My Press Review - Monday 15 November

Obama Returns to an Unpredictable Congress

Republicans are poised to try to force an extension of Bush-era tax rates and to block a range of initiatives.

 

North-South Sudan framework set

North and South Sudan agree on a framework to resolve outstanding issues ahead of January's vote on possible southern independence, the AU says

 

Haiti cholera death toll tops 900

The death toll in Haiti's cholera outbreak rises to 917, says the health ministry, as efforts continue to contain the disease.

 

Israel to let in 8,000 Ethiopians

Israel's cabinet approves a scheme to allow into the country nearly 8,000 Falash Mura, Ethiopians of Jewish descent.

 

Ministers back 'ultra-flexible' work

Ultra-flexible work system, which allows people to sell their labour in small blocks of time, is placed at the heart of the government's welfare reforms

How the hajj has become big business for Saudi Arabia

• Country's religious tourism industry booming
• New luxury hotels prove huge draw for pilgrims

 

Nuclear demand on hold

With political support now on both sides of the aisle on Capitol Hill, nuclear energy's long-awaited American "renaissance" is lacking one positive factor: the economy.

 

Rare Earths in Focus as China Cuts Sales

Russia and the United States are the most likely sources to help fill a shortage of rare earths as China cuts output of the minerals needed for electronics, wind turbines and smart bombs, an Australian academic said.

 

Gazprom Find in Algeria

Successful drilling of an exploration well in the El Assel license area in the oil- and gas-bearing Berkine Basin, its first such discovery in northern Africa, will produce a flow of 60,000 cubic meters of gas a day.

 

Mongolia Uranium Dispute
Mongolian authorities not to reinstate the Canadian miner’s licenses at the Dornod uranium deposit, but go with Russia’s Rosatom unit ARMZ Uranium Holding Company

 

Speculators look to silver lining

The number of investors in silver has increased because of soaring gold prices but fears that the central bank will further tighten monetary policy this month could lower the value of their holdings.

 

Peter Preston

It makes no economic or political sense to hang on to the Falklands, but no one will face the truth

Bush accused of lifting anecdotes

Now it appears that Decision Points is not so much the former president's memoirs as other people's cut and pasted memories. Bush's account is littered with anecdotes seemingly ripped off from other books and articles, even borrowing without attribution – some might say plagiarising – from critical accounts the White House had previously denounced as inaccurate.

 

Cultural desert: Will Abu Dhabi censor its new museums?

What do you need to create one of the world's most spectacular cultural centres from a piece of waste ground? The best architects in the world, the biggest museum names in the world and an awful lot of money.

 

The holocaust survivor whose life is in danger again

First they threatened to burn his house down. Then they pinned leaflets to his front door, denouncing him as a Jewish traitor. But Eli Tzavieli, an 89-year-old Holocaust survivor, is defiant. His only "crime" is to rent out his rooms to three Arab students attending the college in Safed, a religious city in northern Israel that was until recently more famous for Jewish mysticism and Madonna.

 

The Plot to Cheat Germany's Holocaust Survivors Fund

The FBI presses conspiracy charges against 17 people who allegedly forged claims for people apparently ineligible for compensation from the German government

 

Why Iraqi Christians Are Running Scared -- in Sweden

While other European nations have called a halt to deporting Iraqi Christians back to their native country, Sweden is taking a harder line

 

Parents invoke Napoleonic law to foil son's wedding

The parents of a French man were so desperate to stop their son marrying a girl from Hong Kong that they invoked a law from Napoleonic times to put a stop to it.

 

Oklahoma Surprise: Islam as an Election Issue

An amendment on Islamic law put Democrats of a secular bent at odds with conservative Christian Republicans.

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My Press Review - Sunday 14 November

The West 'cannot defeat al-Qaeda'

Militant groups such as al-Qaeda will never be defeated by the West, but can be contained, the head of the UK's armed forces says.

 

Cuba to free two more political prisoners

Cuba will soon release two of 13 political prisoners who had rejected a government deal to leave the country in exchange for freedom, the Catholic Church said on Saturday

 

Allawi's Sunni-backed bloc returns to parliament after walkout

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki now has until late December to form a cabinet, a process expected to be nearly as difficult as agreeing on who would be prime minister.

 

Spain presses Morocco over raid

Spain presses Morocco for more information about a police raid at a refugee camp in the disputed territory of Western Sahara.

 

US offers Israel settlement plan

The US offers Israel an incentives package in exchange for a construction freeze in the West Bank to revive talks with the Palestinians, diplomats say.

 

Obama offers to break nuclear treaty impasse

The Obama administration is offering to add billions of dollars in funding for the U.S. nuclear stockpile in a deal that it hopes will win enough Republican support for approval of a nuclear arms control treaty with Russia.

 

Osborne plans to cut levy on banks

The government is preparing to cut the tax it expects to impose on City banks through George Osborne's £2.5bn a year levy, prompting a furious reaction from tax experts and opposition MPs.

 

Egypt invites bidders for establishing nuclear station

Egypt will offer an international tender for establishing the first nuclear station in El-Dabaa on the northern coast

 

Irish 'in bailout talks with EU'

The Irish Republic is in preliminary talks with eurozone officials for financial support, the BBC learns, but Dublin denies the report.

 

Adams 'to contest Irish election'

Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams is expected to announce later that he intends running for the Irish parliament in the next election.

 

‘Israel is the root cause of terrorism'

Liberal Democratic peer asks why world allows Israel’s treatment of Palestinians to continue – "Is it Holocaust guilt?"

 

Paper Plane Launched Into Space

A team of amateur British scientists sent a paper plane into space and used it to capture pictures of the earth.

 

Strain for Africa's cotton farmers

The skewed nature of cotton production means that American and European growers receive subsidies while many Malian growers are earning barely £200 a year

 

Tensions at Haiti border

There have been scenes of desperation on Haiti's border with the Dominican Republic, where restrictions are in place to stop the cholera outbreak crossing into the neighbouring country.

 

Irish youth flees as meltdown looms

Many young people are seeking to emigrate rather than face a life of hardship as the republic lurches towards financial collapse

 

Godard Oscar rekindles Jewish row

An honorary award for the French director has enraged some in Hollywood who say his work reveals a lifelong hostility towards Jews. The question on many people's lips was: is Godard anti-Zionist or is he anti-Jewish? In Hollywood there is no greater sin. The debate dominated the build-up banquet, which is held earlier than the globally televised event due in February.

 

Arab-Americans: Detroit's Unlikely Saviors

White flight, black flight, no matter: Arab Americans are betting big on the Motor City's future

 

Mid East reality show promotes science

A new reality show, where young Arab entrepreneurs compete to see who can create the best new scientific invention, has become a hit across the Middle East.

 

Russian realism

Millions still waiting for a better life

 

Mother, aged 72, considering a sibling for her five-year-old daughter

A woman who gave birth aged 66 considering having another child

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My Press Review - Sunday 8 August

Rain adds to Pakistan flood woes

More heavy rain in Pakistan is frustrating efforts to help millions affected by devastating flooding in much of the country.

 

Deadly 'generator' blast in Iraq

An explosion, said to have been caused by a power generator, kills 14 people and injures 35 in the Iraqi city of Basra.

 

Gaza's sole major power station shut down

Outage over fuel payment dispute could last days; Hamas blames Palestinian Authority, which calls for more diligent collections by energy agency.

 

Dozens killed in China landslides

At least 65 people have been killed in landslides triggered by heavy rain in north-west China, say reports on state-run media.

 

The world's first really green oil deal

The world's first genuinely green energy deal is about to be sealed. In a plan which could be a blueprint for saving large tracts of the planet from exploitation, a greater value is being put on a pristine wilderness than on the oil that lies beneath.

 

The shepherd of our unknown dead

Dr Adnan Abbas, the man in charge of the Abu Dhabi morgue, has made it his mission to ensure unclaimed bodies are buried in weeks rather than years.

 

Saudi Blackberry deal 'in sight'

An agreement to prevent a ban on the Blackberry smartphone in Saudi Arabia is close to completion, Saudi officials say.

 

Farzana Shaikh: The man who really matters in Pakistan

Whatever David Cameron may say, looking both ways is by no means peculiar to Pakistan. For while Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari has looked the other way as his country drowns in the worst floods in living memory, the world has looked to him for decisive leadership. Yet, it has chosen to ignore that the real wielder of power – General Ashfaq Kayani – may be quietly tightening his grip and burnishing the credentials of his ever-ambitious army.

 

Ancient Arab pioneer's art turned modern-world threat

After 1,200 years, cryptography has come home to the Arab world. In the 9th century, it was the Iraqi intellectual Abu Yusuf al Kindi, who pioneered the study of hiding – and finding – secret messages within text.

 

Turkish 'coup' warrants annulled

A Turkish court annulls arrest warrants against 102 military officers charged over an alleged coup plot in 2003.

 

Iraq embargo food for thought

Violations of the 1995 oil-for-food programme imposed on Iraq are still emerging. As the West tightens sanctions on Iran, the kickbacks and bribes deployed by companies to breach restrictions in Iraq must serve as a warning of what may lie in store.

 

Russian ban goes against grain

Wheat prices high, producers’ stock falls and fears of food inflation provoke response from world markets after exports are called off.

 

Crimean Tatars fear for future

"I've already been here for 960 days, and today is the 961st," said the weather-beaten Tatar man, squinting beneath the powerful Crimean sun.

 

Kyrgyz Leader Says Coup Attempt Foiled

Kyrgyz forces arrested an opposition party leader on suspicion of plotting to overthrow the interim government on Thursday after troops fired blank rounds into a crowd trying to join mass demonstrations near the parliament.

 

Consumer debt in GCC hits $139bn

Saudi Arabia accounts for $48.5bn of outstanding consumer debt in region.

 

Journalist returns ADL award in protest

CNN's Zakaria against ADL's opposition to Ground Zero mosque.

 

German citizens take part in Ukraine apology

Around 200 Germans have arrived in the Ukrainian capital to take part in actions aimed at apologising for the Nazis’ crimes in the World War II.

 

Russia accuses U.S. of loose weapons control

Russia accused the United States on Saturday of breaching its obligations over the non proliferation of weapons, a sign of strained relations between the two powers.

 

Muslim History Belies Stereotypes in 'Ground Zero Mosque' Dispute

The richness and diversity of the Muslim experience in America belies the radical stereotypes in popular culture and political parlance

 

Big fish

Namibia's first female trawler captain shows the way forward

 

Feminism is man's best friend

Men should be grateful for feminism, not afraid of it

 

No foul language, South Korean soldiers ordered

South Korean soldiers have been ordered to cut out expletives.

 

Millions of Outsiders Eligible For EU Passports

Citizens of Turkey, Moldova, Macedonia, Serbia and Ukraine are main beneficiaries as passport loopholes offered by three EU nations could be indirectly expanding the boundaries of the bloc - potentially giving nearly 5 million outsiders the coveted right to live and work in the union.

 

Historian Tony Judt dies aged 62

Considered by many to be a giant in the intellectual world, Judt chronicled his illness in unsparing detail in public lectures and essays – giving an extraordinary account that won him almost as much respect as his voluminous historical and political work, for which he was feted on both sides of the Atlantic.

 

Peace Treaty Is Key to Japanese-Russian Ties

When Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan and President Dmitry Medvedev met in June, both leaders agreed to seek progress on mutual concerns. And the largest issue blocking progress is the dispute over the Northern Territories, which has prevented Moscow and Tokyo from reaching a formal peace treaty to end World War II.

 

Muslim message

Inside the UK's first anti-terrorism camp

 

Gulf tourists concerned by French 'burqa' law

Middle Easterners formed 3% of the total foreigners who visited Paris in 2009.

 

We once had wooden mosques in İstanbul

The İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality’s Directorate of Conservation Implementation and Control Bureau (KUDEB) has been renovating wooden houses on the historical peninsula, and now it seems that wooden mosques are also getting their share of attention.

 

China's Big Bet on High-Speed Rail

China is hoping that massive investment in its railway system will speed up development of its interior, give it a competitive edge over other major economies and bring in even more export earnings

 

Boy to walk to school after leg "grows" by 31cm

A 12-year-old boy born with a short right leg plans to walk into school for the first time after surgeons "grew" his limb by 31cm.

 

Car smoking 'child abuse' GP says

People need to do more to look after their own and their children's health, a leading GP has warned.

 

Oman: 250 Camels take part in beauty show in Salalah

Sheikh Salim Bin Oufait al Shanfari, Head of Dhofar Municipality patronized the Camel Beauty Show, which was organized by the local

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