Swiss minaret ban cancels Christmas in Kirkuk, cleric claims

Kirkuk, Iraq - Members of the Christian minority in the Iraqi city of Kirkuk canceled public Christmas celebrations this year in part because of Switzerland's ban on minarets, a priest said Friday. "For the first time, Christians in Kirkuk are canceling their holiday celebrations in sadness and pain," Father Haitham Saliywa, a priest at one of Kirkuk's largest churches, told the German Press Agency dpa.

"We have told our loved ones that the reason for cancellation is our sadness for the victims of the explosions in Mosul and Baghdad, and our solidarity with Muslims over the issue of the Swiss government's ban on minarets," he said.

In November, 57 per cent of Swiss voters and 22 out of 26 cantons voted in favor of a referendum seeking to ban the construction of minarets, the towers rising above mosques.

But Saliywa said the cancellation of public observance of Christmas also followed attacks and threats against members of the city's Christian community, amid rising tensions in the city.

Kirkuk and the surrounding countryside are home to a patchwork of religious and ethnic groups. Many Kurds hope to make it the future capital of an independent state, but Arab and Turkmen politicians view it as an integral part of Iraq.

Controversy over voting in the city delayed for months passage of a law to cover the 2010 parliamentary elections.

The issue of voting in the city and surrounding Tamim province has proved so thorny that both were left out of previous votes since the 2003 US-led invasion of the country.

As the March polls approach, sectarian sentiment is running high, often with deadly effect. Christian community leaders say members of the religious minority have often borne the brunt.

"Every holiday, Christians are targeted in an attempt to get us to leave our homes and our cities," Emad Hanna, head of the Assyrian Movement in Kirkuk, an organization that advocates for the interests of Iraqi Assyrian Christians, told dpa.

Edward Awrha, the province's deputy governor and a Christian, says the city and surrounding villages are home to roughly 10,000 Christian Iraqis, but that at least 10 families had fled in the past three months following a series of abductions.

In November, a Christian who works for an oil company in Kirkuk was abducted. Earlier, police discovered the body of a Christian businessman in al-Hai al-Askari neighborhood, a few days after his abduction.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/300980,swiss-minaret-ban-cancels-christmas-in-kirkuk-cleric-claims.html.

Algeria injects $150 bln to stimulate national economy

By Fatiha Zamamoush
Friday, 25 December 2009

Algerian minister of finance Karim Djoudi asserted on Friday that Algerian government devised a USD 150 billion blueprint to support and revitalize the economy over the coming five years.

Answering a question by the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) on the sidelines of a conference organized by the Economic and Social National Council in the Algerain capital, Djoudi said that Algerian president Abdulaziz Bouteflika has approved a blueprint to recover the economy, support the investment, finalize the infrastructure like bridges, roads, railways, dams and power plants.

Algerian finance minister has asserted that the blueprint which will last up to 2014 targets providing 3 million job opportunities and 2 million apartments in order to put an end to the unemployment and housing crisis in the country. Further, the blueprint will meet the needs of the Algerians in the fields of health, education, water and energy.

Djoudi went on to say that Algerian president Abdulaziz Bouteflika has issued strict instructions to the government to be rational in implementing the economic support program in the next five years.

He also asserted that there is a relative improvement in a number of the economic sectors in Algeria like agriculture, small and medium institutions and services compared with a weak growth of the oil sector due to reducing the output quotas to comply with the OPEC's decisions. Djoudi asserted that the inflation percentage in Algeria reached about 4.4 during 2008 and 2009. Djoudi admitted that Algeria did not come unharmed out of repercussions of the global financial crisis due to a retreat in the oil products and fall in the oil barrel price to about USD 53 during the first two quarters of 2009 after reaching some USD 100 throughout 2008.

Algerian top financial official stressed that measures taken by the Algerian president throughout this decade have enabled the country to sort out the crisis and continue the accelerated pace of development, thanks to the public revenues collected.

The Algerian official added, in this context, that Algeria's revenues of oil products exceeded USD 35 billion till the end of last October, while it totaled USD 79 in 2008.

The Algerian imports saw a relative stability during the first two quarters of this year after registering a considerable growth between 2005 and 2008 as they reached USD 38 billion last year.

Djoudi said that banking reserves reached USD 144 billion at the end of June 2009 and remained stable in July 2009, while it made USD 143 billion at the end of 2008.

On the external debts, the Algerian finance minister said that the Algerian government expects them to reach about USD 3.9 billion in the short and long run.

Algeria has recently managed to repay USD 16 billion of its debts and stop its resorting to external loans, besides taking all necessary measures to reduce the increase in imports.

One government soldier killed in roadside bombing in Algeria

Friday, December 25, 2009

ALGIERS, Dec. 25, 2009 (Xinhua News Agency) -- One government soldier was killed and two civilians injured in a roadside bombing on Friday in northeast Algeria, a local newspaper reported.

A home-made bomb was detonated near a village about 40 km east of the city of Tizi Ouzou, when a convoy of security forces was en route to its military operations against rebel militants, the French language daily El Watana reported.

One day earlier, a roadside bomb exploded and damaged a vehicle in the woods 50 km east of Tizi Ouzou. Hours later, security forces defused two other home-made bombs nearby.

Algerians face an increased threat by rebel militants since the 1990s. The security forces have recently launched massive military operations against them.

Turkish President Celebrates Christmas

ANKARA - Turkish President Abdullah Gul said that mosques, churches and synagogues had been co-existing side by side throughout Anatolian territories in full harmony.

President Gul released a message to mark the Christian world's Christmas.

"Churches and synagogues have been co-existing side by side throughout Anatolian territories for centuries in full harmony. Anatolian lands which have been the host of many religious faiths, have brought together people from different cultures and religious beliefs under the feelings of friendship, affection and solidarity. All our citizens are the equal and distinguished members of our nation which pays great attention to principles and values such as peace, tolerance, mutual respect and understanding," President Gul said in his message.

Amir Mehsud orders Islamic resistance fighters to abstain from unlawful tactics

Amir Hakimullah Mehsud of the Islamic resistance movement Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) issued an order on Thursday calling for all Waziristani resistance fighters to abstain from committing unlawful and un-Islamic acts in their struggle against the Pakistani aggressors.

December 25 - Amir Hakimullah Mehsud of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) issued an order on Thursday commanding Islamic Resistance in the Republic of Waziristan to abstain from un-Islamic tactics in their armed struggle against the invading Pakistani forces.

"I order all Mujahideen in North Waziristan to refrain from kidnapping, lawlessness and other unlawful activities," Amir Hakimullah Mehsud said.

According to the order, violators found guilty of breaking would be subject to punishment.

On October 17, Islamabad unleashed a major offensive against the peoples of the Republic of Waziristan after months of pressure from Washington urging Pakistan to expand military operations as part of the West's imperialist campaign of aggression against the region.

Under the vanguard of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, the battle-hardened peoples of Waziristan have waged a fierce and determined struggle against Pakistani aggression in defense of Waziristani sovereignty.

King of Spain calls for unity in Christmas speech

MADRID, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- Juan Carlos, the King of Spain, called for unity in his Christmas message to the Spanish citizens broadcast on Christmas Eve.

All Spaniard should redouble their efforts to surpass the tensions, achieve economic growth, and create employment as soon as possible, and those efforts should be made through agreements between political, economic and social forces to allow maximum solidarity and to carry out necessary reforms, said the Spanish king.

Juan Carlos also urged Spanish citizens to coordinate efforts at the maximum level to reinforce the internal cohesion and exterior projection, because the security, progress and welfare of the Spaniards largely depend on efficient protection and promotions of their interests in the world.

The King also referred to the fact that Spain will take over the European presidency for the fourth time from Jan. 1 as the Lisbon Treaty takes effect.

"It is of vital importance to obtain a more united and dynamic Europe in the world," he said.

Spain to fund expansion of HCMC metro

VietNamNet Bridge - Spain will provide up to US$700 million to help finance the expansion of the planned metro in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, it was announced Tuesday.

Under a memorandum of understanding signed by Spain’s Industry Minister Miguel Sebastian and Vietnam’s Deputy Prime

Minister Pham Gia Khiem, the funds will be provided “once viability studies are complete and reliable budget estimates are available.”

Spain has also agreed to provide $95 million to finance three water treatment plants in Vietnam.

“Spain has companies which are world leaders in these sectors which could opt to carry out these projects and demonstrate their capacity to build this infrastructure,” the statement said.

Officials in Ho Chi Minh City are building a rapid transit network that is to have six metro lines and three monorails by 2020 with a total length of more than 100 kilometers (60 miles) as part of attempts to tackle increasing traffic congestion.

In April a Spanish company, Idom Ingenieria Consultoria, signed a contract to prepare feasibility studies for two of the planned lines.

The metro deal came during a visit to Spain by Vietnam’s President Nguyen Minh Triet that began on Monday.

His visit is part of a 10-day European tour that began in Italy and included an audience with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican, before visiting Slovakia.

“Vietnam is ready to boost relations with the Vatican on the basis of respecting fundamental principles of international law, thus making an active contribution to peace, cooperation and development the world over,” Triet was quoted as saying by Vietnam News Agency.

The Vatican called Friday’s meeting in Rome between Triet and the Pontiff a “significant stage in the progress of bilateral relations” and expressed its pleasure at the visit.

It said in a communiqué that it hoped “outstanding questions may be resolved as soon as possible.”

Vietnam has Southeast Asia’s largest Roman Catholic community after the Philippines – about six million in a population of 86 million.

Early this year a senior Vatican official held the first formal meetings with Vietnamese authorities in Hanoi to discuss diplomatic ties.

VietNamNet/Thanh Nien