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Today in Palestine! ~ Headlines ~ |
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Settlements/Land Theft and Destruction
Israel presses ahead on settlements
Palestinian leader calls for halt as building works in East Jerusalem gain momentum.
http://english.aljazeera.net//news/middleeast/2010/01/2010159620425850.html
Jerusalem municipality publishes plans to demolish hundreds of Palestinian homes
Moaz
Zat`ari - Al-Maqdese Society Development (MSD)- While the world was
celebrating the new year eve, Palestinians in East Jerusalem received
the news: the municipality plans to demolish hundreds of Palestinian
homes.
http://www.kibush.co.il/show_file.asp?num=37595
The only thing flourishing - the settler houses
Beny
Gefen - The peasant began to plow his plot, about 800 meters from
Itamar settlement. A military vehicle came and ordered him to leave his
land "being a security danger to the settlement"... I had been in this
area a year ago. Then there had been on one of the hills a small
outpost of one house. Now there are about 25.
http://www.kibush.co.il/show_file.asp?num=37583
PA asked to nullify sales of church land to Israel
Bethlehem
– Ma’an – Greek Patriarch Theophilios III will make the traditional
journey from Jerusalem to Bethlehem for Christmas on Wednesday, but a
group of prominent Orthodox figures is planning to protest his visit
over sales of West Bank church land to Israel.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=252110
Activism/Solidarity/Boycott, Sanctions and Divestment
Israel: End Arbitrary Detention of Activist
Human
Rights Watch – Mohammed Othman Held without Charge Photo: Palestinian
youth holding flag along Israeli apartheid wall. (Jerusalem) – The
Israeli military appeals court should end the administrative detention
of Mohammed Othman, a West Bank rights activist, and order his release,
Human Rights Watch said today.
http://www.tadamon.ca/post/2061
An attack against all those standing up against the Wall and the Occupation
January
5th, 2010-- An Israeli court extended the detention of human rights
activist Jamal Juma' for a further three days. Despite being held for
20 days, no charges have yet been brought against Jamal. Protestors
gathered both outside the gates of the prison and in front of a nearby
checkpoint to demonstrate against the arrests and to demand the release
of Jamal, Mohammed and Abdallah and the other anti-Wall prisoners.
http://stopthewall.org/latestnews/2152.shtml
Christian Peacemakers deported from Israel
Two members of the Christian Peacemaker Teams have been refused entry into Israel, and deported by Israeli authorities.
http://www.imemc.org/index.php?obj_id=53&story_id=57539
Lifeline-3 finally in El-Arish
The
international aid convoy Lifeline-3 for Gaza finally arrived in
El-Arish harbor in Egypt on Sunday evening aboard a Turkish cargo ship
en route to Gaza Strip.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/
French society organizes protest sit-in at Egyptian embassy
The
Sheikh Yassin coalition on Sunday evening organized a sit-in at the
Egyptian embassy in Paris to protest Egypt's construction of a steel
wall along its borders with Gaza Strip.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/
Majida Abu Rahmah: My Husband: Jailed for Protesting Israel's Wall
On
International Human Rights Day in last year, my husband Abdallah Abu
Rahmah was in Berlin receiving a medal from the World Association for
Human Rights. This year on the same day, December 10th, Abdallah was
taken away at 2am by Israeli soldiers who broke into our West Bank
home. Abdallah was arrested for the same reasons he received the prize
- his nonviolent struggle for justice, equality and peace in
Israel/Palestine.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/majda-abu-rahmah/my-husband-jailed-for-pro_b_410613.html
Dear Metallica
Open
letter by Jews and Palestinians, Israeli citizens - Given your
longstanding, vocal commitment to ideas of true justice for all, we
cannot envision you cooperating with continued Israeli defiance of
justice and morality and playing a part in the Israeli charade of
self-righteousness.
http://www.kibush.co.il/show_file.asp?num=37584
Gaza Freedom Marchers issue the "Cairo Declaration" to end Israeli apartheid
Gaza
Freedom Marchers have approved a declaration aimed at accelerating the
global campaign for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against
Israeli apartheid, calling for a global mass, democratic anti-apartheid
movement to work in full consultation with Palestinian civil society to
implement the Palestinian call for BDS.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article10988.shtml
A Journey to the Gaza Border, Kim Bullimore
Its
New Year's Eve and my team mate and I are on our way to Israel's Erez
Crossing, one of the 6 border crossings into Gaza which has been
repeatedly closed by the Zionist state as part of its illegal
collective punishment of the Palestinian people in Gaza. We have joined
three bus loads of Israeli and Palestinian activists in Jaffa to make
the hour long journey to the Gaza border crossing to protest Israel's
ongoing siege. As we wait for the buses in Jaffa, I look around the
slowly gathering crowd and recognize some of the faces from
demonstrations in the Occupied West Bank: several of the courageous and
dedicated activists from Anarchists Against the Wall, as well as some
activists from Gush Shalom and others from Ta'ayush. But there are many
I don't recognize - young people, as well as older folk - all of whom
are outraged at Israel's repeated war crimes and collective punishment
of the Palestinian people of Gaza.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=15665
Why I back Israel sanctions, Udi Aloni
BDS movement's actions aimed at attaining goals of justice, peace and equality.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3829694,00.html
An Israeli Jewish lives in Ramallah: This country, Palestine, from the river to the sea
January
5, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Neta Golan: An Israeli Jewess lives in
Ramallah: This country, Palestine, from the river to the sea. I
couldn't believe it because I was a part of the consensus opinion in
Israel, that we are morally superior. They are violent. We have purity
of arms. If we do kill a civilian or an innocent, it's by mistake. Even
if these mistakes happen every single day. I didn't believe it until I
saw it with my own eyes. I refused to believe that a soldier would open
fire on an innocent child, but I saw it. But when you are in the West
Bank, and you see a child throw a stone at a tank, you understand that
if that child is killed, that is murder.
http://www.kibush.co.il/show_file.asp?num=37596
Violence and Aggression/Detainees
Israel carries out two separate air raids on Gaza
GAZA,
Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Israeli war jets on Monday evening carried out two
separate air raids on Palestinian militants in northern and eastern
Gaza Strip, no injuries were reported, witnesses and security sources
said.
The witnesses said that an Israeli reconnaissance drone fired one
missile at a group of Gaza militants east of Gaza City, the militants
survived and no injuries or damaged were reported.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2010-01/05/content_12754636.htm
320 Israeli settler attacks in Nablus in 2009
Ghassan
Daghlis, head of village affairs in the West Bank district of Nablus
has confirmed there were 320 attacks by Israeli settlers on
Palestinians and their property throughout 2009. He said the past year
which witnessed the highest number of attacks since records began was
particularly difficult for farmers and civilians.
http://www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk/news/middle-east/
493-320-israeli-settler-attacks-in-nablus-in-2009
Arab Child Hurt By Explosive Near Shfa-Amr
Israeli
sources reported Monday that a 13-year-old Arab child was hurt when an
explosive, apparently dropped by the Israeli army during training,
detonated as he carried it.
http://www.imemc.org/index.php?obj_id=53&story_id=57540
Israeli forces seize 8 Palestinians in night raids
Bethlehem – Ma'an – The Israeli military said on Tuesday it detained eight Palestinians during overnight raids in the West Bank.
A
military official said one man was arrested in Biddya south of
Qalqiliya, one in Jaba, southeast of Ramallah, two in Beit Duqqu,
southwest of Ramallah, one in Hizma south of Ramallah, one in Biddu
southwest of Ramallah, and one in the town of Beit Awwa near the city
of Hebron.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=252025
Number of Palestinians serving life reaches 112
Gaza
– Ma’an – Former detainee and expert in prisoner affairs Abdel Naser
Farawneh said on Tuesday that the number of detainees serving life
sentences in Israeli prison has reached 112.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=252043
Family calls for release of detainee held for 27 years
Ramallah
– Ma’an – The family of Palestinian detainee Sami Younis called for his
name to placed on the list of prisoners set for release should an
exchange deal prove successful. Younis, from the village of Ara in
Israel, was sentenced to life in prison on 5 January 1983. Held for 27
years, Younis is the father of three girls and a boy.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=252029
Israeli Use of Painful Shackling As a Form of Torture
Founded
in 1990 to highlight a growing problem, the Public Committee Against
Torture in Israel (PACTI - stoptorture.org) "believes that torture and
ill treatment of any kind and under all circumstances is incompatible
with the moral values of democracy and the rule of law. (It) advocates
for all persons - Israelis, Palestinians, labor immigrants and other
foreigners in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) -
in order to protect them from torture and ill treatment by the Israeli
interrogation and law enforcement authorities."
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=15664
Hamas Killing Political Activists
Probe sought in death of Gaza woman in police custody
Bethlehem – Ma’an – The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR)
called on Monday for an investigation into the death of a 56-year-old
woman who was reportedly assaulted by police.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=251944
Israeli War Criminals
US aid for Israel tied to arms sales: 75% of the aid must be used to buy military material made in the US
WASHINGTON:
Just before Christmas, the US President, Barack Obama, signed into law
one of his country's biggest aid pledges of the year. It was bound not
for Africa or any of the many struggling countries on the World Bank's
list. It was a deal for $US2.77 billion ($3 billion) to go to Israel
in 2010 and a total of $US30 billion over the next decade.
http://jnoubiyeh.blogspot.com/2010/01/us-aid-for-israel-tied-to-arms-sales-75.html
IDF officers abstain from UK visits for fear of arrest
Israeli
officers invited to UK by British army unable to depart since European
nation cannot vouch that they won't be arrested in its territory.
Deputy foreign minister says current situation could undermine good
relations between countries. Meanwhile, British attorney general visits
Holy Land, slated to meet justice minister.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3829769,00.html
Gaza war: One year on, Palestinians struggle to rebuild life from the rubble
For
the past year the Guardian has been following Palestinians who were
caught up in the devastating war in Gaza. To mark the war's one year
anniversary, Inigo Gilmore returns to Gaza to explore the fate of
families trying to piece together their lives, including those who want
Israel prosecuted for what they say are war crimes during the 22-day
assault.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2010/jan/04/gaza-palestinian-territories
Italy-based group accuses Israel of poisoning Gaza land
The
Italian New Weapons Committee accuses Israel of contaminating Gaza land
through bombing, and the president of the European Jewish Congress
termed the claims "unfounded blood libels reminiscent of tales of Jews
poisoning wells."
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1140009.html
Gaza: An inside look
Immediately
following Operation Cast Lead about a year ago, B'Tselem gathered 15
young volunteers, mostly students starting their studies in
communication or journalism, gave them video cameras, and asked them to
document everyday life around them. Each student chose his or her
personal tack. Here are the results.
http://www.ynetnews.com/home/0,7340,L-8111,00.html
Sderot ‘peace march’ promotes war, Adam Horowitz
We’ve
been following the Gaza Freedom March and its aftermath here on the
site, but there was another Gaza-related march held around the same
time. Check out this video (after the ad) from the Jerusalem Post: The ending couldn’t have been better if it was made up.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/01/sderot-peace-march-promotes-war.html
Humanitarian
Palestinian Medics, Firefighters, Rescue Settlers From Fire
Palestinian
medics and firefighters rushed to an area near Tiqua’ village, in the
Bethlehem District, to rescue a group of Jewish settlers after a
mechanical error set their bus ablaze, near the Tiqua’ settlement, east
of the Palestinian village.
http://www.imemc.org/index.php?obj_id=53&story_id=57541
Goods – Needs Vs. Supply – Dec 6 – Jan 2
http://www.gazagateway.org/2010/01/goods-needs-vs-supply-dec-6-jan-2/
Industrial Fuel – Needs Vs. Supply – Dec 6 – Jan 2
http://www.gazagateway.org/2010/01/indusrtrial-fuel-needs-vs-supply-dec-6-jan-2/
Association of Palestinian scholars slams Egypt’s steel wall
The
association of Palestinian scholars stated the steel wall being built
on its borders with Gaza is prohibited in Islam and a major sin because
it will lead to the killing of the Gaza people.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/
Who’s Afraid of a Tambourine?
Two months ago we wrote
that Israel had prohibited the transfer of musical instruments into the
Gaza Strip. In that post we quoted Deputy Defense Minister Matan
Vilnai’s response to a query submitted by Israeli parliamentarian Dov
Khenin last July regarding the ban: “According to the information
available, no applications to bring musical instruments into the Gaza
Strip have been received for the past two years”, wrote the Deputy
Defense Minister. Apparently we were mistaken – and so was the Deputy
Defense Minister.
http://www.gazagateway.org/2010/01/who%e2%80%99s-afraid-of-a-tambourine/
Political Developments
Abbas sticks to demand for settlement freeze before talks
Palestinian
President Mahmud Abbas said on Monday he was open to peace negotiations
with Israel, but that as agreed with Egypt talks could only resume when
Jewish settlement activity ends."There is no objection to returning to
the negotiating table or holding any meetings in principle," Abbas told
reporters in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh after talks with
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=110311
Israel believes Abbas on the verge of agreeing to peace talks
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed cautious optimism Monday that talks with the Palestinians will soon resume.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1140015.html
Fatah: No progress in reconcilliation with Hamas
Ramallah
– Ma’an – Fatah denied on Monday that progress had been made in
reconciliation talks with Hamas. “There is nothing new to talk about
on the national reconciliation issue,” Fatah spokesman Fahmi Za’arir
said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=251969
Mossad chief: Time to overthrow Abbas
Bethlehem
– Ma’an Report – Israeli spy chief Efraim Halevy berated the
Palestinian Authority (PA) and President Mahmoud Abbas during an
interview with Army Radio on Tuesday. "The PA is useless and nothing
but students of Israel and the US. As soon as the US and Israel stop
funding the PA it will fade away. Abbas and his PA should know that and
know to behave modestly with their threats against Israel," Halevy said
during the program Good Morning Israel, hosted by Ghazi Burqai.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=252096
Hamas meets with prisoner deal mediator in Gaza
Bethlehem
– Ma’an – The German intermediary in negotiations toward a proposed
prisoner swap between Israel and Hamas is expected in Gaza on Tuesday,
news reports said earlier in the day.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=252128
Other News
Tibi: Israel trains dogs to attack at 'Allahu Akbar'
Bethlehem
– Ma’an/Agencies – Palestinian-Israeli lawmaker Ahmad Tibi on Monday
alleged that the Israeli military trains dogs to attack anyone saying
Allahu Akbar, Arabic for “God is great.”
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=252019
Analysis/Op-ed/Human Interest
When Does It Become Genocide?, NADIA HIJAB
More
people have started to apply the term 'genocide' to what Israel is
doing to Gaza. Israel would not directly kill tens of thousands of
Palestinians, but it would create the conditions for tens of thousands
to die. Any epidemic could finish the job, notes Nadia Hijab.
During a visit to Ramallah a year ago while the Israeli bombardment of
Gaza was underway, I shared my fears with a close Palestinian friend.
"It may sound insane, but I think the Israelis’ real objective is to
see them all dead."
http://jnoubiyeh.blogspot.com/2010/01/when-does-it-become-genocide.html
"I hope that I die on my land"
Fatima
Mohammed Yassin, 49, is a farmer from the Palestinian village of Bilin
in the occupied West Bank. In spite of Israel's occupation and
construction of its wall in the West Bank, including on Bilin's farm
land, Yassin and her husband continue to work their land on a daily
basis. Jody McIntyre spoke to her for The Electronic Intifada.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article10984.shtml
Revenge and Retaliation
Is
it an accident that over the past five days Israeli F-16 fighters have
bombed Gaza City while tanks and missiles targeted several other areas
in the Gaza strip of Palestine? It also appears that the Israelis
attempted to assassinate the secretary-general of the PRC, the
Palestinian Resistance Committee? While no one was killed, once again
there was extensive physical damage together with the horror of being
bombed, a situation which gives rise to profound fears and uncertainty
in both the children and adults.
http://www.counterpunch.org/brayer01042010.html
Unbreakable in Cairo
Though
I have lived most of my life in and around Chicago, it has never been
my complete home. My sisters and I were born as first-generation
Palestinian-Americans coming from Kuwait and for this reason our lives
in Chicago always felt temporary -- we were only supposed to stay until
the Gulf War was over, we finished school, the occupation ended, the
siege was broken, etc. The only accepted rhetoric about our presence in
America was and continues to be, "This is not our home, we are from
Gaza." Dana Elborno writes from Cairo.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article10986.shtml
Two-state solution needed, and fast– for U.S. and Israel!, Philip Weiss
A
few weeks back I wrote that there are too many Jewish Israelis in the
American press, and Lisa Goldman, a writer in Tel Aviv, called me an
anti-Semite. I’ve been working on a big post responding to her charge,
but in the meantime I was back at it again last night, when I said that
the New York Review of Books should stop hiring so many Israeli
writers. How do I justify such national prejudice? Especially when I’m
here in Israel, where I’m meeting a lot of amazing Israeli journos and
intellectuals who have walked their talk and are trying to change their
country?
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/01/
two-state-solution-needed-and-fast-for-u-s-and-israel.html#more-13237
Introducing – The Daily Nuisance, by Adam Horowitz
Today, a new journalist collective based in Israel and the Occupied
Palestinian Territories launches its online publication, The Daily
Nuisance (TDN). Employing Palestinian, Israeli, and locally-based
international journalists, TDN (found at www.thedailynuisance.com) aims to add diverse and on-the-ground voices to the ongoing coverage of the region.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/01/introducing-the-daily-nuisance.html
Sailing into trouble: "To Gaza with Love" reviewed
To
Gaza with Love is a documentary by Aki Nawaz for Iran's
English-language channel Press TV. It is an account of the first boats
that successfully broke the siege of Gaza in August 2008. The
filmmakers traveled to the Gaza Strip with the Free Gaza Movement,
which organized the trip. Asa Winstanley reviews for The Electronic
Intifada.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article10981.shtml
Israel’s hidden friends ramp up campaign to distract Palestine activists from core issues"
Palestine
is and shall remain at the centre of the struggle for justice for the
Palestinian people. We Palestinians and Arabs played no part in your
Holocaust and we have nothing to do with anti-Semitism, past or
present, real or imagined. It is us, not you, who are continuing to
suffer from the legacy of the Nazis. Go forth and take your Jewish
issues elsewhere. We shall have nothing to do with you."
http://www.redress.cc/zionism/redress20100103
A Jewish American's Evolving View of Israel
In
an argument about the origins of the Israel-Palestine conflict with a
Jewish friend, I mentioned 'Plan D, the secret plans of the Jewish army
to expel Palestinians.' My friend thought I was a raving lunatic,
spouting a conspiracy theory promoted by anti-Semites. I didn’t used
to sound that way. Growing up in Washington, D.C., I attended the
Hebrew Academy, a school that my grandfather helped to found and that
my father had helped lead. Like other people who attend religious
schools, we were taught that we had a special relationship with God and
that our group had a higher moral character. As Jews, we learned how we
had been an oppressed people. As American Jews, we believed in American
and Jewish values of honesty, justice, truth and peace. We took pride
in Israel, a democratic country that shared our values and that
represented an end to our oppression.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=15663
Iraq
Monday: 9 Iraqis Killed, 26 Wounded
At
least nine Iraqis were killed and 26 more were wounded in attacks in
northern Iraq. Meanwhile, Iraq has filed a civil lawsuit against
Blackwater Worldwide in a U.S. court; Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki
vowed to obtain justice for the victims of the Blackwater shooting.
Also, some Iraqis fear that upcoming elections could mean a more
conservative, liquor-free Iraq.
http://original.antiwar.com/updates/2010/01/04/monday-9-iraqis-killed-26-wounded/
Mass arrests reported in Sunni areas in Iraq
Iraqi security forces have launched a wide campaign in Sunni
Muslim-dominated neighborhoods of Baghdad and towns and cities to the
north and west of the capital. The campaign is said to be the widest
by the government in years and has led to an exodus of people to the
Kurdish north. The campaign comes as the country gears for national
elections in March. The summary arrests have fuelled anger in these
areas and raised fears of popular unrest at a time the government finds
it extremely hard to reinstate law and order.
http://www.azzaman.com/english/index.asp?fname=news\2010-01-04\kurd.htm
Iraq to sue Israel over destroyed reactor
Iraqi MP says UN resolution backs suit against Israel for bombing Tammuz nuclear reactor in 1981.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3830059,00.html
Portrait Of Iraq: A Refugee Artist Paints His Home
Ahmad
AlKarkhi fled from Baghdad in 2006, but he continues to paint his
memories of his war-torn homeland. "There is nothing there to live
for," he says, but he insists that there is a beautiful side to the
country "that we must keep alive."
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122214886&ft=1&f=1010
Lebanon
Domestic worker left dead on street 'more than an hour' after jumping from balcony
A 28-year-old Filipina plunged seven floors to her death on Monday,
lying on the pavement for hours before paramedics transferred her body
to a morgue.According to several eyewitnesses, it took paramedics more
than one hour to reach the Khalifeh Building in Beirut's Sanayeh
neighborhood, where the twisted body of Theresa Otero Seda lay covered
on the pavement with a white plastic sheet.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=110316
U.S. and other world news
Australian Soldiers Kill Afghan Children
5 Afghan children killed by the Australian soldiers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P82rmAvM0Ro
Jordan emerges as key CIA counterterrorism ally
Yet, despite Jordan's critical role, officials from both countries have
insisted that its participation remain virtually invisible, in part to
avoid damaging Amman's standing among other Muslim nations in the
region, former intelligence officials said.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/03/AR2010010302063.html
Eighth man killed in CIA attack in Afghanistan a Jordanian spy
The
eighth man killed in a suicide bomb attack on a secret CIA base in
Afghanistan last week was a captain in the Jordanian spy service known
as the General Intelligence Department (GID).
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/Afghanistan/article6974936.ece
"The suicide bomber was a Jordanian national"
"It
was a revenge for the killing of Baitullah Mehsud and the killing of al
Qaeda's Abdullah by CIA," the message said. Baitullah Mehsud was the
former Pakistani Taliban leader killed in an August missile attack,
while the reference to Abdullah was unclear. "The suicide bomber was a
Jordanian national. This will be admitted by the CIA and the Jordanian
government," the message said.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/01/03/cia.bombing.claims/
Riz Khan - Yemen; a failed state? - 4 Jan 2010 Part 1
On
Todays Riz Khan show, we look at the deteriorating situation in Yemen.
Battling two separatist movements, an invigorated Al Qaeda presence and
an unemployment rate of more than 40% is the country on the verge of
becoming a failed state?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGYxlyr4_L4&feature=youtube_gdata
Riz Khan - Yemen; A failed state - 4 Jan 2010 - Part 2
On
Todays Riz Khan show, we look at the deteriorating situation in Yemen.
Battling two separatist movements, an invigorated Al Qaeda presence and
an unemployment rate of more than 40% is the country on the verge of
becoming a failed state?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nFLNSNRdJo&feature=youtube_gdata
Saudi-Iran frictions get personal at Medina graves revered by Shiites
At
the cemetery where the Prophet Mohammad's family is buried, an Iranian
Shiite Muslim pilgrim overcome with emotion was jerked by a Saudi
soldier, who barked a sharp order: "Stop crying!" The soldier, a gun at
his hip, then hovered over the pilgrim as he wrapped up his prayers to
make sure he didn't start weeping again.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=110305
'Vast' tomb found south of Cairo
Archaeologists in Egypt say they have found the largest known tomb in the ancient necropolis of Sakkara, to the south of Cairo.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/2/hi/middle_east/8440364.stm
Food Lovers Discover The Joys Of Aleppo
Aleppo,
in northern Syria, is one of the oldest cities in the world. Now, this
Middle East gourmet capital is registering on the itineraries of food
tourists. Its cuisine is the product of fertile land and location —
along the Silk Road, an ancient trading route.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122058669&ft=1&f=1009 |
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