Palestinian Vote At UN May See UK Abstain

The UK will abstain from a UN vote granting recognition to a Palestinian state if a commitment to talk with Israel is not made.

The Foreign Secretary said the UK would only vote in favour of an upgrade in the Palestinians' diplomatic status at the UN General Assembly in New York later if they gave an immediate commitment to return to negotiations with Israel.

William Hague said the UK would also require an assurance that the Palestinians would not seek to extend the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC) over the Occupied Territories.

"Up until the time of the vote itself, we will remain open to voting in favour of the resolution if we see public assurances by the Palestinians on these points," he said in a statement to the House of Commons.

"However, in the absence of these assurances, the United Kingdom would abstain on the vote."

His comments drew a dismissive response from shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander who urged him to stop dithering and come out firmly in favour of Palestinian statehood.

He warned it was unreasonable to expect the Palestinians to make an unconditional commitment to return to talks while the Israelis were continuing settlement building on Palestinian territory.

"Statehood for the Palestinians is not a gift to be given but a right to be acknowledged. Abstention tomorrow would be an abdication of Britain's responsibilities," he said.

Hillary Clinton with Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat

The calls came after France announced it was ready to support the resolution to upgrade the Palestinians' status at the UN from observer to non-member observer state, with other European states expected to follow suit.

With the General Assembly dominated by countries sympathetic to the Palestinian cause - and no veto for members of the Security Council - the resolution looks set to be passed, despite the opposition of both Israel and the United States.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has warned the vote "will not produce the outcome" that many desire.

"The only way to get a lasting solution is to commence direct negotiations," she said.

"And we need an environment conducive to that, and we urge both parties to refrain from actions that might, in any way, make a return to meaningful negotiations that focus on getting to a resolution more difficult."

Israel had already said it would not return to negotiations following the vote, arguing it would undermine efforts to secure a Middle East peace settlement.

Mr Hague told MPs that he, like Mrs Clinton, had appealed to Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas not to move the resolution at the General Assembly, but to give the newly re-elected US administration of Barack Obama the chance to launch a fresh peace initiative.

"We pointed out that a UN resolution would be depicted by some as a move away from bilateral negotiations with Israel," he said.

"We were also concerned about the considerable financial risks to the Palestinian Authority, at a time when their situation is already precarious, if a vote led to a strong backlash from Israel and within the US political system," he added.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Powerball Lottery: Two Tickets Share $580m

Two winning tickets have shared the $580m (£362m) Powerball jackpot, the second biggest in US lottery history, according to the lottery's website.

Powerball officials have not confirmed whether the two winners have come forward to claim their prize, that the odds of winning were estimated to be one in 175 million.

Another 8.9 million players won lesser prizes in the draw.

The draw on Wednesday night followed 16 consecutive draws that had produced no top winner.

Tickets had been selling at an average of 130,000 every minute across the United States in the hours before the draw. That equates to players spending $15.6m (£9.74m) an hour for a chance at the huge jackpot.

An estimated 90% of the tickets sold were 'quick picks' where players let computers pick their numbers for them.

On Tuesday the jackpot was an estimated $500m but the high ticket sales boosted the prize, first to $550m ion Wednesday morning and up again to $579.9m (£361m) by the time of the draw.

"Sales have been so fast and so strong it's difficult to keep up with the estimates," Mary Neubauer, spokeswoman for the Iowa Lottery, one of the founding Powerball states, said.

Powerball's website crashed shortly after the winning numbers 5, 23, 16, 22, 29, with Powerball 6 were announced, as did that of the Multi-State Lottery Association, which oversees Powerball.

Besides the jackpot, Powerball players can win as much as $1m if they hold tickets with most but not all of the drawn numbers, but many people are unaware of such secondary prizes, which end up going unclaimed.

The biggest jackpot in US lottery history of $640m was claimed in March 2012 by MegaMillions players in Kansas, Illinois and Maryland who all held tickets bearing the same winning numbers.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Tornado Hits Huge Steel Factory In Italy

A freak tornado has smashed into Europe's largest steel plant in the Italian city of Taranto, leaving one person missing and dozens injured.

Video footage shows the storm rolling in off the sea and tearing through the port city before hitting the huge IVLA site.

It brought down a chimney stack and caused significant damage to buildings at the factory's docks.

A total of 38 people - including 20 staff at the plant - are reported to be injured and divers have been searching for a worker who is unaccounted for after a dockside crane collapsed.

Three other people on the crane were rescued.

One worker is unaccounted for

The sudden storm filled the sky with grey swirls of cloud that ripped across the harbour.

It is the latest blow to IVLA, which has become one of the most pressing issues confronting the government of Prime Minister Mario Monti.

Workers stormed the plant on Tuesday to protest about a planned closure announced on Monday. Managers have been attempting to address health concerns amid reports of an elevated incidence of cancer in the area.

The government wants to save the factory, which employs around 20,000 people in a region of high unemployment, saying its closure would have devastating effects on the wider economy.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Egypt: Major Protest Against President Morsi

More than 200,000 people packed Cairo's Tahrir Square to protest against Egypt's president Mohamed Morsi's new 'pharoah' powers.

They accused the Islamist leader of seeking to impose a new era of autocracy after he issued a decree that expanded his powers and barred court challenges to his decisions.

The demonstration in the iconic plaza was as large as some of the protests during last year's uprising that drove ex-president Hosni Mubarak from power.

The same chants aimed against Mr Mubarak have now been directed towards the country's first freely-elected leader.

Police fired tear gas at stone-throwing youths in streets near the protest and there were clashes between Mr Morsi's opponents and supporters in a city north of Cairo.

Mr Morsi, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, faces the biggest challenge in his five months in office.

Protesters in Tahrir Square

"The people want to bring down the regime," protesters in Tahrir Square chanted, echoing slogans used in the 2011 revolt.

"We don't want a dictatorship again. The Mubarak regime was a dictatorship. We had a revolution to have justice and freedom," said 32-year-old Ahmed Husseini in Cairo.

Protesters also demonstrated in Alexandria, Suez, Minya and other Nile Delta cities.

A 52-year-old demonstrator died after inhaling teargas in Cairo, the second protester death since Mr Morsi issued his decree last week.

The president's administration has defended the decree as an attempt to speed up reforms and complete a democratic transformation.

But opponents say Mr Morsi is behaving like a modern-day pharaoh, a jibe that was levelled at Mr Mubarak.

Mr Morsi's move also provoked a rebellion by judges and has hit confidence in an economy struggling after two years of turmoil.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

'Sexy Kim Jong-Un' Spoof Fools Chinese Paper

By Mark Stone, Asia Correspondent

The Chinese Communist Party's official newspaper appears to have fallen for a spoof by a US satirical website.

An article in The Onion last month declared North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un to be the "Sexiest Man Alive For 2012".

"With his devastatingly handsome, round face, his boyish charm, and his strong, sturdy frame, this Pyongyang-bred heartthrob is every woman's dream come true," the spoof article read.

"Blessed with an air of power that masks an unmistakable cute, cuddly side, Kim made this newspaper's editorial board swoon with his impeccable fashion sense, chic short hairstyle, and, of course, that famous smile."

However, The People's Daily appears to have taken it all rather too seriously.

In their English and Chinese editions, the newspaper not only quoted The Onion and its editor but also ran a 55-page photo special - a dedicated slideshow of the North Korean leader.

The original story in The Onion

"He has that rare ability to somehow be completely adorable and completely macho at the same time," the paper quoted Marissa Blake-Zweiber, editor of The Onion Style and Entertainment as saying.

Responding to the People's Daily report, The Onion has now updated its own article: "For more coverage, please visit our friends at the People's Daily in China, a proud Communist subsidiary of The Onion, Inc. Exemplary reportage, comrades."

The Onion has a history of fooling unsuspecting overseas news outlets.

In September, Iran's Fars News Agency published a made-up poll from The Onion that claimed many Americans preferred Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to President Barack Obama.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Syria: Deadly Car Bomb Blasts Rock Damascus

At least 20 people have been killed after two suspected car bombs exploded in the Syrian capital Damascus, according to activists and local media.

Addounia television said the blasts occurred early in the morning in the eastern district of Jaramana.

It broadcast footage of firefighters hosing down two vehicles. Debris from damaged buildings had crushed other cars in the area.

The explosions happened as the opposition coalition was due to meet in Cairo to discuss forming a transitional government.

"The objective is to name the prime minister for a transitional government, or at least have a list of candidates ahead of the Friends of Syria meeting," Suhair al-Atassi, one of the coalition's two vice presidents, said.

Countries friendly to the rebels are also meeting in the Egyptian capital over the coming days.

The Jaramana district is mostly home to Christians and Druze

Meanwhile, a UN committee condemned "gross violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms" by both the Syrian regime and government-controlled militias.

The resolution urges Syrian authorities to immediately release all detainees and calls for a prompt independent international investigation into abuses and violations of international law with a view to bringing to justice those responsible for war crimes, crimes against humanity and other crimes.

It makes no mention of opposition forces but does express "grave concern at the escalation of violence" in the country.

The resolution is almost certain to be adopted by the 193-member General Assembly next month, however will not be legally binding.

More than 40,000 people are estimated to have died since the uprising against Syrian President Bashar al Assad's regime began 20 months ago.

More follows...

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Eurozone And IMF Reach Greece Debt Deal

Eurozone finance ministers and the International Monetary Fund have reached an agreement on Greek debt, which paves the way for the release of much-needed loans.

After nearly 10 hours of talks, it was agreed that the country's public debt should fall to 124% of GDP in 2020 through a package of extra debt cutting measures.

The deal emerged in Brussels after a meeting of finance ministers from the 17 eurozone countries, the European Central Bank and the IMF on how to make Greek debt sustainable - their third meeting on the issue in as many weeks.

"It's going very slow, but we have financing and a Debt Sustainability Analysis. We've filled the financing gap until the end of programme in 2014," one official said, adding that talks on the details of the debt cutting measures with the IMF were still ongoing.

The deal is a breakthrough towards releasing the next tranche of loans to Greece after its 31.2bn (£25bn) aid package was suspended in the summer over concerns it was not meeting the conditions of its bailout programme.

The Greek finance minister Yannis Stournaras said earlier that Athens had fulfilled its part of the deal by enacting tough austerity measures and economic reforms, and it was now up to the lenders to do their part.

The IMF has said Greece's debt as a proportion of GDP must be cut to around 120% by 2020, from a forecast 190% next year, for it to be manageable in the long term.

It was not immediately clear how the debt would be reduced from its currently forecast level of 144% in 2020 to the target, but it is expected to involve a series of measures including the lowering of interest rate on loans to Greece.

Last week Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras criticised the failure to deliver bailout funds to Athens after 12 hours of emergency talks among the eurozone finance ministers and representatives of the troika of lenders had ended without agreement.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Britons Held Over Heroin Hidden In Breadsticks

Two British lorry drivers have been arrested in southern Italy after police found 20 million euros (£16m) worth of heroin hidden in their vehicle among boxes of breadsticks.

The men were detained when they were stopped by police in Bari after a ferry crossing from Greece.

The drugs were discovered during a routine check by customs officials in the back of a lorry bound for Lancashire.

Footage released by officials showed officers unloading the white packages, wrapped in black plastic and stashed in between the breadsticks.

The drivers have been named as lorry owner Samuel Wilson, 42, from Scotland and 32-year-old Peter Cameron from Belfast.

They have been remanded in custody and the lorry and drugs seized by customs.

The Foreign Office has confirmed the men's detention.

A spokesman said: "We can confirm the arrest of two British nationals on Monday, 26 November in Bari, Italy."

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Scientists Take Samples From Body Of Arafat

By Sam Kiley, Middle East Correspondent

Samples have been taken from Yasser Arafat's remains by scientists investigating claims he was poisoned with polonium.

The probe comes after allegations he was killed by Israeli agents.

Tawfiq al Tirawi, the head of the Palestinian investigation committee, said: "We have evidence which suggests he was poisoned by Israelis. I consider this a painful necessity. It is necessary to find the truth in the death of President Yasser Arafat".

Mr Arafat, the revered and reviled leader of Fatah and the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), died suddenly in 2004.

He was flown to Paris for treatment before he died and doctors were unable to diagnose the cause of his death. His wife, Suha, refused to allow a post-mortem examination.

Yassar Arafat's tomb covered in tarpaulin as scientists begin their work

An investigation by al Jazeera TV claimed to have found "elevated levels of the substance in Mr Arafat's final personal effects", according to its website.

The Israeli government has denied any involvement in his death, and refused to comment.

Mr Arafat was interred in the Mukataa, the head-quarters of the Palestinian Authority, in a marble-floored mausoleum.

His remains were uncovered early on Tuesday, beneath large blue sheets of tarpaulin. A military reburial ceremony was cancelled because scientists were able to do their work without exhuming the body.

Investigators from Switzerland, France and Russia will take samples back to their laboratories to test for unnatural levels of polonium, the radioactive material allegedly used in the poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko.

Mr Arafat's comb, his toothbrush and his iconic kaffiyeh (traditional Arab headdress) were examined earlier this year and tested for Polinium-210 by the Institut de Radiophysique in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Ex-KGB officer Alexander Litvinenko, who was allegedly killed with polonium

Experts found unusually high levels of the substance.

The results of news tests are likely to be released in four months. If his death turns out to have been the work of assassins, the consequences are likely to be explosive.

Israel would be blamed. The Jewish state will be accused of killing the man who, along with Yitzhak Rabin, ushered in the Oslo Peace Process.

This lead to the creation of the Palestinian Authority in the 1990s but collapsed after the eruption of the Second Intifada in 2000.

Peace talks continued through the violence but got nowhere as the death toll of Palestinians and Israelis climbed.

But Israel has continued with its campaign to expand its territory into the Occupied West Bank of the Jordan River by building Jewish settlements.

These have caused intense anger among Palestinians who, many believe, may be on the verge of a third Intifada which could be ignited if evidence emerges Mr Arafat was murdered.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Catalans Back Pro-Independence Parties

Voters in Catalonia have overwhelmingly backed parties that favour breaking away from Spain, but the region's biggest party saw its majority in parliament fall.

Artur Mas, the current Catalonia president and leader of the centre-right Covergence and Union (CiU) alliance, had promised a referendum on "self-determination" if the election had given him a strong mandate.

However, with just 50 seats in the 135-seat regional parliament the CiU was 18 short of the absolute majority he desired.

Mr Mas, who during campaigning said he hoped to be the last president of Catalonia reliant on Madrid, acknowledged that he would now have to share power as he fights for greater sovereignty for the economically powerful Spanish region.

"From this result we note that we are clearly the only force that can lead this government, but we cannot lead it alone. We need shared responsibility," Mr Mas told supporters in Barcelona.

"There must be a period of reflection in Catalonia over the coming days. The presidency must be taken up, but we will also have to reflect along with other (political) forces," he said, without naming a particular party.

The pro-independence leftist party ERC was second with 21 seats after 97% of the ballots had been counted.

"The vote is fragmented but the message is clear," Ferran Requejo, political science professor at Barcelona's Pompeu Fabra University, said.

"Two-thirds of the electorate voted for parties that are in favour of calling an independence referendum, but Mas has been hit hard for his austerity policies."

Like the Basque Country, Catalonia - a northeastern region of 7.5 million people - has its own language and sees itself as different from the rest of Spain.

Until recently, Catalans were content just pushing for greater autonomy, and stopped short of seeking independence.

But Spain's economic woes, including a 25% unemployment rate, and tough austerity measures imposed by Madrid have added to the Catalans' discontent and persuaded many they would be better off on their own.

Catalonia has a significant weight in Spain's economy, accounting for one-fifth of its total output, and a greater share of its exports.

However, the region has also suffered from Europe's financial crisis and has a 44bn euro debt.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More