17 Nov 09

MILLION HIT BY 'PLAGUE WORSE THAN SWINE FLU'
A cocktail of three flu viruses are reported to have mutated into a single pneumonic plague, which it is believed may be far more dangerous than swine flu. The death toll has reached 189 and more than 1 million people have been infected, most of them in the nine regions of Western Ukraine.  

PM: Iranian threat very grave for world
Underscoring Israel's military might in the face of the Iranian threat, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu warned on Tuesday about the dangers of a nuclear Iran after visiting a submarine believed capable of firing nuclear-tipped missiles.  

Gulf single currency not imminent: Kuwait minister
The planned Gulf single currency is unlikely to be launched soon as "sufficient time" is needed for preparations, Kuwait's Finance Minister Mustafa al-Shamali said on Tuesday.--Gulf states have set the start of next year to launch the single currency, but recently there have been increasing signals that the target date is unrealistic.  

IAEA inspects nuclear research reactor in Syria
The UN atomic watchdog said on Tuesday it was inspecting a nuclear research reactor in Damascus because it had doubts about Syria's explanation as to how traces of uranium got there. In its latest report on Syria, circulated to member states on Monday, the International Atomic Energy Agency said that it found Damascus's initial explanation unconvincing.  

Obama ‘Reaches Out’ by Naming ‘Devout’ Muslims to Security Posts
U.S. President Barack Obama continues to “reach out to Muslims” by appointing them to key security posts amid charges he wrongly ignored internal Muslim terror. One recent appointee was harshly criticized for appearing on a British-based television station whose host is a member of a radical Muslim group. President Obama has continued to “reach out Muslims,” as he said in his keynote speech in Cairo last June, and this past week he swore in a Muslim rights advocate to the Homeland Security Advisory Council, shortly after the Fort Hood massacre.  

Earthquake Strikes off Coast of British Columbia, Canada
A large 6.6 magnitude earthquake has struck the Queen Charlotte Islands Region, the USGS reports. The quake shook off the coast of British Columbia Tues, Nov. 17, at 10 km depth. Time of the event was recorded to be 07:30:46 (PST) near epicenter. RR News  

Turkey Slams Israel Again
Turkey once again sharply criticized Israel Monday. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that Israel's "threats to use violence" and its military might will ensure that tension in the Middle East continues. It is Israeli policy that prevents any peace deal from coming about, he said. The Turkish minister also demanded that Israel refrain from sending security forces onto the Temple Mount, and said his government was watching developments there "closely."  

UN links climate with hunger
The world cannot achieve food security without first tackling global warming, the United Nations secretary-general said on Monday, warning that failure at next month’s international climate change negotiations would result in a rise in hunger.-"There cannot be food security without climate security," Mr Ban said. "Today’s event is critical," he said, referring to the food summit, "so is Copenhagen."  

Sarkozy: Revive Mideast peace or risk extremist backlash
French President Nicolas Sarkozy urged Israel and the Palestinians to promptly revive the Middle East peace process or else risk an extremist backlash, in an interview with the Saudi daily Al-Riyad Tuesday. "The priority is to restart as soon as possible the peace process," Sarkozy said, who arrives in Saudi Arabia for a one-day visit later Tuesday.-"It is for us to help them," Sarkozy added, citing in particular the United States, the European Union and Russia.  

Health alert issued for the Ukraine
The Centre for Health Protection is monitoring an acute respiratory illness outbreak in the Ukraine, advising travellers to the country to observe personal protective measures. Those who fall ill after returning from there should seek medical care. According to the World Health Organisation, preliminary laboratory reports showed the acute respiratory illness epidemic is mainly related to human swine flu.  

Freedom for imprisoned Christian 'apostates'
Maryam Rustampoor, 27, and Marzieh Amirizadeh, 30, have been imprisoned for 256 days – since March 5. They were repeatedly told to recant their faith and that they would be executed as "apostates," solely because they are Christians.  

David Miliband: Afghanistan 'not a fight to the death'
David Miliband, the British Foreign Secretary, has said that Allied troops must stay in Afghanistan to prevent the Taliban filling any ''vacuum'' - but said the aim is not to fight "to the death".  

California gay marriage campaign kicks off
Gay marriage advocates on Monday launched a campaign to try to overturn California's same-sex marriage ban  

'No' to Jesus, 'yes' to Allah
He also once gave the order to stop prayers at the Indiana State House in the name of Jesus, but later stated that praying in the name of Allah was okay.  

European Union rejects appeal to back Palestinian statehood
The European Union rejected requests Tuesday that it support a Palestinian plan for gaining recognition as an independent state at the UN Security Council without Israeli consent.  

‘If PA Declares State, Israel Will Annex Settlements'
A government minister publicly advised the Palestinian Authority on Monday that if it unilaterally declares a new Arab state, Israel may annex parts of Judea and Samaria.  

US Asked for Construction Freeze in Gilo, Netanyahu Said No
U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell reportedly asked Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, during one of their recent meetings, to freeze a construction project of dozens of housing units in Gilo. Netanyahu turned him down.  

Internet inches closer to 'internationalisation'
The first applications were accepted on Monday for internationalised domain names (IDNs), in one of the most significant steps to making the Internet more accessible around the globe. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has opened the application process, ending the exclusive use of Latin characters for website addresses.  

The new wave of female firebrands striking fear into liberal America
She is a striking brunette with a decidedly outspoken attitude. She lambasts President Barack Obama as a socialist and has become the darling of America's right-wing activists who flock to her appearances. She is hated by liberals and loved by conservatives. Sarah Palin? Not quite. Meet Michele Bachmann, a Republican congresswoman from Minnesota who is being hailed as a new and increasingly powerful voice in American politics.  

Health and safety snoops to enter family homes
Health and safety inspectors are to be given unprecedented access to family homes to ensure that parents are protecting their children from household accidents. New guidance drawn up at the request of the Department of Health urges councils and other public sector bodies to "collect data" on properties where children are thought to be at "greatest risk of unintentional injury".  

War-torn nations 'most corrupt'
War-torn nations remain the world's most corrupt, Transparency International (TI) has said. Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia are the lowest-ranked countries in TI's annual global survey. They were all at the bottom of the list last year as well. "When essential institutions are weak or non-existent, corruption spirals out of control," TI said.  

Iran plays down UN nuclear report
Iran has played down a report by the UN's nuclear watchdog that found questions remained unanswered about a nuclear facility near the city of Qom. The International Atomic Energy Agency says Iran must explain the history and purpose of the recently declared site. But chief Iranian nuclear negotiator Ali Asghar Soltaniyeh said the report was "repetitive" and Tehran had handed over all information on the facility.  

Sarkozy aims to build Saudi ties
French President Nicholas Sarkozy will arrive in Riyadh later on Tuesday for a two-day visit to Saudi Arabia. Mr Sarkozy will spend the night at King Abdullah's desert ranch before attending bilateral talks on Wednesday.  

Fed 'attentive' to US dollar drop
US Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke has said policymakers are mindful of the sliding US dollar. Mr Bernanke said he is "attentive" to the decline in the currency and is working to "help ensure that the dollar is strong". But he also signalled that interest rates will be kept at a record low, a factor in the dollar's steep drop.  

Almunia presses China to act on currency pledge
The European Union hopes China will act on earlier pledges and allow its currency to appreciate, the bloc's economy commissioner, Joaquin Almunia, said on Monday (16 November). Speaking at an event in Vienna, Mr Almunia told journalists that it would be "the best system for all of us" if China's currency and those of other developing countries were decided by the market and with less public intervention.  

EU foreign minister has 'impossible' task ahead
The tasks of the proposed new EU foreign minister look relatively clear-cut and powerful on paper but analysts and politicians in Brussels suggest the person will need to be superhuman to manage all that is foreseen under the Lisbon Treaty. Formally known as the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the beefed-up position puts foreign policy clout and the financial means to implement it into the hands of one person.  

EU top jobs summit could drag on for days
A deal on the EU top jobs remains far from reach ahead of a special summit on Thursday (19 November) that could require a follow-up meeting the next day. "There are still some days to go. I wouldn't say it's a complete mess, but there's no agreement still," Swedish minister for EU affairs Cecilia Malmstrom said during a press conference on Monday.  

Czech, US officials discuss missile defense
The Obama administration hopes the Czech Republic will play an important role in a reworked US missile defense plan, a top American official said Monday. Ellen Tauscher, the US undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, held talks at the Czech Foreign Ministry to discuss ways for the Czech Republic to participate in the new system.  

Anti-Semitic Ukraine mayor to run for president
A mayor of a small Ukrainian town who has made headlines for anti-Semitic comments in recent months was approved by his country's central voting committee to run in January's presidential race. Following his nomination, Uzhgorod Mayor Sergey Ratushniak told a local paper that the Jews were to blame for all his country's troubles.  

'ElBaradei wanted to remove sanctions'
A secret deal being drafted by outgoing International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Mohamed ElBaradei would see Iran retain its nuclear program, as well as the removal of all sanctions placed on the Islamic republic, simply in exchange for its cooperation with UN inspectors, The Times of London reported Tuesday.