captured direct evidence of an oxygen atmosphere at a world other than Earth.

The NASA-led international mission made the discovery using combined data from Cassini's instruments, which includes a sensor designed and built at UCL's (University College London) Mullard Space Science Laboratory.

Published today in Science Express, results from the mission reveal that the atmosphere of Rhea, Saturn's second largest moon at 1500 km wide, is extremely thin and is sustained by high energy particles bombarding its icy surface and kicking up atoms, molecules and ions into the atmosphere.

The density of oxygen is probably about 5 trillion times less dense than in Earth's atmosphere. However, the formation of oxygen and carbon dioxide could possibly drive complex chemistry on the surfaces of many icy bodies in the universe.

"The new results suggest that active, complex chemistry involving oxygen may be quite common throughout the solar system and even our universe," said Dr. Ben Teolis, a Cassini team scientist based at Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio and lead author. "Such chemistry could be a prerequisite for life. All evidence from Cassini indicates Rhea is too cold and devoid of the liquid water necessary for life as we know it."

Dr. Geraint Jones, from the UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory and a co-author of the paper said: "The discovery of this tenuous atmosphere provides key information on how radiation can drive chemistry on icy surfaces throughout the universe."

Rhea's tenuous atmosphere makes it unique in the Saturn system. Titan has a very thick nitrogen-methane atmosphere, with very little carbon dioxide and oxygen.

UCL's Mullard Space Science Laboratory, supported by the Science and Technology Facilities Council, led the design and building of the electron spectrometer of the Cassini plasma spectrometer (CAPS), which detected negative ions streaming off Rhea's surface in 2005. Another part of CAPS detected positive ions on the opposite side of Rhea in 2005 and 2007. Completing the picture of Rhea's atmosphere, Cassini's ion and neutral mass spectrometer detected neutral particles when Cassini swept within 100 km of the moon's surface in March 2010.

Professor Andrew Coates, also from the UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory and co-author of the paper, said: "Our instrument turns out to be a fabulous detector of negative ions as well as electrons. We've already found negative ions are important at Titan and Enceladus -- and now, tracing back the trajectory of these ions really pinpoints the source of the atmosphere near Rhea's surface."

The ion and neutral mass spectrometer "tasted" peak densities of oxygen of around 50 billion molecules per cubic meter (1 billion molecules per cubic foot). It detected peak densities of carbon dioxide around 20 billion molecules per cubic meter (about 600 million molecules per cubic foot). The plasma spectrometer also saw clear signatures of flowing streams of positive and negative ions, with masses that corresponded to ions of oxygen and carbon dioxide.

"Rhea's oxygen appears to come from water ice on Rhea's surface when Saturn's magnetic field rotates over the moon and showers it with energetic particles trapped in the magnetic field," said Professor Coates.

The carbon dioxide may be the result of "dry ice" trapped from the primordial solar nebula, similar to the case of comets, or it may be due to similar irradiation processes operating on the organic molecules trapped in the water ice of Rhea. The carbon dioxide could also come from carbon-rich materials deposited by tiny meteors that bombarded Rhea's surface.

The finding is consistent with earlier Cassini results that show Rhea to be a particularly dark-looking moon, sporting some carbon-based coating on its surface.

Source: Saturn Today.
Link: http://www.saturntoday.com/news/viewpr.rss.html?pid=32148.

Amid drought, Jordan asks for rain prayers

27/11/2010

AMMAN, Jordan (AFP) -- Jordan's ministry of religious affairs on Saturday urged citizens to gather next week and hold special prayers for rain across the parched kingdom.

A ministry statement said people should begin fasting for three days ahead of Thursday's planned prayers in Jordan, where a lack of rainfall could trigger a drought and exacerbate water shortages.

"Since the rains have been delayed and because of the pressing need for water in the country, we call on you to hold open-air prayers for rain on Thursday afternoon," said the statement.

Jordanians should "prepare for the Istisqa prayer by fasting for three days starting on Monday, and by stepping up devotion and charity work."

The special Muslim prayers known as Salat Al-Istisqa -- a ritual practiced since the time of the Prophet Mohammed -- are frequently held across the Middle East, where water is a precious resource, especially on the Arabian Peninsula.

Jordan, one of the 10 most water-impoverished countries in the world, has a population of about 6.3 million and consumes more than 900 million cubic meters of water every year.

The county, where 92 percent of the land is desert, depends mainly on rain to meet its needs with the agriculture sector representing 3.6 percent of overall gross domestic product.

More than 60 percent of the annual water consumption goes to agriculture. But five successive years of below-average rainfall has created a shortfall of 500 million cubic meters a year.

According to the water ministry, Jordan needs 1.6 billion cubic meters of water a year to meet its requirements by 2015.

Source: Ma'an News Agency.
Link: http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=336336.