Karzai pledges peace at Rabbani funeral

• Afghan President Hamid Karzai vowed to continue efforts to broker a peace deal with the Taliban as he led thousands of mourners at the funeral of his assassinated peace envoy Burhanuddin Rabbani. 
  Rabbani was president of Afghanistan during the 1992-1996 civil war

Afghan President Hamid Karzai vowed to continue efforts to broker a peace deal with the Taliban as he led thousands of mourners at the funeral of his assassinated peace envoy Burhanuddin Rabbani.

Mr Rabbani, president of Afghanistan during the 1992-1996 civil war and chairman of Mr Karzai's hand-picked High Peace Council, was killed by a turban bomber purporting to be a peace emissary from the Taliban leadership.

He was the most senior national leader assassinated in Afghanistan since the 2001 American invasion.

Following the killing of Mr Karzai's brother Ahmed Wali Karzai, his kingpin in the south, and last week's 19-hour siege of the US embassy, the government has never seemed weaker in the face of the ten-year Taliban insurgency.

But the president insisted that the murder would not derail efforts to make contacts with insurgents, despite keeping up the fight.

"The blood of the martyred and other martyrs of freedom requires us to continue our efforts until we reach peace and stability," Mr Karzai said.

"We will continue our efforts to reach peace which was the wish of martyred ustad (professor) but at the same time, we consider it as our responsibility to fight the enemies of peace with determination."

Meanwhile, police fired into the air to disperse a large crowd gathered near where Mr Rabbani was due to be buried later.

"There is no security threat, the situation is under control," Mohammad Zahir, head of the Kabul police Crime Investigation Unit said.

"Many people gathered near the hilltop to attend the burial but they had not been searched or checked. Police fired into the air to disperse the crowd."

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Palestine to apply for full UN membership

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is due to apply for full membership of the United Nations today in a move strongly opposed by both Israel and the US.

Mahmoud Abbas is set to ignore calls to drop Palestine's UN application

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is due to apply for full membership of the United Nations today.

The move is strongly opposed by Israel and the United States, which has said it will use its veto on the Security Council to prevent it, if necessary

Meanwhile, diplomats from the international "Quartet" of Middle-East mediators are trying to craft a statement that would resolve the impasse and enable direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority to resume.

Reports from New York say envoys from the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations have continued to work constructively on the issue and will meet again today.

US President Barack Obama insisted in a speech to the UN General Assembly that kick-starting the negotiations with Israel - which broke down a year ago after the Jewish state resumed settlement building - was the only path towards a lasting peace.

But the address sparked angry demonstrations in the West Bank and Gaza, with Palestinians accusing Mr Obama of double standards for praising the Arab spring protests while seeking to block Palestinian dreams.

The speech did "not meet Palestinian hopes for the freedom and independence that the US administration is calling for for all people, except the Palestinians," said top Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat.

"Despite this unfair position and all the pressure, President Abbas will submit tomorrow a request to admit the state of Palestine at the UN via the Security Council," he stressed.

The Obama administration seemed resigned yesterday to the fact that Mr Abbas would snub their calls to drop his UN membership bid.

"I think it is important to note that regardless of what happens tomorrow in the United Nations, we remain focused on the day after," US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said.

She told reporters: "I remain committed to working with the parties to obtain the goal that the United States supports, that is a two-state solution."

 

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Saleh calls for ceasefire after Yemen return

President Ali Abdullah Saleh unexpectedly returned to Yemen after three months in Saudi Arabia, calling for a ceasefire.

Spent three months in Saudi Arabia

President Ali Abdullah Saleh unexpectedly returned to Yemen after three months in Saudi Arabia, calling for a ceasefire between his supporters and opponents after five days of fierce fighting in the capital.

Mr Saleh's reappearance raised big questions over the future of the Arabian Peninsula state, which has been paralysed by protests against his 33-year rule since January.

Violence in the capital Sanaa broke out earlier this week, when a months-old standoff between loyalist troops and forces backing anti-Saleh protesters turned into a full-blown military showdown that killed more than 100 people in five days.

The country also faces a worsening insurgency by al-Qaeda, an uneasy truce with Shia fighters in the north and separatism in the south.

Moments after state television's announcement of his return from Saudi Arabia, where he had been recovering from severe burns received during an assassination attempt, the capital's streets erupted with bursts of gunfire and fireworks.

Shelling was also taking place in the capital's Hasaba district.

Mr Saleh called for a ceasefire so that talks could be held.

"The solution is not in the mouths of rifles and guns, it is in dialogue and stopping bloodshed," the defence ministry quoted Saleh as saying.

Many Yemenis saw his return as an attempt to rally for war and said they now expected more bloodshed.

His return sharply divided Yemenis, with supporters joyfully predicting that he could restore order, and opponents saying they feared his presence would unleash bloodshed.

Radio stations blared celebratory music and thousands gathered at a pro-Saleh rally waving flags, beating drums and honking horns.

A newsflash on Yemen TV warned people not to fire into the air in celebration in case stray bullets hit bystanders

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Pope praises Martin Luther's passion

On the second day of his state visit to his homeland, Pope Benedict XVI has praised Martin Luther for having been a passionate Christian.

Pope Benedict on state visit to Germany

He was speaking in the east German monastery where the man who inspired the Protestant Reformation studied five centuries ago.

After meeting leaders of German Lutheranism, he urged their followers and Catholics to focus on what united them in a secularised world.

The 84-year-old Pontiff said that what constantly exercised Luther was the question of God, which he described as "the deep passion and driving force" of the reformer's whole life journey.

He warned that the significant progress in improving understanding between the two Christian denominations was threatened by a watering down and destabilisation of the faith.

Later the Pope led an ecumenical service for around 300 invited guests including Chancellor Angela Merkel who is the daughter of a Lutheran pastor.

There have been protests about the Pope's visit to Germany.

Yesterday, peaceful demonstrators behind police barriers rallied against Benedict's views on issues ranging from gay rights to the paedophile priest scandals.

Benedict told reporters demonstrations were "normal in a free society marked by strong secularism."

 

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Speed of light may have been broken

 Scientists are puzzled by results of experiments in which subatomic particles appeared to travel slightly faster that the speed of light.

Albert Einstein's theory of special relativity is under threa

Scientists are puzzled by results of experiments conducted between the European Centre for Nuclear Research in Switzerland and a laboratory in Italy, in which subatomic particles appeared to travel slightly faster that the speed of light.

Researchers said physicists spent nearly six months checking and rechecking before making an announcement.

The result, which threatens to upend a century of physics, including Albert Einstein's special theory of relativity, was published overnight on Cornell University's website.

Antonio Ereditato, spokesman for the researchers, told Reuters that measurements taken over three years showed neutrinos pumped from CERN near Geneva to Gran Sasso in Italy had arrived 60 nanoseconds quicker than light would have done.

"We have high confidence in our results. We have checked and rechecked for anything that could have distorted our measurements but we found nothing," he said. "We now want colleagues to check them independently."

If confirmed, the discovery would undermine Einstein's 1905 theory of special relativity, which says the speed of light is a "cosmic constant" and that nothing in the universe can travel faster.

That assertion, which has withstood over a century of testing, is one of the key elements of the so-called Standard Model of physics, which attempts to describe the way the universe and everything in it works.

The totally unexpected finding emerged from research by physicists working on an experiment dubbed OPERA run jointly by the CERN in Geneva and the Gran Sasso Laboratory in central Italy.

A total of 15,000 beams of neutrinos - tiny particles that pervade the cosmos - were fired over a period of three years from CERN towards Gran Sasso 730km away, where they were picked up by giant detectors.

Light would have covered the distance in around 2.4 thousandths of a second, but the neutrinos took 60 nanoseconds - or 60 billionths of a second - less than light beams would have taken.

"It is a tiny difference," said Mr Ereditato, who also works at Berne University in Switzerland, "but conceptually it is incredibly important. The finding is so startling that, for the moment, everybody should be very prudent."

Mr Ereditato declined to speculate on what it might mean if other physicists, who will be officially informed of the discovery at a meeting in CERN today, found that OPERA's measurements were correct.

"I just don't want to think of the implications," he told Reuters. "We are scientists and work with what we know."

Much science-fiction literature is based on the idea that if the light-speed barrier can be overcome, time travel might theoretically become possible.

The existence of the neutrino, an elementary subatomic particle with a tiny amount of mass created in radioactive decay or in nuclear reactions such as those in the Sun, was first confirmed in 1934, but it still mystifies researchers.

Norris gets 17 signatures from TDs, Senators

• Senator David Norris has secured the backing of 17 Oireachtas members as he attempts to secure a nomination to contest the Presidential election.

   
  David Norris needs three signatures to appear on the Presidential ballot paper

Senator David Norris has secured the backing of 17 TDs and Senators to contest the Presidential election.

Senators Mary Ann O'Brien and Eamonn Coghlan signed his nomination papers today to leave Mr Norris three signatures short of the 20 Oireachtas members he needs.

Senator O'Brien said she had made her decision after discussions with Mr Norris over recent days.

She said: "On hearing David's explanations to my concerns I now feel satisfied that I am in a position to sign Senator Norris's nomination papers.

"I do not believe it would be appropriate for me to block David's attempts to contest this election.

"The people of this country should be afforded the opportunity to pass their verdict on Senator Norris's candidature."

Last night, Mr Norris received the backing of John Halligan TD and Senator Mary Lousie O'Donnell.

So far the Oireachtas members nominating Mr Norris are: TDs Stephen Donnelly, Catherine Murphy, Maureen O'Sullivan, Mick Wallace, Joan Collins, Joe Higgins, Clare Daly, John Halligan and Richard Boyd Barrett, as well as senators Katherine Zappone, Mary Louise O'Donnell, Mary Ann O'Brien, John Crown, Fiach Mac Conghail, Seán Barrett and Eamonn Coghlan.

As a Senator, Mr Norris has also nominated himself.

TD Seamus Healy said this evening that he would be nominating or supporting any candidate.

Mr Healy said that he had hoped the Presidential election could be treated as an opportunity to challenge austerity and the EU/IMF deal, but that as no candidate was standing who espoused this position.

Senator Ronan Mullen confirmed this evening that he would not be nominating Mr Norris. His announcement was not unexpected.

That leaves just two members of the Oireachtas who have not declared their intentions - Independent TDs Shane Ross and Mattie McGrath.

Mr McGrath has said he will make a decision by Saturday on whether or not to nominate Senator Norris.

Mr McGrath said Mr Norris should be allowed to run for the presidency.

Mr McGrath said he would be meeting with his supporters tomorrow night to tell them that.

He said he wouldn't like to be the person to deny Mr Norris the chance to run and that he (Mr McGrath) "would facilitate the democratic process".

If Mr Norris were to get two more nominations, it is possible, though not certain, that Tipperary North TD Michael Lowry might be willing to give him the final nomination.

Senator Fergal Quinn said he has nominated Seán Gallagher for the presidency and does not intend switching his nomination to anyone else.

Independent TD Thomas Pringle informed Mr Norris that he would not be in a position to sign his nomination papers. He made his decision after meeting Senator Norris this morning.

The Taoiseach has said that Fine Gael councillors will be abstaining in council votes on the candidacy of Mr Norris and Dana.

Kilkenny County Council announced this evening that it would be holding a special meeting at 8.30am next Wednesday morning to vote on Presidential nominations.

A Garda escort will be on standby to bring any completed nomination form to Dublin before the midday deadline.

The chairperson of the council, Paul Cuddihy said this evening the meeting had to be moved from Monday to Wednesday because of a requirement in their standing orders that they give three full working days notice of meetings.

Mr Cuddihy added that because the nomination of Mr Norris was the first one received by the council that will be the first one discussed and voted on at the meeting.

If the council does not support Mr Norris, a discussion and vote will follow on Ms Scallon's nomination.

Mr Norris received the backing of Fingal County Council earlier this week.

Separately, South Dublin County Council is due to meet on Monday to decide whether it will nominate the Senator.

Dublin City Council is to hold a special meeting next Tuesday to consider nominating Senator David Norris for the Presidential election.

Maria Metcalfe (Ind), Bríd Smith (PBPA), Pat Dunne (PBPA) Mannix Flynn (Ind) and Cieran Perry (Ind) were the five signatures required to request the meeting.

The request was agreed by Lord Mayor Andrew Montague (Lab) this evening.

Ms Scallon is also continuing efforts to get nominations from either four local authorities or 20 Oireachtas members.

Roscommon and Carlow councils are also due to meet on Monday. Waterford City Council is to meet next Tuesday. These three councils will consider both Mr Norris and Ms Scallon.

There are indications Donegal County Council may back Dana after it emerged Fianna Fáil councillors have secured a special meeting of the council on Tuesday.

Longford County Council will vote on Tuesday afternoon on whether to nominate Ms Scallon. The motion is being proposed by Fianna Fáil councillors.

Fine Gael's Gay Mitchell, Labour's Michael D Higgins, Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness and Independent candidates Mary Davis and Seán Gallagher have already secured nominations to contest the election, which takes place on 27 October.

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Zoellick says 'world is in a danger zone'

World Bank president Robert Zoellick said today that advanced countries needed to act quickly.

 

  

 

Robert Zoellick says US and euro zone need to act fast

World Bank president Robert Zoellick said today that advanced countries needed to act quickly to resolve their crises before they ravage the rest of the global economy.

"Europe, Japan, and the US must act to address their big economic problems before they become bigger problems for the rest of the world," he said at the opening of the World Bank-International Monetary Fund annual meetings.

"Not to do so is irresponsible," he added. "Some developed country officials sound like their woes are just their business. Not so," Zoellick said as he warned poorer countries of the fallout that could come from the advanced economy crises.

He said he still believed that a return to recession in the US, Europe and Japan is "unlikely." "But my confidence in that belief is being eroded daily by the steady drip of dificult economic news."

"The world is in a danger zone," Zoellick said. "In 2008 many people said they did not see the turbulence coming. Leaders have no such excuse now," he added.

EU won't permit 'uncontrolled' Greek default - Rehn

The European Union will not permit any disorderly default by Greece that could break down the euro zone, European Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs Olli Rehn said today.

"It is important to underline that the European Union is not going to abandon Greece. An uncontrolled default or exit of Greece from the euro zone would cause enormous economic and social damage," Rehn said in Washington.

 

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Slight home pick-up helps growth

New figures show that the Irish economy - measured by gross domestic product - grew by 1.6% in the second quarter.

Signs that domestic spending is stabilising

Official figures show that the Irish economy - measured by gross domestic product - grew by 1.6% in the second quarter of this year.

Using gross national product, which strips out the contribution of foreign multi-nationals, the economy grew by 1.1%. GNP had dropped 3% in the first quarter.

The Central Statistics Office figures indicate a stabilisation of domestic demand as well as continuing export growth in the period from April to June.

On a seasonally adjusted basis, consumer spending increased by 0.3% compared with the first three months of this year, while investment rose by 6.4%. Exports were up 1%, while imports fell 0.6%. Government spending dropped by 0.8%.

The CSO figures show that GDP grew at an annual rate of 2.3% in the second quarter, the strongest growth since the last quarter of 2007, while GNP rose by 1.1%.

The main contributor to annual growth was a strong export performance, with net exports - exports minus imports - jumping by almost 24% over the year. Domestic demand fell by 2.2% over the same period, with personal spending falling 2.4%.

Bloxham economist Alan McQuaid called the figures "very positive", saying they should encourage both the Government and international investors that Ireland is slowly but surely on the road to recovery.

Though he warned that exports growth would not be as strong in the second half, the economist said GDP growth should be back in positive territory for the whole of 2011.

Goodbody economist Dermot O'Leary said the figures were better than expected, but he warned against reading too much into the figures, pointing out that overall domestic demand continued to shrink over the previous 12 months. He also said stagnation in imports also had a big role to play in the large net export contribution.

Davy's Conall Mac Coille said substantial rises in consumer spending and investment were always likely as the "extraordinarily sharp" declines experienced in recent quarters were likely to be partially reversed. He added the data could be revised, as there was a risk that exports may fall back in the second half of 2011.

Ulster Bank economist John Fahey said the figures offered some encouragement, but added that there were two important caveats to be considered when analysing the performance for domestic demand.

He said spending on services declined in the second quarter. while the increase in goods spending came from the motor sector, helped by the scrappage scheme. Mr Fahey also said that domestic demand fell by 0.2% when stock building activity was excluded.

Balance of payments deficit little changed

Separate CSO figures show that the balance of payments current account deficit in the second quarter of this year was €488m, almost unchanged compared with the second quarter of 2010.

The balance of payments measures flows of income into and out of the economy. The merchandise surplus of more than €9.2 billion in the first quarter was boosted by strong exports. Services exports grew strongly compared with a year earlier, mainly due to increased exports of computer services.

For the first six months of this year, there was a balance of payments deficit of €1.5 billion, compared with a deficit of almost €2 billion in the same period last year.

Go futher in Budget, Sutherland urges Government

Former EU Commissioner Peter Sutherland has called on the Government to raise more money than planned in the upcoming Budget.

He said Ireland's deficit was the highest in the EU. "We must deliver a budget deficit reduction of €3.6 billion at the very least and preferably more," he told the Institute of International and European Affairs.

Mr Sutherland also described the linkage by France of the interest rate on Ireland's bail-out to the country's corporation tax as "unhelpful".

He said Ireland must repay senior bonds in Anglo Irish Bank and Irish Nationwide. "I do not think we have the authority not to," he said.

He added that it was now clear that the Maastricht Treaty failed to protect the single European currency because it did not go far 
enough. It did not keep public deficits under surveillance, he said

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Six dead as Typhoon Roke hits Japan

At least six people were killed after a powerful typhoon struck Japan, pummeling the Tokyo area with heavy rain and disrupting public transport.

Satellite image of Typhoon Roke which hit Japan

A powerful typhoon struck Japan, pummeling the Tokyo area with heavy rain, disrupting public transport and leaving six people dead.
Typhoon Roke, the second big storm to hit Japan this month, was packing winds of up to 220km/h and dumped more than 40cm of rain in parts of eastern and western Japan over the past 24 hours.
The storm cut power to more than 575,500 households in Tokyo Electric Power Co's service area, and forced companies including Toyota, Nissan and Mitsubishi to close some plants.
Roke made landfall near Hamamatsu, 200km west of Tokyo, around 2pm local time (6am Irish time), and cut a path through eastern Japan before moving north of the capital.
Television showed waves crashing over breakwaters on the Pacific coast and trees knocked down on streets of Tokyo.
Tokyo Electric, the operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant that was crippled by a massive earthquake and tsunami in March, said the typhoon has so far caused no damage to the plant.
"The biggest element of concern is the rise of (radioactive) water levels in turbine buildings," Junichi Matsumoto, a Tokyo Electric official, told a news conference.
The site still has huge amounts of water that was used to cool reactors where fuel meltdowns took place after cooling systems were knocked out by the March disaster, raising concerns that heavy rain could cause overflows of radioactive water into the sea and groundwater.
Roke halted commuter trains in and around Tokyo, stranding thousands of passengers as they tried to go home early before the storm hit the capital.
Public broadcaster NHK said about 450 flights had been cancelled, while Central Japan Railway said it had suspended some bullet train service.
Earlier this month, Typhoon Talas hit western Japan and left about 100 people dead or missing. An average of two to four typhoons make landfall each year in Japan.

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US citizens released from Iran prison

Two US citizens who were jailed in Iran on spy charges in 2009 have been released from prison.

Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal were jailed on spying charges

Two Americans who were jailed in Iran on spy charges have been released from prison.

Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal were arrested, along with Sarah Shourd, in mid-2009 along Iran's border with Iraq where they said they were hiking.

Ms Shourd was freed on $500,000 bail in September 2010 and returned to the US.

Mr Bauer and Mr Fattal were found guilty of illegal entry and espionage and were sentenced last month to eight years in prison.

"Immediately after their release, the two American nationals left for Mehrabad airport," the official IRNA news agency reported.

"The Swiss ambassador to Tehran and a delegation from Oman were present when the two American prisoners were released," the report added.

Oman - a US Gulf ally that has good relations with Iran - agreed to pay the two men's bail, which was said to be $400,000.

The Swiss embassy in Tehran has represented US interests in Iran since Washington cut off diplomatic relations with Tehran shortly after its 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Ahead of his annual trip to the United Nations, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told US media last week that the men 

 would be freed "in a couple of days" as a humanitarian gestur

 

 

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Greece announces new austerity measures

The Greek government has announced additional austerity measures as it seeks to plug a budget gap.

The Greek government has announced additional austerity measures as it seeks to plug a budget gap and unlock rescue funding from the EU and IMF needed to avoid a default.

Pensions above €1,200 a month will be cut by 20%, 30,000 state employees will be temporarily laid off and the revenue exemption on annual taxes will be reduced to €5,000, the government said in a statement.

Sources also said the government will also extend a new property tax hike originally slated to expire next year until at least 2014.

It will also put 30,000 civil servants in "labour reserve" this year, the official said, which means it will reduce their pay to 60% of their salaries and give them 12 months to find new work in the state sector or lose their jobs.

Greece has been struggling to convince the European Union and International Monetary Fund that it can bring its tough economic overhaul programme back onto track despite delays and targets slipping due a deeper-than-expected recession.

Earlier, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said it is perfectly in order for the leaders of France and Germany to meet on the crisis in the eurozone.

Speaking in the Dáil, Mr Kenny said both countries were enormously influential in Europe and that Germany, in particular, sets the base rate on interest.

He was responding to Independent TD Shane Ross, who asked the Taoiseach if it was satisfactory that French president Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel were posing as spokespersons for Europe while France was in the same 'swamp' economically as we were.

Mr Ross pointed to the downgrading of two large French banks recently.

He said we must question handing over Ireland's sovereignty to others in a possibly worse situation than Ireland.

He was speaking in the context of the IMF report that expressed concerns about the eurozone economy.

The Dáil was debating the European Financial Stability Facility Bill, which is the result of an EU agreement responding to the financial crisis.

It sets up the structures that provide financial assistance to member states in economic difficulty.

Earlier, Greek Finance Minister Angelos Venizelos vowed that the country would stay in the eurozone forever.

"Greece is and will forever be a member of the eurozone," Mr Venizelos told parliament today.

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Contaminated school lunch kills three in Peru

Three children died and more than 50 others have been hospitalised after eating food accidently mixed with toxic insecticide in a school in Peru.

Three children have died and more than 50 others have been hospitalised after eating food accidently mixed with toxic insecticide in a school in Peru.

The poisoning took place on Tuesday when the school lunch of rice and canned anchovies was placed in a container that held insecticide residue.

Police said 56 people, including teachers and parents, sought medical treatment in the Cajabamba province in the northern department of Cajamarca, 750km north of Lima.

The three dead were between seven and ten years old, said Aida Garcia Naranjo, Minister for Women and Social Development.

Regional health officials said they fear the death toll will rise.

The food had been provided by the government's national food assistance programme.

The minister said further guidance was needed to properly prepare the food.

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Pope makes first state visit to Germany

 Pope Benedict XVI has arrived for his first state visit to his native Germany.

Pope Benedict XVI has arrived for his first state visit to his native Germany, facing an increasingly secular country still grappling with a church sex abuse scandal.

Earlier, he told reporters on his plane from Rome that he could understand those leaving the Catholic Church due to the sexual abuse scandals of recent years.

Benedict also said he had nothing against the planned demonstrations in protest at his visit, so long as they were civil.

"I can understand that in the face of such reports, people, especially those close to victims, would say 'this isn't my church anymore'," he told reporters.

"There are many reasons for people leaving the church in the context of a secular society. Leaving the church is generally the final step along a long path of distancing oneself from the church," he said.

German Christians are almost exactly divided between Catholics and Protestants and official statistics show that members of both faiths are leaving the church in droves.

Observers put this down, in part, to revelations last year of widespread child molestation by German priests over the last several decades, with top archbishop Robert Zollitsch admitting the church had "failed" in its response.

The Pontiff has a gruelling schedule with 18 sermons and speeches during his 21st trip abroad and is likely to be met with a combination of apathy and protests, as well joy from thousands of faithful Catholics.

 

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Sarkozy proposes Palestinian compromise

Nicolas Sarkozy has warned of a new cycle of violence in the Middle East, if Palestinian demands for full membership of the UN are vetoed in the Security Council by the US

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has warned of a new cycle of violence in the Middle East if Palestinian demands for full membership of the UN are vetoed in the Security Council by the US.

He has suggested a compromise in which the UN General Assembly gives the Palestinians an enhanced status as a non-member state and that peace talks with Israel should resume within a month, with agreement reached within a year.

Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for international "pressure" on Israel to make peace with the Palestinians.

"It is necessary to put pressure on Israel to achieve peace," Erdogan told the General Assembly, "and show them that they are not above the law."

He also made a new demand that Israel apologize for its deadly raid on a Turkish-led aid flotilla to Gaza in May 2010.

US President Barack Obama said yesterday that there could be no shortcut to peace through the UN.

The Palestinians have indicated frustration after two years of working with the Obama administration to get talks moving again.

Mr Obama told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that UN action would not achieve a Palestinian state and the US would veto any Security Council move to recognise Palestinian statehood, the White House said.

"We would have to oppose any action at the UN Security Council including, if necessary, vetoing," Ben Rhodes, the White House national security council spokesman, said after Mr Obama met Mr Abbas in New York.

A senior Palestinian official said Mr Obama's stance violated the spirit of the "Arab spring".

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Gaddafi aide claims NATO strikes killed 151

 A spokesman for Muammar Gaddafi has claimed that NATO air strikes have killed 151 people in Sirte over the past two days.

 Moussa Ibrahim said that Sirte's main hospital stopped functioning

A spokesman for ousted Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has claimed that NATO air strikes have killed 151 people in Sirte over the past two days.

Gaddafi spokesman Moussa Ibrahim, in a satellite phone call to Reuters in Tunis, also said the city's main hospital had run out of medical supplies and power.

His claims could not immediately be verified as Sirte, Gaddafi's hometown, is largely cut off from communication and is besieged on three fronts by ruling National Transitional Council forces.

A NATO official told Reuters that it had attacked Sirte over the last 48 hours, but that the most significant target was a Gaddafi command centre.

"The compound was clearly a military target since (Gaddafi) forces were using it to coordinate and support operations against civilians," the official said.

At the time of that strike, NATO had no indication there were any civilians in the area and Ibrahim's claims of civilian deaths were "unsubstantiated," he said.

"Between yesterday and this morning, 151 civilians were killed inside their homes as the Grad rockets and other explosives fell upon their heads," Mr Ibrahim said.

"The city hospital stopped functioning altogether last night. Patients died simply because nothing can be done to help them."

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Pakistan 'supported' Kabul embassy attack

The chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen has accused Pakistan's intelligence service of supporting violent extremism in Afghanistan.

 

 The Taliban attacked Kabul's embassy district last week 

The US military's top officer has accused Pakistan of "exporting" violent extremism to Afghanistan by allowing militants to act as an "arm" of its intelligence service.

In an unprecedented public condemnation of Pakistan, Admiral Mike Mullen said the country's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) was actively supporting Haqqani network extremists, who he said have targeted US forces in Afghanistan.

He said: "In choosing to use violent extremism as an instrument of policy, the government of Pakistan - and most especially the Pakistani Army and ISI - jeopardises not only the prospect of our strategic partnership, but also Pakistan's opportunity to be a respected nation with legitimate regional influence.

"By exporting violence, they have eroded their internal security and their position in the region. They have undermined their international credibility and threatened their economic well-being."

His comments follow a series of tough warnings from top US officials on Pakistan's approach to Islamist militants.

Admiral Mullen, who steps down this month as chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, also said "the Haqqani network ... acts as a veritable arm of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence Agency".

The Haqqani network is one of three - and perhaps the most feared - allied insurgent factions fighting US-led NATO and Afghan troops under the Taliban banner in Afghanistan.

"With ISI support, Haqqani operatives planned and conducted (a 11 September) truck bomb attack, as well as the assault on our embassy," Adm Mullen told a Senate committee.

"We also have credible intelligence that they were behind the June 28 attack against the Inter-Continental Hotel in Kabul and a host of other smaller but effective operations."

Such attacks have been a blow to the US's hopes of reaching a peace deal with the Taliban as it plans to gradually draw down the US force ten years after the war began.

Adm Mullen said the embassy attack and Tuesday's bombing that killed the former Afghan president, who personified hopes for brokering peace negotiations with the Taliban, were examples of the Taliban's shift toward high-profile violence.

"These acts of violence are as much about headlines and playing on the fears of a traumatised people, as they are about inflicting casualties - maybe even more so," Adm Mullen said.

"We must not misconstrue them. They are serious and significant in shaping perceptions but they do not represent a sea change in the odds of military success."

 

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rte.ie

BRICS offer help to fight economic crisis

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Major emerging nations on Thursday said they may lend money to the International Monetary Fund or other global financial bodies to increase their firepower for fighting financial crises.

The commitment by the so-called BRICS nations -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa -- fell short of expectations for more direct support to debt-crippled European countries.

Finance ministers of the group, meeting on the sidelines of an IMF gathering in Washington, called on the G20 nations to act swiftly and decisively to ease the euro-zone debt crisis, the same way they fought the global financial crisis in 2008.

The G20 group, which includes both emerging and developed economies, is the right forum for those discussions and should be strengthened, the ministers said.

Their call underscores a growing concern of major emerging economies about the escalating economic crisis in the developed world.

It also highlights a dramatic change of fortune between the two groups of nations, with developing countries offering financial help that could be used to ease the economic crisis of traditional powers.

Failure to act now could turn the euro zone's debt problems into another global financial crisis that would engulf emerging economies, Brazil's Finance Minister Guido Mantega warned.

"There is a risk that the sovereign debt crisis of some countries becomes another financial crisis," Mantega told reporters in a joint news conference with other BRICS finance ministers and central bank chiefs.

"We eased the 2008 crisis by fast and coordinated actions within the G20. We need to do the same now."

SHORT OF EXPECTATIONS

It is not clear how the BRICS could provide funds to multilateral institutions nor how much money they plan to lend. Earlier this month, sources in the Brazilian government said Mantega would propose the group make billions of dollars available to the IMF.

In a statement issued after the meeting, the ministers said financial support would depend on individual country circumstances.

"There is (an) enormous amount of demand for resources at home for poverty reduction, so there is going to be a big, big tension between giving money to a multilateral institution for the purpose of restoring global stability and meeting our own aspirations at home," said India's central bank governor Duvvuri Subbarao.

Direct financial support to troubled European countries, another idea floated by Brazilian officials in the past few days, was not discussed in the meeting, South Africa's Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan told Reuters in an interview.

That type of support, according to the Brazilian sources, could come through the purchase of bonds jointly issued by euro-zone members, the so-called eurobonds.

But Russia shot down the idea.

"It's impossible, I am absolutely convinced about that," Russia's Deputy Finance Minister Sergei Storchak told reporters.

"Our state procedures do not allow for that. We don't have a mechanism (for that), not in Russia, not in China, not in India. We all have different ways of making decisions, we cannot syndicate our money."

WANTED: A STRONGER VOICE

Any financial contribution to the IMF would probably come with conditions. The BRICS would most likely take the opportunity to increase their voting power in the institution.

The next review of member countries' quotas is scheduled for January, 2014.

"We are concerned with the slow pace of quota and governance reforms in the IMF," the countries said in the same statement where they offered to help the fund. "This is needed to increase the legitimacy and effectiveness of the fund."

The group also called on developed countries to adopt "responsible" policies that avoid creating excessive global liquidity -- a growing complaint from countries such as Brazil, which has suffered from excessive dollar inflows since the United States started its aggressive monetary easing.

In exchange, the BRICS promised to do what is necessary to secure economic growth, maintain financial stability and contain inflation.

However, they did not mention any steps in foreign-exchange markets -- a delicate issue for China, which has resisted calls from the United States to let its currency appreciate faster.

(Additional reporting by Pedro da Costa, Jason Lange, Lesley Wroughton, Randall Palmer, Lidia Kelly, Editing by Andrea Ricci and Jan Paschal)

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Global cost of chronic disease treatment to top $47 trillion by 2030, more than triple current US national debt

 

(NaturalNews) Between now and 2030, the aggregate global cost of treating the five most common, non-infectious diseases -- cancer, diabetes, heart disease, lung disease, and mental health disorders -- will top $47 trillion, according to a new report released by the World Economic Forum (WEF). And experts warn that if nothing is done to curb this escalating healthcare crisis, the global economy will most certainly collapse due to insurmountable financial insolvency.

To put this astronomical $47 trillion figure into perspective, consider the fact that the current US national debt is just under $15 trillion -- this means that at the current rate of growth, global healthcare costs associated with treating just these five diseases will exceed the US national debt by more than 300 percent in less than 20 years.

Put another way, the entire global gross domestic product (GDP), which represents the final value of all goods and services produced, was $63 trillion in 2010. Based on WEF figures, global treatment costs for the "big five" non-communicable diseases will represent a shocking 75 percent of the current global GDP by 2030.

In other words, no economy will be able to survive this approaching doomsday scenario, which is why the world's current course must change as soon as possible. WEF spokesmen and others commenting on the report highlight increasing taxes on alcohol and cigarettes, and encouraging less consumption of "salt and trans fats," as a helpful solution for reducing such costs. But such approaches are largely simplistic and do not fully address the root causes of non-communicable disease.

Truth be told, modern society in many industrialized nations is riddled with toxic chemicals, pesticides, herbicides, and pollutants that are wreaking havoc on both environmental and human health. The nature of genetically-modified organisms (GMO) in the food supply, reliance on processed foods as part of the Standard American Diet (SAD), and an overall complacency among many towards exercise, are also some of the primary factors contributing to this modern health crisis.

We here at NaturalNews, however, will continue to stress the importance of maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle, which includes eating a whole food-based diet rich in disease-preventing nutrients. Superfoods, organic produce, pasture-based meats, healthy oils, medicinal herbs -- integrating these and many other health-promoting foods into mainstream society are a surefire way to reduce the disease epidemic, and significantly reduce the global healthcare bill in the process.

Sources for this story include:

http://www.weforum.org/reports/glob...

http://yourlife.usatoday.com/health...