Families of Haifa detainees worry as fire rages near city

03/12/2010

RAMALLAH (Ma’an) -- Ramallah's International Solidarity Institute called on Haifa's Damoun women's prison administration to ensure the safety of detainees, following requests for information from more than a dozen families of prisoners who fear for their safety.

The prison was evacuated as part of a massive fire rescue effort as international crews arrived in Israel to help douse the blaze, said to be the largest in the last ten years.

Each of the fifteen Palestinian women held in the facility have been recorded as safe, the institute said, adding that their lives were in the hands of the prison administration, urging officials to ensure their well being amidst the crisis.

The Palestinian women held in the evacuated prison were identified as: Amal Jum’a, Aminah Muna, Du’a Gayousi, Faten As-Sa’di, Fitna Abu Al-Ayash, Abeer Amro, Aysha Al-Obeiat, Suad Nazzal, Nisrin Abu Zineh, Iman Ghazawi, Latifa Abu Dra’, Ibtissam Isawi, Wurood Qassem, Sumod Karajah and Wafa Al-Lubs.

Source: Ma'an News Agency.
Link: http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=338436.

Official: Settlers set fire to West Bank land

03/12/2010

NABLUS (Ma’an) -- Israeli settlers set fire to Palestinian-owned olive groves near the evacuated settlement of Homesh, near the West Bank city of Nablus Thursday, a Palestinian Authority official said.

Ghasan Daghlas, who is charged with monitoring settlement activity in the northern West Bank, told Ma’an: "The settlers set fire in the area of Khahlet Awana, adjacent to evacuated settlement."

He said Palestinians are banned from entering the area because of the presence of an Israeli military installation.

He said 10 dunums of land had caught fire.

Source: Ma'an News Agency.
Link: http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=338377.

Greece sends planes to fight Israel fire

03/12/2010

ATHENS (AFP) -- Greece said it will send four Canadair fire fighting planes to help Israel bring a deadly forest fire under control near Haifa, the foreign ministry said Thursday.

The planes were to take off late Thursday from a military airport near Athens and were due to reach Haifa at dawn on Friday, after refueling in Rhodes, Greece's firefighting services said.

The foreign ministry said the backup was ordered by Prime Minister Georges Papandreou after a telephone request from his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu.

Source: Ma'an News Agency.
Link: http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=338403.

Obama offers 'condolences,' aid in fighting Israel fire

03/12/2010

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- US President Barack Obama on Thursday expressed his "deepest condolences" for the victims of a massive forest fire in Israel and said the United States had offered to help fight it.

The blaze engulfed a forest near the northern Israeli city of Haifa, killing 40 people, most of them prison guards on board a bus that was trapped in the inferno, the worst in Israel's 62-year history.

"I want to begin by offering our deepest condolences to the families, loved ones, of all of those who died," Obama told some 500 guests during a Hanukkah candle-lighting ceremony at the White House.

"As rescuers, firefighters are continuing their work, the United States is acting to help our Israeli friends in this time of disaster," he said, adding that the government was looking into what kinds of aid it could provide.

The Israeli fire service has urgently called up all 1,500 firefighters in the country, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made an urgent appeal for international assistance in containing the fire.

Offers have poured in, with Greece pledging to send four firefighting planes, Cyprus offering a helicopter and another firefighting aircraft, and Bulgaria reportedly sending 90 firefighters.

Israel's foreign ministry said it had also received pledges of help from Romania, Azerbaijan, France, Russia, Croatia and Turkey.

Source: Ma'an News Agency.
Link: http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=338435.

Russia and Qatar to host World Cups

Russia to stage football's 2018 World Cup and Qatar to hold the 2022 event.

03 Dec 2010

Russia and Qatar will host the football World Cup finals in 2018 and 2022 respectively, Fifa, the sport's governing body said.

Thursday's decision, announced by Sepp Blatter, the Fifa president, followed a bidding process involving 11 nations seeking a prize expected to bring a huge economic boost for the chosen hosts.

Both decisions were made following a secret ballot of Fifa's 22 executive members in Zurich.

The vote will spark huge cash investment by the successful nations, and bring them under intense scrutiny as the world watches to see if they can stand up to the challenge.

It is the first time that either Russia or Qatar has been chosen as host nation for the World Cup.

Russia 2018

The Russian bid was picked ahead of England, Spain-Portugal and Holland-Belgium to host the 2018 event.

Russia fits with Fifa's preference for new territories following the success of South Africa's first World Cup in 2010.

It has a vast budget and the backing of the government.

Vladimir Putin, the Russian prime minister, said his country was honored to win a "tough and fair fight" to host the tournament.

Putin arrived in Zurich late on Thursday, hours after Fifa's executive committee announced the results of the vote.

"You can take my word for it, the 2018 World Cup in Russia will be up to the highest standards," said Putin.

"New modern stadiums and facilities will be built in time and to perfection. We are eager to do our best to secure the comfort and safety of our guests."

Qatar 2022

Qatar got the better of the United States, Australia, Japan and South Korea to stage the 2022 event.

It has promised air-conditioned and eco-friendly stadiums to combat 50C summer heat, and the chance to see more than one match per day due to the small size of the country.

With few of the stadiums or transport links yet to be built, Fifa is said to have taken a leap of faith in choosing Qatar.

But with billions of dollars in oil and gas revenue available to spend, the attraction of a first World Cup in the Middle East appears to have tilted the scales in its favor.

Source: al-Jazeera.
Link: http://english.aljazeera.net/sport/2010/12/2010122155851578893.html.

Judeh urges cooperation to confront global challenges

ASTANA (Petra) –– Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Judeh on Wednesday called for closer partnership between Europe and the Middle East to overcome common challenges.

Taking part in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) summit in Astana on behalf of His Majesty King Abdullah, Judeh underlined the Kingdom’s commitment to support OSCE activities.

In an address to participants, the minister said the world today faces many challenges, including trans-border security threats, which endanger national, regional and international stability.

He cited climate change, poverty, terrorism, transnational crimes, health epidemics and the global economic crisis as the most serious international challenges, stressing that these problems cannot be addressed by an individual country.

The official underscored that achieving peace between the Palestinians and Israelis on the basis of a two-state solution and within a regional context will lead to enhancing cooperation to overcome common threats in a sustainable manner.

His Majesty King Abdullah exerts all possible efforts to realize peace and stability in the Middle East on the basis of a two-state solution and international resolutions, particularly the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, to ensure the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital on 1967 borders, he pointed out.

The foreign minister highlighted Jordan’s efforts to encourage dialogue among different civilizations and religions based on the principles of moderation and tolerance.

He reiterated the Amman Message, which aims to highlight the true tenets of Islam, which reject violence and aggression.

In his speech, Judeh announced Jordan’s intention to launch an initiative in cooperation with OSCE member countries to foster student exchanges in religious sciences. He stressed that the move seeks to promote shared values and embrace dialogue between followers of different faiths.

Foreign ministers representing 56 OSCE member countries as well as representatives of the Council of Europe, NATO and the Organization of the Islamic Conference took part in the two-day summit.

On the sidelines of the summit, Judeh met with a number of counterparts and other foreign officials.

3 December 2010

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://jordantimes.com/?news=32307.

India test fires new version of BrahMos cruise missile

Thu, 02 Dec 2010

New Delhi - India Thursday successfully tested a new version of the BrahMos cruise missile, jointly developed with Russia, a Defense Ministry spokesman said.

"The Block-III plus version with mountain warfare capability was tested successfully from a defense range in Orissa," Sitanshu Kar said.

The BrahMos missile has a range of 290 kilometers and is designed to carry conventional warheads weighing up to 300 kilograms.

It is capable of traveling at Mach 2.8, or nearly three times the speed of sound, and has already been introduced in the Indian Army and Navy.

"The new Block-III version tested Thursday has upgraded software and a new guidance scheme incorporating large-scale maneuvers and steep dives with precision-striking capability," Kar said.

About 3,000 people living within 2 kilometers of the test range were moved to temporary shelters, IANS news agency reported.

The BrahMos missile has been developed by a BrahMos Aerospace Pvt Ltd, a joint venture between India's Defense Research and Development Organization and Russia's NPO Mashinostroyenia.

The missile is named after the Bramhaputra and Moskva rivers in India and Russia.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/356215,version-brahmos-cruise-missile.html.

EXTRA: Ivory Coast opposition candidate wins election - officials

Thu, 02 Dec 2010

Nairobi/Abidjan (Earth Times - dpa) - Ivory Coast's opposition candidate Alassane Ouattara has won the presidential run-off election with 54 per cent of the vote, the West African nation's electoral body said Thursday.

Results have been delayed for days as President Laurent Gbagbo disputed several regions in Ouattara strongholds, saying they were not valid.

However, the constitutional court, controlled by an ally of Gbagbo, said that since the electoral commission missed its Wednesday deadline for announcing the results it did not have the right to proclaim a winner.

The delay raised tensions, and four of Ouattara's supporters were shot dead by the army on Wednesday evening - the latest in a serious of deadly election-related incidents.

The poll was aimed at putting to bed the ghost of the 2002 civil war that split the mainly Muslim north and largely Christian south, but has instead highlighted the divisions as the north overwhelmingly backed Ouattara.

US disappointed; fan says Qatar too small

Thu, 02 Dec 2010

Washington - The United States football organization said Thursday it was let down by FIFA's decision to reject US Soccer's bid to host the 2022 World Cup.

Instead, the ruling body chose the small Persian Gulf country of Qatar.

"There's no way around it: I am disappointed," wrote Sunil Gulati, president of US Soccer, on the group's website.

"Millions of US soccer fans worked hard to bring the World Cup to our country. To come up short is very difficult to take," he said.

A fan interviewed by CNN expressed astonishment at the choice, saying that the financially most successful World Cup ever was the 1994 edition held in the United States.

"I can't believe they chose a country the size of Connecticut ... with only one city," he said of Qatar.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/356315,fan-qatar-too-small.html.

Morocco to review Spanish ties after Sahara condemnation - Summary

Thu, 02 Dec 2010

Madrid/Rabat - Morocco reacted testily Thursday to a Spanish legislative condemnation of violence in Western Sahara, saying it would review relations with Spain "from the ground up" in light of the Spanish action.

The Spanish parliament had earlier Thursday voted to condemn recent violence in Western Sahara and urged the Madrid government to express its concern to Moroccan authorities over alleged human rights violations in the region.

All main Spanish parties backed the motion.

But Morocco's Information Minister, Khalid Naciri, said the resolution contained language that Rabat could not accept, reported the state news agency MAP.

He did not say what possible consequences there might be from the threatened review of relations.

Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's Socialists had agreed to support the motion on the condition that it would not directly blame Morocco for the violence that erupted when Moroccan security forces dismantled a protest camp near the Western Saharan capital Laayoune on November 8.

The camp dwellers were demanding social improvements, but Rabat said the camp had been infiltrated by members of the Western Saharan independence movement Polisario. The clashes were followed by rioting in Laayoune itself.

Rabat said only 10 policemen died in the violence, while Polisario spoke of dozens of victims.

The Spanish parliament called on MINURSO, the United Nations force in Western Sahara, to investigate how many people had really been killed or injured. The motion also called upon the Spanish government to intensify its relations with Polisario.

Opposition representatives criticized Zapatero, saying the government had ducked an opportunity to take a firm stance on human rights violations by Morocco.

A group of protesters calling for Western Saharan independence was expelled from the assembly room.

The European Parliament has also condemned the November 8 incidents and voiced concern over the "deterioration" of the situation in Western Sahara.

Morocco occupied Western Sahara after the colonial power Spain pulled out in 1975. It has refused to carry out a UN-proposed referendum on the independence of the desert territory. Polisario rejects its offer of autonomy instead of independence.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/356323,sahara-condemnation-summary.html.

UN Security Council to hold high-level meeting in Iraq

Thu, 02 Dec 2010

New York - US Vice President Joe Biden will preside over a UN Security Council meeting on Iraq on December 15, convened to discuss progress made in Iraq, a US official said Thursday.

Biden will lead the debate because the US holds the rotating presidency of the 15-nation council in December. Other government officials are expected to attend.

The US envoy to the United Nations, Ambassador Susan Rice, said, "It's an important opportunity for the international community to recognize the very real progress that Iraq has made, both in term of the government formation and significant steps taken to terminate its Chapter 7 obligations."

Chapter 7 of the UN Charter is imposed, including use of force, to try to eliminate threats to international peace and security emanating from a situation or a country. The Baghdad government has embarked on bringing democratic changes to its post-conflict situation. The US-led coalition forces have ended its intervention and Baghdad has begun assuming security responsibilities.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/356330,hold-high-level-meeting-iraq.html.

Sri Lankan minister protests against Tamil rally in London

Fri, 03 Dec 2010

Colombo - A Sri Lanakan minister and his supporters demonstrated Friday outside the British High Commission in Colombo against a London protest rally which led to the cancellation of a public appearance by President Mahinda Rajapaska.

Minister of Construction Wimal Weerawasna, who leads the National Freedom Front party, said the British government had failed to prevent demonstrations against Rajapaksa in London, bringing disrepute to the president and to the country.

Rajapaksa was due to address the Oxford Union on Thursday, but the organizers canceled the event due to protests by Tamil minority groups.

Tamil groups have been protesting over alleged human rights abuses during the final stages of the military operations against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels who were defeated in May 2009.

"The British government has given a free hand for pro-LTTE demonstrators, despite the organization being banned in the United Kingdom," Weerawasna said.

The minister and his supporters chanted anti-British slogans and displayed posters saying "Britain - Go to Hell," or "Do not support Terrorism," and "Hands off Sri Lanka."

Rajapaksa was to return to Sri Lanka later on Friday.

The government has accused an opposition United National Party parliamentarian of traveling to London to organize the protests.

Jayalath Jayawardena, who denied the allegations, narrowly escaped physical assault in parliament Thursday by ruling party ministers and lawmakers.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/356381,protests-tamil-rally-london.html.

Iran calls for 'new chapter' over nuclear dispute

Fri, 03 Dec 2010

Tehran - Iran called on countries engaged in a dispute with it over its nuclear program to open "a new chapter" at next week's talks in Geneva, the official news agency IRNA reported Friday.

"Experiences of the last decade proved that ultimatums and sanctions against Iran have constantly failed," IRNA quoted Ambassador Ali Asghar Soltanieh, Iran's envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), as saying.

"Therefore, a new chapter should be opened by world powers with the aim to increase trust and cooperation through mutual respect and equality of rights," Soltanieh said.

Iran maintains its nuclear program is peaceful, but the international community is wary of possible military objectives and is seeking the suspension of Tehran's uranium enrichment.

Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States and Germany are to meet Monday with an Iranian delegation in Geneva to resume negotiations after a 13-month break.

The bloc on the other side of the negotiating table from Iran is to be led by EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, and Iran is to be represented by Saaed Jalili, secretary of the National Security Council and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's chief nuclear negotiator.

Soltanieh said Iran considers the return to the table to be a "good omen," but neither side is holding out much hope of a breakthrough as Ahmadinejad has ordered the Iranian delegation not to make any concessions over Iran's nuclear rights.

The Geneva meeting is being viewed as more of a testing ground to see whether such talks have the potential to be productive.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/356385,new-chapter-nuclear-dispute.html.

Philippines declares longest holiday truce with communist rebels

Fri, 03 Dec 2010

Manila - The Philippine government on Friday declared an 18-day Yuletide ceasefire with communist rebels, the longest in 10 years, as part of efforts to resume stalled peace talks.

Alexander Padilla, head of the government negotiating panel, said the suspension of offensive military operations will start on December 16 and last until January 3.

Padilla said the communist National Democratic Front (NDF) was expected to issue a separate truce declaration covering the same dates, as agreed at a meeting in Hong Kong on December 1-2.

During the two-day meeting facilitated by Norway, Padilla said he and NDF chief negotiator Luis Jalandoni agreed to resume formal peace talks in February.

The negotiations have been suspended since August 2005.

"There is a lot of work to be done in the next three months," Padilla said. "The government shall aggressively pursue the path to peace towards a just and honorable settlement of conflicts."

Jalandoni said in a separate statement that a preliminary meeting between the government and rebel negotiating panels has been scheduled for January to prepare for the formal talks.

Communist rebels have been fighting the Philippine government since the late 1960s, making the movement the longest-running leftist insurgencies in Asia.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/356396,holiday-truce-communist-rebels.html.

Indonesia downgrades volcano alert level after weeks of eruptions

Fri, 03 Dec 2010

Jakarta - Indonesian authorities on Friday downgraded the alert level for Mount Merapi one notch below the highest as the volcano was winding down after a series of violent eruptions.

A series of eruptions at the volcano on the central Java island since October 26 killed at least 350 people and displaced more than 300,000 villagers. More than 200,000 of the displaced have returned home.

The first eruption came a day after the government put the volcano on the highest alert level.

Despite the downgrade of the alert level, the volcano could still emit clouds of searing gas and other debris, the National Disaster Management Agency said in a statement.

Agency chief Syamsul Muarif said the government would build temporary homes for some 550 families whose houses were destroyed in the eruptions.

The 2,968-meter volcano's deadliest eruption on record occurred in 1930 when 1,370 people were killed. At least 66 people died in a 1994 eruption, and two people were killed in 2006.

Indonesia has about 500 volcanoes, nearly 130 of them active and 68 classified as dangerous.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/356394,volcano-alert-level-eruptions.html.