Palestinian factions agree on unified government

Thursday 22 December 2011
Phoebe Greenwood in Tel Aviv

President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal finalize groundbreaking deal in Cairo after heated negotiations.

Rival Palestinian factions have agreed to form a unified government, which will be sworn in by the end of January. The Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, and Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal met in Cairo to agree the groundbreaking deal late on Wednesday after days of heated negotiation between representatives of Palestinian political groups led by Hamas and Fatah.

The talks, mediated by Egypt, are part of ongoing efforts to mend the factional divisions that split Gaza from the West Bank in 2007 and led to the collapse of the Palestinian legislative council. There has not been a functioning Palestinian parliament since.

Initial reports suggested that the announcement signaled Hamas's return to the Palestine Liberation Organization, which is internationally recognized as representing the Palestinian people. But Fatah officials told the Guardian that the militant group is yet to sign the PLO charter, which would require it to lay down arms.

Ghassan Khatib, a spokesperson for Mahmoud Abbas, welcomed the progress, saying that in order to the achieve independence through the United Nations, the Palestinian Authority must prioritize reunification.

"We are hopeful the reconciliation will be successful," Khatib said. "We cannot say we are ready for independence and statehood before we have a reunified Palestinian system."

On Tuesday, the delegates agreed to set up both an electoral commission and a deadline for the establishment of a caretaker cabinet of technocrats. Both sides agreed that all political prisoners currently held in the West Bank and Gaza would be released by the end of January.

The issue of prisoners has been a critical sticking point. Officials in the Gaza Strip point out that since Abbas promised to release Hamas prisoners held by the Palestinian Authority at his last meeting with Meshaal in November, 89 members of the militant faction have been arrested in the West Bank.

Cynics within both factions maintain that the victories won at the Cairo summit are hollow. While Hamas has agreed to accept the foundation of an independent Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, the militant group steadfastly refuses to abandon its armed resistance to the Israeli occupation or recognize the state of Israel.

"We want really to end this [division] but I am not optimistic," a spokesperson for Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniyeh said earlier this week, indicating that the leadership of acting prime minister Salam Fayyad remained an obstacle. "Abu Mazen [Abbas] has said no government without Salam Fayyad. This is not negotiation."

Fayyad is regarded with suspicion by Hamas.

Hamas officials also predict that heavy diplomatic and financial pressure applied by Israel and the US will ultimately prevent Mahmoud Abbas from forming a unity government.

The Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, has issued an ultimatum to the Palestinian leader, warning that he must choose between reconciliation with Hamas and peace with Israel, a stance confirmed by his spokesperson on Thursday.

"Hamas is openly against peace. Terrorism is not just a tactic it is their very being. The unfortunate reality is that if Abbas moves towards Hamas, he moves away from peace," Mark Regev said.

Washington has indicated it will cut millions of dollars in funding to the Palestinian security infrastructure if the current leadership unifies with Hamas.

If the new Palestinian government is established in late January, its birth will coincide with the deadline presented to Palestinian and Israeli leaders by the Middle East quartet to present roadmaps to peace. The international mediating body has requested serious proposals on border and security issues from both governments by 26 January.

Source: The Guardian.
Link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/dec/22/palestinian-factions-agree-unified-government.

Kuwait donates 1 million to support Gaza preschool children

By Heather Yamour

WASHINGTON, Dec 24 (KUNA) -- The American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA) organization late Friday said it was "absolutely thrilled and grateful" to receive a USD one million dollar donation from the Kuwaiti government to provide nutritional support to children in Gaza. The non-profit relief and development agency said that the substantial donation would provide vitamin-fortified milk and high-energy biscuits to over 17,000 pre-schoolers in Gaza, where the World Health Organization statistics show nearly four out of ten children under five suffer from anemia and malnutrition.

"This is something that's near to our hearts and I think to everyone in the State of Kuwait that we look upon innocent children and hope that they have the basics of life. This is one of the things we're trying to provide. This offers them a safety net so that the ravages of anemia and stunting are not something they have to live with day after day," Bill Corcoran, President of ANERA told KUNA in an interview.

During a visit to ANERA's Washington headquarters, Kuwait's Ambassador to the US Sheikh Salem Al-Sabah told KUNA that this is the second donation from Kuwait to fund ANERA's work with children in Gaza.

He added that Kuwait exerts many efforts to support the Palestinian people throughout the years, which reflect the deep Kuwait-Palestinian "distinctive and historic" relations.

He affirmed that the Palestinian issue is among the priorities of the Kuwaiti leadership, stressing the support of the Kuwaiti people to the Palestinians on all levels.

The Ambassador stressed that this donation comes to provide the simplest living requirements for the Gaza children in light of the "difficult political, economic and living conditions" there.

The Kuwaiti Government had also donated in March 2010 USD one million to fund ANERA's Milk for Preschoolers program with children in Gaza. "This generous gift strengthens ANERA's capacity to care for Palestinian children at their most vulnerable age," said former U.S. Ambassador to Kuwait and ANERA board chairman Edward Gnehm, telling KUNA, "This really touches children and it touches the hearts of people. They do feel neglected, they do feel ignored by the world and this is a very special way to reach out to them. We are very much a part of their lives and we are happy to be partners with Kuwait."

ANERA said the USD one million donation is a "valued endorsement of ANERA's ability to deliver with the highest standards of accountability and responsibility." For more than 40 years ANERA has been a leading provider of development, health, education and employment programs to Palestinian communities and impoverished families through-out the Middle East.

In 2011, the relief and development agency delivered more than USD 65 million of programs to the people of the West Bank, Gaza, Lebanon and Jordan. This was up from the USD 51 million raised in 2010.

Source: Kuwait News Agency (KUNA).
Link: http://www.kuna.net.kw/NewsAgenciesPublicSite/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2210818&Language=en.

Anti-Putin protests draw tens of thousands

December 25, 2011 — MOSCOW (AP) — Tens of thousands of Russians jammed a Moscow avenue to demand free elections and an end to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's 12-year rule, in the largest show of public outrage since the protests 20 years ago that brought down the Soviet Union. Gone was the political apathy of recent years as many shouted "We are the Power!"

Saturday's demonstration, bigger and better organized than a similar one two weeks ago, and smaller rallies across the country encouraged opposition leaders hoping to sustain a protest movement ignited by a fraud-tainted parliamentary election on Dec. 4.

The enthusiasm also cheered Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Soviet leader who closed down the Soviet Union on Dec. 25, 1991. "I'm happy that I have lived to see the people waking up. This raises big hopes," the 80-year-old Gorbachev said on Ekho Moskvy radio.

He urged Putin to follow his example and give up power peacefully, saying Putin would be remembered for the positive things he did if he stepped down now. The former Soviet leader, who has grown increasingly critical of Putin, has little influence in Russia today.

But the protesters have no central leader and no candidate capable of posing a serious challenge to Putin, who intends to return to the presidency in a March vote. Even at Saturday's rally, some of the speakers were jeered by the crowd. The various liberal, nationalist and leftist groups that took part appear united only by their desire to see "Russia without Putin," a popular chant.

Putin, who gave no public response to the protest Saturday, initially derided the demonstrators as paid agents of the West. He also said sarcastically that he thought the white ribbons they wore as an emblem were condoms. Putin has since come to take their protests more seriously, and in an effort to stem the anger he has offered a set of reforms to allow more political competition in future elections.

Kremlin-controlled television covered Saturday's rally, but gave no air time to Putin's harshest critics. Estimates of the number of demonstrators ranged from the police figure of 30,000 to 120,000 offered by the organizers. Demonstrators packed much of a broad avenue, which has room for nearly 100,000 people, about 2.5 kilometers (some 1.5 miles) from the Kremlin, as the temperature dipped well below freezing.

A stage at the end of the avenue featured banners reading "Russia will be free" and "This election Is a farce." Heavy police cordons encircled the participants, who stood within metal barriers, and a police helicopter hovered overhead.

Alexei Navalny, a corruption-fighting lawyer and popular blogger, electrified the crowd when he took the stage. He soon had the protesters chanting "We are the power!" Navalny spent 15 days in jail for leading a protest on Dec. 5 that unexpectedly drew more than 5,000 people and set off the chain of demonstrations.

Putin's United Russia party lost 25 percent of its seats in the election, but hung onto a majority in parliament through what independent observers said was widespread fraud. United Russia, seen as representing a corrupt bureaucracy, has become known as the party of crooks and thieves, a phrase coined by Navalny.

"We have enough people here to take the Kremlin," Navalny shouted to the crowd. "But we are peaceful people and we won't do that — yet. But if these crooks and thieves keep cheating us, we will take what is ours."

Protest leaders expressed skepticism about Putin's promised political reforms. "We don't trust him," opposition leader Boris Nemtsov told the rally, urging protesters to gather again after the long New Year's holidays to make sure the proposed changes are put into law.

He and other speakers called on the demonstrators to go to the polls in March to unseat Putin. "A thief must not sit in the Kremlin," Nemtsov said. The protest leaders said they would keep up their push for a rerun of the parliamentary vote and punishment for election officials accused of fraud, while stressing the need to prevent fraud in the March presidential election.

Former world chess champion Garry Kasparov was among those who sought to give the protesters a sense of empowerment. "There are so many of us here, and they (the government) are few," Kasparov said from the stage. "They are huddled up in fear behind police cordons."

The crowd was largely young, but included a sizable number of middle-aged and elderly people, some of whom limped slowly to the site on walkers and canes. "We want to back those who are fighting for our rights," said 16-year-old Darya Andryukhina, who said she had also attended the previous rally.

"People have come here because they want respect," said Tamara Voronina, 54, who said she was proud that her three sons also had joined the protest. Putin's comment about protesters wearing condoms only further infuriated them and inspired some creative responses. One protester Saturday held a picture montage of Putin with his head wrapped in a condom like a grandmother's headscarf. Many inflated condoms along with balloons.

The protests reflect a growing weariness with Putin, who was first elected president in 2000 and remained in charge after moving into the prime minister's seat in 2008. Brazen fraud in the parliamentary vote unexpectedly energized the middle class, which for years had been politically apathetic.

"No one has done more to bring so many people here than Putin, who managed to insult the whole country," said Viktor Shenderovich, a columnist and satirical writer. Two rallies in St. Petersburg on Saturday drew a total of 4,000 people.

"I'm here because I'm tired of the government's lies," said Dmitry Dervenev, 47, a designer. "The prime minister insulted me personally when he said that people came to the rallies because they were paid by the U.S. State Department. I'm here because I'm a citizen of my country."

Putin accused the United States of encouraging and funding the protests to weaken Russia. Putin's former finance minister surprised the protesters by saying the current parliament should approve the proposed electoral changes and then step down to allow new parliamentary elections to be held. Alexei Kudrin, who remains close to Putin, warned that the wave of protests could lead to violence and called for establishing a dialogue between the opposition and the government.

"Otherwise we will lose the chance for peaceful transformation," Kudrin said. Kudrin also joined calls for the ouster of Central Election Commission chief Vladimir Churov. Putin has promised to liberalize registration rules for opposition parties and restore the direct election of governors he abolished in 2004. Putin's stand-in as president, Dmitry Medvedev, spelled out those and other proposed changes in Thursday's state-of-the nation address.

Gorbachev, however, said the government appears confused. "They don't know what to do," he said. "They are making attempts to get out of the trap they drove themselves into."

Associated Press writers Nataliya Vasilyeva and Jim Heintz contributed to this report.

Seven ways to end joint pain, arthritis and gout using cherries

Saturday, December 24, 2011
by: JB Bardot

(NaturalNews) Gout and arthritis have two things in common. Each condition makes the body hurt, and they respond to the powerful nutrients found in cherries that eliminate pain. Cherries contain high levels of antioxidants and anthocyanins, nutrients known to relieve pain, inflammation and stiffness. Cherries belong to an esteemed group of super fruits including blueberries, acai, pomegranate, yumberries, cranberries and goji berries -- all providing exceptionally high amounts of these pain-killing compounds. Cherries are rich in polynutrients and anthocyanins, which give the fruit its rich, reddish-purple color -- the deeper the color, the higher the level of antioxidants.

Raw or Cooked
Whether they're raw or cooked, cherries in any form contain the same anti-inflammatory substances, according to the University of Michigan Health System. They reported that people consuming about 1/2 pound of cherries daily over a period of four weeks noticed significant joint pain relief. To be sure of getting the most from cooked cherries, include the cooking juices.

Canned
Count canned cherries in when including cherries in a regime of pain-relieving foods. The University of Michigan also included canned cherries in its review for helping to relieve aches and pains associated with musculoskeletal conditions. Keeping a couple of cans of tart cherries in the pantry ensures there will always be something in the house in the event supplies of other cherry products run low. This does not include maraschino, whose natural chemical makeup has been altered by preserving and adding sugar.

Juice
Some people swear by the healing effects of drinking tart cherry juice. Tart cherries are thought by some to have the greatest pain-killing power, and Montmorency cherries are considered the most popular sour cherry. Tart cherries are also rich in potassium, which may help the body create an alkaline-forming state, and protect against acidosis, which is a breeding ground for the formation of disease. Drinking six ounces of tart cherry juice daily is the approximate equivalent to 1/2 pound of raw or cooked cherries. Cherry juice can be diluted with water. Mixing black cherry juice and tart cherry juice provides sweetness, making the drink more palatable for some people.

Powder
Taking cherry powder provides a quick, portable, easy way to utilize the benefits of cherries. An animal study funded by the Cherry Marketing Institute in 2008 indicated that rats receiving dried cherry powder had greatly reduced levels of inflammation in their bodies. Additionally, when the cherry powder was fed mixed with a high-fat diet, the rats didn't build body fat or gain weight at the same rate as control animals.

Concentrate
Cherry concentrate is simply cherry juice with the excess water removed. It provides a super-punch of pain-relieving nutrients. As little as two ounces a day diluted with water may offer relief for aching joints and muscles and relieve the agonizing pain of gout. Look for organic cherry concentrate to ensure the absence of pesticides and other chemicals.

Supplements
A variety of supplements contain cherries including capsules, liquid extracts, and snack bars. Cherry supplements may not cure arthritis and gout, but like fresh and cooked cherries and cherry juice, they too offer another way to consume the important chemicals that provide relief for those suffering in pain. Some supplements contain high levels of quercetin and vitamin C as well as antioxidants and anthocyanins. A common daily dose of cherry extract is 2,000 mg divided into four doses throughout the day; however, it's best to consult a health practitioner before taking unfamiliar supplements.

Source: NaturalNews.
Link: http://www.naturalnews.com/034479_cherries_gout_arthritis.html.

New non-GMO 'super' broccoli contains extra cancer-fighting nutrients, but less vital sulfur

Saturday, December 24, 2011
by: Jonathan Benson

(NaturalNews) British scientists have developed a new variety of broccoli that contains up to three times more of a powerful heart-health nutrient than conventional varieties -- and they did so without the use of genetic modification (GM). However, the "super" broccoli, known as "Beneforte," also contains less vital sulfur than conventional varieties.

By cross-breeding traditional British broccoli with wild, bitter Sicilian broccoli, researchers from the Institute for Food Research and the John Innes Center, both in Norwich, England, were able to produce the Beneforte variety, which contains up to three times the normal amount of glucoraphanin (GRP).

GRP is a precursor to sulforaphane (SF), which is the actual nutrient responsible for providing anticancer, anti-diabetic, and antimicrobial benefits. GRP in its standalone form provides little, if any, health benefits, and must come into contact with myrosinase (MYR), another enzyme naturally present in broccoli, in order to become metabolized into beneficial SF.

The Beneforte scientists, however, claim the extra GRP in their broccoli helps to improve the breakdown down of fat in the body, and prevent it from building up in arteries and causing heart disease. They also say that eating Beneforte helps to reduce cholesterol levels, and are currently conducting human studies to verify these claims.

"There's a lot of circumstantial evidence that points to (glucoraphanin and related compounds) as the most important preventive agents for (heart attacks) and certain cancers," Lars Ove Dragsted, a professor at the University of Copenhagen's department of human nutrition, is quoted as saying by USA Today

Since it is not GM, Beneforte is unlikely to have any negative side effects. After all, many non-GM fruits and vegetables sold in stores today are hybridized. However, unless there is extra MYR in Beneforte along with the extra GRP, it is unclear whether this so-called "super" variety of broccoli is any more beneficial to health than standard varieties.

Beneforte was introduced in the UK last month, and has been available in select stores in California and Texas for roughly the past year. And within the next couple of weeks, it is set to be introduced in stores across the US.

Source: NaturalNews.
Link: http://www.naturalnews.com/034480_super_broccoli_cancer_nutrients.html.

Tunisia unveils new cabinet

Tunisia's first democratic government is promising to create tens of thousands of new jobs.

By Houda Trabelsi for Magharebia in Tunis – 23/12/11

Tunisian Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali on Thursday (December 22nd) presented his government to the Constituent Assembly. The 41-member coalition cabinet consists of 30 ministers and 11 state secretaries.

Moderate Islamist party Ennahda claimed the top cabinet portfolios. Ali Larayedh, a former political prisoner and senior Ennahda official, will become interior minister. Ennahda spokesperson Nourredine Bhiri will take over as justice minister, while Rafik Abdessalem, the son-in-law of Ennahda leader Rachid Ghannouchi, will be Tunisia's new foreign minister.

Ennahda also gets the higher education ministry and the newly-created human rights ministry. Houcine Dimassim, a non-partisan individual named by Ettakatol, is set to become Tunisia's new finance minister.

Defense Minister Abdelkarim Zbidi was the only member of the outgoing cabinet to retain his post.

In addressing the Constituent Assembly, Jebali pledged to listen to the people, involve civil society and work for a transparent government. The prime minister also vowed to include the spirit of the revolution in the new constitution.

He added that the government would take practical steps to respond to the demands of unemployed people, foremost among whom young university graduates.

"For this purpose, national and foreign investments will be boosted and stimulated, initiatives and creative ideas will be encouraged, training centers will be expanded and activated and linked to market needs, and young developers will be provided with care," Jebali said.

He also said that "the government plans to create more than 20,000 jobs in the public sector as a contribution from the state to employment efforts. This is in addition to benefiting from job opportunities in neighboring and friendly countries, especially Libya, the Gulf and Europe."

The proposed government program will also enable an additional 50,000 families to receive the monthly allowance given to poor families (70 dinars a month), raising the total number of beneficiaries to 235,000 families.

As to conditions in inland provinces such as Sidi Bouzid, Jebali said they would be on the top of his government's priorities and at the heart of its development program.

Opposition parties, however, strongly criticized the prime minister's statements. Samir Tayeb, an MP representing Ettajdid Movement and the Modernist Democratic Pole (PDM), told Magharebia the opposition had "strong reservations" about the new government.

Tayeb said that Jebali's speech was unsurprising and included "a lot of generalizations that are not based on realistic, well-studied data".

In the same context, Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) parliamentarian Issam Chebbi told Magharebia that the speech had "good intentions and promises, but Tunisians need tangible measures".

Independent representative Faisal Jadlaoui said that while "Jebali addressed all sectors and concerns in his statement, the program "can't be realized in one year".

"The government is now required to draw up an immediate program to deliver the country from economic recession and bring it to safety," he said.

The Ennahda-led government includes female ministers at the women's affairs and environment ministries, as well as a female secretary of state for housing, said Mehrzia Abidi, first deputy of the Constituent Assembly Speaker.

"This is good representation, and I believe they will do their job in the best possible way," she told Magharebia.

Newly nominated Culture Minister Mehdi Mabrouk also sought to reassure citizens, telling Magharebia that the "trend in the current stage will not be towards the Islamization of culture in Tunisia, but towards openness to all intellectual currents and innovators all over Tunisia."

Higher Education Minister Moncef ben Salem said work would focus on reforms, as well as scholarships for study abroad.

As to the issue of the niqab at Tunisian universities, ben Salem told Magharebia that it was "not a priority" at the present time.

Citizen Marwa Slim told Magharebia that she was concerned about the new government's lack of experience.

"Moreover, most of the ministers are old, and there is no representation of Tunisia's young people who were behind the revolution," Slim said, adding that youth unemployment "is the biggest problem facing Tunisia now".

Another young Tunisian, Mohamed Mejri, said: "The new government must be given a chance to work to get the country out of recession and find solutions for the problem of unemployment that has aggravated after the revolution."

"It would be illogical to hold a government to account before it even starts its work," Mejri added.

Source: Magharebia.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2011/12/23/feature-01.

UAVs launched from balloons

SIOUX FALLS, S.D., Dec. 23 (UPI) -- Small sensor-carrying unmanned aerial vehicles were launched at altitudes of as much as 57,000 feet from an aerostat in an ADD program tests in Arizona.

Raven Industries said that in the demonstration by its subsidiary Aerostar International, in support of the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory Vehicle Research Section, Close-In Cover Autonomous Disposable Aircraft vehicles launched from the balloon were to come to rest just feet from their landing zone.

"The (Autonomous Deployment Demonstration) balloon support operation is very simple and well-developed," said Mike Smith, senior aerospace engineer at Aerostar International. "The preflight checks, balloon inflation, launch and tracking operations can be carried out by two people in one vehicle from almost any remote location."

The tests were conducted at the Yuma Proving Grounds in Arizona.

Raven Industries said the ADD program's objective is to launch the small, sensor-equipped unmanned aerial vehicles from a hand-launched balloon or an aircraft at altitude.

In the demonstration, a Tempest UAV was attached to wing-mounted pylons on an Aerostar balloon and released at nearly 60,000 feet. The Tempest flew to a designated drop zone and released the two CICADAs it was carrying.

The CICADAs flew autonomously to a "programmed target waypoint."

"The CICADA allows for the low-cost delivery of multiple precision-located sensors without placing the warfighter in harm's way," said Chris Bovais, NRL's flight test coordinator and engineer.

Raven Industries said tactical, hand-launched balloons create an inexpensive way of launching the small CICADAs.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Security-Industry/2011/12/23/UAVs-launched-from-balloons/UPI-92031324651951/.

Al-Hashemi blames Maliki for violence

BAGHDAD, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- Iraq's vice president, in hiding to avoid arrest on terror charges, blamed Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for a sudden surge in sectarian violence.

"We should blame Mr. Maliki -- he started a national crisis and it's not easy to control," Tariq al-Hashemi told the BBC's Arabic service. "The Iraqis have a right to be worried."

His comments followed a series of explosions that ripped through mostly Shiite areas of Iraq's capital Thursday, killing at least 68 people and injuring nearly 200. The attacks, which began at 6:30 a.m., destroyed schools, markets and apartments.

An ambulance packed with explosives incinerated a government office, The New York Times reported.

The morning blasts killed at least 65 people -- Baghdad's deadliest day in more than a year. Four more blasts shook Baghdad Thursday night, killing at least three more people.

No group claimed responsibility for the attacks, but analysts told the BBC and the Times they appeared similar to attacks conducted by the largely homegrown Sunni insurgent group al-Qaida in Iraq.

Western officials were alarmed at how quickly the withdrawal of U.S. troops had led to deadly sectarian violence, the Times said.

Maliki is a Shiite. Al-Hashemi is one of the country's most prominent Sunni politicians.

Maliki accused al-Hashemi this week of running a death squad and put out an arrest warrant for him.

Al-Hashemi denied the allegations and fled to Irbil in semi-autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan, under the protection of the regional government.

Maliki has demanded al-Hashemi return to Baghdad, but al-Hashemi said he would not because he could not receive a fair trial there. The Kurdish government offered no sign Thursday it would heed Maliki's demand to extradite al-Hashemi, the Times said.

Al-Hashemi told the BBC the attacks occurred because the government was too busy chasing "patriotic politicians" like himself instead of hunting down terrorists.

"The security services are pointed in the wrong direction," he said.

Maliki added new tension to the political climate Wednesday by threatening to discard Iraq's fragile power-sharing government.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2011/12/23/Al-Hashemi-blames-Maliki-for-violence/UPI-24551324627200/.