Pork test to bust cheats

Mon May 3, 2010

(Reuters) - Scientists in mainly Muslim Kazakhstan have come up with an instant test for the presence of pork in food, a popular newspaper reported on Monday.

The plastic-stick test detects food molecules that are found only in pork, which is forbidden by Islam but is easily found in the Central Asian state, Megapolis weekly said.

"It's no secret that some chefs cheat and add pork to beef to make the dish cheaper," the newspaper wrote on Monday, saying the practice was widespread in Kazakhstan.

"When you get your beef patty, cut off a couple of small pieces and drop them in a glass of water. Stir, shake, put the test stick in ... In a minute or two you will see the result."

Megapolis said it was unclear when the test, in which the stick changes color as in a pregnancy test, would become widely available.

Source: Reuters.
Link: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6424YN20100503.

Carthage hosts international dance festival

2010-05-04

The tenth edition of international dance event "Carthage Choreographic" kicked off last week-end in Tunis, Tunisia Online reported on Monday (May 3rd). The one-week event is slated to feature professional dance troupes from Tunisia, Switzerland, France, Germany, and Belgium. The program also includes screenings of four African and European films about dance.

Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2010/05/04/newsbrief-05.

Algeria names new Sonatrach CEO

2010-05-04

Algerian state energy company Sonatrach on Monday (May 3rd) named former Hydrocarbon Regulatory Authority chief Nordine Cherouati as Chief Executive Officer. Sonatrach also appointed new vice-presidents to head upstream and downstream activity, transport and marketing. Abdelhafid Feghouli had served as acting chief since January, when Algeria began a corruption and bribery investigation of former Sonatrach CEO Mohamed Meziane, his two sons and several of the company's top executives.

Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2010/05/04/newsbrief-03.

Spain and Portugal are solid, Zapatero tells nervous markets

Brussels - Spain and Portugal are financially solid and any suggestion that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the eurozone will have to bail them out is "absolutely unfounded, irresponsible," the Spanish premier said Tuesday.

The Madrid stock exchange fell by almost 5 per cent on Tuesday, while the euro slid to a one-year low against the dollar at 1.3055, as markets feared that the Greek 110-billion-euro (146-billion- dollar) bailout may not be enough, and could be followed up by similar action for other eurozone countries.

But Jose Luiz Rodriguez Zapatero summoned journalists to an impromptu press conference in Brussels to "confirm his calm confidence in the strength of public accounts in my country," adding he had "the same confidence in Portugal's."

He said he did not "give any credit" to suggestions that Spain was preparing to ask for a bailout, calling the rumors "absolute madness."

He said that any increase in risk premiums being applied to Spanish bonds as a result of market speculation would be "simply intolerable, and of course we are going to counter it."

Zapatero insisted that Spain's public debt as a ratio of its gross domestic product (GDP) was "20 points lower than the European average" and said that concerns about its banking system's vulnerability to the collapse of the housing market were "unfounded and exaggerated."

He also suggested that the European Commission's spring economic forecasts, due Wednesday, would show that Spain has emerged from the recession ahead of expectations, while figures out Tuesday already showed the country's high unemployment has started to dip.

"We ask all economic operators to look at real data," he said.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/321969,spain-and-portugal-are-solid-zapatero-tells-nervous-markets.html.

Syria gains observer status at WTO

Geneva - Syria was granted observer status at the World Trade Organization Tuesday, in the first step towards becoming a member of the global body.

Syria's effort to join the body was aided by Egypt and the group of Arab countries at the Geneva-based organization. No state objected to the proposal, and the European Union, Israel and the United States made no comment at all, WTO officials confirmed.

Developing and emerging markets backed Syria, with statements of support coming from Brazil, China, India and Pakistan.

Damascus has been trying to join the WTO since 2001, but has had its efforts thwarted in back-room negotiations.

Joining the WTO would "contribute both to global welfare and the welfare of the people of Syria," said Faysal Hamoui, Damascus' envoy to Geneva.

A working group will now be established for Syria to begin negotiating the terms of its accession. The process could take a number of years and no end result is certain.

Iran saw a working group established in 2005 on its accession, but that process has been mired ever since in procedural issues.

Russia also still is a candidate - one of the few remaining large economies outside of the global trading bloc.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/321973,syria-gains-observer-status-at-wto.html.

Schwarzenegger in offshore drilling U-turn

San Francisco - California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has reversed his support for offshore drilling projects following the massive oil spill off Louisiana, and will not permit an expansion of oil exploration off the California coast.

"I see on TV the birds drenched in oil, the fishermen out of work, the massive oil slick destroying our precious ecosystem," he said in comments released by his office Tuesday. "That will not happen here in California and that is why I am withdrawing my support," he said.

Schwarzenegger had proposed a controversial drilling plan off the coast of Southern California, which would have raised 1.8 billion dollars over the next 14 years, as a way to help the state deal with its budget crisis. The so-called Tranquillon Ridge project would have been the state's first new oil lease in 14 years.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/321987,schwarzenegger-in-offshore-drilling-u-turn.html.

Bereaved Gaza astronomer opens up the heavens

Rami Almeghari writing from, The Electronic Intifada, 4 May 2010

As the sun set on a clear evening in Gaza City, Suleiman Baraka was setting up his telescope on the rooftop of the French Cultural Center as two dozen visitors waited anxiously to gaze into the stars. It was a rare occasion to break away -- at least momentarily -- from the siege on the ground in the Gaza Strip.

"It is such an exciting experience for me that I never imagined would happen," said Suzan al-Barashly, one of the waiting star-gazers. "I've been used to nothing but Israeli warplanes and drones buzzing over our heads. I have never enjoyed the beauty of our sky. I am seeing the stars close to me -- such a beautiful scene."

In recent years, the Gaza Strip has witnessed widespread Israeli air raids that targeted many parts of the coastal territory, the latest and deadliest of which was in the winter of 2008-09. More than 1,400 persons, mostly civilians, were killed in the attacks.

That reality was not far from al-Barashly's mind. "I just told a friend that I am afraid to look into this telescope," she said. "It resembles a rocket launcher, so I am afraid the Israeli unmanned drones will hit us, thinking we are launching rockets."

Ahmad, another amateur astronomer, said, "I feel glad to have experienced something that is unimaginable in Gaza. Really, thanks to Mr. Suleiman, who made us enjoy such an incredible moment."

For the past several weeks, astronomer Suleiman Baraka has been touring the Gaza Strip with his telescope to allow as many individuals as possible to enjoy a few moments looking up into the heavens. His first stop was with the schoolmates of his late son, Ibrahim.

Baraka, 46, hails from the southern Gaza Strip and holds a doctorate in astrophysics from an Australian university. In 2007, he spent a year doing research at the National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA) in the United States. In January 2009, he returned to Gaza after Ibrahim, aged 11, was killed in an Israeli air strike that hit his home in the town of Bani Suhaila. Baraka now lives at his brother's home in Bani Suhaila along with his own four-member family.

"The killing of my son inspired in me a message of peace, a message that I decided to convey to his killers," Baraka said. "I gathered Ibrahim's fellow students and started teaching them how to be inspired to be scientists."

"I didn't teach them sources of horror or terror," Baraka recalled. "Rather, I wanted to send out a message that the sky, from which my son was killed, is a beautiful sky that has beautiful things to look at."

Along with the killing of his son and the destruction of his home, Baraka lost his large library of scientific books. With a smile full of pride, the astronomer also spoke about his experience at NASA.

"Man is great, man can do everything, once he is provided with the tools for creation. When you take off the social or economic burdens that always pose an obstacle in the face of achievement, man can do anything and can reach the moon. The Americans have been successful enough, ensuring such proper conditions for creation."

Before his position at NASA, Baraka had spent time doing research at Virginia Tech. When he first joined NASA, Baraka said, "I felt so proud of being a part of this prestigious American agency," he recalled.

Asked whether he planned to stay in Gaza or move abroad, Baraka replied that he is thinking of staying in Gaza to foster research for the benefit of the entire Gaza community.

"In coordination with a local university here, I plan to open up the first-ever space research department, hoping that in a course of five years, Gaza will see several space researchers, God willing," Baraka said.

But even bringing his highly-advanced Meade LXD 75 telescope into the Gaza Strip was enormously difficult due to the strict blockade Israel has imposed on in the territory for almost three years.

"Three countries helped bring this equipment into Gaza, but I am not going to name any of them," the astronomer said after an evening of star-gazing. As he spoke, he packed up the telescope, ready for the next stop on his tour.

Source: The Electronic Intifada.
Link: http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11245.shtml.