Gaza 'Star of David' carving probed

JERUSALEM, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- A 200-foot Star of David was carved into a Palestinian field in Gaza during Operation Cast Lead, satellite images reveal.

A report prepared by the U.N. Institute for Training and Research and given to a commission probing alleged war crimes during the operation included photos of the Jewish symbol, which experts said was likely created by driving Israeli army tanks across cultivated fields and paved roads, The Jerusalem Post reported.

The Post said the army wasn't familiar with the field carving, which it apparently missed while going over the findings of the Goldstone Commission, led by South African jurist Richard Goldstone. UNITAR officials said the satellite image was taken some time between Jan. 3 and 10, 2009.

The Goldstone Commission was aware of the satellite image but made no mention of it in the report, in which both Israel and Hamas are cited for possible war crimes in Gaza, the newspaper reported.

Military sources told the Post it's possible the symbol was carved to mark the location to show the air force that soldiers operating nearby were Israeli.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/International/2010/02/01/Gaza-Star-of-David-carving-probed/UPI-18881265031079/.

OIC approves Iran's proposal for Gaza Day

KAMPALA, Jan. 31 (MNA) -- The Parliamentary Union of the Organization of the Islamic Conference has approved Iran’s proposal to designate a day on the official calendars of Islamic countries as the Day of Gaza and Resistance.

On Sunday, the PUOIC delegates declared January 18 the official Day of Gaza and Resistance.

The sixth summit of the Parliamentary Union of the OIC was held in Kampala, Uganda to discuss various issues Islamic countries are facing.

The delegates at the summit, which ended on Sunday, described the Palestinian issue as the most serious challenge the Middle East is facing.

The conference condemned the human rights violations committed by the Zionist regime in the Palestinian territories, especially in Gaza, and called on the member states to form a united front to demand the recognition of the Palestinians’ legitimate right to establish an independent state.

The final statement of the conference insisted that the Gaza blockade be lifted immediately, called for the reconstruction of the coastal enclave, and condemned the continued construction of settlements in the West Bank.

The conference reaffirmed the legitimate right of all countries to access nuclear technology meant for peaceful purposes and called for international cooperation in facilitating the exchange of nuclear expertise and equipment for civilian applications.

It also denounced certain states’ threats to deprive other countries of their right to nuclear technology meant for peaceful purposes.

The countries participating in the conference reaffirmed their commitment to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, voiced concern about the nature of Israel’s nuclear program, and stressed the need for a thorough inspection of Israel’s nuclear facilities by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The OIC members also called for the dismantlement of the stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East, calling them a serious threat to peace and stability in the region.

In addition, the final declaration denounced terrorism and underlined the need for a distinction to be drawn between terrorism and resistance.

The conference also condemned the desecration of religious sanctities and called on the United Nations General Assembly to adopt a resolution banning such acts.

The OIC member states also called for efforts to increase cooperation among Islamic states and asked their parliaments to pass laws to facilitate economic transactions between Islamic countries.

Source: Mehr News.
Link: http://www.mehrnews.com/en/NewsDetail.aspx?NewsID=1027463.

Expert: Hainan might become the next Dubai

China is not Dubai, but while the whole country is regulating the real estate market, Hainan has become the exception with more money flocking there, China International Capital Corporation (CICC) chief economist Ha Jiming said January 30, 2010.

As for China's future house prices, Ha Jiming said, "Some people believe that China's house prices have another 20 or 30 years to grow, but I do not agree with this. I think in five years prices won't fall, but in 10 years or 15 years they are likely to fall. Between that it is hard to tell."

Ha said, "take housing prices in Shanghai for example, the ratio between monthly mortgage payments and income has reached as high as 106 percent, which is the Government's problem, not the problem of the market. The Government's policy has indeed made house price growth in some big cities faster than second and third-tier cities, therefore, the Government should increase investment in low-rent housing. Now the policy is changing, I think the future of house price growth in the first-tier cities will be slower than the second and third-tier cities. "

Ha Jiming said in the future, as more and more people may be able to inherit houses from their parents, and people no longer need to buy a house, house prices in China will surely decline.

Source: People's Daily.
Link: http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90778/90862/6884058.html.

Beijingers care more about environment after Olympics: poll

Drinking water and air quality are the top two environmental concerns for people in the former Olympics host city of Beijing, according to the results of a government poll released Monday.

Zhang Baosen, an official with the Beijing Bureau of Environmental Protection, said 71.8 percent of the 1,320 Beijingers polled listed drinking water as one of their top concerns, and 67.4 percent listed air quality as another.

The poll suggested 83.3 percent of the Beijing residents were more environmentally conscious since the 2008 Olympics.

He said the door-to-door polling was used for the bureau's policy consultation.

"We've found the top environmental concerns are the quality of drinking water, air quality, environmental hygiene, energy-saving and noise control," said Zhang, also head of the bureau's environmental education center.

More than 90 percent of respondents said they wanted more environmental protection knowledge, while only 23.3 percent had the experience of taking part in environmental activities. But 80 percent said they were willing to participate in such activities.

Source: People's Daily.
Link: http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90882/6884845.html.

Russia Willing To Restore Soviet Legacy in Afghanistan

Russia is ready to restore 142 industrial facilities built by Soviet specialists in Afghanistan.

This information was released after the meeting between Russian and NATO’s Chiefs of General Staff on January 27, the first meeting after the events in the Caucasus of 2008. Officially, Moscow’s proposal was released on January 28 at the London conference on Afghan issues. Russia was represented at the conference by Sergey Lavrov, head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The list of objects built at the expense of the USSR includes power stations, factories, oil plants, roads, power transmission lines, and pipelines. The reconstruction will require huge amounts of money that the Afghan government does not have.

The financial issue is the main issue of the conference. Russia does not suffer from money surplus and has already written off $10 billion of Afghan debt. The West is not eager to pay from their pockets either. Russians have all technical documentation, often unique, and they are the first candidates for restoration orders.

Russia’s ambassador to NATO Dmitry Rogozin said that Russia had been proposing restoration of Afghanistan for a long time. He mentioned that it was an old initiative.

“In the recent years, the Western presence in Afghanistan was due to the conducted antiterrorist operation. When Obama came to office, he proposed a new strategy that allowed for both the increase of troops and restoration of civil objects. This method had been tried out by the USSR. Within 10 years of presence, Russians built 140 large facilities. It created jobs and brought money into the budget. As a result, Afghanistan received a stable government that survived independently for three years under the pressure of Islamic fundamentalists. Now both Americans and their European allies are thinking about collecting donations for restoration of the Afghan economy. Russia has its own interests. The objects we built should be restored by us.”

“We are not talking about sending thousands of Russian workers to Afghanistan. We need to send engineers, and the issue of safety must be the most important one. We need money collected from international donors. Rich countries like EU could give us money. Many countries – NATO members would like to withdraw their troops from Afghanistan in exchange for money.”

Source: Pravda.
Link: http://english.pravda.ru/russia/politics/01-02-2010/111963-russia_afghanistan-0.

Algerian court convicts 2 Moroccans on terror-related charges

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Canadian Press, 2010

ALGIERS, Algeria - A lawyer for two Moroccan nationals on trial in Algeria says they have been convicted on terror-related charges.

Attorney Leila Hadjersi says Echebba Abdelghani and Legrine Salaheddine were sentenced Sunday to five years in prison and each handed a fine of 100,000 Algerian dinars (C1,000). Both had pleaded innocent to charges of "defense of terrorism." It's unusual for citizens of neighboring Morocco to be convicted on terror charges in Algeria.

The two were arrested in August 2008 while traveling to Algeria's Kabylie region, where al-Qaida's North African branch is active. The prosecution said the two confessed to plans to join the al-Qaida group.

Hadjersi said both later retracted their confessions.

Iran favors judicial cooperation with Algeria

31 January 2010

Tehran - Iran's Justice Minister Morteza Bakhtiari called for expanding judicial and legal cooperation with Algeria. In a meeting with the Algerian Ambassador to Iran Sofiane Mimouni, he described the two countries' fighting against the arrogant powers as their religious commonalities and said that they suffered a lot from the then oppressors, said a report by the Public Relations Department of the Justice Ministry.

"What made them successful against the plundering of the US and France was the progressive and illuminating Islamic thought," he said.

During the 50 years of Pahlavi reign over Iran, looting the country's assets had reached its zenith but the nation cut the Americans' hands off their country in light of the guidelines of Imam Khomeini, the late founder of the Islamic Revolution.

© IRNA 2010

Source: Zawya.
Link: http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100201055002/Iran%20favors%20judicial%20cooperation%20with%20Algeria.