11 June 2006
RAMALLAH, June 11 (NNN-Xinhua) -- Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has issued a presidential decree to hold a referendum on July 26, while leaving the door open for national dialogue.
Shortly after Abbas made the announcement about the referendum, on a dcoument which implicitly recognises Israel, the Hamas-led Government publicly rejected the idea and announced that it would its best to defeat the measure in the polls.
Meanwhile in the streets of Gaza City, thousands of women and Hamas supporters demonstrated to protest the decree.
Waving Hamas' green flags and shouting "no" to referendum, the protestors gathered in front of the building of the Hamas-dominated parliament.
Abbas was to meet meet with Prime Minister Ismail Haneya to discuss the decree and continuation of national dialogue.
The inter-Palestinian dialogue failed to bridge the gap between factions over a financial crisis and a political isolation imposed on the Hamas-led government.
"The swords of time and referendum are pointed at necks of conferees in a way that can not be accepted," Hamas spokesman SamiAbu Zuhri said.
Hamas parliamentary bloc chief Khaleel al-Haiya told reporters that Abbas' insistence on referendum is against all efforts to resume national dialogue.
Al-Haiya criticised Abbas for his decision on the referendum,while questioning vision and program of the moderate leader."Abu Mazen (Abbas) promised that the siege would be lifted, but we ask him 'could he lift the siege since he was elected the president or at least raise any initiative which may help end the siege," al-Haiya said.
Meanwhile, Hamas prisoners warned that they would withdraw from signature to the document, if Abbas insists on the referendum.
"We reject the referendum because this will increase differences among Palestinians in a way that totally contradicts goals of the document," Hamas prisoners said in a statement.
Khaled al-Batsh, a senior Islamic Jihad official in Gaza, said that referendum is not the right way to get out of the current crisis.
"For us, referendum is harming principles and it is a disgraceful violation of the way of the Palestinian struggle against the Zionist enemy," he said.
He said that the Islamic Jihad will not deal with the referendum, but the final decision will be made after consultations among Islamic Jihad leaders.
Earlier in the day, Abbas defended his call for the referendum,saying that the basic Palestinian law does not prohibit him from ordering a referendum, as it says that the people are sources of authorities.
He said that such a move will lead to lifting of a siege imposed on the Palestinians and help end a crisis facing the Palestinian people. – NNN-Xinhua.
Tehran, June 11, IRNA ,Iran said on Sunday it would not give up its nuclear rights, stressing its nuclear rights are not negotiable.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi made the remark in his weekly press conference in response to a question whether Iran would suspend its enrichment work.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran will not abandon its rights.
It acts based on its responsibilities and duties, and in this respect it holds the initiative," Asefi said
"We will not negotiate on our rights. We will not give up our rights."
Asked about talks between Iran and the United States, he said, "We welcome negotiations on an equal footing with no preconditions and no prejudgment."
The spokesman stressed, "It is not that Iran assesses
negotiations as constructive under whatever circumstances and preconditions."
Honolulu, June 11 (IANS) Foreign policy makers in the US should not be misled by media and scholarly assessments that exaggerate China's influence in Asia relative to that of America, according to a new book.
That blunt assessment is set out in Robert Sutter's study, "China's Rise: Implications for US Leadership in Asia", published by the East-West Center in Washington.
Sutter argues that "overt US competition with China for influence in Asia is unwelcome, counterproductive for US interests, and unwarranted given the limited challenge posed by China's rise", according to East-West wire service.
He maintains that prevailing assessments and commentaries are unbalanced, emphasising China's strengths and US weaknesses.
The reality, according to Sutter, is that talk of an Asia dominated by China is at this time just that -- talk.
"China's willingness and ability to lead in Asia is undermined notably by (Beijing's) many domestic preoccupations, nationalistic ambitions at odds with Asian neighbors, and economic complications posed by China's rise as many countries in Asia are left further behind."
Sutter believes the comparison between the two nations' policies is stark.
"China's Asian approach focuses on 'easy' things and avoids costly commitments or major risks."
In contrast, "US leadership in Asia, though challenged by unpopular policies in Southwest Asia and Korea, along with insufficient attention in dealing with Asian governments, remains strong in undertaking responsibilities and providing needed security and economic benefits to Asian states".
In the short-term, Sutter says, China may be playing to an appreciative audience and accommodating its neighbours.
Sutter maintains, however: "As China rises in influence in Asia ... these same neighbouring governments," will hedge and manoeuver "against possible Chinese dominance".
He says they will then seek "closer ties with one another and particularly with the region's dominant power, the US".
Sutter says there is good reason for this as the US has "a proven record of being able and willing to commit significant resources and prestige to protect allies and friends".
He adds that distance plays a factor too. Though a superpower, the US is far away. "(It) has none of the territorial and few of the other ambitions that characterize Asian powers ... it is less distrusted by Asian governments."
This is something that Beijing seems to understand.
Sutter says: "... for the most part, China's rise in Asia does not come at the expense of US interests and is not a part of a zero-sum game resulting in the automatic decline of US influence."
While Asian governments may continue to seek more independence and freedom of action, some even seeking closer ties to China, Sutter maintains the US should not be that worried.
"To enhance its position in Asia, Washington should focus on repairing negative features of recent US policy in Asia related to the fallout of its actions in Iraq, the Middle East and Korea" while being more attentive to the concerns of Asian governments, says Sutter.
Ahmedabad, June 11 (IANS) A youth attempted self-immolation in Gujarat Sunday to protest the screening of Bollywood film "Fanaa" that has been facing a virtual ban in the state after its protagonist Aamir Khan's remarks over a major dam in the state, police said.
Pravin Gopaldas Joshi, 20, sprinkled petrol on himself and lit a match at 5.30 p.m. in the men's restroom in the Amber cinema of Jamnagar, about 400 km from here.
People in the cinema house, however, doused the fire and rushed him to the Guru Gobindsingh hospital, police said. He suffered 70 percent burns, according to doctors.
Joshi, a resident of Rajkot in Saurashtra, had gone to Jamnagar to apparently lodge his protest against the only cinema house in Gujarat screening the movie.
The youth wing of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has called for boycotting the film after Khan expressed solidarity with the Narmada Bachao Andolan that is fighting for the rights of the people displaced by the Sardar Sarovar dam on the Narmada river in the state.
The project is seen as a lifeline for the drought-prone parts of the state.
"Aamir must apologise for remarks. I appeal to the people of Gujarat to boycott his film till he tenders his apology," Joshi told a news channel from the hospital.
Meanwhile, BJP activists in Surat in south Gujarat disrupted a private screening of the film, released in the rest of the country last month.
Balasore (Orissa), June 11 (IANS) India Sunday test fired the army version of the nuclear capable Prithvi 1 missile from a test range in Orissa, defence sources said.
The short-range liquid-propellant ballistic missile was tested from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur in the coastal district of Balasore at about 1.40 p.m.
The missile, which is 9 metres long and 1.1 metres in diameter, weighs 4,000 kg. It has a range of 150 km.
The Prithvi-1, which India began developing in 1983, is launched from a Transporter-Erector-Launcher (TEL) vehicle, designed to transport the missile along roads and railways.
The missile takes approximately two hours to launch. Its short range and low payload prevent it from being used against strategic targets.
However, the missile's high accuracy enables it to target enemy military targets effectively, making it a battlefield weapon.
The Sunday test firing was a routine one to judge it from different parameters, military sources said.
Tehran, June 11 (DPA) Iran rejected reports Sunday that it was facing a deadline to reply to the nuclear incentive package proposed by the West.
"There is no deadline. We have received a package of proposals, which we have to evaluate and classify. Some of them might be acceptable, some should be removed, some are ambiguous and some should be strengthened," foreign ministry spokesman Hamid-Rez Assefi told reporters.
"This evaluation needs time and we are definitely not wasting any," he added.
Assefi refrained from disclosing any details, referring to an agreement between the two sides to keep the proposal confidential until Iran's reply.
Asked about Iran's stance on the Western demand to suspend uranium enrichment, the spokesman said: "Iran would never compromise over its legitimate rights.
"We consider negotiations as the only way to settle the issue and therefore, we welcome the diplomatic move by the five plus one, but we will not ignore our rights in line with international regulations and reserve ourselves the right to keep the initiative," Assefi said.
On a counterproposal that Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki had mentioned Saturday, the spokesman said it would be quite natural that Iran had its own standpoints on the issue and would accordingly reflect them as well.
"It is not like the West says 'do this' and we say 'okay sir'," remarked Assefi.
The spokesman said that all activities in the uranium conversion plant in Isfahan and the enrichment plant in Natanz - both in central Iran - were under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and nothing secret is done in the two plants.
"The IAEA is informed about all our activities and we will definitely continue cooperation with the IAEA," Assefi said.
Referring to reports that Iraq would mediate in the nuclear dispute, he said no such issue was raised during Iraqi Vice-President Adel Abdel Mahdi's Tehran visit.
Tehran, June 11, IRNA,Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi on Sunday said that Iran intends to reach a comprehensive plan with the opposite side through a precise study on the proposals recently offered to Tehran by Group 5+1.
The European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana on June 6 handed over a new package of incentives approved by the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council -- China, Russia, Britain, France and the United States -- plus Germany (Group 5+1) in exchange for Iran's suspension of uranium enrichment.
Asefi told domestic and foreign reporters at his weekly press conference, "The Islamic Republic of Iran will announce its response in due time. It is not after prolonging the issue or buying time." He refused to speak about the content of the package of incentives proposed by Group 5+1 but just talked about its main points.
He said, "No deadline has been set for Iran's response to the package. Europe and the US, themselves, announced they had set no deadline for Iran.
"They have just said Iran has weeks to receives the package of incentives which will not be tantamount to a deadline.
"Even if the US officials expressed their views in this regard, it is their own viewpoints."
He added, "Iran has begun reviewing the package since it received the package.
"The package can be mainly divided into acceptable and ambiguous points, those which should be further emphasized and those which should not be included in the package."
The spokesman stressed, "Negotiations should be resumed earlier (than now) and should not be suspended."
In response to a question whether Iran would present a new proposed package to the opposite side following recent remark by Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki on "shuttle diplomacy", Asefi said, "The issue raised by Mottaki was transparent. We have received a package and should express our view about it."
He stressed the importance of continuing nuclear talks, the issue which has been also emphasized by Solana.
Tehran, June 11, IRNA,Iran's nuclear program will inflict no damage on Islamic or non-Islamic states, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), Ali Larijani, said in Cairo on Sunday.
The Qatari Al Jazeera television on Sunday quoted Larijani, who is currently in Egypt on a two-day visit, as saying the above in a joint press conference with Arab League Secretary General Amr Mussa following their bilateral talks.
"Strategy of the Islamic Republic of Iran is based on its constant support for Arab and Islamic countries," he said.
"Iran is not after nuclear weapons and its nuclear program will help Arab and Islamic states.
He also quoted Amr Moussa as stressing that Arab states should take major strides in the field of nuclear technology and that Iran's success belongs to all Arab countries.
He pointed to a new package of incentives approved by the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council -- China, Russia, Britain, France and the United States -- plus Germany (Group 5+1) in exchange for Iran's suspension of uranium enrichment. He said, "There are positive points in the proposals although there are also several problems.
"It has been said that the proposals included both incentives and punishments but what we received was just a plan with positive points.
There has been no negative point and threats of punishment." He rejected allegations by certain media on setting a deadline and preconditions for Iran to give response to the package of incentives, stressing, "Iran welcomes constructive talks with no preconditions." Egypt calls for a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear case, while stressing the international community should also address the issue of Israel's nuclear weapons.
Baghdad, June 11 (Xinhua) The news of Al Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's death settled into homes of Iraqis across the country, splitting over what would follow and what would be different for violence that has wrecked people's lives.
Ahlam Khlil was frowning while staring with anger at a spot on her living room carpet when she was asked about the death of Zarqawi. It was few months back that she lost her 15-year-old son, whose body was found among 12 other bodies - bound and tortured before being shot in the head and chest.
"I really cannot link my son's death with Zarqawi's. My baby was too young for such strife," Khalil said with her eyes bathed with tears.
"Killing Zarqawi is good news as he always called Iraqis to fight each other, but it is not the end as I feel they are killing my son every day," she said. "The terrorists are there, everywhere, they are not only Zarqawi's."
In an audio recording released on a web site, Zarqawi urged the Iraqi Sunni community to fight the Shias, saying they had long collaborated with foreign invaders in Iraq. He also urged Sunnis to resist attempts at reconciliation with the Shias.
Zarqawi, a Jordanian-born and most wanted terrorist in Iraq, is believed to have personally beheaded at least two American hostages.
Zarqawi was killed along with his seven associates during a US air strike June 7 near Baquba, 60 km north of Baghdad.
As many Iraqis welcomed Zarqawi's death, most of them, however, believed that the burning fire ring would not stop, as Zarqawi was only an element in larger militias and organisations, including the terror network of group of Al Qaeda.
"I believe it is an important step towards beating terrorism in Iraq, as Zarqawi is not a normal terrorist. He is the leader of a very powerful organization outside and inside Iraq," said Muhana Hussein, a 43-year-old teacher.
He added that Zarqawi's death "also indicates that the Iraqi security forces are coordinating with the people and this is right thing to do when fighting such criminals".
"All true believers have been relieved of his evil," said Abu Taha, another resident. However, he added: "I consider Zarqawi as nothing more than propaganda for the Americans. They used his name to put all gruesome crimes on his burden."
Rahman Abdullah, a lawyer, said: "Zarqawi's death was good news but the Americans and the Iraqi government are exaggerating to exploit the event politically, saying that 'they wanted to show his killing as a turning point for a better future of Iraq'.
"Just like what happened after Saddam's capture when they said that the rebels were 'on their knees', and that defeating Fallujah fighters 'broke the back of the insurgency' and so on for other major events, but Iraq continues to be stuck in mire," said Abdullah.
By Amulya Ganguli
The Manmohan Singh government's decision not to roll back the increase in petrol and diesel prices is likely to have two effects. One is to call the Left's bluff and the other is to send out an unambiguous message that he will now step on the accelerator for more economic reforms.
The snub to the communists was overdue. Till now, the government has generally been on the retreat except for matters such as the modernization of the Delhi and Mumbai airports and the revised interest rates of the employees' provident fund.
Even on airports, the government now seems unsure about allowing only private companies to undertake the modernisation of other airports because of Left pressure.
Otherwise, the government had meekly abided by what the comrades were demanding on disinvestment, banking and pension funds reforms, foreign direct investment (FDI) in the retail sector and so on.
It wasn't only on economic policies that the Left made its displeasure known. On external affairs also, its belligerence on the government's alleged pro-US stance tended to show up the government as weak and uncertain about its line.
The result was the growing impression that the government's dependence on the Left vote in parliament for survival meant that it would never be able to push for reforms with vigour as both the prime minister and the finance minister evidently wanted. Nor would it be able to formulate foreign policies with confidence.
Since the prime minister was apparently unable to assert himself, his detractors like the Bharatiya Janata Party's L.K. Advani, the leader of the opposition in parliament, called him the weakest prime minister the country had ever seen.
It was high time, therefore, for Manmohan Singh to call a halt to the earlier backtracking. It is significant that he chose the somewhat delicate issue of the rise in the prices of petroleum products to make his point.
As the negative reaction of the Left, the BJP and other parties show, they expect to derive political mileage from claiming that the higher prices would hurt the ordinary people. This is the opportunistic line that most parties, including the Congress, have tended to follow in the past.
But by brushing aside such protests, the government has demonstrated that it expects that the nearly decade and a half of the pursuit of a market economy, as opposed to the earlier autarky, have made the people more conversant with the economic trends.
They are now expected to understand how the rise in international oil prices leaves the government with no alternative. Otherwise, the continuing huge losses of the public sector oil companies would have made the government intervene sooner than later.
There may be another reason why Manmohan Singh felt that enough was enough in the matter of accommodating his critics within and outside the government.
As the sudden move by his senior minister, Arjun Singh, in pushing through a proposal for reservations for other backward classes (OBCs) in higher educational institutions had shown, the Nehruvian "socialists" were still active and plotting to undermine the prime minister's position.
Arjun Singh's populist ploy has evidently encouraged Social Welfare Minister Meira Kumar to up the ante on the subject of introducing reservations in the private sector. Other "socialists" in the ministry like Mani Shankar Aiyar, Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi and Jairam Ramesh are also said to have played a part in delaying the divestment of profit-making public sector units like the Neyveli Lignite Corp and opting for a Free Trade Area with ASEAN.
It is these roadblocks on the path of reforms put up by friends and foes that seem to have persuaded the prime minister to stand firm on the petrol price hike issue. He has received timely support on this line from his economic advisory council.
The prime minister probably also expects the pro-reforms Marxist Chief Minister of West Bengal Buddhadev Bhattacharya to tone down the Left objections. Already Bhattacharya has made it clear that he was against a general strike on the petrol price issue although demonstrations could take place, as in any democracy.
Since it is now the leftists who have been forced to retreat for now, the government should be able to push ahead with more measures of reform, including disinvestment and airport modernisation. These determined steps are also expected to make the prime minister's political adversaries within the Congress more circumspect in future.
The Left, of course, is unlikely to reduce its decibel level. It is more than likely that they will continue their tirades against the government's so-called "anti-people" policies.
They may also rope in state-level parties like the Telugu Desam Party of Andhra Pradesh, Samajwadi Party of Uttar Pradesh, AIADMK of Tamil Nadu and Asom Gana Parishad of Assam, all of which are opponents of the Congress in the states where they have their bases, to oppose the price hike.
Commentators have discerned the makings of an anti-Congress and anti-BJP Third Front in these alliances, temporary though they are.
However, there is little possibility of the Left taking their displeasure with the government to the point of withdrawing support in parliament. The reason is that such a step will make the comrades even more unpopular with the 300 million upper and middle classes, which exert a huge influence on the political scene. In addition, it can pave the way for the BJP's return notwithstanding its current state of disarray.
Besides, Bhattacharya, the latest favourite of upper and middle classes, is known to be a closet supporter of Manmohan Singh's reformist line even if his party, Communist Party of India-Marxist, opposes it on several counts. The prime minister, therefore, can be expected to ride out the protests planned by the Left with ease.
(Amulya Ganguli is a political analyst. He can be reached at aganguli@mail.com)
By Liz Mathew,
New Delhi, June 11 (IANS) If India's external affairs ministry has its way, a police check will not be required for issuing a passports to certain categories of people, while by 2013, the travel document will go electronic for everyone.
The home ministry, however, has its reservations on the verification issue, citing security concerns.
"The MEA (ministry of external affairs) wants to simplify the process of obtaining a passport. We have suggested the police verification be done away for some categories," Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahamed told IANS.
"The home ministry has its own concerns because of the sensitiveness of the issue. But we suggested that we can avoid unnecessary delay in issuing passports for students or employees of reputed organisations if they produce a certificate from their institutions," Ahamed explained.
He pointed out that his ministry had been receiving several complaints of "unnecessary delay" and harassment by police in the verification process.
"In cities, and for the labour class, remaining at home waiting for the policeman to come for verification is simply impossible," he explained, adding that there had also been complaints of corruption and bribery.
"There have been many complaints of harassment, especially from the weaker and minority sections," Ahamed said. "In states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, police verification takes a lot of time."
However, he admitted that avoiding police verification completely would be impossible. "We want to exempt certain criteria where we can avoid police verification. I know there should be a middle path and we need to address the security concerns too," he said.
The MEA decided to adopt the 'identity-based passport issuing system' instead of the 'local identity system' under which the police verifies whether or not an applicant resides at the address furnished in the application form.
The minister said the government was seriously considering issuing e-passports, which would bolster the issuing process by providing further safeguards against fraudulent applications.
"Almost all the developed countries have introduced e-passports. We will soon initiate the process," Ahamed said.
Pointing out that issuing e-passport is a "long process" he said the government would introduce it "stage by stage".
"In the first stage, we will try to provide e-passport to diplomats and officials and by 2013 all the passport holders should have e-passports," he told IANS.
An e-passport has a microchip that contains the digitised facial image and personal details of the holder as it appears on the data page. The microchip can be read electronically.
"This will help the identity verification and security, providing a much stronger connection between the individual and his or her identity than the existing system which rely solely on visual identification," Ahamed pointed out.
Nuremberg, June 11 (Xinhua) Striker Omar Bravo scored twice as Mexico beat Iran 3-1 in their World Cup Group D opener here Sunday.
The 26-year-old put Mexico ahead in the 28th minute after slotting in a pass from Guillermo Franco.
He scored the second in the 76th minute to give the Mexicans a 2-1 lead after the match was locked at 1-1.
Iran gave Mexico some nervous moments soon after the kickoff.
Striker Vahid Hashemian could have given the Asian side the lead.
Hashemian first missed when trying to back-heel a cross into the net, then seconds later forced a flying save from Oswaldo Sanchez with a well-directed header.
The Mexicans, with a captain in Barcelona player Rafael Maquez at the back, settled quickly and found the net first through Bravo.
But defender Yahya Golmohammadi produced an almost immediate reply for the Iranians, prodding high into the roof of the net after Sanchez flapped at a corner and the ball fell at the defender's feet in the six-metre box.
Iran, who recorded only one win in their two previous World Cup finals, displayed an aggressive performance after the interval, pressing the Mexicans from the start and looked very strong from dead-balls.
Ricardo La Volope's side was shocked as striker Jared Borgetti was forced off with a hamstring problem. The leading scorer in qualifying was replaced by Francisco Fonseca.
Mexico, competing in their 13th World Cup, increased the tempo again and skipper Marquez pulled their strings in the middle of the park.
In the 58th minute, Marquez was at the centre of a fabulous passing move, playing two brilliant one-twos before falling under a heavy challenge from Golmohammadi in the box, but referee Roberto Rosetti incredibly waved off their plea for a penalty kick.
La Volpe was frustrated at the bench as time went by and a draw was far from enough from his side in Group D, which also consists of Portugal and Angola.
Bravo rose to the occasion to help Mexico to retake the lead and only three minutes later, Antonio Zinha sealed the win with a bullet header from 10 metres out from Mario Mendez's right-wing cross.
Around 12,000 Mexican and 7,500 Iranian fans were among the 41,000 spectators at Nuremberg's Franken Stadium.
FLORENCE, Italy � Italian cuisine is prized worldwide, with bistecca alla Fiorentina � or Florentine steak � a must for meat-loving visitors to this city. The succulent, mouth-watering, porterhouse cut reappeared in restaurants this year, after a nearly five-year hiatus due to mad cow disease.
While it was shelved, butcher shops carrying Muslim halal meat opened their doors to the city. And now, despite being a quintessentially Tuscan dish, some of the Florentine steak served in homes and restaurants here follows Islamic dietary restrictions.
“At least seven restaurants buy Florentine steak from us,� said Palestinian Mustafa Abu-Zahu, as he butchered cuts of beef at his family’s halal Mini Market near Florence’s basilica of San Lorenzo.
“They feel that our meat is fundamentally more flavorful,� he said on a recent afternoon, adding that some believe “it’s better for the health.�
Palestinian flags and ornate pages from the Quran decorate the back wall of the Abu-Zahu family store. Pork-free spicy sausages made of turkey and beef line the refrigerator, and fresh sand-colored Moroccan bread is delivered in crates. Rose and orange blossom water, Egyptian fava beans, Tunisian halva, glass tea cups with gold filigree, nargila smoking pipes, and 5 kilogram boxes of Berber couscous crowd the shelves.
Non-Arab foreign foods like American peanut butter (which is a rarity in Italy), soy sauce, and Dijon mustard, are displayed in another section of the store.
With Europe’s Muslim population growing rapidly, halal butcher shops and restaurants are becoming more commonplace, and there is an increased cross-over between Muslim and non-Muslim cuisine. In France, Beurger King Muslim offers halal meat in an American-style burger joint, and 13 out of the 57 Nando's Portuguese-style chicken diners in Britain are halal.
While France and Britain have a long history of immigration from their Muslim-majority ex-colonies, Italy � which invaded East Africa and Libya, but had far more emigrants than immigrants until recently � has only had a sizeable Muslim population for 15 years. But, with around 1 million Muslims now in the country, halal foods are making inroads into the local cuisine alongside North African and Middle Eastern spices.
Halal, haram, and mushbooh
Halal describes foods that are lawful for Muslims to consume, according to the Quran, sayings of the prophet Muhammad, and writings of Muslim jurists. Haram foods are unlawful and prohibited, while mushbooh foods are questionable, and are therefore avoided by many Muslims.
The principle haram foods are pork and pork products, meat from scavengers, and alcohol. Jello and marshmallows are examples of mushbooh foods, as they may contain gelatin obtained from pork. While some Muslims go to great lengths to avoid traces of haram foods, such as the alcohol in toothpaste and soy sauce or enzymes in colorants, many are less rigid in their diet.
“Our meat is killed in the Islamic way,� said Mustafa Abu-Zahu. The animal is not stunned or shot before being slaughtered, instead “the throat is cut and the blood drains out.�
“The animals are the same; they are all from here in Italy. Before killing them they say ‘in the name of God’ and then they kill them � that’s the difference between our meat and Italian meat,� the 30-year-old said.
“The Jews slaughter their meat in almost the same way as us,� he said, adding that “if halal food’s available, Muslims should eat it, second best is Jewish food, and third is Christian.�
Mustafa is the youngest of three brothers from Bethlehem � the others being 40-year-old Marzouq and 36-year-old Mohammed � who run the 2-year-old Mini Market behind Florence’s covered central market and outdoor leather jacket stalls.
There are five halal butcher shops in Florence, all of which have opened within the last five years, while there are several dozen more in the big cities of Rome and Milan.
All of the Mini Market’s meat comes from three slaughterhouses in Italy, where professional Muslim butchers from Morocco and Egypt work in the same buildings as Italian butchers, according to Mohammed.
The Muslim sectors of the slaughterhouses and the Mini Market have been certified by the Islamic Community of Florence and Milan, which checks that the animals are killed according to Islamic law and that no pork products have contaminated the areas where it is killed, packaged, or by the knives used on it.
80 percent of customers are Muslim
Standing behind the meat counter in his white apron stained with blood, Mustafa described the various types of meat, showing Italian cuts like the Florentine steak � which he said were not commonly eaten by Arabs � and explaining that Tunisians preferred lamb, while Moroccans purchased more beef.
“But, Palestinians eat it all!� he joked, adding that at home “I eat more Italian food than Arab.�
The brothers said that around 80 percent of their customers were Muslim immigrants from across the Islamic world, and that the other 20 percent were made up of Italians, Americans, Spaniards, and other foreigners.
Many of their Italian customers usually buy organic products and purchase halal meat because “there is much less disease,� Mustafa said.
“The diseases leave with the blood and the body becomes more relaxed and more tranquil; it doesn’t remain hot or dirty inside.� he said.
“On our certificate the doctor said that there is less chance of disease than with other animals.�
“And the restaurants that buy the Florentine steak (from us) are very happy because they receive lots of compliments on the meat, saying it has a lot of flavor,� he said.
Source:http://msnbc.msn.com/id/13181714/
Paris, June 11 (DPA) Rafael Nadal overcame a slow start as he defeated rival Roger Federer 1-6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) Sunday to win a second consecutive title at the French Open.
The victory kept the Spaniard's record win streak on clay alive, with 60 straight victories dating to April 2005. Nadal improved to 14-0 at Roland Garros.
"To play two finals and win two titles is just incredible," said the 20-year-old world number two. "I could have never dreamed of this.
"This second title is even more incredible than last year's."
The loss was Federer's first in a Grand Slam final after winning seven titles.
The Swiss came into his fourth straight final at the majors after winning 27 successive Grand Slam matches dating to Wimbledon last year.
Federer, bidding to win the only Grand Slam tournament title eluding him, got off to a flying start but Nadal regrouped after the second set.
Nadal failed to serve out the match at 5-4 in the fourth set, but did better in the ensuing tiebreak, taking the title on first matchpoint with a winner.
Nadal followed in the footsteps of Belgian Justine Henin-Hardenne, who Saturday also successfully defended the women's singles title.
By Kul Bhushan
"Whenever you watch Indian TV news, you see protests, floods, crime, terrorist attacks, ill treatment of women and children and other miseries," complains Neelama Natrajan from Dalton, Georgia, USA. "And then you claim that India is booming and a rising economic power!"
Indian TV news channels beam their services to most countries with NRI populations and do not edit the negative news as they want to tell it as it is - all the sensation, action, blood and disasters - to grab eyeballs and earn greenbacks.
Considering the past few weeks - what with a fasting Medha Patkar protesting in Delhi about the Narmada dam, actor Aamir Khan's "Fanaa" banned by zealots in Gujarat, doctors protesting over quotas in medical colleges, terrorist attacks and now the Rahul Mahajan drugs drama - it is all gore and depressing. It seems there is no positive news at all!
Of course, there is - but always buried deep under the negative, sensational headlines and so the ordinary NRI - or even Indian for that matter - does not realise its full importance or impact.
Take May 31, 2006, for example. Among all this mayhem, the figures for India's economic growth were released. The growth rate at a thumping 8.4 percent exceeded all estimates - significantly higher than last year's 7.5 percent. Agriculture, industry and services all showed growth.
The Mumbai Stock Market recovered after a free fall, the foreign exchange reserves continued to increase and India's exports crossed the magic figure of $100 billion. Did any of these news get prime time on the Indian news channels? No. Did they dominate the front pages of the top newspapers? Hardly.
Why? Maybe we need a stunning figure to release these figures... like that of Aishwarya Rai. Perhaps then the media, focused on scandal and sensation, will give it more airtime and front-page treatment. Moreover, we need to explain the effect of these figures in the ordinary lives of the people to make them realise what it means to attain this level of growth for a country with over a billion people.
Last month, a visiting NRI from the US ended our spirited discussion about India's economic growth in a very down-to-earth style. "These growth figures are all cooked," she said: "Look at the airports, the roads, the slums and the dirt everywhere."
But isn't this an opportunity for India to absorb billions of dollars in investments? The wife of a doctor, she was more concerned with protests against reservations in medical colleges. India would not have exported thousands of doctors and engineers if merit were not the sole admission criteria.
It's the eternal struggle between the rich and the poor. India has 300-350 million people who earn less than a dollar a day. Another 300-350 million people earn less than two dollars a day. That makes for 700 million poor.
In fact, this is the highest number of poor people in any country today. Struggling to eke out a living from farms and factories, these poor have low cost and low quality housing, sanitation, basic healthcare, schooling and no social security. Over half of the poor are illiterate. A fraction of the poor enrol at primary schools and drop out in the middle or secondary level.
The ones who complete secondary school cannot enter universities on merit. So they want special quotas - proposed at 27 percent - to enable them to get higher education. Why? Because they have the vote and they use it with devastating effect.
Ask the Congress that came to power by championing the cause of the poor while the Bharatiya Janata Party drummed up 'India Shining' for the middle and upper classes. The politicians cannot afford to ignore the poor. And now they have a few ministers in the cabinet. No wonder politicians promise them more seats.
But do we need reservation? No. Clearly, what is needed is to reduce poverty - not have quotas in higher educational institutions and centres of excellence. The poor need basic health services, housing, sanitation and jobs before they can adequately educate their children; they need to become literate before having more seats in universities. The government should spend billions on creating the basic services and jobs.
The poor can't wait for the trickle down effect of high growth. They need more schools, more training institutes and colleges in small towns first and not more seats in established universities. The excellence of India's higher education - one of the main reasons for its growth - should not be diluted.
Instead of diluting the academic excellence of reputed institutes and universities, special universities can be established for them - and why not?
"If India prides itself with Benaras Hindu University and Aligarh Muslim University, why not a Dalit University?" suggests L.N. Kaushik of New Delhi, a keen watcher of political drama.
But all this does not make sensational TV footage, or dramatic headlines or photos in newspapers. So at home and abroad, we suffer watching the daily dose of misfortune, calamity, mishap and mayhem on TV even when India is doing well.
(Kul Bhushan, a media consultant, has worked abroad as a newspaper editor and has travelled to over 55 countries. He lives in New Delhi and can be contacted at kb@kulbushan.net)
London, June 11 (IANS) Obesity might have a neurobiological side to it. A new study suggests that its origin may be in the brain.
David Erritzoe and his colleagues at Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark, studied the brains of 47 people of normal weight and 29 overweight people. They found that the brains of overweight people have more receptors for the neurotransmitter serotonin than those of normal weight, reported online edition of New Scientist.
Nurotransmitter serotonin, thought to be secreted by the Pineal Gland, is called a neurohormone because of its specific regulatory effect on the activity of the endocrine glands in the human body.
The brain operates by millions of nerve cells (neurons) communicating with each other by transmitting molecules. These molecules are known as neurotransmitters.
Serotonin is one of the many neurotransmitters believed to be responsible for various functions, including how we feel on a daily basis.
The scientists used positron emission tomography to map the brains of the participants and found the drugs that block the serotonin receptor 5-HT2A are associated with weight gain.
Erritzoe, who presented the work at a meeting of the Society of Nuclear Medicine in San Diego, California, found slightly higher concentrations of the receptor in overweight people.
Whether the difference in receptor number is a cause or an effect of being overweight remains uncertain, but twin studies suggest that genes are important in determining its prevalence.
"I think it's important for people with weight problems to know that there may be a neurobiological side to it," said Erritzoe.
New Delhi, June 11 (IANS) Claiming to have "vital clues" against Rahul Mahajan, the Delhi Police have moved a court seeking his custody so as to be able to question him further. The hearing is expected Monday.
"We have some vital clues against him and we want to question him further," said a senior official Sunday adding that Rahul, the son of late Bharatiya Janata Party leader Pramod Mahajan who is charged with drug abuse, had not been cooperating with the police in the investigation.
He said the police moved an application in the Tis Hazari Courts Saturday after the teams that had gone to Mumbai and Srinagar managed to gather clues against Rahul.
He added that the court admitted the application Sunday and the hearing was expected Monday morning.
"As of now we can only reveal that our objective of going to Mumbai and Srinagar has been successful. We have made ample recoveries which we would present before the court and demand rejection of the bail application of Rahul Mahajan," said a senior official investigating the case.
In Mumbai, the police questioned some friends of Rahul and went to the places he frequented. They said Mumbai police had provided more details linked to the case.
Rahul was arrested June 5 after he was taken seriously ill following a drug-laced drinks party at the official residence of the late Mahajan.
He has been sent to judicial custody till June 22. Bibek Moitra, an aide to the senior Mahajan, died due to suspected drug overdose at the June 1 party.
Forensic reports of Rahul and Bibek Moitra have confirmed use of narcotics substances.
Police also said they had "vital clues" against Sahil Zarru, the Kashmiri man suspected to have procured drugs for the party.
"The information is enough for us to believe that both Rahul and Sahil will not get bail and we would be allowed to further question them," said the investigating official.
The metropolitan court had deferred the bail application of Rahul Mahajan till June 13. The court had said the decision on his bail would be taken after hearing the plea of Zarru.
Paris, June 11 (Xinhua) Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur captured their second Grand Slam women's doubles title as the American-Australian pair defeated Slovakia's Daniela Hantuchova and Japanese Ai Sugiyama 6-3, 6-2 in the final of the French Open Sunday.
Raymond and Stosur, the reigning US Open champions, proved too tough for their opponents throughout the match and wrapped up their victory in just over an hour.
With this, Raymond has proved that she can be victorious on any doubles court, regardless of partner or surface.
In addition to four Grand Slam titles on grass and hard courts, she has four Roland Garros final appearances to her credit.
Two came in 1994 and 1997 (with Lindsay Davenport and Mary Joe Fernandez, respectively), and the third came four years ago (with Rennae Stubbs).
Since joining forces with Stosur, Raymond has won the US Open and season-ending championships.
Leipzig, June 11 (DPA) Arjen Robben's 17th minute strike gave the Netherlands a 1-0 victory over World Cup rookies Serbia and Montenegro in a Group C match here Sunday afternoon.
The Chelsea striker, who was a thorn in the side of Serbia and Montrenegro throughout the game, scored after he received a pass from Robin van Persie. His speed got the better of the Serbian defenders and he ran through before coolly pushing the ball past Dragoslav Jevric.
The victory sees the Dutch draw level on points with Argentina, who defeated Ivory Coast 2-1 in the other group game played Saturday.
By T.R. Ramakrishnan,
Gros Islet (St Lucia), June 11 (IANS) Virender Sehwag's blistering hundred made it India's day. At stumps on the first day of the second Test against the West Indies at the Beausejour Stadium, when play finished five overs short despite an extra half-hour, India were in a strong position at 361 for four.
On the days leading to the Test, Rahul Dravid had repeatedly called for a good start. After the skipper did his bit by winning the toss, Virender Sehwag (180, 190 balls, 2 sixes, 20 fours) and Wasim Jaffer (43, 92 balls, 4 fours) responded to the call and gave India just that, with an opening stand of 159 in 30 overs.
Dravid (95 not out, 158 balls, 12 fours) then showed his appreciation of their effort in his own immaculate way. His flawless innings went a long way towards ensuring that India did not throw the advantage away.
The Indian batting still has work to do on the second day. They will need to bat in the same vein and make the West Indians feel the weight of replying to a big score, preferably 500-plus. For pressure seems to be the best way of getting wickets on this track.
The Beausejour wicket, for all its treacherous appearance, with a lot of grass amidst bald patches, turned out to be a featherbed and, as locals had predicted, a batting track. None of the West Indian pacemen got anything out of it, and the West Indies will surely be regretting leaving out spinner Dave Mohammed from the playing XI.
Making his comeback, Pedro Collins got all the Indian wickets to fall on the opening day. He got them more because of the batsmen's mistakes than anything else. Jaffer and VVS Laxman (0) chased balls angled across them by the left-armer, Sehwag got a leading edge as he tried to play one to the onside and Yuvraj Singh (2) played all over a straight ball.
There was nothing like the pace and bounce as in the first Test at the Antigua Recreation Ground, and Sehwag realised that early in the day as he blazed away spectacularly.
His innings had two distinct phases, one fiery before lunch, when everything went screaming off his bat, the other post-lunch, when he was quiet and scratchy, to the extent that Dravid outscored him for most part of their 139-run third-wicket stand.
Some of Dravid's strokes stood out in the excellence of their execution and that's saying something on a day when Sehwag's blitz had given the cricket connoisseur his bellyful before lunch.
Sehwag and Dravid looked so much at ease that the only way they seemed like getting out was if they ran themselves out. They came close to it quite a few times. Even the runs which fetched Dravid his 50 came in a riskily run three.
The Indians had lost their aggression in running between the wickets some time during the one-day series. During the second innings at Antigua they seemed to be regaining it and on Saturday, it was more in evidence. There were quick, sharp singles and often one was taken for the throw, converting twos into threes.
It's an indication of confidence slowly creeping back into the side and that is surely a good sign. The bowlers will need plenty of it if India is to make the most of this wonderful start.
Scoreboard
India (1st innings):
Wasim Jaffer c Bravo b Collins 43
Virender Sehwag c and b Collins 180
V.V.S. Laxman c Ramdin b Collins 0
Rahul Dravid batting 95
Yuvraj Singh b Collins 2
Mohammed Kaif batting 18
Extras (4b, 7lb, 3w, 9nb) 23
Total (for 4 wkts in 85 overs) 361
Fall of wickets: 1-159, 2-161, 3-300, 4-306
Bowling:
Pedro Collins 20-4-75-4
Jerome Taylor 17-2-56-0 (5nb)
Dwayne Bravo 10-0-66-0 (1w)
Corey Collymore 14-1-57-0 (3nb)
Ian Bradshaw 14-4-45-0 (1nb)
Ramnaresh Sarwan 10-0-51-0 (2w)
Kolkata,June 10 (IMI), He is no engineer, but hs has done what no automobile wizard has done yet- designed the smallest family car and that too at an affordable price. But the maker is yet to find a sponsor.
At a time when the Tata group is all set to produce Rs 1 lakh small cars from the West Bengal, here comes a four seater vehicle with a price tag of not more than 80,000 Rs.
The car 81 inches long, 44 inches wide and 5 inches high- promises a mileage of 32 km per liter of petrol.
Shiekh Nuruddin, a resident of Budge Budge, wrote to chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and industries minister Nirupam Sen, the south 24-Parganas DM and WBDC chairman, requesting them to promote his project.
The car was the product of eight year of hard work. Nuruddin drew the design of the car and finally obtained a patent ( design no- 191101) for it in January 2003. Son of a garage owner, Nuruddin would often help his father repair cars.
It has been his childhood dream to make a small family car that the ordinary people would be able to afford. Having designed his dream car, Nuruddin knocked on the doors several automobile majors for help to set up a factory but to no luck.He even sought help in Bangladesh, but all he got were words of praise.
Source: Hindustan Times report
Dortmund, June 10 (Xinhua) World Cup debutants Trinidad and Tobago completed a mission impossible to hold Sweden to a goalless draw after being reduced to ten men during their opening Group B match here Saturday.
The Caribbean side, which failed to make real chances in goal but scared the Swedes with their attacking play in the first half, was cut down to ten men when defender Avery John was sent off after his two-footed lunge caught Christian Wilhemlsson in the Scandinavians' right wing.
Sweden had most of the possession, swarming all over their opponents and wasting no time to launch shooting attempts in front of the goalmouth in five minutes when both Henrik Larsson and Zlatan Ibrahimovic were denied.
At 12th minute, Ibrahimovic ran down the right box and gave a nice pass to Larsson, but the pullback striker failed to follow up behind, and so did Fredie Ljungberg.
Just a minute later, Olof Mellberg tried his luck from 30 metres to shoot wide off the target. The Swedes had a freekick in the 15th minute, as Avery John was shown the card chopping Christian Wilhelmsson in half, but Ibrahimovic's overhead kick was wide again.
Sweden created more clear chances in the following minutes but none of them were converted.
The debutants' highlight came late on the break as Carlos Edwards headed the ball wide of the goal in the 45th minute.
Opening the second half in an even fiercer way, Sweden got another chance when Ibrahimovic got the ball after being brought down by Dwight Yorke in the 52nd minute but was gathered easily by goalkeeper Hislop.
By Dr. Mustafa Kamal Sherwani
In the continuing din of cacophonous voices from almost all corners of Muslim community regarding the realisation of their political and other rights through their own distinct electoral identity,one more Politcal outfit 'United Democratic Front' has been floated on 10th of June under the patronage of Delhi Jama Masjid Imam Ahmed Bukhari.It may be recalled that a similar exercise was undertaken last month at Lucknow when a few Muslim Political outfits like All India Muslim Forum, Momin Conference etc. gave birth to a formation known as People's Democratic Front.It was reported that the Lucknow adventure was planned on a grandiose level representing all major and minor Muslim political entities under one banner, and thus replicate the Assam experiment which has produced about 10 members of legislature with Muslim electoral identity.The clash of ego however frustrated the move, and Bukhari parted way, and emerged under a distinct garb on 10th of June.
It is a common knowledge that the need for a separate Muslim party was first realised with the greatest urgency when the whole community was left aghast after 6th December, 1992.It was the last straw for their misconceptions about the role of the so-called secular parties as their( Muslims') defenders against the onslaught of fascist forces.Prior to that in UP, Muslim Majlis was formed under Dr. Abdul Jaleel Fareedi in seventees, but it was a short lived exercise. After his death its name was kept alive by some selfish elements for their own benefit but its purpose had become dead.After the demolition of Babri Masjid, Lucknow based All India Muslim Forum was the first to emerge to raise the voice in this direction, but when after a decade it could not make any headway, and meanwhile many other groups with the same mission had also surfaced, it was the common refrain that all must come together to launch a joint battle within the democratic structure of the country so that through their collective endeavour they might emerge as the proportionte power sharer in the structure of the country, just as Dalits and Backwards have done, and other social groups are in the process of doing.
However,the irony of the Muslim community lies in its total confusion regarding the basic presumptions and conceptions of a political struggle. Instead of struggling as an Indian social group, having its own distinct identity, which is also recognised by the Constiution, they always attempt to drag 'ISLAM' in between.Needless to say that the moment 'ISLAM' is mentioned, a propaganda is launched by the fascist forces, and which is easily consumed by impressionable minds of the majority communty, as if Muslims are talking in terms of something in the nature of 'ISLAMIC RULE'.
Another issue on which the whole community is in doldrums is the role of Muslim clerics - a class which has lost much of its respect because of their myopic sectarian approaches, and is totally devoid of anything that might be called 'ingenuity' or 'farsightedness'.But the reality can also not be denied that this is the only class which still has much sway over the community, and it possesses the destructive potential, enough to play spoilsport with any planning they disapprove of. Since independence, it is the only group which has created obstacles in the way of the emergence of Muslim leadership, because they know that any such political leadership will ruin their ( clerics') national and international market where they project themselves as the champions of Muslim cause.
However, when they realised that the process for Muslim leadership has started, they also initiated their own struggle to make their identity felt at the political platform, so as to grab the opportunity. The formation of All India Milli Council was the first step, but instead of political venture, it finished off as the broker of different political parties on the eve of every election. The debate thus gripped the community whether the political struggle should be remote from this clergy class or with their cooperation or under them.It is the outcome of this churning operations continuing within the Muslim community that these political moves are taking place with the clergy class at the top.
While, I for one, am firmly of the opionion that neither any clergy has the capacity to lead the community on political front and nor he may eventually be accepted as a political leader by Muslim masses in the long run. Every clergy is associated with one or the other sect, and if he dissociates himself from his sect, it will lead to his death in his religious profession which includes his income through the religious discourses.The leadership of a community riven by sectarianism needs an ecumenical approach.
No doubt, the community needs political leadership if it wants to survive as a living force, but which class - whether the clergy or other intelligentia- is accepted or have the capacity in this arena is for the future to reveal.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Dr. Mustafa Kamal Sherwani is a former President of All India Muslim Forum and presently Dean of Faculty of Law and Shariah, Zanzibar University, Tanzania
Washington, June 11 (DPA) Three inmates of the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, apparently committed suicide, the US Southern Command announced.
The dead men were described as two Saudis and one Yemeni.
The military said that the circumstances of the deaths were being investigated. If confirmed, the three would be the first suicides at the Guantanamo prison after numerous reported attempts and hunger strikes, according to attorneys representing prisoners.
General John Craddock, head of the US Southern Command, which operates the Guantanamo base, said autopsies are being performed.
Shortly after midnight Saturday, a military guard noticed a problem in one inmate's cell and found that the man had hung himself and was not breathing, said Rear Admiral Harry Harris. Guards and medical personnel tried to save the man to no avail.
Harris added that checks immediately after the first hanging found that two others had taken similar actions in nearby cells. Medics and other medical staff "worked hard to revive these men", he said.
It was not clear whether the second and third men used the discovery of the first hanging as a diversion to take their own lives. All three left suicide notes in Arabic, and their nooses were made from clothing and bedding.
Harris said that the suicides were premeditated, "not an act of desperation but rather an act of asymmetric warfare waged against us".
Craddock said that the Guantanamo prisoners are "enemy combatants being detained because they waged war against our nation, and they continue to pose a threat". He said that the incidents are being studied to prevent inmates from hurting themselves in the future.
In Guantanamo, a "cultural advisor" is assisting military authorities to "ensure that the remains are handled in a culturally and religiously appropriate manner".
The US State Department has notified the Saudi and Yemeni governments.
The prison was built on a US naval base on Cuba to hold detainees in Washington's so-called war on terrorism. Most of the Guantanamo inmates were captured in Afghanistan or Pakistan, largely in the wake of the toppling of the former Taliban regime in Kabul and the ouster of camps run in Afghanistan by Al Qaeda - the terrorist network led by the fugitive Osama bin Laden.
US President George W. Bush said Friday that he would like to eventually close the Guantanamo prison, as demanded by US allies in Western Europe. "We'd like it to be empty," he said.
Bush said further action to close the prison is awaiting a US Supreme Court decision on whether military tribunals are allowable for the prosecution of about a dozen detainees who have been charged with crimes for specific actions.
Critics say that the prisoners are suffering indefinite detention in a "war on terrorism" that will have no formal end. Conditions for Guantanamo inmates have been another point of contention, as well as some methods used by US interrogators.
Joshua Denbreaux, an attorney for some of the detainees, called the suicides an "absolute disaster" of public relations for the US military. Noting the strict conditions under which inmates live, he said: "I'm still surprised they managed to kill themselves."
Denbreaux blamed the US government for driving inmates to suicide, even forbidding lawyers to give them news of Bush statements about eventually closing the prison. "These men are without hope," he told CNN.
More than 400 prisoners of numerous nationalities remain in Guantanamo, down from a high of about 800 as small numbers are released.