Global News Post: Featured

Sexual Activity as a Mega-Weapon for the Middle East

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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 12pt;">This story by Alexander Levchenko (<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Ukraine</st1:country-region></st1:place>), political scientist, Strategic Culture Foundation expert, was published in International Affairs magazine.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 12pt;">It does not take a rocket scientist to realize that, while social media like Facebook and Twitter can be instrumental in bringing crowds of discontent to the streets, the protesters will in all cases be led by those who have built a real rather than virtual organization geared towards inducing a regime change.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 12pt;">This could not be a secret to the <st1:country-region w:st="on">US</st1:country-region> strategists who incited revolts via social media in the <st1:place w:st="on">Middle East</st1:place>. Aware that politicized Islam was the best-organized force in the Arab street; they also had to know that Islamists would eventually prevail.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 12pt;">Does <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:state w:st="on">Washington</st1:state></st1:place> expect Islamist leaders to tone down Jihad in return for propelling them to power or because petrodollars are about to start flowing to their bank accounts? This may be what somebody in the US sincerely hopes will happen, but generally Anglo-Saxons gained enough experience with the Middle East to understand that, unlike complacent Westerners, other nations do not act based on purely material regards and still consider important such things as pride, social justice, etc., not to mention their fanatic adherence to religion.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 12pt;">Given the above I suspect a hidden agenda behind <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:state w:st="on">Washington</st1:state></st1:place>'s Middle Eastern digital diplomacy. This hidden agenda might be linked to the seemingly apolitical theme of demography, which does have a political dimension in a special case, namely, that of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Israel</st1:country-region></st1:place>.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><st1:country-region w:st="on"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 12pt;">Israel</span></st1:country-region><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 12pt;">'s declaration of independence carries two irreconcilable theses: <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Israel</st1:country-region></st1:place> must at the same time be a Jewish state and a democracy. The latter automatically implies that Arabs are a legitimate part of the Israeli electorate.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 12pt;">Demographers have been warning since the 1950ies that under the arrangement Jewish statehood in <st1:city w:st="on">Palestine</st1:city> has no future due to the Arabs' much higher fertility rate: once Arabs outnumber Jews in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region>, they will peacefully gain political control over the country or at least get rid of any legislation which disagrees with their interests or religious customs. For some time, the Israeli government and Zionist groups around the world entertained the idea that Jewish immigration to <st1:country-region w:st="on">Israel</st1:country-region> would offset the impact of the Arabs' vigorous population dynamics, but the inflow of Jews to <st1:country-region w:st="on">Israel</st1:country-region> almost dwindled after peaking in the wake of the <st1:place w:st="on">Soviet Union</st1:place>'s collapse. The US and European Jewish communities, which account for 60% and 25% of the world's Jewish population, are unenthusiastic about relocating to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region>. The policy of encouraging Arab emigration from <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Israel</st1:country-region></st1:place> produced no results either.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 12pt;">In 1976, the media got a hold of the secret Koenig Memorandum which showed that in a couple of years Arabs would become the majority in Israel's northern province of Galilee, the forecast that later proved accurate. In 2002, Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics released a report estimating the annual Arab population growth in the country at 3.4% and projecting that its share in the overall population of Israel would reach 21-24% by 2020 [2], but in fact Arabs accounted for 20.8% of it already by 2006 [3].<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuQH-8vqMRvSWhVursLTVXlJrftGavno1TQkDWFn3WqRKSPVrcSn-2D4ts825gBpASXif2m9UiLcrmIGAhR5BuMnYM3-CnZGyDtLc-HxH7_d8obl8OCbb21qyPSRN8fRjCaAPkal5mxIc/s1600/Israel+%25282006%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuQH-8vqMRvSWhVursLTVXlJrftGavno1TQkDWFn3WqRKSPVrcSn-2D4ts825gBpASXif2m9UiLcrmIGAhR5BuMnYM3-CnZGyDtLc-HxH7_d8obl8OCbb21qyPSRN8fRjCaAPkal5mxIc/s1600/Israel+%25282006%2529.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 12pt;">Israel</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 12pt;"> (2006)</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 16px;">In 2003, <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s then-finance minister and current premier Benjamin Netanyahu made the first statement to the effect that demographic trends were eroding the Jewish statehood. Speaking at an international conference, he expressed a view that Arabs' fertility rate was a delayed-action mine and an even greater threat to the Jews than the Palestinian autonomy. Netanyahu said that <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Israel</st1:country-region></st1:place> would stop being a Jewish state and become bi-national when the Arab share of its population rises to 35-40% [1].</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 12pt;">Considering that Arabs clearly tend to have more children than Jews and that, moreover, many of the Palestinian women marry nationals of Arab countries, thus enabling them to move into the relatively wealthy Israel, it appears that any efforts to impede the Arab population growth in Israel are doomed to failure. This may happen sooner or later, but at most by 2050 Jews in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Israel</st1:country-region></st1:place> will have to choose between democracy and the country's Jewish statehood the Zionists dreamed of.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 12pt;">To further complicate the situation, the major contribution to the growth of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Israel</st1:country-region></st1:place>'s Jewish population comes from the deeply religious Jews who, by the middle of the XXI century, will likely make up half of the Israeli Jewish total. One likely result of the shift will be that the balance between secular and religious principles in the Israeli life will tilt in favor of the latter. The more religious part of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Israel</st1:country-region></st1:place>'s Jewish population will never consent to a de facto abolition of its Jewish statehood, making an Arab-Jewish conflict within the country imminent.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 12pt;">The presence of Palestinians residing in the occupied territories – the Gaza Strip, the Golan Heights, and the <st1:place w:st="on">West Bank</st1:place> — also factors into the situation. An irreversible annexation of the territories by <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region> would momentarily cause the country's Jewish and Arab populations to become equal in size [4]. Chances are they already did, considering that the available 2006 data are obsolete. For <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region>, granting the Palestinian Arabs the rights enjoyed by their peers having the Israeli citizenship would be tantamount to suicide.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgowwC7Fi1Q1XwYWcUq0thKMKVkX74uhrL9OpCbmlzBUgK3IIQZx3MBgpujbHptpEt-CWf0BRQA2ivXZuN15ziSWcCqDADrZIrpDUtjYMW4Awq4Ikshq3RVY4I7FLPYV1BLUTZ4VuD13_A/s1600/Israel%252C+West+Bank%252C+Gaza+Streep+%2526+Golan+Heights+%25282006%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgowwC7Fi1Q1XwYWcUq0thKMKVkX74uhrL9OpCbmlzBUgK3IIQZx3MBgpujbHptpEt-CWf0BRQA2ivXZuN15ziSWcCqDADrZIrpDUtjYMW4Awq4Ikshq3RVY4I7FLPYV1BLUTZ4VuD13_A/s1600/Israel%252C+West+Bank%252C+Gaza+Streep+%2526+Golan+Heights+%25282006%2529.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 16px;">Israel, West Bank, <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Gaza</st1:city></st1:place> Strip & Golan Heights (2006)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 16px;">Yet, giving up control over the territories seized during the war with Arabs would be no less suicidal a step for <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Israel</st1:country-region></st1:place>.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 12pt;">It takes a glimpse of the map of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region> showing the distances from the Palestinian autonomy to the main Israeli cities to understand why Jews hate to think of reverting to the 1967 borders. If a sudden attack is launched from three directions including that of the West Bank where the Palestinian state is supposed to materialize, <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region> would stand no chance, as within an hour its enemy's tanks would likely reach the Mediterranean shore. Scenes of mob justice in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Libya</st1:place></st1:country-region> give an idea of what can happen next. The above seems to indicate that for <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region> withdrawing from the occupied territories would be a reckless move, but still, their subdued but never integrated population presents a serious problem from the demographic standpoint. Though, the histogram displayed below should give a clue as to what solution is in the making.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk6YSbPPAmQfrb5nDKBRY1CyXi7L7zkz7GBopWyHHyk577GHH4NXTgXKkntOPPLlPWyGl2dknJBua8pZMoUM9tiOAq3ziz-4ZS89oAhjTMvQ9BEeQb1YFZGq8cFsN2tSqbJ1ZmxWp-Zho/s1600/percentage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk6YSbPPAmQfrb5nDKBRY1CyXi7L7zkz7GBopWyHHyk577GHH4NXTgXKkntOPPLlPWyGl2dknJBua8pZMoUM9tiOAq3ziz-4ZS89oAhjTMvQ9BEeQb1YFZGq8cFsN2tSqbJ1ZmxWp-Zho/s1600/percentage.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 8pt;">Percentages of Jews and Arabs in the<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 8pt;">populations of <st1:country-region w:st="on">Israel</st1:country-region> and <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Palestine</st1:place></st1:city> combined</span></div></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 12pt;">The key circumstance reflected by the graph is that the percentage of Jews in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Israel</st1:country-region></st1:place> peaked and the percentage of Arabs dropped to a minimum in 1960-1970. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 12pt;">The media resource from which the data are taken bluntly attributes the fact to the massive flight of Arabs from <st1:country-region w:st="on">Israel</st1:country-region> and <st1:city w:st="on">Palestine</st1:city> during the 1967 war, inviting the cynical hypothesis that the statistic offers the only plausible recipe for preserving <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s Jewish identity. The US motivation behind slapping “democracy” on the Arab world, with Islamists prevailing in the long run, should become understandable when put in such context: Islamists will surely be sustaining the Arabs' conflict with Jews, providing Israel with a decent pretext for delivering, in accord with the international law, a preemptive strike like the 1967 one. At that distant time, <st1:city w:st="on">Cairo</st1:city> demonstratively retracted UN peacekeepers from the Israeli border, and Tel Aviv concluded that <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Egypt</st1:place></st1:country-region> was bracing for an attack. A military conflict - and a tide of Arab refugees from <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Israel</st1:country-region></st1:place> - ensued.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 12pt;">It is noteworthy that, while the Arab Spring raged in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Egypt</st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region w:st="on">Syria</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Jordan</st1:country-region>, a country neighboring <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region>, neither suffered any outbreaks of unrest domestically nor came under pressure externally. The impression is that <st1:state w:st="on">Washington</st1:state> left a safe corridor via which a new wave of chronically downtrodden and desperate Arabs would sweep to the east from <st1:country-region w:st="on">Israel</st1:country-region> and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Palestine</st1:city></st1:place>.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 12pt;">Founder of the discipline of sociology Auguste Comte used to say that demography is the same as destiny. I daresay destiny is something one always can attempt to outplay – perhaps, rather than fight wars, Jews should be more active sexually? Competing with Arabs in this delicate sphere could provide <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Israel</st1:country-region></st1:place> with an alternative solution.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 12pt;">I do admit that all of this can be pure speculation on my behalf – but chances are it is not.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 12pt;">____________<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 12pt;">1. Netanyahu: <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s Arabs are the real demographic threat. Haaretz, 18.12.03// http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/netanyahu-israel-s-arabs-are-the-real-demographic-threat-1.109045<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 12pt;">2. Statistics Regarding Israeli Arabs// http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Society_&_Culture/israeliarabs.html<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 12pt;">3. http://israelipalestinian.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000636<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 12pt;">4. Ibid.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 12pt;"><i>(Views expressed in this article reflect the author's opinion and do not necessarily reflect those of RIA Novosti news agency or Global News Post. RIA Novosti does not vouch for facts and quotes mentioned in the story)</i><o:p></o:p></span></div></div>

Sexual Activity as a Mega-Weapon for the Middle East

This story by Alexander Levchenko ( Ukraine ), political scientist, Strategic Culture Foundation expert, was published in International Aff...

G20 Summit 2011: India Wants G-20 Nations to Share past Banking And Tax Information

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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIWgG5ch0m2euAgAY0ixHIk45NieEwVPjqboD_4CNTCpjZuHOS2ycE051IVBl1wK9BkgKBkbQKRjPyVIVdWQJ2V3na7Mp5Kl71DJ2R2fwmIHYOrlduYCDu_0usKAqS0GYGIizCNzg0bUE/s1600/pming20cannes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIWgG5ch0m2euAgAY0ixHIk45NieEwVPjqboD_4CNTCpjZuHOS2ycE051IVBl1wK9BkgKBkbQKRjPyVIVdWQJ2V3na7Mp5Kl71DJ2R2fwmIHYOrlduYCDu_0usKAqS0GYGIizCNzg0bUE/s320/pming20cannes.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="apple-style-span"><i><span style="color: black; font-size: 8.0pt;">The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh attends the 3rd session <o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="apple-style-span"><i><span style="color: black; font-size: 8.0pt;">of G-20 <st1:city w:st="on">Summit</st1:city>, in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Cannes</st1:city>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">France</st1:country-region></st1:place> on November 04, 2011.</span>PIB Photo</i></span><i><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><st1:city w:st="on"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">CANNES</span></st1:city><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> (NNN-PTI): <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">India</st1:country-region></st1:place> is pitching for a consensus among G-20 nations on sharing of tax and banking information with retrospective effect, arguing that it was essential to deal with past cases of tax evasion.</span><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Stressing that the era of banking secrecy laws was over, Department of Economic Affairs Secretary R Gopalan said it was vital to build a consensus on sharing of past banking data as it would help in investigation of earlier cases of tax evasion.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">"This is essential, if the spirit of the G-20 London Summit that 'the era of bank secrecy is over' is to be respected," he said on the occasion of the signature ceremony of the Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters Thursday night.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Gopalan, who is here as part of the official delegation to the G-20 Summit, also said that <st1:country-region w:st="on">India</st1:country-region> would be signing the convention, along with with <st1:country-region w:st="on">China</st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Saudi Arabia</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">In order to check the menace of tax evasion and illicit flows of capital, he said, <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region> has already entered into 58 agreements for sharing of tax information.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">During his intervention at the summit, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said tax evasion and illicit flows were posing serious problems and wanted the G-20 to send a strong message to curb such activity.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">"G-20 countries should take the lead in agreeing to automatic exchange of tax-related information with each other, irrespective of artificial distinctions such as past or present, for tax evasion or tax fraud, in the spirit of our London Summit that 'the era of bank secrecy is over'," he had said.-NNN-PTI<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>

G20 Summit 2011: India Wants G-20 Nations to Share past Banking And Tax Information

The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh attends the 3rd session of G-20 Summit , in Cannes , France on November 04, 2011. PIB Photo CANNE...

Greek Cabinet Backs Papandreou Plan for Referendum on Debt Plan

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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMqs3pmUJzwTkzX0U18K3brw8klJmuxnMIJu4I_Bol8q9eqr8ZWDdcmjgWiGTkjHOZrvUrP8rBFAniYNdtrRu5b-3lKmGQjpGSZ-mxckdeyqp9qDCmbkprr0TZkn4Bf-rJQp3XsquFbLQ/s1600/papandreu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMqs3pmUJzwTkzX0U18K3brw8klJmuxnMIJu4I_Bol8q9eqr8ZWDdcmjgWiGTkjHOZrvUrP8rBFAniYNdtrRu5b-3lKmGQjpGSZ-mxckdeyqp9qDCmbkprr0TZkn4Bf-rJQp3XsquFbLQ/s320/papandreu.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h1 style="line-height: 15.6pt; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 7.5pt;"><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #fefefe; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Arial; font-size: 7pt;">Greek Prime Minister <span> </span>©<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/worldeconomicforum/5393266681/"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">flickr.com/worldeconomicforum</span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></i></h1></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Greek Cabinet ministers are giving their support for Prime Minister George Papandreou's plan to hold a referendum on the European Union debt relief deal.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">A Greek government spokesman said after a marathon Cabinet meeting early Wednesday that a public vote would come as soon as possible after the details of the latest debt agreement are worked out.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Mr. Papandreou's announcement stunned the world Tuesday and sent global markets plunging as investors reacted to a major jolt of uncertainty in the European economy. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The prime minister told his Cabinet that Greeks would be asked whether they want to keep using the euro currency. He said any deal will only be implemented with the consent of the Greek people, and that he hopes any turmoil caused by his unexpected announcement will be only temporary. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">A number of lawmakers in the prime minister's Socialist Party oppose an up-or-down public vote. Some party members are demanding Mr. Papandreou's resignation, and his government faces a no-confidence vote Friday in Parliament. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Mr. Papandreou has strongly supported the European Union plan to cut <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Greece</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s debt, which would obligate severe domestic spending cuts and tax hikes. It also would eliminate jobs now held by thousands of public employees.<span>  </span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Terms of the latest deal offered by the EU call for European banks to forgive 50 percent of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Greece</st1:country-region></st1:place>'s debt. That appeared to calm nervous markets at first, but then Mr. Papandreou told Socialist lawmakers Tuesday that he will honor results of the referendum.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">EU leaders Herman Van Rompuy and Jose Manuel Barroso said they "fully trust" <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Greece</st1:place></st1:country-region> to uphold last week's eurozone debt-relief agreement.<span>  </span>French President Nicolas Sarkozy said letting people vote is "always legitimate," but that a Europe-wide agreement is the only possible way to resolve the debt crisis. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">World Bank president Robert Zoellick said that if voters reject the plan, "It's going to be a mess." <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Mr. Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel plan to meet Wednesday in <st1:city w:st="on">Cannes</st1:city>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">France</st1:country-region>, with leaders from the International Monetary Fund and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Greece</st1:country-region></st1:place> to discuss the latest snag in solving the continent's debt crisis. ---VOA News</div></div>

Greek Cabinet Backs Papandreou Plan for Referendum on Debt Plan

Greek Prime Minister © flickr.com/worldeconomicforum Greek Cabinet ministers are giving their support for Prime Minister George Pap...

India: Nation Pays Tributes to Indira Gandhi on Her 27th Death Anniversary

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi ©Ground Report</i></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><st1:city w:st="on"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">NEW DELHI</span></st1:city><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';"> (NNN-Bernama) -- <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region> fondly remembered former Prime Minister </span>Indira Gandhi on her 27th death anniversary on Monday with President Pratibha Patil leading the nation in paying rich tributes to the departed leader, reports Press Trust of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region> (PTI).</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">Patil paid floral tributes at Shakti Sthal, the memorial of Gandhi, here on </span>Monday morning.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Lok Sabha(lower House of Indian Parliament) Speaker Meira Kumar, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi were also present on the occasion.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">Delhi Lt Governor Tejinder Khanna, Union Ministers Vilasrao Deshmukh, Kamal Nath, K V Thomas, N Narayana Swamy and Krishna Tirath and senior Congress leaders Motilal Vohra, Manishankar Aiyar were also present.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">Devotional songs were played at the venue as the dignitaries sat at Shakti Sthal after paying tributes to the late leader. A speech by Indira Gandhi was also played on the occasion.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">The former prime minister was assassinated by her bodyguards on Oct 31, 1984, the same year when she had launched 'Operation Blue Star' to crush secessionist movement in <st1:place w:st="on">Punjab</st1:place> and sent troops into the Golden Temple of Amritsar. -- NNN-BERNAMA<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzmTIUdmDJK4YUD7Ep8KoISMj2jJn-HQm8bzCE4cWE2XrwPCCN9ZA2vVNsBWG4GsSczbhCscC3DIAuRgTxPusf3qwZGHpSZ4CeHghj0bXBrVTo674CF5QszuScQOxfUnHZ-NXFYg0KgEg/s1600/dignatatsamadhi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzmTIUdmDJK4YUD7Ep8KoISMj2jJn-HQm8bzCE4cWE2XrwPCCN9ZA2vVNsBWG4GsSczbhCscC3DIAuRgTxPusf3qwZGHpSZ4CeHghj0bXBrVTo674CF5QszuScQOxfUnHZ-NXFYg0KgEg/s640/dignatatsamadhi.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><b><i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">The President, Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil, the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, the Speaker, Lok Sabha, Smt. Meira Kumar, the Chairperson, National Advisory Council, Smt. Sonia Gandhi, the Member of Parliament, Shri Rahul Gandhi, and Dr. Devisingh Ramsingh Shekhawat, and other dignitaries, at a prayer meeting, at the Samadhi of former Prime Minister, Late Smt. Indira Gandhi, on her death anniversary, at Shakti Sthal, in Delhi on October 31, 2011.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> ©</span></i></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i> PIB</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSjmaFm1-vsnR-xOONLThLB-lI7tmEUVf2MlDKyEkGxsGaLw_pqG07ilGP-6jvAy7qMK7bnwnBJOOfPDrdc0ESg9clpyJ6euVfuqiWKaARe79TGTAuKzrqp8l-fgmw2gRn1gxz2ZWXaT0/s1600/pratibhaatsmadhi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSjmaFm1-vsnR-xOONLThLB-lI7tmEUVf2MlDKyEkGxsGaLw_pqG07ilGP-6jvAy7qMK7bnwnBJOOfPDrdc0ESg9clpyJ6euVfuqiWKaARe79TGTAuKzrqp8l-fgmw2gRn1gxz2ZWXaT0/s640/pratibhaatsmadhi.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><b><i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">The President, Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil laying wreath at the Samadhi of former Prime Minister, Late Smt. Indira Gandhi, on her death anniversary, at Shakti Sthal, in Delhi on October 31, 2011. Dr. Devisingh Ramsingh Shekhawat is also seen. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">©</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> PIB<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7QGo_7stMyQJ1gMY9O0n1E5_VkF0SQFwmdqGSIspSFz5XAS9y_8nNTxXJrquFHl0FhV5zGLKGXn9BqBMlaWW1x4_cnudLy-V7M52716pQ5r9juQAjtfomKHKBdYlgUCZ9IdtExkfI_T8/s1600/pmatsamadhi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7QGo_7stMyQJ1gMY9O0n1E5_VkF0SQFwmdqGSIspSFz5XAS9y_8nNTxXJrquFHl0FhV5zGLKGXn9BqBMlaWW1x4_cnudLy-V7M52716pQ5r9juQAjtfomKHKBdYlgUCZ9IdtExkfI_T8/s640/pmatsamadhi.jpg" width="640" /></a><span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><b><i> </i></b></o:p></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><b><i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh paying floral tributes at the Samadhi of former Prime Minister, Late Smt. Indira Gandhi, on her death anniversary, at Shakti Sthal, in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Delhi</st1:city></st1:place> on October 31, 2011.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> ©</span></i></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i> PIB</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><b><i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">The Speaker, Lok Sabha, Smt. Meira Kumar paying homage at the Samadhi of former Prime Minister, Late Smt. Indira Gandhi, on her death anniversary, at Shakti Sthal, in Delhi on October 31, 2011.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> ©</span></i></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i> PIB</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div></div>

India: Nation Pays Tributes to Indira Gandhi on Her 27th Death Anniversary

Late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi ©Ground Report NEW DELHI (NNN-Bernama) -- India fondly remembered former Prime Minister Indira Ga...

Palestine joins UNESCO

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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 8.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/joi/3399044905/"><span style="text-decoration: none;">©flickr.com/joi</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">PARIS (RIA Novosti) - The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) voted in favor of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Palestine</st1:city></st1:place>'s accession bid on Monday with 107 members in favor and 14 against.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The UNESCO delegates met the decision with a standing ovation.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Russia</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"> has repeatedly said it would support Palestinian membership of UNESCO.<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>

Palestine joins UNESCO

©flickr.com/joi PARIS (RIA Novosti) - The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) voted in favor of Pal...

Russia announces birth of 7-billionth inhabitant on Earth

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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY (RIA Novosti)-<st1:country-region w:st="on">Russia</st1:country-region> announced that the seven-billionth person was born in the country's <st1:place w:st="on">Far East</st1:place> in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“A boy named Alexander was born in a maternity ward in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky on the night of October 31. A certificate of the seven-billionth inhabitant on Earth was given to the mother of the newborn, Marina Bogdanova,” the press service of the Russian presidential envoy's office in the <st1:place w:st="on">Far  East</st1:place> said on Monday.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">According to the governor of <st1:place w:st="on">Kamchatka</st1:place>, Alexander’s parents will be given a certificate for a new apartment in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“Of course, there are many contenders for the title of the seven-billionth baby on the planet. But our country is known to start from <st1:place w:st="on">Kamchatka</st1:place>. Therefore, we believe that this child was the seven-billionth child and born in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Kamchatka</st1:city>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Russia</st1:country-region></st1:place>,” the governor said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">India</span></st1:country-region></st1:place><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"> has also announced the birth of the seven-billionth inhabitant. The United Nations earlier estimated that the seven-billionth child would be born in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Russia</st1:country-region>'s westernmost exclave of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Kaliningrad</st1:city></st1:place>.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The six-billionth person born on the planet was in 1999 in the Bosnian city of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Sarajevo</st1:city></st1:place>.<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>

Russia announces birth of 7-billionth inhabitant on Earth

PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY (RIA Novosti)- Russia announced that the seven-billionth person was born in the country's Far East in Petrop...

U.S. plans to build up military presence in Persian Gulf after Iraq exit

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">NEW YORK(RIA Novosti)- The U.S. administration plans to build up the American military presence in the Persian Gulf after it withdraws the remaining troops from Iraq by the end of this year, The New York Times reported on Sunday, referring to diplomatic sources.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">This repositioning could include new combat forces in <country-region w:st="on">Kuwait</country-region> capable of responding to security failures in <country-region w:st="on">Iraq</country-region> or a military confrontation with <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Iran</place></country-region>, the paper said.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">U.S. President Barack Obama announced this month that the last American soldiers would be brought home from <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Iraq</place></country-region> by the end of December. The decision comes after unsuccessful attempts by the <country-region w:st="on">U.S.</country-region> administration to persuade Iraqi officials to permit as many as 20,000 American troops to remain in <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Iraq</place></country-region> beyond 2011 and grant them immunity from prosecution.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">In addition to negotiations on maintaining a ground combat presence in <country-region w:st="on">Kuwait</country-region>, the <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">U.S.</place></country-region> is considering sending more naval warships through international waters in the region, the paper said.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">With an eye on the threat of a belligerent <country-region w:st="on">Iran</country-region>, the administration is also seeking to expand military ties with the six nations in the Gulf Cooperation Council - <country-region w:st="on">Saudi Arabia</country-region>, <country-region w:st="on">Kuwait</country-region>, <country-region w:st="on">Bahrain</country-region>, <country-region w:st="on">Qatar</country-region>, the <country-region w:st="on">United Arab Emirates</country-region> and <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Oman</place></country-region>.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">At the same time, the <country-region w:st="on">U.S.</country-region> administration and the military are trying to foster a new "security architecture" for the <place w:st="on">Persian Gulf</place> that would integrate air and naval patrols and missile defense, the paper said.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The size of the American combat force to be stationed in <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Kuwait</place></country-region> remains the subject of negotiations, with an answer expected in coming days, the paper said.</span></div></div>

U.S. plans to build up military presence in Persian Gulf after Iraq exit

NEW YORK(RIA Novosti)- The U.S. administration plans to build up the American military presence in the Persian Gulf after it withdraws the r...

India Awaits World’s Seven Billionth Baby

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;">               </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">By P. Vijian </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><city w:st="on"><place w:st="on"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">NEW DELHI</span></place></city><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"> (NNN-Bernama) -- Come Monday, it may be hard to predict which country would see the birth of the seven billionth baby. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Indians, however, are preparing for the historic baby, believing it would be born on their fertile soil, already home to the world's second largest population of 1.23 billion, second only to <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">China</place></country-region>. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">While globally, a family anxiously awaits the special child, in Uttar Pradesh, a most populous north Indian state, child welfare groups and villagers are confident a pregnant mother in <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Lucknow</place></city> would give birth to the baby. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">"We have identified 250 women but zeroing in on seven women to deliver a baby in a health centre here and we are hoping for a baby girl. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">"Our focus is on a girl to make it a symbolic event because their ratio (boy:girl) is skewed in UP (Uttar Pradesh) and <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">India</place></country-region>," Dr Neelam Singh, head of Vatsalya, a leading child welfare movement, told Bernama in an interview today. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">She said the first child born, between midnight today and noon Monday, would be declared as the seven billionth baby. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Most women queuing to deliver in the community hall to mark the special event are from nearby villages, largly from farming families. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">In UP, the male-female ratio is that for every 1,000 boys, there are 898 girls. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">UP is home to nearly 200 million people and an estimated 15,000 babies are born every day in the much underdeveloped state, reports BERNAMA. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Meanwhile XINHUA in its report titled “Advent of 7 billionth baby expected in northern <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">India</place></country-region>” says:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">NEW DELHI (NNN-Xinhua) -- Non-governmental organizations have zeroed in on seven expectant mothers in a village near Lucknow, capital of the northern Indian state Uttar Pradesh, for advent of the world's 7 billionth baby on Monday, reported Indo-Asian News Service Saturday. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">A UN report said the world's 7 billionth baby is expected to be born in the country's most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, on Monday. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Even though United Nations Population Fund has not pinpointed where the landmark baby would be born, experts have identified a particular area in the vicinity of <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Lucknow</place></city>, said the report. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Plan <country-region w:st="on">India</country-region>, the Indian branch of the Britain-based children's welfare NGO, Plan, has organized a major event at the <placename w:st="on">Community</placename> <placename w:st="on">Health</placename> <placetype w:st="on">Center</placetype> in Mal village, 23 kilometers from <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Lucknow</place></city>. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Plan India zeroed in on seven expectant mothers in the village, where a special ceremony will be held to accord a grand reception to the first of the seven children to be born between the midnight of Oct. 30 and Oct. 31 noon, with the new-born being instantly issued birth certificate, reports XINHUA. --NNN-XINHUA-BERNAMA</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></div>

India Awaits World’s Seven Billionth Baby

By P. Vijian NEW DELHI (NNN-Bernama) -- Come Monday, it may be hard to predict which country would see the birth of the ...

Deadly Attacks Hit Afghanistan

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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5MJ0YTkmjBvNSyYnPFmETVos_Ejm_Kpw-Lqmlxfp7uxnNNW9Ner8GYbcchvIkRHmy_MIOdqPGDmJXkNg2PeGX-th6S9RJqyOvAKU6BfKnSo-Sgsjigy4wPlvOY9G0gZzvj32f7lku8-8/s1600/attackON_NATO_485729980.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5MJ0YTkmjBvNSyYnPFmETVos_Ejm_Kpw-Lqmlxfp7uxnNNW9Ner8GYbcchvIkRHmy_MIOdqPGDmJXkNg2PeGX-th6S9RJqyOvAKU6BfKnSo-Sgsjigy4wPlvOY9G0gZzvj32f7lku8-8/s1600/attackON_NATO_485729980.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Photo Credit: Bakhtar News Agency</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">Afghan officials say a suicide car bomber has attacked a convoy of foreign troops in the capital, <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Kabul</st1:city></st1:place>, killing at least 13 NATO service members. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">U.S.</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';"> military officials say all 13 were Americans. The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">In a separate incident Saturday in southern <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Afghanistan</st1:place></st1:country-region>, NATO says two service members were killed when an individual wearing an Afghan National Army uniform turned his weapon on Afghan and coalition forces.  <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">The international alliance says the shooter was killed in the incident. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">Meanwhile, authorities say a female suicide bomber in eastern <st1:country-region w:st="on">Afghanistan</st1:country-region> blew herself up outside the local branch of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Afghanistan</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s spy agency.  <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">Officials say the woman targeted the National Directorate of Security in Asadabad in Kunar province Saturday. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">The French news agency, AFP, says two guards were wounded in the attack. ---VOA News<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></div>

Deadly Attacks Hit Afghanistan

Photo Credit: Bakhtar News Agency Afghan officials say a suicide car bomber has attacked a convoy of foreign troops in the capital, Kabu...

India: One Crore Women Registered Under Mother and Child Tracking System

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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><b><i>MCTS Recognised as Innovative E-Governance Project </i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><b><i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBgrj3DjDng-odt27FTABhhAIX_Q476ENHpCItJ9REajcz4Cnn4E_dadTlp0Ce25wqbvkcW38tWJBZapKz-XOqgZjla0qM96qtkrrogo7csThcTNIu0fRF_Qw2DhUlDQxeV2tK4ulQ88E/s1600/MCTSPIBPHOTO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBgrj3DjDng-odt27FTABhhAIX_Q476ENHpCItJ9REajcz4Cnn4E_dadTlp0Ce25wqbvkcW38tWJBZapKz-XOqgZjla0qM96qtkrrogo7csThcTNIu0fRF_Qw2DhUlDQxeV2tK4ulQ88E/s640/MCTSPIBPHOTO.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">The Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad at the Mother & Child Tracking System cell in the Ministry, in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">New Delhi</st1:place></st1:city> on October 29, 2011. PIB Photo</span></span></i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><b><i><br />
</i></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><br />
</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The total number of pregnant women registered in Mother & Child Tracking System(MCTS), an e-governance initiative of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, has crossed the one crore mark on 28 October, 2011. The Mother and Child Tracking System (MCTS) is designed to collate information of all pregnant women and infants so as to ensure delivery of maternal and child health services from conception till 42 days after delivery in the case of pregnant women and up to five years of age in the case of children so as to ensure that all pregnant women and all new born receive full maternal and immunization services. The number of children registered in the system is also expected to cross 50 lakh by the end of this month. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">MCTS was started by the MoHFW last year. Speaking on the landmark achievement of MCTS registrations, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad remarked that “MCTS marks a paradigm shift in the approach towards monitoring health and family welfare programmes as it is aimed at ensuring complete delivery of maternal and child health services to all pregnant women and new born in an effort to reduce maternal, infant and child mortality in the country”. Through MCTS, Government of India is making efforts to institutionalise the beneficiary based approach of monitoring health and family welfare services’ delivery, the Minister added. The Minister also made sample verification calls to registered women under the MCTS database from the MCTS cell in the Ministry to verify the database entries today. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Under MCTS, an online registration system has been developed for the purpose, in collaboration with the National Informatics Centre. A nationwide training programme had been organised throughout the country to operationalise the system. In addition, a call centre has been established in the Ministry of H&FW to directly contact pregnant women and parents of the new born registered under the system to verify the services that they have received. MCTS is being implemented throughout the country with active cooperation and involvement of State Governments. The project is being implemented in the Mission Mode and a dedicated unit has been established in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for coordinating and collaborating with States/Union Territories for the implementation of the project. The information generated through the system is also being used for planning maternal and child health services at the grass roots level by the female health worker in association with village level volunteers like ASHA and Aanganwadi Worker. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">MCTS serves two vital purposes as it facilitates the service provider at the grass roots level in delivering services to women and children according to their specific needs besides supporting health managers at different tiers of the system in monitoring delivery of maternal and child health services. An innovative feature of MCTS is the application of the information technology tools for its implementation right up to the village level. The information technology based innovative approach adopted in the implementation of MCTS has resulted in the recognition of MCTS as an innovative e-governance project by the high power Committee constituted under the chairmanship of the Cabinet Secretary, Government of India. ---PIB<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>

India: One Crore Women Registered Under Mother and Child Tracking System

MCTS Recognised as Innovative E-Governance Project The Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad at the Mothe...

NATO will stop bombing Libya but won’t leave

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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 8pt;">By Yelena Suponina for RIA Novosti</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">NATO’s war in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Libya</st1:place></st1:country-region> will come to an end on October 31, 2011. Preparations are currently underway. On Thursday, the UN Security Council passed a resolution announcing that <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Libya</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s air space will be open to both NATO aircraft and local airliners starting next Monday. This resolution ends the no-fly zone introduced by the Security Council in mid March, just two days before the war. The draft resolution, proposed jointly by <st1:country-region w:st="on">Russia</st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Britain</st1:place></st1:country-region>, was unanimously approved.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">The Security Council did not end the war<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">Does this mean that the war in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Libya</st1:place></st1:country-region> is over? Will NATO forces really leave? How can the Security Council make the decision to end a war it did not start?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">Let’s recall that Resolution 1973 of March authorized force against the Gaddafi regime but did not mention war as such.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><st1:country-region w:st="on"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">Russia</span></st1:country-region><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';"> still maintains that this document did not sanction combat operations and that the Western countries that started the war with the support of several Arab monarchies, particularly <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Qatar</st1:place></st1:country-region>, violated the resolution. <st1:country-region w:st="on">Russia</st1:country-region>’s Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin said yesterday that the lessons of the events in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Libya</st1:place></st1:country-region> must be learned. Western politicians, for their part, tell <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Moscow</st1:place></st1:city> not to play dumb – it allowed the resolution to pass with its abstention. Experts had no doubt that this would automatically lead to war.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">Today I have seen for myself that it was not the Security Council and not <st1:country-region w:st="on">Russia</st1:country-region> that made the decision to end NATO’s military actions in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Libya</st1:place></st1:country-region>. I saw firsthand in <st1:city w:st="on">Doha</st1:city> (the capital of the small but significant <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Qatar</st1:place></st1:country-region>) how such strategic plans are adopted.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">Friends of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Libya</st1:place></st1:country-region> set Oct. 31 deadline<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">As a political scientist, I was allowed to attend the <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Doha</st1:place></st1:city> meeting of the Libya Contact Group (also called the Friends of Libya), which is now winding down. Established in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">London</st1:place></st1:city> on March 29, ten days after the start of the war, it was initially involved in overthrowing the Gaddafi regime. Now it has embarked on building a new <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Libya</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">The new Libyan leaders have been meeting with high-ranking diplomats and military officials from allied countries in different cities of the world. <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Russia</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s official representatives have not yet attended these meetings. On this occasion, the Friends of Libya gathered in one of the <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Doha</st1:place></st1:city>’s finest hotels.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">Libya</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';"> was represented by National Transitional Council (NTC) Chairman Mustafa Abdul-Jalil and some of his deputies and associates, including Defense Minister Jalal al-Digheili. The Islamist Abdul Hakim Belhadj is also considered to be a leader of the rebel military forces. A fierce struggle for the top spots in the new government is underway.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Crown Prince of Qatar, attended the opening of the meeting. On October 26, one day before the Security Council passed its resolution; they finalized their earlier agreement that NATO should officially announce the end of combat operations in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Libya</st1:country-region></st1:place>. The meeting was lead by Gen. Hamad bin Ali al-Attiya, Qatari chief of staff and a relative of the emir. He told me that they had also suggested the date – October 31.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">A new military coalition to help <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Libya</st1:place></st1:country-region><o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">It was only after the victors tied up the loose ends that the issue was submitted for a vote at the Security Council. Important political decisions are no longer made in the UN, no matter how much <st1:country-region w:st="on">China</st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Russia</st1:place></st1:country-region> are trying to resist this or present it in a different light.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">Some meticulous analysts have noted that at the very same meeting in Doha Libyan leader Abdul-Jalil declared for some reason that he would like NATO to continue its activities in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Libya</st1:place></st1:country-region> “at least up to the end of this year.” Some commentators see this as a contradiction: the agreement was to wind down NATO involvement by the end of this month, and yet there is this suggestion that it could be extended.  <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">This is not a contradiction. Abdul-Jalil (a former justice minister in the Gaddafi government) is not well versed in big time politics. He said what was on his mind and what is actually happening on the ground. NATO forces will remain in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Libya</st1:place></st1:country-region> at least to the end of this year and maybe even longer, even after adopting to the resolution. They will simply change the name of the operation and slightly alter the staff. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">This would no longer be a NATO operation but a mission of the Friends of Libya coalition. Gen. Hamad bin Ali al-Attiya told me that it “will consist of 13 or more countries,” led by <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Qatar</st1:place></st1:country-region>. The <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">United Arab Emirates</st1:place></st1:country-region> will likely join. <st1:country-region w:st="on">France</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Britain</st1:country-region>, the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">United States</st1:place></st1:country-region> and some other NATO members have already agreed to participate. So in reality NATO forces will continue to be geared towards <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Libya</st1:place></st1:country-region>, although this won’t be so obvious to the public eye.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">Moreover, the military officials that attended the meeting suggested to me that the aircraft of the partner countries may continue patrolling <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Libya</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s air space. Libyans will be steadily adopting NATO standards in military training.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">The allies are refining their mission as events develop. However, all participants in the meeting agreed that the war in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Libya</st1:place></st1:country-region> was not yet over. The Libyans talked at length about Gaddafi supporters that were still fighting, and the inability of the new leaders to protect the country’s land and maritime borders or put an end to arms trafficking.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">To sum up, the war will continue for some time, and NATO will remain in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Libya</st1:place></st1:country-region> for a long time to come, even though it has achieved its main goal – the Libyan opposition and its friends from several dozen Western and Arab countries have ousted Gaddafi. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 9pt;">Yelena Suponina is a Middle East scholar and a commentator for The <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Moscow</st1:place></st1:city> News. She filed this report for RIA Novosti from <st1:city w:st="on">Doha</st1:city>, the capital of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Qatar</st1:place></st1:country-region>. <o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 9pt;">Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are the author’s and may not necessarily represent those of RIA Novosti and Global News Post.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div></div>

NATO will stop bombing Libya but won’t leave

By Yelena Suponina for RIA Novosti © flickr.com/isafmedia NATO’s war in Libya will come to an end on October 31, 2011. Preparations...

Muslim, Jewish, Christian Friends Share Insights with Students

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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 8.0pt;">By Mike Sullivan from <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Los Angeles</st1:place></st1:city><o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><span>  </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvb8X4W2CCKzQzonqLq1wojfWkoo5Uc3tzfsi9UkXRPYU9xRswCjrVGQ9LJuSwtYTBExf6U2Wx8Q6R6KqNNw7l2Gl2j06JDiyO_RnI8cHxIHsGifiScwJjEsL1F3AFzvUwgKcWH_kQz50/s1600/interfaith_colleagues_480_28oct2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvb8X4W2CCKzQzonqLq1wojfWkoo5Uc3tzfsi9UkXRPYU9xRswCjrVGQ9LJuSwtYTBExf6U2Wx8Q6R6KqNNw7l2Gl2j06JDiyO_RnI8cHxIHsGifiScwJjEsL1F3AFzvUwgKcWH_kQz50/s640/interfaith_colleagues_480_28oct2011.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 8.0pt;">Three longtime colleagues of Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths, respectively - from left to right, Maher Hathout, Leonard Beerman and George Regas - recently shared their insights into religion with middle and high school students at Flintridge Preparatory School in Los Angeles, October 2011. Photo: VOA<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Three longtime colleagues of different faiths have forged bonds of friendship through decades of dialogue in interfaith forums. The three men, who are leaders in the Muslim, Jewish and Christian communities of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Los Angeles</st1:place></st1:city>, recently shared their insights into religion with middle and high school students. The students learned that the men respect their differences and celebrate what they have in common.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">They have known each other and worked together for decades - Maher Hathout, spokesman for the Islamic Center of Southern California; Leonard Beerman, the founding rabbi of the <st1:placename w:st="on">Leo</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on">Baeck</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Temple</st1:placetype>, a Jewish synagogue; and the Reverend George Regas, retired rector of All Saints Episcopal Church in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Pasadena</st1:city>,  <st1:state w:st="on">California</st1:state></st1:place>.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The students, from <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Flintridge</st1:placename>  <st1:placetype w:st="on">Preparatory School</st1:placetype></st1:place>, asked probing questions about violence inspired by religion. Rabbi Beerman told them that, sadly, evil is a part of religion's legacy, but that faith also plays a positive role in human development.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“It has brought comfort to the afflicted, it's brought courage to the weak, it's brought a sense of spirituality into personal lives,” said Beerman.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The students were interested in religion’s place in the world and in individual life, and its role in the <st1:place w:st="on">Middle East</st1:place>, said Egyptian-born Maher Hathout.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">"I notice that they are engaging in a very healthy way. They are not watering down issues. They are asking serious questions. But somehow it's coming from a background of openness and a touch of innocence,” said Hathout.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">History teacher Michael Roffina said Flintridge Preparatory is a private institution, and teachers here are willing to discuss controversial topics like religion, something that does not happen often at public schools.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“A lot of schools might shy away from this because religion is such a hot-button topic. I also think that some schools would find it much more convenient to just have these three speak,” said Roffina.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">But through two days of events, these students probed and interacted with the speakers.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Episcopal clergyman George Regas said he and his colleagues have worked together on interfaith projects for more than 30 years. He said the three share a friendship and a passion for social justice, something at the root of all of their traditions.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">"It's not a very common thing that a Jew, a Muslim and a Christian could really be very much tied together over all those decades, and really care for each other and support each other, and differ with each other strongly, but with understanding and compassion,” said Regas.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The students learned something about religion, said 12th grader Vanessa Lieu. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“I think that all religion stems from a basic human conscience, and we can all relate to that,” said Lieu.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The interfaith dialogue delivered an important message, said student Brandt Rohde.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">"I think it was, mostly just break down barriers, and everybody needs to work for peace, for acceptance and tolerance and peace,” said Rohde.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">These students say the exchange gave them insight into the bonds of affection that can foster understanding across faiths.<o:p></o:p></span>---VOA News</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><o:p></o:p></span></div></div>

Muslim, Jewish, Christian Friends Share Insights with Students

By Mike Sullivan from Los Angeles Three longtime colleagues of Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths, respectively - from left to right, ...

Australia: C’wealth to Take Earlier Action on Rights

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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7xByHW2PuiAmvPrOWwx6b_3I5hc5ShFIX1JmyM4mOOFXsWdapi_Q_pKtaE8HKZsFXV8CA7oeulpS8tpJ6MxVA59h_8LD1zNuqDK2SNEn0NrBx4LiUuKiNYYkj5q2OO3nkaonfqYOMTVQ/s1600/chogam2011pibphoto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7xByHW2PuiAmvPrOWwx6b_3I5hc5ShFIX1JmyM4mOOFXsWdapi_Q_pKtaE8HKZsFXV8CA7oeulpS8tpJ6MxVA59h_8LD1zNuqDK2SNEn0NrBx4LiUuKiNYYkj5q2OO3nkaonfqYOMTVQ/s640/chogam2011pibphoto.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II poses with the heads of commonwealth countries or their representatives after the inauguration of the CHOGM 2011, at Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, in Australia on October 28, 2011. PIB Photo</td></tr>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><city w:st="on"><place w:st="on"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">SYDNEY</span></place></city><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"> (NNN-Bernama): Commonwealth governments in danger of violating </span>Human rights and the rule of law will face earlier intervention under a plan approved at a meeting of former British colonies in <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Australia</place></country-region>.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd presented a report on Friday to the first session of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in <city w:st="on">Perth</city> on ways to deal with countries veering toward breaches of democratic values, as occurred in <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Fiji</place></country-region>, reports Australian Associated Press (AAP).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Prime Minister Julia Gillard said all 35 reform proposals of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) reports were adopted, which she described as CHOGM's first concrete action.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">"The purpose of these reform proposals is to enable the Commonwealth to act when a country is veering off course in terms of democratic values and the rule of law, rather than waiting until a country has gone to a grossly unacceptable stage and leaders only having options of suspension or expulsion in front of them," Ms Gillard told reporters after the CHOGM executive session.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">"Already this CHOGM has dealt with some major reform proposals for the future working of the commonwealth."</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Gillard declined to comment on whether the decision meant a proposal flagged in an Eminent Persons Group report to set up a commonwealth human rights commissioner would not go ahead.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">A number of countries - notably <country-region w:st="on">India</country-region>, <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Sri Lanka</place></country-region>, and many African nations - have played down the commissioner idea, saying it duplicates the role of United Nations officials and CMAG, and would cost too much.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Earlier, at a lavish opening ceremony at <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Perth</place></city>'s convention centre featuring Aboriginal dancers and Australian pop star Guy Sebastian, Gillard told commonwealth leaders it was "time for renewal".</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">"Let us make CHOGM 2011 memorable ... for being the meeting that gave the commonwealth the direction it needed at a time of global uncertainty and risk," she said.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The Queen urged leaders to seriously consider the report of the Eminent Persons Group, which includes former Australian High Court judge Michael Kirby. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">"I wish heads of government well in agreeing further reforms that respond boldly to the aspirations of today and that keep the commonwealth fresh and fit for tomorrow," the 85-year-old monarch said.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Her Majesty concluded by reciting an Aboriginal saying.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">"We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">"Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love and then we return home."</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The future of <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Fiji</place></country-region>, which was suspended from the commonwealth after a military coup, will be discussed over the weekend at a CHOGM leaders' retreat.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser, who attended the opening, argued there should be a human rights commissioner, with the position of Commonwealth deputy secretary-general.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">He also said if CHOGM agreed to have all nations regularly report on human rights violations, <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Australia</place></country-region> would not perform very well.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Fraser cited anti-terror laws, asylum seeker policy and the treatment of indigenous people as key failures in <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Australia</place></country-region>.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Meanwhile, <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Perth</place></city>'s CBD was in lockdown as several hundred protesters began a sit-in at the edge of the CHOGM security zone.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The protesters' issues ranged from anti-nuclear, to human rights abuses in <place w:st="on">Africa</place> and appeals for same-sex marriage laws.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The CHOGM will end on Sunday.-NNN-BERNAMA</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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Australia: C’wealth to Take Earlier Action on Rights

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II poses with the heads of commonwealth countries or their representatives after the inauguration of the CHOGM...