The Nefarious Wal-Mart
Monday, February 28, 2005
When does all the violence in Iraq stop? When Lebanon gets a Lebanese government as well?
This is the old entry from February 2, 2005. I basically believe that an accord for peace with the Sunnis ultimately has to be the answer. The Sunnis removed themselves from a democratic process when The USA lead Coalition attacked Fallujah. It was after that they withdrew diplomats from the Iraqi Coalition Process including any elections.
Below the Saudis may feel differently.
...................................................
http://stopwarsaveearth.blogspot.com/2005_02_01_stopwarsaveearth_archive.html
Next Steps in Iraq
The New Iraqi Coalition Government needs to address The United Nations General Assembly to bring to bear a resolution taking The Dayton Peace Accords as a model to bring about a stable and peaceful Iraq. The parites involved in such a process will have to be representatives from the new 'elected' government and representatives of the Sunnis who were wrongfully estranged from the political process in Iraq by the wrongful aggressions in Fallujah by Bush. There was no voting in that hamlet due to the resistance of the Sunnis.The USA Republican Neocons have no peaceful measure for Iraq following the elections. They say there should be no 'artifical' deadlines for withdrawal of troops from Iraq but yet there have been plenty of artifical deadlines for every other date set arbitrarily. Sistani may have insisted the voting go forward but he didn't set the initial date which excluded most of the Sunnis, an entire ethnic division.The New York Times editorial is embellished in it's attempt to justify an unnecessary war by looking the other way at the methods this election was achieved and the level of dead and innocent Iraqis that will never grow into adulthood or those that would have voted but were denied life because of a very poorly conceived, illegal and immoral invasion.All of this could have happened by removing Saddam and without endangering the people of Iraq. It happened in Bosnia and Herzegovina and with that I point out what should have been the focus the editorial. The New York Times chronically panders to this president either out of it's inability to reach beyond the violence or it's refusal to do so. Pandering to criminals is the last thing this newspaper should be doing.THE NEXT STEP IN IRAQ IS NOT MILITARY. Is is however the de-escalation of the confrontation that started the most violent movement yet in Iraq resulted from the alienation of the Sunnis. I propose the use of Bosnia-Herzegovina as a model for the stabilization of Iraq and NATO ,which Russia is longing to be a part of, has the most experience in this area.The USA military never provided comfort to the people of Iraq as the reconstruction never ensued and the monies were funneled instead into bolstering further confrontation of the Sunni rebels in Iraq. To finish the thought each ethnic group, of which two are already settled into peaceful strongholds and a third that finds itself injured and alienated could easily be seen as confronting boundaries with the need for stabilization with the addition of a 'centralized government' as a goal.The USA has to begin withdrawal. Our presence there is wrong and once again as with Bosnia-Herzegovina we need 'peacekeeping' and not further confrontation.The Dayton Agreement is a world renowned doctrine with it's inception realized under President Bill Clinton. Greatest again can be realized in Iraq by applying the basis of Dayton. Dayton formed a multi-ethnic and democratic government while maintaining the sovereign boundaries of each country.With that said, again, we are looking not to the war mongering Bush/Cheney who maintain their precense in the area to irritate Iran while securing their profits with Halliburton; but to the United Nations to settle the peace in Iraq and to NATO to organize it and decide it's 'tone' and approach.The USA needs to leave Iraq and stop Allawis co-dependancy on OUR military and not Iraq's.A look at Dayton:Dayton Peace AccordThere aren't many lawyers who can say they made a country.From 1991 to 1995, Yugoslavia was a nation torn apart by war. Friends, neighbors, even family members, were split along ethnic lines and bent on destroying one another. The three warring ethnic groups—the Bosnian Serbs, Bosnian Muslims and Bosnian Croats—shocked the conscience of the international community with their actions.The Dayton Peace Accords on BosniaText of documents related to the Dayton Peace Agreement which was initialed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio on November 21, 1995 and signed in Paris on December 14, 1995. The agreement is known as the Dayton Peace Accords. An official print version of the accords will be made available in the U.S. Department of State Dispatch Supplement, Volume 7, Number 1.
posted by Elisa Barrett @ 5:13 AM 0 comments
....................................................
Saudi-German Talks Focus on Iraq
RIYADH, 28 February 2005 — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd and Crown Prince Abdullah held talks here yesterday with visiting German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder on major international issues including Iraq and Palestine. The two sides also explored ways of strengthening relations.
Saud Rules Out Ties With Israel Before Peace Deal
JEDDAH, 28 February 2005 — Saudi Arabia will not make any contacts or relations with Israel until the Jewish state signs a comprehensive peace deal with Arabs, Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal has said.
Israel Freezes Middle East Peace Moves
GAZA, 28 February 2005 — Israel yesterday froze the peace process with Palestinians and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon threatened retaliation for Friday night’s Tel Aviv attack if the Palestinian leadership does not crack down on militant groups.
Editorial: Reforms in Egypt
All nations which aspire to a genuine democracy must have at the forefront free and fair elections. They must, of their choosing, elect representatives who will be of the people and for the people. Any country lacking a genuine ballot box can only pretend to be democratic. In the Middle East, pretenses are now being pushed aside for the real thing. We have seen unprecedented elections in Iraq and Palestine and nationwide municipal elections in the Kingdom. Now Egypt is also to be added to the list of countries participating in democracy in the Middle East.
Below the Saudis may feel differently.
...................................................
http://stopwarsaveearth.blogspot.com/2005_02_01_stopwarsaveearth_archive.html
Next Steps in Iraq
The New Iraqi Coalition Government needs to address The United Nations General Assembly to bring to bear a resolution taking The Dayton Peace Accords as a model to bring about a stable and peaceful Iraq. The parites involved in such a process will have to be representatives from the new 'elected' government and representatives of the Sunnis who were wrongfully estranged from the political process in Iraq by the wrongful aggressions in Fallujah by Bush. There was no voting in that hamlet due to the resistance of the Sunnis.The USA Republican Neocons have no peaceful measure for Iraq following the elections. They say there should be no 'artifical' deadlines for withdrawal of troops from Iraq but yet there have been plenty of artifical deadlines for every other date set arbitrarily. Sistani may have insisted the voting go forward but he didn't set the initial date which excluded most of the Sunnis, an entire ethnic division.The New York Times editorial is embellished in it's attempt to justify an unnecessary war by looking the other way at the methods this election was achieved and the level of dead and innocent Iraqis that will never grow into adulthood or those that would have voted but were denied life because of a very poorly conceived, illegal and immoral invasion.All of this could have happened by removing Saddam and without endangering the people of Iraq. It happened in Bosnia and Herzegovina and with that I point out what should have been the focus the editorial. The New York Times chronically panders to this president either out of it's inability to reach beyond the violence or it's refusal to do so. Pandering to criminals is the last thing this newspaper should be doing.THE NEXT STEP IN IRAQ IS NOT MILITARY. Is is however the de-escalation of the confrontation that started the most violent movement yet in Iraq resulted from the alienation of the Sunnis. I propose the use of Bosnia-Herzegovina as a model for the stabilization of Iraq and NATO ,which Russia is longing to be a part of, has the most experience in this area.The USA military never provided comfort to the people of Iraq as the reconstruction never ensued and the monies were funneled instead into bolstering further confrontation of the Sunni rebels in Iraq. To finish the thought each ethnic group, of which two are already settled into peaceful strongholds and a third that finds itself injured and alienated could easily be seen as confronting boundaries with the need for stabilization with the addition of a 'centralized government' as a goal.The USA has to begin withdrawal. Our presence there is wrong and once again as with Bosnia-Herzegovina we need 'peacekeeping' and not further confrontation.The Dayton Agreement is a world renowned doctrine with it's inception realized under President Bill Clinton. Greatest again can be realized in Iraq by applying the basis of Dayton. Dayton formed a multi-ethnic and democratic government while maintaining the sovereign boundaries of each country.With that said, again, we are looking not to the war mongering Bush/Cheney who maintain their precense in the area to irritate Iran while securing their profits with Halliburton; but to the United Nations to settle the peace in Iraq and to NATO to organize it and decide it's 'tone' and approach.The USA needs to leave Iraq and stop Allawis co-dependancy on OUR military and not Iraq's.A look at Dayton:Dayton Peace AccordThere aren't many lawyers who can say they made a country.From 1991 to 1995, Yugoslavia was a nation torn apart by war. Friends, neighbors, even family members, were split along ethnic lines and bent on destroying one another. The three warring ethnic groups—the Bosnian Serbs, Bosnian Muslims and Bosnian Croats—shocked the conscience of the international community with their actions.The Dayton Peace Accords on BosniaText of documents related to the Dayton Peace Agreement which was initialed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio on November 21, 1995 and signed in Paris on December 14, 1995. The agreement is known as the Dayton Peace Accords. An official print version of the accords will be made available in the U.S. Department of State Dispatch Supplement, Volume 7, Number 1.
posted by Elisa Barrett @ 5:13 AM 0 comments
....................................................
Saudi-German Talks Focus on Iraq
RIYADH, 28 February 2005 — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd and Crown Prince Abdullah held talks here yesterday with visiting German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder on major international issues including Iraq and Palestine. The two sides also explored ways of strengthening relations.
Saud Rules Out Ties With Israel Before Peace Deal
JEDDAH, 28 February 2005 — Saudi Arabia will not make any contacts or relations with Israel until the Jewish state signs a comprehensive peace deal with Arabs, Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal has said.
Israel Freezes Middle East Peace Moves
GAZA, 28 February 2005 — Israel yesterday froze the peace process with Palestinians and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon threatened retaliation for Friday night’s Tel Aviv attack if the Palestinian leadership does not crack down on militant groups.
Editorial: Reforms in Egypt
All nations which aspire to a genuine democracy must have at the forefront free and fair elections. They must, of their choosing, elect representatives who will be of the people and for the people. Any country lacking a genuine ballot box can only pretend to be democratic. In the Middle East, pretenses are now being pushed aside for the real thing. We have seen unprecedented elections in Iraq and Palestine and nationwide municipal elections in the Kingdom. Now Egypt is also to be added to the list of countries participating in democracy in the Middle East.
This is GOES EAST Water Vapor Satellite 28.02.2005 - "Clink On" Hemispheric - Super Cell to Right
Super Cell of the Day - GOES EAST 28.02.2005
Morning Papers - Domestic - TOO MANY Chiefs and the Indians are getting poorer by the day.
The Washington Post
Region Braces for Winter Storm
Significant Snowfall Expected Across the Metro Area
By Fred Barbash
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, February 28, 2005; 8:07 AM
All major school systems announced closures this morning and the Federal government announced an "unscheduled leave" policy as the National Weather Service warned of a three- to- six inch snowfall across most of the Washington region with more expected further out to the west.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A59314-2005Feb28.html
Bush is going to kill all the Baleens. WHERE is the God Almighty War that requires this type of assault on the seas of this planet? BUSH IS AN ENVIRONMENTAL LUNATIC !!! GET AWAY FROM MY WHALES YOU FLYING IDIOTS. Go play war in the BATHTUB !!!!!!
Bush Weighs Offers To Iran
U.S. Might Join Effort to Halt Nuclear Program
By Robin Wright
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, February 28, 2005; Page A01
The Bush administration is close to a decision to join Europe in offering incentives to Iran -- possibly including eventual membership in the World Trade Organization -- in exchange for Tehran's formal agreement to surrender any plans to develop a nuclear weapon, according to senior U.S. officials.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58417-2005Feb27.html
Wild Horses Run Risk of Slaughter
Advocates Rally to Revive Ban
By Kimberly Edds
Special to The Washington Post
Monday, February 28, 2005; Page A15
After more than 30 years of roaming federal lands free of any threat of the slaughterhouse, wild mustangs, which have become synonymous with the spirit and heart of the American West, can now be sold and butchered for meat if the Bureau of Land Management cannot sell them elsewhere.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58187-2005Feb27.html?nav=hcmodule
The New York Times
In City's Jails, Missed Signals Open Way to Season of Suicides
By PAUL von ZIELBAUER
Published: February 28, 2005
The warnings were right there in her medical file: a childhood of sexual abuse, a diagnosis of manic depression, a suicide attempt at age 13 - all noted when Carina Montes arrived at Rikers Island in September 2002.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/28/nyregion/28jail.html?hp&ex=1109653200&en=df96641a227ac082&ei=5094&partner=homepage
Switch by Former Supporter Shows Evolution of Death Law
By SAM ROBERTS
Published: February 28, 2005
Helene E. Weinstein owes her Assembly seat, in part, to capital punishment.
In 1978, her father toppled the Assembly speaker, Stanley Steingut, a death penalty opponent, from his Brooklyn district, in an upset that sent shock waves through state politics. Two years later, Ms. Weinstein herself was elected to the seat, and consistently voted in favor of the death penalty.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/28/nyregion/28death.html?
Relief, and Bewilderment, Over Arrest in Kansas Killings
By MONICA DAVEY
Published: February 28, 2005
WICHITA, Kan., Feb. 27 - For those gathered inside Christ Lutheran Church on Sunday morning, the lasting images of Dennis L. Rader were simple, sweet moments. Just last Wednesday evening, for instance, he stopped by the church to drop off spaghetti sauce and salad for a potluck dinner before he went to visit his mother at the hospital.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/28/national/28btk.html
U.S. Urges Judge to Dismiss Suit on Chemical Use in Vietnam War
By WILLIAM GLABERSON
Published: February 28, 2005
The Justice Department is urging a federal judge in Brooklyn to dismiss a lawsuit aimed at forcing a re-examination of one of the most contentious issues of the Vietnam War, the use of the defoliant Agent Orange.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/28/nyregion/28orange.html
Worldwide Anti-Tobacco Treaty Takes Effect
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: February 28, 2005
GENEVA, Feb. 27 (AP) - A global anti-tobacco treaty came into effect on Sunday, but a leading expert said it needed strengthening quickly if it was to be effective in curbing smoking, which claims five million lives a year.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/28/health/28tobacco.html
AH, AH, AH, as a Neocon would Scream, GERMS !!!!!
Novel Bacteria in Alaskan Ice May Be 32,000 Years Old
By NICHOLAS WADE
Published: February 26, 2005
NASA researchers say they have recovered bacteria that apparently lay dormant for 32,000 years in a frozen pond in central Alaska.
If confirmed, the finding means that there may be many other pockets of ancient life in permafrost and seafloor sediments. The hardiness of the bacteria also suggests that life could survive even on Mars, in places like the frozen sea reported by other researchers this week.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/26/science/26germ.html
Desert Cool, Hot From the 50's
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/24/garden/24alex.html
The Seattle Post Intelligencer
5,000 cyclists huff and puff the Chilly Hilly
Sunshine, lack of skiing may have boosted numbers
By JESSICA BLANCHARD
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
Whether they were inspired by champion cyclist Lance Armstrong, the need to improve their health or just a desire to enjoy the springlike day, thousands of cyclists from around the region journeyed to Bainbridge Island yesterday for the 33-mile Chilly Hilly recreational ride.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/213816_chilly28.html
13 states agree to raise H.S. standards
By BEN FELLER
AP EDUCATION WRITER
Gov. Bill Richardson, D-N.M., gestures during a planning session on redesigning high schools on Sunday, Feb. 27, 2005 in Washington. Governors from around the country are in Washington for the National Education Summit on High Schools, and the National Governors Association Winter Meetings. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
WASHINGTON -- A coalition of 13 states confirmed plans Sunday to require tougher high school courses and diploma requirements, changes that could affect about one in three students.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apus_story.asp?category=1110&slug=Governors%20High%20Schools
Child tracing teams working hard in Aceh
By MARGIE MASON
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
An Acehnese woman walks past by a list of missing children provided by UNICEF at a refugee camp in Mata Ie near the provincial capital of Banda Aceh, Aceh province, Indonesia, Friday, Feb. 18, 2005. Weeks after the earthquake and massive tsunami smashed the region, up to 10,000 children whose parents or other relatives went missing in the disaster have not been reunited with family members, aid officials said. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
BANDA ACEH, Indonesia -- The last time Anshari saw his mother, she was screaming at him to flee up a mountain near their house as the tsunami's monster waves rushed at their village. The 10-year-old watched her wrap his baby brother in a traditional Indonesian cloth and prepare to follow him up the slope.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apasia_story.asp?category=1104&slug=Tsunami%20Tracing%20Children
Black farmers seek compensation from gov't
By MALIA RULON
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
WASHINGTON -- Thousands of black farmers who say they have been left out of a landmark civil rights case are turning to Congress as their last hope to get compensation for years of being denied loans by the government.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apwashington_story.asp?category=1153&slug=Black%20Farmers
Report: Abbas says Mideast peace possible
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
LONDON -- Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said in an interview published Monday that he believes peace with Israel is possible but added that ending violence is a mutual commitment.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apeurope_story.asp?category=1103&slug=Britain%20Palestinian%20Leader
Ancient earth drawings found in Peru
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
LIMA, Peru -- Archaeologists have discovered a group of giant figures scraped into the hills of Peru's southern coastal desert that are believed to predate the country's famed Nazca lines.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apscience_story.asp?category=1501&slug=Peru%20Earth%20Drawings
Canada Holocaust-denier ruling hailed
By BETH DUFF-BROWN
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
Ernst Zundel speaks to reporters during a recess in his detention review with the Immigration and Refugee Board in Niagara Falls, Ontario, in this March 31, 2003 file photo. Jewish activists Friday Feb. 25, 2005 hailed a court ruling that allows Canada to deport German Holocaust denier Ernst Zundel to face prosecution at home. Zundel, author of "The Hitler We Loved and Why," has been held in a Toronto jail for two years while authorities determined whether he posed a security risk to Canadian society. (AP Photo/CP, Aaron Harris/ File)
TORONTO -- Jewish activists Friday hailed a court ruling that allows Canada to deport German Holocaust denier Ernst Zundel to face prosecution at home.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apcanada_story.asp?category=1101&slug=Canada%20Holocaust%20Denier
Birth rate falls for Canadian grizzlies
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
CALGARY, Alberta -- Female grizzly bears are producing the fewest offspring ever in North America, a study said.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apcanada_story.asp?category=1101&slug=Canada%20Dwindling%20Grizzlies
Calls to kill Sharon spiral before pullout
By STEVE WEIZMAN
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon attends the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem Sunday Feb. 27, 2005. Sharon said Sunday that peace efforts with the Palestinians would be frozen if they do not crack down on militant groups in the wake of a suicide bombing that killed four people outside a Tel Aviv nightclub Friday night. (AP Photo/Menahem Kahana/Pool)
JERUSALEM -- The head of Israel's intelligence agency told Cabinet Ministers on Sunday that the number of calls for the death of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is increasing sharply ahead of this summer's planned pullout from Gaza and part of the West Bank.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/aplatin_story.asp?category=1102&slug=Israel%20Extremist%20Threats
Cyclone Percy pounds tiny Pacific atoll
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WELLINGTON, New Zealand -- Cyclone Percy battered the tiny South Pacific atolls of Tokelau with hurricane-force winds and high seas on Saturday, wrecking houses, uprooting trees and disrupting power supplies and communications, officials said. No injuries were reported.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apaa_story.asp?category=1106&slug=South%20Pacific%20Cyclone
Region Braces for Winter Storm
Significant Snowfall Expected Across the Metro Area
By Fred Barbash
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, February 28, 2005; 8:07 AM
All major school systems announced closures this morning and the Federal government announced an "unscheduled leave" policy as the National Weather Service warned of a three- to- six inch snowfall across most of the Washington region with more expected further out to the west.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A59314-2005Feb28.html
Bush is going to kill all the Baleens. WHERE is the God Almighty War that requires this type of assault on the seas of this planet? BUSH IS AN ENVIRONMENTAL LUNATIC !!! GET AWAY FROM MY WHALES YOU FLYING IDIOTS. Go play war in the BATHTUB !!!!!!
U.S. Set to Oppose Efforts To Restrict Use of Sonar
By Marc KaufmanWashington Post Staff WriterMonday, February 28, 2005; Page A05
The Bush administration is strongly opposing international efforts to restrict the Navy's use of active sonar anywhere in the world, putting it at odds with European allies and several key ocean-protection organizations.
Bush Weighs Offers To Iran
U.S. Might Join Effort to Halt Nuclear Program
By Robin Wright
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, February 28, 2005; Page A01
The Bush administration is close to a decision to join Europe in offering incentives to Iran -- possibly including eventual membership in the World Trade Organization -- in exchange for Tehran's formal agreement to surrender any plans to develop a nuclear weapon, according to senior U.S. officials.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58417-2005Feb27.html
Wild Horses Run Risk of Slaughter
Advocates Rally to Revive Ban
By Kimberly Edds
Special to The Washington Post
Monday, February 28, 2005; Page A15
After more than 30 years of roaming federal lands free of any threat of the slaughterhouse, wild mustangs, which have become synonymous with the spirit and heart of the American West, can now be sold and butchered for meat if the Bureau of Land Management cannot sell them elsewhere.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58187-2005Feb27.html?nav=hcmodule
The New York Times
In City's Jails, Missed Signals Open Way to Season of Suicides
By PAUL von ZIELBAUER
Published: February 28, 2005
The warnings were right there in her medical file: a childhood of sexual abuse, a diagnosis of manic depression, a suicide attempt at age 13 - all noted when Carina Montes arrived at Rikers Island in September 2002.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/28/nyregion/28jail.html?hp&ex=1109653200&en=df96641a227ac082&ei=5094&partner=homepage
Switch by Former Supporter Shows Evolution of Death Law
By SAM ROBERTS
Published: February 28, 2005
Helene E. Weinstein owes her Assembly seat, in part, to capital punishment.
In 1978, her father toppled the Assembly speaker, Stanley Steingut, a death penalty opponent, from his Brooklyn district, in an upset that sent shock waves through state politics. Two years later, Ms. Weinstein herself was elected to the seat, and consistently voted in favor of the death penalty.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/28/nyregion/28death.html?
Relief, and Bewilderment, Over Arrest in Kansas Killings
By MONICA DAVEY
Published: February 28, 2005
WICHITA, Kan., Feb. 27 - For those gathered inside Christ Lutheran Church on Sunday morning, the lasting images of Dennis L. Rader were simple, sweet moments. Just last Wednesday evening, for instance, he stopped by the church to drop off spaghetti sauce and salad for a potluck dinner before he went to visit his mother at the hospital.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/28/national/28btk.html
U.S. Urges Judge to Dismiss Suit on Chemical Use in Vietnam War
By WILLIAM GLABERSON
Published: February 28, 2005
The Justice Department is urging a federal judge in Brooklyn to dismiss a lawsuit aimed at forcing a re-examination of one of the most contentious issues of the Vietnam War, the use of the defoliant Agent Orange.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/28/nyregion/28orange.html
Worldwide Anti-Tobacco Treaty Takes Effect
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: February 28, 2005
GENEVA, Feb. 27 (AP) - A global anti-tobacco treaty came into effect on Sunday, but a leading expert said it needed strengthening quickly if it was to be effective in curbing smoking, which claims five million lives a year.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/28/health/28tobacco.html
AH, AH, AH, as a Neocon would Scream, GERMS !!!!!
Novel Bacteria in Alaskan Ice May Be 32,000 Years Old
By NICHOLAS WADE
Published: February 26, 2005
NASA researchers say they have recovered bacteria that apparently lay dormant for 32,000 years in a frozen pond in central Alaska.
If confirmed, the finding means that there may be many other pockets of ancient life in permafrost and seafloor sediments. The hardiness of the bacteria also suggests that life could survive even on Mars, in places like the frozen sea reported by other researchers this week.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/26/science/26germ.html
Desert Cool, Hot From the 50's
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/24/garden/24alex.html
The Seattle Post Intelligencer
5,000 cyclists huff and puff the Chilly Hilly
Sunshine, lack of skiing may have boosted numbers
By JESSICA BLANCHARD
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
Whether they were inspired by champion cyclist Lance Armstrong, the need to improve their health or just a desire to enjoy the springlike day, thousands of cyclists from around the region journeyed to Bainbridge Island yesterday for the 33-mile Chilly Hilly recreational ride.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/213816_chilly28.html
13 states agree to raise H.S. standards
By BEN FELLER
AP EDUCATION WRITER
Gov. Bill Richardson, D-N.M., gestures during a planning session on redesigning high schools on Sunday, Feb. 27, 2005 in Washington. Governors from around the country are in Washington for the National Education Summit on High Schools, and the National Governors Association Winter Meetings. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
WASHINGTON -- A coalition of 13 states confirmed plans Sunday to require tougher high school courses and diploma requirements, changes that could affect about one in three students.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apus_story.asp?category=1110&slug=Governors%20High%20Schools
Child tracing teams working hard in Aceh
By MARGIE MASON
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
An Acehnese woman walks past by a list of missing children provided by UNICEF at a refugee camp in Mata Ie near the provincial capital of Banda Aceh, Aceh province, Indonesia, Friday, Feb. 18, 2005. Weeks after the earthquake and massive tsunami smashed the region, up to 10,000 children whose parents or other relatives went missing in the disaster have not been reunited with family members, aid officials said. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
BANDA ACEH, Indonesia -- The last time Anshari saw his mother, she was screaming at him to flee up a mountain near their house as the tsunami's monster waves rushed at their village. The 10-year-old watched her wrap his baby brother in a traditional Indonesian cloth and prepare to follow him up the slope.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apasia_story.asp?category=1104&slug=Tsunami%20Tracing%20Children
Black farmers seek compensation from gov't
By MALIA RULON
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
WASHINGTON -- Thousands of black farmers who say they have been left out of a landmark civil rights case are turning to Congress as their last hope to get compensation for years of being denied loans by the government.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apwashington_story.asp?category=1153&slug=Black%20Farmers
Report: Abbas says Mideast peace possible
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
LONDON -- Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said in an interview published Monday that he believes peace with Israel is possible but added that ending violence is a mutual commitment.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apeurope_story.asp?category=1103&slug=Britain%20Palestinian%20Leader
Ancient earth drawings found in Peru
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
LIMA, Peru -- Archaeologists have discovered a group of giant figures scraped into the hills of Peru's southern coastal desert that are believed to predate the country's famed Nazca lines.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apscience_story.asp?category=1501&slug=Peru%20Earth%20Drawings
Canada Holocaust-denier ruling hailed
By BETH DUFF-BROWN
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
Ernst Zundel speaks to reporters during a recess in his detention review with the Immigration and Refugee Board in Niagara Falls, Ontario, in this March 31, 2003 file photo. Jewish activists Friday Feb. 25, 2005 hailed a court ruling that allows Canada to deport German Holocaust denier Ernst Zundel to face prosecution at home. Zundel, author of "The Hitler We Loved and Why," has been held in a Toronto jail for two years while authorities determined whether he posed a security risk to Canadian society. (AP Photo/CP, Aaron Harris/ File)
TORONTO -- Jewish activists Friday hailed a court ruling that allows Canada to deport German Holocaust denier Ernst Zundel to face prosecution at home.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apcanada_story.asp?category=1101&slug=Canada%20Holocaust%20Denier
Birth rate falls for Canadian grizzlies
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
CALGARY, Alberta -- Female grizzly bears are producing the fewest offspring ever in North America, a study said.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apcanada_story.asp?category=1101&slug=Canada%20Dwindling%20Grizzlies
Calls to kill Sharon spiral before pullout
By STEVE WEIZMAN
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon attends the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem Sunday Feb. 27, 2005. Sharon said Sunday that peace efforts with the Palestinians would be frozen if they do not crack down on militant groups in the wake of a suicide bombing that killed four people outside a Tel Aviv nightclub Friday night. (AP Photo/Menahem Kahana/Pool)
JERUSALEM -- The head of Israel's intelligence agency told Cabinet Ministers on Sunday that the number of calls for the death of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is increasing sharply ahead of this summer's planned pullout from Gaza and part of the West Bank.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/aplatin_story.asp?category=1102&slug=Israel%20Extremist%20Threats
Cyclone Percy pounds tiny Pacific atoll
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WELLINGTON, New Zealand -- Cyclone Percy battered the tiny South Pacific atolls of Tokelau with hurricane-force winds and high seas on Saturday, wrecking houses, uprooting trees and disrupting power supplies and communications, officials said. No injuries were reported.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apaa_story.asp?category=1106&slug=South%20Pacific%20Cyclone
The King of Jordan - "A Prince of Peace"
His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday welcomes Syrian Prime Minister Naji Otari before their talks at the Royal Court (Photo by Yousef Allan)
King meets Syrian PM, says Arab summit to activate peace initiative
President Mubarak - "A Prince of Peace"
WELCOME: Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak (L) welcomes Libyan Leader Muammar Qadhafi on his arrival at Itehadeya presidential palace in Cairo on Thursday. Qadhafi, on a five-day-visit to Egypt, will hold talks on bilateral and regional issues with his Egyptian counterpart.(REUTERS)
Mubarak and Qadhafi discuss Mideast peace, other regional issues
Morning Papers - Foreign Edition - There is never a 'perfect time' for peace.
In my opinion, the USA was in The Way.
Syria and Lebanon have much to settle. Terror groups are to be reined in. Iran is too delicate to disturb.
And the rest .....
Well.
Let's just say will be written in the history books that the USA was actually a shadow of fear to the process of peace.
The Jordan Times
King meets Syrian PM, says Arab summit to activate peace initiative
Agencies
HIS MAJESTY KING Abdullah on Sunday said Jordan's current efforts focus on achieving a just, comprehensive and sustainable peace in the region, including the Syrian and Lebanese tracks.
http://www.jordantimes.com/mon/homenews/homenews1.htm
Mubarak likely winner — even with rival
By Jonathan Wright
Reuters
CAIRO — Prodded by Washington to lead the Arab world on democracy, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has agreed to let rivals compete for the presidency this year but analysts say he could still easily sweep a multi-candidate vote.
http://www.jordantimes.com/mon/news/news1.htm
Syria linked to arrest of Saddam's brother
BAGHDAD (Reuters) — A half brother of Saddam Hussein who has played a leading role in the insurgency has been captured with help from Syria, which faces US allegations of abetting terrorism, Iraqi government officials said on Sunday.
http://www.jordantimes.com/mon/news/news2.htm
King meets with Oracle representative
AMMAN (Petra) — His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday received Sergio Giacoletto, executive vice president of Oracle Europe, Middle East and Africa.
http://www.jordantimes.com/mon/homenews/homenews3.htm
Environmentalists raise awareness on deforestation in Palestinian areas
Israel is uprooting an average of 1 tree per minute in Palestinian areas
By Rami Abdelrahman
AMMAN — The World Council of Churches is working with environmentalists in Jordan and the region on a campaign to stop Israel from uprooting trees in Palestinian areas.
http://www.jordantimes.com/mon/homenews/homenews4.htm
Haaretz
Former deputy IDF chief: PM to blame for Tel Aviv attack
By Haaretz Service
Former deputy IDF chief Uzi Dayan said Monday that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is to blame for Friday's suicide attack in Tel Aviv, in which five people were killed, because he has failed to ensure that the West Bank separation fence is completed.
Dayan, who heads a public pressure group advocating the construction of the fence, told a meeting of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that, had the fence been completed, the terrorist who carried out Friday's attack would not have been able to reach Tel Aviv.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/545673.html
Anti-Syrian protesters take to Beirut's streets despite ban
By The Associated Press and Haaretz Service
Several thousand anti-Syrian protesters took to Beirut's streets late Sunday in defiance of a ban by Lebanon's pro-Damascus government against demonstrations, as a U.S. official kept up Washington's pressure on Syria by calling on it to withdraw its 15,000 troops from Lebanon and stop interfering in this country's affairs.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/545735.html
A critical test for Israel
By Akiva Eldar
When four civilians are killed and 50 are wounded in the heart of the city at the height of a cease-fire and the blood is boiling, the brain becomes feverish. On the one hand, "security sources" explain that the Islamic Jihad sent the murderer to sabotage the new Abu Mazen government, and to foil its attempts to rehabilitate the political channel and increase security cooperation with Israel. On the other hand, the defense minister decides to punish the Palestinian Authority by freezing the transfer of security responsibility to them for cities in the West Bank.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/545716.html
Egypt Today
THE YOUNG MAJORITY
Twenty-five years after its birth, the Islamic Republic of Iran is facing one of the greatest internal challenges to its legitimacy and permanence: With one of the youngest populations in the world, the generation that came after Khomeini’s Islamic Revolution is coming of age in a climate that bears little relation to the events of 1979. High unemployment, increasing social problems and unprecedented access to the outside world are pushing Iran down a path of instability and fundamental discontent.
http://www.egypttoday.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=4288
On the Hustings
The ruling National Democratic Party says President Hosni Mubarak will be its candidate of choice to face the nation in a fall presidential referendum. Yet the president himself claims he has yet to decide whether he’s ready to hit the campaign trail for a fifth time and says he welcomes challengers. Three have offered. Welcome to an unprecedented debate.
http://www.egypttoday.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=4283
The Middle East Times
Opinion: This time, I'm hopeful
Eyad El Sarraj
Published February 22, 2005
GAZA -- A couple of days after Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas declared a halt to hostilities, I met with a few of the many journalists and commentators who roam the streets of Gaza.
... "Do you really trust Hamas to stop terror?" one of the journalists asked me. "Even when they announce that they are not bound by the agreement?"
To his obvious shock I replied, "Yes."
I have spent many years observing Hamas at close range as it has grown from a small Islamic religious movement into a major army. I have been debating politics with its leaders and members for a long, long time. That experience leads me to believe that Hamas will very soon transform into a political party and will seriously contemplate taking over the government by democratic means.
http://metimes.com/articles/normal.php?StoryID=20050222-030133-5721r
Mubarak and Qadhafi discuss Mideast peace, other regional issues
Published February 18, 2005
WELCOME: Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak (L) welcomes Libyan Leader Muammar Qadhafi on his arrival at Itehadeya presidential palace in Cairo on Thursday. Qadhafi, on a five-day-visit to Egypt, will hold talks on bilateral and regional issues with his Egyptian counterpart.
(REUTERS)
CAIRO -- Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak met Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi in Cairo on Thursday to discuss the Middle East peace process, Iraq and a range of other regional issues, the official MENA news agency reported.
http://metimes.com/articles/normal.php?StoryID=20050218-090050-5998r
Protests held in Cairo against fifth term for Mubarak
Published February 22, 2005
ENOUGH!: An Egyptian protestor shouts anti-government slogans outside Cairo University during a demonstration against an extension of the rule of Egypt''s President Hosni Mubarak. About 300 protestors called for an end to the rule of Mubarak, who has been Egypt''s leader since 1981 and is widely expected to seek a fifth six-year term this year.
(REUTERS)
CAIRO -- More than 500 people rallied in Cairo on Monday to protest against a new term in office for Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and against moves to enable his son Gamal to succeed him afterward.
"That's enough" and "Down with Hosni Mubarak" shouted protestors who gathered in front of Cairo University, while around 50 trucks packed with police were deployed nearby.
http://metimes.com/articles/normal.php?StoryID=20050222-072008-4927r
'Third time a charm' for Qurei's cabinet
Yasser Baraka
Middle East Times
Published February 25, 2005
ALMOST NEW: Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei (L) and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (C) pose for photographs along with other members of the Palestinian cabinet, following a swearing-in ceremony in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Thursday, after parliament approved a cabinet of mostly new faces.
(REUTERS)
GAZA -- Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei has had a tough week. No matter what he tried, he was stopped each time by opponents. His task had been to nominate an entire cabinet, the first since the death of late president Yasser Arafat.
But on Thursday Qurei's third attempt succeeded like a charm when the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) overwhelmingly approved a new cabinet.
http://metimes.com/articles/normal.php?StoryID=20050225-080038-4385r
Analysis: Activist arrest overshadows US-Egypt ties
Seif Nisrawi
UPI
Published February 22, 2005
CAIRO -- Egyptian-US relations are not in their best shape nowadays, and one cannot help noticing the lukewarm dealings between Washington and one of its main Arab allies.
The controversial arrest and imprisonment of Egyptian politician and human rights activist Ayman Al Nur was denounced by the US administration, which slammed the move as "harmful for the democratic process in Egypt".
http://metimes.com/articles/normal.php?StoryID=20050222-080425-8324r
Lebanese PM is 'ready to resign'
Published February 23, 2005
READY TO RESIGN: File photo of Lebanese Prime Minister Omar Karameh leaving parliament in Beirut in November 2004. Karameh has said that he was ready to resign, facing intense pressure to end Syrian domination of his country.
(REUTERS)
BEIRUT -- Lebanon's beleaguered Prime Minister Omar Karameh said on Wednesday that he was ready to resign, facing intense pressure to end Syrian domination of his country and find the killers of ex-premier Rafiq Al Hariri.
http://metimes.com/articles/normal.php?StoryID=20050223-071710-7046r
Analysis: Blogs are Iranians' weapons of choice
Jason Motlagh
UPI
Published February 22, 2005
WASHINGTON -- Iran is already under attack. The opposition is at work both within and beyond its borders, restless, coordinating and sharing intelligence
http://metimes.com/articles/normal.php?StoryID=20050222-034433-2038r
Syria to redeploy troops in Lebanon
Nayla Razzouk
Published February 25, 2005
REDEPLOYING: Syrian soldiers gather at their base in Aley village in Lebanon on February 24. Lebanon''s defense minister Abdel Rahim Murad said that Syrian forces would soon start redeploying to Lebanon''s eastern Bekaa Valley in line with a 16-year-old agreement.
(REUTERS)
BEIRUT -- Syria, under intense international pressure to end its tight military and political grip on neighboring Lebanon, prepared on Friday to redeploy its troops toward the border, Lebanese officials said.
http://metimes.com/articles/normal.php?StoryID=20050225-094928-5288r
Rescuers pull bodies from quake-hit Iran villages as toll tops 530
Siavosh Ghazi
AFP
Published February 23, 2005
DESTRUCTION: A general view of the quake-damaged village of Dahuyeh, near Zarand, some 1,000 kilometers southeast of Tehran, on February 22.
(REUTERS)
HOUTKAN -- Rescuers using their bare hands pulled more bodies on Wednesday from the rubble of freezing mountain villages flattened by a powerful earthquake in Iran as officials warned that the death toll could reach 550.
President Mohammad Khatami, whose government is facing protests from stricken villagers at the delay in aid reaching some of the most devastated areas, said that Iran would accept international help if offered.
http://metimes.com/articles/normal.php?StoryID=20050223-080022-1451r
The Jerusalem Post
Israel launches 'hasbara' campaign against Syria
By GIL HOFFMAN AND MARGOT DUDKEVITCH
Police officer inspects the scene of the blast
Photo: AP
Victims of TA suicide bombing: [Top] Yitzhak Buzaglo, 40, Yael Auerbach, 28, [bottom] Aryeh Nagar, 37, Ronen Reuvenov, 28
As the March 1 London conference devoted to the re-building of the Palestinian Authority approaches, Israel has launched an informational "hasbara" campaign to shed light on Syria's involvement in terror orchestration.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1109301662303
Secret Syria-Israel talks, 'Post' learns
An official Jordanian source told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday that Syrian, Jordanian and Israeli Foreign Ministry officials held secret peace talks in Jordan last week. According to the source, technical committees from Syria and Israel were hosted at the Movenpick Hotel on the Jordanian side of the Dead Sea.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1109475189059
Opinion: Say yes to Syria
An inhabitant of this region who lived here during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, then left and returned only in 2004, would never believe that the president of Syria would offer unconditional bilateral negotiations with Israel, and that the prime minister of Israel would turn them down.
For decades the Arab world negated peace, recognition and negotiations with Israel, as stated in the Khartoum declaration of 1967.
However, over the years, and with international pressure, this notion has been replaced by demands for a withdrawal by Israel to the 1967 borders, as a prerequisite to negotiations, recognition and a peaceful settlement.
In short, land for peace.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1102752565452
Iraq: Suicide bomber kills 125
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
BAGHDAD, Iraq
A suicide car bomber blew himself up Monday in a crowd of police and Iraqi national guard recruits south of Baghdad, killing at least 125 and wounding over 200, police and witnesses said.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1109561138022
The Moscow News
Troops Confront More Terror Cells in North Caucasus
By Anna Arutunyan The Moscow News
In a near-repeat scenario of two previous sieges this year, Russian troops broke up yet another group of separatist rebels believed to be part of a terrorist cell in the southern Russian province of Kabardino-Balkaria.
http://english.mn.ru/english/issue.php?2005-7-3
The Rain in Spain Falls Mainly on the EU
By Robert Bridge The Moscow News
Spain became the first nation to approve the European constitution on Sunday, thus handing the pro-EU lobby a powerful victory.
http://english.mn.ru/english/issue.php?2005-7-4
Militants Distribute Terror Tapes Across Russia
By Anna Arutunyan and Oleg Liakhovich
Chechen police are raiding local outdoor markets in Grozny after discovering last week bootlegged video-footage of terrorist attacks against federal forces. In the course of a single day, police sources say they have confiscated hundreds of videos in Grozny alone and have detained four vendors.
Pasted from <http://english.mn.ru/english/issue.php?2005-7-11>
Bushehr Explosion Gives Rise to Speculations
By Anna Arutunyan and Oleg Liakhovich
Iranian media and officials give contradicting information on the explosion which allegedly occurred in the outskirts of Dailam in the Bushehr province, where a nuclear power plant is currently under construction. The story created a worldwide media scare that jolted financial markets amid fears of a possible U.S. or Israeli military strike to end Iran's nuclear ambitions. The initial report by satellite TV channel Al Alam attributed the blast to a missile, while Ali Reza Afshar, a senior Iranian military official later said the explosion was part of blasting work involved in building a dam, Reuters reports. Quoted by the press service of the Iranian Defense Ministry, Iran's Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani condemned the Western media "for spreading unverified and false information" and warned that Iran would strike back promptly and correspondingly in case of any attack on Iranian nuclear and civil facilities.
http://english.mn.ru/english/issue.php?2005-7-12
Chernobyl to Repair Leaking Sarcophagus
By Anna Arutunyan and Oleg Liakhovich
In Ukraine, repairs began on the sarcophagus built over the debris of Chernobyl's ill-fated No. 4 reactor after experts affirmed that the structure failed to meet safety regulations due to deterioration. Hastily constructed in 1986 as a temporary measure designed to contain radiation emitting from the reactor's debris, the sarcophagus itself long became a hazard, experts warned. Repair plans include adding a second shelter around the old one. "Shelter 2" is a huge 19,800-ton steel arch designed to be assembled nearby, then slid into place on rails to minimize workers' radiation exposure, Vesti news program reported.
http://english.mn.ru/english/issue.php?2005-7-13
Russia's Arms Exports: Hitting the Ceiling?
By Aleksandr Golts deputy editor-in-chief, The Yezhenedelny
Despite warnings from the supreme commander, Russian traders are determined to strengthen the armies of other nations
Lately, Vladimir Putin has not had too much cause for triumph. But now at last he seems to have found it - Russia's arms trade.
Here are just a few figures. In the past five years, export sales have almost doubled, reaching $5.12 billion. Military equipment is sold to 59 countries, including the United Nations.
http://english.mn.ru/english/issue.php?2005-7-20
Pravda
Personality of the Week: Vladimir Putin
02/28/2005 10:35
President of the Russian Federation firm and resolute in Bratislava
Vladimir Putin again demonstrated his statesmanship this week in Bratislava in his meeting with President Bush, responding to the latter's "concerns" with diplomacy and tact, two pages that Condoleezza Rice might wish to take from the Russian President's book.
http://english.pravda.ru/mailbox/22/101/399/15028_putin.html
Putin answers Bush word for word
02/25/2005 10:17
Putin-Bush Summit - more points in common than differences
The Presidents of the Russian Federation and the United States of America stressed that there are more points in common than differences at a time when the international policy of Washington has put a strain on its relations with the international community.
http://english.pravda.ru/mailbox/22/101/399/15015_summit.html
Ukraine blames Russia for the loss of shoulder-fired missiles
02/28/2005 11:46
The news about the loss of the shoulder-fired missile system has caused a slight commotion in the Ukrainian Army
The shoulder-fired anti-aircraft system Strela-3, which has been lost in Ukraine, as the Ukrainian Navy command supposes, was handed over to Ukraine in 1996. According to the statement from the press service of the Russian Black Sea Navy, the system was handed over to the Ukrainian Navy on the base of adequate documents, signed by Ukrainian officials.
http://english.pravda.ru/world/20/92/370/15029_strela.html
Slobodan Milosevic, jailed in the Netherlands, receives his Belgrade villa back
02/25/2005 17:46
Slobodan Milosevic purchased the above-mentioned villa two days before NATO started bombing Yugoslavia
The Supreme Court of Serbia cancelled the decision of the first instance court to confiscate Slobodan Milosevic's villa situated in a prestigious district of Belgrade.
http://english.pravda.ru/world/20/91/365/15023_milosevic.html
The China Daily
Iran, Russia sign nuke deal opposed by US
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-02-28 09:13
Russia and Iran signed a nuclear fuel supply deal long opposed by Washington Sunday, paving the way for Iran to start up its first atomic reactor next year.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-02/28/content_420034.htm
Syria hands Saddam's half-brother to Iraq
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-02-28 08:02
Iraqi officials said Sunday that Syria captured and handed over Saddam Hussein's half-brother, a most-wanted leader in the Sunni-based insurgency, ending months of Syrian denials that it was harboring fugitives from the ousted Saddam regime. Iraq authorities said Damascus acted in a gesture of goodwill.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-02/28/content_419961.htm
Kitty Hawk sailor to appear in HK court
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2005-02-28 09:03
A 27-year-old sailor from the USS Kitty Hawk (right) is arrested by police in Hong Kong for punching a local taxi driver and police officer on Saturday morning after a drinking bout. He will be brought today to court, where it will be decided whether he will be sent back to the United States Navy for punishment. [newsphoto]
A sailor from the USS Kitty Hawk will be brought to court in Hong Kong on Monday for punching a police officer and a taxi driver.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-02/28/content_420004.htm
Berry, Bush, Schwarzenegger win Razzies
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-02-28 13:33
Hoisting her Academy Award in one hand and newly won Razzie in the other, Halle Berry reveled in a career low point. "Omigosh, oh my God," Berry gasped, feigning excitement. "I never in my life thought that I would be here, winning a Razzie. It's not like I ever aspired to be here, but thank you."
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-02/28/content_420342.htm
Scientists could produce cancer-killing cells
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-02-28 15:02
SEOUL - A team of South Korean scientists say they have found a way to produce the human body's own cancer-killing cells through gene therapy, offering new hope to cancer sufferers.
The team said they had found that a gene called Vitamin D3 Upregulated Protein 1 (VDUP1) plays a crucial role in directing stem cells to diversify into immune cells known as natural killer cells.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-02/28/content_420402.htm
Syria and Lebanon have much to settle. Terror groups are to be reined in. Iran is too delicate to disturb.
And the rest .....
Well.
Let's just say will be written in the history books that the USA was actually a shadow of fear to the process of peace.
The Jordan Times
King meets Syrian PM, says Arab summit to activate peace initiative
Agencies
HIS MAJESTY KING Abdullah on Sunday said Jordan's current efforts focus on achieving a just, comprehensive and sustainable peace in the region, including the Syrian and Lebanese tracks.
http://www.jordantimes.com/mon/homenews/homenews1.htm
Mubarak likely winner — even with rival
By Jonathan Wright
Reuters
CAIRO — Prodded by Washington to lead the Arab world on democracy, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has agreed to let rivals compete for the presidency this year but analysts say he could still easily sweep a multi-candidate vote.
http://www.jordantimes.com/mon/news/news1.htm
Syria linked to arrest of Saddam's brother
BAGHDAD (Reuters) — A half brother of Saddam Hussein who has played a leading role in the insurgency has been captured with help from Syria, which faces US allegations of abetting terrorism, Iraqi government officials said on Sunday.
http://www.jordantimes.com/mon/news/news2.htm
King meets with Oracle representative
AMMAN (Petra) — His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday received Sergio Giacoletto, executive vice president of Oracle Europe, Middle East and Africa.
http://www.jordantimes.com/mon/homenews/homenews3.htm
Environmentalists raise awareness on deforestation in Palestinian areas
Israel is uprooting an average of 1 tree per minute in Palestinian areas
By Rami Abdelrahman
AMMAN — The World Council of Churches is working with environmentalists in Jordan and the region on a campaign to stop Israel from uprooting trees in Palestinian areas.
http://www.jordantimes.com/mon/homenews/homenews4.htm
Haaretz
Former deputy IDF chief: PM to blame for Tel Aviv attack
By Haaretz Service
Former deputy IDF chief Uzi Dayan said Monday that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is to blame for Friday's suicide attack in Tel Aviv, in which five people were killed, because he has failed to ensure that the West Bank separation fence is completed.
Dayan, who heads a public pressure group advocating the construction of the fence, told a meeting of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that, had the fence been completed, the terrorist who carried out Friday's attack would not have been able to reach Tel Aviv.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/545673.html
Anti-Syrian protesters take to Beirut's streets despite ban
By The Associated Press and Haaretz Service
Several thousand anti-Syrian protesters took to Beirut's streets late Sunday in defiance of a ban by Lebanon's pro-Damascus government against demonstrations, as a U.S. official kept up Washington's pressure on Syria by calling on it to withdraw its 15,000 troops from Lebanon and stop interfering in this country's affairs.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/545735.html
A critical test for Israel
By Akiva Eldar
When four civilians are killed and 50 are wounded in the heart of the city at the height of a cease-fire and the blood is boiling, the brain becomes feverish. On the one hand, "security sources" explain that the Islamic Jihad sent the murderer to sabotage the new Abu Mazen government, and to foil its attempts to rehabilitate the political channel and increase security cooperation with Israel. On the other hand, the defense minister decides to punish the Palestinian Authority by freezing the transfer of security responsibility to them for cities in the West Bank.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/545716.html
Egypt Today
THE YOUNG MAJORITY
Twenty-five years after its birth, the Islamic Republic of Iran is facing one of the greatest internal challenges to its legitimacy and permanence: With one of the youngest populations in the world, the generation that came after Khomeini’s Islamic Revolution is coming of age in a climate that bears little relation to the events of 1979. High unemployment, increasing social problems and unprecedented access to the outside world are pushing Iran down a path of instability and fundamental discontent.
http://www.egypttoday.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=4288
On the Hustings
The ruling National Democratic Party says President Hosni Mubarak will be its candidate of choice to face the nation in a fall presidential referendum. Yet the president himself claims he has yet to decide whether he’s ready to hit the campaign trail for a fifth time and says he welcomes challengers. Three have offered. Welcome to an unprecedented debate.
http://www.egypttoday.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=4283
The Middle East Times
Opinion: This time, I'm hopeful
Eyad El Sarraj
Published February 22, 2005
GAZA -- A couple of days after Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas declared a halt to hostilities, I met with a few of the many journalists and commentators who roam the streets of Gaza.
... "Do you really trust Hamas to stop terror?" one of the journalists asked me. "Even when they announce that they are not bound by the agreement?"
To his obvious shock I replied, "Yes."
I have spent many years observing Hamas at close range as it has grown from a small Islamic religious movement into a major army. I have been debating politics with its leaders and members for a long, long time. That experience leads me to believe that Hamas will very soon transform into a political party and will seriously contemplate taking over the government by democratic means.
http://metimes.com/articles/normal.php?StoryID=20050222-030133-5721r
Mubarak and Qadhafi discuss Mideast peace, other regional issues
Published February 18, 2005
WELCOME: Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak (L) welcomes Libyan Leader Muammar Qadhafi on his arrival at Itehadeya presidential palace in Cairo on Thursday. Qadhafi, on a five-day-visit to Egypt, will hold talks on bilateral and regional issues with his Egyptian counterpart.
(REUTERS)
CAIRO -- Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak met Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi in Cairo on Thursday to discuss the Middle East peace process, Iraq and a range of other regional issues, the official MENA news agency reported.
http://metimes.com/articles/normal.php?StoryID=20050218-090050-5998r
Protests held in Cairo against fifth term for Mubarak
Published February 22, 2005
ENOUGH!: An Egyptian protestor shouts anti-government slogans outside Cairo University during a demonstration against an extension of the rule of Egypt''s President Hosni Mubarak. About 300 protestors called for an end to the rule of Mubarak, who has been Egypt''s leader since 1981 and is widely expected to seek a fifth six-year term this year.
(REUTERS)
CAIRO -- More than 500 people rallied in Cairo on Monday to protest against a new term in office for Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and against moves to enable his son Gamal to succeed him afterward.
"That's enough" and "Down with Hosni Mubarak" shouted protestors who gathered in front of Cairo University, while around 50 trucks packed with police were deployed nearby.
http://metimes.com/articles/normal.php?StoryID=20050222-072008-4927r
'Third time a charm' for Qurei's cabinet
Yasser Baraka
Middle East Times
Published February 25, 2005
ALMOST NEW: Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei (L) and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (C) pose for photographs along with other members of the Palestinian cabinet, following a swearing-in ceremony in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Thursday, after parliament approved a cabinet of mostly new faces.
(REUTERS)
GAZA -- Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei has had a tough week. No matter what he tried, he was stopped each time by opponents. His task had been to nominate an entire cabinet, the first since the death of late president Yasser Arafat.
But on Thursday Qurei's third attempt succeeded like a charm when the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) overwhelmingly approved a new cabinet.
http://metimes.com/articles/normal.php?StoryID=20050225-080038-4385r
Analysis: Activist arrest overshadows US-Egypt ties
Seif Nisrawi
UPI
Published February 22, 2005
CAIRO -- Egyptian-US relations are not in their best shape nowadays, and one cannot help noticing the lukewarm dealings between Washington and one of its main Arab allies.
The controversial arrest and imprisonment of Egyptian politician and human rights activist Ayman Al Nur was denounced by the US administration, which slammed the move as "harmful for the democratic process in Egypt".
http://metimes.com/articles/normal.php?StoryID=20050222-080425-8324r
Lebanese PM is 'ready to resign'
Published February 23, 2005
READY TO RESIGN: File photo of Lebanese Prime Minister Omar Karameh leaving parliament in Beirut in November 2004. Karameh has said that he was ready to resign, facing intense pressure to end Syrian domination of his country.
(REUTERS)
BEIRUT -- Lebanon's beleaguered Prime Minister Omar Karameh said on Wednesday that he was ready to resign, facing intense pressure to end Syrian domination of his country and find the killers of ex-premier Rafiq Al Hariri.
http://metimes.com/articles/normal.php?StoryID=20050223-071710-7046r
Analysis: Blogs are Iranians' weapons of choice
Jason Motlagh
UPI
Published February 22, 2005
WASHINGTON -- Iran is already under attack. The opposition is at work both within and beyond its borders, restless, coordinating and sharing intelligence
http://metimes.com/articles/normal.php?StoryID=20050222-034433-2038r
Syria to redeploy troops in Lebanon
Nayla Razzouk
Published February 25, 2005
REDEPLOYING: Syrian soldiers gather at their base in Aley village in Lebanon on February 24. Lebanon''s defense minister Abdel Rahim Murad said that Syrian forces would soon start redeploying to Lebanon''s eastern Bekaa Valley in line with a 16-year-old agreement.
(REUTERS)
BEIRUT -- Syria, under intense international pressure to end its tight military and political grip on neighboring Lebanon, prepared on Friday to redeploy its troops toward the border, Lebanese officials said.
http://metimes.com/articles/normal.php?StoryID=20050225-094928-5288r
Rescuers pull bodies from quake-hit Iran villages as toll tops 530
Siavosh Ghazi
AFP
Published February 23, 2005
DESTRUCTION: A general view of the quake-damaged village of Dahuyeh, near Zarand, some 1,000 kilometers southeast of Tehran, on February 22.
(REUTERS)
HOUTKAN -- Rescuers using their bare hands pulled more bodies on Wednesday from the rubble of freezing mountain villages flattened by a powerful earthquake in Iran as officials warned that the death toll could reach 550.
President Mohammad Khatami, whose government is facing protests from stricken villagers at the delay in aid reaching some of the most devastated areas, said that Iran would accept international help if offered.
http://metimes.com/articles/normal.php?StoryID=20050223-080022-1451r
The Jerusalem Post
Israel launches 'hasbara' campaign against Syria
By GIL HOFFMAN AND MARGOT DUDKEVITCH
Police officer inspects the scene of the blast
Photo: AP
Victims of TA suicide bombing: [Top] Yitzhak Buzaglo, 40, Yael Auerbach, 28, [bottom] Aryeh Nagar, 37, Ronen Reuvenov, 28
As the March 1 London conference devoted to the re-building of the Palestinian Authority approaches, Israel has launched an informational "hasbara" campaign to shed light on Syria's involvement in terror orchestration.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1109301662303
Secret Syria-Israel talks, 'Post' learns
An official Jordanian source told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday that Syrian, Jordanian and Israeli Foreign Ministry officials held secret peace talks in Jordan last week. According to the source, technical committees from Syria and Israel were hosted at the Movenpick Hotel on the Jordanian side of the Dead Sea.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1109475189059
Opinion: Say yes to Syria
An inhabitant of this region who lived here during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, then left and returned only in 2004, would never believe that the president of Syria would offer unconditional bilateral negotiations with Israel, and that the prime minister of Israel would turn them down.
For decades the Arab world negated peace, recognition and negotiations with Israel, as stated in the Khartoum declaration of 1967.
However, over the years, and with international pressure, this notion has been replaced by demands for a withdrawal by Israel to the 1967 borders, as a prerequisite to negotiations, recognition and a peaceful settlement.
In short, land for peace.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1102752565452
Iraq: Suicide bomber kills 125
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
BAGHDAD, Iraq
A suicide car bomber blew himself up Monday in a crowd of police and Iraqi national guard recruits south of Baghdad, killing at least 125 and wounding over 200, police and witnesses said.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1109561138022
The Moscow News
Troops Confront More Terror Cells in North Caucasus
By Anna Arutunyan The Moscow News
In a near-repeat scenario of two previous sieges this year, Russian troops broke up yet another group of separatist rebels believed to be part of a terrorist cell in the southern Russian province of Kabardino-Balkaria.
http://english.mn.ru/english/issue.php?2005-7-3
The Rain in Spain Falls Mainly on the EU
By Robert Bridge The Moscow News
Spain became the first nation to approve the European constitution on Sunday, thus handing the pro-EU lobby a powerful victory.
http://english.mn.ru/english/issue.php?2005-7-4
Militants Distribute Terror Tapes Across Russia
By Anna Arutunyan and Oleg Liakhovich
Chechen police are raiding local outdoor markets in Grozny after discovering last week bootlegged video-footage of terrorist attacks against federal forces. In the course of a single day, police sources say they have confiscated hundreds of videos in Grozny alone and have detained four vendors.
Pasted from <http://english.mn.ru/english/issue.php?2005-7-11>
Bushehr Explosion Gives Rise to Speculations
By Anna Arutunyan and Oleg Liakhovich
Iranian media and officials give contradicting information on the explosion which allegedly occurred in the outskirts of Dailam in the Bushehr province, where a nuclear power plant is currently under construction. The story created a worldwide media scare that jolted financial markets amid fears of a possible U.S. or Israeli military strike to end Iran's nuclear ambitions. The initial report by satellite TV channel Al Alam attributed the blast to a missile, while Ali Reza Afshar, a senior Iranian military official later said the explosion was part of blasting work involved in building a dam, Reuters reports. Quoted by the press service of the Iranian Defense Ministry, Iran's Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani condemned the Western media "for spreading unverified and false information" and warned that Iran would strike back promptly and correspondingly in case of any attack on Iranian nuclear and civil facilities.
http://english.mn.ru/english/issue.php?2005-7-12
Chernobyl to Repair Leaking Sarcophagus
By Anna Arutunyan and Oleg Liakhovich
In Ukraine, repairs began on the sarcophagus built over the debris of Chernobyl's ill-fated No. 4 reactor after experts affirmed that the structure failed to meet safety regulations due to deterioration. Hastily constructed in 1986 as a temporary measure designed to contain radiation emitting from the reactor's debris, the sarcophagus itself long became a hazard, experts warned. Repair plans include adding a second shelter around the old one. "Shelter 2" is a huge 19,800-ton steel arch designed to be assembled nearby, then slid into place on rails to minimize workers' radiation exposure, Vesti news program reported.
http://english.mn.ru/english/issue.php?2005-7-13
Russia's Arms Exports: Hitting the Ceiling?
By Aleksandr Golts deputy editor-in-chief, The Yezhenedelny
Despite warnings from the supreme commander, Russian traders are determined to strengthen the armies of other nations
Lately, Vladimir Putin has not had too much cause for triumph. But now at last he seems to have found it - Russia's arms trade.
Here are just a few figures. In the past five years, export sales have almost doubled, reaching $5.12 billion. Military equipment is sold to 59 countries, including the United Nations.
http://english.mn.ru/english/issue.php?2005-7-20
Pravda
Personality of the Week: Vladimir Putin
02/28/2005 10:35
President of the Russian Federation firm and resolute in Bratislava
Vladimir Putin again demonstrated his statesmanship this week in Bratislava in his meeting with President Bush, responding to the latter's "concerns" with diplomacy and tact, two pages that Condoleezza Rice might wish to take from the Russian President's book.
http://english.pravda.ru/mailbox/22/101/399/15028_putin.html
Putin answers Bush word for word
02/25/2005 10:17
Putin-Bush Summit - more points in common than differences
The Presidents of the Russian Federation and the United States of America stressed that there are more points in common than differences at a time when the international policy of Washington has put a strain on its relations with the international community.
http://english.pravda.ru/mailbox/22/101/399/15015_summit.html
Ukraine blames Russia for the loss of shoulder-fired missiles
02/28/2005 11:46
The news about the loss of the shoulder-fired missile system has caused a slight commotion in the Ukrainian Army
The shoulder-fired anti-aircraft system Strela-3, which has been lost in Ukraine, as the Ukrainian Navy command supposes, was handed over to Ukraine in 1996. According to the statement from the press service of the Russian Black Sea Navy, the system was handed over to the Ukrainian Navy on the base of adequate documents, signed by Ukrainian officials.
http://english.pravda.ru/world/20/92/370/15029_strela.html
Slobodan Milosevic, jailed in the Netherlands, receives his Belgrade villa back
02/25/2005 17:46
Slobodan Milosevic purchased the above-mentioned villa two days before NATO started bombing Yugoslavia
The Supreme Court of Serbia cancelled the decision of the first instance court to confiscate Slobodan Milosevic's villa situated in a prestigious district of Belgrade.
http://english.pravda.ru/world/20/91/365/15023_milosevic.html
The China Daily
Iran, Russia sign nuke deal opposed by US
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-02-28 09:13
Russia and Iran signed a nuclear fuel supply deal long opposed by Washington Sunday, paving the way for Iran to start up its first atomic reactor next year.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-02/28/content_420034.htm
Syria hands Saddam's half-brother to Iraq
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-02-28 08:02
Iraqi officials said Sunday that Syria captured and handed over Saddam Hussein's half-brother, a most-wanted leader in the Sunni-based insurgency, ending months of Syrian denials that it was harboring fugitives from the ousted Saddam regime. Iraq authorities said Damascus acted in a gesture of goodwill.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-02/28/content_419961.htm
Kitty Hawk sailor to appear in HK court
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2005-02-28 09:03
A 27-year-old sailor from the USS Kitty Hawk (right) is arrested by police in Hong Kong for punching a local taxi driver and police officer on Saturday morning after a drinking bout. He will be brought today to court, where it will be decided whether he will be sent back to the United States Navy for punishment. [newsphoto]
A sailor from the USS Kitty Hawk will be brought to court in Hong Kong on Monday for punching a police officer and a taxi driver.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-02/28/content_420004.htm
Berry, Bush, Schwarzenegger win Razzies
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-02-28 13:33
Hoisting her Academy Award in one hand and newly won Razzie in the other, Halle Berry reveled in a career low point. "Omigosh, oh my God," Berry gasped, feigning excitement. "I never in my life thought that I would be here, winning a Razzie. It's not like I ever aspired to be here, but thank you."
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-02/28/content_420342.htm
Scientists could produce cancer-killing cells
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-02-28 15:02
SEOUL - A team of South Korean scientists say they have found a way to produce the human body's own cancer-killing cells through gene therapy, offering new hope to cancer sufferers.
The team said they had found that a gene called Vitamin D3 Upregulated Protein 1 (VDUP1) plays a crucial role in directing stem cells to diversify into immune cells known as natural killer cells.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-02/28/content_420402.htm
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